The Washington herald., 1914-12-26
VIRGINIA'S TALE
Of CHRISTMAS
Railway Official Gives Ver-
sion Of Old Dominion
State
CHILD FOUND IN SNOW
Old Negro Man Made Principal in
Story that Is Responsible
for "Yule Log"
some say that ever sgainst that season COMES

Some say that ever against that season CONES
Wherein our saEiou's birth II ceIebrated.
The bird Of daWning sinseth all night Iong;
Ann then they say. no sIiit dares Str abroad;
he nights are Wholcsume: then no planet strike.
No fairy takes. nor witch hath power TO charm,
SO hailOUd and 50 gracious Is the time
! high oflcial of the Southern Rail-
way Company. referring to the task OF
the railways at this time every year.
carrying men and women to their
homes for the celebration of the great
feast OF the year. quoted shakespeare's
J lines on the sacredness Of Christmas
Day.
'-fhe movement OF passenger trafhc
to the South, and particularly to Yir-
ginia. has been heavy" he said. in
Virginia, you know. Christmas is ceIe-
brated with all the warmth Of South
ern sentiment. II was in that State
/ that the 'yule log originated. This is
! the story:
Finds Child In snow.
"One very cold Christmas night when
the frosty wind howled across a world
Of snow. an old black man was sitting
in his little cabin on a mountainside
wishing that he had a fire to warm
/ him. Suddenly he heard the cry Of a
little child out IN the cold. The old
black man hobbfed to the door and
gazed out across the snow. The plain
/ tive cry OF lll1le child came again.
1t went straight to the old mans heart
and he wished with all his power that
he might have strength to go out and
find the unfortunate little one.
"A third time the wailing cry came
and then a wonderful thing occurred
A miraculous power fIIed the old mans
veins. His muscles became strong and
tense. his crutch fell back into the
cabin. and he stepped from the thresh-
old out into the snow.
He hurried over the snow with an
acl.vity he had not possessed since
boyhood. and by and by he came to a
little child in a snow bank. AS the
child's little form touched him a great,
new strength came to him which seem
ed to give him wings to speed back to
his little cabin.
He placed the child upon the bed
and tenderly drew the ragged Quilt
about it and then he looked to see If
there might be a piece of furniture
with which TO make n fire to warm
the little one.
TuIe Log Provided.
AT that instant a great log rolled
across the threshold and into the fire.
place. The little child looked at the
log with eyes like stars, which sent
CLEANS of light that kindled the log
with the most brilliant fire the old man
had ever seen.
The dingy little room was fIIed
with radiance and warmth. and as the
light wrapped the child he laughed
and laughed like a song OF the heart.
The old man turned his eyes to where
the fire burned and watched the flames
leap in beautiful rainbow tints over
the log, forming the shape of a cross
| in fire.
The flames of the cross leaped
higher and higher. blue. red. yellow.
and white. all mingled into the cOIors
OF the rainbow. and as the old man
watched all this display. suddenly and
magically table appeared in the cen
! ter of the room. covered with a Christ
mas feast such as never before had
been spread before his eyes. and never
again was he hungry or cold, and never
since then has there been a Christmas
in old Virginia without a yule log and
the Christmas child to give light and
warmth. That is the story OF the yuls
| log as it is told in Virginia homes ev-
cry Christmas night"