Owingsville outlook. [volume] (Owingsville, Ky.) 1879-192?, 1898-12-01
Yule-Tide.

by lady Cook, nee Tennessee G. Clanin.l
Again Christmas with all its de-
lightful associations approaches, fos-
tering domestic harmony, and re-
peating the glorious gospel of peace
on earth and goodwill towards men.
No other period of the year is so
potent as this in healing the wounds
of friendship, and in warming the
heart of man towards his fellows.
And whosoever has British, Scandi-
navian, or Saxon blood i'm his veins,
welcomes it with enthusiasm. He
observes it with gladness whether it
comes to him in n torrid or arctic
cline or any intermediate zone. The
best of good cheer is spread, his
dearest friends are invited, and
whatever else may grace his table, a
plum pudding stuck with berry-laden
holly will, if possible, be there, and
a bunch of mistletoe not far off: GUS
toms strongly savouring of Paganism,
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 Saturnal
when even the stricteSt and most
decorous, countenance some degree
of license. The polite leaders of our
faith in the earliest days of Chris
tianity thought ii wise to graft most
of the rites and ceremonies of Pagan
ism upon the doctrines of Christ in
order to make the latter popular.
Thus they caused His birth to COIN
eide with the Roman Saturnal;a
which for q whole week from the 18th
to the 18th Of December commcmo-
rated the freedom and equality that
existed during the whole of the
golden reign of Saturn. We are told
that long before the foundation of
Rome these heather feasts were re-
markable for their universal liberty.
Slaves were permitted to ridicule
their masters and to discuss every
topic with freedom. Friends made
presents to one another, the schools
were closed, no criminals We're exc
cuted, public and private animosity
ceased. While they lasted war was
never declared, and mirtb, riot, and
debauchery bad full swing. During
the sacrifices the priests made their
offerings with uncovered heads,
which was never done at any other
festivals. The fetters were removed
from the public statues of the god, to
whom every emancipated slave de-
voted his own. The temples were
decked with holly and ivy, and other
sacred evergreens, and as profusely
as our own were n'the last century,
when Miss Jenny Simper thus COM
planned to the spectator: "Our
clerk, who was once gardener, has
this Christmas SO overdeckt the
church with the greens that he has
quite spoilt my prospect, insomuch
that l have scarce seen the young
baronet for three weeks, and unless
the greens are removed, shall soon
have little else to do in church than
to say my prayers"
The holly and the mistletoe are in
digenous although not peculiar to
this country, and the latter, as every
one knows, was pre-eminently the
sacred plants of the Druids, that
mysterious, learned, and remarkable
caste whose history remains to be
written. In the Scandinavian myth
ology, the mistletoe was cOnsecrated
on a memorable occasion and for a
most beneficent purpose, to Friga,
the Northern goddess of love. For
the projection of her son Balder, an
oath was imposed on all things of
earth, air, fire, and water, not to in
iure the beautiful young god. The
mistletoe alone from it's apparent
harmlessness, was excepted, and it
was with an arrow fashioned from it's
wood that Loki, the evil one, slew
him. All nature bitterly mourned
his death until Hela pitied and re-
stored him to his mother, and from
that time the fatal plant was co..
Grated to Friga-our native Vent
that it might henceforth become m,
instrument of love but never more of
hatred. Thus at Christmas, when
the Druids were wont to cut it '.h
golden knives, when we pass oadri
its branches with kisses, anc lr:uar-
ly, whenever it was scarce, cUr p i'd
ems, not to be defrauded ~ heir
customary rites, made "kissiug oun-
ches" Of evergreens ornament,t 2 with
oranges and ribbons, to do duty in
stead.
His must be a sour heart that cs /.
view these sweet old customs VIZ,
any other feeling than that of GENIAL
appreciation. Hundreds of geueru-
tions have enjoyed them anC made
merry over them, the voun2
and tho uniearned in happy ana m