The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1875-12-04
A Jolly SEASON.
HOW CHRISTMAS WAS SPENT BY THE
EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS.

EARLY DUTCH SETTLERS.
Let us give a picture of Christmas
day In New York In 1850. To do that
one must frat fancy one of those quaint
old houses, high ridged, but with slow
ly-sloping roofs, with the social st0ops
and the low. projecting raves, beneath
which, In fair weather, the solid burRh-
ers were wont to congregate at twilight
to smoke their long pipes and olscuss
the price Of bearskins and the chances
Of the Connecticut eolonists to enter
their town. But It is inside the house,
not outside of 1t, that our business lies.
There is the good "vrow" In all her
glory. Suppose that IL is In the fore.
noon. White capped and bare armed
the latter In spite Of the season-she
and her daughters are sprinkling the
floor with the whitest sand, stroking 1t
with q broom into a hundred fantastic
curves, furnishing the huge oaken chest
that stands In the parlor, filled with the
cherished home made linen, and scrub
bing, until they look like little suns. the
silver pOrringers, tankards and ladies,
never exposed except on Christmas,
New Years, Whitsuntide and such
feast days.
Is ali this for company Oh, ro.
Mynheer, OF New Am sterdam, like his
successor, OF New York, dimes at home
on Christmas day. The house has been
lighted up with the huge candlesticks
the Holland cupboard Is bright against
the wall; the house linen Is rs pure and
as clean as the good woman can make
II; and the brass nails of the straight
backed armchair of Russia leather shine
like diamonds. Where 10 the good man
in the meantime? Just at this time on
the commons or at BeekDan's swamp,
where, along with tho aucients, he Is
watching the youngsters contest for the
prize turkeys. He has been doing his
best to be the first to shout out merry
Christmas greeting to his neighbors
and now, may be, he Is swelling 10 re-
collections how he used to shoot when
he was young. Old.fashi0ned comfort
was the mot d'Orare during the day;
old fashioned hilarity gave the step at
night. Then, after the Christmas din.
ner. II Mynheer be patriarch, he
smokes his long pipe among crowd Of
dancing children and grandchildren,
and. as he listens to the squeak Of the
fiddle, thanks old Stuyvesant, from his
heart, for the music of the catgut.
And so the holy day was kept until
that dreary time for all true. born
KBickerbockors when the Dutch troops
marched out OF the fort, and the Eng
lish flag was run up over the Stadt
Huys--to stay there a century or
tIi6e oser. .f
Every one knows that st. Nicholas Is
no friend Of war; and it Is not strange,
therefore. that the alarms OF the drum
| and tie shrill terrors of the warlike fife
frightened the old gentleman away
during most of the time the English
and the Dutch were settling their little
matters together. The tiny reindeer
were not heard so regularly on the roofs
OF the houses, and the gifts were fewer
In the big fireplace. Christmas Ian
guished from 1864, when the town was
first taken. to 1874, when It was finally
ceded to the English. Fortunately,
however, the English were great stick
lers for Christmas. They reared 1t
high up and made many salaams to 1t.
vNow, capons and hens, besides tur-
keys, geese aud ducks, with beef and
mutton says an old writer-''must
all die-foI In twelve days a multitude
of people will not be fed with q little.
Now plums and spice, sugar and honey,
square 1t among pies and broth. Now
or never must music be In tune, for the
youth must dance and sing to get them
In heat, while the aged sit by the 6re.
The country maid leaves half her mar
ketlng, and must be sent again, IL she
forgets pack Of cards on Christmas
eve."
IN tins hearty way was 1t that our
English ancestors kept their Christmas
with a solid purpose Of getting the
most out OF the day. They found the
day In high hopor-they only gave q
new zest and greater latitude TO 1t.
Mynheer donned bis longest waisted
coat, his largest tapped vest with the
largest silver buttons, and an immense
number OF pairs OF breeches, and
smoked his longest pipe. His children
sang In the language they knew, aud he
left his new friend 10 honor the day as
he preferred. OF something the de-
scendaDts of both have reason TO be
than kful for. Both Mynheer Van
SOmt thing and English John kept up
the fires Oh the altar SO effectually that
we have not been compelled to remake
the alphabet OF reverence and then
learn to spell In II. Ali that we need
care for Is, that we shall transfer 1t as
bright 10 the children who come after
Us.