The following is submitted in this issue in lieu of an extended editorial.—Ed.
And she brought forth her first born son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.—Luke ii. 17.
This verse constitutes a part of that chapter of Luke which records the birth of Jesus the Christ. It consists of only thirty words, yet it chronicles the most stupendous event in the world's history, whether written with pen sacred or profane. Laying aside for the moment the spiritual import of the event, let us glance briefly at its secular aspect. It marked a new era in the history of the world. It gave to men a new chronology. It made so deep and lasting an impression upon human affairs that it has entered into all history, biography, literature, art, music, and every department of human affairs. Whenever a legal document is prepared; whenever a book is printed; whenever a magazine, a pamphlet, or a newspaper is published; whenever a letter is written; whenever a legislative Act is passed; whenever an official stamp or seal is affixed, the fact is recorded that nineteen hundred years ago, the Christ was born. Every day of our human existence re-echoes this mighty event, re-emphasizes this wondrous fact.
