THE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE, NORTH PLATTE, NEBRASKA.
Geautiful Customs an) Traditions
of the Chr
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ID
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easoa
By VALENTINE YARNALL
In Philadelphia Public Ledger
1UT do you know aught
of tho first obsorvnnco
of Christmas? Of the
first celebration by tho
masses In general of
r? Christmas as n great
holiday? And do you
know tho origin of the
various things that are
a part of our modern
Christmas the Yulo
In ir. thn mistletoe, thn
WiaK "oily wreath and tho
'-.Ml Pchristmas.card?
Tho word Christmas
U "Crlstes Maesse," tho Mnus of
Christ, first found In 1038, nnd
"Crlstes-messe" In 1131. In Dutch It Is "Kcrst
mlsse;' In Latin, "Dies Nntnlls;" In Itnllnn, "11
batale," nnd In German, "Welnnchtsfest." Thoso
nro, of course, based on the Chrlstlnn celebration
of Christmas as tho birthday of Christ.
Wo nro told that the pagan countries of the
world held festlvnls before tho birth of Christ
nnd that as Christianity spread tho early church
nought to replace these pagan festivals with
Christmas festival. The old pagun nntlons of an
tiqulty had a tendency to worship the sun as tho
River of light and life. Thoso festivals took place
bear the winter solstice, the shortest day In tho
car. This holiday was called Saturnalia by tho
tomans nnd cclchrntcd with great merriment.
Among the pcoplo of the north great fires were
kindled to Odin nnd Thor nnd sacrifices of men
pnd cnttlo were mndc. Tho ancient Goths nnd
Saxons called this festival Yulo, which Is pre
nerved today In tho Scottish word for Chrlstmns.
Tho early Teutons cclchrntcd by decorutlng giant
flr trees ns celestial sun trees. Tho lights repre
sented tho flnshes of lightning overhead; tho gol
den apples, nuts and balls symbolized tho sun,
the moon and tho stars, while nnlmals hung In
Iho branches were ns sacrifices.
It Is related that Christmas wus not among tho
early festivals of tho church. Tho first ovldcnco
of the feast, according to church historians, ta
from Egypt. And December 25 was not tho day
celebrated with, any uniformity In tho early dnys
of tho church. Tho celebration of December 25
spread to most parts of the Kast in tho fourth nnd
fifth centuries. At Itomo the Nativity was cele
brated December 25 beforo 854; In the Eust, at
Constantinople, not beforo 870.
As Christianity supplanted paganism, many of
Hie old customs wcro carried along to lie handed
down through the ages. Wo have distinct evi
dences of Christmas cclebrntlon In "Merrlo old
England" In the Anglo-Saxon dnys of Alfred. Tho
liolldny season then began December 10 nnd ended
January 0. With tho rise of Puritanism the ex
istence of Chrlstmns for a time wns threatened.
And this extended to this country with thoso
Puritans who brought nn antl-Chrlstmas feeling to
Now England.
By degreo of tho Roundhead parliament In
1043 nnd tho gcncrnl court of Massachusetts In
1050, tho obsorvnnco of Chrlstmns wns ofllclnlly
banned by England nnd tho New England colon
ists. Rut the restoration of English royalty
brought about tho restoration of Christmas, nnd
n 1081 Massachusetts ropcnled the Inw of 1050.
And so Christmas has remained through tho cen
turies and is celebrated now through tho enttro
civilized world.
Always, but particularly nt Advent, the Nor
wegian makes much of hospitality. On Christ
mas day, If you were to call to seo him, his first
courtesy would bo to' offer you a plpo of tobacco,
nnd at dinner, which is usually moro simple than
that of other races, national hymns nro sung be
tween tho courses.
In Swcdon, whero in truth it is ovldcnt Hint
"cleanliness Is next to godliness," tho Industrious
housewife has tho entire liouso renovated for tho
festival. Nor do they forget their nnnunl friends,
for beforo they sit down to their own dinner a
phenf of corn Is fastened to a pole nnd placed
In tho garden. This Is done In order that tho
birds mny not be without their shnro of tho en
joyment Another beautiful custom In Scandinavia Is
that of placing In n row a pair of shoes belonging
to cacti momber of tho household. This Is dono
on Christmas eve, nnd signifies that they will
lire together Jn harmony for another year.
Whcn Chrlstmns comes in Germany tho whole
family prepares to go to church. Thoy form In
line, probably In the order of their nges, and,
lirmed with lighted candles, march to the service.
