THE MICHIGAN DAILY

THURSDAY,

THE MICHIGAN DAILY THURSDAY,

Christmas Cultural Events Set

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By HELENE SCHIFF

-AF Wirephoto,
AFTER EFFECT-If Christmas were not commercialized, the unemployment caused by the lack of
seasonal jobs would wreak havoc on the Social- Security bureau, as illustrated above.
Co mmes ioid
O Reriou Chiismas
-o R e iio s hrst a

By FREDERICK ULEMAN '
In this most joyous time of year,
with its sparkling tinsel and happy
shoppers, a corrosive air of cor-
ruption pervades the pleasantness
of the nation.
There has been a vast adver-
tising campaign designed to distort
the true meaning of Christmas by
substituting false values for the
ones which all people inherently
cherish.
This subversive plot is trying to
eliminate the dual meaning of
Christmas as both a holy day and
a holiday and fill the void with a
single, all-powerful significance.
Eliminate Commercialism
Employing advertising slogans
and waging a vigorous, vicious war
against the dual meaning, the reli-
gious leaders are slowly making
inroads in their campaign to con-
vert Christmas into a strictly
Christian holiday.

cut. Any such parity is an addi-
tional governmental expense and,
in the interests of economy, must
be a decisive argument against
Christmas's becoming .religious.
Others Suffer
As if that were not sufficient
evidence, note must also be taken
of the many people who would
need to be subsidized byhthe gov-
ernment were Christmas to become
strictly a religious holiday.
The part-time Santa Claus ac-
tors would be unemployed during
this season. Laundries which de-
pend upon the red-suit cleaning
business would also be hard
pressed for business. Delivery boys
and students would not be able to
work during the rushed season.
National organizations and pov-
erty-stricken individuals would be
thrown upon the mercy of the
social security board when the
greeting card market collapsed.

Should this unlikely strategy suc- Many Effects
ceed, the world would be faced These people and many more
with a number of fearful conse- yould be vitally affected were the
quences. concept of Christmas to revert to
The entire economy of the one of religion.
Japanese empire would crumble The national economy must be
under the collapse of the trinket defended against the insidious plot.
market, perhaps forcing them to The dollar must remain sound,
attack Pearl Harbor again. and Christmas must remain com-
Wood Parity mercial.
The wood pulp industry would Aside from these purely eco-
not be able to utilize the fir and nomic aspects, the abolition of
pine trees as a part of the festivi- Christmas's dual meaning would
ties. This, as the reader can plainly have profound sociological and
see, would lead to an over-abun- psychological effects upon the
dance of trees-eventually leading entire populace. In such troubled
to an excess supply of paper. times as these, the American citi-
This extra supply of paper would zen needs some elderly image,
probably come to the attention of some benevolent overseer in which
the federal government and apro- to have faith.
gram of price supports would un- Santa Image
doubtedly be established. Only Santa Claus can properly
The parity may even be extended provide mental sanity through a
to include the trees that aren't subconscious security. The other
designed by CHAs. AuDAMs
This is Wednesday, the Charles Addams doll.
One look at her face, and you may recall that rhyme
that began "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is
full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe ." She is
romantically pale because she was brought up in the cellar
of a creaky old Addamsmansion. Nice people adore Wednes-
-day. Nasty people thing she's a gleefully, evilly, shivery
little companion for all their wicked schemes. Since it's evi-
dent that Wednesday might fall into the wrong hands, do not
hesitate an instant. Take her and live woefully ever after
with Wednesday, the Charles Addams doll.

substitute, Christ, is entirely too
young to do a good job.
Some image is needed of a man
who works hard all year and is
able to remain jolly. The great
rotund creature appears a pillar of
strength to the common folk as he
labors uncomplainingly at his task
throughout the night.
His generosity to all seems al-
most the answer to a labor leader's
dream. No one need work. All re-
ceive their rewards.
Population Explosion
The commercialism of the
Christmas holiday also represents
a great social force as it provides
numerous party opportunities.
What would people, both young
and old, do if such gathering
functions were not held?
Surely they could not be ex-
pected to sit quietly at home or go
to church. If they were to attempt
anything quite so foolish, there
would be no more traffic. There
would be fewer automobile acci-
dents. Fewer people would die
and overpopulation would plague
us.
Along with these sociological ef-
fects is the incompatibility of the
religious ideal with the policies
and practice of many of our na-
tion's leaders and thinkers.
Ethical Values
In this age of the social ethic
which dictates that one belong to
a group, it would be entirely in-
appropriate to hold a celebration
strictly to commemorate the birth-
day of a notable exception.
In this era of teamwork and
group thinking, the story of a car-
penter's son who left the security
of home to seek followers in the
world would harshly grate upon
the sensibilities of even our most
tolerant people.
The fact that his work eventu-
ally killed him is not sufficient
atonement for his individuality to
make his story acceptable.
Group Protection
The group must be preserved
against the attacks of individuals.
Independent thinkers must be
brought into the fold through
correct education.
Once allowed to flourish, they
found new schools of thought,
gather disciples about them and
cause the eventual downfall of
world powers. For the preserva-
tion of the nation, Christmas must
remain commercial and the Pro-
testant ethic supressed.
For these reasons, and others too
numerous to mention, one is forced
to conclude that commercialism
must retain precedence over the
religious aspect of Christmas.

Christmas has long been a part
of the traditional culture of many
nations. As the Christmas season
begins, almost every locality will
sponsor cultural programs cele-
brating this ancient theme in
every form of the arts.
Ann Arbor and the University
are no exception. From the great-
est classical music to folk song
and manuscript and woodcut ar-
tistic masterpieces, local towns-
people and .students will find the
spirit of Christmas represented in
fine arts.
The timelessness of the Christ-
mas tradition is evidenced in these
works, which span centuries and
cultures in the same spirit.
The performance of Handel's
Messiah will highlight the Christ-
mas season this year in Ann Arbor.
Presented annually by the Univer-
sity Musical Society, the concert
will be held on Saturday, Dec. 2, at
8:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 3, at
2:30 p.m. in Hill Auditorium.
The University Choral Union
will be accompanied for the first
time by the University Symphony
Orchestra with Lester McCoy con-
ducting. The Coopersmith edition
of the Messiah text will be used
this year for the first time.
* * *
The University Choirs will pre-
sent their Christmas Concert on
Dec. 4. The participating groups
include the University; Choit, the
Arts Chorale, the Michigan Singers
and the Tudor Singers, directed by
Prof. Maynard Klein of the Music
School, and the Michigan Madri-
gal Singers, directed by Charles
Schaefer of the Music School.
Among the selection will be the
"Magnificat" by Hovhaness and
the "Haydn Mass" in B flat. The
choirs will also sing Christmas
numbers appropriate to the season.
The. Folklore Society will spon-
sor its annual Christmas-Chan-
ukah Sing in celebration of the
season on Dec. 14 in the Union
Ballroom. The public is invited to
join in with the society members.
An exhibition, "Prints for
Christmas," will be shown in the
University Museum of Art, Alumni
Memorial Hall, through Dec. 13.
The prints will be available for
purchase. They includes manu-
script prints of the 15th and 16th
centuries, woodcuts, Chinese prints
and prints by Italian, German,
Dutch and French masters of the
16th and 17th centuries.
Some of the well known artists
represented are Goya, Daumier,
Bonnard, Leger, Chagall, Raouault,
Barlach, Killwitz, Derain, Maillol,
Matisse, Picasso and Wols.
Viewing hours will be from 9 a.m.
to 12 noon and 2 to 5 p.m. daily.
* * *
The Ann Arbor Civic Theatre
will perform "The Period of Ad-
justment," a comedy by the new
Tennessee Williams. The play, di-
rected by Ted Heusel, will be held
Dec. 14-16 in the Lydia Mendels-
sohn Theatre.
* * *
Shakespeare's Henry IV,,Part I,
will be performed by the University
Players of the Speech Department
from Dec. 6-12.

MESSIAH - The University Choral Union annually presents
Handel's Christmas masterpiece.

1

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SRO-Overflow audiences in Hill And, observe the performance
of "Messiah."

CdRISTMAS FS1A
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Saturdays, 10-1
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