The Brinkley argus., 1912-12-06


 and spreading the banquet they love- To come down to plain, everyday speaking, here are few of the sins the most well-meaning persons cohi-
 init against the holiness, love ana comfort of the Christmastide.
 Everybody knows that year by year the shops make strenuous efort to encourage the early buying of gifts. Christmas goods are put on sale quite six weeks before they are needed, while many a mercantile adVertlse- ment openly pleads the case ot the shop people. When we put off our buying until the eleventh hour, men, women and children-all of whom have a right to their own share or Christmas must work overtime. Nothing is said of the awful heat Of the crowded shops, of the exhausted air, of the toiling beings who swelter, stand in icy draughts, who faint and, perhaps, are sometimes discharged for inadeguacy with the last hideous bat tie of buying. But those who are be- hind the scenes know it ali and every heart open to human justice must surely see this side of late Christmas shopping-the bitter side.
 HOW 1na0eQuate IS the Iast-moment present bought under such conditions -the usual conditions in cities-to express the rightful Christmas senti-
 ment. Instead of telling of Christmas joy if it could but speak the gift would say:
 T bring you a friends irritabilities, and a sales-woman's white cheeks, and little cash girls sobs, and wish you a miserable Christmas" In short, this belated purchase, obtained with such effort to all concerned, carries with it the unheard tears and sighs of the Yuletide angels those shining spirits of gladness we turn from our doors. There is way to escape this very great annoyance to ourselves and injustice to others The shops are never crowded in the early morning, 80 do the shopping thaa with the very first hour. Or if you are business person and cannot spare the time, Ewrite the friend whom you recall at | this late hour a nice little note full of Christmas feeling or else run around the corner and buy her a bunch of bright berries from any of the temporary stands, which if not patronized would mean ruin to their owners. At any rate, however, you solve the problem, keep one thought in your heart
 Peace on earth and good will tow ard all the poor souls hired to sell Christmas presents.
 The next sinners against the Yule- tide angels are the family ogres who deny the home children their rightful share of Christmas joy, who fret about having the little Christmas tree with it's trifing gifts, who shatter in- fantile idols by revealing the sacred SO on. An, me, ah, me, could I not tell weeping stories myself of the hardness of grown-up hearts at this time-stories of the dark and dread full day when silly aunt of seven teen mocked me for my belief in good Kriss Kringle and when, little later, the edfct went forth that I was too old to think much of Christmas" any more. Is anybody ever "too old" to think of Christmas? Is the heart ever too hardened not to suffer when the dearest of it's saints is ruthlessly ta- ken away?
 As to this rubbishy talk of the Christ hafnu uh too much expense, it only means that the grown-ups are thinking en- tirely of themselves. There are Christ mas trees and Christmas trees, and the cheapest and littlest may bring lust as much joy to small hearts as the most expensive ones. Tn fact,
 nave seen little Christmas trees bur
 dened with tiny gifts, and gay with candles, that cost no more than g
 couple of dollars. They were set UT
 with love. and trimmed with love, and revealed with love; and the children and the grown-ups were all as happy as happy could be because they had Invited every one of the Yuletide an gels to the fun
 So don't rob the children of their good Christmas saint, Santa Claus but leave them to find out the facts of Christmas giving themselves. And be your home ever so poor, save some thing from the housekeeping money
 10 give the children their rightful Christmas joy in another way when
 .he tree cannot be managed. An
 orange big, rosy apple, and walk
 Ing stick of striped peppermint candy
 cost but little. Yet the bunch of cheap
 things will seem like Christmas, the
 real true-true Christmas, when it is
 sumped out of the little stocking
 Concerning more important gifts
 than these. they also may be of the
 cheapest sort. All little child ex-
 3ects is something new, so the trifles
 bought at reasonable hour at the
 ten-cent store, the cheap, home-dress-
 cd doll. the nickel watch or fifteen
 cent box of paints, are all equally
 prized. What the kiddies want is to feel their Yuletide angels near them,
 and little extra bother, little ex. tra patience. will achieve this bless.
 ing Remember, too. the child with.
 out the gates, for it needs a share of your joy. Sit up little later for the
 next six nights and see what you can