New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1914-12-16

honor. JhFopyhsa the curious yaria,
lions which It receives at our hands
something shines and sings; self Civ.
ing. JOY giving, a vast, dim upficker.
ihg on humanity OF what this thina
really Is that It seeks to observe, this
thing that grips men 60 that no mat
ter what they are about. they win drop
1t at the touch Of the gong and turn
to some expression, however crooked
and thwarted, Of the real spirit OF
the time. II in war. then bayonets
are stacked and holly wreathed, and
candles stuck on each point! II at sea
some sailor climbs out on the bow.
spirit with a wreath Of green. II on
the western plains a turkey wishbone
Tor target will make the sport. at fifty
PAGES; IT at home, some great extrav.
agance or some humble gift or some
poignant wish will point the day. II
at church. then mass and carol: in Ger
tain hearts reverence. Everywhere
the time takes hold Of folk and re-
ceives whatever Of greatness or gro
tesqueness they choose to give it. So,
too. the actual and vital experience
which it brings to humanity Is univer-
sal, is offered with cosmic regularity
cannot be escaped Through all the
tumult Of the time Christmas week
and the time that lies near to it is al
ways waiting to claim it's own, to take
to itself those who will not be deceiv-
ed, who see in the stupendous yearly
pageant only the usual spectacle Of hui
mainly trying to say divine things in
terms Of things physical, because the
time for the universal expression is
not yet come.
When that time comes. when the
time of the worship of things shall be
past, when the tribal sense of holiday
shall have given place to the family
sense, and that family shall be man
kind; when shall never be seen the
anomaly Of celebrating in glorifica-
ton Of little family tables, whose
crumbs fall to those without, the birth
of him who preached brotherhood, and
the mockery of observing with wanton
spending the birth of him who had not
where to lay his head; when the rudi.
,ments of divine perception. of self per-
%ception, Of social perception, shall have
grown to their next estate; when the
area Of consciousness shall be extend
ed yet farther toward the outermost;
when that new knowledge with which
the air is charged shall let man begin
to know what he is; when that time
comes they will look back with utmost
wonder at our uncouth groupings to note
and honor something whose import we
so obscure]y discern, but perhaps, too,
with wonder that so much of human
love and divining should shine for us
through the mists we make.
D = = =
B. Two days before Christmas Ellen
Bourne went through the new fallen
snow Of their wood lot. Her feet left
scufled tracks clouded about by the
brushing of her gowns wet hem and
by dragging corner of shawl. She
came to little evergreen tree not four
feet tall, with low growing boughs,
and she stood looking at it until her
husband, who was also following the
snow filed path overlook her.
Matthew" she said then, twill you
cut me that?'
Matthew Bourne stood with his ak
on his shoulder and looked a question
in slew preparation to ask one.
81 just want it." she said. tive
took a notion"
He said that she had good many
notions, it seemed to him. But he cu1
the little tree with casual ease and NJ
computations, and they dragged it K
their home, the soft branches pattern
ing the snow and obscuring their foot
prints.
cts like real Christmas weather.
Ellen said. '"They can't stop that com
ing anyhow"
In the kitchen Ellen's father sat be
fore the open oven door of the cooking
stove. letting the snow melt from his
heavy boots.
Hey he said, II was beginning tt
think you'd forgot about supper. What
was in the trap?"
At once Ellen began talking rapidly
"Oh," she said. "we'll have some muf
fms tonight, father; the kind you like
With
"Well, what was in the trap?" thu
old man demanded peevishly- "Wh,
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