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The Clinton News Record, 1925-12-10, Page 10lat an " Equitable', ', Policy Offers Low Costs ection at Low Rates—Consistent Safety. Guaranteed Contracts attractive, policy contract, ALL :ern ud conditions of which are y Guaranteed: Flo Restrictions r the issuing of the policy there NO RESTRICTIONS in respect of deuce; Travel or Occupation. Cash and. Loan :Values 1,a1 Cash or Loan, values after three premiums have been paid.. Paid up Policy enmiums. • re discontinued after years,, a FULLY PAID-UP Pol- u liroportioh to . the .ntiniber of iums Mid. Double 'Indemnity ides for the payment of DOUBLE amount of the policy in the event OCIDENTAL DEATH. Double. Disability es allfuturepremiums, pays the JRED, an income for life and the policy in full at maturity In vent that the Insured becomes y and Permanently Disabled. features and many other bene- fits can be secured from own fire, north again, M "the hill -girt town." We are aty p, with o silver Ontario E nitable Llfe and tl golden curled earl of four. For nearly a week she and I had ribbon in their hair. All the Christmas /Reverie. HIS is the homing season. Also the time when photographs abound— and my mindis much taken up witl both,. Sallies to the scenes of to the south are the plains in whose fields she gleaned"amidst the alien corn;" where also David walked -"In goy and in joy, Following his sheep along the mountain side." On these plains, too, were the shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by other days and snapshots of faces, some erstwhile forgotten—these night when the Augel of the Lord, accompanied by the Heavenly Host, announced are the distinguishing features of the Christmas mood. the birth of "Christ the Lord:" Awayto the horizon stand the purple hills of Moab, at whose feet in solemn I am sitting by a hearth fire; and all hearth fires' have, somewhere P p h ' 1 bosom the embers of the days of yore Quite unclassified; quite stillness lie the deep blue waters of the Dead Sea. Almost immediately above the vignettesflash upon memory's screen and disappear. Fragmentary, unassorted, the Great, of execrated memory, who, in Bethlehem at least, needs no such mono t et of owing , town towers Mount e defiant the order of time or place, these Christmas reveries meander, these Yule -Jebel Fureidis, on the summit of which is the tomb of Herod tide yet th - Ment in memoriam of the. Massacre of the Innocents. For wiles around -may be seen they 1 the trail of the friendly years ey yet marc rich olive and fig groves The first has its scene in Ottawa; year, the first of my ministerial life, Am in g ves intermixed with apricot orchards and vineyards each with my room in the Victoria Chambers, seated in an armchair, and it is Christmas Eve. its watch tower as in ancient times. The hillsides are cultivated in terraces of' I{nock at door; which, opened, admits a midget of a bell -boy with two little parcels "hanging gardens," and the stony plains are ploughed for cereal crops. his hand said parcels containing two pathetically cheap presents:, "For Mr. The town is solidly and closely built. The streets are generally narrow, with in , houses o f two or three stores constructed of yellowish -white limestone, and topped Haley and Mary (elevator man and his chasing. daughter)—just a little Christmas storeys, Y 'cause I can't afford very much, you see, bein' as how I only get four dollars a with fiat roofs. The central thoroughfare is occupied by workshops, whose floors wee, week and no keep—an', besides, me churn borrowed thirty cents off mento go to the . are strewn with men and material. The chief industry is the manufacture of "articles fall an' he ain't paid me back," the childish face showing equal de touriste."Souvenirs In olive wood, medallions from mother-of-pearl,' engravings parts of benevolence and financial care. Beautiful, this—and as common as .eau is 'are have passed; and the scene is marvelously changed:" No snow now, one-third of Bethlehem workers find employment: The remainder are shepherds, lacrosse motel last h on shell and stone of incidents from the life of our Lord, with other similar curios tiful=th' mutual generosity of the poor. are everywhere conspicuous in almost embarrassing profusion. In this' art alone Four ye nor chiming sleigh -bells, nor resonant sidewalk crisp