Btlefonte, Pa.,December 24 1909.
SANTA CLAUS
IN PORTO RICO.
HRISTMAS in Spain is a reli.
gious festival rather than a so-
cial one. It was so originally in
Porto Rico, but the population
has been Influenced partly by the
spirit of the new world and partly by
the many American merchants who re-
side in the cities and who exert an in-
fluence much greater than the num-
bers would seem to warrant.
The churches welcome the day with
chimes which begin at midnight and
last until the midnight of the next day.
What with one church beginning ten
minutes too soon and another ten min-
utes too late and a third at the right
moment, what with bells which ring
every fifteen minutes and bell ringers
who under some ancient custom will
round the great bells every half hour,
the air is filled with music which never
seems to end.
If you are near a cawpaunile the ef-
fect is not altogether pleasant on ac-
count of the volume of sound striking
the ear with too much foree, but in a
public square several hundred yards
from the nearest belfry, where trees
A DAUGHTER PLAYS ON THE GUITAR.
and buildings break the sound waves,
or in suburbs on the hillside the effect
is unspeakaply delightful.
Pleasantest of all is it when you are
sitting in the inner court or quadran-
gle of a Porto Rican home. Around
you on four sides the house rises above
you, and in the grounds or in great
tubs and porcelain pots rich flowers,
graceful vines and restful trees afford
shade, coior and perfume. The sound
of the hells descends from the air
above very much like a benediction.
You sit in an easy chair, and servants
bring you tea or steaming coffee,
sweetmeats and biscuits, confections
and cigarettes, while a daughter or son
plays ancient songs or dances upon a
mandoiin or guitar.
The churches are crowded; so are the
clubs and most of the places of recrea-
tion. Every vehicle is in use, and here
and there can be seen youug men and
women trying to lmitate English mod-
els. Some of the people of the moun-
tain districts carry out many of their
early superstitions in regard to Christ-
mas. They hang over the doors of
their houses boughs of trees which are
supposed to possess charms and often
conduct morriage ceremonies under
great canopies mude of these charmed
trees.
A great many wild flowers are in
bloom at Christmastide, and these are
worn by children of the mountain dis-
tricts in wreaths and garlands about
their heads, vecks and waists. The
Christmas giving is sadly missing in
our new possessions. The churches
hold no Christmas tree, and there are
few charitable societies to give feasts.
However, oue hospital for old people
and orphans in Ponce gives a Christ-
Anas fete, and the inmates have a good
aneal and receive warm clothing, med-
Jicines and other needful gifts.
The American occupation has brought
extra Christus cheer to the people of
the island. The American residents
celebrate the day in good American
fashion, and, best of aii, they put
money into circulation and give zest to
industry and business.
PT Hardness of loebergs.
The hardness and strexgth of ice in-
‘greases with the degrees of cold, and
ms icebergs come from the region of
perpetual cold of an intensity difficult
‘to realize it is readily seen how they
wan become “demons of destruction.”
“The bardness of icebergs is something
wonderful, even surpassing that of the
“land ice” reported from St. Peters.
burg in 1740, wherein it is declared
that “in the severe winter of that year
a house was built of ice taken from
the river Neva which was fifty feet
long, sixteen feet wide and twenty
feet high, and the walls supported the
roof, which was also of ice. Before it
stood two ice mortars and six ice can-
non made on a turning lathe, with
carriages and wheels also of ice. The
cannon were of the caliber of six
pounders, but they were loaded only
with one-quarter pound of powder and
with hemp balls—on one occasion with
jron. The thickness of the ice was
only four inches, and yet it resisted
the explosion.” Ice palaces have also
been built in late years in this coun-
try ard in Cana®a which have stood
for weeks, so, then, how strong muat be
the ice in masses hundreds of feet in
thickness’ Pittsburg Press,
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[BENIN dah, Miss Mandy Jane!
See me comin’ up de lane?
Speck you waitin’ foh me.
Kin’ o’ late a-gittin' roun’—
Had to walk hyeah clean fom
town—
But we'll be in time, Ah’m boun’,
Do’ hit's pu’tty sto'my.
TAKE ma ahm 'n’ le’s push on
"Cross lots, "ca’se de time's done
gone.
'N’ we ought to be dah!
Chris'mas ain't de time to erawi
To er ole time country ball.
Preachah may not lak it 't all,
But he'll sho’ fine me dah.
OOKEE you'ah! Dah’s de light,
Up de road dah to de right!
Let de roads be smoove er rough,
Soon we'll j'ine de measah!
Snow, blow, drif'in’ lak a bluff,
Cain’t come col’ er snow ernuff
Foh to stop ouh pleasah!
