The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1919-12-19

cNCcpt HhySei hdS PdSsSo oh ii'o '"
land of shadows. 1t so happens that
as 7 write there lies before me on
my desk bunch of letters from one
of them, yellowed by age, who was
chum and school seat-mate in those
days, who was with me all that long
Christmas day of 1857; letters writ
ten from Virginia in l845, he being
in an army battery and who later
helped make this great west.
Christmas 1865 l was in the capital
Of "the land of steady habits" aud fol-
the first time in my life / tended a
church service on the ballowed eve;
it was church of the puritans, Con-
necticut puritans, but it was devout
and holy service with the great church
over-flowingly full; with the scrip
ture of the nativity and the grand
hymns inspired by the event the pas
tor gave an address of the meaning
of the Christ-child from the ohio
dox standpoint which thrilled me and
the memory of which remains with
me today. And it pleases me to know
that that honored man of God is still
the venerable senior pastor of the
same church in Hartford and whose
own devout hymns are now used in
many of our churches.
In the 00s my home was in the
Connecticut valley near the great
schools, the Oldest of the women's
colleges in our town. The mother Of
the big family loved to ask the presi-
dent to send US for the holidays some
girls, far away from their own homes.
or perhaps without any, to share the
home life and festivities with our
bunch of lusty boys, and one Indiana
boy would come, who could not go
home for the holiday, would add to
the fun and singing and we usually
got more than we gave and lifelong
ties of friendship were formed; since
then that Indiana boy has been in
Persia and is probably there now at
Hamadan, old Ehena spoken of as
Achmetha in Ezra 6:2. The College
OF Idaho boys and girls we have in
our later home reminds us of those
earlier days, but cannot surpass them.
II one wishes to feel young mingle
with the young.
Christmas in the West.
The years rolled around with in
creasing observance of the Christmas
festival each year till in the autumn
OF 1887 was planning to move to
Salt Lake and happened to meet a
person who had just come from thar
city; piled her for information and
among other things about the climate;
and were the winters cold9" and re-
plying she said, "for example: last
Christmas / made calls without anv
outside wrap all the middle of the
day." AS zone swallow does NOT |
make summer" so one Christmas
sets no weather rule for other such
lays, particularly in our Rocky noun
iain region. And Christmas day in
Salt Lake, 1887, made history; rain
snow, lots of it, lightning and thunder
md the oyer-hanging Wasatch noun
ANS SO confine the sound that Salt
lake thunder is very thunderous. AS
We rode home in the driving snow.
ne thunder cracked overhead and the
iorse jumping, my boys remarked.
This is pretty winterish and wet for
mild and rainless district" Andi,
hey iamented that they had left their
,uober boots and rain coats in the
'ast. Salt Lake was then full of En-
'opean born people, who had been
amiliar with Christmas festivities
md we noted that the humblest Nor.
non cabin had its great wreath in tic
Not All Joy.
ana SO It sometimes happens, as
must, that the joyous Christmas
zoe has only heart aches and tears
or some families because loved one
les dead. And SO it same to u.s. And
he who had been the little maid will,
ne curly head in the Connection,
Valley days, who was then the o.,
u those festivities few years AGO
rom the midst of her important l;fc
'uties was taken to the hospital re-
,oi'ed IN dangerous condition and
'is'er Nooo miles away, and three
'rothers fastened to her and lovingly
to the beloved, and saw
her on Christmas eve pass on into
ne promised mansion, perhaps to be
welcomed BY her own mother who
lad presided her. And thus families