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^Litton <3a3ette Published Weekly __ 1 at the Postoffice at Tifton, Georgia, Btif'Second Claaa Matter. Act of March 3, 1879 fno. L. Herring Editor and Manager Official Organ City of Tifton and Tift County, Georgia- SATURDAY NIGHT. Th. Tattnall Jounuf deprecate, the tact It remained for President Wilson to pot the that it, county and Warn maniteated such little term, on which the Allied Nation, wall make Old Christmas Day. Tomorrow January 6th is "Old Christmas And tonight, "Old Christmas Eve.” the cows fin the pen. the horses in the lot, the beasts in the forest aljaU arise, and turning their heads toward the East kneel in reverence And the birds of the air shall fold their heads- under their wings, while the water in vessels, in streams, in lakes and seas, shall turn to wine. And over the earth the angels of heaven shall “"hover, while on the air. faint and sweet as the perfume of vanished violets, shall sound in harmony the music of the herald cherubims. So ran the superstition of the people of Wiregrass Georgia more than half a century- gone. For some reason unexplained, the great majority of those people observed January 6th as Christmas Day. Books of reference give no authority therefor, the nearest we have being the observance of Epiphany, or Twelfth Day. which concluded the Christmas festivities both in Old England and in the countries dominated by the Eastern Church. Men who were boys fifty .years ago can re call hearing grandfather or grandmother say that they remembered when the news came that Christmas Day had been changed from January 6th to December 25th, but the re cords show nothing official bearing this out. Probability is that the Huguenots, who were among the pioneers of the South Atlantic coast, • or the descendants of those who came to this country from the England of King James, found it ihconvenient to observe nil of . the twelve days of feasting and finally custom fell upon the last, or Epiphany. Certain it is. that a great many of the South Georgia pioneers thought until the day of their death that Janu- ny 6th was the true Christmas Day, and many of them still observed it as such forty years ago. Besides the superstitions mentioned, easil; understood as hovering around the birth hour of the Savior the whole season was considered full of portent. The twelve day December 25th and Jattpary 6th were knoxxtff as “The Old Twelve Days.” and eaeh^aC-lhi was read as a forecast of one ofi^te months of the year to come Was Deq^Gth cold, fair warm, —- u '|| month of January; Dee- 27th represented February, etc. (It may be, remarked, parenthetically, that- if the 2nd day of January thia year truly forecast •the August to come, that will be a month in . which fires and overcoats will be plentiful ) “The Old Twelve Days” were regarded as •• tt# time for planting the seeds of the early spring vegetables; for sowing spring oats, for repairing fencing, starting the pWSvs to break land for another crop, and other preparatory ' work. To the Wiregrass hoy of forty years ago, I the night of Old Christmas Eve was awe-in- f apiring. Many times he would inquire ns to ^ how and when the animals would kneel; ex press a desire to stay awake to watch for the lT -wonderful thing, and to taste the xx’ater when it turned to wine. But there were dark hints \ of dread things that might happen to sacrile gious watchers, and. assurance that the moment when the water was wine would be so fleeting : .that were it .in the mouth at the time it could barely be tasted before it was water again. Certainly, no boy Watched, and none was ever heard to boast that he had tasted, the wine .. th<*auspicious moment. Recollections of the real Christmas with ' Santa Claus were so vivid, that sometimes a box wouldinsist on hanging up ins ««rka •«** -Okk Christmas F.ve. being stimulated to hope by the fact that sons of distant neighbors hung up their home-knit socks on that night and Santa found thetp- Parental assurance that Santa could not be fooled into visiting the same house twice for one holiday did not prevent the socks going up once or twice in a sort of forlorn hope, as it were, which only resulted in disappoint ment next morning. Recollections of Old Christmas have dis- : .'appeared with the people with whom its ob servance was a part of tradition and custom There were many other superstitions common to the season which have been forgotten with the passing years. Butot is rather singular that there appears to be^nt> good reason for fixing the date of the parent of all Christian BIDDING THE BOY. THAT EVEN HE WHO RUNS