The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-12-24

SuperSt1t1ouSly reverenced by the |
British Druids. We can imagine why,
for it would grow from no seed plan
ted by men. Birds were believed to
sow it, and it was nourished upon
heavenly air and light, and the puri-
fed juices of earth sucked through
the tree. With golden axe, old Dray
ton said, the Druids cut it down.
Yet when the goodly custom of kiss
ing under it came in, the little chap
lain did not say. But the kiss, he in
sisted, had spiritual signiticance.I
l am afraid dear Gregory, that GER
tain young people whom | known
would have opened their eyes and
smiled if they had heard that extra
ordinary doctrie. And, indeed, it was
rather startling to hear the little
chaplain say that the subject of his
Christmas sermon was kissing under
the Misteltoe. | have never seen so
attentive a congregation. The mo-
ment that he had announced his sub
ject nobody seemed to wish to sleep.
Even the prima donna in the choir,
who usually chatters when she is
not taking her part in the services,
pushed aside the curtains to hear a
sermon upon kissing. Some of those
young people of whom I spoke had
an air of inquiry in their attention,
as who should say, ~ wonder what
the little fellow can teach me about
that?' Perhaps there was no prima
donna in the choir; perhaps there
were no young people. But there
might have been, you know; and
when we think of church and
sermon, [ for one, always think of
the music and the young people.
The mistletoe, said our preacher,
is a symbol of Christmas. Christmas
is the great festival of the religion
of love to God and man. To kiss I'M
der the mistletoe, therefore, is to
show love to men. Now, love to me
is, in other words, charity; and he
only keeps Christmas truly whose
heart is full of charity to all men.
l. The charitable man is he who kisses
under the mistletoe. This was very
tsimple and ineligible doctrine, and,
; I hope, orthodox. My dear Gregory,
if the Apostle Paul, Or any other
apostle, ever preached better Chris
: tianty or truer religion than the
: thirteenth chapter of the First Epis-
tie to the Corinthians, | have not
, CHANGED to know it. 1t is very short
chapter, but is marvelously compre-
:, hensive. 1t contains the essence of
, Christianity, as one priceless drop
J of the altar contains the distilled
l sweetness of acres of roses. And
when the little chaplain had made
| its significance, he read that chapter
: his remarks about the mistletoe and
"That's my sermon for today. Con
gregation and choir will sing
l "Brightest and best of the sons OF
5 the morning!' - and he sat down
t and the dear little folks all said
= that is, wouldn't they have said?-
, that it was the best sermon they hat
, ever heard.
r I walked about the streets little
afterward, to see Christmas and K
, think Of what I had heard. The day
before I had read in a newspape,
= that Dickens had almost re-createt
Christmas, and had made it identi
t cal with good cheer. And you, re
member that Thackeray, in his grea
s hearty words, said of his rival-fo
C oh, my dear Gregory, even in tn
Il groves and the garden, and upol
: Parnassus and beside Helicon, Their
t Continued on page six.)