The Daily Alaska empire Newspaper, December 22, 1945, Page 13

PAGE FIVE G T T, WISHING YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS e Wl | Church tradition, presumably con- sidering the Biblical mention of, { three specific gifts as presented to | the Infant Jesus by the Wise Men, has identified the Magi as Casper, Melchoir, and Balthasar. | There could have been more than three; legend reports that there were 12 Wise Men and that their Jjourney to Bethlehem had been an- ticipated for generations. Twelve learned men who lived in “Bah!" said Scrooge, “Humbug!" a Far Eastern land appointed them- selves to watch for the star of AIARLI:'Y was dead. Scrooge knew he was dead. Scrooge and he were partners. Scrooge was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Once upon a time—on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting-house. cried h.s “A Merry Christmas, uncle. God save you!” nephew’s cheerful voice. One day when asked to give to the poor for the festive sea- son, Scrooge replied, “I help to support the pocrhouses—they % cost enoughs and those who are badly off must go there” A FTER dinner that night, Scrooge went home to bed. A disused bell that L hung in the room started to swing. It was suczceded by a clanking noise as if some one was dragging a heavy chuin over .he casks in the cellar 1t cume through the déor, and passed into the room. It was Marley! Marley's chain was made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and § heavy purses wrought in steel. 4 The Ghost informed Scrooge, “it is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death. It is doomed to wander through the world—and witness what it cannot share. “You will be haunted by Three Spirits. Without their visits, you cunnot hope to shun the path I tread. Expect the first when the bell tolls One.” Serooge awcke and the curtains of his bed were drawn by a small, clfish creature. “I am the Ghost of Christmas Past,” it said. The Ghost and Scrooge went to a bare room wheve a lonely boy was reading near a fecble fire: Scrooge wept to see his poor forgotten self us he used to be, and glanced anxiously towards the door. It opened; and a litile girl much younger than the boy came in and, kissing him, addressed him as her “Dear, dear brother.” Chas. G. Warner Co. CHRYSLER MARINE AGENCY “I came to bring you home, dear brother!” said the child. “Honte, for j kood and all. Home, for ever and ever. Father has sent me in a coach to 2y bring you.” THEY stopped at a warchouse door. k was Ferzawig's, A fiddler came and twned like fifty stomach-aches. They himself by the side of a fair Mothers of America are over-“ whelmingly agreed that parents should teach their children to be- | lieve in Santa Claus. i ! At least that is the conclusion drawn from a recent opinion poll by a leading woman's magazine. | One of the women polled made an answer typical of many: “Be- lief in Santa Claus is one of the beautiful wonders of childhood. It gives us a period in which dreams come true and anything ' is pos- sible.” 1 ‘| Christmas is like heaven on earth for the very young, the magazine points out. But as America moves from war to peace, there is an in- evitable emphasis on reality and truth. No one wants to fool or be . fooled.= Therefore, should even happy myths be promoted? Yellow flame ‘SATURDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1945 ristmas Carol | (amefrom ! 1mas party and, being sort of busy !ing his miter and canonical robes, years ago. I was Archbishop of a poor man’s chimney so his brate my liturgical Feast Day Europe on my old gray mare; my beautitude which the believed would good children while switching the Masvesiod, ihe patrisrebe KeGonies Christmas’ business—and where did and praise God in silence for three to America,” replied Santa Claus, This went on for generations, o, with writers and cartoonists place | started coming around at Christ-| having within itself the form of a 1809; Thomas Nast supplied the red! The Sign spoke to them and com-'p "L b o visit of St. Nicholas'| have necessitated two years of lights after the Sunday School BEST for themselves, neither food nor fiietested b Benuvs Epuid e SANTA CLAUS 15 i cotor