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PAGE EIGHTEEN THE DAILY TI MES-GAZETTE SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1948 Industries Boom In BC * Vancouver, Dec. 17--(CP) -- The big three of British Columbia's in- Sespial might today are in high gea; pid statistical report says: 1. This year's harvest of the fishing industry is expected to reach $70,000,000--a marked in- crease over the 1947 all-time record of $58,764,950. 2. A pulp and paper boom is taking place and the present nine producers, predict this year's out- put will surpass $80,000,000--an- other record. ,3. A sensitive export market de- Hvered a body blow to the lumber industry but production still is ex- pected at near last year's all-time dollar-volume record of $282,000,- 000. Catches of halibut, chums and salmon, particularly sockeye, did not shatter records this year but their higher market value boosted figures tremendously. The salmon pack alone totalled 1,313,900 cases. B. C. fishermen caught 2,000,000 pounds of tuna which marketed for a handsome $600 a ton, registering two more records. The pulp industry really boomed. The nine present companies, a total investment of $122,000,000 currently are spending $82,000,000 on plant expansions. An industry spokesman said today the stand taken recently by Quebec in refusing to allow further pulp and paper expansion because of rapid depletion of her forests, will mean that even more producers will turn to B. C. "Ontario is also in a tight situa- tion as far as wood supply goes, so that leaves only B. C. and Western Alberta for further expansion," he said. Observers say B. C. is entgring a new era when prosperity will be a hard-fought battle. But they added, hastily, that operators still expect to sell their entire output. They say a $15,000,000 United Kingdom market is needed to keep the industry rolling at its current record pace. But sales to the United States have increased con- siderably and so far this year the cut has been 3,463,185,193 feet board measure. London--(CP)--The BBC Third Program hopes a short story com- petition it has started will unearth a successor to the late A, J. Alan, radio's star story-teller in the thir- ties. The story 4f the month will get £50 ($200) on top of the fees, and repeats will bring it up to nearly £100. "hs". Copyright, 1948, King Peatures Syndicate, Ine. coming of the Messiab. he *The voice of bim that crieth in 'he <viderner, Prepare - the wey of the Lord, and make straight in the desert a highway for owr God." 3 , : The Clistmas Hiustrated by Hal Foster K) HE WAY was prepared for the coming of Jesus. The prophets of % @ i old had proclaimed it and the priests had ever told their flocks: "Put aside your worldly ways end prepare your bearts for the 4 Story inl Mil AE TERT "oe RPE PE "Christmas in an American Home," as depicted by an artist for Leslie's Weekly in the 1890's, and (right) "Hanging the Christmas Stocking," one of the best-known Christmas drawings of Thomas Nast, By. CLARK KINNAIRD" The Christmas that is now tra- ditional in most of the lands in which it is -cbserved, is the result of the amalgamation of the cus- toms of many people, as has been indicated in previous articles in this series. No other body of folk cus- toms is so cosmopolitan as those surrounding Christmas. "Santa Claus" and the custom of exchanging gifts comes from Asia Minor and the Netherlands, as does the Christmas stockings, but the physical concept of Santa today is of American origin. The lighted Christmas tree we get from Germany; the tinsel and ornaments on the tree from southern Europe; and the Yule log from Scandinavia. Holly and mistletoe we owe to the Druids of early England, and carols to Middle Age England and Prance. The creche is from Italy. The col- ored hard candies derive from Italy; nuts, figs and raisins from Spain, Christmas fare also represents a welding of the traditions of various peoples. Oldest of the usual ele- ments of the Christmas dinner is | the mince pie. It goes back to the Middle Ages in Europe, where it was originally baked in an oblong shape to represent the manager of the Nativity, One was supposed to eat 12 of them between Christmas Night and Twelfth Night (Jan. 6). The recipe hdd symbolism; it was supposed to represent the gold, frankincense and myrrh of the Magi The erust was the gold: the species the myrrh; the