The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1908-01-02
PLEADS FOR
The PRODIGAL
Or, BuCknSr Impresses Value
Of Holiday Season as Time
for Forgiveness .

the Dallas News, TO urge, at this sea-
son OF the year. he home coming
of the wandering ones. In part he
writes. as follows:
The season is here when peace and
good will should be proclaimed with
peculiar emphasis, and | presume 20
enter an earnest plea for the erring
and unfortunate, the forsakon ana
neglected, II is common thing 10
plead with them to repent and do
better but In this instance my plea
Is for them, and II Is made especially
with parents and other near OF Kin,
or who by affinity are close to those
who have gone into dlsslpated lives
or have, though by single mlsstep,
brought sadness and sorrow 10 dis
appointed hearts and homes. rg'on I
Who can fully understand tho cir
cumstances, the natural weakness
and the influence under which a
wrong STEP has been taken? Who
else has done or might have done
things grIevously wrong themselves
under similar circumstances? Or
who 50 strong as not TO have done
such things at all? Why should they
not, then, be strong enough to bear
the iplirmities OF the weak" Jesus
himself Is touched with the feeling
OF our infirmitiee," and his compass
sionate spirit is worthy OF admira-
ton and of adoption to the highest
degree possible. Why should not one
poor mortal sympathize with another
even though he be the greater sin
ner? And how could 1t be other
wise on the part of parents toward
their own erring children or of kin
dred and the closely related other
wise toward those once tenderly
loved but now lamented on account
of improper lives? Why turn the
back on the fallen rather than ex-
tend the helping hand? The Naza-
rene did no such thing. ''' 49,,
! who RAa tell the depth'6f Sorrow
into which, tho wandering boy has
plunged himself? Who can Measure
the heartfelt shame and gflef The
once happy. lovely daughter has
brought into her own mistaken life?
The right word or the right Influence
at the proper time might have saved
all this. and hence others might
have been in part to blame. Thar
word might have been spoken by the
mother; the father inNthe right way
might have prevented the fall; the
brother, IL he had understood, might
have saved the sister by few manly,
gentle words and kindly acts; the
husband, IL he had only known just
how to be wise at the right time,
might. have Saved soul from death
and covered a multitude of sins"
So might the loving wife have pre-
vented the fall of the husband.
"Well do know that there are Sc
tious intricacies and embarrassing DIR
ficulies In attempting such reforms
ton and seeking such restoration;
they are inside such heart-broken'
family circles of the pure and good,
as we'll as in the hearts and lives
OF the unfortunate who have lost
hope. But the prize to be gained is
worthy the struggle, and God, and
conscience, and right-minded people
will applaud every effort even though
Vt may end in failure. b
These Christmas days are meant,
as commonly understood, to remind
us of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth
and the joys that follow. We art tod
that he came Ito seek and to save
the lost" This my plea is for the
"lost." Paul teaches us that Jesus
was able to save the chief. of sinners,
and this my plea Is for such as are
regarded as the greatest sinners, as
well as for others who have not gone
so far in transgression. The birth
OF Jesus was proclaimed by angels
to shepherds near Bethlehem, as they
watched their flocks by night. and
suddenly multitude of the heavenly
host, poised on benevolent wings,
cried out: GLORY to God In the,
highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men," This heavenly
proclamation was probably reverbe-
rated throughout the bright realms
of the glory world, but no less over
the hills and plains of Judea, and it
has spread to the remotest bounds,
The good will toward men" in
cludes those who were once the pride
Of households that are now rent
asunder and overshadoWed by clouds
OF sorrow. Let all such households
catch the heavenly strain this glo-
rlous Christmas of 1907, and repeat