davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

Up in the brightly lighted rooms at the
home the children laughed and talked
and sang while they prepared for their
nights rest, and then the tinv lit
tie figures, robed in their wbita
gowns, knelt by the little white cots. and
with folded hands and hidden faces softly
murmured their evening prayers. And
then the little ones. with no thought of
fear or sorrow or trouble, jumped gleefully
into bed and were tucked in by kindly
hands.
Lily said one of the ladies. ''can you
tell us something you are thankful for2p
Little Lily turned her eyes to where we
were standing and replied, modestly and
seriously:
"Yes'm; big feet" And no one laughed.
"Tell US why?'
Because" she said. and she caught her
white gown in each OF her pretty brown
hands, and her chubby, well-shaped feet
cleaned against the dark floor, "Decause
now we can go out into the bright sun
light and see the sky and the flowers, and
hear the birds sing ana run about and
play, and all the little girls can come 10
mission school," Then she made grave
little courtesy and scampered to her bed.
"You know" said the young lady, 1.-THE
girls with small feet dare not leave their
homes alone because they would be kid
naped, but those with large feet can go'
anywhere with a great degree of safety
Children have been stolen from here, you
know, but we usually recover them If
they wish to come back. And they gen.
orally do" she added.
Hooked once moro at the queer little
faces, with their narrow eyes peering at
me from under the bedclothes, and went
out into the street.
And the moon was shining brightly and
the street lamps did not look so dreary.
They mad not so much darkness to battle
against now that the moons face was un-
covered. The streets were very quiet and
1 looked about. bot there was no one near.
But all the way 1 heard, Peace and good
will" JEAN MORRIS.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Coffin Plates as Ornaments.

The coffin plate as room ornament is
being discussed in the Boston Transcript
and Miss Maria Louise Pool sends to that
paper the following contribution to the
subject: when I was driving from Berk-
shire County down to Boston some years
ago I stopped at prominent house in
village. In this house dwelt distant con-
nection of my travelling companion, which
explains why we halted there rather than
at hotel. At night we were conducted to
large chamber, on the mantelshelf of
which were placed the coffin plates of the
deceased memb bers of the family. These
plates were set up so that the names and
dates were easy to be read. Over them was
mourning piece, with tombstone, weep
ing willow and three mourners at the
grave. In the morning our hostess tried
TO persuade US to stay longer. offering as
an inducement to take us to the cemetery.
We didn't stay. But this is not typical.
1t is the only time l ever saw such plates
used as ornaments of a room"
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Il Christmas Dance in alaska
Hunters and Jrappers Brave Dangers Hundreds Of Miles
Over Arctic Wastes to Celebrate

The hunters, traders, trappers and fish
ermen drew on their winter supply of pro-
visions and loaded enough to last them
several days on their sleds. These were
narrow affairs, perhaps two feet wide and
five to six feet long, with turn-up runners
in front. The doors of cabins were made
secure before the start to prevent the wild
animals, wolves and wolverines from get
ting in during the absence of tenants, so
that when the owners came back from their
clark" they might not find that their win
ter food had all been devoured.
few days before Christmas those near
est to the village came In. The distances
ranged from twenty-five miles up to 200
mIles. The shorter distances were enough
to turn the wearer of 3 fur coat into
pretty fair resem blance to Santa Claus
Santa Claus on snowshoes. The tempera-
ture averaged from 20 degrees to 30 de-
grees below zero. Snow or sleet falling
froze in an instant. Ten minutes after it's
first exposure each fur cap and fur coat
was frozen stiff. Later it accumulated
several layers of snow and ice. Clad from
head to foot in furs and with only peep
holes through the fur caps, which were
drawn close down over the face, with thick
WOODEN mittens on their hands. one hand
holding trusty rife and the other draw
ing loaded sled, these plucky devotees
of fun stalked into the village one after
another.
Those who came from long distances
were several days on their Journey They
encountered storms which drove the frozen
snow like bullets through the air. They
lay down at night on snowbanks thirty
feet deep, and, wrapping more furs about
them, slept securely, the wolves bowling
in the vicinity but not ven uring to make
an attack. They lived mostly on salmon,
dried salmon and smoked salmon, as they
iourneyed. Their sppeIites were good
enough to give anything eataDle relish.
They never lost their way, because they
travelled, every man of them, by compass.
They were navigators of the snow.
Charlie Foster of Berkeley was the only
Californian who was present at the Christ
mas eve dance in Odiak In 1895. He had
been living in Od1ak some months, his
time being occupied in building boats
large and small. He told yesterday the
story OF the Christmas eve dance in which
be participated. The event was charac-
teristic of Alaska and of no other place.
They had the dance in a building which,
in the season, is used by the Alaska
Packers Association. Walter Storey of
San Francisco has charge of it. 1t is a
two-story affair, sheathed with rustic and
built very strongly to stand the heavy
gales that blow there. The upper floor is
bunkroom. The lower part is divided
ip4o As,.in
house. The building is about 40x90 feet
long and the dining-room, where the
dance took place, was more than half the
whole of the ground area.
Around the room were benches. At
one end was pile of benches built up
into sort of rough stage for the musi-
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

