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WELCOME CHRISTMAS.
Thrice welcome, dny of diiys! Tbevskles
Ope wide their Ktes ut thy commiiud
And IJcuvcu's sublimest symphonies
Hull grandly over sea nnd laud.
Tin- dva of chiirlty distill
Their Incense evervwhere. nnd comes
unlveisiil Joy til till
The highest and the humblest homes.
Thy sen doth Mess with holler kiss!
Thy lirenth n grander these doth hymn!
Thy wlnjrs do elose the lilnck uliyss
Of evil, mid no lunger dim
Are valleys of eternal pence.
Or mud where Its own restores.
But hkies iiiienrtiilned show Increase
Of glory on thy crystal shores!
And thou dost light for me nirnln
The yule-log on the homestead hearth.
The graves where long the dead have lain
Do open, as a vernal garth,
And tilooni for me once more the loves
That roseate made my youthful days;
Within thy firelight lives and moves
My mother, haloed with the rays
Of I'arndlse. and ns her twin
Lips with the olden fondlings part.
Anil I. enraptured, cuddle In
The. velvet haven of her heart,
I see the pall of doubt unfold,
And on the pathway of the snn
God's linger writes In lines of gold
The words, "For Home and Heaven are
one!''
Then, too, thy chimney glow reveals
My father's face; the old armchair
Is his again, and Lulu kneels
Beside him with her Christmas prayer;
The sweet-voiced pleadings uttered are,
And grandpa's lips do part to say,
"Thank Cud the gates are all ajar
'Twlxt Home and Heaven on Christmas
Dm-1"
Thon. welcome, day of days! Thy dawn
Is vibrant with fauilllar tones.
The veil that dims our sight Is drawn,
Tl'o farther shore thy sunlight zones.
No growth of skeptic fancy now
Our faith In glad reunion leavens.
For 'tis engraven on thy brow
That Heaven Is Hume's, and Home Is
lira veu's!
Century
mssn
FELLOW -TRAVELERS.
ITTci.f i a
nAiAJi nn".v from home
rijs-1 OjA n1"' "10 loved ones
vtr is n dreiirv nnriod of
the year. At least
so thought Chillies
McKeena. a bo Ira
versed the toil of. his
nine car of pota
toes en route for
the Siiutht ri mar
ket. He wns one of
the jriitliiit dealers,
nnd, ns 'tis opera
tions wore not extensive it wns impera
tive for It i in to personally "lite" his own
cars. If none of the potatoes were frozen
before h: reached New Orleans, n hand
some profit would nwait liiin tli-iv, for
there was n big margin just W this time.
It was loii'soiiie work .it the In-st, not
without an clement of dnnsrer. -mil work
which required constant attention in or
der to keep the lives from iriiing out.
Seated before the lire In one of the cars
lie rested bis hend on his hands nml med
itated about his wile nml th. two little
ones. The lire glowed brightly nod his
heart was filled with hope, energy and
ambition as he gazed .a to its utility
dcplhx. The train wns speeiliiii; along at
a normal rate, and the ..t-ndy rhythmic
sound was resumed upon the r:iU and
then be fell esleep
How long he rested ill h eha..' he did
not know. Then he eatne to himself with
a start, being fl'.noat throwi from nis
chair by n jolt ns the train again stopped
on a switch. Drawing out his watch be
consulted It, and then gave an p.clnnin
tlon of alarm. He had overs'ept himself;
the fires were probably out l.y this lime:
the frost bad entered the p dittoes, and
he was ruined. Hastily tnnking his way
A
wm
"IIKM.O, Haw m'kkkna."
IN ENGLAND.
AMONG all the Germanic nations
Christmas has ever been the most
popular of all church festivals.
In England it wns, and is, the one great
national feast, and in the Anglican
church and among the Lutherans of Ger
many the exclusion of many minor festi
vals from the calendar has only concen
trated the popular affection upon Christ
mas. The Puritans made a rigorous battle
against what they thought a supersti
tion, nnd in IGTiJ it was ordered by Par
liament "that no observation shall be had
of the tive-niid-twentieth day of Decem
ber, coinmoul.v called Christmas Day, nor
any solemnity used or exercised in
churches upon that day in respect there
of." A little before, in 1047, the town
crier of Canterbury proclaimed that
"Christmas and all other superstitious
festivals should be put down, and a mar
ket held upon Christmas Day." But uone
of these orders had much effect. In
Scotland John Knox did succeed in pretty
effectually siiTinrpsalnjj the observance of
Christmas, in the Lowlands, at least, but
he simply transferred the popular cus
toms and superstitions to New l'enr's
Day. There is an English rhyme of this
period that illustrates the popular feel
ing on the subject:
All plums the prophets' sons defy,
Ai.d splce-broths are too hot;
Treason's In a December pye,
And death within the pot.
