We have read about John and Yoko doing something for peace at Christmas, so we decided to express our feelings, too.

Everyone talks about peace, but do we really know what it means? Look at a drop of water. Alone it is practically nothing, but many drops become something. We are like the drop of water. Alone we are practically nothing, not altogether unuse- ful but it is hard for one man to do something alone. United- with others, we may be able to do something if we use our intelligence wisely. Too many men want to do something alone, but imagine if we could all be united. Maybe together something could be done to have peace at Christmas.

VALERIE URBALIS ‘ MARYHEGEDUS LUDIVINA CARDORO Class 8C,J. J. McGrand Catholic School

Christmas Eve

Biafra, Viet Nam, the Middle East—these are some of the places

these names describe to us better than any other the suffering of the common people, the suffering of the human race.

The message of Christmas Is peace upon earth; but this year Christmas will fail again to do so, for far away men will be falling upon the ground not to pray, but to pass away. Soldiers tonight will weep, and ask themselves: “What am I doing here?” Children at home will cry, for they will be asking: “Where is my daddy tonight?” Yet, the tears of hungry children will be stronger, for they will say: “I am hungry, I am hungry, I am hungry.” Children will die tonight because we did not care enough to give a dime!

I think of Christmas as a time for the nations of the world to unite, to stop all wars, to put an end to the suffering of the human race, to forget racialism and to unite as brothers. But these are illusions, dreams, that cannot come true.

Yet, if I can help stop famine by donating what I can donate, I will

by protesting, that too I will do, for I wish that all people of the world could eat and be merry as we Canadians will be tonight.

GIULIO ANTONIO BERTOCCHI

Willowdale

John and Yoko

Rev. G. H. Clements thinks that John and Yoko’s peace mission is an exercise in futility. I ask you, has there ever been a greater exercise in futility than organized religion? In the past 5,500 years there have been 14,531 wlu-s, an average of 3.18 wars per year. In the past 20 years the frequency has increased to 5.2 wars per year. In World War I, 95 per cent of the fatal casualties were members of the armed forces; iq World War II, 56 per cent were from the armed forces. In Korea 88 per cent of the fatal casualties were civilian, and to date in Viet Nam 91 per cent of the dead have been civilian.

During this time religious leaders have supported these wars, or done

Festival, promoted by Johu, *oko and many other notables, including some religious leaders, is attempting something constructive to avert the wicked waste and futility of war. “All we are saying is give peace a chance.”

Wm. A. JOHNSON Rockwood