Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-01-01
~ C h1N5 90.
CHRISTMAS DAY:-It $yass not 10y /

\ CHRISTMAS DA1:Tlt&v"S A.,a
posa'ip wiring onE this >utjest to enter aa
a debate Of auy}kibd, much less ~ e pas ~
tuks TO ! = ,pr0dss IL aeg"tSs>> bds mercy y,
abiding to point which supposed a..
knew could not be proved, namely 'na' o LII
was born on Christmas day, have Oeen~'sa -
Into Slight yskimIish. But the ou'u'I h;,.
proof iua debate link, dsyovsd upoo n ~.
who takes the qii5WativY This Fdel's ! vs.,
come to do, il he can, after ore' Su''e
ipthis: =, ,,o..er
[! SPitst. then the only point 10 .ns ~, the
1stb'of Dscs,;,bara reasons for this posltlon.
or mhst ofthem have already been elveh, wv
rs His article to close my side Of thls plsasan
iilj debate, may briefly, state az my teasod d
tdJrlher here, for the convenience OF lno Isuu e
or Who NAV wish to compare the "e's''> u
'''f' A. theskepherds were out 10 the hslds, or
,,,;ns w.tch inn their focks, the 'akgnt S1n ina
fbr;.t was horn. sandass it is known TO al Dig,
.l;caIsch oars and Sacred Historians dhat tue
,ws were accustomed to keep their nocks OUT
feeding all through the summer ana TO Keep
them up during the mouths o. N Eet III
cembcr, January, and most OF reorua.y, an!
generally sent them out TO pasture avg .M
passover, Which was: Maren, ~ atu'o~
I in juns to All historical, OF c nrp1o.Je'o" vi
,airIly that. these shepherds anu a'ls'' m'cA
mnnara;ns near Bethlehem, Oh the 2oth day !
December: 49, %f"l r. H. L.:
are. to all human reason aud COMMON sense,
corn nntblei with the tune GENERALLY celebrate
49, ~ Ghri,lmas There could not have been
mar. uutayVrable season, Of thc year to call
,yhnIc rIulnl or country Of people to leave tn
homes aud 20 on such a long journey, as Jose
and Mary had to take-over sixty ullcs-Wh8
it was raining, or showing, aod tlie 'roans VIZ
almost inpassiblc. by reason OF the me. numerg
swollen streams aud The mud ana hirI VIZ
time for the Holy Mother, 10 her coudu9
-, E,ofJ And there was NO compulsion for Fl
r. rol Would this day have been chosen n
| sncn iuurncy, and for such purpose by III
who said, "Prny Nnt yow flight Ccmot mI
m;otc, - Ii was about this time in the "A ]
that tile rains Descended aud the floods casJ 7
and washed away uauy houses. &c. n
The people of Ptlest'ne' thd not p
when Christ was born, very short time =
wards For, when the wise men Came
! The East. II rod did not kno,0, nor coul e
fuu ous when He was born The only, ST.
lc:est. the Leyt eritleace he had was obtane 5
''iuquiring diligently of the wise men fro1 :Sfta
EASE when the star appeared, but 1t m @
8 have been some time imlefn!te, as ''ttro I
WIS the nearest that he could come to It. =
then ,ioes it happen that the Romans
the historical facts to Prov" that Ghrs )
born on the 18th Of December, FIVE hu ID |
: years afterwards? WAS it the tradition ne
Eldcvs?" All these and all others whdWcIe
likely TO know any such facts were callt to-
scther by Herod tor the very purpose oihnd-
ing out all that was known on the SUBJECT They
could not hud out the time.
4. Another reason why | think ChEtmas
day was not the birth day of CHRIST, is lcanse
nearly all Protestant commentators are !alast
the notion that He was born on thu day:
Most of them think it of no Importance the
celebration to take place on the very DAFT the
Divine nativity. - !, -. Il :
5. Many of the learoed Fathers do U .Hre,
tend to prove it. They, too, think 1t s,t I'M
portant that Christmas should be on thdefptl- 5
cal day of the month on which the SaHr Fas
born Po J julius j. ssS VINO 20 changed e@
the very reason for ibe change, that hbeen
given in favor Of keeping the same day the
Romans, long before, in commemoratiof the II
birth day of Sol Some say it was the
): birth day of their goddess Byun,n u
These are not all the reasons why | &c the u"
negative Of the question, but they are sfac- We
tory to me- [ do not think the ner of arr
enough Importance to demand any fuer at
tcntlon | shall! therefore close my slot the ,
argument and if Mr. Fidelis chooses try to ~.
prove the point let him do so then quess t 3D..
ton viii be submitted" i ., ''@' / spe
Note to the 'Jj'ulges 1t Is not q fail =
fight when standard bearer stands boldly Fa
on the battle-ground, with his colori tosed{ Elk
and his opponent fires away at the tier gu -: !
The cap of his conbatant from behinat baH ~ En-
terry of nom de plnme:>,a 7d ~ 4 ID :
al IS aoeil that ends ioell" JTE.a Rye
ALEXANDRIA Va, JAN. !, 1873 2 Con