The Cambria freeman. (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, December 26, 1873, Image 1

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,.,er'f. Editor and Publisher.
UK IS A FREEMAX Yf flOM THE TKTTTU MARKS F1IEB, AXD ALL AUG SLATE BF.SIDK
Terms, SS per yeer; In advance.
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J Tlio World, jjjj
EBENSBURG, PA., FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2(5, 1S73.
NUMBER 48.
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f Ti.
ii'iorli-s in New York
! jlniH. the t;irtlinjf Ke
rn Wi-cnn-iin. Iowa. Kansas
. , i nv me flection of a Dem
:m l-:i. atid t lie election of a
t.f Tr iumph already wnn has
nf' t me organization,
tv i tue piiiiciples of t!ie
I W'riM i h:is hnn faith
u I;. -n Mint heart talked of a
, : i . an .a new part 3-. it bore
1 .1 l ie indomitable Dom
: i' t,.:ir. inc rihed with the le
, Ki '! rn liners' Kiirhts. Hard
.i...('4ii.-!. Democrats of
',; (in 1 nil ton glorious ic
1 . r- n T majorities of 37,000 and
. . th i:s for the Demncacy
i i . ; i tiMif ticent than its
. , 1 1 r . ; tint be with (he found-
ii -. ;i expansion cross the
; i- ut my of prosperity nml
r i f fu'tire, as of it? pnst
ii.Iis. l- "till a s'ea.il'ast adhe
: V !! "II. nil Ullllillfhllljf lidel-
- ! 1 1 i' 1 M-nioerat if party
t: !l'ul :i now to be :ip
ur National. State and Mu
rl,.. uuitni jiri'l denioraii
r.ip corrupt ami profliirite
;!!:! localize powers cn-
'- 1' rv ants, to liberate on r
r. tr' isol a liaioarous Jar
!i !!!ictuutions of an irre-
:-.'?-. and our nirric-ultnre
Mi li-riiiir of tioih. as well ns
in! tin a niin I I in in wrought
. t the Kepublicun party,
. Wiiri.i in thi onward
Mi ra'ic hosts to victory, in
f ; ill. fnl truth, inirwork
I I. pi ition as Ins Voiti.w
everywhere to aid us in
j t-i! hroadcast over the
!.c period so important to
" i, . t , -i: .- "v ltinocrat work fo ef
j t . '..:: ii-;oii of the pi ineiples uf
- .!!,, ,! t.iutnph at the La!lot-lio
: : ; l v piocurinx new readers for
i., ;ff :;i .(. The IVoitin will spare
'-ru-y. '" maintain and advance
:. rink of metropol tan jour-!-.
a ii 'i laiif, various and aeeurate
whole circle of current
. v t i- ! i-ii.us."d as hecinnes n
i"'.-n: ' . .n 'F Opimiiv, with enn
r ' v. t ii.t; to sound public and
- ... v ; i -I'iciiil kni) livlxe f r
-, -.'. v.iiii nr:oi!s nri'i wu;e-
.;-, ! -; ii of the in!inifo!d int r-
j'i'1 in'i ii in their homes, their
j -; .. ..rk.-lK-'ps and tiieir farina.
!( J't'lvi'.- C211
r-c '.';.. a .VcJ:ie iuj) for t he con n-
l. -;.-t Piiic: s -irraplietl from all
-- '! ii'.- I'!i:t.'ii i.tt. ol Live St'-ek.
Pi !'. i ;.!! v.ii Pi- i lii :T every
! f Mocks, and Freights in
i '
.". -vn i- I' i;k with nil t he doinjrs of
1 !!. "t America't Institute,
"ii ,.r.t fartiiers. and seientftic
i hi t -1 1 ' ol" f .nan' i'.r.
.I. i "U rut 1'am ll.v l I iie I.E. of 1; v-i v
ll'l-.
"ii Tin l"i H-r-i? ti: Novels rtitrin
;!U N'l'.wS in c fr.ri:;.
18
THE
Pittsburgh Post!
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find without doubt the largest, cheapest and
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CUIUS TMA S JI OltXIXG.
BY CHARLES DKKESS.
