Twenty-Five Thousand Days January 1, 1950
In looking at the length of life, the Psalmist said: “The days of our years are threescore years and ten;… Thou carriest the away as with a flood;… So teach us to number our days, that we may...
On Accepting Reality January 8, 1950
When events have taken an unexpected turn, we often wonder what we might have done to avoid what has happened. What did we do wrong? What might have happened if we had done differently? It is...
On Knowing the Future January 15, 1950
I Read It in a Book January 22, 1950
In defending a statement that is questioned or challenged, not infrequently someone will say: “I read it in a book” (as if this were a final and unanswerable answer). But an error is an...
On Lying Without Speaking January 29, 1950
Indictment of Indifference February 5, 1950
Among the ancient Athenians it is said that Solon invoked a law that penalized people who refused to take sides on disputed principles and public problems. It was his conviction that a person should...
Enslavement by "Consent" February 12, 1950
No man is good enough to govern another man without that other’s consent.” This sentence spoken by Abraham Lincoln, brings before us the question of “consent.” In a society...
On Living in a Haunted House February 19, 1950
There was a time, in childhood, when we were much impressed by houses that were supposed to be haunted⎯a haunted house, of course, being any empty place where people had moved out and dust and...
Tell Me,… When Does That Tomorrow of Yours Come… February 26, 1950
This week we are worried. This week we are crowded. This week we are frantically trying to do some things we have left too long. But next week—next week is going to be different! Next week things...
Minors Not Admitted March 5, 1950
It is a commonplace occurrence, to sometimes startling nevertheless, how children grow up in the pattern of their parents⎯both in appearance and performance. It isn’t always so, and we must...
On Being Too Long Alone March 12, 1950
We have heard on high authority that “it is not good that the men should be alone.” But people at almost any age may sometimes feel that they want to be on their own⎯and not accountable...
The Problem of Pleasing People March 19, 1950
It was Montaigne who remarked that “a man had need of tough ears to hear himself freely judged.” Regardless of how careful and conscientious a man may be, someone is almost always sure...
Forgiving and Forgetting April 2, 1950
We often hear the phrase, “Forgive and forget.” But how much is “forgetting” a part of “forgiving?” There is no one who does not sometime need to be forgiven, and...
The Reality of the Resurrection April 9, 1950
“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when . . . his disciples came unto him: . . . he . . . taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the...
How to Behave Away From Home April 16, 1950
Sometimes people suppose that there is a different code of conduct away from home, and that they can count on not being known. This might be true in fiction, but it isn’t true in fact. In...
A Time to Every Purpose April 23, 1950
Many centuries ago it was said: “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that...
Saying "I'm Sorry" May 7, 1950
We sometimes assume that we have fully repented and made amends when we have said we are sorry. But there is a side to being sorry that is more serious than mere polite apology. And there are...
If Early Enough… May 21, 1950
The past is said to repeat itself⎯not in detail, perhaps, but in principle and in broad patterns. And by the pattern of the past, thoughtful observers have often predicted what might be in the...
Destination… May 28, 1950
One of our most common characteristics is that we seldom seem to arrive at precisely where we think we want to go. It is a restless world. And the chances are that even those who have what we think...
The Man Who Almost Made It June 11, 1950
Graduation has correctly come to be called commencement, for the completion of one objective should mean the commencement of another. And both those who have graduated and those who have not, still...