1r ? ' ==2==s3ss=s=sssBaamaaan
If Grandpapa Were Santa Qaus!
If Q rind pa pa were Santa Claus, how happy we would be 1 \
When toyshop toil was finished he would take us on each knee.
He'd tell us all his secrets-and he'd name the pretty toys
He'd made and kept in hiding for the other girls and boys.
We have a real, live Grandpapa 1 He visits us each year,
And he is quite a bosom friend of Santa Claus, I hear.
Although he owns no reindeer, and of playthings no great store?
If Grandpapa were Santa Claus, we could not love him more 1
GENE MORGAN.
EMOTIONAL VALUE OF DAY
Christina* Spirit Almost Universally
Fslt, But What It I* Remains a
Mystery to Many.
The emotional value of Christmas
may be said to be universally felt.
Something happens at Christmas that,
if only for a day or two, does the
whole world good. What that some
thing Is remains tor many a mystery.
A number of persons who feel the
renewing Impulse are like Fa list when
the notes of the Easter song arrest
his snlcidal Intent: they take and en
Joy the moment's deliverance and con
tinue to regard the source of the boon
as nothing more than mythology made
potent through human associations.
Others are moved through supersti
tious fears; they approach the great
season with consciences crowded with
uncomfortable memories. Marley's'
??
I Bon't onto Bo |
in Holiday Firr Caution
H| Do act decorate your Ckritttnii |||
tree with piper, cotton or fUmjr
Do oot aoe cotton torepreeentuow.
Do not peralt children lo light
Do oot leave matches within reach
I . of tfeo chaMrrn.
H| Do oot plate Chrhtmai tree oear |R
- W oialaw nrtnu or (aa fixtures.
Doe metollle tiaiel and non-infiam
Use eobestoolibef to represent snow. I
fcet the tree apoal Oghot?lisYstnad- |
II A -?? _| m*erimonl la iKon
II wo IBWl IHirill ^9 PvlICi UwHl ftl
|j ? Hare aa eitiatfdsber or o lew |||
Uchate JuU of www aear too M
tree, readjr for ooo ia aa caw- I
foacj.
ghost Is after them, but, unlike
Scrooge, their new heart la only for
Christmas week. Another group sim
ply fall in with an ancient custom
and are surprised, and Indeed pleased,
when the dry bones of their unbeliev
ing minds come together, take on
Beth, and begin to live. A vast mul
titude meet the great day with buoy
ant expectation, take with thanks Its
new happiness, return to their work
In this exalted mood, and ask no ques
tions about cduse and effect. A few
philosophize on the phenomenon, and
they are willing to stake their lives
on the substantial truth of their In
sight.?George A. Gordon, In Atlantic
Monthly.
rr - ^ n
FRIENDLY ADVICE.
i at> you suggest something for me
to get for ray wife for Ohriitm*?r'
l>e asked at the shopkeeper.
"ToE"d bettor get her a boa of
cigare, I expect." said the shopkeeper.
"8he wai In here thl? morning and
bought g lace parasol for you."
ISJLEMfif
Gathering of Plant Saored Rite
in Oruidical Religious
Festival*.
Alto Considered a Potent Remedy for
lilt, a Belief Which Still Exists In
8ome of the Remote Places
of Europe.
fE decorate our homes with
sprays of mistletoe at Christ
mas tlme? but few of us
know the history of It as a
Yuletlde symbol Pretty
girls are kissed under It and
a great deal of fun and nonsense Is
carried on apropos of It, bat no one
stops to think of how ancient a dec
oration it Is or' how sacred' It was
onoe thought to be.
Almost everybody has a vague
knowledge that the Druids of old had
something to do with the gathering of
mistletoe, but lust what that some
thing was is not clear to the average
mind.
The fact la that the ancient Celts In .
?their druldical religion had two great
festivals, one In June and the other in
December, the latter being equivalent
to our Christmas. In both of these
great festivals the gathering of the
mistletoe was a sacred rite.
Pliny In his "Natural History" de
scribes the ceremony. Speaking of the
Druids' worship of the oak, he aays:
"They believe that whatever grows on
these trees is sent from heaven and la
a sign that* the tree has been chosen
by the god himself. The mistletoe is
very rarely to be met with, but when
It is found they gather it with solemn
ceremony. This they do especially on
the sixth day of the moon, because by
the sixth day the moon has plenty of
vigor and has not run half Its course.
