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THE NEWBERRY SUN Friday, December 26, 1947 Gknstmas Qiws (Pleasant cJkoLiqlih The turn of the year is a time for pause ... an opportunity to review the year just past and to make plans for the new year to come. In looking back we are, above all, grateful to you as a friend and cus tomer. Your use of our services is the most sincere vote of confidence you could possibly cast. We say, with all earnestness, “Thank you.” In looking ahead we are determined to merit your continued support by serving you as you want to be served. We pledge ourse'ves to be alert to new and changing conditions, and to adapt our services to the needs of our customers and our community. We wish you the best of everything in the year that lies before us. Newberry County Bank Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Personally, we’re glad to see old Santa again. Of course, we’ve been through the usual busy season, the hustle and bustle that comes always with the Christmas Season. We've been trying to find some last minute gifts, too, and we’ve probably forgot to send a card to Aunt Some body. There’ll be last minute wrapping of packages at our house Christmas eve and no doubt we’ll run out of Christmas seals as usual. We’ll feign typical surprise when we find our first three or four packages containing socks two sizes too small, and we’ll beam modestly when the family opens their gifts that we have selected so carefully. There’ll be paper and ribbons and cards scattered everywhere and the tree lights will flicker out just at the wrong time. Undoubtedly, we’ll shove back from the Yuletide dinner and say people ought not to eat so much. The kids will make a lot of noise and everybody will talk at once. Sure, we’ll be glad it’s over, all right. But, boy, we love it! It’s Christmas! May yours be a glorious one! NEWBERRY PACKING COMPANY and CITY FILLING STATION “Next to the Post Office and Just as Reliable” QlvuAimaA Qwwk (play Qmpn/dani (pant * 9/1 diolLdaij. ObAaAvancsL& CM Ovsui UJohld A GAIN at this Yuletide season the strains of Christmas carols are floating into the hearts and homes of millions of people, carry ing the spirit of Christmas. It is at this holiday season that the impulse to sing grips everyone, from the crooning Infant to the oldest and most confirmed "monotone.” There are many kinds of carols, some for every mood and taste. Hymns or chants celebrating the Nativity have been sung since the earliest days of the Christian church. Some of the carols, like “Deck the Hall with Boughs of Holly,” "Good King Wenceslas” and the wassailing songs, have no direct relation to the Nativity, yet they are fully expres sive of various phases of the Christ mas spirit. Best loved and most frequently sung of the carols is “Silent Night.” It was Christmas time in the ham let of Obemsdorf, South Germany, in 1818 that this beautiful song was composed. A young priest. Father Josef Mohr, was returning from the bedside of a parishioner when he looked down upon the sleeping ham let surrounded by snow. It lay there silent in the dark night, lighted only by the bright stars and a few glim mering candles. That first Christ mas, he thought, must have been like this and there came to hfm tlxese words: "Silent Night, Holy Night! All is calm, all is bright . . ." In his study he finished the verses, then took them to Franz Gruber, the organist, who caught the spirit of a hymn. "Silent Night.” was sung for the first time in the little wooden church in Obemsdorf that Christ mas Eve. Later a group of Aus trian Tyrol mountain folksong sing ers introduced the carol to other parts of the world, including Amer ica. Published in 1840, it has been translated into almost every lan guage and is a favorite through out the world. "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful” or “Adeste Fideles” is another hymn of the ages which apparently is des tined to live for centuries. It has been translated into 76 languages. The words are sometimes as cribed to St. Bonaventura, bishop of Albano, in the thirteenth century. It is most commonly believed, how ever, that it was not written until the seventeenth or eighteenth cen tury. The hymn often is called the Portuguese hymn because it was sung in the Portuguese chapel in London about 1785 to the tune now inseparable from it: "Oh come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumbhanf, Oh come ye, oh come ye to Beth lehem . . An American song which carries the spirit of Christmas is the sweet and beautiful carol, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” The poem was written by Edmund H. Sears, a New England minister, in a religious journal. The music is by the Amer ican composer, Richard S. Willis, who was struck by the unusual beauty of the poem and "just set down the notes that fit the words”: "It came upon the midnight clear That glorious song of old . . One of the most popular Yuletide hymns, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear” follows the traditional carol style. The first two stanzas depict the angels hovering over the earth and singing their joyous song, the third brings words of comfort to the weary ar.J