HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News Record, 1923-12-20, Page 3ish
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tled
Writ to himself that he had a job o
his; hands. Ile was down most of tiro
time with Elmer on top and had 't
not been for a sled, which soeined
wafted to his hand by the friendly
"little people" when he finally dic
scramble to his feet it is likely the!,
Santa Claus' champion would have
been defeated; As it :was, Elmer ad
mitted he had been inietaken bot;
about the old saint and I}ar'by O'Gill's
COW.
That evening old Mr. Leahy drop
Ped in on:,Timmy's folks with a "few
bits av things for the clrilder. To him
hewasneves counted as a regular
grown-up, for the heart of a boy still
lived in his Bosom. Timmy told the
story of the fight and its cause, the
true story. When he left he said to
Timmy's mother: "Norah, let the bye
go'wid me part way home." Together
they started, with the snow squeaking
and growling under their feet and the
stars glinting in the high sky.s
"Timmy, 'tis a liar -r -d.. task ye've
set, an -amid man. "But we can't have
ye fightin' all over the village wid
every loose -tongued lad that don't see
things as you do, an' ^I must tell ye
that fer thin that' don't belave in •
Christmastide, there's no Santa Claus,
but fer thin that de belave there is
wan an' always will be wan. But he
don't cone skyhootin* behind deers ('
end sick loike; he lives in the hearts
av, thin; that'll take hint fer a tinint:
Remember that, lad, he lives in the
hearts av them that'll give him room,
an' :'tie only a bit he needs."
BY EBEN..PRATT.,
ALWAYS ON TIME.
<.A Carol.
A little. Christmas Carol
Stale out .on Christmas Eve;
'And wandered, down the highway,
A melody to weave
To fill the air,
To breathe a prayer,
And 'scatter gladness everywhere.
It mounted to, the belfry,
' And joined the belts ':in,play,
To sound again glad tidings
As on that Christmas Day
rho Angels; told
rhe story old
ro shepherds on thehillside cold,
And then that happy Carol
Dropped to the street once more,
And sailed into a cottage,
With all. its Yuletide lore;
And it eased e, pain
With the glad, refrain,
'Ere it wandered into the night again.
And the"winds caught up the echo,
And filled the air with song,
As the merry little Carol
Danced through the Christmas
throng,
To still a .sigh
As it hurried, by,
Or thrill
alad heart g to ecstacy.
O little song of Christmas
Conte, dwell with. me, I pray!
And in my heart keepsinging,
As on this happy day,:
That I may,' hear,
Through' all the year,
A song of gladness and of cheer,
And travel 'down Iife's -highway,
A melody to weave;
To cheer , tlw weary toiler,
And comfort hearts that grieve;
And, as I go,
To carol so,
I may set other lives g
a low.
---
Nell Auth /toffee
Old Friends Are Best.
Grandpa looked at his fine new chair,
On the •26th of December,
Saying, "Santa Claus is so good to ine,
Ile never fails to remember;'
But—my old armchair is the one for
me,"
(And he settled himself in it nicely)
"I hope he won't mind if I cling to
.t,,.
For it fits Wry' back precisely!"
Father'Scame home that very night,
He had plowed his way through the
snow,
And the Christmas twinkle had left
his eye;
And his step wee tired and slow.
Warming for hien his slippers lay,
The lovely embroidered -in -gold ones
That hung on the Christmas tree last
night,.
But -he slipped his feet in the old
ones!
And when little Marjorie's bedtime
came,
On the parlor rug they found hcr,
The long dark lashes adroop on her
cheeks,
And her 'Christine toys around her;
Neglected Angelique's Waxen nose,
The fire had melted completely,
But -her old lag doll, all tattered
andetorn,
On her breast was resting sweetly!:.
Iler Christmas shopping early
Slit says she's bound to do;
But early the day before, ne doubt, Is about the way it will turn out.,
IS that the way with yen?
Christmas Flowers from
Western Canada.
ti
Roses from the Canadian prairie at
Christmas ' timed':. Chrysanthemums,
poinsettas and :carnations leaving in
their thousands to beautify and cheer
points on the continent which consider
themselves,' climatically, far more
blessed by nature! What an atsomaly!.
fn : the festive season when all the
world seeks floral decorations to em-
bellish and gladden' homes, churches
and schools, a Western Canadian city
plays no small part in providing these,
and this Christmas,' as on previous
Chrietmases, the little prairie city of
Medicine Hat, in Southern„ Alberta;
has sent a .'profusion of blossoms all
over the continent. Not only`will they
cover Canada, east and west, but
cities of the United States will be the
brighter on this holiday for the color-
ful touch added by these: delicate
blooms.
The Edeh'from which these flowers
emanate is ,known' as the Rosary.
Fourteen -years ago it was instituted
with a nucleus of two greenhouses and
to -day is the largest' producer of
flowers in the Canadian West: Chrys-
anthemums,,carnations; violets, lilies,
stocks, roses, ferns, cyclamen, flourish
there, and throughout the winter
months the houses of glass are glories
ofvaried tints and d orfs e
s. Lettuce,
cucumbers and tomatoes 'are also
grown in large quantities, but it is in
the production df an abundance :of
rich decorative blooms that the Rosery
has come to be so widely .known, and
created such a demand for its lovely
product,
EXPANDS RAPIDLY PRom MOnrse
BEGXNN'ING.
In the original two small" green,
houses, a beginning was made in the
prairie city with hothouse vegetables,
flowers being added yearby year as
the business grew and thepossibilities
in this line were realized. Therichness
and excellence of the floral product
brought aboutan ever increasing de-
mand-which was met by the addition
of more and more greenhouses, :until.
now there are thirty-two of these
huildingt, averaging 250 feet in length
and covering about four and a half
acres. A great advantage in the de-
velopment of the nursery has been the
fact that Medicine Hat is situated on
a natural gag field, the•,gas for heat-
ing being supplied at cheap rates. Six
large boilers •of eighty horse -power
each keep the plant at the right•de-
gree of temperature throughout the
winter, and it isthe economic: fuelling
with gas which 'permits the product
of the company to compete with the
product of other nurseries at very
distant points:'
The status which the business of
the Rosery has r•eached'hae not been
accomplished without years of infinite
pains andsometimes' serious losses.
As a pioneer industry, extensive ex-
perimentation was entailed' in order'
to discover the best lines for' Western
Canadian growth, and the possibility
of establishing'such an industry on :a
firm basis must have been at times
in doubt,' Now, however, the nur'sery
supplies florists throughout. the
Prairie. Provinces and many -points in
British Columbia.
Through Winnipeg, Eastern Can-
ada receives its flare' provisions from
the nursery, where` orders aro., also
filled for the United .States. The.
Christmas ,trade this yealr called for
ten thousand" chrysanthetnums, four
thousand poinsettas, and eight thou-
sand carnations. Approximately sixty
per tient. of these will be sent Win-
nipeg for distribution in Eastern Can-
ada, a portion of the remainder cross-
ing the international line to aid in the
Christmas celebrations of United
States cities.
kn
A Unique Develotsaent.
The Provincial, Boys' Work -Parlia-:
ment"whieh' will assemble in `the Leg-
"iEN OF GOOD WJLL'v
''iIory to Cod in the highest, end
on earth peace, to men of good
will.
There. is Ito message which the
world needs so utterly to hear and
heed as that which speaks of peace
and a. better understanding in a world
distracted and troubled about many
things, It would seem as though we
had tried everything, within the
bounds 9f human reason to restore
the world's poise and equilibrium; but
even our high-minded endeavors have
seemed, in part, at least, to fail, Wo
are beginning e,' reach the conclusion
Birth of
As I write this Christmas Editorial,
Yuletide is still a few days-dietant,
Another ,year has practically one.
My mind leaps to change, inetabiliby,,
and mutability. Then, by ewift, re-
action, it flies to their opposites,`un-
changeableness, stability, certainty,
We are apt to say, of most human
affeire, in the words of the old hymn;
"Change and decay in all around I
see.": Looked at frons a certain angle,
andrespecially now, it would seem,
men and nations are in a state of flux.
There seeme'to bo nothing solid, no-
thing abiding, nothing. dependable.
The' panorama of 'events" is con-
stantly moving on and on, presenting
c
staztlin situationa, titin rises,
nine -day wondersI The jazz-band•is
Playing meanwhile, with a bang of
drums, the clash, of cymbals --and any-
thing .else "that is empty enough to
make a big din.
SILENT STRENGTH.
Have you ever noticed that the
mighty forces of Nature are all silent
and slow? Nature seldom howls and
hustles. Even when she does she
means least.' The avalanche kicks up
a "dust" as it hurls itself down the
Alpine steep. But it is futile. Oc-
casionally it destroys 'something, but
usually it does` nothing. The glacier,
on the contrary, although its motion
h. so. resistless, so implacable, is im-
perceptible, carves'mountains as a
sculptor's chisel carves the, block of
marble.
Thunder is only a "big noise." It is
"sound. and fury, signifying nothing,"
But .the silerit frost splits tire, preci-
piees and the hardest rock is a filbert
for its fingers. The thunderous break-
ers dash therirselves into futile foam
against' sand and pebbles, but the
gentle rain has delved the Grand
Canyon and created the mighty Ama-
zon.
The sun -shines without noise. The
stars!lceep their appointed places from
age to.age; placid, unchanging. And
how silently, the seasons come and go.
There is no fuss, no commotion.:` The
miracle of spring is a miracle of-eil-
ence and"strength. .
But -the silent forces are not al in ,
Nature. They are in the sphit of
man. Not conquerors and demagogues,'
not "wars, and rumors of wain" have,
built up the mighty fabric •cif human],
society. Of course not, The, little'
things have always in the end bossed
the big 'things. Nobody noticed the
silent falling of the acorn; but behold
the oaks It grew silently.
And,, it is„the "continuance• m, well -
doing" of simple, normal, . unnoticed
people, their religion, their education,
their , quiet, unobtrusive' influence,
which changes society from age to
age, and makes .good better, and bet-
ter best. These have been the primal
forces making for stability.
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS.
And : what hoe this to do
in g a, exciting
that a mere rearrangement• of extern-
al conditions ,or . the environing cir-
cuurstant.
cos of life are' not sufficien
It was"Mrs. Browning who declared
that you .cannot ,iinprove humanity by
moving it to a "cleaner stye."
0ne, of the basic weaknesses of our
present situation is to be found in a
lost or impaired' confidence. This
malady seems to be universal, and it
discloses, itself In every sphero of our
being. It is a mental rather than a
physical condition that ;has brought
about our present situation. All the
.conferences and treaties we may effect
will prove ultimately to be of little
worth unless' we can restore again a
reasonable confidence, based upon -a
Bettee understanding and a more gen-
erpus appraisal of human.. nature. We
have been dissociating our so-called
Christian ideals from our practical
Iife; an fine, we have been unwilling
to mix religion with business, regard;
Ing the two things as_distinet and sep-
arate.. We are just beginning to learn
(and the; lesson has been a costly one)
that the fundamental teachings' of
Jesus Christ have a practical bearing
upon human affairs. Jesus .was es-
sentially an optimist. To Him there
'Were no such -things as "no -hope"
cases in the' -world.. The only thing
He ever treated with scorn and stern
condemnation was hypocrisy, a super-
ficial and unreal profession of religion:
His whole. attitude toward life was
hopeful and, expectant. • Robert Louis
Stevenson caught his' vision of life
from the Master when he,,,declared: "I
believe in' an ultimate decency of
things, and if I awoke in hell I should
still believe in its'
THE'MESSAGE. OF .'CHRIST.
If this recurring Christmas season
is to be something mole than a pagan-
ized annual festival, disclosing its in-
islative Assembly Chambers,; Parlia- terests *Pend excesses largely in ex
meet Buildings, Toronto, on December terns! tihings.it must agate reaffirm27th, 28th" .and 29th,�is "a unique de-; the message that ushered in the birth
velopment'fn the work with boys. At God -
of Christ. This "message, On the one
the same' time Boys'' Parliaments will hand, expressed man's attitude beheld in Alberta and Manitoba. Can- ward and, on the other hand, his at-
ada is the only pantry in the world titude man -ward. . Good -will is the
where boys meet in such organizations thing we sorely need in this old world
for the government and promotion; of 'Of ours; but good -will can, only come
w_ ork with bom to those -who look hopefully and ex
Out of the hundredand six consti-
tuencies in the Province of. Ontario,
advice has
been received to date of
seventy-five boys elected to the Par-
pectantly for. the: best In human na-
tare. To go -shout the world after the
ee 'n for hon-
� f Die encs s la
manner o
g g
1' of a Ian -
eat en: with ,the` dim light fi m / i;
liament and it is expected that prob- term does not appeal to us. Let irs
ably ninety will be actually in atter_ be clear' about .it. This . old world is
dance. The elections "were conducted .not tobaggnning down to perdition., It
following the usual Parlinmentazy has survived many crises but its sur
practice and in many points were vivals have been marked by such.' an
keenly contested. attitude oa mind as that which Jesus
While in the City of Toronto, the Christ disclosed..
boys' time will be flly-occupied in the ' Our cynics and critics make no con -
work of the Parliament or in enter-- tribution to the healing of the world's
tainment. The boys will be banqueted open solves. Our statesmen and diplo-
by the Rotary Club and also by the mats who play the game of interne
Ontario Boys' Work Board, at which tional politics, distrustful of the aink
they will be welcomed to tlre'city by of those whose co-operation they seek,
must,' signally fail. The contending
elements in our great industrial works
room that manifest' a suspicion of the
motives and' purpcses of each other
prt}duce Iittly else than an armed
truce. If one has .the clearness of vi -
slam to, see it and the mental breadth
tot comprehend it,' there . aro to be
fauna the indisputable evidences of
oar forward movement and advance
over periods that: have gone before,
The levels of business morality are
higher to -day than they were a ger;
eration ago. There are more good
men than' bad engaged in the. great
game of politics. There is .more vir-
tue than vice in society; and a re-
affirmation and belief in these saving
elementetwill do more to bring us back
to normal and sane conditions than all
our cr",tiuisms' and suspicions.
the Mayor. Other interesting events
will be pulled off of particular inter-
est to these Tuxis boys: Premier ; 1.
T. Ferguson will be present - at the
opening of the Parliament and will
extend a formal welcome on behalf of
the province.
Great interest is being manifested
at many points in theprovince and•a
number of boy. leaders are planning on
coming' to Toronto toattend the Ses
cions of Parliament for observation
and. a closer study of the Canadian
Standard Efficiency •.Program ' in. its
provision for the fourfold development
of Canadian citizenship. :
When the turkey's art" the table,
'And the prince pie's on the way,
An' my plate is filled with fixin's
That belong to Christmas Day,
I' fergit I'm over eighty, -
An' about my rheumatiz,
An' it seems to me that swirl,';
Is the best thing that. they it,
-Arthur Bigelow Paine.
NEED OP TIIE AGE..
This age is calling for 10011 who be-
lieve in God and who believe in their
fellows. The demand is for those who
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Christmas? Everything. Cove
merits may change, but it makes rio
change. to Christmas.: It is the l'estih
vol of the Things that Matter, At
Christmas', we get down to rook bet-
tom. ,And what deers it consist of?
Human love and kiudnoss, charity,
family life, Home and kindred, little
children, joy and good fellewahip, and
noble end true-hoartod citizenship.
Christmas :stands for these things,
It is an, annual reminder of the big,
unalterable, silent forces of life; it is?
the salt which preserves Society, salts
Ing it from polIutlon and .decay,
Christmas stands for the mend
idea. When we got :down to that, I
say,"'we are at rock, bottom; eomething
stable on which to build the founda-.
tions. of our policies' and politics, our
diplorne lee and our treaties—an ` fact,
our 'whole socia1-and`economic life.
That is why Christmas is so vale-
able, it brings us .right up against
unyielding realitiea, tlfe things that •°
don't shift, and slip and give way.
It exhibits In; their true light 'the shib-
boletus, the subterfuges, the catch-
words, the expedients upon which we
set.' such : fictitious r and disastrous
value.
At Christmas we commemorate
what: countless millions of men and
women regard as the greatest event
in history.' And what was:. it? The
birth of a Babe. Think of iti What
O trivial incident! Moreover, the Babe
only lived to the'age of thirty-three,
and then -died the death of a reales
factor! How silent He was! Yet how.
strong!
TRUTHS warm ENDURE:
He disintegrated the mightiest:em-
pires, shattered immemorial : usages,
customs, and systems, and remodelled
whole continents of thought and ex.
perience. Yes, Christmas-vend/ids us
of these things, and it is well that we
should -be so reminded. Perhaps the,
terrible experience of the war bas
made us trivial. We need to get baele
to bed -rock, we need - to build the
bridge which is to carry the world
safely 'across the morass into' which
it seemed fated to plunge, upon the ,
great verities which never change, the
truths which endure. And it is these
things for which Christmas stands,
however we. may camouflage, it with
junketings and joviality.
I am far from deprecating these
things. I love. Christmas, for its fun
and frolic, for its "fireside enjoy-
ments," its "intimate delights." But,
at rock bottom, its .meaning is tre-
mendous, for, as Iiipling'says, when
"The tumult and the. shouting dies,
The captains and the kings depart,
Still stands Thy ancient'sacrifice,
The humble arid the contrite heart"
and, when all is said, if there is not
a sefiousness.under our joy there
no solidity, and ie there is no solidity
there is no stability
have good -will in their hearts and
who practice it in their everyday;con-
duct in the worldthrough rou h
g which they
move.
If this spirit of Christmas Day can
be made regnant throughout the year
that lies ahead, we shall enter upon a
stage of human fellowship- and upon
an era of 'happiness and _prosperity
such as the world has never known.
Christmas Eve.
This is the children's night. Of all
the nights in the year it is the only
one on" which children, who are no-
toriously interested in everything—
including things they,; shouldn't " be
inquisitive about -are all concerned
with the same subject.
No night .is so mystic as this. It
contains the, essence of centuries of
expectancy and- belief. Does the
nightingale sing until morning? Do
the cattle kneel at midnight? If the
children believe they do, they must.
And as for that saint 'who fares
abroad under no stars but those of
Christmas Eve, this will be a blank
planet when no ear listens for the
rustle of ,his pack in, the ehirnrtey,-.
Lot no father fool himself with the
thought that the world has changed.
There are children in Windsor and
Warsaw, in Melbourne. . and in Mon-
treal who do not know about the war
but who know about Christmas Eve
and what happens in its still and holy
hours;
So, in the name of that childhood
which keeps' alive the faith, let no
so-called head of any house dare to
dodge an inquiry to -day or flee before
the whirlwind of excited youth.
v
New Zealand has taken ,the income
tax off farmers, and cut dawn the en-
tertainment tax by 50 per cent.
It's not the rare and costly gift
That gives complete content.
The things, that cheer and most uplift,
Aro sometimes never sent!
The soul's desire to aid and bless-
It's this that gives us happiness.
The chid charm of Christmas is its
simplicity, It is'a festival that ap-
peals to every one because every one
can understand it. A genuine fellow-
ship pervades our common life—a
fellowship whose source is our, corn-
mon there to the gift of :the' world's
greatest, Life which was given to the
Vresfai, whole World. ---Arthur Reed l 1snball,
NSECTS O
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P.
Ancie
,edlxl alt Carol "
a
The following interesting carol in. •
preserved in Poor Robin's Almanac
for 1695; It is of interest as throwing
1 ght on the mategia! side of the old
t'me Christmas celebrations.
"Minced" pies are referred to, it
will be, noticed—a 'term never heard
nowadays. And instead of our plum&
pudding there is "plum porridge."=a
not so attractive dish, one would
think! The carol reveals, too, that the
material for Christmas decoration
was fuller in; tap old days, 'includin
holly, ivy, bay, rosemary, and
"lawreL
"Now, thrice -welcome Christmas
Which brings us good cheer,
Minced pies and plum-porridge,good
ale and strong beer;,
With pig, goose, and capon, the best
that may be,
So well, .doth the weather and our
stomachs agree.
Observe - how the chimney do monk
all about,
The cooks are providing for dinner,
.no doubt.
But those on whose tables no victuals
appear,
0 may they keep Lent all the zest of
the year!
With holly and ivy, so green and so
gay,
We deck up our houses as fresh as
the day.
With bays and rosemary,and lawrol
compleat,
And everyonenow is a ling in con-
ceit.
But as for curmudgeons, who wilb.not
be free,
I wish they may die on tho three.
legged .tree."
It is .of interest to learn that the,
well-known and oft -used couplet,
"Christmas comes but - once a year,
And when it comes it brings good
cheer," originally appeared iri a mock
Christmas play of the fifteenth can-
tiiry. Mere aro the lines;
"Bounce bucicrara, velvets dear,
Christmas comes but once a year,
And when it 'comes it 'brings good
cheers"
Christmas, 1923
If for this blessed Day of days
Mankind would put away
All thoughts of strife and hato and
greed,
, And pace and love lie'td sway,--
If this sweet miracle could be,
The troubled world would snow
Tho biiesful joy that harmony
And love alone bestow;
And allthe little birds would sing
Paeans; of joyful praise, ` a
the Very'0ea would +clap their hands.
Boasts happier go their *evil
0 Love Divine, , the 'world's heart
or iil+t title ono larief.spa'ae,
And so benign, the influence '
Man 'never could retread
v
The beaten paths 0f strife ants fta
1
But led by Love's bright star,
Pursut th0 ploe,rant paths' et lrsacap
y ,
Through reit the world r1at
ailtellit td.4dsll►,
4;