Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1899-12-17
CHRISTMAS IN SCOTLAND.
General Observance of the Festival
Began at n Somewhat Recent Date.


John Knox and the stern iconoclasts
Scotland were determined when they sep
arated from the Roman Catholic church
TO diverCe from it rs widely possible.
This divergence went much further than
a difference in belief and church ritual.
1t aimed at the destruction of everything
which would tend TO keep alive the mem
DRY of the old religion foster n love
for its ornate ceremonies and beautiful
architecture. There were no trimmers
among those harsh Scottish Calvinists.
They did not approve of half measures,
so they demolished most of the cathe-
drals in Scotland, and the less preten-
tious religious edifices were bereft of
those aids to devotion deemed so essen
tial in Roman Catholic churches. To
make the work of reform complete they
abolished saints days and holidays, Sun
day alone being preserved in the general
prescription.
Since those times, excepting among
Scottish Episcopalians and Roman Cath
olics, the celebration of Christmas fell
into desuetude and until quite recent
years was no more regarded by the great
bulk of the people of Scotland than any
other secular day in the year. The OBJ
servance of New Years day was still
continued, but the celebration of it had
scarcely any religious significance and
was almost solely festive in its character.
But change has been taking place in
Scottish sentiment regarding Christmas
for some years past. This is probably
due in part to greater liberality in the
sphere of religious thought. but mostly.
l ina CINE, to the influence of English
ideas and to the fact that such an OBJ
servance is fashionable. The Establish
ed Church (the National Presbyterian
Church of Scotland) for some time has
been assimilating to the Church of Eng
land in the ceremonial part of its wor-
, ship. A form of ritual is frequently used,
and in some of the fashionable Scottish
churches veStmentS are worn by the min
listers which not so long ago would have
provoked some Jenny Geddes to hurl a
stool at the head of the wearer. The
more general observance of Christmas
followed Il matter of course, and the
Scottish people generally took more kind
ly to it than they did either to the ritual
or clerical veStmentS.
When I was in Edinburgh few years
ago, services were held on Christmas in
many of the Presbyterian churches Of
the Scottish capital Gifts were given,
Christmas greetings exchanged and the
day generally regarded as holiday. Its
celebration. however. fell far short of
New Years day. which is still the holi-
day par excellence of Scotland.
mas can ever become in Scotland what
it is in England, Germany and many 9TH
er countries. In these lands the earliest
and most pleasant recOllections of a life
time center around the day, and even
in maturer years mysterious lights and
shadows are reflected from it upon the
mind. There is really no sentiment of
this kind in Scotland. l do not thnI;
that Santa Claus, much as he is regarded
oh
thought of in Scotland He is decidedly
a foreigner there and would be consider
ed much less real than the ghosts and
fairies that seem more germaDe to the
soil Scottish children do not expect him
to pay them a visit on Christmas eve
and dispense gifts with lavish hands.
They do not hang up stockings to be
filed by this genial, kind hearted old gem
tleman. and Christmas trees are decided
ly exotics unless with a few here and
there in the large cities.
OF course the story of the Nativity,
with its message of peace on earth and
good will to men. could not be without
the highest possible significance among
a people so profoundly religious as those
of Scotland are. But Christ the Babe
does not appeal to the Presbyterian i'm
agination as it does to that of Roman
Catholics and Episcopalians. To the
the "Bambino' is familiar sight from
the earliest years and appeals 10 the
child's consciousness more wildly than
where the sense of vision does not aid
Imagination. Art does not thus aid Scot
fish boys and girls in giving a fictitious
reality to the infant Christ, and, though
the story of his birth is a familiar one, it
does not affect their minds in the same
way.
Among some of the Scottish Roman
Catholics in the more remote highland
districts Christmas is celebrated ON tn.
9th of January, according TO the old
style of reckoning time. As among the
Russians, the Gregorian calendar has
not been adopted by those Scottish Celts
belonging to the Latin church. and both
Christmas and New Years are kept Il
days later than the date OF those events. .
NEIL MACDONALD. i