The Bluffton news. [volume], April 10, 1941, Image 2

About The Bluffton news. [volume] (Bluffton, Ohio) 1875-current

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PAGE TWO
Name of Easter Derived from
Anglo Saxon Heathen God
dess Known as Easter
The Christian Easter was Ori
ginally a Thanksgiving ob
servance Lasting 8 Days
Although Easter is the day when
the Christian churches quite gen
erally commemorate the resurrection
of Christ, there is a curious remnant
of practices once distinctly pagan in
character.
The name, Easter, is used only
among the English and German
speaking peoples. It is derived in
all probability from a heathen god
dess of the Saxons known as Eastre.
She was the personification of the
east, of the morning of the spring.
The month of April was dedicated
to her and was called “h.astermo
nath” among the Saxons and Angles
and is still known in Germany as
“Ostermonat”. Her worship struck
deep root in Northern Germany,
was carried to England by the
Saxons, and still survives in some
obscure customs in feasts to cele
brate the return of the spring.
The Christian Easter was original
ly a sort of thanksgiving observ
ance lasting eight days. This con
formed somewhat to the length of
time devoted by pagans to their
spring festivities, and approached
the duration of the Jewish paschal
observances. The eight day period
was afterwards cut down to three
days, after that to two, and finally
it became, as it exists now, a single
Easter Customs Of Today Contain Many
Curious Remnants Of Early Paganism
Naturally we are enthusiastic
about Health Spot Shoes. We
believe they give the best cor
rective results. We believe it
is economy to buy Health Spot
Shoes because they give such
good service. But don’t take
our word for it. Come in and
try on a pair, and see for
yourself how sturdy they are
built with an exclusive patent
ed inside construction that
means comfort for the wearer.
W. H. GRATZ
FOOTWEAR SHOP
Corrective Fitting a Specialty
day commemorative of the resurrec
tion.
It was the invariable policy of the
early church to give a Christian
significance to such of the extant
pagan ceremonies as could not be
rooted out. In the case of Easter
the conversion was easy. Joy at
the rising of the natural sun, and
at the awakening of nature from
the death of winter, became joy at
the rising of the Sun of righteous
ness, at the resurrection of Christ
from the grave.
Some of the pagan observances
which took place about the first of
May were also shifted to correspond
with the celebration of Easter. Many
new features were added. It was a
time of exuberant joy. All labor
ceased all trade was suspended. It
was a favorite time for baptism, the
law courts were closed, alms were
given to the poor, slaves were freed.
In the reaction from the austeri
ties of Lent people gave themselves
up to enjoyment, popular sports,
dances and farcical entertainments.
In soma places the clergy, to in
crease the mirth, recited humorous
stories from the pulpit for the pur
pose of exciting the “Easter smile”.
In many parts of the world people
exchanged the Easter kiss and the
salutation “Christ is risen”, to which
the reply was made, “He is risen in
deed”, a custom practiced in some
parts even today.
The celebration of Easter in the
United States is now an established
practice. New England was the last
section to adopt the festival upon
which the settlers of Puritan Mas
sachusetts looked with particular ab
horance.
In contrast to Europe, Easter and
Lent are a time of quiet reflection
and meditation rather than gaiety.
Easter Day ends the period of com
parative quiet and the custom has
developed in this country in which
young women appear in the season’s
new raiment.
Conservation Week
Reading Available
In connection with observance of
National Conservation week which
began Monday, Congressman Robert
Jones announces that the following
government publications are available
to anyone writing to him at the
House Office Building, Washington,
D. C.:
History and Significance of Amer
ican Wildlife, I and II Birdbanding
Arbor Day, its Purpose and Observ
ance The Work of the U. S. Forest
Service Some Common Birds Useful
to the Farmer Local Bird Refugees
Improving the Environment for
Wild Life. The first two named are
mimeographs and the rest are pam
phlets.
Farmers in Iowa have just ob
served farm clean-up week, with a
20 per cent reduction in livestock
losses as the goal of this spring’s
cleaning up of barns and farmyards.
