El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-12-22
JUST THE
JOLLIEST TIME
There Ever Was On Top Of
This Old Earth
KINDERGARTEN CHILDREN

Are Visited BY Santa Claus This
Morning And He Actually Skip
ped Around With Them Before
Distributing His Gifts.
One of the finest features of Ell
Paso's development is It's kindergar.
ten classes in the public school. There
is not kinder, jollier, happier kin
dergarten the world over thanIthe little
folks of this town enjoy.
This morning was a particular ly
happy day for the little scholars of
Froebel, for it was the kindergarten g
Christmas celebration and the old
folks who were there to see were more
than delighted. The little ones began
their morning exercises with the usual
little prayer time and the children's
hymns, and then they sang one song
after another. They sang of Jack
They sang of October's gay party, of
the carpenter and his sktlful hands
and intimated the noise of the saw cut
ting its clean way through the boards,
and of the rap, rap, rap, of the ham
mer: they sang of the oriole on the
swinging limb, and swung their hands
in intimatiOn.
The good morning songs with the
| hand shskings all round are the jol-
lest of lessons in good manners. An
| other feature of kindergarten play
that is q fine lesson in manners, ia
what they call 1.-THE Morning Bow"
One little boy gets up and bows to
some one of the children who rises
from his seat, bows gravely in return
and then the two skip about the ring
for q moment or two in time to the
music. Then the first boy sits down
and leaves the other one to salute some
other boy or girl In the circle, who
rises, bows, steps out to the centre and
looks about for . partner to skip with.
He indicates the one he desires by q
salute and these two skip together and
the game proceeds until the little
ones have skipped about for a quar-
ter of an hour.
The little girls all spread their skirts
and make something OF an old fashioned
courtesy when they salute each other
and those whom they choose to skip
with them, and they look very win
some as they thus combine politeness
with their games-for they enjoy the
games none the less that they begin
them with this little ceremony Of cour-
tesy.
After the skipping there were more
songs and finally Miss Hoffman at the
piano played q gentle little lullaby.
Miss Jones reminded them that this
was the game where they went to
sleep, and every little heal was sunk
on folded arms and every eye was
closed as the little ones Initiated sleep.
If any little fellow was too lively to
want to play the 60 to sleep game, Miss
Jones went to him and told him to play |
it nicely and close the eyes.
Then came the jolly time, for no |
sooner was every little one playing |
sleep than in the door way came q |
gigantic Santa Claus, tiptoeing around |
IN rvvSk HI h. -. 81 II
er5 without waking them. The old |
folks were unfortunate enough to not |
be in the game, and they had the |
satisfaction Of having time to notice |
what q fine red suit he had on all |
trimmed with white fur, with the red,
fur trimmed tasseled cap that he usual |
ly wears and big high boots, and of |
course long white beard and very
rosy cheeks. Santa Claus never looked |
better. 1t was the first time many of |
the older folks had seen him for years
and they were glad to find him as hale
and hearty as ever.
Well, he tiptoed within the circle of
sleepers aud when the chord came TO
waken the Undergraduates, they opened
their eyes and saw Santa Claus really
before them. Some of the children
turned white with surprise but they
were the gladdest lot of little ones
ever seen. There were shining eyes
and bobby curls and small boys squirm-
ing on their seats with curiosity to see
more OF this fine being who had actual
y come to their school.
First they sang a good morning song
20 Santa Claus and then actually he
skipped with them. He skipped with
Mics Jones and then skipped with
many of the little ones, picking out
some OF the shyest of the little girls
or his partners. Then he shook !
lands all around, made jolly little |
peech about how he had arrived in /
81 Paso little early and how busy he I
vas with the Philippines. Little boys 1
ugged his coat to tell him to be sure ,
o remember that they wanted loco
motives and bicycles, and small girls I
whispered requests for dollies, and he {
listened to every one. t
The children were very e
oath av o to h shake h,. hands 1Ss and and
ng was over and after they had
eceived their little gifts from the r
kindergarten tree, each little one +
eluctantly babe the old fellow good q
we with many final request for him o
ct to forget, and when they got out q
ide they set up an immense shouting
bout having seen Santa Claus. A
Little children who had come as y
isitors to the school were also given q +
here wss never jOllier, funnier, Y
Ian than old Santa Claus and that he
as been very good to stop over In Ell A
'aso to see the Kindergarten chill q
rem.
The old fellow had hitched his rein !,
GERS quite far out on the county o.
pad because they were afraid of the
lule cars, but he brought the bellsfrom
aeir harness and jingled them exactly
) they jingle On Christmas eve. b