No. 52, VOL. VII.] THE BE RESOLVED TO DO THAT WHICH IS RIGHT IN SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30, 1854. FESTIVALS WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS. Now that Christmas-day has passed over, we would call the attention of our readers to a few interesting facts connected with events within its octave. On the 26th, the Church keeps the feast of St. Stephen, the first deacon and proto martyr who suffered death at Jerusalem, in the year 34, for his eloquent defence of the faith of his Divine Master. We have on record many very singular and very ancient customs on this day. In the receipts and disbursements of the canons of St. Mary, at Huntingdon, is the following curious item:- "For letting our horses blede on St. Steven's-day, 3d," and to show that this custom is very ancient, we find a notice of this by Naogeorgus. "Then followeth St. Stephen's-day, His horses jaunt and course abroade, Took charge of horses heare." How St. Stephen came to be considered to have any special interest in horses we are not wise enough to surmise. Aubrey "On St. Stephen's-day the farrier came and blouded all says, our horses." Tusser, commenting upon this singular custom, remarks," About Christmas is a very proper time to bleed horses in, for then they are commonly at home, and at rest for a few days; besides, spring is coming on, the sun being now coming back from the winter solstice, bleeding was Mr. Douce remarks, considered indispensable for cattle." "that this custom was introduced into this country by the Danes." The Finns upon this day, throw a piece of money, or a bit of silver into the trough, out of which the horses drink. In North Yorkshire on this day, the richer sort of people make large goose pies, which they distribute to their more needy neighbours, except one, which is always reserved to be eaten on the purification of our blessed Lady. In the south St. Stephen's-day is called Boxing-day, when the apprentices, servants of tradesmen, watchmen, beadles, dust [PRICE ONE PENNY. men, &c. &c. go round to collect their Christmas boxes. This Having now got to the end of the Christmas festivities (and for a more lengthened detail of them, see our " People's Book," No. 3, one penny), we must say a little regarding THE NEW YEAR'S EVE AND NEW YEAR'S DAY. "We do not, in this country, observe new year's eve with any marked or especially determined ceremonies. It is generally a night of mirth. "It was an ancient custom to go about the town with a The western counties of in some places on new year's eve. bowl, called a wassail bowl, and the practice is still kept up England are most remarkable for this custom, and there the ceremony is performed after the following fashion :-A company of six men, having provided themselves with a little bowl, set out, on the commencement of the new year (or rather the commencement of new year's eve), to visit the inhabitants of the town or village where they live. They rarely begin until the candles are lighted, when, without ceremony, they silently open the door, and, in an audible voice, begin to sing some barbarous lines that seem to have neither sense nor meaning other than that they contain a request that those within will bestow something on "These poor jolly wassail boys Come travelling through the mire ;" And having obtained this, either in meat, drink, or money, and sometimes in all, they retire, and repeat the same ditty at the next door." "But the hour of midnight approaches, the noon of night,' as it has been most poetically termed; and though mirth and good humour have prevailed during the evening, as they should do, yet as the final moment of the year approaches, a gradual silence steals over the company, every eye is turned to the dial, each stroke is distinctly heard, a kind of oppression, solemn, but not unpleasing, steals over the senses, and the ear listens with intense anxiety for the stroke of the parish clock. It strikes: another annual portion of time has ended, and is begun. The bells ring out a merry peal; the new comer, with his face veiled, is hailed with joy, and the lifting of that veil is anticipated with mingled hope and fear. The congratulations of friends follow; and sometimes a valued one steps in, to be the first to wish the inmates of the house a Happy New Year. "And now, new year's day demands a little attention: it is observed as the festival of our Lord's circumcision. But as new year's day, it is a season of universal gladness; and though not honoured by any special observances, yet the best feelings of the heart gush out in a thousand streams. "The following description of new year's day in the French capital is copied from 'Time's Telescope' for 1823, pp. 3, 4 New year's day in Paris is the most remarkable in the whole year; all the shops are shut, labour suspends his toil, commerce reposes on her oars, and the philosopher postpones his studies; nature, and nature's sun, enjoy a universal holiday. For several weeks preceding new year's day, various classes of ingenious artists employ all their talents and skill, to shine with an uncommon lustre on the auspicious opening of the new year; these are the confectioners, the embossers of visiting-cards, the jewellers, etc.; and their shops on this day display a degree of taste and magnificence difficult to describe, and totally unknown in England. This is the day of universal greeting, of renewing acquaintanceship, of counting how many links have been broken by time last year in the circles of friendship, and what new ones have replaced them. All persons, whatever be their rank, degree, or profession, form a list of the names of persons whose friendship they wish to procure or cultivate; to each of these persons a porter is sent, to deliver their card. Those more particularly connected with them by blood or friendship, are visited în person; and all who meet embrace on this happy day. Millions of cards are distributed; and nothing is seen in the streets but well-dressed persons going to visit their friends and relations, and renew, in an affectionate manner, all the endearing charms of friendship. On this day too, parents, friends, and lovers, bestow their presents on the various objects of their affection, and pour so many draughts of the most delightful balm that human nature can partake.' "It is considered of much importance that the first person who enters the house on new year's day should be a worthy and esteemed friend: this custom prevails in the United Kingdom. "The practice of presenting new year's gifts is most ancient. We have noticed in several old historians a desire to prove that it was usual, at the commencement of a new year, for the husband to make presents to his wife, the parent to the child, and the master to the servant. It was once also customary for the nobles to present the king or queen with a new year's gift, and that, on some occasions, especially in the time of Elizabeth, was a grievous tax. The chief part of the gifts presented to this greedy queen were articles for her wardrobe, and she took or rather exacted presents from the humblest menial, even the dustmen about the court. This truly absurd and expensive practice was abandoned in the time of George III. But worse than this was the presentation of new year's gifts to the Lord Chancellor from suitors in his court. Thank God, however, these corruptions exist no longer, and the new year's gift is now, what it ought to be, the pure expression of affection and good-will. "The new year's gifts presented in ancient as well as modern times, appears to have been extremely various, and to have been valued, not according to their intrinsic worth, but as tokens of esteem and remembrance. "The twelfth day is the feast of the Epiphany, or manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. It is customary to choose a twelfth-night king by beans, or some other device, and this is said to be, and doubtless is, a relic of the once famous Christmas prince. But both were, beyond question, intended to commemorate the visit of the eastern magii, who, according to tradition, were kings, to the infant Saviour. The carnival at Rome commences on this day, and continues until Lent. Our limits forbid us to give a detail of this feast, at which fireworks, dances, horse-races, bull-fights, and various other amusements are exhibited. The carnival festival is remarkable for the gentleness, the urbanity, and good humour of the people: neither the security of disguise nor the privilege of the mask can urge these kindly-disposed Italians to wound the feelings of an enemy, or trifle with a friend. "In Rome, special regard is paid to the evening of the Epiphany, and some of the ceremonies employed in its celebration are well worthy of being recorded. The first custom we shall mention is said to be performed in various parts of the continent also, and is thus described. A cake, made of flour, butter, and eggs, and of a proportion to the number of the guests, is brought in and divided into as many shares as persons who are going to sit down to supper. These pieces, one of which conceals a bean lodged in the outer part of the cake, are tossed up in a napkin. The youngest person in the company comes forward, and, having said grace, takes hold of a slice without looking at it, and then addresses the master of the house by these words: Lord of the bean, who is this for? The answer is given, and when all the slices are drawn, the guest who finds the bean in his or her possession, is declared king or queen of the feast, and becomes possessed of all the rights belonging to the president for the night. When either drinks, if any one in the company omits to say aloud the king drinks,' or 'the queen drinks,' a fine is lawfully exacted, which consists in a pledge deposited in the hands of some oue, to be redeemed after supper by a song.' "In England this day is celebrated with much rejoicing, as the regular termination of the Christmas festivities. "The Freneh call this day 'the feast of kings,' and accompany the ceremony of the election with a sumptuous feast. Similar customs prevail in Germany, even in the academies. "In England, as we have before said, this day finishes the more strictly speaking holidays of Christmas. "The shops of the confectioners generally make a brilliant appearance on this day, and all kinds of imaginable and unimaginable things appear in compositions of sugar. It was once the custom to light up these shops in the evening with variegated lamps, but that is now seldom done. Twelfth cakes of all sizes are made and devoured, as if the whole island was for once changed into plnm-cake. These cakes are usually ornamented with various devices, which are exceedingly pretty to look at. "We have no space to give any lengthened description of what are called twelfth night characters; as many characters must be provided as there are guests; one female for each lady, and one male for each gentleman, and each one is to be accompanied by