St Ignatius High School - Ignatius Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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very special day, Christmas Eve. We called it 'Stedry Vecer' which means 'Generous Eve', and on that evening the entire family gathered under the parent roof to share the feast which had been planned so far in ad- vance. Nothing was spared to make the 'Stedra Vecera or 'Generous Supper' as festive as possible. Mother brought out her nicest dishes and cloths, and when the girls set the table, an extra place was set for the 'Unseen Guest,' and a single candle burned brightly in the center of the table to represent the Christ Child. Lighted lamps were placed in every room to shine out in warm welcome to the 'jezulatko' or 'lnfant jesus.' Father, at the head of the table, said grace, and having finished, took the 'Oplatky' or wafers, which we received from the Parish Priest for this occasion, spread one with pure honey, placed another on top, and, breaking off a piece, handed it to Mother to eat, another piece to the eldest child and so on down until the youngest of us had been served. As Father broke and distributed the 'Cplatkyf he explained that by the act of breaking bread and sharing it, we were pledging to one another our loy- alty and willingness to share the good as well as the bad during the coming year. Then came the rest of the good food, as much and as rich as that year's harvest per- mitted. Many of the dishes were traditional foods, and we enjoyed everything very much. Happy conversation and joyous laughter added to the enjoyment of the meal. After we finished supper, Father gave thanksgiving, and off we tramped into the front parlor to carry on the beautiful custom of singing Christmas hymns around the can- dle-lighted tree. At midnight the ever beautiful 'Pastyrska Omsa' or 'Shepherds Mass' is celebrated, and everyone except the very old and the very young attend. From the lower end of Town, we heard the townspeople approach- ing, calling 'Vesele Vanoce' 'Merry Christ- mas' to each other and singing Christmas Carols. And as they passed each home the members of that household joined the caroll- ers in their song and their journey to the church, which had been beautifully decor- ated with spruce branches and bright col- ored winter berries, to attend the Mass. 'Ticha Noc, Svata Noc'-'Silent Night, Holy Night,' that sweet, simple hymn, and the mighty 'Gloria in Excelsis Deo' thrilled every one of us, because we knew we were sharing in the greatest gift and miracle of true love, the birth of Christ. So you see, jimmy, continued Grandpa, we exchanged gifts with each other and with the newborn Christ, not material things, yet our gifts of love and devotion were most acceptable and very precious. And we did have good things to eat, but we enjoyed them especially because we shared them with those we loved. Gosh, Grandpa, that's a swell story, said jimmy thoughtfully, l'm going to try real hard to make my Christmas like the ones you had when you were a boy. l'm kind of ashamed of myself now because l thought only of the nice present l would get and of the good things to eat at Christmas. That's fine, jimmy, replied Grandpa. When you share what you have, no mat- ter how little, your Christmas will always be a happier one.

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jim gift 5 OU0 by IOHN MESSITT. '51 lt was a cold, brisk winter day when Iimmy Hruska opened the door of his home on East llth Street, and was greeted by the spicy, sweet smelling aroma of pre-Christ- mas cooking. Gee, Mom, exclaimed limmy as he dashed toward the kitchen, what smells so good? lt makes me hungry! Eagerly he sat down to some milk and tempting mo- lasses cookies. l just love Christmas, it always brings presents and such awfully good things to eat. Yes, it does, said Grandpa, who was just finishing a huge mound ot dishwashing for Mom. But l like better than the gifts and good things to eat, the good will it brings out in all of us. Come sit down, Iimmy, and l'll tell you what Christmas Eve meant when I was a boy in a small Czecho- slovakian town. Iimmy sat down, anticipating with pleas- ure the repetition of an oft-told, but much loved tale. I was born, Grandpa contin- ued, in a very small town in the Carpathian Mountains. The folks there, for the most part, were farmers, poor in money, but rich in their faith and true to the old-time cus- toms of the country. When l was a boy, Iimmy, Christmas didn't mean just giving a lot of presents, but an exchange of good will and neighborli- ness. l'll bet there were good things to eat, though, interposed Iimmy. Well, times were not always good, my song but in spite of that, the Spirit of Christ- mas lived in everyones heart-no one could resist. For weeks and weeks the mothers cooked and baked, it was a very busy time in the kitchen. The spruce trees were brought in from the hills by the men-folks, and decor- ated by laughing groups of children and grown-ups. Everyone gladly did his share of work, and happiness was the key-note everywhere, because the birth of the Christ Child was at hand. The goodies were put away until that

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66 7 Q 77 F8815 fo If'l lfllfleifs by PHILIP BRANKIN, '49 Note: This is the story of the Tribune lumber camp in Canada just as it was told to the author during a visit to the Tribune Tower, Chicago. The year l9l4 saw the beginning of the Tribune lumber camps. lt is true that they had humble beginnings, but great changes were to take place in a few years. The first camp, or town, as they are now called, was Shelter Bay. This small town was the center of a 300 square mile tract of land, and from it would come the workers in the fall to harvest its vast quantities of wood. After a few years a visitor would have seen the loading plant, the power house and the new roads that had been built in this wilderness. These projects had been built up in this town only after many a setback. The power house had twice fallen in the river that ran below the hill that it was situ- ated on. The wharf that contains the load- ing plant also was washed away by the raging water of the river before it was made strong enough to withstand the force of the hurricanes that sometimes hit the camp. But a change had to take place, the rough houses of the loggers had to give way to the scientifically planned and rigidly zoned, modern town suitable, not only for the worker, but also for his family. ln the Shelter Bay of today there is electricity, hot and cold running water, and heat from a central heating plant. The homes of the men, not unlike the ones built in any suburban district, are built upon lots donated by the Tribune. Any wood that might be needed is also furnished free. This town is not with- out other conveniences that we city folks have, for there is a movie show, a modern up-to-date school for the sons and daugh- ters of the inhabitants. The spiritual and medical needs of the people are also well taken care of. lts church is one of the finest on the North Shore and provides a modern note in the Wilderness which contains, at Tadousac, the oldest church on the North American Continent. As was mentioned the town has a doctor, but this man is not con- fined to practice just in the town for he has to go into the distant forests to help lumber- jacks who have broken limbs. Transportation was one of the biggest dif- ficulties in the early years at Shelter Bay. Men had to trek for many weeks in most cases to reach the place where the timber was to be cut. Besides this the timber had to be moved to the rivers and streams on which it was sent to the paper mills. This problem, however, is changed, for when it is time for the men to go into the forests, they travel by bus, airplane, and boat. Roads into the wilderness were made by the bulldozer, and were used by the little jeep to bring men and mail in to the bush camps. ln the late fall the trees are marked for cutting and the men start to work in earn- est for the Tribune needs great stores of pa- per with which to run the daily paper. The swing of the woodmen's axe and the cry of timber are the most common things. As soon as the tree hits the ground the men of the forest strip it of all branches and it is cut into four foot lengths and stored in piles in the forest to wait out the winter. These log piles are securely fastened for the men know that the coming winter will be a fierce one, and the mighty winds will roar. ln the places where there are streams and rivers