Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6-B—THE BULLETIN, December 26, 1959
ROME NATIVITY SCENE
First Christmas Tree in U. S.
Was Decorated 125 Years Ago
This marble bas-relief of the Nativity is located in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome
where the relics of the crib in which Christ was laid are kept. The relics, five pieces of
wood, are exposed for veneration on Christmas Eve. For the rest of the year they are kept
n a valuable reliquary.
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By
Father Placid Jordan, O.S.B.
America’s Christmas tree will
be 125 years old this year,
The credit for having it in
troduced to this country goes to
two German immigrants, Freid-
rich Knorr, a teacher, and his
friend Konstantin Hering, a
physician, both of Philadelphia.
Remembering the traditional
German “Tannenbaum”, when
the time approached for their
first Christmas in the United
States they decided to start the
custom in their newly adopted
homeland and ventured forth
into the woods of neighboring
New Jersey to find a suitable
fir-tree.
The chronicles of those days
relate that it was quite a sen
sation when they actually turn
ed up with their giant spruce,
carrying it through the streets
of Philadelphia, to their home.
A year later a family also of
German stock, by the name of
Krausnick whose home was in
Cincinnati, followed suit. The
family chronicle of the Kraus-
nicks says that they, too, had a
regular decorated Christmas
tree in 1835.
MIXED REACTIONS
But the man who really made
the Christmas tree an American
institution was a poor tailor by
the name of August Irmgard
of Weltzer, Germany who came
to join his brother Fred in
Wooster, Ohio in 1847. He not
only cut the tree on the out
skirts of the town, but also dec
orated it with trinkets he him
self cut out of various-colored
paper, and had a golden star
made out of shining metal to be
displayed on top.
The tree made such an im
pression on the good people of
Wooster that the following year
at Christmas time, almost all
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scheme and set up Christmas
trees in their homes.
Not much later a Pastor of
the Lutheran community of
Cleveland, Ohio, the Reverend
Henry C. Schwan attempted to
apply the custom to his church,
setting up two trees next to his
altar for Christmas services,
both with burning candles.
However, he was almost thrown
out of his church by outraged
parishioners who felt this was
“a pagan unnatural innovation.”
Another Lutheran Pastor in
Rochesteer, New York had bet
ter luck. The Christmas issue of
the “Rochestere Daily Adver
tiser” carried a letter to the ed
itor praising the local Pastor
the families there adopted the
for having had a Christmas tree
in his church, for the services
in the year 1840.
Today it is estimated that
Americans spend some 25 mil
lion dollars for Christmas trees .
every year, and the 125th anni
versary of their introduction to
this country may well establish
a record going far beyond this
mark.
SO TRUE
EXPECT FLATTERY
When people ask you your
candid opinion they usually ex
pect it to be complimentary.
CARDINAL AND FOUNDRESS
His Eminence Amleto G. Cicognani, former Apostolic Dele
gate to the United States is shown as he took formal posses
sion of his title as protector of the Society of Catholic Medi
cal Missionaries, December 3, in Rome. Mother Anna Den-
gel, M.D., formerly of Fox Chase, Pa., foundress and Su
perior General kneels before the Cardinal to present him
with the symbols of his title, a bell and a copy of the con
stitutions of the Congregation. (NC Photos)
The Shepherds
Carried Tommy Guns
.
CARTER
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117 Eighth St.
Augusta, Ga.
HENRY T. JONES, Prop.
“We Print to Please”
By Sheila Nelson
There was no myrrh; no gold;
not even a little oil that night
for the desert country of Jordan
—but there were “sheep”—one
and one half million people en
trusted to the “shepherds”—and
they protected them with Tom
my-guns.
It was December 24—the
height of the wet season and the
weather being predictable, it
rained, The roads from Amman
to Jerusalem were slick and
hazardous—Joseph, behind the
wheel was reliable—so we wor
ried little.
Two and a half hours after
our departure, after we had
passed through biblical Salt,
Jericho, past the Dead Sea, on
to Bethany, we drove into view
of the hills of Jerusalem, which
presented a Christmas card
panorama.
BARBED WIRE
BACKGROUND
Night was falling and the
shepherds watching their flocks
seemed to be engraved against
the December sky. Suddenly, It
was 2,000 years ago—a star rose
in the heavens and rested over
Bethlehem.
This illusion wag a fleeting
one, destroyed, not only by the
sound of the automobile engine,
but by thought that in 1955, as
on the night Christ was born
there lurked in the shadows of
the earth men with greed in
their hearts—the atomic age
Herod’s.
Had it become necessary for
the Holy Family to flee to
Egypt that year, they probably
wouldn’t have made it, for
along with the shepherds stand
ing against the Middle Eastern
sky were the border fences of
barbed wire, with gates tightly
locked.
We had made the trip, as had
most Americans in the area, to
celebrate Christmas in the vil
lage of Christ’s birth—to attend
the Midnight Mass in the
Church of the Nativity, Beth
lehem.
Mr. Collins, a gentleman in
our party, had a cook, a good
Moslem who invited us to visit
his home in a little village near
Bethlehem, for a Christmas
feast. The idea was intriguing
—how symbolic to partake of a
meal in a little villege near
Bethlehem on the night of
Christ’s birth! Unfortunately
we could not attend the dinner
as a recent illness dictated that
I rest in bed for several hours
before participating in the Mid
night Mass. However, it was de
cided that we would drop Mr.
Collins at his cook’s home and
that he would taxi back to the
Church of the Nativity where
we would meet him for Mid
night Mass.
Joseph turned the car from
Bethlehem to the village of Bat-
tir; Mr. Collins’ destination. The
road wound along in the now
black of night. We followed the
only light, our headlights, and
as we progressed it became ap
parent that there would be no
taxi from Battir.
Joseph was silent—and his
silence spelled only one thing—
a resignation to fate which
might prove to be unpleasant.
In his heart his one mission was
to get his master where he had
asked to go—with no questions
asked—that was the way Joseph
was.
SOLDIERS WATCH
One hour on the black road
and a light brought us to a
halt. A man appeared from be
hind the light—one of Clubb
Pasha’s (John Bagot Clubb,
later exiled from Jordan) crack
soldiers, an Arab legionaire. The
conversation between the sol
dier and Joseph was in Arabic.
The sounds were familiar to the
ear, but their meaning was ob
scure; presently Joseph disap-
(Continued on Page 7-B)
Charles Ruben
Paul Ruben
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914-16 BROAD ST.
AUGUSTA, GA.
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Eighth and EHist Sts.
Augusta, Georgia
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DIAL RE. 3-4481
AUGUSTA, GA.
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SHIER Hire SUPPLY CO.
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1337 REYNOLDS ST. PHONE PARK 4-8247
AUGUSTA, GEORGIA
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Established 1837
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^ (Pipresl
Jreefinjs to all
J*"or every
one, we wish a Christmas
Season glowing with good
cheer, enduringfriendships
and cherished memories.
AUGUSTA FEDERAL SAVINGS & LOAN ASS'N.
• 4% ON INSURED SAVINGS BEGINNING
JAN. 1ST, 1960 — PAYABLE JUNE 30TH, 1960
767 BROAD STREET