$1 A YEAR, CASH 18 ADYAHCE. . - "LET ALL THE ENDS THOU AIMS'T AT BE THY COUNTRY'S, THY GOD'S AMD TRUTHS." BEST ADVERTISING HEDIUI VOLUME XXV. WILSON, X. C.DEC. 26, 1895. NUMBER, 52. mi A 1 T . lit: us mm mi If you are ready to look We are ready to show ! For years we have always iday Goocls in this little city, ycu KNOW astonish the natives. We are crowded to me uoui m t, nf onr three' stores with merchandise suitable for the season. Wo Kp1;pvp this will be the year which we have a Grand Stock for you to choose from, We mentions few things that will make useful presents, and to begin with the useful as well as the ornamental, we mention a 3 E A U.T I F U L. STERLING 11M J an d N e w Thi n 01 HE US THAT ABE "PRESENTABLE" PLAIN AND EMBROIDERED HANDKERCHIEFS. FINE SILK MUFFLERS. 4 nnc, .SKIN GLOVES. FUR BACK. FINE SILK SUSPENDERS. GENTS NECK AND 4 IN HAND TIES. SHOPPING BAGS. STAMPED LINEN. 1 CHINILLE TABLE COVERS. TURKISH RUGS. 1 CURTAIN POLES. HOLL AND SHADES. LACE CURTAINS. DINNER NAPKINS AND DOYLIES. FINE DAMASK TOWELS. - ' LUNCH BASKETS. HAIR CURLERS. FINE CHINA INDIVIDUAL CUP AND SAUCER. " BREAD AND BUTTER SETS. , .CAKE PLATES. ice cream: SETS. - BREAKFAST SET. DINNER SET. GLASS WARE OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. TOYS OF ALL KINDS AND THOUSANDS OF OTHER THINGS WHICH WE CANNOT TAKE THE TIME TO MEN TION HERE. Cash Ga cries and if you are wise you will spend . your money where it will go the f urtfiest. M. rax. CASH :1 j Hi lETIAEf If you are readtobuy We are ready to sell ! shown the largest line of Hoi- but this yeac we propose to i i . . i j : "U for giving useful presents of L I U E O F MLTIB gs i n J e.wel ry . lie Barp MS, LEA TH, llnager, . -r . RACKET STORE SANTA GLAUS IS REAL THOUGH MANY PEOPLE SPEAK HIM AS A MYTH. OF In England St. Nicholas Was Recognized as the Guardian of Youth Legend of the Wicked BufccIier--In Germany He Pats Good Things In Lucky Bags. In spite of the fact that Dec. 6 was . "Niphnlfis' "flflv thnnRands nf rArm1p talk of Santa Clans as myth. St. Nicho las -was a very real personage. He was archbifchcp of Myra in 342, and the , nanie'nnder which he enjoys an annual -popularity in this country is the Ger man form that came with the German custom of the Christmas tree and all the rest of it. St. Jnieholas is a great saint with all the Teutonic and Scandinavianpeoples. n It was his . prerogative, says the New ' York Recorder, to manifest his piety when at his mother's breast, for even then he is said to have fasted Wednes days and Fridays. As a matter of course he soon became famous in working mir acles, and here again he appeared to seek favor with the young people. An innkeeper having killed two young gentlemen and put them in the pickle tub, intending to sell them' as pickled pork, the saint, who, in a vision, had Been the deed ddne, declared he would pnt a stop to the business, and there- 1 upon he transformed himself from Lycia to Athens and stood before the astonish ed innkeeper and said, "What hast thou done?" : ' ' The man trembled, confessed and im plored forgiveness. Having patted the man on the back nndsaid, "Don't do it any more,' the holy man turned to the , pickle tub, when the imitation sides, ' legs and hands of pork began to stir, and in quick sticks there came forth not two boys merely, but three, as may be' proved by reference to the Salisbury missal of 1534,. wherein there is a pic ture of the event, and one of its pecul iarities "is that, as the three boys rise complete cut of the pickle, the barbar ous butcher is still busy in cutting cue of them up. . St. Nicholas established yet another claim to be regarded as the . friend of" youth, for he was partial to boxing and employed his skill in the "manly art" upon the heads of bishops. The guardianship of the young by Sanla Ciaus was of old recognized in England by the custom of choir boys in cathedrals choosing a boy bishop on-the .day cf St. Nicholas, Dec. G. This was. a very important event, as may bo seen by Hone's "Every Day Book, "T, 1559," where there is an effigy of a boy bishop from Salisbury cathedral. The custom was 'in 'fail observancefrom early times until 1542, when it was abolished by a proclamation of Henry VIII. - According to- the old north German custom, the happy time for the childreu is the vigil of St. Nicholas, the night of Dec. 5. Then it is that he glides about, putting g:cd things into lucky bags and spying out the merits and demerits of boys and girls and sometimes unspar ingly praising or rebuking them. v -The north German fashion requires the saint to pay a visit to the house where the young are assembled in fes tivityon the night of his vigil. He speaks in kindly words to the juvenile throng, -reproving some, encouraging others. On retiring to rest, each member of the party places an empty shoe on the table, and the door of the room is at once locked, and behold ! when morning dawns and the doors are opened in the presence of all, .the shoes are found to be rilled with gifts for' their owners and the table