The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-12-24
THE CHRISTMAS SEASON.

At this annual festival season, which
is peculiarly time of manifesting af-
fection and good will, no thoughts are
more appropriate or more profitable
than those which carry the heart be-
yond the narrow circle of self, and per-
nit it to entwine the tendrils of love,
sympathy and liberality around our
fellows.
Christmas is emphatically full OF
blessing in just the degree that we be-
lieve and act upon assurance Of Him
whose birthday We commemorate, and
who said: cit is more blessed to give
than to receive" just as home is
where the heart is, so is gift that
which tile heart makes it, whether the
heart be that of the donor or the recip.
lent. 1t need not be a thing of cost,
nor even thing of beauty, to make it
a joy, temporarily if not forever.
Thousands of simple and Inexpensive
presents will pass between sympathetic
hearts in few days, and bear in their
train incalculable pleasure. While, on
the other hand, many costly gem and
golden gift will utterly fail to bless
either the giver or the receiver. More
over, gifts, even Christmas gifts, are
not necessarily material or tangible:
for word, smile, a kindly act may
prove, in many an instance, the most
acceptable present, and become of itself
the benison most cravcd and most wei
come Even the crumbs OF comfort,
which, in the absence OF some more
pretentious or costly gift, even the poor
est of us may bestow n2oa some sad
dened neighbor may come in f,r recog-
milton from Him who said: ''Inasmuch
as We have done it unto one OF the least
of these my brethren, We have done it
unto me-
Then, too, it is or right and duty
to make the Christmas season "mer-
ry' one for ourselves and others. We
have already suggested how it may be-
come happy and blessed time. The
merry phase may be engrafted upon it
by taking cheerful views and, for the
en.e, bidding dull care begone. We
shall be told that this is more easily
said than done. And yet, since worri-
m ,nt and misery may be so easily sum-
moned, like spirits, from the vastly
deep of human experience, why may
we not also school ourselves to frame
of mind which shall see the best in
everything and habitually draw upon
memory and experience for the record
of mercies and pleasures which have
lined and paved our pathway all
through life?
What though just now the times are
hard, and hope bereft of its attractions!
Is not the past, at least, secure? Can
not we, if we will, call up long line of
old-time recollections, from childhood
up, from which to draw an inspiration
to gratitude, cheerfulness and even
merriment? If the present be not just
what we would have it, and if the fu-
turc seems hung around with clouds
and darkness, let us take our cheerful
rctrospects and make them serviceable
in ministering merriment to our minds
| diseased Thus may we have a merry
Christmas, in spite of fate, and lift our
selves to 4 standpoint which will COM
mand cheerful views of lifetime of
average human happiness.
| And last, not least, but greatest Of
ALL let us remember the source Of all
the good we ever have enjoyed, and in
humble, heartfelt appreciation of Gods
Christmas gift to the race of man, let
| us all invest our fullest faith in Him,
whose earthly gifts are bat rs dross
compared with that gift of heavenly
grace which offers a merry Christmas,
in its best sense, eternally to ALL