(From matériái vi prepáratíon foír ttie People's lUistory
of Cahada)
(Continuéd ,£rom laat week) ,
Vili* Beoyer üamsi J^^^
THE BRAVE DEEDjOF IJUJRA^^^S • In the course of the bperatibns which f ollowed, on tEe approaches to the Niagara: Kiver, word of an impendiiig^^^B^ oiie of Vixír
ccnt's outposts was overheard by the wife of a wounded militiaman, Laura Secord.
On the evenbig of Jiine,23,>^1813 —i 141 years ago — drunken Yankee officers who had Ijilleted themselves at the Secord's house in Queenston, Ontario/bbaated oftheir plan to capture the Beáveí* Damá, a centre of Indián and Canadían.]^ activity agaiJtist the.U. S. occupiers of the Niagark peninsula. From Beaver Danis they méant to.press on to Burlington Heights, near Hamiltbn."That position once captured," gaid the Yankee CoL Boerstler, "Upper Canada is ours/'
THEIR. BOASTENG was overheard by Mis. iaűra.Secord, who had recently carried her buM}and home wounded from the battle of Queenston Heights"^ where General Brock had fallen in deféáting thé first invasion attempt of the Yankees in the War of 1812. He was stül an Invalíd. But someone must warn the Canadian deíenders. — So next moming Laura Secord left her husband andfive children and aet out to wálk through the Yankee lines to Bea ver Dams, a distance of 20 miles.
Her first-obstacle was to get through the American liries safely. with as much time saved as possible. She went out to milk the eow. By pinching It, she got the cow in a wild frenzy, and it ran toward the American lines. The sentry laughed so at the scene of Laura running after the cow to milk her, that he let her pass without much difficulty.
Without shoes or stockings, Laura walked through the marshes, íearing that if she would walk the highway, American soídiers might spot her. She lost her way artd-continuéd by guesswork.
Laura Secord has left us her own account of that perilous mis-sion: „. ■
"I had mucH diff iculty in getting through tlie^^ American guards. They were out ten miles in the country, (She told them she was visit-Ing a sick relatíve. The cow and milk-pnil story is probtíbly a fable.) When 1 came to a field belonging to a Mr. De Cou, in the neighbor-hood of the Beaver Dams, I had then walked 19 miles. By that time daylight had left me. I yet had a swift stream of water (Twelve-mile Creek) to cross over on an old fallen tree, and to climb a high hilU which fatigued "me very much.
"Before I arrived.at the encanipment of the Indians, as I app-roached they all arose with one of their war yells, which Indeed, awed me... With forced courage I went to one of the chiefs, told him I had great riews for his commandeiv and that he musttake me to him or they would all be lost. He did not understand me. but said, 'Woman! what does woman want here?" The scene by moonlight to somé might ha ve been grand, but to a weak woman certainly terrifying. With difficulty I got one of the chiefs to go with me to their commander."
Taking advantage öf Laura Secord's Information, the Indians un-der Fitzgibbön's command were able to ambush the American in-vaders. As a-result 500 foot soldíers.and 50 niovmted dragoons and one or two pieces of artillery were captured. ' ' .
This Indián victory. over a-force nearly twice the size of theirs, is customarily attribtited to Lieut. Fitzgibbon; but.he himself wroté of it; "Not a shot was f\rcd on our side by any but the Indians. They beat the American detacnmént into a state of terror."
The Americans Were forced to surrender — all because of a frail woman's cool head and patriot's heart.
llÉ
The Legend of Santa Claus
In Canada and the United States, Santa Claus comes down the cbimney each (Christmas Eve^ but in Francé he's known asPere Noel, In Switzerland the Cbrisikindíe^ or ..Cbrist child bringa presents in a sleigi driven by 6 reindeer and in Holland FatherNicholas rides through the air ot apeautitulwhitehorse,Hoyrdid.thé wonderful legends and traditions ot Santa Claus/coixía aboútf Whén and bow did they first begin?
