The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-12-27
THE CHRISTMAS TAX.
Organized Demands for Gifts Destroy the
Holiday Sentiment
Nau Uorlx Uvao4,, Dos.

Organized Demands for Gifts Destroy the
Holiday Sentiment
New York Evening Post.
In q more obvious way is the spon-
taneity of that sentiment destroyed by all
those customs which make the return OF
Christmas a signal for letting loose O horde
OF tax-gatherers. Each year adds new names
to the list OF persons TO whom it is noces-
eary TO insure q merry Christmas by an
organized contribution, or, more strictly,
assessments Beginning a year ago With
the letter-carriers. the list has gone on.
swelling with new ~callines and occupa-
tions, until now there is no reason why sub
scription papers should not be circulated in
every block TO give a merry Christmas
to the ash men and street sweepers. Such
stand-and-deliver demands on Christmas
charity are well calculated to bring these
forms of 1t into disrepute aud to extIno.
ton. Yhe process lie destined to expire by
self-llmitation. for it Is not possible that
every body should tap every body any more
than IL Is that every body should be pro-
tected at the expense OF his fellows. But
how opposed all this IL 10 the self-moved
warming of the heart TO misfortune and
the genial outflow of feeling. which are
supposed to be bound up with the Christ
mas season. These increasing subscription
lists of Christmas. thrust into the face in
Office and home and On the way between
the two. are like the display of a beggar's
sores aud deformities-a demand for q gift
U6 n Iikul DuL u OnIlSttuh8 RtIL az INC
point of the bay onet becomes indistin-
guishable from a forced tribute.
This same way OF presenting the matter
as one of justice. not of generosity. is often
seen In the appeals of charitable societies.
Not seldom do they remind us of the heavy
responsibility We take upon ourselves If
we make il possible that certain unfortu-
mates may have mo Christmas" No doubt
IL Is as far as possible from their intention
to appear to maintain that every body 10
anttflad M raoffoR Of rr~ht IN n SfNhrfae
mas"-in the sense of goodies and presents
but Just that they do seem TO US TO Imply.
This we believe to be q very bad thing for
the recipients of suoh gifts themselves,
when they know, as they generally do, the
grounds upon which the business is con-
ducted, and also n very bad thing in it's
tendency to make Christmas a time OF per-
functory and indlscriminste charity. lie
would be hard TO say. for example; whose
finer feelings will suffer most by the
Christmas Society's scramble for ginger
bread and ~apples-the poor children who
are thus taught that they have a right TO
look for an annual largess of that kind. or
the presidiug Reniuses who think they
have discovered q new way OF making
Christmas beautiful.
Business has joined hands with society
to break down the dOmesticity and sim.
plicity of Christmas. Almost every con-
iva bic article is now labeled Suitable
for q Christmas Present" 1t will soon he
so that potatoes will be placarded as ''hoii-
day goods.n and the shame-faced parent
will be asked, How can you face your
children without O Christmas present OF
our oat-meali" This state OF things re-
fleets the increasing agoaies of holiday
shopping. The excuses into which it 10
driving Its victims must before long result
in a reaction which will make as radical q
change In our Christmas customs as has
already been made in our New Years Gus
toms. Even now one finds here and there
n family which has left off the Christmas
present habit. Their exam pie is certain to
find imitators unless the social forces now
destroying the old Christmas sentiment.
and making il at once artificial and weary
ing, can somehow be checked.