The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1882-12-27
8amaiiair Gazette.
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER p, 1852.
. STORY roR rHr LITTLE ONES

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER %, 1882.
Merry Christmas,
STORY PoR THE LITTLE ONES.
M8RRY CHR1srNAsl Dear, grand old mer-
ry Christmas, with its good things to eat,
| and fine new clothes, candies and toys, hops
| and balls. and books and dolls, and ringing
| happy carnls-merry, merry Christmas
Everybody is merry, big and little; and
everything, the cat, and dog, and canary, even
| the dumpy little brown sparrows that hop
across the gutter TO your window for the
crumbs Of Christmas cake you scatter-even
they, wag their wise little round heads while
they turn one eye up to you and one down TO
the crumbs as much as TO say, 40 yes, we
know what this is all about"
You hung up your stockings of course; not
by a great open fireplace, as we grown-up
people used TO do. Grandma can tell you
about those things; how old Santa Clans was
said to come down the great-throated chimney
with his four reindeer, and how he crammed
the stockings of good children with beautiful
things, sweetmeats and toys, and stuck only
great whip in the stockings Of the bad boys
and girls
If grandma told you such story, you
laughed, just as much as if it were not
make-believe, and hung up your stocking by
the stove CRATE or register, or radiator, in a
place where you like TO sit, for somehow it
seems best to hang Christmas stocking in
nice cosy place.
You know of course that grandma queer
story about Santa Claus and his reindeer are
just pleasant fancies: but children must have
stories, particularly on Christmas; so | will
tell you now, about THE VERY FmsT CmIsT-
MAS.
Did you ever wonder why people give more
and better presents on Christmas than at any
other time? Why Christmas comes only once
year? whether there are any people who do
not have Christmas? whether there was ever
time when there was no Christmas and,
finally, why Christmas comes at all2 If you
will listen to my "Old, old story" you will
know all about these things, for the story is
as true as it is old. 1t will be about the very
first Christmas, and the very first Christmas
presents, and the very first little boy-yes, a
little haby-boy was the very first one in the
world TO get Christmas present. So you zee
children, little children, Christmas belongs to
you more than to any one else.
THE STORY.
Away beyond the seas-beyond England,
Italy and Turkey-where the skies are bluer
and the stars shine larger and brighter than
they do here, II was pleasant summer weather
when the first Christmas came. The beautiful
stars looked down on the grassy hillsides, and
saw not only roses Of Sharon and lilies of the
valley, but many focks of beautiful white
sheep lying fast asleep on the green pastures.
The little lambs, cuddled close to their moth
ers, were not all afraid of the wolves. for the
good shepherds sat up all night, out of doors,
and watched the stars above, and took care of
the flocks below.
These shepherds loved the stars, studied
them, named them, and knew more about them
than any one else. On this night of all nights,
while they sat gazing up into the clear, deep
blue sky, gloriously spangled with the twink
ling, burning stars, suddenly there shone
above and around them a wonderful light that
made the night brighter than the day.
The shepherds were very much frightened.
i suppose they thought the world was about
to come to an end; and while they were in
great distress as to whether they should try
TO escape for their lives or remain, an angel
came floating down through the dazzling light,
SO near they could hear the music of his voice.
And the angel said TO them, Fear not: for ]
bring you good tidings of great 10Y. which
shall be TO all people. For to You is born this
day in the city of David, Saviour"
The shepherds did not see him come, but
suddenly there were with this angel thousands
and thousands Of other angels, filling with
light all the space from the highest star of the
night down TO the very hill-tops, very much
as Jacob saw them III his dream, on the great
stairway that reached from earth to heaven |
imagine that their white robes seemed new
and shining like silver in the sun: and that
each had a star on his forehead and harp in
his hand; but l know that they all sang
Christmas carol; the first, best, grandest
Christmas carol ever sung.
hope with you some day TO hear, perhaps
help the angels to sing it-"Glory to God in
the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill
towards men," The sweetest earthly music is
that Of hundreds of little children together
singing Christmas carols. Think Of the
glorious light, the open air, the peaceful hill
sides, the clear, sill, summer night, and
thousands Of white robed angels singing their
Christmas carolsl Think Of all this when you
cling yours.
Then the angels went back into hea, en-, tax
ing the great light with them, and there were
only the blue sky and the stars above, and the
fiocks and flowers below, Just as they wore
before.
When the angels were gone, the shepherds
looked at one another in amazement and said,
"Let us now go to Bethlehem, and see what
has come TO pass there.
They knew all about "the City of David" of
which the first angel had spoken. They had
expected that God would send them mighty
king, who would live in beautiful palace,
surrounded with gardens and trees and foun-
tains, and that he would drive out the hateful
Roman king and make the country glorious
and them rich; but instead of this these angels
had come TO bring them word of only little
child. II, instead of angels, God had sent a
ord In fhaf uu1x e.. till
great king they expected was a little baby
boy, do not think they would have paid
much attention TO his story: but now they
knew it must be a wonderful child to be sung
about by angels, and so they hurried away to
Ind him, leaving their sheep in the fields.
When they reached the city they found it
crowded with people from the country, for the
Roman king had made all the people come
there TO pay their taxes, and tie hotels and all
the houses were so full that the baby's father
and mother had to stay in a barn where the
oxen and COWS and sheep fed. 1t was such
nice weather they did not mind staying there,
and the manger made cradle for their baby |
who was comfortably wrapped up just like |
any other baby in long swaddling clothes |
There must have been good many babies in |
the city, do not know how the shepherds |
found the right one, unless a star went before |
hAcun de IL ulu DtlOIe some OllltI NlslIOTS L |
will tell you of; but they found him, and when |
they bad seen him, they went all about the |
city telling everyone about the light and the |
angels, and what the angels had said and sung; |
and everybody wondered, and the whole city |
was full of the talk, for they knew these shep-
herds were truthful men, / think even the |
baby's mother was surprised at their story. |
though she knew her boy was wonderful |
boy. She did not say much but was never |
tired of thinking it over The shepherds went |
back to their fiocks "glorifying and praising
God, because they had seen and heard every |
thing just as the angels had said
Presents? Dyes. do not know whether |
the shepherds brought presents or not; they
came away in such hurry ! presume they |
did not; but the little boy had other visitors. |
Some very wise men who lived in the far, far
east, in the country where the beautiful garden |
of Eden was, came 10 visit him. They also |
studied the stars, and one night they saw a
new one that kept moving towards the west,
and they partly knew what it meant, and fol- |
lowed 1t many days over hills, and through |
valleys, and deserts, till it came and stood |
over where the young child was When the
star stopped they rejoiced greatly, and when
they came into the house they saw the little |
boy with his mother, and they fell down and /
worshipped him. Then they opened their
treasures and made him presents of gold, and
frankincense, and myrrh. Look at the word |