"After the preparations have been
made for a sacrifice and a feast under
the tree they hail It as the universal
healer and bring to the spot two white
bulls whose horns have never been
bound before. A priest clad In a white
robe climbs the tree and with a golden
sickle cuts the mistletoe, which Is
caught In a white cloth. Then they
sacrifice the victims, praying that Ood
may make bis own gift to prosper
with those upon whom he has be
stowed It. . /
"They believe that a potion pre
pared from mistletoe will increase
their flocks and that the plant la a
remedy against all poison."
It was believed to be a remedy for
many Ills, and this belief Is still to be
found in many remote places In Eu
rope. In Holstein, tor example, the
mistletoe Is regarded as a healing
remedy for wounds, and in Lacaune,
France, It Is always administered by
the native people as an antidote for
poison. They apply the plant to the
stomach of the patient and give him a
solution of It to drink as well. The
Gaelic word for mistletofe Is "an t'nll
loc." which means all healer.
In the northeast of Scotland people
used to cut withes of mistletoe at the
March full moon; these they bent In
circles and kept for a year to cure bee
tle fevers and other troubles. In some
parts of Germany the mistletoe Is es
pecially esteemed as a remedy for the
ailments of children, who sometimes
wear It hung around the neck as an
amulet.
In Sweden on Midsummer eve mis
tletoe is diligently sought after, the
people believing It to be possessed of
many mystic qualttles< and that If a
spr'lg of It is attached to the celling
'of the dwelling house, the horse's stall
or the cow's crib, the troll# will then
be powerless to injure either man or
beast. Branches of the plant are com
monly seen In farm houses hanging
from the celling to protect the dwell
ings from all harm, but especially from
fire, and persons afflicted with the fall
ing sickness think they cab ward, oJ
all attaeks of the malady by carrying
about with them a knife which has a
hanow- ef mistletoe.
A Swedish remedy for other com
plaints is to hang a sprig of mistletoe
round the sufferer's neck or to make
him- wear on his finger a ring mads
from the plant. Moreover they fash
Ion divining rods of mistletoe or of
four different kinds of wood, ene of
which must be mistletoe. The treas
ure seeker places the rod on the
ground after sundown, and when it
rests directly over the treasure the
rod begin* to move as If It were alive.
Like their Swedish neighbors, many
German peasants consider the mistle
toe a powerful charm against evil splr
?Its. Aj similar belief seems to have
lingered among the Romans; whose re
ligion at a very early date was some
what similar to thaf of the Druids.
When Aeneas descended Into HaA%'< h*
gathered to protect himself from the
Infernal powers a branch'of mistletoe
which Vergil calls the goiden bough.
"15 TW1
TERM?"
liM
HIT'S de las' thing I heah when I tun
out de light.
"Is 'a cumin' ternlgbt. mammy? Comln'
ternightr*
En de good Lawd knows, dough 1 sex
"Not yit,"
Day's a-astla' me still wbut day gwine
-w *ter flt
En I projick an plan, an I skimp en
squeese,
Rn I hurries apas' all de winders I sees.
'Cass da cbllluns agptfe's dat he'll bring
'am a lot ?
En day think he's de sany dat de White
Folks got
"Is 'a comln' teraight, mammy? Comln'
temlght?"
Lawd, I wlsht in mah soul dat 'a would
an he might!
I wlsht in mah soul dat Vd coma down
da flue
Lak I use tar believe dat 'a sholy would
^""ile.
When de chflh&ns on dress an day jump In
to bald.
En I tuck up de quilt 'roun' eacH po' ll'l
haid,
Dan I set down en wfsh, an I wish lak I
pray,
Dat 'e find out da place 'fO' hit coma
Chris'mas Day.
Why, de chill una believes! Dey Is sho*
dat hit so.
En dey countin* on him lak a man dat
dey% know.
En dey~talk er de things dat he sutten
ter brine,
'Twell dey set up in bald en dess holler
en sine- ~~!
En I tell 'em w'y sho* food ole^Santy 'II
come
Wid a doll en a sled en a railroad en
drum.
En dey drif off ur sleep wid a smile on
dey face
En dey ain' not a cent I kin spalh in de
place!
f
Hit's de las' thine I heah when I tun out
de light:
"Is *e comln* ternigbt, mammy? Comln'
ternlght?"
En% I lauehs wid dem all w'en dey plan
whut dey do - ?
Wid de things dat he'll bring?en I say
hit's all true!:
En de white e>U!na up whah I*s wukln',
dey 'low
Dat ole Santy he'll come* en won't miss
?em nohow.
