Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-12-22
CHRISTMAS.
Should Be A Day of Happiness and
Contentmert.

The cycle Of years roll around in ever
widening circles, and the day that was
first celebrated nearly eighteen hundred
years ago in an obscure corner of the
globe by little band of the house of
David, has become an universal holiday
Then gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh showed the JOY over the advent
of the Christ Child whose reign was to
be the personiication of love, JOY,
peace on earth good will to men. Now
from pole to pole, from ocean to ocean,
in all climes, and in all languages the
precepts and practices of this day of
days, embody the divine humanities.
Loving and giving are synonomous, and
the spirit of loving and giving flows
high at the Christmas tide. All the
rest of the year maybe, greed and
selfshness attain, and the workers in
life's busy hive feel to reiterate, ''we
need more charity to the poor, we
need more love to the erring, we need
iAlO1S IulhetI 1CClIlIS " liIS
we need more consideration for the
peculiarities of certain members of
society, we need faith and love, and
kindly expressed sympathy in every
avenue of work" But as the Christ
mas tide rolls over the land every heart
is awakened by the general enthusiasm,
and an impulse Of humanity, or divinity
rules the hour. For, it maybe but one
brief day, the selfshness that guides
the life is put down, and realizing
sense of the littleness of life's aims,
enforces the thought that there is in
dividual work to do. The thistle and
the dog weed have their blossoming
time. The influences of the hour,
brings the humanities in bloom even
in the most inaccessible natures.
Critic may sneer at the "superstitions"
Of the tune; narrow minds may try to
ignore the spirit that rules, faithless
ones deny the tender and divine in
fuences, while the world is grand, and
beautiful and bountiful in the achieve
ments born of the spirit of the time.
In our national holidays each has its
mission, and each its peculiar fruitage.
The fourth of July inspires patriotism,
love of country, and hatred of treason,
is day for noisy jubilation, and
clannish graduation. Thanksgiving is
eminently feast day, day for family
reunions and good cheer. Other days
are peculiarly set apart for special
objects but Christmas day is for all
humanity. The children find it the
merriest, maddest day of all the year,
Santa Claus is to them a real providence
gifted with marvellous insight, and
abounding in untold wealth. The old
renew their youth, and are doubly
blessed in living oyer the accumulated
gifts of years. There are none so poor
but they will share their pittance gladly.
1t is one Of the strongest proofs of the
divine origin Of the day, that through
good or i'll, with rich and poor, cultured
and ignorant, gainst persecution,
ridicule and the teachings of un-
believers, the spirit Of divine gentle
ness and humanity grows, and the light
that first shone as star in the east, has
lighted altar candles in every house
hold in the civilized world, and lips
that deny the Master, utter all un-
Willingly the Masters lessons, and
show forth the beauty Of his holiness.
There are homes alas how many!
where the "sound of a voice that is
still" has an echo of sad memories that
rings through all the musical chimes
of Christmas bells, where vacant
place in the home circle tells story of
bereavement and sorrow unspeakabIe.
Where the joys of the day holds tender
memories of the past, and hopes of
future when time shall be no more.
To such, the promise that the day holds
of a life ransomed, and risen Christ
is the light of life, and the hope that
gives to the merry-making gaiety and
gladness Of the day a significance,
that rebukes tears and repinings.
In our own little city, want, and
sorrow, and crime, have been met with
loving kindness and sympathy and
humanity, until the first has been
shorn of its terrors, and the last tinted
with repentance. Loving hearts help
willing hands to minister unto the
least of these, in manner beftting a
Kings daughter or a sister Of the Prince
of Peace. We know of no single case
Of suffering, no destitute or sick within
our city, who has not cause to bless this
glad day, and those whose hearts have
made it so. Let all close the ears to
the sounds of envy and discomfort,
shut the eyes to vain longings and
visions of granduer, and turn from use
less regrets in the gladness of the glad
Christmas. Be happy and make others
happy. Look out and not in. Look up
and not down, and have merry
Christmas.