CHRISTMAS BOX 



HOSPITAL 



223 



certain time-. and places degenerated into farces 

 ..I I'. i..|>' Feasts (q.v.), and the custom of reciprocal 

 ml of special < 'hristmas meat* and di-ln--. 

 such a> Christmas cakes, dumplings, \c. The 

 favourite .lisli was a IHMIT'S head. The custom of 

 decorating churches at Christmas, especially with 

 holly iiinl ivy, is a very ancient one. Of late it has 

 become n>ual for friends to forward to one another, 

 hy post, gaily illuminated Christmas can Is (q.v.), 

 bearing Christinaa greetings. The Christmas tn-c 

 would seem id IN- traceable to the Koman saturnalia, 

 and wa> not improbably fird imported into Cernrtny 

 with the conquering legions of Drusus. It is note- 

 worthy that ' the Christmas tree' with its pendent 

 toys and mannikins is distinctly portrayed hy 

 Virgil (Geor. ii. 389): 'OiiciUa ex alta **/ inlunt 

 mollia pin it. ' The Christmas numbers of rnaga/i m -s 

 are often at great cost rendered specially attrac- 

 tive; they are now issued as early as October. 

 The Pantomime (q.v.) has a special connection 

 with Christ mas-tide. The visits of ' Santa Clans,' 

 hearing gifts, in England and America referred 

 to Christmas, belong properly to December 6, the 

 day of St Nicolas (<j.v.). The French Noel is 

 derived from the Latin natalis (dies), 'birthday.' 

 Washington Irvine's Sketch Rook gives a charming 

 picture of an old English Christmas. 



In the Roman Catholic Church three masses are 

 performed at Christinas one at midnight, one at 

 daybreak, and one in the morning. The day is 

 also celebrated by the Anglo- Catholic Church- 

 special psalms are sung, a special preface is made 

 in the Communion Service, and the Athanasian 

 Creed is said or sung. The Greek Church, the 

 Lutheran Church, and most communions save the 

 Presbyterian, likewise observe Christmas ; while 

 throughout England and many parts of the United 

 States it is kept as a social holiday, on which there 

 is a complete cessation from alf business. But 

 within the last hundred years the Christmas fes- 

 tivities, which at one time lasted with more or less 

 brilliancy till Candlemas, and with great spirit till 

 Twelfth-day, have fallen off. See Cliambers's Book 

 of Dai/*. 



Christmas BOX* a small money -gift to persons 

 in an inferior condition on the day after Christmas, 

 which is hence popularly called Boxing-day. The 

 term, and also the custom, are essentially English, 

 though the making of presents at this season and 

 at the New Year is of great antiquity. A number 

 of interesting particulars concerning the Christmas 

 box will be found in Brand's Popular Antiquities 

 and in Notes and Queries. Within the memory of 

 middle-aged persons, the practice of giving Christ- 

 mjis boxes had become such a serious social nuisance 

 that tradesmen stuck up notices in their windows 

 that no Christmas boxes would be given ; and at 

 the same time the public authorities issued remon- 

 strances to the same effect. At Christmas 1836 

 the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs issued a 

 circular to the different embassies, requesting a dis 

 continuance of the customary gifts to the messengers 

 of the Foreign Department and other government 

 servants. Since this period the practice has greatly 

 decreased, doubtless to the improvement of the self- 

 respect of the parties interested. 



Christinas Cards, as now sold and distributed 

 in millions daring the festive season, in their various 

 forms, are familiar to every one. The invention has 

 been ascribed by some to the late Sir Henry Cole ; 

 by others, the credit of designing the first Christ- 

 mas card in 1846 is given to J. C. Horsley, R.A. 

 Immense progress has been made in beauty and 

 artistic ettect since the time when the popular 

 emblems were more or less confined to Old Father 

 Christmas, images of flowers, the robin-redbreast, 

 or the dove. The prize competitions for designs 



have also done not u little in stimulating the art. 

 Their production N Iwgun often more than a year 

 in advance ; and the system of sending Christmas 

 cards, as also New-year's, Easter, and birthday 

 cards, has created a new trade, and a new field for 

 artists, engravers, lithographers, and printer**. The 

 quantity of Christmas cards passing through the 

 post-otlice leads to congestion for a few days in 

 ordinary delhei ie-. 



Christmas Carols. See CAROL. 



Christmas Island, in the Pacific, is in 1 57' 



N. lat., and \~>! '27' W. long., with some guano 

 deposits, and is a British possession. Another 

 Christmas Island, annexed to Britain in 1888, lies 

 alnmt 250 miles SW. of Java (ITS., 105 30' E.), i 

 6 miles long by 4 broad, partly volcanic, partly 

 coralline in structure, with rich phosphate deposits 

 (worked since 1897). There is a third Christmas 

 Island off Cape Breton. 



Christmas Rose. See HELLEBORE. 



Christology. See CHRIST. 



Christophe, HENRI, king of Hayti, was born 

 a slave on the island of Grenada, October 6, 1767. 

 Coming to Hayti, he joined the black insurgents 

 against the French in 1790, and, from his gigantic 

 stature, energy, and courage, soon became a leader 

 among them. By Toussaint Louverture he was 

 appointed brigadier-general. In 1802 he gallantly 

 defended Cape Hayti against the French. He and 

 Petion secured the overthrow of the short-lived 

 government of Dessalines in 1806; and in 1807 he 

 was appointed president of Hayti. Civil war com- 

 menced between him and Potion; but in 1811 

 Christophe was proclaimed king of Hayti, by the 

 name of Henri I., and ruled with vigour and not 

 without success. But his avarice and cruelty led to 

 an insurrection ; and deserted by his bodyguard and 

 all his nobles, he shot himself, October 8, 1820. 

 He left a code of laws which he called the ' Code 

 Henri,' in imitation of the Code Napoleon. See 

 HAYTI. 



Christopher, HERB. See BANEBERRY. 



Christopher ( from Gr. Christophdros, ' Christ- 

 bearer'), a saint of the Roman Catholic and 

 Greek Churches. According to the oldest form of 

 the legend, he is said to have lived in Syria, and 

 suffered martyrdom under the Emperor Decius 

 (249-251). He is said to have been 12 feet high, 

 and of prodigious strength. In the- pride of his 

 strength he would serve only the mightiest upon 

 earth. After being some time in the service of a 

 king, and seeing his master's dread of the devil, 

 he gave himself to be the devil's servant. One 

 day, however, he saw the devil trembling before an 

 image of Christ, and he resolved thenceforth to 

 serve Christ only. For his penance he undertook 

 to carry pilgrims across a broad unbridged stream. 

 One day Christ came to him in the form of a child 

 to be carried over, but the burden grew ever 

 heavier and heavier, until it was almost too much 

 for him to reach the farther shore. ' Marvel not, 

 Christopher,' said the child, ' for with me thou 

 hast borne the sins of all the world.' In painting 

 and sculpture the saint is usually represented with 

 the infant Christ upon his shoulders, leaning on a 

 great staff, and straining every nerve to support his 

 weight (see the Monograph by Sinemus, Hanover, 

 1868). The various legends of St Christopher are 

 found in a connected form in the Legetuta Aurea 

 (Isted. Niirnberg, 1478; new ed. by Gnvsse, Leip. 

 1850) of Jacobus de Voragine, who died in 1292. 

 The Greek Church celebrates his festival on the 

 9th of May, the Roman Catholic on the 25th of 

 .Inly. 



Christ's Hospital, Newgate Street, London, 

 was founded on the site of the Greyfriars' Monas- 



