Show NATAL t f at M by JERLE HAT a ghastly holiday christmas will be in europe this year mil lions of families in mourning mil lions of women and children stara FADING ing millions of homes in ruins M millions of new graves millions of dead men that haven t even tha shelter of earth millions of square miles of fertile land laid waste by war millions of men killing fathers husbands brothers sons and sweet hearts belgium serbia northern france and poland are a hades of wreckage in germany everyone Is living on short rations and turning all energies to the pursuit of war i even the half grown boys of france are under arms awaiting the call to A r the trenches austria and italy and england and russia and bulgaria are pouring their money into i it at the mill that turns out guns and explosives while the poor exist in the misery of getting their mite of food and fuel and clothing ay taking their turn in the bread line all of warring Eu ropes able bodied men are soldiers in one capacity or another in the streets of all the cities and villages of the con excepting the little neutral nation sone sees only aged men veterans of other wars and jas r A schools churches factories homes every sort of habitable place la filled with wounded and one of the most nourishing enterprises over there Is the sale of artificial limbs even rom asia comes the wall of borrow for mohammedan turkey Is religiously slaughtering its hundreds of thousands ot christian armenian subjects news dispatches of the last few days describe the terrible plight of refugees dennl lesa ragged hungry diseased noncombatants combatants non and exhausted beaten soldiers who are sweeping out of desolated serbia into greece we read of women with children in arms spending a month tramping through the snow covered mountains hoping in the end to find a little warmth and food and peace we read of frozen roadways strewn with the bodies of those that stopped on the way tor a bit of rest and never went on none of the hundred million of us in the united states can appreciate the horror of it all some of our war correspondents over there have seen and heard but none has suffered and endured as those who are a part of the conflagration santa claus will have a sorry time abroad this year fathers and mothers have neither the heart nor the means of commemorating the birth of the child of bethlehem and his mission among men of necessity they and their children will fast instead of feast it there Is any feasting it will be a feast of prayer and hope america sent no christmas ship abroad this year why not some of us may ask why nott with ohp united states at the height of prosperity and blessed with peace perhaps because we realize what a horror the war Is A prominent newspaper man in one of our large cities a man who had much to do with the success of the project last year had this to say when the cues alon was brought up A christmas ship this year a boatload or two or three boatloads of dolls and jumping jacks and red apples and candy and cakes and mittens and red top boots tor the kids of europea I 1 shall not dwell on the fact that the warring nations have become much more deadly in their hate nd us and probably would refuse safe passage tar to another I 1 shall the cargoes from one country not concern myself with the fact abit the natrona s embroiled look upon the united states as a greedy animal growing fat and sleek feeding on their life blood and probably would return our gatts to us with curt no thank instead I 1 shall confess that I 1 am weighed down with the hopelessness of the situation here in america we have all we may reasonably ask of providence considering our own sins of politics and social injustice over there they are cursed beyond the power of words to describe and the curse will be felt tor generations millions in europe are dying in the agonies of starvation cold and disease for want of food clothing shelter and medical aid what a gaast ly joke it would be in these circumstances tor the richest and luckiest nation to offer those millions of pitiful children a little candy and fruit when they need milk and broth mittens when they need blankets and clothing dolls and toy trains when they need doctors and nurses and sanitary supplies no this Is no time for polite mementoes let us concentrate on giving the only real help that would suffice and that would be welcome peace as soon as possible let us look upon the manner in which europe celebrated christmas before the war in prance and belgium on christmas eve the bardques baraques bara ques or booths appear in the streets without hindrance and are all ablaze with candles and glittering treasures for every household must contain some bright trinket in honor of noel the midnight mass Is thronged thron ged the magnificent christmas hymn Is chanted everywhere and then all Is gleeful holiday for ah hour or so for it Is christmas morning the peacemaking peace making morning of the worldly there is the boudan to be eaten the calen or christmas lamp symbolical of the star that guld ed the magi to bethlehem to be lighted the lit tie to be exposed and all happiness all good will to everyone to be expressed before retiring with the grand chorale of peace sounding in the ears in the country the aads tads and classies lassies merrily drag home the boehe de noel correspond ing to our yule log which as kindled by the bead of the family the boudan must bo eaten and the hot spiced wine sent round and aaby a ilsun Is mado clear the christmas alre on this the day of good hlll in germany and austria every housemother and every father makes christmas the feast for the children the great day of reunion the glad time when all meet under the old roof tree and social customs prevail over religious observances the christmas tree Is ubiquitous everyone hau it rich or poor and no one omits or christmas gifts to provide these the german people will it need be save up halt the year each member of the household must have something as a surprise generally serviceable presents that are often needed and always acceptable singularly enough the christmas Is not celebrated as one would expect in italy there the night of the year Is leas a religious festival than a fair the world seems absorbed in delirious excitement and all crowd round and divert themselves hilariously till the churches claim them tor the midnight mass but the tun goes on they laugh gleefully aa only italians can laugh enjoy themselves to their hearts con tent but the celebrations are not home celebrations it Is a general not a domestic feast in russia and poland the children put their shoes filled with bay outside the door or the horses of st nicholas and it is believed in most sections that st nicholas comes first on a preparatory visit ten days before christmas to learn which children have been good he leaves nuts and candy in the shoes of those who have been good but nothing for those who have been bad who thus know that they may expect no presents on the real christmas day in serbia and the other balkan countries at dawn on the day before chrismas the sturdy peas ant proprietor dispatches bis sons to the forest on reaching the spot where the destined christ mas tree stands the ax bearer offers up a prayer then he draws on a pair of gloves takes a hand ful of corn flings it against the tree and says good morning and a happy christmas to you this done he addresses himself to the task of felling paying careful attention to the laws of the bad nyaL which prescribes among other things that all the cuts be made on one particular side once felled the tree is carried home and leaned against the east side of the house where it remains till evening then the wife lights two can dice and places one on cither elde of the door way while the husband goes forth to bring in the barnyak the master of the house now throws three nuts into each of the four corners of the room saying aa be does so in the name of the father in the name of the son in the name of the holy amen all night everyone remains gloating over the crackling roasting pig with an eagerness of anticipation proportionate to the zeal with which they have observed the six weeks fast enjoined by the greek orthodox church by this time christmas day has dawned and on christmas everyone must go to service |