CAROL 



1192 



CARP 



inches long, are the most valuable part of the 

 plant, for they contain a sticky pulp which 

 tastes like manna. They are used as forage 

 for horses and cattle, and sometimes as food 

 for man. The brown, shiny, bean-like seeds 

 are of no value. Carobs have been called 

 locust and Saint John's bread, from the belief 

 that they were eaten by John the Baptist in 

 the wilderness. They are also thought to be 

 the husks referred to in the parable of the 

 Prodigal Son. The carob is not the same as 

 the American locust, although it is somewhat 

 similar and is an excellent shade tree. 



CAROL, kair'ol, a song of rejoicing which 

 forms a part of the celebration of the great 

 festivals of the Christian Church, but asso- 

 ciated most commonly with Christmas. The 

 first Christmas carol, recorded in Luke II, 

 13-14, was sung by the heavenly chorus of 

 angels on the plains of Bethlehem, and some 

 of the most beautiful carols ever written, such 

 as Nahum Tate's While Shepherds Watched 

 Their Flocks by Night, and Charles Wesley's 

 Hark! the Herald Angels Sing, were inspired 

 by this old sweet story. Carol singing was- 

 very popular in Europe in the Middle Ages, 

 and still is a special feature of the Christmas 

 season in England, where bands of men and 

 boys go about the streets for several nights 

 before Christmas, singing in the open air. 



Dinah M. Craik's familiar Christmas song, 

 a special favorite in England, has the simplic- 

 ity and picturesque charm of many of the 

 older carols: 

 God rest ye, merry gentlemen ; let nothing you 



dismay, 

 For Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was born on 



Christmas Day. 

 The dawn rose red o'er Bethlehem, the stars 



shone through the gray, 

 When Jesus Christ, our Saviour, was born on 



Christmas Day. 



God rest ye, little children ; let nothing you 



affright ; 

 For Jesus Christ, your Saviour, was born this 



happy night ; 

 Along the hills of Galilee the white flocks 



sleeping lay, 

 When Christ, the Child of Nazareth, was born 



on Christmas Day. 



CAROLINGIANS, kar o lin'je am, the sec- 

 ond line of Prankish kings, whose name is de- 

 rived from that of the most illustrious mem- 

 ber of the house, Charlemagne, or Charles the 

 Great. The Carolingians were the immediate 

 successors of the Merovingian line (see MERO- 

 VINGIANS), the declining strength of the latter 

 house being the occasion of their rise to royal 



power. In the seventh century the weak 

 Merovingian kings gave the real governing 

 power to officers called mayors of the palace, 

 the most famous of whom was Charles Martel. 

 His son, Pippin the Short, was crowned king 

 of the Franks in 751, which marks the formal 

 beginning of the Carolingian dynasty. The 

 height of its fame and power was reached in 

 the reign of Charlemagne, son of Pippin, whose 

 conquests expanded the kingdom into a great 

 empire. See CHARLEMAGNE. 



Charlemagne's son divided his empire among 

 his three sons, and at his death (840) his son, 

 Charles the Bald, became king of the part of 

 his territory which corresponds to modern 

 France. The successors of Charles were weak 

 and incompetent, and the dynasty came to an 

 end with Louis V, who died in 987. The Caro- 

 lingian was succeeded by the Capetian dynasty 

 (which see). 



CARP, kahrp, a fresh-water fish, originally 

 from Asia, but now found in most parts of the 

 northern hemisphere. In Europe it is much 

 prized as a delicacy, and brings a high price. 

 There are three varieties in European waters, 



CARP 



scale carp, evenly covered with scales; mirror 

 carp, with larger, irregular scales; and leather 

 carp, with only a few scales, much of the skin 

 being bare. Carp feed on all sorts of material, 

 both animal and vegetable. In seeking food 

 they root like pigs, and so produce much 

 muddy water. This has made their presence 

 objectionable in many places. 



The carp was introduced into the United 

 States by the United States Fish Commission 

 in 1877. It has multiplied enormously, espe- 

 cially in the streams of the Mississippi Valley, 

 and has become one of the important food 

 fishes. The quality of its flesh is not high, and 

 most of the American carp are consumed by 

 the poorer classes in the large cities. The 

 fact that the carp's flesh remains firm a long 

 time after being removed from water is of 

 advantage in shipping it. The best market 



