The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-25

Last evening, about half an hour past
midnight, 1 was sitting in the Cafe Mon
ferina, just beside the opera. We had Sc
cured a corner table in that section nightly
patronized-as if they owned it-by a group
of theatrical managers, dancers of the opera
and small stars of the burlesque Stage. They
talked so much that they forget TO drink
their drinks. The dancers take hot milk;
two theatrical directors take balloons of
beer the third takes orange flower water;
one of the burlesquers prefers curacao;
while both of the others have tiny glass
of cognac. An amiable poung prince. who
cultivates their company, orders up a fer
midable whisky Soda for he is extremely
English.
They were talking about mistletoe and its
pronunciation. 'Miss-luh- toa-ay," said the
fat man, and it is a serious thing to contra
dict him. He is excitable. That is the reason
he takes orange flower. "Miss-luh-toe-uh,"
said the young prince firmly, looking at him
with calm, steadfast eyes:
Il ain of Britanny," said the fair dancer
of the opera, land the old Breton gui will
do for me. There is a song we used to sing:
o files ct CARS de Bretagne,
D'aller sueillr, par Ia campagnes
lie gui damour
BY THE SIIIPLOAD.
It led to a deal Of informing conversation.
Without doubt the cult of the mistletoe and
its veneration as a luck-bringer, are a part
and parcel of the Breton peasant life; but
the important industry of gathering it is
nearly all to supply the demand Of England
If you were at this moment, say, at Saint
AIalo or Harfieur, you would see the ports
Of those antique cities covered with noun
tains of mistletoe, 1t is brought in, like hay,
by carloads. Two, three and four steamers
will load up for England in a single day.
One reason is that England has not near
enough mistletoe of her own. The other is
the fact that the French miStletOe, growing
for the most part-it must be admitted-not
on oak trees, but on apple, pear and pop
lars, is by far the most beautiful. This is
the difference between the French and Eng
lish. The English have the custom and they
buy French mistletoe. The French have the
miStletoe, but to make use of it must have
the warrant of the English chic.
The Breton peaSantry has been more
faithful to the sacred plant of their old
Celtic ancestors. The little dancer of the
Cafe Monferina knew all about the vener-
able gui, being Of the faithful soil herself.
What is that you are singing to us
there?" the fat man Of the orange-fower
water began grumbling in kindly fashion.
vincing one of the burIesquers that she
knew nothing of her business.
lie gui damOur!' completed the young
lady, knocking at him. Then she began ex-
planning.
The gui is valuable for three things-it
IS a talisman against the spells of witches,
1t brings good luck and it affords young
girls an opportunity to be well kissed with
out the slightest improperly"
"Garcon," exclaimed the prince, 'go out
and fetch a branch of mss-lue-toe-uh!"
"A few days before Christmas time and
until after New Years the young girls and
boys. especially those who already dream
of the Incompatible joys OF wedlock, go out
IN company to seek the May Of the cold
season. 1t is in the old oak forests that it
grows. the only kind Of gut possessing any
mystic virtues"
And as they wander through the depths"
the fat man interposed, 1.-The depths of the
mysterious and poetic forests of Armorica
where once white-bearded Druids whis-
pered-"
ITO the little Druidesses," put in the lit
tie manager, who is extremely 'Frenchy''
IN his conversation.
the nobleman.
'Silence!'
Attention.!
The boy who finds the plant of love-
Which is a parasite" the fat man whis-
pers.
THE MISLETOE LEGEND.
1.-The boy who first finds the plant is made
king of the feast. They carry him in tri-
umph with his branch of gul back to his
home. The branch is solemnly hung up
above the entrance door. Then all the
young girls pass one by one underneath it,
and are kissed heartily by all the young
present.
After feast OF hot roasted chestnuts and
cold cider, they burn the branch of misle-
toe in a pan which they thrust into the
blazing chimney The ashes are distributed.
TO be preserved in little bags, which are
hung round the neck Often the little bags
are buried in the middle of wheat fields to
bring good crops. 1t is for it's power also
that the gui bough hangs outside ali Breton
country taverns, to prevent the drinkers of
khelr gWin from seeing devils, korrigans and
an ln.fp l..
Good for the miss-luh-toe-uh!' exclaimed
khe prince.
Miss-luh-toe-ay!" corrected the fat man.
Then how would you pronounce 'tele-
In English?'
Yes, in Englishr'
And so they went on until they quite for
got the gui d'amour and all the habits, for
eign and domestic, clustering round it, For
my part. as walked home, i could not but
reflect on the God-fearing Breton tavern
Keepers who hang out boughs of sacred mis-
tletoe to prevent their customers from see
ms devils, sorcerers and korrigans on their
way home at night The last thing the old
Faithful minded topper does is to stare at the
bough Of "unalterable holy green before
ne rolls along the ghostly stretches of the
wlntry forest road. The English say "A
good wine needs no bush" Was it not
bush of mistletoe that Shakespeare meant?
God give us all such wine.
The Parisians know nothing Of these old
traditions and these holy customs. All their
lives they have seen the parasitic plant lux
uriating in the woods of the environs, by
the river. in the apple, pear, poplar and oak
trees where it hangs like great birds nests.
II was the English and Americans in Paris
who began to have IL gathered for them
Few years ago. They paid the small bows of
the suburbs TO shin up the trees and cut IT,
The Parisians looked on IL as a harmless
Anglo-Saxon mania. Now they find tho
plant and custom are their own. They have
been robbed again by the "perfdious AL
bion." To make up for lost time they put
mistletoe up by the bushel They decorate
their salons with it, as If IL were holly.
They wear it in their buttonholes and cor
sages. They wear 1t in their hair. And as
81 has brought with it a Vague and i'll
defined idea OF kissing, it becomes the
source Of many Jest and gallantry, and all
extremely French.
The other afternoon as was walking up
che avenue of the Champs Elysees with
smart" young Partisan we met a
ParisIenne OF the smart set" the wife OF
one az his best friends she had a big
bunch Of mistletoe pinned 10 her corsaRe.
"Ah, madame" said the Frenchman as he
looked unutterabie things, how cruel you
are To min 81 so low down. Now. &c Won