Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1911-12-21

on toboggans to be secured and for those bent
on adventure, there is the most exciting pas
time of skiing.
Many of the hgh-placed villages in the noun,
tains of Switzerland become colonies of British
people. These do the proper thug by going to
the little church Christmas morning But
they come back in hurry and are soon in their
sweaters and have donned their heavy boots or
have affixed their skates and are off for pleasure
long before luncheon time. The dining rooms
are decorated for the great event of the evening
the Christmas dinner. Curious it is to think
that these punches of happy folk, who a week
ago We're scattered in all parts of the British
Isles, cOngregate in the weu-lighted rooms
of q Swiss hotel and are eating their Christmas
dinner 600 or 700 miles away from home. Maybe
there is a carnival the ice at night. The air
is dead still. The moon is like a great lantern
in the heavens. Fancy dresses are the proper
thing. Every one carries a multi-colored Chinese
lantern swinging at the end of cane. The
local Swiss band plays popular airs. There is
the swish and rumble of innumerabIe skates
over the crisp and well-swept ice.
Think of the manner in which the day is spent
in the distant treaty ports Of the Far East. There
comes back to my memory Christmas day I
once spent in Shanghai In that great CONNER
cial Chinese city is considerable gathering of
British people, chiefly engaged in trade, kindly,
hOspitable giving the hand of friendship to the
traveller and seeing that he has a good time with
the rest. There are Christmas morning calls to
be made. Callers travel from house to house in
jnrickshaws hauled by bronze-sknned Chinese
coolies Maybe there are steeplechase races on
the outskirts of the town, and the entire Brit
ism colony to go off to their countrymen,
adopts in horsemanship, scamper for the prizes.
Then come luncheon parties, to be followed at
night by the customary Christmas gathering.
One might almost forget that one was thousands
of miles away from home. except maybe for the
fact that the servants are slit-eyed Cinnamon
Another Christmas day comes to memory as
write. 1t in Teheran, the capital of Persia.
There. of course is the British legation; but
most of the British residents, fifty sixty in
number. are engaged in connection with the tee-
graph service. Teheran is a great Transmission
station on the telegraph route between England
and India. On Christmas morning there is gen.
orally a football match the MADAM. a big
open space where most of the Persian military
displays take place. In the afternoon there is
polo. The Persians stand round with wide-eyed
wonder quite incapable of understanding why it
is that English people putting themselves to
such exertions in the search of what they con-
slider pleasure. The Persian does not appreciate
the western habit of violent exercise. He re-
CARDS those who take part in it as rather mad.
1t is the practice of most British ministers to
give dinner party Christmas night to the
leading British and American residents in the
fine legation dining The two flags the
Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes, are hung