The Mail-Journal, Volume 20, Number 49, Milford, Kosciusko County, 21 December 1983 — Page 4

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL - Wed., December 21,1983

Editorials ♦ ' I May the warm, guiding star drive from your life every shadow; may the glad song of angels find an echo in your heart; may the spirit of worship in the hearts of the wise men, and the simple faith of the shepherds by yours as, once more, you celebrate the birthday of the King It’s hard to believe but this is the last month of the year. Have you made good use of the first eleven months? It’s a neat trick if you can keep your Christmas spirit alive through January The finest thing about Christmas is that it reminds us there is a Santa Claus.

What others say —

A prayer at Christmas Give us the faith of innocent children, that we may look forward with hope in our hearts, to the dawn of happy tomorrows. Reawaken the thought that our most cherished desires will be realized, the things closest to our hearts - that we may come to appreciate of the limitless joys and bountiful rewards of Patience, Charity and Sacrifice. Above all, endow us with the spirit of courage, that we may face the perplexities of a troubled world without flinching, inbued with the child-like faith which envisions the beautiful and inspiring things of life . . . and restore the happy hours and experiences so many of us foolishly believe are lost forever. Give us faith in ourselves and faith in our fellow man . .. then, the treasures and beauties of life that make man happy will spring from an inexhaustible source. And at Christmas, when the hearts of the world swell in joyous celebration, let us cast aside the pretense of sturdy men and live, if only for a day, in the hope and joy we knew as children. - DANVILLE GAZETTE, 1981 NV

'Yes, Virginia, there is .. . A Santa Claus' In 1897, an eight-year-old girl, troubled about her friends’ statements that there wasn’t really a Santa Claus, wrote to the editor of The New York Sun for an answer. Virginia O’Hanlon asked: “Dear Editor: I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says ‘lf you see it in The Sun, it’s so.’ Please tell me the truth; is there a Santa Claus?’’ The query was handed to Francis Pharcellus Church, a tough-minded journalist in the great tradition of newspapering. He penned a reply which warmed hearts and renewed childhood memories for nearly a century. It read: “Virginia, your little friends are wrong. Theyhave been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. “YES, VIRGINIA, THERE IS A SANTA CLAUS. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. “Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor man can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Os course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. “You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture that the supernatural beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. “No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now,he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. ’’ In the way of a postscript, The Sun’s editorial has been reprinted countless times each Christmas season, in more than 20 languages around the world. The little girl, Virginia, went on to become a teacher for more than 50 years in New York City. She died in 1971, at the age of 81, still believing in the spirit of Santa Claus.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What’s your new years resolution for 1984? Results of last week’s question: How do you put Christ into your Christmas? By trying to share Him with others ... not enough ... By sharing everything I have, even my knee brace when 1 play basketball ... Through the spirit of giving because the Lord gave us his Son that day, and 1 think it's synonomous ... Ah boy... probably by stopping and talking with my wife about the true meaning of Christmas . . Put who in what? Oh, by spelling the first five letter...CHRIST .it’s simple ... My mommy always bakes a birthday cake for Jesus . . . How do 1 put Christ into my Christmas? That’s a hard question ... I try to put him in my Christmas by the way 1 live. Christmas for me is everyday. People think that just during Christmas you can give something to someone, even if it’s just a nice word. I try to do this daily. Christ is my life, not a one day celebration ... By giving lots of gifts... By singing Christmas songs ... I don’t know, I just open up my gifts and go from there... By spreading the good news of Jesus Christ everywhere Igo ... By throwing the biggest birthday party you can possibly imagine. Isn’t that what Christmas is about, the birthday of Jesus Christ? We have birthday parties for us, and focus all the attention on the birthday boy. Why not focus all our attention on the King of Kings..it’s His day! Letters to the editor

Why do we meet with them?

