HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1966-12-22, Page 18a.Is...
on ring Christmas In° Poetry And Prose
"I will' onor Christmas in my England Was merry England, when
heart, and try to keep it all year." Old Christmas brought ° hi§ sports
Ebenezer Scrooge m'&,de that again.
promise in A Christmas Carol, writ- Sir. Walter Scott
ten by Charles Dickens. I heard the bells on Christmas Day
h. " 9,f
ewrite ktQpic T,e�r�.uld familiar, . ol
s
_of Dickens..."e,dwu O =bo�n��sbf-ad��vee
often that Most persons if asked - 'repeat,
who Wrote about Christmas. would "God is not dead, nor doth he sleep."
answer, "Dickens," without hesita- • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
tion.
Dickens was not the only writer So shall we learn to understand
to be inspired by Christmas. Most The simple faith of shepherds then,
writers at some time in their career And clasping kindly hand in hand,
have ben moved to "honor Christ- Sing, "Peace on earth, good will to
mas" in oetry or prose. men !"
For •1 stance: James Russell Lowell
At Christmas I no more desire a rose -I`Than wish a snow in May's new- "Happy Christmas to all and to all
fangled mirth,
•
Across tlu Tears, Music Reflects Holiday Joy,
The Qoderil !$igna1-Star; Thursday, riceernler 22.itAigifZ04,444e4cfka-za-ezezeki:44=ficielzeimiAgifiao 744 VV.
As Carolers Sing, Traditional Songs of Christrrna +
"Carol, brothers, carol. Carol joyfully.
With the coming of Christmas, almost everyone accepts
the injunction of the old song to .'carol joyfully." From
special church services to family gatherings, a Acarol
sing" is a traditional pleasure.
i• The custom of singing carols at holiday time is an an-
cient one --- begun, perhaps, even before the first Christ-
mas, at celebrations such as the Roman .Saturnalia.
Modern interest in music, and in learning to play
.musical instruments, has given carol singing ' healthy
boost. In most homes, at least one member of the family
can be depended on to provide instrumental aecompani-
ment for carols — and the instrument may vary from the
Tela a apuiar guitar -
'Music Fn any _-fOrlin has Iobg'i een e4Pecially beloved
as a means of expressing Christrnas joy, 'garly Christian
believers were forced to worship in senret — an resr
fore, quietly. Then, in the fift i a.nd` s%xth `'e'en uries,
Christianity came out of the &WW1 --and exultation
for freedom of worship Was exI'r Me n' the glad ringing
of church bells.] 'i
Early hymns and carols, howeer, lgre in Latin. Carol
singing in its modern form --in the a ��Xn?,on language of
the country —probably originated in 1223, when St. Francis iritrod�
eft the first real-
istic replica of the manger scene, in the'little town of Greccio,
From this. beginning, the practice of erecting a creche or crib scion bCCaine .a Christmas
many towns. Around the representation of the fustistmas, villagers
tradition in � •: ,
gathered to marvel, pray and sing. Often, the creche was cons ruc a to a churchyard
or on a public street. Thus it was natural for the worshippers,`�tp stitall away from the
devotional service -- formal or informal — and continue singih' tl ; ,beloved carols as
they made their way home.9
This spontaneous action may well have led to the custom °of goiiu Afrem place to
place to sing carols. And the more music, the better, was the rule. A'fl Musical instru-
ment, however humble, was a welcome addition and accompaniment
In later centuries, the "wassailing" or "gooding" expeditions helPed''the growth of
41
caroling Singers went from house to house, receiving treats as reward for carols. V
"uxottans
gd fora pennyabolished. �P
,today. •
•
a good -night."
But like of each thing that in season Clement Clarke Mooregrows.
William Shakespeare
Four Fine Men
At Christmas play and make good
cheer, Saturday night's CBC tele -
For Chritmas comes but once a vision sports programs were gems
year. .of good publicity for the town - of
Thomas Tusser Goderich.
* * * , First there was Larry Jeffrey,
` For somehow, not only at Christmas, looking good on the ice despite
but all the long year through Maple Leaf's loss to New York, fol -
The joy that you give to others is lowed , by an in-depth interview of
the joy that comes back to you. Canada's Horseman of the*Year,
John- Greenleaf Whittier Ron Feagan,with Jim Coleman.
If Detroit Red Wings with Paul
Henderson and Boston Bruins with
Gary Doak could have been crowded
into the same evening what an
evening it would have been for
Goderich. ' -
* * *.
Spirit In Torment
Kennedy is dead : to begin with.
