Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 12, 1909, EDITORIAL, Page 2, Image 10

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    THK OMAHA SUNDAY I'.KH: DECEMBER 12. 1909.
Christmas Hymnology
A Literature to Which Christiana of All Denomination! Hare Con
tributed and in Which People of All Faiths Are Interested.
O
N ('HIllSTM AH day In the year
1.106 dlrd Jaropo del Renedettl,
the author of the "Stabat
Mater." It 1 tiot generally
known that this singer was the
author of a Christmas carol
written In the aame strain an hi beautiful
liymn for Passlontlde. It rutin thin:
81a hat Mater apeciosa
Junta foenum gaudiosa
Dum p:;rbat. parvuius
which Dr. J. M. Neale rend""!:
Full of hrauty stood the Mot!ir
fcy the mangel, beet o'er other,
Where her little one she lays.
It lit a pathetic incident In connection
with this "arol that Its author breathed
his last on the holy night of the Natlvltjt
s the choir win chanting the old C'hrlat
nias carol "Gloria In Kxcelsis" In the
(hutch clone by. Mis last words were
Jesu nostra fldanza." lie was burled In
the cenif-tery of the Minorites at Calloione,
and on hit tomb I inscribed "Stullus
piopttr C'hrlKtm nova mundutn arte delimit
et caelum rapult."
It Is st mime that while Ilt-glnald Heber
t as actually engaged In the compilation
of a "Church Hymnul" at the time that he
waa appointed bishop of Calcutta, neither
Ills Kaster hymn nor his Christmas carol
finds a place In the "Church Hymnal."
And yet the following verses serin sin
gularly suited to a money making age like
t ho present:
If gayly clothed and proudly led.
In dangerous wealth we dwell,
Remind us of Thy manger bed
And lowly cottage cell.
to our sorrow, but still he Is human," says
the Post. "Can he be thrown off like a
mall bs or must he be reasoned with and
Induced to tarry by the wayside? Does he
lose his rlirhts as passenger towvrd a com
mon carrier berause his skin Is Mled with
alcoholic refreshment? And where is the
point at which he Is Intoxicated ?" New
York Tribune.
If prest with poverty severe,
In envious want to pine.
Oh. may the Hpirlt whisper near,
How poor a lot whs Thine.
'I he most ancient Christmas hymn In the
"American Church Hymnal"' is that by
Aurellus Clemens Prudentlus. who was
' born In fpaln and was a very distin
guished Jurist In hla day. It Is rendered
by Dr. Neale:
Of the Father's will begotten
Kre the worlds began to be.
ilia hymn found under those assigned
(or the Epiphany Is also a Christmas carol,
beginning:
Earth haa many a noble city
Bethlehem thou dost all excel.
The English version of tne hymns Is by
an American hyninologist, Kdmund Cas
well, to whose pen we are Indebted for
tlie carol, "Com hither, ye faithful,"
which cannot be traced further back than
the close of the sixteenth century, al
though it haa an ancient ring about it
which would place II much earlier. Father
oakley, who left the Church of England
at the time of the Tracturian movement,
has given us a carol running very much
In the same strain. "Oh, come, all ye
faithful, Joyful and triumphant," which oil
account of its spirited refrain is one of the
most popular Christmas hymns.
John Byrom, a poet and essayist of some
distinction, who lived In Manchester, Ens
land, from ltffll to 1IW, and whose aged
daughter, the present writer, had the honor
of meeting in her home in Deanagate of
that city about 18MS, is the author of what
ia probably the best of the Christmas
songs: v
Christians, awake, salute the happy morn
Whereon the Saviour of mankind was born.
Mr. Byrom's "Private Journal and Cor
respondence" are of peculiar Interest, for
he was not only a scholar., but a man of
wit and 'observation.
Two well-known Christmas carols In tho
"Church Hymnal" are from the pen of a
Unitarian minister. Dr. Edmund Hamilton
Hears, a man of a devout and spiritual
mind and a graceful and vigorous writer.
The, first Is the popular hymn beginning:
It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old.
And the other begins:
Calm on the listening ear of night
Comes heaven's welcome strain.