s £ /gl “It ‘matters litle,” she said, softly. “Ta veu, very liule. BE ARER or GlFI’S | % Would you like beautifully col- 1o griere. “Spirit!” said Scrooge, “show me no more! Conduct me S M upon the stroke of Ore. Yook mbp ba ypiuied Witk the the hour. Living greer. so filled it that it looked a perfect grove. Violet flame potassium nitrate strontium THE DAILY ALASKA EMPIRE—JUNEAU, ALASKA 3 | . | é y . ] » 20 2 2 hN, i St. Nicholas and Santa Claus met at the Sunday School Christ- lmldnmht under the Christmas tree. { St. Nicholas, a lean Asiatic wear- spoke first: lived in Asia Minor some 1600 Myra and, while living on earth, I did drop a few purses of gold down daughters could be supplied with dowries, European countries cele- December 6—as a day of gift gi ing and for centuries I rode across pockets bulged with apples and nuts and trinkets, which I gave to announce the birth of the Saviour. 4 . y & ' naughty ones with my bundle of Each year, after the crops were ., .. ,,4c Byt what is all this to a cavernous retreat upon the » 4 s vl that red suit come from?” | plateau of a high mountain to pray ", b S0 PR HURG ;‘;‘f while they watched for ms!"mny brought many legends about - St. Nicholas with them. These leg- when one’of the patriarchs died, his § i " .. cooperating, gradually slipped into M or, klnsuika Swollln R R American traditions; Santa Claus | Finally the star appearec, de- A ! scending upon the m‘::uunm iy e Uro;: WRAHIAESIS HETAGR SUE- | - gested the sleigh and reindeer in| & E:::d beneath the semilitude of @ gt 'ung pr. Clement Moore sort of | » | J s |tied the whole idea together when manded them to go to Judea. The in 1822 dourniey, b0 Bethipstn 8./ Se 18 Someone forgot to turn out the! pressing travel and, though in i3 their haste they provided no food Patty—and Bl (NIthile ERS S0 's.Es drink failed in their vessels. ot e SO Ts buntle el P ‘ P i jrods. L ek for an danced and ate. Scrooge found Making Colored Flames young yill. For Ol Firanlo Christmas or stmas.rire ce Anather idol hus displaced me; and if it can cheer ‘and com- THe P fort you in time to come, as I would have, I have no juss cause | ored flames in the Christmas fire- “Wha idol has displaced you?” he rejoined. | place? “A golden one.” | o ! icals which may be added to shel- . Why do you torture me?” Scrooge had no occasion to be told that the bell was again lecges Saitee, I placee oF Now his bed becante the very core and center of a blaze of mixtures, or the chemicals and ruddy light, which streamed upon it when the clock proclaimed shellac mixed with sawdust. chlorate potassium Orange flame calcium chloride nitrate barfum nitrate Red flame Apple-green flame Emerald flame copper nitrate Green flame borax Purple flame Uthium chloride mm&w&w&%zfim&%&wwmmwm’mm I V EASY. aid Scroo, Perhaps i was the S| Cratchit’s dwelling, In came Bob, Tiny Tim upon his shoulder. Alas for Tiny Tim, he bore a litile crutch. Master Peter, and the two ubiquitous young Cratchits, went to fetch the goose, with which they soon returned in high rocession. There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn’t believe there ever was such a goose cooked. state upon this couch, there sat a jolly giant. m the Ghost of Christmas Prezent,” said the Spirit. i onduct e where you will. 's sympathy with all poor men that led him straight to Scrooge’s clerk. On the threshold of the door the Spirit smiled, and stopped to bless Bob ent to another end of town. It was a great surprise to Scrooge to hear a fa hearty laugh. Scrooge recognized it as his own nephew's. “He said that Christrias was a humbug, as I live!” cried Scrooge’s nephew to the party. “He believed it too.” The bell struck again. Scrooge looked about his bedroom once more, and beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded. He went with the Phantom into an obscure part of the town, and into the pres- ence of a man, just as a woman with a heavy bundle entered. She explained that the blankets belonged to Scrooge, but being dead he was not likely to take cold. Scrooge shuddered at the revelation that this would bs SCROGCE was taken from Cratchits by Christmas Pres- Should children still be taught to beliéve in Santa