Dairy
VERNONIA EAGLE
i,000 Population
T —
Our Accomplishment»—
W/taf Have They Been?
A Christmas Greeting
HERE'S not a memory ot home, or
friend.
Be they ao far remote, however
lowly;
No place where new affections richly
blend
That does not grow more beautiful.
more holy.
At Christmas.
There is no laughter of a little child,
No fiery passion of Youth's rosy
morning.
No treasure-house of Age, benign and
mild,
•
That is not sweeter for the Christ's
adorning
At Christmas.
There ts no depth of love, no pang of
sorrow.
No mighty moving In the human
heart.
No comfort for today, hope for to
morrow.
In which the Christ has not a larger
part
At Chrlstmaa
So, as we send our greeting of affection.
We share the memory of Him who
came;
In fellowship. In happy recollection.
Each fervent wish Is hallowed In His
name
At Christmas.
I
Mother’s
Christmas
vr»
By ETHEL COOK ELIOT
(©. 1»»«, Western Newspaper Union.)
HAVE always found, even In
youth, quite as much interest in
looking back as In looking for-
: ward. It Is good to plan for the fu-
I ture, but there Is quite as much to
be gained from reviewing the past and
In s«*elng how far we have come, how
much we have accomplished, in what
ways we have developed.
I was talking to Foreman about tho
year that Is so nearly at an «id.
was illasatisfled with his progress
uncertain as to whether or not
time and money he had expended
been worth while. He had learned
little, It seemed; for all he could see,
he wasn't different than when he had
left the little country town nine mouths
ago. But 1 could see that he was a
little more self-possessed, a little
surer of himself, a little less crude
In his manners. He was learning to
think, learning to meet people, and
developing a little wider range of In
terest than when he left home.
As you come to the end of the year
and look back, how far have you
come? It is an easy question to usk.
but possibly not so easy to answer.
When we were little children at
home, mother us«*d to teach us after
we had said our prayers at night to
go over in our minds for a minute or
two the events of the day and try to
determine whether It had been a good
day for us or a had one. Often we
dropped off to sleep before we had
gone far, but it was a good expert-
enee, this looking our accomplish
ments in the face and trying honestly
to estimate them. It is something like
this that I should like to put before
you as this year is closing. What has
the year m< ant to you? New friends?
Nev. powers? New Ideals? Have you
lone something worth while? Are you
tetter, stronger, more able to fight the
battles of the world than you were a
year ago? Are y«>u wiser with a wls-
! >in that is clean, healthy nnd uplift
ing? If so, the year is ending happily
for you.—Thomas A. Chirk, Dean of
Men, University of Illinois.
3
By W.E. GILROY
la TA» Con*r»gatfo«Miut
OING home for
Christmas?”
(©, 1924, Western Newspaper Union,)
“Yes. All of us
•
------------------
always go. Great
fun seeing each
other again and Light in the Steeple
exchanging news 1
on Christmas Morning
We go back to the
j^’Alt above the sleeping city, like
farm.”
,z a low and leading star, like a
“Yours must be quite a family now, |
watchful and kindly eye, like a
with all the children. But I suppose
t-acon of assuring hope, a promise of
your mother gets In extra help, and
Christinas morning, beamed the light
you all help, too.”
It was not impertinent, because it in the "Id church steeple.
was my best friend speaking. She is
It shone down through one of the
Just frank and sincere. She had church windows and smiled upon the
dropped into my office after hours, not i icturetl slieplierils who found a morn
to buy Insurance from me (yes, I am ing at midnight; and upon the stately
a female insurance agent and not a v Ise men who knew the joy of mak-
failure at It either I) but to say “good- ing gladness out of gifts. Its rays
by” before herself leaving the city for lighted up a garret, where two very
I opeful youngsters were sleeping upon
tiie holidays.
“No, there’s no extra help to be a very small bed, after making sure
gotten these days In the country any 'hnt the light was there. In the street
more than here. Not any that's worth below a passer looked up. saw it and
while. So mother does It all herself. railed; another paused under the
But she likes it. Christmas only elow and spell of it and dropped a
<oin Into the poor box at the church
comes once a year.”
