XXI. 



Ube fllMstletoe 



THE flight of Father Time brings round, in its due 

 season, the days of holly, and the " mistletoe bough " 

 decks the walls, and (in a Pickwickian sense), "more 

 convenient " localities in the homes of the land. Per- 

 chance few of us give a thought to the debt we owe 

 to the world of plants at the season of Yule. Holly 

 and mistletoe are inseparable from the folk-lore of 

 Christmas, and the forces, tendencies, habits call 

 them what you will which have evolved the green- 

 ness of these plants, have contributed much to the 

 grateful associations of the time. 



When other forms of vegetation have died off or 

 are sleeping out the winter's chill, the holly, with its 

 green and red, and the mistletoe with it's equally 

 attractive, if quieter and more subdued hues, remain 

 with us to remind us of hopes and aspirations extend- 

 ing far beyond the season of the snow. 



I think there is a tacit reflection cast from these 

 plants into human life, bidding us be of good cheer, 

 advising us to tide over the wintry side of life, and 

 inspiring us with hope for the future. The old 

 associations of mistletoe and holly abide with us as 

 part and parcel of our social life, and unconsciously 

 affect us by their tale of life and vitality when most 



