ee Wise Men 'storical Puzzle; Relics at Cologne

Bibllcally we know very little bout the Wise Men who came from e East bearing gifts to the Christ ild and, having adorned Him as the King of the Jews, returned to

Iheir own country. . It ls generally accepted that there ere three Wise Men because of the ee specifically mentioned gifts: church tradition has identified these as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar: jMelchior, king of Arabia, brought a casket of gold; Caspar, king of Tar- sus, brought myrrh; and Balthasar, king of Ethiopia, brought irankin- ense. These gifts are considered bo-

Collectively, the Wise Men received the gifts of char- ity and spiritual wealth, perfect yfaith, truth and meekness. When they returned to their own ountry, the three Kings reputedly old their possessions and went about preaching the Christ-King. egend continues, that they were martyred in India for their faith. The bodies of the Wise Men, trans- ierred to Constantinople in the fourth century—by the Empress Hel- na, mother oi Constantine-were nshrined at Milan for a while aft- r the first Crusade. Frederick Bar- arossa authorized removal of the elics to Cologne where they remain o this day deposited within the agniflcent Cathedral of Cologne.

and Poor M ingled

During English Yule _

During the 1400s and 1500s before

reigned. At Christmas time cas- es and manor houses were filled th guests by the score and the

Kinsmen and neighbors were there nd on certain days the tradesmen d tenants, for all were equal at is season. The 'ostler could dance

The great halls were s din of leniality. There was light—almost nough to pierce the wood smoke. there were the savory aromas: ousting beef, s asttng mutton, fowl d brawn (the flesh of the wild pig, hich had been caught and fed good aln to the point of arousing his pici ; too late, of course).

The dark ale flowed and added its voice-by proxy-to heighten the

cidentally, of the Scandinavians‘ agan worship of Thor. With a brand om last year's log the new one

light from these roaring arnes would shine out through por- opened to the knocks of caroling nd wassaillng bands who, more often than not, were brought into the all to eat of nutmeg cakes and brawn and mustard.

hhris-tinas Elf Concerned

' With Well-Being of Cattle

Jule-Nisse was not exactly a Dan- gsh version of Santa Claus. I-le was an elflsh little old man who lived in [the attic and was primarily eon- cerned with the well-being of the cattle, keeping them quiet and con- vtented, caring for them if the stable- hands neglected their duties.

Nisse's name and association with

hristrnas probably stems from his - egendary tenancy oi houses where beace and contentment prevailed.

‘Tis said he either avoided homes where contention ruled or played all

orts of gremlin-like tricks upon the occupants thereof.

Danish youngsters, mindful of Nisse's long memory and watchful -eye, put themselves upon their good fbehavior as Christmas approaches. ’

Legends of Holly

, Holly was much admired by the Druids who believed that its ever- fireen leaves atteltod I D IVI lwith the sun god. Legends related that the crown of thorns was plaited from the holly. [Before the crucifixion the berries ‘were white but turned crimson like drops of blood. . Another is that holly is hateful to witches and is therefore placed on doors and windows to keep out evil spirits. ' A more u legend is that lwhoever brings the Christmas holly to the house first, either husband r wife, is the one who will rule ‘ltbe ensuing year. t

lane 01d laate

a old Santa. lame old joys,

e old dolls and sleds and toys; old holly, same old tree, old gifts for cherubs wee; old carol. some old light,

i

A

within him

luadtobe,

i

an .

\

Christmas Caiol

‘i By Clzlzr/es Dickens

I

i?

or ugh the world-and witness who! it

"You will be haunted by Three Spirils. Withou! their visits, you fonnol hops to shun the path l tread. Expect the first when the bell tolls One.

Scrooge awoke and the curtains of his bed were drawn by a small, elfish creature. "

FTER dinner that night, Scrooge went home to bod. '1 disused bell that hung in the room started to swing. It was succeeded by a clonlmll "m" as if some one wiu dragging o heovy chain over the corks Ill the cellor.

ll cums th h th door, nd poised into the room. lt was Mull?! Morley’: choinmilzlogs mode of caglnboxes, keys, podlocks, lodgers, deeds and heavy purses wrought in steel.

v-Tho Ghost informed Scrooge, "i! is required of every mun that the sill"? should walk ubmod among his fcllowmen; and if ll"! WV" goeadnot orlh in lilo, it i: condemned to do no offer death. lt u doomed so won

cannot shore.

"l em the Ghost of Christmas Post," it said, ‘

The Ghost end Scrooge wont to u bore room whore a lonely boy was reading neor o eebls fire: Scrooge wept to see his poor forgotten self or he glanced oxiously towards the door. ll opened: and o lutle girflnmrzch younger than the. boy come in and, kissing him, addressed llllll as

Dear, or brother.

