The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1902-12-25

NHhlS IMAS comes DuC once
year, and if we are wise we'll
\ try to make the most of it.
The Spirit of Brotherly Love
seems to be lowering in the air, filling
the atmosphere with its benign infiu-
ence; breathing into the souls of men
its own divine essence; subduing in
man the harsh, selfish Instincts; fan
ming into flame the smouldering
embers of benevolence and good will,
which lie dormant in most men. This
is the day, above all others, on which
we realize that zone touch of nature,
makes the whole world kim" We feel
that, after all, there is something in us
which binds us together. We perceive
that the difference between man and
man is not so very great. Wherein do
I. you and your worst enemy differ
You have certain faults, and he
has certain others. You have
certain virtues, which you keep tied
np with strong cords to pre-
vent their free movement, and he has
certain, other virtues, locked in the
extreme northwest corner of his heart
an out-of-the-way place, where they'll
do the least good. Come now, join
hands and make d compact. Agree to
. tie up your faults and vices; put them
all in one pile and wrap them up in
strong cloth. Now fetch two inch
rope stay thi3 wire cable is just the
thingl Wrap it round and round the
bundle, pull hard on the ends; cross
yonE ends and wrap lengthwise; pull
h-aFd! Therel Hear them squeal !?
Now tie the ends in gordian knot
which even Alexander's sword cannot
cut asnDder. Now, Mr. What's-yeur-
name? unite that tiny package of half
starved virtues. Give them elbow
room; they'll be glad of a chance to
expand; they will appreciate their
liberty, and the opportunity to take
proper exercise. Now you, Mr.. Grim
andgrisly, or whatever your name is,
it's your turn. Give us the key to that
little corner closet of your heart. Well,
l declare! The lock is rusty! Don't
scream, man, but stand still and let me
rattle the lock. All, here we are. One,
two, three, four, five, six-an even half
dozen virtues, all shriveled, and some
of them more than half dead. Amt
you ashamed to keep such precious
things locked up in such dark, un-
wholesome place, and not even take
them out occasionally for an airing :?
Nurse them carefully for short time,
and then give them liberty to roam
about. It's exercise they are most in
need Of, and don't you dare to interfere
with them! There now, you two old
sinners, don't you feel better already /?
OF course you do. You now know
that the one is about as good and as
bad as the other, or if possible, little
bit worse than the other Be brothers
henceforth, and let the Christmas Spirit
abide with you for levermore!
Christmas comes but once a year, and
1t behooves us to make the most of it.
Is there a coldness or aloofness in
friends of whom we expected better
things? There is no time more suit
able to remove little misunderstand-
ings than the present Now is the
time to act. If we have anything to
confess let us confess freely: if we
have anything to forgive let US forgive
) freely. Life is too short and precious
boon to waste any part of it in cul-
tivating the spirit of resentment or re-
venge. Let us this day strike out all
old scores. Let us fill our purses with
the pure gold of Charity, and deal it
out, right and left. Let the good that
is in us go out of us, and it will return
to us refined in quality, and increased
in quantity. Let us forgive our per-
secutors and traducers. Let us even
forgive those exceedingly small-souled
people who promise much, and per-
form so little! Let us remember that
we often make grave mistakes in judg-
ing the characters of our neighbors.
We expose to their view the darkest
side of our nature, and then expect