New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-12-25
THE RETURN OF CHRISTMAS.

| The annual return of Christmas has
long been looked upon by the Christian
world as joyful event; not only because
it is the day on which the nativity of the
| Saviour of mankind is celebrated, but be-
cause it is especially day of festivity to
the little children, for whom Christ ex,
pressed the warmest affection. There is
| certainly much in the history OF the day
that is well calculated to arouse the better
feeling of mankind something that
should call forth the wish of merry
Christmas for all. There was time
when the return of the day gave rise to a
melancholy instead of merry feeling;
that, according to good authority, was
before the days of Constantine, and
during the reign of Dioclesian, the tyrant
who then kept his court at Nicomedia
He was noted for his acts of cruelty to
Christians; and upon one occasion, find
ing multitudes Of them assembled to-
gether to celebrate Christ's nativity, he
ordered the church doors where they were
met to be shut, and fire put to it, which
soon reduced them and the church to
ashes. Those were the melancholy days
of Christianity-days when it was re-
garded as a crime by such men as Do
clesian to be merry at the approach of
Christmas. But those days have long
since passed away; and under the civiliz-
ing influences Of Christianity Christmas
has been growing in popularity since the
second century. Mr.. Selden, an aminent
writer of the sixteenth century, gives
some idea in his "Table Talk" of the
manner in which the day was kept in his
time. He says:
Christmas succeeds the Saturnalia; the
same time, the same number of holidays;
the master waited upon the servant like
the Lord of Misrule Our meats and our
sports (mnch of them) have relation to
church-wOrks. The coffin of our Christmas
pies, in shape long. is in imitation of the
cratch. Our choosing kings and queens on
twelfth night, hath reference to three kings.
So likewise to our eating of tritters, whip
ping of tops, roasting of herrons, jack of
church-works, emblems of martyrdom. Our
tansies of Easter have reference to the bit
ter herb, though at the same time, it was
always fashion for a man to have gam
mon of bacon to show himself to be no Jew.
We see from Mr. Selden's talk that the
tables had turned in his time; that the |
descendants of those who would have |
crushed Christianity in the second cen
fury were now in danger of being crushed |
But as the world advances in civilization |
the disposition to prosecute on account Of |
religious belief dies out, clearly demon
strating that the time is coming when, in
the language Of the Scripture, the lion |
and the lamb will lie down in peace to-
gether.
Our purpose at this time is to remind |
the readers Of the REPUBLICAN that the |
world is gradually approaching the mil
lennium; the time Of general rejoicing |
when ALL without regard to color or pre-
vious condition, can join in celebrating
the natal day Of the purest man and best
that ever trod the earth or
entered the portals of heaven. The gen.
eral desire, therefore, at this time should |
be to make everybody happy, especially
the little children, whose hearts leap with
JOY at the coming of Christmas and Santa
Claus. The rich should help to make the
poor joyful upon this occasion, and reap
their rewards here as well as hereafter in /
the consciousness of having performed
Christian duty. We close with Merry
Christmas to all