The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1890-12-27
CHRISTMAS BEFORE THE WAR.


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Before the war Christmas was one
day of all days, or rather a pastoral
that set dull care at defiance.
FROM Christmas day 10 Twelfth night -
known as "Old Christmas'-
the only work done was that Of charity
or necessity. December was taken NJ
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 qnagmires.
Sometimes the wOodpile covered hall
an acre. Children. white and black
took perilous rides on the long plant
saplings projecting from each end.
When it came to be cnt 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. So rapid were their
motions that the eye quite lost the out
line of axe and arm. That, OF course,
only through the race; but all day the
big logs melted into fire-wood that was
stacked and piled at the back and front
doors. Wood sheds are unknown
there, but the saddle house was halt
filled with clean, new, sweet smelling
chips TO kindle fires with il there came
rain or snow. Picking 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 basket
ful was worth lump OF sugar, not the
tasteless white sugar OF this era, but q
generous 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 folks went nightly from one tO
another to dance or play the old
fashioned ring games. When New
| Years came, the most pious people
watched 1t in with hymns and prayers
Those not 30 pious danced the old yeal
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 II
partly because OF WEAKNESS, NOR
because everybody wanted to be- tresl
Tor the sth OF January balls. "Jack
sons Day" ranked with tile Fourth o
July. Whose did not honor it wa
poor spirited indeed. So cards ant
question games engaged the merry
makers until midnight struck. The
everybody scrambled after II lanter
bearer 10 the COW pen to find Ou
whether or not cattle really did knee
upon Old Christmas. DerisIon la
, usually in the mind OF the investigation
Believers in the tradition found tn
attitudes OF tho resting ruminant
! wonderfully deyout. Infidels declare
there could not be much worship !
kneeling upon hams. The dispute ws
lively enough to keep all hands awak
till they got home. The aarkies nev'
8 doubled. Indeed, their faith in co
e prayers was only equalled by the
faith in the devils mark ON a hog. Ii
side the ioreleg there are five sma
curious iudentalions that the negro
say show where the devils went in
possess them. II the holes get file
with foreign substance the auim
pines and dies. At least plantatiC
;. swine herds would tell you SO to ma
The race ia, in fact, born TO believ
Freedom and free schools have cad
cut down their Christmas, bnt faith
the miracle OF The manger remain.