Christmas Cheer

It doubtless seems to many a straitened mechanic and business man, to many an eneouomizing, hard-working mother and wife, that lavish expenditure of money in gifts uud goodies for the little folk would insuro i great deal of happiness. But it is " a merry heart that maketh a continual f cast," and a merry heart beats quite as of ten beneatli calicó as silk, beneath homespun as broadcloth. When we count all the little comforts of life, all tho little blessings, and "roll j them like sweet morsels under our tongues," the taste they givc lasts a good whilfi. When Wfe spend dollars as though they were eagles, and rejoice in the positive good they bring, not allowing onrselves to think how much the eagle might have brought, we get the comfort of our dollars, but when we begin to compare our little with tho mnch of some fortúnate neighbor, then envy and discontent crecp in, and we become incapable of happiness on any terms. The example of a subscriber," who failed a couple of years since, may encourage some of our readers to go and do likewise. He has quite a family of children and had always been accustomed to make I them handsome presents on Christmas day, but there was nothing the Christmas after his failure to buy presents withal. He called the family together and made this little speech to them : "Xow, children, we're going to have a jolly time, anyhow. There's lots of evergreens in the woods, and we'll have the house trimmed beautifully; we'll have a fcrée and tie on it the rosiest apples we can J find ; you can ornament it with strings i of pop-corn, and hunt np dainty bits of brighf-colored silks and ribbons to make it look gay. Each one of yon can find among your treasures something to give to each other, and I whall have a gift for each one of you." So the house was decorated, the tree handsomely trimmed and loaddd with presents without any purchase being made. When tho distribution camo everybody was remembered, and the father proceeded to give to the children the furniture and fixtures. "This sofa, Mollie, is yours ; this easy chir, Jane, I present to you ; the parlor stove is yours, James ; " and so he went on until each member of the family received a handsome present, and they were just as happy over their "savory stew," nuts and apples, as they were the year beforo over grapes and fruit-cake. To many an aching heart the holidays will be the saddest days of the year. WhÜe making "vain pretense of gladneas," there will be an awful fiense Of one mute ahrtdow watcbing all. But relief from even this "sense" may be had in the effort to increaso tho joy of uuburdened hearts and lift the burden from lives yet iiore sorely bruised than ours. For wo can always find a deeper sorrow than our own in some other heart. The life whose advent we celébrate was the saddest of all human lives, though, at the time, the most joyful, culminating in the deepest darkness and the brightest light. Our very sorrows may be transformed into crowns of joy ; nay, will be, if wo use them aright. The truest tribute of respect to the dead is love for those who, though with us now, may soon join the departed. Whatever vicissitudes of sorrow or joy sweep over us from year to year, the great fact remains unchanged - Christ has come, suffered, ascended, and lives our Kepresentative on the right hand of the Father. Rejoieing as we should in this, all other causes of rejoicing will be in comparison trivial ; rejoicing as we should in this, our delight will be to walk in His footsteps, and minister, in His name, to thenaked, the lmngry, the prisoner, the homeless, remembering His words: "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto ono of the least of these my brcthren, ye have done it unto Me."