The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1896-01-09
Aftermath.

Once again the fields we NOV,
And gather in the aftermath.
Not the sweet, new grass with MOVIES
Is this harvesting OF ours;
Not the upland clover bloom;
But the rowen mixed with weeds,
Tangled tufts from marsh and meads.
[Longfellow.
Christmas come and gone! Gone the
crowds, the plump pocket books, the burst
ing secrets, and now we gather the after
math. Look upon it as we will the love
that is in the world is little larger after
each Christmas day. 1t is pity that ma
terial conditions should affect our attitude
toward Christmas; but they do, and
though it was not quite so hard to meet
this year, we have not yet forgotten the
economies we learned two years ago. Let
us hope that the Venezuelan difficulty
may not cause us to review the lesson.
Massachusetts weather! Let Elizabeth
Whittiers ''Christmas of SO, describe it:
The mornings promise noon and eve full
filled
In warm, soft sky and landscape hazy -hilled
And sunset fair as they
A sweet reminder of His hottest time,
A summer miracle in our winter cline,
God gave perfect day.
Lawns and lowlands are still green, while
the snow fingers like a mating about the
picture.
The wise woman did her Christmas
shopping early in the month to avoid the
crowd and save time and temper. Such a
woman (?) started out one bright morn
ing, solely for what day might bring
forth, and naturally at this season the
''tields to be moved are the big Wash
ington street stores.
In Il. H. Whites window is 'Santa
Claus up to date,' seated on bicycle
which he works without propelling, with
his customary pack and a book at his side
entitled List of good girls and boys. "
With woolly snowtiakes flying and drifts
accommodating, he draws admiring crowds.
Farther down the street, Shuman shows
a Dickens' Booth, with drawings and quo
tations from ''Christmas Carols which
serve to draw attention to their clothing.
Houghton & Dutton, in addition to a
reindeer team which they send out on the
streets, have an immense Santa Claus high
up on the outside of the store, done in
electric lights, and below it the greeting
CHERRY Christmas in the same effect
1t remains for Jordan to lead in the
amount of window decoration. In the
window displaying books, stands
"Edithas burglar helping himself to
the spoons from the sideboard, while from
the drapery Editha says Its curious that
You should know just where to look for
things.n
In the next window, attracting young
and old, is the schoolhouse, Mary, and the
lamb that followed her to school, done
entirely in handkerchiefs. The attitudes
of the fifteen doll pupils, and the teacher
at her desk, elicit exclamations of admi-
ration from all. Mounting the grand
staircase, which is outlined in rows of
colored ncsndescent lights, the visitor
sees the home of Little Red Riding Hood.
The wolf is at the window, and says in the
traditional voice to Red Riding Hood, who
is outside, 'Pull the bobbin and the latch
will lift up The whole arrangement is
an ingenious device for pleasing the chill
dren and at the same time showing the
table linen and art needle work of which
it is composed.
Holly is everywhere, and electrical effects
add brilliancy to the devices intended to
please. Surely, | said to myself this is
the ''sweet, new grass the "clover
the "tangled tufts,' and with this resolu-
ton carried out the ''fields | moved
were Salem and North streets, where amid
the ''Solomon Lewis and Itali ms may
have listened to the "cawine of the
crows for aught could understand.
The time has been when travelling on
those streets was attended with some
risk; but thanks to the saving grace of
the Old North Church and the North End
Mission, both of which places | visited and
which deserve more than passing mention,
one may feel as safe in that locality as in
any part of the city of Boston.
Nor is visit to the slums without it's
lesson. l may not listen to sermon from
Rev. Charles w. Duane Of the Old North
Church, and ] may not hear Rev. Mr..
Ounkin endeavor to save and Christian
ize the submerged classes of the North
End Mission, but the sermon l read as l
went among the dissolute and depraved of
that locality and felt the signi fcance of
the efforts being made to redeem them,
will remain with me, a vitalizing influence.
Surely we cannot have the ''clover bloom
without the fertilizing influence of the
"rowen NJ.
Waltham, Mass, Dec. '95.
The White House reception Jan. LIST
was attended by a great gathering of
prominent people. The receiving party
comprised President and Mrs. Cleveland,
Vice President and Mrs Stevenson and