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--- 3S PAGE TEN "T'was the Day B:fore Christmas" "Twas the da, befvre Christmas and all thru the shop, every creature was «working, with never a stop; The jobs wei all handled with labor and care, in hopes that large holida; cheques would be there, ? 3 y And even the office boy worked with a will, as his fancy envisioned a crisp yellow bill, While the boss in his sanctum had visions of "biz" as he figured the orders that soon would be his. When swift from his dreams he awoke with a crash, and his fist banged .. the desk with a thump and a smash, While the staff all rushed in, full of 'questions and chatter--'twas plan to be seen there was something the matter. "The blazing of ange: gleamed full in his eye, and he thundered the ques- tion, "Now who was the guy Who let me foigee that the season of Yule was almost upon us; say, who was the fool? "Now, Hanson, now Jansen, and Murphy and Nixon, you Nelson, you Martin, and Miller and Hixon-- You've none of you thought to help me remember our clients, the twen- ty-fifth day of December. "Why didn't you think to remind me to greet the clients who fatten our year's balance sheet They'll know something's fishy, and surely they'll say, their competitors wrote us; noy why didn't they? "We've heard from O'Farrell, and Smith and McClout, but Brown's not been heard from; we'd best cut him out For if they think only of orders and such and don't think of Christmas, then they don't think of mmch. "For service that's not set on personal grounds, and attention that comes when bill-time rolls round No service to make us get very excited and no real attention. We're not too delighted." Then the boss heaved a sigh. "It's the fault of us all--we should have remembered some time in the fall, And this now I promise you, honest and sober, next year we'll get started the first of October." Add that's how it was that a crestfallen crew finished work in the office . of Brown, Black and Blue Dn the night before Christmas, but all vowed there and then "Yule greet- ings will not catch us napping again." Premier J. T. M. Anderson, of Saskatchewan, who is dt present engaged in the Estevan by-elec- tion campaign on behalf of the Conservative candidate, WESTERN FARMERS SEEK CONFERENCE (By Canadian Press Leased Wire) Estevan, Sask., Dec, 17.--Ar- rangements are now being made to 'tix an appointment for Prairie premiers with the Dominion gov- grament at Ottawa immediately after Christmas, This was the jtatement made Monday night by The conference will be attended by the prem@rs of the three prairie provinces, he sald, and will deal with the wheat situation, cer- tain aspects of the natural re- sources question and other mat- Christmas | WATCH Present a gift that betokens the rit of A Bulova watch! AS ary With brance so precious as a dependable timepi none thet lives so long in active service. And whether 25 2500 you'll find each ohn fof hah ol in Set with two diamonds and four simulated emeralds or sapphires; filigree bracelet 38 N3ish 1¥54900 A feature diamond value A modernists 18 kb. white lustros reves solid -- 18 1, white solid to nce the beauty of the nting of hand leaming, pure white dle- gold mei bi" Apes) od distinction . pb rig for alft giving. outstanding --- Burns' Jewellery Store 32 King West Phone 389 Tradition--that strongest link in any chain that ties the human race to any of the customs that its many lands and people share in common----has been since time im- memorial the keystone upon which has been built the whole struc. ture of Christmas. Back 2,000 years before the birth of the child Jesus in! the stable at Bethlehem, there are his. toric evidences of the keeping of a season that was in spirit much like the essential character of the Christmas season that tradition has brought down to us, despite fhe natural inclination of the Christian world to date the great festival from the birth of Christ. Authentic record of the actual date and scason of the year in which the Christ was born has never, however, been established and historians disagree as to them both. It was many years after hi lite on earth, however, before De- for celebration of his birthday and from that time on, Christians unit. ed fh accepting the day as sacred to his birth and to his service-- the Christ-mass. : Forerunner of Carols Going back before the Christian era students of the festival have found traces that most of the na- tions of ancient time recognized the period of that which we know as the winter solstice as a season of rejoicing. The return march of the sun up into the heavens, and the season's turn from short days and long nights to days of length- ening light and warmth, impelled a natural demonstation of pleasure that it was so. The Roman Saturn- alfa, which fell at sych a period, was such a festivity of rejoicing, marked by privileges and hailed as exempt from {lls with the spirit of mirth and unbounded license abroad everywhere. The hymns of this time to the sun were the forerunners of our Christmas car- ols. Presents were passed from friend to friend. Gifts were made to the poor, quarrels forgotten and feuds ended. In the northern countries of an- elent Europe thie God Thor was the object of similar