The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1896-12-26
Historically this idea of the relation

historically tuiS iuSo VI thS iSioSioh
of the months to Christmas as the great
est festival and anniversary of the
Christian world rests on good basis.
With the Romans the tenth and conclud-
ing month of the year was December,
though with us it is is the twelfth, but
in the Christian year. Advent or the
Christmas season. is the beginning of the
Christian year and all the festivals and
seasons of the Episcopal and Roman
Catholic churches are to this day reg
ulated with reference to the anniversary
of the birth of Christ. Our Anglo Saxon
ancestors went still further and after
their conversion from Paganism to
Christianity they;named the month in
which Christ was born the Heelig-
monath, or Holy Month, an appropri-
ate name for the introduction of the
anniversary of that great event whose
consequences are for the healing OF the
nations. 1t is to this greatest OF the an
niversaries that we consecrate the pres
emit issue of our paper.
500
Nor in the, spirit of
Compliments Of the any mere convention
season. alism, but with sincere
and heartfelt interest in our great fam
lily of readers, do we this week express
the compliments of the season and wish
our friends merry Christmas. The old
greeting derives an added sanctity with
the passing years as memories of the
olden days come to US wildly and we
remember the dear friends, many OF them
now "awa," who once received these
salutations and exchanged them with us
in hearty friendship. Every Christmas
tide brings these memories to our homes
and hearts. We bless God for these
! friendships of other days and thank him
for the friends still spared to US. May
he blessed Christmastide be made the
occasion for the renewal in all hearts of
the kindly spirit and generous i'm
pulses of the season, thus increasing the
sum of human happiness, and helping
to make the Christmas festival, in fact
as we'll as name, message OF peace and
good will. And let US remember, as our
contemporary. Christian Work, suggests,
that the "real Christmas joy lies not in
all the happy accessories of the day. de-
lighttul and attractive as they are, but
in the blessed fact that the message of
peace on earth and good will toward men
means peace and good will-think of
Gods peace and good will!-that shall
spring from the earth to the heavens
and shall last through all eternity"
This is the Christmas in which Univer-
salists believe. Let US endeavor to make
it reality for earth and heaven alike.
SOS
THE highest attain
Our denomination ments of civilization
al eohools' cannot be reached ex-
cept on the foundations laid in the
schools of learning. 1t needs no argu-
ment to show that it is to the advantage
of the State to foster education. The
state may do all Things laWtul Tor It's
own growth and preservation. Intsllec-
tual food is as needful to the body poll
tic as blood for the corporal system.
The same conclusions are logical as to
the growth and perpetuity of religious
denomination, of system Of medicine,
or Of the principles OF law Hence we
have the colleges of liberal arts and
sciences for the great public-we have
the law and medical schools for the few,
and tn Biological seminaries to train men
for the ministry.
If we inquire on what ground, or by
what proprietY religious denomination
may plant and foster a sectarian college.
the reply is, that while sect's first use
of a college is to prepare men for its own