San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-12
ClTISIl0Side


nently the season of universal reconcil-
iation, of peace on earth and good will
towards men," Families may be
scattered during the rest of the year.
but ut this time their members strive to
reunite, and, where this is impossible,
the eXiled ones turn their faces longing
~ towards hearth and home. From
India, Burmah, Australia, America,
ana the uttermost parts of the earth
England's brave and ubiquitous sons
and daughters send loving greetings.
while they practice the old customs.
| To the HindoO cook nothing is more
mysterious than the English plum-pud-
ding, which all English insist on
whether in torrid or Arctic zones. At
ter the ingredients have been given
out too often has it come to table in
the form of a thick soup. The late
Niscount Milton Lord Fitzwilliam's
| eldest som and DR.. Cheadle, in their in
teresting account of their arduous I'M
dertaking, The Northwest Passage by
Land" which the commenced in 1862.
and discovered the route which has
since been utilized by the Canadian Pa
cific railway. give Il comical account OF
the difficulties and the qualified sue
cess of Lord Millions attempt at max
ing plum pudding. Dr. Cheadle kept
the precious fruit, flour and sugar lin
his strong box" This likewise con-
tanned stores of powder, shot, caps. to.
bacco, soap and various etcetras.
After eliminating all foreign bodies
as carefully as possible, the pudding
was duly mixed, tied up in the cloth
after the established manner and plac-
ed in the pot. Many n time was it
taken out and its state examined by
point of fork before it was at last-af. |
ter boiling nearly all day-pronOunced |
thoroughly cooked. > No one who |
has not been restricted entirely to one |
species of food for long time can |
form and idea of the greedy eyes with |
which we viewed that plum pudding. |
1t proved delicious beyond all antici- |
patton, in spit of the certain drawbacks |
in the shape of caps, buckshot and |
fragments Of tobacco, which we discoy-
cred in it. 1" Never did schoOIboy
view with such sincere regret the dis
appearance of his last mOrsal of cake.
rs we did when signing over the last |
mouthful of that unequalled pudding.
The value of Christmas lies in its
warm and humaniZing associations.
and not because it is the birthday of |
Jesus 1897 years ago. This latter is Il
piOus fiction of the church. and. FORUM
ltely one of its few harmless ones. He
was not born on the 25th of December.
nor 1897 years ago. The day of the
is nm 4 a az. |
four years before the Christian era.
Formerly the 9th of January was kept
is Jesus birthday, and one of the popes
put it back to its present date. Thus
really includes the New
Year up to Twelfth day. But although
all is mysterious concerning the author
Of Christianity-His birth. His life. and
His death-the impulse that He gave
the world remains and gathers
with time. He is the Prince
Of Peace, and the Great Teacher of the
of Man and the Father
hood of God.
And so at this festive season, all who
Heaven pity those who can
not gather round the blazing fire ana
enjoy cheerful communion and inter
change of loving kindness. Presents
and fond messages for those who are
remote, help to remind friends and re
latiOnS Of mutual affection. and to
knit all hearts more closely together.
What matters it how the festival arose
or when, whether one century after
Christ OF five, so long rs it forms Il
means for all those pleasant and mu-
cOurtesies!
Yet the sour puritans of the common
wealth, under the guise OF zeal for re
ligiOus, endeavOred to check the nat
uarl impulses of the nation. First
they caused ii to be kept as Il fast on
Christmas day, 1914, and for twelve
years after. and next and by an order
of council, December 1861, they abOl-
Ished Christmas and other holy days al
together. \ writer of the period re-
marked of 1914 that this was the first
time since the Apostles that there was
any fast kept upon that day in the
Christian church. Soldiers were sent
to visit the Kitchens and ovens. lust
before dinner time, of those who were
of not observing il. and car
rled away whatever meat they found
and ate it, For these We're exempted
from fasting provided they made 9th
ers fast. Sir John Birkenhead wit
tingly enquired whether Parliament
had not cause to forbid Christmas
when they found their public acts un-
der so many Christmas pies? Butler
wrote of the dominant PreSbyterians
as
"A sect whose chief devotion lies
In odd perverse antipathIes;
In falling out with that or this,
And finding something still amiss:
That with more care keep Holy day
The wrong, than others the right way.
Still so perverse and opposite,
As if they worship's God for spight
Rather than fail they will dery
That which the love most tenderly:
Quarrel and Minc'd-pies and disparage
Their hest and dearest friend, Plum
porridge;
Fat pig and goose itself oppose.
And plaspheme cuStard thrO' the nose