Evening star., 1931-12-24
"Christmas Spirit
Reporter Mingles With Throngs on Street, Busy
Shoppers, and Finally With Ragged Stranger-Each
Has Different Thought of Days Significance.

hotel and was walking along the crowd
ed street at night in the cold. The wind
| whistled between the walls of buildings
around me. I noticed some ragged and
dejected looking old men dragging
along-cold and lonely looking, with
their coat collars turned up. They
hunched over as they walked
II longed for home, where there was
always a big, cracking fire at Christ
mas. I could smell the turkey cooking
Then I began to get cold. 1 suddenly
felt like one of those detected men
, dragging along in front of me.
collar up. Then it was that I felt
that all men are just about equal.
think that's the Christmas spirit"
The reporter wandered into the bool
department, where nervous finger.
were thumbing over gift suggestions.
Music Expresses Christmas. =
He watched a woman there. He
hands caressed the volumes. She wa.
, a real booklover. What would she
think?
Music expresses Christmas to me,
she said softly. The beauty of tn,
occasion expresses itself best in melo.
| dies we hold sacred to the day
There's a poem by Margaret Sangster
too, that I like particularly. Do yol
remember it?
AT Christmas-tide the open hand
Scatters its bounty DER sea and land
And none are left to grieve alone,
For love is heaven and claims its own.
II like that idea of none grievins
alone. Somehow 1 fancy that Saint.
Gaudens statue of Grief in Rocl
Creek Cemetery must not seem quit,
so unhappy on Christmas day Thr
music OF happiness must reach ever
there"
And she went back to her friends
the books.
The reporter, still wondering wha
the Christmas spirit" is, went home
occasional lawn Christmas trees, lightec
IN red, yellow and green, and candle
burning in windows, deepened his per
piexity. That night he took walk.
People Change at Christmas.
He wandered out Sixteenth street
Just north of the bridge he saw shape
less bundle of clothes climbing up Il
the street level from the dump below
lhe bundle drew nearer and became {
man. He was dirty and ragged ane
carried gunny sack over his shoulder
What would this man think? Tht
inn was too crowded for Mary anc
Joseph, he recalled, and the virgin
mother bore her babe in a stable. Anc
hadn't the reporter been questionine
the people of the INN" and not Of the
stable?
Have a cigarette?" he asked the
ragged stranger
The man laid down his bag
Thanks" he muttered.
We'll, it won't be long until
Christmas"
Nope. And you ought to see some
OF the swell things you find on the dumr
after Christmas. like Christmas. Then
If it wasn't Christmas time, don't s'pose
you'd be standin' here talkin' to me
People don't act like they was SO much
better'n other people at Christmas. It's
day when there amt no jars, no
| ah-ah-"
"Discord, perhaps?"
"Yes. Yes. Discords. Discords sort
OF takes a holiday and you love every,
body and everybody loves you"
The reporter felt relieved Maybe hi
had found the answer.
A line from Shakespeare ratified in hi
head. He had forgotten whether it wa
written to apply to Portals wedding da,
| or Christmas. But it applied
| This day shall change all griefs ant
quarrels into love"