Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-22

of miStletoe branch, absolutely differ
ent and nurtured by no parent stock.
One needs only a walk through the dead
forests of France and to look at the liv-
ing mistletoe in it's fourishing vigor to
realize how early simple faith chose this
strange growth to be the Rod of Jesse
which came into such glorious flower
when the world had given up it's hope of
life in sight of its creator" The missile
toe is of Druidic origin. and in all cere-
monies held by the Druids where flowers
or plants We're used it held a place of
honor The mtstletoe kiss is not Chris
tan at all. for it seems to be a relic of
the Druidic festivals.
The ivy is known in France as the Herb
of ST John, the disciple whom Jesus
loved. the emblem of pure friendship
that heeds not the decay of the walls to
which it clngS, but even holds on with
a. greater tenacity to the ruins, clinging
close in adversely.
The Christmas tree has many legends
To the pious Germans it is known as the
Tree of Light, enlblematic of the man
hood of the Redeemer in His descent from
the patrlarchS, and no Christmas tree is
complete in their homes unless the pic
lures of the Virgin and the infant Savior
crown its decorations. The Scandina6ians
believe it TO be a tree sprung from the
hlood-drenched soil where two lovers
We're killed by violence. On certain nights
during the Christmas season lights were
seen On its branches which no wind could
eXtinguish. The French. too. have
legend which tells of a knight who saw a
giant tree with it's branches covered with
candles, some standing erect and others
pointing downward. and on the top was
n beautiful child with Il halo about his
head. He asked the Pope for an ex-
PLANTATION and was told that the child was
the Savior and that the lights pointing
upward We're the good people. and the
ones pointing downward were the bad
human beings.
Just who had the first Christmas tree
is not known, but an old German legend
gives the honor to Saint Winfred. 1t
tells how in the midst of crowd of
converts he hewed down an oak tree,
and as 1t fell with crash beside "a little
fir tree St Winfred dropped his AK and
spoke to the people as he pointed to the
little tree which lifted its green spires
toward the heavens: This little tree, a
young child Of the forest, shall be your
holy tree tonight. 1t Is sign Of peace,
for your houses are built OF fir: it is a
sign of endless life, for it's leaves are ever
green. See how it points to heaven,
Let this be called the tree of the Christ
Child. Gather about it, not in the wild
wood. but in -FOUR own homes there it
will shelter no deed of blood, but loving
gifts and rites of kindness
The legend most popular in Germany
attributes the idea of having Christmas
tree to Martin Luther, and some Of the
most popular engravings show the great
reformer sitting in the bosom of his FAM
lily with lighted Christmas tree on the
table before him. The story tells how
Luther was travelling home alone one
Christmas eve. Going through a snow
clad country, the sky with it's glittering
stars made a deep impression upon him.
and on arriving home he tried to explain
it to his wife Suddenly an idea suggest
ed itself to him. He went into the gar
den, cut off little fir tree. dragged 1T into
the nursery. put some candles on its
branches and lighted them, and from that
time the Germans had trees for their
children at Christmas time. In 1880 Mu-
mich saw its first Christmas tree, when
Queen Caroline held a children's festi-
val at the palace. A year later Bohemia
and Hungary had taken to the same idea.
In 1910 the Duchess Helena of Orleans