(COsE Ah b’lebes in doin’ right;
Goes to chu’ch o’ Sunday night,
Spesh'ly ef it’s handy.
But seem lak Ah's gittin’ so,
Ef it rain er snow er blow,
Don’ keer ef Ah go er no—
Dis hyeah’s diff’unt, Mandy.
—New York Mail and Express.
THE TERROR'S CHRISTMAS.
Turkeys Were $17 Each During the
Siege of Paris.
When the Christmas day of 1870
dawned upon Paris the city had been
in the iron grip of the German invest-
ment for about three months. The
winter was a bitterly cold one, the
thermometer registering 10 degrees be-
low freezing point on Christmas morn- |
ing. The Seine was frozen over.
‘The poor's daily rations were a few |
ounces of horseflesh and a piece of re- |
pulsive looking black bread.
By Dec. 20 food prices had reached
their highest point since the begin-
ning of the siege. On Nov. 13 a pound
of butter fetched $14 and a rabbit
$3.50. By Dec. 19 rabbits had risen to
$9, a bux of sardines brought $2.50 and
eggs 20 cents apiece. For one's Christ-
was dinner one could buy a goose for
$10 or a turkey for $17. Pigeons were
$3 each, and a small fowl could be ob-
tained for $5. Ham was $1.50 a pound.
As for vegetables, carrots and turnips
were 4 cents each, and a bushel of po-
tatoes cost $6.25. There was bLardly
any milk In Paris, and the little there
was had to be preserved for the sick
and wounded, However, there were
oceans of wine, and the wineshops did
a roaring trade.
For some time before Christmas the
starving people had been feeding on
cats, rats and dogs until by Dec. 25
a dish of cat's flesh was hardly obtain-
able. Dog was G0 cents a pound, and
tine rats fetched 14 cents each. Mauy
domestic pets were killed for food.
“Poor Azor!” said a humorous citizen
as he finished a stew made from his
favorite dog. “How he would have
enjoyed these bones!”
With true Parisian light heartedness
the citizens tried to make the best of
things, and the cafes and restaurants
wore almost their normal aspect. At
half past 10, however, an order of
Trochu closed every shop and cafe,
and by 11 o'clock Paris had gone to
bed. .
The midnight mass of Christmas eve
was celebrated as usual in the church-
es, which were crowded with pray-
ing, weeping women. Newspapers ap-
peared as usual, some of them contain-
ing glowing accounts of perfectly im-
aginary French successes. The sa-
tirical sheets were even more bitter
and venomous than at other times
and published scathing caricatures.
Some showed the fallen emperor, Na-
poleon IIL, as a shoeblack at King
William's boots, or as a beggar with
his pockets turned inside out, or as a
traitor handing over France to mur-
derers, or as a thief making off with
millions of the nation's money, Oth-
ers depicted Julius Favre in tears and
pocketing Bismarck's gold and Trochu
handing over the keys of Paris to a
Prussian in exchange for a bag of
coin, In all the idea of Parisians that
France had been betrayed by those
who ought to have protected her was
prevalent,
So at this season of peace and good
will suffering Paris was nearly at her
fast gasp. Owing to the tenacity of
her rulers and citizens, however, her
agony was to be prolonged some
weeks longer, as it was patil
February that the negotia for a
eapitulation began. :
HH
1 was only
Santa Claus.”
dad Annie witha
grin.
|! know of just
one slocking-
I'd puf all the
presents nl”
shocking.
But theyre
all right
just once a year
When thang up
my slocking"
WASHINGTON POST
The Quest of the Auto.
Mrs. Newlywed—I am hoping and
praying that my hubby will give me
an auto for Christmas.
Her Friend—How long are you mar-
vied?
Mrs. Newiywed—Six months,
Her Friend—Well, hoping and pray-
ing may fetch it this year, but next
year it will have to be sobbing and
jawing.—Judge.
, know Santa Clans
Ee ——————————————— ——— a S— —
SANTA CLUC A STRANGER
He Is Officially Unknown to Uncle
Sam's Mail Agents,
The postotiice department does not
The old saint has
no official existence so far as Uncle
Sam’s mail agents are concerned. This
i is due entirely to the fact that Santa
Claus lives everywhere at the same
time instead of having a single local
habitation like other people. It is very
sad, but it cannot be helped. Letters
which children address to Santa Claus
or Kris Kringle must go straight to the
dead letter office.
Some time ago an effort on behalf of
the children was made to induce the
postoflice department to permit post-
masters to open all letters addressed
to Santa Claus and turn them over to
the parents of the child correspondent
or to some local organization having a
Christmas fund to spend, but the at-
torney general for the department ren-
dered an adverse decision, holding as
follows:
If postmasters were granted authority
to open all such letters and select those
which they thought proper to deliver to
persons applying for them, there would
be temptation and opportunity for post-
masters and other employees to open let-
ters indiscriminately, some cf which con-
tain inclosures of value, and give us an
excuse for such action the authority
granted by the department.