We said no more about that, but door. The Salvation Army lass came
after my friend had gone I remem- rat from the church porch and
bered her clear, frank eyes and the thumped her tambourine merrily be-
way they had received my reply. They ause some genial Influence had filled
bad been slightly skeptical. I couldn’t her basket so full, almost dancing
down the street as the bells saw by
get thut skepticism out of my mind.
The result was that, after much the gleaming light that it was time to
thought, I suddenly closed office a ring.
whole week before Christmas, prac
tically kidnaped my youngest sister And so with cheering glory and with
away from her home In a nearby- Came chime
In another happy Christmas tims.
city—that comfortable home with Its
full nursery, cook and nurse girl—and While the old steeple, still pointing
whfsl-ed her away to the country to upwnrd, remained as a witness to
give mother a little surprise.
things high and splendid.—Christo
At first I thought the surprise was pher G. Hazard.
to turn out an unpleasant one. We
<©. 1»14. Weatern Newspaper Ualoa.)
ar ived in the early afternoon with
out warning. There was mother In a
huge apron, her hair tied up In a
towel, the front hall full of brooms
and mops, housecleaning. She could > A REAL SANTA CLAUS
not conceal her chagrin from us, we
INCE we must have our
had so suddenly appeared. It certain
Christmas trees the chief
ly was different from our customary
problem Is how they are to
homecoming. Then, she met us at the ,*> be obtained. The cutting, ship
ping and selling of Christmas
trees has developed into an estab
lished business, extending over
the entire country. One large
shipper of New England has
been in the business forty years
and In that time has sold many
thousand carloads of trees.
Some of these have been shipped
as far south as Texas and as far
west as Chicago. This pioneer
in the industry la now elghty-
two yenrs of age, but he Is still
active, nnd curiously enough he
is a real Santa Claus In appear
ance.—Frank Herbert Sweet.
<
19 24. Western Newspaper Union.)
■»X **««**!
We Arrived In ths Early Afternoon
Without Warning.
front door, her arm linked In father's,
dressed in her best silk, her white
hair freshly curled, behind them the
house shining In spotlessnesa. And
then the pantry tilled with plea, cukes,
roast ham with Its cloves, and moth-,
eris wonderful Jelly tarts! 8uch an
Inviting, homelike, hospitable house!
8uch a spnrkllngly clean pantry full
of good things!
How different today, six days before
we were expected! Father had ban
ished himself to the barn, and we
found him disconsolately smoking hy
old Jim’s stall. The house was chaos.
All the rugs seemed to be up and the
furnit tire ’out of place. Mother waai
cleaning I
“Oh, dearl” she greeted us. “I
jjldn't expect you till Christmas ®vel
Perhap» Little Stare
Knew About Christmas
HE stars shone brightly over-
ill. head. Below, the snow was cov
ering up the hard ground, which
«lid not seem to understand Chriatmaa.
It was i uHi too hard for that. It waa
belter that Old King Snow ahoutd
com«» along and cover it op, giving the
PC !>' I white Christmas.
1 In stara shone down upon a little
farm house, It was not a palace. It
was not even a beautiful house, But
the slurs shone very brightly.
Perhaps they knew, bright 1
rtars that they were, that In
aonse, as in many another hsaae w
la neither a palace nor a baautiful
Idence, there was great happiness
glorious celebrating of the beau
Chrlstmastide.- Mary Graham Bo<
«•. 1»*4. Waatara NemvMMMd
CHRISTMAS
||
COLD WEATHER
By
r
i
’
THOSE CHRISTMAS
CAROLS
The Actor’s
Christmas Party
SPIRIT OF
CHRISTMAS
By
Martha Banninq Thomas
1114. Western Newspaper Union.)
It» MARION R REAGAN
¡J)
1S>4, VV «tern Now»v»p»r Union )
1,1. of tin* actor» of th«* %o-
O BEGIN with. It's cold.
