The Mail-Journal, Volume 19, Number 5, Milford, Kosciusko County, 17 February 1982 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., February 17,1982

4

Editorials

George Washington A George Washington’s birthday is February’s third Monday (the 15th) this year. Until a few years ago, it was observed on his actual birthday anniversary, the 22nd. George Washington, first president of the country and the soldier who did more than any other to defeat British armies in the Colonies and win independence for the United States, was bom in Westmoreland County, Virginia, in 1732. His father was a well-to-do planter and educated older sons abroad but he died when George was twelve. This meant George received only the practical and elementary teaching of Colonial Virginia. He took to the outdoors, forest life and sports. He was engaged by Lord Fairfax, who had come from England to look after inherited property, and worked with him and acted as his companion for some three years. Thus he learned mpch of the manner and habits of an English gentleman. It was through his older brother, Lawrence, that George entered into military prominence. Lawrence, in failing health, gave George his place in the militia before he died and Governor Dinwiddie gave him a commission. Washington’s first efforts against the French were unsuccessful. When fighting broke out between the Colonies and England, Washington — who had hoped for conciliation — was chosen to lead the American armies. His, first success came when he forced the British from Boston in March of 1776, but it was to be a long and bitter struggle which only ended in the British surrender at Yorktown, October 19,1781. That he held his forces together and won the loyalty and support of the various states is something of a miracle. He was modest by nature and his character was such that all those who once learned to know him admired him and this influenced the new country into choosing him as its first president. Had it not been for his reluctant agreement to enter politics, unity might not have been possible among the states. After eight years, in which he set many sound precedents, he refused to again be a candidate. Three years later he died — in 1799 — at Mount Vernon. Newsprint, postage increases felt The increases in postage and newsprint just won’t stop. Ask anyone who is in the publishing business, whose biggest expenses include these two precious items. As a result, we are scaling the price of The Mail-Journal upward — if only slightly — to meet these increases. Accordingly, an in-county subscription to The Mail-Journal, beginning March 3. will be increased sl, from sl2 to sl3. and the out-of-county price will increase from sl4 to sls. We want to give our subscribers fair notice that they can renew their subscription (for as many years as they like) at the current price. We think this is eminently fair. And another thing, we ll continue to give a 10 per cent discount on our subscriptions to senior citizens — and we consider the age of 65 as that of a senior citizen. The good news is that the over-the-counter price will remain at 25 cents. We can tell our readers many newspapers have already gone to 35 cents per single copy —a fact we hope we can forestall for some time. On January 10 the U.S. Postal Service gave all second class users o( the mails a jolt by raising their rates a whopping 35 per cent. In truth, the two,dollar differential we charge between an in-county and out-of-county subscriber does not pay for the additional mailing cost. More than that, we have had regular jumps in the price of newsprint the past several years that shake ones eye teeth, to a point where a ton of newsprint now stands at SSOO. Consider that only a few brief years ago newsprint sold for SIBO per ton! Our latest word from the Bowater Paper Co. of Cleveland, Tennessee, and Abitibi-Price Paper Co. in Canada, our two chief suppliers, is that “this isn’t the last of the price increases’’ of newsprint. Consider, also, that The Papers Incorporated at Milford use from one to one and a half semi-loads of newsprint a week — approximately 20 to 30 tons — and you get an idea why we have to keep current in our ofcmiricing schedules. The editorial staff has been enlarged in recent years to give the area more comprehensive news coverage and more paper for your subscription dollar. It shoulcLbe-apparent that the price increases set out above are not of our own doingyftlis a problem facing publishers, large and small, throughout the country. In light of this, we feel the increase is an absolute necessity, but we want to be fair about it. too This is why we are giving advance notice and permitting our family of subscribers to take advantage of the current subscription rates prior to the March 3 increase. Rebound? President Reagan is putting the best face possible on the current recession, and the prospect of large deficits for the next few years. He says the economy will begin to show signs of recovery in the first half of the year, and that things will steadily improve thereafter. But many economists and investors are waiting to see if the Reagan forecast or the view that this is to be a longer and deeper recession is correct. ' Mr. Reagan should know m a few months whether such optimism is justified. By March or April economic indicators will show whether the recession is bottomihg out or whether it is still accelerating. If it turns out that Mr. Reagan has under-estimated the severity of the current dip, then defense spending should be spread over more years, some taxes levied to reduce the deficit and , every tax loophole closed; these and other revenue-raising steps will be urgent by March if there is no change visible in the trend of the economy. To read with understanding is to be educated. People only get old; life is continually new and full of change. , Women light up when complimented on their looks. The “charge it’’ habit gets to be expensive, in time.

