Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1868-12-31

BusroN, Dec 22i. is6S.
Chr',tm1. tr IT, time. 50 heartily hated,
IS last regaiuius it, ancient Importance as
a n"rtod OF fe,tiyity. In the old, old time
: 1t wa, a season Of good WIN, when folks
who had quarrclci -ought TO renew their
friendship, when separated families rou
uj'aI, when the master uf the household
laid s-j3" the ,'crnuc,s nf his authority,
and l- slaves were allowed to feel like
mon, "NLea,' says Mcraulcy, "carols
wera heard IN every street, when every
house WAS decorated with cycrgreens, and
every table loidcd with good cheer" But
the au-tsrr Purittus OF the Long Parlia-
mont tholght that all this snyorcd too
much Of pleasure and lcvity, and enacted
that in 1914. the anniversary of the birth
IT Christ should be spent not in merry
'uar>tn4;, va, -.'i..n,u u,~llug moreover,
tho especial sin for which the people
were 10 ask forgiveness, was the fact that
they lad SD long celebrated the day in the
spirit in which they had When a gov
eminent attempts 70 forso people to
.pauj ~, accustomed holiday in mourning
over is former pleasures, it take, upon it.
-e't 4 .is,uti. irh , tie Puritan leaders
f1uai. Tner Car:,tmie hocaine indeed,
but uo, in tie way they expected, day
OF mourning t,r he enraged populace
spent i; III riot aud turmoil, assauliing
the magistrate, md .4cking their dwell
ing-..
But when our fathers came to New
England they brought their hatred of
holidays with them, and it was long be-
fore Cbri,;mt~ was recognized at all as a
Rel-lettrr day But Santa Claus has
very winning way With his miraculous
steam engine and high-piled baggage
train, wa may Is well f, out the gener-
ou- s2u with the modern conyeuienccs he
annually rIroui, wider and wider a feel
ing Of mellow benevalenca and good ma.
ture lis iuduence is felt not only
among ti, groups Of wondering c..i.arei,
but AZ tha ,.el oxeAaugc and in the
channel, af trade Certain branches Of
industry depend entirely for their support
upon hi, ,pttronase. Our streets are filed
with quck-stepping crowd, whose blood
acquires brighter hue from contact with
this December air. and whose faces are
marked by holiday pleasure that in turn
begcts pleasure in the observer. The
brilliant shop-windows, in many of which
the patron saint himself sits enthroned
are surrounded by crowd of admirers
of all ages and conditions, from the
wealthy grandpa of commonly wealth ave-
nue, TO the shiyering newsboy, who the 4
next instant is dashing down the street |
yelling "Herld, Junnal, Transkip," with /
a voice such a. Demosthenes had to chaw .
gravel to acquire.
Boston is still on the uneasy seat in re-
gard to her commerce, and is likely to be
for sometime. Many schemes are talked
of for the consolidation of the railroads
whose eastern termini are here, meantime
the means of access to the wharves and
shipping here are being improvedIby the
OF the marginal freight railway
around the city, next to the wa
ter, by which grain can be loaded from
the cars directly into vessels A new
street, TO be called Atlantic avenue, and
intended to facilitate communication
with the warves, is also being laid out be-
tween Commercial street and the water.
A vagrant item to the effect that Yer.
mont would be the first to adopt woman
is oohtradicted by the papers
from Maine, which claim that honor for
their State. The Maine boys are wide
awake and progressive, and may succeed ,
in standing at the head. To our shame i
be it said, that they are ahead of us al /,
ready in many matters, as for instance in ,
the estimation in which capital punish {
ment is held by the people. A man hasn't ,
been hung there for these many years, +,
and the old blood-thirst is well-nigh for ,
gotten. The recent issue Of death war !
rant by their Governor Chamberlain, pop
1lar as he is, met with universal rebukc, I
md their next Legislature will probably &
weep the odious death penalty from the ,
tatute book. +,
Here, in Massachusetts,, the women are |