Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1873-01-15
CHRISTMAS AND CHRISTMAS EVE
BY HENRY WARD BEEcHER.

know anything about Christmas OF
Christmas Eve. have but one recOl-
lection of my youth in connection
with Christmas. l remember that on
one snowy night, by some chance, ]
had been to Gov. WalcOtt's house,
and that as / walked back / passed
the little box that was called the Epis-
copal Church. The door was open,
the light shOne out, and 1 could see
the evergreens that bad been put in
side, and hear the music of the choir,
who were praeticing in preparation
for the Christmas services. I stood
wistful, and with a vague curiosity,
| looking in, and wondering what sort
of folks these Episcopal Church peo-
pie were. For I supposed there was
no other religion except that which
my father looked after! That was re-
ligion EnetO, right up and down and
from top to bottom! That that was
the true doctrine, and the whole of it.
had not a doubt. And for those
people who had the columns in their
church twined with green, and had
such services, had feeling of mixed
wonder and pity. That is about all
that knew of Christmas in my youn-
ger days. / never heard anybody
speak of it. 1t was not known in the
house of my father, for a Puritan of
the Purftans was he.
think / must have been more than
thirty years old before it occurred to
me that Shristmas was day on which
even to stop and think. And yet,
now that come to reflect upon it, L
feel that it is day to be seized, and
the evening which is a precursor to
the day itself is to be seized, and turn
ed to appropriate uses, il for no other
reason for this simple one, that when
the whole world, with few fragmen-
tary exceptions, are making q grand
march Of joy toward the Orient, it is
shame for any to lag or be strag-
glers.
When the sun went down in Rms
sia, millions and millions were cleo
trified with one common historic tho't.
And when the sun came hitherward
to Europe, from the blue MediteTra.
mean to the frozen zones, everywhere
was that same thought. And as still
onward the sun came toward old Eng
land, and thence over the sea toward
our shores, in its passage casting its
Christian passengers, the same tho't
was in every mind. And now that it
has come to us, throughout thelength
and breadth of the land, north and
south, east and west, and in all de-
nominations, there is this general
turning of the hearts of all-grown
people and children-tO the great CEN
ter of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And for one, 1 cannot consent to see
the whole world inspired by a uni
versal remembrance of him, and not
have any share IN it.
1t is immaterial whether we have
found the right day or not. Wehave
found q day when all men walk to
gether. The exact time may have
been six months earlier or six months
later; but that is not important. Our
Saviour is in heaven. He has risen.
We are not worshiping a figment.-
We are not wOrshiping the shredded
skin of some past event. We are
simply uniting with all Christians the
world over, on one day in three hun
dred and sixty-ive, in common
thoughts, and common feelings and
common joys. God be thanked for
the occasion which once in the year
makes the Greek church all one. We
are to might one in rejoicing; one in
gratitude to God for the gift of Jesus;
one in kind of mystic, pleasing, yet
sad reminiscence. That state of mind
which We do not analyze is often
to US than that which we do.
The vague risings of our thoughts
are like films and mists
which do not become clouds. but
whic form scarfs, as it were, on the
hillside, and gleam back the NOR
ming and evening sun to our eye. And
these imaginations and associations
how sweet they are! We have them
tonight in common with the whole
Christian world.
And nothing is more beautiful to
me than the habit of extending greet
tings and kind welcomes to each other.
These salutations amount to but little.
II does not change a sordid man into
q generous man to say. "a merry
Christmas to youw A selfish man is
not changed into a benevolent man
because he dispenses a certain number
Of gifts, some of which are cheap, and
some of which are deaI. Neverthe-
less, it does have an effect on the aver
age Of men, taking one year with an
other, on the anniversary of the ad-
vent of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ to feel that this is time to lay
aside business and greet each other |
and exchange gifts.
And as to this matter of gifts, it is a /
hing for every one to manage for /
himself. Your early education, your |
and your feeling, are
things that are to be taken into the |
AS for myself, do not rec
)llect ever to have had a Christmas |
gift in life until after was so old that /
{ did not make much difference /
had gifts or not. My edu-
cation was neglected in this regard; |
and shall not be able to remedy the |
1efect. / never heard of Santa Claus |
when 1 was a boy. never hung up |
/ stocking in my life. feel bad about /
It to this day. But 1t is too late to
begin now. 1 never went 10 bed with /
hat kind of exhilarating wonder and |
excitement and half-laughter and i
half fun that multitudes of boys and |
girls go to bed with every Christmas
Eve. 1 never felt that there was any
night in the year that was my night,
when my parents had got to come to
my terms any how, and serve me with
'ome gift or appropriate enjoyment
And early education goes a great way
n such things. To some of you how
different is your memory of childhood
rom mine in this respect
In the Louvre, in Paris, you can
stand and look through open doors
nto one department, and another,
and another, till the eye is lost in dim
And the open doors of
he lives of some persons are Christ
mas days;and they look through those
lays clear back TO the periods of their
earliest remembrance. And how
much fuller is the memory of treasures
han the Louvre is of magnificence!
Blessed are they that have laid in a
great store of them.
While, then, we keep Christmas
lay, and the evening that preludes Il,
with the whole Christian world, by |
sober thoughts and proper observan-
ees, it should likewise be our thought l
20 keep them with the household. If |
he church has occasion to remember /
he birth of Christ with gladness, the
iamily, above all other Institutions in
he world, has occasion to give God
thanks for the birth of Christ on every
Christmas. 1t has prOflted
.herefrom more than any other insti-
than the State; more
han the Church; more than every
hing else. And if our affections are
not purified; flour joys are not sweet
,ned; if our social affections are not
if the chain that connects
Is one to another is not strengthened,
{ will not be because the influence has