the fourth prophesies the happy days when all the world shall join in the angel’s song. “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” another American contribution to the famous Christmas songs of the A traditional good luck piece, chicken wishbonei make an attractiv* addition to th« Christmas present. Wash them dry and then paint them any color you like Fasten one to th« top of every Christ mas gift to add at extra note of sentiment when wrap ping packages for yuletide giving. world, was written by Phillips Brooks, a Boston minister. On a trip to the Holy Land, Brooks stood on the starlit hills on Christmas Eve and looked down upon the little city of Bethlehem lying still and peaceful in the night. On the next Christmas, back in America, he wrote the song that was to become famous: "O little town of Bethlehem How stiH we see thee lie . . Written for Sunday school singing, the song at first was anonymous but, when the hymn gained im- j mediate favor. Brooks admitted au thorship. Many musical settings of this beautiful poem have been made, the two most commonly used being by the English composer, Jo seph Barnby, and the American composer, Louis H. Redner. Charles Wesley, younger brother of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist denomination, shares with E'VE searched everywhere to find some new way of expressing our greetings to you. Each selection 'Jf we made was discarded and each time we came back to the old reliable, "Merry Christmas". It just fits the occasion perfectly and we see no rea son to change it or to use any oth^/ expression. So when we say, "M E R R Y CHRISTMAS" pleace remember that it is expressed with all the sin cerity and appreciation we can think of for your loyalty and consideration Isaac Watts the honor of being the greatest producer of hymns. His "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing,” first published in 1739, is among the most popular Christmas carols al though it has undergone many changes. "Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the new-born King . . The music is by that distinguished composer, Felix Mendelssrhn-Bar- tholdy and hence was written long after Wesley died. Watts’ principal contribution to the world’s holiday joy is the carol, “Joy to the World.” The tune, "An tioch,” is an adaptation of Handel’s oratorio, “Messiah.” "Joy to the world, the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King . . ." Watts, too. was a minister. While officiating as pastor of Market Lane church in England his health failed although he was still a young man. He turned to writing verse and be came a great poet. "The First Noel,” meaning the first Christmas, is one of the oldest songs about the coming of Christ. One of the ancient medieval carols, it probably is about 400 years old. The poetry is crude, merely a peas ant’s attempt to present the New Testament story in rhyme (thus making it easy to remember) but thoroughly sincere and devout. The music likewise is simple, being prac tically one little strain sung three times, but it is vigorous, joyous, fresh and virile. "The first Noel the Angel did say, Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay . . ." Caroling or wassailing is an old English custom. The original words of this traditional English Christmas song began “Here we come a-was- sailing” and continued in the cho rus, “Love and joy come to you, and to your wassail too.” The old song commonly was sung by groups of revelers, particularly young women, who went about of fering a hot drink, a merry song and a pretty curtsey in exchange for a small gift. The word “wassail” comes from the Anglo-Saxon “Waes- hael,” meaning “Be in health." And, of course, Merry Christmas would be less merry to both children and adults without that little jingle, “Jingle Bells,” to jingle all the way through the Yuletide season with its mythical one-horse sleigh—which in most parts of America belongs to another day. But, sans the sleigh bells and the sleigh, who is there, child er -dull, who does not love that gay and rollicking Christmas ditty to which dear old Santa claus comes skimming into town or to iso lated country homes behind his eigh reindeer. Gilder Dr. James Burgess Margaret Folk Sara Mae Day Mildred Wilson tc!ctctctcie!c>c<c>ctc<ctetc!6tctctctctetctc!(!ctcicte!Ctctc'C!ctctc!ctctctctt!ctactctc«>c«>cictct(iK«M>cictctcici That ea-h of you may enjoy the fullest measure of happiness and prosper ity is our Christmas wish to the fine people of this community who have made possible the splendid growth of this organiza tion. Whatever degree of success we have attained, we attribute to the splen did goodwill of our friends. Quaint Swiss Custom Of Meeting Lover Forecasting is ritualized in Switz erland. Grandma goes to the cellar selects the most perfect onion, halves it, and peels 12 layers, one for each month. The next day these layers show what the weather will be during the coming year. The daughter of the house goes about town at midnight, to drink from nine different fountains. Then she goes to church. She expects to meet her unknown lover on the church steps. § • «-* o« J. Ellerbe Sease Your J. I. Case Farm Machinery Dealer