F' SEOBÜtiS that- a real peraonf>-once jlved inr Asia Minor •
bishop named Nicboias. He was kinid and f^ood; he gavé away w^alth tp-thepoor rád hé brought gifts to ihé children. Once, sö the stoxy goes, a poör nobIenian> three béautíful daughters were tö be spld into, síavery. In three consecuUve füghts Nicholas stole to the house and from thé chimney dropped a bag of gold. And tp this day the symbbi himg over a pawnbroker's shqp l3 three góíden balís, r^pre-senting the three sacks of gold. This is probal^y al^ thé reason why «>me stories teli of the Saint arriving down the chimney, instead óf through the door. Thé fame of Nicholas spread arid stories^^öf híö deeds were told in Asia Minor, in RusSia, Lapismd, Scandinavfa, Ger-many. Francé, England and fínalíy came to America. Little by üttle, the picture of a leán, rightepus saint dressed in a robe and carry-ing the mitre and- staff of hi» Office, gave way to the pictures pre-sented by such United States "authOrs as Clement Moore (he wrote *The Night Before Christ-mas") as an apple-cheeked," fuÜ-bellied, joUy, Santa Claus that we know today. And of course, the reindeer were added to the legend. as the storj'. spread south from Lapland.
* *
ALTHOUGH they don't appear in éach country on the same day or in the same way, Sanla or Saint Nicholas arrives especially to bring joy to the children. In Mexico the children leave hay in their shoes for the horse. and in the moming they find presents in place of the hay. In Spain, the Julboch, or the Yule Goat throws gifts through the door. The/ are wrapped in white papér, sealed with red wax, and accompanied with amusing rhymes. . "The saint desccnds from heaven
Pn Dec. 5th jon a golden cprd'Vsay .the 'chfldreh CSsechosípyakiá," carryít^ a basket of gobdiés on his baí:k".In Bulgária, Grandpa Kp-léda, thé ancieiit winfer god brings gifts. .iQ fioxnd countries, such as Austria, Francé, the Netherlands, a servant accompanies Sairit: Nicholas carrying'á good supply of sücks. Only the good children are rewarded witii presöits, wtóle the bad bnes receive án actuál' spankr ing, or elsé they find nb;presents in their shoes, only, a bunch of switches. . ,
... ;>:■'■..; ^ * -y- • ^
i'^iIIILDREN in Mexico haive a V'^arm, suiirunery Christmasl At their pwrtíés.; a pinata, or pottéry vase in various shapés is hung from the ceillng. Thé children are blindfolded and také tums ,at hit-ting thé pinata with a lóng stick. When the vase is brokei^ the good-ies fly all over the room and thé children sharé their prize.
In the Soviet Union it's Grand-father Frost who cömes at New Year's with a sack fuU of. gifts accompanied by the Snow Maidén, but in old Russia there was a stóry about Babushka who misdirected the Three Wise Men in. their search for the manger. Ever after, the story went,' she was forced to go from hpuse to house each Christmas eve with a candle loök-ing in the faces of all the sleep-ing children in an attempt to find tiie"Holy Babe. She never did find
Mm, but beneath each pillojstr she sUpjpédsmalI gifts;
In nabfft; lahds ; Christmas has béén célebrated-; as a reli^ous holi-day, the birthdáy of Christ. since the. 4th centúry; But as farback as anypnévcan teli á Festival waj always held in this dárk, sunlesa seaspn as records front Mesopota-mia and Axicieht Greece show.
Christmas carois were never ac-cepted as á traditíon until at least the 15th century.. These spngs were both sung and danced and were handéd down from genération to génératíon. Mány of them' are still sung^o this day. ' .
ílvergtéen trees jB^í:e,,;?ét.«P and cpíoürfully décprated , "iií 1 many countries: Ih alt probability, thia •is a surviyal of the - tiinesv, when treea. were worshipped by ancient peopíes. .
Mistletoe, 'holly, -yulerlogs, Efpe-cial foods,»bonbons, CbrisUnaa Qards, fortune-telling, good .wishes, caxoKsinging; dancihg ánd menl-ment áré all ^ párt pf Cristmaa and. the tradiüpns of celebraüng the holidáy.
