Class _JaX 
 Book 
 
 Copyright N°. 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT; 
 
HOLIDAY FACTS 
 
 AND 
 
 FANCIES 
 
 Full yet Simple Explanations of the 
 AMERICAN HOLIDAYS 
 
 CLARA J. DENTON 
 
 AUTHOR OF 
 
 " Little People's Dialogues," " The Brownie's Quest," 
 "Topsy on the Top Floor," "The Program Book." 
 
 EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 BOSTON 
 
 New York Chicago San Francisco 
 

 Copyright, 1910 
 
 BY 
 
 EDUCATIONAL PUBLISHING COMPANY 
 
 'CCI.A278758 
 
HOLIDAYS EXPLAINED 
 
 PAGE 
 
 New Year's Day. {January First) .... 5 
 Lincoln Day. {February Twelfth) . . . . 13 
 St. Valentine's Day. {February Fourteenth) . .21 
 Washington's Birthday. {February Twenty-second) . 26 
 St. Patrick's Day. {March Seventeenth) . . .38 
 
 All Fool's Day. {April First) 43 
 
 Easter 48 
 
 Arbor Day 53 
 
 May Day. {May First) 63 
 
 Bird Day 66 
 
 Memorial Day. {May Thirtieth) . . . . .74 
 
 Flower Day . . 77 
 
 Flag Day. {June Fourteenth) 87 
 
 Independence Day. {July Fourth) .... 93 
 Hallowe'en. {October Thirty-first) . . . .100 
 
 Thanksgiving Day 104 
 
 Forefather's Day. {December Twenty-second) . .111 
 Christmas Day. {December Twenty-fifth) . . .123 
 
HOLIDAY FACTS AND FANCIES 
 
 January First 
 
 NEW YEAR'S DAY 
 
 In a far-away land, in a long-ago time, 
 lived some people who were called the Romans. 
 
 They were great fighters, and were never 
 so happy as when at war with their neighbors. 
 Then, when they won in the fight, as they 
 generally did, because they had so many well- 
 trained soldiers, they took to themselves the 
 land and everything else belonging to the people 
 who were beaten. 
 
 You know, even in these wonderful days of 
 the twentieth century, we are only beginning 
 to think that there may be a better way to settle 
 our troubles with the world than to shed human 
 blood. So it is not strange that they knew no 
 better in those far-off times. 
 
 Although these Romans were so warlike they 
 had very lively imaginations, and, as they knew 
 nothing of the one God who rules the universe, 
 they fancied a god or a goddess in almost every- 
 
 5 
 
6 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 thing: the wind, the water, the trees, the flowers 
 and so on. 
 
 Each god or goddess was given a name, 
 and all of these names with the stories about them 
 fill a good sized book. 
 
 It is about one of these gods called Janus 
 that we wish to tell you now. You will see, I 
 am sure, that our month January is named for 
 this god. 
 
 All the statues of Janus were made with two 
 faces, one looking forward and one backward, 
 because he represented the beginning of the 
 year and also its end. Then he had a key in his 
 left hand and a scepter in his right hand. The 
 scepter showed his power, the key, that he 
 opened and closed everything. 
 
 Since they believed all this about Janus, it 
 was certainly very fitting to call the first month 
 in the year after him, and also to ;make the 
 first day of that month, which we call "New 
 Year's Day," a time of great feasting and 
 rejoicing. 
 
 On this day they gave gifts to their friends, 
 just as we sometimes do now. They were 
 also very careful what they did on this day, be- 
 lieving they would do the same things through- 
 out the year. 
 
 They built a temple to Janus and in the 
 
'RING OUT THE OLD, RING IN THE NEW" 
 
New Year's Day 7 
 
 temple they held a great celebration on New 
 Year's Day. There was another strange cus- 
 tom connected with this temple; it had immense 
 gates, and when Rome was at war with another 
 nation these gates stood open, but as soon as 
 peace was declared the gates were closed with 
 great rejoicings. 
 
 During the first seven hundred years of the 
 life of the Roman nation these gates were closed 
 but three times, which certainly shows that they 
 loved war better than peace. 
 
 There is a story told that at one time the 
 people wanted war very much, but their King 
 wanted peace, and so he steadfastly refused 
 to open the gates. Their great men met with 
 the king and talked and argued the matter over 
 and over, but the king would not give up. While 
 they were thus wasting time and words, sud- 
 denly the gates were burst open ; then, of course, 
 the king gave up, for they all agreed that it was 
 the goddess Juno, the greatest of all the god- 
 desses, who wanted war, and so had to take the 
 thing into her own hands. What do you think 
 about it ? 
 
 There is something for us to learn in the 
 story of Janus; it shows us that on New Year's 
 Day we ought to stop and think over the mis- 
 takes of the past year and then promise our- 
 
8 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 selves not to make the same ones in the next 
 year to which we are looking forward. 
 
 Another lesson that we may gain from this 
 story is that it is well to keep the doors of our 
 hearts and minds closed against evil words and 
 thoughts, for, if these are kept out we will be 
 saved much sorrow and trouble. So, you see, 
 in that way, closed doors will mean to us peace 
 and quiet, just as it did to the ancient Romans. 
 But you must not think that the ancient Romans 
 were the only people who celebrated New Year's 
 Day. Every country in the world has its own 
 way of rejoicing over the beginning of a new 
 year. 
 
 The Chinese nation, which is even older 
 than the Roman nation, makes much of the 
 New Year. These people do not, however, fol- 
 low our date exactly. Their new year begins 
 several days later than ours, and their celebra- 
 tion reaches out over many days. At this time 
 their houses are decorated with lanterns and gay 
 colors, all work is laid aside, and the people ap- 
 pear on the streets dressed in their best suits. 
 If anyone has no best suit he stays at home and 
 hides, so that no one can see him until the holi- 
 days are over. People meeting on the street 
 say, "Kung-hi" — I humbly wish you joy — or 
 "Sui-hi" — May joy be yours — quite like our 
 
New Year's Day g 
 
 "Happy New Year." The men call on each other, 
 but the women take no part in either making or 
 receiving calls. The men receive calls from 
 those below them in society and make calls 
 on those above them. If that were the custom 
 here, any man might call on the mayor of the 
 town, but the poor mayor could not make any 
 calls as he is the highest city officer, unless some 
 of the state or county officers happened to live 
 where he could reach them. 
 
 The Japanese new year customs are very 
 like those of the Chinese, except that they have 
 adopted our calendar, and so have their new 
 year holiday begin on January first. 
 
 In Scotland the children of poor people go 
 about on New Year's Eve begging bread from 
 door to door, and this is one of the rhymes 
 which they sing: 
 
 Hogamananay trollolay 
 
 Give us your white bread and none of your gray. 
 
 The children are wrapped about with white 
 sheets which they make into a sort of pouch 
 in front, in which they carry whatever is given 
 to them. 
 
 Ringing bells on New Year's Eve is an old 
 English custom, which is now carried out in 
 many parts of our own country. In some parts 
 
io Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 of England they used to ring muffled bells just 
 before twelve o'clock and then at twelve o'clock 
 they would take off the wrappings and ring the 
 bells loudly. The muffled bells are rung to 
 show grief for the dying year, and the un- 
 muffled ones show joy over the coming of the 
 new year so full of promise. Lord Alfred Tenny- 
 son has written some beautiful verses about 
 this custom of ringing the bells. I will quote 
 a few lines. They are taken from a long poem, 
 called "In Memoriam." 
 
 Ring out, wild bells to the wild sky, 
 The flying cloud, the frosty light, 
 The year is dying in the night, 
 
 Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. 
 
 Ring out the old, ring in the new, 
 Ring, happy bells, across the snow, 
 The year is going, let him go; 
 
 Ring out the false, ring in the true. 
 
 In Germany, and also in Russia, much is 
 made of New Year's Eve. The streets are 
 decorated and brilliantly lighted, and the people 
 gather there to make merry. Friends meet, 
 and all are as gay as people can be when they 
 set out to forget their cares. 
 
 In Russia, but not in Germany, the people 
 wind up their merry-making near midnight by 
 
New Year's Day n 
 
 going to the church and "watching" for the 
 coming of the new year. 
 
 In France and Spain New Year's Day is a 
 time for making gifts, and in Paris it is one of 
 the gayest days of the year. 
 
 The Persians give each other eggs on New 
 Year's Day, for just as no one can tell what sort 
 of a chick will come forth from the shell, so no 
 one can tell what events the new year will 
 bring. 
 
 The Druids, who were heathen priests living 
 many centuries ago, made presents to people of 
 branches of mistletoe on the first day of the year. 
 It was to them a sacred plant; therefore, to give 
 a piece of it on this day was to bring blessings 
 to the receiver on every day throughout the 
 year. 
 
 Our Pilgrim forefathers, about whom you 
 hear so much at Thanksgiving time, did not 
 keep this day in any way. They thought it was 
 wicked to do so because the month with which 
 it begins was named after the heathen god 
 Janus. For the same reason, the Quakers, or 
 Friends, refuse to call this month by its name, 
 January, but instead, speak of it as " First 
 month." 
 
 When the Dutch came to settle New York, 
 they brought with them the custom of making 
 
12 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 New Year's calls, but their manner of calling 
 was very different from the Chinese custom. 
 The men, it is true, did all the calling, but, not 
 on each other. I am sure they would have 
 thought that a very stupid way of spending the 
 day. On the contrary, they called on all their 
 women friends, both young and old, so in this 
 way, every woman was sure to meet all her men 
 acquaintances in the town, at least once a year. 
 It was a dear old custom, full of cheer and good 
 will, and many people were sorry to see it pass 
 away. 
 
 Here are some lines by the great English 
 writer, Thomas Carlyle, which seem appropriate 
 to the new year, as well as to the new day. They 
 are called 
 
 TO-DAY 
 
 So here hath been dawning another new day, 
 Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away? 
 Out of eternity this new day is born, 
 Into eternity at night 'twill return. 
 Behold it aforetime, no eye ever did, 
 So soon it forever from all eyes is hid. 
 Here hath been dawning another new day, 
 Think wilt thou let it slip useless away? 
 
F. p. 13 
 
 ABRAHAM LINCOLN 
 
February Twelfth 
 
 LINCOLN DAY 
 
 Here is a date which every American boy and 
 girl should remember, February twelfth, 1809; 
 because on this day was born the greatest Ameri- 
 can that ever lived — Abraham Lincoln! 
 
 You know it is the proud boast of this country 
 that the poorest boys and girls in it have as good 
 a chance as the richest ones to make of them- 
 selves noble men and women. There have been 
 other Americans as great as Abraham Lincoln, 
 but they did not spring from surroundings so 
 poor and humble. There have been other men 
 whose childhood was passed in poverty. But 
 they did not become so great as Abraham Lin- 
 coln. This is the reason for calling him our 
 greatest American, because he so fully showed 
 forth this great American principle, that all 
 boys and girls have an equal chance in life to 
 bring out the good qualities that are within 
 them. 
 
 Abraham Lincoln's good qualities were 
 
 13 
 
14 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 these: A bright, quick mind, honesty, industry, 
 thirst for knowledge, and a warm, unselfish 
 heart. 
 
 His honesty was so great that when he was 
 a poor struggling lawyer, he would not take a 
 man's case unless he knew that the man was in 
 the right. His energy and industry were so 
 great that when his clothes grew shabby, he 
 split fence rails to pay for some new ones. His 
 thirst for knowledge was so great that he once 
 cut four cords of wood, just to pay for a piece 
 of a book. This book was the Life of George 
 Washington, and young Lincoln would lie flat 
 on the floor at night, and read by the light of 
 the fire. His parents were too poor to afford even 
 the light of a tallow candle. His heart was so 
 kind and tender towards everything, that one 
 day when he was riding along a country road, 
 he stopped the horse and climbed out of the 
 carriage — what for, do you suppose ? Just to 
 turn over a poor beetle that was lying on its back 
 and could not get on its feet again. 
 
 "There," he said, when he had climbed back 
 into the carriage again, "I have given that bug 
 a fair show with all the other bugs on earth." 
 
 You may have heard that he was born in a 
 log cabin in LaRue County, Kentucky, but 
 when he was seven years old, his father moved 
 
Lincoln Day 15 
 
 the family to Indiana. Two years afterward 
 his mother died, and they were so poor that 
 there was no money to buy a coffin for her. 
 His father had to make one out of a log that was 
 left after building the cabin. Poor little "Abe, " 
 as he was called, helped make it by holding the 
 boards while his father bored the holes for the 
 pegs which were to hold the coffin together. 
 They lived far away from the stores where nails 
 were sold, and they had no time to go after them 
 or money with which to buy them. 
 
 In less than a year after the mother's death 
 the father married Sallie Bush Johnston, a 
 widow with three children, and at once better 
 times began for the Lincoln children. The 
 story of all that this second mother became to 
 Abraham Lincoln ought to silence forever the 
 unreasonable prejudice against step-mothers. 
 
 In 1832, Lincoln was made captain of a 
 company in a short war called the Black Hawk 
 War. In 1836, he moved to Springfield, Illinois, 
 and began the practice of law. In 1847, ne 
 was elected to Congress. 
 
 In those days the negroes were held as slaves 
 in the Southern states, and Lincoln had very 
 early shown that he thought slavery was wrong. 
 
 Once when he was making a speech he said, 
 "This country cannot stand half slave and half 
 
1 6 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 free; it must be either all slave or all free. This 
 speech brought him many bitter enemies, and 
 one day a man who was one of his friends said 
 to him that he was sorry that he had used those 
 words, and that he wished they could be wiped 
 out because they would cost him many votes. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln replied: 
 
 "If my whole life except one act had to be 
 wiped out, that sentence is the one thing that 
 I would let stand." 
 
 Here he showed his honesty, for he had put 
 his true belief into that speech, and he could not 
 pretend to anything which he did not believe. 
 In i860, he was elected president. In 1863, he 
 gave to the world the great paper called by two 
 hard words, "The Emancipation Proclama- 
 tion." This was the beginning of new times for 
 this country, for it gave freedom to all the 
 slaves, so it is no wonder that the name of Abra- 
 ham Lincoln is beloved by every colored person 
 in the world. 
 
 He carried the country through four years 
 of Civil War, and kept the states together, 
 when many misguided men were seeking to 
 break up the Union. 
 
 He was the second time elected president, and 
 was inaugurated March 4, 1861. Every one 
 was now looking forward to a peaceful time, 
 
Lincoln Day 17 
 
 when he could, as he expressed it, "bind up the 
 nation's wounds," and enjoy four years of 
 quiet, after his four years of war and trouble. 
 
 But this was not to be, for on April 14, he 
 was shot by a wicked man and he died the fol- 
 lowing day. 
 
 Everybody mourned for him, people went 
 about the streets weeping. Many private houses 
 were draped with crepe, while in his own town 
 of Springfield everything seemed to stand still. 
 As one man said in speaking of his death, "I 
 don't believe the sun shone again in Springfield 
 for weeks after he was laid away." 
 
 The stories told about Lincoln are so many 
 that it is almost impossible to choose between 
 them. Indeed, a large book has been made 
 of them which I trust you may read some day. 
 I will however, give you a few to think over. 
 
 An old farmer who died in 1901 tells that 
 when Lincoln was working for him as a " hired 
 man," he came across him one day sitting bare- 
 foot on top of the wood pile, with a big book 
 open before him. 
 
 "What are you reading ?" asked the farmer, 
 for books were not plentiful in that part of the 
 world. 
 
 "I'm not reading," was the answer. "I'm 
 studying." 
 
1 8 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 "Studying what?" 
 
 "Law, sir," was the reply, and the old 
 farmer was too astonished to say anything 
 more. 
 
 Lincoln, himself, tells of finding some law 
 books among a lot of rubbish which he had 
 bought cheap, and that he read and studied 
 them until he had mastered them all. 
 
 Here is a pretty little story which I am sure 
 you will enjoy. 
 
 After Mr. Lincoln had become a prosperous 
 lawyer, he was one day going to his home in 
 Springfield, when he saw a little girl standing 
 at her gate crying bitterly. Although he did 
 not know her he stopped at once and asked her, 
 "What is the matter?" 
 
