14 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
GOING TO BETHLEHEM 
Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is 
come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us.-- 
Luke 2:15. 
We need a Christmas. Like the 
Shepherds of old let us go to Beth- 
hem and look upon Jesus as a little 
child. It was night, darkness shroud- 
ed the hearts and lives of men. It 
ight have been said of Salvation as 
it was said in the beginning that the 
earth was without for: and darkness 
was on the face of the deep. It was 
evening, and it was morning; for God 
said, “Let there be light” and there 
was light. 
Two special revelations did God 
make to announce to men the birth of 
the Christ. One was the Star in the 
East shining for the rich and wise; 
the other was the angels coming to 
the poor shepherds, saying :—‘‘Peace 
on earth, good will to men.” Let us 
follow the lowly shepherds, as they 
search for that Great High Priest 
who was touched with feeling of our 
infirmity. 
The shepherds left their employment 
to go to Bethlehem and see the reality 
of that which was taught in the vision. 
These two things we know of them to 
whom God sent his holy angels to an- 
nounce with songs of praise the birth 
of Christ and to proclaim “Peace on 
earth, good will to men;” they were 
diligent in business but not so attach- 
ed to it that they could not go and 
see the babe of Bethlehem. From the 
character and condition of these men 
let us learn something of these peo- 
ple to whom God reveals his truth. 
SALEM 
They are men not slothful in business, 
but they are also men that can leave 
their work not only to go and_ see 
Christ the respected and honored 
promoter of knowledge of civilization, 
but men that can leave their flocks 
and herds, their houses and lands, their 
stocks and bonds, to look upon the 
little Babe lying in a manger. 
And this has a meaning for us here 
and now. We will lose much of the 
blessing that ought to be gained by 
one who remembers Christ today, un- 
less we can leave our worldly duties 
to “go and see.” ‘The relaxation com- 
ing to us at Christmas tide is more and 
more every year causing worldly care 
to increase just at that season when 
we would turn to our Bethlehem. The 
preparing of Christmas gifts and the 
entertainment of friends, are more 
and more every year crowding out the 
possibility of making this religous ob- 
servance what it should be. We are 
too busy for the religous part of 
Christmas. Hands and heart and 
thought are so full of wordly things 
that we have no room for Jesus. Now 
I do not mean that we can or should 
give up these things. But the neces- 
sity of retaining them makes it more 
essential to turn aside—if not in real- 
ity at least in thought—that we may 
see Jesus. 
In ancient times the solitary occu- 
pation of the Shepherd was honorable 
and profitable to mind and soul. Now 
NURSERIES 
(Branch of Highland Nurseries, 4,000 ft elevation in Carolina Mts ) 
Beautiful Gardens and Home Grounds. 
The choicest Evergreens, 
Rhododendrons, Azaleas 
and Flowering 
Shrubs are always used in gardens laid out by us. 
Specimen stock that produces permanent results rather than LOW 
PRICES. 
Better do a little gardening well than a big garden poorly. 
Beautiful Catalogs, or call at Nursery on Marblehead Road, 
Telephone Salem 820 
or office. 
HARLAN P. KELSEY, Owner, 
287 Essex Street, 
SALEM, MASS. 
things are changed and still changing; 
men are not alone with God as much 
as they should be. Sad is the lot of 
him whose world is made up of banks 
and ware houses, of stone fronts, rail- 
road stations and paved streets. 
We must learn to endure these 
changed conditions of life, without 
losing the natural freshness of human- — 
ity, without disregarding the works of 
God and the presence of a Creator in 
the universe. For this were given to 
us Christ and christianity, and for 
this we need a Christmas. Today we 
can receive, perchance into our hearts 
a reflection of that light which came — 
to the Shepherds in the fields of Beth- 
lehem. Like them let us go to the 
lowly Christ. No silken curtains, no 
gilded tapestry, no luxurious carpet 
surrounded his couch, too fine for the 
touch and tread of the rural shep- 
herds roughly-dressed for the fields. 
And we learn that Christ in his matur- _ 
er days watched the sower going forth 
to sow; drew lessons from the work of 
the fishermen, shepherds and garden- 
ers, he went to poor, suffering people, 
yet in his heart he was never separated 
from the simplicity of the field, and 
the stable where his infant eyes first 
saw the light of day. Christmas, the 
Star, the Shepherds, the stable, all 
have a meaning for us. They call us 
back to our better selves. 
The Shepherds went to Christ. They | 
were members of a chosen race. They 
had seen a marvelous vision, but they 
went to search for Christ. And so to- 
day the revelation of the prophets of 
old, the development of the religious 
feeling in men, the wonders of science, 
the achievements of modern history, 
all that philosophy can conjure up all 
that thought can create, are of no 
avail without Christ. 
We should every one be better for 
the presenc of Christmas with us. Let 
the power of Christmas thought bring 
a freshness of life, a nearness of being, 
a healing and redeeming power that 
will help us to cast off the weakness. 
and shame and sin and stand erect in 
the purity of Christ’s righteousness. 
Horiis STREET THEATRE. 
“Jack” Mason, has again conquer- 
ed the Boston theatregoing public and 
his return to the Hollis Street Thea- 
tre with his new play “The Attack” 
awakened a demonstrative response 
from his legion of admirers. Boston 
has surrendered to “The Attack” as 
unconditionally as New York did. 
The play is probably the most power- 
ful drama in which John Mason has 
ever appeared. Any play from the 
pen of Henri Bernstein, is sure to 
command attention. 
