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  • Dec. 25, 1880
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  • A MERRY CHRISTMAS.
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The Freemason's Chronicle, Dec. 25, 1880: Page 1

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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

A Merry Christmas.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS .

AS is onr custom at this festive season—a custom we feel the greatest pleasure in observing—we take tlie opportunity of wishing our readers , one and all , a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yrar . Indeed , we can hardly picture to ourselves what manner of man he mnst

be who is slow to express these seasonable wishes . If there are times in the year , when it is considered a kind of necesfity for men to differ among themselves more or less warmly , it is certainly desirable there should be also a time when men may sink their differences , and meet each other with the full determination of being as genial and

pleasant as their means and opportunities will permit . The mere knowledge that at Christmas the different members of well nigh every family in England will devote

themselves to pleasure of a rational character ; that they will be gathering round the festive board , enjoying the innocent dance , or giving themselves up to the fun and frolic of Pantomime , or other seasonable entertainment ,

must be gratifying to all who know anythingof the annoyances , the petty jealousies , the miserable spite , and other feelings of even ' a stronger character which influence different people , and even different members ^ of the same family towards one another under ordinary circumstances .

It would , of course , be much better if we could be jovial at all times ; but as that seems difficult , if not—having regard to human failings—entirely out of the question , we

must content ourselves with hop ing and trusting that at Christmas , and during tlie early days of the New Tear , all ill-feeling will be for the moment set aside . If we cannot , amid the cares of life aud in the hurry of business , find a

little leisure for the practice of that greatest of all virtues —Charity—let us obey its teachings now . In the course of the week which ends this day , the sun , the centre of our system , is supposed to have been for a short time stationary . The longest period of darkness has been reached ,

and we are beginning to look forward to a greater proportion of Light . Moreover , at the close of the Old Tear wo may fittingly balance our accounts with those with whom we may have had dealings , quite as well in respect of the feelings we may entertain towards them , as in that of mere

ordinary business transactions , And the balance having been struck , we have it clear before us to enter on the New Tear with lighter hearts aud more kindly-disposed to our neighbours , as well as with new hopes and aspirations , so that if onr course has run prosperously , ifc may

continue to do so , even perhaps in an increasing degree ; or , if it should have been accompanied by disappointments and losses , we may be able to neutralise the former , aud retrieve the latter . Therefore , and quite apart from the ord . na . ry eagerness for enjoyment , there arc many and

substantial reasons why wo shonld miss ro opportunity of meeting all our fellow beings , as we would like to see them meet us , as influenced solely by the dictates of Charity . If we are fortunately possessed of means , we can enable others to forget the sorrows and

deprivations which are their unhappy lot . Inc pleasure we experience in our own particular circle will be proportionately enhanced . If wo are not so situated , there is no reason why we should allow any but

the kindliest feelings to influence us . There may be remedies for a purse with only very moderate content ? , but bitterness of spirit towards our neig hbours is assuredly not one of them . Hence , be we affluent or the reverse , we may

A Merry Christmas.

enjoy ourselves at the present time in sympathy with each other and with the knowledge that , in the eyes of the Supreme Architect , there is no distinction between us . We repeat , therefore , our good wishes and trust that none of our readers will find the realisation of their pleasure fall armr- nf their anticipations . _ . , _ . . .

Having discharged ourselves of this principal duty , Jet us next endeavour to fulfil one which is only a degree less in importance . This is the opening number of onr rp „™„ , »__ » nT VhT . rr-rR . and it devolves upon us , therefore ,

to express to our friends and supporters our heartfelt thanks for their kind encouragement . We have , as we have remarked before on similar occasions , had an uphill task n c rt- ;_ _« nnnxr matter for a new lournai to ¦¦ ¦ <¦> ¦ ¦

oerore LIS . - > - " ~ - ~_ . nut ™» establish itself in public favour , or in the favour of that paiticular class to which it may appeal . Friends are apt to o-row a little lukewarm when the first few months are gone and they find the future is not altogether as bright as it should have been . Others there are who hold aloof at tbe

outset , the while they acknowledge there is room to spare for the new journal . They prefer not to commit themselves too soon , though , of course , their support at so critical a time might happen to make all the difference between success and failure . There is further the direct opposition , which but very few new

ventures escape . We have , however , uuncnlties thus engendered . Our friends have most loyalty backed us up from the beginning . Those who held aloof have gradually extended towards us their sym-¦ nn . tr .-c- while the opposition we may have encountered

in the beginning is no longer of a character to affect our position to any appreciable extent . For ourselves we have striven earnestly to support the interests of the Cratt . We may not , perhaps , on all occasions have adopted the policy which seemed best to our readers , and we are willing to admit thatin some instances , we may have been

mis-, taken in the course we felt it our duty to advocate or uphold Still , whatever may have been our shortcomings , we judge , from the regularly-increasing support we have received , either that those shortcomings have not becnot a verv striking character , or that our friends have graciously overlooked themon the ground that if wo have shown

