Newspapers / The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, … / Dec. 21, 1917, edition 1 / Page 3
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How Washington Celebrated Christmas IT IS interesting to look back upon a Christinas day at Mount Vernon, with the Father of His Country as host and his charming wife as hostess. Christinas at Mount Vernon in the peaceful days which followed the Revo lution was always exceedingly merry. The Virginians of those days, being cavaliers, made the most of the holi day, which the grim Puritans of New England practically ignored, says tho Philadelphia Press. Though generally serious, Washing ton could unbend considerably on such an occasion. Mount Vernon was always crowded at this period, and the cele bration was of a luxurious character. The Christmas dinner was served at three o'clock in the "banquet hall," and probably no fewer than 30 per sons sat down to the repast. For this special occasion the hostess always got out her handsome service of pure silver, most of which had belonged to her when, as the widow Custis, she had married Mr. Washington, and there was also a big display of cut glass. An oddity, as nowadays it would be considered, was the arrangement of the table, upon which all the dishes to be served, including even the puddings and pies, were placed at once. No wonder that in such days the festive board was said to "groan" beneath the weight of viands. As a matter of course, at the Christ mas dinner, as w'ell as all other occa sions, the table was waited upon by slaves, who did duty as house servants. Two were allotted to each guest, so that quite a number were required. All of the eatables Mid to be conveyed a considerable distance, the kitchen be? lng detaclfed from the mansion, with which it was connected by a covered way. At the houses of the great Virginia families at that period it was custom ary for the slaves to wait on the table in the ordinary plantation garb. But nt Mount Vernon many tilings were on a scale of exceptional luxury, and the negroes who performed such service were clad in Washington's own livery of red, Mthite and gold, which was handsome and striking. The necessity of supper was removed by a great prolongation of the dinner, at which each person was expected to eat all that he or she possibly could. In fact, it was the duty of the hostess gently to persuade her guests to gortre themselves to repletion, while the host made it his business to press wine and other drinkables upon the men to an extent which in these times would be considered most imprudent. At a certain period of the meal it was Washington's custom to rise from his chair, holding a glass of Madeira in his hand and bowing right and left, to say, "Gentlemen, I drink to my guests." The natural response at the instance of the most distinguished guest present was a health drink to Lady Washington. Following the dinner a good, long evening was indulged in with pastimes appropriate to Christmas. Blind man's buff and hunt the slipper were not suf ficiently undignified in the eyes of Washington to be Indulged In. Thf Washington family Christmas gifts were exhibited, and Nellie Custls was always called upon to play on her harp sichord. A colored fiddler, one of the slaves on the plantation, in picturesque plan tation garb would be called in at n certain period, and when he would start some merry music the young peo ple chose partners for the dance. Bui the older ladles and gentlemen pre ferred cards. Small stakes were usu ally played for, but gambling for monej to a considerable amount was always most objectionable to Washington. A? for Mrs. Washington, she would Inva riably enter into none of the genera ( festivities, but would be the host t< such part of her guests who would nol care to indulge in either dancing 01 cards. It was at a late hour on the jnorninj following Christmas that the gnest? would t'jke their departure and th< Washington household would qui^ down to its ordinary routine. The Christ Cradle A Christmas Ballad By MARGARET J. PRESTON. ["Christ cradle" is the old Saxon nait?? for mince pie. J y 'M^WAS the time of the old cru M saders. And back triffc his broken band The lord of Lancarean castle Had come from the Holy Land. It u*as Christmas eve in the castle; The Yule log burnt in the hall, And helmet and shield and banner Threw shadows upon the wall. And the baron was telling stories To the little ones at his knees Of some of the holy places He had visited overseas. Then he spake of the watching shep herds, Who saw such marvelous sights And the song that the angels chanted That first of the Christmas nights. He told of the star whose shining Outsparkled the brightest gem; He told of the hallowed cradle They showed him at Bethlehem. And the eyes of the children glistened To think that a rack sufficed, With only the straw for blankets, To cradle the baby Christ. "Nay, dry up your tears, my darlings," Right gayly the baron