The weekly Iberian. (New Iberia, La.) 1894-1946, 1916-12-23
THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
Paragrafs.

Magic that fills our stockings with
good things fills our hearts with
even better things.
To the Paragrafer, the Christ
mas Spirit is very real. Ii there
is any man among our readers
who does not believe in the mag
ical Spirit to whom all things are
possible at Christmas time, we
want to tell him that he has let go
the sweetest and most useful
faith that ever gladdened tired
humanity. And if there IS any
woman to whom this blessed Spirit
of Christmas has not whispered
some message Of thanksgiving or
of hope, of resignation or of faith,
of love or of forgiveness, surely
she has our deepest pity.
We know that there are some
square minded people who cay
that there is no such thing as a
magical Spirit because, forsooth,
they have never seen it. But
have they ever seen the Force that
holds the stars IN their places and
makes the sun rise in the morning!
Have they ever seen the Power
that changes common earth,
moisture, and sunshine into rose
blossoms and sweet smelling hon
eysucklei
And 80 the Parsgrafer says
"Nonsense!' to all such skeptics.
We would not give one atom of
our faith for all their science.
We knoao that there Is q Christmas
Spirit. Though we have never
seen it we have often caught
glimpses of 1t in the eyes of moth
ers and fathers and of little chill
dren on Christmas morning. We
have felt It's presence among us
for 10, these many days.
You may call 1t what you will
Santa Claus, Krlss Kindle, or
Saint Nick. We prefer to call it
simply the Christmas Spirit. But,
call 1t as you may, it is more real
than reality itself.
The Christmas Spirit has the
strength of a hundred million men,
the tenderness of all the mothers
in the world. and the confiding
simplicity Of little child. 1t ex
tends its arms across the lands
and grim warriors lay down their
weapons and shout greetings of
their common brotherhood from
trench to trench. 1t smiles, and
people look into one anouher's eyes
and they see kindness and gen.
tleness and sympathy and under
standing where they had thought
to behold only selfiishness, indiffer-
ence and greed.
One Christmas morning the
Paragrafer was sitting in his
study when q woman with a tat
tered shawl wrapped about her
shoulders and q pitlful little babe
in her arms came into the room.
We had seen her Hundred times
before and always she had been in
need of food or clothing Or medi.
cine. But even more her need
had been for a kind word or help.
ing hand or q look wherein sympa.
thy was stronger than reproach,
for she was very poor and weak
and helpless and really not very
good, as the world measures good
ness.
This Christmas morning she
came with all her misery and her
sins written in the lines Of heI
face and reflected on the pinched
features of her infant. But the
Spirit had spoken to her. For the
time being, her sins were forgot
ten,-which means that they were
forgiven, because we cannot forget
our sins so long az the face Of
God is turned away from rs.
Her poverty and weakness and
helplessness we're also forgotten
for in her hand she carried q sim
pie remembrancer of the Christ
mas Spirit,-s gift made with he1
own needle. This she handed t
the Paragrafer width her blessing
And her face was agl0w with thu
light that shines when people
learn from experience rather thar
from precept that 1t is more bless
ed to give than to receive.
To each of Us the Obristmal
Spirit brings gifts according t.
our needs. Some of these glft'
are tops and dolls, books, bicy
cles and candies. Sometimes they
take the forms of houses and auto
mobiles, jewels and money. Ant
sometimes the Christmas Spiri
brings invisible gifts and thes'
are the best Of all.
For example, there is COUR
AGE, q gift that makes mel
strong enough to face Death, ant
what is sometimes even harde
Ito face Life and to meet it
troubles with q smile. And Their