Newspaper Page Text
Ol)e (Tampus ^ttirror
Published During the College Year by the Students of Spelman College, Atlanta, Georgia
llllllllllllMllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllltlllllllllllllllMMMIM III! mil II I MM Ml III 111111111 Ml I Ml 111 Ml I III 111111II111II Ml III 1111111 ■ III I III ■ 11 III I II Ml III 111111111111111111 Ill 11IIII Ml
Volume IX. December 15, 1932 Number 3
""" ■■Iltlllll Ml II I I Ml Mill IIIMMIM I. Mil I II
MERRY CHRISTMAS ^5
Christmas In England
Helen Yeomans
1 really have spent more Christmases in
America than I have in England, but I re
member the good times we had at my grand
father’s when we were children.
Before Christmas there was the pudding
to be made. Everyone had a hand in getting
all the things ready; then my grandfather
poured in the wine, and everyone must stir
and wish. One year my wish really did come
true. It was a Christmas pudding, made
from the recipe which my mother and her
mother used.
Then there was the fun of decorating the
house; putting holly over all the pictures,
stringing the berries that fell off, and of
course there was the mistletoe to hang in the
hall. Should you he caught and kissed you
were supposed to present to the gentleman
a pair of gloves.
On Christmas Eve we hung our stockings.
My grandfather would come home to tea with
tales of Santa Claus with his reindeer and
sled coming down the chimneys and, of
course, we believed him.
Christmas morning we were awake long
before it was light, seeing by candlelight
what Santa Claus had brought. One thing
always was a five shilling piece in the toe.
Cor days before Christmas the poor chil
dren came around singing Christmas carols.
We often had several sets in an evening. We
gave them pennies, sometimes asked them in
tor sweets (candy and cake.) The waits came
Christmas Eve about twelve or one A. M.
They were men who sang and had musical
instruments.
Christinas dinner was the great event;
(<'ontinued on Page 4)
Christmas in Liberia
Margaret Stewart, ’35
In Liberia, Christmas is the time of sun
shine and flowers -those fragrant white
tlowers that bloom just in time for the fes
tal season. On Christmas Eve housekeepers
put the last finishing touches to spotless
homes and hang cheerful Christmas bells in
the clean, curtained windows. In the kitch
ens, (which are usually built outside the
houses) these same busy ladies lift out the
last pies or cakes from faithful old Dutch
ovens, while the children look on with eager
eyes and watering mouths.
The shop-keepers, carpenters and general
working people usually wait until the last
minute to 'hop, and they come home late in
the evening, little street boys following with
boxes and parcels. The farmers and natives
(Continued on Page 4)
The Spirit of Christmas
Blanche Robinson, ’36
It would he interesting to know how
many people give without a selfish motive.
Though our incomes he meager, we can spend
a small part of them each year in making
some one happy. Then, too, we can develop
a spirit within us that will enable us to ap
preciate the small gifts we receive—not be
cause of their value hut because of the spirit
in which they are given. This is the true
Christmas spirit. The extent to which we
give things that are dear to us implies the
depths of this spirit within our souls.
Sympathy is everlastingly, and inevitably
within every human being somewhere. No
matter how long this feeling has been sub
dued, it must, under some circumstances,
come again to life. No country has ever
existed or will ever exist without some bond
ot sympathy extending between its classes.
I he spirit ot Christmas is born of sympathy.
A favorite fantasy of the modern illustra
tors and writers is that of Santa Claus and
his reindeer. What does Santa Claus mean
to you? I' he merely a symbol ? Why is the
message he brings never explained, so as to
give a clear conception of its meaning? If
we think for a moment, we will realize that
the story of Santa Claus teaches the blessed-
ncss and joy of giving.
I rue, very few people understand just
what i> expected of them during the Christ
mas holidays. W hether it means gorging
themselves on turkey and cake, or taking
(Continued on Page 4)
Christmas in the Virgin
Islands
Eldra Monsanto, ’36
Tn the Virgin Islands, Christmas is the
time when everyone tries to make the other
happy. This is manifested by the spirit of
giving. Dinners are sent to the poor, neigh
bors exchange samples of food, friends ex
change gifts and presents of dairy products;
vegetables and other things are given to the
municipal hospital.
Some autumn evening, when one sits down
after a full day, sweet strains of music are
wafted on the breeze. One sits up and turns
a listening ear towards the hills whence the
sound is coming. It is the choristers prac
ticing their Christmas Chorals. This begins
about two or three months before Christmas
and is the first sign of the coming joyous
time.
The stores then follow the lead and try to
compete with each other as to which one will
make the prettiest show; they are made gay
by the articles displayed and by the garlands
and tinsels used to decorate them. The boys
and girls of the schools keep the flame
glowing by exchanging names so that each
student may receive a gift. Each class puts
on a drive to raise money for the purpose of
spreading cheer.
Christmas Eve is the time when merriment
is at its height. On Christmas Eve morning
one awakens with an inexplicable feeling.
When the sleeper comes to full consciousness,
he jumps out of bed with a firm resolution
to have this day just as full as possible.
This feeling comes to every native on that
day.
The day’s shopping is one of the most
thrilling experiences. Merry groups saunter
from store to store, getting the keenest en
joyment out of window shopping.
(letting the Christmas tree is the special
(Continued on Page 4)
• IMMIMIMIIIIIMIIIIIIIIIIIMIIIIMIIMIIIMIIIIIMIIMIMMIIIIMMIIIMMItlMMIMM
Atlanta. Morehouse. Spelman
Get "A” Rating
I lit* Southern Association of Colleges and
Secondary Schools, at its meeting in New
Orleans on December 1st, voted to give Class
“A" rating to Atlanta University, with its
aftiliated colleges. Morehouse College and
Spelman College. This gives the highest rat
ing of the Southern Association to the bach
elor’s degrees conferred by Morehouse Col
lege and Spelman College and to the Mas
ter’s degree' conferred by Atlanta University.
MIMIIIIIIIMMMIIMMIMMItIMMItllMIMMIIIIMIIIIIItIMIIMMIIIItMIIMIIMIIIMI