Year: 1875

strings. There are the three dozen aunts.
uncles. and cousins shall old acquaintance be
forgot or grow cold for the lack OF the custom
ary little tokeni There are the children
with their inordinate greedy faith in the Oh
saint. There Is the poor widow around the
corner with her hungry brood. There are deeps
and lower deeps of poverty all around us 10
which we would fain send one ray OF light on
Christmas morning There are the five hum
dred friends for whom we do not care but
ton. but who will certainly look for pretty
trihe, bouquet at least on New Years Day.
If we 90 TO church we are urged to give to
charity if we glance into the shop windows
we are like Aladdin when he looked about
him in the fairy cave, and put his hand into
his pocket TO find the dingy lamp-which was
not there /; if we read the mornings TRIBUNE
the matter is worse, for here arc not only
hints of all the enchanted gifts, but assurance
of how very small rub Of the lamp would
be needed TO gain them. We are begllled
into counting how very few dollars would sat
isfy all and everybody. Here are magazines
of marvellous toys, comfortable wooden s'uhs'
and wonderful silks, to be had for little more
than the wish. Dealers in hats, leather satch-
els, feathers and flowers press to the front, IN
tent on decorating the street population, ap-
parently out of pure philanthropy. Publishers
Of chromos and music fling them wildly into
the market with the sole high purpose OF elc-
waiting the aesthetic taste Of the nation pup
fishers of magazines urge us to consider ihc
treasures of wit aud wisdom which they offer
to the public at downright loss to themselves.


Here be crowds of other magnanlmous folk,
bearing lace like gOssamcr, furs from the Pole,
brOnzes rare and cheap, eagerly demanding
the chance to actually give them away. This
fever of generosity breathcs through the paper;
il IA contagious the coolest -bloOded man begins
TO glow Our eve leaves the safe ground OF
bargains and wanders into columns where
grave rcticence is observed as to prloo. We
feast them on sober announcements OF dia-
monds and fire -opas, of Cashmere sha"is, oil
rare editions and unique copies There IS
becoming solcmnity to be observed IN treating
of things precious "a these. We catch atar OH
tho miraculous glitter of the stone, iind
the air suddenly full of the subtle flavor OF
moth-eate leather, which Ella found more
"delightful than Russia or wrap ourselves
in the magic shawl, which has learned It's trick
of color in the seIpents back, and We arc IN
the land of mystery and magic which even
the noisy visit of Prince of Wales cannot
make common or uncean. What have these
things to do with dirty dollars And then
down we tumble from our hight to the Iecol-
lection that Government bonds were uneasy
this morning, or that there Is not dollar to
meet tie grocers bill this quarter


The only way to solve this problem how to
make Christmas gifts If we are in debt, Ia not
to make them. Some trhes fashioned ri home,
some adventurous undertaking for tho day,
will 90 far to satisfy the little ones II ~.
Nicholas must pass them altogether by-Wblch
heaven forbid! Friends and acquantanceS are
worth little in either capacity if they will not
understand why the gift is wanting and take
a Christmas greeting instead. We shall find 1t
hard measure perhaps not to be able to send
the Door widow her barrel of -four but If we
Day for it with tho money which We owe to
our shoemaker, it is he who gives it, not VIC,
and he has at least the right to be consulted
in the matter.


IF however The reader of THE TmBCSE
have remembered the advice SO layishly given
him by this sheet last January, aud have kept
out OF debt by steady small economics, he VIII
no doubt have a snug sum laid by on which
10 MAKE mHlStA happy uulihS 'hS'' ''"''"s-
weeks. Our only further counsel to him IN
such lucky case is to try and bring on TO that
level of happiness with himself the people who
are not there already. Give the lici cousin
and wcIl-to-do ncighbor the go-by, and pull
I'D all the children and bunger-bitcn folk You
know to that Christmas hight OF comfort and
ioy anl fun. What viii that famom coDnois-
seur in gems care for your sard intaglioi lie
has twenty rarer in his cabinet and if you
do casually remark at the club that y0u "sent
"round nice bit of Egyptian work 10 D
Yesterday the satisfaction viii not he 50
great as You hoped; yonr own snohbiShpo3s
will bite secretly as an adder Nor Will the
cnt flowers which you mean To lay on the
shrine OF the pretty girl with whom you danced
fqIo any better. She will take them as mat
ter Of course. aud the next day they will be
i'm the dust bin. Turn your gems into barrels
of nour and your roses into turkeys. The poor
scamstres3 is not likely 10 be troubled with
, ,uperiluity of such offerings, and her cblidrens
rosy cheeks will thank Jon for many day 10
come.