davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

appearing on earth at Christmas time with mes
sage to all mankind? Certainly he has mes
sage well worth delivering. And certainly it Is
Il message we'll worth listening to. For from his
experience he could say to u.s.
1ou have served God only as YOU have served
men"
Inc Christian citizen should be serving God
III relation to his home, his community and his
nation There those who are serving God by
trying to Improve the conditions under which their
less privileged fellows live and work. by irving to
prihg more of justice beauty, peace and love into
the life of the world. 1t is to be feared that most
Oh US fail far short here But he is poor Chris
uan ana poor citizen indeed who having can
p'ss CHRISTMAS without doing something in keep.
ing win the day for those who have not.
Everywhere in our modern Twentieth centurv
lie we meet the very people whom Jesus painted
In living words 1000 years ago-the prodigoI con
who came to himself; the elder brother who
was angry and would not go in; the Iriest and
the Levte, who 'Iassed by on the other side". tho
soou samaritan who was moved with compass.
sion' the Pharisee who thanked God that be ,yos
not as other men are" the publican, who cried
God be mercifu unto me, Il sinner!"
AT christmas time, If at no other, it Is we'll for
us to be the publican and the good Samaritan
Without Christmas tree, holly and mist,etoo
Christmas would seem strange indeed to most
Americans. The balsam fir is most usad for
Christmas trees, but doubtless almost onv kind
of evergreen can be used in an emergency And
some of the municipal and community center
Christmas trees nowadays of great size esno
cialy when they set up outdoors
The photograph of the Christmas free renro
duced herewith is worth studying as something
quite out of the ordinary in several respects In
the first place. In the original photograph tbre.
separate exposures of the plate were made-tbe
first for the building and its lights; the second for
the Christmas tree and its lights, and the third
for the moon. Each exposure varied in length to
suit the different degrees of brilliance
And where do you suppose this unusual photo
graph was taken? Why, at the annual Christmas
celebration in Yosemite valley Yosemite National
park. California. Most people think that all the
national parks closed in the winter time Well,
they not Rocky Mountain National park in
Colorado has carnival of winter sports in Febru-
ary. Mount Rainier National park in Washington
has winter sports and ski tournament as late as
July. And Yosemite Is open the year round And
Yosemites Christmas celebration includes a fat,
jolly fur-cad Santa Claus who drives up in the
oldfashioned way in his sleigh and distributes his
gifts to the village children.
But that isn't all about this unusual picture
What kind of tree do you suppose the Christmas
tree Is? You could not guess If your Christmas
gift depended upon your guess. That's because 1t
is the only one of its kind in the whole world
This Christmas tree is nothing less than living
Sequoia tree. The Sequoia (Sequoia gigantea) is
the oldest and biggest living thing in the world.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
XLNSA

Some of the biggest and oldest of them are 35 feet
in diameter and at least 5000 years old. SO you
see many of these Big Trees in Sequoia and Yosem.
lite national parks not even midde-aged when
Christ was born in Bethlehem.
This particular Sequoia Christmas tree was
planted in 1880. From seeding it has grown
to height of more than GO feet A thousand
years from it will probably be nearly 300 feet
tall and have diameter of 10 or 20 feet.
One wonders if there will be a similar Christmas
celebration in Yosemite valley then-a thousand
years from now. Why not? Christmas will still
be celebrated then--f the world endures Ana
our nineteen national parks have been set apart
by congress as public Fairgrounds for the people
forever. SO, if the United States of America en-
dures, why not Christmas celebration in Yoscm-
ite A. d. 1922? All that seems to be necessary
is the planting of Sequoia seeding every thirty
years or So
Christmas and mince pie Nobody ought to
have to tell anybody that Christmas is the time for
mince pie. Why, the two go togeher-just like
Thanksgiving and pumpkin pie and the Fourth of
July and spring lamb and green peas. The frs.
mince pie of the winter should grace the Christmas
board; any housewife who gives her family even
a taste of one before Christmas day should 90 with.
out new Easter hat-that's the punishment to
fit the crime. And any man who eats mince pie
at a restaurant at his club before Christmas day
should go without mince pie all winter.
However, if he should, his punishment would
likely fit the crime. For nowadays the making of
mince pies is largely lost art The ordinary
restaurant mince pie is nothing but minced fruit
There is a saying that every really good woman
cook must have temper. Maybe Certainly she
should be nice and plump-as If she ate her own
mince pies and thrived them. And it's eusy
to tell by watching a woman make mince pies
whether or not they're going to be a success II
she goes at 1t, you know, If it were sort of a
religious rite-as IL the fate of the nation hung
on her work-why, all is well.
"Pies like mother used to make! !" Tenderloin of
beef and Northern Spy apples and real cider and
everything else to correspond Maybe mother used
to bake her pies dozen at time and set them
away in a cold store room to freeze Maybe
mother got her mince meat ready and set il aside
in a big stone jar to ripen. 1t doesn't make any
difference. They were real mnce pies when thev
got to the Christmas dinner. The looks of them
The smell of them The taste of theml Yum
yum! There's a memory fellow can carry with
him to his grave.
Do you remember Izaak Waltons friend DR.. Bot
teller and his famous appreciation of the strawber-
ry? We it's quite evident the good doctor never
sat down to just the right kind of Christmas
dinner or he would have ignored the strawberry os
unworthy of his ceyerness and would have said in
stead that doubtless God could have inspired some
heaVen-Dorn cook to make more appropriate des-
sert for December 25 than mInce pie but that doubt
less God never did,
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

