The Penn's Grove record., 1923-12-21
FIRST UNIVERSAL CHRISTMAS

The Greek Church, most OF Wnose
members live in Russia, have had their
Christmas thirteen days after other
Christian people, by adhering to the
calendar proclaimed in the year 46 b.
c.. by julius Caesar, known as the Ju-
lian calendar.
1t was learned by astromers years
later that a mistake of eleven minutes
a year had been made in their cafcuia-
ton of the earth revolving around the
sun. In centuries minutes grew to days.
1t was changed so that every. four
years should be leap year February
should have 29 days and all centuries
which could not be divided by 40O,
should not be Leap Year. That IS the
reason 1900 was not Leap Year.
Pope Gregory XIII proclaimed the
present calendar October 5, 1882, by
dropping ten days and calling 1t Oct.
18th. The Gregorian calendar was
not adopted in England until lI52
when eleven days was dropped. Ihat
is the reason why George Washington
was born February II and we cele-
brate the %.
The error in the Julian Calendar
amounts to thirteen days now from
the true time the earth revolyes around
the sun. In those countries where the
Greek Church influences prevail IN
public affairs the Julian calendar pre-
vailed until the close of the World
War, because the Greek Church folks
never obeyed the Pope in Rome.
When the World War came dozen
governments and millions of people
were thirteen days behind the balance
of the world intheir calendar which
made confusion.
Turkey made the first break in 1917,
when the Gregorian chartwas adopted.
The Czarism was over thrown in Rus
sia the same year and Soviet Govern
ment soon after abandoned the Julian
chronology. Serbia, now part of
Jugoslavokia and Rumania made the
change in 1919.
These desertions left the capitols of
Greece and Bulgaria the only places
where the Julian Calendar retained
official government standing. But,
since the Greek Orthodox Church,
high authorities of Russia, Roumania,
Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Syria and
Albania remained firm in their ale
glance to the old Julian calendar, their
millions of adherents who look to
them in all parts of the world continue
to count the days as part of ances-
trail worship since the days of Julius
Caesar, until the bishops order other
wise.
Russia's New Living Church
The Bolshevic (the word means ma
iority) OF Soviet Government has had
to fight the old Orthodox bishops who
were appointed with the approval of
the Gar, hence still believe the Gar
should be restored. They destroyed
the images of the Virgin Mary which
were numerous in Churches, on the
highways and in homes andconfiscated
the gold and silver ornaments which
hung on them, being gifts of religious
sacrifice after the manner of ancient
pagan worship which made the wor-
shippers poor and the Church bishops
and priests rich. These images are
called ikons.
There was a big convention in Mos
COW last June of the New Living
Evangelical members Of the Greek
Orthodox Church. They unseated Patri-
arch Tikhon and declared that on Oc-
tober 13, 1924, thirteen days should
be added to the calendar and the Greg
orian calendar adopted.
The fight between the old Gar ad-
herents and the New Living Church
folks who have adopted the principles
of Protestant Evangelism, to some ex-
tent. has been fierce the past nine
months. During the past three months
the Tikhon adherents gained the up
per hand.
The curious part of the story is that
Tikhon himself recently announced a
change in the calendar to the new
style decided by the Council of Patri-
archs held at Constantinople in which,
although unable to be present, he
concurred on the ground that the Pa
triarch Council is the supreme author
ity of the Greek Church, not only in
Russia, but the whole world. The rule
of Constantinople has been restored
to the Turks asc result of the U.
S. Senate turning towards
That will make all Christiandom
celebrate the same day, December 25,
1924. as the anniversary of the birth
of Jesus of Nazareth, called the Christ,
because he embodied the Spirit Jeho-
vah, worshipped by the Jews, and
who proclaimed to the world in His
Sermon on the Mount the highest code
of morals and ethics ever in the
worlds history.
The first universal Christmas comes
December 25, 1924.