Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1901-12-19
|CHRISTMAS CHIMES
CHRISTIAN SENTIMENT KEEPS
PACE WITH PROGRESS.
Prehistoric Civilizations Had tn
Crumble Away Because There
Was No Spiritual Side

New York letter: The first Christ
mas of the Twentieth Century dawns
auspiciously for the world
Peace on earth and good will toward
men appears TO be as near to its reai-
zation as at any time during the past
century
Guerilla warfare in South Africa and
in the Philippines are the only clouds
upon the otherwise peaceful horizon il
We forget the little revolution going
on in the two small republics to the
south Of us which are all the time more
or less engaged in such bellicose dem
onstrations. Progress throughout the
world seems to be making rapid strides
and particularly does it seem that the
advance manifest everywhere is cor
ollary TO the march of Christianity
| In spite of the set back to the mis-
! sions caused by the Boxer movement
| in China the sun will not rise upon any
| land the coming Christmas morning
where it will fail to Tighten the spire
OF Christian church or mission.
| As a national festival Christmas
seems to be continually gaining ground
| in the esteem and feelings of modern
nations. The years as they roll by only
seem TO crystalize and halIow the sen.
timent which sustains it.
| Some of the primitive customs con.
nected with the great holiday may he
| dying out but the spirit which they per-
/ petuate has grown stronger with the
! years
! Each Christmas the country breezes
( watt TO more ears the glad sound OF
| the church bells bearing the refrain
/ OF Christmas hope-that glorious clang-
or which as Kingsley describes awobe
/ an echo in the calmor of the wild
/ fowl on the moor"
! Not alone had the Jewish prophets
/ foretoid this Messianic epoch, but the
seers of the far east had OWNED the
/ advent of a Great Prophet on earth
/ and even the Chinese Emperor Min ac-
! ting under the advice Of his astrologers
/ had sent an embassy TO meet him. Had
! that embassy ever reached Judea the
/ history of the worlds civilization might
/ have been reversed China today would
| have been the center of Christian pro-
| gress and modern enlightenment while
! the west would gradually have been
drawing inspirations from her instead
/ of being the leader as she IS today.
Christmas day therefore is a celebra-
| ton whlrl all who are enjoying the
1 benefits OF civilization can enjoy heart
/ lily whatever their religious preference
or prejudices may be.
The changes of the Christmas bells
are an inspiration to aspirations that
would have been dumb today had they
never sounded although it is doubtful
| il the day Wa celebrate IS anywhere
near to being the anniversary Of the
birth of Jesus Christ.
} The Christian celebration seems rath
er 20 have adapted itself TO the date OF
the great yearly Pagan celebration
timed upon the return of the fiery sun
wheel from which the Celts and Goths
believed they could trace The personal
movements and interferences on earth
of their leading deities, Odin Berchta
| and others.
| Almost all the heather nations re-
garded the winter solstice as a most
! important event OF the year. il being
the point of renewed life and activity
of the powers OF nature and OF the gods.
who We're originally only the SYMBOL
zeal personification OF these.
One OF the grea est difficulties with
/ which the early Christian Fathers had
to contend was the tendency of the
Z people at the early celebrations III
3. Christmas to mingle with them the oid
pagan rites and ritual In order &c
/ effectively counterfeit these influence
4 the liturgy was devised and dramatt
( representations of the birth of Christ
and the leading events OF his life were
Introduced
lin this manner came up the mango
songs and q vast collection Of carols
and dramas dealing with the birth oi
. Christ Some of which subsequently
' deGeuerated into farces and fools piat
From these also originated at lltef
date the custom OF providing tAt.st
OF Christmas trees for thu chiiaTt-.
wh h laden with reciprocal gifts lA-
GLIDING special meas and dishes
/ Christmas rolls cakes, currant-io-F g.
/ dumnlirgs etc In this way Chrislille
became 2 festival for all. for you1E anu
old. rich ana poor and high all i''
The modern celebration OF Christina
Is vast punishment Cf the old nsf-
zee gas Frances which l,.st-o iFo-- '..
! winter s1lstice, December 25th 90 Jan
uary 5th the feast occupying tNe-'"
nights, in which profoundly supeis.l
uous rites mingled with the Eo1i .t
msrksbia orgies
The comparison between the o9se
ance % tho old pa San feast, @ILA
Z dreaded competition Of the PROP
action n the gods and its terLlLl
+ belief In their power 70 work eVl iIo
+ which there was appeal. and tAe ~..-
1 Christmas celebration O the pre-
day filled with the cheerful holr
ness which q reliance in the po"ti
the Saviour has given as. is one
tells its o%u sto.y and ecAu@
4 beautiful sentiment brsatEsd oat
resonant voices % the Christmas
IINDIEY FORSTER Dlh