= then announces that he' the match from one r without opening his a rapid up-and- 'both hands. This causes the two visible matches to fall on the table, and he asks for them to be replaced on top of his knuckles | This is done, and another quick move- | ment is made so as to cause the two exposed matches to fall into the hands, 'The performer then opens his hands and one hand is found to contain three matches 3 ther only one match, "The trick is that when he let the two mmtelies fall on the le they we ot the two from top! 'of the knuckles of each hand, but one r the knuckles and one from the of the same hand. The next ement caused one knuckle match to fall into the palm of the hand, so that, unseen by. the audience, one palm contained two matches and the other 'was empty. - -. -. To Make a Needle Float This sounds impossible, but it is easily performed as follows: Lady a needle on a cigarette paper and place it in a glass bowl of water. Carefully cause the paper to sink and the needle will remain floating. \d * . To Lift a Man It is possible to lift a man from the ground with five fingers. Two per- sons put their index fingers under the ingteps of the person to be lifted, two others place a finger under each elbow, and a fifth puts his forefinger under the man's chin. At a given signal each person lifts his hand and the subject is raised from the ground. * *. - Naming a Chosen Object Three cards, apples or other objects clear glass bottle thread, and a cork. Tie'the button securely to the thread, place it in the bottle so that it hangs half-way down, are placed in a row on the table, The spectators are asked to choose one of the three while the performer is out of the room. Upon his return no one appears to make a sign, but the per- former instantly names the chosen article. The trick is accomplished with the aid of a confederate who 18 smoking a cigar or cigarette. The confederate places his cigar In his mouth so that it designates the chosen If You Are Good Santa Claus will come to-night If you're good And do what you know is right, As you should. Down the chimney he will creep, Bring for you a woolly sheep, And a doll that goes to sleep, it you're good. Santa Claus will drive his sleigh, Through th» wood, But he'll come around this way If you're good, With a wind-up bird that sings And a puzzle made of rings, He will bring you many things If you're good. tA mr Chinese Lanterns Chinese lanterns are very effective for illumination purposes, but they are liable to catch fire, especially if used where any current of air can sway them, For safety's sake, a handful of sand or earth should be placed in them, around the little tin candle-socket at the bottom. This not only keeps the lantern steady, but, in case of fire, causes the bottom to separate from the paper, and so make less blaze in the air, Should the lantern be upset by a sudden blow, the sand will often put out the flame before any harm is done. eile The first carols were religious but gradually became debaséed into drink- ing songs. The chorus of one of the most popular ran, "Hail, good wassail, hail to thee, honored ever shalt thou be." ele "When all wise men have failed why not try an honest fool?"--Hendrik Van Loon. in the air and to catch one at a time as they come down, If the cof : ins.are tossed straight up it on be 'almost impossible to The coins are] tossed with an upward tilt of the hand, | This causes the coin at the finger-tips to travel much higher than the oth and it will prove quite easy to | them one at a time as they fall. With j more practice the trick can be. done with three coins. -. them singly, . . ! A Trick With Coins Lay a dime between two quarters on a tablecloth, then place a tumbler on the two larger coins. Ask your friends if they can remove the dime without touching in any way either the glass or the coins. They will probably give up the attempt before long, but it is really very easy to do when you know how. the tablecloth with your forefinger, and the dime will move in the direc- tion of the scratching. " . All you néed to do is to scratch Cut String Restored A loop of string is held between the thumb and fingers, and a member of the audience is allowed to cut it with a knife. The performer chews the cut ends of the string and they are re- stored. The trick is done with a short bit of extra string, The extra piece is held protruding from the thumb and fingers while the actual loop itself re- poses safely in the hand. When the false loop is cut the performer thrusts the loop and two loose ends into his mouth. He retains the two bits of string ord brings out the loop com- pletely res tored. - . * The Button in the Bottle For this trick you will require a , a button, a piece of attach the other end of the thread to the cork, and cork the bottle tightly. Now how can you sever the thread so that the button falls to the hoiici of the bottle? uncorked or broken. The bottle must not be Nothing moré is needed to accomp- lish this trick successfully than a lens to focus the rays of the sum, which pass through the glass without heat- ing it and burn the thread. Christmas Color Schemes It is never too early to begin devis- ing plans for the Yuletide decorations of our homes. the first essentials for success. Holly and mistletoe, of course, are pre-emin- ent in the scheme. Color and comfort are One thing should be kept in our minds. Place these evergreens so that they will be well out of the way of naked lights. Such procedure miti- gates any dangers of fire. Hollyred is a fine provoker of ex- citement. Mistletoegreen is restful and adds to our stores of energy. Make sure of buying both holly and mistle- toe during the early days of December, Never leave the buying later, as they certainly lose freshness. Tinsel-twine adds a distinctive charm if it is lightly hung around holly, Lamps are also suited to similar treatment, which results in the pro- duction of a lovely seasonable glitter. Speaking of glitter, frosted messages on mirrors are extraordinarily effec- tive. Whitening mixed with salts pro- vides a reliable paint with which to work the oracle. Candles are more decorative than lamps, although they cannot be said to produce the same excellence of illum. ination, But both lamps and candles have their different tasks to perform. --------} een Christ Christmas bells are ringing every- y where to-night, And the snow is falling, pure flakes of white, Hang your stocking up, dear, Christmas time is here, Then drift away to sleep Before St, Nicholas doth appear. --(By Member No, 1 of tha Boys' and t | Hiustral Tteds Drssen Haleina Patt, An interesting peplum jacket dress that may be developed as a skirt and blouse or as a complete dress, by choosing one material, The crossover bodice closure mini- mizes 'breadth, which makes this charming model equally suited to miss or matron, The original used black diagonal woolen for the skirt with vivid green plain woolen for the bodice. It's a combination especially popular for college wear. Style No. 3203 may be had in sizes 14, 16, 18, 20 years, 36, 88, 40 and 42 inches bust. Size 16 requires 2% yards of 39-inch material for blouse and 2 yards of 39-inch material for skirt. It's snappy developed in woolen with the skirt of plain brown and the jacket bodice of brown and red plaided woolen. It's interesting in wine-red canton crepe or in black crepe satin. HOW TO ORDER PATTERNS. Write yur name and address piain- ly, giving number and size of such patterns as you want. Enclose 20¢ in stamps or coin (coin preferred; wrap it carefully) for each number, and address your order to Wilson Pattern Service, 73 West Adelaide St., Toronto. teria -- For Your Tree You will like to make these trim- mings for the tree and they will be very inexpensive, because practically none of the materials used need be new. Begin some time before Christmas to collect all the white and silver paper possible, and cut it in fringes. These may be (in fact, should be) of varied lengths from a few inches to two feet, and they need not be very even, Gather these into small bunches with thread and tie them in the tree in great profusion. Also string all the bright glags but- tons and beads-you can find, and decor- ate the tree with these fringes also. When the electric bulbs on the tree are lighted, it will be a pretty sight, But when the two large electric fans which have been placed on each side of the tree are turned on full force, the effect will be magical, for the whole tree will be alive with flicker- ing glint and fairy flutter. i lpi opi accept Jazz it it's honest, not a steal from a classic."--John Philip Girls' League), Sousa. {SuNDAY Dec. 4.--Graham| En Lesson Xie Su | of Love (Christmas in hn 4: 7-19. . =1 John 4: 11, ANALYSIS, 1. THE PROOF OF SONSHIP, 1 John 4:7-8, II. THE PROOF OF FATHERHOOD, John 4: 9-11. ; III. THE PROOF OF THE SPIRIT'S ENCE, 1 John 4: 12-16. 17-19, INTRODUCTION--This letter probably written by the apostle Joh about A.D. 9), Its main ob; oct, wh to safef uard its readers agains tain false teachers. It of he ati of God which came in Jesus of Nszareth, and Jat it meant for those who follow him. L THE PROOF OF SONSHIP, 1 Johf 4:7-8. What are the marks of a Christian? Among many others, one answer has usually been prominent--and fre- quently the first in Imortancs, ortho- oxy. Not so does the New Testa- ment teach us. Love is the true ortho- doxy. It is the central and determin- ing quality in the character of God. Only the man wita love in his heart is a child of God. II. THE PROOF OF FATHERHOOD, John 4: Love as the mark of a child of God follows from the fact that God him- self is love. That qu uality of God was demonstrated to us by the coming into 11. Those who came in contact with Jesus found their lives immeasurably enriched and ennobled. 8o different were they from their old selves that the only way in which they could de- scribe the change was to say that they were "born again" This new life which they saw in him, and some of the quality of which they gained themselves, they never thought of as a mere human achieviment, but as The coming of Jesus "was not merely the gathering tugether in one persen- ality of possibilities that had lain dormant in the history of his race, but "a direct enterprise of God" for the enlightenment and salvation of 'he world."--John Baillie. It gave rise to the sentiment in the hearts of Chris- tians everywhere "not of pride and self-congratulation at something our race has produced, but rather grati- tude at something it has received, We are moved, all of us, not to Applaxd, but to kneel; not to clap our hands in admiration, but to fold them in worship. Jesus was God's gift to men. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us," v. 9. Du.ing his life on earth, Jesus taught men to think of himself and God as similar in kind. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father," John 14: 9. Then, in his death he demon- strated thut love wis willing to for- give to the uttermast and was so Cuter .ined to redeem that it persisted even to the ultimate sacrifice. That was the crowning proof of God's love for nen. "God proves his love for us by this," says Paul, "that Christ died for us while we were yet sinuers," Rom. 5: 8. Jesus took on his own conscience the sins of countless others and off ar- ed himself in sacrifices, v. 10. Why was this vicarious suffering necessary? Life is full of it, yet we do not understand it. This, however, we know, as Henry Sloane Coffin says, "Men of religious insight in various faiths had discovered this strange principle in life, that the innocent suffer with and for the guilty, and that the voluntary self-offering of the good for the evil reconcilés the com- munity with God and works righteous- ness." Calvary is the overwhelming proo. that God is Father-love. If that is his attitude toward us, then we must have a similar attitude toward his other children--who are our brethrem, v. 11. III. THE PROOF OF THE SPIRIT'S PRES- ENEE, 1 John 4: 12-16. Spirit-filled peo are the argu- ment that proves God's existence. What is it to be "spirit-filled"? It is to-have a thorough-going belief in a holy and loving God who is alive and active in our every-day world, and who works out his purposes through us, Once a man discovers that he is a partner with God in an ultimately victorious enterprise, religion ceases to be just keeping from doing bad things. He throbs with an overflow- ing optimism and joy which we, in this day, call "enthus The Spirit- ta uve one another. | IV. THE ULTIMATE SECURITY, 1 John 4: | this life of his son, Jesus of Nazareth.|p. something which they had re, was| | . Rocketeller's invitation to go p church, when fog caused him to land at Flagler Beach, Florida. Instead he spent Sunday over- hauling his plane. filled Christian is the "enthusiastic" Christian. "Enthusiastic" means simply "God in one." Only as God's love is expressed through human lives does it come to its completion, v, 12. The Word must made flesh in order to come to its finished work in the salvation of men. Iv. 788 ULTIMATE SECURITY, 1 John 4: The experience of God's forgiving love kills within the sinner the for the old, bad way of livi turns with enthusiasm to God's way of living. Instead of Dein God and therefore Sead of Tools bo. the Fut vin' lad ai fir 00] e future tion, Perfect love has cast out fear, by swallowing up the cause of it. rere rene. Christmas Eve The swinging bells have settled now to silence, And from the byre there comes the muffled sound Of restless. beasts that, weary, shift their balance, Knee-deep in rustling straw on trod- den ground. Riding above the hill's dark height, the moon Touches the earth "with her white wizardry, And all the Milky Way is tinsel-strewn With stars like candles on a Christmas tree. Surely on such a night, when skies wére clear, The clarion trumpet called: afraid! And shepherds, - crouching to the ground In féar, Heard that their Lord was in a manger laid. Be not And hurrylog from the flelds and down the street, A village street as rough, and steep as this, Came, with a star to guide thelr Stub: ling feet, To where His Mother worshipped a kiss, The village sleeps to-night; no angels sing, No wise men, bearing gifts, come from afar, But, bright upon our darkness, herald. i The eternal Incarnation, burns a star. For not in time alone the mystery Of heavenly blossom on an earthly stem, But every cottage shall a manger be, And every English village Bethlehem. --Phyllis Hartnoll, i mia terri "My reputation, such as it is, Is based on the fact that I never talk un-, less I have something to say. --George Bernard Shaw.. 1 rains, And make his. clothes. one mass of stains, Ox ba a grondy litle pig, Or a schoolmate not so big, Or 8 a pin into the chair ot rf Jane when she's not there, Or fail to love his dog and cats And wipe his shoes upon the mat-- For it he does these things I'll not Come down his silly chimney-pot! And you, dear girls, take care you're od, go . And do the things you ought and should, And help your mothers all you can To scrub the floor and frying-pan, And stir the pudding good and hard, And don't forget the spice and lard, And see that you don't soll your clothes, Or start too soon to dust your nose, And don't tell tales or be a sneak, Or I'll not call on you next week! But, there! I'm only warning you 'What to avoid and what to do, But, it you rise to concert-pitch, t,| On Christmas Day there'll be no hitch, For you can be quite sure that I 'Will pass no decent kiddie by. Now, off you go at once upstairs, And don't forget to say your prayers, And, when they re said, switch off the t And sleep like top! Good night! Geod night! --A. B. Cooper in "Tit-Bits", London. (rrr fi Christmas Fruits When you buy your Christmas sup- plies of currants, raisins, figs, Braszils, or dates, do you ever wonder where they come. from. Dates, from Arabia and Persia, grow on the date-palm. The name is de- rived from the Greek word "dactylos," meaning finger. Dates, before being pressed, look exactly like humap fin gers, and the résemblance still re- maing in those you buy, "Brazils" are from Brazil. They are the produge of a tree called the "ju- via." They grow in a hard shell about the size and shape of a child's head, and each shell contains about fifty nuts. 7 Currants are a variety of small grapes, deied. - The name is our cor- ruption of "Corinth"--where they grow most abundantly --Tit-Bits (Lon- don). mm ee A enn Christmas Briefs There are two Christmas Islands, one in the Pacific and one in the In- dian Ocean, Christmas cards were first seen about one hundred years ago. Instead of stockings, Belgian child- ren put out their shoes for Santa Claus to fill, The French Santa Claus is dressed like a Harlequin in. the old pantomime, Santa Claus is another name for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of children. His day is December 6th. Hig, association with Christmas began when Christmas present-giving came into fashion, 4 ere fees. THOUGHTS FROM KINGSLEY Old decays but foster new. creations. Those who can suffer, can dare, Pain is no evil unless it conquers us. God doth not own unwilling servioa. Lifts too short for mean road, Go hay, 37,010 tons | other fodder, | Or splash through fii when t | the cane, bright, well built, a busy. Government, buildings, were impoalngs. the. police, judicature and, Civil, Ser vice generally were very efficiently run. = Once decidedly a "White Man's Grave," Belize has long been fmmune from yellow fevr, stringent sanitary . regulations and a fine medical service having eliminated to a a L the mosquitoes and land crabs which mate particularly unpleasant, though it 1s hot and rather given to "wet sess sons." - It is, indeed, a pleasant and interest~ ing town to live in. The natives, all English-speaking, are..descendants. of; West African slaves imported from Jamaica by the buccaneers who found- ed the colony 300 years ago. But they are amongst the most likeable, intelll gent, and industrious negroes in the world. > - Worse Than Alligators The colony is still largely undevelop-: ed. It boasts neither roads mor rail. 'ways, transport being. entirely by water, either along the coast (usually, as calm as a lake within the protection of the bays and coral reefs) or up the numerous rivers which penetrate ime land as far as the, Guatemaian fron- tier. There are many villages along these rivers, and several ports on the coast suitable for light craft; but the "Pine Ridge." The interior is notorious for Its poisonous snakes and an infinite. variety of noxious flies and ticks. There are also plenty of alligators and "tigers" (jaguars), but these are in- finitely less troublesome than the "flies," In the large towns these nuis- ances are seldom encountgred. White soclety in Belize is pleasant and interesting, nor is the colour bar at all rigorously enforced against the native or, mixed residents, among whom are many of the most influential and respected citizens, There is. plenty of work to be done, and plenty of play available, including hunting, fishing, trips to the pretty little bays (coral islands), visits to the talkies, card parties, dances, and so on. Never Known Before It is terrible to think of this quiet and charming little town being swept by hurricanes and tidal waves, Such things have hitherto been unknown in the memory of living man, and the place was utterly unprepared for such a disaster. The houses of the chief citizens are lightly built of 'wood on the very edge of the bay, and not more than a few feet above highwater mark. Inland there is no high ground for miles, nor is there any way of reaching the high- er land save by boats, most of which are said to have been smaghed by the tidal wave. But somehow even this shattering blow will fail to break the spirit of gal lant little British Honduras, though it is di to learn that, almost on the heels of the disaster, & great storm has wiped out the whole town of Lamasica, in Honduras, "Answers" {oudon), Toots, wheat, 463,408 bushels) 166,772 bushels; peas and beans, 24, 022 bushels; potatoes, 295,626 Dusheles other Toots, 80,322 bushels; cult wild hay, 80,394 to and | oats, 589,620 bushels; other grains, spread the infection. Nor is the olf apart. from. this the country is mostly | jungle.or.open pasture land known as Ng