I i/he remembrance of friends is
' one of (he outstanding joys of Christmas.
No wonder then, that we get
such pleasure in the approach of the Holiday
season, with its all-pervading spirit of friendship
I and good will. A Merry Chritlmas
I . and a Happy New Year to all.
E HEADQUARTERS
City Auto & Home Supply
Sam Collins Clavon Kelly
. \
We're caSlo* '
fir a New Year that will
rinf in a new era ef
peace and prosperity.
H & M FOOD STORES
With the approach of another Christ'
mas, we send to all our friends , a wish
for the season's best.
May health, happiness, ant! prosperity
be yours for the coming year
Sincerely,
COOPER'S, INC.
Harold Coggins
Richard Barnett Dean Payne
Chuck Huffstickler Harold Adams
Ws. Geneva Wells George McClain
Quaint Rehearsal
Of Christ's Birth
Found in Old Carol
"Auld Lang Syne" has become
such an Integral part of our mod
ern New Year'* eve that no Cele
bration. however gay. would be
complete without It.
The music sheets for those nos
talgic strains simply say "Robert
Burns ? Scotch Air," and Robert
Burns generally is supposed to
have written it after he had set
tled down on a farm and taken
'himself a wife, following the
sweeping success in 1778 of the sec
ond edition of his "Poems." Well
and good, but Auld Lang Syne was
not exclusively a Burns' product,
nor did he claim it to be.
In a letter to George Thomson, a
publisher. Bums explained:
"It is an old song of olden tipies.
which has never been in print. I
took it down from an old man's
singing."
Modern scholarship has discov
, ered that Burns was wrong when
he told Thomson "Auld Lang
Syne" never had been in print.
Its refrain, at least, was printed
obscurely long before Burns heard
his "old man singing."
Further, the original song often
has been credited to Sir Robert
Aytoun (1570-1638). Aytoun was one
of the earliest Scots to use the low
land dialect as a literary medium.
Multitudes of Americans decended
from non-British stock are "per
petually mystified by this dialect,
nor does it seem to make much
sense in the standard English
translation.
Regardless of its original author
and origin/ it was Burns who gave
"Auld Lang Syne" its immortality.
And though the bells now welcome
the New Year with joyous peals,
symbolizing mankind's lio>pe for a.
bright futui-e, the nostalgiast of
"Auld Lang Syne" summarizes an
adherent reluctance to leave the
Security and friendship of the past
and embark upon a future which,
however promising. may not be
more pleasant. Thus, it remains a
part of the English speaking herit
age to
"Drink- a cup of kindness yet
For Auld Lang Syne."
To keep your Christmas s truly
merry one, keep these don'ts
In mind:
DON'T five children d?n
geroas toys, or toys with sharp
points. If they operate wittf elec
tricity, b? ?nre yes supervise
their use. ?
DONT decorate the tree with
lighted candles unless It's abso
lutely unavoidable.
DON'T place the tree near a
stove or fireplace.
DON'T leave lighted tree un
guarded at any time.
DON'T use a rickety, unsafe
ladder in decorating the tree.
DON'T place Christmas can
dles near the tree, curtains,
paper wreaths or other deco
rations. .
DON'T overlook the opportu
nity to make your tree fire
resistant.
DON'T leave toys exposed
where people can trip on them.
DON'T allow steps and side
walks to become Icy in coltl
weather.
DON'T drive recklessly.
iMt
* B[
v:a? * JB
PRAYER . . . "O come let ??
adore him", Uhk children pray
on Christmas eve. Their prayer
Is the trae and greatest gift of
all.
'Silent Night' Hymn
Is Often Called
Song From Heaven
"Silent Night" is often called the
"Song from Heaven" because the.
story of its inspiration and com
position is one of the most beauti
ful Christmas stories in existence.
On December 24, 1818, in the
Austrian village of Hallein. as
rather Joseph Mohr sat reading
his Bible, there was a knock at his
door. It was a peasant woman who
wanted the priest to visit a poor
charcoal-maker's wife to whom a
child had been born. The parents
had sent her to ask the priest to
come and bless the infant.
Father Mohr was strangely
moved by the visit to the mother
And that evening as he returned to
his home saw that the dark silopes
of the Alps around the village were
alight with torches of the mouo*
taineers on their way to church.
To him it was c Christmas mira<
cle. J
Leter. as he tried to put down
on paper, his feeling and experi
ence, the words kept turning Into
verse. When dawn came he found !
he had written a poem ? a beau
tiful and moving poem.
On Christmas Da-> his friend.
Franz Xaver Gruber. music teach
er in the village school, composed
music to fit the verses.
Village children heard the priest
arid teacher singing the song and
learned it. From there it spread
throughout the world. Today, it is
regarded as the greatest ChHst
mas hymn and Wherever there are
men of good will they sing:
"Silent night, holy night ?
AH it calm, all i I bright.
Round rati Virgin. Mother and
Child;
Holy Infant, so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace ?
Sleep in heat enly peace."
When you sec the Christmas seal
do you ever wonder how it started"*
It was born in Denmark, home of
the fairy tales of Hans Christian
Anderson.
Einar HolboeH. a Copenhagen
postal clerk, was sorting m..il one
snowy afternoon before Christmas.
1903. when he thought of the idea
of a penny' stamp to swell a fund
for children's hospitals.
Authorized by King Christian,
the first Christian seals were sold
in Copenhagen in 1904.
Ho)boeH's scheme outgrew his
wildest imaginings, for before his
death in 1927,' he lived to see it
spread to 45 countries.
The seals found their way to
America on letters and packages
and first attracted the attention of
Jacob Riis who wrote an article
about them. Few people, however,
were interested in the idea.
Then, In the autumn of 1907,
Emily Bissell, ? public health
worker, concerned pbout the fate
of a small sanatorium, recalled
th article and sat down to sketch
America's first Christmas seal, a
wreath of holly encircling the
words "Merry Christmas."
With SO, 000 stamps printed and
nowhere to sell them. Miss Bissell
at last enlisted the aid of a colum
nist on a Philadelphia newspaper
The idea caught and within a few
weeks $3,000 was collected.
The first nation-wide sale was
held the following year and was
backed by newspapers all over the
country, religious and civic groups,
and sponsored by the American
fted Cross and the National
Tuberculosis association.
Natural gas is not as poisonous
as manufactured gases used for
heating (and generally contain
carbon monoxide), but It pre
sents the same hazard of fire and
explosions.
Maine contains more than 2~
400 miles of highways.
VA Lists Best
Gifts Foi Vets
Those persons who plan to
send or take presents at Christ
mas to hospitalized veterans
would do well to follow certain
suggestions of the VA.
Normally it is not felt it is best
to send items ol food to individual
veterans. The reason is many vet
erans are unable to eat certain
foods as they tend to aggravate!
their illness. It is better to send
any food, such as cakes, etc., to
the hospital and distribu.ion will
be made in accordance with the
individual veteran's condition. Al
so, playing cards, games, etc., are
not favored as hospitals usually
provide all such Items.
Since it lit only natural any one
who has a dear one in a hospital
will want to give something, Geo
rge C. Warllck of the Gastonla
VA office offers a few sugges
tions of Items most suitable to all
veteran patients. Smoking Items
as cigarettes, pipes and tobacco,
as well as lighters are appropri
ate. Too, fountain pens, mechani
cal pencils, stationery, shaving
supplies, socks, handkerchief^
?tc., are most acceptable. If a
hospitalized veteran likes music,
phonograph records of type of
music he prefers will afford end
less pleasure.
Another suggestion of the Gas
tonla VA official is that coupon
books be bought for the man in
the hospital and he can use them
in thfc Canteen located in each
hospital, books for $1.00 and $5.00
being available. He can then buy
anything he would like, using the
coupons In lieu of money.
Most Important of all, Mr. War
lack points out. If your veteran
is able to have visitors, a little
time spent with him on Christ
mas Day will be the best gift you
can give him. Nothing means so
much to a patient in a hospital
as to have those he holds closest
come to see him, and at Christ
mas most of all. Every veteran
in a VA hospital will get gifts and
favors of one kind or another but
only you can give him the best
gift of all ? yourself.
Stars are not brighter in win
ter as supposed by many, but
there are. more bright stars to be
seen' in the winter months than
during summer.
m
mesommm?
m! WANT ADS
In the HERALD
A A ^
1952
"7* ? '
? ? . >
/] biiqUt and mevuf
CffUAtmal t& out faendi
and +ieiyAhy\>i.
L. A. Hoke, Electrical Contractor
And Employees
i
G. W. King's Garage
Phone 60
? Frank Hamrick
? Dee Hughes
? G. W. King
? Glenn Grigg
VICTORY CHEVROLET COMPANY
W. D. Morrison Hen ley Dixon Charles Dixon F.d Early D. G. Llttlejohn J. L. Smith George wis
L. C. Patterson j. k. Willis M. C. Poston Buddy Bachelor James Rlkard Carl Gqre George I nett
Gurney Grantham Mrs. Ruthj Grantham
mnn
>n extending our sincerest greetings to
our (rienji at this time we find an ever
deeper meaning in tlie spirit of Christmas.
For it i? tlie Curt tiering of friendship and brotherhood
witli otllCA*f that brings to u? tlie true joy of living...
A Merry Christmas and a ffappy Mete Year to all.