davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1914-12-20

Just about the correct age for Christina $
trees Started IN life every year TO get
ready for the coming generations
Some of the arid places are planted by
placing the seed in hills a few feet apart.
but the most successful way is the grow
ing of the baby trees in nurseries, then
setting them out when Il few years old
Forests set out a few years ago are now
just about the correct age for Christmas
trees This reforestation of the barren
wastes of the west into living green is
wise measure. not only for supplying
the necessity for future festivities. but
in the fact that what is now useless
desert will soon be producing forests of
fine lumber.
One of the largest Christmas trees
the world has ever seen is that known
as the sequoia. or redwood. of Cali
fornia. where what is left of this
most famous tree is now preserved in
government or state forests. These
monsters are of the cone bearing va
vlety and related to the pines. hence
are genuine Christmas trees--only, as
Evening star., 1914-12-20

rise tier upon tier. one hears the
beautiful parting words of Christ to
His disciples. spoken with cold indif-
ference by stranger to stranger. since
il is the customary word of greeting
and parting: Peace be with you
t"Salaam aleikem'). And the solemn
answer follows: And with you peace.
An invitation is still extended by the
following greeting: Come, thou blessed
of the Lord Thanks are returned for
the smallest favor by the gracious
benediction from sacred lore: May the
Lord bless thee"
a beggar at the gate is daily com
forted by the wish May the Lord
provide for thee In confirming an oat I'll
or even merely assuring the hearers of
The truth of an utterancc, tn" speaker
repeats many times the exclamation
As the Lord liveth" In token of true
promise man proclaims. like Joseph OF
old: Il fear Cod. \ modern Boaz go
ing into his fields greets his lahoring
men with the same earnest words :.
The Lord he with YOU
The speech of tile peasants in the hills
around Jerusalem today re-echoes Won
derfully the poetical words of the
prophets The hessarS and the lepers
sitting 10y the roadside speak in the
same m"urnful pleading as did the
psaimist in his misery and Woe or blind
Eartmus. sitting on the ro. d TO Jericho
Even the ignorant Bedouin Of the dcs-
ert sun embodies his ideas in highly
metaphoricai and poetical phraseology
and literally quotes from Scripture.
though unronSclouSly. never haSinS
read word himself from the sacred
book. Yet he has inherited that form
az speech of his ancestors for genera
rions back. In his mod" of living he
represents that life OF the patriarchs in
absolute literalness. not having seen or
heard anything of tn" changes caused
by civilization. His black rarneSs hair
tent is probably of the same shape
and is made in such manner to
facilitate the erecting of il and its re-
moval and TRANSPORTATION on the back
Of burden bearing CamelS. The inner
half OF the tent is always for the wom-
en- 1t WAS behind this dividing cur
tain that Sarah laughed when she heard
ths, angel forctcll the birth of Isaac.
Inside the Bedouina tent there is al
ways the little earthenwarc fire. made
in d very primitive way. The people
use their mouths for bellows. This
Evening star., 1914-12-20
Wa and Ug.
CovERNoR-ELEcr WHITMAN AT

GoNERNoR-ELECT WHITMAN. at a
dinner in New York. praised the
New Year resolution habit
\ good habit" he said. and a very,
very old one 1t dates. in fact, from
the stone age.
Dressed in the furs of Wild b.aStS.
two men of the stone age. Wa ana te.
met one New Year morning.
Say, Wa. said the first man, lend
ME your crowbar. will you?'
What for. Ug" asked the Second
man.
II want to go home. SAID the iirst.
and turn over new leaf
Evening star., 1914-12-20

where contentment with little reigns
and the brotherhood of village or of
a tribe is :; reality. Here one can walk
and dream of bygone ages and live
through them in vivid imagination. SO
unchanged is the topography of the
country, SO conservative the customs
Of its inha bitants. and so unspoiled
their quaint figurative speech, uttered
in the cultural tones of one Of the
oldest languages man has spoken Here
one hears Biblical quotations uncon-
sciously re-echoed in everyday sayings
by ignorant peasants.
Walking through the narrow lanes
and villages, where mud-hut homes
Evening star., 1914-12-20

