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Page 4 - The Wiregrass Farmer, December 20,2017
Editorial & Opinion
The WIREGRASS FARMER - Established 1902
Official Legal Organ of Turner County
109 Gordon Street • P.O. Box 309 • Ashburn, GA 31714
Telephone 229-567-3655
email wiregrassfarmer@yahoo.com
THE WIREGRASS FARMER (USPS 687-460) is published
every Wednesday by Ashburn Newspapers, Inc., 109 N. Gordon
St, Ashburn, Georgia. Periodicals Postage Paid at Ashburn, Geor
gia.
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Farmer, 109 N. Gordon St., Ashburn, GA 31714
STAFF
Bob Tribble, President • Ben Baker, General Manager
Chuck Bobo, Sales Director • Robin Tillman, Office Manager
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LEGAL NOTICES is Monday NOON before Wednesday’s publication.
Holiday deadlines will be announced at least one week in advance.
Jesus is the reason for the season
r
Yes, Virginia
We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the
communication below, expressing at the same time our
great gratification that its faithful author is numbered
among the friends of The Sun:
Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there
is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun,
it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety Fifth Street
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have
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 tol
erable 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 men can see. Did you ever see
fairies dancing on the lawn? Of 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, poetry, love, romance, can push
aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal
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 lives for
ever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10
times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make
glad the heart of childhood.
"Is There a Santa Claus?" reprinted from the Sep
tember 21, 1897, number of The New York Sun.
Stepping Back In Time
Letters
Give thanks for our farmers and pray for them
Dear Editor,
We need to pray for all of
our farmers. If it wasn't for our
farmers, most of the world
would starve. Their getting lies
from everyone except
"Almighty God." They deal a
lot with chemical companies,
mainly Monsanto Chemical
Company. Monsanto tells our
Farmers that Agent Orange
mixed with Round-up is the
best thing since sliced bread &
that it won't hurt them or their
families. If they handle closed
barrels of this "Killer Chemi
cal" it can cause them to get
cancer, heart disease, diabetes
& other diseases. If You're a
Farmer & none of these dis
eases run in your immediate
family (Hereditary) & you've
been diagnosed with Ischemic
Heart Disease or Coronary Ar
tery Disease & had to have
stents put in, then more than
likely it's these chemicals
you're using that has caused
your problems. There are
"Lawsuits" going on right now
against Round-up & they show
this on T.V. I'm a Vietnam Vet
Sometimes we get so
caught up in the hustle and
bustle of the Christmas Season
that we fail to celebrate its real
purpose. Two ladies were
shopping for Christmas gifts
and one of them commented
about a manger scene, “Look
at that religion is trying to take
over Christmas.” We all know
that the birth of Jesus is the
reason for the season.
Luke’s gospel shares facts
about the birth of Jesus. Joseph
and Mary traveled from
Nazareth to Bethlehem. Mary
was pregnant and about to give
birth to Jesus, who would be
her first child and that Jesus
was born in Bethlehem. He
goes on to mention that there
was no vacancy at the Inn and
that Jesus was born in a stable.
If the innkeeper was insen
sitive perhaps he turned Joseph
and Mary away without caring
that she was about to give
birth. If the innkeeper really
cared he could have asked one
of his guest to give up their
room by explaining Mary’s
circumstances and needs or he
could have given Mary and
Joseph his own living quarters.
There was no evidence that
the innkeeper did not care.
Luke seems to leave it up to us
to decide. History does suggest
that inns of that day were sim
ple and rustic. Many stables
back then were similar to the
inns. They were reasonably
clean, usually quieter and more
private than the inn. Guest usu
ally brought their own food
and the innkeeper would pro
vide a place to heat the food as
1910- With $171,000 in
capital stock, the Ocilla South
ern railroad will be extended
from its present rails of 17
miles from Fitzgerald to Ocilla
to 100 miles to Nashville/Ala-
paha. J.A.J. Henderson is the
president of the system. Bro.
A.B. Wall of Sycamore leaves
this week for Elko.
1940- Mr. J. B. Hardy is
celebrating his 80th birthday.
He came here from Upson
County in the early 1900's. He
and Mrs. Hardy had seven
children. He now has ten
grandchildren and one great
grandchild. Miss Kathleen
Murphy, daughter of Mrs. An-
nelle T. Murphy, has been
awarded a National Certificate
of Proficiency in typewriting.
