Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-12-28


&C. The little old town or city of Bethlehem OF
Judah stands now about it stood eighteen hundred
and fftyfve yeals ago. Even then it little cid
city of the hillside among poor and primitive peo-
pie Neither the people nor the place have changed
much in the long lapse of ages. On the supposed
site of the Groto of the Nativity rests the church
built there in the fourth century by the Empress He.
lena and around it cluster the converts of the Cath
olcs, the Greeks and the Armenans, marking or sup
posed to mark, spot memorable in the life of our
Savior. The state of society," the manners and Gus
toms of The people, described by travellers of the
present day, carry ones mind away back to the far
past. Roman or Saracen, Turk Christian, it is es
sentially the The physical aspects OF nature,
the social aspects of society, among the changeless
orentals, bear emphatic testimony to the his
tocal truth OF the Evangelical narrative, than the
spirit which now seems to animate too many of the
professed followers of the meek and lowy Jesus does
to the vitality of His precepts in their hearts.
We are now in the nineteenth century, and, with
a strangely unaccountable feeling, seem even to
glory in the number of the centuries that separate
from the actual presence of the Savior upon earth
| from that fullness of time in which he came to
seek and TO those that were lost In the pride
of our hearts we despise the people OF the olden
tmes-their humble dependence, their trusting hope.
Are we better or happier than they? Are our 1Sms
and our notions such mighty things after all Are
the special revelations of pine tables threelegged
stools to snpersede Moses and the Prophets, and all
sorts of anonymous ghosts to upset the religious be-
| lief of centuries We are going into the nineteenth
century, and the world is not christian yet. Not one
fourth of the earlh's inhabitants even in
OF those calling themselves christians, how many
DO as they would be done by? How many respect
the rights and feelings of others they would
that others should respect theirs? In own land
spiritual pride and bitterness arisen in its stead Let
US pause and consider CT it, There is abundant
room.
! But we almost preaching, and God knows we
are no preacher We took up our pen to wish our
readers, one and ALL ga merry Christmas" and find
that have unused on until merriment is the last
thing in our thoughts Old memories come throng-
ing up such times old friends, old days. old hopes
all gone, foaed off in that reurnless tide that is
fast bearing US, too, onward to The of eternity
They say that forget That
e where in the chambers of our brain every act
d and thought and word is recorded and placed
g away for future use-for pleasure or for pain
i to torture to bless, 1t may be so but of many
of these chambers, we ourselves may have long lost
: the key-we know not of their existence even, until
suddenly some chance association, stray WORD
look may them and all that they contain to
: flash across with electric thrill. Years have
: rolled eff our head-we with the buried past
: We are boys again-we have hopes and aspirations
e not vet chilled to death rendered ridiculous
to eyes by the stern experiences of life -
The vision passes away and we return with sigh t.
the dull round of daily life, saddened to feel that such
things have been, but can be more for Per
haps ii is painful sad parting thai
d memory brings up before US, and We sigh over tina
n too, less, it may be in actual the past
than in regretfu consciousness that such is liie anc
such it must always be. Well, we'll, what difference
d does it make after all High or low, straight o
men meet together in the grave, to which each sue
t ceeding Christmas is fresh mile stone to mark GU
I progress. There the wicked cease from troubling
10 and there the weary be at rest. We too are APP
preaching that bourne. and will soon be there ane
e We too be at rest. What more better do we want
>, "A merry Christmas" be it then to those that fee
like being merry, and happy Now Year" too
30 Why should not the New Year be happy one
e Why should it not be made so Happiness or mise
J. ry is manly in ourselves. Let us be happy Let u
b. bury hard feelings and anmosites for our own sakes
n. if from no higher motive.
i 1856-It has strange look, has not. Which @
is US will write 1857. Out OF every forty one will
net; which one =? Who knows He alone VIII
Is does all for the BEST In his hands we may safel
o. trust this and all things ese-Daily Journal 24h