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!"