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fac 4 wt stourtvlui towne thnr dtuabtt 24 1959 mhi touffuiiie ertbun establlfhtd w a v nolan son publishers member of the canadian weekly newspaper associatigb and tl ontarioquebec newspapers association authorized o secoodciaa mail pastefflca dep ottawa member of the audit bureau of circulations issued every thursday at stouffville ont in canada s350 elsewhere 450 c h noun hbfoha jas thomas edttoi us mckean arfrafeiai our editorial comment the record spea it was most gratifying to hear member of town council express appreciation in public at the recent nomination meeting for the service provided by the village assessor mr lloyd turner these words were echoed by reeve lehman at the regu lar yearend meeting on thursday night an assessor like any municipal employee who is continually in touch ks for itself with the public has a rather difficult task to perform he may be even more subject to ridicule than a tax coliector and yet we have heard few if any complaints of mr turners work this year only four appeals were filed and three of these request ed rather minor assessment changes in other towns and townships where appeals have totalled up in the hund reds the stouffville figure is a mere drop in the bucket annual township dinner the cancellation of christmas turkey bonuses to the employees in the township of pickering was a move that apparently met complete agreement with the majority of members of council we feel that the practice that was instituted some four years ago was a procedure that would have been halted in the neat- future as the staff continued to grow there is little doubt however that the letter to the editor which ap peared in this paper and condemned the action was at least partially re sponsible for councils thinking on the matter deputyreeve mrs jean me- pherson spoke against both the tur key giveaway and the annual em ployees dinner that has been held at brougham for the past few years we certainly cannot agree with her on the latter practice the banquet is a small token of appreciation to the unsung workers throughout the township who give of their time and talents without remuneration in tve serves important purpose service of the municipality we have spoken in favor of this function in the past and we still feel that it serves a very important purpose in this day and age it is most difficult to find men and women who will work for nothing surely a township- sponsored dinner is very little to expect in past years the banquet has served two purposes in addition to expressing appreciation to its non- paid employees it has provided a timely occasion to honor certain par ties who have given many years in the service of the township muni cipal servants of longtime standing should not be permitted to pass out of the picture without some form of recognition no time could be more appropriate we realize that no council can become overly generous with tax payers money and expect to escape criticism we contend however that the annual dinner is one bit of public relations that cannot be viewed only in dollars and cents christmas cards for more than century christmas eards have been ar riving in your mail now for several weeks and their delivery possibly reached its peak last weekend for all the grumblings we hear of the commercializing of christmas these eards nevertheless bring happy con tacts for many people once a year and a renewal of acquaintances of long standing we were reading tiie other day that it was in 1841 that charles drummond placed his first greeting eard in his shop window in edin burgh scotland giving hirth to a new industry the idea had been proposed to drummond by a friend thomas stur- rock and the first engravings were designed by a t aikman england began to produce cards in 1843 and in 1846 with the birth of dickinsons bob cratchit and the conversion of scrooge christmas had really arrived as a festive social event shortly after this period the idea spread to europe particularly germany with that countrys ad vanced methods of printing a success was made of the christmas card feature both artistically and com mercially summons at christmas this is christmas eve christ mas bells throughout all christendom are ringing out the most joyous proc lamation of the gospel message fear not for behold i bring you good tidings of great joy which 3hall be to all people for unto you is born this day in the city of david a savior which is christ the lord st luke 2 1011 yes 1959 years ago the angels sang glory o god in the highest and on earth peace good will toward men and those that followed the star in the east found the saviour christ the lord lying in a manger in the city of david but the first christmas was a trying and painful time despite all the manifestations of glory was not joseph summoned from sleep to take unto himself mary who gave virgin birth to christ jesus and were not mary and joseph summoned by de cree from caesar augustus to go from galilee to bethlehem to be taxed and were not all men of good will summoned by the angels to go to the manger in bethlehem to find their king mary and joseph lived under a dictatorship in which life was cheap their income was more than likely in the lower third of the nation when it came time for the baby thev were summoned to make a trip to meet the demands of their government whether the baby lived or died was of no concern to the society in which they existed as far as their own people were concerned mary and joseph could make out for them selves but because god reigned they were not alone the wise men brought gifts of great treasure there was great rejoicing and so tonight there is rejoicing and there are visible tokens of christ mas most business sections have been bright with christmas decora tions for days past holly wreaths are found in many home windows bells on doors and gaily lit christmas trees if not on the front lawn visible in the living rooms from the street stores in most centres will have closed for a threeday holiday every where about us there seems to be a new spirit a new life a new hope a new joy tonight children will go to bed assured that santa claus is on his way and will come down the chimney in our respective homes to deliver a portion of his heavy load most of us will banish all thoughts of external troubles and for the next few days concentrate on internal joys it is indeed christmas a time of merry you can get business machines and office supplies from the tribune laff of the week 1 ss2l sugar and spice putting up the tree there is a time that