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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 1956)
o o o o o o o G 0 o o o o o O O O O Is That So? Q"At Christm.s play and make O good cheer. For Christmas comes O but emc a yer," wrote Thomis Tusr in The Farmer Daily Diet some 500 yean ago. An now for few tacts about th: ,mtrriest". holiday of the year and its many customs, most centuries old: Nam: Christmas comes from Christ's Mass the mass said in Oh,onor cl His' Birth. From the iiaiian word for . Christmas, Naule, meaning birth, comes Jftje'l, dlie French, name for J"Chri3tmas. ' Data: The general Observance of'Ciinstmaa occurred some 40U year after Chnst't birth. Be cause the exact date was un known, not even the year, the officii! birthday was fixed to fall vrn the date of the ancient Festival of SJ, the unconquer ) able sun, which on December 25 chad begun his return from the south after the winter solstice, fpr the shortest day of the year. O Tree: Our Christmas tree tra dition may well have come from the .Romans and thence by way of Germany where it was used as arly as 1605.' In Scandina vian countries, birds are given their own Christmas trees, too, apraopriately trimmed with bunches of grain. Candles: According to old tra dition, the burning of candles on Christmas signifies the belief that flowers are supposed to bloom on Christma eve. Among them, tl; holly hence its use on tliis day. Mistletoe: The use of this parasitical plant "was handed cjiown by. the ancient Druids to whom it as a sacred plant bringing peace 'and good for tue. Yule. log. Wassail bowl: the 0 ye b7j which was kept burn ing ail night and, the wassail bowl in which drinks were 'mixed for Christmas toasts were longoajT important part of Eng lish Christmas ceremony. Carols: during medieval times, the bitjh story ivas dramatized by Nativity plays in which carols were gung. The canolj sur- -ived the plavs. Manger: Some 800 years ago St. Francis introduced the crib which is jieen Roman Catho lic and Moravian hu?ches dur ing the Christmas season. How verj, in Italy, each Household hoi itsoown home-made manger, with the Hgly Family end ther nimalngroupii around it. Fasting: Earlry Puritans to this cwuatry a doleful lot. , turned the festival into a fast and a last and it was not until the Dutch came that Christmas was again cele brated 9,Uh feasting and merry ma kineo o Saiirl Nick: The name Santa Claus comesTfrom the Dutch for St. Nicholas, a kindly 4th cen tury bishoppfisim Asia-Hinor. In Germany. e!. Nicholas has a feast apart from Christmas on Dec. 6 and then the saint comes to praise the goodi chil dren and bring gifts. Kris Jringle: Scandinavian children await the coming of Kris Kringle The Christmas cfhild). o o Father cSriiimai: French children set out wooden shoes on the hearth to receive tie gifts of Bonho9nme Noel (Father Christmas, o Shoe and Stockings: American bSVs atf girls hang their attack ing at the fireside Qfor Santa Clau, to f ti when he comes down te chimney. In Norway, the entire family leaves its shoes in a row in ti hall on Christ mas eve to signify that everyone O ill try not to quarrel during the coming year. Christgias cards: The seTiding of Christmas cards byway of friendly greeting arid " remem brance !&s grO'n i; since about 1860 one of our most recent custom. o Sinc tSe dawn of recorded time.csnan has tried fj push Vack the dark barrier of night- with O candle, tori9 campfire, . gas and eleftric light. But regardless, night iumphs. even today, on fourholidays including Christ mas eve. Our Christinas c!endar'dates froj a new-born infant's first wail drifting into the star-filled night & Bethlehem. The journey of the- "three kings" during this holids season has further led to the celebra tion of the "Twelfth Night," immartalized by Shakespeare: the night before Epiphany, Jan. 8 In some Christian lands, like Spain, this holiday, takes the piite of Christmas. "Why does man limit himself to such a few night holidays? It is-at night when light fails that truly the roost interesting facts ? ritureare revealed. The vast ma:,o;t!y of the earth's .animals wait for darkness to venture forthpo ' . First, coni'der the importance of r.Jjjht. If our earth were not toGfurn and