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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1919-12-18, Page 3Half the joy of the holiday season is in ;tte ly decorating the home. You c:m easily make your awn Christmas deverations and the little one can help you with your labor of love. Gar- lands and chains festoor_ecl about the tree, many be i.eele of red atter white peppermint st,ielte tied with re row! .]et ribbone. Tin fell tnaices an' effeetivy deeer:aticen, tnatant :• and stars May be 'rue from tint a!,war,i a ui ve eied with tinfoil and suspended byI sale er elle. or picture wire. .. rs . i. -, a 5 nl.�< « e made G fro,.. • sweet t>r white brietol board. White! cardboard goaded or silvered makes pretty bells, a circle four meas. across will make two bolls, 17;1/Ito crystal, are made of rice paper. Toe simplest way to make the crystals is to fold a circle about 4 .nehes in, diiuneter marking the pat- tern ith a lead pencil on the folded circles and then cutting it Dist. Oneer the paper is unfolded a crystal appears which may be .strung with thread so as to form a enotay'chain of crystals glietening with diamond dust, Red and green are the colors used principally- for deeorating the Cltri t mat festal board. The kiddies will love a table with Santa Claus standing on a snowy . cotton mound dressed in! red crepe paper with trimmings 'of' white cotton to simulate white fur. The hair and heard are also of white cotton. Secreted in the snowy mound are little gifts wrapped ,in holly paper, each souvenir is attached to a long green ribbon which is drawn to the cotton and reaches to each place, To complete the effectiveness the candle •stieks are capped with crepe paper shades sparkling with diamond ° dust and each ear„ile stick is encircled! with a wreath of small everlasting flowers. The bon bon boxes are little boxes in the •shape of snow balls adorned with a gay spray of holly and filled with red and white sweet meats. While the guests are seated, little telegrams may be distributed which contain personal Christmas greetings. The glass dome of the ehrrdelier may be covered with Christie/n.4 p,ietures, cut out and pasted on the paper. A with e 1 the star for • . a c its princi- pal feature has a large star red -shaped box outlined with diamond dust hold- ing the souvenirs. From the chandelier by means of wire are suspended strings of stars, The sandwiches may be cut in stare shape and the cakes ,ice,red; icing, decorated with green candies. The ice cream may be served in snow ball shape, sprinkled with eoeoanat.! Tie a bit of evergreen to each cup handle. Popcorn wreathe are efic;;;i e for decorating the table. Sew each kernel' separate on 'white hat wire and form' in circles. THE FAITH OF DANDY JIM 1 Tae, i'enrit.ree Dollidena, wlio was t is ., ,•cs°. ,-..:1 •tory handsome Calla - me. 000. f:: ve leer lac overskirt a unci .it",'..' awl tossed her golden ail.. ..i;en with her bis; blue eyes clew etaareil et 1)andiy Jim, and said, "Yeti see Elizabeth already Iikes me far ler than she does you! Here it is two whole Jaya sgatce 1 v, as taken front beneath the glistening Christmas tree, and die is the first time she has left me. She would "have taken mo to ehurt+h to hear ilia Christmas carols, only her father told her it was better to leave her new dull at home.” Countess Doilidena continued to stare at poor, ragged Dandy Jim. He lay limply upon his ::nail heti in tate corner of the nursery. His face looked thin and sad. "I said that Elizabeth already pre- fers nee, Dandy Jim:" the countess said tauntingly. That was too much! Dandy Jim could stand no snore! "Wait and see!" he cried, "Wait aid see! Five long years Elizabeth has held the close in her areas all night. Five long years she has played with me at least part of every day. Christmas is an exciting time. Your clothes certainly do look far nicer than mine, and you are ex- tremely pretty. I see Just wliy she has forgotten me for a few days. I shall lie right here till she takes me again in her arms -for take me she certain- ly will," "Ha!" laughed the countess cruelly.. "Then you will lie there the rest of your life." Dandy Jinn pressed his lips tight to- gether. He knew that i3' he spoke at all he would utter