With the approach of Christmas there will be many people expressing the common wish that there will be snow and ice and that will be a "white Christmas" in Keeping with tradition. This sentiment accords with the views of Charles Dickens, who hat been accused of inventing Christmas, and of the Christmas card "manufacturers whose efforts deprived of snow and—other effects would be poor and discouraging. In [Europe the wish is being realized. From ing-land to Bulgaria the continent is in the grip lof a bitter winter with Germany recording the lowest December temperature in 80 years and complaining that it is so cold that there is interference with Christmas shopping. London is shivering under icy blasts and snowfalls and the passengers on one Channel steamer had to make three crossings before landing on terra firma was possible. In Shanghai, the temperature is dropping and both in appearance and meteorologically it looked as if snow were possible yesterday after two or three days of cold and miserable drizzle. All indications point to a fulfilment of the wish and that Christmas will full time-honoured expecta tions. "But while warming oneself before the crackling yule logs, the coal fire or the modern equivalent, the radiator or power theater, it would be charitable to think that the beautiful trappings In which Christmas appears to those who are well-fed and com-{fortable brings cold and suffering to those who fare not, and celebrations of this Christian fes-rival, with its attributes of fellowship and genlerosity, wilk not overlook the needs of others, [China, like many other countries in the world, is ending the year in suffering and with millions of people homeless and hungry. The duty lof the Christian is plain and needs no exposition. Give to your families and friends to demonstrate love and friendship, but also give to others whose only knowledge and belief is {that humanity is not as cruel as events of the ast year would indicate,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.