, 1889-12-26
The Wassail
Bowl of Old.
In Former Days the Bowl We'll
Filled Was Essential to Christ
mas Celebration.
New York Mail and Espresso
Next crowno the bowie full
With gentle Lambs wool,
ADD sugar aud nutmeg and ginjer,
With stone of ale, too;
Ana thus VIC must doe


With stone of ale, too
Ana thus VIC must doe
To make tho wassail a swinjer.
-Horrick.
In the old days Christmas was not
Christmas without the wassail bowl.
but about the draining OF that bowl,
there was little to which we can now
raise any objection, no matter what our
views upon temperance may be. 1t was
q deep and honest bowl, but no evidence
that we have at hand shows that It was
other than one over which good men
could offer plain honest toasts with no
fear of drunkenness before them.
Nowadays the flowing bowl is asso-
ciated with some customs that the world
can very well spare. In the good old
days that we sigh over but can not re-
call the man who made too free with
that same bowl was but little thought of
Nevertheless, the stout English squire
who could not take his share from the
wassail bowl at Guletide was but little
thought of.
ence TO the verse quoted above, that ac-
cording to the old writers the drink
which the wassail bowl contained was
rather an incongruous affair. Accord
ing TO an Oil recipe the wassail bowl was
made up somewhat after this manner:
II was sometimes composed of ale in.
stead OF winei with nutmeg, sugar, toast,
ginger and roasted crabs.
In TINS way the nut brown beverage Is
still prepared in some old families, and
in this way some of the unbending tory
squires still drink their Christmas
draught. Many are the songs that are
sung as the bowie goes around even al
this day and as il Is drained. Here is
one OF the old ones which was often sung
years ago:
The brown bowie,
The merry brown bowie,
AS II goes round about.a,
ssiHiil,
Let the world say what 1t will,
And drink your fill all out.,l
The deep canne
The merry deep canne
AS thou dost freely quatf-a,
sing,
Fling.
lie ms merry as king,
Ana SOUND "a merry laugh-a.
No servant could prepare the wassail
bowl. The squire of the house himself
mixed II in his most dignified way.
And then the songs went around. These
songs anent Christmas are very much
the same the world over The best of
them all Is the Irish song, "The Cruis-
keen Lawn but the English Welsh
ana scotch songs are good ones. Here
is one that combines piety with jollity.
'ris hou that crown'st my shelterlng hearth
with tiuilelcss mirlh,
And giv'sl me was ale bowles to drink
spic'd to the rink.
Lord Us thy plenty dropping hand
That soiIes my land,
And giv's. me for my bushele sowne
Twice ten for one.
They called his song the "Wassaile
Chanson,' and right inerrily did they
sing II In the days that are not now.
And they drank from the same cup, as
honest men with good consciences could
afford to do. But even the custom of
drinking out OF the same cup did not
last. That was the old style of drink
ing the wassail cup. Then there came a
change, which one OF the unknown
writer's who has assisted in recording
history has explained as follows:
The custom of drinking out of the
same cup gave place to each having his
cup. When the steward came to the
doorc with the Wassel he was to cry
three times:
"Wassel, Wassel, Wassel," and then
the chappcll was to answer with song.
Imagine now one of our clergy mon
answering with Il song every other
drinking song. However, in those good
old days the men who drank did not
get drunk except In their own houses.
There was no need for police justices.
,luarrels were easily made and just as
easily settled.