Near Nineteen Hundred times hath she,
    The gentle goddess, free and fair,
  Awaked with kiss Old Father C.
    To make the wintry world their care. 
  O’er town, o’er country far away,
    Where’er hearts ache, or eyes grow dim,
  His annual round makes Christmas Day,
    Sweet Charity attending him.

[Illustration:  THE AWAKENING OF FATHER CHRISTMAS

OR, A CALL TO ALMS.]

  MORAL.—­So, British Public, take my lay,
    And if you find no moral there,
  Then Mr. Punch must sadly say
    His ministry is fruitless care. 
  Nay!  To good uses you will put
    The Legend Punch doth thus transpose. 
  Your pockets sure you will not shut,
    Your hearts to his appealings close!

  For e’en the man who runs may read
    The lesson with this lay entwined. 
  (If Topsey-turvey thus succeed,
    The noble Laureate will not mind!)
  And liberal applications lie
    In this quaint Legend, good my friend. 
  So, put the song and picture by,
    And hook it—­to some useful end!

* * * * *

CARMEN CULINARIUM.

[Illustration:  Cook Personally Conducting.]

  If you’re anxious to eat without any repining,
  Read THEODORE CHILD upon “Delicate Dining.” 
  This sage gastronomic full soothly doth say,
  That no mortal can dine more than once in the day;
  Then he quotes LOUIS QUINZE, that the art of the cook
  Must be learnt most from practice, and not from a book;
  While you also will find in the readable proem,
  Doctor KING said a dinner resembled a poem.

  We shall next see a cook can have only the dimmest
  Of notions of art, if he isn’t a chemist. 
  So we learn here the names and the separate uses
  Of muscular fibre, albumen and juices. 
  We are shown the right methods of roasting and boiling,
  Of frying and stewing, decocting and broiling;
  While our author in words there can be no mistaking,
  Is dead against “roasting” in ovens—­or baking.

Our asparagus then we are heedfully told, [Greek:  Iostephanos] should be like Athens of old:  With a violet head and a stalk very white While this CHILD thinks that tepid it yields most delight.  On the artichoke too with affection he lingers, And also advises you eat with your fingers, Petits pois a la Francaise are here, the receipt That he gives is a good one but haply too sweet.

  Our author is great upon salads and sauces,
  To cool our hot palates, or tittivate fauces;
  Here is all you need learn about GOUFFE’S Bearnaise,
  And a charming receipt for the Sauce Hollandaise. 
  In England we know that in sauces we’re weak,
  And we’ve never attained to the cuisine classique;
  But French Seigneurs of old gave full rein to their wishes,
  And live on immortal in delicate dishes.