The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-20

bow and wish you a Merry Christmas
The wish, l can assure you, comes straigh
from my heart for after all what can b.
better than to have everybody in the worlC
merry for one day? You, to whom money
means little, whose pleasures are numer'
Gus, who need scarcely to express desire
20 have it gratifed to you a day-one en-
tire day in the whole year-overfowing
with merriment seems but little. And
yet, there are people, thousands Of them
millions of them, to whom a day OF JOY
would mean the episode of a lifetime. They
are not people like you-they are the peo-
PIE who are really the human ants-carry-
burdens larger than themselves. l won
der if a man saw the other day over on
the East Side will have merry time? My
friend, he lives in one room, and in that
room at O'Clock in the afternoon it Is so
dark that the foul-smelling kerosene lamp
must be lighted. This man is only 80
years old but he has bent over sewing
machine until, Judging from his body, he
looks so. He has a wife and children
three of them. The poor always nave so
many children. And they love them
sometimes. Then there are three men
who come in every day to sew with him,
and the wife does the finishing. The chill
dren-weI, they hope that the oldest boy
will soon be able to help a great deal; he Is
years old, and does help a little now
for he draws out the hastings
What is your 9-year-old boy doing these
davs? This man and the human ants who
work with him, cannot stop long enough
to be merry and 1 doubt If they would
know how to be happy. It's been such a
long time since they thought of anything
but work But the mother, well, she re-
members something about the Divine
Child who came so many hundred years
ago, and she has saved few pennies
10 buy some of the queer German candles
that are never seen on Fifth avenue but
which are sold at very low price over
on the East Side Christmas is something
of a bore to you. Suppose to rid you Of
ennui you hunt out one of these hard
working ants relieve him of his work for
the day and try to teach him what happi-
ness means: try to make him understand
by giving him and his day OF pleasure
that the goodwill about which the An
gels sang, was meant not only Tor people
like you, but for the people who work and
work and find little JOY in anything until
the grave is reached.
wonder if the girl who worked till 2
o'clock Christmas morning to finish your
dinner dress can have a merry Christ
mas?
1t is true you never saw her, personally
II is the suave French madame who prom
Used you so positively that the gown should
be yours at the time you wished-but
there are many ants needed to give steady,
earnest work, to put in stitch after stitch
before the beautiful combination of lace
and silk and velvet and plumes becomes
toilette. 1t is true that a holiday is to be
given to the girl who put the last stitch
in your gown, a holiday which she doesn't
accept very gladly, because a deduction
is made in her wages. How can she be
merry and think of the angels and of the
Christ child when she will have a dollar
less at the end of the week, while already
IL is difficult to feed and clothe herself on
what she gets and be honest. It's hard to
be an ant, bearing an enormous burden,
when you are young and see beautiful
things all around you and know very we'll
that these beautiful things which are for
other people would make a dainty butter.
fly of you. It's hard to be merry wnen
you are thoroughly tired out and yet, am
sure that out of her miserable wages this
girl has saved enough money to buy
trife for somebody. 1t may be for the girl
who runs the errands, for the poor are so
beautifully thoughtful of those others who
are poor also.
Did you ever think that 1t was not easy
20 be merry when you are twelve years old
and a cash girl in a toy shop? Your
heart goes out to the lovely dolls which
you can never possess. Your BRAIN made
quick by the artificial life you are leading,
would conquer every game that is sold for
happier. children to puzzle over. You have
no individuality-you are simply Cash."
Sometimes this name is yelled out in a
way that makes you shudder. That's
when it comes from the impress look
ing hoor-waiker. Sometimes it comes in
gentler tones, for the girls behind the
counter feel sorry for you. But always II
means hurry, hurry, as fast as you can.
or at the end OF the week you will be dis
charged. All" says some charitable
lady. but each girl is allowed to have
either toy OF its value in money as her
present from the firm" DO you think that
the girl called Cash." dare take toyP
And II she did, when could she pay for il ?
Because some ladies fancy shopping late
in the afternoon. the cash girls work
doesn't end when the store closes, and the
money that Is given to her for a present
cannot be used for merriment 1t either
goes 10 buy her something that she needs
GRAND this is more than like;y--it Is abb
eorbed into the general fund at home, and
IS that much more bread and butter
How can this child be merry? Poor lit
de ant, already her back Is weakening UNI
der the burden! Look at her overnight
eyes, look at her pasty face, and, when she
dares, how she does cough! She won
ders what II Is to have a merry Christmas
She has read in some of those irritating
books given out at the Sunday school
where she goes, when she's not too tired,
or when she doesn't have to stay home and
get the dinner, or when II isn't absolutely
necessary for her TO take care of the baby,
that here are children who have a fine din
ner, no end of toys, and a Christmas tree
all lighted on this day. She can see how
these little children can believe that the
angels song was meant for all the world.
But she doubts much If angels sang to
girls like her.
What are you going TO do about Il?
make speech about the impossbllity OF
Eiving happiness TO the whole worldg
That Is what you will do unless you stop
10 think about II for while. Then. II
you and your nelghbor and l do our duty.
we VIII each take IN hand the little ami
about whom we know aud relieve a OF itz
burdens Tor one day. IL everybody would
only 90 that! WHAT jolly time the ants
WYula haFel There would be Teasing and
iutfflmNnt and thaulfarTIufnsr A.. n.