New-York tribune., 1874-12-11
HOUSES SET IN ORDER.

Country and city have both begun to put on
their annual smile of good humor wherewith
to welcome Christmas in; a very Jolly sincere
good humor it is, and an aspect which shows
the average American to better advantage
than his brief space of midsummer laziness,
or the anxious care of the rest of the year.
The American is naturally lavish; likes. to deal
with money, misery or crime in the same big,
hap hazard, full handed fashion. He has taken
readily to the old legend of Christmas; he
likes the sudden burst of warmth and splcndor
and generosity in the midst of the starved,
meager Winter, likes not only to sec his own
table bountifully spread and to heap all the
people about him with gifts, but he takes es-
pecial pleasure in saying, "HOw many poor
"creatures will have good dinner on this
Z" day of the year at least" and helps zeaiOusly
to give it to them. In all probability, for
day or two before and after Christmas, he
will flip trife to every beggar who meets
him, and (if he remembers the matter when a
pen is at HANDY will send check for round
sum to the nearest sOup-house, or to the
Children's Aid. A fortnight later he will not
carry the unemployed poor or the children so
heavily on his conscience. lie is quite willing
to insist on their need and the necessity for
immediate action by somebody, but somehow
the load has slipped from his own shoulders.
Genial good will and open-handed charity
are laid aside until next December, to
reappear with the Christmas turkey and
plum pudding. The annual smile of good hu-
NOR, like everything else of stated and set
season, has its time to fade. Nothing is fur
ther from our intention than to ridicule the
manner in which this good man, and the ma
jority of us, honor old Christmas. AS far as it
goes, it is hearty and helpful; but it goes a
very little way. The freless hearths and
empty stomachs of this Winter are not to be
warmed and fed by either sentiment OF the
remembered glow of eaten Christmas dinners.
Idle wOrkmen begging for odd jobs to keep
their children from starving, or their wives at
home, pinched and hunger bitten, will have
dull idea of Christ's mercy if all they are to
know of it be through the rejoicing of happier
people on the one day of His birth, and the
rest of His life and teaching are q dead
letter.
We would suggest, for this fortnight before
Christmas, one or two employments for his
spare minutes to this average Christian
brother Of ours, which would perhaps give a
different meaning to the holiday, both to him
and the poor about him. The first is. to con-
slider quietly that his neighbor, be he mechanic.
laborer, or beggar Gf he be man whose
prayer OF praise is worth q groat, will praise
God over his Christmas dinner, if he have
earned it, with far higher thankfulness than
if it has been given to him as aims. Sec
ondly, let our friend zealously set about
paying his small bills Let him give
them precedence of the big ones. Whip
pie g. Co. will trust him for thirty days
and not feel it whit; but there is his
milkman driven to the wall for the lack Of
one or two fve-dollar accounts, of which his
is one; and there is Pratt, round the corner.
struggling to keep open the little shop where
his name is down for twenty-Odd; and the
cobblcr, who half-soled the boys shoes. has
come twice for his money, and for the want of it
has not meal in the house to give his own
hungry children. Let us all begin the years
holidays with him by paying our debts to the
last penny of our ability, and after that
flip aims to beggars, or send a check to the
soup-house. 1t is after we arc sure that :" our
"brother hath naught against us" that we are
to " offer our gift upon the altar" not before.
Thirdly, if our provident Christian brother
finds economy necessary, let him at least be
careful that the waste be stayed at the large
cracks. 1t is not economy Of the best sort to
feed family of growing boys and girls on
cheap meats and second rate vegetables, and
with the saved money in our pocket to yield
to sudden temptation of rare engraving
knocked down for nothing at all" Neither
is it system that pays in the long run to
dock the wages of the seamstress and washer
woman. and TO turn off tho hOusemaid (whose