The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1869-12-25

~ 10 W 10 lodEcu tne laIIeT was cOnol0-
erably diluted, but it would be worse
than rash to say that it did not exist.
The jovial Christmas festivities of onr
British ancestors is to this day q pleas.
ant memory, which is preserved not
only by their SCOTT and TrsSYsoS. but
perhaps with equal felicity by our own
LoNGFELLow, WHITTIER and BRYANT
The lord OF misrule, the abbot of unraa.
son, the tables where master and serv.t
ants sat down together, divided only by
the salt, to partake Of capops and hens,
boar's head and turkeys, calves or
oxen roasted whole, geese and baked
swan-which was at one period the dish
of dishes-and partook of them all with
blessed unoonsciousness of dyspepsia;
the copjuring and riddles, the hot
cookies and snapdragon, the ivy and
holly, laurel and Isisltetoe are not yet
forgotten, nor are we willing that they
should be.
"o udNc uO NooiiSJ aouCCuj
to see our people slavishly copy for
eign customs, whether English, French
or German, even in their pleasures.
Thank COP there is no necessity. We
are as capable of national originality in
this direction, as we have proved our
selves to be in others; but one thing we
insist upon, namely: that morally, So
cially and politically the people need
more than they have of positive festiv
ity. We do not cay relaxation, for re-
taxation is inert and negative, and
means nothing more than mere absence
from work. We do not say amusement,
for this implies the passive witnessing
of something of the spectacle species,
got up for the purpose, rather
than active participation In spon-
taneous nirth; but we use the
term festivity for want of better, as
meaning something which the "anuse-
ments" patronized by the rich, at least,
seldom confer, and without which re.
taxation to q man in good health be-
come, tedious and stupid. There are
few active men ;who do not find holi-
days, as we manage them, something of
bore. RUsKIN says of this generation
that it is "dying for want of joy" This
is probably the best word of all. "Joy"
be it then, and RUsKIN is assuredly
right. We are too constantly upon the
strain; cur very amusements are se-
rious and fatiguing, and what is wanted
is not only more holidays az opportuni.
ties for joy, but more Of joy or e1hilara-
tion when we have the opportunity. A
Christmas evening spent German fash
ion is an illustration of what we mean.
The Christmas tree with its sparkling
lights, the beaming little faces round
it, the screams of delight as the toys are
taken from the branches, tho romping
games joined in by young and old, the
family dance that even grandmother
shows her steps in-learned sixty years
ago-(where's the harm we'd like to
know D-why should not every home
American as we'll as German have these
things, and why should such gladness
come but once a yearf These young
hearts, that will lie down in their
beds tonight still tiDgling with
JOY might tiDgle so, to the advantage of
others as well as their own, much Of
tener than they do. The mothers who
shepherd the n TO bed would find their
own cares sit the lighter for it at home,
grown sons would gladly spend their
evenings more frequently with them,
fathers would find it less necessary to-
60 ont of doors to dilute the DAYS
trouble, contentment would be rIore
prevalent and the meaner, dirtier forms
of vice would become more rare.
"a word more," as the prea chers say.
We hope that we do not pass beyond
the province of the newspaper when we
remind our readers that the lesson of
the lowly birth of JESUS is that of love,
or charity-charity to those with whom
we differ politically or religiously-
charity to such as are richer than our
selves, more popular or more fortunate,
and especially charity to those of our
brethren poorly clad, poorly fed and
poorly housed, who are emiaently the
brethren Of Hin who was born on
Christmas Day.