The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1902-1905, 1902-12-25
BUYING CHRISTMAS PRES
ENTS

When King Cyrus gave cup of
gold to Artabazus, while to Chrys-
anthis, his favorite, he gave only a
kiss, Artabazus complained: Sire,
the cup you gave me is not half so
good gold as the kiss you gave
Chrysanthis."
This was in days of old, but many
an ArtabaZus still longs for some
simple taken of love and is Knocked
with a costly bauble that means
nothing. With the golden cup in
her hand, her soul still goes thirsty.
If there is any day in the year
when the greed for gold should be
stitled and shut out and place made
in the heart for better, dearer, sweet
er things, that day is Christmas, and
there are many people in the world
who can derive more real happiness
on that morning from simple spray
of holly than from glittering spray
of diamonds.
Down at the well-spring of human
nature is a longing to have our
friends think of us thoroughly and
study our tastes, and if a Christmas
gift can carry satisfaction in this it
will be u complete success. No
other kind can be.
Indeed, the gifts that give most
pleasure are often the simple work
of ones own hands, or some tritle
worth little except that it is espe-
aially eloquent of the sentiment it is
intended to express.
The right kind of Christmas gift
is something shat has direct and
especial meaning from the one who
gives to the one to whom it is given
The cost should be no considera.
ton in the selection. The less il
represents money the better. What
violence we do these simple truths
The buying of Christmas gifts has
become the great financial strain o
the year. In the tumble and scram
BILE of the shops we forget all the
real, sweet sacred meaning of the
season.
II is the common idea that CriSt
mas gift, to express proper feeling
must be respectable, and "reSpecta
BILE" is regarded as Synonymous will
costly. The average purchase fol
Christmas involves an expenditure
that the giver can not we'll afford fol
the sake of something that the re.
cipient does not want.
A natural outgrowth of this folly
is the idea that to receive a fine
present is to become indebted to the
giver for gift in return of about
equal expense.
1t is not Uncommon for us all tC
find ourselves wondering in advance
what we are going to receive, in or
der that what we give may not fail
short in elegancs-which means ex.
pense.
So Christmas gifts. the tenderest
tokens of affection saved from para
disc, have come to be without mean
ing, except as cold barter and ex-
change, i'll which both parties lose
much and gain little. To couple
with a Christmas Gift thought of an
obligation to repay in kind is not on
ly vulgar but it robs the courtesy of
all sweetness.
To rate gift at its cost price is
not only more vulgar, but it is to in
suit the giver, whether h e
article will braveIy stand the test or
not. To put a certain sum of money
in ones pocket and start out to find
something that it will buy is even
more vulgar STILL for a gift thus Sc
lected can have no meaning IN
tended.
Like Cyrus, we give the golden
bauble, instead of the coveted kiss.
We give the cup, glittering but
empty, and leave the longing soul
a-thirst.
So far do we forget the Christmas
meaning that we must make the an
gels in heaven, on the gladdest day
in infinite time, turn aside to weep.
EETHE WHITE SLAVES -