374 
[December, 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
T II K C ii n i s i ji a n i ji L'j it . 
(.Engraved for the American Agriculturist.) 
The Editor with his Young Readers. 
The German Boys and Girls of the “ Agriculturist 
Family ” (and there are thousands of them) will un¬ 
derstand and appreciate the above picture, much 
better than those whose parents have long lived in 
America. This is not because the mythical “ Santa 
Claus” is less known here, nor because he is sup¬ 
posed to he less generous towards the little ones on 
this side of the Atlantic. But, somehow, we have 
formed very different conceptions of him, from 
those entertained in Germany. Here, we recognize 
Santa Claus as an old weather beaten man, clothed 
in furs, and delighting in crawling down chimneys, 
and through key holes, and furtively prying around 
in the dark after stockings or bags. In Germany 
hois supposed to delight in brilliantly lighted rooms 
adorned with beautiful evergreens, that even in mid¬ 
winter remind one of Spring time. Here , children 
hang their stockings, after dark, in the chimney 
corners, and on the backs of chairs, etc. In Ger¬ 
man} - , the friends of the little ones, on the approach 
of Christmas, set apart the best room in the house, 
and place for receiving Santa Claus’ gifts the pret¬ 
tiest evergreen tree to be had. We like the German 
idea best, and we are glad to find this one of their 
customs coming into practice here. To show the 
Christinas Tree in its highest perfection, our artist 
was instructed to prepare the above beautiful en¬ 
graving, which is not unlike what we enjoyed last 
year. A wealthy lady among our subscribers, 
who had no children of her own, invited our¬ 
selves and our little ones, with lots of her 
nieces and nephews, to call on Christmas night. 
We found a merry group in the diningroom on the 
tip-toe of expectation. Presently the parlor doors 
were thrown open, and there, in the center, stood a 
splendid Norway Spruce, as natural as if it grew 
there, and such a profusion of little candles all 
lighted, little flags, oranges, apples, and other 
fruits, both natural and gilded specimens, cakes, 
toys, etc., etc., as filled up all the branches, we 
never saw before. We have seen Christmas Trees 
at festivals, and have helped fit them up for our 
Sabbath School children, but this one heat all we 
ever saw. The artist has not half pictured the 
scene. When we had all admired it, and the can¬ 
dles had begun to burn down, a box of numbers on 
papers went round,and round'again, and the distri¬ 
bution commenced, the principal toys having been 
previously numbered so that each one received 
whatever articles happened to be numbered on his 
paper slips. There were some odd assortments of 
gifts that fell to individuals in the company. You 
may guess, if you can, what we got. 
But a Christmas Tree is pleasant, if it be no more 
than a simple evergreen branch hung with a few 
simple toys and cakes. 
We have seen a merry 
group around suen a 
“tree,” where there was 
nothing hut the simplest 
gifts that poverty could 
afford, and they were hap¬ 
py indeed. Happiness 
pepends very much upon 
ihc hearts of the group. 
While we now wish that 
each of you,young friends, 
may Have “A Merry 
Christmas,” and that all 
your hopes of fine pres¬ 
ents may be realized, we 
can not forget that to 
thousands of families the 
occasion will bring this 
year sad thoughts. Among 
our readers are doubtless 
many whose fathers are 
away at the war, some of 
them perhaps are already 
sleeping in death on the 
battlefield. And many we 
know have been thrown 
out of employment by 
the ‘ hard times ’ and can 
not this year afford to 
make presents as hereto¬ 
fore. But Christmas may 
bring something of com¬ 
fort even to such. The 
day commemorates the 
birth of the Friend of the 
poor and suffering. He 
came to bring the best 
gifts man can receive. He 
will give consolation to 
those who seek it at His 
hands. We commend all 
sorrowing ones to Him, 
and may they find Christ¬ 
mas a peaceful if not a 
‘merry’ day.-And be¬ 
fore we leave this subject, 
allow us to offer one 
thought more. You re¬ 
member the account we 
gave you of “ Bite Bigger 
Billy,” and of the little 
boy who divided his peach 
with a comrade. Can not 
you, at the coming Christ¬ 
mas, imitate these boys ? 
Do you not know of poor boys or girls who w r ill 
have no friends able to bring them presents this 
year, and will it not highten your own enjoyment 
of the day to surprise one or more of these lowly 
ones, by privately getting into their hands a little 
toy, or cake, or any little present that may gladden 
their hearts ? Suppose that of the tens of thous¬ 
ands of those who look at our beautiful picture, 
each one should perform some act of kindness on 
Christmas day. What a vast amount of happiness 
would be created, and none would afterward en¬ 
joy it more than those whose active hands were 
engaged in the good work. A kind act done is 
always a source of joy to the doer. “It is more 
blessed to give than to receive.” 
Slow many Soldiers ? 
Nearly all of the numberless troops passing 
through this City, call for a meal at the convenient 
“barracks” in the Park, just in front of the office of 
tlie American Agriculturist, so that from our win¬ 
dow we can see an army on almost any day. The 
men of a Massachusetts regiment were resting upon 
llieir arms here the other day, when a bystander 
asked one of them, how many soldiers were to be 
sent to the war from that State ? lie replied: “ Mas¬ 
sachusetts will send at least a regiment a week for 
six months, and if that don’t do, she will come herself." 
