we deny Him, when we laugh Him to scorn. Let us not shut
Him out of His home place in our souls. Let us not refuse to open when
His hand knocks upon the door. That is what we do when we are
indifferent to Him. Let us take him out of the manger cradle, each one
of us, and enthrone Him in the most precious place we have, our inmost
hearts.

It all happened a very long time ago and much water has run in the
brooks of the world under the bridges thereof since that time, but the
mangers of the world are never empty. They are always full. In one
sense, Christ is being born everywhere at this very hour and at all
hours.

Let us give the Child the best we have, the best we can. Let us even now
go down unto Bethlehem, laden with what we have for the use of the
King, and let us see in every child of man that lacks anything this
Christmas morning the image of Him who in that manger lay in Bethlehem
and let us minister to their needs in love.

"The little Christ is coming down[1]
Across the fields of snow;
The pine trees greet Him where they stand,
The willows bend to kiss His hand,
The mountain laurel is ablush
In hidden nooks; the wind, ahush
And tiptoe, lest the violets wake
Before their time for His sweet sake;
The stars, down dropping, form a crown
Upon the waiting hills below---
The little Christ is coming down
Across the fields of snow.

"The little Christ is coming down
Across the city streets;
The wind blows coldly from the north,
His dimpled hands are stretching forth,
And no one knows and no one cares,
The priests are busy with their prayers,
The jostling crowd hastes on apace,
And no one sees the pleading face,
None hears the cry as through the town
He wanders with His small cold feet--
The little Christ is coming down
Across the city streets."

What welcome shall we have for Him, my friends?

[Illustration]

CHRISTMAS IN THE SNOWS

_Being Some Personal Adventures in the Far West_[2]

The love of Christmas is as strong in the West as it is in any section
of the country--perhaps, indeed, stronger, for people who have few
pleasures cherish holidays more highly than those for whom many cheap
amusements are provided. But when the manifestation of the Christmas
spirit is considered, there is a great difference between the West and
the East. There are vast sections of country in which evergreens do not
grow and to which it would not pa