davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Debts Settled on New Years.

On New Years eve in Japan handfuls
of beans are thrown about the rooms and
over the threshold to exercise evil spirits
who may be about.
Before the new year the merchants
endeavor to get in all the money that is
owed to them and to pay or settle their
own debts. As a consequence many
things can be bought very cheaply at the
end of the year, for ready money is the
great desideratum. Men carrying trays
of something looking like white worms
go through the streets crying, "Soba,
soba!i' the japanese form Of macaroni,
which, eaten with soy sauce, is IA
vorite delicacy with the coolies and
jinriksha men. For their little customers
these men make all sorts Of figures Of
devils, gods and animals from this
paste. Exchange.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
French Canadian Jour de Ian.

A child PROSTATE before its father ask
ing for his blessing on New Years
morning. This is a typical custom
among the French Canadians Of the
province of Quebec, and undoubtedly
retained by French Canadians now resi-
dent in New England and other parts Of
this republic. The head Of the family
rises early New Years morning, renews
the fire on the hearth and in the stoves,
and, seating himself in an armchair
within the shadows Of the Yule log,
watches tho embers and awaits the first
Of his offspring to ask for the paternal
blessing ON the glorious Jour de Fan. 3"
Boston Globe.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
wArcHINc % % - ouT.
The Custom Once Common In New Eng
land Has Nearly Passed Away.

The Custom Once Common In New Eng
land Has Nearly Passed Away.
An old fashioned ''watch night in
New England or the middle states was
until recently one Of the institutions Of
this country. The keen, frosty air Of the
early evening bore upon its crystalline
and twinkling depths the sound Of nu-
merous strings Of sleighbells converging
st the church. The we'll loaded cutters
and the crowded sleighs Missed through
the creaking snow, that stamped off
with loud emphasis at the porch door,
announced the arrival . each load. The
interior Of the church, heated TO almost
a point Of discomfort by big stoves, still
retains the decorations put up when the
Christmas tree did service before its re-
moval The usual chatter and gossip
soon subside. A solemn hush falls over
the assembly, and when the first hymn
is given out it is sung with more hearty
uplift Of tone than usual The prayer is
more fervent than usual, and the an
them that follows it is moro like a dirge.
The young elder, who is present,
breaches an address, the tones of which
ld4l Ou al u III a tLIeAl bN
gets repentance. No such theme as this
finds expression at any other portion Of
the year, "We all do fade as a leaf, "
and then he closes with Longfellow 5
mournful words:
Howl howl, and from the forest
Strip the red leaves away.
Would the sins that thou abhorest,
o soul, could thus decay
And be swept away
Kyrie eleison! Christie cleison!
More singing, more prayers, all instinct
with earnestness, and then shrill
voiced girl recites Prentase's dying
Year,
IT'S mtdnight's holy hour, etc.
Another Tennyson's "Old Year" then
comes a breathless waiting, and the bell
strikes, when a joyous "Amen' is fol-
lowed by a burst Of song that every one
joins in.-Chicago Tribune.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
New Years In 1870.

New Years day, 1890, was one OF
special interest TO those who delight in
tracing facts concerning this method Of
celebration. President Washington, then
in the first year Of his first term, lived
at the Franklin House, in Cherry street,
New York.
The city was then a little Dutch town
Of cobblestones and gardens, containing
about l, 400 houses and 10000 people,
most of whom wete tradesmen and me-
chanics Of very limited means.
The president had lived among them
several months, but most af them had
held aloof through the awe inspired by
his great character and his high Office
But Oh this New Years day great num-
Der of them put on their best cooked hats,
their Sunday wigs and all their best
clothes and called upon the president
Philadelphia Times.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Christmas Bells Ring Joyful TidinEs TO All
the Earth.

