The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-12-15
AMYTH OF THE RHINE
VARIOUS VERSIONS OF THE ORIGIN
OF CHRISTMAS TREES.

Tiny 1apers and Sweet 6urprisss.
One may read in the folklore Of the
Rhine district Of mysterious tree that
blooms only on the night before Christ
mas, and the cid myth assures us we
have only to 60 to O certain spot TO find
1t oil TO be true. AS the first authentic
accounts OF Christmas gift tree are In
the annals of this same Rhine neighbor-
hood, may we not believe that the holy
mystery supposed 10 be concealed In the
blossoming tree was commemorated and
perpetuated in the decoration of the
Christmas spruce? At all events, IL IL
In historical records of Strasburg from
the year 1905 we'first read Of q real
Christmas tree. The man who has left
the record writes:
"During the Christmas holidays a
spruce is set up In Strasburg homes. ON
which are hung horses of many colored
paper, apples. consecrated waters, clay
cuckoos, sugar." etc.
The use of the tree spread very slow
ly during the 400 years following, and
we next read of il in l648 in q theolog-
ical work called milk of the Cate
chism." This time it Is not mentioned
lovingly, but the author inveighs
against its use In the home in these
words:
"Among other frivolities with which
days arc celebrated the Christmas spruce
is found. which is set mp in the houses
and decorated with puppets and sweet
things. Finally one shakes il, and so
its blossoms fall. Whence comes this
custom know not The whole thing is
child's play. Better would ii be if one
allowed the children to keep holy day
around that spiritual cedar tree, Christ
Jesus.
Next we hear Of ID from the stand
point of the jurist in 1881 In very
learned treatise ION the Gifts Bestowed
on Our Redeemer's Birthday" jurist
striving for position of decent at Wit
tenberg speaks Of the candle decked
Christmas tree, under whose boughs the
gifts to the housefolk are spread, gifts
whose justification he sees from legal
standpoint
Late in the eighteenth century the
tree was more frequently mentioned,
and il was even the great Goethe who
introduced it 10 the literary world in
his Sorrows of Werther. " Goethe
first saw Christmas tree in 1865, when
he was l6 years old, at the house Of
Theodor Korner's grandmother. He
says, "It was hung with all kinds OF
sweets, managers holding the Christ
child, the Virgin Mary and Joseph
standing beside the oxen, asses and
lambs"
Do you remember Werther's visit to
Lotte ON the Sunday before Christmas,
when he finds her alone, preparing
packages of presents for her small
brothers and sisters? Just as he, suspect
ing nothing, pours out his ecstasy over
their friendship the door suddenly
opens, and the Christmas tree bursts on
his view, with its glimmering wax can
dies. its cakes and apples
Germany's other idol, Schiller, does
not himself write Of any Christmas tree,
but in work by friend of his We
learn that at Christians time. 1889, he
became betrothed to Lotte Won Lenge-
field and withdrew from an engage
ment to "pass the holidays under the
Christmas tree" with family in Jena
In order to be with her.
The following Christmas he and his
wife Lotte stood beneath brightly
glowing tree" in their own home.
The first time the Christmas tree was
enshrined in verse was in 1905, just
900 years from its first historic mention
From that yearithe custom of decorat-
ing spruce at Christmas spread rapid.
ly all over Germany until about 1880 il
went over the border into France and
was introduced in 1910 by Helen, duch-
ess of Orleans, into the Tuileries
Now over 10, 900 trees are decorated
annually in France The French people
observe the custom with all their char
| acteristic enthusiasm and warm piety.
They have very pretty way OF protect
| ing the roots of the tree and planting
it again after the holidays are over
The Christmas tree found its way into
England through Prince ALBERT soon aft
er his betrothal to Queen Victoria. A pc
culiar English custom is that of passing
O small tree round the table after the
Christmas dinner, from which each per-
son plucks the gift previously placed
there for him or her.
Nor are these the only countries to
follow the Germans in their Christmas
festival. In Italy, tho Netherlands,
Russia and Scandinavia the little ones
are made happy by the blooming of the
Christmas tree Indeed an old German
legend ascribes the origin Of the custom
to Sweden, whence 1t was introduced
into Germany at the time OF the Thirty
Years war But this Is only legendary
and has no more claim to our belief
than that other legend Of Martin Lu.
ther taking a forest tree into his house
and decking il Will numerous lights TO
symbolic the glory of the starlit heav-
ems
In our own country the history of the
Christmas tree is young. and although
nany foreigners think the only kind
l.. sob