beneath the hurrying feet, quarrymen, husbandmem tradesmen and merchants. The population, which is But the December sun is pouring down upon a picnic party in the pine woods of estimated variously from 5,000 to 8,000, is almost entirely Christian; and, apart North Carolina, those woods re-echoing to the shout and laughter of merry voices, from the occasional outbursts of sectarian animosity, the Latin, Greek, and Armenian most of which are silen aro i , t now. Soon the stroke of an axe is heard, wielded by a Churches are on enviable: terms of friendship -for Eastern communities, burly negro—and, a few minutes later, a tall holly tree crashes to the mossy ground, Boasting a strain of Crusaders' blood, the Bethlehemites are altogether the its deep green foliage and gleaming berries glistening in the sun. Later still, a finest human type to be met with in Southern Palestine, and their sartorial appear - couple of darkies loaded like beasts of burden, the holly -laden party, a few with' ance is primly picturesque. The men dress in a bright -colored gown over a' white great bundles of the mystic mistletoe, are in Indian file malting their way to the undershirt, the head being covered with a turban or fez. The women's chief gar - boats, song re-echoing as we cross to•the stately southern home, its fireplace lighted meat is a long narrow, tunic of blue cotton, tied at the waist, and relieved with a for the last hundred years and more, that crowns the river's farther bank. red embroidered stole. The; matrons are distinguished from the maidens by a differ - Six more years have fled, after their relentless way. 'I am sitting before my entiating arrangement of headdress; the married ladies wearing a sort of cap adorn- " famil worshi and in ed gold and sequins -their only dower—while the spinsters display a q therewomen have veils, but these are thrown back so as to ccident Insurance Company Waterloo. ng one and all a Very Merry Fistulas and Prosperous 1026. M. T. Corless al Agent, Clinton, Ontario Phone 193 For A Merry hri stmas `� CA Our Holiday Candies are now' early and we invite you to come nd see our display of delicious, lure `candies. To Young or Old CANDY DY is a focal for Happiness and Joan Give Chocolates We. have a splendid assortment of:Willards, Moirs, Lowney s and Pattersons, Boxes from 2Sc to $6 A Few Specials Mixed Candy, Cut Rock, Toffies Stuffed Dates with Walnuts' New Fruit, Nuts and Novelties. See Window for prices at WENIIIR F'S my lap nestles a followed the course of Santa Claus: "North Pole, Ft. Churchill, Hudson Bay, fall in long, graceful lines, about the figure, to which they lend a charming dignity. Temagami, etc." I reported from time to time:But ever coming. closer! Our The exposed face of the Bethlehemite woman is distinctly beautiful—not a bi'un- reading that night, that trembling' stocking night, is of the feeding of the five thou- ette, but with a bright,clear complexion, large eyes, and delicately shaped mouth sand, and the dialogue was as follows: —and she carries herself so admirably as to appear taller than she really is. "Wasn't that kind of him, my darling, to feed all those poor, hungry people?" Of course, the supreme object of interest in Bethlehem is the reputed place of "Yes," the glowing eyes averted one brief moment from the fire; "but, where the Nativity. Superstition and the emulation of jarring sects have led to the multi- plication of sacred sites in the Holy Land. Many of these are doubtful, to say the . least, and some are without question apocryphal. Fortun- ately, however, the place in- dicated with reverence as the Cave of the Nativity is not among these. Ancient, con- tinuous, and well -authenticat- ed tradition stamps this as one of the most genuine shrines in Palestine. The credibility of this tradition is supported by no leas an authority than Conder, who observes in his "Tent Work in Palestine" that "the rude grotto with its rocky manger may, it seems to me, be accepted even by the most sceptical of modern explorers." Within a generation of the death of the last of the Apostles, Justin Martyr, himself a native of Nablus, speaks of the Saviour's birth as having taken place "in a certain cave close to the village." The fact of its early sacredness is demonstrated by the method taken by Hadrian (A.D. 117-138) to desecrate it by causing a grove in honor of