The morning journal-courier., 1907-12-17
THE rnul c1A rsLMa. Srtnr,

There are certain lovers of the true yuletide spirit in New Haven who either read or have read to them Dickens "A Christmas CaroI every year as regularly as the Christmas time cornes around Their numbers should be greater The right wa to look at Christmas day is q matter to cultivate and to be proud of, when we have it. To the children it comes spontaneously. And why? Simply because they know the true joq of giving and of receiving just as Ehcn. ezer Serooge learned to know 1t rom his bitter experience with the ghqst' A. sorrowful Christmas must il be with all of us, when first we look at Christmas from the !narccnary stand- point when with q sigh We count up the number of friends that we must remember simply because we are sure, from past Chrstmases, that they will remember us; and when -Christmaslike of all ideas) the sentiment value of the present given and of the present received is meas ured only by the mereenary yaue in- volved, Dating from then do our Christmases begin to lose their sweet ness and joy and do we feel no longer that exuberance of anticipation that childhood treasured and cultivated so at Christmas time,
 It is to be regretted that with so many there is not one-tenth the joy of giving hat there should be Al eight the dear friend was given some cateh-penny piece of brie-a-brac What in the world more useless With 1t was sent and with 1t was re- ceived true, heartfelt regard. Thir- ty years later no silver nor gold can take or give to that same friend the same feeling which should permeatc every exchange of gifts at Christmas time. The almighty dollar (male. dictions on it's American majesty) has but entered another field where il has no right.
 A contemporary has endeavored te bring it's advertising columns into the lime-light, Ca worthy ambition) in connection with Christmas pres. ents It tells us that Given sterling articles, the pleasure of giving then is, in the majority of minds, enhanc. ed by the knowledge that they were bought at bargain prices If tho presents are enhanced because of the knowledge that these people arc practicing true economy, well anc good But if enhanced because ot the hope that the recipient will thinl that more has been expended on his or her present than might have beer l expended, then the true spirit of the joy of giving is not in the heart Ther there is not the same Christmas feel. ing that permeated the whole bcinf of Ebenezer Scrooge that gloriou, morning when he awoke to find hi
 opportunities of enjoying d req Christmas had not gone forever; whe1
 he made "A perfect Laocoon of him
 self with his stockings and almos
 sang for joy, q am as light as
 feather, I am as happy as an angel
 am as merry as a school boy I an
 as giddy as drunken man A merr, i Christmas to everybody! A happ, New Year to all the world7
 Why was it when he ran to tn window, opened it, and put his hea, out there was NO fog, no mist; clear
 bright, jovial, stirring cold; cold, pip ing for the blood to dance to; goldel sunlight heavenly sky; sweet fresl air; merry bells. Oh, glorious Glcri eus,' It was simply because he hai ! learned the true Christmas spirit To all such as have not learned il, [ all such as would seek to avoid sue an awful baptism in their dream some night this month as hs ex