The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1892-12-22
SIX RULES FOR GIVING

SIX RULES FOR GIVING.
FIRST. Wish every one a merry Christ
mas. You say, Why one hardly hears
anything else on Xmas day. That's a
fact; and that's often the trouble. We
must wish it with all our hearts a fort
night, at least, before the blissful day.
Ii two weeks before Xmas you begin
actually to long that every body's Xmas
shall be merry, to wish for it in dead
earnest-in live earnest, rather then,
and not otherwise, will some ones Xmas
be the merrier for you.
SECOND: Hang up your stocking.
| do not mean litcrally-yes, [ do mean
literally, too; but [ also mean it in a
figure. Be expectant.
THIRD: Give nothing but costly
gifts. Now you are Mortified. Do
you fancy l am referring to money,
to greasy bank notes and coins? Those
do not make gift costly. No; some
Of the cheapest gifts ever given cost
the most-of such stuff. What [ call
a costly gift represents the expendi-
ture of time, and thought, and loving
attention. 1t may be made by bungl-
ing fingers, it may be crooked, and
hOmely ami awkward but if it costs
what it's best in you, your highest
skill and deepest thought, it is the
most costly gift you can make. Give
that kind
FOURTH: Wrap up your gifts. l
mean this literally. Have you for
gotten your childhood's delight in I'm
rolling wrapper after wrapper. What
delight there was in the crafty pro
longatiOn Of your curiosity and hope.
But this injunction, too, is intended
metaphorically. About the right kind
of Xmas gift there are more wrap
pings than appear to the physical eye.
A neat wrapping of thoughtfulness, a
crisp wrapping of fun, a great. warm
wrapping of love. Wrap up your
gifts every one Of them.
FIFTH: Look your gift horse in the
teeth. O, yes; L know the common
wording of this proverb is in the neg
ative, but that is on the assumption
that gift puts its face on the out
side. On the contrary such gifts as
christian Endeavors will give and
get, if you follow my six rules, will
hardly disclose their true Ioveliness
Oh careless inspection. Why I've
known some of the slightest, poorest,
feeblest little gifts immaginable, when
one saw only the exterior, but these
gifts when one looked at the ivory
white gentle thoughts and loving zeal
inside, proved as valuable as Nancy
Hanks! Look your gift horse in the
mouth then.
SIXTH: Brag about your gifts. O.
tie, no. not in mean boastful way,
Of course but show that you are CRATE
full for them. Show your gratitude
to others than the donors.
CALEB CoBwET, in Golden Rule .
Good tidings, Good tidings.
Good tidings of great Joy,
The Prince of Peace, the Incarnate Word.
Saviour. Christ the Lord.
Glory to God In the Highest, then,
Glory to God in the Highest!
And on earth-peace. good viii to men.
SO it comes to Us from the angels
-he spirit of the day-peace and good
will. 1t has been said that Christmas
forms and pastimes have become
and worn, that the Christ /
mas stories of benevolence and char
ty all have the same tag on the end /
and that our children are too preco- /
,ious to enjoy the day. That may all /
De. and yet to most of us the Old, old /.
story is ever new. Peace and good /
will. This annual stirring up of the (
good that is in us, even to the open 4
ng and emptying of our pocket-books
las its good effects.
So. let us try and have the real
;pi1it Of Christmas, making it a day
# cheerfulness and gayety. and filling
t with love for others yet keeping
yer before our minds that the best
lift to us was the Christ-child whose
We celebrate.
Hoping then that the brightest an
of every one will be fully
called as he examines the mysterious
ontents of his Christmas stocking, we
ill close with Dickens Tiny Tim
God bless us every one"