Ladies of Division I of WILLING
WORKERS will have charge of
Maust’s
Skating Rink
Monday
Night
>
Come and skate for the benefit of
the New Christian church
Hot CoJifee and Sandwiches Served
Everybody Come
Edward Daeschner
General Blacksmithing;
Horseshoeing and Auto Repairing
Gasoline and Oil
TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND PATRONS:
I desire to express my appreciation for their kind and
liberal patronage during to past ten years and especially
during the year 1910 which is just closing.
l ean truthfully say that our business relations have
been pleasant with but very few exceptions. I have always
endeavored to conduct a modern, up to date shop, serving
the trade as the different seasons demand. As this is the
season in which we have snow and ice, I particularly call
your attention to the fact that we are better prepared than
ever to take care of your horseshoeing. Having installed a
Barcus Shoeing Rack, we can handle all your horses from
the gentlest to the most unruly ones, with perfect safety to
man and beast. I therefore invite you to bring in your
shoeing. SATISFACTION ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED.
Our ueneral Repair and Job Work
is fully kept up to the highest standard possible and we
are ever ready to serve you to the best of our ability. We
solicit a continuance of your valued patronage. If we have
failed to please you in the past, we assure you we will
endeavor to please you in the future, if that is possible.
Come and make this shop your
headquarters, whether you have been a
regular customer or not and we will treat
you right.
So here are best wishes for a Merry Christmas and
a Happy and Properous New Year.
Fraternally yours,
EDWARD DAESCHNER
□.. ..-.»™****n
; Jl Christmas Carol I
i ^ j
> Pause a while, O earth and heaven; |
draw ye near in wonder dread, ,
' For the Lord of Life Eternal lieth '
i in a stable bed;
Cradle lowly !
Yet made holy,
, By that resting Infant Head, '
• Come, ye shepherds, come, ye
, wise men—high and low your ,
homage bring,
I For the sleeping Babe you worship *
i cometh uj your Saviour King! ,
’Tie the Christ-Child,
t •
• Who, self-exiled,
f Left His throne on love's swift wing. ,
, Come ye here, and taste the ;
earnest of a joy above!
• Ye shall find within this manger, {
{ guarded by the Holy Dove, j
Life immortal, !
i Through the portal •
, Opened by a Saviour's Love! I
.
CHRISTMAS AND MISTLETOE
Nature Worship Reflected In Use of
Mistletoe at Christmas
Time.
A great many years ago, before the
time of Christianity, tho oak tree, and
especially the mistletoe, growing out
of the heart of the oak, were rever
enced for their supposed affinity with
tho sun. The Druids worshiped the
sun as the one supreme god, and be
lieved the oak to he In some way as
sociated with the sun because they
.made tiro by rubbing oak sticks to
gether, the oak being at once the most
common tree and the most suitable
for the purpose. Twice each year
these Celtic priests gave u religious
festival In honor of the sun, their
places of worship being In the oak
groves. In June, when the sun was
known to have ceased mounting high
er in the heavens, the Druids gave
thanks, because a nearer approach of
the Run was thought (o be possible,
and this, of course, would result In tho
burning up of the earth. In Decem
ber, at the time of the shortest days,
the Druids prepared a celebration In
honor of the sun's turning hack from
his downward Journey, which was rec
ognized as the days began to grow
longer. Tills Recond celebration was
quite naturally the happiest time, the
people holding the sun In such fear
in June. It was then the mistletoe
was honored as being the very essence
of the oak.
When eventually the church was es
tablished and Its followers turned tho
ancient December celebration into
Christmas, the mistletoe was hung up
by way of compromise, although It had
nothing to do with the new religion.
And so even today, in our use of ever
green and holly, and eke the occasion
al sprig of mistletoe, we reflect (lie
nature worship which gave 11s, per
haps, not only thp foundation of our
Christmas, but for our love of nature
as well.
SHEPHERDS WATCH AT NIGHT
Refutation of Contention That They
Could Not Have Watched on
December Night.
Some historians contend that tho
shepherds could not have watched by
night on the Bethlehem plains in De
cember, it being a period of great in
clemency. In answer to this a well
known student says: "Bethlehem is
not a cold region. The mercury usu
ally stands all the month of Decem
ber at 4G degrees. Corn is sown dur
ing this time, and grass and herbs
spring up after the rains, so that tho
Arabs drive their (locks down from
the mountains into the plains Tho
most delicate never make tires till
about the end of November, and some
pass the whole winter without them.
