"Longing for a \7hite Christmas"

BY JACK DIONNE

Perhcrpe it wcrs the infectioug tones of Bing Crosly thcrt crironed thcr song cbout "Longing lor c White Christmcs," into the front rcmk ol nctionnl music populcrrity in the trrcrst Iew weeks.

Or perhcrtrx it was the deep yecrning ol the h"'ncm soul to hrow once cgcin thct lrcrce lhct hcs for centuries seened to be the chiel ingnedient of the trre spirit ol Christmcrs,. lhct pecce of mind cod of soul thct aeems so terribly remote cnd lcrr off to us todny.

It seemed so nrrturcrl in those dcrys to sp€* o[ "thcrt pecce thcrt pcsseth cll unilerstcnding"; so ecsy to understcmd the words oI Iohn when he wrote thct "we cne all the sons of God, cmd it doth not yei crppecn whcrt we shcrll be." We rcised our minds cmd hecrrts ct Chrishcs time to thoughts of the White Christ never drecrring that the Four horrid Horsenen would soon ride roughslrod qys; fhic ecrrth crgcin" bringins more horrors in their wqke thcrn hcrd ever been hecrrd of before, cnd fcirly ercs. ing fron the minds ol men the bloody memories ol the Golhs, the Visigoths, cnd other monslers ol the pcist.

So thcrt now, cts we lind the world of men over cll the continents and in cll the Bsyen seds prelrcring lor the reddesi, bloodiest, saddest Cbrishcs within the memory of mcrn, it is no wonder tbct tbis pecrce-loving nqtion should rcise its voice crnd sing from its very soul its "longing lor a white" culd lrcceful Christncsr And there is clso cr bit ol c sob in rrost oI our hecnts cs rre sing, or hecrr sung, thcrt other populcr lune of the noment '\lllhen tbe lights go on crgcin cll over the world." Truly the hcrpies ol deepotism hcrve dimrned the lights of the world, cmd instecrd ol cr "white Chrisr-rcs" we lind the cnnies of civilizction bcrttling crgcinst cr threcrtened blcck-out thcrt would never snd.

We hcrve lrrown no Christncrs like thi.r lsfsse, neither during the First World Vlcr, nor even during the dqys ol Vclley Forge. This is so much bigger, blcrcker, more heart-rending thcm craylhing the pcrst ccm poirt to. All over the world millions of our boys in the <rnned serices have bcned their bosoma to the blcst of wcrr, or cne prepcring to do so in ever gnecter numbets All over the getrs our ships fight the cotucgeous tight. Wcrr, with crll its hcrtreds, its pcssions, its unslrc&able violence, its sad glories, hcs the world tight gripped in its monstrous tentacles.

Fects of ctms cs brillicrnt qs ever thritled the soul ol pcrbiotisn crrd beroism, hcrve clrecdy been perlormed c thouscmd lmes by ylung Americcms, Every report brings true stories ol surpcssingi vclor. Tlrct glory-kigsed emblem, the Stcrrs cnd Stripe* is being upheld by as gcllcmt men cs ever lilted bcr Iolds on high. The strength "thcrt cometh from on high" powers the cnrns of these millions ol bow who spring from the loins of cr heroic rcce, cmd whose ncmes crnd deeds will bloom through the caes thct cne to come.

But glory hcrs excrcted costly tribute. The cqsucrlty lists grow. Ire thousgnds of houres in this land gt Se coming C_lrristncrs, there will be only the sctddeaed nenory of c loved one who is not coming b<rck. There will be thouscrnds ol loving hecnts which will never cgcin hecr, except in hcppy dssann:, the footsteps ol returm.

In millions of other homes there will be hecrrts not light, beccuse of the boys in unilotn who cne somewhere in dcmgeu hecnts thcrt hope, cmd lips thcrt pray thct those boys ncry be scde. ' So thiE ccm hcndly be ct "Merr1' Chrishcs." As we go crbout our crffcrirs on thct girect cmniverscrl', we will no doubt utter the grcmd old wish-'t1erry Christmcs, my lriend." But it will be lcrrgely ei mctter of lip sendc+ol followirog old custons-using old words. For in the world we see cbout us todcry, recrl meriment could lind no home. Over too many strong cmd gcllcnt hedrts will lctl c shcdow that mixes crnd rringles not with meriment.

Let this be, rcrther, q courcgeous Chrigbcrs; cr hopeful, detenniaed, prcryerlul Christnc* Fgr on the occcsion ol the birth of thcrt splendid Ccrrpenter, this yecr rhir ncrtion will turr cs it has neyer turned before, in crwlul reverence cord in aorrour unspecrkcble, to sorrelhing more powerful thcm blitzkreigs-more poteat thcm Stukcs; thcrt Power thct ccm mcke the ffiong things right tlcrt ccm tunr rreelring into lcrughter, the ioy ol the monring lor the woe ol the night

Lincoln said thcrt he wcs often torced to his kneeg beccruse there was nowhere else to go. Thig once ccrefree nction will go to its kuees rhiB Chrishcs ca it hcrs never done before, crnd tura tor confort cmd cid ia theee dcrrk dcrys to Him who said: "As thy dcry, so shcll thy strengrth be"; thcrt Power thct is higher thcm the stcrrs, wider thcm the skies, deeper thcn the seas. And we shcll mcke our crplrcl for delivery from this time of dcrkness in the nme ol Hin whose birthdcry gcrye us Christnas. Il norql lorces qre to continue in this world; il they cre to swcy it cmd control it cmd crvoid cnother erc ol the Dcak Ages, then fcrith cmd courcrge must be the ro& we lecn most upo!" There cre no gubstitutes.

I.et us then get recdy foi cr counrgeous cmd c prcryerful Chrisbcs rqther thcn c Eerrf' one; lor c victorious New Yecn, rcrther thca c iovinl one.