There is no holiday in all the long
calendar Of the months that is so uni
versally and so enthusiastically cele-
brated us Christmas All men every
where take heart Of grace and smile a
cheerier smile as the music Of the
Christmas bells falls upon their ears.
Whoever will look back to his young
days cannot help remembering what q
strange, mystic time Christmas was.
There was something aim )st awe inspir
ing in the music Of the Christmas carols
sung at midnight in the open, frosty air,
And these Christmas waits" who sung,
who were they? Unseen and unknown,
we almost deemed them beings Of u
fairer world sent down to make Christ
mas delightful. If we had known in
those days that these men who broke TIE
silence Of the starry night to tell us
what "the herald angels" sang wero
mortals given to the smoking % tobacco
and tho drinking Of porter, all our ro-
mantle dreams would have ended there
and then. As we grow older we grow
wiser, and therefore q little sadder. We
know, Of course, that there is no real
Santa Claus but, oh, how we wish there
warol
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
DISTRIBUTING GIFTS.
The Spider Party VIII Furnish Much
Amusement For Christmas.

The Spider Party VIII Furnish Much
Amusement For Christmas.
A "spider party" is a novel method
of giving presents at Christmas to chill
dren and may be thus arranged: The
guests, on arrival, are greeted by an
enormous spider in the center Of huge
web spun across the entire room, aud
from all possible nails and projections
should be "A maze of white cotton
threads, each attached at one end TO II
large, brightly colored spider, at the
end Of which must be hung little
wooden winder Each guest, in turn,
chooses one Of the spiders, and, wind
ing up the thread, following all its in
tricacies, reaches at last special insect,
inside Of which has been placed the
small present.
Great amusement is produced by these
unexpected finds, which may be varied
according to tho wishes Of the hostess
from bonbons and mickknacks or small
toys to little articles Of jewelry, neck
ties, etc. OF course, if wished, the
name of each guest may be written on
the little yTinders, 50 as to insure the
right gift going to a right child or
grown up person. Any one can make
the large coloreG spiders at home, or
procure them from any large toyshop,
and when sending ont her invitations
they should be so worded as to invite
her friends to a spider at home
party, which Will cause much wonder
and interest to be taken IN the approach
ing party by her intended little visitors.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
What Happy New Year Means.

A happy New Year What does it
mean? Are not these words often thrown
depth Of meaning? Is it a year in which
to ourselves come wealth and health,
prosperity and friendship; one spent in
the pursuit of aeeting pleasure and
filled with self centered interest? mol
Rather let the wish be to each and all,
as the new year dawns with all its op-
portunities, that the days Of 1896 may
be well spent-filled with thought and
sympathy for those around; that in self
forgetting and kindly deeds the happi-
ness Of others may be ever sought, and
then most truly will each act rebound
again in joy and blessing to the heart
from which it springs. Maud Booth.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Hanging the Holly,

The English holly is finer In quality
than that grown on American shores, says
the st. Louis Republic. The leaves are a
better green and the berries larger, and
before the holiday season sets in great
hampers of 1t are shipped from the English
ports to delight American eyes and hearts.
An attractive manner Of using IL Is to tie
big bunohes with long satin ribbon loops
and ends, matching in shade the hue Of
the berries, and place them over pictures or
mantelshelf, or fasten against the wall,
especially IN some picturesque nook or cor
ner. Underneath the mantel when there
IS no fireplace, the space may be banked
with masses OF the spiny leaves and bright
berries jars or vases may be filled with
them, while holly wrcaths and ropes arc
another form Of decoration, very effective
both in large and small apartments.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Read the Bible New Years Morning.

In many a Welsh household the first
thing that is done by each member Of
the family on rising on New Years
morning is to consult the family Bible
with view to learning from it what
the coming gear has in store for the per-
son seeking the information. This IS
done by reading the first verse upon
which the eye falls, and the verse in
question is believed to foretell in some
way the good or i'll fortune, the happt-
ness or unhappiness, during the just be-
gun new yeer Of the person making the
trial. EXCHANGE.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Rlrth of the Year.

