Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1882.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1232, 23 December 1882, Page 2

Poverty Bay Standard. Published Every Evening. GISBORNE: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1882.

Once again comes upon us the season of festivity and rejoicing so widely recognised among all Christianity when the trials and cares of this life are momentarily forgotten and we one and all surrender ourselves to the time-honored observance of the anniversary of that wonderful natal day in Bethlehem, when to us was born a Saviour ; when the King of Judoea was troubled by the reports of the wise men, of the Star that appeared in the East, heralding the nativity of Him who was born King of the Jews. There are not many of us who do not know that wonderful story by heart, nor who have not been lost in amazement at the miraculous fulfilment of the words of the Prophets of old. From that day to this Xmas has been, as well it might be, a season of festivity and rejoicing, almost too much so, inasmuch that by the lapse of time, and the ceaseless pursuit of more worldly matters which the somewhat falsely called march of civilisation has forced upon the world at large, Xmas has become divested of much of its sacred character and has assumed that of a holiday in contradistinction to a holy day. Be that as it may, there is one thing which will ever mark the Xmas season as having a holy origin, viz., that it is a season of general forgiveness, of “ peace on earth and goodwill toward men when men who have had differences in matters affecting their daily avocations, their businesses, and what not, meet each other and, forgetting all their grievances, shake hands and wish each other “A Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year when petty jealousies, uncharitable feelings, and the thousand and one influences which tend to make man quarrel with his neighbor succumb instinctively to the better influences brought to mind by the commemoration of that olessed day in Bethlehem when Jesus Christ was born. Peace on earth, goodwill toward men. So long as Christianity has a representative on earth, so long will those words be repeated in their fullest sense on Christmas Day, and well for us that it should be so. Hardened old worlds wayfarers though we most of us are, the season Is rot without Its healthful influence upon us. From childhood up we have been taught u venerate this season. The great master of literature, Charms* Dickens, has portrayed more forcibly than other mortal being, the Christmas season, and itsfinfluences, in his H Christmas Carol. ” Miserly old Scrooge, changed to liberality itself by them. The party at Scrooge’s nephew’s ; that scrumptious sister of Scrooge’s nephew’s wife ; not the one with fur round the tops of her boots, bless you, no ; the other one. rather plump you know, and rather shy ! That’s her ; such a one at blind-man’s buff, only she’s always being caught by the slim young fellow with light hair, and the others don’t think its fair. Go to Toby Cratchit’s house. The goose ! Ah ! Such a goose ! And the pudding. A smell like a washing day I Ana the ecstatic state of terror in which the young ones are thrown by the bare mention of “suppose it should be spoilt. ” And the feeble hurrahs of little Tiny Tim when the pudding enters without a flaw, blazing in burning brandy. That is something like Christmas. Turn to other scenes and see the old hall decorated with holly and ivy, and the bunch of mistletoe hanging just in the place where everybody must pass. The courtly old gentleman and the silver-haired old lady in black, who are worshipped by everyone, and spoken of by the younger people as grandpapa and grandmama ; by the boys in jackets, home for the holidays, as pater and mater ; and by those tall young fellows who are sporting cavalry moustachios, as “ TheGov’nor ” and “The Mum.” Wait till you see Sir Roger de Coverley danced in the servants’ hall. Those two silver-haired old people w ill lead off, the old Squire with the housekeeper, and the old Lady with the butler, both of whom have grown grey in their service, and will shew the voung ones a thing or two in dancing, ola as they are. God bless old Father Christmas. For old and young, for nch and poor he brings this message, “ Peace on earth, and good-will toward men. ” Those among us who have been brought up in England miss the snow and the cold ana ice which marks the winter season, but nevertheless Christmas is Christmas, all the world over. You can’t hide it. It’s no use. Father Christmas will come to you and make you feel the warmth of his presence, let you be as icy cold as you may. To our readers, one and all; those who like us, and those who don’t; those whom we have been friends with, and those whom we have quarrelled with; our supporters and our enemies, the Standard wishes a “ Merry Christmas and a happy New Year,” and echoes with a stronger voice, but impossibly with a truer one, tne words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us all.” Amen to that, Tiny Tim ; and so long as our memory is green may we venerate in the truest sincerity those words, heartily including our neighbours with ourselves in the spirit of them ; never forgetting that even at this festive season there may be those in our midst who are suffering and sorrowing, and to whom the Divine Master directs our special attention when we say “ God bless us.” If by any act of ours we can alleviate those sufferings or soothe those sorrows, we have Christ’s word that “ inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these little ones, ye did it unto me.” God bless us all at this season, when “ Peace on earth and goodwill towards men,” is proclaimed throughout every Christian land, and in every Christian household ; when the memories of the past crowd upon us in happy visions, and for the time make youngsters of us once again ; when Father Christmas and Santa Claus are in the mouths of every child, and the old man and his old wife look lovingly at their children and

grand-children, and see their past happy youth reflected in the present happiness of the young ones. When the poor occupy our thoughts more than at any other time ; when their troubles and the means of comforting them becomes—God bless us all—a happy matter of solicitude for their better-off neighbours ; when volumes of meaning are contained in the oft-spoken words, which pass from rich to poor and from poor to rich, “ A merry Christmas and a happy New Year.”