Show ri na 04 W tm y W 4 0 OW 74 za A aa T christmas day on the delaware 1776 0 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON IN X ARTICLE about historic 1 A I 1 Christ christmases mases would be int 1 complete without mention of the first and most historic christmas of all for FM bad it not been for certain events in the little town of bethlehem to la palestine some nineteen centuries ago there would have been no DO christmas christina to be celebrated each year hence no christ chrlot tosses to be characterized as historic what those events were have best been recorded by the beloved physician st luke who more than any one of the four apostles apostle who have dare written britten the story of christ has given the historic background of those events and tola this Is the story of that first historic christmas as a st luke tells it and it caroe came to pass par in those days that int there went vent out ft a decroo decree from caesar augustus that all tb the world should bould be taxed and this thin taxing was first made when Cyr caronius Cyron onius lua was wa governor of 0 syria and all 1 went to be b taxed every one into his bis own city and joseph also went up from gal iles out 0 of the city 0 of nazareth into judea unto the city ot of david which to ta called bethlehem because he was of the house and unease lineage of david to r 0 be taxed with mary his espoused wife being great with child and so 80 it was that while they were there the days were accomplished that the she should be delivered and the she brought forth her first born sun son and wrapped him in swaddling 0 lothes clothes and laid him la in it a man manger or because there was no room for or them in the inn and there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night and to lo the angel of the lord came upon them and the glory of the lord thone round about them and they were sore afraid and the angel said unto them fear not tor for behold I 1 bring you good tid anew of great joy jay which shall be to all people for unto you is s born this day in the ORY alty of david a saviour which is christ the lord and this shall be a sign unto you to te shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host boat praising god and saying glory to god in the highest and on earth arth pence peace good will toward me men and it came to pass cass as the ancela were gone away from them into heaven the shepherds said one to an other let us now go even unto bethlehem and see this thing which Is tome earns to pass which the lord hath made known unto us and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe lying in manger r aradna aben and w when 4 they had seen it they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds but mary kept all and pondered them in her heart and the shepherds returned glorify ing and praising god tor for all the things that they had heard and seen as an it w told unto them those were the events then which were des destined tired to bring about the arld wide celebration of december 25 of each year however no wever this ob ser wince p did not be heeln in nt at once for the he vary first evidence of a feast having IM la NI held in honor of the birth of carlst was in egypt about ahe year 20 Althou although gt the regular observance of christmas began sometime in the fourth et century it was not until the thirteenth century that the celebration became a general custom it Is interesting to a note that the first Chrls tiras celebration ele bration in the new world took place only a little more than two after that event which vilich Is usually referred to as the discovery of america soon after ret foot won the soil boll of the new world he started upon an exploration of the group ol of islands which he bad found during tills this time he anchored his hips in a harbor of il haiti atti to which he gave the name of a saint aint whose elay Is cele berated on an december 6 andalio and arho in th the minds of children to Is inseparably con necked with christmas Chrls tinaa day st SL Fi I 1 cholas I 1 I 1 the battle of trenton I 1 ifon christmas day d to in SU sm fal fi fr our ragged troops troop with bayonets bro oct fixed I 1 K for far trenton marched away f the tb delaware wet ml the b bot boats IF the th light obscured by hall and nd nol count i 1 I 1 I but so signs fir of dismay ia our object wu was th the hulu hessian bandl band dij 1 l that hit dared land invade fir air frioni fr doni lead ij and add quarter la in that plu place ik G gmt t W awo shin n he h ltd led us u on 1 ZI af who at r flag II 11 la in torm stores or sum un had nover never known duhm 11 N 1 la in silent march V pud passed th the night ON i each panting far or the th fight if 41 ft 1 though quite benumbed with front f 1 greem on OB the th loft at alz ix began afu 11 il 4 the th right was ru led irr by sullivan Sull lv n i who as MK or a moment bennt lost lort A I 1 their pickets tora stor rj tb the larm was I 1 1 spread 1 that rebels risen from arom the th jea i I 1 wr were marchins into IBIO town IX A sum some scampered here hen aou some scampered A there 40 V and sons tor far action did prepare 1 i but MOB their mr arms laid down 1 l k twelve hundred rhua I 1 fil with all U their chort 0 rs tun and tents 4 wr were bles of th the day 11 41 fj ile th frolic or or the th bright canteen 1 J 1 I la in ce center ater front and nd rear mar was ir seen jea f driving fatigue twy away 1 l i fk inlets y now brothers brother of al the th patriot bands 1 j 1 k let slat deliverance dellver mc from th beat baad I 1 6 1 I fl 1 l of arbitrary away r J and as our tin lif Is 1 but a span pa 1 j il lats lt touch the th tankard while we fan can I 1 i ID ia memory of that dy 1 I y old ballad fl f 4 1 the first christmas in the new kew world orld and surely it was a historic one was an eventful day for columbus columbos