comfortabIes are taken of ihc shelves
and spread GA the mating for the ram-
lily to sleep upon. This explains the
ease with which the healed man could
obey Christ's command. Take iGp thy
bed and walk Beds consist only Of
comfortables.
When the children are all rolled m
and asleep the women i'm the homes b.
gin the grinding of the wheat for tho
bread for the next day. while singing
plaintive lullahies. This is monotonouS
work. and was often given To prisoners
TO do The prophet said OF wicked
Babylon in repro.,ch come aud Sit
in the dust and take the millstonc
Sansons enemies set HIM to grinding
when he was their captive.
Ezekiel. speaking Of utter desolation.
used the expression we'll understood hv
the people: The grinders shall ccas',
and the sound of grindine bc low
Christ. speaking of the destruction .,r
Jerusalem. said. Two \, omen shall h,-
taken and the other loft"
The method of siftiuR the wheat is
also referred To by the Prophet Al -
Like as corn Is suited IN = Sow, ,'t
shall not the least gram TALL upou tll.
earth. The women are as busy iu tie
fields ls in the homes There are Kutbs
cleaning and reapiug and wiun"wing
and even plowins 10y the >lde Of the
oxen.
To the towns the women conc hear
ing the produc" OF their fields. Inh
they look very picturesqu" sitting an
the market places ON their heads
they carry their large baskets. and on
their shoulders their small sons are
taking their first lessons in rIdins.
This lea -es the women's arms free 70.
other purposes.
Baby girls arc carried IN carpet ham
mocks slung across their uiothers'
backs, but they are ltcNCr honcrcd like
their brothers by riding astridc then
mothers shoulders. There il Il fiGur;t-
tive prophecy regarding the better
standing of women IN the orient in day
TO come in the proclamation. Thy
daughters shall he carried upon their
Evening star., 1914-12-20
DECORATING CHRISTMAS

evergreen as tough and sturdy. ii very
gibraltar among trees facing the cold
and storm unbcndins- Yet II has many
ills TO which its bark is heir, and even
now some sections OF the country are
III quarantine against the ''gypsy
moth also known popularly thu
christmas tree bug" To combat tn
spread of this trouble Secretary OF
Agriculture Houston IN August last
sent out an order By which parts OF
Maine, New Hampshire Massachusetts
Rhode Island and Connecticut werr
placed in quarantine on account of the
gypsy moth, while the browntail moth
was also quarautined i'll the same
states. with the addition of Long
Island. y. Y.
BY this regulation il Is now impos
sible to ship not only all evergreen
trees. but even holly. laurel and all
varieties of such trimmings. out of the
Evening star., 1914-12-20
MINAREr WHICH cRIER CALLS TO PRAYER

people sit on The matted foor around
the large wooden bowl which contains
the cooked rice or beans. The head of
the house opens the meal by taking
up handful of the greasy rice and a
piece of bread and. rolling it into a
ball. he places ii into the guests mouth
himself. This complimentary act is the
sign for all those assembled to literal
ly dip in the dish,'' eating with their
hands. 1t recalls the act of the be-
trayer. who dipped into the dish with
his Master and then gave Him over to
His enemies
When the evening meal is over the
Evening star., 1914-12-20

Bible M Heard From the Lips the Arabs and
nercosesTe Holy Land Two
lhe-Hw Fully Understand the
BbleCh Day Palestine Continue Many ofte Customs
D,rno tFeu1Ye
Evening star., 1914-12-20

shoulders" Those better days are l4uw
at last breaking. for this is The dawn
of freedom from subjection for women in
all Turkey and the Holy Land.
Now that her fetters of immutahiiity
have been loosened, this land which
has through the ages preserved hcr
traditional customs and retained t,t =
quaint poetical and figurative forms "f
speech will doubtless before loua b."
affected permanently by the influx o.
civilization. But what has been one
of the CHIEF charms of this land for
Bible students will before long be a
thing of the past
Evening star., 1914-12-20

