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Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1657, 25 January 1913, Page 11

digested what' Is demanded of one, you begin gradually to enjoy yourself almost as a German does. ■ Fairy Tales for. Chlldr«n-and othors., , ' < Never have you seen Berlin look as gay. • Restaurants are more crowded than over, Btreets so crammed, with tho eager crowd ' ■ that you oan' hardly ,move comfortably. Thdro aro wonderful programmes .arrangj, cd at tho- theatres and concerts. A well- ' known actor , announces a Hans Andersen afternoon for children.' H® comes .beforo the-, little .ones,'' not' dressed" as ;. Father Christmas,- but in -the,conventional .frock coat. He sits down arid tells: the.children and, older folk,- who also'love fairy, tales, theimost fascinating story in such, a per- : v .j6onal . fatherly way that . one . forgets one is'inii theatre and not in their own nursewl.with.their;little,ones. • Suddenly .'an ienormous Christmas tree, • all bright,and shining with candles and silver bells,,rises:, out of tho floor. He tellsi "the ,story ,<)f 'the Fir . Tree.. .One ;is. in fairyland. ■ .There is a pause, \theh. a burst of cheering from the children, and . the afternoon is over, -v.Onco again, you .find yourself an the . > crowded streets, the. enow.is falling and everyone is .hoping it will continue so that . . .. there'will' be a white Christmas, 1 plenty . of'stating and winter , eports, daring the holidays. \. • A few days before Christmas, on going out to' do, your morning shopping, you ■ sniff. the 'keen 'frosty air laden with the . scent of pines',; and wonder whero it comes from. At tho 'Sciuare near to ydur house you find a small pine forest has.grown as • if by magic'in tho night. Strong, straight young limbed trees, from three to'eight feet in height, havo been brought from a, neighbouring forest.. 'Men are busy : making'stands/, others- fitting; them-in and cutting the strings which bind them,'and as they spread out'their branches, cach one seems to outvie tho other in • beauty and statelines3. Already there' are Suite a number of purchasers. .Everyone as a Christmis tree in Berlin and in a few days thero will be few left to choose . , from. v •■\, •• ■ At the oil shop, the window which usu-ally-looks bo dull is decorated with can-, dies of all colours and sizes, gold and silver balls, bunches of grapes, ■ pears, coloured ijflass balls, and yards of silver and gold, tinsel for the beautifying of the Christmas tree. , . y Tho day'has. arrived; when'the tree is brought home. . A special place has been cloared for it by. tho window, at the end . of the room. : The door is locked upon the excited children until the tree is dressed , ' in her Silver and gold like n queen, There she stands dazzingly beautiful only wait- ■ ing to be lit. The littlo ones clap .their hands ,with delight, as they gather round and watch breathlessly, as one by one the 'coloured candles blaze out among a glory •v? toys and red oheeked apples. . ' ' | • There it lives in state until its short, but brilliant, reign is : over,'. and it too, , like tho pine tree in the fairy tale whose one' wish was to grow big;enough to be . a Christmas tree, .ends its'life in a. cellar 'lar where it lies forgotten Iby all, till i fne day it is dragged out, chopped up, and • burnt for firewood. ' '' ,

An -up-to-date bathing costume .19 • alsc town; The tunic- of alpaca',':.whidh.. is raided . and ■. finished - with straps ant uttons, is designed to be .worn over at rdinary stockinotto bathing gowrL.witl] scorning effect; ;.Th« oUskin cap.is trimled with a .few 'waterproof roses at the sft side. . About,four yards of. materia. ) necessary. to.,- make ■, the , tunic, anc urses* cloth or serge may bo'substituted Dr alpaca.- Navy.blue or reseda green raided in l white, would be'; serviceable olours, in which to carry 1 out "tihe designs