The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-12-17
her with pathetic signals of

Whelmed her with pathetic signals of
gratitude for months e., -.-
"Oh, it's the words you said It's the
words you said !" the woman cried
Money. clothes, fuel, were small matters,
and cold Personal comprehension was
the warm and precious thing.
The press, the sermon, the story, the
ballad and the social current all the hol-
iday power press us into the stream of
blind, initiative benevolence. We give
turkeys because our neighbors do; fami-
lies without coal or oatmeal, get from
three to five of these festive birds apiece.
We load sunday school trees because the
pastor SAYS so. We spend the pocket
money of a year in four weeks on pres
ents for our relatives, because it is
''the thing expected. We purchase
pneumonia by playing saleswOmen at
church fairs and overload the strength
and. temper of our servants by houses
brimmng with company. because it Is
1.-THE way" We hunt up every person we
ever knew. to whom we can decently offer
4 gift or dinner because the Romans
do" We dedicate (wiselv and welD the
day to our children, and make them blaSe
with all the modern Improvements on
Santa Claus But in all ,our giving we
may not give the sweet spirit that knows
Just how friend on child or neighbor feels.
And III all our getting, we may fail to get
in the place of him VINO receives.
The study of the mind and heart of an
other is a subtle art. The highest form
Of tact consists in making ourselves per-
Son8 gratB to those upon whom we CON
fer favor.
Happiness, which, is the only real
nObleSSe Oblige forever. Possession is al
ways under obligation to denial, and
strength is the divinely appointed serv-
itOr of weakness
Do not suffer in yourself that natural
recoil of the sympathies when the one
sad heart in the home group yields to the
darzening face that jars a festival hour.
There usually is at least one sad person in
the SunnieSt household Perhaps it is
the maiden sister whose own young hope
went out i'll ashes. long ago. whose pain
and whose pride keep rigid step together;
whose abundant interest in yourself and
your affairs is not always as natural or as
easy as it may seem to you. What hap
pened to her one holiday week. years
since, Do you remember the day when
she was plighted TO her lover Or the
day when she broke the brief betrothal
whose memory has Swallowed her life?
Be sure she does.
Suppose it is the poor relation =
withered and gray, and patient who
needs but'never asks your large hearted
consideration.
quiet step, her long, accomplishing ser
vice, her content with what is grossly
called "bOard wages that one hardly
pauses to put her outside of the daily
habit of the house as a soul by itself.
When the home days come. when the
extra step and the extra smile are exacted
and expected of hers there ALWAYS
somebody to remember how lonely she
feels, or to understand the heart-sick
homelessuess of one who spends n life in
the homes of other people! 1t is not an
easy way to live. All your sweetest tact
and gentlest thoughtfulness cannot make
it so.
was once in a serious illness under the
care of professional nurse at holiday
time. On Christmas Eve she disturbed
me good deal by a hearty fit of crying
The brute instinct of the sick rose and
rebelled, and somewhat fretfully. / fear
asked; What is the matter" Then the
story poured forth To poor to keen nm
her own home, her sicklv husband exiled
TO some country relatives and her chill |
dren scattered, while she earned the
bread for the family, the woman's nerves
gave way under the Influence of the
happy home in which she served. and
where the illness which accounted for
her presence was not suffered to forestau !
the Christmas celebration She was al |
lowed to have her cry out, svmpatheti-