Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 1962 THE NEWBERRY SUN, NEWBERRY, SOUTH CAROLINA Section B—Page 3 Those humhle men, abiding their flocks by night, were privi leged to see the wondrous Star of Bethlehem, and to know it heralded the coming of the New Bom King. From that time, mankind has heralded His coming year after year, and marked the time as one of renewed hope and faith through His teachings. We extend to you our sincere wish for a Christmas of hope and faith in a measure so full that it will abide with you for all time to come. SHEALY MOTOR COMPANY PROSPERITY, S. C. NEWBERRY, S. C. y THERE’S A SONG IN OUR HEARTS THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON, FOR THIS IS THE TIME WE COUNT OUR BLESSINGS AND THINK MOST.OF YOU, OUR FRIENDSI NEWBERRY ELECTRIC CO-OP., Inc. Mistletoe Said To ’Father’ Romance Mistletoe, long a symbol and signal for kissing who ever is caught standing un der it, actually Is a preda tory plant that entwines it self around a tree, strang ling and killing it. Hardly what one might term an af fectionate plant! The ancient Arabians showed their devotion to their gods by kissing; the Romans too accepted the kiss as a sign of reverence and respect. The custom of hanging the mistletoe was also wide spread among the Scandin avians. In many countries from time to time, the plant was considered a cure-all for almost every kind of ail ment, but that was before modem medicine. Today, of course, the mis tletoe isn’t a cure for any thing, except perhaps a shy boy orgirh The Druids too, embraced the mistletoe, and from them perhaps, came the custom of hanging pieces of it- over the doorways of their homes. But the mistletoe is a part of Christmas, and if custom decrees that being kissed if caught under it is par for the course, who can argue with tradition? Christ’s Birth Date Shrouded In Mystery Christmas is celebrated throughout the Christian world as the birth, date of Christ. True enough, but what day exactly that Christ was bom is a mys tery. The date has been in dis pute for centuries with the exception of one thing. All agree that it wasn’t Decem ber 25th. At one time or another Christmas was celebrated in January, March, April, May, October, November, and December. The reasons for the diver gence of beliefs are: the fei- ble does not give any clues; the early manuscripts dis agree, the interpretations of these manuscripts dis- agree and finally, the calen dars have changed over the years. One theory why Decem ber 25th was chosen as the date was because Saturnalia was the great Roman holi day, and it came around the third week in December. In the face of disagree ment one fact emerges from the morass of argument and interpretation; Christ mas is celebrated to com memorate His birth. The names differ, the dates dif fer and the many ways of expressing the spirit of the season cannot be counted* But Christmas is a won drous time and December 25th is our date for remem bering and celebrating. St. Francis of Assisi Originator of Church Christmas Carol Singing nificence. Regardless of the deriva tion, it was St. Francis of Assisi who was credited with having given popular ity to carol singing when he is said to have conducted a Christmas service singing the Gospel and giving a sermon in song. When minstrels and folk singing swept the land back in Richard the Lion-Heart- ed’s day, carols were kept alive through the simple folk in community after community, who passed them down from generation to generation. But it was not until the 15th Century when the custom finally broke away from the aus terity and sombre chants of the Church and reached its popularity and mag- But then came the Puri tans in the 17th Century who sternly forbade joyous celebrations at Christmas, and the singing of carols went into a decline. It wasn’t until the 19th Century before the singing of carols again came into open public popularity. And this was only made possible through the illicit printing and singing of carols in the privacy of the homes of the people who loved them dearly. In 1840, the world fam ous, "Silent Night” ap peared in print, and today its beauty resounds the world over in every Chris tian land at Christmastime. Another year has run its course and we stand, filled anew with hope, waiting for the bells to ring in a bright and shining 1963. Amid the joy of celebrating New Year’s Eve, many will find time to get a bit serious, to eval uate the year that will soon be history, and to recall old-time favorite happenings in previous years. And, what sort of year will 1963 be? Who can say for sure? Each New Year starts out pretty much the same. Those who were un happy with 1962 forsee a change for the better; those who did well expect things to become even better. We can, to a great extent, ex ercise control over much of what may happen to us in the year ahead. We can do more to “get ahead” by working harder, by ap plying ourselves to the tasks at hand. We should do better for ourselves during 1963. After all, we are a year older—and have learned something from our ex periences during 1962. The course of the nation and the world during 1963 is something else. National prosperity and world peace: where do we stand on these matters? In both in stances, can we say, “It has been better, and it has been worse?” So what, someone might note: “What can the guy on the street do about national prosperity and world peace, anyhow?” The answer: plenty. Just for a moment, let us reflect upon the type of world we would realize in 1963 if every hum at being in the world resolved at the magic stroke of twelve to try tc do something tomorrow for fam ily, community, country — and world. If every American worked for America, how great would our nation be? If every citizen of the world practiced brotherhood, would there be wars or threats of war? We can’t change the world alone, or in a single year, but wouldn’t 1963 be a good year ir which to get started? May the Christmas bells ring in for you true joy beyond all measure—the kind of joy that your heart will forever treasure. THE FASHION 1312 MAIN STREET NEWBERRY, S. C. Cfjrfetmatf- the birthday of Him who brought Love to us. [ CfjrfetmaS-the day to remember His many blessings. / C&rfetmasf-the time to wish the / best to all our friends! CLARENCE T. SUMMER, Incorporated 1207 BOYCE STREET NEWBERRY, S. C.