Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-12-24
YULE TIDE.
The Merry Christmas Eve anil it's
Observances.


Chrissmastide is here once more;
Chrisimastide and Santa Claus. Il is
getting along toward 2. 600 years sin V the
dear old man first began 70 make his
rounds on Christmas Eve, and 9. 600 years
Is long time 10 be working. But Santa
Claus is just the same as he was 600
years ago. just as jolly, just as merry
just as happy as be used TO be when
chiistmastide was young. He s,iIl wears
toe same white beard and curls, stiil the
same red. smiling face. s,ill the sar,e old
fur lined coat with bis ears half bu led in
the cellar His heart. too. has remained
unchanged in sill those long and hslf-for.
gotten ages. He still loves the children
Oh the world as be used to do 10 day gone
by. and he still brings them countless
pocketfuls of lovely toys at Christmas.
Year after year and age after age he has
shaved away at his great factorias; and
schemed and planned and pondere so as
TO have new toys every year.
Santa Claus. you see. is not lib e com.
mon people. He never grows oldsr than
he was in the beginning, and Il at was
very old indeed He never was ,orn IL
you can understand. but just hs opened
along with the very first Chris,m as that
eyer was. Who was his father or who
was his mother no one ever knew. He
never even knew himself, and eve if he
did know he would have forgotten /. long
ago. He just happened, and has zept on
happening ever since as regulsriy as
Christmas morning.
Boys and girls have come and gone
and Santa Claus has cried for them inst
the same as their fathers and mothers
have done. He has seen them IN their
coy little beds one year and filled their
stockings with all sorts of plnythinps
while they slept and dreamed OF lis king.
dom OF ice and snow.
THE MrsLEToE.
The misletoe hung on the castle wall
~ ~. .a nohy o7ancn shoue Ia the old oak hall,
ana the baron's rettiners were blithe ma aay
neepins their Christmas holiday.
AT this season of the year the misletoe
Is a welcome addition to the stock Of our
florists, being intimately sssocia, ed. as II
Is, with Christmas sports. I. is new.
however. to this country, and il is no,
much more than decade since the first
venture was ever brought here, and nov
tits the great house decoration Of Christ.
mas time.
Misleto hangs from the Christmas trse,
Young hearts are light and gay,
Old hearts are happy a. they can be
On tnis merry Christmas day.
LET CHRISTMAS STAND FOR PIE AsURE.
chris mss Is the preacher who emphs-
sises the fact that the religion which il
celebrates is adapted to human nature.
Horace Is called the laureate of ID e WORLDLY
OF Inc epicurean, of the pagan Who would
eat and drink in view of tomorrow. The
gay adage dun vivimus is cited with a
shudder as the gospel of pleasure Christ
mas was hunted in the Puritan sr,isment
as Kind OF god of pleasure who was only
masked devil Ii was COMPOUNDED Inv
Governor Bradford with the Belly god.
But why said Charles Wesley, as he
sweetiy sang-why give all the God tunes
10 SATAN The sweet singer might have en-
iarged his view and his question. Why
give Satan any of the good things9 Why.
above all. let him have Christm as. as An.
dromeda was abandoned to the dragon of
the scar Let Christmas stand for pleas.
ure and for the reason that it is especially
the Christian day.
Then Christianity drops her weeds and
smiles.---Harper's.