The beautiful carol so popular In both
school and home which Dr. Phillips Brooks
wrote as he stood In tha fields of Bethle
hem and looked down on the little city,
will live In history. There Is nothing
finer bi the whole circle of Christmas
-.-arols: '
Oh. little town of Bethleliem.
How still we see thee lie;
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by;
Yet in thy dark streets vhlnetli
Tha everlasting light.
Another American clergyman who has
given us a good Christmas carol is Dr.
Augustus Muhlenberg, the founder of the
Church of the Holy' Communion, New
York; Ut. Luke's hospital and the set
tlement at St. Johnsland on Long Island.
Its spirited refrain makes It very popular:
Hhout the glad tidings, exultlnglv sing
Jerusalem triumphs, MesHiah Is Kin;!
There are two more carols by American
authors, Mrs. Alexander's "Once In David's
Royal City," and John Cawood's "Hark,
the Hound of Holy Voices."
Fifty years ago the great Christmas
hymn was that by Charles Wesley. In
fact, no Christmas day was celebrated
without It. Its strains are still familiar:
Hark the herald angels King
'jlory to the new born King.
Hut this ell known hymn is antedated
by that from tha pen of Kahum, TatX
who was poet laureate of England when
he wrote It In the year 1703. The poor
poet died in a debtor'a prison In South
wark In 1715, when "devout women not a
few" were alnging hymns In the churches
close by.
Charlotte Elliot, the bedridden poetess,
who has given us "Just as I Am," has
also bequeathed to the church a Christ
mas carol. "Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne
and Thy Kingly Crown."
The earliest Christmas hynui was un
doubtedly the "(llorla In ExcelBle," which
was probably one of the hymns which the
Christians were singing in church at
Christmas In Nocamodla when Diocletian,
the emperor, ordered the church to be
closed and the whole congregation, young
and old, burned to death.
"It Is strange that while we know that
Christmas and the Epiphany were cele
brated by the singing of hymns, no ancient
carols have come down to us.
There Is an old carol dating from the
fifteenth century which has the "Gloria In
Excelsls" for a refrain. It begins:
A Babe was born all of a maid
To bring salvation unto us.
No more are we to sing afraid
Vent creator Splrltus.
One of the best carols of the Elizabethan
period Is that by Robert Southwell, a Jesuit
priest who was sent to convert England,
but who was seized by her Protestant
majev.cy Elisabeth and Imprisoned In the
Tower for three years, and then after suf
fering the tortures of the rack was exe
cuted February 22. 15M. It begins:
Behold, a simple tender Babe
In freealrg winter night;
In homely manger trembling lies,
Alas, a piteous sight.
During the protectorate of Oliver Crom
well the observance of Christmas was for
bidden and yet there Is a Christmas carol
from the Puritan pen of George Withers
who was enriched and promoted by Crom
well and thrown Into prison by Charles, li
b6irs: '
As on the night, before this happy morn i
A blessed angel unto shepherd (old.
Bishop Christopher Wordsworth of Lin
coln lias given us the hymn beginning
"Hlng, oh sing, this blessed morn!" Miss
Elliott, tho author of "Just As I Am."
wrote "Thou didst leave Thy throne and
Thy kingly crown." James Montgomery,
w To was considered one of England's moil
eminent poets by no less an authority than
Lord Byron, Is the author of tho carol
beginning "Angels from the realms of
glory."- Montgomery was born of Moravian
parents and dedicated to tho ministry, but
he took up newspaper work Instead and
became eminent In general literature as
will as In poetry.
Faul Gerhardt. to" whom we are Indebted
for the Easter hymn ' Jesus Lives." has
also plven n a spirited Christmas carol
beginning "All my heart this night rejoices."
In the midst of the warlike strife he
tween King Charles and his parliament in
the year l2it John Milton found both
leisure and repose to write his hymn, "On
the morning of the nativity," In which
there tie evidently references to the dis
turbed conditlor. of things at that time,
e. g.:
No war or battle sound
Was heard the world around.
