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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1939-01-05, Page 3Everywhere Tonight Everywhere, everywhere Christmas tonight! Christmas in lands of the fir -tree and pine, Christmas in lands of the palm -tree and vine; Christmas where snow -peaks stand solemn and white, Christmas where corn -fields Be sunny and bright. --- Phillips Brooks A Child's Song of Christmas My counterpane is soft as silk, My blankets white as creamy milk, The hay was soft to Him, I know, Our little Lord of long ago. Above the roofs the pigeons fly In silver wheels across the sky. The stable -doves they cooed to them, Mary and Christ in Bethlehem. Bright shines the sun across the drifts, And bright upon my Christmas gifts. They brought Him incense, myrrh and gold, Our little Lord who lived of old. Oh, soft and clear our mother sings Of Christmas joys and Christmas things, God's holy angels sang to them, Mary and Christ in Bethlehem. Our hearts they hold all Christmas dear, And earth seems sweet and heaven seems near, Oh, heaven was in His sight, I knew, That tittle Child of long ago. —Marjorie L. C. Pickthall. Sunday School Lesson LESSON X1II the ancient world at this time, the expectancy of the coming of some great king. Suetonius, a famous Latin writer of the first century, said, "There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief that it was fated at that time for a man coming from Judea to rule the world." For we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him. A great deal of speculation has arisen regard- ing this star. Some believe that it was some conjunction of heav- enly bodies, which the Wise Men recognized as a phenomenon of unusual significance. Matt. 2: 3-8. 3. And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled. The foreigner and us- urper feared a rival, and the ty- rant feared the rival would be wel- come. And ell .Teeeeelem with him. and myrrh, From the fact that there were three gifts the tradi- tion has developed that there were three Wise Men, and only three, but there is nothing in this record, to substantiate such an idea. We cannot help feeling that these gifts do have some spiritual signii1' cense; From the gifts here presented by the Wise Men undoubtedll comes the custom of giving gifts at the Christmas season. In all our giving to one another, which is always a joy, or should be, let us not miss the true significance of Christmas, but give what we give in the name of the Lord Jesus' g warned .of Clod 12. .And beim; in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed in- to their own country another way. When Christmas First Was Celebrated The earliest celebration of the birth of Christ, December 25 of each year, took place in the Fourth Century, and the custom spread from the western to the eastern church. Before that date the commemoration of " Christ's nativity and baptism took place January 6. First mention of. Christmas is found in a Roman document known as the "Philocalian calen- dar," in the year 354, and the first English celebration of the festival was in 598, when St. Augustine baptized 10,000 converts. In 567, the Council of Tows, France, declared a 12 -day festival from Christmas to Epiphany, and later, from 991 to 1016, the laws of Ethelred ordained that all strife should cease at Christmas. In Ger- many, Christmas was established in 813 by the Synod of Mainz, and in Norway by King Haakon the Good, in 950. it Is Written 4. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. What irony that Herod was compelled to - consult the very men, whom, years before, he had tried to extermin- ate: And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written through the prophet, 6. And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a governor, who shall be shepherd of my peo- ple Israel. This most remarkable prophecy •is found in Mich 5: 2, and was uttered seven ,,hundred .years before our Lord's birth. 7. Then Herod privily called the Wise -men, and learned of them exactly what time the star ap- peared. 8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him. This monstrously cruel king did not want to go to Bethlehem to worship Jesus as he said, but, as later events proved, to put this very babe to death, that there might be no possible chance of a rival king growing up in the land. The Worshippers Matt. 2: 9-12. 9. And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. . The contrast between the fear of this wicked king and the joy possessing the heart of these sin- cerely seeking Wise Men is a les- son all of itself. 