Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1899-12-17


And e4ery post with holly
Now an our neighbors' chimneys smoke,
And Christmas blocks are burning;
Their ovens they with bak't meats choke,
And all their spits are turning.
The celebration of Christmas, con-
sldered by the Puritans popish and
idolatrous, has for many centuries been
so universal that 1t may prove OF in
terest to contrast the rites, ceremonies
and quaint beliefs Of foreign lands with
those of matter-of-fact America.
Many curious customs have become
completely obsolete and live only in
tradition, but it is surprising to find
what singular superstitions still exist
among credulous classes, even in the
light OF the nineteenth century.
In the Holy Land at this season the
place Of greatest interest is naturally
the Church of the Nativity at Bethle-
hem, erected on the supposed location
where Christ was born. 1t is said to be
the oldest Christian church in exist
ence, having been built more than
fifteen centuries ago by the Empress
Helena, mother Of Constantine. Re-
pairs were made later by Edward w. Of
England; but 1t Is now again fast fall
ing to decay. The roof was originally
composed of cedar of Lebanon and the
walls were studded with precious jew
els, while numerous lamps of silver and
gold were suspended from the rafters.
The Greeks, Latins and Armenians now
claim joint possession of the structure
and jealousy guard tbs sacred pre-
cincts.
Immediately beneath the nave of the
cathedral is a commodious marble
chamber, constructed over the spot
where the far-famed stable was said
to have stood and reached by a flight
of stone steps, worn smooth by the
tread and kisses of multitudes of wor-
shippers. The manger is represented
by marble slab a couple of feet in
height, decorated with tinsel and blue
satin and marked at the head with a
chiseled star, bearing above it the in
scription in Latin, Here was Jesus
Christ born of the Virgin Mary" At
the foot are several affairs, on which
incense is ever kept burning and from
which mass is conducted, while score
of hanging lamps shed ftful light
over the apartment.
Many theories have been advanced as
to the explanation of the mysterious
"star In the east" which guided the
wondering shepherds, but it is now
thought to have been Venus at the
height of it's splendor
The early Christians decorated their
churches with evergreens out of respect
to the passage of Scripture in Isaiah
1.-The glory of Lebanon shall come unto
thee; the fir tree, the pine tree and the
box together to beautify the place of
my sanctuary"-and the pagans be-
lieved them to be omens of good, as the
ppilltS VI luc WOOuo iCmaiHCu III lAcll
branches.
Holly is known in Germany and Scan
dinavia as "Christ's thorn" and is en-
blematic everywhere of cheerfulness,
forgiveness, peace on earth and good
will te>men.Y
The oak mistletoe or "missel'' was
held in high veneration by the ancient
Druids, who, regarding its parasitic
character as miracle and a symbol
of immortality, worshipped it in their
temples, and used it as panacea for
the physical ailments of their followers.
When the moon was Nix days old it
was tremendously cut with a golden
sickle by the chief priest of the order
and received with care into the spot
less robes of the company, for if it fell
to the affairs, where two white oxen
were sacrificed to the gods.
The custom of kissing under the
mistletoe" dates back to the days of
Scandinavian mythology, when the god
of darkness shot his rival, the immor-
tad Apollo of the North, with an arrow
made from its boughs But the sup
posed victim being miraculously re-
stored to life, the mistletoe was given
into the keeping of the goddess of af-
lection as a symbol of love and not
of death, to those who passed beneath
it. A berry was required to be picked
with every kiss and presented to the
maiden as a sign of good fortune, the
privilege ceasing when all the berries
were gathered.
In ''Merrie England" Christmas was
the chief event of the entire year, and
was sometimes celebrated for nearly
month. The tables of the wealthy lit
orally groaned with plenty, but the
poor without their gates were not for
gotten for
Old Christmas had come for to keep open
house,
He'd scorn to be guilty of starving a
mouse.
That remarkable compound known
as 'wassail' was composed of warm
ale or wine. sweetened with sugar and
favored with spices, and bearing upon