As tho cdlflco bus no other light than that fur
nished by tho candles, It mukes a very pretty
effect to flco them nppearlng one by one until they
lhavo spread over tho entire church. With this
bervlce tho Benson Is supposed to begin. In every
Wise tho tables are spread with nil sorts of good
things, nnd the lights nro left burning tho entire
night. This is dono In order that tho Virgin nnd
tho angels will find something to ent when they
pass.
Somo of tho superstitions nro very quaint nnd
beautiful. One existing In somo parts of 1'olnud
and elsowhero Is that on tho night beforo Christ
mas tho heavens open nnd tho scone of Jncob's
ladder is enacted, this, however, being vislblo only
to saints.
Candles nro put in tho windows In certain parts
of Austria, so Hint tho Christ Child may not Btum
ble In passing through tho village.
In Dulgarla they Imvo n curious custom. No
one Avlll. If. it can possibly bo nvolded, cross n
ntrnnge threshold on this day. It was an early
custom among theso people to put corn In tho
Blockings. The head of tho family would sprinkle
nomo In front of tho door, saying, "Christ is bom,"
nnd the reply from tho family was, "Ho Is, In
deed." Moro corn wns then taken nnd put In tho
Arc, nnd wishes would then be made for tho fam
ily, for tho house, for tho cattle aiid for tho crops.
A brand was saved from tho fire and placed In tho
notch of n free, Hint assuring them of plentiful
fcnrvesta for the coming year.
A maiden In Sunbla, in order to know some
thing of tho nppcanmco of her future husband,
would draw one from a bundle of sticks; if It
wcro short, ho would bo short; If It were long,
e would bo tall; If ltwero crooked and so on.
Another method of learning of tho nppcarance of
a lover (this time his features) would bo to pour
melted lead Into n bowl of water, and, from tho
shape which the congcnlcd metal took when It
cooled, Imagine some one who appeared like that.
Christmas evo In Russia Is u very bustling
time. (Remember, this menus prewar nnd pre
revolutlon times In Russia.) Tho pensnnts pre
pare to, and eventually do, form Into n procession
nnd mnrch through tho village. Thoy are sure to
pass the houses of the nobility, the mayor nnd
other olllciuls, stopping nt each one to sing carols
and receive, In return, copper. This habit of
begging Is called "Kolendn." A masquerade fol
lows the procession, nnd ns soon ns the evening
star arises the supper Is spread.
Paris Indulges In one great fete tho night beforo
Christmas. It finds everyone eating u sumptu
ous dinner, nnd the restaurants are taxed to their
greatest capacity, for on Chrlstmns eve, If at
no other time of tho year he has a full meal, tho
Frenchman hns it then. At the Foundling hos
pital In Lyons u practice is maintained which (In
the light of recent statements nbout tho decreas
ing birth rate In France) is somewhnt humorous.
A royal welcome Is prepnrcd for the first Infnnt
received that day. This special honor, however,
has n very beautiful meaning It being Intended
to contrast tho humble story of our Savior with
that of this foundling.
In sunny Italy n sumptuous banquet is pre
pared, consisting mainly of fish cooked In many
different wnys. Fish Is cntcn for n week previous
to Christmas and Its fenst day. The churches
aro largely attended nnd the Itnllnn Is careful to
see that his children go nlso. Tho children hnvo
their part of tho rejoicing in wl.nt Is called tho
"urn of fate." In somo receptnelo, prefcrnbly nn
urn, are placed written fortunes, nnd tho chil
dren and their friends, In tho order of their ages,
draw lots. Great merriment is occasioned by
some of tho ludicrous results. This Is to them
whnt tho Christmas tree Is to tho Amcrlcnn child.
Peru presents n scene of vnrled activity nt this
time of tho year; people nro bustling to nnd fro
nnd having n Jolly good time; suddenly the
church bell rings, calling them to the midnight
muss. Tho Interest of the next morning, Chrlst
mns day, Is usually centered nbout n bull fight,
the most popular ono of tho year and one In
which It Is snld tho women take more Interest
than the men. After this there Is' n religious pro
From Germany wo get the Chrlstmns tree; San
to Claus from Holland ; from Belgium nnd France,
tho Chrlstmns stocking, and n "Merry Christmas"
from England.
