The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 23, 1944, Page 20

A TR T R T R SR AT R R R RSN SR A T RN : 8 e New Born King ! BY AGNES MYERS ” R A A A B A P PR SR e e s wonder and mystery in the great blue sky at | When an unciouded moon spreads her radiant like a golden crown, over the open sky myriad s stud the heavens like jewcls. Some are tiny stars ' peek cut of the azure bowl, quivering with uncer- ainty. while others are big and bright like shiinmer- bbles bicwn aloft. This nurmberless family of \wrkling messengers speak no words to us, but their twin- eyes send forth many meanings. The lone traveller, lost reises his eyes in appeal for direction: on ilor steers his boat by the heavenly com- H d on earth man fervently locks up, to where the nets move, and feels the peace and comfort of God. Many years ago in the eastern countries of Persia, Chaldea, hiopia and India, men of great wisdom studied the stars. were called Magi and were skilled in divining and inter- eting hidden truths. Books of prophecy, written on linen olls, had been handed down to them from thetr fathers 1d grand s, who were prophets of old. They believed that a star would foretell the birth of a Saviour King and Ruler, for had not Balaam, son of Beor and a prophet of Chaldea, written, “There shall come a star out of Jacob and a sceptre shall arise out of 1 The Magi were very rich by birth, rank and fortune. They were leagued heart and hand in searching the stars for the truths of the world and would often go to the rooftps at nisht to meditate under the quiet reign of moonlight. The houses where these men lived were white and had flat roofs. They were surrounded by gorgeous gardens abounding in rare fruits and flowers.. Perfume of ripened grapes and fragrant spices scented the night air and almond trees rustled apainst white walls, purple in shadow. Cypress groves, dark 1 tall, gleamed in silvery lustre of clear skies. One nisht three men were upon a rooftop. Caspar was the oldes Telchior middle-aged and Balthazar was a yo r man. They wore robes of purest white, covering tunics of mzny colored silks, and after offer- ing their usual evening prayers to God had settled down on low couches to meditate, sive and disposed for contemplation. The night ysily quiet, broken only by an occasional stir of a wild peacock on a neichboring roof, or the dull sound of stealthy camel hoois in the distance. The few words spoken by the men were of simple brevity, but their eyes moved from time to_time across the vast sapphire sky. Then they dozed. Down dropped the curtain of silent night upon a sleeping world, Suddenly something made them spring to their feet. A 1d breeze on their cheeks had awakened them and they ed their eyes to the heavens in wonder and surprise. A star! A tiny new star of intense illumination was slowly rising on the horizon’s verge, in the night-blue western sky! Its great light was like a voice from the Almighty. Caspar,, Melchior and Balthazar, overwhelmed with awe, lifted their arms in holy reverence to God's messenger, the celestial ‘ewel in the sky. Deep silence and veneration gripped them., ° In another moment their hearts burst forth with cries of joyous excitement. “A King is born! It is Balaam’s vision fulfilled! Let us hasten and follow the star.” Cagpat, master of the house, roused the sleeping servants. The favorite camels were quickly loaded with provisions for the journey. Warm cloaks, of purest white wool, were brought forth for the Wise Men who came from the upper chambers carrying strange boxes of ‘great weeth. In their girdles they had placed pearls and rubies of priceless value| they carried treasures of precious gold in jeweled askets. All was now in readiness. The camels, unconscious of weight or effort, moved quickly through the dark hedges, the soft tinkle of their ornaments and a faint twittering of half awakened birds mingled for a moment in the cool wind: then all was quiet. So, from the east unto the west, the Wise Men 2 “journeyed: three pilgrims following the little star that * sleamed like a cut gem, brilliant and burning. It seemed to always go before them, leading the way. Suddenly it stopped and gloriously beamed down upon the little village of Bethlehem. There the Wise Men of the East found the Christ Child, the promised Prince, with Mary His Mother. They paid homage to her new born child, spreading their treasures of rare gifts at his feet: gold, frankincense and myrrh. The thoughts of their hearts were expressed in the symbolic gifts. Gold—the fittest gift for a King, costly and brilliant. Incense—for a God, the savour of which rolls up to heaven. Myrrh—for a man, the symbol of purity. : The Wise Men bowed their heads in the presence of the young child Jesus and with fervent prayers upon their lips, worshipped the New Born King. Thus, came the first Christmas. thorns. By the berries we confess that He shed His blood for sinners. The yew has little outside bark, but only a small rind, to teach us not to make a great outside show of rveligion; it is a lasting timber, Meaning of Decorali e(orahons suggesting the soundness of a Christian; it has many branches, " meaning plentifulness in good ' brlS'mas works; and it is always green and L] prospering, even as the Christian should always grow and thrive in grace | [ Now Tracedfo | THE DAILY ALASKA -EMPIRE—JUNEAU; ALASKA PRaesecececveseeaaaaaacaeaaacEaeeats Forestlegend > it [ | Legends dealing with the origin of | /the use of the Christmas tree go as | | far back as the Tenth century when