The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-25
A MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Whatever may be the thought on the
part of the student of profane history, or
the absence of thought with the profess
sional infidel regarding the day, there can
be and in fact is little if any doubt regard
ing its sacredness by those who have
espoused and prefer to uphold Christianity
as it is understood and comprehended by
them. 1t is day more sacred than the
Christian Sabbath, for the reason that
while the latter, pursuant to divine com
mand, is day of rest as well as of
praise to the Maker, the former is
by common consent the natal day
of the Redeemer and therefore an occasion
to be observed with all the sympathetic
and heartfelt demonstrations of joy of
which the faithful and the believing are
capable.
Profane historians have done something in
the direction of upsetting the popular idea
that the 18th of December is the birthday
of the Savior. Their labors have, how
ever, practically amounted TO nothing, for
even they themselves, and all Of their in
clining. borne onward by the popular cur
rent, have become habituated to recognizing
the day. and they now no longer make actual
resistance to the custom, their opposition
being now more ethical and subjective than
otherwise, not at any time or in any place
or manner amounting to actual interior
ence or even to scholastic opposition to the
now thoroughly-rooted and universally
accepted custom.
And why should it be otherwise What
better authority in a practical way can we
have than common consent? And when to
this common consent is added all that
is probable in the realms of an
tiquity "a legacy descending to US
as a sacred heritage, in fact =
why should we not receive it, not merely
because the world receives it, but because
there is abundant matter for believing on
our own individual part and within our
own mental recesses what has been an
nounced regarding the sacred day?
One line of research and reasoning places
the day of the nativity several months
later, or earlier, as the case may be. No
one knows as to this, however, and we
must to some extent rely upon our own
anu LL4I4N iiio pm eiGiOIIo "
satisfy our minds upon this subject.
But whether our minds be satisfied or
otherwise, we must yield 10 the popular
pressure.and custom which recognizes this
day as the great one the one to be cele-
brated. 1t is day Of gifts, of greetings
and OF gladness. Long may it be SO. THE
HERALD hopes its readers and friends viii
have no occasion to say thatit has not fully,
promptly and unequivocaily fallen into
line. as witness its mammoth and artistic
number given away to regular subscribers
and sold to others at a cost greatly beneath
its actual value, when the amount Of time
money, skilled and unskilled labor
mechanics appliances, material, ETC.,
are taken into corsiderat on. There
has never been such publication, or any
thing even remotely approaching it, within
the shadow of the Rocky Mountains 1t is
an achievement which may properly be
said to mark an era in journalism, culture
fine art and progress in our fair territory
So. while properly holding in sacred recol-
lection the halIowed day which we delight
TO celebrate, let it not be forgotten that
there are those who have contributed
largely toward making it more sacred than
it would have been to the masses but
for the kindly, thoughtful, and we may say
expensive offices, and that among the
factors so at work and SO proceeding, THE
HERALD is not only neither least nor last,
bat is actually first and foremost.
With these few words of explanation,
we tender to our readers and friends The
CHRIsTMAs HERALD with a sincere express
sion of good and kindly feeling and best
wishes Of the season for all. To those who
do not come within the foregoing descrip-
tion but prefer to regard themselves as
enemies or at least opponents, we have no
ill will or any ungenerous feeling May
the advent of another Christmas
so change and arrange the opinion of those
by whom we are confronted that we will
have no occasion to differ except as to mat-
tiers of small consequence ia the problem of
life. We bear no i'll viii to any one, high
or low, rich or poor, Mormon or Gentle,
and sincerely trust that all may see their
way clear TO be in nowise different toward
US.
Hereupaa we reiterate that old-tine and