■■ e ARE told that the German W surrounds his Christmas with more of an element of mysticism than does he of any other nation. It is probably a survival of the far back days when his painted ancestors celebrated their . mysterious rites, at Christmas, under their dark groves of forest oaks. In nearly every district of the fatherland there still remains the quaint est. and queerest of Christmas customs, whose origin is lost in the hoariest antiquity. They have all in the process of time assumed a Christian character, more or less burlesqued, but the folk iorists will tell you that they date from the days of Wotan and Freya. The peasants of Silesia, the woodmen of the Black Forest, and the hillsmen of Bavaria, happily know nothing of the origin of the queer pranks they play at Christmas; they only know that, they have been handed down by their fathers, and that they in turn will hand down the immemorial customs to their chil dren. In Germany the old custom of mumming is still kept up. From house to house these mummers go. The shepherds, especially, are entertaining. They are the comic men of the troupe who, in a half grotesque and half seri ous way, represent the events of the nativity, ij There was a famous company of Christmas mummers, a couple of years ago in Bavaria, iwith a magnificent looking first shepherd, who ,nevnr wearied of poking fun at the minister of finance. After these roving villagers have recited their farago of nonsense, or ii may be their CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1908. lines of surpassing beauty, before a person's house they are generally rewarded for their pains with gifts of lard, bacon and eggs. But with all the mysticism and ultra senti mental ways of regarding Christmas the Ger man never forgets it is eminently a season of good cheer. Pork in every form and beer usually take the place of roast beef, turkey, and stronger drinks. Then they also have the boar's head with a lemon impaled between its grinning tusks. Of course this delicacy dates back to Wotan's day. Tradition says Wotan was fond of the boar's head, but it is not easy to see where the lemon comes in, as the god was certainly not familiar with this tart fruit. In Brandenburg and the Uckermark any pig's head will do (the stock of boar's heads would not hold out), and round this animal's head are garnishings of sausage and green cab bage. Silesia is a province which has especially earned a reputation for succulent dishes. Some of the most renowned of German gastronomi oal authorities have lent additional luster to the place by being born there. At Christmas time the dish most in request among the Sile sians is a smoked pig's head with baked fruit packed in it, and also generously spread over the whole dish. This dainty rejoices in the name of Himmelsreich (the kingdom of heaven). In North Germany the pig's head is not as prominent as in the south. Here there is more miscellaneous Christmas eating, hearty enough but altogether in variance with American tastes. Cakes of all sizes and shapes are also baked and eaten, and some of these have a toughness of gutta-percha and a hardness of granite. These cakes take the form of Kneclit Ruprecht, or Nikolaus, angels and other Christmas novelties. Some of these are i flavored with honey, some with pepper, but all are of such consistency that no ordinary grownup person could enjoy a surfeit of them and survive the feast. Only children seem to be able to eat these konigbucken and live. Thuringia boasts of another curious Christmas delicacy which only the initiated can truly appreciate, this is boiled suet dump lings and herrings. One cannot be blamed for asking, why this mixture? Was the herring also favored by Wotan? The herring, as a Christmas dainty, is also favored throughout Saxony, but there takes the form of a salad, and is eaten with smoked pork, and a delicate kind of sauerkraut, in which caraway seeds are prominent. The Saxony peasant's Christmas table is invariably decked with these dishes on Christmas eve, and remains thus spread out during the night. His idea in doing this is that angels, possibly weary of nectar and ambrosia, may condescend to visit his humble abode while he sleeps and regale themselves with Saxon smoked beef and herring salad. It is interesting to watch the transformation of a' German village at Christmas from its usually treeless appearance into a town laid in a forest of firs. Wagon loads of these resin scented trees are sent from the hills of Thurin gia, the Hartz and Silesia, and are put up in even rows in the streets and squares of the town. There is nothing like it in any other country. For a fortnight before the great feast these long avenues of "Tannen" are crowded with eager purchasers, men, women and children of all ages, and of every station in life. The great desire of each is to get a symmetrical tree, and as few trees are liter ally perfect in shape, it is the business of the tree merchant to supply branches and thus give the tree the desired roundness. It is the tree that is the attraction of every German home from the kaiser's palace down to the humblest peasant's hut, and around it. the German's best and kindliest thoughts cen ter. The tree is not for the German simply a convenient cluster of mere boughs on which to stick candles and hang presents. It stands for the most sacred and most dread of all trees, the one once erected on Mount Calvary, and lias thus become the sign and seal of his Christian faith. A Christmas Decoration. When the children have tired of even their new possessions (and how soon the new be comes old) and it is too early for the sandman to pay his nightly visit, try this simple amuse ment: Suspend a wreath of holly or ever green