There is no doubt whatever : about
4H
bC
•�rq
4
ql
Even oppression could not put an end to carol singing. When the
Christmas observances in England, printed sheets of carols were. boo 1
And poets and musicians went right on composing carols, as they•
Messages Fro
the
Word
ed lights and the gay songs of
- -By REV, G, L. - ROYAL -- - Comas more thair•this•writer,
KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH but, 'if these '"fth'ings" beconie
• Something very wonderful hap.
pened in one of the homes of
that. our community not so many nights
Gary's unfortunate early fall ago. It was a Saturday evening
Lee Harvey Oswald killed him. g
Earl Warren confirmed it: and Earl mishap ---a broken ankle—has seen and father, had hauled down from
. Warren's- name is good upon a re -
him drop from the Bruins lineup to ' the attic the many boxes of Christ-
..
port as anything `he chooses to put a minor league club, but he can be a mas in decorone ofathesetionsboxes were some
• expected back. Paul's early -season big white candles from a pre -
Yes, John
his hand to. vious year and these were set
F. Kennedy is dead. goal `production° has been reduced on the dinner -table just prior to
And upon what troubled paths• his by a respiratory infection, the meal. According to general
It will be long ere it But these things will be over- consent the family ate by the
spirit walks. Th•t t o' t ' that candlelight that evening. A few
rests.
How could the memory of any
man rest in peace when it ,is con-
stantly buffeted by waves of b3.y-
pterisaL eWQtipnalism whipped in
tl '' ''kk�' of twentieth century press
The late president of the United
States was a great man, one great
man in an age of great men.
1 Ie was set apart by the drama
created for political purposes .by the
come. a important point is nights later the little boy of the
these four young men are headlin- home, afive-year old laddie, said
ersin big time sport, an enviable to his mother, "Why don't we
record for a town this size. Gode- have another o peacefulnight?"
rich
like
we had the other night.
rich is proud • of -them.
Somehow that little fellow had
hit upon .a great truth for, when
• his mother thought back upon it, found in the hearts of men. 'It-
Reason For Pride w
it had been a ver.y.,peaeefubradat. ,
the all-in-all then the Great Per.
son of Christmas is relegated
to second place, This can never
be! For Christ came out from
God, we are told, to initiate the
Spirit of Christmas wherever
men congregate. It was (and, is)
a mission of goodwill, peace,
concord: Later in the Christ,
Child's ministry He was to say,
e`If ye love me, then love one
another." Here, in unforgettable
words, we. have indellibly im-
pressed upon us' the 'groundswell
and thrust -of God's interference
in our private affairs. God came,
in Christ, to restore a vital
communion with Himself out of
the disharmony amongst men.
This is the Story of Christ-
mas. The Love of God is real,
tastable, seeable, hearable. It is
hour. Peace). Is that not the i`�' captured through Faith'by a
subject -matter of Christmas? vivid experience. It is centred
Those who worked so hard to Don't we get a little too wrapped in that One Sublime Revelation
make the building fund for Alex- up in the sideshows of Chmade by God in His Son. Christ.rist. mas is a Person. It is a "who"
„ „
ands Marine .and General Hospital mas and forget the essential
and nota what.
things? In other words, is Christ• It is the SpiriOf The Lov-
ing smash success have every reason mas a "thing" or a Person? M' God standing by to lead us.
to be proud. I'm prepared to argue the point, It is best seen in the attitudes
crises he faced While president suchnot antagonistically, but after
as the installation • of Russian mis- Funds • in other communities
much seeking and thought. We of men towards men. And, what
have faltered while this community have made our Christmas an do we see of men at Christmas,
•° 3iles in Cuba or the disastrous Bay of "it" when Christmas was 1966? Is there a general peace?
contributed • so generously that the, „ meant Have soldiers ceased ight?
Pigs invasion and by the brutality to be a �He: Yes, Jesus Christ,
of his, death, the tragedfof a man funds went well past the objective. the Person and- the Gladness of Has hate disappeared from our
The surplus can be' used for Christmas. If we escape the Per. streets? . Have filthy words and
assassinated in his prime. • son in Christrrias then we enter dirty stories become a plague
debt retirement making possible the the world of the "its." rather than the accepted thing?
William Manchester s book The -
Death Qf • , President has - brought purchase- of new equipment as it No one loves the bright color -
Are underhanded deals no more
the latest load of grist to the gossip becomes desirable - or necessary.
millsa t the' world. Congratulations to the cam- wte� valvetgortatmatetatetztatmommometetormi
Mrs. Kennedy 'would hardly be
expected to lend herself to a smarmy
publicity trick on behalf of the book,
but -the flood of words unleashed by
her application for suppression of
certain passages in the manuscript
h tended to do the same thing.
as
The Death Of A President will sell
" out either expurgated .or as origin-
ally written.
At this season of -the year we
may wonder if the spirit of John F. for accident victims. December was
Kennedylooks upon us in the same • the worst month for property dam- -
agony with which Marley regarded age last year. - •
Scrooge. Shorter daylight hours, and bad -
For as surely as those miserly *eather conditions are some of the
men of fiction were partners in factors contributing to the poor
greed, most human beings living to- visibility and generally ' hazardous
day were partners in life with John driving conditions of • December.
