The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1894-11-09
I" Halleve."


haunts us under various titles more
or less corrupt and with practices
absolutely abominable. In traciug it
back we find it called either "All
Saints Day." "All Hallows," "Hal.
lowmas," Halloween" " Hallow-
ev'en," while the present corruption
is " Halloeve." And you will do well
to look out for rotten cabbage, pota-
toes, or something of the kind after
you hear it on the evening Of Novem-
Der Ist.
This old church festival dates back
in the year Of our Lord to 6Io. 1t
was first instituted on the Ist of May
in memory of the martyred saints and
it has been celebrated since 834 on
the Ist Of November as a general
conmemoration of all the saints /;
because as time proceeded saints
increased too rapidly to give them
each an individual send off and
celebration. For years the festival
was common to the Roman Catholic,
the English and the Lutheran
churches.
Though now about obsolete as a
church observance, the hoodlums of
our day still hold right good grip on
it, 1t we may judge from what we can
see and hear about its observance on
the morning of November ed.
The essential features of the
original {" Halloween were no
doubt sacred and of pure and holy
intent and purpose but like all other
old Roman church festivals it soon
became terribly distorted and trans.
moerified through granted indulgences
too freely INDUCED. One of the
original features of the festival was
the lighting by each household of a
bonfire at nightfall, and it is quite
likely they "took something" and
danced around Indian fashion while
the sacred fire burned.
There were winter as we'll as sum-
mer church festivals in old times and
the change of time for holding this
festival from the Ist of May to the
Ist Of November was no doubt to
strike the time when the fairies were
supposed to be prowling around in a
generous sort of way. The fairies
that still prowl around on " Halleve /"
in our day are the very kind we
should like to see in Jail /; and if they
got what they deserve they'd be there
IN many cases, no doubt.
Now come with US, gentle reader of
of the COLUMBIAN, till we show you
just few of the capers these modern
fairies cut in b oomsburg on last
Halleve," and see if you can't agree
with us that it is high time to give the
old saints and martyrs a rest.
On Main street, as far as we
traversed it, was grain scattered al,
along on the pavements too thick to
grow well if sown in field. And we
verify believe there was flour enough
also wasted to feed the hungry poor
of the town throughout the winter.
OF all the foolish and sinful wasteful-
ness that we ever observed anywhere
the practice of scattering grain and
flour right and left is The most in.
excusable. 1t demonstrates nothing
but reckless abandon to thus waste
the bounties of nature while others
are suffering through famine. This
great vast. we think fit subject for
borough prohibitive legislation, lest
The God who gives us the grain thus
wasted should cut it off from this
section hereafter.
Never, since the most extravagant
and wasteful war times, when you
might occasionally see a drunken
soldier light his cigar with ten or
twenty dollar bill, have we seen
anything like it.
We shall not attempt to enumerate
all the mischief done to persons and
property in behalf of the departed
saints on the occasion Of the last
9 Halleve in Bloomsbury. We will
only mention that, besides wasting
,raln and vegetables, it is quite the
hing here to fill porous and odorous
stocking with lampblack or flour and |
hen ruin somebody's shirt front or
Bang them In the face with it. 1t is
llso regarded by Bloomsburgers as
beneficial to the repose of the martyrs
or the ceIebrators to 60 out in the
treet and gather mud sufficient to
'esmear doors and windows after the
upply OF rotten vegetables is run out.
There is no doubt that Bloomsburg is
live town when it comes to celebrat-
ng the lives and deaths of the depart
d saints and martyrs. We are of
pinion, however, that if an old saint
hould be resurected long enough to
ee the present celebration he'd want
0 retire and ask to be buried out of
lght again deeper than ever.
a Has An Advantage.