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This newspaper page contains 17 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Bedford Free Press
Location
Bedford, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 20, 1900
Page
3
C N Stark recounts Passenger train No 2 failure amid the Mohave desert. A steer on the cowcatcher caused a wreck with only minor injuries to crew, while passengers endured a cold, hunger plagued night and a slow repair. Telegraph wires were tapped to halt opposing trains.
In a quiet domestic tale the Hopkins family scrambles to buy match boxes to avert a looming household crisis. Marion and Alice each push for replacements while Tom’s father recalls a hurried dash for a batch. the eight boxes symbolize light, responsibility, and the holiday plan.
A Collier's Weekly verse extols Santa Claus as the most beloved figure to a family, praising his swift gifts and timeless care for Dad, Mother, and child. The poem contrasts winter scenes with a winter rose blooming, conveying warm family affection and holiday mood.
The Hopkins family, famed for unity, faced a house full of empty matchboxes as tin and china boxes broke. With every room needing light, they roamed to the parlor mantel and kitchen pasteboard box, causing a noticeable rise in their gas bill from the effort to light the gas.
A lyrical fragment speaks of a wish for Santa Claus to bring a Christmas dream of love. The speaker notes that some people are driven to good by pay, while others are good for nothing, framing a quixotic appeal and a bittersweet tone.
The Christmas tree, central to the festival, comes from Germany where families light candles and decorate with colored paper. Presents are placed beneath the tree for distribution as laughter fills the room. St Nicholas visits three weeks before Christmas, children voice requests, then he departs to fetch gifts for stockings.
A poem fragment asks if Santa travels by wagon when there is no snow, noting pictures show him in a sleigh with a reindeer. The verse reflects a child's wonder about Santa’s method of travel beyond snowy scenes.
A playful verse credits Santa with cleverness and speed, noting in warm weather he travels not by wagon but on a bicycle. Carrie S. Hutton’s quip celebrates a modern, nimble Santa who reaches homes without snow and without old-fashioned methods.
A reflective line states that only those who reach high peaks can unlock fruitful valleys below. It emphasizes ambition and effort as prerequisites for valuable outcomes.
In a crowded family home, Dorothy Bertram buys flowers with fifteen cents for Mr. Jorden, a bachelor next door who hates children. The generous gesture softens him, revealing how a child’s kindness can change a hardened heart and forge a new friendship in a tight, festive neighborhood.
In England waits are musicians who perform in towns at night during the two to three weeks before Christmas and collect donations from residents. Historically a single man could secure the privilege to hire many waits and take a sizable share of profits, though other players could still be engaged by him.
The teacher asks what pauses are in grammar and a young student answers with a playful image about things that grow on pets. The piece urges living with clear intention and a strong, purposeful direction.
Memory brings golden youth as Christmas scenes glow with light and song. Children gaze on candles and sleigh bells while older heads recall happier times. Joy tonight is crowned queen of the season and the heart remains loyal to merry cheer and homemade rhymes.
A verse recounts a playful moment under mistletoe with no license for a kiss. The speaker searches the surroundings and spots a sprig among hat feathers. Roy Farrell Greene is named in the verse.
Poem fragment praises Old Saint Nicholas as a cheerful figure who brings relief from worries, guiding readers through dreamlike imagery and away from New Year worries and bills.
A survey details Christmas Eve practices in Cornwall Derbyshire Devon and Exeter including midnight masses singers parades ash fagot fires and cider offerings. It notes superstitions about oxen and a 1729 John Martyn bequest to fund yearly beef for twenty poor in Exeter parish.
Political quip cites childish threats to ram and asserts Uncle Sam is not involved. AK Munkittrick remarks on the futility of challenging Santa’s stay with provocative rhetoric.
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