a Education in Pennsylvania, Sixty-five Years Ago. An Interesting Article on the Educational Facilities of That Time, and the Establish ment of Improved Schools and Academies. : { COMPILED BY DR. THOMAS C. VAN TRIES. : : | 25 years. While this school had a patronage It is proposed to give an account of the situation of educational matters in Penns- valley previous to the year 1850, and to supplement this statement with a brief sketch of the history of the several Acad- ! emies which sprang up in some of the villages of the Valley about that time. The term education as here employed implies more than a mere knowledge of the studies named in the curriculum of the schools. It is here used in a more comprehensive sense, and relates rather to the standard of intelligence prevailing in the community. What is here said applies also to Brush and George's val- leys, adjacent to it. The only apology offered for presenting such an article is that the majority of the young people, and many of maturer years, are entirely ignorant of the situa- tion of affairs in those days. The school, the pulpit, and the press have always been regarded as the main sources of information for the masses of the people, they largely mold public opin- ion, and regulate the standard of citizen- ship in every community. The public school svstem of Pennsyl- vania was adopted in 1834. For several years after its introduction it met with decided opposition in some of the rural districts of the State. This dissatisfac- tion was largely due to the prevailing ignorance of its design among the people, and their opposition to the taxation which the system imposed. Some parts of Pennsvalley were not entirely guiltless in this matter but their opposition was not as formidable and persistent as in some other parts of the State. Yet in one or two of the townships it is said they actu- ally voted against its adoption. This was no doubt due to their want of knowledge of the advantages of an education, and their erroneous conceptions of the pur- poses and intentions of the system. They knew nothing of the great necessity there was for some latent influence that would inspire the young people with higher re- solves and nobler aims in life. They were satisfied if their children knew as much as their parents. When Mrs. Partington enjoined upon her pre- cocious son Ike, the duty of his walking in his father’s foot-steps, he very promptly replied, “Blame it marm, do you think it would be any harm if I some times got a little ahead of the old man.” It has already been intimated that the school system was very unsatisfactory and inefficient during the first 10 or 15 years of its existence. The teaching was largely rudimentary, imperfect, and in- correct, its greatest defect lay in the utter incompetency of the great majority of the teachers. They were deficient in both scholarship and methods of teach- ing. They lacked culture, and had low conceptions of the duties and obligations of their calling. The writer's first exper- ience in going to school was at the Mus- ser school house in the northwest end of Gregg township. On the first day of school, two young girls brought with them an English grammar. The teacher gave it a very hasty examination and then said, he guessed it was a good book, “For my part I never see’d one afore.” The outlook for the young ladies learn- ing grammar was not very promising. The incompetency of the teachers is not so surprising when we consider that their wages were from $15.00 to $20.00 a month, the teachers paying their own boarding. There may have been an oc- casional district which paid $25.00. If so, they were like angel visits. The annual school term was from 3 to 4 months, boarding round had been abandoned in Centre county before the writer became a teacher. Yet he was permitted to en- joy some of its luxuries during a winter term taught in Butler county, Penna. a generous rivalry among the housewives of the district made the boarding quite respectable. Among other luxuries we had buckwheat cakes twenty-one times a week. There were no other schools in the Val e; in those days, save an occasional summer, or subscription school, usually taught by young girls, who were gen- erally more incompetent than the public school teachers. It is true there may have been one or two small select schools in the Valley, but their advantages were available to but few. Some of the Sabbath schools of that ‘day held very errnoeous views as to their proper mission, and design. In the first school the writer ever attended, he in common with other primary scholars, was given lessons in spelling and reading. There was very little, if any, religious instruction given. The adult Bible class- es usually passed the time in reading “verse about” without any comment or explanation by the teacher. Lesson leaves were entirely unknown. Each school made its own lesson plan, if they had any. It would be unjust not to give due credit to the ministry of those days for their earnest and self denying labors to instruct and elevate the people. They did much to mold and control public sentiment. Many of them were devout and godly men, some of them were above the average in point of ability. They were the most efficient educators of that