MAY READ. THE FOE WE ARE FIGHTING. interest in their Selectmen departing for train- camp and the Moultrie Observer finds that Moultrie and Col<|«itt county have been culp- rble in the same respect. It says in part; We have allowed one hundred or more young men of the county t<$ leave us without any public farewells, and in this neglect we have robbed the boys and robbed ourselves. It means a lot when these young’men, the flower of the county, go out from among us to take their part in the great world conflict, and we have made much ado over events of much less mportance- The boys Bhould be sent away full of rim. and with every assurance that we who remain at home have the highest apprecia tion of them and that we are watahing their every move and following them with our thoughts and with the earnest expectation that they will make a record of which their •unty and their country will feel proud The Observer well makes the point that both have lost by such, let us not say indif ference, hut rather neglect to make use of an opportunity to bripg the young men x going away and those at home for wh< are going to battle in closer touch. speak advisedly, for the way in which Tift county sped her young Selectmen on their way made every one who participated feel united by closer ties. No Selectmen have left Tifton for camp without a crowd gather ing at the station to bid them God-speed first only two went, but although the hour early, the crowd of friends was there. With .enrh subsequent contingent, the crowd was even larger. Even the negroes were sent away i a good word from white and colored, cannot imagine all that we would have lost had we failed to do our part, as near as we could, by these young men who will in another ■ear be this county’s heroes. With the departure of the first large con tingent'there was a good deal of speech-mak- nd of course some tears. For the latter reason, it was thought best to omit the speech- later. and this wps done, but w’e madi take. There were-the tears just 'he while the inspiration to service was somewhat larking. The boys appreciate the spirit w hich the town went as far as it could xv them, and often speak gratefully of it. When the next go. we intend to have some inspiring talks to send them off with. Mmittrie and Colquitt county should remedy their mistake at the first opportunity, in justice to themselves and their young soldiers. Tell the young men that you are with them, heart and soul, and that you are grateful for the part they are taking in great world events. Per haps that will remove the dread for service which has been manifest in some circles peace so plain that even he who makes the most hurried perusal cannot mistake them. With characteristic directness, ilr. Wilson strips the terms of all superfluous verbiage and goes to the kernel of the situation with each paragraph. Not even the most dense or unwilling of com prehension can longer pretend ignorance of the ends the Allied nations are fighting to gain of what terms they will insist upon after a peace conference is called. The Austrian Minister, while ostensibly speaking to the Bolshcriki envoyBrest-Lit- ovsk. voiced the terms on which the Central Powers would enter upon peace negotiations and he spoke for each of Austria-Hungary’s allies and to each of the nations of the Entente and those making common cause with them. But the terms named by Count Czemin were cleverly arranged to deceive. They began with agnanimous phrases and concluded with a de finite promise of nothing except those things already conceded- While talking of no annex ations ami ho indemnities, purposely to catch In an article in the Saturday Evening Post Samuel G. Blythe brings the war home to Amer icans by substituting the names of towns in thjs country tor some of those in France and Belgium that fell iut^ German hands and using snppo- sitive names of Americans -instead of French and Belgian men. women and children who were victims to Prussian ruthlessness. Only. | those occurrences establshed by incontrovertibh evidence were used, but the picture drawn was one to remove for all time from the mind of the reader any academic phase the war may have held and to awake the lethargic to a realization of the frightful crisis which confronts civiliza tion. In conclusion. Mr. Blythe says “Nothing is impossible in these days—noth ing! We hope, fervently, that Germany wjll never get troops to the United St$te£ but it is entirely within the range of posjifeility that Ger many may do so. It is conceivable. It is a military feasability. but never if the people of the United States will awake to their