is covered with trinkets and sweetmeats. We have fiimply incorporated St. Nicholas' day with Christmas day and made the night of Dec. 24 the time of the saint's visitation. But he is not a myth now any more than he ever was. He is a very real as well as a very good saint indeedand for the children-' s sake, may his shadow never grow less 1 The Bird of Dawning. - v A popular superstition is that on the eveof Christmas the bird of dawning singeth all night long to frighten off any evil thing. - It was - from .this belief that Shakes peare wrote: .. - Borne say k that ever 'gainst that season comes Wherein oar Saviour's birth is celebrated. The bird of dawning singeth all night long, And then, they say, no spirit dares stir abroad. She 'nights are wholesome. Then no planets i -' . gtrike, ' - ' ; - - 2fo fairy, takes, ' nor. witch hatb. power . to 1 - - " charm, . ...... r. ".- . Bo hallowed and io gracious is the time. ' St. Nicholas. In. France. . St Nicholas holds a, prominent - posi-! tion in France as the: dispenser ; of gifts,: though in many 'places it is the Christ child who diBtributes them, he Christ child frequently appears to children Jai Ganta Claus'does witrT us; He is usually assiitted by a company of angels, lo Al Cace he is represented by a maiden in rhit-V with a sitvex bell in one hand I tsar fk pasjtet. .ot . sweetmeats in. tne ' ether. Selected, THE MISTLETOE BOUGH. Origin f the Christmas Tree and Decora tion With ETergreens. Among the votaries of the early Druids there was a superstition that the houses should be decorated with evergreens in December in order that the sylvan spir its Jrnight enter them and thus be kept free from the, blast of the cold ndrth wind and the frost until a milder season renewed the foliage of their usual r haunts. " . . : .. :, . The Christmas tree is really from Egypt, where the palm tree puts forth a . r. branch every month, and where a spray , V of this treer with 12 shoots on it, was I used in Egypt at the time cf the winter h solstice as a symbol of the year com pleted. . ' '- ; ; Who does not know the poem begin ning: ' .... , '. The mistletoe hung in the castle, hell;' The holly branch shone bq the old cak wall? Years ago over every man's door in England; hung a sprig of mistletoe at this season. There still hovers a mystic charm about the mistletoe, and many a girl now, with a thrill of expectancy, places a branch of it under the chande-. Tier or over the door. According to a , former belief, when a girl is caught and .kissed under the mistletoe a berry must be picked eff with each kiss, and when the berries have all been plucked the privilege cease's. - Among the ancient Britons the mis tletoe that grows on the oak tree was the kind held in favor. Because cf its heathen origin it is. not used often in church decorations, a fact which is re ferred to by Washington Irving, fa his "Bracebridge Hall," where he has the learned parson' rebuke the unlearned clerk for, this very thing. t In Germany and Scandinavia the holly or holy tree is called Christ's thorn, be cause it puts forth its berries at Christ mas time, and - therefore is especially fitted fGr church decorations. With its glossy, dark leaves and bright, red ber ries, it is an attractive decoration for the house. " The ' Jews used to decorate at their feast of tabernacles with evergreens and flowers. . " t The laurel was used at the earliest times cf the Romans as a! decoration for all joyful occasions and is significant cf peace and victory. In some places it is customary to thrGW branches of laurel on the Christ mas fire and watch for omens while the leaves curland crackle in the heat and flame. The evergreen tree is a symbol used as the revival of nature, which, astro nomically, signifies the return of the sun. Hung with lights and offerings, the tree has for centuries been one cf the principal characteristics of Christ mastide. New York Mercury. THE UNIVERSAL HOLIDAY. Christmas Hells Kins: Joyful Tidincs to All the Earth. There is no holiday in all the long calendar of the months that is eo uni versally and so enthusiastically cele brated as Christmas. All men every svhere take heart of grace and smile a cheerier smile as the music of the Christmas bells falls upon their ears. Whoever will look back to his young days" cannot help remembering "what a strange, mystic time Christmas was. j There was something almost awe inspir- j ing in the music of the Christmas carols ! sung at midnight m the open, frosty air. And these Christmas "waits" who sung? who were they ? Unseen and unknown, we almost deemed them beings of a fairer. world sent down to make Christ mas delightful. If we had known in those days that these men who broke the silence of the starry nignt to tell us j what "the herald angels" sang were j j mortals given to the smoking of tobacco and the drinking of norter, all our ro mantic dreams would have ended there and then. - As we grow older we grow wiser, and therefore a little sadder. We know, of course, that there is no real Santa