day. The people ‘respected the ministry and generally attended faithful- ly upon the means of grace. The morals of the respective communities were fully up to the standard of the present day, if we except the drink habit and its conse- quences, it was much more prevalent than at present. Many farmers kept a barrel of whiskey in their cellars, and all the family had free access to it. Beer was but little used, perhaps because it could not be had. Whiskey was the uni- versal beverage. It was cheap and there was little legal restraint upon its use. The best could be had for twelve and a half cents a gallon. Much is said in the present day about drugging modern liquors especially whis- key. Strychnine whiskey is nonsense, alcohol is the intoxicating principal in all liquors used as a beverage. The fight- ing propensity so ¢ommon among men in those days was largely the result of the drink habit. Men generally settled their difficulties with their fists. On the days of the militia training it wasa com- mon thing for two men to meet and set- tle their former grievances in a pitched battle. Few of the people ever saw a daily paper. The weekly papers contributed but little towards instructing the people, and they were poorly patronized. The writer recalls the Centre Berichter pub- ! | i lished at Aaronsburg in his boyhood days. It was printed in German, with one page in English, it was no exception | to the above rule. The Centre Hall Repor- fer is its lineal descendant. Many of the people never went outside of the Valley, ! so they had little opportunity of mingling with more intelligent and enlightened communities. . Under such meagre and imperfect educational advantages it is not surpris- ing that some of the people were both ignorant and illiterate. The superintend- ent of a prominent Sabbath school when addressing the children told them that the world stood on ‘“feir grosse ele- phonte,” (four big elephants). They probably wondered what the elephants stood on. The above is a brief description of the situation of éducational matters in Penns- valley previous to the year 1850. The writer has endeavored to give a candid and impartial account of the same. The masses were either indifferent or oppos- ed to it because they did not know of its advantages. : Yet in pleasing contrast with this som- bre view of the situation it is refreshing to know that there always had been a respectable minority of intelligent and public spirited citizens throughout the Valley, who were the ardent friends of education, and had long felt the want of better schools for their own and their neighbors’ children. Many of them were people of culture and refinement, and fully realized the deplorable situation. The truth is Pennsvalley has produced many worthy and reputable men, who stood high in the church and State. A new era was now beginning to dawn in the cause of education, and many peo- ple began to realize its importance and value. The County Superintendency and the County Teacher’s Institute had been established. These greatly helped to arouse the people to the importance of better schools, and led the teachers to realize the necessity for more thorough preparation for their work. Schools for that purpose had become an absolute necessity. During the next three or four years Academies had been established at Aaronsburg, Potter's Mills, Boalsburg, and Pine Grove Mills, all of these schools flourished for several years. They drew patronage from the surrounding country, and also from adjoining counties. All their principals were college graduates, while they were not strictly Normal schools, yet they greatly aided in prepar- ing more competent and efficient teach- ers for the public schools. The Teach: ers’ Institutes, both County and District, also did much to elevate the standard of teaching and teachers. Their efforts were also greatly promoted by the aid of the County Superintendent, who was ex-officio President of the County Insti- tute. The Farmers’ High school of Pa., (now State College), was organized about the same time (1855). It also did much to promote the general uplift in the cause of education. The original intention of the writer was to include in this article a history of the Academies mentioned above, but it has already exceeded the limits assigned it, so there is only time and space for a very brief account of the origin, rise, ana progress of these respective schools. Before proceeding with the history of the Academies it is thought best to add a word as to the primary organization of the Centre County Teachers’ Institute. There seems to be no record of the date and place of its origin, and it is almost impossible to obtain reliable information concerning an event which occurred sev- enty years ago when it is not a matter of record. It hasmet annually, and its 69th session was recently held at Philipsburg, Pa. So it evidently was organized about the year 1846 or 1847. From the testi- mony of several of the older citizens it seems to have originated at Oak Hall, in Harris township, about the year 1846 or 1847. William G. Waring, Thomas Holi- han, John H. Orvis, and Orrin T. Noble, were likely the originators of that move- ment. Their efforts were heartily en- dorsed by Christian