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PAGE 4-A
—Page of Opinion -
What Does Christmas Mean?
In an atmosphere charged with
goodwill, the world pauses to
commemorate a miracle-divine
birth of a Child who changed the
course of history.
The good news of the birth of the
Prince of Peace was first
proclaimed nearly 2,000 years ago
by an angel on a Judean Hillside.
However, the story of the arrival of
Heaven’s Embassy is still fresh,
still timely and still meaningful.
According to prophecy, the In
fant was born to Mary and Joseph
in Bethlehem where the boy David
had led his flocks. But the Messiah
did not belong to Mary and Joseph,
nor to that era. He belongs to all
people of every generation now
living and yet to be born.
Today the eyes of a sophisticated
yet frustrated world turn back to
Bethlehem in search of the peace
and goodwill about which the
angels sang. Notwithstanding our
fantastic recent scientific
discoveries and our great material
advancement, mankind sorely
needs the vision which brought the
wise men to that tiny hamlet in the
hills of the Holy Land. Instead of
peace and goodwill, we have bitter
controversy, riots and war. Instead
of compassion and faith,we find
hate, injustice and hopelessness.
Now, perhaps as never before, a
confused and selfish generation
needs a rebirth of the spirit of
brotherhood which the Nazarene
brought into existence.
Fortunately for all the billions on
this earth, there is no deadline on
the angel’s promise to men of
goodwill. Let us hope that man’s
eternal quest for universal love, for
decency and justice may be
rewarded as we reflect on the birth,
teaching and sacrifice of the
We Are lowing Our Farm Lunds
It could very well be that, as soon
as ten years from now, Americans
could be as concerned over the loss
of the country’s prime farm lands
as they are today over shortages of
oil and gasoline.
According to a report by the
Washington-based National
Agricultural Lands Study, “every
day in the United States, four
square miles of our nation’s prime
farm lands are shifted to uses other
than agriculture. The thief is urban
sprawl.”
Specifically between 1967 and
1977, the organization found that:
+ Three million acres per year of
agricultural land were converted to
non-agricultural purposes.
+ Two million acres of
agricultural land were isolated
each year by leap-frog develop
ment, making these areas
unavailable for agricultural use.
Cropland decreased from 431
million to 413 acres.
+ Pastureland and range land
increased from 507 million to 541
million acres.
The current acreage of prime
N
CONSIDERATIONS AT CHRISTMAS
lAh Sncouwging jjj^i
Rev. Dan Ariail K|^
First Baptist Church
J
“But (Christ) made
himself of no reputation,
and took upon him the
form of a servant, and
was made in the likeness
of men.” -■ Philippians
2:7
A church was con
sidering offering piano
lessons in its auditorium,
feeling that the plan
would provide pianists
for the future. Some
people felt that there
were too many problems
involved. The new piano,
which had been a dream
of the congregation for
ten years, might be
damaged. Some mem
bers felt it was wrong for
someone to use church
facilities to make money.
People began to take
sides
Each side began to
push its point of view and
to persuade people of the
merits or demerits of the
proposal. For several
world’s Redeemer.
We need the reverence of the
shepherds and the faith and
wisdom of the Magi. Tormented by
iniquity and beset with uncertainty
we need to adopt a new scale of
values based on the Messiah’s
Golden Rule.
Christmas should be a joyous
event just as it was for the
shepherds 1979 years ago. The
carols, the candles, the fits and the
generosity of Santa Claus can add
to ther annual pageant of love and
compassion. The act of giving and
the response of gratitude inspire
the glad songs and mute the sounds
of war and the jeers of hatred. This
is a time for celebration, a time for
giving and forgiving.
However, the bright tinsel and
gay festivities must not be per
mitted to hide the real reason why
we observe Christmas. This should
be above all else a holy day, during
whose beautiful hours Heaven
touches earth to remind us of God’s
eternal concern and of His gift of a
Savior for all people. Again this
year, as every year, Christ is born
again to bring a new spirit of
humility, tolerance, and un
derstanding. Christmas, then, is
not something that has happened;
it is something that is still hap
pening and will continue until the
close of time.
Proper observance of Christmas
can be a strong testimony of faith
in triumph of good over evil, that
peace on earth is still an attainable
goal and that the Messiah’s vision
can be transformed into reality.
