The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-12-21
Christmas Spirit Makes Man Wonder

man finds his sympathies gushing out in kind
ly deeds toward these little ones. The laughter
upon their lips brings ripples upon the sens Of
life. which before were troubled or too calm.
The saddest event in all human history was
not the Nazarene upon His cross. Sadder
far was the occasion when He Looked down
upon the beloved city of His people and ex-
claimed "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. thou
that killest the prophets and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would /
have gathered thy children together. even as
a hen gathereth her children under her wing,
and We would not ~ 49,
The blind had received their sight, the dumb
their speech, the deaf their hearing and the
gospel had been preached unto the poor, but
all these things availed Him naught in His
contest with the pomp, the pride, the ar
rogance OF place and preferment. They were
Wiling to receive but not to give. Like Him
self, they were out of the cradle and in the
arena; but unlike Himself, they were willing
TO take what they could get and yet were I'M
willing to give in return. Is it any wonder
that He wept over Jerusalem? Is it at all
strange that He limited the admission into
the Kingdom of Heaven to such as were little
children?
The strange thing about Christmas is that
on this day we bow in alteration before many
whom in the days to come we are to forget
were little children, and treat them as antag-
onists in the battle of life we stop our love
for childhood with the years, yet if we would
just reason a bit we would realize that child
hood is not altogether a question of age, In
part, at least, it is a question of life and
conduct. We have no trouble which we can
not easily adjust with these little ones in
these holy days. Love and compassion to-
ward them are the moving impulses of our
lives. We all are wise enough to know that
in this particular, however foolish we NAV be
in other ways, we have enriched ourselves.
1t takes a week, month, sometimes longer,
for the glory of the Christmastide to vanish
from our view. 1t finally dies the death,
of course, but it dies more slowly than any
other human experience.
For more than nineteen centuries now, year
after year. in these good days we have been
clarifying childhood 1t is the richest and
sweetest experience of our lives. 1t is the
greatest tonic of the year. How much of
wrong and sin and selfishness it keeps lis
from l cannot say, but nothing good ever
touched the human heart without leaving it
a little better for the days to come. It is a
beautiful thing to have this Christmas time
with love and charity and forgiveness pouring
out into the world for a little while But.
neither the kingdom of God nor the kingdom
of democracy ever can come to pass until we
broaden childhood to include all children of
the King, until we stretch the Christmastide
across the entire year. until love permanently
shall take the place of hate and confidence is
substituted for mistrust Then mutual help
fulness rather than strength will be the rule
of survival in a world filled full Of persons
who need our kindly care as much as though
they lay helpless in a manager.
Copyright. 1924, by Dist Century Press.)