1:12:11 it. 19g;

mam, owe much of their

warmth and charm to the

‘ survival of pecan WW"-

Prof. William Warren

sweet of the Divinity

, of Chiea8°

‘gqup, speaking at a noon-time

service in Bond chapel on the cam-

pus, Doctor Sweet. who ll 91°!!!‘

sor or the Eistol‘! of Ameriﬂln

Christianity. analylﬂl tho history

I the Yuletide celebration. and

asked that the small Chﬂstian ele- ment in it be kept "Pbﬂmilll-

Exchanging gifts at Christmas time is a practica taken over from the Romans, and the Christmas dinner, the holly wreaths, and even the Christmas tree customs can be traced back to the barbar- ians of northern Europe. Doctor Sweet said. America's contribu- tion to the ion has been chieﬂy m . .. .

“It was not until about the mid- dle of the Fourth century after Christ that a day was formally set aside by the church at Rome for the observance of his physical birth," Doctor Sweet pointed out ‘As it was ﬁrst Observed by the church, Christmas was purely a spiritual festivak There was no gayety: no bells announced the coming of the glad morn; there were no garlands: no tables heaped with good cheer.

"But it was not to remain long ihtnsupperairofpuredevotion. There wera too many pagan influ- ences about it, one of the moat im- portant of which wes the feast of Saturn, which begen on the 17th of December and lasted until the 34th. datum was the oldest and most benign deity of ancient Italy and his fabled reign on earth was sup- posed to have brought Peace and haPDihIes to mankind, and so the feast dedicated to him was fully of

dsntforblsdernChristmssDinner

closed, public places were docked with flowers, and presents were ex-

Ill-Brod. “Another festival whim inﬂu-

WKISTLINO 0AM]

The "Whistling Game" il 909111" with young and old alike.

The guests are divided into two mum. one mun Min: lined up aganstawallattheendofthe IIIIL At the other end. faoinl them is an equal niunber of nil-v- ers. On the signal “Co!” eloll player runs towards his "ovum!" numbqr" against the wall, and. standing in front cf him, whistler- or trig to whistle-a tune. The player against the wall must name thstune,thsﬂrsttodosocor- rectly being the winner. Any tune may be chosen. and each llilyei‘ may whistle a different one. Pew games are productive of mot‘! Im-

uvu--_-_---- --

FHE CHARLOTTETOWN

2,12,. l; -4. -

EXC USABLE FOLLY

T 1S true that men and womenatChristmaetime . do things which are foolish, especially in the giving of presents. Butwhendideom wisdmn ever make people happyfwhowantstoseea Christmas when nobody"

needless or foolish? A truly jj sane Christmas would be a I

enced the celebration of Christmas was tbs feast of tha Kalends of sinning of the Roman dvil year, and three days of merriment fol. lowed it. Mummers clad in wom- en's clothes and animal Skins pa- raded the street. Presents were Riven to dear ones. ‘Honeyed things, that in the year the romp- lent might be full of sweetness, lamps that might be full of light; copper, silver and lold that wealth migb; flow in.‘ "

Among the early colonists in America Christmas was obau-ved as a festival only by the Church of l2“ ‘ ’ ‘b ‘ and the Roman Catholics, Professor Sweet said. The Pilritans, objecting to it be- cause cf its pagan origins, banned any observance of the day, On May ll, 1659, the General Court of the Colony of Massachuse passed

_ the following law: “whosoever shall

b, found observing any such day as Christmas or the like, either by for- bearing ‘of labor, feasting, or any other way, as a festival, shall be lined nve shillings."

This statute was ' ’ twenty years later, but for mm’; than one hundred years the great “evange- lical” religious groups, the Bap- tlsis. Congregationalism and Prea- byierians officially refused to reo- ognlae Christmas. Professor Sweet reported that he has been unable to find any reference to the festi- val of the nativity in the literature of these churches up to the Civil war. Shortly after the war a relig- ious organ objected to the obser- vance of the day on the grounds that there was no evidence w ea- ths data of Christ's birth and that there was nothing in he New Testament to indicate that the birthday should be cele- brated. "Ten years later, or about i880, Christmas issues of church papers show a decided change in their attitude,” Doctor Sweet said. Christmas advertisements make their appearance, Christmas poems, and editorials. From this time on- ward the religious signiﬁcance of Christmas has been growing in all evangelical churches.

"The Christmas with which we are familiar today is a strange com- bination of imported fill!!! and christian traditions. Though I db- ugamsayititseemsthatabont all America has added to Christ- mas is its commercialisation. Ow- tslnly all of us have every humani- tarian and Christian incentive to make Christmas less Film. loll commercialism, more Christian."

t. L n

Games and Tricks

----—— ---"<—'"O'09‘fGUDQDi

You simply his an esrwn. view itoverthefiagJ-ndpushittdthe bottom, letting it come up gently sssih. The air in the encun will keep the water out, leaving the Will" quite dry.

OATClI-IDl-II-YOU-CAN

Y0“ may Qafgh your Cllllﬂl in l-hl following manner. Say. "130 7°" know why white sheep eat moi‘! than black ones?"

"Ara you sure about that?" he will ask, or make a similar remark.

"Well, you see, there are more of them," you reply-

Thsn ask, “Can you write ‘fort! fathoms under the sea’ in four words?‘

If he fails to nqd the four words, on him the secret. Sinihi! If"! the words in the following manner!

The Babe In

The-Shepherd Boy Who Served

The Manger

6 stable is draughty and

needeth mending-here and there s board is missing and the chill wind blows through the racks," was the message brought to the carpenter shop by a shep- herd, entrcating the carpenter to go with his tool box in the Inn at Bethlehem.

It was still the night-time and David, the apprentice boy, standing by the window of the carpenter mop where he had watched the brilliance of the Star of the East, wondered curiously why the need of haste in mending a broken board at the inn stable; Man- assah, the carpenter, shook his held in prOi-ﬂt. He had little de- sire to do odd lobe at night, and beside the shepherd spoke not of payment for the task of repairing the inn stable.

“The babe lies in the manger with his sweet Mother Mary watch- ing Him, trying to protect Him from the chill drafts." urged the shepherd, yet Manassah was un- moved.

David, the shepherd boy, turned from the window and hobbled, as was his wont because of the crip- Plﬂl Blliliﬁ. nearer tho shepherd that he might hear this strange 69°17. Then the shepherd, seeing ihlt his mission was in vain with disappointment shadowing his eyes, turned away from the shop. David, the apprentice boy, sensed a strange pang o1 sympathy throb- binb in his heart lor the young mother and the babe sleeping in the manger of the stable because there was no room in the Inn. By the aid of a stick he stumbled to the door and laid his hand on the shepherd's crook.

“Wilt thou trust me with the 3151mm! of the stable?" he qucs- tinned. "I will g0, with thee and carry the box of tools-Aha babe shall be kept warm in his manger bed.‘ '

The shepherd, watching the diffi- W-"Y with whim the young crip- liiﬂ walked, marvelled a; the cour- age of the lad, then answered gen- UYI "Lad, thou wilt be welcome with thy box of tools and thy car- penter's skill- Follow me."

Past the lambs, sheltered in the

u§_

stabledthalhmDavidthsca-r- water's apprentice, made his way, stumbling over a mound of hay as his crippled body worked awkward- ly toward the manger. He caught a glimpse of ‘the Babe lying in the manger and his heart, beat fest with curious excltemwnt. The chill of the wind blowing through the cracks yawning above the manger was an icy blast to the young crip- ple. He opened his tool box and be- gan his task-he Wm glad that be had learned to drive a nail with skill.

“Thou hast done well, lad; the Babe sleepeth now in comfort,‘ praised ghg man who knelt beside the manger and whom the shep- herds called Jdlepll.

