The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1909-12-24


- <,,o. 90, commentaries the massacre of the
children in bethlehem under Herod This IN ltseh Is
sufficient to explain its early recognition Dy the
The superstition that the day is an unlucKy ONE ul
nefastus-is not only widely spread all over Europe Dut
is deeply rooted be traced back many nunoreos
of years.
The superstition strong all through the mioole
ages In England the fifteenth century, 1t was tnoueht
so inauspcous the day set for the coronation Oh o
ward Nv Sunday happening be Childemas the cere
mony was postponed until the following DAY. IN .ne
County of Suffolk this day the superstition carried
even further whatever day OF the week Cnlde-
mas may happen to 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 this belief in the Spectator
Of March l. 171O-11 "Thursday,' says she, NO. child
if it please God shall not begin upon Ch1dermas
day. Tell your writing master that Friday Will De soon
enough"
The custom of whipping the children reminder OF
the event commemorated by Childermas was common IN
France and some parts of Normandy today there is still
remnant existing the country folks, put the re-
ligous significance has been partly lost Ths metnoo
of assisting the memory of luckless urchn by
ing his epiderms formerly in on other occa
sons than Holy Innocents day. In England 1t was for
merly common practice during the riding OF the boun
DIARIES parishes and manors Ascension day to whip
the youngsters at important or disputed point
This christening in the days OF his YOUTH was remen
bered aerward and the particular stone carn or
sreamlet marking the and bounds between adoin
ing parishes thus ndeliby mapped on his gray mat
ter-a proceeding quite eficacious as survey
Although the festivities connected closely with
the celebration Christmas day have completely over
shadowed those the New Year. still there not
few corners Chrisendom wherein the latter season
is greater repute. In Scotland, in partlcu
lar great holiday of the and on the eve
and day Year the Scot lets himself out
with vim. would If his spirits pent up for
a whole twevemonth find vent at this paticuar season
In France, Roman law and custom have impressed
themselves perhaps strongly than elsewhere in Eu
rope not even excepting Italy ITSELF and the close
litical friendship which existed between Scotland and
France previous the ascension of James VI to the
throne still finds expression in the country to the north
of the Tweed much stronger fashion than is gener
ally believed Many of the lowland terms of today are
merely French Scottish guise 1t is perhaps more
this close political entente than to the spread of the
Puritan Observation-Disclosures which held everything in
abomnation that smacked in the slightest degree of
church estivas-that of the customs and super
sttons now current among the Scots closely
resemble those France Christmas at one time was
almost as much festival in Scotland to the south
of the border and 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
the New Year that holds his heart and at the time
disturbs his digestion and adde's his BRAIN Any
who been the "Canny Toun O. Edinbro or Glas-
Cow New Years realizes the spirit of goodwill
that regns even if his be split by the pandemonum
eyes suffer by the reek of the torches,
and it is rarely that Scot in all his ollifcaton at
this period liberty license. The custom of
welcoming in the New Year has, however, on occasions,