11. And they came into the house. And saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down. The verb here is the same one used of a servant falling down to a king (Matt. 18: 26, 29). And worshipped him. The Wise Men were the first of a great num- ber of people of every kind who worshipped the Lord Jesus when he was on earth. And opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense GOD'S GREAT LOVE Golden Text God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 8: 16. THE LESSON IN ITS SETTING Time.—The time of our Lord's birth is still a matter of dispute, but we follow herd the chronology of Samuel J. Andrews and many others, and date it in December, 5 B.C. The visit of the Wise Men, theregore, took place in February. 4 B,C, Place.—Jerusalem, of course, was the capital of Palestine, locat- ed in the province of Judea, while Bethlehem was in the same prov- ince six miles to the south. 1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea. Bethlehem was the home of Ruth and Boaz, and consequently was the birth- place of David, from whose royal line the Son of David came. In the day of Herod the king. This Herod was called Herod the Great, the son of Antipater. Behold, Wise -men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying. The wor,. 'sere translated "wise -men" is t: 'reek word "magi". They were. truly learned in enathe- mattr , .rnomy, geography, and medieine. Star In the East 2. • ,ere is he that is born King of the laws? It is a truly great question as to how these men ever knew that a king of the Jews had been born. There was, throughout 177 David, the Shepherd By Molly Chittick hand, and his sling ready to use, he listened for a moment. Then he saw the sheep, standing some dis- tance from the others, its head raised listening to something he could not hear. But David knew what was to be found there. With the starlight shining full upon it, crouched a lion ready to spring. Swift as the David of old, the lad swung his sling, and the stone went straight into the head of the crouching animal. With a slow yielding of its body the lion fell in death. "I am glad, my son, that you were so faithful," his mother prais- ed him in the morning. "Your fath- er was beside himself, wild with his illness, and had I not been able to tell him you were with the flocks he would have gone out, sick as he was. And now you have slain a lion. Your fame will go before you." "But mother, 1 did not see the kink" and David's voice trembled. "Do you not think the king would have scorned a lad who would de- sert his post of duty from idle cur- iosity? Nay, my son, you have done your task faithfully and well, and proved yourself a man. Later you may see the king." "You :can't go out to tend 'the sheep tonight, Judah,:' aavid w; rd the choke in his mother's vbiet- "The lion's claws have wounded you sore. I will find someone to send out with them." "He is hot, so hot," she whisper- ed to David after his father had fallen into a troubled sleep. "It will make him sick unto death if he goes out on the plain." "Fear not, mother, 1 will go. Now that I am fourteen, I can prove my- self a man. I will go, like my great forefather, David, the king." Rebeccah bade him good-bye ten- derly. "Had I a son older, I should send him. But you are all I have. Take care. The lion may return." So David drove his father's flock herds watched their flocks by night. The cool breeze from off the mountains made him draw his cloak close. Suddenly over the hill before him he saw a group of men approach- ing. That was a surprising thing, to see men wandering about at night. But there was nothing alarm- ing in their action. They seemed to be filled with excitement and joy. Now one of them called: "Who is this, guarding his sheep here? Oh, is it you David, son of Judah? Come with us. We have seen yon star, brighter than any star of the morning. It is moving, and we are following it." David was on his feet, listening with boyish excitement to their tale of the words they had heard from the heavens, as an angelic host praised Jehovah. His heart burned within him, and he was eager to accompany the band of shepherds. Then he heard one of the young Iambs: "Ma -aa -aa." The answering bleat came from a distance. The mother had wandered off in search of tender morsels. David heard heard once again his mother's warning. "I have come to guard my fath- er's flciek. I cannot go with you." "We left our sheep, David. Tills is the king you are about to see. We must go. You are a fool to stay here with