rude and angry words; such words that he wou]Cl de- serve to lie the rest of his life upon his bed, forgotten for all time by his adored little mistress. Late that night ho was awakened by a terrible crash! The wind, which was howling wildly, had 'banged the out- side door. The windows rattled an thewhole house shook, Dandy Jim longed to run to Elizabeth's room. He . wished to comfort her, for he knew how much she disliked loud noises in the middle of the night.. With a 'sigh he remembered that she had chosen the Countess Dolliden.a. She did not want him yet,' Suddenly the nursery door flew open with a bang. A tiny electric flash light shone straight into his blinking eyes. A dear, dear voice cried, "O Dandy Jun, Dandy Jim; I need you!" A little girl in a white .nightdress rushed to his bed, and clasped him safe m her soft, warm arises. She hur- ried through the Clark- Balli hunb with Christmas greens, and she inurniured ae: she went: "Ohl Dandy dear, the countess was very beautiful to look at, very beauti- ful to walk and to talk with. Each night I sat her in a 'chair near ny bed, where I would not muss her clothes, but where I could see her the first thing every morning when I opened my eyes. She looked so dressedaup, Dandy Jitn—so wonderful;.• but-" Just then the Wind gave the wildest -shriek of ail: The house "trembled, and Elizabeth )umnped back into her• Warm bed, with Dandy' Jim hugged close in her arms. She whisj eyed: ',put, bandy clean', when it conies to • R. storms .and to winds there's no one in tete world like you. lcly dear old, faititfullest friend --my Dandy Jim!" At Christmas. :'',t Christmastide tate ermine snow. in feathered flake, comes drifting clown And wraps the shoulders of the hills That seem to guard the sleeping town. ! And in the hush and in the pause i That mark the ending of the year, As softly as the fallitlg snow Your gentle spirit draweth near, At Clrristmas, At Christmastide an angel leaves The door ajar a kettle space, And peace and joy and charity Beane on us from the Shining Place:: And yo'i, I think, slip through. the door, Drawn by the well -remembered days, The silent house breathes out again / The blessing of your 'quiet ways, At Christmas. At Christmastide old friends estranged Renew their long -forgotten ties; "Peace and goodwill," the engels'i song In benediction from the skies; And you—for what can hinder love? I think you leave the Happy Host And come with comfort, for you know This is the time we miss you most, At Christmas, A Way to. Earn Money at Christmas. At Christmas time there is an op- portunity for wide-awake boys to earn money in a way that is as pleasant as it is remunerative—by delivering gifts for persons who live in their neighborhood. One boy who made a good profit last Christmas attributed a good deal of his success to the fact that he dressed. in a Santa Claus suit every time he went out to deliver gifts. He was much in demand for two or three days. and, although his charge for deliver- ing a basket of gifts was only ten cents, his earnings greatly exceeded the amount that he had hoped to ob- tain. Christmas Day was the climax. From early morning until noon he de- livered parcels for his friends and neighbors. He was greeted every- where with smiles,- and had a share in the Christmas festivities of the en- tire village. : _ ., What he did other boys can do with equal success. In larger towns a boy might even be the manager of a Santa Claus Errand Boys' Club, and solicit orders 'in advance. On. the Taking g o,t Jerusalem. (By the British, December, -1917), The march is o'er, The day is clone; The Cross against The Crescent has *on. In, its dazzling light • They cannot stay; I of Allah Away, away. The Cross returns To the land 'of itte birth,Rejoice, yeeyeoples, Throughout the earth; And ye of Allah, Kneel to pray At the Cross of Christ Chis Gltasttas Day. The,r i n of Self,niit enl. when man shall heed Less what they Gn than what they Lor.., ,Jhrcugh Greed, Katherine's Boxing Day. Katharine came elowly over the broad stairway, with her arms full of boxes. There were big boxes and little boxes, long boxes and short boxes, fat boxes and lean boxes. all piled one on top of the other until they were higher than