His cheeks flushed with (he word of praise. David, the apprentice, turned from the menrlod roof, then with a glad cry leaped forward and with swift surs foot, strode across the floor of the rude stable. Scarce- ly understanding the miracle that had wrought a healing on h‘s crip- pled body, the apprentice fell unon his knees before the manger, his heart pouring out its gratitude to God and singing the Psalms his mother had taught him.

In the young Mothers eyes there shone a wondrous tenderness that reminded David of the light rad- iating from the Star of the East. Perchance she was thinking of that day in the future when the Babe should stand beside His father in the carpenter's shop occupied with the trade that had been hallowed for all time. David, the apprentice, saw the smile upon tho face of the Babe in the manger Jlld lie was glad that hi5 carpmzi u-‘i; irzidi" had been so blest that Hviv Nlzht in Pvibvluhrm.

"-'I$\n£'

Keeps Candles From Dripping

To keep table candles fipm drip- ping, stick a pin in the candle alongside the wick and leave it there. It keeps the wick upright, the candle bums longer and more steadily and decorations and table-

cloth are kept free from grease.

.. iiuiisiiili~iii'-.i%

to hlesphorus, who flourish- cd in the reign c! Antoninus Pills (lSl-ldl A. D.) The reason for the nnal choice of Decembe 25 cannot now be determined. As Christianity ' spread, the feast of the win- fer solstice, the time when the day begins to increase, and light to triumph over darkness, was chmged into 4 the Feast o1 Christ, the Light

Are Welcome Everywhere

u ER! come the Csrolers."

So it used to be. Young faces pressed against the window- pane, straining to hear the cheer- ful carols outside. Perhapo it was the story of the Christ child put to tune o;- a. ballad of love and cheer. When the singers were done the householder invlteg thgm in (or a bite and a sup or gave them a coin or two for their song,

Then on to the next house, to sing again under the stars or veil- ed behind sifted snow.

An then, in ihc early morning. home again to their own flresideb

It was a good old custom, this midnight minsircsly in the season of peace and goodwill. “With the beginning o: Yuletide, twelve days before Christmas day," as Percival Chubb tells us in the Standard. publ‘shed ln New York by the American Ethical Union, "small band; of nwsicians went tho rounds and. "in the mire or on the road or on the steps, played the old folk tuncs as a lyrlv-al prelude to the grant (iilV. To some of the antique ballad airs, ilk“ “Good King Wen- orslnus" says Mr. Chubb, the sing- ers would add a hymn tune or two ——"Once in David's Royal City," or “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." “Punciuatlng the bustle of domes- tic preparation for the coming feast, these ministraiions in the still night gave a breath of poetry that touched the spirit of Christ- mas with an endearing beauty. Day by day the tide of joyous anticipa-

tion rose until the crescendo broke

For a Joyful

illljriﬁtmaﬁ

GOD BLESS US EVERY ONE

"In Plllyifig and praising, in giving and receiving,

1h Ewing and drinking, in singing and making mfirfy’

l" Pivcnis gladness and in child. tom's mirth

In dear mumories of those who have departed,

In good comrzideship with Lhugg who are here,

In kind wishes for those who are far away,

In Divlcnt waiting, sweet roman‘ ﬂlclii. goneruus chi":

Coil olwss us mcry one. blowing of Jcsu: '

\\ 11h the

useful for Jam and pickles! Because they arg family jug, d

What letter of the alphabet iiku to be burnt?

The letter D, because when you se; light to it, it becomes D-lightedl

Ilow can you stop a. chimney from smoking? Put the fire out.

Why is a slap on the imvk like a bovzler hat’! Because it is felt.

Patches over patches ivithout any stitches. What is this? Cabbage patches

What Ls the beginning of every end and the mid of every place?

The leiicr E

What has the hardest life-Jen 0r coffee?

Tea, for while coﬂee is showed to scWP v1 is romprllcd to drew

ias/

“A Merry Christmas,” as Other Nations Say It

HIS is how the nations of the world express the wisl§“A Merry Cilllsimtls"; France, Bon Noel; Cliinu, Tin Hm Nisn; Portugal. Boas Festas: Japan, K1118! Shin- nen; Turkey, Ichok Yilars; Him- gsry, Boldog Karacsonyi Unhi- pclm; Greece, Chrystovjens; Croe- tia, Sniull Bozic: Holland, Eon Vrrwipil; Kcrstmm; Spain, Felice: ' Germany, Frochliche ivviiizzioiiaii: Suoden. Glad Julep; I'd bin-v Naialr; Rumania, (‘"14" m": lvliciiutiiuie; Bohemia, Wwh: Vunocc; Poland. Wesolyah Sn" ',_I)~"fllll.’if‘k, Glaedclig Jul. t i ,-_-______ - ---g. znto a foriv of exuberance."

Those silllplé days of the folk are gone, says Mr. Chubb; the glory is departed.

But the custom of making the rounds on Christmas eve to sing carols of pence and good will cm

earth still prcvailshere and there.

-Lltorary Digest.

If I'd been sure that that was the reason for his silence, I'd have

the tea table at my IW- "WW4" people,” he had mused. b81019 Annette entered, “diffuse a charm as real and as hard to deﬁne as the perfumeofarose.” mun-wetl- cal conversation for the practical Dan; there was somethina on his mind I hurried Annettq into the kitchen for more cake before hi! mood should vanish, but-

The door-bell rang. It was too oo.d to keep anyone waiting; I answered it myself. A prim and tiny old lady stood there.

“I'm making a little extra for o... " she i ob“!- ily. “Would you like to look at aprons?"

“Just what I’m in need of.” I said “Coma in.‘ -

TakingherbamIledbctootho sitting room, and Dan placed a chair for her before the fire.

“Good-day and thank you," she greeted Dan. "l-Iow pleasant here by the drei"

Annette came in with the cake. "Another teacup," I whispered. Her face registered, “You certainly are eccentric," but I ignored this. In warranted self-respect my little visitor had come to the front door and I saw no reason why she should not have tea. With bird-like movements, glancing now at me. now at Dan, she untied the satin strings of her neat but Prehistoric bonnet.

“Oh, f-laviland,” she exclaimed apprcciatively, handling her cup daintily. Now I was sure that she had seen better days.

“You have courage to be out t0- day, little mother," said Dan

"That's what my daughter thinks," twinkled the old dear. “She says at eighty-two one should be through wanting to run around- Its not so much the money!’ Si"! fibbed proudly “but 1 like to art out and sec life and people. One is always running into such lovely ex- periencu like you-and tes. One can just see that you two are made for each other."

"Alas!" confessed Dan, frankly milling, “I have not the honor to be the indie husband."

“Iss1. us look at aprons," I sug- grstcd, and the naughty tome-noel gpresd them out,

fingered tho change in his

pocket. "I'll t ke two of those wnite one for nu wife," he announced.

The words were simple, hut they fell upon my ear 11c a death sen- tenor. “You never told me," I gasp- ed rqvronchlully, as our guest turvrd to fold her supplies and arrange her bag.

“Well. I must go now." she said, "I’m [Laying too long. Pva got to empty this bag before nightfall.

The door closed behind the un- quenchable optimht.

"Isrrtshe a wonder!" we exclaim- ed simultaneously, at which we locked little fingers and pressed thumbs. iaughingly, while we wish- ed

ldrewmyhandawapaasoon as was decent. No more familiar- itim now. "Think." said I. “from Ksviland to paddling. and still the world is wondsrfd. It mahss one ashamed to have b1 klmtmt- ed." ' ‘

,. . .»..»,.;-;_' a .‘ J

.___.;.. _‘_.. . ............~+-.