The Holbrook news., 1922-12-22

 born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the East and are come to worship him.
 When Herod the King had heard these things he was troubled. and all Jerusalem with him.
 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together. he demanded of them where Christ should be born
 And they said unto him. In Bethlehem of Judea. for thus it is written by the prophet.
 And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, are not the least among the princes of Judea; for out of thee shall come a Governor. that shall rule my people Israel.
 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him. bring me word again that may come and worship him also.
 When they had heard the king, they departed and 10. the star, which they in the East, went before them, till It came and stood over where the young child
 When they the star. they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
 And when they were come Into the house. they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down. and worshiped him and when they had opened their treasure, they presented unto him gifts; gold. and frankincense and myrrh.
 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
 These Three Wise Men were named Melchior, Kaspar and Balthazar. They sometimes called the Three Kings of Cologne" Their bones are said to rest in the cathedral of Cologne This is the finest specimen of Gothic architecture in Eur ope and its building took more than 800 years 1248 to 1880. Anyway, skulls purporting to be theirs were exhibited late the Eighteenth century. To touch them to be healed An old prayer charm reads:
 kaspar: Msiehior and sa,th...r.
 And in dof the he how hour of death
 Early tradition supplemented this account by adding fourth wise man. And the story of this fourth wise man is one for us all to keep in mind at Christmas time.
 three to make the journey to Jerusalem and pay homage to the newborn King. But he never reached the manager where lay the child. Instead he sacrificed his life to render service Never theless. before he died he granted a vision of the Christ. Henry Van Dykes "The Story of the Other Wise Man" tells the tradition most ex- cellently we'll:
 Detained by his efforts to dying stranger Artaban becomes separated from his companions He. therefore, seeks the Christ alone, travelling from place to place. feeding the hungry he goes. clothing the naked, nursing the sick. comforting the oppressed
 One after another he spends for others the precious gifts which he had hoped to offer to the Christ. At last he surrenders his one remaining pearl in order to ransom a tormented slave girl. Strrck the temple by falling tile, he lies bleeding and breathless. But ne hears Voice commenting him.
 Unable to believe the testimony of his own ears. the Other Wise Man murmurs:
 Not so, my Lord For when saw Thee an hungered and fed Thee? Or thirsty and gave Thee drink? When I Thee a stranger and took Thee in? Or naked and clothed Thee? When saw Thee sick and in prison and came unto Thee? Three-and-thirty years have I looked after Thee; but I have never seen Thy face nor min- istered to Thee my King"
 But the Voice replies:
 "Inasmuch as thou hast done 1t unto of the least of these my brethren thou hast done it unto me"
 Is it hard to imagine the Fourth Wise Man