,transcriber's conventions used in the preparation of this e-text3 ,carets 77 indicate superscripts4 99 99 99 99 99 is used as a divider between entries1 and - - - - - as an internal divider within entries4 ,a detailed transcriber's note is at the end of the text4 ,our ,american ,holidays ,edited by ,robert ,haven ,schauffler and ,others ,a series of anthologies for the use of students and teachers in schools and colleges2 consisting of the best verse1 plays1 stories1 addresses1 special articles1 orations1 etc4 ,applicable to the holidays listed as follows3 ,,christmas44444444444444444444444444,de cember #beth ,,democracy ,,days4444444444444444444444444444444444 44 ,,easter4444444444444444444444444444,mar ch or ,april ,,good ,,will ,,days4444444444444444444444444444444444 44 ,,hallowe',,en44444444444444444444444444 ,october #cast ,,independence ,,day444444444444444444444444,july #dth ,,lincoln',s ,,birthday44444444444444444,february #abth ,,the ,,magic ,,of ,,books444444444444444444444,book ,week ,,the ,,magic ,,of ,,music44444444444444444444,music ,week ,,memorial ,,day4444444444444444444444444444,may #cjth ,,mother',s ,,day4444444444444444,second ,sunday in ,may ,,pan-,,american ,,day4444444444444444444444,april #adth ,,peace ,,days4444444444444444444444444444444444 444444 ,,roosevelt ,,day44444444444444444444444,october #bgth ,,thanksgiving44444444444,last ,thursday in ,november ,,washington',s ,,birthday44444444444444,february #bbnd 99 99 99 99 99 ,our ,american ,holidays ,,christmas ,its ,origin1 ,celebration and ,significance ,as ,related in ,prose and ,verse ,edited by ,,robert ,,haven ,,schauffler ,illustration ,new ,york ,dodd1 ,mead and ,company #aifh 99 99 99 99 99 ,copyright #aijg by ,dodd1 ,mead ,company 99 99 99 99 99 ,,contents ,preface ,introduction ,i ,,origin ,is ,there a ,santa ,claus8444444444444444 ,f4,p4 ,church ,o ,little ,town of ,bethlehem444444444444 ,phillips ,brooks ,the ,glad ,evangel4444444444444444444444 ,kate ,douglas ,wiggin ,the ,shepherds4444444444444444444444444 ,william ,drummond ,a ,christmas ,carol444444444444444444444 ,james ,russell ,lowell ,a ,christmas ,hymn4444444444444444444444 ,alfred ,domett ,sons of the ,morning4444444444444444444 ,reginald ,heber ,god ,rest ,ye1 ,merry ,gentlemen4444444444 ,dinah ,maria ,mulock ,the ,christmas ,silence44444444444444444 ,margaret ,deland ,a ,christmas ,lullaby4444444444444444444 ,john ,addington ,symonds ,hymn for the ,nativity44444444444444444 ,edward ,thring ,masters in this ,hall4444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,the ,adoration of the ,wise ,men444444444 ,cecil ,frances ,alexander ,the ,shepherds in ,judea4444444444444444 ,mary ,austin ,christmas ,carol44444444444444444444444 ,james ,s4 ,park ,neighbors of the ,christ ,night444444444 ,nora ,archibald ,smith ,cradle ,hymn444444444444444444444444444 ,isaac ,watts ,an ,ode on the ,birth of ,our ,saviour4444 ,robert ,herrick ,christmas ,song444444444444444444444444 ,edmund ,hamilton ,sears ,a ,hymn on the ,nativity of ,my ,saviour44 ,ben ,jonson ,the ,shepherd's ,song4444444444444444444 ,edmund ,bolton ,a ,christmas ,carol444444444444444444444 ,aubrey de ,vere ,a ,christmas ,hymn4444444444444444444444 ,anon ,christmas ,day4444444444444444444444444 ,charles ,wesley ,christmas44444444444444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,christmas44444444444444444444444444444 ,nahum ,tate ,while ,shepherds ,watched ,their ,flocks by ,night4444444444444 ,margaret ,deland ,colonial ,christmases444444444444444444 ,alice ,morse ,earle ,the ,angels4444444444444444444444444444 ,william ,drummond ,hymn for ,christmas44444444444444444444 ,felicia ,hemans ,new ,prince1 ,new ,pomp444444444444444444 ,robert ,southwell ,the ,three ,kings44444444444444444444444 ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow ,hymn on the ,nativity444444444444444444 ,john ,milton ,,ii ,,celebration ,christmas ,eve at ,mr4 ,wardle's444444444 ,charles ,dickens ,a ,visit from ,st4 ,nicholas4444444444444 ,clement ,c4 ,moore ,a ,christmas ,piece444444444444444444444 ,fred ,s4 ,cozzens ,wassailer's ,song4444444444444444444444 ,robert ,southwell ,christmas ,eve4444444444444444444444444 ,hamilton ,wright ,mabie ,christmas ,in ,the ,olden ,time44444444444 ,walter ,scott ,sly ,santa ,claus44444444444444444444444 ,mrs4 ,c4,s4 ,stone ,the ,waits44444444444444444444444444444 ,margaret ,deland ,the ,knighting of the ,sirloin4444444444 ,anonymous ,the ,christmas ,goose at the ,cratchits'4 ,charles ,dickens ,god ,bless ,us ,every ,one4444444444444444 ,james ,whitcomb ,riley ,bells ,across the ,snow44444444444444444 ,frances ,ridley ,havergal ,christmas ,bells44444444444444444444444 ,henry ,wadsworth ,longfellow ,minstrels and ,maids4444444444444444444 ,william ,morris ,inexhaustibility of the ,subject of ,christmas4444444444444444 ,leigh ,hunt ,song of the ,holly444444444444444444444 ,william ,shakespeare ,under the ,holly-,bough44444444444444444 ,charles ,mackay ,ceremonies for ,christmas44444444444444 ,robert ,herrick ,santa ,claus444444444444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,the ,ceremonies for ,christmas ,day444444 ,robert ,herrick ,december444444444444444444444444444444 ,harriet ,f4 ,blodgett ,the ,festival of ,st4 ,nicholas4444444444 ,mary ,mapes ,dodge ,the ,christmas ,holly4444444444444444444 ,eliza ,cook ,to the ,fir-,tree44444444444444444444444 ,from the ,german ,the ,mahogany-,tree444444444444444444444 ,william ,makepeace ,thackeray ,christmas44444444444444444444444444444 ,washington ,irving ,church ,decking at ,christmas44444444444 ,william ,wordsworth ,so1 ,now is ,come ,our ,joyful'st ,feast444 ,george ,wither ,fairy ,faces444444444444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,merry ,christmas44444444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,a ,merry ,christmas to ,you44444444444444 ,theodore ,ledyard ,cuyler ,christmas ,bells44444444444444444444444 ,anonymous ,the ,birth of ,christ4444444444444444444 ,alfred ,tennyson ,the ,christmas ,carol4444444444444444444 ,william ,wordsworth ,christmas at ,fezziwig's ,warehouse44444 ,charles ,dickens ,christmas ,bells44444444444444444444444 ,john ,keble ,,iii ,,significance ,,and ,,spirit ,a ,christmas ,carmen44444444444444444444 ,john ,g4 ,whittier ,the ,spirit ,of ,christmas444444444444444 ,charles ,dickens ,on ,good ,wishes at ,christmas44444444444 ,friswell ,a ,christmas ,song4444444444444444444444 ,william ,cox ,bennett ,sery4444444444444444444444444444444444 ,richard ,watson ,gilder ,a ,christmas ,song4444444444444444444444 ,tudor ,jenks ,christmas44444444444444444444444444444 ,alexander ,smith ,christmas ,carol44444444444444444444444 ,phillips ,brooks ,the ,end of the ,play4444444444444444444 ,william ,makepeace ,thackeray ,christ's ,nativity444444444444444444444 ,henry ,vaughan ,christmas ,dreams4444444444444444444444 ,christopher ,north ,keeping ,christmas444444444444444444444 ,henry ,van ,dyke ,mark ,well ,my ,heavy1 ,doleful ,tale444444 ,anonymous ,a ,christmas ,carol444444444444444444444 ,christina ,g4 ,rossetti ,the ,glorious ,song of ,old44444444444444 ,edmund ,h4 ,sears ,a ,christmas ,carol for ,children44444444 ,martin ,luther ,on ,santa ,claus444444444444444444444444 ,george ,a4 ,baker1 ,jr4 ,a ,christmas ,carol444444444444444444444 ,josiah ,gilbert ,holland ,an ,offertory44444444444444444444444444 ,mary ,mapes ,dodge ,christmas ,song444444444444444444444444 ,lydia ,a4,c4 ,ward ,a ,christmas ,carol444444444444444444444 ,christian ,burke ,a ,simple ,bill of ,fare for a ,christmas ,dinner44444444444444 ,h4,h4 ,a ,ballade of ,old ,loves4444444444444444 ,carolyn ,wells ,ballade of ,christmas ,ghosts44444444444 ,andrew ,lang ,hang ,up the ,baby's ,stocking44444444444 ,emily ,huntington ,miller ,the ,newest ,thing in ,christmas ,carols44 ,anonymous ,a ,christmas ,letter from ,australia44444 ,douglas ,sladen ,christmas44444444444444444444444444444 ,rose ,terry ,cooke ,,iv ,,stories ,the ,fir ,tree44444444444444444444444444 ,hans ,christian ,andersen ,little ,roger's ,night in the ,church4444 ,susan ,coolidge ,mr4 ,bluff's ,experiences of ,holidays444 ,oliver ,bell ,bunce ,santa ,claus at ,simpson's ,bar4444444444 ,bret ,harte ,v ,,old ,,carols ,,and ,,exercises ,god ,rest ,you1 ,merry ,gentlemen ,old ,christmas ,returned ,christmas ,carol ,in ,excelsis ,gloria ,the ,boar's ,head ,carol ,christmas ,carol ,,additional ,,pieces ,a ,christmas ,insurrection44444444444444 ,anne ,p4,l4 ,field ,the ,night ,after ,christmas4444444444444 ,anne ,p4,l4 ,field ,when the ,stars of ,morning ,sang44444444 ,anne ,p4,l4 ,field ,a ,prayer at ,bethlehem44444444444444444 ,anne ,p4,l4 ,field ,the ,christmas ,fires4444444444444444444 ,anne ,p4,l4 ,field ,the ,mother 7,a ,story7444444444444444444 ,robert ,haven ,schauffler ,,note ,the ,publishers desire to acknowledge the kindness of ,messrs4 ,charles ,scribner's ,sons2 ,houghton1 ,mifflin and ,company2 ,little1 ,brown and ,company2 ,dodd1 ,mead and ,company2 ,bobbs-,merrill ,company and others1 who have granted us permission to reproduce selections from works bearing their copyright4 ,,preface ,christmas is our most important holiday1 and its literature is correspondingly rich4 ,yet until now no adequate bundle of ,christmas treasures in poetry and prose has found its way into the library of ,santa ,claus4 ,while this book brings to children of all ages1 in school and at home1 the best lyrics1 carols1 essays1 plays and stories of ,christmas1 its scope is yet wider4 ,for the ,introduction gives a rapid view of the holiday's origin and development1 its relation to cognate pagan festivals1 the customs and symbols of its observance in different lands1 and the significance and spirit of the day4 ,this ,introduction endeavors to be as suggestive as possible to parents and teachers who are personally conducted and introduced to the host of writers learned and quaint1 human and pedantic1 humorous and brilliant and profound1 who have dealt technically with this fascinating subject4 ,,introduction ,it was the habit of him whose birthday we celebrate to take what was good in men and remould it to higher uses4 ,and so it is peculiarly fitting that the anniversary of ,christmas1 when it was first celebrated in the second century of our era should have taken from heathen mythology and customs the more beautiful parts for its own use4 ,christmas1 says ,dean ,stanley1 brings before us the relations of the ,christian religion to the religions which went before2 for the birth at ,bethlehem was itself a link with the past4 ,the pagan nations of antiquity,a always had a tendency to worship the sun1 under different names1 as the giver of light and life4 ,and their festivals in its honor took place near the winter solstice1 the shortest day in the year1 when the sun in ,december begins its upward course1 thrilling men with the first distant promise of spring4 ,this holiday was called ,saturnalia among the ,romans and was marked by great merriment and licence which extended even to the slaves4 ,there were feasting and gifts and the houses were hung with evergreens4 ,a more barbarous form of these rejoicings took place among the rude peoples of the north where great blocks of wood blazed in honor of ,odin and ,thor1 and sacrifices of men and cattle were made to them4 ,mistletoe was cut then from the sacred oaks with a golden sickle by the ,prince of the ,druids1 between whom and the ,fire-,worshippers of ,persia there was an affinity both in character and customs4 ,footnote ,a3 ,an account of the early history of ,christmas may be found in ,chamber's ,book of ,days4 ,the ancient ,goths and ,saxons called this festival ,yule1 which is preserved to us in the ,scottish word for ,christmas and also in the name of the ,yule ,log4 ,the ancient ,teutons celebrated the season by decking a fir tree1 for they thought of the sun1 riding higher and higher in the heavens1 as the spreading and blossoming of a great tree4 ,thus our own ,christmas fir was decked as a symbol of the celestial sun tree4 ,the lights1 according to ,professor ,schwartz1 represent the flashes of lightning overhead1 the golden apples1 nuts and balls symbolize the sun1 the moon and the stars1 while the little animals hung in the branches betoken sacrifices made in gratitude to the sun god4,b ,footnote ,b3 ,a delightful account of the origin of the ,christmas tree may be found in ,elise ,traut's ,christmas in ,heart and ,home4 ,as ,christianity replaced paganism1 the ,christians1 in the tolerant spirit of their ,master1 adopted these beautiful old usages1 merely changing their spirit4 ,so that the ,lord of ,misrule who long presided over the ,christmas games of ,christian ,england was the direct descendant of the ruler who was appointed1 with considerable prerogatives1 to preside over the sports of the ,saturnalia4 ,in this connection the narrow ,puritan author of the ,histrio-,mastix laments3 ,if we compare our ,bacchanalian ,christmasses with these ,saturnalia1 we shall find such a near affinitye between them1 both in regard to time and in manner of solemnizing1 that we must needs conclude the one to be but the very issue of the other4 ,merrie old ,england1 writes ,walsh1,c was the soil in which ,merrie ,christmas took its firmest root4 ,even in ,anglo-,saxon days we hear of ,alfred holding high revelry in ,december1 #hgh1 so that he allowed the ,danes to surprise him1 cut his army to pieces and send him a fugitive4 ,the court revelries increased in splendor after the conquest4 ,christmas1 it must be remembered was not then a single day of sport4 ,it had the preliminary novena which began ,december #af1 and it ended on ,january #f1 or ,twelfth ,night4 ,all this period was devoted to holiday making4 ,footnote ,c3 ,curiosities of ,popular ,customs4 ,it was a democratic festival4 ,all classes mixed in its merry-makings4 ,hospitality was universal4 ,an ,english country gentleman of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries held open house4 ,with daybreak on ,christmas morning the tenants and neighbors thronged into the hall4 ,the ale was broached4 ,blackjacks and ,cheshire cheese1 with toast and sugar and nutmeg1 went plentifully round4 ,the ,hackin1 or great sausage1 must be boiled at daybreak1 and if it failed to be ready two young men took the cook by the arm and ran her around the market-place till she was ashamed of her laziness4 ,with the rise of ,puritanism the very existence of ,christmas was threatened4 ,even the harmless good cheer of that season was looked upon as pagan1 or1 what was worse1 ,popish4 ',into what a stupendous height of more than pagan impiety1' cried ,prynne 74447 'have we not now degenerated6' ,prynne's rhetoric1 it will be seen1 is not without an unconscious charm of humor4 ,he complained that the ,england of his day could not celebrate ,christmas or any other festival 'without drinking1 roaring1 healthing1 dicing1 carding1 dancing1 masques and stage-plays 74447 which ,turkes and ,infidels would abhor to practise4' ,puritanism brought over with it in the ,mayflower the anti-,christmas feeling to ,new ,england4 ,so early as #afba ,governor ,bradford was called upon to administer a rebuke to 'certain lusty yonge men' who had just come over in the little ship ,fortune4 ',on ye day called ,christmas day1' says ,william ,bradford1 'ye ,govr caled them out to worke 7as was used71 but ye most of this new company excused themselves and said it went against their consciences to worke on ye day4 ,so ye ,govr tould them that if they made it matter of conscience1 he would spare them till they were better informed4 ,so he led away ye rest1 and left them2 but when they came home at noone from their worke1 he found them in ye streete at play1 openly3 some pitching ye barr1 and some at stoole-ball and such like sports4 ,so he went to them and tooke away their implements1 and tould them that it was against his conscience that they should play and others worke4 ,if they made ye keeping of it matter of devotion1 let them kepe their houses1 but ther should be no gameing or revelling in ye streets4 ,since which time nothing hath been attempted that way1 at least openly4' ,in ,england the feeling culminated in #afdc1 when the ,roundhead ,parliament abolished the observance of saints' days and the three grand festivals of ,christmas1 ,easter1 and ,whitsuntide1 any law1 statute1 custom1 constitution1 or canon to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding4 ,the king protested4 ,but he was answered4 ,in ,london1 nevertheless1 there was an alarming disposition to observe ,christmas4 ,the mob attacked those who by opening their shops flouted the holiday4 ,in several counties the disorder was threatening4 ,but ,parliament adopted strong measures1 and during the twelve years in which the great festivals were discountenanced there was no further tumult1 and the observance of ,christmas as a general holiday ceased4 ,the ,general ,court of ,massachusetts followed the example of the ,english ,parliament in #afei when it enacted that 'anybody who is found observing1 by abstinence from labor1 feasting1 or any other way1 any such day as ,christmas day1 shall pay for every such offense five shillings4' ,the restoration of ,english royalty brought about the restoration of the ,english ,christmas4 ,it was not till #afha1 however1 that ,massachusetts repealed the ordinance of #afei4 ,but the repeal was bitter to old ,puritanism1 which kept up an ever attenuating protest even down to the early part of the present century4 ,there are many superstitions connected with the coming of ,christmas itself4 ,the bees are said to sing1 the cattle to kneel1 in honor of the manger1 and the sheep to go in procession in commemoration of the visit of the angel to the shepherds4 ,howison in his ,sketches of ,upper ,canada relates that on one moonlit ,christmas ,eve he saw an ,indian creeping cautiously through the woods4 ,in response to an inquiry1 he said4 ',me watch to see deer kneel4 ,christmas night all deer kneel and look up to ,great ,spirit4' ,in the ,german ,alps it is believed that the cattle have the gift of language on ,christmas ,eve4 ,but it is a sin to attempt to play the eavesdropper upon them4 ,an ,alpine story is told of a farmer's servant who did not believe that the cattle could speak1 and1 to make sure1 he hid in his master's stable on ,christmas ,eve and listened4 ,when the clock struck twelve he was surprised at what he heard4 ',we shall have hard work to do this day week1' said one horse4 ',yes2 the farmer's servant is heavy1' answered the other horse4 ',and the way to the churchyard is long and steep1' said the first4 ,the servant was buried that day week4 ,there is a beautiful superstition about the cock that ,shakespeare put into the mouth of ,marcellus1 in ,hamlet-- ,some say1 that ever 'gainst that season comes ,wherein our ,saviour's birth is celebrated1 ,the bird of dawning singeth all night long3 ,and then1 they say1 no spirit can walk abroad2 ,the nights are wholesome2 then no planets strike1 ,no fairy takes1 nor witch hath power to charm2 ,so hallow'd and so gracious is the time4 ,no other holiday has so rich an heritage of old customs and observances as ,christmas4 ,the ,yule ,log has from time immemorial been haled to the open fire-place on ,christmas ,eve1 and lighted with the embers of its predecessor to sanctify the roof-tree and protect it against those evil spirits over whom the season is in everyway a triumph4 ,then the wassail bowl full of swimming roasted apples1 goes its merry round4 ,then the gift-shadowing ,christmas tree sheds its divine brilliance down the path of the coming year2 or stockings are hung for ,santa ,claus 7,st4 ,nicholas7 to fill during the night4 ,then the mistletoe becomes a precarious shelter for maids1 and the ,waits--descendants of the minstrels of old--go through the snow from door to door1 singing their mellow old carols1 while masquerades and the merry ,christmas game of ,snapdragon are not forgotten4,d ,footnote ,d3 ,an exhaustive study of the history and customs of ,christmas has been made by ,w4,f4 ,dawson in ,christmas and its ,associations4 ,even the ,christmas dinner has its special observances4 ,in many an ,english hall the stately custom still survives of bearing in a boar's head to inaugurate the meal1 as a reminder of the student of ,queens ,college1 ,oxford1 who1 attacked by a boar on ,christmas day1 choked him with a copy of ,aristotle and took his head back for dinner4 ,the mince pie1 sacred to the occasion1 is supposed to commemorate in its mixture of oriental ingredients the offerings made by the wise men of the ,east4 ,as for turkey and plum pudding1 they have a deep significance1 but it is clearer to the palate than to the brain4 ,elise ,traut relates the legend that on every ,christmas eve the little ,christ-child wanders all over the world bearing on its shoulders a bundle of evergreens4 ,through city streets and country lanes1 up and down hill1 to proudest castle and lowliest hovel1 through cold and storm and sleet and ice1 this holy child travels1 to be welcomed or rejected at the doors at which he pleads for succor4 ,those who would invite him and long for his coming set a lighted candle in the window to guide him on his way hither4 ,they also believe that he comes to them in the guise of any alms-craving1 wandering person who knocks humbly at their doors for sustenance1 thus testing their benevolence4 ,in many places the aid rendered the beggar is looked upon as hospitality shown to ,christ4 ,this legend embodies the true ,christmas spirit which realizes1 with a rush of love to the heart1 the divinity in every one of the least of these our brethren4 ,selfishness is rebuked1 the feeling of universal brotherhood is fostered1 while the length of this holiday season by encouraging the reunion of families and of friends1 provides a wonderful rallying place for early affections4 ,a wholesome and joyous current of religious feeling flows through the entire season to temper its extravagance and regulate its mirth4 ,under the sanctions of religion1 writes ,hervey1,e the covenants of the heart are renewed4444 ,the lovers of ,earth seem to have met together4 ,footnote ,e3 ,for a beautiful and extended discussion of the significance of the day1 see ,hervey's ,the ,book of ,christmas4 ,christmas is the birthday of one whose chief contribution to the human heart and mind was his message of boundless1 universal love1 ,he brought to the world the greatest thing in the world and that is why the season of his birth has won such an intimate place in our hearts and why its jubilant bells find this echo there3 ,ring out the old1 ring in the new1 ,ring1 happy bells1 across the snow2 ,the year is going1 let him go2 ,ring out the false1 ring in the true4 ,ring out the grief that saps the mind1 ,for those that here we see no more2 ,ring out the feud of rich and poor1 ,ring in redress to all mankind4 ,ring out a slowly dying cause1 ,and ancient forms of party strife2 ,ring in the nobler modes of life1 ,with sweeter manners1 purer laws4 ,ring out the want1 the care1 the sin1 ,the faithless coldness of the times2 ,ring out1 ring out my mournful rhymes1 ,but ring the fuller minstrel in4 ,ring out false pride in place and blood1 ,the civic slander and the spite2 ,ring in the love of truth and right1 ,ring in the common love of good4 ,ring out old shapes of foul disease2 ,ring out the narrowing lust of gold2 ,ring out the thousand wars of old1 ,ring in the thousand years of peace4 ,ring in the valiant man and free1 ,the larger heart1 the kindlier hand2 ,ring out the darkness of the land1 ,ring in the ,christ that is to be4 ,r4,h4,s4 ,i ,,origin ,,is ,,there ,a ,,santa ,,claus8 ,the following1 reprinted from the editorial page of the ,new ,york ,sun1 was written by the late ,mr4 ,frank ,p4 ,church3 ,we take pleasure in answering at once and thus prominently the communication below1 expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of ,the ,sun3 ,dear ,editor3 ,i am #h years old4 ,some of my little friends say there is no ,santa ,claus4 ,papa says ,if you see it in ,the ,sun it's so4 ,please tell me the truth2 is there a ,santa ,claus8 ,virginia ,o',hanlon4 ,virginia1 your little friends are wrong4 ,they have been affected by the scepticism of a sceptical age4 ,they do not believe except they see4 ,they think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds4 ,all minds1 ,virginia1 whether they be men's or children's1 are little4 ,in this great universe of ours man is a mere insect1 an ant1 in his intellect1 as compared with the boundless world about him1 as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge4 ,yes1 ,virginia1 there is a ,santa ,claus4 ,he exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist1 and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy4 ,alas6 how dreary would be the world if there were no ,santa ,claus6 ,it would be as dreary as if there were no ,virginias4 ,there would be no childlike faith then1 no poetry1 no romance to make tolerable this existence4 ,we should have no enjoyment1 except in sense and sight4 ,the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished4 ,not believe in ,santa ,claus6 ,you might as well not believe in fairies6 ,you might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on ,christmas ,eve to catch ,santa ,claus1 but even if they did not see ,santa ,claus coming down1 what would that prove8 ,nobody sees ,santa ,claus1 but that is no sign that there is no ,santa ,claus4 ,the most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see4 ,did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn8 ,of course not1 but that's no proof that they are not there4 ,nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world4 ,you may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside1 but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man1 nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived1 could tear apart4 ,only faith1 fancy1 poetry1 love1 romance1 can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond4 ,is it all real8 ,ah1 ,virginia1 in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding4 ,no ,santa ,claus6 ,thank ,god6 he lives1 and he lives forever4 ,a thousand years from now1 ,virginia1 nay1 ten times ten thousand years from now1 he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood4 99 99 99 99 99 ,o ,,little ,,town ,,of ,,bethlehem ,,phillips ,,brooks ,o little town of ,bethlehem1 ,how still we see thee lie6 ,above thy deep and dreamless sleep ,the silent stars go by2 ,yet in thy dark streets shineth ,the everlasting ,light2 ,the hopes and fears of all the years ,are met in thee to-night4 ,for ,christ is born of ,mary1 ,and1 gathered all above1 ,while mortals sleep1 the angels keep ,their watch of wondering love4 ,o morning stars1 together ,proclaim the holy birth6 ,and praises sing to ,god the ,king1 ,and peace to men on earth4 ,how silently1 how silently1 ,the wondrous gift is given6 ,so ,god imparts to human hearts ,the blessings of ,his heaven4 ,no ear may hear ,his coming1 ,but in this world of sin1 ,where meek souls will receive ,him still1 ,the dear ,christ enters in4 ,o holy ,child of ,bethlehem6 ,descend to us1 we pray2 ,cast out our sin1 and enter in1 ,be born in us to-day4 ,we hear the ,christmas angels ,the great glad tidings tell2 ,oh1 come to us1 abide with us1 ,our ,lord ,emmanuel6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,glad ,,evangel ,,kate ,,douglas ,,wiggin ,when the ,child of ,nazareth was born1 the sun1 according to the ,bosnian legend1 leaped in the heavens1 and the stars around it danced4 ,a peace came over mountain and forest4 ,even the rotten stump stood straight and healthy on the green hill-side4 ,the grass was beflowered with open blossoms1 incense sweet as myrrh pervaded upland and forest1 birds sang on the mountain top1 and all gave thanks to the great ,god4 ,it is naught but an old folk-tale1 but it has truth hidden at its heart1 for a strange1 subtle force1 a spirit of genial good-will1 a new-born kindness1 seem to animate child and man alike when the world pays its tribute to the heaven-sent youngling1 as the poet ,drummond calls the infant ,christ4 ,when the ,three ,wise ,men rode from the ,east into the ,west on that first1 best ,christmas night1 they bore on their saddle-bows three caskets filled with gold and frankincense and myrrh1 to be laid at the feet of the manger-cradled babe of ,bethlehem4 ,beginning with this old1 old journey1 the spirit of giving crept into the world's heart4 ,as the ,magi came bearing gifts1 so do we also2 gifts that relieve want1 gifts that are sweet and fragrant with friendship1 gifts that breathe love1 gifts that mean service1 gifts inspired still by the star that shone over the ,city of ,david nearly two thousand years ago4 ,then hang the green coronet of the ,christmas-tree with glittering baubles and jewels of flame2 heap offerings on its emerald branches2 bring the ,yule log to the firing2 deck the house with holly and mistletoe1 ,and all the bells on earth shall ring ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,shepherds ,,william ,,drummond1 ,,of ,,hawthornden ,o than the fairest day1 thrice fairer night6 ,night to blest days in which a sun doth rise ,of which that golden eye which clears the skies ,is but a sparkling ray1 a shadow-light6 ,and blessed ye1 in silly pastor's sight1 ,mild creatures1 in whose warm crib now lies ,that heaven-sent youngling1 holy-maid-born wight1 ,midst1 end1 beginning of our prophecies6 ,blest cottage that hath flowers in winter spread1 ,though withered--blessed grass that hath the grace ,to deck and be a carpet to that place6 ,thus sang1 unto the sounds of oaten reed1 ,before the ,babe1 the shepherds bowed on knees2 ,and springs ran nectar1 honey dropped from trees4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,james ,,russell ,,lowell ,what means this glory round our feet1 ,the ,magi mused1 more bright than morn8 ,and voices chanted clear and sweet1 ,to-day the ,prince of ,peace is born6 ,what means that star1 the ,shepherds said1 ,that brightens through the rocky glen8 ,and angels1 answering overhead1 ,sang1 ,peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ',tis eighteen hundred years and more ,since those sweet oracles were dumb2 ,we wait for ,him1 like them of yore2 ,alas1 ,he seems so slow to come6 ,but it was said1 in words of gold1 ,no time or sorrow e'er shall dim1 ,that little children might be bold ,in perfect trust to come to ,him4 ,all round about our feet shall shine ,a light like that the wise men saw1 ,if we our loving wills incline ,to that sweet ,life which is the ,law4 ,so shall we learn to understand ,the simple faith of shepherds then1 ,and1 clasping kindly hand in hand1 ,sing1 ,peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,but they who do their souls no wrong1 ,but keep at eve the faith of morn1 ,shall daily hear the angel-song1 ,to-day the ,prince of ,peace is born6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,hymn ,,alfred ,,domett ,it was the calm and silent night6 ,seven hundred years and fifty-three ,had ,rome been growing up to might1 ,and now was ,queen of land and sea4 ,no sound was heard of clashing wars2 ,peace brooded o'er the hush'd domain2 ,apollo1 ,pallas1 ,jove and ,mars1 ,held undisturb'd their ancient reign1 ,in the solemn midnight ,centuries ago4 ',t was in the calm and silent night6 ,the senator of haughty ,rome ,impatient urged his chariot's flight1 ,from lordly revel rolling home4 ,triumphal arches gleaming swell ,his breast with thoughts of boundless sway2 ,what reck'd the ,roman what befell ,a paltry province far away1 ,in the solemn midnight ,centuries ago6 ,within that province far away ,went plodding home a weary boor3 ,a streak of light before him lay1 ,fall'n through a half-shut stable door ,across his path4 ,he pass'd--for nought ,told what was going on within2 ,how keen the stars6 his only thought2 ,the air how calm and cold and thin1 ,in the solemn midnight ,centuries ago6 ,o strange indifference6--low and high ,drows'd over common joys and cares3 ,the earth was still--but knew not why2 ,the world was listening--unawares4 ,how calm a moment may precede ,one that shall thrill the world for ever6 ,to that still moment none would heed1 ,man's doom was link'd1 no more to sever1 ,in the solemn midnight ,centuries ago4 ,it is the calm and solemn night ,a thousand bells ring out1 and throw ,their joyous peals abroad1 and smite ,the darkness1 charm'd and holy now4 ,the night that erst no name had worn1 ,to it a happy name is given2 ,for in that stable lay new-born ,the peaceful ,prince of ,earth and ,heaven1 ,in the solemn midnight ,centuries ago4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,brightest ,,and ,,best ,,of ,,the ,,sons ,,of ,,the ,,morning ,,reginald ,,heber ,brightest and best of the ,sons of the morning6 ,dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid6 ,star of the ,east1 the horizon adorning1 ,guide where our ,infant ,redeemer is laid6 ,cold on ,his cradle the dewdrops are shining1 ,low lies ,his head with the beasts of the stall2 ,angels adore ,him in slumber reclining1 ,maker and ,monarch and ,saviour of all6 ,say1 shall we yield ,him1 in costly devotion1 ,odors of ,edom and offerings divine8 ,gems of the mountain and pearls of the ocean1 ,myrrh from the forest1 or gold from the mine8 ,vainly we offer each ample oblation2 ,vainly with gifts would ,his favor secure3 ,richer by far is the heart's adoration2 ,dearer to ,god are the prayers of the poor4 ,brightest and best of the ,sons of the morning6 ,dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid6 ,star of the ,east1 the horizon adorning1 ,guide where our ,infant ,redeemer is laid6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,god ,,rest ,,ye1 ,,merry ,,gentlemen ,,dinah ,,maria ,,mulock ,god rest ye1 merry gentlemen2 let nothing you dismay1 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 was born on ,christmas-day4 ,the dawn rose red o'er ,bethlehem1 the stars shone through the gray1 ,when ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 was born on ,christmas-day4 ,god rest ye1 little children2 let nothing you affright1 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 your ,saviour1 was born this happy night2 ,along the hills of ,galilee the white flocks sleeping lay1 ,when ,christ1 the child of ,nazareth1 was born on ,christmas-day4 ,god rest ye1 all good ,christians2 upon this blessed morn ,the ,lord of all good ,christians was of a woman born3 ,now all your sorrows ,he doth heal1 your sins ,he takes away2 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 was born on ,christmas-day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,christmas ,,silence ,,margaret ,,deland ,hushed are the pigeons cooing low ,on dusty rafters of the loft2 ,and mild-eyed oxen1 breathing soft1 ,sleep on the fragrant hay below4 ,dim shadows in the corner hide2 ,the glimmering lantern's rays are shed ,where one young lamb just lifts his head1 ,then huddles 'gainst his mother's side4 ,strange silence tingles in the air2 ,through the half-open door a bar ,of light from one low-hanging star ,touches a baby's radiant hair4 ,no sound3 the mother1 kneeling1 lays ,her cheek against the little face4 ,oh human love6 ,oh heavenly grace6 ',tis yet in silence that she prays6 ,ages of silence end to-night2 ,then to the long-expectant earth ,glad angels come to greet ,his birth ,in burst of music1 love1 and light6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,lullaby ,,john ,,addington ,,symonds ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,the ,mother sings3 ,heaven's angels kneel and fold their wings4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,with swathes of scented hay ,thy bed ,by ,mary's hand at eve was spread4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,at midnight came the shepherds1 they ,whom seraphs wakened by the way4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,and three kings from the ,east afar1 ,ere dawn came1 guided by the star4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,they brought ,thee gifts of gold and gems1 ,pure orient pearls1 rich diadems4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,thou who liest slumbering there1 ,art ,king of ,kings1 earth1 ocean1 air4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 ,the shepherds sing3 ,through heaven1 through earth1 hosannas ring4 ,sleep1 baby1 sleep6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hymn ,,for ,,the ,,nativity ,,edward ,,thring ,happy night and happy silence downward softly stealing1 ,softly stealing over land and sea1 ,stars from golden censors swing a silent eager feeling ,down on ,judah1 down on ,galilee2 ,and all the wistful air1 and earth1 and sky1 ,listened1 listened for the gladness of a cry4 ,holy night1 a sudden flash of light its way is winging3 ,angels1 angels1 all above1 around2 ,hark1 the angel voices1 hark1 the angel voices singing2 ,and the sheep are lying on the ground4 ,lo1 all the wistful air1 and earth1 and sky1 ,listen1 listen to the gladness of the cry4 ,happy night at ,bethlehem2 soft little hands are feeling1 ,feeling in the manger with the kine3 ,little hands1 and eyelids closed in sleep1 while angels kneeling1 ,mary mother1 hymn the ,babe ,divine4 ,lo1 all the wistful air1 and earth1 and sky1 ,listen1 listen to the gladness of the cry4 ,wide1 as if the light were music1 flashes adoration3 ,glory be to ,god1 nor ever cease1 ,all the silence thrills1 and speeds the message of salvation3 ,peace on earth1 good-will to men of peace4 ,lo1 all the wistful air1 and earth1 and sky1 ,listen1 listen to the gladness of the cry4 ,holy night1 thy solemn silence evermore enfoldeth ,angels songs and peace from ,god on high3 ,holy night1 thy watcher still with faithful eye beholdeth ,wings that wave1 and angel glory nigh1 ,lo1 hushed is strife in air1 and earth1 and sky1 ,still thy watchers hear the gladness of the cry4 ,praise ,him1 ye who watch the night1 the silent night of ages3 ,praise ,him1 shepherds1 praise the ,holy ,child2 ,praise ,him1 ye who hear the light1 ,o praise ,him1 all ye sages2 ,praise ,him1 children1 praise ,him meek and mild4 ,lo1 peace on ,earth1 glory to ,god on high1 ,listen1 listen to the gladness of the cry4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,masters ,,in ,,this ,,hall ,,anonymous ,to ,bethlem did they go1 the shepherds three2 ,to ,bethlem did they go to see whe'r it were so or no1 ,whether ,christ were born or no ,to set men free4 ,masters1 in this hall1 ,hear ye news to-day ,brought over sea1 ,and ever ,i you pray4 ,nowell6 ,nowell6 ,nowell6 ,nowell6 ,sing we clear6 ,holpen are all folk on earth1 ,born is ,god's ,son so dear4 ,going over the hills1 ,through the milk-white snow1 ,heard ,i ewes bleat ,while the wind did blow4 ,nowell1 c4 ,shepherds many an one ,sat among the sheep2 ,no man spake more word ,than they had been asleep4 ,nowell1 c4 ,quoth ,i ',fellows mine1 ,why this guise sit ye8 ,making but dull cheer1 ,shepherds though ye be8 ,nowell1 c4 ',shepherds should of right ,leap and dance and sing2 ,thus to see ye sit ,is a right strange thing4' ,nowell1 c4 ,quoth these fellows then ',to ,bethlem town we go1 ,to see a ,mighty ,lord ,lie in manger low4' ,nowell1 c4 ',how name ye this ,lord1 ,shepherds8' then said ,i4 ',very ,god' they said1 ',come from ,heaven high4' ,nowell1 c4 ,then to ,bethlem town ,we went two and two1 ,and in a sorry place ,heard the oxen low4 ,nowell1 c4 ,therein did we see ,a sweet and goodly ,may1 ,and a fair old man2 ,upon the straw she lay4 ,nowell1 c4 ,and a little ,,child ,on her arm had she2 ',wot ye who this is8' ,said the hinds to me4 ,nowell1 c4 ,ox and ass him know1 ,kneeling on their knee3 ,wondrous joy had ,i ,this little ,,babe to see4 ,nowell1 c4 ,this is ,,christ the ,lord1 ,masters1 be ye glad6 ,christmas is come in1 ,and no folk should be sad4 ,nowell1 c4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,adoration ,,of ,,the ,,wise ,,men ,,cecil ,,frances ,,alexander ,saw you never in the twilight1 ,when the sun had left the skies1 ,up in heaven the clear stars shining1 ,through the gloom like silver eyes8 ,so of old the wise men watching1 ,saw a little stranger star1 ,and they knew the ,king was given1 ,and they follow'd it from far4 ,heard you never of the story1 ,how they cross'd the desert wild1 ,journey'd on by plain and mountain1 ,till they found the ,holy ,child8 ,how they open'd all their treasure1 ,kneeling to that ,infant ,king1 ,gave the gold and fragrant incense1 ,gave the myrrh in offering8 ,know ye not that lowly ,baby ,was the bright and morning star1 ,he who came to light the ,gentiles1 ,and the darken'd isles afar8 ,and we too may seek his cradle1 ,there our heart's best treasures bring1 ,love1 and ,faith1 and true devotion1 ,for our ,saviour1 ,god1 and ,king4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,shepherds ,,in ,,judea ,,mary ,,austin ,oh1 the ,shepherds in ,judea1 ,they are pacing to and fro1 ,for the air grows chill at twilight ,and the weanling lambs are slow6 ,leave1 ,o lambs1 the dripping sedges1 quit the bramble and the brier1 ,leave the fields of barley stubble1 for we light the watching fire2 ,twinkling fires across the twilight1 and a bitter watch to keep1 ,lest the prowlers come a-thieving where the flocks unguarded sleep4 ,oh1 the ,shepherds in ,judea1 ,they are singing soft and low-- ,song the blessed angels taught them ,all the centuries ago6 ,there was never roof to hide them1 there were never walls to bind2 ,stark they lie beneath the star-beams1 whom the blessed angels find1 ,with the huddled flocks upstarting1 wondering if they hear aright1 ,while the ,kings come riding1 riding1 solemn shadows in the night4 ,oh1 the ,shepherds in ,judea1 ,they are thinking1 as they go1 ,of the light that broke their watching ,on the hillside in the snow6-- ,scattered snow along the hillside1 white as springtime fleeces are1 ,with the whiter wings above them and the glory-streaming star-- ,guiding-star across the housetops2 never fear the ,shepherds felt ,till they found the ,babe in manger where the kindly cattle knelt4 ,oh1 the ,shepherds in ,judea6-- ,do you think the ,shepherds know ,how the whole round earth is brightened ,in the ruddy ,christmas glow8 ,how the sighs are lost in laughter1 and the laughter brings the tears1 ,as the thoughts of men go seeking back across the darkling years ,till they find the wayside stable that the star-led ,wise ,men found1 ,with the ,shepherds1 mute1 adoring1 and the glory shining round6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,carol ,,james ,s4 ,,park ,so crowded was the little town ,on the first ,christmas day1 ,tired ,mary ,mother laid her down ,to rest upon the hay4 7,ah1 would my door might have been thrown ,wide open on her way67 ,but when the ,holy ,babe was born ,in the deep hush of night1 ,it seemed as if a ,sabbath morn ,had come with sacred light4 ,child ,jesus made the place forlorn ,with his own