HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1903-12-17, Page 7'hilstnas
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under the knot. Tie up bundles in etaaO SSOIH fl)V.41)0130)1 &
white, gathering the paper together
at the ends, tying it with ribbon,
and then fringing the ands.
Little fancy boxes, mado of Whit-
!h man Papel' and decorated with gold
o • • paint and red water color paint, fill-
r;ry ed with home-made candies, make an
aetStaPi,t D a.0olob 3rPrs✓ inexpensive and always aecelntahlo
gift.
toast Goose,—A goose should bo A sot of dishtowels, neatly 1icmmod
artfully dressed,for roasting, or it is and marked, Mealy Bono up and ea-
!able
s!able to hcive a strong flavor which companied with an appropriate sontl-
voi•y undesirable. When ready far mot,' is a gift never despised by the
opeeatlaq singe the bird, remove housekeeper.
n.feathers and wash, Tho gooso \Nash-oloLhs made of squares of
nods, 11leudly; ts bath in hot seal,- Turkish towelling with a crocheted
uis and a scrubbing, too, with .a, odgo of pale blue or pink zephyr. sell
-gamble brush, s:llon draw, witch well at a bazaar, and aro gifts a lit-
emoviug the contents of the in- do girl can make herself.
lyloat comes oust 9 Wash Thorncr[vor" is always odi-
1 rinse inclear, cold water, then ow,lnovertheless in many rooms it
ti
re just no dry as possible, Now seems to be a noceos try edjubet of
0 goose is rowdy for the smiling the dressing bureau. A bag made
d trussing olid sininkll ng with salt of tucked Persian lawn of India lin-
id Fernier. Then put on a rack in on,.fastened at the heel, of the dress- sent and the future, a curious fus-
TH@ RUSSIAN
CHRISTMAS
eafteE]^v liglee9 lifOOPO 8ab>MOIS44if00O(9P31I
<Vild wastes of snow-rnttntled
steppe, valued by the starry dotno
of heaven, mysterious lights flickering
before the glittering fano of a little
temple and softened by curling clouds
of fragrant incense, solemn chants of
the cburoh, weird Rip.' dies of anci-
ent faith, the merry laughter of
rustle maids seeking to pry into fu-
turity, and the theory shouts of
young and old fioatiug in on tho
frosty night air, still linger, says a
writer in London Daily Telegraph,
among the pleasant memories of my
first Christmae in Rosier 1't was
a quaint mixture of the sacred and
the profane, a blending of the pro-
cli ippurg pan and lay FAX thin in bureau "fills the bill" ante1 rtab- inn of rain and pleasure. Christ-
's]] cs of fat salt pork over the ly. The tucks are horizontal, and mos 17 o being tho close of a long
hr r.sC. Litt in a very hot oven and the mouth of the bag is left largo and rigorous fast, none but the hard -
enough so that it is convenient for
use.
A whisk broom holder is Hondo of
two shield -shaped pieces of cardboard
covered with hoily rod linen and
bound with green satin ribbon an
inch wide, Ornament the front with
a monogram embroidered in green.
A. young girl will appreciate a
pcctty bit of corsage, garniture as a
tl o sputtering begins. A 1.0 -pound
gooso will take about one hour and
three-quarters for the, roasting, and
It should bo basted overy 15 minutes
with the fat in the pan, removing
the port, if you please, tho last hall
hour of the cooking.
Apple enact should always accorn-
paniy roast goose, Then garnish the
Christmas goose with stuffed apples
en surprise and a few bits of laurel.
oncd sinner would darn satisfy his
hunger or slake his thirst Were the
twinkling twilight of the first star
had visibly trembled in tho mysteri-
ous oast. I fear I looked upon my-
self as a hardened sinner in the 'nat-
ter of fasting, but, as the guest of
a wealthy and devout peasant pro-
prietor, I had, nothing for it but
to mortify my body with the rest.
