The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1872-12-25
COLUMBIA, SIC.
"Wednesday Morning December rs, r.
iCMrIs,naE.

ottHt-S9soy ~Hei HAH. SaYy 60 e.
4. iChris,naas as. 81
Che learned have long been divided in
opinion as to the precise day of the ha-
tivity of the Saviour. But from the
earliest ages, OF the church, the. 25th of
December has been, fixed upon. Sir
ISaac Newton, in his commentary on the
prophecies of Daniel. accounts for the
choice of this day, the winter solstice,
by showing thatnot only the Feast of the
Nativity, bat others, were originally
fixed at cardinal points OF the year; and
that the frst Christian calendars having
been SO arranged, by mathernaticians. at
pleasure, without any ground in tradi-
tioff,tithe Christians afterwards adopted
what they thus found in ,ths calendars.
THEY were content 30 long as fixed
time Of oommemoration was solemnly
appointed.
When the world Was younger, warm
>er, or at any rate, more boisterous
hospitality, marked the recurrence of
the day Of the Nativity, than lis usual
now. Most Of the old customs. such as
the wassail- l-bowl. the yule-olog and the
lord OF misrule, with attendant sports
and frolics, are now discontinued, and
almost forgotten. Those pious songs,
the Christmas carols, of which, accord
ing to Bishop Tnylor, tho earliest was
the .ttGloria in Ercelsis." the hymn sung
by the angels to the sheperds at our
Lords Nativity, are now almost out of
vogue. They; were originally festal
ohansons for enlivening tho merriments
of the Christmas celebrity. They were
considered Indispensable to the escort Of
the soused boar's head, which was the
first dish borne up toi the pfincipal table
in the great hail. After undergoing
many changes. and becoming, for o
time, austere. under Puritan rule and in
fuence, we have known them in onr
day. principally through misunderstanding
stories. appropriate to Christmas times.
of the late Charles Dickens j.!:ni!
These old .0patoms,. haYa passed away.
dutsthe old ,.,t feeling Of 4 sreIls1ation sI from
care at this season survives them;uA Anx-
ieties are dismissed for 9 tims,' as oil feel
that teIA
''0hristmas comes but onea;. year.. =. ..l, !"
And, d,,when it comes, 1t brings good cheer" -
whiIa. .ssshen. they give III; way ' tottResiIr,
social ieelings.A4N eelekrsts the day in
&.
hal, they, sho1ld ,not forget the claims Of
those who are inllass favorable ciicum.
stances. to whom Christmas is made sad
by their exclusion frgnf its festiyfRes.
aanht hunger is at' u many al r. a Threshold
in, onr oity to-day. and the tattered gar
ments and open novels of the destitute
are but poor protection against the in
clement season. They need food, fuel,
clothing, and other comforts. and it
becomes those whose means enable
them to minister to such pressing wants.
not to withhold the helping hand
Whoever is happy himself should wish
to'make others happy. We cannot help
thinking that those who mingle a Judi
cions. hearty and nnobtrusive charity
with their Christmas enjoyments, will
find them better sweetened and more
highly favored to their TASTE In the
wish that all; the poor and sad, as vel!
as the rich and cheerful. may have un-
alloyed happiness in their hearts. homes
and associations, we wish them merry
Christmas, and many returns of it,
Frightening each time with higher en-
joyments, purer hopes and tenderer
charities. ;
We are likely soon to have q crisis in
Arkansas matters. The declaration of