From these facts 1 think it is c.-tab
lished without doubt that our Saviour
was born on the 25th of December,
the day which the church throughout
the world has united 10 celebrate In
honor of Christ's coming In the flesh."
The New Way.
-'~y£-"■■ ■'tf~ rTrr*
Nellie—I don't like llic* nr n v.ho in
vented airships
Jack—Why?
Nellie—’Cause papa >; .
carry very much, i.nd ii
uses one he can't brlnp ;r
1 want.
FOLK LORE OF DAY
BELGIAN CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS
THAT ARE DYING OUT.
Celebration of Festival Still Presents
Much That is Interesting—Old Cus
toms Traceable to Heathen
Rites and Practices.
--
I ..THOUGH not so
keenly followed
up as In Germany
and ICngland, the
festival of Christ
mas, as celebrat
ed In Belgium,
still presents a
certain amount of
Interest, especial
ly In respect to
Its traditional as
peel. Many of
the old customs,
which today aro
but a mere mock
ery of their orig
inal selves, are
t raceahlo to old
heathen rites and
practlots.
The priesthood,
realizing the ven
eration In which
these customs are
still held, not only refrain from dis
countenancing practices which the
holy church regards as heretical on
account of their origin, but even en
joins the due observance on the peo
ple. Wherever possible, detallR of
these customs have been modified
with a view of bringing them Into ns
close obedience as possible with the
Instructions of (he Vatican.
One of the easiest tasks In this re
spect was the encouragement of the
old custom of ceasing work for 12
days after Christmas and postponing
the discussion of all differences and
legal disputes for the same period.
Among the "seasonable customs and
beliefs" which have for the most part
ben dying out, If they are not already
dead In many parts of the country, are.
the following:
Christmas eve being dedicated to
Adam and Eve, boys born on that day
were christened Adam, and girls Eve.
Fortune telling on Christmas day
was Indulged in; at Brussels, for ex
ample. the burghers assembled around
the fire and roasted chestnuts, listen
ing to their "fortunes” meanwhile. At
Spa, a handful of salt was cast upon
the table by the host; If It melted
there would be a death In the family
or else a wet year In the country,
though If the salt remained hard a
guest would die, If, by chance, one of
the lights went out at the critical mo
ment.
Among the metal workers of (he
province of Halnaut molten lead was
plunged Into water, and the figures
produced by the operation were sup
posed to represent Incidents In the
life of Ihe "plunger.”
In ihe Ardennes, the weather for the
coming year was determined by plac
ing lighted candles In walnut shells,
which were allowed to float on a ba
sin of water. If Ihe candles went
out the year would he a bad one,
agriculturally speaking; If the remain
ed alight until Ihe end It would be a
good year.
Nuts thrown on the fire by lovers
foretold joy if they burned with a
sputtering; sorrow, If there was any
noise.
According to an existing belief,
everything living changes its position
at the hour of midnight on Christmas
day. Everything sown in the fields
that day is bound to hear fruit—even
though It be sown on the snow It
self.
While it la considered unlucky to
spin fiax on Christmas clay, a shirt
made from flax on that night Is “good
for many ills." Christmas day eggs
always produce fine chicks. A farm
er could ensure good crops from his
fruit trees by striking them with an
ax on Christmas day, always pn elded
that nobody went near the trees
with a spinning wheel within 21
hours.
In the province of Antwerp the peas
ants say that a "hellwegen" or char
iot of blood is driven through the sky
at full gallop on Christmas night, the
explanation being that some impious
peasant dared to go out wood gather
ing with his wagon one Christmas
night, and that, by way of punishment,
lie is condemned to drive hrough the
sky year by year.
Decorations in Middle Ages.
They did their Christmas decora
tions very thoroughly In the middle
ages. "Kvery man's house, as also
the parish churches, were decked with
holm, ivy, hays and whatever the sea
son of the year afforded to bo green,”
we road in Slow, but he omits to men
tion that decking with evergreens in
the month of December, like most of
the details of our Christmas festivi
ties, was' heathen in origin. It orig
inated, for all that, in a very poetic
idea, for the Druids did it so that
the woodland spirits might have a
warm place in which (o take shelter
until the sitring came round again
and the trees out of doors once more
had leaves of their own.
