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The Brussels Post, 1915-12-16, Page 7CHRISTMAS DINNER MENU Fro* the Old-fashioned Meal to An Elaborate One—Wittily Delicacies for Yuletide. 1, Clear Soup. Clary. Qliyes. Roast Turkey,Oyster Stuffing, Cranberry Jelly. Baked Sweet Potatoes. MashedPotatoes, Pens. Creamed Omone, Lettuce. French Dressing, Wafers. Cheese. Phim Pudding. hard Sauce. Coffee. 2. Raaty Oysters. Tomato Soup, Steamed Halibut, Creamed 'Potato Balls. Roast Turkey, Giblet Gravy. Cranbela•y Jelly, Mashed Potatoes. Brussels Sprouts. Celery Salm]. Virafera. Cheese. Mince Pie, Orange Jelly. Coffee. Bon Bons. 3. Cream of Corn Soup. Halibut a la Flamande. Roast Turkey. Cheetrmt Stuffing, Cranberry' Jelly. Celery. Mashed Potatoes. Spinach. Lettuce: French Dressing. Wafei'e. Cheese. Mince Pie. Plain Pudding. Fruit. Nuts,Raisins Little Neck Clams. Consomme., Coast Duck. Brown Gravy. Currant Jelly. Mashed Potatoes Cauliflower, Celery Salad. Wafers. Cheese, Plum Pudding. Hard Sauce, Orange Ice Cream. Coffee. Bon Bons. Coffee, 4.^ 5, Raw Oysters. Mock Bisque Soup. Celery. Olives. Boiled Cod. Lobster Sauce. Potato Balls. Roast Turkey. Giblet Gravy. Cranberry Jelly. Sweet Potato Croquettes. Boiled Onions. Mint Sherbet. Roast Duck. Orange Salad. Mince Pie. Jelly. Fancy Cakes, hruite. Nuts. Bon Bons. 1 Coffee. Mincemeat for Pies.—One pound of shredded suet, 1>r5 pounds each of shredded raisins and cleaned currants, three quarters of a pound of brown sugar, one half of a cupful of mo- lasses, three pints of chopped tart apples, one pound of chopped beef, one pint of the liquor in which the meat was cooked or the same quan- tits of good beef stock, one heaping tablespoonful of salt, one cupful of brandy, one half of a cupful of wane, the grated rind and strained juice of one orange and one lemon, four tea spoonfuls of cinnamon, one teaspoon- ful of cloves, one teaspoonful of all- spice, one teaspoonful of mace, one half of a pound of citron. For those who do not care to use liquor, eider in the same proportions may be substituted. Put all except the cider or liquor and suet into a large kettle and stew slowly until the apples and fruit are very tender. When cold, add the other ingredients and put away in stone or glass jars. Mincemeat Without Meat.—Boil six 1 l0mgns wail tender enoughto pierce with a straw,' Drain and weigh them; take ari equal weight each of Pared and cored apples, seeded and Chopped raieins, cleaned currants and 'finely shredded beef suet; one half of their weight each in candied orange peel and citron, and.pne quare ter of their weight in sugar. Cut open the Iemons and remove the seeds then chop all together as fine as pos- sible. .Add to this one small nutmeg grated, ano teaspoonful of salt, and ginger, one quarter ,of a teaspoonful of cloves and three ounces of cram - bled stale macaroons. Add sufficient eider or sherry to moisten and pack away in glass jars, 'Christmas Pudding—One eup of chopped suet, one-half cup sugar, one- half cup molasses, one cup sour milk, one and one-half teaspoons soda, one egg, one teaspoon cinnamon, one tea- spoon cloves, one-half teaspoon salt, one and one-quarter cups chopped raisins, three-quarters cup chopped cui'rants, one-half cup chopped figs, one-half cup candied orange peel, three and one-half cups bread flour. Mix together flora•, spices, prepared flour, salt and flour. Add soda to sour milk and molasses; add suet, sugar and eggs unbeaten, and then beat in the flour mixture. Steam in a well- oiled and floured mold for four hours, then serve garnished with holly, and surrounded by portions of hard sauce, sprinkled with chopped pista- chio nutmeats and capped with can- dled cherries. The pudding will be more attractive still if blazing when brought to the table. To accomplish this, pour over three tablespoonfuls of good brandy and ignite it just be- fore sending it to the table. This amount will serve twelve people. To Serve the Christmas Pudding.— Ttun the hot pudding out on a heated platted and in the top stick a sprig of holly. Dip half a dozen lumps of sugar in alcohol and place round the base of the pudding. Touch a lighted match to each lump, carry quickly to the table and place before the host- ess. Mint Sherbet.—Boil together for five minutes one pound of,sugar and one pint of water. Pound well the leaves from one large bunch of mint, pour over them the hot syrup and set away until cold, then strain. Add the strained juice of three lemons and freeze. When hard, remove the dash- er, add two tablespoonfuls of cream de menthe, mix well with a spoon, re- pack the freezer and set aside for several hours. Yule Dollies.