musings

Some years ago, The Cincinnati Post, a large metropolitan daily, in keeping with the spirit of Christmas, presented a front page free of crime and violence, "a crimeless front page."

By way of explanation the editors told that all news, bad as well as good, is grist for a newspaper's mill. But on that particular day they decided to put all the muders and robberies and the like on the back pages. Crime, they insisted, has a lawful place in the daily record of human affairs, but it should not be out of proportion. On Christmas day, they felt, one should not be greeted with the wicked and the lack of good will on the first page. Instead, they greeted readers with a large banner-line: MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I say, "Three Cheers for the Cincinnati Post!" I wonder if that would happen today, what with all of our emphasis on being "politically correct?" Probably not. In fact, that paper would, no doubt, be taken to court for favoring one religion over another.

Apparently, the preferred greeting now is, "Happy Holiday." That's interesting because the original meaning of holiday was "holy day" or "a religious feast." Personally, I am going to stick with "Merry Christmas." Who wouldn't prefer this? After all, this season is all about joy---joy that a Savior was born to bring us deliverance and peace, and hope.