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The Golden Rule And
The Rules Of The Road
(By Mary Elizabeth Crabtree)
There is no better time than
Christmas to ask ourselves this
question: Do I behave like a
Christian behind the wheel of my
car? Am I courteous, consid
erate, patient? Am I mindful of
Our Lord’s admonition: "Love
your neighbor"—if that neigh
bor happens to be in the car
ahead of me, preventirig me
from passing? Or a pedestrian
-slowly crossing after the light
has changed?
With the holiday season here
again bringing the usual wave
of excitement, parties and last
minute shopping—the accident
rate goes up! Many innocent
people are injured and killed
during a season when we should
be most mindful of our obliga
tions toward others. Instead,
many of us rush about—driving
here and there with little thought
to Our Lord’s words in His
sermon on the Mount, "All that
you wish men to do to you,
even so do you also to them."
During this holy season drivers
should be particularly mindful
of this because they have it in
their power to reduce accidents
dramatically by following the
golden rule behind the wheel.
CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
The driver should keep in
mind the excitement in the air
and try to be especially alert.
He should be aware of the dis
traction of Christmas lights
swinging across downtown
streets and not confuse them
with the red and green traffic
lights. He should be especially
mindful of the elderly and of
children playing near the
stream of traffic during their
gats ants
■. roaohcs
mice
silverfish
vacation from school. Above all
he should keep the Christmas
’*joy" (the kind that comes out
of a bottle) to a minimum. The
drinking driver may feel like a
good driver when in reality he
is taking chances and risking
lives—including his own.
WHAT CONSTITUTES
A GOOD DRIVER
1) Complete familiarity with
the rules of the road.
2) Adequate knowledge of the
mechanics of the car.
3) Physical fitness.
4) Self-discipline and self-
control.
NEW DIMENSION
No matter how well trained a
driver may be, or how much
knowledge he possesses about
the car, the road and the rules,
he may still be a killer behind
the wheel. Why? The answer
opens up the latest theory about
safe driving, the new dimension
in driver education (now being
used in New York and explored
elsewhere) which points up the
high percentage of accidents
caused by unsafe attitudes while
diriving.
The new approach came to the
foreground when it was discov
ered that accident repeaters of
ten show these tendencies:
1) They are apt to be aggres
sive and intolerant of others.
2) They resent authority.
3) They have an exaggerated
opinion of their own impor
tance.
4) They seem unable to re
spect the rights of others. » .
5) They act impulsively—take
chances.
Experts in safety education
are now realizing the tremen
dous part personality and cha
racter play in the making of a
good or bad driver.
"We drive as we are," Dr.
Richard Bishop, associate pro
fessor at the Florida Institute
for Continuing Studies and spe
cialist in the field, commented
at the Traffic Court Conference
in Miami. "Egotistical, over-
aggressive, impolite, irration
al, non-conforming, impulsive,
domineering, combative or in
tolerant persons will act that
way behind the wheel."
We remember with awe the mean
ing of this season. May it be
an inspiration to your family.
CHURCHWELL’S
HE. 2-6281
ALBANY, GA.
CHANGING POPULATION
PROPORTIONS
The population of the United
States has passed the 187 mil
lion mark, an increase of about
7 million since 1960. With re
gistered births in 1961 estimat
ed at 4,282,000 and deaths at
1,702,000, the population shifts
are apparent.
Modern medical science is
increasing the life span to a
point where we have a much lar
ger proportion of elderly per
sons than previously. At the
same time there is a steady
increase in the birth rate. This
adds up to a larger number of
"both the very young and the very
old. It is among these groups
that we find a high proportion
of pedestrian accidents. Non
drivers are notorious for care
lessness in street crossing.
Nine out of ten pedestrians kill
ed in accidents are non-drivers.
This alarming statistic points
up two great needs:
1) An even greater safety edu
cation program for pedestrians.
2) A strong campaign for
safe, sane driving.
