Evening star., 1937-12-27
Christmas Properly
Abbreviated as Xmas
To the Editor Of The Star:

ADDreVlatcO as AmaS
To the Editor Of The Star:
In The Star Of December IL appears 4
letter headed Xmas an Improper Title
for Christmas" The writer states that
he does not know the origin of the ab-
breviation Xmas" but he deplores its
use.
The dictionary states that TX" stands
for the Greek letter "Chi," which is the
first letter in "Christos," meaning
Christ" Hence, in ecclesiastical writing
It is the abbreviation for Christ or Chris
tian. OF course, the use Of the abbrevia-
ton started in the centuries before the
invention OF the printing press, when all
writing had to be done by hand and most
OF it was done in monasteries. Those
words which were most used came to have
accepted Symbols some of which were
transferred without translation into 9TH
er languages. In this manner tx" the
proper abbreviation in Greek, became the
accepted symbol for the word "Christ' in
all languages.
If there are many people who do not
know the history of Xmas" then agree
with Mr.. OConnor that it would be we'll
for our clergymen to take up this ques-
tion and explain 1t to the people, that
they may not mistake the use of tx" in
Xmas" for any of the uses made of our
English letter X" JANET NJ JAMES.
***
To the Editor OF The Star:
In regard to Mr.. Charles A. OConnor's
one-man war on the word Xmas" (Star,
12jl8/3O I would like to add note OF
explanation.
x, or chi, is the initial letter of the
Greek name for Christ, Xristos (zoto16c), g,
and the coincidence of it's cruciform
shape led to its early adoption as a SYM
Dol for Christ. 1t was encountered fire.
quently in the oatacombs, and it is also
worth noting that the word for Chris
tians was spelled "xristianos" by early
Spanish authors.
Why this abbreviation should enjoy
such widespread popularity today I dc
not know unless it is because of it's con-
venience, but in it's origin, at least, it is
certainly not irreligious.
ROBERT COLLINS.
X =
To the Editor Of The Star:
Anent Mr.. Charles A. O'Connors arti-
Gle in your December l8 issue, he wakes
Wrathful without good reason. Xmas is
a proper abbreviation for Christmax the
x being not the x OF our alphabet. but
the x Of the Greek alphabet and denot-
ing Chi or our Oh. Xmas, therefore, is
none other than Chmas
ROBERT g. oABER.
To the Editor Of The Star:
For several years past have had con-
siderable difficulty in buying Christmas
cards depicting the original idea OF the
Nativity Of Our Lord. Each year this
has become more apparent and today I
asked local druggist why he did not
stock up with cards stressing the re-
ligiouS significance of this joyous season
OF the year.
He replied, II have asked my whole
saler If he had such cards, as have had
frequent calls for them and he said,
That's old stuff; people are getting away
from the religious angle of Christmas
This is indeed. a sad commentary on
the modern trend of the world, to think
that Christmas should have degenerated
into a day OF feasting and that gimme"
attitude among so-called Christians. The
immortal Dickens wrote into his Christ
mas Carol" Stave One, the following:
go apart from the veneration due to
it's sacred origin, if anything belonging
to it can be apart from that ."
WILLIAM G. WALKER.
y +
To the Editor Of The star:
The so-called word" Xmas Cfor Christ
mas as Mr.. Charles A. OConnor points
out, is just plain nuisance Of course.
In fact, We might call 1t a minor sacri-
lege
The Gospels. being written in Greek.
the word Christ" naturally came down
to us in that idiom. Now. in the Greek
language the sound "Ch" is expressed by
one letter only, the same resembling in
shape our *"
Taking advantage OF the situation our
go-getting shopkeepers took that X and
made it do for the whole word. That
shows that you are up to date and 1t
also makes for cheaper signs. These
sign painters charge by the letter. This
fellow TX" is really false pretender,
wolf in sleeps clothing. AS Mr.. O'Con-
nor suggests, he ought to be fired as an
impostor. He is a fake"
In any case, the American is not for
these abbreviations simplifications and
transmogrifcations The telephone be-
comes the phone" the omnibus the
bus" the lieutenant the louis the
doctor the doc" the sergeant the
sarge" Even the venerable Pennsyl-
vania Railroad Company has to be salts
fled with "Pennsy.' As for all these
managing directors" and such. why the
words boss or big cheese" take care of
them. "The simple life"
FRED VETTER