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10—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, December 16. 1972
This Christmas Season, 1972, the
mystery and magic of Christmas night are
very real as hundreds of millions of people
in small countries and great nations across
the breadth of the world join hands in the
etnrnal wish of peace on earth and goodwill
toward men.
In this day of instant communications,
flashing m words and pictures the
sometimes confusing kaleidoscope of world
events, it seems appropriate to give thanks
for one gift that has preserved the
humanity and the hard-won, accumulated
knowledge of man through thousands of
years-the gift of the written word. In
countless languages, the written word has
spanned the whole surface of the Earth
making knowledge of God and the
teachings of Christ life-long, everyday
companions of men and women
everywhere. Through the written word all
Capitalistic Breadbasket
It now turns out that only the U.S. can
produce the agricultural abundance that
will give Soviet citizens the higher food
production that Soviet leaders have
promised. According to late reports, even
US. help may fall short of staving off a
shortage in Russian food supplies. It is said
that the Soviet Union is suffering the worst
farm crisis since 1963. The gram harvest is
likely to fall 30 million tons short of
planned production This means less
bread, less feed for livestock and less meat.
Ironically, American agriculture is the
epitome of capitalism. U.S. farmers are a
working demonstration of the highest
principles of the capitalistic society. They
There is a professed fondness nowadays
for “telling it like it is". Senator Harry F.
Byrd, Jr., of Virginia has done just that in
summing up for the record the history of
federal government spending over a 20-
year period. According to a table he
prepared, the receipts of the federal
government in 1954 were $62.8 billion,
outlays were $65.9 billion - leaving a deficit
of $3l billion. Interest on the federal debt
in that year was $6.4 billion. Senator Byrd
traced the trend of rising spending and
deficits and the soaring interest charge on
LOUISVILLE, OHIO, HERALD: “A court
in Portland, Oregon, we understand, has
come up with a new and unique way of
handling offenders in drunk driving cases.
Culprits are given their choice of punish
ment - pay a fine, go to jail, or drop in for a
daily dose of a drug called Antabuse.
Anyone taking a drink of alcohol following a
dose of Antabuse is said to be come quite
ill. On the basis of early results, this
unusual treatment seems to have all the
makings of a first-class deterrent to
drinking drivers and driving drinkers - for
obvious reasons if they already have An
tabuse in them. Some 100 persons have
become ‘subjects’ in this phase of a
federally-financed Alcohol Action Program
and only one violator has turned up as a
repeater."
XXX
AURORA, NEBR., NEWS-REGISTER:
"There are some people in this world who
not only demand something for nothing,
but they want it gift wrapped."
STAYTON, ORE., MAIL: “The trouble
with getting older is that you learn more.
And the trouble with that is the con-
Christmas Day
Like It Is
Grassroots Opinions
xxx
men know the story of Christmas. These
words endure to be read and reread again
and again. How else could the story of Tiny
Tim and the name of Charles Dickens have
become synonymous with the Spirit of
Christmas?
Countless millions of children have
listened in breathless wonder as their
parents read the fantasy-conjuring words
of “The Night Before Christmas" - the
reindeer, the fur-trimmed red suit and the
jolly cry of, “Merry Christmas to all and to
all a good night!” These words, written in
1823 by an American minister and poet,
Clement C. Moore, are here today as part of
the living legend of Christmas. So, let’s give
thanks for the written word. Its power has
preserved the Spirit of Christmas, and its
wisdom may yet save mankind from his
own folly.
are independent, and they own their own
homes and land. Their success hinges upon
private initiative in the application of the
latest agricultural techniques flowing from
the halls of science, industry and chemical
laboratories. All of these are attributes of a
democratic society, where freedom of
action and freedom of inquiry flourish to
the maximum extent.
This capitalistic system - the antithesis of
communism - damned abroad and scorned
at home by pseudo intellectuals has now
become the world’s breadbasket. And the
American farmer, the most capitalistic of
all capitalists, must bear the brunt of the
burden of feeding a good share of the
world.
the public debt down through the estimate
for 1973. He reveals that fiscal 1973 is
expected to show government receipts of
$152.6 billion. Spending is foreseen as
reaching $190.4 billion leaving a deficit of
$37.8 billion. Interest charges on the public
debt are estimated to total $22.7 billion.
We need public officials who, even in an
election year, draw the line at approving
ever bigger government spending
programs that hit all of us with more taxes
or more inflation.
sequent loss of illusions. The most recently
shattered concerns ‘special delivery’
service by the post office, and what
shatters our previously-held belief about it
is an announcement that NOW the postal
service is going to give it special handling
(which in our innocence we had thought
came with the extra postage charged for all
these years). ‘Special delivery letters and
parcels in the entire U.S. Postal Service’s
Western Region will now be enclosed in
transparent plastic bags imprinted with
the word "Speedy” in large green letters.
This new identification will prevent special
delivery pieces from being overlooked or
intermixed with regular first-class mail at
receiving stations,’ says the an
nouncement."
