23 Dec 1915
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 11 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
Decorah Republican
Location
Decorah, Iowa, United States of America
Date
Dec 23, 1915
Page
1
In a Wide Awake reflection the piece notes Christmastide brings warmth and love despite cold weather and hardship. It contrasts holiday cheer with civic thoughts, including primaries, political hopefuls, and preparedness debates shaping public life and taxation. It also mentions a Holstein ball selling for 26000 and Henry Ford’s peace mission.
A tale recounts a boy who doubts Santa Claus and urges his family to light a great fire to prove the myth. On Christmas Eve the chimney swells with heat as the flame climbs higher, and Santa finally arrives laughing and bidding the fire to go out. The boy declares belief in Santa.
A reflective wartime column laments lack of ice for skating, predicts European outcomes, and critiques U S political maneuvers. It notes crown prince Germany’s repeated survivals, peacetime hopes, and accuses the South driven Democratic leadership of partisan post office appointments. It cites Angora wool policy and a San Francisco Angora goat sale as examples.
A retrospective on the Panama Exposition in San Francisco notes a large attendance of over 18 million, a profit of one to two million, and the war’s role in boosting domestic travel. It mentions wireless progress, tariff revenue debate, trade figures from Austria and Germany, a proposal to license drinkers, and currency devaluations tied to wartime inflation.
A Christmastide reflection notes warmer kindness than the past year. It speaks of charity to the poor, comfort to the hungry, and shared warmth among the rich. The piece recalls the Bethlehem story and the call for universal brotherhood and peace on earth.
A ninth century tale says St Winfred set up the first Christmas tree after the mythic oak fell during a Druids ritual. He marked the living fir as a sign of new worship, guiding people to keep Christmas at home with family, song, and love.
A long standing Alpine superstition says cattle gain the power of speech at Christmas but listening to them is a sin. The odd belief reflects holiday folklore still told in remote mountain communities.
During Cromwell's rule an edict banned Christmas celebrations and prohibited displays of holly, mistletoe, and other festive emblems as seditious acts. The prohibition marked a harsh suppression of traditional holiday observances.
The passage notes that various economies boast inflated values with 100 cents on the dollar or $4.85 on the pound, and in Germany a practice of recycling money and credits for loans is described. It questions how far these pyramids can rise before a topple occurs.
In Devonshire the Yule log must be ash, a bundle of nine ash sticks bound with ash bands. Each time the fagot breaks in the flames the host must provide a fresh bowl of liquor to guests.
The article traces the Yule log tradition to an ancient belief in fire’s enduring efficacy. It notes fire as a link to bygone times when the hearth served as the first altar and the family formed the earliest congregation, quoting Max Muller.
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