Chestnut Stuffing—To make the Chrlstrnas gift. Get a bolt of velvet Between 5 and 6 o'clock in tho
dros;ing, cook one-half tablespoon ribbon No, 1 and a spray of small evening wo were all in church, listen -
finely chopped shallot with three flowers or fruit, (forget-me-nots aro tug to the Impressive service, part 01
tablespoons butter five minutes; then pretty). Moho the ribbon into loops which is a To Ileum stung in thanks -
add one-fourth pound sausage meat.-ivarying from four to nine inches in giving for the scattering of "the
Sausage first freed from their out- length, fastening theme with spool
dde skin and cook two minutes; add wire and arrange the flowers among
12 finely chopped nnushroams and them.
ono cup chestnut puree. Season b•itit five yards of satin ribbon No. 80
salt and pepper and add one-half snake a lovely girdle and sash bow.
tablespoon finely chopped parsley. Twenty -live dnohos are allowed for
Hent to boiling point, add ono -half the waist. Tho bow has six loops
cup fresh bread crumbs and 24 whole arranged in pairs, with two short
cooked French chestnut. Thismayupright ends, five inches long. Tho
be done a clay in advance, middle of the bow isa knot for
needs to bo cold wlron it is put Onto
the bird. This is an expensive stuff-
ing, but ono wants to Have tho best
ou Christmas day.
Stuffed Apples en Surprise—Coro
and cut in eights eight apples, put
n stewpaa with one-half cup maple
yrup., ono cup sweet cider, two
slices cut fronn a lemon, one-quarter
teaspoon salt, ono tablespoon butter
.and a few gratings of nun neg; then
cook until soft. Cool, and 811 shells
uuade by taking a t iolc slice from
stem end of bright red apples and
scooping out inside. Cover with
noriugue made of whites of two eggs
beaten still, two tablespoons powder-
ed sugar and ono teaspoon lemon
jui'•e. Place under gas flame of gas
rasioe to brown meringue.
Mushroom Sauce.—Molt three table-
spoons butter, add a few drops
onion juice and cook until slightly
browned; then add three and ono -
half tablespoons flour, one cup cream
the water drained from cooking one-
half pound mushroom stems with
onough more cream to make one-half
cup liquid. Season with salt and
paprika and add ono tablespoon meat
.extract. Add mushroom caps cut
in slices and sauted in butter Ave
Minutes.
Enefish Plum Pudding.—Por this
twelve tongues," as the French army
was termed in 1812. A. flood of
soothing sounds was sweeping away
the bonds that bind ni011 s souls to
earth. But before the echoes of the
last "amen!" had died away the
spacious square before tho place of
worship was bleak with forms which
the ear, not tho oyo, recognized as
human, for they looked like hugo
which seven inches of ribbon are al- sacks of corn toddllog about on
lowed. The loops aro graduated in feet, the women and men alike being
length, the lowest pair boing six wrapped in groat sheepskin coats,
and a half inches, the second five which covered their high heavy boots
and a quarter, the third pair four and blotted out their natural shapes.
Inches. When we entered the warm room of
A stock collar is a gift that al- the hospital house, wax tapers, hal-
ways delights a girl if it is daintily lowed candles and purple lamps were
mado of suitable materials. A poet- lighted, incense was burned, a short
ty one seen at thio theatre the other prayer recited, and warm words of
night had bins strips of pale blue, welcome were spoken to tho guests.
moire at top and bottom, with a Thon the host's children wore sent
strip of heavy white cream lace over out. to some of tho neighbors with
white between them. To cover the little cakes, on which wore angles of
junction of moire and lace was a row kine sheep and birds—symbols of the
of narrow black velvet ribbon stud- senders' desire that their friends
clod at intervals with tiny turquoise alight bo blessed with abundance
buttons. Ends of blue ribbon edged during the coining year.
with narrow cream lace made a but-
terfly bow in front,
1USOORD CHRISTMAS PUDDINGS.
In, the village of Psignton, in Dev-
oushiro, England, an old charter pro-
vided that on each fiftieth Christmas
Day the village should provide a
plum pudding large enough to fend
all the poor.
In accordance with the provisions
of that charter, on the first Christ-
mas of the nineteenth century, a
pudding was made which weighed 000
genuine English plum pudding unix pounds, Tho ingredients included
six ounces . flour, six ounces stalo more than a bushel of eggs, 120 lbs.
bread crumbs, tluoo-quarters of a
pound oath seeded raicius and our-
rants,
urrants, three-quarters of a pound fine-
ly chopped sunt, 10 ounces sugar,
ono cup molasses, three ounces can -
<lied orange peel, one teaspoon each
nutmeg and mace, six eggs well beat-
en, and salt to taste. Turn into a
thickly floured cloth, do securely and
plunge into it kettle of boiling wa-
ter. Keep the water boiling around
the pudding vigorously for five hours
or the result will not bo satisfactory.