 She told him that she was all ready to go on 
 a little trip with a friend, but that the hack man 
 had forgotten to come after her trunk and she 
 knew that she should miss the train. He asked 
 to see the trunk, and when she had taken him 
 where it was, he put it on his shoulder and 
 started off down the street as fast as his long 
 legs could carry him, while she ran with all 
 her might to keep up. They were just in time 
 for the train, he kissed her good-bye, and told 
 her to "have a good time." 
 
 Do you wonder that everybody loved him ? 
 
Lincoln Day 19 
 
 When he was nominated for president the 
 first time a Governor and some other well- 
 known men called upon him, as is the custom, 
 to tell him of his nomination, he said to them, 
 " I suppose it is the proper thing to give you 
 gentlemen something to drink." 
 
 He called in the maid, spoke to her in a low 
 voice, and presently she returned to the room 
 carrying a waiter, several glasses, and a large 
 pitcher. Then Mr. Lincoln arose and said 
 gravely: 
 
 "Gentlemen, we will pledge our mutual 
 health in the most healthy beverage that God 
 has given to man — it is the only beverage I 
 have ever used or allowed my family to use, and 
 I cannot conscientiously depart from it on the 
 present occasion. It is pure 'Adam's ale' 
 from the spring." 
 
 He then poured out a glass of water for each 
 of his guests, and taking up his own glass pledged 
 them his highest respects. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln was wise enough not to muddle 
 his brains with either whiskey or tobacco. 
 
 Mrs. Carrie Mathews Hollister, widow of 
 O. J. Hollister and sister of Vice-President Col- 
 fax, was a girl at Washington during the whole 
 of Lincoln's administration. She met the presi- 
 dent almost daily as a close and intimate family 
 
20 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 friend. In a recent letter to the present writer, 
 with no thought of publication at the time, she 
 made use of the following language (the italics 
 are hers) in speaking of Mr. Lincoln. 
 
 "All this rudeness and buffoonery I read so 
 much about I never saw. I always felt as if in the 
 presence of an angel, he seemed so different from 
 other men, and so good" 
 
 LINCOLN* 
 
 The rectitude and patience of the rocks, 
 The gladness of the wind that shakes the corn, 
 The courage of the bird that dares the sea, 
 The justice of the rain that laves all leaves, 
 The pity of the snow that hides all scars, 
 The loving kindness of the wayside well; 
 The tolerance and equity of light. 
 
 — Edwin Markham 
 
 * Copyright, 1901, by Edwin Markham. Reprinted by permission 
 of the publisher, Doubleday, Page & Company. 
 
February Fourteenth 
 
 ST. VALENTINE'S DAY 
 
 This is the day, February 14, when we mean 
 to be kind to everybody. We want to give, not 
 only loving thoughts, but words as well, to our 
 dearest friends, and we love to go to the stores 
 and buy pretty little tokens to send to them. 
 
 It is true that we see in the windows hideous 
 pictures, unlike any people that have ever been 
 seen on earth, and we hear them called "Valen- 
 tines," but they have no right to the name. 
 
 The day was set apart for merry making and 
 kind feeling, and not to give pain and annoyance. 
 If people want to make these hideous pictures, 
 and other people are foolish and unkind enough 
 to buy and send them out, I suppose it is not 
 possible to prevent them from doing so, but 
 they have no right to call the ugly things, "Val- 
 entines," for that is an insult to the good and 
 holy saint after whom the day was named. 
 
 It is true that the good Valentine did not set 
 going this custom of sending valentines, but I 
 
22 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 am sure he would not object to having messages 
 of love and kindness named after him. Let 
 us keep the holy man in our minds, and so re- 
 fuse to call by his name the frightful objects 
 displayed in some of the windows at this time. 
 
 Very little is known of St. Valentine except 
 that he was a bishop and lived in Rome less 
 than three hundred years after the dear Lord 
 Jesus was on earth. 
 
 In those early days, when Christianity had 
 not been in the world very long, the Romans 
 used to put to death the people who owned that 
 they were Christians. These people were called 
 martyrs, and St. Valentine was one of these 
 early martyrs. 
 
 In ancient days the Romans held a great 
 feast every February, called ' ' Lupercalia," which 
 was in honor of a god whose name was Luper- 
 cus. When Rome was first founded it was sur- 
 rounded by an immense wilderness in which 
 were great hordes of wolves. So the Romans 
 thought they must have a god to watch over and 
 protect the shepherds with their flocks, so they 
 called this god, Lupercus, from the Latin word, 
 lupus, a wolf. As they kept special feast days 
 for other gods, they must have one for Luper- 
 cus since so much depended on his protection. 
 When the country about the city became cleared 
 
St. Valentine's Day 23 
 
 up, and there was no longer danger from the 
 wolves they still kept up the feast day in honor 
 of Lupercus. 
 
 One of the amusements on this great day was 
 the placing of young women's names in a box 
 to be drawn out by the young men. Each 
 young man accepted the girl whose name he 
 drew, as his lady love. 
 
 The Christian priests, wishing the people to 
 forget about their heathen gods, yet not liking 
 to do away with all their sports, kept the feast, 
 but called it St. Valentine's Day, because the 
 good bishop's birthday occurred about that 
 time, and they also wished to remind the people 
 of his holy life. Not satisfied with this, they 
 went even further, and changed the nature of 
 the festival by putting the names of saints and 
 martyrs into the boxes to be drawn out. The 
 name that each one drew was called his or her 
 "valentine," and the holy life of that person 
 was to be imitated throughout the year. 
 
 But as time went on the custom gradually 
 changed again, and the names put into the 
 boxes were those of living people instead of 
 dead saints, and these became the " valentines. " 
 From this custom grew quite naturally the prac- 
 tice of sending out messages of kind remem- 
 brance. 
 
24 Holiday Facts and Fancies ] 
 
 It was at one time the custom in England 
 for people to call out, "Good-morning, 'tis 
 St. Valentine's Day/' and the one who succeeded 
 in saying this first expected a present from the 
 one to whom it was said, so this made things 
 pretty lively on St. Valentine's Day. 
 
 Nowadays people have learned to make 
 these little tokens both cheap and pretty, and 
 when you see one that can be bought for a few 
 cents you would hardly think that it went 
 through five or six hands before it became the 
 dainty gift which you buy for your friend. 
 
 There is an old saying that birds choose 
 their mates on St. Valentine's Day, and, at 
 one time, it was the custom for young people 
 to go out before daylight on that morning 
 and try to catch with a net one owl and two 
 sparrows. If they succeeded in doing this, they 
 not only thought it a sign that they would be 
 happy all the year, but they also expected a 
 present from everyone who knew them. 
 
 The fancy about birds mating on this day 
 inspired Charles Kingsley, one of the English 
 poets, to write the pretty little poem given on 
 the next page. 
 
St. Valentine's Day 25 
 
 VALENTINE 
 
 O, I wish I were a tiny brown bird from out the south, 
 Settled among the alder-holt * and twittering by the 
 stream ; 
 I would put my tiny tail down, and put up my tiny mouth, 
 
 And sing my tiny life away in one melodious dream. 
 I would sing about the blossoms, and the sunshine and the 
 sky, 
 And the tiny wife I mean to have in such a cosy nest ; 
 And if someone came and shot me dead, why then I could 
 but die, 
 With my tiny life and tiny song just ended at their best. 
 
 *Alder woodland 
 
February Twenty-second 
 
 WASHINGTON'S BIRTHDAY 
 
 A beautiful, sweet scented rose growing in 
 a well kept garden is very different from a little 
 weed trying to live beside the dusty road. Quite 
 as different, also, were the early lives of our two 
 greatest Americans, George Washington and 
 Abraham Lincoln. 
 
 George Washington was born in 1732 in 
 the colony of Virginia. There were no states 
 then, you must remember, but just a few strug- 
 gling colonies belonging to the great Kingdom 
 of England across the ocean. In this beauti- 
 ful colony of Virginia, were the stately homes 
 of the planters, many of whom were descended 
 from proud old English families. 
 
 It was among this class of people that George 
 Washington's life began. His relatives and 
 friends were all people of refinement and edu- 
 cation, while some of them were wealthy. 
 
 He was born near the Potomac River, but 
 
 when he was a very little child, the house was 
 
 26 
 
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 F. p. 2- 
 
 GEORGK WASHINGTON 
 
Washington's Birthday 27 
 
 burned and his father, instead of rebuilding 
 on the old site, moved to a place which he 
 owned on the Rappahannock River in Stafford 
 County. In this neighborhood was a small, 
 private school taught by a man named Hobby, 
 who was also sexton of the Parish, and here 
 the small boy George began his school life. 
 
 His father died when he was nine years old, 
 but he was carefully brought up by his mother 
 and an older brother. 
 
 Mary Washington, it is said, was a woman 
 born to command, and on her husband's death 
 she took charge of her own estate, managing it as 
 well as a man could have done, riding about the 
 large plantation in an open chaise. She was 
 very orderly, perfectly truthful, and these traits, 
 together with her governing powers, her son 
 George inherited. 
 
 Lawrence, the elder brother of George, was a 
 man of excellent judgment, upright character, 
 military training and withal held a fine social 
 position. 
 
 He married a relative of the wealthy Lord 
 Fairfax when George was but eleven years old, 
 and as he felt that he must take a father's 
 place to this younger brother, it came about 
 that George spent most of the years of his 
 later boyhood and earlier manhood at his 
 
28 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 brother's beautiful home on the Potomac River. 
 This place Lawrence named Mount Vernon, 
 after the admiral under whom he had served 
 in the English navy. The home of Law- 
 rence was hardly ever without guests who 
 were in all respects the choicest people of the 
 colony. George was therefore brought in con- 
 tact with the best social life of his time. It is 
 said that he was given much attention by his 
 brother's guests and was often flattered in a 
 way that would have turned the head of a lad 
 of less common sense. 
 
 There are two stories told about Washing- 
 ton's boyhood which all children love to hear. 
 One is that he cut down his father's favorite 
 cherry tree with his little hatchet and then told 
 the truth about it when questioned. 
 
 It seems as if a bright boy, even if only a 
 little one, ought to have known better than to 
 cut down a fine young cherry tree, doesn't it ? 
 As they, no doubt, had other cherry trees I don't 
 suppose they went without cherry pie after that, 
 but I think it would have done Master George 
 good if he had been made to go without cherry 
 pie for a while. 
 
 Some people who tell the story of Washing- 
 ton's life leave out this cherry tree tale, but 
 others say that it was told by one of his old 
 teachers and that it is doubtless true. 
 
Washington's Birthday 29 
 
 Another story which no one denies is this: 
 when George was a good sized boy, and some 
 years after his father's death, he- and his cousins 
 went into the pasture to look at some blooded 
 colts of which his mother was very proud. There 
 was one young sorrel, which no one had been 
 able to master, and George said that he would 
 ride it if his cousins would help him catch it. 
 
 This was done, and George was soon on the 
 colt's back. The animal was enraged, and 
 would obey neither the pull on the rein, nor the 
 word of the rider, but reared, plunged, backed, 
 and did everything that an angry untamed colt 
 could do to throw its rider off its back. But 
 George was large for his age and enormously 
 strong, so he kept his temper and also kept his 
 seat, hanging all the while to the bridle with a 
 firm grip. Then the raging animal gave a 
 mad leap into the air, hoping no doubt, to dis- 
 lodge his rider in that way. The next moment 
 it came to the ground dead; in its rage it had 
 burst a blood vessel. 
 
 George, as you may imagine, was terribly 
 frightened at this end to the battle, for he well 
 knew how highly the colt was prized. When 
 they returned to the house, one of his mother's 
 first questions, was about the noble sorrel colt, 
 expecting, no doubt, to hear their words of 
 
30 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 enthusiastic admiration. George answered at 
 once, after the formal manner of those times: 
 
 "Madam, the sorrel colt is dead, I killed 
 him." 
 
 I daresay there were many other times when 
 he told the truth against himself, but these two 
 stories are enough to show that he loved truth 
 more than anything else, and that he would 
 not depart from it to save himself blame and 
 possible punishment. 
 
 Many books have been written about George 
 Washington, which I hope you will read when 
 you are older. In one called, "The Home of 
 Washington," by B. J. Lossing, there is a letter 
 which he wrote when he was only nine years 
 old; it is indeed a very nice letter and it closes 
 with what he calls "a little piece of poetry about 
 the picture book you gave me, but I mustn't 
 tell you who wrote the poetry." 
 
 "G. W.'s compliments to R. H. L. 
 And he likes his book full well. 
 Henceforth will count him as his friend, 
 And hopes many happy days he will spend." 
 
 It is said that the lines were written by a gentle- 
 man who visited the Washington family very 
 often. I do not wonder that he did not want 
 to be known as the author of that "little piece 
 of poetry," do you ? 
 
Washington's Birthday 31 
 
 By the time George was sixteen years old, he 
 was six feet tall, with long, strong arms, and large, 
 powerful hands. Astonishing stories are told of 
 the way that he could throw, run and wrestle. 
 
 There was naturally much talk among all 
 the relatives as to the proper business or pro- 
 fession to which he should be trained. He 
 seemed to lean toward the navy, which is but 
 natural, since his brother Lawrence had been 
 a naval officer. After much talk among them- 
 selves, they decided to let him enter the navy, 
 and his trunk was even packed and sent aboard 
 an English man-of-war which was lying in the 
 Potomac. But just at this point a letter came 
 to his mother from her brother in England, beg- 
 ging her not to let George enter the English 
 navy, and giving her so many excellent reasons 
 for his advice, that the trunk was immediately 
 brought ashore again, and they began to think 
 of other things for George to do. 
 
 How different might have been the fate of 
 this country, if George Washington had gone 
 thus early into the service of George II. Had 
 he done so it is not likely that he would have 
 taken up arms against the successor, George III, 
 and without his firm command the result of the 
 American Revolution would, no doubt, have 
 been very different. 
 
32 Holiday Facts and Fanceis 
 
 Soon after this change in his plans he went 
 to work as a surveyor at good wages, and, as 
 this sort of work pleased him greatly, we may 
 say that his life had now begun in earnest. 
 He enjoyed the woods life, the daily battle with 
 bush and brier, in making new paths through 
 the unbroken wilderness. 
 
 His biographers say of him that at this time 
 his best qualities were truthfulness, courage, 
 self-reliance, hopefulness, carefulness, strong 
 common sense, knowledge of human nature, 
 and faith in God. 
 
 His greatest fault was a hot, quick temper. 
 Several times this fault had brought serious 
 trouble upon him, and he early felt that he 
 could not become the useful man which he 
 hoped to be, unless he brought his temper under 
 control. He set himself with so much firmness 
 to conquer this weakness, that in after years 
 it seldom showed itself. Now and then, a sharp 
 flashing of his eyes, a sudden flushing of the 
 strong face, showed that the old enemy was only 
 chained, not dead. But it was a great deal, 
 was it not ? to keep it in chains. 
 
 While in the midst of his work as a success- 
 ful surveyor, George was made adjutant of his 
 military district, with the rank and pay of Major, 
 which you know is the office next above a cap- 
 
Washington's Birthday 33 
 
 tain. As he was then but nineteen years of 
 age, you will understand that this was a great 
 honor for so young a man. 
 
 A little later than this, his brother Lawrence 
 lost his health and was ordered to the Barba- 
 does, with the hope that the milder climate 
 would cure him. George immediately resigned 
 his position and went with his brother to care 
 for him in his weakened condition. In 1752 
 this much loved brother died, and George re- 
 turned home. 
 
 By the death of Lawrence, George became 
 the owner of Mount Vernon, in fact he was for 
 those times, a very rich man, for his brother 
 had left him about two hundred thousand 
 dollars. He did not, however, as many another 
 would have done, settle down to the idle 
 enjoyment of his wealth. 
 
 Two years after the death of Lawrence, he 
 joined General Braddock in fighting against the 
 French and Indians. He helped to capture 
 Fort DuQuesne for the English, thus fighting 
 for the same country against which he was 
 soon to fight for the young colonies. But when 
 the battle was over he thought he was done with 
 fighting, and soon afterward, in 1759, he mar- 
 ried a beautiful widow, Mrs. Custis, and settled 
 down to a peaceful life at Mount Vernon. He 
 
34 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 was made a member of the Virginia house of 
 Burgesses, and doubtless looked forward to serv- 
 ing his native state, peacefully for many years. 
 
