Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1912-12-19

island called Christmas, for Coco
VIII is itself a gift which forever
branches and blossoms and sets IL
fruit of it's kind And it is the Gus
tom of the saint to meet the pilgrim
ships and give those who call upor
him the choicest gifts and when 3
man hath received any one of their
he is forever a citizen OF the island
called Christmas. with all the rights
thereof.
Now. the gifts are hung upon a tree
which is called the Tree of Life and
they shine with wonderful light and
give off a sweetness which in good
time will sweeten the world. Indeed
as all pilgrims know, the reason that
shores far distant from the Christmas
Isle are habitable at all is that nil.
grims have come back bearing their
gifts of sweetness and light.
And the first gift is the Gift of the
Good Thought, whereby one NAV
break the hold Of narrow veracity
which chains him, truthfully enough
| but all too unwisely, to the faults OF
| his fellows There are neither riches
nor power comparable to the Good
Thought, which comes of the Good
Sight, whereby men have discovered
hidden worth as the miner has found
the blackened, bleak and forbidding
hillside to be threshold of worlds OF
cleaning gold. He that receives this
gift comes to himself to find himself
In friendly world. It is a gift
greatly to be desired, as a fire in
winter, friend in misfortune: and
by Its magic are miracles wrought on
those who dwell far from the king.
dom of the Saint Good viii.
And the second gift is like unto IT.
mild spirit of amnesty toward all
pilgrims whose faulty compass takes
them astray, and those who receive
1t are straightway indicted into the
Order of the Forgivers. It strikes
from the pilgrim as in the twinkling
of an eye, the cold bonds of hatred
vengeance, and all the brood Of NAL.
Ice. which make their home with
man but to destroy him.
And the third gift Is the Just Judg-
ment. by which the world is vastly
lightened by reason of the number OF
concentrations being lessened. For as
Is the number of those we condemn
In this world, so Is the number OF
disappointments we carry about with
US, and the number OF the sunny
windows we have darkened for our.
selves. There are lights Of life which
just judgment forbears to extin.
guish, and he who bears this gift
walks IN a mellow circle of serene
tolerance.
And the fourth gift Is that of the
Cheerful Spirit, having which one has
light at eventide, yea and at midnight
For there is no darkness like unto
the darkness of the spirit bereft OF
cheerful lamps and fires, and there
Is no darkness of the spirit that the
st. Good Will cannot dispel.
And when the pilgrim has received
these gifts he finds among them an.
other, which Is the gift OF Vision
whereby he sees the unseen. Indeed
all the gifts of st. Good Will pertain
to sight and vision, for as the physi.
SssA ~ 40 lAC Culcl vi the DOQy
blessings, so is the gift OF vision the
saver OF life, which possessing, no man
perishes. For as blind men walk the
way and see neither rivers nor trees
nor men, SO he who has not received
these best Of gifts walks In great
blindness toward world which en-
him with beneficence, guild
ance, protection and inspiration.
And when the pilgrims sailed on, 10!
they were new mortals. And no mat
ter now great the distance they jour
neyed. the pleasant gales of Christ.
mas isle were always In their nos.
trils. And they went to many lands,
but wherever they set foot, or built
booth or raised a tent, the people
knew they had been to the Blessed
sic. And Christmas trees sprang as
seedlings from the Tree of Life. and
many kindnesses to friends and the
poor we're borne abroad on the wings
IT sweetness and light which forever
came forth from the gifts of st. Good
News.