tests mens souls and by the holy old jumping jere miah that is one of them it is not the language i worry about at this time it is the laet that there is an axe too handy a o a do make up a big basket and take it yourself to the poorest family in town on christmas eve but dont be put oft if theyre all sitting around watch ing television and the youngest child looks at your basket and pipes another chicken ma that makes four geese two turkeys and eight chickens its the principle that counts v to lop off this recipe lor a happy christmas i suggest you memorize these lines the only known fragment from the works of hugh dunnit the great welsh bard of the eleven- teenth century rather than help the wassail flow or loiter under the mistletoe get up early and off you go on christmas day in the morn ing visit your friends and wish them cheer add to your wishes a happy new year scorn all offers of rye or beer and youll feel better i know my dear on christinas day in the morn ing there are fewer optimists than there used to be this ob servation is based on the fact that far fewer concerns than formerly distribute calendars the average man doesnt know what to do with his hands says an authority on etiquette maybe not but he has learned to quit drawing to them for an inside straight by bill smilev christmas is fine for kids the selfish little ingrates and its pretty good for old people be cause somebody pays some at tention to them for a change but for everybody in those primeoflife years it seems to be a time of tension scrambling worry and weariness a e its a great pity but christ mas has got out of hand econ omically and socially the fam ily provider watches with grow ing unease as the demands in crease annually and he knows hell be in debt until june the harassed housewife trying to cope with childrens concerts an everswelling list of gifts and cards and an everincreas ing round of prcchristmas en tertainments along with all the cleaning and fussing to do be- for the big day becomes a study in exhausted asperity however its all out- own fault and theres no need to feel sorry for ourselves peo ple who have weak stomachs shouldnt ride on roller coasters and people who havent enough gumption to climb off the pre- christmas bandwagon and make it a good and happy time de serve to wake up on christmas morning worn out hung over and broke despite the seasonal scramble and the highpressure salesman ship it can be a happy climax in our year with a little effort a little thought and a good mea sure of tolerance just adopt the following simple formula nd youll have the happiest most rewarding christmas sea- bon youve ever enjoyed dont win a 25pound turkey at a prechristmas raffle totter up the stairs under its weight at 3 am and throw it triumphant ly on the bed just as your ball- andchain is getting upon her elbow to blast you i did one year the bed collapsed and the old battleaxe wound up on the floor in the embrace of a cold and very dead turkey this is conducive to neither peace on earth nor good will toward men ff do be as helpful and incon spicuous as possible around the house during those hectic days before christmas your wife is not necessarily uicrsoirs her change of life those screams at the children snarls at you and other manic depressive symp toms merely mean that a she lost her christmas card list from last year or b aunt sa die and uncle george have just written to say that theyll lie along for christmas with the five kids or c she has found the present you bought for her and hid so carefully and she is not enamoured of that lovely pair of kneeling pads v dont leave all your christ mas shopping until the last day then get a few hookers un der your belt and sally forth to wrap it all up in one merry ex cursion fellow i know did that last year it took him until april to get rid of the pony that ar rived on christmas morning for his fouryearold son and he never could get back the down payment from the airline com pany on one of those fly now pay later trips to south america with which he present ed his wife a do take the family out in the woods to gt a chritmas tree as your wife points out its an i claus crowds out the christ old tradition and sort of well child or that the excitement of fun you wind up with wet feet j getting gifts is greater than the head cold torn clothing the quiet happiness of giving pres- car all scratched and a tree ents to show our love to our sunday school lesson lesson for december 27 god oub help acts 12 golden text casting all your care upon him for he careth for you 1 pet 37 tub lesson as a whole approach to the lesson simon peters predicament was severe his chances of survival seemed very slim indeed herod king of palestine was a cruel and effective foe the herodian line was known for its infamy ana he was no excep tion he was aggressive and de termined to have his way note that when his plot against peter was foiled he did not hesitate to order the tieatli of the prison guards acts 1219 determined to unify his king dom herod was eager to please the jews by eliminating any disruptive elements he regard ed the church as divisive and concluded that its leaders must be liquidated peters plight seemed hopeless why first herod had already per secuted other believers and mur dered the apostle james there by he had delighted the jews his program of destruction was producing results and at the same time pleasing the public second herod was not likely to desist his zeal and self assur ance continued unabated until his ghastly death verses 2023 third peters escape from prison appeared impossible he was chained by his wrists to two roman soldiers while two others were on guard outside his cell usually doomed prisoners were bound to only one soldier but herod was taking no chan ces fourth peter had no stalwart allies among his friends to insti gate a popular revolt and to rush to his aid he was cast upon the mercies of his god but the power of herod was as nothing when god intervened to deliver his beleaguerd servant the heart of the lesson the story of peters deliver ance from priso is highly ap propriate for the last sunday of the year no matter how great the odds against believ ers god is still on the throne his ears are ever open to the prayers of his people and his arm mighty to save the weapon which the church forged against the enemies of the lord was effectual fervent prayer god heard her supplica tions sent his angel and re stored peter to his praying friends see 1212 prayer is still a formidable instrument god honored it in peters day he honors it today but notice