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clftthe acton free press wednesday december 20 1967 noahs ark once favorite toy for puritan homes oh ihe wonderful noah s ark it was not found sea worthy when put in a washing- tub and the animals were crammed in at the roof and needed lo have their legs well shaken down before they could be got in even there and then icn to one but they began to tumble out the door which was but impertcctu fastened against it consider the noble fly a sia- or two smaller than the elephant the ladybird the butterfly all triumphs of arl consider the goose whose feet were so small and whose balance was so indiflerentthil she usually tumbled forward and knocked down all the ani mal creation consider noah and his fa mily like idiotic stoppers and how the leopard stuck to warm little lingers and him the tails of the larger animals used gradually to rcsolu themselves into fiased bits of string thu charlei dickens recall ed in one of his charming chnstm1- memoirs that old time hnstmas favorite toy noahs ark ft was a favorite through several centuries in f u rope lot good reason it was nppoved a a suntlav toy in those homes wheie the sao- bath was observed strictlv wild strict msteiitv the kite the cockhorse spinningtop horn lead soldieis bat and fiall doll whirligig and other pi h things fuel lo be put awa the noahs ark alone could he loleialeil in puiitiri home s foi i uax deemed leliglousk ecikilional after the familv fiad gone lo acinous service in ihnrch and had us dinner the ark looking remarkably like a canal boat such as the children had seen in nearbv waterways came to rest up on a mount ararat in the par lor camels lions horses all manner of creatures were brought forth or tumbled out unceremoniously if parents werent watching closely to be arranged in pairs and paraded in the drama of the flood af- ter father or grandfather or some other elder had given a blessing lo this proceeding on the sabbath with a pertinent reading from the old testa ment originally the figures of the wnrr morr lljr mtsait of fhatr and jay rrsauttba arrohn ttr lano fyrraloing that first ali nlnjjl un tljr brautlful cljriatmaii htorit wan bryuu 0ur ainrrrr wieite to oil for a jbrrrtj chrtuttnob jerry skirrow your imperial esso and home heat service dealer 1532340 pairs of animals of mr and mrs noah shem ham and japheth were carved from wood the craftsmen in such woodenware as shop signs trenchers bowls spoons moulds candle stands and- travs also larvcd the figures for noahs arks some were so expert that the animals were truly a work of art they were regarded with the awe accord ed idols among aborigines in whose religion animals figure importantly ii li slated in toys through l he ages bv dan foley pun b chilton press noahs ark carvings became objects of barter among natives of afri ca and were equally popular in the indies and america among thenativc tribes the austrian town of ober- ammcrguu which was famous for us carvings of religious fig ures in wood produced noahs arks distinguished for the fine ness ol the workmanship ex amples ol these are prized to day few complete sets exist because of the natural wear ind lejr individual pieces suf- lered 11 the hands ol one or two generations ol youngsters in sunday play noahk ark pieces were also made from tin lead paper- compositions and ceramics in modern limes they are found moulded from plastic and the animals also assembled and sold as barnyard play sets specialist collectors have found dozens of varieties one collector is credited with hav ing over 1000 different pairs of noahs ark animals while his hobby may appear somewhat childish to others he can take satisfaction in the fact that his collection is respected by the curators at historic essex institute salem mass and many other museums which have noahs arks among their exhibits these sunday toys are subjects of prime attention in such internationally circulat ed tomes as the english leslie daikens historical study childrens toys through the ages toys in america by mar shall and inez mcclintock daniel foleys toys through the ages historic des joucts bv henri rene dallemagne the carvers of noahs ark animals also were makers of jumping jacks that these were not so acceptable as sun day toys is understandable considering that they were re garded originally as demonic only slightly less evil than the jackinthebox the latter rep resented the devil dowries filled early stockings st nicholas the early bishop who was the first santa claus is also credited with orglnat- lng the custom of hanging up christmas stockings according to legend he wished fo provide dowries for the three daughters of a bank rupt merchant since he wanted the gifts to be anony mous he tossed bags of gold down the merchants chimney accidentally the gold fell into stockings the girls had hung