The sun., 1899-02-05
HOT WEATHER CHRISTMAS.
REMINDERS or ANTIP0DEAN HoLI-
D4IS BEGINNING TO ARRTTE

ory now. letters and gifts from out.of the-way
! places keep struggling in. bringing reminders
| OF strange scenes. commemorative OF the birth
| OF Christ. In far-oT countries. Christmas and
| the calendar are at outs Ia the Southern Hemi-
| sphere The feast for the anIipodeans comes
dragging along 10 midsummer. Apparently it
has been celebrated with the usual fervor and
| nowhe re with more zeal than in Samoa. And II Is
TO be said that In Apia, as In most places close to
| the equator. the heated term Is very torrid In
! deed also damp, and likely to be complicated
with frequent and copious rains.
| Despite these drawbacks OF the climate and
| OF having the holidays six months out OF sea-
son. the samoans. Toung and old. do have their
| Christmas. and IL Is merry enough to suit
| them. There Is another drawback worth men,
| tioning. The Samoans do not hang up their
| stockings In the chimney corner. for the rea-
| son that they never wear stockings and there
| is not chimney In any Samoan house. When
/ the lights go out and the household settles
| iown to sleep on Christmas eve the young saw
age OF Samoa hangs up his whole suit OF
| clothes by its four corners and ties II right
across the house.
| II that young brown person, dreaming under
| his mosquito netting In expectation OF Christ
| mas Day In the morning bringing joints OF
| sugarcane and other sweets. could only see In
his visions a chimney corner and stocking he
| would likely feel great pity for children whose
resources were so restricted. A Samoan suit
| of clothes for young or old Is square piece OF
| cloth about two Yards each way. almost roomy
| enough for all the presents that people ought
| to receive on Christmas which never do
reach the right amount. simply because there
| 10 not room for them in the stocking There's
| one advantage Of being q small savage.
| II Is all very well for the youngsters to re-
| ceive their presents in stealth. tossed into
| tbni ardr nba h,it ha aId Ha-
mand more pomp and circumstance. They
| must have the opportunity to make the pres
| entation address. they must be able to feel
| their Importance and to wear the best cloth
/ ing they have with an abundance OF richly
scented Earlands. This takes time to prepare;
j there is an even more important care pressing
| on them. That Is church. the religious OBJ
servance OF the day. thing not to be neg
lected nor postponed on any account. Their
religion is an ever-present reality to the Sa-
means. In dealing with them one has to rec
| ognize that allowance must be made for them
| TO practice their 'otu." their religious faith.
| They must be free TO attend all the church
services and to hold their own morning and
| evening prayer. with grace before meat, after
| their own fashion.
| So on Christmas the first thing In the morn
| ing is heard the boom Of the great wooden
| drums and the clatter OF the small ones like
|
| worship. This Is the case in every village,
| Catholic and Protestant alike. Daybreak
| brings the boom and rattle Of the drums. fol-
! lowed by the ringing of the church bells. But
| Apia which is the seat nf the French Bishops
| see and has large cathedral. has its special
| form OF announcing the day. 1t begins long
before day. Just on the stroke OF midnight.
| Behinu the cathedral the ground is cum
| bered with scores of cannon. red with rust or
-t,l. -
| festatiOn Of disuse Once they were the pride
| of the old savage villages. and chiefs kept
beachcombers for no other purpose than to
| use this artillery in their behalf. Now they
| have served their time and lie useless from
| year to year except when Christmas has just
| c6me. Then the islanders draw out from hid
ing places the powder which they have been
| keeping for use in the war which is al
| ways being talked about as Just on the point
Of an armed outbreak Powder is contraband
in Samoa. but there is no lack of white traders
who will act the part OF a villain and supply to
unreasonable savages the imple nents Of war
which some time they may turn against the
| handful OF white people.
| With the opportunity to make Christmas
noise the thought OF war drops for the mo-
ment. the powder is smuGgled into the ca
thedral compound and out again into its rear
| precincts and as many cannon are loaded as
the supply OF ammunition will allow. Within
the cathedral the devout congregation ia wait
ing for the hour to strike and the midnight
mass to begin. Through everv door and win
dow less devout congregation outside is
watching the Bishop on his throne and the Of
flciating priest to give the signal that Christ
mas has come. 1t is not to be supposed for a
moment that the Bishop and the priests make
side But as they must begin the service for the
devout congregation. the undevout gathering
takes the time from that.
sound thai has been heard at distance OF
nearly, twenty miles on still night when
And the first stroke Of the bell is caught up BY
Q salSo OF cannon II Is great glory to the
mas gun, The salute is as irregular az one
can well imaGine. 1t beRtns with confusion
RES OF uncertain reports. dribbilng along
HeTwHrd then So S9Ff rs q S TfESE2Tby makes
sldes and tho older and more prudent men
try to save the reports and spread them over
guns % and the % bells Is and The shouts Of posy s
anders there can be no doubt OF the coming Of
Christmas strict strictly according to e. Rschedalei In
Of its materials the powder Is all burned up,
tired muscles @ can no longer drag the tons OF
scream; There Is peace until dqybrcaE and
the Re beating Of the drums drum Of yI,oEEhip. WyIoEE.hip.
anders men and women alike. For each the
common wear ear Is the Iayalaya "a waist cloth; Sun
|
not for comfort. but for the realities OF church
parade. Men supplement their costume by a
shirt. worn entirely outside the lnvalava. The
women assume the additional Rarb Of what
thev call II ,'faloka." corruption OF the Eng;
li-h froGk, both as a matter Of language and
OF dressmakng There is a further dlstInc-
ton in this preparation for church parade
dM0 sp%a"h %9 GHSo e or hS n
their holiness by the gnrb The holy women
wear hats made Of strips oi bark twisted into
the most marvellous curves aud bows, each
strp gaudy with dye. blazing red. vivid green.
. flaming purple. or ANYTHING else that Is con-
spiruOus. The holy men wear shirt and lava
/ lavas of white. II they nay strict attention to
this affair on Sundays It Is quite clear that on
. mas they will he dOubly careful to dress their
finest and to make most pronounced In the
rament the sapctty Of the Individual
A glance into one OF their churches IL su NJ
+ cient. Cross. legged on the floor mats they sit
men on the right. women on the left. children
similarly divided AZ the front. befOrecach ne
. handkerchief spread ont tn keen Bible and
HYMN uOok from dirt when in church and To
3 EArA % q a sntnnel In Cning md rnmlnr uNmna