Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-24

i'm IA I'll out of thee SDall ne tcillS
lW NI forth unto Mo that is to be
Le6pre92 ruler. in Israel; whose goings
forth have been from of OLD,
from everlasting. And he shall STAND
and feed in the strength Of the Lord
in the majesty of the name of the Lord
his God; ard they shall abide; for now
shall he be great unto the ends OF the
earth.
So wrote the Prophet Micah $50 years
before Joseph and Mary came from tne
Gallileean city of Nazareth to their
ancestral home i'm the City of David 10
be taxed. There was no room in the
inn, and the Infant Jesus was born In
the stable and was laid I'm manger
That most tremendous fact in all the
history of the human race is annually
celebrated by all Christians on the Gay
we call Christmas. Tomorrow is Chrlst-
mas day wherever the Gregorian calen-
dar is in use. and thirteen days hence
will be Christmas day in those countries
which cling to the Julian calendar.
Already Bethlehem is thronged with
devout pilgrims from every Chrlstlal
land. while the inns and hospices ana
converts of nearby Jerusalem are
crowded with those who will Keep the
Christmas vigil at Bethlehem. No one
lxnows ON what day of what month
Jesus was born but II is sufficient tnat
for many centuries December 20 has
been observed as the anniversary OF
the birth of the Prince of Peace. inc
Christmas spirit is the most beautiful
of all holiday expressions OF the KlhuiS
qualities which dignity AMI make 500
like the offering natare OF man. IL
is at this season of the year tnaI an
men are impeled to emulate the unset
fshness of him whose birthday 1t is.
EVERYWHERE the minds of the people
are turning toward that Bethlehen
which existed in the day OF Herou,
Bethlehem today is small CITY Oh
about 5000 inhabitants. 1t Is ohly SIN
miles from Jerusalem, pleasant aitei-
noon carriage ride. 1t is the Oldest
civ in all the holy land, and one Of
the oldest in the world, for unlike the
other cities of the ancient world II
never has been destroyed. Protected
nv its insignificance 1t has escaped un-
scathed the succession of destructive
invasions which wiped out Jerusalem
and the greater cities. Bethlenelii
was a city before Abraham left Ur OF
the Chaldees: il was here that Rachel
was buried, that Ruth married BoaH'
that David was born.
II is a remarkable fact that the pop
ulation of Bethlehem is altogether
Christian. there being no Mohamme-
dams except the soldiers and pollce'
and no Jews except some enterprlslns
merchants lately removed from New
York and Chicago II rs alSo Tel'ltll am N
able that the people of Bethlehem con-
tinue to deserve the reputation tney
have borne for nearly forty centuries
for their peculiar beauty. We read IN
the Old Testament of the young DaVlds
beautiful ruddy countenance Inc
young men of Bethlehem today nave
the same ruddy checks, and possess a
degree Of physical beauty tar oeyonu
that OF any other Syrians. AS me
races have changed completely TINS
peculiar healthful beauty is due, no
Doubt. to the fact that Bethlehem IS
the center of a small region of wonder-
ful fertility. and its people get enough
to eat, which cannot be said OF the IN
habitants of many other towns III
Palestine.
Bethlehem's narrow, steep and slip
merry streets are not distingulshable
from those of any other small Syrian
town. But every stranger, every Wis
itor and every pilgrim goes through
them quickly TO that fortress-lil;e
group of buildings which Is known as
the Church of the Nativity. unllke
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre III
Jerusalem there Is no disturbing doubt.
There is every reason TO believe that
the cave over which the church is buiIt
is actually the very place of the ma
tivity of the Lord, and that historical
truth justities the inscription Wlthlh
the cave: "Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus
Christus Natus est'-"Here of the Nlr-
Gin Mary Jesus Christ was born
The nave of the church Is the COM
mon property Of all Christians and IL
is the most ancient example of Chris
tian architecture eXtant. 1t was COM
pleted in the year $50 A. ID. by the
Emperor Constantine, although begun
nv his mother, the Empress Helena. It's
roof is of stout English oak and was
built by King Edward IV of England
at about the time Christopher Colum-