aroma, the frankincense. The Christmas turkey is an # American innovation now- well- established - in England and other A rishmas Hl ch A fa Js asaQume By SIN countries. A boar's head was the traditional 'Christmas course in England wis wae 02 Of - James I. That monarch hated pork and ordered fowl served at the royal table instead. This introduced a custom of serving swan, peacock or goose. No one, who has ever read Dickins' 'Christmas Carol" forgets the description of the Cratchits' Christmas dinne! "There never was such @& 'goose cooked. Tts tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were the themes of universal admiration. Eked out by apple-sauce and mash- ed potatoes, it was a sufficient din- ner for the whole family. . . . Yet everyone had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows! But now, the plates being changed by Miss Belinda, Mrs. Cratchit left the room alone--too nervous to bear witness --to take the pudding up, and bring it in. "Suppose it should not be done enough! Suppose it should break in turning out! Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the backyard, and stolen it while they were merry with the goose . . . "Hallo! A great deal of steam. The 'pudding was out of the cop- per. A smell like washing-day! That was the cloth. A smell like an eating-house and a pastryco; next door to each other, pr 0. laundress's next to that! t was the pudding. In half a minute Mrs. Cratchit entered; flushed, but smil- ing proudly; with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a- quatern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top." The Cratchits could not have been expected to have a Christmas tree The Christmas tree was not popu- iar in England till one was intro- duced in the royal palace by the German Prince Albert in 1841, after he married the future Queen Vie- toria. The tree had been an estab- lished custom in German for centuries. There is a tradtion that it was a custom started by Martin Luther, but this is questioned. Evergreen twigs weré used for decorating at the time of the fes- tival of the. Nativity by Christians in northern Europe long before Luther. "Holly and ivy also were identified ' with the holiday at a very early date. Holly represented the master of the house, whereas ivy represented the mistress. Holly was considered to be sacred and se- date; ivy was assumed to be of a very riotous nature. Mistletoe among the early Druids represented love, In the early Christian church it 'was made cus- tomary to bestow the "kiss of peace" at Christmas time. These two sym- bols have become interwoven in the custom of kissing under the mistle- toe. A Christmas tradition as old as any, the Yule log, is dying out in this age of apartments with gas logs and houses with oil-heating. In olden times, the Yule log had to be brought home by the men- folk on Christmas Eve and kindled by the women with the remains of the previous year's log, kept spes cially for the purpose. The girls had to first" wash their hands be- fore setting the log ablaze. It was believed that the devil was power- less to do mischief to households where the Yule log had been pro- perly burned. Copyright, 1948, King Featuis Syndicate, Inc. This is the last of a series of ar- ticles on the traditions of Christ- mas. By Robert Acomb TWEROD CAMS PROM | Er] f By Dudley Fisher WHY ARE YOU LATE FOR SCHOOL, MYRTLE ? Miss FLUNKEM SURE CAN WHITTLE YOu / OOWN {_ HOWDY, MAM. ME AN' MY FRIEND 15 WANTIN' TRENT x A ROOM, x LIL ABNER . ITLL DO, MAM... IF iL JST TAKE A COUPLA RIBBONS OFFA TH' . NAST Wag 7" SO YO' IS AN SST BOR BURNIN o' ROME." --VERY NICE 7" BUT, HUT IS YO GONNA DO T' MAKE TH WEDDIN' USUAL. P TOOTS, IT WAS SWEET OF CASPER TO SEND YOU THIS GORGEOUS AZALEA AS A PEACE OFFERING | PERSONALLY, DEARIE, T LIKE A MAN WITH JUST A LITTLE § FN HIS SYSTEM. , Hq [ogre to Kong Vogwr ~ By Brandon Walsh JT JUST CAME OVER TO SAY {| G00D-BYE TO EVERYBODY =, FATHER SEZ HE THINKS ME ANY HIM WILL i LEAVIN FOR HOMES MOON MULLINS ¢ TOMORROW = HELL CALL J HAPPY FOR BEELIN'ILL THE CHILD'S.)( NEVER SEE THE A LTe SKIPPER YOU NEVER CAN TELL WHERE ITY KNOCK YOUR DOOR, WILLIE, A MAN WITH 'AS MUCH MONEY AS CAPTAIN SCHMALTZ HAS MAY BE LOOKING FOR A BUSINESS PARTNER. BLONDIE BLONDIE, WILL. = YOu SEE WHO IT IS RINGING THE ONT DOORBELL? NOBODY HERE! Z IT MUST'VE BEEN THE TELEPHONE: -48%¢ WHERE'S BLONDIE ? 1 JUST ASKED HER < 4