EIIYL SANDS stood outside
rouHter Stock company were
GOLD 11 Not your gray,
the dingy little restaurant,
good, but perhaps Billy
pinched, peaked-y backdoor
looking In ut the heavily
Kelly wns the best liked by
yard cold where bits of pa
steamed windows with the
the townspeople. Billy hu«l
per dance In a forlorn, for
absent, vacant star«* of one
been there h I x weeks, now,
gotten reel; none of your
whose mind Is preoccupied
ami
was living at Mrs l’er-
brick-front houses on dismal
with melancholy thoughts.
kins' <>n Center street. Hence
streets, seeming by th«* best
People walking along the
Center street «M particu
calculation, to store up a
sidewalks
crunched the
larly
thrilled
ut th!» time. b«-<'nuse It
chill bleakness rather than affording fresh, dry snow under their heels Most
protection against It—not that, but a of them were talklug and laughing had ne« r before harbored n r nl live
t <-<>uld uot quite gel used
brisk, lively, tingling c«>ld which makes with the light ease of those who feel actor, a.
one hurry to feed the wood-boxes be at rights with th«* world. But their to the bleu.
Mrs I'erklns was n r«-sp«>ctuble
fore dark; a cold tliut etches crystal gay chatter only made Beryl more
ferns on the window glass, thought and uior«.* conscious of her loneliness. middle ug> «l widow who had to take n
fully leaving h peep-hole near the top There was not a soul in this whole feu rooim*rs to help out o < <*X|«ense».
where you can peer out; a cold that city she could call her friend, not one. She «». - i t quite sure thut It wan
rooming there a»
fringes the Ice-house with an orderly And ns for a l«iv«-r Beryl winced. right to have I
row of icicles thut look like white, Twenty-eight ami never a lover! she had an Inherileu pi .1 ' ■<* against
corrugnted carrots, nnd manufactures Think of spending all of one's life actors, but he paid twice us . I> is
thin, papery ice in the hollows on the alone. “Ohl Maid Sands" It would be. »he ha«i ever hud before for the rooms,
ground, the sort of ice children like Oh, how terrible Ilf«* was; how unut- did not cause any extra bother, und so
to stamp on, delighting In Its noisy terably hard on girls like her. Of fnr us she could determine, was n
crackle and the sunburst of fine lines course there had be«n Juck Boulton, human being much like the rest of us.
It did seem strung«* to her. however,
radiating from the point of contact.
lie had always rather liked her; taken
There are waffles for supper! Do her hum«* from church parties Hiid so that ii young unmarried niun should
you remember how waffles look nnd on in th«* old days when they lived receive one hundred and fifty dollars
a w«*ek uhen Mr.
smell and taste on a cokl night, when In Allantown. I!.* tai .'lit have fallen
I’erklns with his
you’re “holler as a In love with her If she had encour
family had earned
bar-post holt;?” aged him. IB* was tin* only man who
only thut much a
Do you, now?
month, She won-
“Get out th«* maple
den*«) If It was
sirup,” orders Can
honest. And then,
dice, flopping over
too, she did not
the waffle Iron nnd
always know just
making a particu
what to make of
larly neat Job of
Billy's attentions
it. “You’ll find the
to tier. Why, one
Jug on the pantry
time when she bad
shelf."
fHlIen uuleep on
Soon we are sit had ever uui.erstooil her at all. Won
the sofa without
ting before a pile der where lie was now?
a covering, he had
of waffles a foot
With slow, listless steps. Beryl en
gone to his own
high.
tered the little restaurant. She chose
room nnd got Ills
“Now, Pete r," the cleanest looking table In the room.
genuine Jupimuae
*3 t’an- A man was already seated there. She
remout *—
rates
silk klmona and
dice,
'don’t give sat down opposite him nnd began to
eoiered tier with
me such an e ver road the menu card.
it. She liud found It over her when
lasting helping;”
“Beryl, by George, if It Isn’t r
but Peter serenely continues to Uli
She looked up quickly and recog- sh« woke lip.
