"SHOULD CHRISTMAS BE ABOLISHED?"
[A symposium on the above question appears in the December Number of The Idler.]
With what philosophy sublime
The institutions are discussed,
Which foolish men of olden time
Were well content to take on trust!
"Is life one great mistake?" we cry,
"Our modern teachers deem it so;"
"Man's place shall woman occupy?"
And now this last—"Shall Christmas go?"
They mock at any plea for mirth,
With fine derision they allude
To any wish for peace on earth
As just a pulpit platitude;
This Christmas-time, it seems, is fraught
With fancies anything but clever;
The lessons that Charles Dickens taught
Are obsolete, and gone for ever!
They tell us, in their stead, to praise
The jokes on seasonable ills,
The epigrams on quarter-days,
The jeux d'esprit on mud and bills;
But as for honest glee and cheer,
Since every cause for joy's demolished,
Why, Christmas, too, it's amply clear,
Should be left out—in fact, "abolished."
Well, let them talk; to please themselves
By all means let them demonstrate
That fairies, Santa Claus, and elves
Are manifestly out-of-date.
Well, let them talk; and find a joy
In cynical philosophy,
But every English girl and boy
Will give their empty words the lie!
Nor only these: In every land
When Christmas brings, to brighten life,
The sturdy grip of hand with hand,
The softened heart, the ended strife,—
Then air your pessimistic views,
Then ask again, "Shall Christmas go?"
And find your answer, if you choose,
In one emphatic, hearty—"NO!"
