Newspapers / The Transylvania Times (Brevard, … / Dec. 22, 1938, edition 1 / Page 2
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Famous Writer Gave Most Unusual 'Christmas Gift' in All History In 1891 Robert Louis Stevenson "Bequeathed" His November 13 Birthday to a Little Girl In New England Who Was Unhappy Because She Had Been Born on December 25 and Thus Was "Cheated Out of a Birthday Party Like All the Other Children Hove" C We*tem New*p»per Union. By ELMO SCOTT WATSON I—'ORTY-SEVEN years ! ago Henry Clay Ide, a J- Vermont lawyer who had held various public offices in the Green Mountain state, was appointed American commissioner in the Samoan islands, then held jointly by the United States, Great Britain and Germany. It was not a very important appointment but it became ,the first link in a chain of circumstances which resulted in one of the most unusual “Christmas gifts” in all his tory. Ide’s wife and two daugh ters did not accompany him when he went to Samoa but remained in their Vermont home. Among the residents of Samoa Ide found a famous writer who had become a voluntary, exile there for the benefit of his health. This was Robert Louis Stevenson, author of “Treasure Island,” “Kidnaped” and a number of other books which have be come English classics. Ide and Stevenson became warm friends. During a conver sation one day about the coming Christmas holidays the American told the Englishman that he had a little daughter, Annie, back in ANNIE IDE COCHRAN Vermont who was always un happy at Christmas time because she had been born on December 25 and thus was “cheated out of a birthday party like the other children have.” Although he and his wife tried to compensate for this by giving her more than the usual number of Christmas pres ents, Annie continued to mourn over her lack of a “real birth day.” Thereupon Stevenson sat down and wrote out the following re markable document: "I,* Robert Louis Stevenson, Advocate of the Scots Bar, au thor of the Master of Ballantrae, and Moral Emblems, stuck civil engineer, sole owner and pat entee of the Palace of Plantation known as Vallima, in the Island of Upolu, Samoa, a British sub ject, being in sound mind, and pretty well, I thank you, in body: "In consideration that Miss An nie H. Ide, daughter of H. C. Ide, in the Town of Saint Johns bury, in the County of Caledonia, in the State of Vermont, United States of America, was born, out of reason, upon Christmas Day, and is therefore out of all justice denied in consolation and profit of a proper birthday: “And considering that I, the said Robert Louis Stevenson, have attained the age when, O, we never mention it, and that I have now no further use for a birthday of any description: "And in consideration that I have met H. C. Ide, father of the said Annie H. Ide, and found him about as white a land commis sioner as I require, “Have transferred, and do hereby transfer, to the said Annie H. Ide all and whole my rights and privileges in the thirteenth day of November, formerly my birthday, now hereby and hence forth, the birthday of the said Annie H. Ide, to have, to hold, exercise and enjoy the same in her customary manner, by the sporting', of fine raiment, eating of rich meats and receipt of gifts, compliments and copies of verse, according to the manner of our ancestors: "And I direct the said Annie H. Ide to add to the said name of Annie H. Ide the name of Lou isa—at least in private—and I ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON, famous author who "willed” bis birthday ss a Christmas gift to a little girl in New England. charge her to use my said birth day with moderation and human ity, et tanquam bona filia fami liae, the said birthday not being as young as it once was, and hav ing carried me in a very satis factory manner since I can re member. “And in case the said Annie H. Ide shall neglect or contra vene either of the above condi tions, I hereby revoke the dona tion and transfer my rights in the said birthday to the President of the United States of America for the time being. “In witness whereof I have hereto set my hand and seal in the year of grace eighteen hun dred and ninety-one. “ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON” After having this document witnessed by his friends, Lloyd Osbourne and Harold Watts, Ste venson gave it to Ide who sent it with a letter of explanation to his wife. On the morning of De cember 25, 1891, little Annie Ide walked slowly into the room where a Christmas tree was laden with presents for her and her sister. As usual, she was brooding over her "lost birth day.” But her mood soon changed when her mother handed her the “deed of gift” which was hang ing on the tree and explained its meaning to her. Thanks to the famous Robert Louis Stevenson she now had a “birthday of her very own” and its celebration would not be overshadowed by the celebration of Christmas. Little Annie immediately wrote a letter of thanks to Stevenson and sent with it photographs and drawings of herself. In acknowl edging her letter Stevenson ex plained to her how her “new birthday” would work. He wrote: “You are thus become a month and twelve days younger than you were, but will go on growing older for the future in the reg ular and human manner from one thirteenth of November to the next. The effect on me is more doubtful; I may, as you suggest, live forever, I might, on the other hand, come to pieces like the one horse shay at a moment’s notice; doubtless the step is risky, but I do not in the least regret that which enables me to sign my self your revered and delighted name-father.” Two years later Mrs. Ide took her two daughters to Samoa to join their father. They arrived on November 12 and were met by Ide and Stevenson. The next day, being little Annie’s "new birthday,” she was a guest at a huge feast which the natives had arranged for Stevenson in honor of his birthday which