all th. sun's radi ant energy were to fall on-one side alrvce. the temperature of that s&nny side wolild rise to killing heights while in the shhiowe "jiifht side, the con tjjiued l"ss ft radiated -heat wfId rodura an equally dis strii'W animal and plant-killing coldP And1 life on earth, as we kafnv it. wuld perish.. IOOu are fin snow country and 't"ie moon Js out. note how pie Viow "trysWls .reflect the mJ some cf the frozen water cryj'.als glittering almost as brightly as the stars. a You'UCBe Astonished OBut even on darkant, moonless O O By EUGENI BURNS Rjngtr-Naturalist j nights, you'll be astonished how the starlight sky produces enough ; illumination on fields and trails and in the open woodland for man to see remarkably well even though the brightness may ! be but a billionth time of that at noonday on a sun-drenched i coraI beacn i T. ,h ,,,,,, ,,... j j, , ,... ,lr,M 1 1 must expand and in less tnan 1 a quarter hour, the pupil cjoes : just that, filling most of the j iris. (A bright light now re- duces one to blindness.) By 45 j minutes the retina approaches i its maximum senstitivity and ' then the human can see almost i as well as an owl or a night- traveling lynx, and better than a whippoorwill or a rabbit. Pro claiming man s one-time night time activity. (Released by McClura Newspaper Syndicate) Tree: By special arrangement with the editors of the Ency clopedia Americana, my panel j of judges will award each week to the reader who sends me the best true-life nature adventure, the best nature observation, or the best question on nature and wildlife, a complete 30-volume set of this world famous refer ence work in a handsome Seal craft binding. Each week new submissions will be considered. Sorry, I simply can't answer your many friendly letters. Please address your letter to: Is That So. co Medford Mail Tribune, Box 575, Sausalito, Calif. Scope of Egypt's Activities Checked Washington U.R) The United States is making a care ful check in the European and Mediterranean areas on the scope of Egypt's alleged anti-Jew ish activities, it was learned j aaiuraay. XL 1I1UU11 V indicates vio lations of hunlan rights the state department would be prepared to support United Nations cen sure of Egypt. .The department has asked U.S. diplomatic missions in Lon don, Paris. Rome, Athens, Malta and Cyprus to report any evi dence that Egyptian Jews are being 'departed. Meantime, Bri tain and France are reported in vestigating alleged mistreatment of their nationals in Egypt. The U.S. action followed re ceipt of conflicting reports on Egyptian moves against Jews. American ambassador Raymond A. Hare has discussed the ques tion sev'eral times with Egypt ian premier Gamal Abdel Nas ser -in Cairo. Nasser was advised of Amer ican concern and alarm over the reports. He also was warn ed of the possible damage to Egypt's world reputation. Nasser is understood to have replied that there was no mas sive deportation underway al though some Jews are being de ported for "specific reasons." $100,000 Damage From Medical Building Fire Sherman Oaks, 'Calif. (U.R) A fire caused an estimated $100,000 damage at a Ventura blvd. medical building today. Firemen managed to save a drugstore, but several doctor and dentist offices were destroyed. Christmas SING WETGTBING All America sings on Christmas Eve! Join your friends s. and neighbors up and down the block for an old-fashioned sing as Bing Crosby leads the carols for the second year on this special holiday broadcast. Guest star: Rosemary Clooney, plus the Norman Luboff Choir and Paul Weston's Orchestra. ; S - 4'! .: - i J ..... -,.., .m , ,., k'T . Tonight, 8.00 to 9:00 p.m. Dial Quotes From the News Br UNITED PRESS Vatican City Pope Pius XII calling for a strong alliance against the Russian war machine before it is too late: Sad reality forces us to set forth the terms of the struggle in clear language. If we kept silent, w would have to fear the judg ment of God." Washington Sen. A. S. (Mike) Monroney (D.