The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1913-12-12

k~(xt the churches #&N u
& &I\ The Christmas is FHAn&Sh 4
SS<S2o versaly known that repetition. kNs<
The story of the origin of the observance Christmas H.
quite another thing however and may be approached ~
more mundane spirit We take the M-Y
customs which ~' or
without stopping to consider whether they had their %
In in the Christmas idea or whether they ever had any
Christmas tree. distribute holly
sit down big dinner and
tom and that's all there s to
But It very far from being all The which such
German and Celtic emoas in which very ,ary W them had
their origin Our Christmas when It,
significance and adapted to the higher faith.
The observer halts before the contemplation OF the countless
customs associated with Christmas all lands both the and the
present day To describe them all would nh good sized book
The early fathers Of the church however much they might have desired
Obliged to allow their retain the
mPoss6 to put an end them so they wisely decided that better
to let the people follow their bent certain lines rather
onze then by insisting too strongly on course which they bound
which remained were purged their Objectionable features and infused
Christmas observed all find
200 or 800 after the birth of Christ and the had occurred
such humble fashion quite unable
they began themselves
month the for which authority the
the nativity One thing certain
the 25h of December this date is the height OF the rainy
Judea in California and quite unlikely shepherds
have been watching their hocs by night under those conditions
Egypt about 200 A D. when May
time forward claims
fury, when the latter gained the
the winter oce the chief festivals of Rome and the
worship and alteration from the times down the day
Of the time Of rejoicing among all peoples who either
SHIPPED the directly who regarded manifestation of their
important the Teutonc who believed that that time
anv other Nothing could be- more natural therefore than that these peo
ON turning TO cy,spy should az tSs Soppa
of the Saviour the earth the same time of they had been
acknowledge the glory the The significance OF the
parallel the herads life to the physical world and the
deliverance
pointed that in the early period the church
of
tho
while originally day
nth extended three days and later under the EN-
OF
From this time all the people seemed mad the
liberty prevailed and time of universal festvy and merry
Crowds swarmed through the streets shouting TO saturnaa
form of greeting similar the modern Merry Christmas It was holiday
the widest schools and law courts closed and the senate
proclaimed The
presents especially
Christmas children down to the present time
saunaa which Christmas
Candles evidence
small images made either of baked clay dough The
Germans today
which important and indispensable adjunct the
occasion.
The Christmas tradition
history people have been the habit
all of festivals The of the mietoe
n
was all
growing this the Dud 1t with
ceremonies and used in their cca rites was believed to
magic qualities of potent power is still potent but only the
matter of comforting privileges
the Danes farther back than that They have sweet old
Danes his three
and CHARITY To help light
should be as high hope sign
and they finally found in the basam fir
realizing this introduced other practices into the old which
survived from sph c % w plays n dramatic epr
whch the Christmas
ry in England where in many villages TODAY customary for
snd boys called the waits to 60 from door door