1931-12-18 — Page 24

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CHINA MAIL ·CHRISTMAS SUPPLEMENT, 1931.

Hidden Treasure

millions of children, not only in our To

own Empire, but in many a foreign land, such as Germany, Holland and Bel- gium, the Christmas Stocking is perhaps the greatest of Yuletide anticipations and

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delights, all the more fascinating as it is enveloped in so much mystery.

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And it is right that it should be so; for its originator was, it is said, none other than the great St. Nicholas himself or Santa Klaus, as the Dutch call the Saint. Accord- ing to Naogengus, the versifier of ancient

customs:-

And if tradition is to be believed, a stock ing was the favourite hiding-place for the Saint's largesse.

"A Great Big Stocking.” Of one Christmas stocking the founder of a well-known store tells a very pretty and

romantic story.

One day a stranger called to see hin

and the

December on

23rd of

asked him, if possible, to prepare "a great big stocking" for his daughter who was ill.

and to have it ready by Christmas morning. It was to contain a large doll, dinner and tea-sets, a cooking-stove and pots and pans. several articles of doll's furniture, and a box full of doll's clothes.

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That evening, athough they were over- whelmed with work, the stocking was made on the premises. It was covered in blue satin, trimmed with silver tinsel and tied with blue ribbons; and, as it was too late to be delivered by one of the carts, it

that the child determined not be disappointed. So on Christmas Eve,

was

--

should

was about to disappear through the door, and told her to blow a kiss to Father Christ- mas, who had just brought her the beauti- ful big stocking.

Not Only To Children.

But it is not only to children that the Christmas stocking brings delight and sur- prise. Only last year a young lady awoke on Christmas morning to find a stocking attached to the rail at the foot of her bed. It was, as she quickly guessed, the Yuletide gift of a man who had won her heart, and whose heart she felt sure she had won, but who had never summoned up courage to put his fate to the test of a proposal.

It was with eager fingers that she opened the stocking, full of curiosity to ex- plore its contents. One by one she extracted a small box of chocolates, a box of Turkish cigarettes and a microscopic vanity bag. Then at last, when her heart sank at the thought that not even a word of greeting was within, she found in the "toe" of the stocking a tiny casket wrapped in a half- sheet of paper.

As she read the contents of the paper she discovered that the long-delayed offer the had come at last. And on opening casket she found a beautiful diamond engagement ring..

Small But Costly.

No less delightful was the experience of a young lady who, on Christmas morning three years ago, received a "lucky stocking" from her fiance in the foot of which she found one of the most costly and beautiful crackers ever made. In size it was insigni-

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as it was, was in disappointing contrast to the gorgeous casket which held it. forth dazzling lights from a coiled necklace opening the cracker, however, there blazed of diamonds of the purest water, the cost of which was said to be at least £1,000.

Poor Lace Maker's Luck.

But perhaps the most romantic of these a poor lace-maker of St. Didier-la-Seauvė, stories is that of M'lle. Rosalie Montobodial, a Department of Haute Loire. She hung up one of her stockings at the foot of her bed, little dreaming what a revolution this simple

act was to work in her life.

On awaking on Christmas morning she opened her stocking to find the usual pre- sents from her parents and her brothers and sisters; and, last of all a small slip of print. ed paper with the message attached:-"All I have to give you. May it bring you goo luck!" signed by a friend, "Sophie Carlier."

The paper, Mademoiselle saw, was a

with pleasure at the kind thought as she ticket in a Christmas Lottery, and she smiled folded the ticket up and put it in her purse. A few days later she chanced to see the result of the lottery in a local paper; taking the ticket out of her purse, she was amazed and delighted to find that the ticket from which she had hoped nothing had actually won a prize of a quarter of a million francs.

ROOM FOR BOTH SIDES.

HERE is the secular side to Christmas

the great shopkeeper himself got out of his ficant, for it was little longer than the palm and there is the spiritual side, and thera::

car, drove to business premises and secur- ed a Father Christmas wig and cloak. These he placed in the car with the great blue, satin stocking, and a little after one a.m. on Christmas morning he astonished the night porter at the hotel by driving up arrayed as Santa Claus. (He had donned the wig and cloak as he neared his destina- tion), and asking for the number of little Miss

's room, sent up a telephone message to her father's room.

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of her hand-its actual length was just over four inches; but its cost was £500.

It consisted of a tiny sheaf of wheat fashioned so cunningly of pure gold that its modelling by one of the most skilful of goldsmiths was the work of six months; and in the centre was concealed a ring set with pearls of the most perfect shape and purity.

The three daughters of an American millionaire had, as one of them said, "the duckiest surprise of their lives" when on Christmas morning last year, among the contents of their stockings each found a small golden casket bearing her pet-name in brilliants.

In a few minutes Daddy appeared, ar- rayed in his dressing-gown, and apparently recognised the visitor in spite of his dis- guise. "Bless you, he said, “I thought you'd forgotten all about us!". They went to the

On opening the caskets each revealed a little one's room together, and her father woke her up just as the strange "Santa" | cracker of face-edged silk, which, beautiful

These is room for both this Christmas. times of ours make it difficult to keep in mind always that the significance of Christ- mas as the greatest feast day of the year this defence that we give to in the church calendar, is the real pivotal point of all Christmas and all the importance in which

we hold it.

We, in our churches especially, have not been so careful to emphasise that fact, for we have yielded more and more to the secular side of the. season, We have let the entertainment side of Christmas slip in and banish the beauty and the moving spiritual sense of the season that only the We have religious observance can create. surrendered to personal convenience, and many churches. we have come to try and make a Christmas serviçe, over and done for days before the Day of Days itself ever arrives, suffice for that recognition of it.

And so, in this season, we are going to see that we who are influential in the churches offer a fitting and timely oppor- tunity for people to invite their own in- dividual spirits to keep Christmas in the true atmosphere. For the individual, as well as for the family, Christmas is incom-

the Christmas plete without

music in the churches, and the impressive service.

When the north winds blow up the snowcs and the sleigh belles call one from the hearth-side -the time is at hand to don onc's wintry sports togs. Marjorie King, M.-G.-M. player, shows a boyish type of costume—appropriate for skūng or skating or tobboganing, but not appropriate for Hong Kong.

WHAT ARE WE?

We are a score, nay, sometimes more,

Within a cave reside;

Though seldom 'tis we disagree,

We often do divide.

If we fall out, there is no doubt

We ne'er shall meet again; Both boy and girl our worth can tell,. Though oft we cause them pain.

In white array the ladies gay

In mirth will often show us; From what is said, we are afraid,

You will too quickly know us.

Answer: Teeth.