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About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 30, 1886)
GHRISTJVLHS HAIL ! MERRY DAY. Oh , blessed , blessed day on which our Lord was born I Thy glad return wo celebrate once more ; While everywhere sweat bells ring in the Christmas morn , And nations slug His praise whom we adore. While the sweet church bells ring- Hail to our Savior ! King I Our Lord , whom we adore I Born In no earthly fane , Yet shall he over reign Our Christ , f orevermoro I Now gather happyhearts around the Christmas board. And joj ous greetings pass from each to each ; While joung and old bring forth their precious hoard. And distribute their gifts with merry speech. While the sweet church bells ring- Hail to our Savior 1 KingI Our Lord , whom we adore I Born in no earthly fane , Yet shall he ever reign Our Christ forevermorel MISTLETOE AT CHRISTMAS. Of lato years we have seen in the flower- ehops at Christmas time branches of a pecu liar plant , with twUted stems , having at their tips a pair of long , narrow leaves , and in thefoiksof theirstems , between the leaves , a waxen , almost transparent berry , neither quite white , nor tinted enough to be called green. This is the mistletoe. It used to be brought over by friendly foreign steamers , but is now found in Virginia and most of the Southern states , and is largely used for hol iday decoration. One might well marvel how so insignificant a plant has acquired such consideration. It is exactly because of its insignificance , for when Frigga , the mother of Balda , one of the Scandinavian gods , corresponding to the Greek Apollo , as the story goes , wished to make her son invulnerable , she received the promise that they would not harm him from all the objects in the world , except the mistle toe , which had Deemed to her so trifling a thing , grouing on another tree's bark , with out roots or earth of its own , that she neg lected to ask it. Loki , the god of hate and treachery , observed that she had omitted to ask the mistletoe , and straightway made the point of an arrow from its wood , whichl when the gods were all testing Balder's in- ( vulnerability , he induced the blind god Hoder to throw at Balder , and of course it slew him. It is in this way connected with Scan dinavian mythology. Why it should have become a religious em blem with the Druids cannot be told , except for its supposed medicinal powers , and from the mystical quality in it , possessed by all parasites. Until very lately it was used in the treatment of epileptic disease ; and mean while nil the plants that the Diuids regarded as medicinal were gathered with solemn ser vices , such as the vervian , or as the marsh- wort , which had to be plucked with the left hand , fasting , and without looking at it ; or the hedge hyssop , before gathering which , barefooted and knifeless , one must make ab lutions and offerings of bread and wine. The gathering of the mistletoe was , however , the grandest ceremonial of them all , coming at the time of the celebration of the winter sol stice , when the sun returns to us , and gath ered only when growing on the oak , which was sacred to the Druid's chief deity , himself a representative of the sun. With great pompand jubilation the priests went into the forest , followed by the people , and the white-robed priest , ascending into the oak , cut off the berried tuft with a golden sickle , and dropped it into a white cloak , held up to icceive it by two other white- robed priests. Two white heifers were then sacrificed at the foot of the tree , and so. th to say , often a fair youth or maiden. TL Mi the tuft , sometimes two feet in diameti , was minutely divided among the people , wh. hung it up over their doors as a charm to ward off ev.l powers , and as a shelter for any of the sylvan sprites who could find no other branch or tree in the wintry weather. Thus , when we see the waxen berries and twisted stems on the market stalls , or hang ing from the parlor chandeliers , where a kiss is the only sacrifice required , we see a direct WHAT CHRISTMAS BROUGHT THE CHILDREN. descendant of the strange and dark ceremo nies of old , all of which that is left to UH is this mistletoe and the wonderful cromlechs and stone circles , of which Stonehenge is the greatest example. The American mistletoe is not the genuine 'English article , although it strongly resem bles it. The botanists have given it a new name , phoradeiidron , which signifies "a thief of a tree. " It is. however , a true parasite. The mistletoe is now so seldom found growing on the oak that when it is found there it is a great curiosity. It frequents ap ple trees chiefly , and is propagated by birds Ir SANTA CLAUS WITH HIS PACK. wiping their bills on the boughs , and thus leaving some of the viscid pulp and seed , and if the bark happens to be cracked , there it takes root. Gardeners now propagate it in the game manner. No effoit'will make it grow in the earth , nor does it like to grow out of certain latitudes. The nursery gard eners , however , overrome that dislike by in serting the berry under the bark of young apple stock , and then selling the stock , upon which the mistletoe finds itself doubly ' "sold , " and accepts the situation. Christmas comes but once a year. * Christmas in New England. The readiness with which the South has adopted the New England Thanks giving day as a custom leads the Atlan ta Constitution to say that this "should induce the North to t.ike hold . " "The of the Southern Christmas. New Englanders , " it adds , "have never made Christmas a very festive holiday. " The Puritans and their descendants for many years did not , it is true , look upon Christmas as did their Southern neighbors , the cavaliers. But the growth of the Catholic and Episcopal churches in this section long since in troduced the custom of Christmas ob servances , and the beautiful festival is now celebrated here in us hearty a fash ion as anywhere in the country. The Calvinistic and other orthodox churches , which formerly frowned upon the observance as savoring too much of "papacy. " now v& with their sister churches in Christmas decoration and services. Even the Unitarian churches , that look upon Christ-child with differ ent eyes from their co-workers , recog nize his natal day as a time of rejoic ing over the "glad tidings" that pro claimed his biith. The churches , the markets , the shops , the streets , the homes and chimney corners of New England bear as