The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1908-12-25
Christmas.

ftit@AiilA~ y tlll All oI IT'S ltrlIFllttes
Eairtjes and follics. The festival
will make glad the hearts Of chill
jren, and commentaries the most
-tupendous event chronicled in the
worlds history. On this day con
tradictions Ia the true significance
IL the celebration viii be evident in
the various channels Of life. The
IicenUate viii give greater latitude
- his license; the drunkard. great
er range to his appetite. and the
worldly minded. greater scope to 90
ciaI gairtirs. TO put the matter
trrseIy, the world will glorify a
Savior by crncifyiug his examples.
To-day commentaries the birth
IF Christ, whose soiourn ON earth
taught by precept and example
tie high state Of godliness hu-
mauity can attain. His teach
lug- are the worlds richest heri-
age, point the way to life everlast-
Ing and warn Of the damning
awards Of evil doing.
Iherr is q beautiful side however,
to tine Christmas festivities, from
which the religious feature is en-
urely segregated. At this time the
great heart of humanity throbs with
peace and good will on earth
towards men. and relaxes under the
benign influences Of the event which
the festival commemorates.
Men and women, whom the
fortunes of fate have favored, if
there is a spark of Godliness in
their nature, viii give generously
to the Christmas charities. We say
the fortunes of fate, because we fail
to discern the land of Providence in
many instances where wealth is
possessed, and credit where we can
do So without doing the God Of the
universe injustice. As an interlude
just here, it is not amiss to i'm
press upon the prosperous their re-
-pousibiIity at the Christmas tide. /
True it is q season of rejoicing for
you-FiI your cup full to the rnn-
ming over, but remember that you
can do So best by pouring into the
cup Of the needy, suffering and
destitute The poor we have with
us always. Human suffering isl
real, mo matter from what cause. It
may be from dissipation, Incidence.
disease or other misfOrtunes. 1t is
not for those who have to Judge, but
to relieve. So during the glad
Christmas tide good people of Aber-
deen, search out the needy and suf-
ferng in your midst and give them
cause to bless the day that God him.
self initiated with the teachings of
Christianity Don't wait for them
to search you out in the luxuriance
Of your homes with pitiful tales of
want. Misery is shrinking, misery is
suffering, misery is proud and pre-
fcrs To- langu;sh in want rather
than to ask aims of too often ar
rogant rich. Let the charitable or
carnations and the charitably in
chned of A berdeen begin early to
search out the objects of want in
our community and contribute to
their relief by substantial donations.
Let all other communities do like
wise.
Christmas, at first, was a movable
holiday and was celebrated in April
or May. Not until the fourth CEN
tury was its observance fixed upon
the 25th day of ber. and
then with doubts of authetic proof
of indrntification of the day. Many
features Of our Christmas were adop-
ted from a similar feast of the sun
worshipers, among them the Roman
nation, who continued in that super
stjtion until the adoption of the
Christian religion by Constantine.
1t comes natural, then, that ceremo-
njes of that Pagan faith should
have become engrafted on our OBJ
servance of Christmas.
The celebration of the 25th day
of December among the pagans
greM ont of the fact that the short |