The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-27

goes along with launching ship when pretty young woman is chosen to break bottle of champagne across the prov of the vessel.
 People like to Sshow the visitor or stranger where some important ln- cident took place which marked the beginning of a great movement. They will show where the Mecklenburg De- claration of Independence was signed, on the 20th day of May, 1175. Stands the old State House in Philadelphia even now, and immortal since the fourth of July, 1776.
 The story is told that guides have become independent specializing in showing travellers the place where the poor misguided Serbian youth fired the which has been set down as the be- ginning of the World war.
 It is but natural that such emphasis should be placed upon beginnings. If this be true of purely human affairs, how much more important the com mencement is, if it is concerned with the spread of a religion.
 Religion is the moral link that binds man to his creator. It is the spirit garden where the creature walks in companionship with his maker.
 Historians have tried to mark the beginning point of Brahminism. Yet, the origin of that religion is lost in the night of time. When the Aryan tribes first. reached India-and the time when is unknown-the white in- vader conquered the native, he found, and impressed upon him this form of religion.
 Scholars trace with keen interest the early beginnings of Buddhism. This religion was proclaimed by one in- dividual, in a land where Brahmin- ism had prevailed for a thousand years. This man made his appearance 600 years before Christ.
 In China missionaries shown the monument which marks the beginning of Confucianism. This form of wor- ship which constitutes the state religion of China celebrated it's beginning about five centuries before Christ. It is a striking fact that about the sixth cen tury before Christ, the whole world seemed to experience great religious awakening. It was at this time that Confucianism was established in the Far East and remains today the do- minant religion of 400,0O0,000 men.
 Even in Persia one is shown the place where Zoroasterism had its be- ginning. They even point to the birth place of Zoroaster. And yet, the ma jOrity opinion is that there never lived such a man.
 In Arabia, many evidences are shown to support this or that claim about the birth of Mohammed, and the be- ginning of Mohammedism. This is the only religion, that from the num- bers embracing it, deserves to be callcl great, that has arisen during the Chris tian era.
 But this is not the place to consider the outline of the great religions of the world.
 Today millions of men and women are studying about the first followers of Christ, the first believers in that philosophy of life and the religion which Jesus Christ brought to the world.
 Certainly there is not to be found anywhere a census, of all who be- while he lived -on searth, much less the multiplied millions who have ac- cepted Him since then. .
 There has been much theological dis cussion as to who were the first dis ciples. Certainly there were the shep- herds who came to visit him in his first cradle in the mule stable at Beth lehem. Then there were the Wise Men who came from the east and bowed down before Him. Even before these, Elizabeth, his great aunt, had acknowl- edged him in her blessing upon Mary At another time when Jesus. was 40 days old Simeon held the Anointed One in his arms and said.
 ''Now, O Lord, thou mayest let thy
 servant depart,
 According to thy word, in peace For my eyes have seen thy salvation Which thou hast given befor call the
 peoples
 A light to give light to the nations,' And the glory of thy people Israeli"
 But the beginning of Christianity historically began with John the Bap- tist.
 When Jesus returned from the wild erness where he suffered the three temptations discussed in last Sundays Bible talk, he came back to the place at the River Jordan where he had been baptised.
 There John the saw him coming and said, Behold the Lamb of God comes who takes away the sin of the world