celebration at the same season, the song. dance and feast universal and mingled with savage religious rites. Some au- thorities find the origin of the word "Yule" in the name of this eelebration--"Yule," "Jule," "Iul" or "Tol." Origin of Festival The Christian festival of the Nativity hase incorporated the character of these early celebr- tions and appears to have been ap- pointed very shortly after the es- tablishment of a new religion. It is first definitely recorded in the history of the second century, al. though there are indications that it was in order even earlier. Stu- dents of Christmas, while disagree- ing upon the exact time of the birth of-Jesus, agree that in thé EN aman aa anand STR nS . early years of the Church there the Gentiles. eember 26th was fixed as the date | Joy for the Kiddies hristmas Customs come from was a union celebration of the Na- tivity and the Epiphany in the be. lef that the birth of Jesus coincid- ed with the appearance of a star in the east which releaved it to The word Kris' mas is held to be 'Christ's mass," however, and the word Noel is from the ! word "nouvelles" meaning t Druids, Ronmans, Saxons, Anglo-Saxons have all kept such a | festival, marked by the days of the | Romans by temporary equality of of the Druids | slaves and masters, by the use of evergreens and the mistletoe in temple rights. by the Jews with a dedication of their temples, and in the days of the Anglo-Saxons by the elaborate cus- | ecapons and Many Lands lads of the day sings the "plumb. porridge" and "plumb-puddings" and "minced pies." The custom- ary pewter pits for wine and beer were spurned as beneath the dig- nity of the occasion, and there is a singing 'of the serving of the salmon. the wild boar, venison, hogsheads of honey, kilderkins of mustard, bacon swine, pidgins, teal and custards, "cider of our own" and Gascon wine. Mock ceremonial, quaint humors and the spirit of fellowship, mark. ed the celebrations of these times. From the days of the early Nor. man conquest to those of the Com- monwealth in England, down through the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, "Bloody" Queen Mary and Good Queen Bess, into those of James I, Charles I and into the days of the Puritans, there is record that the Christmas revels made their way and the customs persist- ed through the centurics. The Puritans, however, would have none of the 'nonsense," and in New England in 1621, Governor Bradford rebuked a bevy of young men lately arrived from England, when they objected to working on Christmas Day and insisted upon glving it at least to games and sports while he looked on and frowned. Virginians Observed Day It was by way of the Virginians that Christmas observance came to America and in England the res- toration of the royal family to the throne restored the rites of Christ mas there. It was not until 1659, however, that the law against its celebration was repealed in New England. With this halting by the Puritans, the Christmas festival began a languishing from the the immense elaborateness of its ear- lier celebrations that has gradual- ly grown, but Christmas one truly believes, will never become ex- tinct. Amid changing custom the spirit of the season still survives and while uproarious merriment may have passed by the board, the period of ite commemoration con- tinuce to exist as a time of ecele- bration all over the eivilized world. Northern Germany holds the faith that Mary and the Christ child pass through the lanes and streets on Christmas Eve, and in Austria arises our adopted custom of placing candles in the windows Christmas Eve--that the Christ child passing by in the darkened ways might not stumble, Scandinavia has given many a Christmas custom. Peace prevails for all the season there with old feuds forgotten. There the shoes of the family are set in a row with their retiring that its members might live in peace throughout the year to come. There is found the Yule log, the dancing and the rkat- ing, and it was a custom of long- standing in other years and may still be followed in parts of the peninsula, to celebrate the season with the yearly bath, the great wash tub dragged out into the centre of the house for the series of ablutions. Candles burn all night for "Kristine" who brings the gifts, thore are games until the carolers burst {in upon the revelers masked performances, pantomine and mock military drills. Many countries claim the Christmas Tree. In Scandinavia thero is the "lefend of the 'ser. vice" tree supposed to have sprung from the soil where a pair of lov- ers were killed by violence, and where the tree mysteriously ap- pears with its myriad lights at the Christmas time when no winds blow. A thirteenth century ro- mance features the gigantic tree ablaze with burning candles found by a questing hero, with the haloed child shining at its top, the whole aflame with candles, the tree, sig- nificant of mankind, the candles of humans good or bad, the child of the Christ Child. GIFTS LUGGAGE AND LEATHER GOODS A cumplete stock in tan, black and russet. Priced from $1.75 to $50.00. The very newest in ladies' travelling range of useful you'll thoroughly enjoy viewing INITIALS FREE Saywell and Son LUGGAGE Fancy Leather Goods and