The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-19

From the German of Anna Reschauer.
A few weeks ago the young wife of DR..
Werner, professor of ancient history at the
Vienna university, was invited with him,
to attend dinner party at which the
other guests were the prevailing social
lions in art and literature Being young
and diffident, and without experience in
the social world, she felt i'll at ease among
such a company. Happily, at the table,
she was placed next to the celebrated Prof
*, who at once interested himself in her
and explained and expounded the topics
and conversations which were going on
around the table. He did this in that kind
clear manner which only persons of learn
ing possess, and SO, as the evening went
on, the young woman found courage
enough to express her views on several
minor subjects, much to the delight of the
professor, who found that his neighbor
had not only clear intellect, but also a
real German woman's heart. He did mot
care that she was unacquainted with the
literature of the ancientS and had not
much knowledge of the classics, for he
perceived that she was by no means a sim
pie woman.
Soon the conversation turned upon the
customs and manners of the early Ger
mans, and DIR. Werner became involved in
a discussion with the wife of a philosopher
as to the origin of the Christmas tree. This
worthy woman was endeavoring to main
tain that the Christmas celebration and
the Christmas tree found their origin in
the desire of the early Christian priests
to give the fantasy-loving Germans some
thing to supplant the Yule feast of their
heather ancestors Partly asserting to
this, the doctor jokingly responded that it
seemed to him that the Christmas tree
was undoubtedly the work of some Christ
ian woman, the wife of a priest, for at
that time priests were allowed to marry,
who wanted to aid her husband in his
work of gathering in souls, and who felt
that the tree would bring many worship
pers to the church, resulting in good tc
her husband as well as joy to the faithful.
Mrs. Werner, who, with Prof. X, over
heard the discussion, felt veXed at such
a sordid and unromantic view, and assured
Prof. that she felt as if her husband
was tearing down the Lords pictures from
the altar or trad ing a masterpiece in the
dust. She could not be reconciled to the
idea that the Christmas tree was the inven-
tion of thrifty woman. Prof. X. smiled,
for it pleased him to have found a woman
who was not educated to the point where
romance no longer cheered and pleased.
However, in order to encourage his friend
Werner, he maintained with assumed
gravity that he believed him to be right.
The party separated in good spirits ex-
cepting only the young wife, who felt that
u.
Within few days after the dinner Prof.
received small package and letter.
Tearing open the envelope, he found the
letter to be from young Mrs. Werner in the
following words
My Very Honored Professor: was serely
grieved that you and my husband should
give so commonplace an origin to the
Christmas tree and took the matter very
much to heart 1 believe you both are
wrong, and that the accompanying manu-
script will change your views at least, I
hope So so that you and he may hereafter
be charmed, as I have always been by
the Christmas feast and its beautiful tree.
Your ever devoted,
MARTHA WERNER.
The manuscript reads as folows
THE Beginning OF THE CHIRTSMAs
TREE.
"Henry of Wartenstein, or Heinz, as his
good wife, Nine. Gertrude, was fond Cd
calling him. had just returned with thu
crusaders from the Holy Land after two
years absence. His castle in the Necker-
thai was alive with the revelry and joy OF
a great fe9st given In his honor. The east
ern sun has Drowned him, and eastern Gus
toms had take somewhat from his German
character. The hardships of the crusade
had hardened his strudy figure, and his
blue eyes looked yet more beautiful in his
sun-browned face. He felt glad agafh to be