Old Christmas . r and morecordial smile—where is the shy glance of lovemore sweetly eloquent—than by the winterfireside ? and as the hollow blast of wintry windrushes through the hall, claps the distant door,whistles about the casement, and rumblesdown the chimney, what can be more gratefulthan that feeling of sober and sheltered security,with which we look round upon the comfortablechamber and the scene of domestic hilarity? The English, from the great prevalence ofrural habit throughout every class of society,have always been fond of those festivals andholidays which agreeably interrupt the
Old Christmas . r and morecordial smile—where is the shy glance of lovemore sweetly eloquent—than by the winterfireside ? and as the hollow blast of wintry windrushes through the hall, claps the distant door,whistles about the casement, and rumblesdown the chimney, what can be more gratefulthan that feeling of sober and sheltered security,with which we look round upon the comfortablechamber and the scene of domestic hilarity? The English, from the great prevalence ofrural habit throughout every class of society,have always been fond of those festivals andholidays which agreeably interrupt the stillnessof country life; and they were, in former days,particularly observant of the religious andsocial rites of Christmas. It is inspiring toread even the dry details which some antiquarieshave given of the quaint humour, the burlesquepageants, the complete abandonment to mirthand good-fellowship, with which this festivalwas celebrated. It seemed to throw openevery door, and unlock every heart. It brought. Christmas 9 the peasant and the peer together, and blendedall ranks in one warm, generous flow of joyand kindness. The old halls of castles andmanor-houses resounded with the harp and theChristmas carol, and their ample boards groanedunder the weight of hospitality. Even the poor-est cottage welcomed the festive season withgreen decorations of bay and holly—the cheerfulfire glanced its rays through the lattice, invit-ing the passengers to raise the latch, and jointhe gossip knot huddled round the hearth, be-guiling the long evening with legendary jokesand oft-told Christmas tales. One of the least pleasing effects of modernrefinement is the havoc it has made among thehearty old holiday customs. It has completelytaken off the sharp touchings and spirited reliefsof these embellishments of life, and has worndown society into a more smooth and pol-ished, but certainly a less characteristic of the games and ceremonials of Christmashave entirely disappeared, a
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Keywords: ., bo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublishernewyorkgpputnam
