The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-24

Il 3sTo-d day is known in England ns mid
|: SUNNI rlr err day IN the Christian Kalendar
MI IA held sacred as tho Nativity OF ST..
& John the Baptist. si ii; 45
From the fact that the ''old style"
midsummer occurred on this day. there
was in the early days Of England says "a 9
gBrewster, in his Saints and Festivals
II. curious mixture Of pagan and Chris
i tian ceremonies, since for ages the pagans
shad celebrated NJ Midsummer Day as @ Q fes-
II Wal .s Thus, in an inner court Of MAG;
daien Col eye. Oxford, there ia q stone pull pull.
%pi Il and upon st. Johns Day this pulpit
4 MAJ: formerly transformed 5into q bower eI
q u, cen from boughs and branches out
n of stthe woods, after the pagan "a shlon.
From sthe pulpit a sermon Of the life Of
I St.Ijohn the Baptist was preached When
y asked why they thus followed the old
Druid style, tho students said This IS
st John in the wilderness.
J Mid Summer Fetes.
ssf. In many places In England, down to
athe time yof Cromwell, midsummer night
spaxt Ia them being adorned with gnrlands
\ ofsd overs, ribbons and, II possible. Jew
els. Tradition tells OF q Il private view
King Henry VIII. OF England had OF one
+ OF these PROFESSIONS In 1910, which 50
pleased him that on ST. Peters Eve
3 June $2Sth, when a similar parade used TO
q occur, f.le came accompanied by Queen
! Katherine and q long suite Of courtlers'
TO witness It. Some very strange super
sstitiona, too, were held regarding -.
( ] ohn's Eve The Irish In old days be-
sllleyed that on this night the soul Of
& every person left the body and wandered
on through space till II came to the spot
ii.W1,ere the soul and. body would have its
nnal rthly parting. and that, after thus
reaching this place. 1t returned to tho
| mortal to whom 1t belonged, An English
/ superstition was that any one who would
sit fasting all night on church porch on
Est. Johns Eve, would 500 pass before
y Elm all the persons OF tho parish who
Iwere to die during the coming year.
[Sssa5s. st. Johns Wort. I
ssSsr1t was customary to go out formerly
and gather punches OF st, Johns wort
n and hang them up over tho framing OF
/ doors as a protection against the evil
sp!r!ts and witches, supposed to be
& abroad on st. Joints Eve. The flower had
i a small yellow blossom, and Its leaves
were so thickly marked with indentntions
sfas TO give rise to an old English super
s4atlnon that they were the mark Of tiny
spears cast by the elves
BIT was believed that a yol1g maiden.
81 Who, gathered st. Johns wort and put 1t
d In water beside nor bed when she went
n to sleep on ST. Johns eve, could foretell
Il her destiny by Its appearance the next
morning, II the flowers were fresh and
ii blooming brightly, her happiness was
q INSURED. II they hung faded and life-
less sorrow or q lingering illness and
& death threatened her.
81 n Dryden, In his "AmphttrXon.' says:
i'What this midsummer moon?
ss Il all the world gone a-weddng?'
This has reference to the well known
4 fact that Imagination Is supposed to run
rIot under such influences. Malone be-
sl,eves that the title OF Shakespeare
s charming phantasy IA Midsummer
III NIGHTS Dream was suggested by the
II time II was first introduced on the stage
n Which was probably at midsummer, &c
It comes about that Malvolio's conduct
\ IL described by Olivia as very mdsum'
Il iiiler madness" and the title OF the play
u seems most appropriate TOT series o.
n Wild incongruittes
sSs13 Birth and Death.
saSl me birthplace Of ST. John the Baptls
was probably Hebron, town IN thu
western part OF the hilly country. some
twenty miles from Jerusalem. The deaif
of ST, John took place two years before
that OF Jesus Christ. at the royal fortl
saead palace OF Aachsrpnta, near the Deat
sea. on the river Jordan. His disciple
II secured his body and buried It at Be
y sS,asti IIater, his bones We're sent t
IsssAIaxandria and placed In church bull
i I BY Taleod osius In A, D. sa3.
tradition asserts that Herod, too lat
Va Sr1eyed over the beheadnent OF John
f Il. Concealed the head OF the martyr an
e fifrted 1t In his palace. When the Mos
iaIny captured Emesa in Syria. in tn
II Il Year Ras, et. Johns head was sent
sCpppadocia In tho time OF the Hol
II Roman Empire, the front head was scr
kIniens IN France. where II Is 81