DECEMBER 19. 1961
THE LANCE
PAGE SEVEN
Christmas — Different Things
Dr. W. W. Powell
To Different People
Gives Pies
Holiday feasting has come a
little early for 120 students as
Dr. Woodrow W. Powell is
this week serving his five Eng
lish classes record-listening
sessions— flavored with his
famous pecan pies.
In conjunction with their
studies, literature students are
served pie with poetry or play
recordings. This morning the
enriched freshmen course in
cluded the Doctor’s pecan spec
ialty and records on writing
styles.
Every Christmas season Dr.
|Powell makes the pies himself
in his bachelor apartment kit-
Ichen. He gets the main ingred
ient— this year 700 lbs. worth
jfrom his family home in south
eorgia and uses a simple re
cipe of his own for the crust
:nd filling.
Besides serving the dessert
to guests during the holiday
season the English professor
sends pecans to friends and
former associates. In the paist
some of 'his pies and spiced
nuts given to fellow profes
sors and students have been
forwarded as far as California.
Michigan, and New York City.
The idea of treating students
to “pie-eating, poetry-listening”
sessions first appeared to Dr.
Powell at Appalachian College.
Working 'as a Danforth assoc
iate to promote better rela
tions between faculty and stu
dents, he used the money al-
loted by the Danforth Associ
ation in having Students to his
home for meals. Later, on his
own, he invited the collegians
over for pie and record-listen
ing. When the sessions reach
ed the professor’s classroom
once every term, the tradition
that St. Andrews students are
'.enjoying was begun.
This year several freshmen
spent an afternoon at the home
of the chef, helping with the
time-consuming task of shell
ing pecans. “In addition to the
in-class treat,” said EUen
Maultsby, freshman sheller,
•we students had a little ex
tra fun. While enjoying hi-fi
music, cokes, and cinnamon-
carameled pecans — prepared
especially for the occasion, we
Dr. Povvcil prepares his traditional Christmas pies.
From Trees To Angels
Christmas is a string of mul
ticolored lights stretched over
the usual bleakness of down
town streets . . . red, green,
gold advertisements . . . rush
ing shoppers . . . corner Christ
mas trees . . . glow of little
children’s faces in the toy de
partments.
Christmas is secrets . . .
rustly of ribbon and paper ...
children sneaking into a room
with unknowingly conspicuous
bundles .. . mysterious whis
perings . . . private phone calls
to your “steady’s” mother . .
rows of stockings . . . chills up
little spines.
It is the smell of freshly
cut cedars . . . hot buttered
popcorn . . . fruitcake baking
. . . taingy oranges, nutmeg ...
roasting turkey . . . rich spi
ciness of mince pie. It is the
taste of hot chocolate and can
dy canes at the neighborhood
party. It is sugared cookies
and cakes and brown, shining
nuts. It is joy and laughter
and mistletoe high over the
door.
Christmas is color . . . green
wreaths, Shining blue stars, red
all chatted and shelled a very | candles, gold and black pack-
pleasant afternoon away.”
Besides cooking, Dr. Powell
enjoys collecting records and
adding books to his personal
library— the last count of
which totaled 3000 volumes.
ages, pink angel hair, wihite
snow, red-nosed reindeer.
Christmas is the warmth of
an open fire . .. for some of
it is loneliness. It is Aunts
and Uncles and Grandmothers.
j: fi flv i^obt>oRiv/^ , f) i/Bttfmy,
/y~!s "TOO rr}Oo4 //VF-tRnftny
It is sons and daughters com
ing home for the holidays. It
is rehearsing for the Ohrist-
mas ipageant . . . decorating
the tree . . . singing carols
from house to house . .. . at
tending midnight service at
the little church near town . ..
unwrapping Christmas gifts on
Christmas morning. It is par
ties . . . swirling chiffons,
swishy taffetas ... It is small
Children riding up and down
the street on new bicycles ..
It is a Small girl carrying a
doll in her arms.
It is the little home-made
manger with store-bought fig
ures of Mary and Joseph and
the Holy Child. It is the crook
ed star on the top of the tree.
It is scattered tinsel and brok
en ornaments and mountains of
paper and ribbon and cards.
Christmas is love ... a dhild
kneeling by his bed wishing
a happy birthday to the infant
Jesus . . . bright packages tied
with loving hands .. . it is
good wiill and tolerance. It is
the love of fellowmen. It is
the wise men, the angels, the
shepherds. It is the Hallelu
jah Chorus. It is an open Bible
showing a passage from Luke.
It is angels in the sky singing
“Peace on earth, goodwill to
ward man.”
