Evening star., 1921-12-25
- HRISTMAS joys for the chill
dren are mostly prospective
4 -.S,shing forward. Christmas
i>,,. for In after.


looking backward.
This is true with regard to the
little immigrant boy, aged eleven.
working as puddler in the iron and
steel mills, grown to be the Secre-
tary Of Labor. 1t is true of the little
ne-year-old boy in a suit OF butter
nut homespun made by his good
mother by candle light, who devel-
oped into one of the most noted men
In the world and who has broken
all records for length of service IN
Congress. 1t is true of the young
pioneer and prospector who made the
way for railroads and cities and who
is today leader of the majority party
in the House of Representatives.
The backward gaze of these men,
who hold conspicuous positions in
the life of the nation, shows in bold
relief that the greatest and most last
ing joys of Christmas time are those
that arise out of suffering, soaring
above hardships-and that the most
'heart-warming and satisfying enjoy
ment of the great feast comes
through sacrifice-for of such Is the
real spirit of Christmas.
Today an orange seems trivial
and almost ridiculous Christmas
gift. but one woma1-the second Of
her sex ever to sit in Congress-re-
calls the gift of an orange to a dying
child as a joy through forty years
that have passed.
X * X
THE true Significance of Christmas
l. cah be brought up to date in no
better way than in the best Christi
mas I ever had story of the former
little immigrant puddler. James j.
Davis, now Secretary of Labor, di-
rector general of the Loyal Order
of Moose, who, as chairman OF the
Moose war relief commission. visited
American, Belgian. French. British
and Italian battlefields in 1918, and
after the armistice returned to the
battlefields of Belgium and Germany
for relief purposes:
'T have in mind the Christmas
which 1 spent on the Rhine in 1918.
Even II Christmas had not been at
hand, we should never have forgotten
those early winter months at the
close of the war. 1t needed but the
touch Of Christmas to make this one
of the most brilliant spots in my
memory.
"a party of us had left Paris two
days before and had Travelled to Metz
and from there to Coblenz. On the
way we talked with our allies and
those with whom we had SO recently
been at war. They all felt that
Christmas had ceased to bring them
the joy that it had in years gone by,
and no wonder, for they were all
war-Weary. The country was DESC
late and the ravages of war were
everywhere. But this one brought
with 1t more of Christmas cheer, for
there was peace and there was safety.
We arrived at Coblenz on the eve OF
Christmas. A new snow had fallen
and the harshness Of the scene had
been softened.
THAT Christmas eve we were en-
tertained by German club-prom1-
nent men in the city's business and
political life. They had a green fir
tree dressed in Christmas costume
for the benefit Of working girls
about the club.
There is one thing which I think
we Americans do not get the most out
of. 1t is song. All over Europe we
find SO much of it, and on this Christ
mas eve the young men in this prom
inent club stood around the tree and
sang. They sang that old German
hymn which has come to be a part
of SO many of our Christmas pro-
grams, silent Night, Holy Night,
All Is Calm. All Is Bright"
'aThis was the first Christmas in
five years that they could sing that
carol with full expression and mean
ing. Not one of the eyes of that
group of stalwart German men was
dry and no one tried to conceal his
emotion. 1t is no confession of
weakness to say that as viewed the
scene and the full significance of the
song crept into my mind and heart
I turned aside and shed tear.
"The following morning we were
shown the church In which the kaiser
had worshiped. The Christmas serv-
ice was being held and 1 at
tended. I heard wonderful sermon.
In the midst of it I glanced up into
the box which the kaiser was wont
to occupy in the days when his word
was law in that country. 1t rather
amused me as being distinctly ap-
propriate that this box was now oc-
cupied by two buck privates from
our own Army.
"The most brilliant part of this
winter day was the evening. A"huee
hr tree had been brought from the
hills and placed in the city as
Christmas tree for the children OF the
community. Hundreds of colored
lights were suspended from Its
branches, and huge star was sup
ported in the topmost branches, wheh
on that night seemed to touch the
heavens
"what a reminder that brilliant
spectacle made of the Christmas more
than 1900 years ago. when, In the
midst of heavenly light over Beth
1ehem's plains, the angels sang
~Peace on earth, good will toward
men,"
saThousands of little gifts were
brought in by the relief organizations
at work with our forces-the Red
Cross. the Y. NJ C. A., the Salvation
Army and several others. 1 recall
with keenest pleasure the siIaf or
this great Christmas tree, with the
hannu Children heneath its branches,