The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-12-24
Christi mHs.
by PROF. AMBROSE S. oTTEY.


ago the greatest Reformer the world eve
saw or knew, was born among the ''cattle
IN the stall at Bethlehem In Judsa. In al
that time what progress have we Chris
tians made. How much like the mode
have we become? Are we gentle? Art
We mock and mild2 Have we in any wa,
tried to hasten on the coming of righteous
ness? Do we hope that when we are
dead and gone we may leave the worlt
better by our having lived in it?
Christ is our creed, Christmas is ou
| holiday and our holy day. We may re
| joice in its gladness as foretaste of good
ness, we may join with our Lord in tha
loving labor by which goodness breaks
outin gladness, and gladness roots itself
nto goodness; by which the tree Of
life brings forth twelve manner Of fruits
It's leaves for the healing of the nation.
My good mother, who has gone before and
Joined the silent majority, told me few
days before she died; ;"My son you can
not stand still in this world, you must
either go upward or downward
so the years have rolled by since, and
ma vouchsafed to me no such thing as
standing still in the moral or material
world. So it is, we must either ascend
the heights toward pure air, and clearer
skies, or SO down in the shadows with the
impure below. OF this 1 am glad, for
Ii.
ought all be glad that Jesus came to show
his lovo for us, and to bring peace and
love to our homes and to our hearts. This
too is q message of good tidngs too all of
great joy.
Why should Christmas be the gladdest
day the all year? Because it Is Christ's
birthday, day of great joy! Let us thea
send out the good cheer, Merry Christmas
to all; let the hungry be fed; the naked
De clothed and in doing this, we will feel
that BY our good works and deeds, tho
world has been brought nearer to Christ"
The happy echoes will fiji every heart, and
we Will feel-'inasmuch as ye have done
1t unto the least Of one of these nv breth-
ren, ye have done 1t unto me-
At this time of the year there are great
preparatlonsmad to keep this wonderful
feast; providing Christmas dinner
hanging up the stockings, and many other
things to numerous too mention here In
every country, custom tells us Of the feast
of the Babe Of Bethlehem. Christmas
lights and Christmas trees arc in our
homes; yule.logs blaze on many an Eng.
llsh hearth. The German homes make
much ado over the gentle babe and even
the children old and young, great and
small rich and poor, take IL part in it.
In our Southern homes, all have their
evergreen to make the home and the house
birth Of Il Saviour.
The beautiful Christmas lights burning
and shining out on this dark world re-
mind us of one who is "the true
light of the world, who 'lightet!i every
man who cometh unto light" The Christ
mas tree and the trimming of evergreen
tells us of a land where the flowers will
never wither while eternity itself lasts.
The common custom Of decking the
at Thrs,t A.
evergreens is derived from ancient Druid
practices.
1t was an old belief that sylvan spirits
might flock to the ovefgreens and remain
unnlpped by frost until milder season.
The holly, ivy, rosemary, bay, laurel and
mlstetoe were tho favorite trees The
mistetoe is never used by the Christians
in decorating church, because it was
used in tho pagan rites Of the Druids. 1t
is used in decorating halls and kitchens,
where it is hung in great state with it's
white erries and the charm attached to it
IS that the maid not kissed under it at
Christmas will not be married during
that year.
The mistlctoe is found in great abund.
anco IN northern Europe, and often found
IN Virginia, rarely in Scotland and no.
wherei in Ireland. 1t abounds in some
parts of England. 1t Is a parasltical
plant which hourshes on mapy kinds Of
trees in northern Europe In this country
it Is frequently found on the apple and
oak trees.
Not many people are aware how the
word Xmas came Many suppose that
tnc X in Xmas represents the cross, and
wonder that it is not +mas, the X how.
ever has nothing to do with the cross.
1t is the Greek letter cid, corresponding
to ch in our language, and the initial letter
(trnpIy of Thri1
Christmas was written Xmas long before
Christmas became word. Only about
a! years ago the business of selling ever
green was monopoized by a country wo.
manin n. Y city, from Monmouth county,
n. J. She brought her green's In sheet,
tied ct she four Corners to market. Now
the business has become so great that
oven one dealer has been known to handle
ono hundred and fifty thousand yards of
: rope made out of green, used in decorat.
ing churches and other buildings.
Hundreds of thousands of trees are sold
every year forthe same purpose. We are
told THAI in England he custom is more
general than in this country. They go SO
far as to decorate their railway stations, |
even their locomotives on Christmas are |
trimmed with evergreens, and even the |
head lights are bound up with the signs
3f the event.
1NoN III phC CJHtluslDn WUulll III UpU De
We'll to givn to those friends who have
nothing, or who are really needy
Do we not know of some family, where
! barrel Or even Il bag of -four, a ton of |
0hl, or 4 load Of wood a pair of warm
doves or pound Of coffee or tea would /
make the receivers heart glad If we
ave 1t in our power, give money so
hat the receivers can buy what they most |
rcd, II an article towear, If food, buy it
nd take it to them, Many give with no
ther expectation than to receive, which
not the way to make happy Christ.
1as. Tho giver may not be as We'll off, as
nc receiver therefore the giver would
ave to 80 beyond his means 10 give as
lUch as received.
so it ia wellnot to give to those poor,r
IAN ourselves, and the expectation II
o. be 50 great. This will make gift g.vug
pleasure both to tho giver and receiver
wing whet" 1t is a case of necessity, j.
act that W. need not keep an account
.; for no deserved reward shall fail TO
hch you, when Gods own hand doth
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