Clans ; but, oh, how we wish there were! .:v );: ..A-. ' How tne Greek Celebrates Christmas. .. It is more than likely that many of our Christmas customs - were born in Greece, more particularly the decora tions, lights and games. Here ghosts and hobgoblins are rampant; between Christmas day and Epiphany, and chil dren are often frightened into unwilling obedience by the tales. As the pious Greek fasts for a month before Christ Trias the feast of that day is very 4 wel come to him, though it, consists princi pally of macaroni and strong cheese. On the . island of Chios there is in use a strange jort . of .Christmas tree, which b sometimes simply ' a pole adorned ittii fruits and1 flowers, carried by a tenant zarmer .t.o jiia landlord as . a pres- ent .that4 typifies, the . good., will and Irishes for an abundant, harvest. Ex change.. " - : . ' ' w ':" f Hall's Hair Renewer renders the Hair lustrous and .silken, gives, it even ! color, md enables women ( to put lip f . - :S1MM0M-S REGULATOR """" "SSTSV' ""J?2'V Are you taking Simmons Liver Reg ulator, the "King op Liver Medi cines?" That is what our readers want, and nothing but that. It is the same old friend to which the old folks pinned their-faitn and were never dis appointed. But another good recom mendation for it is, that it is better than Pills, never gripes, never weak Qns, but works in such an easy and natural way, just like nature itself, that relief comes quick and sure, and one feels new all over. It never fails. Everybody needs take a liver remedy, and everyone should take only Sim mons Liver Regulator. Be sure you get it. The Red Z is on the wrapper. J. H. Zeilin & Co., Philadelphia. Christmastime. " There's a little eld man with silvery hair An a long white beard "at flies in the air, With twinklin black eyes an a rosy, red face, An onct a year lie comes to our place. An our little maid "- An our littlo man Ez anxious to see 'ini ixxm's they can. . In the dead o' night when all's asloop An the cold frost snaps an the snow ez deep, With a rtindetr team an a, .silver sled He comei straight, from fairy aad, 'ti'sakT So bur little man . . An our little maid " . . Ez anxious to see 'im thty ain't afraid. ;- But you lettfr take kct r, fernscrae folks say., 'At ef yer naughty- he'll ily axs'ayi ,Ah quieker'n you kin vrhistlc phew-v Away he's g-one up the chimney Hue I" So our little maid r ; An our little man . Ez tryin to be jest ez good's they can. But ef yer good an 'bey yer pa An don't never cry an vex yer ma He'll fill yer stockin's with yames an toys. An huts an sweets an all sorts o' joys. So our little niaid An our little man, tfants Santy xo come jes' as quick's'he can. Nvw York Sun. K.issin2 unaer tne mistletoe. - . The mystic mistletoe bough then as now granted a kissing charter to the swains, and the maids were willing suf ferers. The sacred mistletoe was regard ed with religious veneration by the Druids.and its berries cf pearl as symbols of purity and associated with the rites, of marriage. From this the transition Was but slight to the kiss beneath the tiabalistic bough. This traditional sa credness, the genesis of which is un known, has endured through the ages, and today for man and maid to meet be neath the mistletoe gives the right to a sacred kiss. Few York Herald. ' Hosanna! Sinff. . Awake, good Christians! Long ago The shepherds waked at night' . And saw the heavens with' glory glow And angels in the light. Hosanna 1 Sing hosanna! Sing Hosanna in the height! New life they told to all on earth, Vew life &nd blessing bright, Forewarning of thcS:iviour's birth In Bethlehem this night. Hosanna! Sing hosanna! Sing Hosanna in the height! ' . . - - . . New life to all, new life to all. The tidings good recite. i New life to all, which did befall . At Bethlehem this night. : . , Hosanna I Sing hosanna! Sing ' Hosanna in the height! Old CaroL Crontes a la Noel Line some patty pans with fine short paste, fill them with mincemeat, cover with a cardboard box lid and bake. Then, instead of a pastry lid, cover them with equal parts of fresh butter and sugar beaten to a light white cream and flavored with a squeeze of lemon juice or rosewater or any good cordial. Be Not Dismayed. God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing yon dismay . , Not eren your finances when " You find 'tis Christmas day. Washington Post. To a Can Belle Ye The testimonials published in behalf of Hood's Sarsaparilla. They are written by honest people,, who have actually found in their own experience 'that ' Hood's Sarsaparilla purines the blood; ' creates .an appetite, . strengthens ?the : "system and Absolutely and permanent- ly cures diseases caused by impure and deficient blood ' . HoQds Pills for the liver and bowels act promptly easily and effectively. W f r'jBKr--' ; -

Page Text

This is the computer-generated OCR text representation of this newspaper page. It may be empty, if no text could be automatically recognized. This data is also available in Plain Text and XML formats.

Return to page view