"Is *e comln' fernight?" Lawd, I wlsht
hit 'ud be
Dat he's com tyuh en fix up dls 'poblem
for me!
| Except ye become as a
|l little child ye shall in no
| wise enter into the Joy
HI of Christmas time.
When and Why.
"Do you go to Sunday school now,
Georgia?" Inquired Oeorgie's uncle.
"Yep; Christmas Is comln'!"
"Don't you go etcept i just before
Christmas'"'
"Yep; I go just before the summer
picnic, too."-'- ' ?;
The Christmas Robin,
la many parts of England the robin
la associated with Christmas-tide
There la a belief that on Christmas
ere these birds will sing near a boose
where a person Is dying, to sheer him.
Hi M GIVE
Helpful Christmas Present Sug
gestions for those Who
Are Puzzled.
Unabridged Dictionary Will Appre
ciated by Chlldrgp of Kindergarten
- Age?Other Suitable Qlfte for
Young and Old.
f NUMBER of correspondents
who have requested sugges
tions of- books suitable for
Christmas gifts will find an
swers. to their queries la
the following:
Among the many attractive gift
books for very little boys might be
mentioned Professor Rausmlssen's
"Analogy Between the Monogamous
Protoplasm and the Silurian Mole
cule." We can think of no book that
would be a greater source of delight
to the child that Is hot yet out of
short dresses. It tells In easy words
of eight and ten syllables of the
sports and pastimes of the protoplas
mic faintly and draws beautiful moral
lessons from the corpuscles of the
carboniferous era. It Is handsomely
Illustrated with representations of the
agile animalcule and will be sure to
delight the heart of the little boy or
girl who finds It in bis or her stock
ing, as the case may be.
Another dainty idea for a child of
three or fopr years is the Unabridged
Dictionary. The simplicity of style
observed hi this Interesting narrative
recommends It at once for children
who have reached the kindergarten
age. The plot Is not so complex and
the characters are sufficiently varied
to bold the unflagging Interest of the
little ones. We have In mind a gen
tleman who gave his little son a dic
tionary last Christmas, and he as
sures us that the lad simply devoured
the book.
A pretty present for a child Is the
clinical report of the county hospital.
This comes nicely printed on clean
white paper, with bizarre illustrations
showing the rise and tall of the tem
perature, amount of protolds eaten,
official count of the germs, statistics
as to microbes and many other amus
ing and entertaining Ideas. A rare
source of pleasure with this book Is
to have the little fellows pronounce
the long words first the way they are
spelled and then read them backward
and see what difference. If any, there
Is In the sound. 8ome boys would
rather do this than go skating.
In the line of pure romance there
Is nothing more entertaining from
Prof. T. It. Escopex's "How the Spec
trum Caught On in Saturn." This
highly original historical tale tells
host the spectnim reyealed the secret
of 8aturn's rings, showing that the
planet was warm and dry and that the
two rings were for lee water. It
comes In four large volumes, with 22
pages of logarithmic calculations that
are sure to delight young and old.
As a gift book for a member of a
temperance family there is nothing
pleasanter than "The Complete Bar
keeper." This tells exactly what goes
Into the stuff that men put In their
mouths to steal away their brains,
and will be of valuable assistance to
any person who wishes t6 apply sat
isfactory tests and determine whether
or not he has been equipped with
brains and would Inspire larceny.
"One Thousand Ways to Cure a
Cold," by Burton Bales, is a beautiful
ly written book, giving all the reme
dies for cold that were suggested to
Its author In one day. There are 89
variations of the quinine andw whisky
treatment, and the other Pit reme
Hloa nnnglot rtf (ha aama nwoaorlntion
without the bitter quinine.^ This Is
a good book to hare la any house.
"The Servant Question and Its An
swer" will deceive many people, but
it night do for a gift to a young mar
ried couple. The answer Is quaintly
given: "Board."
WILBUR D. NE8BIT.
MORE SLIPPERS COMING.
?The time le at hand." eaJd the preacher.
With wrath ehowln*plaln on each feach
"Whelt allppera will be
BhoeFerid down upon me ... y.v*
Bf avery Feminine ereaeher."
Life Without Christmas.
To take Christmas out of Ufe. would
be to take the perfume out of flowers,
(he sweetness from ell songs, the
color from the rainbow, the soul from
the bed;, Qod from the sk/.
VALUE OF A CHILD'S GIFTS
Those Made With Thalr Own Hands
Taach Good Lessons and
Glva Inspiration.