The department's legal adviser also was
of the opinion that, if permission were
granted to deliver such letters to benevo-
lent societies and Individuals, it would be
difficult for the department to draw the
line where benevolence ends and commer.
clalism begins. Many persons desire such
letters for use in newspapers and maga-
zine stories, the name of the child of
some prominent public man attached to
such a letter making it especially valua-
ble for that purpose and uiton corre
spondingly embarrassing to parent
of the child. Furthermore, the opinion
states, such a practice would violate the
principle of the sanctity of the seal,
which is one of the best features of our
postal system, and the department would
continually be open to serious suspicion.
Candles For Christmas.
Christmas candlemakers are busy
for many months in the year. It would
be impossible to estimate how many
hundreds of thousands of dozens of
prétty little colored wax candles are re-
quired for Christmas trees all over Eu-
rope and America. There are also can-
dles for church decoration at Christ-
mastide. Whereas the Christmas tree
tapers are, some of them, so tiny as to
require seventy-two to make a pound,
the great altar shafts of pure beeswax
will sometimes stand six feet and
weigh forty pounds apiece.—Tit-Bits.
Avoiding Temptation.
Hammert — Styingham has never
bought a Christmas tree for his chil-
Callahan--Probably he is afraid of
temptation,
Hammert—-Temptation?
Callahan—I mean that he is afraid
that if he did buy a tree he would be
tempted to buy something to hang on
it—Town and Country,
Hurry Up Santa Claus!
Dat what chillun say.
Dey wants 'im fer ter hurry up
An’ pass de time er day,
Dreamin’ ‘bout de comin’ er de Chris’'mus)
-~Atlanta Constitution,
Bellcfonte Shoe Emporium,
16agers hoe Store
Bellefonte, Pa.
We are ready to show you
anything that you mav need
in the line of Shoes, Slippers,
Rubbers, or anything that
goes on the feet.
When you are doing your
Christmas Shopping remem-
ber you can always find just
what you are looking for at
YEAGER'S SHOE STORE,
successor to Yeager & Davis.
Bush Arcade Building, BELLEFONTE, PA.
LYON & CO.
‘CHRISTMAS OPENING.
We are prepared for the early Christmas buyers.
We ‘will make shopping casy for you. Come in
and see our large assortments. Here is just a
small list of the many things to select from:
FURS, FURS.
The largest assortment of Furs, Pillow Muffs,
Rug Muffs in black and colors to match. The
new shapes in the long pelerine and throw scarfs.
Prices the lowest; qualities the best.
SILK SCARFS.
Our assortment of Silk Hemstitched Scarfs is
the best ever shown in the town. All colors.
Black and white from soc. to $5.00.
PETTICOATS.
A handsome gift and appreciated by all women
A fine Silk Petticoat or a handsome Heather-
bloom Petticoat. Prices always the lowest.
- SILKS, SILKS.
Silk Messaline and Silk Crepe De Chine. The
largest assortment of black and colored Silk and
Messaline suitable for waists, street and evening
Owns.
8 BLACK TAFFETA SILK.
SpeciaL—We just received a soft Taffeta Silk
(in black only). Suitable for dresses, skirts and
linings, 36 inches wide. Special price 85c per yd.
LINENS, LINENS,
Our assortment of Table Linens is better and
larger than you will see in any other store. See
our of in the stripe and floral patterns.
Also have 2}{ yard Satin Damask in the rose
stripe patterns. Napkins to match all table linen.
Linen Scarts, hemstitched and lace and inser-
tion trimmed, from 25c up.
Handsome Doilies, lace edge and drawn work
insertion.
HANDKERCHIEFS,
In Cotton, Linen and Silk, ioliial and Ditin, hemstitched, ale
white snd colored border; for men, women and children,
HOSIERY.
Hose in cotton, wool and lisie gauze, in black and all colors, to
fit the youngest or the oldest.
LACE COLLARS.
Lace Collars and Jabots in all styles from the Sheapant up, in.
cluding the handsome baby THOR abou aad Dutch a.”
LEATHER GOODS,
The latest styles in Leather Goods, Everything new in Chate
laine Bags say Pocket Books. ng
Big reductions in all Ladies’ and Misses’ Coats and Coat Suits
and Children's Coats. Come into our store and we will save
money sod help you do your Christmas buying with little ory
LYON & COMPANY,
7-12 Allegheny St., Bellefonte, Pa.