The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1892-12-24

ANN~NN
our appetites for the Christmas
feast-a signal service will be con-
ferred on our readers.
What is Christmas2 1t stands for
the anniversary of the birth of Jesus
of Nazareth, the Saviour of Man
kind. History places the beginning
of the festivals keeping by Chris
tians in the second century, well to-
ward its close. Some of those early |
Christians held it in May, some in
April, others in January, and the
critics declare the true day could
not be the 25th of December Still
the real day in these times is the
25th of December, and it would be
pretty hard to have it changed now.
So many of the peoples of Christen-
dom live in the cold zones of the
earth, and Christmas has such a
tremendous influence in warming
hearts, that it would be as easy to
shift the poles as to alter the day
kept for Christmas. Perhaps there
is a mighty lesson to be learned
from the fact that the exact birth
day of Christ is not necessary to the
celebration of the event in its true
significance. The motto of Christ
mas-"Peace on earth, good will to-
| ,,,o,l ,,,n,,S NOT prDn1a,r,nI l,u
the herald angels for one day, but
for every day of the centuries to
elapse before the ushering in of that
everlasting era of peace and good
will of which the angels proclama-
tion was the prophecy. Christmas,
therefore, in its spirit if not in its
material symbols of joy, should be
the pattern of every day in the year
Then, as on any spot of Gods foot
stool the worship of God is accepta-
BILE, through the new way, and not
restricted to any temple or noun
tain, as by the old way, so may the
exercise of the sentiments of univer-
sal brotherhood not be cribbed,
cabined and confined in the Christ
mas-tide, but bring an even flow of
the blessings of peace and goodwill
through all the days of all the years.
Christmas, then, is the time for good
resolutions, especially, as to our
relations with our fellow-creatures
Let it be the date from which every
wrong, unjust or spiteful word or
action toward our brother and sister
mortals shall not blemish the calen-
dar of our lives. From hence let the
flow of the milk of human kindness,
stimulated by the associations of
this glad season, not be diminished,
nor the fires of fraternal sympathies
be banked with the ashes of sordid
interests and selfish motives. Let
every day have it's duty of distress
relieved or help bestowed where it
may be needed, of independent in
dustry and thrift encouraged, or
helpless poverty made more tolera-
BILE by unostentatious benevolence.
Such fruits as these would give our
Christmas present character that
would a thousand times make up for
its past uncertain chronology.
, misunderstanding of the best sort
is making merry Christmas for others.
Charles Dickens, who is the modern
apostle of Christmas, concludes his
story of "The Holly-Tree" thus: 81
began at the Holly-Tree, by idle ac-
cident, to associate the Christmas
. time of year with human interest,
and with some inquiry into, and
some care for, the lives of those by
whom [ find myself surrounded. |
hope that | am none the worse for
| it, and that no one near me or afar
r off is the worse for it. And | say,
e May the green Holly-Tree flourish,
S sticking its roots deep into our
: English ground, and having its
!, terminating qualities carried by the
S birds of Heaven all over the worldp'
t Had Dickens lived only till now he
/ would have found in these mid-ocean
isles ample evidences that the birds
had been at least thus far and per
y formed their mission so well that
n everything typified by the holly-tree
! here fourished in tropical luxuri-
Il ance. For Christmas has come to be
r one of the brightest festivals of the
> Hawaiian year.
y And now our little lay sermon is
) ended. 1t will be read by some in
g whose Christmas-keeping the hear
9 ing of preaching is not scheduled
o May it help them to benefit by the
@ festival as we'll as those who per
form their Christmas devotions un
der ecclesiastic arches. All will be
benefited at this season who make
&c for the Christmas motive lodging
n place in their hearts for every day
y Not in "this mount" nor any "tem
n pie" will the fountain of peace anC