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In That Little Town In Bethlehem Was Born "A Saviour Who u Christ the Lord.' I •-â-  5- A I .%â- â-  Bethlehem ot The House of Bread. was more anciently known as Eph- rath or Fruitful, but in modem times is called Beit-lahm or "House of .- Flesh.- "\ All thre«j namt;i> are significant to ^ Christians whose interest in it arises --â- '•from the tremendous fact that in chat little town was born Him Who was rightly called "The Bread of Ufe;" Whu a-as to be tbo fruitful Head of ''â- 'â- % new race, widespread as the world {tself; and Who was there born in human flesh, thoueh the Almighty Son of God. Its history was by no means all bright and holy Jacob hurr>-ini alona with a deathly sick wife, was compelled to halt nearby, whilo his greatl) beloved Elachel gave birth to the little Benjamin, and then in het ' busbandV arms died there. Her grava is still marked by » rouRb stone monument! It was In Bethlehem tbai the youiig Invite Hved, who Micah hired to be his chaplain, and with whom is connected the tragic story in the last chapters of the book of Judges. The terrible tale of wrong doing ind , reprisal!* • ame perilously near to the de3troyint( of the whole tribe of tjjn- jamin. within whose limits Pethlehera was situated. Thitl'ei came the wicow. Naomi, and het daughtcr-in-Iaw, Ruth, the Moabitess. mourners, bereft of all • they held dear. There the >oung widow Ruth was wedded to her wealth> kin.«man. Boaz. thert-by be- coming great-grand tnother of the â-  Psalmist-King David, and also one of the Drogenitors of the Christmas Kin.<; â- â-º'o t.ord and Savi(>iir of Maiv kind Kehuuoaiit. son OT Solomon, made a fortifild city of BethJeheni (2 Chronif les XI 16) and lator a fam- ous khan (corresponding to our hotel wa.« built there procably by Chimham, HOTi ot Barzillai the (lilca- dite who befriended David (2 Samuel XVII 1 when in trouble and was named after him (Jeremiah XLI. 17) This khan appears to have been a plate *heri caravBn.>i *ere made up for long lotirneys, and it was from thence that the rebellious Jews, dis- regarding God's orders set off for Egyot carrying the prophet Jere- miah with them It may have been that same kban, or in New Testament ,.- tern's that inn, at which Joseph and Mary ( I uke II) applied for lodging, but could find no other aci'ommoda- tion than h stable in d grotto under, or n..'<i> It whr.oin to spei.fl the first of all I'hi.stihas Kves. although they Were both o'. royal descent, de.scend- antx of '\it.g David himself I Thnt poor stable became the most - famous bed-chamber in the vv-hole world, for there amidst the cattle was born the holy Baby, Who was Cod, the Creat.T of all things, cictbed in mortal flesh, and that He might be- come the Saviout of all who wished It from their sins! To the slau.i.' laiiie the shephei Is called away from their sheep-folds by a hernld in the heavens, accompanied b) singing choirs of ausels, rho uiaUo the thrilling momentous announce- ment: "Unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour Who is Christ the Lord" (Luke II.II). Countless thousands have knelt In sacred worship before that most holy shrine, once "a lowly cattle shed," the oniy shelter this evil world could provide for its Maker, Redeemer and King, when in pitying love and tender saving mercy He came to visit it, at the Christmas tide ! Câ€" 4 Mumming Old York Custom What Remains of St. George Plays, Earh' Form of English Drama Oi all the quaint old Christmas customs which have not yet been for- gotten, none is more interesting than the mumming which is given every year in some ot the villages in York- shire. With blackened faces grinning un- der paper caps, some half-dozen of the viPage boys make their way from house to house. Trooping into the lOom where the family is sitting, ther enact a strange scene. Fiercely brandishing wooden swords, they all ru.sh upon one boy, reciting verses of which the meaning appears tD be un- known both to performers anc audi- ence Suddenly this boy 'alls as 'hough dead. His vanquishers gloat over him. they bow, and file out of *>.e room. The vanquished one then gets UD sheepi.shly. bows, and follows the rest. This old Christmas custo.-n embodi- es all that now remains of one of the earliest forms of English drama, the St. George plays. These plays were originally performed oh the feast of the national saint, but in course of time they became attracted to the bigger festival of Christmas. At first their theme was St. George's fight with the dragon, but i*- later versions many other characters were introduced, and St George was killed and raised to life ajaii. by a character i-a'led the Doctor. It is undoubtedly this play which the Yorkshire boys enact each Christmas, though they may not realize it. The saint's re- vival has been forgotten, so that in the modem version the unfortunate St. George has to get up and get out rather lamely. The wooden swords are derived from the still older sword dances which were incorporated into the St. George plays, while the blackened faces are a legacy of the old Morris tiance, svhich in these festivals was frequently confused with ^he sword dances. In the original Morris dances the performers always blackened their faces, from which fact it has been thought that th> dance got its namo of Morris from ^he Moors or the Blackamoors, who introduced it into Europe. It would be interesting to know ex- actly what the modem performers ot this very ancient play really say. The words, when account has been taken of the inaccuracies and change.