This pudding must be mixed with
the hand, otherwise it is impossible
to incorporate the ingredients thor-
oughly. It is well to have the
pudding , made a day or two in ad-
vance, as it can be readily heated fit
a stoamor in about an hour or so.
Garnish the pudding with sprays of
holly well laden with its bright rod
berries and ,a:hard sauce ornamented
with candied cherries. Poor one-
third cep brandy, which must be of
good quality, around base of pud-
ding and light just before sending to
the table. Then serve with hot
sauceaswell as tho cold sauce.
Cold Hard Sauce.—Cream ono -
third of a cup of butter, add gradual-
ly ono cup brown sugar and drop
by drop two tablespoons broody. ]f
the brandy is added too rapidly, the
sauce willhave a curdled appearance.
Hot Sauce.—Mix ono -]calf Cup su-
gar, one level tablespoon arrowroot
andi a few grains salt. .Add one cup
boiling water, and lot bast live online
otos. Remove from faro and add
one tablespoon lemon juice and two
tablespoons brandy. Color with
fruit rod. Arrowroot males a clear
sauce, flour or cornsta•cit a cloudy
CHHRISTMAS SUGGESTIONS.
Valuable. Hints About Making
Holiday Gifts.
It is always rather dimcult to pre-
pare acceptable gifts for the children
of a Sunday school—gifts pleasing,
attractive and inexpensive. 13uy a
quantity . of stick candy of various
flavors and colors. Wrap eaoh stick
in ono' thickness of transparent white
Paper: this is to give it a clean, un-
handled, appetizing, look, and also
preserve tho dolor effect, Out of
blue or rod paper make wrappers
about three inches wide, ornamented
with the name of the Sunday school
or a Christmas sentiment in gold
paint, Put seven of the candy sticks
together and encircle them with this,
wrapper.
Littlo boxes which contain. g]fLs
may bo wrapped in two papal's, one
scarlet, the outer white; make . the
paper's lougor 011 0110 011d tinsn' cur
the other; seal the folded end, told
gather the longer together, do with
scarlet ribbon, clip the ends and frill
out, Thee propared thoy aro not
only easily attached to a tree, ]tut.
Ara mado ernamen.tal,
Wrap books ilz White tissue Paper
and tie With !holly roll baby ribbon,
tticlting a .tprlg of cud-bereled holly
of suet, a like weight of raisins and
500 pounds of flour.
In 1808 tho said village was con-
vected with civilization by means of
a railroad, and to celebrate the event
the people, remembering the old char -
tor, thought well to have a monster
pudding as part of the festivities.
The preparations cost 445, the in«
grodients considerably more.
These consisted of 600 pounds of
flour, 400 pounds of raisins, 190
pounds of currants, 100 pounds of
sunt, 191 pounds of breadcrunrbs,
995 pounds of sugar, 800 lemons, 144
nutmegs, and 160 quarts of mita.
This pudding weighed nearly && a
ton and a ball, and eight horses
were employed to take it to the vil-
lage green with all bcfltthig core-
mony.
'A few years ago there was a mon-
ster pudding made in Southwark,
then a suburban borough .of London.
The pudding was carried through the
streets in procession, headed by a
band, playing alternately Christmas
music and popular tunes.
A QUARREL ADJUSTED.
.Guys—"What present did your best
girl give you ?"
Poroy—"'Well; she said she would
try getting engaged to mo again." trooping into thio apartment, sat
WH15l PAGAN GODS I-I.ELD SWAY
Supper was spread at 8 o'clock—a
few symbolical and unsubstantial
dishes which were in vogue in days
of yore when pagan gods still ]Held
sway in heaven and upon earth. On
a round table, over which a layer of
hay was first scattered, a white -
bleached cloth was spread. Even
in households where linen. is dispensed
with all the year round the spotless
cloth must be forthcoming at Christ-
mas. The table was placed beneath
the gorgeous Icon or holy imago,
without which no 'Russian dwelling Is
habitable and across the glass and
gold of which tho soft glow of a
purple templet was playing. A med-
ley of apples, pears, drled cherries,
oranges and. grapes stewed in wa-
ter, sweetened. with honey, and
served up cold, formed the piecb do
resistance. Ill another dish a mass
of wheat porridge and honey was of
"distilled damnation," more com-
monly called vodka.
