No matter in what condition we are brought up, and what our views and opinions might be, we cannot be silent about the holiday of the birth of one of the greatest of the world's prophets - Jesus.

Nineteen hundred and seventeen years have passed from the day of the birth of this great reformer, philosopher and poet, and when one reviews superficially those nineteen centuries one becomes more and more convinced of the depth, beauty, immortality of the teaching of Him whose birthday is celebrated till now by almost the whole world. Reviewing those nineteen centuries, one can see that we are still standing at the door of that to which Jesus was calling the people all his life. Now still more than before the Caesars, Pharisees and those who convert the temple of God into a house of traffic are ruling. Still more than at that time the powerful of this world are making their neighbors to stray from the right way, shedding their blood in vain and unmercifully ruining their souls and bodies. And yet the principles of the 2teaching which were inculcated by Jesus in his preaching, parables and the example of his personal life are perhaps needed now by us ten times more than before.

Not without cause did one of the greatest geniuses of our century, Leo Tolstoy, devote almost half of his precious lifetime to infusing in the souls and minds of humanity this great teaching, in order to deepen it and to make it understandable to this contemporaries, and, finally, in order to call out those results toward which the fiery genius, Jesus, strived nineteen centuries ago.

Many great and humane teachings had been born during these nineteen centuries, many geniuses had devoted their lives to bringing humanity nearer to a more rational and humane life, but all those teachings and minds were grappling with the same problems, which Jesus was discussing, though in different strain, they were all voicing the same appeal. And therefore for everyone of us, though we hold the most extreme views, the 3day of the birth of that genius should be one of the most significant, which recalls the history of the birth of a new era, new impulses toward a bright future, to a new faith and joyful hope.

Everyone in his own way is celebrating the day of the birth of this great genius. The freethinker on this day is involuntarily thinking about the problems which have been aroused by this genius and struggles more energetically for the realization of these problems. The religious man involuntarily celebrates this day of the birth of godly purity, tenderness and love.

In one thing both agree: meditation on this day arouses in the souls of both joyful hopes for a speedily bright future, one of the first, brilliant heralds of which is Christ. And in impersonation of this, almost all men honor that day, adorning themselves and their homes with holiday dress and ornaments, as if desiring to contemplate more 4vividly the picture of that bright future, to which Jesus Christ was calling them so passionately. Let us, reader, celebrate at least one day.

Through the mourning surrounding us without a glimmer of light, under the call to hatred and enmity, let it at least on one day begin to blaze brightly the flames of our bright hopes for the near future. Let us devote that day to meditation about that teaching which is so shockingly violated now by the powerful of this world.

Let it kindle in us the faith in the powers to fight for the realization of that teaching, and with new strength let us undertake, to remind all the oppressors of the world of the fact that the hopes in us for a different life did not die; a life without enmity and hatred, a life without bloodshed and fratricide.

Mournful, my reader, is our holiday of this year. But truthful and 5immortal is the teaching of Him in whose honor was arranged this holiday. Let us then try hard to approach the days of the realization of this teaching. Let us wish that sooner shall come the holiday of the toilers and the overburdened. Let us wish that sooner shall the world be freed from mourning and fratricidal bloodshed.