The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-17

croscope, examines it word by word
and letter by letter, and pronounces Its
judgment with the infallible assurance
of a handwriting expert in court. We
print the Scriptures in colors, showing
where this scribe has added a patch to
the original tradition and that editor
has interpolated a verse in the work OF
the scribe.
But after all we come back to the
ancient festival that commentaries
that night at Bethlehem, and our arid
hearts grow fresh and young again
among its sweet associations.
Is it not miracle that such a festi-
val should have survived through so
many ages and so many revolutionS?
Every nation in Europe or America is
young compared with this ancient holt
day. The peoples of antiquity died, and
most of their customs and traditions
died with them, but this they passed
on to their successors. The barbarians
fought reveled, nassacred and We're
massacred; Goth and yandal, Alan,
Burgundian and Lombard trampled the
arena of history, but somehow this ex-'
quisite flower of religion, humanity and
poetry was always spared and handed
on, ever fresher and more beautiful,
from century to century.
Beginning in a corner of the Levant,
Christmas has spread over the whole
world. 1t is the one universal holiday
merely in the theological sense, but in
the sense of a common civilization, re-
CARELESS of individual beliefs. 1t has
had curious power of associating it
self with extremes of climate. Originate
ing in land of endless summer, its
earliest symbol was the palm. Then,
adopted by northern races, 1T became
identified with snowy roofs, with crack
ling fires, with reindeer and Santa
Claus going down wide-mouthed CHM
neys. Now it is ceasing to belong to
any climate, and is taking possession
of all. We can hardly say that "a green
Christmas makes fat churchyard"
when Australasia South America ana
Africa celebrate Christmas in summer
The snow, the evergreens and Santa
Claus with his fur coat and reindeer are
still the Christmas features of the
North, but the day is not limited by
any such local accessions.
Christmas is the forerunner of the
federation of the world. Since the con-
fusion of tongues at Babel there has
been no such universal solvent. 1t gives
the common touch of humanity that
unites all nations. Where govern
ment brings twenty, forty or hundred
million people into mutual relations. the
observance of this day brings a thou
sand millions.
More people look forward to Christ
mas now than ever did at any former
period of the worlds history. Wher-
ever European civilization goes the Ger
ebration of this gracious festival fol-
lows in it's path II has already extend
ed over the whole of Europe, North and
South America Australasia, the islands
of the ocean, the greater part OF Asia
and much of Africa. Only China. Cen
trail Asia and Darkest Africa remain
untouched by it's influences, and lew
years will bring them in. Then Christ
mas will indeed be truce of God, when
the whole world will suspend it's wran-
Cling and come together in q common
festival of good will
Is it too much to hope that this an
nual communion of spirit may have
some effect on human conduct in the
rest of the year? When all the nations
of the earth come together on one day
as brothers will they not eventually
realize the incongruity of flying at each
others threats the next? Christmas
once year as universal festival, cele-
brated on the Arctic ice foes and in
the Brazilian jungles, is glorious
thing, but the spirit of Christmas per-
vading three hundred and sixty-fiva
days would be more glorious. The world
has almost attained the one-how long
must it wait before it attains the other?