Los Angeles daily herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1884-1890, 1885-12-20
cHRrsrMAs-TIDR.
A Graphic story 81 the Holiday
IN Many Lands.
BY A TRAVELLER.

| wonder il you happy Angelefios
are giving a thought this jolly, fort
une giving Xmas to those who are
less happy and less lucky than your
selves
To you Christmas comes wreathed
in smiles If the weather be fair
your city is enveloped in sunshine ;
if clouds distill rain, your faces
at the thought Of enhanced values
in real estate--heavy crops in the
ensuing year and all manner of
prosperity that | need not now
name-are so bright that they make
up for the lack of material sun
shine. Fortunate possessors OF one
of the fairest spots ON earth--ln
sunshine happy, and in rainy wealth
er jubilant give a moment or two
to the consideration of your fellow
subjects feelings at this festive time
in other parts Of the round globe.
| may here say at once that do
not propose to take you into the
doleful or miserable parts Of the
earth and ask you to spend your
Christmas there for the nonee.
Your most genial editor, with so
radiant face that he looks like the
latest embodiment of Father Christ
mas himself, would chase me away
from you all with the stout cudgel
he, Yields, and forbid me an en-
trance to your thoughts for even a
moment did ] so presume to desc
crate the Xmas of a single An
gelefio.
And vet / would fain take you
to Christmas or two abroad--one
or two Of the many | have spent
Let's sec
Whew What was that A
cold blast of wind. Yes, how it re
minds me of a Christmas ! once
spent in Russia ! All, how dreary
Long steppes of concealed land GOV,
cred with snow, and such a wind
We are at posting house, 20O
miles from st. Petersburg, and my
companions--a tender lady and her
husband, a worthy man--are like
myself slipping tea from glasses, in
which floats the appetizing slice OF
lemon. There are voices outside on
this Christmas night, low voices
perchance Of our drivers who are
going to drive us through the snow,
for no one knows how many more
versts on this terrible night, with
the flakes falling and the rain OF
chilling wind blowing No ! Not
their voices think you Are not
those strange sounds I Whew The
door opens, and in with the chilling
blast step seven Russian soldiers
and an officer.
All They are looking for my
two companions, who it seems are
suspected OF being Nihilists-
Whew The door stands open
And out pass my companions pris-
oners--perhaps for life-on that
Christmas evening
Perchance they had said that il
was not right for one man to tread
upon. the necks of millions. But
what Xmastide
Eth But you ask, is that youi
pleasantest Xmas tale : No, it is
not. had once truly American
Xmas on the end Of the Malay pc
ninsula, known as Singapore. What
Xmas We revealed gloriousl,
and then went ashore from the
American nan-of-w which had 81
Hospitality entertained us.
There was on board that man of
war a young lieutenant whose face
was like that of an infant. Guile
less Bless, you he looked NOR
like seraph than anything else
No guile about him. And then h
had such a modest way OF suggest
ing that he existed a sort Of ''par
DONNIE" s'allow me. 'perinit-me,
aexcuse me-" ''do-not- be vexed-witl
me-for-daring-to- breathe" way abou
him. And such a mellow voice
Well, we took this good, quie
Young man ashore. We though
he ought to have gone to bed am
read nursery rhymes till he fel
asleep, or something of that SORT
but yet we took him.
As we landed one of the holder
noisier spirits suggested that W
should have some fun with tn
natives. But the b. n. $. were no
equal to suggesting what kind o
fun it should be. And then out
spake our quiet, nice young lieu
tenant
81 do not like to suggest any
thing, but if you do not mind,
think that we might get some Ell
joyment out of seeing the native
dive head first into barrels of mo
lasses for dollars.
Ii is needless TO say what KIM
of Christmas tide we spent, whel
some three hundred Malays wer
dripping from top to toe in thicI
syrup.
But perhaps the strangest Christ
mas | ever spent was passed l
London about six years ago.
The Rev. Mr.. Rogers, a Churc
of England clergyman, of grea
repute for his beneyolence an
practical goodness, conceived tn
idea of inviting the thieves of Eas
London TO Christmas dinner, an
by way of amusing these terribl
people invited some of his acquaini
ances to Join in getting up som
sort Of entertainment. | was ON
of those invited to speak, and
accepted the invitation forthwith
But as luck would have it, on tina
particular Christmas morning Lon
don became enveloped in the greer
est and thickest fog known fo
many years in the metropolis I
find ones way to the soup kitche
where the thieves were to meet, t
ioin them in harmless laughter, t
cheer up their gaunt features wit
..,,,,hlanca of hilaritv In han