HOUGHTON, MICH., MINING GAZETTE:
“Today’s volunteer is not a bored
housewife with time on her hands. Neither
is she ‘lady bountiful’ with unlimited time
and funds. Today’s volunteer is someone -
man, woman or child - who recognizes that
this is the only world available, and if it is to
be a better world, it's everyone’s
responsibility.”
xxx
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NOW IS
THE TIME . . .
Max Smith
County Agr. Agent
Telephone 394-6851
To Observe Hogs
Carefully
Hog Cholera is on the rage
again and is close enough to be of
major concern. This dreaded
disease of swine needs the at
tention of everyone if we are to
keep it from spreading into a
major disaster. Producers are,
urged to be very careful in their'
management and not give any
chance for the infection to be
brought home to the herd. The
animals should be observed
several times a day and if any of
them seem to be “slow” by not
eating, drinking, or moving with
the others, they should be
checked by the local
veterinarian. Prompt discovery
and action could save many hogs
and thousands of dollars. Don’t
take the hog cholera threat
lightly.
To Cook Garbage
for Hogs
One of the sources of infection
of hog cholera to other hogs is the
eating of raw garbage; this has
been the source of trouble many
times in the history of the
disease. All hog producers,
regardless of how large or small,
should not feed garbage to hogs
until after it has been cooked for
at least 30 minutes. Raw garbage
is dangerous for hogs and most
other kinds of livestock. The
recent outbreak of cholera in
Cumberland County is believed to
have come from hogs eating
uncooked offal from a slaughter
house.
GUARANTEE
Lesson for December 17,1972
Background Scripture, iaremiah 20
through 21, 37 through 39; 39:15-
18
Dtvatianal Reading Jeremiah 20:7-12.
What have I done to deserve
this?
Few questions have come to me
as a Pastor more than this. From
hospital beds, prison cells, and
broken homes comes this agon
izing cry. They are persons in
sickness and in
trouble and they
cannot understand
how God could
have allowed them
to be vulnerable
to suffering. I try
to be a good Chris
tian, and this is
Rev. Althouse what I get for it!”
The false expectation
The problem I face as a Pastor
is their wrong expectations. Some
how, somewhere they have gotten
the idea that the reward for being
a Christian is some kind of guar
antee against hardship and suffer
ing. The motto, “Live right and
things will go right!”, sums it up
nicely for these people.
Thus, when trouble of some
kind comes to them, these people
must assume, either that they
have not been living right, or that
God has broken his promise.
Since they can seldom accept the
idea that they have not been “liv
ing right,” they have nothing left
than to assume that God welches
on his promises.
To Provide Salt
and Minerals
All types of livestock should
have free access to both salt and
minerals in separate com
partments. We often get the
question of why do animals eat
soil or chew trees and board
fences? In some cases this habit
is performed with free access to
these ingredients; however, in
most cases there is something
lacking in the ration when they
start chewing. Loose salt should
be provided separately from the
mineral mixture; both should be
kept under roof and out of the
weather. Even though some of
the salt and minerals are mixed
into the grain ration, free access
to both is still recommended. Salt
encourages appetite and water
consumption, and minerals aid
digestive processes and supplies
needed calcium, pjosphorus, etc.
To Be Careful of
Over-Loading Electric Circuits
The holiday season is the
dangerous time of connecting too
many lights and decorations to
the electric outlets. Also, in barns
and buildings the winter weather
requires more heaters and
machines to do the barn chores.
If lights flicker when motors
start, or if the fuses burn out
frequently, these are signs of too
much of a load on existing
electric lines. Electricians or
local power official chould be
consulted. Over-loaded circuits
are fire hazards.
The fact is, however, that God
never makes us that promise. He
never assures us that if we live
good lives no harm will come
near us. Many of God’s great
spokesmen and leaders experi
enced much hardship and suffer
ing. Their righteousness and obe
dience to God did not exempt
them from the difficulties of life.
Especially if you obey
Actually, if there is any guar
antee, all it is that if one is obedi
ent to God and tries to live a
righteous life, the chances of fac
ing suffering or hardship are
even greater! That seems a pre
posterous idea until we think
back over the lives of many of the
Bible’s leading figures.
Nowhere is this more evident,
with one exception, then in the
ministry of the prophet of Jere
miah. Called by God to bring mes
sages of warning to the people,
Jeremiah suffered greatly for his
prophecies. Of course, we can
understand why God’s messages
through Jeremiah were not popu
lar with the people: “He who
stays in this city shall die by the
sword, famine, and by pestilence;
but he who goes out to the Chal
deans shall live; he shall have his
life as a prize of war, and live”
(38:2b). No wonder people are
angry: this Jeremiah is advising
people to surrender to the enemy.
He is a traitor!
God’s prophets have often been
been greeted as traitors and they
have often suffered greatly, not
despite their faithfulness, but be
cause of it This, if any, is the
guarantee given to those to those
who are obedient to God. The
real reward is given later.
(Kased on outlines copyrighted the
Division of Christian Education, National
Council of tho Churches of Christ in tho U.S.A.
Released by Community Press Service.)