Dale, Henry Keller, and other citizens; it has been a most potent factor in promoting the education- al uplift of the last sixty years. District Institutes were instituted soon after it in different parts of the county, and also did much to awaken public sentiment on the subject of education. The Coun- ty Superintendency was not established until 1854, Rev. Dr. Wm. J. Gibson being the first County Superintendent. The first County Institute the writer attended was held at Milesburg between the holidays in 1857—just fifty-eight years ago. J. ligen Burrell was County Superintendent, an excellent man and fine scholar. We now return to the history of the Academies. The school year of all Academies in those days consisted of two terms of five months each. The sum- mer term usually began the first of May, and the winter term the first of Novem- ber. These terms often closed with an exhibition given by the students. There was much friendly feeling between the schools, and they attended their respec- tive exhibitions. The writer well re- members when a boy of fourteen or fif- teen years, of riding back and forth on a two horse road wagon from Potter’s Mills to Boalsburg and Pine Grove for this purpose. The home trip was generally made after the close of the exhibition. The roads were not as smooth then as now. MONT VIEW ACADEMY. Mont View Academy, at Potters Mills, was founded by Dr. Wm. I. Wilson and Samuel Van Tries in the spring of 1852. They secured the principal, and beforethe school was opened obligated themselves to pay him a salary of $500,00 a year. John Williamson was the first principal; he was a raw Irishman, a good scholar, but not a successful teacher. He taught one term, and was succeeded in the fall of 1852 by Mr. John S. Love, a graduate of Jefferson College. Mr. Love was an ex- cellent teacher, a man of pleasing per- sonality, and executive ability. Under his management the school flourished and saw its palmiest days. He taught three terms, and then resigned to study medicine. He was succeeded by Mr. John B. Davidson in the spring of 1854, he was also a graduate of Jefferson Col- lege, a good scholar, but lacking in some of the essential qualities of a successful teacher. The school was very much hampered by the want of a suitable building, and the patronage began to fall | off. He taught two terms, and was suc- | ceeded in the Spring of 1855, by Mr. S. S. Orris. He was a most excellent man, a fine scholar, and had few equals as a teacher. The state of his health unfit- | ted him for the work, and he only taught | one term. Mr. Orris was afterwards pro- | fessor of Greek in Princeton University for | of from seventy to seventy-five scholars I under Dr. Love, yet all the other Acade- i: ar mies outlived it. At that time the vil- | lage contained quite a number of cultur-| § ed, refined, and intelligent families, yet | the community did not encourage the | school as much as they ought to have ! done. Social antagonisms sometimes in- | terfere with, and blast business projects. | E BOALSBURG ACADEMY. The Rev. David McKinney, D. D., pas- i tor of the Pennsvalley Presbyterian | church, opened a select school in the vil- | lage in the year 1836. It continued in successful operation until 1841. It was well patronized. After an interval of eleven years it was revived in the year 1852, with Rev. James G. Austin as prin- cipal. In the Spring ot 1853 the acade- my building was erected by a joint stock ! company. The lower story was occu. | pied by the Reformed congregation as a | house of worship, Rev. Austin being their | pastor. The upper story was used for | school purposes until the building was | torn down in 1892, and the present Pres- i byterian church was erected on its foun- ! dations. The school flourished under Mr. Austin’s administration. He closed his labors as principal in 1856. He was | succeeded by Thecphilus Weaver. After | him the principals were as follows in the | order named, viz: Capt. James I. Pat- terson—1858-1862. Rev. L. Kryder Ev-- ans—1863. Rev. D. M. Wolf—1863-1865. | The school continued under sundry prin- | cipals until the year 1892, when the building was torn down. It had a large | patronage and did a good work. f A reunion of its students was held Sep- tember 9th, 1897, and an account of it published in the Bellefonte papers. it contains an extended history of the school. PINE GROVE MILLS ACADEMY. William Murray, William Burchfield and Thomas F. Patton interested them- | selves in establishing a school at Pine | Grove in the year 1852. They secured as the first principal Mr. B. F. Ward, a graduate of Jefferson College, an ener- getic, scholarly nan, of genial manners and pleasing personality. The writer re- members him well although itis more than sixty years ago. He taught two | years, and the school was a decided suc- cess during his administration. He was followed by a Mr. Campbell who taught one year. He was succeeded by a Mr. Kennon and a Mr. Davis, each of them | taught one term. ‘In the Fall of 1855 the citizens formed a joint Stock compa. | ny andjproceeded to erect an Ac 1idemy building which is still standing (1915.) | The school opened in this building in the | Fall of 1856 under the charge of Prof. J. ! E. Thomas, a graduate of Jefferson