beauty bright4 ,the manger rough was all his rest2 ,the cattle1 having fed1 ,stood silent by1 or closer pressed1 ,and gravely wondered4 7,ah1 ,lord1 if only that my breast ,had cradled ,thee instead67 99 99 99 99 99 ,,neighbors ,,of ,,the ,,christ ,,night ,,nora ,,archibald ,,smith ,deep in the shelter of the cave1 ,the ass with drooping head ,stood weary in the shadow1 where ,his master's hand had led4 ,about the manger oxen lay1 ,bending a wide-eyed gaze ,upon the little new-born ,babe1 ,half worship1 half amaze4 ,high in the roof the doves were set1 ,and cooed there1 soft and mild1 ,yet not so sweet as1 in the hay1 ,the ,mother to her ,child4 ,the gentle cows breathed fragrant breath ,to keep ,babe ,jesus warm1 ,while loud and clear1 o'er hill and dale1 ,the cocks crowed1 ,christ is born6 ,out in the fields1 beneath the stars1 ,the young lambs sleeping lay1 ,and dreamed that in the manger slept ,another white as they4 - - - - - ,these were ,thy neighbors1 ,christmas ,child2 ,to ,thee their love was given1 ,for in ,thy baby face there shone ,the wonder-light of ,heaven4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,cradle ,,hymn ,,isaac ,,watts ,hush1 my dear1 lie still and slumber2 ,holy angels guard thy bed2 ,heavenly blessings without number ,gently falling on thy head4 ,sleep1 my babe1 thy food and raiment1 ,house and home1 thy friends provide2 ,all without thy care1 or payment1 ,all thy wants are well supplied4 ,how much better thou'rt attended ,than the ,son of ,god could be1 ,when from heaven ,he descended1 ,and became a child like thee6 ,soft and easy is thy cradle2 ,coarse and hard thy ,saviour lay1 ,when ,his birthplace was a stable1 ,and ,his softest bed was hay4 ,see the kindly shepherds round him1 ,telling wonders from the sky6 ,when they sought ,him1 there they found ,him1 ,with his ,virgin-,mother by4 ,see the lovely babe a-dressing2 ,lovely infant1 how ,he smiled6 ,when ,he wept1 the mother's blessing ,soothed and hushed the holy child4 ,lo1 ,he slumbers in ,his manger1 ,where the honest oxen fed2 --,peace1 my darling6 here's no danger6 ,here's no ox a-near thy bed6 ,mayst thou live to know and fear ,him1 ,trust and love ,him all thy days2 ,then go dwell forever near ,him1 ,see ,his face1 and sing ,his praise6 ,i could give thee thousand kisses1 ,hoping what ,i most desire2 ,not a mother's fondest wishes ,can to greater joys aspire4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,an ,,ode ,,on ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,our ,,saviour ,,robert ,,herrick ,in numbers1 and but these few1 ,i sing thy birth1 ,o ,jesu6 ,thou pretty baby1 born here ,with sup'rabundant scorn here2 ,who for thy princely port here1 ,hadst for thy place ,of birth1 a base ,out-stable for thy court here4 ,instead of neat enclosures ,of interwoven osiers1 ,instead of fragrant posies ,of daffodils and roses1 ,thy cradle1 kingly stranger1 ,as gospel tells1 ,was nothing else ,but here a homely manger4 ,but we with silks1 not crewels1 ,with sundry precious jewels1 ,and lily work will dress thee1 ,and1 as we dispossess thee ,of clouts1 we'll make a chamber1 ,sweet babe1 for thee ,of ivory1 ,and plaster'd round with amber4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,song ,,edmund ,,hamilton ,,sears ,calm on the listening ear of night ,come heaven's melodious strains1 ,where wild ,judea stretches far ,her silver-mantled plains2 ,celestial choirs from courts above ,shed sacred glories there2 ,and angels with their sparkling lyres ,make music on the air4 ,the answering hills of ,palestine ,send back the glad reply1 ,and greet from all their holy heights ,the day-spring from on high3 ,o'er the blue depths of ,galilee ,there comes a holier calm1 ,and ,sharon waves1 in solemn praise1 ,her silent groves of palm4 ,glory to ,god6 ,the lofty strain ,the realm of ether fills3 ,how sweeps the song of solemn joy ,o'er ,judah's sacred hills6 ,glory to ,god6 ,the sounding skies ,loud with their anthems ring2 ,peace on the earth2 good-will to men1 ,from heaven's eternal ,king6 ,light on thy hills1 ,jerusalem6 ,the ,saviour now is born3 ,more bright on ,bethlehem's joyous plains ,breaks the first ,christmas morn2 ,and brighter on ,moriah's brow1 ,crowned with her temple-spires1 ,which first proclaim the new-born light1 ,clothed with its ,orient fires4 ,this day shall ,christian lips be mute1 ,and ,christian hearts be cold8 ,oh1 catch the anthem that from heaven ,o'er ,judah's mountains rolled6 ,when nightly burst from seraph-harps ,the high and solemn lay1-- ,glory to ,god6 on earth be peace2 ,salvation comes to-day6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,hymn ,,on ,,the ,,nativity ,,of ,,my ,,saviour ,,ben ,,jonson ,i sing the birth was born to-night ,the author both of life and light2 ,the angels so did sound it4 ,and like the ravished shepherds said1 ,who saw the light1 and were afraid1 ,yet searched1 and true they found it4 ,the ,son of ,god1 th' eternal king1 ,that did us all salvation bring1 ,and freed the soul from danger2 ,he whom the whole world could not take1 ,the ,word1 which heaven and earth did make1 ,was now laid in a manger4 ,the ,father's wisdom willed it so1 ,the ,son's obedience knew no ,no1 ,both wills were in one stature2 ,and as that wisdom had decreed1 ,the ,word was now made flesh indeed1 ,and took on him our nature4 ,what comfort by him do we win1 ,who made himself the price of sin1 ,to make us heirs of glory6 ,to see this babe all innocence2 ,a martyr born in our defence3 ,can man forget the story8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,shepherd',s ,,song ,,edmund ,,bolton ,sweet music1 sweeter far ,than any song is sweet3 ,sweet music1 heavenly rare1 ,mine ears1 ,o peers1 doth greet4 ,you gentle flocks1 whose fleeces pearled with dew1 ,resemble heaven1 whom golden drops make bright1 ,listen1 ,o listen1 now1 ,o not to you ,our pipes make sport to shorten weary night3 ,but voices most divine ,make blissful harmony3 ,voices that seem to shine1 ,for what else clears the sky8 ,tunes can we hear1 but not the singers see1 ,the tunes divine1 and so the singers be4 ,lo1 how the firmament ,within an azure fold ,the flock of stars hath pent1 ,that we might them behold1 ,yet from their beams proceedeth not this light1 ,nor can their crystals such reflection give4 ,what then doth make the element so bright8 ,the heavens are come down upon earth to live ,but hearken to the song1 ,glory to glory's ,king1 ,and peace all men among1 ,these quiristers do sing4 ,angels they are1 as also 7shepherds7 ,he ,whom in our fear we do admire to see4 ,let not amazement blind ,your souls1 said he1 annoy3 ,to you and all mankind ,my message bringeth joy4 ,for lo6 the world's great ,shepherd now is born1 ,a blessed ,babe1 an ,infant full of power3 ,after long night uprisen is the morn1 ,renowning ,bethlem in the ,saviour4 ,sprung is the perfect day1 ,by prophets seen afar3 ,sprung is the mirthful ,may1 ,which winter cannot mar4 ,in ,david's city doth this ,sun appear ,clouded in flesh1 yet1 shepherds1 sit we here6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,aubrey ,,de ,,vere ,they leave the land of gems and gold1 ,the shining portals of the ,east2 ,for ,him1 the woman's ,seed foretold1 ,they leave the revel and the feast4 ,to earth their sceptres they have cast1 ,and crowns by kings ancestral worn2 ,they track the lonely ,syrian waste2 ,they kneel before the ,babe new born4 ,o happy eyes that saw ,him first2 ,o happy lips that kissed ,his feet3 ,earth slakes at last her ancient thirst2 ,with ,eden's joy her pulses beat4 ,true kings are those who thus forsake ,their kingdoms for the ,eternal ,king2 ,serpent1 her foot is on thy neck2 ,herod1 thou writhest1 but canst not sting4 ,he1 ,he is ,king1 and ,he alone ,who lifts that infant hand to bless2 ,who makes ,his mother's knee ,his throne1 ,yet rules the starry wilderness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,hymn ,,anon ,written in the ,chapel of the ,manger1 in the ,convent ,church of ,bethlehem1 ,palestine3 ,in the fields where1 long ago1 ,dropping tears1 amid the leaves1 ,ruth's young feet went to and fro1 ,binding up the scattered sheaves1 ,in the field that heard the voice ,of ,judea's shepherd ,king1 ,still the gleaners may rejoice1 ,still the reapers shout and sing4 ,for each mount and vale and plain ,felt the touch of holier feet4 ,then the gleaners of the grain ,heard1 in voices full and sweet1 ,peace on earth1 good will to men1 ,ring from angel lips afar1 ,while1 o'er every glade and glen1 ,broke the light of ,bethlehem's star4 ,star of hope to souls in night1 ,star of peace above our strife1 ,guiding1 where the gates of death ,ope to fields of endless life4 ,wanderer from the nightly throng ,which the eastern heavens gem2 ,guided1 by an angel's song1 ,to the ,babe of ,bethlehem4 ,not ,judea's hills alone ,have earth's weary gleaners trod1 ,not to heirs of ,david's throne ,is it given to reign with ,god4 ,but where'er on ,his green earth ,heavenly faith and longing are1 ,heavenly hope and life have birth1 ',neath the smile of ,bethlehem's star4 ,in each lowly heart or home1 ,by each love-watched cradle-bed1 ,where we rest1 or where we roam1 ,still its changeless light is shed4 ,in its beams each quickened heart1 ,howe'er saddened or denied1 ,keeps one little place apart ,for the ,hebrew mother's ,child4 ,and that inner temple fair ,may be holier ground than this1 ,hallowed by the pilgrim's prayer1 ,warmed by many a pilgrim's kiss4 ,in its shadow still and dim1 ,where our holiest longings are1 ,rings forever ,bethlehem's hymn1 ,shines forever ,bethlehem's star4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,day ,,charles ,,wesley ,hark6 the herald angels sing ,glory to the new-born ,king6 ,peace on earth and mercy mild1 ,god and sinners reconciled4 ,joyful all ye nations rise1 ,join the triumph of the skies1 ,with the angelic host proclaim ,christ is born in ,bethlehem6 ,hail the heaven-born ,prince of ,peace6 ,hail the ,sun of ,righteousness6 ,light and life to all he brings1 ,risen with healing in his wings4 ,mild1 he lays his glory by2 ,born1 that man no more may die1 ,born to raise the sons of earth1 ,born to give them second birth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,anon ,once in ,royal ,david's city ,stood a lowly cattle shed1 ,where a mother laid her baby ,in a manger for ,his bed4 ,mary was that mother mild1 ,jesus ,christ that little child4 ,he came down to earth from ,heaven1 ,who is ,god and ,lord of all4 ,and his shelter was a stable1 ,and his cradle was a stall4 ,with the poor and mean and lowly1 ,lived on earth our ,saviour ,holy4 ,and our eyes at last shall see ,him ,through ,his own redeeming love1 ,for that child so dear and gentle ,is our ,lord in ,heaven above2 ,and ,he leads ,his children on ,to the place where ,he is gone4 ,not in that poor1 lowly stable1 ,with the oxen standing by1 ,we shall see ,him2 but in ,heaven1 ,set at ,god's right hand on high1 ,when1 like stars1 ,his children crowned ,all in white1 shall wait around4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,nahum ,,tate ,while shepherds watch'd their flocks by night1 ,all seated on the ground1 ,the angel of the ,lord came down1 ,and glory shone around4 ,fear not1 said he 7for mighty dread ,had seized their troubled mind72 ,glad tidings of great joy ,i bring ,to you and all mankind4 ,to you1 in ,david's town1 this day ,is born of ,david's line ,the ,saviour who is ,christ the ,lord2 ,and this shall be the sign3 ,the heavenly ,babe you there shall find ,to human view display'd1 ,all meanly wrapt in swathing bands1 ,and in a manger laid4 ,thus spake the ,seraph2 and forthwith ,appear'd a shining throng ,of angels1 praising ,god1 and thus ,address'd their joyful song3 ,all glory be to ,god on high1 ,and to the earth be peace2 ,good-will henceforth from heaven to men ,begin1 and never cease6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,while ,,shepherds ,,watched ,,their ,,flocks ,,by ,,night ,,margaret ,,deland ,like small curled feathers1 white and soft1 ,the little clouds went by1 ,across the moon1 and past the stars1 ,and down the western sky3 ,in upland pastures1 where the grass ,with frosted dew was white1 ,like snowy clouds the young sheep lay1 ,that first1 best ,christmas night4 ,the shepherds slept2 and1 glimmering faint1 ,with twist of thin1 blue smoke1 ,only their fire's crackling flames ,the tender silence broke-- ,save when a young lamb raised his head1 ,or1 when the night wind blew1 ,a nesting bird would softly stir1 ,where dusky olives grew-- ,with finger on her solemn lip1 ,night hushed the shadowy earth1 ,and only stars and angels saw ,the little ,saviour's birth2 ,then came such flash of silver light ,across the bending skies1 ,the wondering shepherds woke1 and hid ,their frightened1 dazzled eyes6 ,and all their gentle sleepy flock ,looked up1 then slept again1 ,nor knew the light that dimmed the stars ,brought endless ,peace to men-- ,nor even heard the gracious words ,that down the ages ring-- ,the ,christ is born6 the ,lord has come1 ,good-will on earth to bring6 ,then o'er the moonlit1 misty fields1 ,dumb with the world's great joy1 ,the shepherds sought the white-walled town1 ,where lay the baby boy-- ,and oh1 the gladness of the world1 ,the glory of the skies1 ,because the longed-for ,christ looked up ,in ,mary's happy eyes6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,colonial ,,christmases ,,alice ,,morse ,,earle ,from ,customs and ,fashions in ,old ,new ,england4 ,the first century of colonial life saw few set times and days for pleasure4 ,the holy days of the ,english ,church were as a stench to the ,puritan nostrils1 and their public celebration was at once rigidly forbidden by the laws of ,new ,england4 ,new holidays were not quickly evolved1 and the sober gatherings for matters of ,church and ,state for a time took their place4 ,the hatred of wanton ,bacchanallian ,christmasses spent throughout ,england1 as ,cotton said1 in revelling1 dicing1 carding1 masking1 mumming1 consumed in compotations1 in interludes1 in excess of wine1 in mad mirth1 was the natural reaction of intelligent and thoughtful minds against the excesses of a festival which had ceased to be a ,christian holiday1 but was dominated by a lord of misrule who did not hesitate to invade the churches in time of service1 in his noisy revels and sports4 ,english ,churchmen long ago revolted also against such ,christmas observance4 ,of the first ,pilgrim ,christmas we know but little1 save that it was spent1 as was many a later one1 in work4444 ,by #afei the ,puritans had grown to hate ,christmas more and more2 it was1 to use ,shakespeare's words1 the bug that feared them all4 ,the very name smacked to them of incense1 stole1 and monkish jargon2 any person who observed it as a holiday by forbearing of labor1 feasting1 or any other way was to pay five shillings fine1 so desirous were they to beate down every sprout of ,episcopacie4 ,judge ,sewall watched jealously the feeling of the people with regard to ,christmas1 and noted with pleasure on each succeeding year the continuance of common traffic throughout the day4 ,such entries as this show his attitude3 ,dec4 #be1 #afhe4 ,carts come to town and shops open as usual4 ,some somehow observe the day1 but are vexed ,i believe that the ,body of people profane it1 and blessed be ,god no authority yet to compel them to keep it4 ,when the ,church of ,england established ,christmas services in ,boston a few years later1 we find the ,judge waging hopeless war against ,governor ,belcher over it1 and hear him praising his son for not going with other boy friends to hear the novel and attractive services4 ,he says3 ,i dehort mine from ,christmas keeping and charge them to forbear4 ,christmas could not be regarded till this century as a ,new ,england holiday1 though in certain localities1 such as old ,narragansett--an opulent community which was settled by ,episcopalians--two weeks of ,christmas visiting and feasting were entered into with zest by both planters and slaves for many years previous to the revolution4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,angels ,,william ,,drummond ,run1 shepherds1 run where ,bethlehem blest appears4 ,we bring the best of news2 be not dismayed3 ,a ,saviour there is born more old than years1 ,amidst heaven's rolling height this earth who stayed4 ,in a poor cottage inned1 a virgin maid1 ,a weakling did him bear1 who all upbears2 ,there is he poorly swaddled1 in manger laid1 ,to whom too narrow swaddlings are our spheres3 ,run1 shepherds1 run1 and solemnize his birth4 ,this is that night--no1 day1 grown great with bliss1 ,in which the power of ,satan broken is3 ,in heaven be glory1 peace unto the earth6 ,thus singing1 through the air the angels swarm1 ,and cope of stars re-echoed the same4 ,or say1 if this new ,birth of ours ,sleeps1 laid within some ark of flowers1 ,spangled with dew-light2 thou canst clear ,all doubts1 and manifest the where4 ,declare to us1 bright star1 if we shall seek ,him in the morning's blushing cheek1 ,or search the beds of spices through1 ,to find him out8 ,star4--,no1 this ye need not do2 ,but only come and see ,him rest1 ,a princely babe1 in's mother's breast4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hymn ,,for ,,christmas ,,felicia ,,hemans ,oh6 lovely voices of the sky ,which hymned the ,saviour's birth1 ,are ye not singing still on high1 ,ye that sang1 ,peace on earth8 ,to us yet speak the strains ,wherewith1 in time gone by1 ,ye blessed the ,syrian swains1 ,oh6 voices of the sky6 ,oh6 clear and shining light1 whose beams ,that hour ,heaven's glory shed1 ,around the palms1 and o'er the streams1 ,and on the shepherd's head4 ,be near1 through life and death1 ,as in that holiest night ,of hope1 and joy1 and faith-- ,oh6 clear and shining light6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,new ,,prince1 ,,new ,,pomp ,,robert ,,southwell ,behold a simple1 tender ,babe1 ,in freezing winter night1 ,in homely manger trembling lies2 ,alas6 a piteous sight4 ,the inns are full2 no man will yield ,this little ,pilgrim bed2 ,but forced he is with silly beasts ,in crib to shroud his head4 ,despise him not for lying there2 ,first what he is inquire3 ,an ,orient pearl is often found ,in depth of dirty mire4 ,weigh not his crib1 his wooden dish1 ,nor beasts that by him feed2 ,weigh not his mother's poor attire1 ,nor ,joseph's simple weed4 ,this stable is a ,prince's court1 ,the crib his chair of state2 ,the beasts are parcel of his pomp1 ,the wooden dish his plate4 ,the persons in that poor attire ,his royal liveries wear2 ,the ,prince himself is come from heaven3 ,this pomp is praised there4 ,with joy approach1 ,o ,christian wight6 ,do homage to thy ,king2 ,and highly praise this humble pomp1 ,which he from heaven doth bring4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,three ,,kings ,,henry ,,wadsworth ,,longfellow ,three ,kings came riding from far away1 ,melchior and ,gaspar and ,baltasar2 ,three ,wise ,men out of the ,east were they1 ,and they traveled by night and they slept by day1 ,for their guide was a beautiful1 wonderful star4 ,the star was so beautiful1 large and clear1 ,that all the other stars of the sky ,became a white mist in the atmosphere2 ,and by this they knew that the coming was near ,of the ,prince foretold in the prophecy4 ,three caskets they bore on their saddle-bows1 ,three caskets of gold with golden keys2 ,their robes were of crimson silk1 with rows ,of bells and pomegranates and furbelows1 ,their turbans like blossoming almond-trees4 ,and so the ,three ,kings rode into the ,west1 ,through the dusk of night over hill and dell1 ,and sometimes they nodded with beard on breast1 ,and sometimes talked1 as they paused to rest1 ,with the people they met at some wayside well4 ,of the child that is born1 said ,baltasar1 ,good people1 ,i pray you1 tell us the news2 ,for we in the ,east have seen his star1 ,and have ridden fast1 and have ridden far1 ,to find and worship the ,king of the ,jews4 ,and the people answered1 ,you ask in vain2 ,we know of no king but ,herod the ,great6 ,they thought the ,wise ,men were men insane1 ,as they spurred their horses across the plain ,like riders in haste who cannot wait4 ,and when they came to ,jerusalem1 ,herod the ,great1 who had heard this thing1 ,sent for the ,wise ,men and questioned them2 ,and said1 ,go down unto ,bethlehem1 ,and bring me tidings of this new king4 ,so they rode away1 and the star stood still1 ,the only one in the gray of morn2 ,yes1 it stopped1 it stood still of its own free will1 ,right over ,bethlehem on the hill1 ,the city of ,david where ,christ was born4 ,and the ,three ,kings rode through the gate and the guard1 ,through the silent street1 till their horses turned ,and neighed as they entered the great inn-yard2 ,but the windows were closed1 and the doors were barred1 ,and only a light in the stable burned4 ,and cradled there in the scented hay1 ,in the air made sweet by the breath of kine1 ,the little child in the manger lay1 ,the ,child that would be ,king one day ,of a kingdom not human1 but divine4 ,his mother1 ,mary of ,nazareth1 ,sat watching beside his place of rest1 ,watching the even flow of his breath1 ,for the joy of life and the terror of death ,were mingled together in her breast4 ,they laid their offerings at his feet3 ,the gold was their tribute to a ,king2 ,the frankincense1 with its odor sweet1 ,was for the ,priest1 the ,paraclete2 ,the myrrh for the body's burying4 ,and the mother wondered and bowed her head1 ,and sat as still as a statue of stone2 ,her heart was troubled yet comforted1 ,remembering what the angel had said ,of an endless reign and of ,david's throne4 ,then the ,kings rode out of the city gate1 ,with a clatter of hoofs in proud array2 ,but they went not back to ,herod the ,great1 ,for they knew his malice and feared his hate1 ,and returned to their homes by another way4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hymn ,,on ,,the ,,nativity ,,john ,,milton ,it was the winter wild1 ,while the heaven-born child ,all meanly wrapt in the rude manger lies2 ,nature1 in awe of him1 ,had doffed her gaudy trim1 ,with her great ,master so to sympathize3 ,it was no season then for her ,to wanton with the sun1 her lusty paramour4 ,only with speeches fair ,she wooes the gentle air1 ,to hide her guilty front with innocent snow2 ,and on her naked shame1 ,pollute with sinful blame1 ,the saintly veil of maiden-white to throw2 ,confounded1 that her ,maker's eyes ,should look so near upon her foul deformities4 ,but he1 her fears to cease1 ,sent down the meek-eyed ,peace3 ,she1 crowned with olive green1 came softly sliding ,down through the turning sphere1 ,his ready harbinger1 ,with turtle wing the amorous clouds dividing2 ,and1 waving wide her myrtle wand1 ,she strikes a universal peace through sea and land4 ,no war or battle's sound ,was heard the world around3 ,the idle spear and shield were high uphung2 ,the hooked chariot stood ,unstained with hostile blood2 ,the trumpet spake not to the armed throng2 ,and kings sat still with awful eye1 ,as if they surely knew their sovereign lord was by4 ,but peaceful was the night1 ,wherein the ,prince of ,light ,his reign of peace upon the earth began3 ,the winds1 with wonder whist1 ,smoothly the waters kissed1 ,whispering new joys to the mild ocean1 ,who now hath quite forgot to rave1 ,while birds of calm sit brooding on the charmed wave4 ,the stars1 with deep amaze1 ,stand fixed in steadfast gaze1 ,bending one way their precious influence2 ,and will not take their flight1 ,for all the morning light1 ,or ,lucifer had often warned them thence3 ,but in their glimmering orbs did glow1 ,until their ,lord himself bespake1 and bid them go4 ,and1 though the shady gloom ,had given day her room1 ,the sun himself withheld his wonted speed1 ,and hid his head for shame4 ,as his inferior flame ,the new-enlightened world no more should need2 ,he saw a greater sun appear ,than his bright throne1 or burning axletree1 could bear4 ,the shepherds on the lawn1 ,or ere the point of dawn1 ,sat simply chatting in a rustic row2 ,full little thought they then ,that the mighty ,pan ,was kindly come to live with them below2 ,perhaps their loves1 or else their sheep1 ,was all that did their silly thoughts so busy keep4 ,when such music sweet ,their hearts and ears did greet1 ,as never was by mortal fingers strook1 ,divinely warbled voice ,answering the stringed noise1 ,as all their souls in blissful rapture took3 ,the air1 such pleasure loath to lose1 ,with thousand echoes still prolongs each heavenly close4 ,nature1 that heard such sound1 ,beneath the hollow round ,of ,cynthia's seat1 the airy region thrilling1 ,now was almost won1 ,to think her part was done1 ,and that her reign had here its last fulfilling2 ,she knew such harmony alone ,could hold all heaven and earth in happier union4 ,at last surrounds their sight ,a globe of circular light1 ,that with long beams the shame-faced night arrayed2 ,the helmed cherubim1 ,and sworded seraphim1 ,are seen in glittering ranks with wings displayed1 ,harping in loud and solemn quire1 ,with unexpressive notes1 to ,heaven's new-born heir4 ,such music as 'tis said ,before was never made1 ,but when of old the sons of morning sung1 ,while the ,creator great ,his constellations set1 ,and the well-balanced world on hinges hung1 ,and cast the dark foundations deep1 ,and bid the weltering waves their oozy channel keep4 ,ring out1 ye crystal spheres1 ,once bless our human ears1 ,if ye have power to touch our senses so2 ,and let your silver chime ,move in melodious time2 ,and let the bass of ,heaven's deep organ blow2 ,and1 with your ninefold harmony1 ,make up full concert to the angelic symphony4 ,for1 if such holy song ,enwrap our fancy long1 ,time will run back1 and fetch the age of gold2 ,and speckled ,vanity ,will sicken soon and die1 ,and leprous ,sin will melt from earthly mould2 ,and ,hell itself will pass away1 ,and leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day4 ,yea1 ,truth and ,justice then ,will down return to men1 ,orbed in a rainbow2 and1 like glories wearing1 ,mercy will sit between1 ,throned in celestial sheen1 ,with radiant feet the tissued clouds down steering2 ,and ,heaven1 as at some festival1 ,will open wide the gates of her high palace hall4 ,but wisest ,fate says no1 ,this must not yet be so2 ,the babe yet lies in smiling infancy1 ,that on the bitter cross ,must redeem our loss1 ,so both himself and us to glorify3 ,yet first1 to those chained in sleep1 ,the wakeful trump of doom must thunder through the deep1 ,with such a horrid clang ,as on ,mount ,sinai rang1 ,while the red fire and smouldering clouds outbrake2 ,the aged earth aghast1 ,with terror of that blast1 ,shall from the surface to the centre shake2 ,when1 at the world's last session1 ,the dreadful ,judge in middle air shall spread his throne4 ,and then at last our bliss1 ,full and perfect is1 ,but now begins2 for1 from this happy day1 ,the old dragon1 underground1 ,in straiter limits bound1 ,not half so far casts his usurped sway2 ,and1 wroth to see his kingdom fail1 ,swinges the scaly horror of his folded tail4 ,the oracles are dumb2 ,no voice or hideous hum ,runs through the arched roof in words deceiving4 ,apollo from his shrine ,can no more divine1 ,with hollow shriek the steep of ,delphos leaving4 ,no nightly trance1 or breathed spell1 ,inspires the pale-eyed priest from the prophetic cell4 ,the lonely mountains o'er1 ,and the resounding shore1 ,a voice of weeping heard and loud lament2 ,from haunted spring and dale1 ,edged with poplar pale1 ,the parting ,genius is with sighing sent2 ,with flower-inwoven tresses torn1 ,the nymphs in twilight shade of tangled thickets mourn4 ,in consecrated earth1 ,and on the holy hearth1 ,the ,lars and ,lemures mourn with midnight plaint4 ,in urns and altars round1 ,a drear and dying sound ,affrights the ,flamens at their service quaint2 ,and the chill marble seems to sweat1 ,while each peculiar power foregoes his wonted seat4 ,peor and ,baaelim ,forsake their temples dim ,with that twice-battered ,god of ,palestine2 ,and mooned ,ashtaroth ,heaven's queen and mother both1 ,now sits not girt with tapers' holy shine2 ,the ,libyac ,hammon shrinks his horn2 ,in vain the ,tyrian maids their wounded ,thammuz mourn4 ,and sullen ,moloch1 fled1 ,hath left in shadows dread ,his burning idol all of blackest hue3 ,in vain with cymbals' ring ,they call the grisly king1 ,in dismal dance about the furnace blue3 ,the brutish gods of ,nile as fast1 ,isis1 and ,orus1 and the dog ,anubis1 haste4 ,nor is ,osiris seen ,in ,memphian grove or green1 ,trampling the unshowered grass with lowings loud2 ,nor can he be at rest ,within his sacred chest1 ,naught but profoundest hell can be his shroud2 ,in vain with timbrelled anthems dark ,the sable-stoled sorcerers bear his worshipped ark4 ,he feels from ,judah's land ,the dreaded infant's hand1 ,the rays of ,bethlehem blind his dusky eyne2 ,nor all the gods beside ,longer dare abide1 ,not ,typhon huge ending in snaky twine2 ,our babe1 to show his ,godhead true1 ,can in his swaddling bands control the damned crew4 ,so1 when the sun in bed1 ,curtained with cloudy red1 ,pillows his chin upon an orient wave1 ,the flocking shadows pale ,troop to the infernal jail1 ,each fettered ghost slips to his several grave2 ,and the yellow-skirted fays ,fly after the night-steeds1 leaving their moon-loved maze4 ,but see1 the ,virgin blest ,hath laid her babe to rest2 ,time is our tedious song should here have ending3 ,heaven's youngest-teemed star ,hath fixed her polished car1 ,her sleeping ,lord with handmaid lamp attending2 ,and all about the courtly stable ,bright-harnessed angels sit in order serviceable4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ii ,,celebration ,,christmas ,,eve ,,at ,,mr4 ,,wardle',s ,from ,pickwick ,papers ,,charles ,,dickens ,from the center of the ceiling of this kitchen1 old ,wardle had just suspended with his own hands a huge branch of mistletoe1 and this same branch of mistletoe instantaneously gave rise to a scene of general and most delightful struggling and confusion2 in the midst of which ,mr4 ,pickwick with a gallantry which would have done honour to a descendant of ,lady ,trollimglower herself1 took the old lady by the hand1 led her beneath the mystic branch1 and saluted her in all courtesy and decorum4 ,the old lady submitted to this piece of practical politeness with all the dignity which befitted so important and serious a solemnity1 but the younger ladies not being so thoroughly imbued with a superstitious veneration of the custom1 or imagining that the value of a salute is very much enhanced if it cost a little trouble to obtain it1 screamed and struggled1 and ran into corners1 and threatened and remonstrated1 and did everything but leave the room1 until some of the less adventurous gentlemen were on the point of desisting1 when they all at once found it useless to resist any longer1 and submitted to be kissed with a good grace4 ,mr4 ,winkle kissed the young lady with the black eyes1 and ,mr4 ,snodgrass kissed ,emily2 and ,mr4 ,weller1 not being particular about the form of being under the mistletoe1 kissed ,emma and the other female servants1 just as he caught them4 ,as to the poor relations1 they kissed everybody1 not even excepting the plainer portion of the young-lady visitors1 who1 in their excessive confusion1 ran right under the mistletoe1 directly it was hung up1 without knowing it6 ,wardle stood with his back to the fire1 surveying the whole scene1 with the utmost satisfaction2 and the fat boy took the opportunity of appropriating to his own use1 and summarily devouring1 a particularly fine mince-pie1 that had been carefully put by for somebody else4 ,now the screaming had subsided1 and faces were in a glow and curls in a tangle1 and ,mr4 ,pickwick1 after kissing the old lady as before mentioned1 was standing under the mistletoe1 looking with a very pleased countenance on all that was passing around him1 when the young lady with the black eyes1 after a little whispering with the other young ladies1 made a sudden dart forward1 and1 putting her arm around ,mr4 ,pickwick's neck1 saluted him affectionately on the left cheek2 and before ,mr4 ,pickwick distinctly knew what was the matter1 he was surrounded by the whole body1 and kissed by every one of them4 ,it was a pleasant thing to see ,mr4 ,pickwick in the centre of the group1 now pulled this way1 and then that1 and first kissed on the chin and then on the nose1 and then on the spectacles1 and to hear the peals of laughter which were raised on every side2 but it was a still more pleasant thing to see ,mr4 ,pickwick1 blinded shortly afterwards with a silk-handkerchief1 falling up against the wall1 and scrambling into corners1 and going through all the mysteries of blind-man's buff1 with the utmost relish of the game1 until at last he caught one of the poor relations2 and then had to evade the blind-man himself1 which he did with a nimbleness and agility that elicited the admiration and applause of all beholders4 ,the poor relations caught just the people whom they thought would like it2 and when the game flagged1 got caught themselves4 ,when they were all tired of blind-man's buff1 there was a great game at snapdragon1 and when fingers enough were burned with that1 and all the raisons gone1 they sat down by the huge fire of blazing logs to a substantial supper1 and a mighty bowl of wassail1 something smaller than an ordinary washhouse copper1 in which the hot apples were hissing and bubbling with a rich look1 and a jolly sound1 that were perfectly irresistible4 ,this1 said ,mr4 ,pickwick1 looking round him1 this is1 indeed1 comfort4 ,our invariable custom1 replied ,mr4 ,wardle4 ,everybody sits down with us on ,christmas eve1 as you see them now--servants and all2 and here we wait till the clock strikes twelve1 to usher ,christmas in1 and wile away the time with forfeits and old stories4 ,trundle1 my boy1 rake up the fire4 ,up flew the bright sparks in myriads as the logs were stirred1 and the deep red blaze sent forth a rich glow1 that penetrated into the furthest corner of the room1 and cast its cheerful tint on every face4 ,come1 said ,wardle1 a song--a ,christmas song4 ,i'll give you one1 in default of a better4 ,bravo1 said ,mr4 ,pickwick4 ,fill up1 cried ,wardle4 ,it will be two hours good1 before you see the bottom of the bowl through the deep rich colour of the wassail2 fill up all round1 and now for the song4 ,thus saying1 the merry old gentleman1 in a good1 round1 sturdy voice1 commenced without more ado-- ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,i care not for ,spring2 on his fickle wing ,let the blossoms and buds be borne3 ,he woos them amain with his treacherous rain1 ,and he scatters them ere the morn4 ,an inconstant elf1 he knows not himself1 ,or his own changing mind an hour1 ,he'll smile in your face1 and1 with wry grimace1 ,he'll wither your youngest flower4 ,let the summer sun to his bright home run1 ,he shall never be sought by me2 ,when he's dimmed by a cloud ,i can laugh aloud1 ,and care not how sulky he be2 ,for his darling child is the madness wild ,that sports in fierce fever's train2 ,and when love is too strong1 it don't last long1 ,as many have found to their pain4 ,a mild harvest night1 by the tranquil light ,of the modest and gentle moon1 ,has a far sweeter sheen for me1 ,i ween1 ,than the broad and unblushing noon1 ,but every leaf awakens my grief1 ,as it lieth beneath the tree2 ,so let ,autumn air be never so fair1 ,it by no means agrees with me4 ,but my song ,i troll out1 for ,christmas stout1 ,the hearty1 the true1 and the bold2 ,a bumper ,i drain1 and with might and main ,give three cheers for this ,christmas old4 ,we'll usher him in with a merry din ,that shall gladden his joyous heart1 ,and we'll keep him up while there's bite or sup1 ,and in fellowship good1 we'll part4 ,in his fine honest pride1 he scorns to hide ,one jot of his hard-weather scars2 ,they're no disgrace1 for there's much the same trace ,on the cheeks of our bravest tars4 ,then again ,i sing 'till the roof doth ring1 ,and it echoes from wall to wall-- ,to the stout old wight1 fair welcome to-night1 ,as the ,king of the ,seasons all6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,visit ,,from ,,st4 ,,nicholas ,,clement ,c4 ,,moore ',twas the night before ,christmas1 when all through the house ,not a creature was stirring1 not even a mouse2 ,the stockings were hung by the chimney with care1 ,in hopes that ,st4 ,nicholas soon would be there2 ,the children were nestled all snug in their beds1 ,while visions of sugar-plums danced through their heads2 ,and mamma in her kerchief1 and ,i in my cap1 ,had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap1-- ,when out on the lawn there arose such a clatter1 ,i sprang from my bed to see what was the matter4 ,away to the window ,i flew like a flash1 ,tore open the shutters and threw up the sash4 ,the moon1 on the breast of the new-fallen snow1 ,gave a lustre of midday to objects below2 ,when what to my wondering eyes should appear1 ,but a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer1 ,with a little old driver1 so lively and quick ,i knew in a moment it must be ,st4 ,nick4 ,more rapid than eagles his coursers they came1 ,and he whistled and shouted and called them by name3 ,now1 ,dasher6 now1 ,dancer6 now1 ,prancer and ,vixen6 ,on1 ,comet6 on1 ,cupid6 on1 ,donder and ,blitzen6 ,to the top of the porch1 to the top of the wall6 ,now1 dash away1 dash away1 dash away all6 ,as dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly1 ,when they meet with an obstacle1 mount to the sky1 ,so1 up to the house-top the coursers they flew1 ,with a sleigh full of toys1--and ,st4 ,nicholas too4 ,and then in a twinkling ,i heard on the roof ,the prancing and pawing of each little hoof1 ,as ,i drew in my head and was turning around1 ,down the chimney ,st4 ,nicholas came with a bound4 ,he was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot1 ,and his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot2 ,a bundle of toys he had flung on his back1 ,and he looked like a pedler just opening his pack4 ,his eyes how they twinkled6 his dimples how merry6 ,his cheeks were like roses1 his nose like a cherry2 ,his droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow1 ,and the beard on his chin was as white as the snow4 ,the stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth1 ,and the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath4 ,he had a broad face1 and a little round belly ,that shook1 when he laughed1 like a bowl full of jelly4 ,he was chubby and plump1--a right jolly old elf-- ,and ,i laughed when ,i saw him1 in spite of myself4 ,a wink of his eye and a twist of his head ,soon gave me to know ,i had nothing to dread4 ,he spoke not a word1 but went straight to his work1 ,and filled all the stockings2 then turned with a jerk1 ,and laying his finger aside of his nose1 ,and giving a nod1 up the chimney he rose4 ,he sprang to his sleigh1 to his team gave a whistle1 ,and away they all flew like the down of a thistle2 ,but ,i heard him exclaim1 ere he drove out of sight3 ,happy ,christmas to all1 and to all a good-night6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,piece ,of garnered rhyme1 from hidden stores of olden time that since the language did begin1 have welcomed merry ,christmas in1 and made the winter nights so long1 fleet by on wings of wine and song2 for when the snow is on the roof1 the house within is sorrow proof1 if yule log blazes on the hearth1 and cups and hearts o'er-brim with mirth4 ,then bring the wassail to the board1 with nuts and fruit--the winter's hoard2 and bid the children take off shoe1 to hang their stockings by the flue2 and let the clear and frosty sky1 set out its brightest jewelry1 to show old ,santa ,claus the road1 so he may ease his gimcrack load4 ,and with the coming of these times1 we'll add some old and lusty rhymes1 that suit the festive season well1 and sound as sweet as ,christmas bell4 ,now just bethink of castle gate1 where humble midnight mummers wait1 to try if voices1 one and all1 can rouse the tipsy seneschal1 to give them bread and beer and brawn1 for tidings of the ,christmas morn2 or bid each yelper clear his throat1 with water of the castle moat1 for thus they used1 by snow and torch1 to rear their voices at the porch3 ,fred ,s4 ,cozzens4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,wassailer',s ,,song ,,robert ,,southwell ,wassail6 wassail6 all over the town1 ,our toast it is white1 and our ale it is brown2 ,our bowl is made of a maplin tree2 ,we be good fellows all2--,i drink to thee4 ,here's to our horse1 and to his right ear1 ,god send master a happy new year2 ,a happy new year as e'er he did see1-- ,with my wassailing bowl ,i drink to thee4 ,here's to our mare1 and to her right eye1 ,god send our mistress a good ,christmas pie2 ,a good ,christmas pie as e'er ,i did see1-- ,with my wassailing bowl ,i drink to thee4 ,here's to our cow1 and to her long tail1 ,god send our measter us never may fail ,of a cup of good beer3 ,i pray you draw near1 ,and our jolly wassail it's then you shall hear4 ,be here any maids8 ,i suppose here be some2 ,sure they will not let young men stand on the cold stone6 ,sing hey ,o1 maids6 come trole back the pin1 ,and the fairest maid in the house let us all in4 ,come1 butler1 come1 bring us a bowl of the best2 ,i hope your soul in heaven will rest2 ,but if you do bring us a bowl of the small1 ,then down fall butler1 and bowl and all4 - - - - - ,and here's a ,christmas carol meant for children1 and most excellent1 and though the monk that wrote it was hung1 yet still his verses may be sung4 ,a ,,carol ,as ,i in a hoarie winter's night ,stood shivering in the snow1 ,surpriz'd ,i was with sudden heat1 ,which made my heart to glow2 ,and lifting up a fearefull eye ,to view what fire was neere1 ,a prettie babe1 all burning bright1 ,did in the aire appeare2 ,who1 scorched with excessive heat1 ,such flouds of teares did shed1 ,as though his flouds should quench his flames1 ,which with his teares were bred3 ,alas6 7quoth he7 but newly borne1 ,in fierie heats ,i frie1 ,yet none approach to warm their hearts1 ,or feele my fire1 but ,i2 ,my faultless brest the furnace is1 ,the fuell1 wounding thornes3 ,love is the fire1 and sighs the smoke1 ,the ashes1 shames and scornes2 ,the fuell justice layeth on1 ,and mercy blows the coales1 ,the metalls in this furnace wrought1 ,are ,men's defiled soules3 ,for which1 as now on fire ,i am1 ,to work them to their good1 ,so will ,i melt into a bath1 ,to wash them in my blood4 ,with this he vanisht out of sight1 ,and swiftly shrunke away1 ,and straight ,i called unto minde ,that it was ,christmasse ,day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,eve ,,hamilton ,,wright ,,mabie ,from ,my ,study ,fire4 ,the world has been full of mysteries