Telegram-herald., 1891-12-27

receive at least
DUG< one gift in honor
VH@ of Christmas or
h0k Of the New Year,
90 besides In some
cases supeynu-
merary presenss Incident 70 birthdays
and weddings
II that visitor from another planet to
whom we often refer could drop In
during the present holiday season. he
would echo the old Roman cry. How
these Christians love one anotherr aid
go back TO Herschel or Mercury very
favorably suppressed with the brosheriy
kindness, and large generosity existent
upon this little globe of ours.
But say he came in March. while the
east winds blovss all along our Atlantic
coast. or in November, when chill fogs
and nippins frosts and leaden skies in
duce misanshropy and influenza. would
ne havs bssn As tAvorably impresssds
Aud yet, why not? Why does all the
world bloom with love and coed will,
shown in the practical form Of spending
its substance upon presents. making en-
tertairments and feasting its friends ex-
actly in the middle Of the winter. in the
last week of December and the trst week
Of January.
"Why, GA account Of Christmas and
the New Year, shouts somebody.
Don't you keep ChristlnasY' "Oh, yes.
with all the rest OF the world, bat some
times cannot help asking rayself why.
always did ask why about everything.
When was very little girl my father
tat Christmas, Of coursc,) made me q
present Of lovely French doll with
golden curls AID sky blue eyes that
opened and shut, and rosy mouth that
also opeaed--that is 10 say, one could by
string under she skirts pull down the
lower jaw, producing startling gri,naoe
and the sounds Mama! Pa-pa! an
accomplishment described as talking.
Well, played with my doll awhile,
opening and shutting the eyes, evoking
the extraordinary effort at speech, and
then begsuto inquire "why"
Nobody could tell me. and proceeded
to find out for myself by the aid Of . pair
Of scissors. IfouDd out, md my father
coming into tho room discovered me
sitting among the ruins Of my doll. a
string and some wires in my hand and
an air Of dismay upon my face. With
one glance be took in the whole scene
and quietly remarked
well, Floy, you've found out why
and you've ruined your doll : You won't
have another very soon. my dear, but
when you have advise you not to look
below the surface. Take pretty things
on their face, my child, and they'll last
the longer"
1t was sound advice, and although I
did not go the why at the time, when I
was little older ! picked the speech to
pieces just - l had tho dol, only instead
Of spelling IL I found ont the real use Of
it, and have benefited by il ever since.
But Whats bred in the bone" you
know, will come out once In awhile ct
least, and still cay why sometimes. a.
in this matter Of making presents.
How many motives there are for keep
ing mp tho practice First Of all, love or
affection. Every one Of rs has some ono,
or it may be we have several fellow
beings, to whom it is delight and q
privilege to make presents. Sometimes
there is one to whom in making . gift
We typify the gift of our very self. "All
that have and own Is thine, dear love"
we sing in the depths OF our own heart,
and from those depths springs tho I'M
pulse to lavish whatever we have or can
procure of costly or rare or beautiful vt
the feet Of the beloved.
You all know what mean, but the
most Of you read the words with smile
and sigh. saying, "Ahl that didn't
last long" No. it didnt; II never does;
bat while IL did last IL was the very
crown and blossom Of present making.
But next to these ecstatic love gifts
como the presents Of affection; thoss
that we give to oar psrents, our children,
our near relatives and our true friends,
II We are 90 lucky as to possess any such.
These are honest gifts; real expres-
dons at desire 80 demonstrate our sf-
lection and to give pleasure to the object
Of it. They are good deal csluaer and
more rational than the love gif.s: we do
not qrite mean OF desire to loc= aght of
the price Of what We purchase o. its pro
portion to our means; we 10 net (nets-
phorically) sell the clothes from OF cur
back 10 buy bouquet az . jewel. bat
cheerfully give what we can properly
Afford in justice to ourselves asd to our
04l,sr frisoda Il 10 ell very consistent
the swest folly Of love sutsssim sober
reason. bat affection quietly WALKS hand
IN hand with that calm goddess and
list<ns 10 her cssnssi and wasrings.
Next in the scale come the gifts Of
kindness, OF hsnevoIence and OF charity,
and these also are honest AID worthy, u
80 b they are given In sincerity; we all
know persons fer when ~ do not rer-
sonally care very mech, but whom We
pity because they arc old. or ioneiy, q
SEX, OF have bot fee friends and few
means Of assrsctisx hess. ed 10 give
scsas little prseeet 10 sach . enc y
kindly and grsesful Get; u has always
sseuasd to ne . Auty for tAsR vhose
lives ars psned IN ~ NnnhSse aud
srsid All lie sweetness ~ brsahtness OF
life N .cs A rcsns sad aked. " only =
reflected rSdisscs. upsa tho>~ sksdowy
Eves creeping stses thrs~ga tAe dsserts
- sfs
Tide rift - chrsstnas tine 10 sueh
. o,s trsnD k.ypis~o - swo hsars. n
cnlv for few uDxDeaeA and these ~
not The ssfss a bpnsseiencs which -
srs-srs isn.sf in sfvtae dinners and VAIN
eleshGss and eoals - deriving rsrsoss
wbs 500 sh~n, N rnyinx . qnsrtef's
rras Tor scme stvsgsstne scsng eospsr
% n asa.e sss~<hsas haaenpms -
49, n CO.'S empssvs kss1ssa b whal