Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1932-12-16
The First
Christmas Tree

Once upon a time the forest was
in a great commotion. Early in the
evening the wise old cedars had
shaken their heads ominously and
predicted strange things. They had
lived in the forest many, many
years; but never had they seen such
marvellous sights as were to be seen
now in the sky, and upon the hills,
and in the distant village.
"Pray tell us what you see"
pleaded a little vine; I'VE who are
not as tall as you can behold none
of these wonderful things. De-
scribe them to us, that we may
enjoy them with you"
81 am filled with such amaze
ment," said one of the cedars,
that l can hardly speak. The
whole sky seems to be ahame, and
the stars and clouds; angels walk
down from heaven to the earth and
enter the village Or talk with the
shepherds upon the hills"
The vine listened in mute aston,
ishment. Such things never before
had happened. The vine trembled
with excitment. Its nearest neigh
Dor was a tiny tree, so small it
scarcely ever was noticed; yet it
was a very beautiful little tree, and
the vines and ferns and moses and
other humble residents of the for
est loved it dearly.
How l should like to see the
angels!" sighed the little tree, "and
how l should like to see the stars
dancing among the clouds! 1t must
be very beautiful"
As the vine and the little tree
talked of these things, the cedars
watched with increasing interest
the wonderful scenes over and be-
yond the confines of the forest.
Presently they thought they heard
music, and they were not mistaken
for soon the whole air was full of
the sweetest harmonies ever heard
upon earth.
"What beautiful music!" cried
the little tree. II wonder whence
it comes.'
1.-The angels are singing" said a
cedar; "for none but angels could
make such sweet music"
but the stars are singing too,"
said another cedar; Eyes, and the
shepherds on the hills join in the
song, and what a strangely glorious
song it isl"
The trees listened to the sing
ing, but they did not understand
its meaning; it seemed to be an
aafsI h aid It vas Of a GG fiii t1anf-
had been born; but further thai
this they did not understand. The
strange and glorius song continued
all the night; and all that night
the angels walked to and fro, and
the shepherd-folk talked with the
angels, and the stars danced and
caroled in high heaven. And it
was nearly morning when the
cedars cried out, "They are COM
ing to the forest! The angels are
coming to the forest!" And, surely
enough, this was true. The vine
and the little tree were very terri
fled, and they begged their older
and stronger ~neighbors to protect
them from harm. But the cedars
were too busy with their own fears
to pay any heed to the faint plead
ings of the humble vine and the
little tree. The angels came into
the forest, singing the same glori-
Gus anthem about the Child, and
the stars sang in chorus with them,
until every part of the woods rang
with echoes of thai wondrous
song. There was nothing in the
appearance of this angel host to in
spire fear; they were clad all in
white, and there were crowns upon
their fair heads, and golden harps
in their hands; love hope, charity,
compassion, and joy beamed from
their beautiful faces, and their pre-
sence seemed to fill the forest with
a divine peace. The angels came
through the forest to where the
little tree stood, and gathering a.
round it, they touched it with
their hands, and kissed its little
branches, and sang, even more
sweetly than before. And their
song was about the Child, the
Child, the Child that had been
born. Then the stars came down
from the skies and danced and
hung upon the branches of the
tree, and they too sang that song
the song of the Child. And all the
How cardui