to-day2 everybody has gone about weighted with secrets4 ,the children's faces have fairly shone with expectancy1 and ,i enter easily into the universal dream which at this moment holds all the children of ,christendom under its spell4 ,was there ever a wider or more loving conspiracy than that which keeps the venerable figure of ,santa ,claus from slipping away1 with all the other oldtime myths1 into the forsaken wonderland of the past8 ,of all the personages whose marvelous doings once filled the minds of men1 he alone survives4 ,he has outlived all the great gods1 and all the impressive and poetic conceptions which once flitted between heaven and earth2 these have gone1 but ,santa ,claus remains by virtue of a common understanding that childhood shall not be despoiled of one of its most cherished beliefs1 either by the mythologist1 with his sun myth theory1 or the scientist1 with his heartless diatribe against superstition4 ,there is a good deal more to be said on this subject1 if this were the place to say it2 even superstition has its uses1 and sometimes1 its sound heart of truth4 ,he who does not see in the legend of ,santa ,claus a beautiful faith on one side1 and the naive embodiment of a divine fact on the other1 is not fit to have a place at the ,christmas board4 ,for him there should be neither carol1 nor holly1 nor mistletoe2 they only shall keep the feast to whom all these things are but the outward and visible signs of an inward and spiritual grace4 ,rosalind and myself are thoroughly orthodox when it comes to the keeping of holidays2 here at least the ways of our fathers are our ways also4 ,orthodoxy generally consists in retaining and emphasizing the disagreeable ways of the fathers1 and as we are both inclined to heterodoxy on these points1 we make the more prominent our observance of the best of the old-time habits4 ,i might preach a pleasant little sermon just here1 taking as my text the survival of the fittest1 and illustrating the truth from our own domestic ritual2 but the season preaches its own sermon1 and ,i should only follow the example of some ministers and get between the text and my congregation if ,i made the attempt4 ,for weeks we have all been looking forward to this eventful evening1 and the still more eventful morrow4 ,there have been hurried and whispered conferences hastily suspended at the sound of a familiar step on the stair2 packages of every imaginable size and shape have been surreptitiously introduced into the house1 and have immediately disappeared in all manner of out-of-the-way places2 and for several weeks past one room has been constantly under lock and key1 visited only when certain sharp-sighted eyes were occupied in other directions4 ,through all this scene of mystery ,rosalind has moved sedately and with sealed lips1 the common confidant of all the conspirators1 and herself the greatest conspirator of all4 ,blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love6 ,after dinner1 eaten1 let it be confessed1 with more haste and less accompaniment of talk than usual1 the parlor doors were opened1 and there stood the ,christmas tree in a glow of light1 its wonderful branches laden with all manner of strange fruits not to be found in the botanies4 ,the wild shouts1 the merry laughter1 the cries of delight as one coveted fruit after another dropped into long-expectant arms still linger in my ears now that the little tapers are burnt out1 the boughs left bare1 and the actors in the perennial drama are fast asleep1 with new and strange bedfellows selected from the spoils of the night4 ,cradled between a delightful memory and a blissful anticipation1 who does not envy them8 ,after this charming prelude is over1 ,rosalind comes into the study1 and studies for the fortieth time the effect of the new design of decoration which she had this year worked out1 and which gives these rather somber rows of books a homelike and festive aspect4 ,it pleases me to note the spray of holly that obscures the title of ,bacon's solemn and weighty ,essays1 and ,i get half a page of suggestions for my notebook from the fact that a sprig of mistletoe has fallen on old ,burton's ,anatomy of ,melancholy4 ,rosalind has reason to be satisfied1 and if ,i read her face aright she has succeeded even in her own eyes in bringing ,christmas1 with its fragrant memories and its heavenly visions1 into the study4 ,i cannot help thinking1 as ,i watch her piling up the fire for a blaze of unusual splendor1 that if more studies had their ,rosalinds to bring in the genial currents of life there would be more cheer and hope and large-hearted wisdom in the books which the world is reading to-day4 ,when the fire has reached a degree of intensity and magnitude which ,rosalind thinks adequate to the occasion1 ,i take down a well-worn volume which opens of itself at a well-worn page4 ,it is a book which ,i have read and re-read many times1 and always with a kindling sympathy and affection for the man who wrote it2 in whatever mood ,i take it up there is something in it which touches me with a sense of kinship4 ,it is not a great book1 but it is a book of the heart1 and books of the heart have passed beyond the outer court of criticism before we bestow upon them that phrase of supreme regard4 ,there are other books of the heart around me1 but on ,christmas ,eve it is ,alexander ,smith's ,dreamthorp which always seems to lie at my hand1 and when ,i take it up the well-worn volume falls open at the essay on ,christmas4 ,it is a good many years since ,rosalind and ,i began to read together on ,christmas ,eve this beautiful meditation on the season1 and now it has gathered about itself such a host of memories that it has become part of our common past4 ,it is1 indeed1 a veritable palimpsest1 overlaid with tender and gracious recollections out of which the original thought gains a new and subtle sweetness4 ,as ,i read it aloud ,i know that she sees once more the familiar landscape about ,dreamthorp1 with the low1 dark hill in the background1 and over it the tender radiance that precedes the moon2 the village windows are all lighted1 and the whole place shines like a congregation of glowworms4 ,there are the skaters still leaning against the frosty wind2 there is the gray church tower amid the leafless elms1 around which the echoes of the morning peal of ,christmas bells still hover2 the village folk have gathered1 in their best dresses and their best faces2 the beautiful service of the church has been read and answered with heartfelt responses1 the familiar story has been told again simply and urgently1 with applications for every thankful soul1 and then the congregation has gone to its homes and its festivities4 ,all these things1 ,i am sure1 lie within ,rosalind's vision1 although she seems to see nothing but the ruddy blaze of the fire2 all these things ,i see1 as ,i have seen them these many ,christmas ,eves agone2 but with this familiar landscape there are mingled all the sweet and sorrowful memories of our common life1 recalled at this hour that the light of the highest truth may interpret them anew in the divine language of hope4 ,i read on until ,i come to the quotation from the ,hymn to the ,nativity1 and then ,i close the book1 and take up a copy of ,milton close at hand4 ,we have had our commemoration service of love1 and now there comes into our thought1 with the organ roll of this sublime hymn1 the universal truth which lies at the heart of the season4 ,i am hardly conscious that it is my voice which makes these words audible3 ,i am conscious only of this mighty-voiced anthem1 fit for the choral song of the morning stars3 ,ring out1 ye crystal spheres1 ,and bless our human ears1 ,if ye have power to touch our senses so2 ,and let your silver chime ,move in melodious time2 ,and let the bass of heaven's deep organ blow2 ,and1 with your ninefold harmony1 ,make up full concert to the angelic symphony4 ,for1 if such holy song ,enwrap our fancy long1 ,time will run back and fetch the age of gold2 ,and speckled vanity ,will sicken soon and die1 ,and leprous sin will melt from earthly mold2 ,and hell itself will pass away1 ,and leave her dolorous mansions to the peering day4 - - - - - ,the oracles are dumb1 ,no voice or hideous hum ,runs through the arched roof in words deceiving2 ,apollo from his shrine ,can no more divine ,with hollow shriek the steep of ,delphos leaving1 ,no nightly trance or breathed spell ,inspires the pale-eyed priest from the prophetic cell4 ,the lonely mountains o'er1 ,and the resounding shore1 ,a voice of weeping heard and loud lament2 ,from haunted spring1 and dale ,edged with poplars pale1 ,the parting genius is with sighing sent2 ,with flower-enwoven tresses torn1 ,the nymphs in twilight shades of tangled thickets mourn4 - - - - - ,like a psalm the great ,hymn fills the air1 and like a psalm it remains in the memory4 ,the fire has burned low1 and a soft and solemn light fills the room4 ,neither of us speaks while the clock strikes twelve4 ,i look out of the window4 ,the heavens are ablaze with light1 and somewhere amid those circling constellations ,i know that a new star has found its place1 and is shining with such a ray as never before fell from heaven to earth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,in ,,the ,,olden ,,time ,,walter ,,scott ,on ,christmas-eve the bells were rung2 ,the damsel donned her kirtle sheen2 ,the hall was dressed with holly green2 ,forth to the wood did merry men go1 ,to gather in the mistletoe4 ,thus opened wide the baron's hall ,to vassal1 tenant1 serf and all2 ,power laid his rod of rule aside ,and ceremony doffed his pride4 ,the heir1 with roses in his shoes1 ,that night might village partner choose2 ,the lord1 underogating1 share ,the vulgar game of ,post and ,pair4 ,all hailed1 with uncontrolled delight1 ,and general voice1 the happy night ,that to the cottage1 as the crown1 ,brought tidings of salvation down4 ,the fire1 with well-dried logs supplied1 ,went roaring up the chimney wide2 ,the huge hall-table's oaken face1 ,scrubbed till it shone1 the day to grace1 ,bore then upon its massive board ,no mark to part the squire and lord4 ,then was brought in the lusty brawn ,by old blue-coated serving man2 ,then the grim boar's head frowned on high1 ,crested with bays and rosemary4 ,well can the green-garbed ranger tell ,how1 when and where the monster fell2 ,what dogs before his death he tore1 ,and all the baitings of the boar4 ,the wassal round1 in good brown bowls1 ,garnished with ribbons1 blithely trowls4 ,there the huge sirloin reeked3 hard by ,plum-porridge stood1 and ,christmas pye2 ,nor failed old ,scotland to produce1 ,at such high-tide1 her savory goose4 ,then came the merry maskers in1 ,and carols roared with blithesome din4 ,if unmelodious was the song1 ,it was a hearty note1 and strong2 ,who lists may in their murmuring see ,traces of ancient mystery2 ,white shirts supplied the masquerade1 ,and smutted cheeks the visors made2 ,but ,o1 what maskers richly dight1 ,can boast of bosoms half so light6 ,england was merry ,england when ,old ,christmas brought his sports again2 ',twas ,christmas broached the mightiest ale1 ',twas ,christmas told the merriest tale2 ,a ,christmas gambol oft would cheer ,the poor man's heart through half the year4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sly ,,santa ,,claus ,,mrs4 ,c4,s4 ,,stone ,all the house was asleep1 ,and the fire burning low1 ,when1 from far up the chimney1 ,came down a ,ho6 ho6 ,and a little1 round man1 ,with a terrible scratching1 ,dropped into the room ,with a wink that was catching4 ,yes1 down he came1 bumping1 ,and thumping1 and jumping1 ,and picking himself up without sign of a bruise6 ,ho6 ho6 he kept on1 ,as if bursting with cheer4 ,good children1 gay children1 ,glad children1 see here6 ,i have brought you fine dolls1 ,and gay trumpets1 and rings1 ,noah's arks1 and bright skates1 ,and a host of good things6 ,i have brought a whole sackful1 ,a packful1 a hackful6 ,come hither1 come hither1 come hither and choose6 ,ho6 ho6 ,what is this8 ,why1 they all are asleep6 ,but their stockings are up1 ,and my presents will keep6 ,so1 in with the candies1 ,the books1 and the toys2 ,all the goodies ,i have ,for the good girls and boys4 ,i'll ram them1 and jam them1 ,and slam them1 and cram them2 ,all the stockings will hold while the tired youngsters snooze4 ,all the while his round shoulders ,kept ducking and ducking2 ,and his little1 fat fingers ,kept tucking and tucking2 ,until every stocking ,bulged out1 on the wall1 ,as if it were bursting1 ,and ready to fall4 ,and then1 all at once1 ,with a whisk and a whistle1 ,and twisting himself ,like a tough bit of gristle1 ,he bounced up again1 ,like the down of a thistle1 ,and nothing was left but the prints of his shoes4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,waits ,,margaret ,,deland ,at the break of ,christmas ,day1 ,through the frosty starlight ringing1 ,faint and sweet and far away1 ,comes the sound of children1 singing1 ,chanting1 singing1 ,cease to mourn1 ,for ,christ is born1 ,peace and joy to all men bringing6 ,careless that the chill winds blow1 ,growing stronger1 sweeter1 clearer1 ,noiseless footfalls in the snow ,bring the happy voices nearer2 ,hear them singing1 ,winter's drear1 ,but ,christ is here1 ,mirth and gladness with ,him bringing6 ,merry ,christmas6 hear them say1 ,as the ,east is growing lighter2 ,may the joy of ,christmas ,day ,make your whole year gladder1 brighter6 ,join their singing1 ,to each home ,our ,christ has come1 ,all ,love's treasures with ,him bringing6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,knighting ,,of ,,the ,,sirloin ,,of ,,beef ,,by ,,charles ,,the ,,second ,,anon ,the ,second ,charles of ,england ,rode forth one ,christmas tide1 ,to hunt a gallant stag of ten1 ,of ,chingford woods the pride4 ,the winds blew keen1 the snow fell fast1 ,and made for earth a pall1 ,as tired steeds and wearied men ,returned to ,friday ,hall4 ,the blazing logs1 piled on the dogs1 ,were pleasant to behold6 ,and grateful was the steaming feast ,to hungry men and cold4 ,with right good-will all took their fill1 ,and soon each found relief2 ,whilst ,charles his royal trencher piled ,from one huge loin of beef4 ,quoth ,charles1 ,odd's fish6 a noble dish6 ,ay1 noble made by me6 ,by kingly right1 ,i dub thee knight-- ,sir ,loin henceforward be6 ,and never was a royal jest ,received with such acclaim3 ,and never knight than good ,sir ,loin ,more worthy of the name4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,christmas ,,goose ,,at ,,the ,,cratchits' ,,charles ,,dickens ,you might have thought a goose the rarest of all birds2 a feathered phenomenon1 to which a black swan was a matter of course2 and in truth1 it was something like it in that house4 ,mrs4 ,cratchit made the gravy 7ready before-hand in a little saucepan7 hissing hot2 ,master ,peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigor2 ,miss ,belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce2 ,martha dusted the hot plates2 ,bob took ,tiny ,tim beside him in a tiny corner1 at the table2 the two young ,cratchits set chairs for everybody1 not forgetting themselves1 and mounting guard upon their posts1 crammed spoons into their mouths1 lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped4 ,at last the dishes were set on1 and grace was said4 ,it was succeeded by a breathless pause1 as ,mrs4 ,cratchit1 looking slowly all along the carving knife1 prepared to plunge it in the breast2 but when she did1 and when the long-expected gush of stuffing issued forth1 one murmur of delight arose all around the board1 and even ,tiny ,tim1 excited by the two young ,cratchits1 beat on the table with the handle of his knife1 and feebly cried hurrah6 ,there never was such a goose4 ,bob said he didn't believe there ever was such a goose cooked4 ,its tenderness and flavor1 size and cheapness1 were the themes of universal admiration4 ,eked out by the apple-sauce and mashed potatoes1 it was a sufficient dinner for the whole family2 indeed1 as ,mrs4 ,cratchit said with great delight 7surveying one small atom of a bone on the dish71 they hadn't ate it all at last6 ,yet every one had had enough1 and the youngest ,cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eye-brows6 ,but now1 the plates being changed by ,miss ,belinda1 ,mrs4 ,cratchit left the room alone--too nervous to bear witnesses--to take the pudding up1 and bring it in4 ,suppose it should not be done enough6 ,suppose it should break in turning out6 ,suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the backyard1 and stolen it1 while they were merry with the goose2 a supposition at which the two young ,cratchits became livid6 ,all sorts of horrors were supposed4 ,hallo6 ,a great deal of steam6 ,the pudding was out of the copper4 ,a smell like a washing-day6 ,that was the cloth4 ,a smell like an eating-house and a pastry cook's next door to each other1 with a laundress next door to that6 ,that was the pudding4 ,in half a minute ,mrs4 ,cratchit entered1 flushed1 but smiling proudly1 with the pudding like a speckled cannon-ball1 so hard and firm1 blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy1 and bedight with ,christmas holly stuck into the top4 ,oh1 a wonderful pudding6 ,bob ,cratchit said1 and calmly too1 that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by ,mrs4 ,cratchit since their marriage4 ,mrs4 ,cratchit said that now the weight was off her mind1 she would confess she had had her doubts about the quantity of flour4 ,everybody had something to say about it1 but nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for so large a family4 ,it would have been flat heresy to do so4 ,any ,cratchit would have blushed to hint at such a thing4 ,at last the dinner was all done1 the cloth was cleared1 the hearth swept1 and the fire made up4 ,the compound in the jug being tasted and considered perfect1 apples and oranges were put upon the table1 and a shovelful of chestnuts on the fire4 ,then all the ,cratchit family drew round the hearth1 in what ,bob ,cratchit called a circle1 meaning half a one2 and at ,bob ,cratchit's elbow stood the family display of glass--two tumblers1 and a custard-cup without a handle4 ,these held the hot stuff from the jug1 however1 as well as golden goblets would have done2 and ,bob served it out with beaming looks1 while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and cracked noisily4 ,then ,bob proposed3 ,a merry ,christmas to us all1 my dears4 ,god bless us6 ,which all the family re-echoed4 ,god bless us every one6 said ,tiny ,tim1 the last of all4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,god ,,bless ,,us ,,every ,,one ,,james ,,whitcomb ,,riley ,from ,sketches in ,prose4 ,god bless us every one6 prayed ,tiny ,tim1 ,crippled1 and dwarfed of body1 yet so tall ,of soul1 we tiptoe earth to look on him1 ,high towering over all4 ,he loved the loveless world1 nor dreamed1 indeed1 ,that it1 at best1 could give to him1 the while1 ,but pitying glances1 when his only need ,was but a cheery smile4 ,and thus he prayed1 ,god bless us every one6 ,enfolding all the creeds within the span ,of his child-heart2 and so1 despising none1 ,was nearer saint than man4 ,i like to fancy ,god1 in ,paradise1 ,lifting a finger o'er the rhythmic swing ,of chiming harp and song1 with eager eyes ,turned earthward1 listening-- ,the ,anthem stilled--the angels leaning there ,above the golden walls--the morning sun ,of ,christmas bursting flower-like with the prayer1 ,god bless us ,every ,one6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,bells ,,across ,,the ,,snows ,,frances ,,ridley ,,havergal ,o ,christmas1 merry ,christmas6 ,is it really come again1 ,with its memories and greetings1 ,with its joy and with its pain8 ,there's a minor in the carol1 ,and a shadow in the light1 ,and a spray of cypress twining ,with the holly wreath to-night4 ,and the hush is never broken ,by laughter light and low1 ,as we listen in the starlight ,to the bells across the snow4 ,o ,christmas1 merry ,christmas6 ',tis not so very long ,since other voices blended ,with the carol and the song6 ,if we could but hear them singing ,as they are singing now1 ,if we could but see the radiance ,of the crown on each dear brow2 ,there would be no sigh to smother1 ,no hidden tear to flow1 ,as we listen in the starlight ,to the bells across the snow4 ,o ,christmas1 merry ,christmas6 ,this never more can be2 ,we cannot bring again the days ,of our unshadowed glee4 ,but ,christmas1 happy ,christmas1 ,sweet herald of good-will1 ,with holy songs of glory ,brings holy gladness still4 ,for peace and hope may brighten1 ,and patient love may glow1 ,as we listen in the starlight ,to the bells across the snow4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,bells ,,henry ,,wadsworth ,,longfellow ,i heard the bells on ,christmas ,day ,their old1 familiar carols play1 ,and wild and sweet ,the words repeat ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,and thought how1 as the day had come1 ,the belfries of all ,christendom ,had rolled along ,the unbroken song ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,till1 ringing1 swinging on its way1 ,the world revolved from night to day ,a voice1 a chime1 ,a chant sublime ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,then from each black1 accursed mouth ,the cannon thundered in the ,south ,and with the sound ,the carols drowned ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,it was as if an earthquake rent ,the hearth-stones of a continent1 ,and made forlorn ,the households born ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,and in despair ,i bowed my head2 ,there is no peace on earth1 ,i said2 ,for hate is strong ,and mocks the song ,of peace on earth1 good-will to men6 ,then pealed the bells more loud and deep4 ,god is not dead2 nor doth ,he sleep6 ,the ,wrong shall fail1 ,the ,right prevail1 ,with peace on earth1 good-will to men6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,minstrels ,,and ,,maids ,,william ,,morris ,outlanders1 whence come ye last8 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,through what green seas and great have ye past8 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,from far away1 ,o masters mine1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,we come to bear you goodly wine1 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,from far away we come to you1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,to tell of great tidings strange and true1 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,news1 news of the ,trinity1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,and ,mary and ,joseph from over the sea6 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,for as we wandered far and wide1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,what hap do you deem there should us betide6 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,under a bent when the night was deep1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,there lay three shepherds tending their sheep4 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,o ye shepherds1 what have ye seen1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,to slay your sorrow1 and heal your teen8 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,in an ox-stall this night we saw1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,a babe and a maid without a flaw4 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,there was an old man there beside1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,his hair was white and his hood was wide4 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,and as we gazed this thing upon1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,those twain knelt down to the ,little ,one1 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,and a marvellous song we straight did hear1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,that slew our sorrow and healed our care4 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 ,news of a fair and marvellous thing1 ,the snow in the street and the wind on the door4 ,nowell1 nowell1 nowell1 we sing6 ,minstrels and maids1 stand forth on the floor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,inexhaustibility ,,of ,,the ,,subject ,,of ,,christmas ,,leigh ,,hunt ,so many things have been said of late years about ,christmas1 that it is supposed by some there is no saying more4 ,o they of little faith6 ,what6 do they suppose that every thing has been said that can be said about any one ,christmas thing8 ,about beef1 for instance8 ,about plum-pudding8 ,about mince-pie8 ,about holly8 ,about ivy8 ,about rosemary8 ,about mistletoe8 7,good ,heavens6 what an immense number of things remain to be said about mistletoe67 ,about ,christmas ,eve8 ,about hunt-the-slipper8 ,about hot cockles8 ,about blind-man's-buff8 ,about shoeing the wild-mare8 ,about thread-the-needle8 ,about he-can-do-little-that-can't-do-this8 ,about puss-in-the-corner8 ,about snap-dragon8 ,about forfeits8 ,about ,miss ,smith8 ,about the bell-man8 ,about the waits8 ,about chilblains8 ,about carols8 ,about the fire8 ,about the block on it8 ,about school-boys8 ,about their mothers8 ,about ,christmas-boxes8 ,about turkeys8 ,about ,hogmany8 ,about goose-pie8 ,about mumming8 ,about saluting the apple-trees8 ,about brawn8 ,about plum-porridge8 ,about hobby-horse8 ,about hoppings8 ,about wakes8 ,about feed-the-dove8 ,about hackins8 ,about yule-doughs8 ,about going-a-gooding8 ,about loaf-stealing8 ,about ,julklaps8 7,who has exhausted that subject1 we should like to know87 ,about wad-shooting8 ,about elder-wine8 ,about pantomimes8 ,about cards8 ,about ,new-,year's ,day8 ,about gifts8 ,about wassail8 ,about ,twelfth-cake8 ,about king and queen8 ,about characters8 ,about eating too much8 ,about aldermen8 ,about the doctor8 ,about all being in the wrong8 ,about charity8 ,about all being in the right8 ,about faith1 hope1 and endeavor8 ,about the greatest plum-pudding for the greatest number8 ,esto perpetua1--that is1 faith1 hope and charity1 and endeavor2 and plum-pudding enough by and by1 all the year round1 for everybody that likes it4 ,why that should not be the case1 we cannot see1--seeing that the earth is big1 and human kind teachable1 and ,god very good1 and inciting us to do it4 ,meantime1 gravity apart1 we ask anybody whether any of the above subjects are exhausted2 and we inform everybody1 that all the above customs still exist in some parts of our beloved country1 however unintelligible they may have become in others4 ,but to give a specimen of the non-exhaustion of any one of their topics4 ,beef1 for example4 ,now1 we should like to know who has exhausted the subject of the fine old roast ,christmas piece of beef1 from its original appearance in the meadows as part of the noble sultan of the herd1 glorious old ,taurus1--the lord of the sturdy brow and ponderous agility1 a sort of thunderbolt of a beast1 well chosen by ,jove to disguise in1 one of ,nature's most striking compounds of apparent heaviness and unencumbered activity1--up to its contribution to the noble ,christmas-dinner1 smoking from the spit1 and flanked by the outposts of ,bacchus4 ,john ,bull 7cannibalism apart7 hails it like a sort of relation4 ,he makes it part of his flesh and blood2 glories in it2 was named after it2 has it served up1 on solemn occasions1 with music and a hymn1 as it was the other day at the royal city dinner3-- ,oh the roast beef of old ,england6 ,and oh the old ,english roast beef6 ,and oh6 observe1 not merely oh6 again2 but and with it2 as if1 though the same piece of beef1 it were also another1--another and the same1--cut1 and come again2 making two of one1 in order to express intensity and reduplication of satisfaction3-- ,oh the roast beef of old ,england6 ,and oh the old ,english roast beef6 ,we beg to assure the reader1 that a whole ,seer might be written on this single point of the ,christmas-dinner2 and shall we be told 7as orators exclaim71 and this1 too1 in a ,british land1 that the subject is exhausted6 ,then plum-pudding6 ,what a word is that6 how plump and plump again6 ,how round and repeated and plenipotential6 7,there are two p's1 observe1 in plenipotential2 and so there are in plum-pudding4 ,we love an exquisite fitness1--a might and wealth of adaptation74 ,why1 the whole round cheek of universal childhood is in the idea of plum-pudding2 ay1 and the weight of manhood1 and the plenitude of the majesty of city dames4 ,wealth itself is symbolized by the least of its fruity particles4 ,a plum is a city fortune1--a million of money4 ,he 7the old boy1 who has earned it7-- ,puts in his thumb1 videlicet1 into his pocket1 ,and pulls out a plum1 ,and says1 ,what a good man am ,i6 ,observe a little boy at a ,christmas-dinner1 and his grandfather opposite him4 ,what a world of secret similarity there is between them6 ,how hope in one1 and retrospection in the other1 and appetite in both1 meet over the same ground of pudding1 and understand it to a nicety6 ,how the senior banters the little boy on his third slice6 and how the little boy thinks within himself that he dines that day as well as the senior6 ,how both look hot and red and smiling1 and juvenile4 ,how the little boy is conscious of the ,christmas-box in his pocket6 7of which1 indeed1 the grandfather jocosely puts him in mind72 and how the grandfather is quite as conscious of the plum1 or part of a plum1 or whatever fraction it may be1 in his own6 ,how he incites the little boy to love money and good dinners all his life6 and how determined the little boy is to abide by his advice1--with a secret addition in favor of holidays and marbles1--to which there is an analogy1 in the senior's mind1 on the side of trips to ,hastings1 and a game at whist6 ,finally1 the old gentleman sees his own face in the pretty smooth one of the child2 and if the child is not best pleased at his proclamation of the likeness 7in truth1 is horrified at it1 and thinks it a sort of madness71 yet nice observers1 who have lived long enough to see the wonderful changes in people's faces from youth to age1 probably discern the thing well enough1 and feel a movement of pathos at their hearts in considering the world of trouble and emotion that is the causer of the changes4 ,that old man's face was once like that little boy's6 ,that little boy's will be one day like that old man's6 ,what a thought to make us all love and respect one another1 if not for our fine qualities1 let at least for the trouble and sorrow which we all go through6 ,ay1 and joy too2 for all people have their joys as well as troubles1 at one time or another1--most likely both together1 or in constant alternation3 and the greater part of troubles are not the worst things in the world1 but only graver forms of the requisite motion of the universe1 or workings towards a better condition of things1 the greater or less violent according as we give them violence1 or respect them like awful but not ill-meaning gods1 and entertain them with a rewarded patience4 ,grave thoughts1 you will say1 for ,christmas4 ,but no season has a greater right to grave thoughts1 in passing2 and1 for that very reason1 no season has a greater right to let them pass1 and recur to more light ones4 ,so a noble and merry season to you1 my masters2 and may we meet1 thick and three-fold1 many a time and oft1 in blithe yet most thoughtful pages6 ,fail not to call to mind1 in the course of the #beth of this month1 that the divinest ,heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day3 and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it2 for mirth is also of ,heaven's making1 and wondrous was the wine-drinking at ,galilee4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,song ,,of ,,the ,,holly ,,william ,,shakespeare ,blow1 blow thou winter wind-- ,thou art not so unkind ,as man's ingratitude6 ,thy tooth is not so keen1 ,because thou art not seen1 ,although thy breath be rude4 ,heigh ho6 sing heigh ho6 unto the green holly3 ,most friendship is feigning1 most loving mere folly4 ,then heigh ho6 the holly6 ,this life is most jolly6 ,freeze1 freeze1 thou bitter sky-- ,thou dost not bite so nigh ,as benefits forgot6 ,though thou the waters warp1 ,thy sting is not so sharp ,as friend remembered not4 ,heigh ho6 sing heigh ho6 unto the green holly1 ,most friendship is feigning1 most loving mere folly4 ,then heigh ho1 the holly6 ,this life is most jolly6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,under ,,the ,,holly-,,bough ,,charles ,,mackay ,ye who have scorned each other1 ,or injured friend or brother1 ,in this fast-fading year2 ,ye who1 by word or deed1 ,have made a kind heart bleed1 ,come gather here6 ,let sinned against and sinning ,forget their strife's beginning1 ,and join in friendship now4 ,be links no longer broken1 ,be sweet forgiveness spoken ,under the ,holly-,bough4 ,ye who have loved each other1 ,sister and friend and brother1 ,in this fast-fading year3 ,mother and sire and child1 ,young man and maiden mild1 ,come gather here2 ,and let your heart grow fonder1 ,as memory shall ponder ,each past unbroken vow2 ,old loves and younger wooing ,are sweet in the renewing ,under the ,holly-,bough4 ,ye who have nourished sadness1 ,estranged from hope and gladness ,in this fast-fading year2 ,ye with o'erburdened mind1 ,made aliens from your kind1 ,come gather here4 ,let not the useless sorrow ,pursue you night and morrow1 ,if e'er you hoped1 hope now4 ,take heart1--uncloud your faces1 ,and join in our embraces ,under the ,holly-,bough4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ceremonies ,,for ,,christmas ,,robert ,,herrick ,come1 bring with a noise1 ,my merry1 merry boys1 ,the ,christmas log to the firing1 ,while my good dame1 she ,bids ye all be free1 ,and drink to your heart's desiring4 ,with the last year's brand ,light the new block1 and ,for good success in his spending1 ,on your psalteries play1 ,that sweet luck may ,come while the log is a-teending4 ,drink now the strong beer1 ,cut the white loaf here1 ,the while the meat is a-shredding2 ,for the rare mince-pie1 ,and the plums stand by1 ,to fill the paste that's a kneading4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,santa ,,claus ,,anon ,he comes in the night6 ,he comes in the night6 ,he softly1 silently comes2 ,while the little brown heads on the pillows so white ,are dreaming of bugles and drums4 ,he cuts through the snow like a ship through the foam1 ,while the white flakes around him whirl2 ,who tells him ,i know not1 but he findeth the home ,of each good little boy and girl4 ,his sleigh it is long1 and deep1 and wide2 ,it will carry a host of things1 ,while dozens of drums hang over the side1 ,with the sticks sticking under the strings3 ,and yet not the sound of a drum is heard1 ,not a bugle blast is blown1 ,as he mounts to the chimney-top like a bird1 ,and drops to the hearth like a stone4 ,the little red stockings he silently fills1 ,till the stockings will hold no more2 ,the bright little sleds for the great snow hills ,are quickly set down on the floor4 ,then ,santa ,claus mounts to the roof like a bird1 ,and glides to his seat in the sleigh2 ,not the sound of a bugle or drum is heard ,as he noiselessly gallops away4 ,he rides to the ,east1 and he rides to the ,west1 ,of his goodies he touches not one2 ,he eateth the crumbs of the ,christmas feast ,when the dear little folks are done4 ,old ,santa ,claus doeth all that he can2 ,this beautiful mission is his2 ,then1 children1 be good to the little old man1 ,when you find who the little man is4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,ceremonies ,,for ,,christmas ,,day ,,robert ,,herrick ,kindle the ,christmas brand1 and then ,till sunset let it burn2 ,which quench'd1 then lay it up again ,till ,christmas next return4 ,part must be kept wherewith to teend ,the ,christmas log next year1 ,and where 'tis safely kept1 the fiend ,can do no mischief there4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,december ,,harriet ,f4 ,,blodgett ,i ,oh6 holly branch and mistletoe4 ,and ,christmas chimes where'er we go4 ,and stockings pinned up in a row6 ,these are thy gifts1 ,december6 ,,ii ,and if the year has made thee old1 ,and silvered all thy locks of gold1 ,thy heart has never been a-cold ,or known a fading ember4 ,,iii ,the whole world is a ,christmas tree1 ,and stars its many candles be4 ,oh6 sing a carol joyfully ,the year's great feast in keeping6 ,,iv ,for once1 on a ,december night ,an angel held a candle bright4 ,and led three wise men by its light ,to where a child was sleeping4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,festival ,,of ,,st4 ,,nicholas ,,mary ,,mapes ,,dodge ,we all know how1 before the ,christmas-tree began to flourish in the home-life of our country1 a certain right jolly old elf1 with eight tiny reindeer1 used to drive his sleigh-load of toys up to our housetops1 and then bound down the chimney to fill the stockings so hopefully hung by the fireplace4 ,his friends called him ,santa ,claus2 and those who were most intimate ventured to say1 ,old ,nick4 ,it was said that he originally came from ,holland4 ,doubtless he did2 but1 if so1 he certainly1 like many other foreigners1 changed his ways very much after landing upon our shores4 ,in ,holland1 ,st4 ,nicholas is a veritable saint1 and often appears in full costume1 with his embroidered robes glittering with gems and gold1 his mitre1 his crosier1 and his jewelled gloves4 ,here ,santa ,claus comes rollicking along on the #beth of ,december1 our ,holy ,christmas morn2 but in ,holland1 ,st4 ,nicholas visits earth on the #eth1 a time especially appropriated to him4 ,early on the morning of the #fth1 which is ,st4 ,nicholas ,day1 he distributes his candies1 toys and treasures1 and then vanishes for a year4 ,christmas ,day is devoted by the ,hollanders to church-rites and pleasant family visiting4 ,it is on ,st4 ,nicholas ,eve that their young people become half wild with joy and expectation4 ,to some of them it is a sorry time2 for the saint is very candid1 and1 if any of them have been bad during the past year1 he is quite sure to tell them so4 ,sometimes he carries a birch-rod under his arm1 and advises the parents to give them scoldings in place of confections1 and floggings instead of joys4 ,it was well that the boys hastened to their abodes on that bright winter evening2 for1 in less than an hour afterwards1 the saint made his appearance in half the homes of ,holland4 ,he visited the king's palace1 and in the self-same moment appeared in ,annie ,bouman's comfortable home4 ,probably one of our silver half-dollars would have purchased all that his saintship left at the peasant ,bouman's4 ,but a half-dollar's worth will sometimes do for the poor what hundreds of dollars may fail to do for the rich3 it makes them happy and grateful1 fills them with new peace and love4 ,hilda van ,gleck's little brothers and sisters were in a high state of excitement that night4 ,they had been admitted into the grand parlor3 they were dressed in their best1 and had been given two cakes apiece at supper4 ,hilda was as joyous as any4 ,why not8 ,st4 ,nicholas would never cross a girl of fourteen from his list1 just because she was tall and looked almost like a woman4 ,on the contrary1 he would probably exert himself to do honor to such an august-looking damsel4 ,who could tell8 ,so she sported and laughed and danced as gayly as the youngest1 and was the soul of all their merry games4 ,father1 mother and grandmother looked on approvingly2 so did grandfather1 before he spread his large red handkerchief over his face1 leaving only the top of his skull-cap visible4 ,this kerchief was his ensign of sleep4 ,earlier in the evening1 all had joined in the fun4 ,in the general hilarity1 there had seemed to be a difference only in bulk between grandfather and the baby4 ,indeed1 a shade of solemn expectation1 now and then flitting across the faces of the younger members1 had made them seem rather more thoughtful than their elders4 ,now the spirit of fun reigned supreme4 ,the very flames danced and capered in the polished grate4 ,a pair of prim candles1 that had been staring at the astral lamp1 began to wink at other candles far away in the mirrors4 ,there was a long bell-rope suspended from the ceiling in the corner1 made of glass beads1 netted over a cord nearly as thick as your wrist4 ,it generally hung in the shadow1 and made no sign2 but to-night it twinkled from end to end4 ,its handle of crimson glass sent reckless dashes of red at the papered wall1 turning its dainty blue stripes into purple4 ,passers-by halted to catch the merry laughter floating through curtain and sash into the street1 then skipped on their way with the startled consciousness that the village was wide awake4 ,at last matters grew so uproarious that the grandsire's red kerchief came down from his face with a jerk4 ,what decent old gentleman could sleep in such a racket6 ,mynheer van ,gleck regarded his children with astonishment4 ,the baby even showed symptoms of hysterics4 ,it was high time to attend to business4 ,mevrouw suggested that1 if they wished to see the good ,st4 ,nicholas1 they should sing the same loving invitation that had brought him the year before4 ,the baby stared1 and thrust his fist into his mouth1 as ,mynheer put him down upon the floor4 ,soon he sat erect1 and looked with a sweet scowl at the company4 ,with his lace and embroideries1 and his crown of blue ribbon and whalebone 7for he was not quite past the tumbling age71 he looked like the king of babies4 ,the other children1 each holding a pretty willow basket1 formed at once in a ring1 and moved slowly around the little fellow1 lifting their eyes meanwhile2 for the saint to whom they were about to address themselves was yet in mysterious quarters4 ,mevrouw commenced playing softly upon the piano2 soon the voices rose1--gentle1 youthful voices1 rendered all the sweeter for their tremor1-- ,welcome1 friend6 ,st4 ,nicholas1 welcome6 ,bring no rod for us to-night6 ,while our voices bid thee welcome1 ,every heart with joy is light4 ,tell us every fault and failing2 ,we will bear thy keenest railing ,so we sing1 so we sing3 ,thou shalt tell us everything6 ,welcome1 friend6 ,st4 ,nicholas1 welcome6 ,welcome to this merry band6 ,happy children greet thee1 welcome6 ,thou art gladdening all the land4 ,fill each empty hand and basket2 ',t is thy little ones who ask it4 ,so we sing1 so we sing3 ,thou wilt bring us everything6 ,during the chorus1 sundry glances1 half in eagerness1 half in dread1 had been cast towards the polished folding-doors4 ,now a loud knocking was heard4 ,the circle was broken in an instant4 ,some of the little ones1 with a strange mixture of fear and delight1 pressed against their mother's knee4 ,grandfather bent forward1 with his chin resting upon his hand2 grandmother lifted her spectacles2 ,mynheer van ,gleck1 seated by the fireplace1 slowly drew his meerschaum from