The Oregon daily journal., December 13, 1908, Page 34, Image 34

THE OREGON STfNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND, SUNDAY MORNING, DECEMBER',-13, 1903
felt " H iWt!ic I ir I I : X .41 J , - ill 1 ft i Wjlf
'lfiin ; v7! W tiliw M'HWllj.'- iO-! lLhxi,Xa - .11
court and the gay knights danced and sang, and. so it 'f ' 'VA XlZ vfjT' -Tjf j
became the custom, every dance wag concluded with a jMlr I "iSaV T1 V? K V ''V tr "lV
kiss. gffe I 'f . V kJx' F!ia)r r"
J
wltU the radiance of the Yule log and the sparkle of
many candles! r.
Then nuts were cracked, apples roasted and cups
of steaming toddy drunk. And after the guests had
departed the stocktngs were hung up over the chimney
by old and young. Those were merry days.
But time brings changes, and the Christmas dance
of today has developed Into the stately german. In
England they play parlor bowls, an engrossing game
enough, in its way, on Christmas Eve. No longer do
they dance the brawls, nor do the stately dames at
court go through the majestic "pavane."
Christmas la Christmas still, uf course, but the old
time dance has passed. Those were merry days. In
deed, ad of those dancing Chrlstmaaes Sir Walter
Scott wrote:
Then came the merry maiquers In,
And carols roared with bllthesum din.
If unm ilidlou was ih sen.
It wua a hearty not and airong.
Who ilats may In ;hrlr muminmc
Traces of ancient mvitery;
White ahtrts supplied the masquerade.
And smutted chaeha tha vlaora mad'
But. oh, what maaquar. rtrhlv dlaht.
( an boast of bosoms half so light!
Old Chrlstmax brought his npnrts airaln.
England was merry Euxland.
r JEIGH-HO for the old-time Christ
I - mas dance J
T T" Ho for the evening of merri
viatt, when joyous wights trod the stes Vlhile
the Yule log burned; rosemary grace for tht ,:
IS hi
'hen
Twaa Cin-latmaa broached the nilshtlat ale.
Twaa rhrlatmaa told 4he mrrrleat tale;
A Christmas ftambol oft could cheer
The poor man's heart throuch half the year.
Dancing became a mania--people danced at their
homes and in the streets and even before the churches.
A quaint story la told by William of Malmesbury,
.t . ... ' , , , . . . ', - , . ",..wlilch was believed to be the recital of a sinner who
at the days when Arthur and his knights celc- ; was punl8hed for danclng It l8 a curlouB corflmenUrv
Urated in their castles, when the barons of f: nn th. .,.
t ------ , 9 r ... .UUVW".0 W lllC lilllC.
Ir tlUam the Conqueror held their courts on "i. othebert. a sinner, hav
the happy eve, and -'it was In a town where was
In the hall, the serf and vassal
Held that night, their Christmas wassail
.Many a carol, old and saintly.
Sang the minstrels and the waits.
vv
The Christmas dance of clden times has
passed away. At this time, when you are
filled with the joyous spirit of the season,
when you go to parties and play modern
games, will it not be pleasant to peep beyond
the curtains of the past and observe how our ,
forefathers celebrated the day, as long ago as
the time of the early Saxons and the old
courts of France f
Of old the dance was a Christmas insti
tution. Many persons, indeed, living today
can recall the celebrations of their childhood,
especially in the South, when Christmas Eve
was the time for dancing. In England, too,
the Christmas dance has passed within the
memory, almost, of a generation. Now,
games such as parlor bowls, masquerade par
ties and formal dances, as the german, have
taken the places of old methods of welcoming
the season.
1 1 .. 171. T-j, .
a church of St. Magnus. J
IStfif Mwli ml
r" JLfnin the ballroom la wide open thrown,
' .: Tb oak !,eama festooned with the Karlamla gay,
I The red dais where the flddlera alt alone.
. Where, flushatd with pride, the proud old tunea they play.
- Strike,, flddlera, strike! We're ready for the set;
The youna; folka' feet are eager for the dance:
We'll trip Sir Roger and the minuet.
And revel In the last ramea from France
-H H Adama
BACK in the sixth century, when Kins Arthur and
his noble band ruled in England, there were
gay times In the royal castle at Christmas
time. Pageants were held, there were sump
tuous banquets and joyous dancing.
