The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-12-23

not be found IN literature Sluglo
Christmas sermon which meets the
occasion. OF course there cannot
The occasion is the new birth of
the world. Unless the preacher is
competent to- say how far the world
has grown since its new birth-unless
he can comprehend and declare the in
finite greatness of that Kingdom of
God which the Saviour of men prom
Uses in the world, and unless the same
preacher can describe the world as it
was, ''the people who sat in darkness"
he cannot preachthe sermon which
shall meet 1.-The OCCASION
But history is a great preacher. His
tory often chooses to preach a sermon
such as no pulpit can preach, and
which indeed no writer, however
skillful, can put in words. Let us to-
day instead of regulation sermon,
with it's introduction, its three regular
heads, and it's application-let us dip
into journals and diaries and compare
two accounts of the same Christmas
season. 1t shall be the Christmas of
1920. And the people whose celebra-
tons are described shall be the great
grandfathers of the great grandfathers
of our grandfathers.
The first scrap of history shall be
from William Bradford's journal de-
scribing the first Christmas of the
Pilgrim fathers of New England. OBJ
serve, that an exploring party has fix
\ ed on Plymouth as the place for the
settlement. They have brought the
Mayhower with the women and chill
dren across from Provincetown into
Plymouth Harbor. 1t was the first day
they spent on shore.
"Munday the 25. day. we went on
shore, some to fell tymber, to saw,
some to- rime. and some to carry, SO
no man rested all that day. But tor
wards night some as they were
at worke, heard a noyse of some In
dians, which caused us all to goe to
our muslxets, but we heard no further,
so we came aboord againe, and left
some twentie to keepe the court of
gard; that night we had a storme of
winde and rayne.
''Munday, the %. being Christmas
day, we began to drinke water aboord,
but at night the Master caused us to
have some Deere, and so on board we
had diverse times now and then some
Beere, but on shore noen at ALL
These people-who made Christmas
to be their first day of work in the
new world-had called themselves six
weeks before loyal subjects of our
dear sovereign lord King James, by
the grace of God, of Great Britain.
France and Ireland, king, defender
of the faith, etc.
Let us see what their king was do
ing at this time. Here are some
records: -December %. John Cham
berlain to Sir Dudley Carleton. In
spite of penury, there is to be
masque at Court this Christmas. The
King is coming in from Theobalds to
receive the French Ambassador. Mar
shall Cadenet, who comes with suite
of 400 or 500"
Who was Marshal Cadenet? Read.
and YOU will know 1.-The Marshal of
Cadenet is to be sent over to calum-
Mate those of the religion" (the Hug
uenots) land to propose Madame Hen
riette for the Prince" prince
Charles.) And again: 1.-THE King of
France at the end of this year, visit
ed the frontiers of Picardy. In this
whole journey, which lasted from the
18th of December to the 18th of jan
uary (new style) the weather was
bad, and those in his Maiesty's suite
found the roads bad" Change the
style back to the way our Puritans
counted it. and observe that on the
same DAYS, the 9Th of December to the
3rd of January Told style). those
Americans in the suite of John Car
yer also found the weather bad and
the roads worse. Let us devoutly
hope that the most Christian Majesty
did not find the roads as bad as his
suite did.
''And the King" continued the Mer-
cure, 'sent an extraordinary Ambas-
sador to the King of Great Britain, at
London, the Marshal Cadenet'
q IL E. I 10
departed from Calais on Friday, the
first day of January, very well
accompanied by nobleness. He arTiy-
ed at Dover the same evening. and
: did not depart from Dover until the
Monday after" christmas day, old
style). THE English Master of cere-
monies had sent twenty carriages and
three hundred horses for the suite.
If only we could have had ten of the
worst of them at Plymouth! They
would have drawn our logs for us that
half quarter of a mile. But we were
not born in the purple!
"At London the Ambassador was led
by the Earl of Arundel to the palace
of the late Queen. which had been SUI
perbly and magnificently arranged
for him. The day was spent in visits
on the part of his Majesty the King of
Great Britain, of the Prince of Wales,
his son. and of the ambassadors of
kings and princes, residing in Lon
dom" So splendidly was he entertain
ed, that they write that on the day of
his reception he had four tables, with
fifty covers each, and that the Duke
of Lennox, Grand Master of England,
served them with magnificent order.
THE following Sunday" (Which at
Plymouth we could not spend on
shore), she was conducted to an au-
dience by the Marquis of Bucking-
ham, flor shame, Jamie! an audience
on Sunday! what would John Knox
have said to that where the French
and English nobility were dressed as
for great feast day. The following
days were all receptions. banquets, Wis
its, and hunting-parties, till the en-
bassy departed
ION the 9th of January was a
masque at Whitehall" "A Puritan
] was fiouted and abused at the Masque