f>Pcember ,
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1920
Mistletoe.
people know the history of the mistlet~ and
why the custom of hanging it in our hou<;<>s at
Christmas-timc and kis~mg underneath these clusterc;
of whitr ~hinmg berries camr· about. Our custom of
drc?ratmg tht' homr> with nH.,tl<>toe goeg back for cen-
tuttcs, to the cercmonials of thr Druids,
hear it
~pokcn o,f as th4' sacrt>d mistletoe of the Drutds, and it
~~ a remmdc~ to them of their wintr·r custom of kcc•p-
tng green thtngs indoors as a refuge from the spirits
of the wood, exilf>d by thr scvC'riti~>s of cold and
-.now-n really very beautiful idea. Th'')' w,.rc such
plant lovE"rs, thco,(• men of old time.
B~auc;e of
it<; pagan a ... sociattons, mt.,tletO!· wac; long for-
bidden in th<:- churchec;, and tf we come to think of it
we do not often u<;e it in our chur< h d("<:oration'> to·
day.
H owever, about five ('(•nturie ... ago ::tsS4'mblies
wrrc hf'ld in public squares to gr• 1•t the ~ •end phnt,
and its continual u-;c a<. a protrction again.,t <.pelh j.,
rf'portcd in \Vorct"st<'rshirc, wh(·rl' the farm('r offrrc;
it to the first cow that cah·rs after the tt<>w year,
th<'reby securing his stock against illnc~-. .tnd trooblr
tor a whole year.
I n Germany, 1f you \\ill takt· the trouble to carr)
a sprig of mistletoe into an old house, tht> gho..,t..
who liv<' th<>re will appear to YOU, and b) mean ...
of it you may fore<' th(•m to an<.\\t'r ) our quc ... ttOn'l
The ~ymbolism of mi~tl<·toe in Druid ntb '\\ ...,
spirit , hence its relations to -;ptnt..,, for like the
orchid-., it grew not on thf' <'.trth. but 1n thP air or
the sacred oak.
When th<' Druid.; required it .1t
the <'nd of the- )Car, a wontoe wa<; cut by 'l whit··-robf>d pn<'..,t,
with a golden skkle, and was not allowed to tou( h
the ground, a '\\'hit€' cloth being ht>ld for it ac; it f<'ll.
Two white bulls \\'er<' then <,\a!ll ben<'ath the oak
where it hnd grown, and its twig.:; w<'re di..,tribuHd
F EW
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·we
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.lmong thf' J)('Ople, who pia( -d then1 over door ... , f) I'
t\\ ilv·d and carv<·d t~m into nng~ and bracel•·t-. to
kt'f'p off evil
l\fi ... tl<>lOC' i:. bfliPv(d to be a n ·m ... d}
ag.Iinst fits, witches, apoplex), poi:-.on, tre mor~, con·
sumption, and th~ likt•. 1 he wiJe e:w•n .. ion of th~>
pl..tnt is due to thf' b1rd:o that <"at ib o;ticky ~rri<'.s
and ~<:~rry its Sfeds from tret" to tree. Its frtut ripens
after the snow !><'gins to f\)-for which pervt'r~it )
it ma) b<' aid to entitlt- it-.elf to renown for strt'ngth .
'1 t•chntcally speaking, it is a parasite in that it
d~"•rivPs most of itc; food from th( tr~ on \vhich Jt
lives, ~endmg oot feelers or rootlets which pierc~
through the bark right into the mnt·r re«c.se ... of th1
trc~ 's life, ~·nd from then· it <-UCks up the ... ap or food
nwdc by the tre<> for it-> own comumption.
Ho\\·
c·ver, the mi'>tletO<' i.., not ('Otirely d<·pendent upon
it., c;tol<'n prow•ndc•r, it has a few \P:lvt>c; with whi<·h
to make food and thu... hdp to nouri-.h it. .\nd,
an •r<'over, t r: m i-.tlet()(' W alwa,., bN•n much di'-< u ... ..,Jon antl <:ontro,·er ... ,
,~-, to the> 'tr ,.. usr>u Cor making tl t" Cross of Chri ... t,
but per<>onallv I have alway" thought it mu-.t hav<•
n ~'n he>wn from the mi-itletoc. Ever) thin; -K't'nl"
to point to thi ... , a ... undoubted!~ it wa .... orig10ally .t
tn~', but after being used to Jx>ar the .... tcr• d Bod ~
of il-; Crf tor it could no longc•r be u-ro for .tn ~
earthly purposes, and so wa.., df'~tinPd to lhe to it, Creator, \\or-.hlpJX d by _th<' :\n~ H' ~h
a., a spirit, and nevE'r allowc,trt of u
tre-e, one of God', thought....
T
m i ~tlf't()(' h .....
always b!><·n con'>idPrrd ... aH(·d, th olcl-wne nt< ok ...
u:lmed it " \\'ood of tht> Cro-.... " 1i ll ..,w 1\lo\\ d chips
of it or water in whkh it h:'ltl b<~ n c,t<"t·p<>d, or \\Ort'
frn~:n(' nts about thdr nf'Ck., n-> run for all clic;~ .t<.t-:. .
The Girl on the Land .
"When have I known a boy
Kinder than this my daughter, or his
kiss
More filial, or the clasping of his joy
Closer than this ? "
Thus did a mother think,
And yet her daughters had been long
away,
Estranged, on other business, but the
link
Was fast to-day.
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This mother, who was she ?
I know she was the Earth, she was the Land.
Her daughter, a gay girl, toiled happily,
Sheaves in her hand.
ALICE MEYNELL.
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