CHEVROLET
Presents
A Great Spring
of\the worlds leading low-pricedcars
hy the worlds leading
NEW CHEVROLET FLEETLINE
ALSO NEW 1941 SPECIAL DE LUXE MODELS
in the most beautiful, most modern color harmonies
SPECIAL SPRINGTIME “BLUES” AND “GREENS” WITH
MATCHING BODY AND UPHOLSTERY COMBINATIONS
10 different and distinctive color selections... 4 beautiful two
tone combinations.. •. Come in and see the most stunningly
styled and tastefully decorated group of motor cars ever pre
sented in the low-price field
YOU’LL SAY, “FIRST BECAUSE IT’S FINEST!
Steiner Chevrolet Sales
Bluffton, Ohio
».
Sportsmen's Club
Releases Rabbits
Release of 42 cotton tail rabbits
in various woods in the Bluffton
hunting area was effected this week
by the Bluffton Sportsmen’s club.
The rabbits were shipped in from
Missouri and were purchased by the
club for local release. Jesse Mangus
and Sam Hauenstein, directors, su
pervised the release of the rabbits.
The club is undertaking a pheas
ant raising project in cases made by
the industrial arts department of
Bluffton High school. The state de
partment of conservation furnishes
the chicks and the local organization
raises them to legal size.
Officers of the club announced this
week that one of the pheasant
cages will be exhibited in one of the
store windows.
Bluffton F. F. A. At
Lima Council Meet
Bluffton representatives of the Fu
ture Farmers of America will be the
guests of the Allen county F. F. A.
council meeting to be held at the
Lima Memorial hall this Wednesday
night at 8 o’clock, it was announced
by Prof. Harry Barnes, adviser to
the group.
By virtue of winning the pest con
test conducted in the county last fall,
the Bluffton group will not be re
quired to furnish refreshments or
numbers for the program.
Several Bluffton boys, however,
will appear on the program in the
degree ceremonies. Nine boys will be
raised from the Green Hands to the
Future Farmers degree. In order
to be eligible for the degree it is
necessary for a boy to have finished
one year of F. F. A. work and to
have completed his first year’s pro
ject work.
Those eligible from Bluffton are:
Sylvan Burkholder, Weldon Burk
holder, Weldon Deppler, John Dun
bar, Ellis Hauenstein, Edgar Huber,
Wilmer Lehman, Clyde Sommer and
Kenneth Winkler.
The Allen county F. F. A. council
is composed of the following schools
in addition to Bluffton: Lafayette,
Harrod, Shawnee, Spencerville and
Waynesfield.
The Kiwanis club of Lima and var
ious business men there have been
interested in the work of the organ
ization and have given trophies to
the clubs and sponsored activities of
the group, Mr. Barnes stated.
Bluffton Receives
$415 From Sales Tax
Bluffton received $415.86 in the
first quarterly distribution of Ohio
sales tax revenue for 1941, it was
announced last Saturday following
the mailing of checks by Allen Coun
ty Auditor Floyd B. Griffin.
Richland township’s share of the
distribution was $244.71, and Beav
erdam village received $73.56. Cairo
got $76.41 and Lafayette’s allotment
was $76.06. Monroe township’s
share amounted to $219.96, and Jack
son township received $179.01.
News Want-Ads Bring Results.
motor car builder
THE BLUFFTON NEWS, BLUFFTON, OHIO
With 22 birth certificates issued
and recorded durin- the month of
March by City James West, a
local month’s rec rd was created in
a period marked by unusual activity
in the issuance of the certificates.
Although most of the certificates
are for infants, an unusually large
number of them have been for ad
ults. This unusual demand is occa
sioned very likely by the desire of
industry to keep .i careful check on
fifth column infiltration, especially
during National Defense work, West
stated.
Many people a having difficulty
in proving that they were born be
cause no written record can be found.
In the earlier days the attending
physician sometimes would fail to
report births to the village and
county authorities.
In case an individual can find no
written or legal proof of his birth
he is required in some sections of
the country and in some industries
to fill out an affidavit and have some
permit the procedure but that Han
cock county will.
County authorities are not satisfied
The young children of Bluffton
will again look for the gaily colored
eggs supposed to have been left at
various points in the house by the
Easter bunny. Few people know
the connection between Easter and
the rabbit.
