Nebraska advertiser., 1872-12-26
CHRISTMAS AND,NEw YEARS.

"reminiscences cluster faround the
names. the associations, the hopes
the aspiratious of untold millions of
the DAYS forming the caption of this
article.
The first historic intimation Of the
celebration Of Christmas and the
commemoration of the Nativity as q
day, are in the second century, after
the Emperor Commodus. The de-
cretal epistles of Rome carry it few
years higher and tell us that Teles-
phorus, who lived in the reign of An
tonius Plus, ordered divine service to
be celebrated in the churches on the
eve Of the Nativity. Yet before the
time Of Constantine we have SAD
and melancholy proof of<the celebra-
tIon of Christmas. During the per
secution under Diocletian, the chris
tIsns who met at midnight in their
humble houses of worship to com
memorate the advent of the Son OF
God, by orders to his cohorts, shut
the doors of the churches, and wor-
shippers and edifices were. consumed
In devoaring flames.
How, through long and weary cen
turies of trial and persecution, the
christian church has kept sacred and
inviolate the com mmemOrationS OF the
Nativity. How, around the world
on Yesterday rolled in glorious SYM
phonies the songs of millions over the
advent and birth of Christ, the Re
deemrr. What myriads of glad,
christian hearts gave it praise and
glory fOrevermoFe.
But, in our roll-call we have men
toned two days. The first the per-
fection aud beautitude of All immor-
tality aud life to come-and the. latter
the hopes, the aspirations of the life
here. New Years, as Bulwer has
said, "What sad, longing eyes watch
for that hour when the dark gates of
Time open to receiveEthe ghost of the
dead year, and the young and radiant
stranger rushes forth from the cloud
ed chasm of Eternity"
Oh! how the world around, men
and women, watch and hope, fear and
pray on that night. What hopes dis
appointed, what fortunes dissipated,
what lives wasted in the turmoil Of
earth. What immortal souls jeopar-
died by the wrong and the fraud
that sweeps forever and forever around
this blood-stained planet of ours, none
but tie good God may ever know.
Know We well how, in the homes
of wealth, in the cozy houses of COM
potency, cottages of well-to-do labor
ers, Christmas and New Years are
celebrated.
Dear, kind old'Dutch brains inau-
gurated Santa Claus, and untold mil
lions of light, merry, laughing eyes,
do him jocund remembrance on ev-
cry Christmas and New Years morn.
But oh how the pen grows tired and
y
and remiu isenee cluster around the
morn of those days. On the one
hand, joy and gladness, ringing shouts
and laughter. pleasures. bright and
beautiful, young eyes, embraced by
dear, darling arms, .and kisses that
taste of heaven, are given and eX-
oh In, hn of
But amid the habitations of the poor,
In dark, pestitential houses, amidst
the crime, the woe, the want, and
the Borrow of this weary world, who
knows what praise is given, or what
terrible diaopasns ring up from bro
ken and riven hearts. That kind old
man, Charles Lamb, has said that on
Christmas and. New Years 1.-THE chill
dren of the poor never prattle." but
from weary, sad. longing eyes, that
look out upon the impossible world of
Christmas and New Years, it is an
untold, a weary, a sad, and an un-
known world to them. Yet the joys |
the jocund shouts, and the shrieks of
agony and dispair, "a the poet hath 1t:
"AIl. roll upward, far To meet the starlight, |
Sweeps with the sounding christmas chimes |
In all the Christian temples of earth !
on the ewes Of the days indicated will |
be Christmas and New Years trees, 4
hung with the profusiOn Of gifts ;
bright with the besutyhood OF divine
women and bringing gladness and
Joy 10 thousands and tens of thous-
ands OF young, and warm, and loving
hearts. But oh 4! where in all this
splendor and beauty, are the gifts for
the poor, the sorrowful, the outcast,
and the lost? Who, by gift, in this
Cody, christian throng. that gathers
in temples of christian worship. will
give something TO ease the terrible
heartache of poverty, want and dis
pair. in days like these We write
about; when laughter, wine and
song, when prayer and praise accord,
who amid you reaches out the hand
of help with true christian charity 10
save the dying, the fallen. and the
lost souls of an erring. sorrowful,
and condemned world.
In conclusion, indulgent readers,
permit Us to wish you. one and all,
merry Christmas and Happy New
Year.
To give onr readers an idea of how
we'll posted English newspapers are
iu regard TO American affairs, We copy
the following paragraphs:
"Tbe Senate OF the United States.