Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1886-12-22
fro BE Continued
CHRISTMAS AND THE CYNIC.

over.
aThere is more brotherly love and uplifting
of spirit in good fat turkey than in all the
Christmas stories that ever were penned,"
said the cynic. Holiday literature is not to
my taste. 1t Is usually Of forced growth.
Written to fit the day, it has flavor Of un-
naturalness. The hero Of the Christmas
story is either translated on that day, or he
has streak Of perfectly phenomenal luck.
It's never so in real life. In fact, pleasure is
more evasive on Christmas than at any other
time, notwithstanding all the extravagant
sentiment set ahoat about the good will bust
ness"
To which the optimist replied: "But isn't it
good thing to have even the stories come
out right! It's pleasant to know that make
believe people find one day in the year joy
ous There are so many wet blankets flung
around on the other 1884,"
u would rather have my slice Of good will
cut up and given to me every now and then
than to have big chunk Of it on Christmas"
continued the cynic "All this bluster isn't
sincere. Plenty Of people give presents be-
cause it's expected Of them, not because they
have feeling Of tenderness toward their fel
low mor:als. And how is humanity benefited
by squirt of generosityp
ut isn't perfection, this world isn't" said
the optimist, musingly, "but there's lots OF
goodness in the human animal after all. No
body but the babies cares for presents partic
ularly; but it's pretty custom to give them.
We're likely to grow so despicably selfish II
there was no Christmas to remind US that we
could make somebody else glad. And when
you come right down to solid facts, the dear,
grotesque old myth, Santa Claus, has done
more toward expanding the human heart and
keeping it tender toward the children and the
posS than all the sermons. What would we
do without this good genius Of Babyland who
fills the stockings while their owners are
away in the beautiful Land of NodT
Tho simple unquestionlng faith they
have in him Is worth more than the
crown of kings. There is no danger OF ths
earth being made too good by gush
Of generosity. We still have all the old
scourges and few new ones. The Russinn
"viles still toll in agony in the Siberian mines.
-he gaunt wolf OF famine still prowls
through the streets of great cities and on
lonely country roads. The forked tongue Of
the hydra headed devil Of SANDER strikes here
and there doing its blasting work. The
north wind stings through the beggai's rags.
The hot breath of disease still leaves it's olden
track of sorrow in the houses Of the rich and
the novels CT the poor. and the old, old mar
plot, Death, is as formidable as ever. Oh,
no, there is no danger Of the grim old world
getting too good even for day, but through
the leaden sky there gleam such stars OF
promise that one can almost forget that
Chris mas trees are sawed off at the base and
have sticks for roots.
Speaking Of Christmas trees" said the
cynic, u saw the most miserable caricature
Of one to-day that could be imagined. 1t was
a cast off limb from some Dives outrageous
one. A small Lazarus had dragged it home,
set it up near the front window in the pater-
nal sh;lnty and strung it full OF his miserable
possessions There wasn't an article worth
penny in the lot. The collection was the
most depressing one ever on exhibition. Small
chunks of nothing wrapped in greasy paper,
clusters Of old buttons found on the sidewalk
from time to time, bits Of leather, nails. whit
tied sticks, pieces of colored glass, and small
china doll with both arms and legs broken
off, comprised the assortment Being
cynic, Pm not much given to emotional
ecstasy, but I could have wept over this
serious burlesque of Christmas cheer. And
that's about what Christmas means to half
the people. The buster and pleasure of the
well-to-do only emphasizes the distress OF the
poverty stricken. The Christmas angels are
not impartial. They fly swiftly over the
roofs of the wretched and linger long by the
hearthstones Of the rich"
The optimist smiled and sighed as ne
musngly answered: ayes, the millennium is
a long way of, but there is some good Will
among us, some generosity, some unselfish-
ness, some almost perfect love, and some
hope for the future Of the race. We can't
all have full Christmas trees any more than
we can all have continual joy and riches and
contentment 1t isn't in the plan; but it's
something for few to have pleasure. 1t hos
been said that if you make children happy
while they are children, you make them
happy twenty years later by the memory OF
it. The rain of sorrow will fall upon them
SOC enough. Care and grief, old age and
death are waiting. for them down the road"
"Well, l wish the false would be rung out
and the true rung in as soon as possible" said
tile cynic. us he walked away. G'G'