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Canadian the al: news dispatches in is paper we ter te The Associnied Prees o, Remteva; and elie to ine iccal news published herein. All rights of repuplication of Gispatches herein are alse fete? Sul ae Not 35e per week carrier, ~s os yeas by mail or cura) routes and area

‘The Christmas Message

The Christmas story is a gentle pastoral, of shepherds keeping watch by night and of an infant cradled by an anxious mother in a manger. But it is a great deal more than that. It is an earnest of a conquering force so mighty that neither powers nor principalities have been able to pre- vail against it.

. The shepherds, we are told, were gore afraid; and the angel said to them, “Fear not—.” These words Should be helpful to us today, for there are many fears among Christ- fans as to the future. We are living in an age of rampant materialism. Strifes and persecutions are common- ; ‘items of news. Yearnings for “peace on earth” persist, and men of good will are striving valiantly to bring it to fulfillment; but always there are setbacks and betrayals. We seem to have lost our way in an endless maze, And for new stars in the sky we have Soviet sputniks and moon rockets.

| . But it is worth remembering that the Christian .dispensation was us- hered ‘in not only by herald angels

earolling their benison of peace, but

by the slaughter of the innocents. It Was a savage world into which the Prince of Peace was born, and the same star that led the wise men io His cradlé shone down’ on Rachael weeping for her children.

In his superstitious fears of the

sort of government the new-born

King would introduce, Herod took

what his modern counterparts would call “the necessary steps.” He but- chered all the babies he could find who were born in Bethlehem and in “all the coasts thereof” i- the first year of the Christian era. But these

' measures, as everyone knows, were

inadequate. The new King was more dangerous than even Herod imagined. And tyrants for nineteen hundred and fifty-nine years have been wag- ing the same futile struggle—using rack, dungeon and stake, war, pestil- ence and famine, with equal un- success.

For Christ’s kingdom is not of

this world, but in the hearts of men. It is a mystery transcending politics, science, and philosophy. So long as we remember to spell out the Christ- ‘mas message with loving-kindness, so long will there be hope that some day we may understand it. But that is not necessary. The shepherds came _to Bethlehem because they were

_ “wise enough to be simple”; to marvel

and give thanks for the matchless miracle of birth and life. We must follow their example, with our gift offerings of love, if we are to become persons “unto whom was born in the City of David a Saviour.”

2-Way Insurance Traffic

It comes as a surprise to learn, on the authority of the Canadian Life Insurance Officers Association, ‘that Canadian life insurance com- panies do slightly more business in the United States than United States ‘companies do in Canada. Last year the premiums paid to 12 Canadian ‘companies by their U.S. policyholders totalled $207 million, while Canadian ‘policyholders paid $200 million to the

"B7-US. life companies doing business

here. The Canadian companies’ lead 's narrowing, however. Compared to $7 ‘million in 1958, it was $12 million in ‘1956 and $17 million the year before ‘that. ;

. Actually, premium and benefit ‘moneys do not flow back and forth

across the border. The excess of the

premiums over benefits is invested ‘in the country of origin to earn in-

-'terest for the policyholders there un- ‘til required to pay benefits. But, .s

‘the Association notes, the large size ‘of the two-way traffic provides force-

ful evidence of the confidence in |

which the people of the two nations

_ shold each. other and’each other's in-

- Tt was'in 1889 that the first Can-

epee on

This Happy Island _

There is a measure of truth in it, of course, when some readers oc- casionally complain that newspapers “never seem to publish anything but bad news.” Certainly every paper has the duty each day to report many developments that are distressing, disturbing and disappointing.

Against this background, it be- comes easy to overlook the fact the newspapers likewise present a great deal of news that ranges all the way from pleasant to joyful. Much of it appears in, the form of “little news” —small items scattered through many pages—so it rarely seems to bulk so large as the reports consider- ed more momentous.

