THE MATAMATA RECORD, MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1923 A PERENNIAL /CHRISTMAS.

Matamata Record, Volume VI, Issue 499, 24 December 1923, Page 2

THE MATAMATA RECORD,

MONDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1923 A PERENNIAL /CHRISTMAS.

The Only Paper Published in the Matamata , County.

THROUGH all the vicissitude* of the year, ttei clock has ticked its way v> another Christmas, and the season of Peace and Goodwill, has come round once, more. Those Yule-tides oflOl418 when the old, old, salutation of "Peace on earth; Goodwill towards men/' had become more or less of a Xarce are gradually sinking into the limbo of forgotten things., In practice, the world has been a sphere of peace during the ''last -..twelve.'months, just as, in theory/ it has been one of goodwill. But, the" time lias drawn neat when we are supposed to put goodwill into practice* as well. That kind, pleasant, forgiving, charitable tirab;'approaches. Christmas is at hand. ■ Andjierc in New Zealand—this delectable "Dominion— this part of the universe, signalised, since Scddon, by the slogan "God's Own Country," it should not be difficult to practice 'th* qualities above referred to. 'ln older » lands'Christmas comes in the dead of wintei*, when almost, everything is in ■the sere and yellow leaf, but here " the aiv is filled with a magical light; and the landscape lies as If new—created in all ,the freshness.of childhood. Peace seems to reign upon earth, and the restless heart of the ocean is for the 'moment consoled. All sounds are • in harmony blended. Voices of at play, the crowing of cocks in, the farmyards, whir of wings in the drowsy air, and the cooing pfV pigeons^-all are subdued and,low as the.mufWirs of love, and, the great sun looks with the eye of love,, through the golden vapours around him." The Christmas-tide, in New Zealand is one of warmth and natural'cheerfulness, ..and one's heart should* readily respond to the call. All* the' afflictions:,-; and conflictions, ..' the'ch'eerlessness and cruelty ;of the year,/.Should' he forgotten and the winter .of our discontent made glorious summer, ; by: this sun of Yule. One ;of. the phases of the year just .passing away haS been, both-here and elsewhere, a remarkable .revival of tho , vpowier.'ofceuring.<by''faith.- On• all ". band* we'liave heard of• the 'triumph of mind over matter. In the marvcl-\ will power and mentality', ills-'"have, found their cure and - it be! , . Bui ;Mcki:©s's'.'js' not confined to the . few; ;jneiths'r\is it. confined to the many. In.some form or other it is - , the common lot'of all mankind. Because we (or 'our. fbi'bears) did those-. , tilings we ;(6tlithey) ought'not to have dpneVv. 'and left undone those things which we, (or they) ought to have done/ there" fs.no health jn us. Now, this-does; not'perhaps, at first 'sight, seem a very, cheerful theme for Christmas. But wait! Except for accidents arising from causes purely outside of human control, there is no reason why perfect health in • body, in mind and in spirit—should not be instead of a'privilege denied them, a blessing enjoyed by every man,, woman and child- in. the community.^ Now it is possible that the order Riven above is not the correct one, and that spirit, mind and body is the more logical sequence. For just as ' a right and proper Christmas spirit "it the first thing that one, at this season, should try to cultivate, so is this true for all time. The spirit of -- peace, the spirit of goodwill, the .spirit of cheerfulness should not. he limited' merely to a particular soji, but should be fostered all the y#ar round. And the cultivation of tliis slime spirit will induce a contented and therefore a more equable frame of mind. As it has been clearly said, the City of Contentment is situated in the State of Mind. If. therefore, between this Yule and next we determine to take up our' residence in, that city, or at any" rate stray from its walls as little as possible, we will be all the better qualified" to introduce into our relations •' N with our fellows that slate of mind . which will tend to make it essentially Christm.-is all "the'year round. ■ Mrtca-ilay in his admirable essay on John Milton, says of him: "If ever despondency; and asperity could be excused in; any man, they might have been excused in Milton. But the strength' of his rnind overcame , every calamity. Neither blindness, 'nor ■gout, nor age,'nor penury, nor domestic difficulties, nor political disappointments, nor hbuse, nor proscription, nor neglect, had power to disturb hi?, sedate. &.nd majestic patience. .His spirits do not sne?n to have been high, but they were singularly His temper was ser-

ious; perhaps stem; but was a temper which no sufferings could render sullen >v fretful. Such us .it was when, on the eve of great events, he returned from • his travels in the prime of health and manly beauty, loaded with literary distinctions, and glowing with patriotic hopes, such it continued to be when, after having experienced every calamity which is incident to our nature, old, poor, sightless and disgraced, he retired to his hovel to'die." Now, from these inspiring wonts wo learn that it is not necessary to have a sn.ile always on one's lips in order to prove contentment, although the value of a cheerful grin is at times beyond calculation. As an American parodist has it:— "Laugh, and the world laugh.-; with you; i Knock and you'knock alone; For the cheerful grin will lot yen in, Where the knocker is never known." '.) ■ ■/ >' ' Milton was, a man who though if he did generally assume a stern demeanour, yet must have had cheerfulness in his heart in order to bring about that content conducive 1 to spirits singularly equable, even if not always high. So let us remember on Christinas Day, when, well fed and contented (as we believe all ou* readers will be), we feel full of goodwill towards all men, and at peace w'th the whole wide world,-that if w cultivate that spirit,,as far as is in our power, for a period of twelve months from date, we will euui u"d several eachwherc and everywhere, not only make the Christmas of 'twenty-four a merry one indeed, but wV will have done more to bring about a millehfum .- of .merriment,

which, after all, Ms the outcome of . true contentment, than all the platl- J tudes that ever poured from pulpit ' or from press. And, "incidentally, we ' will prove that Carlyle was correct ' when ho said: "Wonderous is the strength of cheerfulness; altogether past calculation its powers of endurance," and that "efforts, to be permanently useful, must be uniformly joyous—a spirit of sunshine, graceful from every gladness, beautiful because bright."*- ' 'And in conclusion, as we wish all' ( Our readers, where'er they be, a very Merry Christmas, to be followed by a most Happy New Year, we also ask <.heni to remember those things an !!i?y busk in that sunshine so characteristic 1 of a New Zealand Yule; whether in the bush, at the beach, by some sprightly stream, or perhaps on a balcony or lawn .'at home, and to cultivate that perennial spirit of Christmas that will help them and all of us to realise, more''and more, that ;rhe linei^huye.,;fall.en ; unto ; an't places and. tlraEwe'have .indeed ;•■ goodly heritage. ,"" . ~,... ,