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Show THE RICH COUNTY REAPER. RANDOLPH. UTAH Halloween Was First Celebrated By Inhabitants of Rural Sections $. Thanksgiving for Good Crops Offered by Early Man. By CLIFF LANGE Released by Western Newspaper Union. Halloween is essentially and basically a rural celebration. It belongs to the country-sidthe small town where the people-arclose to the earth, and all that comes from and lives upon the earth. Far back in history, man, realize, e ing that summer was done and the work of nature, busy all the previous months, was at an end, held religious ceremonies to thank the gods ORIGIN OF THE NAME November 1 is All Saints day, or All also called Hallows. The evening preceding this day is for sending him food upon which to live. To early man, Nature, with all its blessings and woes, was something of a mystery to him. As he became more familiar with it and more civilized through the centuries, he had certain gods as guardians of his crops. When the crops were collected, and the cattle gathered in, he then held his celebration with his family and with friends. This was the beginning of our present day celebration tf Halloween. Many of the wild spirits In which early man believed are reflected in the witches riding brooms, the goblins with their fearful faces that decorate Halloween parties wherever they are held. Primitive mans basic spirit of thankfulness for favors done by the ruler of all nature through religious celebrations and ceremonies was continued by the Druids of England, the early Romans, and even the Indians of the United States. In the days of early England, the Druids, priests of ancient Britain, celebrated the feast of Samhain on November 1. At that time the flocks were driven in and the workers of the community rested from their arduous summertime labors. loween. The Indians of the Southeast and Northeast United States placed the pumpkin in a conspicuous spot during their celebrations because it was a staple article of their diet. Many people have further seen a definite relation between the hollowed, decorated and lighted pumpkin in homes on Halloween with the ceremonial dances and masques of the Hopi Indians held in the Southwest at harvest time. In fact, almost all the early American rather, native American foodstuffs grown by the early Indians and given proper appreciation diming their harvest celebrations are today noticed in Halloween decorations. Corn is one of the outstanding foodstuffs so displayed. The priests of early Christianity found it difficult to stamp out the mystery .and symbolism of the last night of October. They effected a compromise between the old religious ceremonies of the Romans and Druids and those essentially Christian. To offset the black magic of Druid superstitions, the next day was declared All Saints day (as it still is today) and the evening preceding it was renamed hallowed or holy evening. The corruption of the name, by constant usage by the untutored natives, came to be Halloween. But the new name could not change the character of the festi- - the cheerful cherub Who, Me? Hoot Owl is a patient animal he r long he doesnt is, he is. do anything but sleep all day, work all night catching mice and other delicacies that '' tickle his palate. Then, come Halloween, he gets himself all prettied up to have his pic Id' like to be breeze. But before midnight on October the Druids put out the old fire on the altar of their god, Baal, and made a new one. This signified the beginning of another year of work with Nature by those early ruralites who worshiped before the heathen god Baal. In the early Roman festival of Pomona, held at harvest time, fruits and nuts played a very important part. How the customs of the early Roman religious festival havq come down to the present day is noticed in the giving of fruits and nuts to youngsters who go visiting on Halloween. There also is a definite reason for pumpkins always a necessary ornament, either real or artificial-hav- ing a definite place in any Halloween decoration. The reason is not difficult to understand. The early Indians combined deep solemnity and hearty relaxation at their harvest time celebration, held around the present time of Hal- - A Halloween Wish i Lets see now, where was I? Oh, yes. Phone Janey after this man takes my picture and ask her if she has some extra bobby pins. 1 wish he would hurry up. Im getting tired of sitting here holding this ijjj- -i.1 wish those people who see this picture have a happy Halloween. I know I will.. (Thats Ellen Drew, in case you havent recognized her.) tke. nights. And rock tke bird, to sleep in trees e.11 By VIRGINIA VALE Released by Western Newspaper Union. ABBOTT figures that the son, Bud Abbott Jr., whom he and his wife BUD have just adopted, is a direct present from Uncle Sam. It was through an official who accompanied Abbott and Costello on g tour their recent that the 'comic entertainer first heard of the availability of the bond-sellin- youngster and subsequently arranged for the adoption. Universal recently announced the purchase of the farce, See My Lawyer, as a vehicle for the two comedians; Mil-to- n Berle and Paddy Hart starred in it on Broadway. - m WNU Features, CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT RANCH WANTED I Want to Buy an A- -l Grain or Stock Ranch. WUI pay up to $50,000.00. WM. J. JOHNSON. Box 2, Great Falla, Mont. Pat OBrien, who recently filmed at The Navy Comes Through RKO, believes that he and Spencer Tracy can boast the longest endurUnity, Liberty, Charity In things essential, unity; in ing friendship in Hollywood. Its lasted more than 35 years; they doubtful, liberty; in all things, were childhood playmates, went to charity. Rupertus Meldenius. ture taken. From the looks of him school together, served together in the navy during World War I, and you wouldnt believe that he has launched their professional careers been sitting like that for ten days. 10 together. a in Before that he was resting storeroom with other stuffed aniDavid Holt, appearing with Mickmals. Oh, well: What would Haley Rooney in The Human Comloween be without an owl? ' fuedy, was tabbed as a sure-fir- e ture star until stricken with infan fiiXro In NR (Natures Remedy) Tablets, there are no chemicals, no minerals, no phenol derivatives. NR Tablets are different act different. Purely vegetable a combination of 10 vegetable ingredients formulated over 50 years ago. Uncoated or candy coated, their action is dependable, thorough, yet gentle, as NRshave proved. Get a 10 Box. Larger economy sizes, too. mil-lions-of Con-vinc- er CANDY riatfM COATED r REGULAR! 