THE CITIZEN, FRIDAY, DEO. 20, 1011.
PAGE 3
Myths, Mysteries And Memories
of flerry Christmas
F. P. Woodward In Scranton Tribune-Republican.
When one looks back over tho
Ihristmnscs ho has safely passed, say
Ifty-elght or flfty-nlne of 'em, very
urlous feollngs aro apt to grip him
ibout two Inches to the left of the
lottom of his necktie. Strange as It
nay seem, his very early Ghrlstmases
Us mental horizon. As a matter of
act ana common sense he never naa
nany of them, but they aro so vivid
in memory r Horizon that it seems
is If there must be hundreds of
Those Chrlstmases were made of
.ho most wonderful combinations,
talf pact, half fancy, that never were
mt together. They were woven and
nterwoven of moonlight, star glln-
Rr. rpin iipnra n n w m i ion onow
i r i k 1 1 r i ir a i ii l f ii no arnrioa n r tho
Ireslde, wonderful visits from your
incles, aunts, cousins and grandmas,
ha rnlroa wlfrlimit nnMni 41ir lintna
t. In Infn f fun. lilri vnn nvor trv lt-7
To a boy wno lived out In the
where tho snows when they fell In
Donnmhor 'fllrl rinf crn ifr until Into ho
ijiext Spring, 'Honesdale was a won-
A Uti .l.Hn.mt. 1 1. . ...... n I 1 1. I
like an excursion through fairyland.
The street lights seemed to be so
bright and dazzling, you know; and
while a trip up the Cherry Ridge
hill part of the town seems gloomy
enough now, the Illumination I dare
say Is greater now than It was then.
That Is what distance of time will do
for you. It was truly written, '"TIs
distance lends enchantment to the
view."
In the soft Summer evenings,
when the basin was full of boats,
there was always a sound of muBlc
from some part of the flotilla, and It
sounded quite weird and full of
witchery. In the Winter the canal
was empty and tho bottom was a
mass of "black mud, broken bottles
and the flotsam and jetsam Incident
to the maintenance of such a water
highway. No music came from the
canal In Winter; but they used to
haul out the black mud and pave
Wayne street with It. It was a
shame to do It, but they did it all
the same. Tho music came later on
in the Springtime, gentle Annie,
when wagonB sank hub deep In the
stuff, and drivers sang things to their
horses. There were boatmen In those
days, and they certainly could say
things, and sing things, too. when oc
casion arose, and occasion was nulte
lively half a hundred years ago In
this hannyland of Honesdalo.
Talking aoouc music reminds me of
a brass bugle dream. Tho brass
bugle hung on a nail in a Honcsdale
jewelry store kept by a man by the
name of Seaman. I've forgotten his
front name, but that doesn't matter.
I saw that 'bugle and coveted 'it.
What I wanted of it I can't tell" you.
I never blowod on such a thing in
my life wasn't built on those lines.
And yet, there was a belief in my
head that if I could In some way get
that horn for my own, everything
else in tho world might go. There
was a hidden scheme of taking that
brass squawker and learning to play
it In secret in secret, mind you
and then of some time "blazing forth
to the astonishment of the world as a
player of tho sweetest of music,
while my friends and relatives stood
around and gazed In wonder, and
felt sorry for the unkind way they
had treated me, the unkind treat
ment including a mild trouncing ad
ministered out In the woodshed for
sundry attempts to "run cars" on the
gravity road that was not far from
"home, sweet home."
Now, to make this sound like a
real story, It should show a saving
of pennies, a fixed purpose, a kind
'hearted old man who forced money
on me forsaving the life of his
daughter by stopping a runaway
horse, and, some more, until that
brass horn was paid for and hidden
away in a Cherry 'Itldge hay mow,
along with tho apples and things
that boys and squirrels gather; but
all of that 'part of tho story would
be so devoid of truth that It can And
no place or part in this sketch. I
never got tho horn, and thus vanish
ed another chance to electrify the
world. Had that horn come my way
there Is no tolling what might have
been the result. W'hlle learning to
play It in secret the neighbors might
have "gamboled on tho green," or
done somo other desperate deed, .as
they were lured on by the "spell" of
tho performer.
Probably the most Important piece
of news that traveled from Hones
dalo out our way was that there was
In that town a store where they sold
nothing else but candy. Some of the
boys doubted that story very much;
but other boys said it was true, for
they had seen the store, been In it,
and had actually bought candy there.