How like human birth the waking hour
OF tho child yearl The weak and querulous
gale
Mid tears of rain doth lift IA kindred wall
Blankly tho suns eye stares; the air doth
lower
Dense as u listless car Beneath a shower
OF snow fresh fallen those branches, white and
frail
As newborn limbs, lie prone with only power
Given TO endure what wind soe'er prevail
The baby lips that pout their hungering
Do not more wistfully the nurse invite
Than every spiral leaf bud yearns for spring.
And as the young blue eyes wax deep and
bright
While the soul greatens, so the glowing light
- philadelphia Times.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
The Magic Bell.

The old year is dead, and hoary haired time
High in the belfry Is tolling his knell
From the phantom rim Of a magic bell,
And the world is swayed by its mystic chime.
For earth Is the ponderous tongue that swings
In the tower of time. The cathedral dim
Is the universe, and the bells huge rim
Is the ether blue as 1t rings and rings
The chimes are the passions that sway mems
souls
That tempt ami inspire them. The thought,
the deed
On this New Years eve from tn, earth dross
freed,
In one mighty vibration upward rolls,
And hushed are tho voices around tho throne,
As the Great Creator receives his own.
Detroit Free Press
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Laurel and Ground Pine.

Next to the mistletoe and holly the lau-
rel and ground pine are most favored. tho
formers glossy leaves and green berries
suggestive of good cheer and always form
ing an effective background when gay ber
ries or MOSES are used in addition. The
ground pine coils easily and gracefully
into wreaths and is invaluable for twining
about staircases or pillars or for using in
decoration ON "a large scale when boughs
of spruce, hemlock and cedar are also
much In VoRue.-St. Louis Republic.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
New Year Means Progress.

A new year, not simply another year.
Many people may be said to live the
same old year over and over again. Each
succeeding year is the same unit added
once more to the sum Of life. There Is
the same task performed in the same
spirit with the same motive; the same
imperfections Of character, the same
failures Of conduct. The times may
change and progress hasten, but if we
stand still, we live only the old year
once again. A new year never comes to
the contented OK; he simply grows old
1t is not the lapse of time or the prog
ress Of civilization, but our progress,
which makes possible to us new year
-Josiah Strong
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Oueer Welsh Beliefs.

In many parts Of Wales to see ones
shadow in the moonlight upon New
Years eve is believed to be an infallible
sign that the person seeing it viii die
before the expiration Of the coming New
Year, and there is also popular super
stition that II an unmarried woman
should see her face reflected in wator on
New Years eve it is an infallible sign
that she Is destined to live and die In a
state of single blessedness. New York
World
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
For the Ensuing Year.

May the new year, just opening to
US, be signaled in public and in private
life by the growth Of noble ideas-of
ideas that shall make men freer, truer,
better that shall more and more reflect
the incompatible teachings Of the Holy
Child whose nativity we have just cele-
brated, and whose spirit, initiated and
obeyed, can redeem the time and crown
mankind with blessedness. Christian
NUDrly
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
New Years wassaiI Bowl.

No English holiday was of much ac-
count that was not observed with flow
ing bowl. On New Years eve the was
sail bowl was filled with spiced ale and
drunk in families, and poorer folk tied
q bowl with ribbons and begged for
money for ale to fill and refill the bowl,
singing:
Wassail, wassail all over the town
Our toast il is white; our ale 1t is brown
Our bowl it Is made Of maplin tree;
We be good fellows all drink to thee.
In some parts Of England the old year
is "swept OUT by men and boys with
blackened faces, dressed to represent
sweeps; in others it is burned out"
with bonfres. Sometimes it is rung ont
with muffled bells that are unmuffied
and rung clear after 12 O'Clock. Indie
pendent.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Paris Christmas CONNECTIONS.

Partisan confeotioncrs and florists deco
rate their shops with some effort at symbol
ism On the fete days of the year. Last
Christmas bonbonniercs Of donkeys, with
panels of Infant dolls were displayed. The
fevorite cake of this holiday is almond,
thinly made and covered with figures.
Plum cake is seen in the north of France
during the holidays. Another cake,
"renfent Jesus, cut out In the form of q
child, is very popular with the children
EXCHANGE
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
kissing Under the NIlstletoe.