^ of pronunciation, would probably be found to be those which were com- posed by some minstrel, or perhaps by a parish priest, for a St. George play, as early or even earlier than the thirteenth century. Such words were never written down, and so in the course of centuries may well have become t he unintelligible babble laughed at every Christmas. Queer Christmas Dishes of the Past Roa^ited Badgers Seasonal Dish in Somerset â€" Boar's Head Served at Oxford. A badger, roasted before an open fire, was the chief dish at a Chr;."!- mas Eve dinner eaten in an ancient hostelry at Ilchester, Somerset. Bad- ger hum was once regarded as a deli- cacy, and Ilchester's "badger feast," as it is called, has been held every id Li Living Christinas Tree (By Florence Steiner in "Toy Balloons.") Hear the merry Christmas bells As they chime, as they chime. .\dding to the joy and mirth Of tha Christmas time. Listen to their message clear It is heard both far and near. Telling us in tones so gay This is Christmas day. Hear the merry Christmas bells As they swin^, as they swing. Making all tha world rejoice W^ith the news they bring. "Peace on earth, good will to men" Sound o'ei all the earth again .•Vnd we with glad voices sing "Glory to the new-born King." â€" ii.;r TRACING THE ORIGIN OF SEASON'S CUSTOMS King Arthur Supposed to Have Celebrated the First Chri^ naa i« England by a FesUval in York in S21 ; Peacocks Instead of Turkeys Christmas for many years past. Slices were cut from the joints as they hung before the bar fire. The guests washed down the badger with strong ale, which should, according to tradition, be served in horn cups. Boar's head, the true Yuletide dish in Britain, is always served at the Christmas Day dirner held annually at Queen's College, 0.xford. The rea- son given for the survival of the cus- tom at Oxford is that it commemor- ates the escape of a medieval uhder- graduate from a wild boar. The un- dergraduate was walking abroad, conning his Aristotle, when the boar rushed at him open-mouthed. With a loud cry of "Graecum est," the stu- dent thrust the volume down the throat of the monster, which, choked by the tough morsel, then and there expired. The frills and mistletoe with which the boar's head was decorated were distributed among the choris- ters The brawn should, by right, be .sent to the King. At this banquet also strong ale was practically the only dri.ik to be ser- ved. Under the injunctions of the founder the liquor must be brewed on the Collcre premises by its own servants, acting under the super- vision of the stewarl of the week and the treasurer's clerk. The gra- vity of the ale could only be indi- cated by a whole row of "X's." It is, in fact, so potent that it is sipped as a liqueur. Mulled ale. concocted with cloves, sugar, nutmeg and beaten egg and served with dry toast was brewed according to a recipe at least two hundred years old at a Shrews- bury hotel where Paganini, the vio- linist, once performed. Old Christmas Carol Here we come a-waissailing, Among the leaves so green, Here we corns a-waissailing, So fair to be seen. Love and joy eoihe to you. And to your waissail, too, God send you happy, God- send you happy, God send you a happy New Tear! We are not daily beggars. That beg from door to door. But we are neighbors' children Whom you have seen before. We have got a little puree Made of stretching leather skin. We want a little of your money To line it well within. God bless the master of this house Likewise the mistress, too. And all your loving children That around the table go. Ye Christmas Tree While some very justly deplore the wholesale slaughter of millions of young spruce and cedar each year, the delightful German custom of the Christmas tree will doubtless linger on for many years yet. The wide world knows a tree, full strong, And fairer yet than each and all; More worthy of the minstrel's song In cottage low or princely hall. The Christmas tree whose thought of love. King Arthur is supposed to have celebrated the first Christmas in England by a festival held in the city of York in 521, and which lasted several days. By the Middle Ajes the Christmas festivals had become the most popular of celebrations. The became extremely elaborate in Shakespeare's time, on occasions until Twelfth Day, or Fpipbany, twelve days after Christmas. Daring this period there was no work of any kind, and people gave themselves over to festivities. Aside from the purely religions ob- servances connected with the com- memoration of the Nativity it is in- teresting to trace the origin of some of the customs and objects so cher- ished at this season. The popular myth of Santa Clans entering sleeping homes by way of the chimney seems to have arisen from the custom among the early Unglish of cleaning their chimneys on New Year's Day so that luck could descend and