method of making u fire is often re-
ferred 10 in Scripture: Il will blow
against thee the fire of my ath." a
fire not blown shall consume them"
meaning lightning. In warm weather
these fires are lighted only when guests
arrive and the hospitality of the Be
douin demands that coffee be served at
once. The smoke of the green wood
burning all day and night in cold wealth
er on the stone or earthen floor of the
tent fills the eyes and throat with Il
singing which causes irritation and dis
tresS to the inmates. especially if they
are not used 10 it. This fact was taken
by the Prophet simile for the re-
Evening star., 1914-12-20

sort OF ash-sifrer, the seeds pour out into
bags. 1t is probable that the amount of
seed gathered by the foresters by this
method this year will be at least 10000
pounds. There are in each pound from
hundred thousand to two hundred thou
sand seed. hence millions of young Christ
mas trees started in life every year to get
Evening star., 1914-12-20

Speaking of the coming overthrow
of Jerusalem, the Lord said Let him
which is on the housetop not come
down to take anything out of His
house. meaning that they would do
better to walk over the ROOFS from
house to house This is still done to-
day. for the houses are built so close
Iy together that the roofs form very
convenient streets. In olden days
every city had high, wide walls. 1t
was quite possible to walk around the
city upon them. Parts of the wall of
Jerusalem today are wide enough for
this.
The gates of city were always closed
at sunset. Caravans arriving after dark
were obliged to wait outside until the
morning. Travellers on foot could enter
the city by the small door of the gate.
which known in gospel days by the
figarative expression. THE eye of the
needle Christ was referring to this
custom of making the camels wait out
side the gate until dawn, because of the
imposs:biity OF their passing through the
smaller door, when He said. ut is easier
for camel to go through the eye of a
needle" Though the gates of Jerusalem
still stand. and sentinel guards them,
they are never closed. There is only one
exception, which is very remarkable
one.
1t was an oriental custom to honor a
great guest by opening a new gate for
him. and, after the feast closing it in
memory of his entry through it. 1t is
exceedingly interesting in this connection
to note that the eastern gatJ of Jerusalem
is the only one that is perpetually closed.
for the Mohammedans have walled it up
completely. This gate in gospel days was
called The Beautiful Gate" 1t led from
the temple to the Mount of Olives 1t Is
the gate through which Christ passed so
often His way from the temple to
Bethany. Strangely enough. Ezekiel
prophesied centuries before that This
gate to the shall be closed, and no
man shall enter in by it. because the
Lord hath entered by it: therefore it shall
be shut
The Mohammedans. who know nothing
Of this prophesy. make the following ex-
Evening star., 1914-12-20

R0 HITHIN a few days the streets
MANI of all American cities will
WV he tul of farmers wagons
'aden with evergreen trees,
trees which coming from the dark
scss and cold II the winter are
destrcd 20 b. the center of light.
warmth and beauty III millions Of
homes All over the country roads.
whirring alOnS the steel lines of rail-
roads from Maine to Florida. from
Alaska to Texas, one will see the
strange green procession of the forests
invading the town. The number of
trees cut this year for this purpose
viii be more than four and d half mil
lions
The origin OF decorating trees is
aimed by Germany though the Gus
tom of sdorning houses with ever
greens was observed about this sea
son by the old Romans. In Germany
The beautifying of the trees Is at least
TWO centuries old, and one fable has il
nat II was started by Martin Luther
who set up d tree for his children
placing OF it dozens Of candles as a
symbol of the Light from Heaven
'Arlst- There Is also mention of the
'hristmas tree in book written in
Ito5, in which the author states that
II Christmas they set up fir trees in
parlors at Strassburg and hung there
On apples. waters ard gold foil"
NJ any rate. there is no doubt but
hat this custom has spread and now is
universally observed in all Christian
lands-nowhere more than in the
United States For in such abundance
20 the trees come TO market that the
'irst question arising is, will the trees
give out at the rate at which they are
icing cut? II should set any anxietv V
II rest to know that the forest service
says that there is no dimunition of the
visible supply and in addition this
anne branch of the government is each
wear setting out large areas of arid
iands in thousands of new trees So
Of the coming generation will look
upon Christmas tree as an extinct
species.
'ountry are the spruce fir pine and
cedar. In the south the scrub pine is
popular. while in other sections the
mrs. spruces and cedars are better
liked. a great many trees from the
vast forests of Maine and the Adiron
dacks are sent down to eastern and
southern cities each year, yet by far
the largest part of every city's suppIy
ONES from the farms in the surround
lnE districts.
The thing which most menaces the
&c supply is not the AK. but the many
diseases TO which the trees ar. prey
We are accustomed to think of the
Evening star., 1914-12-20
Life and Customs in Lane1W WhereC eChriStChi1d\ Y