Col- | lege. It continued under his care until | 1862 when he, along with a number of his students, enlisted in the army. After | his return he again took charge of the | school, and continued to be its principal | until his death October 28th, 1872. He | was a good man and did a good work. He was succeeded by others whose names I cannot now give. I do not know just when the Academy was abandoned, I think the building is now used for public school purposes. A reunion of the old students was held June 18th, 1897, when Mr. D. F. Fortney gave a very complete history of the school in an historical ad- ! dress. The school sent out quite a num- | ber of men who attained eminence in | church and State. If time and space | permitted it would be interesting to give | reminiscences of some of them. AARONSBURG ACADEMY. This school was organized in 1854, the | men chiefly interested in its origin were | the Rev. M. J. Alleman, D. D., pastor of the Lutheran church; Rev. Martin Smith, | pastor of the Reformed church; Henry S. | Gross, John B. Holloway, Thomas Year- | ick, and George W. Shoup. The first principal was Ezra Shield-Knecht. He taught one year. The second principal was John Iigen Burrell, who taught two years, and then became County Superin- tendent. J. W. Schwartz had charge of the school for a time. ‘I'We third prin- cipal was Rev. J. R. Dimm, who took charge in the fall of 1857. The academy building was erected in 1856. The school flourished under Dr. Dimm. He had from 70 to 75 students. A number of men who afterwards became prominent as ministers were students under him. Mr. Spangler Kieffer probably succeeded Dr. Dimm. Dr. Jeremiah Hoy, and Rev. Wm. H. Gotwald, D. D., were also prin- cipals for some time. All of the men who were at any time principals of this Academy were graduates of Penna. Col- lege at Gettysburg, Pa. The school was very prosperous, and ran up as high as 130 students at one time. The writer cannot say how long it continued, or when it suspended. Space and time are too limited to give a detailed statement of the history of these schools and those identified with them. Each school would afford abundant material for a separate article. I am specially indebted to Rev. Dr. H. C. Holloway, of Harrisburg, Rev. J. R. Dimm, D. D., of Selinsgrove, and Rev. W. H. Schoch, of Lilly, Pa., for the facts as given above. THE SITUATION TODAY. The writer trusts he may not be mis- understood or his motives misconstrued in publishing this article. In writing the early history of the Valley he had to deal with facts as he found them. While he has spoken plainly, he meant no dis- respect to the worthy and estimable peo- ple of that day. He lived among them during twelve years of his boyhood days, and knew them well. They were a kind, accommodating, and hospitable people. The masses of them were good neighbors and upright citizens. The thoughtful reader, as he has gone over this narrative, has doubtless been instinctively led to compare the situation in those days with present conditions, There has been very marked improve- ment in everything relating to school af- fairs. The standard of scholarship, meth- ods of teaching and school government, along with teachers wages have all under- gone a radical change. Perhaps the greatest change has been in public senti- ment. It has been completely revolu- tionized, no man new dares to oppose education. He knows better. He wants his children to have all the advantages of it. He realizes that it promotes their in- terests. Some of the best schools and teachers of the county are now found in Penns- valley. All the County Superintendents, except two, have come from it. It is not Concluded on bottom of next column. : piles, and then, Candles on the tree aglow, Holly red and mistletoe; Radiant faces, rapturous cries, In the nursery wondering eyes, Stockings full and bulging out, Toys of every sort about; Music, joyous, glad and gay; All of Christendom at play; Season of the Holy Child, Dearest gift, divine and mild, Angel songs, dispelling fear, Yule, the blessed Yule is here! -Rose Mills Powers, in Youth’s Compan- ion. MANNER OF GIVING PRESENTS Simple Little Embellishments Such as Ribbons, Seals and Holly Count for Much. At no time does the manner of do- lug a thing count for so much as at the time of Christmas giving; and while in a few instances there are those who overdo the outward embel- lishment of gifts, none of us now like to offer the simplest little remem- brance unless wrapped in spotless pa- per, tied with gay ribbons and adorned with bright seals expressing merry greetings. And this is as it should be for the holiday season gains a great deal of cheeriness and zest from the multi- plicity of beribboned white parcels whisking to and fro, and we do not re- gret the passing of the yellow paper bundle of our grandmother's day. But the attractive appearance of the gift is not all that counts; we must be careful of the how and when and where of presenting it. The time that custom more and more sets apart for the exchanging of gifts among friends is Christmas eve, any time from dusk to midnight; but Christmas day itself is sacred to pre- Benting gifts within the family circle. Some families put all the gifts in the library or