 Trouble, however, soon arose with the mother 
 country, and Washington as a member of the 
 Virginia Assembly was, of course, drawn into 
 the discussion on all the burning questions of 
 the day. From what we have already seen of 
 his character we know that he could not do 
 otherwise than take a decided stand for his 
 own country, the young colonies. Thus, when 
 it was thought best to form a general Congress 
 of men chosen from all the Colonies, Washing- 
 ton was naturally sent from his own district. 
 
 He was not a great orator like many other 
 men who came to that Congress, but Patrick 
 Henry said of him, when Congress was over, 
 "If you speak of solid information and sound 
 judgment, Colonel Washington was unquestion- 
 ably the greatest man on that floor." 
 
 There were other meetings of this body of 
 men, which is called the "Continental Congress," 
 and on June 15, 1775, two days before the great 
 battle of Bunker Hill, George Washington was, 
 by this Congress, made Commander-in-chief 
 of the Continental army. When he accepted 
 this honor he said, "I will keep an exact ac- 
 count of my expenses. These, I doubt not, 
 
Washington's Birthday 35 
 
 Congress will discharge, and that is all that I 
 desire." 
 
 He wrote a tender letter to his wife, closing 
 with the words, " I shall no doubt return to you 
 safely in the fall." 
 
 But soon afterward came the Declaration 
 of Independence, and the long war of the Revo- 
 lution followed, so that Washington saw his 
 beautiful home again but once in seven years, 
 and then only for a few days. 
 
 Some day you must read the story of this 
 sad war and then you will learn more about 
 the great and wonderful George Washington. 
 
 The war closed in 1783 and Washington 
 then resigned his commission and prepared to 
 return to his beloved country home on the 
 banks of the Potomac River. He made a 
 touching speech, bidding his army an affection- 
 ate farewell. The soldiers, however, were un- 
 willing to lose him, they wanted to do something 
 grand and fine for him, so they put their heads 
 together and persuaded one of their generals, 
 Lewis Nichola, to write him to become king of 
 the new country. This he might easily have 
 done, since the soldiers were willing to stand by 
 him. 
 
 Washington was both grieved and indig- 
 nant over this letter and refused the offer in- 
 
36 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 stantly. He desired no greater happiness than 
 to retire to Mount Vernon to spend the remain- 
 der of his days. He arrived thereon Christ- 
 mas Day, 1783. What a delightful Christ- 
 mas merry making there must have been at the 
 dear home after his long absence. He was 
 soon very happy and busy, he enlarged his house, 
 beautified his grounds, attended to the culti- 
 vation of his large farm, and looked after the 
 welfare of his many slaves. 
 
 But he was not allowed to remain long in 
 this delightful state. People began to find out 
 that the Colonies were too loosely held together, 
 and that they needed something more than 
 Congress to govern them, so when the Con- 
 gress met in 1787 they adopted that great 
 system of laws and rules known as the Consti- 
 tution of the United States. They thus re- 
 quired a President, and near the close of 1789 
 they chose George Washington as the President 
 of the United States. 
 
 Thus was he again forced to leave his de- 
 lightful riverside home, but you have seen 
 that he never refused to help his country when 
 it needed him. Do you think it is strange that 
 it is said of him, "First in war, first in peace, 
 and first in the hearts of his countrymen"? 
 
 This is what Abraham Lincoln said of him: 
 
Washington's Birthday 37 
 
 "Washington is the mightiest name on earth, 
 long since the mightiest in the cause of civil 
 liberty — still mightier in moral reformation. 
 On that name a eulogy is expected, it cannot be. 
 To add brightness to the sun or glory to the 
 name of Washington is alike impossible. Let 
 none attempt it. In solemn awe pronounce the 
 name, and in its naked, deathless splendor 
 leave it shining on." 
 
March Seventeenth 
 ST. PATRICK'S DAY 
 
 This is the day which all Irishmen honor, 
 because it is kept in memory of the good Bishop, 
 Patrick, who did so much for Ireland. The 
 stories about him are, however, so great a mix- 
 ture of fact and fancy that it is hard to tell where 
 each begins and ends. Even the date of his 
 birth is in doubt, but it was somewhere between 
 the years 373 and 386. As to the day of the 
 month, this was long in dispute, some claiming 
 March 8, and some March 9. There is an 
 amusing old poem on this subject which says 
 that the claimants for these two days finally 
 added eight and nine together, and that is 
 why we now keep the 17th of March as the 
 birthday of this great and good man. 
 
 As all writers agree that there was a good 
 bishop sent to preach to the Irish, so they all 
 agree that he was not an Irishman and that his 
 name was not Patrick. He was born either in 
 
 France or England, and when a mere lad was 
 
 38 
 
St. Patrick's Day 39 
 
 sold as a slave to a man named Milcho, who 
 carried him to Ireland. 
 
 He became a very good man, and when 
 the Pope of Rome wanted someone to preach 
 the gospel to the Irish he selected this man and 
 gave him the name of Patricius; this was easily 
 shortened into Patrick. 
 
 Here is one of the queer stories told about 
 this good man. In the first place he was said 
 to have driven all the snakes and toads out of 
 Ireland. In order to do this he wandered about 
 the country taking with him a drummer who 
 marched before St. Patrick beating the drum 
 with all his might. So the power of the good 
 saint united with the great noise of the drum, 
 frightened the poor snakes and toads so terribly 
 that they ran as fast as ever they could and 
 jumped into the sea. But, by and by, right in 
 the midst of their great success, the drum burst, 
 so nothing more could be done until the drum 
 was put together again. 
 
 While waiting for this to be done, St. Patrick 
 met an immense serpent that did not seem to 
 fear him in the least, and instead of running 
 away as the others had done, it just kept lying 
 right across the good saint's path. So St. 
 Patrick found a big box with a good cover upon 
 it and brought it near the serpent. Then with 
 
4Q Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 many soft words, for although he was not an 
 Irishman, he seems to have learned the Irish 
 ways of speech, he tried to coax the serpent into 
 the box. But the wily thing said that the box 
 was too small to hold him. St. Patrick declared 
 that it was quite large enough. 
 
 They argued about it at great length, until 
 the serpent angrily declared that he would prove 
 the truth of what he said. This was, of course, 
 what St. Patrick wanted, so he held his breath 
 while the great serpent crawled slowly and 
 carefully into the box. He was no sooner safely 
 inside than St. Patrick clapped down the lid 
 of the box and shoved it into the sea. 
 
 "Did they mend the drum after that?" 
 Well, I never heard that they did; that will do 
 for a fairy story. The good bishop, however, 
 did help the Irish people to become better, and 
 so, of course, happier. They were heathens, 
 with all sorts of strange wild customs, when he 
 came among them, and many of these were done 
 away with under his teaching. 
 
 It is said that the Irish people had paid 
 little or no attention to the shamrock which 
 grows so plentifully in Ireland, until one day 
 the good saint was trying to explain to them 
 the Trinity. He spoke of the Father, Son, and 
 Holy Spirit, three in one, and then stooping 
 
St. Patrick's Day 41 
 
 down he plucked the delicate, little three-leaved 
 shamrock, and used it as an illustration of the 
 Trinity. From that time it became the emblem 
 of Ireland, and is now beloved by every Irish- 
 man "even unto the third and fourth genera- 
 tion." 
 
 The following verses on the shamrock were 
 written by Thomas Moore who is often called 
 the "Irish poet": 
 
 O! THE SHAMROCK 
 
 Through Erin's Isle 
 
 To sport awhile 
 As Love and Valor wandered, 
 
 With Wit, the sprite, 
 
 Whose quiver bright 
 A thousand arrows squandered. 
 
 Where'er they pass, 
 
 A triple grass 
 Shoots up with dew drops streaming, 
 
 As softly green 
 
 As emeralds seen 
 Through purest crystal gleaming. 
 O ! the Shamrock, the green, immortal Shamrock, 
 
 Chosen leaf 
 
 Of bard and chief, 
 
 Old Erin's native Shamrock! 
 
 Says Valor, "See 
 They spring for me, 
 These leafy gems of morning!" 
 
42 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Says Love, "No, no, 
 
 For me they grow, 
 My fragrant path adorning." 
 
 But Wit perceives 
 
 The triple leaves 
 And cries, "O do not sever!" 
 
 A type that blends 
 
 Three god-like friends 
 Love, Valor, Wit forever!" 
 O! the Shamrock, the green immortal Shamrock! 
 
 Chosen leaf 
 
 Of bard and chief, 
 Old Erin's native Shamrock. 
 
 So firmly fond 
 
 May last the bond 
 They wove that morn together, 
 
 And ne'er may fall 
 
 One drop of gall 
 On Wit's celestial feather. 
 
 May Love, as twine 
 
 His flowers divine 
 Of thorny falsehood weed 'em; 
 
 May Valor ne'er 
 
 His standard rear 
 Against the cause of Freedom! 
 O ! the Shamrock, the green, Immortal Shamrock, 
 
 Chosen leaf 
 
 Of bard and chief, 
 Old Erin's native Shamrock! 
 
April First 
 ALL FOOL'S DAY 
 
 Some writers say that this name comes from 
 the word aperie, "I open/' because it is the 
 time when buds begin to open. Other writers 
 claim that because the Romans gave the names 
 of gods and goddesses to many of the other 
 months, therefore April comes from A phrilis, 
 or Aphrodite, which were the Greek names for 
 Venus, and this goddess is supposed to have 
 especial charge of the month of April. 
 
 The Anglo-Saxons, who were more prac- 
 tical, called it the Oster-month, because it is the 
 time of cold east winds. Oster means East. 
 
 I am sure we all love this month of the early 
 spring, in spite of its strangely mixed weather, 
 because in this month there are always some 
 bright, warm days which bring the early birds 
 and flowers. 
 
 Shakespeare speaks of the "uncertain glory 
 of an April day," and sometimes I think one 
 reason why we love April so well is because she 
 
 43 
 
44 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 gives us so many surprises. Often opening 
 in tears and gloom, but before night gladdening 
 us with a burst of sunshine and blue sky. Here 
 are some of the old sayings about April: 
 
 A cold April the barn will fill. 
 April showers bring May flowers. 
 
 When April blows its horn, 
 It's good for both hay and corn. 
 
 The reason for the latter saying, no doubt, 
 lies in the fact that when the wind blows well 
 throughout the month it dries out the winter 
 moisture from the ground, making it fit for 
 plough and seed. There is usually a grain of 
 truth in these old sayings that have been re- 
 peated for so long a time. 
 
 Children wait impatiently for the coming 
 of April First. They think it rare fun to shout 
 "April Fool!" at the unsuspicious child or 
 person whom they have tricked. There may 
 be fun in these tricks when they harm no one. 
 But remember, a trick ceases to be funny when 
 it brings sorrow, trouble or pain to another. 
 
 When you are planning to play some prank 
 on a friend or companion, stop a moment and 
 ask yourself how it would seem to have the same 
 trick pla)^ed upon you. The "golden rule," 
 you perceive, applies here as well as everywhere 
 else. 
 
All Fool's Day 45 
 
 The custom of playing tricks on April First 
 is so old that no one knows certainly just when 
 or why it began. Some writers even say that 
 it began when Noah made the mistake of send- 
 ing the dove out too soon over the waters, and 
 that the custom of sending people on fruitless 
 errands was begun in memory of Noah's de- 
 liverance from the deluge. 
 
 The Romans held a feast called the "Feast 
 of Fools" which was much like the "All Fool's" 
 of recent times, although it was held at an en- 
 tirely different time of the year. 
 
 The Hindoos in Asia have a festival which 
 lasts for several days, closing on the 31st of 
 March, and at this time they play all sorts of 
 pranks on people, calling the ones who are 
 tricked, "Huli fools." 
 
 The French, it is said, followed this custom 
 before the English did, and as the English way 
 of keeping their "All Fool's Day" is much like 
 the Hindoo way of making "Huli fools," it 
 looks as if the French learned the custom from 
 the Hindoos, and then the English copied it 
 from the French. 
 
 In France they call the one who is tricked 
 an "April Fish," that is a young fish easily 
 caught. In Scotland they call him an "April 
 gawk," gawk meaning a simpleton. 
 
46 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 In "Poor Robin's Almanac/' a book printed 
 in England more than one hundred years ago, 
 there was given this bit of verse : 
 
 It is a thing to be disputed, 
 Which is the greatest fool reputed, 
 The man who innocently went 
 Or he who him designedly sent. 
 
 There is not much poetry in this little rhyme, 
 but we must admit it holds much truth. 
 
 Here is a story in which the practice of 
 April fooling was helpful instead of hurtful: 
 
 A certain Duke of Lorraine, whose name was 
 Francis, was, together with his wife, held as a 
 prisoner, at a place called Nantes in France. 
 They decided to make an attempt to escape. 
 They dressed themselves as poor country people; 
 he carried a brick-layer's hod on his shoulder, 
 she carried a basket of rubbish on her arm. 
 At an early hour in the morning they passed 
 through the gates of the city. But there hap- 
 pened to pass by a woman who saw their faces 
 and knew them, and she ran at once to one of 
 the sentinels and told him that the man and 
 woman who had just passed out the gate were 
 Duke Francis and his wife. Then the sentinel 
 chanced to remember that it was the morning 
 of April First, so he threw his head on one side, 
 
All Fool's Day 47 
 
 winked his eye knowingly, and shouted "April 
 Fool" at the woman. 
 
 The story was considered so good that it 
 was told from one to another, until it reached 
 the Governor's ears, his suspicions were aroused 
 and he set about finding out as to the truth of 
 the matter. It was then too late, however, 
 for the prisoners were beyond his reach. 
 
 How fine it would be if all "April Fooling" 
 turned out as well as that. Set your wits to 
 work this year and see if you cannot think of 
 some kind tricks to play on people. Here is 
 a simple little verse which you may enjoy: 
 
 AN APRIL THANKSGIVING 
 
 The Robins are singing, 
 
 The Bluebirds are winging, 
 
 Then why should we sorrow or sigh ? 
 
 The bright sun is shining, 
 
 Cold winds are declining, 
 
 Overhead is God's beautiful sky. 
 
 O! moments enchanting, 
 
 We would be descanting 
 
 All the day on April's dear song, 
 
 Not a thought then be wasting 
 
 On the days quickly hasting, 
 
 But give thanks that they linger so long. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
EASTER SUNDAY 
 
 This is what we may call a "movable holi- 
 day/' because it does not come on the same 
 date every year. The reason for this is, that 
 it is governed by the moon, and we all know 
 how changeable the moon is. First we have 
 the beautiful thin crescent, which we call the 
 "new moon/' then in about seven days more, 
 we see the first quarter, and in another seven 
 days we have the splendid round moon which 
 is called the "full moon/' and also the "gibbous 
 moon." 
 
 The date of Easter Sunday is fixed by the 
 first full moon that comes on, or next after, the 
 twenty-first of March. This is called the "pas- 
 chal moon," and the next Sunday after this 
 full moon is Easter Sunday. 
 
 Easter Sunday with the early Christians took 
 the place of the Jewish Passover, because we 
 know by the New Testament that our Lord was 
 crucified and rose again during the Jewish 
 passover, and for this reason this day is in some 
 
 countries called the "Paschal Feast." 
 
 48 
 
Easter 49 
 
 The heathen people had a goddess called 
 Eostre, whose festival was kept in the Spring of 
 the year, as she was the goddess of the light or 
 morning, or Spring. 
 
 It was quite natural therefore for the early 
 Christians to keep the familiar name when they 
 changed entirely the character of the feast. The 
 day was also called the "joy Sunday," and the 
 habit of having new clothes for this day comes 
 from an old superstition that unless one wore 
 something new on "joy Sunday" or Easter Day, 
 bad luck would follow throughout the year. 
 
 A favorite superstition among the Ger- 
 mans is that if the children of the household are 
 truthful, kind and obedient, a white hare will 
 come into the home at night and hide colored 
 eggs in odd corners of the house. The use of 
 eggs at this time is to show forth that our Lord 
 came again to life out of the silence and dark- 
 ness of the grave, just as the chicken comes to 
 life and breaks its way out through the shell. 
 The reason that they tell that the hare brings 
 the eggs into the house is because the hare is 
 the ancient symbol, or figure of the moon, and 
 Easter Day is governed by the moon, as you 
 have been told before. Hares, unlike rabbits, 
 are born with their eyes open, and the moon 
 is the "open-eyed watcher of the night." As 
 
50 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 there are no hares in this country, when this 
 story is told to children here, they speak of 
 rabbits instead of hares, as the two little animals 
 are much alike. You will often see white 
 rabbits on picture cards, or find candy white 
 rabbits among Easter gifts. There are many 
 people who do not understand the reason for 
 their usage, but now, you will know that it 
 comes from a very old myth. 
 