his mouth2 while ,hilda and the other children settled themselves beside him in an expectant group4 ,the knocking was heard again4 ,come in1 said the mevrouw1 softly4 ,the door slowly opened2 and ,st4 ,nicholas1 in full array1 stood before them4 ,you could have heard a pin drop4 ,soon he spoke4 ,what a mysterious majesty in his voice6 what kindliness in his tone6 ,karel van ,gleck1 ,i am pleased to greet thee1 and thy honored vrouw1 ,kathrine1 and thy son1 and his good vrouw1 ,annie4 ,children1 ,i greet ye all1--,hendrick1 ,hilda1 ,broom1 ,katy1 ,huygens and ,lucretia4 ,and thy cousins1--,wolfert1 ,diedrich1 ,mayken1 ,voost and ,katrina4 ,good children ye have been1 in the main1 since ,i last accosted ye4 ,diedrich was rude at the ,haarlem fair last fall2 but he has tried to atone for it since4 ,mayken has failed1 of late1 in her lessons2 and too many sweets and trifles have gone to her lips1 and too few stivers to her charity-box4 ,diedrich1 ,i trust1 will be a polite1 manly boy for the future2 and ,mayken will endeavor to shine as a student4 ,let her remember1 too1 that economy and thrift are needed in the foundation of a worthy and generous life4 ,little ,katy has been cruel to the cat more than once4 ,st4 ,nicholas can hear the cat cry when its tail is pulled4 ,i will forgive her1 if she will remember from this hour that the smallest dumb creatures have feeling1 and must not be abused4 ,as ,katy burst into a frightened cry1 the saint graciously remained silent until she was soothed4 ,master ,broom1 he resumed1 ,i warn thee that boys who are in the habit of putting snuff upon the foot-stove of the school-mistress may one day be discovered1 and receive a flogging-- 7,master ,broom colored1 and stared in great astonishment47 ,but1 thou art such an excellent scholar1 ,i shall make thee no further reproof4 ,thou1 ,hendrick1 didst distinguish thyself in the archery match last spring1 and hit the doel1,a though the bird was swung before it to unsteady thine eye4 ,i give thee credit for excelling in manly sport and exercise2 though ,i must not unduly countenance thy boat-racing1 since it leaves thee too little time for thy proper studies4 ,footnote ,a3 ,bull's-eye4 ,lucretia and ,hilda shall have a blessed sleep to-night4 ,the consciousness of kindness to the poor1 devotion in their souls1 and cheerful1 hearty obedience to household rule1 will render them happy4 ,with one and all ,i avow myself well content4 ,goodness1 industry1 benevolence and thrift have prevailed in your midst4 ,therefore1 my blessing upon you2 and may the ,new ,year find all treading the paths of obedience1 wisdom and love6 ,to-morrow you shall find more substantial proofs that ,i have been in your home4 ,farewell6 ,with these words came a great shower of sugar-plums upon a linen sheet spread out in front of the doors4 ,a general scramble followed4 ,the children fairly tumbled over each other in their eagerness to fill their baskets4 ,mevrouw cautiously held the baby down upon the sheet till the chubby little fists were filled4 ,then the bravest of the youngsters sprang up and threw open the closed doors4 ,in vain they searched the mysterious apartment4 ,st4 ,nicholas was nowhere to be seen4 ,soon they all sped to another room1 where stood a table1 covered with the whitest of linen damask4 ,each child1 in a flutter of pleasure1 laid a shoe upon it1 and each shoe held a little hay for the good saint's horse4 ,the door was then carefully locked1 and its key hidden in the mother's bedroom4 ,next followed good-night kisses1 a grand family procession to the upper floor1 merry farewells at bedroom doors1 and silence1 at last1 reigned in the ,van ,gleck mansion4 ,early the next morning1 the door was solemnly unlocked and opened in the presence of the assembled household2 when1 lo6 a sight appeared1 proving good ,st4 ,nicholas to be a saint of his word4 ,every shoe was filled to overflowing2 and beside each stood a many-colored pile4 ,the table was heavy with its load of presents1--candies1 toys1 trinkets1 books and other articles4 ,every one had gifts1 from grandfather down to the baby4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,christmas ,,holly ,,eliza ,,cook ,the holly6 the holly6 oh1 twine it with bay-- ,come give the holly a song2 ,for it helps to drive stern winter away1 ,with his garment so sombre and long2 ,it peeps through the trees with its berries of red1 ,and its leaves of burnished green1 ,when the flowers and fruits have long been dead1 ,and not even the daisy is seen4 ,then sing to the holly1 the ,christmas holly1 ,that hangs over peasant and king2 ,while we laugh and carouse 'neath its glittering boughs1 ,to the ,christmas holly we'll sing4 ,the gale may whistle1 the frost may come ,to fetter the gurgling rill2 ,the woods may be bare1 and warblers dumb1 ,but holly is beautiful still4 ,in the revel and light of princely halls ,the bright holly branch is found2 ,and its shadow falls on the lowliest walls1 ,while the brimming horn goes round4 ,the ivy lives long1 but its home must be ,where graves and ruins are spread2 ,there's beauty about the cypress tree1 ,but it flourishes near the dead2 ,the laurel the warrior's brow may wreathe1 ,but it tells of tears and blood2 ,i sing the holly1 and who can breathe ,aught of that that is not good8 ,then sing to the holly1 the ,christmas holly1 ,that hangs over peasant and king2 ,while we laugh and carouse 'neath its glittering boughs1 ,to the ,christmas holly we'll sing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,to ,,the ,,fir-,,tree ,,from ,,the ,,german ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,your leaves are constant ever1 ,not only in the summer time1 ,but through the winter's snow and rime ,you're fresh and green forever4 ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,i still shall love you dearly6 ,how oft to me on ,christmas night ,your laden boughs have brought delight4 ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,o ,fir-tree green6 ,i still shall love you dearly4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,mahogany-,,tree ,,william ,,makepeace ,,thackeray ,christmas is here2 ,winds whistle shrill1 ,icy and chill1 ,little care we2 ,little we fear ,weather without1 ,sheltered about ,the ,mahogany-,tree4 ,once on the boughs ,birds of rare plume ,sang in its bloom2 ,night-birds are we2 ,here we carouse1 ,singing1 like them1 ,perched round the stem ,of the jolly old tree4 ,here let us sport1 ,boys1 as we sit-- ,laughter and wit ,flashing so free4 ,life is but short-- ,when we are gone1 ,let them sing on1 ,round the old tree4 ,evenings we knew1 ,happy as this2 ,faces we miss1 ,pleasant to see4 ,kind hearts and true1 ,gentle and just1 ,peace to your dust6 ,we sing round the tree4 ,care like a dun1 ,lurks at the gate2 ,let the dog wait2 ,happy we'll be6 ,drink1 every one2 ,pile up the coals2 ,fill the red bowls1 ,round the old tree6 ,drain we the cup4-- ,friend1 art afraid8 ,spirits are laid ,in the ,red ,sea4 ,mantle it up2 ,empty it yet2 ,let us forget1 ,round the old tree6 ,sorrows begone6 ,life and its ills1 ,duns and their bills1 ,bid we to flee4 ,come with the dawn1 ,blue-devil sprite2 ,leave us to-night1 ,round the old tree6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,washington ,,irving ,but is old1 old1 good old ,christmas gone8 ,nothing but the hair on his good1 gray1 old head and beard left8 ,well1 ,i will have that1 seeing ,i cannot have more of him4 ,hue and ,cry after ,christmas4 ,a man might then behold ,at ,christmas1 in each hall1 ,good fires to curb the cold1 ,and meat for great and small4 ,the neighbors were friendly bidden1 ,and all had welcome true1 ,the poor from the gates were not chidden1 ,when this old cap was new4 ,old ,song4 ,there is nothing in ,england that exercises a more delightful spell over my imagination than the lingerings of the holiday customs and rural games of former times4 ,they recall the pictures my fancy used to draw in the ,may morning of life1 when as yet ,i only knew the world through books1 and believed it to be all that poets had painted it2 and they bring with them the flavor of those honest days of yore1 in which1 perhaps with equal fallacy1 ,i am apt to think the world was more homebred1 social1 and joyous than at present4 ,i regret to say that they are daily growing more and more faint1 being gradually worn away by time1 but still more obliterated by modern fashion4 ,they resemble those picturesque morsels of ,gothic architecture1 which we see crumbling in various parts of the country1 partly dilapidated by the waste of ages1 and partly lost in the additions and alterations of latter days4 ,poetry1 however1 clings with cherishing fondness about the rural game and holiday revel1 from which it has derived so many of its themes--as the ivy winds its rich foliage about the ,gothic arch and mouldering tower1 gratefully repaying their support1 by clasping together their tottering remains1 and1 as it were1 embalming them in verdure4 ,of all the old festivals1 however1 that of ,christmas awakens the strongest and most heartfelt associations4 ,there is a tone of solemn and sacred feeling that blends with our conviviality1 and lifts the spirit to a state of hallowed and elevated enjoyment4 ,the services of the church about this season are extremely tender and inspiring3 they dwell on the beautiful story of the origin of our faith1 and the pastoral scenes that accompanied its announcement2 they gradually increase in fervor and pathos during the season of ,advent1 until they break forth in full jubilee on the morning that brought peace and good-will to men4 ,i do not know a grander effect of music on the moral feelings than to hear the full choir and the pealing organ performing a ,christmas anthem in a cathedral1 and filling every part of the vast pile with triumphant harmony4 ,it is a beautiful arrangement1 also1 derived from the days of yore1 that this festival1 which commemorates the announcement of the religion of peace and love1 has been made the season for gathering together of family connections1 and drawing closer again those bands of kindred hearts1 which the cares and pleasures and sorrows of the world are continually operating to cast loose2 of calling back the children of a family1 who have launched forth in life1 and wandered widely asunder1 once more to assemble about the paternal hearth1 that rallying-place of the affections1 there to grow young and loving again among the endearing mementos of childhood4 ,there is something in the very season of the year1 that gives a charm to the festivity of ,christmas4 ,at other times1 we derive a great portion of our pleasures from the mere beauties of ,nature4 ,our feelings sally forth and dissipate themselves over the sunny landscape1 and we live abroad and everywhere4 ,the song of the bird1 the murmur of the stream1 the breathing fragrance of spring1 the soft voluptuousness of summer1 the golden pomp of autumn2 earth with its mantle of refreshing green1 and heaven with its deep1 delicious blue and its cloudy magnificence1--all fill us with mute but exquisite delight1 and we revel in the luxury of mere sensation4 ,but in the depth of winter1 when ,nature lies despoiled of every charm1 and wrapped in her shroud of sheeted snow1 we turn for our gratifications to moral sources4 ,the dreariness and desolation of our landscape1 the short gloomy days and darksome nights1 while they circumscribe our wanderings1 shut in our feelings also from rambling abroad1 and make us more keenly disposed for the pleasures of the social circle4 ,our thoughts are more concentrated2 our friendly sympathies more aroused4 ,we feel more sensibly the charm of each other's society1 and are brought more closely together by dependence on each other for enjoyment4 ,heart calleth unto heart1 and we draw our pleasures from the deep wells of living kindness which lie in the quiet recesses of our bosoms2 and which1 when resorted to1 furnish forth the pure element of domestic felicity4 ,the pitchy gloom without makes the heart dilate on entering the room filled with the glow and warmth of the evening fire4 ,the ruddy blaze diffuses an artificial summer and sunshine through the room1 and lights up each countenance with a kindlier welcome4 ,where does the honest face of hospitality expand into a broader and more cordial smile--where is the shy glance of love more sweetly eloquent--than by the winter fireside8 and as the hollow blast of wintry wind rushes through the hall1 claps the distant door1 whistles about the casement1 and rumbles down the chimney1 what can be more grateful than that feeling of sober and sheltered security1 with which we look around upon the comfortable chamber1 and the scene of domestic hilarity8 ,the ,english1 from the great prevalence of rural habits throughout every class of society1 have always been fond of those festivals and holidays which agreeably interrupt the stillness of country life2 and they were in former days particularly observant of the religious and social rights of ,christmas4 ,it is inspiring to read even the dry details which some antiquaries have given of the quaint humors1 the burlesque pageants1 the complete abandonment to mirth and good fellowship1 with which this festival was celebrated4 ,it seemed to throw open every door1 unlock every heart4 ,it brought the peasant and the peer together1 and blended all ranks in one warm generous flow of joy and kindness4 ,the old halls of castles and manor-houses resounded with the harp and the ,christmas carol1 and their ample boards groaned under the weight of hospitality4 ,even the poorest cottage welcomed the festive season with green decorations of bay and holly--the cheerful fire glanced its rays through the lattice1 inviting the passenger to raise the latch1 and join the gossip knot huddled round the hearth beguiling the long evening with legendary jokes1 and oft-told ,christmas tales4 ,one of the least pleasing effects of modern refinement is the havoc it has made among the hearty old holiday customs4 ,it has completely taken off the sharp touchings and spirited reliefs of these embellishments of life1 and has worn down society into a more smooth and polished1 but certainly a less characteristic surface4 ,many of the games and ceremonials of ,christmas have entirely disappeared1 and1 like the sherris sack of old ,falstaff1 are become matters of speculation and dispute among commentators4 ,they flourished in times full of spirit and lustihood1 when men enjoyed life roughly1 but heartily and vigorously3 times wild and picturesque1 which have furnished poetry with its richest materials1 and the drama with its most attractive variety of characters and manners4 ,the world has become more worldly4 ,there is more of dissipation and less enjoyment4 ,pleasure has expanded into a broader1 but a shallower stream1 and has forsaken many of those deep and quiet channels1 where it flowed sweetly through the calm bosom of domestic life4 ,society has acquired a more enlightened and elegant tone2 but it has lost many of its strong local peculiarities1 its homebred feelings1 its honest fireside delights4 ,the traditionary customs of golden-hearted antiquity1 its feudal hospitalities1 and lordly wassailings1 have passed away with the baronial castles and stately manor-houses in which they were celebrated4 ,they comported with the shadowy hall1 the great oaken gallery1 and the tapestried parlor1 but are unfitted for the light showy saloons and gay drawing-rooms of the modern villa4 ,shorn1 however1 as it is1 of its ancient and festive honors1 ,christmas is still a period of delightful excitement in ,england4 ,it is gratifying to see that home feeling completely aroused which holds so powerful a place in every ,english bosom4 ,the preparations making on every side for the social board that is again to unite friends and kindred--the presents of good cheer passing and repassing1 those tokens of regard and quickeners of kind feelings--the evergreens distributed about houses and churches1 emblems of peace and gladness--all these have the most pleasing effect in producing fond associations1 and kindling benevolent sympathies4 ,even the sound of the waits1 rude as may be their minstrelsy1 breaks upon the midwatches of a winter night with the effect of perfect harmony4 ,as ,i have been awakened by them in that still and solemn hour when deep sleep falleth upon man1 ,i have listened with a hushed delight1 and connecting them with the sacred and joyous occasion1 have almost fancied them into another celestial choir1 announcing peace and good-will to mankind4 ,how delightfully the imagination1 when wrought upon by these moral influences1 turns everything to melody and beauty6 ,the very crowing of the cock1 heard sometimes in the profound repose of the country1 telling the night-watches to his feathery dames1 was thought by the common people to announce the approach of the sacred festival3 ,some say that ever 'gainst that season comes ,wherein our ,saviour's birth was celebrated1 ,this bird of dawning singeth all night long3 ,and then1 they say1 no spirit dares stir abroad2 ,the nights are wholesome--then no planets strike1 ,no fairy takes1 no witch hath power to charm1 ,so hallowed and so gracious is the time4 ,amidst the general call to happiness1 the bustle of the spirits1 and stir of the affections1 which prevail at this period1 what bosom can remain insensible8 ,it is1 indeed1 the season of regenerated feeling--the season for kindling not merely the fire of hospitality in the hall1 but the genial flame of charity in the heart4 ,the scene of early love again rises green to memory beyond the sterile waste of years1 and the idea of home1 fraught with the fragrance of home-dwelling joys1 reanimates the drooping spirit--as the ,arabian breeze will sometimes waft the freshness of the distant fields to the weary pilgrim of the desert4 ,stranger and sojourner as ,i am in the land--though for me no social hearth may blaze1 no hospitable roof throw open its doors1 nor the warm grasp of friendship welcome me at the threshold--yet ,i feel the influence of the season beaming into my soul from the happy looks of those around me4 ,surely happiness is reflective1 like the light of heaven2 and every countenance bright with smiles1 and glowing with innocent enjoyment1 is a mirror transmitting to others the rays of a supreme and ever-shining benevolence4 ,he who can turn churlishly away from contemplating the felicity of his fellow-beings1 and can sit down darkling and repining in his loneliness when all around is joyful1 may have his moments of strong excitement and selfish gratification1 but he wants the genial and social sympathies which constitute the charm of a merry ,christmas4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,church ,,decking ,,at ,,christmas ,,william ,,wordsworth ,would that our scrupulous sires had dared to leave ,less scanty measure of those graceful rites ,and usages1 whose due return invites ,a stir of mind too natural to deceive2 ,giving the memory help when she could weave ,a crown for ,hope6--,i dread the boasted lights ,that all too often are but fiery blights1 ,killing the bud o'er which in vain we grieve4 ,go1 seek1 when ,christmas snows discomfort bring1 ,the counter ,spirit found in some gay church ,green with fresh holly1 every pew a perch ,in which the linnet or the thrush might sing1 ,merry and loud1 and safe from prying search1 ,strains offered only to the genial spring4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,so1 ,,now ,,is ,,come ,,our ,,joyfulst ,,feast ,,george ,,wither ,so1 now is come our joyfulst feast1 ,let every man be jolly2 ,each room with ivy leaves is drest1 ,and every post with holly4 ,though some churls at our mirth repine1 ,round your foreheads garlands twine2 ,drown sorrow in a cup of wine1 ,and let us all be merry4 ,now all our neighbours' chimnies smoke1 ,and ,christmas logs are burning2 ,their ovens they with baked meats choke1 ,and all their spits are turning4 ,without the door let sorrow lie2 ,and if for cold it hap to die1 ,we'll bury't in a ,christmas pie1 ,and evermore be merry4 ,now every lad is wondrous trim1 ,and no man minds his labour2 ,our lasses have provided them ,a bag-pipe and a tabor2 ,young men and maids1 and girls and boys1 ,give life to one another's joys2 ,and you anon shall by their noise ,perceive that they are merry4 ,rank misers now do sparing shun2 ,their hall of music soundeth2 ,and dogs thence with whole shoulders run1 ,so all things there aboundeth4 ,the country folks themselves advance ,for crowdy-mutton's,a come out of ,france2 ,and ,jack shall pipe1 and ,jill shall dance1 ,and all the town be merry4 ,footnote ,a3 ,fiddlers4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,fairy ,,faces ,,anon ,out of the mists of childhood1 ,steeped in a golden glory1 ,come dreamy forms and faces1 ,snatches of song and story2 ,whispers of sweet1 still faces2 ,rays of ethereal glimmer1 ,that gleam like sunny heavens1 ,ne'er to grow colder or dimmer3 ,now far in the distance1 now shining near1 ,lighting the snows of the shivering year4 ,faces there are that tremble1 ,bleared with a silent weeping1 ,weird in a shadowy sorrow1 ,as if endless vigil keeping4 ,faces of dazzling brightness1 ,with childlike radiance lighted1 ,flashing with many a beauty1 ,nor care nor time had blighted4 ,but o'er them all there's a glamour thrown4 ,bright with the dreamy distance alone4 ,aglow in the ,christmas halo1 ,shining with heavenly lustre1 ,these are the fairy faces ,that round the hearthstone cluster4 ,these the deep1 tender records1 ,sacred in all their meetness1 ,that1 wakening purest fancies1 ,soften us with their sweetness2 ,as1 gathered where flickering fagots burn1 ,we welcome the holy season's return4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,merry ,,christmas ,,anon ,in the rush of the merry morning1 ,when the red burns through the gray1 ,and the wintry world lies waiting ,for the glory of the day2 ,then we hear a fitful rushing ,just without upon the stair1 ,see two white phantoms coming1 ,catch the gleam of sunny hair4 ,are they ,christmas fairies stealing ,rows of little socks to fill8 ,are they angels floating hither ,with their message of good-will8 ,what sweet spell are these elves weaving1 ,as like larks they chirp and sing8 ,are these palms of peace from heaven ,that these lovely spirits bring8 ,rosy feet upon the threshold1 ,eager faces peeping through1 ,with the first red ray of sunshine1 ,chanting cherubs come in view2 ,mistletoe and gleaming holly1 ,symbols of a blessed day1 ,in their chubby hands they carry1 ,streaming all along the way4 ,well we know them1 never weary ,of this innocent surprise2 ,waiting1 watching1 listening always ,with full hearts and tender eyes1 ,while our little household angels1 ,white and golden in the sun1 ,greet us with the sweet old welcome1-- ,merry ,christmas1 every one6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,merry ,,christmas ,,to ,,you ,,theodore ,,ledyard ,,cuyler ,my own boyhood was spent in a delightful home on one of the most beautiful farms in ,western ,new ,york--an experience that any city-bred boy might envy4 ,we had no religious festivals except ,thanksgiving ,day and ,christmas1 and the latter was especially welcome1 not only on account of the good fare but its good gifts4 ,christmas was sacred to ,santa ,claus1 the patron saint of good boys and girls4 ,we counted the days until its arrival4 ,if the night before the longed-for festival was one of eager expectation in all our houses1 it was a sad time in all barn-yards and turkey-coops and chicken-roosts2 for the slaughter was terrible1 and the cry of the feathered tribes was like the mourning of ,hadadrimmon4 ,as to our experiences within doors1 they are portrayed in ,dr4 ,clement ,c4 ,moore's immortal lines1 ,the ,night ,before ,christmas1 which is probably the most popular poem for children ever penned in ,america4 ,as the visits of ,santa ,claus in the night could only be through the chimney1 we hung our stockings where they would be in full sight4 ,three score and ten years ago such modern contrivances as steam pipes1 and those unpoetical holes in the floor called hot-air registers1 were as entirely unknown in our rural regions as gas-burners or telephones4 ,we had a genuine fire-place in our kitchen1 big enough to contain an enormous back-log1 and broad enough for eight or ten people to form a circle wide before it and enjoy the genial warmth4 ,the last process before going to bed was to suspend our stockings in the chimney jambs2 and then we dreamed of ,santa ,claus1 or if we awoke in the night1 we listened for the jingling of his sleigh-bells4 ,at the peep of day we were aroused by the voice of my good grandfather1 who planted himself in the stairway and shouted in a stentorian tone1 ,i wish you all a ,merry ,christmas6 ,the contest was as to who should give the salutation first1 and the old gentleman determined to get the start of us by sounding his greeting to the family before we were out of our rooms4 ,then came a race for the chimney corner2 all the stockings came down quicker than they had gone up4 ,what could not be contained in them was disposed upon the mantelpiece1 or elsewhere4 ,i remember that ,i once received an autograph letter from ,santa ,claus1 full of good counsels2 and our colored cook told me that she awoke in the night and1 peeping into the kitchen1 actually saw the veritable old visitor light a candle and sit down at the table and write it6 ,i believed it all as implicitly as ,i believed the ,ten ,commandments1 or the story of ,david and ,goliath4 ,happy days of childish credulity1 when fact and fiction were swallowed alike without a misgiving6 ,during my long life ,i have seen many a day-dream and many an air-castle go the way of ,santa ,claus and the wonderful ,lamp of ,aladdin4 ,in after years1 when ,i became a parent1 my beloved wife and ,i1 determined to make the ,christmastide one of the golden days of the twelve months4 ,in mid-winter1 when all outside vegetation was bleak and bare1 the ,christmas-tree in our parlor bloomed in many-colored beauty and bounty4 ,when the tiny candles were all lighted the children and our domestics gathered round it and one of the youngsters rehearsed some pretty juvenile effusion2 as they that had found great spoil4 ,after the happy harvesting of the magic tree in my own home1 it was my custom to spend the afternoon or evening in some mission-school and to watch the sparkling eyes of several hundreds of children while a huge ,christmas-tree shed down its bounties4 ,fifty years ago1 when the degradation and miseries of the ,five-,points were first invaded by pioneer philanthropy1 it was a thrilling sight to behold the denizens of the slums and their children as they flocked into ,mr4 ,pease's new ,house of ,industry and the ,brewery ,mission building4 ,the angelic host over the hills of ,bethlehem did not make a more welcome revelation to them who had sat in darkness and the shadow of death4 ,in these days the squalid regions of our great cities are being explored and improved by various methods of systematic beneficence4 ,christian ,settlements are established2 ,bureaus of ,charity are formed and ,associations for the relief of the poor are organized4 ,a noble work2 but1 after all1 the most effective bureau is one that1 in a water-proof and a stout pair of shoes1 sallies off on a wintry night to some abode of poverty with not only supplies for suffering bodies1 but kind words of sympathy for lonesome hearts4 ,a dollar from a warm hand with a warm word is worth two dollars sent by mail or by a messenger-boy4 ,the secret of power in doing good is personal contact4 ,our incarnate ,elder ,brother went in person to the sick chamber4 ,he anointed with ,his own hand the eyes of the blind man and ,he touched the loathsome leper into health4 ,the portentous chasm between wealth and poverty must be bridged by a span of personal kindness over which the footsteps must turn in only one direction4 ,the personal contact of self sacrificing benevolence with darkness1 filth and misery--that is the only remedy4 ,heart must touch heart4 ,benevolence also cannot be confined to calendars4 ,those good people will exhibit the most of the spirit of our ,blessed ,master who practice ,christmas-giving and cheerful1 unselfish and zealous ,christmas-living through all the circling year4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,bells ,,anon ,there are sounds in the sky when the year grows old1 ,and the winds of the winter blow-- ,when night and the moon are clear and cold1 ,and the stars shine on the snow1 ,or wild is the blast and the bitter sleet ,that beats on the window-pane2 ,but blest on the frosty hills are the feet ,of the ,christmas time again6 ,chiming sweet when the night wind swells1 ,blest is the sound of the ,christmas ,bells6 ,dear are the sounds of the ,christmas chimes ,in the land of the ivied towers1 ,and they welcome the dearest of festival times ,in this ,western world of ours6 ,bright on the holly and mistletoe bough ,the ,english firelight falls1 ,and bright are the wreathed evergreens now ,that gladden our own home walls6 ,and hark6 the first sweet note that tells1 ,the welcome of the ,christmas ,bells6 ,the owl that sits in the ivy's shade1 ,remote from the ruined tower1 ,shall start from his drowsy watch afraid ,when the clock shall strike the hour2 ,and over the fields in their frosty rhyme ,the cheery sounds shall go1 ,and chime shall answer unto chime ,across the moonlit snow6 ,how sweet the lingering music dwells1-- ,the music of the ,christmas ,bells4 ,it fell not thus in the ,east afar ,where the ,babe in the manger lay2 ,the wise men followed their guiding star ,to the dawn of a milder day2 ,and the fig and the sycamore gathered green1 ,and the palm-tree of ,deborah rose2 ',twas the strange first ,christmas the world had seen-- ,and it came not in storm and snows4 ,not yet on ,nazareth's hills and dells ,had floated the sound of ,christmas ,bells4 ,the cedars of ,lebanon shook in the blast ,of their own cold mountain air2 ,but nought o'er the wintry plain had passed ,to tell that the ,lord was there6 ,the oak and the olive and almond were still1 ,in the night now worn and thin2 ,no wind of the winter-time roared from the hill ,to waken the guests at the inn2 ,no dream to them the music tells ,that is to come from the ,christmas ,bells6 ,the years that have fled like the leaves on the gale ,since the morn of the ,miracle-,birth1 ,have widened the fame of the marvellous tale ,till the tidings have filled the earth6 ,and so in the climes of the icy ,north1 ,and the lands of the cane and the palm1 ,by the ,alpine cotter's blazing hearth1 ,and in tropic belts of calm1 ,men list to-night the welcome swells1 ,sweet and clear1 of ,christmas ,bells6 ,they are ringing to-night through the ,norway firs1 ,and across the ,swedish fells1 ,and the ,cuban palm-tree dreamily stirs ,to the sound of those ,christmas ,bells6 ,they ring where the ,indian ,ganges rolls ,its flood through the rice-fields wide2 ,they swell the far hymns of the ,lapps and ,poles ,to the praise of the ,crucified4 ,sweeter than tones of the ocean's shells ,mingle the chimes of the ,christmas ,bells6 ,the years come not back that have circled away ,with the past of the ,eastern land1 ,when ,he plucked the corn on the ,sabbath day ,and healed the withered hand3 ,but the bells shall join in a joyous chime ,for the ,one who walked the sea1 ,and ring again for the better time ,of the ,christ that is to be6 ,then ring6--for earth's best promise dwells ,in ye1 ,o joyous ,prophet ,bells6 ,ring out at the meeting of night and morn ,for the dawn of a happier day6 ,lo1 the stone from our faith's great sepulchre torn ,the angels have rolled away6 ,and they come to us here in our low abode1 ,with words like the sunrise gleam1-- ,come down and ascend by that heavenly road ,that ,jacob saw in his dream4 ,spirit of love1 that in music dwells1 ,open our hearts with the ,christmas ,bells6 ,help us to see that the glad heart prays ,as well as the bended knees2 ,that there are in our own as in ancient days ,the ,scribes and the ,pharisees2 ,that the ,mount of ,transfiguration still ,looks down on these ,christian lands1 ,and the glorified ones from that holy hill ,are reaching their helping hands4 ,these be the words our music tells ,of solemn joy1 ,o ,christmas ,bells6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,birth ,,of ,,christ ,,alfred ,,tennyson ,the time draws near the birth of ,christ2 ,the moon is hid--the night is still2 ,the ,christmas bells from hill to hill ,answer each other in the mist4 ,four voices of four hamlets round1 ,from far and near1 on mead and moor1 ,swell out and fail1 as if a door ,were shut between me and the sound4 ,each voice four changes on the wind1 ,that now dilate and now decrease1 ,peace and good-will1 good-will and peace1 ,peace and good-will to all mankind4 ,rise1 happy morn6 rise1 holy morn6 ,draw forth the cheerful day from night2 ,o ,father6 touch the east1 and light ,the light that shone when hope was born6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,christmas ,,carol ,,william ,,wordsworth ,the minstrels played their ,christmas tune ,to-night beneath my cottage eaves2 ,while1 smitten by a lofty moon1 ,the encircling laurels1 thick with leaves1 ,gave back a rich and dazzling sheen ,that overpowered their natural green4 ,through hill and valley every breeze ,had sunk to rest1 with folded wings3 ,keen was the air1 but could not freeze ,nor check the music of the strings2 ,so stout and hardy were the band ,that scraped the chords with strenuous hand6 ,and who but listened--till was paid ,respect to every inmate's claim3 ,the greeting given1 the music played1 ,in honor of each household name1 ,duly pronounced with lusty call1 ,and ,merry ,christmas wished to all6 ,how touching1 when1 at midnight1 sweep ,snow-muffled winds1 and all is dark1 ,to hear1 and sink again to sleep6 ,or1 at an earlier call1 to mark ,by blazing fire1 the still suspense ,of self-complacent innocence2 ,the mutual nod1--the grave disguise ,of hearts with gladness brimming o'er2 ,and some unbidden tears that rise ,for names once heard1 and heard no more2 ,tears brightened by the serenade ,for infant in the cradle laid4 ,hail ancient ,manners6 sure defence1 ,where they survive1 of wholesome laws2 ,remnants of love whose modest sense ,thus into narrow room withdraws2 ,hail1 ,usages of pristine mould1 ,and ye that guard them1 ,mountains old6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,at ,,fezziwig',s ,,warehouse ,,charles ,,dickens ,yo ho6 my boys1 said ,fezziwig4 ,no more work to-night2 ,christmas ,eve1 ,dick6 ,christmas1 ,ebenezer6 ,let's have the shutters up1 cried old ,fezziwig with a sharp clap of his hands1 before a man can say ,jack ,robinson4444 ,hilli-ho6 cried old ,fezziwig1 skipping down from the high desk with wonderful agility4 ,clear away1 my lads1 and let's have lots of room here6 ,hilli-ho1 ,dick6 ,cheer up1 ,ebenezer6 ,clear away6 ,there was nothing they wouldn't have cleared away1 or couldn't have cleared away1 with old ,fezziwig looking on4 ,it was done in a minute4 ,every movable was packed off1 as if it were dismissed from public life forevermore2 the floor was swept and watered1 the lamps were trimmed1 fuel was heaped upon the fire2 and the warehouse was as snug1 and warm1 and dry1 and bright a ball-room as you would desire to see upon a winter's night4 ,in came a fiddler with a music-book1 and went up to the lofty desk and made an orchestra of it and tuned like fifty stomach-aches4 ,in came ,mrs4 ,fezziwig1 one vast1 substantial smile4 ,in came the three ,misses ,fezziwig1 beaming and lovable4 ,in came the six followers whose hearts they broke4 ,in came all the young men and women employed in the business ,in came the housemaid with her cousin the baker4 ,in came the cook with her brother's particular friend the milkman4 ,in came the boy from over the way1 who was suspected of not having board enough from his master1 trying to hide himself behind the girl from next door but one who was proved to have had her ears pulled by her mistress2 in they all came1 anyhow and everyhow4 ,away they all went1 twenty couple at once2 hands half round and back again the other way2 down the middle and up again2 round and round in various stages of affectionate grouping1 old top couple always turning up in the wrong place2 new top couple starting off again1 as soon as they got there2 all top couples at last1 and not a bottom one to help them4 ,when this result was brought about the fiddler struck up ,sir ,roger de ,coverley4 ,then old ,fezziwig stood out to dance with ,mrs4 ,fezziwig4 ,top couple1 too1 with a good stiff piece of work cut out for them2 three or four and twenty pairs of partners2 people who were not to be trifled with2 people who would dance and had no notion of walking4 ,but if they had been thrice as many--,oh1 four times as many--old ,fezziwig would have been a match for them1 and so would ,mrs4 ,fezziwig4 ,as to her1 she was worthy to be his partner in every sense of the term4 ,if that's not high praise1 tell me higher and ,i'll use it4 ,a positive light appeared to issue from ,fezziwig's calves4 ,they shone in every part of the dance like moons4 ,you couldn't have predicted at any given time what would become of them next4 ,and when old ,fezziwig and ,mrs4 ,fezziwig had gone all through the dance2 advance and retire2 both hands to your partner1 bow and courtesy1 corkscrew1 thread the needle1 and back again to your place2 ,fezziwig cut--cut so deftly that he appeared to wink with his legs1 and came upon his feet again without a stagger4 ,when the clock struck eleven the domestic ball broke up4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,fezziwig took their stations1 one on either side of the door1 and shaking hands with every person individually1 as he or she went out1 wished him or her a ,merry ,christmas6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,bells ,,john ,,keble ,wake me to-night1 my mother dear1 ,that ,i may hear ,the ,christmas ,bells1 so soft and clear1 ,to high and low glad tidings tell1 ,how ,god the ,father loved us well2 ,how ,god the ,eternal ,son ,came to undo what we had done4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iii ,,significance ,,and ,,spirit ,a ,,christmas ,,carmen ,,john ,g4 ,,whittier ,i ,sound over all waters1 reach out from all lands1 ,the chorus of voices1 the clasping of hands2 ,sing hymns that were sung by the stars of the morn1 ,sing songs of the angels when ,jesus was born6 ,with glad jubilations ,bring hope to the nations6 ,the dark night is ending and dawn has begun3 ,rise1 hope of the ages1 arise like the sun1 ,all speech flow to music1 all hearts beat as one6 ,,ii ,sing the bridal of nations6 with chorals of love ,sing out the war-vulture and sing in the dove1 ,till the hearts of the peoples keep time in accord ,and the voice of the world is the voice of the ,lord6 ,clasp hands of the nations ,in strong gratulations3 ,the dark night is ending and dawn has begun2 ,rise1 hope of the ages1 arise like the sun1 ,all speech flow to music1 all hearts beat as one6 ,,iii ,blow1 bugles of battle1 the marches of peace2 ,east1 west1 north1 and south let the long quarrel cease3 ,sing the song of great joy that the angels began1 ,sing of glory to ,god and of good-will to man6 ,hark6 joining in chorus ,the heavens bend o'er us6 ,the dark night is ending and dawn has begun2 ,rise1 hope of the ages1 arise like the sun1 ,all speech flow to music1 all hearts beat as one6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,christmas ,from ,pickwick ,papers4 ,,charles ,,dickens ,and numerous indeed are the hearts to which ,christmas brings a brief season of happiness and enjoyment4 ,how many families whose members have been dispersed and scattered far and wide1 in the restless struggles of life1 are then re-united1 and meet once again in that happy state of companionship and mutual good-will1 which is a source of such pure and unalloyed delight1 and one so incompatible with the cares and sorrows of the world1 that the religious belief of the most civilized nations1 and the rude traditions of the roughest savages1 alike number it among the first joys of a future state of existence1 provided for the blest and happy6 ,how many old recollections1 and how many dormant sympathies1 does ,christmas time awaken6 ,we write these words now1 many miles distant from the spot at which1 year after year1 we met on that day1 a merry and joyous circle4 ,many of the hearts that throb so gaily then1 have ceased to beat2 many of the looks that shone so brightly then1 have ceased to glow2 the hands we grasped1 have grown cold2 the eyes we sought1 have hid their lustre in the grave2 and yet the old house1 the room1 the merry voices and smiling faces1 the jest1 the laugh1 the most minute and trivial circumstance connected with those happy meetings1 crowd upon our mind at each recurrence of the season1 as if the last assemblage had been but yesterday4 ,happy1 happy ,christmas1 that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days1 that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth1 and transport the sailor and the traveller1 thousands of miles away1 back to his own fireside and his quiet home6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,on ,,good ,,wishes ,,at ,,christmas ,,friswell ,at ,christmas1 which is a good holiday for most of us1 but especially for that larger and better half of us1 the young1 there is1 as everybody knows1 a profusion of good things4 ,the final cause of a great many existences is ,christmas ,day4 ,how many of that vast flock of geese1 which are now peacefully feeding over the long1 cold wolds of ,norfolk1 or are driven gabbling and hissing by the gozzard to their pasture--how many of those very geese were called into being simply for ,christmas ,day6 ,in the towns1 with close streets and fetid courts1 where the flaring gas at the corner of an alley marks the only bright spot1 a gin-palace1 there a goose-club is held2 and there1 for a short time1 is the resting-place1 side by side with a bottle of gin1 of one of those wise-looking and self-concentrated gobblers1 whose name men have generally1 and1 as we think1 unjustly1 applied to the silly one amongst themselves4 ,but it is only the profusion of good things1 of cakes1 puddings1 spices1 oranges1 and fruits1 from sunny ,italy and ,spain1 from ,india and from ,asia1 from ,america1 ,north and ,south1 and even from distant ,australia2 it is not that amongst us1 as long ago with the ,franklin in ,chaucer1 that at this time-- ,it snowes in our house ,of meate and drinke2 it is not that we have huge loads of beef chines1 ribs1 sirloins1 legs1 necks1 breasts1 and shoulders of mutton1 fillets of veal1 whole hogs1 and pigs in various stages1 from the tender suckling to the stiff-jointed father of a