Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1870-12-29

THE DEF EAT OF LtNDAlil AMI lhE 'OHN -
so" BRIaADE-A DISGRACE TO PHrI.ApELpHiA
REPuBIICANs--THE NATIONAL RAILROAD TO NEW
yoRK-oLD cHRIsTMAs-A WEEK DAY SERMON bf
LAY MEMBER. -,
PHILADELPHIA, Dec. 23i-
Special Correspondence Of The Commercial.
The " told you so retort is one In very gen
eral use, and as it is 80 popular, it is pity that
1t does not mean more. II there ever was
glittering generality this old 81 told you so is
one of them. For usually, as from the depths
of your experience you can recall, usually 1t
turns out, that we have not been told so,o more
likely still, that we have been told nothing what
ever about it, Mr. Nonsense Lear has written
short, but entirely unique poem about
An old lady of Prague,
Whose language was dreadfuly vague;
And these chaps who say continually ~ told
you 30 must be her lineal descendants.
The latest assurance Of moment that we have
had from these humorous and well informed
dogs, is to the effect that they told US that Mr..
Lyndall was to be defeated. The fact is, as you
can bear me witness, that they never said any
thing of the sort. But we will quarrel with
them no longer, our grievance lies deeper. From
one point of view it is well that there is class
that can rally speedily from disaster and recon-
cile themselves to disappointment and by means
of Post Mortem prediction.
In truth the blow received In the First Dis
trict was as unexpected as 1t was severe. A he-
publican majority of 700 in October, and Dein-
ocratic ditto of 1900 in December. risk moth
idg in affirming that such sommersault as this
WAS never before turned in our local politics.
Then, YOU must remember, the election was
held under our revised rules. IL ls agreed that
the per centage Of fraud was trihng IL was as
f,s- al atfnY,u T. Ia
District, probably.
Let us watch, and with what patience we can
command, for the result. Republican supine-
| ness and indifference lost the day, and we can
/ do nothing but observe the coming struggle In
the Legislature. Every one admits that this re-
suit is disgraceful to the Republican, OF the lst
District. The election had really State inter-
| est and the Democratic sheets, not here ,ohi',
but over the entire State are jubiant. The
| will be dead lock at Harrisburg, and the fej-
| pies money will be spent to no end
| In the excitement attendant upon the lease OF
the Camden and Amboy Railroad to the Penn
| sylvana Central, the fact that another railway
across New Jersey is speedily to be built, see'ns
to have been nearly lost sight Of. The National
Railway Company has not lost sight of it, how
ever. by any means. The stock in this road was
taken months ago, and work has only been de-
layed until the necessary right OF way should , oe
secured. The legislation has been obtained an''
work will speedily be commenced. When the
road il finished we shall have something like the
proper facilities for travel between this city a'i
New York. At preseat those facilities are not''-
riously inefficient. :, ,5.
Christn1as js here again and all hands are
agreed that 1t is the merriest season we have had
for many year. Until this week the talk abon'
dull business seemed very genuine, and though
a fair trade is now being done 1t may be doupte,
il financially our Christmas is q success Bn
there are other ways Of celebrating the hohda,
than by spending money, that i5-by spending
much money The air Of festivity apparent ol
every hand, shows more clearly the influence ol
the hearty spirit OF the time than could the iav
ish spending Of fortures. You must not thiiil
from this that our stores have been deserte'i !
, That would be notion very wide OF the fact
, walk up Eighth or Arch or Chestnut streets woni'
convince any one to the contrary and he woui'
find, too, abundant opportunity Of investing III
. spare stamps in some sound Christmas Enter
\ prise. The dull fall has, III fact, only anecte,
the Christmas line in the same proportion a. !
) | has other lines of trade, and in the lmmediat
expectation Of the great day itself 'resning m
| felt which will go far towards making 1t all tina
! even the shop-keepers would have It;
full as well as Joyous time The tfdr oid aq' ysaf
dying, thoughts of old things passing, OF ne
8 ones crowding in with irreverent haste: OF, ver
3 often, the poor creatures of life, and Of stead
work upset by unsteady luck ;--the sad truths c
+ the hard fight waged by poor human nature
t of the growing ago Of parents and relatives
4 and-almost as sad--of the growing away {
d the little ones who will be chillren no loi
ger,-all these. things push forwai
j. among the mirth and laughter of Chr is
y mas, and for the thoughtful man sober his Gu
q of joy For the very young only is Christina
l an linmixed good. This is no doubt but a pa
It of the whole truth that this life, take it alt
N gether and with the best it can afford, d,-that tn
poor life is not an unmixed good, after we hay
learned properly to think. When we have we
mastered that miserable passing away lesso
o it takes a longish time to do tive accel
a Christmas, as we do everything else, for IL
an positive good there is in it, but We yearn mo-
:. and more for the time and the place where thel
70 will be no more wickedness, no more sickness
It sorrow, or partings that break the heart.
ii And this Christmas has a recollection partic
ID larly its own. Dickens is dead 1t is related
r. Charles Lamb that for months after the death
his friend, the author of "Christabel." he won
or startle the company he was in, by exclaiming
le the midst of conversation, on,-"Coleridge Is dead
ID That story used nightly to impress me when
n was a youngster. And even since Dickens di
I'd have felt now and then the fact come to me
NJ a personal loss No doubt hundreds OF thou
ands Of people have the same experience Al
10 it was something to be loved as Dickens "
e, loved And he was 80 closely connected VI W
Mt the holiday this year. Again speak for tho
W. | who think ;-the great crowd take their Chrl
ali mas and do not make trouble--and that is t
nd best way if you can do it. 80,
Those sweet lines of Mrs. Barbaulds ha
mt been running in my head all day in thinking
Christmas and Dickens. They are indeed co
nj forting. and are 80 liberal and broad that men
". all opinions can meet thereon. cannot do b
ge ter than quote them:-
ed "Life! we have been long together,
of Through pleasant and through cloudy weather
,e- 'Iis hard to part when friends are dear;
Perhaps twill cost sigh, a tear;-
he "Then steal away, give little warning,
no Choose thine own time: .
~ Say not Good Night, but In some brighter eli
% Bid me Good morning"
Not only poetry, but good sound doctrine
we will only keep it clear in our souls the p
nd sing away" bugbear will not trouble us. 1
W future, s,re-then we can give the children I'll
Ia. Christmas with light hearts.
NJ, begin togrow aware that this is all slightly
pressive in news letter. But" once ye
,e,t You know. The papers are full of news mo
in and out, let us now and then think OF De-
ing things.
n3 will now conclude, as the girls say-Bless
at this time of all ethers by Offering
T original sentiment. Good COMMERCIAL, l "
Yail and your little family-excuse me-y
en- ea whole heaiirt,@I wish you and yours, with
rth. M. vaam rnrrv Christmas and liza
D. NO" ieai' ISpF,