The Elbert County tribune., 1910-12-23

might cause it to diminish and appear to melt
away by carrying it off.
Lead, steel and vermin may be circumvented
II the proper precautions taken. For the
hrst wear shirt spun and sewed by a
pure chaste maiden Christmas day; ewear
something sewed with thread spun on Christmas
eve and mo vermn will stick to you"
II one be born at sermon time" Christmas
morning he can spirits; burn elder on
Christmas eve and you will have revealed No you
all the witches and sorcerers in the neighbor
hood.
Thieves will find it consoling to know that II
they steal anything Christmas without being
caught they can safely steal things all the year
Likewise steal hay and give to your cattle and
not only will they thrive all the year and grow
fat, but you will not be caught in any of your
future thefts
Christmas day passed without eating apy
beans and you will become ass; eat a raw egg
ON Christmas morning. fasting and you can carry
heavy weights.
If you have been disappointed. save the
crumbs for three Christmas ewes and they will
be effective as physic shake out the tabecloth
over the bare ground under the open sky after
your Christmas dinner and crumbwort will grow
there; hang a wash clout hedge on Christ
mas day or Christmas eve, then groom the horses
with 1t and they will grow fat
Take great care of your fire on Christmas
morning; If it burn brightly that betokens pros
perity for all the coming year. If it smolder be-
ware, for that portends misfortune and adversely
with which to kindle fire on Christmas morn
ing; also it is unucky to carry a coal or any
thing else from the house on Christmas morning
until something has first been brought in
Our Christmas tree, which is feature of
most public Christmas eve celebrations, and in
many homes. is comparatively new in Chrsten
dom, but 1t springs from some very ancient Gus
toms. The Egyptians regarded the date palm as
an emblem of Immortality and of the starlit fir.
mament and at the time of the winter sostice
decked their houses with its branches 1t was
held by them to be "a symbol of life," triumphant
over death and therefore of perennial life in the
renewal of each bounteous year
A Scandinavian myth speaks of a "seryice
tree" sprung from the blood ddrenched soil where
two lovers had been killed by violence. During
the Christmas season mysterious lights which no
wind could extinguish were often flaming
In Its branches. A later explanation of the
Christmas tree dates back to Martin Luther and
tells of him attempting to describe to his family
the beauties of snow-covered forest under a
starry sky. Unable to make them comprehend
satisfactorily, he went into the garden, cut a
small fir tree and set 1t up in the nursery with
its branches covered with lighted candles
At about the season when we celebrate Christ
mas the Jews celebrated their Feast of Lights,
the Feast of Dedication of which lighted candles
prominent feature. "Ehe Night of Dedica
ton," Christmas is called in Germany while
the Feast of Lights" is celebrated also in
Greece at our Christmas time, although Christ
mas Is a dismal time in Greece, being disllked
by that warmthoving people because 1t is cold
and dreary-also favorite season for ghosts and
goblins to walk abroad.
During the middle ages the Christmas tree
became an institution at Strassburg and was ia
miliar along the Rhine for 200 years before its
popularity extended throughout the rest of the
world.
Christmas cards which may be had in
every degree of elaborateness and gorgeousness
at prices from penny each upward. compar-