In the compilation of those Christinas
odes the true catholicity of "the theology
oi uymns is evident, for among their
w i Iters are two English bishops, oneJrishop
of the Americai church. Roman t'athollc
monks and prlesta. Unitarian ministers,
Moravians and Lutherans; In fact he
whole circle of Christian believers has been
searched in order to express In the service
of song the Joys and the peace of Christmas
tide.
WHERE STIFF BREEZES BLOW
Thlngta that Happen tkrn a West
Indian Hurricane Gets llosy In
Jsmarla.
"Have you ever' been through a West
Indian hurricane?" said a member of a
party discussing the recent storm in Ja
maica. "Do you want to know what the
experience is like?"
"A hurricane will leap out of a clear
aky. swoop down on a city, blow every
thing In Its path flat and pass on. Then
follows the tall of the hurricane, a stonily
breeze blowing In the same direction, but
at a much lower velocity. This Is likely
to continue for many hours, sometimes for
many days, and Is always accompanied by
a torrential downpour of rain.
"I was In Kingston, Jamaica, at tire time
of the hurricane of 1903. At 3 o'clock In
the aftmoon 1 was In my office on the
top floor of a rickety wooden building.
As suddenly as a chip of thunder the
room went lsrk.
"I had a pretty good Idea of what was
about to happen, ami going to the window
looked out across the roofs. A blsck cloud
hud whirled up out of the southwest, ob
scuring the sun, but the mountains back
of tho city were still golden with light.
"In less than a quarter of an hour the
w ind reached us. The first structure that
went Wns a wooden watch tower about
."Ml feet high, that had been used In the
old days to locate ships approaching the
harbor. It hod weathered all previous
hurricanes, but this time It went down
like a houe of cards. Hpars of lumber
from that lower Were carried as (nr si
twenty blocks before they came to the
ground.
"Then the spire of a church went, the
roofs of u good many realdemes were
torn oft' and some fine palm trees In the
public gardens snapped off about tialf
way from the ground. Buildings In King
ston, however, are calculated to stand a
pretty severe blow. They are built only
a few stories high and the roofs present
a broad and comparatively flat surface
to the wind. Considering the velocity at
which that hurricane was traveling the
damage was not great, even my rrssy
office building withstood It: but the tell
of the thing followed, with a heavier rain
than t have over seen before or since. To
Bay that It came down In bui-krtfuls would
be mild. It was as If the clerk of the
weaiher had taken the plug out of some
huge vat suspended above our beads and
allowed the water to plump straight down
on us
"In three hours the macadam on the
atreeta had been washed Into the harbor.'
The street outside my window was a rush
ing river as much as four feet 1eep In
places. I saw a cart try to cross It. but
with the water above the axle of the
wheel and the horse's legs being washed
away from under It. it was an Impossible
task, and the driver turned bark. Big
casks and packing cases were dancing on
the surface like corks.
As you can Imagine, I did not get home
to supper that evening. It was S o'clock
before the rain stopped and tha water in
the streets bad drained Into the harbor.
Even then traffic had not begun to reor
ganize Itself.
"The trolley car tracks had been washed
out aiufno cars were running. Cabs, how
ever, were doing a rosrtng business, and
eventually I got a cabman to drive me
home for three times his customary
rharge.
"Tho damage to property In Kingston
mounted up to hundred of thousands of
dollars, but the real destruction was
wrought In the country districts. Floods
wiped out many a negro village and sent
the flimsy houses flouting down the riv
ers. The railroads were tied up for nearly
a week. Every banana tree In the path
of the hurricane was uprooted. Oh, yes,
aWest Indian hurrlci.ie can do a lot of
damage when It gets busy.
"Iab of life, did you aay? Of course
there wns. Nearly 200 people were killed
throughout the Island on that occasion,
but we grow accustomed to that In the
West Indies. We expect a hurricane every
once In a while and we know that it will
take Its toll of human life when It comes.
It yon had been telling the story you
would probably have mentioned that first
of all, but sudden death Is so common
below the Tropic of Cancer that we get
callous, I suppose."
Chamberlain's Liniment haa an enviable
reputation aa a cure fur rheumatism.
THE MODERN SANTA CLAUS.
