PAGE EIGHT THE MICHIGAN BAIL V THURSDAY. DECEMBER 7. IgRi Outside- World SpIrit Filters Inside Prisons By STEVEN HALLER Although prison life could hard- ly be called a carefree life, there is one time of the year when the inmates' rigid existence is relaxed somewhat-. In many ways, Christmas in a prison is not greatly unlike Christ- For example, th eofficials of a typical penitentiary hold special religious services for the inmates of both Christmas Eve and Christ- nias Day. Maybe some would ques- tion the efficacy of conducting services among such individuals as one might expect to find in a cor- rectional institution; but perhaps religion is needed here more than anywhere else. Send Packages Although prison inmates natu- rally are unable to go out Christ- mas shopping, they are allowed to send one Christmas package each to some loved one, the con- tents of which consist of various items which the prisoner himself has made during the year. In special cases where an in- mate may be serving quite a long acvilian sit of cohsin whic he may have a photograph taken. Such a photograph, as is the case sen out by an inmate ma go oeny to someone on his list of approved correspondents. Likewise each inmate gets one (and only one) Christmas present fro msomne individal on thi same package may contain only candy, fruit, nuts, or books. A present is provided by the institution for any inmate who otherwise would not get any. Prison Decorated Also in a holiday mood, the in- mates are allowed to decorate sev- eral Christmas trees which are then placed at various places in the prison. Christmas Day is a day of leisure, more so than usual. The prisoners / ,..' - ~ ~'- ...v..,./ 4 ., .." I -. 'V.. -, 'z~ ~/ ~ ~. .. .*~' 4 ....,., .~ 4 ~ ......~........ ~ .. 4 ~C.~4 t~ / ~y'.. ~. 4 "4 / 4 ..~..~ ... .~ .,~.- ...,,.:../#* A 1/," * ii 4 ':4. 4.~ ....4. ~. L. UNICEF Cards Get The Daughters of the American Republic have blasted Christmas cards distributed by the United Nations Children's Fund as "Part of a broader Communist- plan to destroy all religious, beliefs and customs." DAR officials base their ob- jections on: -1) "The cards are Communist inspired," because they have oeen designed by artists proven Com- munist by the House Committee on Un-American Activties. 2) "They in no way depict the spirit of Christmas." 3) The children who supposedly benefit from the sale of the cards in fact are not benefitted to any great extent. 'Distorted Design' SA Plymouth DAR chairman, ad- mitting that she had not seen the cards but knows them through de- .scriptive material, scored a design by Marc Chagall as showing a very distorted modernistic mother and child. Chagall and another UNICEF artist, Pablof Picasso, have bee George Dondero (R-Mich) as Communists. Dondero, who in the past has called art a "Communist weapon against our government," was quoted last week as being "in complete agreement with the DAR" on this issue. Holiday Change A DAR publication, The Na- tional Defender, claims that the pla~n to replace the religious as- pect of Christmas with the United Nations is part of a broader Com- munist plan, so that some day "we shall awaken to find Dee. 25 is World Peace Festival instead of the birthday of Christ." The article also rapped UNICEF for assisting Cuba, Yugoslavia and Indonesia, and for "helping to finance the Congo operation." By MARTHA MacNEAL We hear a lot these days about how the creeping rot of commer- cialism has perverted and de- stroyed the true, real, sacred meaning of Christmas. Some people slink quietly away from the neon-lit store windows, aliminum Christmas trees, and mechanized Santa Clauses beck- oning 'Come in and BUY' to re- tire in mournful contemplation of the barren wastage which 'giving' has become. . Others delight in the cynical as- pect of commercialism at Christ- mas, and it often seems that the profusion of their satire has done much more to undermine Christ- mas than has any department store. Both approaches are shal- low, and both are pitiable. Commercialism Artificial First of all, it must be granted that commercialism as Christmas is not, in any sense, beautiful. Aluminum Christmas trees and store-window creche scenes must symbolize artificiality to anyone who is sensitive. Disagreeable salespeople and shoppers cannot be reconciled with the 'Christmas spirit.' It would be ridiculous to say that these institutions do rep- resent Christmas. But that is not the point. Christ- mas represents the birth of a child, who for 2000 years, has sym- bolized human love and humnan hope. Anyone who understands this definition and its meaning in human, individual terms must re- alize that Christmas has abso- lutely nothing whatever to do with commercialism. No Harm, No Value They are simply two entirely dif- ferent institutions, and, If they are understood as such, they have nothing to do with each other. The reason for this is obvious in comparison of the nature of 'commercialism' with the nature of Christmas. Commercialism is, fundamentally, an institution of the masses. , When the word 'you' is used in an advertisement, it does not mean you personally, but rather 'you' the anonymous, the blank face among the millions who have lit- tle identity except that of the con- sumer. 