THE MICHIGAN DAILY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1961
THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30. 1961
... s}
YOU A . . . we~II aAUI US
Y '
.---
W -}
. ..r°' ' " ''I ""l+:" rY; '' ? 'G
.. I 1r ~
* .X'z«/ ,.em
Outrageously feminine! Marvelous to give and to hint for this Christmis! Furry
wool shearling with warm fleecy lining and a long wearing sole In pink, lilac
champagne, light blue, black or white. fl , 0
Christmas: A
Glaring
Soviet
Failure
_
By JAMES NICHOLS
Despite Soviet blandishments,
Christmas still survives in Rus-
sia.
On Christmas eve in Moscow,
stronghold of atheism, a thousand
people squeeze into the Church
of the Holy Trinity to hear the
traditional Orthodox c h a n t,
"Christ is born! Glory to God!"
Worshippers at midnight mass
in the Catholic chapel may faint
from the' press and heat of the
crowd, as the prient intones, "Why
do the nations rage and the peo-
ple utter folly? Glory be to the,
Father, and to the Son, and to the
Holy Spirit."
Russian Equivalent
In the House of the Columns in
the Moscow House of the Trade
Union, the Russian equivalent of
our White House Christmas tree
is the nucleus of a children's
fairyland. There, thousands of So-
viet youngsters receive presents
and gape with wonder at the tra-
ditional skits of Jack Frost and the
Snow Maiden.
Later in the evening, costumed
students hold their Christmas ball
beneath the big red star at the
peak of the tree.
In every large Russian town, fes-
tivals allow the people a night of
relief from the heavy burdens of
life in this Communist land.
Wherever enough musicians can
be gathered together, the, notes of
Supplement
This is the first of two special Christmas
supplements The Daily will publish this year.
Where not otherwise attributed, the ideas
and statements in the supplements are the in-
dividual views of the staff writers and not of
The Daily.
the greatest Russian
hang in the biting air{
composers
~L~~t~L$77
Vodka Flows
In smaller towns, on this "night
of nights," vodka flows freely, and
in nearly every home the samovar
(tea urn) bubbles on the table.
Where the older customs still
exist, the priest may visit each
home, sprinkling it with holy wa-
ter, sanctifying it for the coming
year. He greets the dwellers with
"Greetings for the Lord's birth,"
to which they reply, "God be with
you.''$
But most of the worshippers at
traditional services on January 7
(Christmas according to the Jul-
ian calendar) are old people. In
their lifetime, Russia has become
a nation of atheists, and the birth
of the Christ Child has been of-
ficially declared a myth,
Atheists Celebrate
For these atheists, New Year's
day has become the time for dec-
orations and gift giving. Toys,
candies, fruits, skis and similar
presents are exchanged by the
people.
Before the Bolshevik revolution
in Russia, the Orthodox Church
was very close to the state, and
totally subservient to it. Priests
preached submission to the czars,
and violently opposed any humane
treatment of the Russian poor.
Communist Persecutors
After 1917, the church was bru-
tally persecuted by the Commu-
nists. They closed most of the
churches and monasteries, and all
of the religious schools. Thou-
sands of priests and nuns were
killed.
The churches ;remained closed
until 1943. Ironically, the invad-
ing Nazis opened them. As part of
a propaganda campaign, the Ger-
mans distributed religious articles
and broadcast Orthodox services
over army transmitters. The faith-
starved people began to think of
the Nazis as liberators.
Stalin was forced to compro-
mise with the Orthodox Church.
He stopped his savage persecution
TRUE SPIRIT-During their lunch break workers in a watch
factory in Penza, Russia, express their joy over Christmas.
I
306 SOUTH STATE
CHRISTMAS STORE HOURS
Mon.-9:00 to 8:30
Tues. thru Thurs. 9:00 to 5:30
Fri.-9:00 to 8:30
Open every nite-week of Dec. 18th
:,'L
* S
Chris
is
cGay decorations . .
red balls and poinse
. . . Christmas is ev
real Christmas spirit,
usefulness, awaiting
season, everything h
Goodyear's a trulyE
is now upon us. An
4
the regular and ad
convenience.
PERSON
Just call N(
what you w
shop as thor
- >GIFT W
depending o
package; y
in gay pape
or to put un
MAILIN
Goodyear's
mailing or e
ping station
main floor.
> HOME C
Regularly sc
bor. . . We
in the foren
(.) afternoon. C
lage, and W
noons.
e
CHRISTMAS GREENS
and
CANPLES FOR YOUR
- HOUSE PARTIES
FL:OWE RS
OGLiG>and GIF T S
334 South State
NOrmandy 3-5049
and made concessions to the reli-
gious leaders. They, in turn, be-
gan to extol the virtues of the
Communist government from their
pulpits. They still do so today.
Church Strengthened
As a result of the compromise,
the church is the strongest it has
been since the czars. It is tax
exempt, and priests in the larger,
cities are among the wealthiest!
people in the country. They are
paid more than scientists and en-
gineers.
The Orthodox Church in athe-
istic Russia ministers to over 50
million souls. In December of 1959,
it was strong enough to excom-
municate several priests for fol-
lowing the Communist line.
But the state still has a stran-
glehold on religion in Russia.
State propaganda teaches athe-
ism, and textbooks deny the exist-
ence of Christ. No one under 18 is
allowed religious training. A priest
who learns of subversive activities
through confession is required by
law to report them to the police.
Religion has played a major
role in Russian imperialism. When
the Communists took over Alban-
ia, Roumania, Bulgaria and part
of eastern Poland, the churches of
those countries were forced to
convert to Russian Orthodoxy.
This increased the influence of
Moscow over them.
So far, the Communists have
failed to murder God, even in
their own lands. Young party
members still marry in the church,
and bring their infants there for
baptism. The poor and the elder-
ly continue to seek the faith that
Marxism cannot offer.
The Russian Christmas festivi-
ties are in contradiction to and
perhaps even defiance of the basic
manifesto of the Communist state.
Karl Marx once wrote that "re-
ligion is the opiate of the masses,"
and the entire doctrine rests. on
the assumption of totally human-
controlled factors.
} But the theory is not seen in
practice, and attempts to make
it reality have failed.
In that part of the world sur-
rounded by a curtain of iron and
clearly labeled "God, keep out,"
the religious significance of Christ-
mas is recognized and celebrated,
just as it is in the cities and vil-
lages of the West.
tma
S
Store
R
e
ady
.8.
f;'"
: .''
. : " ';
.. ''
6.
. trees bright with glittering snow, sparkling
:ttas ... giant candles casting their soft glow
ierywhere. All these are but symbols of the
and are reflected in the gifts of charm and
your selection. More than ever, this Christmas
as been done to help make your shopping at
enjoyable feature of the holiday season that
d as always, here at Goodyear's,/ there are
ded services that will add to your shopping
AL SHOPPER ...
Q 3-4171, extension 31 . . . tell her
ant, or ask her for suggestions. She'll
oughly for you as you would yourself.
RAPPING ..
Wrap Shop ... for a nominal charge,
on the size and elaborateness of the
our gift will be attractively wrapped
rs and ribbons... ready for mailing
ider the Christmas tree.
G SERVICE ...
will pack and wrap gift purchases for
express shipment. Mailing and wrap-
conveniently located at the rear of
DELIVERIES .. .
cheduled daily deliveries in Ann Ar-
st and North sides, and Barton Hill;
oon . .. East and South side; in the
Deliveries to Ypsilanti, Pittsfield Vil-
illow Run, Tuesday and Friday after-
BRUNDAGE GIFTS
307 SOUTH STATE
NO 5-7921
U U
.:"
Model T1800
19-INCH
PORTABLE TV
IWIT
PERSONAL ISTENING
ANDi SLEEP SWITCH
" .. "'" New Sleep Switch-perfect for
~ nighttime viewing-allows up to
- 3-hours' playing time, then shuts
, TV off automatically! Exclusive
1Personal Listening attachment lets
ERS O listen IthGt di.
turbing others. * Full Power Transformer TV
RUSSIAN CHURCH-Christmas stilt survives in the U.S.S.R., and,
even though the story of Christ has been declared a myth, even
atheists celebrate the occasion with gift-giving.
c ;
1I
In Any
l {{
I--
f"Y J d -
high unbreakable.
spiked heel.
For a lmited time
onl y, and at noI
Brundage has the
candy, cards, and
charming gifts
that could make
this year a
Merry Christmas
for one and all!"