Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-12-24
a MERRY CHRIsTNTAsi

The time, says the laureate, draws
near the birth Of Christ The great
/ anniversary rings its chimes in the
ears of all Christendom. The angels
echo back the strain, and exelaim,
1 Peace ou earth, and good viii to
I men. The heavens and the earth
ought to be very close together on
tChristmas day.
Art and poetry unite to gloFify the
! great birthday which our Pilgrim
Fathers were afraid to Celebrate
! Look at that Madonna Of Correggio g,
smiling down at her babe in the man
ger, and catching from His divine face
that upward shooting radiance which
cmanates only from One who was after
ward to say, L am the light Uf the
world" Then, too, bark to those sol
emn notes which the hand of Milton
struck from his heaven borrowed Tyre,
and whie h. since the day when they
were first uttered, have sounded till
now, and will sound forever:
This is the month, and this the happy
Whefein the Son OF Heavens eternal King,
Our great REDEEM ption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us q perpetual
peace.
As there were Agamemnons before
Agamemnon, so there were Puritans
before the PuFitans; a grand old stock
who, with Cromwell for their marshal
ing shepherd. and Milton for their
singing angel, kept a solemn festival
on Christmas Day, fearing neither
Pope nor Bishop. And, if we our
selves, Yankees ofthe third and fourth
generation. are not unworthy descend
ants of those earliest Puritans, We will
on today rekindle the dead Christ
mas free which, for a while, we're
extiDgished by the SHOWS that fell on
Plymouth Rock. So, as the merry
aud yet holy day draws near. let us for
get Cotton Math ers S sermons, and re-
member j ohm Millions Hymn of the
Nativity; let US forget the Pilgrim
froWn, and remember the Madonna's
smile.
Up, then, with the Christmas stock
ings in the chimney -cornersl Let our
children be confirmed in the good old
faiths of our own childhood; and
above all, let them not be undeceived
too early concerning the personal
identity Of that veracious apostle to
urchins whose name Is Santa Claus.
1t is all the easier for man in his manly
years to believe the Christian religion
if in his childhood he has believed
the fairy tales. We pity the children
tor whom exists no Santa CLAUS, and
no Gammer Grettle; they will have
hard time with o1ah and the whale,
Such youngsters are robbed by their
elders Of a priceless portion of ehiid-
hood 8 dOwry-simple. trusting, un-
faith. It is a lifelong wrong
to child to disenchant his childish
imaginatiou-to unpeople his fairy
kingdoms-to break down his castles
in Spain. A man who spends Christ !
mas day 10 explaining to his children |
that there is no Santa Claus is sinner |
on whom all the Chritmas angels frOWn /
frc m the sky. We hope that every chin
ney which maliciously denies admit
tance TO Santa Claus will smoke with |
a wretchod draught and whistle with a /
wintry howl.
Then, toe, as Aaron's rod budded, |
SO let the Cross Of Mt. Calvary bios |
som into the Christmas tree. Let |
every happy home be made happier
by its fruit-laden branches. dropping
gifts TO all the world; for, though In
many a poor mans house there be no
tree, yet where the tree is absent the
Cross stands present, Happy is he
who on Christmas day abides within
its sacred shadow, and receives the gift
of gifts which God gave to the world
in Him who is ''tbe chief among ten
and the one altogether love-
ly.
g Ring out, ye crystal spheres,
Once bless our human ears,
Of ye have power to touch our senses SOY
And let your silver chime
Move in melodiOus time,
And let the base of Heavens deep organ
blow,
And with your nine-fold harmony
Make UP full consort to the angelic SYM
" y T7ade0endenf.