Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-12-24
Washin9tou Standard
CIIRISTMASTIDE.
KIND AND SEASONABLE WORDS
FROM BEYOND THE SEA

Attacks of BiGotry and Remains
a Season of Peace and Good
Will Among Men,"
BY Lady Cook, nee Tennessee G. Claiiin
Chri>tma>tide has Il twosold inter
est, a material and spiritual. Some
love it because it comes but once a
year, and when it comes it brings
good cheer; Others, because it is pre-
eminently the season OF universal rec
OnciliatiOn, OF peace on earth and
goodwill towards men," Families
may be scattered during the rest OF
the year, but at this time their mem
hers strive to rc-unitc, and, where this
is impossible, the cxilcd ones turn
their faces longingly towards hearth
and home. From India, Burmah,
Australia, America and the uttermost
parts OF the earth, Englands brave
and ubiquitous sons and daughters
send loving greetings, while they
practice the old customs. To the
Hindoo cook nothing is more myster-
ious than the English plum-pudding,
which all English insist on whether in
torrid or Arctic zones. After the in
gradients have been given out, too
often has it come to table in the form
of a thick soup! The late Viscount
Milton (Lord Fitzwilliam's eldest sony
and DIR. Cheadle, in their interesting
account of their arduous undertaking,
"The Northwest Passage by Land"
which they commenced in 1862, and
discovered the route which has since
been utilized by the Canadian Pacific
Railway, give comical account of the
difficulties and the qualified success of
Lord Millions attempt at making a
plum-pudding. DR.. Cheadle kept the
precious fruit, flour and sugar " in his
strong box" This likewise contained
stores of powder, shot, caps, tobacco,
soap and various etceteras.
After eliminating all foreign bodies as
carefully 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 its state examined by
point of fork before it was at last
after boiling nearly all day-pro-
nounced thoroughly cooked.
No one who has not been restricted
entirely to one species OF food for a
long time can form any idea of the
greedy eyes with which we viewed that
plum-pudding. 1t proved delicious
beyond all anticipation, in spite of Ger.
tain drawbacks in the shape of caps
buckshot and fragments of tobacco
which we discovered in it.
Never did schoolboy view with sucll
sincere regret the disappearance of his
last morsel Of cake, as we did when
signing over the last mouthful of that
unequalled pudding"
The value of Christmas lies in it.
warm and humanizing associations
and not because it was the birthday o.
Jesus, 1897 years ago. This latter is 6
pious fiction of the church, and, fortu
nately one of its 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 thu
time was four years before the Chris
tan era. Formerly the 9Th of Janu
airy was kept as Jesus birthday, and
one of the Popes put it back to it,
present date. Thus Christmastide
really includes the New Year up tt
Twelfth Day. But although all il
mysterious concerning the Author o.
Christianity-His birth, his Life and
His age at death-the impulse that He
gave the world remains and gathers
strength with them. He is the Prince
of Peace, and the Great Teacher of the
Brotherhood of Man and the Father
hood of God.
And so at this festive season, all who
can-and Heaven pity those who can.
not-gather round the blazing fire
and enjoy cheerful communion and
interchange IF loving-kindness. Pres.
ents and fond messages for those who
are remote, help to remind friends and
relations 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 or five, so long as it forms
a means for all those pleasant and hu'
manizing courtesies?
Yet the sour Puritans of the Com.
monwealth, under the guise of zeal fol
CuuCstSOICu w CllCCk Vic 1la-
tural impulses of the nation. First
they caused it to he kept as fast, on
Christmas Day, 1914, and for twelve
years after, and next by an Order Of
Council, December, 1857, they abol.
ished Christmas and other Holy-days
altogether. 4 writer of the period re-
marked of 1914 that this was the first
time since the Apostles that there wa:
any fast kept upon that day in the
Christian church. Soldiers were sen,
to visit the kitchens and ovens, just
before dinner-time, of those who were
suspected of not observing it, and car
ried away whatever meat they found
and ate it; for these were exempted
from fasting provided they made Others
fast. Sir John Birkenhead, wittily in
quired whether the Parliament hai