Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, DEC. 28, 1899. Christmas.

Manawatu Herald, 23 December 1899, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, DEC. 28, 1899. Christmas.

Since the . first publication of this paper this is the first Christmas that has been ushered in at a time when the forces of the Empire are engaged in a serious and dreadful contest. It is difficult to utter the usual bright and happy wishes of A Merry Christmas To You All as to many, besides the everyday struggle with sickness and poverty, we have our own friends; relations, or countrymen fighting the fight to the death with a foe stubborn, clever and powerful. With anxiety the cable news is scanned each day to find how many more hundreds have met their death on the battlefield or have succumbed to the sickness invariably connected with war. No one can be truly happy during such a period and we can but hope our readers will have as enjoyable a season as it is possible under the circumstances. War, at the time we are led to dwell more particularly on peace on, earth and goodwill to all men, makes the contrast too horribly glaring, and we can only trust that the present scene of hatred and carnage may soon be cleared and long before another Christmas comes round it will be possible to utter the season's greetings in the usual hearty manner as in the days that are past. A kind word and a pleasant wish will be thought by all to those who live in other lands and to our countrymen who are gallantly fighting the battle, so forced upon them by their enemy, for their Queen and Empire.