HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1924-12-18, Page 15In the rush of the merry morning,
When the red burns through the gray,
And the wintry world lies waiting
For the glory of the day;
Then we hear a fitful rushing
just withottt upon the stair,
See two white phantoms coming,
Catch the gleam of sunny hair.
Nf'
Are they Christmas fairies stealing
Rows •of,little socks to fill?
Are they angels floating hither
With their message of good -will?
What sweet spell are these elves weaving,
As like larks they chirp and sing?
Are these palms of peace from heaven
That these lovely spirits bring?
Rosy feet upon the threshold,
Eager faces -peeping through,
With the first red lay of sunshine,
Chanting cherubs come in view;
Mistletoe and gleaming holly,
Symbols of a blessed day,
In their chubby hands they carry,
Streaming all along the way.
Well we know them, never weary
Of this innocent surprise;
Waiting, watching, listening always
With full hearts and tender eyes.
While our little household angels.
White and: golden in the sun,
Greet us with the sweet old welcome,—
" Merry
elcome,—"Merry Christmas, every onel"
CHRISTMAS, 1924
How Shall we come to the Christmas of 1924? Shall it be
with despair in our hearts of the final triumph of good over
evil, or dare we, despite the voices of the present and the dark
fears for the future, declare our faith in the words of Browning's
innocent child, and say,
"God's in His heaven;
All's right with the world?"
The answer is simple. Leave Hint out of His heaven and
Out of His world, and Christmas, with its "glorious song of old,"
is little less than a mockery. But hold to the faith that has
stayed and steadied unnumbered multitudesof earth's finest
spirits in days when those about them were saying, "Where is
now thy God?" and you will greet the dawn of the new Christmas
with a deep and satisfying peace.
Here is an optimism that will hail the coming Christmas not
because it ignores the facts, an optimism that knows that, though
mighty empires have come and gone, and darkness settled over
many a nation like an impenetrable gloom, the world has steadily,
if slowly, rolled out of darkness into light. This is not the only
era inhuman "history when eiviliaation has seemed to be drifting
toward the rocks, with no watcher at the bow and no hand on
the helm.
Would any of us like to go back to the days when man was
emerging front his arboreal life? Do we pine for the civilization
of Babylon or Egypt, or Rome, with the world mostly slaves?
Have we made no progress even through nights of French Revo
lutions' and Russian horrors? Look back over human history
and trace the upward climb, and mark the larger world into
which humanity has come since that first Christmas day,and.
despair will give place to hope, and the song of Browning's little
maid will not seen so mad a dream.
ebriam40 With
Pepppo 1.600
ByC.D.
Most of our Christmas conventions
Centre around the past, when, we liiCe
to believe, the real spirit of the season..
was most truly enjoyed. There is rio
more charming picture of Oki Eng-
land than the famous diary, of Samuel
Pepys (1632-1703), the original M.. S.,
of which may be seen, in the Pepysian
Library at Cambridge.
J n 16Go Christmas fell on a Tuesday,
and the previous Sunday Pepys had
noticed the preparations in church,
"where our pew, all covered with
Rosemary and baize." On the day it-
self he attended service in the morn-
ing, when "Mr. Mills made a very
good sermon." Upon his return for '
dinner, which consisted of a good
shoulderof mutton and a • chicken,
Pepys found his brother, Tom, there,
"come to see my wife's new mantle
put on, which do please me very well"
After dinner the dairist took his wife
to church, "where we had a dull ser-
mon, of a stranger which made me
sleep." Or was it the dinner?
Of the Christmas of 'x661, we are
told little. However, December 23
found. Pepys visiting his book seller,
Kirton, in St. Pauls' churchyard, no
doubt -engaged in Christmas shopp-
ing. On Boxing Day, we read: "1
and my wife by coach tp Moor fields
to walke, but it was most foule wea-
ther, .and so we went into an ale-
house, and there eat some cakes and
ale, and a washeall and bowie (wash -
sail) woman and girl come to us and,
sung to us.
Christmas boxes were evidently in
favor in these days, for Pepys tells. us
that on Christmas Eve, 1662, Mr.
Gauden sent me against Christmasa
great chine of beef and three dozen
of tongues. I did give five shillings
to the man that brought, it and half-
crowne to the porters. On Christ-
mas morning Pepys was too late for
Communion, bud, had a pleasant- .walk-
in Whitehall. After Bishop Motleys
sermon at the Chapel Royal, "a good
anthem, followed with vials." Later
our chronicler, "dined by my wife's
bedside with great content, having a
mess of brave plum -porridge and a
roasted pullet for dinner, and I sent
for a mince pie abroad; my wife not
being well to make her any herself
yet."
The following year Pepy's cousin,.
Edward, was buried on December
and Mrs. Pepys opened Christmas
cheerfully by asking her, husband
what she would do if her spouse were
"by any accident to die."
A happier time was in store next
Christmas. On the eve Pepys saw a
cornet in the sky; on Christmas morn
he heard a good sermon by an old
schoolfellow and notes, "the very
great store of fine women that is in
the church."' Boxing Day was observ-
ed with a family party at Sir W. Bat-
ten's," and a great feast and a good
discourse and merry." Later an as-
sembly at Pepys home is described as
'playing innocently at cards" and
blindman's buff. On December 27 -
Mrs. Pepys' relatives came, "to make
Christmas gambols," but the diarist
himself went to bed when his wife re-
tired, "which vexed ave a little, but 1
believed there was no hurt in it at
all."
After witnessing a wedding on
Christmas Day, 1665, our author jots
down: "Strange to see what delight
e married people have to see these
oor fools decoyed into our condi-
ion." The rest of the day he seen•is
o have been busy in straightening up
is private and naval accounts, "which
have let go so long that it were itn-
ossible for any soul, had I died, to
nderstand them." He piously adds:
'I hope God will never suffer me to
erne to that disorder again."
Confessing that he lay pretty long
n bed on Christmas morning, 1666, -
?epys explains that his wife had sat
rp until 4 in the horning "seeing leer
naids make mince -pies." Besides
hese delicacies, Pepys "dined well on
come good ribs of beef, roasted."
'There was also plenty of wine of my
wn and niy heart fullof true joy."
\fter dinner he proceeded: "I began
o teach my wife and Barker my song
'it is decreed."
One fine light moonshine morning
n 1667 Pepys went home 'round the
ity and stopped and dropped money
et five or six places "which I was
he willinger to do, it being Christmas
ay. Arriving home he finds Jane
nd the maid making "pyes:" After
hunch the "wife and girl and. I alone
t dinner, a good Christmas dinner."
Jars. Pepys reads him a spy story
nd in the evening a Mr. 'Pelting, who
s very good company, recites poetry.
There remains one more Christmas
ecorded by Pepys; That of 1668 does
of appear to have been so jovial as
some of the others. The scribe had
dinner with his wife "who, poor
wretch, sat undressed all day until 10
at night altering and lacing• of anoble
petticoat." Her husband perhaps feel-
ing de trop, got the boy to read aloud
the life of Julius Caesar and Des Car-
tes book of Musick, •Pe:pys corn -
stand not, nor think he did 'well that
writ it, though a most learned man."
Happily music itself is more satisfac-
tory, for, after hearing some lute
playing the diartist is able to' write
and so my mind in mighty content
and we to bed,"