Southern Oregon News Review, Thursday, December 26, 1946 CLASSIFIED * RABBITS & SK IN S W ANT U V E HABBITH 4 iba. up, rab­ bit «kln s, hid "■* < By Arthur Pointer S P E C IA L Pagans Also Sent New Year's Cards Here in America the popular and i evergrowing custom of exchanging I New Year's greeting cards is of ' fairly recent origin, but actually the j New Year’s card antedates the , more familiar Christmas card by several hundred years. With Christmas our greatest na­ tional holiday, most of us are in­ clined to think of New Year’s as a sort of happy afterthought. The fact is, it is one of the oldest of festivals, dating back to pagan times. In cer­ tain countries of Europe where ' Christmas is observed as a purely religious festival. New Year’s takes the form of a real feast day and its celebration is marked by rejoicing and the exchange of gifts and greet­ ings. The earliest known New Year’s "greetings” were medals marked with good wishes which date back to the reign of the Roman Emperor FOR GOOD HEALTHI • • H em orrhoidi Rectal an d Colon Ailm ents • • H ern ia (Rup/un) Oastric Ulcer Treated without Hospital Operation Monday through Friday! 10 A. M. to 1 P. M. t v n n g ! Monday, W tdnttday, Friday 7 to 10 Dr. C. J. DEAN CLINIC Physician a n d Surgacn N. E. Comer E. Burnside and Grand Avenue— Telephone EAut 3918, Portland 14, Oregon** Role of Honeybee The principal role of the honey­ bee is not in the production of honey and beeswax as is commonly sup­ posed, but in the pollination of agri­ cultural plants. Aid in Plastic Production A new-type infra-red spectograph —an automatic high-speed molecu­ lar investigator — is helping science improve plastics and other insu­ lating materials. By Gene Byrnes Creating Toy Smoke The puffs cf smoke that now give toy locomotives the last word in realism are created from chemi­ cal pills activated by the heat of small electric bulbs. VIRGIL By Len Kleis Commodus (180-192). And while New Year's cards long have been a tradition in China, where the tech­ nique of printing was invented, the first European New Year’s card we have record of is of German ori­ gin, dating back to the 1450s. It depicts the Christ Child and a chest overflowing with good wishes. An­ other card of the same period has a treasure ship as its central design. Our present-day New Year’s cards have an impressive history behind them. With their festive confetti- colors and “Baby New Year,” “Fa­ ther Time,” bells and balloons, they serve as messages of the good will we feel toward our friends and neighbors, and of our hope for “A Prosperous and Happy New Year!” New Year Antedates Birth of Christ The celebration of New Years on January 1 began in 452 B. C., and therefore, contrary to logical reason­ ing, had nothing whatsoever to do with the birth of Christ. After December 25 had been established as the day of nativity, the church made January 1 a re­ ligious festival honoring the circum­ cision of Jesus; the day being thus observed in the church. Treat Seed When certified or disease-free seed cannot be obtained, it is ad­ visable to treat available seed be­ fore planting them. Seed treatments are Inexpensive and they often pay good dividends in increased yields or improved quality. Regular Defrosting Regular defrosting is absolutely necessary for best results. It's espe­ cially important during warm, hu­ mid weather, for then the frost col­ lects faster as a result of additional door-opening in a humid kitchen. Storing Canned Fruits When storing canned foods, do not stack the jars one on top of the oth­ er or too close together, for the seal may break and cause the food to spoil. African Firearms Since the arrival of Europeans to­ ward the end of the 15th century, firearms have become known to Af­ rican Negroes but have never been very commonly used. The usual form of firearm is the muzzle-load­ ing gun which is charged with frag­ ments of scrap Iron obtained from European sources. The marvel is that a man can fire such a device and Jet live. There is a terrific « • ’ coil, the barrel may break away from the stock, and on the whole it eeems more dangerous for the war­ rior than for the person he aims at.