THE FOOL'S SEARCH
EPIdODE IN JOSTLING THRONG
OF CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS.
Order for Purchase of a Fool's Can
endar Brings Funny Experiences
—Men, Women and Children
All Are Mad.
?HEY are all mad;
men, women, chil
dren, spinsters
and bachelors,
floorwalkers and
clerks, drivers
and delivery boys,
it would seem
there could be no
madder, merrier
The funniest
things happen, if
one only had time
to dwell on them
nnd laugh over
them, but such
enjoyment is de
nied in these
days of strain
and struggle.
In a moment of
thoughtless good
nature we prom
ised to do the
family shopping. Among the thou
sand and one commissions handed
over in immediate response to the
thoughtless good-nature was the or
der for purchase of"The Fool's
Calendar." We set forth, a list
three-times-forty long in our groan
ing, much-abused hand-bag, and
entered the first shop come' upon,
In our sub-consciousness feeling that
we. like the rest of the jostlers,
fitted in pretty well with the title of
that calendar. Down the aisle came
a rattled-looking. hair-disturbed, gen
erally disturbed gentleman whose
province seemed the directing of fren
zied fanciers to the respective de
partments of their fancy, but the
Christmas spirit so possessed him he
was not quite himself, not able to
place his "Madames" and "Sirs." As
short-skirted, rose-wreathed liatted, wo
steered his way, he glanced with
wrinkled brow and questioning worry
to what might be our demand. "Do
you sell calendars here?" We asked
in heat of hurry, to which he repl'c-d
glihly, "Yes, Sir." and never knew
he was not using the usual form of
nddress to a woman. He led us then
with rapid step to the calendar
square, where spread out and uprose
floor, roof and pillars of calendars,
it would seem every time —chronicler
for every taste. And then feeling very
like a fool ourselves, we asked in a
low voice, "Have you 'The Fool's Cal
endar? No." says he. "Hut." and
a gleam of keen intellect lights his
eye. "We have 'Saints and Sinners.'"
We wanted to shriek with laughter,
we forgot all the hurry and not-money
enough or time-enough. It paid for
all the crowding and mobbing and
back-ache and heart-ache of the day.
Funny enough was the woman en
countered in mid-afternoon entering
the much-advertised. much-crowded
book-room of a department store In
haste to get at the forty-eight centers
find thlrtv-niners; she was high and
broad and muscular, an Amazon that
need not have put on extra effort to
make her way—but the spirit of
Christmas —the modern —was strong
upon her, — and as we passed her on
the way out Into blessed out-of-doors,
even In our hurry we could not but
notice her wild look, her panting
breath, her elbows out on defensive
end offensive the way In which she
marched on. unswervingly, unrelent
ingly. like :in avalanche, toward the
bargain books.
Overheard at the book counter:
"Don't you think a nice little book
like this Is a good present to give?"
"A little book? What Is the name?"
"Why I don't know, but It's u nice
little hook In clean white binding I
believe I'll get a dozen, A dozen,
please, and see that they're all fresh."
The calendar squure again Wom
en madly struggling; another Amazon,
this one brow beating a pale faced
girl afflicted with a eold and. wearing
n too-much Christmas air: "Can't you
get me envelopes to put those calen
dars In?" —dimensions of calendars IS
by 24 Inches "It's so hard when you
get home to hunt around and pack
thing I wouldn't have bought the
calendars If I hadn't thought you
would pack 'em Say. take that new
one out of that nice box. hang It up
and give me the box Not allowed to?
