The Camden chronicle. (Camden, S.C.) 1888-1981, December 19, 1924, Image 7
v"
as Here
THE
Christmas
By Eleanor King
(?, 1924. WenUrn Newipaper Union.)
UK odor of soup
prevailed through
out the two rooms
which constituted
tlie lipme of Mrs.
l'ourrez, , and her
three children,
namely Raoul, the
eldest. Henr.Iettu,
ttie middle, und' Louise the youngest.
"Tonight." mused Mrs. Pourrez, "1?
.the anniversary of our coming to
Amerique. Three years hove passed,
and we still haVe not found Andre.
I have tried every way to locate him.
The lady at the settlement house told
me to ho sure and come to the Christ
mas party because many people come
to that who never come throughout
(he year. She said I might meet him."
"Oal, ma mere, do go," said Raoul,
"I do v l?h we could find father. We
would have the happiest Christmas we
could lmuglne."
/^Irs. Pourrez* work kept her quite
^ato In the evening. Her tasks were
heavy, she was endeavoring to send
her three children to school and sup
Port their little home, ~ ? "
"M ere," said
Kaoul, "we shall
put our candle In
the window to wel
come you when
you return, and
please may we sit
up to see whether
our father re
turns with you by
chance?"
"S! vous voulez,"
said his mother,
lapsing back into
lier native tongue
"It we wish ? Of
course we do,"
.Chorused tlie chil
dren.
Mrs. Pourrez'*
husband, A n d r o.
*a,l left his wife and family to come to ;
Anu-rlca to try and better himself. He
i vith a promise to find n coxy home !
? ?n'J to nave money for their passage. J
Tl.rr.o an(j M half years ago word had *
r"'-" tlmt. by saving and gnod, hard
*f,rv, the houne had been secured and ,
4w "fed their arrival. But nr> Mr
":"rez was there to meet themT.-J?s ,
, i'linned, tfcelr arrival Into tnlaj
\ Co"nfry. The \*oor. mother, broken
r 1,f*?rtod, had had to start out and earn
? living to keep tier family. And so
**c,? **hrt?tm??, tft* Tronfrersaif of
th?ir arrival, she looked to meet h?r
konbtnd.
I Now ??* hafflg\riy uu<^ 1*rr xc*r to*
tin- ?ulep?Bt bowr, *rff*4 la
her heu: Her hopes were run
ning high. The games had already be
guu. yhe settlement house was a bu
bel of voices. The faces In that rather
mLxed crowd were all beaming with
delight ms they forgot their many wor
ries in the games they were playing.
But one face in that picture lost Itjj
gayety as the crowd was carefully
scanned. She saw no Andre. Her
hopes were shattered.
The games continued. Finally some
one proposed that the different nation
alities get together in groups and give
one of their respective country s
dances. The Italians, started the fun,
the French were to be next. The
dance to be given was decided upon
and the music commenced. A door
opened at the back of the hall. A man
appeared. A settlement house worker
ushered him In, saying:
"You are Ju6t In time to Join the
French dance. Mr. ?"
A wotnnn mine bounding forth.
?"Andre!" she cried, and she wns lost
in the two huge
I arms which eneir
I cled her.
"Where have
you been?" was all
the poor" woman
i could gasp In her
I joy.
Christmas morn
ing found the
Pourrez family re
united in their
1 new home. Around
! the table the fam
ily was gathered,
gazing at Andre I
Pourrez. lie was
telling how Illness
had kept him lying
delirious In a hos-1
nltal for months)
and h( tht* lime when tholr boat was
due in America. Every year he had
Kone to every ?RetflomenfTiouse Chrlat
miis party In the hope of finding them.
That whs why lie had been so late In
arriving lust evening It was the last
jMrty on his list to visit. And now,
huu happy they all wore.
Why He's Cross
Thlt l? Grumpy Gow.'ar, .
He's cross as crow can be,
Etecauaa h# didnt lik? tha way *
They trimmd Hi# Chrfatmaa traa.
?fc'artha (tanning Thomaai
SPIRIT OF
- CHRISTMAS
tty Rci>.. /Van Pressley Wilson
(>?>. J' Western Nmvumivjr Union.)
T CUH1STMA8 bo merry* *nd
withul.
And It'um thy poor n.tflRh*
bors, the great t with th?
small. .
So wrote the poet Tusser
many yours ago, but the
suggestion Is Just an |>erti'
nent today as tt was then.
If anything, we need to be
reminded of our duty to our fellow*
man more toduy than our fathers did
?more today, indeed, than ever be
fore. This la true becaufo the need
for brotherhood is even mor6 pa font
than at any other period of the hlatory
of the world.
