CHEMAWA®AMERICAN
Printed at Chemawa, Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Education
VOL. XXXV
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6, 1933
ABOUT CHRISTMAS SEALS
I look at the Christmas seal and say:
“This friend who remembereth me,
Hath also the thought of the sick today.
Wherever they chance to be.
And he giveth not only to cheer his own.
But to all who hath need is his mercy shown.”
— Copyright by Edgar A. Guest
Christmas seals went on sale for a penny each on
Thanksgiving day.
The sale will continue until
Christmas. The money received in this way will fi
nance the work of the 2,084 affiliated tuberculosis
associations throughout the United
States.
Christmas seals are the ammunition
in the war against tuberculosis. The
enemy is on the run, but is not van
quished. Tuberculosis is the leading
cause of death in the first decade of maturity.
Mail your letters with Christmas seals pasted on the
back.
Decorate your packages with them.
The
double-barred cross on the seal is double-barreled.
One barrel shoots a message of cheer for the friend
who gets the package or letter. The other shoots def
inite aid towards somebody who is in danger of tu
berculosis.
The Christmas seal this year strikes a festive note,
depicting the Yule log of song and story, as it was
dragged toward the manor house in medieval times.
In those days nobody knew the cause of the white
plague, but we know today, and what is better, how to
prevent it. Christmas seals raise money to pay the
cost of prevention.
Buy Christmas Seals.
DOINGS AT PRACTICE HOUSE
Evelyn Charles is a new addition to our household,
having moved in Thursday evening.
The boys of the orchestra envy us a real home in
which to live—we hope to have the boys with us
again shortly for a social evening for their benefit.
Mary lyall was called to her home at Nisqually,
Washington, for a stay of about two weeks. We all
miss her cheerful presence—Mary has been appointed
house reporter for the A merican .
The fireplace in the dining room has been a great
boon these chilly mornings. Besides providing warmth
it dispels the early morning gloom—we haven’t de
NO. 5
cided yet who takes the honors as the champion fire-
maker.
The girls and Miss Strauch were hostesses to a
group of employees Friday evening.
Dancing and
cards were the amusements provided and punch and
cakes were served. The boys’ orchestra kindly fur
nished the music and many comments were made on
excellence of the music. Thank you boys!
We are proud of the record the girls have made so
far in keeping the house in spick and span condition
and in their efforts to serve attractive, well-balanced
meals at low cost. Each week the cook and hostess
have lessons in marketing and food selection.
SAVE VANISHING TOTEMS
Threatened with destruction by time and neglect,
the last of North America’s picturesqe totem poles are
being saved by government experts of the United
States and Canada. Instead of being carted away to
museums and parks in distant cities, they are being
restored and preserved in their original settings in
Indian villages of Alaska and the west coast of Cana
da. Carved in grotesque shapes depicting fantastic
animals and birds, these emblems were originally erec
ted by Indian tribes as symbols of their clans, serving
the purpose of aboriginal coat-of-arms. Each pole
was shaped from a single tree, and some towered as
high as sixty feet. When the natives moved from
their primitive homes to more modern dwellings, the
poles were left behind. The Indians seldom troubled
to fix a pole that fell down; its re-erection would have
entailed as complicated a ceremonial ritual as its initial
installation. When it became apparent that the few
remaining examples of this ancient art would soon
vanish, the government of two countries decided to
try and save them. Each remaining pole is now being
taken down and examined for signs of weakness or
decay, and then restored to original form.— Popular
Science,
On Nov. 28 the boys and girls of the student council
met in Winona hall for the purpose of discussing plans
for the sale of Christmas seals.
When you meet a
member of the student council with his or Jier envelope
full of seals dig deep and buy' as many as you can.
You will be supporting an exceedingly worthy cause.
In the words of Ma Green, “How else can ye help th’
poor ailin’ ones so much for so little?”