The Washington times., 1894-12-23

god, when IL Is remembe ed that in their Ian
guage mist signifies GLOON" and mist is
the name used for the plant "mistIetoe.' -
SO in more recent times love and devotion
still both associated with the mistletoe. For
instance there is the famous ballad of 1.-The
Mislletoe Bouch" by Thomas Bayley, which
has long enjoyed worldwide popularity.
These few verses will give sufficient of the
story for our purpose:
The mistleios hung in the castle hail.
The holly branch shone ON the old oak wall,
And the barons retainer Were biitne and gay
And keeping their Christmas holiday.
The baron beheld, with father PRIDE
His beautiful child, young Loyells bride,
While she, with hei bright eyes, seemed to be
The star OF tho goUdy company.
OH the mistletoe bough!
Oh, the mlstletoe bough!
"Tm weary of dancing now," she cried
"Here tarry moment-Ill hide, III hide;
And, Lowell De sure thou art first 10 trace
The clew TO my secret hiding place. y
Away she ran, and her friends began
Each tower 10 search, each nook to sean:
And young Loven cried, "Oh, whore dost til ou
hide?
I'm lonesome without thee, my own dear bride. !"
At length an oak chest that had long lain hid
Was found i'll the castle They raised the lid,
And skeleton form lay molderlng there
In the bridal wreath OF the lady fair
Oh, sad was her fate In srortive Jest
olt ma from DeT iorl III the Dtt tdh cntSt
1t closed with spring, ana her bridal bloom
Lay whitening there in n living tomb.
Oh, the mistletoe bought
Oh, the mistletoe bought
This sad story is widely known and is To-
Gated in many places. Rogers, in his 'Itaiy."
reproduces it and calls his heroine 'Ginevra :"
II locates it in an old castle ia Florence
where TO this day is shown the Identical chest
in which the beautiful young bride is sup
posed to bave met her untimely death. Col
let. in his "Relics OF Literature, relates the
fascinating story. In England many old
houses have similar traditions connected ia
them as the old oak chest was in former times
an al ticle of furniture IN most large houses
and As rom its capacity it was Il very invit-
ing hiding place 1t is very possible that it
may have been the Gauss OF fgmors thaneone
tragedy. -
The gathering OF the msDetoe was a most
important ceremony amo IL The ancient
Druids. 0ntle sixth day Yr the sixth night
foil wing the sixth new mooh alter the Wjbter
so slice, when their wear commences, they
went in. 4kately procession IS the forest and
rai-ed an atar of grasshenesiht the ffnesg ms
tl-toe-6earng OAK they could find; the arch
Druid assembled the tree and with golden
kn'e removed the sacred plant: the inferior
piits.si%poj beneath lint Sia9ht il upon Ii
white cloth. for ii portion OF il but touched
the srqhnd,. YhIeh vas Ne iempire.pf Eosi.
IL Was 'coH5id9 9reu 10 Dc an omen OF fhiStSr-
tune to the land.
The mistIetoe Was distributed among the
peopiebn the.frst day OF theNew Year AS
II was supposed to possess the mystic virtue
OF giving fertility the ceremony OF
KIssfNG UNDER THE MIsrLEToE ~
may have had its origin in this original belief
Now, The mistletoe was dedicated to Freya,
so long as it did not touch earth, and so it
was always hung from the ceiling of houses
II may be noted that in England it is still
considered very unlucky if the mistletoe is
dropped or placed upon the ground, which
superstition is evidently relic OF the Scandi-
navIan legend
Piiny was well aware of the high esteem in
which the Scandinavians held this sacred
plant, for he has informed us that ''the
Druids hold nothing more sacred than m s.
tletoe and thetree upon which it is produced,
provided ii Is ali oak"
That the Romans acknowledged its mYstic
powe would seem 10 be indicated from the
following lines of Virgil. which are found in
ton OF the plant by the sybil who directs
Hneas where TO find it previous to his de-
scent into Amantl
in the neghhoring grovc
There stands tree The Queen of Styg.aG Jove
Claims her cwn. Thick woods and gloomy
night
Conceal the happy plant from human SIGHT
One bough 1t bea1s; but, wondrous 10 behold,
The dGcihe rind and leaves of radiant gold.
This fsOm the vulgar branches must he torn,
Ana to fair froserFine the pres II: borne,
Ere leave he given 70 tempt The neither skies.
Afterward two doves descend upon tho
plain ana lead Eneas to the mystic mistletoe
They winged their Sight aloft; then, STOPPING
low,
Perched en- the double tree that bears the golden
bough
He seized the shining Tough with steadfast
And broke away with ease the lingering gold,
Then 10 the y Is palace bore the prize
The sybil then, with Fneas. reaches the
StyX; but when Charon. the surly boatman
observes them, he denies them q passage.
But the sybil-
Then showed the shining bough concealed
concealed within her vest,
And that talisman was sufficient, for
gloomy Charon stood mute with fear upon
perceiving the Elistletoe and no longer op-
posed their passage into Hades.
But enough of Druidical and pagan Gus
toms for the present. Let US now see what ar
important place the mistleroe had with oul
ancestors in the medieval times.
IN THE DAYS OF cHIvALRY
1t still continued to receive many honors; it
was gathered with great so'emnity on Christ
mas Eve and suspended from the ceiling oi
the great hall whore, with much noisy mirth
were 1.-THE girls all kissed beneath lhe sacred
BUSH in those good old times.
a mediBval writer has informed US that
On Christmas the bells were rung,
On Christmas eve the mass was sung,
That only night in all the year
Saw the Stoled priest the chaIce near;
The damsel donned her kirtle sheen,
The hall was essed with holly green.
Forth to the woods did merry go
To gather i'll the miStletoe
Then opened wide the barons hall
To yassal, tenant, serf and all
It is pretty well established that 1t oncs
had place among the evergreens employed
in the Christmas decorations of churches, bu
| that 1t was subsequently excluded. If, al
Hone states, it was banished together will
kissing in the church, which practice had es
tabllshed itself at a certain time OF the service
it certainly departed flom the holy edif1ce ir
very attractive company. Some writer's, how
ever, have asserted that it never was allowed
to enter the sacred building and assign it
place IN the kitchen, where it was hung up Ii
| great state with its white berries, and what
ever maiden CHANGED to stand beneath 1t, he
lover claimed the right to salute her ant
| plucked off berry at each kiss But whether
1t was hung in kitchen or hall, woe betide
| the fair one who stood beneath il without be-
Ing kissed, for. says an ancient poet:
All unwed remains that mayed,
Till the Christmas comes again,
Who beneath the bush hath stayed
Ungreet by gallant swain