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

| mild and moderate IN most thing,-n,ud.
their Christmas keeping q somewhat nro-
longed festival, often taking more than a
week, INDUCING IN all the good tbin,,s
that they desired or could procure. ana
consuming an amount Of strong water,g
that would have meant excess TO anyfey.
| peraments less phlegmatic than theirgo.
had less time been taken in the consp-,
ing.
The old Dutch family recipe books con.
tanned rules for many compounds reopl,
ing delicate manipulation on the part u
the cooks, az well rs good deal OF tbe
comprehensive faculty known ~ "iud1.
ment." Indeed one can but conceive tia
! greatest respect for the mcutal powers
( OF tho woman whose "cruuers" and
wai'ies were always licht and cr,spy. not.
w,hstanding that baking powders and
[ ecg heaters were things unknown. that
even pearl ash" WAS OF home manufao.
ture, and the right quantityol sour cream.
which was TO balance tie alkall. as well IA
its due degree Of acidIty. he'd TO be deter
mined in each individual case. ltisuot ID,
very easy a matter TO Gnd a good cook even
in these days OF "perfection rany..' ana
help her. Yet It appears 10 bea flr. f1.t
early in the Seventeenth century GOOD
cooks were the rule rather t1u t.a exe.n.
ton among the wives and dIuyhters -
the we'll 10 do inhabitants Of the Ncg
Netherlands, and Christina WAS the s,...
son upon which their best powers were ex.
pended.
English dishes of about the same date 90
not so favorably impress the modern read
er. Bears heads, blazing in rum geese
and ducks simmerng in their own grease
and huge joints Of beef or pork were hauked
by meat "pasties," by rolls OF boned veal
hidden I'm layers of pork fat and then
roasted before the fire so slowly that the
fat was all absorbed in the meat, and sad.
dies OF "flve-year-old mutton sodden with
cabbage and vinegar" do not seem particn.
larly attractive TO modern palates Grand
''Sir Loin." plum pudding and mince pies
descendants of the ancient meat pas'y-
are almost the only dishes that have sur
vived the years and now appear upon our
Christmas tables. What digestions and
what heads must these old time English
have possessed
When one reads Of the enormous quantity
and solidity Of the viands and the amount
and strength Of the fluids which formed
Christmas dinner of 200 years ago, and OF
all the rough. not 90 say lin our Nineteenth
century eyes, disreputable merrymakings
which followed the dinner, one almost
ceases 10 wonder at the Puritan reyusion
of feeling which led TO an effort 10 replace
Il season of gluttouy and drunkenness by
one of religious feeling and temperate fes-
tivity calling it Thanksgiving" ard hold.
ing 1t in advance Of the season which. from
the time Of the Romans and perhaps before
them, had been kept as heather festival
and still retained some Of its old character
istics after it had been adapted to the new
religion.
The French were ever more temperate
than their neighbors and very early mani
tested the talent which has made them tha
tutors of all the rest Of the world in table
matters.
To the French Huguenots Christmas wa1
a day Of rejoicing, thanksgiving, family
festivity and neighborly greeting. They
drank almost no strong liquors, and theiI
mild, pure wines served but TO aid diges-
ton and impart gayety to the spirits.
Rarely indeed was drunkenness known
among them. The giving OF gifts was
more prominent feature Of Christmas time
with them than with the others. Among
the English and Dutch the gifts, irrespec-
tive Of toys 10 children, were nearly always
OF something 10 cat or drink. hannch
of venison or a cask Of home brewed ate
was a favorte gift ia the parent isle. bus
here was succeeded by a turkey or a barrel
OF cider while among the Holland colo
nists some special forms Of cheese and
Cookies" or a few bottles Of choice ian
ported wine were most usual
The Huguenots. whether from thrift or
native taste. were prone 20 offer gifts o.
more permanent value They were poor
OF course, most Of them having had 10
leave their possessions behind them when
flying from the prosecutions Of Louis the
Magnificent" So their gifts were seldom
costly, but some have survived even tip
today in the possession of their descend
ants-cobweb laces made by delicate
fingers, painted fans and screens and EN-
broidered fOOtstOols and cushions
The United States. being the most COS
mop0litan Of all nations, has n right 10
adopt the best customs from all the worio
and has freely awaited itself Of the priyi
lege.
To the roast beef and plum pudding O.
old England it has added the jolly Santa
Claus Of Holland. the gay present gyins
of the French and the solemn Christine
music of the Germans. II there be other
good things elsewhere let Us appropriate
them all Are not we the universal
Yankee pationW
HELEN EvERTsON SMITH