Regina picked up her ax and with
much dignity swung it again.
Il say, there y0u-that tree belongs
to me!' The man was coming toward
her.
Regina stopped and turned. This is
vacant lot" she called out with as
perty.
The approaching man whistled. His
speed Quickened. He made an invol
untary movement to raise a cap that
in his haste he had forgotten to put
on.
Il beg your pardon" his voice had
lost the gruff quality. 81 thought you
were Il man-but-thatt tree is mine.
brought it up from my fathers garden
in the South"
David Langhorn spoke rapidly. Re-
gina's face was rather startling in its
beauty, and he had a desire to cover
her embarrassment. Il have taken
very special care of that tree"
VERY special" Regina said coldly
Il have lived here whole summer
and no one"
Il have been away-lately."
II don't see why you leave poor lit
tie trees around in vacant lots" Re.
gina put in hurriedly. because she
felt like crying now that her precious
tree was taken from her.
This is my lot" Langhorn told her
"If you lad chopped it down"
II wasn't chopping it down." Regina
cried indignantly. 81 was going to
put it very carefully into this tub.
She stumbled over her words. but de
termined to tell. this very good looking
man with the red hair that she was
not female George Washington.
II ordered Christmas tree by ex
press, and it didn't come. My Sun
day school class-12 little girls-are
expecting a tree tonight in my house
and now" Words failed Regina
She bit her lip and looked appealingly
up at Langhorn.
The man laughed because il was
the safest thing TO do for the present
And | have brought down 10 little
settlement boys with the same prom
ise-and marry tree have I got.
reckoned on getting one in the vii
lage.'
Regina laughed, and the whole
world seemed to echo with the Iaurb
Il have tried even the department
store !" She gaZed into David Lang
horns eyes. II am sorry for the poo,
little souls whom we are disappointing
my class worked so faithfully all
last summer.
by Jove," David said. 81 read once
of some people who had a Christmas
tree out of doors They had great bon.
fires and the tree was lit by thou
sand candles as well as the stars, and
a Santa Claus drove up over the real
snow! Couldn't we do something like
that?"
with this tree! How perfectl,
glorious" Regina, beside herself Will
joy, began to shovel away greater
clearing. David took the shovel from
her.
my kiddies will do that-it will be
the treat of their lives" David
looked seriously at Regina. "Now q,
home and get warmed up. This aft.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
VIRGINIA CHRISTMAS CAKE

Cream 11a cupfuls powdered sugar
with l cupful butter. Add we'll
beaten egg yolks,'l cupful slfted -four
u teaspoonful ground cloves tea
spoonful each powdered cinnamon
and ground nutmeg. Add the 6 stiff
fiy-beaten egg whites and another
cup flour, u pound each seeded and
chopped raisins and cleaned currants,
and Il pound shredded eitron, all
wei -dredged with -four, stirring well.
Sake hours in steady oven.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

was conquered, and fed. fugitive,
In 1905 a. moderate Christmas din.
ner consisted of 16 courses Of differ
ent kinds of meat, not to mention
heavy desserts. From December f6Nc
January 9 open house was kept, al
kith and kin, servants and strangers.
being welcome to carouse In the do
nestle circle.
Much musurd was used In sauces
and drinks TO provoke a noble thIF1f.
Ale, cheese, toast sprlnkied with su6n J
and nutmeg. and seusaFa were
at all times q
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

