The National Register.
London, England, 1811-12-15 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

CHRISTMAS DAY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

SlR—Circumstances of Business, &c. prevented my con-
tinuing the series of Essays I began; but I may hereafter resume
them, and as ClAristmas Day is approaching, allow me to make
a few observations upon it. The present is an age of so much
fanaticism and libertinism, that every act which has for its ob.

ject reformation of manners, and inculcating the Christian doc-
trine, is too generally imputed to gloomy and fastidious motives.
Such motives, however, do not actuate me, but merely a wish of
opposing the two extremes of temper which govern the times,
and pointing out the medium for the observation of those who
have little time or little inclination to read large treatises on the
subject.

As Christmas Day is approaching, would it not be proper to
consider these things ? Ist, What that day is ? 2dly, How it is
generally spent? and idly, How it should be spent ? First, Christ-
mas Day is a commemoration of the Birth of our Saviour ; and
whatever sectaries (such as the Quakers) say, it is certainly to
the advantage of religion, that such epochs should be held sacred
and distinguished from other dap, by particular acts of devotion:
the better to remind us of the importance of our religion, and to
raise in our minds a proper sense of our infirmities, an anxiety
to embrace those means graciously offered to us for their remo-
val, and a proper spirit of humility for the one, and gratitude for
the other. Secondly, How is Christmas Day generally kept ?
Not as a festival of faith, but as a mere convivial meeting; a clay
of excess and revelry; as if it was a day sacred to Bacchus,
and other intemperate Pagan Deities. As God himself has not
commanded us to keep Christmas Day, as he did the Sabbath, it
may he replied, we are not bound to keep it as sacred : but in
answer, I would observe, as the Church has thought it proper
such a day should be kept, we ought surely so to keep it as not
to counteract the very intent of keeping it. Dancing, singing
convivial songs, cards, and such like diversions, are innocent in
themselves, at proper seasons, and conducted with temperance,
(whatever superstitious people may assert to the contrary) but
then they are not proper adjuncts to a Christian festival; because
on such a day we should only employ ourselves in such pursuits as
will remind us of the nature of our religion, and impress the
importance of it upon our minds most forcibly; and certainly,
neither, " sing old rose and burn the bellows," " right and left
and back again," nor " two by honours and three by cards,"
have-much reference to our religious rites, or are likely to im-
prove us iri the necessary act of Christian contemplation. Glut-
tony and drunkenness are certainly out of the question, as, al-
though there are many advocates for the other pursuits, there
are few, if any, for these. Our legislature, with pious decency,
prohibited the opening of our theatres on such a day, which
of course marks its meaning as to the other modes of passing it
to which I have objected : for, certainly, to witness a sound mo-
ral pla?, that teaches some lesson consonant with the commands
of our religion—l say mead, because the morality of our reli-
gion is too little taught by those who profess to observe its
doctrines more strictly and in more purity than others, and by
this mode, they will eventually fritter away the very effect of
religion I much fear—to witness a good moral play, I say,
would be an indubitably more efficacious mode of seconding our
religion, than by keeping the day in revelry and frivolity—for
what have Questions and commands, Blind man's buff, &c. (the
most innocent of the amusements practised on that day) to do
with seriousness or sanctity ?—ln the last place then, how should
it he kept ? By attending Church : temperately enjoying a meal
that proves the day a festival, not a fast ; by hospitality, not li-
centiousness ; enabling the poor to enjoy the day as well as our-
selves ; by uniting the practices of charity with those of piety ;
and by taking all those means that will impress upon our minds
the Caeniilli nature of the day; not the mere nominal designs_

