Indiana State University - Sycamore Yearbook (Terre Haute, IN)

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THE NORMAL ADVANCE 5 Hallowe ,en JESSIE KASSING There are many customs and practices con- nected with our life that we may never have seen the significance 0f or understood how they came about. One of these is the observance of Halloweien, which takes place on October 31st, The Romans had a festival about this time of the year for the Goddess of Fruits. When the Christians came to Rome they found that the Romans had many pagan feasts that they were loath to give up. Many times there were Chris- tian holidays that absorbed the celebrations of the pagans. It was so in this case, for Novem- ber 1st marks the conversion of one of the saints7 which was celebrated with a feast for All Saints. In this way the pagan and Chris- tian practices combined to a degree. While customs regarding Hallowden all started in much the same way, yet different countries wove them into their lives, making changes to meet the needs of the people. Thus for some reason the Druids in Gaul and Britain added the belief that evil spirits were abroad, that the dead were alive, besides many other curious features. In Great Britain many of the ancient and extremely superstitious customs were religiously adhered to for many years, but gradually this aspect has been ruled out, so that although the old customs, such as building fires and tolling bells to keep the spirits away are continued, they are kept to add enjoyment and entertainment. Scotland and Ireland place more stress upon the observance of this Vigil than any other na- tions. Robert Burns wrote a poem called ttHallowe7enf7 in which he set forth numerous pleasing details. The last stanza seems to give 7. the spirit which pervades Scotland during the merry-making. ttWi merry sangs and friendly cracks, I wat they did na weary; And unco tales and funnie jokes- There sports were cheap and cheery; Till butlerid s0w7ns wi7 fragrant luist, Set al their gabs a-steeren; Syne, wi, a social glass at strunt They parted off careerin Fui blythe that night? The religious element has been strikingly prominent in regard to Halloweien in Ireland. Cakes and candles are distributed on Hal- loweien to be used the following day at the feast of All Saints. The candles are then lighted, and prayers are said before the cakes for departed souls. In all these countries there were countless games of a more frivoleus na- ture regarding the day. It seems to have been always considered a good time to find out about oneis husband or wife. Indeed this light aspect appears to be the one that has grown up in the United States. It probably had to be that way eventually, for people could no longer accept the superstitious element. In this country, though, almost all the beauty is gone, and there is much of rough- ness in all our customs. Extra policemen are put on duty to protect the property of our citizens and to preserve order. When people miss all the movable articles about their premises after Halloweien, it is hard for them to see that there is any significance in Hallowden.

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4 THE NORMAL ADVANCE the end of her pride. For her children, the blossoms, of whom she had dreamt, on whom her life and love were expended, unanimous in their ingratitude, seemed ashamed of their lowly mother. The purple of their faces, which she so longed to see, was turned away to the light from which it had come. Then she knew that she was still but a humble thistle, whose real lot was of the earth, and only her dreams of heaven. And that of which she had dream- ed, the purple flower, which her own hope and her longing had made a reality, belonged not to her, but to the light. Hers was only the spiny back by which the blossoms acknowledged her earthy parenthood. From mother earth she had come, and to her ways she now returned. Dark, sullen and in- scrutable, like her, she sent up the nourishing sap of life to the thankless blossoms, and they grew, and they attracted the wooing bees and the admiring butterflies, and flirted with the breezes' and the simple brook. A humbler life of joy than that in the'tree-tops, and yet, des- tined like it to end. For joy and sunlight is nowhere for length of time. Only the gloom and the darkness, and the dull, dense earth, have life everlasting. And into her inscrutable bosom, joyless as it had been at its birth, the thistle7s spirit little by little descended. The blossoms on her tops lost their gayness, their purple heads turned white. They were roughly handled now by the winds that had so lately been their suitors, and carried away they knew not whither. But even then, though they stopped not once to look around, to the dim eyes of the lonely thistle they were lovelier than all her dreams, as they fioated and danced from her sight in the train of their new lord. Thus day by day they left her, their faces ever turned away without adieu. And when they were all gone, the thistle alone stood pale and Silent amid the dying grass. KINDNESS. Who lives For kindness gives A light to darkened lands; And though no image of him stands In public place, he is a martyr Amid piratic schemes of barter And triumphs tho, he die unwept; His light may once have crept Through hearts of stone And shone. eMaac E hmamn.

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6 I THE NORMAL ADVANCE You Never Can Tell THIRZA C. PARKER. Mr. Samuel Prescott IVarner was. in love. He hadn,t told anyone about itrperhaps because any statement from him would have been super- fiuous, for everyone at the big summer hotel knew it. But, contrary to his usual good judgment, Mr. Warner had elected to fall in love with the most impossible girl there. I say c4impossible? because none of the men had been able to make love to her, successfully. Mr. Warner was the hero of several affairs of the heart, and was rather well-versed in the ways of womeneor thought, he was at any rate. But this particular specimen of femininity didn7t seem to fit, in anywhere. He found himself turning her most obvious remarks over in his mind, and survey- ing them, suspiciously, from every possible angle. He was uneasy when he was talking to her7 and he was frantic when he wasn,t. A1- together, Mr. Warner was paying rather dearly for his lack of judgment in falling in love with the only girl at the hotel who wasntt in love with him. However, there is always a subtle attraction for the average person in the unat- tainable, and Mr. Warner was very human. In no other way can I account for his falling in loye with Anne Keating. She wasnit pretty, and she didnt wear Paris gowns, but she was decidedly clever. Mr. Warner had never met a really clever girl before, which perhaps ac- counts for his not knowing how to handle this one. His previous extensive experience in such matters seemed to have left him entirely. And then, again, Mr. Warner had never been in love before. He had thought he was, a number of times, but had always eomeiout of his numerous attacks unharmed. But, after four weeks of un- successful striving: to gain Miss Keating7s favor, he finally decided that this time he had really contracted the disease. And, as is the case with people who put 0H taking things till late in life, he had it awfully bad. If she had shown the slightest regard for his feelings, it woulan; have been so bad, but her way of calmly ignoring all his attempts at inti- mate discourse left him hopelessly at sea, drift- ing whichever direction her fancy or caprice might ordain. This was the state of aEairs one warm even- ing in late summer, when everybody was con- gregated on the big veranda. Warner had taken up his position by a huge pillar so as to command a View of the wide hallway, and, as he talked, he east frequent, watchful glances to- ward it. He had been talking half an hour, perhaps, when Miss Keating emerged from its oapacious shadow and passed swiftly to the opposite end of the veranda. IVarner continued talking a few moments longer, and then follow- ed her leisurely. yea ccI have a crow to pick with youf, he said as he came up. ttYou passed me this afternoon and didnt even look at me? ttDid I? I71n sorry. I was in a bad humor this afternoon so you mustnit hold me account- able for what I did or did not dof, 4:07 so you were in a bad humor this after- noonWt He laughed amusedly, the while he stood with his hands behind his back, his long body swaying t0 and fro. that was wrongW, ccO, nothing-and everything? gtEnigmatical as usual. Do you know, youtre a puzzle to nae. I cant quite make you out? CCNO ?,, ccNo. You are so unexpected. You remind me of a cactus. You have a prickly side and a nice, satiny-sniooth side, and you present the alternate sides with disconcerting suddennessf, A little red crept into the girPs face, and she laughed, uncertainly. She was conscious of the quizzical eyes bent upon her, and was un- comfortably aware that he was enjoying her diseomfiture hugely. I ttAnd you didi'ft know which side you were