She has typewritten at the rate
of 52 words per minute with an
accuracy exceeding ninety-
nine percent. She is a student
in the Commercial Department
in the Ashburn High School
under the direction of Mrs.
Hugh Divine. Schools will
close December 30th until Jan
uary 6th for Christmas holi
days.
1950- Billy Mangrum is
missing in actions in Korea.
He was wounded in action in
September and had rejoined
his outfit, the 5th Calvary Di
vision. He hasn’t been seen
since November 28th. He was
then stationed at Pyongyang in
North Korea. He is a graduate
of Rebecca High School. Capt.
Elmer T. Zorn, United States
& I was exposed to "Agent Or
ange" & I think it was Dow
Chemical at that time that as
sured the U.S. Army that it was
the "Greatest Thing" since The
Automobile was invented &
that was a "Big Lie"! My
Family had never had Ischemic
Heart Disease, But I'd seen so
many of my friends who died
from this that I went & had a
Check-up & found out I had
the "Widow Maker" &
should've already dropped
dead years ago but my cardiol
ogist said walking 5 miles a
From Where
I Sit
well as a place for the guest to
sleep.
The innkeeper would also
provide a place for the animals
to stay and food for them.
Therefore, in Mary and
Joseph’s case the innkeeper
may have been caring by pro
viding them with the most pri
vate accommodations that he
had available.
Chuck Swindoll, a popular
and respected Bible teacher
and preacher, tells a story re
garding the presentation of a
Christmas pageant. Wally was
a socially promoted fourth
grade student who desired to
be Joseph but had been chosen
to be the innkeeper because he
was larger than the other boys
in the fourth grade. During
practice Wally did as he was
told by responding to Joseph’s
request for a room with a gmff
voice saying “I have no more
rooms!”
However, during the
pageant’s first presentation
after Wally said gruffly “I have
no more rooms” he watched
Mary and Joseph as they
Floyd H. Wardlow, Jr.
Marine Corps and a World War
II veteran, has been wounded
in action in Korea while lead
ing the Seventh Marine Regi
ment in the battle area of Seoul
on December 3. He was flown
back to San Diego, California
for hospitalization last Satur
day.
1960- Floyd H. Wardlow,
Jr. (pictured) of Ashburn was
among 80 students who passed
the Georgia Bar Examination
on Sept. 7-9. He is a graduate
of the University of Georgia
School of Law and is now as
sociated with the Ashburn
Bank as secretary of the board
of directors and retains a low
office in the city building in
Ashburn. Isaiah J. Wright, 84,
was bom in Crawford County
on March 7,1876. He came to
Turner County in 1905 and
began farming in Inaha. He
was a member of the Inaha
Baptist church and helped
build the church. He married
day had caused me to grow
small By-Passes around my
100% blockage of my L.A.D.
artery & that & Mainly The
"Awesome God" that I served
had saved my life. The Chem
ical Company said that they'd
saved a lot of lives in Vietnam
killing the foliage so we could
see the enemy but I say to you
that they killed more soldiers
after they came home than
what was KIA in the Vietnam
War Total. I was one of the
"Blessed By God" who was
saved from this. I Give all the
walked away. Suddenly, over
came with emotion and teary
eyed, Wally cried out “Come
back Joseph and Mary you can
have my room!” For a moment
the Director and the audience
thought Wally’s emotional out
burst would negatively affect
the pageant but instead it
added new depth.
Christmas is usually a busy
time for most of us and unfor
tunately even we Christians
can get so busy that we do not
observe Christmas for the right
reason. Let us all make room
for Jesus in our life this Christ
mas Season. More importantly
if you have not already done so
make room for Jesus perma
nently in your life as I did 72
years ago at age ten.
In closing let me share with
you this Christmas poem writ
ten by Helen Sleiner Rice that
is titled “Gift of Love.”
Christmas is a gift of love
that cannot be bought or sold.
It is ours for the asking and is
worth more than gold.
And this priceless gift of
Christmas is within the reach
of all. The rich, the poor, the
young and old, the greatest and
the small.
So take God’s Christmas
gift of love, reach out and you
will receive, and the only pay
ment that God asks is just that
you believe.
