davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Music and Song Always Associ-
ated With the Yuletide.
Original Sacred Character of Carols
Was Almost Lost Sight of in
Thirteenth Century.

nf1USIC and song have always been
SDl associated with Christmas.
In Noman Catholic countries,
as early as the Third century, it be-
came the custom to usher in the
Christmas festivities with musical
masses.
The practice of singing carols or
canticles was supposed to recall the
"In Excelsis Gloria" of the angels and
the song of the shepherds on the
first Christmas night.
A very old carol, published in 1921,
gives an amusing description of church
reyelries:
A wooden child in clouts on the altar sat.
About the which both boys and girls do
dance and timely jet,
And carols sing in praise of Christ.
The priests do roar aloud!
And round about the parents stand
To see the sport. and with their voice
Do help them. and with hand.
At first, carols were generally re-
ligious in character, and were written
with Latin and English words In al
ternate lines, or with Latin refrain.
The well-knOwn carol
When Christ was born of Mary free
In Bethlehem, that fair cite,
Angels sang with mirth and glee
In Excelsis Gloria.
and another with a chorus,
Christus natus hodie
The babe, the son,
The holy one
OF Mary,
are good examples of this class.
When the tendency to ribaldry be-
came marked, some of the carols got
to be very peculiar in subject and
language. Joseph is treated with a
great want of respect, for one carol
runs:
Joseph was an old man,
An old man was he,
When he welded Mary,
The Maid of Galilee.
Another relates the story of the
shepherds watching their focks by
night:
A shepard upon hill he satt.
He had on him hys tabard and hiatt,
Hys tarbox, hys pipe and hys f1agatt;
Hys name was called Joly-Joly Watt.
Having been informed of the birth
Of Christ, the shepherd sets off for
Bethlehem, and on arriving, says:
Jhesu! off Thee my pype,
NV skyrte, my tarbox and my scrype.
Home to my fellows now will I skype.
And loke unto my shepe.
In the Thirteenth century the sa-
cred character of these Christmas
songs was almost entirely lost sight
of. The Puritan parliament abolished
Christmas and carols altogether, but
feasting and revelry returned with the
Restoration.
Carol singing, which had fallen into
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
A STRANGE STAR

slipping in at our stable door again.
Hey, come off thy knees We must
sleep standing" his mate grunted
warningly.
Hush, Brother. There is something
wondrous in my old stall Something
very small and white! 1t gleameth
as with hoarfrost in the stars light.
1t hath the smell of lilies. 1t moveth.
The star can stroke 1t with its long,
pale tongues" He leaned longingly
against the barrier which shut him
away, until it creaked.
The little ass slipped his soft ears
between his own bars and shifted in
quiringly. 'Why, it's child" he
whinnied with delight. "Children are
lovely things. His small fingers will
play with my name and he will sing
little songs to me as bear him along.
Look up, little Master. We will see
great days together"
There, that serveth thee right T.
reproved the far OK as the woman
made quick motion toward the In
quisitive nose. "Thy black muzzle
belongeth In thine own manger, Broth
err ASS"
'She did but brush it aside" the
little gray beast breathed contentedly.
"She is pleased that we know her son.
No fear, Brother Ok. Her husband
will not take his staff to US. She is
gentle, this woman of mine. Her
child, too, will love u.s."
But the OK had not drawn back. He
knelt there, his broad forehead pressed
against the bars, his wondering eyes
fixed on the new life which was to
shine over the whole broad earth with
a brighter glory than that wondering
star's.-John Brock, in the Detroit
News.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

was all over to come and tell me?'
Ray said in a husky voice.
"She wanted it to be- that way
the doctor said. Still he was smiling.
How could he smile at such a time
How hard and inhuman. doctors be-
came
Il don't believe word of it," he
said. "She wanted me, / know. I
heard her cry. That was it. You
kept me from her. You wouldn't let
me go to her and she-she-wanted
me-"
my dear Ray, just minute" the
doctor said, but Ray had rushed past
him and was in his wife's room. Tears
were I'm his eyes.
Oh, he'd never forgive himself that
he had consented to do what the doc
tor had told him to when suddenly
he noticed that Lillian was looking at
him, her eyes wide open, smiling hap
PLY.
ibid you hear him shout out q
Merry Christmas to you, Ray?" she
asked.
at was the baby who criedr
"Not cry, my love, Merry Christ
mas was what he saidp
Lillian, my own, my own" he muir
INJURED, and bent down over her. And
now the tears came freely. He didn't
care at all about them. Nothing mat
tered. For the tears-they were the
tears of joyI
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

