San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-19

pointing them to the more solemn and
especial service of God. The BlaZes
are foolish and vaine, and not counte-
nanced by the church.
"Christmasse Kariles, if they be such
! as are fit for the time, and of holy
and sober composure, and used with
Christmas sobriety and piety, they are
not unlawful, and may be profitable, if
they be sung with grace in the heart.
New Yeares Gifts. if performed
without superstition, may be harmless
provOcatiOns to Christian love, and
mutual testimony thereof to good pur-
pose, and never the worse because the
Heathens have them ut the like times
All very sensible but ut the same time
a clever example of special pleadings,
not unknown in our time, in which
Heather priority is ignored. The "Bla-
zes," or Yule-logs, however, were diff
| ficult for Warmestry TO account for or
| TO claim as Christian emblems. We
can scarcely suppose him ignorant of
| their meaning or of that of the others,
but he doubtleSsly thought it would
not he wise 10 enlighten the vulgar
Herrick tells us that the Yule log of
the new Christmas used to be lit with
last years brand" In some places
this was kept under the bed during
the interval as preventative against
thunder and fire. 1t was said to cure
cattle diseases. and its ashes freed the
corn from blight.
The Christmas candle used TO be of
enormous size, and made 10 illuminate
the whole house. They were always lit
on Christmas eve, and thus Christmas,
says Blount, was called The Feast of
Lights" in the Latin church.
Christmas is the season of carols.
Durandus derives this word from can
tare, to sing, and rola, joyful interjec-
ton. Talbot, however. derives it from
the Breton, carroll, to dance; and Rich
ardson from the French carolle, a par
ticular kind of dance. From it's SINH
larity of structure and meaning in
many tongues, we may be sure that it
meant dancing accompanied with mu-
sic and song, like that around the al
tars of the Sun God, Bel, or that prac-
ticed by the Bacchantes of the Sun
God, Bacchus, or by the Corybantes,
the CALI of Cybelle or Bella, the Lun-
ar deity and cOnsOrt of the Solar.
Warton says the Christmas carols
printed in 1923 by Wynkyn de Worde,
that these were festal chansons for
enliyening the merriment of the Christ
mas celebrity" Indeed there is scare
ly custom of any importance relating
TO Christmas which was not an ancient
one when Christ was born. The ever
greens, mistletOe, illuminatiOns. cakes,
carols, feasting, dancing and diversion
of various sorts, point to the same Pa
gan sources, as do so many other of
our social and religious customs. Even
the Bishops Crisier is the old Litnus
or chief ensign to the Roman Augurs.
Mosheim informs us that Gregory
Thaumaturgus allowed the Christians
to dance, sport and feast. at the tombs
of the martyrs upon their respective
festivals, and TO do everything that the
Pagans were accustomed to do in their
temples during the feasts."
1t was not until the fourth century
that Christ's mass was instituted, and
the Eastern Christians celebrated it.
then as now, on the sixth of January,
and called it Epiphany, while the
Westerns pitched on the 25th of De
cember.
We hope some day to give an account
of the carols, for these form interest
ing pictures of the habits and thoughts
of our ancestors. There was that
strange one sung by the sewer while
bearing the bOar'S head, as he was fol
lowed by the stately procession of no.
bles, knights and ladies, into the ban
quoting hall in the good old days when
open house was kept for all corners by
the great for weeks together. 1t be-
gins:
"Caput apri defero,
ReddenS laudeS Domino.
The bOar's head in hand bring |
With garlands gay and Rosemary;
pray you all sing merrily.
Qui estis in cOnviviO.
Then there is that beginning:
God rest you, merry gentlemen,
Let nothing you dismay.
For Jesus Christ, our Savior,
Was born upon this day.
To save us all from Satan's power
When we We're gone astray."
An old one, chanted in youth by bal.
lad singers, commences:
Il saw three ships come sailing in
On ChriStmaS-day. on ChristmaS-day."
1t appears. Our Savior Christ and
His Lady" were abroad. and in viola
ton of the possibilities of modern peO.
graphy:
20, they sailed into Bethlehem
On Christmas-day. on ChristmaS-day."
But which among them ali-and
many of them are very quaint-eXcelS
for beauty is that which Bishop Tay.
lor called ''the earliest Christmas Ca
roll
| Gloria in EXcelsis,"