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Show i EEs'! m 5 Invented Christmas tba traf a mystery around tbo ,v pus-alln- atated that tbo troo camo to ua X-- ' 7 Tbla Ifgfnd la well propagated In old Irlab and Welsh fairy taloa. The !da la that In ancient Egypt they used a ellp of tbo palm troo with twelve shoots on It at certain Tbo troo winter fnatlvltlea. tbo year with Ha twelve aym-bellie- 'I'- - Si. Ijrvr d cum the. Consequently, any one who lo quel to tbo effort may believe that tb modern Chrletmaa troo repre- J ,CV3 S, J'M sent a that twelvnshooted Blip of palm. Minds of Icaa stalwart ere dutlty may prefer to trace tbo Christman tree back to Germany only, where they had Chriatmaa trees long before they were over heard of In this country or England r Erance. The Chriatmaa tree waa not In Produced Into England from Germany until after the marriage of Queen Victoria to her German contort, Prince Albert nut where did the Germane get the Chriatmaa tree Idea from? 8. J. Adair Fit Gerald, writing In T. P.a Weekly, offera an zplanation of thla by saying that far away back In the ages you find Teutons believing In a tnyatlo ash . YgKdraall, which, with Its Toots and branches, united the world of the living and the world of the dead. "At the foot of alt- the three Norna, who determine the deatlnlea of men, and Yggdraall's branches bear gifts for men to take." la that our Chriatmaa tree? ' Anyhow, the Idea hat Prince Albert lutroduced It Into Great Brit-aln la very prevalent One of the prettiest and moat eagerly looked for events of the Christmas- tide that of the Betting up of the Chriatmaa tree Is associated with the late Empreia of Germany. Queen Victoria, after the birth of the prlnceas royal, had Christmas celebrated at Windsor In 1810, and "on that occasion 1rlnce Albert Introduced the pretty German custom of decorating a Christmas tree. Since that period it has become a welcome custom for both rich and poor, and affords a graceful means of distributing little presents. It was probably first Imported Into Germany with the conquering legions or Drusua, and la alluded to by Virgil In the Georgies." It will be seen by this that the generally accepted notion is that Prince Albert was responsible for the British adoption of the pleasing tree and all that It means, symbolical and practical, to the youngsters. But on the threshold of this acceptation we are met with this statement from the "Grevllle Memoirs," under date Dec. 87, 1829, when Queen Victoria was yet but ten years old. On Christmas day the Princess Eleven got up a little fete, such as Is customary all over Germany. Three trees In great pots were put on a long table covered with linen; each tree was Illuminated with three circular tiers of colored wax candles blue, green, red and white. Before each was displayed a quantity of toys, gloves, workboxes, handkerchiefs, books and various articles, presents made to the owner of the tree." This princess was a Russian, and In her later days lived mostly In Paris. Then again Prof. c J r belre-at-la- r & Tgg-drai- lt - Fred-tric- k ! Dltcbfleld, In his Old English Customs," saya that the Christmas tree was first Imported Into England by some German merchant who lived at Manchester la the first years of the nineteenth century. In 1900 a writer on folklore said: Although we are accustomed to. consider Germany the home of the Cbrlstmaa tree. It has not been general there for more than a couple of centuries. Old people are still living whose parents never saw one In Germany. The decoration of housea with olive leaves and green branches, as In England at Christmas, Is a far more ancient custom, and can be noticed In Botticellis picture of The Adoration of the Shepherds," In the National Gallery In London. It la, as Frits Ortwetn observes, a distinct remnant of an ancient heathen custom, as at the turn of the year during the - twelve days of the Jul festival tn honor of Woden, greenery could be fetched by all from the woods without punishment, and every hall waa decorated with green leaves and branches. Again, In old works on English customs we find many references to the decorating of the Interior of the dwellings, as well as the pious adornment of the churcheB with greenery, and the Introduction of a fir tree as symbolical of the palm. In the halls of the barons and the squires and In the gigantic kitchens of the farmers a fir tree ever held prominent place, but whether ordinarily decorated or not Is not Here we are In doubt. epeclflcally recorded. In all probability the, remaining fruits of the orchards of the year were hung upon as a propitiation to the gods of the 'fruits of the earth to Insure good harvests! Going abroad we get fuller knowledge of these (things. The custom of carrying away branchea and trees from the woods at Christmas time in various parts of Austria became so extensive on account of the superstitions of the peasantry that at Salzburg, in 1755, and at Nuremberg, In s were Issued against persons 1708, severe purloining from the forests. In some regions of Hungary a solemn procession with a decorated tree takes place through each village before the ehepheld play' begins." 