,Having wished our entertainers and
each other joy of the festival, tho
host clrew near the table, slipped a
large wooden spoon into the por-
ridge, and deftly hurled the soft
mass against the ceiling—nn old cus-
tom, which, in its origin, was a
sacrifice to the Frost -God, whose
wrath it was intended to appease.
All the family and tho guests rushed
up to look at tho result, and a mur-
mur of "Glory unto God!" burst
from their lips, Nearly all the pore
ridge had stuck to the ceiling and
the window—a sure sign that the
coming harvest would bo plentiful.
To me all this was pootic and inter-
esting, but not very filling: and
when the moat was over, and my
empty inside was on fire with the
vodka, I foht that I could do rough
justice to another repast. But tho
servants • and farm laborers- crone
ti
TIM nicalrat T1:Ilt1 1311'•'i'Tlli.,
.:is"'r
1,11 Aleleegris Ge.11ovapo—My dear, this is one mon 11 Of the year 1011e11
higl liviue don't hurt the turl,oy fanny,
down in our places, and wore waited
on by thio hosts and their guosts.
When they, too, hind cheated their
appetites and fired their stontaohs we
all drew round the -table, and each,
in turn, pulled out a blade of hay,
by the length of which the nature of
next year's crop is divined.
TO WAlial T1IP SIIIVEItING
SOULS,
Suddenly the blaze of a huge fire,
visible through the double windows,
alarmed one, for I thought the out-
houses were burning. !hut my anxiety
was quieted by the host, who ex-
plained that ho had a lire lighted in
the yard, according to the pious cus-
tom, to warm the shivering souls of
the dead, who are wont to revisit
thole homes at this holy season.
While watching the tongues of flame
lapping up the groat logs of birch
and oak 1 was startled by the jing-
ling of bells, thio air;Lias of melan-
choly songs, to creaking of cu'lsp
snow under the treat] of heavy foot
and the rolling of a drum. All at
once a douse mass of confused sha-
dows darkened the earth's white car-
pet and hid some of the snow -blos-
somed branches of the leafless cher-
ry trees. It was the village lads
and lassos singing the Ifolyadi songs
handed down from pagan times. The
"waits" bolonged to every social
class, without distinction, Christmas
having levelled them all.
Enormous sacks worn carried by
the rustic for the perquisites. Into
these they stowed awayt bacon, sau-
sages, linen, lard, flux and other
offerings, with which their efforts
worm rewarded at every house they
visited. One of these receptacles
yawned wide as soon as tho noise I
had subsided, and our host dropped 1
in a large piece of bacon and some I
bread, besides a silver rouble which
he gave to ono of the singers, and 1
a bottle of vodka to another, Then
the noise began anew, caused by a
freindly struggle for the sacks. Sev-
eral lads were tripped up by the
lasses, others became targets for
snowballs, gladness was coined into
rhymes and jokes, and thus, lostlin.;,
shouting, frilling and singing, the
shadows shifted off In the moonlight
from the background of sparkling
snow and star -strewn sky, end voic-
es and music ,lied slowly away in
the wintry air,
Plel.':PS INTO THE FUTURE.
At Cheistnuts tide in Russia the
dead return to visit the quick, and
the unseen world is so closely drawn
of the veil of futurity, woven by alto
hands of pity and love, can, it is
believed, be surreptitiously raised.
At any rate, the youth of both
sexes leave nothing undone to got a
peep at the seed -plot of thee. The
,girls are especially eager to discover
iwhother the ensuing year will bring
them together with the partners of
;their Joys and sorrows, and, it may
:be, to be told their names and char-
acters, as well, and many a heavy-
hearted maiden fancies she descries a
faint streak of bettor luck in the
darkness of the future horizon the
sorrows of the \resent, or learns
that when anothet•. Christmas has
come round, her own soul, disembod-
ied for aye, will bo coming back to
visit her home along with the other
shivering spirits whose advent she
is welcoming to -night. Innumerable
are the keys Viiia. aro said to open
the gates of futurity at this festive
season of the year. Lead or wax is
molted, poured through a key into
a tub of water, and the molten mass,
shaped by the invisible being as it
falls,' becomes a symbol of destiny.
