The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-25
PICTURES OF CHRISTMAS
IN DAYSOF AULDLANCSYNE


blessed and adorable Saviour was born
into this world, Jesus Christ, being the
son given and the child BORN. 1t is the
day when the redemptive scheme FOR
the world began, and at last was con-
summated upon the Tree of the Cross
amid the astounding tragedy on CAL
vary. 1t is the day of days. this birth
day of the Lord Jehovah, the Eternal
SON of the Most High All through
the last two or three centuries Christ
mas has been the day of great re-
joicing, as well as day of peniten-
tial sorrow and confession and plead
ings with the Almighty for mercy, sal
walton and sanctificatlon. 1t has been
celebrated in many ways in the So
called Christian countries. In England
ii was most special time for ROSTER
ing, feasting, fellowship and good
deeds. The whole land celebrated the
day, from Lands End to John
O'Groat's. 1t was day of conviviality
and rejoicing and benevolence, as well
as friendship and good will as l have
stated. English writer's have given
full accounts of the manner of cele-
bration. and my recollection is, that
the American. Washington Irving, so
genial and facile and graceful with his
pen, has presented a description of the
celebration of Christmas in the ia
therland, in his charming, elegant
Sketch Book" The American peo-
pie prior to the great war, while not
copying the elaborate ways and GUS
toms of the English ancestors in COM
memorating the birth of the Saviour
made Christmas something also of
Saturnalia, and not much of Chris
Gan- type. There was a great deal of
carouSing and feasting, and fellowship
which ran riot.
l can remember how it was in the
then beautiful little village of oxford,
among the hills of Granville that
great old historic country, whose CIV
ilization as far back as 174O-5O, was
so refined and advanced and so ad-
mirable every way that caused the late
Hon. George Davis, of Wilmington, to
say to me that in the thirties of the
last century, lit was the finest civili-
zation he had ever known" He said
this after having spent a SIX weeks va
cation as student of the University
of North Carolina, IN the Nutbush Sec
tion of Granville. l recall easily the
style of celebrating Christmas in my
early boyhood days. 1t was not elab
crate or peculiar. I suppose. In fact
IL was not time for much giving OF
even religious ceremonial. / do not
recall that / ever knew a church SER
vice to be held on that day prior to
on Christmas eve made the might
hldeous' with their Chinese crackers
about the only alarm guns they had
access to, save the shotgun, and the
ringing of bells. The village was sup
piled with three or four bells-the-
court house and two or three churches
furnishing the means of contributing
to the racket. Quite early, on Christ
mas morn. a little before daybreak or
about that hour, the gun firing re-
opened, and the bells again rang out
their music upon the cold air, and thus
the 500 Inhabitants We're quickly
aroused. Early in the morning the
flowing bowls of eggnog We're prepared
in most of the homes. Then came the
delightful breakfast, a fine prelude to
the feast at the / O'Clock dinner. Near
ly every home was we'll supplied with
appetiZing dishes, for Oxford then had
but little of poverty. In fact from my
early recollection-say 1S36-to the
awful war in 1861, ] never knew of but
one white person in the village who
was an object of charity and required
help. 1t was the custom for the we'll
to-do to have such "a feast of reason
and flow of SOUL that certain neigh
borS were invited to partake of the
fine Christmas dinner. Charity was
not INDUCED in much beyond giving
presents to the negroes in the families,
help or comforts. On Christmas night
there was in some years a dancing par
ty given at some honte or at a hotel
1t was a public holiday for the negroes
and white laboring people, but the
stores did not close. The hanging up
of the children's stockings on Christ.
mas eve night was the universal Gus
tom then. But the presents were
neither so varied nor abundant as now.
In fact there was very little offered for
sale then of toys and attractions fol
children or the older girls and boys.
Hence the deposits found in the early
morning in the stockings by the fire.
place by the watchful, hopeful chill
dren We're neither numerous nor cur
iouS. Children now nave very great
advantage over the children of fifty OF
sixty or seventy years since in the
quality and attractiveness and number
of the christmas gifts" The servants
were always remembered, and they ex-
pected a ready response to thei1
eager exclamation, christmas gift"
i'll the early morning. If they failed
to receive there was necessarily great
disappointment and even sorrow. II
was a pleasure to most of the whites
to remember their acquaintance and
friends among the "colored popula-
ton" The negroes had granted to
them three or even four days of holi-
day IN Christmas times. In addition
to the extra gifts they received from
the thoughtful. considerate owners.
supplies of winter clothing suitable to
the time of year to replenish the
stocks in hand. If, as was often the
case, the several large mill ponds near
the village were covered with three
or four inches of ice, a part of the
day was certain to be spent in skating
and nearly all the men and boys were
Of 1loC,
Many would ride III carriages to the
chief centre of attraction to witness
the fun and applaud the skill of broth
ers rSsWeethearts Many of the old
men were capital skaters, and took a
hand" / never saw in Oxford "in the
way-back" any John Cooners,' as
lhey were called--negroeS or whites
dressed up in curious costumes and
disguised. But / remember that per-
maps ABOUT 1888. | was at Raleigh at
the nome of a dear uncle of my own
ourips the Christmas time. when
some nve or six negroes i'm fanciful at
TIRE came IN front of the porch and
entertained the onlookers with music
tsongs with banjoso and dancing. and
TO my boyish nature it was Immensely
funny and delightful / have seen
since many similar displays but MOTH