Putnam patriot., 1919-12-12

0 love that will not be gainsaid: love n that bears healing in its wings; love : that is. in itself, redemption; love
 that, despite mortal baseness and in- , gratitude, coldness and treachery, ? cannot but prevail through it's resist 3 less, undying flame. . These are the divine scenes of the } drama. The earthly are scarcely less beautiful
 : And there were in the same coun- try shepherds abiding in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night"
 ] The darkness, the starry heavens above, the shepherds fire of fagots on the hillside about which they warmed themselves, and spoke of the casual matters incident to their duties They are so simple, so rugged, so of the earth earthly, these herdsmen. Their daily round of tasks, their food. their slumber; such is the full measure of 4 their life. Nothing is changed on this night. though all human experi- ence is henceforth to be illuminated. and the moment of transition is at hand. Forevermore, humanity is to be transmitted into something less base. Yet there they stand, these tenders of the flock, leaning upon their slaves, crouehing upon the ground about the fire, or stretched in slum- Der, while their fellows watch.
 As they remain thus, drowsy, con tent, unwilling
 "Lo, the angel of the Lord came up- on them. and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
 Al nd the angel said unto them, Fear not, for behold, bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 "For unto you is born this day in the city of David Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 And this shall be sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in manager. And suddenly there was with the angel multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men"
 How clearly the scene comes home to one. The stolid shepherds reused by great, inexplicable glory; the significance of the angels message taking hold upon their unalert minds; the terror of the unusual, merging | into the trusting, honest belief of | their type and their time. And with the vanishing of the am gelic ehoirs, how simple and reasona- ble their action:
 And 1t came to pass, as the an- gels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to an- other, Let us now go even unto Beth lehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us." Can you not see them, conferrfng together, starting hastily away, re- turning, perhaps, to extinguish the embers, and to perform some acts of | nrotoct;oy, fr fhetr dork7
 And they came with haste, and | found Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in manager.
 | There in the shadows they wor- shipped, lowing down in awe before the radiance that illumined that hum ble place. There they may have made inquiries of Joseph, astounded at the fuifillment of the revelation vouch- safed them. There they assuredly be-
 held with uplifted hearts the rapt face
 of Mary.
 How magnificent the contrast be- tween this scene, and that later visita- tion of the wise men! Sent on mis-
 sion of hate and suspicion were these great of the earth, by Herod. "Now when Jesus was born in Beth , lehem of Judea in the days of Heroc
 the King, behold there came wise mer 9 from the east to Jerusalem, r Saying, Where is he that is borr l King of the Jews? For we have seer
 his star in the east, and are come t - worship him.
 "When Herod the king had hear n these things, he was troubled and al 9 Jerusalem with him. : And when he had gathered all tn n chief priests and scribes of the peo
 pie together, he demanded of ther q where Christ should be born. 4 And they said unto him. In Beth !: lehem of Judea. ..