As a,case in point, The Guardian today is winding up the publication of some 12 columns of “Home for Christmas” news—almost a page and a half of it—in the second of its two Christmas Greeting editions. In this way it is telling the story of how more than 300 Island homes are be- ing gladdened at this season by re- unions, get-togethers and other

events that are rich in family signifi-_|

cance.

Additionally,-in the same two editions, The Guardian is presenting the Christmas greetings of some- thing more than 275 places of bus- iness across the province.

It is a joyful thing, at this sea- son, to have so large a story to tell of the rich values in friendship and family life that are treasured most by the people of this happy Island.

EDITORIAL NOTES

Last minute shopping is still es-

sential, but make it snappy. = * *

To all our readers, a Merry Christ- mas; and may the hope and joy of the season abide with them the year round.

e s -

How right the instinct of mankind to make the Christmas season one of rejoicing for children, to whose fresh eyes the world—-even in its far from perfect state—present s0 many joyful surprises!

= * *

The next World’s Methodist Con- gress, to be held in Oslo, Norway, in August, 1961, is expected to draw 2,000 delegates from Methodist churches in about 79 countries. From the United States alone will come

1,000 delegates and the famed Mount.

Mission College Choir. * * *

A national campaign to help schools for the blind in various parts of the world has been launched in France by the French National Com- mission for Unesco. Money collected

will be sént to rehabilitation centres

for blind persons in Ceylon, Ghana, Java, Teheran, Poland and Tunis. * * .

Let’s not forget those 200 needy families in Charlottetown this year that are depending on the Catholic Social Welfare Bureau and the Pro- testant Family Service Bureau to brighten their lives with Christmas supplies. Nor the Salvation Army pot, which transmutes the contributions of passers-by into a golden stream

of benevolence at this season. az * * :

~ Penal reform in Canada took a’

long step ahead with the opening last week of a new medium-security in- stitution at Joyceville, Ontario. There the traditional grimness, the armed guards and high walls have been re- placed by better surroundings, job training and recreation. Security pre- cautions are inconspicuous and sup- ervision is light. By next September, when the new institution is expected to be billed, it will house some 450 prisoners from nearby Kingston Pen- itentiary. Its inmates will be care- fully selected, and only those who are likely to benefit from greater freédom -will be transferred.

In designing the Christmas cards sent out this year by The Guardian and The Evening Patriot, the attempt. was made to tel! a little of the Island's story, particularly for hundreds of friends in other provinces, while also ex- pressing the spirit of the season. This photo- graphic study was chosen to serve that purpose.

The story of the picture was told in an ac- companying panel, as follows: “The concept of Confederation had its first official public utterance at the 1864 conference in the Provin-

“WHERE CANADA BEGAN‘—AN ISLAND GREETING

cial Building in Charlottetown. In a significant —

sense, “Canada Began’ at the moment when that concept was created as a purpose, to be realized thyee years later.

“Both the greatness of that moment and the strength in Prince Edward Is and’s present and future are conveyed by this study of the Provia- cial Building, which remains the seat of govern- ment. It is by ‘William- Taylor, chief photo- grapher of The Guardian and The Evening Patriot.”” .

AT BETHLEHEM

The House Of Bread

Dr. Robert Harvey in the Winnipeg Free Press

BETHLEHEY® is the hallowed place in the Holy Land to which the thoughts of the Christian world turn inevitably as “The time draws near the birth of Christ.”

Framed in the foliage of many

old, grey olive trees, its shining white masonry, some 2,500 feet above sea level. crowns the tov of the limestone ridge on which the town is built. In the vallev below are rich grain fields that give the place its lovely and sug- gestive name, Bethlehem, “the

ar -me | foc Corer,

=f FROM “ODE ON THE MORNING OF CHRIST’S NATIVITY”

This is the monih and this the happy, morn

Wherein the Son of Heaven's eternal King

Of wedded maid and virgin mother born

Our great redemption from above did bring;

For so the holy sages once did sing

That He our deadly forfeit should release,

And with His Father work us a perpetual peace.

That glorious form, that light in- sufferable,

And that far-beaming blaze of majesty

Wherewith He wont at Heaven's high council table

To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,

He laid aside; and, here with us to be,

Forsook the courts of everlasting day,

And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay.

— John Milton.

“TOYS OF YESTERYEAR

Only_in imagination trot and can- ter

The painted horses, dapple greys and chestnuts

That once we stabled in the wal- nut shadows

Beneath a gat ged table* in the hall.

Painted horses that we groomed and harnessed

And backed between the shafts of dray and van.

Who feeds you sugar now, who etrokes your glossy fanes?

Only in imagination smile the dolls,

Soft Raggedy Anns with simper- ing round faces

And braided floss of hair, dolls cherished,

Neglected, loved devotedly again.

Only in imagination spins the top

Satin - striped in red and silver humming

A pure entrancement of Eolian sound. é

Only in imagination drifts the

snow

That lightly shaken, swirls above the towers

Of a castle frozen in a crystal

globe.

The top runs down, the fairy: castle dims; '

Time has blurred the rag dolls’ rosy’ faces,

And prancing horsés that were shod with fire Stand small and wooden, down the echoing years. —Lenore A. Prait Ia the Ottawa Journal.

House of Bread.” Here the alien “Ruth among the golden corn” gleaned 2meng the reencrs cf Boaz, before she became his wife and the ancestress of Jesus.

HELD BY ARABS

The town lies five miles south of Jerusalem, but before it can be visited today permission must be obtained from the Arab forc- es that hold the ancient capital, the Holy City. The white-domed tomb of Rachel is passed on the way, that has enshrined for cen- turies the grief of the patriarch Jacob at the death of his beloved wife. '

On the terraced slopes of the hillsides below the town vines and figs grow in abundance, while across the valley can be seen the dim, blue hills of Moab. Ruth no doubt looked that way after she had expressed her re- sclve to sicre tre peon's '-7d and God of her widowed mother- in-law Naomi, in words of mov- ing and deathless beauty.

Deep gorges run eastward from Bethlehem towards the Sea some 12 miles distant, and westward towards the plains of old ‘Philistia. Set amid the wild and even savage grandeur of the Judaean wilderness, Bethlehem is a lovely and fertile spot.

Ruth’s great-grandson David tended the sheep of his father Jesse in the fieds of Bethlehem. When David was later at war with the Philistines, he was deep- ly moved at their deyoted loyal- ty when three of his followers broke through the Philistines, who were holding the tow, to get a coveted drink of water for their young leader from the well of Bethlehem. In dark contrast there took place some centuries later the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem at the order of the alarmed and cruel Herod, when “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea.”

MANY #ILGRIMS

The Church of the Nativity, that has drawn countless pilgrims through the centuriés to the ‘‘Lit- tle town of Bethlehem,” is the only surviving¢-monument in Pale- stine of early Christian times, and the oldest Christian church in the world. Bethlehem is the most Christian of all the town of Palestine, due to a rebellion that broke out in 1834, which resulted in Ibrahim Pasha destroying the Moslem quarter of the town. Most of its 8,000 population -be- long to the Greek Catholic church. The men are alert and energetic while, as Kinglake noted in his book “Eothen,” the beauty of the women is proverbial.

On Christmas Day, 1100 A.D., after Bethlehem had been cap- tured by the Crusaders, Bald- win, one of the leaders of the first Crusade, was crowned as the first king of the Latin king- dom of Jerusalem in the Church of the Nativity. That kingdom lasted ‘for 87 years until dissen- sions among the Crusaders allow- ed Saladin, the chivalrous Sara- cen leader, to recapture the H City. England’s Richard the Lion- Heart and the other Crusader leaders could not afterwards win it back. (

TRADITIONAL SITE |

Over & cave or grotto, which 1s the traditional site of the birth of Jesus, the Emperor Constantine in the year 330 built the Church of the Nativity. In the year 550 the Emperor Justinian restored

jit, and only the nave remains of

the church of -Constantine. The beams of the first roof were | from cedars' of Lebanon, but in| the 15th-eentury they were re- placed by oak beams which King Edward IV sent out from English forests.

