Betty's Bright Idea; Deacon Pitkin's Farm; and the First Christmas of New England

but rest and remember their homes, temporal and spiritual-homes backward, in old England,

were of that stock and breeding which made the Englishman of the days of Bacon and Shakespeare, and in those da

emories. Some of them had been men of substance among the English gentry, and in their prosperous days had held high festival in ancestral halls in the season of good cheer. E

air, there was Christmas in the thoughts of every man and woman among them-albeit it was the Chris

holly, and the women had, stuck them about the ship, not without tearful thou

all around the ship, like land-birds blown far out

ring wit

erry

mas log to

y good

e all

o your hear

w the st

white lo

the meat i

rare min

plums

paste that's

songs here in the woods, with only the owls and the bears for chor

hushing little Peregrine, the first Amer

winter

w a

s bright

ever

iden

by-by,

y laydie sa

er child

other, and my

thou thu

weet

it

not ki

evert

l not

, by-by

hen spake in

is mothe

h, mother,

though I

ngels

own a

west it

f tha

ay'st

, by-by

on, since tho

hou laid

ordain t

reat king

keth 't

ing or

e in goo

hem a

re no

, by-by

her, I am

e laid i

ukes shall

hall kin

e sha

kinge

on the tw

his b

e thy

, by-by,

ound a flower. Come, let us all strike up a goodly carol together. Sing one, sing all, girls and b

meter of a catching rhythm, and every voi

silly,[1]

ing wint

manger tre

piteou

full, no ma

tle Pilg

He is, with

o shroud

m not for

at He is

pearl is o

h of di

is crib, His

s that by

is mother's

ph's sim

e is a Pri

His chair

are parcel

en dish

s in that

l liveri

mself is come

p is pri

roach, O Chr

ge to t

praise His

om Heaven d

Englis

hip like the flavor of some rare perfume, bringing

e whole story of the Nativity, and then gave a sort of Christmas homily from the words of St. Paul,

is death, but the wisdom of

against God, for it is not subject to

h, 'So thou art warm, full, and in good liking, take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry, and care not how many go empty and be lacking.' But ye have seen in the Gospel this morning that this was not the wisdom of our Lord Jesus Chri

store by them; but a poor man and woman were thrust out to a stable; and there was a poor baby b

of the flesh looketh at the thing that is great and strong and high; it looketh at riches, at kings' court

ger, and layeth gold and myrrh and frankincense at his feet while he li

an to follow in his steps? We be a little company who have forsaken houses and lands and possessions, and come here unto the wilderness that we may prepare a resting-place whereto others shall come to reap what we shall sow. And

t me, as our Lord Christ had on the Christmas Day we wot of. And let us not faint in heart because the wisdom of the world despiseth what we do. Though Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobias the Ammonite,

eaven shall lodge in its branches. Let us, then, lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees, and let us hope that, like as great sal

Paul said to the Philippians: 'For unto you it is given for Christ, not only that ye should believe on Him, but also that ye should suffer for His sake;' and St.

he manger and the straw; He giveth of persecutions and afflictions; H

hich a cunning playwright, whom I once knew in

be made, in one of which he hid her picture. The one casket was of gold set with

ave but one choice, and if he chose the one wi

y always snatched at the gold and the silver caskets, with the pearls and diamonds.

love alone the old leaden casket; and, behold, within is the picture o

verty and hardness and want; but whoso chooseth them for His love's sake shall find Him

ive thee a crown of life; to him that overcometh I will give to eat of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone with a new name that no ma

to-day, that when he shall appear we may have these great and wonderful gifts at his comin

ly record of Christmas Day in

ay. But towards night some, as they were at work, heard a noise of Indians, which caused us all to go to our muskets; but we heard no further, so we came

Christmas, from which comes all

partridge plums, and was made merry in seeing squirrels and wild rabbits; nor how old Margery roasted certain wild geese to a turn at a woodland fire, and conserved wild cranberries with honey for sauce. In their journal

y to build a new nation, in King James's court the ambassadors of the French King were being ent

world and its ways-and s