New-York tribune., 1910-12-26
MANY ATTEND Church
Special Christmas Services At
tract Thousands.
ETHICAL CULTURE VIEW
DR.. Adler Tells Story Of Observ-
ance and Analogy Drawn from
That Wonderful Child

=! Song and service Ushered in glad Christ
mas Day. and from their homes thousands
poured forth, willing 20 break their hours
| Of festivity with e tribute and prayer tc
! Him who was born in the stable at BethIe-
| hem.
! At St. Patrick's Cathedral poutihca1 mass
was celebrated by Archbishop Farley. as
sisted by Morsignors Lavelle. Hayes, Doran
and Dwyer and the Rev. DR.. Hughes
Father Fitzgerald. Of the Dominican Order,
preached a Christmas sermon that held
that wonderful as are Gods works. tfleg
are less wonderful than the manifestations
to-day at the crib OF Bethlehem He said
'-St- Paul tells US that God so loved the
world that He gave His only begotten Son
for our salvation, and in the excess of HIS
love annihilated Himself The triumph OF
the Nativity is that God is better served
than before. The new born Babe has sent
forth into the world message of humility,
poverty and lowliness that will teach tee
proud Of heart TO be humble and the way
ward and sinful that there are charity and
mercy II the heart OF Cod
In the heart of old New York and in
the very market OF trade and money get
ting one voice spoke for si17ple living yes
terday. This was the Rev. DR.. William T
Manning, who preached in Old Trinity
Church yesterday morning. He hum n5Ied
himself" was the text he used. and he en-
phasized the fact that Jesus made for
himself no great boasts, and came, indeed,
IN the form of servant
The old church was decksd with red
holly and greens of the Christmas time,
and flaming poinsettias flashed against
lovely white lilies near the altar. A boys
eno1r sang the communion service and the
chants OF morning prayer
Looking like a quaint old English parish
church was St Georges, in Stuyvesant
Square. Three hundred members of the
parish had put willing hands TO work
and festooned and garIanded the structure
everywhere inside. Three great panels ex-
tending halfway from the nave to the
chancel bore the golden letters Glory 10
God in the Highest" The Rev. Hugh
Birckhead spoke OF the significance of the
wonderful Christmas story, and the thought
that Jesus was trying ever 70 draw out
the child nature within us-the simple pos
sibilities
j. Pierpont Morgan. Seth Low and hun
dreds Of others heard the preacher say:
When the scholar has ceased his studies
the philosopher has closed his volume and
the lawyer has tried his last case they
will then turn back 10 the child nature
and listen to the call of Him who is seek
ing the child within u.s.
Peace on Earth. Good VIII to Men was
the song the shepherds sang almost two
thousand years ago. and the Rev. DR..
David j. Burrell pleaded for this peace at
the Marble Collegiate Church. Three
mighty influences are working for peace -
said DR.. BurreL; first, the perfection Of
the instruments OF war, second, the eco
nornic fcrce, for last year alone the interna-
tional expenditure for war was 81 ,00O, ,0Oo. 600,
and third, the Christian religion of the
centuries. If war were skin disease, it
might be reached by the plaster Of diplo-
macy, but ii isn't; it is q heart disease, and
not until the hearts of men and nations
undergo a change viii there be an end Of
war;.
Christmas Day in the new meeting house
of the Society Of Ethical Culture, in Central
Park West, was almost like q Christmas
service anywhere else, despite the soeiety's
creed. There were carols, songs and an
thens and a responsive reading, in which
the ''bleSt season OF peace was the moth
DR.. Felix Adler told the story Of Christ
mas. saying that IL was first pagan fes-
tival. celebrating the gradual lengthening
of days after December 2. when the world
'3Then came the Christian idea. that the
assurance of mere physical welfare was
not enough, that there should be something
Of the glory Of fine noble human lives"
said DR.. Adler 1T was recognized as IN
a peculiar degree a time for the children.
and one child made the life Of all the 9TH
ers. And men celebrated the birth of
Jesus. although, as q matter Of fact, there
is no proof that Jesus was born at this time
Of year or at any other particular season
At one period His birth was celebrated
in September and at another in January
But an analogy vas drawn from that Won
derful child, as bringing about an increase
in the life Of the spirit