Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1916-12-09


warning peoples in their exaltation of sacrifice.
But at Christmas Christmas, the feast of the
home and of the family-exatation dies, and only
sorrow. the sorrow of the bereft Individual, re-
mains. says the New York Sun.
1t is a very different Christmas Europe is ap-
preaching this year from that of two years ago.
linen the shock and excitement of the beginning
OF the war were still tngling. In England the
question of munitions is today of no less i'm
portanceTo the popular mind than, two years ago.
was the absorbing question 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
unphant allies in procession through Inter den
Linden.
Victory seemed much simpler matter then
than it does today. Everyone admitted then that
victory would be bought only with sorrow and
sacrlhce 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 this knowledge
borne in on every home. however exalted how
ever humble. that makes the Christmas celebra-
tion of 1916 in Europe solemn sacrament of
sorrow.
OF all the warning peoples Christmas means
me most TO the Germans and none will the
sacrifice of the traditional customs of the day
fall 50 heavily. There is no 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
full of the Christmas stories and customs that
Americans have adopted their own. The Ger
home.
and the children. with its every custom endeared
by generations of tradition.
The real German Christmas celebration occurs
on Christmas eve. About four o'clock the dinner
is served, elaborate and hearty feast consist
ing of long series of traditional Dishes all eaten
in n state of wild excitement During this meal
the KriStkind makes its appearance This figure
is a curious product of sentiment and ina gina
ton, queer combination of the Holy Child the
good fairy and 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 window so that every
passer-by and share it. A walk through
the deserted residence streets of any German
town at this hour Christmas eve leaves men,
DRY of Christmas cheer and spirit that can never
be forgotten
BY nine O'Clock the family is ready to eat again
q light supper including still more of the tradf-
ttonal Christmas dishes. Every one rich or poor
has Nuremberg ginger cake. its shiny brown sur
face decorated with almonds and raisins and
with the word .Weihnachten" and the year
worked out in pink and white f.ostinS Stolen
sort of plum cake. and many biscuits
of various shapes sizes, are all INDISPENSABLE
parts of this feast.
But this year. with shortage of fats in her
food supply so severe demand serious at
tention the part of the government there is in
cakes, tallow for the Christmas cam
dies To many people this little homeIy depriva-
ton viii bring a realization of the seventies of
war more vivid and more compelling than
the sight of the fast-growing graveyards With
two million new graves in the land. with dire ne
cessity robbing her dearest holiday of its
symbols, no triumphs of arms 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 as
varied as the races and religions that make up