Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1913-12-29
THE YULETIDE SEASON.
Pcs, Christmas 0bservatiOn-Ia Biz
and Little Cites Should Spell
Message .! Hope.


tempted to complain, when be looks
about az the weird dress OF the wo-
men, the drunkards ia the streets, the
infants in the factories. in the words
OF dispairing Elijah, ! only Am left
/ who have heen very jealous for the
Lord of Hosts. and they seek 70 take
my life. 4" But the answer to the
prophecy was astounding. for the
Lord declared that there were thous-
ands who vet loved the Lord and who
had not gone after strange gods.
/ Christmas season, as observed IN
big and little cities, should spell a
message of hope to those who pray
for the spread of Cbrist's kingdom
on earth, for even if motives of Civ
ing to friends and to social and bust.
ness acquaintance may sometimes
be open to question, the spontaneous
response TO the appeals to do some
thing for ones unknown fellow man
are so universal and so unostenta-
tious il must come from love Ct the
Christ child-what race of sAvages.
what land of heather has any cele-
bration like ulto Christmas so,
| though on the surface the American
may not be all he should be, there is
the brotherly love within, which can
be nothing but reflex from the Divine
Love.
Much curiosity for days has been
aroused in Brooklyn by beautiful and
very large posters, appearing on the
billboards at intervals through the
borough, showing the old story of
the first Christmas. Nowhere is there
any lettering except the quotation,
Aud when they saw the young child
with Mary His mother, and falling
down they worshiped Him" and
the suggestion ASK your Sunday
school teacher to tell you the story"
The work is much finer than is usual
on billboard posters The eastern
scene, the star, the Magi, the Ma
donna and Child look down on the
roar of the city traffic, and seem to
lose none of their beautiful suggss-
tion by the odd environment.
There is no Advertising trick-no
money in the display; in fact it costs
gre at deal IF money to deny the
large space to paying advertisements
those pictures occupy. 1t was lit
tie hard to find oJt who was respon-
sible for the object lesson which is
not failing of its purpose, to judge
by the crowds about them. The ap.
peal is probably stronger to the alien
who, in leaving home behind, has left
much # his religion when he again
sees what was once familiar. The
pretty Christmas idea comes from
the poster advertising people them
selves. They simply want to help
spread the glad tidings and that is
the way they best understand.
The Red Stocking Club, which
started in this borough FIVE years
ago from a Christmas picture of
"Life's Gale ndar," showing the
empty pouched Santa in the attic
telling the waits there is nothing
left, this year sent out seven
thousand stockings to little people
who otherwise would have been in
the class of the waits in the pic
ture. The yellow journal" people
gave away l1,000 dinners and an
equal number of dolls and many
toys to the poor. The Salvation
Army provided $4,000 dinners for
the needy. and municipal trees
were erected in some of the parks
big brothers Of the Community
tree of Annapolis on Market Place.
where music aud pictures on a screen
amused great throngs.
Down on the edge of the Bowery.
Printing House Square, there was
| also large tree for all the people, +"
| splendid music and N lvies for the
/ thousands who had no where TO go
particularly; whose homes were not
attractive, and who otherwise would
have lined up against the nearby
bars until midnight, when the soft
chimes began to ring for the Great
Birthday from many lands-little
movements in different groups should
| show when the airs belonged to the
fatherland of the particular group.
There were wagons with pies and hot
| coffee gratis, but the air was so
warm none seemed hungry. There
were hundreds of police on duty, but
none had anything to do-perfert or
der and quiet reigned. 1t certainly
was the most peaceful evening that
part of the town has witnessed in
many moons.
The "shop early" cry has been
effective also. The day before Christ
| mas the stores seemed hardly more
/ crowded than on a spring morning.
1 The weather has been remarkable for
a month past, furs are uncomfort-
able and umbrellas stored away seem
ing 'ffor keeps, until two nights be-
fore Christmas, when the food gates
were uuloosed, but Christmas eve and
late into Christmas day, weather
conditions were ideal. Many longed
for the picturesques snow-but if one
noted the long line of little children
waiting snowy days in broken shoes
and scsnty clothing on the cold street,
where the old building of Harper &
Bros. had stood the century past,
waiting until few bits of wood
are passed out, as have morning
after morning, one would realize
there are two sides to the picture
the beautiful snow.
Bread lines have often been writ
ten of, but the wood-line at Harper's
Il 4.