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f Pa^e Two THE CLINTON CHRONICLE Thursday, December 22,1955 LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM CHANGES ONLY SLIGHTLY We Can Hardly Wait Til Santa Comes! •i Bethlehem. Jordan. Dec. i7— On the Plain of Boaz to the east, j little Bedouin girls follow the| wheat harvesters to glean bits of grain. » . Men in flowing headdress j trudge along rocky trails from the south women, children and baggage. The whine of reed flutes from distant slopes heralds the passing of lonely shepherds watching their flocks. Identical .scenes might have welcomed the Holy Family on the outskirts of the little town i of Bethlehem the day Christ was | born. At the time <Sf Christ’s birth j Bethlehem was a market town j for rural people, especially for j Bedouins to the east and south ! In this respect, the town has not changed As long ago as David's time 900 years before Christ, David’s son Chamaan, built a caravanserai here which served as shelter for Bedouins and their flocks as they moved in and out of the town. That same caravanserai was probably the inn w'here Joseph and Mary were unable to find lodging. The Caravanserai has disappeared but the same kind of Bedouins still come to Beth lehem. Marked by the typical Arab headdress falling dowm over the neck and shoulders, the wide shouldered cloaks and their lop ing gait, these Bedouins throng Behtlehem’s streets almost any day. They come in to buy artd sell on a meager scale and spend ■ long hours in crude sidewalk cafes sipping thimble-sized cups of bitter Arab coffee. The market place for these people is an open square paved with flagstones. The grain, rice, vegetables or old clothes for sale are displayed on flat trays on the ground or stacked in crude temporary w’ooden stalls. The settled inhabitants of Bethlehem's population, number- 1 ing around 10.000. live in a city which still bears the mark ot^ the Crusaders. The overwhelm-1 mg majority of the population is Christian; only one Moslem minaret convpetes with innum-; erable church spires and domes; in Bethlehem's skyline. These people live in stone 1 houses, many of them with low domes as protection against sum mer heat and winter rain. Some of their houses date back to Cru sader times. Many open into cobblestone streets barely wide enough to accommodate an au tomobile. The arched gateways and vaulted roofs stretching across the streets recall the me dieval Europe of the Crusades. Costumes of the women of Bethlehem bear the Crusader mark Those who wear tradi tion dress have long full gar ments, usually black or dark red decorated with square stitched red or gold embroidery, usually A group of Thornwoll Orphanage children—Michael Tucker, Gene Hatchell. Joe Allen. Ronnie Colbert Donna Fowler. Margar et Gooch, and Bobby Gooch—are trying so-oo-o hard to be so-oo-o good and can hardly wait for Santa's visit. Has a Good Selection of Last Minute Gifts ALL NATIONALLY ADVERTISED MAKES WATCHES PEN AND PENCIL SETS LADIES AND GENTS STONE RINGS BLUE NILE DIAMONDS BILLFOLDS—LUGGAG E TIE PIN SETS Sterling Pieces for the Bride or Housewife Remember—If You Have Not Completed Your List Be Sure To Shop in the form of a Crusader’s cross. These women w r ear a head dress found only in Bethlehem and unknown in the rest of Pal estine. This is a conical shaped high hat, covered with a large white veil. When Christ was born the peo ple of Bethlehem lived largely from sheep raising and olive growing. Many live from the same occupation today. Olive groves braced with stone terraces fall away from the edge of the town to the Plain of Boaz be low. On the plain wheat is grown. Here Ruth of the Old Testament story gleaned behind the harvesters, just as Bedouin girls do today. Many Bethlehem inhabitants owm flocks of sheep or goats in addition to the land they till. Caring for these sheep dictates a way of life unchanged since the night shepherds on nearby slopes heard the angels sing of the new born King Shepherds daily leave the town and take thier flocks over the same slopes where the angels sang. Sometimes they travel 25 miles in a single day, clambering over the rocky hill sides to find bits of grass and Shrubs. A new element has been add ed to Bethlehem’s population j since 1948—Arab refugees fromj Israel. Driven from their homes by the Arab-Israel war, these) people live in the outskirts of the town in tents, hovels andj caves. Many a baby has been! born in the past seven years in circumstances similar to those of Jesus—in a grotto shared by ani mals, placed in a crude wooden crib made by the father. On Christmas Eve, these refu gees sit sullenly beside the road watching well-dressed tourists arrive for Christmas ceremonies at the Church of the Holy Sepul chre. Since there are no Euro pean standard hotels in Bethle hem most visitors stay in Jerusa lem. They drive back and forht for the Christmas Eve services which recount the incidents of the day the Holy Family came into a crowded Bethlehem and found "there was no room for them in the inn.” Almost for the first time in history, the shepherds of Beth lehem today have their freedom of movement restricted. Within sight of their town is the mili tary frontier dividing Arab Jor dan from the newly created state of Israel. With the war still un settled shepherds are forbidden to approach the demarcation line, for fear of touching off a frontier incident. Dorothy Haynes Wins Individual Honor In State In Bread-Making Dorothy Haynes, 18, has been announced as state winner of the individual demon stration award the 4-H bread demlons t r a t d o n program. Dorothy, who is a member of the Whitt e n Village 4-H group, dem- ostrated ‘‘making biscuit s.” She gave nine bread demonstra tions, prepared 196 meals, and 96 dishes in her foods work. She made 22 exhibits in foods and canning, and won two blue rib bons. She was secretary and vice-president of her 4-H club and secretary of county council. Her local club leader was Mrs. Beatrice Sloan. Standard Brands, a national grocery corporation, presented her a 19-jewel wrist watch for winning the South Carolina hon or. Dorothy Haynot At noon each day shepherds 1 must leave grazing grounds to find water for the flocks. Many visit Solomon’s Pools near Beth lehem at midday. In the eve ning the shepherd carefully : counts his flock as it enters the I fold, one by one. The flod may be a little stable built by the shepherd. More often it is a limestone grotto, with the en trance practically closed, to ad mit only one animal at a time. Bethlehem’s status as the birth-place of Chrsit has given the town a new modem industry —tourism. The otherwise sleepy little town ranks as one of the foremost sites of religious pil grimage in the world and every year it is visited by thousands of tourists from all continents. It is the center of numerous re ligious orders and institutions of all types — Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Protestant. The varied dress of friars, priests, nuns, sis ters, add to the color of native costumes. Many modern Bethlehemites make a living by carving objects of piety from mother of pearl, Dead Sea stone and olive wood. These souvenirs, along with em broidered and brocaded Crusad ers’ jackets are offered for sale in small shops not far from the Church of the Nativity, where Christ was bron. The shopkeepers lounge in the sun in the sidewalk cafes, wait ing for tourists to arrive at the church. As soon as a tourist ar rives—and tfoey are easy to spot him in a pack. Each offers his —the shopkeepers converge on services as a guide. He will show the tourist through the church and all the other Beth lehem a no charge. This offer may sound suspic ious, but it is valid. The guide asks no money. At the end of the tour he invites the tourist to his shop for a rest and a cup of coffee or tea—still with no obligation. Once the visitor is seated the shopkeeper casually calls atten tion to the souvenirs he has to sell. The tourist is lucky if he can escape without buying. The Canavati brothers, who once had a shop in Laredo, Tex as, but now have returned to their homeland are masters of this type of salesmanship and claim to have pioneered in it. i Business is slow for these peo-. pie most of the year, but when I Christmas comes, Bethlehem’s I population more than doubles for a few days and souvenir sellers are happy. J. M. Babb, 80, Laurens, Dies Laurens—James Martin Babb, 80, of Rt. 2, Laurens, died early