{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_67105/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_67105","id":"gutenberg_67105","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/67105","summary":null,"tags":["Animals -- Juvenile fiction","Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Christmas stories","Conflict management -- Juvenile fiction","Peace -- Juvenile fiction"],"text":"The Animals\u2019 Christmas Tree\n\n\n\n\n  The\n  Animals\u2019 Christmas Tree\n\n  By\n  The Rev. John P. Peters\n\n  [Illustration]\n\n  New York\n  E. P. Dutton & Company\n  681 Fifth Avenue\n\n\n\n\n  COPYRIGHT, 1916\n  BY\n  E. P. DUTTON & COMPANY\n\n\n  The Knickerbocker Press, New York\n\n\n\n\nPUBLISHER\u2019S NOTE\n\n\nOriginally published in the columns of _The Churchman_, this little\nfable has been so often asked for, and since the outbreak of the War\nhas proved to embody such an obvious and important truth, that it has\nbeen thought best to give it a wider publicity by re-issuing in its\npresent form.\n\nAcknowledgment is hereby made of the courteous permission given by the\nEditor of _The Churchman_.\n\n\n\n\nThe Animals\u2019 Christmas Tree\n\n\n\n\nThe Animals\u2019 Christmas Tree\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\nOnce upon a time the animals decided to have a Christmas tree, and this\nwas how it came about. The swifts and the swallows in the chimneys in\nthe country houses, awakened from their sleep by joy and laughter,\nhad stolen down and peeped in upon scenes of happiness, the centre\nof which was always an evergreen tree covered with wonderful fruit,\nbright balls of many colors, and sparkling threads of gold and silver,\nlying like beautiful frost-work among the green fir needles. A sweet,\nfairy-like figure of a Christ-Child or an angel rested high among the\nbranches, and underneath the tree were dolls and sleds and skates and\ndrums and toys of every sort, and furs and gloves and tippets, ribbons\nand handkerchiefs, and all the things that boys and girls need and\nlike; and all about this tree were gathered always little children with\nfaces oh! so full of wonderment and expectation, changing to radiant,\nsparkling merriment as toys and candies were taken off the tree or from\nunderneath its boughs and distributed among them.\n\nThe swifts and the swallows told their feathered friends all about it,\nand they told others, both birds and animals, until at last it began\nto be rumored through all the animal world that on one day in the year\nthe children of men were made wonderfully happy by means of some sort\nof a festival which they held about a fir-tree from the forest. Now,\nof course the tame animals and the house animals, the dogs and the\ncats and the mice, knew something more about this festival. But then,\nthey did not exchange visits with the wild animals, because they felt\nthemselves above them. They were always trying to be like men and\nwomen, you know, putting on airs and pretending to know everything; but\nafter all they were animals and could not help making friendships now\nand then with the wild creatures, especially when the men and women\nwere not there. And when they were asked about the Christmas tree, they\ntold still more wonderful stories than the swifts and the swallows\nfrom the chimneys had told, for some of them had taken part in these\nfestivals, and some had even received presents from the tree, just like\nthe children. They said that the tree was called a Christmas tree,\nbecause that strange fruit and that wonderful frosting came on it only\nin the Christmas time, and that the Christmas time was the time when\nmen and women and little children, too, were always kind and good and\nloving and gave things to one another; and they said, moreover, that\non the Christmas tree grew the things which everyone wanted and which\nwould make them happy, and that it was so, because in the Christmas\ntime everyone was trying to make everyone else happy and to think of\nwhat other people would like. This they said was what they had seen\nand heard told about Christmas trees. They did not quite understand\nwhy it was so but they knew that the Christmas tree, when rightly\nmade, brought the Christmas spirit, and they had heard men say that\nthe Christmas spirit was the great thing, and that that was what made\neveryone happy.