Thev've pasteurised the bnby's gnib,
And sterlllr.-il bis tattle,
Thev've antl. 'ptliized Ms tub.
Arid dramatised his prat 'I".
The nursery now hns padded walls
To giMid the tiny filsUers;
And stauta Clans wears, when he calls.
Patent Asbestos Whiskers!
A tear for childhood's vanished Joys,
Fnknown to modern babies;
Gone are the germ-Infected toys,
The pup's gone he had tallies!
The antiseptic teething ring.
Aseptic bells to JtUKle:
They rule, and now they fireproof
The whiskers of Kriss-Krltigle!
No more the tiny tots with glee.
At such a sight amaiina
Will dap their little hands to s.r
Old Santa's whiskers lil.ir.lns:
No more turn in the third alarm
The tree. Itself, caught nlwas:
The modern Santa, free from harm,
Wears now. Asbestos Oalwuvs:
A. S. Pestoa.
Desperate ghootlng
pains in the chest require quick tteatmen
with Dr. King's New Discovery. Preventi
pneumonia. We and Jl.flO. For snle b;
Beaton Drug Co.
'
1 """ - '- - 1 ' 1 - . ' -'- t""i ".-u : '"ii ; " , - - .. , -i ' , "5 , -. ...l.:t." l -i .
jP
M TM ftoce for Umisial (Gils . iS"
The ordinfiry store, niter all, is laden with "humdrum," every day sort of gifts, but if you would meet with
refreshing ideas in lines you hadn't thought of, then see Omaha's first and only "sjeecialty" house that's THIS
establishment. Many of the lines shown here are useful ones for that reason making sensible gifts. Others,
such as phonographs are intensely entertaining. At any rate, surprise yourself on the scope of our assortments.
A 11 'A tfijc, lfllJtlL MM I This Week a Huge
z7 a bnnsimas mm worm wnue
VII a WVIIIJIV16 MGIIUIIIU
EDISON PHONOGRAPH
and Outfit, as listed here:
A Knotty Problem.
The Htate Railroad commission of Massa
chusetts has a knotty problem to solve
Just what are the rights of a drunken man
on a public conveyance. Th r,..n.. i...
been put up to the board by a transit com
pany that has had more than its share of
troubles and suits over ejected "tanks."
The Boston Punr hjtn u. .L.
L i, ovrburdened wayfarer trying to
..u.mc o.u uru, -wa an Know him,
Any Woman Can
Have Beautiful Hair
ft
I "Edison" Phonograph.. $15.00
(5 Records, your own choice, 2.10
1 improved Edison reproducer.
1 bottle phonograph oil.
1 improved Edison oil can.
1 nickel plated Edison crane.
Genuine Edison product.
Equipped to play'both two and four
minute records, Edison's latest accomplishment.
Piano Sale
$27
Takes Choice of
50 Fine Sewing
Machines.
From now until Christmas we will
offer a sewing machine sale entirely un
usual to Omaha. Fifty high graded ma
chines that have been consigned to our
country agents during the year, have
been called In for an annual checking up,
and now that the checking has been ac
complished they will be Immediately dis
posed of at a true sacrifice price to
clean up old stocks.
Among the fifty machines are only
standard makes of known worth, all
BRAND new, and only a little shopworn.
Any machine In the lot is of the grade
that agents usually sell at from 144.00
to $50.00, and every machine cornea com
plete with all attachments and ia rigidly
guaranteed by us.
tFroin French Beauty Monthly.)
"No woman should use water upon her
hair oftener than once in two months,"
says M. Kournier, the iioted French sci
entist. "Dry powder only should be used.
Moisture causes the hair to lose Its color
and In tiifte become thin.
"Any woman desiring abundant, lus
trous hair should use a dry shampoo
every two or three days. Mix four ounces
of powdered orris root with four ounces
of therox. Sprinkle about a tablespoon
ful of this mlxturo upon the head; then
brush the powder thoroughly through the
hair. This will keep It light and fluffy,
and beautifully lustroui. You will soon
see new hair starting to grow. This treat
ment the only thing that I .am sure
will produce a growth of hair.
