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The Seaforth News, 1930-12-11, Page 6CHRISTMAS LEGENDS By Elizabeth Paltrier Timer 'is no holiday in the whole ij''ear around whish ee many traditions and legends cluster as Christmase But, while Christmas, St. Nicholas, 'Santa Claus, are happily discussed for weeks by every child in Christendom, and while every family is anticipating the Christmas tree, the hanging of stook- ings, decorations or holly and green- cry, putting a candle in the window and burning a Yule log, few children know the origin of these customs. The smallest child knows that Christmas is oelebrated as the birth- day day of Chrlst. Yet there Le no-historf- eat record that December 25 was the netual date of the birth of Christ. His- torians and astrououlere agree that, it was about the time of the winter eel - sties, when the days were the shortest in the year -near December 21. The early Christmas celebrations were not confined to one day, There was re - Racing front December 16 to January 6. The latter date is now known as Twelfth -eight, It was not until the reign et the Christian emperor, Constantine, iu the fourth 0001017, that the observance of Christmas became an .established cus- tom, since the early Christians con- sidered the observance ofbirthdays a pagan custom. The exchange of Christmas gifts has come gendually, a 'beautiful, unselfish custom in com- memoration of the greatest gift of all time to the world—the Christ Chikl. The giving of gifts also has a religi- ous significance grounded on the act of tate Persian Magi in laying gold, frankincense and myrrh before the Babe in the manger. A Christmas tree as part pt the holi- day observance originated at the time of the conversion of the German tribes, when St. Boniface came, oue Christmas Day about 1,200 years ago, upon a pagan group gathered under the great "Thunder Oak," about to sacrifice a little boy to their god, Thor. All eyes were fixed upon a priest in white robes who held a great hammer Deified over the head of the child. 'When it was about to fail, St. Boniface strode up to the priest, stayed Ills hand, and cried out to the people to cease their false worshi,. He told thin the story of the birth of the Chita at Bethlehem, and felling a small dr tree, gave it to them, saying: "Tette this for your Christmas tree, a •t(h year, whenthe> feast (lay ar rig : 'see it nit ill roe!' homes and with soy :a ad song celel trate the birthday ei2 C" trier." The tree at fir -t wee not used ae a gi t -hat t but •ca merely symbolical t1 .- Dee aeme oe C lir' t . grandeur and intaesty. and the green of Die im- mortality. m- mortadb . 1"_>„> cu :.ani of plaeing lights en the tree le generally attributed to Martin Luther, vate, nn walking home oue Chriamee Eva, wee tilled with awe at tae t r.t-, ; of the ars. Going home, .tee to d.: er s it to his wife by platin; ,nue 11;4111 B4 cantilee ill the i't'_i'-tl'i'.ee of the Cttt•l:stln:is tree, Fay- 1nz "Tele is like the Christmas alcy.” Se Nicholas of .Ant"ou was a raiser, >i, h I, nde an•i % e les and herds. Ile came t,t Bethlellea el eeeed ha a beg- gar, that he night avoid paying the futt ett:ces demanded by the officer.; of t'a^<ar. >.e he objected to paying for :sten at the inn. he was sleeping in ate :li.,r heeide his donkey when there eine? a the stable Joseph and M•ry. the 2lother of Jeans. \Veen the Christ Child lay In the merger imeide Mary and gifts were beim; nffet'ed ante Him, Nicholas, 000501 frim his sleep, joined the gi "er- through curiosity, Then grip- ped by some compelling force, he knelt by the .side of Mary, now hulling Iter 'Babe. Looking at those two, M, 'her and Babe Divine. gritty shack - lee fell from 1110 heart of Nicholas of A: moon My Kin.,! 2Iy Ding:" he cried, "ever will I serve. Thee, and Thee oree." tins eend utter:«;1 out toward Niebotas as though in benediction; and from outside came the flint echo: 'On earth peace, to men good will." fumbling in hie robe Nicholae drew forth a gold puce and laid it among tee ,tater gifts. Tri,, nest morning, instead of plead. log poverty as he had intended, Nich. oras -AMA. till Bret i'e the lithe of tax- payer,1 waiting to make hie seclara- ticifl. The 0011cttore marveled that -raw dressed so poorly should Pay so Meetly. Straight from tae paying, Nicholas went to the plane of mer - clematis.: where children congregated. With army 111104 and donkey laden, be,: fared forth to the poorer places and there dispensed hie gifts, He was