 A queer custom which was at one time prac- 
 ticed in some parts of England, was called the 
 "Lifting." On Easter Monday, the men went 
 about the village or country-side, and two of 
 them would make their four hands into a seat 
 or chair just as children often do now-a-days, 
 then another man would pick the women up, 
 one at a time, of course, and place them on this 
 chair to be carried about. Then, on Easter 
 Tuesday, the women would go around in the 
 same way and lift the men. Just when or why 
 the practice arose, or what its hidden meaning 
 was, no one seems to know. 
 
 A beautiful custom is observed in all coun- 
 tries where the Greek church exists. When 
 two people meet for the first time on Easter 
 Day, one says, "Christ is risen," the other re- 
 plies, "Christ is risen indeed." 
 
 It was a very ancient English practice to 
 
Easter 51 
 
 play ball with colored eggs. This was no doubt 
 the origin of the egg rolling, which is an old and 
 still favorite sport in the city of Washington. 
 All of the children in the city gather on the 
 White House grounds on Easter Monday, 
 and roll eggs down the sloping lawn. It is con- 
 sidered great fun and no Washington child 
 would think of missing it. No grown person 
 is admitted to the grounds unless accompanied 
 by a child. 
 
 Here is a couplet which shows an old belief: 
 
 A good deal of rain on Easter Day, 
 
 Gives a good crop of grass, but little good hay. 
 
 Another old superstition is that if the wind 
 is in the East on Easter morning, you must draw 
 some fresh water and bathe the face and hands; 
 it will then be impossible for the East wind to 
 harm you throughout the year. 
 
 We do not care for these old superstitions 
 now; instead, we love to think of Easter as the 
 day on which the Lord arose from the grave, 
 and when we look at the beautiful flowers, the 
 daffodils, the lilies and the tulips, that have 
 come up into the sunlight after their long 
 winter's sleep in the warm, dark ground, we 
 think that in much the same way Christ came 
 forth from the darkness and silence of the tomb, 
 
52 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 and so the flowers with their beauty and fra- 
 grance have a precious lesson for us at every 
 Easter time. 
 
 AN EASTER SONG 
 
 Sing a song of Easter, 
 
 Children dear, and birds, 
 Sing a song of Easter, 
 
 Full of joyous words. 
 Lily censers fragrant 
 
 Swing and gently sway, 
 Lily bells seem telling 
 "Lo! 'tis Easter Day." 
 
 Sing a song of Easter, 
 
 From the brown earth's mold, 
 Wondrous in their beauty, 
 
 Flowers bright unfold. 
 Upward then, O children, 
 
 Like the lilies white, 
 Lift your faces tender 
 
 Ever to the light. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
ARBOR DAY 
 
 A wonderful day indeed is this tree-planting 
 day. We cannot all keep the same day because 
 this is a big country and in some parts of it the 
 Spring is much later than in other parts. But 
 as long ago as 1872, in the State of Nebraska, 
 there lived a man with the common name of 
 Smith, who had been governor, and you may 
 be sure he had studied a great deal about his 
 state. He made up his mind that one thing 
 needed there was more trees, for no land can 
 be a good place in which to live unless it is 
 blessed with plenty of trees. Then he had 
 another good thought which was that if every 
 child in school planted one tree each year, there 
 would soon be plenty of trees. So a day was 
 set aside in April to be called Arbor Day, then, 
 soon after, Kansas set aside a day and other 
 states quickly followed the fashion. 
 
 Canada also caught the idea, and it now 
 looks as if there could never be a scarcity of 
 trees anywhere on this broad continent. In 
 
 Nebraska alone, from the time the first Arbor 
 
 53 
 
54 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Day was kept until 1905, there had been planted 
 over six hundred million fruit and shade trees. 
 Isn't that wonderful ? Think of it, it is a whole 
 forest of trees! 
 
 Now let us think for a moment of all the 
 good that comes from these waving, green 
 friends. 
 
 In the first place they help the rain fall, then 
 their leaves absorb, or take up, all the poison- 
 ous qualities in the air. They shelter the ground, 
 making it warmer in winter and cooler in sum- 
 mer, they shelter animals and homes, keeping 
 off the cold winds of winter and the hot rays of 
 the summer sun, they delight the eye by their 
 waving beauty and last of all they are made into 
 many things useful to man. 
 
 Through all the ages human beings have ever 
 delighted in trees and many great events in 
 history have made certain trees famous. 
 
 To tell you of all these would take too much 
 time and space, but we will at least learn some- 
 thing about the famous trees in our own coun- 
 try. The most famous of them is, I am sure, 
 the one called the " Charter Oak," which stood 
 on the northern slope of Wylly's Hill, in Hart- 
 ford, Connecticut. 
 
 The story goes that in the early days of 
 Connecticut, it was governed by a man sent out 
 
Arbor Day 55 
 
 by the King of England, whose name was 
 Andros. The King had before this time given 
 to the people of Connecticut a paper granting 
 them certain rights. This paper was called a 
 charter. As soon as Andros arrived he de- 
 cided to get hold of this paper, thinking he could 
 then do as he liked with the people. They 
 were, however, too shrewd for him. Some of 
 them chanced to know of a large cavity in this 
 old oak tree, about two feet from the ground, 
 and the charter was carried there and secreted. 
 This happened in the summer of 1687 and the 
 charter's whereabouts being known to but a 
 few, who guarded the secret carefully, it was 
 not found by the unreasonable Andros. In 
 1689, the people arose against him and he was 
 put in prison; then the charter was brought from 
 its hiding place, and the people felt that they 
 were free once more. In the year 1800, a 
 daughter of the family after whom the hill was 
 named, wrote that the cavity within the tree had 
 grown up; but it was then no longer needed. 
 In 1855, this ancient tree was blown down in 
 a heavy gale, but a white marble slab has been 
 placed on the exact spot where once stood the 
 old "Charter Oak:' 
 
 Liberty Elm is another tree that is famous 
 in our history. It stood in Boston, on the corner 
 
56 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 of Washington and Essex Streets, and was one 
 of a beautiful grove of elms. The exact spot 
 on which it stood is now marked by a build- 
 ing on the front of which is a relief figure in 
 granite of the old tree, with the inscription, 
 "Sons of Liberty, 1776," because the Sons of 
 Liberty held their meetings under it and called 
 the spot where they stood "Liberty Hall." 
 
 The first meeting was held 1765. A long 
 pole which rose far above the top of the tree, was 
 fastened to the trunk of the tree, and by an 
 arrangement of ropes and pulleys a red flag was 
 run up to the top whenever it was desired to 
 have a meeting of the "Sons of Liberty." 
 Whenever they wished to rouse the people to 
 action in the cause of liberty, signs or placards 
 were fastened to this tree. 
 
 Several notable meetings were held here, 
 and if the old tree could have spoken, it could 
 have told some stirring stories. 
 
 When the British under General Gage oc- 
 cupied Boston in 1774, all public meetings were 
 forbidden, therefore, it is said, that the meetings 
 under the old Liberty Tree were thereafter 
 held at midnight. In the winter of 1775 and 
 1776 while the British soldiers were still in 
 Boston they cut down the Liberty Elm because 
 of its name, which, under the circumstances, 
 
Arbor Day 57 
 
 was hateful to them. They made the old tree 
 up into firewood, getting, it is said, fourteen 
 cords therefrom. The people were very angry, 
 but, of course could not help themselves. They 
 did the only thing possible; they put up a build- 
 ing to mark the spot of the loved Liberty Tree 
 as has been already told you. 
 
 Washington Elm is an old elm said to be 
 still standing at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
 under which Washington took command of the 
 Continental Army. He had been appointed 
 by the Congress sitting in Philadelphia, to be 
 Commander-in-chief. He left Philadelphia on 
 June 21, 1775, arriving at Cambridge on July 2. 
 On the morning of July 3, the troops of the 
 Continental Army were drawn up in order on 
 the Common at Cambridge. Washington, ac- 
 companied by the general officers of the army, 
 walked from headquarters to the great elm tree 
 on the north side of the Common, drew his 
 sword, and with a few simple remarks took 
 command of the army. 
 
 Burgoyne Elm. Sir John Burgoyne was an 
 English officer who, in the war of the Revolu- 
 tion, was sent to this country with an army of 
 eight hundred. He won some battles, but was 
 finally forced to surrender his entire army on 
 October 17, 1777. Burgoyne was taken to New 
 
58 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 York as a prisoner of war, and the citizens of 
 that town, full of joy at this important victory, 
 planted an elm tree in honor of the event. 
 They called the tree Burgoyne's Elm, and it 
 is said to be still standing. 
 
 The Treaty Elm. This famous tree stood 
 in Philadelphia; "under its spreading" branches 
 William Penn made his famous treaty of "good 
 faith and good will" with the Indians. The 
 Indians believed in him with the faith of trust- 
 ing children, and said, "We will live in love 
 with William Penn and his children as long as 
 the sun and moon shall endure." The Indians 
 kept this promise, and not a drop of Quaker 
 blood was ever shed by an Indian. 
 
 This tree seems almost sacred to us, since 
 under it was made one of the most remarkable 
 treaties ever known, and which was never 
 broken by either party, it blew down in 18 10 
 and was said to be at least 233 years old. Upon 
 the spot where it stood the Penn Society of 
 Philadelphia erected a monument on which is 
 this inscription, "Treaty Ground of William 
 Penn and the Indian Nation, 1682. Unbroken 
 Faith." 
 
 The Cary Tree. When Alice and Phcebe 
 Cary, the poets, were little girls they lived in 
 the country, eight miles north of Cincinnati. 
 
Arbor Day 59 
 
 They attended the district school which was 
 a mile and a quarter from their home. It is 
 said when they were on their way home from 
 school one day Alice saw on the ground a newly 
 cut sycamore switch. She picked it up and said 
 to her sister, "Let's stick it in the ground and 
 see if it will grow." It grew to be a large tree 
 and is said to be still standing, and known far 
 and wide as the "Cary Tree," although the 
 sisters have been dead many years. 
 
 The Dueling Oaks. The trees which bear 
 this strange and unpleasant name are a group 
 of ancient oaks standing in the city park of New 
 Orleans. 
 
 It was at one time the foolish, as well as 
 wicked, custom in many parts of the world to 
 settle all quarrels between gentlemen by the 
 duel, which was a combat with swords or pistols. 
 
 This practice was more common in the 
 southern than in the Northern states, from the 
 fact, no doubt, that the settlers in the former 
 were largely the hot-tempered races, such as 
 the French and the Spanish. 
 
 Dueling was nowhere more common than 
 in New Orleans, and it gradually became the 
 habit to hold the combat under this particular 
 group of wide-spreading oaks. Just how and 
 why the custom began, no one seems to know, 
 
6o Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 but it was so common that the oaks were given 
 the name which they still bear, although the 
 cruel duel is now forbidden by law. 
 
 Perhaps it is as well to retain the name, 
 "The Dueling Oaks," because it shows us that 
 in the "good old days," which some people love 
 to talk about, some things were done which 
 would not be allowed in our times, and this 
 proves, I am sure that the world is growing 
 better every day. 
 
 There are pretty stories told about many of 
 the different trees, some of them are mere 
 superstitions, others may have a grain of truth 
 within them. I am sure you will enjoy hear- 
 ing about them. 
 
 The Mountain Ash or Rowan tree, also the 
 Poplar, are said to foretell the weather; when the 
 leaves turn themselves over, it is a sign of rain. 
 
 The Bay tree was supposed to keep off sick- 
 ness, also to protect from lightning, therefore 
 when it withered it was a sign of trouble. The 
 Cherry tree was an emblem of the Virgin Mary. 
 The Cross of Christ was said to have been made 
 of the Cedar tree. The Cashew tree, which 
 grows only in hot countries was said to have 
 furnished the crown of thorns, while the Elder 
 tree was the one upon which the wicked Judas 
 hanged himself. 
 
Arbor Day 61 
 
 The Willow tree was an emblem of sadness; 
 therefore when you hear people speak of "wear- 
 ing the willow," you will understand that they 
 are sad about something. Yew tree was un- 
 lucky, the Oak was called Jove's tree because 
 of the great size to which it grows and the many 
 years which it lives. 
 
 Here is an old German legend of the Aspen 
 tree: 
 
 When Joseph and Mary were fleeing with 
 the Infant Jesus they came to a dense forest. 
 At once overcome by the presence of the Divine 
 Child the trees all bowed their heads in worship. 
 There was one tree, however, more haughty 
 than the others which held its head stiff and 
 straight. 
 
 Then the dear Christ cast one look upon 
 this tree so full of sorrow and reproach that its 
 heart was pierced with shame and fear. It 
 began to tremble and has been trembling ever 
 since through all the centuries that have passed 
 since then. 
 
62 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 WHAT DO WE PLANT WHEN WE PLANT 
 THE TREE? 
 
 What do we plant when we plant the tree? 
 We plant the ship which will cross the sea, 
 We plant the mast to carry the sails, 
 We plant the plank to withstand the gales, 
 The keel, the keelson, the beam, the knee; 
 We plant the ship when we plant the tree. 
 
 What do we plant when we plant the tree? 
 We plant the houses for you and me, 
 We plant the rafters, the shingles, the floors, 
 We plant the studding, the laths, the doors, 
 The beams, the siding, all parts that be; 
 We plant the house when we plant the tree. 
 
 What do we plant when we plant the tree ? 
 A thousand things that we daily see. 
 We plant the spire that out-towers the crag, 
 We plant the staff for our country's flag, 
 We plant the shade from the hot sun free; 
 We plant all these when we plant the tree. 
 
 — Henry Abbey 
 
May First 
 MAY DAY 
 
 How glad are we all of the May time. The 
 name, some writers say, comes from the Latin 
 word meaning to grow, and this would seem 
 a fitting name indeed, for how things do grow 
 in this beautiful month, the month of fruit 
 blossoms. 
 
 Others say that this meaning has nothing 
 to do with its meaning, but that it comes from 
 Majores, a word meaning the Senators in the 
 Roman legislature. Then again it is said 
 that the name comes from Maia, the mother of 
 the god Hermes, or Mercury. Our Saxon 
 forefathers called it Tri-Milcbi^ meaning three 
 milkings, because the grass being so plentiful 
 in this growing month the cows could be milked 
 three times daily. 
 
 But, however May came by its name, we 
 know that in all ages and in all lands it has been 
 the custom to look upon the month of May with 
 great favor. The Romans held a festival in 
 
 63 
 
64 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers, which 
 was called Floralia, and which began on April , 
 28 and lasted into May. 
 
 Other nations soon settled upon May 1, as 
 the time for similar festivities. England is the 
 home of the May-pole and the merry dance 
 around it. 
 
 All Christian countries have "Queens of 
 May/' though many of them represent the 
 Virgin Mary, because the month of May is 
 dedicated to her especially. 
 
 In our own country the customs of " going 
 Maying," or "crowning the May-queen," and 
 also of hanging May-baskets, are observed in 
 some places, but we seldom hear of the May- 
 pole dance. The latter custom, it is said, has 
 even passed away in England, except in some 
 small and far-off country places. 
 
 This is the month when the whole army of 
 birds is marshalled in the groves. No wonder 
 it is called the "Merry, merry May," for, by 
 this time all the "migratory birds," that is 
 those which fly away in the fall to warmer 
 lands, have returned, and are ready for their 
 summer's work. This too is the month of 
 the yellow dandelion and buttercup. 
 
 Here is a little May verse for you: 
 
May Day 65 
 
 Dandelion's gold is shining, 
 Green things everywhere are twining, 
 Yonder too the snow is falling, 
 Though I hear the Robin calling. 
 Do you laugh because together 
 Thus I seem to mix the weather? 
 
 'Tis the snow from apple trees, 
 Carried down by May-day breeze, 
 Snow that drifts so soon away; 
 Fairy snow that comes in May. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
BIRD DAY 
 
 How many birds do you know by sight ? 
 How many bird songs do you know when you 
 hear them ? 
 
