The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 23, 1954, Image 22
THE NEWBERRY SUN
LARGEST MANGER SCENE . . . Boy visitor is dwsrfed by
maafer scene in stone and marble, by sculptor Vincenso Ferri, in
Rome. Each statue is from t to 12 foot tan, include the Madonna
and infant; St. Joseph and the three wise kings bearing gifts.
President Johnson
Issued Civil War
Amnesty On Dec. 25
Christmas is traditionally a day
of universal good will. Even in
times of war the battlefronts are
Often quiet and serene, by mutual
consent, on Christmas Day.
It was also on December 25th,
In 1868, that President Johnson is
sued his Civil War amnesty. In an
attempt to heal the wounds left
by the,great war, Johnson issued
an amnesty proclamation which
did not exclude any persons or
classes of persons—not even the
highest officials of the Confeder-
JfoUday Whirl
Jleand Cxtra Work
f}or y[ou-Know- Who
The holiday whirl is about us
again and before it is all over
some of us may feel like stretch
ing out on the sofa beneath a sign:
“Do not disturb until December 25,
1955.”
But, let’s face it. The conunon
casualty at this time of the year
is—Mom. Who gets stuck with the
job of doing all the “fixing,” of
food, of decorations, of practically
everything? You guessed it—the
first one up In the mornings and
usually the last to retire at night
—Mom.
Most of us could pave the way
for a more enjoyable Christmas
this year and a happier New Year,
by making an early resolution. It
could be done with the simple de
termination to help make Mom’s
Christmas an easier one. It might
be done by dividing up some of
Mom’s “extra” duties and assign
ing a share to each member of
the family.
Christmas is a holy season and
a time of good will. Poor Mom,
though, is usually so tired she
doesn’t even have time to think,
much less relax and enjoy the
spiritual blessings of the season.
acy. Previous amnesty p:
tions, issued both by Johnson
his predecessor Lincoln had
been “total” amnesties.
At the time, President Johnsoqi
expressed the belief that universal
amnesty would tend to secure per*
manenr peace, order, and prosper
ity throughout the country and
would renew and restore respect
for and attachment to the nation
al government.
The proclamation pardoned alt
persons who participated directly
or indirectly against the United
States in the Civil War “with res
toration of all rights, privileges
and immunities under the Consti
tution and the laws which havq
also been made in pursuance
thereof.” ' ’
A
Mistletoe Once >
Symbol Of Evil
The mistletoe, once a weapon ad
death, later became to be consid
ered as a magical medicine, is
now a universal symbol of love
and pegce.
It was with a mistletoe arrow (ac
cording to Norse mythology) that
Loki killed Balder, the sun god,
after Balder’s mother had ob
tained a promise from all living
things, other than the mistletoe,
that they would not harm him.
Balder was restored to life and it
was ruled by the gods that the
mistletoe would never again be
Used to do harm.
Ancient Europeans considered
the mistletoe a magical medicine.
They carried it about with them
for health and luck, and believed
it a cure for ulcers and epilepsy
as well as a charm promoting fer
tility.
The present day custom of giv
ing a kiss of love or peace be
neath the mistletoe, although a
relatively modern one, is derived
from the fact that down through
the centuries die mistletoe has,
been recognized throughout the
whole world as a symbol of lasting
peace.
Saint Nicholas
Was Bishop Of Myra
Saint Nicholas lived some 1600
years ago in Turkey where he was
for 17 years Bishop of Myra. To
day, the place is known as Demre,
province of Antalya—where his
church may still be found and one
may yet hear of the generous acts
which made his life a great legend
and gave him the “Santa Claus”
character we all know today.
It is said that Saint Nicholas, a
man of great virtue and piety, be
came the patron saint of boys
when he restored to life die sons
of a rich Asiatic, who had been
murdered by a robber-innkeeper
while they were enroute to school
at Athens. It is said that he was
warned of the crime in a dream,
but was unable to reach the inn
in time to prevent the murders.
He restored the boys to life
through prayer and the murderer
confessed his crime.
Gift-Giving Custom
In Ancient England
One of the most plausible ver
sions of the origin of the custom
of giving gifts at Christmas time
is the one saying it began in Eng
land.
In the days of the knights, it
was custom to hang kissing rings
in the great halls. These rings
were decorated with mistletoe and
beneath them would meet the
young knights and ladies, each
bringing Christmas roses to their
secret love.
As times changed, so did cus
toms, and roses gave way for oth-
® *r personal -If's at Chrio....as
time.
Christmas Rose is
Hallowed By Legend
The delicate beauty of the
Christmas-rose (helleborus niger)
is hallowed by legend. A poor shep
herd girl, the story goes, wept
bitterly as she watched the Wise
Men on their way to the Christ
Child bearing rich gifts when she
had nothing. An angel appeared.
Upon learning the reason for the
girl’s distress, the angel caused
the ground to be carpeted with
shining white flowers. The young
shepherdess gathered some blos
soms. When she presented her
gift, the Infant smiled and as His
fingers touched the white flowers,
the petals became tinged with
pink.
KING SIZE . . . Letter of
“thanks” is mailed by 19-month-
old triple amputee in Roxbury,
Mass, who received artificial
limbs in tiTne to waik for 1933
a *