cried, "For nothing but smiles must greet met I'm home, and it's Christ mastidet ' t " Come wife; I have thought of a cra dle, Another than this, I say, Which thou in thy skill shall make me To honor this Christmas day. "We would not forget the manger, 80 choose of thy platters fair The one that is largest, deepest, And cover it in thy care. "With flakes of the richest pastry, Wrought cunningly by thy hands, That thus it may bring before us The wrap of the swaddling bands. "And out of thy well stored larder Set forth of thy very best. Is aught that we have too precious To honor this Christmas guestt "Strew meats of the finest shredding The straw was chopped in the stall; Bring butter and wine and honey To lavish around them all. "Set raisins and figs of Smyrna That draw to the east our thought; Let spices that call of the Magi, With their gifts, to mind be brought. I " Let sweets that suggest frankincense, Let fruits from the southern sea [ Be given ungrudged. Remember, His choicest he gave for thee! "Then over the piled up platter A cover of pastry draw, With a star in its midst to mind us Of that which the wise men saw. t "Christ's cradle is what we'll call it, And ever, sweet wife, J pray, With such thou wilt make us merry At dinner each Christmas day!" Gypsies' Christinas. The gypsy Christmas is a love feast and a carnival In one. The wandering folk come together in tribal celebration to choose their queen for the beginning year. Each clan has its own usages and superstitions. In Roumania the cradle, so they say, of nomadism, the gypsy queen is crowned with roses, and roses tip her scepter and her wand. In place of holly and mistletoe the hardy little rosebud which blossoms at this season on the apex of the hills is hon ored not for its sweetness merely, but because of a fair Christmas legend whigh the gypsy folk would make dis tinctively their own. ? Chicago Tribune. Gift Bringer In TITE Dutch girls sing a pretty little ' song on the feast of St. Nicholas Instead of writing a letter to Santa Claus: Santa Claus, you grood-natured man. Give me some nuts and sweetmeats? Not too much, not too little. Throw them Into my apron For a Christmas without gifts would be no Christmas at all. So always there Is a gift bringer, akfh in nature, If different in name, to the good St. Nicholas, once bishop of Myra, who loved children and whose memory lives vitally today through its association with the great Christmas festival. Kriss Kringle, Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Sunderkloos, are identical. The holy Christ child comes to Germany. In mystical Brittany the Christ him- , self is thought to come to bless the households of the pious, especially the homes of simple shepherds. In Spain on "Twelfth Night" all the people, young and old, put their shoes and slippers out on the balcony out side the window in order that the three kings journeying by may see and fill them. There are also grotesque Christ mas visitors. Knave Ruprecht, terror of Teutonic babyhood, has a load of nuts and apples and other goodies with htm, as well as his traditional bunch of switch es. | ? - - i The "julbok" or "blapperbok," a tall, ' thin beast, with goatskin covered head, ; is after naughty Danish children, just as the "habersack" i? after those in the Hartz mountains. Sunderkloos sends sometimes a goat laden with presents. The animals which the saint of Christmas uses for his carriers are quite as various. Donner and Ulitzen and the other fleet reindeer come first. Santa drives a span of reindeer in Svve- j den. In Alaska lie comes by dog team. J Camels, so the story goes, bring the three kings into Spain on their gift i bringing errand, 'though sacred art would show us that horses might be used as well historically. In Holland, on the Zuyder Zee, St. Nicholas comes on skates over the fro zen wastes of water. In England there are iif use for Christmas several imita tion horses, the hobby horses of the Morris dancers, which caper still in Staffordshire, according to their an- ' cient habit. ? Chicago Tribune. Christ Flowers. Born of the clouds and darkness, Of the frost and early snow, When the summer blooms have faded, The beautiful Christ flowers blow. All through the budding springtime, All through the summer's heat, All through the autumn's glory They hide their blossoms sweet. But when the earth is lonely And the bitter north winds blow, With a smile of cheer for the dear old year The Christmas blossoms blow. Btceet as the dream of summer. White as the drifting snow; When our hearts are filled with griev ing. The beautiful Christ flowers blow. Xot all the south wind's wooing Opens their secret heart, blender they grow and stately, Guarding their life apart; But when the earth is dreary And heavy clouds hang low, With their tender cheer for the way worn year The Christmas blossoms blow. Sweetest of all consolers I Fairest of flowers that grow I When hopes and flowers have laded The