vCjL /•'•* •*• •"•• " ! jau-bclls, ring! sweet gladness bring ta rheer the uniting earth! iljour rhtmes prolong the angels' song that told the birth!" —MRS AJ. LILLY. ;• .-.• '"■'
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Jabi^
Christmas
v nisL ™ comes,
0I I C(7 -A-" 11 fro" 1 t he stee
% I A \ — * pies far and near
The bells are ring-
I ' ' nS ' sweet anc *
To welcome in the birthday morn
Of One in lowliest manger born.
Who died for men, and reigns a King,
All hearts take up the theme and sing
As angels sang, o'er Bethlehem's hill.
Be peace on Earth; to Men good will,
When Christmas comes.
When Christmas comes.
And holly hangs upon the wall
Of lowly home and stately hall,
Then men put by, for one brief day,
The cares that frighten peace away,
All thoughts that vex; and festal cheer
Comes in this best day of the year.
To gladden hearts and homes, and make
Man better for his brother's sake,
When Christmas comes.
When Christmas comes.
We someway feel the whole world k!n.
Then friendship's fires are kindled in
Cold hearts, whose doors have long been
shut.
"Come in!" rings out from hall ar.d hut.
"Come in, come in this Christmas day—
X'ut all old differences away.
Join hands and hearts as all men should,
In universal brotherhood,
When Christmas comes."
When Christmas comes,
Let us remember, generously,
The poor of earth, where'er they he,
And share with them our Christmas cheer.
As Christ would do, if He were here.
And what we do for His dear sake
Love will a fitting tribute make
To Him who came to earth in love.
So may each heart its fealty prove
When Christmas comes.
—Eben E. Kexford, in Chicago Advance.
Nikolaas
' ppEmerrily going, the
by the blue water
that rippled around
Manhattan Island. Ding-ding-ding-ding!
It was Christmas eve, and did not St.
Nikolaas' bell have a right to swing mer
rily? It seemed to say: "Christmas com
ing, coming, coming," and in its joyful tones
one might have caught the echo of that ju
bilant proclamation: "For unto us a Child
is born, unto us a Son is given, and the gov
ernment shall be upon Ilis shoulders, arid
His name shall be called Wonderful, Coun
selor, the mighty God, the everlasting Fa
ther, the Prince of Peace."
Swing and ring, O bell! Christmas was
coming. King away, O iron bell! To Gov.
Peter Stuyvesant stamping around the
little Holland town on his wooden leg, to
the townsfolks in baggy breeches or quilted
petticoats, to the weary sailors in the
lighters that had pushed up the canal divid
ing De Heeren Graft (to-day's Broad street),
or the seamen in the craft moored by the
shore, the thought of Christmas brought a
new joy.
Hans Van Schenkel stood on the stoop of
the shop where he sold beaver skin and oth
er furs, but t' ringing of the bell brought
DO special satisfaction.
"What is that bell ringing for?" he asked,
turning to his daughter Katryne.
"It is ringing for Christmas, I think, fa
ther, and that is good news."
"Verily, daughter, there is something bet
ter than Christmas, and that is that snow
is coming, and thou hast a home with thy
father."
"I pity those without —a —home—" Then
she stopped and her blue eyes so filled with
tears that they were like sapphires floating
in fountains of crystal.
"Come, come, child, thou hast a good
home. What is the matter with thee?"
"Thou knowest, father."
"Humph!" growled Ilans. Then he broke
out: "I know what ails thee. Thou art
sighing for that sister of thine, and is it
any fault of mine because she would, yes,
would, in spite of all I could say, marry
that English sailor, that Jack Lang? I
warned her. When, then, she went into the
wilderness was it my fault?"
Katryne turned away to hide the pearls
that fell so freely from her blue eyes. She
thought of the day when Jack Lang and
Lysbet Van Schenkel stole through a gate
way in the wall of the palisades running
where Wall street now is and giving a name
to it. The lovers disappeared there, and not
for a long day was Lysbet seen, but Jack
never. It was said that they were married
by an English clergyman, somewhere, at
some time. Finally came a story that the
sailor had died, and soon after the arrival
of these tidings there came through a gate
in New Amsterdam's wooden wall a worn
and weary woman with a babe in her arms.
Where she was received and sheltered Ilans
did not know.
"She had my name once," he doggedly as
serted, "but she is no child of mine now."
