Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1916-01-08

ture sustain everyone Of he
warning peoples in their exaltation of sacrifice
But at Observation-Disclosures the feast of tie
home and Of the family-exaltatiOn dies and only
sorrow the sorrow of the bereft individual re-
mains, says the New York Sum-
1t is very different Christmas Europe Is an
preaching this year from that of two years ago.
linen the shock and excitement of the beginning
OF the war were still tingling. In England the
question of munitions is today of no less i'm
portance to the popular mind than, two years ago.
was the absorbing question of getting plum
pudding to every man in the trenches. There was
still talk of the kaisers dining in Paris and dis
cussions as to which ruler should lead the tri-
umphant allies In procession through Inter den
Linden
Victory seemed a much simpler matter then
than 1t does today. Everyone admitted then that
victory would be bought only with sorrow and
sacr1nce. Now everyone knows, with the hard
knowledge Of experience. that victory will be
bought only With sorrow heaped on sorrow and
sacrifice heaped on sacrifice 1t is this knowledge
borne in on every hoe however exalted or how
ever humble, that nokes the Christmas celebra-
lion Of 1910 In Europe solemn sacrament Of
sorrow.
or all the warning peoples Christmas means
the most to the Germans and will the
sacrifice Of the traditional customs Of the day
fall so heavily. There is blood and iron in
the German Christmas There is instead a ten
der and appealing sentiment that is typical Of
all that Is best In the German character The
whole world is indebted to Germany for the
Christmas tree and for many of the most delight
ful OF the Christmas stories and customs that
Americans have adopted their own. The Ger
man Christmas is day for the home the family
and the children, with its every custom endeared
by generations Of tradition
The real German Christmas celebration occurs
on Christmas About four o'clock the dinner
10 ryy0d nlo hnpnk 20 kao.
ing of long series Of traditional Dishes all eaten
in state Of wild excitement During this meal
the kristkind makes its appearance This figure
is curious product of sentiment and imagina-
ton, queer combination Of the Holy Child the
good fairy and our own Santa Claus. 1t is rep
resented In the country district by a half-grown
child made up as an angel, who goes from door
to door calling for the good children giving sweet
meats at one house and begging them at the next.
After dinner comes the great moment when the
doors opened into the Christmas room where
the lighted tree has the place of honor The tree
Is always placed near a window so that every
passer-by can and share It, walk through
the deserted residence streets Of any German
town at this hour on Christmas eve leaves a men,
DRY of Christmas cheer and spirit that can never
be forgotten
By nine O'Clock the family is ready to eat again,
light supper including still of the tradi-
tional Christmas dishes. Every one rich or poor
mas nuremberg ginger cake, its shiny brown sur
face decorated with almonds and rasins and
with the word "Weihnachten" and the year
worked out in pink and white frosting Stolen,
a sort of plum cake, and many sweet biscuits
of various shapes and sizes, are all Indispensable
parts of this feast.
But this year, with shortage of fats in her
food supply severe TO demand serious at
tenton on the part Of the government, there is in
Germany no butter milk for the Christmas
cakes no tallow for the Christmas can
les. To many people this little homely depriva-
ton will bring realization of the seventies Of
war more vivid and more compelling than even
the sight Of the fastgrOwing graveyards. With
two million new graves In the land. with dire
cessty robbing her dearest holiday of its dearest
symbols, no triumphs of arms can make this Christ
mas of 1916 anything but a sad and sorrowful
feast in the homes of the German empire.
In Austria the Christmas celebrations are as
varied the races and religions that make up