Ray Clarke paced up and down the
floor and wondered how he could have
been so happy-so free from nervous
ness for so long a time.
Strange, he hadn't thought of that
before. And yet accidents could hap
pen. She might not be as strong as
they had said she was. Perhaps she
had weak heart. All sorts of i'm
ages and visions that were worrisome
now came into his head.
He hated the great beauty of the
outside world. When he heard people
wishing each other Merry Christmas"
he almost hated their smiles and their
cheerful voices.
How deeply he loved Lillian. She
was worth all the Christmas presents
in the world! OF course. There were
no two ways about that.
And the doctor had said with such
genial, merry twinkle in his eyes:
well, 1 fancy the young son and
heir will be Christmas present from
the missus to you'll"
He had laughed at the time, and
Lillian had blushed and smiled and
laughed, too. The doctor was such
friendly old soul-he had been the
doctor when Lillian had been born.
And he was fine, too.
But perhaps he counted too much on
Lillian's strength. Ray had been sent
out of the room and he had been alone
here now for so long.
At first he had been so full of high
spirits. But the delay had been so
strange. They hadn't told him there
would be any such delay. They had
simply sent him out of the room and
had said that everything was all right,
and that they'd come and tell him
soon to be back to see his child.
He would go upstairs. He couldn't
stand this another moment. And it
was so quiet. He had fancied it
would not be quiet. Then he heard a
strange shrill voice.
How curiously it sounded. Was
that Lillian. She must be very i'll to
have voice sound so curiously. He
never heard it like that.
They couldn't keep him from her.
She would want him, too. OF course
she would
He hurriedly ran up the stairs. The
doctor was at the top of the stairs.
wait moment; not so fast; not so
fast" the doctor smiled. 81 was COM
ing to tell you"
Couldn't you have let me come to
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
GROWTH OF CHRISTMAS TREE
Green Mountains in Vermont Pro-
vide the YuIetide Sprouts.

q INCE five million Christmas
Strees are annually shipped out of
Vermont, it is only natural to
wonder where they all come from.
They must come from farms mot
farms operated to produce the Christ
mas tree crop, but abandoned farms
where the trees have planted and
reared themselves.
These abandoned farms lie in high
valleys in the foothills of the Green
mountains. One may see sections COW
cred by thirty-odd farms, once thriv-
ing settlements, but now all but two
or three may be unoccupied. Such
land, once under the pillow is gradual
ly coming back to forest. Along the
fern-choked, faintly-traced burrows,
young spruces come up and in the
open sunshine take on vivid green.
And more than that-the symmetrical
branches are lively green clear to the
ground.
Christmas trees cannot be cut in
areas of spruce forest, because when
they grow in dense clusters the I'M
der branches die for want of light,
and hence the trees have no value as
decorative Christmas trees.
Few, indeed, see the harvest. One
or two lonely partridge hunters, per-
haps, will see it as it lies covered
with the first early snow squalls in the
mountains. But back in October, when
the days have not lost all of the mel
lowness of autumn, gang of twenty
choppers will have been busily at
work cutting the scattering young
spruces and tying them with Irvine.
The cutting and bundling Is the
easiest part Of the harvest, for the
trees must be hauled for miles to the
railroad, and at this time of year the
mountain roads are nothing more than
frozen ruts and waterholes. Despite
this fact, however, heavy two-horse
wagons and even motor trucks, bris-
Ting with great criblike bodies, strug-
gle slowly out, loaded high with the
trees. Two horses are able to draw
out at load about seventy trees of
average size.
At the chosen town on the railroad
every disused spot is hired and a
mountain Of trees begins to grow, till
eight thousand of them may be packed
in solid mass.-St. Nicholas.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Hard Christrnases
for Washington

