The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1893-12-15
OLDEN FESTIVITIES.
WILD REVEIS CELEBRATED The
CHRISTMAS or LONG AGO.


In spite of clerical protests. in spite Of
anathemas, in spite of the condemnation
81 the more thoughtful and the more xir-
tuous, Christmas in the earlier days FRI
quently reproduced all the worst orgies
the deoauchery and indeceucy OF the
pacchanalla and the saturnalia. Eve,
the clergy were whirled into the vortex
a special celebration called the feast of
TOOLS had been instituted in their behalf
with view, said the doctors Of the
church, that the folly which is natural
to and born with us might exhale NJ least
once year
II even among the clergy heather trs,-
dltions survived so strenuously. what
wonder that they survived among the
Islty! The wild revels indeed of the
Christmas period in olden times almost
staSger belief. License was carried TO
the fullest extent of licentiousness. Even
IN the seventeenth century, when the
festivities had been slightly toned down.
Master William Prynne discovered in
them the vestiges of paganism which are
apparent enough 10 tine historians of to-
day.
III we compare" lie says III his
hlstr1o-Masti1,' ''Our bacchanalian
Christmas and New Years tides with
THESE haturnaiia and feasts Of Janus, we
shall ind such near affinitye between
them both III regard Of time-they being
both IN the end of December and on the
LIST CT January-and in their manner
solemnizinS-bOthb being spent in reyel-
ing, eplcurism, wantonnesse, idIenesse.
dancing, drinking, stage plates, rnasaues
and carnall pomp and jollity-that we
must needs conclude the one to be but
the ape, or issue, of the other"
Yet the practices which Stubbes and
PryEne condemned were mild and tame
compared with tine excuses practiced at
tine French cOurS Tor centuries Inebrie-
~ raa rampant. No wonder that in the
peril L of.tOrches and wooden palaces ac-
cidents frequently occurred which more
than once involved provinces in mourn
Iu&.
--4slIorab,s above all other episodes OF
t.4lj sort WIS the catastrophe which oc-
CURED at Paris in 1893. The Christmas
festivities had been partaken of in the
widest spirit Of riot and disorder. But
the court WAS not yet satisfied. Then
Sir HugOnin de Guisay, the most reck-
less among all the reckless spirits of the
period, suggested that as an excuse for
prolonging the merrilnent a marriage
should be arranged between two of the
court attendants. This was eagerly
agreed upon.
The management was intrusted to Sir
Hugonin himself. He was well fitted
for anytime wild and unusual. He
Was loved and admired by the disorderly
as ardently as he was hated and feared
by the orderly, for it was his pleasant
habit to exercise his wit upon trades
men and mechanics, whom he would
accost in the street, prick with his spurs
and compel to creep on all tours and
bark like dogs before he released them.
Such were the traits which endeared him
to the courtiers of his most gracious
majesty and Christian king of France.
The marriage passed off in blaze of
glory with an accompaniment of at
tendant Gargantuan pleasantly. AT the
height of the ceremonies Sir Hugonin
quietly withdrew with the king and four
other wild oIIcs-scions of the noblest
houses In France. With a pot of tar and
u quantity of tow the six conspirators
were speedily changed into very fair
limitations of the dancing bears then
very common III mountebanks' booths.
a mask completed the Transformation.
Five were then bound together by means
of silzen rope cut from the tapestry.
The sixth, the king himself, led them
into the hall. Their appearance created
4 general sensation WHO are they?
was the cry. No one could answer.
At this moment entered the widest of
all the wild dukes of Orleans. WHO
are they?" he echoed between hiccoughs.
well, we'll soon find out" Selling a
brand from one of the torchbearers
ranged along the wall, he staggered for
ward. Some gentlemen attempted to
stay him. But he was obstinate and
quarrelsorne. Main force could not be
Thought ~ against Il prince of the
blood. He was given his way. He thrust
his torch upder the chin of the nearest
of the mask..s. The tow caught fire. In
a moment the whole group was envel-
oped in flames. Presence of mind or
common sobriety might have saved
Them But there was none of the latter
there and but two instances of the for
mer.
The Young Duchess of Berry seized
the king and enveloped him in her am.
ple robe. Thus he was saved. Another
masker. the lord of acknowledgements
for strength and agility, rent the silken
rome with a wrench of his strong teeth,
pitched himself like a flaming comet
through the first window and dived into
q cistern in the court, whence he emerged
black and smoking, but almost unhurt.
As for the other four, they whirled
hither and thither through the Mortified
mob. struggling with each other, fight
ing with the flames, cursing, shrieking
with pain. Women tainted by scores.
Men who had never faltered i'll hun
dred fights sickened at the hideous spec
tacle. All Paris was reused by the up
roarand gathered, an excited mob, about
the palace. All sorts of reports We're
current, that. the princes were engaged
in deadly strife being the one most cred
tied. at last the flames burned out.
The four maskers lay black and writh-
ing heap on the floor. One was mere
cinder. 4 second survived till day
break. a third died at noon the next
day. The fourth-no other than Sir
Hugonin himself-survived for three
DAYS, while all Paris rejoiced over his
agonies. Bark, dog, barkr' was the cry
with which the citizens saluted his
charred and mangled corpse when it was
at last borne to the grave.-New York
Herald.