Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-12-24
BAB'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING
Many Houses In Which the
Event is But a Name.
A HEART FULL OF KINDNESS
The Breezy Writer'S Personal
Talk to Her Readers.
Keverics of a Firelight--when to Send a
Christmas Greeting--w What to Put in the
Expectant Stocking.

NEW York, Dec. 1S.-Almost every
thing IS ready for Christmas. The last
packages may need to have the rose
colored papers wrapped about them and
the dainty ribbons tied, for Christmas
gift loses half its sweetness unless it is
prettily put up, but that is all. Half
wearied with the pleasant work, one sits
down to think it all over.
III REvERIEs OF A FIRELIGHT.
You have hearn somebody say that
Christmas comes but once year, and
you study out in the fire light what it
all means, and why it is that, even to
those who do not believe in the divinity
OF the Christ-C Child, there is yet feel
ing at this time of the year that every
body should be more loving, and that
life itself should be full of kindness and
merriment. For week your heart has
been overlooking with kindly feeling
toward everybody, from the beggar on
the street to those of your own house
hold; you know it's the atmosphere The
air is redolent with pleasant words, with
the odor of pine and cedar, the shop
windows are full of toys and trifles, the
wax-berried mistletoe is cleaning from
the florists shops, and everything is say
ing as plainly as it can, "Be of good
cheer" Now, suppose you who have it
just give thought to the ones who
have not, to whom there has come moth
ing OF good cheer when the world
should be full of it.
CHILDREN OF THE STAGE.
Think of two little children you heard
about; two little children who night
after night dance on the stage dressed
like little fairies, looking as bright and
dainty as possible, and who so charm
you that you take your own happy
brood to look at them. You think life
must be full of gladness when they
dance so merrily, and yet, when these
little ones were asked by kindly
woman what they would like for Christ
mas, the older of the two, little TO-
years-old mother, said: "Pleasc get our
coats out of pawn; father put them
there, and it's SO cold going home at
night without any coati" No coats to
go home in, and your little daughter is
always warm in the fur one that the
loving kindness of one man has made
possible for her. Your little girl doesn't
know what it is to SILVER as she crosses
the long bridge over the dark river 10
get home to comfortless place and to
have the few miserable clothes that are
theirs pawned by drunken, wretched
father. Leave the fire for minute. 90
in and kneel by your baby's bed, kiss
her and say: "But for the grace Of God
that might be my daughter" So give a
thought to the little children Of the
stage. Honest, Woodworking little
toilers, whose earnings go SO many
times to support those who ought to
care for them
WHERE CHRISTMAS rs BUT A NAME
Look in the fire again, and you see
there, dropping out of great factory.
hundreds of children-children who
Rave worked ever since they can re-
member, whose nursery song was the
sound of those dreadful wheels. who
perhaps have mothers and grandmothers
there, to whom Sunday only means a
day to sleep, and Christmas, too often.
day when they lose one "a hours pay.
On, yes, there are employers who do
this, who deduct for death, for sickness.
and Tor holidays, so-called Can't YOU.
out OF the fullness of your heart and
your purse, think of these children !?
can't you manage to make d
merry Christmas for at least one
OF them! Surely you can. Pic
Iure books are not so expensive.
You can spare from your stock Of
oranges and sweets, and to put that
little girl an entire new suit of clothes
wouldn't cost you one cent more than
the fayors you have on your dinner
table. You say you object to indis-
crlminate charity Oh, you hard -hearted
lished as q subscriber 10 so, - = l pup.
societyl Suppose. when ~ la. 80, 80.
dav comes vprr nb;id -. .,io iast glea,
admittance to heaven haca,sa - ~ ietusctl
was not enrolled Nv TIA sacrote ~. t ~,
writes down the names S sy;tb mn9 4!
pearl in a golden hook SUI Sls.r pen zen o.
Christ came IN the form, af i;.., m M
He had selected exactly W. 49, 49,, Jiii ~
the little children VIZ s,,a,,,S "uu .i "
Himl Do Won think tbat,s a ,o ooiiiJ y
Don't ston II tbjSir n,ha.h Possipie
discriminates a. NOT hn4 =. marty
from vour nlentv and IL fato' siNt
of the little cbil3re,, ~ ssihis, !, iniilN
long in tbe factor;os ~ ~ III a.i uuy
never seeme IL and ''uO' "nose lol
rur ms,
bosi NEWsBoY's CHRISTMAS.
LOOK N the lire again, and see YOU
own boy, II years old, handsome, happy
warm and looking forward to SO mucf
Joy TINS week; then look at another boy
ms clothes are more or less ragged, he i
blowing. in his hands to keep then
warm. he laughs, although his poo
mule lace is punched and blue with til,
cold, but he is good worker; he sup
80 ~, Gnu nc IS only 100 HAPPY
sold ont He l;lo 80. ~ my. Sna ms stoci
marbles 90 wei, as Ice ~ pm, piay pali an
never tasted beautiful ~ ~ "a p
cakes. hut he Lnowa ~ iues d aia sMee
hokey.nolay 10 oroa,,, 'ne ~, ue ~, 9