TTTR OMAHA1 SUNDAY TTEE: PUCEfBETI I. IPOff.
For Ladies and Children
Tlie niont acceptable of ull Christinas I'nst'iits. Y liavt them in
stock, in nil the fashionable Furs ami latest shapes, Prices always
the lowest for reliable goods.
Genuine American Mink Scarfs,
up from . . . f
Jap Mink Scarfs,
up from
Siberian Squirrel Scarfs,
up from
Genuine Lvipzig dyeil black
Lynx, up from
Genuine Leipzig dyed blue
lynx, up from
$15
$5
$5
$15
$15
2
U50
vfi I " A Green Christmas 111 8 5 J
Christmas Presents for Men in Endless Variety
BUY AN ORDER FOR A HAT Good any Time on Presentation.
Jewelry, Neckwear, Hose, Shirts, Umbrellas, Handkerchiefs,
Suspenders, Fancy Vests, Etc., Etc.
LACK. The
And Men's Furnisher
107 SOUTH 16th STREET
How Christmas is Spent by Those that
t I1RISTMA8 at sex Is, so far as
I I the great majority of sailors ara
I 1 concprned, a myth created by the
MM
landlubber, and as purely a fic
tion of the brain as the phantom
ship. To bo cure, soma notice Is made ut
the festival on board the big pafiWinger
boats, and the rnon-of-warnian pets better
rations on that day; but the ordinary Jack
Tar, to him who mans the cargo ships,
whether under sail or steam, Christmas
day means little or nothing, unless he
thould happen to be axhore. It Is essen
tially a land feast, and Its celebration at
sea appears to be Ignored by the ship
owner. 1 More often than not Jack dixs
not realize that the day is Christmas, Ills
attention may be called to the fact, If he
be lueky, by the rook serving him with his
rations, a bit of duff with currants In It
ci:rrants, however, so few and far between
that the stulT is hardly distinguishable from
the creasy everyday duff. On still more
rare occasions, should the skipper's re
frigerator be In order, a piece of fresh
meat may take the place of the canned
goods, known to tars as "Harriet Ine,"
a womiiij of that name having been mur
dered in l.tveriiool about the time that
canned meat was Introduced on cargo ships.
Tars think It correct to believe that the re
mains of the deceased woman are served up
In the cans. On a few American ships
a double quantify of rum is served out,
but to the lirittsh sailor even this luxury
Is denied, thanks to the benevolent solici
tude of tin Temperance union.
As general rule, however, the fo'c's'le
on a tramp vessel lias to be a Untied on
Christmas day with the same old tough
and bitter beef, the same old biscuit;
the same fare upon which he has been
feeding for months. There Is no time for
him to envy the lot at leust for that
Christmas day, If he recalls that It la
Christmas dty of the pampered murderer
who Is shortly to die la the electric chair
at Slnr Sing, or the prisoner charged with
some heinous offense who feasts on turkey
stid mince pie In the Tombs, and reads In
the next morning's paper the menu of his
meaU You may trudge up and down South
street, or wherever the tramp samen con
gregate, buttonhole one tar after another,
and yen will hear the same uninspiring
tale about Christmas day at sea. lie will
not hltoh his trousers, he will not cry
"Shiver my Umbers," nor Indulge iu
strange oat ha as the sailor of oonilo opera
and melodrama does; he Is much more
likely to weep over the reminiscences of
his last Christmas day a' sea. If lie re
calls It at all. The mention of the feast
does not even Inspire him to spin a yarn
for the landlubber's edification, of how
ACCORDION, SUNBURST, SIDE
r AND - ' "
Dox Pleated Skirts Made to Order
Complete Garments a Specialty. Tailor-Made Buttous.
Box-Pleated ltuchlngs.
DYEING AND CLEANING
A Green Christmas
With a "Black" Hat
Keeps a man from being blue.
Did you ever think of that?
l " I Kpfln s man from hftlncf h1. Jf X.
lils skipper, like worthy Captain Reece,
R. N.,
Did all that lay within him to
Promote the comfort of his crew
and supplied the men with a Gargantuan
feast, or how he had enjoyed the luxury
of feeding on "the bo'sun tight" who
"much resembled pig."
Snare and Uelasloa.
