Valentine Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1900-1930, December 25, 1902, Image 2
THE VALENTINE DEMOCRA1 I. at KICK , J'ul > I-her. YALENT1NE , NEBRASKA No woman has ever really though" the photographer succeeded In doiuj ber justice. Gustavo Dore's "Hell" is to b < itaged. This seems to be getting pret ty low down. Marion Crawf./rd has decided t < flramati/.e one of his novels. If it take ; well , he will arrange to dramatize tin other J)4.71 > 8. Mary MacLane received 100 offers ol marriage while she was in the East No wonder Mary thinks the East ii "a crazy old place. " Some ministers are eliminating UK word "obey" from the marriage cere mony. It's of no consequence , since ttie world is meaningless , anyway. The strike has not been without Its Benefits. It has led to a more genera Recognition of the fact that "anthra Hte" is a noun and means "hard coal. ' While there Is nothing so exciting as I church fight , it is generally agreed Ihat It is much better to pray for out Vrother than to bat him with a ver bal ax. The United States and Great Britain Jandod marines in Samoa and ended a revolution. The international arbitra- or has decided against them. Blessed re the peacemakers ! Speaking of the surgical operation of pastrectomy , or cutting out the stom- ich. a writer in the Lancet says he 'does not look upon the operation as a favorite one. " Still he must acknowl edge that it is very interesting. A man who attempted to present a t > aper to the sultan of Turkey was Vwooped down upon by bashi-bazouks md cast into prison. He was released ater when it was discovered that the locumeut was not a bill , but a petition lor a government job. We are feeling much relieved since Serr von Brand , burgomaster of Bam- icrg , Bavaria , has declared that the fefiling of the United States arms over lie American consulate was the "wan- ion act of an individual. " We there- tore ignore the act , which were impos- rible if it had been an official insult. "Our Lady of the Beeches' ' is the Stle of a novel fhat is just out. If 'or "Beeches" one could read Breeches" the romance would have a itroug interest for various and divers husbands who are subdued and de- jrecatory when the partners of their loys and sorrows are in the vicinity. II. N. Pillsbury , the champion Ameri- : au chess-player , hasannounced that ae will play no more championship natches , but will devote himself to the vractice of the law. The temptation o make a profession of a sport or a ; ame in which one is expert is strong ipon many young men , but most of .hose who yield to it soon become uu- itted for anything else. Mr. Pillsbury fets a good example. American women seem to be hold- jig their own in diplomacy as well as ilsewhere. The new British Ambas- jador to the United States married an imericau ; the wife of the new French Ambassador is also an American , and ihe Belgian minister married his wife m this side of the ocean. But proof ' .hat the women of this country cm iticcessfully meet the competition of he world was not needed. Every American type of beauty is unsurpass- d , and every American lover would jhalleiige the world to produce the fqual of the girl he likes best. Why should old age be so dreaded' ' One would think , by the way some oeople trick themselves out and try avoid showing the marks of time , that old age was a crime. Yet old ige maj be one of the most beautiful Smes of life. Over and over agaiu we lear it remarked how good looking tfrs. So-and-So has become , and that aer white hair has softened her face Hid given her a beauty she never had before. That her wrinkles , too , seem to add to her charms , for they are imiable wrinkles , and seem to be a sort of reflection of bygone smiles and kindly , gentle impulses and thoughts. Old age is really never hideous unless tt be vicious ; so why so many people Ihould desire to hide it is a mystery to many. Every right-thinking person respects old age , ml sees nothing re pulsive or ludicrous in it unless it nasquerades as youth. In spite of the continued assertion ( hat enthusiasm for historical fiction Is on the wane the number of new pub- jicatlons continues about the same , find reports of others on the' way still Come In. At the meetings of the New ! Blgland History Teachers' Association i to Boston Professor Kit-hard Burton had an intelligent word to say on the lubject of historical novels. He be lieves an immense interest has been iroused in the past generally , but es pecially in our own nation1 and colo nial past He thinks