FCl^ildrenX^^i^rf IK CHRISTMAS eHRISTMAS is not only a mile mark of another year, moving us to thoughts of self-examination; it is a season, from all Its associations, whether domestic or teligious, •uggesting thoughts of joy. A man dissatisfied with his endeavors is a man tempted to sadness. And in the midst of winter, when his life runs lowest and he is reminded of the empty chairs of his beloved, it is well he should be condemned *o the fashion of the smiling face.—Robert Louis Stevenson. * * * MOW many old recollections and how many dormant sympathies does the Christmas time awaken! Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth; that can trans port the sailor and the traveler thousands of miles ■ way, back to his own fireside and his quiet home. Fili your glass again, with a merry face and contented heart. Our life on it, but your Christmas shall be merry and your New Year • happy one.—Charles Dickens. * + + that as surely as in that I lYv L?l, y lite at Bethlehem there lay the power which has run through all the world; the power which makes Judea burn like a star forever; the power which has transfigured history;.*;the power which has made millions of men its joyous servants; the power of the millenniums yet to be, so surely in the humblest •oul's humble certainty that it does love Christ, there lies enfolded all the possibility of the most perfect sainthood.—Phillips Brooks. + * * DT IS a good thing to observe Christmas Dr.y. The mere marking of times and seasons, when men agree to stop work and make merry together, is a wise and wholesome custom. It helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life. It reminds a man to set his own luile watch, now and then, by the great clock of humanity, which runs on sun time.—Henry Van Dyke. + + * SUPPOSE a note came on Christmas Day saying not, "I send my love and Lest wishes with thisspool-box," but, "I want you to know that your patience, or courage, or tenderness, during this last year, will help me to live more bravely and courageously this year." What a Christmas present the receipt of such a letter would be to any one of us. What a gift for any one of us to send to the human heart that has given us courage for the burden and heat of the day.—Margaret Deland. * * * THE season of regenerated feeling—the season of kindling, not merely the fire of .bov itality in the hall, but the genial flarae o£'charity in the heart. He who can turn ■churbshfy away from contemplating the felicity «112 hfe Id low beings, and can sit down darkling and repining in his loneliness when all around is joyful, may have his moments of selfish grati fication, but h? wants the genial and social sympathies which constitute the charm of a ■Merry Christmas.—Washington Irving. ¥ M ¥ MY CHRISTMAS wish for all is thai they may tasle the sweetness of love, enter into the joys of friendship, and «"ow the div:ns beneficence of helping someone at present less forPunaie than themselves. In these words are we to find the living spirit of the human and eternal Christmas. The uni versal gladness of Christmas is proportioned to til- extent of i'.s unselfishness. People are happy, Oot in what tli:ry get so much as in what they give.—Minot J. Savage. * * + HND there were in the same country shep herds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And 10, the angel of the I-ord came upon thorn, and the glory of the Lord shone around about them, and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto therii: "Fear not, for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."—From the Gospel of St. Luke, * ¥ + SANTA CLAUS remains, by virtue of a common understanding that childhood shall not be despoiled of one of its most cherished beliefs, either by the mythologist, with his sun myth theory, or the scientist, with his heartless diatribe against superstitions. He who docs not see in the legend of Santa Claus a beautiful faith on the one side, and the native embodiment of a divine fact on the other, is not fit to have a place at the Christmas board. — Hamilton Wright Mabie. The Christmas Tree. Every time I see a Christmas tree studded with electric lights, garlands of tinsel gold festooning every branch, and hung with the hundred costly knicknacks the storekeepers invent year by year "to make trade," until the tree Itself disappears entirely un der its burden, I have a feeling that fraud has been practiced on the kind ly spirit of Yale. Wax candles are the only real thing for a Christmas tree, candles of wax that mingle their perfume with that of the burning fir, not the by-product of some coal-oil or other abomination. What if the boughs do catch fire? They can be watched, and too many candles are tawdry, anyhow. Also, red apples, oranges and old-fashioned cornucopias made of colored paper, and made at home, look a hundred times better and fitter in the green; and so do drums and toy trumpets and wald-horns, and a rocking horse reined up in front that need not have cost $10; or anything like it.—Jacob Iliis in Century. : A Cure for All Evils. In certain parts of Worcestershire and Staffordshire; in England, the idaa prevails that a silver coin from the Christmas morning offertory is a sov ereign remedy for any ill that human flesh is heir to. Accordingly, any householder who happens to have an ailing child or other person in the house hies him to the clergyman of the parish on Christmas morning, and asks as a favor a sacrament shilling. The coin given in exchange has to be obtained by collecting a dozen pennies from as many different maidens, and then changing the coppers fo- a silver shilling. For this coin the applicant receives the coveted sacrament shil ling, which, on being taken home, is hung round the ailing one's neck, and is fjopularly supposed to effect a rapid and complete cure of the complaint, no matter what it may be. Where the Toys Are Made. In Germany whole villages are de voted to the production of Christmas toys, and their busiest time is just about midsummer. By the end of Au gust the receiving depots are crammed with Christmas clowns and Christmas mechanical puppets, Christmas drums and wooden horses —children's Christ mas presents, in fact, of all sorts and kinds. And the travelers start out east, west, north and south with their Christmas samples about the time the corn is ready for the sickles of the reapers. In Holland; too, where more than one town is devoted, more or less, t*> the making of Christmas dolls, the same rule holds good. During May, June, July and August every m-an, woman and child in these places seem in somp way to be occupied with the manufacture'of miniature babies. Even at school during these particular months the sewing lessons are taken with dolls' clothes for models. CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1909. GETTING^^ >■*/'■' c_j£3^ * TTiEODO&E JSOOKD The stranger lifts up "These ar<^bri\^p'g : ~m?bN^r S fe^land^^ =^^r , '"Are wholly illegal. lJoTy^iuMn- ** The laws alVjoe ob§y»cC\'^ And you go QjV/liil is jbaid. YJJ, - )/; Don't try to evade it, truVhyto 'J A smuggler you'll be gloomy Poor Santa was tahen abacK by this-news \§T And trembled with wrath from his cap to his snq^s— .'What's this?" he exclaimed. "Can Ktrust my own ears 7 I've been doing this for these hundreds of years. •«.«•<" • I've been bringing gladness to girls and to bbys— Stand bacft. I mustWelKa thrimltAair dolls and their toys." \ Alas! In a Seized could cease They PjaPl tik>h him away— And he Because tariff had never _ ||^| way to the Lord and complained how Death had led away part of his work ers. And the Lord sent a ftreat white angel unto the remainder and forbade them, through the angel, to hearken unto Death until they could serve Life no longer. For the Lord knew that the stern dominion of Life must be, for the sake of the men he hoped to complete. But only a few, a very few, of the children of men obeyed the angel. Let ' Death but pass the toilers, and her beauty was so great they continued to desert their posts and follow after her. Then Life cried unto the Lord witb : a great voice: "Death seduces my servants!" And the Lord said: "Deal with Death as thou wilt." ; Therefore Life seized on Deatfc an 4 ( cut away her perfumed locks, and put '• on her a painted mask, most hideoue to behold. And he sealed the lips of , Death, saying, "Be thou dumb, and b* thou no longer known as a woman." With this he cast over Death's won derful form a black mantle, like a pa«, and on it Life painted: "This is the King of Terrors." Then he sent Death forth, and there- . after whenever she came near the workers they fled from her and cried aloud unto Life: • "Matters not how hard thy taska, oil dear Life, if thou wilt but save ue from this frightful Death!" And Life said unto the Lord: "Have I not done well?" And he answered in exceeding soit row: "Needs must thy work on Death stand. And this because of the weak ness of men who were seduced by her beauty and who heeded not my an gel's voice. Yet very differently had I planned for my people. For in the beginning I set the loveliness of Death plainly before them, that they might endure their tasks happily, knowing how sweet the end would be. But they have defeated my wisdom. On their own heads be it!" And Life went his way, satisfied. Thereafter, when a child or man be came useless to him he cast it into the arms of Death, because its task was finished. And the soul of Death sang to the soul of the mortal given her, thougb her lips were dumb, and she blessed it with an infinite blessing and bore it away. But the tollers mourned greatly that Death should have dominion over one of their number, and they turned the more desperately to Life, who smiled sternly and was content. (Copyrighted.) A Christmas Hymn. O Christ, upon whose natal morn Rejoicing angels sar.g, When o'er the blue Judean hills Their heavenly anthems rang! O Christ, to whom with gifts from (aw Came shepherd, sage and king, Our choicest gifts on this glad morn, Our hearts, we humbly bring! Grant us to follow Thee In love, Nor from Thy path to stray. Thy blessed feet have gone befor* And glorified the way. We Join the angel choirs that sing This happy morn again. "Glory to God. the Lord Most High, Good-will and peace to men!" —Martha C. Hows. 17