F. Kennedy. They sought the same For the individual the Christ -
things. mas season is often a period of. emo-.
4• If the ghost of John F. Kennedy tional difficulties. heightened by
roams -broad today what spirit of feelings of social and financial in -
Christmas Past would he bring to security and the dread of solitude.
grieve us? What would the spirit Foul weather, distracted driv-
of Christmas Present reveal? What ers, and pre-occpied • pedestrians
guidance would we derive from the - .can arc d up to accident. -
spirit of Christmas Yet To Come?
;,r1b 3wt`a'fawaw ?i7va}" 'ish°`o7r:'rn'r"!i's""r7blsoP�"s.}rzneperat7`that"zi'i`lzatkat' ipootazaFi1'i1grismata+ 'doe
paign committee, canvassers and
not the least, the contributors.
The Shortest Day
Today, Dec. 22, when the sun
is at the farthest `point south, marks
the beginning of winter. - -
While December is the month
with the shortest day in the north-
ern year, it is also a dark month
Established
°� 1_iSth Year of
Gobertril6taira1- 'tar Publication
1848
—0— The County Town Newspaper of Huron ,Published at Goderich, Ontario every Thursday morning by
Signal -Star Publishing Limited
ROBERT G. SHRIER R. W. KEARNS
President and Publisher Managing Editor
• S. F. HILLS, Plant Supt. d' e -
A Member of C.W.N.A., O.W.N.A., and A.B.C.
• Subscription Rates $5 a Year --To U.S.A. $6 (in advance)
41 Authorized as Second Class Mali, Post Office Dept..
Ottawa and for Payment of Postage in Cash
IL M4
Woods, Waters,
Wildlife
By JAMES WOODFORD
Unknown to most ' of its citi.
zens Metropolitan Toronto is the
"world headquarters"for a tiny,
secretive owl -the Saw•whet,Ow!.
More bf these little owl's may
be seen on Toronto Islands in
one day in late October and
November than any place else
inthe world.
The Saw -whet is about Robin:
size and the adults are brown
on the back and streaked with
brown on the • underparts. Young
birds are very different -they are
a chocolate brown, with a black-
ish face and conspicuous white
patches or eye brows forming
a broad V between the eyes.
The Saw-whet's song is a mei-
low, whistled note repeated nl,e.
chanically, in endless siicc Ssion
and often likened to the ndises
produced when sharpening a saw
-hence the name Saw -whet.
There has been a continuing
debate amongst ornithologists as
to whether these 'little owls are
true migrants, like most of our
songbirds. Some claim the Saw.
whets only move south when faced
with a shortage of food -forcing
them to look elsewhere for 'a
food supply. Others say that these
diminutive owls are regular mi-
grants: -going south in the fall
and returning in the spring.
An analysis of returns from
over 1,000 Saw -whets banded at
" oronto showed that there is a
regular southward movement
each fall -with recoveries as far
away as Ohio, Pennsylvania and
Kentucky. There were a number
of recoveries in south -Western
Ontario. The Saw•whet recovered
in Kentucky was banded in To.
ronto on Oct. 14, 1949 and re.
covered in White Plains, Ken.
Lucky on Dec. 24, 1949.
Toronto Islands are the best
place to see Saw.whets in any
DOwn Memor
_
Lane
�
Police Chi -f Fin.ds
Missing •Carlow Boy -
55 YEARS AGO --.1911
The C,R.R; will run a special
train f 'om Toronto to Goderich
on Decembe ' 23rd, leaving To.
ionto at 4;1 p.m; in addition to
the regularthat leaves at 4:30
p,m, Notify your friends.- -
The disappearance of a young
lad who came into town with his
parents from Carlow QQw on Tuesday afternoon caused.them consider.
able anxiety until he was located
tV61that vening. He ,w s left
at the home of a relative while
they were doing their •shoppirg
and when they went for him as
they were about to go hoir'e
he was not to be found, Chief
of Police Postlethwaite was noti-
fied
o i•fied and 'in a short time locat d
him and had him restored to Itis
parents.
A -large audience heard e
Canadian Jubilee S inger s in No th
Street Methodist Church 14st
evening. The program was an;in-
teresting one,, though` the cc m•
pany was weakened by the ab-
sence of the lending soprano,
Madame Dorsa, ',who was 1111.
with honesty prevailing at home
and abread? Is there - still the
stab -in -the -back? Does onebroth.
er accept another as a human
being, , a .child of God? If not,
then Christmas remains in a
neutral corner and 6ontinues as
a "thiiig,' rather than being lift.
ed up into Personal Encounter
Of God With Men, a matter of
Faith.
