The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1893-12-21
THOUGHTS OF CHRISTMAS.
HOW HOLIDAYS BECAME TRULY
HOLY DAYS. 49, l. -. p.
Peace and Good VIII to Men-The
Great Fight That Has Illumtned

Time in its spiral course has brought
us round once more to the holiday sea-
son; and amid busy preparations for
Christmas festivities we would pause
mas gladness why we should rejoice
and be glad; the gift-the gift Of the
father to his children. We would not
forget, in these days Of rejoicing and
would not forget, us the children say,
what Christmas is for"
AS our thoughts tuln inward and
upward we become filled with the CON-
scousness that these "holidays' are
truly holy" days; and remembering
the primitive significance Of the word
"holy,' we perceive a beautiful consist
ency in the custom which makes the
Christmas season a time Of festivity;
a time Of giving and receiving;a time of
general kindness and good cheer.
1t is. the nature Of mankind to be
hero worshipers. From the beginning
of time it has delighted to honor those
whom it deems it's benefactors. On ma
tional holidays we relax the usual rou-
tine Of daily labor and unite in paying
tribute to the memory Of some person
who has earned the nations gratitude
and love, or some event which is 4
landmark in the nations progress.
So the 18th Of December we celebrate
as the birthday anniversary Of the hero
Of heaven and of earth, the adored Of
angels and arch-angels and men, the
hero who made possible all other he
roes, nasmuch as he is the creator Of
all, and "by him do all things consist"
The celebration Of the Christmas fes-
tival in cOmmelnoration of the nativity
Of our Savior is 4 tie which
binds, not one nation alone, but
all nations Of Christendom, in a bond of
brotherhood. No matter what its form
or its name, on this day Christianity
turns toward the central point of it's
religious belief and fixes it's eyes upon
the child Jesus.
The Romanist and the Protestant,
though differing in the conception of the
Christ idea, and widely diverse in their
methods Of proclaiming the glad It'd
! ingS OF salvation to men, are yet one
in worship and alteration of him who
brought that salvation. The Jew,
| though not recognizing the man Of NaZ-
areth as the promised Messiah yet in
| conforming to Christmas CUSTOMS in
! Christian lands, bows the knee to Jesus,
and in gift giving symbOlizes the Civ
| ing OF the lOng-eXpected and much de-
sired Savior in the son Of Mary.
The birthday Of our Lord is for all
men the day Of days; it is the pivotal
point in time; all preceding days date
toward it, all succeeding days date from
it. The birth of Jesus brought about
a change Of front Of the human race
Previous to that event, mankind had
been receding from it's center, had been
getting away from God. With the in
carnatiOn Of the Son it turned right
In the fullness Of Iime at just the
point when the tide Of sin and iniquity
was at it's flood, the Goldman appeared
the power of evil was checked, and the
journey to father, home and heaven
commenced.
! In Old England.
In England the Christmas holidays
! extend until the 9Th day Of January, and
many curious customs are connected
with twelfth night festivities. AS
those familiar with the prayer book of
the Church Of England know, the
twelfth day commentaries the "Epi-
phany, or manifestation of Christ to the
gentiles,'' and is associated with the
visit Of the magi On this day English
sovereigns make an oblation of gold,
frankincense and myrrh at the altar of
the chapel royal. We note that as the
Christ idea is evolved, Christianity finds
it superfuous to especially emphasize
the manifestation to the gentiles In
the idea is included the idea Of unity,
and men gradually grasp the truth that
God is no respector of persons, that the
Father has no favorites among his
children. That Christ came at all is the
one fact of significance; hence a newer
civilization dispenses with twelfth-day
observance.
The day we celebrate is pre-eminently
"holy' day, in that it brought to man
that by which he could become whole,
sound, safe. 1t brought to man that by
which he could obtain Wilderness OF
body and soul and spirit Gods Christ
mas gift to the world is salvation not
only free but full That means per-
feet harmony of conditions. beginning
with the innermost and working to the
outermost part of being. 1t means life
eternal-that most happy and satisfac
tory adjustment Of man to his environ
ment which Henry Drummond tells
about. In Il word, the incarnation is {:
proclamation of peace.
Strange to say, not all men accept the
gift Of the Father; not all men Oper
their hearts to receive the Christ child
But the gift is none the less theirs.
is to be had for the taking. While the
Father does not force acceptance, Meth
er does he bestow the gift with an in
, difference concerning it's reception o.
, rejection. Knowing as we never car
know the significance of that which hi
: has given-all that it brings to mani
is his continual work to so lead and dis
cipline his children that they may re
, alize their need Of the gift and come
to desire it. ''No man can come unit
me,' says the son, unless the Fathe
which sent me draw him."
The same mighty force which
wrought in the giving operates in tn
hearts Of men to impel the accepting.
The gift Of the "Only begottenv' Tha
is what we would reverently hold in re
membrance in the giving of Christina
, gifts God so loveth the world" w.
would that always the same spirit tina
prompted the giving of the one nigh
be in the giving Of the other. Then
) however small the gift in outward ap
r. Sr1 oil %1,n