We live (n an age when we think
solely of ourselves and our Immediate
families and we should have brought
to our attention the fact that we owe
a debt i <> our neighbor and that that
debt must be paid. The story Is told
of a rich man who pruyed?
| Oh, Lord! bless me and my wife.
My eon, John, and his wife;
[ Da four
And no more!
We blush for shame that there could
be found One who is so narrow, yet I
am assured that such people exist to
day. There are those who, when they
have satisfied the needs of their own,
assume a self-satisfied air and -say
* that Ihev.have diffle their whole duty.
Approach such a person and remind
him of the need of a friend or a neigh
bor and ha will ask the time-worn
question: I "Am I my brother's keeper?
Haven't 1 enough to do to look after
my own family?" The teachings of
Jesus Christ answer ihe first question
In the affirmative (and the latter In
the negative) with even more emphasis
than God answered Cain when he
originated the selfish .inquiry. Jesus
-taught that the IJeealogue 1* summed
up in the greater commandment'?
'.'Thou Rhrtlf love they neighbor as thy
self," and Ills definition of "neighbor"
Is any one who-needs our help. Ter
ritorial or other limitations do not ap
ply when the case of one In need Is
before us. *
There Is no geographical limitation
when we are extending the hand of
assistance to <frie who needs our h*?lp:
The Spirit of Christmas.
wherever there is found one or more
whom we can_ (and should) assist,,
(here neighboiilness must begin.
A minister once approuched one of
his parishioners with the request for
a contribution for the purpose of do
ing Christian work abroad. The par
ticular field he had In mind was China. >|
The ijjan replied that he was willing
to help his neighbors but did not
think he was called upon 4o help those
as far away as China.
"Whom do you consider your neigh
bor?" asked the minister. "The man
whose farm adjoins me," was the
prompt reply. "How far down into
the earth does your land extend?'
was the next question aud the farmer
Just as promptly answered: "To the
center!" "Very well," said the min
ister quickly, "There is a man down
In China whose land joins yours at
the center of the earth; he Is therefore
your neighbor and needs your help.**
This was ft new thought to the slow
going church member. He learned hi?
lesson and we need to learn tlie same.- j
Only as we do'so will we be able to
broaden our lives into the fullness of
the life of Jesus the Christ.
The application of the teaching of
Jesus to business and society would
produce a perpetual Christmas season;
a time of peace and Joy and happiness
lasting throughout the year.
The giving of cheap presents or
money, however, does not constitute
Christmas; as well expect n bouquet
of flowers (however lovely) to consti
tute summer 1 The Christmas spirit,
rather than the Christmas show, hon
ors Him whose birth, no less than His
life, was the greatest Christmas gift
the world has ever received. The
Christmas spirit brings us into closer
touch with Him whose very life was
sn exemplification of the precept: "It
Is more blessed to give than to re
ceive."
As we celebrate the anniversary of
the birth of Jetus let not the going
down of the sun mark the decline of
the Christmas spirit but, as the days
come and go, and we enter the new
year, let us each one reach out the
loving had to the sick, the unfortu
nate ami the outcast, remembering that
Jesus the Christ said "Inasmuch as
re have done It uDto the least of ona|i
>f these, my brethren, ye have done
,t unfo Me!"
Changs AU into Lava
Christmas day shall thmnge all
griefs and qBarrels tato love.
'mmnk ^?
....
?V
FOR
THE
AS A BEAUTIFUL WAY IN WHICH TO EXPRESS THE
MESSAGE OF CHRISTMAS TO FRIEND OR FAMILY,
?ar:
FLOWERS CANNOT BE SURPASSED. PLACE YOUR
ORDER TODAY AND WE WILL HAVE YOUR FLOW
ERS DELIVERED WHEN YOU WISH THEM.
Prices of Cut Flowers for
Christmas
Carnation* (White and
Light Pinlc) $3.00 per doz.
Carnations (Deep Pink $3.50 per doz.
Snapdragons $3.00 per doz.
Gladiolus $3.00 per doz.
Narcissus (White) $1.50 per doz.
Pouiielttas, cut $6.00 per doz.
Sweet Peas $4.00 per 100
Christmas Corsages
$5.00, $7.50 and $10.00
Prices of Plants for
Christmas
Poinsettias .... $2.00, $3.00 and $4.00
Cyclamen $3.50
Begonias $2.50 to $3.50
Narcissus $1.50
Cherries $1.50
Primroses $1.50
The Camden