The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-02-04
M E N, w O M FEN
 A ND T NC s

Sorrow treads often on the heels or joy, and frequently laughter itself is drowned in tears; while the peals Of wedding bells ofttimse melt into fu- neral dirge.
 People talk about the mystery of death, and forget that life itself is an uncanny thing. Some folk balk at mir acles, but being girt about by wonder, the older get and the more think, tho surer I am that the supernatural ranks the natural
 There are those who find it hard in this twentieth century to hold on to the simple faith of the first Christians, or Ito the belief which they held in their childhood. when all that was taught them about the blessed Christ at mothers knee was gospel truth to be accepted without question.
 And having passed in my manhood through a long period of doubt, I can sympathize with those who are troubled with vain fonginss to know more about the birth, life. resurrection and ascen- sion of the man Christ Jesus. Every thoughtful man at times must have been puzzled over what has been called by some .the tangled trinities."
 But am not going to try and prop erly relate God, the father; Jesus the elder brother, and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, for while I have sat at the f>> ~H ,r f.uf ltheologians, read deep in the various theological doctrines, and listened to many sermons by master preachers, l confess that frequently where they seem to be quite clear in their exposi- tion, that I am left unsatisfied.
 On the other hand, it Is a comforting thing to know that in my own religious experience I feel sure that I have felt the presence of,the triune God, and that the fact is greater than any explana- tion of 1t which can be made. This Is what is called experimental religion. that is, each Jnan willing to meet cor tain conditions set out in the Bible can have spiritual experience, which is cdlleu a second Dlrtn.
 I have entered upon this line to try and bring out the fact that strange as it may seem, even to protesting Chris | tians, who have not taken the trouble | to think it through for themselves, that at one time the salvation of he world | hung on such a slender thread as a childs life, for if Herod had had his way 1 and the Babe of Bethlehem had been killed or left to die, the whole current of history, secular and profane. would have been changed.
 I This tremendous circumstance ought, therefore. to make us very watchful over the lives of all children. for while the infant Jesus, in a very peculiar sense to many of us is the Savior of mankind, yet the memory of how he took the little ones into his arms and blessed them, and made our entrance in his kingdom conditioned on our having the faith of a child should give us pause at this moment, when S.5oo,0oo children are in danger of starving to death, and see to it that they are fed and cared for in His name and for His sake.
 Quite long prelude, you say, to lead up to the marvellous address at the $100 dinner at the Tutwiler on Wednesday l night delivered by Dr. Thomas E. 1 Green, chief of the bureau of speakers of the American Red Cross, and the personal representative of Herbert Hoover. His was not the usual 'sob story that we are so familiar with when we hear men talk or write about the. suffering little ones in central and southern Europe. Bear in mind I am l in sympathy with all who bring out the pathos of the awful situation.
 | I It is true that he laid out grounds for relief as a means of self protection ] for the future and bolstered his argu-
 ments on indisputable economic con alterations. This is one side of pie Lure which if understood must be seen
 from all angles; but as significant as
 the rescue may mean in dollars and cents, I am sure that Americans would not go down deep into their pockets merely in order to be able later on tt get business dividends out of thu
 money so freely subscribed. I am glad when the economic phase is clearly
 brought out, for it must be faced; but
 the emphasis should be put on the idea that we will do the job for the sake oi the children without any thought oi
 future reward in q monetary sense,
 The true driving force of his masterly
 address lay in his boldly taking the DO
 sition that established peace and per. manent prosperity would come no through force of arms or economic ol political domination on the part O.
 those into whose hands power may icome; but in the whole-heartcd accep. tance of the spirit of the Master whose life was one long act of service, ana
 who came not ito be ministered unto
 but to minister"
 It came as a wonderful climax wheI
 in impassioned voice. and rising to ful height he seemed to lift his audienc,
 above things as he declared:
 For 1000 years Christ has beer
 knocking at the door of human hearti \ trying to bring in message of peac,
 and righteousness just such as this
 and now, as we sit here tonight, aftel
 having been shown what the other cid,
 of the world is up against know yo,
 ali realize and understand that tn
 message of the Great Master Is beini
 surely and swiftly driven home, an,
 the hearts of mankind are opening
 their doors to answer the knock. |,
 give freely as they have received and Il turn to take unto themselves tha
 peace, of which it is written. Spassetl
 all understandings
 Thank God, here in America there 1
 an ever growing number of men an, women who have already or are on tn