Boys' SPORTS, STORIES, GAMES, PUZZLES, HANDICRAFT, » SCIENCE, ADVENTURE, JOKES, CARTOONS CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS FROM MANY LANDS "He who turns a mattress on Christmas Day will have bad luck." is an old adage in Wales. In parts of England they say that the bees sing all day on Christmas But for that matter, bees sing all day, nearly every day in the year, so the saying, while true, may not have much significance. Bees were formerly given much consideration in the life of the family in England. It was thought they should always be told i wedding or a death, and the occu- pants of the hive would 'rejoice or be sad with the fortune of their masters. On Christmas Day a sprig of holly adorned the hive. Make Good Wishes In Roumania, the father of the house, on Christmas morning, stand- ing before the Christmas log makes Christmas wishes for his family, the wife, sons, daughters, then for each of his animals, saying, "I wish that ood fortune may be with my oxen; f wish that good fortune may be with my asses," until every living thing of his establishment has been remembered. Food for the birds is placed on the housetops in many countries. In others, the animals on Christmas Day receive a double portion of food. In some of the countries of Southern Europe, the ashes from the yule log are carefully gathered up and buried with ceremony in the fields to insure a bountiful crop next season, Hang the Mistletoe The hanging up of the mistletoe and the burning of the yule log at Christmas time comes from the early days of England when that country was inhabited by native tribes, the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. Many of the people at that time were Druids, or tree- worshippers. The oak was one of their sacred trees, and because the mistletoe clung to the oak, creeping and twisting itself up the trunk and along the branches, it was cele- brated with song on a holy day dur- ing the season of frost. The early Christians in England who celebrated Christmas could not | CHRISTMAS IN THE OLD D oe 4 y 2 NN TN 7 AYS--AND CHRISTMAS NOW ATT HOW TO TIE CHRISTMAS PACKAGES CORRECTLY One would smile if he were told that most < of thé people in this 'country could not tie knots in strings, but the wrecked state in which some of our Christmas pack- ages arrive is convincing proof that not only our friends, but even our relatives, and maybe we, ourselves, cannot tie a decent knot. If you want to be sure when you mail a package that it will arrive safely at its destination in a fairly respectable state, pay heed to the knots. One kind that you may be sure will never give way under the strain _of transportation is the slip knot which you are shown how to make in the diagram below. Make the ordinary slip loop, then draw one end of your string up through it and pull tight. It id espe- cially good to tie where strings cross one another on a package. Your address, too, should be plain and unconfusing. "If you tie your package in the mannér of the one in the picture, print the address plainly in the square marked off by the strings. Mark the return ad- dress neatly in the upper left hand corner opposite the stamp. YULE LOG In feudal days the kindling of the yule log in the festal hall was one of the merriest of Christmas customs. It dates from the days when it was kindled in honor of the great god Thor. Its burning ggaused the lig- uor to bubble in the wassail bowl, which was passed at the Christ- mas banquet from one to the next, around the board, and which was quaffed by each person to drown old feuds. At an orphanage in Lyons, France, the first foundling to be received on Christmas day is given a special EE ------ Christmas has ¢! style since Santa Claus used to bring maple silver clasp for his sister. On the day Christmas! With the the days when Grandfather Heze- sugar cupids and a Bible to a good candle-lighted Christmas tree h of a button a hundred sparkling elec- radio to hear Christmas songs sung lets, the daintiest of garments and kiah and Grandmother Jane Maria boy. There was a painted doll with paper angels, gingerbread men, tric bulbs and colored lights gleam one thousand miles away! Have special gifts and toys, thus honoring hung their woolen stockings in the a full-flounce taffeta dress and a strings of cranberries and pop corn. on the tinsel and metallic orna- Christmas pleasures increased since the coming of the Christ-child into chimney corner. The old-fashioned leather photograph album with a What a contrast is the present- ments. Marjorie's doll both walks the old days? We wonder. the world, ing and talks! Buster tunes in on his cradle with delicate, elaborate cover- tection against arrows. A STRANGE CHRISTMAS TRADE [5 = THE STORY SO FAR: Warren Knowles, m, spend Christmas with stalled by a sudden " a ik | He was , and man into hie climbed i Hi y with was ® A streak of dawn lightened the sky as the two boys drove down the snowy road. erry Christmas!" exclaimed Warren cheerily, though he was still trembling from his scare. "That's been the queerest Christmas Eve I ever had!" "Merry Christmas nothing," re- plied the boy. "It ain't likely to be so merry, with Satan loose. Kee your eyes on both sides of the roa sharp, mind youl!" "Say, I wish vou'd tell me--" "Shut up! e gotta drive! Time for talkin' later." Badge held tight to the wheel trying to keep it straight on the roa , which was icy and full of unexpected ruts. LAF-A.LOT LINES A Sood Salesman Agent: "When are you going to