On that ona subject, at any rate, the
tramp suanutn refuses to allow himself to
be carrieed eway by his imagination. He
aiul liis shipmates, with una acoord, agree
that ChriBlinas day at sea la a snare and
a delusion, but w hy it is not the happy and
lively affair the landsman has painted he
cannot explain. There is a tradition among
them that in old days great feasts were
given on th whalers, but the Jack tar of
that period hardly regarded the whaleman
as a sailor. It is a curious fact that Ciuist
mu has no place in the tar's folk-lore. In
a book on the legends and superstitions of
the sea and of sailors, written some years
ago by Lieutenant Bassett of the navy, who
had delved deeply into both ancient and
modern authorities on the subject, all the
author could find to say about Christmas
day was that "no fishing is done in Sweden
on Christmas, but its nets are set that night
for luck," and that ships' models figure in
one of the Brittany "pardons." Good Fri
day appears to have a far better show, for
there the Portuguese sailors flog an effigy
of Judas Iscarlot, but, on the other hand,
the seaman's superstition that It is unlucky
to start on a voyage on Friday has nothing;
whatever to do with the crucifixion as la
generally supposed. Kreya, the daughter Of
Niord, chief god of the oceanv is responsible
tor the tradition. She was worshipped by
sailors before the introduction of Christi
anity, and Friday was her fete day.
It seems strange that when the teach
ing of the church transferred the vows
and offerings that had been made to
heathen gods to the saints, no attention
should have been paid to the great feast of
the Christian year. The conservative mar
iner still retains memories of the power
ful gods whom his pagan predecessors
worshipped. Long after the Norsemen be
came Christians they called upon. Thor
when th.y found themselves in difficulties,
although they had been taught that Christ
stilled the waves and possessed power to
save them from peril. But Christ's birth
day does not enter Into the sailor's legen
dary lore, and It seems Impossible to dis
cover the reason for Its not doing so.
Sailor's sentiment.
The sailor, although he rarely makes a
parade of his te-ider feelings, or talks In
sentimental fashion, except when he Is
hitched to the eternal eulgma, hs plenty
riponglng and hlirlnkliiR fcs l-r yawl.
Send for price list and samples
Visitors cordially Invited to tall. ,
Ideal Pleating Go.
Successors to (
Tha Goldmsn Pleating' C.
Office. 200 Douglas Block
Opp. llayden Bros,
lei. 1U-I6. Otrr 1UT fctouth loth St Omahsu
Blatter
OMAHA
of sentiment It may hava withered in his
voluntary exile from home, but it Is not
destroyed. He may have been separated
for years from his friends, and have be
come an utter stranger to the voice of
sympathy, but his heart remains in the
right place. He may not be exactly a saint
when he finds himself on shore, in spite of
all the worthy attempts made to guide his
erring footsteps toward the narrow path,
but In the deep watches of the night mem
ory will take him back to the home of his
youth. Possibly the Image of a girl who
had captivated his heart and sworn to be
true, but had given her hand to a lub
berly landsman, will rise before him and
he grows sentimental. At least such Is
the verdict of the master of the ship who
had served before the mast for more than
twenty years. And then the sailor is the
most credulous of mortals. The literature
of every country In the world that has a
seaboard is crowded with his supersti
tions and filled with stories of the te
nacity with which he sticks to them. And
yet with all his lentlmental nature, with
Notable Christmas Days on
Illatorle Christmas Days.
m
IT IS singular that In the history
of the world since the Christian
era few important events have
happened on Christmas day, yet
the festival has been preceded
and followed by decisive battles, by trans
actions of mighty import and by move
ments of nations that have affected the fu
ture of millions of people. From the earli
est day it seems to have been understood
that wars were to be temporarily sus
pended and that a truce was to exist until
after the celebration of the birth of Christ.
There hava been exceptions to this, of
course, end the exceptions have in each
Instance been remarkable. The 1900 Christ
mas will be remembered and recorded In
histories for the benefit of those to come
as the day whloh recorded the restoration
of tranquility between Spain and the
United States, which gave to tha Filipinos
and Porto Rlcans a freedom they could
never hava hoped to gain for themselves.
Going back to tha first observance of
Christmas day It Is found that December IS
was not looked upon as tha birthday of
Christ. Until 137 A. D. various days were
celebrated by various people, but Pope
Julius I caused an investigation of all tha
authorities to be made, with tha result
that December K waa decided upon. The
first observances were very simple, but at
tha years passed and Christian people in
creased In numbers ths day became one
of more Importance. In tQ while devout
Romans were celebrating Christmas their
emperor, Marcus Aurelius Carus, was
killed by lightning beyond the Tigris. De
cember i. am, Clovla, tha first Christian
king of France, was crowned at Rhelms.