; v Pancing had even then become the feature of the
happy cslebratlon.
; Picture ' the merry scene. The great Arthur had
besieged aa opposing army at York, won victories In
Somersetshire, gone to the North and attacked the
Plcts and 8cots, and now, victorious but weary, has
returned to York, restored the Christian churches, and
'celebrates Christmas with unrestrained Joy.
; There Is the great hall. In the center the Round
Table and Arthur and his twenty-four knights. Log
fires blace and illuminate the mighty chamber. As
the flames leap, Arthur, leaning back, smiles, while
scores of dancers move about the room. Some are in
masquerade, in quaint and uncouth costumes. Laugh
ter rings. Minstrels sing. Harpers and pipe-players
nil the place with. melodies. Jugglers juggle and the
dancers dance. -
If we areTtrfe,lleve the old chronicles which tell
us of the celebrations, temperance was not a virtue
A those merry men. "When all were satisfied with
dinner," writes an old historian, "the tables were re-
l'ioved and they continued drinking all evening." In
urne this Christmas dancing became so frensled and
noious that the church authorities Interfered.
At Christmas timet, we learn from tha records of
William of Malmesbury, there were great celebrations
et U f mmimtw during; the Felarnof Henry I. All poets
, the kingdom journeyed thither and read their verses
Ik) yupfn Matilda. " ' . .
Jti the castle there was feasting. The doors of the
inat hall were closed to no one.. The ladies of the
And the priest, Kathbertus, had Jist begun the mass,
and I with my comrades, fifteen young women and
seventeen young men, were dancing outside the Church.
And we were singing so loud that our songs were dis
tinctly heard inside the building, and interrupted the
service of the mass. And the priest came out and told
us to desist; and when we did not he prayed God and
St. Magnus that we might dance for our punishment
lor a year to come.
"A youth, whose sister was dancing with us, seized
her by the arm to drag her away, but it came off In
his hand, and she danced on. For a whole year we
continued.
"No rain fell on us: cold nor heat, nor hunger nor
thirst, nor fatigue affected us: neither our shoes not
our clothes wore out; but still w went on dancing.
We trod the eartli down to our knees, next to cur
middles, and at last were dancing in a pit At the
end of the year release came."
Dancing continued as tiie popular form of enter
tainment at Christmas, and in 144 King Edward III
set up a Round Table at Windsor, in Imitation of King
Arthur, and inaugurated it with tournaments and
feasts. There was a tremendous celebration at Gull
tord, concerning which an ancient historian wrote;
"Orders were given to manufacture for the Christ
mas sports eighty tunics of buckram of different col
ors, and a large number of masks some with faces
of women, some with beards, some like angel heads
of silver. There were to be mantles embroidered with
heads of dragons, tunics wrought with heads and
wings of peacocks, and embroidered in many other
fantastic ways.
"The celebration of Christmas lasted from All Hal
lows Eve, the 31st of October, till the day after the
Purification, the 3d of February. At tiie court a lord
misrule was appointed, who reigned during the
of
and was
whole of this period,
tne merry disports.
Me ruled over ana organised
called the
all the
'master of
ramea and
sports, ana a u ring tne period 01 uis rule there
was
and
nounng dui a succession 01 masques, aisgulslngs i
oancmg or an Kinaa. am tne nootes, even the Mayor
of London, had an officer ? this kind chosen in their
households.. . r
Dancing was practiced by the nobility of both
seree. The damsels-of London spent their evenings in
dancing before their masters' doors and the country
lasses dsnced upon the village green.
The celebration of Christmas assumed spectacular
proportions during tne reign or Queen Elisabeth.
There -was a revival In her reign of the pomp which
had marked her father's court.
Before the celebration of the Christmas of 1S58 the
queen made a state entry into London, surrounded by
her lords and ladies. There were great pageants and
dramatic displays. For twelve days the Christmas
celebrations lasted. On the eve of Christmas there
was a great dinner, when the boar's head was brought
Into the great chamber, and an old chronicler wrote:
"Dinner ended, the musicians prepare to sing a
song at the highest table, which ceremony accom
plished, then the officers are to address themselves
every one in his office, to avoid the tables In fair and
decent manner. Then, after a little repose, the per
sons at the highest table arise and prepare to revel.
