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^ CHRiSTIW Bv latia * 0. Christmas bells, nng out the story old? C Gay bells, joy bells?the sweetest ever told. ImmanueJ the King has come? Tl 0. chiming bells, be ye not dumb. |l-; 'Tls peace on earth, good wiH to men. Ml T.ll :i A/tua ttmt XdAin II w % CJOIII, W.v jv. 0, Christmaj beH?. ^ 0 ffiRMIA X: Its Origin, Its Spirit ,***** * * ? * * ? * * * ?IO(eK)(0<OK^HRISTMAS is such a thoroughly established instituS I* * tion, so integral a part of 5 our yearly program that I really don't think the pos tolilty of dispensing with it ever occurred to me until A.. H. J.'s little poem, "The False Calendar," came to band, and I "Fell to thinking how 'twould be If such a thing were true," and Christmas were wiped off the calendar. Surely, winter would seem a ^ ?*ha! l'ancnn TPithftnt' tho nil IlVUg, WiUf VLUU1 ocuovu ?v Aiuvuv vmv M ? niversary that opens our hearts, our tkomes and our purses, and possesses us with the spirit of loving and giving, 1 and kindly thought of others. Our Christmas season is a curious commingling of Christian and pagan Ceremonials. When Christianity was making slow headway against polytheism, ytte early fathers of the church found it erpedieut to engraft upon the new faith some of the customs and practices of die old. Thus, long before the Christian era "the babe in the manger" was a symbol of the birth of the new year, and was part of the Saturnalia, or festival of Saturn, the maddest and niost riotiously merry of pagan feasts. The decorations of our houses with evergreens and mistletoes fcoraes from the rites of the ancient Druids, who yearly cut the milky-berr|ed parasite from the trees with silver knives aud much ceremonial. The Druids were not pagans, as the Romans were; they believed in God, in a future life, in rewards and punishments for good and evil doing, but their faith was crude and cruel. ;- The giving of gifts, the feastings, and the benefactions to the poor which characterize the great Christian holiday were features of the midwinter jig*; test*. va4-Qf the pagans, and were graftIKfe? ed upon the new religion to make the transition from the one to the other more easy. Later Christmas revels, 11^ the wassailt the "waits," traces of Bfe which still survive iu England, can **** - *? - ? -?- A- i.1. - V..1. 1 foe ionowea uacK 10 me xuie of the ancients, Ynle being the name of the winter month in which the days begin to lengthen. Yule was derived from Hule, a wheel, the ancient symbol of the sun. Great logs were drawn to the cavernous fireplaces of those days with great ceremony and merriment, and were lighted as symbolicol of the return of the sun in the winter solstice, and in honor of the lengthening days. The early Christians did not specially celebrate the nativity, but regarded as more sacred the anniversary of Christ's baptism, as the date on which His ministry began. The institution or the festival of Christmas is attributed to the Emperor Commodus, and it was not until A. D. 3S0 that Eastern rcggfe; churches generally adopted it. fe v "Christ's Mass"?from which "Christie mas" is derived, was in earlier times 1|0 celebrated at the New Year (January 6) by Eastern Christians. Julius I., Bishop of Rome, fixed the date we now . : celebrate as Christmas. Christmas is not, therefore, the ex2 act anniversary of the nativity, that p fringing in tl)f Cl)ristiBfls (Errr ' . "fewv X- ! < . : :.. + . -1 ' > ; : v.. %&: : * : :<X . , | : ' ~ . .: .v.: ; rc:::.! -;-'J It ' \S BELLS I. C hnstnus bells, ring out the Savior s brriJ*? Sweet bells, glad bells, this day to all the earth* hit all to Hsm. their glorious King 0. silver bells, may incense bring ho welcome Him, with Him shall reign. Tell it again and yet again. . Christmas hells. date being unknown. It is a day set apart to celebrate the event, much as we set apart Thanksgiving as a day of gratitude and giving thanks for the bountiful gifts of the earth. AH Christian nations observe Christmas. It is a well-nigh universal holiday. Some of us keep it in spirit; there are few who do not keep it in the letter. The mvsteries beein weeks prior to its coming; we plan the Christmas surprises, practice self-denial to swell our Christmas fund, or give our time to the making of gifts, that we may fitly celebrate its annual return. There is something about the season that inclines-the heart to generosity. We want to make others-happy. We