The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-12-24

have entered into his character, and
would be of lasting service to him
that is. in any future we are able
to conceive.
1t is not the writer's intention to
confine his remarks to Christmas
gifts-commercially so-called-nor
yet would the writer undertake to
estimate the pleasure there is in
either receiving or giving these.
J The shrewd manufacturers of the
world have taken notice of the peri
odic generosity of the race, and
ingeniously produce articles to serve
1t, that Is. to anticipate the taste
and to thwart all individuality or
spontaneity in it. There is. in short,
what is called a line of holiday
goods" fitting. it may be supposed,
the periodic line of charity. When
person receives some of these
things in the blessed season of such.
he is apt to be puzzled. He wants
to know what they are for, and
What he is to do with them. Ii
there are no directions on the arti-
cles, his gratitude is somewhat tenn
pered. He has seen these monde
scripes of ingenuity and expense
in the store windows, but he never
expected to come into personal re-
latlons with them. He is puzzled,
and he cannot escape the unpleas-
ant feeling that commerce has put It's
profit; making fingers into Christmas.
Such lot of things seem to be
manufactured on purpose that peo-
pile may perform a duty that is ex-
pected in the holiday season. Homes
are filled with these impossible
things; they occupy prominent plac-
es on the mantle pieces, they stand
about on tottering little tabl.s, they
are ingenious, they were made for
wants yet undiscovered, they tarn-
ish. they break, they will not
work" and pretty soon they look
secondhand. Yet there must be
more satisfaction in giving these
articles than receiving them, and
maybe spite of malace-not that
of course; for IN the holidays nearly
every gift expresses at least, kind
ly remembrance. but if one gives
them one does not have to live with
them. But consider how full the
world is today of holiday goods
costly goods too-that are of no
earthly use, and are not even artis-
tic; ard how short life is, and how
many people actually need books
and other indispensable articles, and
how starved are many fine drawing
rooms in our American homes; not
for holiday goods, but for objects of
beauty.
Christmas stands for much, and
for more and more in a world that
is breaking down its barriers or
race and religious intolerance, and
one of it's chief offices has been
supposed to be the teaching of men
the pleasure there is in getting rid
OF their possessions for the benefit
of others. But this friting away a
good instinct and tendency in con-
ventional giving of manufactures
made to suit an artificial taste or
condition is hardly in the line of de-
veloping the spirit that shares the
last crust or gives to the thirsty
companion in the desert the first
pull at the canteen.
OF course Christmas feeling is the
life of trade and all that, and the
last to discourage any sort of CIV
ing, for one can scarcely aisencum-
Der himself Of anything in his pas
sage through this world and not be
benefited. But the hint may not be
thrown away that one personally
will get more satisfaction out of his
periodic or continual benevolence
if he gives during his life the things
LIE wants and other people need,
and reserves for fine show in his
will collected but not selected
mass of holiday goods.