The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-12-16
BEFORE THE WAR.
How Christmas and New Years
Day Used to Be Celebrated
Open Houses.


Before the wal Christmas was one
day OF all days, or rather a pastoral
Saturnalia that set dull care at def
ance. From Christmas Day to
Twelfth-night-popularly known as
rOid Christmasn-the only work done
was that of charity or necessity. De
cember was taken up with getting
ready for the holidays. Axes rang
merrily at every wood-side; wagons
piled high with oak and hickory logs
cut deep ruts in the soft plantation
roads. and at last made them quag-
mires. Sometimes the woodpile Gov
cred half an acre. Children. white
and black, took perilous rides on the
long, plant saplings projecting from
each end.
When 1t came to be cut into fire
lengths there was fun indeed. The
choppers raced one with another. On
the big hickory back logs they
showed dark, perspiring silhouettes
in half rims of cleaning steel. 80
rapid were their motions that the eye
quite lost the outline of X and arm.
That, OF course, only through the
race: but all day the big logs melted
into firewood that was stacked and
piled at the back and front doors.
Woodsheds are unknown there, but
the saddle house was hall
filed with clean, new sweet
smelling chips to kindle fires
with il there came rain or snow. Pick
ing them up was the children's part.
When the saddle-house bank got
higher than their small heads, they
began to pile them in the Kitchen,
where black NANNY was baking
Christmas cake. Each basketful was
worth a lump Of sugar, not h taste
less white sugar of this era. but agen-
erous bit as big as your fist from the
heart of the hogshead OF live, coarse
grained, brown sweetness that was
not a month away from its native
Louisiana plantation. OF course there
was white sugar for frosting, and so
on.
All houses were open houses. The
Young folk vert nightly from one to
another to dance or play the old
fashioned ring games. When New
Years came the most pious people
watched it in with hymns and pray
ers. Those not so pious danced the
old year out, and slept deeply into
the morning OF the new one So
time flew velvet winged till Twelfth
night came. There was little dancing
or play upon 1T, partly because OF
WEAKNESS, more because everybody
wanted to be- fresh for the 9Th OF
January balls. "Jackson's Day"
ranked with the Fourth of July.
Whose did not honor it was poor
spirited indeed. So cards and ques-
ton games engaged the merry makers
until midnight struck. Then every
body scrambled after a lantern bearer
to the COW pen to find out whether or
not cattle really did kneel upon Old
Christmas.
Derision lay usually in the mind OF
the investigator. Believers in the
tradition found the attitudes of the
resting ruminants wonderfully de-
vout. Infdels declared there could
not be much worship in kneeling
upon hams. The dispute vas lively
enough TO keep all hands awake till
they got home. The darkies never
doubted. indeed, their faith in 10Y
PRAYERS was only equalled by their
faith in the devils mark on a hog.
Inside the foreleg there are five small
curious indentations that the negroes
say show where the devils went in TO
possess them. If the holes get filled
with foreign substance the animal
pines and dies. At least, plantation
swineherds would tell you 10 to a
man. The race is, in fact, born to
believe. Freedom and free schools
have sadly cut down their Christmas,
but faith in the miracle of the man
ger remains. -HGrper'S BdzaT.
Queen Victoria Sermon.
After all, Victoria holds her ow
better than any of the rest of 'em. A
remarkable woman is shei The Paris
Figaro has been telling a lot of good
stories about the old lady. One of
these is to the effect that not long ago
one of her majesty's ministers arrived
at Balmoral with a portfolio of state
papers which he said demanded inn
mediate attention.
but tomorrow is Sunday" said
the Queen.
THAT is true, your majesty
answered the minister. but the af-
fairs of state cannot wait"
To this the queen vouchsafed no
reply. Attending service the follow
ing morning in the royal chapel, this
minister was somewhat enraged to
hear an eloquent sermon preached on
the subject OF the fourth command
ment. At luncheon the queen asked
the minister how he liked the dis
course. and then she added. Il asked
the chaplain to preach from the
text"
OF course his lordship said nothing
more about the state papers, but as
she babe him good night" that even
ing the queen said:-'I shall be ready
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