Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-12-25
Christmas.

This is one of the Holidays of the
Ancient Church that has never been
much observed among the Protestants
of New England and those who have
gone out from them. Our Puritan
ancestors, in their noble work of re-
forming ecclesiastical abuses, did not
always confne themselves to the re-
moval of what was bad in the old sys-
TEN of things but the spirit OF re-
form in them, overlapping the just
limits of purifying element, became
principle of destruction, and swept
away not only the evil, but much OF
what was good in the institutions OF
the past.
They came into immediate contact
with debased religion and acorrupt-
ed church, which so much aroused
their holy indignation, that they could
not tolerate anything that had been
connected with religion SO widely
differing from that spiritual worship
and church which they believe Christ
came to introduce and establish on
earth.
They therefore at once emancipa-
ted themselves from the whole crowd
Of observances which had been held
sacred by the church and established
worship purely spiritual. To them
the elements remained but wine and
bread they invoked no saints they
adored no crucifx; they kissed no
book they asked no absolution !;
they paid no tithes they saw in the
priest nothing more than man the
church, as place of worship, was to
them but Westinghouse" And they
swept from the calendar the entire
list of saints days and holidays that
had been observed by the church from
time immemorial.
1t is asserted by some writers upon
the subject that Christmas was not
celebrated in the first centuries of the
Christian Era, the usage at that time
among Christians being to celebrate
the death of distinguished persons
rather than their birth. We learn
from an article in the Encyclopedias
Americana that feast in memory OF
the Savior's birth was established
sometime in the 4th century and in
5th century, the Western Church or.
dcrcd Christmas to be celebrated for
ever on the day of the old Roman feast
of the birth Of Sol, on the 25th of De-
cember, though no information respect
ing the day Of Christ's birth existed.
In the East, Christms was celebra.
ted on the 9th of January.
The custom of making presents on
Christmas Eve is derived from an old
heather usage, practiced at the birth
Of Sol, or in Germany on the occasion
Of some feast peculiar to that country
but whatever may be the origin of this
custom it has been consecrated by
age, and contributes much to make
this festival one of the most interest
ing events Of the year wherever it is
observed. This day is generally OBJ
served throughout Europe not only by
the Catholics and Episcopalians but
also by the mass Of Protestants. We
should he glad to see the custom uni
versally adopted in this country. And
from vorious manifestations of public
sentiment upon this subject, we have
no doubt that such will be the case in
q few years.
Christmas week is season offcstiv-
ity among all classes and ranks of
people, il We except the Jews, who do
not believe Christ to have been the
promised Messiah. The middling
classes, who are for the most part i'm
mersed in the cares Of business
throughout the year, welcome and
celebrate Christmas as holiday en-
joymcnt.
Each house is swept the day before,
And windows stuck with evergreens,
The snow is besomed from the door,
And comfort crowns the cottage scenes.
Gilt holly, with its thorny pricks.
And yew and box, with berries small,
These deck the unused candlesticks,
And pictures hanging by the wall.
To shelter the houselcss, clothc the
naked, feed the hungry. to avert the
rigors of the season from the needy,
and make the hearts of the destitute
leap for JOY. is recipe for a merry
Christmas. What method more ap- |
propriate than this for celebrating
the festival in memory Of that Birth
Day which was proclaimed with "Glory
to God in the highest aud on earth
peace! good will towards men /"
Christmas would seem to be the
day peculiarly sacred to children, and
something of this feeling shows itself
among US. though rather from Ger
man influence, than of native growth.
The evergreen tree is often reared for
the children on Christmas evening,
and its branches cluster with little
tokens that may. at least, give them
sense that the world is rich, and
that there are some in it who care to
bless them.
The thought Of Jesus, as a child,
has great weight with children who
have learned to think of him at all.
In thinking Of him. they form an i'm
age of oil that the warning of pure
and fervent life should be and bring.
Wherefore that Iight-that joy
that thanksgiving? "A child is
born!s A child In the hour of