The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current, 1897-12-18
ChRISTMASTIDE.
For The Sea Coast Echo.

terest, a material and a spiritual.
Some love it because it comes
"but once a year, and when it
comes it brings good cheer;
others, because it is prominently
the season of universal reconcilia-
ton, of "peaco on earth and good
will towards men," Families
may be scattered during the rest
of the year, but at this time their
members strive to re-unite, and,
whore this is impossible, the ex-
lied ones turn their faces longing
| ly towards hearth anil home
From India, Burmah, Australia,
America, and the uttermost parts
of the earth, England's brave and
ubiquitous sons and daughters
send loving greetings, while they
practise the old customs. TO the
iindoo cook nothing is more mys-
terious than the English plumpud-
{ding, which all English insist on
whether in torrid or Arctic zones.
After the ingredients have been
given out, too often has il come
to table in the form of thick
soupl the late Viscount Milton
(Lord Fitzwilliam's eldest son)
and DR.. Cheadle, ntheir interest
ing account of their arduous un-
dertaking, "The Northwest pas.
sage by Land, . which they
commenced III 1862, and disco
vered the route which has since
been utilized by the Canadian
Pacific Railway, give comical
account of the difficulties and
the qualified success of Lord Mil
toms attempt at making plum
pudding. DR.. Cheadle kept the
precious fruit, flour, and sugar
Gin his strong box" This like
wise contained stores of powder,
shot, caps, tobacco, soap, and
various etceteras. -. After elimi-
mating all foreign bodies as care
fully as possible, the pudding was
duly mixed, tied up in the cloth
after the established manner and
placed in the pot. Many a time
was it taken out and It's state ex-
amined by point of fork before il
was at last-after 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 any idea of the greedy
eyes with which we viewed that
PLAN p-puddins. 1t proved deli
cious beyond all anticipation, in
spite of certain drawbacks in
the shape of caps, buckshot-
and fragment of tobacco, which
we discovered in it.. Never
did schoolboy view with such
sincere regret the disappearance
of his last morsel of cake, as we
did when signing over the last
mouthful ofthat unequalled pud-
ding"
The value of Christmas lies in
its warm and humanizlng asso-
Citations, and not because it was
the birthday Of Jesus 1897 years
ago. This latter is a pious fiction
of the Church, and. fortunately
one of it's few harmless ones. He
was not born on the 25th of De-
cember, nor 1897 years ago. The
day and the month are unknown,
and the time was four years be-
fore the Christian era. Formerly
the 9th of January was kept as
Jesus birthday, and one of the
Popes put it back to its present
date. Thus Christmastide real
ly includes the New Year up to
Twelfth Day. But although all
is mysterious concerning the Au-
thor of Christianity--I1is birth,
His life, and His age at death
the impulse that He gave the
world remains and gathers
strength with time. He is the
Prince Of Peace, and the Great
Teacher of the Brotherhood of
Man and the Fatherhood of God.
And so at this festive season,
all who can-and Heaven pity
those who cannot-gather round
the blazing fire and enjoy cheer
lful communion and interchange
of loving kindness. Presents and
fond messages for those who arc
remote, help to remind friends
and relations Of mutual affection,
and to knit all hearts more close,
| ly together. What matters it
how the festival arose, or when,
whether one century after Christ
or FIVE, so long as it forms a means
for all those pleasant and huma-
nizing couTtesiesi
Yet the sour Puritans Of the
I Commonwealth under the guise
Of zeal for religion, endoaYoered
to check the natural impulses of
the nation. First they caused it
! to be kept as a fast on Christmas
BDay, 1644, and for twelve years
after, and next by an Order Of
4 Concil. December, 1857, they
abolished Christmas and other
Holy days altogether. A writer
Of tho period remarked Of 1914.
that this was the first time since
the Apostles chat there was any
Fast kept upon that day in The
! Christian Church. Soldiers were
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