position and to the needs of their country in this war; never if the people of the United States will dis miss the fatuous idea that some of them hold— many, indeed—that this war may 1 e carried on side line, as an extra, in its relation to the „ , n 1“* a siue line, as an extra, in us relation to tne he ear of the Socialists in a P usual business of the country; never if the peo- .. -r D.. .mini Pn . , . . ... ..... ... .r . THE FARM TRACTOR. The day of the tractor on the farm is coming with the close of the war. said a man who has made a study of farm machinery' for many years..to the editor- At first the farm tractor was large and cum bersome and required an expert to handle it. being available only for the large farms it has been perfected until aiiy man who can run an automobile can operate one. and they be used economically even, on a one-horse farm. With the close of the war, horses and mules ure going to be very scarce. Also, there will probably many one-armed or one-legged who must make a living and the farm of fers the best opportunity. A tractor can be op rated by the driver from his seat and will do he work of four horses. There will also for -rinny years be an increased demand "for ‘food-' .tuffs and all farm products, and to meet this .emand will be a part of the tractor's mission “You ean judge the profits and prosperity of * farm by the depth of the furrow.’’ said thii ;^ntleman. "Everything has progressed in this •ountry except the methods of fanning—the rmmttntion-of'ati-prosperity. - ThB‘country ‘is ;emanding more from its soil than ever before, ind production must be increased to meet this demand. The farm tractor makes the deeper furrow, and after awhile old-time ideas will way to modern ones and it will come into general use. Then we will see not only the problem of increased production solved, but era of prosperity for the tillers of the soil that will make the farmers the true lords of crea tion." It is a broad viewpoint, but the gentleman is right* ios. the matter of restoration of Belgium. Pol and and Servia was carefully avoided and the fate of the Balkan States was left to the chican ery of diplomacy. But the war-sick people of Russia and many other ebuntries of suffering Europe are so anx ious for peace—for rescue from impending star vation—that they are prone to take surface promises without examining too critically into whut la/behind, and without a comprehensive answoi the rejection of the Central Powers’ terms -.vGuld have put upon the Entente nations the blame for the war’s continuance But the speech el the British Premier on Saturday and the address of Mr. Wilson Tuesday strips bare the - shallow pretense of Germany and her friends and lays before the people of the world terms of peace so Jiberal. so comprehensive, so pi in to even the dullard. that with Germany and her allies only two alternatives are left— -.o continue the'war with the tacit acknowledg - ment that nothing but conquest will satisfy them, or to'Snake peace on teems that will be just to even the weakest nations engaged, and will put an end for all time to the domination of a despoti-m oxer a people who should of right he free Peace on the terms 'Hf. Wilson propo would set the oppressed pebple of the wo free. It would wipe out private alliances of nations for offense or defense, open the seas to the commerce of the world unrestricted and bring’ reduction of national armament strictly to the needs for maintenance of law and order at home. It would free Russia and leave her people to work out their own problems; it would free Belgium and restore France to her status before 1870; it’would restore Jtaly to national lines and give the people of Aus tria-Hungary the right to govern themselves; it could free Rumania. Servia and Montenegro ,nd give the Balkan States their independence and territorial integrity. Even the rights of the Turk are not neglect'ed. and his territorial boundaries are guaranteed, but the poxver to oppress, massacre and misrule other peoples is to be for all time taken from hhn. Contrast the simple, direct, explicit language of the President with the ambiguous, verbose camouflage of the Austrian spokesman for Ger many. and you have the contrast of the ijjncere man who speaks to convey his meaning with the diplomat who uses language but to deceive. On the surface, there is much in common with the terms of the Entente as pronounced by Mr. Wilson and those of The Central Powers as en unciated by Count Czemin. If Gerpfany and her allies really mean what they said at Brest- Litovsk; if they were really sincere, the road to pcacc.is open. If. on the contrary;, their so-call- ..