The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-12-14
CHRISTMAS AT SINGAPORE.
Scene in the Great English Cathedral
There.

We went to church at half-paSt 10.
The weather was intensely hot and yet
we drove to the great English cathe-
dral on the Esplanade and braved the
binding glare of the Malayan sun, just
to try and keep up stimulation of the
Christmas we observe in distant homes.
The usual hours for worship are half
past in the morning and half-past D
in the evening.
Our ordinary garb of pure white linen
and cool cork helmets we had discarded
for suits of wooden and black derbyS-
so hard did we try to delude ourselves
into familiar Christmas feeling. The
night before, on Christmas Eve, / saw a
hundred or more men-rich shipowners,
high officials-try to do the same thing.
Their wives were at home in Eng
land or Germany, recuperating after
a long term in the Orient, or perchance
some had gone home to die. Those that
had not wives were younger sons and
brothers. All had met at the club to
spend Christmas Eve.
In the center of the room was tree,
a casuarina, decorated with candles,
toys, candies and penny balloons; just
such tree as they would have gone
into raptures over in their childhood.
At its foot were the presents.
An orchestra played outside under
the wide-spreading arms of great
banyan tree, and SpotleSSly dressed
Chinese "boys" circled about with re-
| freshments. Songs were sung; every
one laughed and cheered and slapped
each other on the shoulder, and yet
everyone knew that it was a pitiful
failure
Between laughs faces grew grave,
and far-away looks filed tired eyes.
| They were wondering what wives,
mothers and friends were doing on that
night in the blessed land of the SHOWS.
The great English Cathedral is but a
copy of its sisters in London and New
York; as unsuitable in its Gothic
grandeur for the hot winds of the Tor
! rid Zone as for the cold winds of the
Arctic Its great vaulted roof, ponder
Gus pillows and long, narrow chancel
protect you from nothing save sight
| of the face of the kind old Bishop OF
| Singapore and Sarawak, or the sound
! of his pleasant voice.
The one innovation that has broken
! the cast-iron SameneSs of the EpiSco-
palian temple is the great white punk
abs which swished back and forth
| through the hot air above our heads
! The punkah is the sign of the East,
! from Port Said to Yokohama
The church was decorated with maid
enhair ferns in abundance, great, pure
! eucharist lilies and delicate dove
! orchids.
4 brilliant green lizard with long,
| curving. pointed tail glided silently
| down the aisle and peered into and then
! crawled into the soft felt hat of his
honor, the Chief Justice. His honor
1 only smiled 1t paused but moment
| and then departed on its journey among
| the worshipers
No one felt any alarm. 1t stopped in
front of a little English miss with gol-
| den hair and a great blue SASH and
gazed at her from head to foot with It's
| jeweled eyes. The little miss took no
more notice of it than an American
girl would of a fly. Then it wandered
| back and found a resting place on the
| Venerable archdeacon's prayer book.
| Another lizard, with red and yellow
! stripes. came out and chased the green
| lizard into the organ loft.-Rounse-
velle Wildman in December Overland