Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 7, Number 303, Decatur, Adams County, 24 December 1909 — Page 2

SANTA CLAUS 1 IN PORTO RICO. CHRISTMAS in Spain is a rellgious festival rather than a social one. It was so originally in Porto Rico, but the population has been Influenced partly by the spirit of the new world and partly by : the many American merchants who re- , side in tbe cities and who exert an in- . fluence much greater thnn the numbers would seem to warrant. The churches welcome the day with ' chimes which begin ai midnight and last until the midnight of the next day. | What witli one church beginning ten I minutes too soon and another ten min- j ute» too late and a third at the right ■toment, what with bells which ring every fifteen minutes and bell ringers ■ who under some ancient custom will j sound the great bells every half hour, , the air Is tilled with music which never seems to end. If you nre near a campanile the effect is hot altogether pleasant on account of the volume of sound striking the ear with too much force, but in a public square several hundred yards from the nearest belfry, where trees r*b ,F ’’w>vr \** '/Er J" A ‘ -A***” \\Z4J r__ i l : ® tig A DAUGHTER PLAYS ON THE GUITAR. and buildings break the sound waves, or in suburbs on the hillside the effect is unspeakably delightful. Pleasantest of all is it when you are sitting in the inner court or quadrangle of a Porto Rican home. Around you on four sides the house rises above you. and in the grounds or in great tubs and porcelain pots rieh flowers, graceful vines and restful trees afford shade, color and perfume. The sound of the bells descends from the air above very much like a benediction. You sit in an easy chair, and servants bring you tea or steaming coffee, sweetmeats and biscuits, confections and cigarettes, while a daughter or son plays ancient songs or dances upon a mandolin or guitar. The churches are crowded; so are the clubs and most of the places of recreation. Every vehicle is in use, and here and there can be seen young men and women trying to imitate English models. Some of the people of the mountain districts carry out many of their early superstitions in regard to Christmas. They hang over the doors of their houses boughs of trees which are supposed to possess charms and often conduct marriage ceremonies under great canopies made of these charmed trees. A great many wild flowers are in bloom at Christmastide, and these are worn by children of the mountain districts in wreaths and garlands about their heads, necks and waists. The Christmas giving is sadly missing in our new possessions. The churches hold no Christmas tree, and there are few charitable societies to give feasts. However, one hospital for old people and orphans in Ponce gives a Christmas fete, and the Inmates have a good meal and receive warm clothing, medicines and other needful gifts. The American occupation has brought extra Christmas cheer to the people of the Island. The American residents celebrate the day in good American fashion, and, best of all, they put money into circulation and give zest to industry and business. When Shepherds Watched by Night. Some historians contend that the shepherds could not have watched bynight on the Bethlehem plains in December, it being a period of great in- J clemency. In answer to this a well known student says: “Bethlehem is not a cold region. The mercury usually stands all the month of December at 4<’> degrees. Corn is sown during this time, aud grass and herbs spring up after the rains, so that the Arabs drive their flocks down from the mountains into the plains. The most delicate never make fires till about the end of November, and some pass the whole winter without them. From these facts T think it is established without doubt Mint cur Saviour was born on the 2"t!> day of December, the day which tl • church throughout the world has uni cd to celebrate in honor of Christ's cot .ng in rhe flesh.”—Washington Star. The Mos '■ ’’ Chsif'.me* Poem. The mo'- >' :r Christmas poem ever writte- ft ' <• Hdrcn was that familiar to th w r!.;. b-ginnlng: Twas tile t ♦ r ■ 'liriotnaas. when all throi .t.-’ hoc.se— The poe is ..ritteu by st very learned man, Dr. Clement Clarke Moore, a profound Greek and Hebrew scholar. He was a professor in the General Theological seminary in this city. He was born In 1779 and died la 1883 —New York Globe.

