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THE CLINTON NEWS -RECORD
THURS., DEC 26, T94.1
1 Read r And Write - For You
(Copyright)
By John C. Kirkwood
"For unto you is born this day a
Saviour". So sang the heavenly choir
on the first Christmas Day.
Saviours are needed, always, and
thanks be to Heaven, Saviours are
continually being born: Moses was
a Saviour; so, too, was Abraham.
So, too, were Joseph and Jacob and
Paul. Abraham Lincoln was a Sav-
iour; and Garibaldi, and Joan of Arc,
and William Wallace and Robert
;Bruce and Cromwell, and Wellington,
and the Earl of Shaftsbury, and
Lister and Pasteur and Banting were
likewise Saviours. Indeed, if you will
read history, you will find hundreds
of Saviours, and you will find :some
of them to be very humble, even
obscure, men and women. Florence
Nightingale and Edith Cavell were
humble and obscure until their mag-
nificent self-sacrifice and heroism
brought them fame. Many mission-
aries, many doctors, many soldiers,
many sailors, many botanists, many
scientists became saviours.. Wilber-
force was a saviour of negro slaves.
The legendary Little Hero of Harlem
was a saviour. It the world not full
of mothers who are saviours - whose
unstinted self-sacrifice and devotion
have saved 'ask are savingnot alone
the life of their sick children, but
also the souls of their sons and
daughters.
Left to ourselves we tend toward
evil. Prosperity and peace tend to
corrupt us - to destroy the good and
the noble in us - tend to destroy the
virtues. Being creatures of flesh and
blood - animals - we tend to become
like animals. We are apt to forget
that we have been created in the
image of God, that we are under per-
petual obligation to be godlike - to
'exhibit the -qualities of our Creator,
and to be Ohristlike in both our mind
and our behaviour. It is degrading
ourselves when we strive to be any-
thing short of the Divine Being for
whose glory we were created. All.the
evil and suffering and calamities of
the world in both past and present
times are a consequence of man's
failure to live according to the re-
quirements of the divine pattern.
Many of us are trying to persuade,
ourselves that the current war will
purify us in thought, purpose and
conduct. Perhaps it should, yet there l
will be no mass or national better-
;ment of the way of life, in any
'bountry, apart from individual bet-�
terment. The strange belief persists
that a country can have a morality
a 'mass morality - which i§ Dot de- j
Pendent on the morality of its c'OM-
ponent units - individuals. Here
think of a story. A very good priest;
was about to leave his parish, which I
was a vineyard district in France.,
All the people agreed that their priest
should be given something which
would be an exhijeit of their goodwill j
and esteem and regard, and they de-;
tided to give their priest a barrel of
wine; each person was to bring to ,
the barrel his quota of wine, which
he himself would pour into the bar-
rel. But one man thought that he
could take a measure of water in-;
stead of wine, and thee save his wine,
Melte. 14 77,0 ark&
When later the priest tapped the bar-
rel which was given him, out of it
canne only water! All+the people had
the, same idea: each thought that he
could cheat, without detection. Each
was willing to be a cheater, imagin-,
ing that all the others would be right-
eous.
Does it need to be said that the
morals and ideals and practices of a
nation, of a community, of a family,
are, the sum of the morals, ideals and
practices of the individuals who com-
pose it? Is it not true, in our own
experience, and according to our own
observation, thatindividuals persuade
themselves that they can do wrong,
without detection and without hurt to
their family;, community, country?
All of us seem to forget that the
strength of anything is no greater
than the strength of its weakest cone
ponent unit? The strength of a
bridge, by way .of example, is no
greater than the strength of the
weakest rivet or bolt or bar used in
its construction.
Britain's history is a very bad one
in regard to its treatment of its work-
ers and its 'poor - perhaps no worse
in history than that of all European
counrties and of the United Sates;
perhaps, also, of Canada. In every
century of Britain's history there
have been those of selfish and ruth-
less spirit and ways, so making
saviours needed. Perhaps I may be
forgiven if I write of the mine -own-
ers and manufacturers of 100 or so
years ago who . employed child labor
and who had to be compelled, by law,
to mend their evil ways. Here is a
picture of the lot of miners as it was
in 1842. In, almost every district the
employment of children was common.
