The Topeka state journal., 1902-12-20
AN AMERICAN
CHRISTMAS

U "A n ABEL said Elizabeth Ronce-
N val to her sister, 'slet us cele-
brate this year a strictly
American Christmas at our house. We
will cut out everything borrowed from
other countries and exalt everything
peculiarly American
Jolly plant" said Mabel. Let me
see There will be dinner. The din
ner''-
That's dead easy" interrupted Eliz-
abeth, the natural cook of the family.
Roast turkey. with cranberry sauce,
of course, and squash and lima beans
and canned corn. Those are enough
vegetables. We cannot have the first
course, oysters, for other countries
have them"
Yes, but other countries oysters are
such beastly, mean oysters they don't
count. Let US have our own Blue
Points"
VERY good; Blue Points it is. Then
we will have pumpkin pfe-the kind our
New England grandmother made-and
ice cream. That's like the oysters; all
ice cream except the American brand is
so poor it does not count"
''Whatll we do for fruits, nuts, raj
sins and coffee?n asked Mabel
"We'n have Florida oranges. Califor-
MIA figs. raisins and almonds, pecans
lIOIH GAdS anu CO1ee-lSI me I0lIlk.
Why yes. of course; our own South
and Central American grown coffee is
the best anywhere. and the old East In
dian coffee planters say so. It's Amer
lean coffee grown anywhere on the
western continent isn't it?"
"Of course. But. Elizabeth. I'm
afraid Wen have to use Irish table
linen''
That's so.'' admitted Elizabeth.
crestfallen. But never mind. The
best part of Ireland is in America, so
| it's much the same
Then the charming Ronceval girls
planned out the rest of the Christmas
scheme. The gifts to their friends were
of American manufacture and inven-
ton To Aunt Jane they gave a sew
| ing machine, to Cousin Ruby, who had
literary aspirations, a typewriter; to
their small brother Fred a mechanical
toy steamboat, while to a young man
not particularly in favor they sent a
Yankee chrome card with much red and
yellow in it. Finally, to a sister who
had married an Englishman and was
| shortly to keep house in London they
presented a carpet sweeper and a
| clothes wringer, knowing she could
scarcely find these in all Great Britain.
| Christmas day they had the turkey
and pumpkin pie dinner at 2 o'clock
| because the fashionable evening dinner
is an imported institution. After din
ner the family-children, grown people
| and all-had popcorn, hickory nuts and
moiasses candy. The candy was made
from the genuine Louisiana cane mo-
lasses.
But there's the evening to be provid-
| ed for" said Mabel after dinner in the
cleaning. Il don't know what to do
We must have dancing and music and
all the dances. all the music worth any
thing, are foreign, even to the Agui-
naldo march that Filipino composed" :"
| Elizabeth thought awhile i've got
it!' she exclaimed, Frightening up.
| Wen just have conversation as long
as possible, which will be stupid, to be
sure, for hardly anybody can talk in
| terestingly, especially after big din
| ner. But we must put in the time
somehow till 8. O'Clock. Old fashioned
Americans kept early hours. Then
wen dance.the Virginia reel and Tuck
er. I think the Virginia reel is an
American dance. If it isn't, it ought to
be, and I know Old Dan Tucker is an
| American dance tune. But we can't do
the Virginia reel all night Oh, yes;
there's the Shaker dance-hopping UP
and down and moving the hands to the
music. If that isn't an American dance,
don't know what is
Correct, Elizabeth. Then let us close
with singing. There are The Star
Spangled Banner and 'Dixie'-sirnon
pure American. After that coon songs.
Then-listen, Eliza beth, have the idea
of my life-we will close out the even
ing of our American Christmas by all
singing something from Moody and
Sankey. Howss fhat2"
"Finei" answered Elizabeth.
SUSAN MERIvALE.