of

78>

To assemble our friends is wise, it should n,:t be a

day of severe constraint and xclusion, because social virtue, is the
grand opposite to solitary vice—the °nets as much more efficacious
to the furtherance of the general and established cause o'ireligion,
than the mere exercise of private virtue, as the other is positively
more baneful and deleterious than social vice. But let us as-
semble our friends for the purpose of temper ate enjoyment, to
unite in improving each other by a joint attendance in the God
whose Birth we celebrate; and by rational ai.d chearful inter-
course of refined, moral, and pious conversation, so will our ha-
bits of friendship be strengtie.ned, our inlividual manners im-
proved, and our piety be formed on a firm. and lasting basis.
Above all, let our hospitality be extended to the poor ; for he,
to whose honour we devote the (ley, was the unalterebu• friend
of the poor, and the incessant advocate fur the needy. To make
our celebration of his Birth therefore acceptable to hmi, we
should particularly on that day exercise ourselveS in those acts
which are most agreeable to his nature. lam rot for cb priving
Christians of what I May term secular days at Christm...s, 1 am
only strenuous in particular for this one day, there are days
enough in the week after for the temperate enjoyment of tem-
poral pleasures; and the habit of giving the. labouring part of
mankind holidays in that wtek, was originally established to give
that class an opportunity, after celebrating the Christmas Day
agreeably. to the Canon, to relax their minds from the severity of
labour, and so prepare them with spore chearfulness to renew
that labour, by a rational participation of the innocent joys and
amusements of life. Thete are many more arguments which
may be used, and will readily suggest them,elves to th. se who
think at all ; those who do not think, I am afraid will throw
these aside with indifference.
Dec. 8, 1811.

A LAYMAN.

FOREIGN INIELLIGENC.E.

GIBRALTAR PAPERS.

GIBRALTAR, Nov. 23.—Lord W. Bentinck came
in on the ISth inst. in the Menelaus, and on the 20.11
again sailed for Sicily. The campaign in this Fait
of Andalusia appears to be at an end. General
Ballasteros is come to Los Barrios, where he has
established his head-quarters, and has canloncd his
troops in the neighbouring towns and villages, for
the twofold purposes of allowing them rest, and
organizing his new levies, which amount to upwards
-
of 4000 men.
VALENCIA, Nov .I.—After yesterd.q's report, the
fire of our batteries redoubled on the side of the
river. In the environs of El U. an is oc-
cupied by the enemy), it Was still bric,l:?r, aad
the
light parties of peasantry behaved with great gal-
lantry, and even crossed the river in pursuit of
those who :=ttacked the line on the side of Monte
Olivete. While this was passing, aLd the staff of
the French army was reconnoiti ing, horn the tower
of St. Miguel de los Reyes, all this reighbourhood,
Generals Villacampo's, acid Obispo's divi-
sions were attacked at Manisco, but they i.,lc.riously
repulsed General Harispe, who conducted the at-
tack, with 6,000 of his best_ troops, killW arid
wounded many of them, toA a few prisoners, and
captured a number of knapsacks, muslo2ts, &c.
At sun-set, our people set fire to several buildiiTs
on the left bank of the river, and also to Murviedro-
street—they are yet burning.—When the moon
rose the firing recommenced, and it luted until
ten in the morning. To this riormnt. they 1:a• e
erected no work ; but it is rsitive they have
brought a quantity of bakeis fc.r making parayets.

The best order prevails here, and our General's
serene and cheerful looks make us hope for some-
thing favourable.
Y EST ERD AY'S It EPO RT.
MOST EXCELLENT SENou—This evening our light
parties dislodged the enemy from the mill of La
Trinidad, and successively from all the houses con-
tiguous to San pio, as far-as Murviedro.street. The
troops under the command of Lieut. General Malii
likewise drove them from a house belonging to a
Frenchmad, which they had fortified on the other
side of the river, and which has been burnt. No.
thing else has occurred to this moment, nor have
the enemy forwarded their works, which I state to
your Excellency, for your information, by com-
mand of his Excellency Don.). Blake.
(Signed)

PEREZ.

V AT.F.Yr/ A, Nov. 7.—We have nothing new since
Friday.—The French, are throwing up works be-
hind At. Juan de la Rubera, no ckubt to act against
the hAttery Del Real. Mina has taken 1100 pri-
soners in Huesca.
ALICANT, Nov. 12.—The alarm of the yellow
fever has completely subsided in this town, and the
merchants who, hoar apprehension, had recited into
the country, art returning.
All accounts thorn Carthagena agree in repre-
senting the disease as nearly extinct there.
Sing e tiie fall of Murviedro, nothing new has
• occurred with respect to Valencia. :indict has set •
down before it, and Blake is inside its'w-cills with
an army far more numerous than that of the enemy.
General Roche is very active in promoting deser-
tion from the French army by n‘earis of his emissa-
ries: The number of those who abandon Suchet's
standard is mole numerous than ally idea formed of
it ; three hundied•have been counted coming in on
one day. You may easily conceive, that this must
be a moq destructive species of warfare to the ene-
my, whose forces thereby sustain a deficiency with-
out producing a corresponding loss on the part of
their adversaries.—(Gibraltar Chronicle, Nov. 23.)