It is our hope that this holiest of
all days may bring you good cheer
and contentment and that the true
spirit of Christmas may dwell in
your home.
farmland is about 345 million
acres, the study said. Os this 230
million acres is currently in
cropland use.
What is to be done?
Well, for one thing, it is about
time that this problem rated a
higher priority by local, state and
national government leaders, Low
cost food -- including specialty
crops grown on unique sites
threatened by real estate
development -- ought to be
protected by local land use plan
ning. Better local and state land
use planning, of course, can help
keep away federal bureaucrats
and their “solutions.”
As populations expand and the
need for food increases at home, we
believe this matter will be coming
more into the spotlight. As this
century nears its end, the most
important question to face our
nation may well be: How can we
direct urban development to less
productive acres, and thereby
protect our irreplaceable prime
farm land areas from further
encroachment?
weeks, the persuasion
campaign took place.
Many misinterpretations
were circulated by both
groups, with each faction
accusing the other of
being dishonest and
underhanded.
It never dawned upon,
these people that they
were doing exactly what
they accused others of
doing. They had not
considered the fact that
they could be as bad as
those they accused of
wrongdoing.
At this Christmas time,
we look about at others
who are making the
season one of com
mercialization and
greedy selfishness. It
seems hard to get into the
"Christmas spirit" with
so much tension and
buying and selling.
Yet the yuletide season
will remain a secular
holiday for as long as it is
profitable to the
businesses, and
the Christmas spirit must
come from within. After
all, nobody owes it to us to
make it easy for us to
catch that elusive feeling
which we can barely
define, let alone com
mand.
But our own desire for
this feeling is part of the
very spirit of selfishness
we deplore in
others; and it is opposite
of the real spirit of
Christmas - the spirit of
unselfish giving. Paul
said Christ “made
himself of no
reputation;" the original
Greek says: "He emptied
himself," laid down his
robes of majesty in the
halls of heaven and came
to earth to be born, to
suffer and to die. in order
that you and I might see
the love of God reaching
out and down to us.
THAT is the spirit of
Christmas!
HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL, THURSDAY. DECEMBER 20, 1979
I ' F===r
1 1 I . . - ” " tm-uoev*,**-
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County
■L j£_k
BY JOEL FERGUSON
Booklet Will Help Patients
Max Poole, director of the Perry
Houston County Hospital, and his
staff, have published a new booklet
that should be very helpful to
patients and their families.
“Our goal is to render the finest
medical service, comfort and care
to all people in need of our ser
vices,” Poole states in the
booklet’s welcome message. “This
is the concern and dedication of
those in charge of this hospital. The
members of our staff strive to be
courteous, attentive, and kind to
everyone coming to the hospital.
“We encourage any suggestions
which will assist us in improving
our service and making your stay
with us more pleasant,” Poole
adds. “We feel that this booklet will
help you understand the services
and policies of the Perry Houston
County Hospital. It is our privilege
to have you as our patient or
visitor.”
To achieve their objectives,
Poole states that the staff pledges
to serve patients in three ways:
+ To provide them with the
finest medical care within the
hospital’s capability.
-1- To provide the best and most
modern equipment available for
the patient’s care and comfort.
+ To always be open to new ideas
to improve the hospital.
Published with the compliments
of hospital Pink Ladies, and
beautifully illustrated by Gloria
Ragland, the booklet explains
almost everything a person needs
to know about entering the
hospital. As indicated by the
following excerpts, the booklet
covers every detail from admission
to going home:
ADMISSION .
Your admission to the hospital
must be requested by a physician
who is a member of the hospital
medical staff. Unless you are an
emergency patient, you should
arrive at the admitting office by 3
p.m. This is especially important
for patients scheduled for surgery
the next morning. Emergency
patients, of course, are admitted
any hour of the day or night.
Authority for treatment or
operations must be signed by each
patient or by next of kin. Permits
for minors must be signed by
parents or guardians.
VALUABLES
The hospital strongly urges that
you leave valuables at home or
send them home by members of
ycur family. If that is not possible,
you may deposit such items in the
hospital vault. Under no cir
cumstances will the hospital be
responsible for money and other
valuables kept in your room.
FINANCES
At the time of your admission,
M.
you or your representative will be
required to make a deposit. If you
have sufficient acceptable
hospitalization insurance, a deposit
will not be required. Be sure to
bring your policy or any other
pertinent identification. Blue Cross
contract holders and Medicare
patients are admitted upon
presentation of their identification
cards and payment of all deduc
tions.