family1 whose back hair makes good clothes-brushes1 and whose head is brought in at college feasts2 it is not that the air gives up its choicest fowl1 and the waters yield their best fish3 plentiful as these are with us1 they are nothing in profusion to the kindly greeting and good wishes that fly about in the cold weather1 and that circulate from land's end to land's end4 ,the whole coast of ,england is surrounded by a general shake hands4 ,the coast-guard on their wintry walks do not greet each other more surely than old friends all over ,england do3 one clasps another1 and another a third1 till from ,dover to ,london and so on to ,york1 from ,yarmouth on the east to ,bristol on the west1 from ,john ,o',groat's house at the extreme north to the ,land's ,end1 the very toe-nail of ,england on the south--a kindly greeting1 we may be sure1 will pass4 ,and a cheerful thing it is1 on this day of universal equality1 on this day which-- ,to the cottage and the crown1 ,brought tidings of salvation down1 to think that we can touch and hold each other with friendly hands all over our land4 ,we all of us shake hands on ,christmas ,day4 ,leigh ,hunt had a quaint fancy that he had1 as it were1 by lineal descent1 shaken hands with ,milton4 ,he would argue thus3 he knew a man who had shaken hands with ,dr4 ,johnson1 who had clasped the hand of him who had shaken ,dryden's right hand1 who himself had thus greeted ,andrew ,marvell1 who knew ,master ,elwood1 the ,quaker friend of ,milton1 who knew ,milton himself2 and thus1 though our ,sovereign has her hand kissed1 not shaken1 by her subjects1 yet doubtless she will clasp the hands of her children1 who1 shaking those of others1 will let the greeting and the good wishes descend to the lowest on that ladder of society which we are all trying to climb4 ,as for hearty good wishes1 spoken in all kinds of voices1 from the deepest bass to the shrillest treble1 we are sure that they circulate throughout the little island1 and are borne on the wings of the post all over the seas4 ,erasmus1 coming to ,england in ,henry ,,viii's time1 was struck with the deep heartiness of our wishes--good1 ay1 and bad too2 but he most admired the good ones4 ,other nations ask in their greetings how a man carries himself1 or how doth he stand with the world1 or how doth he find himself2 but the ,english greet with a pious wish that ,god may give one a good morning or a good evening1 good day1 or god'd'en1 as the old writers have it2 and when we part we wish that ,god may be with you1 though we now clip it into ,good b'ye4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,song ,,william ,,cox ,,bennett ,blow1 wind1 blow1 ,sing through yard and shroud2 ,pipe it shrilly and loud1 ,aloft as well as below2 ,sing in my sailor's ear ,the song ,i sing to you1 ,come home1 my sailor true1 ,for ,christmas that comes so near4 ,go1 wind1 go1 ,hurry his home-bound sail1 ,through gusts that are edged with hail1 ,through winter1 and sleet1 and snow2 ,song1 in my sailor's ear1 ,your shrilling and moans shall be1 ,for he knows they sing him to me ,and ,christmas that comes so near4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,sery ,,richard ,,watson ,,gilder ,with wild surprise ,four great eyes ,in two small heads1 ,from neighboring beds ,looked out--and winked-- ,and glittered and blinked ,at a very queer sight ,in the dim starlight4 ,as plain as can be ,a fairy tree ,flashes and glimmers ,and shakes and shimmers4 ,red1 green and blue ,meet their view2 ,silver and gold ,their sharp eyes behold2 ,small moon1 big stars2 ,and jams in jars1 ,and cakes1 and honey ,and thimbles1 and money1 ,pink dogs1 blue cats1 ,little squeaking rats1 ,and candles1 and dolls1 ,and crackers1 and polls1 ,a real bird that sings1 ,and tokens and favors1 ,and all sorts of things ,for the little shavers4 ,four black eyes ,grow big with surprise2 ,and then grow bigger ,when a tiny figure1 ,jaunty and airy1 7,is it a fairy87 ,from the tree-top cries1 ,open wide6 ,black ,eyes6 ,come1 children1 wake now6 ,your joys you may take now6 ,quick as you can think ,twenty small toes ,in four pretty rows1 ,like little piggies pink1 ,all kick in the air-- ,and before you can wink ,the tree stands bare6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,song ,,tudor ,,jenks ,when mother-love makes all things bright1 ,when joy comes with the morning light1 ,when children gather round their tree1 ,thou ,christmas ,babe1 ,we sing of ,thee6 ,when manhood's brows are bent in thought1 ,to learn what men of old have taught1 ,when eager hands seek wisdom's key1 ,wise ,temple ,child1 ,we learn of ,thee6 ,when doubts assail1 and perils fright1 ,when1 groping blindly in the night1 ,we strive to read life's mystery1 ,man of the ,mount1 ,we turn to ,thee6 ,when shadows of the valley fall1 ,when sin and death the soul appall1 ,one light we through the darkness see-- ,christ on the ,cross1 ,we cry to ,thee6 ,and when the world shall pass away1 ,and dawns at length the perfect day1 ,in glory shall our souls made free1 ,thou ,god enthroned1 ,then worship ,thee4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas 7,a ,selection from ,dreamthorp7 ,,alexander ,,smith ,sitting here1 ,i incontinently find myself holding a levee of departed ,christmas nights4 ,silently1 and without special call1 into my study of imagination come these apparitions1 clad in snowy mantles1 brooched and gemmed with frosts4 ,their numbers ,i do not care to count1 for ,i know they are the numbers of many years4 ,the visages of two or three are sad enough1 but on the whole 'tis a congregation of jolly ghosts4 ,the nostrils of my memory are assailed by a faint odor of plum-pudding and burnt brandy4 ,i hear a sound as of light music1 a whisk of women's dresses whirled round in dance1 a click as of glasses pledged by friends4 ,before one of these apparitions is a mound1 as of a new-made grave1 on which the snow is lying4 ,i know1 ,i know6 ,drape thyself not in white like the others1 but in mourning stole of crape2 and instead of dance music1 let there haunt around thee the service for the dead6 ,i know that sprig of mistletoe1 ,o ,spirit in the midst6 ,under it ,i swung the girl ,i loved--girl no more now than ,i am a boy--and kissed her spite of blush and pretty shriek4 ,and thee1 too1 with fragrant trencher in hand1 over which blue tongues of flame are playing1 ,i do know--most ancient apparition of them all4 ,i remember thy reigning night4 ,back to very days of childhood am ,i taken by the ghostly raisins simmering in a ghostly brandy flame4 ,where now the merry boys and girls that thrust their fingers in thy blaze8 ,and now1 when ,i think of it1 thee also would ,i drape in black raiment1 around thee also would ,i make the burial service murmur4 - - - - - ,this1 then1 is ,christmas1 #ahfb4 ,everything is silent in ,dreamthorp4 ,the smith's hammer reposes beside the anvil4 ,the weaver's flying shuttle is at rest4 ,through the clear wintry sunshine the bells this morning rang from the gray church tower amid the leafless elms1 and up the walk the villagers trooped in their best dresses and their best faces--the latter a little reddened by the sharp wind3 mere redness in the middle aged2 in the maids1 wonderful bloom to the eyes of their lovers--and took their places decently in the ancient pews4 ,the clerk read the beautiful prayers of our ,church1 which seem more beautiful at ,christmas than at any other period4 ,for that very feeling which breaks down at this time the barriers which custom1 birth1 or wealth have erected between man and man1 strikes down the barrier of time which intervenes between the worshipper of to-day and the great body of worshippers who are at rest in their graves4 ,on such a day as this1 hearing these prayers1 we feel a kinship with the devout generations who heard them long ago4 ,the devout lips of the ,christian dead murmured the responses which we now murmur2 along this road of prayer did their thoughts of our innumerable dead1 our brothers and sisters in faith and hope1 approach the ,maker1 even as ours at present approach ,him4 ,prayers over1 the clergyman--who is no ,boanerges1 of ,chrysostom1 golden-mouthed1 but a loving1 genial-hearted1 pious man1 the whole extent of his life from boyhood until now1 full of charity and kindly deeds1 as autumn fields with heavy wheaten ears2 the clergyman1 ,i say--for the sentence is becoming unwieldy on my hands1 and one must double back to secure connexion--read out in that silvery voice of his1 which is sweeter than any music to my ear1 those chapters of the ,new ,testament that deal with the birth of the ,saviour4 ,and the red-faced rustic congregation hung on the good man's voice as he spoke of the ,infant brought forth in a manger1 of the shining angels that appeared in the mid-air to the shepherds1 of the miraculous star that took its station in the sky1 and of the wise men who came from afar and laid their gifts of frankincense and myrrh at the feet of the child4 ,with the story every one was familiar1 but on that day1 and backed by the persuasive melody of the reader's voice1 it seemed to all quite new--at least1 they listened attentively as if it were4 ,the discourse that followed possessed no remarkable thoughts2 it dealt simply with the goodness of the ,maker of heaven and earth1 and the shortness of time1 with the duties of thankfulness and charity to the poor2 and ,i am persuaded that every one who heard returned to his house in a better frame of mind4 ,and so the service remitted us all to our own homes1 to what roast-beef and plum-pudding slender means permitted1 to gatherings around cheerful fires1 to half-pleasant1 half-sad remembrances of the dead and the absent4 ,from sermon ,i have returned like the others1 and it is my purpose to hold ,christmas alone4 ,i have no one with me at table1 and my own thoughts must be my ,christmas guests4 ,sitting here1 it is pleasant to think how much kindly feeling exists this present night in ,england4 ,by imagination ,i can taste of every table1 pledge every toast1 silently join in every roar of merriment4 ,i become a sort of universal guest4 ,with what propriety is this jovial season1 placed amid dismal ,december rains and snows6 ,how one pities the unhappy ,australians1 with whom everything is turned topsy-turvy1 and who holds ,christmas at midsummer6 ,the face of ,christmas glows all the brighter for the cold4 ,the heart warms as the frost increases4 ,estrangements which have embittered the whole year1 melt in to-night's hospitable smile4 ,there are warmer handshakings on this night than during the by-past twelve months4 ,friend lives in the mind of friend4 ,there is more charity at this time than at any other4 ,you get up at midnight and toss your spare coppers to the half-benumbed musicians whiffling beneath your windows1 although at any other time you would consider their performance a nuisance1 and call angrily for the police4 ,poverty1 and scanty clothing1 and fireless grates1 come home at this season to the bosoms of the rich1 and they give of their abundance4 ,the very red-breast of the woods enjoys his ,christmas feast4 ,good feeling incarnates itself into plum-pudding4 ,the ,master's words1 ,the poor ye have always with you1 wear at this time a deep significance4 ,for at least one night on each year over all ,christendom there is brotherhood4 ,and good men1 sitting amongst their families1 or by a solitary fire like me1 when they remember the light1 that shone over the poor clowns huddling on the ,bethlehem plains eighteen hundred years ago1 the apparition of shining angels overhead1 the song ,peace on earth and good-will toward men1 which for the first hallowed the midnight air1--pray for that strain's fulfilment1 that battle and strife may vex the nations no more1 that not only on ,christmas eve1 but the whole year round1 men shall be brethren owning one ,father in heaven4 - - - - - ,once again1 for the purpose of taking away all solitariness of feeling1 and of connecting myself1 albeit only in fancy1 with the proper gladness of the time1 let me think of the comfortable family dinners now being drawn to a close1 of the good wishes uttered1 and the presents made1 quite valueless in themselves1 yet felt to be invaluable from the feelings from which they spring2 of the little children1 by sweetmeats lapped in ,elysium2 and of the pantomime1 pleasantest ,christmas sight of all1 with the pit a sea of grinning delight1 the boxes a tier of beaming juvenility1 the galleries1 piled up to the far-receding roof1 a mass of happy laughter which a clown's joke brings down in mighty avalanches4 ,in the pit1 sober people relax themselves1 and suck oranges1 and quaff ginger-pop2 in the boxes1 ,miss1 gazing through her curls1 thinks the ,fairy ,prince the prettiest creature she ever beheld1 and ,master1 that to be a clown must be the pinnacle of human happiness3 while up in the galleries the hard literal world is for an hour sponged out and obliterated2 the chimney-sweep forgets1 in his delight when the policeman comes to grief1 the harsh call of his master1 and ,cinderella1 when the demons are foiled1 and the long parted lovers meet and embrace in a paradise of light and pink gauze1 the grates that must be scrubbed to-morrow4 ,all bands and trappings of toil are for one hour loosened by the hands of imaginative sympathy4 ,what happiness a single theatre can contain6 ,and those of maturer years1 or of more meditative temperament1 sitting at the pantomime1 can extract out of the shifting scenes meanings suitable to themselves2 for the pantomime is a symbol or adumbration of human life4 ,have we not all known ,harlequin1 who rules the roast1 and has the pretty ,columbine to himself8 ,do we not all know that rogue of a clown with his peculating fingers1 who brazens out of every scrape1 and who conquers the world by good humour and ready wit8 ,and have we not seen ,pantaloons not a few1 whose fate it is to get all the kicks and lose all the halfpence1 to fall through all the trap doors1 break their shins over all the barrows1 and be forever captured by the policeman1 while the true pilferer1 the clown1 makes his escape with the booty in his possession8 ,methinks ,i know the realities of which these things are but the shadows2 have met with them in business1 have sat with them at dinner4 ,but to-night no such notions as these intrude2 and when the torrent of fun1 and transformation1 and practical joking which rushed out of the beautiful fairy world gathered up again1 the high-heaped happiness of the theatre will disperse itself1 and the ,christmas pantomime will be a pleasant memory the whole year through4 ,thousands on thousands of people are having their midriffs tickled at this moment2 in fancy ,i see their lighted faces1 in memory ,i see their mirth4 ,by this time ,i should think every ,christmas dinner at ,dreamthorp or elsewhere has come to an end4 ,even now in the great cities the theatres will be dispersing4 ,the clown has wiped the paint off his face4 ,harlequin has laid aside his wand1 and divested himself of his glittering raiment2 ,pantaloon1 after refreshing himself with a pint of porter1 is rubbing his aching joints2 and ,columbine1 wrapped up in a shawl1 and with sleepy eyelids1 has gone home in a cab4 ,soon1 in the great theatre1 the lights will be put out1 and the empty stage will be left to ghosts4 ,hark6 midnight from the church tower vibrates through the frosty air4 ,i look out on the brilliant heaven1 and see a milky way of powdery splendour wandering through it1 and clusters and knots of stars and planets shining serenely in the blue frosty spaces2 and the armed apparition of ,orion1 his spear pointing away into immeasurable space1 gleaming overhead2 and the familiar constellation of the ,plough dipping down into the west2 and ,i think when ,i go in again that there is one ,christmas the less between me and my grave4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,carol ,,phillips ,,brooks ,the earth has grown old with its burden of care1 ,but at ,christmas it always is young1 ,the heart of the jewel burns lustrous and fair1 ,and its soul full of music bursts forth on the air1 ,when the song of the angels is sung4 ,it is coming1 ,old ,earth1 it is coming to-night6 ,on the snowflakes which cover thy sod ,the feet of the ,christ-child fall gentle and white1 ,and the voice of the ,christ-child tells out with delight ,that mankind are the children of ,god4 ,on the sad and the lonely1 the wretched and poor1 ,the voice of the ,christ-child shall fall2 ,and to every blind wanderer open the door ,of hope that he dared not to dream of before1 ,with a sunshine of welcome for all4 ,the feet of the humblest may walk in the field ,where the feet of the ,holiest trod1 ,this1 then1 is the marvel to mortals revealed ,when the silvery trumpets of ,christmas have pealed1 ,that mankind are the children of ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,the ,,play ,,william ,,makepeace ,,thackeray ,the play is done--the curtain drops1 ,slow-falling to the prompter's bell3 ,a moment yet the actor stops1 ,and looks around1 to say farewell4 ,it is an irksome word and task2 ,and1 when he's laughed and said his say1 ,he shows1 as he removes his mask1 ,a face that's anything but gay4 ,one word1 ere yet the evening ends1 ,let's close it with a parting rhyme2 ,and pledge a hand to all young friends1 ,as fits the merry ,christmas time4 ,on life's wide scene you1 too1 have parts ,that fate erelong shall bid you play2 ,good-night6--with honest1 gentle hearts ,a kindly greeting go alway6 ,good-night6--,i'd say the griefs1 the joys1 ,just hinted in this mimic page1 ,the triumphs and defeats of boys1 ,are but repeated in our age4 ,i'd say your woes were not less keen1 ,your hopes more vain than those of men1 ,your pangs or pleasures of fifteen ,at forty-five played o'er again4 ,i'd say we suffer and we strive1 ,not less nor more as men than boys1 ,with grizzled beards at forty-five ,as erst at twelve in corduroys2 ,and if1 in time of sacred youth1 ,we learned at home to love and pray1 ,pray ,heaven that early love and truth ,may never wholly pass away4 ,and in the world as in the school ,i'd say how fate may change and shift1 ,the prize be sometimes to the fool1 ,the race not always to the swift3 ,the strong may yield1 the good may fall1 ,the great man be a vulgar clown1 ,the knave be lifted over all1 ,the kind cast pitilessly down4 ,who knows the inscrutable design8 ,blessed be ,he who took and gave6 ,why should your mother1 ,charles1 not mine1 ,be weeping at her darling's grave8 ,we bow to ,heaven that willed it so1 ,that darkly rules the fate of all1 ,that sends the respite or the blow1 ,that's free to give or to recall4 ,this crowns his feast with wine and wit1-- ,who brought him to that mirth and state8 ,his betters1 see1 below him sit1 ,or hunger hopeless at the gate6 ,who bade the mud from ,dives's wheel ,to spurn the rags of ,lazarus8 ,come1 brother1 in that dust we'll kneel1 ,confessing ,heaven that ruled it thus4 ,so each shall mourn1 in life's advance1 ,dear hopes1 dear friends1 untimely killed2 ,shall grieve for many a forfeit chance1 ,and longing passion unfulfilled4 ,amen6--whatever fate be sent1 ,pray ,god the heart may kindly glow1 ,although the head with cares be bent1 ,and whitened with the winter snow6 ,come wealth or want1 come good or ill1 ,let young and old accept their part1 ,and bow before the awful will1 ,and bear it with an honest heart4 ,who misses or who wins the prize1 ,go1 lose or conquer1 as you can2 ,but if you fail1 or if you rise1 ,be each1 pray ,god1 a gentleman6 ,a gentleman1 or old or young6 7,bear kindly with my humble lays27 ,the sacred chorus first was sung ,upon the first of ,christmas days2 ,the shepherds heard it overhead1-- ,the joyful angels raised it then3 ,glory to ,heaven on high1 it said1 ,and peace on earth to gentle men6 ,my song1 save this1 is little worth2 ,i lay the weary pen aside1 ,and wish you health and love and mirth1 ,as fits the solemn ,christmas-tide4 ,as fits the holy ,christmas birth1 ,be this1 good friends1 our carol still3 ,be peace on earth1 be peace on earth ,to men of gentle will6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christ',s ,,nativity ,,henry ,,vaughan ,awake1 glad heart6 get up and sing6 ,it is the ,birthday of thy ,king4 ,awake6 awake6 ,the sun doth shake ,light from his locks1 and1 all the way ,breathing perfumes1 doth spice the day4 ,awake6 awake6 hark how th' wood rings1 ,winds whisper1 and the busy springs ,a concert make6 ,awake6 awake6 ,man is their high-priest1 and should rise ,to offer up the sacrifice4 ,i would ,i were some bird1 or star1 ,fluttering in woods1 or lifted far ,above this inn1 ,and road of sin6 ,then either star or bird should be ,shining or singing still to thee4 ,i would ,i had in my best part ,fit rooms for thee6 or that my heart ,where so clean as ,thy manger was6 ,but ,i am all filth1 and obscene2 ,yet1 if thou wilt1 thou canst make clean4 ,sweet ,jesu6 will then4 ,let no more ,this leper haunt and soil thy door6 ,cure him1 ease him1 ,o release him6 ,and let once more1 by mystic birth1 ,the ,lord of life be born in earth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,dreams ,,christopher ,,north ,to-morrow is ,merry ,christmas2 and when its night descends there will be mirth and music1 and the light sounds of the merry-twinkling feet within these now so melancholy walls--and sleep now reigning over all the house save this one room1 will be banished far over the sea--and morning will be reluctant to allow her light to break up the innocent orgies4 ,were every ,christmas of which we have been present at the celebration1 painted according to nature--what a ,gallery of ,pictures6 ,true that a sameness would pervade them all--but only that kind of sameness that pervades the nocturnal heavens4 ,one clear night always is1 to common eyes1 just like another2 for what hath any night to show but one moon and some stars--a blue vault1 with here a few braided1 and there a few castellated1 clouds8 yet no two nights ever bore more than a family resemblance to each other before the studious and instructed eye of him who has long communed with ,nature1 and is familiar with every smile and frown on her changeful1 but not capricious1 countenance4 ,even so with the ,annual ,festivals of the heart4 ,then our thoughts are the stars that illumine those skies--and on ourselves it depends whether they shall be black as ,erebus1 or brighter than ,aurora4 ,thoughts6 that like spirits trackless come and go--is a fine line of ,charles ,lloyd's4 ,but no bird skims1 no arrow pierces the air1 without producing some change in the ,universe1 which will last to the day of doom4 ,no coming and going is absolutely trackless2 nor irrecoverable by ,nature's law is any consciousness1 however ghostlike2 though many a one1 even the most blissful1 never does return1 but seems to be buried among the dead4 ,but they are not dead--but only sleep2 though to us who recall them not1 they are as they had never been1 and we1 wretched ingrates1 let them lie for ever in oblivion6 ,how passing sweet when of their own accord they arise to greet us in our solitude6--as a friend who1 having sailed away to a foreign land in our youth1 has been thought to have died many long years ago1 may suddenly stand before us1 with face still familiar and name reviving in a moment1 and all that he once was to us brought from utter forgetfulness close upon our heart4 ,my ,father's ,house6 ,how it is ringing like a grove in spring1 with the din of creatures happier1 a thousand times happier1 than all the birds on earth4 ,it is the ,christmas ,holidays--,christmas ,day itself--,christmas ,night--and ,joy in every bosom intensifies ,love4 ,never before were we brothers and sisters so dear to one another--never before had our hearts so yearned towards the authors of our being--our blissful being6 ,there they sat--silent in all that outcry--composed in all that disarray--still in all that tumult2 yet1 as one or other flying imp sweeps round the chair1 a father's hand will playfully strive to catch a prisoner--a mother's gentler touch on some sylph's disordered symar be felt almost as a reproof1 and for a moment slacken the fairy flight4 ,one old game treads on the heels of another--twenty within the hour--and many a new game never heard of before nor since1 struck out by the collision of kindred spirits in their glee1 the transitory fancies of genius inventive through very delight4 ,then1 all at once1 there is a hush1 profound as ever falls on some little plat within a forest when the moon drops behind the mountain1 and small green-robed ,people of ,peace at once cease their pastime1 and vanish4 ,for she--the ,silver-,tongued--is about to sing an old ballad1 words and air alike hundreds of years old--and sing she doth1 while tears begin to fall1 with a voice too mournfully beautiful long to breathe below--and1 ere another ,christmas shall have come with the falling snows1 doomed to be mute on earth--but to be hymning in ,heaven4 ,of that ,house--to our eyes the fairest of earthly dwellings--with its old ivyed turrets1 and orchard-garden bright alike with fruit and with flowers1 not one stone remains4 ,the very brook that washed its foundations has vanished along with them--and a crowd of other buildings1 wholly without character1 has long stood where here a single tree1 and there a grove1 did once render so lovely that small demesne2 which1 how could we1 who thought it the very heart of ,paradise1 even for one moment have believed was one day to be blotted out of being1 and we ourselves--then so linked in love that the band which bound us altogether was1 in its gentle pressure1 felt not nor understood--to be scattered far and abroad1 like so many leaves that after one wild parting rustle are separated by roaring wind-eddies1 and brought together no more6 ,the old ,abbey--it still survives2 and there1 in that corner of the burial-ground1 below that part of the wall which was last in ruins1 and which we often climbed to reach the flowers and nests--there1 in hopes of a joyful resurrection1 lie the ,loved and ,venerated--for whom1 even now that so many grief-deadening years have fled1 we feel1 in this holy hour1 as if it were impiety so utterly to have ceased to weep--so seldom to have remembered6--,and then1 with a powerlessness of sympathy to keep pace with youth's frantic grief1 the floods we all wept together--at no long interval--on those pale and placid faces as they lay1 most beautiful and most dreadful to behold1 in their coffins4 ,we believe that there is genius in all childhood4 ,but the creative joy that makes it great in its simplicity dies a natural death or is killed1 and genius dies with it4 ,in favored spirits1 neither few nor many1 the joy and the might survive2 for you must know that unless it be accompanied with imagination1 memory is cold and lifeless4 ,the forms it brings before us must be inspired with beauty--that is1 with affection or passion4 ,all minds1 even the dullest1 remember the days of their youth2 but all cannot bring back the indescribable brightness of that blessed season4 ,they who would know what they once were1 must not merely recollect but they must imagine1 the hills and valleys--if any such there were--in which their childhood played1 the torrents1 the waterfalls1 the lakes1 the heather1 the rocks1 the heaven's imperial dome1 the raven floating only a little lower than the eagle in the sky4 ,to imagine what he then heard and saw1 he must imagine his own nature4 ,he must collect from many vanished hours the power of his untamed heart1 and he must1 perhaps1 transfuse also something of his maturer mind into these dreams of his former being1 thus linking the past with the present by a continuous chain1 which1 though often invisible1 is never broken4 ,so is it too with the calmer affections that have grown within the shelter of a roof4 ,we do not merely remember1 we imagine our father's house1 the fireside1 all his features then most living1 now dead and buried2 the very manner of his smile1 every tone of his voice4 ,we must combine with all the passionate and plastic power of imagination the spirit of a thousand happy hours into one moment2 and we must invest with all that we ever felt to be venerable such an image as alone can satisfy our filial hearts4 ,it is thus that imagination1 which first aided the growth of all our holiest and happiest affections1 can preserve them to us unimpaired-- ,for she can give us back the dead1 ,even in the loveliest looks they wore4 ,then came a ,new ,series of ,christmases1 celebrated1 one year in this family1 another year in that--none present but those whom ,charles ,lamb the ,delightful calleth the old familiar faces2 something in all features1 and all tones of voice1 and all manners1 betokening origin from one root--relations all1 happy1 and with no reason either to be ashamed or proud of their neither high nor humble birth1 their lot being cast within that pleasant realm1 the ,golden ,mean1 where the dwellings are connecting links between the hut and the hall--fair edifices resembling manse or mansion-house1 according as the atmosphere expands or contracts their dimensions--in which ,competence is next-door neighbor to ,wealth1 and both of them within the daily walk of ,contentment4 ,merry ,christmases they were indeed--one ,lady always presiding1 with a figure that once had been the stateliest among the stately1 but then somewhat bent1 without being bowed down1 beneath an easy weight of most venerable years4 ,sweet was her tremulous voice to all her grandchildren's ears4 ,nor did these solemn eyes1 bedimmed into a pathetic beauty1 in any degree restrain the glee that sparkled in orbs that had as yet shed not many tears1 but tears of joy or pity4 ,dearly she loved all those mortal creatures whom she was soon about to leave2 but she sat in sunshine even within the shadow of death2 and the voice that called her home had so long been whispering in her ear1 that its accents had become dear to her1 and consolatory every word that was heard in the silence1 as from another world4 ,whether we were indeed all so witty as we thought ourselves--uncles1 aunts1 brothers1 sisters1 nephews1 nieces1 cousins1 and the rest1 it might be presumptuous in us1 who were considered by ourselves and a few others not the least amusing of the whole set1 at this distance of time to decide--especially in the affirmative2 but how the roof did ring with sally1 pun1 retort1 and repartee6 ,ay1 with pun--a species of impertinence for which we have therefore a kindness even to this day4 ,had incomparable ,thomas ,hood had the good fortune to have been born a cousin of ours1 how with that fine fancy of his would he have shone at those ,christmas festivals1 eclipsing us all6 ,our family1 through all its different branches1 has ever been famous for bad voices1 but good ears2 and we think we hear ourselves--all those uncles and aunts1 nephews and nieces1 and cousins--singing now6 ,easy it is to warble melody as to breathe air4 ,but we hope harmony is the most difficult of all things to people in general1 for to us it was impossible2 and what attempts ours used to be at ,seconds6 ,yet the most woful failures were rapturously encored2 and ere the night was done we spoke with most extraordinary voices indeed1 every one hoarser than another1 till at last1 walking home with a fair cousin1 there was nothing left it but a tender glance of the eye--a tender pressure of the hand--for cousins are not altogether sisters1 and although partaking of that dearest character1 possess1 it may be1 some peculiar and appropriate charms of their own2 as didst thou1 ,emily the ,wild-cap6--,that soubriquet all forgotten now--for now thou art a matron1 nay a ,grandam1 and troubled with an elf fair and frolicsome as thou thyself wert of yore1 when the gravest and wisest withstood not the witchery of thy dancings1 thy singings1 and thy showering smiles4 ,on rolled ,suns and ,seasons--the old died--the elderly became old--and the young1 one after another1 were wafted joyously away on the wings of hope1 like birds almost as soon as they can fly1 ungratefully forsaking their nests and the groves in whose safe shadow they first essayed their pinions2 or like pinnaces that1 after having for a few days trimmed their snow-white sails in the land-locked bay1 close to whose shores of silvery sand had grown the trees that furnished timber both for hull and mast1 slip their tiny cables on some summer day1 and gathering every breeze that blows1 go dancing over the waves in sunshine1 and melt far off into the main4 ,or1 haply1 some were like fair young trees1 transplanted during no favorable season1 and never to take root in another soil1 but soon leaf and branch to wither beneath the tropic sun1 and die almost unheeded by those who knew not how beautiful they had been beneath the dews and mists of their own native climate4 ,vain images6 and therefore chosen by fancy not too plainly to touch the heart4 ,for some hearts grew cold and forbidding with selfish cares--some1 warm as ever in their own generous glow1 were touched by the chill of ,fortune's frowns1 ever worst to bear when suddenly succeeding her smiles--some1 to rid themselves of painful regrets1 took refuge in forgetfulness1 and closed their eyes to the past--duty banished some abroad1 and duty imprisoned others at home--estrangements there were1 at first unconscious and unintended1 yet erelong1 though causeless1 complete--changes were wrought insensibly1 invisibly1 even in the innermost nature of those who being friends knew no guile1 yet came thereby at last to be friends no more--unrequited love broke some bonds--requited love relaxed others--the death of one altered the conditions of many--and so--year after year--the ,christmas ,meeting was interrupted--deferred--till finally it ceased with one accord1 unrenewed and unrenewable4 ,for when ,some ,things cease for a time--that time turns out to be forever4 ,survivors of those happy circles6 wherever ye be--should these imperfect remembrances of days of old chance1 in some thoughtful pause of life's busy turmoil1 for a moment to meet your eyes1 let there be towards the inditer a few throbs of revived affection in your hearts--for his1 though absent long and distant far1 has never been utterly forgetful of the loves and friendships that charmed his youth4 ,to be parted in body is not to be estranged in spirit--and many a dream and many a vision1 sacred to nature's best affections1 may pass before the mind of one whose lips are silent4 ,out of sight out of mind is rather the expression of a doubt--of a fear--than a belief or a conviction4 ,the soul surely has eyes that can see the objects it loves1 through all intervening darkness--and of those more especially dear it keeps within itself almost undimmed images1 on which1 when they know it not1 think it not1 believe it not1 it often loves to gaze1 as on relics imperishable as they are hallowed4 ,all hail6 rising beautiful and magnificent through the mists of morning--ye ,woods1 ,groves1 ,towers1 and ,temples1 overshadowing that famous ,stream beloved by all the ,muses6 ,through this midnight hush--methinks we hear faint and far-off sacred music-- ,where through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault1 ,the pealing anthem swells the note of praise6 ,how steeped now in the stillness of moonlight are all those pale1 pillared ,churches1 ,courts and ,cloisters1 ,shrines and ,altars1 with here and there a ,statue standing in the shade1 or ,monument sacred to the memory of the pious--the immortal dead4 ,some great clock is striking from one of many domes--from the majestic ,tower of ,st4 ,mary ,magdalen--and in the deepened hush that follows the solemn sound1 the mingling waters of the ,cherwell and the ,isis soften the severe silence of the holy night4 ,remote from kindred1 and from all the friendships that were the native growth of the fair fields where our boyhood and our youth had roamed and meditated and dreamed1 those were indeed years of high and lofty mood which held us in converse with the shades of great ,poets and ages of old in ,rhedicyna's hallowed groves1 still1 serene1 and solemn1 as that ,attic ,academe where divine ,plato1 with all ,hybla on his lips1 discoursed such excellent music that his life seemed to the imagination spiritualized--a dim reminiscence of some former state of being4 ,how sank then the ,christmas ,service of that beautiful ,liturgy into our hearts6 ,not faithless we to the simple worship that our forefathers had loved2 but ,conscience told us there was no apostasy in the feelings that rose within us when that deep organ began to blow1 that choir of youthful voices so sweetly to join the diapason1--our eyes fixed all the while on that divine ,picture over the ,altar1 of our ,saviour ,bearing his cross up rueful ,calvary4 ,the ,city of ,palaces disappears--and in the setting sunlight we behold mountains of soft crimson snow6 ,the sun hath set1 and even more beautiful are the bright-starred nights of winter1 than summer in all its glories beneath the broad moons of ,june4 ,through the woods of ,windermere1 from cottage to cottage1 by coppice-pathways winding up to dwellings among the hill-rocks where the birch-trees cease to grow-- ,nodding their heads1 before us go1 ,the merry minstrelsy4 ,they sing a salutation at every door1 familiarly naming old and young by their ,christian names2 and the eyes that look upward from the vales to the hanging huts among the plats and cliffs1 see the shadows of the dancers ever and anon crossing the light of the star-like window1 and the merry music is heard like an echo dwelling in the sky4 ,across those humble thresholds often did we on ,christmas-week nights of yore--wandering through our solitary silvan haunts1 under the branches of trees within whose hollow trunks the squirrel slept--venture in1 unasked perhaps1 but not unwelcome1 and1 in the kindly spirit of the season1 did our best to merrify the ,festival by tale or song4 ,and now that we behold them not1 are all those woods1 and cliffs1 and rivers1 and tarns1 and lakes1 as beautiful as when they softened and brightened beneath our living eyes1 half-creating1 as they gazed1 the very world they worshipped6 ,and are all those hearths as bright as of yore1 without the shadow of our figure6 ,and the roofs1 do they ring as mirthfully1 though our voice be forgotten4 ,we hang over ,westmoreland1 an unobserved--but observant star4 ,mountains1 hills1 rocks1 knolls1 vales1 woods1 groves1 single trees1 dwelling--all asleep6 ,o ,lakes6 but we are indeed1 by far too beautiful6 ,o fortunate ,isles6 too fair for human habitation1 fit abode for the ,blest6 ,it will not hide itself--it will not sink into the earth--it will rise2 and risen1 it will stand steady with its shadow in the overpowering moonlight1 that ,,one ,,tree6 that ,,one ,,house6--and well might the sight of ye two together--were it harder--break our heart4 ,but hard at all it is not--therefore it is but crushed4 ,can it be that there we are utterly forgotten6 ,no star hanging higher than the ,andes in heaven--but sole-sitting at midnight in a small chamber--a melancholy man are we--and there seems a smile of consolation1 ,o ,wordsworth6 on thy sacred ,bust4 ,alas6 how many heavenly days1 seeming immortal in their depth of rest1 have died and been forgotten6 ,treacherous and ungrateful is our memory even of bliss that overflowed our being as light our habitation4 ,our spirit's deepest intercommunion with nature has no place in her records--blanks are there that ought to have been painted with imperishable imagery1 and steeped in sentiment fresh as the morning on life's golden hills4 ,yet there is mercy in this dispensation--for who can bear to behold the light of bliss re-arising from the past on the ghastlier gloom of present misery8 ,the phantoms that will not come when we call on them to comfort us1 are too often at our side when in our anguish we could almost pray that they might be reburied in oblivion4 ,such hauntings as these are not as if they were visionary--they come and go like forms and shapes still imbued with life4 ,shall we vainly stretch out our arms to embrace and hold them fast1 or as vainly seek to intrench ourselves by thought of this world against their visitation8 ,the soul in its sickness knows not whether it be the duty of love to resign itself to indifference or to despair4 ,shall it enjoy life1 they being dead8 ,shall we1 the survivors1 for yet a little while1 walk in other companionship out into the day1 and let the sunbeams settle on their heads as they used to do1 or cover them with dust and ashes1 and show to those in heaven that love for them is now best expressed by remorse and penitence8 ,sometimes we have fears about our memory--that it is decaying2 for1 lately1 many ordinary yet interesting occurrences and events1 which we regarded at the time with pain or pleasure1 have been slipping away almost into oblivion1 and have often alarmed us of a sudden by their return1 not to any act of recollection1 but of themselves1 sometimes wretchedly out of place and season1 the mournful obtruding upon the merry1 and worse1 the merry upon the mournful--confusion1 by no fault of ours1 of piteous and gladsome faces--tears where smiles were a duty as well as a delight1 and smiles where nature demanded1 and religion hallowed1 a sacrifice of tears4 ,for a good many years we have been tied to town in winter by fetters as fine as frost-work filigree1 which we could not break without destroying a whole world of endearment4 ,that seems an obscure image2 but it means what the ,germans would call in ,english--our winter environment4 ,we are imprisoned in a net2 yet we can see it when we choose--just as a bird can see1 when he chooses1 the wires of his cage1 that are invisible in his happiness1 as he keeps hopping and fluttering about all day long1 or haply dreaming on his perch with his poll under his plumes--as free in confinement as if let loose into the boundless sky4 ,that seems an obscure image too2 but we mean1 in truth1 the prison unto which we doom ourselves no prison is2 and we have improved on that idea1 for we have built our own--and are prisoner1 turnkey1 and jailer all in one1 and 'tis noiseless as the house of sleep4 ,or what if we declare that ,christopher ,north is a king in his palace1 with no subjects but his own thoughts--his rule peaceful over those lights and shadows--and undisputed to reign over them his right divine4 ,the opening year in a town1 now answers in all things to our heart's desire4 ,how beautiful the smoky air6 ,the clouds have a homely look as they hang over the happy families of houses1 and seem as if they loved their birthplace2--all unlike those heartless clouds that keep stravaiging over mountain-tops1 and have no domicile in the sky6 ,poets speak of living rocks1 but what is their life to that of houses8 ,who ever saw a rock with