The San Francisco call., 1898-12-25

k fornia, whom 1 know to be many
 One of these is that we ought not
 to forget, in the midst of so many gltts,
 to give thanks to the giver of all that
 is worth having in this world. The
 other point is that parents ought to
 think twice before taking out, Tn a
 sense of supposed parental duty the
 Santa Claus idea from the life ana
 heart of their child.
 How many of us are filled with
 deep realization of obligations at this
 time to the founder of the Christmas feast, to its perpetual giver, and While rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesars, render also unto God the things that are Gods? Sometimes one fancies that the Calabrian peasants who, in the simplicity of superstition and tenderness of heart, come down from the mountains just before Christ mas to the shrines of the Virgin to comfort her with their pipes and songs in the hours when she is waiting for her child-sometimes 1 say, one fancies that those simple hearted men and Wo- men have more the right of it, in their touching if primitive custom, that We who take all and seldom pause to think what it is that we can do in our turn.
 Most of us bring churchly recog- hilton to the day in morning services, and in the ringing of the church bells on the evening before, and the trim ming of the church with green; we look on the bountiful Christmas din- her, too, almost in the light of a re- ligious observance. And, this much done, we are quite apt to dismiss the heavenly part and devote ourselves with unalloyed bliss to the earthly. We are not asked to bring incense, and stones of price, nor costly sacrifice. might really offer of ourselves the things that are pleasant in the heaven ly eyes and make point of eXamln- ing our store of such articles, of ac- quiring them, of having them to give. We would then have ready as our Christmas offering to heaven, not the coin given in the offertory, but self surrender and the love of God, which includes the love of all humanity, faith whose vision penetrates the skies, charity that suffers long and is kind, honor, truth, purity, conquered appe- titeS, untiring endeavor, loftiness of thought and the constant recognition of goodness and bounty, and mercy nd love and power above.
 I once knew parents who did not be- lieve in Santa Claus. They were afraid to let their children believe in the blessed old myth, fearing that the fancy would make them overcredulouS and might teach them deceit. Facts which could be verified these excellent people insisted upon, and when town and country were rejoicing, Christmas bells ringing. Christmas taperS twink ling and Christmas carols thrilling their home was robbed of half its right full cheer.
 Such a beautiful train is it which fol- lows this dear old fellow, so laden with gifts for old and young, so overfiowing with gayety, so bright of face and light of step, it would hardly seem as though contact with the myriad elves and fays which come into being when Santa Claus waves his wand could do any, body on earth the least harm. For about the time when the first snow flies and the shops blossom out in rare splendor, and up the streets and down go happy people seeking how to make those they love still happier, Santa Claus is in full sway his reign begun and the wheels of fashion, of business and of trade are rolling faster and faster till the hour shall come, when To! there will be the star in the sky and the song of the angel in every soul.
 Did the parents who would have none of Santa Claus gain anything by their resolution to be rigidly true to tangi- ble and material order, or, clinging to the husk, did they lose the fruit which was growing within for the healing of the nations? Many things not suscep- tible of proof by the evidence of the physical senses are really true in that