Be What Thou Seemest March 18, 1962
Sincerity has two essential sides: the sincerity we expect from others, and the sincerity within ourselves. Sincerity is the assurance that things are as they seem to be. A misleading label is a...
The Quest for Unearned Happiness March 25, 1962
It is more than half a century since David Starr Jordan made some searching remarks on a pressingly important subject⎯”The Quest for Unearned Happiness [italics ours].” “So long as...
Unearned Pleasures April 1, 1962
“The motive of most forms of sin is the desire to make a short cut to happiness. Temptation promises pleasure without the effort of earning it.” With this observation, previously cited,...
What Have We Got to Lose? April 8, 1962
Often we hear people discuss the odds on certain prospects or proposals—the chances of winning or losing, of success or failure in various matters. And sometimes we hear quite casually the...
If You Do Not Overcome Little Things… April 15, 1962
“If you but consider what peace a good life will bring to yourself,” said Thomas a Kempis, “and what joy it will give to others, I think you will be more concerned about your...
A Calm, Unshakable Faith April 22, 1962
Many years ago these two statements on the immortality of man appeared in print. First: “If we neglect the divine… and give ourselves over wholly to the human…we may certainly count upon...
On Justifying Our Faults April 29, 1962
The frequent human failing of pointing to the faults and defects of others in justifying our own is sharply questioned by Thomas a Kempis. “What is it to you if a man is such and such,”...
The Fallacy of the Collective Cloak May 6, 1962
Too often we seem to try to hide under a collective cloak, to assume that an act or utterance in the name of a crowd or a group or an organization or institution is something for which no one is...
Mothers--and Their Need to Be Needed May 13, 1962
There comes to mind a gentle mingling of many thoughts on mothers, and it would be difficult to consider this subject without an intermixing of tender emotion. As William Goldsmith Brown reminds...
A Mother, A Father--Waiting May 20, 1962
“The memory of a mother waiting is a safeguard against temptation.” A mother, a father⎯a parent⎯who cares enough to wait and worry, who cares enough to counsel and be concerned⎯is among...
Have Faith in the Future June 3, 1962
With so many opportunities and so many uncertainties, it seems appropriate to say to those who are searching and seeking—to those who are learning and preparing for life: Have faith in the future....
To a Skeptical World… June 10, 1962
“No man adequate to do anything,” said Carlyle, “but is first of all in right earnest about it; what I call a sincere man. I should say sincerity, a deep, great, genuine sincerity,...
To Be a Son--to Love a Father June 17, 1962
A thoughtful young man once said with grateful, heartfelt sincerity that he had “never spent sweeter or happier hours in life than in his father’s home.” Would that every son could...
Like Practicing in Public… June 24, 1962
“Life,” said Baron Lytton, “is playing a violin solo in public, and learning the instruments as one goes on.” We are often inclined to judge people by the flaws in their...
Freedom--Cherished and Challenged July 1, 1962
Free, Safe, and Quiet July 8, 1962
Freedom is precious, priceless⎯and history has proved it wise and prudent to limit the degree to which we delegate others to act for us. “There is no liberty,” said Henry Ward...
Words--the "Semblance" And the "Substance" July 15, 1962
There is timeworn saying, which says: “After all is said and done, there is much more said than done.” “There is so much talking and so little understanding.” We live in a...
Pioneers and Patriots--and Lessons Learned July 22, 1962
If we have learned any lesson from the pioneers and patriots of the past⎯these surely should be part of any lesson learned: self-reliance, cooperation with others, freedom to move forward, faith in...
If You Shouldn't Do It--Don't! July 29, 1962
Two sentences from two playwrights suggests a subject: The first is the tearful outcry of a boy who has seen terrible tragedy result from a series of angry, senseless circumstances. “I...
The Principles, the Penalties August 5, 1962
We often know better than we do, and many of our difficulties come from ignoring what we know. We know the rules, the laws, the consequences in many cases but sometimes allow ourselves to be dared...