Milford chronicle., 1950-12-22
TIME FOR NEW FAITH IN HUMAN
FREEDOM


FREEDOM
It is both natural and proper that Christ
mas Day should be a day of feasting and
IneTTymazing in millions Of homes through
out the United States and the rest of the ma
tiOns which share in the Christian heritage.
For the whole Christmas season is joy
Gus occasion celebrating the birth more than
10 centuries ago of Child Who was to be-
come the Saviour to many of the earth's in-
habitants and the embodiment of an idea
which has become more meaningful with
each passing year.
We have recently had renewed emphasis
to that idea, and to its significance not only
for those of the Christian faith but to all
men.
Our American heritage Of human free
dom is born of the belief that man is created
in the image of God and therefore is capable
Of governing himself Our democracy is an
expression of faith in the spirit Of man, and
it is declaration Of faith in man as created
by God.
From that idea-that God created man in
His own image-fioWs the concept of indi-
vidual freedom for which we are still striving
today. In that philosophy lies the basis of
our battles against the enemies of freedom.
1t would be well, in the midst of our
Christmas Day festivities, to cause and re-
feet on the essence of the Yuletide season
and to realize that the battle for the triumph
Of the spirit behind our Christmas celebra-
tions goes on in the daily lives Of every in-
dividual
g We iii the United States are prone to for
get that the concepts Of the dignity Of man
and the spiritual worth Of the individual are
under assault in many parts of the world
Goddess men, who would substitute their
own wills for thatsof the God to Whom we
owe allegiSnce, are violating every day the
idea Of the innate brotherhood of man.
In vast areas under the shadow Of total
masses of slaves. They work, eat, move about
and live only according to the dictates Of
their Communist masters.
W0rsesthan the physical serfdOm imposed
upon them is the mental slavery. Mans mind,
which sets him apart from the rest of the Al
mighty's creatures, will no longer be his own
if the forces Of totaliterianism win.
Fear. is one of the weapons used by the
Communists to imprisOn mems minds. The
penalty for expressing thoughts which do not
serve the Communists purpose, or for being
suspected of having those thoughts, may be
death, or slow torture In a concentration
camp.
Equally formidable is the weapon of con-
troll. News, ideas, even music which tell the
story of mans individual worth are Op-
pressed; the captives in Communist lands
can safely hear only what their masters want
them to hear.
Against these forces we have marshaleC
our material resources. We are using them in
many parts Of the world to build up mems
faith in their own freedom and in their abili
ty to work out their own destinies. We hope
by this to erect peaceful world where free
dom can flourish.
It is a SOLDERING thought at this happy
season to realize that such measures art
necessary because there are still men in the
world who defy all that Christmas stands for
who would take for themselves power ove
their fellows which no mortal should have.
We who battle against them cannot tri
umph with material things alone. Our tri
umph must come because the cause of free
dom is rooted in spiritual convictions com
mon to all who acknowledge the Almighty a
their Creator
Christmas is a time of rejoicing. It i
also, and especially this year, time for re
newal of faith in the idea of human dignit
and freedom, Of man in the image of his Coo
epitomizeo by the story of the Nativity.