The Washington herald., 1916-12-20
Christmas Giving.
BY ORIsON SWEET MARDEN,

The other day l overheard little
ragged boy say to his baby sister as
they stood before the big show win
dow of toy shop, "How l wish I
could get that dollie for you, sister.
You know you never had a dollie. l
do wish had the money to get that
one" Hand in hand, the little ones
stood, staring with eager, hungry
eyes at the gaily dressed window in
which dolls of all nationalities, all
sizes, shapes and colors, looked out
at the passers-by, mutely requesting
them to come in and buy them.
One of the most pathetic things in
life, one which has often made my
heart bleed during Christmastide, is
to see poor children like these little
ones, looking longingly into the
show windows at the dolls and toys
and other beautiful things wb' IN they
never had in their lives. What a
wonderful time they would have; how
happy they think they would be if
they only had the money to buy
some of the wonderful things! But
with the wisdom which comes pre-
maturely to the children of the poor,
they resign themselves to the con-
sciousness that they can never have
them.
Not less pathetic than the children
are the mothers who vainly long to
brighten Christmas for their little
ones with the gifts their child-hearts
crave. When see poor women who
are obliged to leave their children at
home and go out washing or scrub
bing floors, standing with their Grub
bing pals on their arms looking
longingly at the Christmas show
windows, I can read their thoughts.
How they long to take some of those
things home to their loved ones,
things which they know that, though
they should scrub their fingers to
the bone, their children will never
have. Yet how eagerly they look at
the pretty clothing, the dolls, the
toys, the things which they see other
children have, but which are forever
denied to their children, who are just
as precious to them as the better-to-
do children are to their mothers.
We are all looking into the show
windows of life, longing to get the
beautiful things we see displayed
there, the things which will delight
us, which will add to our joy and
happiness. And those of us who en-
Joy an abundance of the good things
find 1t hard to deny ourselves, espe-
cially at Christmas time, when all
purse strings are loosened, any of the
superAuous things we desire. All
sorts of temptations are constantly
besieging us during the holiday sea-
son to buy things for ourselves and
for others which we do not need.
Here is where the right sort of
Christmas giving will do a double
service. The very learning to say "no"
to selfish desires, the denying our
selves the things we long for but can
do without, and the giving to others
instead, build a strong, beautiful
character. We are helping ourselves
even more than we help our needy
brothers and sisters.
To refrain from burdening well-to-
do people with a lot of gimcrack
things which are of no earthly use to
any one, and to give the money which
is usually expended on these useless
things where it is really needed,
would be to give in the spirit of Him
whose nativity we commemorate at
this season.
Dorothy Dix one Christmas told of
young man who showed her a cou-
pie of hundred silly presents he had
received from girls, "and who," she
said, "after sadly inquiring of me
what I supposed most Of the things
were intended for, remarked, Gee!
I'd trade the whole lot for one good
pair of socks"
How many men and women find
themselves in similar position after
Christmas. And how gladly they
would throw the stuff in the ash bar
rel were it not for the fear of offend
ing their friends!
What is the sense of spending
money and time in embarrassing
well-to-do people with useless stuff
of this sort, when both might be ex-
pended in doing real good? This
year when once happy and prosper
Gus nations in Europe are starving
and looking to America for help in
their awful need, waste of this sort
is crime.
And In our giving let us not forget
the little ragged children and the
poor mothers who, even in prosper
Gus, peaceful America, are looking
longingly at the Christmas windows
for the things thew ought 70 have