THE IRON REINDEER I’M up to date, and, be it said, _ ■ I certainly this year — Shall break and burn the ancient ~ ,led • And cook the ancient deer. I"1 jfi Those things are out of date for me; They’re now a shattered dream. \ 1 Oh, I’m as happy as can be \\ '■C-’i About my brand new scheme. \ ’ I i , (z v,-- f ’pß i j IM * S M < J ■■ ?IWreT 7 • _ ~~~ k / V ~7>' r 'r^iv*^T That se t s a U hearts aglow. \y> “ And I shall call, and not in vain, f/ , )*! * Dj While stockingward I head / , ? My mile a minute flyiag train, “The Christmas Limited.” FULL soon across the boundless ‘ •'*' r plain, »>*>>*■* D Beneath the Christmas stars, ! / DPM : I’m going to travel on my train ./ Made up of baggage cars, A / And they’ll be simply stuffed with toys ? And other precious things ( 'D For little girls and little beys V W For whom I spread my wings. n QH, yes, in jigtime, down the trank : •• • 1 ] v I’ll gayly glide along, \ * L*.. J.r I From home across the land and back a»«To fill all hearts with song. And to my agent at each town z—™ - . , , , T I'll toss a bundle great t™”’’ m&de Alre&dy 1 Each artless child with joy to crown nn ,. l Am f etting ’ P th * K An-’ make its heart elate. ™ e l " < ars sk J hl^h The gifts of which you dream. |LL run along on schedule time. With joy I stand upon my head Through wind swept drifts of And shout both far and near, snow. ‘‘Goodby unto the ancient sled—my bell shall be the Christmas All hail the iron deer!” chime —R. K. Munkittrick in Success.

Christmas In the Colonies. 'Twas the merry Christmas season, and the palms swung in the breexe Os tne lovely hot December in an island over seas. And a meditative maiden of the kind called Philippine Sat and gazed, with pensive visage, on the sultry winter scene. Well she knew that on the morrow all her folks would celebrate. Place a paim tree in the parlor, hang their anklets o'er the grate. On the heaped up Christmas table, groaning with its load, there’d be Appetizing bird's nest truffles and banana fricassee. "Let me see,” she murmured softly; “father 'll get his string of beads, Blue and yellow. lam certain they're the very Kind he needs, For his old ones looked quite shocking, though he never seemed to care, And his new set's quite the swellest thing a gentleman can wear. "And tor mamma there's the nose ring that I bought on Thursday week. With the handsome whalebone stickpin for insertion in the cheek. And little brother’s boomerang! He’ll be Immensely pleased. That or a bamboo jumping jack are the things for which he's teased. "And as for me, I only hope they've got the things I needjust one or two nice costumes made of genuine coral bead, A toe ring would be lovely, and a piece of copper wire To wear around the Instep make up all that I desire. "Except, of course, some other things that every girl receives. Buch as various kinds of dresses made of nicely ripened leaves. For surely,” said the maiden as she smiled a scornful smile. "I’m not like those American girls who always think of style.” —Chicago Record-Herald. ; A Timely Caution. Don’t give any one bric-a-brac or pictures unless you are morally sure you know his taste. Presents that must be displayed are apt to be a great strain lon the affections. No matter how the i ’ receiver may bate tbepii. he must fa- ' ther them and deface his rooms with 1 them or insult the giver. Now, a book, for instance, even if the receiver doesn’t like it and doesn’t want it, can 1 be tucked away among other books ! and forgotten, but an ugly vase we 1 have always with us—at least till we 1 can smash it. ’ __________ s 0 A New Excuse, r One of the men in a large pottery took two or three days’ holiday now and again, and when he came back, on I being asked what was wrong, be said be had been away burying his grandmother. . He did this two or three times, and then he thought be had better change his excuse, so, on being asked the next time, he replied: "Well, my brother, the sailor, is at horn" just now. and he Is so used to the sound of the waves that I had to lash pailfuls of water on the window all night before he could sleep, and then I had to sleep during the day.”— London Mail.

