The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-12-12
SADDEST CHRISTMAS SEASON EUROPE HAS
Depths of Sacrifice Reached Since the
First Eager Throb of the War
Spirit a Year Ago

Nuremberg ginger cake. it's shiny
brown surface decorated with al
monds and ~raisins. and with the word
"Weihnachten" and the yea worked
out in pink and white frosting. Stol-
len. IA sort OF plum cake. and many
sweet biscuits Of various shapes and
sizes are all indispensable parts of
this feast.
But in Germany this year Christ
mas. tho happy. simple Christmas of
the nome and the family. will be but n
pale shadow of itself. There are few
families that are not separated by the
war. There are few homes that are
not hereft. There are mono where the
exiGencies Of military regulation will
not curtail or absolutely prohibit the
beloved Christmas customs.
Germany has met the demands of
necessity without faltering. She pub
fishes proudly TO the world that her
scientists have developed q nutritive
flour made from straw. n satisfactory
butter derived from sunf,ower seeds, q
nutritious dish rich In food values
made from wood boiled n cheni-
cally treated. Without a murmur Of
dissent she denies herself the crusty
rolls. the whipped cream and the
sweet cakes that her very sou loves.
But even this spirit falters at the
prospect Of q Christmas without
candles for the Christmas tree or
without Lsebkuchen. And that is the
Christmas that Germany 10 facing. 1t
Is Hamlet" with Hamlet left out.
Last year there were candles and
cakes a plenty for every one. whether
at home or at the front The soldiers
were overwhelmed with packages of
Christmas sweets. Every dugout.
every bomb proof shelter in the long
line of trenches was gay with blazing
Christmas trees. In Munich the sol
der dead were not forgotten, for in
all the cemeteries on hundreds OF new
made graves twinkled the lights OF
little Christmas trees. the saddest.
bravest sight in all Germany.
But this ear. with a shortage Of
fats in her food supply so, severe as
to demand serious attention on the
part Of the Government. there IL in
Germany no butter or milk for the
Christmas cakes. no tallow or wax
for the Christmas candles. To many
people this little homely deprivation
will bring a realization Of the severi-
ties Of war more vivid and more coin-
pelling than ever the sight Of the fast
growing graveyards. With a million
new graves in the land. with dir.
necessity robbing her dearest holiday
Of its dearest symbols, no triumph "
arms can make this Christmas of 1915
anything but a sad and sorrowful
feast in the homes Of the German
Empire.
In Austria the Christmas celebra-
tons are as varied rs the races and
religions that make up that great
loosely kni. empire. Where the Greek
church prevails the celebration occurs
q fortnight later than ours: that Is. on
January I. 1t is accompanied by feast
ing n by various local customs. The
Slovacs Of bohemia and Moravia have
curious Christmas usages In which
superstition has entirely triumphed
over religious Significance.
This Is the great dag OF the yea,
when the peasant appeases all the in,
visible world of spirits. on the after
moo OF Christmas V the Who'll,
household marches in solemn process,
sion 10 the stables and COW house.
carrying bread. salt and beans. Thes,
are offered to the animals with Certain
hallowed words, and great is the dis
may II any COW or II chicken is in
! different tn the offering.
Returning to the housa the parents
sprinkle all their unmarried daugh
ters with water sweetened with honey
thus ~insurlng them honest. good tenn
pered husbands. The entire famil,
then sip az slivovitza, a strong nativ'
liquor distilled from plums. A SINAI
quantity Of this is then poured on tn
. floor TO conclliate such other sipirts a
may ave been overlooked. Every on
then falls on the Christmas feast with
out ceremony.
But this year war has reached out I
: the remote districts ana blighted eve,
such simple Christmas celebrations a
: this. The men of the families are a
| zone. only the very young and tn
very old remain. There will he II
blessing Of the kline this year, for Their
4 are no kim. 10 bless. All have lon
+ since gone 10 supply the army. Their
= Wi! be 10 Christmas Teasing. for foo
= was long ago reduced 10 the Smalles
quantity that VIII sustain life. An
= every day, IN every village, the list {
0 the widowed and orphaned grow
4 longer and longer.
e Vienna Is known as n gay, ligl
o hearted city. Its Christmas obser,
o ance Is ordinarily a happy combina
tion OF religious ceremony m Tel
/ tonic good cheer. But this yea tn