| Show suggested by the season of all beamut tul legends of all beau ticul verse of all stories told in all the life of the whole world there is no tale so wondrously beautiful as the story of the christ child every man and every women must recall those long ago fara vay da s when first the story was told to them the story of tl e little babe in the manger of the star of bethlehem with its rain ol 01 fire the shepherds the wise men and the do of the angels and with this memory come back other mem ones mental vis ons of those whom we loved and who have passed away of all the sweet of childhood when the world was a playground in stead of a workshop of fond dreams and childish disappio christ mas day is a time when we must pause on the journey and rest by the wayside sparing the golden hours tor reverie and tasting the sweets of gen and tender charity by all manner of judgment and be kiefs we must concede that so far as doing good is concerned all days should be christmas to bestow neckties on dec 25 and cross words all the other 64 days of the year is to be like the common sinner who cheats his neighbor during the week and aras pras most energetically on the sabbath it isn t the gift it s the love and thoughtfulness that prompt it the woman who gives because she feels it a duty Is practicing deceit and belittling herself it one wishes not to bestow a holiday remembrance let one at least have the courage of one s feelings and sentiments and be true and honest about it no human soul wants a present that is given gruda angly according to our way of thinking it is a beautiful thing that once a year one may have the privilege of doing something nice for those to whom one is devoted the pleasure Is so great that on dec 26 one should decide to put a little of the christmas spirit into dally existence perhaps you don t know it but it is true nevertheless that the more ou give the more you will have there Is certainly some great wonderful power that takes away from those who are grasp ng and selfish and who helps along all those whose hearts swing true there is such a keen pleasure in do ing for others that it inspires one to work to greater endeavor and to bet ter purposes and higher ambitions what Is there in other earthly things halt so satisfying the woman who bus pretty clothes has the satisfaction of looking at her reflection in a mirror but th s satis faction la as shadowy as flitting as unreal as the vision she beholds the woman who fills her house with beau ticul furnishings rejoices for a certain time and then the beautiful things lose in interest the woman whose bank account grows with the ears knows that she is safe from poverty but QU cant get any more beart warn th out of a bank book than it it were an icicle let ire tell ou something it Is in her heart that you will find me contentment no matter what horrible acx aties she has suffered what dreadful troubles she has drag ged wearily through what pain and cares have been hers she Is the one aho vho knovs the calm sweet comfort that comes nhen she looks out into a gray sky and realizes that she has done good to some one that she has brought a smile to quivering lips a bigl t to d raged e es life to a heart without hope she doean doesn t have to wait until chr senias every day is that and more to her there Is a woman I 1 know and she had noth ng at all father mother brother or ster or even a home but she had something else that lots of people have not and that is courage and she was only a little slip of a girl too but she whorled very hard for quite a number of long years and now she has many things which she has always wanted little luxuries that every woman loves pretty things in her home and pretty things to wear the other day in a shopping crowd she met another woman who like herself had carved a little niche in the world of hard work and this other woman said aren t ou proud of yourself for having accomplished something 7 I 1 am the first woman was silent for a moment then she said no I 1 am not proud of myself I 1 can t be yet I 1 ve done so very little compared with what I 1 want to do and learned 0 o little when I 1 wished to learn so much but I 1 am tremendous ly happy that when I 1 want to buy some little comfort for somebody or send a box ot flowers to somebody or give some little child a happiness it is in my power to do so my years of work have been worth this mighty sweet reward won t you try to let a little more of the holy spirit of the hour sink into your soul and won t you remember that our stay and mine and your neighbor s and everybody s Is dread fully limited here in this pleasant vale of smiles and laughter 9 there s no tell ng where any of us will be this time next year so live this christmas as happily and as generously as you can there s something else too if you are going to help a little child hang up a tiny stocking and if you are now anaw ering all sorts of questions about santa claus and chimneys and rein deers and if on christmas ave ou go to a little bedside and kiss the sweetest 1 atle 1 ps in all the world fall upon your knees and thank god for you are blessed A merry christmas to you all |
