fKyr v
MB. MERCHANT: :
The Ledger; is read
by over 6000" people
each week in Bertie
County. .
of c;
X
V.3 -wi i
4
VOLUME 2
Windsor, n.; a, '.i:urvD.v.: Dza 18th. 1913.
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35E IRom if tancls B.; Winston
Every man and woman in Bertit
County knows when and ? why. twe have
a Christmas day .v We are' a God f ear K
ing and a Bible reading people. I comr
py with your request.': and . give you
some thoughts on the words "Christ-.
mas Day" . I. ' ' ' : -' ' V
The word Christmas is composed of
two words, Christ ;and mass Christ
mass. The word mass is taken from
trie Latin language. Jt 'is n)w the
common name for .the celebration of
-lis
the Lord'a supper fri Roman J Catholic
Churches. It is easily seen that Christ
mass" is therefore a religio la cere-'
imony. in memory of the. birth if Chrjst,
the celebration of his nativity.
The first celebration of the birth of
i Jesus, honoring his birthday , . is of
doubtful origin. It is impossible to fix
with exactness,- the . date of the ear
liest "Christmas" Of coursd the day
Dn which our Lord was born, is not
Known. A record, that records it
would be priceless and most sacred
By the Eastern church the sixth day
of January was held in conjmemora:
tion of the birth of our Saviour. Many
of your'older readers- will - recall that
January" sixth !"01d Christmi's Day-'
was much favored by the old seople.or
half a century ago. Our. colored peo
pie in the days of slavery were partial
to "Old Christmas" . When ',was'"
child I remember 4 old colored, people
on old Crfristmas night, !going out" to
watch the cattle 'praying. T iiey jjlaim
d that on this night thecatls kneeled
in prayer .' 'A . .
Some writers place the" formal cele-
bration of Chnstraas?as early as A. Dt.
138. i However uncertauT tiat daje
may be, it is very certain th at traces
of puch celebrations are found in Sa
cred writings of the -year A. : D. 180
Profane history tells us that curing the
reign of a Roman' Emporor-Diocletian
and while he was holding his, court at
Nicomedia, in the year A. D. 285 a
multitude of Christians assembled in
that-city and were celebra irig the
birthday of the Nazarene., ' T le heath
em ruler Set 'fire -to th building in
which the Christian worshipperji were
gathered and-' all: of them pi wished in
the flames. ' " - ; '
For centuries there was ; a want of
informity in the time of observing, the
day among the early churchee.; Many
held the festival in January. .Others
celebrated it later, Jn. the spr ng time.
It is probable that in the fotjrth cen- J
tury the date we now, celebrata was
fixed upon'. Julius, a Bishop of. Rome
is credited with bringing this about.'
It was not a mere casual, or arbi
trary, date that was agreed upon. All
nations regarded the j winter s olstice is
the turning point of tne!year, from dy
ing leaf to opening bud;: the beginning
of the renewed life and activity of the
powers of nature. For, this reason the
date near the solstice Was agreed upon
by the churches and made a fixed and
immoveable feast, for the celebration of
Christ-mas, the day of the d;ath unto
sin and a new birth into righteousness.
Of necessity the early Christi ans adap
fed many of the . '.heathern ' t .sages; of
the times to the purposes of Christian
ity. Many a heathern custotti, became
incorporated into the most sacred of
cur religious rites and cerembpies.
Ws have customs ' -connected -yith
Christmas day of interest. Pid Uime
permit I would trace them ojit. The
custom of decorating churches with
holly and evergreens is avery ancient
one. Every home in , Bertie county
should.be so decorated -on Christmas
. Bay. : ; 4 : -? v;i: , 1; , : - rr .
Some times these customs haveno i
conformed to the spirit of this "sacred
ay. .When I was : a small boy the
main incident of Christmas .dayy in
Windsor, was the turn-out of the 'John
nie Cooners' or 'Rag-a-Muffins," men
dressed in every fantastic tga'rb,.'wifjh
masks, on, or fades blackened Jwho rode
the streets in solemn processipn. Hap
pily the things'that d not. fit in with
the day are "fast: disappearing. - A
growing custom is the Christmas tree
It seems that this custom can ba triced
to the Roman Saturnalia", a feast, and
it was no doiibt cariied ; into Germany
by the Roman Lcionj, vho conquered
. hat country. Tha Chri rtrr -1 tr-
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comes to us from th-
with its " 'red berries c::d
itsJihtacnd h-r.inf; toyr, ell
to childhood. I commend tha ci:itc:
of a public ' Chriatmar, tree'V for tl. ;
benefit of the children of, the Ic3 for
tunate of life. . Do you really Vnnt t:;
enjoy this" Christmas more thr.n en'"
of your life?? Then j;ive bountifully,
without ostentation to those who havo
not had the "chance in", life you hr.vc
had. . .
