Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 22, Number 302, Decatur, Adams County, 20 December 1924 — Page 3

■ Oristmas in setWbm ... ■ J By DEXTER MORRIS $ B ■ jrA* $»; B ■| x *4 ft I I MalOi ■ I IBn ■’* JMI * TobMl I v _ cdKHrV?'* Y: '*’ t ly^fc- 1 I |n the Church of the Nativity In Bethlehem Is This Little Shrine. With ■jh Lampe and Incense Burners. The Silver Star Marks the Spot Where r ist Was Born.

Int-r— »t is an easy half hour’s run by automobile from Jerusalem to the little village where Christ was born, la g * olden days it was called a day’s journey.” which my interpreted as fiva B| It had rained during the morning the day was damp and misty. were ploughing in the fields, • r the rainy season was unusually The rain generally begins in about the first of December, ■K c j the earth, parched and baked by of summer heat, quickly inviting the ploughman to bebls homely task. Palestine in is a land of cold and desolaon' I | But the traveler, snug inside his B &eece lined Burberry. is prepared for BKny weather. Today at least, neither nor rain can blunt the realization that here at Christmas time we in the very atmosphere and surunchanged through the which were the origin ami of Christmas. Here is the and soul of Bible Land. I I Half-way to Bethlehem, at a turnof the road. I came upon a long (■iae of children, in their Sunday marching down the road. |Hl'bey were Armenian boys and girls IMhom one of the great Near East or in Jerusalem, bound on a day visit to the Church of Nativity In Bethlehem. The fivehike had no terrors for them; Mtlieirs was a real holiday pilgrimage, as they marched they sang carols familiar, although they did [Kot use English words. It was inter[Mtsting to see, here in far away Palesthe American influence at work [■—Armenian children celebrating [■Christmas on the Western date and [■Binging hymns of western origin. {■Thus, here and there in the aid ■world we find the spirit of the new ■world at work, promising to leaven ■the whole lump. [ I I stopped my car for a few mo[■aents at the head of the cavalcade ■.and talked with the native teachers ■in Arabic. They showed me with ■ pride a wreath of flowers and some ■ gifts which the children were taking ■to lay on the altar at “Beft-lahm” — ■ gifts strangely reminiscent of an age- ■ old tale of Wise Men who came over ■ this same road long, long ago, bearRing gifts to the new-born child in the H village manger. In addition to the ■ wreath, the Armenian children had ■ three gifts—a little incense casket of ■ carved wood made in the orphanage | workshop, a cross of carved ivory, ■ and an embroidered altar cloth, made ■by the girls. I Os all the pilgrims whom Bethle- | hem has received in its long eventful | history, surely none has ever been | more truly symbolic than these, and | probably none more worthy or more ■in consonance with the spirit of the | day. Wards now of America, these | children are the sons and daughters ■ of an old world race which has sacri- | Seed its blood and treasure for the | religion of ChrisL Through them. ■ America today at Bethlehem wins a | vicarious blessing and reaps an ab- | sentea benediction for what she has | done on behalf of the suffering peo- | pies of Bible Lands. Os all the na- | tions of the earth, there is none today which is more truly and surely carrying Christ’s message to a stillweary world than America through its humanitarian enterprises on these old battlefields of races and religions. Up hill and down dale. I pushed on to Bethlehem, halting my car in the Picturesque village square, where the road momentarily expands before it is deflected abruptly from its course by the gaunt wall of the Church of the Nativity. The square was crowded with traffic, almost aa °n an ordinary weekday—camels grunting, donkeys placid beneath their cruel wooden saddles, fat-tailed sheep sprawling along the flag stones, street vendors squatting over baskets of native bread and skins of sour milk, girls selling Christmas Pastry, a continuous coming and going of men and boys and women. On pilgrimage benL I slipped through the little doorway into tie church and at the first altar paid my tribute of devotion in orthodox fashion. The church was crowded w:-h peasants, and if was a matter of •etne dir* " staircase |

leading down into the rock-hewn Grotto where tradition says Christ was born. It is an irregular-shaped cave about forty feet long and twelve feet wide. Its roof, covered with soot from dozens of ancient silver lamps burning ojive oil, is perhaps ten feet high. The walls are covered with old hangings. A slab of white marble, the center of which is a tablet of jasper surrounding a silver star, marks the spot where, according to tradition, Christ was born. The room was thick with Incense, and a continuous stream of devout visitors moved past the central shrine, kneeling to kiss the silver star, which bore no inscription save a simple Latin sentence: "Here Christ was born of the Virgin Mary.” I moved with the line of worshippers past the Altar of the Magi and the Tomb of Eusebius, up again to the main church, and thence out into the open air, where a score of peddlers crushed upon me to offer their wares —crucifixes, beads and pearl carvings. “Me very good Christian,” urged one ragged merchant In broken Eng lish, as he kicked a rival trader sharply in the shins. The parable of the money-changers in the Temple comes inevitably to mind as one meets the onslaught of the peddlers of Bethlehem. They all profess their Christianity in loud voices, but the brand thev practice is tainted and unworthy of the history of their town. Bethlehem is a white limestone village, clean but commonplace. The little gray-walled shops are uninteresting. being devoted chiefly to the sale of trinkets and abominable picture postcards of German origin. On the hills outside the village are some picturesque farms and one or two interesting schools and convents. Here also the Near East Relief has a small orphanage, where a group of refugee children, saved from Turkish massacre in far-off Anatolia, are learning their lessons in the very shadow of their Master’s birthplace. It is to be hoped that these children have at last found an abiding place where they can live in peace. I spent the afternoon wandering over the fields behind the church, those fields made memorable by the adoring shepherds of olden days. The fields have changed little since Christ's time, and are still the abiding Place for shepherds and their, flocks. _ , . It was dark when I regained my car beside the Christmas bonfires blazing in the village square, but I stole into the church again for a moment before returning to Jerusalem The church was now deserted, and its solemnity was emphasized in the darkness as a solitary attendant moved silently about extinguishing a few flickering lights. I paused for a moment before he Armenian altar. On the sill of the -Itar lay a little wreath, and near it X other gifts—a casket a cross ot carved ivory and an altar cloth. They were the humble presents brought that day by the ca ™J“ de ' orphans from Jerusalem. Their gift looked crude and poor beside the ornaments and carvings around them but to mi they seemed wlth £ real Christmas spirit, a spirit which one S perhaps will fill again to overflowing these and hatred-ridden lands of the East. Outside 5n the square. I could hear th e subdved bustle of the column o ohildrea as they re-formed their lines tor the march back to Jerusalem under the Syrian stars. They struck up an old Armenian hymn, a solemn ’ with a low. haunting refrain Ch m L catch the words and H! Xri a v n T- .S that toy 1 had spelled out m ancient Tzatin in the mosaics of the Gro o. “Glory God in the higheßt ’ n a ? d « earth peace, goodwill to men. Ths author 'of this article on to the editor: “Some readers may wish to make a of your f or the American work in Bethlehem and trrphanage u lt to