On the same day in the year SuO Charles,
king of France, was crowned by Pope Ieo
at Roma as emperor of tha west, and the
people combined the festivities of Christ
mas with those incident to tha imperial oc
casion. December 26, S20, Leo, emperor of
Constantinople, was assassinated. He was
an Armenian by birth, but by his valur
became general of tha Roman armies. He
prevailed upon his troops to proclaim him
emperor. The Christians were greatly In
censed at tills and It was decided that he
should die at Christmas, which he did.
Mnetloa rl a frowning.
December 9 William of Normandy was
crowned at London. There was great
tumult. It Is not definitely known whether
the people were enraged because their
church festivities had been Interrupted or
whether they were dissatisfied with their
new ruler, but William waa a shrewd pol
itician and to secure tha obedience of bla
tViT
Open
all the traditions with which the ocean
teems, the Jack tar has made no attempt
to clothe Christmas with folk-lore. There
Is but a plank between him and eternity,
and It Is the realization of this, according
to Gibbons, that has much to do with the
broad grain of superstition at one time un
doubtedly lurking in his nature. But it is
In the winds, the clouds, the waves, sun,
moon and stars that he seeks for signs,
and upon them his sentimentallsm settles
when he Is at sea. Why he has not spared
some of It for Christmas day passeth un
derstanding. J
On the IIIk Liners.
The celebration of Christmas on board
the great transatlantic liners appears to
be due more to the hospitality of the ship
owners than to any sentiment begotten by
the sailors out of the sea. Strangely enough,
although Englishmen have the credit of ob
serving Christmas day more inerrlly than
any other reople, yet less attention Is paid
to Christmas day on board the British
ocean steamers than on the German and
French. Englishmen, it Is true, are not
subjects he gave them a charter for a
Christmas present. December 24, 1440, Ollles
De Re'.z, the famous Bluebeard, was exe
cuted at Nantes for his horrible crimes.
Accounts of his exploits have been written
In every written language.
Harsb as It may seem In this enlight
ened age, there was wide rejoicing upon
the ioth of December, 1476, when an as
sassin's knife ended the life of Giulio
Maria Sforza., duke of Milan. He ha-1
rendered himself unpopulur by his ferocity
end dehiucN'ry. When the puritans came
to this county with their hatred of popery
they at once cut out Christmas from their
days of rejohiiig and substituted Thanks
giving. But. thanks to providence, the old
spirit which animated them haj pasped
away ami in no pluce In the world is thn
true Catholic sj.liit of (inistinas no much
In evidence us In this country.
On December Oliver Cromwell
was at'gry. Several congregations met in
London to celebrate the birth of the savior
and he dispersed tliem in no nentle manner.
Th:it whs not a very luippy Christmas
for the good people of England, but their
dtatppoiut nieiit and anger engendered de
termination und they observed the liny In
their hur.it ti. hid from the view of the
soldiers.
James, called -i.e pretender, designated
December '.'5. 171.", i9 the day to land at
Peterhead, where hi forthwith cnlablUhed
his enurt. On Christian day. V.&2, there
was a big I lot ut the Drury Ijine theater
The First Christmas Tree
The flist Christinas tree In the
United States. It Is ssserted by
the people t,f Wooster. O , was
Introduced In their town by
Aurust Imeard. who brouvht
the Idea from his former home In Germany.
For more than hilf a century Mr. fugard
hi.s been familiarly known among a large
circle as the "Father of the Chrintnns
Tree." He died at the ,ine of i. having
lived In Wooster more than tixty years.
