Evening star., 1903-12-19

Tells how heaven set its golden gates widei
How the angelic voice fell on mans hearing,
Heraidfng gloriously the crucffed.'
Although nowadays we do not celebrate
Christmas by gathering around the Yule-
tide blaze to practice the quaint spells and
tell stories of those days of yore when this
old world was young-we still wreathe the
shining holly with its red berries dropped
like rubies upon it's dark green leaves. Nor
do we forget the time-honored custom OF
hanging the piece Of mistletoe among the
Christmas greens. We may no longer hear
the sweet old carol-singing or waits" but
we still sing our songs in the Christ child s
praise, because our hearts beat as warmly
yet as those that sat about the hearths
frightened by the yulelog's glow and lis
tened to the story that earth may neer for
get-that of the Holy Infant Graded in the
lowly manger on that Christmas long ago.
There is something shat stirs within the
most of us, for praise be- the man or wo-
man who looks with unfriendly eye upon
Christmas is as rare as the old curmudgeon
who wished with old Scrooge that every
idiot who goes about with Merry CHRIST
mas on his lips be boiled with his own pud-
ding and buried with stake of holly
through his heart" And even under the
high pressure OF the life in large modern
cities, where the inexorable and incessant
struggle for existence must go on and every
man keep awake to his own Individual in
terest the spontaneous spirit. the real
Christian sentiment survives, and despite all
hollowness and selfishness, much pomp OF
pudding and circumstance, of lavish dis
play in gifts, which rob us of the dehghtfui
simplicity, chief ingredient of the genuine
spirit, we still hold to the good old custom
of keeping Christmas
We may celebrate with no higher ideal
than Dickens pictured-the universal good
will accompanied by excessive eating and
,lrtx, Of hn
bration--the spirit of humbleness ard rever-
ence entirely wanting and only the material,
the outward show.
But the true peace and good will, the
heartfelt kindlineSS and merriment-the de-
sire that ali shall be glad on this day of
crownng cheeT-that every life shall have
some part in the good gifts on every hand;
that is the spirit that should prompt US to
celebrate this great day OF the year.
There are so many lives so hungry, yet
so staNch to bear their load-that would be
so graceful for only a thousandth part OF
the joys that are thine; then why not
strengthen them in their hope beyond by q
little of the beauty and cheer of the pass
ing day. Increase your own pleasure by
banishing the hard realism and sordid
cares from the lives of others. Let the day
be one of sweet remembrance and love for
Him whose name il bears and for the en-
dearing bonds of human love and sym
pathy.
Why We Hang the Mistletoe.
The inclination of modern times tends to-
ward we olden days" in social amuse-
ments and many old customs are being
revived. All Christmas customs are looked
up and much interesting Information
gained on The subject by those not content
to blindly follow family traditions and
fashions without knowing why.
The hanging of the mistletOe was one of
the most honored of the Christmas customs
cient Brtons-kept a feast at this season,
and finding the mistletoe growing on their
sacred oaks believed it to be a special gift
sent from heaven. When it was well grown
and full of berries the high priest, clothed
in flowing white robe, climbed to where the
mstletOe grew and severed it from the oak
with golden 90 knife. 1t being received
by the priests below, it was blessed and di-
Vided into small pieces to be given to the
people to hang in their dwelling places.
they believing it would bring heavens
blessing upon them. Another writer tells us
that the ancient DruidS adopted The
plant as an emblem because it suggested
their own state of dependence on a higher
power. the mistletoe being wholly deDend-
ent upon the sturdy oak Again 1t an
peaied to these ancient Britons because of
its clear, white berries, giving 1t a pure
calm appearance which they thought sus,-
gested their own lives of dependence re-
pure and holy-as they saw it.
Thus they chose as fitting shrine for wor-
ship the towering oak studded with this
weak. unc0ncerned, but beautiful little
parasite. Another legend gives a very diff
ferent reading concerning the more mod
ern Significance attached to the English
mistletoe. The stealing of a kiss under the
mlstletoe is a custom indicative of the plant
itself. the fact being that the word in it's
original meaning is Stealing from some
one greater Although for a verify 1t is
the weaker party who usually paws toll
when caught under the mistletoe bough
The Spirit of Christmas Frolic and
Jollity.
The festive spirit of the Christmas cell
ebrations seems to have originated in the
middle ages, when the lesson of Christ
unlettered masses, these plays being
strange medley of divine narrative and
episode, clownish pranks, jests and games
Between two series of dramatic scenes
gathered from the old and the new testa-
ment came the interlude of the Shepherds
Play. This presented the ncomparabI bic
story of Christmas, and, in spite of bur
lesque grotesque and droll representa- tons
they succeed in giving the people a very
VIVID realization of the marvellous story
When the reformation placed the Bible
In every mans hand and caused it TO be
read in every church in the familiar tongue
the uniettered no longer needed the Mira
TO take its place Still the custom Of mer-
ry-makfne was continued leading to the
short but strenuous reign of the Lord of
Misrule."
All gayety and frolc was frowned
down in tlie days of the Purtans To
these men of iron spirit, nerve and will
life presented too serious problem for
making merry and religion meant a con-
tinual wrestling with the spirit Grim and
earnest, they must work fight and pray
not spend their days in social gayeties
even Though these spread sunshine through
out the land and even into the lives of the
poor. Stji In "Merrie Old England" and
some few ancestral homes this side we may
find some wel-preservad ancient customs
of the Christmas festival. The yulelog
burnt in the great hearth-the Christmas
candles. the cake. the supper and dance
For the Christmas tree with its fresh
ness and glamour of fairylapd we must
thank that simple and regal soul Hans
Anderson. who brought to our prosaic age
the idol of the childish heart.
The Christmas Dishes.
Every Christian land has many dishes
dec :ated to the Christmas holiday season
Most of these may be traced back to the
middle ages. although they have gone
through such notifications and change
they have lost original form and name In
ye olden time when merrie England began
the Yuletde festivities on Christmas eve 1t
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