The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-25
UNDER THE MlSLETOE
BOUGH.

Baltic and the auroras of the Morse
land gods and goddesses emerged.
Through professions OF centuries of
which chronology has no record they
passed from the uplands of dreams into
the magnihcence of myth. Today they
are still uncomfortable, but only in an
Gent ruins, in the pages of the calen-
dar, in the harmonies Of few of Wag-
ner's works. Such is the true meaning
of the Gotterdammerung the twilight
of the gods.
Among the divinties of long ago was
Odin. He was sod Of war. The fourth
day Of the week was consecrated to
him. 1t still is. In old Morse it was
called Odinsdagr. In Anglo-SaXon
Wodensdaeg. In English Wednesday,
Another divinity was Freyja. She was
goddess of love. The sixth day of tine
week was consecrated to her Ii still is.
In old Morse it was called Freydagr In
Anglo Saxon, F'rigedaeg. In English,
Friday. At the great temple of Upsal
both We're WOrshipped. In their honor
two festivals were held. The first was
named Ostara. The second Jul. From
Ostara comes Easter. From Jul comes
Nule-the early term for Christmas.
In the youth of the world, the youth
of the year was dedicated to it, The
festival was a feast of joy, a salute to
the sun, welcome to nature born in
winters arms Thoroughly pagan, it
was not for that less fair it survived
the ages. From the Norseland it
passed to the south. When the bar
barians gazed with blue. victorious
. eyes at Rome, already it was there. 1t
was there that Christianity found it,
1t was called the Saturnalia.
To the sanctity of special seasons, the
early church gave no heed. Unto the
Christian says St Chrysostom, the
whole of time is a festival because of
A the excellence of the things bestowed"
Put in this, as in other things the Gus
tom appealed. Joy at the birth Of ma
ture was substituted for JOY at the
. birth Of our Lord. To the old rite the
. church gave a new beauty and new
significance. In beauty and signifi-
canoe 1t has been expanding ever since.
Enthusiastically and briefly such is
4 the history of Christmas, Intercon-
INJECTED with it are two customs-the
giving of gifts and the giving Of kisses
. Students and thinkers of ken derive
them both from the Druids. or the
( latter we know so little that it is idle
to attempt to know less. The only
quotable person who enjoyed so much
4 do a DpNtIS acquaintance win IQem
4 was Caesar. In the story which he has
left. the mistletoe figures. In the story
of every Christmas, it ought to figure
eth.
But just here a loop is needful The
. giving of gifts and the giving of kisses
are customs old as the hills Cere-
monially considered, the origin of each
is religious. Gifts were given to pla-
cate and kisses by way Of salutation.
Tho nd 6a otI !
In the worship of the gods that have
gone. Both signifed alteration. and it
is at once pretty and reconcile to note
that in Latin, the only language that
was made for religion and for love,
alteration means kissing-ad os por-
tare.
In the Book of Job it is Pecited that
those who worshipped the sun and the
moon raised their hands and then
touched them with the lips In the
Book Of Kings the kissing of idols is
noted--a practice, parenthetically,
which is noted in Cicero too. When
later on, in Byzance the big dolls of
paganism We're replaced by statues Of
the saints, the practice continued To
this, sect, austere and orthodox,
nicknamed the Ieonoclasts, objected,
With the Emperor Leo for chief, they
went about knocking angels on the
head. Presently the Empress Irene
appeared and gave them tit for tat.
Every one of them whom she could
catch she massacred. 1t is just pos
sible that this terrible lady perceived
that the destruction of statues was the
destruction of art Be that as it may.
the Beautiful was scared to death and
thereafter remained in hiding until
handed out again by the enticements
of the Renaissance.
Kissing meanwhile, did not go by
favor. The condition of women was
entirely subSerVient. 1t was not until
the Crusades, failing in Islam, had
made men conquerors of themselves
that in place of the barbarian came the
paladin and where the slave had been
emerged the queen. Herewith, through
subtle gradations, worship became a
tender dialogue and manners gentle and
ined In according TO woman that
which she had never poSsesSed-indi-
Viduality-the church )wered her with
a conscience. In giving her duties, IT
gave her rights it gave her. too, a
charm which civilization had never
known and to the WORLD q new concep-
ton of beauty.
Under the mstletoe Dough that con-
ception, accentuated for draWing-room
purposes, has occasionally been per-
fectly realized and very genteelly paro-
died as well. There an ingenue, pretty
DIS u pCdCtI anu SuiitSLliAiVs7 AblCS 90 W.
ty, inviolate as vestal yet much bet
ter dressed, a girl rendered by precept,
example and long educational processes
as afraid of a kiss as of bee, may,
unrebuked, unashamed and applauded,
surrender the silk of her lips. That
which otherwise would preclpitate a
scandal, the legendary and perhaps an
tiseptic virtue of the misrletoe trans
forms into a parlor game. The drulds
were great old ChaDS.
The custom, however. like others, less
SaVorous indeed, yet quite as Significant
has within the memory of the present
generation become obsolescent and
promises ultimately to become obsolete.
More is the pity, too. 1t is nicer, no
doubt to kiss unobserVed But when
the party of the second part objects
as all decorous young parties OF the
second part ought to-there was on
Christmas and on Christmas eve a
good deal of satisfaction in being law
fully authorized to lure her beneath a
chandelier and embrace her there
nolens volens. 1t gave flavor to the
plum pudding and has been regarded
as an incentive to wedlock.
Every custom has its day. Precisely
as the Yule has been forgot and the
Saturnalia ceased, SO this rite is disap-
pearing. But the giving of gifts remains
and win remain so long as there are
children big and little. For that is not
a mere custom. Originally, like kissing,
a religious observance. latterly it has
developed into q tax. There is modern
progress.
Christmas. too, has altered. In Cath
Ollie communities the ceremonies con-
nected with it are beautiful in their
poetry and elevation still. In utilita-
ran centres. the spirit that stets YER
neint has converted it into legal
holiday. Centuries ago, at the APP