The World of Business

land capable of nurturing a better society. The airplane that soars over the desert places, swooping down at times to the very tips of the giant Saguaro, is a harbinger to our thoughts of the presence of intense conflict. There has ever been a struggle in life between the powers of goodness and beauty and the powers of evil and ugliness. Our day only sees an intensified Gargantua of the continuing warfare. Christmas, the birthday of the Christ-Child, marks another epoch in the eternal conflict, but it is a day of new hope and new courage pointing to the ultimate triumph of righteousness. Then, the Wise Men traversed the ancient deserts led by a new-found star to the manger crib of the Messiah; and men of wisdom today watch over the desert, looking for the signs of promise. And certain shepherds whose little camps will nestle on the little foothills under palo Christo bushes will, as they watch their flocks under the clear Christmas sky, hear again the angels' evangel "Peace on Earth."

We are caught in a terrible and tortuous struggle today to retain and perpetuate the beautiful; which with all of its imperfections we think of as Our American Way of Life. The hardihood of the desert plants and the consummate beauty of their blossoms typify the American Way. Our way of life today is the heritage of success through sacrifice of study, God-fearing forebears who had the faith of the Christmas hope in their breasts. In the wilderness they created homes and pushed back the frontiers. Adjustments of life were made by indomitable wills at perilous sacrifice, but the spirit of the early American made the American Beauty, and the hills and plains and deserts resounded to the strain: "God of our Fathers, whose almighty hand Leads forth in beauty all the starry band." Thus with triumph over disaster the continent was girdled and freedom was established. The desert blossom is the perfected fruition of the thorny life which has created a spot of beauty and persistently overcoming the obstacles of privation and under-nourishment. They show forth the inherent power of beauty to conquer a wasted land. They personify the hope of righteousness in a world challenged by unmitigated chaos. They are the Christmas candles sending out their radiance to a saddened and angered people, shining forth in the darkness of the night of conflict. The night is half spent—more we can hope. There is the fragrance of the Christmas blossoms. There is the great Star in the East. Hush, there are voices—the great chorale of the desert night. Yes, the Christmas angels sing—there shall be "PEACE ON EARTH."