HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1936-12-24, Page 3Crstrnas and the Fain..
'Christmas and the Farm; the Fara] and k'ood"--Christmas
1936 should see a revival of this ancient Christmas toast, rhose
were the days when the value of the tam •was universally recognized,
but in he whirl .,f modern rite the farm, as the sure foundation of tea,.
terI.11 ivihZation, is apt to be torgotten. The word farm means.
food and was so called.because in older times the tenant was required
to pi 1,vide the landlord with rood by way of rent. Today this delle].
tion ha,, been considerably extended in that the farm supplies the na-
tloJ r= u1 food, and without food, without the feeding ot the multitude,
it is mit ,given to human beings to be able openly to express that
spirit ut universal kindness and peace and good will evoked by the
teal': i+its of theMaster m the celebration of the testivai ot Christmas.
fhe connection between agriculture and Christmas has been
intulive from the beginning, It was to shepherds watching their
flock, fly night that the words, Fear not: tor, behold, 1 bring you good
tidin'!, • ot great joy, were addressed. it was a lowly stable attached
to a iainl-khan that the Saviour of the World was born, and a short
time liter it was on the hack of the most humble farm animal, the
ass, ti,at He was borne to bgypt in safety.
11 was from the agricultural population mainly, that the early
Cl]ris,t ins drew their adherents, and many yaers later it was over the
farms and orchards in tl,e vicinity ot Rome that the early L;hristlans
scr t1 the country m search ot holly branches to decorate their
chvr.•'.'e" and dwellings .ar Christmastide.
Meanwhile, the farm as ever, continued to furnish the where-
withal tor the least, and at the same time, as centuries rolled by and
town necame swamped in their own activities, it was the rarm that
kept •tlive '•he kindly, ancient rites of the teast. Many centuries later,
Charles Dickens restored to the townsfolk of England something ot
the toy and beauty ot the spirit of Christmas which still flourished
anion agricultural communities. liven today many ot the ancient
agricultural Christmas ce,tbrations, as distinct trom the towns, sur-
vive, some of them finder limited conditions. There is Plough Mon-
day t 'r example, which is still observed in several countries, mclud-
ing the British Isles. In olden times in Europe, Plough Monday mark-
ed the end ot the Christmas holidays. It was held on the tirst Mon-
day in lanuary after the Twelfth Day. It was customary on Plough
Mond ry. before the ploughman returned to work on the following
day. to draw a plough trom door to door of the parish to solicit
plow)*h money to spend in a frolic. The queen of the banquet was
called tiessy.
And at this Christmastide, as in the days gone by, the tarp has
fury •'cd the chief necessaries for the Christmas Least, such 'as the
meals, the turkeys, the geese, the ducks and chickens, the cereal
foods, 1 he vegetables, the cream, milk, eggs and cheese, not forgetting
that many of the other essentials the candies and confectionery, the
pick It-., cigars and cigarettes, are all ot agricultural origin.
So once more, the ancient toast: Christmas and the Farm: the
Fai'V? end Food.—Orillia Packet and Tines.
ory aF
Christmas Seals
Ot.':M'-::-'.cd in 1903 By a Danish
Postmaster
The co-operation of hundreds of
theut. .:tanagers across the ten
minion eras enlisted this ,year to
bring the story of Christmas seals
and tee tight that is unceasingly
waged against tuberculosis in Canada
to th0tieunds of theatre -goers. In
one ot the greatest cinematic cam -
peeve, ver undertaken on this
country a screens, 275 prints of the
film in English and 50 in French were
shoe ti simultaneously from toast to
coast. !;very theatre in Canada as-
sisted front the targe metropolitan
ho': es to neighborhood theatres.
This short announcement filmed by
Asste int"e'd Screen Studios in Mont-
real. +o eels that the sale of Christ-
mas eft as is an international crusade
It ,; pr -re th' n 40
nateme
Back in 180x, to a little village in
Denmark, Einar H,olboell, the local
postweeter, thought that the volum-
ita. � ., es "ia tiiiHli. carry .a
see L. message of health that would
brute funds to fight the dread
dis ese The King and Queen of
Denman. gave their patronage to
Einar Holbooll'e idea and the first
seat ,caring the portrait of Queen
Louie teas issued in time for the
flee mails hi Denmark for
10O4. Other countries quickly took
up the idea and the double -barred
red t ruse became the international
symbol of the world-wide ere, ade
agrunst .tuberculosis.
