THE 8EMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
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I1CTORY niny coino niul victory
inny go, but no fitturq triumphs
or defeats can over sQftcn for
Europo Uio memory of this dark
Christmas of 1010, tho saddest
she lias over known. Pride in
tlio present and faith in tho fu
ture sustain everyono of tho
warring peoples In their exaltation of nncrlllce.
But at Christmas Christmas, tho feast of tho
homo uud of the family exultation dies, and only
sorrow, tho sorrow of the bereft Individual, re
mains, says tho Now York Sun.
It Is a very different Christmas Europe Is ap
proaching this year from that of two years ago.
Then tho shock and excitement of tho beginning
of tho war wcro still tingling. In England tho
question of munitions Is today of no less im
portance to tho popular mind than, two years ago,
wis tho absorbing question of gutting a plum
pudding to every man in tho trenches. There was
still talk of tho kaiser's dining In Paris, and dis
cussions us to which ruler should load tho trl
iiitnphaut allies in procession through Unter den
Linden,
Victory seemed n ranch simpler matter then
than it does today. Everyono admitted then that
victory would bo bought only with sorrow and
Bacrlflce. Now overyono knows, with tho hnrd
Knowledge of expcrlenco, that victory will bo
bought only with sorrow heaped on sorrow and
Bacrlflco heaped on sacrifice. It Is this knowlcdgo
borno In on every home, however exalted or how
over humblo, that makes tho Christmas celebra
tion of 1010 In Europo a solemn sacrament of
sorrow.
Of nil tho warring peoples Christmas means
tho most to tho Ocrmnns and on nono will tho
sacrlfico of tho traditional customs of tho day
fall so heavily. Tliero Is no blood and Iron In
tho Gormun Christmas. There Is Instead n ten
dor and appealing sentiment thnt Is typical of
all that Is best In the Ocrmon character. Tho
whole world Is ludebtcd to Germany for tho
ChrlstmnB treo and for many of tho most delight
ful of tho Christmas stories and customs thnt
Amcrlcuus havo adopted as thetr own. Tho Ger
man Christmas Is a day for tho home, the family
find tho children, with its every custom endeared
hy generations of trndltlon.
Tho real Gormun Christmas celebration occurs
on Christmas ove. About four o'clock tho dinner
is served, nn elaborate and hearty feast, consist
Jng of a long series of traditional dishes, nil eaten
in n stnto of wild excitement. During this meal
Jtho Krlstkind makes Us appearance. This flguro
Is n curious product of sentiment and Imagina
tion, a qucor combination of tho Holy Child, tho
;gQd fnlry and our own Santa Clnus. It Is rep
resented In tho country district by n hnlf-grown
-child tundo tip ns an nngel, who goes from door
tto door cnlllng for tho good children, glvlpg sweet
meats ut one house und begging them nt tho next
i ."liter dinner comes tho grent moment when tho
doors are opened Into tho Christmas room where
tho lighted treo has tho place of honor. Tho tree
Is nlwoys placed near n window so that every
passer-by can seo and shuro It, A wnlk through
tho deserted resldonco streets of any Gorman
town nt this hour on Chrlstmns ovo leaves a mem
ory of Christmas cheer und spirit thnt can never
bo forgotten.
By nine o'clock tho family Is rendy to eat ngaln,
n light Buppcr Including still moro of tho tradi
tional Christmas dishes. Every ono, rich or poor,
lias Nuremberg ginger cake, Its shiny brown Bur
faco decorated with almonds and raisins, and
with the word "Welhnnchten" and tho year
worked out in pink aud white- frosting. Htollcn,
n sort of plum cuke, nnd many sweet blscultB
of vnrlous Bhnpes and sizes, nro all Indispensable
parts of this feast.
But this year, with a shortago of fats In her
jfood supply so sovero as to demand serious nt
tentlpn on tho pnrt of tho government, tliero Is in
Germany no butter or milk for tho Chrlstmns
enkes, no tallow or wax for tho Christmas can
dles. To many people this llttlo homely deprlvn
tlon will bring a realization of tho severities of
war moro vivid and moro compelling than oven
tlio sight of the fast-growing graveyards. With
two million now graves In tlio land, with dlro ne
cessity robbing her dearest holiday of Ub dearest
uymbols. no triumphs of arms can make this Christ
mas ot 1010 anything but nd nnd sorrowful
feast Jn tho homes or tho German empire.
In Austria the Christmas celcbrntlonB nro as
varied us tho races and religions that mnko up
that great loosely knit empire. Where the Greek
church prevails tho celebration occurs a fortnight
later than ours; tnnt Is, on January 7. It Is ac
companied by feasting and by various local cus
toms. Tho Slovacs of Bohemia and Moravia havo
curious Christmas usages In which superstition
has entirely triumphed over religious significance.
