Fathers--and the Passing Summers and Seasons June 21, 1953
The role of fathers seems traditionally to have been somewhat less associated with outward evidences of affection than some other roles have been. As between fathers and sons, for example, there has...
Before We Learn to Live June 28, 1953
An ancient philosopher offered this interesting observation: “If we could be twice young and twice old, we could correct all our mistakes.” There is no real assurance that this is so....
Freedom Under God July 5, 1953
There are many theories of government, many political persuasions, many systems of social order, many philosophies as to the place and importance of people. But whatever the theories, this blessed...
To Begin Again July 12, 1953
Sometimes we hear someone say, “I wish I could begin again; I wish I could live life over with what I know now.” It is not an uncommon wish, but time cannot be turned back, and in life...
On Coming Too Close… July 19, 1953
We remember as youngsters that there was much magic in a magnet ⎯ as carefully we would push nails toward it, or other objects of iron, to see at just what point its pull would snap the approaching...
The Question of Compensation July 26, 1953
Since Emerson wrote his essay on compensation, it has been difficult to say anything new on the subject. But for a generation that may have forgotten, and for a generation that may not yet have...
The Constancy of Compensation August 2, 1953
May we look again at this question of compensation: Sometimes it may seem that rewards are long delayed. Sometimes it may seem that those who are selfish, that those who shirk, that those who engage...
Judgment--Every Hour, Every Instant August 9, 1953
Sometimes judgment (in the sense of retribution and reward) is thought to be something rather remote something ultimately to be arrived at but not necessarily now something such as the “day of...
Until the Next Step Shows Itself August 16, 1953
Always when we are faced with decisions, we wish that we could see the end from the beginning: As between two jobs, for example, both of which have something to be said for them, it would be...
The Courage to Make Decisions August 23, 1953
Taking time to decide is frequently an essential factor of safety. But there is also such a thing as taking too much time. The power of decision is sometimes seized from us by too long a delay. We...
Serendipity August 30, 1953
There is a word in our language, an unusual word coined by Walpole. The word is serendipity—which means essentially: something unexpected that you find along the way when you are looking for...
Do the Best You Can… September 6, 1953
It is an unhappy day in the life of anyone when he fails to find sincere satisfaction in doing useful things for the joy of doing them and in doing them to the best of his ability. We all have...
On Harvesting Too Soon… September 13, 1953
In days of relentless and of uncertainty, some times people (including young people) are disposed to make shortsighted decisions⎯decisions that seem attractive at the moment, but which may imperil...
Hate--and Happiness September 20, 1953
Among the long list of things that make men unhappy, none is more devoutly to be avoided than hate in the human heart. And among all the elements and ingredients of which human happiness is made,...
The Weight of the Future… September 27, 1953
Most of us at times feel overpowered and depressed by the tasks that lie before us, by the undone things that we have yet to do. A young man, for example, may look ahead at what he feels he must...
Keeping Up… and Catching Up October 4, 1953
We recall the often quoted comment of Lewis Carroll’s Red Queen: “Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do to keep in the same place.” One of life’s most...
The Unanswered Questions October 11, 1953
No doubt all of us are troubled at times by the unanswered questions of life. No doubt all of us are given to wondering at times about the point and purpose of many things, and even to wondering why...
Concerning Unproved Suppositions… October 18, 1953
As young people face their formal education, there may be many puzzling questions which concern conflicting theories. The past century or so has seen a profound unfoldment of truth, and the mind of...
On Altering Attitudes October 25, 1953
There is a profound thought in 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.”...
On Multiplying Mistakes November 1, 1953
Perhaps we have all had the experience of trying to find a place we haven’t been before, and of turning off the right road⎯and then somehow sensing that we had turned off the right road. But...