cunning little packages of catnip wrapt in tissue-paper and tied with ribbon, balls galore, tiny mechanical mice and teddy bears. The invitations were sent out in the name of the cats, and the place-cards were tiny cats, which served as souvenirs, being made of phosphorus and suitable for scratching matches. There was a Christmas tree, on which the gifts were hung.
(431)
CHRISTMAS STAR, THE
There once lived a family in the South
whose rigid rule sent the children to bed
at sundown and made them rise after daylight.
One of the boys grew to the age of
seven years before he ever saw the stars,
and when he was carried out one dark night
and caught his first glimpse of the glorious
constellations, he exclaimed rapturously to
his mother: "Look! Look! Did you ever
see anything so beautiful?"
The return of Christmas brings into
view the Star of Bethlehem. How many
human eyes have never yet seen this
Star!
(432)
Church and Business Men—See Business Men in Church.
Church and Working Men—See Christ
Approved.
Church Cheer—See Sunshine in the
Church.
CHURCH, DEADNESS OF THE
Perhaps nothing is more common than a profession of spiritual life with very feeble evidence of its existence.
A preacher visiting an infirmary, guided
through the institution by a member of the
medical staff, described various cases as the
two passed along: "Anemic condition,"
"creeping paralysis," "nervous dyspepsia,"
"locomotor ataxia," etc. Having passed
through all the wards, the minister said, "I
have known a church with just such people
in it. It took six hundred members a whole
year to bring eleven souls to confess Christ.
The prayer-meeting was affected by creeping
paralysis and four-fifths of the men seemed
to be suffering from locomotor ataxia of the
soul." The doctor replied, "And I one day
remember seeing a very beautiful engine at
an exhibition, but it was on a table, not on
rails. It was only four feet long and about
two feet high, and when I asked the man in
charge what it was for he said it was not for
use in any way, but was simply on exhibition.
And," added the doctor, "I have seen ministers
and churches just like that." (Text.)
(433)
Church-going Enforced—See Worship, Enforced.
CHURCH, GUIDANCE FOR THE
There are no wrecks among the golden
ships of the heavens, for a master hand keeps
the movements of the fixt spheres in unison.
An effort is being made to have unison
among the movements of all ships at sea.
The proposal is that the Eiffel tower be
equipped with a wireless apparatus, powerful
enough to send Hertzian waves completely
round the world, that ships may not be
wrecked by being confused as to the longitude.
It is said that all ships in communication
with Eiffel tower will harmonize in their
movements. Noon and midnight will be indicated
by a prearranged signal.
The Church is a ship of state with its members as the crew. Each church is commanded to keep in constant and direct communication with the great Head of the Church, the high tower of righteousness. (Text.)
(434)
Church Hospitality—See Hospitality in Church.
CHURCH INDISPENSABLE
A man in his Gethsemane utters words
that burn themselves into your memory in
letters of fire. The personal experiences of
one's friends are sacred; sacred forever the
events of the household, when grief and repentance
lay healing hands like angels upon
a broken life. But recently I saw with mine
own eyes, and heard with mine own ears,
and received a charge. The house was a
mansion on an avenue, and the man was approaching
threescore years and ten. Beside
us was the coffin of his dead daughter. On
the other side sat his chum, his closest friend.
Suddenly the sorrowing man broke into
speech, and this was the substance of his
soliloquy: "There is nothing in these things.
You and I have been living for a good time
and success. We have gotten everything we
could during the week. We have been good
poker-players on Saturday night, we have
spent our Sundays in the automobile and
