The herald., 1897-12-24
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ABOL|SH|NG CHRISTMAS
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| NoIiIpouS SuSSeSttu recently tldl
Christmas be abolished. 1 do not know
who he was nor care. The man is his own
worst punishment. for no one can possi-
bly, be happy who would do without
Christmas. Yes l know that sometimes
| the hard-worked father of a family sighs
as he wonders where the money for pres
ents is to come from this year. The
mother adds few more grey lines and
| makes a few more sacrifices in order to
make her loved ones happy. Yet they
would not abolish Christmas if they
could, for they are happy in the happi-
| ness of those whom they hold dear.
There be those to whom the Christmas
season is but for the giving of expensive
Christmas presents. They outvie each
other in the giving of Christmas presents.
Their tokens are measured by money.
These may complain at times of the re-
sponsbility of this kind of giving, yet
this is not the fault of the Christmas
time. Even Christmas cannot always
change human nature. and such as these
cannot abolish Christmas.
And who is going to take Christmas
away from the little children? Who is
to Danish Santa Claus? All the dis
gruntled dyspeptics and all the stingy
curmudgeons in the world from Green
lands icy mountains to India's coral
strands cannot do these things. Pass
laws enough to fill the Congressional Lii
brary, eXcommunicate the Christmas
believers with bell. book and candle; for
bid all mention of the glad holiday sea-
son, do this for generation after genera
tion and you shall yet wake on Christ
mas morning and hear the glad tidings
of peace on earth, good will to men. You
shall see the giving and the receiving
and it will still be more blessed to give
than to receive. 1t makes no manner of
difference whether Christmas is legend
or miracle-it is faith, and faith en-
dureth all things.
It is not necessary that one shall do
thus and so or believe this or that in
order to rejoice in Christmas 1t is an
institution, tried and not found wanting.
1t makes the human race happier and
elevates the standard of humanity. AS
man is so shall he live and believe.
His greatness and his goodness are from
within.
But I did not start out to preach
sermon. The idea was first to show that
Christmas cannot be abolished, and,
secondly, to conceive in some measure
the terrible calamity that would befail
the civilized world if Christmas We're
actually blotted from the calendar.
Just think for instance, how much
money is expended every year for Christ
mas presents. The making of them is in
itself a great industry. Many Christ
mas presents are, it is true, useful things
adapted to the requirements of everyday
living We may say that these things
would be necessary in any event and all
that makes them different is the associ-
alton.
Very true, but think of the millions
that are invested every year in luxuries
even in the hardest of hard times. To
make them, many people have been en-
ployed and enabled to earn living. by
a curious paradox, money expended in
the purchase of such things is at the
same time kept in circulation, passed
from one hand to another. while the ar
ticle itself drops out of sight.
For instance, you buy your little girl
n doll The doll, as it lies in it's box at
the store, is the product of many hands.
many branches Of industry have been
called into requisition to produce it and
each has benefited thereby. Your little
girl takes the doll and plays with it.
Soon it is broken and possibly discarded.
1t has outlived its usefulness. The next
Christmas you buy her another. 1t is
production and consumption over again,
but all that is produced and consumed
above and beyond the necessaries of life
raises the scale of civilization and human
happiness. The joy expressed by your
little girl over her new doll does not tell
the whole story. 1t would be a severe
blow to the economy of the world if
Christmas should be abolished.
The holiday season gives employment
TO thousands of men. women and chill
dren who are more than glad of the op-
Dortunity to earn a few extra dollars.
A host of extra statesmen and sales
women, teamsters and messengers are
employed in the stores, and their meagre
earnings help them to get through the
winter, It has been told many time