Southern Oregon Miner, Thursday, December 21, 1944
History and Legend of Trees and Cribs
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BOMBING NIPS W ITH B-iSs
Christmas trees and cribs, within
respective spheres of influence, pro­
vide focal points for observances of
the season.
Legendarily, the Christ Child
blessed the huge pine which shel­
tered the Holy Family during the
flight into Egypt.
A strange child was received hos­
pitably into the hut of a poor wood
cutter who lived on the edge of a
great forest At midnight the fam­
ily was awakened: looking out of
the window, they beheld the little
stranger clad in gleaming radiance
and surrounded by a choir of angels:
the flr tree beneath the window was
covered with silver nuts and lights,
apples and threads of gold: and the
Child revealed his identity:
“I am the Christking, bringing
happiness to good children. This fir
tree shall be my emblem."
The Druids were worshipers of
Thor to whom the Thunder Oak was
sacred. St. Wilfred, standing amid
his Christian converts, felled the
oak to symbolize the severance of
all connections with heathen Druid
rites. The old tree split into four
pieces as it fell and, from its very
center, a young fir tree pointed sky­
ward.
"This young tree,” said Wilfred,
“shall be your Holy tree tonight.
Let it be called the tree of the Christ
Child; gather about it, not in the
wildwood, but in your own homes.
There it will shelter no deeds of
blood but shall be surrounded with
loving gifts and rites of kindness.”
What the Christmas tree is to
northern countries, the crib is to
southern Europe and Catholic coun­
tries.
Owing to the widespread inability
The plan of continuously bombing
Japan from Saipan promises to be
one of the most important strategies
| of the war. But like all difficult in­
novations, it already has evolved
some serious kinks which must be
ironed out.
They include: crew fatigue, main­
tenance problems, weather condi­
tions and home front production of
planes to replace those lost in action.
Upon these factors depend the fre­
quency with which we can keep up
the rain of bombs on Japan.
The bombing of Japan from Sai­
pan represents a gruelling expert'
i of the masses to read and the pre­ ence for the crews involved, and al­
vailing lack of books during the mid­ lowances must be^made to provide
dle ages, the Bible was frequently in- necessary rest periods. If any of the
j terpreted by literal representation. crews participating in the Thanks­
In 1223 St. Francis of Assisi, hop­ giving Day raid tried it again three
ing to inspire greater religious fer­ days later, it would be only natural
vor among the faithful, received spe­ . to expect that their operational
cial permission from the Pope to ability would be proved reduced
present a tableau of the Nativity because of the wearing effect of the
scene.
earlier 3,000-mile flight.
It has also been found that infor­
On Christmas eve of that year in
Greccio, Italy, representatives of the mation on weather over Japan is
Wise Men and other biblical charac­ still not entirely accurate.
But reconnaissance photos taken
ters (a young mother laid her "bam­
bino" in the Manger), real, live ani­ after the first two raids did show
mals. sheep and oxen, finally obedi­ severe damage to a major aircraft
ent after hours of tugging and shov. plant outside of Tokyo, also effective
ing, took their place within the chan­ shattering of several water front
areas which are jampacked with
cel of the village church.
This first crib was such an imme­ Tokyo traffic.
Other Obstacles to Raids.
diate sensation that the presenta­
Officials have also learned that
tion of the Nativity scene at Greccio
became an annual event attracting the B-29 still has certain defects
many visitors to the heretofore ob­ which may require modification in
scure village. Famous cribs sprang future production. These primarily
up and were presented throughout concern the safety of air crews and
should be remedied before bombing
southern and central Europe.
of
Japan can be carried out on a
During the Renaissance, painted
landscape backgrounds, and increas­ day-to-day basis.
Air corps officials still reiterate
ingly realistic figures, richly clad,
elaborate shrines and processions that the air phase of the war against
endowed the cribs with the charac­ Japan is nearing its climax, but
teristics of highly ornate pageants. admit that several more months will
pass before the air drive can be
In modern Italy, the Praesepe or
really stepped up to its peak.
manger is seen in every church at
One major hope is that General
Christmastime: In Germany, it is
MacArthur's
forces will be able to
the Krippe' in Czechoslovakia. Jes-
secure several bases in the Philip­
liky. In Spain and other Catholic
pines so that the B-29s can operate
countries, the Nacimiento or Nativi­
from there, thus smashing at the
ty scene is everywhere—in churches,
south of Japan almost at will.
public places and private homes.