 Suppose you make it your business this 
 summer to learn some new facts about 
 birds. 
 
 If you are lucky enough to find a bird's nest 
 be careful whom you tell about it, the better 
 way is to keep it entirely to yourself. You 
 know that you will not harm it, but you cannot 
 be perfectly sure about anyone else. 
 
 Once I knew a lady who discovered a robin's 
 nest in an old apple tree near the house. She 
 enjoyed watching the old birds, and she also 
 enjoyed the papa bird's song at morning and 
 evening, but one unlucky day she told a young 
 man whom she knew well, about the nest in the 
 tree. 
 
 "O," he said, "I am going to peep into the 
 nest! She begged him not to, but he declared 
 he would not touch the birds or the nest, he just 
 wanted to "see the little ones." 
 
 66 
 
Bird Day 67 
 
 "But they don't want to be seen," she said, 
 "do, please, stay away from them." 
 
 But he only laughed at her and began climb- 
 ing the tree. When he was nearly up to the nest 
 he caught at the limb on which it rested and 
 in some way, of course he didn't mean to do it," 
 the nest was upset, and down went the two 
 little birds to the hard ground so far away, and 
 were picked up dead. 
 
 Then that lady made a vow that she would 
 never again tell anyone about a bird's nest; 
 and I think that is a good rule for everyone to 
 follow. The nest is meant to be a secret, it is 
 the bird's secret and so if you chance to discover 
 it you have no right to betray it. 
 
 Every child ought to know the names of the 
 most common birds, even though living in a city, 
 for by visiting the parks and keeping eyes and 
 ears open some of the following birds may 
 be seen and heard: 
 
 Blue-jay, Crow, Robin, Song Sparrow, Blue- 
 Bird, Meadow Lark, Grosbeak, Brown Thrasher, 
 Wood Peewee and House Wren. The robin, 
 the crow, and the blue-jay, you no doubt know 
 already. The two latter often remain in the 
 north all winter and on mild days you can hear 
 their shrill cries. The crow flying high and 
 loudly calling his "caw, caw, caw," is said to 
 
68 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 be the sign of a coming thaw. You will see 
 the beautiful blue-jay hopping about in the 
 bare trees searching for the insects that, like him- 
 self, are stirring around on account of the mild 
 weather. 
 
 From March ist to 15th, according to the 
 weather, the robins, song sparrows, and blue- 
 birds come, although the bluebirds are generally 
 a little behind the others. There is a saying 
 that when the bluebird appears there will be 
 no more cold weather. They are truly beautiful 
 birds, almost wholly a deep rich blue, although 
 the throats and upper breasts are cinnamon 
 colored. They give a deep, soft warble which 
 sounds like "tru-al-ly." They sing when fly- 
 ing and also when at rest. They build nests in 
 holes of trees or posts, or in boxes placed for 
 them in the garden. They stay late in the fall, 
 often not leaving until November. Some writ- 
 ers declare that in many mild climates this 
 bird appears as early as February, but in a 
 general way, it may be said that he is not so 
 early as the robin. 
 
 The song sparrows are also early birds, 
 usually appearing in March. The coloring of 
 this bird is black and brown with some white 
 in the under parts. His wing feathers are 
 edged with a dull red. He has a loud, clear 
 
Bird Day 69 
 
 note repeated three times with a canary-like 
 trill at the end. He is a great singer, never 
 silent long at a time. He builds his nest very 
 often on the ground, but sometimes in bushes 
 or low trees. 
 
 The meadow lark is still later than the 
 robin and bluebird and his note is a plaintive 
 whistle. His back is brown, spotted with 
 black, his breast, bright yellow with a large 
 black spot shaped like a crescent, or new 
 moon. His tail feathers are pointed and when 
 he flies he shows the white ones therein. There 
 is a yellow stripe over his eye and on his head. 
 He builds his nest on the ground in the open 
 field and true to his name is found about mead- 
 ows, lighting now and then on the tufts or 
 mounds. He is not swift on the wing and 
 seldom soars to great heights. He is one of the 
 birds that you would not be likely to see in a 
 city park. 
 
 The brown thrasher comes late in April. 
 In all the bird chorus there is no sweeter singer. 
 He is light-reddish-brown in color, breast and 
 throat white, but spotted with brown; two 
 white bars on wings, long rounded tail, a dark 
 bill and pale feet. He makes his nest on the 
 ground or in bushes, and, it is said, that during 
 the nesting season he sings in the night. When 
 
70 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 seen at his daytime song, he will be found at 
 the very top of a tree, usually the tallest one in 
 the neighborhood of his nest. 
 
 The rose-breasted grosbeak is one of the 
 most beautiful birds in existence. He takes his 
 name from his rose-colored breast and his 
 heavy, or gross, beak. He comes early in May, 
 and leaves late in September. His head, neck, 
 throat, and back are black; his lower parts 
 white, wings and tail black; the breast and 
 lining of the wings, rose red. The wings have 
 two white bands, the tail is notched, and has 
 white patches. He nests in bushes and low 
 trees. His song is a sweet, low warble, heard 
 oftenest at sunset. 
 
 The Baltimore oriole or Firebird, comes in 
 May, and the latter name fits him well. His 
 head, neck, throat, and upper back are black; 
 lower back, breast and under parts brilliant 
 orange; wings black, with a patch of orange 
 on shoulders. A white band and some tippings 
 and edgings of white on the wings. The tail 
 is broad and nearly square, with two large 
 patches of orange upon it; feet and bill black. 
 The nest of this bird is a never-ceasing delight; 
 it is a deep, hanging bag or pouch, placed near 
 the end of a drooping branch of a tall tree. 
 The bird gets its name from Lord Baltimore, 
 
Bird Day 71 
 
 who came to America in the early days, be- 
 cause the livery worn by his servants was yellow 
 and black. The note of the oriole is a lively 
 pipe with no variety and as he does but little 
 work it sounds all day with little rest. The 
 same pair of orioles will return summer after 
 summer to the same tree for their nest building. 
 
 There is a dear little bird whose song we hear 
 when all other bird songs are hushed for the 
 season. Through the long hot days of August 
 when there are no other sounds but the bees' 
 hum and the "click" of the insects, from woody 
 depths comes the long plaintive cry of the 
 wood peewee. He comes early and does not 
 leave until October. He is a small, dark- 
 brown bird with a crested head, black feet, and 
 bill. He is a great fly-catcher, and if you can 
 get close enough to watch him picking up his 
 dinner you will wonder at his swiftness. He 
 builds his nest in a tree. 
 
 The Phebe is much like the peewee, but 
 larger and with no crest. He builds his nest 
 under the eaves of buildings or under a rocky 
 ledge. His note differs from the peewee, is not 
 drawn out, and sounds like "pewit." 
 
 I do not know of a merrier little bird than 
 the house wren. If you will put up some bird 
 boxes in the trees about your home, you will be 
 
72 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 sure to have the merry songs to cheer you 
 through the nesting season, and they often raise 
 three broods during the summer. 
 
 When you have heard his lively song once, 
 you will never forget it. It is quite unlike any 
 other warble and is kept up almost constantly 
 from dawn until sun-down. The wren is the 
 smallest bird among our summer visitors except 
 the ruby-throated humming-bird. He is red- 
 dish-brown in color, breast and under part a 
 soiled white; his wings and tail are barred and 
 the latter much rounded. When you have 
 once seen and heard him you will be his friend 
 forever. Both he and his mate are great fighters 
 during nesting time, although not with each 
 other, and they do not hesitate to attack birds 
 much larger than themselves, or even squirrels 
 that approach too closely to the home. Here 
 are some verses for you about the wren: 
 
 Sing, little bird beneath my sill, 
 
 Thou, merry, warbling wren, 
 Fly not afar on tiny wings 
 
 Till autumn comes again. 
 
 Sing, little bird, for every note 
 
 The story sweet retells 
 Of all the hope that gilds the world, 
 
 The joy that love compels. 
 
Bird Day 73 
 
 Sing, little bird, the sky is blue, 
 
 So glad the earth, of May, 
 O merry heart, O joy so true, 
 
 We love thy tender lay. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
May Thirtieth 
 
 MEMORIAL OR DECORATION DAY 
 
 This holiday of sad and tender recollections 
 owes its existence to the warm-hearted southern 
 women. During the Civil War, they began the 
 loving custom of carrying flowers to the soldiers' 
 graves in faithful remembrance of their brave 
 loyalty. So true-hearted were these women 
 that they were not content to deck the graves 
 of their own soldiers, but also laid their flowers 
 on the graves of the Northerners who had died in 
 the Southland. 
 
 On May 5, 1868, three years after the close 
 of the Civil War, General John A. Logan, then 
 Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the 
 Republic, honored the loving deeds of those 
 southern women, by sending out an order that 
 the thirtieth day of May of that year be a day set 
 apart for strewing flowers on the soldiers' graves. 
 
 Many other states in the Union still further 
 honored these women by making the day set 
 
 apart by General Logan a legal holiday. 
 
 74 
 
Memorial Day 75 
 
 Does it not seem, therefore, as if we should 
 keep the day soberly, if not solemnly ? Not 
 with games and wild revelry, but as becomes a 
 great nation that wishes to honor the men who 
 helped it to become all that it now is. 
 
 Let us then, on this day, not only strew the 
 graves with flowers, but give honor also to the 
 few remaining old soldiers. We are all proud 
 of them; then let us, at least one day in the year, 
 take the trouble to tell them so, in as many 
 beautiful and dignified ways as we can devise. 
 
 Above all, let us on this day endeavor to wipe 
 out all bitter feelings toward those who fought 
 against us, not with us. 
 
 As the dead Northerners and Southerners, 
 in many places, lie side by side, so may the 
 living clasp hands and shout together, "Long 
 wave the 'Star Spangled Banner !'" 
 
 THE BLUE AND THE GRAY 
 
 The boys in blue, the boys in gray, 
 
 Lie sleeping side by side, 
 And round their mem'ry clings to-day 
 
 A love outspreading wide. 
 
 Remembered ? Yes, from shore to shore, 
 'Neath North and Southland vines, 
 
7^ Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Their deeds are told, repeated o'er 
 Where'er our banner shines. 
 
 We doff our hats to them to-day, 
 Above their flower-strewn graves, 
 
 For over all (the blue and gray) 
 "Old Glory" proudly waves. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
FLOWER DAY 
 
 Although no State has as yet set aside a day 
 on which to plant flowers, it often seems as if 
 it might be well to do so. The State, no doubt, 
 takes it for granted, that people will plant 
 flowers because of their love for them, but this 
 is not true. Although nearly everyone is pleased 
 at the sight of flowers, all grown people do not 
 love them well enough to take the time and 
 trouble to make them grow. 
 
 I wish it were possible on "Flower Day," 
 to give every child at least one flowering plant 
 which he or she must look after and give all 
 needed care. Don't you think you would love 
 a sweet blossom better, if you had watched the 
 plant from a tiny slip or seedling until it burst 
 into the perfect flower ? 
 
 There is a great law of nature, that every- 
 thing which grows in the ground must bear 
 flowers of some sort. Sometimes they are 
 beautiful and fragrant, and sometimes they are 
 so plain and scentless that you would scarcely 
 think of them as flowers. 
 
 77 
 
78 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 To know all these different plants and their 
 flowers is a wonderful study by itself. Wise 
 men who have carefully examined all manner 
 of plants have arranged them into classes and 
 families, giving these classes and families names 
 of their own, and this study is called botany. 
 Some day perhaps you will take up this science 
 in your school work, but meanwhile, if you will 
 use your eyes and ears well, you can learn the 
 names of many plants and flowers. Not only 
 those which grow in fine gardens, but those also, 
 which, with no gardeners but the earth, the sun 
 and the rain, bloom in the woods and by the 
 wayside. As you learn more about the latter 
 you will find that many of these so-called weeds 
 are well worthy of notice and attention. 
 
 Whenever you see a flower which you do 
 not know, ask someone who does know, and 
 when you have learned its name do your best to 
 remember it, and you will be surprised perhaps 
 to find how much joy you will gain from your 
 acquaintance with these treasures of the earth. 
 
 Here is a pretty little verse which I am sure 
 you will enjoy : 
 
 A SEED 
 
 A wonderful thing is a seed ; 
 
 The one thing deathless forever — 
 Forever old and forever new, 
 
Flower Day 79 
 
 Utterly faithful and utterly true — 
 Fickle and faithless never. 
 
 Plant lilies, and lilies will bloom; 
 
 Plant roses and roses will grow; 
 Plant hate, and hate to life will spring, 
 Plant love, and love to you will bring 
 
 The fruit of the seed you sow. 
 
 I have made for you a list of the different 
 state flowers. Most of them were adopted by 
 the vote of the schools, but those marked thus * 
 were adopted by the State Legislatures. The 
 one marked with the double asterisk was adopted 
 by the Women's Clubs. You will see at a 
 glance that only half of the States have chosen 
 special flowers. 
 
 Alabama Golden Rod 
 
 California California Poppy 
 
 Colorado Purple Columbine 
 
 Delaware Peach Blossom 
 
 Idaho Syringa 
 
 Iowa Wild Rose 
 
 Louisiana Magnolia * 
 
 Maine Pine Cone * 
 
 Michigan Apple Blossom 
 
 Minnesota Lady Slipper 
 
 Mississippi Magnolia 
 
 Montana Bitter Root 
 
 Nebraska Golden Rod 
 
8o Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 New Jersey Sugar Maple (State Tree) 
 
 New York Rose 
 
 North Dakota Wild Rose 
 
 Oklahoma Mistletoe * 
 
 Oregon Oregon Grape 
 
 Rhode Island Violet 
 
 Texas Goldenrod 
 
 Utah Sago Lily 
 
 Vermont Red Clover * 
 
 Washington Rhododendron ** 
 
 The old Greeks and Romans were quick to 
 see the changes going on around them, but in- 
 stead of carefully studying out the reasons for 
 these changes, they gave their imaginations 
 wings and invented all sorts of pretty stories 
 to explain the things which they might have 
 understood if they had studied over them long 
 enough. They noticed that plants bloomed 
 part of the time only, and instead of reasoning 
 out that as the bloom changes to fruit and seed, 
 the plant could not go on bearing flowers forever. 
 They made up this story to explain why the 
 plants seemed to take a rest. 
 
 I have told you about their gods and god- 
 desses. One of the latter was Ceres, the 
 goddess of the Earth. She had a beautiful 
 daughter, Proserpine or Persephone, whom 
 she watched very carefully. But one day 
 when Mother Ceres was busy looking after 
 
Flower Day 81 
 
 all the things which grew in the earth, Perse- 
 phone wandered away into the fields of Enna 
 and amused herself by picking asphodels, the 
 flowers which we call daffodils. 
 
 Now, everything would have been all right 
 with Persephone had she been content with 
 the flowers she could carry, but though her 
 apron was full of the blossoms, she still wanted 
 more. Presently she came to a large plant which 
 was just covered with the blossoms which she 
 loved so well, and she decided that she would 
 have the whole plant. Wasn't that foolish? 
 
 Poor Persephone pulled at the plant with all 
 her might. She thought she heard a deep 
 rumbling in the earth. This frightened her a 
 little at first, but as she was a very brave young 
 miss, being the daughter of a goddess, she 
 said to herself that she was silly to think that her 
 pulling on the bush could make the earth rum- 
 ble, so she kept right on pulling. At last her 
 perseverance was rewarded, for up came the 
 roots of the plant, but now she was more fright- 
 ened than ever, for there staring at her, was 
 an immense, black hole, Presently, even while 
 she looked, the hole grew bigger and deeper, 
 and out of it came the rumbling noise which 
 she had heard before, only a thousand times 
 louder. She was too frightened to run away; 
 
82 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 she just stood still and held her breath for a 
 second or two, then her wits came to her 
 and she cried aloud, "Mother Ceres, Mother 
 Ceres!" 
 
 But the call had come too late! A terrible 
 man named Pluto, who was seated in a golden 
 chariot drawn by four black horses, had her 
 in his arms, and was driving with all possible 
 speed, down, down, down, to the very bottom 
 of the big, black hole, which she herself had 
 made by pulling up the plant. 
 
