Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1912-12-12

bAlV NloAl luduC "
Greenland by Lief
son of Eric the Red, of Norway, and
describe the southwark voyage of his
little vessel past the snow-clad noun.
tains of Labrador and the wooded
shores of Newfoundland, until Vine
land, an indefinite region on the New
England coast, was reached.
Here Lief, who was a Christian, and
the members of his little band of dar
Ing Adventures spent the winter OF
1902 and no doubt on the bleak New
England shore the beautiful feast
whose God-like spirit has softened and
conquered the world, was celebrated
The Norwegian visits to Vfneland
were continued by Thorwald and Thor.
stein, brothers of Lief, who had sue,
ceeded to the patriarchal office and
possessions of his father; and on the
deaths in quick succession of both
Thorwald and Thorstein the wife OF
the latter, Gudrida, married a rich Nor.
wegian named Thorfin and accompa,
MED him and a company of his follow,
ers to Vineland, where they lived
three years. Gudrida was a pious
soul. When her second husband died
she visited Rome, narrated to Pope
Benedict an account of her adventures
in this far western world and with the
papal blessing returned to Iceland,
where she founded a convent, of which
she became abbess.
There are no records bearing on the
Christmas days spent by these hardy
Norwegians in New England, but i'm
agination can well picture the renewal
in this strange land of the Christmas
customs of Scandinavia And thus it
is entirely legitimate to assume that
by them the first celebration of the
day was observed in the new world.
History, and tradition as well, are
silent after this on new world affairs
until the coming OF the Spaniards, fol-
lowed by the Portuguese, French and
English. BY them the feast of the Ma.
tivity was celebrated, and long before
Plymouth Rock was discovered, to be
made the cornerstone of new civil
ization, hardy fishermen from France
chanted the hymns of the Catholic
church in the waters of Maine. An
old French chart gives to certain is
lands near the Machias river, east of
Penobscot, the names of Isles des Rois
Mages and Havre Mage-Isles of the
Magian kings, and Magian harbor-
in memory of the three wise men, who
followed the mysterious star, to lay
their offerings of gold, of frankincense
and of myrrh before the Babe of Beth
lehem.
In stern and puritan New England
Christmas was placed under ban. The
Plymouth colony, indeed, did not pass
prohibitive laws, but in 1922 Gov. Brad
ford placed all Christmas games under
interdict and those who afterward
observed the day did so secretly. But
the Massachusetts, Bay colony, follow
Ing the example of Cromwell's parlia
ment. which prohibited all observance
Of the feast and decreed that holly
and Ivy were badges of sedition," en-
acted law, in 1869, obliging all men
to labor on Christmas day and infiict
ing fine upon those who observed the
feast. 1t was not until 1681-more
than 20 years after the passing of the
Cromwell regime and the restoration
Of the Stuart dynasty to the throne
that this law, abolishing personal free.
dom and liberty Of worship, was re-
pealed; and several years after thie
the spirit of New England was reflect
ed In a letter written by Rev. Joshua
Moody to Rev. Increase Mather, In
which the observance of Christmas
was thus referred to: And the shut
ting up Of shops on Christmas day and
driving the master out of school on
Xmas holydaies are very grevous."
Elsewhere throughout the colonies
the feast Of Christmas was observed.
Both New Amsterdam and New York
maintained the old-world customs az.
ISOLATED with the day and in the south
the beautiful festival never lost Its
hold upon the hearts Of the English
settlers.
Today there is no north, no south.
no east, no west, to Christmas cele-
bration In the Unked States. The
story OF the Babe of Bethlehem is
written on every heart and every
tongue on Christmas morning repeats
the song the angels sang over the
Judean hills: GLORY to God in the
highest and on earth peace to men of
good will"
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