Night Before Christmas" The children
march, in procession from the hand
some stone edifice of the Church of
the intercession on upper Broadway.
New York city, and in the cemetery
which lies between that thoroughfare
and the Hudson river, gather around
the grave. If the weather be not too
wintry. Christmas hymns are sung and
the poem is reclted. beginning:
Twas the night before Christmas. when
all through the house,
Not creature was stirring, not even 4.
mouse.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

est library of which any record Is
available was discovered in Assyrla n
few years ago and consists of Babv.
lonian books inscribed on clay tablets.
supposed to have been prepared for
public Instruction about $50 B. G. II
Is said that Pisistratus founded n II.
brary at Athens about 537 B. C.. al.
though there is no clear evidence of
the fact. Strabo says that Aristotle
was the first known collector of a Il.
brary, which he bequeathed to Theo
phratus 322 B. c., aid this library at
length found its way to Rome.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

that she had promised her
sunday school class a glorious tree,
ana that now there was no tree for
them.
She argued with herself that she
might have known that the New Work
SHOPS could not be relied upon to send
tree to the suburbs at so short a
notice, but that did not help the
situation.
Regina shrank from facing those T.
little girls whose smiles would vanish
IL chil dish disappointment when they
learned that the tree they had been
promised was not to be theirs.
The tears brimmed over and fell
hegina's vision was cleared and in
the clearing she gazed directly ut the
miniature fir tree in the vacant lot
next door sense of keen delight
swept Dver Regina. After all, her chill
dren would have "A tree,
Some 10 minutes later Regina ap-
peared in outdoor costume. She had
put on her gymnasium suit, high rub
Der boots and her fathers great top
coat. Over a riot of curls her snug
fur cap fitted closely
you look for all the world as If
you deserved .our nickname" expostu-
lated Regina's mother. Regina, / do
hope no one will see you"
Now, this nickname to which Re
ginas mother alluded with distress
had been bestowed upon the girl by
her father. 1t was Tommy--no more
and no less-Tommy And Tommy
stood for tomboy. You see, the girl
was no hothouse flower, even if she
did teach Sunday school class and
weep with disappointment. In fact,
her father insisted that the nickname
fitted -and secretly he was proud that
II did For Regina was distinctly able
bodied. She could ride and swim.
She could handle 20-gauge shotgun
and casting rod. She was Il notable
mountaineer. She could paddle a canoe
and shil boat. And she cared lot
more for out-of doors things than she
did for dances and for social functions
Her idea of happiness was camp
iE the woods.
"There's no one for miles around"
Regina laughed, and shouldered an AK.
"Unle IS people who live in the hunga-
low turn up-l Will have the world to
mysel e." She picked up big tub
with her free hand and trudged off
toward the fir Nee in the vacant lot
Reaina's eyes were toe intent on her
mission to see that thin curl of
smoke was twisting from the chimney
OF the bungalow that rambled in the
lot beyond the vacant one.
Regina drew near the coveted tree
and her heart expanded lovingly.
what little beauty" she ex-
claimed half aloud.
The little tree stood not much high
er thnn Regina. Over its branches a
veil Of smoke seemed to linger. After
a moment spent in admiration the girl
put down her big tub and began to
clear away the light fall of snow from
about the roots of the tree. Her
cheeks were gloriously red and the
sparkle in her eyes riyaled the day it
self.
When the snow was cleared Regina
swung the great TX into the frozen
earth. The ground scarcely respond
ed to per strength. She swung
again.
"Hey! What are you doing to that
tree"
Regina dropped her aX and gazed
In the direction of the deep. gruff
voice. A man was standing on the
veranda Of the bungalow.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