In which time the butlers and other servitors with
them are to dine In the library.
REVELS LASTED TWELVE DAYS
"At both the doors in the hall are porters, to view
the confers In and out at mealtimes; to eaoh of them
Is allowed a cast of bread and a candle nightly after
supper. At night before supper are revels and danc
ing, and so also after supper during the twelve dales
of ChrlBtmas."
Dancing was so common at this time that it was
indulged in even at the Irns of Court. Of the prac
tice, cSandys, writing in 1S33 of those bygone days,
stated: .
"The order of the usual Christmas amusements at
the Inns of Court at that period would cause some
curious scenes if carried into effect in the present day.
Barristers singing and dancing before the Judges, ser
geants and benchers would draw a house if spectators
were admitted.
"Of so serious import was this dancing considered
that by an order In Lincoln's Inn of February 7. James
I. the under barristers were by decimation put out of
commons because the whole bar offended by not da.no
ing on Candlemas Day preceding, according to tha
ancient order of the society, when the judges were
present, with a threat that if the fault were repeated
Dancing was made a feature of the plays and pan- .
tomimes, which reached the heignt of popularity dur
ing the reign: of George IV. So popular became the
laughable and ridiculous pantomimes that David Gar
rick, the noted actor, lamented:
. They in the drama And no Joys.
But doat on mimicry and toys.
Thus, wbsn a dance Is in ray bill.
Nobility my poxes fill;
Or send three days before the time.
To crowd a new-made pantomlm.
In the early days the dance consisted of hopping,
leaping and tumbling about. Then the Normans in
troduced "rounds." and the Crusaders, returning from
the East, brought back the sensuous dances of the
Orient.
During the middle ages the favorite Christmas
dance jwas the roundel. To the music of the roundelay
people jelned hands and danced in circles or Ions;
processions. K figure dance, known as the morris,
came Into favor during the reign of Edward III. On
Christmas Eve masqvuers came ipto the halls with
bells attached to their gaudy clothing, and would
perform the frenzied dance.
MERRY KINGS AND QUEENS
Henry VIII was a merry dancer, and on many a
Christmas danced to music composed by himself. "Good
Queen Bess'V always took part In the Christmas revel-?
ries, and was so interested in her dance that sage
ambassadors' were called upon to judge whether or
not she surpassed her sister princesses.
In those days the ladies did not dress as simply as
they do now; their coiffures were like towers, their
coifs were overladen with Jewels and osprey plumes;
they wore starched ruffs, sleeves and skirts of buck
ram, wide and high hoops. Immense trains, stiff; high
heeled Jeweled shoes, and jeweled stomachers. Imag
ine a lady In this regalia performing an agile step.
It is little wonder, then, that the favorite danals
was the "pavane," a stiff, slow and stately movement,
performed to majestic measures of music, eminently
tilting for a stately dame, a movement which 6lr John
Hawkins declared "resembled that of a peacock."
But there were other dances the cinque-pace, of
which Shakespeare wrote,, the lively courantes and
galllards and the brawls, jigs and fancies. Men fa
vored the brawls. They were vivacious, agile, springy
dances, derived from the French and Italian branlea.
About, the Christmas brawl an old song runs:
There la a brail com out of Franc.
The first ye hard tbis year a.
But I must leap and thou must hopp.
And we must turn all three a;
Tha fourth muat bounce It Ilk a topp.
' And so wa shall agree a,
I pray th mlnatrell make no. atop.
For w will merry b a
And so- as the Christrriases passed they danced,
bUthely, merrily, until, in England, they finally began
to slay blindman's buff and -otheK games in the holi
day season, and it seemed they became aweary of the
older pleasant sport
Until comparatively recent years dancing was the
favorite amusement at Christmas celebrations in the
United 8tates. Throughout the South, especially.