- o ONE has told us much about
w George WashingtOn's Christ
masses. But from the record
of his life we learn how he spent some
of his Christmas days.
1t was a very cold Christmastide In
1777 at Valley Forge. Snow was on
the hills. Everything was frozen. And
Washington's army was in great need
of food, clothing and shelter.
Instructions of parties of men to go
foraging for food are entered in the
orderly book for that Christmas day
at Valley Forge, which was anything
but merry for Washington.
Still more desperate were the food
conditions at Morristown, in 1879,
when Washington reported that his
army was on half allowance and near
starvation. "We have never expe-
rienced like extremity at any period
of the war;" declared Washington,
pleading that food be sert.
There was a welcome Christmas
present for Washington and his men
at New Windsor in 1850 when big
Christmas wagon came with over 1000
shirts and other comforts made by
Philadelphia women patriots-things
needed by the men under Washington,
| who were cheerfully suffering all sorts
of hardship in order that this country
might be free. The Philadelphia wom-
en- also raised, that year, over $780,
900 in aid of the soldiers.
| The fine old Colonial mansion (the
Craigie house, in Cambridge, Mass,
(now widely known as the home of
Henry w. Longfellow), was the place
where Washington spent his first
Christmas as commander of the Rev
| dictionary army in 1775., Mrs. Wash
ington was there with him Gas she was
later at Valley FORGE, and there was
some pleasure in the midst of the
heavy cares and responsibilities car
ried by the great Washington.
A year later Christmas day found
Washington at the head of his 2.400
brave men making his celebrated
crossing Of the Delaware river, nine
miles above Trenton. The snow and
sleet were binding, it is recorded, and
the cold was intense. But hearts
were brave.
Wherever he was at Christmastide,
Washington was cheered with the
thought that the cause of the strug-
Cling colonies would surely win. A
few days before Christmas, 1776, he
wrote to his older brother, John Au,
gustine Washington: Between you
and me, our affairs are in a very bad
situation. However, under q
full persuasion of the justice of our
cause, I cannot entertain an idea that
it will finally sink, though it may re
main for some time under a cloud
Washington must have had some
very merry Christmases at Mount Yer
non. There were no children of his
own with whom Washington could
romp. But we can easily imagine
the big-hearted general putting on a
false beard of fuzzy white whiskers
and singing pack over his back for
the delight of the little ones in the
neighbOrhood.
General Washington was truly the
Father of His Country" and we have
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Birth of New Life Which Was to
Shine Over the Earth.
Conference Of the Beasts of the Ma
tivity as Portrayed by lmagi-
native Writer.
1ku~ AREFUL. Brother, thy horns


<<M AREFUL. Brother, thy horns
VI Keep thy head straight. Re.
member, tonight we share but
the one stall between us. The man
and his mate, there, have thine" The
little tawny-hided OK of Palestine on
the farther side leaned hard against
the stable wall.
"'Tis strange star that shines to-
night" his yoke-fellow answered,
signing restlessly as he turned back
his gaze from the open door. Even
with care their horns clicked In the
narrow space. IF men must take
my bed, why did they not turn us out
into the free air? The grass would
have dew on it tonight-and could
watch the star"
"How snorted the little gray ass
which had carried hither the woman
who lay stretched on the straw be-
tween them. "What grass wouldst
thou pluck from the cobblestones of
the city,"
aye" lowed the first OK. "There
is hay here; eat and be still. The
star is no concern of thine"
"The star shineth on the whole
broad earth, Brother. He hath the
peaked hills to wander in, and the
dark valleys, the fields and the towns
alike. l wish were free like the
star"
''Then, like him, thou wouldst come
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

he heard shouting across streets, wish
ing others "a Merry Christmas"
Now and again the wind blew loud
ly, but not shrilly nor harshly nor
with wailing sound. The wind, too,
seemed to be quivering with happi-
ness. All of nature had joined to-
gether to be as beautiful, as radiant.
in honor of the day as possible.
The hills were covered with snow.
The branches of the trees were laden
with 1t. Icicles hung from caves and
from corners of houses, and windows
were frosted with exquisite designs.
The shrubs, too, were covered with
snow. 1t looked more like Fairyland
than anything else.
In the house they were waiting, wait
ing, waiting.
How tense and long seemed the wait.
How nervous, how frightful, and yet
how marvelous-if all went well.
But just suppose everything didn't
go well? Suppose anything happened?
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
CUSTOMS AND THEIR ORIGINS
Numerous Yuletide Ideas Are Relics
of Pagan Observance, Especially
Those of Druidism.