Holders of acceptable private
commercial hospitalization
policies must present a copy of the
contract or certification of in
surance benefits upon admission.
Hospital insurance plans do not
normally provide full coverage of
your hospital bill. Your
hospitalization coverage is a
contract between you and your
insurance company, and while the
hospital will cooperate to the fullest
in expediting your claim, you of
course, are ultimately responsible
for your account. Final payment or
assignment of sufficient insurance
benefits is required at time of
discharge. If you anticipate dif
ficulty concerning the financing of
your hospitalization, the hospital
urges you to consult the business
office immediately so that the
hospital can assist you in making
arrangements.
EMERGENCIES
The greatest security and
assurance of prompt service in
cases of real emergencies is for
your family to have a family-doctor
relationship with the doctor of your
choice. The result of an association
with a family doctor is that he
knows your name and who you are,
he learns your case and how to
treat it, he knows where you live
and how to get there should it
become necessary for him to make
a house call. If you should ex
perience a real emergency and
must come to the hospital
emergency room, your family
doctor is the one who is called for
you, therefore, you can see the
advantages of having the
relationship of a family - doctor
association.
The medical staff of the hospital
maintains a schedule of doctors
“on call” who serve the hospital
emergency room for emergency
cases only. The hospital also
provides in-house physician
emergency room coverage during
the weekends from 6 p.m. Friday
until 6 p.m. Sunday.
However, even with this system
of emergency coverage, an effort is
made to contact your family doctor
should you experience an
emergency situation; therefore,
you should contact your family
doctor yourself before coming to
the hospital whenever possible.
f
OUT ON A
BRANCH ***
v-
For Two Boys . . .
... It’s All A Dream
The Perry K-Mart Store was crowded with
holiday shoppers and the toy department was
jammed with youngsters staring at and fon
deling the hundreds of toys and games on
display.
Two boys of about 8 and 9 years of age caught
my attention. They both had a little sparkle in
their eyes and a look of fascination on their faces
... or maybe it was more a look of a dream. They
i were dressed in faded blue jeans and jackets that
looked as though they had been passed down two
or three times. One of the boys had on a pair of
sneakers that let light through to both feet.
“Look at this bike,” the youngest boy said to
the other,“lt’s just like the one I am going to get
for Christmas.”
“I’m getting this daredevil race set,” the older
said pointing to the set with one hand and using
his other to dab a runny nose.
I delayed my shopping to watch the two as they
ran the gamut of the toy department telling each
other items they would be getting
Christmas. Neither boy looked at the price tags
of $129.95 on the bike and $39.95 on the race set.
“Good night, look at this car,” the boy with the
runny nose said as he pointed out a remote -
controlled, battery operated job that sells for
$29.95. The other boy stood in amazement as he
looked at the car. His sandy hair was hanging
almost over his eyes but the sparkle ... or the
dream was very apparent in those eyes in these
few days before Christmas.
“I’m getting this car for sure,” one boy said
and the other chimed in, “me too.”
I watched the two boys for a long time and they
finally left and merged into the mass of holiday
shoppers in the store. I had truly seen the
dreams of Christmas alive in their bright eyes
and I knew that for those two they were only
dreams.
I thought of the happiness of my children at
Christmas time and I thought of those two boys
and all the boys like them who have big dreams
at Christmas. But for those boys it is only a
dream that never comes true ... and many others
like them ... I am sure on Christmas morning as I
watch my three boys open their packages, I will
think of those two boys and dreams of Christmas.
Merry
Christmas
And God Bless
i
The American
Hostages
In Iran
The Houston Home
OFFICIAL ORGAN CITY OF PERRY
AND HOUSTON COUNTY, GEORGIA, SINCE 1170
1010 CARROLL ST., P.O. DRAWER M, PERRY, GA., 31069
PHONE (912) 987-1023 OR NIGHTS (912) 987-1690
BOBBY BRANCH PHIL BYRD
Editor—Publisher General Manager
TONYBLAKLEY JOEL FERGUSON
Advertising Mgr. News Editor
, TERRY WOOD
§ Features, Photographer
JUNE VOGT
Bookkeeper, Proofing
DONNADENNARD
Composition, Circulation
FRANK RUSSO
Photographer
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