Adonis to be planted above the cave, so that pagan wanton rites might be performed over the very spot where the holy Child Jesus was born. This grove was subsequently cut down by Constantine in order that the Empress Helena might rear (A.D. 306-337) the basilica which is still standing there, the most ancient Christian Church in the world. The Church of the Nativity presents the outward appear- ance of a fortress. The huge Gone now, and far away, are those childish features, and the wonder of life has central doorway has been almost entirely built up, leaving the only entrance by a retreated before its struggle. In a home of her own, too, another fire lighted' upon "needle's eye," which symbolically teaches each worshipper, at least, the virtue of a new -laid hearth. Thus the holy cycle goes its way. Those curls have disappeared, humility. The interior is spacious but bare. The aisles have flat roofs above the and the locks are darker, yet no less dear. And surely, surely, there is no reason pillars of red and white marble with Corinthian capitals, bt t the nave has a cleres- why she should not nestle as of yore upon that great throne of childhood, a father's tory, with walls thirty feet above the capitals, and a pointed roof. A wall, built knee, and surely those locks could rest again where they reposed of old. I am sorely across the east end of the basilica, cuts off the chancel. Evidently at one time the tempted. The birds find that Southern path—and why not I? entire church was richly adorned with gold and mosaics, of which some remnants One year later still; and the peaceful happiness of a Christmas morning passes still exist, but the ravages of time and the hand of the spoiler have left their marks. again before me. Breakfast over; a little hymn; a little prayer; a little.ploating Underneath the choir, by a staircase of thirteen marble steps, the crypt containing (thank God) over the rapture which I know the hurrying years are bound to shatter the Chapel of the Nativity is reached. The .Chapel --once a rude cave—is now —and we stand athrill before the door of the room within whit!)the laden tree awaits Paved and walled with marble, roofed with gold and silk, and lighted with fifty-three 'us. Entrance delightful as of yore—and then begins the giving and receiving. lamps. ' Immediately to the left is the shrine, unspeakably sacred to Christendom, Some really beautiful gifts, no doubt, all forgotten now—but unforgotten, and'un- From an arch about four feet high hang fifteen silver lamps, and in the centre of the 1 t r islaid through the years a little knitted bag (to hold some articles' of toilet) floorisa silver star with the inscription "Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus Nate do you suppose Santa Claus is now?" Yet four more years have gone. It is Christmas here again, and I am driving back to town from a farm -house where the head of the home lies in agony, his last Christmas al- most at the door. The same childish form, taller and de- veloped now, is beside me in the cutter as we glide along, sleigh -bells merrier than their wont, stars a little brighter, mantle of snow touched with a holier sheen. Suddenly I feel the trembling of the girlish figure a little hand plucks at the sleeve of my coonskin coat, a curl -clustered head is burrowing into my side—and.the sobbing of a child mingles with the music of the bells. I ask why, darkly suspecting that the cause is what I fear, that someone has given her to eat of the tree of the knowledge of fact and phan- tasy. It is even so—end the little form is quite shaken with grief as "This is the first Christ- mas that I didn't know" comes from the treinbiinglips, 1can only comfort and caress and murmur: "Life is full of these awakenings, my darling," and we go on thru the night that has lost, never to be restored, the wonder and the glory of a year before. And is it not wonderful how, when we ransack the bygone years, we find, not the great and momentous things unfaded, but mostly trifling little episodes embalmed in love, and nearly all linked to the vision of some Early Christmas Morning—HAS SANTA COMA YET? childish fa ce os o m handed to me by proud little daughter's hands, "The very first thing Esta, I ever did, The site itself is infinitely touching, but as I gazed upon it an unspeakable ten - reassuring a face of with ourhdish