ener ~~. a Cp ey raceme : Se a ‘4 The Dailas Post Dallas, PA Tuesday, December 21, 1993 . v4 The Dallas Post » “ ® 2 * ME + SR a ais dor ice Christmas wishes.... : Church For Christians around the world, this season marks the birth of the One who came to teach them, to inspire them and - ultimately to save them. The birth of the Christ child, in a cave that was used as a manger because His parents poverty kept them from more comfortable quarters, begins one of the greatest stories of human history. Throughout His life, Jesus lived in modest circumstances, never coveting material riches ‘and instead taking pains to point out how a focus on the trappings of life can ultimately destroy it. . Many are the complaints that by commercializing Christ- mas, we have robbed the holiday of its essential meaning. While that argument has some merit, it isn’t the whole story. By and large, people buy presents to demonstrate appreciation and love for the recipients, and they give them in the spirit of the season, expecting nothing in return. That’s the same way in which the wise men of the East came to Bethlehem that cold ‘night 2,000 years ago, following the light from a star that burned with the bright promise of a new beginning for man- bY kind. + This is the season for sharing in so many ways, for spending leisurely hours with family and friends, recounting old stories, ‘ reviving memories and remarking on the great future in store for young people. Readers of the Bible know that Jesus spent “many a day doing exactly those things, because He knew that shared experience is one of the rocks on which civilization is built. ~° Whether they hold religious beliefs or not, few can resist the . influences of the season, when friendship, acceptance and ; hope fill the air, as the birth of a special child and of a new ethic - is celebrated. and State . This also is the time of year when wrangles over what can be _displayed on public property come to the fore. Each year you “can count on one group or another to demand that a manger “scene, menorah or some other artifact be installed or removed, depending on their perspective. While the vast majority of Americans are Christian, and many of them support the display of their symbols, everyone ~must be wary of tying church and state too closely together. One case this year involves the Klu Klux Klan wanting to set up ‘one of their crosses in an Ohio town. They argue that since | Christian and Jewish symbols are allowed, so should theirs be. | There's the rub. Once the state condones one display, it can ‘hardly refuse others. There's no doubt the authors of the {Constitution believed America was conceived “under God,” but they were careful to spell out their conviction that church and priate be kept separate, for the good of both. Believers argue that {'the link to Christianity is so strong as to override the prohibi- {tions of the First Amendment, and further maintain that | displaying symbols is far removed from establishing a state | religion. They're probably correct, but the very fact that we don't have a state religion adds to the difficulty of refusing a | display by everyone from Buddhists to devil worshippers. |! Religious persons of any persuasion have adequate opportu- | nity to exhibit their faith at home, at work and on church i property. It is unwise to devote public property to that purpose, as it is dangerous to mix religion and government. Fasten seat belts, please - ‘Three recent tragedies serve to remind us how important it is to fasten seat belts in automobiles. In one case, Bobby Hurley, former Duke University basketball star, was seriously * injured when his pickup truck was struck broadside by a - speeding car. Hurley, who wasn't wearing his seat belt, was : thrown from the vehicle and suffered multiple injuries. His truck was barely moving at the time of the collision. - Inasecond incident, a member of the Houston Oilers football ~ team was thrown through the window of the car he was riding . in after it struck a highway barrier, and died after landing on . the pavement 20 feet below. The driver, who was belted, was © uninjured. The most tragic of the trio of accidents occured . Thursday when seven teenagers died after their overloaded * compact car ran into a small 4-wheel drive truck. None of the © teens was wearing a seat belt. © ‘Most states, including Pennsylvania, have laws mandating © seat belt use. But anyone who values their life and that of their » passengers doesn't need a law to convince them that wearing k seat belts saves lives. Wear yours; and insist that your passen- . gers do, too. Hh ap er SR $ ‘r . ‘Do you agree? Disagree? Ir Editorials are the opinion of the management of The Dallas Post. + We. welcome your opinion on contemporary issues in the form of letters to the editor. If you don't write, the community may never hear a contrasting point of view. Send letters to: The Dallas Post, - P.O. Box 366, Dallas, PA 18612. Please include your name, address - and a daytime phone number so that we may verify authenticity. . We do not publish anonymous letters, but will consider withholding ' the name in exceptional circumstances. We reserve the right to edit for length and grammar. ’ | | The Dallas Post Published Weekly by Bartsen Media, Inc. | P.O. Box 366, Dallas PA 18612 Telephone: 717-675-5211 Ronald A. Bartizek Charlotte E. Bartizek Editor and Publisher Associate Publisher Peggy Young Grace R. Dove J ,Advertising Acct. Exec. Reporter Paul Rismiller Olga Kostrobala Production Manager Classified/typesetting Jill Urbanas Office Manager MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION AND THE PENNSYLVANIA NEWSPAPER PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION AN 24 Ri V/ J W.J. Our Christmas customs have many faces By J.W. JOHNSON This weekend, we celebrate Christmas. As a matter of histori- cal accuracy, moving Christmas closer to summer is appropriate, according to most theological schol- ars. To avoid discovery and persecu- tion, Christians in the