in the house And Palestine is truly "a
dry and thirsty land
Rebekah did not hesitate moment be-
fore giving Eleazer to drink The trav-
eler today receives the same gracious
response he did The pitcher is low
cred and the invitation extended. Drink.
my lord The reason why the Samari-
tan woman heSitated before giving
Christ to drink Was because she could
see by His dress and speech that He
was a Jew. and the different sects in
Palestine always kept separate The
Jews and the SamaritanS were the most
Master in great surprise: How is that
Thou. being a Jew. askest drink of me.
which am woman of Samaria? Later
on she refers to the custom of bringing
to the well IA rope and bucket with
which to draw water: Sir. Thou hast
nothing to draw with and the we'll is
deep.
Many important events take place at
the wellside. Youths are attracted
there by the sight OF the graceful
maidens. Many marriage results
from a meeting AT the well. II was
there that not only Rebekah. but
Rachel and Ziporah were found by
their husbands.
Some of the water vessels taken TO
the we'll to be filed are the bottles
which Christ referred TO when He said:
No man putteth new wine into old
bottles, lest the new wine doth burst
the bottles and the wine is spilled"
These bottles when full of water are
tied at the neck and carried Slung over
the back of the water carrier. Very
often he sells cups of water from il on
hot summer days through the streets.
Evening star., 1914-12-20

all the day.
Looking around in the villages one
sees rehearsed before one many of the
incidents mentioned in the Bible which
have been familiar from childhood. and
Vet have always seemed so dim and un-
real having taken place in Il land so
far away that they seemed almost
fables
There are a great variety of homes
10 be seen in Palestine. representing the
various stages of the evolution of homes
from the abodes in the rocks OF the poor
peasant or the leper. TO the modern
stone house of the wealthy MohaInne-
dan. There are the picturesque homes
made of twigs of branches. They are
also made of the cloth from camers hair
and merely supported by long, rude poles.
The ovens were placed inside and
around the houses The great heat IS
suing from these ovens was mentioned
as emblematic of sudden destruction.
Many families resort to stlli more
primitive oven for their bread. The
fire. is built between slabs of stone.
over which is laid a circular metal pan.
When this is well heated the dough is
laid upon it. In an instant 1t is baked
and rolls oft, and is then turned over
and baked on the other side. 1t was
this method of baking that made 1t
possible in patriarchal days for Sarah
and other women inStantaneously TO
bake fresh loaves upon the arrival of
guests to be entertained by their hus-
bands The houses are all built of one
story and have fiat roofs. These nat.
earthen roofs are not much protection
against rainstorms They soon be-
come soaked and then begins q dis
agreeable dropping of water through
the roof. Wise King solomon was GER
tainly thinking of them when he said:
"A continual dropping on rainy day
and contentious woman are alike.
Grass grows easily on these roofs and
as easily dries up and dies, scorched
by the suns strong rays. In summer
the inmates of the houses sleep upon
their roofs in the open air. Some peo-
pie spend the day on the roof and take
all their utensils up there. This ac-
counts for the mention in the Psalms
of the pots and pans upon the house
tops.
The roof through which the sick man
was lowered for the Savior to heal
was probably one made of light COW
ering of tiles over which the earth
was laid. 1t was very easy then to un-
cover this and to let down the man by
the four corners of his bed or COM
Portable
Evening star., 1914-12-20
ANCIENT CUSTOM ANCIENT ROMAN DAYS

Many Different Kinds Trees Used This Where They Come From
CnmyThe
Nsteoe Around Which Cling Many Pretty Spetion PasIeh Gypsy
MotsLaest the World n
to PeSerxe (IqantnR eCNOOds
Evening star., 1914-12-20