unmistakable evidence of the approach and advent of Christ mas as do those of the South. It has come to be the day , as it deserves to be. And it is already in the air that "Christmas is coming. " What to Give. What to give the baby A spanking if he lion Is. What to give little sister Leave to go out when you go to see the big one. What to give the little brother A drum if the old man is nervous. What to give big sister A promise to pay her board bills. What to give big brother Your best cigars , while you are sparking his sister , and the cold'shoulder afterward. What to give mother All the work and worry , so that the young people can have a "good time. " What to give father All your bills to pay the first of the year. What to give grandmother A blow ing up for "spoiling the children. " What to give grandfather A hint to leave you something in his will. With Christmas comes merry-making. Christmas day is the season of good cheer all the world over. On Christmas day all should be wel comed with good cheer and true hospi tality. Christmas Past. The Christmas season recalls those who shall hear its cheerful greeting no moie. "With trembling fingers did we weave The holly round the Christmas hearth. " It restores , not mournfully , the figures of those of its own spirit , lay preachers in their lives and works of its lofty fervor of faith , of its humane and happy gospel. With all its social delight they are associated , and at the Christmas feast , if at no other , the old tale told of the spiritual Swedenborginns is made true , and a plate is set for the invisible guest. So also Thackeray sings in his Christ mas hymn to the Mahogany Tree : "Evenings we knew Happy us this ; Faces we miss. Pleasant to see. Kind hearts and true , Gentle and just. Pence toyour dust ! We sing round the tree. " On Christmas day we will shut out from our fireside nothing. CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS. "The stockings were hung by the chimney with care. " That's grand mamma's black oneall wrlnk'ed and spare , * And Aunt Anna's blue one , from Boston , as lean As If'twere a polo for her favorite bean ; That long ono oi cotton so white. Is mamma's ; That short , clumsy , durned one , ot course. Is papa's ; That ono all embroidered of silk is Miss Kate's , How graceful and fragile It looks by Its mates ; Its foot Is so tiny. Its anklo so neat , The print of Its garter jet cllncs to It sweet ; The little red , plump one , is Willie's , wo know , Because It has one little nolo In Its too ; That woolon one , shapeless and big-as a bag. Is Ellen's , the cook ; ol" Its size she may brag ; And theie arc the baby's wee socks on a chair. So fleecy imd soft. Santa Claus may despair To fill them with am thing nearly so sweet As the dear little fellow's own pink , dimpled leot. Oh I are not these stockings a poem divine In being , like poetry , "feet" on a ' 'lino ? " CHRISTMAS EVE. Christmas eve ! What a word of sugges- tiveness there is in its mention. At once visions of mountains of presents of endless variety ; Christmas trees , with flickering can dles and hung with bright toys ; sprigs of holly , the pendant mistletoe and festoons of evergreens fill the mind. The air resounds with joyous laughter , the faces of pedestri ans wear a happy expiession , and their con versation is bright and sparkling with good nature. We can almost see the chimney cor ners with the waiting stockings , of almost every hue and description , in readiness for Santa Glaus , who seldom forgets to do his duty by the little onea. We look a little farther and we can see the children , wider awake than on any other morning , stealing down stairs "peep-o'-day , " to see what the funny little driver of the reindeers has left them. The mingled expression of surprise and gladneis on their dearlittle faces as they discover each gift , and curry them trium phantly up to papa and mamma. The stores are well stocked with holiday goods , and their broad show windows are airanged tastefully and attractively , imd the stores themselves are filled with motley throngs of good-natured Christmas purchasers , who leave with arms and pockets most comfort ably filled with good things. There is the young man buying an album , a book of poems , or some other suitable present for the "fairest of them all. " He stands and Btudies , handling the present over and over again before he can bring himself to think that it is good enough for her , and an ade quate guage of his affection. The young girl , in another store is buying him a fancy pair of slippers , a silk handkerchief , or mous tache cup. by way of a satire. The kindly faced mother who weais her silver crown like a true American queen , purchase's a good book for her manly boy , or his sister if not that , some little tiinket which she knows will be prized far above its intrinsic value , because it will be a gift from mother. The sturdy laboring man , with his arms full of toys for the little bairns whose arms are the soft fetteis that bind him to his manhood and to heaven , elbows his way through the crowd and beston ing a benignant smile upon the rest , wends his way to his humble home. And so they flutter about the counters , like moths about a candle flame , for there are thousands of mothers and fathers , bi others and sisters , children , wives and sweethearts to be remembered on this day of all days. Christmas is indeed the happiest season of the year , a red letter day. The Day of Reunions. Among the many joys that Christmas brings , the coming together of long separated kindred is not the least. The father , whose business keeps him away from home the greater part of the year , will surely plan to celebrate his Chrirttmas with wife and chil dren , and they are watching for his coming with eager anticipations. How many moth ers are now rejoicing in the home-coming of their children , who during the rest of the school-year are away at distant college or seminary. What baking and scouring and cleaning and setting to rights for the ex pected loved ones. No labor too great , no sacrifice too hard , no burden too heavy for mother love. It garlands every cross with flowers , transforms every coarse drudgery into cheerful service , idealizes all the duties of the homeliest life until each common task assumes something of the divine character of the love that sanctifies it. Stockings did not become fashionable until the time of Queen Elizabeth. Christmas did not cost so much in those days. WINTER IN THE NORTH WOODS.