Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-12-24
JIG REAL cARIsTMAs.

careful perusal Of our readers on this
Christmas Eve morning:
The world has a strange habit OF
hiding away under the glamour Of Wis.
ible beauty and brightness much that
would moisten the eyes to see, and
burden the heart to know. In city
streets, where joyous throngs on
pleasure bent crowd the pathways,
the air is full of laughter and the
pleasant speech Of men and women
to whom the world is kind. The
evergreen holly, with its rudy bef-
ries, the flowers with radiant color.
the fruits that find summer in pal
aces Of glass, vie with the diamonds
and rubies that rich men buy to
prove their Christmas kindness, and
the laughter that we hear sounds like
a general chorus to the bursts of mu-
sic that from all sorts of places try
to tune the heartJ Of the listeners to
the festival that Is coming tomorrow. |
For It Is Christmas Eve in a great
city street!
1T is hardly possible to believe
that what we see and hear is not
typical of the general condition: that
the same eager anticipation Of the
peace and plenty Of the great Christ
day does not exist from one extrem.
Ity OF the city to the other Do we
aver remember the action of the laws
hat work in US, and try to understand
hat all Of US are apt to take our
'wn thoughts and feelings and cover
he lives OF all our fellows with them? 4.
I we are satisfied, we imagine every.
me else must be; our content ought
o be enough for all the world. On
his coming Christmas day may every
Mother who reads these words have
er hearts desire, and may she re-
lember too, that In our land the
ord who came to us long ago is with
s still, and in his loving grace be- II
lows enough Of all needful things to 81
atlsfy all who hunger with hunger o
body or soul; that there is no need o.
want, or misery or hate. and that 81
lere might be none on Christmas day 81
lis year If only the good and kind
nd wise had in former years under
God that while they Toasted and
me- their joy would find sharp con. pl
asst In the restitution that was liter or
ly within arms reach Of them all. be
AN through the long hours Of the IN
lrlstmas Eve and far into the early Is
orning, there are little boys and 70
rls, ill-clad, hungry, facing the biting oe
Inds' with slush'sodden feet, trying
earn few cents to buy dry bread I'd
Christmas feast, Women there "'
who are alone aud sick, fighting 70
3 deadly weakness that is born OF nc
haustion, tolling on through the ga
wv passing minutes til the dawn. "
~ they may not die of hunger. Rag. 90
d. homeless men crowd into the -
'ty refugees for the vagrant. to lie -
islns restlessly about. coughing In -,
cruises OF agony, thinking In dull vs.
rror OF the better Christmas In days 700
nc by And In the hearts OF all the
fortunate, not one bright CLEAN OF
pc shines to drive despair away.
y are living In, not passing through nat
valley OF the shadow OF death. =
All there are lives immeasurably nj
rise than these-young girls driven III
drunken parents into the streets al
inight when the Christmas bells
ringing; wives beaten by men
sh from saloon bars where they
~ making ready for Christmas day.
'at must God think when groans and
ieks from helpless human lips rise
from sordid homes. and mlngle
h the music of the bells that tell
world that Gods Son loved them
aud came TO earth to bring good
and peaec' or rather. what should
'stian mothers think. and Chris.
fathers do, TO end the dlscord
giye to the Christ the world ne
4 10 sayeg
Not only the passing charity OF
day, not merely the good dinner
warm clothes, and The kindly
'ds--all these are good; how good
80 only know who know well The
r. hut the child Christ was born -