few preliminary plunk-er plunks on the
pastry cooks banjo and some very vigor-
Gus saving on the hunters fiddies. TEen
the voice of JACK Shepard rose with the an
nouncenent of square dance, and the
hunters, prospectors, miners, fishermen
and traders in furs went at it with enjoy
ment and vlgor, according to the labor
which they had undertaken and accom-
plished to be there.
The most of the hunters and others
were dressed in thick wooden clothing,
some with blue shirts and all in rough
and ready way, with one exception.
This one exception was trapper who had
somewhere found a full-dress suit. This
he wore in spirit of fun, and the party
so had one dude. Every girl danced
every dance, when invited, round and
square. BY 10 o'clock the "dude''
had shed his coat; at IL he was also
without his vest. At IL dancing was off
for time and the men went into the
kitchen and sat around pine tables and
had refres hments.
The men did not invite the squaws to
eat with them. The first table was only
for the white men, who varied the pro-
ceedings by a few songs and some
speeches. Then the girls ate and then the
dancing was resumed. In the meantime
the native men and older women made
their way to the kitchen and banqueted.
The bill of fare began with salmon,
ended with salmon and had salmon in
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
MOST NOVEL CELEBRJHTION OF THE CHRISTIANS FESTIVAL

nat was strange crowd of people that
AZ assembled at the Stockton street
EE Church to celebrate the yearly festival
of Christmas. On one side of the large
audience room there were women with
their babes in their arms and their older
children clinging to them. On the other
side were men of all ages and stages of ex-
istence. Quakers? No. indeed-the Chi
nesel. There were a few Americans pres
ent. the teachers in the mission schools
and few OF their friends, but so few
were they that they looked out of place.
There was a Christmas tree at the farther
end of the Church, covered with gay
colored trinkets and pretty wax candles.
The children looked like an animated
field of vari-colored poppies in their
strange little costumes.
After / had looked around at all this
and had marveled at the happiness of the
children and the contented looks of the
women and the interested attitudes of the
men, heard them saying. and saying it
with fervor, as though they meant it:
"GIory TO God in the highest, and on
earth peace, goodwill toward menl"
Then bright-looking Chinese boy hur-
ried up to me.
Come" he said, and he took me to a
seat among the women and children, and
drifted back again through the crowd.
On the platform the little ones were
singing their little songs and reciting g
verses with great precision. Not one be-
came stagestruck from the tall girl who
said the poem of Bethlehem" in the
same tone of voice from beginning to end,
with absolutely no pauses U began to won
der if she ever would get breath again), to
the strange little piece of humanity whom
they had to put upon a chair while he
said his three little lines about Santa
Claus with great deal of prompting.
There were other babies who toddled up
to the high platform and looked over that
sea of upIurned faces with wonder pic
tured on their own little yellow counte-
nances and in their peculiarly bright
little eyes, and sang about 1.-THE little
manger where Jesus lay his first morn
ing on earth"
For two hours the children acted their
little parts and the elders ate or stood and
listened and smiled and applauded
roundly. and then there was commotion
in the back part of the room ana some
into transports of Joy, for there walked
down the aisle, a sack on his back and a
great horn IN his hand, a Santa Claus.
Now, who ever heard of Chinese Santa
CLAUSE Yet there he stood, whiskers and
snow and all, with his round, good-na-
tured face beaming with delight, shower
ing gifts upon the little ones.
One Chinese woman held tiny baby in
her arms. TIE child wore a daintily en-
broidered white dress such as the Ameri-
can children wear and its straight black
hair and queer little face looked out of
place above 1t.
''She Is a Christian said teacher.
"Her husband is merchant and deacon
here in the church."
"But why doesn't she dress the child in
its native dress?" asked l, taking excep-
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Hunters and

@lN the 10th day of December, 1895,
4&Ep feet-footed Indians-Aleuts, Kiln
eN kats and Siwashes-left the little
village of Odiak, on Prince William Sound,
Alaska, upon amost unique mission. They
were messengers, sent out on foot, in the
depth of an Alaskan winter, to travel
hundreds of miles over trackless wastes
of snow, to say to hunters and trappers:
"UghI Heap big dance at Eyak heap
soon. Come onl'
For there was to be Christmas-eve Gel
bration ct Odiak, which was to take. the
form of a dance, and the bold white men
who were hidden to come were invited to
travel alone through bliZZards; following
down the course of ravines, which de-
bouch in general way from Alaskan will
dernesses, toward the sea; to come, draw
ing their provisions with them, on sleds
armed to protect themselves against the
wolves, whose "long howl" is still "heard
on Unalaska's shore" 1t is a memorable
fact that, of the twenty-three white men
within 200 miles of Odiak, not one failed
10 embrace this chance to celebrate Christ
mas eve.
The hunters and trappers and also the
fishermen along the coast heard the sum-
mons with pleasure. They were Danes,
Swedes, Norwegians, Russians, English
men, Canadians and one or two Ameri-
cans. They were living separately, each
in his cabin which he had built far re-
mote from any other mans domain. Six
months in the year they lived in what
seemed like an illimitable world OF snow
and ice. Arctic desolation, by day setting
and tending traps or hunting over the
snowy wastes on snowshoes. Each man
was adaptable to circumstances, some
times hunter, trapper, trader or fisher
man; sometimes prospector, searching for
shining particles OF gold along the
Alaskan rivers
Billiards such as are taken account oi
in North Dakota were blowing frequently
day and night. In the solitary darkness
of this isolation tie dismal music of the
storm winds and the beating of sleet on
the roof was often varied by the scratch
ing of bowling wolves at the outside of the
cabin which sheltered its adventurous and
stout-hearted owner. Not one of the men
who was invited in somewhat uncere-
monious fashion but knew all the dangers
of long midwinter journey. Not one
could resist temptation to have Christ
mas eve frolic.
Where it was reasonably convenient
two of the hardy northmen travelled to-
gether toward Odiak. Generally they
proceeded singIy. The rivers and other
water courses had long before been frozen
solid. The sweep of the fierce winds had
filled the river up level, from bank to
bank, with snow, so that there was moth
ing to tell the traveller whether he was
passing over land or water. Ali familiar
landmarks on the route seaward were OBJ
liberated. A trail was buried by the snow
as soon as it was made. What then
Christmas eve dance cor bnst," to tray
esty the old saying about Pixies Peak.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

clans. The orchestra was somewhat
primitive, consisting oftwo fiddlers and a
banjo player. The fiddlers were traders,
both Swedes. The banio-player was a
pastry cook, who is employed by the Pa
ciic Steam Whaling Company at Orca
station, which is four miles from Odiak
He wcs sent for by native, who went in
canoe. In fact, other fishermen were
sent for in canoes. Some of them came
in single canoes and some in three
hatch bedarky."
The ''prompter" was Jack Shepard, a
hunter, who was master of ceremonies.
He has lived in Alaska fifteen years, and
has hunted all along the Yukon.
Now there are no white women in
Odiak. In the village there may be $50
persons. Among these are native girls
who can dance, Siwashes, Aleuts and
Kllnkats. Some of them are very good
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

''Are you Christian 2" asked of one.
He shook his head and laughed.
Are you going to be?'
He SHOOK his head again.
"Me? No good" he said. "Chill'en
nice-yes" and he laughed.
laughed, too, for / had heard before
that religion was good for women and
children"
How long has this mission been estab-
lished?"
"Onlv forty years." said mission
ary, seriously. ''But we ara doing well.
We have Chinese pastor, the Rev. 500
Hoo Nam Art, and Chinese Christian
Endeavor Society. and the Chinese Kings
Daughters. and all the societies that other
churches have"
'And you never get discouraged"
"What have we to discourage us? They
will all come in after awhile. We have
over 500 mem bers now"
And forty yearsl
These are the people who are going to
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

M11Y lady stepped from her carriage
HtWk5 and walked haughtily in to buy
A%4y some Christmas presents. The
odors of .Arapy the blest" perfumed the
circumambient air. floating from her
dainty garments. After she had alighted
the shiny door of her carriage was closed
by an obsequious footman. A moment
later the footman was on the box beside
q gorgeously appareled and rubicund
coachman and seemingly became petri6ed.
The coachman, whip in hand, was the
larger of the two. He was as immovable
and as lmpassive as that Egyptian exam
pie of architecture, bounded by polyg-
onal base and with plane triangular sides
which meet in an apex, commonly known
as a pyramid. Pir-em-us, so ran the
original Egyptian word to describe verti-
cal height. Pir-em-us something lofty is
the only way to describe that coachman.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
CELEBRATIONS CHINESE CLAUS

and one woman was sitting in an arm
chair in a fashion that would have made
grotesque dancer at the head of his pro-
fes sion turn green with envy.
The Chinese are never hard or indiffer-
ent to kindness. They receive your pleas
antries with broad smiles of satisfaction,
and answer your queries as best they
can.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

he" and he laughed pleasantly, "all
right"
Then he hurried away.
Itwas a steep climb to the home and it
was late, but wanted to see them put the
''bables"(as they are called) to bed. So 1
walked slowly along and the animated
flower garden clattered ahead on their lit
tie wooden shoes. Behind us, far down
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

"No doubt of it," one said; "not the
least" And she passed on up the church
aisle, distributing little red bags full of
candies.
"You see,'' said another, a pleasant
faced little woman, "they are very hard
to reach. They do not like to have us come
into the privacy of their households, es-
pecially the merchants, but after we do
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

leave pleasant memories or would they
forget it all and sink into their narrow life
again for another year, and some, per-
haps, forever2
"Glory to God in the highest" said a
voice behind me, land on earth peace,
good will toward men,
looked back. but it was only bright
faced China boy talking with companion.
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25
Feature Of a Christmas
the Presbyterian Mission Home

stay together. They like each other best
but like this country, too, if they make
money, and after while they learn. But
you have customs we no like to have our
selves learn"
"Indeed?"
EYES," he went on. "The Chinaman he
pretty bad; but not all through. He not
greedy, has big heart. You treat him well
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

vote. The people who are, in time, going
to fill the land with their manners and
customs unless they conform to ours.
"And will they?" l asked of converted
Chlnaman who stood near me.
He looked up through his glasses into
my face.
Not at ALL" he said, frowning as
though in deep thought. My people like
The San Francisco call., 1896-12-25

the hill the street lamps struggled bravely
to pierce the heavy darkness, and sue
ceeded in intensifying the shadows. In
the east the moon tried to peer. through
the dark-rimmed clouds that obscured her
vision.
And all these people. what were they
doing and where were they going and
would the odor of the Christmas green's
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-23
A Modern Miracle.

What is the matter with the garbage
contractor? Has he lost his grip on the
situation? 1t is asserted that the garbage
crematory is burning refuse once more and
that In view of that fact only portion Of
the c1ty's garbage has to be hauled down
the Potomac in scows. to be dumped as
nearly as possible below Alexandria. This
me ans that the garbage contractor will not
make quite as much profit as he has been
making since he succeeded in shutting I'D
the furnace in order that the scow system
might have a chance. What influences
combined to start the crematory again and
to deprive the contractor of many dollars ?
1t used to be that the District paid Soi. 400
a year for garbage disposal by scow. The
present contract gives the fortunate con-
tractor $4,000 for disposal by crema tory,
hut permits him to return to scow methods
at crematory prices whenever he cares to
bring about the change 1t is therefore
surprising to note the renewed activity at
the crematory. for incarceration is SO much
more expensive than the scow system
What power has worked this miracle?
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-23
Wicked Venezuela.

