King Country Chronicle Saturday, December 22, 1928. CHRISTMAS, 1928.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXII, Issue 2670, 22 December 1928, Page 4

King Country Chronicle Saturday, December 22, 1928. CHRISTMAS, 1928.

Christmas is an old-fashioned festival in these days of modernism, yet still loved for its very antiquity and loving and pleasurable associations. Through many ages its symbols and principles have remained unchanged, and the same spirit of jollity and goodwill remains as when the first anniversary of the Nativity was celebrated. This is a season of happiness and tolerance, goodwill and kindness towards one another in a world which is sadly in need of these attributes. Christmas is now close at hand with all its tenderthoughts, many of them perhaps tinged with sadness with memories of those who once shared its joys with us, but have since passed the great divide. It is the season which is set aside to mark the Great Nativity, when the great message of peace and goodwill was brought to the world. From that sacred night in Bethlehem, there have been many changes in this grey world of ours — changes that have mainly brought about the present day civilisation. The world is not yet perfect—there are still the same characteristics in human nature that existed 2000 years ago, but in some ways the evil instincts of mankind have been somewhat chastened by the message of Peace and Goodwill given unto the world centuries back. The pity of it is that we only observe the Christmas spirit one day in the year. If we cAuld carry that spirit in our everyday life, day in and day out, it would be a better and sweeter, world to live in. There is plenty for all if we can only realise this fact, but the tendency is to grasp as much as possible within our reach, and leave others to fend for themselves. Our j civilisation gives us many advantages, | but our Very modernism tends to j selfishness and its consequent bitterness, and with this the world can

never be happy and contented. We have to acquire the habit of giving

service and spreading kindliness to a much greater degree before it can be said that we have a proper .conception of Christmas and all that it aneans. There are tens of thousands of men and women who daily carry out these precepts throughout the world, but they are not numerous enough to keep the Christmassy feeling in action all the year round. Human nature is not naturally cruel and callous, but is inclined to be thoughtless at times, and it is this forgetfulness that is apt to cause misery and suffering to others. It makes us wonder, when we observe the numerous quarrels and misunderstandings which occur within the body politic, whether the spirit of Christmas has any real effect on the national life.

It can be said, however, that Christmas has a lasting benefit on our individual and personal life, and this is done by instilling in the minds of the young the ideals of peace and goodwill, for it is through the child that the message of love and benevolence will ultimately spread from the individual to the national life: It may be that the spirit of peace and goodwill and tolerance are little more than lovely ideals, but the idealism will gain at least a fleeting reality. It is beyond doubt ' that the world without its Yuletide festivities, its memories, and its true significance of all that it symbolises, would be a sorry habitation for humanity. Last Christmas there were hopes that the world was preparing for a better international understanding but these hopes have not been realised. The feeling between some nations is still strong, and the position unsatisfactory. Tolerance is lacking, and without that there wi.ll always be strife and rumours of war. The world is still nervy as a result of the war; nations are suspicious of one another and inclined to take umbrage at the slightest provocation, and this has led to fancied wrongs being magnified. There is also a spirit of recklessness throughout the civilised world —another heritage of the war. It may yet take years to bring about a more normal international feeling, and the League of Nations is striving hard in this direction. Let us hope that those who are working in this way will meet with success, for the building of warships, and the maintenance of huge armies is a hardship on every individual. If the money now spent on armaments were diverted to productive channels, there would be less discontent and suffering throughout the world. One pleasing feature of the last twelve months is the genuine attempt being made to create industrial peace in every part of the British Empire. In Britain the sane elements of Labour are meeting the industrialists with a view of bringing about peace between employers and employees, while similar efforts are being made in Australia and New Zealand. There are many difficulties surrounding this great problem, but by the practice of tolerance and a spirit of reasonableness on both sides there should be a solution of many of these problems between capital and labour.

The protracted illness of King George may somewhat put a damper on the Christmas festivities this year, but news received lately gives cause for more optimism that our Sovereign will come through his ordeal successfully. The whole of the British Empire is hoping and praying for the recovery of our beloved Sovereign.

In this Dominion we have a lot to be thankful for. Far removed from the more intensive world difficulties, we have been enabled to carry on the process of rehabilitation, and the bounteous seasons we have experienced have enabled this to be carried on without interruption. New Zealand has its problems like all other countries, but nature has been generous to its people, and its can be said that this small country is once more on the way to the prosperity of former days. There is still a long row to hoe before stability is reached, but the outlook is such that we feel sure that we are not voicing an empty platitude when we take the opportunity of wishing all our readers A MERRY CHRISTMAS.