Because of the B-29s' vast size, it is
America, being the melting-pot of almost impossible to conceal them
Christmas customs and traditions, under camouflage, with the result
has taken the tree and the crib to its that Japanese planes still operating
heart.
from scores of fields in the Philip­
pines could bomb B-29s at will if
they were based on Leyte now.
• • •
Christmas Customs Vary Around the World
RUSSIA AND JAPAN
Among the fancies that longest
survived in Europe, and even be­
came naturalized in America was
that at one o’clock Christmas morn­
ing, the cattle would turn their heads
eastward, get down on their knees
and worship the King who was bora
in a stable.
Of more recent date—during the
Christmas season the barnyard
cocks crow with more than usual
force and frequency.
• The Christmas feeding of birds is
prevalent in Norway and parts of
Sweden. Bunches of oats are placed
on houses, trees and fences. The
children save their money to be
used to purchase bundles of oats.
During the early 19th century,
some of the parishioners of the Brit­
ish Isles who paid vicarial tithes,
claimed a custom of being enter­
tained at the vicarage Christmas
afternoon, with four bushels of malt
brewed into ale and beer, two bush­
els of wheat made into bread, and
50 pounds of cheese. Any food left
over was distributed to the poor.
At Culdaff, Ireland, about 1800,
was started the forerunner of two
American pastimes, "shinney” and
the "lottery.” Previous to Christ­
mas it was customary for the labor-
ing class to sell chances on a raffle
for mutton. The favorite game was
described as kamman, which con­
sisted in impelling a wooden ball
with a crooked stick to a given
point, while an adversary endeav­
ored to drive it in a contrary direc­
tion. The British Isles are rich in
Christmas customs.
Starting at eight o’clock Christ­
mas eve, with bells ringing, the chil­
dren parade the streets of Yorkshire
with drums, trumpets, bells, or per­
haps with the poker and shovel taken
from their humble fire. A furmety
or yule cake, one for each member
of the family, is always served.
The ancient custom of sword-danc­
ing at Christmas is kept up at Shrop­
shire. Grotesquely dressed danc­
ers perform their annual routine of
warlike evolutions, some accompa­
nied by imitations of the ancient
hobby-horse.
The piñata is the Mexican equiva­
lent of a Christmas tree. It is a
large clay water jug, decked in
papier mache ruff and feathers to
look like a turkey or peacock. After
being filled with toys it is suspend­
ed from a doorway.
The Christmas game is followed
by the breaking of the piñata. The
game starts with a candlelight pro­
cession. All doors are closed as the
children march through the dark­
ened house until they come to the one
over which the piñata is hung. Each
child, armed with a stick, tries to
break the jar. When the lucky blow
is delivered the gay trinkets, bird
whistles or red and green candies
tumble to the floor.
Now that Stalin has put the Japa­
nese on notice tor war, calling
them an aggressor nation, another
chapter regarding Jimmy Doolittle’s
raid on Tokyo can be told.
After dropping its bomb load on
Tokyo, one of the planes developed
a leak in its gas line. Aware that
he could not make friendly Chinese
territory, the pilot set his course for
Soviet Siberia, figuring he might
barely be able to reach dry land.
Internment, he figured, was better
than execution. When the fuel gave
out, he had no idea where he was,
but landed on the best flat stretch
he could find.
As the crew of the plane piled
out, a column of tanks appeared
over a nearby hill. The airmen
climbed back into their plane and
prepared to make a fight for It, but
finally saw the Soviet red star on
the leading tank and got out of the
plane again.
The pilot walked forward to talk
with the Soviet major who jumped
out of the leading tank. Using Eng­
lish, gestures, and one or two words
of Russian, the pilot tried to ex­
plain how he happened to be there.
Finally, the Russian officer stopped
him. In fairly good English, he said:
“Yes, we know all about the bomb­
ing of Tokyo. And we knew one plane
was in trouble and might be head­
ing this way. We came out to see
if we could find you.”
The bomber crew started to climb
into the tanks when suddenly an­
other column of tanks appeared from
the opposite direction. A Jap officer
came running toward the Russians,
shouting, “This is Japanese ter­
ritory. We demand the surrender of
the Americans.”
The Russian major Immediately
dug out his maps, insisting he was
on Soviet soil. The argument raged
in German for several minutes, un­
til finally the Jap angrily stalked off,
ordering his tanks to fire. This was
answered by a volley from the Rus­
sian tanks, both aiming at the sky.
The Russian tanks then drove on,
leaving the airplane behind.
They had been going at a fast clip
for about half an hour, when the
Russian major turned to the Ameri­
can pilot and said:
"I now welcome you to the Union
of Soviet Socialist Republics."
The border had just been crossed.
• • •
Joined to C om pose ‘S ilen t N igh t’
by the Roman Catholic bishop of
Salzburg in 1815, and when he wrote
the song was assistant at Laufen,
on th« Salza, near Salzburg. Later
he held pastorates in various other
places, and died in 1848,
The schoolmaster of Arnsdorf,
near Laufen, who wrote the music
of this and a number of lesser known
hymns, was Franz Gruber, born in
Hochburg in 1787. He died in 1863 at
Hallein, near Salzburg, where he
fl, Mrs. Melvyn Douglas will soon be
in congress, elected from California.
< The railway brotherhoods, whose
400,000 members are affiliated with
neither the AFL nor the CIO, are
burned up over the appointment of
Thomas Cashen of the AFL switch­
men’s union to the War Mobiliza­
tion and Reconversion board's la­
bor panel. Although Cashen's AFL
union is in the transportation field,
the brotherhoods feel that one of
their own members should have
been appointed to the labor panel.
CAPITAL CHAFF
tu n try P riest and Schoolm aster
rhe Christmas hymn, “Silent
?ht,” was written by a German
intry priest and his friend, the
loolmaster of a neighboring vil-
;e, for a Christmas now a cen-
y gone. After its first use in
8, in a little Austrian town. It
idually made friends until it came
be known in all Germany and in
nslation in many other countries,
■he author of the verses was Jos-
i Mohr, born in Salzburg, Austria,
1792. He was ordained a priest
was organist.
W ell. Wooden lie?
PCARSON
By P aul M allon
H rlro a e d by W eatvrn N a w s p a p rr Untun.
WAGE F R EEZE TO
RE T IIA W E It OUT
WASHINGTON —People here gen­
erally say Mr. Rxisevelt deserves
respect for his courage in standing
firm upon his Little Steel wage
freezing formula against the CIO un­
ions so soon after his election vic­
tory in which CIO loudly participat­
ed (and with cash.)
His decision was part of the deal
by which James Byrnes remained
in the right wing
o f t h e W h ite
House to run war
economics until
v ic to r y in Eu-
rope.
Breakage of the
wage - freezing
fo rm u la would
have frustrated
a ll B y r n e s ’ e f­
forts to hold eco­
nomics within the
James Byrnes
inflationary line,
and he would have left the govern­
ment, had it been broken, in such a
way as to invite a general rising
level of wages now.
This inside of the matter natural­
ly was not made public, nor was
any genuine thorough understanding
of exactly what the government did
give the unions.
Within the decision was the
core of a new policy to increase
wage rates, industry by indus­
try, gradually over a period of
months, without formally aban­
doning the current economic
front, or even confessing fully
what is to be done. The wage
freeze is thus to be thawed in
spots without breaking the Ice.
After steel will come textiles,
which really has a better case for a
wage increase than steel, automo­
biles, rubber, etc.
Frankly, the government was
caught in a rather desperate pre­
dicament on this thing. The unions
could not be stalled off much longer.
They presented a fair case for some
kind of increase, based on price
advances, although they did not ex­
pect to get as much as they asked
(17 cents an hour.)
Inflation Critical.
J a s p e r — W h u t k in d o f Ktockinga
does C h a r lie M c C a r t h y
veur?
J u a n — 1 d u n n o . Y o u te ll m e .
J a s p e r— N u ll-o n .
Plant Tree# in Fall
Or Eafly Winter
S P E C IA L
Best Results Secured
From Local Grown Ones
Trees, fruit or shade as well as
for fuel and lumber, cun be set out
any time during the fall or early
winter, so long as the ground Is not
frozen more than two or three Inches.