beautiful Christ flowers blow. Bright in th? cottage window, Sweet in the darkened room. Fair in the shortened sunlight, Cheering the dusky gloom. Oh, when our hearts are lonely A.n'1 rlouds of care hang low, What blessed cheer for our dying year, The Christmas blossoms blow I The Christmas Fire By HARRIET PRESCOTT SPOFFORD rllE tree grew green in the forest, Orexc green m the sun and the dew; ? His bram-hes reached for the shadows. He feathered his tops in the blue. And happy the air about him Wherever his balsams flew. Drenched with the rains of the sum mer, Fine from his stems spun the show ers, Soft dropped the snow on his mantle. Dream work of silver and flowers, And over him white light trailing The stars swam through darkling hours. Groping where great rock pillars Stand shouldering rank on rank, His roots at the cold sweet sources The ancient juices drank, And he swept with the earth compan ion As the vast skies rose and sank. His boughs brushed low on your foro hehd As a passing wing might brush. When night winds made shrill musia In the heavens, and hush, oh, husht For deep in his depest covert He hid the hermit thrush. Low have they laid the giant, And they hale him home with mirth. And they fan the fires that twinkle. And sing round his mossy girth. And make with a mighty magic The life of the Christmas hearth. For his flames give the spicy fragrance Of the summer atmosphere, While the breath of the woody hoi lows, The luster and light of the year, The blossom, the bird song, the breezes, He shrds through the Christmas cheer. } And the message of peace and bless ing In the great fire's glow they mark, With the lad from the war and the sailor Home from his tossing bark Ere the Christmas bells come chiming Like the touch of the frost on tht dark. And widely on pane and ceiling Sparkles a fiery foam. And the children dance with theit shadows Like the forest sprite with tht gnome. While the great log roars and blazcsl The heart of the joy of home. And the cheek that has long been with ered With an old rose blooms once mon As memories glow like the embers Whose flashes sink and soar With the Christmas fire's warm glory Where the log burns red at the core. ? Woman's Home Companion. The Christmas Spirit. However it may be, when Christmas pomes it finds us all to a greater or less degree ready to cry "A merry Christmas to all" and to the best of our ability keep it with good cheer. Deep down in our hearts every one of us cherishes what may be called the Christmas sentiment. Even if we go, as so many have done of past years, outside of the walls of our own home we still observe our Tuletide in a more or less conventional manner. We may escape our relatives, save ourselves the bother of home preparations, pretend that we have cut adrift from the old fashioned methods, but it all amounts in reality to the same thing. We are animated, after all, by the same spirit, whether we are in a country bouse, a flat, a restaurant or hotel. A Joyful Yule. Then drink to the holly "berry , With hey doicn, hey down derry; The mistletoe we'll pledge also. And at Christmas all be merry. gifts for xmas We have lots of useful gifts for Christmas from 5 cents to $1.00. Toys! Toys!! We l^ave a big line of American made Dolls and toys. We also have a good line of imported Dolls and toys from Japan. The American made Toys are higher than the imported Toys, but are better made. We have the Ameri can made Dolls from 25 cents to $3.00, and the Japanese Dolls from 10 cents to $1.00. Buy Your Toys Early ' We can furnish everything that's needed for Christ 'mas Trees. Do not wait until the Rush to buy for a Christmas Tree. J. E. GREGORY & CO. 5, 10, and 25 cent Store, Sniithfield, . - - North Carolina Auction Sale On Friday , Dec . 28, 1917 At 10 o'clock sharp At my residence near Four Oaks on D. W. Adams farm in Ingrams Township. I will offer for sale to the highest bidder for cash 1 one horse wagon, 1 buggy, about 35 barn Is corn, 2000 pounds fodder, 4 tons hay, 1 cow and Calf and Farming implements. W. P. Johnson Four Oaks, - North Carolina Another Lot Family Bibfes just Received at HERALD BOOK STORE Prices from $3.00 up. Choice L-)t Teachers' Bibles anci-New Trst ments on Hand. FURNITURE! We have our Furniture space filled with the best bar gains in both prices and values, consisting of all styles of Furniture from a 50-cent Kitchen Chair to the finest Parlor or Bed Room Suit. The Furniture is new, as most of it has just reached the store. The prices are OLD PRICES as we bought some of this Furniture most a year ago. It must go, and you will save some money if you will investigate the prices and quality of our line of Furni ture, Mattresses Springs, Chairs, Rockers and Floor Cov erings. Cotter-Underwood Co. Smithfield, N. C.
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
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Dec. 21, 1917, edition 1
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