The Washington times., 1934-12-25
NOW
Charm of Italy
il, At YuLetide
OUR BLESSINGS
Bx HELEN ESSARY

y MRS. D. Tucker Brown was
| n Florence last year at Christ
mas time. Barbara Trigg Brown,
as everyone calls her, is a sen.
! sitive person and responds
hympathetically to environment,
p She wrote while she was in
| Florence a sketch of her first
italian Christmas and sent the
sketch to me to use on Christ
mas day. Here it is-a prose
poem, and exquisite:
! 'Tt lacked but ten minutes to
midnight-and Christmas. 1
had just left the gay party in
the hotel lobby below. The fire
burned low in my room. I
threw on a handful of pine
cones; a moment of darkness
and quiet, then a whirring
noise; the cones we're in full
blaze, and the room was gay
at once with radiant light and
dancing shadows.
"In one corner the decorations
on the little Christmas tree
glittered and sparkled. From
the woods of Tuscany it had
been cut to become a part OF
the dark forest that had grown
up over night along the banks
Of the Arno just beneath, plant
ed there by the peasant and his
cOlOrfuI family from whom 1
had bought it. Now it spelled
Christmas to an American
family.
Twelve fast-ringing notes
from the tiny clock on the
mantel. The tinkling sound
was answered from afar by a
deep-tOned, thrilling beautiful
bell. 1t was the petal of that
fair lily, Firenze's Campanile,
carolIing the tidings that i'm
mediateIy were chOrused from
every bell tower.
81 went quickly to the win
dow, and, opening it, leaned far
out. The heavens were lit with
myriad stars. The air was still.
The wind had hushed to listen
to the sound of bells. North,
south, east and west, their
music flOated over the waiting
city.
"In the sacred beauty of the
Mlght almost I felt the presence
Of angels. Almost saw them.
Almost the bells became their
voices. Never was a night so
filled with holy tidings.
"Then it was that I found
truly the spirit of the Christ
mas season while the message
Of the bells rang out the story
Of a glorious birthday"
Gratitude-a nice theme for
today.
And now a little story about
the rare quality.
Two small girls at the Misses
Maret's School were arguing
about the shape of the world.
Was it round? Or was it flat?
Ellen said:
cts flat. You couldn't stand
on a ball, could yOu?"
Mary Paschal looked patiently
at Ellen, and tried to explain.
A tendency inherited, no doubt,
from her father, Major Paul
Paschal, one of the instructors
at the Army War College.
''The earth is round, Ellen.
Listen. The earth is round, and
the reason you don't fall off it
when it's round, is because
gratitude holds you on"
Correct, Mary. It is gratitude
that holds you on.
Again. Gratitude. Plus
Christmas. Plus the Army
note.
Col. and Mrs. Harry W.
Cootes are having a party this
afternoon at their home in
Alexandria. Mary Cootes said,
when her husband was Com
mandant at Fort Myer, that if,
before she died, she could have
a permanent home in old Alex
andria, she'd be the most CRATE
full woman in the world.
Now Mary Cootes has the
home. The permanent home in
Alexandria. And she is cele-
brating with Harry by her side.
I can't seem to change the
subj ect Of counting your
blessings, one by one" For in
stance, that shiny little road.
ster which you gave yourself
for Christmas at the cost of
Of about $500 would have set
you back about $500 in Italy,
plus the government tax of
$120.
In the British Isles, likewise,
the tax on automobiles is fear
full. BY your horsepower you
are taxed; $120 for a four
cylinder car.
Astrological note!
Attention-White House!
The new Congress convening
January 3 will have the char
actariSticS of IFS Guiding planet.