It is possible to give wedding presents,birthday and Christmas presents,without any thought of affection at all,they can be ordered by postcard;but the unbirthday present give the nicest care.It is therefore the best of all and it is the only kind to which the golden rule of present-giving imperatively applies-the golden rule which insists that you must never give anything to any person that you would not rather keep;nothing that does not cost you a pang to part from.It would be nice if this rule governed the choice also of other three varieties of gifts,but they can be less exacting.
The author says that wedding,birthday and christmas presents
- are always indicators of giver's affection
- may not always be given with the thought of affection
- are given only to flatter the recipient
- are given to fulfill only an obligation