The Columbus dispatch. (Columbus, Miss.) 19??-1922, 1921-12-11

unbelief and despotic power The Roman tyranny
was harsh beyond measure. soulless, and all-pow-
erful How long would paganism tolerate the
preaching Of doctrines which were eventually to
shatter its idols, purify its temples, and convert
its wcrshipers? And yet how touching, tender
and appealing were the doctrines thus preached
Woman was enfranchised and made fit to become
the helpmate and companion of man-to adorn
his household, rear his offspring teach purity and
virtue thereby making the family homogeneous
and thereby making as adamant the foundations
upon which to erect the two precious and price
less fabrics of society and the state.
When polygamy died. something like human
freedom began to take vigorous and healthy root
in the earth. The Sermon on the Mount pene-
trated and Illuminated the surrounding darkness
as Sinai must have blazed forth as some huge
mountain on fire when Moses went up to have
laid upon him the commands of the Lord AS
balm softer than any in Gead, how the incul-
cations to be charitable to one another, and jus,
and forbearing to one another, must have fallen
upon the ear Of the miserable and prosecuted in
every land III
And then the promise of haven of rest in the
end Here at last was something tangible Here
at last was something which stopped deaths
power to make the grave the end of all--whch
robbed the grave of its power to any longer make
Of its coffin and winding sheet utter and absolute
oblivion Here at last was something beyond the
Jordan
When the road had been rough, and weary and
desoate; when old age had come on apace and all
the air was full of farewells for the dying; when
the morning was never so bright any more on
the hiltops, nor the twilight ever so werd and
strange any more in the valleys; when youth had
seen all the fires of its aspirations and ambitions
go out one by one on desolate hearthstOnes when
fancy could no longer fly and imagination no
longer take wings and soar, as bird that scars
and sings; when illusions had simply become
spectres to torment and alright; when the light
had so soon died out of the faces of the early
doomed and dead when there were voices in the
air that nobody could hear, and sounds in the
darkness that nobody could interpret; when the
lettering gait had well nigh reached the limit OF
its strength and the tremulous hands the full
ness of their tension when life was felt to be
faring in all the veins as a taper about to be
spent, and something like the presence Of the
Invisible Angel was felt to be at the door-HERE
THEN AT LAST WAS THE BLESSED PROM
Use OF THE RESURRECTION!
Is it any wonder. therefore, that the Christian
world hallows the birthday of such Redeemer-I
Of such God showering upon it such a multitude
of inestimable blessings? The whole plan of
salvation-fraught as it is with so many glorious
promises and pledges-is the simplest, purest and
most easily adopted of all the other aggregated
mass of teachings and revealments the ingenuity
or the inspiration Of socaled potentateS, prophets
or powers ever intellectually encompassed. 1t APP
peals to everything that is pure truthful clean
upright and unsefsh in humanity. 1t asks for
nothing that is not good to grant, either the
individual. the citizen. the ruler, the conqueror,
or as a simple unit in the vast volumes of the
population which people the earth. Millions have
embraced the religion of Christ and die as only
those can die who are filed with a perfect peace.
To the poor and afflicted it has brought such con-
ISOLATION as made grievous burdens less difficult to
be borne. and physical pain and mental agony less
agonizng i'm their fortunes and Affections. IL
has made nations merciful and the strong more
tolerant and helpful Of the weak. It has resisted
a legion of assaults, and has seen legion Of its
assailants cut down. broken, overwhelmed or dis
graced Blessed. therefore, is the land which still
hallows. reveres and celebEtes its Christmas.
There is not another day so m0mentous in all
ancient or modern chronology.