An open letter: Re: Senator Dan Quayle Thank you for responding to my letter concerning the Soviet’s daastardly act of shooting down Flight 007. I wholeheartedly agree with you that that act was not an aberration. That was and, still is, the point I am trying to make. Killing all those people should be the “straw that broke the camel’s back”! Why do we continue to trade with them directly and, indirectly through their satellites? Why do we even meet and talk with them? Does this nation under God honor Him by dealing with such atheisitic monsters? Our actions in response to the Soviet’s continued acts of terrorism are not aberratins either. Our presidents and Congress have done nothing but talk big and act small. We have allowed, no helped, them to subjeugate nearly all of the eastern hemisphere and establish a strategic, multiple use base 90 miles from our shore. Yes, helped them, starting in 1933 when FDR’s administration recognized the revolutionary regime and thereby rescued it from bankruptcy. The primary subject at present is nuclear missiles. The Soviets would not have a missile worth worrying about without these three US produced items: 1) the Fan questions coach's quips Deaf Editor: This letter is concerning your article in The Mail-Journal on the Warsaw and Wawasee basketball game. I thought the interview that Wysong gave was terrible. He has a lot of room to talk. 1 am sure if this game would have been played at Wawasee, they would have treated Warsaw just as bad. Warsaw has the fans and the cheerblocks to support their “great” team. Wawasee cannot even form a cheerblock. They have tried I don’t know how many times. At least Warsaw’s cheerleaders were cheering at the game. Wawasee’s weren’t. They were in shock. I never saw any harassing going on during the game. Coaches aren’t supposed to watch that stuff. They are supposed to coach the team. See you at the sectional! Name withheld by request

THE 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 44547 Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices Subscription: sl4 per year In Kosciusko County, 16.50 outside county POSTMASTERS: Send change of address forms to The Mall Journal, P.O Box IM, Milford, Indiana 46542.

Centalign-B micro-finish precision ball-bearing machine, 2) silicon-chip technology products and, 3) advanced computers - specifically the 18M370 and the Cyber 73/76. We don’t have to send our troops anywhere! All we have to do is stop building Communist missiles, stop loaning Communist controlled countries money and stop all dealing with them — which includes getting out of the United Nations and getting the United Nations out of the US Respectfully yours, J.T. Easter Take defeat, don't complain Dear Editor: Re: Dr. Hull and Mr. Wysong. Well, here we go again. We played Warsaw and got beat, and you can’t take it. Would you have said all the things you did if we had won? I was at the game and I am still trying to remember where the signs were, when the cheerblock was bothering our players and all the other dumb things you said went on. And as for the obscene cheers, Dr. Hull, they were not half as bad as the trash cans and a bunch of overgrown boys sliding all over the floor. < Yes, 1 am a Warriors’ fan, but I get a little tired of every year when we lose to Warsaw that there has to be a big deal made about it. As for the seating, they sell all reserved seats and you have to sit in them. There are people who come around and make sure you are in them. It’s not like up here with the continuous running up and down during the game so that you can’t even see the game. Yes, we could take some lessons from them and they from us. But let’s learn to take defeat and not gripe about it. Name withheld by request Court news COUNTY COURT The following fines have been levied and paid in the Elkhart County Court, Goshen Division: Speeding — Forest A. Smith, Jr., Syracuse, $45 Disregarding control device — Thomas R. Young Jr., Syracuse, $47 Driving while intoxicated — Tim T. Peace, Syracuse, $lO7 and 60 days in jail suspended on condition defendant does not commit a similar charge for one year and does not drive until he acquires an Indiana drivers license, defendant issued a probationary license for 180 days MARRIAGE LICENSES The following couples have filed for marriage licenses in the office of Kosciusko County Clerk, Jean Messmore: Lundgren-Aker Dennis Gail Lundgren, 43, r 1 box 483-46 Leesburg and Cathy Louise Aker, 20, r 1 box 483-46 Leesburg Richards-Miller Larry Dale Richards, 21, r 1 box 436 North Webster and Mary Anne Louise Miller, 18, r 1 box 436 North Webster

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

Eighth And Last In A Series — Pope remains 'Biggest Show In Town'