May you all have a won
derful and Blessed Christmas
Season and enjoy the time you
will have to spend with your
family always remembering
that “Jesus is the Reason for
the Season.”
with David Baldwin
Miss Edna Hathcock of Quit-
man County on April 28,1912.
In addition to his wife he is
survived by two sons and five
daughters. Albert Wright is one
of his sons. The 55 year old
courthouse clock has stopped
running.
1970- Guy Reinhardt has
been seriously injured in a
crash at the Amboy exit on I-
75. His car was hit by a Macon
driver who was leaving the in-
FFA’ers attend Kansas
City convention
terstate highway on the ramp
for northbound traffic and ap
parently was attempting to turn
as he approached a Shell serv
ice station at the interchange.
Mr. Reinhardt’s 1971 Ford was
demolished and he suffered a
broken leg and lacerations to
the face and forehead. Mrs.
Wood, the driver’s wife in the
other car, was admitted to the
hospital in Albany. Ray
Durham, Sidney Durham,
Larry Willingham, Craig Bar
nette, and Larry Kendrick,
(pictured left to right), are
headed to Kansas City for the
FFA convention. All five will
receive the American Farmer
degree, the highest honor that
can come to a Future Farmer.
"Glory, Honor & Praise" to
Almighty God Through Jesus
Christ-My Lord & Savior that
I'm still walking around today.
These Chemicals will also
cause deformities & other dis
eases to your children that are
born to you & your spouse
after exposure. So, if you don't
believe me just google "Agent
Orange" & Round-Up & The
Vietnam War & You can Check
with www.organicconsmersas-
sociation.com if you like. The
Chemical Companies don't
(See LETTER Page 5)
Baker’s Dozen
Dear Santa
This is a formal complaint
If this puts me on the naughty
list, so be it. I still say this is
not fair.
Cam came in the office yes
terday with a Legos box. That
part is Ok. He opened the box.
Still Ok. Parts came out. Yep,
still OK.
The parts were shaped.
Identifiable shapes. As in the
shark figure looked like a
shark. The people looked like
people. It even had a boat
shape in the box.
You do not need the imagi
nation of Neal deGrasse Tyson
to know the shark shape was a
shark. It had a mouth, fins, was
grey and had a torpedo-shaped
body.
Definitely. Not. O. K.
When I was a kid and I got
Legos, I got a box of colored
blocks. If I wanted a shark, I
had to piece five pounds
blocks together to get some
thing that looked like a low
resolution and highly pixelated
bunch of Lego blocks.
It was not a shark. It was a
stack of foot-crippling blocks.
If someone was on LSD and
had a really good imagination,
that heap of plastic could be a
shark. Or a petunia. Or giant
fanged Funky Winkerbeans.
Possibly all at once depending
on the strength and the quality
of the acid they were dropping.
I object.
Cam's package had instruc
tions. It had a picture on the
box of what you are supposed
to build, not that you need di
rections or pictures. The shark
and boat scene was half done.
The parts were shaped. The
only way you could NOT build
the boat and shark scene on the
box was if you got ahold of
some bad acid and believed the
pieces were melting together to
create a portal to another di
mension and elder beings were
crawling through to devour
your very soul. Or, you could
be a ReDamnoboobicratican,
in which case building the boat
and shark scene is too compli
cated, even with it 3/4s done.
Soul-devouring optional.
It took Cam more time to
open the box and bag inside
than it took him to piece to
gether the Legos scene!
Kids do not need imagina
tion to build stuff with these
Legos. They don't even need to
look at the instructions. You
could put these parts in a bag,
put the kid in a completely
dark room and come back 5
minutes later and he's got the
thing assembled correctly.
I strenuously object.
You know what I could
build with a giant sack of
Legos and a dictionary's worth
of instmctions? Something that
resembled a gun if you looked
at it sideways and were more
than a little bit drunk. Some
times, I could build a stack of
blocks that stayed upright for
as long as 10 seconds before it
collapsed, sending small
blocks across the room.
I want a do-over. Make it
happen Fat Man.
Furthermore, if you even
THINK about bringing up Tin
ker Toys, I'll be waiting Christ
mas night with an assault rifle
and an industrial meat grinder.
Venison burgers are tasty.
• ••
Clan Baker sez Merry
Christmas to you & yours.