What's the till, they'll never know"
And the pale face ! clerk betids to the
Ama/on's will
A large, canny, prosperous u ntle
man at a ■ andy it on 'arefull) -elect
tng ainl • onsldering purchase of 25
cent.-- worth of Klnde -garten mixed
Hrave, foolish, big hearted shop
fftrt* many spending their if < rit
nil and drawing on the future to
make a Chrl >ni > for the army at
Lome
We do a generous deed, one that
•alls for (art e MM rl>e We Have
gone down town alt saddled, all
bridled, for the day's work, thr«««> neat
long pencils neatly sharpened to hMU
point - whet, W„ he, nine one of a mob
assailing the enclosure where hi ink
books. ll.»ue |.4|« hollv sticker, and
bat. l of thou imli hungry t« get
their shire for the tr tit tieretslly
nI doing up gi" > with approved ornate
complexity The • l«r«.s her# all pale
and grit e * IlloMt 11l ' Wee Slid
pa 11,.1 has i» om. ntarlly h..> her 112 «
Son be iuse of the 1., i | mil
A line "t people wait *l»h f.i.ri»h
Imps I lei,. e ....
grt Is ire heard, the wee. t ilnii ,;tt!
(low more , .llld and grip).- |.
|n« Willi mighty effort oft will
we hand forth one of those precious,
nfeat, long-pointed pencils; the pale
face glows, the tension of the crowd
lessens, we feel ourselves both pri
vate and public benefactor.
Another pale-faced, grippe-y look
ing clerk, this one standing looking
wistfully at cases where bright silver
gleams through the glass. "Give me
a spoon for a child, something cheap,"
And she herself needs a pair of
shoes!
Husband and wife shopping in un
wonted personal partnership, always
the talk of what "It" will like. The
Child. And the sight of the deeply
interested faces of the many husband
and-wife groups, sets us to believe,
after all. There is method in the gen
eral madness, l'or who would not be
a fool for The Child's sake!
KATHERINE POPE.
OLD STORIES OF CHRISTMAS
Some Have Interest, Freshness and
Beauty That Keep Them Al
ways New.
There are some so-called "old sto
ries" that are really not old, for they
have an interest, a freshness and a
beauty that keep them always new.
Of such are the story of Christmas
and all the legends and tales that be
long to the great festival.
There is a legend in Germany that
when Eve plucked the fatal apple the
leaves of the tree immediately shriv
eled into needle points and its bright
green turned dark. The nature of
the tree changed and it became an
evergreen, in all seasons preaching
the story of man's fall through that
first act of disobedience. Only on
Christmas does it bloom brightly with
lights and become beautiful with love
gifts. The curse is turned into a
blessing by the coming of the Christ
child, and thus we have our Christmas
tree.
The visits of St. Nicholas to the
homes of the people on Christmas eve
as an annual custom grew out of a
festival in honor of Hertha, a Norse
goddess. At this festival the house
was decorated with evergreens and an
altar of stone was set up at the end
of the hall, where the family assem
bled. From Hertha's stone we get our
word "hearthstone." On the stones
so set up were heaped flr branches,
which were set afire, and through the
smoke and flame Hertha was supposed
to descend and influence the direction
of the flames, from which were pre
dicted the fortunes of those present
EAT, DRINK AND BE MERRY
Throw Forebodings to the Winds and
Let Christmas Season Be One
of Joy.
Let joy reign! Let care goto the
dogs. Throw forebodings to the
winds! Christmas comes but once a
year. Let the young folks enjoy It
to the full! Let the old folks stop
their croaking about rheumatism for
that day at least, and remember the
time when they, too, were young and
could dance with the merriest.
And let the little stockings be fill
ed, and let us all bear with equa
nimity the blowing on toy trumpets,
and the noting on mouth organs, and
the drumming on sixpenny-halfpenny
drums, wblch are sure to follow! The
boys can be boys but once, and what
Is a boy if he cannot make a noise?
And so the years goon, and one
Christmas follows another, and we eat
and drink and are merry; we greet
our friends, and we part with them,
and our lives march along, and
through faith in the sacrifice which
our Christmas day commemorates we
look forward to a more perfect Christ
mas when the guests shall gather In
the Father's house.
Crippled.
Heggar iptt-ously)—Please help a
poor cripple at this festive season,
I sir.
Kind Old (tent (handing htm some
mones > lib Mi me! Mfhjr. of course
How ar« yen crippled. my poor f«l
--1 low?
!!>•» '»r (fioclMMlnK th« money)-
! Financially crippled, sir.
Christmas Giving.
