The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 4, 1913 Page: 7 of 11
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■ Vr 1 W.V1’* d*. '■'ti'in AufeAp. r* •
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Share Your fortune
Ijviid «U the bapplneee and Jot® of the
merry Christmas season tblnh of those
less fortunate—of those on whom the
sun of plenty has failed to shine during
the past twelve months. Chlnh of the heart-
aches that will be theirs on Christmas morn-
ing ; tblnh of the tear stained eyes of the little
children weeping because Santa Claus could
not call at their homes, fialf of your pleasure
at Christmas will be derived from malting
others happy, from sharing your good fortune
and sowing seeds of hindness wherever
you happen to be on Christmas day. Give
something, be It ever so trifling, to tb* little
child to whom Christmas otherwise would
mean nothing. You can heep tears of sorrow
from those eyes and brighten the day a hun-
dredfold for yourself. Cry It.
A OIFT.
*• TT T HAT shall I send you far
11 / Christmas, dear?
lA/ What can a penniless rlmaatsr
f f send
But the wish that when skies
nre Oiled with (loom
For you blithe April buds may bluon
And that evsry throb of ths heart of yWU
May whisper at days when the skies won
blue'
What shall 1 send you for Christmas,
s*. eet?
What can a friendless minstrel send
But the prayer that when days drag drear
and long
Your heart will sing snatchee of sweetest
song
And that every Hake of the Tuletlds’s
snow
May speak of the dreams of the long ago?
What shall I send you for Christmas, my
own?
What cun a lonely bardllng send
But the wish that when life grows dark
and chill
The roses of summer may bloom for you
still
And in moods when the fond old dreams
still cling to you
That the birds may return, my sweet, anti
sing to you?
— Irving Dillon In L>lfe.
't he Day After Christmas.
A graceful finish la one of the most
wssent'.al touches of any successful
venture The pianist does not drop his
hands abruptly from the keys us soon
as he buB played the last note, but
bold?? them there a moment longer un-
til the music dies away. Diners out
would be indignant If the table were
whisked clean the moment the last
mouthful wag swallowed. They find
the lingering on a little while over the
«offee and nats most delightful.
Christmas is too beautiful and too
solemn a festival to drop In this hasty
fashion the moment the clock strikes
midnight, for any occasion which
weeds especial preparation also needs
•n adequate closing, and particularly
to this true of thoee tlUogB whose val-
ue lies in sentiment,
i There are many things to be done
after Christmas. There are letters to
bo written, houses to be put In order
gifts to be arranged, and every one of
the countless details ussy be done ei-
ther with grace or without It In the
theater the final curtain falls with fit-
ting dignity or appropriate gayety. It
has all been a play; but.'even so, the
actors do not walk off after the last
word is said and allow the stage bands
to rnsb on. That would offend the
mood of the audience. How much
truer this is of something which la not
a play, but a very real part of life!
The days after Christmas should be
as mystical In thstr way as were the
days before Christmas, 'the ornaments
that decked the tree ahould be put
away with the sar^ap joara and pleaaure
with which they were brought out. the
greens takes down wtth the same mer-
riment that accompanied their going up.
The afterglow la sometimes the most
beautiful part of the sunset, and some-
times it la even more beautiful than
the sunset Itself.
. w;;*i
The Christmas Spirit.
Christmas la a good institution, be It
examined from any angle. The Christ-
mas spirit is one to foster and encour-
age. it means unselfishness, charity,
peace, liberality, good cheer, all desir-
able traits in themselves and all tend-
ing to make the world a better place.
While the Christmas holiday ia a
Christian institution ia name, ao ons
religion holds a monopoly of the Christ-
inas spirit. It is common to all reli-
gions. It means a striving to make
others happier, an effort to better con-
ditions for mankind. It means sharing
your good fortune, no matter bow
small the portions may be. It is the
essence of the Golden Rule.
While one can do much good to oth-
ers by the radiation of the Christmas
spirit, the greatest good is done to one-
self. No man can bestow a gift, either
material or spiritual, on another with-
out benefiting himself. He must ele-
vate himself by the exercise of the
emotions that Christmas calls forth,
and tliis elevation must be more or leas
permanent. No man can be much dif-
ferent one day in the year from what
he is the other 3(>4 days.
So blessed be the spirit of Christ-
mas! Exercise it during the closing
days of December and you ■•an t help
but he the better for it, and you can’t
help but continue its benevolent Influ-
ences during the months that follow.
A CHRISTMAS DREAM.
V DREAMED a dream one Christmas
I eve.
I The strangest one, you may believe.
X ’Twaa of a world divinely fair
Beyond the blue, far off, somewhere.
There grief and tears were all unknown.
And love supreme reigned on the throne.
Ah, such a joyful, gladsome world.
Where sorrow’s bolts were never hurled:
Here facet gaunt with poverty
Deride the rich in mockery.
All equal there wera each to eaoh.
The best within a pauper’s reaeh.
No surging, crushed, downtroddea rasas as;
No proud, ellto or clan mads classes;
No seasoned joys for just a few
In this fair realm beyond the blue;
No stalking want with piteous voice;
No poor to feed. Alt had thair choice *
Of that which seemeth just and good.
Alt things were rightly understood.
No broken hearts or racking pain.
No avaricious, blood bought gain.
No (rasping, grinding, selfish greed
That other's welfare doth not heed.
Ail things were perfect as the lore
That ruled this spotless world above.
Were this sad world like to nay dream
Aad love ruled all. its right supreme.
Ah, where the chance for kindly deeds?
Were there no poor to voice their needs.
Were such a stats sublimely true.
Oh, where the good that we might do?
Were there no faces dewed with tears.
Where, th^n, the solace of the years?
If this world knew .no grief; no cars.
Could we our brother's burden share?
Ah. lovs would lose much of Its worth
Were there no charity, on earth!
Barhapa‘t|s tpettor aa It'ls*
Than live in realms of perfect biles.
Fur out of evil ooraeth good
When God is rightly understood.
And since we live mid toll aad care
And not in naleyon dreams somewhere
Uplift and help thy fellow man
And do the greatest good you can
To make this world like that above.
Controlled and swayed by Chrtetty lore,
—Howard Ll Wentworth.
Che Giving of Glft9
one le going to give a Christmas pree-
ent It should be with a cheerful heart.
If you can't give In this spirit do not
give at all. Ole give presents to our
friends at Christmas because they are our
friends and because we derive pleasure from
such giving. In the giving of Christmas pres-
ents there should be none of that spirit which
suggests commercialism. Chere should never
be any expectation of reciprocity. Che giving
of a Christmas present should be from the
heart. Che present Itself counts for little. Che
spirit and motive which prompt the giving are
all important.
All Records for Rainfall Broken;
All Rivers and Creeks Overflow
Too much could easily be said
about the present brand of wea-
ther with which we are being
inflicted, hut much of it would
not look well in print.
It began raining before day-
light Tuesday and continued
without cessation, practically,
up to The Reporter’s usual Uipur
for going to press Thursday. As
the ground was already full of
water no more could soak in and
it therefore had to find a surface
outlet. The result has been that
all streams have been out of
banks.
The flood in the San Gabriel
and Brushy bottoms is worse
than in October, the water being
higher. Much damage was done,
too, the biggest single iteip be-
ing the breaking of the levee on
Little River, known as the Hefley
Improvement District levee.
For three years this levee had
withstood storm and flood, and
the land owners and tenants had
decided that the October flood
was the crucial test and that no
more danger need be anticipat-
ed. The flood of Tuesday night,
however, was much bigger and
the levee broke, flooding thou-
sands of fertile acres. It is ai»u
reported that a bunch of Mexi-
cans were drowned, but this ru-
mor could not be confirmed on ac-
count of telephone wires being
down.
Rockdale is cut off from the
world today, and will be for sev-
eral days possibly. At Brushy
creek bridge west of town 1.200
feet of dump is gone on the I. &
G. N. East on the same road
THE LORD OF MISRULE. |
A delightfully laughable Christmas
game is called “the lord of misrule.”
Some one—usually one of the larger
boys—Is giveu a spnij' of holly. What-
ever the person holding the holly does
other players must imitate exactly.
No antics in which the holly leader in
dulges mast stump his followers.
They follow him If be jumps under
furniture, over chairs or benches or
waltzes or turkey trots around the
room They even imitate the grimaces.
When the inventions of one holly lead-
er have given out some other member
of the company will volunteer for the
position. Any one who should like to
lead the company a merry dance around
the room should be allowed to have a
torn at It »
the Brazos river bridge is impass-
able, and no trains have crossed
since Wednesday morning. One
tram caught between the two
points has gone into winter
quarters in the Rockdale yards.
The S. A. & A, P. is also out
of business, there being big
trouble both ways, and no trains
since Wednesday evening. Lit-
tle river bridge is in danger.
On the Santa Fe the Little
River bridge between Cameron
and Milano is gone. One of the
last trains to cross it was an M.
K. & T. being detoured from
Temple to Taylor. When this
train reached Rockdale it was
again detoured via the S. A. &
A. P., and six or eight miles
south of town it left the rails
and was stranded.
The flood conditions prevail
all over the state. From all
points comes the news of high
water and much damage. Most
of the reports are rumors, how-
ever, as no newspapers have
been received since Wednesday,
and all telegraph and telephone
communication with the outside
world is cut off. The prospects
seem good for several days of
this state of affairs.
Later—The Reporter is de-
layed in printing until Friday
morning. Weather conditions
this morning are unchanged,
a heavy rain pre-
vailing all night, and communi-
cation with the outside world
is still cut off. It is estimated
that from ten to twelve inches
of rain have fallen here since
Tuesday.
FOLLOW THE STRING.
Much sport may be had by the dis-
tribution of comical gifts In the follow-
ing fashion:
From a given center cords of all col-
on and conditions, no two alike, ex-
tend In every direction—upstairs,
downstairs and almost Into milady's
chamber, across each other, here and
there, often being knotted together at
these points of Intersection. Bach
xearcher winds up his cord as he pro-
ceeds, and many difficulties in the way
of knots to be untied apd round and
round Bindings to be unwotind hs en-
counters. When he finally reaches his
future It usually provss to be a coin, a
toy, - a book^of ^nnrtory ' tolas or some
article of absolute absurdity.
PILLADEX.
“Pilladex” Is a delightful game and
can be played by persons of every age.
The players are seated on two lines of
chairs, facing one another, and divided
by a long pink satin ribbon, which is
tied to the back of a chair which
stands at either end of the row. Tbe
person at the top of the row then
sends off the ball, which Is like an air
ball, only a little thicker, to his op-
posite neighbor, who returns It, only
Hie back of the band being used. If
the ball Is dropped a mark Is lost by
the side which has allowed It to fall.
The ball passes all down the line of
players, going from left to right. Each
tentleinan should sit opposite to a lady
n this game.
Woodmen Circle Supper.
The ThanKsgiving supper
given by the ladies of the Wood-
men Circle at the home of Mrs.
Allen Stevens last Thursday
night, has been pronounced as
one of the most enjoyable fra-
ternal gatherings ever held in
Rockdale.
Some seventy-five or eighty
people gathered at the Stevens
home and partook of the good
cheer on this occasion. The
menu included everything that
could be thought of as appro-
priate for a Thanksgiving
feast, and was prepared as only
the ladies of the Circle know
how. Mrs. Stevens, as hostess,
was voted a complete success
and has the thanks of the Circle
as well as all the guests, which
included Circle members. Chop-
pers and their families.
Thanks were also voted to
Misses Ruth Stribling and Pearl
Woody for the excellent music
furnished. After supper games
of various kinds were indulged
in, the gathering breaking up
about 11 p. m. The editor and
wife regret their inability to be
present as they had planned,
and we realize that we missed a
genuine’treat
Go Rome for Christmas
4
£T|COP at tble buey Cbrletmae eeaeon
and tblnh for a moment of tbe folks
agggfi back home. Consider bow much
MSWJ happier they will be If you are wlib
them on tble Cbrletmae day. Perbape your
parente are getting very old now—perbape they
have only a few more Cbrletmaeee to epend
here. Certainly your presence at tbe old home
place would add greatly to their Joy. Chink
of tbe daye when you were a child—of the
Cbrletmaeee, now gone forever, when your
father and mother did eo much to make yog
happy. H man's mother (e tbe beet friend be
ever bad or ever can have. One owes It to her
to epend Cbrletmae at her side and to derote
tbe day to making her happy. But If we hare
no mother what would be prettier. What eentl- f
ment or act could be more beautiful, than to
rlelt her grave and make It green with wreathe
and flowere on Cbrletmae day ? f
DAD AND MOTHER AND ME.
V’OBOUY’S like old Santa Claus
T. With hla red and Jolly face.
There's not another around the globe
Can travel so swift a pace.
His twinkling ei c.-> .mi ius merry laugh.
His chuckle of bubbling glee-
Nobody else is so dear by half
To dad and mother and me.
TTE doesn't forget the baby sweet
H As she rocks in her cradle white,
lie has time to wait for the lagging feet
Of the old by candlelight.
He lius gifts and gifts tor the young and
gay.
Who encircle the Christmas tree,
And he has the love to his latest day
Of dud and mother and me.
rpHK frost is chill in the nipping blast;
-1- Smooth is the icy mere.
The short, ileet days go hurrying past
To the last of the waning year.
And never was rose of the summer's prime
So royally fair to see
Aa the rose that blooms in the winter's
riine
For dad and mother and me.
—Collier’s Weekly.
What of Your Christinas Spirit?
The spirit of Christmas, as the ideal-
ists have it, is not recognizable by the
real thing. im-onling to modern -meth-
ods.
Theoretically everything is bright,
gay. full of peace for oneself and good
wishes for the rest of the world.
Actually Christmas may menu any-
thing like this:
Grudging giving and discontented re-
ceiving.
Splurging on ones rich mends and
•tinting where it is not likely to couut.
Overgenerosity to the point of ex-
tra vragance.
Rushing until you deteat Christmas
and everything connected with it.
Overworked nerves and overwrought
tempers from a false conception of
Christas as giving.
A generous spirit for your own im-
mediate circle and otter indifference
to whether any one else has a happy
day.
Gorging oneself In the Interest of
Christmas cheer with no thought of a
tortured digestion and rockiness of tbe
day after.
A Christmas with not one thought to
the real meaning of the day and what
the world would have been had there
Been no “birthday of a king’’ to cele-
brate.
| Plowing time, plowing time,
j Get your plow harness, hames,
jcollars, bridles, etc., at Schu-
| bert’s. tf
i —— -
j A. C. Koehler was a football
| visitor to Austin Thanksgiving.
If you need a good pocket
knife or butcher knife call on W.
K. Schubert. tf
Bow About Santa Claus This
Tsar.
Christmas comes but once a
year, but by handing only $1.75
to the publisher of The Reporter
you will get 156 papers a year,
or three a week. That’s some
reading, ain’t it? Good, instruc-
tive, wholesome reading, too.
Try , the combination. You’ll
like it. It is this:
The Reporter $1.00 a year.
The Semi-Weekly Farm News
$1 a year.
The two well worth $2 a year.
You get them both for $1.75 a
year.
DO IT NOW. tf
Engraved Calling Cards.
Nothing nicer for Xmas pres-
ents than engraved calling cards.
We have the exclusive agency
1 for the best house in the United
1 States, and can make you prices
i from $1.50 per hundred up to
$3.75, including copper plate,
t Neatly packed in Holiday style.
! Reprint orders, any style, $1
j per hundred.
j tf The Reporter, j
Look at Hill St Co. '• show win-
dows far hargsi— tf
CHRISTMAS.
rpHE world hi* cradle la.
Ths stars hla worshipers.
Etta "peace on earth" the mother'^ kta
s On Up# new pressed to here.
For ahe alone to him
Ia perfect light appears.
The one horizon never dim
With penitential teara.
—John B. Taltb.
Christmas All Year.
A spirit of generosity |H;rvudw tit
Yuietide atmosphere It i.i kuowum
practiced at no other aeiwou of tbt
year as at Christniu.-v it t* felt it
every city, in every town, in ^ferJ
village, in the entire country
People are prone to he more tiiougM-
ful. Men manifest desires to sprttd
good cheer; women weave little ach
of love, kindness and devotiou into
Christmas good will; children citerish
their companions and fortunes Per-
sons unconsciously instill into each
other a desire to distribute huppines
e"erywhere. It all comes on tbe
wings of that indefinable thing under-
stood by few. but referred to by manj
as the Christmas spirit It is Invisible,
but cun be seen; it is not material, bat
can be felt. It comes every Chrtot-
mas, but too often leaves to retun
perhaps next year, when the real hall
day spirit again is felt.
Why does this fellowship of lure
and good will depart from the souls of
so many persons on the wings of time!
Why does not the same spirit remain
in the atmosphere after men again an-
guine their routine of work and wo-
men become normal after their Christ-
mas cares and worries?
Would It not be a good thing If thin
same Christmas spirit could pontinw
throughout the twelve months of the
year? Would it not be a good thing
for mankind If all stopped to think of
others aa they do during tbe Tuletlde
season, if all endeavored to fill the
Uvea of their friends, acquaintance* ui
the less fortunate with good chew tad
happiness throughout winter andssa-
mer. spring and autumn?
Try this for next year. Make it os*
of your resolutions, and if one reaolra
to do all in his power to make other*
happy throughout the entire twelve
months no other resolutions will be
necessary to assure one of happiness
After all is said and done the only
happiness is derived from making ott
era happy.
THE CHRISTMAS LOVER,
yrjns lovw that makes ths star, revolve;
A 'Tls lovs that makes ths world
round.
nils Christmas purpose I resolve
Os earth to make -lavs -mors abound
On ms, dear maid, thy lovs bsatow
And match my full heart's overflow
>JOR gems nor gear to.t^I bi^ng.
Nor adti&rwor msrehaadlaea rare
bm'e offerings 1 mar not sing.
But lovs Itself I have to spare
In boundless store, and all for thee,
ii mi my heart responds to ms.
-U®
Church Belle Call Y°u
t w' Od many of ue attend church on
il Christmas day? Hnd why not?
Of all the daye In all the year
Chrietmae le the moet appropriate
for one to go to church and unite with hie
nelghbore and frlende (n giving tbanhe and
pralee unto him who died that you and I
ehould live. Chrietmae le hie birthday, and
above all things one ehould hear a short ser-
mon and offer a prayer of thanhe for tbe
fortunes that the past has ehowered on him
and aeh forglvenr.se of all efne. One ehould
go to church feeling that (t (e a pleasure and
a privilege and not conetder It a duty. It will
furoleb Inspiration that will mafee one capable
of better enjoying the day and at nightfall be a
great deal happier.
t
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Cooke, John Esten. The Rockdale Reporter and Messenger (Rockdale, Tex.), Vol. 40, No. 39, Ed. 1 Thursday, December 4, 1913, newspaper, December 4, 1913; Rockdale, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth742545/m1/7/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library.