A Legacy of Experience December 29, 1946
There sometimes seems to be a disposition to assume that the lessons which another generation has learned don’t apply to the present. And seemingly on this assumption, young people are often...
Peace Is a Personal Problem December 22, 1946
ALTHOUGH it may seem to be an over simplification to say so, peace is a personal problem. It is a personal problem, because keeping peace among families and friends and neighbors is a necessary...
Looking at Our Own Load December 15, 1946
When someone sets out to deceive someone else, he is more likely to be successful if he deceives with similarities rather than with obvious differences. If falsehood were not sometimes so subtly...
Encroachment by Precedent December 8, 1946
THERE is a principle of common law to the effect that a privilege, long continued, may come to be looked upon as a right. For example, if we permit a man to walk over our property once, we have...
Teaching Is More Than Telling December 1, 1946
SOMETIMES we are puzzled by the apparent ineffectiveness of some of our teaching. Surely, we may think, we have told our youth often enough what to do and what not to do. But often we make the...
On Taking Things for Granted November 24, 1946
There are times, perhaps, when all of us are moved by gratitude, and there are times when all of us may become careless about our blessings. A favor done the first time is almost always appreciated....
Devotees of Defamation November 17, 1946
Always among us, it seems, are some who find pleasure or profit in defaming the character of others. And those who are so inclined don’t always confine their activities to people they know....
Religion and Life November 10, 1946
MANY definitions have been given of religion. There is little to be gained by adding to them, but we should like to quote again from one of those most often quoted: “Pure religion and...
On Calling Evil by Its Right Name November 3, 1946
ALL THIS may have been long ago, and it may not have been just as it now appears to have been_but we seem to have remembered or to have read of a time when the demarcation between good and evil was...
Talent Without Character October 27, 1946
There is an old phrase, of unidentified origin, which says “talent without character is more to be dreaded than esteemed.” Using character in its meaning of moral responsibility, we...
Why Take a Chance? October 20, 1946
THERE is a spirit abroad, typified by the seemingly harmless phrase, “Why not take a chance?” This popular proposal has no doubt induced many people to gamble away many things, perhaps...
The Burden of Making Decisions October 13, 1946
ONE of the most difficult things in life is making decisions and taking responsibility for them. Indeed, the mental and moral burden of making decisions usually weighs men down much more than...
On Knowing the Answers October 6, 1946
THERE is an old and simple truth, so commonplace as to be frequently ignored, but so vital that it never should be. It is the truth that knowledge alone will not save us. There are unlimited...
On Being Wrong and Admitting It September 29, 1946
THERE is an ancient but ageless statement accredited to Aristotle which says that “Some men are just as firmly convinced of what they think as others are of what they know.”13 Perhaps we...
On Doing a Good Thing Without Being Told September 22, 1946
IT IS a source of sincere satisfaction to any parent to have a child who knows how to receive instructions and how to carry them out; to have a son or a daughter who does precisely what he is told...
On Hiding Behind Others September 15, 1946
THERE is a common phrase that is descriptive of one of the most prevalent practices of humankind. In the unbecoming vernacular, we call it “passing the buck.” It is an old and...
Academic Freedom September 8, 1946
WE KNOW that in the halls of learning there must be freedom to speak the truth_freedom for the discovery of new truth, freedom for the acceptance of new truth, and also (sometimes overlooked)...
To Work or Not to Work September 1, 1946
ONE OF the vital factors in the success or failure of any generation, or of any people, is the attitude which they have toward work. By some, work is looked upon as a privilege and a pleasure; to...
To Youth Leaving Home August 25, 1946
EACH year many of our youth leave home, some for school and some for other purposes, many, of course, for the first time. And it is not uncommon to hear these youth of ours, in their confidence,...