There arc a great many p«-opt* In
the world whom we know more or
I le m, hat to whom (or various reasons
j we cannot wry well send a Christmas
gift. Hut there la hardly one, In all
the clrc'es of our acquaintances, with
v hum we may not exchange tktu touch
I of Christinas life
In »!*«• outer circle®, < i heerful greet
I lug*. o«rt«i)r, consideration. In Ik*
Inner circles, sympathetic interest,
» hi '
rati* hip, hi Ipluluea*. tmd>-rn»»*
After alt. Ihi Ist ma* living la the
hem hind el Christinas gli'ng -
ll«ary Van l»>h»
Just * •marl Key.
There In Mitbl >« Ike matter with
the Witall buy Who io.MOUI. Ilia twoik
Imt with i wit of Nil slippers fur
t'li lattl l|« l> I t| I llotl < !/»•• ,
I
CAMERON COUNTY PRESS, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1910.
A CHRISTMAS HYMN
DONATION CAUSES CONSTERNA
TION IN CHURCH.
Little Ad Slipped Into Stately Anthem
by Charitable Summer Cottager
Breaks Up Christmas Day Serv
ices In Confusion.
«■» T WAS a charita
s9 summer cot "
H tager who put up
the money for a
new church at
Q the Bummer re
sort of X—, down
on the Atlantic
coast. The vll
lage parson was
grateful beyond
words, for the old
/fistructure had
(I \\ been an eyesore
\\ to the folk who
desired of all
things to attract
wealthy summer
V) resorters.
// But when the
// season was over
If and the new
II _ church was fln
\Vj lshed his rever
ence discovered
that no provision had been made
for hymnbooks. The congregation
was notably poor and not In the
habit of pinching Itself for the sake
of charity, so the outlook for a
supply of new books was very preca
rious. It was a late summer man—
a man of reputed wealth and Influence
In the distant city whence he hailed—
who came to the relief of the devout
clergyman.
"I'll buy hymn books for the
church," eald he,"and send them down
to you—on one condition—that you let
me insert a small ad. that will really
not be noticeable. It's an ad. that I
assure you will bring great comfort
to your flock."
The simple country divine ponder
ed the offer carefully, and finally, aft
er a vestry meeting, it was decided
that there could be no possible sin in
accepting such an offer. The donor
was a man of such integrity and char
acter that the rest was assured.
"Well, the books came down from
the city, 100 of them, finer than any
thing the people had dreamed of.
They were still very new at Christ
mas—in fact, had never been in use
until that day. In great pride, the
parson called out the number of the
good old favorite Christmas hymn:
"Hark, the Herald Angels Sing."
The congregation, equipped with
their new books, turned the pages rap-
Idly and were ready. The organ
struck up the tune that everybody
knew. And lustily sang the people,
gazed steadfastly on the written
words:
"Hark thtf herald angels sing,
Faker's pills are Just the thing."
The parson listened, looked, brush
ed his hand over his eyes, and a mo
ment's panic passed over the church.
But It passed. Then on Into another
verse they plunged:
"Peace on earth and mercy mild
Two for a man, and one for a child."
rang the impious words. The parson
coughed, closed his book, and the serv
ice broke up in confusion. Every
body had (orgot that the generous
hymn book man was Interested in a
patent medicine.
Christmas Superstitions.
The United States is almost poverty
stricken In so far as its collection of
superstitions is concerned, our early
settlers having failed to import many
from Europe, and not adopting those
of the Indians. Of course some of
| us don't like to see the new moon
over the left shoulder, or start on a
I Journey on Friday, and the like, but
few of us take even these very serious
ly. We must goto "the old coun
tries" to get superstitions with any
genuine thrill In them. There are a
number which have to do with Christ
mas.
In North (Jertnany, where the prac
tical yet poetic spinning wheel still
hums In the cottages, one must not
spin during the 12 nights of Christ
mas lest he or she walk after death. (To
the American reader It may occur that
this would probablv be more disturb
ing to oth"rs than to one's self.) If
the spinning Is done after suuset on
Saturday, mice will eat the work. If
one wishes to have money and good
luck all the year, one should not fall
to eat herring on New Year's day.
