River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-12-23

Moe frooor,hor %, commentaries the of the
children in Bethlehem, under Herod Ihls IN llsen -
sufficient explain its early recognition ny ln "ai
The superstition that the day is unucky one-a ues
neasus-s not only widely spread all over Europe out
is deeply and be traced back many hunaeuS
of years
The superstition was strong all through the middle
ages In England in the fifteenth century, it was thought
so nauspcous the day set for the coronation OF Ed
ward " Sunday happening to be Chlldemas inc cee
,nonv was postponed until following day In the
County of Suffolk this day the superstition is carried
even further and whatever day of the week Chde-
mas may happen fall that day is held to be unlucKy
throughout the year. The commencement OF any new
task thought to be certain to be followed py failure
Addison gives an of this belief in the Spectator
of March 1, 171O11. Thursday, says she, NO cnllo'
if it please God! shall not begin upon Chdermas
day. your writing master that Friday VIII De soon
enough"
The of whipping the children as reminder Oh
the event commemorated by Childermas was common IN
France and parts of Normandy to-day there Is s
remnant existing among the country folks, but the re-
gious significance has been partly lost This metnoo
assisting the of the luckess urchln Dy SCOT
ing his epdermis formerly in vogue on other occa
sons than Holy Innocents day. In England it was for
mery practice during the riding OF the poun-
dares of parishes and Ascension day to whip
youngsters at important or disputed polnC'
This "Christening in the days of his YOUTH remem-
bered afterward and the particular stone ca1rn or
streamet marking the mees and bounds between adJon
ing parishes thus indeby mapped on his gray mat
ter-a proceeding quite as efhcacious as survey
Although the festivities connected more closely with
the celebration Christmas day have completely over
Swallowed those Of the New Year, still there are not
few corners in Christendom wherein the latter season
is held mich greater repute In Scotland in partcu
lar it is the great holiday of the year. and the
and day of Year the Scot lets himself out
with vim. would if his spirits, pent up for
whole twelvemonh find vent at this paticular season
In France Roman law and custom have impressed
themselves perhaps strongly than elsewhere in Eu
rope excepting Italy itself, and the close po-
tical friendship which existed between Scotland and
France previous ascension of James VI to the
throne still expression in the country to the north
Tweed in much stronger fashion than is gener-
ally believed Many of the lowland terms OF today are
merely French Scottish guise. 1t is perhaps more
close political entente than to the spread of the
Puritan which held everything in
abominaton that smacked in the slightest degree of
church estivas-that many of the customs and
resemble those of France Christmas at time was
almost festival in Scotland to the south
border that in the Cities at least it
Is again showing recrudescence But among the rank
and file of the people, with the Man in the Street. 1t is
New holds his heart and at the time
disturbs his digestion adde's his brain Any one
who has in the "Canny Toun o. Edinbro" or Glas-
Cow realizes the spirit of goodwill
that regns if split by the pandemonium
rarely the Scot in all his jollihcaon at
this period liberty license The custom OF
welcoming in the New Year has, however, on occasions