The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-12-25


rsn-sa Cnristisu era. Christmas pre-
sents Inore team a -legend and a myth
[ IN the associations OF the Gay.
I After the critics have shown
that there Is no reason 10
b-reve that -esus was born on
/ the 95th o. December, and that he Ger
! taiuiv was not born IN the year OF tAe
! Christian era: after they have pointed
out the discrepancy between Matthew
aud Luke. ard have shown IN at about
I the central TACT. human birth, oeVOut
disciples have drawn the draperE OF
-lsvsterv and uvth, then laying aside
I the weapons OF criticism and reprisai.
al men can draw near 70 do honor TO
the idea Of the stainless mother and
sirlsss child. aud can see that the purs
ideals have wrought blessings Tor man
i Kind ana brought sweetness 10 count
/ less human homes. They can see that
Z the ideal Chris;-as well as the rea.-
1 mas been and Is the finest concrete illus
trstion OF the peTlectness we
/ believe. eternaily manifests itself
/ in God. Even John Stuart Mill
gives Us late reason 10 suppose
/ That there was msny q ibre IN his ma.
I ture. which his remOrseless father could
not find, ready to yibrate TO the melody
OF the Christmas carol, and prepared
TO Join in the Christian aspiration OF
GLORY % God in the highest" sung
oy men OF good viii.
! This festival stands among modern
institutions like some ancient olive, VI
! cedar Of Lebanon, as full OF sap and
vigor Is any fresh summer growth and
vet gray and rugged with the strength
OF centuries II takes up into itself The
/ life OF all the past. It has Its
roofs which reach back into ancient
civilization and forgotten barbar-
isms. In its green youth, before Chris
tianity was born. il rejoiced in the rude
vigor OF Gaul, sndGoth, and Roman. II
was Young and fresh when in the gloom
of German forests the savage forces
of nature oppressed man and taught
him to fear the Toughness OF the winter
gods who assaulted him with peril. and
the returning sun foretold the coming
of the summer and the predetermined
victory of life and hope over death and
despair.
That Christianity adopted this festival
and babe il live as g symbol and express
sion of higher hopes and deeper con-
fdence. shows how much at once
humanity is, in spite Of its manifold
disintegrations and antagonisms. and
also how the rougher forms OF human
desire melt into finer aspira-
tons under the influence of civil
ization and Christianity. The tradi
tional mirth, feasting and good
fellowship Of Christmas. once gross and
bsrbarous, have come, by insensible
changes, TO be the most characteristic
expressions Of belief in 3 common
brotherhood, q universal friend
ship. and common sonship,
Christianity is an hero 'lyphic, written
BY heathenism, adopted By Christianity
and put extensively to the uses OF
modern culture. tt
What is Christmas as We row cele-
brate it? The sign of Christian faith
and fellowship. What is Christianity?
II is Christmas carried throughout the
year. On this day dogmatic Christi
anIty is not celebrated. but only the
ever ole and ever new revelation OF the
loying-kindness and tender mercy OF
God. II Is this which keeps the heart
Of Christianity sound. 1t is the festival
of relig Oh in its purest and strongest
form-univerSai gratitude ID univer-
sal good will. This day is heard from
every tribe and tongue and people. in
the civilized world the shout and acts OF
glory TO God and good will TO men.
Concerning the observance OF the great
birthday in early times, il is said that
the religious celebration OF Christmas
dates from q period as soon, at least, as
the second century. One writer. Haydn.
says II was observed 4. d. 80. Clement.
the co-wOrker Of Paul. mentioned by
him n his epistle 20 the Philippians
(Iii. 81 says: Brethren. keep diligently
feast days, and truly III the first place
the day of Christ's BIRTH
1t was ordered 10 be kept as a solemn
feast, AMI with the performance OF
divine services. on the 25th Of Deem
Der. by Telesphorus. bishop OF Rome
about A. D. l37. His inIunctions are,
That in the holy thought OF the
nativity OF our Lord and Savior. they 90
celebrate public church services, and IN
them solemnly sing the Angels hymn
because also the same night he was
declared unto the shepherds by an
angel. as the truth itself doth witness.
In the same age, Theophilus. bishop OF
Cssarea, recomends the celebration OF
the birthday OF Our Lord, on what dav
soeyer the 18th day of December shall
happen. In the following century,
Cyprian begins his Treatise on the
Nativity. thus: The much wished for
and long expected nativity Of Christ is
come, the famous solemnity is come. "
Gregory Naz!anzen and ST. Basil both
have sermons on this day. ST. Chrys-
ostom also says: This day was of great
antiquity and of long continuance.
being famous and renowned in the
church from the beginning far and wide.
from Thrace as far as Gades in Spain. "
And he styles il 1.-The most Venerable
and tremendous of all festivals, and the
Metropolis and Mother of all Festivals. -
The hilarity and festive gladness-the
marked peculiarly of an old English
Christmas-once included sundry page
ants and religious shows. which in an
age less cultivated than ours. combined
for the people instruction and amuse-
ment. the clergy IN them, as il were.
teaching the multitude by q sort of par
ables. After the invention of printing.
however, when better means of popular
instruction became possible, these mys-
teries and moralities gradually degener-
ated into mere burlesques, masks or
which frequently, il ap-
pears, proved 70 be more or less obiec-
tionable, and against which the Puritan
ism OF the 18Th aud 18th centuries
maintained an uncessing and destruc-
tive warfare: nevertheless, there still 1
survives IN these prosaic days ,especiaily
in those hospitable mansions, wherein
Christians yearly dwells, - and where
Numerous guests and viands dainty.
hall = go 10 -