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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
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