The mystic mistletoe bough then as
now granted kissing charter to the
swains, aud the maids We're willing suf-
ferers. The sacred mistletoe was regard
ed with religious veneration by the
Druids, and its berries Of pearl as symbols
Of purity and associated with the rites
Of marriage. from this the transition
was out slight to the kiss beneath the
cabahstic bough. This traditional sa-
credness, the genesis of which is un-
known, has endured through the ages,
and today for man and maid 10 meet be-
meath the mistletoe gives the right TO a
sacred kiss. New York Herald.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Some Good and Rad omens.

To meet a red haired person on first
getting up indicates dull day in bust
ness, and if such one cross your door
on New Years day you will have an
unlucly year. While making trade, if
q cross eyed person looks at you, it in
dicates that the bargain will be unprofit-
able. To hear a cricket chirp is good
luck, and it is always welcome sound
under the hearthstone of the farmers
house. Exchange.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
A New Epoch.

AS the sun completes his annual rev.
olution through the heavens by touching
the southern solstice, and then COM
mences his return to northern latitudes,
man is compelled to recognize a new
epoch in his own career and is reminded
to pause q moment for earnest reflection
in order to gather wisdom from vanish
ed months and to forecast the signs of
the future. Christian Work.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02

whether clothes fit well or not. That IS
where we excel. Whether we succeed or
not you can judge by the fact that the
best dressed men i'll Butler almost with
out exception patronize us.
Poorly Made Clothes always look cheap
while those well made have an elegant
appearance. The clothes we make are
put together thoroughly. No slop shop
work is tolerated Try us, and sec if we
do not answer this description.
Cutting Your Cloth to suit the size and
shape is good thing to push along, also
the cutting of our prices to suit the de
mands of the public. You'll be astonish-
ed at the low prices at which we are max
ing up our large and elegant stock of
Foreign and Domestic Woolens. Call
and examine our large stock
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
NRW Year BELLS.

OF all sounds, of all bells most SOL
emn and touching is the peal which
rings out the old year. never hear it
without a gathering up of my mind to
concentration of all the images that
have been diffused over the past twelve
month. l begin to know the worth of
that regretted time, as when person
dies. s.-Charles Lamb
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Japan's Common Birthday.

The first Of the year is really sort Of
double festival in Japan, for the Japa-
nese, like the Chinese. -eckon their age
from that date. A child born "a hours
before New Years day is called year
old on that day, SO that it is the birth
day of all the japanese people.
York Advertiser.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Chriafmna Song.

Why do bells for Christmas ringf
Why do little children singf
Once II lovely shining star
Seen by shepherds from afar
Gently moved until its light
Made a hangers cradle bright.
There a darling baby lay
Pillowod soft upon the hay,
And its mother sang and smiled,
"This is Christ, the holy child"
Therefore bells for Christmas ring;
Therefore little children sing.
Eugene FioI1 in Chicago Herald
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Love and Charity.

If you can make love and charity in
your heart choId with the last song the
Ihoir sings New Years day, you can
make up your mind that You are prett.
good man after all -Kearney Journal
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
The DYING YEAR.


Aly aoYr stands open wide tonight
IL toksg OF 9 parting guest. ,-,.
Whc tVeiYe months since, with Keen eehshI
fEeicoInsd to ny hon.ely nest.
he stands there now. wan, wasted. OLD.
BIS race Quite Ean, his mission Ger,
and when he El!dnig gLU hour l. rolio1.
We pE.t, q meet oa earth 10 more
He cane to I11e - 4I4lrry guiscs
With hopes and promises not izU'
All, who could look within tEos5 eyes
And deem thar they were all untrue.
But oxpectaticn5 ell have fed,
The promises are broken, too,
The hopes lie withered crushed and dead
Not one Of all but proved untrue.
And there he stands, decrepir, wan,
Who came 70 me a merry elf
A few sands more be win be gone,
And with him gone part Of myself
So come and go the passing years
That bear us 20 the silent sea,
But bright with smiles or dim with tears
They come in love, dear Lord, from thee.
Christian Work.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Logainanay.
Give Us OF your white bread
And none OF your pravl

They also beg for cheese, which they
call 'nog money, and Brands "Popu-
lar Antiquities" gives this begging
rhyme used by Scotch children:
Get up, guide wife, and binno sweir;
Deal cakes and cheese while We are here
For the time will come when ye'll be dead
And neither need your cheese nor bread.
As the children on these forays are
swathed in great sheets formed into a
deep bag or pouch TO carry the oatcake
they form quite mumming and fan
tastio appearance on the by streets and
lanes. Independent.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
So MANY Gifts.

