The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1866-12-22
Christmas.

rel e
Of paying up old scores.
Christmas.
Next Tuesday is Christmas. Already its near
approach is apparent by the preparations being
made not only by our young folks, but also by
q children of larger growth" for the proper
commemoration of this most interesting occasion.
Christmas has long been day of joy-a time of
rlad happy excitement, and it should be so.-
There is nothing solemn in this anniversary. 1t
commentaries the day when SAVIOUR was given
to mankind-when blessed Star of Hope dawn
ed upon sin-cursed world-when Humanity
could rejoice in a means Of deverance, through
faith, from the consequences of our first parents
disobedience of the commands of GoD. Il com
memorates the day when the shepherds upon the
hills Of Galilee saw the glorious light in the
heavens proelaiming Z" Peace on Earth and Good
will to all Men Should it not, then, be a sea-
son~ef- rejoicing and gadness Young people
will greet its coming with gladness, because it
brings I" good things " and a restraint from the
proprieties to which they are usually subjected,
and the old and the middle-aged will join in the.
festival in commemoration of happier days gone
by.
To US Christmas has always been welcome
season. We hail its coming now with as much
pleasure and satisfaction as in the days of our
childhood /; for, although the friends who that
time surrounded us are scattered and gone, and
many changes have passed over US since then,
vet we are not insensible to its attractions and
can be happy ourselves and rejoice to see others
happy, by its festivities. Welcome, thrice well
come merry, happy Christmas the season of
good cheer and gayety and the occasion OF the
renewal of old ties and friendship.
The celebration of Christmas is ofvery ancient
origin 1t was inaugurated by the early Chris
tians Immediately after the commencement ofthe
Christian era 1t was then held exclusively as
religious festival in commemoration of the nativ-
ity of the Saviour. 1t derives its nemefrom the
appellative CHRIST having been added to the
name of JESUS to express that be was the Atsssiqh
or The AnnOinted. In the Eastern primitive
church, Christmas and Epiphany were deemed
but one and tbe same feast ana sonse4uently all
the intermediate time between The twenty -fourth
Of December and the zenith of January was
duly observed. salslnnSfeast and divine SER
vice was ordered tobe performed on the twenty
fifth of December by Pope Telephones, about the
beginning Of the second century, bntsisg1i Of the
part of the fourth cen4srsome, that bloody, per-
EnpArs -Oncial offered terrible opposition to the
enjoyment of that privilege, and on one occasion,
while keeping his court at Nicomedia, he was
informed that the Christians. had assembled in
Ia dor
ity of Christ, and became so much incensed that
be ordered the doors of the church to be closed
and the building fred which mandate was duly
obeyed, and six hundred men, women and chill
dren persisted in the burning building.
We have no brutes of that character to deal
with in modern times, and our observances of
Christmas, whether they be religious or other
wise, are subject to no interruptionby official de-
crees. We live in a free country, whose institu-
ton, though terribly shaken OF late years, still
exist in their purity and integrity There is no
law here to interfere with the freedom of con-
science, or TO offer any restraint to the aspra-
tons of the immortal soul. We cannot only
freely indulge in religious exercises on that day,
but also in innocent festivities and amusements,
But we should all be careful lest, in our gen
eraljoy on this happy occasion, we should go
beyond the bounds of propriety. Christmas
should be time of gIadness and rejoicing it is
true, but not of excuses. We may make the
day pass away in an agreeable and Interesting
manner without that Let US remember that it
is religious festival, though happy one, and
at.:I 4 j..
day, they should be taught its meaning and its
origin. They should be told the story of the
Babe Of Bethehem--of Him who left the glores
of Heaven and came to our lower world in the
form of little child enduring poverty and
hardship, mockery and ignominy, and finally
death upon the Cross Of Calvary, that mankind
through his poverty might be rich, and by his
death and suffering inherit eternal life.
Truly, we wish all our readers a " Happy
Christmas" May the day be to them one of Joy
and unalloyed happiness of pleasure and good
cheer And the children too-we hope they
may enjoy themselves immensely--that good
Saint Nicholas may give them g Gospel measure y
of good things in his annual visit, and that they
may not have more than usual proportion of
stomach aches when night closes on our coming
festival. Again, that all may have g Happy
Christmas is the sincere wish of our g Union" |
THE DEMOCRACY AND THE RECONSTRUCTION QUEs-
TIoN.-A Democratic journal reioces over the |
idea that g there can be nothing fixed or perrna-
nent about the pending Constitutional Amend I
ment, even should it be ratified. 1t can stand |
~ H. D. tel c,ox:..-