, ourselves wron-headed in this or that instance , we were not wrong-hearted . Still , whatever explanations there may be to account for the friendly reception we have experienced , ifc is with excusable pride we draw attention to the fact of onr now having completed an existence

extending over six years . We cannot , of course , as regards the future , say whether or not the number of our constituents will go on increasing . All we can promise is-that no effort will be spared to secure such a result We shall continue steadily iu the path wc have pursued hitherto , our one object of ambition being to uphold , as far as we possibly

can , the interests of Freemasonry . We stialluse our n- _ uo _ - endcavours to observe , as heretofore , the strictest impartiality in the treatment of all questions of a controversial nature . We shall never lose sig ht of the important _ tact that a journal which sacrifices its independence of opinion oi

in order to pander to tho whims aud caprices a _ nqu » is worthless . Even those who differ from us most widely will appreciate us the more , the more they find us free from partiality in this or that direction . And with this determination , And a repetition of our hearty good wishes to all our readers , that they may enjoy themselves thoroughly during the period of festivity now begun , wc pass to , tne consideration of other matters .

“The Freemason's Chronicle: 1880-12-25, Page 1” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 12 July 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fcn/issues/fcn_25121880/page/1/.
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Title Category Page
A MERRY CHRISTMAS. Article 1
PHILADELPHIA, THE PREMIER MASONIC CITY OF AMERICA.—No. II. Article 2
CHRISTMAS ENTERTAINMENTS. Article 2
CONSECRATION OF THE WILLIAM OF WYKEHAM LODGE, No. 1883. Article 3
MEETING OF THE LODGE OF BENEVOLENCE. Article 3
PRESENTATION TO BRO. E. S. MAIN. Article 3
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 4
WITHDRAWAL OF VISITORS. Article 4
AN APPEAL. Article 4
ORDER OF THE TEMPLE. Article 4
Untitled Ad 4
INSTALLATION MEETINGS, &c. Article 5
LODGE ELIOT, No. 1164, ST. GERMANS. Article 5
Untitled Ad 6
REVIEWS. Article 6
IS MASONRY DETERIORATING. Article 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 7
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Ad 8
Untitled Article 8
LODGE HISTORIES. Article 8
FAITH LODGE OF INSTRUCTION, No. 141. Article 10
DIARY FOR THE WEEK. Article 11
NOTICES OF MEETINGS. Article 11
SINCERITY LODGE, No. 174. Article 12
FIDELITY LODGE, No. 230. Article 12
NORTH YORK LODGE, No. 602, MIDDLESBROUGH. Article 12
ST. OSWALD'S LODGE, No. 910, PONTEFRACT. Article 12
FALCON LODGE, No. 1416. Article 13
Untitled Ad 13
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

A Merry Christmas.

A MERRY CHRISTMAS .

AS is onr custom at this festive season—a custom we feel the greatest pleasure in observing—we take tlie opportunity of wishing our readers , one and all , a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Yrar . Indeed , we can hardly picture to ourselves what manner of man he mnst

be who is slow to express these seasonable wishes . If there are times in the year , when it is considered a kind of necesfity for men to differ among themselves more or less warmly , it is certainly desirable there should be also a time when men may sink their differences , and meet each other with the full determination of being as genial and

pleasant as their means and opportunities will permit . The mere knowledge that at Christmas the different members of well nigh every family in England will devote

themselves to pleasure of a rational character ; that they will be gathering round the festive board , enjoying the innocent dance , or giving themselves up to the fun and frolic of Pantomime , or other seasonable entertainment ,

must be gratifying to all who know anythingof the annoyances , the petty jealousies , the miserable spite , and other feelings of even ' a stronger character which influence different people , and even different members ^ of the same family towards one another under ordinary circumstances .

It would , of course , be much better if we could be jovial at all times ; but as that seems difficult , if not—having regard to human failings—entirely out of the question , we

must content ourselves with hop ing and trusting that at Christmas , and during tlie early days of the New Tear , all ill-feeling will be for the moment set aside . If we cannot , amid the cares of life aud in the hurry of business , find a

little leisure for the practice of that greatest of all virtues —Charity—let us obey its teachings now . In the course of the week which ends this day , the sun , the centre of our system , is supposed to have been for a short time stationary . The longest period of darkness has been reached ,

and we are beginning to look forward to a greater proportion of Light . Moreover , at the close of the Old Tear wo may fittingly balance our accounts with those with whom we may have had dealings , quite as well in respect of the feelings we may entertain towards them , as in that of mere

ordinary business transactions , And the balance having been struck , we have it clear before us to enter on the New Tear with lighter hearts aud more kindly-disposed to our neighbours , as well as with new hopes and aspirations , so that if onr course has run prosperously , ifc may

continue to do so , even perhaps in an increasing degree ; or , if it should have been accompanied by disappointments and losses , we may be able to neutralise the former , aud retrieve the latter . Therefore , and quite apart from the ord . na . ry eagerness for enjoyment , there arc many and

substantial reasons why wo shonld miss ro opportunity of meeting all our fellow beings , as we would like to see them meet us , as influenced solely by the dictates of Charity . If we are fortunately possessed of means , we can enable others to forget the sorrows and

deprivations which are their unhappy lot . Inc pleasure we experience in our own particular circle will be proportionately enhanced . If wo are not so situated , there is no reason why we should allow any but

the kindliest feelings to influence us . There may be remedies for a purse with only very moderate content ? , but bitterness of spirit towards our neig hbours is assuredly not one of them . Hence , be we affluent or the reverse , we may

A Merry Christmas.

enjoy ourselves at the present time in sympathy with each other and with the knowledge that , in the eyes of the Supreme Architect , there is no distinction between us . We repeat , therefore , our good wishes and trust that none of our readers will find the realisation of their pleasure fall armr- nf their anticipations . _ . , _ . . .

Having discharged ourselves of this principal duty , Jet us next endeavour to fulfil one which is only a degree less in importance . This is the opening number of onr rp „™„ , »__ » nT VhT . rr-rR . and it devolves upon us , therefore ,

to express to our friends and supporters our heartfelt thanks for their kind encouragement . We have , as we have remarked before on similar occasions , had an uphill task n c rt- ;_ _« nnnxr matter for a new lournai to ¦¦ ¦ <¦> ¦ ¦

oerore LIS . - > - " ~ - ~_ . nut ™» establish itself in public favour , or in the favour of that paiticular class to which it may appeal . Friends are apt to o-row a little lukewarm when the first few months are gone and they find the future is not altogether as bright as it should have been . Others there are who hold aloof at tbe

outset , the while they acknowledge there is room to spare for the new journal . They prefer not to commit themselves too soon , though , of course , their support at so critical a time might happen to make all the difference between success and failure . There is further the direct opposition , which but very few new

ventures escape . We have , however , uuncnlties thus engendered . Our friends have most loyalty backed us up from the beginning . Those who held aloof have gradually extended towards us their sym-¦ nn . tr .-c- while the opposition we may have encountered

in the beginning is no longer of a character to affect our position to any appreciable extent . For ourselves we have striven earnestly to support the interests of the Cratt . We may not , perhaps , on all occasions have adopted the policy which seemed best to our readers , and we are willing to admit thatin some instances , we may have been

mis-, taken in the course we felt it our duty to advocate or uphold Still , whatever may have been our shortcomings , we judge , from the regularly-increasing support we have received , either that those shortcomings have not becnot a verv striking character , or that our friends have graciously overlooked themon the ground that if wo have shown

, ourselves wron-headed in this or that instance , we were not wrong-hearted . Still , whatever explanations there may be to account for the friendly reception we have experienced , ifc is with excusable pride we draw attention to the fact of onr now having completed an existence

extending over six years . We cannot , of course , as regards the future , say whether or not the number of our constituents will go on increasing . All we can promise is-that no effort will be spared to secure such a result We shall continue steadily iu the path wc have pursued hitherto , our one object of ambition being to uphold , as far as we possibly

can , the interests of Freemasonry . We stialluse our n- _ uo _ - endcavours to observe , as heretofore , the strictest impartiality in the treatment of all questions of a controversial nature . We shall never lose sig ht of the important _ tact that a journal which sacrifices its independence of opinion oi

in order to pander to tho whims aud caprices a _ nqu » is worthless . Even those who differ from us most widely will appreciate us the more , the more they find us free from partiality in this or that direction . And with this determination , And a repetition of our hearty good wishes to all our readers , that they may enjoy themselves thoroughly during the period of festivity now begun , wc pass to , tne consideration of other matters .

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