Katharine's head, "I've found a few, auntie!" Katherine exclaimed as she threw thein all upon the bed in a confused heap. "I think there's a dozen here!" "I should say there was!" laughed auntie. "Where did you find so many, Katherine?" "Everywhere," answered Katherine, sighing, "I've hunted miles, auntie, and Pnl most tired to pieces!" Auntie began to sort the boxes. All the little ones she placed in one pile, and all the big ones she put in another: "1 Mink," exclaimed auntie, laugh- ing again, "that this will be the big- gest iggest Boxing Day Canada has ever known!" "Do_ you really, auntie?" inquired Katherine joyfully. "Yes, realm," answered auntie. -On Christmas night, when Auntie had. put Katherine to bed, she had told her a story about a little chimney sweep, named Frank, who lived a long time ago in London. One Christmas Montag this little chimney sweep climbed up a very broad, high chimney, in a' very rick man's house. He brushed the soot carefully from the blackened bricks and had almost reached the stop, when suddenly he slipped and fell --down, down, down, to the •earthen -tiled hearth! He lay there moaning for several minutes, and then Mr. Banks, the own- er of the house, found him. The day after Christmas used to be called Boxing ,Day in. England, for on that day all the rich men, such as Mr. Banks, used to give boxes wth pre- sents in them to their servants On this particular Boxing Day FrInk, who had always before been forgotten, i limped slowly out of Mr. Banks' house with his arms full of boxes; and a Happier boy could not have been found in all London than that little chimney sweep. Kather.]ne thought with all her might before she closed her eyes that evening, and made up her mind to start a Boxing Day in her own city, She had a fireplace, but no chimney sweep ever .came to sweep the chim- ney. However, that made no differ- ence. She would send a box to•Diniah's little girl, Kate; and :Rachel had little sisters to whom she could send, dolls;' and then •there was that poor corn ipan! • • Father said that the, man was a sand- wich man, -because ite was between two advertising boards, but Katherine called him the corn man. He always looked so cold ,and hungry, too. How Katherine did pity him! (Katharine was very busy all t1e morning paclzing and tying up those wonderful boxes, and after luncheon. elle 'stent rolling over the pavements as fast as the black horses could take her; first atone place and alien at another they stopped ,to ^leave the boxes. Rachel's sisters hid tir,•r dolls, Dinah's 1.ttleg rl :her Looks 4 id toys, and then at least they were on crowded Ycttge Street. "There he is!" exclaimed Katherine Mince -Pies Prohibited. ruritens of the seventeenth century excitedly. "there's my forn man, guarded against looking upon ' the rosy auntie!" The Macre horses stopped, . The coupe door opened, and Katherine placed in the astonished man's hands a box. It was a big box, almost too heavy for Katherine to lift, but she finally managed it, inurmaring as she slid so: "I'm having a Boxing Day, sir, Corn Man, and here's a present -for you!" Then the door closed and Katherine was gone. The next week, when auntie and Katherine went shopping, therestood the corn mat. In the very selfsame spot; but he dict not look cold now, for he was wrapped ill a warm gray ulster and a blue cap, which he lifted to Katherine as she smiled at him from the carriage that rolled by, And Katherine feels quite sure that her Boxing Day was even happier than Christmas itself, for she has learned the great lesson that it is better to give than to receive. Christmas Facts. The turkey has formed a. Christmas dish in England ever since its intro- duction in 1524. '. The Christmas pantomime was first introduced into England in 1702 by a dancing -master of Shrewsbury. Holly is a corruption of the word holy. In Germany it is called Christ- dorn, and in Denmark; and Sweden Christtorn, Plum -pudding was originally a ;tart of thick porridge with plums in it, and vias used iii the sense of force -meat or staffing.... Christmas and Epiphany were once celebrated as one and the same feast. The separation took place at the Coun- cil of Nice in 825. Mince pies were derived.. from the pastry images and