If we stop to. think about oar
Christmas giving we realize that a
.gift means more .to the -giver than It
'dees to him whp receives. It It Is
given In the proper spirit the donor
finds out to the toll that It Is really
'more blessed to give than to re
ceive," a tact that Is lost sight ot In
an age of'the commercial spirit.
With children there,Is a great edu
cative value W their present giving
if It Is- encouraged to be really their
Own giving. If ths mother, however,
stmply prepares some tittle remem
brance, and says "Mary,, this Is your
Christmas present to Aunt Ellen," the
gift has no meaning In the thoughts
of the young giver. And not only
has It no meaning, but It becomes
actually harmful for the reason It pre
sents the Idea to the child that the
gift without the giver Is really a gift.
And the child has put no thought or
self sacrifice Into the giving of that
present, r _ .
On the other hand. 11 the child be
given pocket mbney which It may con
sider its very own, or, batter still. If
It Is enabled to earn pocket money and
Is then encouraged to set aside a por
tion of Its very own money for peas
ant making the Idea of true giving Is
acquired. The sac rill ce. the fore
thought, the love necessary to make a
gift a real gift are there.
The home-made gifts of children
have many' valuable lessons to teach
tJa young givers. Many lessons la
sewing, raffia, bead-work or painting
may be given under the guise of mak
ing a gift. Ir one family, where the
elder sister had never made gifts,
and really never learned to sew well
until she was eighteen years of age,
the younger slstefj a girl of ten. In
spired by the example of a small
friend, wished to make birthday gifts
for her family. Once she asked her
mother to teach her how to crochet;
another time to scallop, and before
she was twelve years old she had be
come as proficient a little seamstress
as one would want to see.
Thus practical lessons are learned,
while the child Is Inspired with the
idea that "Not what we give, but
what we share; the gift without the
giver is bare."
A FEEL IN THE CHRI8TMA8 AIR.
By JAME8 WHITCOMB, RII>EY.
xneys a aina <r reel j
la the air to me
When the Chrts'
mu times sets In
That's about as mueh
of a-mystery
As evefr I've run
ag'ln.
Fer Instance, now.
whilst I gain In
weight
And glneral health,
I swear
(JJ^ l> They a a roneneae
A ? somer* I can't
?u quite state?
A kind o' feel in the air.
They's a feel in the
Chrls'mas air
goes right
To the ?pot where
a man Uvea.at!
It gives a Mler a
appetite?
They ain't no doubt
about that!
And yit they's some
pin?I don't know
what?
That f oilers me
here and there
And ha'nt* and worries and spare* me
not?
A kind o' feel In the air.
They'a a feel, &a I
?ay, In the air
that's jest
Aa blftmed-en sad
' :r 1M a~vn<
III the same ra-sho
as I feel the best
And am the spryest
on my feet
They's alius a kind
o* sort of a ache
That I can't locate
nowhere.
urn 11 comes wun i nns mag. ana no mis
?f take? > -?
? kind o' feel *n the air.
Is It the, racket the
children raise?
Why, no! ? God
blew 'eqv no!
Is It the eyes and
the cheeks ablase.
Like my own wu%
long ago?
Is It theNbleat o* the
whistle and
beat
o- the little toy ?
drum end blare
O" the horn? No, bo! It Is Jest the
sweet?
The sad-sweet (eel In the air.
One MlQnt.
"Thej are to be married on ChrUt
m|? dnv."
"Would you call Oat Tulo-UaAJ*"
.. s8'?' . . 1 is ?
mhwional
simpm
Lesson
(By S. O. SELLERS. Ac-time Director of
Sunday School Course.)
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 27
JESUS, THE WORLD'S SAVIOR AND?
KING.
(Review.)
" READING DEMON-H Coi. (rtt-a.
GOLDEN TEXT-Ear b<- II from me to
xlory. save In ths crow ?( out Uird Jesus
Christ?Oal. ?:1? R. V.
With the exception of tbe temper
ance leeaon, all tbe leaaons of tbe quar
ter bare to do with tbe deatb and res
urreotlon of our Lord, la tbe Brat
quarter we considered Jeaua aa tbe
treat Teacher; In tbe second. he la
preaented chiefly as tbe seeking
Savior; In tbe third, we observed him
as he anted la Judgment upon Israel
and sin; In this last, be Is seen In his
supreme offlce aa Savior and king. Tbe
king of love, he la also the world'a
Savior, Deny him his kingship, refuse
,|o become a subject of that kingdom
of which he Is the head and we bring
upon ourselves the condemnation of a
righteous Judgment. This past quar
ter particularly reveals him In that
Bnal ministry which resulted In tbe
Initiation of the hew enterprise of pro
claiming bis gospel, to tbe end that
his kingdom shall be established. We
shall consider the lessons under four
headings:
Story of Love.
