, 1889-12-26

4 " nv HoW VI stTNlHS UP DoaE
head as Christmas dainty?
Who now thinks of that underesti-
mated porcine quadruped In connection
with anything sentimental? Who would
dream of serving up the head Of hog
with garlands and rosemary to deck a
national festival2 No one. The world
changes. Turkey and cranberry sauce
have come with the new order of things
and the boar's head as delicacy, is u
thing of the past.
But in the old baronial days the boar
head was the piece dc resistance of the
Christmas feast. II occupied the place
of honor. 1t was deckcd for the sacri-
lice, as the song has IL, with garands
and rosemary, while In its mouth lem
on tated to flavor a good iiagon Of punch
was carefully placed. Nothing less cost
ly and precious than silver dish was
good enough for the head of the boar
No one less digniiied and distinguished
than the baronial Clergyman was called
upon to say grace over the table on
which lay the head of one Of the mobiles
of the race of swine.
The best harper In all the barony
played his best airs over the head of this
fortunate animal-fortunate and honored
even in death. Good jokes and old,
good ale and rounds. The twin Yule
candles sparkled. The great Yule log
cracked and went to the sherries, good
soup and hearty went to the assistance
of the candles In the matter of lighting
up the banqueting- room. The table
groaned under the wcight of ilagons,
beakers, goblcts. basins and ewers-
good signs of what was to come in those
| days of heavy drinking.
On the wall hung the holly. the ivv
| and Cvergreeus, In the center of the
wall hung the mstlctoe bough, and on
the right, where the boar's head was
first set up, the maidcns rcgerded it
with much outward terror, particularly
] II 1t still held many white berries, for
while the white berries remained any
maiden caught under the mistletoe
might be kissed whether she liked IL or
| not. Great was the Indignation of these
inaidens when caught under the mistle-
toe, but strange to say their indignation
was greater when all the white berries
had disappeared, for after that any
maiden might walk under the mistletoe
without fear of being kissed, for with
the disappearance OF the white berries
| the rights of the sterner sex, in the mat
ter of kissing under the mistletoe, went
with it.
They still give the boar's head an hon
orable place at Yule tide in many Eng
lish homes, and they still serve II up
with due honors ut oxford. For many
| years IL was the custom to honor the
boar's head on each Christmas day at
Queens Cottage, Hawthorne was a wit.
| ness of one of these Christmas dinners,
and writes enthusiastically of it. Here
To hn . Is.t a,, rf,.
honor of the head of the boar:
The bOars head IN hand bcarI,
Bedeckd with bays ana rosemary;
And pray YOU my masters bo merry,
Quot cstis III cOnvivto,
Caput apri defero,
Reddeus laudes Domino.
Tho boar's head as understand,
is the rarcst dish in all this land,
Which, decked with gay garland.
Let us sevirC can tico,
Caput apri defcro,
ke,ldcus laudcs Domino.
our steward has provided this
In honor of the King OF Bliss.
Which on this day to be seryed Ia
In regn. en.i atr,o,
Caput apri dcicrO,
Reddeus laudes Domino.
Turkey was unknown in the days
when the song was composed.
In fact, 1t was another and more pre-
tentious sort of bird that was popular in
those days, and this was none other
than the pcacork. Then they used to
make this vain and rather unpopular
bird into pie, from which his head,
carefully fixed in the pic, used to stick
forth most suggestively. We have all
read how that inconsequent butt of
Jack Falstah, Justice Shallow, swore
''by cock and by pie, showing the an
tiquity of this dish. The peacock and
the boar supplied the daiIities to the old
Christmas table.
No one THINKS of boar's head and pea
cock pie now. The lords of rule have
displaced the lords of misrulc, and be-
sides tastes have changed. IL is doubt
ful ii the American turkey, ii il we're In
the position TO review the whole affair,
would look upon the change with any
large degree of equanimity. However,
as we shall not see the old order again,
the turkey will have to make the best OF
it, AS for the boar's head, we fear that
few do II reverence now.
There is a cafe in this town that is the
resort of actors, newspaper men and
men about town, where at the stroke of
II on Christmas eve barrel OF pigs
feet is set mp, for the benefit of all GUS
toners. The pigs feet are not decorated
with rosemary and the Teutonic gentle
men who prcsides oyerit does not know
what rosemary Is. He Is in the position
OF the English yokcl who found nothing
worth growing sentimental over In "a
primrose. He found that
A primrose by the river brim,
A yellow primrose was to him,
An IL was nothing more.
And so the stout Tcutonic gentleman
who serves out the pigs feet before re-
ferred to looks upon them rs pigs feet with
vinegar and nothing more. SO has senti-
meni departed, and 80 from boar's head
have we come to pigs feet at Christmas
tide l. r.