these few sheep, when the King is to be seen." "I came here to tend this flock. It is not nine, but it is my task," was his only reply. When they saw that he would not accompany them, they made haste to be on their way. At first his excitement over the tale the shepherds had told him kept him awake. But gradually his eyes grew heavy. He was almost asleep when he heard the "Ma -aa - aa," of a young lamb again, He jumped to his feet, conscious that he had forgotten to hunt up that wandering mother. With staff in his t r>rtit nor • rir (10 Akkkak Christmas Cards: Custom Is Recent In Its Season At Christmas 1 no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May's new-fangled mirth, But like of each thing that in season grows — Shakespeare .. . first printed card to J. C. Harsiey, who in 1846 designed a Christmas greeting card in elaborate proper - tions. It had allegorical designs of clothing the naked and feeding the hungry, together with a fam- ily group of three generations quaffing wine. Only 1,000 of these cards were lithographed and then colored by hand. Most Artistic In Eighties The Christmas greeting card reached its artistic height around 1883-84. The collection of cards at McGill of this era show that many were elaborate and colorful in design. Some have borders trimmed in silk, lace or feathers. Still others are in the forms of sachets. The sentiments expressed in the greetings are typically Vic- torian. Many of these would arouse laughter today. Greeting Card Industry Is Less - Than A Century Old From a small beginning in 1846 " the Christmas greeting card in- dustry has grown to gigantic pro- portions. Research into Christmas tradi- tions at McGill University disclos- es that the exchange of printed greeting cards dates back less than a century. Other Christmas customs date to pagan times. The First Card Sent The records at McGill indicate that there is some uncertainty as to the exact date that the first Chrismas card was actually sent. Most authorities ascribe the The Little Fir Tree By Henry Harding stars, and spangles that look like snow shining in the moonlight. And the people sing songs and give each other gifts, and it is a time of being glad," the little enow bird twittered, "Oh, I wish they would take me," the little tree cried in excitement, "I'd love to see it all I'd love to make people happy. But I'm too lit tle," and he sighed unhappily. ' Sb! Let's all be quiet," one of the tall trees exclaimed. "The woodsmen are coming near us. We must be quiet so they won't not- ice us. Then we won't be cut down and left to die. But in spite of their silence, the men drew near. They looked at the trees, and one of them said: "Oh, these are too tall. No house or church could hold them. Let's get on." Just then a little lad who was riding in the sled, called to his fa- ther: "Dad, can we find a little tree for sister? Couldn't we find a cute little tree to put in her very own room?" "Ilo! Ho!" laughed a big rough man. "In her room? No little girl will stay in her room on Christmas day!" The lad's father answered, sad- ly: "Yes, my little girl will. She had infantile paralysis last sum- mer, and hasn't been able to walk since. Surely, son, we'll find a lit- tle tree for her." "Here I am, here 1 am! come and get me," the little fir tree called out lustily. And the little boy turn- ed and saw the branches trembling, and the little snow bird flying away. "Why, dad, there is a cute little tree over there. Such a beautiful straight tree. Wouldn't that do?" he called. The man got out from the sled. He walked to the tree and fondled it gently. "I never saw a more beautiful tree. It seems to glow. Molly will love it," he said with a smile. The little tree was so happy that he didn't feel the blows from the ax that cut him to the ground. And when they put him into the sled, he was still happy. The little boy cal- led to his tether: "•It sounds as if the little tree was singing when the wind blows through its branches." And the little tree laughed delight- edly. elightedly. There was very little sunlight in the forest. The trees were so big, all the grown up trees. The little fir tree stretched himself, and he tried to imagine himself as full grown. Looking up at the sky and the stars and the moon, he listened to the big trees talk. "Isn't the moon bright tonight," one would say; and there would be a gentle rustling of their leaves as the trees would shake their beads in agreement. "I'm afraid you're going to be stunted, because there is so much shade here," a little squirrel said to the