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' TIIK M ."
A i". . " "
,.V. ''i l,M;-ni-R(i, Pa.
:: L1. '.1. :rV' ' 'Pfo-i Rlair's
i ia.i'11. : -4.-tf.l '
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"PAT1HOT," Ilarrisburjr. Pa.
JAMES T MIIjLIKKX,
Attorney at Law and Real Estate Agent,
1IOLLIDA YSI5C KG, PA.
SPECIAL ATTENTION riven to tho collec-
tioti of claims in lllair. Cambria. Hiintiug-
Uon, Ri-dford, Centre and Clearfield counties. '
Parties wishing to purchase, rent, sell or ex
ehaue real estate will find it (rrently to their
advantage t call on or address me.
tJ6Cirresponlenco in ither English or Ger
man soiicned. lliept, :o, i7i-tf."
'Twas the morning of Christmas :
And Benny anil Xed
Had captured their stocliings,
And gone back to lied ;
And there in their night-gowns,
As soon as 'twas light,
. Thev emptied their treasures ;
And O, what a sight !
Such stockings ! long stockings !
(Mamma's, I suppose.)
Tilled full to the openings.
And crammed to the toes.
"Isn't Santa Thins dood, Xed ?"
Cried Iicntiy, "Dus' look
And see what he's div tne ;
A drate picture book."
"And me '." exclaimed Neddy ;
"Mine's difTrent from youm :
'Tis chuck full of stories,
And long -words to learn !
But then you know, Benny,
I'm older than you,
And need older presents,
As Santy Claus knew."
"O o-o !" shouted Benny,
"A big Noah's Ark ;
An" lots of wild animals ;
And here is a tart
Viv a little horse in it ;
He looks like our Ace,
For he's tinder spotted.
And dot a white face."
"I never '." said Neddy,
"What's this, do you thiuk?
A bag full of marbles,
I guess, by the chink.
Besides a grc:;t buzz top.
All red, white and blue !
And a two-bladed jack-knife !
Have you got one, too?"
"Dess not," answered Benny,
"But I've dot a cat ;
Atid a sheep vat says ba-ha !
'Few pinch him like that.
And then there is some tin
Tied up with a strin'
O, Neddy, 'tis tandy !
Dus put oore hand in !
D'ye feel what a lot 'tis ?
i fought I'd have some ;
Forma said I .should have,
When Santa Tlaus tutu."
"Merry Christmas, my darlings:
Why not up before?"
And mamma with baby,
Appeared at the door.
CJI HIS 1 MA S G II OS T.
A Reminiscence ol" Hie Mpje of Vicks-
On Christmas eve, in I was borne
on the Mississippi steamer, Continental,
bound down the river for Vicksburg, then,
as is well known, in possession of the con
federates. The Continental formed a por
tion of the fleet -which carried Gen. Sher
man's army, and which was destined to
attack Yieksburg from the direction of the
Yazoo river, while, as was intended, Gen.
Grant was to march down overland, and
co-operate by an attack from the land side j
to the north of the confederates, strong- I
hold. j
Wo were nearing Yicksburfj on Christ- :
mas eve, and all knew that a fleht, and a
desperate one, was imminent. In yiew of
thin approaching danger, it was resolved
to make the most of the opportunity, and
so a lively season was inaugurated. The
boat carried General Frederick Steel and j
staff; and anybody who knew Steel, I'ad- j
dock, poor Sokalaki, Charley Scaramon, i niarj
ana me ouier members or mat crowd, in-, tare terrible wounds, about which the
eluding the humble wiiter hereof, will tin- ' i)lood L.ld coagulated, and around which
derstand that if the whiskey and sugar j there were jrreat patches of red.
to recognize him. The last I had known
of him was that he had been elected second
lieutenant in an infantry company that was
raised in the town where he resided.
"How in God's name is this, Tom? I
thought you were lieutenant in the Twelfth
Iowa."
''So I was. But I have been in trouble
since. I wnnt you to listen to me for a
few minutes, for I have something of im
portance to tell you."
I sat down on the edge of his blanket,
ana then Tom proceeded to unfold his
secret.