SANTA CLAUS A STRANGER. He Is Officially Unknown to Uncle Sam’s Mail Agents. The postotfice department does not know Santa Claus. The old saint has no official existence so far as Uncle Sam's mall agents are concerned. This is due entirely to the fact that Santa Claus lives everywhere at the same time instead of having a single local habitation like other people. It is very sad, but it cannot be helped. Letters which children address to Santa Claus or Kris Kringle must go straight to ths dead letter office. Some time ago an effort on behalf of the children was made to induce the postoffice department to permit postmasters to open ail letters addressed to Santa Claus and turn them over to the parents of the child correspondent or to some local organization having a Christmas fund to spend, but the attorney general for the department rendered an adverse decision, holding as follows: If postmasters were granted authority to open all such letters and select thope Which they thought proper to deliver to person* applying for them, there would be temptation and opportunity for postmasters and other employees to open letters indiscriminately, some of which contain inclosures of value, and give us an excuse for such action the authority granted by the department. The department's legal adviser also was of the opinion that, if permission were granted to deliver such letters to benevolent societies and Individuals, it would be difficult for the department to draw the line where benevolence ends and commercialism begins. Many persons desire such letters for use In newspapers and magai zine stories, the name of the child of some prominent public man attached to • such a letter making it especially valuable for that purpose and often correspondingly embarrassing to the parent of the child. Furthermore, the opinion states, such a practice would violate the principle of the sanctity of the seal, which is one of the best features of our postal system, and the department would continually be open to serious suspicion. Candles For Christmas. Christmas candlemakers are busy ; for many months in the year. It would be Impossible to estimate how many ' hundreds of thousands of dozens of pretty little colored wax candles are required for Christmas trees all over Europe and America. There are also candles for church decoration at Chrlsti mastlde. Whereas the Christmas tree tapers are, some of them, so tiny as to require seventy-two to make a pound, 1 i the great altar shafts of pure beeswax 1 ■ will sometimes stand six feet and weigh forty pounds apiece—Tit-Bits. Avoiding Temptation. ■ I Hammert — Styingham has never ■ bought a Christmas tree for bls chll1 dren. Callahan—Probably he is afraid of ’ temptation. ’ Hammert—Temptation? Callahan—l mean that he is afraid that if he did buy a tree he would be tempted to buy something to hang on it.—Town and Country.

THE TERROR’S CHRISTMAS. Turkey* W»re sl7 Each During the Siege of Pari*. When the Christmas day of 1870 dawned upon Paris the city had been in the Iron grip of the German investment for about three mouths. The winter was a bitterly cold one, the thermometer registering 10 degrees below freezing point on Christmas morning. The Seine was frozen over. The poor’s daily rations were a few ounces of horseflesh and a piece of repulsive looking black bread. By Dec. 25 food prices had reached their highest point since the beginning of the siege. On Nov. 13 a pound of butter fetched sl4 and a rabbit $3.50. By Dec. 10 rabbits bad risen to $5, a box of sardines brought $2.50 and eggs 25 cents apiece. For one's Christmas dinner one could buy a goose for $lO or a turkey for sl7. Pigeons Were $3 each, aud a small fowl could be obtained for $5. Ham was $1.50 a pound. As for vegetables, carrots and turnips were 4 cents each, and a bushel of potatoes cost $8.25. There was hardly any milk In Paris, and the little there was had to be preserved for the sick and wounded. • However, there were oceans of wine, and the wineshops did a roaring trade. For some time before Christmas the starving people had been feeding on cats, rats and dogs until by Dec. 25 a dish of cat’s flesh was hardly obtainable. Dog was CO cents a pound, and fine rats fetched 14 cents each. Many domestic pets were killed for food. “Poor Aior!” said a humorous citizen as he finished a stew made from his favorite dog. “How he would have enjoyed these bones!" With true Parisian light heartedness the citizens tried to make the best of things, and the cases and restaurants wore almost their normal aspect. At half