Evening star., 1936-12-20

~nENr night, holy night &. . The little
town of Bethlehem lies still while
above it the eternal stars 90 by; yet
~ in its dark streets shines the everlast-
ing light - the glow of the first Christ
mastide.
To the astronomer behind his telescope
studying the armament; to the physicist in
his laboratory unlocking the mysteries of
nature; to the chemist with his test-tubes,
the engineer with his drawings, the mathema-
tician with his formulas, and the biologist
with his experiments - to them and to all
scientists, Christmas has a significant and
impressive meaning.
To US and I speak as one in field of
science which ranges from assaulting the
inner citadel of the atom to seeking the his
tory of creation in the universe and beyond
the milky way - Christmas is more than a
sentiment or a thrill of remembrance. 1t is
a symbol of immense value because it repre-
sents the spirit of freedom and progress, and
provides the impulse to seek the truth and
be set free. 1t is the forerunner of democracy,
in which alone science remains unfettered
and attains the heights.
In these profound facts, as well as in the
graces, the culture and the fine art of living
which the Christmas spirit engenders, the
scientist finds himself in eternal debt to the
Nativity scene.
Emotions surge within us all as the
Christmas season comes again. Memory takes
us back to the scenes of our childhood, and
we live once more around the Christmas tree
and amid the Yuletide pleasures of our youth.
Yet these are but the visible, transitory
elements in the real blessings of Christmas,
and they pass when the holiday is over.
There are deeper. more enduring phases of
the oommemoration of the birth of the Christ
Child in the manger of Bethlehem.
Christmas is totally in keeping with sci
ence, because the scientific spirit seeks to
unfold truth in all its phases to man and to
aid him along the road of destiny One of the
very first laws of science is that of cause and
effect. When we see the finest culture and
civilization ever known to the world de-
veloped under an impulse dating back to
Christmas Day; when we see art and music
reaching their most exultant heights under
the resistless drive of Christmas faith, we
can but say: The deeper spirit of Christmas
and the real spirit of science are one"
Christmas teaches peace on earth, good
will to men," Scientists know today as never
before the meaning of peace to their calling.
From 1871 to 1914, when Europe was at
peace for probably the longest period in
modern times, democracy fowered and sci
ence blossomed with it. The spirit of Christ
mas peace and good will obtained, in at least
leavening measure, until there was freedom
of thought and investigation, the incentive
for experimentation and expression. European
culture came to its fullest bloom in that
period, which historians, thousand years
from now. may say was the zenith of all time.
Even during the first Christmas of the
war, in 1914. English and German soldiers
forgot their war and fraternized in no mans
land" singing Christmas carols together and
exchanging gifts of tobacco and food
Then the black plague of hate engulfed the
major portion of civilization. And with the
war went most of the spirit of democracy
in Europe. Dictatorship has lifted its ugly
head; knowledge is again shaclxled and per-
vezted. and freedom of thought and investi-
cation are all but gone.
What is the result? Science and scientists
have gradually been driven from laboratory
~~l -l~~~ ~no.~. T~lnx, <Lo