Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-01-09
The Universal Christmas Feast.

1t would have been wild prediction
of the optimist three centuries ago
that the time would ever come when on
one day in the year everybody in Chris
tendon would have good dinner.
And yet it is almost realized. The gos-
pei of humanity has almost reached the
point. 1t is perhaps wasteful and ex
cessive mode of showing our humanity,
but there is this good about it, that the
feasibility of accomplishing it on one
day will suggest the possibility of max
ing at least decent dinners more COM
mon to people generally, and that
when a man has once tasted the pleas
ure of prodigal meal, he may be in
duced to some personal eXertion of in
dustry and thrift to procure himself the
pleasure again.
We know by statistics that there is
food enough to satisfy everybody if it
We're properly distributed, and the les
son that it can be distributed one day
is most important one. The danger
of course is that it is human nature to
depend upon charity when once charity
is accepted. and SO to lose the one price,
less thing to any man, which is indie
pendence. But the beauty of Christmas
is in its recognition of common hui
manity and common dependence on
something beyond humanity, and the
charity of it is not q condescension
that can puff anybody up or hurt any
mans pride, but diffused good.feeling,
and a drawing together in a common
tete of all sorts and conditions of men.
Here in the United States it is literal
ly of all sorts and colors, comming
ling of people under one privilege ab
solutely unparalleled. And to enjoy
the Christmas of humanity we are not
required to eat the same sort of dinner,
any more than we are required to have
the same sort of creed. The plantation
negro with 'possum fat and coon
drown cracklin,' wild graby-go way
dar chile! } is just as much alive to the
Odor of the anniversary as the English
denizen with his traditionary roast
beef and plum-pudding. We have
learned by the hard discipline of new
country that we can make very thank
full meal for the day out of wild turkey
and canyas-back ducks, f1anked by
green goose, with appropriate accom-
paniments. People can get used to
anything if they only have the right
spirit.
Indeed, it has been said that it is not
SO much what we eat on Christmas day
as what we give away that raises our
spirits; but this is to be understood
within limits, for it cannot be denied
that there is such thing as universal
hunger on Christmas day that will not
be allayed any more in the case of
rich man than poor man by the re
membrance of good deed warmed
over. But the best sauce to a good
dinner is the thought that nobody else
within reach is hungry. And better
even than the dinner of the lay is the
universal spirit of goodwill that broad
ems year by year, and deepens, we are
sure. The Drawer has rot intended to
make a homily by way of accompani-
ment to anybody's repast, and is salts
fled if it can send light ripple of
laughter round the world-Chdrles
Dudley Warner, in Hdrper's Magazine
for December.
How a Christmas Club was Formed.
We reprint from the Christmas So.
Nicholas, the following account Of the
formation at Portland, Me-, of chill
dren's Christmas club, which gave
Christmas-tree and dinner to six-hun-
dred poor children of that city.
A number of notes were written ask
ing two or more girls and boys from
every SGnday-school in the city to meet
at certain house at five o'clock, Oh
the following Thursday afternoon.
Did they come?
Come? They did not know what the
call was for, save for whisper about
Christmas work; but they came: came
in pairs, in trios, in 9uartets and 9uin-
tets-a whole squad from the Butler
school; big boys with big hearts. wee
tots, only four years old from tn,
kindergarten-one hundred children
ready for anything.
Oh, wish you could have been there
at the forming of that club.
A lady came forward to speak to
them, and their voices were hushed in
expectation. can't tell you just what
she said, but her words were beautiful.
She spoke of their Christmas festivities
every year, of their presents and theiI
friends; then of unfortunate children
who had fewer, some none, Of these
joys.
When she asked: "Does anyone her
want to do anything for these others?"
the thought that they could do any
thing was new to almost ALTO many
even the wish was new; but like one
great heart-throb came their answer:
Yes! 1! 1! 1! l want to do some
thingr'
Children, what can you do?"
A pause, and then one little voice
cried
Dive 'em cent?
That was the first offer, but It was
followed by many another: Give 'em
candy!" ''Give 'em turkey" ''Give
'em coat!"-each beginning with that
grand word Give"
The result of that meeting was |
this:
To form club which should last
'forever;" to call it THE Children's |
Christmas Club" to have for its motto:
Freely We have received. freely give;"
to place the membership fee at ten
cents, so that no child should be pre-
vented from joining because he was not
''rich;" to make no distinction in re-
gard to sect or nationally; to permit to
join the club any girl or boy under
eighteen years Of age who accepted its
principles. which were: To be ready al |
all times with kind words to assist chill
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