Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-23
PECULIARITIES
OF PEOPLE.

ANOAAxAASx 4x<S
OF PEOPLE.
Written for the Times Republican
Every ones shopping for Christmas.
Not single old Scrooge can be found.
Every heart is aglow with the feeling
That dear Santa Claus is around.
Not soul is too rushed or too weary
To hunt for the gifts he would send;
Not soul Is SO poor or so stingy
AS to hoard up the gold he would
spend.
And it's all an account of the Christ
child
That was born on that far Christmas
eve,
And his spirit still teaching the peo-
pie
F" It's more blessed to give than to re-
celve."
Hello, Santa Claus! Glad to see you.
You are the most persistent old fraud
in the universe. During the year, the
conscientious people who don't believe
in you-the people with more conscience
than imagination and poetry-drag you
into their clubs and their churches and
their homes, and pick you to pieces and
try to argue you out of existence. and
call you a myth and fraud and a lot OF
other raughty names, and fiatter them
selves you are done for, and every
Christmas you bob up as serenely as
summer moon, and straightway we for
get all our fine spun theories and greet
you with smiles and poses and hold a
merry fete day in your honor.
And you do keep wonderfully young
for such an old man. How old are you
Santa? Let me see! You were born way
back in the dim ages when-O what's
the use trying to figure 1t out! You've
been alive under one name or another
ever since the old days In the German
forests when you flew around with the
dove team instead OF the reindeer. You
captured the hearts of the old Romans
and the early Phoeniclans. and NO doubt
you We're in the Garden of Eden, riding
around with gifts for little Cain and
Abel.
We don't care continental when you
were born, nor where, nor how many
times you have changed your name,
nor whether Won have always come on
the same day. You've always been here,
you always will be here, and we shall
always love you, and that's enough. SO
here's to you with mirth and cheer,
bless your dear old soul! May you live
forever; And God bless US all. Every
one! Amen!
What beautiful word Yule-tlde
makes for US! At this season people
need only the wings to make OF them
angels For eleven months Of the year.
we are occupied with planning and
spending for ourselves The the twelttn
month we forget ourselves wholly IN
planning and spending for others.
We are pessimists-nlost OF us-hope-
less pessimists for f1fty-one weeks OF the
year. A hurried, anxious, fretful, plod-
ding, unhappy people looking at every
thing and everybody, thru smoked
glasses. and seeing only the grimy and
mournfuI side Of life. But for one week
only, we become optimists. For one
week only when the whole atmosphere
is saturated with the spirit OF uns sit1sh-
ness generosity and good cheer, we see
each other at our best, and employ life
as we should.
For fifty-one weeks OF the year we try
to make ourselves believe that the
heart OF the world has hardened. That
selfishness and greed prevail over all,
that the race is growing worse instead
of better. But for Christmas tfme-ah!
then we do not argue either way. we
lust naturally have faith in this old
world and In the men and women IN It.
Can't help ourselves, are forced to be-
tlieye it--and our heart lightens, and
lifts to join the general chorus OF
Peace on earth, goodwill to men!
sss
Reader have you ever stood on the
streets at Yule-t tide, or In a big de-
partment store and watched the great,
seething mass OF eager smiling Christ
mas shoppers as they go i'm and cut, IN
and out, seeking and spending? II not,
you have missed a most interesting
show, most saving experience. Watch
the democracy and good nature OF the
crowd as they rub up against and
iostle one another. See the woman in
velvet touch elbows with the woman in
homespun as they meet at the same
counter and smile at each other. What
matters it If they tread on somebody's
toes? Did you ever see any offense CIV
en- or taken In Christmas crowd? Note
the various expressions on the faces the
eager gestures. the fragments Of con-
versation let fall, the tell-tale incl
dents by the way, all Of which will show
YOU the tender thought, the secret
brooding. the hundred and one sacri-
fees that have stored up in memory a
treasure house from which to draw in
spiration in your moments of despon-
dency.
In this this happy throng you will
look in vain for old Scrooge. II there
are any of his kind around, they must
be In hiding, or, more likely, are trans
formed after the manner of Dickens
hero.
Two weeks before Christmas, you
may snub your neighbor, vow never to
speak to her again, and do all manner
Of unkind things. You may sneer at
Christmas as did old Scrooge. and swear
off from gift-giving, and make to your
self thousand and one mean resolves;
vet two days before Christmbas, you
will 20 out Of your way to say KIND
word or do a kind turn to that same
neighbor. And you will go poking
around at the last moment after every
thing is picked over, to find something
for this one, and that one, and the ether
one. o you needn't tell me! know
all ABOUT it. Haven't l been there my
self? And isn't human nature the same
the world over? There is no escaping
the cont gion, for good is as contagious
y,