The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-12-25
No Paper Tomorrow.
No paper viii be issued from 'his oan'e
tomorrow. -
Christmas.

manner, but Dy ali IN soihS W. 81.
Whilst slavery existed, the week EXTENDING
from the 25th of December to the -. VI
Janrarv was saturnalia for the BLACKS
ona tbis sa,urnalia, though unlike the no
r,.r os TO the degree of license allowed,
ro4 occurred in the same month and Lasted
for the same number of days. Christmas
IN Virgins brings together friends anu
families who are separated by the force o.
circumstances during the rest OF the year
and is o. season OF general enjoyment
THANKSGIVING days, fourths of july ana al
other days, are as nothing compared L
Christmas. The son who has gone lh''
business in q neighboring city, the daughse
who has married in en- adjoining county
the Youths who are at college, the girls VIM
are st school, all meet around the old tamll.
,..,ss.r.u.ses -rrrenus anu rerauves, Jorge
the carking cares of life and enjoy happ.
respite from all trouble.
Though q festival Of the Christian
church, and though now celebrated through
out the world on the 18th of December
Christmas is not By any mesns universally
supposed to be the real anniversary of the
day upon which the Saviour was born. The
circumstances mentioned in the New Tesla
ment seem to be inconsistent with such
belief. The babe of Bethlehem, it would
seem TO US, would have persisted in the
mangcr. The shepherds would not have
been watching their focks by night, "all
seated en- the ground AS the poet informs
US they were. Then the fact that it hap
pens upon one of the seven shortest days
Of the year-exactly when the sun, which
was an object of much admiration with
come of the ancients and of worship with
others, stands still as it were in preparing
for his long journey northward, is sugges-
tive of doubts as to whether heather
and Christian festival days have or
have not become confounded. Annun-
citation day is the 25th of March,
at which time the days and nights
are of equal length. The sun still rules
the festival days of the Free Masons also
not with their consent, of course, nor be-
cause they even so much as think of the
fact; yet when We remember that their fes-
tival of Saint JOHN the Baptist occurs Cd
the longest day of the year, and their fes-
tival of Saint JOHN the Evangelist on the
last of the shortest days Of the year, we
are forced to conclude that the saints in
question had little to do with the days
which are now honored with their names.
But Christmas is like Sunday-if we re-
member to keep holy one day of the week,
1t is not important that the same hours
should be kept all over the world, since
that would clearly be an impossibility !;
and if We celebrate the birth of the Prince
of Peace in a becoming manner and in a
proper spirit, we need not be disturbed by
any doubts which may exist as to whether
we honor the real anniversary of the day
of his nativity. The Ne,o american Eacy-
clopedia says:
"At first it christmas was the most nova.
bile of the Christian festive days, often con-
founded with the Epiphany, and celebrated
by the Eastern churches in the months OF
April and May. In the fourth century the
urgency of St. Cyril, of Jerusalem, obtained
from Pope Julius !. an order for an inyestipa-
ton 10 be made concerning the day of Christs
nativity. The result of inquiry by, the theo-
logians OF the East and the West was an agree
ment upon the 18th of December The chief
grounds for the decision were the tables of the
censors in the archives of Rome; and al
though in the opinion of some Of the fathers
there was not authentic proof of the identif-
cation OF the day, yet the decision was uni
formly accepted, and from that time the ma
tvity has been celebrated throughout the
Church on the same day
Again:
" The common custom of decking the houses
and churches at Christmas with evergreens is
derived from ancient Druid practices. Itwas
an old belief that sylvan spirits might flock
10 the eYergreens and remain unnipped by
frost till a milder season." "Chaplets ot
holly, ivy, rosemary, bays, laurel, and mis-
tletoe,l were also worn about the head-a
practice to which the phrases to kiss under
The rose,' to whisper under the mistletoe,'
are illusions
The Encyclopedia says that "it was an
old English superstition that on Christ
"mas eve the oxen were always found on
their knees, as in an attitude of devo-
" ton, and that after the change from old
"to new style they continued to do this
6 only on the eve Of old Christmas day."
The masses did not understand the reason
for changing Christmas day, and of course
long continued their attachment to the day
formerly celebrated. This superstition was
common in Virginia when We were boys.
We remember to have heard it repeatedly
from the lips Of old negroes, who had not
then lost the tradition that the 5th Of Janu
airy was the true Christmas day, though for
their lives they could give no "reason for
the faith that was in them"
The President of the United States pro-
poses to celebrate the day in a most appro
pirate manner. He will "set the prison
ers free and let the captives CO." His ex-
ample will remind others that the poor
are always with u.s." and that whilst the
boards Of the rich are spread with all the
delicacies and luxuries of the season, the
tables of the poor are i'll supplied with the
necessaries Of life. Whosoever shall on
this happy day bring gladness to the heart
OF one Of the children of poverty, dry, up
the tears Of one of sorrows victims, or feed
one of the deserving hungry, has the word
of Him whose nativity we celebrate for be-
lieying that verify he shall have his re-
ward.'
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Our Political Troubles"
The letter of our correspondent "Senex,n