I knew that he was very devoted to a
qufte pretty girl at home, and, as I sup
posed, they were to be married. She was
a giddy young woman, very fond of a flirta
tion, and anxious to carry as many lovers'
scalps at her belt as she could secure.
I learned from Tom that when he left as
lieutenant of the Twelfth, they were en
gaged. At fthiloh, the regiment was cap
tured almost to a ma:, and himself among
the others. He had been taken south but
four or five months later he had made his
escape and returned north. lie reached
home full of eager anticipations, and dis
covered that his fiancee, accepting a re
port of his death, had buried his memory.
j and was now on the eve of marriage with
i a prominent citizen of the town.
I'roken down by the shock to his hopes,
Tom went on a prolonged spiee, nnd had
Lis commission taken from him, had final
ly run away and enlisted as a private in a
cavalry regiment, from which he had been
selected to serve as Steele's body guard.
As Tom concluded his narration, he hesi
tated a moment to regain his composure.
He was Tory much broken down bv dis
ease, or dissipation, and seemed in the last
stage of a decline.
"What I wish particularly of you,"' he
resumed in a little while, is this : "I have
a presentment that I shall be killed in the
coming fight. I have a photograph and
some letters from Laura, and I wish you
to take charge of them, and carry them to
her with the assurance that I died loving
her, and that she is responsible for my
death."
I tried to rally him on the absurdity of
presentments, but it was all useless. He
knew he should be killed, and when I fur
ther attempted to argue with him he final
ly ceased to listen and seemed buried in a
profound and painful memory. Giving up
tho attempt to convince him as being fu
tile. I took the small package, shook
hands with him, and returned to the after
cabin.
The battle of Chickar.n w Bayou occurred
on the second or third day after. Steele's
fm ccs occupied the extreme left, and labor
ed gallantly but uselessly all that bloody
day to secure the position on the bluffs oc
cupied by the confederates.
Near midnight I was standing on the
deck of a steamer on which were being
brought such of the wounded as could be
reached under the confederate guns.
Among others w ho were carried 0,1 board
I recognized, in a mass of blood, dirt and
torn uniform, the face of Tom S. He was
laid on the cabin floor; but when I attempt
ed to attract his attention I found that he
was unconscious. His face was deadly
white, savo where streaked with blood.
His eyes were fixed, his under jaw had fal
len, and he seemed already in fftremi.
Hunting up an assistant surgeon, I se
cured an examination of the wounded
His breast wa bared and levealed
a risiox or ciiuistmas.
broken by a voice which raid :
"Is it me. You bet it's me !"
"And aren't you dead?" ! 11 w'asri the h'.eak December, as I watched
''Dead? Me dend? Come o ,t I each blazing ember,
show you hat if I'm dead, how the dead 1 ARd fn'sl1 froni "a,ure's loo,,, Kmed the
do comfort themselves." R-irmcnt of the spow ,
T tt,;l- ,-f t c , . , .. I An t,,e Christmas liells were nngir.g to
.- - ...... . - ! v u uiai uc icsl
was made with and it acted like an exor- !
j cism. To see whether I was awake or !
J dreaming I applied the test to myself, too. !
j We repeated the test. In less than an j
I lu,nr 1 was entirely satisfied, not only that j
j I was awake, but that the apparition was !
one of flesh and blood, and the one bun- !
died and sixty pounds remnant of my poor
j Tom S. whom I left mortally wounded and
dying in the cabin of the steamer on the
night of the battle of Chickasaw Bayou.
I was duly informed, -while we were em
ploying the hot Scotch test, that Tom did
, not die on that night, or any other ; that
I he recovered in time, was discharged, went Attired was she in sable, and the lxxk was
I home, and married the young woman who
the world glad tidings bringim
Of the child Messiah cradled in a manger
long ago.
While bitter winds were sighing, I saw an
angel flying,
Fairer, fairer than the snow, fluttering
downward like a pall ;
It was charity, in pity sent to village, town
and city,
To heal the broken-hearted, and speak
words of love to all.
Quick she sped across the alleys tg the wild,
snow-covered valleys.
