December 14, 1943
QUEENS BLUES
Page 3
Students Give
Santa Party
For Orphans
The Home Economics Depart
ment of Queens College held their
annual Christmas party for the
orphans and faculty children at
4:30 o’clock, Dec. 10, in the recre
ation room of the college.
Various girls in the student body
were given names of the chil
dren and turned in presents to
the Home Economics Department
for distribution to the children.
Serving as Santa Claus for the
occasion was Mr. Merle Kesler.
The presents were put under the
tree along with stockings of fruits
and nuts for the children. During
the afternoon the children were led
in various games by members of
the Home Economics Department
who also served ice cream and
gingerbread men to the 40 guests
from the Alexander Home and the
21 faculty children guests.
College Women
May Qualify as
WAC Officers
Women may apply for officer
training in the Women’s Army
Corps directly if they have had
at least four years of experience
in work, study, social or civic
fields.
The four years’ required ex
perience may include one or two
years of college with experience
to fill out the four years. Or
she may enter WAC officer candi
date training school following
basic training if she is a college
graduate, with no business ex
perience but with a record of re
sponsibility, resourcefulness and
leadership to her college credit.
WAC officers’ duties are varied
and interesting. They serve as
company commanders, teach basic
training and courses in WAC..
specialist schools and administer
the affairs of the WAC in training
centers.
• Officers also are assigned as as
sistants to high-ranking officers
in practically all phases of opera
tion jobs. They work in public
relations, personnel and recruiting
and are assigned to the staffs of
commanding generals in all serv
ice commands and overseas.
When the officer-qualified woman
joins the WAC, she will go through
basic training as an officer candi
date and be sent directly to of
ficer candidate school when she
has completed the basic courses.
At the end of eight weeks of of
ficer training, successful graduates
are commissioned second
tenants in the Army of the United
States. And they proudly wear
the gold bars of a WAC officer.
Opportunities for advancement
are many. Interested college
women should contact the re
cruiting office nearest them m-
mediately and find out how th^
may become officers in the WAC.
The Army needs many more WAC
officers.
ATTENDANTS—Member.s of May Queen Jean Brown'.s court who
will participate in the May day exercises at Queens college next spring
are shown above on the stejis of Burwell hall on the cain])us. They are,
left to right, first row, Annelle McCall, Mary Louise Whitmire, Elizabeth
Henrv, I..ois Wilson, Eloise Dent, Connie Slicer, Elsie Blackburn and
Betsy Hodges; second row, Jane Carter, Quince Parrish, Doris Nunn,
Catherine Patterson, Frances Pound, Betty Barrentine, Edna Adams and
Betty McGill; third row, Virginia Falls, Mary McGill, Lucille Wayland
Margaret Ezell, Lucy Pate and Jeanne Throckmorton. Two members of
the court, Carolyn Wilson and Mary Clark, were not ])resent when the
])icture was made. {ObKeriur Stuff photo.)
Song Writers!
Attention To
New Contest
Can you write the song of World
War II? Magazine Digest in coop
eration with Raymond Paige an
his NBC “Salute to Youth’ orches
tra is sponsoring a war song con
test in high schools and colleges
throughout the United States an
Canada. , „ . „
The judges are Raymond Paige,
Prank Sinatra, •Barnes IV^l^,
Helen Jepson, and Arnold •
Winners will receive $250 in casn
and a trip to New York for au ap
pearance on “Salute to Youth
wartime facilities and the indivi
dual’s personal situation peirait.
Send entries to Magazine Digest,
8 West 40th Street, New York 18,
New York.
Group Actors Present Play
December 10
((biiitiiiiKut from p(UJ' »»•')
Allison; Rosah, Troy^nd ^ee-
land: Thaylah, Mary Grace God
dard: Lupetah, Nancy .Sanford,
Tetah, Alma Cuthbertson Dolores,
JeanTble;
mSah, Alice Ross:
Betty McGill. Angel choius .consist
ed ot Gwyn Shiflet Vlr|Bia Ms
and Margaret
Men were Rebecca Nickles, Betty
Schaff, and Lucille Wayland.
S.C.A. Project
Announced
To Students
The Student Christian Associa
tion Cabinet has selected as its
project this year to help the Pah-
V16W Homes settlementi and. the
World Student Federation fund, as
it has been announced to the
student body.
The Fairview Homes is a Negro
district in Charlotte. 'The S. C. A.
nlans to send materials for the
advancement of the religious work
in the Sunday School and com
munity.
The World Student fund is sent
to those students in other coun-
frips who have lost everything in
£e w This fund was started
to China in 1937, and later spread
into Europe and other parts of the
Continent.
Duke Women
Organize COG
DURHAM, N. C.-A new war or-
eanization at the Woman’s College
of Duke University which is gam
ine momentum in its own
scribed march to victory ^d is
now being rapidly fla,nked by du
plicate organizations in other m1-
leces and universities, is that
of COGS (College Organizations
for General Service.) This organ
ization embraces in membership
every coed who registers at the
university and in service every
phase of war work that a college
woman can do.
Student contribution to this war
service is optional and voluntary.
Each coed who completes 55 hours
of work in one semester is given
a COG key. All members receive
activity points according to the
number of hours each has given
to the victory campaign. The “Cog
of the Month” is the title given
to the girl who does the greatest
number of hours work in at least
three phrases of COG service.
With an ever increasing demand
in all lines of war work, including
the 1,600 Navy V-12 students,
hundreds of Marines, the Army
Finance School on the campus,
and Camp Butner near the city,
no interested COG can remain
idle in turning the wheel of war
at Duke University.
Special war work done by the
COGS includes assistance in
church activities; Red Cross band
age rolling; assistance in com-
rnunity war fund drives; operation
of defense stamp booths; commun
ity projects including day nursery
and orphan work; assistance in
community welfare centers; hos
pital work, including nurses’ aide
and clerical work; alumni work,
including filing and letter-writing
to Duke students in war service;
and entertainment of service men,
including dances on the campus
and nearby camps. More recent
activities include rationing assist
ance at the Office of Civilian De
fense in the city.
Origin of Christmas Customs
Differs Greatly In Many Lands
(Coiitiinird from page one)
early church where nativity plays
were presented and songs in praise
of Christ were sung. Later the
carols were sung by groups who
progressed from house to house
on Christmas Eve, sending forth
their glad message.
Our Chrkstmas today would lack
an important quality if we sud
denly discontinued our custom of
giving gifts. This observance goes
back to the ancient Romans, who
distributed gifts in the course
of their Midwinter festival. In the
Bible story, the Baby Jesus re
ceived gifts from the Three Wise
Men twelve days after His Birth.
Thus if is that in Spain, Italy,
and certain other countries, the
children receive their presents on
the eve of Epiphany anc not on
Christmas Day. In certain north
ern countries, the gifts come three
weeks before Christmas, or on the
eve of the feast of Saint Nicholas—
Dec. 6.
Santa Claus
Saint Nicholas was a bishop of
the Fourth (Jentury. He came to
be regarded as a special friend and
protector of children. Now, in
Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Aus
tria, and some parts of Germany,
he returns every year on the Eve of
Saint Nicholas, bringing gifts for
good children and switches for the
bad. Our own jolly Santa Claus
is only another form of Saint
Nicholas. Fle was brought to the
New World by the jovial Dutch
who settled New York. They called
him “San Nicolaas,” which soon
became “Sankt Klaus,” and event
ually, “Santa Claus.” Of course we
all know Santa Claus from our
childhood—his joviality and mer
riment, his happy spirit of giving,
and above all, his big bag of toys
slung across his back. He is faf to
represent liberality and plenty of
good things to eat. He is dressed
in red to represent warmth and
heartiness. He is as old as Father
Time and has a long white beard;
but his rosy cheeks show that he
is also as young as a child. Santa
Claus is timeless and ageless.
In no land and in no age has
Christmas been so festive or so
colorful as in “Ole England” of the
Sixteenth and Seventeenth Cen
turies. This celebration began on
Christmas Eve and continued un
til Twelfth Day. Every peasant
hung mistletoe over his door and
flung a Yule log on his fire. Royal
observance was imitated in castle
and manor house. A “Lord of
Misrule” was appointed who took
charge of the games and entertain
ments. Carols were sung all
through the season, and bands of
musicians called waits paraded the
streets at night.
In Shakespeare’s time, Yuletide
celebrations reached their height.
Then, under stern Puritan rule,
they were abolished. However,
when Charles II was restored to
the throne, many of the old cus
toms were revived and still exist in
England today.
The modern Christmas, evolving
from these ancient customs, varies
as did they. In Germany today
(or up until the rule of Hitler) the
festivities lasted for days. On the
Eve of Saint Nicholas, a man
dressed as the good old patron
saint went from house to house,
asking the children how they had
behaved during the year. The
good would receive gifts; and the
bad switches. On Christmas Eve,
Kriss Kringle arrived to distribute
the gifts. In churches and homes,
Kristlieder were sung and many
other customs practised. It is from
'Germany that many of our lovely
customs and symbols came; thus
Germany may be called the
IChristmas Covmtry.”
France makes a great festival of
the Christmas season. On Christ
mas Eve, the children expect either
the Christ Child (Petit Noel) or
Father Christmas (Bonhomme Noel)
to fill their shoes with candy
and toys. Midnight Mass is cele
brated on Christmas Eve; and aft
erwards, all make merry at family
gatherings called reveillons.
Other countries have various
other diversions of the celebration.
In Holland and Belgium, it is de
voted almost entirely to church
services. In Rumania, a special
cake is made to represent the swad
dling clothes of the Infant Jesus.
The Yule log is the center of fes
tivities in the Balkans. As for
the Holy Land itself in Bethle
hem on Christmas Eve a lovely
procession makes its way through
the streets to the Church of the
Nativity. There t h e Christmas
story is told and midnight Mass
is sung. So is the Christmas of
Christ’s own birthplace.
Could there be a more mean
ingful day than December 25th?
England, France, Germany, Hol
land, Belgium, Italy, Spain, our
United States—each has slightly
different symbols of this great fes
tival; but all possess one common
bond which makes Christmas every
where the same—the bond which
cries out again the joyous words
of that heavenly host which sang
on a cold winter hillside in a far
country so long ago:
“Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth and peace, good will
toward men.”
Clubbing ’Round
Many of the organizations on
the campus have been active this
Fall and already have big plans
for the new year.
ALPHA KAPPA GAMMA
Alpha Kappa Gamma initiated
Marjorie Imbody, Sara Francis
McLaurin, Laura Smith, Virginia
Prunty, Miss Inglis, and Miss
Nooe on Nov. 9.
SIGMA MU
Sigma Mu initiated Eleanor Big-
gers, Laura Smith, Betty Howard,
and Marie Sitton on Nov. 7.
CAMERA CLUB
One of the clubs which has been
reorganized this fall is the Cam
era Club. The members have maae
Christmas cards with photographs
of the campus and other interest
ing college scenes as the main
theme.
ALPHA IOTA
Alpha Iota gave two teas for the
new business students, and the
members of the club are now buy
ing stamps for a building fund to
make a sorority house after the
war.
I. R. C.
I. R. C. has reorganized with Dr.
Lycon as the faculty advisor, and
the members are planning for a
bigger and better year.
S. C. A.
S. C. A. fellowship group is
sponsoring Christmas caroling to
morrow night, Dec. 15.
HOME ECONOMICS
A bright and successful year
seems in store for the girls in
the Home Economics Club who
have started the year with the an
nual Orphans’ Party.
CHORAL CLUB
Choral Club has been very active
this semester with the “Messiah”
and Christmas vespers, and plans
have been made for next semester
when Debussy’s “The Blessed Dam-
ozel” and Haydn’s “The Creation”
will be presented.
Exams begin on January 26,
1944, and continue through Feb
ruary 1. Registration for second
semester will be February 2 and
the clas.ses begin on February 3.
THE COLUMN
They asked me to write them a column. “A column? A column’”
I said.
“O column?” I looked at their faces. “A column?” i thought of
my bed.
But they didn’t seem to be fooling; they apparently wanted it
then!
“I would love to oblige with a column but the question is how
and when?”
Gravely they consulted a wristwatch, “It’s only half through the
night—
If you sit down now and start it, you’ll be through by morning
light.
So I sat down to write them a column. But the subject’ What
was it about?
111 wait ’till I’m through to decide that; when I’m finished there
can be no doubt!”
\ a bit in my column—(That was such a beautiful star!)
..-u ^ announced morning I was just exactly
THIS far.
But I laughed because I had fooled them. (And I ask vou—
wasn’t it fair?)
I laughed ’cause they asked for a column—and because I had
written a SQUARE. uecause i naa
111
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