JOLLY OLD ST. NICK
|
CLOWS
CHRISTMAS
WÏ
By Mary Graham Bonner
<©. 1M4. Western Newepaper Unloa.)
A
OR YEARS he had
been funny.
FOr
years he had paint
ed his face, worn
funny clothes and
had made jokes.
He had traveled
first of all In this
country
with a
road circus. Then, when the road cir
cus was going out of business, more
or less, he joined a road circus abroad.
And now he was very old.
But every afternoon and every
night for ten months of the year be
made jokes. He was In a small circus,
too, so sometimes he had to take other
parts.
The performing fox terriers acted
with him. They were his pets. And
how he loved them. How could some
people be unkind to their pets?
Not the old clown.
There was the donkey, too. When
he paid too much attention to the
dogs the donkey came along and gave
him a push to tell him that the don
key, too, wanted some attention.
And now he had planned to have a
holiday. A long holiday. He would
take a little place and with his don
key and his fox terriers they would
rest after their wor^
They would not join the circus an
other year. They were all old.
How tired be had become after
tome of the performances that year,
He had washed his face In the basin
A Christmas Praye
I
By ANNA LOUSE STRONG
in lAnULuk
WEET Child of Peace, across the
ancient strife
Bringing glad melody of angel
psalm.
Our hearts are restless with the care
of life—
O, bring to ua Thy calm!
S
I
Dear Lord of Lor., the world la wait
ing atlll
The high achievement of Thy gra
cious plan;
O, grant ua Thine all-conquering good
will.
Thy loving faith in man I
Yea, your grandfather came In with
six. Peg cooked four, for we were ex
pecting all the kinfolks from both
sides of the house. This was the day
before, and our kinfolks began coming
that evening, for some lived ten miles
and It was too far for the oxen to
make the trip in time next morning.
Oh, yes, we drove oxen—and I much
prefer them to these human-killing au
tomobiles of today.
Both Julia and Juanita laughed
“Oh, do go on, grandma!”
“Well, we were to be married at
high noon Christmas day, so by ten
of cold water outside his wagon and
had not even bothered to get off all
i
the makeup.
I
to question the real date of Christ’s
The
water
was
cold.
It
was
hard
Master of Death. Thy greatest gift Is
►
__
< >
birth.
to heat water after the performance
yet—
The Western empire had accepted :
To know Thy sacrifice, to share Thy
;
was over, and only a little of the
loan.
I>ecetnber 23 as the date, and the
paint came off—only a little cold-look Lest In the mirth of Christmas wo for
o’clock Christmas Eve our feather bedgl
Eastern churches celebrated January
ing pink water was at the bottom of
get
were full. We didn’t try to put moral
6, while other dates from September
The glory of the Cross.
the basin.
JAMES JPHfTCQMa HHJY
than six in one bed—three at the head]
I
29 to May 20 were observed, and each
But the dogs didn’t mind. They
and three at the foot—beds were made 1
of these with some good reason for
slept on the end or by the side of
on the floor all over the house, and we '
its selection. It was Pope Julius who
his cot In hla wagon. They jumped
HANT me a rhyme of Christmas—
slept as soundly as you on your fine ,
finally settled the controversy by ac
And though It is filled with laugh
In after him each evening, and they
box springs of today, and nothing dis
ter. let it be pure and strong.
cepting the ruling of the Western
each kissed him good night. They
turbed us only an occasional snores
church and established December 23,
didn’t mind paint They were used
Bing of the hearts brimmed over with
and that wasn't half as bothersome aa
and
by
the
middle
of
the
Fourth
cen
the story of the day—
to it
Bq
the sputtering of these flying ma
tury this date was generally recog Of the echo of childish voloee that will
Oh. yea, be would take a long, long
ANNA DEM1NQ QBA1)
chines.
not die away.
nised In the pagan nations thia had
holiday. He would rest on the little I
"Well, the next day dawned fair,
been the time when a festival of joy
he had managed to eave. It would bo
Of the blare of the tasseled bugle, and
(©. ISM, Western Newepaper Union.)
and I think everybody said “Happy la
took place, because it was then that
enough for him and his peta
of the timeless clatter and boat
the bride the sun shines on." Peg as
E SHALL have to the sun was supposed to begin to re- Of the drum that throbs to muster
But as the days passed along bo
sured me the cakes were fine and tur
squadrons of scampering feet.
go farther back cede from the equator.
seemed to feel rested and the pets
keys tender. The great, long tabla
than the Christian
They celebrated the 21st of Decem Bat. O. 1st your voice fall fainter, till, seemed to have new vigor and
•Qp
was "set” and we were married under
era to find the ber by all manner of licentious revels
strength. It was splendid to feel rest
blent with a minor tons,
I a bough of mistletoe—and your grand
source of Christ and heathen debauchery, and eve* roii temper your sone with ths beauty ed again. A family had invited him
father kissed me for the first tlm»,
of the pity Christ baa shown.
Bq Emilq Barks Adams
inas
celebration,
to Christmas dinner—and be had ac
I
I’m sure no girl of today can say that
for we borrowed it
cepted and he had asked, too, if be
(C. UM. Western Newspaper Union.)
And sins one verso for the voiceless;
Everybody shook my hand and wished
from the nations
could come with his donkey and bring
and yet ere the song be done.
R A N D M OTHER, me much joy and we all went to din
existing long be
A verso for the ears that hsar not.
his dogs along. They, be said, would
tell usayeal Christ ner. Your grandfather and I ate at
and a verno for ths slghtlsos one.
fore the coining of the Christ Child.
help put on a little ebow for the
mas story—one you the first table; most of the women
Christmas came from egyly Egyptian
children.
