New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-12-26
THE STORY OF THE BABOUSHKA.

The Russian peasants have a curious tradi-
ton which may be new to some of our read
ers. II is that an old woman, the BabOushka,
was Mt work in her house when the wise men
from the East passed on their way to find the
Cbrist-chlld "Come with u.s. they said.
1--WE have seen His Star in the East, and go
"to worship Him." 81 will come, but not
"now,r she answered. al have my house to
" set in order; when that is done, Will fol-
Glow and find Him." But when her work was
done, the three kings had passed on their way
across the desert, and the Star shOne no more
in the darkened heavens She never saw the
Christ-chid, but she is living and searching
for Him still For His sake she takes care OF
all little children. Ii is she who, IN Russian
and Italian houses, is believed tO fill the stock
ings and dress the tree on Christmas morning.
The children are Weakened by the cry of
Behold the Baboushkaw and spring up,
hoping to see her before she vanisbes cut of
the window. She fancies, the tradition goes,
that in each poor little one whom she warns
and feeds she may find the Christ-child whom
she neglected ages ago, but is doomed to eter-
nal disappointment.
We shall all find the old fable fanciful and
touching perhaps, and so dismiss it. The fact
is we are apt, this Christmas week to think also
of the whole story of the Star and the Child in
the stable as q fanclful touching legend,
which may haze actual meaning to some of
our neighbors, but which affects us chiefly
through the service it has been to art and
literature, and through certain genial poetic,
popular observances-church music, Christmas,
and the like. Life is too short and full of hard
work and business for us to sift out the actual
meaning of these long-ago occurrences. We
are apt to pay them certain outward defer
ence, and even in softer moments grateful
emotional respect, little deeper probably
than We give to the creations of Shakespeare
or any great master who has cheered or helped
us, an immortal thought. The bill due to-mor-
row, the boys schooling the new library fur
niture, the money with which we pay cook or
grocer-these are the realities of life; but that
shadowy Star, that benign Presence which en-
tered the world ages ago, belong to the realm
Of fervid feeling, which we may touch on an
occasional Sunday morning, when the music is
fine, or may never touch ut all.
What actual place, for instance. has this dim
sacred story in the life of Bolts, who went
about yesterday with haggard face Won
dering how, now that cOttons are down, he is
ever to pull his son through college or marry off
the girls properly; or in the lives of his sham
berouged wife, struggling to keep up appear
ances or his inical, Eighty daughtersf Christ
mas only meant to them the bore of calls from
Door relations and demands for public charities
which fashion forces them to give. Yet there
is not man OF woman living to-day to whom,
as to the woman in the story, the cry has not
come, at least once in their lives, "The Christ
ais found. Come with us and worship Him."
The Baboushka looking out saw the light of
miraculous Star streaming across the desert
and kings on their way to Him bearing royal
gifts. We all fancy that if such mighty mar
wells had ever told us of Him we should not
have waited, as she did, to finish our days
work before setting out to find Him. The
call has come to our doors in different
ways and times, not always in sermons
or praise Bolts has been regular church
g0er all his life, and never heard the Heavenly
Voice as he sat in his pew. But the day when
his old mother died, and he sat holding her
cold hand and looking into her pleading eyes,
the Savior whom she had served 30 long was
very near to him. The poor worldly wretch
felt that,he might have been manlier man
with an agony of remorse, and was almost
persuaded to be Christian. But he waited
to finish his Spring trades In his own way.
When his wife sits at night waiting for her