Where sat an aged mother by the Wight
trim Lnglish fire
struck with remorse by the letter and
j Tom's tragic end had jilted her last fian
j cee, and Lad resolved to die an old maid as
; an expiation of her sins.
And th is is the only veritable ghost I ever
; met in my life; and, moi cover, this is the
j only true, genuine, real ghost story that
ever was written and published.
CHRISTMAS IX SVAIX.
There is no civilized country on earth in
which children are not made happy by the
promise of the coming Christmas. But in
every country the festival is called by a
different name, and its presiding genius is
painted with a different costume and man
ner. You know all about our iollv Dutch
Santa Claus, with his shrewd, twinkling
j eyes, his frosty beard, Lis ruddy face, and
I the bag af treasures with which he comes
i tumbling down the chimney, while his
team of reindeer snort and stamp on the
icy road. The English Christmas is equally
well known, and the wonders of the Ger
j man iniracle-trce, the first sight of which
no child ever forgets. But you are, per
haps notso familliar with the spirit of the
blessed season of advent in Southern Eu
rope, and I will tell you some of the plea
sures and fancies of the Spanish Christmas.
The good cheer which it bungs everywhere
is especially evident in Spain. They area
frugal people, and many a good Spanish
family is supported by less than the waste
of a household on Murray Hill. But there
is no sparing at Christmas. This is a sea
sou as fatal to turkeys as Thanksgiving in
Xew England. The Castillian farmers
drive them into Madrid in great droves,
which they conduct from door to door,
making the dim old streets gay with their j
scarlet wattles and noisy with obstreper
ous gabbling. But the headquarters of j
the marketing during those days are in the
on the table,
Which she ceased to read to listen to the
Christmas minstrel choir.
Anear her sat a m-iMen, her eyes with tear
drops laden,
Their thoughts were of a new-made grave
and of a sailor-boy ;
And the angel entered slowly, with a foot
step soft and holy.
And they felt life still hai left for them
a enp of real joy.
. rois of war were suspended by melodies
! nh:c!: wre thought to lie delightful.
I The beautiful custom of adorning houses
' with evergreens during the Chvislmasholi
d.ijs is ascribed to various causes. Those
who h:te taken the christian View of the
matter refer to those expressions so f.Y--quent'.y
met with in the prophetical wri
tings, where green boughs are spoken of
as ornaments of the sanct-iary and signs
of rejoicing. Others have nftinr.ed that
the custom hsd a pagan origin nnd refer
to the beautiful druidieal custom of harp
ing up in the house boughs of green to
which the wood spirits might resort to
shelter them f.om the hipping blasts of
winter.
Christmas ont door sports pscs1? a char
acter of their own fully nppicciated by
all thoe who have shared their delights.
Who does not remember, with enthusiasm
many a sleigh ride over the smooth pnor,
wl if n the influence of the cold wind w?i
met and overcome by the warm glow of
the heart. There is no element so power
ful to combat with winter frost and snow
as real contentment, and to him whose
heart is weary and lestless, all the fires of
Yesuvius would prove insufficient. But
at Christmas every one is filled with an ex
ultant glow and the cold air is rather re
veled in than otherwise.
One of the specialities of Christ mns d-v
Straightway again she wandered, by a cot- ' in olden times was the Christmas pie,
t.-.ge hearth she pondered, wL:ch f(ftcn composed of fish, flesh
aii Ha ui .ini struggles lay a lit
tle suffering child ;
And its father and the mother, clinging
closer to each other,
In the majesty of sorrow and despair were
weeping wild.
As the latch she lifted lightly the fireside
beamed mora brightly.
And from the shrouded spirits the stone
of sorrow rolled ;
And they saw armve their piuing theStarof
BetM'cm shining,
Atid knew their lamb was gathered in the
tender Shepherd's fold.
O, mny this lovely angel be the world's di
vine evangel,
And gather in the poor around the Christ
mas board :
Clothe the naked ones who shiver, sing Ho
sannas to the Giver,
And w ith mistletoe and holly wreathe the
cannon and the sword.
CI I It IS TM AS GUMS.
The first snrigevsi composed in England
was a Christmas carol in Anglo Nornan
French.
