Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-21
WHERE THE BABE HAS LED US

| ALL the civilized world was embraced in
| "A the Roman Empire when the angels sang
| Peace on earth, good will toward men"
The Mediterranean was its centre, and the
| lands surrounding that inland sea were gov
| erned from Rome. Roman power had also
been extended to the north until 1t covered
what is modern France and England. But
England and France were not civilized. Ro-
man culture was confined to the Mediterra-
mean districts, including Greece and part of
Spain, as well as Italy. Syria, although under
the rule OF Rome, was Jewish and restive
under the yoke of the conqueror.
There had been a primitive democracy be-
fore Augustus gathered into his own hands
all the powers Of the Government, but it was
so different from what we call democracy
that its restoration would not be tolerated.
The father was the head of the family, with
the power of life and death over its members.
When a child was born he decided whether
It should live. If it were defective there was
no question of it's fate. And II It were a
girl and the father wanted sons, the infant
was allowed to die of exposure. These So
cial practices were much modified the
years went by, and at the beginning of the
Christian Era they had been virtually
abandoned, but new customs arose that de-
stroyed the family and left society rotten.
Women held about as high place as in mod
ern China. Force was glorified and spir-
itual virtues were unknown. The Roman cit
izen existed for the State. He had rights
which his rulers felt bound to respect; and
democracy as practiced today was unthought
Of
The centre Of the worlds present civiza-
tlon is in what was the barbarous Europe
of Augustus, and in America, which was not
,P 4Ho Argt
century. There were wars then. but no one
thought of going to the relief of the devas-
tated country. No fund for feeding starving
Belgians was raised in Rome. No hospitals
for treating the wounded in Gaul were fitted
out of subscriptions from the generous in
Jerusalem. War meant unmitigated devasta-
tion and death to the conquered. Eighteen
centuries of Christianity have changed the
world to such an extent that when we go to
the relief of suffering we say that we are
responding to the dictates Of humanity But
nom Christian humanity was conscious of no
such impelling force.
Founded on the Christian teaching about
the value of a human soul there has risen
a great superstructure devoted to saving
life. Growing out of the oriental Hebrew
teachings in which woman was of little ac-
count, there has sprung the belief in the
equality or women And the spiritual democ-
racy, in which all human beings are equal
before God, has produced the political de-
mocracy which will ultimately reduce all
kings to the rank OF commoners and raise
all commoners to the position of soveregns
Europe, laid waste by war, is very diff
ferent place from any part OF the world at
war in the first century. Life is a more
precious thing than it was then. Women
hold a higher place because of the Babe
born of woman, and democracy is a reality
where it was once only a word. There was
never less reason for pessimistic doubtings
of the influence of Christianity than in this
year OF grace and conflict just drawing to a