The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-12-18

bishop. Yet neither anathema nor pro-
hibition had any effect upon the lower
clergy. Priests continued 10 take part
I'm it, and It was widely prevalent among
the nuns, who celebrated it with nearly
as much license and adhered to 1t with
equal obstinacy. Yet to-day it has al
most vanished from memory.
II even among the clergy heather ira
ditions survived SO strenuously, what
wonder that they survived among the
laity? The wild reyels indeed OF the
Christmas period in olden times almost
stagger belief. No amount Of drunken
ness, no blGsphemy, no obscenity was
frowned upon. License was carried 10
the fullest extent of licentiOusness. Even
in the seventeenth century. wnen the fes-
tivitites had been slightly toned down,
Master VIM Prynne discovered in them the
vestiges of paganism which are apparent
enough to the historian Of to-day. III
We compare he says in his 'iistrio-
Mastrix, "our Bacchanalian Christmas
and New Years tides with these satur-
MALTA and feasts Of Janus, we shall ma
such near afiinityYe between them Doth
in regard OF time-they being both IN the
end Of December and on the first OF jan
maryland I'm their manner sClemnizlng-
both being spent in reveling, epicurism,
wantonnesse, idleness dancing, drink
ing, stage-plays, Mosques and carhall
pomp and jOllity--that we must heeds
conclude the one to be but the ape or
issue Of the other. Hence Polydore YER
gfl afIirms in express terms that Jour
Christmas Lords Of Misruie, which Gus
tom, saith he, is chiefly observed In Eng
land, together with dancing Mosques,
mummores, stage-plays, ana such OtheE
Christmas disorders now IN use WIN
Christians, were derived from the roman
saturnalia and Bacchanalian festivities
which concludes he) should cause an
pious Christians TO abomlnate them'
True for you, Master Prynne. his con-
temporary, Master Philip STUDIES, Is
even more fierce in his denunciations.
How" he cries. doe we Christians
spend or celebrate for the most part the
Nativity of cur Savior, but with such
heathenish sports as these, which Turkes
and Infidels would abhor 10 practice.
Nay in his fury he lashes himself into
strange freaks OF rhetoric. Into what
q stupendous height Of more than pagan
impiety," he exclaims, " have we not now
degenerated" And then he playIully
foretells that the participants In these
revelries shall "in moment so down 70
hell u dance with devils. with Internal
frisking satyrs In eternal flames.
Yet the practices which Stubbes and
Pyrnne condemned were mild and tame
compared with the excuses pracuced az
the French court for centuries. lnebriety
ran rampant. No wonder that in the
period OF torches and wooden palaces ac-
cidents frequently occurred which more
than once involved provinces In mourn
ing.
Memorable above all other episodes OF
this sort was the catastrophe which oc-
CURED I'm Paris in 1898. The Christmas
festivities had been paTtaken OF In the
widest spirit OF riot and disorder But the
court was not yet satisfied. Then Sir HUI
gonin de Guisay. the most reckless among
all the reckless spirits OF the period, sug-
gested that as an excuse for prolonging
the merrlment a marriage should be ar
ranged between two OF the court attend
ants. This was eagerly agreed upon. The
management was intrusted 20 SIR Hugonin
himself. lie was we'll fitted for anything
wild and unusual. He was loved and adj
mired By the disorderly as ardsntly az he
was hated and feared by the orderly. For