Rustling of Leaves.
1 *nt 11 a few years ago llampuhlre
rustics u*ed to sit up till 12 o'clock
on old Christ night, and aw soon
as they heard the leaves runtllng ilit y
went to the nearest rmustail to watch
th>' animals g>-t up and lie down ou
th« other side The loea of watthlng
th» animal* arose from the tielli'l that
at IX •'•lock on th« night of the N'a
tlvly oaeu ktinlt In their alalia In honiM*
of the event; that the rustling of the
leaves refers to the tradition that
thorn tree* blunnntN at midnight to
commemorate the Saviour's birth
Cornish folk believe 'hat »h« »p turn
to the east aMd ibelr hi ad* us
old CbrUiwu night la im unity til th<-
■ k<e|i belonging to the »h« at
Itetklekeut, and In York»hlre bee.
hum In their fcivi * on ihw iamt »> ra
A Christmas Absent
Fsthei ihimu), what la )suf tenth
er gt>tug tu give >t» i lot a I hilaitna *
I* h ' ' **•' '*•'
I *e< is «.» oi * yr«< at
I ~~ ' |
< Ok Real Culprit |
i
A mistletoe berry j|
|j Had caught in her hair! |
|! She wasn't to blame,
She had not put it there,
sfa That mistletoe berry
,% A-tilt in her hair.
I . |
1 Lips red as a cherry, £
|j It hardly was fair, —
-1 Yet he wasn't to blame,
Forit's clear that the same -2
Was the fault of the berry Is
| That caught in her hair.
—————— ——————
THE CALL OF CHRISTMAS
Inspiration of Time Should Bring Us
Deeper Sense of Personal Re
sponsibility.
Tt Is Christmas time, and at this
moment the call Is to lift up our
hearts and welcome the Light of the
World, to rest for a while In the glory
of that light; not, Indeed, forgetting
the lessons ho would have us learn,
nor those great servants of his who
taught us to ltnow and love and work,
and have passed away; but In thank
fulness and adoration seeking to learn
more and more how he would have
us serve him. The Inspiration of-thls
blessed time should bring us a deeper
sense of personal responsibility, and
of our duty to our neighbor in regard
to questions touching the general wel
fare; and, beyond all, a deeper faith—
that faith by which mountains can be
removed —and a truer love, a devotion
that can bear even the reproach of the
cross, If permission may but be grant
ed to share in bearing a part of that
burden.
The advent of Christ makes us debt
ors to God and man. It is therefore
not for us to question whether others
are kind to us, as whether there Is
love, gentleness, meekness, sympathy
and helpfulness In our own lives, or
not. With this spirit of the season
reflected and perpetuated In the life,
Christmas giving will resolve Itself
Into Chrlst-Mke giving every day from
Christmas!ide to Christmastide of ev
ery year of grace. Christ came not to
be ministered unto, but to minister, to
suffer, and to die for others, even his
enemies. Rising far above the lower
aim of getting and gaining solely for
self, the grateful heart will ask:
"What can I give to my Redeemer
who gave himself for me, and what
can I do for others, for his sake, and
the gospel's?" That is the reincarna
tion of the Christ spirit, and exalts
him who said; "And I, If I be lifted up,
will draw all men unto me."
THE GOOD TIME COMING
Christmas in Earnest of Better Day
When War and Devastation
Shall Ceasoi
Christmas Is an earnest of that bet
ter day when the awful waste of war,
the devastation of preventable disease
and the burdens of poverty which so
shame our overabundance shall die
out like some evil dream of an igno
rant past. Then, Indeed, there will
bo no trace of mockery In the re
sounding professions of good will; the
poet's forecast will take form in that
realized state "wherein no lives are
seen huddled in lanes unseen," but
where a righteous plenty spreads It
self far and wide:
" 'Tls where the home Is pure,
'Tls where the bread Is sure,
'Tls where the wants are fewer
And each want fed:
Where plenty and peace abide.
Where health dwells heavenly eyed.
Where In nooks beautiful
Slumber the dead."
Important.
