Herald & Lantern 23 December 81

J

The Christmas Tree Story The Yuletide tree first took root in Pennsylvania Dutch country

by Ink Mendfltotin Bah. Humbug! you may s«y. But believe it or not. there-really is something in America this inflationridden Christmas season that coats leas than it did l r >o years ago - In 1830, an advertisement in v the York. Pa.. Republican notified the public: Tickclt will be $old./or 6 l/,< cents, which wijl ad mil the bearen lb the Chriitma.i Tree' during the time it remains/or\exhlblt^n \ Today, as any moth<*r's . child knows, it costs not a penny to see delightfully decorated Christmas trees during the holiday seasoneverywhere in the land. As late at 1840. however, the ' Christmas tree was still such a'curiosity in America that people were willing to pay for the,privilege of seeing one At least’, entrepreneurs like Mr. Good ridge of^ York, Fa , hoped they were. adver •tised: Christmas . Trees. For the amusement of the ladies and Gentlemen of York -and ' its vicinity. GOODRIDGE. will ex

hiblt at hi* residence, In East Philadelphia Street, a CHRISTMAS TREE, the exhibition -of which will commence oh Christmas Eve. and continue. Sunday excepted. until New Year. Ticket* to be hod at his store. A FAMUJAR sight today, the Christmas tree grew slowly in America. In Massachusetts, the Puritans outlawed the celebration of Christmas for much of the 17th century. Banned in Boston, the Christmas tree first took root in Pennsylvania, transplanted by German immigrants to Penn’s. Woodland in "“the 18th century. The Pennsylvania Dutch (anglicized for Deutsch. meaning German) tree- was a small juniper lighted with tiny tapered candles and decorated with apples, nuts, strings of popcorn and cranberries and — jinost important of all — cookies These were no ordinary cookies. They wore works of art In fact, a few of these elaborately decorated cookie ornaments actually surviv-

|USU FUNNEL SHIRTS •Lm Cordi •Bstton Trodor’i 111 Wool Sooatori Itt MMIHTM ST. MU, CIK MT • 1144442

ed hungry children and can be seen today in American museums. Pennsylvania Dutch women cherished their cookie cutters and tried to save at least one design that was theirs alone, resulting in the creation of a dazzling Vhriety of styles and shapes. When that new Americail character, Uncle Sam came along in the 19th century, he too, became a cookie'. WITH HIS arrival in the Pennsylvania Dutch country, it was evident that the rest of America had reached these isolated farm people. Inturn, their Christifias customs began to spread beyond the countryside to Philadelphia and on to the rest of America. In 1825, Philadelphia’s Saturday Evening Post Veported seeing "trees visible through the windows, wh^re-^green bough!* ^re laden with fruit richer than the golden apples of the Hcsperides, or the sparkiing diamonds that clustered on the branches in the wonderful cave of Aladdin." A best-selling children’s book, Kriss Kringle's Christmas Tree, published in Philadelphia in 1845, introduced a Santa Claus figure and his - Christmas tree t<T tots across the land. German immigrants and influences carried the Christmas tree north, south, west, and east, even — horrors — to Boston. In a widely read penny pamphlet, antislavery champion Har-

THE FIRST picture published In America of a Santa figure with a Christmas tree was this title page of an 1845 children's book. riet Martineau described the tree that Charles Follen, a Harvard professor of Germany extraction had decorated

for his son in 1832. She concluded with a prediction that might have shocked the puritans, "I have little doubt the Christmas-tree will become one of the most flourishing exotics of New

England."

TO THE SOUTH, in Vicksburg, Miss., a niece of Jefferson Davis, Mahala Eggleston Roach, In 1851 created a tree for her children from her imagination. "...I never saw one," she wrote, "but learned from some of the German stories I had been reading." Botanist William Brewer reported from California in 1862 that in San Francisco, despite the unfortunate lack of. Christmas snow, "Christmas trees are the

10 to 5 312 Washington St. Mail Cape May

Jersey Cape NATURALLY-

fashion."

From its first planting, in a Pennsylvania community fertile with tradition, the Christmas tree had spread its branches from coast to coast. ’ Two popular magazines. Harper’s Weekly and Godey’s Lady's Book, gave the Christmas tree a further boost. Hie December 1850 cover'Df The Lady’s Book was an Americanized version of a picture from the Illustrated London News of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and the royal family around Jheir Christmas tree at Windsor Castle. Mrs. Hale, the editor, had removed both . the queen's coronet and the prince’s royal insignia and sash. (Page 15 Please)

i 'A bl Anne Gallf It Hbppens^very year around this lime, groups of intrepid, dedicated, stalwart, brave (you iqight say just plain foolish) people take tufield and forest in all types of weather,to county birds. Its the Christmas Bird Cbunty, one of the highlights of' the birders nlendar. • For over ROjycars bird watchers throughout North America have been venturing forth. Originated by the ornithologist Frank M. Chapman in 1900. the count was begun to replace the theh current tradition of viewing birds over the barrel of a gun. ' 1 ( The count is coordinated by the National AudubW^ociety. The ground rules are that: (1) the count must be during a two-week period around Christmas; (2) the area covered may not exceed 15 miles in diameter: (3) groups must stay in the field for eight hours and (4) habitat, weather route be recorded along with every bird seen. The Cape May County (which was Dec. 20 this year) leads the state in diversity of species seen The challenge is, of course, to find a good bird, something rare or not usually found at this season. * I must admit that I really enjoy Christmas Counts and usually participate in as many as I can. I find it is a real challenge to stay outdoors under sometimes adverse conditions, and to start the day at 3:30 am looking for owls. The company is always £ood; the thought that maybe this year your group will have the best bird of the day, tantalizing. I’d rather battle the elements than the Christmas shoppers. Somehow searching for Mother Nature's feathered Christmas packages (you never know what you’ll find under or in that evergreen tree) is the ultimate Christmas party. Anne Galll is assistanf\direptor of the Wetlands Institute.

• S1 ft ( //a ■ fft//cyti tUnJ.fntfOn • f/rt//

r

v

■A ir

g ■ Oome t/n . ^

| w on* m f ^ %

ij sr/eofioH L ^

itoDentate, /wrce/eiin. ' ±fer/in<j uAiet, ttou-D (pi

mnai, ra/rih atu/ eiilmas otnamen/A.

McDowell'» Gallery 52« Washington St. Mall, Cape May-OPEN 10-9 DAILY

nreer t:t

'■■t D <f4

COME TO BETHLEHEM Oh, come to Bethlehem I pray. Come back in time this Christmas Day, See even now,the star above This stable where God's boundless love Is manifest in Mary® Son, The Holy Trinity in ohe. Oh, come to Bethlehem once more And find the peace men hunger for, Come as a child whose gifts would be Devotiyn and humility; Leave all your false pretentious pride Behind, there is noxoom inside For pomp and show or hollow creed, The Son of God today has need Of loyal hearts and loving hands, Of Childlike faith that understands The miracle of Christmas lies Of showing humble men, and wise, That only love such as God knew Can heal men's hearts and make them new.