({ terms were to placate Russian and Austro. (Termnn Socialists, then peace is a long way off Blit no longer ean people of understanding in Russia,.in Germany, in Austria Hungary..or npy other nation now at war. be in doubt as to where the blame will lie for the further co'n- t'nuance of a conflict \hat has already claimed millions of victims and bids fair to claim mil lions more before the people of the world are free. of on. i little d ' th. Middle Wei I ha v*. traveled ov«*m *«xi of your country aloo. and waaatrw with the agricultural d*vetojwn*oi. the modern f.rnw, end th* good 1*. Altogether, yon have one of- fmest sections I have teen and with the greatest promlee for th* “I am delighted that Mr. Hardy fees chosen thia aa headquarter*. In cidentally, to show that he made no mistake from a commercial stand point will say that Mr. Hardy ha* turned In more buaineea for na line* he came to Tifton than any other- manager on our list within Time ‘rngth of time." Mr. Surns was the guest of Mr.,; Hardy from .Saturday until r ” day, leaving Tuesday afternoon f poll t South. He is a gentleman pljas-r address, and made quit* I numb-, of frienida while here. Kb.® enthusiast^,: Ttften booster I ! "'•ny 'iifore good thing* •' city besides those queted a' TIFTON SOLDIER UNDER FIR1 have had several brush with the enemy since reaching th«^ trenches here, which I • would have not t pie of the United States will make this war their principal occupation th- -sole concern of their thought, the acme of their endeavor; never if the whole people of the United States will enter wholly into the war. force themselves to under stand what it means and participate-to the esr- tent of their resources, regardless of the pers-Tijl al inconvenience, sacrifice or labor; never if -the people of the United States will come, now. to the inevitable conclusion *that nothing matters* to us save the winning of this vf&r; chat it fix a question of national preservation, of national life- t "So there may be an appreciation of what may happen in this country, in one way. to our oeople. in our own cities and villages and on our nvn farms, if Germany should land troops here • few of the authenticated German horrors in c rance and Belgium have been localized. The ist has not been exhausted. There are hund- -eds more, many so vile and terrible that they [ boen for Mmyr's Wonderful nay not be set down In public print- There | dy Jt ^ entirely cured m. of s no reason to think that any section of the Uni- sad awful pi in ted States would be freer from these atrocities l, toImrh ' Army f 0O d now di| han was any section of Belgium, of invaded' - • —*»-•> France, or Serbia, or Poland, or Italy, or any -ther place where the Germans forced an en trance. The German war beast does not chaiige, nor do the masters of the beast; especially not ijhe masters. What happened in Belgium, in France, in Poland, in Serbia, and elsewhere— all these horrors.- many unspeakable and un printable save in official record—surely would happen in the United States. , "This is the foe we are fighting. As an. in centive for our fighting, the making of the world safe for democracy is emrely a corllary. The sooner the people of the-United States awake to the fact that xvc are fighting to make the Uni-, ted States safe for ourselves, and begin to de- ote their united endeavor to that end. the soon er will the necessary victory be won- This war cannot be carried on casually. The United States must, in fact, be united, down to the last nan the last dollar the last indix*idual sacrifice. !!lso we shall fail. And if we fail we may ex- >.-et. among manv other servitudes and punish ments. the treatment for ottr women and our h ; ! Iren and ourselves received at the horrible .and* of the Germans by the women and child- en and non-combatant men in Belgium, in Fran- •<•. in Poland, and every country where the- Gcrmans have been successful or will be ” as goo,I aa mothtr’s used to.” It is , a simple, harmless preparation .that removes the catarrhal mucus . from the intestinal tract and allays th* inflamme'ion which causes practV rally >11 ttomaeh, liver and i tinal aitthenta, including append!, citia. One dose wjll- convtnce money refunded, Brooks Pharmacy C The Second District Agricultural School at Tifton was one of the nine schools in the state qualifying for participation in the Smith- Hughes fund of $20,000. availahle this year. Of the eleven district schools, two failed to come up to the government’s requirements. The Second District School received a check Friday for one-fourth of its portion, which