Christmas was a time of merriment and fun. Possibly
some of you with silver locks can recall these old
time Chrlstmases. when Joy reigned as it did in the
days of "merry, merry England'
Can't you the great room lighted with the glow
of the Yule log In the hearth? Can't you remember
how it was carrion in on ui oaca. vi ma airangeii :
negro on the plantation? And don't you sea the band
of little pickaninnies frolicking behind, beating rag-
lllOV atHllslst W& aa,A abb Jt 1 a.. J 1
aiuvuiM UJ III1VU VI UIQUBI I VU, . : " . " . At, a J.-l.-
i his. then, was the importance of indulging In the time "' L "r.Z . . 7?
rlstmas dance! What think you if our lawyers were And then -the dance that followed, wh
Ch
compelled to dance at Christmas befora the learned
judges of our courts! Yet in those days people danced
at court; they danced In the city: they danced in tb,e
country; rich and poor danced alike. i .
en gran a -
mrtthar. crandfather and all tha old folks joined with
the. boys and girls! How they went through the
minuet and the waltses and quadrilles! How laughter
rang out-and tha room, decorated with greens, glowed ;
"Christmas 6fft" an
Bndent Custom
HEN the universal Christ
ina s hold-up confronts
you, don't explode.
Refuse, If you want to;
but don't dwell in your
thoughts upon the In
creasing depravity of the
human race; don't exult
the rugged independence
of our forefathers.
You may not yield
cheerfully to the spirit of
the season when the time
comes to remember the
office boy. the bootblack,
the hotel waiters, the
restaurant force, the ash
man, the garbage man.
the messenger service, the newsboys and others.
Somehow you picture the Christmas "hold-ups of
bygone days, when a daring highwayman barred the
progress of the lumbering stage coach and coolly took
his toll.
Christmas largesse is almost as old as Christmas.
In the South, If you happen to be In any section
that preserves even a modicum of the old-time atmos
phere, you are liable to encounter everywhere, on
Christmas morning, from such negroes as have some
claim to knowing you, the familiar phrase;
"Chrls'mas git'!" v
It means, as one of the class favored by fortune,
from you the less luoky are free to ask Christmas
largesse, and that with no sinking of independence,
with no sacrifice of self-respect.
The custom does assume the superiority of a giver
does, Indeed, assume it not very far from the level
of overlord and serf. But that is because It has passed
through the slough of slavery, which was serfdom, In
literal fact.
At any rate, the custom goes back at lsast to the
sweetest and moat touching of Yuletide doings in
England, the Christmas carol. That, too, came first
Into being when serfdom wasEngland's common law,
when the lord of castle and of keep was serenaded
by his dependents, and, In his munificent turn, gave
them lordly largesse to drink his noble health.
But the beginning was not then. Farther and
farther back we must go, until we reach the very
source of the carol and of the song of England the
jongleurs and the minstrels, who came from Normandy
with conquering William' and . were gentlemen ad
venturers as Independent as you please, and very
ferocious fighters' in tne bargain.
So the "Christmas gift," In the course of the ages,
has had its ups and downs, ranging from the lordly
acceptance by a titled minstrel of plain yet royal
wages to the humble appeal of the' dependent serf.
Whose welfare was at his overlord's will and pleasure.
. The spirit m which, at various periods, it nas been
given and received was really what determined its
social significance; and there have been times when
that spirit was precisely the spirit of the most polite
highwaymen who ever bade startled traveler stanj
and ' deliver.
The Christmas waits of England, with their "God
rest you, merry gentlemen; let nothlfc you dismay,"
soon established the precedent that,arwharever they
ehose to Intone their carols before a door, that door
must open to them hospitably, and a table must be'
furnished forthwith wltn good things of the seasoa
for their prompt refreshment.
But there, were curmudgeons among them then as
there are now. Persons' who happened to have other
pleasures on their hands, and, realising keenly that
the jovial watts came uninvited, could not perceive
why any one. should play reluctant host. The curmud
geons unquestionably had the right of It. but the
caroi singers, many a time, burst In doors and wrecked
house furnishings in their wrath at the refusal. There
was a Christmas hold-up In grim reality.
"Christmas gift" isn't altogether bad, as It isn't
altogether new. It Is only a recrudescence of an old,
jold custom by a humajilty whose Eaturtvin the mass,
in'angesr slowly. -
And when it Is all sifted down to Its essence, you
are getting a rather sincere compliment the same
compliment his jongleurs ps Id" bold William the Con
queror. and bis fellow-citlsens paid Dick Whlttlngton,
who, became Lord Mayor of London.
if-