Gentle ladies, gifted men, Grasping pencil, wielding pen, Tracking fancies, Iris-bright, Giving pleasure, helping right, Accept the grateful thoughts we tender you. And a parting sentence now

Ere we close;

Once again the holly bough

Brightly glows,

And the mistletoe is hung,
And the gates are open swung,
And the yule-log redly flames,

There is dancing, there are games,

And youth with age commingling pleasure knows.
But though pleasures, ne'er forget,
We would find,

With our duties, there are yet,
Intertwined,-

Duties shaped to help the time,
Shadowed forth in words sublime;
When the sin and woe shall cease
In God's 'glory,' and His 'peace,'
And 'good-will' encircling, girdle-like, mankind.

HERE is a universal law of com

THERE

pensation equalising the balance between good and evil. By the opera tion of this law winter seems to come in for a larger share of pleasures than falls to the lot of the other seasons, to compensate, as it were, for the darkness and dreariness which are more or less inseparable from the shortness of its days. Its biting frosts and keen winds compel us to find our chief solace within doors, and to depend more upon social intercourse in our homes: and though the sportsman hails the advent of winter, and • Where from their frozen urns mute springs Pour out the river's gradual tide; Shrilly the skaters' iron rings

And voices fill the woodland side;'* and many a sledge invites the young and fair to traverse across a world of frozen snow with noiseless speed, yet the majority look for recreation and amusement at home rather than abroad; and the long winter evenings, in which we gather round the fire, and talk ourselves out with familiar friends, or listen to oft-told tales of interest, dwell longer in the memory, and sink deeper into the heart than any other passages of our childhood or riper years. In winter

our thoughts, like our steps, are more circumscribed, and we naturally turn for solace and entertainment to the social circle of our own homes; and in proportion to our appreciation of this kind of life our sympathies are * Longfellow.

quickened. We feel the charm of each other's society, and are brought more closely together. Heart speaks to heart, as voice answers to voice; and we suffer the diving-bell to go down into our hearts, and to raise up from their hidden depths the precious gifts of sympathy and love. Many a one who is apt to nurse his own sorrow in forgetfulness of others is aroused to a deeper interest in his fellowcreatures by the mere fact of his being brought into closer contact with them, and the glow which is reflected from one kind and loving face kindles & corresponding warmth in others who are brought within its genial influence. At Christmas, which is in England the most festive time of the year, as the 'jour de l'an' is in France, brotherly kindness, and a desire to make others glad and happy, seem to pervade and Occupy every heart. The poorest cottage welcomes the festival with decorations of bay and holly; and the cheerful blaze well expresses the gladness that reigns everywhere, and the hospitality which all are ready to give according to their means. Though many of its ancient customs have passed away, and are known only to antiquaries, yet the spirit remains the same, and Christmastime is still the season when parents and children gather round the fireside, where the old grow young again in the recollection of past times whose memory never dies. The same games, the same lighting up of the old hall, the same deco

rations are carried on though other generations perform the time-honoured service, and 'the old give place to the young.'

It was not long since that in the ancient Hall of Redland, in one of the midland counties, the Christmas festivities were kept up with the true spirit of the olden time. The Lord of Redland was one of a long line of ancestors, and the family name had become a household word throughout the whole neighbourhood. The tradition of great and noble acts, of kind and generous deeds, surrounded that race which still preserved its immunity from the vices of the age. At the time to which we refer children and grandchildren of all ages were gathered together to keep Christmas, and the first thing which concerned them was to make such preparation as the occasion required. It was not often, certainly not for many years, that there had been such a gathering. Sons had returned from India; married daughters had persuaded their husbands to visit the old place once again at Christmas; and rich and poor were welcome, and every one was made glad according to his need. The Lord of Redland was not one of those who cared only to make people happy in his own way. He tried to find out what might be the bias of his guests, and then his study was to make them happy according to that bias. So it happened that all were gathered together under that roof-all, at least, that death had spared-and yet even they were not altogether forgotten amidst the rejoicings of the survivors.

To do fitting honour to Christmas was the one endeavour of all in that united household. The first thing was to collect together sufficient materials. The house, and the church, which adjoined it, were to be decorated, and a committee of taste was appointed to decide how it should be done. A large quantity of evergreens was brought in; a liberal supply of needles and coarse thread, of webbing, and cord, and wire, of gum-water and brushes, of flour, and flour of brimstone, and everlastings was laid in; and two large rooms in the attics were given up for the purpose, and became the scene of much amusement. Some were appointed to cut off and to collect in baskets the best leaves of common laurel and bay, of holly, Portugal laurel, and ivy; and a separate basket was devoted to each, so that there might be no difficulty in selecting what was required. Others, who belonged to the sewing department, having provided themselves with scissors and gloves, took a long roll of webbing, such as

The

upholsterers use in making chairs, and began to sew on it, with stout coarse thread, laurel and holly leaves, in such a manner as to conceal the webbing and form a continuous wreath of evergreens. This was done by sewing the leaves on in groups of three, the bases of the leaves touching, but the points diverging from each other and spreading in a fan-like shape. These rows or groups were repeated again and again until about twelve inches of the webbing were covered by leaves of one particular kind. The same operation was performed with the holly, and then again with the laurel, so that they alternated throughout the whole length. effect was very good, and the crinkled holly contrasted beautifully with the smooth and even surface of the laurel. Bunches of ivy-berries were then dipped into gum-water and afterwards into flour or flour of brimstone, according to the colour that was required, and then fastened here and there with thread or pins. The same plan was adopted with holly-berries. When these wreaths were completed another detachment came with gum-bottles and brushes and smeared the leaves over, which had the effect of permanently glazing them, so as to increase the brilliancy of their colour, and of preserving them from decay. It was astonishing to see how long they retained an appearance of freshness by this process. When these wreaths were dry they were taken to the church and twined round the capitals, or round the pillars, and the effect of them was very beautiful as they lay flat against the stone-work and were yet so full. Similar wreaths were made of the long shoots of fir and leaves of the box-tree. These were used where finer lines were required on the panels of the font and pulpit, and along the mouldings of the old screen which separated the mortuary chapel from the chancel. They were fastened on with needle-points or pins, and were entwined with holly-berries strung together like beads, or with bunches of everlastings of various colours, white, red, yellow, and lilac. The organ gallery was also ornamented with the broad bands of holly and laurel, and in the centre of the panels small wreaths of everlastings were intersected by crosses of green leaves glazed with gum-water. These wreaths of everlastings were made by forming a circle of hay, which was bound over another of thin wire, and upon this the everlastings were fastened. The green leaves, which covered thin strips of wood, intersected the wreaths and contrasted well with the flowers.

The chancel arch was decorated by four long wreaths of a different kind to any of those which have been already described. They were made simply enough, by tying short lengths of evergreens on a rope, so as to conceal the ope, and suggest nothing but green. These were made of two different lengths, and were all fastened from above the key-stone of the arch and then looped up, one on either side, to the capitals, and the others below, so that they had the appearance of festoons, through which the decorations of the chancel might be seen. Above the chancel arch a text, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,' was formed by white everlastings on a blue ground, which was executed thus:-A piece of deal board, not too thick, was covered with blue paper; letters were traced upon it with white chalk, and on these white everlastings were fastened with pins or needle-points hammered into the wood. When finished it was wedged up in its proper place. A similar device ran along over the reredos, below the east window. The legend was, Unto us a child is born,' and it was executed in the same manner, with red everlastings on a white ground, and with Maltese crosses at either end of the legend, composed of yellow everlastings. The upper part of the reredos was ornamented with quatrefoils, sunk deep into the alabaster of which it was formed. The quatrefoils were fitted with movable boards, which were covered with white paper, ornamented with crosses of red everlastings. The mortuary chapel was not forgotten, but gave abundant proof that the old adage, Out of sight out of mind,' did not hold good at Redland.

The decorations of the church and school having been completed, the old hall occupied the time and attention of every one. They one and all seemed to vie with each other in devising and executing every new device that could be conceived. Cyphers, monograms, and mottoes abounded; and not one member of the family, and scarcely any of the household was overlooked. The hall itself was a quaint place: in height it occupied two stories-the ground-floor and the one above. It was panelled with oak about half way up, and the remainder was of stone without whitewash or plaster. A flat roof of wood, with heavy beams and large bosses, was lighted by large windows to the east, which formed a kind of clerestory. A long gallery ran along at one end, and opposite to it was a kind of canopy in wood, overhanging the principal seat in the centre of a long row of benches,

in front of which stood a massive table, which occupied the whole length of the hall. Coats-of-arms, crests, and mottoes formed the chief ornament of this quaint baronial hall. Our friends wisely suf fered themselves to be guided by the architecture of the place, and made all their decorations subservient to it. Evergreens decorated, but did not obscure the coats-of-arms; and all the cyphers and monograms, which were executed in everlastings of different colours on a coloured or white ground, framed by evergreens, served to heighten, not to mar, the peculiarities of the old place. Coronas of evergreens and berries hung from the bosses in the ceiling, and lighted up the ball to perfection; while a cornice of green leaves surmounted the oak panel, and was carried down the angles. But the chief point, the centre of all attraction, was the canopy which overhung the seat of honour, which the Lord of Redland occupied. surrounded by his children, grandchildren, household, and dependants. It was on this that they lavished all their care and ingenuity. Bent upon giving honour to whom honour was due, the top of the canopy, which projected about three feet, and which was richly carved, was decorated with wreaths and festoons of green leaves, and thin lines of leaves and berries followed the mouldings. Inside the family arms were painted on a shield, and the monogram of the revered owner of the hall was beautifully devised, and executed in white everlastings on a dark-blue ground within a frame of holly leaves and berries, and the whole was surmounted by the legend which is the motto of a noble house: God's providence is my inheritance.'

When the long table was amply provided with provisions, and the whole family assembled at dinner on Christmas Day, and the ancient hall was lighted, with its coronas of evergreens and silver sconces against the wall, it was a cheering sight that will always be treasured up in the memory. Later in the evening the whole household were assembled to receive at their master's hands the Christmas presents which had been provided with so much care and forethought. No one was forgotten, and every one found that no pains had been spared to ascertain and procure what was most needed; and they one and all looked forward to the ball which, it was announced, was to take place on New Year's Eve, when the tenantry and neighbours were invited to unite with them in welcoming the coming year in the old hall of Redland Maner.