Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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\ THURSDAY, DEC. 24, 1953 THE NEWBERRY SUN g;*- i- x x •• x ;i X '''' '''t i LAYTON BROS. GROCERY 524 CVNeal Street Newberry Holiday Notice WE WILL CLOSE AT NOON THURSDAY, DEC. 24TH for CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS Open for business Monday Morning, Dec. 28 _ NEWBERRY 7 Federal Savings AND LOAN ASSOCIATION OF NEWBERRY From (Anderson Independent) A Beautiful story of Christmas by the late Dr. E. C. McCants, Superintendent Emeritus of An derson City schools. The wintry sun marched to ward its setting. The olive trees silvery green in their season, now had been stripped of their beauty by the autumn frosts, and stood as bare and unlovely as the knot ted veins of an old man's hand. The last thin rays of the sunlight lit feebly the shoulders of the limestone hills that encircle Beth lehem of Judah. Across these hills, resembling a soiled ribbon thrown carelessly down, stretched the dusty gray highway leading from Jerusalem to Bebron. On this now almost deserted road there was a slight movement. Along it, reduced by distance to the dimensions of in sects, there crept a'man, a woman and an ass, the man walked beside it, and the ass walked circum spectly considering whatever it is that asses consider. But in one thing the three, the man, the wo man, and the ass, were one. Each bore marks that evidenced the fact that upon the three the burden of the work of the world had been laid. The sun dropped from sight and purple shadows began to soften the harsh outlines of the land scapes. Above the road a single star came out. Across the dim shoulder of an eminence which thrust its bulk up against the skyline, a shepherd led his flock homeward. On the road the wo man lifted her eyes to the beauty of the star. The man and the ass were conscious only of the length and stoniness of the road. For it is a very far cry from lowly Nazar eth to historic Bethlehem. But the journey was a necessary one, this was no pleasure jaunt. An edict had gone forth that all the world must be taxed, each man in his own city. And the an cestral city of this man was Beth lehem. It was for this reason that the feet of the man and the feet of the ass stirred the dust of the highway, and the eyes of the wo man questioned the single star. For she was a woman and her times was short. "Tired,” she sighed. “Almost there,” encouraged the man. The ass, being only an ass, said nothing. The man was weary and so was the ass, but the woman was the weariest of the three. Slowly they decended into the velley and breasted the higher slope above which stood the town the man walking, the ass stumb ling, and the woman riding heavily on the back of the ass. So far they had come in obedience to Caesar, and what cares Caesar whether a man, a woman, or an ass be weary. The darkness was fully come when they stopped at the well which is beside the gate of Bethlehem and slaked their thirst. Then they went on into the streets but no man greeted them. No one cried, "Hail, Mary!” or Hail Joseph!” No one said, "Lo, here is my house. I pray you turn aside and enter.” Why should they? The man and the woman were roughly clad and the ass was not an im pressive ass. Men intent upon their own affairs elbowed ^nd shoulder ed them. "Make way! Make way!” cried the camel drivers and being humble folk they shrank aside. The streets through which they passed were crowded and noisey. The shouts of the donkey boys, MERRY M W STMAS &*ict moul CkAidtmai cu^cuk! ,3 Just twelve short months 090 we were saying "Merry Christmas" to our friends and neighbors and now it's time onee again to express oar best wishes to each of yon. May every {ay be yonrs. Chapman - Hawkins Hardware the objurgations the caravan men, the tinkle of the camel bells, and the clatter of hooves on stones, filled the air with a confusion of sound. Here friends, long sep arated, greeted each other; else where some returned traveler re galed the homebodies with tall tales of derring-do. Here and there through the crowds there strode bearded, hook-nosed, dour-eyed men who fingered* their phylacter ies and thanked God that they were not as other men'were. Silent men, these latter, save when they spat and cursed their Roman over- lords. As the three neared the inn a spasm of pain distorted the wo mans’ face. “No room” came the distant cry of the innkeeper. The man groaned, the woman sighed, the ass pricked up its ears hope fully. When they reached the ca ravanserai they foufcd that in truth people were being turned away. "There is no room.” the keeper was crying. "As Jehoveh is my strength, there is no more room. What would you? Am I, the son of a herdsman, able to cause chambers to multiply and stone walls to stretch?” He beat his breast in well-stimulated distress. “No room! No more room!” From the entrance of the com pound the three, the man, the wo man, and the ass, could see within the fires under the cookpots and smell the odors of savory meats. Inside there was warmth and re freshment; outside there were only the cold stones of the inhos pitable street. When they applied to the innkeeper, that individual abassed himself. He wrung his hands. He made a despairing ges ture as if he would rend his gar ments. Privately he was thinking of the sheep’s herd which with herbs his wife was seething for his supper. “There is no room!” he re peated. "We have many here, many of the great ones of Isreal. See there! Piled against the walls are their bales of merchandise— spices from Araby, cinnamon and myrrh, garments of Baby-lonish textures; and in the stalls white camels and horses of Ecbatana. And great ones in the chambers, merchants and Doctors of Law; men of Asia and of Egypt and of farther India. There is no room. I pray you, seek lodging else where!” The man looked at the woman and the woman at the man. The ass appeared to reflect. None of the three moved; the ass, least of all. “The woman!” pleaded the man desperately. The woman looked at the inn keeper and the innkeeper looked at the woman. He was a hard man, and disingenuous, but suddenly compassion stirred within him. Still he could but shake his head an repeat; "There is no room. A stall for the ass, perhaps, but shelter for a man or a woman . ..” “Might we not shelter with the ass?” begged the woman. “I am tired! Oh so tired!” The innkeeper’s long jaw drop ped and he raised hie hands, palms outward in protest. “Even so, a stall is better than the street or the fields,” urged the man. “For see you, no one will receive us and the woman’s time is nigh.” The keeper of the caravanserai considered. Although there was little to be gaiiied from such, also there was not time to lose. Besides he wanted his supper. “Follow me,” he answered fin ally. He led them through the com pound, beyound the crouched camels and the bullock carts and came at last to a cavern-like stable, partially excavated from the face of the cliff. Here he placed them. It was only after the ass had been tethered that he inquired: “Whence come you?” “From Nazareth,” answered the man. The other departed. When he was beyond earshot, “Nazareth, pfui!” he ejaculated. “After all they are fittingly bedded!” In the meantime the woman had laid herself down on a truss of straw. The man hurried hither and thither bring and seeking to ease the pain. The ass, being only an ass, nibbed at the straw where- oti she had laid herself. Thus the night grew older. In time the noises in the courtyard grew less, and even the streets became quiet. Finally slumber crept upon all the living save only the man, the woman, and the ass. These kept watch while the three became four. And when that oc curred the man took the fourth one and wrapped him in swad dling cloths and laid him in the manger that w^g before the ass. And when the morning was come and the woman beheld her first born, the burden of a prophecy was laid upon her. “Oh my son! My son!” she cried. “Hither, unborn, thou earnest upon the back of an ass. Here in the manger of an ass thou art cradled. And at last upon the back of the foal of an ass, thou shalt'ride to thy triumph and thy death.” And she wept. Trees For Christmas Whenever I see a Christmas tree Proudly arrayed for all to see, Shining with silver, glowing with light, Shaking its jeweled skirts with de-. light, I think of the pines on a hill 1 know And how sun and moon have help ed them grow. O’they must be used to being so fair, For often they've stood with the stars in their hair, The sun’s bright gold on their branches has gleamed And silvery moonlight has over them streamed. For years they have lived with the clean summer rain; And its crystal balls on their boughs have lain. And times when a rainbow leaned to the earth They were bathed in color, given new birth. Do you wonder they’re chosen as Christmas trees When always they’ve lived with glories like these? —Mary V. Farnum this week'i patterns^ BY AUDREY LANE 2961 SIZES 12-20 * The JOYS of 2 0 °4, WAIST /?. 22 • 34/»f> •.•* * * ►»L '»..—•I yjft ; :::r rVW i! CHIU STMAS | £ £ £ May they last forever % MAIN ST. NEWBERRY ... our wish for you and your loved ones. Newberry Dry Goods Co. 1004 Main St. Mrs. C. J. McWhirter & Son % m % No. 8961 is cut In st*es 12, 14, 16, 19, >0. Size 16: Wesklt with collar, 1% yds. 39-in. Wesklt with sweetheart neckline, * No*. 2004*'is ent in waist sizes 28, 24. 26, 28, 30, 32, 34-in. Size 28: Skirt cot on the straight, 1% yds. 54-in. Skirt cot on the bias. 3V4 yds. 3»-ln. Send 30o for EACH pattern with name, address, style number and size to AUDREY LANE BUREAU. Box 369, Madison Square Station. New York 10, N. Y. The new FALL-WINTER FASH ION BOOK shows soores of other styles. 25c extra. n« Hi LW k » w . As each of vs see ffie M* fillment of every hope cmd wish during this great OCCO* slon of the Christmas Holt* days, may we offer oar I thanks for yoar very loyal patronage. MURRAY LUMBER COMPANY