The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-23

thanksgiving to God for His manifold blessings
 The other designs in the St. Anthony series of stamps continue the Christian idea and are equallys well executed from an artistic standpoint. One tells in picture the interesting story of the ser mon preached to the creatures that live in the deep. Tn the course of his
 wide missionary work St Anthony is said to have come to the town Of Ari-
 mini where his dIligent labors to turn
 the many heretios from the error or their ways were met with rebuff aIter Irebuff the unbelieYers even retusinB to hear his gospel In sheer despair
 the saint repaired him to the shore nf
 the sea and called upon the fishes TO hear him. It Is narrated that at once all the inhabitants of the deep ap- peared upon the surface of the water ana there remained the large and the small alike until the preacher had fin Iished his eloquent discourse The story goes that when this news reached Ari- mini the hearts of the people wore Ichanged and they sought out St. An Ithony who expounded to them and IT. nally converted them
 Another stamp of this series snowS
 the saint ascending to heaven attend
 
 last Is a portrait of St. Anthony taken from a rare painting in a French sA- 1 loon.
 Malta. the Melita of the early Chris tian era, upon whose shores Paul snf- fered hIpwreck-issued a stamp in iISsS depicting the experiences of that apostle as they are narrated in the closing verses of the 2Tth and opening
 verses of the 2Sth chapter of the BOOK of Acts Paul stands on the shore,
 while in the distance Is the wrecked
 ship from which he and 275 other sous had escaped The asp which the apostle
 shook from his arm to the surprise or
 the barbarians is rising from the ground at the side of Paul.
 1 Other symbols of Christian conquest
 are not lacking On stamps St George's battle with the dragon Is shown on an tissue of Crete, while St. Michael. the patron saint of Belgium Is represent
 ed staying a dragon on stamp or
 1897 issued in commemmnratton Of the
 great exposition at Brussels.
 The picture of the Mother of the
 Rabe born in a manager at Bethlehem
 nineteen hundred years ago adornS many of the stamps of the Virgin ls- Hands in the West Indies. The island
 of Grenada was discovered by Colum- lbus on the feast day of the Assumption Iof the Virgin Mary in 1898 and was l named LaConcepcion for that reason A commemorative stamp was issued
 eight years ago Bearing two GreeN
 crosses The central figure on this
 stamp is the craft of Columbus nearing
 the new land.
 All of these stamps through the'r semi-religious nature carry sugges- tion of Christmas, as do the great num- ber of cross stamps"
 The tjaiest and most highly prized Christmas card ever received at the White House-and thousands reach there annually at this season-was one now in the possession of Mrs. William Mckinley and which came 70 the EXecu- tive Mansion eight years ago. It was merely a postage stamp enclosed in an envelope but. 1t was the first stamp m all postal history specially designed to commemorate Christmas day. It was
 sent to MT. Mckinley by a Canadian government official, by whose govern ment if was issued. The stamp is nrinted in three co1ors an6 shows a mar 6F the world and inscribed beneasA' : "Stnaa 1SsS," Britain in that year pre- sented its possessions lower postage rates effeetive Christmas day and the Canadians issued this stamp in celeor 1- tIon of the occaion. All the pr ,llSAA nossessions of this stamp map are oohe in bright scarlet. the remainder of the ,and in white. the oceans in bluish green and variations, and the frame Tn black. There Is also this inscription, we hold a vaster empire than mas been. SO that while it is generally re- ferred to as the Xmas stamp therS fare some irreverent persons Who eaAi iIt "tbe has been stamp" It was print Ad for the Canadians by an AmSFio'' | firm. o,,..,,+ haq
 The cross. the symbol of Christ mas
 neculiar appropriateness for Christ
 mas. Tor Christ day, and there is won derful variety of these displayed or or
 stamps that must be interesting al l thIs season. Some Nf these cross
 stamps that must be interesting Those
 of the Tongsn stamps besring the