Mrs. Perkins hud Just UnInbed tell-
up her plate.
nixed with amazement the large,
lug this nn«l several other Incidents to
“They say Shorty’s little shaver astonished blue eyes.
ain't so well tonight," he remarks,
“Jack Boulton! Why, Juck, what the Ladies' Ai«l society, when one of
the progressive ludle« usked:
passing the smoking beauties to his «•n earth are you doing here?”
“Well, whut ure we to do with him
wife. “Got an awful col«L They hud
He luughed that half amused, half-
fix- Christmas? it d'H-Hii t seem right
the doc this afternoon.”
cynical luugli she knew so well.
not to do unythlng. when he U awuy
Christmas—and Shorty’s little boy
“I'm down on luck. Beryl—broke
rom ills peopk* and all.”
sick I He lives across the road uni] I came up here to Chicago three years
Everyone else luid been thinking the
bestows his cheerful chatter and shin ago to put ncn as n deal but things
ami* tiling, but had not dared men
ing eyes upon us without charge and didn't go so well, ami I've been a lit
tion It, und none of them hud any
tie on the roti' ll ever since.”
great generosity.
suggeHtlons to make. No one dared
Beryl was syi ¡pathetic. “I know.
“I had something to give him. Guess
n»k him to dinner (they w. r.* so !«y),
I’ll run over after supper,” says Can Jack, 1 think we’re pretty much In and Mrs. Perkins herself, who i ally
dice, making the first luscious incision the same bout. 1 haven’t «pilte won should have asked him. hud decided
fume and fortune here myr-If." Tliev
Into her layered wuffles.
to go to the hotel so as "it to have
His name is Billy and he’s about as both luughed.
io do so. They eertiiinl) could not
Jack looked at her ii long time. She
big as a grasshopper: he gets “under
give him tl«-s or socks, : Mr . Per
foot” and Is always frolicking at some dropped her eye* tinder his steady kins assured them that i<e hud hun
I
gaze.
body's heels like a puppy. He It was, I
dreds of socks and thousands of ties,
"You know. Beryl! 1 like that sad which everyone readily believed, us
upon one occasion, who explained to
I look In your eyes.
I don't Ilk«* to think they hud never se«*ti him dresse«t twlcs
us the nature of his dinner.
“Well, William,” we said, apropos that you’ve been sad, of course; but 'he same.
of his third cookie In the middle of the the look It's appealing. It’s the same
It certainly looked like a cold Christ
afternoon, “Didn’t you have any din expression thut came into your eyes mas for Billy. But next door to Mrs.
when you used to piny those Christ I’erklns lived a dear old maid who
ner?"
“Oh, yes,” he beamed upon us, "We mas carols nt the church. Heavens, had been housek«*eper for the Wellers
how you could play them!" His face for many years. Every Christmas she
ha«l putting for dinner.”
lit up with th«- happy memory of It. nmde mittens for all th«* children In
“Putting?" we inquired. “Don’t you “Do you still piny?"
I mean pudding?”
the neighborhood, und when they grow I
“Occasionally. The piano nt my
“No, putting!” he Insisted, "because boarding house Is n cheap one ami I too big for mittens, she gave candy I
to the girls und neckties to th«* boys.
we put the flour in, you know I"
hate it, but if you care to, we'll go Rhe whs a community institution, but
Dear little Billy, with his high, clear down then* after dinner, and I'll play
voice that always reminded one of wa you all those old Christmas* songs. nobody ever thought of her In conneo
tlon with Billy.
ter running over pebbles.
You have no other engagement?”
But when Christmas morning ar
"His father said he was going to get
"None,” he said promptly, "And If rived, and Center street was busy with
him a Christmas tree this year,” con I did, I'd cancel it."
Its toys, Billy had not been forgotten.
tinued Peter. “I saw him dragging it
•••••» The Perkins children were Just open
down from the
When Beryl had finished, she rose ing their packages from the house
uoods day before
from the piano and faced Idm. lie keeper next door when one of them
yesterday. Bill was
wns looking at her Intel! ly. longingly. discover«! an envelope for Billy. He
h o p p 1 n’ up and
darted upstairs, nnd timidly knocked
down some, I can
on the actor's door and slipped the
tell you. Tickled
••nvelope under.
to pieces. Guess
“What could It beT' wond«*re«l Mrs.
that's where he
Perkins, for she knew It wns no
caught cold.”