'You' are he who buys, not he who gives. You are a statistic. Whatever exists of 'you' in the commercialistic attitude Is a num- ber in a stockholders report. Of course you have to fight your way through the mob in stores. You may be on your way to buy a present for no reason at all except that somebody will probably give you one this year and you, of course, will have to reciprocate. "Unlovely Commercialism This is commercialism, in its most unlovely form. But it simply is not Christmas, it has nothing to do with Christmas, and if you, as an individuals allow it to de- stroy your Christmas, that destruc- 'YOU|' MERCHANTS: Two Poles of Christmas tion is your fault, and shows only your lack, your shallowness. 'You' Different from 'You' The 'you' of Christmas Is en- tirelyr different. You are, in Its most vital and meaningful sense, an individual. The hope of the world, that peculiar phenomenon which has persisted since Austra- lopithecus, is contained, first of all, in you. Christmas happens when you love. Christmas happens when you feel hope and joy. Christmas occurs in that in- stant when suddenly your world is peopled with individuals, and when each individual in that world has his own ,incredibly precious meaning for you. And finding in- dividuals in the world is your great power, and your great re- sponsibility. Christmas exists in people, and people exist everywhere. There are stars above the neon light. You have only to raise your vision a little higher. I N Israel-ordan eso 1. By JILL HAMBERG While people all over the world celebrate Christmas, Bethlehem is the scene of a perennial spec- tacle of rejoicing by pilgrims to the Holy Land. The same old established rit- ual has been performed each year, but more recently, since Pal- estine was partitioned, the holi- day is marred by the remainder of yet unresolved strife between Israel and Jordan. However, one bright spot can be noted. Israel permits Israeli Arab pilgrims to cross the truce line for twenty-four hours to take part in the festivities in Beth- lehem. Several thousand Roman get the traditional Christmas meal, complete with. all the trimmings. After opening their gifts, the in- mates attend a movie provided especially for that day. Thus, the inmates of a typical penitentiary (in this case, the one at Milan) spend the holiday sea- son. Obviously, for the safety of all concerned, the prison officials can- not relax their vigil even on Christ- mas. But it is nevertheless refreshing to note that even within the cold, gray, forboding stone walls of a prison the spirit of Christmas is still kept alive. Christma By JUDITH OPPENHEIM Part of the magic of both Christ- mas and Chanukah is their uni- versality. Both holidays can be enjoyed in many different ways by anyone, regardless of his religious beliefs, and even if he has no such beliefs at all. The most common approach to the holiday season is a purely sensory delight. Simply the magic words "Christmas time" evoke two unique appeals to all the senses at Ch ristmas -is synonymous with flashing lights, glittering tinsel and red cheeks and hands, numb with welcome pold. It also means tink- ling bells, the Hallelujah Chorus, crackling flames and "A Partrdge in a Pear Tree." Good for the Soul Perhaps there Is nothing deep or spiritual about this approach to the holiday season, but it certainly s, Chanukali: Partners in Promise is good for the spirit. The combi- nation of individual sensory rich- ness produces an effect much greater than any of its parts and pervades the atmosphere almost palpably. The "feeling in the air" is very real. We seem to hear bells chim- ing when there really are none and lights seem to be glowing in win- dows which are really dark. The spirit lends a strength of endurance to everyone at a time of year d'hen~ as days grow short- er, hours of work seem to grow longer and the burden piling up becomes almost unbearable. All this builds up to a r'eal prom- ise, all the more real because it cannot be distinctly spelled out, and which has a special meaning for everyone who perceives it. Almost the Same It is the same with Chanukah, although on a much more limited scale. The sensory meaning of the holiday is largely restricted to those from Jewish homes, but the overall sense of potato pancakes simerig i as war g kitchen, goigtable sufae ad cndle fme miredinu euncurtained windows is very nearl paraly llel to the all-pervading Christmas spell. Nor is there anything wrong with this reaction to the holidays. It springs from the very structure of nothing mercenary in orecommer- cial about it. The colors, sounds, smells and textures are rare essen- ces suddenly corporialized. They appeal to something universal in the constitution of man. More Meanings But this is certainly not the only meaning the holiday season can have for those who do not care to take it purely in the religious spirit. It is possible to experience no really religious response at all and still be profoundly