Two mirrors are placed opposite each
other, with a candle burning be-
fore cacti; the girl sits between them
gaxing intently and silently at the
reflected back of her head, until
strange fancies chase each other
tluough her brain, shadows Hit before
her oyes, "airy tongues that syllable
wren's names" aro heard, and sho bo -
holds the future darkly as in a
glass. Throwing a shoe across the
threshold of tie house at the dead
of night is another way of finding
out what tho future has in store. The
wicket, or gate, is opened, and the
slipper thrown over the threshold
into the street. She may expect her
bridegroom from the direction in
which it points when found, If the
too bo turned toward her hone tho
onion is inauspicious; marriage dur-
ing mg tha corning twelve month is de-
nial
o-nicd her by the fates, and it may
be, life as well.
WiTY WE DECORA'T1rl AT CHRIST-
MAS.
Why do wo decorate et Christmas ?
Why the gifts on the Christmas -tree?
Why thio holly about the walls, and
tho laurel over the pictures ? Why,
above all and the rooter of all, those
green and living growths, the mistle-
toe -boughs 7
Christmas seized upon those things
for the celebration of the festival not
because they were green, but because
of the po1er that held them green,
that kept them alive, that preserved
in them the beauty of .life, notwith-
standing the snow and sleet, the
wind and chilling rain and the with-
ering blast.
It is the spirit of these living
growths that appeals to us when all
the rest of inanimate Nature appears.
to be sleeping under the mantle of
winter, Before Christmas was, the'
spirits behind the groan wore bohiov-
ed in by an imaginative people, and
tiro great festival adhpted them.
The ancient Druids believed in the
Spirits of the holly, of the laurel, of
the great green trees that formed the
walls and living arches of 1.11011' tont-.
pies, To them these things 10010
peopled with sylvan spirits that
loved the growths and lcopt them
green by protecting theta from win
for frosts, '!'boy tools the branches
within their dwelling, behoving that.
tie spirits would follow, and 11i0o
exorcise their lhroteoUng care.
A)nong these spit its they behoved
hone to .be more powerful or capable
of bringing greater blessing than
a
ho of lila mistletoe,
t
t o s e oo,
Three beliefs have gone.'from the
world, bat we 'cling to the olhbiome
of them, end i'ejoles child • thorn at
the Christniari eolobib1110n,
GOODIES GALORE,
Sonne Good Recipes for Making
Candies.
Walnut Wafers,—One-half pound
light brown sugar, half lb. broken
walnut meats, throe tablespoons flour
quarter teaspoon baking powder, a
]cinch of salt and 2 beaten eggs,' Mix
the same as for cake, adding the nut
moats last. If desired, a little van-
ity, or other flavoring play be added.
Drop In small spoonfuls on buttered
pans and bake until brown!. A ball
teaspoon of chocolate or plaiu'whito
Ming dropped on each wafer when
cold will add to their attractiveness.
Peanut Wafers,—Stir to a cream
half cup butter and ono cup milk,
Acid ono cup swept milk, whites of 2
eggs (unbeaten) and 2+ cups sifted
flour, into which has been mixed ono
teaspoon baking powder, Beat until
light, Flavor to taste and turn the
mixture into a flat square pint Lined
with buttered paper. Spread with a
spoon so as to have it even. Sprin-
kle thickly with finely chopped pea-
nuts and bake in a moderato oven
until brown. Turn out onto a
bread board to cool. Whoa quite
cold, cut into 14mnl1 squares. Keep
them in a stone jar.
Peanut Candy.—Put into a sauce-
pan two cups -molasses, one cup of
brown sugar, one tablespoon butter
and ono of vinegar. Boil until it
candies. Have the peanuts in but-
tered pans and pour the candy over
them. Other nuts, such as butter-
nuts, hickory nuts, walnuts or pecan
nuts may he listed instead of peanuts.
Cut into squares while warm, or
rather before the candy becomes quite
cold.
itl'aple - Sugar Candy.—Break into
south pieces one lb. maple sugar.
Melt in a, saucepan and add half cup
sweet milk and half cup thick sweet
cream. Boil until it forms a soft
ball, when dropped into cold water.
Tante from the fire and stir until it
begins Co cream. Now pour into
buttered plates, mark into squares,
and when cold, break apart,
1+"edge.—Put into a saucepan two
cups granulated sugar,. two-thirds
cup sweet milk and quarter lb. sweet
chocolate. Boil together, stirring all
the time. When almost clone, add a
small piece of butter. Take from
fire, stir in half cup grated cocoanut
and beat until smooth. Di op in,
small spoonfuls on paraffin paper, or
pour into buttered plates and cut in
squares. This is very good without
the cocoanut.
