River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1873-12-23

NOW all cur nelghbors chimneys smoke,
Aud y1ile.tide logs and burning;
There ovens they with baked meate choke,
And all their splits are turning"
while the youth Of both sexes congre-
gate nightly at neighboring friends
houses to hear of
"Hobgoblins, ghouls, and suchlike parlous sprites
It is to these gatherings we owe the
fact that much of our ballad and legend
any lore has been learnt UiUd Uoce, and
handed down from generation to gener-
alton.
Christmas jewellers in the "good old
times =" must have had rare digestions,
if we may Judge from the following
sample of bill of fare served up in
baronial hall.
" Hogsheads OF honey, kderkns of mustard;
Muttons and tatted beeves, and bacon swine;
Herons and biterns, peacocks, swans, and busards,
Teal, malard, pigeons. widgeons and, in fine,
Plum puddings, pancakes, applepies. and custards,
And withal, they drank good Gascon wine,
With mead and ale and cider of our own;
For porter, punch. and negus were not known.
All sorts ofpeople there were seen together,
All SORTS OF characters, all sorts of dresses:
The fool with fox's tail and peacock's feather,
Pilgrims and penitents and grave burgesses
The country people with their coats of leather,
WINNERS and victuallers with cans and nessos;
GroOme, archers, varlets, falconers, and yeomen;
Damsels and waitng-maids and waiting-women. "
Truly, enough to dine an army corps
Ii we are to credit the rhapsodies of
Stowe and Holinshed. cooks in those
days were paragons, and well-drilled
army in the kitchen is half the battle
in preparing a feast. AS Sam Weller
observed of the meat-pies, "the season.
ing does it..
NO meaner creatures-scan en- all
BY fire their fod prepare;
Man Is the cooking animal,
Aud need be nothing mair."
The harper in the days known as the
"good old times and Christmas
times in particular, was fattered by an
attentive audience when he discussed,
as Shelley has it,
The melody of an old air, softer than sleep !"
or told OF the doughty deeds of Sir
Topas, Bevis of Southampton, Guy of
Warwick, Adam Bell, OF Clym of the
Clough. Alas, the good old times are
ever on the retreat and "that there
never was such Christmas as the last, y
is well-known truism. The fool, too,
Ready in gibes, quick answered saucy and
As querrulous as the weazel,p
O veritable tsWamba the son of Witless, .
excited mirth by his lively sallies upon
the
''Damsels and waitng-maids and walting-woman,
and voted by one and all "too per-
streperous sauee-box." The squire
and his family mingled in the amuse
ments, surrounded by guests and de.
pendents, beloved by all, the beau
ideal of the English country gentle
man
Good to the poor, TO kindred dear,
To servants kind, TO friendship clear
while the squire's lady,
@ A woman Ia her freshest age,
OfwOndrous beauty and Of bounty rare,
With goodly grace and comedy parsonage"
had a gracious salutation for all, as,
leaning on the arm of her liege lord,
she passed down the hall, about to be
given over to the mirth Of the bolster.
Gus household. The heir to the old
estates
60 A comely youth 10 see.
! With curling locks and forehead high
And flashing check and flashing eye ~
stayed behind in order TO put in practice
certain druidical ceremonies "under
the mistletoe bough, the willing victim
being
Beauty ripe as harvest"
The unhappy wren used to be an
object of persecution on Christmas .day.
Please, boys, don't be hard on him this
year
Although heis small, bis familys great" etc.
II would be too much to suggest,
leave off crab-setting, springes, and
figure of-four;o think OF the time when
"shepards watca.' Z their hocks by night
All seated IA the ground"
and content yourselves with singing
God bless you, merry gentlemen
Let nothing you dsmny:
Remember Christ our Saviour
Was born on Chrstmas-day.'
CADwALLADER WADDY