historical fiction lids Immensely the study of history , ispecially with the young , and that its rogue will continue. At the same time te says publishers are very careful at cresent about accepting this kind of tction unless written in the best style. Professor Burton is in a position well ttted to speak on the question. His ' close connection with a leading pul . Hilling house enables him to look a the question from a commercial pole of view , while his former position a Instructor in a large university ha given him experience enabling him t judge of the value of historical fictio : ' upon the minds of the young. WhetL er the historical novel is cause or el feet of the present interest in the pas or whether each is cause and each i effect Is hard to say. One thing , how ever , is certain the amount of poo stuff that has passed current in th guise of history lias had its day. Th public is already discerning betwwi good and poor work in this line , am only the fittest is to have a chance ti exist The question what we shall eat con tinues to be an absorbing one to tin human race. There are moments ii the life of many a woman when tin world seems to her nothing but a va * = market , from which she must snatd such food as she may. and spend he whole force in preparing it , only t < see it disappear from her tired hand ; before the greedy demands of appe lite. Against the depression of thii mood there are a few remedies. On < is found in the determination of the housewife that in her home the fooc shall be so cooked and served as t ( remove the meal as far as possibl < from the mere process of feeding , ant allay it with the satisfaction of those appetites that we call the higher. Th < meal swallowed hastily in a hot , un tidy room , from a table heaped rathei than spread , is a degradation alike tc cook and to eater. On the other hand a meal served witli accessories so gor geous as to dazzle all the senses is nc less vulgar. A meal , be it humble 01 rich , set forth with the dignity anc seemliuess which come from clean linen , well-ordered dishes , and plenty without surfeit , becomes a function as worthy of a high spirit as the reading of a good book or the hearing of mu sic. There are two kinds of good cook ing. One of them is represented by the the work of the accomplished Frencli chef. His sauces are "creations , " and his omelette is worth the price of a week's food for a family. The other kind is as simple as it is inexpensive. A dish of green peas prepared by a New England farmer's wife ; a bowl of "hasty pudding" eaten in the kitch en where it was cooked ; a plate of macaroni from the hand of an Italian peasant woman these may be truly triurnps in the art of cookery. The conclusion of the whole matter health ful for the tired housekeeper and for the overfed millionaire is that food is a means to life , not life itself ; and that whoever overvalues or under values it fails to live fully and richly. Did Pelee Rob Oil Wells ? Speaking of the decrease or almost total disappearance of the gas pres sure which was so long one of the great peculiarities of the Beaumont Held , there is a novel theory advanced. Some men who study such things say that just about the time of the erup tion of Mont Pelee and the destruc tion of St. Pierre the gas pressure be gan to lessen and in a short while al most entirely disapepared. The theory is that the gas which was under the ground at Beaumont ex tended laterally under the earth all the \vay down through the Caribbean Sea md when it accumulated in large luantilies under Mont Pelee the ex plosion came and the supply was ex- lausted there. In support of this wou- lerful theory attention is called to the fact that the famous oil pool in the llulf of Mexico , south of Beaumont nany miles , and which has been the ivonder of mariners for years and rears , is on a direct line between Beau mont and Mont Pelee. So the neople ivho deal in synclines and monoclines md anticlines , says the New Orleans Picayune , find comfort in believing rhat the eruption of the volcano is ivhat has caused all the damage at lieaumont. The Genuine Article. A certain lady of title recovered from i rather severe illness. An adept with : he brush , and a regular exhibitor of ivater colors in connection with the lo- . al art gallery , it was supposed she sad overworked herself. When the doctor was called in an old lurse , who had been in the family nany years , bored the medical man ivith her opinions as to the cause of : he attack. "It's them long hours an' hard work ) f the paiutin' what's done it , " she re- narked directly she saw him. The loctor was preoccupied and scarcely leard the remark. "Has her ladyship exhibited any ; races of hysteria ? " he suddenly de- nanded , turning to the talkative nurse. "Oh. no , sir , " was the unexpected eply ; "they was water colors , all on em real beauties , too ! " Detroit S'ews-Tribune. Bridget as a Mrs. Malaprop. Bridget , who came to this country fist year , has a limited vocabulary , and. \-hile she is learning fast , some of the rords and expressions that she has ac- tuired do not always fit , her ear not taving been accurate In getting the ight term. Thus the other day she aid to her mistress : "Mam , shall I fix that Kansas back uck for dinner ? " Again , Bridget "was telling a tale of a lissing friend in this city , when she xclaimed : "Do you know I believe when Katie urns up she'll be found in the Potash Meld ! " While at work on Friday a tremen- ous blast near by in the subway rat- led the dishes hi the kitchen and the irl cried out : "There goes that rapid transom gale. " THERE SHONE A STAR. [ I , stars by the mil lion-fold above ! [ n the wide blue spaces we watch and love ; Stars like gnilns of sand by the sea , I h r o u g h wheeling dusters of worlds they be ; Rut once through the pates of heaven ajar , When a Child was born , there shone a Star. Children they c-iine to the palace hall ; "Thildren they come to the cabin small : Fo the tent , to the ship , to the poor man's COt Drear is tlie home where God st-nds then not : But once , just once. through the gates ajar Sod's own f'hild came , and there shone : Star. Over drsort places its golden light Flamed like a torch the livelong night ; Bowing low to the wonderful East. ! n stately procession , king and priest , And a marvelous , moving caravan sought for the gift that had guerdmiei man , \Vhen. banners of glory waving far , Once , for his people. ( Jod kindled a Star. The Kmperor sat in his purple robe , Holding the scepter that swayed the globe Bent the slave to the laboring oar- Little to him was a groan the more : Wreathed with laurel the conqueror strode Trampling hearts on his haughty road ; The cry of the anguished quivered far , And lo ! In the darkness there shone f Star. Out from n cave in the riven rock A candle flickered ; who will may mock ; That thread of flame was the answer sent From Earth to the Star In the tirmament. On the silence trembled a Babe's , lirsl breath. Child to be Lord of Life and Death ; Safe as a bird in the tiny nest , In the mother's arms , on the mother's breast ; While the lowing kine stood wondering near , And the angels sang on the midnight clear , And the midnight waned , and the dawn's great car Swept in where brightly there shone a Star. -Margaret E. gangster , in Woman's Home Companion. WON HIS CHILDREN'S LOVE BY ThOMAo HALL. of care furrowed the forehead of John How WRINKLES leather mer chant of New York , as he sat in the library of his home , and his hair was tossed into dis order by the combing of his nervous fin gers. His dull eyes gazed into tlio rod depths of a great fire , but road no crim son pictures there. This was the man the world had called "complacent John Howard. " Eight years before , when he married , people expected a change in his habits , but they were disappointed. He had merely added another part to his ma chinery. He had carefully chosen the kind of woman who would helplessly be come a part of a machine. When children came they , too , wtre compelled to become parts of the order ly , silent machine controlled by John Howard. Meek little mites they were. Xo one suspected that they were chil dren. dren.There There were three of them : Mary , a girl of seven ; Anna , a girl of live , and John , a boy of four. By direction of John Howard , good , plain names were given to thorn , names that would wear. Meek Mrs. Howard would have chosen differ ently , but she was not consulted. When the children came , John How ard laid down the rules for their ron- duct and keeping : ' and never afterward bothered himself about them. If he saw them once a day it was by accident. One of his rules , conditions , was that he was never to hear them , save when he wish ed. As a result John Howard was a father without children and the chil dren had a living father , but were fath erless. All this would have continued but for one , inevitable little incident in life called "death" for death , after all , is a parr of life , and dying very often the Miain part of living. The entrance