A CHRISTMAS DREAM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2026, 22 December 1892, Page 4

A CHRISTMAS DREAM.

The children slept : Without a myriad host of snowflakes fell, And wild winds moaned through vale and doll. The children dreamed : Afar there came the sound of bells, melodious, quaint, A sleigh, two deors, and more— the jolly saint. The Children slept : The Christmas 6aint smiled sweetly o'er each curly head, And murmuring words of tender love, he said : "Awake, my little dears, and welcome Santa Glaus ! See here, a thousand toys I carry on my back, Each 'one securely tucked away within my pack,' And, slowly sitting down,— Oh, hear it crackHe opened up the mighty, magi-; Back. And there disclosed, upon the chambor fkor, The wondrous contents of his treasure store : A lovely doll, A green tin Poll, A carriage and a cage, Some sheoo and goats, Two-wheeled steamboats, An ark of Noah's age ; And, clcspur clown, A train of cars, Some fairy star", A wooden king and crown ; A Chinese child, A frog that smiled, A doll's now silken gown. ' And scores of other pretty things. And 'neath all these he quickly brings » Oran'gcs yollow, aitples'mellow, Ten kinds of fruit or more, t Candy sticks, candy mixed, And sweetmeats half a score. Then in a flish, he closed the bag, . And smiled and winked, the sly, old wag And quickly skipped without the door. The children slept :' The light of Christmas morn awoke them once again : They looked about and haply saw they had not dreamed in vain, For there, upon the rough pine floor, They found the old man's treasure store. Will M. Clemens. Christmas in Gebmany.— As Christmastime approaches, I am constancy reminded ot the bright, cheerful holidays in Germany, where simplicity of thought and feeling still prevails, and where goodwill toward men seems to radiate through thß streets. Many of tbe streets are bordered by rows of fir trees, and almost every family has one on Christmas Eve. There is a great baking of Christmas cakes, too, for some weeks before tho day arrives, cakes only made at this special season of the year. The trees are kept for a week, and lighted at various times, as every^family invites its friends to see its special tree, Gifts are usually given on Christmas Eve, and later in the evening, ■ after the festivities are over, somes the midnight Mass in the court chapel, where the singing is beautiful,. On Christmas night there is o'ten a specially fine orchestral concert at the Odeon, or musio haD, and many gay parties are crowded into the holiday week. The holiday season begins with Chiistmas Eve, and closeß with New Year's Dar, when the so-called " Carnival " begins. This oarnlval is not like the Italian celebration in anything but name, and in the fact that there are numerous masquerades, during the time, but signifies the season between New Year's Day and Ash Wednesday. In this time are crowded all the balls and patties, and all the debutantes are initiated into the ga'eties of fashionable life.— Munich correspondent Boston Transcript.

Some, of the Christmas customg in Southern Germany and Austria are exceedingly curious. On St. Barbara's Day (4fch December), the inhabitants gather branches of fruit trees, placing them carefully on one side. If these have budded out on Christmas Day, it is a sign that the next year's harvest will be an abundant one. Eveiy young girl has a bracch, and tbe owner of that which buds into leaf or flowtr first, according to tbe popular belief, will be tbe first to ba married. In certain villages, so much importance is attached to the branches that they are forced into flow6r in a heated room, and are used as presents from tho young men to their sweethearts as declarations of love and promises of marriage.

In Styria, atd in the region of the Carpathian Alp?, the country people never play cards on Christmas Eve, because, according to their ideas, cards are an invention of evil spirits, and might bring them misfortune acd bad luck. To prove this a legend says that four woodmen sat down to play- one Christmas night at Maria Zell, a noted place for. pilgrimages in Upper Sbyria ; they continued playing and swearing until the moraing, notwithstanding the church balls called the faithful to early Mass, after which, co says tradition, these four sinners were turned into the same number of stone statues 1

Jenkin?, writing to thank his .aunt for a large goose sent laCt Christmas, says, " You could not have sent me a more acceptable present, or one that would have reminded me of you more pleasantly."

Olara: "Did you get my Christmas card, dear?" Maud: "Yes, and I have always admired that card so much. I told Ethel Swansdown when Bhe sent it to yon last year that I thought it was so pretty."