eyes--that is1 with windows8 ,stone-blind all1 and stone-deaf1 and with hearts of stone2 whereas who ever saw a house without eyes--that is1 windows8 ,our own is an ,argus2 yet the good old ,conservative grudges not the assessed taxes--his optics are as cheerful as the day that lends them light1 and they love to salute the setting sun1 as if a hundred beacons1 level above level1 were kindled along a mountain side4 ,he might safely be pronounced a madman who preferred an avenue of trees to a street4 ,why1 trees have no chimneys2 and1 were you to kindle a fire in the hollow of an oak1 you would soon be as dead as a ,druid4 ,it won't do to talk to us of sap1 and the circulation of sap4 ,a grove in winter1 hole and branch--leaves it has none--is as dry as a volume of sermons4 ,but a street1 or a square1 is full of vital sparks of heavenly flame as a volume of poetry1 and the heart's blood circulates through the system like rosy wine4 ,but a truce to comparisons2 for we are beginning to feel contrition for our crime against the country1 and1 with humbled head and heart1 we beseech you to pardon us--ye rocks of ,pavey-,ark1 the pillared palaces of the storms--ye clouds1 now wreathing a diadem for the forehead of ,helvellyn--ye trees1 that hang the shadows of your undying beauty over the one perfect chrysolite1 of blessed ,windermere6 ,our meaning is transparent now as the hand of an apparition waving peace and good-will to all dwellers in the land of dreams4 ,in plainer but not simpler words 7for words are like flowers1 often rich in their simplicity--witness the ,lily1 and ,solomon's ,song7--,christian people all1 we wish you a ,merry ,christmas and ,happy ,new-,year1 in town or in country--or in ships at sea4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,keeping ,,christmas ,romans1 xiv1 #f3 ,he that regardeth the day1 regardeth it unto the ,lord1 ,,henry ,,van ,,dyke ,from ,the ,spirit of ,christmas4 ,it is a good thing to observe ,christmas day4 ,the mere marking of times and seasons1 when men agree to stop work and make merry together1 is a wise and wholesome custom4 ,it helps one to feel the supremacy of the common life over the individual life4 ,it reminds a man to set his own little watch1 now and then1 by the great clock of humanity which runs on sun time4 ,but there is a better thing than the observance of ,christmas day1 and that is1 keeping ,christmas4 ,are you willing to forget what you have done for other people1 and to remember what other people have done for you2 to ignore what the world owes you1 and to think what you owe the world2 to put your rights in the background1 and your duties in the middle distance1 and your chances to do a little more than your duty in the foreground2 to see that your fellowmen are just as real as you are1 and try to look behind their faces to their hearts1 hungry for joy2 to own that probably the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life1 but what you are going to give to life2 to close your book of complaints against the management of the universe1 and look around you for a place where you can sow a few seeds of happiness--are you willing to do these things even for a day8 ,then you can keep ,christmas4 ,are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and the desires of little children2 to remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old2 to stop asking how much your friends love you1 and ask yourself whether you love them enough2 to bear in mind the things that other people have to bear in their hearts2 to try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want1 without waiting for them to tell you2 to trim your lamp so that it will give more light and less smoke1 and to carry it in front so that your shadow will fall behind you2 to make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings1 with the gate open--are you willing to do these things even for a day8 ,then you can keep ,christmas4 ,are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world--stronger than hate1 stronger than evil1 stronger than death--and that the blessed life which began in ,bethlehem nineteen hundred years ago is the image and brightness of the ,eternal ,love8 ,then you can keep ,christmas4 ,and if you keep it for a day1 why not always8 ,but you can never keep it alone4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mark ,,well ,,my ,,heavy ,,doleful ,,tale ,,anonymous ,mark well my heavy doleful tale1 ,for ,twelfth-day now is come1 ,and now ,i must no longer sing1 ,and say no words but mum2 ,for ,i perforce must take my leave ,of all my dainty cheer1 ,plum-porridge1 roast beef1 and minced pies1 ,my strong ale and my beer4 ,kind-hearted ,christmas1 now adieu1 ,for ,i with thee must part1 ,and for to take my leave of thee ,doth grieve me at the heart2 ,thou wert an ancient housekeeper1 ,and mirth with meat didst keep1 ,but thou art going out of town1 ,which makes me for to weep4 ,god knoweth whether ,i again ,thy merry face shall see1 ,which to good-fellows and the poor ,that was so frank and free4 ,thou lovedst pastime with thy heart1 ,and eke good company2 ,pray hold me up for fear ,i swoon1 ,for ,i am like to die4 ,come1 butler1 fill a brimmer up ,to cheer my fainting heart1 ,that to old ,christmas ,i may drink ,before he doth depart2 ,and let each one that's in this room ,with me likewise condole1 ,and for to cheer their spirits sad ,let each one drink a bowl4 ,and when the same it hath gone round ,then fall unto your cheer1 ,for you do know that ,christmas time ,it comes but once a year4 ,but this good draught which ,i have drunk ,hath comforted my heart1 ,for ,i was very fearful that ,my stomach would depart4 ,thanks to my master and my dame ,that doth such cheer afford2 ,god bless them1 that each ,christmas they ,may furnish thus their board4 ,my stomach having come to me1 ,i mean to have a bout1 ,intending to eat most heartily2 ,good friends1 ,i do not flout4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,christina ,g4 ,,rossetti ,in the bleak mid-winter ,frosty wind made moan1 ,earth stood hard as iron1 ,water like a stone2 ,snow had fallen1 snow on snow1 ,snow on snow1 ,in the bleak mid-winter ,long ago4 ,our ,god1 ,heaven cannot hold him ,nor earth sustain2 ,heaven and earth shall flee away1 ,when he comes to reign4 ,in the bleak mid-winter ,a stable-place sufficed ,the ,lord ,god ,almighty1 ,jesus ,christ4 ,angels and archangels ,may have gathered there2 ,cherubim and seraphim ,thronged the air4 ,but only ,his ,mother1 ,in her maiden bliss1 ,worshipped her ,beloved ,with a kiss4 ,what can ,i give ,him1 ,poor as ,i am8 ,if ,i were a shepherd ,i would bring a lamb2 ,if ,i were a wise man1 ,i would do my part1-- ,yet what ,i can ,i give ,him1 ,give my heart4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,glorious ,,song ,,of ,,old ,,edmund ,h4 ,,sears ,it came upon the midnight clear1 ,that glorious song of old1 ,from angels bending near the earth ,to touch their harps of gold1 ,peace on the earth1 good-will to men1 ,from heaven's all-gracious ,king-- ,the world in solemn stillness lay ,to hear the angels sing4 ,still through the cloven skies they come ,with peaceful wings unfurled1 ,and still their heavenly music floats ,o'er all the weary world2 ,above its sad and lowly plains ,they bend on hovering wing1 ,and ever o'er its ,babel-sounds ,the blessed angels sing4 ,but with the woes of sin and strife ,the world has suffered long2 ,beneath the angel-strain have rolled ,two thousand years of wrong4 ,and man at war with man hears not ,the love-song which they bring2 ,oh1 hush the noise1 ye men of strife1 ,and hear the angels sing6 ,and ye beneath life's crushing load1 ,whose forms are bending low1 ,who toil along the climbing way ,with painful steps and slow1 ,look now6 for glad and golden hours ,come swiftly on the wing3-- ,oh1 rest beside the weary road ,and hear the angels sing6 ,for lo6 the days the hastening on ,by prophet-bards foretold1 ,when with the ever-circling years ,comes round the age of gold2 ,when peace shall over all the earth ,its ancient splendors fling1 ,and the whole world give back the song ,which now the angels sing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,for ,,children ,,martin ,,luther ,good news from heaven the angels bring1 ,glad tidings to the earth they sing3 ,to us this day a child is given1 ,to crown us with the joy of heaven4 ,this is the ,christ1 our ,god and ,lord1 ,who in all need shall aid afford3 ,he will ,himself our ,saviour be1 ,from sin and sorrow set us free4 ,to us that blessedness ,he brings1 ,which from the ,father's bounty springs3 ,that in the heavenly realm we may ,with ,him enjoy eternal day4 ,all hail1 ,thou noble ,guest1 this morn1 ,whose love did not the sinner scorn6 ,in my distress ,thou cam'st to me3 ,what thanks shall ,i return to ,thee8 ,were earth a thousand times as fair1 ,beset with gold and jewels rare1 ,she yet were far too poor to be ,a narrow cradle1 ,lord1 for ,thee4 ,ah1 dearest ,jesus1 ,holy ,child6 ,make ,thee a bed1 soft1 undefiled1 ,within my heart1 that it may be ,a quiet chamber kept for ,thee4 ,praise ,god upon ,his heavenly throne1 ,who gave to us ,his only ,son3 ,for this ,his hosts1 on joyful wing1 ,a blest ,new ,year of mercy sing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,on ,,santa ,,claus ,,george ,a4 ,,baker1 ,,jr4 ,brave old times those were4 ,in the first half of the seventeenth century1 we mean2 before there was any such place as ,new ,york and ,manhattan ,island was occupied mostly by woods1 and had a funny little ,dutch town1 known as ,new ,amsterdam1 sprouting out of the southern end of it4 ,those were the days of solid comfort1 of mighty pipes1 and unctuous doughnuts4 ,winter had not yet been so much affected by artificiality as he is now-a-days1 and was contented to be what he is1 not trying to pass himself off for ,spring2 and ,christmas--well1 it was ,christmas4 ,do you know why8 ,because in those times ,santa ,claus used to live in a great old house in the midst of an evergreen forest1 just back of the ,hudson1 and about half-way between ,new ,amsterdam and ,albany4 ,a house built out of funny little ,dutch bricks1 with gables whose sides looked like stair-cases1 and a roof of red tiles with more weathercocks and chimneys sticking out of it than you could count4 ,phew1 how cold it was there6 ,the wind roared and shouted around the house1 and the snow fell steadily half the year1 so that the summers never melted it away till winter came again4 ,and ,santa ,claus thought that was the greatest pleasure in life3 for he loved to have enormous fires in the great fire-places1 and the colder it was1 the bigger fires he would have1 and the louder the winds roared around his chimney4 ,there he sat and worked away all the year round1 making dolls1 and soldiers1 and ,noah's arks1 and witches1 and every other sort of toy you can think of4 ,when ,christmas ,eve came he'd harness up his reindeers1 ,dasher1 and ,prancer1 and ,vixen1 and the rest of them1 and wrap himself up in furs1 and light his big pipe1 and cram his sled full of the doll-babies and ,noah's arks1 and all the other toys he'd been making1 and off he'd go with a great shout and tremendous ringing of sleigh-bells4 ,before morning he'd be up and down every chimney in ,new ,amsterdam1 filling the stout grey yarn stockings with toys1 and apples1 and ginger-bread1 laughing and chuckling so all the while1 that the laughs and chuckles didn't get out of the air for a week afterwards4 ,but the old house has gone to ruin1 and ,santa ,claus doesn't live there any longer4 ,you see he married about forty years ago2 his wife was a ,grundy1 daughter of old ,mrs4 ,grundy1 of ,fifth ,avenue1 of whom you've all heard4 ,she married him for his money1 and couldn't put up with his plain way of living and his careless jollity4 ,he is such an easy-going1 good natured old soul1 that she manages him without any trouble4 ,so the first thing she did was to make him change his name to ,st4 ,nicholas2 then she made him give up his old house1 and move into town2 then she sent away the reindeers1 for she didn't know what ,ma would say to such an outlandish turn-out2 then she threw away his pipe because it was vulgar1 and the first ,christmas ,eve that he went off and stayed out all night she had hysterics1 and declared she'd go home to her ,ma1 and get a divorce if he ever did such a thing again4 ,she'd have put a stop to his giving away toys every year1 too1 only she thought it looked well1 and as it was1 she wouldn't let him make them himself any more1 but compelled him to spend enormous sums in bringing them from ,paris1 and ,vienna1 and ,nuremberg4 ,so now ,santa ,claus is ,st4 ,nicholas1 and lives in a brown stone house on ,fifth ,avenue1 a great deal handsomer than he can afford1 and keeps a carriage1 not because he wants it1 but because ,mrs4 ,shoddy1 next door1 keeps one2 and loves1 not to be jolly himself and to make everybody else so1 but to please his wife's mother4 ,he has to give an awful pull1 what with his wife's extravagance1 and the high prices of ,parisian and ,viennese toys1 to make both ends meet1 although he does speculate in stocks1 and is very lucky4 ,instead of looking forward to ,christmas with pleasure1 and thinking what a good time he will have1 he pulls out his ledger1 and groans1 and wonders how on earth he's going to make his presents this year1 and thinks he would stop giving them entirely1 only he's so mortally afraid of his mother-in-law1 and he knows what she'd say if he did4 ,so he borrows money wherever he can1 and sends over to ,paris for fans1 and opera-glasses1 and bon-bon boxes1 and jewelry1 and when they come he sits down in his parlor and lets his wife tell him just what to do with them4 ,so she takes out her list and runs over the names2 she has all the rich people down1 for she is a religious woman1 and the ,bible says unto him that hath1 it shall be given4 ,this is the way she talks3 ,the little ,croesuses must have some very elegant things1 of course2 their mother's a horrid old cat1 but ,croesus could help you very much in business4 ,and there are the ,centlivres2 we must pick out something magnificent for them2 they give a party ,christmas night3 of course the presents will be on exhibition1 and ,i shall sink with shame if any one else's are handsomer than ours4 ,so she goes on1 until all the rich people are disposed of4 ,then ,santa ,claus asks3 ,how about the ,brinkers1 my dear8 ,the ,brinkers are great favorites of his4 ,good gracious1 dearest6 ,how often have ,i told you1 you mustn't manifest such an interest in those ,brinkers8 ,what would ,ma say if she knew you associated with such common people6 ,but1 ,i'm ,dutch myself1 pet4 ,of course you are1 darling1 but there's no need of letting every one know it6 ,st4 ,nicholas hardly dares to do it1 but he finally suggests very meekly3 ,the poor children1 my darling4 ,bother the poor children1 my dear6 ,they're a most affectionate couple1 you know4 ,then ,st4 ,nicholas sighs and sighs1 and sends for his messengers1 and they all come in with long faces1 and take off big packages to the ,croesuses and the ,centlivres1 and the rest of them4 ,the messengers do their work entirely as a matter of business1 so there isn't a sign of a laugh1 nor a symptom of a chuckle in the air next day4 ,the little ,croesuses first cry1 because they haven't received more1 and then fight over what they have2 then they eat too much ,french candy1 and get sick and cross1 and the whole house is filled with their noise4 ,so mamma has a headache2 and papa longs for his office1 and misses the tick-tick of the stock telegraph1 and thinks what a confounded nuisance holidays are4 ,that is what ,christmas is like in good society4 ,but ,i must tell you a secret4 ,away up in the fourth-story of his grand house1 where his wife never goes1 ,st4 ,nicholas has a little workshop1 and there he sits whenever he gets a chance1 making the most wonderful dolls1 and gorgeous soldiers1 and miraculous jumping-jacks1 and tin horns--such quantities of tin horns6 ,some one ought to speak to him about those tin horns4 ,but after all they please the poor children1 so we suppose it's all right4 ,now do you know what he does with these things8 ,on ,christmas ,eve he gets his old sled down from the stable away up by the ,north ,pole1 and as soon as his wife is fast asleep1 he puts on his old furs and gets out from under his shirts in his bureau drawer a ,dutch pipe1 three times as big as the one his wife threw away1 and off he goes4 ,he tumbles down all the poor people's chimneys1 and fills up the stockings to overflowing1 and plants gorgeous ,christmas trees in all the ,mission schools4 ,he has a glorious good time1 and laughs and chuckles tremendously1 except when1 once in a while1 he thinks of what would happen if his wife found him out4 ,so there's a little fun going on after all4 ,do you know1 if it were not for this performance of his1 we should wish with all our heart that ,st4 ,nicholas were dead and buried4 ,but we must say1 we wish his wife would die1 and that all the ,grundy family would follow her good example1 for between them they've spoiled a good many jolly people besides ,st4 ,nicholas4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,josiah ,,gilbert ,,holland ,there's a song in the air6 ,there's a star in the sky6 ,there's a mother's deep prayer ,and a baby's low cry6 ,and the star rains its fire while the ,beautiful sing1 ,for the manger of ,bethlehem cradles a king4 ,there's a tumult of joy ,o'er the wonderful birth1 ,for the virgin's sweet boy ,is the ,lord of the earth1 ,ay6 the star rains its fire and the ,beautiful sing1 ,for the manger of ,bethlehem cradles a king4 ,in the light of that star ,lie the ages impearled2 ,and that song from afar ,has swept over the world4 ,every hearth is aflame1 and the ,beautiful sing ,in the homes of the nations that ,jesus is ,king4 ,we rejoice in the light1 ,and we echo the song ,that comes down through the night ,from the heavenly throng4 ,ay6 we shout to the lovely evangel they bring1 ,and we greet in his cradle our ,saviour and ,king6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,an ,,offertory ,,mary ,,mapes ,,dodge ,oh1 the beauty of the ,christ ,child1 ,the gentleness1 the grace1 ,the smiling1 loving tenderness1 ,the infantile embrace6 ,all babyhood he holdeth1 ,all motherhood enfoldeth-- ,yet who hath seen his face8 ,oh1 the nearness of the ,christ ,child1 ,when1 for a sacred space1 ,he nestles in our very homes-- ,light of the human race6 ,we know him and we love him1 ,no man to us need prove him-- ,yet who hath seen his face8 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,song ,,lydia ,a4,c4 ,,ward ,why do bells for ,christmas ring8 ,why do little children sing8 ,once a lovely1 shining star1 ,seen by shepherds from afar1 ,gently moved until its light ,made a manger-cradle bright4 ,there a darling baby lay ,pillowed soft upon the hay4 ,and his mother sang and smiled1 ,this is ,christ1 the holy child4 ,so the bells for ,christmas ring1 ,so the little children sing4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,carol ,,christian ,,burke ,the trees are hung with crystal lamps1 the world lies still and white1 ,and the myriad little twinkling stars are sharp with keener light2 ,the moon sails up the frost-clear sky and silvers all the snow1 ,as she did1 perchance1 that ,christmas night1 two thousand years ago6 ,good people1 are you waking8 ,give us food and give us wine1 ,for the sake of blessed ,mary ,and her ,infant ,son ,divine1 ,who was born the world's ,redeemer-- ,a ,saviour--yours and mine6 ,long ago angelic harpers sang the song we sing to-day1 ,and the drowsy folk of ,bethlehem may have listened as they lay6 ,but eager shepherds left their flocks1 and o'er the desert wild ,the kingly sages journeyed to adore the ,holy ,child6 ,has any man a quarrel8 ,has another used you ill8 ,the friendly word you meant to say1 ,is that unspoken still8-- ,then1 remember1 'twas the ,angels ,brought glad tidings of good will6 ,of all the gifts of ,christmas1 are you fain to win the best8 ,lo6 the ,christ-child still is waiting ,himself to be your guest2 ,no lot so high or lowly but ,he will take ,his part1 ,if you do but bid ,him welcome to a clean and tender heart4 ,are you sleeping1 are you waking8 ,to the ,manger haste away1 ,and you shall see a wond'rous sight ,amid the straw and hay4-- ',tis ,love ,himself ,incarnate ,as on this ,christmas ,day6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,simple ,,bill ,,of ,,fare ,,for ,a ,,christmas ,,dinner ,h4,h4 ,all good recipe-books give bills of fare for different occasions1 bills of fare for grand dinners1 bills of fare for little dinners2 dinners to cost so much per head2 dinners which can be easily prepared with one servant1 and so on4 ,they give bills of fare for one week2 bills of fare for each day in a month1 to avoid too great monotony in diet4 ,there are bills of fare for dyspeptics2 bills of fare for consumptives2 bills of fare for fat people1 and bills of fare for thin2 and bills of fare for hospitals1 asylums1 and prisons1 as well as for gentlemen's houses4 ,but among them all1 we never saw the one which we give below4 ,it has never been printed in any book2 but it has been used in families4 ,we are not drawing on our imagination for its items4 ,we have sat at such dinners2 we have helped prepare such dinners2 we believe in such dinners2 they are within everybody's means4 ,in fact1 the most marvellous thing about this bill of fare is that the dinner does not cost a cent4 ,ho6 all ye that are hungry and thirsty1 and would like so cheap a ,christmas dinner1 listen to this3 ,,bill ,,of ,,fare ,,for ,a ,,christmas ,,dinner ,first ,course--,gladness4 ,this must be served hot4 ,no two housekeepers make it alike2 no fixed rule can be given for it4 ,it depends1 like so many of the best things1 chiefly on memory2 but1 strangely enough1 it depends quite as much on proper forgetting as on proper remembering4 ,worries must be forgotten4 ,troubles must be forgotten4 ,yes1 even sorrow itself must be denied and shut out4 ,perhaps this is not quite possible4 ,ah6 we all have seen ,christmas days on which sorrow would not leave our hearts nor our houses4 ,but even sorrow can be compelled to look away from its sorrowing for a festival hour which is so solemnly joyous at ,christ's ,birthday4 ,memory can be filled full of other things to be remembered4 ,no soul is entirely destitute of blessings1 absolutely without comfort4 ,perhaps we have but one4 ,very well2 we can think steadily of that one1 if we try4 ,but the probability is that we have more than we can count4 ,no man has yet numbered the blessings1 the mercies1 the joys of ,god4 ,we are all richer than we think2 and if we once set ourselves to reckoning up the things of which we are glad1 we shall be astonished at their number4 ,gladness1 then1 is the first item1 the first course on our bill of fare for a ,christmas dinner4 ,entrees4--,love garnished with ,smiles4 ,,gentleness1 with sweet-wine sauce of ,laughter4 ,,gracious ,,speech1 cooked with any fine1 savory herbs1 such as ,frollery1 which is always in season1 or ,pleasant ,reminiscence1 which no one need be without1 as it keeps for years1 sealed or unsealed4 ,second ,course--,,hospitality4 ,the precise form of this also depends on individual preferences4 ,we are not undertaking here to give exact recipes1 only a bill of fare4 ,in some houses ,hospitality is brought on surrounded with ,relatives4 ,this is very well4 ,in others1 it is dished up with ,dignitaries of all sorts2 men and women of position and estate for whom the host has special likings or uses4 ,this gives a fine effect to the eye1 but cools quickly1 and is not in the long-run satisfying4 ,in a third class1 best of all1 it is served in simple shapes1 but with a great variety of ,unfortunate ,persons1--such as lonely people from lodging-houses1 poor people of all grades1 widows and childless in their affliction4 ,this is the kind most preferred2 in fact1 never abandoned by those who have tried it4 ,for ,dessert4--,,mirth1 in glasses4 ,,gratitude and ,,faith beaten together and piled up in snowy shapes4 ,these will look light if run over night in the moulds of ,solid ,trust and ,patience4 ,a dish of the bonbons ,good ,cheer and ,kindliness with every-day mottoes2 ,knots and ,reasons in shape of ,puzzles and ,answers2 the whole ornamented with ,apples of ,gold in ,pictures of ,silver1 of the kind mentioned in the ,book of ,proverbs4 ,this is a short and simple bill of fare4 ,there is not a costly thing in it2 not a thing which cannot be procured without difficulty4 ,if meat be desired1 it can be added4 ,that is another excellence about our bill of fare4 ,it has nothing in it which makes it incongruous with the richest or the plainest tables4 ,it is not overcrowded by the addition of roast goose and plum-pudding2 it is not harmed by the addition of herring and potatoes4 ,nay1 it can give flavor and richness to broken bits of stale bread served on a doorstep and eaten by beggars4 ,we might say much more about this bill of fare4 ,we might1 perhaps1 confess that it has an element of the supernatural2 that its origin is lost in obscurity2 that1 although1 as we said1 it has never been printed before1 it has been known in all ages2 that the martyrs feasted upon it2 that generations of the poor1 called blessed by ,christ1 have laid out banquets by it2 that exiles and prisoners have lived on it2 and the despised and forsaken and rejected in all countries have tasted it4 ,it is also true that when any great king ate well and throve on his dinner1 it was by the same magic food4 ,the young and the free and the glad1 and all rich men in costly houses1 even they have not been well fed without it4 ,and though we have called it a ,bill of ,fare for a ,christmas ,dinner1 that is only that men's eyes may be caught by its name1 and that they1 thinking it a specialty for festival1 may learn and understand its secret1 and henceforth1 laying all their dinners according to its magic order1 may eat unto the ,lord4 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,ballade ,,of ,,old ,,loves ,,carolyn ,,wells ,who is it stands on the polished stair1 ,a merry1 laughing1 winsome maid1 ,from the ,christmas rose in her golden hair ,to the high-heeled slippers of spangled suede ,a glance1 half daring and half afraid1 ,gleams from her roguish eyes downcast2 ,already the vision begins to fade-- ',tis only a ghost of a ,christmas ,past4 ,who is it sits in that high-backed chair1 ,quaintly in ruff and patch arrayed1 ,with a mockery gay of a stately air ,as she rustles the folds of her old brocade1-- ,merriest heart at the masquerade8 ,ah1 but the picture is passing fast ,back to the darkness from which it strayed-- ',tis only a ghost of a ,christmas ,past4 ,who is it whirls in a ball-room's glare1 ,her soft white hand on my shoulder laid1 ,like a radiant lily1 tall and fair1 ,while the violins in the corner played ,the wailing strains of the ,serenade8 ,oh1 lovely vision1 too sweet to last-- ,e'en now my fancy it will evade-- ',tis only a ghost of a ,christmas ,past4 ,l',,envoi ,rosamond6 look not so dismayed1 ,all of my heart1 dear love1 thou hast ,jealous1 beloved8 ,of a shade8-- ',tis only a ghost of a ,christmas ,past4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,ballade ,,of ,,christmas ,,ghosts ,,andrew ,,lang ,between the moonlight and the fire ,in winter twilights long ago1 ,what ghosts we raised for your desire1 ,to make your merry blood run slow6 ,how old1 how grave1 how wise we grow6 ,no ,christmas ghost can make us chill1 ,save those that troop in mournful row1 ,the ghosts we all can raise at will6 ,the beasts can talk in barn and byre ,on ,christmas ,eve1 old legends know4 ,as year by year the years retire1 ,we men fall silent then ,i trow1 ,such sights hath memory to show1 ,such voices from the silence thrill1 ,such shapes return with ,christmas snow1-- ,the ghosts we all can raise at will4 ,oh1 children of the village choir1 ,your carols on the midnight throw1 ,oh1 bright across the mist and mire1 ,ye ruddy hearths of ,christmas glow6 ,beat back the dread1 beat down the woe1 ,let's cheerily descend the hill2 ,be welcome all1 to come or go1 ,the ghosts we all can raise at will4 ,,envoy ,friend1 sursum corda1 soon or slow ,we part1 like guests who've joyed their fill2 ,forget them not1 nor mourn them so1 ,the ghosts we all can raise at will4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hang ,,up ,,the ,,baby',s ,,stocking ,emily ,huntington ,miller ,hang up the baby's stocking3 ,be sure you don't forget2 ,the dear little dimpled darling6 ,she ne'er saw ,christmas yet2 ,but ,i've told her all about it1 ,and she opened her big blue eyes1 ,and ,i'm sure she understood it-- ,she looked so funny and wise4 ,dear6 what a tiny stocking6 ,it doesn't take much to hold ,such little pink toes as baby's ,away from the frost and cold4 ,but then for the baby's ,christmas ,it will never do at all2 ,why1 ,santa wouldn't be looking ,for anything half so small4 ,i know what will do for the baby4 ,i've thought of the very best plan3 ,i'll borrow a stocking of grandma1 ,the longest that ever ,i can2 ,and you'll hang it by mine1 dear mother1 ,right here in the corner1 so6 ,and write a letter to ,santa1 ,and fasten it on to the toe4 ,write1 ,this is the baby's stocking ,that hangs in the corner here2 ,you never have seen her1 ,santa1 ,for she only came this year2 ,but she's just the blessedest baby6 ,and now1 before you go1 ,just cram her stocking with goodies1 ,from the top clean down to the toe4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,newest ,,thing ,,in ,,christmas ,,carols ,,anonymous ,god rest you1 merry gentlemen6 ,may nothing you dismay2 ,not even the dyspeptic plats ,through which you'll eat your way2 ,nor yet the heavy ,christmas bills ,the season bids you pay2 ,no1 nor the ever tiresome need ,of being to order gay2 ,nor yet the shocking cold you'll catch ,if fog and slush hold sway2 ,nor yet the tumbles you must bear ,if frost should win the day2 ,nor sleepless nights--they're sure to come-- ,when waits attune their lay2 ,nor pantomimes1 whose dreariness ,might turn macassar gray2 ,nor boisterous children1 home in heaps1 ,and ravenous of play2 ,nor yet--in fact1 the host of ills ,which ,christmases array4 ,god rest you1 merry gentlemen1 ,may none of these dismay6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,christmas ,,letter ,,from ,,australia ,,douglas ,,sladen ',tis ,christmas1 and the ,north wind blows2 'twas two years yesterday ,since from the ,lusitania's bows ,i looked o'er ,table ,bay1 ,a tripper round the narrow world1 a pilgrim of the main1 ,expecting when her sails unfurled to start for home again4 ',tis ,christmas1 and the ,north wind blows2 to-day our hearts are one1 ,though you are 'mid the ,english snows and ,i in ,austral sun2 ,you1 when you hear the ,northern blast1 pile high a mightier fire1 ,our ladies cower until it's past in lawn and lace attire4 ,i fancy ,i can picture you upon this ,christmas night1 ,just sitting as you used to do1 the laughter at its height2 ,and then a sudden1 silent pause intruding on your glee1 ,and kind eyes glistening because you chanced to think of me4 ,this morning when ,i woke and knew 'twas ,christmas come again1 ,i almost fancied ,i could view white rime upon the pane1 ,and hear the ringing of the wheels upon the frosty ground1 ,and see the drip that downward steals in icy casket bound4 ,i daresay you'll be on the lake1 or sliding on the snow1 ,and breathing on your hands to make the circulation flow1 ,nestling your nose among the furs of which your boa's made1-- ,the ,fahrenheit here registers a hundred in the shade4 ,it is not quite a ,christmas here with this unclouded sky1 ,this pure transparent atmosphere1 this sun mid-heaven-high2 ,to see the rose upon the bush1 young leaves upon the trees1 ,and hear the forest's summer hush or the low hum of bees4 ,but cold winds bring not ,christmastide1 nor budding roses ,june1 ,and when it's night upon your side we're basking in the noon4 ,kind hearts make ,christmas--,june can bring blue sky or clouds above2 ,the only universal spring is that which comes of love4 ,and so it's ,christmas in the ,south as on the ,north-sea coasts1 ,though we are staved with summer-drouth and you with winter frosts4 ,and we shall have our roast beef here1 and think of you the while1 ,though all the watery hemisphere cuts off the mother isle4 ,feel sure that we shall think of you1 we who have wandered forth1 ,and many a million thoughts will go to-day from south to north2 ,old heads will muse on churches old1 where bells will ring to-day-- ,the very bells1 perchance1 which tolled their fathers to the clay4 ,and now1 good-night6 and ,i shall dream that ,i am with you all1 ,watching the ruddy embers gleam athwart the panelled hall2 ,nor care ,i if ,i dream or not1 though severed by the foam1 ,my heart is always in the spot which was my childhood's home4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,rose ,,terry ,,cooke ,here comes old ,father ,christmas1 ,with sound of fife and drums2 ,with mistletoe about his brows1 ,so merrily he comes6 ,his arms are full of all good cheer1 ,his face with laughter glows1 ,he shines like any household fire ,amid the cruel snows4 ,he is the old folks' ,christmas2 ,he warms their hearts like wine2 ,he thaws their winter into spring1 ,and makes their faces shine4 ,hurrah for ,father ,christmas6 ,ring all the merry bells6 ,and bring the grandsires all around ,to hear the tale he tells4 ,here comes the ,christmas angel1 ,so gentle and so calm2 ,as softly as the falling flakes ,he comes with flute and psalm4 ,all in a cloud of glory1 ,as once upon the plain ,to shepherd-boys in ,jewry1 ,he brings good news again4 ,he is the young folks' ,christmas2 ,he makes their eyes grow bright ,with words of hope and tender thought1 ,and visions of delight4 ,hail to the ,christmas angel6 ,all peace on earth he brings2 ,he gathers all the youths and maids ,beneath his shining wings4 ,here comes the little ,christ-child1 ,all innocence and joy1 ,and bearing gifts in either hand ,for every girl and boy4 ,he tells the tender story ,about the ,holy ,maid1 ,and ,jesus in the manger ,before the oxen laid4 ,like any little winter bird ,he sings his sweetest song1 ,till all the cherubs in the sky ,to hear his carol throng4 ,he is the children's ,christmas2 ,they come without a call1 ,to gather round the gracious ,child1 ,who bringeth joy to all4 ,but who shall bring their ,christmas ,who wrestle still with life8 ,not grandsires1 youths1 or little folks1 ,but they who wage the strife-- ,the fathers and the mothers ,who fight for homes and bread1 ,who watch and ward the living1 ,and bury all the dead8 ,ah6 by their side at ,christmas-tide ,the ,lord of ,christmas stands3 ,he smooths the furrows from their brow ,with strong and tender hands4 ,i take my ,christmas gift1 ,he saith1 ,from thee1 tired soul1 and he ,who giveth to ,my little ones ,gives also unto ,me4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,iv ,,stories ,,the ,,fir ,,tree ,,hans ,,christian ,,andersen ,out in the forest stood a pretty little ,fir ,tree4 ,it had a good place2 it could have sunlight1 air there was in plenty1 and all around grew many larger comrades--pines as well as firs4 ,but the little ,fir ,tree wished ardently to become greater4 ,it did not care for the warm sun and the fresh air2 it took no notice of the peasant children1 who went about talking together1 when they had come out to look for strawberries and raspberries4 ,often they came with a whole pot-full1 or had strung berries on a straw2 then they would sit down by the little ,fir ,tree and say1 ,how pretty and small that one is6 and the ,tree did not like to hear that at all4 ,next year he had grown a great joint1 and the following year he was longer still1 for in fir trees one can always tell by the number of rings they have how many years they have been growing4 ,oh1 if ,i were only as great a tree as the others6 sighed the little ,fir1 then ,i would spread my branches far around1 and look out from my crown into the wide world4 ,the birds would then build nests in my boughs1 and when the wind blew ,i could nod just as grandly as the others yonder4 ,he took no pleasure in the sunshine1 in the birds1 and in the red clouds that went sailing over him morning and evening4 ,when it was winter1 and the snow lay all around1 white and sparkling1 a hare would often come jumping along1 and spring right over the little ,fir ,tree4 ,oh6 this made him so angry4 ,but two winters went by1 and when the third came the little ,tree had grown so tall that the hare was obliged to run around it4 ,oh6 to grow1 to grow1 and become old2 that's the only fine thing in the world1 thought the ,tree4 ,in the autumn woodcutters always came and felled a few of the largest trees2 that was done this year too1 and the little ,fir ,tree1 that was now quite well grown1 shuddered with fear1 for the great stately trees fell to the ground with a crash1 and their branches were cut off1 so that the trees looked quite naked1 long1 and slender--they could hardly be recognized4 ,but then they were laid upon waggons1 and horses dragged them away out of the wood4 ,where were they going8 ,what destiny awaited them8 ,in the spring1 when the swallows and the ,stork came1 the ,tree asked them1 ,do you know where they were taken8 ,did you not meet them8 ,the swallows knew nothing about it1 but the ,stork looked thoughtful1 nodded his head1 and said1 ,yes1 ,i think so4 ,i met many new ships when ,i flew out of ,egypt2 on the ships were stately masts2 ,i fancy that these were the trees4 ,they smelt like fir4 ,i can assure you they're stately--very stately4 ,oh that ,i were only big enough to go over the sea6 ,what kind of thing is this sea1 and how does it look8 ,it would take too long to explain all that1 said the ,stork1 and he went away4 ,rejoice in thy youth1 said the ,sunbeams2 rejoice in thy fresh growth1 and in the young life that is within thee4 ,and the wind kissed the ,tree1 and the dew wept tears upon it2 but the ,fir ,tree did not understand that4 ,when ,christmas-time approached1 quite young trees were felled1 sometimes trees which were neither so old nor so large as this ,fir ,tree1 that never rested but always wanted to go away4 ,these young trees1 which were almost the most beautiful1 kept all their branches2 they were put upon wagons1 and horses dragged them away out of the wood4 ,where are they all going8 asked the ,fir ,tree4 ,they are not greater than ,i--indeed1 one of them was much smaller4 ,why do they keep all their branches8 ,whither are they taken8 ,we know that6 ,we know that6 chirped the ,sparrows4 ,yonder in the town we looked in at the windows4 ,we know where they go4 ,oh6 they are dressed up in the greatest pomp and splendor that can be imagined4 ,we have looked in at the windows1 and have perceived that they are planted in the middle of the warm room1 and adorned with the most beautiful things--gilt apples1 honey-cakes1 playthings1 and many hundreds of candles4 ,and then8 asked the ,fir ,tree1 and trembled through all its branches4 ,and then8 ,what happens then8 ,why1 we have not seen anything more4 ,but it was incomparable4 ,perhaps ,i may be destined to tread this glorious path one day6 cried the ,fir ,tree rejoicingly4 ,that is even better than traveling across the sea4 ,how painfully ,i long for it6 ,if it were only ,christmas now6 ,now ,i am great and grown up1 like the rest who were led away last year4 ,oh1 if ,i were only on the carriage6 ,if ,i were only in the warm room1 among all the pomp and splendor6 ,and then8 ,yes1 then something even better will come1 something far more charming1 or else why should they adorn me so8 ,there must be something grander1 something greater still to come2 but what8 ,oh1 ,i'm suffering1 ,i'm longing6 ,i don't know myself what is the matter with me6 ,rejoice in us1 said ,air and ,sunshine1 ,rejoice in thy fresh youth here in the woodland4 ,but the ,fir ,tree did not rejoice at all1 but it grew and grew2 winter and summer it stood there1 green1 dark green4 ,the people who saw it said1 ,that's a handsome tree6 and at ,christmas-time it was felled before any one of the others4 ,the axe cut deep into its marrow1 and the tree fell to the ground with a sigh3 it felt a pain1 a sensation of faintness1 and could not think at all of happiness1 for it was sad at parting from its home1 from the place where it had grown up3 it knew that it should never again see the dear old companions1 the little bushes and flowers all around--perhaps not even the birds4 ,the parting was not at all agreeable4 ,the ,tree only came to itself when it was unloaded in a yard1 with other trees1 and heard a man say1 ,this one is famous2 we only want this one6 ,now two servants came in gay liveries1 and carried the ,fir ,tree into a large beautiful saloon4 ,all around the walls hung pictures1 and by the great stove stood large ,chinese vases with lions on the covers2 there were rocking-chairs1 silken sofas1 great tables covered with picture-books1 and toys worth a hundred times a hundred dollars1 at least the children said so4 ,and the ,fir ,tree was put into a great tub filled with sand2 but no one could see that it was a tub1 for it was hung round with green cloth1 and stood on a large many-colored carpet4 ,oh1 how the ,tree trembled6 ,what was to happen now8 ,the servants1 and the young ladies also1 decked it out4 ,on one branch they hung little nets1 cut out of colored paper2 every net was filled with sweetmeats2 golden apples and walnuts hung down as if they grew there1 and more than a hundred little candles1 red1 white1 and blue1 were fastened to the different boughs4 ,dolls that looked exactly like real people--the ,tree had never seen such before--swung among the foliage1 and high on the summit of the ,tree was fixed a tinsel star4 ,it was splendid1 particularly splendid4 ,this evening1 said all1 this evening it will shine4 ,oh1 thought the ,tree1 that it were evening already6 ,oh that the lights may be soon lit up6 ,when may that be done8 ,i wonder if trees will come out of the forest to look at me8 ,will the sparrows fly against the panes8 ,shall ,i grow fast here1 and stand adorned in summer and winter8 ,yes1 he did not guess badly4 ,but he had a complete backache from mere longing1 and the backache is just as bad for a ,tree as the headache for a person4 ,at last the candles were lighted4 ,what a brilliance1 what splendor6 ,the ,tree trembled so in all its branches that one of the candles set fire to a green twig1 and it was scorched4 ,heaven preserve us6 cried the young ladies2 and they hastily put the fire out4 ,now the ,tree might not even tremble4 ,oh1 that was terrible6 ,it was so afraid of setting fire to some of its ornaments1 and it was quite bewildered with all the brilliance4 ,and now the