Rocky Ford enterprise., 1907-12-27
G I'm G e X
$ " II u s

s,.-~~.-~~D.s,-S'-s'u-a.N.-
l was pretty sure it would come
to that. 4 Brooklyn man shot his
wife fatally aud then turned the gun
upon himself. all because his wife
had taken $500 to buy Christmas
presents out of their small savings
of 5000 When we get infected with
fad, we Americans. we never stop
short OF brain storm. This Christ
mas business has run to madness.
There are. | believe, II the real
truth were known, whole lot OF
people who would like to kill the
people who send them things. things
that they do not know the name OF;
things that might be worshippcd,
since there is nothing in the heavens
above or the earth beneath or the
waters under the earth that like them:
things that the recipients have no
more use for than dog has for fii-
teen tails.
A great many Christmas gifts are
"Dooleys." They are given just be-
cause the other fellow did II, and did
ii "iust." as David Harum would
say. They arc bought for eontin-
gsneies. They were done mp in
tissue paper and tied with blue rib
bon and laid aside with blank
label on them. Then the modern
enulator of Good Saint Nicholas
seats himself. figuratively. at the
from, window on Merry Christmas
coming round the corner with
Christmas boxes. As soon As ono
heaves in sight. or gets near enough
30 see the whites OF their eyes. VIC
call the girl. seribble name on that
label and run her out OF the back
door and down the alley with .ift
for that samo party.
Every Christmas this Christmas
eii, game WAKES warmer. More and
more chances have to be taken. To
wal, until Christmas Is to take
chances that your friends viii get the
start OF you. The girl who went
down tho alley stopped 10 tell the
had received. tfor tho mania catches
all classes. and II Is number. not use
or value that eornts) so she didn't
get back so as to deliver tho next
consignment on time.
know I shall he told this Il un-
kind. Tha, such criticism Is eaieu-
lated to discourage the finer out
workings OF the human heart. Per-
haps so. A Kindness that comes
mostly in spasms and iha; Is moro
hindranec than = heipfuinrss needs
10 be discouraged To be slave TO
any kind Of fashion IL unfortunate.
Hypocrisy can not be Offset by the
excuse OF kindness
I know |, IL Difficult, TO diserimi-
nate between kindness and hypoe-
risy in such a case: bu; II somebody
doesn', fiic kick where is I, going
to end. The Brooklyn tragedy is an
extreme ease perhaps. bu; I, Is si.-
niheant. The Christmas gift business
is growing hurdcnsomc. The manu-
iaeturcrs Of gcw-jaws and .im.eraeks
puts a fcvcrish strain on lot of
people who do not quite reach the
shooting point. a great deal OF
financial strinEcnev and nerve iag
comes of buying and making things
VIC don't want. And at Christmas VIC
reach ;hc climax. know OF ono
girl who sat down and had a good
hystcfieai cry because her ehum go;
seven more presents than she did by
actual count.
Even our religious institutions &C,
TO iumblinE over one another In tho
desire TO make showing on this
Christmas cheer business. Once
year they rake the town with a hnc
tooth comb TO find all the possible
poor and unfortunate on whom to
bcstow turkey dinner. jumping
jack and a paper doll. And this
gives them a prima faeia excuse for
existence the other ffty-onc weeks in
the year. II life is so devoid OF
pleasure that a ono day OF ono
week blowout becomes the do all
and end all Of existence !, is surely
a doubtful blessing: and the reaction
OF January must be depressing. No
wonder VIC need week Of prayer.
And the newspapers arc tarred
with the same stick There are two
Of the great Denver daiiies have
been running rival Santa Claus booms
for several weeks past Playing the
public for donations and getting
glory to themselves meanwhile. How
many people are really hclped and
how many arc forced mcndicants of
the Christmas hoorah. IL is impossi-
bic to tell. but that mcudiesncy i
an easily fosicrcd habit is ali too
well understood. I question whether
all the housciop. rcd-lCtter. bins-