The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-25

in the Raphaelite Italian school In
this tree or near II are seen angels in
flowing robes singing out of a scroll of
illumined paper the Peace on earth
and good will toward men," or GLORY.
glory, hallelujah."
The correct German Christmas tres
always has an angel or a Christkind
on the topmost branch, with a tinsel
star at the end of a staff like any PAN
tomime fairy, and IL the tree belongs
to a very orthodox family there is usu-
ally at its foot a small toy group rep
resenting the Savior's birth in the sta
bic at Bethlehem. The tree represent
ed, though grown from heather root,
Is no doubt still the tannebaum which
from Germany has become naturalized
in America, France and England.
The extreme Puritans, originating
with the Presbyterians of Scotland,
have always set their faces against
Christmas observances, and indeed the
Puritan parliament of the Praise-God
Barebones period abolished Christmas
altogether and made II heinous crime
of lese-nationality to exhibit holly and
ivy on their walls.
BEAUTIFUL OBSERVANCES.
The midnight mass, as 1t is celebrat-
ed in most Catholic countries in Eu-
rope, is one of the most beautiful and
touching Of solemnities. In the great
cities, like Paris and Brussels and vi
emma, il is accompanied by the most
splendid music and rich decorations OF
the chapels and affairs in the churches.
At st. Roch, in Paris, a chapel is IL
ted up in imitation of the manger In
Bethlehem, and is visited by hundreds
of thousands.
The carols are sung by princes and
princesses of the operate stage; the
midnight sermon is preached by one OF
the most celebrated of preachers. The
singing is so fine that people often wait
hours, standing crowded in the aisles
rather than miss 1t. At the Madeline
all the splendors of the church treas
ury are brought out, and the affairs are
agleam with dazzling wealth, accumu-
lated through centuries.
In the humble and pious Briton vii
lagos. also, the midnight mass is at
tended by the faithful. The peasants
come trudging over the snowy roads
and clatter in their wooden shoes into
the porch of the blackened and dilapi-
dated old church. Each leaves his
lanterns and his wraps with the old
crone at the portal, then pushes for
ward to the nave, where he leaves his
sabots and betakes himself to prayer
A few old-fashioned carols are sung, q
lively allocution is delivered by the
country cure, and by and by, in the
gray of the morning, the groups OF
men and women, in their broad hats
and long and black coats, go strayinf
home together.
In the middle ages in France ii wa'
the custom for the burghers of on'
town to go in procession on the ev'
before Christmas to visit the neighbor:
in some adjacent burg, and to present
before them a rude mystery play of the
/ Nativity.
They went in procession, playing up
on rebeck, viol. tabor and flute, and
sometimes displayed much pomp II
these parades, all of which were II
honor, as their old carols say, of "Je
sus, the flower of life"
1t would sorely puzzle the average
child of the United States If il had L
spend Christmas in far-off Australia
Instead of snow, ice and chilly blasts
| the Australians have weather mucl
like we have on the Fourth of July.
Christmas there means a great open
air picnic, celebrated in groves of eu
| calyptus trees and surrounded by bios
soming flowers. Aside from the wealth
er, Christmastide is observed by th'
Australians the same as in the mother
country. topped off by fine dinner o.
fat goose and plum pudding.-Omahs
| Bee.