The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1916-12-08


warning peoples in their eXaltation of sacrifice.
But at Christmas-Christmas the feast Of the
home and of the fam y-eXatation dies and only
sorrow, the sorrow of the bercft individual, re-
mains, says the New York Sun.
1t is Il very different Christmas Europe is ap-
proachng this year from that of two years ago.
Then the shock and excitement of the beginning
of the war were still tingng. 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 i'm the trenches. There was
still talk of the kaSer's dining in Paris and dis
'cussions To which ruler should lead the tri-
umphant allies In procession through Inter den
Linden.
! Victory seemed a much simpler matter then
than it does today Everyone admitted then that
victory would be bought only with and
sacrifice. Now everyone knows with the hard
knowledge of experience that victory will be
bought only with sorrow heaped and
sacrifice heaped sacrifice II is this knowledge
borne in on every home, however exalted or how
humble that makes the Christmas celebra-
ton of 1916 in Europe a solemn sacrament of
sorrow.
OF all the warning peoples Christmas means
the most 10 the Germans and on none will the
sacrifice of the traditional customs of the day
fall so heavily There is no blood and iron in
the German Christmas. There is instead Il ten
der and appealing sentiment that is typical Of
all that is best i'm 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 as their own. The Ger
man Christmas is day for the home. the family
and the children, with its every custom endearcd
by generations Of tradition.
The real German Christmas celebration occurs
Christmas eve. About four o'clock the dinner
is served elaborate and hearty feast, consist.
Ing OF long series of traditional dishes all eaten
I'm state OF wild excitement During this meal
the KriStknd makes its appearance. This figure
Is a curious product Of sentiment and imagna-
ton, n queer combination Of the Holy Child, the
good fairy and Santa Claus Ii is rep
resented I'm the country district by half-grown
child made up 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 are 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 IL. A walk through
the deserted residence streets Of any German
town at this hour Christmas eve leaves mem
ory of Christmas cheer and spirit that never
be forgotten.
by nine o'clock the family Is ready to eat again,
a light supper including still more of the tradi-
tonal Christmas dishes. Every one rich or poor,
has 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 n shortage Of fats In her
food supply to demand serious at-
tention on the part of the government, there is in
Germany butter milk for the Christmas
cakes, no tallow for the Christmas can
dies To many people this little homely depriva
ton will bring realization of the seventies OF
f,,fJ and Intyf fnnn yau
the sight Of the fast-growing graveyards. With
two million graves In the land with dire ne
cessity robbing her dearest holiday Of its dearest
symbols, no triumphs of can make this Christ
mas of 1916 anything but sad and sorrowfu
feast in the homes Of the German empire.
In Austria the Christmas celebrations are as
varied as the races and religions that make up