Few people of the p:e-,.nf day realize
that the CUrUtmas tree Ik a comparatively
lecent feature In this countr). In early
days there was a strong aversion to the
observance of Christmas after the manner
lu which it was celebrated In many parts
of Europe, or. In fact, to any observance
at all. It Is even declared that the New
England Thanksgiving was established to
counteract the growing tendency to ob-
Genuine Alaska Seal C'onts, CIV'S
up from pl i D
Genuine Persian Lamb Coats, C "7 C
up from y I f
Genuine Otter C'onts, P
up from XtmD
Genuine Bearer Coats. 517 5
up from $ i J
Southern ifeaver Coats, C Cft
up from 14) JU
Siberian fiqulrrH Coal, fl C
up from P0 J
Electric Seal Coats.
up from $J
Near Seal Ooats, fl T C
up from PJD
Sabl Coney Coats,
up from $mJ
Genuine Royal Ermine Scarfs, CIA
up from vJjIU
White Arctic Fox Scarfs, CI C
up from Alt)
Russian and Hudson Bay Cft
Scarfs, up from pJ
Sable Fox Scarfs, single, fl (?
up from pD
Isabella and Sable Fox Scarfs, CIO.
double, up from tpIU
Genuine Black Marten Scarfs, 7 C rt
up from I ,D U
313-515 South Sixteenth
Evenings
Go Down
overburdened with sentlmentallsm, but
what little they possess they certainly pro
duce on Christmas day when on shore,
whether at horns or In foreign climes. On
the Peninsular & Oriental steamers going
from England to India and on those bound
for Australia the day Is made much of,
but on Cunarders and White Star boats the
only attention paid to It Is that turkey, an
American and not a British institution by
the way. Is served in the first and second
cabins, likewise plum pudding; but as that
delectable, if indigestible, dish is supplied
regularly once a week on these ships, its
appearance on Christmas day can hardly be
accepted as a particular compliment to the
feaet. For the crews nothing out of tho
way is provided, and the only reminder
they have of what the day means Is tha
holly and mistletoe they may have them
selves brought from the old country.
It will sound strange to those whose
knowledge of France and Frenchmen has
been gathered In Paris, at Trouvllle or Dl
nard, at Biarritz or on the Riviera, that
Which World History Has Been Made
in London. The people had begun to make
the occasion one of genera rejoicing and
amusement and they wanted to be admitted
to the performance at half price, but the
n anapers were selfish and knew there
would be a rush and Insisted upon main
taining tho scheduled rates. The result
was that the theater was nearly torn down
i nd the players prevented from acting.
la Revolutionary .Times.
Christmas night, 1776, Washington crossed
tiie Dvluwure and the next day occurred
the battle of Trenton. The Hessians were
surprised. They took it for granted that
tho revolutionary army would rest upon
Its arms and allow them to spend their
Christmas in peace, but Washington con
cluded that the deed would be bettered
by the day and he loaded his small army
Into bouts and crossed the Icy wuters of the
muddy river. He reckoned correctly and
the result of his daring maneuver was
that he attacked Colonel Ruhlle at sun
tine. The commanding oflicer and twenty
of the enemy were killed and 1,0x1 taken
prisoners. Two Americans were killed and
two were frozen to death. Washington's
valor, however, saved the American cause.
He had found It difficult to secure recruits,
but this coup brought hhn thousands of
volunteers. The spirits of the colonists had
leen drooping for sometime and the Christ
mas day preceding the battle of Trenton
was one i.f the gloomiest In the history of
the United Slates. The previous Christmas,
seive Christmas. All Yuletlile festivals
were, therefore, slow lu making their ap
pearance In the United states, but the
Christmas tree came last of ail. In Europe
the Christmas tree was first established in
Rome, and from there it was introduced
Into Germany.
American forests are being stripped of
timbers suitable for Christmas trees.
Maine studs out nearly ,'il,(n a year.
Vermont has flipped M0.ft) mere saplings
for a single holidey season. In Cnluiad)
lvO.OCM evergreen trees are sacrificed every
year for the need of that state alone,
causing no little alarm among those who
realize what the loss of the timber supply
will mean. In Michigan there are com
panies making a business of raising trees
especially for Chi 1st mas and ship to New
York, Boston and other eastern point.
Sable OpoHRiini Scarf, 72-ln. long;, regu
lar $7.50 quality,
tbis week
We hnve Muffs to match all scarfs, la
the new pillow and saddle shape.
Firs for Men
Genuine Seal Caps. from. . . 5 t0 SIS
Fur Gloves from. . .$2,30 to $12.00
Fur Animal Rus
Suitable for parlor, don or bedroom
prices from $3.00 to $30
We would ask an early selection; havo
them laid alde and we will deliver up
to noon Christmas day.