soon the Centel' of a throng of happy childrelt. In answer to a question, he said: "I am Nicholas of Ammon." "Hail, St. Nicholas," burst upon the air, "Nicholas. and I serve my Xing," he repeated. "Caesar?" asked a cin'ious mother, 'Nay, not Caesar, but the new-born King of Love." Aud so came the first S-. Nicholas at Christmastide, The Santa Claus that all Canadian tbildren know and who travelled into other 'rinds during the peat ceutury is •sly lye yeare old,. Ile is the des - set -dant of the good St,' Nicholas, who tva.; the gift -bearer for the little Dutch citedrµu originally, and was borrowed fn .urn 'ty the Belgians, French,. Span. tea and 1hlglisli as the patron saint at Christmas. But St. Nicholas was not the jolly old fellow we- know, with slee,h and reirttser and Peeling bells, hut a dignified gentleman who travel- ed in state, on a white horse and with a; black servant. It was the 10em "'Twae the Night Before Christmas" that gave•C anadian children the Santa Claus we know to- day, This famous Poem, w 1 ticb has the printed'aud reprinted t e world over with every recurrlug. Christmas, has become one of the most familiar and beet -loved poems. in the language. It was, written by Clement Clarke Moore for his two daughters, and first read to them 'on the evening or De - *libel' 23, 1822,' A year later it Was published 111 the Troy' (N.Y.) Sentinel,' and has since bocomo immortal. Moore was born July 5, ,?79, iu a big white hoose above the Hudson, then situated in a suburb known as Chelsea, now in the neighborhood of Greenwich 'Village. There he spent his ohildhood, married, and raised a large family of children, All around the neighborhood were scattered the farmsofthe descendants of the early Dutch settlers, and as a bof young Moore became familiar with the le- gond of St, Nicholas, which he trans - teemed into the American Santa Claus- He called the poem the "Visit of St. Nieholas,'tbut its lovers changed it to "'Twas the Night Before Christ- mas in this poem Santa Claus was for the first time introduced to the child- ren of America with the form and the features and the characteristics by which he is knowu to -day. Here for the first time they- were told exactly how he looked and what kind of a chap he was: "His Oyes—how they twinkled; his dimples, how merry! Isis cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow. Since then every child has been able to picture in his mind the jolly old fellow who comes clattering over the roof with his eight tiny reindeer, scat- tering joy and gladness and gifts. Though the author of the poen gave his life to books and learning and lit- erary work, he is remembered only by the lines which gave us Santa Claus. It Is told that once upon a time St.1 Nicholas wanted to help a poor but Arend nobleman, and climbing to the roof of the Mau's house dropped some coins down the chimney. The coins happened to light in the man's stock - Inge, which lee had hung by the fire- placo to dry. The gift was considered by the nobleman to be of superna- tural origin, and, naturally, others took up the custom of hanging stock- ings ity the fireplace. Fronr this, sup- posedly, developed the tradition that Santa Claus comes down the ehhnney to bring ilii, gifts to the hnnatea of the hausa. Holly has been popular for decora- tions since the time of the Druids, It is regarded as the special tree of the fairies, ]tut there is a superstition that it is unlucky to take holly into the house before Christmas. The cradles or Italian children are often decorated with holly to ward off evil. The faces of babies is Italia and Persia are sometimes washed in a liquid in which. holly bark has been soaked, as a charm against wicked spirits. The use of holly at Christmas Is thought to bring good luck to the house in which it is used. The mistletoe is a parasite which grows not only. 011 peke, but is found on pecan, hickory, locust, usage, sas- safras, persimmon, ash, and various fruit trees, notably apple, cherry and pear trees. But it prefers the oak trees, and tate superstitious and mys- terious Druids, the priests of the pa- gans of the British Isles and the lands on the south side of the English Chan- nel, got the idea that the mistletoe was the soul of the oak and that, as it had lost its foliage; It was an im- mortal thing and was a symbol of everlasting life. Wonderful powers and properties were attributed to the mistletoe, and when paganism passed, the early Christians clung to many of the pagan ideas