The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1920-12-24
First Xmas Carol
Found in the
Roman Mass

lF@ @@~ Ills caFol qanclng Is part of
The rhythmic movement of
IEe,3R the Oberammergau play as
90 we'll as of the dances of the
Sfs57sftSs8 ~ shakers of Lebanon in New
d1S York state
The first Christmas carol
y history is the Gloria in Excelsis"
found in the Roman mass, and in the
Episcopal Book Of Common Prayer. 1t
IS ascrlbed to Telesphorus, bishop of
Rome, about the year A. D. 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 manger trembling lies.
Alas, a piteous sight
The higher critics" have wondered
how the shepherds could watch their
tlocks by night, even In winter in
Iudea but this presented no difficulty
to Robert Southwell, the author of this
quaint carol, who as a Jesuit was i'm
prisoned In the Tower Of London, and,
after enduring the tortures of the rack,
was executed in 1894
popular carol among the Germans
is one written by Martin Luther for
his little son Hans. 1t begins:
From the highest heaven / come to tell
The gladdest news which e'er befel.
very sad story Is told In connec.
tion with this carol. In order to give
il realistic effect IN a certain Luther
an church 1t 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 t. very beautiful but
dangerous Christmas custom.
AT a 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 to Instruct
the people, the villagers came to the
church carrying lighted torches, and
there they saw the scene Of the man
ger filled with hay and the OK and ass
standing In their places near the
Virgin and Child. Then 1t was that
ST Francis and his friars stood by the
manger all night long, giving God
thanks that by this means the hearts
Of the people had been touched.
Rare old Ben Jonson," In the days
of the Good Queen Bess," wrote
carol which begins 81 sing the Birth
was born tonight" And about that time
appeared a very popular carol which
is sung in 'Merrie 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 a 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 Excelsis Gloria.
In this Grace collection" there is
carol commencing "Oyer the world on
Christmas morn" by Dr. Mackay
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 Wesleys hymn, "Hark,
the Herald Angels Sing" finds a place
in the sanctuary. 1t Is also translated
into the languages of India, China and
Japan. Its author was the brother of
the founder of Methodism. He was
true poet and perfect hymn writer.
His masterpiece is the beautiful hymn
Jesus, Lover of My Soul" which was
sung by the Princess Alice at the
deathbed OF the prince consort of
England, the lamented husband of
Queen Victoria.
Come all ye faithful is the
"Adeste Fideles" of the Latin, and
came originally from the pen of
Aurelius Clemens Prudentius, a native
of Spain, who f0urished about the
latter half Of the fourth century.
There is another hymn by the same
Latin author which begins with "Of
the Fathers love begotten."
We have two well-born Christmas
carols by American writer's. 20 Little
Town of Bethlehem" was written by
the popular Boston divine, Phillips
Brooks. "Shout the Glad Tidings, Ex-
ulting Sing" was composed by DR..
Muhlenburg, the founder of the Church
of the Holy Communion. st. Luke's