Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-12-28
Charles City, Iowa, Dec. %, 1855.
chr,,tm.s and New Year.

Charles Ulty, IOWA, Deo' 90 iooo'
- Christmas and New Year.
Americans do not have holidays
enough, and those they do have come
too near together. Thanksgiving.
Christmas and New Year oil these
festivals occur in the shdRt space Of
fourier FIVE weeks and then we only
have, for the remainder of the year,
the political holiday Of the Fourth Of
July. 1t u.s. interesting to mark the
difference between Eastern and West
crn people in their medes Of celebra-
ting or keeping Thanksgiving and
Christmas. The New Highlander re-
CARDS Thanksgiving as the holiday OF
the year, while your genuine Western
i,esr or Southerner takes no notice OF it
y whatever. But when Christmas comes,
these latter classes are out in full
feather, and the day is given up fully
70 recreation and enjoyment.
u In this place, the present week,
Christmas was greatly enjoyed by the
young.pccp,e. The weather was mild,
and little parties and sleigh-rides were
AN the 60. On Christmas night old
Santa Claus must have been remarka-
bly, busy. In the morning the rows Of
little stockings gave ample proof OF
his presence. Little eyes sparkled
with delight ), little feet danced glee-
fully, and merry tongues wagged cheer
fully in chorus. The Brass Band came
out ia the afternoon with a large
wagon drawn by four horses, and, ira
versing all our principal streets, made
the air of the village for hours redo
lent with the sweetness Of their music
al strains. Parties Of young men and
Young ladies visited Nashua and
Floyd and attended Balls in those pla-
ces in the evening. The older people
made neighborIy calls, and chatted up
on many topics pertaining to the past,
the present and the future.
December, 1855. goes out with a
brighter and happier record than sew
/, eral Of it's immediate predecessors No
heavy war-cloud glooms the sky; no
thunder from the Southern battlefield
booms sharp upon the air and all the
dead sleep silently upon the clear sky,
while the Christmas SHOWS weave a
white winding sheet above their heads;
and in that Better Country where their
souls are still marching on" we
would fain believe that such joyful
notes Of heaven-bells fall upon their
ears as our poor Christmas chimes on
earth could never ring. To-day no
manacled slave is permitted in oil our
9 land To-day the "magna charts OF
American Independence thus declares:
:, :. Neither slavery nor involuntary servi-
tude, except As . punishment for crime
whereof the party shai! have been duIy con-
yicted, shall exist within the United States OF
any place subjeca 70 their jurisdictioa.'
ilo.ar Therefore it is with pecsliar pleas
ure that we pen our Christmas greet
ings, for never were the words
that celebrate the advent Of our Bles
sed Savior more applicable to an.
other land than to ours at the presen
time. ~
,aia1s" Peace on earth, good will to men
The air seems to ring with it--ever,
face we meet in our daily walks beam
with 1.-THE prosperity of our re-un
ted country endorses it; and, thong
we are far from believing that the mi
lennium has yet come, still we hav'
faith to regard the sheathing of tn
sword as sort of araNt courier of bet
81 ter times for our lately poor, distract
ed country, SO long storm-tossed OF
the unquiet seas now calmed to peace
Before another number Of the Isteu
geneer shall greet our readers the oil
10 year of 1866 will have passed ava.
and we shall have entered upon tn
New Year, 1866. The past has lief
!, its ripple marks worn deeply in man.
heart. Changes have been wrough
in all the relations of life-some hap
Ply and joyful, and some sad to con
template. While we pen these line
we are painfully conscious that there
are choking signs, and tear-stained
faces, and vacant seats, around many
fireside, that will echo not to the
congratulations Of the New Year
Happy for some if. as heroes in q NOR
al strife. they leave behind ION th'
sands Of time -
r. Ii" Footprints that perhaps another.
Sailing DER LIES solemn main,
"A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
49,, Seeing, shall take heart again"
~. The New Years dayl This is thu
season of kind remembrances, of so
2 cial greetings, of smiling faces, and
happy hearts. Even the most stoical
feel new impulse, and their feelings
break forth with . freer Cow to joir
the congratulations Of the New Year
Auimosities, long cherished. are buried
Hearts, alienated, are reconciled, and
+ the heats of passion and prejudice ar,
cooled. u is3gs
Hail, then, thou New Year Glad
~ do we welcome thee ! Bear u
gently on thy wings, and when tn,
4 fight is ended, and thou art numbers
q with the years beyond the food, ma.
none regret the hours they have spen
with thee. Most devoutly do we wisl
all n, "hapDv new voarn and may