Evening star., 1940-12-29
Fifty Years Ago
In the Star

The Star for Friday, December rs,
1890, reported: Christmas morning was
A Quiet userfu tbe ringing yeof'ii Of bells, the
Christmas firing of cannon and the
blowing of horns. The sky was overcast
with clouds, and later in the day snow
began to fall and continued during the
remainder of the day and evening. 1t
was a good day to stay within doors
and the deserted streets showed that
that fact was fully appreciated. The
celebration of Christmas Day in this city
is essentially home celebration, and
the gathering of families about hos
pitable tables and the giving and re-
ceiving of presents was the main feature
of the day. The religious significance
of the holiday was not forgotten and
the services in the various churches in
the morning were well attended. '-' The
workhouse Christmas was a quiet one,
as might be expected. A fine dinner of
good things was provided, of which the
inmates ate with hearty relish. The
gangs were relieved from all work, and
the day was given over to full enjoy
ment of the holiday, as far as the
rather restraining circumstances of the
institution would permit. In the after
noon a number of ladies of the Presby-
terian Church visited the almshouse
and frightened up the bare rooms with
some flowers 3 3 Those youngsters who
are inmates of the Newsboys' Home were
not forgotten. They had all the turkey
and trimmings they could eat. 49, At the
Childrens Hospital there was little else
than jubilation yesterday Sufferers
forgot their pain and their disability in
their own happiness and the happiness
of those around them. Early morning
found most of them awake, and as soon
as there was sufficient light all engaged
in the pleasurable exploration of WELL
filled stockings, which in some mysterious
manner had been hung on each bed
stead. Following the Christmas dinner
was the exhibition of the Christmas tree
and the consumption of candy and
oranges. In the same room as the tree
was an aggregation of toys-at least one
for each child-and the best of the fun
was that each child got just what it
wanted most"
Editorial comment printed in The Star
for the same date included the observa-
ton that some news Just
Ane'ent received from New Mexico
MetolIurgy will add new paragraph
to Wendell Phillips lecture on The Lost
Arts The Aztecs had a method of
smelling metals different from and
superior to the mode now in use In the
land where they lived, and two years
ago one of these ancient smelters was
found. 1t was not more than feet in
height and not over 3 feet square, but
was so arranged that heat could be
evenly distributed by a system of pipes
Although the furnace has been looted it
is believed that the government is in
possession of the secret and that it will
be divulged in an official report. The
special despatch from which these facts
are obtained concludes with the state
ment that if the report should prove
favorable it will revolutionize the mining
industry in the southwest. Many things
discovered by archeologists indicate
clearly that the Aztecs and the Mayas
of Mexico and the Incas of Peru were
peoples of civilization in some respects
as high as that of ancient Egypt and
Babylonia. And some philologists have
asserted that the language of the Mayas
In Yucatan is the oldest yet discovered
by research"
An adjacent editorial note remarked:
'The Stars and Stripes will probably
float hereafter from the center Of the
Capitol on both fronts all the year
round, as ought to have been the case
from the beginning. The United States
standard should court the free breezes
OF the republic from the top of every
public building"
The editor also mentioned the fact
that Congress Is in session and yet not
in session. Public business is too pressing
for the two houses to adjourn at once,
but not too pressing of course for them
to indulge In the customary and proper
Christmas holiday"
A