The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-12-24

state dinner was arranged, to do honor 10 Christ
mas and the turkey. The i%nvations We're issued.
The chJ-de-cusine with all his sooty %adjutants
were busy with tho great preparations OF the hour.
All went merry rs q dinner bell: till in an evil hour
Ethiopia stretched forth her hand, a~nd-Turkey
was no more. The place that had known it knew
it no more. Though not the work OF an honest
man, a honest turkey was the consequence. There
was lamentation and wailing in the house OF our
friend; but all in vain. The evil could not be rem
edied. It was too late. Messengers were dis
patched to countermand the invitations, and the
unfortunate victim Of the impromptu confiscation
has accepted an invitation to take his Christmas
dinner with one of his friends.
CHRISTMAS EvE.-With Christmas Eve 1.-THE
holidays may practically be said to commence,
| though according to ecclesiastical computation,
the festival really begins on tho 18th OF De-
| cember, and is continued to February LIST,
or the evening before Candlemas Day. In
common p~arlance the Christmas holidays compre-
bend a period Of nearly a fortnight, commencing
on Christmas Eve and ending on Twelfth Day.
The whole of this season is one of joyful enter
| tainment aud merry-makirg. The origin OF the
| different Christmas customs date back to remote
| ages. After the conversion of Britain to Christi
anity, the Christian teachers engrafted the rites
| of their religion on the old heather ceremonies.
| By this amalgamation the festivities Of the Roman
Saturnalia, the ceremonies observed by the British
Druids at the period of the Winter solstice and the
grim mythology of the ancient Saxons, became in
corporated in the Christian church and formed part
of the Christmas observances. Among Roman
| Catholics a mass is celebrated at midnight on
Christmas Eve, another at daybreak on Christmas
day. and a third at a subsequent hour in the morn
ing. In both the Catholic and Episcopal Churches
it is the practice to decorate the interior OF the
buildings with evergreens in commemorative OF
the Nativity. Christmas Eve obtains its greatest
celebrity from the Christmas Tree which is az
ranged either for this night or for the following
morning. Before retiring the children of the
household hang up their stockings at the foot OF
the bed to be filled by Kris Kringle. If any one
has been naughty : rod is placed in the stocking
and the gifts are withheld The Christmas Tree is
q common innovation on old English customs, but
1t has been generally adopted as one of the
| pageants of the festival. The burning of the Yule
log. and the legends connected with the Mistletoe,
are things which are fast fading into mere Christ
mas memories. But We still cling to the glad family
gatherings and the social reunions which mark the
day as a time of peace and good will among men.
An EXCELLENT ExAMpLE-THE ECONOMY OF THE
FnEEDMEN.-The freedmen in this State have been
| orderly and quiet beyond ell expectation, and,
while many have not made Themselves to under
stand the necessity CT hard and continuous work,
there are hundreds in this city who are giving
their less sensible brethren an excellent example
of economy and thrift. Tables published by the
Freedman's Savings and Trust Company show
that, in the month Of November, the total deposits
in the Charleston Office amounted to 4 1871; this
being largely in excess Of the amount deposited in
the offices at Baltimore, Mobile, New York, Rich
mond and Augusta. At Beaufort, S. c., Office, al
the same time, tho deposits we're no less than
SIS. 618, showing that the freedmen in this State
have saved and laid up in bank more money than
has been done in any other State in the Union.
The total deposits in the twenty offices of the
Savings and Trust Company are now more than
lalf a million OF dollars; and in one month SOL ,4S5
we're deposited.
The National Savings Banks, as the Freedman's
Saving and Trust Company is called, are char
tered oy Congress, and the signing OF the bill
creating them was one of the last official acts of
President Lincoln. All deposits are perfectly Sc
cure and can be drawn without notice. Deposits
ofhard money are repaid in hard money; interest is
allowed on all deposits, and all the profits belong
to the depositors.
In this city the Office of tho Freedman's Savings
Bank and Trust Company is at No. 9 State-street,
and Mr.. Nathan Ritter is the Cashier. This gentle
man gives notice in the "NEws" of this morning
that money deposited on or before January 20,
1868, is entitled to interest as ii it were deposited
on January 1st, which gives The deposi.or an ad-
vantage to two or three week. interest. Mr.. Rit-
ter also publishes a card of the bank which should
be read and studied by ever freedman who knows
the value Of his dimes and dollars, and who wishes
TO make c provision for himself and family in the
times OF sickness or want OK employment. Money
laid up at home will ass, .redly be spent; money
deposited in bank can be 1rawn out when required,
but is out of the way o. daily and hourly tempta-
tons. One dollar s." ged will soon grow into two;
our hundreds of FRI gal freedmen can, if they will,
| soon be numbered by thousands.
TIE FREEDMT rs BUREAU AND THE INDECENT
| PooR.-The in ormation received from Washing
ton that General R. K. Scott, the present Assist
| ant Commissioner of the Bureau for this State,
would be retained in his position until further or
ders, has given general pleasure to those who,
though not friends of the institution, desired to
Gao II conducted with Judgment and sound discre-