pride,giftmine withvo,fyet precious compassion. mala Surely a derness`invested it by the presence of eight women robed in. white praying silently eeassuring pare all poor gifts and service,. yet in lamer, other eyes than oursl---R. E. Knowles. and, in turn, kissing the star: -I followed, and found the slab glistening with tears., Indescribably sad is it that°this same silver star has a tale to tell not altogether of "peace and good -will to men!" That it should have been used as•a wedge for sun- dering the peace of the world by war is one of those episodes the world would will- ingly forget to -day. To -day we stand with the wondering shepherds and worship- ping magi by the spot where was witnessed the greatest event of all time -the Divine assumption of humanity: The world will never permit the tender idyll of Bethle- hem to die. May it not forget the truth enshrined in the quaint old lines— "Though Christ a thousand times in Bethlehem be born, . If He's not born fn thee, thy soul is still forlorn, Oh, would thy heartbe but a manger for His birth, God would once more become a Child upon the earth." • t1trtthle of Qtllristittn orfb Of all the clustering clouds of ravishing reminiscences associated with a world - tour of 35,000 miles, memory holds no other gem quite so delightfully exquisite as that of a visit to Bethlehem. No other spot on earth is richer in religious treasure or more radiant with romantic and well authenticated tradition. Viewed. from any standpoint -topographical, historical, social or religious—Bethlehem is simply en- thralling. Every change in the kaleidoscope is• wondrously fascinating, and dis- closes a perfect picture of idyllic grace and charm. Once more, as "The Season of the Birth of Christ draws near,". the imagination of the world will be centered there, catching overtones of its pastoral symphony; while the instinct of Christian • mil- lions will turn to it in tenderest affection and truest, veneration. The heart of mo- dern civilized man awakes in mystic wonder, and finds its affinity with the primitive Judean shepherd, saying, "Let us now goeven unto Bethlehem." The city walls have vanished; but the site of Bethlehem, determined by the long narrow mountain ridge, is precisely where it was 3,000 years ago. Entering the town at an elevation of 2,550 feet above the sea, the' visitor has a magnificent.yiew of the surrounding country, opening out like a panorama. To the east slopes the deep valley where Ruth "went down" in her sorrow. Over the softly rising hills 'Z1Ctvrill fetter Big .... The Christmas Festival of goodwill, goodfellowship, and peace has lost, none of its popularity in its passage through the ages._ Nineteen hundred and twenty-five finds us welcoming it as heartily as did our ancestors a thousand years ago, before railways, telephones, radios or auto- mobiles were even dreamed about. It awakens dormant feelings and aspirations which the clamor of wordly life stifles and deadens_' It opens deep springs of brotherhood and love, from whence flow desires to bless with gifts and good wishes. FREE to YOUI The World's Best USIC Just tune in and let's go! COME IN AND SEE OIJI!.. NEW RADIOS Sutter & Per''s, e Clinton's Leading Radio Store. Gifts Of Everlasting Charm The Supreme Gift is something in Silver, Gold, a Precious Stone or Ivory in white, shell and pearl. Nothing can take their place as the aristocrat of gifts. Nothing can equal the charm .and sheep lasting beauty of a ring, a silver set, or a watch. Our store has its fins Christmas stock of exquistie gifts. There is a satisfaction and assurance when you select here and you know that anything you give from our store is doubly appreciated, Any f:ift you select will be held for you until Christmas .Agents for Marconiphcne Radios—Guaranteed the best in the world The No. 6, four tube, being as powerful as any other six tube set. Conte in any night and hepar itand realize the difference. Jtitir,r, sSOA`t:l Graduate of Toronto College of Optometry Fine Jewellery and Repairs Next Hovey's Drug Store You Ohristas fti At Yo r m -)rices There is a Wide Selection in our Store Ebony Goods Ivory Goods Perfumery Toilet Waters Bath Salts The Best Chocolates in Christmas Wrapping Fountain Pens . For The Men Folks Cigars, in 10's and 25's Pipes, all prices Tobaccos, in lb. tins Safety Razors, Etc. I� S. R. RILMES DRUGGIST