The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-03-30
CHRIST'S CRADLE
AND INFLUENCE IS
MORGAN'S SUBJECT
Ccontinued from first pagel

- NAA- AAAsA FeHNsf
YOU can, and study the seed OF things;
for all the haryests Of history and life
and religion are in those seeds.
The theme of my talk this morn
ing invites TO this sort Of study. What
seed Of history is found in that humble
Bethlehem shelter? What world influ-
ence took root there? How did the
manger cradle influence the life of the
world?
Big Debt Owed.
THE cradles Of Christendom gather
around that cradle and do obesence to
Joseph. 1t has changed childhood.
What debt do the children owe TO
the Christ child? Cradles are safer
shelters on account Of that cradle They
are lined with softer eider-down Of
love, There is a tenderer note in the
cradle lula by. The light of love falls
with gentler caress on the baby's
face: There is an echo Of the angels
cradle song in our cradle songs. The
Bethlehem star has left some of it's
~ light above every birthplace. Those
" Of us who are taught by Him seek out
the child as the wise men sought Him
and we bring our gifts of love and
shelter and joy. Wherever His in
fluence has extended. childhood has
been blessed Contrast the fact of a
pagan and a Christian child.
Contrast their homes, their oppor-
tunities in school and chance for life.
u Loving care Is bestowed upon them in
Christian homes. No man under Christ s
Influence can be cruel to child, or run
sweat shop. or have his, load car
81 ried by the bent back of the young, or
sell child's flesh by the pound in the
bloody greed of shylock, or coin a
as ch1ld's tears or make profit of his
waning strength. When We think of
those who do these things, we recall
Herod's Slaughter of the Innocents and
four Indignation shakes our souls as if
a by an earthquake.
"The whole of the Christian religion
us a plated lash for the backs of those
who Cypress childhood-whether it be
by the tyranny of a Goddess home or
by the greed of the task master, or by
the constituencies consequence of the
vendors of evil habit, The manger era
die has an endowment of love and light
and lie for every cradle in the world.
Motherhood shares in the blessings
that crowded that cavern birthplace.
GThe fight that shown over that manger
cradle was woven into a crown for
brotherhood. The Madonna and the
child! The mother with the Christ
child in her arms! That was the crown
ing of love. That was loves enthrone-
ment. That was the establishment of
lts sovereignty. o. brush of Raphael.
#help us to realize this scene. o, hand
Vol Titan, portray 1t for us with pen
#cil of light. 0, genius of Michael An
gelo, crowd thy canvas with it's glo-
rious beauty.
rs there a child who makes no re-
"a Spouse to mother love, who accepts
all the mothers sacrifices and makes
none in return, whose disobedience
IA hurts like wound in the heart? BY
TA that much such a one is pagan and
y@nat Christian Jesus was subject to
.ssx7ffs parents and when He hung on the
alcross His mother stood by What an
hour for her! Her love kept her there
1t chained her with rvets to the rocks
#of that terrible hilltop. The pain of
the nails throbbed in her brain. The
croWn of thorns cut the flesh of her
Forehead. The spear that was thrust
6nto His side buried its point into her
heart. Who knows which suffered
lnore, the mother or her Divine Son ?
III In the midst of His pain, He thought
Y of her. He remembered her utter lone
1 illness and her need of shelter, for |
think Joseph was dead, and a woman
q must have a home; and so to His be-
loved friend, John, He said Behold,
thy mother and to her He said: Be
#hold, thy son. Could this be called
VI His last will and testament? 1t was
81 pitifully brief. He did not have many
n items in His will. He gave her all
He had His friends love, His thought
\ OF her, His care for her, His love for
q her. His life ended on the cross as
# 1t began in the cave at Bethlehem with
Al her heart for His shelter.