New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-12-24


old-time rule. sometimes broken
though 1t was. had prevailed when
Mr.. Wilson was elected, Champ CLARK
would have been secretary of state.
Abraham Lincoln appointed William
III. Seward as his secretary Of state,
Seward was the ~"runner-up" In the
Chicago convention which nominated
Lincoln for the presidency. Garfield
appointed James G. Blaine who, dur
Ing several conventions, was a most
formidable candidate. Harrison also
appointed Blaine as his secretary of
state. John Sherman Of Ohio, a for
midable figure in the Republican ma
tional conventions, also at one time
was made head OF the state depart
ment. The old-time rule, however, re-
Gently has been broken into bits, and
as the comic strip hath ii. at doesn't
mean anything"
Christmas in Washington.
Christmas approaches apace, and
Its coming with genuine pleasure,
for the people of the capital city
Of the United States have the
misunderstanding habit deeply fixed.
Men and women who come to Wash
ington to remain perhaps through only
one term Of some appointive office get
the capital Christmas habit also, for
II is contagious and infectious both.
Washington residents born here and
bred here say that in the midst of all
the troubles with which the world is
beset, and worse beset just now than
ever, It is a good thing to have mt
least one day In which TO chase away
gloom even If they cannot drown ii
as they did sometimes In the days Of
Aud Lang Syne.
Washington rarely has n white
Christmas, but the prayer for "A month
before hand always goes up that a
mantle may be laid over II for the day.
Washington is neither north nor south.
and therefore In weather affairs II
never knows what Is going TO happen,
except that It generally can be taken
for granted that the conditions will be
a mixture of north and south. In 9TH
er words. half rain and half sncw
while It is showing beautifully in the
north and raining heavily in the south.
Day Of Southern Hospitality"
Christmas is n feast day here, as II
is supposed to be everywhere for that
matter, but II is n day of super
bountIful spreading forth Of the good
things of the table in this Potomac
city. So far rs Christmas is con-
cerned the spirit OF the South rules In
Washington, and the southern hos
pitality OF fame and Of fact holds the
day warmly. Casual visitors 10 Wash
ington Mt the Christmas time, WHO
are lucky enough to have n sort of
general entry card 10 all kinds OF
see n dozen different kind of
ChrIstmases in one, for Christmas Is
In Washington in many
households after the ann Of the
lands beyond the sea and the lands
OF the United States. There
are French Christmases, English
Christmases, Italian Christmascs,
Christmases and so on down
through the list.
Customs vary, but each one Is pic
turesque In Its own way, and strlkingly
so In many Instances. So far as the
are concerned-and when one
of the English In Washington
he means official England as repre-
Sented by its ambassador and his nu-
nerous staff-there Is an attempt here
rs there always is in England TO keep
Christmas day as II was kept before
the First lost his head, and
before Cromwell and his followers put
4 stop TO wassaillng. gleelng, carol
.ng and other things which seemed to
hem reprehensible, but which to the
"a valiers seemed nothing short OF
-ighteous.
Christmas Is Normal Again.
The coming Christmas will be the
bird since the signing Of the armis-
ice. The Christmases during the war
we're. as somebody has said. real
christian Christmases. In other
words, they were surcharged ever in
he festivities with n certain lowly
md religious spirit.
OF course during the war the only
embassies which were open in Wash
ngton were those OF the allied nations
md those Of the neutral nations. The
Christmas of 1918 which came Just six
weeks after the nrmlstice was signed
vas an unusual one In all OF the house
lolds of the allied In Washington. The
ension was gone and from the souls
II men had been lifted the weight Of
he pain Of the daily dying Of brave
ne T. There was a reaction from the
,hristmases of the four preceding
ears. and the one Of the holiday was
hat OF a TIE Deum rather than that
# a DE Profundis.
Washington people say that Christ
1as has become normal again, and
hat this year. despite the ii. c. Of l..
nd various other things which disturb
be sleeping and waking hours of the
ord, the holiday will be as once IL