The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-12-22
BY JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN

And az Il il the world over. Children in more
than t~wolffths Of the world celebrate Christs natal
day. Millions Of them never see snow all then
lives. other millions see plenty of snow, but cele-
brate Christmas in the middle of summer. so
Christmas day weather all over the world is OF
MANY kinds-it all depends upon where the emil
dren live.
What was the weather on that first Christmas
day, nearly 1000 years ago, when Christ was born
in Bethlehem OF Judea THAT'S the first question
when one begins to think about Christmas weather.
Well, it must have been warm and bright, for the
shepherds were feeding their hocks by night anu
the Wise Men of the East saw the star in the EAST
and followed it. In modern Judea, which Is drier
than of old, the temperature in December by day
Is about like that of i cool summer day In Chi
cago. Sometimes 1t gets pretty chilly at night
but freezing weather is rare. So that first Christ
mas set a good example to all the ages.
Bethlehem probably has changed very little
since the first Christmas. The ordinary house has
but one room, on the floor of which the occupants
sleep at night on mats. No one thinks Of staying
in the house in the daytime, except when it rains
or storms. They sit on the ground outside. when
not at work, and talk with the %neighbors. In the
rear of each house is either a shed or a dugout
into the hillside. There the family ass and goats
and sheep and poultry are sheltered. 1t was In
such a grotto or cave or dug-out in the rear OF
some house that Joseph and Mary found shelter.
II was in such a place that Jesus was born and
His mother wrapped Him in swaddlings and laid
Him In the manger or trough out OF which the cat
tie were fed.
Why did not God provide a better place In this
time of need? Would it have touched the heart Of
mankind so deeply had Jesus been born In a pal
ace? "For. our sake He became poor that we
through Him might become rich" The LORD OF
heaven and earth a Babe in a nanger in a stable
In the little town OF Bethlehem that He might save
us and all men from SIM
In the United States some of the Christmas day
weather Is very much like that Of the first Christ
mas In the Holy Land. And some Of 1t Is just the
opposite. For the United States is a big country
something like 5000 miles from coast to coast
and 1000 miles north and south, TO say nothing
NJ Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands and our other
o,,tlvinr possessions. Besides, some OF it is not
mnch higher than the sea level and some OF II
reaches away up nearly three miles into the sky.
So naturally there is a great variety of climate
and weather-which is one Of the things that
makes the United States great and rich and good
to live In.
In some parts of Alaska, for example. the chill
dren sometimes have q Christmas day almost as
cold as II lis In Siberia-and the artist has drawn
a Joking picture Of a man in Siberia on such a
cold Christmas that the mercury is dropping
through the bottom of the thermometer. Verk-
hoyansk. in central Siberia, probably has the cold
est Christmas day anywhere-75 degrees below
zero. But Alaska Is a fine country for st. Nick
There is lots of snow for his sleigh and there are
thousands and thousands of reindeer from which
he can pick out a fast and strong team every year.