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About The Dillon Tribune (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941 | View This Issue
The Dillon Tribune (Dillon, Mont.), 19 Dec. 1924, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn85053040/1924-12-19/ed-1/seq-18/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
18 THE DILLON TRIBUNE, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19,1924. have become entangled In the meshes of a system of barter by which bot|i parties are common- ly-ToserSj they say, and these an nual riots of competitive extrav agance result In tremendous eco nomic waste. It Is no uncom mon thing for the authors of the overdone Christmas to spend so freely upon every Tom, Dick and Harriet of their acquain tance that it Is the middle of March before the last of their holiday hills is paid. Those who have tried tjie Pay- as-You-Go Christmas declare tUhat CbtIO is ttliT PWPppp And 1i)o angel said unto them, \Fear not; for be hold 1 bring you good tidings of great Joy, wlileh ^hall be to all people. \For unto you is born this day In the city of David, a Savior, which Is Christ the Lord.\ This, this Is Christ the King, Whom shepherds guard and angels sing; Haste, haste to bring him laud, The Babe, the Son of Mary 1 By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN IIL’S the announcement on the first Christmas day—an announcement that changed the calendar of the world and started anew the making of history. To day all the world knows the message and many of its peoples celebrate the day, 'with Its “good tidings of great joy.” While the day Is primarily one of religious significance, it has come in America to lie a holiday of manifold activities. It Is the children’s day. It Is the family day. It Is the day of giving. It Is the day of “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” It Is the day of good will, of jollity, of feasting. As the old saw 1ms It: At Christmas play and make good cheer, For Christmas comes but once a year. The one new tiling about our celebration of Christinas these days is a revival of the singing of Christmas carols—or rather the beginning of it in this country. It has been a feature of the Eng lish celebration of the day from time Immemorial. Now we Americans are taking It up In earnest. The carol, “What Child Is Tills?\ outlines in Its simple verses the whole story of the Christ, begin ning with the humble birth and concluding with the tragedy of the crucifixion. The harmony has no uiusicul Intricacies and Is especially well suited to singing In the home. Who has not loved a little child, he knows not Christmas day— The wondered, breathless waking through flr- sweet morning gray, White tropic forests on’ the pane against the dawn-streaked skies, f The awe of faith unhesitant in lifted childish eyes; The spluttered, spicy, teasing joy of kitchen- fragrance sweet, The sting of frost upon his face, the snow-creak 'neath his feet; The swish of runners, song of bells, the laughing- echoed call From drifted hilltops, sparkling white; the blue sky folding all; The holly-berried table top, the feasting and the fun, With Christmas ribbons strewing all until the day Is done; The hush of candle-lighting time, the hearth-flame flickered red. The warm soft clasp of clinging hands up shad owed stairs to bed; The crib-side talk that slacks and stills on stumbled drowsy note, The love that stings behind your eyes, and catches In your throat; The hope, the fears, the tenderness, the Mary- prayer you pray— Who has not loved a little child, he knows not Christmas day. So sings Martha \Haskell Clark In Scribner’s Magazine.\ And she Is right, of course, since Christmas Is In many respects pre-eminently a children’s festival- and is certainly their Day of Days. That’s why Clement Clarke Moore’s poem —written for the entertainment of his own chil dren and made public by accident—is sure of Im mortality. It has probably done more than any thing to keep the Christmas tradition of Santa Claus safe for American children. ” ’Twas the Night Before Christinas” w ill be repeated until this earth [rows cold and the end of things is come. Yet Christmas (lay has Its dangers for the chil dren and Dr. Frank J. Monaghan, health commis sioner of New York, gives out these timely \Don'ls\ for parents: Don't allow children to lio only partly dressed