living room, in separate after a deliberate breakfast, they all walk in and open the packages in the presence of each other. Never give a gift in person if you can contrive to send it or put it where . It will be found awaiting the recipient when he or she is alone, for when re- ceived in this way the gift makes its strongest appeal to one’s appreciation. In giving money, even to near rela- tives, the utmost care should be taken to give it in the most delicate way possible; especially if you know the money is needed. One of the cleverest ways is to take a tiny Japanese umbrella, place the money in a paper bag and, after roll- ing and tying the bag around the up- per part of the handle underneath, close the umbrella over it and tie with narrow ribbon. Another good way is to present an attractive little booklet with a check or a greenback for a bookmark, writ- ing on the fiyleaf, “note page 14.” Turning to see what is noted, the fresh new paper money is seen and the recipient appreciates the manner of its presentation no less than the material benefit. WHY YOU HANG STOCKINGS Popular Christmas Custom Said to Have Come Down to Us From Old Italian Practice. There is a story from Italy which some suppose to be the beginning of the present idea of the Christmas stocking. Years ago good old St. Nicholas of Padua used to throw knitted purses with money in them in at the windows of the poor. These knitted purses were not unlike a stocking without a foot, and later it became the custom of the people to hang this knitted sack just inside the window that St. Nicholas might put something in as he passed. When these purses went out of use the stockings were substituted. In the northern part of Italy it was a little too chilly to leave the windows open and the stockings were hung by the mantel place so that they might be filled from the chimney. claimed that all this elevation of the standard of intelligence has resulted en- tirely from the improved schools. A knowledge of the outside world greatly enlarges our conceptions of life and its duties. Railroad facilities and travel add vastly to our store of knowledge. The Grange has also done much to im- prove the social condition, and promote intelligence, among the farmers. They have become a reading people, many of them take the daily papers. In conclusion, it may be truthfully said that Pennsvalley in all these particulars, will today compare favorably with the best of rural communities. In some things it surpasses them. ) HOLIDAY AILMENTS How to Avoid Condition Brought About by Overeating. Plenty of Vigorous Outdoor Exercise Will Help Digestive Organs As- similate Food—Better Than Doctor's Prescription. By IRENE WESTON. O MANY people habitually feel more or less out-of-sorts for the few days following Christmas that Christmas ailments have come to be recognized as a necessary aftermath of the festivities. Of course, the children will always overeat themselves; if they were not allowed to eat all sorts of indigestible things, they would feel they were be- ing cheated out of half the joy of the zay Christmas season. - As a matter of fact, it is not the children at all who make up the bulk of sufferers from Christmas complaints. It is the grown- ups who, simply through carelessly neglecting to subscribe tc one simple rule of health, frequently find them- selves more or less unhappy inside, and more tired and run down physical- ly at the end of the Christmas holi- jays than before them. Of course, children dv overeat them- selves more often than grown people. They rejoice, however, in the posses- sion of powers of recuperation which grown-ups, even in the prime of life, san only look back on with envy. nuch plum pudding, too many sau- sages with turkey, too many sweets hetween meals, may bring on a sharp ligestive upset, but in a few hours all ‘races of it have disappeared, and the one-time sufferer is soon eager for more of the rich foods which caused 2im pain. With grown people, after-Christmas ailments are not so much due to indis- sriminate eating of indigestible foods 18 to an utter neglect of any precau- tions to adapt their systems to the 1ew conditions which reign during the Christmas holidays. Take the case of the average father )f a family who leaves all office work vehind. How does the change affect him? In the first piace, the dull mo- notony of his days is broken in upon and his brain can relax from the high pressure of the office. rourse, is a change in the right direc- tion. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy physically as well as mentally. At the same time, however, staying at home has drawbacks of its own, for it means less exercise, which in its turn should suggest a cutting lown of the food supplied to the body. Too much food and too little exer- tion are almost certain to upset the di- gestion and clog up the various organs whose duty it is to separate the waste matters from the good in the food we sat and rid the body of those poison- ous products. The remedy is perfectly simple. There is no need to stint yourself of the good things of the table. Eat, Irink and be merry, within fair mod- aration, of course. However, you must help yeur digestive organs by taking plenty of vigorous outdoor exercise. A two hours’ walk before the mid- day meal, a round of golf or some oth- ar outdoor game with the children in midafternoon, and a brisk two-mile walk in the half-hour before the eve- ning meal will be found worth more than any amount of doctor’s prescrip- tions directed towards relieving the first symptoms of biliousness, the mental irritability, disturbed sleep, sour taste in the mouth, loss of appe- tite, etc., which are such a common aftermath of the Christmas holidays. Unselfishness is the key to Christmas happiness. FPFEFSER ENVIOUS. “Do you ever wish you were a girl?” asked the visitor. “Only at Christmas time,” answered the boy. “Why do you wish it then?’ “Because of the stockings they wear.” Cultivating the Christmas Spirit. “Alas!” sighed the moody man, “there is no gladness for me in this joyous season.’ “Tut-tut!” said the optimist. “Sure- ly there is a ray of sunshine for you, as there 1s for all of us if we but look for it.’ “No,” replied the moody ome. “I have not a single friend and no rela- tives with whom [ am on speaking terms.” “Cheer up, then,” advised the other, | with a shade of envy in his tone. “Oar’t you be glad because you will not have to buy any Christmas pres- entg?” a ST a Too This much, of AN IRREPRESSIBLE BOY Pp, 2 WORRIED the cat, he played rat-tat-tat On the roller skates a full nN hour by the clock. He tried roller skates where dishes and plates In jeopardy lay, till some fell with a shock. With an Indian yell on the doll’s house he fell, And added poor dolly’s scalp to his belt; Then knocked off its toes and its fair Gre- cian nose Which same was of wax—he proceeded to melt. I'wo tubs he upset without one regret; He stood on his head till his face it turned blue; A curtain he tore and then sighed for mor Inventi do. * e vely mischievous things he might He hid granny’s specs, but that didn’t vex; Her face brightened up with his fun and .his noise. “One sweet kiss repaid all,” so she said, Resignedly adding that ‘boys will be boys.” But strangest of all at night’s quiet fall How meekly, how placidly, this rogue would say: “Good-night, mamma dear. Good-night, papa dear. i “I've tried hard to be such a good boy to- i day!” . EAT REMAINS OF CANDLES Christmas Services Among the Eski- mos cf Labrador—Part Most En- joyed by the Children. Somebody has said that when the world was being made the Creator gathered up all the waste material he had left over and made Labrador out of it. Some people say the Creator never intended it to be inhabited. But inhabited it is with a sturdy, taciturn band of Eskimos, who, thanks to the Moravian missionaries who have pene- trated to that country, celebrate Christmas in their own peculiar way. As service time in the church draws near all the inhabitants, old and young, the men on one side and the women con the other, are waiting in eager expectation. It is quite dark by four o'clock and the bell rings. All | come trooping in clad in the best | clothes they can muster. No one stays at heme from these services unless he is sick or lame, ‘and whenever it is possible sleighs ‘are used to bring these disabled ones to church. For the little children the happiest part of the services comes later when each child receives a lighted candle, ! symbolizing the light of the world. Each candle stands in a white turnip which serves as a candlestick. Most of the candles are made from deer | tallow which the Eskimos bring to the missionaries. After the services the children eat not only the turnip, but what is left of the candle as well. One year only about ten persons, mostly men, could come from the nearest island. The ice had been driven together, and rather than miss the Christmas service they had risked their lives in crossing over on that moving, heaving, broken ice to the mainland. Then they had to climb the mountains and walk through the deep snow until they reached the mis- sion station after twenty-three hours of danger and a fearfully exhausting march through the snow. How happy they were to be in time | to celebrate the Christmas festival in . the house of their God! About six days later, when the ice had formed, all the rest of the people came, but oh! so sad and downhearted. Like little children they told the mission- aries their tale of sorrow. They de- scribed how sad they all had been when they found that it would be im- . possible to come to the mission sta- ! tion for the Christmas service. | 1 | “Christmas Past.” | It was indeed a gracious time, and { as we read of the revels and cere- | monies and find foolish beliefs of ; Christmas Past, we might regret what we have lost in this tamer and less picturesque age, it we did not know that never before in history was Christmas kept so truly and heartily in the spirit of the day as it is now. , We have dropped a good many rude and some pretty customs, but we have gained a broadening spirit of almost universal charity, a feeling of real brotherhood, that is perhaps none the | less real that it is held in check a good dea! during the rest of the year. | —Charles Dudley Warner. A French Custom. In France children place their shoes before the mantlepiece, in an- | ticipation of a visit from Father Christmas. Crecemt wo
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers