Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1907-12-26
JOLLIEST SORT OF
A CHRIS TMAS DAY
General Observance in Pierre With
All the Customary Celebrations.

General Observance in Pierre With
All the Customary Celebrations.
.Christnias comes but once year"
quoted a tired little girl last night as
she climbed into bed. In her. voice
We're mingled tones of the pleasures OF
the day with plaintive note OF disap
polntment due to the fact that 1865 days
must pass before the advent OF another
Christmas. She had spent hours since
sunrise alternating between the joys OF
the presents which spilled out over the
top of a tiny stocking aud had found
spread about the floor at its toe in the
morning. Between whites she had
found opportunity to give expression
to the generous promptlngs of her little
heart by Offering of her sticky store of
candies and fruits to occasional visi-
tors. SO She went to bed a yey happy
little girl but justa little sorry because
it is such long time between Christ
masses.
christmas comes but once year"
repeated = tired. but happy mother as
she tucked her darlings into bed. There
was just shade of relief that the day
was done and that it's next coming is
an entire year away. On her face was
a pleasant smile, the smile that happy
children put there, and it remained
even though she thought with weari-
ness OF the days of toll and prepare
ton coupled with a prospect of more
hard work in cleaning away the muss
on the morrow.
"Ghristmas comes but once a year,
mtlrmured careworn woman as she
looked upon the tear seized faces of her
sleeping little ones, for she had been
left to fight the battle of life alone. But
that was as far as her flat purse could
go. Not even the most trivial toy
could be had.
Christmas cometh but onesheer,"
Joylally hlccoughed a Christmas revel
Ter as he took his unsteady way to his
boarding house Then heleaued along
side pole and pondered moment,
winding up with the philosophical re.
Election, 80 hell, whasushe? Fellow
jusmakes foolvimself.'
So good cheer and hapdiness with
here and there touch of sadness or re- /
proach epitomized the day which is
celebrated for Christs nativity. For
the most part it meant only expression
of the finer emotions, for there are but |
few who were unable to appreciate
either JOY of giving OF the JOY of re-
ceiving.
In the churches, there were services
of praise and commemorative of the
birth of Christ child. In a few there
were special programs for the children
with the accompanying distribution of
gifts.
In public Institutions of every char
acter, jails, hospitals and homes, the
lay was frightened for the suffering or
unfortunate by means OF the thought
Jul provision of charitable public
bodies or individuals. But the great.
est featnreof the day was the individ-
lal celebration in hundreds of homes,
Tor this is one of those days when fam
lies, gather together more closely for
celebration.
In some respects the physical fea-
jures of the day couldn't have been |.
more propitious. The finest features
If South Dakota's climate were nro-j
inced for the day. But the observe.
,ianN Of one little girl wfllecho the SEN
OF a great many people.
Christians doesn't seem like Christ. |
mas, she complained, without snow,
snow on the ground. :, She came from
Illinois, where che feathery white blank
stis usually spread over the earth on
his day, but she had supporters in the
belief that Christmas aud SHOWS are
and should be inseparable.
i As5on former Christmases the. stom-
ach was duly paid attention to. Hum
ireds OF barnyard birds, from the hard
working chicken to the more stately
ssaslses, v ere tered to cater to the
habit OF holiday fasting The busy
cock 7ftretted and ffoamea over the work
IF getting out acceptable plum pud-
dings and mince pies for proper obser-
vations ofsthe day.
DINNER AT THE LOOK HOTEL
was the most elaborate and toothsomei
ever spread in this city. There was a
beWildering array of delicacies as the
viii be seen by the following, which | |