The Press., 1916-01-05

every heathen nation in the world
has it's festival Its q time OF
merriment and mirth, and everybody
makes merry-at this cold. dark and
cheerless season. These people look
upon the shortest day as the time
when the sun comes to life again; it
is to them new era that prom ises
warmth and light and life in the
dead realm of nature. In the olden
times in England the people used to
call this festival season 'Yuletide.
a word that means wheel. It is
the same name they, gave to the sun
in those days. Perhaps you have
never heard this pretty little story
which explains why they called
Christmas time Yuletide. It is only
q story or q legend ! should say; but
it will interest You just the same. 1t
runs something like this: On Christ
mas Eve before Jesus Christ was born
in Bethlehem there was a deathlike
silence in the courts Of heaven, and
in the pit of hell. Satan and his
CO. workers had heard that God was
about to give to mankind the greatest
gift that heaven possessed, and they
were waiting breathlessly to see just
what this first Christmas gift from
God to man would be. For many
years sin and superstition : idolatry
and witchcraft prevailed, and the
hearts of the people were corrupt
The beautiful places had become
places where every prospect pleases
and only man is vile. Crime
triumphed over innocence vice tri.
umphed over virtue = and Mammon
triumphed over all. During this sad
condition of things there was a
silence just like the calm before
storm. Heaven was in silence. earth
was in silence and hell was in silence.
Then suddenly the silence broke,
the angels heard that Jesus was to be
the gift; and they could keep the
secret no longer and with loud and
ling triumphant song they filled
heaven and earth with their music
praising God and saying, GLORY to
God in tile highest and ON earth peace
and good will to men,. It seems
that the angel music must have echoed
in hell. because Satan and his host
heard that Jesus was to be born in
Bethlehem, and they were angry and
terrified and stupefed- they knew
that Jesus would do the will of God
ON earth as it is done in heaven. So
Satan called together all the other
little satans and told them what had
happened --and with one accord they
filled hell with their horrible yells
Hence it 10 said that Christmas
time was called Yuletide or Yelltide.
in memory Of thcss horrible yells
that echoed and re-echoed in hell
But this is only legend. Neither
yule nor yell have anything at all
to do with Christmas. Yule is a
Scandinavian term which has refer
enoe to feast that was kept by the
old heathen Cloths. At this feast
they burned an old yule log, cut from
an old oak tree. and while the log
was burning they would gather round
and sing a song about the old yule
log I remember when I was boy
living in England we used to sit
around the fireplace while the log
was burning ON Christmas Eve. But
now this old-fashioned English
custom is dying out The old yule
log with it's stupid superstition has
a higher message and a sweeter
meaning to all Christians to-day. It
reminds us that Christmas is not
only a time of eating and drinking,
of giving gifts and receiving them.
It is light and warmth, kindliness
and love in our hearts. The log fire
resembles the spiritual fire that
should burn in our hearts. Let us
ask Jesus to kindle sacred log fire
of love at the mean altar of our
hearts. Then our JOY will be deeper
and broader and more real. Yuletide
will be gladtide. Tidings of great
joy will break upon us and our joy
10 frI1