The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-12-22

might cause 1t to diminish and appear to melt
away by carrying it off.
Lead, steel and Yermin may be circumvented
II the proper precautions are taken. For the
first wear a shirt spun, woven and sewed by
pure, chaste maiden on Christmas day; wear
something sewed with thread spun on Christmas
eve and mo vermin will stick to you"
If one be born at sermon time" on Christmas
morning he can spirits; burn elder on
Christmas eve and you will have revealed to you
all the witches and sorcerers in the neighbor-
hood
Thieves will find it consoling to know that II
they steal anything on Christmas without being
caught they 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 any
beans and you will become an ass; eat 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 a physic; shake out the tablecloth
over the bare ground under the open sky after
your Christmas dinner and crumbwort will grow
there; hang wash clout on hedge on Christ
day Christmas eve then groom the horses
with it 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 smoder be-
ware, for that portends misfortune and adversely.
1t is unlucky to give to a neighbor live coal
with which to kindle fire on Christmas morn
ing; also it is unlucky to carry a coal or any
thing else from the house Christmas morning
until something has first been brought in
Our Christmas tree, which is a feature of
most public Christmas eve celebrations and in
many homes is comparatively new in Christen-
dom, but 1t springs from some very ancient Gus
toms. The Egyptians regarded the date palm as
an emblem of immortality and of the starit fir
mament and at the time of the winter sostice
decked their houses with it's branches. 1t was
held by them to be "a symbol of life" triumphant
death, and therefore of perennial life in the
renewal of each bounteous year
Scandinavian myth speaks of Service
tree" sprung from the blood-drenched soil where
two lovers had been killed by violence. During
the Christmas season mysterious lights which no
wind could eXtinguish were often seen 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 a snow-covered forest under
starry sky. Unable to make them comprehend
satisfactorily, he went into the garden, cut a
small fir tree and set it 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 or
the Feast of Dedication, of which lighted candles
prominent feature. The Night of Dedica-
tion," Christmas eve is called in Germany while
the Feast of Lights" is celebrated also in
Greece, at our Christmas time, although Christ
mas is dismal time in Greece, being disliked
by that warmthloving people because it is cold
and dreary-also favorite season for ghosts and
goblins to walk abroad
During the middle ages the Christmas tree
sk,,Asz-
miliar along the Rhine for 200 years before It's
popularity extended throughout the rest of the
world
Christmas cards, which may now be had in
every degree of elaborateness and gorgeousness