New-York tribune., 1917-12-25
.-,,nr, or NM ASSOCIATED TRLss
Merry Christmas!


IN recent days several Of our friends
have sent to US letters from their sol
aiors IN France. All of them have inc
same imperious command. 1t IS 'n'
,,.u Of those who have left US that our
own Christmas should be merry VIII
ton in camps and barracks, near inc
,-on+ and far away from it, written IN
.on,tort and written amidst priyations'
eyerv letter, written in the knowledge oi
,,hat is 10 come, makes the same demand
Of the parents, wives, brothers and sisters
Of those who are now somewhere III
France" . .ho
We must heed this request; 1t Is inc
sanest and the wisest of all voices IN TINS
world Were it not for the spirit 'huS
..,uo.sod mankind itself would have gone
u,ad long before this terrible struggle had
o+.ained its fourth Christmas. with the
croat task unfinished, with the supreme
dutv still unperformed, men would loHs
bove deserted. had there not been
zen 70 them the power, amidst all misery
aod suffering. to remember and to forget
life. after all, is nothing if it be not a
tost Of the spirit Of man, and no one mas
come back from the battlefelds oil 'ne
..oso,+ hour without the same tribute to
..o courage and the calm, the uncon-
ororod and unconquerable optimism OF
.t,so who have suffered the most atroclouS
ord endured the most terrible
aoon;es In the presence of the supreme
a.. = &c no longer possible to yield TO
dosnoir or even to encourage weakness
this is the message of those who are at
~ tnor+ this is their one request--they
osl, Of rs that we shall be as brave at
home as they have been and will be at
the front.
Therefore, there is laid upon all oil US
NJ 1n+,, If cbeerfulress at this Christmas
,io,o More has come to US as GIT thlS
,.oar than ever in the memory OF most Oh
chose now living. For US, for our happi-
ross our safety, for our liberty and our
Aoor hundreds Of thousands of men
have crossed the seas and more are await
A.. ,,,ord For us the lives and the
treasures Of untold thousands have been
ogored the richest and the noblest gift
Of IN that gift Of which it is written
"Creater love hath no man than this
Nor have our own gifts been small,
save by contrast. We have given those
we love. we have sent them forth to pri-
cation and to danger, we have given them
that those things which we believe and to
which we hold may not perish but endure
,,,e have given them that what was noble
in life may remain, and that by sacrifice
the world may yet be saved from the
dorlress and the terror which threaten it
And since the measure of the gift is found
in the heart of the giver, this must be the
richest Christmas of all.
Across three thousand miles of stormy
seas those who love us, those whom We
love, will watch US to-day. They would
sec us happy, they would find new JOY
for themselves in the belief that we arr
happy; we shall do them wrong il
our hearts fail where theirs stand firm
they viii fight better in the knowledge
n that, like themselves, we are not conquered
4 that we can face the griefs their absence
brings with the same smile they turn
toward their graver perils "over there"
A Merry Christmas, then, a proud
Christmas and a grateful one! We may
camouhage our hearts a little, but ouI
spirit not at ali. We, too, greet the I'm
seen with a cheer"