The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-12-25

CHRIsTMAs-0UR CHURcHEs.-The well
come time Of Christmas is once more with
us, and young hearts are rejoicing that
Santa Claus has made his long and anx-
iously expected visit of '6S. OF course we
extend the greetings Of the season, and
hope it may be gladstone one to all.
Christmas nova days, as in fact since
the better days of the Commonwealth,
seems losing its wonted spirit and attendant
joyousness. And this is not strange when
we consider that hard labor and frugal re-
suits have been the share of our people.
But withal the season cannot fail to give
cheer to the most Of us, and cold must be
the heart that does not warm with its ap-
proach. Even the wesried female who
drudgingly wends her way through life,
signing in remembrance Of better days,
feels something Of the promised peace as
she gives her child her modest Christmas
tribute, and those little ones we notice
,hronging about the gaily dressed windows
of the toy man, pressing their red lips and
hattening their little noses against the cold
glass, have q better feeling than that Of
longing in their fresh, warm hearts,. God
has ordained it that upon the day when he
gave to us his only son as Savior no heart
not alloyed with wickedness should not
feel that there was something in the angels
song, "Peace on earth and good will to-
wards men," .-.r M lsr -, eua.7f li1r
The most beautiful, aspect, of the, season
is that which pertains to religion. At the
| altar Of the Creator we can oil find consola-
ton, and that peace which the world can
not give, in the contemplation of the Divine
mystery Of the Incarnation. No matter
how POOR or unhappy we may be, there is
| an unfailing source Of consolation here.
One cannot but feel the solemn joyousness
of the occasion as he to-day enters the house
of God. When leaving the sapless bough
| and dead twig of the outer world, he finds
it smiling with all the greenery of spring
! fit emblem of the ever fresh hope the sea-
son should give US. s
Our churches this Christmas look ex-
ceedingly pretty in their holiday robes Of
green. The work of decoration-one OF
love--has been attended with much labor
and great taste has been shown. For the
past few days the old men and matrons
the young men and maidene, have been
bringing the fir tree, the pine tree, and
box, together to beautify the Temple Of the
| NIINu ldttCi J Ou "Iir oo OdptoiL
Cutie says, overhaul your Isaiah.
Grace church, St. James's, St. Marks
St. Johns, and the Monumental (Episcopal)
churches, besides the Catholic Cathedral
| St. Mary y's-German-and St. Patrick's)
have oil been tastefully decorated and Ser
vices will be held in them this morning. L
would be an endless task to attempt to de
scribe the separate decorations, so We vii
only, as tribute to justice, award the palm
of superiority to the ladies o. the Monu
mental church. This is owing, however, al
much to the nature of the building as K
the amount of labor or taste expended. St
Paul's has not been dressed, the church
being in course Of repair.
AS we have before stated, services viii
be held at the Episcopal churches at the
usual hour-ll o'clock.
At the Centenary (Methodist) church ser
vices will be held at IL o'clock, Rev. ]. c
Cranberry officiating.
At st. Peters cathedral (Catholic) Their
will be series of masses, commencing at
o'clock and continuing until half-past i
O'Clock, when high pontifcisl mass will b
celebrated by Bishop McGill yespers o
the usual hour. At St. Pstrick's and 81
Mary's. there will be three masses-st s
half-past I, and half.past 10; vespers q
usual hour. -...-s..rs
There will also be several Sunday Schoc
Christmas festivals.