This Is tho great day of tho year when the pens
ant appeases all tho Invisible world of spirits.
, On the afternoon of ChrlstmnB evo the whole
household marches In solemn procession to the
stables and cow houses carrying bread, salt nnd
beans. Theso aro offered to tho animals with cer
tain hallowed words, and grent Is tho dismay if
any cow or chicken is Indifferent to tho offering.
Returning to tho house, the parents sprlnko
all their unmarried daughters with water sweet
ened with honey, thus Insuring them honest, good
tempered husbands. Tho entire family then sip
of sllvovltzu, a strong natlvo liquor distilled from
plums. A small quantity of this Is then poured
on tho floor to conciliate such other spirits ns
mny havo been overlooked. Everyono then fnlls
on tlio Christmas fenst without ceremony.
But this year war Iiuh reached out to the ro
moto districts and blighted oven such simplo
Chrlstmns celebrations as this. Tho men of tho
families nro all gone. Only the very young nnd
tho very old remain. There will be no blessing
of tho kino tills year, for there aro no kino to
bless. All have long since gone to supply tho
army. Tliero will bo no Chrlstmns feasting, for
food was long ago reduced to the smallest quanti
ty thnt will sustain life And every day, In every
village, tho list of the widowed und orphaned
grows longer nnd longer.
Vienna Is known ns n gay, light-hearted city.
Its Christmas observance Is ordinarily n happy
combination of religious ceremony nnd Teutonic
good cheer. But this year the brilliant midnight
masses will be attended by black-robed mourners
and there will bo no good cheer In Vienna.
Tho Christmas celebration in all tho countries
whero tho Greek orthodox church prevails nro
much tho snme. As tho holiday itself is preceded
by a sovero fast the Christmas feast tnkes on a
highly Important character. In many parts of
Russia, especially In tho cities, tho gift-hung
Chrlstmus treo has been borrowed from tho Ger
mans, whllo a pudding of rice and raisins Is tho
fonturo of the Chrlstmns ove feast From this
feast has now been taken Its crowning glory, the
vodka bottle.
In only ono other pnrt of Europo has the heel
of war pressed so hard as In Russian Poland; In
only one other place has the land been so utterly
devastated by flerco and continued fighting; In
only one other plnco will tho season of pence
and good will bo such n bitter mockery as to
the hunted nnd starving Poles.
And this Is In Serbia, poor, brnve, beaten Ser
bia, with Its wholo population, nn entire people,
fugitive before hated and terribly feared Invad
ers. During three years Serbia has been swept
by threo wars, the present ono so relentless and
so overwhelming as literally to wipe out tho ordi
nary relationship of tho people to life. They havo
censed to have homes; they havo censed to pos
sess property; they must burrow in the enrth for
shelter and forage for their uncertain food llko
wild unlmnls. With her nrmy making a heroic
and despernto struggle, with her people dying with
their spirit yet unbroken, tho birthday of tho
Prlnco of Peace will uot bo celebrated this year
In Serbia.
Tho sorrows of Belgium this year as compared
with last nro more of tho spirit than of the flesh.
Tho volco of Christmas, of pence and good will
docs not speak very loud to n captlvo people.
With Its army terribly decimated, Its beloved king
all but driven nut of his own country, with Its
dally llfo subject to tho scrutiny und the con
trol of n stern captor, there Is no room In Belgium
for any of tho old light-hearted Chrlstmns spirit
that used to show Itself in crowded churches for
midnight masses and guy all-night supper parties.
Belgium waits ns nil Europo waits for tho end
of the war waits with faith and hope and n de
termination as grim as it must bo silent.
Happily tho physical condition of tho stricken
people Is better than Inst year. Thoro Is not tho
frightful confusion, the separation of families,
tho pitiful terror und want that went with tho
(light before the Invndurs. All relief measures
tiro organized. Uelglum lb no happier this year
than last, but she Is less cold aud hungry.
If tho Belgian pcoplo over again havo a united
Chrlstmus they will tlnd themselves with many uow
holiday idens. A tree twinkled In every plnco thnt
housed n German last year, and though tho Bel
gians will not allow their Chrlstmus to bo German
ized, yet the trees appealed to them mightily. Cer
tainly tho Christmas tree will be much more com,
mon henceforth In Belgium whether tho Germans
stny there or not.
Thousands of refugees waiting In England until
their country Is redeemed will bring back with
them many ideas of the English holiday.
Until the marriage of Queen Victoria to thu
prlnco consort, Chrlstmus In England was chiefly n
day of churchgolng, of merryranklng nnd of mighty
feasting. The prlnco brought with him from his
German home tho customs of tho Christmas tree
and of gift giving. The lntter bus never become
as firmly Intrenched In England ns It is here, but n
lighted treo loaded with decorations nnd presents
Is established as a part of every English celebra
tion. ChrlstmnB decorations of holly nnd mistletoe,
the ceremony of the Yulo log nnd many of the tra
ditional Christmas dishes, notably the plum pud
ding, nre nil owed to English custom.
