The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1892-12-27

John Milton was in sympathy with the
CromWe]lian movement of the seven
teenth century, but he was not so much
of a Puritan that he was opposed TO
Christmas jollty
One of the best of his shorter poems,
"Comus, Il MaSquc," was presented on
Christmas eve at Ludlow castle, when the
lords and ladies of that viciDage took
part in the exhibition. lie was the Latin
secretary of the lord protector and yet
he wrote AN Ode on the Nativity
which has hardly been surpassed for
poetic elegance. 1t is strange that this
Christian festival, so universally observed
in the southern states should be lightly
esteemed in New England.
Thanksgiving day is the great festival
amongst those who reckon the ages from
the landing OF the Pilgrims on Plymouth
Rock. The question has sometimes been
asked whether there is any sufficient rea-
son for thinking HAT the 18th Of Deem
Der was the birthday of the worlds
Redeemer 1t is at least fair to say that
the CONSENSUS of ChristendOm is based on
Il very ancient and, for aught we know,
an authentic tradition. The effort to con.
found the Christmas holidays with the
Roman Saturnalia is but one Of the foolish
freaks of the higher criticism.
The Christmas Of today, however, is a
bigger occasion than that Of sixty years
ago. Skyrockcts Roman candles and
Chinese tirecrackers were then unknown
outside of the seacoast cities. The same
may be said of the Christmas tree outside
Of the old Episcopal parishes. And still
the boys Of those early days made deal
Of pother by the bursting of hogs blad-
ders and the firing of shOtguns. at the
break of day. The morning egsnog was
seldom omitted in their matutinal festiv
tiles
The old-time negroes, the happiest ycO-
many of the world. were never refused
their traditional Christmas dram. There
were then no pO0rbOuSeS, no charity hos
Ditals and the benevolent machinery of
these degenerate days was unknown be-
cause not needed.
Country outings were all the rage in
the rural districts and when the work was
finished the neighborhood fiddler was
summoned. After no little turning and
scraping the SWANS and their sweethearts
stood up viS-a-vis i'll two lines. At the
words ''Set to your partners they footed
it quite nimbly through the mazes of the
Virginia reel. No stately minuet-no hfa-
lutin geilnan-but a rollicking movement
that shook the floor until, as
Burns puts it,
''The roof and rafters a did dirl.'
Those were halcyon days the like of
which is not seen nowadays except in
some backwoodS settlement
If we may be allowed the merest bit of
serlnonizing Oh this Christmas Sunday we
would recall the words of prophecy which
characterize the Babe OF Bethlehem as
''rhe desire of all nations" This is be-
coming more and more a tangible fact
AS Dagon the fish god Of the PhiiStines,
fell PROSTATE before the Ark of the Lord
at AShdOdas the gods of Olympus were
dethr0ned in the fourth century-as Thor
and Odin were expelled from northern
Europe in the twelfth century, so Buddha
and Brahma before the close of the next
century will have lost their hold on the
great eastern empires.
This is what is possibly meant BIZ the
second coming of Christ-Dot a personal
parousia-but the worldwide diffusion OF