The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1960-12-23

sian and Tory celebration Of Christmas did little to enhance
its status with Yankee Puritans)
OPPOSITION TO CHRISTMAS became somewhat less
militant after the Revolution, but Puritan and Evangelical
the next century. The Scripture lessons published by the
Protestant American Sunday School Union in 1926 were SO
arranged that Nativity material did not coincide with
December Is.
The Unions magazine, Youths Friend. did not men
ton Christmas during the first half of the century. Sunday
School World did not mention it until 1869.
The New York Baptist Register in its Christmas issue,
1843, exhorted generosity toward the poor in this season
OF Thanksgiving" December issues of the Bcptist Young
Reaper from 1867 through 1874 completely ignored Christ
mas.
Catholics who tried to get to Mass on Christmas morning
before work were thwarted by factory owners who moved
the beginning of work to 5 am. Public schools in Boston
held classes on Christmas until 1870. and absentees faced
punishment or dismissal.
TWO THINGS HAPPENED to Christmas during the
10th century, however, which burgeoned its celebration
beyond any hope Of continuing acknowledgements sup
preston.
The first was commercialization. Newspapers began
carrying advertisements for Christmas gifts early In the
century. One such paper was the Boston Recorder-which
ran editorials denouncing Christmas the while. Late in the
century the business of Christmas cards began Tin Boston,
no less.
The second and more fortunate was Irish and German
immigration of large proportions beginning In mid-century.
These immigrants, Catholic and Lutheran, besides swelling
the strictly religious observance of the feast, Symbolized in
the crib, also established the use of the colorful, lighted
tree.
EVEN EVANGELICAL fasteners emigrating west
could no longer find a spot where December Is could be
treated as meaningless. Evangelicals settling in southern
Minnesota in the middle of the century, for example, found
to the north of them an honoring of Christmas impaired to
the Indians long before the French missionaries, and adapt
ed to it.
If Evangelical Protestant leaders chose theoretically to
ignore Christmas, their flockS could and did not ignore it.
Typical was a mother who wrote to the editor of the
CongregationaliSt childrens magazine, The WeILSpring,
after Christmas, 1845, saying that she and her seven chill
dren had been disappointed not to find a Christmas story in
the December issue. The editor in the February issue point
ed out the ~fooIshness of expecting "a Christmas story in
addition to a Thanksgiving story"
Readers failed to see the light, however, and persisted
in demanding that December Is be treated as Christmas.
Legally, the states followed the lead of Alabama, which
made Christmas alegal holiday In 1886. BY 1870 Christmas
had become a legal holiday in all existing states.
HAVING NO ALTERNATIVE, the Christian foes of
Christmas at last capituated. But just as two currents had
burgeoned the observance of Christmas, so might one, if
he chose, see two sides of Christmas. Evangelical leaders
had no choice but bid Christmas live, but many chose the
middle course of bidding onehaf of it live-the secular
half.
The editor of The Baptist Teacher exemplified this
middle course in the December, 1875 issue of his magazine.
After stating for the record "the dangerous connection"
of the feast so the Church of Rome" he condescended to
say of Christmas: stripped, as it should be, of all pre-
tensions of religious sanctity =. we welcome its coming
with a hearty All hail and wish all our readers a very
Merry Christmas"
BEFORE ARRlvIN at their present full acceptance
of Christmas, most Presbyterian, Baptist, CongregatonaliSt
and Methodist Churches went through an adjustment period
during which they held services on the Sunday nearest
December Is but not on the 25th itself.
Nj 0nIy Drnfncfouf Inuorninrffou rpnNcnH m fhn anTn.