Here is one more chance. Here
is another Christmas on thg.
thresholds of our homes. Whit
shall we do with it? I give you
these w yds, "let us hold fast
the pro sion of our faith with.
out w w ing; (for he is faith-
ful thiqt, profnised;) and let us
Consider one another to provoke
unto love and to good works."
(Hebrews 10: 23, 24).
numbers. If you are lucky you
may see a dozen or more in
one day. However, the inexperi.
enced observer may scour •the
islands and not see a. single
owl.
The Saw -whets usually sit on
a branch, close to the trunk of
the tree. They are extremely well
camouflouged and usually sit st.
ill, even when you are only a few
feet away. •Individuals may ,be
ridiculously tame•aliowing aper.
son, ' usually a bird bander, to
literally pick them 'off the branch
. by+ hand.
In a report on the economic
status of the Saw.whet Owl 19
stomachs were examined - one
contained a sparrow, one contain-
ed a moth and 17 contained mice.
With a record like this the Saw -
whet deserve& protection.
All hawks and owls are pro-
tected by law in the Province
of'Ontario.
r,.
Letter To
The Editor
Sir:
The purpose of this brief note
is to express to you my apprec.
iatibn for the help and co•oper-
•ation afforded our church by the
staff and management of The
Signal Star since my coming to
Goderich this past summer as
minister of the Free Methodist
Church.
My thanks to your staff
'and yourself for every courtesy
extended to our communion, and
my best wishes ,dor Christmas
and the corning year.
Rev. Alan 11. Harley.
10 YEARS AGO .. i950
: A 58.foot boat for Arctic e44
ploraton is being builtby Mathi
son Boat Works, Code rich, for
Dr. J. Moedy," 01 Manitowaning"
The all•steel craft is the largest
ever to be..built at the Mathie.
son works..
Eric Johnstone was elected
president of the Canadian). egion,
Branch 109; at the annual elec.,
tions held here last Thursday
night. He su+cceds Bud Mathies
son.
Coucillor James Donnelly, of
Goderich, attended the Progres.
sive-Conservative national con-
vention in Ottawa last week. He
was a delegate -at -large, Among
other delegates from Huron Coun.
ty were George Ginn, of Gode.
rich Township; Joseph Murphy,
of Clinton, and Dr. E. A. Mc.
Master of Seaforth.
ONE YEAR AGO - 1965
Goderich and area residents
are to be asked to raise $100,. .
000 by public subscription to
.help pay for an addition to the
'Alexandra Marine and General
Hospital.
15 YEARS ,AGO - -1951
The new Great Lakes carrier,
Despite the blustering winter Roy A. Jodrey, closed the ship.
weather, Santa Claus arrived in ping season here Thursday when
Goderich on Saturday afternoon it sailed with the largest cargo
to distribute 1,200 bags of sweets of salt ever taken from Godes
to the children of Goderich and rich harbor.
district. He arrived on a fire The primary department of
truck, and delighted the kic dies North Street United Church pre.
with his jolly greetings as he.. sented their annual Christmas
drove around the square. Festival in the Christian Educa.
The store beside Ainslie's tion hall on . Sunday evening. `
Meat Market on'the Square which Youngsters ranging in age from
was occupied by McCreafth's . three to eight years presented
Grocery some ` time ago is 1 eing an hour long program of Christ.
remodelled and will open as anmas music and plays.
independent grocery store. iMr.
Blue of •South Street will operate December 24, 400 A.D.
it and the store will occupy the In Italy, in the fifth century
space which formerly made up A.D., church bells rang on
two stores. Christmas Eve to call Chris -
Another store being remodel).. tions to_
ed is ,the --one -beside the Post- wor_shiP
Office on West Street, formerly - _ This seemingly,- simple event
occupied by Fred Bee -Vers. When had great significance, for it
completed it will be used his an meant that Christians could
•office for the Bell Telephone worship in freedom, instead of
Company and its location will • in secret, as earlier suppres-
be handy for customers to drop sion of Christianity had forced
into and pay their telephone) ills. them to do.
'r.•' PRYDE & SON
Memorials --
Finest Stone • and Experienced Workmanship
DISTRICT.
Frank Mcllwain REPRESENTATIVE
5247861 or 200 Gibbons St. - 524-9465
50t1
�S.
:AVE 30c = COUNTRY STYLE.
SAUSAGES 21s. 89c
WHOLE OR HALF HOME CURED
7 -
KED HAM 69c
FOR THAT QUICK DINNER
STEAKETTES
59c
CITRISTAS
11,
1111/01111011111111111111
Across the land, in
^farm village, town and city, ,
the spirit of
Christmas is everywhere. May
it fill your own
world with happiness, joy
and good will now
and throughout the coming
year!
4.
OPEN WED. AFTERNOON — THURS. - FRI. 'TIL 9 P.M.
FEATURING Home Dressed Inspected Meats
5144551