The sun. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1937-1972, December 21, 1972, Image 16
SEC. B, PAGE 4-The Newberry Sun, Newberry, S. C M Thursday, December 21,1972
Candles Light the Way
Throughout the Ages
lt'$ time to
wish all our
0
friends the merriest and the
most prosperous Christmas ever!
Lominacks Hardware, Inc.
W. H. Lominack
J. W. Longshore
Kirby Lominack
Ida D. Underwood
Although it has been said
there was no candle to light
the manger in the stable at
Bethlehem, still from early
times people have placed
tapers in windows to light
the way for the Christ
Child and welcome (Him.
In many countries, any
one comipg to the door at
Christmastime was invited
to enter. For some believed
that Christ Himself would
appear at a house with a
candle, concealing his iden
tity, to learn the extent of
their kindness.
Candles have inspired
men throughout the ages,
linking their bright glow
with the beauty of faith.
Research by Hallmark can
dle expert John Sinjem re
veals that candles were
generally used at Christ
mastime as far back as the
11th Century. Until the 18th
Century they were made
primarily from tallow or
beeswax. The latter was
preferred, as an emblem of
Mary’s purity, for wax is
the product of virgin bees.
Many persons believed that
bees came from heaven, and
it was not unusual for reli
gious institutions to keep
swarms of them. According
to an early writer, the wax
represented Christ’s body;
the wick, His soul; and the
flame His divine nature.
The religious symbolism
of the candle grew through
the centuries after early
Christians, huddled in the
damp chill catacombs of
Rome, used lighted candles
as a source of comfort.
New Candle Materials
In 1750 a substance from
the head of the sperm whale
was found to be superior to
tallow and beeswax. Later,
in 1850, paraffin wax was
developed and combined
with stearic acid to make
candles of the modern type.
Bayberry candles with
their delicate scent are es
pecially popular at Christ
mas, and they are said to
bring good luck to the home.
The bayberry candle is
uniquely American. Bay
berry bushes grew in great
abundance in the new
world, and after learning to
extract the greenish wax
from the wild bayberries,
the Pilgrims used it to make
candles.
Christmas Comes
But Once A Year
How seldom Christmas comes -
Only once a year; and how soon it
a ni s ht and a day! If
* that is the whole of it, it seems
not much more durable than the
little toys that one buys of a
fakir on the street corner. They
run for an hour, and then the
spring breaks, and the leg comes
off, and nothing remains but a
contribution to the dust heap.
But surely that need not be the
whole of Christmas - only a single
day of generosity, ransomed from
the dull servitude of a selfish
year - only a single night of mer
rymaking, celebrated in the slave-
quarters of a selfish race! If
every gift is the token of a per
sonal thought, a friendly feeling,
an unselfish interest in the joys
of others, then the thought, the
feeling, the interest, may remain
long after the gift is forgotten.
—HENRY VAN DYKE
FROM
SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET
Some say that ever ’gainst
that season comes,
Wherein our Saviour’s birth
is celebrated,
The bird of dawning singeth
all night long,
And then, they say, no
spirit dare stir abroad;
The nights are wholesome;
then no planets strike,
No fairy tales, nor witch
hath power to charm,
So hallowed and so gracious
is the time.
We y®tt
To our host of friends and
neighbors, we extend our very best
wishes for a most joyous
holiday, and offer our deep
appreciation for your continued
loyalty and good will.
Maxwell Bros., Inc.
FURNITURE