The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 48, Milford, Kosciusko County, 14 December 1983 — Page 4

4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed.. December 14,1983

Editorials

The Christmas Spirit Complaints grow louder each year that Christmas has become mostly a party binge and commercial bonanza. But those who wish to enjoy an old-time Christmas can still do so, with planning and determination. Family members will enjoy helping mothers prepare special Christmas dishes and foods ahead of time. Some of these specialties can also be presents for family, friends nd neighbors. : All appreciate self-made gifts, and this also saves money and shopping time. The secret to a relaxed, ole-time Christmas is to plan ahead so that Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and the days after Christmas are not hectic, overly-filled days. Those who enjoy traditional, large-family dinners should attend them. But those who don’t can substitute a call at a time which won’t interfere with anyone’s holiday observance. Imagination and, sometimes, discipline, will be needed to keep the family together and calm — during the holidays. Television might be profitably disconnected at times and temptations to use the highways resisted. Instead, family games, talks, sports, meals and projects of pleasure can be enjoyed. That includes good food, good company, and dedication to the real meaning of Christmas. Over 55? Currently a push is underway to require the federal government to withhold federal highway funds, as provided by law, from states which don’t successfully enforce the 55-mile-an-hour speed limit within their borders. A court suit was filed in recent days by the Auto Safety Council, and others, to stop the allocation of funds to Massachusetts - which the plaintiffs say isn’t making a successful effort to enforce the 55 mph limit. Five other states are reportedly in jeopardy, presumably most of them western states, where opposition to the 55 mph limit has always been strong. One western state, Nevada, has a policy of a $5 fine for energy wastage for those caught driving between 55 and 70 mph. Included in the 1980 GOP platform, of course, was a plank opposing the 55 mph limit. So those seeking strict enforcement of the law, and the withholding of funds, feel there has been little enthusiasm in this administration for enforcing the 1974 law. Congress acted then in response to the Arab oil embargo - to save fuel. The Federal Highway Administration’s enforcement policy is at issue in this controversy. Critics cite surveys which show that more than half the traffic measured on certain highways is moving at speeds in excess of 55. They also cite highway fatality statistics, highly impressive, which show that 50,000 lives have been saved in the ten years the lower limit has been in force. - The saving of 5,000 lives a year fully justifies the lower limit, in addition to the fact that laws, until repealed, should be enforced as a matter of principle. The proper course if any change is needed might be to provide for certain exceptions on long stretches of sparsely-traveled highways. Your faults One of the lessons of life is that all, no matter how great the esteem in which held, have faults. The perfect human being has not been born, nor should anyone expect to encounter him or her. The key to mental happiness — or one of them is the realization that we must overlook faults of our friends, and even of our enemies. We must do our best to appreciate good qualities, and bring out the best in our fellows. The realization that we also have our faults, that we must often make amends - even at times when we think we’re not in error — is part of life’s lesson.

What others say —

Smiles and frowns ’Twas the days before Christmas, And all ’round the town; Some folks were smilin’ But some wore a frown... Perhaps the above lines won’t qualify for poetry, but they do reflect the conflicting attitudes about Christmas as the shopping season gets into full swing. J For some, the hustle and bustle of the season is part of the joy of Christmas. They thrive on crowds and shoving shoppers as they speed their way through the stores, checking their lists for all of the gifts. For others, the only joy they find is playing the role of Scrooge and being a grump about everything remotely connected with Christmas. They find no joy in children or snow. Some people are completely turned off by all the material and commercial aspects of the season. In their religious fervor to keep Christ in Christmas, they become blinded by their bias and are unable to see the spirit of Christmas in others and twinkling lights. On the other, hand some people become so wrapped up in the commercial aspects of making money they fail to find time to be inspired by the Christmas spirit. The almighty dollar becomes their God, and is to be worshiped during the 12 days of Christmas. Perhaps the secret of enjoying this season is to find a happy balance, between the two sides of Christmas — Spiritual and Material. Have you ever considered that millions of people make their living by creating, marketing, selling and wrapping Christmas merchandise? Just consider all the people who are able to provide gifts for their families and friends because of their employment. Consider all the part-time jobs that become available during this season and what that limited income means to so many. To deny the existence of the material side of Christmas is to deny the right of survival. Also, consider that you can keep Christ in Christmas by buying and giving gifts to others. The giving of gifts is part of the Christmas Story. The glitter, twinkling lights and greenery can all be found in the events surrounding that first Christmas. Os course, there are the “expected” and “obligated” gifts that are given, however, these should not detract from the spirit and tradition of sharing with others. Don’t be turned off by the Scrooges of the world, because surely, most of them find joy in being out-of-step with others, and take pride in their ability o attract pity. Let’s put Christmas in focus and accept the fact that it is a complex season that evokes various emotions and attitudes. It is a time of joy and celebration, and a time to replace those frowns with smiles. - THE AVON-DANVILLE GAZETTE

