Show 1 l ton christmas af C L 41 V A af 4 D 7 an the delaware 1776 by ELMO SCOTT WATSON pi ARTICLE about historic would be incomplete without mention of the first and most ma torte christmas of all pr por had it not been for certain events in the 11 little tle town of 0 bethlehem in palestine some nineteen been centuries ago thore would have bave been no Chris christine timit 0 o tie he celebrated each year hens hen a no christ mases biases to be characterized aa historic what those events were have best 1 been recorded by the beloved physician st luke who more than any one of the four apostles apostle who have hare written the story of christ has given giren the historic background of those events and this la Is the story of that first historic as ai st lute luke tons teus it and it came to pass par la in those jays that there went out a decree deaso from calsar augustus that all A the world should be taxed and this taxing taxiing was oral first made when corenlus Cyren lua lus was governor of syria and ana all went to to b taxed every one into his own city and joseph also went up frova crom gl gal uee into out nt f the city of nazareth into dadea unto the city of 0 david which is I 1 called bethlehem because he was of the house bouse and lineage of david to be ta taxed aed with mary hla his espoused wife bif bein being g great with ci cid child d and so it was t that ha ahl while I 1 a they were there the days were accomplished that she be should be delivered arid and she brought forth her first born un and wrapped him in swaddling clott lathes iea and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them to in the inn and there were in the same country she shepherds p hards abiding in the field keeping watch over their hock flock by night and to lo the angel of the lord came upon them and ahe glory of the lord thou shone round about them and they were sore afraid A and agthe the angel said sad unto them fear notor for behold I 1 bring you good tid inea ank of great joy which shall be to all deopke for unto you ou Is born this day in the olty city 1 of f david a saviour which to Is christ r fl 1 the he lord A and id i h ids his shall be a sign unto you to te shall hall aln find d the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger and sudden suddenly there was with the a angel n gel a mu multitude of the be heavenly host prota inc god ind and saying glory to god in the highest and on earth arth pence peace good will toward men A and id it came to pass pans RS as the angels angels were vere gone away from them into heaven tae t ic shepherds said one to another let us ua now go even unto bethlehem and see this thing which Is corre to piss pass which the lord hath bath made att known ti win unto us and th they ey rame came with haste and found mary juary and joseph and the babe lying in a manger and when they had seen 14 li they made known the saying which was told them concerning this chill child and all they that heard it wondered at t those things thing which were told them ly by the shepherds nut miry mary kept ill all these and po n 11 r ed them in her heart an and I 1 th the e sh shepherds returned glorify in ing g and d praising ind for sl all the thing they had heird and nd seen as it t old id unto m to th them m tinia tinip li me we warp it I 1 the vents then which were desal ed to bring about thi th arl all celebration of december 25 of each year Ilo however wever tills this oh ob F i i r i r did wo r 1 li an fn n nt at once for the hp wry vry first eil dence of nt a feast having bien bi en livid in honor of the he birth of enriot win was in ili ravi t about he year 20 allbough the tilte regi flar observance of Chirl bawin sometime in flip hp fourth century it wits not until it lie ie thirteenth Thirlee nth ventury rv hint the von became a n K gen viral custom it Is Inter erling to ta note noe that the first chris anas in the lie new nev world took gnp IH e only a little nare than tto month arler that event which Is usually ri berred to ua as the HIP discovery tf of america sewn after li sel mt rooi fool upon the soil of the new world he slait pl upon an ti of tie the group of islands which he lind found aur tig tills time tip tie fd his ships in n a hartier of to which hr he gave lh name of a sain mint alose ray lay Is relf cele lit bratciw aled on n december 0 6 and who in the minds of chIld relt li iq inseparably con seated with christmas ii lamina day st NIc licholat holat the first christmas to in the new world and surely it was a historic one was wag an eventful day for columbus and his men they spent it in a vain effort to save the flagship the santa marla maria which had been beached on christmas eve finding that their efforts were doomed to fall they took what goods they could from the ship and carried them on board the was nina since this vessel was too small email 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 make their christmas celebration worthy of the characterization of historic christmas must also