The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-12-23
What Has Happened OH Christmas.

" nav A0S "o ppChSu OA
Christmas was first celebrated in the
year 80, but it was forty years later be-
fore it was officially adopted as Chris
tan festival: nor was it until about the
Fifth century that the day of its celebra~
ton became permanently fixed on the
25th of December. Up to that time it
had been irregularly observed at various
times of the year-in December. in April
and in May, but most frequently in Janu-
airy.
Two notable coronations occurred on
Christmas day, that of Charlemange. as
Emperor of the West, in the year 500.
and that of William the Conqueror. at
Westminster abbey, in 1906. Clovis. the
first Christian King of France. was bap-
tized on Christmas day, 49G.
GILES de Retz of France. the original
mas day, 1440. in atonement for Il null
titude of crimes, which included the kill
ing of six wives. from which the popular
nursery story is derived.
The Pilgrims, who condemned all
church festivals, spent their first Christ
mas in America working hard all day
long, amid cold and stormy weather, and
commenced the building of the first house
in Plymouth, 1920.
Sir Isaac Newton, whose grand discov-
cry of the law of gravitation resulted
from the simple fact of his seeing an APP
pie fall to The t.;i ground was born on Christ
In 1776 Gen. Washington celebrated the
day by performing one of the most haZ-
ardous and most brilliant maneuvers in
the annals of war. Under cover of the
night he crossed the Delaware ut Nc
Monkeys ferry. amid the perils of storm
and ice, and MARCHED his brave little army
to Trenton, where ON the following morn
ing, he completely surprised and routed
the Hessians.
1t is significant fact that no great
battles were fought on, Christmas day.
They have occurred on the oath and 10Th
of December, but the anniversary of the
advant of peace on earth has ever been
observed by a cessation of hostilities. A
notable exception, however, is that OF
the battle of Okeechobee, Fla, i'll which
Zachary Taylor defeated the Indians,
On Christmas day of 1861 President
Lincoln and his cabinet met and decided
to comply with the demand of Great
Britain for the release of Mason and
Slidell, who had been captured while on
their way to England and France as rep
resentatives of the Confederacy.
In 1865 President Johnson made Christ
mas day memorable by issuing Il procla
nation granting full pardon to everyone
who had taken part in the Rebellion.
Under the Mist1etoe.
The pleasant old Christmas custom of Il
kiss under the mistletoe is u relic of Morse
mythology. Baldur, the beautiful god Of
light, was slain by a spear whose shaft
was. a mistletoe twig. This was be.
witched by Loki. the malevolent god OF
fire, until it swelled to the requisite size
and was given by, him to blind Hodur,
who threw it and unintentionally struck
Baldur when the gods were at play.
Friga had made everything IN heaven
and earth swear not to harm Baldur, but
slight and weak to be of harm. Baldur,
however, was restored to life and Friga
guarded the mistletoe, which the gods de-.
termined should not again have the power
to do any mischief unless it touched the