begin prudently?set a limit to our expenditures and declare "thus far and not a dollar over." But "the loving and giving" spirit grows apace. We are tempted; there are so many lovely things in the stores, so many expedients to wile the cash from our purses. Just as long as we keep our motives pure and high, and don't let them de the ma: Ka| scend to the level of a ''bargain counter Christmas," our joy in Christinas Is real. But when we make gifts hecause others have given to us; when we measure values; when we let ourselves feel a little envious because others have received more richly or more abundantly than we, we very soon find out that we have lowered the high meaning of the day and drifted far from its spirit. A merry Christmas by no means requires expensive gifts. A tree pretti ly dressed with strings of popcorn and cranberries and hung with apples and oranges delights child eyes as much as if its adornments were more costly. .Little things please if chosen with thought of the desires of the recipient. Have a good dinner, and invite some who would otherwise eat a scanty or a lonely one to dine with you. Don't have a selfish Christmas, but let your Christmas giving and your Christinas cheer radiate from your home to bless the poor, the lonely, the unfortunate. Make up your mind to do something toward making some outsider have a merry Christmas, and the act will prove a benison upon your own. Last year a kind-hearted woman in- j vited to her Christmas table a man J who called to see- her?husband ?? Christmas morning..^* He. was .poor shabby, lonely; he. had been down.iu the depths of despair; lie had "eater husks .with swine," and,was trying tc work his,Avay back, to respectability He ate^as only a half famished mar can eat at a.home table, and when lit went away;, warmed and fed, and, better yet, cheered by the kindly welcome and encouraged by being greeted as a friend and an equal, tears ran down bis cheeks as he thanked his entertainers. Did not that woman's act breathe more of the true spirit of Christmas than the entertaining of well-to-do friends, or the bestowing of rich gifts upon those who already have more than they need? BEATRIX. His Wants. I want two drums When Christmas comes; (But I don't want slates fer dcin' sums)! An' a wagon load of sugar-plums! An' a big football, an' a top that hums, (But never a slate fer doin sums)! Oh, I just want lots when Christmas comes! Os a CtoltS DONNA WITH THE phael (Italian: Bora 1483; Died 15! New Version. A long green Christmas makes a fat pocketbook. ONLY TWO REALITIES. Billy?''So yer didn't git liuthin' but a jacknife and a sled fer Christmas?" Tommy?"Yes. Dat's all I got worth speaking of. Dere wuz a suit uv clothes, and a overcoat, and a liat or two, and some underclothes, and a Bible, and a book uv poems, and some stockiu's, and gloves, and collars and cuffs, and a few other trifles like dat not worth speaking of."?Puck. * * ' ' . -? : >. /.i* y?!' ' [ r::;: chri/tmoj /fider. | ? | ^ ^ Santa Clafcs?"I- guess I'd bettfef ] wind up this toy spider, so as to show the kid how it works." f . #1 The Kid?"Papa?pa! here is a big spider in my room." ! Papa?"Weil, I'll do liiml" i DIADEM. 20k 1 The Merry Days. Hang the holly berries? Let the red flames glow; Cheeks as red as cherries Was born on Christmas Day. 'Neath the m'stietoe! ( Outside voices on the air: ''Christmas comes but once a year!" 5 , Steeple bells a-ringing Over merry throngs, 1 And the fiddle singing All the old-time songs! And outside voices on the air: 1 "Christmas comes but once a year!" | Goodnight Sonjf. Sleep, my little curl-head, sleep! , Ilere beside your nest I keep. Mother's hung your Christmas stocking, ' Mother's liana your cradle's rocking? Sleep, my little curl-head, sleep! Sleep, my little curl-head, sleep! Soft the Christmas shadows creep; Snowflakes white are flocking?flocking Santa Claus will find your stocking? 1 Sleep, my little curl-head, sleep! c V ?' ^ ' ' *< ' r-.\ <>' '- ' > :-/\v - SUCCEEDS MARK HANNA. August Belmont is Elected as Prts ident of National Civic Federation at Annual Meeting. - * *. ? At New York, Thursday night, August Belmont was elected president of the National Civic Federation to sue a. x ; ceed the late Senator Marcus A. Kan ? a nnk* /vl i r*r? fAAl? O t fllO ua. ? uc c^ici/uuu ?