One day, just before Christmas, there came to a certain town a Christmas angel. Did you ever hear of the Christmas angels? There are many thousands of them, though usually, of course, you cannot see them.
This Christmas angel carried with him an immense pair of scales. They were so large that they could weigh anything that was brought to them, and he made a proclamation that all who wished to find out how much happiness the presents they meant to give that Christmas would bring to those who received them, might learn this if they applied to him.
And so the people of the town came bringing their gifts to be tested in the great scale. The Christmas angel stood by, placing in one pan of the scale a brilliant jewel that glittered in the sun like a thousand diamonds, and in the other pan he placed the gift, whatever it was.
One very rich man came with a dray on which was an elegant piano that he was going to give his daughter. This was rolled into the pan, and at once the jewel sunk, and the piano, heavy as it was, bounced into the air as if it had been a feather. The angel explained to the man that his gift would bring very little happiness because he was giving it carelessly and out of a feeling of pride, intending to boast of giving such a rich gift.
Another man brought a set of beautiful cut-glass dishes. They cost many hundreds of dollars, and he was going to give them to his wife. He was giving the present just because he thought it his duty to do so, and not because he loved his wife and wanted to make her happy. And so the wonderful jewel sent this gift also tossing high into the air, and the man carried it away knowing that it would bring very little happiness.
The next present carried itself into the pan, for it was a team of horses and a carriage. Horses and carriage, however, all flew into the air together, because, as the Christmas angel saw, they were given grudgingly, and simply to pay back a present the giver had received.
A young woman came and placed in the pan a book that she was going to give her father. This book, however, was selfishly chosen, not because her father wanted to read it, but because the young lady wanted to read it herself, and no wonder that the marvellous jewel sunk and the selfish present rose.
Still another present that was brought a young man came carrying. It was a chair that he had purchased for his mother. He had given the matter no thought, however, and had selected just the kind of chair she did not like and would not find comfortable. It also was weighed and found wanting in power to bestow happiness.
Finally, after many presents had been tested, and some of them found good, and many of them bad, there came along a little girl closely hugging a package in which was wrapped a spectacle-wiper that she had made for her grandmother. She had thought long about it, had found out that her grandmother wanted it, had saved her money to buy the chamois skin, and had worked it very carefully herself. She was bubbling over with joy at the thought of how much her grandmother would be pleased with it. And sure enough, the wonderful scales thought so too, for the jewel itself this time flew into the air, and the chamois skin spectacle-wiper sunk to the ground as if it had been lead.
I hope you have got a hint or two, children, from this little story. You can see how it is that, if you are to make this Christmas a happy Christmas for others, you must have love in your heart and thoughtfulness in your head.