and In cold rooms on Christmas morning. Many colds can bo avoided by heeding tills warning. Don't rob tho children of their proper amount of sleep during tho holiday week. Don't overdress them with their new sweaters or furs just because It Is Christmas. Don't overtax tin Ir stomachs with too many goodies, and ospocbilly with food they tiro not used to and that Is too rich. Don't fall to bo sensible during the holidays, thus saving the children much discomfort of body and considerable mental distress to the mothers. That Christmas, aside from its religious signifi cance moans much to the American people, Is shown by the unolllclal estimate that they will spend considerably more than $5,(XXt,(H)0,(XX) in gills this year. This was the figure put on the expenditures of 11)23. The increase in 1D23 over FJ22, as shown by the December business of the I’ost Office department, was 10 per cent in amount of first-class mall handled, and an Increase of 18 per cent In parcel post. The Increases ranged from 5 to 0 per cent In 07 widely scattered cities. Some of the increases reported were: Dallas, Texas, 00 per cent In first class and 27.5 per cent In parcel post mail; Kansas City, 5 and 10 per cent; Louisville, 10 and 18.5 iter cent; Chicago, 8.3 and 5.7 per cent; Milwaukee, 12 and 18 per cent; St. Louis, 8 and 18 per cent. Yes, the postman is a busy man nt tho Christ mas seitson. Ills pack is big and heavy. Hut he should feel repaid, in a way, for ids extra work, for he carries much Joy into many a household and lie is one man who knows to a certainty that the American people arc prosperous. It was a mom- her of the Letter Carriers’ union who made this statement last year; There Is no group of workers In the world bet ter qualified to give nctunl testimony as to the standards of living among tho workers of the United States than the letter carriers. The city letter carriers enter every homo. YVo are In lnti- nmto contact with every phase of the daily life of our people. And through our experience I can bring to you the absolute testimony that the work ers of tho United States, In tho three groat essen-’ tlals of life which aro food and clothing and shel ter, are far hotter oft now than ever before. Out of this situation has' grown the Spugs—So-1 clety for the Prevention of Useless Giving—and many somewhat similar organizations. They speak strongly. against the “Degradation of Christinas.\ Charlotte Perkins Gilman,?»for example, said In the Century Magazine that the descent from Jesus to Santa Claus was one of the saddest Jn the his tory of mythology and that the cause of our gross observance of the sacred day Is our substitution for the gracious and loving Teacher, the lover of all humanity, of tills chimney-climbing distribu tor of presents, Santa*Clnus. In no other re ligion, she tells us, has there been so lovely a , vision ns that presented by Christianity In Its be ginnings—“divine love coming on earth as a baby, a little child, that child growing up to tench of human unity, of God in man, of worship in love nnd.service. It Is more than fitting that such a birthday should come to be ‘the children’s festi val.’\ But pre-Christian origins of the annual celebration have come to dominate It. Santa Claus has replaced the memory of Christ. The prevalent Idea of celebrating Christmas In our country, we are told, “is roast turkey and a Christmas tree, a banquet and the giving and re ceiving of presents.\ The “Pa.v-as-You-Go Christmas” movement Is now under full headway. Its advocates hold thnt old-fashioned Christmas giving, the original pur pose of which was to impress upon children the significance of the day, has degenerated Into pro miscuous Christmas trading. Unconsciously we b y ¿ /tv ffe r trQ Q 'J Lr ¿4 t< /ta r * v o o < { that they will never again have any other kind. Their system Is to pay ensli for every gift that they buy. As ¡1 result they make fewer purchases; hut they have no hills. The substitution of the Pay- as-Y’ou-Go Christmas works hardship to no one. It means wiser and more liberal expenditure within the Immediate home circle and greater generosity toward the really needy and unfortunate. The merchant will not suffer by it, for his customers will buy more in January and February. Christmas day lias its humorous side of course and Hie wits are always taking their flings nt the