But It Is n sadder and wiser England that ap
proaches Chrlstmns this year. Hundreds of thou
sands of young Englishmen hnvo died to make
her so. Today every Londoner hns had a graphic
lesson In what n powerful and resourceful enemy
can do even In a "right little, tight little Island." As
n further object lesson, England will pay for the
raisins for her plum puddings something llko 200
per cent moro thnn she did laBt year. The war
with Turkey has done thnt to her.
England has had other black Chrlstmases, but
they were farther nway from home. Tho Christ
mas of 1800 In South Afrlcn was one that she docs
not like to recall, whllo tho terrible Christmas of
1834, tho Christmas of tho Crimean war, when, as
n writer of the day put it, "Thanks to General
Muddle, things nro nbout ns bad as they can be,"
was always a bitter memory to that generation.
Tho yenr 1010 has not been n good year for Eng
lnnd, nnd she knows it. The knowledge has shot
tered her complacency nnd has strengthened her
determination. But she Is not happy about It and
her Christmas celebration will bo n chastened feast,
Christmas In the Lntln countries has nlways been
more of n religious festival than a homo celebra
tlon. In Itnly It is more customary to exchange
presents at Now Year's than at Christmas. Lighted
trees aro frequently seen, but they nro the luxury
of the prosperous and not the habit of the people,
The day before Chrlstmns Is more of an occasion
than tho day itself.
In tho cities of southern Italy booths are erected
in certain streets, ns before Easter, for tho sale of
ddds aud ends nnd sweetmeats; wheeled traffic Is
barred and tho people promenndc slowly up and
down, exchanging greetings. Midnight mass Is
said In nil the churches. In the churches, too, aro
exposed tho famous cribs, or prcsepl, representing
scenes of the birth nnd Infancy of Jesus. Tho b
ginning of this custom is ascribed to St. Fruncls
ot Assist.
Chrlstmns eve Is tho great feast of tho season In
France. In tho provinces it is celebrated with pro
cessions In tho streets, which, were originally re
ligious In character, but which havo become pro
faned by the gnyety of tho maskers. In Normandy
nnd in Provence tliero nro elaborate puppet shows
of scenes in tho llfo of tho Infant Christ. All tho
street gaycty terminates, after mass In feasts in nil
tho homes.
In Paris there are Christmas booths set up in
many of tho boulevurds. This year they will bo
devoted to tho snlo of comforts for the soldiers,
Paris knows better than nnyouo Just how black
n wartime Christmas can be. She has never for
gotten tho Christmas of 1870. For nlncty-cluht
flnys the Germans hud buttered at tho city. Every
sortie bud failed miserably. Tho finul bombard
mcnt was Inevitable. On Christmas eve 000 men
froze to death in the trenches Just outside tho city.
Better, It seems, than any of the other nations
did Franco renllzo from the beginning what this
present war would menu and, realizing, sho conse
crated herself utterly. Sho bus made every sac
rifice, great nnd small, even to giving up tho crusty
rolls aud light white brend thnt aro ns tho breath
In her nostrils. When n Frenchman, every French
man, eats without complaint a grayish bread mndo
of n mixture of whent nnd rlco and entirely luck
ing In golden crust, ho has indeed nn exalted spirit.
It Is a small thing, perhaps, but It Is enormously
significant.
Last Christmas was a solemn festival In France.
A million gifts, gifts of wool, wcro sent to tho men
In the trendies. Every soldier hud a, glass ot
champagne. But tliero was no merrymaking.
Masses wore said ut open-air altars, erected back
of tho battlo linos. In the old church nt Thnnn In
Alsaco a French Chrlstmus wns celebrated for tho
first tlmo In forty-four years. But It wns a cele
bration of prayer, not of rejoicing.
This year, at least, midnight masses will bo said
in the churches of Tarls, but nfterward thcro will
bo iiq gaycty In the streets ns In former years, no
dancing plcrrots nnd harlequins lending tho mask
ers, no brilliant round of restaurant suppers, th
beloved revelllon of tho Parisian.
t? II.. ! MI . ...Ill i
uu i in in uu vmioiiiiiia uvu win KU IIUIIIO lliroil;:i
darkened ntreets with a prayer la her heart for m
those who lmve died for Franco and for ull Hid
who must yet die.
Cnblegrams telling of the Intention
of the duke of Orleans to seek annul
ment of his marriage to Archduchess
Marin Dorothea, who left him long ago
on account of his fondness for other
women, recall n well-founded story of
the duke's flirtation in this country
more than 20 years ago.
