Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-12-25

The most beautiful legend is Of
q rnan origin, and comes from that
borderland of history between Pagan
aud Christmas days:
BEAUTIFUL GERMAN LEGEND
'HarkeD, We sons If the forestl
No blood shall flow this night, save
that which pity has drawn from a
mothers breast. For this is the
birth nigh of the white Christ, the
son of the All Father, the Savior of
mankind. Fairer is He than Baldur
the Beautiful, greater than Odin the
Wise, kinder than Freya the Good.
Since He has come sacrifice has end
ed. The dark Thor. on whom We
have vainly called is dead. Deep in
the shades of Niff-lheim he is lost
forever. Aud now Oh this Christ
eight ye shall begin to live. This
Blood-tree shall darken your land no
more. Iu the name of the lord,
will destroy it,
she grasp the broad axe from the
hand of Oregon, aud striding to the
oak, began to hew against it. Then
the sole wonder in Winfrid's life
came to pass. For as the bright
blade circled above his head, and the
fakes of wood flew from the deep
ening cash in the body of the tree
az whirling wind passed over the
forest. 1t gripped the oak from it's
foundations. Backward it fell, like
tower, grooming as it split asunder
IN four pieces. But Just behind it,
and unharmed by the ruiz, stood a
young frtree, pointing u gree, spire
toward the stars.
"Winfrid let the axe drop, aud
turned to speak TO the people.
. This little tree, a young child of
the forest, shall he your holy tree to
night. 1t is the wood of peace, for
your houses are built of fir. 1t is
the sign of on endless life, for it's
leaves are evergreen. See, how it
points upward to heavenl Let this
be called the tree of the Christ child:
gather about it, not in the wild wood
but in your own homes; there it
will shelter no deeds of blood, but
loving gifts and rites of Kindness
$50, they took the tree from it's
place and carried it in joyful process
ion to the edge of the glade, and
laid 1t on one sledges The horse
tossed his head and drew brave!y at
his load, as if the new burden had
hghtened it. When they came to
the village. Alvoid babe them open
the door of this great hall, and set
the tree III tho midst of it,"
IN HISTORY.
Historically. the Christmas tree
can only be traced back to the six
teenth century During the middle
ages 1t suddenly appears in Stras
burg. n valuable authentic manu-
script of zoos, by Strasburg burg
her, now In a private collection in
Friedburg Hesse, describes the holi
days very much AS we are used to
celebrate them. The manuscript of
a book. entitled THE Milk of Gate
chlsm" by the Strasburg Theolo
gan Danhauer, mentions the same
subject in a similar. During the
next 200 years the Christmas tree
could only be met along the Rhine,
when suddenly, at the beginning of
this century, the nabit spread all ov.
er Germany, and fifty years later had
conquered the world.
The fiji st description of a Christ
mas-tree in modern literature is to be
found in The Nutcracker," a fairy
tale, by Fougue & Aoffman.
In 1880 the Christmas. tree was
introduced by Queen Caroline into
Munich. At the same time it beat
its path through Bohemia into Hun
gary, where it became fashionable
among the Magyar aristocracy -
New York Herald.