The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1890-12-25
Chrlslms. Before the War.
[Hnrper's Bazar.I

Before the war Christmas was one day Of all
DAYS, or rather pastoral Saturnalia that set
dull care at defiance. From Christmas Day to
llth-night-pOpularly known as "OId
Christmas the only work done was that Of
charity or necessity. December was taken
up with getting ready for the holidays. Axes
rang merTily at every wOOd-sids; wagons
piled high with oak and hickory logs cut
deep Tuts in the soft plantation roads,
and at last made them quagmires. Some
times the wood pile covered half an acre.
Children white aud black took peril0u5
rides on the long, plant saplings projecting
from each end. When il 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. per-
spring silhOuettcs in half-rims of cleaning
Steel. So rapid were their motions that the
eye quite lost the outline of AK and arm. That,
of course only through the race; but all day
the big logs melted into frewood that was
stacked and piled at the back and front doors.
WOod-sheds are unknown there, but the saddle
house was halfflled with clean, new, sweet
smelling chips to kindle fires with if there
came rain or snow. Picking them up was the
chiIdren5 part. When the saddle-hOuse bank
got higher than their small heads, they began
to pile them in the kitchen, where black man.
my was baking Christmas cake. Each basket
ful was worth lump Of sugar, not the tasteless
white sugar Of this era, but generous bit as
big as your fist from the heart OF the hogshead
Of live. coarse. grained, brown sweetness that
was not q month away from its native Louis
lana plantation. OF course, there was white
sugar for frOstiuc and so on.
All houses were open houses. The young
folk went nightly from one to another to dance,
or play the old fashioned ring games. When
New-Year's came, the most pious people
watched it in with hymns aud prayers. Those
not so pious danced the old year out, and
slept deeply into the morning of the new
one. So time flew velvet-wiuged till Twelfth
night came. There was little dancing or play
upon il, partly because of WEAKNESS, more
because everybody wanted TO be fresh for
the 9Th Of January balls "JacksOn's Day 3"
ranked with the Fourth of July. Whose
did not honor il was pOOr-spirited indeed. SO
cards and question 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. Deri-
sion lay usually in the mind of the investigator.
Believers in the tradition found the attitudes
| of the resting ruminants wonderfully devOut.
Infdels 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 The darkes never doubted.
| Indeed, their faith in COW prayers was only
| eaualled by their faith in the DEVILS mark on
hog. Inside the foreleg there are five small
curious indentatiOns that the negroes say show
where the devils went in to possess them. II
the holes get filed with foreign substance the
animal pines and dies. At least plantation
sWine-herds would tell you so to man. The
race is, in fact, born to believe. Freedom and
| free schools have sadly cut down their Christ
mas, but faith in the miracle Of the manger re-
mains.