The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-12-26
The Cherry Tree
Where We Hdtchet Out
The Truth
. MERRY CHRISTMAS
. AND HAPPY NEW YEAR
. THE IRON HEEL
DUE TO PASS

1
Even if it does sound strange in
world that is so largely vicious and
fighting mad, folks will say, "Merry
Christmas" and Happy New Year"
and they will mean these good wishes.
1t is something that there remain
some millions of people who can wish
their friends and neighbors well and
really mean it.
There are undoubtedly those who
think it is rather out of key to repeat
these good old wishes of joy and
peace and happiness and prosperity.
But don't you believe it.
1t WOULD be all wrong if Bill
Smith should meet Joe Brown Christ
mas morning and say, "well you old
buzzard, l hope you choke; or on
New Years Day to say, "This is real
ly going to be a lousy year and you
can't be happy"
Yes, all wrong-and we just can't
be that way about it.
Where peace remains, we shall ring
out the wild bells, pass along the good
old wishes, even to persons of crabby
nature, in the hope that they may
cheer up bit for a day.
X X x
Merry Christmas! Well, why not?
Keep silent because democracies are
giving to the limit to stop maraud-
ing? No. not by a jugful. Be twice
as sincere and generous in good wish
es, because there are men in the world
who will give battle to the last ditch
for democracy and freedom. That's
something to be praiseful about, to
wish happiness about, to look for
joyous New Year about.
If all mankind were to give up
hope, then it would be a good time
to lay away the good wishes, to sill
ence the bells, to put shrouds and
mutes on the vocal cords.
"Merry Christmas" after all, is
way of using two words to mean
whole songs and sentences and para
graphs-to say things for which there
are no words, to pass along mess
age from the heart-"My friend, |
hope that an overflowing measure of
happiness and satisfaction and
achievement may be yours" things
like that.
To win for the cause of human
freedom would seem to be somewhere
in that neighborhood.
X X X
Of course always the sourpuss
roams the face of the earth. The
lugubrious one moves about with cat
tread to spread gloom, to cast for
boding shadow down the street
where he walks.
If you want to get gloomy, there
is plenty of material, to be sure.
But it would be hard to find the
speck Of human progress or social
gain that has come to this sorry globe
through pessimism, through saying,
"woe is us; all is woe and all is
gloom"
1t shouldn't be necessary to justify
faith in humanity, faith in the fu-
ture a right to express happiness and
to pass words of cheer to our friends
and fellow men.
Ana probably IL isn't.
But anyway it can't do any harm to
try to build up our assurance that
it is still right and decent and sound
ly good to think kindly thoughts, to
say with sincerity kindly and gen
erous things,
If we should give that up, then it
would be Hitler's turn to laugh.
X X X
As for that Happy New Year, we
can hope, but nobody on earth can
be sure of anything. Maybe this; may
be that Maybe peace; more likely
war-hideous thing, but infinitely pre-
ferable to the loss of those things for
which this nation stands.
Generally people are happier doing
the things in which they believe, even
at the cost of much hardship and
suffering than they are when yielding
to pressure that destroys the things
in which they believe.
SO it's safe bet that the American
people WILL have Happy New
Year, because they will stand solid
for the principles for which America
stands.
They won't be bluffed, frightened or
cajoled They won't back down. They
will go ahead, paying whatever price
may be required.
And because they won't back down
or give way they will be Happy
thrice happy.
And as for the hideousness of Hit
lerism, the iron hell of dictatorship,
that, too, in due time shall pass away
and be gone from the face Of the
earth forever.CM.