North Park union., 1901-12-27
Some Rhetorical Dofa.

rtN 'NtlitS VI EI'il lHlpoll III lAt
worlds history have taken place on
Christmas day. but the ancient festi-
val has often been Immediately pre-
coded or followed by mighty transac-
tions. A. ID. 2S3. while Romans We're
celebrating the festival, their empcr-
or, Marcus Aurelius Carus, was killed
by lightning. Clovis. the first Christ
ian king of France. was crowned at
Rheims Dec. %. 1876 Leo ". EN-
peror Of Constantinople. was assassi-
mated Dec. %, $50. On Christmas day.
l066, William the Conqueror was
crowned in London. GILES De Retz.
the famous Bluebeard. was executed
on Dec. "a. liiO, at Nantes, for his
horrible crimes.
The first Christmas celebrated in
side house on the American conti-
finished their house at Plymouth. hav-
ing spent month looking for a place
of settlement. The house was not
nearly large enough to accommodate
all OF the nineteen families, but all
united in n fervent song to the Babe OF
Bethlehem. James Stuart, pretcnder
to the British throne, landed at Peter
head, Scotland. on Christmas day.
lIl5, and established his court there.
On Christmas night, l776, General
George Washington made his memoir
able crossing OF the Delaware. Next
day was fought the battle of Trenton.
A year later the ragged, hungry, half
frozen. but heroic continental army
was at Valley Forge. On the same
day. in 1880 England declared war
against Holland. an event which gave
the American patriots much encour-
agement In 1877 the day was worth
lily occupied by delegates to the Phila-
delphia convention in framing the con-
stltution OF the United States. When
the next Christmas came around that
immortal document had been ratified
by eleven OF the states.
In 1889 Washington had been elected
the first president OF the United
States. the constitutional congress had
been superseded by the first congress
under the constitution and the people
OF the United States were looking for
ward to the inaugural ceremonies.
This was the first genuinely happy
Christmas the American people had
experienced in many years. The new
American republic, however, was not
to have many glad Christmas times.
In 1898 1t was apparent that the Am
orleans were on the verge of hostilities
with France, and when the next
Christmas came around war was in
progress between the two countries.
Dec. "a, 1901, Spain and England
were at war. The following Christ
mas 1906. France and Russia decided
upon peace. Dec. %, 1907, the people
OF the United States were agitated by
a congressional bill to abolish the
slave trade. In 1872 another war was
being waged between England and the
United States
Christmas Eve, 1881. the agitation
for the abolition OF slavery was be-
gun and John C. Calhoun came for
ward as the champion OF state rights.
The greatest snow storm in the ex-
perience of England began falling
Dec. "a. 1896. and continued during
Christmas day. The snow in some
places reached depth OF forty feet.
All travel was blocked. There was
no communication, not even between
houses. and avalanches buried many
people in their dwellings. where they
were frozen. Dec. "a, 1914. the Morse
telegraph was experimental with be-
tween Baltimore and Washington, and
Christmas day messages were success
'ully dispatched back and forth.