If the ground Is frozen at plunting
time, no frozen soil should be used
in firming the earth about the roots.
Full planting is recommended In
order that the young trees will have
time to become established and the
roots will make some growth In the
fall and early spring before there
By the device of reclassification
alone it could grant nearly any wage
increase desired, especially to the
least skilled, lower grade workers.
I know of one company which had
the money and wanted to raise
wages 10 cents an hour, but was
refused permission under the wage
freezing order. That company went
through its employee list, group by
group, reclassifying grade C work­
ers as Grade B, and so on, until it
had upgraded, ingraded and re-
departmentalized everyone and giv­
en them the 10 cent increase. It was
all within the law, and the basic
wage rate was not changed.
Rates Uncertain.
How much the steel men will get,
nobody knows. Published accounts
of the decision said 5 to 7 cents, but
this is a Washington estimate. The
steel companies themselves do not
know.
Days afterward, their economists
had not even worked out a probable
cost, because many of the conces­
sions in relation to vacations, etc.,
were left to future negotiation be­
tween the companies and the unions.
I judge the union did not fare bad­
ly, as CIO president Phil Murray
praised the decision.
What we do know now clearly,
however, is that the unions have
found out what the game is here.
They know now how to get their in­
creases, and are pressing along that
line.
In general, authorities here think
they have compromised the situa­
tion very well thus far, but everyone
recognizes the danger on that front.
Openly the big record-making
companies (CBS and RCA) threw
up their hands and granted Petrillo
of the musicians union a bounty up
to five cents each on the sale of
every record for no good reason ex­
cept that the government had failed
to bring Petrillo to terms in a long
strike.
The musicians do not need the
money and Petrillo has only prom­
ised he will expend it to further the
appreciation of music. The public,
of course, will pay it, as usual. A
wave of strikes and greatly In­
creased wage demands are expected
Hem orrhoids
( P ilo t),
Fla-
•uro. F istula. H ernia (Hup
(a re ) d e s t r o y h e a l t h p o w e r
to e a r n -a b llity to en|oy lile
O ur m ethod ol treatm ent
w ithou t hoepltal o p eration
successfully e m p loyed lor
33 years. L ib e ra l credit
terms. C a ll for exam in ation
or send for FHEE booklet.
Open fveningi, Mon., Wed , Prl., 1 Io 8.30
Dr. C. J. DEAN CLINIC
P hysician a n d J u rg s o n
K. g.
C or. B. B u rn .ld o a nd G ra n d A ro
T . l . p h o n . L'A.1 3911. P ortland 1«. O r.g o «
Good Exam ple
S m a ll B o y — W h a t a r e y o u c r y in g
for?
C o m p a n io n — T h e
d o c to r
took
o ne o f m y te e th o ut.
S m a ll B o y — H u h ! M y g r a n d m a
ta k e s a ll h e r te e th o u t e v e r y n ig h t
a n d she d o e s n 't c r y .
SNAPPY FACTS
ABOUT
RUBBER
F a ll and ta r ty w in ter planting ot tree*
profitable.
is great demand fcr water by the
expanding leaves,
As a general practice. Prof. R. L.
McMuiui of Illinois recommends, the
trees should be secured from nur­
series in the same latitude and lo­
cated near by Those obtained from
almost any part of the country will
prove as winter hardy as elsewhere
However, when they ore obtained
near by. they will be fresh and have
a better chance to survive.
. Dig the hole large enough to re­
ceive the root system without
crowding. The tree should stand two
or three inches deeper than it stood
In the nursery. Cut off the broken
roots back of the break and remove
very small roots — those smaller
than the lead of a pencil. The tree
when planted should lean about 30
degrees toward the prevailing wind.
The trees should be mounded around
the trunk to shed water. Place the
top earth near the roots and work it
around the roots by lifting the tree
several times. Use the subsoil to
finish filling the hole.
On the other hand, every dollar
given them complicates the infla­
tionary problem which already is
more critical than anyone here will
admit (the shortage of goods continu­
ously forcing prices up.through gov­
ernment ceilings as can be seen, for
Agriculture Pioneers
example, in the $20-a-cord local
price for inferior wood that brought
$4 a cord before the war.)