\n\nWell, the long and the short of it was that the animals talked of it in\ntheir dens and on their roosts, in the fields and in the forests, wild\nbeasts and tame alike--the cows and horses in their stalls, the sheep\nin their fold, the doves in their cotes, and the poultry in the poultry\nyard, until all agreed that a Christmas tree would be a grand thing for\nwild and tame alike. Like the men they, too, would have a tree of their\nvery own. But how to do it?\n\nThen the lion called a meeting of all the creatures, wild and tame,\nfor you know the lion is king of beasts and when he calls they all\nmust come. You know, too, that before and during and after these animal\ncongresses, there is a royal peace. The lamb can come to the meeting\nand sit down by the wolf, and the wolf dare not touch him; the dove\nmay perch on the bough between the hawk and the owl and neither will\nharm him, when the great king of beasts has summoned them all together\nto take counsel. But you know all about the rules of the animals, for\nyou have read them in books, and you have seen the pictures: how the\nlion sits on his throne with a crown on one side of his head, and\nall the other creatures gather about--the elephant, and giraffe, the\nhippopotamus, the buffalo, wolves and tigers and leopards, foxes and\ndeer, goats and sheep, monkeys and orang-outangs, parrots and robins\nand turkeys and swans and storks and eagles and frogs and lizards and\nalligators, and all the rest besides.\n\nThen, when the lion had called the meeting to order, the swifts and\nthe swallows told what they had seen, and a fat little pug-dog, with\na ribbon and a silver bell about his neck, wheezed out a story of a\nChristmas tree that he had seen, and how a silver bell had grown\non that tree for him and a whole box of the best sweets he had ever\ndreamed of while he lay comfortably snoozing on his cushion before the\nfire. And a Persian cat, with her hair turned the wrong way, mewed out\nher story of a Christmas tree that she had attended, and how there was\na white mouse made of cream cheese for her creeping about beneath the\nbranches.\n\nThen the monkeys chattered and the elephants trumpeted, the horses\nneighed, the hyenas laughed, and each in its own way argued for a\nChristmas tree and told what they would do to help to make it. The\nelephant would go into the forest and choose the tree and pull it up.\nThe buffaloes would drag it in. The giraffe would fix the ornaments on\nthe higher limbs, because its neck was long. The monkeys would scramble\nup where the giraffe could not reach. The squirrels could run out on\nthe slender twigs and help the monkeys. The birds would fly about and\nget the golden threads and put them on the tree with their beaks. The\nfire-flies would hide themselves among the branches and sparkle like\ndiamonds, and the glow-worms promised to help the fire-flies by playing\ncandles, if someone would lift them up and put them on the branches.\nThe parrots and paroquets and other birds of gay plumage would give\nfeathers to hang among the branches, and the humming-birds promised to\nflutter in and out among the twigs, and the sheep to give white wool to\nlie like snow among the boughs.\n\nThen the parrots screeched and the peacocks screamed with delight,\nand you and I never could have told whether anybody voted aye or nay;\nbut the lion knew and the owl, for he was clerk, set it down in the\nminutes, as the lion bade him, that all the birds and beasts would do\ntheir part. So each planned what he could do. Even the little beetle,\nwho makes great balls of earth, thought that if he could only once see\none of those gay balls that grow on the children\u2019s Christmas tree, he\nmight make some for the animals\u2019 tree; different birds and beasts told\nof the oranges and apples and holly-berries and who knows what they\ncould get and hang upon the tree. You see the animals came from many\nplaces, and then, too, they could send the carrier pigeons to go and\nbring fruit and berries, and who knows what besides, from oh, so far\naway, because the carrier pigeons can fly through the air no one knows\nhow fast or how far.\n\nWell, I cannot tell you everything that each one was going to do, but\nif you will go and get your Noah\u2019s ark and take the animals out one by\none, then you surely will think it out for yourself, for you have all\nthe animals there.