Christinas card.
At tills point
She had not long to wonder, how
tiier.' was a great
ever, for Billy soon cuine running
tramping nnd puf
down flourlshlqg a crisp new dollar
fing in the kitch-
bill which ho hud found In the enve
cn People w a 1 k
lope, nnd called to one of th«* children
' 1 < u are very fond of music, aren't coming
right in on a cold
you. Jack?"
night.
Mrs.
me,”
“O n I y
“Yes, when you play it I mu." He the v
sounds the soft,
came very close to her and took her «nt,
slurring voice of
hands. “Beryl, I was Just thinking nad
B Uy's Italian fa
what harmony ycu could make out him to g
ther. “I Jus’ come
of my discordant life, if you would. party next
t* say dat boy o’ mine all right now. Could you—could you ever—” he In honor of
Verra seek dis mornin'—fine by now. broke off. His voice thick with surg housekeeper,
an' can I have d’ milk?"
ing emotion.
told her to take
"Yea. Jack, I could,” and us he held the children over
A quick Ilgbt-heartedneM flows over
us. We had not realized how deliber her tightly In his arms. Beryl was ex there quickly, as
ately cheerful we had striven to be. ultantly happy, and felt for the first he would be back
in twenty minutes.
Billy better I Alt’s right with the time in her life, secure.
True to his
world I
w o r d, tie was
It’s colder! A careful scrutiny of
Chriatmaa in Britiah talea
the thermometer reveals the tempera
Christmas was introduced In whut there In twenty
■nlnutes, and with
ture at six above.
are now the British Isles under the
Peter pokes around down cellar and Faxon rulers nnd was continued. In nlm the whole
covers up his apples and potatoes the winter solstice when the people Ladles' Aid so
against a night of freezing, and brings had little to do, by the Anglo Saxon ciety, and, to the
up some red beauties to be consumed kings and the succeeding monarchs of delight of everyone, a whole gHll«>n of
Ister In the evening with nuts and Norman blood. The celebrations be Ice cream which he and the kindlv
[*<>pcorn.
ginning with court festivities and I h«mnekeeper served to nil aasemMwi.
Cold . . . COLDER!
graduating down to the jMs.rest fami with many Jokes and nrach merriment.
Sleigh bells Jingling by.on the road! lies were frequently uproarious. In Then Billy sang some rousing Christ
Merry Christmas!
the reign of Kllxalteth Hie Puritans at mas songs, kissed the hou>.-ke.*|M*r on
brow and taxied all the ladles
tacked the Ynletide festivities, but the
home.
the celebrations continued tn flourish
He had ao many Invitations to din
Christmas Dinner Center piece until the rule of Queen Mary. The
An attractive centerpiece for the Puritans, aided by the conditions ner he had to refuse them nil, but he
Christmas dinner Is made by cutting growing out of civil war, finally suc was not sorry for thia aw he Joined
a large five-point star out of white ceeded by 1047 In abolishing the holl- Mrs. Perkins at the hotel, and he really
liked her best of all.
sheet wadding. This Is i>fcced smooth day.—George Newell Morun.
side downward. The fluffy upper side
Might Hove Been Worse
la then pulled apart a little to simu
Toys tor Small Children
"What
did your wife give you for
late snow and sprinkled thick with
A little tot from one to two enjoys Christmas?”
1
Jack Fros« powder. In the center of little games that can be played with
"Nothing."
thia in placed a bowl or tall glace vase the fingers and simple toys such as
filled with belly twigs and scarlet dolls*, nnlmnls and bulls made of rub i "That was tough."
k a rri e a. and the edges of the star are ber, wood, knitted or rag materials I "Well, it might have been a necktie
, nr a smoking Jacket"
and plain blocks.
Rev. Alan Pressley Wilson
(i>, 1M4, Westers Newspager Vao«.)
'V
T * '’wlUuib AM b* ln,r,T. »M
And f»H»t thy poor n»l»s.
