Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-24
Where Christmas Finds the
Cause Of Christianity
Present Events in the Christmas Land Dominate the
Thought of the Church
Religious Ramber
tBy the Religious Rambler)

While the music of the Christmas
bells is still in the air, and all the jol-
lity and merriment and gladness of
the great festival joy is pervading
America, there are many thoughtful
persons who are aware that the
church, whose holy day Christmas is,
to-day is being challenged as never
before in the memory of living men.
This Christmas is critical for Chris
tianity. With Christian leaders be-
fuddled, with their basic religious
ideals a source of contention, and
with their fellow disciples In the land
of the nativity sore beset. and with
an unmistakable spiritual questioning
abroad in the world, what really is
the religious situation of the present
day?
The seemingly simple matter of
peace itself is a line of division among
Christians. A recent poll of repre-
sentative Presbyterian clergymen by
The Continent showed vast pre-
ponderance Of those favoring military
preparedness. Other men of equal
spiritual mindedness are declaring for
peace and nonmilitarism, at whatever
cost. The Quaker position has q host
of recruits this year; though,
strangely, Quaker leadership has not
been notable in this ultra-peace
propaganda. except in the case Of
Henry Hodgkins, British Friend. In
contrast to these advocates of an ex-
treme spiritual position is that of
others who are being driven to atheism
by the present condition of the world
/ heard an educated young Armenian
publicly declare that many Armenians
are now questioning whether the
struggle and sufferings of his people
for fifteen centuries to maintain the
Christian religion were worth while
He said that the present holocaust
that has overtaken Armenia is shat
tering the faith of many of his coun-
trymen in America.
Turmoil in the Land
All the world has its attention di-
rected to Bible lands at Christmas
time; and to-day finds Palestine more
like an armed camp than for CEN
turies past. The sway of the military
is general. The men of all villages
and cities have been conscripted into
the army. Jerusalem is a military
center. Nazareth and Bethlehem are
suffering sore deprivations and hard =
ships, especially the Christian COM
muntties. Hunger is real to the peo-
pie.
A huge military expedition to Egypt
taxed to support and further it. The
beasts of the farmers, the food stores
OF the merchants, the labor of the
people, all are being impressed for
the army. Such reports as have
found their way out tell Of acute suf-
fering.. Farmers have lost their cam
els and horses and donkeys and their
flocks of sheep and their crops as
well. All the usual channels of trade
nave been disorganiZed. The entire
social fabric of Palestine has been
torn and rent and crumpled.
Persecution For Priests and Preachers
Because the Moslems regard this
as holy war;" the Christians are
suffering most. Because there is an
unusual predominance of Christians
in Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jeru-
salem, and great number of Chris
tan schools, monasteries and
churches, they have been among the
frst to feel the heavy hand of the op-
pressor. This Is the saddest Christ
mas that Bethlehem has known for
centuries. The usual Christmas cele-
| brations will be omitted, or, If held at
all, will be observed in quiet. of pill
grims there will be none.
All the priests, preachers and Chris
tian teachers in Palestine belonging
to enemy nations"-tha. is, British,
French, Russian, Italian. Egyptian
and Armenian-have been expelled
from the Holy Land. All branches of
the Christian Church are hard hit by
this order-Protestants Roman Cath
olics, Greek Orthodox, Gregorian and
| Copts-but the French Catholic orders
have perhaps suffered most. The
hardships of the ruthless journey to
Damascus. where they were first taken
to be interned bore with especial Sc
verify upon the aged, priests and
monks. of whom there were many.
This persecution of Christmas by