The bee., 1912-12-13
Childhoodts Clam.

that message.
Childhood's Clam
1t is significant that Christ was a
child. The babe in the manger has
become familiar to us in song, story
and art. Each Christmas season it
is retold but loses none of it's charm
because of having been repeated for
two Thousand years, In this fact is
deeper significance than we some
times fathom, and message that
we too often fail to hear. Ever since
the birth of the Christ Child, child
hood has had for us newer and
sweeter meaning,
There's song IN the air,
There's star IN the sky,
There's Mothers deep prayer.
There's baby's low cry"
This cry of the babe is part of
the message Of Christmas. Out OF
its helplessness, its purity and its
bringing of Joy, it cries to us, claim
Ing our support and sympathy, and
our participation in the joyous sum
shine of its presence.
With keen appreciation of the
message, the rights of childhood Will
never be disregarded. The right to
inherit proper nature to be born
in the midst of wholesome surround
ings; to enjoy the things that are
common to childish nature; to be
trained and equipped for the stern
realities of life; but to be withheld
from assuming these until child
hoods period is gone, these aresthe
utterances we distinguish inthe cry
of the babe, and these have been
coming into their own wherever the
influences represented by Christmas
have gone, The disregard for these
are clear evidence that the story of
Christ has been drowned in the
struggle of selfishness and low aim.
The crowded tenement with Its
filth and squalor; the lazy drunken
parenthoos that pushes children out
to bear burdens too heavy for child
ish shoulders; the employment OF
these by public corporations in
order to procure cheap labor and
satisfy their own insatiate greed the
enticing and entrappIng dens of vice
that draw In the children like a
mighty whirlpool; all these are the
result of deaf ear turned to- the
cry of the babe.
Home Building.
How strange that He who was
born without home, and who had
not where to Law his head should
come to have such sympathy for the
most sacred place on earth--the
home, and should know It's needs.
shaping all things for it's comfort
and joyl But how sweetly truel
There is no home to day, be it the
lhumblest hut on the mountain side,
or the richest palace Oh the most
shionable street, whose light,
laughter and song have not been
made possible by that first CArist-
mas tide ina Bethlehem long ago.
The spirit OF giving gifts, the love Of
the household, the brightly lighted
rooms, rhe light aud cheer that
minli together at this time of the
year where loved ones aud friends
gather are heavens benediction
'brought by Him whose chiti joy was
found IN blessing the place and ties
of the home. The saddest and most
to he pitied person at this season is
the one without nome.
A Message OF Divine Visitation.
All the circumstances surround
ing the birth of Jesus point to its
divinelv human character. Ere
prophecy was fulfilled, while to this
place came divInely guided visitors
and laid at the feet of the new born
king their gifts of gold, frankinsense
and myrrh. Ia honor of this event
the choir of angels sang "Olory to
God in the Highest For the pro-
lection of the babe from the murder
ons intent of Herod, the divine pro-
violence intervened. All these indi-
cate elthat Divinity planned and pre-
sideh over this event OF events
We shall miss the mark greatly in
: our celebration Of Christmas II We
ta.1f A. uAaH1a thae An fho htrAh -,