The First sale of Christmas seals
in t enaula was sponsored by the Na-
tional Sanitarium Association in
190.`.. i'he aggregate raised in the
annual Canadian campaign is well
over a million 'dollars, this going to
ward hospitalization of the needy
tubercular, the providing of clinics,
for the early diagnosis of the disease,
school surveys and summer tamnps,.
Prized possessions of stam,li-colieer-
tors have been Christmas setas which
are issued by the Scandinavian
eountries,Canada, the tTnited States.
Korea, France, Italy, South America,
Cuba, Oerrtiany, Japan, Great Bea-
gle and other Countries.
1).
reelt• Chrlstmas
TrYi4PPq of the Pert
Reacted 41 dgees Seatr*sal Dish in
Somerset --Bear's Head Serves?]
at Axford.
A badger, roasted before an open
fire, was the chief dish at a Ca,r'it-
mas Eve dinner eaten in an ancient
hostelry at Ilchester, Somerset Bad-
ger ]rem woe once resarded as a.deli-
cacy, and Ilchester's "badger feast,"
as it is called. has been held every
Christmas for many years past.
Slices were cut from the joints as
they hung before the bar fire. The
guests washed down the badger with
strong ale, which should, according
to tradition, be served in horn cups.
Boar's head, the true Yuletide dish
in Britain, is always served at the
Christmas Day dinner held annually
at Queen's College Oxford. The rea-
son given for the survival of the cus-
tom at Oxford is that it commemor-
ates the escape of a medieval uhder-
greduate from a wild boar The um
dergraduate was walking abroad
conning his Aristotle, when the boar
rushed at him open-mouthed. With a
loud cry of "Graecum est." the stu-
dent thrust the volume down the
throat of the monster, which. choked
by the tough morsel, then and there
expired. The frills and mistletue with
which the boar's head was decorated
were distributed among the choris-
ters The brawn should. by right, be
sent to the King.
At this banquet also strong ale was
practically the only dri.ik to be ser-
ved. Under the injunctions of the
founder the liquor must be brewed
on the Colle rc' premises by its own
servants, acting under the super-
vision of the steward of the week
and the treasurer's clerk. The gra-
vity o,: the ale could only be indi-
cated by a whole row of "X's." It is,
in fact, so potent that it is sipped as
a liqueur. Mulled ale. concocted with
cloves, sugar. nutmeg and beaten
egg and served with dry toast was
brewed according to a recipe at least
two hundred years old at a Shrews-
bury hotel where Paganini, the vio-
linist, once performed.
For the Children's Party
When choosing games for the
children's party it is wise to reteem-
ber thatchildren love what is familiar
to them. If the children insist on
old games, the hostess should not in-
troduce new ones unless they are
likely to bepopular and easily under-
stood.
"Goodeis" that are liable to upset
the digestion of the little ones are
best avoided, as the party cannot be
considered a success if it is attended.
by 111 effects. Cakes made by the
hostess herself without the use of
artificial coloring matter should pre
dominate;
Furniture that is liable to .cause
accidents during galeas should be re-
moved from the room in which the
games are to be played. Poisonous
plants should be removed.
i
The Legend of St. Nicholas
As Giver of Bounteous Gifts
Once upon a time there lived in
Myra a good old man named Nicho-
las. Wen he was a young man his
father and mother died of the plague,
and he was left the sole heir of their
vast estate; but he looked upon all
this money as belonging to God and
felt that he himself, was merely the
steward of God's mercies. So he went
about everywhere doing good and,
sharing his riches with all those who
were in need.
Now. there lived in that country
a certain nobleman who had three
beautiful daushters, He had been.
very rich. but he lost all his property
end became so noor that he did not
t -now whet to do to provide for his
family His daughters were anxious.
to be married. hut their father had
no money to give them as dowries
end iii that conntrv. no maiden could
"carry unlees she had ner marriage
-'ortion. or dowry. They were so very
near that they 'mild scarcely get Ane
neod to eat. Their clothes were so
mein nntl reeeed that they wer,11 not
e o out of the house aui their father
-o nverrome with shame and sor-
row.
The Gift of the Purse
When the good Nicholas heard of
their troubles he longed to help them.
Fre knew that the father was proud
and that it world be hard to give him
mnnev: so he thought it would be best
en gift he again gave thanks. The
money he gave to the second daugh-
ter, who, like her sister, at once mar-
ried the man of her choice,
Meanwhile, the father was very
curious to find out who was so kind
to them, for he wished to thank the
parson who had come in the night
to help them with these golden gifts.
So he watched and waited night after
night, and after a time the • good
Nicholas came with another silken
purse filled with gold pieces for the
youngest daughter.