'It is adorned with ribbons and fruit, and Is supposed to symbolize Although most of ths the tree of -- knowledge. -- the-bran- ches . -- .x-j- f T mains of a once horrible Druid ceremonies wliUh the mistletoe figured In among tba ancient Druids always accorded It a place of honor. The myths that clung around It In their wondering, mind' were many mors than the few that hava coma to ua In theae later year. Hut, old as they are, those hoary, heathen myths lark the true flavor of antiquity when It cornea to measuring traditions by the centuries. Ob, we do not by any means owa our mistletoe to the Druids. Wo can go back ao much further for the Drat adventures of the mistletoe that the Druids become merely mou'ern Innovators. It waa one of the noblest of the trees tn raradise, tyiv tbs lordly tree of good and evil; and on Ha twig hung the apple which Mother Eve plucked with urh disastrous consequences. Alas for Mother Eve and Father Adam! And alas for us, their punished divine! Hut alas, too, for the wicked, handsome, tempting tree of knowledge which put humanity In such gracoleas plight! I'poo Ha lofty crown. Its masalve trunk, Ha delirious fruit, descended the universal curse. It shriveled away from the horrified earth; It dwindled to the mcaneit smallness; It was cast out Into the bitter cold; It became n parasite and beggar, existing by the bounty, of vulgar Only In the pearly neighbors. tranaluceoce of Ha shrunken fruit, the uoet trivial of berries, did It preserve some eemblance of Its once radiant splendor. And It has preserved some of Its pristine virtues, too. In Jradltlonal Christian lore, as If It were atlll hedged about with a vestige of the glory that arrayed It la Paradise. Time waa, and time Is now, when epilepsy is one of the scourges of mankind; only now we look for Ita cure, as we look for lu cause, la quite natural means and conditions. Tba notion that some poor devil with the falling sickness has been cursed from on high Is held scarcely compatible. In popular aclence, with the principles of eternal Justice or with cold observation of cause and effect. But In times that were. In Wales, when aa epileptic developed the gymptoms characteristic of the disorder. It waa commonly believed that he was being scourged with the rod of Christ," and that waa ths name by which the disease went, although It had another designation well St Valentine's sickness. The curs for It waT)elleved to He In the Rod of Jesse. The use of the mistletoe as the Rod of Jesse In epilepsy was general and. If faith can work wonders, per haps the miracle of cure did sometimes attend Ita employment - Perhaps It didn't If aclence choose to take a shy at that gradoua addition to the list of agents. But whether It did or didn't the mistletoe's rare birth and fruition still carry with them the tendereat of Christian faiths, aa they carry, too. the story of humanity's most disaster. It Is one of the Christmas greens which has the warrant of religious associations dating back to the very beginnings of man's creation, even aa It Is accorded the sublime honor of typifying the ancestral origins of the Redeemer rite-Tb- s ( yv.v from Egypt LOST IN SOCIAL SEA Wom. Who Work In Many Trad Thrive In Washington's Mo,t Eaolualvt Clrelta, If that rbmmentator on Araertm aorluty, Frederick Townsend wishes to see his pie. for the "At prorhment" of tb. professional 25 odal world. In actual !!? working of ha should come to Washington Washington now has a "bureau t octal requirements." Tbla establish-mea- out even waiting for a chang m lo under the ministration. For when four caV, a p o r v I Mon of Hath-bonWhite House Mr, ivter fut LabouUeo, nlshlng the musical, the artists program are previously ! Ml formerly tertalned at dinner. Not S merely bl Townsendand of family party, but with eighteen at New Vork twenty men and women from tha front ono tlm Mra. B. reside Osnood 1i'H. Mra. Taft's The bureau of ment to art and artists which jlf thrown troo Christmas and mako no at' to ! tempt plain Ha origin. It baa boon NOT Bureau Is Do Everything Chooii, Decorate, Furnlah Houiea end Rue Thom; Arrange, Conduct Balls. Wedding and Dinners. old cbronlclera bar SOCIETY MRI. FETCH LABOUIMI BTARTI FIRJT AID TO HOSTEISEI. Wbcnca dona It comaf It la a e u r I o v a fact that moat of tht Toll of FOR SCHOOL Christian customs adhered to by the Austrian-Germapeasant can be traced back to heathen-la- b Germanen rites, tome dispute the nee of a tree at the Jul festivities; nevertheless, It is cer- flr wer uln lhal ,n 8welen nwMl, Plne set up at