George Jacob, the Arabian geogra- | pher, declared that all of the trees in the torest blossomed and bore fruit the night of our Lord’s Nativity. It is believed that Jacob's story | might have led to the later custom | of hanging apples and fruits on the _evergreen tree, and, as is the habit | | in certain part$ of Europe, of using 'a blossoming cherry sapling in the | home as a Christmas tree \ One August Imgart introduced the | Christmas tree to America 100 years ago in Wooster, Ohio, and, in so do- | ing, preserved the tradition that had } been handed down in Germany. In, 185-, Rev. Henry C. Schwan, pns(or! of Zion Lutheran Church in Cleve- | land, Ohio, put up the first Christ- | mas tree in a church in this coun- | try, for which he and his parishion- | ers were severely denounced by other “ congregations. | One of the most beautiful legends concerning the Christmas tree is the | ancient tale of dealing with the for- | ester and his household, who had | just gathered around the fireside on | Christmas eve when they heard a| timid knock on the door [ The forester opened the door to behold a little child shivering on the steps. Touched by the child’s cold| and apparent exhaustion, the forest- er took him in, and he was wel- comed by the whole family and warmed and fed. Later, the forest- er’s son, Hans, gave up hls bed to the little child, | In the morning, the family was| awakened by the singing of a choir of angels, and looking at their little guest saw him standing transfigured in their mif They recognized him as the Christ child. As the Lord Jesus bade the family farewell, He broke off a Branch from a fir tree, set it in the earth, and said, “Be- | hold, I have gladly received your | kind gifts, and this is my gitt to you. Henceforth, this tree shall al- | ways bear its fruits at Christmas time and you shall always have! abundance. 1 The first community Christmas tree was set up in Paris, France, in | 184, but was not popularly accept- | ed throughout the world until the| advent of electricity, when the light- | ing could be stabilized and proper effect given to its display. Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who | came to England in 1840 to wed the | young Victoria, is credited with bringing the Christmas tree to the British Isles HAWKERS BUSTLE IN BETHLEHEM AT XMAS In Bethlehem, the place of the Nativity, Cnristmas 15 also observed ch January 6, and in peaceful years, | it has one of the most picturesque of all celebrations. Tourists do not see in Bethlehem the reverence they logically expect to see. On the con- trary, the most sacred spot in the| Christian world on one of the most sacred days in the Christian year becomes a virtual fair-ground. | Sellers of miscellany cry their ! wares at the very door of the Church of the Nativity, built on the site of the Manger. Hucksters of moth- er-of-pearl crosses hawk their goods among the throng of visitors, One- | eyed beggars tell their tales of woe to would-be contributors while Mos- lems persuade pilgrims to buy bright-colored and sticky sweets brought from Damascus. In the threngs are Jews, hundreds of them. The legend is that the Moslems left this church standing when they | destroyed or converted all others in the Holy Land because of the legend of the Three Kings which was worked over the main door. When| these Arabs saw the Arab-looking king bringing presents to the Infant Jesus they refrained from laying! sacrilegious hands on the edifice! built where He was born. | e svf\wwfi% HERES A LITTIE ) CHRISTMAS 7 WISH oL¥ FOR YOU! MAY THIS BE YOUR HAPPIEST SEASON OF THEM ALL » W Plenty of good Christmas cheer; fills the ovens at Halloran Genera! hospital in Staten Island, N. Y. The pans containing turkey will con tribute to the excellent Christmas dinuer for the scrvicemen now bedded 4 there. e e — - Once agaoin we greet you ot Ch astime. ‘We greet you in a spirit of Good Cheer and of thankfulness. Good Cheer because of the happy associations that have been ours and thankfulness bécause of layal support of good friends like you. To you, therefore, we say “May you eaioy o Merey Christmas.” JORGENSON MOTORS TN N NN NN NN oV ooV oV NN N NN N oo oo oNoVo Y > Many ese the prayers'in’our'h?:]rtfifi?Ch?isT— mas day. Some pray for the restored health of a stricken loved one. Some pray for the return of child, husband or beloved far from home! Some wish for security against thc_dangersi with which life can be Fraught.‘;Othérs ook for-| ward in a hope that for all the peoples of all the world, suffering of all kinds may one day be' ended, through the achievements of science, edu-: cation, andl true spiritual awareness among all mankind. To all of you whose prayers~and ‘good hopes spring from deephearted [ zzalousnessIwe say “May those prayers be answered on this Christ- 4 { i mas Day--and fcr all the days to_follow.=.-.7 ) The MANAGEMENT and EMPLOYEES of Not mar probably know of the The laurel has the significance of deeper meaning associated with the three plants we ordinarily use for Christmas decorations u- thority writes. The holly has vrickles and red berries. Bul the pric we confess the bitter life of Jesus on earth. His watchings, His fast- ings, His weariness, His crown of Jictory. Jesus came into the world to loose the bands of sin and to ascend up into Heaven, leading cap- tivity captiv e North Carolina makes 70 percent of all the cigarettes smoked in the United States. 1 : eauly Salon ; AR ) R R R R R R N R R R R R R R R R R R R R N R R R R R R R R AR R RN JUNEAU LUMBER MILLS, Inc.