The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-12-23
MERRY CHRISTMAS
HOW Best to Celebrate the Greatest Of
Christian Festivals.
Sketches OF the Streets and Stores
In Holiday Dress.
where to Purchase the Gifts
OF the Season.
A STRCLL THROUGH ALL TIE TRADES
Row Chris.mas r. como,
Let us beat up the drum,
And call all our neis hhors together,
And when they appear

Row Chris.rnas IA como,
And call i's ali o. our at neis bsors together.
i Aad ~ wn mas .as sse ape such cheer
Az win Keep out the wind and the weather ,
few more bright, short winter Gays and from
every steeple OF every church throughout inc W'ao
domains that have yielded themselves Wiling cap
tives TO the spell OF the story Of bethlehem tneJoy'
. Gus clancor OF loudvoiced bells WIZ s"ecp
through the stiffness OF the night anu
usher in with peas OF mirth and Slaoless sho
nrst hours or another blessed Christmas morn
mr. And then once more the one grand FESTIVAL OF
Cbrisrendom VIII be celebrated by the four hundred
minous OF the children Of the cross sprung from
many races speaking many tongues, and scattered
through every Cline nom the Icy solltudes oil the
North through every belt Of the habitabc globe
down to the FAR isles that IKE precious gems siud
the bosom OF the southern seas. The Imagination
recols in dazzled wonder at the yastness OF the
sum of human happiness which this holy season
brings upon
A REJOICING EARTH.
And every year-there can be no doubt OF 1.-THE
festival gains O stronger hold upon the directions
and the hopes OF men, one more glorious unit has
been added to the centuries OF by gone celebrations,
ana the rejected light OF tradition and custom beats
90 much the brighter upon the present and en-
dows 1t with added solemnty and meaning.
Nothing, perhaps displays more stnkingly the
divine origin OF Christianity than the usages and
sentiments which have clustered round this It's
chiefest holy season. Most other religions have had
to blush for The occasions on which they
gave free rein TO the Dious enthusiasm OF
their votnrIeS. The saturnala Of Greece ana
Rome the obscene orgies OF the Egyptian
Astarte and the Babylonian Venus, and, in our
own day. the Hlndoo "poojahn ON toe birthday of
oil dark ahrnt inna n a se Il
and most degrading passions that nhabit the human
breast. Even the Mussulman "pairam," which
marks the close Of the month Of fasting and prayer
Is stained with disgusting outbreaks Of lewdness
and license OF every description. But the purified
imagination OF the Christian world has converted
The commemoration OF the birth Of
TIE LIGHT OF THE WORLD
into one OF the most opchngly affecting OF human
Institutions Through the rest OF the year, alas the
mass Of Christian men seem more ANXIOUS TO observe
the letter than to live up to the spirit OF the gospel
Of good viii and of peace, and while warning among
themselves upon nice points OF dogmatic theology,
and painfully dividing into thousand ecclesiastical
fragments, they iofget almost entirely, or, at any
rate, only remember at rare intervals that charity
and eacemaking and forgiveness nre the cardinal
virtues inculcated by Hin who died to save u.s.
, But in
THIS BLESSED SEASON,
upon the happy verge OF which we are even nov
standing. by common consent. the atoms that max
MP the Christian world lay aside the weapons o
controversy and engage with al their heart an
soul and strength III the more fruitful duty OF
LOVING ONES NgiGuB0R AS ONES SELF.
Even In those remote ages when the heart o
Europe was but dim, unpeoped forest, and When
rude scythlan barons and colonies Of seii-denyjng
MONKS were sowing deep the seeds OF future civil
Ilzaticn, the day OF Noel was chiefly honored By
fhe putting away Of every feeling OF rancoI
AND enmity, by the healing Of ancient feuds, by
abundant aims to the poor-1or ihere were poor
men even In those primitive days-and by cheerful
ieasts in which ell c and castles OF men freely
mingled together. And the same blessed spirit Is
shed yet more papably and abundantIy by the same
holy festival in our time. Sad and deep indeed
must be the wrong to which forgiveness is refused
when the hearts OF all men are
LIT BY THE KINDLY INFLUENCE
OF this blessed season into glowing fame OF love
and gadne IS. Kinsmen and friends, long divided
by calumny and Misrepresentation and pride are
again knit together in close bonds Of genial fellow
ship and after living gayly out the week Of mirth and
festiyity that ends the dying year, they start forward
through the long Of its successor once more
companions together waking in the same path, re-
heving each others sorrows and sharing each
others joys. Then, too now eagerly
THE POOR AND THE UNFORTUNATE
look forward TO this happy day, when for few
short honrs their burden OF misery WIN certainly be
Ilghtened Dy hands that threngilo memories OF the
Good Shepherd Rave made unusually liberal and
strangely tender and loving For every good man
10 remember the unhappy ana alleviate, so far as ne
Is able, the sum OF human misery. And even
ihess ey are reported e 10
less ana selfish at all other Seasons ere for once
naTea Sy the q ns mc oa INTO tn
for all the sad children OF vice and misfortune aud
crime, are for once fragrant with the tunes of good
cheer, and the inmates OF their disma! walls are
allowed to bask for few short hours In the enjoy
ment OF what has now become TO them an almost
forgotten comfort And who can tell
HOW MANY ACHING HEARTS,
weary Of the burden OF living as outcasts, shut out
from every genial influence Of love and mercy, are
redeemed from utter despair by the charities OF this
welcome gala day, and nerved With fresh strength
to struggle If the opportunity but come to them, OF
Surely faith whose highest and most Important
festival rams down an influence 80 benignant as
this may well boast It's birth from the skies.
THE PRESIDE HEARTH
OF happy homes that the fame Of Christmas rnarri.
pent blazes brightest. What man Is there, however
lonely may be his present lot however sadly bereft
Of friends and however grizzly envroned on every
side by sorrow and msIortune who does not look
back with a full heart and swimming eyes upon the
merry Christmas days OF his childhood and early
YOUTH Solomon said that there was time TO be
merry, and by common consent the world has
placed the anniversary Of the birth OF saviour OF
Mankind In the front rank Of social Festivals The
VI bu,tleS u NJ tlisS SelsOu iuVccu
duty, aud one, too, which IS religiously observed.
Who can tell how many thousands OF men beneath
whose eyes these lines will fan VIII read them ~
they speed along on their annual Journey 'home,,
10 make merry In the GiiAst OF their kin0red2 And
though each Christian land has It's own peculiar
Christmas usages the celebrations every where agree
IN tone and spirit ana are all designed for the same
end-t0 Danish far from the hearth every cloud OF
anxiety, every shadow OF ennu, every pang OF sor-
row, and 70 light up the assembled family circle into
the overnowlng enthusiasm OF iesuvty. And nrst
among Tie means of inducing rejoicing comes, Of
course
THE CHRISTMAS FEAST,
which 10 all lands hes been @ recognized occasion
OF permissible and harmless gluttony. The uniyer-
81 sentiment Of the sime, indeed seems to DC that
Of the old English poets
10 now lie come our joyfullost feast
Let every man he Jolly;
Enche roome with yvic leaves IL dres,
ana every pos. with holly.
NOW al our neiglbors' chInneys smoke,
n .r ana Shrnmas blocks are bulnns;