El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-29
AT CHOPIN BALL.
st. Clements Children Enjoy a Very
Pleasant Evening"
Adjourned.


l. Pleasant Evening.
d Chopin hall was the scene last mig
d of interesting festivity, the occasiC
r being the Christmas entertainment
Y St. Clements Sunday school. San
y Claus did most of his visiting on Chris
y mas eve, but, following a precede1
observed in former years, delayed b
: visit to ST. Clements until the Inn
= cents day. According, however, to b
own story, he has had so many othe
schools to go to that he had been VI
: able to reach ST. Clements before. B
1:30, the hour fixed for the opening
the capacions hall was crowded abov
and belOw-that is to say, in the bod
of the hall aud in the gallery. On
hundred and fifty chairs in the fror
were reserved for the pupils and thei
! teachers, St. Clements Sunday schoc
totaling almost that number. Thes
were divided into twelve sections
according to the number of classes, S
| that confusion was reduced to a mini
mum. Indeed, the good behavior O
the children and the orderly name
| in which the whole of the proceeding,
were carried through, were markeG
features of the evening.
AT 30 the proceedings opened with
the triumphant carroll Jesus the Sa
vior is born''-which the children sang
with much enthusiasm, their merry
voices ringing forth the joyous chorus
in fine style:
Glory, glory, be to God on high,
Jesus is born:
Angels singing, anthems ringing,
Jesus is born.
This was followed by another carol
with chorus, equally pleasing
Where brightly cleaned the star of
Bethlehem" Now, filled with eXpec-
tation, and becoming excited with
childish impatience, they all waited
the rise OF the curtain. One-two-three-
four-tive minutes passed and yet it
remained provokingly there. Just
about this time, little girl in Mrs.
to little boy in Miss
Josephine Crosby's class, when sudden
ly the lights went down, down, almost
out: and when she turned back 10, and
behold, the curtain was drawn And
what was this that was rev ealed?-a
pretty bedroom, with pretty bed in
it, all pink and white, and a bright
red fireplace, without any fire in tit
wasn't cold anyway. 1t is nearly bed
Blank, who live here, have undressed
and put on their night-robes, ready to
lump into bed. But it is Christmas
eve, and they are going to hang up
heir stockings; so Mrs. Blank, their
mother. has them to sit beside her
while she questions them about Christ
mas, and tells them about Jesus-how
hat he was born in manger bed, in
/ place called Bethlehem. Little
Mamie and Agyra, being members of
st. Clements Sunday school, know all |
lbout this, and are able to answer so |
'eadily and so correctly, that their |
mamma is very pleased. 1t pleases her |
% much that when they have hung up |
heir stockings, and got into bed, she |
will tell them, she says, pretty story |
about the night before Christmas. -
3ut before Mamie and Agyra go to
ed, they do not forget, though it is
yhristmas Eve, to say, their little
'rayer to God; and, kneeling down be
ide mother, in their white night
obes, they sing this little verse;
esus. tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless thy little lamb tonight;
through the darkness be thou near me;
Keep me safe till morning light.
They sang this so sweetlv that all
he little tots in Miss Annie Edwards
lass, and Miss Rosa Windsor's too,
ctually think it is all real; while there
big fat man in the audience who
ooks as though he is crying, sure.
omebody says he had a little girl and
he died. Well, when they have hung
p their stockings by the red fire place
nd Mamma Blank (Mrs. w. H. Tuttle)
ad told them all about good St Mich
las-how he came on the night before
christmas with his sleigh bells ringing,
nd with pretty things for the children:
nd, getting frightened, jumped clean
p the chlmney-and has kissed them
ood night and left the room, such a
Ingling of bells is heard. and the very
ext minute in comes old Santa Claus,
nth long whip. His face is as red as
roast, and he has moustache big
nough for ten ordinary men: red
oat, trimmed with white fur; red
tocking cap, and white lepgins. But,
,, and behold, Mamie and Agyra are
ot yet asleep. "This wont do"
avs Santa Claus. ''This wont DO at
tockings who wont go to sleep: so get
p right away now, and help me with
he business | have in hand" And
hey just have to get up and go into
room and dress themselves,
Or Santa Claus simply pulls them out
{ bed. In the meantime, while they ;
re dressing, one of the walls of the
edrOom slides away up through the
eiling aud reveals one of the most
OrgeOus Christmas trees ever patron
led by the good old man. There are ;
reat big balls of popcorn, pink and /
,hite: sacks of candy, blue, green, red {
nd yellow; yellow sugar birds nests, l
18th red sugar eggs: little tin dishes {
'ith spoons, filed with red and white
ely: candy hearts, which somebody's
ig brother called ''sweet-hearts:"
liver chains: tiny cOlored candles:
littering beads. and all kinds of fine |
hings. Then old Santa Claus comes {
D the front, and says he received a {
reat long letter from the Rev. Mr.
lartin, telling him to hurry up and
ONE, as the children belonging to St.
'lement's Sunday school were getting
inpatient; but the fact was be had had