Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

Page Four THE CLINTON CHRONICLE 4 6liwa6 uvc6& It's always a pleasure to wish you the Merriest Christmas that you have ever known Chaney’s Dress Shoppe Mrs. Ethel Chaney CLINTON — LAURENS The quietness and peace of Christmas blends with the spirit of thanksgiving to remind us of the joys of associating with folks like you. Gulf Oil Corporation John A. Addison, Distributor Christmas T)ree Jj 150 y[earS Old j Sn 7)his Country R CHRISTMAS TREE will be put ** up in two out of every three American homes this year. Yet the trimmed Christmas tree, as it is known today, is only about 190 years old in this country. The Pilgrims forbade Christmae celebrations on the grounds they were pagan. A Massachusetts law in 1689 subjected anyone to a fine who observed the day by feasting, refraining from work or in any other manner. It was not until near the end of the American Revolution that the Christmas tree took hold. German immigrants, homesick for the tradition of their native land, put them up. The custom of the lighted Christ mas tree, some historians tell, originated with Martin Luther. He was fascinated by evergreen trees, glistening with starlit-snow, point ing to the heavens at Christmas time. So he brought an evergreen tree into his house and lighted it with candles for his children. Another old German legend cred its St. Boniface with the origin of the Christmas tree. Having con verted some oak tree-worshipping Druids to Christianity, he took them into a forest, cut down an oak and pointed to a stately fir along side. “Take this tree,” he said, “into your homes as a sign of your new worship. Celebrate God’s power no more with shameful rites, but in the sanctity of your homes with' laughter and love.” LAST REQUEST . . . Christ mas came early last year for Gerald Washburn, 8, of Seat tle. He was brought from his sickbed to sit with Santa Clans for a special visit before he entered a hospital to undergo surgery for a brain operation. Charles Dickens' 'Life of Our Lord' Is a Moving Story T AST YEAR, the heretofore un- " published Dickens’ manuscript “The Life of Our Lord” was pre sented to the world. Written 100 years earlier for the Exclusive audience of the author’s own children, it is a child’s life of Christ—a simple, moving narra tive, understandable even to a child and yet touched by that in comparable Dickens genius which insures its place by the side of the famous ‘Christmas Carol’ among the great masterpieces of Christ mas literature. Because he felt such deep ven eration for the life and lessons of our Saviour, he left instructions that this particular manuscript should not be commercialized. But when Sir Henry Fielding Dick ens, the author’s youngest child, died in 1933, it was finally brought forth and sold for the staggering amount of $210,000 — or, $15 per word. Purchased by the London Daily Mail, the manuscript became a literary event of the first magni tude, destined to be read and cher ished forever wherever thoughtful parents, like Dickens himself, want their children to know something about the history of Jesus Christ. For, according to Dickens: “Everybody ought to know about Him. No one ever lived who was so good, so kind, so gentle,'and sc sorry for people who did wrong, or were in any way ill or miserable, as he was. “And as He is now in heaven where we all hope to go, and aD meet each other after we are dead, and there be happy always to gether, you can never think what a good place heaven is, without knowing who He was and what He did.” / Thursday, December 21, 1950 / / *1* * May the deeper meaning of the *, Christmas Season be strengthen ed by the memories it will recall. May it bring to you a genuine happiness that will add to the pleasure of this glorious ^ the year. While you are enjoying the pleasant moments the occasion affords, we trust you will pause a moment to accept our kindest wishes and sincere greeting of the Season. t, 'V T. E. JONES & SONS Furniture • ^ T $ n to these last few busy days before ■ ■■ . «"« , 9 h ch " sW0 " * s~ 4 r time out to wish you ** Jl'MftooJ health to son o* happmes • •, „„J wealth enKah so you eon OTI#y d ioy tfflf those you hwe. J iWo's.-y.u.l-t- lt has been p| ^ 3k I ttKlIHIH / f \ 'i A 1 f r YARBOROUGH OIL CO, Goodyear Store — West Main Street /