* . jr~ r dinner of the national civic federation, which was held at the Park Avenue HoteL Samuel Gompers presided, and the speakers were: Archbishop Ireland, August Belmont and John Mitchell. A paper by Andrew Carnegie, who was unable to be present, was read. In it Mr. Carhegie advised employers not to hire new men during a strike, but \ to wait for the old ones to come back. Mr. Easley ,in his report,, said the movements for tho organization of the civic federation are making good progress in England, France, Germany and Canada. He believed their success might logically lead to the creation of an international body to improve the condition of wage-earners and their relations with employers and to forward economic education throughout the world. , . "Never before," the report ' says, "have there been so many evidences of the growth of a spirit of broad con- . servatism on the part of large employ- . ers and on the part of organized labor. Its significant and encouraging outlook , la volpnmoi^ ovorwhftro rlfffor on the details of the work, however." Alluding to the section of appren- ; tices and efforts to regulate competi-. , tion, Mr. Easley said: "The eternal presence of these ques- j tions so vital to all society and to the ! progress of civilization, invites the ' most searching and devoted study. If . they are insoluble and irreducible there may be found adjustments that wbuld prove effective so far as they accord with principles. It is for the . attainment of these purposes that the ^ department of the industrial economies has been organized." The newly organized welfare depart- ; ment which deals with the physical comfort, recreation and education of the employees has received enthusias- , tic support from many employers, ac- ' cording to the report of Chairman H. ' H. Vreeland, who followed Mr. Easley. Mr. Vreeland said the work was practical as well as altruistic. A growing appreciation of the trade agreement on the part of both organized employers and wage earners as a practical method of securing and maintaining Industrial peace, was re- ' ported by Francis L. Robbins, chair- : man of the department of trade agree- ; ments already existing in great national industries, and an extension of . their local application. As an evidence of what can be done by this department. Mr. Robbins pointed to the re newal by the organized bituminous mine workers in the four states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and 1111- . nois, of their agreement with the op- , erators' association to which he referred to as the most important Indus- [ trial event'of the year. * FATAL ACCIDENT ON WARSHIP, j Three Men Scalded to Death In Boiler j Room of the Massachusetts. Caught in a trap and helpless to save themselves, three men lost their , lives and four others, including Lieutenant William C. Cole, were terribly scaled Thursday, by a rush of steam j i. i. J_ is _m i uuu uuuiug waier 111 uie lire room or the battle ship Massachusetts, lying j at the League Island navy yard in , Philadelphia. The accident was caused by the giving away of a gasket or rubber wash- ( er on a boiler on the starboard side ^ of the ship. , | The Massachusetts has been at the ^ navy yard for some time undergoing extensive repairs, particularly to the 1 boilers and machinery. Death Strikes Down Gen. Whiteside. , Brigadier General Samuel M.> , Whiteside, retired, who had com and- ( sd at Santiago during the Spanish ( war, died suddenly in Washington j Thursday. WANTS LAWSON INDICTED. Instigator of ftecent Copper Break 1 May Answer in Courts. An application for the indictment jf Thomas W. Lawson and for the jhowing of the books of the Amalgamated Copper Company was made at the district attorney's office in New fork Friday, by Harry Wellington SVack. Mr. Wack asks that a demand Pe made on the Amalgamated Company for its books to ascertain just 1 . .. ... .. i svnat its stocK is worth and if Lawson's declaration proves false he 1 be indicted. STRIKERS VOTE TO ARBITRATE. Trouble at Fall River Seems in Fair ' Way to be Settled. I The textile council at Fall River, j Mass., voted Sunday to submit a prep- 1 osition for arbitration for the settle- < ment of the strike in the cotton mills < to the individual unions, and in case c Df their approval by a vote on Tues- j lay to ask the civic federation to i choose a board of arbitration. 