. Chri8tms3 Carols" and" "Manner
Songs," 5verC? eocn added as a part of
the ritual of .the church. Jlore and
more fthe. day is coming to be a rcl
h celebration of the Redeemer's ,b"irthd;
It would be a beautlfulcustom-if in cy
erv community in Beitie Co, a' choir cf
mixed voices, proclaimed the coming of
the day. with beautiful bymns; sunj
from.hpuse to house. ,,. '
Of. course childhood' hour's is the nijhV
before Christmas; an eager and an cs 1
pectant hoqir. Tne "little ones finally
fall asleep) "Santa Claus" or 'Kril
Kringle" or St. Nicola 8" or Suckcy
Goody" or the. ''Gift Spirit" pays tha,
visit which bringSj them joy at morning
dawn." Happy,. hour! Yes indeed!
there is a real Santa Claus! Does h3
dwell in, you? If rot, then seek him
out and makev him- your best friend.
The. name Santa Claus is the same ca -the
name Saint" Nicolas The word , San
ta is a corruption ot the German Sankt
and of the Latin ,-Sanctus .and of tha
English , Saint. ' The word Claus is V,
corruption of Nicjlas.. By dropping tha
first two letters and by rapid prohuncia-
a Pit .. . '. 'i 'f ' .
iion. 01 me remtuning wo pynaoies you .
get our pronunciation -of .the old faints
name.. . Santa Claus is therefore our
nick-name for Saint. Nicolas. " ?
' ' Christmas has ever been observed in
the Souhj -An honored son of Bertie
County has drawn a triithfuIlV .touch
ing arid 'eloquent oicture of bur old timo
Christmas, . He' lived, to the sunset of
our country.' His ne.rt was evr' with -his
childhood -hoiiie In Dec. 1903, ho
wrote of the . coming- Christmas. .Ha
died the next Easter morning.- I firm..
J ly feel that as he - penned . those sacred;
of the Golden .City. Read his words
and you will f eel ; the real Christmas
Spirit. "-: . , - , '
; CHRISTMAS , . , : .
(From Winston's' Weekly, Spokana
Washington, Dec. 19th'.1903) f ,
Next Friday will be Christmas. , ' , '
. No other day recalls so many sweet
memories. As I think of it,,' th past
comes back tome like a. happy dream
I am once more a child. I see the face
of my father, . I feel .his arms around ;
f me. , I hear his" voice. A V see mother,
j Her face is sglowwith' the light of
love. " The;. weH filled stocking hangs
by the chimney corner. The first light
of a soft Southern Christmas morninjj
is creeping through the window blind'
I hear the stealthy footsteps of tha '
house servants as they .creep to thts -door
to ''catch" old masters "Christ
mas. Gift"' ' -
'Christmas Gift-Master' Christ
mas .Gift," Mistis'. I hear. 1 then
now;1- I 'see the village church abovo ;
whose simple altar were, inscribed in
letters made of Southern foliage 'Peaca
on Earth, Good Will to Men' 1 be
hold the . faces 6f the little congrega
tionyfadiant with the. Spirit of Christ
mas, so many of them bound to me by
ties of blood and love. , I hear the' voica
of ti?e choir 4 chanting 'the Christmas x
carol and the peal of the organ' revcr
berating within walls', decorated ' wltli
glossy'holly and redolent "cedar. Onc"
more I take my place at the tabla tri'X
portake of the Christmas chetf.!
Around that hospitable board are "gath
ered fathei; and mother, brpthers cr4,
sister. The" old black mammy arrsy
ed in all the glory of Christmas gift2t
the' ebony butler beaming with p'ridv' .
the good old house keeper bustling n;V;
nervious lest 's6methin be wanting 3 '
f complete the feast, for whose pe'rfcst -I
appointment she hclda herself rr rpcn:J
j ble,. the eager and expectant facta c
the little darkies,. peeping in U12 dzzr9
the table loaded with everything I
to eat, cooked only as old cunt Charlctti
could . cook' it, the Christmas tree rc
,tobe lighted in. the center of ths tih! ;
' I can see it all and hear my fr.t!r
, voice saying "Bless ' Oh Lord tl: .
mercies to bur use-arid us to 11 t, j
V1C3" ' . '.
When all is ever, t!:a h: r:;
in 3 th- bountiful fc.zt, ij
kj . ...