Its berries are red as a maiden's lip, The holly which fall and frost has borne, Its edges are set in keen array, They are fairy weapons bared; And in an unlucky world like ours Like the crest of a warrior worn, The holly's the wreath for a Christmas morn. It was so with England's olden race,— We think so much of the present time, That we cast the past away. Let us do as they did ere we were born,- The holly it is no green-house plant, But grows in the common air; In the peasant's lattice, the castle hall, Its green leaves alike are there. If its lesson in mind be borne, The holly's the wreath for a Christmas morn. Christmas is the greatest festival of the year, being the celebration of the birth of our Saviour, and has always been kept with much solemnity, festivity, and rejoicing. The custom of Christmas-boxes took its origin from the following circumstance:-"Whenever a ship sailed from any of those ports where the religious profession was under the authority of Rome, a certain saint was always named, under whose protection its safety was committed, and in that ship there was a box, and into that box every poor person put something in order to induce the priests to pray to that saint for the safe return of the vessel; which box was locked up by the priests, who said the money should not be taken out until the vessel came back."-Book of Curiosities. The custom of annual donations at Christimas, and on New Year's Day, is very ancient, being copied by the Christians from the Polytheists of Rome, at the time the public religion was changed. Innumerable ceremonies and customs have, in all ages and in all countries, prevailed at this season. Waldron, in his History of the Isle of Man, says :-"On the 24th of December, towards evening, all the servants in general have a holiday; they go to hunt the wren, and after having found one of these poor birds they kill her, and lay her on a bier with the utmost solemnity, bringing her to the parish church and burying her with a whimsical kind of solemnity, singing dirges over her in the manx language, which they call her knell; after which Christimas begins. There is not a barn unoccupied the whole twelve days, every parish hiring fiddlers at the public charge; and all the youth, nay, sometimes people well advanced in years, making no scruple to be among these nocturnal dancers." 26. ST. STEPHEN, The first deacon appointed by the Apostles to manage the public funds, for the relief of the poor. Having charged the Jews with the murder of Jesus Christ, they were so enraged that they stoned him to death in the year 33. 26, 1830. THOMAS CARPENTER DIED, ÆTAT. 59. This eminent naturalist and cultivator of science died at Tottenham, where he had some time resided. His researches and discoveries in the economy and instinctive operations of insects, and microscopic animalculæ, were original, extensive, and curious; many of the latter were but the ten millionth part of an inch, yet all in life and animated motion. He improved the method of illuminating the minutest opaque objects by candle-light, under the compound microscope; and published many of his observations and discoveries, in the latter volumes of Gill's Techniological Repository. 27. ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. (See page 63.)28. INNOCENTS. This is sometimes called Childermass Day, and was first instituted to commemorate the cruel massacre of the children by order of Herod, as mentioned by St. Matthew. 31. ST. SILVESTER, A bishop of Rome, who succeeded to the honour in the year 314. He died in the year 334. volumes of Gill's Technological Reposit 27. ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST. (See page 03, 28. INNOCENTS. This is sometimes called Childerness Day, and w first institated to commemorate the cruel massacre the children by order of Herod, as mentioned i.s Matthew. A bishop of Rome, who scorial to the honour the year 314. He died is the year |