\n\nAnd so they arranged how they would ornament the tree, and the next\nthing was to decide what presents should be hung on the tree or put\nbeneath its boughs, for each one must have his present. Well, after\nmuch discussion in roars, and bellows, crows and croaks, lows and\nscreams and bleats, and baas and grunts, and all the other sounds\nof bird and beast language, it was voted that each might choose the\npresent he wished hung on the tree. The clerkly owl should call their\nnames one by one, and each might declare his choice. So they began. The\nparrots and the macaws thought that they would like oranges and bananas\nand such things, which would look so pretty on the tree, too; and so\nthey were arranged for. The robins and the cedar birds chose cherries;\nthe partridges, partridge berries; the squirrels, red and gray and\nblack, nuts and apples and pears. The monkeys said the popcorn strings\nwould do for them, and the cats and dogs, remembering the Christmas\ngifts which the pug-dog and Persian cat had told about, asked for tiny\nmice made of cream cheese or chocolate. By and by it came the pig\u2019s\nturn to tell his choice. \u201cGrunt, grunt!\u201d said the pig, \u201cI want a nice\npail of swill hung on the very lowest bough of all.\u201d\n\n\u201cUgh!\u201d said the black leopard, so sleek and so clean.\n\n\u201cFaugh!\u201d said the gazelle, with his dainty sense of smell.\n\n\u201cNeigh!\u201d said the horse, so daintily groomed.\n\n\u201cWhat!\u201d roared the lion, \u201cwhat\u2019s that you want?\u201d\n\n\u201cA pail of swill,\u201d grunted the pig. \u201cEach one has chosen what he wants,\nand I have a right to choose what I want.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d roared the lion, \u201ceach one has chosen something beautiful to\nmake the tree a joy to all.\u201d\n\n\u201cGrunt, grunt,\u201d said the pig. \u201cThe parrots and the macaws are going\nto have oranges and bananas, and the robins and the cedar birds red\ncherries, the partridges their berries, the squirrels nuts and apples\nand pears, the dog and the cat their cream and chocolate mice. They all\nhave what they want to eat. Grunt, grunt,\u201d said he; \u201cI will have what I\nwant to eat, too, and what I want is a pail of swill.\u201d\n\nNow, you see, it had been voted, as I told you, that each should choose\nwhat he wanted hung on the tree for him, and so the lion could not help\nhimself. If the pig chose swill, swill he must have, and angrily he had\nto roar: \u201cIf the pig wants swill, a pail of swill he must have, hung\non the lowest bough of the tree!\u201d\n\nThen the wolf\u2019s wicked eyes gleamed, for his turn was next, and he\nsaid: \u201cIf the pig has swill because he wants swill to eat, I must have\nwhat I want to eat, and I want a tender lamb, six months old.\u201d And at\nthat all the lambs and the sheep bleated and baaed.\n\n\u201cHa, ha!\u201d barked the fox; \u201cthen I want a turkey!\u201d And the turkeys\ngobbled in fear.\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d said the tiger, \u201cwant a yearling calf.\u201d And the cows and the\ncalves lowed in horror.\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d said the owl, the clerk, \u201cI want a plump dove.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d said the hawk, \u201cwill take a rabbit.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd I,\u201d said the leopard, \u201cwant a deer or a gazelle.\u201d\n\nThen all was fear and uproar. The hares and the rabbits scuttled into\nthe grass; the gazelles and the deer bounded away; the sheep and cattle\ncrowded close together; the small birds rose in the air in flocks; and\nthe Christmas tree was like to have come to grief and ended, not in\nChristmas joy, but in fear and hatred and terror.\n\nThen a little timid lamb stepped out and bleated: \u201cAh! king lion, it\nwould be very sad if all the animals should lose their Christmas tree,\nfor the very thought of that tree has brought us closer together, and\nhere we were, wild and tame, fierce and timid, met together as friends;\nand oh! king lion, rather than there should not be a tree, they may\ntake me and hang me on it. Let them not take the turkeys and gazelles\nand the calves and the rabbits, and all the rest that they have chosen.\nLet the tigers and leopards, and wolves and foxes and eagles, and hawks\nand owls and all their kind be content that their Christmas present\nshall be a lamb; and so we may come together again and have our happy\nChristmas tree, and each have what he wishes.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d said the lion, \u201cwhat will you have? If you give yourself, then\nyou will have no Christmas present.\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the lamb, \u201cI, too, shall have what I want, for I shall have\nbrought them all together again, and made each one happy.