The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-01-02
By AGNES BLANCH HICKEY.

rived on time; even Santa Claus himself
has been known TO be latei Some offer
ings are bound TO be either tardy or be-
forehand. indeed, 1t is the exception and
not the rule. for offerings coming from
a distance to materialize on the exact
date. And no less than to-day was this
true in the days of long ago. when GER
tain gifts which were brought to the
parents OF certain of our statesmen
missed the date OF December . by a
fractions day or so-just as this story
does.
And there never was a Christmas since
Christmas was, when a very little girl,
upon being asked what she wanted Santa
10 bring" did not usually-if not surely
reply, "a DOLL and that desirable addi-
ton to her family acquired, all other
gifts became of secondary Importance.
This Is the God-given instinct that is
never really satisfied until later In life,
when, like the mothers of those certain
statesmen, little animate doll Is laid in
her arms. But these mothers received
their ''live dolls" for Christmas presents,
holding them to their bosoms with the
same hallowed love that was felt by that
other mother as she clasped TO her breast
the Babe OF Bethlehem
Many Born in December.
There are seventy-five Senators and
members Of the sixty-frst Congress and
q Supreme Court justice who were born
in the months of December and January,
and of these there are a score who ar
rived within the period regarded as the
Christmas holidays, which means that
time extending from week before Christ
mas TO a week after New Years Day.
While not one Of them were received on
Christmas Day. four of them made their
advent with the New Year. which goes
to show, beyond doubt, that, in certain
parts OF the country, at least, the custom
of giving at New Years was popular, and
it also proves that gifts do sometimes
arrive on time.
It is unquestionably more gratifying TO
receive our gifts before the great festal
day than to get them a trifle late. because
we have an innate weakness for display
ing them to our friends all together. so
we viii take an inventory Of those gifts
of long ago that arrived in advance Of the
dawn of Christmas Day. Among the
"grown-ups" ii is the custom 10 distribute
gifts on the eve of Christmas, which fact
probably explains the arrivals Of Repre-
sentative William P Hubbard. who made
his appearance. in 1913. at Wheeling. ".
Va. and Timothy A. Ansberry. received
at Defiance, Ohio. In ISL. both on the
Gath OF December.
Despite the twenty-eight years between
the arrivals OF these two dolls il would
be perfectly safe 10 state even now, that
the same emotions OF love and pride
stirred the hearts of the two grown-up
little girls who received them, and no
pinnacle of greatness either viii ever at
tain. will ever win for him such love and
aduIation as was showered upon his help
less little person that Christmas
Two DAYS Too Early.
Ten years-lacking q day-after the ar
rival Of Mr.. Hubbard TO gladden. the
hearts in West Virginia, William Henry
Moody, now Associate Justice Of the Su-
preme Court of the United States. made
his appearance as a Christmas gift at
Newbury. Mass. It is doubtful If. in all
the prideful dreams In which mothers
have habit Of indulging from the very
first, his mother foresaw his accession
to the honorable body Of which he is
distinguished member; and, anyway, he
would have been no dearer or more Won
derful 10 her. could she have foreseen.
And another ten years-lacking a day
elapsed after Justice Moody came upon
the scene in Massachusetts, before Rep
resentative John A NJ. Adair gave the
finishing touch to the Christmas festivi-
ties which were being carried forth out
on a farm IN Indiana II does not take
much TO stretch the Imagination and pic
ture the snow-swept scene-heIds bare
of verdure and covered with white-just
the sort of country that the Good Saint
delights in; and one may close ones eyes
and plainly see the members Of that rural
family passing around the little breathing
new doll" for inspection on Christmas
day.
OF other gifts" that arrived too soon
at Christmas, there is Representative
Matthew r. Denver, who arrived at VIII
the Ohio Senator, Theodore z. Burton, re-
ceived by his proud parents at Jefferson,
Ashtabula County, on December 20, 1851;
and, parenthetically, the above would in
dictate that the giving of Tive dolls" at
the Christmas period, was an orthodox
custom in Ohio, where the need of a
baby market" was not felt or advocated
IN Nv
Harrison. the Representative from New
York, is another who come TO gladden.
his gifted mothers heart at the holiday
season, he having made his debut in life
in 1873 on the 18th day OF the Christmas
month.
Only a Day Late.
AS far back as 1897 there was delivered
to Mrs. Ellphaiet A. Buckley a Give doll"
as a belated Christmas gift. which.
though it was a day late, goes to prove
beyond a doubt that such gifts were in
vogue in Connecticut To be more ex-
plicit. IL was at East Haddam, that Sena-
tor Morgan G. Buckley made his appear-
anoe in a distinguished Republican house
hold. his father later being the first Re-
publican speaker of the Connecticut house
Of representatives. Exactly two DAYS
after the Connecticut Senator had at
tained his majority. the Washington Sen
ator, Samuel H. Piles arrived as a de-
layed Christmas present at a farm In
Livingston County, Ky. AS this was in
the days previous to the installation of
rural mail delivery. it is not to be won
dered at that he did not arrive for the
18th; indeed. one might marvel that he |
was only three days late.
II would be difficult to decide whether
the Senator from Colorado. Simon Gus-
genheim, was belated Christmas gift or |
a New Years present. delivered a couple |
OF days early, as he arrived on the sOth |
day of December, in the year 1857. Here |
one must take into account the DELAY in /
al or Thok