The fiiat tragedy in the langunge. and
the oldest of the comedies, were brought
out as a part of the Christmas frstivitiesof
the period.
The Saviour hnd not where to lay His
head, but His scriptures are translated into
, and fowl. In the reign of Henry III, the
j sheriff of Gloucester was once oidered by
' that monarch to procure "twenty salmon,
! ten peacocks and ten brawns'" for Christ
l mas pies. The peacock was only produced
j at solemn and chivalric banquets, such as
t that of Christinas, and when thus served
' up with gilded beak and plumed crest,
I his head appearing at one end of the pie
and his tail at the other, spread out in ail
its glory was carried in state into the hall,
to the sound of minstrelsy, by the lady
most distinguished for birth and beauty,
the other ladies following in dun order.
Ilnii, all hail the joyons morn ;
Tell it forth from earth to heaven,
That to us a child is born.
That to us a son is given.
Angels, bending from the sky.
Chanted at the wondrous birth ;
"Glory lie to Ood on high,
Peace good will to man on earth.'
Join we in our feeble lays.
To the chorus of the sky ;
And, in sons of grateful praise,
dory give to God on high.
One of the first problems the younj
scholar sets Limrelf ta discover is what
day of the week Christmas falls oi. tee
ing that a little disiojxiiotnient ensued
upon the accident of the '2'nh of Decem
ber falling on Sunday, it soon became a
riaza Mayor, where every variety of fruit! thousand languages and the grandest , 'm'H' io" in lhe nursery how often the event
and provision is sold. There is nothin- I structures of the n.odern world are the j W,U liarpcn. Confining himself In tho
more striking than those vast heaps of!lKmc of His church, and the temple of His , Prcscut CPnlur-v tIie cllikI fl"ds be-
heaps
fresh golden oranges, plucked the day be
fore in the groves of Andalusia, nuts from
Granada, and dates from Africa ; every
flavor and rolor of tropical fruitage ; and
worship.- tween lvm and r.l'Mi, c hnsttnas dav occ.n
Christmas is each year more "enerally ?:l ?'lnJay hlteen times, and during tho
Ai,cM. - x- ' , . , " - j hundred years it happens thrice 'm 12t.
obsenedin ew England, where it was ,.4s ad is:.; , that leapyear causes Christ!
mica TirACnrilfl.l 1 1 .. . . - V . " . I 1 . - . , . .
1.n..-iuui ut i.m, .urn utiuic Hiiunirr i mas uay in lump irom aturciav to .;on-
.2.no
. 75
. 1.75
. 1.5(
. 1.2.5
1.00
would not give out when they started in j
for a "lively season," one would be sure
to result. I
Jollity reigned. Steele's pale face light- '
ed up with a roseate glow, and he was the I
gayest of the gay among the jolly crowd j
that warmed under the genial influence of
steaming "commissary," until the sur- '
rounding darkness rang with volleys of
laughter and their chorus of roaring voices. ;
Toasts were drunk to the girls we left be- 1
hind us ; "the first who dies" i' view of :
the coming battle, had many a steaminjj '
bumper in advance of his heroic sacrifice, I
and each contributed his share of anecdote
or reminiscence or favored the bacchantes
with his favorite song.
While the revelry was at its height,
which was towards morning, an orderly
touched me on the shoulder and said that
a soldier wished to speak to me in the for
ward cabin. I accompanied him, and found
mj-self a moment after standing over a
cavalryman, who was lying on the floor on
a bed of blankets, with his Lead pillowed
on a saddle.
"That is the man," said my guide.
"Did you wish to speak with me?" I
asked.
"Yes," he said, feebly, as he, with some
"He has been shot through the body in
three places, and tho chances are that he
will not live, tyventy minutes, certainly not
two hours."
Such was the report of the surgeon.
Soon after I went on another boat, and
a few days later I came tip to Memphis
with my accounts ef the battle. From
thence I mailed to Laura , a circum
stantial account of my interview with Tom,
Lis wounding and death, Lad the letters
and photograpLs which ho Lad committed
to my care.
In the fall of the following year I left
the army and located in the Garden city.
Years passed, but I never could quite
forget poor Tom, his prostration when I
first nt him, on the night of the battle.
Tho thing haunted me like a painful mem
ory in my own life, and was one of the few
recollections of the war which time would
neither obliterate nor soften.
On last Christmas eve I remained late
down town in order to smuggle Lome the
knick knacks intended for the morrow's
breakfast table. The streets were almost
deserted. As I turned the corner of Dear
borne and Washington, I found myself
under a gas-lamp, and face to face with a
pedestrian. I glanced into Lis face, and,
in the stalls beneath the gloomy arches the generation it is probable that most of the ! " It will be nine "ars before the 1
-l - -. . . r -a V T I c 1 rr.. i ii t .n , , , , ,1 a , i. ,
butchers drive their flourishing trade. All lengious denominations here will observe
is gay and joyous chaffering and jesting,
greeting of friends and filling of baskets.
The sky is wintry, but the ground is ruddy
and rich with the fruits of summers. At
night the whole city turns out into the
streets. The youths and maidens of the
poorer class go trooping through the town
with tamborines castauets, and guitars,
singing and dancing. Every one has a dif-
the anniversary by public religious exer
cise?. A very remarkbble frost was one that
began on Christmas day, lTtir;, and lasted
till the 17th of January, when there was
one day's thaw, followed by another week
of excessively tharp frost. The continu
ance of intense. cold for nearly a month
was terrible in its effects upon the popula-
day falls again on Sunday. After the nine
years the intervals are.-ix year, live cais.
six yeais, eleven years and so on as long
as the century holds out ; but the occur
rence of '.he centenary spoils the order,
there being no bissextile for eight years iit
the end of each century.
Till: CHRISTMAS TRm.
1 The origin of the Christmas tree, which
! fo many of our citizens have introduced
ferent son? to suit his own stur of mind I tion and vegetation. -?to their nousenoids lor the enjoyment ot
' ti . .-r i r , , their children, is thus given i In Germany.
The women sing of love and religion, and j 1,16 beautiful spirit of bemficence has , many vear8 ago when tl,e hrtllse8
many rf t f men can sii.g of nothing bet ' endeared Christmas day to the poor and i decorated with evergreens for the Christ-
ter than politic. But the part which the tue yunS- ""hat a joyous time it brings 1 mastide. it was the custom to select a large
me .
he
difficulty, rose np so as to rest on Lis el- with a' thrill of astonishment, not unmixed
with horror, I recognized the unmistakable
lineaments of Tom S. !
! In the action of a second I recollected it
! was Christmas eve, and the eighth auniver
1 sary of our meeting in the cabin, and of
Lis presentiment of Lis death. 31 y senses
were frozen with horror, for a single pulsa
! tion. and then I said :
"In God's name, Tom, is that you ?"
The apparition gazed at me with a seri
rtus melancholy meiu for a moment and
the next instant my Land was seized with j
a grip like that of a vice of frozen steel, '
whil the stillness of the late nijht was
bows. "You do not remember
continued.
"No, I don't," I replied, as Igazcd into
his bearded face.
"My name is Tom S. I once worked as
printer in the office."
I recollected him at once. When I had
known him ns a printer he was rather hand
some, dandified, clean shaven youth, main
ly remarkable for his extreme devotion to
the beau exe, and the scrupulous neatness
of his personal appearance.' As he lay
before me, he was bearded, diity, emaci
ated, so that it was no woudei that I failed
children take in the festival bears a curious
resemblance to those time-honored cere
monies we all remember. The associa
tions of Christmas in Spain are all of tho
Gospel. There is no northern St. Nick
there to stuff the stockings of good child
ren with rewards of merit. Why, then on
Christmas Eve do you see the little shoes
exposed by the windows and doors? The
wise kings of the East are supposed to be
journeying by night to Bethlehem, bearing
gifts and homage to the heavenly child,
and out of their abundance, when they
pass by the houses where good children
sleep, they will drop into their shoes some
of the treasures they are bearing to tho
Baby Prince in Judea. This thought is
never absent from the rejoicings of Christmas-tide
in Spain. Every hour of the time
is sacred to him who came to bring peace
and good-will to the world
toy of the season is called "The Nativity.