will be expended in the additions to the facul ty and equipment required by the National Department of Agriculture- . WISE WORDS FROM A FARMER. i farmer Much water has gone over the dam since those days in 1883. when the editor of the Gazette was the sixteen-year-old printer-press man-foreman of the Worth Star, at Ty Ty, of which J. W. Hanlon was editor, and E- J. Wil liams, Jr., was the office devil- Now the once little devil” is a Lieutenant-Colonel and opinion United States is hurry- mem i, e r of the War Council of Uncle Sam’B jn to be supplied with forces, and the "Old Man” of the my be lacking, e^nfirms Gftzet t e f ee ls that his gray mustache and those AW ho have studied t holidays as Dec. 26th. Practically oil authori- tuation clo«5: that ties ajrcc that this could not have been the drawn upolUpJisve an American aimy^ acason o, Ch™f. birth. Wa„,e It I. the he** IK,-;rTn J "-h» by niltht on the plain..” The earlier SBWI^Mcou«\" ' he ” ”-” rd,n, ““ n The earlier tian churches were not uniform in the observed, the time ranging through April jnd May. The present date fixed is thought to h.-tve been due to its being approximately pe winter solstice. After all, what does a datc-from a man-made calendar matter? It is the spirit of the ob- *er”ance that counts. V It Is gratifying to read that so many of Tift r registrants are in Class I. That they I. first-class goes without saying. was agreed upon. A man at the front wheAythe Teutonic drive comes max' be worth threelaler in the year. Pay your war tax with a smile when asked for the few pennies additional bn entering a place of amusement, busring a railroad ticket, damping a letter or executing a document. You have it to pay any way and had just as •ell be cheerful about It but it is well to re- membef some of the great things those few pennies are helping to do. thinning hairs have been earned. Still, it is £Jobn” and “2eke” when the two meet and they are going to stop long enough ire"notfes and talk over good old days - whichlwere nci better than those of today, ex cept that we Were young then. Thi clerks who hax’e been mailing out the questionnaires are looking forward to tomor row with great anticipations. They xvflll finish ♦he mailing then and complete as tough a job as they ever went up against. Of course all of the work has not been done y^t, but the f ma jor portion of it is over with and the clerks are ’.hankful. The work in Tift has been hand- 'ed in a systematic.' businesslike manner and ♦here have been no complaints of the board and its helpers failing to faithfully perform the work allotted them- From ih<* Atlanta Journal. y The Liberty County-Herald quotes of its acquaintance as saying: •Usomc* contend that when Germany saidr ‘Stay off the seas,’ we should ha\‘e got off. But if xvc ha-i. our n.fon could not'have bejr «..ld for five cents if pound; it would have been a drug on the market. The fact that this nation held to the right of the free use of the seas is the reason we are today getting a big price for our products. The farmer who is not support ing the Government to the extent of his ability is far from wise, and is ungrateful. Back the President first, last and all the time, for he Is ^Whether this point of view should be termed shrewd patriotic shrewdness, it* common sense will be recognized by every farmer who has any regard for his own. not to speak jf i e country's interests ’Ve should be in a »:?•»* •"* and disgraceful plight, to be sure, if our loyal ty depended on the price of cotton and corn or or anything less iding U*an duty and honor. Southern farmers once stuck to their convic tions under the tragic, oncoming shadow of Appomattox itself and forfeited all their pros perity for an ideal. They will stand ready, if need be. for an equal sacrifice in the Na tion’s present cause- They would be un worthy of their sires nnd unlike exerx-thing iif Southern history- and Southern character if their patriotism in this heroic hour lay no deeper than their purse. It is none the less gratifying to farmers. howex*er^to realize that in this war the paths of theirdutv and their self-interest lead in the •ame direction. For Germany to come out of this conflict xdetorious xvould be the direst calamity that could befall our farmers, for it xx ould mean not onlv a crushing tax piled on by the Kai«er, but also the loss or at least the serious abridgement of those rights of com merce on which the value of farnr I”"®"]! vitallv depend More than ‘hat and mo/m an it would mean the loss of the liberty-^d all else that makes life worth living. | j The Woman’s Tonic " 1 took lour bottles,"