this time before the houses." Teutzel of Sazony, an antiquarian authority on theae subjects, says: "The ancient heathen sat before their bouses between two crossed pins trees and ate and drank at the turn of the year for nine- teen days." The Christmas tree was Introduced Into Austria tome eighty years ago by a Duchess of Wurtemberg and spread throughout Germany. About 1840 It Is supposed to have taken fresh root tn England, and became highly popular. Both Thackeray and Dickens seized hold of the Idea of happiness begot of Christmas gatherings and the Christmas tree, and Charles Dickens In 1850 used "The Christmas Tree" as a title for one of bis annual stories. Although Chrlstmaa waa not celebrated In the first centuries of the Christian era. there are Indications In the record of early Roman history of the setting up of a decorated tree at Christmas time and the presentation of gtfta of fruit and toys. The Romans are supposed to have taken the Idea from the early Egyptians. Centuries old, ths customs of Christmas observance have taken myriad forms In tbs various countries of ths world. In many cases they perpetuate some ancient custom which long antedates the advent of Christianity. Such are the customs which have grown up around the mistletoe, worshiped by the ancient Druids of Britain aa a sacred and magical plant An old English writer, speaking of the Druids celebration of the winter aolstlce, our Christmas, says: This was the most respectable festival of our Druids, called Yuletlde; when tbs mistletoe, which they called waa carried In their hands and laid on their altar as an emblem of the salutlferous advent of Messiah. This mistletoe they cut off the trees with their upright hatchets of brass, called celts, put upon ends of their staffs, which- they carried In their hands. Innumerable are these Instruments found all over the British Isles. The custom la still preserved. and lately at York on the eve of Christmas day they carry mistletoe to the high altar of the cathedral, and proclaim a public and universal liberty, pardon and freedom to all sorts of Inferior and even wicked people, at the gates of the city, towards their four quarters of n all-hea- l, - heaven. The lore of the strange plant la prominently In the Voluspa and other Scandtna-- . vlan. Sagas. It was with a mistletoe branch or an arrow prepared therefrom that the blind and deity Hoder aimer his deadly blow at Balder, the god of light or benevolent The Inspiraprinciple of northern' mythology. tion of the use of the mlBtletoe was, of course, due to the opposing principle of darkness or evil i The In evidence heavy-heade- d plant which furnished ths deadly dart grew slope on of ths As-gar- and was ths sole agent known to among poi- goda or men sonous plants which had not given definite promise to Freya to prove harmless If used against the person of her son Balder. Thus Scandinavian mythical lore accounts for the death of the latter. And accordingly, a traditional Idea of the poisonous properties of the mistletoe Is found to persist In remote regions of the north and west of Europe, even to the present day. In Great Britain (in the Forest of Dean) It has been used down to recent date as a popular remedy In the treatment of cardiac troubles. Like the strophanthus of African arrow poison fame. It proved a reliable substitute for digitalis. Kissing under the mistletoe Is all that now re - hard-heade- miracle-workin- g g g aoelal require- ma, n.4 bX I, ments, which haa circles. opened Ita dainty In this stmoaphere of real demon oltlcea at HI racy and an aristocracy 0f Cononk Leroy place, Just off fashionable rather than It la qm, necticut avenue, Is designed to fill all to toll and wealth, the need of much haraeeed hostesses, to the moatspin, and yet be admltjj delightful of social or to tutor thoee who are aim untried dea. For only thoao who have In the social labyrinth. been there deny the existence of Z There could be no more fit arbiter dal advantages. After elogantlum than Mrs. Labouleae. For example: Two young a divorce was granted to her from Mr. former belles, not only In Washington Pill she waa marrbd to Mr. Peter She Is a but In several European capital, of New Orleans. now conducting dressmaking niece of Mr. William Phelps Eno of llshmente without loss of New York and Waahlngton. Mr. poeitto la of an old New Orleans fam- They are not, to be aura, met of yore at the dancea or dinB; ly ily, prominent tn the cotton trade. of their friends, but that la mainly with have Mr. and Mrs. Laboulsse them aa their guest the second attrac- cause they are busy women who hit, tion of the bureau, Mias Beatrice Grin-Bel- l no leisure tof purely frivolous amuM. menta. Ecclcslne, sister of Mrs. Charles Jessie Benton Fremont, daughter of N. Daly of New York. Miss Eccleslne baa mastered the art CapL John C. Fremont, U. 8. N tj0 of doing