a verse of poetry. The fun, such as it is, consists in each opening his or her character, and reading some nonsense which is found written therein. "The revels of Christmas are now over, but still there are two days which claim a passing notice. "The first is called Plough Monday, and is the first Monday after twelfth-day. The ceremonies are various in different parts of England, but in all, the resumption of the labour of the plough is made a season of merriment. The following account, which is extracted from the Rev. G. Young's History and Antiquities of Whitby,' will give our readers as good an idea of the sports of this day as any we are acquainted with:-- 'On Plough Monday, the first Monday after twelfth-day, and some days following, there is a procession of rustic youths dragging a plough, who, as they officiate for oxen, are called plough stots. They are dressed with their shirts on the outside of their jackets, with sashes of ribbon fixed across their breasts and backs, and knots or roses of ribbon fastened on their shirts, and on their hats. Besides the plough draggers, there is a band of six in the same dress, furnished with swords, who perform the sword dance, while one or more musicians play on the violin or flute. The sword dance, probably introduced by the Danes, displays considerable ingenuity, not without gracefulness. The dancers arrange themselves in a ring with their swords elevated; and their motions and evolutions are at first slow and simple, but Towards become gradually more rapid and complicated. the close, each one catches the point of his neighbour's sword, and various movements take place in consequence; one of which consists in joining or placing the swords into the form of an elegant hexagon, or rose, in the centre of the ring, above up which rose is so firmly made that one them holds it The dance closes with their heads without undoing it. taking it to pieces, each man laying hold of his own sword. During the dance two or three of the company, called toms or clowns, dressed up as harlequins, in most fantastic modes, having their faces painted or masked, are making antique gestures to amuse the spectators; while another set called madgies, or madgy pegs, clumsily dressed in women's clothes, and also masked or painted, go from door to door, rattling old canisters, in which they receive money. When they are well paid, they raise a huzza; where they get nothing, they When the party do not shout hunger and starvation.' exceed forty, they seldom encumber themselves with a plough. Sometimes a kind of farce, into which songs are introduced, is acted along with the sword dance. The principal characters are the king, the miller, the clown, and the doctor. Candlemas-day is the 2nd of February, which is dedicated to the commemoration of the presentation in the temple of the infant Saviour, and on which day the candles to be used during the year are solemnly blessed. Then the evergreens disappear from the churches and houses, and should be consumed in the fire. Then the branch of mistletoe is taken down to be replaced again, we hope, the next year, with well berried branches, destined to afford innocent mirth to many an interesting and loving group. NUNS FOR CRIMEA.-Eight Sisters of Mercy left Dublin last week en route for the Crimea. This makes twenty-eight from Ireland within fourteen days. VOX HIBERNICA, THE ORACLES OF IRELAND, (4 Christmas Chaunt.) 819 THE Oracles of Ireland! Oh! there was a time when they And were enthroned in sylvan faues amid our forests hoar, Embossed with gold and silver-beside the Gathard's flood→→→ The magic Lia Fail,† which the Danan people bore, Such was the direful angury, by which the ancient race Of proud Milesius could demand the Ard-Righ's honoured place. And the Clochoir, or Golden Stone, possessed its own wild To lead deluded votaries into the oak-clad dell; And "Cashel of the Kings," so holy now, and still,- Showed each a mythic Deity, to man's o'er-darkened mind. seen, Standing in battle order, round Innisfail the green, * Crom Cru was the chief idol of all Ireland. The Plain or Field of Adoration, lay near Fenagh Co. Leitrim. The Lia Fail, or Stone of Destiny, was kept at Tara, until borrowed by Fergus, the son of Erc, when going to found his colony in Scotland. It was for some time in the famous Monastery of St. Columbkille, at Iona; afterwards at Dunstaffnage, in Argyleshire, a residence of the Scottish In the ninth century, it was removed to kings of Irish race. the Abbey of Scone, near Perth, where it remained until 1206, when Edward I. brought it thence along with the Scottish regalia, and had it placed in the Coronation chair at Westminster Abbey, where it yet reposes. One who saw it a thick square block of redthere, described it to me as coloured stone." Two strange traditions yet attach to it; the first, that it is a fragment of the pillar raised at Bethel, by Jacob; the second, that wheresoever it be placed, a sovereign of Milesian race shall reign, and here it may, en passant, be remarked, that Queen Victoria is of that ancient line. The Ard Righ, or Chief King was, as his title implies, the superior of the Provincial ones. Of the Clochoir, or Golden Stone, Mr. Cathald Maguire, canon of Armagh, says (in his Scholia), "This stone is preserved at Clogher, at the right side of the Church, which the Gentiles covered with gold, because in that they worshipped the principal idol of the northern parts, called Hermand Kelstach." Jocelyn, speaking of the coming