&ECA.TUR DAILY DEMOCRAT SaTURDaY. DECEMBER 20- 1524.

Lucky In Wall Street But Unlucky In Love (UNITED PRESS SERVICE) Philadelphia, Dec 20-(Special to Daily Democrat)—Lucky in Wall street, unlucky at. love. Osborne C. wood, son of the governor general of the Philippines, who tutme into prominence through his amazingly successful speculations conducted by cable from Manila u year ago, is to be sued for divorce by his wire, the latter confirmed today. Moreover, in a statement. Mrs. Wood said her young husband, who Is til present in France “is not a sueess financially” and she even Intimated she didn't believe he recently had "cleaned up $2,000,000” In th» bull market, because he had cabled her to send him $16,000. “Os course 1 did not do it,” she added. , Mrs. Wood, who is at her father's home in Greenville, Del, said she mil her husband had been separated .'or several months and "I shall start -nit for divorce. I do no| know where yet, nor do | know on what grounds.” o Letters To Santa Claus Decatur, Indiana. 122 South First St. Dear Santa: Please bring me a doll and* some

What Will. His Xmas Be Without Woridl Masters « ' WMteSM The man to man gift should be something of a friendly, masculine sort — something that appeals to his creature comforts or that “hits His Luxury Spot.” Maybe he likes to pick his own neckties and things but ever since Raleigh first learned to roll a Cheroot, cigars have been a symbol of friendship between regular “He-men” and have helped to cement the brotherhood of man. The “WORLD MASTERS” or WHITE STAG” cigars are just the Cherry smoke-chum to hang on the Christmas tree for the men folks of the family—you can’t hang t many boxes of ’em on the tree to suit ’em and the bigger the boxes the longer you make their Christmas ] as t. if your gift of a box of these cigars duplicates the gifts of others you only duplicate the pleasure. . ■, The e o cigar confections packed in special holiday packages all fussed up in their “Kristmas Kimona,” just add that distinctive Christmasy touch that makes your gift of these cigars really mean a “Merry Christmas.” No need to shop further for the men folks—relieve the pressure on Santa (laus by the painless plan of ordering World Masters or White Stag cigars from your nearest dealer. Packed in Boxes of 5-10-25-50 and 100 Cigars WORLD M ASTERS bouquet EI Sof N 2 T S ES II PoV ( o i f’ ET $2.25 $3-75 . s l - 00 WHITE STAGS / INVINCIBLES LONDRES OPE’.I \S EXTRA Bo * of 25 Bo * of 25 Box of 25 $2.25 $1.75 satisfies likeN For Sale By All Dealers A Box of These Cigars Leave ‘‘Nothing Unsaid”

clothing and plenty of eats and plenty of nuts and candy. Thanking yon Dear Santa, I also wants you to remember my Brother! They ur- 12-yr., S-yr. 6yr — the-- are four brother Thanking yon, Myrtle Evans. Decatur, Indiana, 122 South Firm St. I Dear Santa: | Will yon please bring me a doll . nd a checker board and ploanc bring

THE CORT TONIGHT “THE GIRL IN THE LIMOUSINE’" A big First National featuring LARRY SEMON Here’s your chance to laugh and thrill. ‘‘MIND THE BABY," a good comedy. 20c Fox News 25c TOMORROW ONLY—“INEZ FROM HOLLYWOOD” Anna Q. Nilsson, Lewis Stone and others. Also—Gump Comedy.

t me a pair of home •slipper'! and plenty ( of eats and clothe a pair of Aatei and go-cart. Thanking you, Visa Evan Glean Evans, —— —o— — —— — The Mi:tt.>■ • Geitrndi* and Margaret Kinzlo will arrive W"ln. day from Toledo, Ohio, to -T" ml l in i >nnawith their muihi-t, .\L- I'lor.i Kinzle. 1 ■ ■ - ■ fieri-I - V Call 436 for Taxi. If

Step Lively The Membership Cards for the 1925 Thrifl Savings ( lub are going fast. Your Membership Card is ready for you unless you have already secured it. Better get yours today. You know you should save, so why not start by this “easy way” plan? The Peoples loan & Trust Co. ' “Bank of Service”