The Washington times., 1919-12-25

Greatest Event on Earth.
Nobody Noticed II.
go to now, Ye Rich Men. "
By ARTHUR BRISBANE
lCopxrfRht. iAlGl

Nineteen hundred and twenty
years ago today there occurred
the most important event in all
human history.
1t Is enlightening to recall that
this event, at this time, aroused no
particular interest in the world at
large.
A few decades later, in a little
corner Of Asia, above the bare hill
called "Golgotha," the skull, the
sky was darkened, Natures DEM
onstrations greatly terrified the
mob and the Roman soldiers cruci-
Tying Christ in obedience to the
order of ROME, NOT THE Or
DER OF JEWS, MIND YOU.
The veil of the temple was rent,
1t was fearful day in Jerusalem,
but to the Pagan world, the rulers
Of earth, it meant nothing. Out
side of a small outlying city that
might have been tucked away in
one corner of Chicago's Lincoln
Park, no one paid attention.
Ponbus PLATE, washing his
hands, but not clearing his repu-
tation, knew that he had sent to
death q noble spirit. He probably
forgot about it in twenty-four
hours.
The Christian religion took root,
spreading apart and destroying
the ancient order, rs the roots of q
growing tree separate the stones
OF m old wall.
There were disturbances, def
aocs Of law.
But the emperors that from
Rome ruled all the world did not
take it seriously.
Some Of the most vicious of
those emperors treated Christians
rather kindly, gave orders to pro-
tect them. They admired the
courage with which they faced the
The emperor whose treatment
OF Christians was most harsh was
Marcus Aurelius, with the possible
exception of Augustus, the best
man that ever ruled the Roman
empire.
Read the little book of his philo-
sophical sayings for sale in any
store. 1t will do you good. The
ill-informed wonder that so noble
a mind could order the death of
Christians.
Marcus Aurelius cared nothing
about Christianity, still less about
Christ. He only knew that Chris
tians taught slaves to disobey, and
consider themselves as good as
their masters, better, in fact, since
the slaves, being Christians, were
going to Heaven and the Pagan
masters were going to hell.
Little people, middle class nonen-
titles that alway3 hate what is
new and true, hated Christianity
vtciously. They saw that Jewish
A14 GrVek merchants trading from
town to town on the Mediterranean
were spreading Christian doctrines.
They did not like those merchants,
mfstrusted their doctrines and
persuaded themselves that earth
quakes. inundations and pestilences
were attributed to them"
All the prosperous well estab-
lished. led by the priests Of Pagan
Ism. agreed that Christianity was
contemplate, Christmas must be
suppressed, that Christ, whoever
he might be, was an enemy of
order, property, and the better
element"
Government tried everything,
rack. fire, wild beasts. only to dis
cover that you cannot frighten
AN IDEA. But all agreed that there
could be nothing serious or per-
manent in a preposterous crowd Of
defiant slaves following some un-
known teacher from a little city in
Judea
Gradually Christianity crept In
everywhere. Courageous Christian
preachers becoming defiant. de-
nounced the government, declared
that Pagan gods, while real. were
demons, and they, the Christians,
would expel them. They warned
Pagans that they would cause them
TO be stricken blind, devoured by
worms, or visited with other
awful calamities.
Nobody took Christianity seri-
ously until 1t was discovered about
the time Of Diocletian that il
had penetrated everywhere, even
corrupting the Roman legions upon
whom the better element depended
absolutely.
IL is not for US to Criticise too
severely the sDcients that refused
to accept blessed truth. How, after
1920 years OF Christianity. would
this country receive at the Barge
Office a gentleman from Russia il
b.