The morning journal-courier., 1908-12-25
Friday, December 25, 1908.
CHRIsTsrAs THOUGHTS.

Tt is nineteen centuries since the birth of a child brought with 1t new conception of life and set in motion Ideals and yearnings which have con- tinued to influence the world. The pessimtst finds so little achievement during this long lapse of time that he views tho future with but little hope f1lness. The optimlst, who knows nothing of the sense of discourage ment, even when the nours are the darkest, points with increasing conh- dence to whatever has been accom- plished as enough of an earnest of better things to justify undiminished pounding
 Progress is too often point of view when 1t should be q careful in- vestigation of facts. The individual counts for so little in the vast scheme of life that society has had to be con tent to record its advance modestly knowing that while there has not been much to openly boast of, there has been some kind of progress. The real trouble with the progress that has been made away from crude and brut- al conditions towards recognized law and order Is that not always has an intelligent use been made of the tools which an enlightened intellect has fashioned. Too often tools, which in themselves are instruments of sure progress, iiave been so ignorantly used that they have done Injury where good should have resulted. Users of them have been stimulated at ono time by fiery political zeal. at another time by furious fanaticism and still at another time by deadening conner cial obsession. The great world has passed through each of these stages with it's heavy weight and its conse- quent powers of resistance until now possibly 1t is tho moro prepared to reach up to the larger problems, which arc entirely moral In their character.
 There are distinct signs, and they are more clearly discovered at this season of the year than at any other perhaps, which point to the growing Impression of society that many of tho things for which 1t has labored so hard, are not the things which add to tho enjoyment and profit of living The strong tendency towards fewer hours of labor Is not necessarily a protest against work in favor of idle ness; 1t is a human yearnng for a dl- vision of daily life so that something besides labor can be introduced into ones daily experience as a result Of which society may learn to cultivate the gentler traits of human charac. ter. A great number of movements which are supported with fevcrlsf and restless zeal and which are toe often condemned because they tend tc interfere with conventional life, really seek q higher standard of living, ar opportunity to enjoy the gifts of Coo now passed by, because only tho few know what they are or where they are to be found,
 One may dissent, for example, iron the gospel of socialism but one may not charge that the socialist seeks to injure society Mistaken as he may be in his view Of the way to uplif society he is q far moro useful citiael than the man of conventions, wht would let things take their own way to the discomfort of the world ant the demoralization of political govern ment. The socialist is at least willing to fight, and it may be his fighting in part. which ta paralolod by th lighting qualities of all who are no satisfied with the situation, which ac counts for the signs of better day coming But wherever the credit Is t be placed, it Is perfectly certain tha larger progress will be made in th next nineteen hundred years becaus of the worlds knowledge of what i not important and of what is Th