Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1864-12-22

Charles City, Iowa, Dec. 22, 1864.


Christmas.
The year rolls round. and another
Christmas day is near Sunday mex,
will witness the celebration through,
out all Christendom OF this holy day.
Christmas. like the crcrgreeus that
deck the churches at this season, is q
fresh unfading spot in the memory OF
US all. ..r
Reader did it ever occur to you
that this great anniversary birthday
Of the world occurs in the death-month
of the year? How full of hope is this
reflection ! To us all, the world
grows little sadder year by year
then how blissful it il that we can
look beyond the drear December Of our
lives to world Of eternal spring.life |!
Then "happy and blessed" which is
better than Merry" exclaim we to
." oua aC"oSto
Christmas is the anniversary Of the
Savior's birth, or, at least the day on
which Christians agree to celebrate
that event which brought light unto
them upon whom had long sat the
shadow Of death. 1t is celebrated
with especial pomp by the Catholics.
and in those countries where the Pa
pal religion is that of the State, the
festival is celebrated with . gorgeous.
ness Of display and q soIemnity of ob.
servance, of which we latitudinarians
can only form faint conception. The
Greek Church is scarcely behind her
Latin sister in ceremonial observance,
but is twelve days behind in point of
time, holding the feast on the sixth of
January. This difference is not how.
ever due to any discrepancy of relig-
ious opinion. but simply a result Of
adhesion to the old style of reckoning
on the the part Of the Russians, while
the Western church adopted the Gre.
gorian calendar. In the Episcopal
churches the day is held sacred. and
services are held in all the churches
the edifices being decked with ever.
greens emblematic Of the undying
character Of the Christians faith in
him whom having not seen they
love and rejoice with joy unspeakable
aud full Of glory" The music is of
the most sublime description, "in
churches where they sing" the noble
strains Of Handel embodying the words
Of the inspired Isaiah, Unto us son
is born.' peaied forth from the organ,
elevate the mind Of the worshipper
and prepare him for season of sweet
communion with that God who came
to earth to suffer and die that man
might be free. The devotional exercis.
es prescribed by the church are ad.
mirab'y adapted to heighten this feel.
ing. to mellow down the worldly tone
Of the listener, to soften his heart, too
often steeled against the sorrows Of
his brother. and in leading him to the
exercise of practical charity to bring
him to more perfect likeness Of that
being who came to proclaim "peace
on earth, good will towards men"
Among the other Christian sects,
observances vary. The Presbyterian.
deriving his practice from the stern
old Puritan Of Cromwellian days. dis
claims any special attention to the
epoch a. savoring too much Of Saint
days. which were repudiated by his
forefathers. The Methodists. on the
contrary. having much in common
with the Episcopal church. and never
having been placed in direct antsgo.
nism thereto. are general in their pro.
vision Of church service for the Occa.
sion. But no disscnter considers him.
self bound to honor the day further
than his conscience or personal incli-
nations may dictate.
This depreciation Of obligations 10 not
to be wondered at when We remember
that in the earliest days Of the Chris.
tian Church the epoch does not seem
to have been especially honorcd.
Towards the middle of the second cen.
tury, it was instituted as festival OF
the Church by Pope Telesphorus. For
two hundred years subsequently, the
church bad not decided upon the date
Of the festival, which seems indeed e
have been celebrated Indifferent,
in September, December. January
March. April and May. and was otter
confounded with the Epiphany. OF
shining forth Of Christ TO the Gen
tiles. Some time in the fourth century
Pope Julian the First caused q com
mission to sit on the question. and tn,
result was that the 25th day o
December was 6xed az the appropri
ate date.
And there 10 peculiar appropri
ateness in this decision-a beautiful
correspondence of the theological
with the physical. In the depth o
winter, all nature is laboring unde