Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-31

This is done so that you NAV not know whether
Genesis or Revelation is under the top cover.
Then. quite at random, YOU must open the
book aud place your finger on u chapter. Ny
son, that chapter will be prophetic OF your
coming year. If it augurs Ill why, YOU see,
You are appraised in time to change your
course, while, on the other hand. il it is good
You will not only have the good when it comes,
but will be possessed OF the Joys Of ansicipa-
ton as we'll
''Oh, this season is full OF the whisperings OF
futurity," went on Father Time. You can
even tell the general disposition Of the year by
observing the direction Of the wind this even
ing I'll give you a beautiful poem OF one
stanza containing the whole thing in nut
shell and whose metrical form will help to Il,
it in your mind:
IN New Years. eve nieht wind blow south.
II betokeneth warmth aud growth;
II north. much cold and storms will there be;
east the trees s viii bear much ,.,i trii,;
THE STAR man didn't quite agree with
Father Time as to the merits of the poem as
piece OF literature. but after his encounter
with the touchy Father Christina. he though,
it the part of wisdom to limit his views on all
points whatsoever entirely to private opinions
when in the presence Of dignitaries SO very
much older than himself as the great Father
Time and his confrere, Mr. Christmas.
"The Scotch Highlanders," continued Father
Time, 'are the one remaining class of people
who still put implicit faith in theee signs.
They are a canny folk. a canny folk. Ii all the
world initiated them it would be better of, and
vet some people ridicule them for needing
these omens. Ridicule a folk who have pro-
duced Burns, a Scott, Samuel johnson. a
Carlyle! The presumption of it.
Are you married, my son?''
Such a point blank question following 40
closely on dreamy discursiveness almost took
The STAR mans breath away but he managed
tn fTcia flv 70
"Mayhap you do know definitely when you
will we'd" remarked Father Time tentatively,
and The STAR man not vouchsafing any eluci-
dation of the ject he continued 'If you are
in any doubt you can settle the matter conclu-
siTely at the first appearance of the first new
by going out and gazing at it and repeating
this stanza:
New moon, new moon. hail thee.
Giant Til. might that may see
Who my sweetheart il TO he'
"And the night following this invocation moi
only will your future wife appear to you in a
dream, but she will inform you as well Of the
date of the wedding. Not the least doubt
in the world about it, not The least doubt in the
world"
The STAR man blushed to think what a figure
he would cut should he follow Father Times
directions, standing ont on historic Pennsyl.
vania avenue and repeating these inane lines
Indeed, if he escaped being captured for a
lunatic he would be lucky.
And for the benefit of the young women OF
Washington" went on Father Time, .let me
give you this little quntrain for publication
:. New moon. new mooa. hail the.
New neon. new mo- n. be kind to Inc;
II marry man or man marry me.
show me how many moons it viii be-
(Which liz to be repeated while looking at the
January new moon through silk handkerchief
that has never been washed-a good use to put
some of those sense.ess Christmas presents to
and as sure as | am standing here az many
moons as she sees Just that many moons will ii
be till she marries.
II noticed that Mr.. Christmas grew very his
torical while talking to you. quite prded him.
self on people he had seen and all that. Now
won't attempttogo into that business myself, for
by the great Osiris. my son, il man who has
seen everything everything. mind you, in all
this expansive universe and in all ages and
icons from long before the very beginning OF
things till now, rs have. should begin on such
a subject why there would really be ending
the conversation. There is one little point
though that l would like to mention just for
the purpose Of pointing out to people how
prone they are to get off n subject.
1T is about Christmas presents" he begun.
Now people think that the notion of Christ
mas presents originated in the vast love that
they entertain for one another. Nothing of the
sort. nothing of the sort. Mr.. Chris mas. OF
course didn't know to the contrary for the very
excellent reason that the germ of the custom
of gift making existed long before that excel
lent young persons time, and thus properly
belongs with my festivities rather than with
his, since it began originally by rejoicing
over the return of another year.
How were they to settle just when another
year begun he repeated in reponse TO query
of The STAR man. "Why. by the fact that the
sun, which had hitherto been retreating and
thereby rendering the days shorter and shorter
on December 22-the day following the short
est one-bcgan to wheel back. Even now,
though midwinter, the days. as you well know
are lengtheninS, and their extra light will bring
with them in good time life and spring.
''Well, the recognition of this fact of the
suns return is the true origin of the Christmas
greenery. the holly and mistletoe with which
they decked their houses being when first used
back in the prehistoric past merely tosymboIize
the freshness and renewed life tina. Was soon 20
follow in the path of the returning sun. while
the fir tree hung with presents represented the
fruits and general plenty that were also TO ensue
with the increase of his rays. They were fire
worshipers. those people, and yon immense
ball OF fire, the sun, the great life
giver, was their god. Why, even your word
yuie. which you now consider as almost identi-
cal in meaning with Christmas. comes from an
old word meaning wheel, which was what they
called the sun-the fiery wheel. one of their
ceremonies celebrating the suns return being
to roll wheels of burning straw down a steep
hill
$50 you can see that all this commotion that
you've been having lately, instead of being due
to Mr.. Christmas. originated with me and no.
body else, Mr.. Christmas simply coming along
and taking them and adapting them to his own
purposes. did not object though. If had
could have kept them out of his hands easily
enough. but let every dog have his day. say /,
and had got pretty tired of the business my
self. kept it up well enough till in Queen
Elizabeth's time, when 1 got thoroughly dis
gusted with that sovereign at the New Year
gifts-they made their presents on New Year
eve almost entirely, even As late ns that-shc
exacted from her subjects. for by Cheops. if
she didn't get most Of her magnificent ward
robe by that process. SO when Mr.. Christmas
came along one time awhile after Elizabeth
died just gave the matter over into his hands
have led much more peaceful life ever since. ~
"lou don't seem 30 hurried as Mr.. Christ
mas, truly" remarked The STAR man.
mo. my son." said Father Time, winking
his left eye humorously as he spoke, II have all
the time there is.
And THE STAR man. as he wendell his way to
the Office, wondered if that was Father Time 8
ancient and rock ribbed way of making joke.
History Repeats Itself.