Christmas in Our Possessions

The Philippines

The Philippines never knew anything but a green Christmas, for, the rainy season now being well over, the climate, while warm, is delightful. The Christmas festivities begin on the evening of the twenty-fourth, when there is celebrated with solemn pomp in most of the churches what is known as La Misa de Gallo, in commemoration of the birth of the Saviour in a manger. In many of the private houses, what are known as Nacimientos are prepared with great care. One end of the large room of the house is fixed u to represent a landscape, adorned according to the social position of the people. They place in this landscape images of people and animals of all sorts. There are always images representing the Wise Men of the East, who came to worship the young child, Jesus. The central feature is a manger, or cradle, in which the Child lies, the recipient of the homage of all the other figures in the picture. The Christmas season lasts in the Philippines from the evening of December 24 until January 6, known as Dia de los Reyes (Day of the Kings). December 28 is known as Innocents' Day, and custom has made it a combination of St. Valentine's Day and April 1, when children play practical jokes on each other. The exchange of presents is quite general, although not carried to the extent which obtains in the United States, and the common name for these presents is aguinaldos, though they have no reference to the former insurgent leader. A free translation of Aguinaldo's name would be "Christmas present."

Porto Rico

Porto Rico enjoys a summer climate at Christmas time. On Christmas Eve a supper, to which all friends and relatives are invited, is always prepared, and the table is presided over by the patriarch of the family, who receives the congratulations of his descendants. The feature of the supper is a sucking pig roasted whole. The young men, with mandolins and guitars, go from house to house, eating a bite here and there, and serenading the young women. The entire night is given up to eating, visiting, and merrymaking, and yet all is done temperately. The tradition among the Porto Rican children, is that if they leave their shoes outside the door of their room, the Christ-Child will come when they sleep and fill them with candy, nuts, and fruits. Among the negroes of Porto Rico, it is a custom to dress in fantastic costumes and go from house to house with drums, and to the weird music of their instruments dance the old dances brought from Africa by their ancestors. It is possible to-day in Porto Rico to see and hear music and dancing which find their counterpart among the gloomy forests of Africa.

Hawaii

Christmas in June-like weather, without snow or the jingle of sleigh-bells, without Santa Claus and his reindeers, yet full of childish joy and expectation, and replete with ceremonies. and festivities-this is Christmas in Hawaii. On Christmas Eve the juvenile Hawaiian may give full vent to his noisemaking instinct, using tin horns and fire-crackers as his instruments. It generally takes only one day to do the Christmas shopping in Honolulu, and the day before Christmas is given up to this work. The shops put on their gala dress, and the people flock to the business quarter. Fort Street, in Honolulu, presents a striking similarity and a striking contrast to Fourteenth or Twenty-third Streets, in New York, on the afternoon and evening of the day before Christmas. Big, fat Kanakas and round faced Wahines in summer attire, almond eyed Celestials and South Sea Islanders mingle with Americans, Portuguese and Spaniards, Englishmen, Germans and Hottentots. On Christmas Day the church bells ring, and services are held in commemoration of the birth of Jesus. It is not unusual, as the throngs flock to the place of worship, for a shower to pass over, leaving a bright rainbow behind.

Cedar-green crêpe paper and pressed autumn leaves may be substituted with good effect for Christmas decorations when it is not possible to obtain holly or more expensive greens.

A

Evergreens

Coniferous Trees

NINA L. MARSHALL, New York City

WALK across the country or a stroll in the park at any time of the year ought to procure some material for a talk on evergreen trees, their leaves and cones, and habits of growth. Good material is available at all times of the year, the best will be found in winter and early spring, as both new and old cones are then in good condition.

If possible, seek the material yourself, for then you will acquire a familiarity with the trees which will lend enthusiasm to all which you may try to impart. You will be surprised to find how much interest is added to your walks and travels overland as soon as you have a personal feeling for the evergreen trees. If you cannot gather the specimens yourself, ask some good friend to send you a box of twigs, leaves, and cones. They are not easily injured and will keep a long time in water out of doors.

The Pines

"Many voices there are in Nature's choir, and none but were good to hear

Had we mastered the laws of their music well, and could read their meaning clear;

But we who can feel at Nature's touch, cannot think as yet with her thought;

And I only know that the sough of the pines with a spell of its own is fraught."

It is quite customary for people to call all evergreen trees "Pines," but correctly speaking, the pines are the cone-bearing trees having foliage, leaves long and needlelike, with two to five in a cluster. They are common in the new world, from the Arctic circle to the West Indies, and the Highlands of Central America. A young child may learn to know them even at a distance, they stand out so clearly in the landscape.

The natural form of a young tree is that of a pyramid, as from the outset it grows symmetrically, the rigid branches spreading horizontally from the main stem in remote whorls, and the main stem ever growing upward. A symmetrical old tree will be found only in the open where it has been sheltered from severe and frequent gales and where its growth has not been interfered with by accidents from icestorms and animal attacks. The tallest trees are found in the forest where the lower branches have disappeared for want of sunshine. A perfect tree is a delight at all times of the year, both when decorated with soft white snow_or glistening ice, or when the leaves are free to murmur sweet songs to the gentle breezes which play about them, or to resound when "Wind, that grand old harper, smites his thunder-harp of pines."

Habits of Pines

Why the Trees are Symmetrical

The terminal buds are in groups (which are at first enclosed by scales), a large central bud with smaller guards. It is this position of the buds which determines the symmetry of the tree, for the central bud of a young tree grows into a central perpendicular stem, which continues upward as long as the tree lives. The guards grow more or less horizontally. The central perpendicular stem becomes the straight and characteristic pine-tree trunk so valuable for masts and timber. Whorls of branches are sent out each year from beneath the terminal bud. If the terminal bud is destroyed, the symmetry can never be regained.

Why the Trees are Evergreen

Trees are evergreen because one or more sets of leaves remain on the trees for several years. The oldest fall as as rule in September of their second season but sometimes remain until the following Juné.

How to Determine the Age of Cones

This may be done since the newest cones are found on the newest twigs, while older cones are found on what were the newest twigs of preceding years.

The scale-scars of a terminal branch-bud are well defined

at the base of a twig in its first year. When one is familiar with a zone of these scars, one can count backward, by means of zones, a number of years, as each zone of scars stands for a terminal branch-bud which shed its scales in the spring.

The Cones

Ask the shape of the cones when closed and open. Have the children measure the white pine cones with a ruler.

Point out the pattern the scales make. This pattern is a favorite one in the decoration of pillars to houses and standards to lamps and furniture. Tell the children to look for pendant and final knobs. Shake out a number of winged seeds and throw them into the air or drop them from a height to show the children how they spin seed end down and how they travel with the wind. Ask why the seeds travel and why they fall heavy and down. Tell that the seeds sprout in the spring and make tiny trees which may

"The cross-bill loves the seeds of spruce-cones"

be found on old logs in the woods, or in sheltered corners among the rocks.

Ask whether it is better for the parent tree to drop the seeds under her branches where but little sunlight falls, or to give them traveling coats and let the wind carry them to earth-filled cracks on sunny mountain sides which are not occupied with other plants.

Tell the children how the red squirrels cut cones from the highest tree tops and throw them to the ground, and how they carry them away in their mouths to hide them for winter use. Piles of cone scales are often seen on tree stumps and fallen logs, where squirrels have had a feast. It is a pretty sight to see a squirrel sitting on a stump with a spruce cone so held that he can cut the woody scales off one by one to get out the much prized seed. He knows enough to hold the cone with the sharp edges of the scales turned away from his mouth and to cut each one off near its base. The children will appreciate how clever this method is if they finger the edges of the scales, and then see the teacher illustrate the squirrel's method by cutting off with a sharp knife, scale after scale from the base of the cone to the apex.

The crossbill loves the seeds of spruce cones and with his bill can pick them out one by one without cutting away the woody scales.

The cones of the balsam fir, which has the sweet scented leaves and is used for Christmas trees, are never seen after their first season, as their scales fall apart before the cone falls. On the tree they are a rich green color, tinged with purple, and are very sticky with white balsam gum which is used in many preparations for soothing pain and irritations.

It is this property of the gum which nas suggested the name, "Balm of Gilead."

How to Study the Cones

In the spring you may find on the ends of evergreen twigs fragile catkins, which shed clouds of pollen. This pollen floats in the air to tiny rigid cones with ovules at the bases of the scales. Each ovule which receives a pollen grain may later become a seed. Dried and crumbled pollen catkins are almost always to be found among the leaves of evergreen

trees.

The berry-like fruits of the Red Cedar are modified cones in which the scales have become fleshy, and so enveloped the seeds. They have a spicy taste and are used to flavor gin. These berry-like fruits are eaten by birds, and as the hard coated seeds are dropped by the birds as they sit on the fences, it is a common thing to find young cedar trees following the fence lines of Jersey farms.

As an introduction in teaching the lesson, exhibit from your desk a quantity and variety of material, at the same time tell the children where and how you procured it. Aim to make the introduction as inspiring as possible, by mentioning such items as: first, the use of evergreen trees for Christmas; second, for a shelter to deer and other wild animals during snow-storms; third, as a hiding place for little birds during windy weather. Tell how the hunters improvise huts and beds of the green boughs, and how the tall tree trunks were used for masts and flag-poles.

If you have sufficient material to distribute a sprig and cone to each child or to each group of children, so much the better; if you have not, pass a sprig around the class. In either case tell each child to be ready to answer the questions you are about to ask. For instance, if the twig is a White Pine, tell them that the long needles are leaves and used for filling pillows, ask how many needles in a cluster; tell them that the trees are always green (evergreen) because they never drop their old leaves until they have a set of new ones.

If the twigs have gum on, tell the children that the tree uses the gum to cover over cuts and broken limbs so that they will heal before insects and harmful plant diseases can attack the wound. The gum is a kind of evergreen tree sticking plaster. Men gather the gum and make turpentine and some kinds of tar from it. If the little fingers get sticky, a bit of chalk-dust will relieve the trouble temporarily, alcohol, cologne, turpentine, or kerosene, will remove all gums from hands or clothing when ordinary rubbing with sapolio or wash cloth will not. This teaches that the gums are dissolved by alcohol, turpentine, and kerosene, and not by water, If the gum did dissolve in water it would be washed away from the trees by the rain and would serve as a poor plaster. Chewing-gum is made from the gum of spruce trees, and cough syrups from the gums of firs and pines.

Ornamental terminations-final knobs-pendant knobs

Primary School IV

EDMUND KETCHUM, Supervisor of Drawing, Lowell, Mass.

(All rights reserved.)

AN the time for drawing during December be more profitably spent than by devoting it to making Christmas presents?

Look at all those young, eager faces before you. How many have the privilege of hanging their stocking beneath the chimney mantle this Christmas eve?

Is it not one of our sacred duties as teachers to bring the joy of Christmastide into the

school-room? There is no myth in all fairyland more fondly cherished by the children than the story of Santa Claus. Let us do our part in keeping this beautiful legend ever new.

I have a belief that Santa has changed his old-time program, and is now devoting a good many days before his memorable drive to visiting our schools and superintending the work there; for, everywhere I go during December, I see much of his handicraft in evidence.

Now, can I be of greater service to you during the month than to give you a few suggestions and several pictures of some of the things that Santa has requested his many teacher-helpers to make with the children?

They are simple things; and are all the better for it, simple beauty; so keep the work simple and practical, dealing with possibilities within the power of the children; giving it such decoration as will make it beautiful.

Fig. 1 is a blotter made by a five-year-old. The dark mount is of thin cardboard, 4" x 6", colored red with watercolors by the child. The design is simple, as you see.

Fig. 1

design. Red and green are the colors used-the Christmas colors. Red worsted, or rope linen, fastens the red cardboard to a sheet of blotting paper on the back.

Fig. 2 is a blotter made on the dotted drawing paper as in Fig. 1. In this design there are two figures: the first two were drawn by the teacher and then copied throughout the paper by the pupil. Blotting paper is fastened to this with rope linen. This blotter measures 3" x 7".

Fig. 3 is also a blotter, and needs but little explanation from me. The children's weaving mat is a shade of red, and the fringe a tint of the same color. The mat is 4" square. This is mounted on a 6"square of white cardboard; rope linen fastens the blotter at one corner. This makes a very handsome and practical blotter.

Fig. 4 is a cardboard box. The inside has been covered and painted a standard red, and the outside covered with dotted drawing paper, and a simple straight-line design painted with the point of the brush.

A pattern of one of the sides could be made and traced around on cardboard, and then cut out with scissors.

The drawing paper, which the children have colored red with water-colors, can be pasted on one side and trimmed close to the cardboard, and on the other side dotted drawing-paper can be pasted and trimmed.

The top of each side measures 3" across; it is an inch and a half from either corner down to the corner of the widest part; the distance from this corner to the opposite corner (across the widest part) is 44", and from one of these corners down to the bottom of the box it is 33"; the bottom of the box is 3" square, and colored red like the inside.

Fig. 5 is a needle-book. The white dotted drawing paper measures 1" on each side of the hexagon. The gray paper is double, each of the sides measuring 13". Red and green are the colors used for the decoration, the white paper being edged with green.

Fig. 6 is a good example of one of the many things which can be done with card sewing and pasting. Pictures need not necessarily be bought: our magazines are filled with pictures which could be used, especially the photographs of landscapes and of children.

Fig. 4

Fig. 7 is a match-strike, 4" in diameter, and the sandpaper is 2" in diameter. This one was made a shade of green, with a tint of green for the worsted.

We are indebted to the Lowell Kindergartens and the first grade primary of the Daniel Butler School, Waverley, for the illustrations this month.