have been a joyful occasion for or the settlers of the first english colony at jamestown va even amidst the privations and troubles troubled of the early days of that colony for they doubtless brought with them the english tradition of the old country yuletide Yule tlde with all of its feasting and merrymaking quite different was the first christmas ma 9 to of f that other othar english colony founded on the stern and rockbound rock bound const of new england the pilgrim fathers landed from the mayflower at on december 21 1020 but christmas day abat year brought with it ani n of revelry or gayety gaiety to these this first christ mas liy jay found them without shelter li elter from the piercing winds since the day wai ans sunday and no one was allowed to labor and disturb the sanctity of the sabbath even for the purpose of if building some sort of shelter from the ley icy blasts of a new eng land winter so instead of observing carl in any such manner as their descendants do these pioneers leb rated the day with the swinging if foxes axes the file felling of trees and the clearing of ground upon which their rade mile log I 1 cabins were to stand when lien the second christmas in now new came around there was no joyous celebration for still rampon during the preceding year an other ship had brought a load of deml grants grant and of this colony william bradford a tern puritan was gov mor arnor he be formally outlawed christ mas man as ai the puritans of england had done when they had gained control of parliament because it was looked least so 0 o far as the old english celebrations with their strange mixture of ancient druid customs and christian Uan ceremonies as a a godless and pagan riter rite more than that the general court burt of massachusetts frowning upon the idea of making the christmas season a time of enjoyment passed an enactment which stated that who Is found observing by abstinence from labor feasting or in any other way shall pay tor for every offense five WI bilings lIngs for bor more than a century the stern puritan influence prevented anything but ft a most joyless observance of christmas until the gradual growth of episcopal influence in massachi sets and its asso association dadon with official power when the colony came under the direct control of the crown brought about a relaxation of the antt christmas sentiment of the puritans in iii contrast to the massachusetts type of christmas was that celebrated in the great manor houses house in virginia the Caroll georgia and maryland especially in those days day when george washington was unknown to fame except as a propped ous virginia planter and it was this ame george washington who was the central figure in what Is perhaps the most historic christmas in the annals of america on the evening of december 25 itta the continental army led by this former virginia planter was drawn up tor for evening parade near newtown penn nine miles above trenton on the delaware river instead of returning to their quarters they were in marched arched toward ferry where colonel Gl glovers overla fishermen from bins anch bay were manning boats and trying to launch them in the river it was a cold raw evening and a snow enow storm had set in the wind was from the northeast and beat in the faces of the ragged barefooted soldiers who were about to embark upon gnp of the most desperate enterprises in history for washington was planning to cross the delaware that night and lend lead them on a nine mile march over snowy roads to trefton where th hessian troops of colonel rahl weye were celebrating christmas with feasting and merrymaking itie crossing had begun at six washington had planned to have his entire army on the jersey by midnight begin the march to arnton ton by one so that he be could make his attack just at day light hut but the river ice fee threatened to his whole program and gates and other generals declared that the whole keeme was impossible the iron fron will of washington was wait not to be daunted however and although the crossing tonk no less than ten hours it ir was flin ally accomplished then he set out ont for Tren tim tm and titer iver a terrible march with some bome ol of ills men leaving trucks tracks of blood in the snow and others struggling along with their guns wet and useless tie arrived arri veil in trenton and immediately attacked As he tind had anticipated the appear once of his army was a complete sur prise although the hessians rallied milled nod it n d put up a stubborn orn resistance tm fot I 1 short time the determination of the could not be denied len led rahl kahl the commander and beni df 01 lit IN iven wt acre re killed and LIM 1 of the surrendered so christmas jay 1771 1776 Is a red letter day in anamer amer I 1 lean an history because on that jay a great com commender minder gave to hn matr one of the firest christmas girts gins that thai has ever been be bestowed slowed a brilliant victory i at a time when the cause binse ol of freedom seemed all tuf our lost |