Fruit Loaf.—Beat together the
whiles of two eggs, four tablespoons
thick sweet cream and two oz. bitter
chocolate, grated on a fine grater.
Now add confectioner's sugar, a lit-
tle at a time, until one cup has been
used. Have ready half cup each
seeded raisins, candied cherries, figs,
dates and nut -meats or grated cocoa-
nut. Grind the fruits, or chop tine,
add to the sugar mixture and work
in more sugar es needed. Ifnead
with the hands and when stili enough
form into a loaf. Let stand for sev-
eral -hours. Cut in slices.
Canclied Fruit.—Boil together two
cups maple sugar, half cup water and
a pinch of creast of tartar, until it
candies when dropped into cold wa-
ter. Remove to back of range and
drop thio fruit (such as seedless rais-
ins, dates, figs, etc) into the hot
mixture, a few at a time. When
well coated, lift out and place on
oiled paper.
GLORIA IN ESCILSIS: A CHRIST-
MAS ANTHEM,
By tho Vcry Rev. Charles W.
Stubbs, D,D., Doan of Ely.
O blessed town of Bethlehem
Within thy gray-green'shado,
Ringed round with terraced vineyard
Anil depth of olive glade:
There on thy high gretut pastures
Tho shepherds watch their sheep,
Tho low largo moon shines glimmering
O'er all til' upland steep.
II.
What music of tiro heavens—
What magic song of bliss—
What vision of the night-tide—
What mystic light is this?
Tho silly sheop arc blinded,
The shepherds in amaze
Stand awestruck, all the hillside
With glory is ablazo!
111.
The Angelo' joyous chorus
Rings out into the night.
O Gloria til. Exceisisl
Sing praises in the height.
Sing praises, mon of Bethlehem,
Sing praises hero below,
For Peace on earth and good -will
Ho doth on you bestow.
IV.
For on this day is born there
Within your little town
A child who Christ the Lord is
Yet wears no earthly crown:
FIo briigoth joy aid gladness
To you and all mankind,
Yea, Peace on earth and good -will
To mon of equal mi111L
V.
O blessed town of Bethlehem,
Ilow !happy is thy state!
How blest above all palaces
The stable at thy gate!
For there in manger -cradle
(Oh true thio angel word])
As icing enthroned of all tho worlds
Reigns Jesus Christ the Lord,
—From Tho Outlook.
T11G HOLLY DAYS.
Tito holly days are now in sight,
The gladdest of the year,
Whoa homes are wreathed in eve
greens,
And hearts aglow with cheer;
And boys and girls ilnLicipato
The time of glad huzeas,
When with delight they'll turn the
"hose„
On dear old Santa Olaus.
The holly Jaye are naw 115 sight,
On every side '115 plain,
The joyoits tido is rising fast
That floods the heart's 0lenut111.
Good Wills aro voiced in every look
Alotig the troweled way;
Ah, nitt what were the World wit11-
but
A, Saviour's natal day]
OHRISTNIA.8 IN THE PAST
A OURIOUS PIRAOTICE IN TILID
PIB.ITISI•i NAVY,
The First Christmas Tree in a
Royal I'alaee Woe in the Reign
of George IV.
The French ward for Clu'istmas is
Noel, It means the I)ay of 131 Lh,
The original mince -pie was made
of mutton and baked in the shupo
of a Manger.
:The last year In which there was
skating on C'hrfstuncs Day in Lon-
don was 18150,
On Doc. 290 1800, the north wing
of Crystal Palace, in Londou, was
destroyed by fire.
Christmas was fleet celebrated as a.
feast of the Christian church about
the year 190 A. 1),
The Armenian Church observes the
Festival of the 'epiphany at the scene
date that we observe Christmas.
Pan is uses 50,000 Christmas trees
each year, of which about 1.2,000 are
bought by foreign residents In Paris.
Tho worst Christmas Day Paris
ever knew was in 1'870. Tho bom-
bardment so long threatened began
the next day.
Chiistma.s in the Greek Church is
our Twelfth Night. The Greek
church has not yet adopted the mod-
ern calendar.
]tniperor William, of Germany, in-
dulges emelt year in a Christmas
hunt. Last year he killed 300 doer
and nearly 200 wild boar,
The baron of beef for the royal
table usually weighs a full 200 lbs.
It is always cut from a beast bred
and fed at Windsor.
In the Scandinavian island of
'Dago the people have a curious cus-
tom of putting flee candles on each
branch of the Christmas tree.