side-lights It throws on human nature. For ex ample, George F. Plialr, In the Chicago Herald and Examiner, very aptly sings: 'Tts tlii! day after Christmas and all through tho loop Tb ' womenfolk hurry and scurry nnd swoop. They come by the dozens, they come by the scores, And boldly they bump their way Into the stores. And they batter the line llko the famous \Fled\ Grange And each has an armful of gifts to exchango. And \Kiq who conducts a \colyum\ in the Chicago livening Post, hits off the day pretty suc- eessftilly with this (with a bow to Carl Sand burg) : This is our prickly green wreath of holly tied with a how of scarlet rihhon. This Is our sprig of green mlstletoo with the white berries and their lovo message. This Is our full-page advertisement In all the Sun day papers in old English typo hoping for a continuance of your trade thru the next as thru the last year that is dying with Its hoots on. This is our water-color Xmas card with engraved sentiments to your wife and you from my wife and me. This Is our dawn.-shlverlng ring nt your front-door bell as tho boy bands you your newspaper and you blink in pajamas and slippers and slip him a dollar. This Is our office building elsviitor with Its fes toons of frizzy green nnd red crepe, paper and a box with a coin-wide sill in It. This Is our same to you and many of them of the package-laden commuter friend on tho Christ mas eve train to the snow-covered suburbs. This Is nil these, and then some. This Is the glad laughter of the tously-halred lit tle boy playing with his electric train of cars on the morning of the Christ child, and you are the glad boy's father and mother and sis ter and brother and friend who gave him the electric train of cars. And he runs up and kisses you, and wishes you A Merry Christmas. In comparison with tho religious and economic significance of Chrlstinastide .the Christmas din- her may seem to many a materialistic affair, un worthy of more than casual mention. But Is It? It is not. Long before Christmas day our mouths are watering from its eats. Humans and human nature are built thnt way. Nature—which is to say, Providence—has given us many material joys and not the least among them is the delight of satisfying.a healthy appetite with appetizing food skillfully cooked. And the Christinas turkey— oh, what's the use’ And In a very true sense the Christmas feast Is the crowning touch of Christmas day; For Christmas day Is the family celebration of3the year. And the family, nt its best—and It Is sure ly nt its best at Christmas—is the outward and visible sign of the Inward and spiritual graces of kindness, charity, gentleness, forgiveness, tol eration,. good will, unselfishness, the desire to give joy to others—In short nil the qualities which are best in human nature and on which rest the hopes of mankind for the future. ¿/ h <.j& r w v o c f Grandma’s Christmas By Frank Herbert Sweet t i / ’,-rw >\V (<£)• 1 24. Western Newspaper Union.) D O N’T k n o w,” s i g h e d g e n 11Q Grandma Burke. “I thought I was doin’ right to sell the farm an’ bring tho children to town for seiiool an’ so c i a l advantage'.,; but with picture shows an’ dancin'— I don’t know.\ Site cleaned her wrinkled and capa ble hands from tho dough and turned to see that the fire and kettle of melt ed lard were just rigid. They were. Then with deft, experienced fingers she began to drop twisted hits of dough into the hot lard, which in a few min utes changed them to crisp doughnuts. “Such appetites,\ she noddl'd to her self happily. “Sue tin’ Kate an’ May are always just ns hungry ns Tom an’ Win, or even big Ram who’s grown up an’ steadied down to regular work. Five will rush In from School, an’ Sam later, an’ all will grab up doughnuts. An’ how they will eat I” She giggled reminiscently. “I do wish daughter Nell could have lived to see ’em grow up so, even May fourteen, nn’ her twin Win almost as big’s ills brother. Nell would have done better by ’em, of course, but Pvo done my best.