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Show First Xmas Carol Found in the ' Roman Mass r -3-51 AltOLS were originally ac- I (gfff compnnled with a dance, nnd pjw this carol dancing Is part of w?r tho rhythmic movement of Ay tne Obernmmorgnu piny, ns tj05y vvc" as ' tno (i,mc03 or th Sr Shakers of Lebanon In New qys York state. The first Christmas carol n history Is the "Gloria In Excelsls" round In the Roman mass, and In the Episcopal Dook of Common Prayer. It Is ascribed to Telesphonis, bishop of Rome, about the year A. D. l.'IO, and is common in both the eastern and western churches. An old English enrol begins with the notable words: Behold a simple, tender babe In freezing winter night, In homely manger trembling lies, Alas, a piteotis sight. Tho "higher critics" hnve wondered how the shepherds could watch their flocks by night, even In winter in Judea, but this presented no difficulty to Robert Southwell, the author of this quaint enrol, who as a Jesuit was Imprisoned Im-prisoned In the Tower of London, anil, nfter enduring the tortures of thu rack, was executed in 1M4. A popular carol among the Germans Is one written by Martin Luther for his little son Finns. It begins: From the highest heaven 1 come to tell The gladdest news which e'er befell. A very sad story Is told in connection connec-tion with this enrol. In order to give It realistic effect In a certain Lutheran Luther-an church It used to ho sung by a boy let down from the roof of the church j dressed ns an nngel. Rut one day the rope broke, and the boy was killed I This put nn end to a very beautiful but 1 dangerous Christmas custbm. I At a time when the liturgical nnd 1 biblical plays were popular the j Christmas carol wns an Important feature. In Itnly In the time of St. I Francis of Asslsl, In order to Instruct 1 the people, the villagers came to the 1 church carrying lighted torches, and there they saw the scene of the man 1 ger filled with hay, nnd the ox and ass j stnndlng in their places near the Virgin nnd Child. Then It was thai I St. Francis and his frlnrs stood by the manger nil night long, giving God tbnnks that by this menus the hearts of tho people had been touched. 1 "Rare old Ren Jonson," In the dnys of "the "Good Queen Ress," wrote a enrol which bcglnb "1 sing tho Rlrth wns born tonight." And about that time appeared a very popular carol which Is sung In "Mcrrle Knglnnd" even to the present day, the first lino of which Is "God rest you, mcrrle gentlemen." Some old Christmas carols have come down to us In bnlf Latin and half English. Among them Is n carol which appears In the collection for Grnce church, Now York city: When Christ was born of pure Marie In Bethlehem, that fair cltle. Angels sang with mirth and glee In Excelsls Gloria. In this "Grace collection" there Is a carol commencing "Over the world on Christmas morn," by Dr. Maekay Smith, Tho uncouth, carol of the sixteenth |