A Joyous Time
By BETH LYNES
Christmas is everywhere — on
the busy street full of shop
pers; in the rich, warm smell
of gingerbread from the lit
tle corner bakery; on top of
the gorgeously brilliant tree
in the square; in the shape of
star; in the tinselled Santa
Clauses and the snowmen danc
ing high above the crowded
street; under the trees in the
jolly, gaudy packages; in the
feeling that your heart wiU
burst with happiness as the
soft melodies of carols drift
from the snowy darkness; in
the family sitting around a
crackling fire with mugs of
hot Chocolate and popcorn
bowls, a piece of paper icicle
still glittering where it caught
in sister’s hair; in the sweet
smeU of cedar spreading
through the house, the prick
le of holly from the big
wreath as you reach to open
the door; in the shouts of
Merry Christmas” from joy
ous hearts; in the urge to kneel
before the Nativity scene in
the churchyard and offer
thanks to .jod for the happi
ness that seems to be coverinig
the whole eartlh; in the hush
•^hat descends from Heaven,
itself, and drifts across the
snow, in deep, rich bell tones
of “Silent Night.”
A New Insight
By BEVERLY REICH
This Christmas deal has real
ly changed. Remember how
chings used to be? Why, back
in the good old fifties who
ever heard of pink plastic
Christmas trees? Remember
the fun we used to have help-
mg Dad shop for the tree, and
now we finally ended back at
Grandfather’s farm, after faith
fully swearing that this year
we would have a Canadian bal
sam, for a change?
I remember with fear and
trembling the anxiety I used
to feel about Santa, and how,
after one brief encounter, I
wouldn’t come v/ithin two hun
dred feet of that man in the
funny red suit. Have you no
ticed these days how chum
my this crazy younger genera
tion is with him? Why, now
they greet him like some long
lost pal.
And the things these kids
ask for — exact replicas of nu
clear reactors, twist records,
and chemistry sets. Can you i-
magine the chaos they will
create if, and when, they reach
our age?
Oh, for the good old days
wihen Christmas trees were
"reen, and gifts useless, and
Santa an awesome, fearful per
sonality!
Origrins of Christmas (con’t. from page 5)
The first person to decorate | Next time you hear “Deck
a Christmas tree may have
been M!artin Luther. Walking
home one night shortly before
Christmas, he felt a strong tie
between the starry night and
the love of God. At home, he
placed candles on a little ever
green tree to help his children
experience the s£une wonder of
God. The custom grew and
spread through Northern Eu-
I’ope, then to America.
The mistletoe has an equally
ancient background: primitive
Britons called it “all heal” and
ascribed to it the magic power
to heal disease, neutralize poi
sons, protect against vntchcraft,
and bestow fertility on humans
and animals. If a young couple
sealed their betothal with a
kiss under the mistletoe, they
would have good luck for the
rest of their lives.
Holly, a Christmas decoration
since the middle ages, was also
thought to have protective
power; six or seven hundred
the halls with boughs of holly”
— a song which dates back to
that remote time — remember
the origin of Christmas carols.
The word “carol” means to
“dance in a ring,” and the man
who popularized the practice
was the beloved St. Francis of
Assisi. To bring the Christmas
message vividly and directly to
his villagers, most of whom
could not read, the 13th century
saint arranged a manger scene
using real people and animals.
When the villagers came to see
it, St. Francis led them in joy
ous celebration — in “caroling.”
years ago, young maidens fast-
(These are the thoughts of a ened a sprig of holly to their
freshman English class — sec- beds at Christmas time to pro-
tion 101-B — their thoughts of tect them from the “evil one”
Christmas.) during the coming year!
Cross Section -1960
When December was born
one day he was confronted
with:
Silly Santas complete with
pillow, tattered red flannels,
bell, and a grisly white beanl,
as he begs money or gifts for
his Christ Child.
Rootless Christmas trees
stuck in every corner of the
homes of all the tree worship
pers.
Sadists sitting before each
monkey cage shooting pins
with rubber bands at the ai)es
within,
Mothers at church moaning
over their little darlings stand
ing before the stuffed baby
doll with their hideously wrap-
d wire and cloth wings.
Drunks with so much Christ
mas cheer they give it out
with every giust of breath.
Kids crying because their
toothpaste doesn’t ward off
flying balls of all descriptions,
piles of sand, and water, with
a wonderful invisible shield.
Tattered urchins h u r li n g
rocks at the fat monks riding
their bicycles down among the
trash and filth to wish all a
merry Christmas as if words
are eatable,
People worried about who
sent what . . . why . . . when
. . . last year.
Postmen cursing Christmas,
And sour faced store keep
ers becoming happy, rat and
rich.
Is this why December ends
with such a bang.
Wayne Wooten
]i(f
■l.niiriiihurg s Showplarc
and
Center Theatre
Wish You Joy and Happiness
Not Only At Christmas
But Every Day
Of The
New Year
SANITARY BARBER
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320 Atkinson St.
Across from Post Office
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215 Main St.
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