A mass of buildings, monaster- ies, convents and schools, sur- rounds the Church. They. belong to the churches, Latin (Roman) Greek and Armenian, which use | the Church of the Nativity in common. Bitter quarrels have occasionally broken out between thém, sometimes calling for the intervention of Moslem soldiers.

The grotto is beneath the high altzr cf the church, and is a>cut 42 feet by 12 feet. At one end of | it is an altar, beneath which is a | silver star set in the pavement.

Dead |

Around the star is a L«tin ‘nz2-'- tion which reads, “Hie de Vir- gine Maria Jesus Christus natus | est.” (Here Jesus Christ was | bora of the Virgin Mary). Above | the star 15 silver lamps have | been kept burning continuously | for centuries. Six belong to the. | Greek Church, five to the Ar- menian and four to the Latin.

CHRISTMAS SERVICES Christmas services are held on different dates in the church. | On December 25 a service that} lasts for 12 hours, closing at two a.m., is held by the Latin Church. In addition to numerous Ccol- lects, prayers and litanies every portion of Scripture that | refers to the Saviour is recited, read or chanted. Thirteen days

, | Mas hymns Christendom once | more

later, since it follows a different

calendar, the Greek Church ob- serves its Christmas. The Am- erican Church 13 days later again | celebrates its Christmas services

Shepherds still guard - their flocks in the fields around Beth- ‘ehem, as they did when they heard the song of the heavenly host, and the story of Bethlehem jis being recalled again this: i Christmas time in song and | story.

The American divine, Phillips ' Brocks, after a visit to the Holy , Land, wrote the well-known carol | for the children of his Sunday | School; “‘O Little town of Bethle- hem.”’ With that and other Christ-

celebrates the birth of the | One who declared himself to be “the living bread from heaven,” who was bern at Bethlem the House of Bread.

MAXIMS ~

A stout heart breaks bad luck.

‘be called that,

i i : ey falls

. i z

almost continuously, even when she was asleep.

She had purchased the leather strap about three months ear- lier, she said, and began to no- tice numbness in her thumb and finger a short time later.—

The doctor advised her not to wear s strap again.

GRADUAL IPMPROVEMENT

Following this, there was gradual improvement -in—sensa- tion during the first six weeks. Sensation returned more rzpidly during the next three months.

In all, it required about 130 days for the peripheral nerves to regenerate. Even a year later there still was slight. impairment of sensation in the inside area of the left thumb.

So don’t wear watch bands that are too tight. 2

QUESTION AND ANSWER

Mrs. M. E.: Is it unusual for a baby to be born with a so- called veil over its face And what is the meaning of it?

Answer: The so - called “‘veil’’ over the face at birth is a por- tion of the membrane of the af- terbirth.

This occurs when the mem- brattes do nof’ rupture, or incom- pletely rupture, before the baby is born. It has no special signifi-

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er, is not able to continue with “his writing this month because he broke his right arm in an ac- cident. However, he is accepting portrait assignments because he writes with his right hand and paints with his left. “In the arts it is better not to let your right hand know what your left hand is doing,”” he said.—France Soir, Paris

Mealtime can get quite com- plicated in this air age. For in- stance, the Tokyo Times says if meals are served according to hours, passengers on the Tokyo- to-Paris flights will eat nothing but breakfasts. The plane. is scheduled to leave Tokyo at 6 a.m. Japanese time, fly West at | top speed; pass over Bombay at & a.m. Indian time, over Cairo at 6.45 a.m. Egyptian time;' over

arrive in Paris at 7 a.m. A wise- cracker has dub it an orange- juice _ flight —Kitchener-Waterloo Record

The Age Old Story

In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. T go to| prepare a place for you.