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the eighth and final letter Della and Arch Baumgartner have sent to their grandchildren. Jennifer Baumgartner and Jason Yoder, concerning their trip to Europe made in October 1963. where the effects of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Economic Community were assessed. This final article was written from Rome, Italy.) ROME, Italy, Wednesday, Oct. 26, 1983. Dear Jennifer and Jason: ‘‘While you are here in Rome you won’t want to miss the biggest show in town,” we were told Monday morning by the Associated Press bureau chief here in Rome, as a humorous aside to his briefing of the American newsmen. Os course, he had reference to being a part of Pope John Paul H’s audience on Wednesday. We definitely had this in mind; in fact, oiir group carried a letter authorizing our being a part of a general audience with Pope John Paul. A City With A Past If any city could be called a “city with a past,” it would have to be Rome. We got an introduction to at least part of its past on Sunday as we toured the city, beginning with a walk down the dark, somewhat dank, catacombs. The catacombs served as an ancient underground burial grounds, and for the life of us, they seemed remote as a tourist attraction. Not so with other places. Rome is studded with old columns and court yards, and it takes an expert guide to make them come to life. And the list is long and unyieldy. Os course we had all the statues of the Caesars pointed out to us, including those of Caesar Augustus and Julius Caesar. Then there was the famous colosseum, which seated 55,000, and was the place where the Christians were reportedly thrown to the lions. Our guide told us the condemned men walked to the side of the arena, looked up to the Caesars and said, “We who are about to die salute you!” We’d call that a fatalistic touch difficult to fathom. The old structure is in considerable disrepair, but serves Rome well to keep the tourists coming. It serves as an apt centerpiece for the old ruins. And the famous Forum is still there, with its decaying marble columns jutting into the air as a mute reminder of one of the great debating forums of all times. It was here that Brutus did in his friend Julius Caesar as the latter muttered, “Et tu, Brute?” It takes a lot of imagination to flesh out what the Forum must have looked like and meant to the Holy Roman Empire in the days when it controlled all the known world. Such a model of the old city has been constructed and is the subject of a best selling book to tourists. Touch Os Ben Hur One must also use his imagination when visiting the remains of the Circus Maximus where the famous chariot rides were held for the entertainment of the Roman big-wigs. Indiana’s Lew Wallace, a Civil War general, wrote his famous novel, Ben Hur, while sitting in an arm chair under a tree in his back yard at Crawfordsville, Indiana, highlighting these famous chariot races. In the movie of the same name actor Charlton Heston usually came through as the victorious chariot rider. Many of these old ruins are setting on the seven hills that make up Rome, overlooking the famous Tiber River that winds through Rome. And of course we had to see the building where Benito Mussolini gave his comic orations from the balcony window, not far from the beautiful large white memorial erected to the unification of the numerous Italian states under King Victor Emanuele II at the time of Gerabaldi, in 1911. Known as “The Wedding Cake,” it sits prominently in the sunlight in all its gleaming brilliance. The city abounds in statues, columns, arches and fountains -a city truly dedicated to ancient art. One of these fountains is Trevi Fountain, made famous by the movie “Three Coins In The Fountain.” It is customary for a visitor to this fountain to throw three coins in to make three wishes come true. Throngs of people gather around the famous fountain, providing all sorts of picture opportunities. A good place to sell Kodak film, we’d say. Not to be overlooked are the ruins of the famous Pantheon. We mentioned to our guide, Sergio Marconi, a high school teacher who picks up a little extra money by being a guide on week ends, that there was so much paper and debris on Rome’s streets. He told us this was not customary, but was brought into town by the 500,000-odd peace demonstrators the previous day. But in general we found Rome a city of debris, not nearly as clean as Germany or Luxembourg, for example. Those Taxis Again One just has to ride in a taxi cab in Paris or Rome to appreciate riding on the American highways. In the first place, taxis in both of these cities are rediculously small - fuel-efficient, to be sure, but small. But these drivers can weave in

