The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-12-23
CHRISTMAS TIME.

Chris. mass time Is here--the day being Doom
Der 25th, Saturday. II used 10 be great tIme In
"Merrie England called Yule, which Ia tho
old Saxon word for feast, We read of the wA1Aii
that used to prevail In the olden time, when It
was, in fact, "Merrie England"
In the ample kitchen Are.places the Yule log
sparkled, and innocent sports, festivities, un.
bounded mirth, aAd good humor prevailed. A
worthy In Cornwall, at the beginning Of the 18th
century kept open house for all comers and goers,
providing the following bill Of fare for Christmas
time: Twelve fat bullocks, thirty-slX sheep,
twenty bushels Of wheat, with hops, lambs, and
fowls of all sorts, and drink made Of wheat and
oat malt. To this day hospitality abounds at
Christmas time In the rural districts Of England
and the common people look forward TO the Season
as the most enjoyable OF the year
"At Christmas be merry and thank God Of all;
And feast thy poor neighbors-the great and the
small"
Spiced ale was one Of the drinks never forgotten
at Christmas. Sir Walter Scott in his intEoduc-
ton to the Sixth Canto Of Marmion, alludes To The
zest with which they celebrated ChristmAA He
says
"'Twas Christmas broaohed the mightiest ale,
Twas Christmas told the mlghtiest tale;
A Christmas gambol Oft would cheer
The poor mans heart through half the year"
Thegreat Christmas feAsts in the largo housea Of
the wealthy noblemen have furnished inspirations
for the pens Of bards for hundreds ofyean. The
wassai bowl and Yule log the mistletOe and
boars head recall the days Of registering knights a
"When man might then behold,
At Christmas in each hall ...
Good fires to curb the cold, ..
And meat for great and small"
The time was when in the houses Of nobses a
lord of mlsrule" was appointed 70 make sport for
the household. His dominion lasted from "All-
Hallow Bve"-October 3lst-to Candle-mas Day
February I'd. A faVorite dish on Christmas Day
was sauced boar's head, and the Queen always
had one served at Windsor Castle. There Is o
tradition OF an Oxford student that In his ram
bles he was attacked by wild boar, which he
choked to death with copy Of Aristotle. The
tradition Is still remembered at the Queens COL
lege where the dish is brought In TO the chant Of
an old Latin ditty, At the present time, irstead
of assembling the tenants and employees In the
manor hall for a season Of feasting, they now re-
ceive supply of clothing and food, which they
take 10 their own homes.
In England, the animals are all fatted for Christ
mas The grocers vie with each other In the
matter of putting the most plums and peal In
their windows; every butcher has sheep or an
OK that won the first prize at some fair, and the
game dealers cover the entire front oftheir houses
with pheasants hares and poultry, A poet, no.
ting some of the good things TO eat, which are to
be had at an English Christmas dinner, sings as
follows: -
"And the brave boar's head-(bla letter for plg)
Bedecked with fragrant rosemary sprigl
The twelfth cake, too, and the peacock pies,
And the hot snap-dragon, and holly llkewlse2
Nothing remains but the noble minoe.pie,
And the folly roast goose that Is said 70 hang
high
But what that signifies far passes my witt
Came favor, perhaps? Shouldn't wonder bit p
An Englishman is famed the world over as
good liver, Swift says the geniuses Of ancient
days. knew how to live. Another poet has made
the stout oak table Of a lord grosn beneath the
following bill of fare;
"Hogsheads of honey kilderkins of mustard,
Muttons, and fatted beeves, and bacon swine,
Herons, and bitterns peacockS, swans and bust =
ards
Teal, Mallard pigeons, widgeons, and In Hne,
Plum puddings, pancakes, spple.pies, and oust
ards,
And withal they drank good Gascon wine,
With mead and ale and cider OF our own,
For porter, punch, and negus were not known"
Sir William Lowther has the credit Of having
commanded at the biggest battle Of knives and
forks ever known in England. Upon the death Of
his father he stood for the shire Of Cumberland.
and entertained $3.50 gentlemen, freeholdeEs, at
dinner, at which were consumed 768 gallons Of
wine, 1,45l gallons Of ale, and 5,Sl4 bottles OF
punch. AS Pindar says, death as we'll as. pleas.
ure dwells with punch" These were the days Of
''six bottle men" race which has by no means
become extinct Many of their descendants can
be found In America. Wecannot better close this
article than by quoting stanEa from quaint
poem Of old George Msther, one Of the sweetest Of
the early poets:
"Now all our neighbors' chimneys smoke
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with baked meats choke,
And Sll the spits are turning
Without the door let sorrow lie
And If for cold 1t hap to die,
Wen bury 1t In Christmas pie,
And ever more be merry"