And a Merry Christmas It was, with Its ruddy
glow from tho kindling Yulo logs and tho gl'enm
from tho pearly berries of the mistletoe. There
aro early records of tho mlstlctoo having been
used as n decoration, nnd It wns held in great
revcrenco by the Celtic nntlons.
Tho bringing In of tho Yulo log had origin in n
really Interesting manner. In the dnys when
England wns young It was tho custom of the serfs
to bring fuel with them to tho baronial hall. Tho
dinner which thoy received there wns to last ns
long ns the wood burned. This wns cnlled bring
ing n "wot wheel." Tho wet wheel wns usually n
green branch or limb of a tree, and it Is obvious
how, slnco their dinner depended upon the slzo
of the stick furnished, tho stick eventunlly be
enmo larger and Inrger until it assumed the pro
portions of n log. Tho term "Yule" which Is pre
fixed to It simply signifies that it Is n log of tho
"Yule" season.
In tho old days tho feast of St. Martin, Novem
ber 1, opened the Christmas season. From that
tlino on mummery nnd merriment wero king.
Elizabethan England, nnd even Englnnd of n
inter period, Is rich In traditions and supersti
tious beliefs.
Anyone turning a mattress on Christmas day
would dlo within the year; but the baking of
bread was commended, and loaves baked on that
day would never grow moldy.
Yule cakes wero supposed to have miraculous
power, and on them representations of Jesus wero
sometimes pressed.
In some places In Oxfordshire every mnld serv
ant had tho privilege nnd frequently oxerclsed It,
of asking a man for Ivy to decorate the house. If
the man assented, well nnd good ; but If he re
fused, tho mnld stole u pnlr of his breeches. The
next day they could bo seen nailed to the gato on
the highway.
Tho first mnld to pass under ths evergreen on
Christmas day was sum to be married within tho
year, and equally sure of being kissed for Hint
was the penalty to bo pnld by nny mold who
passed under It. After ench offense n berry was
plucked, while tho prlvllcgo was supposed to ccaso
with tho last berry.
For anyone but u dnrk-BkJnncd person to cross
the threshold first on Chrlstmns day was consid
ered unlucky In parts of Scotland, the reason for
this being that Judas had red hair. No ono would
think of giving a light or matches nt ths time
in certain counties, nnd tho bees were supposed
to sing nil night Chrlstmns eve, nlthough previous
to this a Aprlg of holly had been placed ou tho
hive. Mortals who die on that night aro ccrtnln
of Immediate and perennlnl happiness.
nut enough of these children of the Imagination,
citizens of tho past. Do we not hear, Just outside
our chamber door, n youthful choir singing a
carol, as did Washington Irving on that Christ
' mas morning when' he wns at Brncebrldgo hall?
And, through the night, were there not voices eith
er blended with, or n part of, our dreams, which
sang the news of a Savior born?
The singing of enrols Is not peculiar to Eng
land, whero It was Introduced by the Purltnns.
In Frnncc they are similar In character to those
of the nntlon ncross tho Channel, and nre cnlled
noels. In Itnly tho Cnlnbrinn shepherds nro Itin
erant muslclnns and choral singers. At the sen
son of Advent they como down from the moun
tains to the cities singing their peculiar hill
music. Lady Morgun gives an Interesting nccount
of tho piety of these shepherds. Having seen' them
stop every year In front of n enrpentcr's shop in
Rome, to sing nnd piny, she questioned them of
the reason for this. They replied that In that way
they gave honor to St. .Joseph, who wns n enr
penter nlso. Tho name of theso singers Is
plfernri.
Tho word "carol" Is rcnlly formed upon two
other words: Cnntnre, to sing, nnd rola, an Inter
jection of Joy. Therefore, the term enrol need
not be confined to Chrlstmns music, although that
Is the gcnernl use of the world.
In Wales and Ireland tho custom of singing
enrols Is better preserved than In Englnnd, ns Is
nlso tho enso In France.
Of the origin of tho Chrlstmns tree, wo have
many beautiful legends, of which thnt of SL
Boniface Is not? tho least. Unfortunately, It Is
too long to have more than n mere mention of
the recognition thnt Is due It In an article of this
character.
A Scandinavian myth tells of its having sprung
from blood-saturnted soil, where two lovers met n
violent death, nnd always thereafter on Christmas
eve lights wero seen to burn In the branches.
