The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1914-12-20

heather were busy with their profane
ceremonies, the Christians might OBJ
Iserve their holy rites undisturbed."
In other words the church did what
she has done over and over again;
finding a festival, finding custom,
rooted strongly in the public heart
Itoo strongly rooted to be torn up and
cast away-she decided to accept 1t;
she simply renamed 1t, and adopted
It as part of her own custom.
And for this reason, 1t is that, on
the day on which the old world from
time immemorial, celebrated the
birthday Of its spiritual light and life
and warmth and Joy. This, then,
Is the reason why. on the 25th day Of
December. we gather so gladly in our
homes. making the children happy
with gifts. wishing each other all
sweet and glad and merry wishes,
and feeling our hearts swell with
thanksgiving to the source of all the
brightness and peace and blessedness
that have come into, our life. This,
then, is the origin, this the signii-
canoe OF the Christmas day.
And now word as to the glory Of
L 81
Christmas belongs to man. This, to
my mind, is one its peculiar and
brightest glories. Christmas is as
wide as the human race. Note the
meaning Of It. AT first and ON the
lowest level OF thought. 1t meant the
supremacy OF light, that light was
stronger than the dark; 1t meant thar
warmth was mightier than cold; that
summer was stronger than winter. 1t
meant this great, deep trust and faith
in the human heart in that far-off
time, IN that ignorant, simple, super
stitious, childhood period Of the world.
1t meant this great conquering
trust in the hearts of men in the SUI
tpremacy OF the sun and all that the
-un stood for: his enemies might seem
to be overpowering him, they might
shear away his locks as the Philis-
tines did the locks OF Samson; they
might seem to be surrounding him
and conquering him; but in the very
depth Of winter, when the cold seem-
ed the master there came the rebirth
iof the immortal ruler of the skies,
and their god came back bringing
light and glory and life and healing
in his beams. This is what 1t meant
to the old childhood world. And when
Jesus came, the Sun of Righteousness
as we love to call Him, and His birth
day at last was celebrated at the
same time, 1t merely added to the
Significance Of the, old idea.
1t broadened 1t, deepened it, it lift
ed 1t higher, until men believed, in the
supremacy, not only OF the physical
sun sun, nul Oh 9a. Tue spiTltuai source OF
iieh' anu iiie as wen.
It seems to me something superb
and something strange In its wonder,
that humanity does cherish this i'm
mortal hope.
Evil seems to have ito GUN NOV CO
often We have heen taIking for con ~
Grafton for hundrnds ~ vaers ,Sen+
peace. and vet TO-DAY We ioor ,non o
IbatteIfield in which ain,ost OF E, :
rome Is engaged We ta1E abo,,t +ha
coming of the reipn NJ justice anS
Injustice seems to triumph. We talk
about the growth of intelligence and
yet see masses of people running wild
after every folly. We talk about
goodness conuuering evil. and vet
there is so much of evil and its con-
sequences all about us
Ana vet va hona .s11ona ..s,,
eterna, IN +ha rnner hraost 1in .ts
old meet has snna q Az ,, 90 Iii .n9
belieye still ~ " anu VIC VIII
. mn mas. Is SIMPLY Tue pursuing
., ms pe,iei lnto song, Ihe triumph
VI Iislt, .ne triumph OF zoos love
you iove ior ms cnlloren, and our
rove lor eaen olner, the new he, the
incoIiins Oh the olvlne airs more and
alr Ts, inlo tne %oriu.
ms - Tue siory-tne meaning OF
Cnrislnlas. anu 80 tne human neart
magniflcent trust in Cod and No ,,a ,ts
ter how often bafied M mntter 49,,
many times defeated nevsr ,ns vM
courage but marches nm IN Soma nan,
victory and to. grasn some new MON,
Use for the fuIfIlment NJ ito pit;m
ate hone
rh;s ;s .ho .,.. :. A.. c,.,
.,,a .lts no no ~. .ne s.oi! VI .ne Shrlstlnas
~ .ne -. i .,..s ~: nes .s mas oeen period
~ Any t IN. ~ ane pass wnen IN al
. .a.9 az. n az, ~. ueen tnls lot
a,,,, ,ooA r ,n,s , oe.iei IN ,ne sooo time