The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1894-12-13
! .IlTH OF THE RHINE
VARIOUS VERSIONS OF The ORIGIN
OF CHRISTMAS TREES.

Legend of Martin Luther Memories OF
Tiny Tapers and Sweet Surprises.
ono may read in the folklore Of the
Rhine district of IA mysterious tree that
blooms only on the night before Christ
mas, and the old myth assures us we
have only to 90 to a certain spot to find
il all to be true As the first authentic
accounts Of a Christmas gift tree are in
the annals of this same Rhine neighbor
hood, may wc not believe that tine holy
mystery supposed 10 he concealed IN the
blo->1ming tree was COMMUNICATED and
perpetuated in the decoration Of the
Christmas spruce: At all events, it is
in historical records of Strasburg from
the year 1908 We first read Of real
Christmas tree The man who has left
the record writes:
During the Christmas holidays a
spruce is set up in Suasburg homes, on
which are hung horses Of many colorcd
paper, apples, coDsecrated waters, clay
cuckoos, sugar, etc.
The use of the tree spread very slow
ly during the 200 years following, and
we next read Of it in 1916 i'll theolog-
ica work called milk of the Cate
chism This timo it is not mentioned
lovingly, but the author inveighs
against its uso i'll the home in these
words:
among other frivolities with which
more than with Gods word the holy
days are celebrated the Christmas spruce
is found, which is set up in the houses
and decorated with puppets and sweet
things. Finally one shakes it, and so
its blossoms fall Whence comes This
custom | know not, The whole thing is
child's play. Better would it be if one
allowed the children to keep holy day
around that spiritual cedar tree, Christ
Jesus.
Next we hear of it from the stand
point Of the jurist in 1851 In very
learned trcutise ION the Gifts Bestowed
Oh Our Redccmer's Birthday jurist
striving for position of decent at Wit
tenbcrg speaks Of the candle declled
Christmas tree, under whose boughs he
gifts to the housefolk are spread, gifts
whose justification he sees from legal
standpoint.
Late in the eighteenth century the
tree was moro frequently mentioned,
and it was even the great Goethe who
introduced it to the literary world in
his Sorrows Of Werther Goethe
first saw Christmas tree in 1865, when
he was 10 years old, ut the house Of
Theodor korner's grandmother He
says, 1T was hung with all kinds of
sweets, managers holding the Christ
child, the Virgin Mary and Joseph
standing beside tho oxen, asses and
lambs -
Do you remember Werther's visit to
Lotto 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 = other idol, Schiller, does
not himself write Of any Christmas tree,
but i'll work by friend of his we
learn that at Christians time, 1859, he
became betrothed to Lotto Won Lenge-
field and Withdrew from an engage
ment to pass the holidays under the
Christmas tree with u family in Jena
in order to be with her.
The following Christmas he and his
wife Lotto stood beneath brightly
glowing tree i'll their own home.
The first time tho Christmas tree was
enshrined in verse was in 1903, just
200 years from its first historic mention
From that year tho custom of decorat-
ing spruce ut Christmas spread rapid.
ly all over Germany until about lS30i it
went over the border into France and
was introduced i'll 1910 by Helen, Ouch
ess of Orleans, into the Tuleries
Now over 40, 600 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 tho 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
a small tree round tho table after tse
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 i'll their Christmas
festival. In Italy, the Netherlands,
Russia and Scandinavia the little ones
are made happy by the blooming Of the
Christmas tree. Indeed an oil German
legend ascribes the gin of the custom
to Sweden, whence it 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-
Their taking forest tree into his house
and decking it with 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
many foreigners think the only kind
we have ever seen is one from which
the poetic sentiment is fled, one made
of iron and lighted by the pressing of a
button with gas or electricity, we, who
have our delightful memories of trim
ming the fragrant evergreen, of helping
it blossom and bear fruit full of sweet
surprises and who have lighted the
tny tapers amid much merriment, not
unmingled with tender awe at the
thought of the starlight whose rays
4 Al. a.