The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1920-12-16

,lS-E=7N well rs of the dances of the
Is+SFS Shakers of Lebanon in New
FISS5T York state.
The first Christmas carol
history is the "GilOria in ExcelSiS''
found in the Roman mass. and in the
Episcopal Book of Common PRAYER 1t
Is aSCrihed To TeleSphoruS. bishop of
Rome, about the year \. u. 139. and
is common in both the eastern and
western churches.
An old English carol begins with the
notable words:
Behold a simple. tender babe
In freezing winter night
In homely manager trembling lies
Alas. piteous sight
The higher critics" have wondered
how the shepherds could watch their
fiocks 10y night. even in winter in
Judea. hut this presented no difficulty
tn Robert SOuthwell. the author of this
quaint carol. who as II Jesuit was i'm
prisOned in the Tower of London, and.
after enduring the fortunes of the rack.
was executed I'm 1894.
A popular carol among the Germans
is one written by Martin Luther for
his little son Hans. II begins:
From the highest heaven / come to tell
The gladdest ews which e'er befel
A very sad story is told in connec-
ton with this carol. In order to give
IL realistic effect in a certain Luther
an church IL used to be sung by boy
let down from the roof of the church
dressed as an angel. But one day the
rope broke. and the boy was killed.
This put an end to very beautiful but
dangerous Christmas custom.
AT time when the liturgical and
biblical plays were popular the
Christmas carol was an important
feature. In Italy In the time of St.
Francis of Assist. in order Ia instruct
the people, the villagers came TO the
church carrying lighted torches. and
there they saw the scene Of the man.
ger filed with hay. and the OK and ass
standing In their places near the
Virgin and Child. Then it was that
ST. Francis and his friars stood by the
manger all night long. giving God
thanks thar by this means the hearts
of the people Nad been touched.
"Rare old Ben Jonson." in the DAYS
Of the Good Queen ResS." wrote n
carol which begins 81 sing the Birth
was horn tonight" And about that time
appeared very popular carol which
is sung in "Merrle England" even to
the present day. the first line of which
Is God rest You. merrie gentlemen"
Some old Christmas carols have come
down to us In half Latin and half
English. Among them Is carol which
appears In the collection for Grace
church. New York city:
When Christ was born of pure Marie
In Bethlehem. that fair cite
Angels sang with mirth and glee
In Exrelsis Gloria.
in this "Grace collection there is a
slrOl coraMencing "Over the world ON
Christmas MORN" by DR.. Mackuy
Smith.
The uncOuth carol of the sixteenth
century has given place to the popu-
lar Christmas hymn of later days.
Wherever the English language is
spoken Charles WeSley's hymn. "Hark.
the Herald Angels Sing" finds a place
in the sanctuary. II Is also translated
iTtO the languages of India. China and
Japan. Its author was the brother of
the founder of Methodsn. He was a
true poet and a perfect hymn writer.
His masterpiece is the beautiful hymn
Jesus, Lover of My Soul" which was
sung by the Princess Alice at the
leathbed of the prince consort of
England. the lamented husband of
Queen Victoria.
"Come all ye faithful" Is the