of St. Patrick to Ireland, says, "And when the Saint with his people drew nigh unto the shore, he beheld a multitude of devils gathered together in the form of a globe, surrounding the whole island, and setting themselves against him, even as a wall, to defend their own citadel, and to oppose his entrance." And many a fiendish laugh, and many a wild haloo, crew, The satellites of Lucifer, the mournful and the proud, From out the Empyreal Court, from the presence of the And who delights in keeping weak mortals from each throne Left tenantless above, when his routed host had flown. But once there came a midnight,-when all was calm and still, Save the twinkling of the stars; the frost had chained the rill; The trees stood lone and ghost-like, in the clear pale light that shone; The leaves that would have stirred at the lightest breeze were gone. And far away from Ireland,-in the land of Palestine,- His young and VIRGIN MOTHER had been refused a shed, her head. A brilliant star, kings followed far, was wending towards that cave, She knew that HE, just born of HER, had come Mankind to save, And, though her royal ancestry on Judah's throne have sate, Afar is heard the shout of "Glory be to GOD on High! Now shepherds of the night-watch come trembling in, and say, That they have seen a Heavenly Host, in beautiful array; 1 By the far-known prophet sages, who lived in days of old........ In wonder and in reverence the pastoral men depart, But the VIRGIN MOTHER keeps their words like treasures in her heart. Triumphant was that hour for the race of the Man who fell, But it made a fearful shudder pass o'er the powers of hell: They knew that on Baal's altars the fires would soon grow pale, His Oracles be mute,-his Pagan soothsayers fail; TIME'S CHANGES. "Time's wasting hand has done away And broke her font of stone; How beautiful and touching are these simple lines by Sir W. Scott! No one, possessed of a fair portion of sensibility, could read them, even carelessly, without being affectedwithout feeling that the words some chord within can thrill." Sybil erected a cross by the stream, to mark its situation, and hewed out for it a font of stone; but Time's wasting hand has long since done away the simple cross, and broken the font of stone, "And yet from out the little hill Oozes the slender streamlet still." Thus it is, and always has been'; the works of nature, how. ever insignificant to mortal eye, endure, while those of man perish and decay. Even the mighty pyramids shall crumble in silence, and be scattered as dust to the four winds of heaven, leaving no trace to enable the adventurer of future generations to say with certainty, "On this spot once stood those vast monuments by means of which heroes, kings, and sages of antiquity, now, alas! nameless and forgotten among their own descendants, thought to have gained an immortality on earth!" In which of the pyramids does royal Pharaoh rest? or what was the name of the wisest among his magi? Who and what were those dry and withered mummies, now spoiled of their funeral pomp, carried far from the land of their fathers, and exhibited among us? "Perchance that very hand, now pinion'd flat, Has hob-a-nobb'd with Pharaoh, glass to glass, HORACE SMITH. Select one. Can your imagination clothe him again in flesh, array him in the gorgeous trappings of a general, and picture him to your mind's eye marching at the head of a great army, and dictating terms of peace at the gates of an enemy's capital? Take another. This bundle of dry bones and dust once rode, perchance, as governor in the second chariot of Egypt, while men fell down before him, and cried, "Bow the knce!" But who shall say that the spirit which gave life to these shrunken limbs, and directed their motions, was not base, grasping, and miserly?-that it did not heap together | wealth by fraud or servility, and then, by force of gold, obtain a burial-place, of which it was unworthy, among the mighty dead? And in more modern times, when Greece was at the height of its glory, and Rome held sway over the known world, many doubtless flourished who do not now live in the memory of man, though their names are as worthy to be handed down as those of Achilles, or Ajax, the son of Telamon, as those '| of Eneas, of Romulus, or the Caesars, and of whose once splendid graves it can only be said, as of Marmion's, "Less easy task it were to show Lord Marmion's nameless grave and low. * * The shepherd boys repair To seek the water-flag and rush. And rest them by the hazel bush, And plait their garlands fair, Nor dream they sit upon the grave That holds the bones of Marmion brave." There can be no more striking instance of the truth we would illustrate (viz. that man will in vain hope to perpetuate his name for ever by raising monuments), than the fact of ruins and works of art having been found in the valley of the Mississippi, and the more southern parts of North America, while of the race who executed them time has left no other vestige; there is not even a tradition on which we can found a guess who they might be; "we only know they were." "That they were civilized, and understood the arts, is ap parent from the manner of laying out and erecting their fortifications, and from various utensils of gold, copper, and iron which have occasionally been found in digging below the earth's surface. * That they were a mighty * ㄓ people, is evident from the extent of territory where these antiquities are scattered. The banks of the Ohio and Mississippi