about the plant. There was good luck in mistletoe, so at Christ - British Royalty at Abyrssiman Coronation Duke of Gloucester as lie appeared at recent coronation of Ras Tafari at Addis Ababa, with heir apparen Abyssinian throne (left) and Earl of Airlie (right) in procession to throne. mas our northern ancestors would hang a branch of mistletoe over the front door as a sign of good luck and welcome. People entering under it exchanged kisses with the host and his family, and in this way kissing and the mistletoe became associated, The Scandinavians used to kindle great fires in honor of their god, Thor. In some parts of old England, bring- ing iu the Yule log was the principal ceremony of Christmas Eve. The custom was for the serfs to bring in a load of wood with them when they came for the Christmas feast, which was to last as long es it took to "b'u'n away a wet wheel"—a section Of greeu wood. Naturally the "wet wheel' would not be a thin slice, but a log, In later times the cere- mony was attached to the bringing in of the log, 11 was drawn into the hall by the e s er va C t u x and each member of the family in turn, sitting down on the log, sang a Yule song and drank a' glass of ale. The log was then .cast into the fire with prayers for the safe- ty of the house and the happiness of its inmates until next Yuletide. Part of the Yule log was preserved to light the ing of nest year. The Yule log was nearly always aa ash log, because a legend avers that it was before an ash lire that the Holy Babe was first washed and dressed by His mother, Still another legend Is responsible for the custom of placing a thick, lighted candle in the window Christ- mas live, which is supposed to be lighted at dusk and to retrain through the night: "On every Christmas Eve the little ChrIst-Child wanders all over the world, bearing on IIia shoulders a bundle of evergreens. Through city streets and country roads, up and down hills, to rise proudest castle and lowliest hovel, through cold and storm and sleet and ice, the Holy Child travels to be welcomed or rejected at the door at which He pleads for suc- cor. Those who would welcome Idim and long for Isis coming, 801 a lighted candle in the window to guide IIia on His way," British Woman Flier Reaches Osaka, Japan Osaka, Japan ---Hon, MIrs. Victor Bruce, British motorist and aviator, arrived here on Nov, 21st after a lone flight frons Loudon, which she left September 25. She was welcomed by Japanese and British reslclents 'and was given a banquet. Newspapers here lauded her dogged flight across two contin- ents to Japan, commenting that she was the first woman to attempt the dangerous journey. Commodore Says "Goodbye' S t Arthur Rostron (right), noted commodore of Cunard fleet, bids good- bye to kis chief officer, Capt, Bissett, ou bridge ot Bersngaria as be retires liter 45.years -service.. Festive Dishes For Holidays When December appears on the calendar, • everyone thinks of some thing good to eat. Winter's invigorat ing air produces hearty appetites. The spirit of hospitality which always is stimulated by the approach of the winter holidays gives every w man Ifihe desire to entertain her friends,. New recipes are born and christen- ed every day iu Canadian households. Itis this adventuring with food comi- binatione that makes for progress in cooktu. in g Without experiments kitchens, cookery would be in a fixed Istate. No variety would be foundin meals. What are some of the recently born dishes? 'Veli, here are a few that crea- tions r 0 5 at 1 ave been much tried with teh e success: Cranberry Pudding la cup tat, 1 cup sugar, ee cup milk, Ilii cups cranberries. 2 eggs 3ee caps flour, 4 tsps. baking powder, ee tsps. salt. Cream fat, add sugar and sift the rest of the dry ingredients with the flour. Beat eggs and acid to first mixture. Add the dry ingredients al- ternately with the milk. Stir in ber- ries. Pour in buttered molds, cover, and steam three hours for a large mold and one hour for small ones. Nut Bread 2 5.8 cups flour, 4 tsps, baling pow- der, 1 tsp. salt, 5-8 cup sugar, 11/4 cults mills, 2 eggs, 1 cup nut meats, 4 tbs, flour. Sift 2 5-8 cups flour, baking powder, and salt. Add sugar, mills, and eggs slightly beaten and the broken nut meats which have been thoroughly mixed with the four table spoonfuls flour. Bake in a slow oven for 15 minutes; then increase the heat and bake in a moderate over one hour, Appieo Salad Mix together 1 cup shredded cabbage, 1 cup apple, eat in