several thing at once and died less than two years ago while Is continued command at Charlestown navy y,r doing them gracefully. She the work of superintending the plac- and Miss Maude Converse, daughter ing of this or that artistic bit of fur- of ths late Rear Admiral Georg c niture while she explained the scheme Converse. U. 8. N are the pioneer. of things which she and Mrs. La bou le- In this line of Industry. Both youni ss have mapped out for the alleviation women meet their customers os a of ths bachelor, the woman Inexperi- business bails, show samples, gir, enced In household and social matters, estimates and discuss every detail ol or lacking the time or strength to style and price with the same graclmit manner that made for thlr drawing attend to them. room success. Both, had they beea m The ' bureau will do everything choose, decorate and furnish houses Inclined, might have found their ,y run them when finished or supply Into government clerkships. Rotg, housekeepers, secretaries snd senr however, preferred a business career. ants, permanently or for a special occasion. It will arrange end conduct GERMAN EMBASSY BUI101N3 balls, weddings, dinners, food, favors, precedence and all. Commission From Berlin Arrives Is The bureau Is especially designed to Capital and Inspects 8!te for meet the needs of newcomers to Wash Propoocd Palace. Ington who tremble lest they Infringe some .unwritten law. To aave the rankA commission of building, archlteo ing ambassador or Justice from being tural and engineering experts appointoutranked will be one of Its functions. ed by the' German Imperial gover"We ehall have plenty to do; It Is nment, sanctioned by Emperor William, only about that dreadful domestic has arrived in this city on a mluloa 1 said problem that am a bit uneasy," to examine the Bite purchased by the Miss Eccleslne. "Most of the servants German government at 1906 S street, shall have to Import from New between Twenty-secon- d and Twenty-thirYork. I have Just telegraphed two 1m streets Northwest, upon which portant orders to Mra. LaboulBse, who Is to be erected the new palace Is ia now there. jvhlch will be housed the Geraaa "You see, we have managed some and the household of thi embassy well known houses. Also we arranged Kaiser's to this counrepresentatives the marriage of Mlsa Hopkins to Mr. try. Elliott at Southampton. The program The commission consists of Herr was characterized by many attractive Kettner, privy embassy councilor inf of not least the novelties, appreciated councilor In ths German for reference which, I am sure, was the serving of sandwiches and drinks on the private etgn ofllce; R. Saran, superior privy train which took the guests to the councilor of buildings and construeol tlons attached to the department wedding." public works, and Prof. Peter Be1 rir M rn ti In At II ) ill ivi itt fr,u7 H O. tin u d 41 CAPITOL GETS ITS BATH House Cleaning la Completed and Monorail Syetem Installed for the Nations Lawmakers. Glistening white Is the capitol today, following Ita annual bath." The house and senate ofllce buildings are sIbo shimmering with pristine purity, after being soused and scrubbed In preparation for the opening of congress. Fall Is the housecleaning season at of Man himself. ' the capitol. This year a fire engine But what about the mistlecompany stationed near the capitol toe kiss? was pressed Into service. For a whole Hm! To tell the truth. If we want to be con- day the fire laddies poured water, sistently Christian in our Christmas greens and pumped by a r engine, on the purposes to which they should be put, there the pillars and walls of the capitol Isn't anything about It, at least of any records and two office buildings. Streams of which such careful investigators as Alfred E. P. dirt washed off testified to the wholeRaymond Dowling have dug up while studying sale cleansing in progress, and left ths general subject None will deny that the the seat of government" almost snow most consistent Christians have taken to the white. , mistletoe kiss with abundant enthusiasm and a Anthracite coal, the cleanest and faith In Ha excellent results that has never been most expensive obtainable, Is used to ' surpassed. But that doesn't make the mistletoe heat the group of buildings on Capitol kiss any more Christian than It ever was. Hill to avoid dust, soot and smoke Isn't the excellent story of foolish Mother Eve staining the white-stonstructure. and the original mistletoe apple enough for any Housecleaning at the capital this reasonable Christmas decorator who wants to year also Included a general InstallaAnd If It Isnt, haven't tion of new rugs and Justify Its employment? carpets, new we the legend of the Rod of Jesse to make It hardwood flooring, much new upholdistinctly one of the Christmas greens? As for stery In the senate and house galleries the kisses that