second century A.D., began the celebra- tion of Christmas around the enc of the Julian Calendar year so tha! it would coincide with a celebra. tion of the pagan Feast o Saturnalia...the theory being that a celebration of Christ's birth woulc be unnoticed among the general revelry. Most theological scholars agree that Jesus was not born on De- cember 25; rather that he was born somewhere between the first and fifth day of July, probably 3-4 years later than what we now be- lieve to be the start of A.D. To the Christian, of course, itis irrelevant when Christ was actually born; the message of life is what's impor- tant.”” = And it's likely that even if given irrefutable evidence of Christ's actual birthdate, after 1776 the celebration in this nation would have remained on December 25. Otherwise, too many marketing plans of those feasting on Calvary in December, and lunching on the Constitution in July, would have been derailed, something the merchant class wouldn't have abided. The dominant faith in this na- tion is Christianity—a belief in life after death because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ—hence a generally accepted celebration of Christmas as a national holiday. (Parentheti- cally, and given our ever shrinking planet, it would be wise for us tobe aware that Christianity is a minor faith when viewed from a plane- tary perspective.) Many threads have been woven into the Christian fabric since Jesus walked the earth. Many interpretations of his message have resulted in a variety of faiths sub- scribing more or less to the beati- tudes and other teachings. And yet the simple message of Jesus was one of life, of life that should be lived in the shadow of the Ten Commandments. Itis only through ego manifestation by worshippers that the message gets Inst in the interpretive ecstasy of denomination. : But what else do we know about Christmas? Coe The holiday was first observed in the second and third centuries, and our name for the day dates from the 11th century in England and Cristes Maesse. The giving of presents is a cus- tom taken from the Romans who exchanged gifts each January 1 as part of the New Year's celebration. German Christmas carols are traced back to the 11th century and British and French songs to the 13th. The custom of decorating the house in green stems from an early English belief that certain flowers blossomed at Christmas. The use of mistletoe stems from the Druids, who long revered the plant. The Christmas tree was first used in Germany. Some scholars believe the first occasion was in Strasbourg in 1605, although leg- end has it that Martin Luther decorated a green branch in his home in the preceding century. The belief in Santa Claus, as a jolly man who brought gifts, also comes to us from the Germans, derived from the legend of St. Nicho- las. (Santa Claus is a corruption of the Dutch, San Nicholass.) Fireworks are sometimes used in the South during Christmas, and this stems from Italy, Spain and France, which enjoy the cus- tom. It's thought the practice was introduced by French settlers in the Louisiana area.” ‘Christmas, was interestingly, observed earlier in the South than in the North. And if there is a universal mes- sage in all the history, perhps it's that we should accept with genu- ine gratitude, enjoy with modera- tion, and give with generosity. A. Case for conservation What respect for all things is — and isn't By ALENE N. CASE “Every animal that walks on earth, or swims, or flies is pre- cious beyond description, some- thing so rare and wonderful that it equals the stars or the ocean or the mind of man.” James A. Michener. “One seeks solitude to know relatedness.” Joan Halifax. “Every form of life is unique, warranting respect regardless of its worth to man.” UN World Charter for Nature. As I read, 1 am continually reminded of the depth of passion some humans feel for this earth and its wonders. And, then again, I am continually reminded of the depth of despair or greed that other humans know. The nightly news depicts a world that is mis- erable - murders, drug deals, starvation, war. And sometimes there is a marvelous connection that turns the whole thing around. A drug dealer spends a summer on a farm and returns to the city a changed person. A group of inner-city kids cleans up a vacant lot, plants a garden or some trees, and creates a whole new sense of community. Respect is the word that I use to tie all these things together. People cannot respect our earth if they do not first respect other people. We cannot respect other people without first having some self-respect. But, often people gain self-respect when they come in contact with the wonders of our world or with other people who show that they care. Respect fof life is one big tangled mess! Respect literally means to look at or to look back. Listening is at least as important to this concept as looking is. As any child can tell you, one good way to tell if an adult is listening is to see if that person is looking at the speaker. If not, the words are probably not being heard. Therefore, in order to respect anything or anyone, we must first make an active connec- tion by looking and listening. These connections, are broken in a great many ways. People who live in large cities rarely have opportunities to connect with nature except through television or books. It is almost impossible to gain a lasting respect for a forest if you have never walked through one. It is certainly very difficult to understand your place in any ecological sense if the only food you have ever eaten came from a supermarket or restau- rant. But, people can overcome these barriers. Others are much more difficult. Inconsistency is one of them. How can people respect those of us who say we care for nature and then show our disre- spect for other people? I, for one, will have more trouble taking animal rights groups seriously after learning about the attempt to bomb several furriers during this holiday season. How can one truly care for the animals