For though it be time for singing a
really experienced. waited, for in those times the men
civilisation, from the Teutonic barba
It was all agreed.
merry Christmas glee,
Tell us the very always ate first. I suppose it wafi
rians, or the pagan Greek and Roman
Let a low. sweet voice of pathos run
But when Christmas afternoon came
beet Christmas you proper then; anyway, they did.
through the melody.
nations—or perhaps from all of them.
and the Christmas dinner was over,
“The next day we drove over tn
ever bad—“
But in the days of the early Chris
and the old clown was beginning hie
Julia and Jua- your grandpa's home for the lnfar%
tians Chrlstuins censed to be observed after the coming of Christianity it was
show
for
the
children,
be
knew
then
At first only the royal households
ntta, grandmother's and had another big dinner, and I had
merely as a day of merrymaking and centuries before these pagan customs
had these lords of misrule, but the cus that he could never take more than a adored granddaughters, settled them a cheaper calico. I called It my see*
feasting. They celebrated it as a day and practices were eliminated. And
few
months*
holiday
from
being
a
tom spread until almost every house
selves, for, to them. no oLe could tell on d-d ay dress. We visited my folk»
pf good will and kindliness, the be it was not until after the Middle
hold had its ruler of the season's down.
and his folks about a week and them
stories equal to grandma.
stowing of gifts, and a time of peace, ages that the meaning and the sig
The laughter and the delight and
revels. But gradually, as time passed,
"AU right, girls, that won’t be hard. took our belongings in an ox-cart tB
but they considered it a holy festival nificance of the season began to dawn
the
shrieks
and
the
cries
of
joy
from
these wild celebrations gave place to
The wry best Christmas I ever had
and too filled with solemnity and sa upon the minds and hearts of men.
festivals none the less joyous, but the children were things the old down was ta wedding day. I was married
cred joy to be made a time of hilarity
could not get along wtthout.
In old England Christmas became a more befitting the season.
and boisterous Jollity.
This Christmas had shown him that I an Christmas day and the most pre
time of feasting, drinking and hilari
The ceremony of bringing tn the
cious gift I ever received was your
That the very date Is uncertain ous merrymaking—not a very ad
grandfather.
makes little real difference. In those vanced conception, but a step beyond
Naughty Papa
"Well, it was like this: Our Christ
early days <•.’ tt-’ Christians they the pagan Idea. Later the spirit of
manes and weddings were very differ
thought It felloe. Hu the h nthenlsh Puritanism began to influence English
ent from now. My wedding dress was
tn ''
»' rve birthdays.
We customs and public seal ran so high
custom to
a pretty calico,, the first I ever had,
cannot v <inh> >1 this when we r> that all gayety and all festivity came
and cost one dollar a yard. Up to this
member tl.pt et«i god and goddess to be considered sinful.
time I had worn woolaey, we called our home, four miles away
nd every imlmn*
every noted ■ p<.
All observances of special days were
them, and I spun and wove It. My room log house built by grandpa.
nist
ouch
have
c
considered si.
declared designed by the "devllle,"
mother was afraid rd take cold, so I Your mother was bora there.
and the famous Roundhead parlia
hod to wear my calico over the wool
*TThat was a great Christ naa, and
ment set aside the celebration of
one. We didn’t have hope boxes then we were happier In one room than
Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide.
—we had hopes, though. It was a dis those In mansions today.
For twelve years no special days the lighted candle In the window, and
grace for a girl to marry and not pos
"Oh, that was a great day ’ Tea, fl
were observed In England, and when the midnight singing of carols.
sess a feather bed and some quilts was truly Christ’s day and Christ1!
Still
Inter
Christmas
become
a'
day
they were once more taken back Into
and a pair of home-made blankets. I way. The same Savior reigned tbsgl
favor the result was what might have murked by bountiful dinners given to
had all these, to be sure.
as now, and he has the same rasa*
been expected, for toe Christmas sea the poor by rich landowners, rather
“My worst worry was for fear Peg’s sage—‘I go to prepare a place for yotfc
son became a time of feasting, drink than merely n time of feasting and
cakes would be flat, for she had a that where I am there ye may bn
special day of feasting and festivity. ing, dancing and wild revel, lasting merrymaking.
habit of epolllag cakes by making also.’
And
slowly
the
real
Christmas
spirit
It Is nd strange that they should for twelve days and nights. The lord
them too rich, when she wanted them
"Good night, girls, grandma must rn*
'have come to a time when they put of misrule came Into existence—this la coming more and more Into the
especially good. L too, wanted the tire. Tomorrow Is Christmas day, Mfl
hearts
of
humanity,
as
we
grow
each
was
the
chosen
master
of
festivities.
(the whole custom nslde. and celebrated
plum pudding Just ao. and the turkeys sixty-seven years ago I received a
none at all, not even the birthday of Into whose hands the keys of the year to better understand the song
properly cooked—In case we got any— better than any I’ll got t
house were given and whose word was the angels sang that starlit night on
“Mother, does Santa Claus loro my for my father had to go to the woods
the Child of Bethlehem.
bo with father
the
Judean
hills.
And
“
on
earth
i.ursemald, tool'*
It was not until four hundred years law while the revel lasted. The days
Ml wfld turkey."
rolls i
"I guess so, Thomas WhyT
later, not until Christianity had tri- and nights were full of “all manner of peace, good will to men,” means
I DM
great
with
each
recurring
year
as
wo
hilarity,
and
a
most
wild
and
merria
"Well
last
Christmas
I
saw
vmphed and to-come a recognised fee
our
hearts
to
the
Child-of
5
*
that they even began time was had,'* we are told.
I
: Song of Christmas :
Celebrating
Christmas
C
A
1
Christmas
IDedding