The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-12-16

l at evening in a chariot of clouds to | fire the young to deeds of war" Strange that tree which was an ob- l tect of fear and dread to the spirits in one country, should be their favor 1 ite dwelling place in another. The peculiar powers of the ash, were well l known to tho ancient Greeks and Ro- mans. Achilles was killed with an ashen spear, And we are told that the Amazons of old formed their lances of l this same wood. It is also said that | cupid's arrows were formed of the i young ash sprouts. Ancient writers as- | sert that the serpent has a wonderful | respect for the ash tree. And Pliny says that if a serpent be placed near fire and both surrounded by line of ash twigs the serpent will crawl Into | the fire rather than pass the magic fence. The Icelander will not sit by an ashwood fire, because they believe ! that those who do so, though the best of friends at the time, will eventually become enemies.
 While not so well known in this country, in Germany the yew is favorite Christmas green and the Chil- dren make use of it in charming way, i which is a variation from our Christ mas tree For weeks before Christmas l they save their money and secretly pur- chase presents for each member of the 1 family. On Christmas eve a large I bough of the yew tree is fastened to i a table and ornamented with tiny l tapers and wreaths of colored paper. l Upon this table the presents are arr ranged in order. the candles are light 1 ed and the presents distributed with l loving words and good wishes. When | the resinous needles begin to burn and snap the little ones join hands and dance around the table, singing l little song in honor of St. Nicholas. 1 Owing to it's sharp thorns and crirn- l son berries, resting like drops of 1 blood among the green leaves the hoi- l ly seems peculiarly suited for Christ mas decoration, but long before the 1 birth of Christ the tree was known and
 reverenced in the Eastern countries. l The Persian sun worshippers regarded 1 it with great veneration, and declared l that the sun never shadowed the holly l tree
 To this day the disciples of Zorvas- 1 ter throw water in which holly bark has been steeped, into the face of a newborn child to Insure good fortune and happiness to the little one. 1 Among the ancient Romans the hol- l ly was considered an omen of peace and good will, and in some parts of France sprays are sent from friend to friend as a new year greeting. Like the ash, the holly is a protection
 against witches and evil spirits. l
 member the sonpg of the White Maid of Avenel to Christie of the North. Thank the holly bush
 That mods on thy brow
 Or with this slender rush I had strangled thee now.
 It was formerly considered unlucky
 to bring the holly into the house be- | fore Christmas eve, and accordingly as | ha ~rvEF 0F husband rule during the coming year The peculiar fact that only the lower | branches bear spring leaves has been
 beautifully noticed by Southey.
 Below cireiinE fence It's leaves are | wrinkIed and keen.
 No brazing cattle through their prick | ling round
 Can reaeh to mound.
 But as they grow where nothing Is to
 fear
 So many are the traditions and leg
 ends connected with the mistletoe that
 one might fill a column with that
 alone As the Scandinavians Edda or
 sacred book tells us how the golden
 haired Baldur God of light and beauty was hated and envied by all the other
 gods, so his mother, Freya, made all
 the animals. plants and minerals
 everything pertaining to Heaven and
 earth--swear to do him no harm. but | unfortunately the mistletoe which be-
 Ionged to neither Kingdom was either
 overlooked or else considered too small
 to do any harm Observing this. Dolki.
 the evil fire-god, cast a spell upon a
 sprig of the plant and caused it to
 grow as large as a spear. Giving it
 to Hoeder, the blind god. he bade him l tba 4rr tU rbo
 were at play It pierced Baldur
 through the heart, and he fell dead.
 But the high gods in answer to Freya's
 prayer. restored him to life, and de-
 creed that henceforth the mistletoe
 should do no harm unless it touched
 the ground.
 So sacred was the mistletoe to the
 Druids. that it was considered a divine
 gift, and was called by a name, which siRnified "All Heal" as it was sup
 posed to cure all diseases, and to be
 an infaIlible antidote for poison. It
 was sought for on the sixth day of the moon. and its discovery was hailed
 win with shouts of joy. The chief priest
 robed in flowing white cut it from the tree with a golden knife, and
 handed it to two assistants. being care full that it should not touch the earth Two white bulls, and in some cases
 human lives. were sacrificed to the
 deity. It was d CdpiIdl olleHse tO uS'
 stroy an oak tree, because that wal the favorite dwelling place of the gods The pearly berries were emblems o
 purity and were associated with th' , marriage rites. This Is supposed to b. . the origin of kissing beneath the mis ! tletoe, with which we are, all familiar Formerly each youth, who kissed a maiden beneath the mystic plant mus 7 pluck a berry and give 1t to her fo
 luck When the berries were al I plucked, the privilege ceased. s It was considered very unluc5y fo ! the bunch of mistletoe to fall iron s its place, and woe be to the youtl
 or maiden on whom 1t chanced to fall 8 A life of single blessedness was tn
 inevitable result. The maid who is no
 kissed beneath the mistletoe will no wed during the year.
 Like the holly and ash, the mistleto s is abhorred of witches, and a smal f spray worn about the neck is a prOtec . ton against all manner of evil spirits il There is an old German ballad, whic D tells us how the noble knight, Si Ugo. was, by the beautiful Ursula f freed from enchantment by means O 0 a mistletoe bough.