Christmas, farewell, thy days I fear.
And merry days are done;
So they may keep feasts all the year.
Our Saviour shall have none.
In Germany.
At home around the tree, is the cul
minating point of Teutonic revelry in
Yuletide. The enthusiasm and the senti
ment of youth nnd age have then at
tained their pitch, nnd they are permitted
to give full vent to it for the evening.
The tree is illuminatod nt the appointed
hour; "Still night, holy night," is sung
In the domestic circle; n sweet vnpor of
domestic unity is Inhaled amid smiles and
tears, and the feast of the Nativity is
thus initiated.
In Norway.
One of the prettiest of Christmns cus
tom is the Norwegian practice of giving
on Christmas Day a dinner to the birds.
Ou Christmas morning every gable, gate
way, or barn-door is decorated with a
shenf of corn, fixed on the top of a tull
pole, wherefrom it is intended that the
hirds shall make their Christmas dinner.
Even the peasant will contrive to have
a handful set for this purpose; and what
the birds do not eat on Christmas Day
all the world and his wife try to find a
place in one or other of the fashionable
churches, and, after the service is over,
all go round to see and criticise the
Creche.
In Mexico.
The devout of Mexico go to early mass
on Christmas morning. The minority de
vole themselves to a toothsome break
fast, in which tortillas, chile con enrne
(boiled beef and red peppers), tomnlis
(corn husks stuffed with force meat), ore
the leading features. After brenkfast
come the festivities. These are of ail
SERBIANS PREPARING THE NATIONAL DISH.
remains for them to finish at their leisure
through the winter.
In France,
In Paris Christmas Day is kept as a
religious festival, and many who would
not dream of going to church on Sun
days make a point of attending mass on
le Jour de Noel, and the blaze of the
tapers falls on crowded congregations,
men, women nnd children, kneeling,
standing nnd sitting on the wide area
of the Madeleine and Notre Dame. Of
late years It has become chic to attend
midnight mass on Christmas Eve, and
so, pouring down along the boulcvnrds.
sorts and are imbued with a religious
spirit of almost another age. In each
house, where the residence can afford it,
a little nneimiento (altar) is raised in par
lor, drawing-room or library, which is
supixised to typify the birth of the Holy
Child. Wealthy people go to great
lengths nt times, having a manger and
a barn constructed, and hire men to
piny the parts of the wise men of the
East and St. Joseph.
Another curious custom consists In
friends going from house to house, tap
ping on the door, nnd on being asked:
"Who is there?" replying: "The Holy
Virgin nnd Saint Joseph ask lodgings in
In Kervia,
Christmas custom. t,,t 1:1
Christian in their nri: n-l . ' .
i i . . ".'bin. mere u ti
Badnjnk a piece of wood, corned!
somewhnt to the yule log, cut down
brought into the house with grea?c
tnony, and then, after being basted 1
honey and butter, in th- ... ,
nnd cattle tuny be prosperous in 7.
coming year, is burned; una there ii ,
sort of Futher Christmas or Santa Cli.!
in the person of a l'ohizenik, a speeitfc
honored visitor, w ho u ih a... .
received Into the house on Christom
o iiir, mm mere is the cookini l
Hie uiLuuuui urisiuins (USD,
turkey is to the American, pork
io me oervian. r.veu the poorest
ilv will save un nil tha
so as to be nble to purchase i pig
Christmns. On Christmns Fn.
killed, nnd on the following day, "Ufa,
dinner hns been served anil the rout
pig duly discussed, toasts are drunk, iil
heroic songs sung to the accompaniment
of a one-stringed instrument. The tm
is strewn with straw, in memory oltii
stable in which our Lord wbb born,
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In Austria.
As early ns the tith of November, Vi. I
enna assumes an air of festivity; her A I
zeus have not forgotten that It it tit
anniversary of their patron saint, 8l
Nicholas. After a week's intermission,
the public squares are once more cruv
mcd with booths of all dimensions uj I
description, forming regular avenun.1
crowded several weeks before Christnui
with representatives of every soclil
grnde. If we take a stroll through tit
Hingstrasse, Christmas Eve, we sbil
find that aristocratic thoroughfare de
serted, but nil the flats or apartments
nro Illuminated. Christinas trees, loaded
with presents, form the evening's chid
attraction.
