, Dr. Scott, Mr. and Mrs. M'Kee and their children, Mrs.
Dimmick and Lieutenant and Mrs. Parker. I am an ardent believer in the
duty we owe to ourselves as Christians to make merry for children at
Christmas time, and we shall have an old-fashioned Christmas tree for
the grandchildren upstairs; and I shall be their Santa Claus myself.
If my influence goes for aught in this busy world let me hope that my
example may be followed in every family in the land.'

"Christmas is made as much of in this country as it is in England, if
not more. The plum-pudding is not universal, but the Christmas tree is
in almost every home. Even in the tenement districts of the East side,
inhabited by the labouring and poorer classes, these vernal emblems of
the anniversary are quite as much in demand as in other quarters, and
if they and the gifts hung upon them are less elaborate than their
West side congeners, the household enthusiasm which welcomes them is
quite as marked. As in London, the streets are flooded with Christmas
numbers of the periodicals, which, it may be remarked, are this year
more elaborate in design and execution than ever. The use of Christmas
cards has also obtained surprising proportions. A marked feature of
this year's Christmas is the variety and elegance of offerings after
the Paris fashion, which are of a purely ornamental and but slight
utilitarian character. There are bonbonnieres in a variety of forms,
some of them very magnificent and expensive; while the Christmas cards
range in prices from a cent to ten dollars each. These bonbonnieres,
decked with expensive ribbon or hand-painted with designs of the
season, attain prices as high as forty dollars each, and are in great
favour among the wealthy classes. Flowers are also much used, and,
just now, are exceedingly costly.

"While the usual religious ceremonies of the day are generally
observed here, the mass of the community are inclined to treat the
occasion as a festive rather than a solemn occasion, and upon
festivity the whole population at the present time seems bent."

"MERRY CHRISTMAS" WITH THE NEGROES.

A journalist who has been amongst the negroes in the Southern States
of America thus describes their Christmas festivities:--

"Christmas in the South of the United States is a time-honoured
holiday season, as ancient as the settlement of the Cavalier colonies
themselves. We may imagine it to have been imported from 'merrie
England' by the large-hear