Sunday morning at the Laurens county hospital following several years of declining health. , A lifelong resident t of Laurens county, he was the son of the late Barnett Babb and Sarah Pa- pen Babb. He was a member of Wayside Baptist church. Surviving are his wife, Lola Moses Babb; two sisters, Mrs. Etta Sorgee Miss Mary Babb, both of Laurens; one half-sister, Mrs. Fannie Wood of Greenville. Funeral services were con ducted Monday at 3:00 p. m., at the Kennedy Mortuary by the Rev. Ray Craine. Burial was in City View cemetery. Laurens Federal Declares Dividend A semi-annual dividend payable at-the rate of three per cent an nually has been declared by the board of directors of Laurens Fed eral Savings and Loan association for the six-months period ending December 31, according to W. H. Harley, president. VISIT BELLINGRATHS Mr. and Mrs. Wade Mobley, of Red Springs, N. C., are spending the holidays with the latter’s pa rents, Dr. and Mrs. George C. Bellingrath. Mr. Mobley is prin cipal of the high school in Red Springs. Robert Hays Has Articles Published In Two Magazines Robert Hays, assistant profes sor of English and technical writ ing at Southern Technical Insti tute, is the author of three recent ly published articles. Hays, who has written a number of publish ed articles in the past, serves as head of Southern Tech’s English department. His three most recent articles appeared in the January issue of the nationally popular magazine, “Young Men,” and in the past two Issues of “Plumb" magazine, a trade journal. All three articles concerned technical education for technicians. In his articles Keys focused attention on the shortage of technicians and the opportuni ties for technicians in industrial work. Hays has also written two ar ticles to be published shortly. Both concern the legal and grammatical aspects of trade-mark usage. Southern Tech, a unit of Geor gia Tech, is located in Chamblee, Ga. Hays is married to the former Miss Peggy Copeland, of Clinton, daughter of Mrs. Guy L. Cope land. He is a graduate of Presby terian college. INFANT SON PASSES Clifton Wilton Murphy, infant son of Mr. and Mrs. W. J. Mur phy, of Clinton, RL 1, died Mon day afternoon at Hays hospital. Surviving besides the parents are the grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Herman Murphy and Mr. end Mrs. Grover Kirby, all of Clinton. Graveside services were con ducted Tuesday at 11 a. m. at Calvary cemetery, Clinton Mill, by the Rev. Lee Powers. CARD OF THANKS We wish to express our appre ciation for the kindnesses and expressions of sympathy shown us at the time of the death of our mother, Mrs. H. L. Lipford, and sister, Mrs. H. F. Shealy. —MR. AND MRS. GEORGE A. REID G. BROWNING GOLDSMITH METROPOLITAN LIFE representing: the INSURANCE COMPANY I Madison Ave., New York 10, N. Y. will gladly recommend a program planned to fit your personal Life insur ance needs. Call or write: TELEPHONE 512 107 Calhoun St. P. I. Box 354 Clinton. 8. C. of the Holiday J*** k reflected'm two fettle worefc (jmstms May happiness, peace and contentment be in store for all of mankind. May your holiday be rich with the Spirit that makes Chrietmaa new and wonderful each year. Befc YOUR J 'M0ADVJR Okecittp A PROGRAM Last Day Today Dec. 22 Monday-Tuesday Dec. 26-27 ...Th« fabulous story of ths most amazing psopio in Amsrica todayl A Christmas Treat For the Whole Family! Co-Starring ROBERT STACK Friday-Saturday Dec. 23-24 TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE >Y . * Technicolor With HENRY FONDA, FRED MacMURIJAY i SYLVIA SIDNEY % * • lliaiEi^BHEsSKi Wed.-Thurs., Dec. 28-29 SR WAITER SCOTTS tor QUENTIN DUNWARD MertThun 7=»r Key Robti SSr 1 KENDALL-HORLEY llOOUJR^*’ CARTOON CARTOON’ moiTiOM m A. For hundreds of years, and from many lands, the tradMont of Christmas have been handed from generation to generatkm. The tradition of mistletoe comes from England... the Yvla log from Scandinavia ... the Christmas tree from Germany ... Saint Nicholas from Holland. Add to these the good old tradition of sending Christmas greetings. We send ours with a \ appreciation of your friendship and good will. M. S. BAILEY & SON, BANKERS Established 1886 Capital and Surplus $600,000.00 Member F. D. I. C. — Our 69th Year