The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 24, 1942, Page 28

THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE-—JUNEAU ALASKA PAGE FOUR gina, Tennessee, North Carolina Meef Mrs. Sanfa Claus . L] “Everybody helps,” Mrs. Smith says. “Last year one man gave a thousand pounds wof candy. An other donated a ton of cotton mill ends which women volunteer !hel[)m‘s made into rocks. ’rhc‘ | stocking industry gave 3,500 pair: 'of children’s stockings. Manufac- | turers and importers gave 10,000 pounds of wool swatches and mill ends, which were made into mit- tens, windbreakers and caps. Last year we sent 7,000 dolls, 500 sacks of marbles and 1440 hammers.” Mrs. Smith might never have become Mrs. Santa Claus if it had not been for her grandson, an ashcan and a walk, As the wife of an Army colonel she had lived for 24 years in the Orient and Europe and ' had finally settled down in New York to be near a married daughter. One day in the fall of '37 she read that hundreds of children in her home state would not even have an orange for Christinas. That afternoon, army, whether in Ireland, | te be rememheced during Uncle Sam’s married men in the Apstralia or other Jands, are going days through cards such &s this one. | CAROLS WERE Feeds Al ONCE-"HITS" ForXmas AP Features | PIERRE, SD.—Nick Jackus will Good King Wencostas, z0th cen-|open his larder and treat the town tury patron of Bohemia and vir- again Christmas Day tuous churchman, would . not be| Nick is a Greek immigrant who |pleased to know that his fame|started life in this country as a largely rests on a Christmas carol.|$1-a-day section hand and now He probably didn't approve of jowns a restaurant and considerable carols at all. | property. He vowed in leaner years For the word is correctly ap-|that if he ever made a stake no plied to lyrics written to danceione in Pierre or vicinity would go |tunes, and the carols we now sing I y on the Nativity Day. f (stem directly from exuberant| Since 1930 he has made good dancing and merry:making in that vow. Rich and poor alike he learly churches at the vigils of feeds gratis. The only money al- !saints’ days. This practice was out-|lowed to change hands is tips lawed by the Third Council of which financially able persons may Toledo, in 589, and again in the leave for the volunteer waiters at |13th Century at the Council of |Nick’s party Avignon. Along with But festive merriment would not | buffalo, turkey and chicken, this be downed. year he wiil ard four $25 War England, the holi- 2,000 free meals of lwhen she was walking with her | five-year-old grandson, she told |him about it sadly. Just then she passed an ashcan and spied an impudently grinning doll's head. | “Peter,” she said, “If that doll’s head is still there when we come back, I'm going to start some- thing.” It was. That night Peter scribbled awhile hood children crowded at her desk “Oma,” he saud, "I note to Santa Claus on your desk. did the work for them, Read it if you want to.” “on her own.” That first “Dear Santa Claus, the made Christmas bright a7 g morning. A friend gave MRS. BROWNIN nta Claus to 50,000, 8. 8 3 Five rears ago she started her work in the basement of her New York apartment. Today she heads the Santa Claus Party of the Save The Children Federation and di- partner now. rects the work of 65 units in She is Mrs. Browning Smith (nee many states. In her New York Jones), a zippy, Tenncswe-harn.{hvnd(q\mrlm:\ she zooms around New York grandmother, who works |among mountains of dolls, toys, from December 26 to December 24 books, hoods, mittens, calico cats, to make a star-spangled Christmas plaid dogs and handsome cotton for poor youngsters in southern |soldiers which are shipped to five states | southern states — Kentucky, Vir- By ADELAIDE KERR AP Features Writer | perintendent put a Even Santa Claus has a woman read dren in the Tennessee mountains of 25000 This year this Christmas. Oma and I will Claus goal is 50.000. At Ghristmas Gimeo@ * % % our thoughts turn toward Peace . . . the Peace for which all of us are working and many of us are fighting, This cannot be a “Merry Christmas” in the usual carefree sense of the words. Our minds will be filled with thoughts of those far away, with gratitude for the many blessings still remaining to us who live in Freedom, and with hope that soon again there will be universal Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men. ALASKA