One might naturally feel that this wintry
night Lysbet and her babe would be ex
posed to the coming storm. That swing
ing bell might say: "Rejoice, rejoice," but
was not there room in some hearts for the
feeling of anxiety? Hans was not at ease.
He could not drop this subject that had
come up for notice.
"Families," he muttered, "ought not to Z?
For the Children. God Bless Them!
be broken up by a child's disobedience. She
that broke that chain must take the respon
sibility."
"If broken, father, can it not be
mended?"
"Xot unless wisely, justly done."
"Christ says that we must love one an
other." As she spoke she was facing a rude
wall picture of the child Jesus in J lis moth
er's arms. Joseph standing by. "Look at
that, father!" She pointed to the picture.
"They love one another, father, and —"
"I love thee, good daughter."
This encouraged Katryne, and she broke
out into a bold proposition: "Then why not
let Lysbet come home?"
"Katryne! No more!"
Only three words, but he put enough
force into them to show what his full opin
ion might be. She made no reply, but drew
a quilted crimson hood over her locks and
slipped out of the door. When Katryne
returned Hans was in a very painful mood,
and he remarked, in a sympathetic tone:
"It is a bad night, my child."
"Yes, father, but Christmas will soon be
here."
"Is the watch out?"
"Yes, father, and he almost ran into me,
as if he thought I were a savage that had
just come down the North river in his
canoe and needed to be looked after."
"Humph! The watch is a savage if he
can't tell a goodly woman of New Amster
dam from one of those up-river Indians.
Unless he follows better fashions I will re
port him to Ilerr Stuyvesant. Ho will beat
liiin with his wooden leg."
"Oh —oh. father!"
"Yust, my child, I was o&Iy jesting, and to
show that thy father will care for thee."
"1 thank thee." After this pleasant and
domestic episode there was silence. Hans
sat before the broad open fireplace with its
frolicking flames and smoking his long
stemmed pipe, while Katryne made her
spinning wheel fiy merrily round. In one
of the pauses of her wheel she said:
"I heard a voice, father."
"It is nothing. The wind, my child, blow
ing straight from East river and 1 Idle Gat."
Hurr-r-r-r went the wheel, and then came
another pause.
''l do hear something, father,"
"The snow sliding down the roof, my
child."
"It is something at the door."
"Let me go, Katryne. The watch is up to
a trick, 1 dare say." He went to the door,
opened it, and there upon the stoop what
did he spy?
"A roll of beaver skiri!" exclaimed the
fat Hans, stooping ami grunting. "Ugh! a
Christmas gift of beaver for Ilans Van
Schenkel." What luck! He bustled back to
the fireplace, opened the beaver skin, and
here to his amazement was a sweet-faced
child! It opened its eyes, cried once, stared
at Ilans, and then, as if it had found a pro
tector, shut its eyes again.
"Oh —oh—father! A poor little babe! Let
me have it? I will take it to my bed."
"A foundling, Katryne! Who cumbers
my stoop with a foundling? The watch
shall take it to Herr Stuyvesant this very
night."
"Father, stay thee! Look! - ' and she
pointed at the picture on the wall. "It's
like the Christ-child. Wouldst thou turn
Ilim away this eve of the blessed festival of
the Nativity? No, no: keep him till I get
back, anyway, I pray thee." Katryne was
very nimble. Hans was very slow. Rre he
was fully aware of it she was under her
crimson hood and it was slipping out of the
door.
"1 keep it only until thy return!" he called,
but a stout door of oak was already between
her and Hans. He was in a dilemma. The
child cried when it was moved to a bed.
At first Hans fumed. Then he gradually be
came quiet. At last he did what Dutchmen
have been charged with a fondness in doing
—he went to sleep, the beaver cradle still in
his arms. He had not ventured to drop it,
for what if the baby cried again and the
neighbors heard it? The baby had found
a protector, knew it would not be separated
and had gone to sleep. Hans followed. In
his sleep he heard a voice.
"Hans, thou hast the Iloly liabe in thy
arms, the Christ-child, who comes this night
to every home. Wilt thou turn Him away?"
He opened his eyes, and there was Katryne.
All over the crimson were white doves from
the set.
"Thou wilt keep him, father?" He could
but nod his head. She went away, quickly
returned, and a woman followed her who
knelt beside Katryne at his side and said:
"Father!"
