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CHRISTMAS DAY
IN BETHLEHEM.
A
,T this season of the year prob
ably no city of the ancient
world presents a mor,e piC'
turesque or attractive aspect
than Bethlehem, whose populatipn Is
- many times multiplied by the pres
ence of a vast army of pilgrims from
every part of the globe. Mecca, in the
' height of the great annual Moslem in
, tlux, or Hurdwar. In upper India, at
!. the season of the sacred festival, may
, nave much greater but they cantiot
be said to have more devout or more
.. cosmopolitan crowds than those that
flock to the city of David in the Cbrist
mas week. Shaped wonderfully like
'it crescent. yet the only thoroughly
Christian town in all Syria. Bethlehem
puts on Its gayest garb as Christmas
"approaches. At all times a pretty and
Attractive place. It Ls then a thousand-
fold more so. The thrifty townspeo
ple, -their handsome wives and dark
'eyed daughters. prepare for the festiv
ities weeks to advance and are ready
'to welcome be first arrivals.
No words can adequately describe
;the grandeur of the Christmas services
at the Church of the Nativity, which
Ls the cente? of Interest for the pil
' grim s. These services are kept up the
entire week. On the way to church
.the visitors are beset by peddlers, who
Insist on pushing under their very
noses little ornaments of olivewood
and' mother-of-pearl. The Church of
1 the Nativity Is one of the oldest struc
tures In existence, and, although it has
been repeatedly repaired. It still re
tains much of its original form and
character. In the side aisles at dif
ferent altars priests chant the service
in tones that swell and die amid the
tall columns that support the roof.
At the shrines groups of pilgrims
kneel in reverent adoration, while still
other groups are guided around the
church by monks, who point out the
rich relics and sacred places, the most
venerated of all being the shrine of the
manger, beneath the church, -which, ir
Is claimed. Incloses the actual birth
place of the Saviour. During tlif
Christmas festivities this manger
shrine Is resorted to by great multi-,
tudes, who crowd each other In their
pious eagerness to kiss the marble slab
on the floor with a silver star in the
center.
So fervid and enthusiastic are rhpse
worshipers that the marble slab has
been repeatedly .kissed away In places,
rendering a new slab necessary. The
same experience has occurred with the
stone covering of the crypt In the
"Church of the Holy Sepulcher In-Jeru-
MABKKT PLACE IN I3KTHLKHKM ON OHtttST--BIAS
MOKNINQ. .
salem. whi"h has had to be renewed
several times In consequence of Its out
er surface being literally kissed away
by pious devotees The tradition ls
that Christ was 1nce laid in this man
ger. A (ew feet distant is the chapel
of the Magi, where the wise men of
old. Alelehlor. Caspar and Balthazar,
came worshiping with race gifts.
A subdued, rich light is diffused
throughout the grotto by the softly
glowing lamps over the star., and the
swinging censers lend an agreeable
odor to an otherwise close and musty
atmosphere. All worldly thoughts are
banished as the kneeling pilgrims lis
ten spellhotind to the melodious chant
of the sacred oftice or the full, sturdyr
noble singing or the grand looking,
bearded priests. The low roof, th9
"living rock." the censers, the music,
the lights, all seem n dissolve, and in
their stead there appear to rhemolst
eyes" of the adoring pilgrims the man
ger cradle with the babe, rhe Virgin
mother, and Joseph, the mean surroundings'.-
the oxen and their litter of straw
and the gentle, wondering sheep.
The Christmas festivities, however.
are not confined to the Church of the
Nativity. The week Is a gpneral festi
val hi the town and a season of finan
cial harvest for Its citizens. Like all
orientals, they are thrifty to avarlcious
uess. and the sight of the splendid gifts
that are brought year after year to' the
church and especially the Jrotto chap
el, by strangers from afar widely ex
cite their cupidity Among ..those thou
sands that" are living temporarily in
tents, or.' it may be. quartered in the
more comfortable eon vent, there are
many rich who can be easily persuaded
into generosity when under the super
natural influence that seems to pervade
everything at Bethlehem. Philadel
phia Hecord.
CHRISTMAS WITH TH
1 TOILERS OF THE SEA
1ANDLURREHS ibat you are, did you
ever reflect that there Is a world
where Christmas Is as meaning
less a day as the 24 tb or 2(Jth
of December? Did you ever think far
enough beyond the spicy vapors of
your own plum pudding to realize that
the seafaring folk were living their
Christmas day as If they knew naught
of Its fame? They do -know what It
means, however,, as well as ever do
you, but winds lash and waves thump
on the 25th as on every other day. and
It's a foolish sailor man who counts
on turkey or holly berries The chances
are he'll see little of them.
Christmas is disobliging enough to
come in the very beginning of the mad
dest weather, and the weather never
gives way one inch. The pllotbdat
people and the life savers make pa
thetic little attempts at holding Holi
day, but ten to out they will be notb
big more than attempts. If the sea
chooses to make merry In its own
way the sea commands and must .be
obeyed.
The captains of the life saving sta
tions along the beach try each year to
celebrate with their men. A turkey Is
always brought to the headquarters
and a good meal prepared around It
as a star attraction. But anywhere
from drumsticks to nuts and raisins
may come the signal from the coast
guard. Perhaps a crab fishing boat
'hns capsized: perhaps it is a big ship
going down the result Is the same.
The Christmas turkey Is left to grow
cold, the mince pie is forgotten, and
it's oft to launch the lifeboat and then
to the oars and away. Night or day
the "summons may come. If at night
there are a flashing of lights on. the
beacli and a fight, man against storm,
in the blackness of the surf.
, On the lightship provision is made for
a good dinner, but there rbe pleasure
ends, uny and nignt the ship rules at
anchor ten miles off shore. Always the
clanging 'of the . fog bell Is heard and
the lights are watched, and break in
the monotony there Is uone. save for a
better bill of fare than usual and an
extra glass of grog, then back to. the
bell and the lights again, and men for
get what Christmas celebrated or that
It was celebrated at all.
It was during the carving of the last
turkey that the hells rang fiercely, for
a fog was driving In past the beads,
and lights were being enveloped in it
Two new men were among the crew,
and they sprang, frightened, away from
the table. The old sailors assured
them that it was no trouble out of the
ordinary, but they could uot be induc
ed to, cpme back to the dinner They
are blase now and are laughing at,
other new men. but their companions
have not forgotten to mention the din
ner that they missed by gazing shud
derlngly Into a winter fog and expect
ing the death of themselves or some
one else every moment.
Christmas is a lottery to the pilots
No man of them knows when his turn
Is coming to guide a ship into port, and
ships must be guided wheu it Is their
captain's win. Some of the pilots may
have a. snatch of the day at home in
the midst of Santa Claus gossip and
tin horns and stuffed stockings. Who
ever the other pilots may be. they are1
on the water with a good dinner stow
ed away awaiting Its opportunity,
which may or may not come, if a
ship Is suddenly sighted, then, never
mind the dinner.
The life on the great steamers and
jailing vessels Is more systematic, and
t Is worth while to prepare for as
much merriment as the homesickness
of empty sea view will permit. Thero
may be a Christmas tree and music
and dancing: but. be you a seadog or
a , landlubber, it's ail the same you
would rather be at home over a tablft
that does not roll and spend a .good
Christian Christmas with all Its tra
ditional nonsense San Francisco Cnll
Modern Ktrrianturcrpist.
"Why are you sobbing, my little
man?"
"My pa's a millionaire, philanthro
pist" "Well, well, that's nothing .to' cv
about." ;
"It ain't ain't It? He's just promised
to give me $5 to spend at Christmas
r-oyided I raise a similar amount:"
UEST TORE
CHRISTMAS
EATHlER calls me William, sister calls me Will, . 4
Mother calls me Willie, b"ut the fellers call me Bill. j
Mighty glad I aint a girl ruther be a boy
Without them sashes, curls an things that's worn by Fauntleroy f
Love to chawnk green apples an go swimmin' in (the lake . 1 " ' .
Hate to take the castor ile they give for belly ache!
"Most all the time, the whole year round, they ain't no flies on' me,'A
but jest tore Christmas 1 m as good as 1 kin be! ,
v- "
Got a yeller dog named Sport, sick him on the cat;
First thing she knows she.doesn't know, where sheYat!
Got a clipper sled, an when us kids go out to slide
'Long comes the grocery cart, an' we all hook a rider!
But 'sometimes when the groceryman is worried an
cross
He reaches at us with his whip an' larrups up hi3
hoss,
An' then I laff an holler, "Oh, ye never teched me!"
But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as J kin be.
Granmar says she hopes that when I git to be a man
I'll be a missionarer like her eldest brother Dan
As was et up by. cannibals that lives on Ceylon's
isle.
Where every prospeck pleases an' only man is vile.
But granmar she has never been to see a wild west
snow
IS'or read the life of Daniel. Boone or else 1 guess she'd know
1'hat Buif'lo Bill an' cowboys is good enough for me!
But jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!
An' then old Sport he hangs around as solemn-like an' still;
His eyes they seem a-sayin'f "What's the matter, little Bill?
The old cat sneaks down off her perch an' wonders what's bee
Of them two enemies of hem that use to make things hum I
But r m so polite an' 'ten' so earnestly to biz,
That mother says to father, "How improved our Willie isl".
Eut father, havin been a boy himself, suspicions me
When jest 'fore Christmas I'm as good as I kin be!
For Christmas, with, its lots and lots of candy, cakes and toys,
Was made, they say, for proper kids and not for naughty boys;
So wash yer face an brush yer hair an' mind your p's an' q's,
An don't bust out yer pantaloons, an' don't wear out yer shoes;
Say "yessum" to the ladies an' "yessur" to the men.
An' when there's company don't pass your plate for pie again,
:But, thinkin' of the things yer'd like to see upon that tree,
Jest 'fore Christmas be as good'as yer kin be!
f.VC.BSK KIK1.D.'
onw!
