Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-12-29

and in fact, which they seemed to
exist very well without-and SO we have
done with rush-bottomed chairs and
chimney corners forever.
But still there are some of the pleas
! ant old customs at Christmas which
old Father Time has spared us. There
stands the Christmas tree, brilliant with
twinkling lights, and splendid with
/ gifts. All that tree belongs to the
past as well as to the present., for what
is it but the same old mistletoe Dough
| which hung in castle and hall, and
| gladdened the poorest cottage with it's
bit of smiling verdure, as it looked
| merrily into the face Of grim old Win
ter
What host of memories and recol-
lections cluster around the sacred mistle-
| toe! How the fancy goes back into
long ages ago, when the Druids went
forth in their native woods to cut the
mistletoe boughs with a golden sickle.
The young new moon hung in the sky,
and was adored anew by her earnest
worshippers. The priests who gath
cred the mistletoe were clad in long,
white robes, and everv bough was rev
erently laid upon white cloth prepared
for the occasion. The solemn1ty at
tending this ceremony increased the SUI
perstitious eve with which the people
regarded the sacred mistletoe. Every
green bough was believed to have some
hidden charm, aud the poor. suffering
invalid gazed upon its verdure and
pressed it to his heart, confident that
it had power to heal all his illness, and
the poor wretch who was haunted by the
fear of witches or other evil spirits,
hung the charmed mistletoe around his
neck and felt secure. Even as late as
the seventeenth century, the mistletoe
was believed to possess most valuable
medicinal powers. Among the Druids
it was called allheil, and in Wales it
was known by the name of guidhel.
1t is somewhat curious to observe
that not only In Britain was the mis-
tletoe held in the profoundest rever-
ence, but it also exerted the same charm
III Germany, in Italy, and in ether
countries
! Virgil, is his imaginary descent into
Avernus, bore in his hand branch of
the all-protecting mistletoe, to preserve
him from harm.
The pretty custom of the Christmas
tree comes from Germany, where the
mistletoe boughs were decorated with
Christmas gifts and lighted with colored
wax candles.
The gathering of the mistletoe long
continued to be great ceremony in
merrie old England, and the great hall
of the jovial squire was gay with green
garlands, beneath which the young and
old danced together and sang the merry
Christmas carols.
| Come help me to raise
| Loud songs to the praise
Of good old English pleasures
To the Christmas cheer,
And the foaming beer,
Aud the buttery's solid pleasures.
TO the stout sirloin,
And the rich speed wine
And the boar's head grimly staring
To the frumentry,
And the hot mince pie,
Which all folks were fer sharing
To the holly and bay,
their green array
Spread on the walls and dishes
TO the swinging sup
OF the wassail cup
With its toasted health and wishes
To the honest bliss
Of the hearty kiss,
Where the mistletoe was swinging
When the berry white
Was claimed by right
On the pale green branches clinging.
In those days the hearth was in the
centre of the great hall, from which
comes the phrase Round about our
coal fire and there blazed cheerily
up the great Yulc log, lighted with a
brand from the last years burning. The
most cross grained block of elm was
preserved for the Yule log, and the
farmers had belief that they would
have the best and strongest cider if a
piece of the Christmas block was care
fully saved to light the fresh Yule at
the coming of the next holidays. There
were other beliefs attributed to this
burnt block of wood, as we learn from
that quaint old poet, Herrick, who has
done SO much to rescue old customs
from sink ing into oblivion. Says Her
rick:
Kindle the Christmas brand, and then
81 Till sunne-set let it burn,
= Which squencht, then lay it up agen,
Till Christmas next returne.
Part must be kept wherewith to teend
The Christmas log aax4 yeare,
And where tbs safely kept the fend
Can do no mischiefe there. La
There were other plants beside the
mistletoe, holly and bay, which were sa-
cred to the Christmas festival. There
was the true black Hellebre, which was
called Christ's Herb, or Christmas
Herb, land that says Gerard, .sbe-
cause it bloometh about the birth of
our Lord Jesus Christ, /" Every :. .
has heard of the. famous Glastonbury
Thorn which put forth its blossoms
at Christmas time. This famous haw.
thorn, which grew on hill in the
churchyard of Glastonbury, it has been
said, sprung from the staff Of Saint Jo-
sseph, of Arimathea, who having fixed
it in the ground with his own hand
on Christmas Day, the staff took root
Immediately, put forth leaves, and the
next day was covered with milk white