of Mrs. Howard into the life of her husband had made no perceptible change in it. Her ieath had thrown every part of it out of iear. There were three waifs in liouse who came at his bidding and look- ad at him in a frightened sort of way. "How was he to win the love of his- children ? " How John Howard longed to enter that play room ! But he never dared. Hi ivas afraid his entrance would drive them x rth , and he realized that this room was : heir own little world. Sometimes , in igony , he listened at the door , and learii- ; d how different they were from other ihildren. How he longed for them to ask him ror something ! What joy he would take n granting them any wish ! But they lad been brought up to ask for nothing. o expect nothing , save on one day in the ear. That day was Christmas. On that day they could expect wonder 'ul new presents , they knew , from a mys- erious person called Santa Clans. The ate Mrs. Howard had cultivated this one [ ear delusion in them , and so perfectly hat they never dreamed that either who ir their father had anything to do with he annual midnight visit of the good ittle fat man. Of him they talked aonths before he came and months after le left. And with the presents he left hey played from one Christmas 'until he next , patiently waiting for the new nes and carefully guarding the old. Discouraged at his failure to win even he confidence of his children , John llow- rd hired that hopeless substitute for a lother , a nurse , to take care of them. With business acumen and lack of or- inary common sense he secured a grim Tew England school teacher for this deli- ate position ; and in less than a week he succeeded , by perseverance and in- ustry , in casting more of a shadow over lie lives of the three waifs than ever ohn Howard had. But the waifs had eon taught not to complain , and John loward knew nothing about it. One lingering hope remained in his reast. Could he make the coming Ihristmas so happy for his children that e could win their love ? He resolved lat he would take charge of the holiday imself , and the preparations he made 3r it were extravagant. The presents tirchased for all the preceding Christ- las celebrations at his house were as othing compared to the array that stood efore him on the floor , on tables andon hairs , this Christmas eve when he sat so roken in heart before his grate fire. Something had happened. A mistake ad been made. The New England school ai- . teacher , in the interests of white-winged truth , had told his children there was no Santa Claus. This he had learned while listening at the door of their playroom that afternoon. And he , who had so care fully rehearsed the part of Santa Claua for the performance that night , felt that it would be a hollow mockery , now that they knew , as we all do some day , too ; much. i With n promptness and decision that ! had characterized him always in busi- j ness. John Howard peremptorily dismiss ed the New England school teacher , piv- J ing her a month's salary and no expla nation for his strange conduct. The chil- , dren should have the hollow mockery of j Christmas at any rate. But the essence of it was gone. He had heard his chil dren declare , between sobs , that they would never hanir up their stockings again , and after all it is the stocking and not the tree that is the essence of Christ mas and the mystery of mysteries there of is the wonderful fact that Santa Claus can spend so much time and take so much pains in filling the stockings. But John Howard was human. He himself had looked forward to this Christ inas with greater expectations than had any of hisVhiidren. He rose from bed and put on his dress ing gown and slippers. Then , with a little night lamp in his hand turned very low , he went stealthily into the bedroom where his children slept. Their clothes were laid neatly on three chairs , and from each chair he took a stocking and pinned it where the sleeping children had been accustomed to pin them in previous yonrs. After this he made frequent trips to the library and brought up load after load of toys , candies and trinkets. And then he began to fill the stockings. It was slow work. He had seen his wife do It once. He had watched her then in a mechanical sort of way. It was on the preceding Christmas eve. She was ill ind nervous and afraid to go about the iiousc alone. In a grumbling , protesting way he had accompanied her. ri CHANGING THE SCORE. i * Like some prayer triumphant falling On the ear , Lo , the past Is past forever. In this hour ita