The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-12-20
ROMAN SANTA CLAUS.

,nuat be- cnt out Nbout an inch wide and
from five to six inches long, so as to allow
Of the postage of small parcels. vet not
large enough to admit even the smallest
hand. Children should learn to respect
the inviolate character of the post from
the earliest age.
On the door should be written the time
Of the post. Most children are fond of
writing letters to one another, and this will
OF course give rise to a grand manufacture
of note paper, envelopes and post cards,
and will call forth ingenuity in designing
and colorine monographs and orests for
their note paper and envelopes. An en-
yelope must be taken carefully to pieces to
form a fiat pattern. Then those cut from
il have to be folded, gummed together and
a touch Of gum put on the flap, the mono
gram made to correspond. 1t is wonderful
what occupation this gives for weeks. A
paint box should be also amongst the
Christmas gifts.
Capital scrap books can be made by chill
dren, and old railway guides may be the
foundation, every illustrated paper the mag
azine Of art; a paste pot, nextto a paint box,
is a most serviceable toy.
Children like to initiate their elders. A
little boy of two years enjoys smoking a
pipe as he sees g%randpnpa smoke, and
knocks out imaginary ashes AZ he does
against the door.
Hobby horses are profitable steeds, and
can be made to so through any amount of
pacee. But mechanical toys are more
amusing to ones elders than to the child
who wishes to do his own mechanism. A
boy can be amused by turning him out of
the house, giving him a ball or a kite, or
letting him dig in the ground for the un-
happy mole. Little girls, who must be
kept in of a rainy day, or invalid children
are very hard to amuse, and recourse must
pc mad to story telling, to the dear de-
lightfui thousand and one books now writ
ten foe children of which "Alice in Wonder
land" is the fiower and perfection.
For children in groups. as in asylums
and schools, there is nothing like music,
SONGS, marches, anything to keep them in
time and tune. It removes for a moment
that nstitutionized look which has 80 un-
happy an efe ct.
Happy is the child who has inherited a
garrett, full Of old trunks, old furniture, old
pictures, al! old things. It is a precious in
heritance. Given the dramatic instinct and
a garrett, 8 family Of quick-witted boys
and Rirla will have amusement long after
the Christmas holidays are past.
II would be a great amusement for weeks
before Christmas if children were taught to
make the ornaments for the tree. as is lone
in economical Germany. Here the idea of
secrecy and mysticism is 80 jncarnate with
Santa Claus that such an idea would be re-
jectei. But it is twice as interesting if we
put ourselves into a thing.
At Christmas time let us invoke the
fairies. They, the gentry, the wee people.
tho good people," are very dear to the real
little. wee people b see the fun and do
not believe IN them any too much. Those
who make their homes under old trees and
report to toadstools for shelter, who make
invisible excursions into farmbouses, have
afforded the Irish nurse with no end OF
legends. An old nurse will hold a magnih-
cent position in the nursery because she
had seen a Lyprochann, the little red man,
beloved of the Irish.
The meaning of the Christmas green is
that it was once the home of the peace low
ing wood sprite. Christmas evergreens and
red berries make the most e~ffectuul of in
ternal decorations, their delightful fra
GRANGE, their splendid color, renders the
palace more beautiful and the humble house
attractive. Before Twelfth Night (Jan, 81
they must all be taken down.
u 1T will bring the rich to the poor, if it
Will not forget q single legend or grace, if
the holly and evergreen shall breathe the
sweetest and highest Significance. if we can
remember that every simple festival at
Christmas which makes tho hearthstoue
brighter ls a tribute to the highest wisdom,
IT we connect Christmas and humanity.
then shall we keep it well. For the world
unlocks It's heart on every Christmas day
as it has done for eighteen Christmas CEN
turtles. The cairn of Christmas memories
rises higher and higher as the dear process
sion of children, that constantly arriving
precious pilgrimage from the unknown
world, halts by the majestic mountain to
receive gifts. giving more than they take.
For what would Christmas be without the
children. MRS. JOHN SHEHwoon.
Copyright,