Lights On The Christmas Tree

IIow carne the llgtata on the ChritmM tree? aiked h wrlterln UieCornhlll Ma ¦ aine, mul tlicn answeis tlie questiou as follows: In the ninth montb of' tlie Jewlsh year, correspondinr ncurly ti oar December, and on tbe twenty-flfth dny.tbeJewi celebrated the Feast of Dedlcation ot thelr temple. It had been deaecrated on that day by Antlochiis; it was rc-ilediea'e I by Judas Maccabnua, .'111(1 then, aconrdlng i tbe Jewish legend, lufflcient l wal f ou tul in the temple to last för tlie evenbranch eandlestick for teven daya, and it wou UI bave taken leven day to prepare new oil. Aecordlngly the .leus were wout on the :"tli ot Kislen in every house to ligbt n caiidle, and on tlie next two and so on till on the wventh and last day of the feast teren condles twinkled in every house. It is BOt fWT tO flst the exact date Of tho nativity, bul It feil, most piobably, on tlie last il:iy of Kislen, wfaen every Jewlsh limi-e hi Bethleliem and JeraMlem was twlnkllnjt witli liülits. It is worlhy Óf liOtlce that tlu: (einrin Dame Tot Chiistiiias u Wellmaciit, the Niin ut Dedicalioll, as IlioilL'li it i'ii1 i-' cluted with ibis ic.ist. The Grecka .- 1 1 s ¦ cali Chriatnias tlie Feast of LltlltF, anJ indeed t li is wni al-o n niimj givrn to tlie Dedlcation Fi-tival, CbanukN, by Ilie Jews. In tvery house tbe st-vi ¦n-iinzlri] tam' , or fcven-bianthed omdiestlnk, lymbtli.ed the wveu-branclied c.iiiilhsiuk in the trinóle. Tbli latter wat, psre r'. made llka a tier, and uili liinii as like a llowcr on the tree. Mmiy si'ven branebtd candlesticki were in use In the Oerman cliurcbcs in the middle iififs; the moet magniücent tbat rrmains is one in the catlicdral of Effen, daling f rom 1(K)3, ptandtag ncarly nine reet bljrh. Another is nt Brnnswlck, standing 14J feet high. Many otlieri exist. 'J'be wrlter sa ; very benutlful min work st uní of Mven CHOdli! In lc land, made in lmltfttloi)Vf iingfllCH IciM'-. He vmá t l t tbis was onlv ligbted cm Chrlctmaf cvc. In Milan is one of tlie tbirteciitb 1 1 - tury callcd the tu'c of the virglu, wllb four rivers represented as issuing fren t lic baso. Vffgersalll had but three. A Hperb tree ui seven braneiiet waa presruted to Canterbury In lli' twelftl tury; another to WlncbeKter by King Canute in lOliö. Anthony Beek, bUhop of Dnrliaiu, beqneatlied what Beeim to have been one of sil ver jrilt willi :m InMfK of the v rgin and ctittcl at ttie fo"t, lo liicatliedril. Tlie Hlessed Virgin Uu' place of the Ñorae Herlha by tbe m-11 or aprlnc A teven-branched oaiMlleatlck remalnt at Litchlield; sever.il rrnialu In Fr.u.ce, al Lyoiiü, Angcrs, T.nirs, Vienna. Tbey were placed at tbe entrnuce lo tlic choir, nnd were certainly lighted at tbe midoighl roaM on ChrUtmai eve, a the PMCkal canille was ligliicl ai B.tster.