In the early nineties the duke nnd
his younger brother were brought to
Amcrlcn by their father tho Comte
de Paris They were handsome, high
strung young fellows, out for adven
ture and romance. When en route
from Norfolk to Richmond on n river
steamer both young men were attract
ed by the beauty of two Richmond
girls, the Misses Bulllngton, who were
aboard tho boat. One of the girls wns
n dainty blonde, the other a vivacious
brunette.
They soon suspected the distin
guished young aristocrats desired to
meet them, nnd cleverly encouraged
the wish, bit the stern old Comte de Paris kept a keen eye on his sons nnd
prevented tho meeting between them and tho bewitching daughters of Virginln.
A reporter for n Richmond newspaper who happened to bo aboard the
boat knew the girls nnd arranged with them to bring tho duke und his brother
for u cull at their home in Richmond that evening.
Tho distinguished visitors took rooms nt the old Lexington hotel. A
problem wns to get the count to sleep so the party could slip out for the
evening. Finally when he was tucked nway the trio took a cab, called on tho
girls and returned to the hotel before midnight
Ono of the young men stumbled Just across the hall from tho old count's
rooms, and he nppcared in the doorwny ns his sons were attempting to sneak
Into their apartments. He took them to Washington thnt night.
LOOKS LIKE JIM JEFFRIES
Mr. "Wild Bill" Gordon, one of tho
representatives in congress from Cleve
land, O., Impresses one nnd nil with
his resemblance to a certain large, two
listed man who once figured promi
nently In the public prints, to wit;
Mr. James J. Jeffries. And they do
sny that the resemblance does not stop
with mere looks, cither. The story Is
that when Bill Gordon was a young
chap out In Ouk Harbor, O., where he
was brought up, ho wus regarded as n
person of much prominence in tne
fistic way.
One night Gordon made a little
run over to Toledo to take In a boxing
tournnment. Tho hefty young man
who won the championship of the eve
ning wns obliged to lick three other
able-bodied men, ono after the other,
and this was n task that entailed some
little fatigue. Just when the champion
thought his Work wns over for the eve
ning, a large, well-knit man arose In
tho audience nnd declared that he wus prepared to knock tho eternal smith
ereens out of the winner right then and there, without fear, favor or failure.
Now, the proposition appealed to young Bill Gordon ns unsportsmanlike
in the extreme. So he nrose and snld that while' he didn't think the three-
time winner should bo asked to fight again, yet he didn't wish to see the
volunteer disappointed. If the man was going to have his evening spoiled
unless he got into n fight, he, Gordon, would nccommodnto him. And the
word that has been handed down from those who were present is that the
things nineteen-year-old Bill Gordon did to his ndversnry were entirely satis
factory to one nnd nil, with tho sole exception of Mr. Adversary himself.
AUSTRALIA'S BIG MAN
At onco the biggest small man and
the smallest big man whom Australian
public llfo has produced, Hon. William
Morris Hughes, prime minister of Aus
tralia, Is one of the potent creative
forces of tho British empire.
He Is a mere handful of n man,
weighing little over 100 pounds. He
has been a life-long martyr to dyspep
sia. But for 50 years his mind has
been overcoming matter. Above nil
filings ho Is a fighter, n fierce, tena
cious, boisterous, dendly fighter. Op
ponents carry his scars to their graves,
lie possesses n turn of sarcasm, a mas
tery of mordant raillery, a command
of barbed words which bite like corro
sive sublimate.
A spontaneous oratory Is his.
"Hughes Is up" has nlways been n
rallying cry in the federal parliament.
To natural gifts ho has added tho arti
fice born of a study of the speeches
and style of the world's most famous
speakers. There Is a lambent wit behind his forcible, Incisive nnd carefully
selected language, which sets him npart from his political contemporaries.
c
RUSSIAN CHIEF OF STAFF
Gen. Michel Alexleff, Nicholas IPs
chief of staff, and, next to the em
peror, responsible for operations along
the whole Russian front, Is the son of
u preacher and a self-mndo man. Ho
Is nt tho top becuuso ho put himself
there by hnrd work.
When the emperor assumed com
mand of the nrmy and General Alexleff
went to work with lilm the czar and
his chief of staff nlwuys lunched to
gether nt the czar's quarters. The
lunches naturally were of a more or
less formal nature, ending up with
coffee and smokes and tho Inevitable
conversations, In all consuming nbout
an hour und a half.
General Alex'.jff stood this for
Bomu days, but It wus apparent ho was
getting more und moro 111 nt ease
Finally one day ho went to the czar.
"Sire," he said, "I realize It Is Im
possible to cut the lunch shorter. But
I am losing a lot of tlmo every day.
Permit mo to lunch with my officers, nt their mess. I will be very grateful."
Tho emperor laughed. "Of course, It shall bo as you wish, general," ho
said, recognizing by his knowledge of his officers' personalities, the general's
motive. And from that day on tho chief ate with his men.