The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-12-23
CHRISTMAS.
Gall glory be to God on high,
az v>ooer..


And to the earth be peace;
Good will henceforth, from heaven to men,
Begin and never cease"
Christmas is again upon US, kind readers
AS we write, we can almost hear the gathering
chime of its happy bells upon; the frosty air.
The day is one of the stepping stones of Time,
and as we stand for moment upon its mar
row base, we may look backward into the shad-
owy Past, forward into the infinite Future.
Beautiful, touchingly beautiful, the language
Of the divine messengers as they appeared to
the simple shepherds, watching their focks on
tie plains Of Judea. 1t was the dawning of
new and better day to poor, benighted human
ify. 1t was the morning star Of a regenerated
world. It was the announcement that old sys-
TENS had accomplished their work and that old
formations were to be overlayed by newer and
richer strata. 1t was the first "glad tidings'
that came 1'to all people," 1t was the first
message that leveled all distinctions between
men: the first ray of hope thatshone as bright
j. in the howell as in the palace.
1t was the first divine recognition Of human
il = as grand whole, placing each individ-
tai on the same level before his Creator. 1t
ras the first assertion of the great prin-
eiple of common equality-the equality
If all men before the Law of God. 1t
vas the proposition from which the divine
faster afterwards deduced s-The Golden Rule"
Who can tell the woe that has been
brought on our race by the disregard Of this
simple, fundamental principle of Christianity
or more than eighteen hundred years it has
numbered at the gates of despotism, over
turning thrones and scattering false theories
10 the Winds Man, elevated above his fellows
by temporal circumstances, raised his puny
arm to Cypress and use them for his own adj
vantage. Systems were established on the
theory that mutual favors do not beget mutual
sbligations. They fourished for awhile. But
hen the cries of the outcast and the groans of
the anguished came up before the Almighty,
human devices were swept away, and the old
christmas doctrine of humanity was declared
with new force. What, after all, is Christian
Isy but a system Of rules to regulate our con-
tiuct, purified and made authoritative by the
divinity of their author! He alone has its true
lea who draws from it not only his religious,
IfHt us oOCidA anu 1u4lbSdt AdAsAs tAosONOt
RAY be thereligious faith of a people, if their
s,cial and pol tical systems are not built on
he great fundamental idea of Christianity,
they cannot stand. The Declaration of Inde
l,endence is but an elaboration Of it; the late
war is but an exhibit OF the consequences of its
disregard.
Peace on earth, goodwill toward men," peal
cut the merry Christmas bells.
When last they broke upon our waiting ears,
the air was heavy with signs, dim with tears,
and restless with great sObs q s6sp anguish.
D how cherries fell Their s6.N4 >e homes
desolated by war and heart I1sH 2i!A strug-
giles between sore bereavemen Ne nbble pa
triotism. High above their Fn8ihg chimes
sounded the whistle of bullets, the shrek of
shells, the thunder of cannon, the groans of
the dying. Thank God! we have drifted into
calmer swell on the great Time Ocean. The
star again shines in the East. The smoke of
battle has cleared away, the cannons have
ceased their booming, the grOans of the woun-
ded have subsidized. The glory of truth and
right has broken in upon the darkness of wrong,
and the old doctrine of good-w and equal OBJ
legations toward all men is re-asserted.
Let us drink in the rich fnllness of the Christ
mas chimes to-day let US attune our grateful
hearts to their grandest- melody. Let us try
to comprehend the full burden of their song.
Peace on earth, goodwill to all men,"
This is the anniversary Of humanity-a Hol-
iday that belongs as well to the beggar as to the
king. 1t is time for festivity, for good-feel-
ing and social reunion. Let US celebrate it
with zest, and let us unite with our reioicings,
the thought that it is the era of a new birth to
the nation and of her redemption from war and
its dire cause-Slauery.
A merry Christmas TO all our readers. We
hope that Kriss Kingle will be especially lib
eral to the little folks, and that they may open
their impatient eyes on Christmas morning on
stockings well filled with all the essentials of
Juvenile happiness. And as we gather around
the festive board, laden with the rich bounties
OF merciful Providence, let us not forget the
widow and the orphan, the needy and afflict-
ed. And let us unite our petitions for the spec
dy coming of the time, when
each mans good
Shall be our rule. and universal Peace
Lie like a shaft of light across the land
And like a lane Of beams across the sea.
Through all the circle of the golden year."
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