Louis Pasteur
Every additional dollar in circula­
The
father
of pasteurization. Louis
tion will encourage payment of high­
er prices, black markets, under-the- Pasteur, first came to the rescue
of the farmers of
counter dealing and every device to
France when he
defeat the government’s war pur­
originated a meth
pose of holding the line
od of Inoculation
The administration took the
of sheep and cat
same way out it used on for­
mer occasions. The labor board
ordered reclassification of work­
ers to Increase their pay with­
out changing the scale, vacations
with pay, shift preferentlals, etc.
HEALTH TO YO UI
C orrect H a d a l , C o lo n A ilm e n t »
“o’
***
l*e
°Salnst
the
dreaded anthrax
which was ruin­
ing agriculture.
In one district of
R u ssia , 56,000
head of c a ttle
died from anthrax
Pasteur
in three years.
T he P a ste u r
method eliminated this high death
rate.
He rs better known by his discov­
ery of pasteurization, which was
first used with beer. The main
purpose of pasteurization is to kill
germs. It is the process of heating
milk or cream for a sufficient period
of time to kill the microorganisms.
Undulant fever was reduced by 50
per cent, typhoid fever by 45 and
deaths among children were re­
duced to an extent that was almost
unbelievable the first year that On­
tario had compulsory pasteurization
of milk.
To Pasteur also belongs the credit
for the discovery of transmission of
rabies, and for an Inoculation that
has resulted in the saving of thou­
sands upon thousands of lives.
Fertilizer Labels
Commercial fertilizer should be
appraised by the percentage or
grade figures given on each pack­
age and not by a brand or firm
name, the University of Illinois col­
lege of agriculture recommends.
Animal manure, crop residues and
legume green manures should be
used to their fullest advantage. Such
materials, when used properly, are
efficient fertilizers. These byprod­
ucts of the farm, used In conjunc­
tion with lime and phosphate are
ideal.
Tractor vs. Horse
Far from being crowded off
farms, horses and mules still repre­
sent about 55 per cent of the total
drawbar power, according to U. S.
department of agriculture esti­
mates. The total pull is believed
to be about evenly divided, howev­
er, since the 45 per cent of tractor
power works somewhat longer hours
In the year. Fewer work animals
•re on farms now than has been
the case for more than half a cen­
tury, 20,000,000 less than in 1910.
fa r m e r R u b b e r D i r e c t o r
D ew ey expressed tk e o pinio n
th a t th e In e v ita b le in d u s tria l­
iza tio n e f South Am erican a n d
Asiatic countries fo llo w in g the
w a r w ill m ean a w o rld d e­
m and fo r ru b b e r f a r b ey o n d
the capacity e f the p la n ta ­
tions th a t e x is te d b e fo re th e
w a r —a n a p in la n th a t should
enco urage th e pro tectio n e f
e u r synthetic plants.
Th . w p .r-b o m b o r B -29 carries
about 5 ,0 0 0 pounds o f rubbor.
Clos. to tw o tons a re required to
moke Its 3 0 b u ll.! - sealing fuel
tanks alone. There ore more than
2 0 0 rubbor Itoms In this giant fo r­
tress o f the air.
I km ii m
peace
BEGoodrich]
first in rubber
AH
\ n I W
W A R N IN G
* friendly,____
TO FOLKS OVER 40
W h en tem porary constipation come«, do n't
burden vour gastro intestinal system w ith
drastic drugs. Get prom pt relie f th e m ild ,
gentle w ay — w ith G arfield T a a ,
the b lin d e d vegetable laxative and
favorite for half a century. Give« the
m ild internal cleansing (oiks over 4 0
need. H elp« you feel better, look
better, work better. C aution: Use a*
directed. 10c, ‘ 2 5 c, 50c a f your
d ru je to ri.
M i l l SAMPLE TRIAL PACKAGE!
W rit, lor emrroul 1,0,1«. awu,h lor
4 cun. to: C w t,IS T a C e. 5 1 ) 41st
SL. B r a t t a 52. A, T_ D o S L X tM l
e
G A R F IE L D T E A
I I I «IMTLC KUU I I « IMItUU UMCttUUS
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Help tone up your system I Take Scott’s
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Try SCOTT'S
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SAVE VOUR SCRAP
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IC T O R Y
Old METAL, RAGS,
RUBBER and PAPER