Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-12-26
ChrIstIIIaatide.

more and more the custom grows to make it
a season of religious JOY and social fcstiyity.
The shop of the trader is decked with the
most attractive and tempting wares for Christ
mas. From far and near the people flock to
the centres of trade to make Christmas pur-
chases, and not a little money changes hands
at this season. And the custom grows more
general in this country to make Christmas
Day one of the holidays of the year. We
heartily sympathize with this tendency. In
England and Germany, and indeed in all Eu-
ropean countries, the day has long been spe-
cially observed as one of Joy and festivity.
At diff orent periods in the history of those
countries the nature and character Of the fos-
tivities have varied, of course. Sometimes
they have been vulgar and coarse, even to
reprehousiblunoss. And doubtless this had
some thing TO do with the rough, not to say
bitter revolt of our Puritan forcfathcrs against
what they felt justified in calling popish SUI
perstitons. A puritan would as soon have
gone to the meeting house to pay religious
respect to the day on which some Pope had
been born, as to pay religious respect TO
Christmas Day 1t was enough for him to
know that the observance originated in the
Catholi church, to Justify him in discredit-
ing it. And indeed in some quarters a shred
of this feeling still survives, perhaps not
consciously, -but still oporatively. But that
most potent changer of all things Time is
slowly but surely modifying the old purtanic
protest against the religious and Joyous OBJ
seryance of Christmas.
And why should it not be so observed
What if it be not certain that Christ was born
on this very day? He was born some day,
and it is the fact that he came and gave such
light and life to men that makes his coming
something worth special observance, and not
because he came on n particular day. He glo-
rifles the day and not the day him. From
the first, with wonderful unanimity the 18th
of December has been adopted as the natal
day of Christ nor has there ever appeared
sufficient reason for changing the day 30 we
say, even at the risk of appearing favorable
to popcrv. let us urlrlIruiu the ea~or.t ss.'e.s
us of one who has done more to make life
worth living, than any teacher who appeared
in all the ages before, or any who have ap-
peared since his day. Aud this, independent
of what theory men may hold of his nature,
or his place in the scale of being. He taught
with n self convincing authority such truths
concerning God as the ever-present sympa-
thizing friend, and loving Father, and con-
corning man, as the child of God, destined
by his Creator for life of endless unfolding
in wisdom and goodness-that, so long as
men are able to hold on to these truths, life
can never lose its charm.
And of all the seasons of the Christian year
Christmas should be the most joyous For
the very essence of the religion which Christ
gave to the world is sunshine and joy, SO
that there is a foundation in reason and fact
for the joyousness of Christmastide. In the
spirit of that message which came to man by
Jesus let the feast be kept; the spirit of love
and good will to man is the only one becom-
ing the season. Let all hard feelings and
old grudges and mean prejudices be put away
from the heart forever. Let hearty sympa-
thy, spirit of forgiveness, goodwill and
| loving kindness prevail in every community,
and there will be JOY Of the right sort. What
| if your neighbor be not always agreeable
| Overlook his failings; let him see and feel
that You are above harboring hardness and
bitterness. If you have done or said any
thing to put gall into his cup, do your utmost
and best to show him your regret and your
desire to sweeten life for him now. What
| ever may be the occasion of alienation among
friends, let all be ashamed to think of Him
whose natal day is celebrated at Christmas, if
they are not ready and willing to bury the
| Ratchet forever.
And let the day be one of joy to the chill
dren Their best friend was born on Christ
mas Day Not a cradle in the land but is
watched over with deeper, truer, diyiner in
| terost since Jesus has taught the worth and
| dignity of human soul. Gather the little
ones together around the gift-hden Christmas
tree; let them taste of its joys. Gather them
together in the house of praise and prayer,
and let their guileless hearts and sincere
tongues pour forth joyous strains of melody
| to celebrate the coming among men of the
sanctiier and halloween Of life and death, the
softener of hard hearts, the quickener of
good impulses, the Rwakener of the senti-
ment of human brotherhood, the friend
whom no son of man can afford to forget.
Let the song of the angels be re-echoed in
every heart, "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, goodwill to men," And
| so Let the feast be kent