In -many pits children were'•employed
at six, in some at, five, and in one
case a baby of three was found to be
employed. Even babies were taken
down into the pits to keep the rats
away from their father's food. Child-
ren were also employed to push the
small carriages filled with coal along
the passages, and as the passages
were often very low and narrow, it
was necessary to use very small child-
ren for this purpose. Even the young-
est children had to work in a bent
position. Another children's task 'was
that of pumping water in the under
bottom of nits, a task that kept child-
ren standing ankle-deep in water for
12 hours. In some cases girls of six
carried 1/2 -ton of coal. The hours
worked by children were seldom less
than 12; they were Often 16E and in
seine eases children remained in the
pits for 36 hours, while working
double shifts. There were bills in
which the children never went home
during the whole 24 hours. Between•
shifts they lay down on the floors.
Human safety counted for nothing in
the minds of the proprietors of the
mines, and accidents were common
even in best -managed pits. The worst
victims were workhouse apprentices,
found from the age of eight or nine
for 12 years.
tc'&wca JUST LIKE
CAN AO A'S
elerffee�r
PLAYGROON0
Let us look at the lot of the "climb-
ing boy" - the chimney sweeps, Year
after year children were bought and
sold to a life of dirt and "suffering,
ended for many of them by a revolt-
ing form of cancer due directly toy
their occupation. Children of 41/4, at
6, were employed in sweeping chim-
neys. Six was described as being "a
nice trainable age." Nottingham, with
its narrow chimneys, was famous for
climbing boys. A Nottingham boy
was worth more to sell. Here are
some individual stories of climbing
boys: A child 6 was forced to go,
for the second d t` �
o time, into a hot flue
at a chemical works. He screamed
and sobbed, bat in vain. Finally he
was taken out half asphyxiated,
thrown in straw andcruel, beaten
y
lin the hope that he might be beaten
back to consciousness. Soon after he
died tit convulsions. A boy aged seven
and a half was sent up the flue of a
!fernery, and was taken out dead fif-
then minutes later. A child of ten
was sold five times over. He was
la clever worker, and although unable
to walk, owing to his injuries, he had
I cleaned 'no fewer than twelve chim-
,, neys on a single day. A boy of ten
'41 became jammed in a chimney, below
' which a fire was smouldering. He
was ultimately torn down by two pea -
1 ple, and died in agony a few hours
is 1later. About 4000 children were eine
i'
of Commons threw out the Chimney -
to ped as chimney sweeps. P Y y s As late
r n, ifre 1 as 1854 the Government in the House
`
For rest or play—Vancouver and Sweepers Bill.
d
enjoyable winter vacation. 1 dreadful lot of children employed in
the world.
Christmas is intended to remind us,
in special ways, that saviours are be
ing provided to redress human
wrongs, and to restore righteousness
on the earth. The Heaods and the
Hitters may decree slaughter, yet al-
ways they 'fail in their evil plottings.
They can bring misery and sorrow
and death, yet they cannot finally
triumph, Always there is the assur
ante that a Saviour is born into this
world, to give it, in the end, Peace.
Victoria are i eat for a .thoroughly ! I shall not speak of the equally
WINDBREAKS MEAN TREES
(Experimental Farms News)
Everyone has experienced the com-
fort of a windbreak on a cold windy
winter's day. It is enough to say
that the sheltered areas seem very
much warmer than the windswept
ones. Such shelter around the farm
building would seem to be a neces-
sity, states E. T. Goring, Dominion
Experimental Station, Kapuskasing.
Ont.
How can this shelter be built up?
The only practical windbreak is by
planting trees. 'Broad belts of trees
planted on the sides from which the
prevailing winds blow stop the icy
blasts and maintain in their lee a
calm in which life can be lived in
comfort.
Trees differ in their value for this
purpose.. Evergreens are the best.
They present the greatest resistance
to the passage of air and thus stop
it most effectively. Unfortunately
they are slow growing and take some
years to provide shelter.
Deciduous trees such as poplars
grow quickly but offer less resist-
ance to the wind. They will be quite
satisfactory if planted in a broad
enough belt. Perhaps the best wind-
break can be made up of a mixture
of trees such as spruce and poplars.
By alternating the trees in the rows
and staggering the rows, effective
protection can be built up in a com-
paratively short time. The quick
growing short lived poplars give early
protection. When they reach maturity
and begin to die, the slower growing
evergreens are ready to take their
place. No matter what the conditions
are, some trees can usually be found
to suit .them.
Warmdaysandcoolrefreshingnights. the cotton and the woollen mills et
Excellent
goif cour sseaem yria sights,
' Britain. What I want to impress is:
in the mountains and by the seashore. '
Riding, tennis, motoring,fishing... British industrialists 100 years ago -
Canada's Evergreen Playground offers with, of course, some notable excep-
them all, in an unexcelled setting" tions had no compassion, but were
Special Winter rates at hotels. The more •than readyto have their lust
new Hotel Vancouver's spacious
rooms and delightful accommoda- for profits devour little children.
tions will add to the pleasure of your 1 But saviours were being born to
stay in Vancouver. I have children .delivered from their in -
ATTRACTIVE RAIL FARES 'human bandage, and outstanding
among these men was Anthony Ash-
ley Cooper, '7th Earl of Shatesbury.
You can read about him in a Penguin
Reducer/ sleehirrg.carfares.. , book, "Lord Shaftesbury" by J. L.
Low meal rates on train,. and Barbara Hammond.
TRAVEL WEST THE JASPER WAY
USING THE AIR.CONDITIONED
CONTINENTAL LIMITED
Pall info:nation Iron any ticket agent
WHAT ARE THE GOALS?
Part of an address by Lewis Mum-
ford, noted American author, to the
people of Canada on Sunday Dec.
1st, over CBC:
What, then, are the minimum goals
that we must set ourselves? Let me
begin with the negative conditions;
and first, we cannot live in a world
that is part totalitarian and part
free. There is no possibility of se -
m -Hy in such a world. There is no
possibility of co-operation in such a
world. Two systems of ideas are now
at war; they are fighting for the
right to organize the world, as the
armies of the Christians and the
Saracens when they met on the bat-
tlefield of Tours were struggling for
the narrower right to organize Eur-
ope. This is a knock -down fight be-
tween these two ideas. If the total-
itarian states win, the nations of the
world will one by one be enslaved
and looted for the benefit of their
barbarian conquerors, as Czecho-
Slovakia, Poland, Denmark, and every
other conquered territory in Europe
has already been enslaved and looted.
1,1 the English-speaking democracies
win, our task will bre, not the restate.-
tion
est te.-tion of the world that existed before
1.030, nor even the restoration of the
world before 1914. It will be nothing
less than the establishment of a de-
mocratic world society in which each
nation and region will play a co-oper-
ative part.
Nothing less than a world union will
justify the losses and the sacrifices
of the present war, and no effective.
world union can be envisaged except
one between peoples who speak the
same P
ofitsct1 language
and practice
the
the same kind of loyalty to moral
right and to objective truth. This
means that if the English-speaking
democracies emerge trimphant from
the ordeal of 'battle, they will have
to assume the iiihperative task of or-
ganizing life on a democratic and co-
operative basis throughout the planet.
No other peoples will have the neces-
sary combination of moral authority
and physical power. We cannot con-
tinue to view with tolerance or in-
difference the continuation of obsol-
ete systems of government, the pre-
valence of barbaric ideas of public
order and right, and we cannot admit
the possibility of active collaboration
with governments that do not rest on
the free consent of the governed. And
thegoverned,in turn,
this means that ,
shall be equipped by adequate educa-
tion and by the institutions of free
speech and free assemblage and free
criticism to accept the full measure of
their responsibility. Effective world.
organization, in other words, demands
a community of equals.
Second, we cannot live in a world
that permits nations to be suppressed
or mutilated or wiped out of exist-
ence, or treated as hewers of wood
and carriers ofwatsr for the benefit
of some master nation. But neither
can we live under an order in which
nations proclaim for themselves the
right of absolute independence af ac-
tion and moral authority and political
power of the rest of mankind. The
notions of national sovereignty and
national isolation go together. They
are both insolent fictions that contra-
dict the real condition under which
human 12eings and communities act-
ually live. No human being can live
to himself. To attempt this, as Aris-
totle once said, man must be either.
a brute or a god.
ALWAYS USE CANADIAN NATIONAL
TELEGRAPHS — MONEY ORDERS—EXPRESS
SPEED, DEPENDABILITY, SAFETY
This contribution to the News -Re -
1 cord is not a vary cheerful one, yet
I have written to make my point that
i always saviours are needed in the
world and always are being born into
Some Christmas
Stories
1ft 5.
st MOtgROCMD gatere 71s1W: W 1J M.k✓'A aT.l IWSACv'a;
Christmas
Invitation
By Katherine Edelman
JACK TRESLAR hunched his
broad shoulders deeper into the
big chair, turning a -new'page of his
book. He was reading a Christmas
story, trying hard to become ab-
sorbed in the tale.
A sharp ring from the telephone
brought him to his feet. Who could
be calling him on Christmas eve?
A strange voice responded to his
"hello." "I hate to bother you on
Christmas . eve, Mr. Treslar. But
f'm ringing up to ask if it would be
jossible for you to come and spend
Christmas with me. My name is
Bevan Willers. I live out at Rich-
,nond. I have a big home, and—"
"But—but I don't even know you,
Mr. Willers. There must be some
mistake."
"I want you!" the low voice was.
'mphatic. "Will you come or not?"
Jack repressed a quick exclama-
tion. "I—I had thought of spending.
Christmas—" he began.
"Wouldn't it be possible to changd
your plans? I have a feeling they
could be side-tracked easily."
Jack thought of the lonely Christ-
mas he had been anticipating. Aft -
Ile ascended the steps leading is
._e massive door.
-• e11, there rnii lit be something to
his unusual invitation.
"You are right about my plans,"
ne admitted. "They are rather in
,he air. But—but going to spend
Christmas with an utter stranger
teak me back for a moment,"
"That's why I thought you might
:one." There was a note of disap-
iointment in' Bevan Willers' voice
"I probably got the wrong man,
however."
Jack thought again of the lonely
Christmas before him. And before
ne could debate the question, he
heard a voice inside of him answer -
:ng. calling through the wire to Rich-
mond, "You got the right man, Mr
eeillers. I''m coming.
` .:,aur later, bather? ;:,,u utebbed
:reek Tresser was speeding along the
frosted highway to Richmond, Fa
lowing the detailed instructions that
had been given him, Jack found the
tong winding drive leading frern the
roadway. What a secluded, ghostly
place, he thought, as he drove un-
der the snow -sprinkled trees.
EVAN WILLERS was waiting, In
Lj the dim light from the chande-
lier, his tall bent figure seemed gro•
tesque.. "I have let the servants
away for the evening," he said, his
bonyhand motioning
toward rd the end
of the shadowed ed hall.
Jack Treslar felt a twinge of fear
as he followed. Here he was—alone
in the house with this strange old
man. Anything could happen. There
wasn't another residence within
blocks. Then, his adventurous spir-
it reasserted itself, and he looked
smilingly across the table at Bevan
Willers. "Well, what's it all about?"
A dead silence was the only an-
swer. Gray eyes under heavy bris-
tling brows stared at him intently.
Jack stared back unflinchingly.
Then a hearty laugh rang through
the library. With amazement Jack
saw the old man straighten up in
his chair. Years seemed to fall off
his shoulders. The twisted, gro-
tesque appearance vanished as if by
magic. He spoke quietly.
"I'm not crazy," he began; "I'm
just a lonely old fellow, ticketed as
a sort of recluse. The true facts
are that I've been trying for years
to write. Yesterday I got word that
a story of mine had been accepted."
"But I still don't understand your
strange invitation, and—" Jack in-
terrupted.
"I'm coming to that," Bevan Wil-
lers continued. "The hero of my
book is a daring, adventurous fel-
low. A man willing to answer a
strange call that came in the night.
I got intrigued with the fellow, and.
began thinking. Wondering if there
was any young fellow who would
act as he had done. So I rang the
first hotel that came to mind and
described my hero. Young, unmar-
ried, interesting sort of chap. Pre-
tended his name had slipped my
mind for the moment. They con-
nected me with your room, You
know the rest."
Jack stretched out his long arm
across the desk, and gripped the old
man's hand. "Now that I''m here,
Mr. Willers, do you still believe you
have got the right man." There was
wistful entreaty in his dark eyes.
"i don't just think—I'm absolute-
ly positive."
A Christmas
Snowstorm
--0
By Sarah Jane Clark.
THREE hours late, the snow
bound train reached Chicago
Mary Lou gathered her baggage to
gether and took the bus across to
the other station, to find her con-
necting train had left on schedule.
The folks would drive in to town to
meet the train unless she could head
them off.
Her message put through, Mary
Lou sank down on one of the benches
to collect her thoughts and make
herr plans until train time, Five
o'clock, and no train until 9:30 the
next morning.
"Going out soon?" a cheery voice
near her asked. She looked up to
find the chief usher standing beside
her. A middle-aged, friendly look-
ing fellow. Mary Lou told him of her
missed connections.
"Here, Eddie, look at this!" a red
cap interrupted her story. He was
leading a three-year-old child, a
dear little girl with big blue eyes
and yellow curls.
"What are you doing with the kid?
Is she lost?" Eddie asked sharply,
turning away from Mary Lou.
"Might as well be. She came in
from Denver, in charge of the stew-
ardess. They missed the train north,
and the stewardess is celebrating
Christmas by having her appendix
out, emergency case. They told me
to turn the kid over to you," the
boy grinned as he handed her over to
the chief usher.
Eddie took her clumsily. "See
here, what can a bachelor like me
do with a kid like this?" He looked
appealingly at Mary Lou.
Mary Lou's eyes filled with tears.
Then she held out her arms toward
the youngster. "What is your name,
dear?" she asked.
"Annette Pollard. I am three
years old and I am going from Chey-
enne tc Rio, Wisconsin, to my grand-
ma Poland.. My daddy is there." It
nes a lesson she had been taught.
Mary Lou held her close. "I had
a little girl almost as old as Annette
Yuletide
Shower
—.—
By Elizabeth Eastman
61 WISH we could do something
exciting — something dilieren
it Christmas." Peggy looped out a
he winter landscape as she. spoke
"For instance?" Vivian Clark
:lanced up from the magazine.
"Something like making someone
erribly, tremendously. happy." Peg-
ty carne closer to her sister as she
answered, and Vivian saw that she
was very much in esarnest.
"I've been thinking," Peggy went
in, "how wonderful it would be to
cring something thrilling — some-
'hing unforgettable -into someone's
efe. I don't mean like helping with
he baskets and the entertainments
at the church; we've always done
that; but a sort of special some•
.hing, for one particular person."
For a minute youthful voices sur-
rendered to silence. The gay little
:lock on the dresser made audible
sound. Suddenly Peggy jumped to
ser feet. "I've thought of some•
thing!" she cried breathlessly.
"something really different! You
know Sara Werby—she's been an in-
valid for 10 years—shut in from the
world except for a few friends who
run in every now and then."
"But what can we do for her? We
do visit her occasionally, and have
always taken her a little Christmas
gift. You know she's much too proud
to accept charity."
"Who's talking of charity? What 1
have in mind is something that will
just thrill her. I'm going to write
to Mona Muir—you know, she runs
that department on the Star—and
I'm going to tell her how wonderful
Sara has been, and ask a card show-
er for her."
Vivian whistled through her teeth.
"Well, that is a grand idea, Peggy.
I know she'll be thrilled."
"She's bound to be! Think of the
postman stopping with loads and
loads of mail every day." Peggy's
blue eyes were dancing.
"But suppose people don't write?
You know how busy everyone is at
Christmas," Vivian's face reflected
the doubt in .her words.
"But they will write," Peggy's
voice was emphatic. "I'm going to
hold the thought 'that Sara Werby
will be just swamped with mall."
TOGETHER they penned the let-
ter to Mona Muir on the big city
paper. Later, between snatches of
shopping, they discussed the possi-
ble number of cards and letters
that would be delivered at the lit-
tle cottage on Bank street. They
both seemed to he more concerned
Mary Lou heard the voice of An-
acilee'£ `ee.her,
when she ,iis,d," she said brokenly
to Eddie. "Let me keep the child
tonight, and take her to her home
I missed the same train she did."
Eddie studied her face. What he.
aw satiefied him, Still he hesitated
`or a moment, "That sounds good
to me. But I`d better get the con-
ductor to authorize it." '
IT WAS soon decided that Mary
Lou should keep her. But she
must not Ieave the station. "It won't
be very comfortable for ou
ma'am,
,
but the kid can curl up on a bench
here and be dead to the world in
no time. There are some rocking `
chairs in the far room there. Why,
of course there are some cots there,.
and baby beds."
"We ought to telephone the child's
relatives," Mary Lou suggested. '
"Of course we should. Here is
the address and telephone number.
You do it for me, will you, please,
ma'am? I've got my last minute
shopping to do. I'm mighty glad
you came in on this train. Eddie'll
take the kid while you telephone to
Rio," and the conductor was off,
after turning over the child's money
to Mary Lou. But not until Mary
Lou had made him promise to send
a big doll back for the child's
Christmas.
"We'll let Annette say hello to
her caddy herself, if she wants to,"
Mary Lou exclaimed. And so it was
done. Mary Lou heard the voice. of
Annette's father, tense with concern,
and then joyful as he realized where
his baby was and heard her childish
treble over the .phone. "Her moth-
er's parents sent her back here to
have Christmas with me. Her moth•
er died two years ago," he added.
The sun was shining dazzlingly
bright the next morning when the
train stopped at Rio, The red-haired
mac who was waiting expectantly
un the platform had only time to
thank Mary Lou and get her ad-
dress, before the train pulled out
.eaving him holding Annette as she
waved a good -by to Mary Lou.
But the trip home was much eas••
.er. Mary Lou forgot the burning
Dain at the loss of her own little
laughter, the aching loneliness since
ter own husband's death, as she
remembered the soft kis of the
oaby lips of the motherless chile
rho had been In her charge the
,iighi befnre. And tate look h. the
face of Annette's. daddy made het
sure she would see Annette 'soon,
"I've thought of something!" she
cried breathlessly.
with what Sara Werby was going to
,receive than about what they them-
selves were going to get.
"It's funny how doing something
for others gets a hold of you," Viv-
ian
ivian said one day; "I wasn't nearly
as enthusiastic as you at first, Peg-
gy; now I believe I'm even more
eager."
But their real happiness came on
Christmas eve when they stood by
Sara Werby's bed and saw the radi-
ance upon her face. Stacks of let-
ters, cards, and packages were piled
everywhere, with postmarks from
almost every state in the Union.
"It's the most thrilling thing that
ever happened in my life," Sara
told them. "I never knew there
were so many wonderful people in
the world. It will take me weeks
and weeks to answer them all. but
it's going to be loads of fun." Her
brown eyes sparkled like a girl's.
"1 imagine some of them will de-
velop into
e-velopinto lasting friends," Peggy
ventured. "Vivian and I are so
happy about it' all—in fact, I think
we're just about as excited as you
are."
"You're pretty happy then," Sara
Werby whispered softly, "for 1 don't
believe there is anyone—anywhere
—who is going to have a more thrill-
ing Christmas than mine."
Outdoor Christmas Trees
Outdoor Christmas trees are not
new. When in Alsace the folk there
will tell you of St. Florentine, who
centuries ago went out into the
woods at Christmas time and placed
lights, probably candles, on the
trees.
A Straw for Remembrance
Reminding gay celebrants of the
poverty of the Christ Child, Christ-
mas feasts in Poland always have a
piece of straw sticking out from un-
der the diningtable cloth.
Christmas
Play
By Katherine Edelman
THE town hall was wreathed with
holly and mistletoe. Bright red
bells hung from the old-fashioned
chandeliers. Christmas candles sent
their soft glow into the night. The
whole place cried out welcome to
the crowd who thronged through the•
doors.
By eight o'clock every seat was
occupied. Small gossip and mur-
murs of expectancy ran through the -
crowd. The little town was proud
of the boy who was taking the lead-
ing part in the play. They had
known Ted Rawlings all their lives.
Known him as an easy-going lad, in. .
terested in nothing more than fish-
ing and hunting around the coun-
try, and later as an astonishingly
changed ambitious fellow. No one •
seemed to understand how the quick
transition occurred.
All eyes turned to the stage as the
heavy curtain rolled upward. Three
hundred pairs of eyes fastened
themselves upon the moving, speak- •
ing figures. Isn't Ted wonderful,"
young girls whispered breathlessly
to each other. Between acts, thud-.
"Ted, you were perfectly wonder. •
ful," Sally was saying.
.derous bursts of applause filled tha•
room. Hands clapped with vehe
mence. Small boys made their ap-
proval
pproval known by shrill whistling.
Ted carried the audience with
him, every step of the way. He
seemed to enter, to merge himself
completely in the character he por-
trayed. His make-believe was so in-
tense in the last act, that there was
a deep silence for a moment when
the final curtain fell.
FOR the time it was no make-
believe to Ted. He was living
again all the agony of parting, of
seeing Sally Howard go away with-
out a word. He had been sure until
her train pulled out that she would
Wine and say how sorry she was
for the bitter, reproachful words
she had hurled at him. Words that
had left their mark upon his soul—
that had stung him into a mad, am-
bitious desire to show her what he
could do.
He found no real satisfaction in
the tumultuous applause that fol-
lowed. In this hour of his triumph,
his heart cried out for Sally. If
only she was here! If only she had
cared! He scarcely knew what he
was saying in answer to the lavish
congratulations.
Suddenly small hands pressed
tightly around his arm, and a re-
membered voice spoke in his ear.
"Ted, you were perfectly wonder-
ful,"
Sall was saying, wonderful
,
I'm soproud—so proud .
wonderful,
of you."
"But, Sally, I don't understand. I
thought you were in New York."
"I was, until last night. I've been .
keeping track of you. I knew all
about the play, and—and the way
you have been working lately. I.
wouldn't have missed this for any-
thing in the world."
"But the things you said, Sally? '
They hurt—they still do."
"I wanted them to hurt, Ted. Z :
know -I know it was cruel, but there
seemed no other way. Someone had
to give you the right kind of push
to get you going. You know you ..
were really lazy? But now, well,
you've really put on speed."
"Nothing like the speed I'm go-
ing to show in getting ready for a
Christmas wedding. There's just .
two days left. We've got to make it .
a really big event. Let's give out
the announcement now—while the
crowd is still in the hall."
The First Santa Claus
The first Santa Claus was St. Nich-
olas, Bishop of Myra, who started.
mysterious midnight gift -bearing
journeys. In the Fourth century he .
was famous because he was a rich
man who enjoyed giving secret gifts
to the poor, One of his tricks was
to throw purses of gold into cottage
windows and run away.
From Europe's Christmas Menu
Take your choice of Christmas
eats: Plum pudding in England,
Pfeffernuesse in Germany, Vier -
knack in Denmark, Fatigmares Bak-
kels in Norway, Horse-shoe. cake in.
Hungary, Speculaas in Holland, and
Lutfisk is Sweden.
Getting a Shoeful in•Holland
Not .00 reindeer but on a White-
horse, St. Nicholas arrives-in.some•
parts of Rolland, and instead of look-
ing for stockings he searches for
-
wooden shoes to fill.them, with' gifts.: