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Our Christmas Offer to TLbery Subscriber
LISTEN! -READ IT!
WE WISH YOU “MIGHTY WELL" DURING THESE CHRISTMAS DAYS AND FOR THE NEW YEAR, AND WE WISH YOU WOULD WISH
US THE SAME! YOU DO? THANK YOU—BUT HOW MUCH? IF YOU ARE ALREADY “PAID UP,” READ THIS TO THE END ANYHOW—BUT IF
YOU ARE NOT PAID UP, REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY SEVERAL THOUSAND OF OUR SUBSCRIBERS WHO ARE BEHIND FOR
LARGE OR SMALL AMOUNTS. IF YOU—EACH OF YOU WOULD PAY DURING THIS CHRISTMAS WEEK, IT WOULD BE A GREATER FAVOR
THAN WE CAN MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND. WE WILL BE CONFIDENTIAL AND TELL YOU FRANKLY THAT WE HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT TO
MEET ON NEW YEAR’S DAY, AND IF YOU—EVERY ONE OF YOU, WILL SEND WHAT IS DUE AND RENEW FOR ANOTHER YEAR, IT WILL
LIFT A TREMENDOUS BURDEN LEFT BY THE PESKY PANIC, AND HELP US TO SWEEP THROUGH THE PORTALS OF 1909 WITH JOY AND
VICTORY. IF YOU CANNOT SEND ALL YOU OWE, SEND “SOMETHING" RIGHT NOW!
WE HAVE NOT CROWDED OUR DELINQUENT SUBSCRIBERS DURING THIS YEAR OF PAINFUL PANIC, BECAUSE WE HAVE SYMPA
THIZED WITH YOU AND HAVE WANTED TO KEEP YOU WITH US IN OUR EFFORT TO BUILD UP IN THE SOUTH A BEAUTIFUL INSPIRING
WEEKLY FOR THE HOME, WHICH THIS SECTION HAS SO LONG NEEDED.
YES, DR. LEN G. BROUGHTON, WHO SPEAKS EVERY SUNDAY TO MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE AND HAS JUST ABOUT
THE MOST REMARKABLE PREACHING PLACE IN THE WORLD, WILL CONTINUE AS OUR PULPIT EDITOR.
OUR GREAT NEW STORY, BY MRS. ODESSA STRICKLAND PAYNE AND LAMAR STRICKLAND PAYNE, BEGINNING IN THIS ISSUE
WILL STIR AND CHARM AND INSPIRE YOU FROM WEEK TO WEEK. MRS. MARY E. BRYAN, “THE LONG BELOVED," WILL BE A SPECIAL
CONTRIBUTOR. TOM F. MCBEATH, THE GIFTED POET-PHILOSOPHER, AUTHOR OF “BIOPSIS," WHOSE BEAUTIFUL “CHRISTMAS BELLS”
APPEARS ON OUR FIRST PAGE IN THIS ISSUE, WILL BE A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR THE COMING YEAR. AND BESIDES ALL THESE AND
OUR DELIGHTFULLY SUSTAINED DEPARTMENTS, “HOUSEHOLD," “GOOD CHEER" AND “VOICES OF YOUTH," THE EDITOR’S TRAVEL
NOTES AMONG THE SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES, AND HIS LIQUOR FIGHTING EXPERIENCE FROM FLORIDA TO TEXAS WILL BE A RATHER
“LIVE WIRE” FOR PEOPLE WHO LIKE A LIVELY TIME.
READ THIS NUMBER FROM COVER TO COVER AND SEE IF YOU AND YOUR HOME CAN AFFORD TO BE WITHOUT IT.
WE NEED YOU NOW, AND WE BELIEVE YOU NEED THE GOLDEN AGE. REMEMBER OUR HARD WORK TO CARRY SOMETHING IN
SPIRING TO YOUR HOME, AND WHILE YOU ARE REMEMBERING OTHERS, SEND US A CHRISTMAS PRESENT, AND WE WILL SEND YOU
ONE—3 MONTHS EXTRA FOR EVERY RENEWAL, OR NEW SUBSCRIPTION SENT IN DURING CHRISTMAS WEEK.
LISTEN! DO A CHRISTMAS DEED DURING CHRISTMAS TIME!"
The Hermit's Christmas Dinner
'Real Picture
ACIv in the recesses of the mountains
of North Georgia, away from the pub
lic highway, is a log cabin built
on a shelf of the ascending hillside. A
little to the right is a trickling stream
of pure cold water that runs from a
perennial spring a few yards higher up
the mountainside. A fine old chestnut
oak throws its grateful shade over the
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house in summer, hi.it jow are bare and
its leaves carpet the dooryard. A few blocks, cut
from the woods, have been arranged as steps to
reach the door of the house. There is no porch, nor
other outside landing stage. To the right of the
door is a rude bracket shelf with a bucket of water
and a crooked handled gourd hanging on a peg just
above it. On the other side a coon skin, stretched
at full length, clings to the logs. It is cold, and
here and there feathery flakes of snow flutter leis
urely down from the leaden sky. By the fire on
the inside sits an old man all alone, except that a
large hound lies upon the floor, with his head to
wards the fire and his great jaws resting diagonally
across his extended forelegs. A small three-legged
pot- sits over some embers on the hearth, and occa
sional gusts of wind drive back into the room savory
odors that would tempt the appetite of an epicure.
The old man sits in his chair, looking into the
glowing fire, silent, thinking, remembering. His
mind goes back to that Christmas day thirty-five
years befo You ask: Why not forty years'? Be
cause that was not the time. It was thirty-five
years ago, mat his father’s family gathered around
the Christma > boa'id for the last time. There were
present then: Father, mother, grandfather and ten
children, besides a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law,
two grandchildren, and as* -s r >’i whom the whole
family loved for the sake oe. • i'ered memory, was
one of the circle that day. I? was the “'«t time
since 1860 that the family had been together,
is a grave up yonder in the valley oT
Virginia, and here a vacant chair. No, pot vacapf,
The Golden Age for December 24, 1908.
for she whom lie had loved so well filled it and
found a tender welcome always in that home. That
season of feasting ended, and in five short weeks
the mother went away to everlasting joys. The
children scattered abroad, never to be gathered
together again on earth. But the hermit was not
unhappy. He was alone, yet not alone. The Friend
that sticketh closer than a brother was there. Fancy
called up faces fair and comrades dear, and bygone
scenes of gladness. His faithful memory conjured
up all those loved friends of “the days that are no
more” and filled his cabin with Christmas guests.
It was the time for good cheer. It was the sea
son which our fathers, for thousands of years have
made glad with mirth and good will. It covered the
period of midwinter when the finishing up of the
work of the passing year made ready for the strug
gle of the coming one.
All this passed through the hermit’s mind. He
knew, too, that it was said that Jesus was born on
that day 1900 years before. He did not care so
much for this, because he did not believe that any
body knew the exact day when Christ was born.
He knew the Lord, and loved him, but his birthday
he did not care for, because the Holy Spirit had
blotted out his record lest men should worship the
day and forget the Lord that made it sacred.
The hermit came back from his revery, raked
among the ashes and dragged out a steaming ash
cake, and peeled from it the crisped leaves that
had enveloped it. He then dished up from the pot
a portion of that matchless stew (maybe I’ll tell
you how it was made some day, if you want to
know), the dog waked up, the house was full of de
lightful odors, the simple feast was spread and
grateful acknowledgments given to the Giver of
all good. And here, isolated as they were from
others of their kind, each the faithful friend of the
,other, the hermit enjoyed his Christmas dinner and
it with his dog,
v r ' C .n. J. L, D, HILLYm
Atlanta 9 s Prohibition Treasury.
We offer to the friends of prohibition everywhere
the following story from The Atlanta Georgian con
cerning Atlanta’s prohibition treasury. After all
the evil prophesying, behold the following declara
tion from Mr. John W. Grant, who was one of At
lanta’s millionaire business men that honestly op
posed the coming of prohibition. Listen:
“Despite the loss of whisky licenses and the pe
riod of financial and business depression, the re
ceipts of the city for the year 1908 have been as
great as the receipts for 1907, about $200,000 hav
ing been spent in permanent improvements this year
in addition to the money appropriated to run all
the departments, and a healthy surplus will be left
over to the next administration.
“This, in substance, is the statement of Council
man John W. Grant, chairman of the finance com
mittee, to whom is due, in large part, the credit for
this splendid showing.
“Councilman Grant was seen by a representative
of The Georgian in the comptroller’s office.
“ ‘I think I am safe in saying that the receipts
this year,’ he said, ‘will be as great as the receipts
were last year, despite what we lost from whisky
licenses and despite the period of depression through
which the city, in common with the rest of the
country, has passed during the year just closing.
“ ‘ln addition to supplying sufficient money to
run all the departments, we have spent about $200,-
000 in permanent improvements. In our October
apportionment sheet, the finance committee has dis
covered, not enough money was apportioned to run
all the departments for the remainder of the year,
and the chairman was empowered to furnish all the
funds necessary to keep all the departments going.
“ ‘The city will have from $60,000 to $70,000
more than was anticipated in the October sheet,
and the city must disburse from $40,000 to $50,000
more than was anticipated.
“ ‘Speaking conservatively, then, the city will
have at least SIO,OOO left over. Os this $5,000 has
already been added to the fund for the Fifth ward
school, making a total of $30,000 for the school this
year.
*“ ‘This leaves at least $5,000 to go over as a sur
plus to the next administration.’ ”
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