Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-12-27

HanuS-ChilHtsh Memories and the
Kriss Izringie of the Days That
Past-The Lessons OF tho Old Hymn.
Special Correspondence OF Gazette and Journal
New York, Dec. 2l.-The time is
come when we are not troubling our
selves in the least about the sciences, or
the Importance of analytical novels, or
the much yexed question of suffrage,
but in stead we ponder over large
woolly dog and wonder if his curls will
comb out, while we give. the rest of our
intelligence to deciding whether doll
shall be French, German or American,
when it is desired that it shall say
"Mamma" as only well-bred doll can.
There is something fascinating about
toys to the feminine heart. They make
women, who are tired and worn and
weary. become childten again, and force
them TO find in the frail things some
thing that makes them companionable
with their own little people. You know
perfectly well that when you bought
that box of blocks, you desired, as soon
as they reached home either to build 1t
house with them. q house without II
very strong foundation, or to piece out
picture. You said you bought doll
in the shops wereu' pretty. Oh, You
wicked womunl You dressed that doll
because it gave you incifable pleasure to
fiddle and fool over the little petticoats.
to fit on the liliputian stockings and to
trim . tiny hat with tiny feather.
Didn't you
HAVE A GOOD TIME
the other night, when all the children
buJ t,N hoI nd mn MI In,,lF
wound up.all the mechanical toys, and
saw them work? You excused yourself
by saying that you waited to see if they
were in goUd order. As If one needed an
excuse FOR being young again! Why, /
can understand how | fingered over the
kitchen stoves, bought the tiny bassiret,
and were, oh SO very particular about
getting such a tea set as was suited 10
the size of the house, and to the bisqne
lady who lived in it. 1t is wonderfully
good to be young again, and we women
are made so when the Christmas feeling
is in the air. Men manage TO conceal this
feeling, and they are mean enough to be
ashamed Of it; but even man tests the
miniature steam engine, tries tho cars
that are warranted 10 run over the car.
pet for half an hour, and looks az the
bag of marbles, anu wishes he had had
marbles like them when he was u boy.
1t makes US all boys and girls again.
We trot out and get . bit of holly, and
look at the green leaves and the red
berries, and realize how cheerful they
are, and how good the world is. And
there is great deal to be thought of
stockings to be filled, and II tree to be
dressed.
ONE woMAN's WAY.
orl ,,fn 1, "A 1,
"a wicked woman, / call her-who
when Christmas Day came, gave eucl
of her children q So gold piece and tolC
them to buy what they wanted. She
said it saved her a lot of trouble. Who
wants to be saved such lovely trouble al
this? OF course, one pricks one'
fingers and runs the chance of settinl
the house on fire, and is tolerably Ger
tain to fall off the ladder; but still wha
family of children would want to b,
given the doubtful privilege of buyin!
theirown things, when they have Away
seen this tree that bears such wonderful
fruit? like to see it, with its greer
boughs heavy with bags filled witt
candy, with strings of popcorn, will
giittering red and blue and gold balls
with long sticks Of peppermint, witt
sugar dogs with pink noses, and saga
elephants with blue tails that stick out
and sugar cats that are larger than tn
elephants; and then on the very tol
branch Of all like to see the Christina
saint beaming atcverybody. And under
meath the tree, swimming on sea O
looking-glass, must be Noah's ARK
while the procession of animals must b
heading towards Mount Ararat, an
the elephant requesting the mosquit
not to shove. Then ...
LIKE BABY DOLL
sitting up in chair, with its blue eye
looking out for its mother; and like
lady doll standing on her own feet, an
eagerly seeking for the young perso
whose companion she is TO be. Then
like to see tennis nets and racquets, an
big footballs and trains of cars warran
ed to run from Santa Claus Land I
Good Boys Land, and, best OF all, l Iii;
- think that, with every toy and ever
bit of sweetness, there is real lovln
kindness prompting tue giving.
A gift that comes because of CONVEX
tionality is not worth having. 1t mu
bring an expression of coed will with
so strong that it permeates the gift iise
as if it were some sweet scent Som
times We cannot give just what v
want. Sometimes it seems as if "
couldn't give at all, but we can, Away
We can sit down, and, pen IN ham
write few words OF Christmas gree
ing that will show Of whom we a
thinking and will suggest what v
would like to do. Then, we can alwa.
ECoNoM1ZE A LITTLE BIT
and have something for the childre
An obligation rests upon every moth
to make her children happy, hecau
these young days are the ones that til,
remember. You and | have forgottt
about Christmas before last, but we di
tinctly remember Christmas 90 yea
ago, when we crept down stairs, bar
footed and nightsowned, to see if d
good Saint had stopped at our hous
And we can remember how We We
driven back and told we should s
nothing until we appeared shod NJ
properly dressed. That was quick wol
And oh, what Joy it was when we 6
there How did Kriss krinkle knC
that what wanted was that delight
book 2 That book that told about Lit
Nell and her Grandfather, and tn
other book just beside it-whieh init
duced me to Paul Dombcy, and I'll
other book that had, hidden betwe
its pages, the quaint harchioness, Il
best of all, that book that said to II
,,,sI 4. II "a