-Okla) on whether ha thought Vice President Nixon's trip lo Hungarian refugee ' camps was politically motivated: I think there probably were some political considerations un derneath it wasn't going to hurt him any as a prospect for four years from now." Columbus, Ohio Zoo Superintendent Earl Davis expressing high hopes that the first gorilla born in captivity would survive: "We are treating it as we would a human baby. If it remains in as good condition as it is today, we'lle be happy." Joliet, 111 Prison inmate Theord R. Heflin, hoping a Christ mas day accordion recital would impress his parents: "I'd like lo show my father I can put my mind Jo something long enough lo attain something worthwhile." Around Hollywood Editor'! not: Aline Mosby it B vacation. Btnj froiby write a top Iral unt coin ma how "lVhlt Christmas" became his big song success. By BING CROSBY Written for United Press Hollywood U.R) Almost 15 years ago Irving Berlin played a song .for me that was to be one of the production numbers in "Holiday Inn," a pic ture I was making with Fred Astaire. Irving's song was en titled "White Christmas." It had a pretty melody and tinsel-type lyrics. "I think that will be okay Irving," I told him. Looking back those 15 years I believe that was the musical understatement of the century. "White Christmas" was the big musical number of the pio ture and a good many years later was still so big that the studio made another picture using the song title as the title of the film and of course using the song, too. After "Holiday Inn" was re leased, I recorded "White Christ mas" and it's the biggest-selling single record of all time, so I've been told. Figures of the record company through 1853 show more than nine million copies of the platter have been bought. I guess maybe there have been a couple dozen or more sold since then. The reason for all this "White Christmas" talk is that it's that time of the year again the joy ful Yuletide. At CBS Radio we're going to put on our second annual "Christmas Sing with Bing" a full hour of Christmas music on Christmas Eve by some of the finest choirs and singers available. The "Christmas Sing with California Schedules Big Building Program Sacramento, Calif. (U.R) Nearly S112 million in new state building projects will go into construction in 1957, state arch itect Anson Boyd announced Saturday. Boyd said schedules for bid ding have been established to permit the earliest possible start of construction. About S68 million worth of state structures will be built in Southern California. Northern California will get the remain der. The projects will include ma jor office buildings in San Fran cisco, Fresno and Los Angeles. KYJC 1230 CBS RADIO Unittd Prais Corrspondnt By ALINE MOSBY Bing" is going to be heard around the world by the good graces of the Armed Forces Ra dio Service and the Voice of America. Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Churchill and Maurice Chevalier are going to be guests on the "Sing" Rosie sings a carol to her two children in the nursery at their home while Maurice and Miss Churchill will be talk ing, respectively from Paris and London, describing the Christ mas Eve observations over there. Me? I'm doing some of the carols that have been favorites of mine ever since I first sound ed my "A." And getting back to my original topic it wouldn't seem like a "Christmas Sing with Bing" without "White Christmas." The Hungarian Refugee's Altoona, Pa. (U.R) The, wife of a young Hungarian free dom fighter Saturday exper ienced fulfillment of her most desperate hope a son was born to her in free America. Mrs. Helen Gall, 22, said she cherished the 7-pound, 2-ounce boy as the best "Christmas pres ent" of her life. But in a way, it was a Christmas gift to Uncle Sam too. The boy, by virtue of his birth in the United States, automatic- Mutual Security Program Check Due Washington (U.R) Presi dent Eisenhower's special advis ory committee on foreign aid leaves this week for a firsthand check on America's far-flung mu tual security program. When it returns seven weeks hence it will advise the presi dent on what future course it believes the program should take. Officials say this may lead to drastic overhauling of the multi-billion dollar project. The committee, called the president's citizen advisers on mutual security, is headed by Benjamin F. Fairless, former board chairman of U.S. Steel Corp. He and four of his com mitteemen will leave on a spe cial air force plane Thursday on the first leg of their tour. The 22,000-mile survey will take them to Spain, France, Ger many, Austria, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Burma. Thailand, Viet Nam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Formosa, Korea and Japan. 