The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1880-12-22
auo. w. TzPRnT4, Editor.
The Holidays.

'Htvhi 10 ~ Soou Ohut W. auupt W.
The Lnion says: Thanksgiving has
gone and Christmas is coming. The
days between are the brightest of the
year. They are anointed with the
oil of gladness above their fellows.
Thanksgiving has turned the heart
Of the fathers toward the children
and the heart OF the children toward
their fathers. 1t has rcconsecrated
the hearth.stone. 1t has taught
thousands ofcircles, gathered again,
in the places where first they learned
to love one another, the goodness Of
Him who setteth the solitary in fam.
lilies. 1t has shown the household to
be the mirror rejecting Heaven; the
one sweet lake in this hill.country
that brings the blue before the eyes
even Of those who will not look up.
And what is Christmas buta greater
Thanksgiving duy2 A prophecyand
witness of the time when all man.
kind returning to their Fathers
House shall learn at His table that
they are brothersl
When Christmas passes it shall
lead us with u loving hand into the
Week of Prayer, teaching those who
are wise enough to learn, "After this
manner pray yc: saying Our Father"
So this month is rightly named the
season of Holy days. Wise is the
parent who uses its golden threads to
bind tho hearts of his children to
himself, to home, to God Wise is
the preacher who teaches men to see
the name of God engraved in this
jewel of the year.
All perceive the mirth and merry
making of the time. We only need
to point out whence the universal
gladness comes. The effect is OBJ
vious, the cause too often overlooked.
"Half the evil in this world" says
Mr.. Ruskin, comes from people not
knowing what they do like; and not
deliberately setting themselves to
find out what they really enjoy. All
people enjoy giving away money, for
instance, but they don't know that.
They rather think they like keeping
it; and they do keep it, under this
false impression, often to their great
discomfort. Everybody likes to do
good, but not one in a hundred finds
this out. Multitudes think they like
to do evil, yet no man ever really
enjoyed doing evil since God made
the world"
This is a quaint way of repeating
the Sermon on the Mount. If men
enjoyed being selfish and proud and
sinful it could not be truthfully said
BLESSED are. the merciful; Blessed
are the meek; Blessed are the pure
in heart" We have the rarest op-
portunity of all the year, this month,
to teach that obedience to Christ
brings happiness, and that at His
right there pleasures forevermore.
The proof is before our eyes. 1t is
an object-lesson taught by God him
SELF He is writing iteverywhere in
living light.
Many a boy and girl, aye, many
a grown one too, lancies the joys of
Christmas time derived from receiv-
ing presents. But we know it is
not So The joy comes from giving
presents. Thousands of nimble fin.
gers are working secretly-knitting
love into scarfs, sewing love into
slippers-for other people. Hearts
are trimming with joy because they
are in fellowship with him who qauc
His Son, and whose blessedness is
all in giving.
Let us teach our children this.
1t seems as if every Christmas
season God poured out His Spirit
upon all flesh and compelled people
to be Christians for little while.
that they might realize the sweet
ness OF Christ's service and continue
Christians of their own accord. For
eleven months we are all trying to
get the most we can. One month
we all strive to giVe the most We can.
When are VIC happiest?
The word "prophesy" means in
the New Testament teaching the
truth about Christ and His WAYS
When you sec the glow on your little
daughters cheeks as she hurries
home from school to her basket If