The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1897-12-24

sion and for most benelicent purpose,
to Friga, the Northern goddess flove.
For the protection of her son Bladder,
an oath was imposed on all things of
earth, air, file, and water, not toiniure
the beautiful young god. The mistle-
toe alone from its apparent harmless
ness, was expected, and it was with an
arrow fashioned from its wood that
Loki, the evil one. slew him. All ma
tire bitterly mourned his death until
Ilela pitieI and restored him to his
mother, and from that time the fatal
plant was consecrated to Friga-our
native Venus, that it mi ght henceforth
become an instrument of love but never
more of hatred. Thus at Christmas,
when the Druids were wont to cut 1t
with golden knive", we pass under its
branches with kisses, and formerly,
whenever it was scarce, our maidens,,
not to be defrauded of their customary
rites, made "kissing lunches of ever
greens ornamented with oranges and
ribbons, to do duty instead.
His must be sour heart that can
view these sweet old customs with any
other feeling than that of genial appro-
baton. Hundreds Of generations have
enjoyed them and made merry over
them, the young and the unlearned in
happy and innocent thoughtlessness,
while the learned and philosophic have
busted themselves with the deeper i'm
port that lies beneath their popular
surface. These see in them the relics
of universal religion devoted to Ma
ture, whose origin is shrouded in the
Cimmerian gloom of the North, and in
the myths of remotest antiquity.
They observe their close relation, not
to the Saturnalia of Rome alone, but
to the Egyptian Pamylia, the Bacchic
and Dionysian orgies of the Greeks,
the obscene festivals of India, Mesopo-
tamia, and South America, and to the
other religious mysteries in those and
all the rest of the world where Nature
worship has been symbolised and cor
rupted by priestcraft, and its pure
stream diverted into impure channels.
This trading in mankind's best emo
tions and subordinating worship to
gain or power, has slain in succession
all the religions of the past just as it
will destroy those of the present. 1t
may be that il .he cycle of religious
evolution the time will come when
mankin1 will reach the point whence
they started, and their hearts will be
again filled with love and reverence for
all nature rs the sure and universal
manifestation of God to MN.
Let us ead,avour, then, to mix, the
best use of Christmas, whateverit its his
torlcal shortcomings, and to join in the
general spirit Of love and goodwill.
All periods that knit the hearts ofmen
more closely together, are most worthy
OF human observance. Let the tables
smoke with festive cheer, and hall and
cottage ring with joyous greeting, and
prove to the world that England is
merry England still. The absent will
return to gladden. those at home, and
the dead will be lovingly remembered.
For those who cannot be present, whom
necessity or distance has parted from
us, there will be kindly messages, even
to the ends of the earth, borne by the
swift mail or swifter telegraph. Let
us rejoice That it is not in the power OF
time or space to sever us from those
we love, and that though they may be
toiling through the defiles of the khy-
Der Pass. OF broiling under an Indian
or African sun, or living lonely lives
in Canada or America, in Australasia,
or any Of the numberlcss colonies
where British industry adds Empire to
Empire. vt their places will not be
forgotten on Christmas Day, but af-
fection will make the absent present.
Above all, on this day beyond every
other, let the poor and the outcast be
amply provided for, that they may par
take of the general rejoicing, and if all
the remaining days of their years be
wrctched, let them ba happy on this,
the day of days, when, as tradition
tells, the Prince of Peace was born, to
bring message of love from Heaven
T Earth ,U,Ju T,uE