Always Getting Ready to Live   August 30, 1970

There are two sentences from ancient sources that seem to emphasize the swift passing of the seasons: One is from Epicurus, who said: “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also: he is...

And Give Me Yesterday   October 4, 1970

Some three centuries ago Thomas Browne said: “There is another man within me that’s angry with me.”1 This is descriptive of the uneasiness of those who fail to find peace inside...

And So We Search…   December 27, 1970

“Years following years steal something every day. At last they steal us from ourselves away:”1 These lines from Horace in some ways may be so — that each passing day steals something...

Bypassing Penalties?   November 8, 1970

There is a remarkable sentence from Plato concerning a reason for not doing wrong. “If I were sure God would pardon me,” he said, “and men would not know my sin, yet I should be...

Debt…"a Tanglesome Net"   September 20, 1970

It has been long since Samuel Johnson said, “Do not accustom yourself to consider debt only as an inconvenience; or you will find it a calamity.”1 In a world that needs so much to search...

Endure…for Days of Happiness   July 19, 1970

There is a short sentence from Vergil that says: “Endure, and keep yourselves for days of happiness.”1 There are times when we feel that we can’t endure that we can’t face...

Faith Is Not a Theory   March 22, 1970

For the Family Is Forever   June 21, 1970

“Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell; for the love that united us; for the peace accorded us this day; for the hope with which we expect the...

Home--the Healing Place of the Soul   July 26, 1970

There is a kind of domestic diplomacy that could make all the difference in how happy home is, and how happy we are⎯remembering, as a Greek saying said it: Home is “the healing place of the...

How Could I Face My Children…?   January 25, 1970

This comment was heard from a wonderful forthright grandfather. He had just talked with a young grandson⎯one of those searching sessions when a child asks direct, unflinching questions⎯when a child...

I Shall Not Waste My Days…   May 17, 1970

In some moving lines Jack London suggested some attitudes on age, and the fuller use of life: “I would rather be ashes than dust!” he said. “I would rather that my spark should...

If Everyone Must Watch Everyone…   February 22, 1970

There is an old-fashioned subject on which something needs to be said, and that is: simple honesty. There can be no credit, no contract, no transaction, no safe situation without the element of...

If It Were Happening to Us…   April 12, 1970

From the window of a waiting train we watched a young mother with two young daughters, all dressed in their best, eagerly, anxiously looking at passengers arriving. And then there was a light in...

If We Are Running Deeply Into Debt…   February 1, 1970

There is a somewhat mundane matter which calls for comment because it concerns most of us at times, and concerns character and conscience, and certainly self-respect. We are referring to the...

If We Don't Change Direction   January 4, 1970

There is a simple axiom which says: “A straight line is the shortest distance between two points.” And to this we add another simple assertion: If we don’t change direction, we...

If You Don't Want Temptation to Follow You…   March 1, 1970

As one whimsical observer said, “When some folks flee from temptation, they leave a forwarding address.” This brings us to what could be called tempting temptation, flirting with it,...

In a Crowd…   November 15, 1970

In writing of The School of Life, Henry Van Dyke made this observation: “You may have to live in a crowd, but you do not have to live like it, . . .”1 This is one of the most important...

In This Strange Task of Living   August 2, 1970

“In their fear your forefathers gathered you too near together . . .”1 wrote Kahlil Gibran. If we live too far apart, life is lonely, but in quarters too close there is often...

It Isn't Fair to Expect Perfection   June 14, 1970

We live in a world of imperfection, and certainly there are not perfect people. And one of the surest ways to break up a home, to break up a marriage, to break up a friendship, a business, or any...

Let Them Decide for Themselves?   September 6, 1970

There is a phrase sometimes heard from parents and others pertaining to children and young people _ a phrase that says: “Let them decide for themselves.” As to religious, spiritual and...