\ The outer door wns Hung open nnd a rush of many feet crowded into the hall. Grandma looked up expectantly. But the feet stopped nt the parlor door, and a subdued hubbub of voicecs arose. Grandma sighed again, nnd bent lower over her work. “Them flutter- budgets, Itose an’ Jenny, from across the way, an’ Tom’s chum, Andy Smith. Plnnnln’ another dance, likely. I won der If any one of ’em remembers to morrow’s Christmas? I do wish the flutter—” Grandma cut off what she wished by closing her lips tightly. But only for a minute, then Tier thoughts went on In a different key. “I won’t be a crosspatch the day before Christ mas,” the moving Bps emphasized tho change of thought. “They’re just bubblin’, healthy children, an’ Sam’s already quieted down from a lively boy, an’ the others will In time, an’ Bose an’ Jenny an’ Andy are flutter- ers just because they can’t hold In. “I Won’t Be a Crosspatch the Day Be fore Christmas.\ The hall door opened softly, and a fuzzy bead and snapping eyes ap peared. It was Rose Cady. “What does my nose smell?\ she questioned, sniffing. “It tells me I’m hungry. May I come In?” “Of course, dear.” Rose shot In, one hand outstretched. “May I?\ she begged. “All you can carry,” beamed Grand ma. “They’re just right to eat now; while -hot. I wonder why the chil dren— The key turned, and a few moments later the sound of strained and heavy steps passed through the front door way and Into the parlor. “Gettln’ ready for a dance, an’ that’s the Smith mnatc box they’re bringtn’ in. Likely thty’re up-to « lot o’ deco* ratin’, an’ ain’t give n thought to Christinas cornin’. I wish—no, they’re just high-spirited young folks mukln’ ready for a good time. That’s all.’’ But in spite of herself there was a shadow on Grandma’s face tho rest of the day. She had hoped for a big surprise Christmas dinner, all to themselves, with no intruders. She mixed and baked- until after midnight, then slipped through the sido door to her room. She was awakened by a slight step. “W-h-y, Grandma,” reproved the merry voice of Kate. “Nine o’clock ! and you’re still in bed. Not ¡11, are you?” with a sudden note of anxiety. “No,” apologized Grandma—“just overslept.” “All right. Merry Christmas! And come right into the hall when you're dressed. Y’ou may look now.” Grandma rose hurriedly. She heard the voices of Bose and Jenny Cady, and even Ed’s. “Not even a family Christmas to gether,” her thought deplored. “And here so early means a lot more llxln’ for the dance. I’d like—for ’em to have a nice time, of course,” the thought finished loyally. “Young folks need pleasure.” As she opened the door to the hall there came low strains of music. Grandma looked startled for a mo ment, then n soft flush of pleased sur prise came to her face. It was a Christmas hymn they had been accus- A Christmas Hymn They Had Been Accustomed to Sing. tomed to sing nt home when she was a girl, and she had carried It on with her grandchildren. But sho never had heard it in music. In her eagerness she stepped to the parlor doorway, which was almost hid den in greenery. ; Suddenly two pairs of arms were Inclosing her neck, nnd one pair belonged to Bose. , Other arms were reaching for her; and be yond, hesitating Sam, who was too big to kiss anybody, lifted his arms. “Why—why, my dears,” murmured Grandma, looking bewildered. ‘Look up,” laughed Sue. Grandma did, nnd there was a huge bunch of mistletoe over the door. “Lead the queen to her,throne and render homnge,” ordered Kate. There was a raised chair decorated with holly and mistletoe, near one side of the fireplace. Grandma was con ducted to It deferentially, then the ushers sank to their knees with grave faces but snnpping eyes. “Hall to the queen of love and the kitchen,’’ they chanted, and Jenny added, “including crl^p doughnuts,” “Oh, my dears—my dears,” softly. “Now for the distribution of pres ents,” cried May, springing up. Grandma had noticed rotund stock ings along the fireplace, with an extra large one near her end, and sundry packages on the floor underneath. The big stocking was laid on her lap, and packages began to follow. She recognized things she had wished, and books she had mentioned a desire to read. For Grandma, In spite of her perfect housekeeping, loved to read. “I—I thought it was for a dance,” she faltered, her hands caressing thé gifts. \O-o-oh Grandma!\ The Ideal On this day 1 It’s for all of us, but most ly you/ Rose and Jenny were dancing about, as pleased as any of the family, Gyandma’s tremulous hands reached out and drew them, close. “Ydu must stay with ns all day, dears,” she urged happily—“and Bill, too. There’s plenty an’ te spare cooked. Christmas has began so won derful that you must help ns carry U through.\ - , , .