AnANY Christmas customs are
Jt relics of pagan observances.
- especially those of Druidism,
the religious system of the ancient
Gauls and Britons. Groves Of oaks
were their chosen retreat, and today
the acorn is found as Christmas
symbol on some Christmas greetings,
although it is not used as much as
formerly.
Druidism considered mistletoe most
sacred, and when growing on an oak
tree. parasite as it is. it was cut with
a golden knife by a priest clad in a
white robe and two white bulls were
sacrificed on the spot.
The Yule log in England is a relic
of Druidism. Its name is considered
a corruption of wheel log" a wheel
in Druidical symbolism IMPLYING the
march of the sun. The lighting of
the Yule log harks back to the sacred
fires kindled by the Druids at mid
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Ginger Cookies.

Cream together one cupful of sugar
and one cupful of shortening. Add
two tablespoonfuls of molasses, one
teaspoonful of ginger and whole egg
we'll beaten. Stir two teaspoonfuls OF
soda in half cupful of boiling water.
Sift in a teaspoonful of baking powder
with enough flour to make soft
dough. Roll out and bake far apart
so they will not run together.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

the other guilds, and finally to have
become general.
In England today there is survival
Of the ancient custom practiced by
landowners of setting big sacks OF
grain or other products outside the
gate that whoever came might help
himself. 1t is said that an extra
Christmas eve feed is also still given
to the cattle.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
oooooooooooooooooooooooo
Candles and
Yule Log
~ HRISTMAS gifts were common

~ HRISTMAS gifts were common
W in Medieval times. Accounts
tell of the chambers guild send
ing out gratis to everyone q special
sort of big, fiat candles which were
burned with the Yule log to light
the houses for the coming of a SUPER
natural Christmas visitor. The bak-
ers also sent out "Yule cakes" or
"Yule babies" which were little inn
ages of Christ. This custom, in fact,
seems to be even older, 1t being re-
corded on the old Roman calendars
that on the Vigil of the Nativity little
images of the Christ Child were made
I'm great numbers and presented to
the fathers in the Vatican.
Gradually the sentiment of peace
on earth, good will to men" and the
celebration of the spirit by general
gifts seems to have spread through
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

a very good idea of the sort of holiday
spirit in which he observed the 'glad
Christmastide" when our republic was
in its infancy.
No one in all our bright history as
nation has handed down a more ra-
diant Christmas message CT hope and
faith.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
SETTING UP
THE TREE
@r ALMOST every corner grocer,s

@T ALMOST every corner grocer's
~ stands can be purchased very
cheaply that will hold the Christ
mas tree firmly in position.
The simplest of these consists Of a
crosspiece of wood raised little from
the floor by wooden supports and hav-
ing hole in the center to insert the
trunk of the tree.
More elaborate ones take the form
of a wooden square, painted bright
railing.
Country jewellers who cannot pur-
chase these trees at the corner store,
but have to cut them in the nearest
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
H=7 zzz ~
Christmas Carol

disuse, was revived by collection Of
carols published by D. Gilbert, in 1922,
but caroling, which was formerly
nshered in by the Ginning of church
bells, and the sallying forth Of choirs
which chanted their way round vii
lagos until their threats were hoarse
and their noses red from cold and
friendly Christmas rotations, is now
almost thing of the past.-Tit Bits.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Roast Turkey With Chestnut Stuffng

little cold water, salt and pepper to
taste and the giblets, which you should
have boiled separately. Stir all wen
together and if not Of a good color
add little caramel or kitchen bsu-
quet. Boil up for minute and put
into gravy dish.-The Delineator.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
To Clean Leather Furniture

Add little vinegar to tepid watez
and wash the leather with a clean
cloth; wipe dry. To polish apply the
following: Whites OF two eggs beaten
slightly (not stiff and mix with two
teaspoonfuls of turpentine; rub with
clean, dry cloth.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16

I WAS very
quiet in the
house. Outside
the snowfakes
w e re chasing
each other with
vi gor and a
gayety and a
sense of the
merriment Of
the season.
Voices could
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Leisure Class.

"Have you in this country any lei.
surely class that affects superiority
over others?"
"Yes," replied Miss Cayenne; "the
people who shopped early for Christ
mas"
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Brownies.

