The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-12-23
Spirit Of Christ
 Not In Hearts Of Men
Birth Celebrated, Name Respected But World Events
 Show Essential Factor Missing Says Dr. Walker

God grant that before another Christmas, peace may reign!" stated Rev. Dr. John c. Walker, Second Congregational church pastor yes- terday morning in his sermon, Keeping Christmas"
 Dr. Walker said in part:
 It is not too late for miracles to happen, if men catch the spirit of the angelic song. If men prayed for justice and righteousness and brotherhood as ardently as they pray for victory. peace might soon return to bless our world. Some where, somehow, through the years with all our getting we have failed to get understanding. The name of Christ has won a large measure of acclaim the birth of Christ has been celebrated around the world in every civilized land, but His will and spirit have not been given their rightful place. Christ has not come in truth to mems hearts.
 And therein lies our bitter need. It is useless to ask, what is the spirit of Christmas? We must revise our thinking and reframe our question. We must ask, 'sWho is the spirit of Christmas?" The answer is Christ" And Keeping Christ mas" is not as 50 many commonly suppose the exchange of presents however generously given, nor the feasting and merry making which within all reasonable limits is sound and sane, Christmas is Christ. That little child in the manager is the su- preme symbol of Gods love and Gods law. Christmas is Christ and the world stands or falls with Him.
 Louis XIV
 I have read with some interest of the birth of the babe who became in due course, Louis XIV, the grand monarch, whose reign was as funda- mentally disastrous as it was out wardly brilliant and magnificent. It seems that Louis XIV was born in the royal palace at St. Germain and that the blue blood of France crowded the little village outside the palace awaiting the birth of the son and heir to what was then the greatest throne in Europe. Follow ing the birth the child was christen- ed immediately by the bishops of the church and then the proud king carried the little babe to the window of the palace and proclaimed to the waiting multitudes, My son, gentle men, my Son!' The church bells rang, the people shouted, and for days the people of France celebrat- ed the great event.
 Within the last few days we have read of the bringing of the ashes of l the son of Napoleon to Paris. There has been some fatal miscarriage of arrangements and the expected pomp and ceremony was dispensed with. As consequence of the dis pute in the French cabinet over the arrangements, Pierre Laval. vice. premier of France, went into tenn porary eclipse. That son of Napol- con, christeneo Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles, was given the title King of Rome at his birth and 1t was assumed that he was to reign over the Holy Roman Empire. The child was expected on March l9, 1872. It had been arranged that l if a girl child was born a salute of twenty -one guns would make the announcement, if boy, a hundred. On the twentieth of March at six in the morning, the booming of cannon was heard. All Paris listened and counted. When the twenty-second salute was heard all Paris burst into tumult. The emperor of France had son and heir.
 Birth of Christ
 So it is that sons and heirs of earthly kings are greeted with the