K ‘l coma to bring you home, dear brother!" sold the child. “Home, for good and all. Homo, for ever and ever. Father has sent mo in o coach to

bring you.‘

EASY stole upon this couch, there m! o io "l um the Ghost of Christina: Present," so

I”

Q

giant. the Spirit.

l’

"Spiril," said Scrooge, "conduct me when you will.’ Perhaps it was the Spirit's sympathy with all poor men that led him straight lo Scrooge’: clerk. On the threshold of the

door the Spirit smiled, and stopped m bless dwelling.

ln come Bob, Tiny Tim upon his shoulder.

Tim, he bore u little crutch.

Bob Crotchifs Xlos for Tiny

Master Peter, and the two ubiquitous young Crofchits, wen! to fetch the goose, with which they soon returned in high pro-

cesiion.

There never was such u goose. Bob mid h there ever was such u goose cooked.

"God bless us every one!” said Tiny Tim.

g (moi-licensees: “lmabouuonueyoar lwoosenslbvtlarlhenlalaucerd. ifedills

lo ll

. 1

l y. . HI Ylflflolhsoficeearly the ass! morning. lob t. “lflsvnotgolnglosldldlhlssorloflhlngzzylollgfl lsdlhnlsve,’

"dazbotglgloniugoodemuslcnend

e didn't believe

buggy

IIOI p’ e

Ilhend u

. , L m5! and The

Runnm urc in in the street. Do you lmow if the Poulfercfs hove sold the prise turkey?’ "It's hon g there now.” _ Scrooge od lhe turkey delivered to Bob Crutchlfs. Scrooge than wont lo church and In the afternoon he wenl lo his nephew's house. “ifs l. Your Uncle Scrooge. l have come to dinner. Will you let me in,

P Le! him in! ltlsemarcy lheydldrflahokehlsarmofllleweselhowo in five minutes. Nolhing could be hesnler.

MARLEY was dead. t ‘ Scrooge knew he woe dead. Scrooge and he wen partners. Scrooge was o tighhfisted hand at lhs grindstone, o squeezing, wrenching, grouping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Once upon o sime—on Christmas Eve-old Scrooge so: busy in his counting-hours. "A Merry Christmas, uncle. Gad sore you!” cried his nephew's cheerful voice. ‘

Plohl‘ said Scrooge, ‘Humbug!’ One day when asked to give to the poor for the festive ‘reo-

son, Scrooge replied, “l help to support the poorhousewthey cost enough; and those who are badly ofl mus! go !here."

THEY stopped o! u warehouse dour. lt was Ferzzwigfiw. A fiddler come and tuned like fifty stomach-aches. They danced and ole. Scrooge found himself by the ride of o foir young girl. g “ll matters little,‘ ihe mid, softly. “To you, very lulle. Znother idol has displaced me; and if it con cheer ond com- for! you in time to come, as I would have, I have no just cause to grieve.” “Who! idol hos displaced you?" he rejoined. “A golden one." "Spirit!" raid Scrooge, "show me no more! Conduct me home. Why do you torture me?" Scrooge hud no occasion to be fold Ihot the bell nous again upon the stroke ne. ow his bed become the very core and center o/ a blaze of ruddy light, which streamed upon i! when the clock proclaimed the hour. Living green so filled if that i! looked a perfect grove.

SCROOGE was token from Crulchils by Christmas Present to onothor and of town. ' was a great surprise lo Scrooge lo heor o familiar hearty laugh. Scrooge roco iced it o: his own newphcu: “Ho sui tho! C risfmos was o humbug, as l live!" cried Scrooge's nephew to the porly. "He believed it too.” The bell struck again. Scrooge looked ubou! his bedroom once more, and beheld o solemn P tom draped and hooded. He went with the Phantom into on obscure port o] the lawn, and into the pres- ence of o mun, just os u woman with n heavy bundle entered. She o: loined that !he blankets belonged fo Scrooge, bu! being doo he was not likely to lake cold. Scrooge shuddered o! tho revelation lhat this would be his flue in retribution /or his unkindnesses during life. s

HOLDING up hi: hands is o ion prayer u: hove hla late reversed, Scrooge sow the Phantom shrink, collapse and dwlndle down into a bedlmt.

the bedpoet was his own. was his own, lhe room was the lime before him woe his own, In make amends in!

l his own. lint and happier! b] ell, lo lhs window, ha opened i! and put out his head, culling to e

a

nacho no; s»

,. ._-_ m. ,. New Year’s.Eve' .