On of the French legends of the thirteenth cen
tury speaks of n gigantic tree which the hero dlS'
covers. Its branches wero covered with burning
candles, nnd on the top floated n vision of n child.
Not understanding tho meaning of this, ho nsked
Hie' popo for nn explanation. The pope's reply
wns that the tree represented mnnklnd ; the child,
the Savior; the cnudlcs, good and bad human be
ings.
Some writers hnvo found n connection between
tho original Chrlstmns tree nnd Yggdrnslll, the
giant nsh tree of Scandinavian mythology, which
sprend Its branches over tho whole world; others
point to the pine tree used In the Bacchanalia,
which was crowned with tho Imago of Bacchus,
and ngnln there nre those who spenk of the cus
torn of tho ancient Egyptinns, who at the time of
the winter solstice decorated their houses with
tho branches of tho date palm theso nro nil re
ferred to ns probable progenitors of our custom
of trimming n tree ond decorating onr buildings
Similar trees wero used on festive occasions by
tho Hindus, sometimes nrtlflclnl and of priceless
value, being formed of pcnrls and other precious
stones.
Whntcver mny bo said, there Is no ccrtnln
knowledge of tho use of the trees ns we now hnvo
It before the sixteenth century. We find It np
penrlng nt Strassburg, In Germany, nt nbout thnt
time, nnd for 200 years It was maintained nlong
the Rhine. Aftor this period, during which It was
gaining strength, It suddenly flushed over nil Ger
many. This was nt the beginning of tho nine
teenth century, In the 50 years succeeding this
sudden growth It hnd struck its roots into all
Christendom.
Tho preparation of It for the eyes of the young
in Germany, tho country whero tho modern prac
tice originated, Is an nffnlr of grent secrecy. It Is
kept In n separate room, which Is locked, nnd Into
whoso mysteries none but tho mother Is lnl
tinted.
At six o'clock in the evening of tho dny be
fore Christmas the door Is opened nnd In tho
children rush to receive their presents, which uro
hung on and spread nil nbout the tree. Then tho
children present their gifts to their parents, nnd
then to each other, nnd the whole surprise Is
over before Chrlstmns eve hns passed. Probably
this explains the lassitude thnt Is experienced
the next day which feeling-, nevertheless, Is not
solely characteristic of Germany.
America received Its first tree through t.U Ger
man Immigrant, who brought It with him. But
for n long time tho festival did not receive recog
nltlon because of the Inws forbidding" it. It wns
not until the lnttor pnrt of the eighteenth cen
tury Hint these laws were repealed, and nfter that
it took somo tlmo for it to emerge from the stntn
of quiescence Into which It hnd been forced.
To our country belong the honor of being tho
birthplace of tho Christmas enrd, which, sndly
enough, together with other Christmas rcmcm
brnnccs, has degenerated In somo cases to n mere
business convention.
Tho custom first stnrted with the school pieces
which the schoolboy of the middle nineteenth
century wns to rend at tho nnnunl school exer
cises always given nt this time of tho year. The
original flourishes of embellishment on these
curds, upon which the pieces to bo rend wero writ
ten, grew Into nil elaborately designed poem or
maxim, good wishes or whnt not.
Tusser, In his "Five Hundred Points of Good
Husbandry," snld, and wisely, too: '
"At Christmas piny and mnke good cheer,
For Christmas comes but onco n yenr."
Ilnppy nro thos who profit by this ndvico, and
more happy thotiu who maintain, In somo form
this splrU through the 804 dnys which Intervene
ueioro anoincr sucn time returns;
CONTROLS ALL NAVAL OPERATIONS
The most Important man in the
navy today Is Admiral William S. Ben
son, ranking officer In the service and
chief of naval operations. Yet llttlo
Is henrd of him outside' naval circles.
Outwardly or officially, Admiral
Benson is "charged with the opera
tions of tho fleet nnd with the prepara
tion nnd rendlness of plans for Its use
In war." When congress crented tho
particular billet which he now fills on
May 11, 1015, tho duties of the chief of
naval operations were thus defined.
Admiral Benson, then n renr admiral,
took the Job nnd tho public promptly
forgot ho was there. When the war
same there were so many other things
to occupy the public mind thnt no ono
apparently hns sought to disturb Ad
miral Benson's official seclusion.
Outside Ms door on the second
floor of tho nnvy department Is n "posi
tively no ndralttnnce" sign. A dis
tinguished visitor to Washington la-
quired tho other dny whose office It was nnd when Informed blnndly inquired,
-who is lieuson?" Evidently he was one of the unacquainted land variety.