folding doors were thrown open1 and a number of children rushed in as if they would have overturned the whole ,tree2 the older people followed more deliberately4 ,the little ones stood quite silent1 but only for a minute2 then they shouted till the room rang3 they danced gleefully round the ,tree1 and one present after another was plucked from it4 ,what are they about8 laughed the ,tree4 ,what's going to be done8 ,and the candles burned down to the twigs1 and as they burned down they were extinguished1 and then the children received permission to plunder the ,tree4 ,oh6 they rushed in upon it1 so that every branch cracked again3 if it had not been fastened by the top and by the golden star to the ceiling1 it would have fallen down4 ,the children danced about with their pretty toys4 ,no one looked at the ,tree except one old man1 who came up and peeped among the branches1 but only to see if a fig or an apple had not been forgotten4 ,a story6 a story6 shouted the children3 and they drew a little fat man towards the ,tree2 and he sat down just beneath it1--for then we shall be in the green wood1 said he1 and the tree may have the advantage of listening to my tale4 ,but ,i can only tell one4 ,will you hear the story of ,ivede-,avede1 or of ,klumpey-,dumpey1 who fell down stairs1 and still was raised up to honor and married the ,princess8 ,ivede-,avede6 cried some1 ,klumpey-,dumpey6 cried others1 and there was a great crying and shouting4 ,only the ,fir ,tree was quite silent1 and thought1 ,shall ,i not be in it8 shall ,i have nothing to do in it8 ,but he had been in the evening's amusement1 and had done what was required of him4 ,and the fat man told about ,klumpey-,dumpey1 who fell down stairs1 and yet was raised to honor and married the ,princess4 ,and the children clapped their hands1 and cried1 ,tell another6 tell another6 for they wanted to hear about ,ivede-,avede2 but they only got the story of ,klumpey-,dumpey4 ,the ,fir ,tree stood quite silent and thoughtful2 never had the birds in the wood told such a story as that4 ,klumpey-,dumpey fell down stairs1 and yet came to honor and married the ,princess6 ,yes1 so it happens in the world6 thought the ,fir ,tree1 and believed it must be true1 because that was such a nice man who told it4 ,well1 who can know8 ,perhaps ,i shall fall down stairs too1 and marry a ,princess6 ,and it looked forward with pleasure to being adorned again1 the next evening1 with candles and toys1 gold and fruit4 ,to-morrow ,i shall not tremble1 it thought4 ,i will rejoice in all my splendor4 ,to-morrow ,i shall hear the story of ,klumpey-,dumpey again1 and1 perhaps1 that of ,ivede-,avede too4 ,and the ,tree stood all night quiet and thoughtful4 ,in the morning the servants and the chambermaid came in4 ,now my splendor will begin afresh1 thought the ,tree4 ,but they dragged him out of the room1 and up stairs to the garret1 and here they put him in a dark corner where no daylight shone4 ,what's the meaning of this8 thought the ,tree4 ,what am ,i to do here8 ,what is to happen8 ,and he leaned against the wall1 and thought1 and thought4 ,and he had time enough1 for days and nights went by1 and nobody came up2 and when at length some one came1 it was only to put some great boxes in a corner4 ,now the ,tree stood quite hidden away1 and the supposition was that it was quite forgotten4 ,now it's winter outside1 thought the ,tree4 ,the earth is hard and covered with snow1 and people cannot plant me2 therefore ,i suppose ,i'm to be sheltered here until spring comes4 ,how considerate that is6 ,how good people are6 ,if it were only not so dark here1 and so terribly solitary6--not even a little hare6 ,that was pretty out there in the wood1 when the snow lay thick and the hare sprang past2 yes1 even when he jumped over me2 but then ,i did not like it4 ,it is terribly lonely up here6 ,piep6 piep6 said a little ,mouse1 and crept forward1 and then came another little one4 ,they smelt at the ,fir ,tree1 and then slipped among the branches4 ,it's horribly cold1 said the two little ,mice1 or else it would be comfortable here4 ,don't you think so1 you old ,fir ,tree8 ,i'm not old at all1 said the ,fir ,tree4 ,there are many much older than ,i4 ,where do you come from8 asked the ,mice4 ,and what do you know8 ,they were dreadfully inquisitive4 ,tell us about the most beautiful spot on earth4 ,have you been there8 ,have you been in the store-room1 where cheeses lie on the shelves1 and hams hang from the ceiling1 where one dances on tallow candles1 and goes in thin and comes out fat8 ,i don't know that6 replied the ,tree2 but ,i know the wood1 where the sun shines1 and where the birds sing4 ,and then it told all about its youth4 ,and the little ,mice had never heard anything of the kind2 and they listened and said1 ,what a number of things you have seen6 ,how happy you must have been6 ,i8 said the ,fir ,tree2 and it thought about what it had told4 ,yes1 those were really quite happy times4 ,but then he told of the ,christmas-eve1 when he had been hung with sweetmeats and candles4 ,oh6 said the little ,mice1 how happy you have been1 you old ,fir ,tree6 ,i'm not old at all1 said the ,tree4 ,i only came out of the wood this winter4 ,i'm only rather backward in my growth4 ,what splendid stories you can tell6 said the little ,mice4 ,and next night they came with four other little ,mice1 to hear what the ,tree had to relate2 and the more it said1 the more clearly did it remember everything1 and thought1 ,those were quite merry days6 ,but they may come again4 ,klumpey-,dumpey fell down stairs1 and yet he married the ,princess4 ,perhaps ,i may marry a ,princess too6 ,and then the ,fir ,tree thought of a pretty little birch tree that grew out in the forest3 for the ,fir ,tree1 that birch was a real ,princess4 ,who's ,klumpey-,dumpey8 asked the little ,mice4 ,and then the ,fir ,tree told the whole story4 ,it could remember every single word3 and the little ,mice were ready to leap to the very top of the tree with pleasure4 ,next night a great many more ,mice came1 and on ,sunday two ,rats even appeared2 but these thought the story was not pretty1 and the little ,mice were sorry for that1 for now they also did not like it so much as before4 ,do you only know one story8 asked the ,rats4 ,only that one1 replied the ,tree4 ,i heard that on the happiest evening of my life2 ,i did not think then how happy ,i was4 ,that's a very miserable story4 ,don't you know any about bacon and tallow candles--a store-room story8 ,no1 said the ,tree4 ,then we'd rather not hear you1 said the ,rats4 ,and they went back to their own people4 ,the little ,mice at last stayed away also2 and then the ,tree sighed and said1 ,it was very nice when they sat round me1 the merry little ,mice1 and listened when ,i spoke to them4 ,now that's past too4 ,but ,i shall remember to be pleased when they take me out4 ,but when did that happen8 ,why1 it was one morning that people came and rummaged in the garret3 the boxes were put away1 and the ,tree brought out2 they certainly threw him rather roughly on the floor1 but a servant dragged him away at once to the stairs1 where the daylight shone4 ,now life is beginning again1 thought the ,tree4 ,it felt the fresh air and the first sunbeams1 and now it was out in the courtyard4 ,everything passed so quickly that the ,tree quite forgot to look at itself1 there was so much to look at all round4 ,the courtyard was close to a garden1 and here everything was blooming2 the roses hung fresh and fragrant over the little paling1 the linden trees were in blossom1 and the swallows cried1 ,quinze-wit6 quinze-wit6 my husband's come6 ,but it was not the ,fir ,tree that they meant4 ,now ,i shall live6 said the ,tree1 rejoicingly1 and spread its branches far out2 but1 alas6 they were all withered and yellow2 and it lay in the corner among nettles and weeds4 ,the tinsel star was still upon it1 and shone in the bright sunshine4 ,in the courtyard a couple of the merry children were playing1 who had danced round the tree at ,christmas-time1 and had rejoiced over it4 ,one of the youngest ran up and tore off the golden star4 ,look what is sticking to the ugly old fir tree1 said the child1 and he trod upon the branches till they cracked again under his boots4 ,and the ,tree looked at all the blooming flowers and the splendor of the garden1 and then looked at itself1 and wished it had remained in the dark corner of the garret2 it thought of its fresh youth in the wood1 of the merry ,christmas-eve1 and of the little ,mice which had listened so pleasantly to the story of ,klumpey-,dumpey4 ,past6 past6 said the old ,tree4 ,had ,i but rejoiced when ,i could have done so6 ,past6 past6 ,and the servant came and chopped the ,tree into little pieces2 a whole bundle lay there1 it blazed brightly under the great brewing copper1 and it sighed deeply1 and each sigh was like a little shot3 and the children who were at play there ran up and seated themselves at the fire1 looked into it1 and cried1 ,puff6 puff6 ,but at each explosion1 which was a deep sigh1 the ,tree thought of a summer day in the woods1 or of a winter night there1 when the stars beamed2 he thought of ,christmas-eve and of ,klumpey-,dumpey1 the only story he had ever heard or knew how to tell2 and then the ,tree was burned4 ,the boys played in the garden1 and the youngest had on his breast a golden star1 which the ,tree had worn on its happiest evening4 ,now that was past1 and the ,tree's life was past1 and the story is past too3 past6 past6--and that's the way with all stories4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,little ,,roger',s ,,night ,,in ,,the ,,church ,,susan ,,coolidge ,the boys and girls had fastened the last sprig of holly upon the walls1 and then gone to their homes1 leaving the old church silent and deserted4 ,the sun had set in a sky clear and yellow as topaz4 ,christmas eve had fairly come1 and now the moon was rising1 a full moon1 and all the world looked white in the silver light4 ,every bough of every tree sparkled with a delicate coating of frost1 the pines and cedars were great shapes of dazzling snow1 even the ivy on the gothic tower hung a glittering arabesque on the gray wall4 ,never was there a lovelier night4 ,that light that you see yonder comes from the window of old ,andrew1 the sexton1 and inside sits his grandson1 little ,roger1 eating his supper of porridge4 ,the kitchen is in apple-pie order1 chairs and tables have been scrubbed as white as snow1 the tins on the dresser shine like silver1 the hearth is swept clean1 and ,grandfather's chair is drawn into the warmest corner4 ,grandfather is not sitting in it though2 he has gone to the church to put the fire in order for the night1 lock up the doors1 and make all safe4 ,grandmother1 in her clean stuff gown and apron1 is mounted upon a chair to stick a twig of holly on the tall clock in the corner4 ,and now1 as she turns round1 what a pleasant face she shows us1 does she not8 ,old and wrinkled1 to be sure1 but so good-natured and gentle that she is prettier than many a young girl even now4 ,is it any wonder that little ,roger there is so fond of her8 ,now another bit of holly is wanted on the chimney-piece2 and it is while putting this up that the dear old dame gives sign that something has gone wrong4 ,ts1 ts1 ts1--deary me6 ,what's the matter1 ,granny8 said ,roger4 ,why1 ,roger1 replied ,granny1 carefully dismounting from her chair1 look here1 ,grandfather has gone off and forgot his keys4 ,he took 'em from the door this morning1 because last year some of the young folks let 'em drop in the snow1 and had a sad time hunting for them4 ,he knew they would be in and out all day1 so he just opened the door and brought the keys home4 ,deary me6 it's a cold night for old bones to be out of doors4 ,would'st be afeard1 little 'un1 to run up with them8 ,not a bit1 said ,roger1 stoutly1 as he crammed the last spoonful of porridge in his mouth1 and seized hat and mittens from the table4 ,i'll take 'em down in a minute4 ,granny1 and then run home4 ,mother'll want me in the morning1 likely4 ,for ,roger's parents lived in a cottage near the old people1 and the boy often said that he had two homes1 and belonged half in one and half in the other1 and the small press-bed in ,granny's loft seemed as much his own as the cot in the corner of his mother's sleeping-room1 and was occupied almost as often4 ,so1 after a good-night hug from ,granny1 off he ran4 ,the church was near1 and the moon light as day1 so he never thought of being afraid1 not even when1 as he brushed by the dark tower1 something stirred overhead1 and a long1 melancholy cry came shuddering from the ivy4 ,roger knew the owls in the belfry well1 and now he called out to them cheerily3 ,to-whit-whit-whoo6 ,whoo-whoo-whit6 answered the owls1 startled by the cry4 ,roger could hear them fluttering in the nest4 ,the church-door stood ajar1 and he peeped in4 ,the glow from the open door of the stove showed ,grandfather's figure1 red and warm1 stooping to cover the fire with ashes for the night4 ,he was so busy he never knew the boy was there till he got close to him and jingled the keys in his ear2 but after one start he laughed1 well pleased4 ,i but just missed them1 he said4 ,thou'rt a good boy to fetch them up4 ,art going home with me to-night8 ,no1 ,i'm to sleep at my mother's1 said ,roger1 but ,i'll wait and walk with you1 ,grandfather4 ,so he slipped into a pew1 and sat down till the work should be finished1 and they ready to go2 and as he looked up he saw all at once how beautiful the old church was looking4 ,the moon outside was streaming in so brightly1 that you hardly missed the sun1 ,roger could see distinctly way up to the carved beams of the roof1 and trace the figures on the great arched windows over the altar1 whose colors had so often dazzled him on ,sundays4 ,the colors were soft and dim now1 but the figures were there4 ,roger could see them plainly1--the sitting figure of the ,lord ,christ1 with ,st4 ,matthew and two other apostles1 and the fisher-lad with his basket of fish4 ,he had often asked ,granny to read him the story4 ,that gleam at the further end of the nave came from the organ-loft1 where the moonbeams had found out the great brass pipes1 and were playing all manner of tricks with them4 ,almost the red of the holly-berries could be seen1 and every pointed ivy-leaf and spike of evergreen in the wreathings of the windows stood out in bold relief against the shining panes4 ,with this beautiful whiteness the red glow of the fire blended1 and flooded the chancel with a lovely pink light1 in which shone the gilded letters on the commandment-tables1 and the brasses of the tablets on the walls4 ,it was a wonderful thing to see4 ,to study the roof better1 ,roger thought he would lie flat on the cushion awhile1 and look straight up4 ,so he arranged himself comfortably1 and somehow--it will happen1 even when we are full of enjoyment and pleasure--his eyes shut1 and the first thing he knew he was rubbing them open again1 only a minute afterward1 as it seemed2 but ,grandfather was gone4 ,there was the stove closed for the night1 and the great door at the end of the aisle was shut4 ,he jumped up in a fright1 as you can imagine1 and ran to see1 and shook it hard4 ,no3 it was locked1 and poor ,roger was fastened in for the night4 ,he understood it all in a moment4 ,the tall pew had hidden him from sight4 ,grandfather had thought him gone home2 his mother would ever doubt that he was safe at the other cottage2 no one would miss him1 and there was no chance of being let out before morning4 ,he was only six years old1 so no wonder that at first he felt choked and frightened1 and inclined to cry4 ,but he was a brave lad1 and that idea soon left him4 ,he began to think that he was not badly off1 after all1--the church was warm1 the pew-cushion as soft as his bed4 ,no one could get in to harm him4 ,in fact1 after the first moment1 there was something so exciting and adventurous in the idea of spending the night in such a place1 that he was almost glad the accident had happened4 ,so he went back to the pew1 and tried to go to sleep again4 ,that was not so easy4 ,did you ever get thoroughly waked up in the night by a sudden fright8 ,do you remember how your eyes wouldn't stay shut afterward1 even when you closed them tight1 but jerked open almost against your will1 as if a string was fastened to them and some one was twitching it8 ,just so poor ,roger felt4 ,he lay still and kept himself quiet for a moment1 and then some little noise would come1 and his heart beat and his eyes be wide open in a minute4 ,it was a coal dropping from the fire1 or a slight crack on the frosty panes3 once a little mouse crept out from the chancel1 glaring shyly about with his bright eyes1 nibbled a moment at a leaf on the carpet and then crept back again4 ,no other living thing disturbed the quiet4 ,he had heard the clock strike eleven a long time since1 and was lying with eyes half shut1 gazing at the red fire-grate1 and feeling at last a little drowsy1 when all at once a strange rush and thrill seemed to come to him in the air1 like a cool clear wind blowing through the church1 and in one minute he was wide awake and sitting upright1 with ears strained to catch some sound afar off4 ,it was too distant and faint for ordinary sense1 but a new and sharper power of hearing seemed given him4 ,little voices were speaking high in the air1 outside the church1--very odd ones1 like birds' notes1 and yet the words were plain4 ,he listened and listened1 and made out at last that it was the owls in the tower talking together4 ,hoo1 hoo1 why don't you lie still there8 said one4 ,whit-whoo-whit1 said the other1 ,i can't4 ,i know what is coming too well for that4 ,what is coming1--what1 what8 said two voices together4 ,ah6 you'll see soon1 replied the first4 ,the elves are coming1 the hateful ,christmas elves4 ,you'll not get a wink of sleep to-night4 ,why not8 ,what will they do to us8 chirped the young ones4 ,you'll see1 hooted the old owl4 ,you'll see6 ,they'll pull your tails1 and tickle your feathers1 and prick you with thorns4 ,i know them1 the tricksy1 troublesome things6 ,i've been here many a long year4 ,you were only hatched last summer4 ,to-whoo1 to-whoo6 ,just at this moment the church-clock began to strike twelve4 ,at the first clang the owls ceased to hoot1 and ,roger listened to the deep notes1 almost awe-struck1 as they sounded one by one4 ,he knew the voice of the clock well1 but it never before sounded so loud or so solemn3 five--six--seven--eight--nine--ten--elev en--twelve4 ,it was ,christmas ,day4 ,as the last echo died away1 a new sound took its place4 ,from afar off came the babble of tiny voices drawing nearer4 ,anything so gay and charming was never dreamed of before1--half a laugh1 half a song1 the tones blended into an enchanting peal1 like bells on a frolic4 ,above the old tower the sounds clustered and increased1--then a long1 distressed cry came from the owl1 and a bubbling laugh floated in on the wind4 ,roger could not stand it4 ,wild to see1 he flew to the window1 and tried to stretch his neck in such a way as to catch what was going on above2 but it was a vain attempt1 and just then the church-bells began to ring all together1 a chime1 a ,christmas chime1 only the sounds were infinitely small1 as if baby hands had laid hold on the ropes4 ,but his sharpened senses brought every note and change to ,roger's ears1 and they were so merry and so lovely that he felt he must get nearer or die2 and almost before he knew it he was climbing the dark belfry-stairs as fast as his feet could carry him1 never thinking of fear or darkness1 only of the elfin bells which were pealing overhead4 ,up1 up1 through the long slits in the tower the moon could be seen sailing in the cold1 clear blue4 ,higher1 higher1--at last he gained the belfry4 ,there hung the four great bells1 but nobody was pulling at their heavy ropes4 ,on each iron tongue was perched a fay2 on the chains which suspended them clustered others1 all keeping time by the swaying of their bodies as they swung to and fro1 just grazing either side1 and bringing forth a clear1 delicate stroke1 sweet as laughter1--just loud enough for fairy ears4 ,through the windows the crowd of floating fays could be seen whirling about in the moonlight like glittering gossamer4 ,they floated in and out of the tower1 they mounted the great bells and sat atop in swarms1 they chased and pushed each other1 playing all sorts of pranks4 ,below1 others were attacking the owl's nest4 ,roger could hear their hoots and grunts and the gleeful laughter of the elves4 ,the moon made the tower light as noon2 all the time the elves sang or talked1--which1 he could not tell2 there were words1 but all so blent with laughs and mirthful trills that it was nothing less than music4 ,to and fro1 to and fro1 keeping time to a fairy rhythm1 they swayed in unison with the tiny peal they rang4 ,little quarrels arose4 ,once ,roger watched an elf trying to mount the clapper1 and whenever he neared the top a mischievous comrade pushed him off again4 ,then the elf pouted1 and1 flying away1 he returned with a holly-leaf4 ,small as it was1 it curled over his head like a huge umbrella4 ,with the spiky point he slyly pricked the elf above2 and he1 taken by surprise1 lost his hold1 and came tumbling down1 while the other danced for glee and clapped his hands mockingly4 ,pretty soon1 however1 all was made up again1--they kissed and were friends1--and ,roger saw them perched opposite each other1 and moving to and fro like children in a swing4 ,how long the pretty sight lasted he could not tell4 ,so fearful was he of marring the sport that he never stirred a finger2 but all at once there came a strain of music in the air1 solemn1 and sweeter than ever mortal heard before4 ,in a moment the elves left their sports2 they clustered like bees together in the window1 and then flew from the tower in one sparkling drift1 and were gone1 leaving ,roger alone1 and the owls hooting below in the ivy4 ,and then he felt afraid1--which he had not been as long as the fays were there1--and down he ran in a fright over the stone steps of the stairs1 and entered the church again4 ,the red glow of the fire was grateful to him1 for he was shivering with cold and excitement2 but hardly had he regained his old seat1 when1 lo6 a great marvel came to pass4 ,the wide window over the altar swung open1 and a train of angels slowly floated through4 ,how he knew them to be angels1 ,roger could not have told2 but that they were1 he was sure1--,christmas angels1 with faces of calm1 glorious beauty1 and robes as white as snow4 ,over the altar they hovered1 and a wonderful song rose and filled the church--no bird's strain was ever half so sweet4 ,the words were few1 but again and again and again they came3 ,glory to ,god in the highest1 on earth peace1 good-will to men6 ,roger knew the oft-repeated words1--they were those of the great evergreen motto which overarched the chancel2 but ,i think he never forgot the beautiful meaning they seemed to bear as the angels sang them over and over4 ,it was so wondrous sweet that he could not feel afraid1--he could only gaze and gaze1 and hold his breath lest he should lose a note4 ,and the song rang on1 clear and triumphant1 even as the white-robed choir parted and floated like soft summer clouds to and fro in the church1 pausing ever and anon as in blessing4 ,they touched the leaves of the ,christmas green as they passed2 they hung over the organ and brushed the keys with their wings2 a long time they clustered above the benches of the poor1 as if to leave a fragrance in the air2 and then they rested before a tablet which had been put up but a few months before1 and which bore the name of the rector's eldest son1 and the dates of his birth and death4 ,roger had been told of this brave lad1 and how he had lost his life in plunging from his ship to save the drowning child of an emigrant2 and now the angel-song seemed sweeter than ever1 as over and again they chanted1 ,good-will to men1--good-will to men4 ,at last one of the white-winged ones left the others1 and hovered awhile above the ,squire's pew1 near which our little boy was hidden4 ,a prayer-book lay open on the rail1 and over this the fair angel bent as in benediction4 ,a girl had sat there once1--the ,squire's only daughter4 ,roger remembered her well1 and the mourning of the whole parish when1 only a twelvemonth ago1 the lovely child had been buried from their sight2 and now1 as he timidly glanced into the glorious face above him1 it seemed to him to have the same look1 only so ineffably beautiful that he closed his dazzled eyes to shut out the vision and the light that shone from the white wings1--only for a moment1 then he opened them again1 as a gentle rustling filled the air1 and he saw the bending figure stoop1 leave a kiss or a blessing on the pages of the open book1 and then glide away with the others4 ,again the group hovered above the altar1--louder and clearer rose the triumphant strain1 and1 noiseless as a cloud1 the snowy train floated to the window4 ,for one moment their figures could be seen against the sky1 then the song died away1--they were gone1 and ,roger saw them no more4 ,and now the light of dawn began to creep into the windows1 twittering sounds showed the birds awakening outside1 and a pink streak appeared in the sky4 ,too much rapt by his vision to feel impatience1 the boy sat and waited2 and by and by a jingling in the lock showed ,grandfather at hand1--the door opened1 and he came in4 ,you can guess his surprise when his little grandson flew to meet him with his wonderful story4 ,as for the story1 he pooh-poohed that1--sleeping in such a strange place might well bring about a queer dream1 he said2 but he took the boy home to the cottage1 and ,granny1 full of wonderment and sympathy1 speedily prepared a breakfast for her darling after his adventure4 ,but1 even with his mouth full of scalding bread and milk1 ,roger would go on telling of angels and fairies1 and the owls' talk in their nest1 till both grandparents began to think him bewitched4 ,perhaps he was1 for to this day he persists in the story4 ,and though the villagers that morning exclaimed that at no time had their old church1 in its ,christmas dress1 looked so beautiful before1 and though the organ sent forth a rarer1 sweeter music than fingers had ever drawn from it1 still nobody believed a word of it4 ,and though the poor mother1 kneeling in her lonely pew1 and missing her darling from beside her1 felt a strange peace and patience enter her heart1 and came away calmed and blessed1 still no one listened to the story4 ,roger had dreamed it all1 they said2 and perhaps he had1--only the owls knew4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mr4 ,,bluffs ,,experiences ,,of ,,holidays ,,oliver ,,bell ,,bunce ,i hate holidays1 said ,bachelor ,bluff to me1 with some little irritation1 on a ,christmas a few years ago4 ,then he paused an instant1 after which he resumed3 ,i don't mean to say that ,i hate to see people enjoying themselves4 ,but ,i hate holidays1 nevertheless1 because to me they are always the dreariest and saddest days of the year4 ,i shudder at the name of holiday4 ,i dread the approach of one1 and thank ,heaven when it is over4 ,i pass through1 on a holiday1 the most horrible sensations1 the bitterest feelings1 the most oppressive melancholy2 in fact1 ,i am not myself at holiday-times4 ,very strange1 ,i ventured to interpose4 ,a plague on it6 said he1 almost with violence4 ,i'm not inhuman4 ,i don't wish anybody harm4 ,i'm glad people can enjoy themselves4 ,but ,i hate holidays all the same4 ,you see1 this is the reason3 ,i am a bachelor2 ,i am without kin2 ,i am in a place that did not know me at birth4 ,and so1 when holidays come around1 there is no place anywhere for me4 ,i have friends1 of course2 ,i don't think ,i've been a very sulky1 shut-in1 reticent fellow2 and there is many a board that has a place for me--but not at ,christmas-time4 ,at ,christmas1 the dinner is a family gathering2 and ,i've no family4 ,there is such a gathering of kindred on this occasion1 such a reunion of family folk1 that there is no place for a friend1 even if the friend be liked4 ,christmas1 with all its kindliness and charity and good-will1 is1 after all1 deuced selfish4 ,each little set gathers within its own circle2 and people like me1 with no particular circle1 are left in the lurch4 ,so you see1 on the day of all the days in the year that my heart pines for good cheer1 ,i'm without an invitation4 ,oh1 it's because ,i pine for good cheer1 said the bachelor1 sharply1 interrupting my attempt to speak1 that ,i hate holidays4 ,if ,i were an infernally selfish fellow1 ,i wouldn't hate holidays4 ,i'd go off and have some fun all to myself1 somewhere or somehow4 ,but1 you see1 ,i hate to be in the dark when all the rest of the world is in light4 ,i hate holidays1 because ,i ought to be merry and happy on holidays1 and can't4 ,don't tell me1 he cried1 stopping the word that was on my lips2 ,i tell you1 ,i hate holidays4 ,the shops look merry1 do they1 with their bright toys and their green branches8 ,the pantomime is crowded with merry hearts1 is it8 ,the circus and the show are brimful of fun and laughter1 are they8 ,well1 they all make me miserable4 ,i haven't any pretty-faced girls or bright-eyed boys to take to the circus or the show1 and all the nice girls and fine boys of my acquaintance have their uncles or their grand-dads or their cousins to take them to those places2 so1 if ,i go1 ,i must go alone4 ,but ,i don't go4 ,i can't bear the chill of seeing everybody happy1 and knowing myself so lonely and desolate4 ,confound it1 sir1 ,i've too much heart to be happy under such circumstances6 ,i'm too humane1 sir6 ,and the result is1 ,i hate holidays4 ,it's miserable to be out1 and yet ,i can't stay at home1 for ,i get thinking of ,christmases past4 ,i can't read--the shadow of my heart makes it impossible4 ,i can't walk--for ,i see nothing but pictures through the bright windows1 and happy groups of pleasure-seekers4 ,the fact is1 ,i've nothing to do but to hate holidays4--,but will you not dine with me8 ,of course1 ,i had to plead engagement with my own family circle1 and ,i couldn't quite invite ,mr4 ,bluff home that day1 when ,cousin ,charles and his wife1 and ,sister ,susan and her daughter and three of my wife's kin1 had come in from the country1 all to make a merry ,christmas with us4 ,i felt sorry1 but it was quite impossible1 so ,i wished ,mr4 ,bluff a merry ,christmas1 and hurried homeward through the cold and nipping air4 ,i did not meet ,bachelor ,bluff again until a week after ,christmas of the next year1 when ,i learned some strange particulars of what occurred to him after our parting on the occasion just described4 ,i will let ,bachelor ,bluff tell his adventure for himself3 ,i went to church1 said he1 and was as sad there as everywhere else4 ,of course1 the evergreens were pretty1 and the music fine2 but all around me were happy groups of people1 who could scarcely keep down merry ,christmas long enough to do reverence to sacred ,christmas4 ,and nobody was alone but me4 ,every happy paterfamilias in his pew tantalized me1 and the whole atmosphere of the place seemed so much better suited to every one else than me that ,i came away hating holidays worse than ever4 ,then ,i went to the play1 and sat down in a box all alone by myself4 ,everybody seemed on the best of terms with everybody else1 and jokes and banter passed from one to another with the most good-natured freedom4 ,everybody but me was in a little group of friends4 ,i was the only person in the whole theater that was alone4 ,and then there was such clapping of hands1 and roars of laughter1 and shouts of delight at all the fun going on upon the stage1 all of which was rendered doubly enjoyable by everybody having somebody with whom to share and interchange the pleasure1 that my loneliness got simply unbearable1 and ,i hated holidays infinitely worse than ever4 ,by five o'clock the holiday became so intolerable that ,i said ,i'd go and get a dinner4 ,the best dinner the town could provide4 ,a sumptuous dinner4 ,a sumptuous dinner for one4 ,a dinner with many courses1 with wines of the finest brands1 with bright lights1 with a cheerful fire1 with every condition of comfort--and ,i'd see if ,i couldn't for once extract a little pleasure out of a holiday6 ,the handsome dining-room at the club looked bright1 but it was empty4 ,who dines at this club on ,christmas but lonely bachelors8 ,there was a flutter of surprise when ,i ordered a dinner1 and the few attendants were1 no doubt1 glad of something to break the monotony of the hours4 ,my dinner was well served4 ,the spacious room looked lonely2 but the white1 snowy cloths1 the rich window-hangings1 the warm tints of the walls1 the sparkle of the fire in the steel grate1 gave the room an air of elegance and cheerfulness2 and then the table at which ,i dined was close to the window1 and through the partly-drawn curtains were visible centers of lonely1 cold streets1 with bright lights from many a window1 it is true1 but there was a storm1 and snow began whirling through the street4 ,i let my imagination paint the streets as cold and dreary as it would1 just to extract a little pleasure by way of contrast from the brilliant room of which ,i was apparently sole master4 ,i dined well1 and recalled in fancy old1 youthful ,christmases1 and pledged mentally many an old friend1 and my melancholy was mellowing into a low1 sad undertone1 when1 just as ,i was raising a glass of wine to my lips1 ,i was startled by a picture at the window-pane4 ,it was a pale1 wild1 haggard face1 in a great cloud of black hair1 pressed against the glass4 ,as ,i looked1 it vanished4 ,with a strange thrill at my heart1 which my lips mocked with a derisive sneer1 ,i finished the wine and set down the glass4 ,it was1 of course1 only a beggar-girl that had crept up to the window and stole a glance at the bright scene within2 but still the pale face troubled me a little1 and threw a fresh shadow on my heart4 ,i filled my glass once more with wine1 and was again about to drink1 when the face reappeared at the window4 ,it was so white1 so thin1 with eyes so large1 wild1 and hungry-looking1 and the black1 unkempt hair1 into which the snow had drifted1 formed so strange and weird a frame to the picture1 that ,i was fairly startled4 ,replacing1 untasted1 the liquor on the table1 ,i rose and went close to the pane4 ,the face had vanished1 and ,i could see no object within many feet of the window4 ,the storm had increased1 and the snow was driving in wild gusts through the streets1 which were empty1 save here and there a hurrying wayfarer4 ,the whole scene was cold1 wild1 and desolate1 and ,i could not repress a keen thrill of sympathy for the child1 whoever it was1 whose only ,christmas was to watch1 in cold and storm1 the rich banquet ungratefully enjoyed by the lonely bachelor4 ,i resumed my place at the table2 but the dinner was finished1 and the wine had no further relish4 ,i was haunted by the vision at the window1 and began1 with an unreasonable irritation at the interruption1 to repeat with fresh warmth my detestation of holidays4 ,one couldn't even dine alone on a holiday with any sort of comfort1 ,i declared4 ,on holidays one was tormented by too much pleasure on one side1 and too much misery on the other4 ,and then1 ,i said1 hunting for justification of my dislike of the day1 ',how many other people are1 like me1 made miserable by seeing the fullness of enjoyment others possessed6 ,oh1 yes1 ,i know1 sarcastically replied the bachelor to a comment of mine2 of course1 all magnanimous1 generous1 and noble-souled people delight in seeing other people made happy1 and are quite content to accept this vicarious felicity4 ,but ,i1 you see1 and this dear little girl-- ,dear little girl6 ,oh1 ,i forgot1 said ,bachelor ,bluff1 blushing a little1 in spite of a desperate effort not to do so1 ,i didn't tell you4 ,well1 it was so absurd6 ,i kept thinking1 thinking of the pale1 haggard1 lonely little girl on the cold and desolate side of the window-pane1 and the over-fed1 discontented1 lonely old bachelor on the splendid side of the window-pane2 and ,i didn't get much happier thinking about it1 ,i can assure you4 ,i drank glass after glass of the wine--not that ,i enjoyed its flavor any more1 but mechanically1 as it were1 and with a sort of hope thereby to drown unpleasant reminders4 ,i tried to attribute my annoyance in the matter to holidays1 and so denounced them more vehemently than ever4 ,i rose once in a while and went to the window1 but could see no one to whom the pale face could have belonged4 ,at last1 in no very amiable mood1 ,i got up1 put on my wrappers1 and went out2 and the first thing ,i did was to run against a small figure crouching in the doorway4 ,a face looked up quickly at the rough encounter1 and ,i saw the pale features of the window-pane4 ,i was very irritated and angry1 and spoke harshly2 and then1 all at once1 ,i am sure ,i don't know how it happened1 but it flashed upon me that ,i1 of all men1 had no right to utter a harsh word to one oppressed with so wretched a ,christmas as this poor creature was4 ,i couldn't say another word1 but began feeling in my pocket for some money1 and then ,i asked a question or two1 and then ,i don't quite know how it came about--isn't it very warm here8 exclaimed ,bachelor ,bluff1 rising and walking about1 and wiping the perspiration from his brow4 ,well1 you see1 he resumed nervously1 it was very absurd1 but ,i did believe the girl's story--the old story1 you know1 of privation and suffering1 and all that--and just thought ,i'd go home with the brat and see if what she said was all true4 ,and then ,i remembered that all the shops were closed1 and not a purchase could be made4 ,i went back and persuaded the steward to put up for me a hamper of provisions1 which the half-wild little youngster helped me carry through the snow1 dancing with delight all the way4--,and isn't this enough8 ,not a bit1 ,mr4 ,bluff4 ,i must have the whole story4 ,i declare1 said ,bachelor ,bluff1 there's no whole story to tell4 ,a widow with children in great need1 that was what ,i found2 and they had a feast that night1 and a little money to buy them a load of wood and a garment or two the next day2 and they were all so bright1 and so merry1 and so thankful1 and so good1 that1 when ,i got home that night1 ,i was mightily amazed that1 instead of going to bed sour at holidays1 ,i was in a state of great contentment in regard to holidays4 ,in fact1 ,i was really merry4 ,i whistled4 ,i sang4 ,i do believe ,i cut a caper4 ,the poor wretches ,i had left had been so merry over their unlooked-for ,christmas banquet that their spirits infected mine4 ,and then ,i got thinking again4 ,of course1 holidays had been miserable to me1 ,i said4 ,what right had a well-to-do1 lonely old bachelor hovering wistfully in the vicinity of happy circles1 when all about there were so many people as lonely as he1 and yet oppressed with want8 ',good gracious6' ,i exclaimed1 'to think of a man complaining of loneliness with thousands of wretches yearning for his help and comfort1 with endless opportunities for work and company1 with hundreds of pleasant and delightful things to do6 ,just to think of it6' ,it put me in a great fury at myself to think of it4 ,i tried pretty hard to escape from myself and began inventing excuses and all that sort of thing1 but ,i rigidly forced myself to look squarely at my own conduct4 ,and then ,i reconciled my conscience by declaring that1 if ever after that day ,i hated a holiday again1 might my holidays end at once and forever6 ,did ,i go and see my proteges again8 ,what a question6 ,why--well1 no matter4 ,if the widow is comfortable now1 it is because she has found a way to earn without difficulty enough for her few wants4 ,that's no fault of mine4 ,i would have done more for her1 but she wouldn't let me4 ,but just let me tell you about ,new ,year's--the ,new-,year's-day that followed the ,christmas ,i've been describing4 ,it was lucky for me there was another holiday only a week off4 ,bless you6 ,i had so much to do that day that ,i was completely bewildered1 and the hours weren't half long enough4 ,i did make a few social calls1 but then ,i hurried them over2 and then hastened to my little girl1 whose face had already caught a touch of color2 and she1 looking quite handsome in her new frock and her ribbons1 took me to other poor folk1 and--well1 that's about the whole story4 ,oh1 as to the next ,christmas4 ,well1 ,i didn't dine alone1 as you may guess4 ,it was up three stairs1 that's true1 and there was none of that elegance that marked the dinner of the year before2 but it was merry1 and happy1 and bright2 it was a generous1 honest1 hearty1 ,christmas dinner1 that it was1 although ,i do wish the widow hadn't talked so much about the mysterious way a turkey had been left at her door the night before4 ,and ,molly--that's the little girl--and ,i had a rousing appetite4 ,we went to church early2 then we had been down to the ,five ,points to carry the poor outcasts there something for their ,christmas dinner2 in fact1 we had done wonders of work1 and ,molly was in high spirits1 and so the ,christmas dinner was a great success4 ,dear me1 sir1 no6 ,just as you say4 ,holidays are not in the least wearisome any more4 ,plague on it6 ,when a man tells me now that he hates holidays1 ,i find myself getting very wroth4 ,i pin him by the button-hole at once1 and tell him my experience4 ,the fact is1 if ,i were at dinner on a holiday1 and anybody should ask me for a sentiment1 ,i should say1 ,god bless all holidays6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,santa ,,claus ,,at ,,simpson',s ,,bar ,,bret ,,harte ,it was nearly midnight when the festivities were interrupted4 ,hush6 said ,dick ,bullen1 holding up his hand4 ,it was the querulous voice of ,johnny from his adjacent closet3 ,oh1 dad6 ,the ,old ,man arose hurriedly and disappeared in the closet4 ,presently he reappeared4 ,his rheumatiz is coming on agin bad1 he explained1 and he wants rubbin'4 ,he lifted the demijohn of whiskey from the table and shook it4 ,it was empty4 ,dick ,bullen put down his tin cup with an embarrassed laugh4 ,so did the others4 ,the ,old ,man examined their contents1 and said hopefully1 ,i reckon that's enough2 he don't need much4 ,you hold on1 all o' you1 for a spell1 and ,i'll be back2 and vanished in the closet with an old flannel shirt and the whiskey4 ,the door closed but imperfectly1 and the following dialogue was distinctly audible3-- ,now1 sonny1 whar does she ache worst8 ,sometimes over yar and sometimes under yer2 but it's most powerful from yer to yer4 ,rub yer1 dad4 ,a silence seemed to indicate a brisk rubbing4 ,then ,johnny3-- ,hevin' a good time out yar1 dad8 ,yes1 sonny4 ,tomorrer's ,chrismiss1--ain't it8 ,yes1 sonny4 ,how does she feel now8 ,better4 ,rub a little furder down4 ,wot's ,chrismiss1 anyway8 ,wot's it all about8 ,oh1 it's a day4 ,this exhaustive definition was apparently satisfactory1 for there was a silent interval of rubbing4 ,presently ,johnny again3-- ,mar sez that everywhere else but yer everybody gives things to everybody ,chrismiss1 and then she jist waded inter you4 ,she sez thar's a man they call ,sandy ,claws1 not a white man1 you know1 but a kind o' ,chinemin1 comes down the chimbley night afore ,chrismiss and gives things to chillern1--boys like me4 ,puts 'em in their butes6 ,thet's what she tried to play upon me4 ,easy1 now1 pop1 whar are you rubbin' to1--thet's a mile from the place4 ,she jest made that up1 didn't she1 jest to aggrewate me and you8 ,don't rub thar--,why1 dad6 ,in the great quiet that seemed to have fallen upon the house the sigh of the near pines and the drip of leaves without was very distinct4 ,johnny's voice1 too1 was lowered as he went on3 ,don't you take on now1 for ,i'm gettin' all right fast4 ,wot's the boys doin' out thar8 ,the ,old ,man partly opened the door and peered through4 ,his guests were sitting there sociably enough1 and there were a few silver coins and a lean buckskin purse on the table4 ,bettin' on suthin'1--some little game or 'nother4 ,they're all right1 he replied to ,johnny1 and recommenced his rubbing4 ,i'd like to take a hand and win some money1 said ,johnny reflectively1 after a pause4 ,the ,old ,man glibly repeated what was evidently a familiar formula1 that if ,johnny would wait until he struck it rich in the tunnel1 he'd have lots of money1 etc41 etc4 ,yes1 said ,johnny1 but you don't4 ,and whether you strike it or ,i win it1 it's about the same4 ,it's all luck4 ,but it's mighty cur'o's about ,chrismiss1--ain't it8 ,why do they call it ,chrismiss8 ,perhaps from some instinctive deference to the overhearing of his guests1 or from some vague sense of incongruity1 the ,old ,man's reply was so low as to be inaudible beyond the room4 ,yes1 said ,johnny1 with some slight abatement of interest1 ,i've heerd o' him before4 ,thar1 that'll do dad4 ,i don't ache near so bad as ,i did4 ,now wrap me tight in this yer blanket4 ,so4 ,now1 he added in a muffled whisper1 sit down yer by me till ,i go asleep4 ,to assure himself of obedience he disengaged one hand from the blanket1 and1 grasping his father's sleeve1 again composed himself to rest4 ,for some moments the ,old ,man waited patiently4 ,then the unwonted stillness of the house excited his curiosity1 and without moving from the bed he cautiously opened the door with his disengaged hand1 and looked into the main room4 ,to his infinite surprise it was dark and deserted4 ,but even then a smoldering log on the hearth broke1 and by the upspringing blaze he saw the figure of ,dick ,bullen sitting by the dying embers4 ,hello6 ,dick started1 rose1 and came somewhat unsteadily toward him4 ,whar's the boys8 said the ,old ,man4 ,gone up the canon on a little pasear4 ,they're coming back for me in a minit4 ,i'm waitin' round for 'em4 ,what are you starin' at1 ,old ,man8 he added1 with a forced laugh2 do you think ,i'm drunk8 ,the ,old ,man might have been pardoned the supposition1 for ,dick's eyes were humid and his face flushed4 ,he loitered and lounged back to the chimney1 yawned1 shook himself1 buttoned up his coat and laughed4 ,liquor ain't so plenty as that1 ,old ,man4 ,now don't you git up1 he continued1 as the ,old ,man made a movement to release his sleeve from ,johnny's hand4 ,don't you mind manners4 ,sit jest whar you be2 ,i'm goin' in a jiffy4 ,thar1 that's them now4 ,there was a low tap at the door4 ,dick ,bullen opened it quickly1 nodded ,good-night to his host1 and disappeared4 ,the ,old ,man would have followed him but for the hand that still unconsciously grasped his sleeve4 ,he could have easily disengaged it2 it was small1 weak and emaciated4 ,but perhaps because it was small1 weak and emaciated he changed his mind1 and1 drawing his chair closer to the bed1 rested his head upon it4 ,in this defenceless attitude the potency of his earlier potations surprised him4 ,the room flickered and faded before his eyes1 reappeared1 faded again1 went out1 and left him--asleep4 ,meantime ,dick ,bullen1 closing the door1 confronted his companions4 ,are you ready8 said ,staples4 ,ready1 said ,dick2 what's the time8 ,past twelve1 was the reply2 can you make it8--it's nigh on fifty miles1 the round trip hither and yon4 ,i reckon1 returned ,dick shortly4 ,whar's the mare8 ,bill and ,jack's holdin' her at the crossin'4 ,let 'em hold on a minit longer1 said ,dick4 ,he turned and reentered the house softly4 ,by the light of the guttering candle and dying fire he saw that the door of the little room was open4 ,he stepped toward it on tiptoe and looked in4 ,the ,old ,man had fallen back in his chair1 snoring1 his helpless feet thrust out in a line with his collapsed shoulders1 and his hat pulled over his eyes4 ,beside him1 on a narrow wooden bedstead1 lay ,johnny1 muffled tightly in a blanket that hid all save a strip of forehead and a few curls damp with perspiration4 ,dick ,bullen made a step forward1 hesitated1 and glanced over his shoulder into the deserted room4 ,everything was quiet4 ,with a sudden resolution he parted his huge mustaches with both hands1 and stooped over the sleeping boy4 ,but even as he did so a mischievous blast1 lying in wait1 swooped down the chimney1 rekindled the hearth1 and lit up the room with a shameless glow1 from which ,dick fled in bashful terror4 ,his companions were already waiting for him at the crossing4 ,two of them were struggling in the darkness with some strange misshapen bulk1 which as ,dick came nearer took the semblance of a great yellow horse4 ,it was the mare4 ,she was not a pretty picture4 ,from her ,roman nose to her rising haunches1 from her arched spine hidden by the stiff machillas of a ,mexican saddle1 to her thick1 straight1 bony legs1 there was not a line of equine grace4 ,in her half blind but wholly vicious white eyes1 in her protruding under-lip1 in her monstrous color1 there was nothing but ugliness and vice4 ,now1 then1 said ,staples1 stand cl'ar of her heels1 boy1 and up with you4 ,don't miss your first holt of her mane1 and mind ye get your off stirrup quick4 ,ready6 ,there was a leap1 a scrambling1 a bound1 a wild retreat of the crowd1 a circle of flying hoofs1 two springless leaps that jarred the earth1 a rapid play and jingle of spurs1 a plunge1 and then the voice of ,dick somewhere in the darkness4 ,all right6 ,don't take the lower road back onless you're pushed hard for time6 ,don't hold her in down hill4 ,we'll be at the ford at five4 ,g'lang6 ,hoopa6 ,mula6 ,,go6 ,a splash1 a spark struck from the ledge in the road1 a clatter in the rocky cut beyond1 and ,dick was gone4 - - - - - ,sing1 ,o ,muse1 the ride of ,richard ,bullen6 ,sing1 ,o ,muse1 of chivalrous men6 the sacred quest1 the doughty deeds1 the battery of low churls1 the fearsome ride and gruesome perils of the ,flower of ,simpson's ,bar6 ,alack6 she is dainty1 this ,muse6 ,she will have none of this bucking brute and swaggering1 ragged rider1 and ,i must fain follow him in prose1 afoot6 ,it was one o'clock1 and yet he had only gained ,rattlesnake ,hill4 ,for in that time ,jovita had rehearsed to him all her imperfections and practised all her vices4 ,thrice had she stumbled4 ,twice had she thrown up her ,roman nose in a straight line with the reins1 and1 resisting bit and spur1 struck out madly across country4 ,twice had she reared1 and1 rearing1 fallen backward2 and twice had the agile ,dick1 unharmed1 regained his seat before she found her vicious legs again4 ,and a mile beyond them1 at the foot of a long hill1 was ,rattlesnake ,creek4 ,dick knew that here was the crucial test of his ability to perform his enterprise1 set his teeth grimly1 put his knees well into her flanks1 and changed his defensive tactics to brisk aggression4 ,bullied and maddened1 ,jovita began the descent of the hill4 ,here the artful ,richard pretended to hold her in with ostentatious objurgation and well-feigned cries of alarm4 ,it is unnecessary to add that ,jovita instantly ran away4 ,nor need ,i state the time made in the descent2 it is written in the chronicles of ,simpson's ,bar4 ,enough that in another moment1 as it seemed to ,dick1 she was splashing on the overflowed banks of ,rattlesnake ,creek4 ,as ,dick expected1 the momentum she had acquired carried her beyond the point of balking1 and1 holding her well together for a mighty leap1 they dashed into the middle of the swiftly flowing current4 ,a few moments of kicking1 wading1 and swimming1 and ,dick drew a long breath on the opposite bank4 ,the road from ,rattlesnake ,creek to ,red ,mountain was tolerably level4 ,either the plunge into ,rattlesnake ,creek had dampened her baleful fire1 or the art which led to it had shown her the superior wickedness of her rider1 for ,jovita no longer wasted her surplus energy in wanton conceits4 ,once she bucked1 but it was from force of habit2 once she shied1 but it was from a new1 freshly-painted meeting-house at the crossing of the country road4 ,hollows1 ditches1 gravelly deposits1 patches of freshly-springing grasses1 flew from beneath her rattling hoofs4 ,she began to smell unpleasantly1 once or twice she coughed slightly1 but there was no abatement of her strength or speed4 ,by two o'clock he had passed ,red ,mountain and begun the descent to the plain4 ,ten minutes later the driver of the fast ,pioneer coach was overtaken and passed by a man on a ,pinto hoss1--an event sufficiently notable for remark4 ,at half past two ,dick rose in his stirrups with a great shout4 ,stars were glittering through the rifted clouds1 and beyond him1 out of the plain1 rose two spires1 a flagstaff1 and a straggling line of black objects4 ,dick jingled his spurs and swung his riata1 ,jovita bounded forward1 and in another moment they swept into ,tuttleville1 and drew up before the wooden piazza of ,the ,hotel of ,all ,nations4 ,what transpired that night at ,tuttleville is not strictly a part of this record4 ,briefly ,i may state1 however1 that after ,jovita had been handed over to a sleepy ostler1 whom she at once kicked into unpleasant consciousness1 ,dick sallied out with the barkeeper for a tour of the sleeping town4 ,lights still gleamed from a few saloons and gambling houses2 but1 avoiding these1 they stopped before several closed shops1 and by persistent tapping and judicious outcry roused the proprietors from their beds1 and made them unbar the doors of their magazines and expose their wares4 ,sometimes they were met by curses1 but oftener by interest and some concern in their needs4 ,it was three o'clock before this pleasantry was given over1 and with a small waterproof bag of ,india rubber strapped on his shoulders ,dick returned to the hotel4 ,and then he sprang to the saddle1 and dashed down the lonely street and out into the lonelier plain1 where presently the lights1 the black line of houses1 the spires1 and the flagstaff sank into the earth behind him again and were lost in the distance4 ,the storm had cleared away1 the air was brisk and cold1 the outlines of adjacent landmarks were distinct1 but it was half-past four before ,dick reached the meeting-house and the crossing of the country road4 ,to avoid the rising grade he had taken a longer and more circuitous road1 in whose viscid mud ,jovita sank fetlock deep at every bound4 ,it was a poor preparation for a steady ascent of five miles more2 but ,jovita1 gathering her legs under her1 took it with her usual blind1 unreasoning fury1 and a half hour later reached the long level that led to ,rattlesnake ,creek4 ,another half hour would bring him to the ,creek4 ,he threw the reins lightly upon the neck of the mare1 chirruped to her1 and began to sing4 ,suddenly ,jovita shied with a bound that would have unseated a less practised rider4 ,hanging to her rein was a figure that had leaped from the bank1 and at the same time from the road before her arose a shadowy horse and rider4 ,throw up your hands1 commanded the second apparition1 with an oath4 ,dick felt the mare tremble1 quiver1 and apparently sink under him4 ,he knew what it meant1 and was prepared4 ,stand aside1 ,jack ,simpson4 ,i know you1 you d----d thief6 ,let me pass1 or-- ,he did not finish the sentence4 ,jovita rose straight in the air with a terrific bound1 throwing the figure from her bit with a single shake of her vicious head1 and charged with deadly malevolence down on the impediment before her4 ,an oath1 a pistol-shot1 horse and highwayman rolled over in the road1 and the next moment ,jovita was a hundred yards away4 ,but the good right arm of her rider1 shattered by a bullet1 dropped helplessly at his side4 ,without slacking his speed he lifted the reins to his left hand4 ,but a few moments later he was obliged to halt and tighten the saddle-girths that had slipped in the onset4 ,this in his crippled condition took some time4 ,he had no fear of pursuit1 but1 looking up1 he saw that the eastern stars were already paling1 and that the distant peaks had lost their ghostly whiteness1 and now stood out blackly against a lighter sky4 ,day was upon him4 ,then completely absorbed in a single idea1 he forgot the pain of his wound1 and1 mounting again1 dashed on towards ,rattlesnake ,creek4 ,but now ,jovita's breath came broken by gasps1 ,dick reeled in his saddle1 and brighter and brighter grew the sky4 ,ride1 ,richard2 run1 ,jovita2 linger1 ,o day6 ,for the last few rods there was a roaring in his ears4 ,was it exhaustion from a loss of blood1 or what8 ,he was dazed and giddy as he swept down the hill1 and did not recognize his surroundings4 ,had he taken the wrong road1 or was this ,rattlesnake ,creek8 ,it was4 ,but the brawling creek he had swam a few hours before had risen1 more than doubled its volume1 and now rolled a swift and resistless river between him and ,rattlesnake ,hill4 ,for the first time that night ,richard's heart sank within him4 ,the river1 the mountain1 the quickening east1 swam before his eyes4 ,he shut them to recover his self-control4 ,in that brief interval1 by some fantastic mental process1 the little room at ,simpson's ,bar and the figures of the sleeping father and son rose upon him4 ,he opened his eyes wildly1 cast off his coat1 pistol1 boots1 and saddle1 bound his precious pack tightly to his shoulders1 grasped the bare flanks of ,jovita with his bared knees1 and with a shout dashed into the yellow water4 ,a cry arose from the opposite bank as the head of a man and horse struggled for a few moments against the battling current1 and then were swept away amidst uprooted trees and whirling driftwood4 - - - - - ,the ,old man started and woke4 ,the fire on the hearth was dead1 the candle in the outer room flickering in its socket1 and somebody was rapping at the door4 ,he opened it1 but fell back with a cry before the dripping1 half-naked figure that reeled against the doorpost4 ,dick8 ,hush6 ,is he awake yet8 ,no2 but ,dick-- ,dry up1 you old fool6 ,get me some whiskey1 quick6 ,the ,old ,man flew1 and returned with--an empty bottle6 ,dick would have sworn1 but his strength was not equal to the occasion4 ,he staggered1 caught at the handle of the door1 and motioned to the ,old ,man4 ,thar's suthin' in my pack yer for ,johnny4 ,take it off4 ,i can't4 ,the ,old ,man unstrapped the pack1 and laid it before the exhausted man4 ,open it1 quick4 ,he did so with trembling fingers4 ,it contained only a few poor toys1--cheap and barbaric enough1 goodness knows1 but bright with paint and tinsel4 ,one of them was broken2 another1 ,i fear1 was irretrievably ruined by water2 and on the third--ah me6 there was a cruel spot4 ,it don't look like much1 that's a fact1 said ,dick ruefully 444 ,but it's the best we could do4444 ,take 'em ,old ,man1 and put 'em in his stocking1 and tell him--tell him1 you know--hold me1 ,old ,man-- ,the ,old ,man caught at his sinking figure4 ,tell him1 said ,dick1 with a weak little laugh1--tell him ,sandy ,claus has come4 ,and even so1 bedraggled1 ragged1 unshaven and unshorn1 with one arm hanging helplessly at his side1 ,santa ,claus came to ,simpson's ,bar1 and fell fainting on the first threshold4 ,the ,christmas dawn came slowly after1 touching the remoter peaks with the rosy warmth of ineffable love4 ,and it looked so tenderly on ,simpson's ,bar that the whole mountain1 as if caught in a generous action1 blushed to the skies4 99 99 99 99 99 ,v ,,old ,,carols ,,and ,,exercises ,,god ,,rest ,,you1 ,,merry ,,gentlemen ,,old ,,carol ,god rest you1 merry gentlemen1 ,let nothing you dismay1 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 ,was born upon this day4 ,to save us all from ,satan's pow'r ,when we were gone astray4 ,o tidings of comfort and joy6 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 ,was born on ,christmas ,day4 ,in ,bethlehem1 in ,jewry1 ,this blessed ,babe was born4 ,and laid within a manger1 ,upon this blessed morn2 ,the which ,his mother1 ,mary1 ,nothing did take in scorn4 ,from ,god our ,heavenly ,father1 ,a blessed angel came2 ,and unto certain shepherds ,brought tidings of the same3 ,how that in ,bethlehem was born ,the ,son of ,god by name4 ,fear not1 then said the angel1 ,let nothing you affright1 ,this day is born a ,saviour ,of virtue1 power1 and might1 ,so frequently to vanquish all ,the friends of ,satan quite4 ,the shepherds at those tidings ,rejoiced much in mind1 ,and left their flocks a-feeding ,in tempest1 storm1 and wind1 ,and went to ,bethlehem straightway1 ,this blessed ,babe to find4 ,but when to ,bethlehem they came1 ,whereat this infant lay1 ,they found ,him in a manger1 ,where oxen feed on hay1 ,his mother ,mary kneeling1 ,unto the ,lord did pray4 ,now to the ,lord sing praises1 ,all you within this place1 ,and with true love and brotherhood ,each other now embrace2 ,this holy tide of ,christmas ,all others doth deface4 ,o tidings of comfort and joy6 ,for ,jesus ,christ1 our ,saviour1 ,was born on ,christmas ,day4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,old ,,christmas ,,returned ,all you that to feasting and mirth are inclined1 ,come here is good news for to pleasure your mind1 ,old ,christmas is come for to keep open house1 ,he scorns to be guilty of starving a mouse3 ,then come1 boys1 and welcome for diet the chief1 ,plum-pudding1 goose1 capon1 minced pies1 and roast beef4 ,the holly and ivy about the walls wind ,and show that we ought to our neighbors be kind1 ,inviting each other for pastime and sport1 ,and where we best fare1 there we most do resort2 ,we fail not of victuals1 and that of the chief1 ,plum-pudding1 goose1 capon1 minced pies1 and roast beef4 ,all travellers1 as they do pass on their way1 ,at gentlemen's halls are invited to stay1 ,themselves to refresh1 and their horses to rest1 ,since that he must be ,old ,christmas's guest2 ,nay1 the poor shall not want1 but have for relief1 ,plum-pudding1 goose1 capon1 minced pies1 and roast beef4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,carol ,as ,joseph was a-waukin' ,he heard an angel sing1 ,this night shall be the birthnight ,of ,christ our heavenly ,king4 ,his birth-bed shall be neither ,in housen nor in hall1 ,nor in the place of paradise1 ,but in the oxen stall4 ,he neither shall be rocked ,in silver nor in gold1 ,but in the wooden manger ,that lieth in the mould4 ,he neither shall be washen ,with white wine nor with red1 ,but with the fair spring water ,that on you shall be shed4 ,he neither shall be clothed ,in purple nor in pall1 ,but in the fair1 white linen ,that usen babies all4 ,as ,joseph was a-waukin'1 ,thus did the angel sing1 ,and ,mary's son at midnight ,was born to be our ,king4 ,then be you glad1 good people1 ,at this time of the year2 ,and light you up your candles1 ,for ,his star it shineth clear4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,in ,,excelsis ,,gloria ,when ,christ was born of ,mary free1 ,in ,bethlehem1 in that fair citie1 ,angels sang there with mirth and glee1 ,in ,excelsis ,gloria6 ,herdsmen beheld these angels bright1 ,to them appearing with great light1 ,who said1 ,god's ,son is born this night1 ,in ,excelsis ,gloria6 ,this ,king is come to save mankind1 ,as in ,scripture truths we find1 ,therefore this song have we in mind1 ,in ,excelsis ,gloria6 ,then1 dear ,lord1 for ,thy great grace1 ,grant us the bliss to see ,thy face1 ,that we may sing to ,thy solace1 ,in ,excelsis ,gloria6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,boar',s ,,head ,,carol 7,sung at ,queen's ,college1 ,oxford47 ,the boar's head in hand bear ,i1 ,bedecked with bays and rosemary2 ,and ,i pray you1 my masters1 be merry1 ,quot estis in convivio4 ,caput apri defero ,reddens laudes domino4 ,the boar's head1 as ,i understand1 ,is the rarest dish in all this land1 ,which thus bedeck'd with a gay garland ,let us servire cantico4 ,caput apri defero ,reddens laudes domino4 ,our steward hath provided this ,in honour of the ,king of bliss2 ,which on this day to be served is ,in ,reginensi ,atrio4 ,caput apri defero ,reddens laudes domino4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,christmas ,,carol ,listen1 lordings1 unto me1 a tale ,i will you tell2 ,which1 as on this night of glee1 in ,david's town befell4 ,joseph came from ,nazareth with ,mary1 that sweet maid2 ,weary were they nigh to death1 and for a lodging prayed4 ,in the inn they found no room2 a scanty bed they made2 ,soon a babe1 an angel pure1 was in the manger laid4 ,forth ,he came1 as light through glass1 ,he came to save us all4 ,in the stable1 ox and ass before their ,maker fall4 ,shepherds lay afield that night to keep the silly sheep1 ,hosts of angels in their sight came down from ,heaven's high steep3-- ,tidings6 tidings unto you6 to you a child is born1 ,purer than the drops of dew1 and brighter than the morn6 ,onward then the angels sped1 the shepherds onward went1-- ,god was in ,his manger bed2 in worship low they bent4 ,in the morning see ye mind1 my masters one and all1 ,at the altar ,him to find1 who lay within the stall4 ,chorus4 ,sing high1 sing low1 ,sing to and fro1 ,go tell it out with speed1 ,cry out and shout1 ,all round about1 ,that ,christ is born indeed6 ,pray whither sailed those ships all three ,on ,christmas day in the morning8 ,oh1 they sailed into ,bethlehem ,on ,christmas day1 on ,christmas day2 ,oh1 they sailed into ,bethlehem ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 ,and all the bells on earth shall ring ,on ,christmas day1 on ,christmas day2 ,and all the bells on earth shall ring ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 ,and all the angels in heaven shall sing ,on ,christmas day1 on ,christmas day2 ,and all the angels in heaven shall sing ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 ,and all the souls on earth shall sing ,on ,christmas day1 on ,christmas day2 ,and all the souls on earth shall sing ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 ,then let us all rejoice amain ,on ,christmas day1 on ,christmas day2 ,then let us all rejoice amain ,on ,christmas day in the morning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,additional ,,pieces ,a ,,christmas ,,insurrection ,,anne ,p4,l4 ,,field ,in the hush of a shivery ,christmas-tide dawn ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,three small frozen figures hung stiff and forlorn ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,three dim ghostly forms in the glimmering gray ,locked up in dark cold storage quarters were they ,awaiting the coming of glad ,christmas day ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,suspended each one from a hickory twig ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,a turkey1 a goose1 and a little fat pig ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,with chestnuts the turkey was garnished and stuffed ,with onions and sage was the goose-carcass puffed1 ,while piggy was spiced1 and his neck was beruffed ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,three spirits regretful were hovering near ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,look6 gobbled the turkey's1 what tragedy's here6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,for this did they tempt me with fattening food1 ,for this did ,i bring up my beautiful brood1 ,i always thought farmers uncommonly rude6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,the goose spirit trembled1 then hissingly said ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,most men care for nothing except to be fed6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,what horror is this1 filled with onions and sage ,to be served on a platter at my tender age6 ',tis enough any well-disposed fowl to enrage6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,the phantom pig grunted1 ,do please look at that6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,oh6 why did ,i grow up so rosy and fat6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,they put in my mouth a sweet1 juicy corncob ,just when of sensations my palate they rob1 ,do you wonder such sights make a spirit-pig sob6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,conferring1 the spirits resolved on a plan ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,by which to wreak vengeance on merciless man ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 ,we'll each disagree with the human inside1 ,we'll cause indigestion and damage his pride1 ,and the pains of this ,christmas we'll spread far and wide6 ,sing hey6 sing ho6 heigho6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,night ,,after ,,christmas ,,anne ,p4,l4 ,,field ,twas the night after ,christmas in ,santa-,claus land ,and to rest from his labors ,st4 ,nicholas planned4 ,the reindeer were turned out to pasture and all ,the ten thousand assistants discharged till the fall4 ,the furry great-coat was laid safely away ,with the boots and the cap with its tassel so gay1 ,and toasting his toes by a merry wood fire1 ,what more could a weary old ,santa desire8 ,so he puffed at his pipe and remarked to his wife1 ,this amply makes up for my strenuous life6 ,from climbing down chimneys my legs fairly ache1 ,but it's well worth the while for the dear children's sake4 ,i'd bruise every bone in my body to see ,the darlings' delight in a gift-laden tree6 ,just then came a sound like a telephone bell-- ,though why they should have such a thing ,i can't tell-- ,st4 ,nick gave a snort and exclaimed in a rage1 ,bad luck to inventions of this modern age6 ,he grabbed the receiver--his face wore a frown ,as he roared in the mouth-piece1 ,i will not come down ,to exchange any toys like an up-to-date store1 ,ring off1 ,i'll not listen to anything more6 ,then he settled himself by the comforting blaze ,and waxed reminiscent of halcyon days ,when children were happy with simplest of toys3 ,a doll for the girls and a drum for the boys-- ,but again came that noisy disturber of peace ,the telephone bell--would the sound never cease8 ,run and answer it1 wife1 all my patience has fled1 ,if they keep this thing up ,i shall wish ,i were dead6 ,i have worked night and day the best part of a year ,to supply all the children1 and what do ,i hear-- ,a boy who declares he received roller-skates ,when he wanted a gun--and a cross girl who states ,that she asked for a new ,victor talking machine ,and ,i brought her a sled1 so she thinks ,i am 'mean6' ,poor ,st4 ,nicholas looked just the picture of woe1 ,he needed some auto-suggestion1 you know1 ,to make him think things were all coming out right1 ,for he didn't get one wink of slumber that night6 ,the telephone wire was kept sizzling hot ,by children disgusted with presents they'd got1 ,and when the bright sun showed its face in the sky ,the ,santa-,claus family were ready to cry6 ,just then something happened--a way of escape1 ,though it came in the funniest possible shape-- ,an aeronaut1 sorely in need of a meal1 ,descended for breakfast--it seemed quite ideal6 ,for the end of it was1 he invited his host ,out to try the balloon1 of whose speed he could boast4 ,st4 ,nick1 who was nothing if not a good sport1 ,was delighted to go1 and as quick as a thought ,climbed into the car for a flight in the air-- ,no telephone bells can disturb me up there6 ,and1 wife1 if it suits me ,i'll count it no crime ,to stay up till ready for next ,christmas time6 ,thus saying--he sailed in the giant balloon1 ,and ,i fear that he will not return very soon4 ,now1 when you ask ,central for ,santa-,claus land ,she'll say1 discontinued--and you'll understand4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,when ,,the ,,stars ,,of ,,morning ,,sang ,,anne ,p4,l4 ,,field ,when the stars of morning sang ,long ago1 ,sweet the air with music rang ,through the snow1 ,there beside the mother mild ,slept the blessed ,christmas child1-- ,slumber holy1 undefiled-- ,here below4 ,when the wise men traveled far ,through the night1 ,following the guiding star ,pure and bright1 ,lo6 it stood above the place ,sanctified by ,heaven's grace1 ,and upon the ,christ-,child's face ,shed its light4 ,when the world lay hushed and still ,christmas morn1 ,suddenly were skies athrill-- ,christ is born6 ,angel voices1 high and clear1 ,chanted tidings of good cheer1 ,see1 the ,infant ,king is here1 ,christ is born6 99 99 99 99 99 ,a ,,prayer ,,at ,,bethlehem ,,anne ,p4,l4 ,,field ,o pulsing earth with heart athrill ,with infinite creative will6 ,o watchful shepherds in whose eyes ,sweet hopes and promises arise6 ,o angel-host whose chanting choir ,proclaims fulfillment of desire6 ,o flaming star so purely white ,against the black ,judean night6 ,o blessed ,mary bending low ,with sense of motherhood aglow6 ,o holy ,babe with haloed head ,soft pillowed in a manger bed6 ,o ,mystery divine and deep ,help us ,thy prophecies to keep6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,christmas ,,fires ,,anne ,p4,l4 ,,field ,the ,christmas fires brightly gleam ,and dance among the holly boughs1 ,the ,christmas pudding's spicy steam ,with fragrance fills the house1 ,while merry grows each friendly soul ,over the foaming wassail bowl4 ,resplendent stands the glitt'ring tree1 ,weighted with gifts for old and young1 ,the children's faces shine with glee1 ,and joyous is each tongue1 ,while lads and lassies come and go ,under the festive mistletoe4 ,when suddenly the frosty air ,is filled with music1 voices sweet1 ,lo6 see the ,christmas waits are there ,snow-crowned and bare of feet1 ,yet high and clear their voices ring1 ,and glad their ,christmas carolling4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,carol ,o ,child of ,mary's tender care6 ,o little ,child so pure and fair6 ,cradled within the manger hay ,on that divine first ,christmas day6 ,the hopes of every age and race ,are centered in ,thy radiant face6 ,o ,child whose glory fills the earth6 ,o little ,child of lowly birth6 ,the shepherds1 guided from afar1 ,stood worshiping beneath the star1 ,and wise-men fell on bended knee ,and homage offered unto ,thee6 ,o ,child of whom the angels sing6 ,o little ,child1 our ,infant ,king6 ,what balm for every sorrow lies ,within those clear1 illumined eyes6 ,o precious gift to mortals given ,to win us heritage in ,heaven6 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,mother ,,robert ,,haven ,,schauffler ,all day her watch had lasted on the plateau above the town4 ,and now the sun slanted low over the dull1 blue sheen of the western sea1 playing changingly with the angular mountain which rose abruptly from its surge4 ,the young matron did not heed the magic which was transforming the theater of hills to the north and lingering lovingly at last on the eastern summit4 ,nor had she any eyes for the changing hue of the ivy-clad cubes of stone that formed the village over which her hungry gaze passed1 sweeping the length and breadth of the plain below4 ,she seemed not much above thirty3 tall1 erect and lithe4 ,her throat1 bared to the breeze1 was of the purest modeling2 her skin of a whiteness unusual in that warm climate4 ,her head1 a little small for her rounded figure1 was crowned with a coil of chestnut hair1 and her eyes glowed with a look strange to the common light of every day4 ,it was her soul that was scanning that southward country4 ,from time to time she would fondle a small object hidden beneath the white folds of her robe4 ,once she threw her arms out in a passionate gesture toward the plain1 and tears overflowed the beautiful eyes4 ,again she fell on her knees1 and the throes of inner prayer found relief at her lips3 ,father1 my ,father1 grant me to see him ere the dusk6 ,once again she sank down1 moaning3 ,he is in ,thine everlasting arms4 ,but ,thou1 who knowest times and seasons1 give him to me on this day of days6 ,under the curve of a shielding hand her vision strained through the clear1 pure air1--strained and found at last two specks far out in the plain1 and followed them breathlessly as they crept nearer4 ,one traveler was clad in a dark garment1 and stopped presently1 leaving his light-robed companion to hasten on alone toward the hungry-eyed woman on the plateau4 ,all at once she gathered her skirt with a joyous cry and ran with lithe1 elastic steps down through the village4 ,they met on a low1 rounded hill near the plain4 ,my son1 my darling6 she cried1 catching him passionately to her bosom4 ,we have searched1 and waited1 and agonized1 she continued after a pause1 smiling at him through her happy tears4 ,but it matters nothing now4 ,i have thee again4 ,my mother1 said the boy as he caressed her cheek1 looking at her dreamily1 ,i have been with my cousin4 ,even now he waits below for me4 ,i must bid thee farewell4 ,i must pass from thy face forever4 ,his lip trembled a little1 but he smiled bravely4 ,for it is the will of ,god1 the ,father4 ,the mother's face went ashen4 ,she tottered and would have fallen but for his slender arm about her4 ,her thoughts were whirling in wild confusion1 yet she knew that she must decide calmly1 wisely1 quickly4 ,her lips moved1 but made no sound4 ,oh1 lay ,thy wise and gracious hand upon me6 was what she breathed in silence4 ,then her voice sounded rich and happy and fresh1 as it had always sounded for him4 ,his will be done4 ,thou comest to bid farewell to thy brothers and father8 ,it may not be1 he answered4 ,my lot henceforth is to flee the touch of the world1 the unsympathetic eye1 the ribald tongue of those like my brothers--the defilement of common life4 ,the mother pressed him closer4 ,say all that is in thine heart1 she murmured4 ,we will bide here4 ,they sank down together on the soft1 bright turf1 facing the brilliance of the west1 she holding her child as of old in the hollow of her arm4 ,he began to speak4 ,for long and long a voice within me said1 ',go and seek thy cousin4' ,so ,i sought and found1 and we abode together in the woods and fields1 and were friends with our dear brothers the beasts1 and the fishes1 and the birds4 ,there1 day by day1 my cousin would tell me of the dream that filled his soul and of the holy men who had put the dream there4 ,the mother's eyes grew larger with a swift terror1 but she held her peace4 ,and at the last1 when the beauty1 the wind1 the sun1 the rain1 and the voice of ,god1 had purified me in some measure1 my cousin brought me to visit these holy men4 ,the clear1 boyish voice rose and began to vibrate with enthusiasm4 ,ah1 mother1 they are the chosen ones of ,god6 ,sweet and grave and gentle they are1 and theirs is the perfect life4 ,they dwell spotless and apart from the world4 ,they own one common purse1 and spend their lives working with their hands and pondering and dreaming on purity1 goodness1 and the commands of the great law4 ,he sprang up in his excitement from her encircling arm and stood erect and wide-eyed before her4 ,ah1 mother1 they are so good that they would do nothing on the ,sabbath1 even to saving their own lives or the lives of their animals1 or their brothers4 ,they bathe very often in sacred water4 ,they have no wives1 and mortify the flesh1 and-- ,what is their aim in this8 the mother interrupted gently4 ,the boy was aflame with his subject4 ,ah1 that is it--the great goal toward which they all run1 he cried4 ,they are doing my ,father's work1 and ,i must help6 ,hear1 hear what is before me3 ,when a young novice comes to them they give him the symbols of purity3 a spade1 an apron1 and a white robe to wear at the holy meals4 ,in a year he receives a closer fellowship and the baths of purification4 ,after that he enters the state of bodily purity4 ,then little by little he enters into purity of the spirit1 meekness1 holiness4 ,he becomes a temple of the ,holy ,spirit1 and prophesies4 ,ah1 think1 mother1 how sweet it would be to lie entranced there for days and weeks in an earthly paradise1 with no rough world to break the spell1 while the angels sing softly in one's ears6 ,i1 even ,i1 have already tasted of that bliss4 ,say on1 she breathed4 ,what does the holy man do then8 ,then1 the inspired1 boyish tones continued--then he performs miracles1 and finally-- he clasped her hand convulsively--he becomes ,elias1 the forerunner of the ,messiah6 ,from far out in the wilderness came a melancholy cry4 ,it is ,john1 my cousin1 said the boy1 radiant1 half turning himself at the sound4 ,i must go to him4 ,she drew in her breath sharply1 and rose to her feet4 ,bear a message to ,john1 she said4 ,not pourings of water1 nor white robes2 not times and seasons1 nor feasts in darkness and silence1 shall hasten the kingdom of heaven2 neither formulas1 nor phylacteries1 nor madness on the ,sabbath4 ,above all1 no selfish1 proud isolation shall usher in the glorious reign of the ,messiah4 ,these holy men1--these ,essenes1--are but stricter1 sterner1 nobler ,pharisees4 ,tell thy cousin to take all the noble and fine1 to reject all the selfish and unmeaning1 in their lives4 ,doctrine is not in heaven4 ,not by fasts and scourgings1 not by vigils and scruples about the law2 not by selfishly shutting out the world1 but by taking all poor1 suffering1 erring1 striving humanity into his heart will he become the true ,elias4 ,there was a breathless1 thrilling moment of perfect silence as the glowing eyes of the mother looked deep into the astonished1 questioning eyes of the son4 ,then she rested both hands on his shoulders and spoke almost in a whisper4 ,as for thee1 the time is now come4 ,does my son know what this day means8 ,he looked at her wonderingly and was silent4 ,the mother spoke3 ,for many years ,i have kept these things and pondered them in my heart4 ,now1 now the hour is here when thou must know them4 ,she bent so close that a strand of loosened hair swept his forehead4 ,in the time before thou wert born came as in a dream a wondrous visitor to me straight from the ,father4 ,and that pure1 ecstatic messenger announced that the power of the ,highest would overshadow me1 and that my child was to be the son of the ,highest1 who should save ,his people from their sins--the ,prince of ,peace--the ,messiah6 ,from the wilderness came a long1 melancholy cry1 but the rapt boy heard not4 ,the mother continued in the soft1 tender voice that began to tremble with her in her ecstasy4 ,this day is thy birthday4 ,twelve years ago this eventide1 when thou camest into the world of men1 men came to worship and praise ,god for thee1--the lowliest and the highest1--as a token that thou wert to be not only ,son of ,god but ,son of ,man as well4 ,poor1 ignorant shepherds crowded about us in that little stable where we lay1 and left the sweet savor of their prayers1 and tears1 and rejoicings4 ,and great1 wise kings from another part of the earth came also4 ,from beneath the folds of her robe she drew forth by a fine-spun chain an intricately chased casket of soft1 yellow gold4 ,the boy took it dreamily into his hands1 and as his fingers opened it1 there floated forth upon the air of the hills of ,nazareth the sacred odor of incense mingled with a perfume indescribably delicate and precious4 ,read6 whispered the mother4 ,the boy held his breath suddenly4 ,there1 on the lower surface of the lid1 graven in rude characters1 as if on the inspiration of the moment1 stood the single word ,,love ,she flung wide her arms as if to embrace the universe4 ,love6 ,love6 ,love6 she cried in her rich mother's voice4 ,it is the greatest thing in the world6 ,it is the message of the ,messiah6 ,the heavens over the sea were of molten gold1 and a golden glow seemed to radiate from the boyish face that confronted them4 ,in their trance-like ecstasy the wonderful eyes gazed full into the blinding west--gazed on and on until day had passed into night4 ,one iterant sound alone1 as it drew closer1 stirred the silence of that evening3 it was the voice of one crying in the wilderness4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,end 99 99 99 99 99 ,transcriber's notes4 #a4 ,there is an editorial error in the original edition of this book3 ,the ,star ,song by ,robert ,herrick is listed in the ,table of ,contents but not included in the text4 ,for this edition ,the ,star ,song was removed from the ,table of ,contents4 #b4 ,in the ,inexhaustibility of the ,subject of ,christmas by ,leigh ,hunt the following sentence3 ,there are two p's1 observe1 in plenipotential2 and so there are in plum-pudding4 ,we love an exquisite fitness1--a might and wealth of adaptation74 is transcribed3 7,there are two p's1 observe1 in plenipotential2 and so there are in plum-pudding4 ,we love an exquisite fitness1--a might and wealth of adaptation74 #c4 ,in ,christmas ,holly3 ,i sing the holly1 and who can breathe ,aught of that that is not good8 ,then sing to the holly1 the ,christmas holly1 ,that hangs over peasant and king2 was changed as follows to correct an error and to preserve the symmetrical verse structure #d1h1h1h1d3 ,i sing the holly1 and who can breathe ,aught of that that is not good8 ,then sing to the holly1 the ,christmas holly1 ,that hangs over peasant and king2 #d4 ,in ,sery by ,richard ,watson ,gilder3 ,at a very queer sight ,in the dim starlight4 ,as plain as can be ,a fairy tree was changed to3 ,at a very queer sight ,in the dim starlight4 ,as plain as can be ,a fairy tree #e4 ,in ,christmas ,dreams1 the word stravaigging was corrected to stravaiging4 #f4 ,hang up the ,baby's ,stocking was not attributed in the ,table of ,contents or in the text in the original edition4 ,for clarity this edition attributed both as follows3 ,emily ,huntington ,miller4 ,attribution makes the text more readable4 ,without it one could believe the poem to have been written by ,andrew ,lang2 especially after ,haven inserts an extra poem by ,southwell1 ,a ,carol following ,the ,wassailer's ,song1 which is unlisted in the contents4 #g4 ,finally1 the #aijg edition includes a story called ,golden ,cobwebs at the close of section ,,iv that was not included in the #aifh edition used for this transcription4