The Ordway new era., 1917-12-21
10y IDA M. BRUCE In Utica elobe.)

VI ~ chalance, some charming
WI" young lady beneath
HNf\ bOugh Of mistletoe In or
der to win a "mistletoe
kiss" he Is Of the opinion
that he Is Turing the young lady into
a situation where, by the decree Of an
ancient custom, she must forfeit the
aforesaid kiss.
Frankness compels me to confess
that the Turing Is done by the young
lady. For their Christmas parties they
secure and suspend the mistletoe and
she Is indeed a most sedate and rather
chilling young person who will not.
during the festivities, allow herself to
be "lured" beneath the mistletOe. And
all this is quite within her rights. 1t
Is custom she inherited from ances-
tors who dwelt In Britain or Scandi-
navia. centuries ago. Today the mis-
| tletoe and the mistletoe kiss are as
sociated only with Christmas. But,
in truth. mistletoe had its significance
centuries before the birth in Beth
lehem which gave us Christmas.
Scandinavians claim that mistletoe
customs originated with them, but
there Is an English legend antedating
those of Scandinavia, which tells how
the girls of semlbarbaric Britain, in
the golden age of the Druids, did them
selves hang up boughs of mistletoe
and lure young men into their en-
brace.
According to this legend Chelm, an
ancient high priest, had Il great temple
in the forest where he taught young
men to become priests. So popular
did this temple become that half the
young men Of the countryside were
leaving their homes and people, and
becoming Druid priests.
There was great need of the young
men In the camps to hunt and fish and
to plant, and, above all, there were SO
many more maidens than young men
left that they decided something must
be done to reclaim them. The girls
sought an ancient witch and asked her
help.
"Pick yonder mistletoe that grows
without roots upon the trees, go tC
the edge Of the forest round about the
tree temple of Chelm and hang II
there all around and about the forest
Stand In waiting there, well hidden
until the young men coming forth from
the forest each night to bring food tc
the temple, are under the mistletoe
then step forth. They will clasp yor
and kiss you whereupon do you scream
right Justify and the young men shal
be yours"
How the Girls Won Back the Men.
The maidens followed this advice
and hung the mistletoe In festoon.
about the edge of the forest. Stand
ing under 1t, the young men felt i'm
PEELED to kiss the maidens who stepped
forth to greet them. The maidens
as instructed, screamed Justify ant
Chelm and other of the old Druit
priests rushed forth, fearing thei
young men were being murdered
When the good old Druids saw tn,
young men embracing the maiden
they drove them away, for they woult
have no one among them who hat
ought to do with women.
And so, through the peculiar infiu
ence of the mistletoe, the mniden
won back the young men, but the Gus
tom of hanging up mistletoe was KEEP
up. Later after the Introduction o
Christianity, the custom was added t.
the Christmas festivities.
Christmas Festivities.
From Scandinavian mythology come
the weird but Interesting story of tn
origin of mistletoe, that pale-berrie,
parasite of the forest. One Of the bes
Of these legends is that Of Baldur, Sol
of Wodin, in the days when thos
strange gods are said to have wake,
and talked with the mortals on earth
as did Jupiter and Apollo and Diam
and Latonla and the other gods an
goddesses of Olympus.
Baldur was the Scandinavian god O
sunshine and summer and was nat
urally beloved by all except Loki, tn
god of hearth fires. For, while tn
people rushed out of doors to see Ba
dur when he brought the summer sur
they had no use for Loki until tn
next winter, consequently Loki dis
liked Baldur.
Mama, goddess of the blossoms an
wife of Baldur. dreamed terribl
dreams Of the death of Baldur, an
she went to the great god Wodin, he
father-in-law, and told him and he wa
greatly troubled. But messenger
were sent forth throughout the worl