The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-12-25
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Wednesday Morning, December rs, 1857
Christina. sunbeam. from Cucum her,

Christmas Sunbeams from Cucum bers
Everyone has entered into an implied con-
tract not to scold during the Christmas holi-
days. There is an exception, mole or less
widely recognized, in favor OF Wendell Phil
lips, who is sort of official termagant-in. or
dinary for the commonwealth of Massachu-
sets, Democratic Congressman. and strong
minded women. There is also small reserv-
alton in northern latitudes of license to use
mild expletives in case of failure of sleigh
ing. Persons outside of the excepted classes
are required to think, speak and write in a
spirit OF charity. and act with brotherly kind
ness toward all the world. The contract is
pretty well kept, too, and Christendom, as q
whole, goes to bed on che 25th of December
better fed, better warmed, and more generally
happy, than on any other night out of the
three hundred and sixty-fve.
1t is possible in Christmas time to extract
sunbeams from the most unpromising cucum-
bers, and persons have been heard the pres
ent season, under the influence of the ap-
preaching holidays, to affirm that they did
not experience a moments irritation when
Dickenss Christmas story, which has become
next to Santa Claus himself the most import
ant feature Of the festival, came to hand so
pervaded by Wilkie Collins that none but
an expert could tell where Dickens and the
consequent laugh came in. Had it been
"Dickens's Christmas story, by John Smith,"
1t would have been all the same, and for
twelve days Smith and his platitudes would
have rested under the shadow of the great
name secure from the critics and their instru-
ments of torture. 1t will be full the middle
of January now before any one is heard to
complain that there is only one half penny
worth of Dickens to such an intolerable deal
of Collins in the last story. Hst-.q
But if one were allowed to be captious and
fault finding there would be a strong tempta-
tion to say that the cucumbers for the manu-
facture of this years sunbeams are uncom-
monty large and fearfully green and cold.
Earthquakes that seem to have rowing COM
mission to travel at their own discretion any
where between the two poles, and shake good
Yankees and rascally Spaniards and outside
barbarian Canadians with impartial rumbling,
are not pleasant subjects for holiday contem-
plation. News OF cyclones in India, hurli-
canes on the ocean, and volcanic eruptions
everywhere, is not cheerful. Christmas greet
ings sound like mockery to the friends of the
poor wretches whose bodies were carried the
other day to Buffalo in those horrible boxes
from the railroad accident at Angola The
fifty thousand unemployed working people of
New York may be sure of turkey to-day,
but the question of bread tomorrow will
measurably spoil its flavor. 1t may be doubt
ed if even holiday benevolence will reach the
starving freedmen of the South Western
States. Depression In business and stringen-
cy in the money market, the closing of manu-
factories aud the discharge of workmen, the
burdens OF taxation and all the sad results of
war, make Christmas sadder than IL should be
in many households. The politician of the
Liberal school is not quite well pleased with
the condition of public affairs, either at home
or abroad. 1t IS not we'll that Crete should be
oyerrun by cruel Turkish invaders, nor that
Garibaldi should be in chains. Neither is it
a good omen when ]. NJ. Mason, r. MT.
-NAio~A esiAu Auhiu dl OcuIueS anu the
whole vile brood of unrepentant rebels begin
to wag their tongues as saucily as in 1860.
Fenianism propagated by gunpowder explo-
sions in England completes the imperfect pic
ture of an unsatisfactory political situation.
Earthquakes fand natural disturbances
would probably occur all the same If Christ
mas came every day in the year; but all ills
but these might easily be avoided if the
spirit of benevolence and charity which
characterizes Christmas were permitted to
rule through all the months. The political
and social ills which rob life of more than
half its value would disappear under the be-
nign influence of the great Christian law of
love which for one day only makns the bad
old world almost another place. 1t is so cost
ly business for mankind to regulate all
their affairs in accordance with system of
false antagonism, and SO great loss of DOW
er to crafty selfshness and hate, that it
must come about in the good time coming,
that there will be universal moral recon-
struction, when the kindliness of Christmas
will be in vogue al the year round ca
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