Tho Gorman Emperor's Christmas
presents te his sons in 1897 were
three very beautiful swords, each
with a motto engraved upon its
blade.
"Free gangway" is usually 6 spec-
ial Chill 1.mas privilege aboard ship
in the navy. It means that any or
all can go ashore, as they please.
The natives of the Philippines, as
well as the Chinese, have public holi-
days which in date coincide exactly
with tho Anglo-Saxon Christmas.
At Sandringham there has always
been a distribution of Christmas pre-
sents in the riding school. Joints
of beef and other useful things aro
given.
The Church of the Nativity. at
Bethlehem is divided by screens into
three parts, w'hfrh are controlled re-
spectively by Creoles, Latins, and
Arnteni ans.
Mistletoe is common in most parts
of the world. It is exeromely plen-
tiful' on oak trees in America, and on
apple trees in Normandy and Brit-
tany.
in Germany it is believed that the
oxen are endowed with speech on
Cluistanas Eve at midnight. But to
hear them it is necessary to put fern
leaves in one's boots.
The first Christmas tree in a Brit-
ish Royal palace was in the reign
of George IV. Lord J. Russel was
present, and speaks of the tree being
covered with colored candles.
There are three Christmas Islands,
all of them ILIUM: possessions. One
is in the Pacific; the other 250 miles
south-w•ost of Java. A third Christ-
mas Island is off Cape Breton.
A curious Christmas practice iu the
navy is the "carrying round" of cali-
coes. Popular officers are shoulder-
ed
houlder
ed and carried round the docks on
Christmas morning, preceded by a
band.
Plmu-pudding seems at one time to
have been a breakfast dish, for at
a Christmas breakfast at the royal
chaplain's iu 1801, tho first course
was a dish of rich, luscious plum -
porridge,
At thio Saturnalia, the heathen pro-
totypeCln'istmas it was the Ro-
man cli&tom to decorate the houses
with evergreens. This was done to
give the woodland spirits a refuge
from thio d,
s
A Chribtozcolncustom once cotnanon
all over England, but now . rarely
seen, and only in tho western coun-
ties, is that of the play of "St,
George and the Dragon," performed
on the evening of December 24th.
.Never buy a yellow -flashed turkey
It is a sign of poor Yooding. A 'fine.
turkey should have firm, white, flesh.
Purchasers should also notice that
redness and coarseness about the legs
are the sign of an old bird.
Although the first Christmas card
was made in 1316, vey few worn
sent till the year 1862, Thon the
fashion came in of sending cards the
size of visiting cards, inscribed sim-
ply with the words "A Merry Chris -
teas."
'l'ic'e is a cu1i0us old superstition
that nine Holly loaves tied in a hand-
kerchief with nine knots, and placed
undo• the pillow on Christmas night,
will cause the sleeper ;ta dream of
his or her future wife or hesband.
A cul ions Roumanian Christmas
custom is the "blessing of the riven"
A service is hold on tho bank of the
Danube,and a small wooden cross
thrown in through a hole in the ice.
A Pantie scramble follows to recover
thio t•,
In theehicreign of Diocletian, about
the yoar 800 A.D., the Emperor was
keeping court at Nicomodia, when
he learnt that a .number of Christ-
ians were keeping the birthday of
Jesus. He ordered tate doors of the
church to be closed and set Are to
the building.
UNFULFILLED 11XI'ECTATIOM.
Jones --"I had a very disappointing
C1irlei :inDO.
,,
Brown—"Moor's that 9"
Jones -•-„Nobody gave mo n load of
teal.”
A PAI11 O1 TIfltbi',
George "Jack, you gave not the
505110 beak that you gave me last
Chu'isiun a5."
Jade.. „Shako. old Tran] se did
yatl,,
HOLIDAY"
GAMES
tleSi®®C9501lNt ®Ts
After the Chtiatmas dinner people
are usually not inclined for much ex-
ertion, but they wan4 sono )rind of
light amusement. Scene of the old-'
fasluloned '''divination'' tricks thou
come in nicely.
Such feats are frequently perform-
ed by two persons,' 0110 playing the
part of the "professor," or wizard
in chief, the other that of "medium=
Ono of the simplest tricks of thio
kind is the indicating by the medium
of some object which has boon agreed
upon by the company during her
absence from the room, On her re-
turn the magician, after placing her
under (supposed) mesmeric influence
by a few sham "passes," proceeds to
interrogate her.
