Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THE. NEWBERRY SUN Newberry Steam Laundry & Dry Cleaning Co. y V- < • • ^tv:--'. t.- -jy_, - .>t- » •*••:.».vA--*-;•• • - '' • s I I 1 I x I X I I X X I I iristwAS Cmpk Christmas carols express better than anything else, probably, the true spirit of Christmas. The word "carol" itself signifies joy and was originally used to ac company a dance. William Wallace Fyfe concludes that the term carol “signifies a song of joy or exulta tion." Another definition states: “A carol is a hymn of praise especial ly such as is sung at Christmas in the open air.” In England, which gave America most of its carols, they were some times gay and sometimes convivial until the time of the Puritans, who tried to suppress the Christmas spirit. After the Restoration, the re ligious nature of the day was for a time almost forgotten in the reaction from Puritanism, and the carol was temporarily lost In the songs. There are many quaint customs associated with the early carolers that might be used today to break the monotony of going from house to house singing Christmas hymns. It was about the 16th century that caroling became a Christmas custom, • and is supposed to have been brought to England from Italy by the traveling clergy. The first real Christmas carol is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi who made a model of the Bethlehem manger to help him tell his people the Christmas story. The idea of caroling fitted ad mirably into the English con ception of Christmas as a com bination of religious celebration and a great home day with neighborly feeling, so it grew and flourished In that country. Little bands and groups of singers which sprang up in the towns and villages came to be known as "Waits.” A natural explanation of the name seems to be that it refers to watching and waiting, for Christ mas Eve is called the VigH of Christmas. As early as December 21, which is the day dedicated to St. Thomas, mummers and carders would begin going from door to door, announc ing the great feast at hand. It was natural for the householders to offer hospitality to these Christmas troubadours, and gradually in many places the custom of giving alms and presents of various kinds was established. This benign custom threat ened at one time in England to become a profession and to lose its original simple charm. For a period beginning just when no one knows and ending in 1820, there were in London and West minster companies of "Waits” whose leaders held office by* *fcdb- lic appointment and who obtained an exclusive right to solicit con tributions from the public. The carolers were often accom panied by entertainers who gave a spirit of revelry to the occasions. The mummers often interrupted the singing to give their interpretation of “St. George and the Dragon.” Tumblers, dressed in bright red, would perform their arts of skill to entertain the onlookers. PLAY IT SAFE Don't Mix Gaiety With Danger V/hen Celebrating Christmas While Christmas is the merriest of all seasons of the year It can also be a time of tragedy if certain hazards aren’t avoided and some particular precautions taken. The National Safety Council an nually points out that the Christ mas holidays are the most danger ous of the year, usually replete with casualties, home accidents, fires and falls. The council has listed the follow ing "don'ts" and precautions which if remembered will help make this Christmas season a safe one: The Christmas tree shouldn’t be placed near a stove or fireplace. Don’t give children any toys that could prove dangerous, such as those with sharp points. If toys are operated with elec tricity, be sure some grownup supervises their use. The Christmas tree should not be decorated with lighted candles. Carefully-wired electric bulbs de finitely are much safer. * Don’t leave a lighted tree un guarded at any time One should be on the lookout for fire all the time the tree is lighted Especially dangerous is the practice of some families in leaving the Christmas tree lighted and unwatched all night long One should never use a rick ety, unsafe ladder In decorating 'the tree. Don’t place Christmas candles near the tree, curtains, paper wreaths or any other inflammable decorations. Remember, the Christmas tree can be made fire-resistant. Accord ing to the United States forestry service, it can be done in this man ner: Divide the weight of your tree by four and buy that many pounds of ammonium sulphate. Dissolve it in water—one and one-half pints of water to each pound of ammo nium sulphate. Cut the end of your tree trunk on a diagonal. Put some of the solution in a jar and stick the diagonal butt of the tree into it. Add more solution as the tree drinks it up Don’t be excessive about Christmas "spirits.” Keep toys out of places where people might trip over them. Remove the tree from the house before it -dries out. During Christmas you’ll probably have many guests, so sprinkle salt or sand on icy steps and sidewalks. ^t)ruicli ^Jirit to Xfi “Wa 9 ;c”ofWiM oe The greens which are used for Christmas decorations found their way into early festivities because of certain virtues attributed to them by the ancients, and many of them which adorned pagan seasonal rites were later taken over to grace the ceremonies and celebrations of Christmas Day. In both England and America, the holly and the mistletoe are as sociated with Christmas as invari ably as are the plum pudding and Christmas tree. It was the Druids who first used the mistletoe. "Heal-all” was their name for it. The plant was supposed to have curative values, and grad ually they assigned to it all man ner of magic powers. Their priests, each year around the time when we now celebrate Christmas, would huve high plat forms built around the sacred oak trees which, in a manner of speak ing, were "hosts" to the mistle toe. Robed in ceremonial vestments of white, they ascended these plat forms. and with golden sickles espe cially made for the solemn occasion they cut away the mistletoe. The Saxons also prized it and it was they who gave to it the name of mistletoe. Eventually the green came to be regarded aa a symbol of peace. Opposing warriors who met near it would call a truce, and it was customary to hang it over the en trance doors so that they who en tered might be assured of friend ship. AND I WANT . . . This is a candid camera shot of a little girl being interviewed by a genial Santa on the subject of her desires in the line of Christmas presents. The rapt expression on her face is typical of small girl-and-boybood when a lovely crisis like this pre sents itself. On Christmas While the litter from Christmas packages is still about, be partic ularly careful of smoking. Hot ashes dropped on tissue paper or a carelessly-tossed match could re sult in tragedy. • • • December 25 was decreed as the date of Christ's nativity by the Roman emperor Julian who began his reign as a Christian, but re verted to paganism before his death.