No Leavings.
Tramp (to little Willie, who has
opened the door)- Have yer had yer
Christmas dinner yet, little boy?
Willie- No; we're just going to eat
it now.
Tramp—Then perhaps if I wait
around I can get some of the eatables
left over?
Little Willie (feeling of his stom
ach)—There ain't going to be any
thing left.
Christmas at Beuiah.
In preparing for tho Christmas ex
ercises for our Mission this year of
JSilO my mind goes back to the year o
181)6, my first year in Falls City and
my first meeting with the Mission
Sunday School in tho Beulah building.
And as 1 now look in the faces of a
number of those who have grown >o
manhood and womanhood my thought
go buck to the Umo 1 first gnw them
In (lie Beulah Mission with bright
eyes and tender hearts, each one
eager to do their part in the Christ
mas exercises. And tho most at
tractive object in the building to
them was the lighted Christmas treo
that charitable hands had so bounte
ously provided. And for a number of
years after tho Christmas tree seem
ed to t'f the crowning feature In tho
Sundae School, though through tho
iuid-sumnicr reason coining to Sunday
School would seem a burden to some;
but when tho leaves begin to fall and
the cool days drew nigh and wo
would gather around the stove and
read our Bibles ns one family there
was something that shone In each
countenance that told of their
thoughts of that dear old Christmas
tree. Some have out grown the Sun
day School and its Christmas tree,
but the' writer feels that they cannot
help but have a memory of the Sun
day School and its Christmas treat..
A few have passed to that Ureat Bo
yond carrying with hem the memories
of tho Mission and to partako of the
treo of Everlasting Life. So Clio car
ries with it a number of bright
eyes and tender hearts looking for
ward to the treat of the dear old
Christmas. May the Christmas tree
of today be a shadowy glimpse of the
tre,. above which gives everlasting
life .Mrs. Sam Robinson.
OHIO.
Pert Dodds was a guest of F. M.
Shaffer, Sunday.
Mrs. A. Elshlre and children spent
Sunday at. K. M. Shaffer’s.
Nearly all the farmers in this vicin
ity an? thru corn shucking.
■I. Yocam is spending this week wit
*ds daughter Mrs. N. Peck.
('lias. Me Wain and family spent one
day last week with Mrs. McWaln'a
parents.
Guy Liciity and wife were the guest
of Mr. and Mrs. D. Splckler and wife,
Sunday.
itev. and Mrs. Essley spent Monday
in Strausville with Geo. Sturms and
family.
Will Straus and family spent Sun
lay with Mr. and Mrs. Peatty in
Strausville.
Nellie Knisely spent last week at
Rev. Plough's assisting Mrs. Plough
with her sewing.
Pearl Fields was remembered by
her pupils on her birthday by a pos
t'd bower. She [-received about thirty
Mrs. Earl Shaffer and children left
Monday for Mauley to visit her par
■nis and other relatives till after X*
lias.
Mr. and Mrs. Wes Nedrow enter
:lined X. Forney and family and H.
leechj and wife at their home. Sun
lay.
Mrs. Frank Crook was surprised by
about thirty of her friends last week
om day Hi' o. < asiii being a birthday
celebration. A good hue was enjoy
ed by all those present.
Rebecca Straus has returned from
Vertlon to spend the winter at home.
Mamie Fisher and Hilda Seibeneib
her visited at the home of Lola Sturm
Sunday.
The series of meetings now m pro
gress at Silver Creek arc fairly well
attennded, and Rev. Watson of Falls
City has delivered some excellent ser
mons.
Quite a number of invited guests
spent Saturday evening of last week
at. a Somerset party given by Mr. and
Mrs. Rat Gunnn. All report a delight
ful time and and appropriate refresh
ments were served.
Horace Greeley wrote: “To sell drink
for a livelihood is bad enough, but
for a whole community to share the
responsibility and guilt of such a traf
fic seems a worse bargain than those
of Eve and of Judas. What temper
ance men demand is not regulation of
the liquor traffic, but its destruction;
not that its evils be circumscribed or
veiled, but that they bo, to the extent
of the Stae’s ability, utterly eradi
cated.’’
