Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-12-23

l " friends at Christmas Tn
 like manner they lash tllrii
 brains to lhinE of something to give
 us We Sly to ourselves, Rich old 1 Aunt Rachel ought to pul up some thing handsome this year. the old eur. l mudgeon.' Rich old Aunt Rachel ib her turn says of us: T suppose those beGgarly nieces of mine will send me some fool trash they themselves can make and expect me to give them gifts | worth forty times as much They're q nuisance. Every way 1 turn there's somebody expecting ,ne to put up q Christmas present. I wish these hungry hangers on were at the north pole" The whole scheme of Christmas .iv ing has been perverted till ir now means only one of three things either barter, unwilling almsgiving or tip ping. Servants, deserving or other. wise; poor relatives, charity societies, people too lazy and shiftless to earn comfort for themselves, all expect" something. The effort to fill these ex- pectatiOnS causes q drain that makes most people look forward with dread from one Christmas to the next Sev- ell out of ten Christmas presents are nowadays forced from the grudging donor just because the receivers "eX- pect' something. Mortal mind can sink to no meaner level than to "ex- poet" a Christmas present.
 Yet with all earth's giving there is one thing nobody ever thinks to be stow unless it is some man or woman. usually a woman. who has been tried in all ways by sorrow, hardship and atiliciion, who has looked on this worlds treasures and seen them melt away and has learned there is nothing in them, To such q true, sweet. test. ea soul has come the full Knowledge that the only Christmas present worth while is the one ilr Christ Child came Chiid'S gift is on the earth. 1900 years after 'hr holy Nativity. It is To be had by every human being. it is the most precious offspring human being can either give or receive, yet i'll o'ir SO called Christian world today nau@hi is so scarce as this one thing
 What was it the Christ Child came to bring: Peace on earth, good will to men, Down the centuries the tid. ings of this priceless offering have sounded, and they sound still. but now faint and afar off to the w0rldling sense. For weeks the atmosphere has been confused and dashed with the vibrations of Christmas buying and selling, Christmas scramble and ex- pcctancy; it Is overborne and heavy with the awful weariness of the Christ mas makers. Who has time to send forth the glorious gift which is the very foundation stone oe Christmas it self peace and Go,nl will?
 How would i, do like fue tho~t, over taxed with esiviae and ''u>t too poor to give anNthin4 at all simply and uuie,lr i" heStow Ike Christ ChildS gift on aG mankind: Af,er presenlin" ihe few material gifts one really offers for the pleasure oi it. how would il aa to make eycryhody ;iro'ind rs happy Il wc can ail day ion@. being cheertn! merry, loNtnS and helpful to every member of our household, thinkin% E,a at all Of our oWn deserts or Gi>appo1.} ments. but giving forth ioyiult tue best that ie in us T. widening auG softenlng our souls, Ne would we,d from our consciousness all our pirii5i little grudgeS against others and i!fo,d eV cn those we dislike most in the l01 hs thought of Christmastide: