The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-24
LOCAL HISTORY
Christmas Eve-sa.tle OF Trenton.

Christmas Eve-Battle OF Trenton.
Tonight Is Christmas Eve. the begin
Ming OF the greatest festival OF all church
festivals. In al parts OF the world pre-
psrations will be concluded tonight for
The fitting celebration OF the birth OF our
Savior tomorrow. The cves viGils OF
the different ecclesiastical festivals OF me
strict letter OF canonical rule, times OF
fasting and penancc, but as in the case
OF All Saints Eve and OF Christmas Eve
of mlrth and jollity.
this than Sir Walter Scot, docs in Mar
| mion';
''On Christmas Eve the bells were rung
| On Christmas Eve The mass was sung;
That only night In all the year.
saw the stoled priest the chalice rear
The damsel donned her krtle sheen;
The hall was dressed with holly green
Forth TO The wood did merry men go,
/ To gather in the mistetoe.
! Tonight in all parts OF the world where
| Christmas is celebrated. and there are
very few countries in which II is not
the Christmas tree will be SET up In the
| home. the stockings Will be hung by the
! fireplace, and the Christmas carols "iIl
ne sung on the streets, The time and
| manner of the introduction OF the Christ
mas tree into any land Is extremely In
definite. legends exist in many countries.
/
| gcst All least the age OF the custom. In
French romance as far back as tne
| thirteenth century, the hero finds Ei-
Eantlc tree whose branches are covered
with burning candles and on the Top tne
vision or A child With halo around ms
| curly head. 1t was explained mat me
! tree represents mankind, the child the
Savior and the candles good and bad
| human beings. BY an old German legend.
st, Winifred is made the deviser of the
idea. In The midst OF crowd Of con
fpI Inc In
tempted to heT down an oak which mad
been the object Of their druidic Worship
when whirlwind passed. over the torres,
rending the giant tree from the ground
but leaving behind The ruin young hr
tree.
St winfred then said to the people;
| This little tree, young child OF ile
forest shall be your holy tree tonight
II is the wood of pcase for Your houses
arc built Of f'r il Is sign Of endless
llfe. for its leaves are always green.
Let this be called the tree OF the Christ
child. gather about ii. not In the Wild
wood. but In your homes. there " VIII
shelter no deeds of blood but loving
gifts and rites of kindness. stu an
other tale hcstows upon Martin Luther
the honor OF originating the practice. he
having used. on Christmas night, hr
tree. lighted with candles, 10 illustrate
10 his children the beauty OF The stars
shining from, a clear '$y
Real seekers after tho history OF the
Christmas tree have concluded. however
that il may. be n revival of the mr. trees
OF the Roman Saturnslis and still others
think IL may be derived from the ancient
Egyptian practice Of decking houses. al
the time for the winter sostice. Win
branches Of the date palm. which wa
the symbol OF life triumphant over death
These vague traditions. no doubt led tf
the permanent establishment Of the
Christmas tree. !.
traced back to the sixteenth century
An authentic manuscript speaks OF II!
appearance in Strashurg, though 1t was
mot generally adopted throughout Ger
many till the nineteenth century 1t wa
! the marriage OF Queen Victoria 10 a Ger
man prince that led TO the adoption o
the custom in England, and IT wa
brought 10 this country by the German
immigrants.
IL was on Christmas eve. 1916. wher
one OF the most picturesque events o
ington's crossing of the Delaware nea
Trenton. At the twilight nour, As tn
loariest stars began to twinkle on tn
: cold Christmas night, the little army o
2400 men began their struggle with tn
ice foes and the rapid current. II re
uuired many hours. BY midnight Tn
sky was overcast and snow was falling
but by 4 o'clock in the morning the en-
tire army was safely landed on the Jer
, sey shore They marched the nine mile
, 10 the city, The enemy was wholly un
prepared, The battle was sharp and de
cisive and was all over In three-quar
tcrs of an hour The American victor
was complete. Washington always after
wards affirmed that it was the happles
Christmas of his life.
On December "a 1884. the Methods
Episcopal church in the United State
was organized; the treaty Of peace wa
signed between the United States an
Great Britain in 1914. at Ghent. and PAL
: of the capitol and all OF the library q
congress was burned AT Washington I
e 1914. Today is the birthday of Galba
Roman emperor G 3. c.: King John o
England Gl66): William Warhurto
? QseS) Christopher ("KitD Carso
Gs15): Matthew Arnold. the poet GS22l
{ and William Frederick Poole, the II
, brarlan US2D. 1t is the date OF the deaf
OF Tasco de Cana. Portuguese navlGa
{ Tor. Madame de Genlis authoress GS30)
Hugh Miller, geologist 0S56), and IN
novelist Thackcray In 1865.