The Portland daily press., 1875-12-25
The OId.Time Christmas.

"But is old, old, good old Christmas gone?
Nothing but the hair Of his good gray old
head and beard left? Well, will have that,
seeing cannot have more of him." These are
the words, quoted from 'Hue and Cry after
Christmas" which Irving prefixes to his papers
upon the holiday in the sketch Book" Hor-
ace Binney Wallace of Philadelphia said, in
his severe criticism upon Irving, that his works
furnished the original and model of Dickens's
descriptive manner, and mentions the "Euglsh
Stage Coachman" in the Christmas series as
the preliminary study for the elder Weller.
But is not the same series also the prelude of
the great Christmas revival which came in with
the "Christmas Carop' and all of Dickeps's
and Thackeray's Christmas books? Certainly
Irving in sense introduced Christmas to US.
That is, he recalled and vividly reproduced the
spirit ef heartiness, of universal hilarity and
hospitality and good feeling, which are ira
ditionally associated with the old, old, good old
Christmas to which he appeals. Thackeray
says that there is no doubt Dickens's holiday
stories were the cause of an amazing con-
VITALITY and good fellowship, and Irving's
sunny and CHEEKY description of the Christmas
games and dinner and general festivity inn
mensely quickened the observance of the day
in this country. When it was objected that
his description was antiquated and that his
story lost probability because the customs were
obsolete, Irving replied that he had seen almost
everything that he described in the country on
the skirts of Derbyshre and Yorkshire, where
he passed the holidays of one of his years in
En- gland.
The Puritan element in this country long
held old christmas at bay. In Virginia, how
ever, and wherever the Establishment was
paramount, there were relics Of the traditional
day. But as the Puritan rigor relaxed, and
the national influence of the great Irish and
German immigration began to be felt, more
festal spirit was developed, a more evident fond
ness for pleasure and enjoyment appeared, un-
til now New York, at least, observes the day
not less than any other of the great capitals of
the world. Even New England memories
which are not very long can recall the scant
honor that was paid to be day.
Now it is great and universal holiday, the
happiest of the year. 1t IS the feast Of BROTH
erly love, which is the essential doctrine of the
religion that it commentaries. And what
eating and drinkingi What immense good
cheer! That comes from our Northern blood,
from the ancestors who did not figure a heaven
of harps and hymn, but Walhalla of was
sail bowls and endless quaffing of mead: no
sarsaparllla runnings, but liquid fire burning
through immortal veins. Dickens Christmas
has been called gross and sensual feast
made by the butcher and baker-a kind of
Christmas that Kenny Meadows used to draw
in the Illustrated News, where bald old gentle-
men pledge in flowing bumpers shrivelled but
still gay danes in cups. and the red-faced cook
brings in smoking plum-pudding large
enough to feed city, and the whole world guz-
zles and gorges. But although Dickens Is
sympathetically just TO the beef and pudding,
it is the kind and generous heart which the
profuse table symbolizes that is bis real text.
The spirit of his Christmas stories gives an ap-
petite for doing good things as we'll as eating
them; the heart and the hand are to open as
well as the house; the carol that he sings is
peace and active goodwill to men; the chimes
that he rings are the accord of charity, pa
thence, fidelity, unsefishnssss with real happi-
les who think that they have disposed of Dick
ems by calling him sentimentalist. What is
the Sermon on the Mount? What is the soul
of all religion, what is morality ITSELF but sem
timent?-Harper's Magazine.