THROUGH
MOUNTAIN MISTS
Early Settlers of
Their
Descendants...Their Stories...Their Achievements
Lifting the
Mists of History on Their Way of Life
By: Ethelene Dyer Jones
Two Corrections
and a Word About Caroling
By way of corrections on two
recent
columns: When I wrote the review of The
Mountains of Yesteryear, the book by Ruby Lee Sargent Miles
about her
grandparents, Jefferson Beauregard Dyer and Rhoda Jane Souther Dyer,
edited by
her son, Ronald Eugene Miles, I erroneously credited words from the
back cover
of the book to poet John G. Neihardt. A quatrain from the poet was,
indeed,
printed as the last of the “Afterword,” but the cover message itself
was
written by Ronald Eugene Miles himself. I especially liked the portion
I quoted
because it mentions “Mountain Mists.” The long-time, over-riding title
of this
column by yours truly, is “Through Mountain Mists.” Therefore, what Ron
Miles
wrote struck a responsive chord with me.
I quote again, and this time,
correctly
credit the words to Mr. Miles: “This story will not turn back the hands
(digits?) of time, but it does advocate lessons the earth still has to
teach
us. And when mists lift off the mountains, is there a more fulfilling
refreshment than a long draught of pure, cool spring water bubbling
from the
Giving Earth?” Thanks, Ron Miles, for these thought-provoking words.
And now to the second error: In
my column
in last week’s Union Sentinel,
my tribute to my beloved departed brother Bluford Marion Dyer, I had
him
correctly graduating with the Class of 1951 from Union County High
School. But
I incorrectly wrote that this class was the first to graduate from the
newly-added twelfth grade. Readers would think I would know that it was
1952
when the first twelfth grade class graduated! Thanks, readers, for
setting me
straight on this point. Now I can remember Bluford saying, “By one
year, I
missed the twelfth grade!” What I didn’t say about Bluford in that
column was
that mathematics was always his love among subjects (as well as
reading). At
Now with “corrections” made, let
us move on
to the second subject of this column, Christmas caroling.
I don’t know how widespread the
custom of
Christmas caroling in shopping malls and outside homes is today in our
culture.
A war rages against any mention of “Christmas” that might offend the
general
populace. I, for one, will welcome any carolers that appear at our door
with
their jubilant songs of Christmas. This is even more important to us
now that
my husband is a shut-in. I remember many Christmases past when he was a
pastor
and I personally led our church children and youth in carol sings about
our
communities to homes of the elderly and shut-ins. The carolers were
blessed and
so were the people to whom we sang. This act of love was an important
part of
the Christmas celebration.
Just what is a carol and when
did the
custom of carol singing originate? Simply defined, a carol is “a song
of
praise, especially in honor of the Nativity” (Webster). Seeking the
carol’s
origins is more difficult. The word carol carries the significance of
“a round
dance” or a “ring dance.” But in historical perspective, more emphasis
was
placed on the words the dancers sang than on the exuberant, joyful,
lilt of the
dancers. Did this happen inside sedate cathedrals? Hardly. With a
folk-song
quality, these songs went on outside the churches, with wandering
minstrels and
groups of musicians celebrating the Christmas season (and other
religious days)
with carols, noels, lullabies and hymns.
St. Francis of Assissi who was
priest at
the little church at Grecchio in central
This tradition soon spread, and
soon
throughout
How we thrill to the words of
the carol,
“Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabella!/Bring a torch to the cradle run!”
With
lighted candles, people joined the village processions to the manger
scene,
singing the lilting words of this carol which had its origin in
St. Francis loved the simple
religious
songs of the people. Instead of being stilted and formal, he asked his
congregation to mix singing with his preaching. He is attributed as
saying:
“For what are the servants of God if not his minstrels, who ought to
stir and
incite the hearts of men to spiritual joy?” (William J. Reynolds, Christ and the Carols, Broadman,
1967, p. 17).
Christmas is about the birth of
Christ, and
spreading spiritual joy through “songs and hymns and spiritual songs.”
It is
about helping our fellow men, extending the hand of giving to anyone we
meet.
“In the air there’s a feeling of Christmas.” Let us absorb the spirit,
join in
the carols, spread as much cheer as we can. We often say, “Christmas
comes but
once a year!” But actually, every day of the year can bear the spirit
of
Christmas. What better New Year’s resolution could we make than to
produce our
own carols and the feeling of good will they bear—all year long? Carols
have no
evidence of pretense, no pseudo-sophistication, no upper-class
snobbery.
Neither should we, in our daily walk. A merry Christmas to all!
c2006 by
Ethelene Dyer
Jones; published Dec. 14, 2006 in The Union Sentinel, Blairsville,
GA.
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
[Ethelene Dyer
Jones is a retired educator,
freelance writer, poet, and historian. She may be reached at
e-mail edj0513@windstream.net;
phone 478-453-8751; or mail 1708 Cedarwood Road, Milledgeville, GA
31061-2411.]
Updated August 9,
2009
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