New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-24
CHRISTMAS COMING.
THE FESTIVAL IN ITS HISTORICAL, RELIGIOUS,
AND SOCIAL AsPECTs-ITs OBSERVANCE THIS
Wharf.-The CHURCH SERVICES.

itb a. so rnrh az the pnrely emotional as Christmas.
II awakeus Joy gratitude. kindness Of heart
.hary-n fact all the finer feelings Of which the human
heart scapable-hroughOut the entire Christian world
At every recurrence OF great festival OF the Nativity
Take IT rs you WILL in its religions its historical or It's
social aspect Christmas s Of the most important
days OF the Christian year.
The festival Of Christmas takes in the Christian Church.
the place OF Feast OF Tabernaces Of the Jews and in
the social festivities with which II is observed bears
striking resemblance that most Joyous OF all the He
brew festivals AT this feast" says Dr. Smith, the
nuts and the tdhS must have made gay and striking
spectacle the city by day, and the lamps the Ham
beaux music and the joyous gatherings in the Court
of the Temple must have given still festive char
acter 70 the night" The people too following the divine
ordinance decorated the Courts Of the House Of God"
their courts and houses, and the gates OF the city
with olive branches and palm branches, and branches
thick trees" the Branch being favOrite type among
Jews Of the expected Savior II is undoubtedly from
this source then that trace the tmehonOred custom
decorating churches and houses al Christmas time
with evergreens ..
The Observance the festival OF the Nativity of Christ
may be said to be cOeval the Christian dispense
ton In the earliest days the Christians were in the
habit Of meeting together to commemorate natal days,
and they likely tO3ave overlooked one OF such
paramount importance St Chrysostom says that IN the
primitive times Christmas and Epiphany were celebrated
and the time from the belief that the rising
Of the star in and the birth Of Christ were stimuli
taneous but in his letters he gives the dates now
popularity accepted the correct The two festivals
continued TO be observed together till they were
separated al the Council OF Nice 32J, though the
Armenans continued TO make but one feast OF the two
az late as the thirteenth century. Pope TelesphOrus
VINO lived IA the reign of AntOnnOus Plus and died In the
year lS issued decTetal letter ordering Christmas to
be observed Oh the 25th Of December but for two CEN
ues aerward great diversity Of practice continued TO
EXIST, especially among the Eastern Churches In the
fourth century, Pope Julius L. acting on the urgent
solicitation OF ST. Cyril of Jerusalem, ordered search
ing Investigation as to the correct day of Chrlsts nav-
y and BON the Eastern aud Western Churches agreeing
on Che 25th December that day has ever SINCE been
observed as Christmas day Tie growth OF
the festivities Of Christmas TO their dimensions
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was very
gradual The early Christians in Rome INDUCED in the
popular amusements largely participated in by their
Pagan cOuutrymen at that Of the year On the
elst Of December among the Roman Pagans began the
Saturnaa Tejoicngs, that the sun had passed the
Winter olstce amid universal license aud merry making
Feasng took the place Of business houses were decked
with evergeens presents were exchanged ana games
aud amusements OF all introduced The Goths too,
held their great festival a the time, known as
Jul or Yue name still used for Christmas in some out
OF the way parts of Scotland but which is more widely
known in connection with the Yule, or Christmas log
Thus Christmas festivities among Christians gradually
became strange mixture of Hebrew customs, Christian
religion and Pagan rites We have the decorations the
music and the dancing OF the Jews the religious services
OF the Christians games and amusements OF the Ro
mans the yule log which the GOths and scandinayisns
burned Of their god Thor and the mysterious
msetOe the ayOre tree OF the great divinity OF the
Druids-Tutaues The burning Of the yule log and the
Christmas candle we're incorporated by the Christians
into their Christmas festivities as symbols OF the coming
true light fire OF the world while at the same time
the fesal cakes customary during the saurnah were
made in the shape Of casket, and filed with savory
condiments to represent the frankincense and myrrh
offered By the wise the infant Jesus Such the
supposed origin Of the modern minee pie. Perhaps no
Christmas custom is innocent and pleasiDg than
that OF singing carols which though not coming into
till the middle had nevertheless been
more less common both IN the Eastern and Western
churches many before and the traditions Of
the primitive church tell that the early Christians
we're In habit of ushenng in Christmas morning by
singing the Gloria In Excelsls OF the angels when an
Iounciug the birth Of Christ to the shepherds.
In all civilized countries the recurrence OF Christmas
was always celebrated with reOicings Of various kinds
but in country It perhaps ever so Joyfuly vel
coined as IN England. During the Middle Ages 1t was
customary to appoint Court and in the castles and
palaces the nobility and gentry, an officer who was
styled the Lord of Mirule, the Abbot OF Unreason or
some equally foolish title, who appointed TO super
intend the Christmas Revels from AlHallOw Eve TIL
Christmas Day. The pastmes over which no presided
were gaming music, conjury, dipping for nuts aud
apples daucing, foolplOw, hot cookies, snapdragon
blind mars buf running" &c 1t was also his business
20 trye all descriptions OF bOisterOus and ludcrous
games and dances and to that every man, woman,
aud child ate and drank great deal more than was
good for them 1t not surprising, them that such prac
tees should have been regarded with peculiar aversion
by the Puritancal element Of the country as being
sinful dangerous TO public morals and subversve Of the
religious character Of the day." and that they should
have died ont. At present, Christmas Day, II
sOmewhat shOrn OF its ancient glories, and
lacking that exuberaDt jolhty which character
ized It's observance In the time OF our ancestors
- still holiday OF holidays, and one TO which all classes
m society rich and poor young and Old look eagerly for
ward and iuyfully participate in. Though some pay
more attention than others its religious observance
none omit TO assemble around the joyous table. and on
this one day in the year reunite families around the
Christmas hearth. The haOwed feelings OF domestic
love the ores OF the past 70 the old the joyous antc
pstions Of the the young all hnd expression
amid these happy family gatherings and in the sacred
associations with which they INTERVIEWED, and the
active deeds of loving kindness which they tend to call
forth in the love- trust respect sympathy, and mutual
happiness displayed the carol Of the angels may be said
to have found its echO-Glory 70 God In the highest and
on earth peace, good will toward men,
AMONG THE METHoDISTs.
The Methodist churches, whether in England
or America have shared the indifference toward
Christmas which has especially characterized the Puri
tsns and the churches descended from them The Pur
tan view festival well expressed by Prynne
his renowned Hist1O Masr where he says, in his own
Keen way: "Our Christmas lords Of misrule, together
with dancing masks mummeries stageplayers and such
Chris disorders, IN use with Christians
were derived from the Roman saturnaia and Baccha
llaiau festivals which should cause all piOus Christians
eternally 10 abOminate them"
been gresy moderated and corrected when the MehO
dss IN England in l72s aud hence Their strict
rnan Puritan Prynne had detected before him. COnse-