The Virginia enterprise., 1909-12-31

mas (Decemher o., commentaries the of the
children in Bethlehem, under Herod This IN nseh Is
sufficient explain its early recognition Dy ne ,a.
The superstition that day is unlucky onea DIES
nefastuss only widely spread all over EUROPE out
deeply rooted and be traced back many
of years.
The superstition was strong all through the middle
ages In England the fifteenth century, 1t was nougnt
so nauspicous that day for the coronation OF Ed
ward w. (Sunday happening to be Chidemas, the cere
mony was postponed until the following day. In the
County Of Suffolk this the superstition is carried
even further and on day of the week Childe
mas may happen fall that day is held to be unucky
throughout the year. The commencement OF any new
task thought be certain to be followed by failure
Addison gives ar instance of this belief in the Spectator
of March l. 1710.11. "Thursday, says she No. child
If it please Cod shall not begin upon Chdermas
day Tell your writing master that FRIDAY WI" De soon
enough"
The custom of whipping the children as reminder OF
the event commemorated by Childermas common in
France and parts of Normandy today there Is sl
existing among the country olks, out the re-
igious significance has been partly lost This method
of assisting the memory of the luckess urch1n by scor
ing his epiderm formerly in vogue on other occa
sions than Holy Innocents day In England 1t was for
merlv common practice during the riding of the boun
daries of parishes and Ascension day to whip
the youngsters at important or disputed point
This christening in the days OF his YOUTH was remem
bered ever aerward and the particular sone cairn
sreamlet marking and bounds between adjoin
ing parishes was thus ndeliby mapped his mat
ter-a proceeding quite as eficacious as survey.
Although festivities connected more closely with
the celebration of Christmas day have completely
shadowed those of New Year. still there not
few corners in Chrsendom wherein the latter
is held in much greater repute In Scotland, In particu
lar it is the great holiday of the and the
and the day of New the Scot lets himself out
with VIM It would If his spirits, pent up for
whole twelvemonth find vent at this paticular
In France Roman law and custom have impressed
themselves perhaps strongly than elsewhere In Eu
rope not even excepting Italy ITSELF and the close po
itical friendship which existed between Scotland and
France previous the ascension of James VI to the
throne still finds expression in the country the north
of the in much stronger fashion than is
ally believed Many of the lowand terms of to-day are
merely French in Scottish guise 1t is perhaps
Puritan which held everything in
abomnaton that smacked in the slightest degree of
church fesvals-tha many of the customs and
sttions now current the Scots closely
resemble those of France Christmas at one time
almost much festival in Scotland to the south
of the border and it 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. is
New Year that holds his heart and at the time
disurbs his digestion and adde's his BRAIN Any one
who has been in the "Canny Toun O. Edinbro Glas
gov on New Years realizes the spirit of goodwill
that reigns even his be split by the pandemonium
noise and his eyes suffer the reek of the torches
rarely that Scot in all his jollihcaton
this period construes liberty license The custom of
welcoming in the New Year has, however, on occasions