The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a handsome gold and ivory lace tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long; but it, too, dated from a long vanished era.

The auctioneer opened a box and shook out of its folds a handsome gold-and-ivory lace tablecloth. It was a magnificent item, nearly 15 feet long. But it, too, dated from a long-vanished era.

THE GOLD AND IVORY TABLECLOTH. By Rev. Howard C. Schade, 1954. At Christmas time men and women everywhere gather in their churches to wonder anew at the greatest miracle the world has ever known.