The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-12-17
By aargaret E. sangster.

Copyright. 1905. by Joseph b. boWies.l
 The spell of the yule-tide lasts very much longer than the yule-tidef itself. Weeks before Christmas holidays we are all thinking a1<7Y them. wondering what we can do t9Smake them better holidays than we have ever had, plan ming surprises for everybody from the rrandparents to the little ones toddiing about the nursery floor, and keying ourselves to concert pitch over the whole matter.
 We are aware that to celebrate tho vu1e-tide as it should be honored ac- cording to traditions and customs which we respect, will take great deai or
 money. The man with the deep purse and the big bank account prepares law ishIy and outpours money at the sue- gestion of wife and daughters, without the faintest protest. The mar with the lean pocket book and no bank account at all too often does precisely the same thing, although conscience sounds warning note, and he dreads unspeak- ably the millstone of debt that VIII nresently be hung around his neck. One of our great troubles in this country
 is that few of us are frugal and most of us scofn economy. We hhave con tempt for petty savings, ana we are ao- soltuely determined. if we possibly can. to yie,with our neighbors. The result
 is that &he spell of the yul9-tide, rose ate and bIissful beforehand. Is very ap' to be gloomy and ba!eful when the nol-
 idays are over.
 America as a nation is growing ;ll-
 mensely rich among she nations or the earth, but while men Of wealth are no Io,.trT, extraordinary, the rank and file
 stlIi have and always will have limited means. SC that thrift is q golden Virfue' n, Chrisirnas as well %s at oeher periods of the year.
 However long they may tarry. reck- oning days finally come. If we DestoW
 sets of china and beautiful silver, ola- mouds, faces, expensive toys ana lux
 uries in general, on our klth anu Ain a.
 yule-tide 1t is entirely right It we may
 ao so without lessening the sum or commonplace comfort by and by. Amer
 ican men are generous to q proVefo.
 The one thing they loathe and nate IS
 to seem churlish and niggardly. Hus-
 hands desire to please their wives, ialn-
 CTS are most unhappy If compeiieo to
 deny anything to daughters so the iu. ; and chiffous, the trips here, the Jaunts
 there, the tickets to opera. theater ana concerts are forthcoming, whether It De easy and convenient or hard ana em- harrassing for the man of the mousse
 to procure the wherewithal.
 Sometimes there is complaint at nome 2
 that father is moody and taciturn' anu a little manaEeHeuI anu boSt o~A der hefore mother and the girls ask nln
 for money. the fact being that the poor
 man js borrowing right and left. and IS almost beside himself to meet the drain on his resources ~
 several years ago. soon after the
 glow of the yule-tide had faded into inc ashen embers of mid-winter' ous- mess man was taken i'll. DragsIhs 1 aIonr through the weeks Of FeDruary and March, the victim it seemed or mvsterious malady. he died and was h,ried during Easter week. When ms offairs were settled they were found 10 l he extremely involved. The entlre | scheme of living for the family had to ! he reconstructed, and with the panss | of agony those whom ne nau IoVeo 1is | covered that their extravagance nau reaIIv sapped the springs of his life. l They were not altogether to blame: rywshands are not invariably frank ana | candid with wives. Fathers dislke to let sons and daughters know that they have anxieties; they resort to
 every legitimate or ilegltimao.e 1 means to gratify those who pear tneiI M name. ana in the end if crash does
 not come. there are heart burnings
 and dIstresses that might as well nave been avoided.
 a smell of foreboding or leaves a legacy | of importunate creultorSS it AAS robbed of it's finest essence ana oeT l frauded of it's noblest meaning;
 When the Christmas angels brought l frorn heaven the sweetest strains ever | heard, they sang Peace on Earth
 Good viii to Men. Glory to God in the l Highest" l The earth is full of wars and clam | ors. Glancing backward across the | last twelve months we shudder at the | thought of the blood shed in Russia, | og the carnage in the Far East, of the | battles that have been waginE c land | and sea. What desolations follow in | tbe wake of warN Are we ever to en- 1 fer upon an era of peace when dis mites shall be settled by arbitration l and not by the clash of arms? Will a | dav ever dawn when there shall be l compassion for weakness. and not on l the part of a strong nation disposi- | ton to trample on feebler neighbour | Shall we arrive at season when the | Christmas music shall re-echo around | inc globe? The optimist not only | homes. but confidently expects this con summation, and. believe me, it is wiser | to be an optimist than a pessimist. The world is moving onward to the fuller | day. to the larger wisdom, to the more | Triumphant peace. Notwithstanding everything that discourages there is l constant reason to anticipate an era of universal good fellowship. of mu- tual understanding, and of hetpfulness on every side.
 r. Ii is our misfortune that we cannot | divert ourselves of a feeling that tc make the home happy we must spend | too much money for our mental com