remain all year. For many years Santa found only wood- en shoes ..waiting him in the chim- ney corners, but as the wise little heads found that stockings held more, the shoes were displaced. Santa would leave no gifts unless he saw th little shoes or stockings all in a row by the fireplace and so knew that the children were tucked away in bed. Evidently this myth was in- vented by some parents of long ago for their own convenience, and it spread rapidly. Laurel was used in olden days in England at Christmas time in imi- tation of the ancient Ramans to whom laurel stood for peace, joy and victory. A house decorated with laurel indicates that Christ bad en- tered there. Gradually the laurel was replaced in popular esteem by the holly and ivy. Christmas Trees Many legends have been written on the origin of the Christmas tree. One popular German tale makes St. Winfrid the originator of the idea. .\nother credits it to Martin Luther. The development ot the Christmas tree tradition, resulting probably from many vague stories and cus- toms from different countries, was most marke â-  in Germany. .V Ger- man manuscript of 1G08 iV.-fers to the tree as a regular feature of the Christmas season. It arrived in Eng- land at a niiich iater date and in fact, did not become a regular English in.'stitution until the time of the mar- riage of Queen Victoria to Prince .â- Vlbert, who popularized the custom. Mention is made in the memoirs of Greville of trees being used in Christ- mas celebrations in 1529 at a fete given in honor of Henry VIII. It roads: "Three trees, in great pots, were put upon a long tabic covered with pink linen." One writer describes the custom of gift giving in olden days as follows: "In Old England St. Stephen's Day was chiefly celebrated under the name of Boxing Dayr-not for pubil- istic rcjisons, but because on that day it was the custom for persons in the humbler walks of life to go the rounds with a Christmas box and solicit money from patrons and em- ployers. Hence the phrase "Christ- mas box" came to signify gifts made at this season, even after the boxes themselves had gone out of use. YYAlh^lihh Mlh fRG GIlRIS'fM Christmas Spirit Important Factor Giown-Ups Lay Aside Dignity On Joyous Occasion What is the Christmas "spiritr' It consists of many things. First, or this should be first, the gentle influence of the Holy Child who gave us the greatest uplift of soul the world has ever known. Peace, ser- vice and forgiveness, faith, hope and love. Second, is the more materialistic sentiment of gifts and gaiety, sec- rets and shopping. Actually it is a relief to avery grown-up to lay aside hi; dignity and slip out of his responsible mantle ot office. Parents need no longer play a role. If Dad gets gay and foolish and works the street vendor's jump- ing-jack. or nudges the bank man8«er and hands him a somer-sauiting- turtle to wind up, neither of them need to feel ashamed or look over their shoulder to see of the Hoard of Directors is near The chance, are that the Board of Direc.ors are, each and every one of them, enjoying .« relapse intc childhood in one way or another themselves. Mother'* Pepped Up, Too Mothei feels a peculiar elevation of spirit, with added zest for life and work. Shu gets up a bit earllei, filled with the days' plans, because some- thing mystical is at work within her. She is back in her own pre-('hristm.» days, looking ahead as she used to, .And she wants hei family to feet he same way she used to feel. I'omaps she pretends to be tired and com- plains about he) back cr rough liands. but inside she Is humming with the spirit of Christmas The children are happy, exceed- ingly happy, but you'n never guess wh>. We have mi.-ised part of the answer if we thiik it ip .'^anta Clau? and a tree and stockings Break For Children The other hall is this: Everyone around them, including nnother and daddy, nave become "almost, li not quite, children-like themselves It a just about Che only time of the .-ear tiiat the big. top-heavy trrown-up wjrld gives them, a break People suddenly become child minded and act and think like boys anri rrls. A common ground is reached rh« child finds hinisel? king instead of pawn. Ht is not being ilayed down to because he likes toys or "is just a kid." Kveiyone. for some strange reason, has become toy-niinded. too. .And out for a good time, with duty and ro'Jtini in the background Through the year children feel that the v%or!d stoops to ihem. and they are forever looWn^ up. \ow everybody is waisthigh. and all the same Ue. The spirit of Christmas is mul- tiple, and good for all n en. Appetite in Ye Olden Days A report from the year 1590 gives us an idea of the huge quantities of food which in those days people were able to eat. A party of 50 men consumed at one dinner 12 capons, eight turkeys, two hens, IS par- tridges, 33 pounds of veal, 20 pounds of beef, 10 pounds of sau.sages, not to mention vegetables, sweets, chee.se and fruit. -Ml kinds of spices, especially pepper, wgjp highly favorjd n^^i used, or better, abt;^ ia such Quan- tities that people's breath often "reeked like a dispensary." Those people did not eat for the sole pur- pose of keeping themselves alive." I V f ♦ % * * 5 A