The morning call., 1890-12-25
BEFORE THE WAR.
Christmas Celebrations On the
Old Plantations.

Before the war Christmas was one day OF
all days, or rather pastoral Saturnalia that
set dull care at defiance. From Christmas
day to Twelfth Dight-popularly known
as "Old Christmas only work done
was that OF charity or necessity. December
was taken up with getting ready for the
holidays Axes rang merrily at every wood
side; wagons piled high with oak and hick-
ory logs cut deep ruts in the soft plantation
rotds, and at last made them quagmires
Sometimes the wood-pile covered half an
acre. Children white and black took peril
GUS rides on the long plant saplngs project
ing from each end. When it 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 gleam-
ing STEEL SO rapid Were their motions that
the eye quite lost the outline of an AK and
arm. That, of course, only through the
race; but -all day long the big logs melted
into tire-wood that was stacked and piled
at the back and front doors. Wood
sheds are unknown there, but the saddle
house was half filled with clean, new,
Syeet-smeling chips to kindle fires with
IL there came rain or snow. Picking
them up was the ehildren'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
lump of sugar, not the tasteleSs white
sugar OF this era, but generous bit us big
as your fist from the heart of the hogshead
OF live, coarse-grained, brown sweetness
that was not month away from its native
Louisiana plantation. OF course there was
white sugar for frosting. and so on
All houses We're open houses. The young.
folk went nightly from one TO another to
dance or play the old fashioned ring games.
When New Years came, the NEST pious peo-
pie watched it in with hymns and prayers
Those MT 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 " play
upon it partly because of WEAKNESS, more
because everybody wanted to be fresh for
the S,hof January balls. "Jackson's Day"
ranked with the Fourth of July. Whose
did not honor it was poor spirited indeed.
So cards and question games engaged the
merry-makers until midnight struck. Then
everybody 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 in
vestigator. Believers in the tradition found
the attitudes OF the resting ruminants WON
derfully deyout. Infidels declared there
could not be much worship in kneeling upon
hams. The dispute was lively enough to
keep all hands awake till they got home.
Inc darkies never doubted. Indeed, their
1alth In COW prayers was only eQualed by
their faith in the devils mark on hog. IN
side the foreleg there are five small curious
lhuentatluns that the negroes say show
where the devils went in possess them. If
the holes get filed with foreign substance
the animal pines and dies. At least planta-
non swine-herds would tell you so to a man.
lhe race Is, In fact, born TO believe. Free
dom ana free schools have sadly put down
their Christmas, but faith in the miracle of
the manger remains.-Harper's Bazaar.