sweetmeats given to the Fathers of the Early Church at Ronie on Christmas Eve. They used to be called "minched" pies. The first Christmas carol was the *ell -known hymn, "Gloria in Exeeisis," sung by the angels to the shepherds at Betblehein on the first Christmas morning; The first printed one was published in England in 1521. About three o'clock on the morning of Christmas Day, in some parts of Wales, the people assemble in church, and, after prayers and a sermon,. sing psalms and hymns until daylight dawns. This is: called "the crowning of the cock." Waits was the name originally given to, the tninnstreis attached to the: Ring's' Court, whose duty it was to guard the streets at night, and pro- claim the hour. They were also in the -habitof serenading the inhabitants as Well, hoping at Christmas to receive their reward. Christmas candles, in. some parts of England must be so large as to burn all day, otherwise it, will portend evil to the family for the corning year, should they: fail it their light, They used to be presented by the poor as gifts to the rich. • Christmas -tree ornaments can be at- tractively attached to the tree with "ii ]1-s "inb ' cl $ l i L ,pi , 0 1 esif i � cleccr�.t.ed reel cregne`-liaper: The crepe 1:alier ns cut to form the petals or a rose and entirely covets• the woos] of the clothes•. pins. side of life, Because Ciu'istmae is really a, sur- vival of the Nits' Yule, and is not the actual anniversary of the birth of • Christ. they refused to countenance Christmas festivities. Not only did they refuse to recognize the day, but they made laws to that effect. The Parliament of 1644 passed an Act prdering all law-abiding citizens to observe the 25th day of December C t, to oe sq atonement for x:revious Christmas days that had passedin riotous living g. Naturally the community did not share in these hard and fast rules, and many a turkey was surreptitiously killed, and many a plum:pudding quiet- ly boiled. But woe betide the unfor- tunate offender against the Act were he luckless enough to be discovered. Soldierswere sent to search the houses of those suspected of harbor- ing such delicacies as mince pies, etc., and many were the pitched battles be- tween disagreeing sections of the pub- lic. The Road to Christmas. The road that leads to Christmas Is a road of virgin white. The trees are still, - And the black windmill That stands atop" of the curving hill Is a transformed thing to -night. The road that leads to Christmas Is a road where spirits dwell. They haunt the track, And call one back; a They play strange tricks with the almanac And with Time, the sentinel. The road that leads to Christmas Leads to Eternity. Lit from afar By the shepherd's star; And the songs the wand'rer sing- eth aro The songs of Calvary. Christmas,' 1919. "Christians, awake! Salute the happy morn, -Whereon the Saviour. of mankind was, born; Rise to adore the mystery of love, Which hosts of angelschanted from above: This day hath God fulfilled His pro- mised Word, This day it born a Saviour, Christ the Cord." • Plain Sugar Cookies. '''yo cupful shortening, 1 cupful: sugar, 2 eggs, 3 tablespoonfuls milk, 2 cupfuls flour, 3 teaspoonfuls baking powder,• t/4 teaspoonful salt, :1/2 teaspoonful nut- meg.-- Cream the shortening, add the sugar gradually, thein add the well- beaten egg; milk and flour mikecd and sifted with the baking powder and spice, Turn out, on a floured board and roil lightly to one-eighth inch' Chic mes"s, Cut with ii cooky cutter, cutt , place on -a slightly greased pan or biting sheet and bake ina moderate oven until a light brown. One egg may bo used is plate of two if less flour is inset, 1 Christmas Eve in a Sleeper. The young man s leo boarded the tourist sleeping car at Langdoxt, Al-, berta, on Chriettn ee Eve Was not in a good humor: It seemed to him, to :be particularly unpleasant Mit, on this night, of ail the nights ani the year, the should have to put up with uncongen- ial surroundings, The negro porter tucked away his baggage, and he set- tled bin/self in his colnpartzneut with a feelin that this was to be a Christ- mas Eve that he should not care tg remember, In the section directly across the aisle were,aeated the five members of a young family. Something