Once more is there display of Indignation
In that center of all the Christian virtues
the city of London-and once more do the
thCEderouS notes of angry British journal
ism cross the Atlantic. Venezuela has been
at it again. This time there has been in
reference with the work of a British sur
veying party that was engaged in what the
Venezuelans regard as unwarranted tres
pass Intelligent readers of the daily news
know that the adjacent boundaries of
Venezuela and British Guiana are unde-
fined: that the line OF demarcation is the
subject of controversy of a pacific sort;
endeavoring for our national guidance to
locate II properly, and that pending the
settlement of the controversy matters IN
the disputed territory were to remain III
their present condition Yet the story
which comes from British sources tells US
that British surveyors We're going right
ahead in the disputed territory just as
though the controversy had been finally
settled in favor of the British claim. John
Bulls most prominent Characteristic was
never more strongly in evidence than in
this case.
The British critics can see no wrong
in the assertion of British rights to sur
vey disputed territory in imitation of the
achievements in that line of Sir Robert
the Venezuelan government dares to in
tcrfere with what from the Venezuelan
point of view is an impe rtinent intrusion:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-23

inevitable: that tho Spanish government
has been FASTENED by the convention to
the purchase Of two batfleships just con-
structed at Genoa: that other naval neces-
saries are being bought in England; and
that these expensive essentials are to be
raid for out of money loaned by the Roths-
childs on sufficient security. This news
may not be dismissed as unreliable The
Spanish spirit Is warlike; recklessly So
The Spanish people cannot understand-or,
II they do. will not forgive-the sympathetic
attitude Of the United States toward Cuba.
They rave only vague notions as to the
wealth and power and manliness Of this
republic. Their knowledge as to us IS
dangerously superficial. They note the
facts that our standing army is infinitesi-
nal in size. our navy new and unframed
in actual warfare. our coasts undefended.
The Spaniard5 ignore the lessons taught
by the military and naval history of the
United States and overlook the martial
spirit and soldierly adaptability which Is
one of the most prominent of American
characteristics. There is no reasonable
Likelihood OF declaration Of war by the
United States. We are with Cuba-heart,
soul and pocket-book-but we will not take
the initiative as to conflict merely because
We want the Cubans to Immediately achieve
the independence they are bound to get
after awhile. Beyond recognizing Cuban
hellisecency, which is due not later than
March 3. 1897. but which is not in itself
an act of hostility. being merely the state
ment Of a fact and pledge Of impartial
ity, We are not likely to seek trouble, I'M
less the Spanish manning or killing of some
American citizen in Cuba compels us to
demonstrate that American citizenship
mist be respected by all the world, if it
takes every American man and every
American dollar to establish that doctrine.
Illegal arrest. mock trial and murderous
execution Of one of us by Spain would be
II stantly and overwhelmingly resented.
Spain must know this, and it may he that
the wariike preparations are but the pre-
cursors of adverse action in the Competitor
case or as to some of the other Americans
imprisoned in Havana
mat Our War and Navy departments are
carelcs at this time is not probable; they
nave Undoubtedly taken Spain's measure
and are as nearly ready as the inexcusable
Congressional stinginess will permit them
to be.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-23

NinCty-nine Per cent of American news
p; per readers Will laugh at the idea that
Spain is likely to declare war against the
United States. Yet such action by the
Castilia1.s is by no means an improbabilty.
Without any direct intention to bring on
war, the people of the United States have
said and done many things most annoying
to the sUpersenstive and hot-blooded Span
iards. The adoption of concurrent resolu-
lions of Congress favoring Cuban indie
yen6erce excited Spanish ire. the success of
many flibUstering expeditions originating
In this country caused the misuse of much
language on the Peninsula, the outspoken
declarations of the republican national con-
Vento2 aroused more of foreign wrath.
while the unGouDted sympathy of the
American people, as expressed through the
American press. has added new varieties
of nervous activity to the already restless
Spanish character. A dispatch from Mad
rid states earnestly that 1t is feared tn are
that a conflict with this country seems