What is Halloween? A Halloween
by Victor Coffey
Halloween is a day on which children play
pranks. It was originally called All Hallow’s
Eve, because it fell on October 31, the eve of
All Saints' Day,
The name was later shortened to Hallo
ween. As with mpny holidays, Halloween is
an example of tl^e combination of a pagan
festival and of Christian worship. Both the
Romans and the ancient Britons celebrated
an autumn holiday at this date. Many of the
customs of Halloween are based on beliefs
of the past. Some of them date to the ancient
druids.
One of the beliefs of pagan Ireland was
that on this night the dead could return to
Earth as witches, goblins, ghosts, black
cats, or in other weird forms. The date
marked the end of summer, or the time
when the sun retreated before the powers of
darkness. All the dark underworld
characters then had their wicked carnival
of triumph, when they were supposed to
engage in all sorts of malicious mischief.
Any kind of light was considered a protec
tion. Hence there arose the custom of
building great bonfires on hilltops and car
rying blazing torches all around the fields.
As this custom fell into disuse, candles
replaced the fires.
An old Scotch superstition which is still
carried out today in the celebration of Hallo
ween says that the witches who had sold
their souls to the devil left a magic stick in
their beds which looked just like
themselves. Then they would fly up the
chimney and off through the sky they would
ride, attended by black cats.
Such fears and superstition no longer ex
ist and Halloween has become all fun. The
pranks and practical jokes appropriate to
the night are enjoyed particularly by the
young, because they love to make believe
they are witches or ghosts or goblins and
see the grownups pretend to be frightened.
The use of apples and nuts is associated
with the idea of harvest. The countless ways
of telling Halloween fortunes are based on
the superstition that magic powers were
abroad and could be used for that one night.
Tale
by Pamela Murrell
Twas the night before Halloween and all
through the house, every creature was stirr
ing and even a mouse. The cob webs were
hung from the ceiling with care, and the
spiders worked hard and weren’t aware
that the witch from the valley would soon be
there.
The house gave a creak and the ghost
gave a moan. The moon was very full, with
the owl on his throne.
Then!! Up on the lawn there rose such a
clatter, I sprang from my coffin to see what
was the matter. As 1 looked out the window
upon the dead leaves, I saw the old witch as
she stirred up a breeze.
As she hopped aboard her wicked old
broom, she laughed and ZOOM!! - that
withered old crone she was gone for the
night without a doubt of fear. But she won’t
be back - until next year.
As a guster of wind, she went into flight,
the moon rose higher as it neared to mid
night.
While I looked out the window 1 saw down
below, a group of ghost and gobblins all in a
row.
They made me shiver as they screamed
words, ones I’ve never heard. The words
were mean and they were so concrete those
nasty old words were the words.
TRICK OR TREAT
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Sprinkle salt on damp mud spots on your rug. Give the
saK at least 15 minutes to soak up the mud, then vacuum
up and away.
GOOD LUCK
TO THE
wssu
FIGHTINe RAMS!
FROM
OSCAR’S RESTAURANT
The Family-Owned & Operated Restaurant At
975 IVY AVENUE (Corner of Liberty & Ivy)
WINSTON-SALEM, NC 721*0043
8:00 A.M. • 10:00 P.M., MONDAY THRU FRIDAY
Seafoods, Croakers, Trout
Luncheon specials, Hoagies, Footlongs
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Dr. Paul Woods. Associate Professor of Education Photo by Peele
Woods Joins WSSU Faculty As
Coordinator of Student Teaching
by Rebecca W. .lonpc ~
Dinners, B-B-Q Ribs, Pork Chops A
y
We Aim To please In Portions And Prices! A
Reporting
A new face can be found on campus this
semester. Dr. Paul Woods, associate pro
fessor and coordinator of Student Teaching.
Dr. Woods came to Winston-Salem State
University on August 1 to help place student
teachers and to supervise their activities.
Dr. Woods’ formal education certainly
provides him with a wide scope of
knowledge and experience. While attending
Washington, D.C. Teachers College in 1964,
he earned a BS degree in History and
Geography. Dr. Woods then chose to further
his education by attending Temple Univer
sity where he received his M.Ed. in 1969. He
later received a MA degree in Elementary
Education from Atlanta University. And
lastly his most prestigious accomplishment
of a Ph.D. in Early Childhood/Special
Education was obtained at UNC-Chapel
Hill.
Dr. Woods has taught at every university
he has attended and was Director of Special
Education in William County, S.C.. He has
been involved in local politics in Orange
County and has served on several child
related boards such as: YMCA, United
Fund Day Care, and Child Guidance Clinic.
II Student
One of his greatest accomplishments was
having taken an active role as one of the
first black male teachers in a preschool
education program in Washington, D.C. in
1963. This was the era of President
Johnson’s War on Poverty, and his dedica
tion and hard work aided in the develofh
ment of this program as a predecessor to
the Head Start Program for children.
Dr. Woods has a wife, Paula and a 16
year-old son, Phillip who live in Chapel Hill.
Although Dr. Woods works here, he com
mutes home every weekend to visit his
family. He is waiting until after his son
graduates from high school to relocate his
family. He enjoys reading, playing cards
and traveling.
When asked how he was enjoying his posi
tion here, he replied, “I like Winston-Salem
State University so far, and my work is very
challenging.”
As for his outlook on education he then
commented, “I would like to see the field of
education grow back to the status that it
once held and I can see Winston-Salem as a
place for it to start.”