Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-12-24

appropriate. Yew trees are sometimes
imported for Christmas, but nc will leave
it out Of our list. AS also We fear the
spruce, fine tree much used at the
North. Laurel, bay, ground hemlock.
crows foot, holly, mistlctOe are only used
for decoration, and some of them are
vines merely. If the spruce could be
gotten, which it cannot except from a
nursers man, We should place it first. Its
graceful spreading branches, its excellent
color, its peculiar drOOp and length of
branch. and its we'll spaced symmetry
make it the kin. of Christmas trees. But
the choice will probably be between a
white pine and cedar, both of which
make every year our markets bowers of
evergreen. Or the two white pine is more
apt to be of general excellence, but if the
right kind of cedar can be bought, begged
or borrowed, take it aud be thankful. To
most persons, especially the city-bred, all
cedars are supposed to be alike q: but this
is great mistake. No other tree has the
same variety, except perhaps the oak.
There arc cedars md ccdars, but of five
hundred there may be five which will show
Il dark, glossy green, pyramidal head,
and be soft and Inc to the touch. That is
the one to choose, but rarely is the chance
dIlOluCu. ldhC HOAO III IL yOu SeA
a good juniper cedar, with dark green
twigs and gray berries, never mihding if
it is dense the limbs when loaded will
benz, or if preferred some limbs can be
cut out to advantage. Such tree will
show against dark ground all the bright
hess of its decoration {; whereas pine too
often bends it's long branches out of shape,
and more often still its baroness has to be
filled in until it looks like rural belle
overloaded with cheap jewelry. And with
the tree dccked, the children with spark
ling eyes and g!ad voices with families
reunited, undisturbcd by war or disaster
at home, VIC may keep our Christmas, the
general festival of the English, German
and Danish races.
Christmas In the Ice.
II has been said that "whatevcr happens,
an Englishman will dine" 1t is certain
that wherever he is, either he Or any of the
oftshoOtS of the above mentioned races,
where two or three are gathered together,
will celebrate Christmas, and on that
sacred day hearts. however widely sepa-
rated, will tuln to the bright hemc-circle
with love and ycarnins. In the Arctic
Circle, amid the spreading circumference
of pitilcss SHOW and ice, our own brave
Kane wrote in his diary December %, I
Christmas, Monday all together again, the
returned and the stcadfast. We sat down
to our Christmas dinner. There was more
love than with the stalled OK of former
times, but Of herbs none. We forgot our
discomlorts in the blessings which adhered
to us still and when We thought of the
long road ahead of us VIC thought OF 1T
hopefully. pledged myself to give them
their next Christmas in their homes, and
each of us drank his absent friends with
fcrocious zest over once ghtccnth part of
4 bottle of SiIlcry-Lhc last of the hamper.
But if the solitary relic of festival days
had lost its sparkle, VIC had not. We
passed around nerrly our turkeys, roast
and boiled roast beef, onions, potatoes
and cucumbcrs, watcrmclons, and God
knows what other cravings Of the scurvy,
sckelcd Palate, with entire exclusion of
the fact that each of these was variously
by pork and beans. So much
for Mcrrc Christmas. What portion of its
mirth was genuine with the rest | cannot
tell, but there was no heart in my share of
it, My heart was with those far off, who
were thinking, know, Of me.''
christmas iu the Desert.
Or whether the wanderer burns beneath
the sco.c!iing sun of Egypt, it is the same
un this one day. Writes Primo in his
. Loaf Life i'll Egypt :" "That night
WAS the birthnight. In what countries of
the world were not Christians singing
carols as tho sun, going westward, left the
holy twilight Of Christmas eve with bless
ing on every land. Wherever y man may
be on Christmas eve, it is pardOnablc in
him to give at least one hour to memory.
And if there be not the broad iircside and
the flashing logs in the chimney if his
wandering feet arc hot with desert sands
and his forehead burning with the sun
shine of Sahara, he will bc excused for
remembering with even more distinctness
the forms OF old times on which the blaze
o the Christmas log shines SO glOrlOusiy.
A few rods from the boat OH the sand,
lying down and looking starward, l was
able for a while to forget Nubia and re-
call America. Able l couldn't help it,
Voices called to me out of distances that |
did not try to fathom. Eyes looked Mt
me, but did not stop to think whether
they were this side or beyond tho stars.
Lips kissed me, and l never dreamed of
their being ghostly lips, for they were not
cold and arms cnfolded me in warm en-
braces, and hearts were thrObbing loud
against mine, as one and another of the
beloved ones of old times and all times
lay Oh my breast
Hans Christian Andersc"'s Christmas.
We would stop here, if dear old Hans
Christian Andersen was not waiting. Let
him. if only for his childrcn's sake, tcllus
how he passed two Christmases at Rome,
far from his Northern frs and SHOWS. "The
further" he tells us, "the Swede, Nor
wcgian and Dane travels from home the
louder sings the heart Of each when they
meet. When was in Rome in 1888 the
three nations kept their Christmas eve in
company, like one family. Songs and
mirth do not agree with the Roman So
lcmnity Oh the Saviour's natal festivities,
therefore VIC could not be merry within
the gates of the city; but yet we
did not lose our pleasure. They
let us have Il fine suite Of rooms
outside the city gatcs-a large house IN
the Villa BOrgheSc, in the midst of grove
Of pines close to tic modern amphitheatrc.
We ornamcntcd the saloon with garlands
and wreaths. The flowers VIC plucked
nom the garden. The air was mild and
warm. 1t WAS Christmas like fine
summers day at home. We must have a
Christmas trcec, fir tree, as in the
North but here it was too valuable a
treasure. We must, they said, be con-
tented with two large orange trees, which
were sawn from the roots and were full of
fruit, which was not fastened to the
branches, but grew out Of them. We
were about fifty Scandiravians including
seven ladies who wore wreaths Of
living roses around their brows.
We men had wreaths of ivy. The
thrpa nations had subscribed to pur-