Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-12-24
A December Morn


A December Morn
Vogue refers with its usual whimsicality,
to the "Do Your Xmas Shopping Early"
propaganda so conscientiously urged by it's
more serious-mnded sisters %:
On Christmas Day the usual soft blanket
of snow had descended, and the crisp CHEEKY
air had nipped every ones nose to bright
pink Nevertheless, the virtuous one, who
had taken time by his longest forelock and
had done his Christmas shopping during his
vacation at Atlantic City i'm August pre-
sented his daughter with bathing suit, his
wife with a sunshade and his son with
pair of white flannel trousers
The Metropolitan has pseudo Christmas
editorial entitled "Peace and Good Will"
(2) The editorial soon leaves its title, how
ever, to predict the inevtability of war and
to take side shot at Mrs. PaRkhurst and
the l. w. VS.
ridiculous efforts, not because they in
volved force, but because they involved so
little force" In the paragraph beginning
1--WE should not overlook the great progress
which has been made in this country in the
last few years" a third of the column is
devoted to congratulatlng the country on
the fact that the Metropolitan has doubled
it's circulation in the last 80 months. and in
spite OF having indorsed a safe and sane
brand OF socialism.
The Five and Ten-Cent Store Magazine
has its own individual angle toward the
holidays as, for instance in Trade Tips go:
Keep out the face chamols. They are
bought for gifts being trimmed with fine
val. lace. owing to the war there is already
a noticeable demand for boys guns pistols
and drums. Keep this in mind and feature
them. Do not let the other fellow get the
Sunday school teachers business, Secure
their names through the pastors of the
churches and send them personal letters to
come In, whether or not you give them a
discount. II Is up to you to show them
these little courtesies, and you are bound to
get some extra business.
william Dean Howells, taking his ease in
the Editors Easy Chair of Harpers
Monthly "a. writes with his own delightful
charm OF the Boston custom OF burning
candles in the windows OF the old aristo-
cratic Beacon Hin houses on Christmas Eve,
while groups OF waits stroll past. singing
carols.
In Boston you need not say The Hill with
large letters as il is printed here; If you say
The IIill at all you mean Beacon Hill.
One heard ineredulously some rumors be-
fore the halloWed season, and one scarcely
believed in 1t when II actually came 10 pass
and people began lighting the candles in their
windows. One rather breads the beautiful
when II appears In a very voluntary form,
lest il should turn out prettiness; but when
the candles began to twinkle in the windows
OF those stately OLD Mount vernon street
houses, and the less stately, but not less
charming houses OF Chestnut street and
Plnckney and Louisburg Square, felt that
the promise Of beauty would be kept and
the spirit of Christmas would come TO BOs-
ton as angelioally II there had never been
centuries OF Puritanism TO cast IL out as an
evil demon. Arch after arch, the rows OF
candles were kindled on the Hill last Christ
mas Eve till the whole street Elittered ten
dsrly IN the evening air.
We waited patiently Tor the carols 70 be-
gin, not impatiently, but merely wondering
when all at once they began. though just
where on the Hin could not say. They ut
tered love, worship pity, hope. something
wild mystical past imagining The dim an
lent itself 20 the eject, and the moving and
pausing crowd, black under the vague trees
was our mOdernity remanded to the condi-
tions OF the races younger life. In the pauses
OF the singing We followed the waits, and
stopped when they stopped. and listened
again till they came again 20 their sweet cr3
Of Noel, Noel"
Christmas IA the grosser form of holiday
We have had Increasingly these many years
repaganizad the Worid-old festival "a 3 sat
urnalla u OVer-eating ana drinking: ana vi
an know what a WEAKNESS 10 the soul ans
body Il haa become in the shopping and ais
ing ana taking OF gifts.
For All the Tiny Tins
An over the country there IS growing Is
terest IN the possibilities of Communle
Christmsses The Survey describes their e
velonnaHt in many cIles East and Wea
teliiag ef Cleveland Is lsneih Isl
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