Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-24
REAL CRUELTIES
OF CERISTMASTInr
They're Not the Cigars a Mon \.
ceives From His Wife. for w
That Subject Is Not to
Be Taken Seriously

(NRITIC1SM of Christmas sbou,s
~ served for the Fourth Of july, hu, -
wait The real, the fundamental ,,,,.s
christmas Is that II is, by common ooas.'a VI
suspense of all criticism. ChrIstrnos !. ..
great truce. You may have your or,nt.. s ~,
Cousin John, but you will send him - =.
cigars just the same. Not bad ciears 49,
The tragedy of those cigars may he tba, " ~
would like to keep them and smoka an
yourself. But at Christmas time Won .0'a ..'u
pend criticism of Cousin John and nror. !.
In the cigars. Everybody suspends or,,,,,..'
OF everybody else at Christmas time
And begins 1t promptly afterward cou,,.
John may have replied to your cigars WITH -
ash tray worth only half the value q, a..
cigars. Or the beggar is just as ant "a 49,
fuse you by sending you something wcr,
twice as much as your inexpensive c,v.r.
Confound Cousin John, anyway
Probably the only thing In this world ,h.,
is never criticised, can never be cri,,c,..a
ought never to be criticised is Chr,str,,
Itself. the day devoted to total abstinero.
from criticism. And as now practlced th.,.
is probably no other thing in the world r,o,.
deserving of criticism.
Why Is Chrlstmas7 The question 4, a.
frightfully bad taste. Nevertheless. 1et n,
risk opprobrium or Jail, and ask It. No day
is so cruel as this day of kindness. In giv,n,
your gift, and with the kndliest intention,
you may be giving a stab instead. suppo,s
Christmas this year has caught Cousin John
short OF funds. Conceive, then, how he feel.
when, having purchased no gift for you your
cigars arrive Do not, on any account "a.
frain from giving Cousin John another bor
next year. After all, Cousin John may havs
been pained less by your cigars than by nj,
inability to swap even with an ash tray. Hs
may get more than even with you next year
when he sends you an ash tray, and you do
not reply with cigars. If you are shrewd
you will be prepared with your cigars. For
II Is better to be kind than be careful And
besides, IL no ash tray arrives from Cousin
John, you may smoke the cigars yourself
Much of the foregoing Is not to be taken
seriously. Here follows matter that cannot
be pondered too seriously:
What though you give more than you get
or ditto vice versa? That's not the cruelty
of Christmas. But there is one individual to
whom the day is one of exquisite torture
The individual is the person with large
heart and small purse. Usually he is the
father of family. For days beforehand,
perhaps, his children have been ordering
things from Santa in no greater volume than
they deserve but in greater volume than he
can afford. Can't you see that father on
Christmas morning, marking the absolutely
complete satisfaction of his kiddieJ with the
few things he has bought them? The day
has touched them with chivalry. They know
they have not all they wanted. But the more
cleverly they conceal that the more polgn-
antly they touch the heart of their father
1t is worth while being in bad taste to cels-
brate that man.
On him falls the real cruelty of Christmas
The real tragedy of this festival is not Ia
getting nothing, nor in being Obliged to give
The thing that makes Christmas very neara
torture for many is in wanting much and
having little to give B. X. L.