The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-28
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS.
LOOKING BACK TO TIE BEGIN
MING OF THIS CENTURY.


Warmth Peculiar TO the Southern
Nature-obstinaTe Old David Burns
Disturbed in HIS Quiet-Chsnges of
Observance at the Capital.
Prom The Washington S az.
Christmas time in the year of our Lord
1891, in this city, large. thriving and grow
ing. beautiful to look upon and pleasanter
than any other city to live in, is hardly a
good reminder Of the first Christmas that
the city Of Washington ever saw. And vet
that first Christmas was not a bad
one, either. for our grandfathers
knew how TO enjoy themselves in a
hearty, whole-souled way. They had no fur
naces or hot water heaters to keep their
houses at an even Temperature, nor did they
have iron ranges on which to cook the
Christmas dinner. but they had enormous
fre-places, in which burned great blocks Of
wood. and near one Of these there was
warmth enough and good cooking could be
done. The first Christmas In the capital of
the new nation was not an unhappy one.
Nearly every resident Of Washington
knows David Burns little cottage at the
foot OF Seventeenth street and the story Of
how he and Gen. Washington quarreled
about the land for the new federal city, Ia
these days OF progress 1t is every mans
effort TO become as rich as he can, but David
Burns remains bright and shining exam
pie OF a man who endeavored to remain
comparatively speaking, poor A city
was TO be planted on his farm;
hacks were to roll over the
land where only farm teams or
horseback riffars or oarosioro ole 60. g..
gentleman's chariot had ever been; hotels
were TO spring up; taverns and tavern loaf
ers and oticeiseekers and politicians were to
come and disturb the peace Of David Burns.
All this ne seemed to foresee, and so he re-
belled and demanded to be let alone-to he
permitted to live quietly in his little cot
tage, to till his fertile soil aud to bring his
children up in safety and seclusion.
ANXIETY TO GET THE CAPITAL.
In reading the history of those early DAYS
1t IS easy TO realize how very near we came
to having no capitalcity on the banks Of the
Potomac. fChristnas OF 1879 saw David
burns secure in his possession, R1d there was
no reason for supposing that the three gen.
erations Of defendants which we're to succeed
him would not live like the three genera
tons which had preceded him yin quiet
rural occupations. But while he sat
quietly in mis- little porch in the summer of
l7S9 great struggle was beginning aud his
fate was being decided without his consent.
Yet II be had followed the debates of the
new congress his suspicious would not have
been aroused. Congress was then sitting
In New York, and on Aug. % there was
laid before it "the memorial Of John Cox
and Others, citizens of New jersey aud of
the state Of Pennsylvania, praying that the
future seat OF government might be estab-
lished on the banks of the Delaware. and
proposing cession Of a tract Of land OF ten
miles square, and little later in the year
Lancaster, Pa, wanted to donate portion
of its territory. and Germantown, near
Philadelphia; Yorktown, west Of the Sus-
quehanna, and Reading, on the Schuylklll.
were ali mentioned as good places for the
capital OF the United States. No decision
could be reached, and the question was ad-
1ourned to the next session Of congress.
CHRISTMAS IN 17S9.
But while there was no Christmas for
Washington - for there was no city of
Washington--in 1859, the day was duly OBJ
served in the country round about with
high feesting and reyelrY In the. true old
Virginia and Maryland sSyle. This was
certainly very different from the Puritan
New England Christmas. With them the
day was solemn and severe, and was in
reality somewhat in the nature of a protest
against the wild .nerriment of the cavaliers
and their descendants. Thanksgiving day
was the New Englander's festival and
Christmas was the southerner's. II was
essentially, the old English 1olllfca-
ton, and il has been truthkullv
remarked that whatever else the southern-
ers had left behind them in the old country
they had at least brought their Christmas
with them, and they celebrated it on the
Potomac very much as their fathers had
celebrated it in England. OF course dinner
was the most important event of Christ
mas day. The huge ham, the large tur-
key, the great joints Of beef and the WAS
sail bowl of strong liquors were indispensa
bic parts of the Christmas feast, and before
this century was born the eighteenth CEN
fury went on IN a blaze of Christmas glory,
because the king of Christmas drinks had
been invented. Yes, eggnog was drunk by
the good people who lived upon the banks of
the Potomac before the District of Column
bia was laid out. There was mistletoe for
Christmas, too, you may be sure, and as the
fddles played and while the eggnog passed
around there was much coy struggling
aud chasing into corners aud many snatched
kisses Has the mistletoe disappeared from
this favored region! Are we 90 refined that
we can do without it, and is il improper ex-
cept for the childrens No, no; let us be
young again on Christmas night, and let the
mistletoe hang from the chandelier aud let
us enforce the penalty that is ours of
right-that is, if we can. IL was country
Christmas cur forefathers had and their
large houses were filed with all their rela-
tives, who were as numerous as the clan of
highland chief.
DAVID BURNS LAST QUIET CHRISTMAS.
David Burns never passed another such
Christmas as that Of 1889. Ia the summer
OF 1890 the question of a seat OF government
came up In congress again, and commit
tee OF the Senate reported in favor of the
eastern OF northeattern bank of the Po-
tomac. There was much wrangling and
Jealousy. Was this the center Of populations
Was not Baltimore better? Would not old
Philadelphia doe What made the Potomac
region such garden spot as the Virginians
all declared 1t to BET Virginia wanted the
earth. Maryland was in favor of Balti-
more. Baltimore pstitioned and George
town petitioDed. James Maids N worked
like a beaver for the Potomac. An amend
ment in favor OF the Delaware was voted
down; 80 we're the amendments in favor OF
Baltimore and Germantown. and the bill
favoriug the Potomac was passed.
The Christmas of 1870 found poor David
Burns IN trouble, for Gen. Washington-of
Consequence in Burns' eyes merely because
he was the husband Of the wealthy Mrs.
Custis-had begun negotiations for the land
where our city now stands. obstinate
Mr. Burns," as Washington called him,
was obliged finally to yield. the city was
planted and large riches were thrust upon
tho unwilling land owner. There were two
children who were TO inherit all this money,
a boy and girl, and the former dying.
left the little aicl to become, ten years later