;
Conservative , 9
a rhapsody on the charm of snowy
landscapes niid frozen brooks ; while
"Snowdrift" is a poem by Joel Benton -
ton , and " Christmas Greens" an in
structive article about the trees and
foliage of mountain and swamp that
contribute to the brilliance of the holiday -
( day season.
The story of the' ' Caterpillar's Winter
Home" is told with a scries of photo
graphs showing the spinning of the co-
coon.
Among other leading features are
the "Chesterbrook Stock Farm , " by
Francis Nelson Barksdalo , which tells
how A. J. Cassatt , president of the
Pennsylvania railroad , raises blooded
horses , cattle and sheep on his famous
blue grass estate in eastern Pennsyl
vania , and "A Flower of the Million
and of the Millionaire , " which is the
title of the two large photographic
studies of geraniums and orchids.
Henry Troth's superb series of photo
graphs , entitled"Harvesting , " which
won the first prize in the recent
Country Life photograph competition ,
> are presented ; and A. Radclyffe Dug-
more contributes two wonderful pho
tographs of live fish amid all the
beauty of their natural surroundings.
"A Plea for Gay Little Gardens"
offers suggestions that will add color
and cheer to the home. "On the Making -
/ ing of the Herbaceous Borders" is an
\ appreciative discussion of the out door
horticulturaUdisplay at the Pan-Amer
ican Exposition ; while plant growing
in garden , field and green house is
treated in many practical aspects with
numerous illustrations , and ' ' Storing
and keeping Fruits and Vegetables
is a long and comprehensive article
by John Craig , a well known auth
ority. ' ' The Lesson of the Abandoned
Farms" is the subject of Mr. Bailey's
editorial , and he draws some interest
ing conclusions concerning the profits
and successes of rural living. In
short , this now magazine shows a
sympathy for the work and pleas
ure of the out door world , and cer
tainly deserves the immediate and
splendid success the publishers claim
for it.
CHRISTMAS METHODS.
As the great day of gifts approaches ,
the children , the little childrei
whose happiness is a study to some
body , feel the all-pervading presence
of the mysterious Santa Glaus. Ho is
watching all their movements ; he
likely to be behind any door or in anj
closed room ; any rustling of soot ii
the chimney , or unusual sound any
where about the house , is easily foist
ed off upon Santa Glaus' shoulders.
How admirably childlike this is , and
how pretty it is to see the little ones
in their credulous little plans and
speculations , and their older brother
and sisters carefully watching lest the
ancient deception petexploded too soon !
And how nicely tire little co'medy is
rounded off on Christmas morning
with the bare-foot ruslfto the fire
place and the exploiting o'hO won1-
derful stockings ! t
This is all very natural and sifftyjo. ,
There is nothing in it beyond
ihild's comprehension , the whole *
thing fits in perfectly into his mental
world. Moreover it is sane and
wholesome. The children pass into
the midst of their delights directly
from their sleep , then they have their
breakfast , and settle down to a day of
enjoyment and smashing of their new
possessions.
With a Christmas tree everything is
different. It begins at the wrong end.
There are a great many serious objec
tions to Christmas trees , and the wise
and prudent are abandoning them.
They are never an entire success , for
one thing. Look back at your own
childhood ; was the tree you had
looked forward to for so loner , ever
what your youthful fancy had painted
it ? Yon sweated and worried about
it all day until your nerves Avere on
edge , and you probably had several
quarrels and cries ; and if you broke
into the room where it was being pre
pared , you got scolded and spanked.
When the tree was finally thrown open
to the public you danced and shouted ,
but by the time the presents were dis
tributed you found that the ones you
had admired most on the tree were
for somebody else. Then there was
nothing left but to go to bed , which
you probably did with a painful feel
ing of disillusion and disappointment.
These are sentimental objections ,
but sentiment and the children's
pleasure are all there is to the day.
There remain two very serious counts
against the Christmas tree for the
grown people's consideration ; one is
the danger of fire and the other is
the folly of destroying a young tree ,
a hopeful life , to give half an hour'
dubious enjoyment to children who
will need the tree a great deal more
twenty years from now. Let us be
reasonable ; stuff the children's heads
with Santa Glaus lore and their stock
ings with goods after their kind , but
let the Christmas tree pass , as a thing
altogether inappropriate , out of date
and foolish.
ROOSEVELT LIKE THE EARLY PRESI
DENTS.
"You see the president , but vou al
so see Mr. Theodore Roosevelt , with
a dienity really the greater and the
more impressive because it is not offi
cial , but the natural manner of the
man. He does not seem weary. He
is busy , very busy ; is earnest , very
earnest ; but .he has the manner of a
man who likes his work. You recall
the campaign story that was told of
lim when a sympathetic soul expressed
deep regret that ho had been obliged to
get up from his bed in his car and
nako his fourteenth speech of that
day's journey and to shake hands
with another crowd. 'No , ' said he ,
'dpn't feel sorry for mo ; I like it. '
/"JBorn of a distinguished family ,
) u thd most democratic of men by
uibit of mind and by versatility of ac-
; iou , youthful , physically alert , rapid
in thought , earnest and in love with
life and work these characteristics
of the president have already made a
cheerful impression on the public
mind.
"Such is the man who is president
of the whole people and not of one
section or of one party only. It is a
true saying by the London Spectator
that he is far more like the men of the
first three decades of the republic
than the convention-made presidents
of the modern times. Ho is like the
early Virginians , too , in his social
crace and tact. " December World's
Work.
THE TERRORS AND COST OF MOD
ERN WARFARE.
The terrors and cost of modern war
fare have been' described with great
fidelity by the Polish author Bloch.at
whose instance , it is said , the czar of
Russia was moved' to call the peace
conference at The Hague. Jf M.
Blocli had to write his book now , ho
would find some additional material
of great value in the current report of
the American Secretary of the Inter
ior , who tolls us that our pension list
contains 4,000 names in excess of any
previous year , and that the number of
claims pending at the beginning of the
present fiscal year was 408,509. About
one-half of these were claims for in
crease of pensions from persons already
on the rolls. The amount disbursed
for pensions during the year ( the thir
ty-sixth after the close of the Civil
War ) was $188,531,484. Even more re
markable than this aggregate showing
is the piling up of pension claims as a
result of disabilities incurred in the
war with Spain. About 20 per cent
of all the men enlisted have filed
claims for a war that began only three
years ago. Gnly 0 per cent of soldiers
of the Civil War had entered claims
in 1872 , eleven years after the begin
ning of that war. Many claimants
for disability in the later war were
filed a few days ago after the claimants
had been examined by army surgeons
for discharge , and had been found ab
solutely free from ailment of any kind.
The history of one volunteer regi
ment which served six months is cited
in the secretary's report , where 477
claims for disability have been filed ,
out of a total enlistment of 58 officers
and 987 men over 50 per cent of
claimants in three years , as compared
with G per cent in eleven years after
the beginning of the Civil War.
These terrors of war do not come
within the scope of M. Bloch's vol
ume because the nations of Europe do
not tolerate fraud in their pension
rolls. New York' Evening Post.
. . . .
w \T JEd ( A