Deciding matters of naval strategy In home nnd foreign waters, looking
nfter the details of every phase of America's naval war program ashore or
afloat, and supervising nil mntters relntlng directly or Indirectly to naval war
plans, these are the most Important of the duties which Admiral Benson has
to perform. From n practical viewpoint he is commander in chief of the nnvy
ashore and nflont. He Is to the navy what the chief of staff Is to tho army.
MAY REVOLUTIONIZE MOTOR POWER
Scientific tests are still being mado
under authorization of congress of a
wonderful device of Gnrabed T.'Glrn
gosslan, an Armenian Inventor nnd me
chanic of Boston, which if nil that la
claimed for It proves true, will revo
lutionize the motor power of tho world.
The Inventor calls his device n
"free energy" generator nnd It Is sig
nificant that congress deemed tho mnt
ter worthy of scientific tests. Just
what the engine is, Is not made known.
It Is claimed by the Inventor that It
can drive a battleship any distance
without stop for fuel, for this strange
device uses no fuel ; thnt it can propel
nn airplane around tho world with
nrmor heavy enough to turn aside Hie
heaviest shells, nnd perform other
feats that seem most uncanny.
In speaking of his Invention, Mr.
Glrngosslan says:
"I have not overcome gravity or
nnythlng of that kind. The source of
tho energy is already existent and I am going to utilize it by means I havo
discovered. It Is concentrated. If we wnnt to mnke use of electricity out
of tho earth we concentrate on Hint. It is necessary to build boilers and
engines to produce thousands of horse power out of coal. My device is
utilized In such n way Hiat it is almost condensed energy. The source of
the energy is very great. It is portable and you can carry it from place to
place.
"My engine will produce power to turn something, thnt Is nil. It docs
not require any heat. It can be put In any room, In any cellar. Tho prlnclplo
is so extremely simple that the minute you see it you will say to yourself:
'Well, why didn't J think of that before.' "
LOOKS AFTER COUNTRY'S REVENUE
3
"He Is always good at figures,"
said Danny's tencher, when talking
with his raoUier nfter she hnd called
nt Hie school. This happened in 1877,
nnd 40 years hns not changed Daniel
C. Roper. At lenst Uncle Snm doesn't
think so, because he appointed him to
probably the hardest Job of a non-mlll-tnry
nature to bo found In Wnshlngton.
His office door rends, "Collector of
Internal Revenue," and ns the revenue
has been Increased several times It Is
going to bo some Job. Ho began his
preparation for this enreer by attend
ing Trinity college, nnd nfter he was
graduated from that North Carolina in
stitution he continued by nttendlng the
National university of Wnshlngton, D.
O., from which he emerged four years
later ready for a fight with the world.
Soon nfter his college work ended
ho became very much Interested in the
cotton nnd weaving industries. It was
Mr. Roper who developed n scheme of
collecting cotton statistics by n count at frequent lntervnls during the harvest
ing period of the number of bnles turned out nt tho gins. This In Itself was
quite nn achievement, nnd the government recognized his merit by sending
him on a survey of tho textile industries in America and In Europe. From
this dntn he was enabled to compile n textbook, which has been used ns
authentic Information by experts In this country, ns well as nbroad.
CUSTODIAN OF ENEMY PROPERTY
Arrangements were made at a con
ference between President Wilson nnd
A. Mitchell Pulmer, custodian of cne-l
my property, to put Into complete op-i
erntlon Hie provisions of tho tradlng-wlth-tho-cnemy
law for custody of
property In this country of Germnn,
citizens and Uioso of countries allied
with Germany.
Receipts of enemy property nl
rendy has begun, tho first receipts be
ing n draft for $100,000 vountnrlly ten
dered the custodian, who promptly in
vested it In Liberty bonds.
Within n short time property worth
millions of dollars will bo In tho cus
todian's hands. President Wilson soon
will Issue nn executive order which
will authorize opening of branch bu
reaus for receipt of enemy property.
Tho ultimate disposition of prop
erty taken over by his office, Mr.
Pnlmer explained, rests with congress,
which must decide whether it shall bet
confiscated or merely held In trust during tho war by tho custodian as a
trustee. An executlvo order Axes the salary of Mr. Palmer ot $5,000 a year
and directs that ho give a bond of $100,000.
