People's Pilot, Volume 5, Number 27-25, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1896 — IN 1620. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

IN 1620.

The First Christina* Celebration on This , *» Continent. It was In the year 1620 that the Puritans passed their* first Christmas in America. By referring to a copy of the old Bradford manuscript it will be found that the early settlers evidently determined not to celebrate their first Christmas in a new land except by hard work. William Bradford writes of it in this manner: “Ye 16 day ye wlnde came faire, and they arrived safe in this harbor. And afterward tooke better view of ye place, and resolved wher to pitch their dwelling; and ye 25 day begane to erect ye first house for common use to receive them and their giods” To look back'upon those early days, when our forefathers by hard labor tolled for a house for all, makes one realize in some degree the advancement of our country. Bradford continues as follows: "Munday, the 25 day, we went on shore, some to fell tymber, some to saw, some to rine and some to carry, so no man rested all that day, but towards night some, as they were at worke, heard a noyse of some Indians, which caused us all to goe to our/ Muskets, but wo heard no further, so we came aboard again and left some twentie to keep the court of gard; that night we had a sore storme of wlnde and rayne. Munday, the 25 day, being Christmas Day, we began to drinke water aboord, but at night the Master caused us to have some Beere, and so on board we had diverse times now and: then some Beere, but on shore none at all.”

A score of intelligent and well-in-formed persons, assembled in a draw-ing-room one evening, were asked to give the habits and peculiarities of the mistletoe. Without exception they described it as a parasitic plant growing upon the oak. This almost universal belief comes, no doubt, from associating the plant with the oak which the Druids venerated. It is, however, regarded as exceptional when a mistletoe flourishes on an oak-tree. An eminent authority declares that there were a few years ago less than a score of oaks in all England on which this parasite was found.