STEAMSHIP COMPANY take care of them for you.” Mrs. Smith went to work I\ext"ury. they were composed by no-| to which Mrs. Smith charged fifty igynce seholars,” cents admission. That gave Ner & (peir churches to live by their wits. | nucleus fund. Her apartment su- 1, g jargon of Latin and English room at her disposal. Neighbor-'yq dolls and toys. Mrs. Smith made 1) tunes of the day. nave it a 'a contact with the federation and f note. “You necd not visit the chil- children. Last year she took care carpls had = become her Santa with Christmas In England, where carols became Savings Bonds to guests. suddenly popular in the 14th cen-| TN SRR THE FIRST SANTA CLAUS That ma called left Th HO\ * MERRY we're a lecture’'yaq pands of clergymen ante Claus wi S $hS had Canta Claus was St Bishop of Myra, who mysterious midnight gift- | journeys. In the fourth century he as famous because their | | |he was a rich man who enjoyed |giving secret gifts to the poor. One lof his tricks was to throw purses of gold inte cottage windows and run away The first Nicholas, arted | bearing injected 8 HRIST égf!ol T@ea!re, e C. basement alled “macaronic,” they ; » wit and gusto into in with yerges. People sang them to popu- A final attempt to end carol though ginging occurred in 1644, when the | year she 'pyritans banned them by an act for 157 of Parliament. It didn't work. synonymous | cheer—somethiny | folks meant to hold on to, | Bari, in Italy, is the birthplace | . lof St. Nicholas. A great arch and {church there are named for him, HollDAv oulll and there his bones are honored. | y |Known for ages as the patron | ARE YOU ANYWAY! |saint of sailors and children, thou- sands of tourists from all lands AP Features { come his town. Christmas comes but once a year | on the calendar, but the ] good cheer has kept writers and | poets busy for centuries. You've * heard and read many Yule quota- (4 tions since you were a youngster. | { How many of these excerpts, from well-known works, can you -identify out of their context? The answers are at the end of | the story, but—mno peeking until you have tried the whole list: (1) Let's start with an easy one: ‘““Twas the night before Christmas when all through the| house not a creature was stirring, | not even a mouse.” (2) Just a tip on this that it is from a traditional song of the season: “To save us all from Satan’s powr when we were gone - - NICHOLAS WAS BORN IN A SMALL ITALIAN TOWN e x5 RRRRRRIRIRRRRR) PRIORITY FOR 1943 is being issued to you fora MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR! & San Francisco o P O D N O PN D RO S Bakery NN No oV oo P No oo LR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Merry Christmas and R RRRRTTRRRRRIRRRARG RN “At Christmas make good cheer, for ,comes but once a year.” 7 (4) “Coming! Aye, so is Chri mas.” (5). “The mistletoe hung in the! castle hall, the holly branch shone onl the old oak wall.” (6) “O morning stars, together ! proclaim the holy birth! And)] praises sing to God the King, and‘ peace to men on earth.” 1) “Blow, bugles of battle, the marches of peace; east, west, north “ and south let the long gquarrel cease; sing the song of great joy that the angels began, sing the' glory of God and of good will to | man.” (8) “They talk of Christmas so long that it comes.” | (9) “Christmas is coming, the| geese are getting fat, please put a penny in the old man’s hat.” 1 (10) - Behold, there came |wise men from the east to Jeru- | salem, saying, Where is He that !1s born King of the Jews? For we | have seen His star in the east, and ;m‘e come to worship Him.” { And here are the answers: (1) Clement Moore’s “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” (2) English song, “God Rest You Merry Gen- tlemen.” (3) Thomas Tusser, “Five Hundred Points of Good| Husbandry.” (4) Swift, “Polite | Conversation.” (5) Thomas H. Bay- | |ly, “The Mistletoe Bough.” (6) | Redner-Brooks, “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” (7) Whittier, “A Christmas Carmen.” (8) George Herbert, “Jacula Prudentum.” (9) Traditional British, beggar’s rhyme.\ (10) The Gospel according to St.| ‘Mauhew, 11, 1-2. play Christma: Happy New Year E.E. ENGSTROM X RRPRARRRRARARG [ ¢ | Dear Santa: Bring Present,or Else... Among the thousands of lefters oy ": hmu which never 4 le, sl g :ullel by & youngster in Brook- lyn. The young one’s name was THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1942 -