@bristmdrs

Bv Jack Dionne

A peaceful, hopeful Christmas to you, my friends of the lumber industry.

Let's withhold our """:itJ "Merry christmas" wish for another year, at least ufitil the spectre of want, and the ghost of depression has been buried deeper and better than it is today.

*>k*

But we go into the Christmas season this year with higher morale and much more sincere conviction that "things are better" than we did last year. For things ARE better. Some of it is sound improvement, and some based on artificial stimulation. But we ARE being lifted-and that is the main point for the moment.

***

Let us celebrate the birthday of the kindliest and most compassionate Man that ever lived by doing each of us our share to bring about a kindly Christmas for those whom we contact.

{<**

There's one thing that neither trouble nor tribulation, panic or depression, can take away from you, and that is the privilege of going about trying to help someone else, and trying to make the world a better place to live in.

***

"Their cause I plead-plead it in heart and mind; a fellow feeling makes one wondrous kind."

Why not observe Christmas by getting better acquainted with this Man of Galilee whose birthday it will be? Get Bruce Barton's book, "The Man Nobody Knows," and read it thoughtfully. Then read Kahlil Gibran's, "Jesus-the Son of Man." You'll get a lot of interesting facts from the first. A trernendous thrill from the second. Gibran gives you more than eighty character sketches of the Nazarene, some of them startling, many of them marvelously beautiful. But they'll make you think.

***

Then read the four Gospels from the New Testament. Read them slowly. See what new impressions you get of this personage that you never had before. Perhaps you'll get a brand new picture of that Carpenter, who so lived and spoke that the world commemorates his birthday. *>k*

Dead reading? Not on your life! You will meet the most colorful, the most vigorous, vital, irrepressible MAN you ever dreamed of. The meek, mild, sad, and sorrowful pictures of Him are pure libel. He was the most radiant, live, abundant personality in all history. Take away any claim of God-hood from Him, and you still have history's most impressive PERSON. He was power, virility, strength, courage, determination, joy, enthusiasm, happiness, LIFE personified.

FIe was always found ;J" 1-,"., "ru women gathered together. He liked life, and living things. He walked with Publicans and sinners. I wonder if He was laughing up His sleeve when He quoted His critics as saying of Him"Behold a man gluttonous and a wine bibber"? I'll gamble He outlaughed any man of His day and age.

Read Him and get ,J ;" ,icture of Him. Get His opinions first-hand. (That's the only way you'll ever really know. anything real about Him). What did He say about divorce? Did He ever tell anyone to keep holy the Sabbath? Did He observe the Sabbath Himself ? Or did He keep holy every day, by good works? You'll be surprised at what you find. You'll discover that the "closed Sunday" folks never read the opinions of Jesus on that subject.

What did He answer ;",l": was asked directly what commandments a man should keep in order to have eternal life? fle answered that question directly and specifically, according to three of the gospels. Why didn't He give the ten commandments, instead of five of the ten. and a new one of His own? Figure it for yourself.

Try and find anything in those gospels that justifies the world in referring to Mary Magdalene, the friend of Jesus, as a "scarlet woman." Surely she has a fine damage suit against history ! Find how many times He perforrned the miracle of the loaves and fishes. That may surprise you.

Matthew, one of the twelve, says that both the thieves between whom He was crucified, reviled Him on the cross. It is to Luke, a chronicler who came afterwards, that we owe the beautiful story of the one thief who said to Him, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."

And John tells many beautiful stories that the other three of the Jews in those early days. You'll find something to do not. Read them. think about there.

!F :1. {<

Try and figure out why it is that Matthew and John, who were present, say nothing about His ascending into Heaven; and Mark and Luke, who were not of His twelve apostles, say He DID. Try and decide why on one hand He preached peace and humility, and on the other said, "I come not to bring peace, but a sword."

{< {. t€

Why did Matthew, who was one of the twelve apostles, and Luke, who was not, say Jesus was of virgin birth; while-John, who was one of the apostles, and Mark, who was not, fail to mention it. You can do a little thinking on that subject. ***

Try and decide when and how thJ knowledge of His high office as Savior of the world, came upon Him. It is a most interesting study. For you find Hirn, early in His career, declining to heal a woman of Canaan because ..I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel," and declaring that to heal any others was "to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs." He was the Savior

And you'll find something to think about all the way through. As a matter of fact the least interesting things you will read about Him will be the regular orthodox sermon stories and parables. His history is filled with thrills and throbs outside of those.

*{<{<

He was the great exemplar of the blessedness of WORK. Only once in His recorded words will you find Him saying, "I will give you an example," and that was when IIe was performing the duties of a servant. He worked hard in His youth at the carpenter trade. He preached the blessedness and necessity of labor, and of man living by the sweat of his brow.

*:F*

A close study of His words and works will convince you that all men will be judged by their usefulness, their service, and that test will be based on a man's contribution to humanity, whether it be by brain or brawn. ***

And neither panic nor depression can change THAT.