What others say — Not Nebraska's fault After all of these years, scientists have discovered one of the world’s largest geological faults. It splits the country diagonally from Washington state to Georgia. Why hadn’t the 1,700-mile rift been discovered earlier? Well you couldn’t see it if you were standing on it. It popped up in satellite photos. Os what use is the discovery? Scientists say it might give them clues as to how continents are formed. Nebraska’s politicians also might find a use. They used to think North of the Platte (river) and South of the Platte when balancing out candidates. But this has fallen somewhat into disuse, possible because the preponderance of land is North of the Platte. Now however, they could divide things up North of the Rift and South of the Rift and come out with nearly equal portions. Or would that be using faulty judgment? — OMAHA WORLD-HERALD

George Washington — Father of his Country — First U.S. President

Unsung heroes —

K ■ \ ■ WK J FORREST PLANK

Unsung hero — Forrest Plank is oldest Syracuse fireman

Forrest Plank has been a fireman on the Syracuse Fire Department since November of 1948, 33 years. He is BO years of age and lives at 631 Pittsburg Street, Syracuse. In 1948 when he started out with the department, he drove the truck, that is. if he got there first He said some of the other firemen, who had businesses in town, would get there first a lot of the time. In those days whoever got to the station first drove the truck. Presently. Plank’s duties with the department are different than they were in the beginning, but still an important part of putting out fires He now directs traffic at the fires He commented that Fire Chief John Connolly told him that it is as important as any job on the department, understandably so If the firemen can’t get to the fire they cannot do their job. Plank said. "Once I got to the fire and the sightseers got there first, making it practically impossible for the firemen to get in to put out the fire.” He remarked. “I don't know where some people get their driver’s license,” referring to the problems caused by curious onlookers at fires. When asked if he had ever been an officer in the fire department Plank said “No, I got on to help put out fires, not hold office.” He has stayed on the fire department these 33 years

because be says. “I just like it.” In the next year or so Plank said he may think about retiring from the department. He said if young men don’t have enough to do they should consider being on the department. "Someone has to do it, and it's a good deal if you like it,” commented Plank. Bowling used to be a big hobby for him but he says he has given that up, along with other things such as playing ball and hunting. He has two children who live in Syracuse. Daughter, Barb Kauffman, lives in Greenhaus Apartments and son. Robert, resides on Washington Street.

THE MAILJOURNAL (U.S P S. 32SM1 PvMisM br TM Mad Journal ovary Wadnotday and antarad as Sacond Class mattar at lha Post OHtce at Syracwsa. Second class postaffe paid at 103 E. Main Street. Syracuse. Indiana 4*M7 and at additional entry offices. Subset i*tion: Sil eer year in Kosciusko County. SM-utsidecounty. POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to Tke Mad-Journal. P.O. Box IM. Milford. Induma MMI.