by the fireplace to dry factual handicap is that though st nicholas lived in the fourth century stockings werent made with feet until the 11th century but the christmas stocking story is still a happy legend may christmas bring you all the joys of the season and all the warm satisfactions of sincere friendships we thank you for your generosity during the past year rachlin jewellers the origin of christmas while the exact origin of the practice of kissing under the mistletoe is not known there are several popular stories about it the druids of ancient am paid it more than lip ser vice they thought it could heal disease neutralt7c poi sons and protect against witchcraft they wore charm bracelets and rings made of mistletoe and fastened the plant over their doorways to ward off evil spirits a scandinavian tale involves frigga the goddess of love and beauty researchers report that frigga first made mistle toe an emblem of love and granted some lucky man a kiss beneath its branches begin ning a smacking good custom of course the giristmas tree is a center of attraction in most homes during the yule season a place of honor in cidentally solidly rooted in g history for thousands of years before christs birth ev ergreen trees were revered by german tribesmen as symbols of immortality when the pag ans were converted to christ ianity they transferred their feelings for the evergreen to the new religion the first person to put lights on a christmas tree was martin luther walking home one night shortly before christ mas the reformation leader felt a strong tie between the starry night and the love of god at home he placed candl es on a little evergreen tree to help his children experience flowers burst into bloom on nigbt of jesus birth flowers burst into bloom and trees and shrubs were green with new leaves on the night of the savious birth so legend says down through the ages certain flowers and greens have held an honored place in the lore of christmas the holly and the ivy mistle toe rosemary the christmas rose the thorn tree ancient peoples believed that mistletoe had powers to ward off evil or cure a variety of illnesses druid priests of britain long ago believed thai mistletoe should be cut with a golden knife then hung over doorways as a protection from evil the greeks too used it to ward off evil one of the many legends sur rounding the poinsettia tells of a poor mexican girl who hav ing no gift of value humbly placed some roadside weeds at the foot of a statue represent ing the virgin and child in stantly the weeds became scarlet blossoms and thus so the legend says the poinsettia was created rosemary the symbol of constancy was at one time widely used in england as a christmas decoration during the victorian era it lost popu larity- and is now seldom if ever seen as part of the yule- tide greenery an old story says that the fragrance of rosemary was giv en to it when mary placed the christ childs garments on this shrub like mistletoe the brightly berried holly was early credit ed with magical and medical powers it could even legend said tell girls the name of their future husbands g1etings sjn the miracle of the manger mankind finds joy eternal may your christmas be blessed acton welding rr 4 acton the same wonder of gods hea vens the custom grew and spread through northern eur ope then to america although the custom of dec orating the christmas tree did not originate in america the practice of playing christmas music with feet did less than half a century ago play er piano enthusiasts pumped out such favorites as silent night and little town of bethlehem today with the help of modern players that can be foot powered or used as a regular piano by the ac complished the custom is hav ing a thrilling comeback in thousands of homes across the country and why not it doesnt take long for a pianola to become the centre of your christmas festivities the time honored feeling of togetherness is fos tered bv friends and family ga thered around a modern play er singing any one of dozens of universally loved christmas song along with hundreds of other music roll favorites the combination of lively feet and music continuing to day as people play and sing ar ound their player pianos all over the country began with early carols the word ca rol means to dance in a ring and the man who popularized the practice was the beloved st francis of assisi to bring the christmas message vividly and tury could manger cmerrij onrisfcmas a 38 y mi to speed very v ji m warm wishes lor the yoletide holiday o you may your day be bright with joy and merriment shared with your loved ones we hope you have a wonderful christmas allans collision service crewsoffs corners 8532160 we wish you one and all i a joyous funfilled holiday season i canadian tire corporation acton ont associate store art gordon prop