I. Thtat of Preparation for Hta Pae
oion. These embrace the first three
lessons. (1) In the first, wo hare the
beautlfi'l story of the love which
anointed him for hartal, which be ac
cepted and immortalised. This was
not because of the greatness of the
set, but because of the appreciation of
himself and of his words. <1) Here
we observe him presiding over and in
stituting that tasting memorial, the
symbolic feaat, wherein the old basses
away, and the now dispensation i is
ushered In. ft) In the third lesson'we
view with awe the,agony of the gar
den wherein he dedicated bimaelf to
the coming suffering, "Not as I trill,
hut as thou wilt"?absolute surrender
and delight In the Father s will.
II. Those That Preceded Hla Pas
sion. These not five lessons load' ua
through those dark shadows, yea,
through a darkness which is yet un
fathomable and which eaded in the
total darkness of Calvary. ?) In this
lesson Judas Is presented, the incarna
tion of evil, end the agent of Satan,
who betrayed bis Lord and Friend
by a kiss. Hare wa nee the utter ruin
of a soul which ehosn private ambition
Instead of fellowship with Jesus. (?>
This la a presentation of the greatest
and moat appalling travesty of justice
the world has ever seen. Humanity
never deeceadOd to aey lower depths,
yet be la serene, calm, dignified and
strong. (?) The Temperance Lesson.
(7) This lesson considers the heart
breaking rashness of Pster. (I) This
la ths story of the Ignoble failure of a
weak, vacillating, tlme-eervar. Pilate's
conscience was keenly alive, yet at
last, that he might save himself and
retain his position of power, be gave
Jesus over to the hatred and malice of
hla enemies by ordering him to be
crucified.
Story of ths CroM.
III. Hla Pinion. (9) Thla brine*
ua to the story of the cross Itself, a*
considered In this sequence of lessons.
Before that awe-lnspfiing, wonder
creating event we stand with bared
head. Here sin was unmasked and did
Its utmost. Her also we behold eraco
unveiled and active.
IV. The Post-Passion Lessons. We
are now In a new atmosphere and
light, a new glory Is to be seen. (10)
In this lesson we behold the empty
tomb, for "He could not be holden of
death." We Share with them the glori
ous, the Joyful consciousness that he
whom we have lust seen die In Ig
nominy and shame and suffering 1*
now alive and "ever Uveth" to be our
advocate send ever-present friend. This
Is a glorious fact, that of the literal,
bodily resurrection of Christ from
among the dead. Hallelujah! (11) In
lesson eleven this same thought is
again emphasised and with the sugges
tion of Its accompsnylng obligation, in
that "we are witnesses of these
thing*." These Brat disciples re
ceived their peat * commission and
were toM how In infinite pace the
Savior and king first of all oalls hi*
followers Into fellowship with him
self before they are sent out to carry
on those enterprises which are the
fruit of his death and resurrection.
(11) In this Is found the blessed record
of those last words of him who
"shewed himself alive after bis pas
sion by many Infallible proofs, being
seen of them forty days, and speaking
of the things concerning the kingdom"
(Acts 1:1). Here Is not alone the un
questioned certainty of the resurrec
tion of Christ from the dead, but the
record of his present place 'In the
heavenlies," whither be ascended to
be with the Rather, and also the glo
rious hope of hla coming again "In like
manner as ye saw him ascending."
Bodily he left this earth, bodily and
"In great glory" he Is to return. Praise
his name!
In "Tarbe'l's Teacher*' Guide" to a
good suggestion for review Sunday,
via., that/It aertae of elliptical pbraae*
be wrlttbn upon a board or chart, that
will Sx the chief Idea or serve to re
call the lesaoni, aa follow*:
(1) Let her alone ... (2) For
ye have the poor ... (3) Where
soever tl)la gospel shall be preached
... (4) Verily I say unto you.
One . . . '.?) For the Son of Man
Koeth ...(*) Taja la my blood
... (7) Take ye . . . (g) My
aoul la . . ? -if) .'ather, all thing*
.. . . (10) Watch and . . . <ll?
My God. my . . . (li) Why aeek
ye . . . (IS) Ye shall be my . . .
These phrases may be written upoa
cards or slips of paper and distributed
to classes or Individuals, the entire
! sentence to he recited when called tor.
? '?