davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

| groups, but they soon came together
| again. Then l went from group to
| group and tried to spread a better
! feeling. Our Christmas gathering was
| nearly turned into a scene of blood
shed in our very garden, but Fortunate
| ly all passed off most happily"
Among the Head Hunters of For
mOsa.
Through the center of the beautiful
| Island of Formosa there runs, like a
| backbone, a great range of forest-clad
| mountains. The original inhabitants
of Formosa, wild, savage, ferocious
race of men, live upon these noun
tains. Christmas was first carried to
these people by a brave missionary
named George Leslie MacKay.
MacKay had spent several years on
the coast and in the interior, but he
hesitated long before he took his life
in his hands by seeking out the bar
| barians OF the mountains, to whom no
white man had ever ventured.
The favorite pastime Of these saw
ages was to cut off the heads of their
enemies and decorate their hats with
| them. They had been indulging in
this sport when MacKay drlfted into
one of their villages and spent Christ
mas day with one of their chiefs.
The chiefs home consisted OF one
large room thirty feet long" said Mac
Kay "A fire blazed at either end. The
men, dressed in coarse linen sacks
with holes cut for the arms. and
broad belt of braided rattan. in which
was stuck a long, crooked, sharu-
pointed knife, stood around one Are.
while the women. with much the same
dress, save that in addition they had
many rings OF brass around their
arms and limbs. and innumerable or
naments on their bodies, squatted
around the other fire.
A strange Christmas.
80. on that Christmas night. sat
there with these rude people. the room
lighted by the fires and by candles
made from the heart OF the fir tree.
The men smoked their bamboo pipes.
while the women We're busy threading
making on curious little machines OF
their own: and all, men and women.
were laughing and talking merrily and
making great noise. IL was certainly
a merry Christmas, and strange one
TO me.
After a time. with the help OF the
native converts who had accom-
panied me on this dangerous trip. 1
sang some Christmas hymns 10 these
savage mountaineers, who had never
seen "a white man before. and / epent
Christmas evening trying 10 explain
70 them the old, old story that has
been told 20 often IN 10 many lands
since the first Christmas morning"
The EayaEes took great pleasure In
the singing Of the Christmas hymns.
and Mackay and his friends came to
no harm ny their bold expedition.
10 She Hospital 90 Befrsf
one ~ the most beuedcleuf lnafifu-
'iona ~ Beirut, lu northern Ryria.
where American warfhlrr have had ~
~ police duty ~ frequently ~ lafe.
~ fhe friRhff ~ ~ John. and nov
euppgffel ~ a German f0rrfy.
INf American medical missionaries
connected slft fhe sirau Ffofesfanf
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
PLAYING SANTA CLAUS
TO THE SAVAGES
White Men Who 60 Into the Remote the Earth and ar Christmas
TO Savage Peoples.

AS white men push out, year by year,
into the remotest corners of the earth,
they carry Christmas with them as a
gift TO the savages with whom they
come in contact. The American troops
have done this in the past two or three
wears in some of the hitherto untravel-
ed islands Of the Philippines where the
spaniards had never dared to venture.
strange, indeed. are some of the ex-
periences which fall TO the lot of these
adventurers when they first play San
IA Claus to barbarian race that has
never heard the glad old story of Yule.
The EsISimOs' Real Santa Claus.
sheldon Jackson, an official employ
ed by the United States Bureau of
Education to work in the wilds of
Alaska, carried Christmas to the Eski-
mo children there in 1894. He gave
deeply interesting account of how
he did it in a report to the bureau.
For several days Immediately pre-
ceding Christmas" he said, 81 took
occasion to tell the scholars how it
was observed by the whites, and ex-
plained such features about the day
as my limited knowledge of the Ian
guage would admit Of; so that, by the
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
AMERICAN DEER ARE
THE MOST DELICATE

81 suppose you have often wondered
why so many menageries and zoologi-
cal parks have the little spotted axis
deer from India in their collections,
while our own American deer are abb
sent" said an animal man, the owner
of a wild beast farm I'm New Jersey
recently. "Well, it's due to SIM
pie, but queer reason; and that is, that
we can keep almost any deer, from
almost any part of the world, more
easily than we can keep our own deer,
whether we select the red or Virginia
deer, the mule deer or the black tail.
The Axis deer from India actually
thrive I'm captivity. The great Malay
sambars, the huge Asiatic wapiti. and
all the rest flourish with any reason-
able amount OF care. But the Vir-
ginia deer droop and get all sorts of
stomach trouble. no matter how care
full we may be in the way OF food. The
mule deer and the black tail often die
for no apparent reason at all. We
have to be so particular in our selec-
ton OF food for our native deer that
II makes this animal a very expensive
one to keep. That is why the Axis
door and other foreign varieties are
such favorites."
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

College at Beirut minister 10 the pa
TENTS who come TO the hospital for
treatment, and every year they get up
Christmas celebration which Is the
nrst that many of these patients have
seen.
Among the guests of many nation
alities,' said an American, describing a
christmas party he witnessed at this
hospital there sits an old man with
long white beard. a turban on his
head, girdle about his loins, and a
loose, flowing robe. He is a Moham-
medan. A month ago If an American
doctor had gone TO his house this
man would have driven him away for
an infidel dog Now, as DR.. George
Post passes by. this man seizes his
hand ana kisses it. Why is this? The
dog of doctor gave him the use of
his eyes. He came TO the hospital
blind; this Christmas day his sight
in fully restored.
A woman of the Mountains.
Next to him is a woman with a
long white veil over her face. She has
a little babe in her arms, but the hands
are gone. She is a Druse woman. In
her home in the mountains she was
warming her hands over the fire when
some earth and stones fell from the
roof. fastening her hands in the fire.
They were burned to a crisp. Her hus
band divorced her, because with no
hands she could do no work for him.
But she and her little babe found a
refuge at the hospital. and to-day she
sits before the Christmas tree and
hears the story of Christmas for the
first time.
ION the other side is a man with
long beard and "a green turban He
came from Lebanon. He is the guar
dian of the sacred tomb of Macpelah,
where lie buried the bones of Abra-
ham. Isaac and Jacob. Sarah. Rebecca
and Leah. If you went to Hebron, the
boys would stone you II you attempt
ed to go near Macpelah. This man
was blind when he came to the hos
pital; now he sees. He would have
spat upon the doctor had the latter
gone to him a month before.
His Wound Dressed with Rags.
over there is a Bedouin from Pal
myra He was shot i'm a quarrel, and
the ignorant native doctor put rags in
the wound. The poor man grew thin
and seemed near death. They brought
him from Palmyra to Damascus, four
days journey; then three days jour
ney more to Beirut. 1t was a CHASTITY
wound, but the hospital doctor was
able to heal It, Now this wild Bedouin
sits clamly and looks at the Christmas
tree and learns what it means. Once
his hand was against every man, now
he quietly listens to the message of
peace on earth, good will towards
men,
There are many more. from Jeru-
salem, from Bagdad, from the Euph-
rates and the Tigrs, from villages in
Lebanon. Palestine Cyprus and Asia
Minor. Each receives a present, per-
haps their first Christmas gift-a gar
ment or book or toy--and all receive
gingerbread, candy. oranges and 9TH
err good things.
mo happier Yuletide festival is
celebrated in any land than that in
Beirut at the Hospital of the knights
of st. John"
Copyright 1904 by William Thorp.)
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
MR.. DOOLEY
- ON *
THE SIMPLE LIFE
BY F. p. dunno.

00FyIIs'' I9O4 " HVOIuI7' I0IFS q %
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
Christmas Manners in
the Other Hemisphere
Odd HoIy-Day Plays and Parades in
European Countries.

European AOuubTltSs
This last week before Christmas is
a sad one for many lovely fat pigs
in Bohemia. Almost every German
Bohemian family rears a pig through
the year in order to kill it for Christ
mas Day.
All the year that poor pig has a
most beautiful time. 1t is treated
with courtesy and love and stuffed
with tidbits till it's little piggy soul
feels sure that there is no lot on
earth so sacred and delightful as be-
ing a pig. But on December 10 the
pig hears the wheel! wheel! of knives
on whet-stones, and IL 1t had any in
tuition it would turn pale. For that
is slaughtering day, and every village
resounds with the squeals of dying
porkers
In one Of these Bohemian towns
the children have a pretty custom in
the five nights before Christmas
They parade at night, dressed as shep-
herds, and sings melodous songs
which announce the birth OF the
Christ Child.
In the famous Err Gebirge the chill
LlGii lbIHt lIOODS hilOWn DIS
"angel troops" and wander from
house to house. singing songs. One
child Is dressed to represent the Bish-
op Martin, another is Saint Nicholas
others represent angels, Joseph and
Mary, shepherds and the good Rup-
recht.
In Alsatia the Christ Child itself
walks through the towns and an
nounces it's arrival at each house by
ri he 4.
prepared by grown woman,
draped in white and hung fantasti-
cally with pure white lambs wool
Her face is whitened with -four and
she wears a crown of gold paper with
a burning candle set on top.
In one hand she carries a silver
chain. In the other she bears a
basket full Of candy.
Just as the children whom she visits
are in the midst Of their glee, they
hear terrible rafting Of chains and
then comes mighty knock at the
door. In comes Hans Trap, wrapped
in a bear skin, his face coal black, with
a vast beard waving down his breast
and great bundle of rods in his
hand.
In thunderous tones he asks which
children have been bad, and advances
toward them TO punish them. But
the Christ Child interceeds for them
and after they promise to reform, she
leads them TO a Christmas tree.
In Sweden grown woman dis
guised as an angel visits the house
on Christmas Eve, and behind her
comes the Furmartin, or Furmichel. or
Buzegraale, as he is known In differ
ent localities. He is wrapped from
head to foot in straw, has black face.
wears a mighty chain around his mid
die, and has a basket strapped to his
back.
In North Germany a tall bearded
man, CARRIED either in furs or straw.
goes around on Christmas Eve asking
the children II they can say their
prayers II they succeed he gives
them nuts and goodies. II they fall
he makes believe 10 punish them bv
thrusting them into A large bag which
he carries.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

1.-The night was a glorious one. cold
and crisp with the stars shining in
canopy above. and not a breath of ali
was stirring.
The Heavens AgIow.
Across the whole northern horizon
floods of wavy light surged and swept
from east to west, sending up further
into the heavens streams of vapory
light, dancing up and down in grace
full shadows that easily led me to i'm
agine that they were caused by invis-
IDLE spirits.
For time I forgot the object of
my visit, and lay watching the play
of the aurora as it shot forwards and
backwards, and when 1 finally came to
myself 1 looked around and found the
natives lost in deep and silent awe at
the spectacle.
The hour l spent in this service
was one of supreme delight to me, es-
pecially so as the little handful of food
L distributed made the bright eyes of
hundred people glisten with happi-
ness and supplied as many stomachs
with feast they enjoyed before they
again closed their eyes in sleep.
1T will take too much space to
record all the items 1 gathered as I
peeped through their little skin WIN
dows and saw them dancing around
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18
THE CANDLE EATER.

Take an apple and In secret cut out
OF II a short round cylindrical piece
shaped exactly like a candle. Stick
into the tor q BIZ OF real candle wick.
but be sure that u ~ not too large a
piece. Now put the candle quietly 70
one side. and after "a while lead the
conversation around 10 the OLD story
that the Russian peasants eat tallow
candles. Then say that tali0w can.
ciea aren't half bad. ana that you Ike
- eat them yourself. and would ent
one fient then ana there n there we're
one around. Iuef then you mako be-.
lieVf % cafch sight ~ me stump whore
you have placed o. You ~ ~ n. nehf
d. and show a ~ an. Then Win one
good bite you take a 100 in. ~
course fhf Wick cen b. siecfed. This
b. biFhiy successful ffiff for fha
aHpisrcengiF looks fKsciiy Ike e real
one
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

his neighbor, as they examined the
costume of good old Santa Claus. who
had frightened them almost 10 death.
One man said he thought Elijah had
returned, another that it was John the
Baptist Yet another thought it was
Satan himself, and all my sins rose
up before me; while a fourth confess
cd, My only thought was to hide
myself.
Feast That Nearly Caused Blood
shed.
The Rev. Frank Patton. son of the
famous South Seas missionary. John
G. Patton, tells of a thrilling Christ
mas which he spent in 1899 at Lena
KEEL on the Island of Tanna, in the
South Pacific.
He had a mission station there, and
his native converts were no strangers
to Christmas observance; but they in
vited a large number of their heather
friends to come to their Yuletide
feast. These heather knew nothing
about Christmas, and were quote UNI
aware that it is supposed to be a
period of peace on earth and good
will towards men,"
over a thousand natives We're
gathered for the great feast. The crew
of "blackbirding schooner" eager to
set Kanaka labor by fair means or
foul from the Queensland sugar plan
tations heard of the gathering and
dropped anchor off the island on
Christmas morning. The captain
however, seeing the numbers of the
natives, hesitated to modest them.
Telling the story, Mr.. Patton said:
MY first anxiety was the labor
schooner. but soon a new peril
threatened. Some of the heather had
not met since war had ragged between
them. At first they simply glared at
each other, and then old hatreds broke
out and hot words We're spoken
Again and again / started some
contest that would scatter the excited
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

close of school the day before, they
pretty well knew why it was observed.
All through the winter the almost
starving condition of the natives had
peen so impressed on us that nothing
out the knowledge that our supply of
food was very limited prevented us
from distributing regular rations to
them
Il told the children about Santa
Claus and for them to tie their fur
stockings up near their beds, as he
was coming to visit them for the first
TIME, and would remember every
child.
Gave Them Bags of Sugar.
1 made up lot of little bags out
OF empty flour sacks, and into each
one put eight cubes of white sugar,
about a dozen pieces of dried apples
ana a dozen raisins-not a very APP
propriate assortment for a Christmas
present for white child. but it was
the best we had, and found out after
wards that the selection was very
Inuch appreciated by the little Es-
kimo
:. Although our supplies were very
united. / concluded to take enough
from such as we had and give each
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

through and in nearly every instance
the operation alarmed those below,
when a package was Immediately
dropped down, and they became quiet.
while in my STOPPING position at
the first house l suddenly lifted my
eyes to the north and beheld the most
gorgeous aurora l witnessed at any
time during the winter.
The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-18

Handy Euanfy. Jack-a-dandy
Loved plum cake and sugar candy.
80 bought some nt Ff0oerH shop
huf oui came Jumping. hop. bop. bop,
Jazz haf ~ cfnfu m buy cake and
candy. 40 bought fifteen pieces al
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21


ways the river men, the driver of
team commands the highest wages
among out of door workers.
1t is easier to drive n fire engine than
a logging team.
But in spite of the naivete of the re-
mark the woodsman had seen some
thing in Thorpe he liked. Such men be-
come rather expert in the reading of
character lie revised his first inten-
ton to let the conversation drop.
81 think NJ. &c ID. is rather full up
just now" he remarked. I'm walkin'
boss over there. The roads is about
all made, and Matchmaking is what
greenhorn tackles first. They's more
chance earlier in the year. But if
the old fellow"-he strongly accent
cd the first word-''haint nOthin' for
you, just ask for Tim Shearer, an I'll
try to put you on the trail for some
jobber's camp"
The three who had come into COLI
sion with Jimmy and Bud were getting
noisier. They had produced a stone
jug and had collected the remainder of
the passengers, with the exception Of
Shearer and Thorpe, and now were
passing the jug rapidly from hand to
hand. Soon they became musical, strik-
ing up one of the wierd, long drawn
out chants so popular with the shanty
boy. Thorpe shrewdly guessed his
companion 10 be man Of some weight
and did not hesitate to ascribe his i'm
munity from annoyance to the others
presence.
"It's bad thing" said the walking
boss. 81 used to be at it myself, and
know"
"Beesn Lakew cried Jimmy fiercely
through the aperture Of the door.
you'll find the boardin' house just
across over the track" said the woods
man, holding out his hand. $50 long.
See you again if you don't find a job
with the old fellow. My names
Shearer."
"Mine is Thorpe" replied the other.
'"Thank you"
Thorpe followed and found himself
on the frozen platform of little dark
railway station. Directly across the
track from the railway station a sim
gle building was pricked from the dark
by a solitary lamp in n lower story
room. The four who had descended
before Thorpe made over toward this
light, stumbling and laughing uncer-
tainly, so he knew it was probably the
boarding house and prepared to follow
them.
The five were met at the steps by the
proprietor of the boarding house. This
man was short and stout, with hare
lip and cleft palate, which at once gave
him the well known slurring speech
of persons so afflicted and impaired
also to the timbre of his voice pecul-
iarly hollow, resonant, trumpetlike
note. He stumped about energetically
on.a wooden leg OF home manufacture.
1t was a cumbersome instrument,
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21

"He knows how to hit, doesn't hep
he observed. "That fellow was knock
ed well off his feet"
"He does" agreed the other dryly.
They fell into a desultory conversa-
ton of fits ana starts. Woodsmen of
the genuine sort are never laxative,
and Thorpe, as has been explained,
was constitutionally reticent. In the
course of their disjointed remarks
Thorpe explained that he was looking
for work in the woods and intended
first of all to try the Morrison & DAILY
camps at Beeson lake.
"Know anything about logging?" in
quired the stranger
Nothing" Thorpe confessed.
'Ain't much show for anything but
lumber jacks. What did you think Of
doing?"
81 don't know" said Thorpe doubt
fully. Il have driven horses a good
deal. l thought might drive team"
The woodsman turned slowly and
looked Thorpe over with n quizzical
eye. Then he faced to the front again
and spat.
"Qulte like" he replied, still more
dryly.
The boys remark had amused him,
and he had showed ii, as much as he
over showed ANYTHING EycoDtinU al
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21

