Los Angeles herald., 1908-12-26
CELEBRATE DAY
IN MANY WAYS
EARLY SERVICES HELD IN
CHURCHES
cHARITABLEINSTlTUTIoNS MAKE
MANY HAPPY
Hungry Are Fed, Naked Are Clothed,
and Needy Children Are Gen.
erously Remembered
by Santa

Long before the beautiful sunrise yes
terday morning the streets were filled
with early worshipers intent on cele-
brating Christmas morning by atten-
dance at the many early services Of
the churches in celebration of the birth
of the Christ.
In the Catholic churches o'clock
was the general hour of the first ser
vices. and each parish church was
filled with devout Worshtpers. me
decorations were especially elaborate IN
all the churches; red and green, the
holiday colors. being extensively used.
In the Catholic churches these decora-
tions were enhanced by the hundreds
of electric lights and lighted candles
that adorned the affairs.
The day was marked i'm Episcopal
churches with early celebrations of the
communion, and at st. Johns church
a midnight service was held in addi-
ton to the usual services.
In all these services the story of the
Christ child, in sermon and song, was
told and retold amid decorations typical
of a California Christmas.
Al the Cathedral of st. Niblana
Bishop Conaty pontifcated at 1890
o'clock, and last night preached an eio-
quent sermon at the solemn Vesper ser
vice. He said in part:
Bishop conaty's Sermon
christmas day of all days in the
wear evo<es most pleasant memories
It touches the human heart keenly, II
brings the feeling of Gods love, and
it touches the strongest cords OF man
sympathy. One seems TO feel the hu-
man as well as the divine, the Christ
mas day which stands out as the great
1 in 40 nf G1EG. 1t
! holds up before us picture of divine
love. making us feel that around the
| child i'm that picture there are CEN
tered the events that uplft, ennoble
and save humanity. Christmas day is
/ the day on which the Saviour OF men
was born in order that humanity might
/ be redeemed.
"Christmas day is the birthday Of
! faith i'm Christ which brings truth 70
/ the human mind: it is the birthday or
/ love which brings God himself into
/ human life. No wonder the Christian
world has worshiped at the manger OF
4 bethlehem. because in that manger il
has recognized the Child who as the
i Son of God made man, is mankind $
/ Redeemer and sovereign Lord. Outside
| that little world at the manger power
| full forces were working mans down.
! fall. Paganism was practically master
/ of mans belief and the worship pald
/ to idols was a degradation of mind ana
/ heart Caesalism was in control of the
political forces of humanity. and by
/ various forms of despotism and tyranny
mankind had grown to be little more
| than a blind force, slave Of the Will
of might and cruelty. Freedom was
practically unknown, liberty entirely
unheard Of Men were slaves, and they
bowed down before the idol. and they
were lashed into obedience to the abb
l coIrtisf11 of the pmDire.
Nineteen Centuries Tribute
LAS the Christian world journeys TO
Bethlehem today and offers its tribute
| of alteration to the child of Bethlehem,
it bares to him the tribute of nine
! teen centuries of the worlds existence,
during which the lessons of the divine
! child have worked out the emancipa-
/ ton of man from paganism and Caesar
/ ism into the Christian manhood by
which Christ is Worshiped AS the Son
of God and mems lives are modelled
upon the gospel of the Child of Beth
| lehem.
.The power of God in his love for
/ man has measured swords with the
power of evil in it's control of men,
/ and the result has been conquest OF
/ intelligence to the truth of God and
a conquest of hearts to the love of
/ Cod Christianity has been the most
powerful influence that has ever eX-
erted itself in the uplifting and ell
nobling of human nature, and what
ever we have in civilization today Wor-
/ thy Of the name. whatever there is oi
/ humaneness in onr nature, of love FOR
I the true and the good whatever has
tended to elevate and dignity woman
hood. to sanctify childhood, to give
pleasure to human life, to enfranchisc
and honor labor to control human pas
sion to bring charity into the lives ~
the people, TO dedicate lives to unset
fish devotion to the poor and suffering
to defend the home and sanctify domeS-
tic loves. may. almost wholly, be laid
as a tribute to the divine efficacy oi
the doctrines of the Child of Bethlehem
I'VE marvel at the character which
/ Christmas day has given to the world
Time was when the civilized world was
almost wholly Christian and Christmas
day was the feast of days. The man
ger of Bethlehem with its Christ-chlld
received the alteration of a faithful
and believing people. In the course oi
centuries many nations broke away
from the Christian unity, and as one
of the results Christmas day lost its
| place i'm their calendar, and whatever
| there was among them of the Christ
/ mas foV was largely due TO the pleasure
joys of children rather than to any
/ religious sense Christmas day seems
to have regained its power over the
reople, and the universal wish of hap
piness and the exchange of gifts be-
tween friends. the decoration of homes
and public places as well as churches
with the fragrance of flowers, all mari
| the return of something of that Christ
mas spirit which was the characteristic
OF the days of the faith
There is danger of Christmas
without the Christ-chid; there is dan
ger Of sentiment rather than faith
Many are apt to lose sight of the rea'
son for Christmas, and they fail to un-
derstand that if there is Christmas
among us it is because of Gods love
for us in sending Christ as our Re
deemer, the Christ who was born II
Bethlehem on Christmas day. He wa
Gods best gift to man. and on Christ
mas day gifts are but symbols of tina
wonderful and divine gift by which i
became possible for men TO be the sons
Of God"
At chiIdren's Hospital
The children's hospital, where many
little ones lay sick and feeble, was thr
scene of a bright Christmas celebration
when all the little stockings that hac
been hung were found to have beer