Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1872-12-25
A Perfect Christmas.
BY LEIGH HUNT.

4 Christmas day, to be perfect,
should be clear aud cold. with holly
branches in berry, a blazing fire, a
dinner with mince-pies, and games
and forfrits in the evening. You can
not have it i'll perfection if you arc
very fine and fashionable. Neither,
alas! can it be enjoyed by the very
poor;so that, in fact, perfect Christ
mas is impossible to be had till the
progress Of things has distributed
comfort more equally. But, when
We do our best, We arc privileged to
enjoy our utmost; and charity gives
us right to hope. Tie completest
cnjoyer of Cristmas (next to a lover
who has received forfeits from his
mistressl, is the holiday school-boy
who springs up early, like a bird,
dar.iug hitler and thither, out Of
sheer delight, thinks of his mincc-
pies half the morning, has too much
of them when they CONS (pardon him
this oncc), roasts clics.nuts and cuts
apples halt tkc evening, is CONSCIOUS
of his new silver in his pocket, ana
laughs at every piece of mirth with
loudness that rises above every other
noise. Next day what a peg-top he
will not buy! what string, wi hat nuts,
what gingerbread! And lie will have
u new-knife, and pay three times too
much for it. Sour oranges he will
also suck, squeezeing their checks
iuto his own with staring eyes; and
his mother will tell him they are not
good for him-and let him go OH.
A Christmas evening should ifpos-
siblc, finish with m.sic. 1t carries
off the excitement without abrupt
ness, and sheds repose over the
conclusion of enjoyment.
A word respecting the more seri-
Gus part of the days subject alluded
to above. 1t is but Il word, but it
may SOW q seed Of reflection in some
Of the best natures, ,espccially i'll these
days oc perplcxity between new doc
trines and old. Itappears to us that
there is point never enough dwelt
upon, if at all, by those who attempt
to bring about reconciliation be-
tween belief and the want of it. 1t is
addressed only to the believers i'll q
Providence, but those who have that
belief, if they have no other, are
numerous body. The point is this
that Christianity. TO say the least
of it, is great ecent. 1t has had a
wonderful! effect on the world. and
still has, even in the workings of its
opparcntly-uniilial daughter, modern
Philosophy, who could never have
been what she is but for the doctrine
of boundless sympathy, grated upon
the elegant self-rcfcrenec of the
Greeks, and the Patriotism Of the
Romans, which was SO often a mere
pretext for most unneighbor!y injus-
ticc. Now SO great an event must
have been in the contemplation of
PrUvidcncc-onc of the mountain
tops ofi;s manifestation; and if we
say, even of Shakespeare and q
Plato (ard not without reason), that
there is sonnet. ing "diviDr" in them,
that is 10 say, something partaking
of u more energetic and visible pOr-
ton of the mysterious spirit brcathed
into mankind, how much more, and
with how much more rcvercntial a
love,ought we not to have divine inn
preston Of the nature of Him who
drew the great line between the mar
rowncss Of the Old World and the
OF the New, and utter
ell TO the earth, through the anselical
organ of His whole being, life, and
death, that truly celestial doctrine,
"think Of others ~