He was just about to throw it into
the room when the nobleman rushed
from the house and, seizing him by
his long robe. knelt before him, say-
ing: "0," -good Nicholas, servant of
God, why seek to hide thyself?" And
he kissed his hands and feet and
tried to thank him.
But Nicholas answered: "Do not
thank me, my good man, but thank.
the heavenly Father who has sent
me to you in answer to your paryers.
I, am but His messenger to help
those who trust in Him. Tell no man
of these gifts of gold, nor who
brought them to you in the night,
for my deeds are done in His name."
Thus the youngest daughter of the
nobleman was married and she and
her father and sisters lived happily
the rest of their lives..
Reason For Hanging Stockings
to surprise them with a gift. Then •.fnd. now. in many countries, they
Nicholas took some gold and, tving tell the story of the good Saint Nich-
it in a long silken purse, went at oras, and how he goes about the earth
at Christmas time bringing gifts of
love to all who deserve them, and
because be had put his gifts of gold
in the long silken purses, our child-
ren today hang up their long stock-
ings to hold his gifts; and wlien the
children are very good he fills their
stockings with sweetmeats, toys and
trinkets, bue if they have been
naughty, they will find a bunch of
switches showing that they deserve
to be punished.
We all know that on Christmas
Eve St. Nicholas will come in the
night, for he never likes to be seen;
and we know that he will always
live- tor, is he not the spirit of love,
and love can never die?
^nce to the home of the poor nohle-
man. It was night, and the beautiful
maidens were fast asleep while the
brokenhearted father too wretched
to go to bed, sat by the fireside
wetehintr and praying.
Nicholas stood outside wondering
how he could bestow his gift without
being seen, when suddenly the moon
came from behind the clouds and he
saw that a window in the house was
onen. Greening softly to the open
window. he threw the purse right
into the room, where it fell at the
feet of the nobleman. The father
nicked up the purse and was very
much surprised to find it full of gold
pieces.
Awakening his daughters the fath-
er said: "See this purse. which came
through the window and fell at my
feet. It is indeed a ;rift from heaven.
God has remembered us in our time
of need."
After they had rejoiced together,
they agreed to give most of the gold
to the eldest daughter, so that she
would have her dowry and could wed
the yonng man she loved.
Saint Nicholas Discovered
Not long after that Nicholas filled
another purse with gold and again
he went by night, so that no one
should see him, and he threw this
purse also through the open window.
Then, when the father saw this gold -
At Christmas Time
More and more families are taking
delight in the living Christmas tree
in the yard. Such a tree is orna-
mental at all seasons of the year and
is an especial delight at Yuletide.
The lighting during the holiday
nights, need not injure the tree, if
carefully done. Set out a young tree
this year and have it for future
Christmases, so saving the expense of
a new tree every year, and also the
Antimental souvenir of this year's
joy.
i Yuletide Customs
Turkeys have always been a papu-
lar item of the orthodox Christmas
banquet, It is recorded that, on.
December 24th, 17118, a total of 1,700
birds were dispatched from Norwlcu
to London Some of them must'. have
arrived .rather late f.or. dinner. The
boar's head, at a Christmas dish, is
rentjente t h mei. In Het ay.,'
of our ancestors it was served up
with great ceremony, and at Windeor
Castle the State's trumpeters were
instructed to "sound a.fanfare" when
it left the kitchen.
Pantomime, which has a close eon-
nection with the festive season, was
introduced in .England in 1717, the
at SPse :rnce, e•
quin Sorcerer." The nursery legends
that afterwards became popular with
librettists were not drawn upon until
a much later period. A hundred
years before pantomime was thought
of Ben Johnson wrote a "Christmas
Masque." This was played in 1616,
and one of the characters was called
"Minced Pie." A somewhat similar
piece was written by David Garrick
in 1773.
In the "good old days" the singing
of carols was part and parcel of the
recognized Christmas observance in
all well -ordered households. Some of
the earliest had their origin in folk-
lore and legends, and thus made a
wide appeal. The singing was ac-
companied by dancing. The "waits,"
who added music to the Christmas
festivities, seem to have gone 'oto
the limbo o' discontinued mistime.
Originally, these itinerant musicians
were attached to the Court. With
the passage of years, they held an
official post under the Lord Mayor,
and were provided with a badge, to
prevent them being "moved on" by
the police
The custom of giving "Christmas
boxes" is as old as the festival it-
self. Older, in fact, for it existed
in the days of the Druids. Where
England is concerned, Royalty did
not disdain to accept a Christmas gift
from loyal subjects. Queen Eliza-
beth put her entire household under
contribution, and it is on record that
she graciously accepted "one pye
from ye head cook, and two rolls of
fair cambric from ye dustman."
