press ajnd' smaller.bnes'for; each 1of. their

children;Tvaf"yingTinfsize;according\to

their" respective, ages."''- \u25a0•'.''•\u25a0...\u25a0 '. ,

'In somejof the: more remote provincesof :Germany*quaint;custonis :symbolicarof;'the.meanihg^of ,phristnias{are -stiirkept.' In some pfjthereasternVproyiheesbordering ;on\Russia fservices'are iheldln'j stables jto commemorate tthe :birth, of Christ. -;»These Christ-mas. /.celebrations,^ however. ;areoutunder^the iinfluence "of-the twentieth-century*' spirit.; y. :\.{.'"..;•:•". :; ;;-. - .:It•Is;;ajcurious :ifact;, that :Germany's'

near; neighbor,VLHollandi;'does,.r.6t. ;ob-'serve '. Christmas, iatf'all,- except ;as anordinaryJSunclay/i^VlthitheiHollandersit:is /December ;6ithat,'is «given over/ toJollity, and .mirthV/^lt;Is''the'' day" ofSaint; Nicholas,:.' the"- patron' .:•-'. saint, ofchildhood^'and'^ah .•excellent ,;rival"of.Santa IClaus, "*.. whoegoVs {about \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 on v hiskwhlte \horse f to '• brlng"|pr«sehts IforBervingrjuvVriilee.ytOA^r.nlght'.the'chil-;dren~ileave V carrots h. onV the \>:domestichearth for~ the}steed's jconSum'ptioh.': Andnext"; morning",-* they ,<i findhconvincingpro9f|ofjigopdjSaint!Nick's<visit'in: thedisappearance /offthej carrots Vahd sthe'substitution- ofipresents J for<them:

'i

Shoes, ;ln:lieuTof'stockingV/are 11*hung 1

about|therchimn'ey,;a.hd!afe*mysterlbus^'lyinlled.^Saint'Nicholas JajattendedJby,aiblacklboy/;a''pryihgVTinquisltiv'e,fdis- t;agreeable 1sprite l^whov ''sneaks',' Jint the'

*ioithe!, saintIhow("J the "children.; behave"themfeelyesJj, Those .who'are rin- hisibad ibooks gret^no -'presents.' " '

'.T.'".\ :*\u25a0"

'•.?' •\u25a0•'

LONDON, '.Dec. ,'23.-^-The 'social-elect'

Iare', greatly excited "over a:cheating;.episode :at J bridge -which took

"place at

\u25a0 the house ;of.Consuelb, Duchess of Man-"Chester,- in

1.Grosve'nor Square .recently,

the "King being ;present, v The culprit is*a woman, young, beautiful and; a 'bril-'liant player, who has been' asked every-;where ', to meet %his..Majesty. -" 'Had ".itbeen ;'a man', who >*was in fault, ". it

'"is

qtiite-; likely'.he'r.wbuldj have shared thel.fatej'of£G6rdon^ Cunimihg. *

As: it 'was'a«.woman* she ihas escaped, though 1 cer-

| tainlyj disgraced. \u25a0 *.;;'..,,;: v .%\u25a0"•!/; :<IV/^'Slie fwasc playing against/ the 'Klngfand^the'-Duchess; ;Herjpartner -.was-* thePortuguese "Minister;\theTt.- Marquis j\de"j9bveral/;-who }Is fa.'}great; favorite i^wlth'sithe>'r oyal'ifami Iy.'> \u25a0Helis 'an';iindd\ ffer'en tplayer, butiIs always to lose",his'money »'like? a jgentleman., ..llo.'.Avas^j"dummy!''-and t was \u25a0 in-, the'^dinln'sfyroom \ge.tting^a^drink vwhile;hls Ipartnef "

was,1playing^ the "."hand" /.when* [the ',incident j

took place. ;It'iwas*thejKiner,';.who:ba_s ]a5a5marvelous 'memory, and \u25a0knows, ever^]'card Tout/^\vh6> saw's; that -his -.opponent';!had /revoked itwice.;ahd :.had- done-oneor -two^other \u25a0doub'tful ijth-ings.' ';<When:

(she'Jrealized^that* his-^Majesty had /de-tected -her ;she:;"almost r.;falhted.^ -The'^Kiriff>Svas;> angry,' _• so

'"

that;(;he'>dashed_ !:down;hls!cards. v

"•>, :: i* ". ':'g

'M' VI hayVkseen*

you'J'do isomp- pe*cullar

(

things~t at^. bridge now," '.he*re-,marked jto',thelfair.{culprit," "but your^last'faux pas "is unique.^; Look ;here.*De*\u25a0Spveral,"; ;he (!added ieallihg^out ItoUh'e-Marquis)i"just

'see\what' yojir;,partner,

:has /dono; twice, 'V,and (then ,?he picked^\i*p*the,tricks jand explained,"^: ,' |-' '.The'unhappy woman '"lost 'her head,"*

PICTURES. WHICH SHOW. THE CARNIVAL SPIRIT IN* -YTHICH CHUISTMASIS GREETED INPARIS AND THE RELIGIOUS •\u25a0 SENTIMENT WHICH THEHOLIDAY AROUSES IN THE CAPITAL OP ITALY. , , . -,

Special Cable to The CaU.• LONDON. Dec. 23.—Another Ameri-can .woman has just "got there," to theexpressive- phraseology, of some of hercountrymen.

-Mrs." Vivian, the wffe of

Colonel-Ralph- Vivian., has reached thepinnacle of social distinction.^' In otherwords, she has entertained -the King.:--'The colonel -rents .Houghton Hall, in

Norfolk/ from Lord Cholmondeley (pro-nounce rit Chumley, if you would becredited' with-any knowledge of who's•who'Tltt England), and thlther;the KinsJourneyed Varly this* week to shoot overits fa"mbus preserves !and a go<><ltfme;afterwardvln''the- hospitable halUThe excursion* was favored by:lnvlg:or-atln'gr .weather.- the sport -was excellent,

the 'fare 'was; sumptuous-, .-his Majestythoroughly

*%enjoyed . himself,, and the

number 'of'women who can •now say

spiteful things of \u25a0 Mrs. Vivian*ha 3iu-

\u25a0creased "100 per', cent.," Sh** discoveredwhat feminine 'jealousy and envy are-

;Wh^n she*entertain ed-. the Prince Qt

'.Wale'a ;at lloughton 4Hall.last rear. .•

\u25a0'* Mtsl-Vivian was formerly the wife ofthe" late 'Marshall \u25a0 O.\ Roberts of NewYork, \u25a0'\u25a0 an*extremely * wealthy merchant"and. -a-" devout member, of 'the church,

who abhorrf d -everything :that savored"of 'vanityr and detested *\u25a0 great '\u25a0 social.functions.- . But there > are compensa-tions in everything. 'Had hisdlslike ofostentation- and 'display not been so\u25a0'deep-seated,'/ the fortune which he lefthis .widow would not"have, beep nearlyso Iars^BBBHBHBMIBBS

\u25a0 Rich and still beautiful and not atall *puritanical. Mrs. Roberts mighteasily haye rhad the pick \ot half-a-dozen

* peers.\-Everybody :knows that

sbe'reJected'the^latt'Earl'of'Arr*n. ri

.;LONDON,',Dec.-

23.—The rDuchess of.Marlbprough's generous- patronage ofthe Church Army'has- excited -/he -ani-'.mbsity'' of-"-•' those V'peculiar -, -, tlreb'randanarchists^. who;regard .tharity.and^re-'iigrionVas the "greatest obstacles .to".their,/petIschemes ";for'c the

"regeneratfon' of

societ y.;i'ln iconsequence she*",has *\u2666re^

cciyed {laryeinumbers >of;;threatening:letters'and. these have aroused her fears^to_. suchan-extent .that for.somo weeks'Ipastrshet has- had a. staff of >detectives'carefully

*watching her new-, house In

MayfatrjjS|pM||tflßWßS^HßWPMfflßal^.Whehshe goeB'shopplng"^or;has\pcca-!\u25a0sioh|\to\"attend*. public- function's, like

\u25a0 sonic": members of ,the*royal r family,•sheis :-by -J both tHs.male"and? a\ female ?detective,Mhe'- latter,dis-guised^ as";her -mal(l. :\u25a0: \u25a0 Unlike^:she -has ;toIpay \u25a0for> th©'t1uxury.;bf :such1protection,^ and as ",. some *of{those ;sheemplpys are. experts ,in their !profesislon/her.Cwcekly 'expenditure ;on4hls"accouht.cannot .'fall;far^short of vs.,*^.v5.,*^. "

.;.-.Itiis;considered strange Lthat) the ef-»]

.forts r_ofithe -Duchess > to /alleviate ~2 di3-!

tre'ss^ainong :' the; -should.have.exposed ',hereto :persecutions^frbm"which" -somc^titled^ folk who" selflshljrpursue*on ly^th'eirvowu own;pleasuVe -are frfe.*Of course she recognizes ", that;;th'cse: at-*trioks•dp -fnnto t 'Jcornel fremX.the -. picop1c"iwhom^sheMs^ doingSslier ."best/ito'-.help?*Anyhow,*they<.wlll«not icause: her/tojre-^laxiherieffortsiln their' behalf... ;,;;». '-• • •* ""* ' - . — ' -

».*

so .to;speak and .made a "scene. \"Throw-*ing £'herself ;on' < her,\ knees :she

- hoggedthe- King's jforgiveness*" and* said

--it

waulfl*"never." never happen *aga!n.'^\f ;-,ll}s^"-Majesty*."• smoothed ".matters*, over,butvicft Soon aftervrard. V

' ~' ' •

Spiciai* Cable? to The' Call.