In. most countries the celebra-tion of Christmas is an occasion for wishing Peace and Brothér-hood to aü the* ríeigl^bours and friends, and in the year of 1954 pf wishing Peace to thé whole wprld, brotherhood. and friendship for all mankind! •
— Coiurtesy of the Ukrainian Cajnádian
LAURA 8ECORt>, CANADIAN IIEROINE of tbe War ot 1812 plcturttf above relattni; her wamlnK of tho U.S. InvaAlon to Col. Fltzglbbon, MTM a titxnan of wit and courage. Here Is one of th« ntorlcH told alMut ber and how Üm Caaádlam aaved tbla country from U.S. Invasion:
rchree AtnericajM calkMl at her house In Quecaston to ask for wmter. One of tiiem nőid, 'When u«« come for good to this country wp*ll dlvlde the tand. aad 111 take thlH here for my ttbaum.* Mrs. Se
€ord was M nettied by Ihe thoaji^t expreaaed that. adthough ihn mrn were nttpteWá, aho repllcd duurply. *Yoa ncotuidrel, aJl youll ever hartt wiU hő atx. feet ef cartli.' When they wem eone her hcart ropromci^ iMtr for her ImmU, becaufte the mea had not molr«t><d her .|»ro|»erty. Tim dagrs ■fl4Mr twb of Vihe men vtinmtá. thtiy aald to Mra. Secord. ^Tea we«« rtcht nbMtt tht táx feei of carth, Mltotm.* rhr, thlrd raaa had been kOted,*
Hungory Tops Scoffand In Soccer Motch, 4-2
GLASGOW, Scotland, Dec. 8. — Hungary beat Scotland, 4-2^' in an International soccer = match at Hampden Park. The Hunga-rians led at half-time 3-1. .The Hungarians, victorious in tWelve of their last fourteen in-temational matches and beaten only once in five years, had to struggle hard for this triumph. Scotland's reorganized and largely experimentál team fought them every. inch of the way.
The Hungarians played better soccer, but Scotland kept them. off balance with its fast attack.
• *• • " England 3 — Germany 1
Germany, World Cup holder, ran into a soccer blitzkrieg from England at Wembley December 1. England could have routed them, but too many chances were thrown away like scraps of paper.
Elngland'3 victory over West Germany in thei.r soccer inter-national Dec. Ist cáuscd satia-faction in Hujigary. said* a Budapest Radio commentator.
The reason was "not aimply because It was West Germany who beat Hungary .In the World Cup final, but because ycstcr-day's victory may well mark the bcginning of a tum In Eng-land's football fortune."
He added that. "It has not passed without notice in Hungary that both England and Scotland have adopted the Hungárián plan of Inlenslvc train-ing of the national team before an International garae".
Saturday Afterncon Frolic
By Helen Illés
AT ONE O'CLCÍCK, Saturday aftemoon, at 350 Dundas Street West, the children who usually atténded sessions of frolic Satur-days, were full of anxiety to go. skating. Many children had brought their friends along too. Thére were twenty-one of us', in* cluding counsellors. Mr. Miller and Mr. Minka kindly drove us t« the rink and back to the Hungárián Hall. We all doubled up ia the cars to make room for others.
When we arrived at the rink^ on Dundas and .Bathurst Streets, everyone changed into their skates. This took no timf at all. As soon as we got to the gate^ wbere the tieket office is, we were all surprised to see that the admission was free,
Now we were on the ice! Entertainnaent for the skáters was music. Everj'one was skating, even a young lady who had not been on skates for fifteen years. She did exceptionally well. Somt of US had a few bumps, but no one felt them. The younger.children were very well atténded to by older people. Enjoyment scem-ed very short because thé time was three o'clock.
, The cars were heated up and once more we sát in each other'a laps. Back at the HalJ again, a cup of hot cocoa and cake was served to everyone. Bags of potato chips were received by the children from Mr. Minka.
We would like to thank Mr. Minka and Mr. Miller for lending US their kind asaiatance,
Latcr, we all departcd happily and tired, unti! anothcr Saturday rolls around.
We can aasure th^t if more children would come they would also have fun.