in gn Ik. a Polly White of Sechrist Lake is joining most area residents who still have Christmas shopping to complete as she counts the number of days left until Christmas. According to Polly’s calculations, there are less than two weeks left until the big day. M, n i 457-3666 Or -J rlllse Ca 11,658-4111, Ext. 17 QUESTION OF THE WEEK: How do you put Christ into your Christmas? Results of last week’s question: Do you feel the amount of Christmas presents should be limited? 1 don’t think it matters how many presents you receive, it’s the thought and love behind them that matters . . . Who cares about presents? I just give one present to everyone, myself ... No way, I want lots and lots of toys! . . . Christmas is a time for giving so we should give as much as we can. I know I like to receive plenty of gifts 1 think giving gifts only promotes materialism, which is the antithesis of the true Christmas spirit... 1 have wanted some material objects all year long, but I've waited because I know I will get them now since it’s Christmas time ... If you have the money to blow on Christmas gifts, then buy them all. If not. give the best gift of all, yourself... I think the question is off base. More importantly is the motive behind the gifts. Presents should not be limited because if a person wants to give a lot, then let him give. But if he doesn’t, then he should give what he wants . . . Presents are not important to me.. What makes me happy is seeing someone who I really care for happy. All 1 want to see is Love for Christmas, regardless of the gifts . .

Court news

CITY COURT the following fines have been levied and paid in the Goshen City Court: Speeding — Cindy S. Gibbs. 26, Syracuse, $43; Otto H. Miesel, 63. Milford, $43; Gloria J. Ruch, 27, Milford, $43 Improper turn at intersection — David E. Thwaits, 18. Syracuse, S3B Disobedience to official traffic control device — Catherine S. Phemister, 22, Syracuse, S3B Driving in violation of driver’s license restriction — Rick G. Bowling, 24, North Webster, $33 Public intoxication — John W. Young, 25, Milford, $38,10 days in jail, suspended on condition defendant not commit an alcohol offense for one year, attend five addiction education meetings and show proof by February 1, 1984 MARRIAGE LICENSES The following couples have filed for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk Jean Messmore: Larson-Currey Randy Owen Larson, 21, r 2 box 406 Syracuse and Annette Marie Currey, 19, r 2 box 509 C Leesburg CIRCUIT COURT The following claims have been filed in Kosciusko Circuit Court, Richard Sand, judge: Reciprocal Support Nevah Huston vs Robert L. Utt, 17444 CR 48 Syracuse. The plaintiff is seeking a judgment against the defendant for support Damages Lovila F. Marchand, individually and George F. Marchand as legal guardian of Lovila F. Marchand, vs American Legion Post 223 and VFW Post 1342, both of Syracuse. The plaintiffs are seeking a judgment against the defendant for the sum of $2 million in compensatory damages, and $6 million in punitive damages, plus attorney’s fees and costs of action. The plaintiffs allege that the defendants were negligent in allowing David Heath to become intoxicated on their premises and to drive. Heath later was involved in an automobile accident TNI MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S.P.S. 3258 4000) Published by The Mail Journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse Indiana*}*?. Second class postage paid at 103 E Mam Street. Syracuse, Indiana 4*s*; and at additional entry offices Subscription: sl4 per year in Kosciusko County, 14.50 outside county POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to The Mail Journal, P O Box tat, Milford, Indiana 44542