, ground was covered with white snow ‘ and the trees, except the pines, stood

Festive Occasion g For Native Scots

Christmas never aroused much enthusiasm in Scotland-but on New Year's eve the Wassail bowl goes around, filled with savory liquid nos-

Floating atop the Wassail bowl, apples stir memories of the "apple- howling" when boys switched the trunks of fruit trees petitioning “a good howling crop": somehow, the "lamb's wool" (as the decoction of the Wassail bowl is often called) seems reminiscent of young folks rushing to the nearest spring at the stroke of 12 to drink the “cream of the wel1"—the first one so doing, might expect good luck dining the ensuing year.

Handsel Monday-the Monday aft- er New Year's, is traditionally the "big Day" for Scotch boys and girls: and, in addition to being the Scotch day of gift-giving, it is a day of feasting and gsiety.

Small wonder, that families and friends gather on New Year’s eve to “Drink a cup of kindness yet For Auld Lang Sync."

Tell Me an Indian New Year’s Story

The ceremonial for the snow has passed, when enemies are forgiven and harsh words forgotten, as a new trail has been blazed for all through the New Year's festivities.

The story-telling grandmother has taught the ancient chants and cus- toms through the beads of the strings of historic wampum; but now she again has time to entertain the children.

Gathered around her lodge-fire, they plead for another story with their bright eyes and shrill voices. To satisfy them, she tells an ancient legend about the clouds.

"Long moons ago when the world was first made, the ab at win- tertime was cloudless much as it is on clear midsummer days. The

bare. The cold wind whistled around the bark cabins; and with a cloud- less sky, everything above and be- low looked dreary.

“The children, too, missed the green leaves and changing colors over the landscape and they gave a

talgically fragrant. , by

5Z4.

To Popularize Custom Of Christmas Carols

8t. Francis of Assisi is sees-edited‘ as having been one of the first-to popularize the custom of singing ear- ols at Christmastime. He taught the faithful simple and tuneful melodies, and the saying goes that, overjoyed the success attending his pree- ontation of the first Christmas Crib in 1229, he burst into joyous vocal recitation of the gospel story. Hymns in honor of the nativity were written as early as the 4th ‘ y, but these monotonous church chants neither properly nor musically ante-date our modern car- ols. Experimentation with modal and intervallic relationships durlllll the 15th century, together with the folk songs, and rninstrelsy of the times, made definite contributions

Christmas music. .

Puritan England forbade public performance of carols; so for a while they traveled “underground" by word of mouth, and “broard sheets," printed annually, served to preserve the texts with a variance of accuracy.

When the restoration of English royalty voided the Roundhead Par- liament's abolition of Christmas fes- tivities, residents of ‘ ' l Boston placed lighted candles in their win- dowa to welcome the Waits who, re- suming the Old English tradition, went about the city singing carols on Christmas Eve:

"lt came upon the midnight clear That glorious song of old . . . The world in solemn stillness lay

To hear the angels sing."

Yule Happiness:

wish that the sky might have clouds now and then. lt is true, dark-gray, '_ fierce-looking clouds came in great masses and covered all the sky and let down snowflakes to amuse the children. But the children also wished for bright clouds and the old bear in the sky heard their‘ wishes. “So the old bear blew his moist breath into the heavy clouds and broke them up; he even made humps in some oi them, and held on to the- corners of others, until when they passed over the village, each cloud had a different shape, some like bears, some like wild cats, ome like hills and even some like funny people. Ever afterward, the clouds took these strange shapes to bring smiles and irnagin " all children in midwinterP-D . E. A. Bates, Cornell. -

Traditional New Year's

Gifts Were Sacred

The Druids distributed branches of the sacred ‘mistletoe, cut with peculiar ceremonies, as New Year’s gifts to the people and the Saxons observed the day with gifts and fes- tivals.

The Roman custom of taking gifts to the emperor was introduced into England as early as the time of Henry Ill. Queen Elizabeth is sup- posed to have supplied herself with her jewels and wardrobe almost en- thely from these gifts.

As late as 1692 the English nobility were accustomed every year to send to the king a purse containing gold. ,

Under the Tudors and the Stuarts it was the habit of all classes to give presents to friends with the best wishes for the New Year.

Ladies received p-esents of gloves or pins which were then expensive. Sometimes the gifts were wrapped

,‘ in money and from this practice we

have the term “pin money."

President's Reception It has been the custom from the beginning of the Re ubllc for the President of the U ted States to welcome the New Year by holding s reception open to the general pub-

e.

On the first New Year's day after his inauguration President Washing- ton opened his home to receive the people. Throughout the seven years which Washington lived in Phila- delphia as the capital of the nation, he continued this custom.

A looomo"vu, railway gun and tank-ln-translt-all made of wood- delight the heart of this young man. It was just what he needed for his war games.

