South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-12-05
SOUTH BENDS PROPOSED LET NOT
THY RIGHT HAND KNOW WHAT
THY LEFT HAND DOETH"
CHRISTMAS

- ECTsION 20 rut a stop locally 20 the group
i Christmas dinner. at which poverty has
IL been paraded-and charity advertised.--
viii be decidedly appropriate for the Christmas sea-
son. Advocacy Of the Christmas basket sent to the
homes OF the needy without labels from whom It
came. save from a kindly heart with a Christmas
greeting harks back that saying Of the Nazarene
Let not thy right hand know what thy left hand
doeth" in obedent tones. The only question is will
those charitable persons. inclined to make their
charity known. continue to be charitable with the
parade removed.
For indeed there are those who do not believe
n hiding their Eight under a bushel" after sucn
manner and they have Biblical lore also to back
them UP in that. II will be an interesting under
taking. interesting how interest in Christ
mas giving the ever present poor. will decline
increase with such program OF silence. The pur-
pose IS not TO compromise the recipient any more
han is absolutely necessary and never TO let him
know. 1! possible. to whom he is indebted for his
greeting It IS tho proper Christmas spirit and it -
The proper Christian spirit
From throughout the phuanthropic and church
organizations OF the city centralized body ought
TO be able 20 locate and reach every needy home.
BY such process too It can be without dupl-
cation without some families being blessed from a
number OF sources while others go without being
blessed all It isn't the old way OF doing things
but then there a number OF things that
are not doing IN these times as we used to do them
This thing OF letting your right hand know what
The left hand IS doing reverts about nearly back
10 the old way however as anything that has been
suggested locally for some little time.
And as 20 the Christmas tree-the municipal
Christmas tree,-abandoned last year and to be
abandoned again this year, They say the uncer-
tanty as to the weather renders its abandonment
but here we part company. A municipal Christmas
tree on the court house does not necessitate
program; does not necessitate Christmas carols.
the staging OF the wise OF east The program
would be but momentary at most and witnessed
but by a few, the Christmas through
Christmas week with the reckoning star lighted
every night until the New Years dawn reminding
everyone that passes that way that child was
born; that He grew to be man. preached a
strange gospel and crucifed for 1t by pharisees
and hypocrites-whose Successors are still with us
be a bad thing in these returning days Of
tho sordd materialsm against which He fought;
no. no not bad thing at ALL
Christmas should be observed as more than
day OF charitable cheerful giving. It should be
"a day OF Christmas reflections; Of Christian medl-
tatious tho significance OF that beginning OF
"a new IN human history, which curtain,
quite Ike that OF the dark ages seems again ring
ing down. sneaking slcepticism has half world
grabbed and got a mortgage on the other half It's
god IS mammon Regardless Of religious professions
we are even antedatiug Chrstianity's birth with
worship or the golden calf 1deallsml Huh That IS
what the rracticalst calls Christianity and
warned against It with less zeal than the early
Christians warned against the evil
Frankly then, insist that dispensing with the
Christmas itself. the star. and the lights by
night. is a mistake; never mind the program, at
best perhaps a dispensebe part OF the parade that
in former years reached out and embraced the
poverty Christmas dinners Perhaps the stoid ST.
lencs OF the tree, unheralded and unsung, would Ice
even moro impressive than a OF noise. It would
be symbolic too Of the quiet after which
Christmas baskets be distributed II plans
being proposed naterialze done without Ostenta-
tion such must mark the first Christmas
throughout ali history-the King OF Kings and Lord
Of Lords born IN palace. but manger; not
OF the Iich, but OF the wife Of the humble car
renter-and whose GROWING earthly glory the
popular contempt that Re still inspires behind the
craniurns OF the egotistical wise.
-O-