Anarchists Resent KindActs of Duchess of

\u25a0:':\u25a0;\u25a0 Marlborough -;\u25a0 x :.

Edward Exposes a FairTrickster at

Bridge. ;

Social Distinction forAnother American >

Woman.

THREATENINGLETTERS SENTTO CONSUELO

KINGCORNERSWOMAN CHEAT

INCARD GAME

KINGEDWARDTHE GUEST OF

MRS. VIVIAN

LONDON, Dec. 23.— 1n. spite of cynicalwriters, who never fail to assert that the

X English Christmas is not what it used tov l»e, there is little fault to be found with

the wav in which the Yuletide is ob-served in this country. It's true, more'sthe pity, that the Yule log is a thing ofthe past, and that in few households inthis country, except the King's, does the"boar's head" play its ancient part, butaside from these things Christmas inEngland is kept much as it was in Dick-tns' time:Inail the great country houses there are

Christmas gatherings. Still "the stock-ings are hung by the chimney with care,"

still the Christinas tree bears its myste-rious fruit and still the pudding namesat the end of the day's great repast. Eventhe carol keeps Its place. All over tnecountry within a few days of Christmasyou may hear the "waits," as they arecalled— children who sing "God Bless You.Merry Gentlemen." and "I Saw Three |Ships," under your windows in the even-ing in the hope of pennies. Why they callthem "waits" nobody, seems to know, ex-cept that they do wait for the coppers.

Yes, England gives itself up to Christ-inas in quite the old way, all except

London. Throughout the provinces thereis snow to help out the picture, butLon-don, with its damp, chilly air and soot-laden fogs, does not lend itself *o a "Mer-

rie Christmas." The streets wear agloomy aspect. All places of amusement«xc closed. There are no public festivi-ties or demonstrations. What mirth thereis is all within doors.

BOXTXG DAY CELEBRATION.

But on the next day, Boxing day, whichIs also a ho'tcay, everything is differentThe streets are full again, the theatersreopen, the pantomimes, dear to the heartof the true cockney, begin, and London-ers revel afreah In ,the old stories of"Dick Whittington and His Cat," "Cin-derella" and "Blue Beard." Boxing day,by the way, is believed to take its nameIrom the universal custom of givingChristmas "boiea." or tips, to all serv-ants and other factotums on that day.

3t is London's great day of the wholeyear.

Meanwhile at Sandring-ham, the King

and Queen do their best to preserve thetraditions of tho old-fashioned Christmasin their celebration. Their .Majesties arealways served with a boar's head, a baronof beef and a gigantic plum pudding. Theboar's head its usually a present from theKaiser, and laid upon a silver dish, withits tusks highly polished; ItIs carried-ehoulder-high. into the dining hall, at•which time the carpi is sung, beginningwith the words:

The King's boar-head In hand !Ibring•B«d«cke4 with bays and roeemary.

And Ipray you good people be merry-

In the remoter rural districts many

cuaint old Christmas customs still sur-vive. In Yorkshire, bands of children gowassailing, carrying with them a rudetravesty of the Nativity in the form of ahuge doll, decked with mistletoe, andcinq the old sons, "Here We Come a-Wassailins:/* which, like the carol- of the"waits," may be literally interpreted asa reauest* for pennies. And, of course,toe "Christmas box" is always forthcom-fSs. • -

OBSERVANCE IX GERMAVIVBut, after all, to find Christmas

'cole- !

brated with all the ancient • zest,* one \u25a0

must go to Germany. For Germans the.'day is still a period for sentimentality, '•

time for family reunions•in \u25a0 the

*old

.rarely limited to the,; giftsfrom the Christmas ;,tree,^ but;includesums, of>money.* Tne;trusted •• domesticservant of cither- sex: usually; receives

•$20 . in.cash ?in;addition". to1

,other: gifts/Itis customary, in all;offices,: and, biisi-.

fness establishments ifor"-- employers .to1 present. thelrJstaff with.Chri3tm'a3(pres-~ents iin

"the;shape "of double

'salary

'for.

the :month" 3ofvDecember, ,a;;Christmasobservance which*is keenly appreciated.;

ICAISER;LAyiSH GIFTS.;'^ {

The r royal*palace at;Potsdam ilai \u25a0 thescene; ot, the ;-mbs'tTbrilliant'/Christmas'festival in Europe,' for the. Kaiser cele-brates it'iiia;manner '^befitting themonarch :of the Fatherland, •vwhere*Santa Claus comes ;tb.every

'home .with

gifts, and where iUie'ivery criminals Inprison are provided • "witht \Christmas-trees. V| -'".'•

'

\-\\ -\On 'the -afternoon of the*holy eve,

\u25a0.the" Kaiser," accompanied ''by.some' of hisstalwart / young: sons,11may.; be'-'seenwalking abdiit-in;the* neighborhood- of

ithe;palace,"; bestowing Christmas 'boxesonTall;the,poqr.ifoik-he chances •to'jmeet.andiwishlng;them* a/ happy; Christmas/On every \u25a0; beggar* whomihe -encounters

\u25a0he bestows 'a- silver 'coin'worthr.Sl

'25.' "\u25a0'. -\u25a0''

Meantime*.within.tho pas^V? tlie\u25a0Em-press,'like]every other 'German; mother/is zputting:'\u25a0','."! tho

--'last' 'touches '^tq'^the'

trees. They,are arranged on**tables; inithe'f apartment v known

'as

-the

;Hall-iof'Shells. yS There 'are -V two ;;enor-*

mous"trees" for- the- Emperor ?and ',Em-

\u25a0hem», an occasion for givingr and receiv-ing- a multitude of presents and an oppor-tunity of exchanging 'friendly greetingswith the whole circle of one's \ relativesand friends. The Christmas tree, too,originated in Germany and during the•week preceding: Christmas the marketplaces and squares of irery town In theFatherland are stacked. with heaps of firtrees of-all sizes, which in* due courseart- to be I-used

-for Christmas. As the

Yuletide approaches, these heaps of firtrees prow smaller and smaller." until onDecember 21 there are very few or none Iat all left."-

" 'it ih a noint of honor in every Ger-man family' to have a Christmas

'tree

for- the children and many householdscontinue to observe the custom evenwliyiall the members of the family havebecame adults. Wealthy Germans have aChristmas tree which extends from thefloor • io the ceiling- of a lofty chamberand Jills with its huge branches thegreater part of a large room, and theFize of the tree decreases :in each house-hold in proportion to the decreasingworld prosperity of the respective fami-lies. In poor houses the Christmas :treeis nothing more than a twigof a fir treestuck in a pot and placed in the centeror the table.

\u0084,In

<every case the Christmas tree isIlluminated. If it is a big tree it is hung*rith hundreds of Chinese lanterns andcandles, wnich throw a brilliant light

'over the imposing array of presents jMA*n5. ,°m* the'bran ches which bend?£ ni fI

°fSood thinss-

The sm^-est Christmas trees are illuminated- by

matches CandlCS scarcely bigger than

CHRISTMAS TREES FOR ALL.One peculiarity of Christmas In Ger-many is that the celebration takes place ion Christmas eve instead of on Christ- imas day itself. The celebration begins isoon after sunset on December 24 and

*

concludes on-the same evening. Christ-mas day itself is simply a public holiday •

on which the nation enjoys itself. Alltheaters and places of amusement areclosed on December 24 and are "openagain the next day. fThe, programme of proceedings on the

'Heilige Nacht. as Christmas . eve Uscalled in Germany, is in its 'essentialfeatures the same in every German fam-ily.' First the family circle gathers ]round the Christmas tree and sings- oneor two Christmas carols, for the Ger- 1mans are a* nation of musicians. Thehusband then embraces his wife

-andkisses her; father and; mother embrace

and kiss all their^ehildren, and the chil-dren embrace and

-kiss one another, ifmore distant \u25a0 relatives and even

'friends

and acquaintances are present they alsoreceive and bestow, kisses on all present.There is, in short, a general outbreakof klssiug. At most family gatheringssome benevolent elder, wearing afur cap,

-.long white beard, and .red cloak .enactsthe role of Santa ;Claus

'

arid "distributesthe gifts.

-_^_ •',;\u25a0••; .•;\u25a0;'

In many German households 7the ;patri- ]archal custom^ of allowing the domestic

'servants to participate in the'Christmaafestivities ,is still observed.

-Presents ifor "

the servants are hung on "the 1 familyChristmas tree, and although the domes-tics do:riot jshare (in the

':general :kissing/ :'

every. one present ,shakes ",bands '.>'.with '\u25a0 <them and wishes them all the good things '"\u25a0

of the 'season. .">•-\u25a0'\u25a0 *:The

'presents • for"the

-*servants / ara :

Special Cable ».o Ttu; Gall.

Children in HoI/and Hang Up Their Shoes AboutChimney Place and Paris Makes a Gay

Carnival of the Occasion.- -

ENGLISH ROYAL COUPLE SERVED WITHW

EUROPE OBSERVES ANCIENT CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS

Pages2lto2BPages 21 to :28:

28

SAN> FRANGISGO/SUNDA^DEGEMBER;^: 1905.

The San Francisco Call.