Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-12-24
CHRISTMAS AND HARD
TIMES.

AS the Richmond Dispatch
SAYS, this is not the first Christ
mas to come in s'hard times"
There have been others. History
and nature are but repeating
themselves. Winter follows sum-
mer, age follows youth, hard
times follow good ones-but the
world moves on serenely, and in
the far future old men and wo-
men who are now boys and girls
will look back to this Christmas
season as the sweetest and hap
piest in their lives. They will tell
the youth of the far distant period
that ssthere are no such Christ
masses now"
AS beauty is said to be in the
eye of the gazer, SO the real Christ
mas is in the heart of the cele-
brant. The evious, snarling soul
is not going to be happy, no mat
ter how sumptuous the dinner
upon his board. He not only
wants all hat he has, but all that
everybody else has. Not SO the
kindly and contented man. His
regret is not that he has not re-
ceived more presents, but that he
has not been able to give more.
And RICH, there is where the hard
times will pinch. 1t the nature
of things-or rather in the I'M
naturally depressed condition of
business-there are many who can
not this year bestow such presents
as they have been in the habit of
bestowing. But this ought not
to make them altogether misera
BILE. He who does his best does
his full duty. VINO can do
more!
Inthe South during the war the
best Christmas gifts that were ever
seen in our land were given. They
were poor, mean, shabby things
in themselves, but they represent
ed the beauty of self-sacllice and
the holiness of love. They we're
the offerings of starving families
at home to the shivering, suffer
ing soldiers IN the trenches. They
yer such simple things as stock
ings, knitted by the light of pine
knot fires; hats made out of old
clothing, homemade gloves, to-
baceo pouches, etc. Most of them
were believed with tears of wo-
men-mothers, wives, sweet
hearts. But they were messen-
gers of encouragement and testi-
monials of affection, such as no
money could have bought They
we're of poverty's f%ashioning, but
were studded and spangled with
the precious jewels of sffec-
ton.
All, those were hard times, in
deed. Yet Santa Clause did not
omit his visits here, though his
pack was light and his assortment
lacked variety. He brought no
French dolls; but in their stead
''rag babies of home make. No
French candy had he, but such
sweets as could be made out of
sorghum. OF pretty toys there
was a great dearth. Old garrets
were ransacked and such things as
could be found there were raha-
bilitated and served we'll enough.
But the stress of poverty was most
Enthusiastically seen in the efforts
made to give the soldiers ga full
meal'' on Christmas Day, For
this purpose turkeys and hams
were contributed, leaving many a
family's board bare. And yet
those were happy Christmases to
many! There r gray>haired men
and women who will assure you
that there are no such Christmases
now, and there are not-for them.
Oh, blessed be youth, No hard
times come to it. The touch of a
hand may give it riches, when the
pocket is empty. The glance of
an eye may make sunshine for it
on a rainy day. 1t is the dewy
period of life, and Christmas
gives it special sparkle and finest
fragrance.