The Oregon statesman., December 13, 1925, Page 9, Image 9

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' CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS NUMBER
SECTION ONE -
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j'j I : CHRISTMAS CHOPPERS NUMBER,
yl&m -::-: u AUTOMOTIVE RADIO- .
SEVENTY-FIFTH ' YEAR
SALEM, OREGON, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 13, 1925
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The Spirit of Christmas Giving
ND there were in the same country
shepherds abiding in the field, keep
ing watch over their flock by night.
"And the angel said unto them,
f Fear not: for, behold I bring you
good tidings of ' great joy, which
shall be to all people.
"For unto you is born this day.
sV in the city of Darid, a SaTior, which
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f'And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the
babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying Jn a manger.
r "And suddenly there was with the angel, a aanltltnde
of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying,
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"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men."
The "good tidings of great joy" was "to all people;"
to all people of all time; to the people of the United
States of the present day; to the people of Oregon; to
. every reader of these lines in this Christmas Shoppers'
Number of The Statesman.
What manner of man in outward appearance
was the Redeemer whose birthday celebration has
come to be the greatest event in the annals of
the numan race?
Nowhere in the four Gospels that constitute
the sacred record of His work and ministry is
there any personal description from which to
gather a clear concept of His form and features.
The only description we have is contained in a
public report, supposed to have been wrijtten by
a Roman official who, if the letter is accepted as
.genuine,- was probably: trying to impress the
Roman senate that he was diligent in his steward
ship as a Roman governor. It is proper to remind
readers that the authenticity of the document is
doubted by many. '
The letter was taken by Napoleon from the rec
ords of Rome when he despoiled that city of so
many valuable manuscripts. It was addressed to
'The Senate, Rome; Caesar, Emperor," by Pub
lius Leutulus, Governor of Judaea, at the time
when Jesus commenced His ministry. rr
The English translation of ?it follows:
"Conscript Fathers: In these our days appeared a man
named Jestis Christ,' who is yet living among1 us, and of
the Gentiles is accepted as a prophet of great troth; but
His own disciples call Him a Son of God. He hath raised
the dead and cured all manners or diseases.
"He is a man of stature somewhat tall and comely,
with a ruddy, countenance, such as the beholder may
both loTe and fear. His hair is the color of a filbert
when fully ripe, plain to His ear, whence downward it is
more 'of orient color, curling and waving on Hi3 should
ers; in the middle of His head is a seam of l&ng hair
. after the manner of the Nazarites. His forehead is plain
and delicate, the face without a spot or wrinkle, beauti
ful with a. comely red; His nose and mouth are exactly
formed; His beard is the color of his haic and thick, not
of any length, but forked.
"In reproving He is terrible; admonishing courteous;
in speaking very modest and wise; in' proportion of "body,
H-shaped. None have seen Him -laugh; many, have
It is interesting to note how closely this descrip
tion has been followed by most painters who have
attempted to portray the Christ. This fact has
caused the popular conception of the outward ap
pearance and general bearing of the Redeemer as
He walked the lowly paths of Judea to be as Pub
lius Lentulus wrote in the days when the Nazar
ene was healing the sick, ministering to the needy,
feeding the hungry and raising the dead.
But is it not important what manner of man
in physical form was the Man of Galilee. What
he taught is all important. Above all else, He
taught ths lessons of service; of lowly service as
well as the most exalted ; even to the washing of
the dusty feet of His disciples; yes, including the
feet of Judas, who was to betray Him. And in
cluded in the lessons of seryice He taught the
spirit of giving. In His first lesson to his twelve
disciples He said :
"Give to every man that asketh of .thee; and of
him that teketh away thy goods ask them not
again.
"And as ye would that men should do to you,
do ye also to them likewise.
"Love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again.
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye mete withal, it
shall be measured to you again."
But, expecting nothing in return, th very-Jaw
of compensation will give back to you "good mea-v
sure, pressed down, and shaken together, and fun-
ning over"
The parable being of a generous merchant with
a half bushel or peck measure serving a customer.
. So we have full warrant for the Christmas
shoppers seeking out the most appropriate pres-
ents for their relatives and friends , ; ;
As well as remembering the needy. .
It is not wrong to give expecting nothing in re
turn if you do get something in return without
expecting it, and "with good measure, pressed
down, shaken together, and running over."
The coming Christmas shopping season will be
the greatest in the history of Salem. It will be f
the greatest, because Salem was never before so
large ; nor her people ever before so hopeful ; nev
er before so thankful for their blessings ; never be
fore in so general a spirit of good will. The spirit
of giving is by its nature gregarious. The spirit
of joy was born twins. No one can beyery glad ,
without imparting his feelings of gladness to
others.
So let us all, being fully warranted and justir
fied in our own hearts, and by the precepts of
holy writ, join in making the coming Christmas
shopping season the most generous and the most
joyful in all our lives. ' -
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So the spirit of Christmas is the spirit of ser
vice and the spirit of giving; of unselfish service
and of unselfish giving; expecting nothing in re
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