Tombstone epitaph., 1917-12-16

VN I AAA'Al tANl'N l.4 s4l'' ItlAN Lk k that ring throughout the sN Christian world on Christ IT > mas day. Tu mothers.
 SS wives. >wecthcarts. who
 have lost sons. husbands. lovers. in rhe world madness. Christ mas bells will sound a> harsh. metal lie clans"r cry>tal!iziu- sadness and despair. Perhaps thc women whose men are in ihr armies will receive iH The music from the church towers mes sages of hope and inspiration.
 But speaking nctaphorlcally how inc luletIde bells ring and jus, when they ring, who rings them and how long are matters of national taste that will seem queer io you if while Jou happen to b. roy>'-riuc in Spain. you think of sweden ku.,liu. lu >ul- "'nniiy or h England ,a;.u. your way through Christmas day. you consider The Russians chanting inc myths of 'he Goddess of ;h- Sun. of lu IluIy listening Iu the children rcci,iu- ,h.i. socly pieces in The streets. you rpm.tn- Der New York and itS thcat,r> with lN N'-4 N-+.4 4~s4-4sl> 1N''tl'f4 lli.i4fF~.
 Christmas in England never La, r,- gained the measure Of pure r,y,lry il held before the reformation. OuIy the remnants of those hearty times when ihe land was glutleG with .picureau richness are what are lrtt for old England to-day, but these are enough To make the celebration Gl>tiuc, in it> pond"roS!iy. Wherever Christmas l> found in The British isles there k {. plum pudding, that heaviest ot ,diblc> that seems to improve iii taste with every pound tipped of on the scales Tn Ireland they accompany q gen rrouS slice with long drinks o! what they call ".amh >-wooi." ." made by brllis- Ing roasted apples mixed with ale or milk. l. food and drink are the great TT parts of jOllitv. there are 10 mer- rier ChristmaSes in the land than rhcS,. in England. But there l. little Christ mas lore and superstition. Now and then you will hear some oIl lre~lde crony droue away about the bad con sequences of red and dusky Ne, Years day. or peer out unxiously for the first visitor, whose sex determines good or III luck during the cornln. year. The authors have put into rhym. just what you would do if you were passing your Christmas day with the British:
 At Christmas time we deck the han
 With holly branches brave and tall With sturdy pine and henlock bright. And in the Yule-los's dancing nsht We tell old tales of te!d and fight
 At Christmas time.
 At Christmas time we pile the board
 With flesh and fruit and vintage
 stored
 And mid the laughter and the glow We tread a measure soft and slow. And kiss beneath the n.ist!etOe
 Al Christmas time.
 ous Christnases to look back upon. There Is no country ln peace times where the celebration is more whole somely merry than in Germany. The Germans begin q week before Christ mas day to bring in cvergreens of all sizes which they pile up in the public squares of the cities and towns until these LOOK Ike IoftSIS pl pines ana hemlocks. Not one tree. but TWO. each German family must have and those loo poor 10 buy them are assisted by those who have plenty. St. Nicholas is the old fellow at the bottom of this sea sonal merriment On the eve of St. Nicholas day, December 6, the Christ mas festival begins. That is the day when the German children behave, For man who is good at keeping secrets irnpersonat-S the saint and goes around inquiring how the chil- dren have acted during the year. He carries bundle of birch switches with him and leaves them in the homes where he thinks they may be needed.
 The day before Christmas in Ger many tpeace time Germany, remem- ber) the mothers trim the house from top to bottom with strings of hard frosted Christmas cakes and railing greens. When il comes to trimming the Christmas trees themselves, then you may play out in the yard, take a walk, or get out of the way some where. for this Is secret business be- tween mothers and Kris kringle. On