Thanks--for Such "Simple" Things   November 20, 1949

One way of finding out how much we have to be thankful for, is to give up some of our blessings and see how grateful we would be to have them back. Consider for a moment just one seemingly simple...

Turning Down Dares   November 27, 1949

For some unexplained reason it is sometimes supposed to be embarrassing not to do what someone else dares us to do. But why should it be considered smart or courageous or commendable to do some...

Precedent Is Important, But--   December 4, 1949

Suppose that someone who needs something approaches us for some service⎯a service that is reasonable and honorable and easily within our reach. And suppose that we hide behind the actual or alleged...

The Conduct of One Hour   December 11, 1949

There is an old oriental proverb which reads, “The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour.” Sometimes it may not seem to be just and fair for such...

Pressure and Procrastination   December 18, 1949

We wouldn’t change the giving of gifts or the festivities or the feasting. We wouldn’t eliminate the lights or the trimming of trees or the fond conspiracy about presents of the...

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...