The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-12-25
A Merry Christmas /!

sunshine falls upon each path trod-
den by your feet, and that your
hopes are as green as the cedar
boughs with which you deck your
homes. Christmas is day sacred
to the pleasures Of childhood. The
man and woman who can listen to
the Christmas bellies and not fall to
dreaming of the time when he or
she believed in Santa Claus, is a man
or woman without heart or feeling.
And those who have offspring, il
they cannot think of them, cannot
speak of them, with love and tender
ness during the festival held in hon.
or of Him who said, "Suffer little
children to come unto me, for Of such
it the Kingdom Of Heaven" if they
cannot feel q deep, God-like yearn.
ing for those whom they clothed
with life, no matter how far they
may have wandered from the old
roof tree; if they cannot pray to
hold them once again in their arms
aud to drink in their kisses, then
they are pagans to the chore and are
entirely out Of place in a world OF
Christianity. All! thank God for
Christmas. 1t makes us put saw
age selfishness out of sight and mind
for the time being, and quickens cur
pulse with the sweet music of hu-
manity. Bring fragrant boughs of
cedar and weave them into crowns
and crosses for the decoration of
humble and princely homes, for the
very sight Of them in these frosty
December days, stirs the sea of
memory and causes the winds of
love and humanity to blow. When
We were children we gave very lit
tie thought to class distinctions.
We were not fenced in by freezing
social lines, but were as happy in the
companionship Of a beggar's child,
as in that of one whose ancestry was
as proud and old - the hills or whose
wealth was beyond computation.
All we asked was that our play mate
should resound to the generous i'm.
pulses Of our heart, and should find
delight in those things which de-
lighted us. Heaven be praised for
that companionship which recognize.
es no tie but that of humanity, for
in snch companionship there is
heart and soul and common sense.
tits good to break away from oul
social letters, in fancy, if not in re-
| ality, at least once in every twelve.
| month. When We forget the cold
and cultured restraints, we let the
honest sunshine into the heart and
get down into the flowery paths
which children love to tread. And
then-but We do not mean to preach
q sermon. We only wish to say
that the memories which crowd upon
40 in this holiday season seem to
bring ID into closer sympathies
with our readers. It il az il We sat
before the blazing logs with all our
friends and patrons forming q semi.
circle and dreaming with ~ in the
pickering light Of the IRE. This, we
know, is q shadowy imagination,
bat who does not bow to the spell Of
fancy when the snow fakes are fall.
ing and the Christmas bells are
ringingi In such an hour all who
are moved by memory make very
god of fancy. 1t is a big family
which gathered around usin the dim
and shadowy light, but yet not too
big for one chord Of sympathy to
run through it, or too vast for the
limits Of our love. Sitting then, as
it were, face to face with all Of you
who read the Bossier Banner, We
place our hand upou our heart and
say, Be faithful to the bright memo
ries Of childhood if you would be
faithful to yourselves, and grow into
purer and better men; DO generous