Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1872-12-25
Gbe FREEMAN.
MONTPELIER, VT,
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER %, 1872
Christmas.

/
its traditions, beautiful in its legends, and
sublime ia all its realities. And yet the
anniversary homage paid to an event which
is without a parallel in the worlds history,
loses none of It's freshness OF feryor from
year to year, as a church observance, and
now, ss al the birth OF the new era, when
a new leader was announced Peace on
earth and good will to men - proclaimed, is
the birthday of the Messiah saluted, and Is
commemoration embelIished with " the
beauty Of holiness
To the church it stands for all that the
sacIedEess Of its origin would seem to re-
quire, and It's observance is made gaia day
of religious fervor, expressed in eulogy and
in anthems, ard to the trading, tFatfickIng,
over-worked business world, it means
holiday of fcasting and good checr-a time
for giving and receiving gifts; and day oil
grace" for maturing hank paper. In It's
gilt-moking aspect it may have its mercenary
or commercial as well as its humanitarian
side, it's tlDge of comparative benevoIcnce,
which it is charged sometimes enters into
- wedding presents" and other worldly cal
culatiops.
But there is az little Of the alloy Of SCI
fshness in Christmas transactions IS can lie
found in any semi conventional exchanging
of the symI athies and better sentiments Ol
the people, who become so nearly in unison
once in the year, and especially does tie
innocent and honest simplicity Of tie
90 untutored mind take up its Observance
with vigorous zeal that never enters into
mathematical calculations Of profit and ioz-.
Not that unsOphisticated juyenliity compre
bends fully in all instances that . it is bet
ter to give than to receive but 80 long as
we have such charming writers to tel US
how the good little boys and tie good little
girls always make up purse for the almost
neglected or overlooked one in each parish.
and find in the act their sugar-coatld angel
at the very toe of their stocking, there is
little danger of this most beautiful OF the
scriptural beatitudes dropping out Of tie
list of virtues, which Christmas more than
any other event in the whole year serves to /
develop.
The gift making and gift exchanging Ca
ture OF the day largely prePonderates, and as
demand always creates supply, the ''shop
enters into Christmas garb which Continue
through the = holidays and only fades with
the dying embers of the yulc-log and the
whitening OF the holly. the note Of p'tPar-
alton extends throughout the year, and the
display of diamonds by the bucket-fuIi, 10
jewelers. cases, and the wooden poetry OF
penny dolls intcrmipgled with the red and
yellow Taper-wTappers ofthe'' gIeatreis edy /
in the ixed-uP window OF the - country /
store" where . pearls and PotasEes bar
moniously com miDgle, have been sugg sting /
Christmas in some back shop or lof, where
artisans and mechanics most do cOngreEat', /
for many weary days and months. The day .
to call them from darkness int light, wac
sure to come, together with all the go-o-- t
tweens that childish or full grown fancy /
could desire, or human ingenuity devise 1
Aud here comes in the most important Iart /
oil the gilt-bt stowing business; let the git, !
whatever It is, OF however great Or incl LnIti- /
cant It's money value, contain particle oil I
appropriate ness bit OF the giver's sell, /
which will convey sentiment as well as sub /
stance. OF course the mill-Jwner, Il seized /
with fit of philanthropy, will distribute
turkeys among his hands; the baker viii
accompany his plain morning loaf with
gratuitous sugar-lrosted cake, and [" some
thing in our line will be most likely to
break cut in this very excellent and CON
mendable way of helping to make christmas
merry in almost every instance. Tn chill
d1eD, of course, must be plunlned and toyed
after the manner of children, only too lortu-
nate if Santa Claus is not followed tie next
day by the doctor, and a doletul wall that "a
mysterious Providence should so sfiiict
live human beingSthat cannot stand stufhng
SO well as a dead goose.
But there is class of gft-making which
is or should be solely an eruption of love and
friendship, and which must as a necessity
embOdy to some extent the taste as well as
the sentiment Of the giver. We, the AmcTi-
can people, are sometimes accused of not be
ing we'll educated in this direction, THAT
we run around, giving the same pictures,
books. and bits of silver to each other, witt
out stopping to consider whether some other
shoI window that we have not looked in at,
does not contain something that would better
express US. We may all - haste to the wed
ding with our plated spoons and forks,
according to our means, for ii new partner
ship has been formed which means Business,
ans. we show our good will and good WISHES
by contributing something to the capital
stock of the new concern, and perhaps at the
same time cast little bread upon the water,
but when we 90 deliberately at work to make
ourselves happy by giving something express
sive of ourselves, in the season of gifts j.
should be we'll considered bestowment, such
as will mean Just what it says, not forgetting,
that if the soul is permitted to slip cut Of il
that nothing but the hackneyed, meaningless
form remains.
The value of gift should not be made
percentage on the grand list and estimated
am cunt of bonds possessed by the receiver,
but should be measured by the thickness Of
the giver's pocket book. In no other way
can it be honest, or truthfully express the
proper sentiment to be inspired by the hol'-
day season. 1t cannot lie s'cheerfuI givcr"
who makes his present competitive, to rival
his next-dOor neighbOr, whose DIVIDENDS
come oitener and easier than his own. II
the hearty good will goes with the gift, lis
mission is accomplished, whether it be old
china or delft vase.
The poor NOrtland farmer saves the last
sheaf of wheat from the harvest fed, IN
threshed, till Christmas Eve, when it is set
upon the roof for the hungry binds. We
NAV all Lea re snnnthinn, nnrarnered fnr snch