causing permanent injuries to Lovila F. Marchand, plaintiff. The plaintiffs are seeking a jury trial in this matter Complaint Kenneth L. Weeber vs B & W Leasing, and W. L. Cutter, Syracuse. The plaintiff is seeking SIO,OOO and the liquidation and distribution to shareholders, of the company’s assets, in accordance with the Indiana General Corporations Act. The plaintiff had a fifty per cent partnership with the defendant, and claims the defendant sold the company’s equipment for a total of $20,000, none of which was divided with the plaintiff SUPERIOR COURT The following complaints were filed in Kosciusko Superior Court, Robert Burner, judge; Promissory Note State Bank of Syracuse vs John Hile and Carol Ann Hile, Clarks Summit, Pa. The plaintiff is seeking a judgment against the defendants for the sum of $11,046.74 plus interest to date of judgment, attorney’s fees and costs of action for an unpaid promissory note Mayor, officials cleared Following two days of hearings, the six-member Kosciusko County Grand Jury handed down no indictments to top Warsaw officials on charges of misusing public money. The grand jury first met last Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 6, to consider a city audit report compiled by the State Board of Accounts which discovered several irregularities in Mayor Mike Hodges’ administration. Deliberations were concluded Thursday noon when the grand jury reported the activities were “improper,” but since they have been occurring for “decades, we do not feel that any criminal indictments would be appropriate under these circumstances.” Hodges, who will be replaced in January by mayor-elect Jeff Plank, expressed appreciation for the grand jury’s report, but called the entire chain of events a “witch hunt.” The alledged “witch hunt” cost the city of Warsaw nearly $6,665 for the audit. Customs Many customs we hold to in America originated elsewhere. One very exciting one came to us from the French, mistletoe. This is used as a symbol of good luck. In a province of‘southeastern France, the whole family unit brings in a yule log that must burn from Christmas until the start of the new year. Black pudding and Strasbourg!! pie are enjoyed by the French during this time of the year. *

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

Seventh In A Series —

Paris remains 'City of Light'

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the seventh letter Della and Arch Baumgartner have sent to their grandchildren, Jennifer Baumgartner and Jason Yoder, on the European Economic Community and North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries in Europe, and concerns itself with a visit to Cologne, Germany, and Bonn, the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany.) PARIS, France, Saturday, Oct. 22, 1983. Dear Jennifer and Jason: Let us tell you, they don’t call Paris the City of Light for nothing. For it is well lighted, by candlepower and by spirit, day and night. Our group of touring American journalists enjoyed an unspectacular yet pleasant motor bus ride from Luxembourg to Paris on Friday, Oct. 21, moving through Verdun, Metz, the Ardennes, names easily recalled from the battles of both world wars. Our bus made its way over their rolling countryside through the small towns that made up northeastern France. It was so peaceful one could hardly imagine that two of history’s worst conflagrations had occurred here, both in the lifetime of some of our passengers. The little narrow streets with sharp turns, reminiscent of most of such European small towns, brought to mind the large Sherman tanks that rolled through here during World War 11, some under their own power, other mounted on Low Boy tandems, on their way to an ever-receding front. How often these tanks, in their hurry, lashed around corners doing damage to jutting buildings! The reverie didn’t last long, however, as we neared the end of a five-hour journey that was to bring us to the most famous of all European capitals - Paris. Ask any young soldier who came out of the conservative mid-west to be plunged into the European battles, what he thought of Paris, and you’d get the same answer — Wow! In spite of black-outs during World War 11, when all unnecessary lights were turned off throughout much of the world, Paris remained lighted, true to its image as the City of Light. Its proud 5,000-year history was not to be so easily extinguished. Our big Mercedes motor bus soon swept onto the streets that carried some of the world’s heaviest traffic to find its way to the Hotel Meredien at 81 BD Gouvion St-Cyr, a little over a mile northwest of the historic Arch de Triomphe and off the Avenue De La Grande Armee. The Hotel Meredien is a part of a large chain of hotels and ranks among the best in Europe. And here we were, in a plush hotel to be sure, but with ourselves grappling with still another foreign language. We had just managed to learn a few amenities of German, and now we must go through the same thing in French. Our little book that we had purchased at Concord Mall was of some help, but not all that much. Our American usage came through with complete transparency.

f I 'I gw THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS Tour Os The City We were one tired group. And so while many of our group chose to remain hotel-bound, others of us chose a morning city tour. It took us to the famous Montmarte to see the Sacre Ceour, a historic old church high on a hill overlooking Paris. While it was cold and drafty, it still drew a huge crowd, native and otherwise. Almost next door was a large art district where street artists were at work on their latest creations. And one could even make a purchase or two, which we did. It also took us to the famous Arch de Triumphe at the head of the equally famous Avenue Des Champs Elysees, at which point we received the mandatory thumbnail story of Napoleon Bonaparte. The Arch is a most impressive structure, to be sure, with swirling traffic circling its base with seeming suicidal intent. From the Arch streets extend out into every which direction on large avenues, like the spokes of a wheel. Following the liberation of Paris in August 1944, U S. Army units marched through the wide Arch de Triumphe through a crowd of many tens of thousands of applauding Frenchmen. On the morning tour agenda, too, was a visit to the Pompidou Museum, named for the French President Georges Pompidou. The building was the most spectacular part of this museum, with all its service facilities on the outside, and each, like heating, air conditioning, like that, painted a different color. The French are keen on showing visitors the Pompidou Museum. Before returning to our hotel we were taken past the Louvre, the famous art museum and onto the Place De La Concorde, a large, four-square-block open area sporting a number of obelisks and other larger-than-life marble figures. It was here that some 1,100 Frenchmen, including Louis XIV and Quern Maria Antonette, were beheaded by the guillotine.

