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By Jock Dionne

Oliver Wendell Holmes said that he had discovered in himsc[ a little plant called "reverence" that needed watering at least once a week; so he went to church Sunday. So, we try also, thougb perhaps in clumsy fashion, to water that same little plant once a year at Christmas time, in this column.

One summer evening in the year 1798 a distingushed group of men gathered on the deck of the ship I'Orient which was traversing the waters of the Mediterannean on its way to Egypt. Leader of this group was a small, dark man, who sat at ease and watched the stars shining through the black sky at night. His name was Napoleon. The others were the leading scientists of France. He was taking them with him to help found a new empire. They talked while Napoleon listened. They discussed religion. They were atheists, and they learnedly pronounced all religious humbug, God a m5rth, etc.

Finally Napoleon rose to leave them, but before going he pointed to the skies where the myriad of stars shone through, and said, "Very ingenious, Messieurs, BUT \i[rHO MADE ALL THAT?"

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Henry Ward Beecher, famous preacher, and Col. R. G. fngersoll, the eloquent agnostic, were close friends. Respecting each others opinions they nevertheless loved to "needle" one another. One day Ingersoll walked into Beecher's study, where he saw a new and interesting global map of the world. Without thinking he asked, "Who made that beautiful map?" Instantly the preacher saw he had him. "Who made it?" he said. "Who made this globe? Why, nobody made it, Colonel-it just happened." And the record says that the agnostic laughed as heartily as the preacher.

It is related that on another occasion Beecher demanded that Ingersoll tell him what he would do, had he the power, to better God's creationl "That's eas/," said Ingersoll; "I'd make health contagious, rafhel than disease."

When Bruce Barton wrote his grand books on the Bible, "The Man Nobody Knows," and "The Book Nobody Knours," even though he is a kindly, lovable man who wrote without bitterness or malice, he naturally got some criticism, as who does not who seeks after Truth? A Catholic priest chided him,'though gently, for some of his opinions. Barton wrote him*back:

"Dear Father: I appreciate the tone and spirit of your note and thank you for it. What is the usc of you and me debating about theology on which we can never agree? What I would like to learn from you is this-will there bc any good eighteen hole golf courses in lfeaven?" To which the kindly priest replied, "My Son, I think therc will be, and I shall meet you there." Now, there were two good men, respecting one anothcr, and meeting in friendship on a cornmo" O"l"U_ where they need not battle.

What an improvement that correspondence shows over the spirit ttrat prevailed so generally during thosc long dark centuries when professing Christians tortured, and tore, and mutilated, and racked" and burned" and killed countless thousands of men and women-yes, and littlc childrce because they disagreed over thcological questions, and dl in the name of Jesus, who, while on this earth, never eve.i heard of the doctrines that caused those murders; who said "I came that ye might have life and that yc might have it more abundantly."

I started this turn in the discussion for only onc lrurpose; as a reminder of how much the world has inprovcd. \A/e seem all to agree that the world il in mighty sorry condition right now-and so it is-but if you will rcad the history of those terrible centuries when fiendish instruments of human torture were as commonly used as knives and forks, you will quickly conclude that this is still a mighty fine world in which we live, and move, and bave our being. * ,r

The other day -y eye was caught by a headline in a newspaper. The heading was over a short letter written by a woman to the editor, and the text of her message was, "They've taken the Chirst out of Christmas." She spoke briefy of the biith of Jesuq of His humblc surroundings, the manger, the angel.chorus, and the pondrous simplicity of it all; and then of the Christmas of today so given over to feasting rather than fasting sousing rather than praying, riotous spending and celebrating. And she drew the conclusion, "They've taken the Christ out of Chrismas."

Well, yes. and no. It is true that to millions of our American people the idea of Christmas has bcen strongly (Continued on Page 18)

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I{AS been said in"t sentiment and business can not go well together. We sihcerely believe they can! Believing so, we thank our many lumber dealer friends for patronage given lrs . . . and at the same time express our hope that this holiday season will open a ye:r of prosperity and accomplishment for every one of you.