"While plain orris root Is used as a dry
shampoo by many women; still, no such
results can be obtained as by using the
formula I have given." Adv.
buys this un
equalled home
entertainer. O n
the easiest kind
of payments if
you wish.
.CVS17.10
YOU'VE WANTED OXE
EOlt MANY A YEAH
XOW HEHE IS YOUR OI'-IHJKTUXITY.
$160
On Pianos
You'll Save
at Least ...
llfkllA uaU a vnuf Mil m It AT rt f
i W II i its w 7 rT7i i ci ' not, iiu - i
pianos during the year, the line Is
still a side Issue with us and we do
not find it necessary1 to derive as
MUCH profit from their sales as do
exclusive piano houses.
For this reason we are enabled to offer
you a new WL'KLITZKR PIANO,
slightly marred In shipment, but still
ofa strict $400 grade, at, 225
Then, too. we've a first class, finely put
up. RKGENT PIANO, that has been
worn some little in our sales room
while being used as a sample. This
instrument, while or undoubted
$350 grade, will go at..
A PARLOR ORGAN, used a little time
only, but worth almost its original
.eost price of $75.00, will S130
rr
$210
go at, only.
1
Typewriters Cut for
Christmas
OLIVER Typewriters No. 3. that fac
tory agenta aell at $97.60, are fROfJ
here, slightly used, at T
HM1TH PREMIERS go at only $35
REMINGTONS go at only 135
L. C. SMITHS go al only $45
UNDERWOODS go at only $345
In addition to these, we offer equally
good bargains ln 50 'other typewriters
all in fine condition and only slightly
used. i
Rare Opportunity to Get Valuable Gifts
at a Saving of 4jc on' the Dollar
We have accumulated a large and valuable stock of rare
pieces of Jewelry since the panic which we will sell this
week as holiday and wedding presents. The ttock embraces:
DIAM ND RINGS
SUO Dia&und. King for $10 I $50 Diamond King for $30
$40 Diamond King for 3S I $100 Diamond King for $65
All diamond brooches, diamond link buttons, diamond ptns,
earrings, studs, rings, of which there la an immense stock,
also a large line of bracelets, combs, gold set rings, gold
fobs, silverware, cut glass and toilet articles and all. will be
sold at a saving of 40c on the dollar.
Com early and make your selections to be laid aside
for yon.
BRODKEY JEWELRY CO., wWllHhST
Two national Cash Registers Cheap
TE
Two "National" Cash IlfglHterg, which we have taken in on trade deals,
for our famed "American" KeglHtertt, are here and In the way, and must
he sold. They are in good condition and if we
dispose of them quick we will take HALF the
maker's price, $50 and
Man's Bicycle at $25
for Christmas
MEN'S "20TH CENTURY" bicycles, full
size, with coaster brake and choice of
bars and saddle, new, in positive $:iu
grades, will make an excellent C9R
Xmas gift, at
CHILDREN'S WHEELS, new, and of
best stock ever put into a wheel, are
here at, from $1S.U0 $22
Don't forget for a moment thia hns
always, been and now is Nebraska's
bicycle' headquarters.
Selling Agents for the National y Known
"THOR"
MOTOR CYCLES
Three Automatic Pianos Go Cheap
Moving picture theater managers should open their ears wide to this. We
have on hand $ very fine automatic piano (hut have heen used a little.
They rout twire what we ask for them, and if you JTT J ft
would fill your house nightly, buy one of them, SrH S aft ti S
at from 1M0O. down to 4Jr M.jr X-T
Cor, 15th and Harney Sts.,
Omaha, Nebraska
GEO. E. MICKEL,
Manager
334 Broadway,
Council Bluffs, Iowa
alsWsssss,s
SBBtSI
Rubbers Shipped in Thirty Minute
i
Dont let your stock run down when you need rubbers most. Look over your stock
and telegraph, telephone or mail us your order for
LYCOMING, KEYSTONE and EMPIRE RUBB1E
Special merchandise package cars leave St. Louis every night and reach Omaha second morning. We ship orders before the sun goes down.
HAMILTON - BROWN SHOE CO., St. Louis, U. S. A.
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