The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1870-12-24
CHRISTIANS AND ITS CAROLS.
BY THR HERMIT OF IOWA.

BY THE HsRMr OF IOWA.
Another merry Christmas is with us,
Great Festival of the British ever since
King Arthur held the royal Christmas at
Carlisle, and made q sumptuous feast, where,
We are told.
They served salmon, venison and wild boars
By hundreds, and by dozens, and by SCORES,
Hogsheads of honey, kilderkins of mustard,
Mutton and fatted beeves, and bacon swine:
Herons and bittsrns, peacock, swan and bus
tard.
Teal, mallard, pigeons, wigeons, and In Ans
Plum pudding, pancakes, apple pios, and
oustard,
And there with Gil they drank goSd Gaseon
wine,
With mead, and ale, and cider of their own;
For porter, punch and negus are not known.
The Mass of Christ being originally a
Catholic festival, was frowned upon by the |
Puritans, and until late years he's never, in
the eastern portion of our country, been ce-
LIBERATED with gusto as Thanksgiving and In
dependence days, but rather, ss it there, IN
der protest and surreptitiously as though the
wonderful babe were not born as much for
Protestants as followers Of the Romish Faith.
However, this excessive puritanical spirit |
has worn off, and Christmas, especially out
west, has taken its place as the principal
holiday of the year. The celebration of
C-i.tmas should, ACCORDING to ancient GUS
hoIsssegin on the latter part of the previous
Old co.. -istmas eve. The churches and !
LOT decked with ever-grsens, in the
savs to these, ivy and mistletoe, in ours,
pced ~T sna ~, e'a sa Is.ay
ing for the Waits" which we're parties of
men and women, generally the choir of the
parish church, who went round from house
TO mouse, singing carols full of joyful allu-
sions to the redeemer, and welcome to the
happy mourn. With that softened fael;nps
and chastened memories do look hack
along the track of departed years till find
myself IN the old black wainscotted narlor
at the parsonage at home, listened to the
SOUNDS coming through the bracing frosty
air OF a moonlight night, of these songs of
praise, as the Waits" passed from house to ,
mouse, until heard their footsteps crisp and
sharp upon the frozen gravel walk "a I
'neV came through the gate, and standing i
under the stone mulioned window. burs, in,
to song with n
uod rest you, merry gentlemen, @
Let nothing you dismay II
For Jesus Christ our Saxor
was born on Christmas day
10 save US all from satan's power p
Nhan we were gone astrsy
Oh, tidlngs of comfort and low
For Jesust Christ our Savior
=" as born on Christmas dsy o.
=, Christmas carols are among the Oldest of OF
English songs, and came into use shout tho d.
'!me the common people ceased to under. -
s'ahd Latin, though at frat they were thick N
~ iaroeo with quotations from the mis,al 81
ana other devotional works in that language al
WINCH were banIshed from these iocund W
ny Yum when the Reformation established y
our Hngnsh Liturgy As early as 1921 3D. p
Psa'eo ChTtStmdSSe cdrOtleS enpyinted 0t :
London, in the fetestrete ut the syoue o1 The z
SOME ty bynkin de Worde, which contains z
probably the oldest carols in existence. q
a mone these Is "a carol Bringing in the
pore mead, that being ancently the first
oish on Christmas day, and was carried nm
10 the principal table with great pomp and n
olemnity:
Caput Apri dsftro,
Reddens tdudes Domino
The bore's head in hand brinpI
with garlands gay and rosemary, 80
pray you all sing merrily q
QHl este IN eonuirio.
The bore's head understand
Is the chief service u this land;
Look wherever it be found
Serctte cum caatico. 4
BE glad lords, both more and less. ~
FOR this hath ordained our steward
10 cheer you sill this Christmas
The bore's head with mustard
Another very old Christmas carol was
censed in 1859, which went to the time 3
hing Solomon. Four of the lines went
nus:
ven Christ mean, that virein's child.
In Bethlehem born
aa' LAND OF God, that prophet mild; A..
Crowned with thorn 90
AS the Catholic region became more md 8
ore obsolete under the persecution of the
irltans, the religious element became Gil
nsteo to the Christmas songs of the great
the common people still had rude SONGS e
rengious Character printed on broad a
1e's Tor their use at this holy season, some ssSl
'heun simply touching, others almost ludi
'us, out Gil chanted by the cottsgers in !.
mbis YET cheerful spirit of devotion Ono e
y popular began q
ueod CHRISTIANS rise this is the morn
when Chri.t, the Savior he was 80
All In stable so lowlee
AT betklehem in Galiiee
AeJolce our Savior he was born -
On Christmas day in tho morning.
mother one, which showed how dear IN
peASantry was the memory of the devo.
s'orst'me given to the mother of Chris. f'h7
PoNctne iiie OF the virgin, and
an
me first great joy cur Mary had.
~ was the joy of one,
10 see her own son Jesus
- To reat her lap thereon, DID
40 lay her lap thereon, good mon. IN A
ana blessed may he be-
through father, son and holy ghost, jed
10 all eternity.
"olher was more decidedly merry
Hg 10 un air as rollicking as 9 comic
'1' Gnu describing things in this way
sst ON On a sunny bank, a sunny bank, sun- Book
ba on asunny bank on Christmas dsv in Shop
tbrss .hins ROCK
y, come sailing by, ' va.
three ships come sailing bv nm ohr;s.- aug "
sy In the morning.
/" no should be in those thr.s .b;,s l.;
hrec ships, in those three shins f'' 40 'A"S' -
s .pa ss sas h be il .hS ss. three r.
though it may appear rather curion, >,
u. mat blessed couple could be in thoss q
snlps, 1t was received in all good faith
Joly wassailers of England.
our country, although Chriatm.s Ia
as a festival, it has not that autboritv La
oy age and long usage which II has M.
y where it was originally a great x1m
nc &c, holiday. Gone, and forever Il ~. OFF,
Nnristmas of olden time, when the nyxw
"'ue country Of our fa,herland wa .,,,a.