HER F-IFRST CHRISTMAS TO 1-iISB OLD HOME
to the next car, to his surprise the fire
In the stove was burning brightly, and
the luterior. If anything, was too warm
lie hurried to the next ear. Thrrs It
was even warmer than in the first ear.
U itartd at th store In amaitmnt.
New York Herald.
Meneiz 11
m Raniiav i9V
'That's funny," he commented, mill
ing nt his mustiichc.
The next rive enrs were In a. liko con
dition and he was immensely relieved
and more puzzled than ever. Who in
the world could have Bred his stoves for
him? lie entered the last car, and was
surprised to see a tramp seated neat
the stove, toasting his toes to his heart's
content. .
"Hello," said McKeena.
"Hello," responded the tramp to M
Keena's exclamation.
For a moment they stood there, and
then McKeenn, waving his hand, said:
"Don't mind nie."
"All right," remarked the tramp, and
with that he seated himself again before
the stove. Mclveena also drew up a
chair. Then he took a cigar case from
his pocket.
"Smoke?" he asked.
"Thanks." '
After a few whiffs -the tramp remark
ed: "He you the feller that runs the pota
toes?" "I am."
McKeena himself lighted a weed and
then said:
1 p'mc 11 w" rou who flred the
"It were."
"Much obliged."
Ti0.?,' m,en,lon To" lmm. rid
and I'll call It squar. parf"
"Very well. How far are you going?"
"New Orleans."
Then they both smoked in silence. Mc
Keena ezr.mined his eomnnninn i.o..iu
"niS TISITOB ATBCOl'M.V."
He was a tall man of athletic figure, and
. "- oai ue piihsessed enorm
ous strength. His face was covered with
a bushy growth of whiskers and with
tjts about as bright as two coult. Ue
puffed at his cigar with evident enjoy
ment. "How's potatoes?" he said.
"Good."
"Any family?"
"Yes; wife nnd two, and I miss them
especially on Christmas eve."
The tramp took another whiff, and
something like moisture appeared to his
eyes.
"I had a wife once," he remarked.
"Indeed!" said the other with a show
of interest. "Where is she now?"
"She was sent to J I mean, she
died. She had consumption."
McKeena attempted to giTe evidence
of sympathy and the ragged Intruder
tipped back his head and his eyes gleumed
more than ever.
"Had a kid, too," he remarked.
"What's become of him?"
"He's in the reform that Ii to say,
stranger, he is now a prosperous mer
cuiut in New York.' He lives on Fifth
avenue, he does, and baa an English
coachman."
"You don't tell me?" commented Mc
Keeiin. endeavoring to look as though
he believed the other's narration.
" 'I 'on honor."
"Any vittelsr
"Yes."
McKeena produced his lunch-basket
and his visitor ate ravenously, as though
he hud not touched food for twenty-four
hours.
"You turn in. pard," remarked tht
trnmp. "I'll keep up the fires." '
The other hesitated, but finally
down and took a nap. All the rW
New Orleans this programme ff
fol-
lowed. Early one morning as we un
stopped, the tramp said: ,
"Good-bye. 1 think I'll light out before
we git to town." . . .i.
Then he turned to the other ami ..-
Before Jim-
The lor"
ed him an envelope.'
could answer he wns gone.
mechanically handled the envelope
gazed doubtfully at the new, crisp
bill and the following message:
"You Did me a good Turn. '
Christmas present fur de kids, i
Hard pressed Wen I cum to
yu Took a stranger In an Nourished
Giv mi Regards to de little wife;
wise de Kids an Bi a Drum i ,,
. c . . . 1 I. . I ' .1 U.tra vOtl.
kaaSv i und de sriin
you wen yu com In, but yu Tere '"
ous an I diddent Shoot. I wu tM
to Lay yu out an I Ain't sory I o k
with Kind reggards. From yur oie '
believe me, verry Faithfully yourn,
McGinnlssy." .i,
Bill McGinnlssy was the name oi w
train-robber whose misdeeds had "
him the terror of the South, tu
wanted for about fifty crimes.
young merchant shuddered ana
gazed doubtfully at the new, crisp f
bill. - .
But l'