The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-24

] TIE distribution OF CnlS CnflSCtldS CHEER
! through the Sums and alleys where the ne
| elected and outcast live. Thus, once year,
| the gulf existing between rich and Door is
! brdged over, and the two classes come to-
gether in the happiest of relations, as on the
occasion of the first Christmas the two ex-
! tremes OF learning and ignorance met in the
! persons OF the Eastern mali and the Bethle-
hem shepherds, at the cradle of the Worlds
| Redeemer
But they know comparatively little here
| OF Santa Claus, nor is the development of
| youthful virtue aided annually, as it is with
us, by the Christmas Sunday school treat.
Children grow up for the most part with no
! Kris Kringle to incte them to goodness by
mysterious visits under cover of the night,
and with no bag of religious candy to sweet
en- their lives. Whether this has anything
to do with the fearful prevalence of depravi-
| ty among the children of the poorer classes
l cannot say. l am sure, however that at
this point America has nothing to learn,
either from old England or any other coun-
try.
| RELIGIOUS oBsERvANCEs
Christmas day is observed here with more
religious ceremony than in the United
States Most of the churches have two serv-
ices, and the people feel under the same OBJ
legation to attend as on Sunday. Saloons
and trains are run on Sunday hours, and
there is a general suspension of mercantile
business. Still there is lots of fun. How
could there help being fun at merry Christ
mas time in merry England? The English
people love frolic any day. They are not
so welded to business as the Americans.
| They like holidays and know how to enjoy
them. Instead of trying how many days,
and how many hours in the day they can
! how
! bilious TO find out how much play they can
take and still keep the wolf from the door.
Naturally this spirit is seen in its
greatest force at Christmas. Everybody
who can, must give a Christmas party,
and the servants in the great houses always
have one, the family usually joining them in
| the dance. Such sport as there is at these
Christmas parties! There is sure to be
! Dough of mistletoe suspended from the cell
ing, and meath this spray special kissing
privileges have been allowed from time inn
memorial The male visitor can there smack
! his buxom hostess and drink sweetness from
the pearly lips of her daughters to his
hearts content, neither husband nor lover
having any right to interfere; and if the fair
victim be one of the frolic-loving stamp, and
the gentleman assailant is not too awfully
ugly, they will return the compliment with
interest. Christmas, too always brings the
Christmas chimes. Such a ringing of bells
from the church steeples-bell answering to
bell, and village responding to village, until
the air is made melodious over the whole
breadth of this right little, tight little
island" Then there are the
| WAITS AND THE CAROL SINGERS,
bands of musicians and church and chapel
choirs, who go around at Christmas to the
houses of their friends, and sometimes take
/ hos Il
night hdeous or musical, as the case may be,
with tunes and songs that are supposed to
bear a faint resemblance to angelic strains
which, on a certain memorable night broke
over the plains of Bethlehem. The proper
thing to do, when you hear these nocturnal
visitors is to invite them in and place the
larder and side-board at their disposal. A
few shllings, dropped into the hands of the
leader will also be very welcome, and
when their tour ends their spoils
/ will be divided among them. In some
parts the Molly Dancers and Merry Andrews
! 60 around-bands of men in fantastic cos
tunes cutting monkey shines that are the
delight of little folks, and which minister
| frequently to the fun-loving tastes of chill
! dren of a larger growth. Speaking of chill
dren, let me not forget to mention the part
which, in some sections of the country, the
English small boy" plays in the celebration
of Christmas He, too, goes on n tour, and,
in imitation of the angels, uses his voice in
| song; but neither the words nor music of his
ditties are at all heavenly One verse that I
recall runs as follows:
The cock sat up in the yew tree,
The hen came cackhng by;
wish You a merry Christmas,
And a good fat pig in the sly.
| The small boy that poked his head into
! the office of old Scrooge, before that notable
had seen the ghosts, began in loftier
! strain:
God bless you merry gentleman,
May nothing You diSmay.
was his Christmas salutation, but old Scrooge
| was not merry Just then, and notwthstand-
ing the piOus tones in which he had been
addressed he replied by hurting ruler at
the boys head. Such greetings are not
uncommon. though what the juvenile carol
singers are after is not rulers but coppers.
The Christmas week is filled with festivi-
! ties. and then comes the New Year. Watch
night services are common among the Dis
senters, and the watching out of the old
year by families and friends around their
own fresides is still more common. But of
New Years day not much is made. The
compliments of the season are exchanged,
| but business goes on as usual and there is
no formal calling. There is, however, in
some localities a custom which is called
! ''letting the New Year in" This must al
ways be done by one of The male persuasion,
as according to the superstition, i'll luck
would befall the dwelling il the first to enter
it in the new year should be a Finale. At
this season again the small boys go on the
rampage after their pence Various and, at
times exceedingly comcal, are the songs
they sing but will give you one of their
best. They usually go in groups and oper-
ate in their own neighborhoods and some
one has put into their lips a greeting like
| this
We are not daily beggars,
That beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors' children
That you have seen before.
Call up the butler,
| Put on his golden ring;