The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-25
ga Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year.O


nounce, as the congregation was about to
break up, the words which we have chosen as
the heading Of our article. "a merry Christ
mas and happy New Year"-what better
blessing could come from the lips Of q Chris
tian minister! Ifany event which men now cele-
brate deserves to be celebrated joyously, that
event is surely the birth Of the Saviour OF
mankind.
When Christ was born OF Mary
In Bethlehem, IN that ialr cite tree.
Angels sang there with Wlrth anu glec,
In excelss gloria :
Peace on earth and good will to msn-such
was the burden Of that song of the angels. II
there was joy in heaven when the Christ was
BORN iftho Gospel Of Christ is Gospel Of peace
and good will, why should not the day which
celebrates the advent Of the Rsdesmer be q
day of sweet, holy, festive joy. Very early
in the history OF the Church of Christ it was
ordained by the authorities in Rome that on
that day no work should be done, for the
reason that the joy begotten Of the gift Of sal
walton was too intense to allow of labor. The
modern pulpit is the editors desk the modern
preacher is the editors pen; burdened with
the gospel message Of peace and good will, we
repeat this morning the old story and pray for
the reign of love and joy and peace.
1t is joyous truth that the Gospel of Jesus
Christ is to-day giving tone and character to
the civilization of modern times. Wherever
there are life and thought and energy wher-
ever there is anything which indicates progress
10 rotio ~ 10 ioti ina.
ence. Old prophecy is being fulfilled; the
rough places are being smoothed; the crooked
places are being made straight; science is
piercing the everlasting hills and bridging the
mighty waters; the fierce winds are
being tanned and made the car
riers of commerce and the swift
lightning is being trained and made the mes
senger Of thoughts barrier lines are being
broken down between nations, and the families
of mankind, insensibly drawn closer and closer,
are learning the lessons Of a common brother
hood During all the ages of the past there
never has been such evidence OF progress.
To the philosopher 1t has almost appeared
as if man were master of fate, not the creature
Of circumstance. The philosophers stone, it
is true, has not yet been discovered; but the
door to the mysterious chamber where the
secret of life lies hid seems at least to stand
open, and expectation stands on tiptoe. 1t is
a painful fact, however, that while humanity
has never had SO much reason to rejoice
humanity has never had more cause for sor-
row. Railroads, telegraphs, newspapers,
ing rspublics-the fruit of science, the flower
ing of liberalism, the hope and en-
Of the good and brave-have
not yet been able to give the world peace
While to-day New York can shake
hands with London while human in
terests are identified all the world over
while the means of peacemaking and peace
preserving are all but omnipotent, the time
honored centres of modern civilization are
scenes Of misery, sorrow, ruin, blood. Not in
many centuries-not during the days and
years of the Corsican tyrant-has Europe
experienced so much agony as she is ex-
periencing to-day. Germany and France
two of the most advanced nations of modern
in which the human intellect
has reached its highest development-are
bleeding at every pore, and the vilest passions
of mankind are permitted to run riot. Happy,
singing Germany, jolly, free and easy France,
are equally in the condition Of Rachel when
she wept for her children and refused to be
comforted because they were not. On this
Christmas Day of the year 1870, with so
gigantic and destructive war in existence,
good men who have faith in their fellows and
faith in progress and faith in the Gospel
stand aghast, and, with all their fine
theories blown to the winds Of heaven,
ask themselves whether, after all,
another, nobler and more potent Gospel,
most not be looked for? To-day success is SO
allied with failure, construction is so defeated
by destruction hope is so welded to despair,
that many hungry eyes are now turned to
Heaven, vainly looking for that sign which
has so often been looked for before, but which
is not to be given. 1t is not, we
think, unfair to say, with all the facts Of
this Christmas morning before US, that hope
and despair divide humanity.
Happily for US, we are safe and far away from
the scenes of sorrow. When the deluge came
upon the ungodly the ark containing the good
hoated high and safe on the bosom Of the
mighty waters; when fire and birthstone
descended on the doomed cities of the plain
Zoar remained as place of refuge; when
Pharaoh drove out the poor Israelites the
pillar of fire and cloud made the waste will
derness happy home when darkness
covered the Earth during the awful hours
of the orucifxion there were some hearts
that never yielded to despair. In this
grand, free, wide-spreading American land
we have at once the ark, the Zoar, the pillar
of fire and pillar of cloud, and although
darkness overspreads the Earth and the hopes