The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-12-25
ALL THE WORLD OVER.
CHRIsTMAS DAY IS CELEBRATED
EVERYWHERE.


German, French, Italian, Russian and
Bulgarian - In Partibus Infidelium.
Paris Dolls in Japan and Hindoo-
stan-The "Jul Nisse" of Denmark,
"Kriss Kringle" of Germany, and
the "Pere Noel" of France The
Unique Christmas Song Service in
the Fiji Islands.
tCopwioht.)
NEW York, Dec. 24-Never did feel 90
like messenger of mercy aud herald Of
happy thoughts.
Wherever / went ii was the same. Men
with preoccupied faces turned from their
business to hear but sentence before they
broke into broad grin and called to each
other across the desks, and others came up
to see what it was all about.
At the British consulate, for instance a
sick seaman, an irate doctor and disguised
clerk were having a triangular duel of
words when l entered, but when l spoke the
clerk looked relieved, the doctor and the
seaman ambled off together, while was
shown into an inner room where sat Consul
Gilbert Fraser, and his blonde bearded face
lighted up with a smile, too.
For il was of Christmas spoke, and its
observance In many lands varied but
always with core of kindliness and home
feeling running through it.
IN GREATER BRITAIN.
christmas in England has not changed
OF late or grown In its observance" said
Mr.. Fraser. at couldn't very well. for the
British have always been famous at Yue-
tide merrymaking. OF course the Lord of
Rxts IL -.
for Englishmen are now zoo busy, though
not SO busy as you Americans, to give up so
much time"
"Then you think we do work harder9n
20, dear mel yes; twice as hard. One of
the greatest things about the English
Christmas is the way In which it has been
carried round the world-yew and holly
mistletoe and bay, snapdraRoD, plum pud-
ding and abby English people. In Aus
tralia, New Zealand or Madras, in spite OF
the burning heat you will find the English
Christmas. Shiploads Of holly and mistle-
toe go out to the far colonies. Between
America and Great Britain flow two unend-
ing streams of holiday gifts at this season
of the year. With this we have, of course
no official connection, but the numberless
queries we get about rates Of duty and
money orders tells the story
CHRISTMAS IN THE FATHERLAND.
Herr Ferdinand RitschI, vice consul Of
Germany at New York, has a broad and
Rood-humored face, which grew an inch
broader when | explained my errand. las
you see the German Christmas in America"
he said, $50 it Ia at home. On Christmas
eve the tree is decked and lighted and every
body is at home. There is the first holiday
and the second, for Dec. 20 is a,holiday, too,
and the tree is kept decked until New Years
day. Your Santa Claus is our Kriss Krin>
gle, you know. o, the German Christmas
has gone round the world and is fast con-
quering this country. America is learning
Christmas from its German citizens"
"The tree is universal, then, in GermanyT
Yes, the spruce and the cedar"
"Und tannenbaum auchm
Eyes, the tannen baum (hsmlock), too (;
that sounds good. Hundreds and thousands
OF young evergreens from the Sohwarzwald
and from local forests are used every year"
CHRISTMAS IN FRANCE.
M. Maxine Durand at the French con-
sulate, assured me that France has Christ,
mas, too, of somewhat different pattern
rather church than home festival, and
without SO much evergreen mixed up In it.
"And do the children hang up their stock
ings for Santa to flllP'
mo, not their stockings, but their boots
or shoes. And not at Christmas, but at
New Years, which is the day sacred TO gift
giving, and not for Santa Claus. for we
have nothing akin to him unless it be our
Pere Noel. French children are rather too
rational to care for such mystifoations.
But they appreciate the gifts and the home
visits just as well without"
IN SCANDINAVIA
Christopher Raun sat in his Office at the
consulate of Sweden and Norway puzzling
over | don't know what astute problem
when the mental concept of a Scandinavian
yuletide was substituted, and he straight
way became eloquent and drew me an en-
traucing picture of festival around the
boughs of the big evergreen and the pretty
girls from the saeteTs hard by. with long
haxen braids hanging down their backs.
who dance all night with Axel of Chris
tiana or Asmound just back from Minnesota
with a pocket full of dollars. There is
plenty of snow on roof and field, and the
birds have scanr provender. So. if 1t be a
farm or hamlet-up goes plump Johann and
Axes sheaf of wheat upon the ridge OF
the roof for all the wandering ones of the
air to feast at and make merry, too, while
the rafters ring with the dance and the
laughter below.
IN DENMARK.
Mr.. Amundsen, the Danish vice consul,
says that in his childhood he used implicitly
to believe that the Jul Nisse. or Christmas
gnome or fairy, perched in his own tiny
person, clothed in peaked toque end long
DuObs, Win ms gray DeaTu uOWlbB uoWD w
his fat stomach, at the swaying top OF the
Christmas tree, and that the obliging Nisse
put lights on the tree and the presents about
Its foot before the children were let into the
room. Afterward religious Surn was
given to the myth by spea king OF IL IS a
Christmas angel" but the children liked
the Nisse better somehow.
Mr.. Amundsen showed me a picture OF
the amiable gnome as he appeared in Danish
art and literature, and then continued:
The celebration with the tree is always on
Christmas eve. Next day Is "a strict hol~
idaY, no work or traffic up TO noon and ev-
erybody at church. After noon, games and
frolic aud feasting, as every where else In
the world.n
CHRISTMAS IN EASTERN EUROPE
called at the Russian consulate, and q
gentleman who apparently had never been
IN Russia set out TO inform me. 20, yes,
said he, "they 90 around from house to
house, saying. He is risen.'"
Hold on" said /, you're thinking OF
Easter"
80 / am,n said he. "Well the consul
general will be in from IL to IL O'Clock to-
morrow. No, that's Saturday. On Mon
day"
So went TO see Mime. d'Apery, who used
to live in Constantnople and is an authority
on Eastern Europe and she very kindly told