7 C jf fi '- 1 oGoo XT' ' JS- r'T? ' r f 1 , Vi-:. i t-.; 0 o o K, ' i jJ'jt- - o 0 0 o jT ' ' - f I' V -V o o f - - -H - i - ' . . ir ' " - o '), "S, ' -Nt O O o : . . -u ' --i ''. v:-- - o '"' immmmmmmmttimmmKmammmmmmumKim iiinrriti) idm n ri. . ' - ----- -r ,r -, " o TO THE MILLIONS OF AMERICANS WHO HAVE ASKED: "How Can Brave People 'ou have read about the Incredible suffering of the freedom-loving people of . Hungary. You and millicns of other Americans have looked around your own ssfe tomes looked at your warm clothes and asked: "How can we help?" Here is your answer. To date, over 100,000 Hungarian men, women and children have escaped with their lives to neighboring Austria. Many are sick. Some are wounded. All are hungry. And most of them face winter with only the clothes they were wearing when they escaped. But their ordeal is not over. For generous Austria's meager supplies have been stripped bare. There is little food, little medicine, little coal, little shelter. And new thousands of refugees arrive daily. In Hungary itself, hundreds of thousands must be fed through the cold winter. The lives of these people depend upon your generosity. Your money will buy desperately needed supplies for those tens of thousands stranded in Austria. Your money will reach into the ruins of Budapest and help feed the hungry people there. Literally etry dollar you send will be used for on-the-spot relief. The need is terrible and the need is now. Please give to HERO (Hungarian Emergency Relief Organizations). And please give today! Sponsored By MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE ADVERTISING COUNCIL" Monday, December 24, 1938 Son Born in Freedom ally became an American citi zen. "I am so happy," Mrs. Gall said from her hospital bed. "While flying to the United States. I realized the baby would be born as an American citizen and not as a Hungarian." Mrs. Gall's husband, 24, fought in the Hungarian rebel lion against the Communists. After three unsuccesful attempts to cross the border, they reached Austria, taking with them their desperate hope to have their child born in a land of freedom. The Conklingville Reservoir in northern New York has a ca pacity of 283 billion gallons. Cal-0re Machinery Co. Same Phone '------ -.I, ,, 1. 1,, i, n i ,-, i ,, O KEDPORD (ORECWnPhAIL TRIBUNT THREH Red Chinese Premier f Plans To Visit Poland London (U.R) The Polish government announced0 today that Chinese Communist Premier Chou En-Lai will visit Poland next month after talking 0with Krrmlin le3ders in Moscow. lhe official Polish news j Mielke before shegmoved to Mis agency PAP announcement add- youri ii? yl. o ed new significance to Chou's hurried Moscow mission which was disclosed in Peiping and in Moscow. Observers said Chou's decis ion to visit Eastern" Europe de spite his long absence from Peip ing on the Southeast Asian tour CO December 28, 1956 105 COURT ST. O wot wono photos We Help . ; of Hungary? Give To HUGS Hunoarian Emhoincy Rkiip Q'Oakizationi MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO ONE OF THESE: THE AMERICAN RED CROSS your local chapter, or imply "Washington, D. C."" 0 0 CARE your local CARE office or "CARE, New York 16, N. Y." YOUR PROTESTANT C H U R C H or "Church World Service. New York 3, N. Y." . . ; YOUR CATHOLIC CHURCH or "Catholic Relief Services, New York 1, N. Y." ( YOUR SYNAGOGUE . or "United Je.wh Appeal. New York 36. N. Y." THE RING AGAIN c gerry, Oldao 0J.fe Six teen years ago Mrs. Carl Thiele, now livingjat Gregj Ridge, Mo., lost her diamond ring on the family far( west of here. Edgar Mielke, present owneg of the farm, was cleaninggiigij) pile of old lumber Recently on the ground. It w$s Mrs. Thiele's ring. He mailed it to Mrs. Thiele, who tad mentioned the ring's loss to "Isafee Erie borders on Kew York State0 for an airline dis tant of 64 ii?es? o o i appeared to inefcoe major moves were in the waid regard ing the satellites. c, O 3 iion o n o O o o - o oo 3-4507 o G ( O O o
