Evening star., 1924-12-20
The Library Table
BY THE BOoKLOvER

CHRISTMAS OOeS not perhaps, re-
ceive as much direct attention from
story writer's today as 1t did some
years ago, when Dickens was writing
his annual Christmas stories and
even later, when most publishers ex-
| pected to put out at Christmas time
at least one novel or story with
Christmas setting by well known
| author. Now almost any popular new
book Is supposed to be a good
Christmas book"-that is, good
book to mail early" several weeks
before December rs. Now any one
who wishes to find some literary
Christmas atmosphere must hunt for
| 1t, but it is to be found here and
| there, though perhaps chiefly in De-
| cember numbers of the magazines.
! X 4
Mary wilkins Freeman has written
several good Christmas stories, CEN
| tering in her usual prim New Eng
land homes about her usual repressed
new England characters John Fox
Jr's, christmas Eve on Lonesome"
has less chilly atmosphere and re-
| meets something of the warmth of
the South, even though the weather
IN II is snowy. Kate Langley Bosher
seems to be fond of Christmas. for
In two of her books the story ex-
lends over the Christmas season. In
! Inc Man in Lonely Land" there Is
chapter on Christmas Shopping"
"hicn makes that occupation seem
so attractive that extracts might be
| used for advertising pages. Another
chapter follows on Christmas" itself
no" IL Happened" by the same
| author, Is entirely a Christmas novel
ana mas for frontispiece a picture
or present-laden tree, with a little
girl sitting at its base, surrounded
by toys. Kate Douglas Virgins
! Inc Old Peabody Pew" Is "a. Christ
mas romance of country church"
Z. y. and A. NJ. Williamson's charm
! ing Christmas romance, "Posarary
IN search of a Father" is located
on the Riviera and there is a fem
| nine villain and, of course, a. happy
eholng. In Maria Chapdelaine"
LOUIS Hemon describes a French
canadian Christmas. An lev Rms
sian Christmas at Petrograd, shortly
| alter the murder of Rasputtn. forms
I the background of several chanters
| IN hugh Walpole's strange psychic
noVei, The Secret City" A Christ
mas feast takes place. with "a hne
glittering Father Christmas :, ~
middle ribbons and frosted
strips OF colored paper" and "tbe
Hahuska were on side table nesr
/ the uoor-herrings and ham and
smoked hsh and radishes and muxh-
rooms and tongue and cavtare and
most unusual of all in those davs. a
decanter of vodka"
for the religious spirit Of Christ
mas we. may go back to Lew wal
/ -. Hur. The chapter head
/ ihgs or the first of the eight hooks
| of this great novel are enougb ir
themselves to carry us in fhoueht
!hto the Eastern setting Of the most
| beautiful Of all Christmas stories
that OF the birth of Christ They are.
into the Desert, Meeting Of the wise
| Men The Athenian Speaks-Faith.
speech of the Hindoo-Loye. The
egyptian Story-Good Works, The
Joppa Gate, Typical Characters at
the Joppa Gate; Joseph and Mary Co
ing to Bethlehem, The Cave at RethIe-
! lehem, The Light in the Sky. Christ
Is born, The Wise Men Arrive al Je-
rusalem' The Witnesses Before Herod.
The Wise Men Find the Child.
X Y X
Mark Twain's Autobiography" re-
Gently published, gives the great
American humorist's account of an
incident connected with his visit to
washington to pay a visit to Presi-
gent cleveland. As he was leaving
hartford his wife said to him: 81
have written a small warning and
put 1t In pocket of your dress vest.
/ II l should give you the word of
warning by word of mouth now, It
would pass from your head and be
forgotten in a few minutes" While
he was dressing the next evening be-
Tore going TO the White House he
discovered his wife's note, long since
I forgotten. He proceeds:
When we reached the White House
| and l was shaking hands with the
! President he started to say some
thing, but l interrupted him and
said: II your excellency will excuse
me, 1 will come back in a moment.
but now l have a very important
matter to attend to. and It must be
| attended TO at once I turned to
Mrs. Cleveland, the young, the beau
tiful, the fascinating, and gave her
| my card, on which / had written.
He did not and 1 asked her to sign
her name below those words"
| She said: He did not? He did
not what?'
"'Oh.' said, snever mind. We can
not stop to discuss that now. This is
| urgent. Won't you please sign your
name" q handed her fountain
| penn
| why she said, I cannot commit
myself in that way. Who is it that
didn't? And what is it that he
didn't%
"'Oh,' said, time Is flying, nying,
| flying! Won't you take me out of my
distress and sign your name to it?
| It's all right. I give you my word
| it's all right
! She looked nonplussed. but hesi-
! tatingly and mechanically she took
| the pen and said: 1 will sign it. 1
will take the risk. But you must
| tell me all about 1t, right afterward,
so that you can be arrested before
| you get out of the house in case
| there should be anything criminal
| about this
Then she signed, and handed her
Mrs. Clemens note, which was very
brief, very simple and to the point.
1t said:
Don't wear your arctics in the
White House
1T made her shout, and at my re-
! quest she summoned a messenger and
we sent that card at once to the mail
| on it's way to Mrs. Clemens in Hart
| ford
! Many economists, beginning with
| Nautilus, have considered the question
| of population as the key of all social
| problems. Many others, who make no
| claim to economic wisdom. but be-
loHS TO tnaL largo group KNOWN as
| the general public, are lukewarm or
| even cynical toward the various forms
| of peace propaganda because they are
| convinced that wars will of necessity
| always recur SO long as population
| keeps on increasing. or this latter
| class Is a British engineer, J. Swim
| burne, who has written a book called
Population and Social Problems"
| Though pursuing sociology and eco
nomics merely as pastime, Mr.. Swim
| burne has very decided ideas, which