The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-12-25
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.wildsrn5e q - yssts Il IL osiya fsw trsss
that are sblGa fbs Ne beasAt 81 the VA.
derers. lBonaaafiy eoss have marked thsA
.. intervals; asf1s alluAer conssS have sop
ped q thsss win : "Hsrs man he's bssn. :"
The unnasks1. ~ uasstsd. Day sRsr -
NJ wait With saesr expectancy Ssr one day.
Yet il isA's tAes1s ~, but the nany daystAa<
coucernsu M. Into thsss q well = this-into
these moro than this-ass crowded the duties,
demands, carss--ths discipline a labor, tho
baptism Of sorrow. the divinessss Of bene6-
oence, the insolNabls experiences, Of this
human life. This IL prsaching and that isn't
our purpose. Bat rather TO chat somewhat Of
Christmas sathsrins our subject matter from
divers sources.
What isis tie ballad says:
Mon are bss bsys grown tall.
Hearts don't change nnsh aftsr al.
No, nor the world doesn't change much,
nor the generations that dwell in it. Mo-
ments come to every man and women worth
the name, when they would like to put OF
the ysars that have fallen upoa them, and
hide their s1acsg sgain in mothers lap and
We'd 49, FIJI sors hardness. And 80 hn-
mAihfsAa6 2aeadspiy to 20 back 10 its era
die. The sports Of nation are always some
phsss of TRANSMITTED tradition, or pastims
Of. he wosld's childhood. We are COM
posits pscp{e. Hence il isn't surprising that
our veiy celebration Of this day, is patch
work TO which various ages and various peo-
pie have given shreds.
We dress houses and churches in ever
green's and have Christmas trees We Dor
rosed thst feature Of our Christmas customs
from those wild Druids, that, dead centuries
ago, were the priests and lawgivers Of an
cient Britain, before it had been invaded by
Romes restless ambition. We give gifts,
and we borrowed that custom from the Ro-
man Saturnalia. Selden says indeed tina,
English Christmas observances are derived
from the Saturnalia., Do you want to know
what was the character Of that progenitor of
our Christmas? D'Israel describes that
Roman festival tins:
at was towards the 6oee of December that
all the town was in an unusual motion, and
the children everywhere invoking Saturn !;
nothing now to be seen but tables spread out
for feastipg, and nothing heard bnt shouts Of
merrimeut all business was dismissed, and
none at work but cooks and confec,ioners;
no account Of expenses was to be kept, and
come was to be appropriated 10 this jollity.
AN exertion of mind and body was forbidden,
except for the purposes Of res reationnothing
to be read or recited which did not provoke
mirth. adapted TO the seaeon and the place.
The slaves were allowed the utmost freedom
of raillery and truth with their masters: sit
ting with them at table, dressed in their
clothes, pa, ing all sorts OF tricks. telling
them of their faults to their faces, while they
.mutted them. The slaves were imaginary
kings, as indeed lottery determined their
rank aud as their masters attended them,
whenever il happened that these rerforman.
ed their Offices clumsiy, doubtless with some
recollections of their own similar misdemean
ors, the, slave made the master leap into the
water head foremost. No one was allowed to
be angry, and he who was played on, If he
loved his own comfort, would be the first TO
laugh. Glasses of all sizes were to be ready,
snd all we're to drink when and what they
chose; none but the most skillful musicians
and tumblers were allowed to perform, for
those people are worth nothing unless exqui-
site, rs the Satui nalian laws decreed DAN
cling, singing, and shouting, and carrying a
female musician thrice round en- their shout.
ders, accompanied BY every grotesque humor
they ina gined, were INDUCED in that short
week, which was to repay the many in which
he masters had their revenge for the reign Of
this pretended equality"
The earliest Roman church acted on Paui's
principle Of being all things to all men, SO
that it might gain some. And that good
Pope in the Fourth century (Theodoras wasn't
it?) thoughtto turn Pagan Festival to Chris
tian use, and he gave us Christmas. We have
heretofore pronounced benedictions upon
him, andin our heart of hearts we annually
repeat them.
AS to the way in which England, couple
ofcenturies ago observed Christmas, We quote
D'Israeii further. He says:
an England our festivities at Christmas
appear to have been more entertaining than in
other countries. We we're once famed for
merry Christmases and ,heirpies; witness the
Italian proverb, Ma pia di fare che i form
di Natalie in Inghiiterra:" "He has more
business than English ovens at Christmas. y
Wherever the king resided, there was created
for that merry season Christmas Prince,
usually called the "Lotd Of Misrue," and
whom the Scotch once knew under the sig
nihcant title Of the Abbot Of Unreason.'
His Office, according to Stowe, was "to make
the rarest pastmss to delight the beholder.
Every nobleman, and every great family
surrendered their houses, during the season.
to the Christmas prince, who found rivals oil
usurpers in almost every parish and more
particularly, as we shall see among the grave
students in our inns Of court
Our Santa Claus is Dutch. And the hang
ing up of stockings belongs to the Feast Of
St. Nicholas the patron saint of children.
OF such shreds and more is our Christmas
made up of. 1t is gathered from Pagan
Southland and Pagan Northland; from the
life of childhood and the spontaneities of I'M
conscious age about it cluster the associa,
lions Of centuries of the varying expression
of one side of humanity. Getting its SOU
and life from sunny Greece and genial Italy
it is wreathed in the evergreens that are the
JOY Of the lands of Thor aud Wooden is
crowned with the heayen>hght that shone on
the plains of Judea, is all human and is oul
Christmas. Heavens sanctifcation of the
day is: Peace on earth; good will among
men. That is God manifest in the flesh. Sc
you see how divineit is. and how simple 1t is,
if you make this, ~ we hope i, may be to all
Of yon-A Happy Christmas!
Ir is a curious tact brouoht ont bv Mr.