Putnam patriot. [volume] (Putnam, Conn.) 1872-1962, 1921-12-23

aries Of Samuel Sewall, and the last
is in a letter from Mr.. Wait Winthrop.
in 1893
But in i7f4, Judge sewall gives US
a glimpse Of the lively Christmas con
test that arose when The Royal Gov
eluour" undertook TO spread the Gus
tom Of celebrating the Lords Supper
on Christmas day. in Boston. As II
happened, Christmas came that year
on Saturday, on the day before Sun
day. Here was a dilemma for the
men Of Boston No industrious Bos-
tonian would take two days Of rest in
succession. Therefore nobody could
keep both Christmas and Sunday. One
must choose The members Of the
Church Of England chose TO keep
Christmas sacred. and work on Sun
day. All Others worked on Christmas,
and observed Sunday. Judge SeWall,
in high indignation, reports the shock
ing deeds Of MS ueighbor. General
Nicholson. as follows. THE Church
Of England had the Lords Supper yes
terday, the last day Of the week, but
will not have IT today the day which
the Lord hath made And Gen.l Mich
olson, who kept Satterday, was this
Lords Day Rummaging and Glitter
ing with Wheeibarrows &c. TO get
aboard at Long wharf, and Firing
Guns and Setting Sail thank God,
! heard not. saw not anything of il,
but was quiet at the New North"
II was rather simple, after all If
you were "a Churchman, you kept
Christmas holy. and went rummaging
and ehittering with wheelbarrows on
Sunday. II you were Puritan, you
worshiped on the Lords Day, and
chittered on Christmas Whichever
YOU did, you were safe to offend
somebody.
All this was in the very early colon
ial days But even as late as i77i,
the little schoolgirl, Anna Green Wins
low, writes of the opposition to Christ
mas observance in Boston: THE walk
ing is SO slippery & the air so cold
that aunt chuses TO have me for her
scoller these two days. And as to-
morrow will be a holiday, so the pope
and his associates have ordained, my
aunt thinks not to trouble Mrs. Smith
with me this week. The snow
is up to the peoples vast in some plac-
es in the street | kept Christmas at
home this year, 4 did very good
days work. aunt says so.
In the diary of a rather homesick
young British soldier of the Kings
Own Regiment of Foot, we find am
item for December "a, 1874, describ-
ing the Boston Christmas as he saw
it: Bad day constant snow till eve
ming when it turned out rain and
sleet. A soldier Of the 10th shot for
desertion; the only thing done in re-
membranes of Christ Mass Day"
After the Revolution. when there
was little to fear from Royal nstitu-
tons. the feeling against Christmas
subsidized Yet, in the year 1882, the
Boston Transcript" apologies for
emitting to print its paper on Christ
mas day: We have determined. af-
ter mature elaboration, not to publish
our paper tomorrow, and if il be our
misfortune to offend any one Of our.
subscribers. we east ourselves on his
charity. and are ready to abide the
consequences.
The Transcript" of 1882 also prints
an account Of the way in which a lady
of fashion, who was at the fremont
Theatre for the Christmas Eve per
Torrance, distinguished herself Tor
her kindness: "A lady Of high ton.
wishing to retire from her box at the
fremont Theatre. and having too
much kindness to disturb the gentle
man behind her, hoped over into the
next box, from the door Of which she
made her egress. The delieacy Of the
movement excited the admiration Of
the whole house"