Show i fO Je f p f j U t r i r 1 r rt d t 4 j 6 y j t gy t 1 f i L tf C i t i wS s I II I I f r i ra II I M r I b 1 w r r 1 g rv v 4 i r- r rI rj I 6 I j It sa y 7 r l w P Poo oto 6 Unc bUnder vo I Where It Is I Christmas the whole year round round-a section of Rainier Na I Naj park In the state of Washington In which snow and evergreen trey trees j J may be seen throughout the year r 1 I 1 IBy I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON J JS S S would could not bp be b l C Christmas for many of us uV- uV If we could not line have a Christmas tree In our OUI 1 I homes which we lye e decorate l with all sorts of ot orna around which we weSs pile 1110 the thc presents on Christmas Christmas Christ mas runs ese e e e and to which the th- 1 children come scampering culy the next net morning About th the tree has gathered a great greal r 1 filth of ot poetry an and ani legend Ther The r florae 1 or tre tree 1 the thc fir I tree of oft St t W Infred the tile yule lo log of tha th Druh is Is the mistletoe all mistletoe all speak peal of out our ouri i rEt heritage for mm min has hns C ever er been a tree loving luJ being And the i Yule tree Ire once a 8 pagan S symbol s but Lut n an essential part of oC the UrIs LI CI res tt II holiday brings to us the Hie mom ories ones of the far n JY of the rice rlee when alien hen men lived do do clo e a to the tr trees s and the thc gropes gro sere w ere God Gods s temples Although we e always ah associate one of the e fine evergreens n nr r rine Ine spruce prUle or fir with the Idea of ot the Christmas tree It Is a s curious thing tiling to note noh the first Urt Christmas tree tre was sas as an nn anik ook ik 1 The he Incident from which the thee e Idea of the Christmas tree can con be dl reedy traced took place early In the Christian era ern According to the leg legend legend legend end It occurred about A D Shen Boniface a missionary from with a small group of ot foil 0 tors reached Central Europe at nt Yuletide One IngIn evening e te I e came to a 8 des clea Ing In fo a It forest Beneath a enl oak tree le Ie 1 e found that the pagan In bat of ot that region had bad erected an altar to Thor the god of thunder and of earA war ear warA arA A Inge assemblage a of ot Thor nor or ort t hid bid gathered for the annul was about to I 1 e offered ThIs r tl 11 e a most beautiful horse of 01 ottlie the community was sas as to be The worshipers ers were sere cre to drink his blood and anil rot eat his flesh In the thc belief that his bis strength th voul 1 J enter Into their veins and mal e a them mighty o their enemies This year there was nas os also to be U human sacrifice for tor crops s had not turned out well ell and ond the god Thor had bad to be propitiated I asked what hat he want cant 1 I Mid bald he hada had hada a message to deliver dellver from the Chris than Uon church lIe He was gas told therea there a sac waDO no DO time now to listen The priest of Thor went to a group of small children pia playing placing Ing near by blaid b laid his hand on the shoulder of ot a 0 aboy boy of about t ehe years of age oge ann ano asked him If it he wanted to go to that night TI Tl e a little bog bo said MId YS rn I am not 1 1 1 sill ju just t take my bow and arrow mid and go The mallet of ot the priest was seas raised ral and stout at out to descend on tI tie e head of othe the boy when wIlen the blow with Ith his bis staff which wa sas as surmounted by the cross cros of ot ChrIst The priest t a 8 mallet was shattered on the stone of ot the altar The voice of Boniface steady end ani i s1 The hc Christmas tree IS t 3 t ae I Iam I t am in familiar w th W th lb the word wind words s a hands bands h nj That II I I That nat to 10 o my bending branch branches all aU uM hl nt ht i r lo long Brought o L Brought of 01 dutant druml dreaming L da Lind lu t 1 And An from Irom my rooted silence Unc drew a 1 I Ij Ill IOn song r and aDd tinseled twit o a But Bul now through branch I twit there thue a s nr nga ni 1 The fl I The happy cX d a cb Id a t J Ad 1 have a IOn song of d kar dearer J IThan Ih th nia nga J Than nan en ever wind could teach m me In I the Iti II o I j I m am accustomed to lb the alas frail ray nys ly 1 I f tit That nat w like birds upon my lout to lr j teg crest crol J at And g all my 4 darkly brooding ways waya I Il t l And made ad of 01 me their elver I In nr I II I f l neat nett 0 o But now DOW small lender ton kr hands bands have bave made mad 1 fairI I ms m fair I J lt With lob and rope ropes rop of 01 gold old 1 II f and green Hn j ae And t set a star ator within my dusky dinky hair bair il I A gayer 8 ota star atar than ban v ever I have bare sees afen y 1 1 r f fl j I I am famiLar w th lb b the tho chal chain of snow I i tV V v th u which bleb iii tb the winter bound my ft I slender grace race i 1 rj And Ad w th Ih the flowers now of 01 the frost ro t allow aglow 4 e And ADd coven so as fine fiDe lace If But now tb holly warms wanna me a name flame I I fl And ADd nd Ih have han budded from Irom f t my y bark i I 0 r And now w I know k It II wa was for lor or this I I clUDe cam ll rI rentI t l Up from Irem the tho adi aoU and ad from nf the rent r I dark 4 o ae Faith Faith Baldwin In Is St Nicholas NIch lu lui i oI t r i to clew cleir made modI Itself heard lie lIc stepped to the altar au an aril I 1 made so Impassioned on appeal for mercy for the boy and for the thc Christ whom hom Boniface and his fello ers served that the Thor worshipers de deserted tI tl err Ir god goel and the pagan rites and made the God ot of Boniface th their lr God The great oak oaktree oaktree oaktree tree L which the altar nas as erected became tie e s symbol of the I new rell religion lon and hence In a way the first Christmas tree The custom of decorating this th ChrIstmas tree Ins his Its roots lu Iu nil an ancient horse orse custom connected with will the observance of or the 1 or ac according cording to tn Agnes McCulloch riling In tie tic tI e Indianapolis Star I nth itch village gillage III age selected a n tree as the 11 object of Its veneration generation at ot this sea season eason ea eafon son fon The Thc tree was as usually a 0 great e evergreen In whose branches were d contained cont tl II tie e a d dwelling duelling t I laces of ot g is h hand 1 and men giants and dwarfs Our earth or Ird a er ball bail tI they ey r placed 1 cd near the I he center of oC the true tile the home of ot tile the JC cds els a 0 blue L tall It II near I the he top The earth Is con netted nelleI with Ith by the lie user o the pods gods de descend to 11 11 the mortals on earth In mt the t feeds a she goat a whose hoe Noce milk mill Is food of ot the gods cods A little squirrel frisks In the branches carrying gas goJ gossip sip of ot all that Is good or t I ad arl on onearth onearth earth to tl tI the e gods The early Teu tents people added to their tree th animals that were ere I crEd to tl tI tie e a gos go o Js such h as os tip tte II p wolves solves ol es and the raven of Odin and the cat cot and the Ule boar boor ot of oft o t J v 1 ij er the oxen oven lambs and onel fish ush that thaI l I were ere used as ns sacrifices Knowing tIlt after aeter the winter solstice the days day I Mould begin to lengthen the d smelt evergreen e trees wll will tallow dips In honor of their world ash ah ibis 1 his Idea was ms well Tell ell worked owl 1000 years before Christ or 3 yews ago ogo About hundred years after the Romans Homans were ere In the till hit it ot of celebrating the thc winter solstice with witha I a t teh eh e festival al rIotous lid Ilch they called the thc feast teat of Saturn or the Saturnalia an 1 1 to the Increasing light was nas as to be friends exchanged branches of trees ba bearing ring lighted tapers say sayIng sayIng Ing Here Is the thc new v light fight of the One One One-of ot of the thc twelve t el e days da do s woe was giten hn o otero o erTo children Ti is feature was retained by the Catholic church as It greIn grew gre In Its lea len tens lera substituted for tor the Saturnalia the Mass lass of ot Christ tin 1st as tI tie e a day selected elected ns as Ills His I fell at that time tim of the weir icor r e I- I friends then said sold I Ih give e yon on CI Cl rist the Light of the world In place of the old Here Is the nen J lIht of ot the year In greeting one another I v 1 00 the custom had developed still Curt further her In the forests of ot Ger Germony Germany Germany many mony the annual slaughter of blasts carne In the late lale fall foil and anel early euly win winter winter winter ter and was celebrated by feasts that often orten lasted for flays To celebrate the feast at ot whIch certain parts of the animals were ere glen gh en to the poor tl tI e t I e decorated their huts with smell trees and any ony branches that sere Ere flowering out of season fruit rues or hawthorn thorn The rumor was current that certain trees would could bear fruit en r n Christ s 8 birthday In order to obtain that result the simple peas legan 1 I egan to fasten fruit and ers amt amI ng the thc br or In smell tr trees 1 bh Ing us prescient lent for flowers Jowers and anel fruit on our Christmas trees The priests an on 1 I the i I clergy y tried hard to discourage this tl tI Is practice but bulIt It I It t 11 Tie e a chosen fruIt vas us tl P f OPT Ie because the da day dai before Christmas was sacred to Adam and andI andI andIe I e se e At a later date dite tl II tic e a tree OS as coiled Christ hl tl s tree although lint as much dl d of ot by tI lie e church fathers W I en It II became e widen evident Ident that the tree was an nn accepted feature of life lite made an effort to provide the correct symbols for It Candles the animals 18 used In sacrifice i the mistletoe once the lower er of high t but bat battit tit III w tv t ed Into the lie light of ot 10 lose e elie the II fill of ot the lie church sacra sacraments merits the loaf loot and flagon lagon which t hogI the lie communion the ble bice blee hog ng I part cart of ot Christ the red rose shun slon Mlles fishes bells anchors church es s and crosse cross s from ap appie appie pie wood the lie tabled material of ot the tb true Irue rue crl ss |