Evening star., 1921-12-25
Peace to Men of Good Will,
The Promise of Bethlehem

pduScu There 1OT lear IueTe was IIo
room at the inn for that which
they have sought. AS wise men
have seen how slowly the angelic
chorus has found it's echo in the
hearts Of men, they have been al
most convinced that all down the
centuries since then the inns have
been for men and the managers for
gods.
Do we often stop to consider how
personally and collectively SYM
bolic the inn is? How, somehow.
in the individual and collective
lives of the people at each jour-
ney's end there is always room for
those who can pay in money, in
influence or in glory, but that there
is rarely any place for those who
come to clothe in flesh some serv-
ice to their fellowmen:
i X 4 +
And yet, as this night Of nights
has had its anniversary through
the centuries. more and more men
are catching the import Of the
angelic chorus; more and more inn
keepers who take in the guests of
life are inclined to sweep and gar
nish a room for Peace, to have
ready at least place wherein in
the fullness of time the Prince Of
Peace may be born. Since that far
off Judean night the manger has
been creeping closer and closer to
the inns of men and nations.
Among devout men and just OF
every kindred, tribe and tongue.
more and more at the end of the
day and the journey it is being
thought that the best room should
be reserved, no, for him who
knocks with pride and arrogance.
bearing in his train great wealth.
great honor or great power. but
for him who. with modest mien,
proclaims himself footsore. weary
and undone, because along the way
he lost much time in ministering
to bodies and to minds diseased.
Down they go to defeat. those
at the end of a day Of piliage and
power. Down they go, all those
men who ride roughly over the
feelings and rights of their fell
lowmen. More and more. surely
as the anniversaries of that night
come around, is the individual con-
WINGED that it is not by might nor
power. but by the friendly hand
clasp. by faith and friendship. by
justice and just laws. that human
ity must justify itself. Who doubts
that this Christmas. wherever civil
iZation has set it's seal and the
Golden Rule has had its hearing,
men admit that il is time for the
Prince of Peace to come unto His
own?
Intellectual assent is readily
given to the desirability of trans
muting the angelic chorus into a
law of life. In moments free from
passion. prejudice and pride we
wonder why this era of good will
has SO long been delayed. There
are many of US who will not lose
our faith. AS Jacob wrestled with
the angel by the brook all night
and would not let him go until he
blessed him, SO we refuse to admit
that the mission Of the babe born
in the manger was a mission only
to the individual man. 1t was this
ard more--it was a mission to the
individual man to tranSmute his
good.
As new-fledged doctors treating
the ills of the world. we are treat
ing them as all the doctors who
have preceded us have done. A
symptom here. a symptom there
catches our eye. To them we ap-
ply the remedies which age and
experience have disclosed to be
good. 1t is not the fault of doctors
of statecraft that the world is not
Yet well. They can but treat
symptoms: they cannot get to the
cause of the disease. That cause
lies deeper than the lancet of state
craft can penetrate. 1t is virus
for which no legislative. remedy
of US who long for peace with a
longing that language may not de-
fine would have these doctors stop
their treatment Of these symptoms
even for a moment. although We
know that complete cure will come
only when the everyday man the
world around who prates about
room, put his life under a miscro-
scope and discover for himself
what he is doing to prevent a
world that longs for peace from
becoming peaceful.
X X x X
At each recurrence Of that night
of nights through the long CEN
turtles. filled with woes and wars
innumerable. good kings upon
their thrones. sad pariahs by the
wayside. Magdalens uncounted and
all the unnumbered hosts of men
and women since that far-off time
have wondered when the sun broke
would it break upon a cloudless
sky and on a world at peace. If
those of us who yet believe that
rhriSfroaS tho
will sing to a world filled with
men of good will are mistaken,
wake US not from our dream: let
US keep our faith that some time
the babe born in the manger will
have the guest room in every in
dividual and national inn. Again
it is an anniversary dawn. If this
should be that Christmas morn,
then will we know why the wise
men came from the east and the
far east even unto Washington.
0onyrjpht 1921 hy Thomas g n Msrsbaul