It goes back to ancient times
when the hare was a symbol for the
moon. Easter, inasmuch as its date
depends upon the moon, is in a
sense a lunar holiday.- The hare is
a nocturnal animal and comes out
at night to feed.
Unusual Demand For Birth Certificates
Here Occasioned By Defense Activity
The female carries her young for
a month, thus representing the
lunar cycle. A more important rea
son for the identification of the hare
with the moon lay in the fact that Easter hare than does America.
its young are born with their eyes
open, unlike rabbits which are born
blind.
The name of the hare in Egyptian
Bluffton High
Selection of area delegates to the
convention of the National Educa
tion Association to be held in Bos
ton this summer was made at a
general teachers’ meeting held Mon
day after school. The session, in
charge of Supt. A. J. B. Longsdorf,
also considered problems relative to
the adoption of a uniform plan
throughout the school for student
conduct.
The Campfire Mother-Daughter
pot luck supper was held at the
cafeteria Monday night. Miss Burr,
director of Camp Fire from Findlay
was the guest of the organization.
Sure signs of spring were seen
around the school grounds the fore
part of the week with the boys
playing pitch and catch during the
noon hour.
With warmer weather here the
school yard at the rear of the build
ing is cluttered with dozens of
bicycles giving proof that this
method of conveyance is still very
popular in Bluffton. The bicycles
are parked on a bike rack construc
ted by the boys of the industrial
arts department. The rack, how
ever, is not large enough to ac
commodate the numerous bikes used
by the students.
Bluffton High school will partici
pate in the Allen county Future
Farmers of America meeting to be
held at the Lima Memorial Hall
Wednesday night. The following
boys will receive the Future Farm
er degree: Sylvan Burkholder, Wei-
HOLLYWOOD
THEATRE OTTAWA
Where America’s Most Promi
_____ nent Stars Appear
FRI.-SAT.
Kenny Baker, France* Langford. Patsy
Kelly, Mary Boland, Hugh Herbert,
Ann Miller
“HIT PARADE OF 1941”
SUN. MON. TUES.
Two Big Features—At same prices.
ERROL FLYNN
BRENDA MARSHALL
“Footsteps in the Dark”
GUY KIBBEE
In the famous character
of Fiction and Radio
"SCATTERGOOD
BAINES”
Join the crowd and come.
with the recording of the birth date
in the family Bible as was the cus
tom for many years. Insurance com
panies and old age pension officials
will often take the Bible record as
sufficient proof but not so with mu
nicipal and county authorities.
relative swear as t' the authenticity forwards it to the county officials
of the birth date. Some counties will
allow this to be entered on the legal
records and others will not. It is
reported that Allen county will not
The record of Bluffton births is
fairly complete since December, 1908,
and with few exceptions entirely
complete for the past 15 years. It is
always the procedure to record the
birth at the town and county where
the birth occurred rather than the
home town of the parents of the in
fant.
Easter Bunny Tradition In United
States Traced [Back To Early Egypt
All of the births at the Blufftpn
hospital, even though the parents are
from other counties, are recorded lo
cally and should the birth certificate
be desired in later years it, never
theless, would be originaly entered
here.
It is the duty of the hospital at
taches, or in the case of the home
birth, the attending physician, to
make out the birth certificate and
forward it to the clerk who then
who make it a part of the county
record. Although it is not the par
ents’ responsibility to see that the
certificate is recorded, it is to the
best interests of the child that the
parents check to see that the birth
is a matter of public record.
was “un” which means “to open”.
The moon was the open eyed watch
er of the skies at night, and the
hare, born with open eyes, was
fabled never to close them.
The Egyptian “un” meant not
only “hare” and “open” but “period”
and for this reason the hare be
came the type of periodicity, both
human and lunar, and in the char
acter of opener wras associated with
the opening of the new year at
Easter, as well as with the begin
ning of a new life. Hence the hare
became connected with the paschal
eggs, broken to signify the opening
of the year.
Germany makes more of the
fact the Easter hare in Germany is
almost as important a figure in
nursery lore as the Christmas St.
Nicholas.
School Notes
don Burkholder, Weldon Deppler,
John Dunbar, Ellis Hauenstein, Ed
gar Huber, Wilmer Lehman, Clyde
Sommer, Kenneth Winkler.