Three hundred apd sixty five spick, span. new.
Beautiful presents for me and for yop
FIJI them with kindness and sunshine my
honey,
And you'll find these gifts better than play.
things or money.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02

Scotch children of the poorer class in
small towns stiu beg on New Year
eve from door TO door at the houses Of
wealthior families for dole Of cat
bread, calling out "Hosamanay" or
some Of the local rhymes which are Civ
en il Chambers Popular Rhymes of
Scotland. " such as
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Not So Generally Used as Holly-vene
ated by the DruIds.

The connection of mistletoe with Christ
mas is a very curious one says Robert
Blight in the Philadelphia Press, and far
from being general one. Literature Is
perhaps mainly responsible for 1t, in that
illusions to "a custom, in a great degree
purely local, have made large number of
persons interested in the plant. 1t, more
over, seems to me that the custom of using
1t in Christmas decorations depends on
two considerations-tirst, its evergreen
habit, and, secondly, the veneration in
which it was held by the Druids. In the
orchards OF Herefordshire and Worcester
shire, in England, and in those of Nor
mandy, apple trees may be seen covered
with mistletoe to such an extent that In
winter time, when divested Of their natural
leaves, they present a mass of green in the
leaves of their parasite.
The reasons mentioned have no doubt
done much TO secure for the mistletoe the
place which In recent times 1t has held In
Christmas festivities, but 1t Is not so uni
versally honored at Yuletide as the holly.
In fact, its popularity is purely local, and
its use as an ornament, in places where II
does not grow, is duo rather to an anti
quarian sentiment than TO any feeling
that its presence at the rcjoicings oi ne
season is necessary. You may have n RS
merry Christmas without any mistlctoe at
all, but to the majority Of the people q
Christmas without sl'rig Cr two Of holly
would scarcely seem 4 10 Christmas at
all Even that rare old plant, the Ivy green,
cannot compete with tbs holly as n neoes-
sary part of domestic adurnment for the
Christmas merry gatherings.
Still mistletoe has certain amount Of
sentiment attached to II, and therefore the
mistletoe bough finds a place in the farm
houses, mansions and castles of the dis
tricts of England where 1t grows and in
the dwellings of the wealthy where it can
be purchased, while here u spray is bought
just for the sake Of old memories.
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
A Song of the Season.

! love no rost but nut browne toste
And u crab layde in the tyre;
\ little bread shall do me stead
Much breade l not desyre.
No froste nor snow, no winde, trowe,
Can hurt NEE II wolde.
am so wrapt and throwly lapt
OF jolly good ale and olde.
Back and syde go bare go bare;
Both foote and hand, go colde;
But belly God send thee good ale inoughe
Whether II be new OF olde
With sober cheerfulness the grandam eyes
Her offspring round her, all in health and
peace,
And thankful that she's spared 70 see this day
Return once more, breathes low n sacred
prayer
That God would shed a blessing on their heads
Selected
Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-01-02
Tired Women

D;II. are tasteless. mild, effec-
OOU - llIS tive. All druggists. 80
Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1896-02-13

distance, as they are labored efforts
that are put in print before their
delivery and intended only to
make political capital for the
orators in their own bailiwicks.
There are people in Honolulu
who take all these forensic fire
works as earnest patriotism. Some
of the ablest writers in the Anne
rican press, however, regard the
Monroe doctrine as good enough
the way it was originally enun-
ciated, having whenever it has
been properly applied produced
results the most satisfactory for
the United States and her citizens.
In short, the Monroe doctrine
does not need stretching beyond
its plain intent and meaning.