, 1885-12-31
The History of Christmas.


The institution of Christmas as a
festival of Christian church is attrib-
nted to Pope Telesphorus, who died
aD. I3S II was not until about
The year $40, however. that the 25th
day of December was fixed upon as
the date of its observance. About
the middle of the sixth century the
religious rites Of the day were ex-
tended to the celebration Of the
masses, the first at midnight, the
second at dawn and the third after
sunrise. The especial merry making
part OF it does not appear to have
taken much foothold before the
senth or eleventh centuries, and dur.
ing the middle ages the pleasantries
We're more grotesque than humorous,
and relaxation was found IN wit
Messing dramatic mysteries and tab
leaux of the moralities.
The religious aspect Of Christmas
began to Tighten about this time
and the ''boar's head" was annually
borne to the "groauing board,' with
greater and greater pomp and ceIe-
mony. Free commons awaited the
poor in the kitchens OF the great, and
charity grew more and more to be
recognized as an appropriate feature
OF the observance. Among the
feVels which, of obscure origin and
hardly tolerated, gradually became
popular may be noted the feast OF
fools.
Little by little the old clements
departed until, under the influence
Of the phlegmatic Germans and less
imaginative Hollanders the riotous
celebration of Christmas has grown
staid and steady IN English-speaking
countries. The blatant clown, the
drunken beast, the howling dervish
of'a self-constituted idiot, are per-
sonages of the past; and quiet enjoy
ment, a little church going and a
Ettles feasting, a pleasant evening
and sober couch, now make Christ
mas the festival it ought to be. IL
North Germany disguised neighbor
used to distribute among the children,
gifts appropriate to the day; he
was called Knecht Rupert, aud from
him the KOllanders evolved the idea
OF st. Nicholas, who had become
Santa Claus when imported to New
Amsterdam, on Manhattan island.
The Christ idea, and the celetra-
ton OF certain day, sacred TO it,
seems to be the common property of
all the Aryan race, and to have Geen
held by other nations. DR.. Daniel
Garrison Brinton, OF Philadelphia, in
his profound work on "The Religious
Sentiment" says that the lay y-brother
Roman Pane, who came over with
Christopher Coluabus. went to the
island of Santa Domingo to instruct
the natives i'll Christianity. Among
the natives he found a tradition of a
virgin, Mamona, who had given birth
to son, Yocauna, of gentle nature.
who had taught these primitive people
moral precepts and the arts of peace;
and this tradition was so like the
story he had come to tell, that he de
olared st Thomas had been there be-.
fore him and preached ii prOprid
persona.
The same tradition has been traced
among the Iroquois. and even to
the Indians of the far northwest.
The history of the birth, life, teach
ing, acts and death of Christ, is one
of the most remarkable narratives in
literature. II ie written in die5ni6ed
tone, sharp, crisp, not a word too
much, nothing eXtraneOus, not over
burdened with incident or weighted
deductions. It is a lesson q child
may understand.
Connected with his birth Matthew
tells us of tie coming of the magi to
Jerusalem declaring that they had
''seen his star in the East" Con
lecture has long dwelt upon that as
sertlon of the wise mon and specula
ton has dwelt upon the heavens for
centuries, to give point to the story
by indicating some place for the
stars appearance. In the year I25
Hpparchus observed a Yeriable star
in the constellation Cassiopoia, which
suddenly blazed out from q mere
point of light to a star of the first
magnitude. more brilliant even than
Venus; for while it shone in
splendor and then faded away TO
indishnctnea6. The same pheno-
menOn is noted as having occurred il
935, in 1878, and it was observed by
TychO Brahe in 1872 This singular,
variable sun has been conjectured to
be the one alluded to by the magi,
and has been designated The Star
of Bethlehem" Calculating from the
average periods of its greatest in
tensity it is expected to reappear next
year or it 1887, and to the recurrence
of the event all sorts of portents are
attached.