The first of these needs is
being met by school, home and
effective national organizations
and civic groups. Much pro
gress has been made. It is
difficult to reach the pre-school
child and the elderly. New ap
proaches are constantly being
sought.
The second is one which hits
hard at every single driver of a
car in the country. Even those
among us who are usually care
ful drivers are often guilty of
un-Christian attitudes when un
der stress.
MATTER OF DISCIPLINE
The problem is that too many
people have not disciplined
themselves to do what their
conscience tells them is right.
The Golden Rule is by-passed
for more urgent and often pure
ly selfish demands. It is not
until we read in the paper of a
little child killed by a car while
playing in front of his own home,
or an old man being knocked
down while crossing the street
after leaving a supermarket,
that we stop and ponder the pro
blem.
Did the child dash into the
street from between parked
cars? A large proportion of
children are hit on quiet resi
dential streets by suddenly run
ning into the street unexpected
ly. True, it’s not the driver’s
fault—not technically. The
driver did not see the child at
all.
Yet many children run into the
street and are not hit. Many
drivers do see the child. Many
drivers are driving slowly and
carefully enough to see and be
able to stop in time to prevent
an accident. The skill of this
type driver may be playing a
second&fy role. Actually, he
may be driving "Christian-
style.” He is loving his neigh
bor and showing it.
The old man, who was knock
ed down as he slowly limped
across the street with his bag of
groceries, may never buy
groceries again. Instead, he
may spend his remaining years
in bed—in pain.
It’s true—no one deliberate
ly runs down a child or an old
man—or any one of the thou
sands of careless adults of all
ages who break safety rules.
An average of 38,000 human
beings are killed annually in
traffic accidents. Last year 700
were killed during the Christ
mas holidays. This alone is
enough to make us take inven
tory of ourselves as drivers.
If the 90 million drivers on
the road today would decide to
follow the golden rule behind
the wheel, that number could
be reduced dramatically.
First Communion Class St. Joseph’s, Macon
Sixty-eight children received First Holy Communion at St. Joseph Church, Macon,
on Sunday Dec. 8th. Pictured are the Children, Monsignor Thomas I. Sheehan, pastor,
Sister Mary Agatha, R. S. M., principal and Sister Mary Donata, R. S, M., second grade
teacher. — (Photos by George Currey)
Our
Spinning Wheel
A Christmas Legend
By
Jackie Waller
After Jesus was born in the
stable at Bethlehem, St. Joseph
set out to find a place where
they could stay for a while as,
obviously, it would be impossi
ble for them to go back to
Nazareth at once.
The roads were bad and the
journey long and tiring for a
tiny Baby and a new-made mo
ther. But it was equally impos
sible to remain in the stable,
because it was cold, and both
mother and Child needed quiet
and rest.
Fortunately, since the little
town was so overcrowded, a
carpenter hearing of Joseph’s
plight gladly offered shelter to
a fellow craftsman and his fam
ily. So Joseph went back to the
stable and soon Jesus and Mary
were comfortably settled in the
carpenter’s house.
But now a new problem arose,
if they were to stay here for
several weeks until the Child
was old enough to travel, our
Lady would need plenty of baby
clothes. Of course, ever since
she had known she would
become the mother of God,
she had been busy spinning and
weaving to make clothes for the
Child. All these, however, had
been left behind at home, when
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they set out to obey the em
peror’s order.
No doubt Mary had hoped to
be back in her own house be
fore the Child was born, and it
was wiser in those days to tra
vel light. So the host’s wife
borrowed a spinning wheel from
a neighbor, and our Lady set
to work. She had to spin enough
thread to weave into little shirts
and sheets but it was tiring
work and poor Mary was still
weary after her difficult
journey.
One evening when she was
alone in her room with the Child,
she sat near the window spin
ning while Jesus smiled in His
cot by her side. Night was fal
ling over the hills and it was
very quiet. No birds were sing
ing. The lamplight shone soft
ly on Mary's head and over
her work, but she was so drowsy
that she could hardly see it.
