Licking Valley courier. [volume] (West Liberty, Ky.) 19??-current, 1912-12-26

SON OF ETC The Red OF Norway, and
describe the souhward voyage Of his
little vessel past the snow-cIad noun
tains 81 I.abrodor and the wooded
shores OF Newfoundland. until Vine
land. an indefinite region on the New
England coast, was reached.
8 Here Lief. who was a Christian, and
the members OF his little band OF dar-
ing adyenturers spent the winter OF
1902 and no doubt on ~ bleak New
England shore the beautiful feast,
whose God-lIke spirit has sptkana2aaI5i-
conquered the >iiaid. was celebrated.
me Norwegian Visits to ylneiand
we're continued BY ThorvaltI md Thor
stein. brothers Or Lief. &ho bad sue
cceded to the oaIr|aIcha| Office and
posseaaIons Of - Iather and on The
deaths "a quick succession OF both
sThofVald and Thorstein the wife OF
the latter. Gudf|da. married rich Nor
wegian named Ihorfln and accompa,
MED him and accompany Of his follow.
ers to Vineland where they lived
three years. 0udrida was a pious
soul. When her second husband died
she visited Rome, narrated to Pope
. Benedict an account OF her adTen,nres
in this far western world and v'th the
papal blessing returned 70 Iceland.
where she founded a convent. OF which
she became abbass
= There are no records bearing on the
Christmas days spent by these hardy
Norweglans In New England, but I'm
agination can well picture the renewal
in this strange land Of the Christmas
customs OF Scandinavia. And thus 1t
lis entirely legitimate 10 assume that
by them the first celebration Of the
day was observed IN the new world.
History, and tradition as we'll. are
silent after this on new world affairs
until the coming OF the spanlards. fol-
lowed by the Portuguese. Frepch and
English. BY them the feast of the Ma
tivlty was celebrated, and long before
Plymouth Rock was discovered. TO be
made the conversions OF a 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 Rolls
Mages and Hayre 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 franlIncense
and Of myrrh before the Babe OF Beth
slehem.
In stern and puritan New England
Christmas was placed under ban. The
Plymouth colony. indeed. did not pass
prohibitlye laws, but in 1922 Gov. Brad
ford placed all Christmas games under
interdict and those who atterward
observed the day did so secretly. But
he Massachusetts Bay colony. foIle,"-
ing the example Of Cssan~ell . 'parlia-
ment, whIch-sSv-sF1ted all observance
of the ~feast and dscreed that holly
/, and Ivy were badge Of sedltion," en-
acted a law. In 1861 oblIglng oil men
to labor on Christmas day and infllct.
| ing fine upon those who observed the
feast II was not until 16sf--more
than 20 years after the passing OF the
Cromwell regime and the restoration
! OF the Stuart dynasty to the throne
that this law abolishlng personal free-
! dom aud liberty OF worship. was re.
pealed; aud several years after this
! the spirit OF New England was reflect
I 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.
Y Both New Amsterdam and New York
maintained the old.world customs as.
ISOLATED with the day and IN the south
the beautiful festival never lost its
nluElHa1uzz.zHllse,.n. /.