Arizona republican., 1892-01-10

 their masters Presents are made both to children and to servants, all money given at this season being strung on a red cord for good luck, while the pres ents are wrapped in red paper for the same cause. Visiting is common, and all unmarried men are presented at each house with watermelon seeds done up in red paper. X married man must visit his wife's relatives, provided they live within half days journey, though he need not give them presents, As all courts and tribunals are closed on this day, it is commonly known in China as the Feast of the Closing of Seats" and during the New Years festivities, which last among the poor for three and among the rich for thirty days, processions, with mock dragons, kite flying and pa per lion fighting are common modes of diversion.
 The New Year day observances of the Japanese in many respects resemble those practiced by the Chinese. The gifts are generally allegorical, and favorite New Years present is rice cake surmounted by crawfish, an orange and an artificial cabbage. The significance of these ar- ticles among the Japanese was formerly very great-the crawfish symbolizing the returning year, since it's claws, when broken, grew forth anew, and the whole animal was believed to be capable of re- newing itself from single atom; the orange signifying prosperity and tho cabbage wealth. Among the Persians the favorite New Years gift was for merly an egg, painted, gilded, or otherwise ornamented to the taste of the donor. The egg, to them, was the symbol of immortality, and also of the year, since out of its apparent death came real life. The beginning of the year in Persia, as well as in several other countries in Asia, was also cele- brated by agricultural ceremonies, in China the blowing or opening of the fur TOW being done by no less a parsonage than the emperor himself, who thus lent his royal aid and countenauce to agri- culture.
 In Siam the last three days of every year are times of terror, for during that period all the evil spirits of the kingdom are supposed to walk abroad, while good angels are under cloud and dare not show themselves, since during this sea- son the earth is wholly given up to the dominion of demons. All the business of the year must be closed up before the beginning of the third day from the end, and during this dread time, when every city and habitation is beleaguered by myriads of evil spirits, no Siamese dare venture forth. Around the kings pal ace seventy-seyen priests weave net work of 1000 balls of thread, each thread having seven fibers, and an incessant cannonading is kept up in the capital for the purpose of driving away the demons, or, at least, of rendering them cautious in their attacks on the royal peace. But the cannonading is not de- pended on, for in front of every dwell ing is placed platter containing DOT tion of pigs head and little rice, in order that the demons may be fed and so appeased. These gloomy apprehen- sions give way on the first day of the new year to wild rejoicings, for then the l9 ltsl TUT AllpllicI Ncsll.
 According to the best available iufor- nation, the Druids also celebrated the in- coming of the year with the most i'm posing festivities in their ritual They were sun and fire worshipers, and the new year to them was the season of the return of their deity to his dominion over the day. At the New Years festival the sacred mistletoe was gathered with pc. culiarly imposing ceremonies. For days, if not weeks before, search had been made for the mystic plant, which must be found on the sacred oak and it is now suspected that the priests understood the modern and we'll approved methods of propagating this plant, so as always to secure its presence in the desired situa- tiop. After it had been found, and the first day of the new year had come, the Arch Druid, in white robe, his brow encircled with green fillet, ascended the tree, and with golden knife severed the mystic plant from its connection with the oak. The mistletoe fell and was caught in white cloth held by four priests. Two white heifers, which had never borne q yoke, were then sacrificed on a stone altar erected before the oak, and procession was formed around the tree.
 First came the Druids, then the nov ices, each bearing some emblem, and af- ter them came the worshipers. The sa- cred fire which had been brought from the ever burning altar was laid on the massive stones erected before the tree and the sacrifices were burned to ashes. In Ireland, where the sacred fires were kept burning in the famous round tow CTS, all fires and lights were extinguished on the last night of the year, to be re- kindled from the holy flame. To the Druids this was the greatest festival of the year, and relics of it are still seen both in England, Wales, Ireland and France in several popular observanccs peculiar to the season. In England the reverence for the mistletoe still has hold on the minds of the people, though this reverence has taken a social turn; in Wales the common people still visit their betters, wishing them happy New Year and expecting aims, as they did in the times of the early Britons, and in France popular salutation owes it's origin to the mystic plant. Louis Globe-Democrat.
 A Roaring Lion in Our Midst.
 A wolf got astray last week in New York, and was presumed to be wander ing about the city and putting the lives of our fellow citizens in peril. The fact