The previous day we h#d a close-up at the Eiffel Tower, which can be seen from almost any point within the city. It provided a real occasion for picture-taking.

Boat Ride On The Seine While we did have a close-up view of the famous cathedral Notre Dame which is undergoing some repair at the moment, the best view we got of the famous lady was from a boat on the River Seine. We took the dinner cruise only after it was nearly thwarted by a near-impossible traffic snarl-up on our way to the river front. There’s really not much that can be done about Paris traffic. Anyway, Notre same is situated on an island in the center of the River Seine, well lighted at night, and from our dinner table on the cruise boat, we could see the famous church in all its glory. The ride down and around the river was one of open levity. Everyone had a real good time. We could also see the Eiffel Tower and at one point the lighted “small Statue of Liberty.’’ A replica of the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the French that stands in New York harbor, stands along the River Seine. It provided a touch of home for many of us. Talk About Traffic! The bus ride to the river boat and the traffic tie-up should have been ample forwarding. We two, Ed and Ruth Lehman of Longmont, Colo , and Tom and Nancy Mathews of Tracy, Calif., decided to take in the Moulin Rouge, a red hot night spot, one night. And here we encountered Paris traffic once again. With three in a cab, the ride from our hotel to the Moulin Rouge in the Pigalle district, cost 25 francs, or $3.29. But on the return trip a fast artist took us for 70 francs for each cab, or about $9.21. We felt like the proverbial Scotsman who said he gets too soon old and too late smart. Anyway, the show was a good one, with about forty pretty girls backed up by a few, less-talented men. They even had two, rubber-shod horses on the stage at one time. But the big eye-opener was a large water-filled tank that arose irom the stage floor and in it were three dolphins. One pretty girl got in the tank and swam around with the dolphins. We couldn’t help but notice that nearly half of the audience was made up of Japanese men and women. It gave us reason for all sort of speculation concerning the Japanese work ethic that supports such wide travel.

■: ■■ '/-'IMF Bta m A BB; iff A CHRISTIAN DIOR REVUE See Dior Style Show A number of women in our group - and a few men — were ga-ga over an invitation we had to visit the famous Christian Dior fashion center and to actually witness a style show of the latest fashions for w omen. Our party was mixed with about 100 buyers to see a show of 120 distinctly different women's creations. There were only six models - tall, thin to a fault, plastic in appearance - but they showed what they wore to great advantage. A quick survey of the women in our group revealed that each outfit would sell for $3,000 to $5,000. That eliminates the kids real quickly. Following the show we had an opportunity to roam the Christian Dior showrooms where purchases of men’s and women’s wear could be made. Visit Bernard Dorin The real purpose of our European mission was to study NATO and the EEC, and we wanted to touch base in this regard while in Paris. Some of our group visited the American Embassy just off the Palace De La Concorde while others of us met with Bernard Dorin, Minister of French Foreign Affairs, on the Quai D’Orsay. Fluent in some six or seven languages, our host spoke English haltingly but with diplomatic prevision. He quickly came down on the high interest rates in America caused by our budget deficit. “Yes, the German demonstrations against missiles in their country worry us,” he said, in : asmuch as Germany is our strongest EEC partner. He then called West Germany a “military dwarf.” He told us the Economic Community (Common Market) works but with difficulties due to the sovereignty of each of the partners. Then Mr. Dorin spoke of the good American-French relations. “We cannot forget the help the United States gave us in 1918 and again in 1944-’45," he said, and called attention to the fact that France was the first country to support America in the Cuban Crisis. DeGaulle did not want to follow NATO policy, or host noted, but wanted to go its separate way, and Presidents Pompidou, d’Estaing and Mitterand have followed a similar course of action. The French were not invited to the Yalta Conference which carved up Europe after World War 11, he noted. He called that conference “a disaster.” France now has a completely independent foreign policy. And Mr, Dorin had something to say about Central America, too. He noted that their problems come from a poor economy, where big landlords (some 60 families) own 75 per cent of the land. “The origin of Central American problems is not Cuba or the U.5.5.R.,” he said. He predicted (Continued on page 5)