pay me for that sewing machine?" Tens Lady: wor, you told me it would pay for itself in a short time!" He Knew Head Policeman: "What would you do to disperse a mob?" Applicant for a job: Pass around They always leave the hat, sir. when that happens." Descriptive Art teacher: waves rose." -------------------- "What coloring would you use for a storm scene?" . Student: "The wind blue--the They were "driving," all right. Rags, who was cuddled up close to Warren, suddenly gave a jump and almost leaped out of his master's arms. His quick eyes had seen first what Warren could see only by straining his eyes into the grayness ahead--a crouching black shape, a few feet ahead, and a little to the side of the road. "Look out!" cried Warren. "There's something ahead. Like a big cat, only--" At that moment what looked like a black shadow started to move quickly through the air. Warren threw up both hands, helplessly, as the black horror came towar them. Then there was a shot, and the thing fell to the side of the road. "Good thing I brought mother's gun," said udge. "And when I saw Satan was loose I just had it ready for action." "Here, let me have the wheel," demanded Warren, as he noticed how pale and trembly Budge had become. The boy slid quietly out of his seat and gave place to War- ren. He drew the comforting Rags up close. "That was a black leopard," he explained. "The old man owned a road show and had trained animals. My mother was in it and she--she got killed, and I just sort of stayed on. Then the show went broke and was held in one town. At night he got Satan, the leopard, 'cause he was most valuable, in his cage, took his old Ford and me and beat it across the country to this house, which be- longs to him. He used to live here when he was a boy. Its all off to itself, but he was awful afraid some- body would find him out. He was gonna make an animal trainer out of me, he said, but I didn't have the nerve, or something--" the boy shivered, "No wonder! You're lucky to get away! And just wait till you see t new Uncle I've picked out for you!" "Well," grinned Budge, "It looks like I've made a good trade. I $8 --] guess it's gonna be erry Christmas!" (The End.) CHRISTMAS CAROLS Carol, . Brothers, Carol, Carol joyfully; Carol the Good Tidings, Carol merrily, And pray a gladsome Christmas ° For all good Christian men; Carol, Brothers, Carol, g Christmas Day again. Christmas™in-lands of the fir. tree and pine, Christmas in lands of the palm tree and vine, Christmas where snow peaks stand _solemn_and white, Christmas where cornfields lie sunny and bright-- Everywhere, everywhere, Christmas tonight! ww, { Some day when it's raining and it seems much nicer to stay indoors and play, try this interesting game which many boys and girls play in Washington, D. C. Find an ironing board around the house, if possible, one which stands of its own accord. If there isn't one such as that around, take any kind ai.d make it stand by putting it on two boxes or chairs. Next, take the cover off the board so that it will be smooth and bare. A number of different sized paper boxes must next be secured, cake boxes, shoe boxes, cracker boxes, and suit boxes. These are num- bered, all the small ones having the highest numbers and the larger ones having lower numbers, After num- bering them, the boxes are placed on the floor at onc end of the irone ing board. A rubber ball, soft or hard, is now used to secure the points. Each player takes a turn and rolls the ball along the ironing board so that Lit will roll off the end and into one HERE'S A NEW GAME FOR HOLIDAY FUN ! box, the | points as the number on the box. The last week for Christmas gift- making is here. Should there be need for a last-minute, hurry-up gift, the picture frame shown here will solve the problem. Take the picture that you have se- lected to frame, which may be a photograph of yourself or a colored Bictute cut from a magazine, and 'find a candy box of stiff cardboard same size. Cut away the sides of both the lid and the bottom so that you have two uniform card- boards. If the frame is to be an inch wide, Measure in an inch on one piece and mark off a rectangle, then cut it out, as In diagram II. Cover the frame with colored paper, leaving flaps one inch wide to paste on the back of the second cardboard after the picture has been mounted on it and placed inside the frame, as in diagram IIL HOW TO FRAME THE CHRISTMAS PICTURE the points, whether the ball goes the ball, and at the end of that time, of the boxes. When it goes into a directly into the box or whether it the player having the largest total layer scores as many goes in on a bounce. To make the is declared the winner and is privi- r , ame more of a contest, each player leged to have the first turn in the It makes no difference, in scoring should bave nine turns at rolling next game, 1 ] toms with a plain sheet of paper and puta VIIL If you wa Cover the flaps on the back side standard on the picture as in diagram cut a triangle for £BEFE. THE ANIM ADVERTISING SURPRISE HIM WITH AL TIMES EPHRIAMOWL, OF THE TOWN SOCIETY 'MAYOR'S DAUGHTER RECEIVES SECOND PRIZE JOR SAR TY CIA: | PLEASE [FACE A NUT CRACKER han SL a. i TERN Ne aan _. ~ Danger! in HAY STOCK: don't walk Je ae Saclay, brook. . "Why not?" "Cause I took it away." yy : . HERE IS THE LATEST OF MISS JANE RABBIT, _ R/OF MAYOR SACK RABBIT if CHRISTMAS NECKLACE OF Wei | ASAE Erm the last mj In a Way : : "And d kno NAY 0 do J J am "Well, we got a taste missionary was