The Springfield herald., 1897-12-10
Yule : Tide.

fostering domestic harmony, and
repeating the glorious gospel OF
peace on earth and good will TO-
ward men. No other period of
the year is so potent as this III
healing the wounds OF friendship.
and in warming the heart of man
toward his fellows. And who
soever has British, Scandinavian,
or Saxon blood In his veins, well
comes it with enthusiasm. lie
observes it with gladness whether
1T comes to HIM in a torrld or arc
tic cline OF any intermediate zone.
The best Of good cheer is spread,
his dearest friends are invited and
whatever else NAV grace his table
a plum pudding stuck full of berry
laden holly will If possible. be
there, and bunch OF mistletoe
not far off: customs strongly saw
curing of Paganlsm, without
doubt. and handed down from
heather ancestors, who were,
nevertheless, in their own time
and way, good men and true.
Christmas is the Christian Satur
nal when even the strictest and
most decorous, countenance some
degree of license. The polite
leaders OF our faith in the earliest
days of Christianity thought ii
wise to graft most of the rites and
ceremonies of Paganism upon the
doctrins of Christ in order to make
the latter popular. Thus they
caused His birth to coincide with
with the Roman Saturnalla which
for a whole week from the 18th
to the 25th of December com
memorated the freedom and
quality that existed during the
whole of the reign of Saturn. We
are told that long before the
foundation Of Rome these heather
feasts were remarkable for their
universal liberty. Slaves We're
permitted to ridicule their mas
ters and to discuss every topic
with freedom. Friends made
presents to one another, the schools
were closed, no crlmlnals were
executed, public and private ami
mostly ceased. While they last
ed war was never declared, and
mlrth, riot aud debauchery had
full swing. During the sacrifices
the priests made their offerings
with uncovered heads, which W was
never done at any other festival.
The fatters were removed from
the public statutes of the god, to
whom every emancipated slave
devoted his own. The temples
were decked with holly and Ivy,
and other sacred evergreens, and
as profuselv as our own were in
the last century, when Miss JENNIE
Simper thus complained to the
"Spectator".: sour clerk. who
was once gardner. has this
Christmas so overdeckt the church
with greens that he has quite
spoilt my prospe ct, insomuch that
| have scarce seen the Young
baronet for three weeks. and un
less the green's ara removed. l
shall soon have little else to do in
church than to soy my prayers
The holly and the mlstletoe are
Indigenous although not peculiar
to this country, and the latter, MS
every one knows, was pre- emf
nently the sacred plant of the
Drulds. that mysterious, learned.
and remarkable cast whose hioto-
nv remains to be written. In the
Scandinavian mythology, the
mistletoe was consecrated on Il
memorable occasion and for a
most heneficent purpose. to Frign,
the Northern goddess of love. For
the protection OF her son Ralder,
an oath was imposed on all things
of earth, air. fire and wafer, not
to inJure the beautiful young god.
The mistletoe alone from its ap.
parent harmlessness. was except
ed. and it was with an arrow
fashioned from its wood that Lrki,
the evil one, slew hlm. All nature
bitterly mourned his death until
Hela pitied and restored Inn ia
his mother, and from that time