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2__________ ARCADE HERALD. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 18. 1986 Short Subjects Congratulations to Francis C o n n o rs of Ar cade who is being honored F r id a y for long time service to the community. Friday has been proclaimed “Francis H. C o n n o rs Day” in the Village of Arcade, an d t h e municipal building will b e dedicated as t h e Francis H. Connors M unicipal Building t h a t morning. Staff m em b ers bring in rep o r ts daily of outstanding holiday lights a n d decoration. Several comments have been m a d e on the beautiful display along Savage R o a d in Sar dinia. If you a r e in th a t area a f t e r dark, you might want to judge for yourself! Ann King o f Delevan s e n t in a hospital bill from Children’s Hospital in Buffalo. I n itself, not remarkable, except this bill w a s dated December 1942. One day in a sem i-private room cost $4.50, with a seven-day stay totalling only $31.50! Delivery room charges amounted to a whopping $15.00!! Anyone who has recently been hospitalized will ap preciate the changes inflation has brought over the last 44 y ears. Several r e s tau ran ts and nightspots in the area are participating in a “D e signated Driver” program, and we hope the trend continues.-When a group of a d u lts are drink ing alcoholic beverages a t a participating es tablishm ent, one m e m b e r of the group vol unteers to be the “Designated Driver. That person may drink free soft drinks all eve ning so that no one who has had “one too m any” ends up b e h ind the wheel. This next issue is th e last issue t h a t our advertising representative, Len H e rpst, will be working on before his retirem e n t. We at the Herald have enjoyed Len’s warmth, hum o r and good n a tu r e over the p a s t years, and we know that m a n y of our advertisers feel the same. W hen Len stops by th is week, wish him the best! W ill the real Santa p lease stand? The patron saint of Christmas giving is St. Nicholas. The real St. Nicholas was a bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in the fourth century. The lore and legend surrounding this man arose because of his compas sion and his work to help those in need, especially chil dren. When he heard of a child in trouble or in poverty, he made sure that the child s needs were met. Many stories about him have evolved over the cen turies. For example, he was said to have learned that ( poor parents of a young girl had sold her into service to a rich family in order that she would not starve. St. Nicholas ransomed her by giving three bags of gold to the family, sending the girl back home with money to help her parents. Another story is that a poor family had three daughters who could not m arry without a dowry. He threw three bags of gold in through the win dow of their home. One lan ded in a shoe, one in a stocka- ing and the third, in a bas ket. TVaditions of hanging stockings on Christmas Eve, or setting out shoes or bas kets in some countries for St. Nicholas to fill, originated from that lore. Following h is death, he be- camte the patron saint of Greece and Sicily, of children, maiden ladies, mariners who carried images of him to sea, pawnbrokers, and even of robbers. The pawnbroker’s three-gold-ball symbol sup posedly represents the three The Modern Idler by Marjorie Ryan bags of gold in each of the legends. In Myra, the an niversary of his death, December 6 , was celebrated as his feast day, and in his memoiy, the date became a time for gift giving. He was supposed to appear in his long bishop’s robe, carrying a m iter and wearing jeweled gloves. Gifts given that day were attributed to him. GRADUALLY THE stories of St. Nicholas spread throughout Europe, and m any countries adapted their own customs to the annual gift giving. People from Hol land brought the idea of St. Nicholas, or Sint Nikolaas, or Sinter Mass, to the New World. After Henry VIII had broken ties with Rome, St. Nicholas was not supposed to visit England. During the Puritan rule under Oliver Cromwell, celebration of any ARCADE H E R A L D Published every Thursday, except the last week in December by Arcade Herald Inc., 12 Liberty St., Arcade, NY 14009 492-2525 OR 496-5013 POSTMASTER: Send address changes, to the above address. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $13.00/yr. inside Wyo., Catt. & Erie Co. $14.00/yr. outside Wyo., Catt. & Erie Co. $1.00 off for senior citizens (over 65) and servicemen. Kathleen L. Mason - Editor/Publisher News Reporters Sports Reporter Advertising Manager Advertising Sales Graphic Artist Receptionist/Bookkeeper Pat Vadney Sallie Randolph Mike Tanner Carole A. Jones Leonard Herpst Kevin Owens Trudy Ling Mary Landphair OPEN: Mon., Tues., T h u r s . & F ri. 9-12 & 1-5; Wed. 9-12 noon Advertising rates upon request. Ad Deadline: Mon. Noon News Deadline- Fri. 5:00 P.M. USPS 942520 Second Class Postage Paid a t Arcade, NY 14009 Catholic feast day was ban ned. However, the English continued to celebrate Yule in spite of the ban and gave lit tle gifts that time of year anyway. Early Puritans to this country considered the December festivities pagan and would not allow them in their colonies. But less strict sects from England brought Yuletide and Christmas cus toms with them. The feast day of St. Nicholas, Decem ber 6 , and the holy day celebrating the birth of Christ, December 25, had been merged. The lean St. Nicholas in his long robe evolved into a chubby character in a red suit and long beard. He was sometimes pictured as life size, and other times was cal led an elf. After Clement C. Moore published “A Visit from Saint Nicholas,” Santa was established as an American tradition. Thomas Nast, a German immigrant artist, added the sleigh and reindeer in a sketch showing Santa visiting soldiers in the Civil War. During the Vic torian Era in England, Prince Albert was a great supporter of the idea of stockings being filled by a familiar white bearded character dressed in a long robe, but he was known as Father Christmas. THE LORE OF St. Nicholas survived in Europe in many guises. In northern countries, he rode from rooftop to rooftop on a white horse with his usual garb of red robe, miter, and jeweled gloves. Black Peter with a heavy stick and bag to carry away bad children sometimes rode with him. Housewives had their chimneys swept for better burning in the winter, but the children were told the cleaning was so St. Nicholas could get down and fill their stockings or shoes with little gifts. In Belgium, he rode from chimney to chimney on a donkey. Sweden had little men with grey beards, Tom- tar, who lived under boards and in dark comers and left surprise gifts for children Denmark’s source of annual generosity was a gnome cal led Jule-Nison. Italy has had a female Santa, Befana. In Spain, children set out shoes for one of the MagT, Balthasar, to fill. In Czech countries, the chil dren believed St. Nick came down from heaven on a gol den cord with a basket of presents for good boys and girls. In areas where religion supercedes folklore, the gift giving is done on Epiphany in remembrance of the gifts of the Magi to the Christ Child. Austria s St. Nicholas drove a horse and gifts had to be practical. In pre-World War I Germany, Christ Kindi, not St. Nicholas, was the gift giver. In Switzerland too, the Christ Child was the dis tributor of gifts, sometimes aided by Father Christmas, who had a wife who helped him make the little gifts Perhaps the, wife of Father Christmas gave us the idea for a Mrs. Santa Claus. JU S T AS ST. Nicholas came to this country with the Dutch immigrants, Santa Claus has traveled from the United States to many other lands until his name nas be come synonymous with kind ness and generosity throughout the world. Early Christian leaders saw the need to combat pagan worship that fell at the time of the winter solstice with a holy day honoring the birth of Christ. They wanted to provide a Christian celebration of such greatness that it would surpass the old ideas of paganism and bnng to the world a message of faith and hope and love that the Christmas story tells The Christmas holy day has become, too, the day for our Santa, a guise perhaps for the givers of gifts, whether material or spiritual, in today’s world. Merry Christmas! EVERYONE WANTS TO READ THE ARCADE HERALD ! Subscribe today and make sure you get your copy !! Fill out and return this blank and you will begin receiving your copy of the Herald in the mail on Thursdays !! $13/yr. - Inside Wyo., Catt., or Erie Co. • $14/yr. - outside Wyo., Catt. or Erie Co. $1 off for sr. cit. (over 65) and servicemen . A R C A D E H E R A L D . 1 2 L i b e r t y St.. A r c a d e 1 4 0 0 9 4 9 2 - 2 5 2 5 , 4 9 6 - 5 0 1 3
