The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Shall Myths of Christmas Re PePpe-
 tuated Among the ChiIdrenR
By Mrs. pr. George wnby van Pslt.


 1 Childhood is a time for feeling, not l for reason. The modern tendency has been too much in the direction of cold matter of fact, practical life, too lit- tie in the way of ing 1 true life Pegasus has given place tc the locomotive. no doubt greatly to the advantage of the traveller when he simply wants to ''get there," but for simon pure enjoyment. the winged horse might still oftentimes be well nomed.
 some with me in fancy to Grand | fathers" nifty years ago The roolny kitchen--kitchen and living room In one-with it's immense old fireplace crane, ('swee' we called it), hung tull lof pot hooks ready for use; a hugh baech backlog with fore sticks to Inatch--enough wood to run modArn | stove a whole week. Glowing coais, where we children could see all sorts of pictures, foremost among them near | Christmas time, old Santa Claus, rein dear. pack and all. There was needed then no stretch of the Imagination to help the good saint into the house, for that chimney was ample to allow even | bis corpulent figure, pack and all, saIe passage; though some of us would won i der sometimes. if the hot fire might | not endanger the candy!
 Good old Scotch Presbyterianisn drowned on the Christmas tide testi- vities as inventions or Anti-Chrlst' DsI tho kindly heart of the dear old Grand mother felt the influence of the bless- nd time. and made 1t a blessed time for NE children; just as in this later time, some of US cling to the pleasant memo ries of so-called pagan days. in spite | nf all the eye-opening, mind-develop- ing methods of modern scientific life. ! So the fire roared up the great chim- ney, while we listened to the beloved Grandmother tell of the wonderful reindeer. till we could almost hear their | bells and the stamp of their feet on the roof. But woe unto the child who | a H 1. a.FH AA Ea n n Gf= | nast-evc: so off we wont. not into a | furnace heated bedroom. but shivcr- 1 ing and chattering till the warm blank cts and, what moderns vote uhsanl- tarY, feather beds, cuddled us so close that we soon fell asleep, to dream or Santa. And think of the waking in the moTn-before, dawn almost the hurry ing down tO warm kitchen, i've oIt | ten wondered how 1t was that 1t kept 50 warnJ, to find the stockings. left slim and empty the night before, bulg- 1 ing with good things-not automatic | toVs-trains of cars, automobiles etc.. but lovely stick candy, striped. yellow, red and blue, (the eating of 1t was Ve- toed by a mother, whom we thought over Gautiousl. And one memoraolss s apples very much like the one 1 in the sweet-cented collar, where we sometimes ventured, only so much red der and "shinierp And the incest doughnuts! Myt but they did taste
  santa sure did get them up better than anybody else, and We realized 10 the utmost how busy he and his good wife had been all those evenings; when we had watched his fires glowing in the west. while he baked his Christ
 The joy of "sauattlng" round the fire in our gowns-such thing as waiting to dress before seeing the com tents of our stockings was not to he thought of-thrusting our hands ln an" drawing them out with son sometnins ed.. oHt. tho supreme felicity that fell to my lot, when I found a real copper cent down in the very toe. when avery thing seem ed to be out; cherished above all other cents, it had glitter which was not that of gold! Should Rockefeller make me his heir I'd not feel half the rap ture of that moment.
 Wears have passed since that happy time The good old Grandmother. who tried so hard to make us happy, has zone to rest. The children who gath i cred round that fireslde nave scatLer- ed far and wide. but the memories or the myths taught and handed down for ages. still finger to cheer and make happy Not for riches would l part with those men1ories-'lies' some may would there were more lies like them, Nv children enjoyed them; my grand children are just beginning to talk of Santa Claus. and to look forward to fine coming of the dear old saint; and not not for worlds would deprive them of the pleasure.
 Time and years take away the belief in the material santa Claus but noth- ing can destroy the spirit of 1t all children delight In make believes"- even qowing it is only make believe. Children Is soon gone. never to return. and judging by my own experience, nothing can give more happiness, not only while being believed, but in thi matter of facts. older. so-called wiser days. than the myths that cluster round IVbristmas tide.