used to make coats and show such disre- spect for the employees and pa- trons of a shop? The same ques- tion could be asked of those who put spikes into trees or of Pro-Life groups who shoot doctors or burn abortion clinics. All of these ac- tions reveal deep disrespect for life and, as such, damage the credibility of the people involved. Another human tendency that leads to disrespect is our need to label things. Yes, names are important. They actually contrib- ute to our feelings of self-respect. But, when we start lumping people together into categories and giv- ing these categories names, then we get into trouble. These groups begin to lose their humanity. Name-calling turns into hatred which turns into cruelty. But, we do not see that our actions are cruel because we do not respect the life we destroy. We do not see that all life is connected. Interconnectedness is our hope. Once we recognize that we are connected to each other and to the natural world, our respect for life - all life - will lift us above the destructive activities which now seem to dominate our world. Letters Habitat says thanks for all the assistance Editor, On behalf of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity, I would like to thank you for the coverage you gave to our recent Dollhouse Raffle. We appreciated your help in publicizing this successful event, and the time taken by Grace Dove to add an article about Habitat. We would like to publicly thank Boscov's, First Eastern Bank, Humphrey's in Shavertown and the West Side Mall Association, each of whom allowed us to dis- play the dollhouse. This fun- draiser was also generously sup- ported by two churches, St. Ther- ese’s in Shavertown and Gate of Heaven in Dallas. We thank eve- ryone who, by purchasing a raffle ticket gave Wyoming Valley Habi- tat for Humanity the opportuity to continue its ministry - that of providing housing for the inade- quately sheltered. We hope your interest and support of Habitat will continue. Morag Michael Community Relations WVHFH vided. Only =. yesterday a 60 Years Ago - Dec. 29, 1938 SCARLET FEVER OUT- BREAK REPORTED _ . . John M. Baur of Laketon, the only local man represented among State liquor store employees se- lected this week will be assistant manager at Store #4002 in Ash- ley. Dallas Borough will have no store. The number of scarlet fever cases in Lake Township increased to 14 this week and another case was reported in Dallas Township. Elmer Kerr, health officer for this district, expected the peak would be reached within a few days and that a steady decrease in cases would follow. Fie The Reverend and Mrs. John L. Thomas of Trucksville, celebrated their 50th anniversary December 26. age 50 Years Ago - Dec. 24, 1943 LABOR SHORT, XMAS TREES COST MORE _~ All indications point to a great demand for Christmas trees in Pennsylvania this season but at prices in excess of previous years, because of limited supply. Short- age of labor has made it practi- cally impossible to harvest, the number of trees cut during other seasons. , Presentation of “The York Na- tivity” at the Irem Temple Decem- ber 29 and 30, the Little Theatre of Wilkes-Barre is offering a pro- duction of rare beauty. Itis atrue community effort, employing as it does representative choirs from every creed and nationality to- gether with a trained dramatic cast. ns You could get - Pork loins; loin end, 31¢1b.; cranberry sauce, 17- oz. can 16¢; iceburg lettuce, 9¢ head; yams, 2 lbs. 19¢; Virginia Lee chocolate layer cake, 45¢ each. 40 Years Ago - Dec. 25, 1953 NEW ROSS TOWNSHIP SCHOOL OPENS Outdoor Christmas displays throughout the Back Mountain region were never more attractive or elaborte as they are this year. Mild winter weather has evidently given everybody an opportunity to do the work of outside decora- tions in relative comfort.” , .. ~~ The new school at Sweet Valley opened its doors Tuesday morn- ing to 160 pupils who had for- merly been educated in the six one-room schoolhouses of Ross Township. Excited children had packed all their belongings the day before in preparation for the event. 30 Years Ago - Dec. 23, 1963 WORK STARTS ON NEW TOWNSHIP BUILDING. Construction of the new King- ston Township Building to':be constructed on the site of ‘the Trucksville Fire Company Build- ing is scheduled to begin Friday, according to Supervisor Lester Hauck. . Clearing work on Frances Slocum State Park project in Carverton will begin shortly after the start of the new year, wit excavation and earth-moving to followin the spring. Irvin T. Miller contractor said all major work probably will be finished by fall.of 1964. Late Christmas night, a yedr ago, the editor of The Dallas Past died. It had been his dream to baiy a small newspaper in a rural sec- tion and build it. Howard Risley had the satisfaction of doing just that, building a struggling news- paper of four slim pages to its present size and making it a power in the Back Mountain. The Back Mountain is richer for having lived here and having made of himself and his paper a symbol of the land he loved. o! > 20 Years Ago - Dec. 27, 1973! BORO NEEDS CRUISER The second major snowstorm of the season blanketed the re- gion Friday (appropriately the first day of winter) causing numerous accidents and forcing schools and businesses to close early. ., Borough Council dealt at length with the municipality's current lack of a police cruiser and in- structed Solicitor Charles Lemmond to draw up an ordi- nance calling for compensation to councilmen during the regular Dec. 18 meeting. Dallas Countil is currently one of a few in the area that does not compensate councilmen. ‘ The staff and employees of The Dallas Postand Greenstreet News Co. will entertain the newspapers’ friends, neighbors and business associates during the traditional open house Dec. 28, 2-5 p.m. at The Dallas Post, Lehman Avenue, the firm's officers announced. Snacks and beverages will pro- pi ips BF ome fe El ° a 3 Q [é PTOMICHOR!
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers