The Twin City star. [volume], December 21, 1918, Image 4

About The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??

Image provided by: Minnesota Historical Society; Saint Paul, MN

                
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festivals of a country
IjJBBB. seem to reflect the heart of
a people. Christmas among
Italian peasants has quite a
a different quality from the
- A. J Christmas of the land of the
former kaiser; so the songs
and carols which spring from these
festivals carry with them a dlstlqft
flavor of the different nationalities
w'hich Inspire them. Even two coun
tries so closely akin as England and
America Infuse a certain national at
mosphere into the literature of Christ
mas. In England one may trace the
Christmas carol from the quaintest of
old folk songs—
-1
“As Joseph was a-waukin*, .
He heard an angel sing,
*Tlfls night shall be the birth night
Of Christ, our heavenly king’
✓
down through a sort of procession of
Christmas ideals in successive cen
turies to our own time, when
“Hark, the herald angels sing*’
seems to embody Christmas joy in Eng
lish-speaking lands the world over.
«
Christmas in America has to adjust
Itself to a different environment from
the old world setting. The heroic strug
gles of our pioneer ancestors tuned the
lyre of one of our ballad writers to tell
of “The First Christmas in New Eng
land.” His picture of the forbidding
New England coast presents a pitiuble
contrast to the warmth and cheer
which memories of Christmas suggest.
“They thought they had come to their
port that day,
But not yet was their Journey done;
And they drifted away from Provincetown
Bay
In the tireless light of the sun,
With rain and sleet were the tall masts
iced
And gloomy and chill was the air;
But they looked from the orystal sails to
Christ,
And they came to a harbor fair.
‘The white hills pilent lay,—
For there were no ancient bells to ring
, No priest to chant, no choirs to sing,
No chapel of baron, or lord or king.
That gray, cold winter day."
Then the voyagers remembered the
bells of old England which were ring
ing for Christmas worship and they
forbore to devote the day to labor.
“Shall our axes swing on this day of days
.When the Lord of life was born?’*
The tragedy of the Civil war trailed
its shadow over Longfellow’s Christ
mas verse and even his courageous
spirit faltered:
“I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace, on earth, good will to men!
And thought how. as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along,
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good will to men!”
Then echoes of the accursed cannon
thundering far away In the southland
DRESSING CHRISTMAS DOLLS
i
“Be Sure the Clothes Come On and
Off,” Is Advice of Woman Who
Has Had Much Experience.
“Be sure the clothes come on and
off.” This Is the injunction that one
woman has to make every year when
she gets to work at her usual Chrlst
vmas task of getting 50 dolls dressed
ifor 50 little orphans who live in an in
stitution ln which she Is Interested.
She buys the dolls at wholesale prices
land then gets good folk she knows to
I dress them, but always with the re
quest goes this injunction—“be sure
and don’t sew the clothes on.!’
The r- !*.' \for this Is the fact that
these 50* # \ girls are like all other
little glrlu liking dolls that can be
‘dressed an_ Amdressed, and the first
thing they do on receiving their Christ-
ImjM doll is to see how readily it may
be dressed and put to bed and then
dressed again.
In dressing dolls it is possible to buy
paper patterns for doll clothes. One
'set, sold by a leading pattern concern,
jcontalni a cape wit)) a hood, a jumper
dress and gulmps, a bathrobe and a
petticoat and drawers—all for ten
cents. The only trouble with this sort
;of pattern Is that It doesn’t always fit
jtlp doll you riioose; in fact, it is by
‘tlMi merest accident that the paper pah
{!£m would fit the doll. Although the
BRIEF INFORMATION
V England’s 'prison population before
/the war was 18,000 ; it Is now 9,500.
Portable electric machinery has
been Invented to screen coal and load
it In wagons.
- Of the 8,000 or more islands com
prising the Philippines only about 400
are inhabited.
t Adding an ounce of eamphor to each
five gallons of gasoline he use*, an
English autbmobillat claims to effect a
fuel saving of 20 percent.
seemed to drown the music of the
beljs.
% ' 1
“It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearthstones of a continent.
And in despair I bowed my head
'There is no peace on earth,’ I said, >
'For hate is strong
And mocks the song
Of 'peace on earth, good will to men!’
Then pealed tljp bells more loud and
deep; ■
‘God is not dead, nor doth he sleep!
The wrong shall fall.
The right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men!* ”
Snow and Christmas winds seem to
be so closely mingled with Christmas
in the minds of English-speaking peo
ple that many of us are scarcely aware
that new traditions of Christmas cli
mate are being built up in parts of our
wide country. The poet Sill, with his
exquisite art, paints for us a picture of
“Christmas in California:”
“Can this be Christmas—sweet as May,
With drowsy sun and dreamy air,
The new grass pointing out the way
For flowers to follow, everywhere?
Has time grown sleepy at his post.
And let the exiled summer back,
Or Is it her regretful ghost
Or witchcraft of the almanac?
i am his creature, and his air
I abreathe, where'er my feet may stand;
The angels’ song rings everywhere,
And all the earth is Holy Land."
Besides the religion* spirit 'of Christ
mas poetry, a great deal of verse has
been written In honor of St. Nicholas,
Kris Kringle or Santa Claus, as he is
called, and the children. Perhaps one
of the best known of these poems is
“The Night Before Christmas” by Dr.
Clement C. Moore, which begins:
“ ’Twa* the night before Christmas, when
all through the house.
Not a creature was stirring, not even 4
mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney
with care.
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be
there;
The children were nestled all snug ln
their beds,
While visions of sugar plums danced in
their heads,” etc. '
Another favorite with the children
is “Christmas Day,” by Ruth Ray
mond.
“Now, chile, go hang yo’ stockln's high
Dyar by de chlmtyy place,
’Fo Santa Clause goes rldln’ by
Wld him ole jolly face.
Data alius smilin’ ’cause dey say,
He tubs de chlllun bo,
An’ brings dem gif’s each Christmas day
Across de miles of snow.
*Ts mended dem from top to toe, •
Dey’l hole de t'lngs yo’ need.
One l’lle garden rake and hoe,
De book ye longs to read.
Wld fife and drum fo’ yo’ to play;
Dat Santa Clause boun' know
De t’lngs yo’s prayed fo’ ebery day
And make yo’ happy so.
■*Hang up you’ stockin’ den an’ rest
pattern is cut in various sizes for dolls
ranging from 14 to 30 inches in length,
the proportions of your doll may be
quite different from the doll used In
cutting the original pattern. If the
clothes do not fit it is not a very diffi
cult matter to make alterations ln the
patterns.
You never need to allow any outlay
for materials for dolls’ clothes, for
there are always enough pieces in your
work box, or a friend’s work box, to
make oil sorts of dainty garments.
There are sure to be odds and ends of
lace and insertion to use on the little
underwear and pieces of ribbon with
which the dresses can be trimmed.
FOR SOLDIERS OF BELGIUM
Americans to Bring Christmas Cheer
to Every Man in Valiant
Army.
Mr. and Mrs. Ralph C. Norton, who
last year distributed 25,000 Christmas
boxes to the Belgian soldiers, with the
co-operation of the Belgian govern
ment have perfected plans for extend
ing the Christmas cheer this year to
every soldier ln the Belgian army of
120,000). The gift will consist of choco
late, toilet soap and candles, furnished
pt a total cost of $40,000. A Christmas
greeting card will be Inclosed, bearing
the following Inscription, printed ln
Inventor of a pnlley with; de
pressions In Its surface contends that
belts will not slip when It la used.
With a view to meeting eventually
the national demand for wool, the Jap
anese government wHI establish three
sheep farm* early ln the new year.
A few Japanese women, have been
put on the cars of the Mlno Electric
company because of the shortage of
men labo#***- who have entered the
activities. If these
women conductors prove satisfactory
more will be similarly employed.
THE TWIN CITY STM, MNNEMSUC, MINN.
He’ In yo’ little bed •
Jes lalk de birdies In de nest
De mammy bird hab fed.
Till Jingle, jingle in de mawn.
When all de bells will say:
“De Holy Chile ob Gawd am bawa*
An* dis am Christmas day.”
James Whitcomb Riley, In h!S
Rhymes of Childhood, says:
“After a thoughtful, almost painful
pause. .
Bub sighed, ‘l’m sorry fer old Santa
Claus..
They wux no Santy Claus, ner couldn't
be, ;
When he wus Ist a little boy like me.’ **
His “Who Santy Claus Wuz” Is well
known:
“Jes’ a little bit o' feller; I remap bet
still—
Ust to almost cry for Christmas, like a
youngster wllL
Fourth o’ July’s nothing to It! New
Year’s ain’t a smell!
Easter Sunday—circus day—Jes* all dead
In the shell!
Lawsy, though! at night, you know, to
set around and hear
The old folks work- the story off about
the sledge and deer.
An “Santy" skootln’ round the rdbf, all
wrapt in fur and fuzz.
Long aforq.
I knowed who
“Santy Claus” wux.**
In his more serious strain he says:
“They’s a kind o’ feel In the air to
When the Chris'maa times sets In,
That’s about as much of a mystery
As ever I've run ag*ln!
Fer lnstunce, now, whllse I gain Jn weight
And general health I swear
They’s a goneness somers, I can’t qtflte
state— *
A kind o’ feel ln the air.
Is it the racket the children raise?
Fy, no!—God hies ’em!—noi
ls It the eyes and cheeks ablaze
Like my own wux, long ago?
Is it the bleat o’ the whistle and. beat
O' the little toy drum and blare X
O’ the horn? No! no! It Is Jest the sweefc
The sad, sweet feel In the air.”
Paul Laurence Dunbar, ln his char
acteristic dialect, says of Christmas:
“Step wld de banjo an’ glide wld da
fiddle,
Dls aln’ no time fu’ to pottqh an’ plddla;
Fu’ Christmas is cornin’, its right on tha
way.
An’ dey’s houahs to dance fo* de break
o' de day.
What If de win' Is talkin’ an’ whistlin’?
Look at dat tiah how hits splttin* an*
bristlin’!
Heat In de ashes an’ heat in de cindah.
Ol’ Mlstah Froa’ kin look thoo de win
dah.”
To return to the real spirit of Christ
mas, as it commemorates the birth of
Christ, Margatlet E. Songster says:
“We love to think of Bethlehem,
That little mountain town,
To which on earth’s first Christmas day
Our bleraed Lord came down; '
A lowly manger for his bed.
The cattle near In stall, .
There, cradled close In Mary’s arms,
He slept, the Lord of a.U.
Now breaks the latest Christmas moral
Again the angels sing.
And far and near the children throng
Their happy hymns to bring.
All heaven is stirred! All earth is glad!
For down the shining way
The Lord who came to Bethlehem
Comes yet on Chrlßtmas day.”
Flemish on one side and French on the
other:
“Belgian soldier, our beldved friend
and brother, we, your American
friends, greet you this Christmas day,
1918. How bravely you have endured
and how courageously you have fought
during foflr years of indescribable
hardship! But be of good cheer. Your
day of deliverance is drawing near.
Listen to the angels’ song, ‘Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peach,
good will toward men.’ Jesus Christ
was born for you, dear friend, and If
today you will open to him the door of
your heart, he will enter In and im
part to you eternal life.”
Mr. and Mrs. Norton, graduate stu
dents of the Moody Bible Institute of
Chicago, have labored so successfully
ln the interest of the Belgian soldiers
since the summer of 1915 that the
queen of the Belgians has given re
peated recognition to their work, and
the Belgian army authorities allowed
them access to the front line trenches.
Over 12,000 of the Belgian soldiers
have Joined their “League of the Holy
Scriptures,” and their names are
among the most popular In the ranks.
Of the gifts distributed last year,
6,000 boxes went to Belgian soldiers in
German prison camps. A reply card
\vas Inclosed, and within a few months
the entire number of 6,000 had been
received, asking that copies of the Gos
pels be forwarded.
GATHERED FACTS
The Emergency Fleet corporation
has a girls’ chorns, all employees),
with Miss Beatrice Eaton as leader.
With walls but two Inches thick, s
concrete motion picture theater, 80 by
45 feet and 18 feet high, has been
built ln England, *
The discovery In Sweden of a loar
of bread made from pea flour la the
time of the Vikings ha* disclosed the
fqct that peas were cultivated* in» Eu
rope more than 1,000 yeup ago.
tom-EMMin'
WIRELESS BETS RID OF “STATIC” j
An Invention which has taken the
“static” out of wireless telegraphy, re- , ’ il(jHPslppPfev
moving thereby the greatest obstacle 4
to the clear transmission of radio *
messages, has been perfected by Roy W '
V A. Weaganj, chief engineer ef the Mlllf
Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company |^|||||
of America. The invention not only f£|||
makes possible the sending of dear trapl - /:
radio messages regardless of atmos
pherlc conditions, but eliminates “in-
terference,” thereby making possible tjpST I jj&g 'j
the operation of innumerable radio ■ffiiSri
stations without “crossing” messages.
The invention also does away with
the necessity of constructing huge
wireless towers. Perfect service can
be obtained with the use of antennae >, '
extending only a few feet from the
The invention is said to mark a §gfV' : '
now era in world communication and $> > lit} >
to be second In importance In the field
of radKTtelegraphy only to Marconi’s
invention. Mr. Weagant, who is only thirty-seven, has been working on the
problem -of static for 15 years and took out patent papers on his invention
shortly before the United States entered the war. The government kept the
Invention secret, disclosing It only to the allied nations. It Is thought best to
withhold all information concerning it until the actual signing of a peace
treaty. *
FRAU LEIN BAUMER’S DIARY 1
Entries from the diary of Frauleln
Gertrud Baurner of Berlin during the
|Jj»j month October are interest to
Americans. In them President Wilson
is referred to as an “arrogant school
master” and the rage of the German
|h|Ps people at being forced to accept the
terms communicated to them by this
government is freely and bitterly ex-
MSfoireP \ pressed.
wsk Five weeks later Frauleln Baumer,
V with Alice Salomon, signed the appeal
addressed to Mrs. Woodrow Wilson on
’ * behalf of the national council of worn
en of Germany In tae hope of obtain
ing a modification o? the armistice
terms. Extracts follow:
#*"sl “Tuesday, Oct. 8. —We are to ‘re
pent.’ In so far as there is need of
M* < Pliliif repentance about the mad battle of de
wVsi struction of these four years, let the
B |, W fig W whole world repent of it before the
God to whom It feels Itself responsible.
We can repent only in this great
Common sense—assuredly not before Other men as our *betters.’
“Wednesday, Oct. 9. —Wilson’s answer came out this afternoon. Doubt
less we expected if thus. Yet it hits us now like a stunning and blinding
blow. '
“Tuesday, Oct. 15.—The evening papers contain Wilson’s answer. As
one follows this schoolmaster’s arrogance one feels that this tone and these
suggestions must whip up to the last determination every instinct of pride
and self-respect in the German people. v
TALKING WITH THE BIRDMEN - |
Col. Clarence C. Culver of Wash
lngton is given chief credit by the war
department for the development of the
new wireless telephone which eitabled ■*
allied airmen to give information and Bklife.
receive instructions from the ground
while flying at considerable distances J
that worn by all telephone operators
Is worn beneath the airman’s helmet. A
movable speaking tube is constantly
pieces connect with a battery which
gets its power from the airplane ,
“It was in August, 1910, that I first
became interested in the possibility of
sending messages from airplanes,”
Colonel Culver said, “and commenced -}, *&sss
a series of experiments which were so ' M
far successful that in August, 1910, I
was enabled to send a radio telegraph
message from a plane over Chats
worth, Cal., to San Diego, a distance
of 40 miles. In February, 1917, after we had enlisted the assistance of the
foremost American telephone companies and their expert acoustical men, we
succeeded In transmitting vocal messages from a plane to the ground. Ia
October, 1917, I took the first sets |p France and made demonstrations there.
By August 200 complete sets»had been sent to our forces In France.” •
Colonel Culversays nobody Invented anything new In applying the radio
telephone to military airplanes. What was done was the adaptation and
adjustment of previously discovered laws to a new field.
[ CAPTAIN MOFFETT OF GREAT LAKES ]
Capt. William A. Moffett, com
mnndnnt at Great Lakes Naval Train
{ag station, has bees assigned to the
command of the new superdread
naught Mississippi, said to be the fln
esc battleship in the United States
navy. After the necessary six months'
FT of sea service he will be made a rear
admiral.
L ’ rW HjT | Captain Moffett came to Great
. -9B Lakes as commandant four years ago.
From a small naval training station
* yll with a maximum capacity of 2,000
J. . m men the station became the greatest
/' - naval training station In the world. On
the day that Captain Moffett goes to
sea he will leave behind him a traln
ing camp fitted to accommodate 75,-
000 men.
HIs work ln transforming into ef
fieient snilors the recruits who came
to hlrn fronl the farms un(l of
the middle West made Captain Moffett
one of the prominent American figures
In the war. 'The capacity of the station was not only increased from 2,000 to
75,000 under his administration, but he sent Into active service 9LOOO trained
fighting men of the sea.
Captain Moffett has been more than commandant He has been a guide
and friend. No bluejacket, however obscure, but has sensed the Influence ef
kindness and temperate judgment; and no family whose eon has gone Into
aeryloe hut has felt the security of dean surroundings for Its hoy.
mraovu unroot OTSounom
SMfSOKE
Lessom
(Hr REV. P. B. fitzwathr, d. 'd..
Teacher of English Bible In tha Moody
Bible Institute of Chicago.)
(Copyright, 1918, Western Newspaper
Union.) *
LESSON FOR DECEMBER 22
THE BIRTH OF JESUS.
LESSON TEXT—Luke 2:8-20.
GOLDEN TEXT—For unto* you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior
who is Christ the Lord.—Luke 2:11.
Note: Since the lesson committee
has suggested the birth .of Jesus, a
Christmas lesson, as an alternative for
this day, doubtless for most classes It
will be desirable to use the Christmas
lesson and substitute the alternative
lesson for the review on December 29.
The birth of the Saviour occurred at
a most propitious time. The need was
great, for the systems of morals and
religion were tottering upon their
foundations. It was also a time of
great opportunity, for the whole world
was under one rule, making it possible
for evangelists to go from city to city
and country to country without fear
or molestation. The place of his birth
was Bethlehem, as the prophet had
foretold some seven hundred years be
fore (Mlcah 5:2). God permitted the
emperor to enforce a decree of taxation
Just at the time to cause Mary to be
at Bethlehem when she gave birth to
the Saviour. That which the Wcjrd of
God has announced shall most, surely
come to pass, though its fulfillment
seem most unlikely and unreason
able. The surroundings of his birth
were the most bumble sort The Al
mighty Creator condescended to take
upon himself humanity—to be born in
a manger, becoming the poorest of the
poor that none might be hindered
from coming to him.
I. The Saviour's Birth Announced
(2:8-14).
1. To Whom —Shepherds (v. 8). In
the first Christmas service the audi
ence was composed of humble shep
herds. The glorious gospel message
was first sounded forth,to these hum
ble men while watching over their
flocks by night Poverty is no barrier
to the reception of the gospel message.
God does not reveal himself mainly to
the princes and great men of the earth.
“Hath not God chosen the poor of this
world, rich in faith and heirs of, the
kingdom?” (James 2:5). Neither did
their devotion to their calling exclude
them from this greatest favor of God.
Moses, Gideon, Amos and Elisha were
called by the Lord from the busy ac
tivities of life. He never calls the
idle. The Lord has no use for a lazy
man. The working man is God’s pe
culiar interest.
2. By Whom —The Angel of the Lord
(v. 9). The first gospel sermon was
delivered by the angel of the Lord.
Angels, the exalted ministers of God
are interested in men (Hebrews 1:14),
and this one announced unto men
God’s plan of salvation. These beings
no doubt sincerely sympathized with
poor, sin-cursed, fallen, men.
3. The Message—Good Tidings (v. .
10). (1) A Saviour is born. Surely
this was a gladsome message. Heath
en darkness which had so long cursed
the earth was beginning to vanish.
The casting out of Satan, the prince
of the world, was about to take place >
(John 12:31). Liberty was aboht to
be proclaimed to those ln bondage to
sin. The way of salvation was about
to be opened to all. So glorious ■was
this news that a multitude of the heav
enly host accompanied this announce
ment with their song of praise. It Is
through Jesus Christ that God’s kind
ness and good will are made known to
man. (2) Peace (v. *4). Peace with
God—peace of heart —peace with man.
How Incongruous this message with
our time! The world war was the re
sult of not receiving this blessed mes
sage. (8) Joy (v. 10). The gospel
message is a joyful message because it
frees from sin and removes all the
burdens of this world.
11. The Shepherds Make In vestige
tion (2:15, 16).
Though these things seemed pass
ing strange to them F'ey did not stop
to question .or argue; they went
straight* to Bethlehem and found
everything just as the angels had said.
They had the glorious privilege of
gazing upon the world’s Saviour—the
very Lord of glory.
111. The Shepherds Witnessing (2:-
17).
When they* saw the Lord they could
not remain silent They were im
pelled to make known abroad the good*
news. Those who have heard the good
news of salvation through Christ and
have verified it by personal investiga
tion must tell It to others. The angels
said that the good tidings of great Joy
shoald be to all people (v. 10). The
gospel of Christ is for all people re
gardless of nationality or condition.
It Is Just as really good news to the
king as 'to the peasant It fills the
hearts of all with Joy.
IV. The Bhepherds Praising God
(2:18-20).
The testimony of the shepherds bad
n varying effect—some wondered, and
others kept the sayings and pondered
them, hut the shepherds went back
glorifying and praising God for all
they had seen and heard. Those who
have believed the gospel message and
proclaimed It abroad have a peculiar
loy which must express itseht la
praises to God.
Prefer diligence before idleness,
less you esteem rust befao brightness
—Plato.