And thus our faith was strengthened
and our doubt were swept away by
the logic of positive evidenco.
And now I'm coming to another
side of the Honesdalo picture that
seems strange Indeed, to the writer
hereof. It is about certain things
connected with tho town that filled
me with fear. First, I was afraid
of tho canal, especially at night. It
seemed so dark, and deep, and big
that It must be full of mysteries.
They could drown big men and lime
boys there so easily, and surely tho
dark waters would hold the secret
forever. Then there were tho boat
boys with red faces and loud tones,
who persisted In hitching a string
of handsleds to the farmer's sleigh
as he slowly was drawn up the hill
by his tired horse. Then, there was
the Catholic church, surmounted by
its guaea wooaea cross, i never
heard such things at home, but from
somowhere I got the childish fear
that somebody or something omanat
Ing from the white wooden building
was liable, not exactly to "snatch me
through the celling 'fore I knowed
what I's about," but to spirit me
away to its mysterious interior, to be
kept there, perhaps, forever. I was
too young to wonder what any
church In this big earth could possi
bly want of a curly headed boy with
nine warts on his right liand, and
who only liked to tako a bath "in
tho gold old Summer time" wben a
straw hat, a cotton shirt and somo
ragged pants wore more clothing
than scorned actually needful when a
fellow wanted to be first in the old
swimming hole.
Another cause of fear was " the
Dutch woman with a stone In the toe
of her stocking." Did you ever hear
of her? No! Well, you are lucky,
sure enough! Where I got my first
knowledge of this dangerous Indi
vidual can only be conjectured. It
probably came from some "hired
man" who had the talking mania,
and with whom truth and facts were
lightly regarded. Sure it was that
every person who "Jabbered," or
spoko a language different from
English, must bo dangerous as well
as Dutch. Come to think It all over,
tho knowledge of ths dangerous
character, who "swatted" folks with
a long woolen stocking with a sizable
piece of rock shoved away down in
its toe, came from a bright, but fear
less and mischievous girl who lived
back in tho woods, and who evident
ly "had it in for the Dutch"; for one
day whle on her way homo from
school sho intercepted an honest, fru
gal, Industrious German woman who
had walked through tho hot sun
from Honesdale, five miles away, and
held her up, demanding a share of
her berries that had been picked un
der stress of much labor and suffer
ing. When the woman refused to
share her fruit, tho girl tried to help
herself, and succeeded in spilling the
poor German woman's berries in the
road. She must have left her stock
ing with a stone crowded down In its
toe at home, for the most reckless
thing she did was to trample the ber
ries under her honest and Indignant
feet to prevent the mschiovious girl
from getting any. But that girl told
her frightened companion awful
fairy stories of what such "jabber
ing" women were capable of doing,
and that knowledge filtered through
to me, for the "frightened compan
ion" was my big sister.
There things inspired fear in any
young Wayne county mind, and
when my father, whom I thought was
the greatest man in the world, (out
side of George Washington, whose
'Picture .with tho curly white hair and
Masonic bib apron, hung on the walls
of our "spare room"), when he was
lato in coming home from one of his
periodical trips to Honesdale, I hud
dled In a corner and shuddered for
I was convinced In my mind that
"they" had got him for sure this
time, and he would never be seen
again.
This phase of child life Is most
beautifully pictured in Irving Bat
chelor's "Eben Holden" in the Inci
dent where Eben takes the two chil
dren to town, gives them each a sil
ver quarter, and tells them to buy
their own Christmas presents, sug
gesting that they would likely
enough buy silver know-nothings
with their money. The little girl
asked the clerk for the article men
tioned by Eben, but he was wlso, and
only smiled, telling her they were
all gone. The boy bought a knife,
which Eben declared would be just
the thing to skin a swift, an awful
animal he had been telling them
about, .which was moro dangerous
than bears or panthers.
The usual number of lies was told
to me about Santa Claus; and every
thing that was said on that line was
believed. Wihltcorab Reflly expresses
the thought exactly In his poem en
titled, "Long Afore I knowed -Who
Santa Claus Was," where ho says,
"Truth made out o' lies like that is
good enough for me."
Tho Santa Claus dream was, to use
tho language of the day, a dandy.
The stuff that camo down the chim
ney tasted better and was much
nicer than anything made by ordi
nary mdrtals. Once we tried to fool
Santa. Other boys said they had
worked the game successfully. If It
could be made to work only once In
our case, who could tell what that
would lead to? Perhaps every night
in the year could bo turned Into a
Santa Claus night. Surely that
would be worth while. Elaborate
preparations were made. Stockings
were hung up, and nothing was left
undone. In tho morning It was
plainly to be seen that possibly what
might work In some other boy's
house wouldn't work .in ours. The
stockings had been Ignored entirely,
and In one of the old-fashioned copper-toed
boots was a freshly cut
birch "gad," which was suggestive of
a walk- out to tho woodshed and
hearing somo variation of that won
derful classic that freely translated
means, "take off your coat, sir; and
remember that this "hurts me more
than it does you!"
But, generally speaking, the Santa
Claus dream was delightful. It was
like going along in a flying machine.
It was tho awakening, the sudden
contact with old earth, that hurt It
seems like the refinement of cruelty
to stuff a boy's mind full of the stuff
that Santa Claus dreams aro made of,
and then laugh at him when he Is
rudely awakened to the fact that It
was all a pack of lies from start to
finish. When you give a boy a Jolt
Uko that, and then tell him the other
story about the Child in the manger,
the traveling star and tho angelic
chorus from the skies ringing out
over the Judean hills, and ono can
readily see that when you shattered
the ono you did nothing to strength
en tho foundation of faith In the
other, which was laid by Him who
said, " Nevertheless, when tho Son
of Man cometh, shall He find faith on
tho earth?"
SCENE IN " THE Old) HOMESTEAD," AT THE IjYIUO TO-NIGHT.
"AND IF YOU WANT IT TO LOOK GREEN, JUT ON OREEN PAINT.1'
OP
PRIMARY
REPUBLICANS
Widest Latitude in Elec
tion of Delegates
PREPARING THE CALL KEPUH
IjIOAN GATHERINGS WILL HE
UNUSUALLY 1 N T E It ESTING
THIS YEAH.
Tho delegates to the Republican
State convention, who. will elect the
State s delegates at large to tho next
Republican national convention, will
be chose.n at the samo time as the
national delegates are elected in the
various congressional districts. The
call for the election of such dele
gates is now being prepared at Re
publican State headquarters and will
bo Issued soon.
Many letters have 'been received at
headquarters making Inquiry as to
the probable attitude of the commit
tee regarding tho election of na
tional delegates. These communica
tions came from tho so-called pro
gressives, who evidently feared that
an attempt would be made to block
a popular expression in the election
of such delegates as to favorites for
the Presidential nomination.
Tho resolution finally adopted by
the national committee provides that
in States where there are laws gov
erning the election of national dele
gates, the provisions of these laws
may be complied with or the State
committee can provide any other
means for the selection of the dele
gates. The Pennsylvania "Republi
can State leaders have decided that
the system of electing district dele
gates by popular vote at tho uniform
primaries shall be continued and
that the delegates at large shall be
elected as heretofore by the Republi
can State convention. j
This policy, It Is explained by
Senator Penrose .and his associates,
will give the widest latitude for
every Republican In every congres
sional district in the State to indi
cate his preference upon the Presi
dential Issue and to vote for such
candidates for delegates to tho Re
publican national convention as will
carry out his wishes.
Under the primary election laws
of Pennsylvania, which aro regard
ed by reformers as being framed
upon tho most advanced lines, every
voter of any of the older parties can
pick his representatives to national
conventions at tho primaries. These
laws also permit candidates for dele
gates to have printed after their,
names on the ballot the name of tho
candidate for whom they are pledged
to vote for the Presidency In the
national convention.
In a large majority of the States
of the Union this is not possible.
Pennsylvania will 'bo entitled to sixty-four
district delegates, two from
each congressional district, In addi
tion to the eight delegates at large.
of Instruction. We are teaching our
officers and men to-day what they
never learned before. They are be
ing equipped with the essential
knowledge of how to take care of
themselveS, In the field and In ac
tion. The zeal and enthusiasm
shown by officers and men in tho
work and tho Increased Interest Is
proof of the fact that the new school
Is to their liking."
TEETH AND HEALTH.
Unless your teeth are in perfect
condition, you cannot consider your
self well. Uncared for teeth causo
more diseases than people dream of.
The combined surfaces of the teeth
have an area of twenty-five square
Inches enough space for a great
deal of dirt to accumulate, and large
enough to hold millions of germs.
As a matter of fact, the teeth and
mouths of unhealthy persons are
covered with the greatest variety of
disease germs which often find
splendid hiding places In decayed
cavities and about unclean gums.
Here they stay until either they
are driven outside by a thorough
cleaning of the mouth or are taken
Into the body with the food. Germs
or pneumonia and many other dls
eases are very often found In the
mouths of apparently healthy peo
ple. It Is most important, therefore,
that the mouth and teeth be kept
clean. The teeth should last to the
end of lfe. A well balanced diet, a
sane manner of living and tho brush
ing of ,the teeth at least twice a day,
before breakfast and at bed time,
will enable you 'to preserve your
teeth as long as you need them. It
Is a good plan to have a dentist ex
amine your teeth twice a year'. Well
cared for teeth and a well cleaned
mouth help to preserve health and
thus prevent tuberculosis. Karl do
Schwelnltz, Executive Secretary,
Pennsylvania Society for the Preven
tion of Tuberculosis.
CI inn go In Philadelphia Mint.
Tho Philadelphia Mint, through an
order from Washington, posted In
Philadelphia, 'Monday, lias been re
duced to a mere subsidiary coinage
department of tho Government, al
though tho plant Is declared to be
one of tho best In the world. Tho
order to Director George E. Roberts
says that the smelting and refining
plants are to bo removed; that ma
chinery Is to be Installed for mak
ing small coin, and that these ma
chines will displace many employes
In that branch of work.
All melting and refining work
formerly done In Philadelphia Is to
bo removed to Mew York, and tho
omployes In that department, as
well ns those In all other depart
ments who do not caro to tako a
chance of being superseded, aro
warned that the only thing they can
do Is to apply for transfer to New
York, where thoy will be given em
ployment If they dcslro It.
Herrisbur
s Telesr
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LEGRAP
216 Federal Square, HARRISBURG, PA.
Mr. Blanque, of Hawloy, had
business In Honesdale one day, and
he took his six year old son along
with him, Just as a treat to the lit
tle fellow. The manager of the big
firm that they called on made a
great fuss over tho little fellow. As
they left, he patted the boy's head,
; and said: "Some day you'll grow up
ana do a man, just uko your iuiner.
; "That's what ma's afraid of," said
1 tho kid.
GEN. DOUGHERTY PRAISES
NATIONAL GUARD OP I'ENNA.
Wilkes-Barro. Major Genoral C.
B. Dougherty, commanding tho divis
ion of tho National Guard of Penn
sylvania, when asked his opinion of
tho criticisms in the recent report of
Colonel Prank G. Sweeney, Inspector
general of tho National Guard or
Pennsylvania, on the inspections
made at the summer encampments in
July of this year, made the following
statement;
" It would bo highly improper for
me to criticise the report of Colonel
Sweeney. Only tho adverse criticisms
have been used by the newspapers.
The very favorable comments, espec
ially those of the brigade inspectors,
have not been quoted at all. The In
specting officers usually point out
what they deem pertinent for criti
cism. "The splendid progress and de
velopment of tho National Guard of
Pennsylvania since its reorganization
in 1878 has been brought about by
the sharp criticisms, of the inspector
general's department. I will say
this, however, that never in tho his
tory of the National Guard of Penn
sylvania has It been so well organiz
ed, armed and equipped as it is to
day. " Officers of tho regular army de
tailed to Instruct and Inspect It havo
marvelled at the high state of effi
ciency. " There Is a good deal of difference
of opinion, and it exists among of
ficers in the army as well as among
otiicers in the National Guard, as to
whether tho soldier of to-day, regu
lar as well as National Guardsmen,
shall bo taught and Instructed In the
science and art of war, or just 'hay
foot' and 'straw foot' of the old train
ing days.
"The more -nrocresslve officers in
the army and the National Guard are
standing up for the advanced system
To Our Patrons
T1
gives us an opportunity
to extend greetings and
to express appreciation for
the business you have en-4
trusted to us during the pst
year, with best wishes for a
Prosperous and Happy New
Year-
The Citizen Publishing Co.