cave that is one of the most sacred and memorable spots on the globe. It
is believed that this cave is the place where Christ was born, and a
silver star inlaid in the stone floor is intended to mark the exact
spot. It was then used as the stable of the adjoining inn, and in its
stone manger the infant Jesus may have been laid.

At the time of this event Bethlehem was a mere village of a few hundred
people. It might have been thought that Jerusalem, the historic
metropolis and proud capital of the country, the chosen city of God and
seat of the temple and center of worship, a city beautiful for
situation, magnificent in its architecture, sacred in its associations
and world-wide and splendid in its fame, should have been honored with
this supreme event in the history of the Jews. But an ancient prophet,
while noting its comparative insignificance, had yet put his finger on
this tiny point on the map and pronounced upon it a blessing that caused
it to blaze out like a star amidst its rural hills. "But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of
thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose
goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." And so proud
Jerusalem was passed by, and this supreme honor was bestowed upon the
humble village.

Great men, as a rule, are not born in cities. They come up out of
obscure villages and hidden nooks and corners. They originate closer to
nature than city-born men and seem to spring from the very soil. The
most noted birthplace in Scotland is that of Burns: it is a humble
cottage with a thatched roof and a stable in one end of it. The most
celebrated birthplace in England is that of Shakespeare, and again it is
a plain cottage in a country village. Lincoln was born in a log hut in
the wilds of Kentucky, Mohammed was the son of a camel driver, and