 This Pluto was a great king, and he carried 
 Persephone to his palace, where he ordered his 
 servants to do everything for her comfort and 
 happiness. But she only begged to be taken 
 back to her mother and the beautiful light of 
 day. 
 
 Then Pluto said to himself, "I will give her 
 a drink from the waters of Lethe." 
 
 Lethe was a great river which flowed through 
 his kingdom, and whenever people drank of 
 it, they straightway forgot all their sorrows. 
 So his servants brought quickly in a golden cup 
 set with precious stones, some of this magic 
 water, and with many kind and loving words 
 he presented it to Persephone. 
 
 As she was not only a goddess, but also the 
 daughter of one, she knew all about the waters 
 
Flower Day 8$ 
 
 of Lethe, and just what would happen to her 
 if she drank from the beautiful cup, so she 
 pushed it away from her, and thus made poor 
 Pluto, who really meant to be good to her, very 
 sad and unhappy. Since his charming captive 
 would neither eat nor drink, he feared that she 
 would never become willing to stay in his beauti- 
 ful underground palace. 
 
 But what was Ceres about all this time ? 
 
 You may be sure that she was looking all 
 over the world for her dear daughter. She 
 blamed the Earth for having swallowed her up 
 and declared that she should no longer keep 
 it under her care. Dreadful things happened 
 after that. At first there was too much rain, 
 then there was too little ; the seeds that were 
 planted did not come up, and the ground was 
 so dry that the ploughs broke as they tried to 
 turn the furrows with them; the cattle died, 
 and O! the earth was a dreary and an unhappy 
 place indeed. 
 
 Then, Arethusa came to Ceres with a mes- 
 sage. Arethusa had once been a wood nymph, 
 but had been changed to a fountain by the 
 river god Alpheus, and as she was working her 
 way through the center of the earth to escape 
 from him, she had seen Persephone, so she said 
 to the unhappy Ceres: 
 
84 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 "Blame not the Earth for your daughter's 
 disappearance. It was Pluto with his golden 
 chariot and four black horses who carried her 
 off to be his queen and reign over the dark 
 regions of Erebus." 
 
 Ceres, on hearing this great news, set out at 
 once for the palace of the King Jupiter, which 
 was situated at Mt. Olympus. There were 
 no railroad trains or trolley cars in those days, 
 or telephones or telegraphs, but the chariot of 
 Ceres was fleeter than any of these, and not 
 half so liable to accidents or " failures to connect," 
 so she was soon on Mt. Olympus, in the palace 
 of the gods, telling her story to Jupiter, the King 
 of them all. He told her that Persephone 
 should be returned, provided she had eaten 
 nothing while in the palace of Pluto. 
 
 Mercury, the son of Jupiter, who had wings 
 upon his cap and also upon his shoes, and who 
 did for Jupiter and the other gods and godesses 
 what the telephone and telegraph now do for us, 
 was sent with Spring to visit Pluto and find out 
 whether or not Persephone had eaten any Pluto- 
 nian food. 
 
 But alas! she owned that she had taken 
 into her mouth six pomegranate seeds, and 
 that some of the pulp having clung to them, she 
 had swallowed it. It was then decreed that 
 
Flower Day 85 
 
 owing to these six seeds having furnished her 
 food, she must spend six months of every year 
 with Pluto. 
 
 As she had then been there just six months, 
 Spring led her back to her mother, and the 
 light of day. 
 
 Ceres smiled on the earth again and all 
 things bloomed and thrived until that dreadful 
 time came around again when Pluto appeared 
 to carry off Persephone. 
 
 So it has gone on ever since, Ceres now 
 smiling on the earth and then again sitting in 
 sorrow and waiting for the time when Spring 
 shall come leading Persephone dancing back 
 to earth in her joy to escape from the grand yet 
 gloomy palace of Pluto. I have made some 
 verses for you about the return of Persephone: 
 
 THE CALL OF CERES 
 
 Daffodils, buttercups, violets, too, 
 
 Wake, come, awake, there's so much to do. 
 
 All the wide earth, with its ugly brown mold, 
 
 You freely must deck with purple and gold. 
 
 Blossoms, awaken, Persephone's near, 
 
 Tap, tap, go her footsteps. Surely you hear ? 
 
 Hurry, now hurry, there's no time to lose, 
 I've promised the sun not one shall refuse, 
 
86 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Scarce can he wait for your faces so bright, 
 Long you've been hiding away from his sight. 
 Tap, tap, hear those footsteps dance o'er the land, 
 Flowers awaken and heed my command. 
 
 Up, up, now, I say, up from the dark earth, 
 Your brightness will bring all gladness and mirth; 
 Your fragrance will rout all sorrow and tears, 
 For with your bright smiles all woe disappears. 
 Tap, tap, hear her come, this call is my last, 
 Now over the earth you're scattered broadcast. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
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June Fourteenth 
 
 FLAG DAY 
 
 You have seen "old glory" flying from the 
 top of your schoolhouse ever since you can re- 
 member, yet perhaps you cannot tell just when 
 and where the first American flag was made. 
 
 When the American Colonies decided to 
 become a separate people they could not go on 
 carrying the British flag about with them. 
 It is said that in the early days of the Revolution- 
 ary War, the soldiers carried all kinds of queer 
 flags, and of course that would not do at all; 
 but they must have something for an emblem, 
 something that everyone would know as soon 
 as he looked at it. As everyone wanted to 
 "show his colors" there must be one flag that 
 would stand for the American Colonies, and 
 for nothing else. 
 
 As early as 1775 the Continental Congress 
 which met in Philadelphia appointed three men, 
 Franklin, Harrison, and Lynch, as a com- 
 mittee to arrange a flag for the young colonies. 
 
 87 
 
88 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 These men decided to have thirteen stripes 
 of red and white, because there were then thir- 
 teen colonies united against the wrong-doing 
 of England. They kept the King's colors which 
 were red, white, and blue, and they placed them 
 together in one corner in the form which was 
 then known as "the Union." 
 
 This "Union was adopted in England in 
 1606. It was formed by a red cross on a white 
 field, the St. George's Cross of England; and a 
 white saltier, or double stirrup, on a blue field, 
 the St. Andrew's Cross of Scotland. This flag 
 is now called the "Union Jack of England and 
 her Colonies." 
 
 The people had learned to love the colors, 
 red, white, and blue. Had they put any other 
 colors in the flag it would have been a shock 
 to the many fond thoughts which they still held 
 toward the old home across the sea. 
 
 Should you visit England or Canada to-day 
 you would soon hear them singing the song 
 which you had learned to love at home, "Three 
 cheers for the red, white, and blue." The 
 words are different in some places, but it is the 
 same stirring old tune, and when you hear it 
 sung beneath the "Union Jack," you feel that 
 England is indeed the "Mother Country." 
 
 The committee kept the "Union" on the 
 
Flag Day 89 
 
 new flag, to show that while the people of the 
 Colonies did not like the way the King had 
 treated them, they still looked upon him as their 
 King. On January 2, 1776, still before the 
 Declaration, you see, this flag with the "Union" 
 in the corner was hoisted in camp in Massa- 
 chusetts, at a place now called Somerville, and 
 was given a salute of thirteen guns and thirteen 
 cheers. But after the Declaration, when the 
 Colonies had declared themselves a "free and 
 independent people," it was not fitting to retain 
 the" Union" in the corner, therefore on June 
 14, 1777, this resolution was adopted in Con- 
 gress : 
 
 Resolved, That the flag of the United States 
 be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white, that 
 the "Union" be thirteen stars, white, in a blue 
 field representing a new constellation." 
 
 A flag, carrying out this design to the letter, 
 was made under the direction of General Wash- 
 ington, by Mrs. Ross, who lived at 239 Arch 
 Street, Philadelphia. Mrs. Ross held the posi- 
 tion of flag manufacturer for the government 
 until her death. The business then passed 
 into the hands of her daughter, Clarissa Clay- 
 poole, but she, later, becoming a "Quaker or 
 Friend," and fearing that the work of her hands 
 would be used in a time of war — the Friends, 
 
90 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 you know, think that war is always wrong — gave 
 up the work altogether. 
 
 When other states came into the Union, 
 additional stripes were put into the flag; this 
 was kept up until there were twenty states. 
 It was then very plain that it would not do to 
 go on adding a stripe for every state, therefore, 
 on March 24, Congress passed a law that the 
 American flag should consist of thirteen red 
 and white stripes and twenty stars on a blue 
 ground, and that on the admission of every 
 new state to the Union a new star should be 
 added. 
 
 Illinois was the twenty-first state admitted, 
 and was therefore the first star added to the 
 constellation after the passage of this law. 
 
 The first strictly American flag was hoisted 
 over the capitol at Washington on February 24, 
 1866, all previous flags having been made of 
 English bunting. 
 
 This flag was twenty-one feet by twelve, 
 was made by the United States Bunting Com- 
 pany, of Lowell, Mass., and was the gift of the 
 Honorable Benjamin F. Butler. 
 
 Thus our flag has come by these gradual 
 changes to be he dear banner which every 
 American child knows and loves to-day. As 
 we watch its waving folds we think of all that 
 
Flag Day 91 
 
 it means. Here is the blue of heaven's truth, 
 the white of purity, and the red of courage. 
 
 If you should ever visit a foreign land I know 
 that the first thing you wou d miss would be 
 "Old Glory" waving high. Then should you 
 live to return to your native land you would 
 love the old flag as you had never done before. 
 For having lived for a while under other flags, 
 you would see that there is no other so beauti- 
 ful in itself as the flag of the "Stars and Stripes"; 
 and, more than all, that there is no other flag 
 which so truly stands for all the best things of 
 life as does our beloved "Star Spangled Ban- 
 ner." 
 
 The name "Old Glory" was first given to 
 our flag in 1831, by William Driver, a sailing 
 captain of Salem, Mass., who died in 1886. 
 
 The following facts, which it is well to re- 
 member may be found on page 482, Vol. II, of 
 Edward S. Ellis' "History of our Country:" 
 "Although we are one of the youngest of nations 
 our flag is among the oldest. The flag of Great 
 Britain, as it at present appears, was adopted 
 in 1 80 1, that of Spain in 1785, while the tri- 
 color of France, also of red, white, and blue, 
 took form in 1794. Portugal adopted its present 
 flag in 1830. Italy in 1848 and the German 
 Empire in 187 1. . . . Our flag has been 
 
92 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 through more battles and has waved over more 
 victories on land and sea than any other flag in 
 the world . . . and more than a million men 
 have laid down their lives that "Old Glory" 
 should float aloft." 
 
 The latter thought is a sad one, but it is also 
 one that should make our flag forever sacred 
 in our eyes. 
 
 HONOR TO THE FLAG 
 
 Lift the hand and bow the head, 
 
 Words of loyal love be said, 
 
 The flag, our flag, is waving high] 
 
 Stars and stripes to you and me 
 
 Dear as life itself must be, 
 
 The flag, our flag, is waving high. 
 
 Throb our hearts and dim our eyes, 
 
 When aloft this banner flies, 
 
 The flag, our flag, is waving high. 
 
 Stars and stripes, these would we see 
 Stand for peace and purity, 
 The flag, our flag is waving high. 
 
 Bow the head and lift the hand, 
 'Neath this emblem of our land, 
 The flag, our flag, is waving high. 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
July Fourth 
 INDEPENDENCE DAY 
 
 Every boy and girl who is old enough to light 
 a firecracker or throw a torpedo knows some- 
 thing of the meaning of this day. They at 
 least know that they are helping to rejoice over 
 the fact that this country is no longer ruled by 
 the King of England. 
 
 "The Declaration of Independence/' which 
 you celebrate so noisily on this day, you know 
 was made in 1776, but you may not know that 
 the trouble with the mother country began long 
 before that date. 
 
 As the colonies at this time had been settled 
 for more than a hundred years, you will see 
 that many of the people were of Colonial birth. 
 But as they were the children of English parents 
 or grandparents, they felt that they should have 
 all the rights of which Englishmen have always 
 been so proud. Some day you will learn all 
 about the many causes which led to the long 
 
 and bitter war of the Revolution. Many of 
 
 93 
 
94 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 these causes, you would now, perhaps, find it 
 hard to understand. 
 
 However, you can at least see that there 
 were two things to which the colonists could not 
 submit. One was to have an army of English 
 soldiers quartered among them against their 
 wishes; another was, to have the body of 
 English law-makers, called the Parliament, tax 
 their tea and sugar, and also make them buy 
 of the government a stamp to put on all legal 
 documents; that is, all papers used in law, 
 such as deeds, mortgages, etc. The colonies 
 were at this time self-supporting, and you can 
 understand that they were not willing to pour 
 their money into the English treasury when 
 they had neither vote nor voice, in running the 
 government, so they adopted these long words 
 as their motto, "taxation without representa- 
 tion is wrong," which meant, if they couldn't 
 vote for a government they wouldn't pay its 
 taxes. 
 
 Thus, when the Congress of the colonies 
 came together in 1776 at Philadelphia, everyone 
 knew that something was to be done, yet no 
 one knew just what steps would be taken. 
 
 On June 11, a committee was appointed to 
 prepare a "Declaration" which could be brought 
 before the Congress and discussed. This Dec- 
 
Independence Day 95 
 
 laration was talked over fully on July 2, 3, and 
 4. The votes were to be counted, not accord- 
 ing to the number of members but according 
 to the colonies. Thus, if there were three dele- 
 gates from a colony, two would need to be in 
 favor of the measure in order to have that 
 colony's vote count for "yes." 
 
 This plan gave rise to the famous ride of 
 Caesar Rodney. He, with two other men named 
 McKean and Reed, was a delegate from the 
 three counties bordering on the Delaware River, 
 which afterward became the state of Delaware. 
 Rodney, however, did not attend the Congress, 
 because he seemed to be needed elsewhere, and 
 he thought the other two delegates could do all 
 the necessary business. At the same time he 
 was working hard, riding about among the 
 people of his own neighborhood, trying to per- 
 suade them to help Congress with money, which 
 was needed very much. 
 
 But before the " Declaration" came to vote, 
 McKean found out that Reed intended to 
 vote against it, and then he saw that they 
 must have Rodney's vote, to carry their district. 
 He at once sent off a swift messenger to bring 
 Rodney to the Congress. Rodney was eighty 
 miles away, but history tells us, that within ten 
 minutes, after the man came to him on his 
 
96 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 tired horse, Rodney was on another horse riding 
 toward Philadelphia. By riding all night, he 
 reached the Congress just in time to make the 
 vote of Delaware count for the "Declaration/' 
 
 This act of Rodney must have moved Reed 
 to change his mind, for his name is among the 
 signers. In the next Congress, the royalists 
 in Rodney's district — (for of course there were 
 some people who wanted to keep in with Eng- 
 land) — were so angry with him for thus turning 
 the vote of Delaware, that they did not again 
 make him a delegate. So, you see, his patriot- 
 ism cost him something. Later on, however, 
 he was given many honors, and did great ser- 
 vice during the war which followed the " Declara- 
 tion." 
 
 You know that it was on July 4, 1776, that 
 the old Liberty Bell rang for the first time for 
 Independence. This bell had been hung in 
 the building known as the "State House" in 
 1753. It was made in Philadelphia for the 
 State House steeple, and strangely enough around 
 it ran these words: 
 
 "Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land, unto all the 
 inhabitants thereof.' , — Lev., 25:10 
 
 Do you suppose the man or men who ordered 
 this bell, had a fancy that some day these col- 
 
Independence Day 97 
 
 onies would need to proclaim themselves a 
 free and independent people ? Who knows ? 
 They were of English blood, and you know 
 the old song says, "Britons never can be slaves." 
 Had George the Third been a little more Eng- 
 lish in his nature, and a little less German, he 
 would have remembered that fact. 
 
 Be that as it may we can see how much was 
 depending on Rodney's ride and I will give you 
 here some stirring verses on this important event 
 which I think every boy and girl should commit 
 to memory. 
 
 RODNEY'S RIDE* 
 
 (July, 3 1776) 
 
 In that soft midland where the breezes bear 
 The North and the South on the genial air, 
 Through the County of Kent, on affairs of state, 
 Rode Caesar Rodney, the delegate. 
 
 Burly and big and bold and bluff, 
 In his three-cornered hat, and his suit of snuff, 
 A foe to King George and the English state, 
 Was Caesar Rodney, the delegate. 
 
