The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-01-12

Austrian Ambassador which precipitated the war of 1859, that eulminatsd n tne
 overthrow of Hapsburg rule in North ern Italy and in the addition or savoy to France. Emperor William, too, has frequently selected the New Years re ception for sensational speeches, whlie
 King Leopold or Belgium mas oeen
 known to take advantage Of these re- captions to censure publicly GaolneI
 ministers who have incurred his i'll VIII. In France the President. after recelv- Ing all the great dlgnitaries of the re- public. pays two return visits on the same day in state, one to the President
 of the Senate end the other to the Fres-
 ident of the Chamber Of Deputies m national sovereignty belongs to the peo- ple and that he hol1s Ithe position or
 Chief Magistrate by the will of the latter
 voiced by the legislature. Tn France the day is more of a popular holiday tnan perhaps anywhere else in Europe. IL IS observed as a kind of universal blrthday the birthday not alone or Adam, put
 likewise of every one or ms uescenaanits. "a i,as place, and New Years Day IS lookeu forward to throughout the year by chil- dren as the date on which they receive as the date on which they receive their most liberal gratuites. Indeed, the Iat- ter have become as heavy d tax upon the head of the household as Christipas presents are here., For he IS expecteu to make a handsome gift or money, not only to all the members or his estao- lishment but also the postman, tne po- liceman on his beat, and 10 every uau1s- mans employe who has attended to tne
 requirements of his household during tne
 preee ding twelve months. on the shoI-
 keepers, too, the observance or the day
 falls somewhat heavily. For they are
 obliged, if they wish to retain the custoI2
 of the houses which they serve,. 10 senu
 presents to the cook, the butler. the
 coachman. the valet and the lady malu'
 ion faf PTa1inRnI
 bet. all the rulers of Continental Europe
 open the New Year with divine service
 and in certain parts or ScannlhaNia,
 German and England he opening Vi uns
 Bible on the morning of New Year
 Day is regarded as an imperative outy
 by God-fearing families. The Holy BOOK
 ia solemnly opened before breakfast py
 each member of the family m succession.
 Whatever the chapter so disclosed, the finger is immediately pointed thereat,
 and the text read aloud with closest
 interest, 1t being believed that the io
 tIIre for the ensuing twelve months or
 the person before whom the Bibie IS at the time wifi be outlined by that text.
 A word more in conclusion, which re- lateh not so much to New ear ear DnS as to Christmas. l wonder now many of my readers are aware or the reason why the right leg of the image or lne infant Saviour is invdrlaDly leIt paTe in the creche, or reLI'esentatlonS or lhe Nativity. which is on view at Chrlstmas and New Year in every -soman CathoHG Church throughout the world. The most famous of these images of the Saviour, and the one winch has the largest ,,It nun;
 per of miracles to its credit: IS that ol fine Church of the Araceoli at Rome the
 paint with which 1t is adorned being sscrtbed to the brush Of no less an artis; than the evangelist St. Luke. Once 1t was stolen. But in the dead or hlSnt tLa ,aonks of the ArAceoli Convent were aReused sRs mS"fS by violent knocking at their nonderous door They crowded to the portals and to their amssement 1s.aId GSIIG, fSqaa ste,aine on the steps and knocking sgainst sssh the oak panels with one of His tinv feet, which He had succeeded in disengaging from his swaddling clothes, IF is from that time. so runs the tale Il at Rome. that the custom dates Of leav- ing baro the right leg of the Bambino'