strips, ei cap each raisins and nutmeats tied sufficient salmi dressing to moisten Serve in cabbage shells orr in red apples, hol- lowed out to make cup. Garnish with finely cut strips of apple with red skin left on. Baked Oysters Beat 1 egg, and add oue sup Oysters and their liquid, 2.3 cup cracker crumbs, ee teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Butter a pie plate and turn mixture into this. Sprinkle with 1-3 cup cracker crumbs, dot with butter and bake until crumbs are crisp and brown. Serve hot with cranberry sauce. Celery and olives also make a pleasing accompaniment for this fes- tive dish, • Stuffed Fruits Use dried prunes, apricots, '11gs, or dates, Steam 15 minutes, Make an Ineislon in each piece of fruit with a sharp -pointed paring knife. Stuff with fondant and" cover with a nut meat, Roll in sugar. If not to be eaten immediately wrap in oiled paper and peek in tins, The fruits improve in flavor if allowed to stand a few weeks. Pineapple fondant is flue to use in stuffing these fruits. Pineapple Fondant 2 cups sugar, 35 cup water, th lbs. crushed pineapple. Put sugar and water in pan and stir until dissolved. Cook to 256 degrees without stir- ring, keeping sides 02 pale washed down with a soft cloth moistened in cool water and .tied over the tines of a silver fork. Add crushed pineap- ple, drained from the syrup and cook to 240 deg. F., which is just beyond the soft ball stage. Turn on a platter wet with cold water. When cool, work .with a spatula or knife, Hee this fondant as the centers for bon- bons, roll the piece's in nuts or stuff in dried fruits, It is almost essential to employ a candy thermometer in making fondants successfully.. Apple sherbet 01' suint ice served in red apple shells, from which the pulp has been removed, is a desserts Batch your sweetie's aye." Ban on Love Birds And Parrots Lifted Dominion Decides Dange From Psittacosis is Thing of the Past Ottawa—Love birds may now be imported into Canada, So also may Parrots, parrakeets, cockatoos, ala saws,' 'Dries• and lorikeets.The ban placed on 'their importation. dome Months ;ago has been rerheved. Love birds, as'might be expected frons their name, setmetimes make people sick, The same -1s• the case with parrots and'. the other pets'men- tioned above. They are subject to a disease termed psittacosis ` and they are likely to give it to humans. The mortality is very high among humans who contract it, Some time ago a number of cases were reported from Europa, officials of the, Agricultural Department •be- came alarmed and put a ban on birds subject to such au ailment. Since that, however, the disease seems' to. have disappeared. A circular inform-ing customs collectorsofthe retuoval. of the ban went forward rocentiy. 'Guidance of Child Urged by :Experts. Old -Time Conformity to - r Adult Standards No Longer Sought Washington,—?fire White House con - Loren° on child health and protec- tion convened here recently to con- . elder the case of the modern baby„ born and reared in so period greatly dissimilar to that of the "decade o& don'ts," The 1930 child, Iia the opinion of these experts, must be taught •ti think and act independently in a cbangiug era .02 speed, small apartments and traffic signals. "Our' attitude today' ts'to remove the 'don't'," explained Dr . Mary Dab- ney Davis, specialist in nursery, print- ery and kindergarten education at the UniteUnited States Office of - Education, "Instead of placing attention on un- d n desirable things, we place it in the constructure realm of using. fully the'. elementary drive to do. "A decade ago eve tried to make the child conform to. adult standard, but tate whole idea at present is to get a line on the child's attitude and then guide it. "We must educate him positively through celebrating his successes. In brief, if a two-year-old learns to call els shots well In transferring food from plate to palate, the family cheer section must get itno action promptly. A few days of cheering may develop and extreme interest; in the accuracy of manners." Life of a' baby a generation ago, Dr. Dabney said, was a simple thing c0m- pared to the complex business of be- ing a child to -day. "They didn't have to dodge speed nor overcome handicaps of congestion. There were no autoutob?los or elevat- ors, levat ors, A door -knob was the most intri- cate mechanism that the babies of 1800 had to master." Three thousand delegates convened at the conference here, summoned by e, President Hoover to consider :how the nation can better its task of building citizenship from tbo ranks of its 45,- 000,000 children, including 10,000,000 tleficieuta, Storing Apples ornado Ravaged 'Village Rebuilds 24 Were Killed In Oklahoma 0'. Suburb, and Over 100 Injured Oklahoma City — Residents of the for those who must resist the tempta- tion of pies and jidddings I'f yon are planning on serving wild, fowl, be sure to make the dressing lick in fat to relieve the natural dry - nese of tate meat. While the cranberry season is on, don't neglect to can somesauce and make some jelly for other occasions. This acid berry combines well with summer menus. Christmas isn't Christmas unless there's candy for the kiddies. The grown-ups too, come in for their share. Perhaps if it is homemade, it will be a bit more inviting and unusual. You can make up any of the following re- cipes now shit they will be just right for the 25th if wrappedan wax paper. Coffee Fondant 3 cups sugar, 1 cup water, 1 tbs. vchike cor•n syrup, 3 ozs. coffee, pul- verized. Tie coffee loosely in cheese- cloth, and cook with fondant to 241F., without stirring, but wiping the sides of the saucepan Pour onto cold plat- ter, and when lukewarm, beat with butter paddle. Then knead well. Mold into ehnpe with butternuts, of press into a buttered tin, frost with boiled frosting and sprinkle with nuts, then cut Into squares. Baked Fudge 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 15 cup flour, 1.3 cup butter, 4 squares chocolate, aft cup nut meats, 1 tsp. vanilla, Break nut meats into pieces and crisp in oven, Melt chocolate and butter in double boiler, add sugar and eggs beaten light, then flour mixed with nuts. Add vanilla, Pour into greased tin 31 incl' thick and bake at 3550 , until a toothpick comes clean, Do not have the oven hot as you would for cookies, since the fudge must be soft, not crisp. Cut into squares with sharp knife while warm. Divinity udge 2 craps sugar, 3a cup white corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, 1-8 tsp. salt, 35 tbs. vinegar. Cook to 260 1r„ without stirring, but .wiping sides of saucepan to prevent crystallization. Pour hot syrup slowly into stiffly beaten whites of two eggs. Sit in a low chair, pour with left laud, and beat with right hand, ushlg large bowl and wire whip. Add 3s teaspoonful each lemon and almond extract. When quite thick, drop by spoonfuls on heavily waxed paper, and serve. If to be kept, pour into square buttered tin, Mark into squares. Maple Fudge 1 1b. staple sugar (215 cups), 3.i cup water, 1 tbs, light corn syrup, at cup thin cream, 23 cup nut 'treats. Let maple sugar and liquids stand to- gether until sugar is dissolved, cook to 236 F., a soft ball, stirring to keep the maple sugar from curdling the milk Set saucepan into basin of cold water, and when lukewarm, beat until b creamy, add nuts. Beat just as long as possible, then turn into oiled tin 1 storm wrecked village of Bethany near liege have started to rebuild their crushed homes and bury their dead. For the first time since a cyclone struck the village at noon Nov. 20, killing 24, injuring more than 100 and wrecking 100 Moines and business es- tablishments, order was restored in the settlement of 2,000 inhabitants, I3ebabilitation was started with al - host every charitable: organization in the state lending aid. Doctors, treating injured in Oklaho- ma City hospitals, announced eight more of the injured may die. More than 40 still are being treated. Pun- arol arrangements hQtl not been tom- p'leted except for the four Camel Creek students who were killed when thef little rural school was destroyed by! the wind. They will be buried a..; their school house. Dam i h village,, Damage dole to little lee ,,. 1 reach $600,000 officials agreed. Winter's Here Now- eep Your Heart AFew Hints on How bo Be Healthy Though Hiber- nating Not by bread alone doth mate live but by a well-balanced diet he may best protect himself against the rig- ors of winter. The rules of right eating, a recent New York State department of health radio broadcast tells, are compara- tively simple. Daily diet should be constructed around the so-called pro- tective foods, pure milk, fruits, and especially green leafy vegetables. If these necessary and compara- tively inexpensive footles form the basis of diet natural appetite will likely take care of other bodily needs: Every child should drink one quart, every adult at least one pint of pure alike --the nearly -perfect food --every day. Fruits