The Nome nugget., 1901-12-25
THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS.

Nearly two thousand years have passed, accord ing to chronology, since the first Christmas ing broke on mankind. There little to mark the advent of that Christmas day so long ago. If to believe sacred history the 'wise of the East were the first mortals who and felt the signf- of the first Christmas morn. It was to them dawnng of promise, for with it came the song of the angels, Peace on earth good will towards men,"
 It matters little. far the observation of Christmas day goes what ones religion may be. We might go further and make the same statement and apply it generally. However this may be- we know that this Christmas day will be observed in the utter most parts of the earth. It will be celebrated in countries where the non Christian the pagan is in the great majority with the zes and fellowship as where kindred people worship at the same shrine. 1t is not the province of secular newspaper to dis the religious aspects of the day, but it is not of place to refer to Christmas of rejoicing of good fellowship, of the renewal and cementing ot friendship, of cultivatng spirit of kindliness and forbearance-in short, illustrating as best we may the universal brotherhood of man. For, after al that is the great lesson to be taught and learned. If we follow the teachings of Christ we must believe that he taught, preached and exemplfed in his daily walk and conversation that broad spirit of right doing and rght-thinking which we find embodied
 
 Many Christmas lessons have come down to Us through the ages, but learn them imperfectly For three hundred and sixty-four days in the year our little lives constant strife and spend them in the attempt get the better of fellows On the day of the year we hear Christmas carols sung and listen to the words first borne the wings of the wind in Bethlehem, "Peace earth good will towards men," And then we proceed to forget them and resume the strife of ages. It may be bitter re- Hecti0n civilization that this is so but it casts no shadow, on the truths enunciated by the great teacher who spoke man never spoke before It is useless to moralize. The world is not any worse than it was two thousand years ago. It has made material progress with each succeeding year. We do not know that Christians any better than they , were in the early days, and we trust they are no The principles of what we are pleased to call < Christianity are fixed and unalerable. Any man endowed with ordinary reason and intelligence knows whether he is Christian or not he may not even know the meaning of the term but he will be alive to its vital and enduring teachings.
 Apart from the religious aspects of the day, it is good to have "Christmas season." It gives us an opportunity whether embrace it or not. to crawl out of our encrusted selfish shells and realize if but for moment, that there few other people in this gray old world beside ourselves. For Christmas is tuc uuseIHsH bedSOn; the time when we turn aSldel from our own narrow paths and think of bringing gleam of joy or ray of sunshine into the path of someone upon whom sorrow has laid a heavy hand | It gives us the opportunity, if we will but seize it, to indulge in little rerospecton and introspection It draws closer to each other
 We do not know when Christmas came to be regu- ularly observed; do not even know whether Christ was born on this day or not. And it matters little. He was born; that is enough Our Anglo-Saxon and Scandinavian ancestors observed Yule-de or Christ mas, centuries ago. Indeed, with it's observance was no doubt mingled many pagan rtes but nevertheless 1t was season of feasting joy reigned and sorrow was put away for the time. In ancient England the yule log was put upon the hearth or Christmas eve as the foundation of the fire. It was brought in with great ceremony. The custom like many other good old customs, has passed away; but Christmas re- mains, and it will endure long as the world lasts 1t remains for us to make the of 1t to breathe its spirit and nculcate it's teachings