from a doorway and give to each child an equal quantity of nuts, paper-wrapped can dles or favors that will stand handling, then see who can throw the most articles through the wreath into a basket placed to catch them. Give a sisiple reward to add zest to the game. In the same manner the game of "twos" is conducted. Take a large napkin or piece of stout paper. Place a lot of nuts or hard can dies in the center. Let a child take hold of each coiner and give three vigorous tosses, singing: "Goodies, goodies, dance, my Christmas goodies Up they go, down they go; dance, my Christ mas goodies." Then there will be a lively scrimmage to see who can recover the most. These little devices will make a jolly ending to the happiest day in the year for the chil dren. Put them to bed with pretty songs ring ing in tlteir ears. ' "Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight— Christmas where snow peaks stand solemn and white, Christmas where the cornfields lie sunny and bright, Everywhere, everywhere, Chrfstmas to-night' A Christm Day Napoleon ■ By D. E. HENRY APOLEON BO N A - PARTE, the "Child of n& r .\ iffi I Destiny," as he called 9lif/ himself, had yet a good } ( ' ea ' °' s destiny un- JL completed, when, on |r • ,'v* A Christmas eve, in the year 1800, he sent mes {Lftlp] sengers forth to an nounce his intention of M paying a visit to the !l®'\ xv /P^j P ar ' s opera house that jR /S \Y He was now first \\Zyf\C ]) consul, to which posi ''"n ia(l been I elected in November, s ] 1799. "My reign began from the day I was made consul," he declared years aft erwards, and in that phrase he accu rately described his power. Installed already at the Tuileries with, his beloved Josephine, he lived in regal state and exercised little less than despotic sway. Seven years be fore he was an unknown artillery of ficer. Now he was the most promi nent man in Europe, proclaimed the savior of his country, and practically dictator. What events he had crowd ed into those seven years! The Eng lish had been driven from Toulon in 1793; he had suppressed the Paris in surrection of 1795; he had gone through his first victorious campaign in Italy, in 1796-7; had made his vig orous attempt to conquer Egypt, in 1797-9; and now was back again in France. It was Christmas eve, however; the time when pleasures are expected to be indulged in, and Napoleon liked to show himself to the people in public places, for popularity was ever dear to him. So he would goto th opera that night. He sat in an apartment overlooking, the Tuileries gardens awaiting the rival of Fouche, the minister of po lice, who had been sent for to tak® his instructions. Josephine, to whom he had been married since 1796, had Just left him, and he was alone whea Fouche was annonuced. "You have nothing further to re port?" said Napoleon, his keen gaze fixed on the minister. "Nothing." "No new conspiracies?" "None." "And the old ones?" "Well under surveillance. I am ready to strike at the necessary mt> ment." "Ah, M. le Ministre, your waitingi gives them the opportunity of strik-j lng the first blow. This is not a sol* dler's way. You are only clever lftj watching plots; I want a man who can crush them at their inception. Fouche, you must strike now. Every suspect must goto prison. My death is de sired by all the fanatical Royalists, Vendeans and Chouans in Paris, and Fouche has to stamp these conspira cies out. If Fouche does not, Napo leon will." "First consul, you are safe," was all that Fouche replied. "Safe or not," said Napoleon, impa tiently, "I look to you to guard my life, and with that life the destinies of France. I shall visit the opera within an hour. You know your duty." "Consider it done," and with that the famous police functionary de parted. Napoleon, who bad boen working hard all day and was tired, now fell asleep. When Josephine came in, dressed for the opera, she had the greatest difficulty in rousing him from the sound sleep into which he had fallen. "Come, the carriage is waiting," she said. "Let it be sent back," he said, drowsily. "I have changed my mind; I had rather not goto the opera to night." But in the end Josephine prevailed, and they went 10 the carriage, accom panied by Lannes and Bessieres. In the carriage Napoleon fell asleep again, and, as he afterwards related, began to dream of the danger he had run years before in crossing the Tag liamento during a flood by torch light. No attempt was made to awaken him, but just as they reached the corner of the Ra« Nicaise a loud ex plosion was heard, and the first con sul awoke with a sudden start. "We are blown up?" he cried. But death by assassination was not to be his destiny. An infermal ma chine of a most destructive character, prepared by St. Regent, had exploded, just a second too late to effect its deadly purpose. Although Napoleon escaped, 20 persons were killed and 53 wounded. He ordered the coachman to drive on, and a few minutes later he and Josephine entered tho opera and pro ceeded to their box. The house cheered again and again, Napoleon bowing in apparent oalm. But he did not remain in the theater long. After an anxious look around at the audience, ha turned to reassure Josephine, who was almost fainting with terror, and they returned to the Tuileries. Here he was met by Fouche, upon whom he turned with a fierce and con temptuous anger. "I will see to this business myself," he cried with bitterness. "France shall be purged of these ruffians. It is not a question of my life, but of social order and public morality." Within a few weeks all the leading conspirators were executed, and 133 other persons were seized, and, with out trial, Iransuoj'ted to French Guiana. 13
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