Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1925-12-10

cemetery, New York city. The photograph shows
the Moore family plot, with Doctor Moores grave
at the left. The children of the SundaJ school
of the Chapel of the Intercesson decorate his
grave every year and Christmas Day sing
carols and place fresh decorations
Doctor Moore'S writing of the famous poem and
its publication are story in themselves. Doctor
Moore (1779-1863) born in New York. the
son of Bishop Benjamin Moore, once rector of Old
Trinity, the second Protestant Episcopal bishop
of the diocese of New York and the third president
Of Columbia university DR.. Clement c. Moore
was graduated from Columbia and studied for the
ministry but was not ordained. In 1921 he became
professor of Biblical learning in the General Theo-
logical seminary, New York. There he served
until his death. He noted scholar and COM
piled the first Hebrew English lexicon published in
America
In 1872 he wrote the famous poem as Christ
mas gift to his children A visitor made copy
of it, with the result that the next Christmas it
was published anonymously in the Troy IN. W
Sentinel. 1t went over the whole country in no
time and then spread all the world. Doctor
Moore was veXed over its publication, but finally
admitted authorship. Now his scholarly lexicon
is forgotten. But his poem has made his name
immortal
INCREDIBLY prosperous are the American peo-
pie these days. Their wealth is shown in many
ways but in no way more strikingly than by their
expenditure for Christmas gifts. Experts estimate
that their ante-Christmas shopping the country
will total between seven and eight billions
Of dollars this year. One why they are
able to spend such staggering sum is that untold
thousands have been saving for it all the year
through what has come to be known as the
"Christmas Bank" In Chicago for example,
canyass of the larger banks of the city shows that
they distributed approximately $25,000000 in
Christmas savings early this month. This
increase of five millions over 1924 and of ten
millions over 1923. This, however merely ind-
Gates the growing popularity of the christmas
Bank" plan 1t gives real idea of the amount
involved For the plan has been in operation in
practically every large Industrial establishment
without recourse to the banks.
60 RICH are the American people and so fast
- and furious is the Christmas spending that they
do not even take the pains to that their gifts
sent by mail properly wrapped and addressed.
OF course all not careless about 1t, but Uncle
Sam, postmaster, has bad time during the holt
days. Extra clerks cost him million dollars
and no small part of this extra force is kept busy
handling poorly wrapped and improperly adj
dressed packages. Many thousands of Christmas
gifts this year-as every year-will be sold by
Uncle Sam instead of going into the Christmas
stockings for which the givers intended them The
unaddressed department of the inquiry section of
the post office in the large cities resembles ware
house. And at that Uncle Sans experts have
positive genius for solving mysteries and sending
lost packages their way. In about 300 cases
out of 1000 letters cards inside serve as the
saving clue. Some gifts cannot be held long
alligators from Florida for example, fruit, mush-
rooms, live chickens and turkeys. These are
quickly sold and the sale price held in fund
which is ultimately turned into the treasury. When
all efforts have been exhausted the unidentified
and unclaimed packages sold at auction by an
auctioneer who has little Christmas sentiment
he gets rid of about 100 lots hour.
THRISTMAS Day has many important aspects
- from many important viewpoints don't
let us overlook the turkey. Doesn't Picture No.