are supposed to go with It well. and a private monorail transportation If you InBlst on knowing about them, you'll system between the senate office buildto the same take consequences, simply have ing and the capitol, with private cars as Eve did when she insisted on tasting of for the senators. that confounded tree of knowledge. Capital throat specialists are reap-InThe mistletoe kiss seems not to be Chrisa campaign harvest this fall tian at all Druldlcal, probably, and therefore which has smashed all precedents heathenish, and therefore very, very wrong. Tho many Btump" speakers In the So, all young men who encounter It, artfully campaign this year have adopted the suspended where a pair of ripe, red lips must latest forensic fad in having their pass, do you piously refrafh or, more piously, throats treated by local specialists, tear down the hoary old temptation and flee who have won renown by their treatthe accursed roof, as If It were the house of ment in the paBt of noted speakers. Arria Marcella and you were tot Gautier's young Frenchman. And you, maidens, give Jews In India. leave to no pagan rites; remember the Tate of Speaking of the Jews In India, the your poor Grandmother Eve and beware lest Hebrew Standard says: The the fruit of the mistletoe, accursed tree of of the continued existence mysterj of the l of India is as knowledge, prove now more, bitter In the mouth as great ' than it did In Eden. ever. It Is marvelous to find But If you have Ivy, wreathe It generously, for brethren of the house of Israel these the French know it as the herb of St. John, the their religious and racial Iden disciple whom the Savior loved, the emblem' of tlty among the vast multitudes bepure friendship, the vine that heeds not decay longing to alien ethnic faiths. These and death of Its beloved, but clings ever more Indian Jews survive tn an atmosphere closely as the fall Impends and bears up Its fall- which le altogether moved by caste while they themselves ing ally against all adversity. Learned student regard of these legends have surmised, too, that It may as unthinkable for themselves caste I tk , Is usual-who be the herb of St John the- Baptist, the follower of ZoroZ coat ter. their numbers are ly pictured as the boy In his camel'a-hal- r economic Importance Is scanty the gszlrjg at hli cousin, the Infant Jesus. considerable hlgb-powe- -- e g Ber.l-Israe- g -- hrens, professor of architecture. I it It. ). a Cm un -- f Nn IBH I hvr ia i f a ni Ki i Jov y ii Ma Ml nt A nd e w taler ver ho i th Tb nd iDd( D ant i hi Th "I e aa tnd "W loloi ian.' Th nil Tb :oBe 1 to a The commission minutely studied bon tha character of the architecture ol Tbi Washington's most attractive public i tt and private buildings, exterior as well as Interior, with a view to draw plana rt for ths new embassy buildings which eat will be In keeping with It and has "Tl monlze with Ita surrounding!. A- ent lthough ths palace will be the moil advanced and best type of German architecture, It la the plan of tbs com- A 1 mission to so modify Its German char r acter as to harmonize It with the Washington architectural style. Ben s c Kettner said it would be a building oya, representative of the power, preatlgi r a As and dignity of the German empire, and that the German emperor was taking me a personal Interest In the matter. Jta, Herr Saran said he did not bellev. 't t that the new ambassadorial palaca Tht would bs modeled after the 6am ce N Soucl, one of the kaUer'a palace at Potsdam, but that If present plana art atlo sanctioned by the government the proposed building would cost a great deal of money," and would no doubt prove a welcome addition to Washington's colony of new diplomatic homes. Money for Charities. Washington society Is interested lo the probating of the will of Miss Mar? E. McCeney, by which It Is shown that she left the bulk of her fortune to th capital's-pe- t charities. Miss McCeney, long a figure In the drawing rooms of the capital, died a few weeks ago after her return from summer outing and after shejiad Just taken an apartment at the Bellevue, better known as the old Normandie hotel. She left to the National Junior Republic, the Washington Home fof Incurables, and the Starmont Sanitarium of Montgomery county each J10-000. The Girls Friendly League and the Young Womens Christian Home are to receive, respectively, JO, 000 and well-know- n J3.000. . Ammonia and Electricity. woman had a bad cold and acting on the advice of friend she rubbed eOme ammonia liniment on her chest as she was going to bed. The friction of the vigorous rubbing set the liniment afire on her body and the flames burnt her chest and head and singed off her hair. Under certain special conditions a highly Inflammable liquid will take Are from electric sparks too small to be ob" frk served, produced "by aby sort of tlcn. A Washington |