She fought to keep awake, she
needed so much thread to clothe
the divine Infant. She must hurry
or He might be cold. Every
thing blurred before her eyes
as her head drooped forward,
but she jerked awake and tried
once more to resume her task.
Soon the spindle fell from her
weary fingers to the floor, while
Mary slept, resting her fore
head against the window-ledge.
Seeing this the Child began to
cry softly, but she heard no
thing, deep in the slumber of
exhaustion.
It was morning when Mary
woke, and for some minutes she
did not realize where she was
or why she was sitting there.
The sun streamed into the
room, and the birds sang clear
ly and gaily in the fields and
olive groves. Mary straightened
in her chair, and her gaze at
once went to Jesus in His cra
dle by her side.
Had he cried in the night
perhaps, wanting her while she
slept? The Baby, however, was
laughing and gurgling, and an
angel in a shining robe knelt
beside Him rocking the cradle
and singing a lullaby. Mary
gasped in her amazement and
rubbed her eyes wondering if
she was dreaming still.
But when she looked again the
angel remained, and she smiled
happily to see her Son’s joy.
Then her eyes fell to her
knees and once more she
thought she was dreaming, for
they were piled with baby clo
thes. Small and perfect, where
had they come from? Who had
woven and spun while she slept?
Slowly, hardly believing her
fingers she touched the soft
sheets, the sheer swaddling
clothes.
Then she heard a faint hum
ming sound and looked toward
the spinning wheel. A shaft of
golden sunlight shone straight
on it and it was turning busily,
fanned by the wings of another
white clad angel, facing her
across it, while in the farthest
corner of the room more angels
were at work at the big loom,
sending the shuttle back and
forth.
Others again . plied their
needles, the pile of baby gar
ments growing to the sound of
angel voices. Seeing this mira
cle, Mary bowed her head,
thanking her Lord, while Jesus
smiled in His cradle.
Georgia is the largest state
east of the Mississippi River,
with a total area of 58,876
square miles.
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The Southern Cross, December 19, 1963—PAGE 5
3ome And School Association
Bishop Speaker At
Blessed Sacrament
SAVANNAH—The announce
ment made by His Excellency,
Most Rev. Thomas J. McDon
ough, Bishop of Savannah, that
Rt. Rev. Msgr. Andrew J. Mc
Donald would be Pastor of the
Blessed Sacrament Parish, was
received with high acclaim and
enthusiasm by the parishoners
who were present at the Annual
Father's Night Meeting of the
Blessed Sacrament Home and
School Association on Monday
evening, December 9th. Msgr.
McDonald expressed his
happy acceptance of the post and
said that the present programs
under way would continue with
renewed vigor, and that he look
ed forward to a close associa
tion with the parishoners for the
betterment of the Church and
school.
His Excellency, Bishop Mc
Donough, spoke of the Second
Vatican Council and his part in
the forty-two meetings that
were held. Assembled with
twenty-five hundred Bishops
from over the world daily dur
ing these meetings, Bishop Mc
Donough pointed out the unani
mity of purpose that was preva
lent among this group and that
the fruits of this session, though
listed by some writers as mini
mum, will in the next session in
1964 be abundant and wholesome
for Holy Mother Church. He
spoke fervently of his meetings
with Pope Paul VI and the hu
mility and graciousness of this
man, the Vicar of Christ on
earth. How fitting the announce
ment of Pope Paul’s visit to the
Holy Land was described by
Bishop McDonough and at this
Christmas Time how realistic
Pope Paul's choice of Jerusa
lem over other places in the
world.
A special treat for the Fa
thers was a visit to the child
ren's classrooms where they
talked with the teachers and
viewed the children’s work.
Sister Mary Delilis’ First
Grade won the hearts of the
audience with their portrayal
of a Christmas play. To them
the honor of having won the
Attendance Prize.
Georgia was the first state
to grow cotton for commercial
use.
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