carefully how the jerusalem saints prayed and learn from their example acts 125 is a classic their prayers were earnest and fervent without ceasing they stretched forth their souls as well as their hands toward heaven they meant business peter was in prison they pled with god to release him their prayers were united of the church all joined in intercession all were in perfect agreement as they approached the throne of grace the army of the lord was a harmonious granddad says that looks as though it had leen the locale of the annual spruce- buds convention but you can always buy one down at the corner the next day dont dlow wnmon and cnil- drcn in the house when youre for parents only christjiastide i enly father in his own good time sent his son into a family the story of christ- coming of the shepherds and the wise men is the most beautiful in all the world are we reading aloud to our children while they are still quite small this accouni of the first christmas day let us not leave this just to the church or to the sunday school teach ers a childs religious instruc tion is his parents responsibil ity and privilege but christmas is above all a day when we should remember the gifts which jesus brought to the world they were many and varied they were the hid den things of the spirit which make life worthwhile peace and joy and love as we read our daily newspapers we can not but feel that our world is sadly lacking in these very qual ities there is little peace how can there be joy among the hungry war orphans in europe 1ove seems to be conspicuous by its absence in the bickering be tween the nations the quarrels between labor and manage ment but the efforts of the nations towards unity the rge scale un plans to feed starving peo ple the struggle for harmonious settlement of international and industrial disagreements should not be forgotten at christmas we all should gain new faith that if men and women seek gods guidance and commit themselves to his way the sav iours coming will not have been in vain in our own family circles let us celebrirte christmas aright let each of us keep christmas in our hearty let us resolve anew to create an atmosphere of poec and joy and love as far as it is pos sible in our homes not just at yuletidc but throughout the year then our christinas will indeed be merry and the days ahead will form a truly happy new year what is your favorite christ mas poem there are so many beautiful ones from which to choose one lovely poem by an unknown author quoted in the grade teacher is this within a lowly manger within a lowly manger the heavenly baby lay a glory shone around him and shepherds came to pray above a star beamed golden and wise men from afar brought gifts to lay before him frankincense gold and myrrh o little child so gentle to honor thee we sing with happy hearts and joyful songs a gift of love we bring almost two thousand years ago a baby was born in a sta ble in bethlehem to a young jewish maiden named mary the hirth of a child is always a special occurrence ask any mo ther or father if they did not ex perience a feeling of awe and wonder as well as thankful ness when they gazed down at the face of a new son or dau ghter but jesus birth was the great est event our world has ever known he was gods son and in his life and death as well as his birth he revealed gods love for all mankind christmas is christs birth day we miss the true signifi cance of this greatest of all days if we fail to place the emphasis on the spiritual meaning of the 25th of december not just a holiday but a holy day the children in our homes should never feel that santa dear ones if christmas is mere ly an occasion for feating and merricent it is but a pagan fes tivity of course christmas is a fam ily day in the psalms is the lovely verse god ttcth th solitary in familiei the hcav chkistmas time theres some ing about the christmas time with its hymns of praise and carols dear that mellows the heart and hallows the home lightens the task brings hope and cheer hm in the very air we breathe we feel a spirit we cannot see and sense its warm benevolence its heartfelt force for equity tis a time to think more deeply of the life laid down by him to save mankind from the downward path of sin so dark and grim we recall that glorious pageant upon a judean hill host on its knees their prayers were directed unto god this was no intro spection or woolgathering their help was in the almighty they had no other recourse god was their solitary hope and aid their prayers were definite for him this was practical pointed specific focused inter cession our lord is pleased when his people bring their personal particular desires to him in persistent expectant prayer he stands ready to an swer their requests far beyond their dearest dreams when ihepherds watched an4 angels sang peace on earth to men good will when the wise men brought their treasures gold frankincense and myrrh to lav at the feet of the virgins child our lord and saviour there was no room in the inu that night for joseph and mary of galilee who had come to be taxed at bethlehem as prophets did foresee- yes god revealed himself that night a babe in a manger born brought hope to souls so long depressed by tyranny and scorn oh that the manger of every heart could cradle the child gods gift of love and link this old earth to heaven anew in unity faith and love myrtle dowswell a bachelor sometimes is a man who envies married men untill he gets married s very few persons have snug fortunes but many have snug incomes in that its all they can do to keep within them to our patrons that our staff may be able to spend christmas and new years with their families there will be no milk delivery on christmas day new years day maple leaf dairy staff new hours a c kennedy dc 912 tues fri hart kennedy dc 2 9 mon wed fri for appointment ph stouffville 617 answering service hart a c kennedy chiropractic office church st s stouffville body fender repairs duco dulux refinishing estimates without obligation w 6 garrett and son slain street stouffville ont phone 265 tojsantliemiiiiis for that little extra colour af christ mot time or perhaps m a gift come and take your pick from our varied selection of pomed mums direct from the growor to you selection limited make yours soon phone stouffville 275w2 or visit us at the grcenhaus highway 48 and 19th ave east hakgrave greenhouses markham ont farmers grinding mixing service molasses blending without lumps done right on the spot bagged off or blown into bin thorn mobile feed service uniogvillc ft a it it vmerxv phon 137