The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-25

tions being found in Delaware, Mary |
land, Virginia and Alabama 1t is sold |
at retail by the branch and in wreaths, |
the wholesale price being 81 to SIS a |
crate, the quality of the berries and the
freshness of the leaves being the deter |
mining factor in the price.
The Christmas tree itself. it might |
be added, has a romantic history. Its
usage as part of the Christmas festival
comes to US direct from Germany. but a
similar festival with a tree as a COM |
ponentS part is observed in many
heather countries and by some is said
to date back to the days of the sun
worshipers. The Chinese used to dec
crate a tree with lamps and place it in
the royal audience chamber so far
back as the third century before the
Christian era, but the custom is now
obsolete. A somewhat similar practice,
however, may still be observed in ia
pan.
The custom of using candles on the
Christmas tree is not associated with
the Scandinavians and Norsemen, as is
by some supposed for. the hardy men
of the north did not possess such lux
uries, contenting themselves with pine
knot torches and the glow OF their log
fires. The candle custom may safely be
ascribed to the Roman feast called the
saturnalia a feast in honor of the god
Saturn, lasting sometimes for fort
night and beginning about the 18th of
December. During this celebration
candles were employed not only for
decorative and illuminating purposes,
but as gifts from friend to friend, to-
kens of brightness, cheerfulness and
good will.
1t is said that not less than 100000
Christmas trees are used in the United
OH liz oh al hax
| bring prices varying with size and
quality, and while little fellows can be
bought for half a dollar, the giants
ranging from fifteen to eighteen feet
| high command as much as $50 apiece.
These prices, of course, are city mar
| ket prices, since in the country the
| Christmas tree can usually be obtained
| by going out into the woods and cut
| ting it down.
| It is interesting to note that the pa
| gan origin of so many of our Christmas
| customs rendered them distasteful to
many sects and denominations of Chris
tians, and to this day there are not
wanting those who object to the jollity
! that characterizes the celebration of
| the nativity. The followers of Calvin
and the Puritans were especially siren
uous in their opposition to the intro
duction of pagan ideas and would not
| tolerate the use of trees, evergreenS
and the Yule log. The pilgrim fathers
themselves declined to recognize Christ
mas as day to be set apart for re-
joicing and on the Christmas of the
year that they landed in America work.
ed resolutely all day long at their ac-
| customed tasks, glorying in their nom
| observance of the superstitious customs
that had been adopted by their fellow
| Christians.
It must not be forgotten that the
early church fathers and missionaries
themselves tried at first to induce the
heather among whom they labored to
abandon their customs and festivals,
but their efforts were vain, and, finding
that the pagans would reject Christian
ity in toto rather than relinquish all
that they held dear, the missionaries
rightly deemed it wiser to permit the
continuance of harmless observances
which would not impede the progress of
the work of spreading the gospel. Thus
the customs themselves were enabled to
survive while the religions with which
they were associated gradually died
out
| So far as the actual celebration of
Christmas itself is concerned, it ap-
pears to be a fact that it was not until
| about 400 years after the death of
Christ that any one day was universal
ly set apart by the Christian world to
honor as his birthday. Indeed. a CEN
fury passed after his death before there
was any general attempt at a celebra-
ton. Then there was great diversity
| of opinion as to the day which should