New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-12-25
THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS.
PLEASURES OF THE FESTIVAL.

which has been frequently spoken of, and one
seems TO have any doubt of it's truth. Christmas
does come only once year. has been doing for
nearly nineteen centuries, and will continue In all
probability, to do for many II also adheres
with great pertinacity to the twenty fifth Of De-
cember and has never been known to come on any
other day. This is great convenience TO men who
are going to make presents, they know just when
TO swear off smoking in order that they NAV save
enough TO buy them. II is also very convenient to
" Josh Billings and other literary who write
almanacs; because, if they tell when tho
twenty fifth of December is coming, they can pre-
dict Christmas with great boldness.
This year Christmas has como on time rs usual.
Any one could have told it was coming week ago
by simply walking around the town and seeing the
number of persons who buying things. ANY
one who could get peep into some OF the thou
sands of homes in the city to-day could make
mistake about the date. The happy faces Of host
of children would tell the tale. So would the de-
pleted bank accounts of their papas. To-day IL a
day of Joy to the little ones; but il is not quite 80
much so for their mammas. For the last week or
two the latter have gone from store to store and
bought and bought and bought as If they had been
created for that especial purpose. The anteChrlst
mas days are full of sweetness AMI light 10 them
for those are the banner shopping days of the year.
Christmas ends all that and t,e mammas
then delight in seeing the pleasure the little ones
take in their presents.
To-day thousands of beautiful toys will be
viewed with ecstatlc JOY by children aud hundreds
of them before evening will he smashed 30 that
they could not be identified by expert. Plum
puddings will make their annual disappearance.
and mince pic, well Favored with :. o. p" Will
be ca en- by good temperance men. The theatres
will all give matnees most of them will be filled
with happy people, but some of them will not DO
filled with anything except the expletives OF the
unhafey managers.
Little children aud older persons in many chalita-
ble institutions will be well fed aud loaded with
Iod gifts by generous people. The last years doll
| of many a rich little glr who has new one to-
day, will find lis way into the hands Of some poor
child in those sadder parts of the city whore power
ty, d ease and crime spread their gloom all through
| the year. the glad light Of Christmas only breaking
| through the clouds once falling, as from afar of,
upon those IN DARK places. Rare hOwers. sent by
rarer hearts, will go to the beds of the sick IN the
hospi ais to remind them of the happy season; and
in all the churches rich paans praise will he sent
forth to tell the gad tidings of great joy.
The New York City EisteddfOd Will hod its an
nual festival to-day in ChlckcrIng Hall. The coz
ductor is the Rev. DR. William C. Roberts, secre-
tary of the Presbyterian Board of Home Missions;
| Therp Will be two SESSIONS; IN the afternoon the
Rev Dr. Howard Crosby will preside aid make an
address. The song Hen Wlad fly Nhiian" will
! be given and the audience will be asked 10 JOIN IN
| the chorus There will also be rectation' sight
singing and atudications in competitions in essay
| writing poetry translations, and III painting. Cen
eral Grant will preside at the evening session when
the prog ame will be similar 20 that In the alter
! noon closins with the chorus. from MeDdelSeosn.
"See What Love Hath the Father and 80, Great
is the Depth" Besides valuable char Offered as
u prlze, there Is SS35 in money to be awarded.
Tho clerks and carriers in the Post 0.hcc have
been Obliged to work extra hours for the last few
days to lako care Of the unusually heavy mails
| This morning there will be single delivery at
o'clock, and the Post Office Will be open for the de-
livery of mail matter ut the carriers window until
10 o'clock. After that hour the Post O,lice will be
closed. and the employees given holiday. We
have very few holidays" said an assistant superin-
tendent yesterday. Tho accumulation of mail
| would become so large that it would be lmposs bic
| to handle IT, Notwithstanding the fact that POST
| master Pearson has introduced some important Im-
proyements that greatly facilitate the work. For
instance those trunks aud bags filled with letters,
They all belong 10 the banksin this city, There were
over hundred letters in some of these boxes when
received single clerk has cnarge of this depart
ment aud thus the responsibility for any letter go
ing astray can be placed at once In letter that
missed few days ago, was check for Sl0OOOO. liz
| was easily found. The mails ever since Friday last
have b en- unusually heavy, on account OF the num-
| her of Cht.sIuas cards. There have been SIX men
| employed in sOring and distributing mat
| ter which ordinarily Is handled by one clerk:
| A much arg I quantity of mail mater has passed
tlrougnhs post office this year during the holidays
| than ever before.
| The SERVICES IN PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
| Christmas green's were placed about the pulpit
| platform in Plymouth Church yesterday morning.
! The audience was smaller than usual, not filling
| the church slr Beecher preached sermon IN tho
season upon the power of the cruciiied Christ.
In IL he said that the high.
| march Of man through this world was hopeless
one of misery seen IN the light OF history, and II
the black gaes of death opened TO another life,
penal, lurid. hopeless and horrd 1t Was TOO much,
aud the conclusion should be resisted for Gods and
Chrlsls sakes. The world was Ploughed and fur
r%TVG not for God caring for men and bring:
ing things out rigIts s,o,i IN the ,;.l eternal h
| soul revOted. But tue only choice was. between
| unbelei and God wanting 10 uiaNe all things ra-
dlant High above al the dlstemperatures of time
sympathy. We can wait" lie said, through all
times, if at the end we find no dcmonic God, but
One throned III love, adequate to reconstruct tue
| universe
sir. Beecher also said that nothing was Of more
promise to religion than SCIENCE rightly so called.
The doctrnes OF Christianity al had their root In
nature, aud did not rest upon the authority OF men
| only. Yet tho attitude OF most science to-day WAS
| anli-Chrls and the great 1ody If scientific men
were a2notics OF atheists. All the tendencies were
| that way. But science was not yet
half grown, and there would be great
| trouble in the transition period. The body
| OF iengion was clampcd aud clasped about with
falls. IDEA, LAYING II open 20 the laugh OF tue nidel
and the scohi oil tue atheist But notwithstanding
the tendencies OF science, no BOOK hsd ~ strong
hold AS the Bible, aud 10 name the power oil that Of
Jesus Christ. The stor, OF the cructed convict of
line poor Jew-wha, story it was TO
tell 10 Ylrchow Haecke Tynda or
| Huxley get what story it was of lnhnite love in
infinite compa sion for the sorrows Of the world IL