The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-12-16
CHRISTMAS THE GREAT
MODERN BALANCE WHEEL
It Means An Era of Good
Fellowship for Rich and
Poor Alike.
eOME BEAUTIFUL SENTIMENT
ON THE DAY, WHAT 1T MEANS,
AND WHAT 1T SHOULD BE TO
ALL MANKIND.
BY Mayor Chas. II. Bliss.

Christmas is the great balance
wheel of modern civilization. 1t is
an era of good feeling and fellowship.
when the sordid grasping of ill-ba!.
anced commercialism Is temporarily
forgotten and everyone desires 10 do
something TO make others cheerful
and happy. Gifts are lavisbly be.
slowed and tokens of love and respect
are freely scattered as the refulgent
rays of a rising summer sun. The
purse strings of the favored rich are
somewhat loosened and some of the
llIxuries of life find temporary lodge
ment in the homes of the poor. 1t is
q the one day in the whole year when
all mankind TO some extent recognize
their kinship. 1t is the day when the
beautiful teachings and practices o.
Christianity are eXemplified. The
world would be an earthly Paradise If
the spirit Of Christmas would abide
the entire year.
Man is bundle of habits. His
habits are Of two kinds; first are
those that are hereditary. those born
in him: second. comes the habits rs-
1 sulting from the conditions surround
! Ing his life Habits that are hered-
titary are generally considered natural
f<habits. while those resulting from cir
b. cumstanceS are considered acquired
habits. But acquired habits in process
Of time become more or less hered-
itary. The upright position in which
mankind walks is a hereditary habit.
This habit is practiced to some extent
by certain animals such as the bear,
t-apes, monkeys. etc. The habit of
drinking Intoxicating liquors is an &C.
! CURED habit but the long practice OF
81 makes it more or less hereditary.
Some people are born with the habit
! Of making music, others with using
tOOls in certain lines, others with
! talking or trading. or some one or
more of the thousands of possible
| things in life. In other words. some
are born musicians. orators. teachers.
preachers, mechanics. soldiers. sail
ors. mathematicians, sculptors.
painters, gluttOns, drunkards. crinli-
inals or some one of the ten thousand
things possible
Circumstances or conditions sur
rounding man have a tremendous in
fiuence on his life for they shape and
mould his habits. a child raised in
q beer drinking community and beer
drinking family is pretty apt to be a
beer drinker and unless no IS endowed
with considerable good sense he may
eventually go 10 excess. A child
reared in the slums among the disso-
lutte and depraved. whose eyes are
toasted upon debauchery and whose
ears are attuned to profanity and vul-
garity cannot possibly have the same
habits as the child who has always
been accustomed to the sweet and
peaceful surroundings of a loving and
respectable home.
In this country men are in the habit
OF wearing coats, vests and trousers
while the habits of women are gowns
and dresses. In the Orient the dress
is quite different. Cinnamon are rot
In the habit of wearing leather shoes.
while in China sandals are worn. and
In some European countries the habit
of wearing wooden shoes is common.
in Germany and France the habit of
eating horse flesh is practiced. In