fir one day as he jumped into its branches and brushed the top limbs with his bushy tail. "It takes sunlight to make anything grow strong and tall." So the little fir tree stretched himself up, and kept his head just pointed up toward the spot of sun- light he saw clear up through the maze of heavy tree growth. He could be straight and upstanding, even if he hadn't grown tall. Today the ground was all cover- ed with the snow which stayed all white in the forest. All but a few of the birds had gone south. Every once in '`a -while there was the sound of steel striking against the wood. and infrequently a crashing sound of falling trees. The tall trees began to tremble. "The woodcutters are out. But this is a funny time of year," one mured to the others. Then one of the little snow birds spoke. "Have you forgotten that every year they come to cut Christmas trees?" "What are Christmas trees?" the little fir asked. "Oh, they cut down the trees and take them in the house, and put candles on them so they look like I_ ire You Listening? By FREDDIE TEE By FREDDIE TEE SHE PREFERRED ACTING Pretty Gretchen Davidson, pictur- ed here, is an Evanston, I11., girl who couldn't wait until she got out of college to embark on her life's career. So she quUni it errsity a after the first year and got herself a job with a touring company o f "Showboat." Her stock experience with the Provi- dence Players fol- lowed, and then she turned to radio, in 1934. She has been on the air since, having been heard in the CBS serials, ''The Trouble House," and "Carol Ken- nedy's Romance," and at present is appearing in "Aunt Jenny" and "Big Sister," also over the WABC- Columbia network. Gretchen Davidson CAROLE LOMBARD Carole Lombard, glamorous star of the films, has been signed for her first radio series, The program, sponsored by the Kellogg Company, will begin on Sunday, January 15, 1939, and will be heard each week over the NBC -Red Network trom 10:00 to 11:00 p.m., EST. Miss Lombard is the first of several stars to be signed for the new full hour show. Other members of the cast and the director of the orch- estra will be announced in the near future. id ia‘4�-- ,4 IN "SILVER THEATRE" Ida Lupine, daughter of the fam- ed British comedian, Stanley Lup- ino, but a popular screen star in her own right, will play opposite Conrad Nagel in the "Silver Thea- tre" productions to be heard over the Columbia net- work on both Christmas a n d New Year's Day, (WABC-CBS, 6:00 to 6:30 p.m. E.S. T.). In order to get away from the possible sur- feit of Christmas plays to be heard "-"' during the holi- days, these two Lupine episodes of "Sil- ver Theatre" will be devoted to a presentation of Da- vid Garth's "Challenge for Three" the story of a smuggling ring. And among the American pictures in which Miss Lupin() has appeared, have been "Artists and Models," "Peter Ibbetson," "The Gay Desper- ado" and "Anything Goes." RADIO TUBES GUARANTEED The Rogers Radio Tube factory have just announced that they are ty tog pply og unallgtypesof ed `Rogers radio tubes, which should be good news to every owner of a radio set —and pf course, they will elw! ' be elire to re -tube with Rogei.e Via' dio Tubes. This also applies to ev- ery tube in the new 1939 Rogers, DeForest CrosleY and Majestic ra- dio sets. Ida Ancient Holly Spreads Cheer In homes throughout the contin- ent this Christmas the holly plant will carry on its age-old duty of spreading Yuletide spirit, a cus- tom that dates back to the pagan tribes of continental Europe. Current popularity of the holly is a continuation of the custom of the Druid feasts which honored the mistletoe and holly in pagan rites. In Europe the tribes under Roman rule sent holly branches to each other as evidence of good will. Homes and churches were decorated with holly laden with crimson berries when the pagans celebrated the feast of Saturn- alia, the "turning on of the sun." Feast of Celtic Sun God Yuletide, the feast made to the Celtic sun god, Yaioul, finally be- came the celebration of Christ- mas, and the holly tree, known as the holy tree, became the sacred tree for decorations at our Christ- mas festivals. Holly does not bear berries un- til it is five years old. Before that time the male and female trees cannot be told apart. There are more than 300 species of the plant, all of them native to the temperate and tropical regions of both hemispheres. Only the American and English holly trees have rich green leaves. These are outlined with sharp spines or teeth, and the fruiting branches have round crimson ber- ries.