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/-\ * " Cp/9 1/ JNkfcyhutst College UtoWQ /} Brit, Pennsylvania

Annual Christmas Festivities FeatureDinner, Crib Lighting and Benediction

[ College Chri stma s activities ar e[scheduled for Monday, December19 . From 6 P.M. until midnight.Dinner

[ On that day all resident andday students of the college will be[guests of the Sisters of Mercy forChristmas dinner. Dress will beI formal.Crib LightingAfter dinner, the lighting of the[outdoor crib on|the front campuswill take |place. Students attired| in cap and gownfwill recite prayers 5 and sing carols around thelife-size repre sent ation s! of f th eNativity scene, while St. Luke'saccount of the fChristmas story isread.

Foyer CeremonyFrom there, seniors only* willproceed to the Foyer for the highlight of their festivities. This ceremony consists inj the lighting ofthe Foyer Christmas tree and> th eblessing of the crib. The seniors,

divided into two lines for chan ting, will be led in the intonationof the psalms and in Biblicalreadings.The significance of the ceremonyis that the lighting of the | treesymbolizes Christ, f W h o is theLight of the World.f |PartiesFollowing the Foyer ceremonies,the big sister classes will entertainat informal parties I in their respective lounges in McAuley Hall.

Deans of Residence will attend,and the sister classes wiUl ex change gifts. The juni ors! haveplanned a special\ entertainmentfor their little sisters, including amodern version of the "Night Before Christmas."At 11 p.m., junior and seniorchoristers,? attired in cap andgown, will sing Christmas hymnsand carols through Egan and McAuley Halls.

BenedictionClimaxing the evening will bethe blessing of the junior classrings followed! by midnight benediction. At exactly 12 p.m., theupperclassmen will endJjthe eventful day in a benediction ofthanksgiving.

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^keVol. XXX II, No. 3 MERCYHURST COLLEGE, ERIE, PENNA. December 16, 1960

DSO Celebrates Fifth Ann iversary Candy CanesNovember, 1960 marked thefifth birthday of the Day StudentOrganization. It is with pride andraise that the whole studentbody of Mercyhurst College ex-

a hearty congratulations!

We need only look at some ofthe projects and ventures D.S.O.has directed in the past five yearsto see that it has established itself as a*vital part of the,school.Creating a sense of social unityamong day j students, its first ob-(ZOUHCUVI

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December f 9 '17Orphans'lParty 418Performance by IraeliStudents m J I1 Sophomore Pageant-Administration Ch r i s t ie mas Dinner for StudentI Body.. IOutdoor Lighting of CribCaroling:|seniors an djuniors MSenior Foyer ProgramBlessing of class ringsMidnight Benediction Is20Christmas vacation begins after classesJanuary!2Classes begin |4Surprise General Assembly I r&!16Semester exams begin

Retreat PlannedThe annual Mercyhurst retreats scheduled to begin Thursdaymorning, January 25 and continue

Saturday, the 2 7 | fIn reality, two retre ats willf beconducted simultaneously, one forthe freshman and sophomores andthe other for juniors and seniors.iiTwo Jesuit Fathers fromMar-quette?University in Detroit!willconduct the exercises in the Little

days. | f.Each day of the retreat will begin with Mass and end with Benediction in the Chapel |for bothgroups. The conferences will beinterspersed with time ffor spiritua l | reading, private devotions,onfessions, private conferencesand rest. Complete silence must bebserved throughout the days by

esidents and by day studentshile at school.This period of spiritual revitali-

is obligafor all Catholics to attend the

Yule Pageant]To Be StagedThe traditional Christmas Page

ant presented by the sophomoreclass will takefplace on Sunday,December 18, at 8:00 p.m., in theLittle Theatre. Bonnie McGough,chairman of the pageant *has an nounced! the program plans.

