Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-12-27
XMAS DAY.

Wesley's Day, Luther's Day, Mil
TONS Day, Perieles' Day, rlato's
Day, Homer's Day, Washington's
Birthday and n number of other
days. 1t is perfectly right to honor
the days l have just mentioned,
but it is tending to superstition to
do honor after. this manner to the
Savior's oil His Apostles.
The chiet, if not the only rea-
son given why the 25th OF Deem
Der is not the day, and why it is
superstitious to keep it are sum-
med up in the following: FIRST.
1t was instituted by Pope Urban.
Second. 1t vas instituted by Con-
stantive to take the place of the
Roman Saturnalia. Third. 1t was
instituted as a substitute for the
Drudical festival of Yule. Fourth
1t is not likely that shepherds would
be in the fields on the 25th day Of
December at night. 1t would be
too cold.
How, even supposing any or all
of the above to be true it would not
make the keeping to-day of Xmas
tend superstition. On the contra
ry. If either Urban or Constan-
tine instituted the feast for the
purpose above stated it must have
been for the abolishing of supersti-
ton, and the same argument ap-
plies to the substitution of it in
place of the Yule festival. That
ourAnglo Saxon forefathers allowed
the Yule log to be burned at
Christmas only showed their far
seeing practical wisdom. Christian
ity came to sanctify and give to
God in a proper way all that man
had. Hence St. Paul took the I'm
known God at Athens and told the
Athenians that that was the God
the Christians worshipped and re-
vealed.
But yet what do we find really
to have been the case? And first
we will take the objection that the
25th of December was too cold.
Now those making this objection
forget(1lthat the latitude of Bethle-
hem is considerably south of AL
gieris and Tunis. (2) That DIR.
Thomson, who was 25 years Mission
airy Cot the American Board Congre-
CATION Foreign Mission) in Syria
Palestine, says, in Gland and
Book the mercury usually stands
all the month of December at 46
degrees. Corn is sown during that
time and the grass and herbs spring
up after the rain SO that the Arabs
drive their focks down from the
mountains into the plains. g.
Tristan says During the cold
parts ofthe year in December anC
February we experienced no incon.
venience from living outside the
walls, with no other protection
than a single tent" (4) McGarvey
the distinguished Disciple preach
Ell, "a in his Gland and the Bible
says: "The climate of Palestine
lies between the parallels 81 degree:
16 minutes and 80 degrees and II
which Is the latitude of the Barbar,
States, and of the southern part
of Georgia, Alabama and Missis
sippi. A line of latitude runnin!
through Jerusalem, passes close t.
r Savannah, Ga, and a little soutl
of Montgomery, Alabama. 1t
temperature does not vary mucl
from these localities. Bounded %
the South and East by
vast desert, whose thirsty atmos
ghere absorbs all the moisture com
2 ing from the sea, snow is not oftel
, seen and when it falls usnall.
] melts rapidly away. The cold i
l seldom severe enough to injur
vegetation. 90 Edershein infer
from the Mishnah that the flock
(pastured between Bethlehem an
India) lay out all the year roun
and were destined for the tempt
l sacrifice and that the shepherd
were not like other shepherds
considered unclean. Co. Blunt, Ga
: also Sadler, in his commentary re
. fers all such directors to the blea
Wiltshire downs, where even to-da
$ during the the months of Decembe
t and early January may be see
shepherds with their focks an
even though the snow should be o
the ground there may be heard tn
l bleating of hundreds of lambs.
e Then as regards its being inst
! tuted by Urban there is not tn
faintest evidence to show it nor "
as to its being instituted by Coz
stantine. IF Urban at all interte.
red it was in settling some purel
local dispute in connection wit
the feast in his diocese of Rome
S for at this time the bishops {
e Rome had ne more jurisdiction
power than any other, and surel
.e if Urban or Constantine had mae
such an important edict thel
would be some record OF it.
y Then as to it's taking the plac
of the Roman Saturnalia this is r.
h futed by the fact that the earl
e Christians met the heather festiv
ties-not by feasts put by tasts-
and especially was it so as regart