such as oranges, lemons, berries, peaches, apples, and green vegetables as lettuce, spinach, celery, •cabbage kale, beet greeds and tur- nip greens are ood. , Eggs, cereals, meats and fish help, but the protective foods do actually protect aainst the chills and ills of winter. Cod liver oil is a protector, being rich in vitamin D, the summer sunshine vitamin, and vitamin A which is found in butter and milk. Quake in Albania Takes 30 Lives Vienna—A Government despatch from Tirana reported that a violent earthquake on Nov. 21st had caused 30 deaths in tate Albanian dist^iet of Va1ona. The despatch added that great nutt- ers were injured in the collapse of numerous houses, with heavy material osses in elessaplik, Palase, Terkoei and Dernti. The entire population of Telgac was made homeless. TireValmia district of Albania is a mountainous region in the Southern part of the country along the Adriatic Sea. It le directly across the Strait of Otranto from the heel of the Ital- ian boot, lying Ships Are Big Hope of Aviation Toronto. — The future of aviation does not 11e In lighter -than -air daft, Captain Stafford Lusk told members of the Canadian Progress Club at their recent luncheon here. Rather, he said, it lien In ships like the great German plana; the DO -X. Captain Lusk endeavored to im- press the safety of flying, Aviation, he declared, is past the day of ex- perirnentatlon, and cut into minaret>, There are two ways:02 ending a dis- pute—disottesion and force; the latter is simply that of brute beast; the for - "A sparkling solitaire will tistially trier Is proper to beings gifted with eason.—Ctoero, For Winter Use Only SoundSpecimens ecim P ens Shoul d Be Utilized for this Purpose Apples to be kept for use during the winter mouths should be carefully selected for that purpose. Early ma- turing sorts like Wealthy and Graven- stein ravenstein can hardly be kept past Christ- mas, so that later keeping varieties, like elcintosll, Northern Spy, Russet and Baldwin, should be selected for this purpose. All Uruiseti fruit, or scabby fruit, should be discarded and only perfect- ly erfectly sound specimens utilized. It these are wrapped in oiled tissue or in or- dinary tissue paper, peeping is great- ly reatly facilitated. Storing in bushel boxes is preferable to large containers and these should be kept in a cellar where the temperature floes not go much above 40 deg. F., and (foes not fall below freezing. The average cement cellar, with a heating plant, is not sat iefactory for apple storage, The best type of cellar isen ordinary dirt floor cellar without any artificial heat, In such a cellar both temperature and moisture conditions are generally sat- isfactory atisfactory for good keeping. In tits event o8 a cement cellar being the only available place, it would be wise to covet' the floor with several inches of sawdust, which should be kept well dampened down to provide the neces- sary humidity. Such a procedure, ac- companied by wrapping and a tempera- ture of from 40 to 45 deg. F,; should result in satisfactory storage condi- tions, --Issued by 141, B. Davis, Central lfxperihnental Farm, Ottawa, Land Plowing Falls Off Ottawa -fall plowing was not en good this year as last, A crop re- port issued recently by the Dominion Bureau .of Statistics states: "For ail Canada the proportion of land in- tended for next year's crops that had been plowed at "hotter 31, 1530, is estimated at 36 Per cent„ as cons pared with 46 per cent. in 1929 and 29 per cent, in 1028. By Provinces, the proportions for 1900 are as follows, with the corresponding figures for 1920 within brackets: Prince Edward Island, 60 (75); Nova Scotia, 32 (48);. New Brunswick, 72 (58); Quebec, 74 (78); Ontario, 60 (58) Manitoba, 60 (84) ; Saskatchewan, 21(19) ; Alberta, 8, (13); British Columbia, 43 (46):" Father of 150 Foxes Shown at Winter Fair Toronto,—One hundred and forty. three black and Sliver foxes, valued at more than $250,000, or more than, $1,700 apiece, were shown at the Royal 'Winter Fair here, travelling from Prince Edward Island iu an ex- press xpress car, One of the animais, a strapping four-year-old' stud, which has sired 150 pups in his lite time, is valued alone at 85,000, • Hunting in Canada. The provinces of Ontarlo•,and Que- bec include within their 'boundaries sonle of the finest hunting territory In North America, Tha claim is ,mads for Nova Scotia and New Brunswick that they harbor more moose to the, square mile than any other portion ot Canada.