The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-11
Scale, Ala. Oct. 5, 1908.
The Christmas of 1884.

struggle which for four years bathcd tlie l country in blood, because of the too real l istic details which fasten themselves upon
 the memory Nobody in a cyclone can
 describe the funnel-shape of the cloud
 which envelopes them; the flames tbat | consume the martyr at the stake may bc
 tanned by all the winds of heaven; and
 the political and moral question astir from the very birth of the nation, are l lost in the discussion of the immediate | causes that looked the fratricidal arbitra ment of the sword. My paper is not in-
 vited to elucidate any of this. The
 Christmas of '64 is to be conjured from
 the past. with its privations and It's | hopes deferred, its dismanted homes and
 desolate hearthstones bereaved of fathers
 and brothers and sons who, upon Virginia
 battlefields, were proving their faith ID 1 bloody death.
 Wha thad seemed frightful at the open | ing of hostilities, by this time-the Christi | mas of '64-had been shorn of much of | its hideousness by constant familiarity of thought and sight. We had seen the
 beloved soldier return from the front
 with an empty sleeve, and to hide our | own grief, we had made such a hero os him, that we almost persuaded ourselves
 that the ghastly mutilation was cnly 8
 oadge of honor to be reJoiced in and trj- umphed over. We had seen the young lad. who was a school boy at Lincon's election, shoulder his knapsack and march to the front to take the place of
 the dead brother whose body had not been recovered; we had grown adopts lr scanning with wild haste, the lists Of killed and wounded and missing reported from the latest battle, and though we had wrung our hanos and wept because of the. news that had wrung our hearts.
 we had acquired & composure of soul not dreamed of in the beginning. Four years of experiences along such lines had great ly developed character. To the matrons-- those mothers of families, and heads of homes-tt had taught thrift, economy, pa- tience under privation. ingenuity in sup plying substitutes for accustomed com. forts self-control and self-denial.
 To the young girl, If these lessons had not been imbibed with full force, there had at least been taught the deep un- derstanding of the value of each day. picnic or dance, at which the beaux were only the one-armed or the one legged or wounded convalescent or the recent fever patient, nursed back to health, was enjoyed with perfect abandonment-that one day-looking neither forward nor back, while the soldier laddie was on fur tough.
 Wearing apparel had grown more cir | cumscribed with each recurring season. | What could be worn at social functions ! as the Xmas of '64 drew nigh, was {; question assuming serious proportions | The old hand looms and cotton-cards had been called from obscurity, into the ac- | tive industry of every household. Very
 good cloth was made. but the taste for l the delicate and the beautiful would hold
 us back from the homespun dress as long
 as possible. Old chests of discarded fnery were ransacked and delft fingers | transformed grandmother's wine-colored | satin or watered silk into a gown of | daintiest effect.
 1 l remember that a queenly girl swept | forth in handsome dress that was the
 envy of all beholders nor could it be
 divined whence 1t came. until the whisper
 went forth that recently it had been d
 window curtain. A large. broadcloth | travelling cloak of my fathers was trans | formed into very imposing dress for
 my sister. whose gratified pride arose d
 degree or two under the repeated ex-
 clamation Where could she have dis 1 covered it."
 l To those who lived upon the planta-
 ttons (of whom I was one) the matter
 or food was not a serious question. We
 raised wheat. corn. potatoes, sugar cane
 goober peas. turnips, cabbage, butter,
 beans and peas, and down in the low
 lands a very good quality of rice Cows
 and pigs abounded, as we'll as all fowls
 the chief of which being turkeys and chickens, eggs and butter were without
 stint What then could prevent the
 Xmas dinner from being success? Alas. | many things! With what shall We flavor custards when all extracts were on the other side the lines?" How can We have fruit cake when rais-
 ins and entrants are contraband of war? | HOW snail we ice the cakes when our sugar was brown? How shall the mis- | tress Of the house Solace herself in tine | absence of the fragrant coffee whose con- l coction had made her justly celebrate d '? | Shall the Xmas dinner be failure then 2 | By no means. The ingenuity of the wo-
 men who had resolved to bear the hard ships of war uncomplainingly, was sufl- | clent to find substitutes for most of these | missing luxuries.
 Fruitful themes in the discussions of | housewives were Which is the hest sub-
 stitute for coffee, parched corn, dred
 okra. ground peas, or parched sweet po- l tatoes?' Recipes for fruit cakes were interchanged in which dried figs, dried | peaches. and native nuts were pleasant
 factors, lavorings of peach kernel and | orange leaves.
 Perhaps the most anxious faces on | Xmas Eve night were those of the small
 children. whose untoward fate had ush-
 cred them into existence at the beginning | of the war. A solemn question had aris- l en. Can Santa Claus run the blockade? . But on Xmas morning the substitute | business had put in it's work and the l child enjoyed the day with the same rap- l ture that had characterized his small | predecessors. The candies were beautiful and homemade; willow baskets. tiny
 wooden buckets. the handiwork of the | plantation cooper all sorts of funny lit | tie dolls made of wood or corn-stalks, | beautiful creations of rag-dols cheered | the mother-instncts of little maidens | while "Billy-buttons' and sawed wheel
 wagons were the pleasure of the small | boys.
 The forebodings that were on all hearts,
 like vultures awaiting the end of our ex-
 bring hopes, were carefully concealed | even from ourselves Rousseaus raid
 hal given us a nearer vision of grim war | than We Were prepa red to expect The | certainty that the line of brave hearts
 guarding our frontier was growing more
 attenuated day by day. made the moth | CT S heart yearn over the tender youth
 whose eager patriotism was urging. 1 him forward to stand shoulder to shoul- der with these failing and war scared
 veterans Atlanta had fallen and a raid
 rom the west had spread terror and desolation. sherman had reached tba
 sea. on the 18th December The heart was
 brave indeed that could nourish hone for
 the Confederacy out of the surronndins,
 circumstances.
 The prices of every necessity of lifo
 were fabulous My sister was at school
 and we packed a small valise with s1 5O0
 worth of goods for her use as a Christ
 mas present Tax in kind was exacted