Cream together one-quarter cupfuI,
each powdered sugar, melted butter.
and molasses. Add one well-beaten
egg, two-thirds cupful bread flour and
one-quarter cupful chopped nuts. When
ready for the oven place nut in the
center of each. If baked in brownie,
tins they are specially attractive.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
Butterscotch.

One cupful of New Orleans molasses,
one cupful of butter, two cupfuls of
powdered sugar and pinch of soda.
Boil until it crisps when dropped into
old water, then pour in thin sheets
to cool.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
On a Winters Washday.

When washing clothes in the winter
put salt in the bluing water and the
clothes will not be so likely to freeze
when hung on the line.
The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-12-16
His First
Christmas
By MARY GRAHAM b BONNER

Copyright. 1921. western Newspaper Union.
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-09
Oil Officials Say No
Extension of Work al
Present

PONCA CITY, OKLA Dec s.
There Is to be no extension or re-
newal of development work by inc
McCask key -wentz interests for the
present or until conditions are con-
sidered stable, according TO Officers
of the company who are here thls
week as the guests Of l.. II. Went%'
the local member OF the trio that
owns and controls extensive holdings
In this county and elsewhere. NO
DEVELOPMENT work has been done Tor
more than a year, or since the gen
eral shut down last winter and II Is
not likely that any will be done soon
on the acreage in northwestern Kay
county. practically all OF whieh II
proven ,.,-,.,,,. yo
]. q. McCaskey OF Pittsburgh, Pa
and w. w. Weaver or Easuanu'
Texas. the other two partners In the
company. are here with the party
which also includes a SiessInann'
capitalist OF Fremont, ohio; harrl-
son Nesbit. president Of the Rank o'
Pittsburgh; former Mayor w. D.Davis
OF For. Worth; Billy Moore, owner
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-09
MidWest & Gulf
Drilling In Today

The Midwest a. Gulf OIL corpora
tion IA drilling In today on the Shcp-
pard farm test In the northeast of
the mort invest of f3-17-8. west Of
Kcllyyillc. This test * southwest OF
the Midwest & Cuffs original well on
the Robert Brown farm which
opened the pool and created aen-
sntion by starting off n about 1000
barrels daily initial flow. This well
has settled down to nicc steady
producer. making about 100 barrels
per day.
In the Okcma district, the Mid
west & Gulf OH corporation Is drill
ing through a cap rock at 2,0O5 feet
after setting the casing at that depth.
and are looking for pay under
meath the hard strata. The pcaner
sand will bc encountered In this test
at about 1850 feet. IL Is In the
southeast of 2-10-9.
In the Bartiesyille district, ahc
Midwest & Gulf corporation is
straight roaming 10 the hard rock
AZ . .O88 feet where they will ~ cas-
ing, This well IL 10 bc. deep SAND
test. and Is located in the southeast
of the northeast of 38-26-i3.
The Midwest & Gulf test ia thc
slick district, being Chntfieid farm
No. In the northwest Of the north
cast OF 2O-t5-1O, IL having bad
fishing job below tho Glenn sand
where they had n big show OF gas
which was muddod off and the wcll
made butcher sand test. This wen
Is lust north of the big Hughes
Wcatbcrford well in this section,
The Midwest a. Gulf corporation :
test east of Arkansas City In Cowicy
county. Knnsas, In section $500 Is
drilling at $500 fcct Tho hole was
lost In this test nt depth oi "'i'o
feet, tho tools being weigcd ~ thc
Top of sand, and second hole hnd
,o bc drilled. in which oil and gas
are both showing ~; the present
depth. coming up from the deeper
hole
The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-09
Humphreys Petroleum
at T0nkoUd

Tho Humphreys Petroleum corpo-
rntlon's No. Plumb farm In tl,c
southeast corner OF the southwest Of
the northwest of t0-24-iw, Tonknwa
district, picked up Its first gas
sand yesterday nj S75 fec. They
are still drilling.
This first gas sand Is at exactly
the same depth NJ that picked up by
The white Eagle Refining company.
which now has $4,000, 600 feet of gas
In irs last sand. and which IL H.
mudding off 10 go 10 the 2.650- foot
Dil pay. With the structures 20
promising. n big oil pool may be uu-
covered js the consensus of opinion
among operators up that way.