about there at -once drew Jerry Cartwright's attention. The another was pleasant- faced, with a tired look in her eyes that suggested the ling, arduous day of travel. The three sleepy young- sters eat huddled together on the seat in front, facing •backward. But it was the look of untroubled peace on the face of the -father that interested Jerzy most. The car, as usual, was overheated, and the man sat in his shirt sleeves, with his head resting against the back of the seat. His eyes were elcsed, but his lips moved. Rais- ing ing his head suddenly, he caught Jerry's eyes meed upon him. At once, with a smile of quick, unembarrassed neighborliness, he •spoke; "It's Christmas Eve, you lynew," he said. "Why don't we get together and have a few real, old Christmas carols?" The ingenuous friendliness of the young father stirred an answering chord in Jerry Cartwright in spite of his intended aloofness. The irritation that had possessed him a moment be- fore departed. He perched himself on the arae rest of his seat and, .a minute later, the voices of the two peen, by no means unmelodious, rose softly in "It Came Upen the Midnight Clear." A couple in the section. ahead turned and looked back smiling. ., ng. Soar the other passengers in the car were at- traded, and gradually gathered about the original group; most of them join- ed unaffectedly in the singing. Among these passengers, Jerry noticed a thin, careworn -looking woman in black come up and stand with her arm about an equally thin, anaemic -looking daughter. The section of Jerry's friendly neighbor remained the centre of the gathering. The, pleasant -faced wife still sat quietly resting, a faint smile in her eyes; the children, sat up straight, listening with open-mouthed wonder. But, somehow, Jerry found, the eyes of everyotle began to turn on himself. Not every song praposed was generally known, but Jerry did his winning best to make everything go. It was surprising the number of tunes and verses he was able to remember— the songs of his old 'Sunday -school days. They sang them all unrestrain- edly, with contagious good will and a sudden feeling of fellowship for one another. At last the time came for the party to break up. The traveler's Christmas Eve was over. Everyone looked the better and the happier for the im- promptu service. Everyone had a friendly word or glance for Jerry and for the jolly, magnetic, young father. Again Jerry noticed the woman • in the black dress, standing with her arm round her frail daughter. He reached forward and took the woman's hand. • "I wish you both a happy Christmas and a still happier New Year," Jerry said. The woman's wan features became animated. "We have to thank you and your friend" for a happier Christ- mas Eve than we expected to spend this year, have we not. Mabel?" she replied. A little later Jerry Cartwright lay stretched in his berth with raised win- dow shade, gazing out on the .dim ex- panse of prairie. In the east Sirius and the stars of Orion •shone out blighter and more clearly than he had ever seen them at home. "My!" was his unuttered thought. "I got on this train as ill-natured as a bear. A man with a friendly, buoy- ant heart makes me forget it and help others to be more cheery and forget their troubles, too; and now : a kitten could play with ine. Wliy, it's been one of my best Christmas Eves!" Candle Holders For Christ- mas Eve. The pleasant custom of decorating house windows with candles on Christ- mas Eve can be made iniuch easier hnd safer by adopting the simple de- vice of placing the candles in the com- mon tin pattypans that can be bought at any tinware shop. The caudle will. stand firmly in place if it is melted a little and stuck in the pan by its own wax The pans do away with the clan. ger of setting fire to the window frays when the candle burns so low that the wick falls over, for they are large enough,' to catch the wick in whatever direction it may fall. Draper les should always be drawn ,back and tacked to the window frames or taken down, The newspaper office seems rather a queer place to go shopping ,for Christmas presents,. Itut there' are few gifts tb:at friends miles away from the old home town will enjoy more than fifty-two issues of. the home paper •