bonds we sever. And Its clouds shall darken never Our New Year. List , the New Year bells are swaying High and low. Pulsing , pleading , praising , praying. As they go. Now may every sin be shriven , And our hearts from sorrow riven , All forgiving and forgiven Here below. Minneapolis Housekeeper. Making Preparations. "I want to get a turkey , and a bottle of paregoric , and some mince meat , mid some pepsin pills , and some cranberries , and some furniture polish , and a quart of oysters , and a package of court plaster , and some sweet potatoes , and a fire in surance policy. " Here the market man smiled merrily and inquired : "Going to eat nil that ? " "No , " responded the customer , "hut the family Christmas dinner occurs at my house this year. " Baltimore American. Tho Annual Greeting. "A Happy New Year to you ! " This is the greeting which is heard on every side as we cross the threshold of the new year. It has become a custom to repeat it. In many cases it has little meaning , and is nothing more than an empty compliment or an idle wish. How much do you mean SANTA CLAUS' BIG JOB. I j ! Said Santa Claus on Christmas eve , in jolly , good , rat jrl e. "To judge by all these stockings here , they've turned the hose on me. ' How glad he was now that he had ! He dropped a moderately heavy object into the toe of each stocking to hold it down then an orange t make it capacious. After this he slipped in a present for the sake of a surprise , and on top of the pres ent he put a layer of candy. He won dered that the "tick tick tick" of the candles as they dropped did not awaken the sleeping children. He was slow at the work. It was early down when he finished. He blew out the little night lamp and sank into a chair , burying his face in his hands , and his heart in memories. Suddenly he looked up and saw his three children standing about him in the arc of a circle. " ' " cried his eldest rush "It's papa , girl , ing into his arms. "Papa is Santa Claus. It is papa who has been so good to us and we haven't loved him. " "It's papa , " echoed the younger daugh ter. "Papa Santy Close , " said the boy. And they , too , sidled up to him and clung to him , their little eyes beaming with love. And then John Howard knew that Lis stocking had been filled , also with the love of his children. Criterion. The New STenr. List , the New Year bells are ringing To and fro , Messages of comfort bringing Clear and low. Dver mead and plain and valley , 5Vhere the forest giants rally , Jp through park and street and alley Paeans flow. List , the New Year bells an calling Far and near. by it ? It is very easy to repeat the formula. It is a very simple matter to buy .a New Year's card and enclose it in an envelope. But when you send this greeting , or speak it , do you regard it as a pledge or promise that you will do nothing to make the recipient of it un happy , and that you will do all in your power to relieve his anxieties and bring gladness to his heart ? Baptist Union. Triniminsr the Tree. IP x ! A .Real Saint. Old Santy Is no phantom prim The cheer he brings cures many Ills ; Thro' dreamland's door we follow him. And IOM the thought of New Year's bills. I j % k- | Christmas Feasting. I D.urinS the middle ages the whole Christmas season was given up to rev els and jollity , inwhich eating and drink- : ing had a prominent part. The Saxon i instinct of our English ancestors led them 'to ' make of every holiday an occasion for feasting. Plenty to eat and to drink was their idea of a festival , no matter how sacred might > e its associations. On Christinas they not only lined their stom achs with good capon , as did Shakspeare's justice , but stuffed themselves with all sorts of rich , nourishing food and strong ly compounded puddings and pies. Origin of Mince Pie. English plutn pudding and mince piea both owe their origin , or are supposed to , to an occurrence attendant upon the birth of Christ. The highly seasoned ingredi ents refer to the offering of ripic s frankincense and myrrh by the wise men of the East to the Christ Child. New York World. Giving Him a Chance. 1 "Harriet , you ought to grre me mr choice of a Christmas present once hi awhile. " "Well , Harry , I'm willing ; do you want a lamp shade , a sofa pillow or new lace curtains ? " Shattered. Her Ideals. Miss Askit Why is Miss Wonder 'so pessimistic about Christmas ? s Miss Tellit She hung up a $12 pahof silk hose last year , and some one stol them. them.What What would not wish you done to TOO * . eh ! do not unto others. OhineM.