Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1882-01-10


and falling, melodiously, on the night
air, and dying away, at last, in the dis
tance, as if seraphic choirs echoed then
from heaven. AS Milton, in his "Hym
to the Nativity" rapturously exclaims
''Such music Gas 'tis said)
Before was mover made,
But when OF old the sons of Morning sung
| While the Creator great
| His cOnstellatations set,
And the well-balanced world on hinge
| hung"
While the carol-siDgers were thu
going from house to house, the Yul
log, at the Manor House, was beinj
brought in. Those were the days 0
capacious chimneys, and fire. places
wide enough to roast an OK. For thi
ceremonial, the butt of some huge ire,
was selected: for it was expected t
act as backlog the week out; and il
was dragged in by ropes, the Who'll,
household attending with shouts, ant
often with music The master, OF
mistress. sat by the hearth, looking on
When the mighty piece of timber was
fairly i'm its place, and the lesser logs
swapping and burning, musically, in
front, the servants were sent back tC
the kitchen, where they kept Christ
mas Eve with song and dance, while
the heads Of the family, gathering
around the blaze, with their children
and grandchildren, and other near
relatives, 'held high festival"
But if bringing in the Yule
log was indispensable on Christmas
eve, not less was the going to
church, for morning service, on Christ.
mas day. Every one, high or low, was
expected to be present. Woe to him
or her, Goodman Hodge or Goody
Joan, who failed to appear. If not
provided with an excellent excuse,
scant was the dole that would be his.
or hers, when Christmas came around
again. The church, for this festive
day, was decked out with holly, ivy,
bay, and other evergreens. The lord
OF the Manor was there, prominent in
his pew; the rest of the congregation
had suitable, but ruder seats.
Church over, everybody went home
in the earlier times to a late breakfast,
afterwards to dinner The dinner was
the dinner of the year. Everyone was
happy. or tried to be SO. All yielded
TO the genial spirit of the season.
Smiles we've on the faces of rich and
poor alike. 1t was under the influence
of these festivities, chat old George
Withers broke out into his famous
verses:
$50 now has CO Ie our joyflest feast,
Let every man be jolly,
Each room with ivy leaves is drest,
And ev'ry post with holly.
Though some churlS at our mirth repine,
Round your foreheadS garlandS twine,
And let us all be merry.
Now all our neighbors chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens, they with bak'd meats choke,
And all their spitS are turning.
Without the door let sorrow lie,
And if for cold it hap to die,
We'll bury it in a Christmas pie,
And evermOre be merry.
In the houses of the mobiles, the
greatest state was observed; and the
principal feature of the festival was
the bringing of the boar's head No
Christmas dinner there, was considered
complete without this famous dish.
The preparation and adorning of the
boar's head tasked the head-cook's ut
most skill each chef tried to outdo his
rival, each strove TO excel his former
triumphs, 1t was ali age when spices
were used in preparing food, to an eX-
tent utterly unknown now. Almost
the only dish that has descended, un-
impaired, from those times, is the
Christmas mince-pie. What it is to
other pies, all dishes, at that period,
were to modern dishes. The boar's