eIhoon l will call properly and in the
eVening-Christmas eve" he did not
iinlsh with words. for the hearts of both
biiflo ana Regina were overfowing
with tidings of great joy.
lhat evening Santa Claus drove up
through the crisp snow and opened
his great bags before the little tree.
II was wonder tree there in the va
cant lot, and ii was hung with IL hu.-
dred electric bulbs. Six bonflres
reared their flames skyward and
around and about danced and cupered
"A joyous children.
And when the moon was high in the
heavens and the spirit of Christmas
had entered into each heart, David
and Regina drew the band Of children
about them and led the young voices
In the singing of joyous Christmas
carols. And especially did this one,
which Regina sang please the chill
dren:
1t came upon the midnight clear,
That glorious sor of old
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
Peace on earth. goodwill to men,"
From heavens all-gracious King;
The world in solemn stiffness lay
To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come.
With peaceful wings unfurled.
And still their heavenly music floats
Ger all the weary world
Above its sad and lowly plains
They bend on lowering wing
Avn nfa L l.. - -
The blessed angels sing
Yes. with the voc of sin and strife
The world has suffered long;
I'ereath the angel-strain have rolled
Two thousand years of wrong:
And man. at war with man. hears not
The love song which they bring.
o., hush the noise, ye men of strife.
And hear the n els sing,
And ye. beneath lifes crushing load.
Whose forms are bending low.
Who toll along the climbing way.
Win painful steps and slow
Look now, for glad and golden hours
Come swiftly on the wing:
Oh rest beside the weary road
And hear the angels sing,
And this one:
Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes.
The Savior promised loag;
Let every heart prepare a throne
And every voice song!
He comes, the prisoners to release,
In Satan's bondage held
The gates of brass before him burst.
The iron fetters yield
He comes, the broken heart to find
The bleeding soul to cure.
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor
Our glad hosannas. Prince OF Peace
Thy welcome shall proclaim
And heavens eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
But even Christmas tree celebra-
tion must come to an end. BY and by
the children were sung out and the
fires began to get low and the voices
OF Regina and David trailed off into
silence, and the two just looked at
each other.
Don't you think we'd better take
the children in now" said Regina
at last. ''The fires are getting iow"
David was silent for long mo-
ment Then he said slowly and rev.
erently:
"The fires will never burn low--Re-
gina This is the night when the
Great Spirit of Love was born into
our world
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
ARE IN CONSTANT FEAR OF DEATH

long; there was too much revolution
and intrigue for that.
Once, says Mr.. Curle, there was a
banquet at Tegucigalpa. the capital.
The man who happened to be presi-
dent on that day attended it and sat
next to the consul of the United
States. In the midst of the banquet
the electric light failed, and the room
was plunged into darkness. Fearing
- plot. the president sprang to his
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
Incident Shows Dread and Suspicion
That 10 Part Of the Lives Of
South American Rulers.

The proverb Of the crown and the
uneasy head might well be twisted to
apply to a Central American presi-
dent. Certainly the president Of
Honduras that Mr.. J. II. Curle de-
scribes In "This World Of Ours" cor,Sss
not have felt mt his ease foS
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

feet, but the consul seized his arm.
"Sit down." he whispered. ut is
safer"
The light returned few moments
later The consul was sitting calmly
In his chair; beside him sat the presi-
dent, wiping the sweat from his brow !;
every other man in the room was on
his feet. guarding himself with drawn
revolver.--Youth's Companion.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

This quaint and pretty ceremony.
originated by Rev. Milo H. Gates, not
only keeps alive the Christmas spirit
in the hearts of the children but is n
deserved tribute to the best-known
Christmas poem in the English IAN
guage. Its history is not only roman
tic. but as there is question - to its
authorship it has become the subject
of serious literary inquiry.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS FEAST
History Credits King Arthur as
Originator of the Present Yuie-
tide Dinner Fashion.

Z e.: :.;:: i: =: =: : : &: g
Christmas feasrlng took
firmest root IN Merrie Old England.
Ip 87S A. D. Alfred was surprised by
the Danes in the raidst of such u = sst.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

Vanilla extract can be made artf-
ficially in the laboratory from oil OF
cloves. eugenol or other substances.
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23

Libraries.
The word library is taken from the
Latin word "liber," hook. The old
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
EGINA gazed despondently

EGINA gazed despondently
out of the window.
A light snow was fall
ing like millions of spark
ling diamonds and pearls,
yet Regina saw nothing.
Her Christmas tree had
not come!
1t mattered not that the
day was d wonder day
and that the eve Of
Christmas was close at
hand. Nothing mattered
TO Regina save the fact
thnt e.kA I,a,1 ,,,,,.,;-2,1 h.,,
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
TRIBUTE TO POEMS AUTHOR
Children Gather Around Last Resting
Place of Writer of "Night
Before Christmas"

