The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1897-01-14
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Eestivity.


Festivity.
With the passing of All Saints day
and Halloween the holiday, season draws
near. It has been the fashion Of recent
years TO begin the season weeks be-
fore Christmas actually arrives. Christ
mas greens decorate the shops and are
displayed with holly and mistletoe
from Thanksgiving until the high tide
Of the holidays sets in with Christmas
week. All this time the holiday feeling
takes hold Of all of us, and for the time
at least the golden rule becomes living
principle. Every one feels the new i'm
pulse which binds US closer to our fel-
low men. The young, who are forever
hopeful, are filled with bright anticipa-
tions Of the season. The middleaged
forget their sordid cares-forget, al
most, their struggle to keep the wolf
from the door--and Join in the holiday
gladness.
The blessing OF the holidays IL seen
abroad in the cheerfulness and self
sacrifice with which home people bur-
den themselves down with bundles, all
to give pleasure TO loved ones. Men
who superbly order all their packages
sent home, take pleasure in carrying
home their Christmas bundles, all for
the pleasure Of introducing them se-
cretly, to hide them away until the day
alrives.
There are those among us to whom
Christmas brings sad memories, to
whom Thanksgiving recalls scattered
household, but we cover our cares and
sorrows for this beatific season and re-
joice with those who rejoice. Such sac
rifice Of self will be power which shall
let the despondent into IN atmosphere
of courage and hope. A large portion
of these blessed weeks before Christ
mas is spent in preparation Of holiday
gifts and holiday feasts for poor chill
dren. There are a myriad of missions
going forth on errands of mercy ut this
season.
Thanksgiving day, the first festival
of the holiday season, is peculiarly an
American feast day. Though it par
takes something of the nature of the
Jewish feast Of the ingathering, it is not,
like that, a purely religious festival. It
is season when families that are sep
arated meetagain under the old parental
roof. Like all festivals of Puritan origin,
it is celebrated with religious observ-
ances in New England. The Thanks
giving sermon was formerly as much
part of the celebration of the day as
the dinner that followed. This day has
been compared to the Harvest Home
days of the English farmer or the "Kirn"
If Scotland. Both these days were pub
lie rejoicings Of the entire community
in the completion of harvest, and were
celebrated with considerable rout and
rabble. These were seasons of pictur-
csque procession and merry drinking
bout, and not of religious and homo OBJ
servance.
Let us all remember the holiday sea-
son in the holy spirit of good will to
men. It matters little what our ex-
ternM giving may be. if we give 10
Heaven grateful heartfor the blessings
that are showered upon us. Let us NOT
profane this season by vulgar ostenta-
tious gifts. which are beyond our means,
and serve only to crafty our own self
esteem and pride. Let us meet the sea-
son in the spirit of Tiny Tim, with the
prayer: "God bless us every onel"-
N. Y. Tribune.