The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1866-12-25

CIIRIsTMAs.-Of all season of tho year,
of all the holidays it brings, none are SO
welcome to Juvenile humanity, none so
sacred to its memory as Christmas. All
the pious teachings of childhood, all the
humanizing influences commenced at
the cradle, and exercised upon the
young and expanding life, date their
germ from that blessed season, and the
sweet story of the Holy Child, manger-
born, but worshipped by the wise men
of the East, is repeated from generation
to generation, gathering beauty and I'M
parting faith as the years roll on, until
the whole Christian family throb and
thrill as one heart, responsive to its sa-
cred teachings.
The nature that is callous to the in
fluences of Christmas, that can take no
ioy in its return, is to be pitied. The
sordidness of the world has crushed out
its feeling, and selfishness prevents 1t
from enjoying the pleasure of making
the young happy. But fortunate 1t Is
for life that there are not many OF these
pitiable creatures i'll the world, that
they do not prepOnderate, but simply
serve by way of illustration to show the
difference between happiness ard dis
content.
Those whom affection presses with
heavy hands, those upon whose lives
the clouds of misfortune gather, feel
out from the enjoyments Of the time.
The wrctched outcast, the frail mortal
whose evil passions have well-nigh ex-
tinguished the divine spark, the sick
and unfortunate, demand at such a
time the Christian consideration OF all
who have been blessed in their "basket
and store" And where is the mortal
whom q bounteous and benign Provi-
dence has blessed with abundance, but
will testify his gratitude by giving OF
his plenty to "feed the hungry and
clothe naked" and thus obey the divine
in junction and win the approving
smiles of Heaven.
All day yesterday, and last evening
too, the museums of juvenescent curios-
tiles were crowded with good hearted
fathers and mothers who were disposed
to remember that they were children
once, and knew. how quickly their little
hearts are wont to throb with glorious
anticipations on each recurring Christ
mas Eve. The streets wore their accns-
toned holiday appearance, and even the
Queen of the Night looked down upon
the scene with an expression that SEEM
ed to say: 81 know that it is Christ
mas Eve as well as you do"
But the little ones, what arc they
doing all this whilei Asleep, perhaps
YOU say. Some of them undoubtedly
were. But if there were not many of
them trying to keep their eyes and ears
open, in the expectation of catching a
glimpse, and hearing the shuttle of Santa
Claus, whose appearance they moment
arily expected, then the children OF the
present generation are differently con-
stituted from these of our day, in the
long ago. 1t is a very easy thing to adj
wise the little ones to close their eyes
and fall asleep rs soon as they are snugly
tucked in their beds on Christmas Eve,
and if they don't do SO Santa Claus will
consider them naughty boys and girls,
and will not put anything in their
stockings, but it is quite another thing
to make them absolutely oblivious on
the occasion. But, after all, whether
such advice was kept OF not, there are
thousands of happy children this morn
ing, who undoubtedly hoped from their
beds Mt an carly hour to ascertain how
much Santa Claus had done for them.