Evening star., 1920-12-26
THE CITY

TIME spirit Of Christmas cannot
be hammered out of us. though
each year commerce puts in
blow.
For one thing, she has clothed the
Yuletide tree in readymade cos
tune of tinseled balls and fringes-
the style modelled on the money plan
so many yards of razzle-dazzle
fringes, so many gay colored balls
lovely, of course, but lacking the in
spirational surprises of those i'm
mortal evergreens that blossomed out
with sugar animals. gingerbread
dolles, pink plums on straws and
garlands of popcorn that could be
toasted on to the very last inch.
There is one tree on Capitol Hill
that is always different. for the
reason that other trees help the
owner to dress it, and this is how
she does it every year:
Long before Christmas she goes to
the woods to visit a friend OF hers
named Pine, and the dear thing gives
cones and little cones, some with
their woodeny leaves close folded and
others with petals outstretched to get
good long shifts Of their own balsamy
breath. Then the little lady takes
the cones home, paints each a pretty
color and showers it with gold, silver
or diamond dust, until the lot of them
sparkle Like SO many jewels from
Aladdin's cave.
Old man Oak. who is full of life
and comradeShip for all he counts
his birthdays by centuries, told the
1odU f0 hn1 fA
he was sure they would show up fine
on a truly Christmas tree. So she
strung and gilded the nuts into ropes Of
big gold beads and threaded the
gilded cups On red ribbon until they
look like Chinese gongs out of
temple in Mandalay, only that would
be India-but no matteri
Then you know how Unexpectedly
things happen! One time the little
lady was going along a wind-swept
street when a curb-neighbor. named
Mrs. Sycamore, called out to know
If she wouldn't like to have some
balls for her truly Christmas tree.
1t turned out to be the finest sort
of offer. for by the time she had
picked up lot of the playful things
that had just blown from the tree
and were scampering like children let
loose from school and frosted them
with diamond-sparkle they made that
facsimile Kohinoor down at the museum
look trashy-honeSti
Then there was an apple tree that
wanted to belong, but Of course liv-
ing way on in an orchard, she had
to send word by one OF her pippins
that went to market. 1t. was a love-
ly pippin, which, of course, was the
reason the little lady bought it, There
lore you can imagine her surprise when
one Of its seeds chirped out:
Mother says we should tell you
that II you will thread and paint us
the exact red. we will look SO like
sp,int coral. that you couldn't tell
whetner we came out of a jewelry
shop or a core"
Every year it takes time, patience,
nimble fingers and artistic skill to
make a chain Of sp1int coral out of
countless apple seeds, to put ON a
truly Christmas tree. but:
8. santa himself will tell You that
IL pays: Because. deep down in his
heart Santa fears that commerce. is
vandal who will one day rob him
OF his throne in the kingdom Of Child
And that. neighbors, dear. Will be
bad day for the children. And for
men and women. And for the world.
4
WHEN incidents refuse to happen
one can always talk about the
movies. just as we used to fall back
on the weather. Therefore, with your
kind permission:
A man who has money invested in
screen stun has his own opinion Of
stars-which he passed on to a woman
at restaurant the other night.
1T Is dramatic fiction that art is
superior to nature. and Il may be so
OF the stage, but you have only to go
to any photoplay calling for natives
or like raw material to realize the su-
periority OF embarrassed nature over
long trained art
the star of which is a Justly famed
actor. and who was everything an
actor should be until he faced a
Slave guarding harem. Tho rig
lures fixed in the implacable lines Of
| a sphinx. dwarfed the body and abil-
ity of the white man. Any trained
actor who might have taken the role
of the slave would have conveyed a
sense Of pose. But the black man was
order to obey. and a scimetar edged to
fulfill it.
Another motion picture Of the Jungle
called for many bare-bodied blacks
every one Of whom-guards. bushmen
| and savages of the fnterior-were un-
studiedly graceful. /agilely strong in
movement and so tar ahead in realism
that the members of the a1l-star cast
were colorless pygmies in contrast
You have never seen a trained actor
with anything near the humor, pathos
| and atmosphere Of the genuine ar.
! ticle, and while some of these black
| folk have had experience of a kind ir
the training of the average star.
| 8E@s.~%E.