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Show Charming Yule Legend Tells Story StoryOf Storyof StoryOf Of Village's Villages ' First Christmas Candle CandleAt At Christmas millions of little candles suddenly spring Into being all allver allver allAver Aver , ver it seems seems-on seems on - - on Christmas trees on so many of our Christmas cardsto cards cardsIn cardsIn In the shop windows and in our homes In these days of fluorescent uorescent andneon and andl1eon andneon l1eon neon lighting the candles often take on the form of a 25-watt 25 watt - - bulbnevertheless bulb bulb-never bulb never bulbnevertheless - - neverffieless theless they de definitely nitely contribute Just the right touch of reverence and andralety andgaiety andalety ralety gaiety ( to the holiday season . . . True , . the custom of o1 lighting Ughting candles In remembrance of the Star of ofBethlehem ofBethlehem ofBethlehem Bethlehem claims deep religious significance signi1lcance But Christmas has also alsolome alsotome alsolome lome tome to be a children s a festival . , and wherever there are children there thereAs thereis thereIs As is legend weaving weavingAnd weavingAnd weavingAnd And there &here here & is III a charming charmlnc legend that &hat hat & long lonl ' , long 10DI ' ago al'O alO ' In Austria ADstrla , . thereaved there therelived thereflved lived flved an aD old shoemaker In a little mUe cottage on the &he he & edge of 01 a village rillal'e rillale ' AI hi AIthol1l'b hithough _ though thol1l'b thol1lb ' this &Ida Ida & bumble humble man bad had very vel'J velJ ' Ut- Ut 116 Uttie UtUe 116tie . - - tie Ue , . whether for himself blmseU or to sharewith share sharewith sharewith with others , , . his hia ' goodness 1'0odDess 10odDess of 01 heart was wassuch wassuch 1 such each & that &hat hat each evening evenlDl ' he be placed In Inhis Inhis ' his window a lighted Uchied candle aa as a sip sign sipof signr signof of welcome to weary weal'J wealJ ' travelers who whomll'ht whomight whontlght r mll'ht mllht might ' be asking askinI ' shelterWar shelterWar shelter shelterirr irr War came to the village and fam fan fanme tarnine famine ine me yet the little light never wavered.Each waveredEach wavered waveredEach waveredy waveredEach . y Each night it took Its Ita place to sendforth send sendforth - ' forth its Ito beam as a message of cheerto cheer cheerto : ' . to forlorn wayfarers wayfarer wayfarersIt . ; , It was wintertime and the suffer sutrer- sutrer suffer- sutrerIng sufferit suffering - - . it w ing big was acute Great hardships came cameSons cameSons Sons died in battle Animals starved starvedfor starvedfor / s + for want of grain Yet always somet some some- somehow somehow - - . how the old shoemaker suffered sutrered less lessthan lessthan t than others It was almost as thoughthere though , | there were a splendid charm upon3-tj upon3 tj upon uponhim . - him At last the peasants gatheredtogether gatheredS gathered gatheredtogether | ? together and said . ' Surely there is Issomething issomething " " something different dlilerent about him that he heis heIs heis is spared What does he do that we do not do ? Perhaps it Is his little littlecandle littlecandle littlecandle candle Let us , . too , , . place lights in our windowsAnd windowsAnd windows windowsAnd And the day the peasants took counsel was the day before Christmas Christmasand Christmasand Christmasand and the first night the candles were set to burn in aU all the windows was wasChristmas wasthristmas wasChristmas Christmas thristmas EveWhen EveWhen Eve EveWhen When morning came It 1 & was as though thouth a miracle bad ha4 happened bappeued A A.on Asoft .on on soft . oft mantle of 01 anow snow covered the &ho ho iii & . village villace like Uke a . gentle seuUe bleastng bleuinl blessing ' , . but therewas there therewas therewas and And before the sunhad sun sunlad sunhad atr air of hope was something somethlnl ' ; more more-a more a - - a new ne peace lad had ! cast Its nrat ftrst tlrst bright brll'ht brllht ' gleam I'leam Ileam ' on the spire of the village vUlace church therecame therecame there therecame came a meaaenKer messeucer messenger riding rldm . to bring brine the crea great & . , elad olad glad ; ne new news . of 01 peace Theohurch The TheDhurch Thechurch Dhurch church bells belb belt chimed and the tbe people prople knelt melt In prayJw prayu prayhr and there was a feel- feel feelIII feeling feel-IBC feel IBC - - III ing & ' of 01 Chrlstmasi Vhrlstmas Christmas ' glory I'lol'J IlolJ ' such neb there bad had not been In man many , . reanThe yearsThe years rean yearsThe The peasants were awed . . . . ' It was the candles candle . . , " . they whispered whispered'They whispered"They whisperedThey the Christ Child Cblld to our doorsteps We must never neveragain neveragain neveragain 'They They . ' " 111e ' " , . have guided S " ' again tail fall to light candles on His Hit Birthday BirthdayS beginning this beautiful custom has becomerery become becomerery becomeeery From such a long ago dear to our hearts So dear in tact fact that year after year we Ughtourcandles Ught light UghtDur lightour rery eery candles on Christmas Chrletmaa Eve and year after year the hoUday holiday greetingcards greetingcards greeting greetingcards Dur our cards we exchange with our friends and loved ones carry the proudmotif proud proudmotif proudmotif motif of the Christmas Chrlstmas candle And this year the candles will still burn burnb burnbright burnbright b bright ht their light sending forth hope and cheer tor for the peaceful world thatIOOD thatloon that must comeThere comeThere come comeThere oon IOOD loon There are scores of other legends legendJ surrounding surrO\mdlng surrO mdlng \ the widespread use ot of ottandles ofCandles ofcandles at Christmas Chrtstmaa time-and time and time--and - - - - all of them have a simple beauty which whichappeals which.ppeals whichtppeals tandles Candles appeals .ppeals ppeals . to children and adults alike The stories are told In every IanNjge Ian Ianuage JUage Njge ( uage . . . |