The stable is bare and dark, save
for the radiance from the manger,
which illumines the face of Mary, the
mother, as she bends above It in ador
ation. and penetrates the shadows,
where Joseph is seen, gazing down
on the light lhaf Is to lighten the
world through all the ages to come.
Joseph, Mary, ana the HaDe: over
them Hie bare. I'hlll shelter, about
them none hut the beasts The pie
ture ts profoundly significant Per
nineteen hundred years it has east Its
spell over Christendom
The shepherds steal In abashed,
overawed They draw reverently near
They fall on their knees In adoration
They linger and worship and depart.
Now enme the Magi Kings of the
Orient, rich in pososesslon ns In wis
dom they jonrnev hither, followed hy
a magnificent train of attendants,
seeking a King In his majesty. A su
perb l*geant of the world's might
and power, they enter the stable
where the beasts of the field are wont
to he housed, to bend the knee and
lay their priceless gifts before a
Straw filled manger In the light from
that manger, *he|r treasure fades,
their magnificence is unnoted.
Mary, a humble virgin from the
yanks of the people, sees nothing hut
the child Joseph heeds them not.