AJE.O ITH their little feet crunch
A WI ing in the snow. hundreds
VbH| of children gather on
Christmas Eve around the
last resting place of Gle
ment c. Moore, LID, who for nearly
century has been credited with the
disputed authorship of ""Twas the
Middletown transcript., 1922-12-23
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

HREE WISE MEN, as everyone
knows, paid homage to Jesus
at his birth. Their story is told
in part thus in the Gospel ac-
cording to st. Matthew:
Now when Jesus was born
in bethlehem of Judea in the
days of Herod the King, behold,
there came wise men from the
East to Jerusalem.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-05
GAINS Is POUNDS AND
SAYS IT SAVED HIS LIFE

weight until | was almost n skeleton
Many a. day ! simply felt that | would
keel right over at my work. ] WA fail
ing SO fast that life got TO be so gloomy
| WAS almost desperate.
"A friend of mine at the shops noticed
how bad | WAS looking and urged mc to
try Tsnlac | took the first bottle in n
sort Of half hearted way, for ! didn't
believe II would do me any good, but
it's n fact, this one bottle did me more
good than everything else took III
three years.
80 got more and just kept on pick
ing UP until now / feel AZ we'll As il
| hnd never had uck day. II takes
three square meals n day and lunch
between meals 20 satisfy my big sppc-
tito and my stomach misery has dis
appeared entirely. sleep n. soundly ss n
child and get UP mornings feeling as
fresh rs daisy. | now 60 about my
work whistling, for arm, indeed, a
happy man since have recovered my
health When started taking Tanlac
only weighed one hundred and
/ fifteen pounds and ] now balance the
scales at one hundred and forty"
Tanlac is sold in Eckerds Medicine
! Stores.
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-05
Wanamaker's for Rich Laces

Brussels or point, Valen-
ciennes, Irish crochet, or
filet, TO place at her dainty
throat, az much as did the
demure Flemish dame or
grand Court lady Of France,
whose portrait shows US the
ancient fashions.
But being practical-and
having Wanamakers 10
serve her-she wants 70
own more lace than that.
and to put it to more pur-
poses.
Here are real laces for
all those varied purposes.
from a narrow filet or
Valenciennes edging for
a wee baby's cap to a su-
perb, wide Cluny or filet for
decorating a church altar or
a handsome piece of house
hold furniture: and yards
and yards of the loveliest
handmade Irish crochet,
filet or Valenciennes laces
for trim ming dainty
lingerie and exquisit e
blouses or dresses.
Our hand made flets
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-05
TT HAS ever been so.

L HAS ever been so.
Can you remember any
time when one Of the
teasting places OF your
beauty-loving eye in the
Grand Court was not those
splendid crystal cases in the
Lace Store wherein fine
laces, finely draped and ar
ranged, displayed their
delicate beauty with con-
summate effect?
Our early establishment
Of offices in Paris and Lon
con gave US at once, and
still gives us, unusual op-
portunities for importing
the richest and most beauti-
full of laces to be found in
the worlds markets.
There are laces and laces,
and there are beautiful and
clever machine limitations
of "the real thing" which
all the sensible world gladly
sells, buys and uses.
But when all is told,
there is nothing more splen-
did, in its own way, than a
splendid piece of the hand
Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-07-05
Harrison Man Could Hardly
Eat Enough to Keep Alive,
and Fell Of to lis Pounds
Tanlac Completely Ended
Stomach Trouble, He De-
clares.

81 have taken nix bottles OF Tanlac
and have actually gained twenty five
pounds. WAS the remarkable statement
made, recently, by James J. Kittson, s
First street, Harrison, n. J., valued
employe of the Hyatt Roller Bearing Co.
81 simply feel as if l owc my life to
Tanlac," added Mr.. Kittsop. "At any
rate It has heightened my days by CIV
ing me back my health and I consider
it has been goisend 70 me Words Just
can't describe how ] have suffered for
the past three years from indigestion
could hardly endure the pain and misery
caused by the gas on my stomach. !
scarcely ate enough to keep soul and
body together, but suffered just the
same.
MY nerves were So bad that sleep
WAS almost a stranger to me. | felt tired
and worn-out all the time and had lost