So wrote the poet Tu»mr
many years pg(l, [,ut tht
suggestion 1» Just n»
nent today us It was i[l(<
If anything, we need to bo
reminded of our duty to our fe||ow.
tuun more today than our fallier» «¿j
—mor«* today, fndc.-d, than ever ,)fh
fore. This la irta because the n<«d
for brotherhood la even more patent
than ut any other period of the history
of the vv.iiV
We live tu ai agi- when we think
solely of « 'traeivm. and our immediata«
famliie«. m I we k ; ould have brought
to our attei tion th fact thut we owe
a debt to oi.r neighbor and thut that
debt must be pt <1. The story Is told
of a lieh limn who prayed -
Oh, bun!'
s ms and my wit».
My son, John. ... I hl» wit»;
Us four
And no mor»!
Wo blush for shnmo that there could
be found one who la so narrow, .vet I
am assured that such people exist to
day. There ure those who. when they
have satisfied the needs of their own.
assume a self satisfied air nnd say
that they have done their whole duty.
Approach such a person und remind
him of the need of a friend or ii neigh
bor und he will ask th« time-worn
question: "Am I my brother's keeper)
Haven't I enough to do to look after
my own family 1” The teachings of
Jesus Christ answer th«* first qia-stlOB
In th«* *uffirimitive (und the biller In
the negative! with even more <uipliii»(i
than God answered Culn w In n he
originated the selfish Inquiry. .Jesus
taught that the Ih-cnlogu«* Is summed
up In thp greater commandment—
"Thou shaft love they neighbor ns thy
self,” and Ills definition of tii-lghbor"
la uny one who needs our help Ter
ritorial or other limitations du not ap
ply when the cn«v of on«* III need Is
before us.
There Is no geographical lliult.itloa
when we nr»* extending the hand of
nMlstanee to one who n«-«*ds our help:
Ths Spirit of Christmas.
wherever there ia found one or more
whom we can (and ab>>ul<l) a-slst,
there neighborliness must begin
A minister once app*oach«*d one of
Ids parishioners with the request for
a contribution for th«* purp«*«* <>f do
ing Christ inn work abroad. The par
ticular field he laid In mind ws-i China.
The nmn replied that he was willing
to help Ida neighbors but did not
think he was called upon to help those
an far away an China.
"Whom do. ><>u consider your neigir
Is-rf naked the minister. "The man
whose farm adjoins me,” was the
prompt reply. “How far down Into
the earth does your land extend?"
was the next question and the farmer
Juat an promptly uUMVered: "To the
center!" "Very well," wild the min
ister quickly, "There Is a man down
In China whose land Joins yours at
the center of the earth ; ho la therefore
your neighbor nnd ne«*ds your help."
This was a new thought to the slow-
going church member. He lenmttd his
lesson and we need to lenrn the same.
Only na we do so will we be able to
broaden ntir Ilves Into the fullness of
the lile of Jesus the (. Tirisi
The nppii ition of (he teaching of
Jesus to Im Inesa and society would
produce a pet|>etuiil Christmas season;
n time of peace anil Joy and happiness
lasting throughout th«* year.
The giving of cheap presents or
money, however, <|o'es not constltnte
Christmas; na well cxp«*ct a bouquet
of fiowera (however lovely) to consti
tute summer I Tho Christmas spirit,
rnther than the Christmas show, bon
or» Him who«« birth, no less than Ills
life, was the greatest Christmas gift
the world has ever received. The
Chriatmaa spirit brings us Into closer
touch with Him whose very life was
an exemplification of the precept: "It
ia more blessed to give than to re
ceive.”
As we celebrate the anniversary of
•he birth of Jesus let not the going
down of the sun mark the decline of
the Christman spirit but, ns th« days
come and go, and we enter the new
year, lot us each <»ne reach out the
loving had to the sick, the unfortu
nate and the outcast, remembering that
Isens the Christ said: "Inasmuch as
re have done It unto the l«*nst of one
>f thane, my brethren, ye have done
A unto Mel”
Chang« AU Into Loot
Christ mas day shall change all
griefs and quarrels Into love.—Sbaka-