A Moral Reminder for the Holidays
BY: BG EDITOR
Dec 08, 2018 — GREENWOOD, BC (BG)
In December 1905, this discourse on charity and generosity of Christian spirit was delivered to readers of the Boundary Creek Times. The editor was not shy in suggesting where one should begin with his giving:[1]
"The Times wishes a Merry Christmas to all its readers, especially to those who are in arrears, as a little extra Christian goodwill should be extended to the man who is unable, in this Western country of good wages and prosperity, to pay his subscription to the paper.
If tradition and history are to be relied upon, it is now nineteen hundred years since the wise men of the East were guided to the manger in Judea. Since that time men have preached and men have practiced the teachings of the Carpenter of Nazareth. At times these truths were brought home to the erring ones by the sword, the stake, the thumbscrew, and various other methods now happily not in vogue.
Civilization has advanced, and we of this continent believe we are as near Christian perfection as is possible of attainment. True, we still become enthusiastic over hundreds of thousands of men engaged in slaughtering each other; we take just a little more interest in the man who makes millions in a stock gamble on Wall Street than the fellow in our midst who on a small salary keeps a family and pays one hundred cents on the dollar; we do not give quite the best pew in our church to the poorly dressed laborer; we would much prefer to introduce in our homes the rake with his thousands than the clean mechanic with his hundreds; we have, to a considerable extent, in the past fifty years eliminated from the home that noisy, romping, vulgar, half dozen savages, and replaced them with the more genteel kitten, poodle, calling cards and occasional pink tea; we still hire men and women to explain the beauties of the New Testament, although ninety percent can read and write; we devote more time to forcing our neighbors to observe the seventh day than we do the worship of the author of the day; we smile on the man with thousands and worship the millionaire; we are following the teachings of the Bible with modern, practical amendments, and are doing our level best to capture the dollars of our neighbors.
We believe in Christianity, so long as it doesn't interfere with modern business methods. We are not the stuff that martyrs are made of, but we would take desperate chances for a million dollars."
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