Hawkers Bustle in Bethleherqat Xmas

In Bethlehem, the place of the NI- tivity, Christmas is‘ also observed on January d, and in peaceful years, it has one of the most picturesque of all celebrations. Tourists do not see in Bethlehem the reverence they logically , ‘ to see. On the con- trary, the most sacred spot in the Christian world on one of the moat sacred days in the Christian year becomes a virtual fair-ground.

Sellers of miscellany cry their wares at the very door of the Church of the Nativity, built on the sight of the Manger. Hucksters of moth- er-of-pearl crosses hawk their goods among the throng of visitors. One- eyed beggars tell theirtales of woe to would-be contributors while Mos- lems persuade pilgrims to buy bright- colored and sticky sweets brought from Damascus. In the throngs are Jews, hundreds of them.

The legend is that the Moslems left this church standing when they destroyed or converted all others in the Holy Land because of the legend of the Three Kings which was worked over the main door. When these Arabs saw the Arab-looking king bringing presents to the Infant Jesus they refrained from laying sacrllegious hands on the edifice built where He was born.

Rod and Green Deooraflons:

The use of green at Christmas

time is understandable when it is re- called that the idea of decking churches, houses, shops, eto.,‘een- tors around theuso of evergreen. Th ‘ antedates the Christian era and apparently is a survival of the Roman Saturnalia when inhabi- tants of Rome orilamented their tem- ples snd dwellings with green boughs. Red, which is regarded as the most cheerful of all colors, is said to react most quickly on the optie nerve. Decorations available at the winter solstice include holly, the bea- ries of which ere red. ,

PIAIEI POI ml‘! III IIAI‘ ' - loarfiifta Dwlwl-IMIT ' Angela, sontby cheuirlnchlu, ""55"" 7"" l bring presents to Hungarian chil- 4" "',',',,g",‘,,';l,,°"'m ‘ drsn-thatis, new have been good. ,3 ,,,, M2,?“ g They mum the angels are ulna: For wager [ne'er pewwj ' ing long before Christina. If the Iflmmffl , youngstershappentodndbitsof I‘; l! Iuaubysqy. .,tinselonthetloortheLaireces-taiaol 6teene_ lhoughulwl, fiflaltlliliaangoll‘ . ' ' - Tease f" J47“!- l’ Am Apples play a in Christ- u customa- of England

tllereollns. tu-

to the traditions and popularity of '

each cottage, so that AM with: anal-anon.

‘Christmas Song

A choir of shining angels sing: - "Clo be to God on high!" '

Why couldn't I that night have‘ been A star, deep in the sky?

wun eager feet. the shepherds came: Before Him, wondering, fall.

Why couldn't I that night have been The poorest of them all?

Greet. luminous, in stable dusk, r-ru Mother's love aglow.

Why couldn't 1 that night have heard Her son. so soft and low?

With rich, rare gifts the dignified, Learned Wise‘ Men kneeling, prgy,

Why couldn't I that night have placed A small gift on the hay?

—William D. beCosteg. Charlottetown‘,

Y... Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus

Is there s Santa Claus? Millions of mum have asked that question, since visits from-Ct Nicholas began to be associated with the ohserw ance of Christmas. In 18W, one little girl wrote te the editor of the New York Sun, asking him about Santa, and the next day an editorial appeared, an editorial that. has been reprinted thousands o! this; since:

Hero ls that fsmmis editorial:

THE EDITORIAL

We take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below, u. pressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Bun:

Dear Editor-I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus.

Papa says. "If you see it in The Bun, it's so," 918888 tell me the truth. is there a Santa Claus?

VIRDmIA OfiflANll. 11$ West Ninety-fifth snug,

Virginie, your little friends are wrong. They

age. They do not, believe unless they sec. 'i‘.hey think that nothing can be which is not compro- hensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's are little. In this great. universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the hound. less world about him, as measured by the intelll. gence capable of grasping the whole truth and know ge.

es, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. f-le ex. M! I8 wrtalnly no love and generosity and do votion exist and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Ales how dreary would be the world if there were m Santa Claus! 1t would he as dreary as if Users We" 11° Vlfklhlafl. There would be no child-like 111th then. no mom. no romance to make toler- able this existence. We should have no enjoy- ment except in sense and sight. This eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be ex-

tinguistied. Not believe in Santa Claus! You

well not believe in fairies! You might get? ‘r DID! to hire men to watch in all the chimne" . Christmas Eve to cstdi Santa Claus. but evean. f they did not see Santa Claus coming down, whet would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there ls no Bantu Claus. Th; 33°55 1'94! think! in the world are those that neither chlml" t" m!" o!!! loe- 11d you ever see fairies dlflclfll on the lawn? Oi course not. But that's 11¢ FY00! the! they are not there. Nobody can con. $41291 gllthtgllim waders there are unseen and unsee- You tear apart the baby's m