moved by the symbolic meanings of both Christmas and Chanukah-. In this respect the similarities between the two festivals are strik- ing. The most obvious and prob- ably the most beautiful parallel between Christmas and Chanukah is that coming at the coldest, bleakest time of year, they are holidays of warmth and hope. Coming in the darkest time of the year, they are holidays of light. . This meaning Is seen clearly in the most common physical symbols of the holidays - the Christmas star and the Chanukah candles whicir are kindled first one, then two, then three, and so on with a candle being added every night until on the last, eight are shining together in the Menorah, or can- delabora. Ray of Hope It is significant that the candles are nearly always placed in a win- dow where they are reflected in long bright shadows on the snow outside and offer a symbolic bea- con to those who may have lost their way in the darkness. So it is with the Star of Bethle- hem, a "Star of Light" indeed, which guided the Wise Men and the shepherds to Bethlehem and has become the symbolic guide for mankind ever since. It is not necessary to believe ,in the Star literally or in the Miracle of the Lights of Chanukah. But it is easy to see that the world right now is as los in the night as it has ever been and that if it is ever to find the way out of the darkness to peace and understanding it must do so by combining the meanings of both the Star of Bethlehem- "Peace on earth, good will toward men" and the Chanukah candles, the willingness to fight and die if need be for what one believes in --into one guiding truth. Faith in Mankind This need not be a religious truth. It may be a truth based on faith only in man, as J.B. in the Archbald Masleish play discovers it: Blow on the coal of the heart. The candles in churches are out. The light have gone out in the sky. Blow on the coal of the heart And we'll see by and by .. . We'll see where we are The with won't burn and the wet soul smoulders Blow on the coal of the heart and we'll know We'll know .. . It is not a religious truth; but it is a truth for many people living in our troubled modern world, and it recognizes the need for a light from the coal of the heart. It is the same light which comes from the Christmas star and the Chanukah candles at all times but especially now during the season of light. Catholic Arabs pass through the Mandelbaum Gate by bus, taxi, or donkey each year on the day be- fore Christmas. The gate is so named because it's near a house that belonged to a family named Mandelbaum. They come laden with oranges and bags of gifts for friends and relatives in Jor- dan. Inns Filled All the inns and hotels for miles around the Holy City are filled last Christmas it wa reported that it was even hard to get reserva- tions for this Christmas. Jordan prospers from the great Influx of visitors, constituting the biggest pr ofall revenue earned from The standard procession from Jerusalem by the Roman Cath- before Christmas Eve. By evening this procession enters the Basilica of the Nativity, which is a gray fortress built by Emperor Consta- tine in the fourth Century on the site revered as the birthplace of The crowd of pilgrims fills Man- ger Square at this time, singing carols in many languages as the excitement reaches a pitch at the approach of midnight. Bels Ring th 1s of the Basilica ring out and the mass begins. When It is over the Patriarch carries an image of the Inf ant Jesus down through the flickering candlelight into the grotto where tradition holds the Infant was born. The image Is placed in a manger- under a sil- ver star with the inscription "Hic de Virginie Maria, Jesus Christ- us natus est." A simpler but impressive cere- mony is held in the afternoon by Protestants and Anglicans gather- ed at Shepherds Field in Bethle- hem, where Gabriel is believed to have brought tiding's of the birth of Christ. There, in a setting of terraced olive groves, they sing carols and feast on roasted lamb. Last year, during the main cere- mony at the Basilica there was a dispute between the Roman Cath- olic and Greek Orthodox Patri- archs. The issue was whether the Roman Catholic sacristan could stand where, according to tradi- tion, Jesus was born. The Greek Orthodox monks said no; the Ro- man Catholics said yes. Lovely ldes love gifts of lovely lngerie-lie these!I See our giftd Chimas seleCtion toay LINGERIE in Nylon or Dacron Long gowns. Waltz and shift * ~gowns. Baby dolls-sleep coats, slips, petticoats and briefs. ROBES hi floor and. dress length in cotton, quilted cotton, quilted Nylon, Orion fleece, Nylon, Dacron, and Vizella. Sizes 10 to 2h, $6.OO-39.95 ENSEMBLES and BED JACKETS 8 NICKELS ARCADE Phone NO 2 -2941 POPULAR& GIFT SUGGESTIONS For Those Little Devils At Home T-SH IRTS $1.10 sWEAT SH IRTS _$1.75and $1.95 MICHIGAN BOOTIES _$1.50 fMCHIGAN BIBS ____95c QUALITY ISWEAT SHIRTS STYLES Sto choose from 100 ool. Another Cartoon 1i1 $ '1 MAY YOUR HOLIDAY t designed by Jens Quistgaard Dansk gives you beauty and versatility and things to live with every day and never put away-^. AnanskDesgscome fo