 Into Dover village he rode apace, 
 
 And his kinsfolk knew from his anxious face, 
 
 * Reprinted by permission of the publishers, G. P. Putnam's Sons, 
 New York and London. 
 
gS Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 It was matter grave that had brought him there, 
 To the "counties three upon Delaware.'' 
 
 "Money and men, we must have," he said, 
 "Or the Congress fails and our cause is dead, 
 Give us both and the king shall not work his will, 
 We are men since the blood of Bunker Hill." 
 
 Comes a rider swift on a panting bay: 
 "Hello, Rodney, ho! you must save the day! 
 For the Congress halts at a deed so great, 
 And your vote alone may decide its fate." 
 
 Answered Rodney then; "I will ride with speed; 
 It is Liberty's stress, it is Freedom's need. 
 When stands it ? " "To-night, not a minute to spare, 
 But ride like the wind from the Delaware." 
 
 "Ho, saddle the black! I've but half a day, 
 And the Congress sits eighty miles away, 
 But I'll be in time, if God gives me grace, 
 To shake my fist in King George's face." 
 
 He is up! He is off! and the black horse flies 
 On the northward road ere the "Godspeed" dies. 
 It is gallop and spur as the leagues they clear, 
 And the clustering mile-stones lay a-rear. 
 
 It is two of the clock, and the fleet hoofs fling 
 The Fieldboro dust with a clang and cling. 
 It is three ; and he gallops with slack rein where 
 The road winds down to the Delaware. 
 
Independence Day 99 
 
 Four; and he spurs into Newcastle town, 
 From his panting steed he gets him down, 
 "A fresh one quick; not a moment's wait" — 
 And off speeds Rodney the delegate." 
 
 It is five, and the beams of the western sun 
 Tinge the spires of Wilmington gold and dun. 
 Six; and the dust of the Chester street 
 Flies back in a cloud from his courser's feet. 
 
 It is seven; the " horse boat" broad of beam, 
 At the Schuylkill ferry crawls over the stream, 
 And at seven fifteen by the Rittenhouse clock, 
 He flings his rein to the tavern Jock. 
 
 The Congress is met; the debate is begun, 
 And Liberty lags for the vote of one, 
 When into the hall, not a moment late, 
 Walks Caesar Rodney the delegate. 
 
 Not a moment late, and that half-day's ride 
 Forwards the world with a mighty stride; 
 For the Act was passed ere the midnight stroke 
 O'er the Quaker City its echoes woke. 
 
 At Tyranny's feet was the gauntlet flung; 
 "We are free!" all the bells through the colonies rung. 
 And the sons of the free may recall with pride 
 The stirring story of Rodney's ride. 
 
 — Elbridge S. Brooks 
 
October Thirty-first 
 ALL HALLOW EVEN ("HALLOW E'EN") 
 
 November First is a church day called "All 
 Saints' Day/' and from this fact the last evening 
 in October takes its name, although in actual 
 deed it is not, as we all know, a "holy eve." 
 
 The service on "All Saints 5 Day" is a 
 solemn, religious one, and it seems very unfitting 
 that the evening before should be given over 
 to the wild, senseless, practices with which we 
 are all too familiar. 
 
 The custom of keeping the night of October 
 31 has come to us from the Druids. You will 
 remember they were heathen priests who taught 
 their strange religion to the ancient people living 
 in Great Britain, in certain parts of France and 
 in Germany, and who were called Celts. The 
 wild lawlessness of this holiday, however, did 
 not come from the Druids. They kept it as 
 a solemn, religious festival. Three times each 
 year they lighted great bonfires in honor of the 
 sun which they worshipped. They lighted one 
 
Hallowe'en 101 
 
 on May first, in order that there might be a good 
 time for seed planting, another on June 21, that 
 everything might ripen well, another on Octo- 
 ber 31, that all the crops might be safely har- 
 vested. The fire lighting on the last named 
 date being the final one of the year, it was made 
 a very solemn ceremony. In every section of 
 the country there was a sacred cairn, this was 
 a large mound of stones, and on the top of this 
 was a sacred fire which was never allowed to go 
 out, until put out on the night of October 31. 
 In those days they had not learned the art of 
 kindling fires quickly, therefore fire seemed to 
 them a mysterious and wonderful thing. 
 
 The priests on the eve of November first, 
 gathered around the sacred cairns wherever they 
 were built. They wore white robes, and the 
 people waited in silence while the priests said 
 the prayers for the safe in-gathering of the har- 
 vests; then at the proper moment they quenched 
 the sacred fire. As soon thereafter as it was 
 possible a new fire was kindled on the sacred 
 cairn, and as it gleamed up in the darkness the 
 people raised a great shout. Presently other 
 fires appeared on the surrounding hill-tops and 
 then the people were satisfied, for they believed 
 everything was safe for another year. 
 
 When this solemn service was over, the 
 
io2 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 people scattered to their homes, each head of a 
 family taking some of the sacred fire with him 
 to kindle the fire on his own hearthstone, which 
 had also been put out. By kindling the fire 
 anew in this way, they were supposed to turn 
 aside all evil and harm from themselves and 
 families. 
 
 When the Celts were converted to the Chris- 
 tian religion, they were unwilling to give up the 
 fire-lighting. This is not at all strange, for 
 there is certainly a witchery about a night bon- 
 fire, which we never outgrow. The church 
 saw this, and so, to turn their thoughts away 
 from the sun worship they made November 
 first into the Christian day called "All Saints/' 
 and arranged appropriate services therefor. 
 
 The custom of playing tricks on Hallowe'en 
 came from the old idea that this is "witches' 
 night," and that all the strange and wild powers 
 of the air, are abroad to do mischief, but just 
 when and where this thought arose, no one 
 seems to know. 
 
 The Romans kept a feast on November 
 first to Pomona the goddess of fruits and nuts. 
 She was very careful of her treasures, and was 
 said to keep her orchards safely locked. Just 
 how she managed to lock up an orchard, the 
 story does not explain. To win her favor so 
 
Hallowe'en 103 
 
 that she would open her stores to poor mortals, 
 they made this great feast to her once a year. 
 From the celebration of this feast to Pomona, has 
 naturally arisen the custom of serving fruits 
 and nuts on Hallowe'en. 
 
 You will now see, I am sure, that the keeping 
 of this evening is a strange mixture of many 
 old customs. 
 
 After all, it is a great change from the solemn 
 service of the Druids, even though full of wrong 
 ideas, to the wild rowdyism of the present day 
 Hallowe'en. 
 
 The true spirit of this time should be, hos- 
 pitality, good fellowship, and harmless merry- 
 making. 
 
Last Thursday in November 
 THANKSGIVING DAY 
 
 Many hundred years ago in a certain autumn 
 time, there was a great stir among the Wam- 
 panoag Indians, at Pokanoket.* 
 
 This place was the royal home of Massasoit, 
 king of the powerful Indian tribe of Warn- 
 panoag, and you will not be surprised at the 
 commotion among these Indians when I tell you 
 what had happened. 
 
 Massasoit had made a treaty with the white 
 settlers at Plymouth, and now they had sent a 
 messenger to him, inviting him to come with 
 his warriors and keep a great feast with his 
 "pale face" brethren. The messenger further 
 told them that the good Governor Bradford had 
 sent four men into the woods with their guns to 
 bring back wild turkeys, partridges, and deer, 
 that there might be a great feast for all. It 
 was to be their first day of Thanksgiving for the 
 many blessings which they had received from 
 Heaven. 
 
 * The royal seat of Massasoit was Mount Hope in Bristol, R. I. 
 104 
 
Thanksgiving Day 105 
 
 Then Massasoit and ninety of his men 
 gladly set out for the little colony of seven 
 houses. History tells us that they brought 
 great quantities of venison with them, and 
 that they spent three days feasting thereon. 
 One Thanksgiving day was not enough for 
 them, you see. We can easily imagine that 
 they enjoyed the many other good things 
 which the wives and daughters of the settlers, 
 being English women, knew so well how to 
 prepare. 
 
 There is an interesting poem by Margaret 
 J. Preston, entitled "The First Thanksgiving 
 Day," in which occur the following verses: 
 
 * We fail of the fruits and dainties so close to our hand in 
 
 Devon, 
 — Ah! they are the lightest losses we suffer for love of 
 
 Heaven — 
 But see in our open clearing, how golden the melons lie; 
 Enrich them with sweets and spices and give us the 
 
 pumpkin pie. 
 
 And then as the feast was ended, with gravely official air 
 The Governor drew his broadsword out from its scabbard 
 
 there, 
 And smiting the trencher near him, he cried in heroic way, 
 "Hail! Pie of the Pumpkin! I dub thee, Prince of 
 
 Thanksgiving Day!" 
 
 ♦Reprinted by permission of the publisher, Lothrop, Lee and 
 Shepard Company. 
 
106 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 If this is not a true incident it certainly 
 ought to have been. 
 
 This was in the year 1621. Just stop for 
 a moment and think how long ago that was, 
 and how different was the country in which stood 
 these seven houses of the Plymouth Colony, 
 from our great and glorious land to-day! A 
 wild place it was then, indeed, with its great 
 forests, full of game, to be sure, but at the same 
 time peopled with fierce and unfriendly Indians. 
 It is true there were a few white settlements in 
 the land, but they were so far away that they 
 could be of neither use nor comfort to those 
 lonely pilgrims. 
 
 There are three things which I wish you to 
 notice in this call for a Thanksgiving Day: 
 First, although during the short time that these 
 settlers had been in Plymouth they had known 
 more hardships than pleasures, they were called 
 together to give thanks for their blessings. 
 Our Pilgrim forefathers are often pictured as 
 cross-grained, stern men, who seldom smiled, 
 and never laughed, yet the call was to rejoice, 
 not to whine and mourn over the things they 
 could not help. Second, they were filled with 
 brotherly love, else they would not have cared 
 to rejoice together. Third, they meant to treat 
 all people alike. 
 
Thanksgiving Day 107 
 
 The word was not that there would be a feast 
 for the "Winslows" and the "Whites" and 
 others of the favored few, but it was to be the 
 whole Colony. Everybody, even their newly 
 made, ignorant Indian friends, was to share 
 in the joy and good cheer. 
 
 There were many other Thanksgiving Days 
 after this first one, but it remained a purely 
 New England feast until more than a hundred 
 years later, when, during the war of the Revo- 
 lution, the different colonies were called upon 
 by the Continental Congress to set aside certain 
 days for Thanksgiving. 
 
 There, however, could not be a national 
 Thanksgiving at this time, for there was no 
 nation, they were only a number of colonies, 
 loosely held together by the Continental Con- 
 gress, struggling toward the right to be called 
 a nation. ( 
 
 When the Revolution was over and the Con- 
 gress adopted the Constitution of the United 
 States in 1789, then they were truly a nation. 
 Just before this Congress adjourned, a man 
 named Boudinot moved that the President 
 recommend a day of Thanksgiving, to be ob- 
 served by all the people, to give thanks for the 
 new Constitution which had been peaceably 
 adopted. Strange to say, some of the members 
 
108 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 objected to this on the ground that it was imi- 
 tating European customs, and they said, also, 
 that they would better wait, before being 
 thankful for the new Constitution, until they 
 had found out how well it worked. 
 
 Notwithstanding these objections, the motion 
 was carried, and Washington appointed Thurs- 
 day, November 26, as a "National Thanks- 
 giving Day." 
 
 Gradually, however, this notion of a national 
 Thanksgiving seems to have fallen away. Just 
 when or why the break occurred no one seems 
 to know, but it probably came from the desire 
 of each state to run its own affairs. Be that as it 
 may, before the outbreak of the Civil War each 
 state appointed its own Thanksgiving Day, 
 so that many of them fell on different dates, 
 although all came in the month of November. 
 
 Indeed, we have heard of a little girl who, 
 after enjoying a Thanksgiving celebration in 
 her own home, was taken to another state to 
 visit relatives, and there she was treated to a 
 second Thanksgiving feast. Wasn't she lucky ? 
 Thus, you see, if one wished to travel about 
 he might, under those rules for keeping this day, 
 enjoy four of the great holidays in one month. 
 
 During the war, a noted woman, Mrs. Sarah 
 Josepha Hale of Philadelphia, sent to President 
 
Thanksgiving Day 109 
 
 Lincoln a copy of Washington's Thanksgiving 
 Proclamation. President Lincoln took the hint, 
 and in i860 he appointed the last Thursday 
 in November as the "National" day of Thanks- 
 giving, thus carrying out the great Washington's 
 intention that all the people should rejoice and 
 give thanks on the same day. 
 
 I will copy for you here an old poem which 
 may help you to hold the true Thanksgiving 
 spirit in your hearts. 
 
 GIVING TO GOD 
 
 O Lord of heaven and earth and sea! 
 To Thee all praise and glory be ; 
 How shall we show our love to Thee 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all? 
 
 The golden sunshine, vernal air, 
 Sweet flowers and fruit thy love declare; 
 When harvests ripen, Thou art there, 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all. 
 
 For peaceful homes and healthful days, 
 For all the blessings earth displays 
 We owe Thee thankfulness and praise, 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all. 
 
 For souls redeemed, for sins forgiven, 
 For means of grace and hopes of heaven, 
 
no Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 What can to Thee, O, Lord, be given, 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all? 
 
 We lose what on ourselves we spend, 
 We have, as treasures without end, 
 Whatever, Lord, to Thee we lend, 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all. 
 
 Whatever, Lord, we lend to Thee, 
 Repaid a thousand-fold will be; 
 Then gladly will we give to Thee, 
 Who giveth all — who giveth all. 
 
 — Christopher Wordsworth, D. D. 
 
December Twenty-Second 
 FOREFATHER'S DAY 
 
 You have all heard, I am sure, of the great 
 steamships which now cross the broad Atlantic 
 Ocean in less than two weeks' time, perhaps 
 some of you have been on board of one of these 
 "floating palaces," as they are well named. 
 If you have, you know how everything is ar- 
 ranged to make the passengers happy and com- 
 fortable while taking the trip. 
 
 The journey taken in this way is something 
 to look forward to with joy and not fear. But, 
 when our forefathers, who settled this great 
 country, crossed "the big water," as the In- 
 dians called it, it was a very different matter. 
 Our Pilgrim forefathers, who sailed across in 
 the little ship Mayflower, were two long months 
 on the ocean ; think of that ! 
 
 "But who were the Pilgrims, and how did 
 they differ from other settlers in other parts of 
 the new country?" you ask. 
 
 In the country over the sea called England, 
 
ii2 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 where so many great and good things (and also, 
 we must confess some queer things) have been 
 done, there was a great queen named Elizabeth 
 who made a law that all worship in the churches 
 should be carried on in a certain way. 
 
 Some of the people objected to this law so 
 strongly that they withdrew from the English 
 church and set up a way of their own in which 
 to worship. 
 
 These people were given various names, 
 among others was that of Puritan. This name 
 was given them because they believed in a pure 
 and holy life. 
 
 When Queen Elizabeth died, and a man 
 called James the First became King, he made 
 the lives of these Puritans very hard, because 
 he was determined that they should worship God 
 in the way that the church said and not in their 
 own way. 
 
 By and by many of these Puritans decided 
 to leave their beloved England since the King 
 would not let them alone. So they settled in 
 Holland. We know they could not have been 
 very happy there, so far from their native 
 island, and among a people whose language 
 they could neither speak nor understand. 
 
 While living in Holland wonderful stories 
 were brought to them, from time to time, about 
 
Forefathers' Day 113 
 
 the new and broad country across the sea to 
 which many of their fellow Englishmen had 
 gone and founded a colony which they called 
 Virginia, after the Virgin Queen Elizabeth. 
 
 They became so interested in the stories 
 about this new colony, that they finally wrote 
 to some of their friends who still remained in 
 England, asking them to persuade the king to 
 give them permission to go to that wonderful 
 new land. 
 
 When this permission was at last granted 
 they returned to England to arrange for the 
 long voyage across that wide Atlantic Ocean, of 
 which they knew but little. 
 
 They hired a good ship called the Mayflower, 
 and having loaded her with plenty of provisions, 
 besides all the other things that would be needed 
 in the new country, away they went, full of hope 
 and joy, you may be sure. 
 