Novelties A personal visit is necessary to fully appreciate the wide ristmas gifts we carry in our store. You'll find just the gift to answer that perplexing gift problem and this interesting display. Practical Gift Suggestions India Brass Ware ¢ Umbrellas Dressing Cases Music Cases Brief Cases Writing Cases Bill Folds Cigarette Cases Keytainers Collar and Tie Sets Boston Bags A large assortment of ladies' handbags in all colors and styles A LARGE STOCK OF FITTED CASES AT GREATLY hearted sons looked in upon the poor, Everybody kept holiday then but the cooks. The turnspits watched great haunches of Christmas mut- ton and "sirlyons" of beef brown and sizzle above the open fires, geese turned merrily {| round upon the spits, and the bal- Jews, | SES) | toms which have long endured and | which marked the Middle Ages. Then the great "halls of the no- bility" offered hospitality and en. tertainment to the poor. Then were the splendid pageants and banquests such as those King Ar- thur's court knew so well, with minstrels and gleecmen, harpers and jugglers, pipers and dancers, log fires, immense and of long dura- tion within, hunting, wrestling and jousts without. Intemperance was prevalent, and the ale and moad flowed widely while there was the lighting of the Christmas log, thc bringing in of the boar's head, and the games--dice, chess and bac- gammon. As Hamlet Said It Bhakespeare has Iamlet recall the general feeling the eerincss of the holy night before Christmas | SESH BENE ERENT Bees shared by many an age and race | when he recites: "Some spay that ever 'gainst that season comes Wherein our Saviour's celebrated, The Bird of Dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit. stirs fibroad; The nights are wholesome; then ' no planets strike, No fairy takes, power to chain, 80 hallowed and gracious is the time." Crowned on Christmas Day A successfon of Roman Emper.- org that began with Charlemagne was crowned on Christmas Day, in- cluding Alfred the Great (whose defeat by the Danish host is held to have happened because he would not interrupt himself and court in their twelve day's celebration of the season even with the enemy horde at the gates), the Danish King Edward, and Edward the Confessor and his son, Harold, whose coronation took place to- gether with the consecration of Westminster" Abbey in 10686. The next Christmas day saw Willlam the Conqueror crowned there, but it was in the days of the fifteenth and sixteenth centur. fes when "Merrie England's" Christmas celebrations rose to their height of splen- dor © with their = Anglo.Baxon rites and customs, It was then that baronial castle and manor house rang with the merriment of the season, and every village inn kept hospitable cheer. The Yule | roared and the wagsail bowl was everywhere. 'The ale went round and the sugar-and-cinnamon-sweet- ened water toast hailed friend to friend. Old Father Christmas rode his goat through the streets of the city and the lanes of the villages, and as he rested at the hearth from house to house, his kind. birth is nor witch has cases. Fitted if de- sired. $7.50 to $40. REDUCED PRICES SAYWELL AND SON 19 Bond Street West OPEN EVENINGS Phone 338 BURNIN ADEA MAIC IMIS SHEN EERE NREL BRTS NEEONEBEEL NNT AN INVITATION TO ALL The Toggery Shop, 22 King St. East is celebrating its first Christmas in Oshawa, and we extend to you a hearty invitation to inspect our stock of Christmas Specials. O ur stock is very complete with the new and up-to-date furnishings that are so appealing to the women folk who buy gifts for the men. Come in and pay us a visit. === WE LIST BELOW A FEW OF OUR MANY SPECIALS -------- Shirts For Men Broadcloth MEN'S The Town. Best Value in Plain colours and Fancy Patterns. Separate Collars or Reg. 75c. For 55¢ 2 for $1.00 TIES CAPS Regular $1.45 Special for 95¢ Collars attached. Hun- dreds to Choose from $1.05 and $2.50 value SPECIAL! Designs. Wool. SOX Reg. 75¢c. Fey. Special 55¢ 2 for $1.00 Special All Wool Rib SOX 39¢ 3 for $1.00 All EXTRA SPECIAL! Men's Bath Robes Good Quality Blan- ket Cloth, Bilk cord and tassle. All sizes $5.00 and $6.00 Value $3.95 COAT SWEATERS Club Colors $5.00 Value Special $3.95 Men's V Neck COAT SWEATERS Heather Shades All Wool. $2.50 value $1.95 Special FCY. HOSE Check Designs 50c Value for 39¢ 3 for $1.15 SHEE HENNE BERET Ee 9 || Se Silk Mufflers $2.00 Value. Checks Brocades VERY SPECIAL .. $1.00 i Extra Special! V Neck Coats Grey, Heathers, Mon- arch Knit. Value, $3.95 and' ERC MANNNKS MANE SN Fawns, $5 Boys' All Wool JERSEYS Warren Make $1.95 to $2.50 Value for $1.29 Boys' Flannelette $l Pyjamas 95¢ 50 Value MEN'S Silk Ties $1.00 Value for 55¢, 2 for $1.00 Reg. 756c Value, Special MEN'S ALL, WOOL Rib Sox 50c Men's Sleeveless Jerseys All Wool, Whites, Fawns, Club col- ors. $2.50 value ..unminniiisiiiiin.. Separate 95¢ SHIR Forsyth and Arrw Makes All the newest Patterns. Collar attached or Reg. $2.50 and $2.95 Value TS $1.95 a Visit, you are not obligated to Buy. Don't forget the Place, 22-King St. East, The New St ore where Quality and Price go hand in hand. Pay us TOGGERY SHO Gift Boxes with Each Purchtse 22 KING ST. EAST PHONE 3471 EE ed OFFRRCBARBRLENENSNANS OPEN EVENINGS A ---------- EM { { f { | i { § i & i : § AAT RIE So