Spirit of Christmas
The Spirit of Christmas went all
round the earth
To tell the sweet story of Love's
wondrous birth,
And in ev'ry place where he halted
a while
Fat defied all their frowns and put
on a sweet smile!
He stopped at a worship, where
masters and men
Had made things unpleasant again
and again,
And, when he had gone, though he'd
said nothing new,
All seemed to see things from a fresh
point of view.
He went to a church where the
parson was sad
Because of the critical flock that he
had,
And the whole congregation, that
very same day,
Forgot to be nasty and learned how
to pray.
The Spirit of Christmas went touring
around,
And disgruntled dozens of wedded
folk found,
Who did not seen to be happy at
all,
Because they said words that were
bitter as gall.
But the moment they saw him they
wanted to be
From quarrels and bickerings
fectly free,
So they ceased all their pulling in
opposite ways,,
Stopped all their fault-finding, and
learned how to praise.
And the Spirit of Christmas made
Nations see, too,
That each from the others some
benefit drew,
And that if their welfare they
wisheo to increase,
They'd seek it in Love, and would
find it in Peace.
--Paul Preston.
Coldest Winter In
England In 1860
On December 25th, 1384, the cold
was so intense that, it is said, every
river in Europe was frozen, and even
the sea at Venice,
The severest Christmas ever ex-
porienced in Britain was that of
1860. On Christmas Day B. J. Lowe
wrote to the Times from Nottingham:
— "This 'morning the temperature
four feet above the ground was eignt
degrees below zero, and on the grass
13.8 degrees below zero, or 45.8 de-
grees of frost, I have just seen a
horse pass with icicles at his nose
three inches in length and a , III t:
as three ',gees,"
On Christmas Day 46 years earlier
(hi 1814) a fair was bold on the
frozen Thames ; "Thirty booth"'' -
we read, "were erected for the sale
of liquors and viands and for the
playing of skittles. A sheep was set
to fire in a tent upon the ice and sold
as ;Lapland mutton' at a shilling a
slice; and thousands made merryou
swings and merry-go-rounds."
Santa and U ode Jack
(By Florence Steiner in "Toy
Balloons.")
Next to my Mummy and my Dad
The folks I love the best
Are Santa Claus. and Uncle Jack,
They're nicer than the rest.
I 'member that I nearly cried
Last year on Christmas Day,
When just before dear Santa came
My uncle went away.
It seemed so sad he could not wait
With all of us and see
How nice and jolly Santa was
And how he played with mit,
He caught and tossed me in the air
Then called, "Dive in my pack,"
And they all laughed when, "My!"
1 said
"You talk like Uncle Jack."
But later on when Uncle Jack
Came back and had some tea,
I said, "You've just missed Sa,"%ta
Claus."
"Oh! that's too had," said he.
Christmas Box
The phrase Christmas Box origin-
ated in the early Christmas times. It
was really then a box which was
placed in the church for promiscuous
charities and was opened on Christ-
mas Day. The content? were distri-
buted the next day (Boxing Day) by
the priest, dee when the contri. u -
tions consisted of cash were known
as box money. However, farmers
were air s' mmod to .' their con-
tributions in kind, eggs, butter, flour,
meat and other agricultural products,
much the same as the farmers of
Quebec today place fruits at the
church entrance on Thanksgiving
Day, the results ot the sales of which
go towards masses for the souls of
relatives. in many churches in Can-
ada, the accumulation of Chrisnes
gifts is distributed in much the same
manner as in the earliest Christian
days.
For a Child
The children were laughing and
shouting at play;
But one little girl sat alone.
She watched the others with hungry
eyes
From her seat on the old curb
stone.
"You can't play with us, you are
poor, you know,"
By a cruel childish voice she was
told.
"See our dresses are new and
bright," it said,
"But your is ragged and old."
"'Tis the best I have and I love to
play,"
But they looked at her clothes with
scorn.
They left her there for her dress was
old,
And her poor little heart forlorn.
A mother's heart knew the hopeless-
ness
Of the tears and the quivering chin.
Her hal was torn as that mother's
was,
When they said: "No room at the
inn."
,Just one new dress would heal the
hurt,
And the little child could play,
If a pretty wee dress with a ribbon
or two,
Could be her's on this Christmas
day.
So, for the sweet little Christ Child's
sake,
Please give and give again!
The joy will reign in each little
heart,
And pee... od will toward men.