Berlin Problem Remains

By Alan Harvey

Behind the apparently solid Western agreement to invite Rus- sia to a summit meeting remains —perhaps as insolubly as before —the fundamental element of an old disagreement.

The difference is that West Germany, probably with French support, still opposes any conces- sions on Berlin.

Britain, on the other hand, {s prepared to make some sacrifices for the sake of improving East- West understanding and keeping negotiations in motion while the United States is taking a pragma- tic position.

State department officers. indi- cate that the Berlin situation— still the central problem of the cold war—will be given another “thorough-going analysis,” pre- sumably-in the hope of reaching an agreed Western approach be- fore the East-West summit meet- ings start,

CONCESSION CONFLICT

The Western conflict, if it can is seen at its sharpest in the British and Ger- nan position. British officials say the governmert has not gone yack on the concession—including reduction in allied troop strength —offered at the Geneva talks last summer. ;

The Germans deny any pro- gress was made at Geneva. They say the position is as it was a year ago when the NATO council issued a declaration saying they would stand firm on their rights in Berlin.

Possibly this difference should not be exaggerated. Each of the Western powers has gained some- thing from the Paris talks. If Britain has given in temporarily to Chancellor Adenauer’s no- change view, she can be counted upon to keep pressing, in subse- quent negotiations, for a flexible stand. e

What does seem clear {s that for the time being Adenauer and

wish for you! May it be as full of triumphant joy as a Christmas carol, rich in spiritual peace

Charlottetown

Staff Writer

French President de Gaulle seemed to have prevailed on many issues. It may not be far- fetched to view Adenauer as us- ing de Gaulle as a kind of sub- stitute for the late John Foster Dulles, whose stonewall policies on Russia helped Adenauer main- tain the European status quo, possibly to the detriment of an internaticnal ex ente.

De Gaulle for his part continues to win points by a policy the

Rome at 6.05 European time and }-

OUR YESTERDAYS

(From the Guardian Files)

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGC ; (Dec. 24, 1934)

Mr. Fidele Gallant, Charlotte town Royalty, and at present of the North American Hotel, Kent Street, leaves Monday for _Mon- treal where he has accepted a position. Prior to his departure he was presented with a gift and an address by his friends at the — Hotel.—

President, B.W. Robinson pre-

chairman of the different ,com- mittees presented their reports, and arrangements were made_to have the season open by Christ- mas Day. The ice is considered to be in good condition and there is every prospect for a good sea- son.

TEN YEARS AGO (Dec. 24, 1949)

It has been recently announced that Mr. Edwin Esty of Sum- merside is now owner and man- ager of the Gulf Wholesale Lim- ited, formerly owned by M. F. Schurman Co. Ltd. From. the~« business premiizes of the former Muttart Ranch, the firm dis- tributes its. products to Island and Maritime centres.

A fire of unknown ecrigin, which for a time threatened te

| destroy the entire village of.

Tyne Valley, completely destroy- ed the general store and living quarters of R. C. Montgomery last evening. The loss included the store stock together with all fur- niture and personal belongings of Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. An estimate of the loss was not available last night.

French call “une suspectabilite payante”—a sensitivity that pays off. And his crowded travel pro- gram for early next year, which may include a one-day visit to Canada in ‘April, will. perforce strengthen his position as one of the key negotiators on the West- ern side.

lou to the World

As on that Holy Night of blessed memory, may the message of Christmas enter the hearts of mankind. May peace and good

will be with yee and yours, a _ aoe KEITH CARMICHAEL LTD.

@ Roses

@ Carnations

@ Assorted Mums

@ Gladiolus @ Christmas Centre Pieces.

137 Kent St,

CUT FLOWERS |POTFED PLANTS

@ B. C. Holly, Corsages, Winter Bouquets We Deliver — Open Evenings

JERRY'S FLOWER SHOP

@ Poinsettias @ Azaleas

@ Pot Mums @ Cyclamen @ African Violets | Door Decorations ‘

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