& Christmas day approaches
h\ ones thoughts naturally turn
0\ to the country which saw the
q 4 greatest event in the worio
history though living at so remote
a distance from the sacred site. anu
following customs so entirely diHereh'
from those observed there, then ana
now. we try to picture to ourselves 'he
sccn, which took place in the Holy
Land 1000 wears ago. W" travel In
ma gination to country where GUS
IONS have remained unchanged ior
centuries. a land where the people hNe
out the life of Bible days ana Spedh
N the poetical language OF the pa
iriarchs and prophets.
As immutability is the most STRIKING
law of eastern life. so is Symbolism 'he
most striking Characteristic of oriental
speech To fully understand the sto-
rics in the Bible one must he ac-
puaiuted with their peculiar oriental
setting and must enter into the spirit
of their eastern language and thought
and all its symbolism. The ruin ana
rIesolation which have repeatedly lald
waste the land do not seem TO have
n any way affected the manner OF
living or the form OF speech OF the
people Their most ordinary remarks
are clothed in ngurativc expressions
Of great beauty. which often throW L
bright light on cnigmatIcal passages
N Scripture.
The little mud built villages clinSInS
to the hilIsidcs of which Christ spoke
and 10 which He went with His mes
sages of healing and of truth may he
Evening star., 1914-12-20

infected district 1t is thus hoped to
confine the ravages of the moths to
certain section in which they can be
finally eNterminated. In one of the
Evening star., 1914-12-20

maps published since August, 1914. II
is stated that the entire New England
states are forbidden to ship evergreens
outside of their own confines. Thus
Evening star., 1914-12-20

belIIous and sinful people: These area
smoke i'll my nose. Il fire that oufheth
all the day.
Evening star., 1914-12-20

anywhere Numbers OF men and women
were set to work to clear the road just
as in olden days.
Evening star., 1914-12-20

M 0ITHIN few days the streets
MANI Of all American cities will
WV nc ,ull Of farmers wagons
lnIen WIN q erCreen frees
The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1914-08-06

gyrating about the Echo Photograph
In the midst of a war-dance. He
kicked violently with his spiked shoes.
whereat the foreman bucked like .
Wild horse under the spur and dropped
him. and he staggered out Of the
crowd. where a girl few to him.
"Oh. Wally." she cried. Il knew you
could" He sank to the ground. and
she knelt beside him.
Skinner was propped against the
corral fence opposite. his face distort-
ed with suffering. and Gallagher was
rubbing his ankle.
"'Taint broke I reckon" said Cal
lagher. rising. II wish to hell it
was!" He stared dtsgustedly at his
fallen champion. and added: We
don't wan y'all for a cook no more.
Skinner. You never was no good no
how. He turned to Helen and handed
her a double handful Of bank-notes, as
berkeley Fresno buried his hands in
his pockets and walked away. Here's
your coin, miss. If ever you get an.
other bunch. let me know. An here's
yours. Mr.. Speed: it's q weddin'-pres-
ent from the Centipede." He fetched
a deep sigh. Thank the Lord we'll
git somethin' fit to eat from now on!"
Speed staggered to Skinner. who
was still nursing his injury, and held
out his hand, whereat the cook winked
his left eye gravely.,
The best man won," said Skinner.
"and say-there's a parson at Albu-
querque." Then he groaned loudly.
and fell to m%assaging his foot.
There came a fauttering by his side.
and Miss Blake's voice said to him.
with sweetness and with pity:
I'm so sorry you lost your posi-
ton. MI. Skinner. You're a splendid
runner!"
Never mind the job. miss. I've got
something to remember it BY" He
pointed to a sash which lay beside
him. The loser gets the ribbon.
MISS" he explained calamity.
on to the right there came q new
cutlery. and far across the level prairie
II strange sight was revealed to the
beholders. A fat ma in white fan
nels was doubling and lodging ahead
Of two horsemen. and eve from q
considerable distance it could plainly
be seen that he was behaving with re.
markable agility for one so heavy.
Repeatedly his pursuers headed him
On, but he rushed past them, seeming.