Dale Francis, Bluffton college
senior, will talk to the Hi-Y club
for the Easter service to be held at
the club rooms Wednesday night.
a
Preparation for the coming Moth
er-Daughter banquet will be made
at the Girl Reserves meeting to be
held at the high school Wednesday
night. Each girl is requested to
bring a scissors, it was announced
by Betty Steinman, president of the
organization.
A special Easter program will be
held at chapel exercises to be held
in the auditorium Thursday after
noon at 2:50 o’clock. Rev. Stod
dard, pastor of the First Baptist
church of Lima, will be the speaker.
Music will be furnished by Junior
High school students.
Films to be shown this week are:
“Sound Waves” and “Airplane
Transportation”.
School will be dismissed all day
Friday in observance of Good Fri
day, it was announced this week by
Supt. A. J. B. Longsdorf.
Bluffton Scouts Get
Picture In Magazine
Bluffton Boy Scouts received na
tion-wide publicity in the April issue
of “Boy’s Life” when the picture of
the local troop received a prominent
place in the magazine.
Bluffton scouts were accorded the
honor as one of the most progressive
troops of the country and one which
has a continuous record of civic
service projects.
Lima Mission Gives
583,000 Free Meals
In the 34 years the Lima Rescue
Mission has been operated by A. D.
Welty, its founder, more than 583,
000 free meals have been provided
for the indigent.
A former Settlement resident,
Welty opened the mission in Lima in
1906 and has been superintendent of
the institution since that time. Home
of the mission now is a commodious
two-story brick building on East
Wayne street in the county seat.
During 1940, the mission fed 17,
149 and provided lodging for 5,849.
In the month of March, 1,413 trans
ients were fed and 497 received free
lodging.
Four From Here On
Petit Jury Venire
Four Bluffton persons were among
those drawn for the Allen county
petit jury venire to serve during the
April term of the common pleas
court.
Those who will serve include Allen
Beeshy, Clair Fett, Wilford Steiner
and C. W. Lora.
Others from this district also
named in the venire are, J. R. Hall,
Ollie Hollenbarger, Olive Early and
Margaret Biteman, all of Lafayette.
Library Adds Many
Volumes This Week
About 75 new books were added
to the Bluffton Public Library this
week, it was announced by Miss
Ocie Anderson, librarian. These
follow:
Zinsser, Hans, As I Remember
Him Buchanan, John, Pilgrim’s
Way Nathan, Robert, Portrait of
Jennie Wilson, Forrest, Crusader in
Crinoline Bailey, Temple, Blue
Cloak Williams, H. L., Turi of the
Magic Fingers Buchan, John, Moun
tain Meadow England’s Hour
Kraus, Rene, Winston Churchill
Henderson, Sir N., Failure of a
Mission Yutang, Lin, With Love
and Irony Peck, A. M., Round
About South America Meader, S.
W., Bat, the Story of a Bull Terrior
Taylor, Edmond, Stategy of Terror
Wood, Esther, Pedro’s Coconut
Skates Hogan, Inez, Nicodemus
Laughs Wilson, W. E., Big Knife
Maurois, Andre, Tragedy in France.
Young, Stanley, Young Hickory
Meader, Stephen W., Clear for Ac
tion Kaup, E. D., Not for the Meek
Thane, Elswyth, Remembers today
Nevins, Allan, John D. Rockefellers
vl Nevins, Allan, John D. Rocke
feller, v2 Ewen, David, Living Musi
cians Stong, Phil, Cowhand Goes to
Town Pease, Howard, Captain Bin
nacle Mayorga, M., Twenty Short
Plays on a Royalty Holiday Ander
son, Maxw’ell, Journey to Jerusalem.
Streatfield, Noel, Tennis Shoes
Sprague, H. B., Better Lawns Ells
berg, Edward, Treasure Below
Rounds, Glen, Lumbercamp Tark
ington, Booth, Heritage of Hatcher
Ide Bemelmans, Ludwig, Madeline
Lathrop, D. P., Animals of the
Bible Mukerji, D. G., Fierce-face
Burton, V. L., Mike Mulligan and
His Steam Shovel Golden, E. B.,
Kindergarten Curriculum Powell,
M. C., Junior Method in the Church
School Baldwin, J. L., Worship
Training for Juniors Gunnarsson,
Gunnar, The Good Shepherd Cobb,
I. S., Exit Laughing Hamilton, Hol
man, Zachary Taylor.
