The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1910-12-23
THOUGHTS ON cHKIsrMAs.

/
effort cease TO act and give away to thei
opposites. Charity replaces greed; kind
illness replaces jealousy and hate; broth
! erhood replaces competition. Rivalry il
! acquisition yields to rivalry in giving
/ For one day in the year the conduct o
/ the Christian world conforms not merely
in hollow pretense, but in reality, to III,
precepts of Jesus Christ. There is OF
earth, if not peace, at least the willingness
to cease from strife, and if one day is q
little too brief to perfect the feeling aud
practice of good will towards men, still
considering how great the change is
! from ordinary habtudes, we contrVe
a fair imitation of it. Considering, 100,
that the Christmas spirit is expected tc
last for one day only, the world shows,
| it must be admitted, great respect to the
Gallean shepherd by taking SO much
pains to give an air of verislmiltude &c
its brief submission TO this rule. For
one whole day i'll the year we are Chris
tlans in deed as as well as in name
The brotherhood of man is the most
fertile of all truths. Whatever IS good
in modern civilization comes rom ac.
cepting it; whatever is bad by denying it.
Democracy is the teaching of Jesus ex-
pressed in government, but thds Tar. the
expression has been timid, tentative and
Inadequate. Inventions will make il
possible to express His teachings in in
| dustry anG commerce. SOM wholesale
Softening of the heart will make US apply
| His teachings in conduct. There are
psychic waves now permeatilg the world
which seem to indicate thal some such
transformation of civilization NAV not be
far away. Perhaps the Kingdom of
heaven is nearer than w. think, with
brotherly love for its constitution and
Justice to all men for its pactice. Then
Gethsemane and the crown of thomS will
become symbols not OF tragic failure, but
of triumph, and the Christmas spirit will
be the spirit of every day n the year.
A right, round merry Christmas.
Joy be with you, and peace and good
will
X Xxx
A happy home, health and happiness
be thine.
In this world not only well wishing but
well doing is a colossal virtue.
The life that we live gives value TO our
words and wishes. and SO, dear reader.
we hope that your kindly wishes and
L. hA nnlGap
x X
Christmas, the home day, the Christmas?
Nav its lessons and its blessings gladden.
all hearts and make truth of the conf
mon salutation. "a Merry Christmas
10 you
Peace on earth, good will toward
men, :" the srandest of all carols, dearest
Of all angel hymns-time has destroyed
none of its Sweetness and has preserved
all Of its promise.
May love and Joy cross the threshold
st every home. and peace cover the dear
ones as mantle, and gladneSS so
DOHfl0s tlldl SdN iilCitiOliNo III u ihOhAiN'e
nay be forgotten.
The one great and essential fact about
Christmas is this; that it is the celebra-
ton Of birthday. Hence we will do to
have in Remembrance Him for whom the
dsy is named and in Whose honor it is
kept. And, having in mind the shep-
herds and the stable, we will remember
Iaow his life began in simplicity, was
lived to the end of it in accordance with
(its beginning.
4 tits far more important than parents
salize that this pagan error OF the
4. ,cendancy of Santa Claus should not
mi;lead our children on Christmas Day.
n whatever way we may choose to cele-
brategthe day let us somewhere, at the
very beginning = before breakfast or
directly after breakfast--keep brief
SPACE wherein some one may read the
.second chapter of Saint Matthew and
Saint Luke, and closing with the singing
OF an old Christmas carol, old words to
old music, in the old way. Then, if you
please, let Santa Claus come into the
day, but let us remember we'll what the
original Santa Claus. the good Saint
Nicholas of Myra, stood for He showed
himself a saint and earned the repu-
tation which has been his through gen
crations by one dominant characteristic;
relieving the necessities of poor and
needy family. He went around very
quietly when nobody was looking, and
put things in through the window. Thus
he has the right to modest place in our
festivities. Let us follow his example.
Let us do that sort of cheerful thing.
Let us think OF one or two, or more,
according to our means, TO whom we
may bring in a quiet friendly way, an
added pleasure, with whom we may
somehow share the overflowing happi-
ness which fills our fortunate days. And
this we will do in the name OF Him
whose anniversary we keep, remember
ing his own poverty, and how He went
about doing good, and how He told us
that we ought to love others even as He
loved us.
Think of Him, who was man OF
sorrows and acquainted with grief, and
without home; and yet from His pres
ence an ocean OF consolation has spread
out and covered the earth with its waters
Of healing.
Recruiting Station Opened.
A recruiting station Of the United