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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Seaforth News, 1939-12-21, Page 3eiltRSDAY, DEC. 21, 1 929 THE SEAFORTH NEWS PAGE THREE CHRISTM ORGET ali your cares and worries .. this day is, for fun! the Season to be Jolty" and also friendly, happy, joyous and kind. What fun it is just to look at the Christmas tree ... to see in its myriad lights and gleamings, re- flections of activities that make Christmas the most enjoyable day of the year. You see mounds of presents, of wrappings, of eager faces ---you see a group on the floor that turns out to be Dad and Son, enjoying the Christmas train. You see smiles and gladness, laughter, fun in which everyone joins. Relax and enjoy yourself. . have a MERRY CHRlSTMAS! Gad Rest You Merrze, Gentlemen Cod rest your merrie, gentlemen, Let nothing you dismay, Remember Christ our Saviour Was born on Christmas Day, To save us all from Satan's pow'r When we were gone astray; REFRAIN: 0 tidings of comfort and joy, Comfort and joy, 0 tiding S of comfort and joy! From God our Heav'n[y Father, A blessed Angel came; And unto certain Shepherds Brought tidings of the same; How that in Bethlehem was born The Son of God by name. REFRAIN: • Now to the Lord sing praises, All you within this place, And with true love and brotherhood 'Each other now embrace; This holy tide of Christmas All other does deface. REFRAIN: Traditional English Carol Yuletide Ceremonies Our ancestors had numerous cere- monies pertaining to Christmas that are half forgotten to -day. There was a pretty superstition connected with the decoration of houses with evergreen. It was be- lieved that sylvan sprites might flock to the branches and remain itzmipped by frost until a milder season The popular expression, "anti rose," meaning anything told M confidence, was derived from the old custom of guests wearing chaplets of holly, mistletoe, ivy and rosemary at the anneal festivals where a rose genet, ally was hung over the tables. The expression, "beneath the 'mistletoe" Is said to have the same derivation. And then we learn of the old super- stition that oxen fell on their knees en Old Christmas, January 6. The be- lief was based on the medieval no- tion that the cattle in the stable, wit- nessing the Nativity, fell upon their knees in supplication. 'Those who know something of the times of Charles II are familiar with the astonishing menus served guests by the noble hosts of that day. And those among the readers of these lines who imagine they will dine sumptuously when partaking of their roast turkey, cranberry sauce and all the "fixings" when the day of days arrives, should meditate on the fol- lowing account of an almost unbe- lievable Christmas pie which is told about in the Newcastle Chronicle January 3, 1770: "Monday last WAS brought from Howick to Berwick, to be shipped to ISTMAS MESSAGE Sy REV. H. E. WRIGHT, M.A., Brucefield Every cme tries to make Christmas as bright and happy a fday as he can; hut few of us indeed realise -.ist why we do. ;'erhaps we feel it is the thing to do, because, hi the language of Shakespeare, it is the day that "shall change all griefs and quarrels into love," forgetting that the (lay is more than the manifestation of a spirit of goodwill, We CIO well to remind ourselves that Clod framed the his- tory Of the world in view of this day; in fact we do well to re- ifognize that it is the Day of the Appearing on Earth in the likenesS of niankind of (I OD 'OCR SAVic CR, an occasion cele- brated With God Himself as bath U1 VER and GIFT. With grasping eagerness and not a little of greed we have taken advantage of the feast in the Name of the Giver but we have made slender emphasis, really only a pretense, of the fact. Ile also is (Iris. Generally people are content to cram all of their manifestation of that hill) the compass of the Christ- mastide and are uot concerned about perpetuating it through - Mu the year. Charles Dickens recognized this and made a vow. will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the Let Its not attempt to take subterfitge under the "try to" as au apologetic excuse, but rather let us resolve to keep it the entire year, and then worthily celebrate, 1,y (loci's grace. our fidelity, as the season conies and goes, each year. If all Christ- ian nations were nations of Christians in this respect the his- tory of the times would be vastly different from what it is. The ills of the world, in general, and the troubles and harrowing experiences of our own day and generation, in particular., are but the bitter gall of humanity resultant from nearly twenty eenturies of well-nigh utter disregard of the fact we have been stressing in this article. When the world forgets, Giver and Gift, and tries to justify itself, by celebrating a few days once a year, in honor of God as Giver, and perhaps at that time makes a semblance of honoring Him as (lift, such sacrifice will hardly be sufficient to atone. nor will it stave off the dire con- sequences which in our day have swill devastating effects. ondon, for Sir Hen, Grey, bart., a pie, the contents whereof are es fol- lows, viz.: 2 bushels of flour, 20 pounds of butter, 4 geese, 2 ttirkies, 2 rabbits, 4 wild ducks, 2 woodcocks, 6 snipes and 4 partridges; 3 neats' tongues, 2 curlews, 7 blackbirds, and 6 pigeons. The Christmas pie was made by Mrs. Dorothy Patterson, housekeeper at Howlett. It is near 9 feet in circumference at the bottom, weighs about 12 stones, will take 2 men to present it at table; it is neat- ly fitted with a case and four smell wheels to facilitate its use to every guest that inclines to partake of its Contents at table." Many Rivals of Holly Even in England they have at least a dozen different varieties of holly, and the world at large has no fewer than 145 species of this tree. Australia is the only inhabited con- tinent which has no holly—no true holly, that is to eay. Yet Australia has a substitute, a shrub called "nat- ive holly," which grows in Victoria and New South Wales. It is not an flex, but its leaves are holly -like, and it is used very extensively for Christ- mas decorations, Ivy is another plant which does not flourish in Australia as it does in England, though in the hills you. find a kind of ivy with odd, whip shaped leaves. But the houseWife preparing her Yuletide show has no true holly or ivy to hang on the . walls. Yet there is no lack of greenstuff for Christmas decoration in the Aus- tralian Commonwealth. The favorite plant is the she -oak, the tops of which are useful for feeding cattle in times of drought. There is also "celery -top," with its big, handsome -leaves, and various pines such as the Huon and King William pine. Acacia is also popular. New Zealand has au ivy -tree, a real tree with a good stiff trunk of its own, stout branches, and huge evergreen leaves. If you want its Ine tanical name, this is Panax Colensoi, and it is foluid 4n both the North and South Islands: •A favorite plant, for Christmas dec- orations in Australia is the Mac- quarie Harbor Vine, which is a native of Tasmania, but is grown in Austra- lia and New Zealand. It has a cur- rant -like fruit, with a delicate acid flavor, which is used for making tarts, puddings, and preserves. The long, graceful branches make beauti- ful and distinctive decorations. "Have you seen anything that, seems to grow with such leaps and bounds?" "Yes, the children in the apart- ment above." "What do the three bans in front of a pawnshop mean?" 'Two to one yon don't get it b CHRISTMAS CANDLES The candle is the true symbol of Christmas. Its flickering taper shin- ing on the Sill of the city house or the country cottage 8011(18 out the message of "petme on earth" quite as. much as the chime of Christmas bells. No Christmas tree is complete until the candles, whether of wax or of electric lights, have been fastened to its boughs. A charming elderly lady gives each child in the neighborhood every year a "Twelfth Night" candle. This is a very large cathedral candle, which is to be lighted on Christmas' eve and placed on the window -sill set in a wreath, of holly and so placed that its flame burns at the center of a Christ- mas wreath hanging in the window. It is then. kept burning every evening until the eve of Twelfth Night, Jan- uary 5th, The Twelfth Night eve, the unburned portion of the candle and all the Christmas greens are placed in the open fireplace and con- sumed, this eliding the Christmas aeason. The significance of this pretty rite Is as folloWs: The candle issymbolic of the star which the wise men BM in the East, aucl it is kept shining through the twelve days during which the wise Men 'were following the star on their journey to the man- ger where the young Child lay. Children especially love this beau- tiful custom of having 0 lighted can- dle represent the Christmas star, and in some of tho hemes where the Twelfth Night eandle is kept burn- ing. each child cares for the candle for an evening, all taking turnst. The candle is lighted. the wreath lOwered to encircle the flame, and when the child goes to bed it is his duty to blow the eandle out. breaking and emeries th0 Chat.pt,1 home and theriu 0,0m0114)timr ,thece HANG. IJP THE HOLLY! Hang Up the holly,- Ciristinas is here! Its berries are jolly, so red and so clear. Its leaves are stiff and sharp to touch -- It's best not. to handle them too much— But hang it up at window and door. Put some • ihi a vase—and, if there's more, put that in a big jar on the floor, For its berries' are jolly, so red and so Clear. • , Hang upthe holly, for Christmas is here! wn tier: • •"rii 08e are 'the heat eggs we lutve bud for years." Diner: "Well, Ming me scene you haven't lied SO First Boxer—"When I hit someoue, he remembers it." Second Boxer—"When 1 bit some- one, he doesn't." Pay Debt Off Farm Urges Mr. Gardiner; Give It a Chance "Give the Wel tang! a (.110110-0." urg- ed Hon, J. G. Gardiner, dominion minister of agrieulture, in hie address At the 0110111001 dilater Of the United Grain Grow, vs 1.t3, Ileht at. 70.1 r".oUtlY. 5,113 74,. Gardiner: "11 you will now travel over the Mims of Camilla with me, I think you win all agree that at least 90 per cent of what is essential to life upon the term wa,, mu there before the last war, eXCeplilla; in the weir areas settled j(1st before that that,. ThiS WolilO 50e111 0) indicate that the be- ginning of this war Is 11 good time to make a complete inventory and de- termine mum ways and meape of consolidating rather than expanding 71oldings and activities. "Allow me to draw the eonclusion: The old farm has ton often been used to finance a start le life for some member of the family rather than to eonsolidate the position of persons who are going to 21)1Ilahl 011 the farm. "Give the old farm 0 chance,. Clear it of debt and get reasonable equip. meat and good livestoek. A debt ('1001' average farm seenres a better living for anyone having it than most jobs which can be picked up around towns and eitie,?. A farm mortgaged to the hilt is a millstone about the necks of persons who are growing old. Experience during the past eight years has proven that. There are too many men and women from fifty to sixty years of age left alone 0et arms mew occupied by children who have gone elsewhere and the old people have nothing left but the mortgage. "That is not the fault of the farm nor is it altogether the fault of the prices we have been getting. Farm- ing must retain as working capital a larger share of the- annual Meanie luring the next period of good crops and good prices than it did between 1 91 4 and 19:1o. None of us are look- ing for the prices for farm products during this war which we received during the last war, But we are look- ing for sufficient to make np for the errible liekiug we have taken during the past ten years. If we get it and if we have learned our lesson we will not expand but we will consolidate nir holdings with every dollar we get mld of." Mrs. Dimwit t—"You know, Mrs. Penington. T sometimes Wonder if my husband is growing tired of trier mrs. Pennington—"What makes you say that, Mrs. Dimwitt?" Mrs. Dimwit t "Well, he hasn't been home for S01'011 years now." Arthur Griffiths tells of the Negro who When asked what was the secret of his success. replied: "Ah nevaat- tempts the Impossible anti Alt always no -operates with the inevitable."