Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1914-12-19
lasOn Unites All Men I'm Broth
erhood of One Great
Family.
Dickens and Irving Write on
This Greatest of Christian
Festivals.
|TIRS The HEARTS OF MILLIONS


membrance of a divine event. IL
not the commemoration of battle
coronation or a great discovery,
r time obliterates the memory oil
'kese, and they fade into mere his
torical data. The event which Christ
mas calls to mind is infinitely above
the classification of human records,
and is palpitating with interest and
life in the memories and hearts OF
millions.
Those who lose the faith, or who
have never had it, can not appre-
ciate Christmas or taste its pure
Joys. For them it must be sad
season, for they fool themselves
lust out of Joint with the traditions
of mankind and feel the stings OF
remorse and foreboding. For them
this holiest season is mere orgie OF
material .feasting, and time for
SAYING pretty nothings to their
Tfriends and for giving and receiving
presents. Now Christmas is unin-
telligible without Christianity, and
even those unfortunate people who
have lost the faith must feel this, II
they are imbued with the feelings
which English literature engenders
on this subject.
There are some sad people who
disbelieve the word OF God and
never darken the door of church,
and yet year after year they read
Dickens Christmas stories and Wash
ington Irving's beautiful sketches.
p, And may the Christmas of Dickens
and Irving long survive in our litera-
ture. for II is the Christian Christ
mas. and II those great authors wrote
nothing else they deserve the title
of benefactors OF the English-speak-
ing race for their immortal tratises
on this greatest of Christian fes-
tivals.
Christmas is great leveler OF
humanity. Or it might be more cor
rect to say Christmas elevates all to
an equal level. When England lost
the faith she lost also many social
blessings which follow in the train
of faith. Christmas is the great
leveler. 1t Is so in Catholic lands.
In fact the great days of the Catholic
calendar are all Jewelers.. Ash
Wednesday sees the rich and poor,
learned and ignorant, at the rails to
be branded with the brand OF the
tomb Palm Sunday sees them again
together receiving the palms, and
l. rich and poor meet before the altar,
for the palm branch Is TO all an
Emblem of hope in their common
atherland. Christmas also levels all
nd ignores all distinctions of caste,
olor or condition, and unites them
the brotherhood of one great fam
y What is the great unitive ele-
ent in the festival OF Christmas?
That is the electric spark that fires
e hearts Of millions on that day,
Id binds them in the bond OF faith
Id love-? 1t is the thought con-
aimed in those words, "Who for us
men and for our salvation came
down from heaven. The pronoun
us" is the great leveler that tells
he king or the plutocrat or the
avant or the high-born lady that
or she is human. and that we are
recipients OF the blessings OF
pd's love. and as such should unite
gratitude to God on Christmas
", and vie with each other In love
our neighbor, in imitation OF the
l-subduing love OF God for us. The
peal Of the church is in the same
rit OF universal brotherhood, for
Invitation is not to the individual
to all: "Adeste Fideles venite
remus Dominun."
some villages OF Brittany there
sort OF miracle play on Christ
eve. The crib, as we should
L.. is erected in the churches,
instead of lay figures represent
g the Holy Family living persons
by the parts of the Blessed Virgin
d st. Joseph, real baby repre-
nts our Infant Saviour. and real
title MUNICH the hay in the mimic
little shed. During the mass priests.
eolytes and congregation proceed
round the church, and arriving az
he crib do homage to the fieurants
In the Nativity scene. Holy water Is
sprinkled by the priests on man,
maid and baby and afterward on the
battle; then going 10 the church door
he priast asperges and blesses all
he and flocks of the people,
driven by him for that
Standing on the topmost
porch with his cboristers
surpliced acolytes beside
him, the priest dips the
nto the silver ever or
and showers the latter
pxen and the sheep, and
rang OF the bells around
their lowing and baaing,
he words and cries or
$, are heard ever and
emn words of blessing In
the Father. and OF the