Henderson gold leaf., 1911-12-21


truth than were our forefathers
who, in the childhood of the race,
watched their yule-logs burn in
the German forests, and saw the
hand of Wooden and Berchta in
all the activities of the Christmas
week.
But fortunately we are not able
with our sordid PHILOSOPHERS and
practical" programs to crush
out entirely this Christmas SEN
timent in the hearts of the young.
Santa Claus not a reality. Why
he is the most real parsonage in
all the beautiful world of senti-
ment and childhood. He is the
chief Of the myriad spirits in
habiting that heaven which lies
about us in our infancy. God
pity us when we allow ourselves
to drift so far from its shores
that its music becomes lost to us
in the monotonous humdrum of a
workaday world.
How may we cultivate the
Christmas spirit? | have been
endeavoring to revive sentiments
appropriate to the season by a
re-reading of some Of those
Christmas stories with which
our literature has been enriched.
Even if you read them twenty
times, | feel like begging you to
read again Dickens matchless
Christmas Carol, and Kate Doug
las Wiggin's scarcely less beau
tiful Birds Christmas Carol.
Admirers of Van Dyke will find
delight in re-reading The First
Christmas Tree. Some of us
whose hair is silvered will re-
kindle recollections as tender as
they are sad by reading once
more Whittier's inimitible Snow
Bound. Of course we will read
again and again the beautiful
story that has girdled the world
with its glad refrain, Peace on
earth, good will to men,"
But will we do no more than
read these Christmas songs? Yes,
we will load our children with
gifts and clog the mails with
presents to friends. All this
some of it, rather-may be good.
But if it is true that charity
should begin at home, it is equal
ly true that it should not remain
at home. Most of our Christ
mas giving is not in the spirit Of
Him whose supreme gift to the
world we profess to celebrate.
It is selfish. But if we must
continue to make the meaning
less gifts that custom demands
of us, let US increase the number
of those gifts that are really
worth the making.
While we enjoy the good things
the season will bring us, let us
forget China for a moment and
remember the hundreds at our
doorsteps whose lives are barren.
AS our children surfeit Of the joys
we provide for them, let us think
how many children there are in
Henderson who will have no
Christmas this year unless we
make it for them. Will you not
be Santa Claus. for some child
whose Christmas will be dreary
without your help? Test here
the truth of the statement, 1t
is more blessed to give than to
receive. T."
This season for dispensing good
cheer never comes around that |
do not desire to find some means
Of expressing my appreciation Of
the faithfulness of a number of
our public servants. How little
we think of our obligation to the
clerks who serve our whims in a
thousand ways. The teachers,
who work on meagre salaries at
the task of building immortal
characters for our boys and girls.
The young ladies, who at a wage
far below the proper minimum,
serve US so cOmpetently and eff
ficiently as they sit hour after
hour at the switchboard of our
telephone office-a position in
which the human nature Of Job
himself would sometimes have
been tempted to the surface. |
am even reminded of our editor
and his devil, who strive at the
impossible task of pleasing an i'm
possible public. Nothing but the
limit placed upon my ability pre-
vents me from becoming to each
and all Of these a veritable Santa
Claus. At least | may from my
} heart express the sentiment of
Bob Cratchit, re-echoed by Tiny
} Tim, A Merry Christmas to us
all, my dears. God bless US.
God bless us every one,"