The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-02-02

4 MEXICAN and English nevspa

have picturesque accounts OF
the German Christmas, which
conjCre up a clear, frosty atmosphere
and re-echo the song Of the skates on
the frozen lakes, for the Anglo-Saxon
notion OF the German Christmas is
drawn from those childhood hours spent
over Hans Andersen and Grimm, and
the sight OF Christmas tree brings 10
mind the woodcutter tramping home
through the snow laden forests, trailing
Christmas celebration, while Ia the
towns the black quadrangle Of the ven
cradle market place is picked out in
lights blazing on the trees in the win
dows of the gabled houses.
Fifty years ago, before the young
German giant had awakened from the
sleep Of centuries, says writer in the
New York Evening Post, this idea of
the peaceful German Christmas was
correct, but IL one of the burghers OF
old Berlin, returning from making his
Christmas purchases on Christmas eve,
were to be transplanted into the roar
ing hub Of empire which his Haupstadt
has become in the year Of grace 1917
the good man would probably expire on
the spot.
Fifty years ago, when Berlin was a
dirty, unpretentious, provincial town,
with Ill lighted. i'll paved streets and
with the iron hand OF militarism I'M
checked over it all, the Christmas fes-
tiyal was the tranquil celebration Of
which one has read. In the Lustgar-
ten, before the castle, a Christmas fair
was annually established which the
king and royal family used to visit to
buy jumping jacks and gingerbread for
the palace Christmas trees, like any
other German family. The Lustgarten
fair has passed away, the king of Prus-
STA has become German emperor, Ber-
lin has developed into q fair and beau
t1ful city, and all that remains Of the
Christmas Of once upon a time is the
spirit-indeed, precious INHERITANCE
that still holds supreme sway and rests
concealed in the branches Of the myri
ads Of Christmas trees which rich and
poor alike set up in their houses on the
eve Of the feast
Otherwise the old German simplicity
has vanished. In the house of the rich
merchant electric lights take the place
Of the Christ candles" and the motor
car or the steam yacht which he gives
his son as Christmas present can find
no place under the Christmas tree, as
did the wooden comforter, the handful
Of gingerbread or the new skates in
the day OF his father. Caruso or Des
tim on the gramophone takes the place
OF the Christmas hymns which used
to be sung as an act of pious reverence
to the 'Tannenbaum," or perhaps even.
horrible dictu, the tree will be fas-
tened to clockwork contrivance
which. on being wound up, revolves to
tune tangled out by a musical box
The bullying one stored shops with
gingerbread and gilt angels stuck in
their diamond paned window fronts
have vanished. and their places are
taken by stores built on the same style
OF palatial magnifcence as across the
Atlantic.
From the beginning of December till
the feast they devote a considerable
portion OF their space to Christmas ba-
zaars. where one imagnes oneself
transported to toyland There are ire
mendous set pieces with electric trans.
airships and railway trains careering
about amid wonderful papier mache
mountain scenery; ravishing visions of
fa1r doll women and army corps on
armp corps of the most gallant tin
soldiers that ever manned a fort. The
air Is rent with an ear splitting cacoph-
ony OF noise emitted by mechanical
toys, and the atmosphere reeks with
the smell of shavings and glue, that
peculiar pungent odor of the toyshop
which brings back to the old fogies
the mysterious delights of the birthday
table.
On Christmas eve every German
must have his Christmas tree When
one passes through the streets on a
wet Christmas eve-the sparkling frost
and snowy mantle of the feuilletonist
rarely put in an appearance before
has the curious feeling
or being In the midst of 60,OOO,OOO
people all engaged in doing the same
thing. One can imagine the traveller
looking on the thousands of NOLAN
medans laboriously threading their way
across the desert to Mecca to win the
title of Hadji regarding the scene with
similar emotions. For when | say ev-
cry German 1t is literally true. The
streets of Berlin are deserted save for
the cars and the omnibuses and cabs
and an occasional policeman, and from
behind the blinds of the windows of
the great blocks Of fats twinkle the
candles on the Christmas trees, throw
ing out their little beams into the dark
ness OF the night as did the star to the
shepherds nearly 1000 years ago.