The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-12-18
The spirit Of chrIstmas.

Duluth Herald: 1t has become rather
the fashion to rail about the perverted
spirit of Christmas. Every year some
body who is probably no better in
that respect than anybody else puts
himself on pedestal and scolds every
body that will listen because, he thinks,
everybody is perverting the spirit OF
| Christmas.
While the spirit Of Christmas now
| adays is by no means all 1t ought to be
and while beyond any doubt 1t could
be improved UNNECESSARILY IL every
| body would set about improving it,
really after all, IL isn't so bad as these
holiday xantippes to try make out
, There is, after all, great deal thar is
joyful and comforting and heart-warm-
ing about Christmas, even in the worst
phases OF present methods of celebrat-
ing it.
IL there is anything at all wrong
with the modern Christmas spirit, it
lies in the fact that too much stress is
laid upon the formal function OF giving
and too little upon the spirit of giving.
1t isn't the mere giving that counts;
anybody can give properly lie he Will;
though 1t is harder to receive in the
right spirit than it is to give In the
right spirit. What counts, after all is
the spirit of it, and there is a much
need of cultivating the proper spirit in
in those who receive as there is in
cultivating 1t in those who give; very
much more; In point Of face.
AS "a Jests prosperity lies in the
ear OF him who hears 1t, never in The
tongue Of him who tells it." SO a
gifts prosperity lies in the hear Of hin,
VINO receives 1t rather than in the
heart of him who gives IL. II everv-
body received gifts in the right Hnjrit
there would be no talk about the ner-
version of the spirit of giving
The person who wishes to cultivate
TINS right spirit of Christmas receiving
VIII adopt as his hard and steadfast
rue the assumption that the giver has
zone the best he could, 1t is fair
enough to take that for granted for
the numbers of those who do not do
the best they can are so small as NOT
TO be worth considering. So If vo,,,.
Wire gives you a box of cigars that
you have to smuggle out of the house
and destroy because not even the garb-
age man will smoke them. remember
that she did the best she could accord
ing to her lights. She knew that Won,
smoked cigars, and TO her a cigar In
merely cigar, much as to you a wom-
ans hat Is merely a woman's hat Rad
as her cigars may be. she meant well
And II you hate Kipling, and your sis
Ter gives you set of his works fro
christmas, reflect that she didn't do
It in malice Forget your hatred. Take
the gift In the spirit In which II was
given, and be pleased. 1t would be q.
pretty thing actually to read tha hooks
you may be surprised thereby Some
people submit to q prejudice like that
until 1t becomes q superstition ana
mus they make themselves like the
hypoehondriao who told her doctor rhat
she simply couldn't eat apples bsca,,se,
tney didn't agree with her. "What az
rect do they have on your" asked tbe
doctor Il don't know" innocentlv
responded the woman; IT haven;t
eaten one in twenty-five wears
II the spirit Of Christmas rece,v,ng
Is made what 1t ought to be there viii
be no trouble about the sperit Of christ
mas giving. It Is a straininR to meat
the exacting greed OF distorted unIrIt
OF Christmas receiving that has oivay
rise 10 the extravagance and unpieax-
antness that have associated tbarr-
selves with Christmas giving: that ana
nothing more. ~