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

(EDITOR'S NOTE. This waaks column was written by Dr. David Hartley. pastor and administrator of the Syracuse Christian Schools and Groce Bible Church.) By DR. DAVID HAIFLEY WHEN FIRST approached by the publisher about doing this column this week, I declined with the excuse, “I don’t cruze around ‘cuse much and would have difficulty writing concerning the things that usually appear in this space.’’ Whereupon he graciously assured me that I could present human interest happenings occurring within the orbit wherein I do travel. This we willdo! When discussing this assignment with a native of Syracuse, I said, “Well, I don't know what all the activities are around Syracuse — and 1 really don’t have time to go out and scout around. How can I write a gossip column about Syracuse?" He immediately informed me that this is NO gossip column but a human interest column, and then asked. "How long have you lived around Syracuse?" "Oh,” I answered, "about 19 years.” "Well, then,” said he, "isn't it about time you applied for citizenship papers?” TOUCHE! —o— The big news around Syracuse, as well as around the rest of the nation, is the weather. I was looking in a game book the other day and saw this rebus:, “weater,” the explanation being, “a bad spell of weather.” We’ve had some bad "SPELLS'* of weather lately, and in this we are all victims and participants. If you live back a long lane with trees, bramble, brush, and what have you, lining the west side, you have a problem. We have a problem. While out shoveling (joining the great crowd), 1 was asked by a passerby what I was doing. Being a man of the "Book” 1 felt it incumbent upon me to give an impressive answer, so I said, "Out looking for the ‘treasures of the snow.* ” Sometimes, after hours of backbreaking work, we have to wonder if there really are treasures in the snow. Don't tell the school children that there are none. After receiving over two weeks of "free vacation” with sledding, skiing, etc., considering that these "snow days'* may not have to be made up. it appears that they certainly found "treasures in the snow.” Dr. Wilfred Funk says that Blizzard originally meant a flash of lightning. In the early part of the last century Blizzard had the meaning of "a blow, a loud noise or blast,” and its possible relative Blizzer was a dialectical word which meant a flash of lightning. The meaning of blizzard, as we know it, was born about 1880 when the North suffered from a blasting winter. A New York Newspaper in 1881 said, "The hard weather has called into use a word which promises to become a national Americanism, namely Blizzard. It designates a storm (of snow and wind) which we cannot resist away from shelter.” We must agree, for we have had SEVERAL blizzards this winter, probably rivaling 1880 when the word was bom! —O'gossip. IT has been wonderfully said. "I bold it to be a fact, that if all persons knew what each said of the other, there would not be four friends left in all the world." We of the Syracuse Christian School must have been victims of some gossip a few years back, for one of our good neighbors came reverently up to me one day and said, "I think it is wonderful what you folks are doing for those poor retarded kids out here!" I suppose his understanding was that we were operating a school for those who could not "make it” elsewhere. (Or else he had a peek at some of the test grades.) For a time we might have deserved that reputation, in part anyhow, for parents were bringing their children out here who were having problems elsewhere — and we used to accept them all. Well, live and learn they say. It’s true that a man begins cutting his wisdom teeth as soon as he bites off more than he can chew! We pride ourselves (or we did) on the fact that our kindergartners can read. Os course some humanistic educators believe that is too hard on the children. We cannot agree. Nevertheless, at one of our Parent-Teacher meetings we had the students performing for their parents. The kindergarten teacher chose her best reader (naturally) and had him read the23rd Psalm from a large print Bible. My, how he performed. Oh. how proud we were — the teacher was just beaming! Then catastrophe struck! He suddenly looked up and said. "I don't know anymore of it!” He had. sometime before, memorized a portion of that Psalm and was quoting it rather than reading it! An embarrassed and red-faced teacher quickly had him turn to another portion and, much to our unending joy. be read it —O'SPEAKING OF children: Did you "know that many children will never get the opportunity to read or to play in the snow or anywhere else? One in four pregnancies in the United States ends in abortion. In the Soviet Union, one in two is terminated by abortion If America was a Christian nation as she started out to be, possibly we could "show up” the communist nations in our respect for life! It’s something to work for, to pray for and to hope for! -oTHE APOSTLE Paul wrote. It is high time to awake out of sleep.” Yet here is an interesting bit of statistics: "Americans spent more than I2M million last year for pills and potions designed to help them doze off. Doctors wrote more than 31 million prescriptions for barbituates and other potent sleeping pills.” It could be that Americans need to learn the secret of the Psalmist when he said. "1 win both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou. Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” It works! -O—SEVERAL YEARS ago, while waiting for the principal of Syracuse High School, (before Wawasee days) I chanced to see on the bulletin board an article that went something like this: “Abraham Lincoln was a great man, one of our greatest presidents. He was made by his times. Times in which we live could never produce another Lincoln.” That is surely food for thought. So we celebrated President's day this week, in honor of both Lincoln and Washington. Hie change