past 10, however, an order of Trochu closed every shop and case, and by 11 o’clock Paris had gone to bed. The midnight mass of Christmas-eve was celebrated as usual in the churches, which were crowded with praying. weeping women. Newspapers appeared as usual, some of them containing glowing accounts of perfectly imaginary French successes. The satirical sheets were even more bitter and venomous than at other times and published scathing caricatures. Some showed the fallen emperor, Napoleon 111., as a shoeblack at King William’s boots, or as a beggar with his pockets turned Inside out. or as a traitor handing over France to murderers. or as a thief making off with millions of the nation's money. Others depicted Julius Favre in tears and pocketing Bismarck's gold and Trochu handing over tbe keys of Paris to a Prussian in exchange for a bag of coin. Tn all the idea of Parisians that France had been betrayed by those who ought to have protected her was prevalent. So at this season of peace and good will suffering Paris was nearly at her last gasp. Owing to tbe tenacity of her rulers and citizens, however, her agony was to be prolonged for some weeks longer, as it was not until February that the negotiations for a capitulation began. Christmas With Stevanson. Passengers aboard the steamship Lubeck unexpectedly spent Christmas at sea In the year 1890, but the fact that Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous story writer, was among them made that a most memorable holiday. The Lubeck was en route tram Australia to Samoa. She b'oke a shaft and limped along several days under sail. “Mr. Stevenson,” says the captain in relating the incident, "cheered everybody up by telling funny stories that were better, coming offhand from his lips, than most literary men could write if they worked over them for weeks. He knew, too, that it was only a question of a short time before he would die of consumption and that he could never again go home for more than a brief visit, tt was simply wonderful wbat a difference that one man made among the passengers, and I gues.i almost all of us would gladly spend the time to make port under sail, with machinery disabled, if we could have a Stevenson aboard.” A Polish Custom. Peasant lads in the villages of Poland have a pretty Christmas custom which affords great delight not only to themselves, but to the other villagers. This is called tbe procession of tbe star. At Christmas time the boys make a large hollow star, two or three feet between points, lighted from the interior. This is carried aloft at the end of a pole or staff. It symbolizes the star of Bethlehem. The three wise men of tbe East—Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar—are impersonated by boys. Others in the party bear a little puppet show cabinet, in which are performed the drama of the Nativity and other Scripture incidents appropriate to the occasion. From house to house around the village this procession trudges In the snow at night singing carols, and the villagers present the boys with small coins as Christmas gifts. Mistletoe on Apple rees. The growth of the mistletoe on oak is now of very rare occurrence, but it flourishes luxuriantly in many parts of England on the apple trees. Hurry Up Santa Claud Yander Mlatah Chris’mus. Loafin’ long de way. "He slower ttian a railroad”— Dat what chill un say. Dey wants 'lm ter ter hurry up An' pass de time er day, (Breamin' 'bout de cornin’ er de Chris'mu*! —Atlanta Constitution.

OUR CHRISTMAS ON THE PLAINS INEVER shall forget cur Christmas dinner in a construction camp In the year 1900, sad a former Coloradoan. We were building a reservoir out on tbe plains about ten miles east of Pueblo. We had 150 men on the job, all white men. We had n poor cock on the job and couldn’t seem to find any other. As a result there had been men leaving every day and constant grumbling all the fall, and it came to a head Christmas day. It was a beautiful, bright Colorado Christinas. The men were to work In the morning, have a turkey dinner ' at noon and lay off in the afternoon. The old man had bought three pounds of turkey per man—4so pounds. The birds had come out tbe day before. About ten minutes after noon I beard ■ a kind of an angry roar outside. I ' never heard anything like it before, . and it made me jump. It meant trouble of some kind. I hurried out and saw a surging mob at tbe door of the cook tent. The men were all shaking their fists In the air and yelling with one steady, hoarse, prolonged yell. I went around behind the tent and slipped