To set the mood for the ^pageant, the combined glee clubs ofMercyhurst^and Gannon will singa | medley of favorite Christmassongs and carols. Directed by Sister M. Brigid and!assisted by Sister M. Helen Jean of the musicdepartment and Sister M. AnneFrancis, class advisor, the pageantwill consist of choric speechesinterspersed with song by sophomore Glee Club members.Through Biblical references andquotes, the narrators, Rose Scar-sella and Eileen Motsay, will beginthe story with the fall of Adamand man's need for a Redeemer.Various! speakers! aided jby th echoir will continue the theme withthe Annunciation, the Journey toBethlehem, and the Nativity. Girlsacting as statues on the stagewill form tableaus of the Christmas story. The main figures willinclude Judy Spaeder as theBlessed Mother, and Kit Reese, asSt. Joseph. After the vision of theWise Men.fthe narrative will conclude! with the glorious praises ofthe angels.Immediately following the pro

gram, refreshments will be servedin the main dining room to thesophomores, and the faculty.The two glee clubs j will be entertained in m ain lounge, McAuleyHall, where an informal mixer willbe held, and refreshments served.

jective, has been partly reachedthrough the "Big-Little Sister"boat ride in 1356, and; the "Get-Acquainted" picnics held beforethe beginnnig of each term forthe last four years. Day studentunity, once fa reality, became thebasis for D.S.O.'s successful sponsoring of the "Little Singers ofParis" in 1958, selling tickets andhandling publicityJ | f o r "TheCrucible" in 1959, and sponsoringthe "Don Cossack Chorus andDancers" last fall.Promoting{greater participationin activities andjmore cooperationbetween day and resident V students, the second objective ofD.S.O., has -been reached in thebowling* enterprise of 1956-57, thevarious theatre "outings" at theErie Playhouse,| and attendance atthe "pop" concerts of? the Philharmonic Orchestra in 1957.In addition to carrying out herobjectives, D.S.O. has had a definite effect on, and significancefor the college itself. The "OpenHouse" sponsored by D.S.O. everyyear for prospective Mercyhurststudents has been a valuablemeans of informing high schoolstudents about the college. Sponsoring the "pop" concerts in 1957led indirectly to the supportMercyhurst College now gives tothe Philharmonic concerts andthe Civic Music programs in Erie.After considering the effects ithas had, the college, and particularly the Merciad, wants tocongr atulate D .S.O., fits mem bersand! officers. Special commendation is extended to past iD.S.O.presidents Barbara Story,| MaryKay Donatelli, Anna Marie Berg-an, Maryann Schubert, EleanoreHertel, to the prevailing presidentCarolyn Kopkowski, and to moderator Sr. Mary Charles, for thework they i have done in makingthis organization a vital part ofthe college.

Class Entertains"Our Lady's Juggler," starringC. Puller as Blessed Virgin, C.Kwolek as juggler, and E.iCurtisas narrator, will be presented aspart of the Christmas activities bythe Theatre Direction Class.

Front row, leftf to right: S. Hall, S. Cassidy, S. Avery* V. Rossonl.Back row, left to right: G. Malley, E. Hertel, E. Curtis.Seven Mercyhtirsti LeadersAttain "Who's Who" Rating

Seven Mercyhurst seniors will be listed in Who's "Who AmongStudents in American Universities and Colleges 1960-61, the annualdirectory ofIdistinguished students selected from colleges and universities throughout America. j f 'They have been selected by the Mercyhurst faculty onlthe basisof scholarship, leadership, leadership, and participation in extracurricular and academic activities, citizenship and service to the school,and promise of future usefulness to business and society. 1Sue Avery, an English |Major from Erie, is the regional Vice-president! of N P.C.CS., a member of thel; Literary Club,|D.S.O.,fandthe Dramatic Club. She has been active in Student Council,;in th eStudent Board' of Discipline, andini the Freshman Orientation^program. 5 In the literary field, Suehas worked on the staffs ofMerciad and Praeterita.Suzette Cassidy of Elmira, NewNew York, is an Elementary Education Major on the Cadet program. In addition she has been amember of Y.C.S. two years, theAthletic Association three years,and has served as a FreshmanOrientation Counselor.Elaine Curtis from Punxsu-tawney, Pennsylvania, an EnglishMajor, has served on StudentCouncil, and is now president ofStudent Board. She has participated* in the Dramatic Club,Literary Club, Y.C.S., and orientations counselling. She also belongs to the Sodality, is affiliatedwith Alpha Psi Omega, and is* amember of the Merciad staff.Sue Hall, an English Majorfroml Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ispresently Student Council president. She has served as vice-president of her class, Dorm Council President, and as the PolicyCommittee Chairman ffor StudentCouncil. Sue is in Sodality, AJL,- and has worked for the Praeterita.Eleanor Hertel, a ChemistryMajor from Erie, is ^presently onthe Publicity Committee and theStudent-Faculty Committee ofStudent Council. She has served as

both President and) f Secretary OfD.S.O., and as a counselor for theFreshman Orientation Program*Eleanor, a section editor for thePraeterita, is a member of GleeClub, Science Seminar, C.C.D.,and jj the research chemistry program^ | $fe 'Gretchen Malley: from A rdsley,New York, an Elementary ^Education Major, served as Secretary

To HighlightOrphan Party"Candy Cane Land" willlbe th etheme of this year's Orphans'Party held for children from St.Joseph's on Saturday, December16 , at 2 pjm. There will be sixty-six children, ranging: from 2 to 4,according to Kathy Kelly, generalchairman.The decorations will consist

primarily of red and white candycanes, and will feature two wooden soldiers guarding the door. Anativ ity scene I mur al will coverthe lower portion ofithe stage.The entertainment committee hasplanned fa Ginger Bread Mandance, Raggedy Ann and Andy,and three elfs who will act ashelpers.Committee heads include: Marilyn Baker and Mary Pat Carlow,entertainment; Jane Reed;, decorations; lan d Joan Kreutter, refreshments.D e s t i n a t i o n N DFriday, December 2 - 10:55 ajn.Sr. Carolyn, Sr.Maria, Sheila Himes, Mary AnnBrennan, Rita Gazarik, MarionMichaels, and Bert Donohue depart for the Advent Symposium atN . D M I | :.7:30 p.m.Mr. Daniel Callaha n {challenges students to "lookat the world" through {their owneyes.Saturday, December 13' 10:30 a.m.-Mr. Richard Clarkcalls American ma "high stand- I, of her freshman class, 1 and presi-ard of low living."1:30|p n.An "institutionalized cleavage between religion andlife," is the great problem ofAmerican Catholics i according toRev. Robert Brookes. Sunday, December 410:00 a.m.Rev. William Pet-rak questions the effectiveness ofgroup action when individuals rely on the good work of the groupfor personal merit. M10:00 pm.Tired travellers return filled with ideas, enthusiasm,and gratitude.

dent of her sophomore and junior 1classes. She is also a Sodalist, amember of A.A., C.C.D. presidentan d al section! editor for thePraeterita.Virginia Rossonl, an English!Major from Erie has been a member and president off he LiteraryClub. She was also on the M erciadstaff for three years, assistanteditor her junior year. She -ispresently editor of Praeterita. Herother activities have centeredaround D.S.O., Y.C.S., C.C.D., *and_Student Council.

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Page Two T H E M E R C I A D

Peace - The]Gift O f The Christ jChildThe gre at holiday-holyday for which we Let us ponder the rich, meaningful pas-are now preparing is a lways and everywhere sages of Holy Scrip ture tha t surround thethe greates t , most joyful and blessed day of unheard-of m iracle . Isa ias prophesies: > "Be-the year, for Chr istm as bring s to us in fa hold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son,Testive celebration the reassu rance of and His nam e shall be callled Em ma nu el/'Chris t 's Bir th . Chris tmas l is certa in ly be- S t . John says : "When t ime began, the Word!yond thi s world and yet so deeply rooted was th ere and the Word fwas face to facein it ! jp I with God, and|the Word was God . . . theTo appreciate the miracle of the feast, we Wo\d became man .and lived among us andshould pause to fix our atten tion on th e we looked upon His Glorymajesty of the mystery . We recall the MC i?. ee the recurrence of the admon i t ion :wonderful union of the infinite with the S t i r 0 u ? T h y p o w . e r ' 1 S S * UP Thy m i g h t' in i te , of the e ternal with the temporal , of I s t w up our hea rts . Hear the peti t ionthe spirit with the flesh, of God with man. a s the feast draws near: Hasten we be-There , in reali ty , is the MYSTERY OF sfch Yu 9 ****: co s oon * N o * e t h ?CHRIS TMA S, the Incarna tion of the Divine oft-repeated invitation 0 come, when atWord, of the Son of God made man. l a s j * h e n 1 ^ t h 2 I m d / ? t ^ * courseI and the omnipotent Word of God leapt downWhi*e we can never |understand fully i ts I from Its royal throne." I pmeaning because a mystery jof the fa i th i s P a r t o f the Chr i s tm as | l i tu rgy | i s the p re -something beyond an d labove pur compre- ceding solemn Novena to prep are the faith-hension, we can nevertheless bring the ful for the great celebration. Then comesgran deu r of it withi n reach of our limited the climax in M idnight] Masssolemn, dra-understandinsr. Holv Mother Church throug h matic , thr i l l in g! There can be no Chris tm as+*>e Sacred J itnrY"uses all possible human without|the Mass p it h i ts joyful "Gloria inmeans to assist us. She prepares us |b y set- Excels is Deo." 1 * 1 I ^ting aside the season of Adve nt in which Never to be outdone in generosity , Ch ristshe reminds us of the pr op er Ch ris tmas brings to us a t th is t ime more than a

sPTitiments to be developedpenance and mystery . . He presents us on His Bir thda y ahope. special gift which was first brought to earthI jp f*r>m Heaven bv angelic choirsPEACE.Pl l m m 1 1 m ~% A -* J V ^ s . Today, as long ago in Bethleh em, it continu esI U I d I I S m A n a T o i l tolbe His Christmas gift to us if we do notS II 4 preclude it from our lives.What is p luralism?" an aware I Catholic W e o f t h e Mercyhurst Family should knowcollege student rightfully asks. This old word f u l l w e n h o w to prepare to be worthy andwith a new connotation design ates th e pres- gratefu l recipie nts of this precious gift. Itence of many religious societies within one i s the one which the Administra t ion and thecivil society. * | | Faculty wish for each of their s tudents andPluralism challenges the Catholic student! their loved ones on the feast of the Princeto fully realize his student vocation, to come of Peace. May it continue | with themto grips with |the t ru th that college islai? throughout the New Year,"call ing" to prepare for fu ture endeavor and . M >B S is te r Mary Es the rtha t h i s motives.and morals , therefore , must I960be s t rong ly Chr i s t ian . J | . JS m f I ' * - -Does the Mercyhurst s tudent fu lly realize A t fm Ath is? Has she convinced herself that she JATtlCOIl r T 6 G G f O I 7 ) lj _ V J i l l ! 1 ^ ^ 0 ^ 0 m m w m ^ M v ^ V ^ P W ^ ^ must become the best possible example in f fher field in ord er to r adia te" a (Chri stian in- m j # i f ^ i ifluence||of cha r i ty ; o rf a re he r8 o r ig in a l ! J\ l / l / f i t IC M P tfihl C*tTlambitions being drowned tin a sea of grade- ^ * * U f J W I I \JLJICII fconsciousness, classroom indifference, fand? m, *. *.u ~, 4.*~ T A * ;empty theoriz ing? If so , she mus t learn to e /n s T we , r t o , t h e ^ s t w n Is Africablend her preparation for society with part i- R ^ J r I n d e ^ n d e e ? c a = t . b e .a ns w .er "cination in it. She must read Catholic peri- ed erther ye s or no because Africa is not aodicals for modern amplications of the never nat}0Ti b u t ra t h < : r a conglomerate of peoplesoutmoded moral code; stop being an intel- a " d * t a . t es running th e gamut from a tr iballectual isolationist, carry classroom discus- d"eftain to an official stat esma n Somesions into the lounges for diversified opini- sections, therefore m ay be ready whikons, and seize the broadening, cultural op - ?th +trs + * * \ b * t b eux * t h e si tuationrortunit ies of her campus- and her conV 1S t h a t t h e y a1 1 should be ready.munitv . She must wander out of the A f r i c a possesses* the planet s grea te s t" g h e t t o / ' | -, natural resources , a vastness of land, rich, , ' , _ ., ,. I I S w l " , , , 1 human potentialmnd a legit imate aspira tion1 ! T o d a I s Catholic college student could be t o b e f r e e f r o m colonial bondage,failing to realize his student vocation in s h e s h o u W b e r e a d b e c a u s e s h e j ^r^arner more basic than academic smugness . ! i. . . v, . ,^*A *...n.n~.A~A uf.H is dailv worshih muot not onnsiist of too m a hl h l y developed age, surrounded byHis daily worship must not consis t o t too scientifically advanced people who are notfew pravers recited onlv when not convem- _ I L _1? ... -v. ^ ; . u vir Jently forgotten . He must r io t trade theolo- fre t h a n a J ! ^ S ^ A S ' 1 t ^ S ?gical ideas on a comfortable catechism level. w.h? a r ertrwSJftttAt nicians, missionaries , or teachers with uni-He should ^make the chu rch jHi s^l ife, the versal concepts of God and love. IMass His language, and Chris t His ide al | . . . Historically , Africa should be ready. How : many independent countr ies exis t ing todaybegan their s truggle for independence when * Published Monthly the y w w in an advanced stage of ciyili-^RMH^t - ^ zation? Didn t they all originate* in a s ta teI A N K S ? T U P AA K P T ! A D o f immatu r i ty and ach ieve p rog ress th roughSaf - p f t r t i a l failure ?

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T H E " M E R C I A D page Three

S t . F r a n c i s O r i g i n a t e d C r i b W h i t e S i l e n c e H o l i d a y T r a d i t i o n sS p r i n g F r o m C u s t o m sBy AliceFor | Saint Francis, Christmasbeen th e "feast ofeasts" bringing light and hopeinto a dark world. The day wheneaven and earth were made one

True Mean ingO f ChristmasComes ForthBy Roberta DonohueOnce a month, in remembrancedonor, an d I suppose, inremembrance of the act of givingtoo, Kate thought of her geranium plant. A friend-had givenful, at least for one day, everynow and then. And so she wouldwater the plant with f loving careand'tkeep it tin the sunlight allshe would tuck it away and notbother for another month. Forlack of care and attention thelant soon -began! to wi ther anddie. Reminded off this, Kate de-to nourish the plant inpreparation for its anniversaryso tha t she might t ru ly | enjoy it,an d then J to continue doing so inorder| tha t th e | plant might notwilt again.So too with Our Lord. If wear e t o | truly appreciate His loveand be able to reciprocate it, wemust keep Him alive within usnot simply bring Him to mind onChristmas Day and then i storeHim . away for anoth er year .Through realization! of His tremendous love for the world whichis made known in the Incarnationand Redempt ion and through theSacrifice of the Mass, Christ isborn again to us each day. Hecannot live vitally Jin us withoutcare on our part. We need to prepare for Christ in Advent, carefor Christ on Christmas Day, buta lso to take |Him out! of Christmas, an d remember*Him EVERYDAY. iJ P

WelteGod condescended to be fed byhuman love. The idea of celebrating the feast in a special wayseems to have occurred to St.Francis suddenly in the Advent of1223. He was then in Rome and,before leaving, asked the Pope'spermission!to celebrate Christmasin a new way so as to realize outwardly the poverty of Christ inthe manger .He sent for his friend GiovanniVellita, a landowner of Greccio,where Francis had a favoritehermitage. "If now it seems goodto thee that we should f celebratethis feast together, go before meto Greccio and prepare everythingas I tell thee. I desire to represent the bir th of that Child inBethlehem* in such a way t ha twe may seel what He suffered forlack of the necessities of a ^newborn Babe and jj how g He lay in amanger between ox and ass."Giovanni hastened to obey. Byhis order the manger had beenarranged so that Mass was celebrated on it, andi blessed Francis,the levite of Christ, sang the Gospel and preached to the people onthe Nativity of Christ our King.

The town of Greccio was trulytransformed into a second Bethlehem. Th at wonderful nig htseemed like the fullest day toboth man and beast, because ofthe joy all felt at the renewing ofth e mystery.This was the Franc is ' Nativitycelebration. It has no connectionwith the Nativity Dramas in thathe did not impersonate anyone,nor did J the priest org brothers.There were neither the traditional figures nor dialogues, nor* aninfant present gin r the manger.Nevertheless, the Nativity of Our

Lord was brought home to thepeople. The love, the devotion, andthe concentration of each individual became one with--that ofFrancis, and as Giovanni said, "H ewas no longer in Greccio; h isheart was in Bethlehem."

ouour Ikrirtma*ftp djptf f j l o||pykut*|Spirit Reigns at 'Hurst

I t 's that t ime again! TheChristmas Season has f inally descended upon us. Come to thinkof it, it descended upon us aboutthree months ago! I t would^comeas no surprise if the nation's department stores promoted thesale of fir trees in July in orderto beat5"the last-minute Christma s .rush." |At the college on the hill , however, things are completely different.* After all , the busy students on Student Council don'tlay the groundwork for Project"Which Groups Will p o W h a tfor Christmas When, Where,and-How" until October 5.By the beginning of Novemberthe Committee-Selecting Machinery is merrily manufacturinglist upon list of committees forGannon's Christmas Carnival, thePoor Family Projects, the Big andlitt le Sister Parties, the Christmas Pageant, the Glee Club CarolSing, the Christmas Dinner, theDramatic Club's Production, theOrphan 's Par ty, the Intra-class

By Sondra KonkolyG i f t iExchanges, the AdventWreath, the Ring Ceremony, theSelf-denial Envelopes, Tree Decorating, and most important ofallthe Committee on WardingOff .the Attempts of Professors toSchedule Pre-Vacation^ Exams.

As the time goes by, a wave ofutter panic electr if ies the Hurst.Only 1 forty-two more shoppingdays left! And suddenly teemingmasses of frantic girls swarm tothe shopping areas before "Santa"runs out of presents.Finally, while a 65 breezewafts through the open windows,the residents formally usher A inthe Christmas season to thelilting strains of carols at dinner.

Meanwhile, dayhops gulp down aquick bite to eat, rush to theirrespective department stores, andsteel themselves for the onslaughtof the "procrastinators."Hectic though happy, Mercy-hurst gir ls retain that "ye oldespir ite" in all the preparationsfor the holiday festivities.

By Lurline BygraveWhite silenceMocks the holly wreaths,The crisp, clear carol bells;Draws numb fingers close tointertwineIn some dark winter lane* Or spread outstretched before theflameNear to the hearth;Muffles the'hoof-beats andThe small click of heelsOn a white, slippery carpetYet, to the wayfarer watchingpiercing starIn the white wilderness,Comes I a voice, a whisper:"Rejoice: This is the Day."

a

Times ShapeSeason's Rites

By Maureen FiedlerFrom the poetic pen of St.

Luke,^we read flowing words thathave spilled over into the customsof men for centuries"And sh ebrought for th | her firstborn sonand wrapped Him in swaddlingclothes, and laid Him in a manger . . ."Thelbirth of Christ has beencommemorated with beauty andsincerity from the early years ofChristianity throughk medievaltimes to the present. In the beginning, even pagan customswere enveloped by the Christianspir it . The yule log and Christmas candle evolved ijfrom th epractice of ancient sun-worshippers who built giant bonfires inthe dark days of winter to lendlight to their meager existence.

In (later years, their pagan celebration of the Iwinter solsticechanged .to Christian rejoicingover the bir th of Christ, the Lightof the World. J J JMusic's Role

During the Dark Ages, the religious significance of the birthof the Christ Child inspired thegoodwill of the season. Datingback to the sixth century, thecelebration of Midnight Mass al ways preceeded the secular feasting, and this feasting also bore areligious character that wassolemnized Iby the music of theday. From the f irst thir te enthcentury carol of St. Francis ofAssisi to*the present-day production of * Handel 's Messiah by therenowned Hallelujah Chorus, music has comprised an integral par tof*th& holiday festivities.*;1 * ?

**?s .I In medieval? t imes, the holly-decked hall of" th e : , feudal lordkeynoted the spirit of the holidayseason." Radiating with hospitality, the hall housed the dancing,caroling, and 'feasting|that char acterizes itself today iin the mealof roast goose and plum puddingenjoyed by every English family.Christmas Mass

Christmas celebrations throughout the world in 1960 recall theseancient observances from theGerman carols of "O Tannen-baum" an d "Stille Nacht" to thequiet gathering of a Belgian family around its traditional |cr ib.The Christmas Mass, whether itbe Bin the Cath edral of NotreDame or in the quiet of an Eriechapel,* is the essence i of theChristmas feast honoring theSon of Marythe Prince ofPeace.

By HelenThere Is no other period of theyear so r ich in custom and tradition as Christmas Eve.I t is on Christmas Eve that cattle and horses were once considered to have the gift of speech,and sheep went in processions tocommemorate the angel 's visit tothem and the shepherds on thatnight long ago.French people used to insistthat as the midnight Mass wasended Mass must begin at once,for the belief was that any childborn between midnight Mass andthe next Mass would lose his soulto the devil.In Bohemia it was'the customto cut an apple in half on Christmas Eve. Anyone who found aperfect star in the center of hisapple would have health andhappiness during the coming year.Christmas in ^the New Worldhas been enriched by customs* j

brought here from many lands.Our Christmas cookies come fromAncient Rome, where it was customary to give small confectionsbaked in human and animalshapes to members of the Ro-

Bundy-man Sena te .Another pagan custom that hascarr ied over to Christmas is thatof the mistletoe. It comes fromthe Druids who regarded theplant with g r e a t reverence.Priests, using a golden sickle, outit out of the oak trees in fwhichit grew? and burned it on theiraltars as a sacrifice to their gods.They also distributed it to thepeople, who hung it in their doorways. It was considered a symbolof peace so r when enemies metunder it they took off theirswords, forgot their quarrels andembraced each other .

There is, without a doubt, a lackof religious tone in much of ourChristmas observance, but evenwith its pagan ceremonies andover-commercialization, the g situation is no worse than it was centuries ago. A man named Gerson,a theologian living in those earlytimes, wrote, "If all the devils inhell had put their heads togetherto devise a feast that should utterly scandalize Christianity, theycould not have improved Hhisone.

Christmas CollectsO God, Who didst illumine thismost holy night with the brightness of the True Light, grant, webeseech Thee, that we, who haveknown {the mystery of His l ighton earth,-may also attain to thefull enjoyment of His joys Inheaven.

Grant us O, Lord so to Imitatewhat we revere, tha t we may learnto love even our enemies; as wecelebrate the heavenly birthdayof Him who knew how to pray forhis very persecutors, Jesus Christ*Th y Son.}

" M M " it A n a m m e TAPC-MA. COPTMIOMT i t i f TMI COCA-COLA COMDear DiaryAs I; take my pen in hand, I takemy b ot t le of Coke in the other hand!Yes, dear diary, where would I bewithout Coca-Cola? Just a social outcast*W h y , everybody dr inks Coke! Johnand Bill and Barry and Charley*Horace too. Confidentially, I think I 'l lhave another bottle of Coke.

BE REALLY REFRESHlftBottled under authority of The Coco-Cola Company by

Ekiui CUCA-COJUA B O T T L I N G C O M P A N Y

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