The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-12-13

AFEEH AZ AHE AAANAANa "a AAANAAAftAAAA ~ -
lost forever. And now on this Christ
night ye shall begin to live. This blood
tree shall darken your land no more.
In the name OF the Lord VIII destroy
it,
He gasped the broad az from the
hand Of Gregor, and, striding TO the
oak, began to hew against it, Then the
sole wonder in Winfrid's life came 10
pass. For. as the bright blade circled
above his head, and the fakes Of wood
few from the deepening cash In the
body Of the tree. q whiriing wind
passed over the forest It gripped the
oak from It's foundation. Backward It
fell like a tower, groaning as It split
asunder il four pieces. But Just be-
hind It. and unharmed BY the ruin'
stood a young hr tree. pointing green
spire toward the stars.
''Winfrid let the Ak drop. and turned
to speak 10 the people:
This little tree. a young child OF
the forest. shall be your holy tree TO-
night. II IS the wood OF peace, for your
houses are built Of the FIR. It is the
sign Of an endless life. for its leaves
are ever green. See how It points up
ward to heaven. Let this be called the
tree OF the Christ-child; gather about
1t. not In the wild wood, bur In your
own homes; there 1t win shelter no
deeds Of blood. but loving gifts and
rites Of kindness
80 they took the tree from its place
and carried It In joyous procession TO
the edge Of the glade and laid It on one
Of the sledges. The horse tossed his
head and drew bravely at his load, as
il the new burden had lightened II.
When they came to the village Alvoid
bade them open the doors Of his great
hall and set the tree in the midst Of It"
Historically the Christmas tree can
only be traced back to the sixteenth
suddenly appears in Strassburg A val
liable authentic manuscript Of 1908, by
q Strassburg burgher now In private
collection in Friedberg, Hessen, de-
scribes the holidays very much as we
are used to celebrate them. The man
uscript Of book entitled The MIX OF
Catechism," by the strassburg theo-
logian, Danhauer, mentions the same
subject 10 a similar way. During the
next 200 years the Christmas tree could
only be met along the Rhine. when sud
denly, at the beginning Of this century,
the habit spread all over Germany. and
fifty years later had conquered the
world
The first description Of q Christmas
tree IN modern literature is to be found
in "The Nut-cracker," fairy tale, By
Fougue and Hoffman,.
In 1850 the Christmas tree was IN
troduced by Queen Caroline into Mum
lch. At the same time It beat its path
through Bohemia into Hungary, where
It became fashionable among the Mag
var aristocracy.
In 1870 the Duchess Helena Of Or
leans brought It to the Tuileries. but It
took many years before II became pop
ular in France. Empress Eugenie also
patronized It, but by the middle class
It was stiIl considered an intruder Of
i Alsatian origin. In 1860 the German
residents Of Paris could procure a
Christmas tree but with the greatest
difficulty. However, nine years later
they we're regularly sold in the mar
ket. In 1870 the German army cele-
brated Christmas In the city Of Notre
Dame, and to-day Paris uses $4,000
trees each year. Of which only about
the fourth part are bought by Swiss.
Germans, OF Alsatlans. The French
plant the entire tree. with its root in
a tub, so as to be able to preserve the
tree until New Year. when It is "pluh-
dered."
Also London became acquainted with
the habit through the royal palace. The
Prince Consort brought it to St. James
and It was quickly adopted by the no
bility ami well-to-do citizens Also in
other English cities It is frequently met
with. though in a different manner. I'm
medlately after dinner a little Or tree
is handed about the table, with a pres
ent OF the host to each guest Scotch
and Irish children know but little Of
the enjoyment a Christmas tree is sure
to bring.
At the beginning OF our century the
custom was entirely unknown in Scan
dinavia, though they used to ornament
their thresholds with hr tree branches.
on the Islands Dago and Worms the
inhabitants put i've little candles on
every branch OF the Christmas tree,
which is known to them almost as long
as to the Strassburgers.
In America It has been introduced
and quickly spread by the sturdy Ger
man emigrant, and Of late years has
become a universal custom.
ALONE.