\u201d\n\nThen a dove fluttered down from a tree and landed on the ground beside\nthe lamb, and very timidly and softly she cooed: \u201cTake me, too, king\nlion, as the present for the owls and the hawks, and the weasels and\nthe minks, because for them a lamb is too big. I am the best present\nfor them. Take me, king lion!\u201d\n\nThen the lion roared: \u201cSee what the lamb and the dove have done! My\nfood, oh, tigers and leopards and wolves and eagles and all your kind,\nis like your food; but I would rather eat nothing from our Christmas\ntree than take this lamb or this dove for my present.\u201d\n\nThen all the beasts kept still, because the lion roared so loud and\nangrily, and the birds that were flying away settled on the branches\nof the trees, and the gazelles stopped their running and turned their\nheads to listen, and the rabbits peeped out through the grass and brush\nwhere they had hid. Then the lion turned to the pig, and roared:\n\n\u201cSee this lamb and this dove! Are you not ashamed for what you have\ndone? You have spoiled all our happiness. Will you take back your\nchoice, you pig, or do you wish to ruin our Christmas tree?\u201d\n\n\u201cGrunt, grunt,\u201d said the pig, \u201cit is my right. I want something good.\nI don\u2019t care for your lambs and your doves. I want my swill!\u201d\n\nThen the lion roared again: \u201cHave all chosen?\u201d and all answered, \u201cYes.\u201d\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the lion, \u201cit is my choice.\u201d\n\nAnd all said: \u201cIt is.\u201d\n\n\u201cI love fat and tender pigs. I choose a pig for my Christmas gift,\u201d\nroared the lion.\n\nDid you ever hear a pig squeal? Oh, how that pig squealed then! And\nhe got up on his fat little legs and tried to run away, but all the\nanimals gathered around in a ring and the hyenas laughed, and the\njackals cried, and the dogs and the wolves and the foxes headed him\noff, and hunted the poor pig back again. Then, when the pig found that\nhe could not run away, he lay down on his back with his feet in the air\nand squealed with all his might: \u201cOh, I don\u2019t want the swill; oh, I\ndon\u2019t want the swill! I take it all back! I don\u2019t want anything!\u201d\n\nBut at first no one heard him, because all were talking at once in\ntheir own way--barking and growling and roaring and chattering; but by\nand by the lion saw that the pig was squealing something, so he roared\nfor silence, and then they all heard the pig squeal out that he did\nnot want any swill. And the lion roared aloud: \u201cYou have heard. Has the\nowl recorded that the pig will have no swill?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes,\u201d said the owl.\n\n\u201cThen,\u201d said the lion, \u201crecord that the lion wants no pig.\u201d\n\nThen the tiger growled: \u201cAnd I want no calf,\u201d and one by one the\nleopard and the eagle, the wolf and the fox, the hawk and the owl, and\nall their kind, took back their votes.\n\nAnd so it came about that the animals did have a Christmas tree after\nall; but instead of hanging lambs and doves upon the tree, they agreed\nthat they could hang little images of lambs and doves, and other birds\nand animals, too, perhaps. And by and by the custom spread until the\nhumans came to hang the same little images on their trees, too, and\nwhen you see a little figure of a lamb or a dove on the Christmas tree,\nyou may know that it is all because the lamb and the dove, by their\nunselfishness, saved the animals from strife; for neither thought\nwhat he wanted from the tree, but each was ready to give himself for\nthe others, so that they might not fight and kill one another at the\nChristmas time.\n\nWas it not cruel of the wolves and tigers and leopards and foxes to\nwish to eat the doves and sheep and rabbits and hares? But after all,\nthe worst one of the lot, I think, was the pig; for the pig began the\ntrouble, because he only thought of what Mr. Pig wanted for himself.\n\nAnd do you know, I think that after all that is the trouble everywhere.\nWe can get along all right if the pig will only keep away, for when\nthe pig comes and begins to think what he can get for himself, without\nthinking of the pleasure and the comfort of anyone else, why, then the\nfun is all spoiled, and pretty soon all sorts of bad tempers and bad\npassions are let loose.\n\n\n\n\nTRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTE:\n\n\n  Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_.","title":"The Animals' Christmas Tree","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":3092}