in. There stood the cook raging, fighting drunk, brandishing a meat ax and emitting a steady stream of profanity. In front of him surged tbe mob. Just out of reach of the meat ax, crazy mad I didn’t blame them. They had come off work with their mouths all made up for turkey, and not a table was set, not a spark of fire in the stove and 450 pounds of turkey scattered over the section of alkali plain which formed the floor. The battle was short. The men ran In behind the cook, tripped him and tbe minute he was down had a rope around him. “Hang him, hang him!” they roared and started off with him to the meat pole. In all my life I never was so scared as 1 was that day. I didn’t care In tbe least whether the man was hanged, drowned or died in his bed. Yet civilization rose up in me. and 1 knew I had to save him. I ran like a deer to get around the crowd and reach the meat pole first, and all the while I fi ’ ? Y ■ 1 Mjp i > | BRANDISHING A MEAT AX. ran I was cursing the cook. When they got to the meat pole they found i me on a box facing them with a gun. "What do you want?” they roared. “Get quiet,” said 1. i Those in front called out, “Shut up!” When they were still I said: “Boys, I’m ' sorry this thing has happened. It’s my fault for not watching this fool ’ closer. But we can wash those tur- ■ keys and have a good dinner yet if 1 some of you’ll turn in and help me. L They aren’t hurt any. As for this scum of a cook, I don’t care any more about him than you do. But I’m in - charge here and I can’t let him be ! hanged. You can go ahead and bang • him if you want to, but you’ll have to ‘ kill me first. Now go ahead.” 1 I waited, but no one stirred. There ' were plenty of guns in the crowd, but ' | no one was ready to undertake the ’ I job of killing me. I gave them only a minute to think. Then I said to the man that held the rope, “Untie him.” He did it. “Get out of here.” I said to the cook. The fellow got up, white as death with fear. 1 Then 1 turned to the men and asked ’ if there were any who had ever done any cooking, who would help me. Half i a dozen volunteered. We washed the > turkeys and put them on to boil. I > never worked over anything in my I life as I did that Christinas dinner. I The men were still silent aud sullen, t and I didn’t know but they’d bang me ! it the dinner didn’t suit them. 1 tried , desperately to remember all the cook- • ing I’d ever seen my mother do, and ’ thanked God when I found that one i of the men could make pies and an- > other soda biscuit. About 5 o’clock w» i had the best dinner the camp could i turn out. boiled turkey, boiled potatoes, i canned squash, canned corn, canned t peaches, dried apple pie, hot biscuit i and coffee.—New York Press. i Partial Cure. “I fear you are a victim of the drink habit.” “You misjudge me. Lack of the J price cured me of tbe drink habit long ’ i ago. It’s merely the thirst that bothers me now.”—Philadelphia Ledger. Hopeless. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” “1 do.” “Then why do you have such a grouch?” “1 hate myself.”—New York Journal. 1 ! The first catalogue of the stars was I published about 1590.

WAR! A Merry War—A War on Prices. and Slash” is the slogan. We invite critical comparisons. The lynxeyed cautious'Bargain hunter is even welcome. “It is he” who knows and appreciates true values. “It is he” who buys from us and rejoices in so doing. fWe people offer you a chance to get more value for a dollar than anywhere The New Jeweler, North Side of Court House DIDOT <& SON UMBfla The finest and largest line of Candy Boxes. The purest, therefore thejbest. It has been acknowledged by all. A full line of Christmas goodies of all kinds. Call and see, prices right, quality no better. J. S. COLCHIN I Hello, Hello, I ■ Where are you going? | I am going down to the Peoples’ Res.1 taurant to buy my Xmas Candies, toys Nuts, Oranges, Xmas trees and tree jS decorations. They have the best and jp cheapest in the city. I J. MARTIN, PROP. I IF YOUR GIFTS es cigars duplicate the gifts of others you only duplicate the pleasure. >ln all our stock there is no brand of cigars that outclass the WARD4£ ■ as an example of superior quality for the money. Anyone of three popular brands makes an acceptable gift. For instance the The Congress, San Barnardo or Rayo For sale by all dealers. Manufactured by VOLMER & JOHNS I Christmas Candies We have the candies for holidays. We have all kinds and at the right price. We I permit on one to under sell and we guar- | antee the quality. I Cowans Store } 8080, - - - - - INDIAInJa. 8