"Do you know tate article that has
been named)" "Yes," (She doesn't;
but strict truthfulness is not expect-
ed from conjurers) "Is 1t the
Moon?" "No." "Is it the sun?".
"No." "Ts it a coin?" "No." And
so on, till the right article is named,
when she replies:— "Yes."
There aro various ways of giving
the clue. In ono version of the trick
the medium is instructed to say
"Yes" to the first article named
next after a four -legged object (ani-
mate or inanimate). This is a very
old form of "key," but not very
widely known, and we have often
seen it mystify a roomful of people.
If, however, the trick is repeated be-
fore the same company, it may be as
well, on the second occasion to agree
on a new kind of key -word, say a
flower or bird,
In another form of the trick tine
performer does not speak at all, but
in this ease the object selected must
be something in the room. On the
return of the medrain, thio performer
merely points with his wand (or any
convenient substitute, say a ruler, or
a lady's fan) to -various objects •in
succession. The first half -dozes or
so are met with 'a negative, but
when ho touches the right one a
confident "yes" is the answer.
The secret here is equally simple.
At the outset the performer grasps
the wand, all the fingers encircling
it. When he points to the right ob-
ject the forefinger is allowed to Bo
along it. Unless the secret is known
beforehand, it is absolutely safe from
detection.
On a similar principle, but some-
what morn elaborate, is the trick of
THE MYSTIC TARGET.
Tho apparatus for this feat con-
sists of a pasteboard target, having
a bull's-oyo and throe concentric
rings of different colors; and half a
dozen arrows, also of different col-
ors. (If the apparatus is home-
made, those, too, may be of paste-
board). The medium retiring as be-
fore, a spectator is invited to select
one of the arrows, and with it to
touch any one of the rings of the
target. On the medium's return she
indicates, with more or less make-
believe of mental effort, which ar-
row was used, and which circle of ..
the target was touched with it.
Here, again, thesecret cies in an
agreed coda of signals. `Pke.ixige of -
the target are regarded as numbered;
the bull's-eye as one, the ring near-
est it to two, and so on. The ar-
rows in like manner oath boar an
imaginary number, say, blue, -ono;
black, two; green, three; red, four;
white, five; yellow, six. Call the
blue "azure, and the initials will
come in alphabetical order, a, b, g,
r, w, y; under which conditions the
sequence of the colors 'will be recall-
ed without difficulty.
The number of tbo particular ar-
row used is signalled to the medium
by the way in which tho wand, or it:
substitute, is held. Thus if it be
hold by its upper end in the right
hand, with one finger lying along it,
two; if encircled by all the angors,
three; if encircled in like manner,
but round the control foer1 if placed
ander the arm, five; if laid on the
table, six. The ring of the target
whicht has boon touched may be indi-
cated by the position of the left
hand. IF it grasps the lapel of the
coat, tho bull's-eye has been touched;
if the thumb is tucked into tho
vost pookot, ring No. 1. If the
hand is placed in the trouser pocket,
No. 2; if allowed to hang down by
tbo side, No. 8; and if resting on
the hip, the white space outside tho
Mtgs.
TELEGRAMS.
This is an excellent game. Each
of the players gives a letter in turn,
until twelve have been obtained,
which aro written in the sane order
at the top of each piece Of paper.
Ten minutes or e, quarter of an hour
are allowed, in which tacit player
writes a sentence beginning with the
chosen initials. The messages are '
then react aloud. It is an excellent
practise for condensing one's ideas..
The results aro often very amusing.
Some people merely string words to-
getner,,hut others can suggest a
whole story In a few words, Sup-
posing tho lotto's aro • p, g, t, t, n,
g, p, s, 1, w, re, J. Ono player will
evolve the following 5011tanee which,
though silty, is ceesefutive: "Ploaso
give Tommy the new game played
spice January with much joy." An-
other will formulate the following
<vitlt exactly' the same lottorei "I'apa
getting too :tiresohie. No genies
possible. Soncl John with moat,
Jennie," :
.(Tho acme of an imagiu-
cry sender may bo placed at the chill
if the letters allow of it, but it is
option.)
"nut .if thio professor is so absent-
minded that he can't remember his.
tum• t
1 a t lilt Write own Milne, why t ae, n i
y
on a slip of paper rind carry it s1'htit
him?" "Ole tried that, but lin
found 11e couldn't road itis 'swit
Writing."'