Whose tradition?

St. Luke’s wants to build a new hospital south of Ketchum. Residents want a new hospital, but many don’t want a new back-lighted sign of the cross along with it.

Full-time and part-time residents showed their support for the new hospital with an astonishingly successful fundraising drive and astonishingly generous private contributions.

They showed their political willingness by approving an agreement in which both the city of Sun Valley and Blaine County will turn over the assets of two old public hospitals to the new private one.

St. Luke’s officials say the back-lighted cross is part of its Episcopalian tradition. That tradition runs counter to the valley’s traditional mantle of stars that glow intensely in its dark skies and thin mountain air.

St. Luke’s main hospital is in Boise, Idaho’s wanna-be megalopolis. It’s hard to see the sky there for the smog and the glow of mercury lights. Maybe that’s why hospital officials and building designers don’t understand how the night sky works its way into the hearts of people who live in the mountains.

The stunning night skies, along with occasional visits from the northern lights, regularly elicit gasps when city folk first encounter them. They are a nightly reminder of our part in a universe beyond our understanding.

It would be a shame to lose that sense of awe. St. Luke’s should honor the valley’s desire to protect it's night skies. The cross will look better illuminated by the stars and the moon.