The Dolores star., 1907-12-20
CHRISTMAS

I'M PNoPtS vi WOiid
about to celebrate on Christmas S
day the birth of Jesus Christ. No
human being, no matter what his
religion or lack OF religion. will re-
fuse to unite with sympathetic rev.
erence in the celebration of Christ
mas.
Christmas has come to be the
day Of the children. the day of Civ
ing and receiving, the day on
which human beings spasmodically
and fitfully try to obey the COM
mand, Love one another" 1t is
day of simple, childish happiness
for millions Of little human beings
While the children play the mother
looks beyond them to the spirit OF
the day. the spirit that made the
child recognized character. with
rights and high place in the world,
to the spirit that SO beautifully
taught the rights of women.
Christmas is not a religious cele-
bration. not a day devoted to any
set of religious beliefs. 1t is day
that honors ole whose own teach
ings every human being must ad-
mire.
Crimes have been committed in
the name of Christ, as in the
names of other great religious lead
ers. Miserable men have masquer.
AIDED as His followers, and have
done those things against which
He preached most earnestly. The
race in which He was born, and to
which He was devoted. has been
brutally prosecuted in His name
But that was the result of human
brutality, it had nothing to do
with the pure and noble spirit OF
whom we think on Christmas day
How far the world is from under
standing the character and the
teachings Of Christ! How far from
living up to the teaching!
Christ preached kindness, just
ice. happiness on earth. He loved
the people-the poor, the common
est of human beings. For months
He lived surrounded with crowds
1t was his delight to have the
people about Him. His great
effort was to make them happy.
He provided food for the hungry
multitude. He always encouraged
social happiness.
Of the teachings for which Christ
made himself responsible no good
man today will reject any. Fer
they are not sectarian-they are as
broad as humanity, Embodied in
His teachings are the majesty and
beauty of the old Jewish religion,
which in the Old Testament forms
part of our religion today.
This is the message that He
gave to the world: be kind to each
other, love one another. All
human beings unite in approval OF
that.
He commanded kindness to chill
dren and to women. He rebuked
the sinful men that would have
stoned to death a woman less sin
full than themselves.
He drove out those that traffick-
ed in the temple, in the shadow of
religion. He denounced the use
of religion as a cloak for money
making. He rebuked the selfish
ness, the stupid pretensions of the
rich, and upheld the democratic
principle of equality among men,
teaching the world that all were
His brothers.
Fathers and mothers should ex-
plain to their children the mean
ing of Christmas day, putting into
words that children can understand
the character, the benevolence,
the spiritual beauty of Christ's
teachings.
To make children happy and to
protect them. to make women re-
spected and happy, to replace
mems wars with protherly love
that was the desire of Christ and
that should be the spirit of Christ
mas day-happiness for the child
rem especially, since the day cele-
brated the advent of the wonderful
child destined to have SO great an
efect upon all humanity and to do
70 much, especially for the child
rem and women of earth. Rocky
Mountain News.