".My child!"
"Thou wilt forgive me?"
"And thou wilt forgive thy father?"
That was all. No, not all. Hans reached
out his hands and rested one on the head
of Katryne arid one on the head of Lysbet.
The babe stirred now in its furry cradle, only
to look up and smile. And somehow it
seemed as if the picture on the wall had got
out into the room, and the love and peace
in that group of the Holy Family came
down like wings, and the air of June had
made summer and song that Christmas eve
under the roof of Hans Van Schenkel.—Ed
ward A. Rand, in N. Y. Observer.
— ,
jo W \
i ( i;., 112 /'ff/tls.
'< / / f,^T)lr |1? DO not know what
C rIII thou wilt bring,
-t/ 1 What gift ' whr t
Ml changes, from ' ha
King,
With thee, New Year.
As from His presence thou shalt fly.
There from the palace in the sky.
To me, down here.
I do not know how it shall be,
But whatsoever comes tome.
Full sure I am
That he tvhose hand the Master holds
Slay watch the year as it unfolds
With perfect calm.
Content in this sure faith to rest.
That all for him is truly best.
The King supplies.
If tears are sent, or other ill,
He knows they come as blessings still.
Though in disguise.
I welcome thee, then, from above,
For, freighted down, I know, with love»
Are all thy days.
And as they pass, bo this my care,
That back to Him each one shall bear
My grateful praise.
—R. G. XlcLees, in X. Y. Observer.
HIS CHRISTMAS PRESENT.
The Great Prize Harpy Found in His Lost Stockings
—How He Was Accepted.
"She was the prettiest and brightest girl
■we had at our house party that winter,"
related the smiling old lady who loves to
dwell upon the holiday festivities when she
was a girl. "She was a great favorite with
the men because of her dashing ways and
the air of good comradeship that she al
ways carried about with her. Yet we could
never see that any one of her suitors was
favored above another, and often wondered
if she would fill the appointed destiny of
woman.
"In the party was Harper Allison. We
always called him Harpy. He was big,
athletic, good-natured and good to look at,
but we never thought of him as a bril
liant man. It was as plain as could be that
he was in love with her, and men of his type
are so persistent. They lay siege, and, no
matter what may come, they continue the
siege.
"I know that he proposed to lier a score
of times, but he was always put of! with,
the laughing assurance that she was not to
he won by any of the stereotyped methods,
and that if he ever did find a lodging place
in her heart he would see a sign.
"Christmas eve we all hung up our
stockings outside our doors, just as a lark,
you know. In the morning we all had
presents to show but Harpy. He pretended
to be disconsolate beyond consolation. He
had put out a great long pair of woolen
stockings, knit in black yarn and tipped in
red by a fussy old aunt in Maine who al
ways feared that Harpy never dressed warm
ly enough. He had not only been slighted
by Santa Claus, but the stockings them
selves were gone.
"After dinner there was a sleighride of
the old-fashioned kind. As she raised her
dress to clamber into the big sled we all
saw that over her dainty shoes she wore
heavy woolen stockings, and the toes were
red. 'Now I know what I got!' shouted
Harpy, and before us all he tossed her into
the air, caught her as she came down and
kissed her indefinitely." Detroit Free
Press.
THE NEW YEAR.
We Should Meet Its Trials and Temptations With a
Strong Faith in God.
The return of New Year's day invites
many people to the most somber reflec
tions. Undoubtedly most of us can find
abundant occasion for these, but there is
such a tiling as pushing self-examination and
self-condemnation to the point of discour
agement. The best temper with which we
can enter upon the new year is that of faith,
faith in God and faith in ourselves through.
His help. It is about as certain as any
thing can be that the new year will bring
us new experiences. Our courage, our ca
pacity for endurance, our steadiness of char
acter and power of resistance is to be tested.
At the end of the year we are going to be
nobler men and women than we are to
day, or we shall have deteriorated morally,
and forever afterward there will be narrow
ing opportunities. While we think of the
latter alternative it is well to strengthen
our hearts by the former. Let us believe
that we are not going to fail and we have
taken a long step towards success. When
another New Year's day comes around we
are going to be able to reckon solid gains
in character won through the trials and
temptations and emergencies of the year's
experience.—Boston Watchman.
V.»s
The night before Christmas is one of the
rare occasions on which the small boy ia
threatened with insomnia.— Puck.