McCook weekly tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 188?-1886, 1883-12-27
CHRISTMAS.

/ THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTMAS.-Chris
mas looks out at us from the dim
shadow of the groves of the Druids who
knew not Christ, and it is dear to those
who now renounce the name of Chris
tian. The Christmas log, which Her
rick exhorts his merrie, merrie boys to
bring with u noise to the firing, is but
the Saxon Yule-log burning on the
English hearth, and the blazing holi-
day temples of Saturn shine again in
the illuminated Christian churches. 1t
is the hagan mistletee under which the
Christian youth kisses the Christian
maid. It is the holly Of the old Roman
Saturnalia which deCorates Bracebridge
Hall on Christmas-eve. The huge,
smoking baron OF beef, the flowing
oceans of ale, are but the survivals of
the tremendous eating and drinking OF
the Scan dinavian Walhalla.
The Christian and anti-Christian
feeling blend in the happy season, and
the Christian observance mingles at
every point with the pagan rite. 1t is
not easy to say where the paganism
ends and the Christianity begins. The
carols and the wassaii, the prayers and
the games, the generous hospitality,
Hobby-Horse and the Lord of Misrule,
| Maid Marion and Santa Claus, are q
curious medley of the old and the new.
As the religious thought Of all ages and
countries. when it reaches certain ell
ovation, flows into an expression which
makes the scriptures of the most diver
gent nations harmonious, the history Of
this happy festival is evidence of the
common humanity of the earlier and
later races and the stranger in Brace
bridge Hall, musing by the glowing
hearth on Christmas-eve, as he watches
the romping revelry beneath the glisten-
ing berries, and listens to the waits car
rolling outside in the moonlight, or as
he is Weakened on Christmas morning
by the hushed patter of children's feet
in the passage, and the shy music of
children's voices at his door, may well
seem to hear 81 more celestial strain,
and to catch 4 deeper meaning in the
words, "Before Abraham was, | am
THE ENGLISH CHRIsTMAs.-The Eng
lisl Christmas tradition makes good
cheer the glory of the day. Forty years
ago, when Leech was beginning his
career, Kenny Meadows was the "char-
acter artist of the Illustrated London
News, and its chief holiday pictures
were drawn by him. They were all
scenes of eating and drinking, of games
and jollity. They were full of bottles
and smoking bowls, of roast beef and
plum pudding and mince-pie, of burn
ing brandy and kissing under the mis-
tletoe. "Old Christmas was repre-
sented as flowing bearded satyr crown
ed with ivy and pouring huge fiagons
of wine, or as roliicking boon COM
panion stretching out one hand to the
i spectator over decanters and jugs and
glasses, while the other holds an open
tankard. The typical faces of the
Christmas figures were those OF the
rubicund middle-class John Bull, and
his hearty daughter gayly resisting the
efforts of the young soldier-Irving' S
Julia and The Captain-to draw her
under the permissive Dough; or of the
buxom chambermaid and greedy chill
dren in a frenzy of delight over the
smoking plum-pudding. Christmas, &C
cording to these delectable pictures,
was ali guiding and gobbling. love
making and other blindman 's-buff; and
as the reader of to-day looks with
amused curiosity at these holiday
sketches of yesterday, he too, like the
| stranger by the fire in Bracebridge
Hall, through all the fun and the feast
4 ing, hears the music of the old Christ
mas song: l..,..
Twas Christmas preached the mightiest
p. ale. sa- .@-H '.t III .-aE
Twas Christmas told the merriest tale;
A Christmas gambol oft wouitt cheer u
i The poor mans heart through half the
year,
This is the spirit of Dickens Christ
mas, AID of Thackeray's, and, in a
great degree, of Irving's, touched in all