Claus? Should they enjoy all the magic of child- hood while they can, including the | traditional myths, or should they be told the truth in preparation for the adult world they must one day face? Considering these questions, the cpinion poll asked a group of wo- men representing a cross-section of millions of American homes, “Do “God bless us exery one!” said Tiny Tim. his fate in retribution for his unkindnesses during life. * you think parents should teach their children to believe in Santa Claus?” % The response was decisively af- firmative. More .than 87 per cent of the women voted “yes.” “If a child thinks of Santa as a man there will be eventual disillu- sionment,” commented one woman “But Santa portrayed as the spirit of giving remains a beautiful idea.” Another woman pointed out: “Santa is as real as' Uncle Sam.” CHRISTMAS PLANT - WAS NAMED FOR U.-S- DIPLOMAT Poinsettias which have come to be a “must” for home Curisumas deco- rations owe their_name and popu- larity to an early American diplo- mat, botanist ‘and scholar—Joel Robert Poinsett. Nearly a centrry -and a quarter ago, Pcinsett, then U.S. ambassador to Mexico, first brougat cuttings of the “fire plant” to ‘his South Caro- lina Rome. Carefully he tended the transplanted tropical beauty.Under his skilled hands ¢ s.ower thrived and improved. % Soon the flame of this colorful new plant spread to other states and Robert 'Buist, a Philadelphia & botanist, bought some cuttings from Poinsett. He named them euphorbia joinsettia. . Since that day ecninusiasts not only in the nited States but i throughout the world have con- H . _ 4 tinued to improve the poinsettia, E WENT 1o the office early the next morning. Bob was eighteen minutes behind. his time. i until teday there are a score of “I am not going 1o stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefore,” said Scrooge, leaping from his stool, and giving o ieties from giant six-foot stalks Bob a dig in the waistcoat: “I am about to raise your salary!” e P e T ot % d Scrooge was better than his word, He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a sec. iminuuive dwarts, : double an ond father. He became as good a friend, as good a muster, and as good a man as the old city knew, or any other good old single varieties, green poinsettias city, town or borough in the good old world. { with red veins, wiite varieties and - —— |a graduation of reds from the tra- ditional flaming scarlets to pale pinks. | Besides serving as ambassador to Mexico, Poinsett was a member of Congress from South Carolina and served as Secretary of War in President Van Buren’s cabinet. He was a persona]l friend of Presi- dents Madison, Monroe, Jackson and Van Buren. [ HOLDIJ‘\'C up his hands in a last prayer to have his fate reversed, Scrooge saw the Phantom shrink, collapse and dwindle. down into & bedpost. and the bedpost was his own. e bed was his own, the room was his own. Best and happiest of all, the iime before him was his own, to make amends in! Running-to the window, hc opened it‘and put out his head, calling to a happy urchin in the street. { “Do you know if the Poulterer's have sold the prize turkey?”. | “I's hanging there now.” . | Serooge had the turkey delivered to Bob Cratchit’s. Scrooge then went to church and in the afternoon he went to his nephew’s house. “I’s I. Your Uncle Scrooge. 1 have come to dinner. Will you let me in, Fred?” « Let him in! It is a mercy they didn’t shake his urm off. He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier. abbreviation has an authentic basis, used for Christmas and “Xty” for in history. | Christianity. The “X" is the first letter of the In the catacombs of ancient Rome Greek word for Christ. Christian, X is often found to stand for scholars of the middle ages are said Christ. The carliest Christian arc- "XMAS" IS OKEH PaBite in their writings to have abbrevi-| ists, when making a representation ated the spelling of the Nativity, of the Trinity, would place either a While many people frown on the celebration into X-mass or simply | cross or X beside the Father and use of “Xmas” for Christmas, this' Xmas. In the same way “Xn” was the Holy Ghost. Yvonne's and Staff LTS P n R RS P L T