Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-12-28
Tender Tribute to Bethle-
hem's immortal Babe.
SWEET LESSONS OF THE SEASON
A Time for Generosity and
Loving Kindness.
The Touching Story of the Birth of
Mankind's Redeemer Recalled - Tho
Tree of Everlasting Good wiil--Giad-
denin= ChiIdhood's Warm Heart--Bab
Delightful Christmas "Reminiscences.

the bells ring and ring, and ring Just as
merrily as if the land were laughing with
richness, and as if all the world believed
In the little Child who was born 1898 years
MO- Think now long ago that's been
Think OF the people VINO have been born,
who have lived, and who have died
Think of the heart histories that have
been written out during that time written
in indelible letters that will stand forever
and forever. For though unbelef may
come and go, though the days may be
good or bad, yet always will love live and
always will the bells ring back in answer
to the heavenly chimes, peace on earth
and good will to men,"
Are you giving good will? Are you for.
getting the little meannesses, the petty
spite, or the nasty envyp Are YOU taking
That great magnificent sponge of forgetful-
ness and wping out every disagreeable
feeling from off the slate of life. and leay-
ing there only the words that mean kind
ness, consideration, good will and love?
Are you doing this, my friend? You shrug
your shoulders and laugh. You say yetl
did it last year, and that after the Christ.
mas sentiment had passed, You drifted
back to just where you were before. But
why did you let the Christmas sentiment
pass Why didn't you keep it in your
heart for all the year aroundp Surely YOU
must know that it wears well. 1t has stood
nearly nineteen hundred years. Surely,
you are not like the fool who SAYS it's all
nonsense; it's merely an excuse for spend
ing money; thar it's a time only suited for
women and children. You don't think
that. You have got too much brain and
too much heart.
OUR INFANT sAvIoUR's INFLUENCE.
How can you let the sentiment Of loving
klndness go from you when you think OF
that little Child who was born so many
hundred years ago to teach you and to
teach me how to live and how to die !?
What have you suffered that you complain
| SO much? Have you seen every friend 20
from your Have You been bleeding and
torn, beaten and bruised. and alone? |
don't believe it. If you are alone in your
sorrow, it's because you have pushed from
you those loving ones that would have
turned to help you. IL no tender hands
touch you when you are bruised and sore
physically, 1t is because you laughed at all
pain suffered by others, had no pity, and
SO by all the laws of justice when your
Time for suffering comes you are alone.
But if you had been different, if YOU had
dressed the wounds Of him who was in
pam; If you consoled him who was in
trouble II you gave helping hand to him
VINO needed 1t, don't you know as well as
do to-day you wouldn't be alone? But
around You would be the people to whom
you had been good, and who remem ber-
iihe your kllullessi StoOu by you IN your
hour of trouble.
Christmas Is the day of compensations.
There comes to You the love and good will
that you gave out years ago multiplied
many hundred times: and be very sure
that il you have been cruel and hard
hearted there will Just as certainly come
back TO you on that day all your brutality
intensified hundred told. Perhaps you
are brute. Perhaps you have forbidden,
calling them, nonsense, the holly leaves
and berries, the Christmas tree that bears
such wonderful fruit, the
HANGING Up OF THE STOCKINGS,
that mystical ceremony that means so
much to all the little ones. Perhaps, al
though your dinner may be rioh one,
you nave forbidden the repentanL prodigul
son TO appear. Perhaps you seoff ut every
thing gentle, sweet and holy, and object
to the very babies being more merry than
usual because of Christmas time. oh, Won
beast! Do you know what will come from
all thisY las you have done 1t unto the
least OF these, we have done il unto me-"
Ihihk over That for a little while, and re-
pent as soon as you can. Deck the house
with the glossy leaves and the red berries
o. the molly. Help trim the wonderful
CHRISTMAS tree. and steal quietly into the
nursery and put in each little stocking
what the little hearts have been asking for
SO long. You needn't wait for the here.
after TO get your reward; it will come while
you are here; come i'll loving thanks, in
bright eyes, and in appreciative words from
those very children Mnom you have kept
50 lar from you. For the sake of the little
Chlld born IN the stable, make Christmas
happy for the children.
Away on some place, probably you
KNOW Wlere, there Is boy or girl who
has disobeyed you; who had gone out into
the world, fought tile fight and been
oeatehi VINO only wants the invitation to
come back hoGe. Are you going to let
Gnritsmhs day go by without giving it?
What good will come if your table is a
marvel OF beauty2 Everything will taste
IKE ashes to you if you refuse to believe
IN the repentance OF the one sinner and
nave no place at your board for that one
who went astray. Who are you who shall
decide the greatness Of sin? Have you
never made mistake.
HAS ALL YOUR LIFE BEEN sPoTLEss?
Then how dare you set yourself up as a
1uuSe, and say to that child, born oil your
blood; 1t is not fit that thou shouldst be
among thy brothers ana thy SISTERS" Can
you De hard and cruel, while they are re-
IulclnB III heaven over the one sinner who
Fepenis, and while the Christmas bells are
ringing Peace on earth p Wherever you
are or wherever you may be. get down on
your Knees and beg Guu Almighty to for
and entreat OF Him 10 give YOU another
chance IT, be mercltul to Inr stray lamb.
thlhk II was woman heard who
sulu she dluu propose her children should
beIlere IN Christmas. She looked like a
woman, anu was dressed like woman;
Dul surely she couldn't have been one in
reallty. FOR IL was q woman to whom
was gwen the glorious right TO suffer pain.
anu Drlng the ChrlsEChiId into the world
AN II be u woman who would keen from
her chlldren the sweet story of Christmas?
VINO wouldn't tell them OF that little
BADy, sleeping an the manger, before
whom AL the dumb beasts knelt
uoWhE Ana The dumb beasts, wiser
imam that woman, still kneel in
theIr stables GA Christmas morning
IN memory OF Him who honored
them by being born in their home. You
or might have been that woman's child,
anu then what would Christmas have been
70 us! What was it in the days gone by?
From september il meant saving OF the
pennies up the week before Christmas,
When tue buying was To be done. The day
we were al 10 start out the earthen banks
| were broken open, and, queerly enough,
| we always found more money there than
we expected We were told that some OF
tile angels mad come down and dropped
that httle gold piece in. Sometimes we
Used to doubt; but now we are all sure
Then came the rapturOus days spent in the
toy shops the buying uone III great secrecy;
inc mysterious bundles each vi us carried,
being burdens of delight; anu always
there was delightful toy which he all
bought together. thaC was to be for the
strange child. We never knew who il was
from year to year; but some child always
| appeared to claim that toy, ana in our
hearts we fully believed that the Christ
ChlId Himself sent that little one TO us,
After the shopping, We went home, and
the glfts were given to the mother; we
told ner who they were for, and all this
made another daliabt ft,l tin,a