It is sometimes very elaborate and costly,
representing a landscape under a starry
night; the shepherds watching their flocks,
the magi commg in with wonder and awe,
and the child in tho stable, shedding upon
tho darkness that . living light which was
to overspread the world. John Hay iu
St. Nicholas for January,
oougn tor a conspicuous place, and on it
were placed the presents for the children.
After a time the bough became a tree,
dressed with symbolical ornaments, ar.d
adorned with gifts for the household, of
which the children had much the largest
share. The custom was imported into Eng
land and this country has now become al
most universal and each year adds fresh
by the Greek church throughout Bussia. ! arvels and delights to the magical fruits
It is the baptism v.t Christmas of the pa! i of 'his t'"P P -t
T bf mv prrof its nrervirat ion is hnlf of
Each village and each city has ' f;1P charm. The bright eves of the little
to the heart of childhood '. And how pleas- j
ant it must be to a truly generous nature
to participate in the usual felicities of the
holiday season, and to observe the exulta
tion of the young at the tokens of affection
they receive !
There is a very curious custom observed
tron saint.
its particular patron. In the larger towns
the ceremony is pcrfot mcd by a bishop.
A cross is cut iu the ice, and the patron
saint, represented by a carved wooden ef
rlgy is baptised
The coldest day ever known iu London
was a Christmas day just seventy-four
years ago. The occurrence is not fresh in
uie memory oi many ol us. 1 he register
ones turn wistfully toward the locked
doors of the room that contains the won
drous tree ; they long to take a j-eep, and
yet they would not "for the wo; Id." Not
they.
Some still retain the Ohristmas trpe in
its old form that is. after the ornaments
are on. space is left for the children's pres
ents ; others place all the family gifts on
or under the tree, and, after thope of the
children : e distributed, the little one
A good thing is told of a preacher who
edits a paper. It happened in this way :
As the forms of the paper were being put
on the press Ly some accident, not ex
plained, one of them was knocked into
pi. Tbe preacher looked at the mountain
of type promiscuously piled up and then
at his workmen, and said : "Boys, it is
theu was sixteen degrees below zero and , discover and present the gifts of the older
The favorite ; though that was beaten only ten year ago i made uf tbcir Chlistnias trees mere show
in many pans oi L,ngiana, it has not been j pieces on which to arrange artistically the
equalled in the metropolis, which is in by ' glittering baubles the stars, angels etc.;
no means the coldest latitude of the Island ai,d thesu a,e oftt" accompanied by sucii
m, ... .. costly ornaments that such a tree without
lhe Christian nations of the woild honor , affifton it will cost hundreds of dollars,
the anniversary of the Saviour's birth with j Such niagnitidence muwt, of course. tx on
solemn worship and with social joy; with ' exhibition, for it is entirely too artistic
the impressive pomp of religious ceremo- 1 nd c,!' an ;nfTiiir to lo throw n away on
. , , f . , ' the children alone ; so it is advertised pri-
nials ; with poetry, music, eloquence, and va.Hy nt ail the acpi vintances of the
spiritual communion. In this beautiful family i visit it between Christ nuis and New
festival the grandest and tbe gladdest of Ye:r. It is, in truth, a tribute to family
sons of men. they celebrat the sniritnal """J rauiei man io lamuy anecuon
, s
regeneration of .mankind.
Even in rudo t'nies Christmas has had
the power to mitigate the ferocities of war.
The siege of Orleans, in 1428, the English
The second plan s o ns to be ti e mo e
desii able The Christmas tree is then
what it should be the home centre sa
cred to the family, around which gather
old and young linked to each other by lov
ing remembrances. It is understooii 1ba;
the trees belong especially to the children.
historian says the solemnities and festivi
ties of Christmas gave a short intei val of but it i.s well that they should feel that thf
repose. The English l uds requested of the festival is not entirely their own, and
evident there ought to be some swearing j French commander, that they might have - ZvlC
done here, but you know I am not the one . a night of minstrelsy with trumpets and tno IIT)n , f .jk. nld in short sba.r
to do it." J clarions. This was jramsd, and the h.- their Christmas tire with thcin.
A: