Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1886-12-31
Volume KILLING 90.


Jean recall any other poesa of the author
1t was his good fortune to put into brisk
! and melodious form the universal Christ
mrs feeling, and to describe Santa Claus
as the fancy of childhood sees him The
good giver of gifts is the true genius of
the ss.ssun. 1t is il giving witch does
not invite nor permit the refineaents of
philosophy and speculation upon their
spiritual fitness, but with d generous
hand showers them upon old and young
as the rain descends upon the just and
the unjust. 1t is the great and affiuent
| giving of food and drink and doles and
toys and all that rejoices the heart of
man or boy,
Yet it is undeniable that this tradition
/ of Santa Claus has become almost as op-
pressive as it is delightful Santa Claus
himself, indeed, has the cap of Fortu-
natus His baskets and stores ere self
replenishing. and when he arrives upon
the roof the very gifts for every age and
taste peer out of his pockets and push
themselves into his hands, and he has
| only to slide down chimney, and there
are the capacious stockings eagerly
awaiting him and ready to stretch to the
utmost to receive his gracious largess.
Santa Claus is a happy fellows as indeed
how could Inc fountain of such universal
happiness help eing? The Pied Piper
is only one of his disguiscs. and if we
could once catch that dancing dervish
we should find that the merry music to
which all the children caper is merely
the bewitching tale of the c7ming gifts
at Christmas.
But the disciples of Santa Claus. his
viceroys and substitutes. are very differ
ent from the saint himself. To sally
forth into Broadway or Fourteenth
Street or Twenty third Street with intent
to fit yourself out as Santa Claus is
one of the most bewildering of delight
full undertakings. A poor book-lover
whom the Easy Chair knew used to say
that the only way to save his money was
to go into all. the book stores. and in
seeing that he could not buy everything
that he wanted, he was reconciled to-
buying nothing So at Christmas the
embarrassment of riches -moderates eX-
pense. and the gaping stocking is in dan
ger of going uafed from the very fulness
OF the possible supply The fascinated
and confused loitercr, as willing TO buy
one thing as another, and unable to buy
all. stares and admires, and universally
desires, and buys nothing. In the happy
enchantment of the spectacle everything
seems to him fairer and more attractive
than anything else. and he returns, how
often. Jaded. delighted. dazcd with his
head fell Of fancies and his heart Of emo
The emptyhandcd. however, are, not
all. The full handed, indeed. are them
selves one of the pleasantest Christmas
spectacles. The satisfaction of the dis
cipla who hastens homeward conscious
that he has secured what every stocking
at his chimney most desires is as serene
as that of the parent bird winging nest
ward with the plumpest of worms in his
bill That sweet smile is the forecast Of
childish happiness. The beaming paEs
entail faces glow with the light of happy
homes. The street seems to be full of
hurryiug henedictions-''M Merry Christ.
mas to all, and to all good-nightw
Bat as we linger along the Christmas
streets and survey the lavish profusion
of costly or tasteful or useful or beauti-
ful or fanciful devices to charm the gold
and silver from the wayfarers purse, we
may well wonder whether Santa Claus
himself, should some mishap befall his
Journey in d-air, and some one of his
fleet team. Dasher or Dancer, perhaps,
or Donder or Bitten, should cast ce-
lestlal shoe or trip over a snow flake, or
the whole team shy as Jack Frost spark
les by-whether Santa Claus. if sudden
ly obliged to renew his freight, and
allghting for that purpose in the holiday
city, might not for moment be little
lost in the delicious perpleXity, and for
get his blitheSome errand in his own de-
iitrHt NnptnI Inly- hsAr oil 10,
heart might justly diate with generous
vanity in the consciousness that of all
saints in the calendar he is most sincere
ly and universally worshipped-if in
deed, Saint Valentine little later, did
not dispute the palm.
If the imagination of the child-and
"a boys thoughts are long long
thoughts could reveal its Christmas
secrets, doubtless we should see it sh&p-
ing for his wonder the strange woods of
Santa Claus, in which the veriurc is all
of Christmas trees lit with tiny tapers,
and blossoming, beyond apple-trees in
June, with rare and beautiful gifts,
while yet from out that blooming realm
of everlasting green the monarch mutf1ed
from the cold, comes gliding over the
hoar-frost with airy reindeers tinkling in
the chilly moon. To share that mid
night ride, to behold the multitudnous
stockings, and to return to the realm of
eternal Christmas gifts. is vision not
beyond the daring Imagination of the
boy who, in the joy Of the Christmas
morning twilight as he feels the forms,
before seeing the beauty. of his gifts,
looks beyond the gifts to the region
whence they come, as in touching ivory
and beholding pearls and smelling spices
he is rapt into far Persian and African
and Indian world. sees birds of paradise,
aud saunterS under palms.
"ChriStmas comes but once year
was the old English open sesame to the
heart and hand of charity. To that APP
peal what lord or lady could be deaf?
Let it be gold to-day, your honor, in
stead of silver o. copper; flowing ale for
limpid water; capon instead of crust; to-
day let us own the equality that we pro-
fess: for one honest hour let us be
brethrcn-for Christmas comes but once
II year. Tomorrow seltishness and mean
ness. and class and pride and hard in
humanity; but to-day generosity and
hospitality and kindliness and human
sympathy and brotherhood-for Christ
mas comes but once year. We cannot,
indeed. return with Santa Claus to his
magical realm of gift blossoming groves,
nor step into that swift chariot and fol-
low in the moonlight the soft music of
fairy bells. No, wistful youth, we cannot
stay the fleet angel, but we can compel his
blessing. We can bow to the laying on
of his hands, and rise his disciples and
vicegerents. and make his happy benc
diction real through all the year-"Mer-
ry Christmas to all and to all good
night. -Ge)rge William Curtis, In Uar-
pers -Ndaa=5ae.
An eye to self-protection: Small Boy
Tin stOre}-l want to get Christmas
present for mother. Proprictor-How
wn1Ild n Mir Of Sli,A,nnrs do SnnnNS