Millionaire Ito hl« daughter—"Tell
HMt, cbiid thai young man who wants
to marry you this Christmas, has he
got any money?
MUs Inuoo me Money father?
Why, ha* juet given me a cluster
diamond ring studded with testis'
millionaire—Yes, I kuow lUs he
«ny money Wit?
Christmas U>n *its.
Ilapi y n«i i" "«i < I'm! will i<« tba
l.sbe 1- in Sl rbtUltus*. !i.ng lit d an I
I tad It la veiy lucky lor t'kiUttua* tw
lit I d IfrtiHUil in I tltf woi 14.
ftMU* l *t Ihn *»*> W fcftli i)#
i tot** i «**«**»• » wmfci
» Si * *| * '< nil' U#
FOLK LORE OF DAY
BELGIAN CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS
THAT ARE DYING OUT.
Celebration of Festival Still Presents
Much That Is Interesting—Old Cus
toms Traceable tc Heathen
Rites and Practices.
?LT HOUGH not so
keenly followed
up as In Germany
and England, the
festival of Christ
mas, as celebrat
ed In Belgium,
still presents a
certain amount of
Interest, especial
ly In respect to
Its traditional as
pect. Many of
the old customs,
which today are
but a mere mock
ery of their orig
inal selves, . are
traceablr to old
heathen rites and
practices.
The priesthood,
realizing the ven
eration In which
these customs are
still held, not only refrain from dis
countenancing practices which the
holy church regards as heretical on
account of their origin, but even en-
Joins the due observance on the peo
ple. Wherever possible, details of
these customs have been modified
with a view of bringing them into as
close obedience as possible with the
Instructions of the Vatican.
One of the easiest tasks In this re
spect was the encouragement of the
old custom of ceasing work for 12
days after Christmas and postponing
the discussion of all differences and
legal disputes for the same period.
Among the "seasonable customs and
beliefs" which have for the most part
ben dying out, if they are not already
dead in many parts of the country, are
the following:
Christmas eve being dedicated to
Adam and Eve, boys born on that day
were christened Adam, and girls Eve.
Fortune telling on Christmas day
was indulged in; at Brussels, for ex
ample, the burghers assembled around
the fire and roasted chestnuts, listen
ing to their "fortunes" meanwhile. At
Spa. a handful of salt was cast upon
the table by the host; If It melted
there would be a death In the family
or else a wet year In the country,
though If the salt remained hard a
guest would die, if, by chance, one of
the lights went out at the critical mo
ment.
Among the metal workers of the
province of Halnaut molten lead was
plunged Into water, and the figures
produced by the operation were sup
posed to represent Incidents In the
life of the "plunger."
In the Ardennes, the weather for the
coming year was determined by plac
ing lighted candles in walnut shells,
which were allowed to float on a ba
sin of water. If the candles went
out the year would be a bad one,
agriculturally speaking; If the remain
ed alight until the end it would be a
good year.
Nuts thrown on the fire by lovers
foretold Joy If they burned with a
sputtering; sorrow. If there wad any
noise.
According to an existing belief,
everything living changes Its position
at the hour of midnight on Christmas
day. Everything sown In the fields
that day Is bound to bear fruit —even
though tt be sown on the snow It
self.
While It Is considered unlucky to
spin flax on Christmas day, a pjhlrt
made from flax on that night Is "good
for many Ills." Christmas day eggs
always produce fine chicks. A farm
er could ensure good crops from his
fruit trees by striking them with an
ax on Christmas day, always provided
that nobody went near the trees
with a spinning wheel within 24
hours.
In the province of Antwerp the peas
ants i«ay that a "hellwagen" or char
iot of blood Is driven through the sky
at full gallop OD ChrlstmaM night, the
explanation being that some Impious
peasant dared togo out wood gather
ing with his wagon one Christmas
night, und that, by way of punishment,
he is condemned to drive hrough the
sky year by year.
Decorations In Middle Ages.