and his men inen they spent it la in a vain effort to save the flagship the santa maria which had been beached on christmas christinas eve finding that their efforts were doomed to fall they took what goods they could from the ship and carried them on board the nina since this vessel was too small to carry all those who had been on board the flagship columbus found it necessary to leave some of his men in a fort which was built on an island and which in honor of the season was called le navidad the nativity although christmas was no doubt celebrated by the early spanish and french settlers in the new world there Is no record of any outstanding events on that day connected with these settlements which would mate make their christmas celebration worthy of the characterization of historic christmas must also have been a joyful occasion for the settlers of the first english colony at jamestown Vs va even amidst the privations and troubles of the early days of that colony for they doubtless brought with them tile die english tradition of the old country yuletide Yule tlde with all of its feasting and merrymaking quite different was the first christ roas mas of that other english colony founded on the stern and rockbound rock bound coast of new england the fathers landed from the mayflower at plymouth on december 21 put but christmas day that year brought with it no thought of revelry or gaa abety ety to these englishmen this first christmas day found them without shelter from the piercing winds since the day before was sunday and no one was allowed to labor and disturb the sanctity of the sabbath even tor for the purpose of building some sort of shelter from the fey cy blasts of a new england winter so instead of observing christmas in any uch such manner as their descendants 10 do lo these pioneers plon eert celebrated the day with the swinging swing lna of axes the felling of trees and the lit clearing of ground upon which theli their rude log cabins were to stand when the second Chrls christinat in new england came ground around there was tie nc joyous celebration for still another reason during the preceding year an other ship had brought a loud load of 0 deml grants and of this colony william Wll llan cradford a stein purlieu was gov ile he formally outlawed christmas as the puritans Purl tana of england bad done when they had gained control of parliament because it was looked upon at a t least so BO tar far an ai the old english celebrations with their strange mixture of ancient druid customs and christian ceremonies as a godless and pagan rite more than that the general court of massachusetts frowning upon the elie idea of making the christmas season a time of enjoyment passed an enactment which stated that who to Is found observing by abstinence from labor feasting or in any other way shall pay for every offense five shillings for more than a century the stern puritan influence prevented anything but a most joyless observance ot of christmas until the gradual growth of episcopal influence in sets and its association with official al power when the colony came under the direct control of the crown brought about a relaxation of the ant anti christmas sentiment of the puritans in contrast to the massachusetts type of christmas was that celebrated in the great manor houses bouses in virginia the carolinas Caroll nas georgia and maryland especially in those days day when george washington was unknown to fame except as a prosperous virginia planter and it was this same george washington who was waa the central figure la in what Is perhaps the most historic christmas in the annals of america on the evening of december 25 1770 1776 the continental army led by this former virginia planter was drawn up tor for eveni tig parade near newtown perm penn nine miles above trenton on the delaware river instead of returning to their quarters they were marched toward hIcKon keys ferry where colonel glovers fis fishermen bermen from massachusetts bay were manning boats and trying to launch them in the river it was a cold raw evening and a snow storm had bad set la in the wind was wa from the northeast and beat jn in the faces of the ragged barefooted soldiers who were about to embark upon ore ong of the most desperate enterprises in history for washington was as planning ning to cross the delaware that night and lead them on a nine mile march ovar snowy roads to trenton where the Iles troops of colonel rahl wee celebrating christmas with feasting and merrymaking the crossing had begun at six washington bad planned to have hla his entire army on the jersey by midnight begin the march to by one so that he conald make his bis attack just at daylight but the river ice fee threatened to his bis whole bole program and oates gates and other generals declared that the whole scheme was impossible the iron will of washington was not to be daunted however and although the crossing took no less than ten lion hours it was finally accomplished then he sot set out for trenton and lifter a terrible march with some gome of his men leaving tracks of blo blood od in the MOW and others struggling along with their guns wet and useless tie he arrived I 1 in n trenton and immediately attacked attached As he had anticipated the appearance of his army was a complete surprise although the fles hessians rallied nod mad put up a stubborn resistance tor for it il short time the determination of the could not be denied rahl kahl the commander and seventy of r its men wece killed and 1000 or of the kless lins surrendered so christmas day 1770 0 Is a red letter day to ID american can history because on that day a great commander pave gave to his country one of the finest christmas gifts that thai has ever been bestowed a brilliant victory at atline when the cause ol of fre freedom edoin seemed all out but lost |