E~1HORPE was awakened a long
time before daylight by the
ringing of q noisy bell. He
dressed, shivering, and STUN
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21

heaNy, WIN uvOI' pIlio DV~nSL tuv
stump and a projecting brace which
passed under leather belt around the
mans waist This instrument he used
with the deXterity of third hand. As
Thorpe watched him he drove in a pro-
jecting nail, kicked two turkeys" in
side the open door and stuck the armed
end of his peg leg through the top and
bottom Of the whisky jug that one Of
the new arrivals had set down near
the door The whisky promptly ran
out. At this the cripple flirted the i'm
paled jug from the wooden leg far out
aver the rail of the veranda into the
snow
A growl went up.
What N thunder's that forY" snaH-
ed one Of the owners of the whisky
Overwhelmingly.
"DOn't allow no whisky here" snuff
ed the harelip.
The men were very angry. They ad-
vanced toward the cripple, who re-
treated with astonishing agility to the
lighted room. There he bent the wood
en- leg behind him, slipped the end of
the brace from beneath the leather
belt seized the other peg end in his
right hand and so became possessed of
a murderous bludgeon. This he brand
ished, hopping Mt the same time back
and forth in such perfect poise and yet
with so ludicrous an effect of popping
corn that the men were surprised into
laughing.
Bully for you, pegleg" they cried.
RULES an regerlatiOns, boys" replied
the latter, without, however, u shade
of compromising in his tones. Had
supperT
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21


"What kind OF work?"
"Any kind, SO long as / c9n learn
something about the lumber business"
The older man stuffed him keenly for
few moments.
"Have you had any other business
e&perience?"
"None."
"What have you been doingP
Nothing"
The lumberman'S eyes hardened.
1--WE are q very -bSsy firm here" he
said, with a certain elaboration. 1--WE
do not carry big force of men in any
one department and each of those men
has to fill his place and slop some over
the sides. We do not pretend or at
tempt TO teach here. If you want TO
be n lumberman you must learn the
lumber business more directly than
through the windows of a bookkeeper's
office. Go into the woods. Learn a few
first principles. Find out the differ
ence between Norway and white pine
anyway"
After his speech che business man
whirled back to his desk
'Have you anything for me TO do in
che woods, then?' the other asked
quietly.
mo-" said DAILY over his shoulder.
Thorpe went out. He had made the
elementary discovery that even in chop
ping wood skilled labor counts. He
did not know where % turn next. and
he would not have had the money to
go far in any case; SO. although Shear
er's brusque greeting that morning had
argued lack of cordiality, he resolved
to remind the river man of his prom
ised assistance.
That noon he carrfedout HIS resolve.
eco up and tackle Railway" said
Shearer. Hes jobbing for us on the
Cass branch. He needs men for road
ing, know, because he's behind. You'll
get a Job there"
"Where is it," asked Thorpe.
''Ten miles from here. She's blazed,
but you better wait for the supply
team Friday. If yun try to make her
yourself you'll get lost ON some of the
old logging roads,"
Thorpe considered
"I'm busted" he sa7n at last frankly.
(To BE CONTINUED
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21
Are YouGoing
East, South or
Southeast?

If so, travel on the Detroit and
Cleveland Navigation Company's new
steel passenger steamers, via st. Ig
mace, Mackinac or Cheboygan gate
ways to Detroit, Toledo, CleYeland
Buffalo, Pittsburg, New York, Gin
cinnatti and all points East and South
A. A. ScHANTz, G.. p. T. Mgr,
DETROIT, MICH
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21

wnat can l do for your he in
Quired.
II am looking for work." Thorpe re-
piled
The Yale expositor., 1904-10-21
PERE MARQUETTE
sEPr. attn, 1904.

sEFr- attn. 1904
TRAINS LEAVE YALE AS FOLLOWS:
For Port Huron and east at 9a7 A. M. and
S:02P.M
For Saginaw and way Stations
o:4S A. NJ. and I :l5 p. N
For Grand Rapids, Ludington aud western
points, Detroit and Toledo 9:43 A. n
M. IRWIN. III. MOELLER,
Agent. General Passenger Agent.