They did their ChrlstmaM decora
tions very thoroughly lu the middle
ages. "Kvery man's bouse, aa also
the pariah i hurches, were decked with
holm, Ivy, bays sud whatever the sea
son of the year afforded to b« green,"
we read In Stuw, but he omits to meu
tioii that decking w ith evergiv> us In
the month of lieceuiber, 11 k•> most of
the details of our Christmas festivi
ties. waa heathen tu origin. It orlg
luated tor all ihat, lu s very poetic
Idea, lor the Druids did It so that
the woodland spirits might have a
warm place lu wfcHb to take nhelter
until the spring came round agalu
and the 11ee» uut of doors "U» u more
had leaves of their owu
Ne Leaving*.
11amp its little Willie, who has
>i» net! the ili ii lUvi yer had y< i
•si' . . • r?
Mil Vs iIIIm i i«#>m« ul kU siwut
.«• «'l #wlu« to Ui t»u>
*litt t tuft
[ H Christmas Carol |
I
» Pause a while, O earth and heaven; 1
i draw ye near in wonder dread, j
! For the Lord of Life Eternal lieth i
i in a stable bed;
i Cradle lowly I
Yet made holy,
t By that retting Infant Head.
r Come, ye shepherd*, come, ye i
i wise men—high and low your .
• homage bring,
» For the sleeping Babe you worship •
cometh as your Saviour King! j
'Tis the Christ-Child,
Who, self-exiled,
i Left His th rone on love's swift wing, j
i Come ye here, and taste the i
earnest of a joy above !
% Ye si til find within this manger, j
; ga -ded by tho Holy Dove, j
L'fe immortal,
i Through the portal
i Opened by a Saviour's Love I
CHRISTMAS AND MISTLETOE
Nature Worship Reflected In Use of
Mistletoe at Christmas
Time.
A great many years ago, before tho
time of Christianity, the oak tree, and
especially the mistletoe, growing out
of the heart of the oak, were rever
enced for their supposed affinity with
the sun. The Druids worshiped the
sun as the one supreme god, and be
lieved the oak to be in some way as
sociated with the sun because they
made fire by rubbing oak sticks to
gether, the oak being at once the most
common tree and the most suitable
for the purpose. Twice each year
these Celtic priests gave a religious
festival in honor of the sun, their
places of worship being in the oak
groves. In June, when the sun was
known to have ceased mounting high
er in the heavens, the Druids gave
thanks, because a nearer approach of
the sun was thought to be possible,
and this, of course, would result In tha
burning up of the earth. In Decem
ber, at the time of the short days,
tho Druids prepared a celebrai.o. 'n
honor of the sun's turning back froi.
hla downward Journey, which was rec
ognized as the days began to grow
longer. This second celebration was
quite naturally the happiest time, the
people holding the sun In such fear
in June. It was then the mistletoe
was honored as being the very essence
of the oak.
When eventually the church was es
tablished and Its followers turned the
ancient December celebration into
Christmas, tho mistletoe was hung up
by way of compromise, although It had
nothing to do with the new religion.
And so even today, in our use of ever
green and holly, and eke the occasion
al sprig of mistletoe, we reflect the
nature worship which gave us, per
haps, not only the foundation of our
Christmas, but for our love of nature
as well.
SHEPHERDS WATCH AT NIGHT
Refutation of Contention That They
Could Not Have Watched on
December Night.
Some historians contend that the
shepherds could not have watched by
night on the Hethlehem plains in De
cember, it being a period of great in
clemency. In answer to this a well
known student says: "Hethlehem la
not a cold region. The mercury usu
ally stands all the month of Decem
ber at 46 degrees. Corn Is sown dur
ing this time, and crass and herbs
spring up after the rains, so that th*
Arabs drive their flockß down from
the mountains into the plains. The
most delicate never make flres till
about the end of November, and soma
pass the whole winter without them.
From these facts I think it is estab
lished without doubt that our Saviour
was born on the 25th of December,
the day which the church throughout
the world has united to celebrate la
honor of Christ's corning in th<* flesh."
The New Way.
N. < «><»« > '•»•> '4*'t
>*%(• >»>• h.it i mm dim
..* t.. kn • au'l bill * *4l li" tl. <«•