The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-22


fered about religion since the creation
of the world, and they will go on diff
ring as long as the earth lasts; but
On the subject Of the Christmastide
seasop-a season SO replete with re-
ligious meaning-men and women Of all
beliefs all agree in the main and ap-
plaud the day which showers so much
happiness upon the universe.
This fact is APPLY illustrated by the
following views on the Christmas sea-
son made by four leaders Of religious
and anti-religious thought. Two Of
the views represent orthodox religion.
one represents the Christmas idea Of
the most formidable foe Of religious be-
lief Of the day and the other represents
The idea of what is generally described
as mistaken religion. These views
speak for themselves.
Or. Lyman Abbott.
Here is the Christmas idea of DR..
Lyman Abbott, pastor of Plymouth
church in Brooklyn, a man regarded as
a fitting successor Of Henry Ward
Beecher:
1--WE might have thought it hardly
worth while to ask and answer this
question did we not find it asked by
others and variously answered. 1t is
true that Christmas has been in times
past accompanied by excuses, and is
so sometimes now. 1t is true that it
mas been degraded by superstitions.
perhaps may sometimes be so degraded
now. Shall we abandon every good
thing that the world has ever be-
smirched and polluted with evil?
1T is true that we do not know on
what day Christ was born nor in
what month, nor. with certainty, even
in what year. What then? May we
not celebrate his coming though we do
not know just when he came?
1T is true that Santa Claus and st.
Nicholas are only imaginary. What
then? What a miserable world this
would be if God had not given us i'm
agination to delight ourselves withal!
'Who shall celebrate Christmas if
not all those to whom Christ was
born? If ne has brought in knowl-
edge Of God and of the father, so that
God is dearer and heaven is nearer for
his coming; If he has brought us the
message, Go in peace, thy sins be for
given thee so that remorse is less BIT
ter and sin less a burden, because
borne for US by another; if he has
brought US the message, Let not your
our eyes and lifted them from off the
ground and walked in a great peace
and joy because of him: if he has given
us work to do of love for others, and
Herewith the joy Of service and self
denial, may we not well take one day
in the year for special rejoicing be-
cause he mas come and because he has
given such gifts to men?
Let all the church bells, then, ring
out whether in Puritan or Cavalier
communities Let all the churches be
green with the emblem of an immortal
ity which winter cannot kill
Let all the churches repeat the
Christmas message of Peace on earth.
good will toward men!
Let every heart forget its woes and
its wrongs, every home be brighter and
more radiant with hope and faith and
love and the joy which these three
graces bring, and let every soul pray
Tiny Tins Christmas prayer: God
bless US, every oner
IngersoIrs Christmas.
Just now Colonel Robert G. Ingersoll
is of more than ordinary interest be-
cause of the recent united efforts of
tbs Christian EndeavoreG'S of Cleve-
land, O., to bring about his conversion
by prayer. Undoubtedly he is in need
of conversion, but it would be difficult
10 find anyone who could express finer
Christmas sentiments than the follow
ing:
ut is beautiful to give one day to the
ideal-to have one day apart.
zone day for generous deeds, for
good will. for gladness.
"One day to forget the shadows, the
rains, the storms Of life; to remember
the sunshine, the happiness of youth
and health.
"One day to forget the briars and
thorns on the winding path; to remem-
Der the fruits and flowers.
"One day in which to feed the hum
gry. to salute the poor and 1owly.
"One day to feed the brotherhood OF
man.
lone day to remember the heroic and
loving deeds of the dead.
"One day to get acquainted with
children, to remember the old, the I'M
fortunate and the imprisoned.
Zone day in which to forget yourself
and think lovingly of others.
One day for the family, for the fire
side. for wife and children, for the
love and laughter the joy and rapture
of home.
zone day in which bonds and stocks
and deeds and notes and interest and
MORTGAGES and ell kinds of business
and trade are forgotten, and all stores
banks and ledgers and accounts and
lawsuits are cast aside, put away and
locked up, and the weary heart and
brain are given voyage to fairyland.
Let us hope that such day is a
prophecy of what all days will be-"
Bishop Peters Views.
Here is what Bishop Henry c. Pot
ter said about Christmas:
Not alone is there a k.ndlier spirit
IN the world today; there is a more
self-efracing and a more hopeful one.
1t is easy, it may be said, to have an
invertebrate theology which drops out
of its belief the wholesome rigors of
our fathers creeds, but what is this
but to emancipate society from UNI
pleasant moral restraints and to dis
miss people to a. life of selfish ease?
But is that a life of selfish ease
which is being spent by millions OF
men and women today In the service OF
their less fortunate fellows?
eff anybody thinks that Christmas
and Epiphany mean only Santa Claus
and candles, sugar and sentiment, lei
him go and stand in the police courts
of New York and see a modest woman
there who is watching. day after day
and week after week for her wayward
and sin-stained sisters.
LET him follow her along the streets
at night as she fastens after some
poor child of shame who is plunging
down into some low dive there to
perish, body and soul, amid its foul
fumes.
LET him see such one, and their
name is legion wherever the name OF
the Babe of Bethlehem has gone, count.
49,, .,.. foT1ovvellfn too vile no GRAND OF