Year: 1866

In common with the Christian world
everywhere, we celebrate to-day the
birth of the Saviour of mankind. 1t mat
tiers not that chronologists differ con-
cerninr the exact time when, according
to scriptural story, the Redeemer of the
world was born; it is enough for us to
know that, by common consent, the 25th
of December is set apart and made sa-
cred for the commemoration OF the IN
csrnation of Him whose mission it was
to bring peace and good will to man.
To those whose peculiar calling and
province it is to deal with sacred things
and


Point to Heaven and lead the way"


We leave the inculcation of the religious
duties suggested by the day. We will
be content if, by any words of ours, we
may move any of our readers to the
practice Of that charity which the Re-
deemer taught, and which is especially
proper in commeInOration of the vir-
tues of Him who "gave gifts unto men,


We have many poor among us whose
hearts would be gladdened to-day by
the reception of any of the comforts
and some of the nesessaries of life
which many of us well can spare. The
majority of our readers and We our
selves are, it is true, poor, very poor, in
comparison with those most favored by
fortune. but there are few indeed who
will read these lines who cannot afford,
in Justice to themselves and those de-
pendent upon them to do something to al
leviate the distress ofmany who lack the
blessings which even we enjoy. And
we would fail to do our duty to the
kird friends who daily read the REGIS
TER did we neglect to remind them that
the best way.to secure for themselves
the enjoyment of "a merry Christmas"
is for each to gire what he can to his
less fortunate neighbor, and feel about
his heart that peculiar warmth which
only deeds of benevolence and the con-
sciousness of right can give.


But there is even broader and deep
er charity than that which finds its e1-
preston in material gifts, and this too
we would urge our readers to remember
to-day. There is charity clearly
taught by the example of Him whose
birth we celebrate which is even more
rare than that of which we have spoken,
and which was never more needed than
now. We need, in tEis country,
more toleration of opinion, more hber-
ality of sentiment, more regard for the
feelings and sentiments of our fellow
men who are as justly entitled to their
opinions as we. We are all too apt to
establish Prpcrustean standards of be-
lief, and to insist that our fellow citi-
zens must conform to our ideas Of good
policy or bad, without making due al
lowance for differences of education or
differences of mental structure and
thought. The Golden Rule Of doing
NNNAS ehat WHICH VIC Wouu hnsse
Others should do unto us, relates as
much to matters of opinion as it does to
manual deeds, and it is fitting that on
the anniversary of Him who gave to
men the New Commandment we should
especially call it to mind and, with
ali due reverence, obey it. We
will sadly fail to improve the
lesson this day affords, and pay a poor
tribute, to the memory of Him whose
birth We celebrate, II, with all our lip
service, or even deeds of benevolence,
we lack that sublime charity of which
the life of CHRIST affords the
noblest illustration. The same lips
which bade US "Love the Lord, our God,
with all our heart and mind and soul
and strength" also commanded us to
Glove our neighbor as ourselves"