Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1899-12-24
OUTSIDE CITY WALLS
SOMETHING CHRISTMAS MEANS TO
COUNTRY PEOPLE.
" CHRISMUS IN MT BONES. ="
This the Way n Country Boy Ex-
presses His ENuItnnt Feeling Mt
the Holiday Time-A Full Week
Long and Full Of "Stops."

pass away more slowly in the country
than in the cities.
To the gtown-up people OF the city
Christmas IS bat day. Every country
man, woman, and child takes every day
| from the 18th of December 10 the lst Of
! January, inclusive. Iae time is spoken
OF in the cities as the holidays, but MAIN
ly out Of Difference to the school children,
and because half the city people are
country people. II is certainly true that
any story or writing of any sort which
deals with country life will interest u
| great many city people. IL would be
very surprising to many people 10 know
how many leading business and profess
| siOnal men in Richmond to-day were
| reared on the farms of the sur
rounding counties. somehow, country
boys often awkward and clad i'm the
fashion OF the generation before the last
| have little trouble I'm getting established
| IN the city. There IS a man in Richmond
| to-day who employs a good many young
| men. lie nearly always gets them from
| the country. He does not explain IL other
| wise than that he has a fellow feeling
Z for the country lal and wants TO help
/ him along. you know" he says, "coun-
/ try boys haven't the influential friends
to recommend them that the city youths
I have. Besides. a country boy often car
/ ries ina his face better recommendation
! than any ever put on paper L just like
| 20 help them out when l cam" 10 is not
/ so surprising, then. after ALL that coun.
J try boys have come tO the cities and
/ have grown from such 10 be substantial
and trustworthy city men of affairs.
SET STORE BY CHRISTMAS
Country people and boys. especially
set a great deal Of store by Christmas.
/ Country people in Virginia have a iavOr-
( ite expires ion for the eXultant feeling
/ that sweils I'm them about Christmas
/ time. This feeling comes ON about De-
cembcr 18th. 10 is probably q kind OF
! throwing Off OF the cares OF life and Inc
/ full indulgence OF the joys of anticipation
/ OF tho glad season. The boys begin 10
| think of Santa Claus of freedom from
| school, of pOpcrackers and other fire.
works of guns, snow-birds, robins and
rabbits. and last and very nearly most.
OF the good things they'll have 90 eat
A healthy country boy loves Co eat. The
Dispatch writer does not know what the
country girls think about.
The cOuntrymen forget their past sins,
and put Off an responsibilities and good
resolutions till after the new year.
p
disagreeable and the anticipation of an
that Is peasure-giving is called
"Chrls'mus in nay bones"
HAS SO MANY STOPS"
A man said the other day. OF never Ike
20 walk unless / have some paruciar place
10 go ANA Oh turn around at' That is
very much the way with the march
through lie. Each weck or month is
ID
of July, kss.ying-Day Christmas
Day and other holidays are The little
stops and rests. These are the checking
up" places
life would be dreary. indeed If there
We're nothing 10 look forward TO. a
Christmas. even. would Doe dull III there
were no such stops Christmas is the hap
piest season OF the year. It is not be-
cause the Saviour was born on that day.
Many people. especially tine young folks.
G0 not think of that much. az any. 1t is
because of The many stops TO a cOun-
try boy here are some of them i'm the
Christmas which he looks forward TO-:
Trip 10 the store on Chrlstmas-Eve 20
buy powder and shot, a country boy
never uses the word ammunition. il is
always and only powder and shot" He
buys something good 90 eat also. The
Santa Claus. which comes Christmas
morning, then the Christmas dinner,
maybe az his own home. but more likely
az the table of some kind grandfather or
uncle. a cap 90 the climax comes Christ
mas night, when the Ladies' Aid Society
or DOrcas Sewing Circle gives IT'S Toys
ter supper" This is an event Of events.
1T is usually held az the schOol-hOuse, ana
begins about 800 or 4 o'clock In the af-
ternOOn. IL lasts tin n o'clock at night.
Those intervening hours are filed TO the
brim with fun and excitement. a country
boy likes 20 be out az night It Is NOT
often that he IS. Few country boys are
out OF their homes after o'clock. unless
Tor a 'possum hunt. People IN the c0un-
try do not have night meetings at the
churches. save a week or so In the sum-
mer when tho protracted meeting is
going on. To be out then. with a great
company OF people, at tho old school
house, as the shades Of night fall. is a
great pleasure. A thrill OF excitement IS
experienced At the oyster supper the
savings OF all fall are spent. Money got
ten for hares and hareskins. possum-
and 'coouskins IS just as good money as
any. and IS exchanged for candy and
nuts. Roman candles. pop-crackers. ana
oysters. They all go together In a boys
mind.
a BATTLE ROYAL.
A few years ago in a country place a
remarkable circumstance occurred.
II was at an oyster supper ut the dis
trict-school house. Just AZ the dusk OF
the evening a number OF the boys bought
Roman candles and began 10 chase each
other win them. The boys soon found
out that the fire-balls from the paste
board barrels went towards their mark !
with remarkable accuracy. This circum- !
stance often necesstated boys falling
down 10 dodge ball. The doorway OF
tho school-house was filled with veterans
OF tho war between the States. These
were looking on with a great deal OF in ,
foreqf The hovs az hers corna ffxf1al !