Ihtiikeirt
Manufacturing
o the Sea
on board the boats that fly tha tricolor
good cheer prevails mora than on any that
cross the Atlantic. It Is in the retirement
of provincial life that tha real French
Christmas is celebrated. Formerly called
tha Cri da Joie, it has now become more
sedate, and is a religious fete, accompanied
by a reunion of families. It Is nothing
like the boisterous feast Indulged in by the
Americans and English, but It has Its Santa
Onus in Noel, the Christ -child, who brings
the children toys; Its carols, and In the
south Its mystery plays, and as family ties
are so strong In the French bourgeoisie the
fact that It Is the one day In the year when
children, their parents, their grandps rents,
aunts, uncles and cousins are gathered
together, gives It a sentiment that the
Frenchman far from home does not forget.
And so It Is that on the French bouts high
Jinks are held on Christmas day, for, of
course, the seamen almost Invariably come
from the provinces. The goose Is to tha
Frenchman at Christmas what the turkey
is to us on Thanksgiving; day, and a plen
however, was equally distressing. The
American revolution had Just begun, and,
looking into the future, Washington and
his adherents rould not foresee the victory
oi Trenton. December 26, 1777, found the
continental army at Valley Forge, where
the shabbily clothed and poorly fed sol
diers virtually froze or starved. Martha
Washington was with her gallant husband,
but there were no Christmas presents. The
festivities were confined to religious wor
ship. In tho not far distant city of Phila
delphia tha Britishers had con I neat oil warm
houses, good things to eat and were as
happy as they could wish to be, spending
the holidays lit riotous living, dancing and
all kinds of diversion and merriment.
.4 Fortentlona Day.
December 25, 177s, was another poiten
tious dsy for tha Americans. The British
were preparing to enter Savannah, having
obtained the services of a disloyal negro,
who was guiding them to a weak point
in the American lines. A battle wo Im
pending, all were tilled with dread and the
celebrations of Christmas larked the spon
taneous happiness that will be universal
this month.
On December X, 17S0, England had de
clared war against Holland and the Ameri
cana were more hopeful. December V,
1781, the Americans, under Morgan, were
daily expecting to fight the British under
Tarleton at Cowpens. but the battle (lid
not occur until January 17. This same
TTT
Locksmith
Keys of All Kinds
' Guns and Revolvers Repaired
C. R. Heflin
1324 Farnam St..
Up.tair. 'Phone Doug. 2974
rxr
$4.95
St.
Furrier
in Ships
tiful supply Is provided for tha crews and
even the Immigrants on the French boata
A better red wine than tha vln ordinaire li
given to the sallonnen and they also In
dulge In champagne. The passengers ara
given the best the commlssalre can provide
and a danco winds up tho festivities.
No German can do without his tree on
Christmas eve, and on tho German steam
ers even the immigrants are provided with
a Christ-beum. Most of the sailors, If not
all, come from the northern provinces of
the empire, and as good pork and red cab
bage Is the national dish of that part of the
country, the crew is given as much of It
as they can eat.
There Is one thing that German sailors
who have lived on the Baltic avoid on
Christmas day if they possibly can and
that Is sneezing. Why they should hava
selected that particular day to refrain from
the act, tradition does not relute, but then
the same can be said of pretty nearly every
sallorman's superstition. New York Even
ing Post.
year the states were at Christmas time
considering the ratification of articles of
confederation. December 26, 1781, the dele
gates to the convention at Philadelphia -had
assembled and were framing the
glorious constitution that guarantees to all
citizens life, liberty and the pursuit of hap
piness. . When the next Christmas had coma '
around the constitution had two daya be
fore been ratified by eleven of the statea
and the people were discussing the action
of those states which had refused or ne-
Kleeted to get in line. But in 178a Wash
ington had been elected the first president
of the United States, the constitutional
congress had been superseded by tha first
congress under the constitution and tha,
people of the country were looking for
ward to the ceremonies of the inaugural.
December 'Si, IsOO, Frenchmen in Paris
were talking of an attempt that had been
made to assassinate Bonaparte by an In
ternal machine. December 25, 184, Spain
and England were at war. The following
Christmas. 1M6, France and Russia had
decided upon peace. December 1807, the
lople of the United States were agiteted ,
by a congressional bill to- abolUh tha slave
' trade. In 1M2 another war was being
wagtd between Kuigland and tha United
Bis, u. The treaty of Ghent, by which that
war was ended, was signed Christmas eve. ,
On December 1'4, 1K44, the Morse telegraph
was eiH liiiuiiii d with between Baltimore
and Washington, and on Christmas day
messages ware successfully dispatched.
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