1 ' ' 'VCARNIVAL OF BLOOD i Marks Desperate Onslaught I of Japs at Port Arthur. I CORPSES ARE IN HEAPS ?1 Mikado's Troops Take Another HIM ' J After Most Cesperate and Per- ^ m sistent Fighting'?Tragedy 1 Unsurpassed in History. >' ' ^ m?j& Confirmation has been received- In '-Mi Tokio of the. report that the Japanese ji army besieging Port Arthur has #! stormed and captured 'North Fort, on . ; h East Kekwan, after exploding a mine ,g| under the fortifications. An Associated Press account says: The Japanese fired an immense mine v under portions of the north fort of * Kekwan mountain at 2 o'clock yesterday (Sunday) afternoon. The infan- ' try immediately afterward .charged n and occupied the fort with a heavy force. It is reported that the Japanese : - '-j have seized a strong position about a - : ^ thousand yar^s southeast of 203-Meter hill, preparatory to assaulting the new town and pushing, between Uaoti mountain and. the Russian headquarters at Port Arthur. p The fighting against Sungsho mountain continues. . A junk, which arrived at Tien Tain Monday from Port Arthur, reports that four Japanese torpedo boats were sunk during the attacks on the Russian battleship Sevastopol. The Japanese, the Chinese added, are spread- 7/jg' Ing false reports of their success in order to facilitate the negotiations of fresh loans abroad. Struggle Without Parallel. * .News brought to Che Poo by Russians who have recently escaped front Port Arthur and by Japanese camp followers indicates that the straggle t going on before the czar's stronghold Is without a parallel in the annals, of war for ferocity and for sustained desperation on both sides. ^ The most graphic story of the fear- ^ ful losses sustained, by the Japanese*':'M and of thejr desperate courage In the face of withering fire is told by Commander Mizzenoeff, executive otdcer % of the battle ship Poltava, up to the time the vessel was disarmed, and' who. as already told, headed the partir of seven Russians, who left Port Ar-thnr in a sailboat-December 15. and f after extreme suffering while crossing tw o /fulrfvicr en/vtwofAHiw owtrofl In HVa IU a UHIU15 guvnowtiu oinrcu |XL vw Poo (December 16, bearing die patches which were turned over to the Rob- ~ slan consul for transmission to St.- . . # Petersburg. Commander Mlszenoeff, who was slightly wounded daring the battle of High Hill, said In part: "Since the Japanese began thefcr atl jk on High hill, which they call 203* Meter hill, the fighting has been con- f tlnuous. The steep and sandy slopes of the hill were streaked and dotted with snow when the1 Japanese, began' the battle, which was destined to fardish so many deeds of heroism that they became commonplace. There was * so much slaughter that even Port Ar- ; thur's war:hardened veterans shudder- ^ ed at the sight. "Japanese were compelled to clabber up the slopes of the hill In many cases without firing. In the face of on?. . - ^ ef the most murderous deluges ever poured from rifles and machine guns. [ was tb9re, and it seemed to me that flesh and blood would be unable to 3tand our fire feu. 5, minute. . . - S "The enemy'went down in .squads ind companies, hut-always therp were J ethers grimly coming forward. Their } bravery was bevoird nraise. as was that of our own men. Som&tftnes the Sghting was hand-to-hand with the >j muzzles of the rifles at the breasts of ,j&. the contestants, the bayonets being P ased as swords. . / 'The sides of the hill were strewti with bodies and the snow was crim- ' -.i soned with the blood of the wounded, T ^ jome of whom had crawled Into it, 3eeklng in its coldness surcease for r their dying agonies." f . south safe yet awh4le. i "v.*: Senator Foraker Says no B1U Will Pass Reducing Representation. United Stat?3 Senator Foraker, i f v who arrived in Cincinnati from Wash* f ngton Monday, in an interview, sali \ i ie did not believe the present con- ^ jress would pass any bill reducing the*. -;' representation, in congress of any jf' states. He said. "In the nature of things, such a bill irill provoke extended and elaborate lebate, and under the circumstances ^ ;here will not be time enough to deak jT vith the subject properly. _ .' \ wJ&iak v_s, HOLOCAUST IN MINNEAPOLIS. & ralling Walls Case FT re and Dozen People Are Thought to Be Dead. At Minneapolis, Monday, by the fallng of the east wall of the O. H. Peck building, destroyed by fire several days ago, twelve people,occupants )f the Crocker hotel, are thought to bo lead and the hotel burned to the v ground, the gre ht-ving been started, t is thought, from gas in tie build? H . -sM