Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-24

Christmases Of the Olden Time.
II is wonderful how prankish memory IL,
how well II works sometimes and how
In at others. II Is almost incomprchensi-
bio that the Same piece of machinery
should be able to turn out work 30 good
and so bad.
There are men who honestly believe that
they were In the army with Lea during
all the war, while their neighbors have
equally distinct recollection that these
same persons stayed at home and slept
in feather-beds during that belligerent
period. Likewise men who were at the
front for four years. now and then Won
der IL they were there at all: particularly
do these doubts arise when they listen to
"reminiscences OF events in which they
had--or imagine they had-a part.
III memory serves us so shabbily as to
matters OF transcendent Individual con-
Germ how can we trust II 70 reproduce
faithfully the minor happenings? But
perhaps after all 1t is better so. The
tales Of the grandfather or the grand
mother are, doubtless, all the more agree
able that fancy IL permitted to ill In the
gaps where fact :apses. The raconteur
would be but a dull fellow IL he were
confined to hard facts. He could scarcely
hope TO be more interesting than O. census
report. But at present he can proceed
with tolerably good conscience as long
as he has memory--or lack of ito blame
when he is caught up by some matter
of-fact person. And then there Is that
other advantage-known to all who draw
the long bow"-that some persons can
tell fabricated stories 80 often and with
such precision of repetition that they
eventually come to believe them them
selves. Thus memory's tricks give salve
to conscience.
Memory glamours the past most merci-
fully. Every kiss that your mother gave
you is remembered; but out of your men,
tai record Is blotted the number OF times
trat she slipped out Of her slipper and
tai, CHIT you lcathery lesson. Boys
grown to men have ever been
known to show affection for school,
n asters upon whom they had
passed the sentence OF death; said sem
tence having been deferred only till the
executioners got big enough to carry ID
out. Likewise are Christmas memories
changed. There Is an opinion held by
some aged persons that the Christmas or
to-day is but contemplate counterfeit
OF those Of the long ago. We recently heard
g. very old man declare that there Is now
adays no such Christmas cooking as FORM
erly. lie affirmed that Virginia had lost
not only her race Of statesmen, but her
race of great cooks also. II did not occur
TO him TO ascribe the loss OF the former
10 the loss Of the latter. Still less did 1t
occur 70 him that what he was suffering
from was loss Of appetite. The school boy
or lusty young man Is not an infallble
Judge of cookery, but he knows when
there Is plenty Of food in sight, and 1t Is
this more than the other thing that he Is
particular about.
There is also a deluslon existing with
elderly people that in the olden time IN
Virginia the ground was usually covered
with snow at Christmas, and that often
James river was so thickly frozen over
that you could drive a four-horse team
halcyon days good whiskey could be
bought at % cents a gallon" To be sure,
there is far less drinking now than then
this much is admitted-but at Christmas
liquor OF some sort is needed in most fam
lilies, both "to go into mjnce pies" etc, and
that fact brings up this regretful remit
niicence; the regret not being that afore-
time whiskey was sold at rs cents gal
lon. but that 1t Is not now so sold.
II we were inclined TO be a reminis-
cence-smasher. we might show that no
such dimnutive price ever obtained here
for good whskey," but what is the use
OF destroying all OF these fond Illusions?
Youth lives in the present; age in
the past. From Homer's time to this the
aged have grieved that the present Is not
as tho past. and 1t is MOTTO them.
We must conclude, therefore, that it Is
our duty to contribute to the happiness OF
childhood. We are willing to do our
part, even by standing their tln-horns
for time And, by the way, we are yet
to hear 1t alleged that the tin-horns OF
this day and generation are in anywise
inferior TO those OF the better days of
the republic, and as for fire-crackers IAN
GENTLY called 'pop-crackers') we feel sat
isfed that they are bigger and louder
now than ever.
Knowing then how the days OF child
hood are to be looked back to we should
need no urging to help TO make Christ
mas happy for all young people within the
range of our acquaintance, and it is an
excellent time TO extend that range.
There is much poverty here. Ingenious as
mothers are, those who have not bread
for their little ones will hardly be able TO
give them Christmas presents. Let us
search out these poor and give them that
which we all wish to have
HAPPY CHRISTMAS