Belonging… and… Believing December 22, 1963
There come to mind at this moment two great gifts. One is Belonging. Imagine the loneliness of not belonging—to someone, to something; not to have an obligation to others, or an interest in them—of...
The Tares and the Wheat December 15, 1963
Some thoughts from Phillips Brooks suggest the benefit and blessing of encouragement and the destructive force of overemphasizing the negative side. “Your child, your scholar, your servant⎯you...
The Forces of Fulfillment… December 8, 1963
In a rushing, pressuring time, we well would pause to remind ourselves that the purpose of life, the purpose of God is to see that men find their highest happiness, their best accomplishment, their...
A Time for Moving Forward December 1, 1963
We often need an inner searching, of ourselves⎯our lives, our habits, and a searching of our surroundings, with frank and thoughtful appraisal of our own performance. “‘Tis greatly wise...
Habit: Servant or Master? November 17, 1963
“Habit,” said Nathaniel Emmons, “is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.” In considering this subject we often emphasize the negative side⎯habit as the...
The Habits: Cobwebs, Then C November 10, 1963
That we are “creatures of habit” is a commonly accepted comment. But habits are not unalterable. Habits may become deeply fixed upon us, good or bad, but the bad habits, it sometimes...
The Mind Is Its Own Place… November 3, 1963
In Milton’s Paradise Lost Satan has this to say: “The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven.” One thing this suggests is the subject of...
The Obligation to Shape Ourselves… October 27, 1963
Most young people, and older ones also, have talents that are allowed to lie dormant and undeveloped. There are many examples of those who have discovered or developed talents late in life. But how...
Drop-Outs… October 20, 1963
In a day such as ours, it is urgently essential that every young person prepare his mind, and improve his skills as fully as he can. There are many studies to prove that, even selfishly and...
Victims of Environment? October 13, 1963
Sometimes we complain that we are victims of environment. Sometimes this is so, but not always as much as we may suppose. It is true that environment has much to do with the decisions and actions of...
Self-Control October 6, 1963
“It must be the aim of education,” said Winthrop Aldrich, “to teach the citizen that he must first of all rule himself….” The question of self-control is a compelling...
The Aim of Education… September 29, 1963
In writing of the aim of education, Dr. David Starr Jordan said: “…more vital than all is the demand for character. The highest function of the university is the formation of character, the...
The Influence of Private Character September 22, 1963
“In a democracy,” said Winthrop Aldrich, “it must be the aim of education to teach the citizen that he must first of all rule himself, and that in ruling himself he must not forget...
The Love of Work September 8, 1963
In giving counsel to young men in school, Pasteur said: “Ever since I can remember my life as a man, I do not think I have ever spoken for the first time with a student without saying to...
The Law of Work… September 1, 1963
Concerning work, Mark Twain gave this short incisive sentence: “Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.” “The...
A Passing Season… August 25, 1963
As we see a passing season, we sometimes seem to want to hold it harder to make up for some things we have not done. Sometimes we yearn to recover lost time, to go back to our youth, or some period...
Blessed Are the Merciful… August 18, 1963
This reminder comes from the Master of mankind: “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Vengeance and revenge, cruelty, and unkindness; a contemptuous attitude, harshly...
Good Men Have the Fewest Fears August 11, 1963
To quote a short, significant sentence: “Good men have the fewest fears.” Often we hear it said of someone that he is a good man. It may be meant in many ways, but in all its...
Gray Areas August 4, 1963
Aside from any definite decisions that we make there are in a sense “indefinite decisions”⎯the tampering with, the flirting with, the neither one thing nor the other sort of situation....