Decatur Daily Democrat, Volume 56, Number 301, Decatur, Adams County, 23 December 1958 — Page 16

PAGE SIXTEEN

CM {JMik >1 Jr}** Jf WLg/O JbU* In sending best wishes for a very happy holiday to everyone, everywhere I |T ; |F ■ KIPPIE SHOP £O Th ~ 4 * * ’ ’ *° 8 OUr f f,endS k + » we extend £ our best w ‘ shes f° r 8 '*<>■/ won£,erful Christrnas > * £ • one filled with ' good cheer and * 4 many pleasant surprises. .• % MURPHY BARBERSHOP 233 West Monroe Street

_____ 1 I the spirit of a good, old-fashioned I M Yuletide, we wish for you and your family all of the ■ j f 4/ JqVy traditional joys of the season. J May your days be bright and your hearts A iJz L&XX light, as you store up a rich tj treasure of happy memories. *' w ''” w>;ll r I ■ \ . . . . UHRICK BROS.

Stocking Hanging Became A Custom Through Accident With delight end great expectations every American child hangs his stocking by the fireplace at Christmas time. Thereon hangs a fascinating tale of adventure. Once upon a time—so the legend goes—kindly Saint Nicholas, who was in reality Bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor, unintentionally originated the custom of hanging stockings by the fireplace on Christmas eve. Saint Nicholas was a kindly man and jolly, and very rich. He loved to make mysterious journeys into the country and poor sections of the community to bring secret gifts to the poor. For a long time his identity remained hidden, but he was caught at last with his sack of gifts on his back. Down The Chimney Saint Nicholas knew an old nobleman who was very poor and who did not want anyone to know of his poverty. Wishing to give him a gift of money Saint Nicholas crept to a window of the house and saw the old gentleman asleep by the fire. The good Bishop climbed to the roof of the house and dropped his gift down the chimney, thinking it would fall on the hearth at the nobleman’s feet. However, it so happened that the gentleman’s daughter had hung some stockings to dry by the fire and the money fell into one of them. From this kindly deed of the good Bishop has grown the widespread custom of hanging stockings at Christmas time. Died In 1087 The anniversary of Saint Nicholas* death in 1087 eventually became a festival in the Russian church, and in time the name became corrupted to Santa Claus and associated with the festivities of the Christmas season, with its tree, its decorations, the holly and the mistletoe. These today are the joyous symbols of Christmas. LOOK FOB SANTA American children look for presents in their stockings or under the Christmas tree. In Italy they seek them in "Ums of Fate" and the children of Norway seek them tn hiding places all through ttu bouse.

THE DECATUR DAILY DEMOCRAT, DECATUR, INDIANA

The day before Christmas, a woman in Salt Lake City bought a box of 100 Identical greeting cards and quickly dispatched about 90 of them without stopping to read their message. A few days later she picked up one of the few she hadn’t mailed and found the inscription was: "This little card is just to say, 'A gift you'll love is on its way!”’ • • • When a housewife fa Salisbury, England, failed to reward a group of carolers for t singing at her doorstep, the children kicked two holes in the front door and ton up the garden. < • e e A 40-foot illuminated Christmas angel was destroyed in Utica, N. Y M by a fire which police said had been set dehberately.

a OXi. Z/ \ I I Fr |hN/ fi-7 i | I .Tkc lit -Uy ‘ I I v w 'll mlfWql I IB lfiS2 11 joyfully, the glory of Christmas is sung and ME 1 . m celebrated. As we o lift our voices in those beloved Christmas carols, may our hearts be filled anew with I/■ II / A *|b' ? th® wondrous spirit that / / I II 1 \ ' came to earth on the WF I F/ I\| 7 Btoly Night when ieb f i » i / /x / 1/ /J if . I 1/ /XII // a He was bom and the H llWtea angek sang. May we find fresh I ’I Yr! « Z inspiration in the message *\ A ' Mi&cl 111 f of “Peace on Earth, 'wW \ M l/y Good Will toward Men,” to guide I //i I 'V t'i. b** ij us at the Christmas season, and always. I / •< fttabltaM 1881 MEMBER MEMBER ♦ F.D.I.Q Federal Reserve 1 .

Mr. and Mrs. (Sarenee Archer of Picayune, Mlsa, can truthfully ten their son that he was brought by Santa Claus. Their child was delivered by a doctor who was summoned to the hospital from a Yuletide parade in which he was appearing as Saint Nick, and he didn’t have time to change clothes before entering the delivery room. A citizen of Los Angeles festooned his front yard with colored lights, a paper Santa Claus and a sled drawn by reindeer. His neighbor directly opposite put out a sign reading, "See our display across the street." * • • Informed that the Christmas custom of kissing under the 'mistletoe was started by a Scandinavian myth, a girl at Wellesley college declared, ■That thertainly theemth reaI thonable."

GOOD WILL TO ALL-That Christmas message la rung eat by the bells es they ehurdm throughout Switzerland like this one at Valais almost bnr>d under the aocumulat on u nral snowfalla.

Juna. The Romans and Babblonlana began their year in March. January 1 did not become universally celebrated until 1782 when Great Britain joined the other European countries which had already adopted the Gregorian calendar. The Jewish calendar now read! 8719 in relation to 1959 A. D. The Jews observe one-day New Year season at the time of the autumn equinox, beginning on Rosh H*shana and ending on Yom Kippur. Japanese bells ring out 108 times at midnight on New Year’s Eve, ushering in the New Year and reminding the people of the 108 commandments of Buddha. Among the ancient customs etlll observed is the practice of scattering parched beans about the house, supposedly to drive away evil influences and invito good luck to enter the home. In earlifer times, the flimsy construction of Japanese homes made them fire hazards, and made fire-

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1958,

I age with his finger. The text, solemnly read and interpreted, wan ■ believed indicative of the luck—--1 good or bad—that was in store dur--1 tag the year ahead. Watching the old year out and the new year in is one of the oldest and most universal of an calebrai tions. Whether the greeting is , i "Bonne Annee!” such as in Franco; • "Fella Ano Nuevo!" aa one would i hear in Spain, or just “HAPPY NEW,YEAR!”—it is a good time , to be with friends and to join in a i sincere toast to the future and , whatever fortune it may hold. Named For Janus I The month of January was gamed “Janus" by the Romans, in , honor of the two-faced god who . was believed to look back over the i past and bo able to foretell the future. Janus wu always represented with a key tn his hand, eugi getting that he had the power to open an doom and gateway*