—Cream together one half of a cupful of butter and one •cupful of sugar. Add gradually two well -beaten eggs, one tablespoonful of cream or rich milk, one teaspoonful of vanilla and three cupfuls of flour, with which has been sifted two tea- spoonfuls of baking powder; then stand for an hour in a very cold place. Have ready a tin cutter in the shape of a doll about five inches long. Take a portion of the.dough out on the board at one time, roll out one half inch thick and cut into dolls. Brush each over with milk and dredge lightly with powdered sugar, use cur- rants for eyes and bake on greased pans in a moderate oven. When cold decorate the skirt of each doll with ruffles of frosting. Wrap each sepa- rately in sheets of waxed paper. In packing place the doll in a long shal- low box, pack firmly with tissue pa- per and before closing the box add a tiny Christmas card and a sprig of lolly. Tie the box with red ribbon. CHRISTMAS S TA DAY. "The time draws near the birth of Christ." The indestructible appeal of the Feast of the Child, its triumph over al] the shocks of time and change, comes with a note of wonder. in each successive year of its cele- bration. It is so much the oldest thing in Europe, It has seen so many ' centuries flare and fade. It has sur- vived so many ends of the world. Is the marshes which to -clay stretch mournfully between Ravenna and the 'Adriatic stands a Christian basilica, which is one of the oldest aid one of the loneliest churches in the world. Nearly fourteen hundred years ago the huge edifice of Sant Apollinare was raised by an Imperial ruler in the centre of a splendid and wealthy Roman seaport town. To -day not one stone of the great city of Classis remains; where once its busy people moved is nothing but scant yellow grasses and the pine forest by the sea. But in the rude mosaic 3f the Church the sheep are still seen coming from Bethlehem, and on the Walls of its older• companion in the • city, tho Procession of the three Kings led by the star, bears gifts to the Mo- ther and her Child on her star -em- broidered throne. Those Christmas stories, the shep- herds in the field, the cradle in the manger, the monarchs from the East with their mystic offerings, have been wove» into the very soul of Europe; «frescoed on the walls of its Churches tend Cathedrals through the efforts of its history, incorporated in its leg- ends and romance, interwoven with all the lights of joy and pity which shine on 'Christmas Day, Our "norther;) im- agination bas set thein in the north- ern Twilight withsomething of the inyslery and solemn wonder which be« longs to its dim lights and shadows. So that the shepherds are always Y wa ,watching in the cold night of Winter, and the tramp of the King's company rings hard on the frostbound roads, and ice is gathering round the Stable, ' and the snow falling "in the bleak mid -Winter long ago." It is the vision of a Christmas of holly and fire and !snow, with the Yule log blazing on 1 the hearth, the feasting and rejoic- ing, the Fir Tree with its thousand tiny lights, the laughter of children, the reunion of families, and, outside, the world all white aid sparkling un- der the stars, which gathers together ' all the poetry of the past, and brings an ache to the heart of those who in hot Summer beyond the sea remember that it is Christmas Day. 1 The story remains, treasured in the heart of Childhood; of that Childhood which possesses wisdom and endur- ance which will outlive all the wisdom of older people, all the timid fears of doubting Christmas, and all the. as- saults of scepticism. s Some Christmas Folklore. here are a few old Christmas say- ings that should interest the busy housewife: If a warm Christmas, a cold Eas- ter. If a light Christmas, a heavy sheaf. if a green Christmas, a white Eas- ter. If there's a wind on Christmas Day, trees will bear much fruit. If the sun shines through the apple - tree on Christina Day, there will be good crops the following year. Saving His Brains. Governess—Why don't you use your brains, Douglas? Douglas—Because I want then to Inat. "Uneasy Lies the Head That Wears a Crown." THE FIRST CIIRISTMAS CARD. First Pictured Symbol Was Sent Through the Mail in 1894. Every year brings its new supply of Christmas cards, certain as the merry day itself, and more certain than the mistletoe and holly. So wide- spread is the custom and so used are we to see it come year after year, im- proved and beautiful, that Christmas without the Christmas card would be 'a thing unheard of.,Yet our grand- fathers knew nothig of this timely token. The Christmas card is not old. It was in 1844 that the first pictured symbol of Christmas was prepared and committed to the mail. It was on a cold December evening that a young English artist sat at his desk trying to write something new and original by way of a holiday greeting, to please the taste and touch the heart of a dear friend. The young writer was hard to satisfy. After some serious thinking and re- peated planning, the idea came like a burst of sunshine. Taking a piece of cardboard about twice as large as the modern post- card, he began to draw. In the centre of the three panels into which he di- vided the design due sketched a family group raising glasses to the health of distant friends, within a wreath of holly and mistletoe, and on the side panels, smaller pictures that suggest- ed charity and good -will to man, This card, carefully folded and cov- ered, was despatched without further thought. But tine delighted recipient was so charmed by it that he showed it to all his friends, and proudly claimed for it the admiration of his acquaintances. Everybody begged for a copy, or another card as beautiful, and before the next Christmas the artist made a new design and, wisely, had it litho- graphed. That was the beginning. In the following year there were other pic- ture -makers, and the Christmas card. was launched on the tide of popular favor. But it was not until the idea had grown out of favor among artis- tic and literary circles that it was taken up by a business man who saw money in the pretty pictures. In a JESUS OF NAZARETH. little while the mails were filled. — What Results Have Come From His Life and His Death. About 1900 years ago a Man was born in the Far East in a humble fam- ily of a subject race. He taught for two or three years, never outside His own country; not in the schools or universities, but in the fields, on the hillsides, and in the streets of the towns. He taught a curious doctrine that it seemed quite impossible to comprehend or to follow. He was op- posed by the persons who were called the best and most religious people of His day. Finally these persons de- cided that He was too dangerous to be allowed to live. They put Him to death, while those who stood by con- demned and abused Him. When He died He had no great fol- lowing, only a few humble, uneducat- ed peasants, not one of whom really understood what it was their Teacher had meant. They looked for nothing further from Him, and went back to their fishing or their farming. There was not then one written word of His in existence. All the words of His that the world has ever had consist of only a few pages. There are only four words that profess to be the very ones He uttered. His life and His death would seem to be quite un- important events in the world's his- tory. Yet what results have come from then! He has changed the course of his- tory more than any other being who has Lived. No king or conqueror or scholar or poet has to -day an in- fluence compared to His. His teach- ing to -day, so far as it is understood, is accepted as authoritative over most of the world. Christendom asks, "What did He teach ? What did He mean?" and when it agrees on that, the matter is settled. He is also the most loved person in all history. Different ages have had their heroes who have been loved; no other hero in any age has been loved as Ile has been by all the ages. All over Christendom, and more anti more in heathendom, the birthday of Jesus of Nazareth has become the greatest holiday and the gladdest day of the year. Verily, "Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!" A modern writer has told of his delight 'on receiving a Christmas card in 1860—"such a crude affair, a snow- covered church, with a spray of crude- ly colored holly wreathing it; and an- other scene showing a chill, wintry road, flanked by gaunt, snow-covered trees, along which walks a bent old man under a heavy burden of fagots." In 1880 the Christmas card had a new birth, for it was then that a great London firm offered five hundred gui- neas in prizes for the most artistic designs. Many of the greatest artists of the day responded with their best ideas. Thus the little flower of art expanded until almost a whole gen- eration after its beginning, it bloomed into its greatest beauty. • Artists were glad to express them- selves in this helpful manner. Millais himself was one of the first to catch the idea, and be glad of the opportun- ••y; and he was followed by Marcus Stone, George Boughton, James Sant, and other equally famous in the world of art. The young painter of the first card became later a famous R.A., but noth- ing he afterwards created was so ori- ginal and impressive as that little three -fold picture. In the meantime the literary artists had seen their oportunity, and had given to the beauty of the painting the music of their words. Many well- known writers were not above this blessed work of making people happy. Thousands of pounds were spent in finding the right poems and suitable Christmas sentiments, until at last these Yule -tide offerings reached the climax of their literary and artistic excellence. Cultivated folk of to -day laugh at those white -winged angels, with their golden harps and shining halos; at the ivy-covered church, the happy l home scenes, with blazing fires and, groups of pretty children. They may• sneer at the old pictures, brand them as "poor art," as bourgeois, "senti- mental" and mid-Victorian." Nevertheless, the Christmas card fulfilled a mission, and its influence will be counted one of the moral and artistic forces of the nineteenth cen- tury. The Twinkles in Santa's Eyes The twinkles that twinkle in Santa's eyes Are the mirrored reflections of Christmas joys That flash in the lips and sparkling eyes Of millions of lovable girls and boys. HOLIDAY CANDIES. Nut Bars.—Peanuts, ahnonds, Eng- glish walnuts, or pecans may be used for this candy, Prepare the nuts by removing the inner covering and chopping them. Grease the bottom and sides of a broad, shallow tin pan with fresh butter,; and put the nets into it, spreading them evenly. Put 1 lb. of granulated sugar,, with half a teacup of water, and a pinch of cream of tartar, into a kettle, and boil until thick,' but not too brittle. Pour the syrup over the nuts and set aside to cool. When slightly stiff, mark off into wide bars with a sharp knife, and let stand several days, when it will become soft and delicious, • Old-fashioned Butter Scotch.—Put 3 lbs. of yellow sugar in a kettle, with 1. lb. of butter. Set over the fire to melt; let boil until thick, stirring all the while to prevent scorching. Take from the fire; pour into buttered tins or trays. When stiff, mark off into squares. When cold, break apart, and wrap each square in wax paper. This candy will keep a long time, and im- prove with age. To Candy Fruit.— Malec a syrup with 1 lb. of sugar and half a teacup- ful of water, When boiling has near- ly reached the caramel stage, put in any preserved fruits, and stir gently until they get crystallized; then take them. out, and dry them in an oven or before the fire, but do not let them get colored. Under the holly Dough. Ye who have seorned each other Or injured friend or brother, in this fest fading year; lfe who, by word or deed, Have made a kind heart bleed, Come gather hero. Let sinned against, and .sinning, Forget th1v strife' beginning, And join in friendship now; • Be links no longer broken, Be sweet forgiveness spoken, Under the holly bough. Ye who have loved each other, Sister and friend and brothel., In this fast fading year: Mother and sire and child , Young man and maiden mild, Come gather here; And let your hearts grow fonder, As memory shall ponder Each past unbroken vow. Old loves and younger wooing Are sweet in the renewing, Under the holly bough. Ye who have nourished sadness, Estranged from hope and gladness, In this fast fading year; Ye, with o'erburdened mind, Made aliens from your kind, Conic gather here. Let not the useless sorrow Pursue you night and morrow. If e'er you hoped, hope nov— Take heart;—uncloud your faces, And join in our embraces, . Under the holly bough. CHRISTMAS IN AUSTRALIA. The Weather Is Altogether Different To That of Canada. The author of "Land -Travel and Sea -Faring" gives an interesting pic- ture of Christmas weather at the anti- podes. Australia all the year round is very different from temperate coun- tries, but Australia during the holiday season is hardly to be imagined by stay-at-home mind It seemed impossible that the heat could increase, and yet, as Christmas drew near, it grew hotter and hotter still; and although every day we de- clined, almost in terror, to believe that the thermometer could get any higher, still every day it went up some degrees. On Christmas day it was one hun- dred and fifteen degrees; four days later, one hundred and twenty de- grees; and on the first of the new Sole Test or Santa Claus 11 Is As To Whether Or Not lie Is Recognized, Suppose Somebody tried to per- suade you or me that there had beer n0 such thing as a Christmas festiv- ity and excitement in the time of our grandfathers or great -grand -fathers. Writes G. K. Chesterton, It would be totally useless for them to ,tell us that letters had coma to light shgw lag that a non-existent ceremony had '• been invented as a practical joke on Washington Irving, as an Amerieani that in the original )manuscript in the British ltluseutn Dickens wrote "A Candlemas Carol," that it is al- tered in a later hand to "A Christmas Carol;" that Sir Roger de Covorley and his Christmas is a forgery writ- ten a short time ago by Bernard Shaw; that Grimaldi with his dying 'breath had declared that he acted in pantomimes toward the end of Des eember solely out of respect for the stoning of St. Stephen, or any num- ber of such detailed alterations, We should not think these disposed of all the evidences of Christmas, for the simple reason that we could not so much as remember all the evidences of Christmas. If a thousand more memories of it were thus explained we should know there were a million more not explained. This is the first thing about Santa Claus, He is a tra- dition; that is, he is a fact. We may not know where he came from, but we know what he is. And if anybody says that he is heathen, I anewer, with authority, that he is not. Parents Do Not Know. Some complain that parents will not tell their children whether Santa Claus exists or not. The parents do not tell them for the excellent reason that the parents do not know, Those who have thought their way deepest into the mysteries of man's life in na- _ture have generally tended to 'the idea that there were principles, and 'very probably personal principles, be- hind the energies in places, seasons, occupations, and periods of life, ,These speculations have generally, and perhaps wisely, been left inde- finite and separated from the Blear religious doctrines needed for the conduct of life. But they are quite sufficiently suggestive to make ag- nosticisin rut, as I have said, both ways, and make a philosophical fa- ther at least as doubtful of rational- ist explanations as of supernatural tales, He knows precious little more than -the child knows. Parents sleep all night, and generally more heav- ily Chan children. And ratio nalistic parents sleep all day as well. The third point is more obvious, but even more neglected; here it need only be mentioned to correct what has gone before. It should always be re- membered that dogmatic and author- itative religions spend much of their time rather in restraining supersti- tions than in encouraging them, and that such enthusiasms as that which Protestants call "Mariolatry" gener- ally display all the merits and de- fects of widespread democratic move- ments. If saints, such as St. Nichol- as of the Children, do not exist, they were not a priestly deception, but an erroneous public opinion. May Happen Constantly. The fourth act it is necessary to realize is that when the faithful in any real religion say that a certain thing historically happened once, they do not feel it as inconsistent v'ith the idea that it actually happens con- stantly. If there is anything fn the ingen- ius suggestion that Santa Claus bring- ing presents has a trace of the Wise Men bringing gifts to Bethlehem, there is no inconsistency in the Chris- tian mind between his historically and literally having brought gifts on that occasion, and his really and truly bringing gifts every 2iith of De- cember. The heathen mind, now rul- ing our society, must accept it as a paradox. The last point to remember is that, in these things, form is everything. You can "re -state" doctrine, though it is not being done very intelligently, because one clear logical meaning ran bh put in many verbal forms. You cannot "re -state" a vision. 'You can express the same thought in Greek, or in Turkish, or in Norman- French. But you cannot express the same thought in Greek architecture and Norman architecture. Renee all attempts to clothe Santa Claus in the symbols of other religious or older civilizations, sin against the first principles of poetry, Santa Claus may have brought his present from the east to his reindeers from the north; but he has brought them to our house. And the only test of whether he is genuine is whether he is recognized. 3 Her Explanation. Of course, it was Christmas Eve. Little illaudie was visiting her aunt, who lived in a new house with all modern conveniences. It was her first meal at the house, and she was frank- ly staying at everything and every- body, including the company. Her mint, desiring more .biscuits, touched the electric button under Iter ' foot, which rang a bell out in the kit- chen. The maid appeared at once, and, without a word being said, tools the empty plate and started to rho kitchen For the biscuits. The mystery was too much for the small gh9, rind she piped out' to alio arrvaut: you 1oeping 7" year rt 5100tt at one uunarea. ano twenty-five degrees, and remained there for three days. This was in the shade under a veranda. What it was in the sun I did not have the courage 1 to inquire or the capacity to calculate. 1 The sky was intensely blue, with a whitish haze near the horizon; and the wind new blew steadily from the tropics, a north wind that slowly passed over nearly two thousand miles of burning plains, as it moved toward the south, gathering warmth as it came, until it was like the blast of heat that comes from a tapped fur- nace when the molten metal runs in dazzling whiteness. The sheep and the horses stood all day in the shade, with their drooping heads towards the tree trunks; the fowls kept in shelter as well, and, like the quadrupeds, they, too, pant- ed, with open mouths and lolling tongues. The ground in the .un was as hot as fire, hardly to be touched with the hand, and even at midnight, metal was almost too hot to hold. Water left out in the sun for a few hours disappeared almost as if it had been boiling. Birds were found dead, struck by the sun in their flight, and there was a sombre, melancholy look about everything. It seemed as if nature were ready to die, since hope was lost and strength exhausted. After the slow passing of those three long days, the thermometer went down with exasperating deliber- ation, until the end of January, when it dropped quickly to one hundred de- grees, which seemed pleasantly cool. GIVING ANI) RECEIVING. How to Mance the Gift to the Receiver a Pleasure. What a noble art is the art of gift - making! There is the spirit of giv- ing, of course, but there is the art of giving as well. To give gracefully and modestly, not grudgingly, not condescendingly, not as the doling out of charity, not as superior to an in- ferior, not to embarrass the receiver, and with an air to make hint 05 her feel that you are conferring a special favor—to give in the right way, es well as to give, makes the gift to the receiver a real gift. And there is the art of gift -taking. While' it is more blessed to give than to receive, it is, nevertheless, blessed to receive in the right way. While God loves the cheerful giver, it must be also that he loves the cheerful re- ceiver. No matter Trow simple, how poor or how inappropriate the gift, it is a gift, nevertheless, and should be received with grateful appreciation, and in a quiet, but most sincere way fire giver should be rsnade 1') feel that the gifts is appreciated. Bobby's mother declined to give ]rim a third, lot of plum pudding. So the yelled at the top of his voice for two hours and then stopped. "Well," said his mother, "are you going to be good Have you finished rrying?" "No," replied the boy, "I have not finished ion only resting;"