Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1922-01-05
NOTES BY OBSERVER.

The good folks who arranged br
Shenherdstown's community Christ
mas tree builded better than they knew.
They not only provided a pleasant eve
ring,s entertainment, but the tree prov
ed 10 be a most excellent thing for the
youngsters who at Christmas time must
IN ume vent for their exuberant
snirits. There's something about
christmas that exilarates almost every
body. and the high spirits Of the young
folks must be expressed some way.
Sometimes it is not conducive TO the
comforts of others or agreeable to old
er persons, but usually il is endured
and excused. The Christmas tree
seemed 10 absorb the excess of spirits
this year, and the shooting of fire.
crackers and other noisy demonstra-
tions were at a minimum.
Observer and his friends have been
talking about the holidays Of fifty
wears ago, and in another column DR..
Knott writes one Of his delightful
sories of country boys impressions
of half century ago. The most I'M
portant events of Christmas day in
those times were the celebrations of the
Sunday schools, for which most ex-
teRsive preparations were made
Teachers and pupils won work for
weeks beforehand on elaborate pro-
grammeS. The churches would be dec
GRATED from one end to the other, from
ceiling to floor, with festoons and
wreaths of Evergreen that had required
many hours of labor. Huge cedar
trees would be set up, often two of
them, and these would be decorated
lavishly. The Lutheran Sunday school
on one occasion, when Mr.. Bel;z-
hoover was superintendent, erected a
lighthouse perhaps thirty feet high
around which a very beautiful Christ
mas programme centered. Once the
Reformed Sunday school staged a
scene in which the star in the East was
to travel until it stood over Beth chem
The light that illuminated the star went
out as it was being slowly drawn
across the church ceiling, thereby
causing considerable modification.
The masqueraders were a livel,
feature of holiday week. The young
men exercised great ingenuity in de-
vsing striking costumes and arrang-
ing for their calls during the evenings,
and they made lot Of fun. A typical
group of "bell-snckles" would be COM
posed Of Billy Stevens, first violnist;
Caesar Duke, second violinist; Tim
Harp, bones; Coony Yontz, tambour-
inc; Henry Shell, interlocutor, and
best man for Sal, represented by Sonny
Tpntz; Ock Gatrell, Mo Magaha, Rack
er Iontz, Riley Kiser, Jim and Sam
Barnhart, George Lambright and Dinas
Bast and others as members of the
troup. Masked and arrayed in fancy
costumes, these Jolly fellows would
make their rounds. Henry Shell, the
quietest and most reserved of men in
his daily life for fifty-one weeks in the.
year, just turned himsef loose on
these occasions, and his wit and conf
cal actions were such as would have
fitted him for any stage. He was ir-
reslStby y funny, and we reckon no.
oody enjoyed the performance more
than he. Almost everybody opened
their home to the masqueraders, but
they were especially welcome at such
places as Captain John Crows. George
Chase's, Van Underdonk's, Mrs. ".yc"
Snyder's, the Faymans', and others in
various sections of the town. They
usually wound up the evening at Uncle
Billy Lambright's store, where the
glr's would congregate and wait for
'he end OF the nights fun 1t was the
custom to serve suitable refreshments
10 the maSGueraders at the homes where
theey visited, and so cake and wine and
cocr and candy AMI nuts would be set
our. Frank comment on the character
OF me refreshments and the strength
or the liquids would be made By Henry
. an 5arlNs~. md Others
Wo-'1 JON in, adding much to the hi
AZ '": o"S."TS would ne conSun-
ca al Mr.. Lambright's if the masauer-
"~'fS hat any stomach room left by
that time.
New ears eve was given over to a
pS,"i,ar form rf sport. When peace
soiG iolkS went to bed and after the
ue's mad been rung to welcome in the
neW year, the town and community
"o".d be secured for vehicles to form
massive pile in the square at the
En'Ic7 Hotel. Among the ring-lead- :
erS IN these operations, besides the
n,aSeueraders above mentioned. we're
Onc.e lohn Stevens. Ed, John and
hdRe Emerson, Elmer and Lawrence
Renich, Will Arthur, Pud Osbourn,
S.Ih opotts. Dan ENTER, Frank Keyser.
bo,, No,Ee warner and others. Small
ooFS were not allowed, for fear thew
miIEnt tell what thev saw. Heavy
wagons would form the base OF tho
pyI"'iia, and on these would be pied
skV nigh lighter vehicles-spring
~asgons' v.sp. carriages, buggies, sleighs and
~n;. ~na' not Small boys could hardly
rr "' 'or DAYLIGHT. so that they might
,bn 10 see the great pvramid that fiIled
~, @ square, sometimes extending 10
- 'our corners. 1t was really FUNNY
~ see this pie. with perhaps the
o;.! o;.iph or carriage of some welI-known
son', n'1en launtily perched on top, some
~ II wac nnf en-