Fletcher, Inglis, Raleigh’s Eden
Colles, H. C., Grove’s Dictionary of
Music and Musicians Athearn,'L.
A., Christian Worship for American
Youth Shaver, E. L. & Stock, H. T.,
Training Young People in Worship
Powell, M. C., Guiding the Experi
ence of Worship Smith, U. R., Jr.
Dept, of the Church School Hard
ing, Bertita, Hungarian Rhapsody
Smith, Nicol, Burma Road Smith,
Nicol, Bush Master Du Bois, W.
Pene, Three Policemen Lindman,
Maj, Flicka, Rieka, Dicka and the
New’ Dotteddresses Leaf, Munro,
Safety Can be Fun Kalab, Theresa,
Kokwa, the Little Koala Bear
Swenson, Margaret C., Kayoo the
^THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 1941
Eskimo Boy Hill, M. B., Summer
Comes to Apple Market Street Hill,
M. B., Big, Little, Smaller, Least
Young, Evelyn, Wu and Lu and Li
Newberry, C. T., Babette Morse,
Katharine, Pig That Danced a Jig
Haywood, Carolyn, “B” is for Betsy
Gay, Zhenya, Sakimura Moore, C.
C., Night Before Christmas Hol
berg, Ruth & Richard, Wee Bridget
O’Toole Poncins, Gontran de, Kab
loona Sharpe, S. G., Tobe Slocum,
Rosalie, Breakfast With the Clowns
Engla, Paul, Always the Land
Moore, C. C., Visit From St. Nich
olas Daugherty, James, Andy and
the Lion.
A truly marvelous selection of the famous
Firth Bugs
In 9 by 12 Axminsters and other Popular Sizes.
We’re showing them in Grantley, Waverly, Textile
Frizet, Shadow Folige, Perfect Natural, Provincial and
International Hook.
Also a Sample Line of Bigelow-Sanford Beauvais and
Fervak Axminsters.
You’ll save money by buying now—-these rugs, all
wool face, will soon reflect present higher wool prices.
Basinger Furniture Store
Many years ago, according to the
1939 yearbook of the U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, man learned
that specific physical defects and
diseases can be prevented or cured
by eating certain food. For example,
eating generous amounts of livers
of animals was known by Egyptians
and Chinese as early as 1500 B. C.
to improve vision in dim light. What
these ancients did not realize is
that vitamin A is the factor that
prevents night blindness and that
this substance is contained in livers
in considerable amounts.
MUNSON R. BIXEL, M. D.
Office Hours: 8:30-10 A. M.
1-3 P. M. 7-8 P. M.
Office, 118 Cherry St.
Phone 120-F Bluffton, O.
Melville D. Soash, M. D.
The Commercial Bank Bldg.
Bluffton, Ohio
X-RAY FLUOROSCOPE
Telephone 254-W
D. C. BIXEL, O.D.
GORDON BIXEL, O.D.
Eyesight Specialists
Office Honre: 8:80 A. M—5:30 P. M.
7:80 P. M.—8:30 P. M.
Citizens Bank Bldg., Bluffton
Francis Basinger, D.D. S.
Evan Basinger, D. D. S.
Telephone 271-W
Bluffton, Ohio
THINK
BE CAREFUL
DRIVE SAFELY
LIVE AND LET LIVE
Do not drink and then drive.
Do not drive while you drink.
Do not drink while you drive.
Do not Jeopardize your own
life.
Do not Jeopardize the life of
others.
ll/i ounces of alcohol will
lower your ability to judge dis
tance 9.7%.
Reduce your abiity to con
centrate 35%.
Lessen your muscular reac
tion 17%.
You need all your faculties
to drive.
Control your car.
Stop and look.
Do not hurry.
New Floor Coverings
for Spring
Better late than not at all.
Drive safe with an Aetna
Policy.
S. P. Herr, Agent
Phone 363-W Bluffton, O.