1 Town Is Mans Work tile paralysis. Now hes climbing God made the country and man back toward stardom, after a long made the town. Cowper. fight. He gives a swell performance as a crippled boy in Pride of the Just waiting for a train, boys. Thats all. Shes been invited over Yankees. to the next towns Halloween celebration given for the benefit of the USO. Isnt it a far cry from the days when witches were in style inBob Hope is taking no chances on stead of beauties such as she? Who said, The good old days? having readers of his autobiography, They Got Me Covered, think that val. To those back hundreds of member that France, Belgium-ev- en the Samuel Goldwyn picture of the Germany when free, also cel- same name is his life story. A foreyears ago, and continuing on down through the centuries, Halloween ebrated Halloween. word to the which stars Bob In those oppressed countries the and Dorothy film, has always remained, both seriousdeclares that Lamour, ly and humorously, as a time when harvest has brought nothing but conAny resemblance between the tinual privation, want and death. supernatural influences prevailed. and me characters in this In the United States it has been is entirely fictional,photoplay and its signed, Through the years the relidifferent. A moral is here. Bob Hope. gious significance of the eve has Whtn colds start spread cooling all but disappeared. But the picMentholatum inside nostrils. Inture of witches riding their Metros hoping that it has another stantly it releases vapor Mentho-latiobrooms across the harvest fields that start 4 vital actlonsi Greer Garson in Valerie Hobson, Editor Shows How 1) They thin out thick mucus; with the full, bright moon in the another young English actress, 2) Soothe irritated membranes; background has stayed with us. the lead opposite 3) Help reduce swollen passages; 4) In southwestern Missouri the mer- whos playing And speaking of witches it should Stimulate nasal blood supply. Every Donat in Robert Sabotage Agent, breath brings quick relief! Jars 80$. be remembered that it hasnt been chants of a progressiveof small town being filmed in London. America Halloween so very long ago that here in the dreaded the approach has seen hfer in and United States they were considered as much as the kids happily anticiBlackout. it. X by many to be harmful old women pated The police officials, school teachunder the diabolic control of the When Crawford Joan stepped into were perplexed, ers, and principals master Evil One, the Devil. Lomthe intended role Carole for how to could the as too, stop they ' In New England during 1691-9in bard the All They picture, even though light, inflicted when an outburst of fanaticism took damage, Kissed the donated she her Bride, kids as masked the they trooped by place there, hundreds of persons about the streets on the night of entire salary for the job to war were thrown in jail for either being October 31. charities. Recently Paulette Godwitches, or consorting with them. In The editor of the local weekly was dard was engaged to do the radio the summer of 1692, 19 persons were version of the picture on the CBS giving thought to the matter, too. tried in court, 'convicted and hanged The editor was still a comparatively Playhouse, and announced that her for witchcraft. would young man. He remembered some salary for the performance to war bonds in trust be of the the put buy emotion, Today of his youthful Halloween pranks spirit thankfulness which the early peo- all too well. It was a different situ- for five children of war heroes who do not come home at the wars end ples expressed in their harvest cere- ation now, he realized. which probably means quite a lot monies on Halloween has been all a he brilliant idea. got Suddenly of bonds! but forgotten. He talked to the members of the Today the same power which towns business club about it. brought good crops and healthy In the next edition of the editors Rumors that Cary Grant would stock to the early dwellers, brings newspaper was a large ad offering enlist in the army air forces were not only plenty for this nation, but an attractive money prize by the confirmed for moviedom when it was also for those nations battling with towns merchants to the young per- announced by RKO that Bundles Us, the Evil One of Europe who is son who drew the most attractive, for Freedom, starring Grant, had riding the witchs broom of cruelty artistic picture on any of the mer- been moved up on the production and hate, but who will, when the chants store windows with soap on schedule so that hed finish before magical words of freedom are spo- Halloween. his enlistment. ken, crash to earth destroying himResult? Damage dropped off to a self and the evil spirits that have minimum; many fine pictures The shortage of leading men may been consorting with him. drawn; one youth the proud posses- precipitate a cycle of man-les- s There will be a poignant touch to sor of the money prize; much pub- films; looks as if Metro is getting those who will celebrate Halloween licity for the town, the business men ready by buying Cry Havoc, a and the editor. this year in the United States, re little theater play dealing with volunteer nurses during the siege of wrote the following Bataan. John Gay, the early English poet lines of poetry which reflected a superstition of his day concerning Jack Durant and Shirley Temple the Halloween festival: At even o HaUowmai no sleep I sought. made their screen debut in the same But to the field a bag ot hempseed brought. picture, Stand Up and Cheer; he I scattered round the seed on ever? side, was part of a slapstick act in that ' And three times three in accents cried, ns at 2, . (1688-1732- ), pumpkin. It isnt heavy, but the beat from the light in it IS hot. I little. . And blow tkrougk All-yea- pre-Christi- an 31 6. . trembling This hempseed with my virgin hand I sow. shall my true love be, the crop shall mow. Who . This poem, as does the accompanying story, further brings out the fact that Halloween Is essentially a rural festival. musical extravaganza. In Journey Into Fear he' appears as the male half of an adagio dancing team, opposite Dolores Del Rio. |