he, un known to them, had "willed” to the little American girl. She sat beside him at the end of the na tive dais and received many fine gifts. The next year the event was repeated and there was a dinner party in the evening besides. The famous author enjoyed the occa sion as much as did the little girl. But that was their last dual celebration for Stevenson died on December 3, 1894, Annie Ide, however, continued to carry out faithfully the conditions of the birthday deed “by the sporting of fine raiment, eating of rich meats and receipt of gifts.” Even after she became a wom an and married W. Bourke Cock ran, famous New York political leader and congressman, she con PRINCE EDWARD tinued to observe the “birthday” which Stevenson had willed to her. Stevenson proved to be a good prophet for her husband was a wealthy man, and in their lux urious home at Port Washington, Long Island, she received her “gifts” of costly jewelry and ar rayed herself in her “fine rai ment” of Paris gowns. Last year, Mrs. Cockran de cided that she had enjoyed more than her share of the unique Christmas present which Steven son had “willed” to her. So, in stead of letting it revert to the President of the United States, as Stevenson had whimsically sug gested would be done if she should “neglect or contravene” the provisions of his will, she passed the birthday along to her niece, Anita Leslie, a well-known British author who is the daugh ter of Shane Leslie, Irish poet, novelist and dramatist, and Mar jorie Ide Leslie, sister of Annie Ide Cockran. II ever Miss Leslie decides that she no longer wishes to keep Ste venson’s “gift birthday,” there are several notables, born on De cember 25, who would doubtless welcome it. It would be especial ly fitting, perhaps, if she con ferred it upon a little boy who is "out of all justice denied in con solation and profit of a proper birthday” even though he is a scion of royalty. That little boy is Prince Edward, the young son of the duke and duchess of Kent. Or she might pass it along to another member of the royal house of her native England young Prince Edward’s aunt, the duchess of Gloucester. Some oth er notables born on Decem ber 25 are Evangeline Booth, world commander of the Salva tion Army; Helen Twelvetrees, actress; Rebecca West, novelist; Gladys Swarthout, opera singer; Robert L. Ripley, the “Believe It or Not” man; Paul Manship, sculptor; Belle Baker, singer, and Jerry Rodman, six-day bicy/U racer. Six years after the little girl in Vermont had been made happy by Robert Louis Steven son, who “willed” her his birth day, another little girl in New York city was also made happy by a writer, but in a different way. One day in September. 1897, there came to the office of the New York Sun this letter: *-££~** n 7 •&' >-«■ at ^^Jt.ft. j~i»w7S ■ £ |4** «rvy^t®4^, Thereupon Francis P. Church, an editorial writer, wrote a re ply which was printed as an edi torial in the Sun on September 21, 1897. It said: IS THERE A SANTA CLAUS? We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great grati fication that its faithful author is .numbered among the friends of the Sun: Dear Editor-—I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says: "If you see it in the Sun it’s so.” Please tell me the truth; “is there a Santa Claus?” "Virginia O’Hanlon.” Virgina, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or little children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence ca pable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as drear as if there were no Virginias. There would be no child-like faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tol erable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus? You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus com ing down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You may tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fan cy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus? Thank God! he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood, j A “Newspaper Classic.” Around Christmas time, the next year after this editorial ap peared in the Sun, that newspa- 1 per began receiving requests from its readers: “Please reprint the editorial called ‘Is There a Santa Claus?’ ” Each year there after it received the same re quest and each year the editorial was reprinted in the columns of the Sun. More than that, it was reprint* ed in other newspapers which also received the same request annually. It became a “News paper Classic,” which has been reproduced thousands of times during the 40 years that have elapsed since it first appeared, and it has been translated into many foreign languages—even the Chinese! Next to Clement C. Moore’s poem, “A Visit From St. Nich olas" (also called “The Night Be fore Christmas"), this editorial is probably the best known bit of writing associated with Christmas ever produced in America and it seems destined, like Santa Claus, to “live forever.” Each land has its own y ul r tide custom s. Above, at New York's Rocke feller Center, carolers sing nightly before Christmas. In the Italian Alps, right, children pray before a wayside shrine. Above, dressed in fancy cos tumes, Polish children stage scenes from biblical lore and sing religious songs, serenading the homes of villagers. At tropical Cairo, in Egypt, European visitori erect their Christmas tree in the shadow of the pyramids. Left: Stock holm, Sweden, street decora tions. Feic ceremonies are mere colorful than those of Rumania, where villagers portray the three wise men, shepherds and an angel. At TromtOf Norway, most northern part of Europe boasting a radio station, residents listen to the story of Christ’s birth. Christmas service in a Russian Orthodox church. '
The Transylvania Times (Brevard, N.C.)
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Dec. 22, 1938, edition 1
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