 They were now called the Pilgrims, because 
 of their wanderings, first to the queer little 
 country of Holland, then across the sea to a 
 country of which they knew even less than they 
 had known of Holland. But their hearts were 
 full of high hopes, for they had been told that 
 Virginia was a land of sunshine and flowers 
 and gentle air. 
 
 The captain of the Mayflower, however, was 
 
ii4 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 not a good man. Instead of taking them, as he 
 had promised, to the mild climate of Virginia, 
 he took the ship to a bleak, barren northern 
 shore. They begged him to move on south- 
 ward to the green and sunny coast of which they 
 had dreamed, but he declared that he would 
 carry them no farther, and more than that, he 
 roughly bade them hurry themselves about get- 
 ting off his ship and upon the uninviting shore. 
 They were truly in a sad case. There were one 
 hundred and two people to be given food and 
 shelter through the winter which would soon be 
 upon them. 
 
 Besides all this, they had a writing from the 
 king granting them land in Virginia, and under 
 that writing John Carver was to be their Gov- 
 ernor by the King's order, but if they went ashore 
 at this place they were under no laws and also 
 had no rights. 
 
 So a paper was drawn up saying that all the 
 signers thereof would obey any laws that might 
 be made thereafter, and then every man among 
 them put his name thereto. When this was 
 done they felt they had something to stand by. 
 They then chose John Carver their Governor, 
 and all things thus being in order they chose six- 
 teen men, who were armed and sent ashore to 
 see what sort of a land they had found. 
 
Forefather's Day 115 
 
 They brought back the report that the land 
 was nothing but a lot of sand-hills, and no one 
 was pleased with the new place. The next 
 day was Sunday and so they all stayed on the 
 ship, but on Monday many people went ashore. 
 
 It is told in the history of that time, which 
 was written by one of the party, William Brad- 
 ford, that the women also went ashore to do 
 some washing, which was much needed after 
 the long sea voyage. In those days washing 
 was done by pounding the clothes with heavy 
 wooden bats. They had brought with them a 
 little fishing shallop, and as this needed some 
 repairs it was taken ashore for the carpenters to 
 work upon. 
 
 While all this bustling work was going 
 on, the women pounding the clothes, the 
 men pounding nails and sawing boards, some 
 other men set out to see what they could dis- 
 cover. They had not gone more than a mile 
 from their friends when they saw five or six 
 men whom they supposed to be Indians, but as 
 soon as the Indians saw the strangers, they 
 whistled to the dog that was with them and ran 
 off as fast as their legs could go, which was 
 pretty fast. 
 
 The white men, loaded as they were with 
 their guns and knapsacks, their swords and 
 
n6 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 breastplates, could not catch them, although 
 they chased them all that day and part of 
 the next. They were lost in the woods too, 
 and were nearly dead with fatigue. They had 
 a dreadful time indeed and were no doubt sorry 
 that they had tried to overtake the Indians. 
 
 By and by they came to a spring of delicious 
 water, which refreshed them very much and 
 also cheered their spirits. They felt that they 
 had, after all, come to a goodly land, since pure 
 water bubbled so freely from the ground. 
 
 So they kept on, finding many deserted wig- 
 wams and fields from which the crops had been 
 taken. Later they came upon some large 
 mounds of sand and on digging into these with 
 their swords — they had no other tools with them, 
 they found great quantities of Indian corn. 
 As this was their first sight of this useful grain, 
 although they had heard much about it, they 
 carried all they could back to the ship with them. 
 Later they found the Indians who owned the 
 corn and paid for it, so history tells us. 
 
 A second party starting out soon after this 
 were attacked by some Indians, but the white 
 men's muskets quickly routed them, and as 
 not one of the Pilgrims was hurt, they were 
 very happy over their escape. This they named 
 "The First Encounter." 
 
Forefather's Day 117 
 
 Almost a whole month was spent on this 
 coast, the people waiting on the ship while picked 
 men sailed around in the shallop, going ashore 
 often, and thus trying to find a place for their 
 new home. Meanwhile the captain was scold- 
 ing at the delay. 
 
 Finally a pilot named Robert Coppin pro- 
 posed that they should sail in the shallop 
 around a certain high headland which could be 
 seen on clear days. This suggestion met with 
 favor at once, and a third searching party was 
 then made up to find out what was hidden be- 
 hind the headland which rose like a great barrier 
 before them. 
 
 This party, after many adventures, which 
 cannot be told here, brought back a good report 
 of a large, open space of cleared land, a running 
 brook and a noble forest some distance from 
 the shore. The Mayflower immediately weighed 
 anchor and sailed away to the new bay. 
 
 So the choice was made, after much talking 
 and more exploring, and at last all the people 
 went on shore. It is a tradition that a woman 
 was the first one to press her feet upon the rock 
 which lay on the strand, and which seemed to 
 serve as a sort of stepping stone. This stone is 
 now called Plymouth Rock, and is kept as a 
 sacred relic at New Plymouth, Massachusetts. 
 
n8 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Of course the women and children had to 
 stay on the Mayflower until houses could be 
 built, but the men at once went to work 
 with a will. A long, hard winter followed, 
 and a dreadful sickness came upon them 
 which carried off more than half of their 
 number. These troubles made the work of 
 building go on very slowly, so it was not until 
 March that the last person left the Mayflower 
 to stay. 
 
 One bright day in March, when the men of 
 the little settlement were standing in front of 
 their storehouse, making some plans about their 
 village affairs, a tall, fine-looking Indian walked 
 down the one street of the village and coming 
 up to them, said very plainly, "Welcome, Eng- 
 lishmen. " 
 
 How surprised and pleased they were, and 
 they gathered eagerly about him pouring out 
 questions. 
 
 He told them that his home was far from 
 there, and that he had seen other Englishmen 
 who had come around his home fishing for cod; 
 from them he had learned something of the 
 English language. He told them his name 
 was Samoset and that the place where they had 
 settled was called Patuxet. 
 
 This name, however, the settlers changed 
 
Forefather's Day 119 
 
 some time in 1621 to Plymouth, after a place of 
 that name in England. 
 
 Samoset also told them that about four years 
 before, all the Indians in the place had died of 
 a dreadful plague. This explained why they 
 had found so much land cleared and also so 
 many deserted wigwams. Samoset knew all 
 about the " First Encounter." The Indians he 
 said, were Nausets. Thus, you see, although 
 they had no newspapers, telegraphs, telephones, 
 or railroads in those days, they managed to get 
 news carried about. Samoset said the Indians 
 were afraid of the English, because once a wicked 
 Englishman had come there and carried off 
 many of them to be slaves. He was well treated 
 by the settlers, and he stayed all night with them, 
 although it must be confessed that they were 
 a little afraid that he might be deceiving them 
 and be, after all, only a spy sent to find out all 
 about them. He went away peaceably, how- 
 ever, and soon after he came again bringing other 
 friendly Indians with him. When he came 
 again for the third time he brought with him 
 an Indian named Squanto, who also could speak 
 English. 
 
 They then told him that Sachem Massasoit, 
 of the powerful tribe of the Wampanoags, was 
 coming soon to visit his white brethren. The 
 
120 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 settlers felt somewhat anxious about this visit, 
 but when King Massosoit came, soon after, 
 he proved to be very friendly. He and the 
 Pilgrims then made a treaty never to harm each 
 other and this treaty was never broken. 
 
 Everything now looked bright and hopeful 
 for the colonists; they had nothing to fear 
 from the Indians; the sickness was over; those 
 who were left, although their hearts were sad 
 over their lost friends, were gaining in strength 
 every day; planting time had come, they were 
 all comfortably housed, so the captain of the 
 Mayflower thought it was a good time for him to 
 be off for old England before something else 
 happened to keep him on this side of the world. 
 
 So when the Mayflower sailed away, the last 
 tie was broken which held the settlers to their 
 native land. 
 
 But the Pilgrims were Pilgrims no longer, 
 they had found a home. 
 
Forefather's Day 121 
 
 THE LANDING OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS 
 IN NEW ENGLAND 
 
 The breaking waves dashed high, 
 
 On a stern and rock-bound coast, 
 And the woods against a stormy sky 
 
 Their giant branches tossed. 
 
 And the heavy night hung dark 
 
 The hills and waters o'er 
 When a band of exiles moored their bark 
 
 On the wild New England shore. 
 
 Not as a conqueror comes 
 
 They, the true hearted came, 
 Not with the roll of stirring drums 
 
 And the trumpet that sings of fame. 
 
 Not as the fleeing come 
 
 In silence and in fear; 
 They shook the depths of desert gloom 
 
 With their hymns of lofty cheer. 
 
 Amidst the storm they sang 
 
 And the stars heard and the sea; 
 And the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang, 
 
 To the anthem of the tree. 
 
 The ocean eagle soared 
 
 From his nest by the white waved foam; 
 And the rocking pines of the forest roared — 
 
 This was their welcome home. 
 
122 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 There were men with hoary hair 
 
 Among that Pilgrim band ; 
 Why had they come to wither there 
 
 Away from their childhood's land ? 
 
 There was woman's fearless eye 
 
 Lit by her deep love's truth ; 
 There was manhood's brow serenely high, 
 
 And the fiery heart of youth, 
 
 What sought they thus afar? 
 
 Bright jewels of the mine ? 
 The wealth of seas, the spoils of war? 
 
 They sought a faith's pure shrine. 
 
 Aye, call it holy ground 
 
 The soil where first they trod ; 
 They have left unstained what there they found, 
 
 Freedom to worship God. 
 
 — Felicia Hemans 
 
ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE SHEPHEU1 
 
 Plocklorst 
 
December Twenty-fifth 
 CHRISTMAS DAY 
 
 You have heard, no doubt, of the many 
 queer ways in which people of other lands 
 celebrate the dear Christmas time, but have 
 you ever been told that even in our own United 
 States there are many different ways of keeping 
 this day ? 
 
 When the part of the country called the 
 New England States was settled by the Pilgrim 
 Fathers, Christmas was not honored. Indeed 
 there was at one time a law in Massachusetts, 
 forbidding anyone to celebrate Christmas Day. 
 It was one of the great festivals of the church 
 from which they had separated themselves, and 
 since you have kept Forefather's Day and have 
 learned all about the Pilgrims, you can under- 
 stand why they would have nothing to do with 
 Christmas. Aren't you glad you were not a 
 girl or boy in those far-off times ? Just think 
 for a minute of all that the Pilgrim children 
 
 missed. No stocking hanging, no candle-lit 
 
 123 
 
124 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 Christmas trees, no evergreen, holly, or mistle- 
 toe, nor any of the sweet surprises that make 
 this the "day of days." 
 
 Things are different there now, of course, 
 but it is said, that even yet, in some of the small 
 towns and country places of New England 
 they make much more of Thanksgiving then 
 they do of Christmas. 
 
 How different is a Christmas at the South! 
 If you had never been told about their celebra- 
 tion and then chanced to be there on Christ- 
 mas Eve, and to be awake about midnight, 
 you would think things were dreadfully mixed 
 up and that it was the Fourth of July instead of 
 Christmas. Fire-crackers, pistols, guns, make 
 all the noise possible to them, while all the bells 
 in town are rung. 
 
 The Southern States, you must remember, 
 were settled by people very different from the 
 Pilgrims, and they thought that Christmas was 
 the day of the year, so they loved to make it the 
 jolliest, noisiest time that they could possibly 
 stir up. 
 
 The darkies, like the grownup children that 
 many of them are, look forward to this day 
 throughout the year. 
 
 In the old days of slavery, every darky had 
 the right to say to every white person whom he 
 
Christmas Day 125 
 
 met, "Chris'musgif, Mas'r," "Chris'mus giP, 
 Missus," and a trifling present was usually 
 forthcoming. 
 
 In some remote parts of the South it is 
 said that this custom is still kept up, but it is 
 rarely practiced in the cities, where there are 
 many northerners who do not always take 
 kindly to the ever present "darky." 
 
 As Pennsylvania was originally settled by the 
 Quakers, or Friends, Christmas was not cele- 
 brated there in the early days. Indeed, it is a 
 tradition in a certain family that an ancestress 
 who was a Quaker preacher, had all her white- 
 washing done on Christmas Day and that her 
 Quaker neighbors gladly followed her example. 
 By this it is not meant that they washed their 
 white clothes on that day, but that they gave the 
 walls of their houses and barns, sometimes both 
 inside and out, several coats of "white-wash," 
 which was made from lime, and which was a 
 very popular way of keeping the fences and all 
 buildings clean in those old times. 
 
 Later on, however, when the Germans came 
 into Pennsylvania, Christmas was kept in the 
 good, old German fashion, with the lighted 
 Christmas tree and the coming of the good 
 Christmas Saint who was called " Kriss 
 Kringle." 
 
126 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 There is also a character very familiar to all 
 of the children of the Pennsylvania Germans 
 called Pelznickel. He is very unlike Kriss 
 Kringle because he is seen by the children, and 
 he never goes to the unlucky houses where there 
 are only grown people. 
 
 It is only the children that he wishes to know 
 about and either reward or punish. He carries 
 a switch and a bag of toys and wherever he stops 
 he says to the parents, "And how have the chil- 
 dren been this year?" 
 
 Those who have been good receive a present 
 from the bag over his shoulder, while those 
 who have been bad receive a light tap from his 
 switch. 
 
 "Whence does he come and where does he 
 go when he has made his rounds ? " do you 
 ask ? For a true answer to that question you 
 must visit the Pennsylvania Dutch, as they are 
 called, and find out all about that mysterious 
 Pelznickel, but meanwhile, perhaps you can 
 guess something about his movements. 
 
 Another kind of people, called the Moravians, 
 live in and around the city of Bethlehem on the 
 Lehigh River in Pennsylvania. Although they 
 originally came from Germany they do not, 
 like the Germans, keep Christmas as a time of 
 merrymaking. On the contrary it is a religious 
 
Christmas Day 127 
 
 service in honor of the birth of our Saviour. 
 They have no stocking hanging, no lighted trees, 
 no Santa Claus driving through the air behind 
 reindeer and then stealing in unseen into the 
 children's homes. 
 
 Instead of all these, they have what is called 
 "The Putz." 
 
 This is a copy of the birthplace of Christ, 
 a lowly stable with the star hanging above it; 
 the Shepherds with their adoring faces turned 
 toward the sky, the wise men kneeling with their 
 gifts before the straw-filled manger, in which 
 lies the Infant Jesus • 
 
 Whatever services or celebrations may be 
 held in a Moravian home, they all center around 
 this tender representation called "The Putz." 
 
 Among all the different ways of celebrating 
 Christmas there is one great thought which 
 should be remembered, which is, that the Christ 
 Child was born to bring good will or loving 
 kindness upon the earth. 
 
 It is often quite easy to put this spirit into 
 all that we do on Christmas Day, but how 
 soon we forget, and allow cross and harsh feel- 
 ings to rankle in our hearts. If we could only 
 keep the true Christmas spirit with us the 
 whole year round, how different this world 
 would be. 
 
128 Holiday Facts and Fancies 
 
 JUST YOU AND I 
 
 "Good will and peace"; sweetest syllables they, 
 Which all the wide world are singing to-day, 
 And are we making them, just you and I, 
 Earnest and true as the day hastens by? 
 
 "Good will, peace," are these sweet syllables three, 
 More than smooth rhythm to you and to me ? 
 Good will in the heart must scatter good deeds, 
 Deeds full of love which the world sorely needs. 
 
 "Good will and peace." If their meaning so deep 
 Each in his own little circle should keep, 
 How gladly the days would go whirling by, 
 Come, let us begin it, just you and I. 
 
 Good will for the dull, the stranger, the bore, 
 All the unbidden who pause at our door. 
 Good will for the child, the lonely and sad, 
 As well as the thriving, giddy and glad. 
 
 Sweet peace in our hearts, forgotten all strife, 
 Quarrels made up, since so short is this life. 
 Then "Peace on the earth and good will to men," 
 We'll sing, you and I, again and again. 
 
 Yes, sing it with heart as well as with voice, 
 And help the whole world with us to rejoice. 
 Yes, all the year long, through good and through ill, 
 For "peace" let us strive with hearty "good will." 
 
 — Clara J. Denton 
 
DEC SI 191® 
 
One copy del. to Cat. Div. 
 
 *•* 1916