Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-12-21
A Merry
Xmas to Re-
view Readers

A merry Christmas 10 each anu
every reader of the Oil Review,
and may you have many OF them.
This message of good will ought
to read, and "maY the spirit OF
Christmas be with all every day OF
the year."
Just why we should go back to
the same old lives again is some
thing that no one can explain.
We should aim to make each other
happy on Christmas, to bring
good cheer to the hearts OF all
those whom we come in contact
with, to emulate the example set
us 1900 years ago. And yet the
day with all it's good wishes, with
all it's efforts to make happiness
dies with the setting sun, and it
becomes but faint memory,
growing fainter each succeeding
day, until, perhaps, it again ap-
proaches, when anticipations are
kindled, expectations excited and
we are all anxious for its return.
There must certainly be some
thing wrong somewhere. We
may have tried to make others
happy because Of the satisfaction
that comes to us, we have made
merry because of the customs OF
the day, we have acted selfshly
or thoughtlessly. We may have
tried to make the day an excep-
ton to the general rule OF our
lives to such an extent that we
cannot continue it's spirit in the
fierce competition Of life, in the
struggle for existence. We are
victims of circumstances over
which we have almost no con-
troll, and yet, if every man, wo-
man or child would but follow one
simple rule that has remained al
most a dead letter for over 1900
| years, the day would not be an
exception because it would be en-
tirely in harmony with constant
effort to edo to others as we
would have others do to us.
Christmas is not at fault, the
trouble lies with ourselves. If the
day is attractive, if it's spirit is
beneficial, if it's observance brings
joy and happiness, we alone are
to blame if we do not continue
these characteristics of the day
throughout the year. We alone
are at fault if the circumstances
if the conditions surrounding us,
are such as to prevent us having
"peace on earth" We ought not,
therefore, ego back to the same
old lives again" We should have
the spirit Of Christmas with us
every day of the year.
Rarely have the conditions been
more propitious for merry
Christmas in Sistersville and sur
rounding communities than they
are this year. With prosperity
and abundance on every hand
comfort follows, and with COM
fort it is not difficult to be merry.
Condition, season and sentiment
are in harmony. Nowhere in the
world was ever a Christmas eel
ebrated so merrily and by so
many people as this one will be
in the United States, for seldom,
if ever before, were so many
people in such stages of material
plenty. Christmas is the child's
day, and this Christmas will bring
to happy homes measure of
cheer and merriment that is of
greater compass than any that
have gone before as it has in it
more Of love and generosity and
hOpefulness.
The vast majority of the pco-
pie of this great country have
been prosperous for four years,
and the vast crowds that have
packed the stores for the past
few weeks of this city have tes-
tilted to the profubion of gifts
and good cheer in every house
hold today. Only a few years
ago the people had to celebrate