The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1941-11-06
Turning Over An
Old Leaf
By Phillip A. Gladheim

"There were faces to remember in the
Valley of the Shadow;
There were faces unregarded, there
were faces to forget;
There were fires of grief and fear that
are a few forgotten ashes;
There were sparks of recognition
that are not forgotten yet"
Of our many customs none has I'M
dergone so many changes as Hallow-
cen. Today it means costume parties
and parades when folk-costumes of all
nations are worn by old and young
competing for prizes. But what about
yesterday?
Let US say that yesterday means in
this community thirty-fve years ago.
And suppose Harry Sincell is the first
man to arrive at his store the morn
ing of November LIST, 1906. Harry,
do you remember that morning, and
many another November LIST? Per-
haps Harry was smiling on his way
downtown to see wagon wheels dec
Grating all the telephone poles and a
barricade % feet high across Second
street at Liberty consisting of empty
beer cases. But on coming to the
first store window Harry would see
other mischief of the towns self
appointed hobgoblins. He would
hasten to his store. Yes, his front
windows would also be smeared with
chalk paint. Often these hobgoblins
would print an appropriate gag"
with the same stuff.
Another annual Halloween stunt
would be to find stray COW and Gene
Baumgartner's donkey, place them on
A. D. MAYORS elevator and tie them
together on the top floor of the build
ing
The first part of the evening the
youngsters would throw pebbles
against windows, ring door bells, then
run like the devil. We also got a kick
out of stealing mothers Ivory soap,
We would steal up on front porch,
soap the windows with crisscross
streaks, then ring the bell and thump
the door hard with our fists.
After midnight the big hobgoblins
would go to work, and they would turn
the town upside down and then paint
it red. AS for eXcitement-well, give
me the good old days, even though Bun
Nethkin found life pretty miserable
at least one day out of the 1865, and
this went for all the storekeepers. |
say this provided there would be no
destruction of property. This is too
much to expect even in a small town
where there has been too frequently
the misuse of privilege. So let us ac-
cept the policy and keep out of trou-
BILE.
But, reader, did you ever ponder
on the origin of Halloween? 1t goes
back before the time of Christ, and
among our Celtic forbears was their
New Year. In their homes and at their
religious shrines they would light new
fires which had a deep ceremonial
meaning.
1t was necessary at New Years to
light the fires on hearth and altar so
that they could be sure of fire the
whole year 1t was also necessary to
light the fire so as to make a warm
place in their homes for the shivering
ghosts of those members of the fam
lily who had died. Our Celtic ancestors
believed that the souls of their people
fingered near the house and resided in
some animate or inanimate object
And on October thirty-frst when the
fires would be lighted it was believed
that the ancestral ghosts would re-
turn to their homes for that one night
provided no witches or hobgoblins OBJ
structed their way. In order to make
sure that there would be no interfer-
ence, the religious men were con.
suited as to wheth = any person in the
community was possessed of witch
If such a person could be founder
any animal betrayed the symptoms
of witchcraft-the person together
with the animal, were burned alive ir
the ceremonial fire. Later generations
which were more humane, burnt the
effigies Of witches.
When the Christian church con
verted these heather tribes this au
tumnal New Years fire festival was
like many another heather custom
Christianized.
The Church called this festiva
Halloween, because it was the eve
of All Saints Day Gall Hallows). 1t is
likely that All Saints Day was sug
' gested to the Church because of the
= heather superstition about the ances
} trail ghosts visiting their respective
S homes one night each year. The Churcl
changed the superstition to faith by
9 cnjoining the people to attend church
+ and render homage and veneration tt
. all souls who had died in the Lore
and now lived on high with Him.