The Search for the Superfluous December 29, 1957
A sentence from Seneca suggests a subject: It would be well if we could make “it clear to all men,” he said, “that the search for the superfluous means a great outlay of time, and...
Better Than Any Later Hour December 8, 1957
We all live with some uncertainties; we all at times fear failure; we all worry about many things that haven’t happened; and we all have regrets about some things that have happened. There is...
Repeat Performance December 1, 1957
There is a sentence currently quoted which says that “Everytime history repeats itself it does so at a higher price.” This would surely seem to be so, for with each repeat performance...
A Living Gratitude November 24, 1957
It is sobering, or should be, to each and all of us to consider how much of the hours and effort of others has gone into the making of all of us: the time others have taken to feed us, to teach us,...
The Go-Somewhere-Else Attitude November 17, 1957
For some purposes, all the people in the world could be put into two categories: those we know and those we don’t know. But regardless of whom we know or whom we don’t know, there is...
On Accepting Reality November 10, 1957
Be Not Long Away From Home November 3, 1957
In the wandering adventures of the Odyssey, there appears this yearning, heartfelt plea: “Be not long away from home.” And Thomas Jefferson wrote this in a letter: “Abstracted from...
Assurance in Uncertainty October 27, 1957
The momentous events of these days come too swiftly to absorb, with the ever-threatening areas of eruption, and the impact of man’s launching out into unknown orbits. And to the tensions of...
The Price of Learning October 20, 1957
Because of their love for us, or because of the spirit of sincere service, parents, and others also, do many things for us⎯and so often, so many of us find ourselves so much on the receiving side....
On Acquiring Memories October 13, 1957
Cicero’s remarkable essay on old age has in it as much of wisdom for youth as for those who are older: “…the harvest of old age,” he said, “is … the memory and...
The Deadlocks of Life October 6, 1957
We recall these words of William James: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.” This in a sense is...
Freedom and Conformity (New) September 29, 1957
How much does conformity come into conflict with freedom? How much freedom do we have if we must live according to law? This is a question that young people often wrestle with, even from the...
The Sum of the Little Things… September 22, 1957
There is much more to say concerning the little things of life: Men often learn to carry great loads, to carry great weight and worry with calmness and courage—yet lose their tempers at the little...
The Little Things… September 15, 1957
Many years ago, as he was working in a London laboratory, Sir Alexander Fleming observed the retarding action of an unidentified mold on a colony of bacteria. It was a little thing that many might...
May I Have a Minute of Your Time? September 8, 1957
History is long. The great sweep of time and eternity is long—endlessly long—but the moral life of each of us is not. And whether we live short lives, or long, the years move swiftly—from the freer...
What Is a Gentleman…? September 1, 1957
Our consideration of friendship and confidence and trust leads us to consider what a gentleman is⎯or isn’t. For a word so freely used, it seems that few have defined it. Shakespeare suggested...
Safeguarding the Irreplaceably Precious August 25, 1957
In speaking of the factors of friendship⎯trust and confidence being uppermost among them⎯we come to the conclusion that finding someone who can be trusted is one of the most sincerely satisfying...
Friendship--and Trust and Confidence August 18, 1957
We all have to trust others in many matters. We are neither qualified nor able to do all things always for ourselves. We trust other men, because we must. We trust the men who service mechanical...
What Should We Do for a Friend? August 11, 1957
Aside from loved ones, aside from those close of kin, friendship makes life most meaningful. With friendship nothing is impersonal. Everything is more enjoyed. Everything has greater purpose....
A Turning to Friends and Family August 4, 1957
Sometimes we may become weary of the sameness of our surroundings and feel that we should like to get away from familiar people and places. But often this is only for a brief time. Often the best...