in these two men's birthdays brought an illusion held by my wife to an abrupt end. Being born on February 12. she thought all these years that the banks, government offices and schools closed in honor of HER birthday. I humored her in it. 1 used to give her a five-dollar bill for her birthday, having President Lincoln's picture on it. During hard times, however. 1 rather wished that she had been born on Washington's birthday! —o— SPEAKING OF Washington: one of my favorite subjects to teach is US History. In one class, some time ago, I told of the medical profession’s custom of "bleeding” a fever, in Washington’s day. George Washington had been out riding around his farm and had contacted a cold. When it developed into the flu with a high fever the physicians did their duty and "bled him.” Being in a weakened condition this "blood letting” actually killed him. I then asked the question, “What would have happened had they not bled President Washington?” Thinking, of course, of how our country might have gone down a different road had his influence been about a little longer. One student raised his hand and said, “He’d be alive today.” I believe he was serious. (Maybe we DID deserve that reputation!) —o— IT'S FUN to work with children. Ask any teacher and you'll be told that there is hardly a dull moment! A little girl got her Scripture mixed up in Bible class and she quoted: A lie is an abomination unto the Lord and a very present help in time of trouble.” Another was praying and said, “Take care of mommy and daddy and grandma and grandpa, and Lord, please take care of Yourself, if anything happens to You, we’re sunk! ” 1 don’t know why this happens to little girls, but another had been spanked by her mother, scolded by an aunt, bossed by her big sister, and made to stand in the comer by her teacher. When she came to her bedside to say her prayers for the evening she was overheard to say; "Dear God. please make the bad people good and won't you please make the good people nice?” A tremendous sermon, preached with great wisdom! —O—IN THIS country of religious tolerance (?), at least theoretically, it is hard to understand that in Ireland it makes a great difference whether you be Catholic or Protestant. In fact, one Irishman, tired of all the fighting said, “If we were only all atheists, then maybe we could live together like Christians.” Maybe that ought to be put on the front page of every newspaper in Ireland — it could be that those who are fighting would take time out of their fighting and at least have a good laugh — it’s hard to hate when you are laughing, isn’t it? —o—.ART LINKLETTER made a million or so writing down what kids say. If you could listen in on a normfl day of conversation in the primary grades, your day would be lifted for sure. I asked our elementary principal. Miss Vicky Nyikos. to jot down a few things as she remembers them. Here's a recipe for spaghetti as given by a kindergartner: three or four hamburgers. 10 onions, four pieces of spaghetti, eight tomatoes, four cups of salt, cook 10 minutes at five below zero. Serves four people. Grades one-three were asked to tell who their favorite persons were and why. “Kurt, because he is my brother.” A little later, when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, this same boy said, “A pastor.” Well, he has his priorities right. He surely must loye his brother if he is to be a successful pastor. The thrill in that quiz was that most of the children answered that their favorite person was Jesus because "He loved us and gave Himself for us!” And THIS in a day when nearly 80 per cent of America’s youth do not even know who Jesus is! (According to a recent Gallop pol 1.) - oLINCOLN’S GETTYSBURG Address has come down in history as one of the greatest speeches of the modem era. Although brief, the content is full of meaning. An interesting observation has been made by Dr. Barton in his twovolume set on the “Life Os Lincoln.” In the drafts of the famous speech written before the day of delivery, the phrase “under God” does not appear. Barton believed that as Lincoln stood in the battlefield to speak, he was suddenly conscious of his oneness with God and that he extemporized that phrase. Consequently, introduced into the reporter’s copies at that time, we now say. “That this nation UNDER GOD shall have a new birth of freedom.” This might explain why some encyclopedias have left “Under God” out. —o— OVERHEARD IN the primary department; Jill: “A fib is the same as a story and a story is the same as a lie.” Jack: “No, it isn’t.” Jill: “Yes, it is. My father said so and my father is an editor.” Jack: “I don’t care if he is, my father is a real estate man and he knows more about lying than your father does.” Sometimes it is better not to listen in! —o— PARKED IN front of the library building one snowy day, 1 was counting the “near misses” as cars came skiing down Harrison Street onto Main. I suppose that most of the occupants had been to the Post Office and were dumped off onto the slippery side streets by the ingenious one-way signs. I've heard a lot of comment about that — but like the weather, no one seems to be doing anything about it! -ODID YOU ever wonder who makes the Post Office regs? I suppose the employees are just as chagrined over them as the patrons, but don’t dare say anything. Recently I received a letter from a missionary friend in Nigeria. Enclosed in the envelope was a letter he had mailed to me in December. Stamped on the front was the notice, “Return to writer. Not deliverable as addressed.” And this they did. AU the way back to Nigeria! It would be interesting to know just how much it cost the US taxpayer, as well as how many people were involved, in sending that letter back to Nigeria. It isn’t as if we had moved and forgotten to leave a forwarding address; the address that Missionary Seger used was an address we had here at this location for a number of years. The Post Office changed it! In 1934, Robert Ripley of “Believe It Or Not” (Continued on next page)