Newspaper Page Text
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VOL. LXXXV. RICHMOl
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CCHRISTMAS is almost here. Are we ready
> for it? Almost everybody has been busy
for flays and weeks thinking and arranging
for presents to be given to loved ones and
friends. One of the interesting and delicht
ful facts about these days has been that the
question most often asked has not been, "What
am 1 going to receive?" Though every one
expects to receive presents. But it has been,
"What can I give?" This is just in accordance
with the spirit of Christmas. We may
have arranged and secured all the presents
which we expect to give, but are we ready to
celebrate Christmas in the proper manner?
This day is to remind us of the greatest gift
ever made to man. Are we going to celebrate
at with thanksgiving to God for His great
MtO'"lncss to us? As we make our gifts to
fibers, is it with a desire to show our thank fnlness
to God that we try to make others
nappy i n this is the spirit which fills our
hearts, then we are ready.
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FORGETTING is so easy. Have any of our
readers forgotten to send the gifts they
planned to send to Dr. Sweets for the Endowment
for Ministerial Relief! If so do not
wait any longer. What more acceptable gift
can we make to our Elder Brother than one
which will help to take care of bis dependent
ones. Make any-sacrifice that is possible to
help complete this fund before the end of the
>oar. On another page Dr. Sweets tells how
much is needed. Because you cannot give
much, do not decide that you will give nothing.
God does, not expect us to do the impossible,
but He wants us to do the possible.
4* + +
Dl XDAY-SCHOOTj lessons for the coming
^ half year will be chiefly from the gospel
?f John. Six months' study of the writings
"f the beloved apostle ought to bring us very
"lose to the living Saviour. Reader, if you
are in the Sunday-school resolve that you will
study faithfully every lesson. To this end
provide yourself with a good general commentary
on this gospel. It will be a great
addition to your Sunday-school helps. If you
are not a member of the school, now is the
host time to join it. You will never have a
hotter time. If there are insurmountable difnoulties
in the way to prevent your doing this,
then join the Home Department. If there is
ho such department in your school, go to your
superintendent si ? ?1? 41 :
.uu wiijr mere is uuiie.
ffn you and.he together start one.
^ 4* + +
RAYER meeting services give most pastors
about as much trouble as any part of their
>rk. In order to aid them in making these
rvices more helpful, the Committee of Pubcation
has issued a series of topics, one for
ch week in the year. It is our purpose to
ive these topics-treated by some of the leart.
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BS^mM^?iF\ SOUTHi
*D, NEW ORLEANS, ATLANTA, DECEMBER
mal Motzti anb Com
ing preachers in our Church. Pastors will find
these treatments suggestive, and others who
have to conduct the mid-week services will find
that they will not only be helpful, but may
be profitably read sometimes, in place of the
usual address. A complete list of these topics
specially prepared for our Church can be secured
from the Committee of Publication at
one and a half cents per copy. It would be
well to get enough to supply every member
of the church, so that they may all be thinking
about the subject beforehand.
+ + +
Cfjrigtmastfoe
Florence Wilson Flournoy.
Christmaatlflfi fMirtntmnnHila
Make thy light each day my guide, Thine
to give and mine to heed.
Till it meet my brother's need,
Making of this Christmas day
Light of life for earth's decay.
Christmastide, Christmastide,
This earth hath no light beside.
Thou the truth of Abraham's day,
Thou our life, our truth, our way.
May we banish human creed
That thy law our souls may feed.
Christmastide, Christmastide,
Meet my spirit as the Bride,
Bring me visions of thy might,
May I feel thy holy light,
Give mo health, and heart renew
With a strength thy work to do.
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AGAIN let us urge parents and others to
see that nothing is done to violate the
sanctity -of the Sabbath, which this time is
Christmas Eve. This can successfully be done,
only if proper preparation is made beforehand.
See to it that the children are not allowed
to have any fireworks until Monday morning.
Let presents be delivered on Saturday or keep
them until Monday. "Remember the Sabbath
day to keep it holy."
J* + +
BILLY SUNDAY has started his campaign
in Boston. From newspaper reports, it
seems that the citizens of "The Hub" are a
little surprised, if not a little disappointed,
that he shows a little more of rlicmitv
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is less erratic than they expected. There is
probably no man in the pulpit to-day who
knows better how to adapt bimself to his
audience than does Mr. Sunday, and wc arc
very sure that the messages that he is delivering
in Boston will bring forth much fruit,
as they have done in other cities. It will be
well for Christians all over the country to pray
for God's blessing upon him and his work,
that he may be preserved in health and
strength, and that he may win many more
souls for Christ.
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CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS claim to be very
consistent in their views. They claim that
thorn ic nn cnnh on 3 Al
.u DUUit I mug do mv;i\uc9?; illlU, ruuier
than give up their views on this subject, they
have allowed many of their children, as well as
other people, to die for lack of medical attention.
But now comes the information that
the "Mother Church," carrying out the expressed
desire of "Mother" Eddy, will establish
at Brookline, Mass., a sanitarium, to be
known as a "resort for the so-called sick." We
wonder if they will have "so-called doctors"
and "so-called nurses" to administer "socalled
medicines," and "so-called surgeons"
with "so-called instruments" and "so-called
anaesthetics" to perform "so-called operations."
We have no doubt that it will be
very hard for the "so-called patients" to distinguish
between f<po-c.allcd pain" and the
real article from which common mortals suffer,
as we noticed on one occasion when a
Christian Scientist bit down hard upon a piece
of hull when eating some nuts.
+ + +
CHRISTMAS GREETINGS we send to all
of our readers. May this glad season be
filled with joy and happiness. May your pleasure
be great in receiving tokens of love and
esteem from dear ones. May it be greater still
as you give to others what will add to their
joy. May it be greatest as you lift up your
hearts in loving gratitude to the Father who
has given you the greatest gift of all, even His
own Son, that He might provide salvation for
you.
+ + +
CHRISTMAS BELLS will ring all over this
land, for God has very richly blessed us
as a neonle. Let ns Tint fnT-crnt +v.at tim?? ?.:n
x V gvv uiut IUC1C Will
be very little Christmas joy this year in the
war-swept lands of Europe. In many other,
lands there will be no Christmas bells, because,
in the heathenish ignorance of their people
they do not know of the coming of the Christinas
Babe. What will we do to tell them about
lum before another Christmastide shall roll
around! ,
+ + +
TESTING DAYS of the Church are these
through which the world is passing. In
Europe the test is being made by great tribulation
and sorrow. In this country it is by
the hlessincr nf ?? :i" Trr'"
. B j,vuw niiu jjius^triiy. will
the CKurch be able to stand the test? Out of
which will it receive the greater blessing? Will
its members stand firm in the faith and come
forth more purified than before'
+ + +
BILLY SUNDAY'S message can be summed
up, Dr. C. R. Erdman, of Princeton, says
in these words: "Quit your meanness, obey
Jesus Christ, get to work." This is indeed a
good creed to lay up in heart and practice in
life. It teaches repentance, faith, consecration.