I he CHEMAWA AMERICAN
JLOCAL
Merry Christmas to all!
Many of our students are now home for the Christ'
mas holidays. Children and parents alike are happy.
We most sincerely thank Mrs. Stewart and Mr. Bond
for their kind assistance in helping with preparations
for our * ‘big eats’ ’ last Saturday. In spite of ' ‘troubles
of their own” they took on some of ours.
Miss Idaho Lipps, who is now teaching school at
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, arrived home last Saturday to
spend the holidays. We fancy that the vacation time
allowed Miss Idaho will pass all too quickly.
Owing to our Christmas schedule for the coming
week we shall not be able to issue The American next
week, but we will “show up” early next year. Let
us hope that 1930 will be in every sense a happy and
prosperous year for all of us.
Mrs. Brickell and Mr. Bent made a trip to Portland
last Wednesday. They were our official representatives
at the court of Santa Claus, so if old Santa Claus fails
in any way in making good at Chemawa it will not be for
want of information regarding the desires of our little
tots.
We were pleased to greet Mr. George D. Fraser of
Salem as one of our school guests to witness the
Christmas pageant last Sunday evening. Mr. Fraser
expressed himself as much pleased with what he saw
of our exercises. He is the owner of the engraving
plant of Salem.
Elizabeth Shagin, a former member of the Nonpar
eil society, came up from Portland last Saturday to
pass the week-end and to attend the party given by
the Nonpareils. She reports that she has a good
home in Portland and in every way is getting along
nicely. She returned to Portland Sundaj' evening.
At the time of closing the forms for this issue prep
arations were in progress for the presentation of a
cantata, “A Joke on Santa Claus,” by our lower grade
pupils, on Monday evening. Miss Judd was directing
the students and we are certain that it was most mer
itorious. Mention will be made of the cantata in our
next issue.
Many of our people of the long ago will remember
a bright lad by the name of Jerry Reese who was a
member of our fold more than 20 years ago.
Time
works wonders for all of us and Jerry is now a man
of the world, respected in every sense, doing a man’s
work and sharing honors with other men.
He now
holds a fine position with a telegraph company and is
located in Salem. Last Sunday evening he and his
wife visited us and witnessed a presentation of the
Christmas pageant by the choir.
Page 3
And again we are enjoying the Christmas holidays.
There is much joy at Chemawa and both young and old
share it. It is glorious just to feel free from care and
responsibility for a little while, and a sense of this,
together with the holy character of Christmas, often
puts the “grown-ups” back into the children’s class
during the yule-tide festivities.
The young ladies of the Nonpareil Literary Society
staged their annual party last Saturday evening in our
big gym. The girls had transformed the place into a
veritable “garden of delight.” The decorations were
lovely in every particular, the refreshments were de
licious, the program was in every way interesting and
decorous and reflected credit on the society.
Miss
White is, and has been for many years, the advisor oi
this society, and to her, too, must go a great measure
of credit for the success of the party last Saturday
evening.
Miss Eakin, Protestant missionary for Chemawa,
went to great pains to present most impressive pro
grams last Sunday, all dealing with the sacred character
of Christmas. We cannot give space to all of the
observations, but we offer the following Christmas
Prayer: “O Blessed Jesus, who by the shining of a
star didst manifest Thyself to them that sought Thee,
show Thy heavenly light to us, and give us grace to
follow until we find Thee; and finding to rejoice in
Thee; and rejoicing to present to Thee ourselves, our
souls and bodies, for Thy service forever more, for
Thine honor and glory. Amen.”
Last Saturday marked the passing of Governor
Isaac Patterson of Oregon, a victim of pneumonia. He
was a man who had the respect of all and our flag was
at halfmast at Chemawa on Sunday in respect to his
memory. According to Oregon law, on the death of a
governor during the period of holding office the posi
tion shall be filled by the president of the state senate,
who in this case was Albin Walter Norblad, 48-year-old
lawyer of Astoria, Oregon. Mr. Gus Moser, state sena
tor, notary public, and friend, read the oath of office to
Mr. Norblad, to which he subscribed, making him
governor of this great state.
The choir members covered themselves with glory
last Sunday evening in presenting the Christmas pag-
e'ant. The pageant is becoming traditional at Chema
wa, as every year it is put on as Chemawa’s part in
commemorating the greatest of sacred dramas. Miss
Gunn was Mrs. Turney’s assistant in putting on the
pageant this year. The pageant was in every way a
success. To provide the proper atmosphere Mr. H.
A. Kunkel played Schubert’s beautiful “Ave Maria”
as an introductory number, and he played it well.
Mrs. Turney accompanied him. It was one of the
“high lights” of the evening. We shall again touch
on the pageant in our write-up of the holidays week.