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and out of multi-laned traffic with ease, but to the never-ending shattered nerves of the passengers. We had a 15-mile ride from downtown Rome to our Sheritan Hotel at the south edge of Rome one night. In the inner city, it is virtually impossible for even these expert taxi drivers to negotiate their vehicles. In many of the narrow streets there are no vehicles, and customers walk both on the sidewalks and in the streets. To our surprise, the little shops are loaded with very excellent merchandise and prices aren’t all that bad. Some of the women complained, however, of shoe costs. AP Bureau Chief Often we were able to get “the straight goods” from Associated Bureau chiefs, and this was the case here in Rome. The Rome AP chief met us in the hotel coffee shop for a run-down on Italy and its part in NATO and the Common Market, the purpose of our European Study Mission. He’s the fellow who told us about “the biggest show in town.” He said while Italy has 56 million people, they have to import a million foreign workers, mostly from Africa, to do service work. Euro-com-munism is independent of the Soviet Union, he noted, adding that “pure communism” has a lot of clout in Italy, having elected several communist mayors. He called Bologna, with its communist mayor, “one of the best run cities in Italy.” Much of Italy’s gas comes from Algeria, thus no big concern over the Russian pipeline. Italy imports 95 per cent of its oil, and had a growth of only .05 per cent last year. He spoke of the “black economy,” where many workers make items at home - sort of what India calls the “cottage industry” — thus saving on unemployment taxes, insurance, overhead like that. Unions in Italy, like in many other countries, are not nearly as strong as they used to be. Italy has 10 per cent unemployment at the present time, and continues to import more than it exports. Tourism is a real big thing in Italy, no question about that! Our AP guest told us the Catholic church has a real over-riding influence in Italy where nearly everyone is of the Catholic persuasion. He said the church owns a third of the property in Rome, but actually has few liquid assets. The Vatican has been operating on a deficit, he said, for six or seven years. Vatican, Sistine Chapel One could spend no end of time in the Vatican and Sistine Chapel. Both are breathtaking, the Vatican for its vaulting marble statues, including the seated statue of St. peter where the faithful have rubbed his foot until the toes are no longer distinguishable. And of course Michaelangelo’s famous marble Pieta is there. He made this masterpiece when only 23 years of age. ‘ Over in the Sistine Chapel the paintings and tapestries are just breathtaking for their size and beauty, most of them depicting scenes from the Bible. But more than that, the chapel’s ceiling is the one painted by Michaelangelo, lying on his back for the four years' labor. History tells us he developed a pronounced hunch back for his labors there. Marcia Sears, a member of our group from Columbiana, Ala., broke the solemnity by saying, “It would take me four years to paint that ceiling with a roller and Kemtone.” Visit Sixth Fleet Hdqt. On Tuesday our group was slated to go to Naples, an hour and a half trip south of Rome, where the Allied Forces Southern Europe (AFSOUTH) is headquartered, as is the U.S. Sixth Fleet, a support force. The deep harbor makes a perfect site for this strike force, which is located just south of Anzio, where Americans stormed ashore during World War 11. En route to Naples we stopped off at Gaeta where we went aboard the U.S.S. Puget Sound, a 650-foot-long support vessel, that our briefing officer, Lt. Commander Bob Pritchard of Speedway, Ind., called a “floating factory.” We were also briefed by the 620,000-ton vessel’s chief of staff, Captain R. W. Leeds, who told us the ship has 150 women aboard. He said the spirit in the U.S. Navy is now very high, recruitment is high, and a drug user is out. “We just won’t put up with them anymore,” he said quite firmly. A trip to the ship’s large machine shop, where “we can do anything,” as an enlisted man told us, convinced us of the effectiveness of this complement to the Naval Striking and Support Forces, Southern Europe. Gaeta is a beautiful city, a real vacation spot for Europeans. On to Naples where we dined in the absolutely marvelous officers’ club of the U.S. Sixth Fleet. This was followed by a briefing and a question and answer session attended by Admiral William Newell Small, Commander-in-chief of NATO’s Allied Forces Southern Europe, as well as Com-mander-in-Chief of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe. The tall, strikingly handsome admiral, appeared before the visiting journalists, welcoming us to Sixth Fleet Headquarters and explaining their mission to protect the southern flank of Europe in NATO’s mission in keeping the peace. • Also present at the briefing was Dufore Woolfley of the U.S. State Department and (Continued on page 5)