tell they once lived; and even to the shore where the vast Pacific heaves its waves, there are traces of their existence. Who were they? In what period of time did they exist? "In a cave of one of the western states, there is carved upon the walls a group of persons, apparently in the act of devotion, and a rising sun is sculptured above them. From this we should infer that they were pagaus, worshipping the sun and the fabulous gods. But what most strikingly arrests the antiquarian's observation, and causes him to repeat the inquiry Who were they? is the habiliments of the group. One part of their habit is of the Grecian costume, and the remainder of the Phoenician. Were they a colony from Greece? Did they come from that land in the days of its proud glory, bringing with them a knowledge of arts, science, and philosophy? Did they, too, seek a home across the western waters because they loved liberty in a strange land, better than slavery at home? Or, what may be as probable, were they the descendants of some band who managed to * All escape the destruction of ill-fated Troy? this may have been; but their historians and their poets alike have perished. They have been! but the history of their existence, their origin, and their destruction, all, all are hidden by the dark chaos of oblivion." * THE EMPEROR AND HIS DAUGHTER. A FEW years since there was, in the city of St. Petersburg, a young girl, so beautiful and so lovely that the greatest prince of Europe, had he met her even in a peasant hut, might well have turned his back upon princesses, to offer her his hand and throne. But, far from having seen the light in a peasant's hut, she was born in the shadow of the proudest throne on the earth. It was Marie Nicolæewna, the adored daughter of the Emperor of Russia. As her father saw her blooming like the May flower, and sought for by all the heirs of royalty, he cast his eyes upon the fairest, the richest, and the most powerful of them, and, with the smile of a father and a king, said to her : "My child, you are now of an age to marry, and I have chosen for you the prince who will make you a king, and the man who will render you happy." "The man who will render me happy," stammered the blushing princess, with a sigh; which was the only objection to which her heart gave utterance. "Speak, father," she said, as she saw a frown gathering on the brow of the Czar; 'speak, and your Majesty shall be obeyed." ་་ Obeyed!" exclaimed the Emperor, trembling for the first time in his life; "is it, then, only as an act of obedience that you will receive a husband from my hands? The young girl was silent, and concealed a tear. "Is your faith already plighted?" The young girl was still silent. Explain yourself, Marie; I command you." At this word, which sways sixty millions of human beings, the princess fell at the feet of the Czar. "Yes, father, if I must tell you, my heart is no longer my own; it is bestowed upon a young man who knows it not, and who shall never know it, if such be your wish. He has seen me but two or three times at a distance, and we will never speak to each other if your Majesty forbids it!" The Emperor was silent in his turn. He grew pale. Three times he made the circuit of the saloon. He durst not ask the name of the young man. He who would have braved, for a caprice, the monarchs of the world at the head of their armies; he, from his omnipotence, feared this unknown youth, who disputed with him the possession of his dearest 'How shall I recognise him?" repeated the Czar, with a stamp of his foot. By his green plume, and his black steed." ""Tis well. Go, my daughter, and pray God to have pity upon that man.”’ The princess withdrew in a fainting condition, and the Emperor was soon lost in thought. A childish caprice," he said, at length; "I am foolish to be disturbed at it. She will forget it. She shall forget it!" and his lips dared not utter what his heart added: "It must be; for all my power would be weaker than her tears." On the following day, at the review, the Czar, whose eagle eye embraced all at a glance, sought and saw in his battalions nought else than a green plume and a black charger. He recognised in him who wore the one and rode the other, a simple colonel in the Bavarian Light Horse, Maximillian Joseph Eugene Auguste Beauharnois, the Duke of Leuchtenberg, youngest child of the son of Josephine (who was for a brief time Empress of France), and of the Auguste Amelia, daughter of Maximillian Joseph, of Bavaria; an admirable cavalier, in truth, but as far inferior then to Marie Nicolawna as a common soldier to an emperor. "Is it possible?" said the Czar to himself, as he sent for the Colonel, with the design of dismissing him to Munich. But at the moment when he was about to crush him with a word, he stopped at the sight of his daughter, fainting in her caleche. "There is no longer a doubt," thought the Czar; "'tis indeed he." And turning his back upon the stupified stranger, he returned with Marie to the Imperial palace. For six weeks, all that prudence, tempered with love and severity, conld inspire, was essayed to destroy the image of the colonel in the heart of the princess. At the end of the first week she was resigned; at the end of the second she wept; at the end of the third she wept in public; at the end of the fourth she wished to sacrifice herself to her father; at the end of the fifth she was dying. Meanwhile the colonel, seeing himself in disgrace at the court of his host, without daring |