Thursday, January 6, 1955
How many of us, at sometime or other in life, have not been almost envious of such great athletes as Babe Ruth, when we saw a home run made?
We should not be envious, we are playing in a much greater game, with everything worthwhile at stake - the game of life.
Every man and woman born is born a member of this league; and every man and woman born can be a winner of eternal life at their own choosing. It all depends on how we play the game.
At the end of the long or short season, when we are "up at bat," for the last time, it will depend upon our past diligence in constant practice with strict adherence to the Book of Rules whether the Umpire above calls us out or give us a home run at last.
Everyone can make a home run to his or her eternal glory, if "the way" laid down in the Book of Rules be followed. In his great Book of Rules, we are told in Isaiah:
"A way (shall be there) and it shall be called The Way of Holiness . . . by the wayfaring men," but to the players in the league, the rules may be understood, and if followed, will win the pennant of eternal happiness.
In this game of games the closest team work is required of us. We must do our part to help advance the league into one vast brotherhood of man. At times, we must forego the urge to stand alone and play the game selfishly to our own glorification. Instead we must make "sacrifice hits," in order to advance a brother in the game of games.. We must make these sacrifices if we expect a brother to do the same unto us - a cardinal rule in the great Book of Rules, that has caused conscientious men, who play the game in accordance with the rules of the Bible, to refer to this as the Golden Rule.
I call this the game of games for the reason that a "game" is supposed to afford pleasure; and no other activity in life affords such pleasure as does this game of life - if played in accordance with Rules.
There will always be the cynic in the scorner's seat, but, despite their boos, hoots and howls from the "bleachers," we will finally learn to love the game for the game's sake, if we play it ethically - to say nothing of the sore recorded above, when the game is called for us on account of darkness.
Thursday, January 13, 1955 As we go though life, we must have Faith that brings belief, or we will go no farther in life or be no more successful than the animals of the field. We must have faith in established and eternal truths - although we may never be able to see them with the naked eye - to guide us through, or we are lost. I have known people who are skeptical and unbelieving about things they have never seen, or will never be privileged to see while on earth - including their Creator. A simple illustration should serve to free them from that delusion. We see two wires strung within reach of us. One is harmless to our touch, but to touch the other is certain death. This we believe because we are still alive and have faith. We have faith in the truth of the warning that it is fatal to touch the dangerous wire because it is charged with a very high voltage of electricity. No one has ever seen electricity, neither have we seen God nor Faith nor Truth with the physical eye - but we are lost without them to guide us through life. Indeed, Belief and Faith are life itself. A man must have worthy objectives and try with all he has to achieve them in life, or he is no more than an animal. Unless he has goals to reach, there can be no purpose in work. He must have standards, and they must be high; he must see them through Faith, by Belief, or he is lost from the real Success. To illustrate again: A man is kidnapped, placed in a car and blindfolded. His abductors drive him around and around in a circuitous route. He is finally imprisoned in a room from which he cannot see his surroundings. He is utterly lost, he knows no more where he may be than a man who is unconscious. There has been nothing with which to make comparison, to help him get his position. Like Faith and Belief there have been no landmarks seen - he is lost. A man may pick his own standards to guide him, but they must be as high as Belief and Faith. I, myself, asked for help in choosing mine - I asked God to help me. That gave me a motive to work, with a Freedom I never would have had. But as one great man said: "Freedom must be shared . . . it is a privilege and privilege begets obligation . . . we have sent back to society as much privilege as we receive . . . we have seen nations die for want of Freedom . . . Other Americans have died for it; we must now live for it." Thursday, January 20, 1955 In this column, I have endeavored to discuss things of seemingly trivial importance when compared to headline news, yet they are the very things that affect our daily lives the most. Since the reading public seems to be more interested in politics, crime, Hollywood, and the like, I felt some hesitancy in discussing the subjects I have mentioned in the past. In fact, in the beginning I intended to turn to events and subjects other writers seldom, if ever, discuss. But since the reaction to subject matter used by me in the past has been received with an interest far beyond my expectations, I decided to continue writing about the subjects ignored by other writers as long as interest in them continues. This time I would like to discuss briefly "Rumors" - the things it is impossible to put your finger on, because they travel invisibly, faster than the wind. It would be almost as easy to find the proverbial needle-in-the-haystack, the fabulous "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow," or accurately predict the future, as to trace the source of a rumor. Of course, I refer to whispered rumors from the vicious tongue of gossip. Evil propaganda is spoken out loud or brazenly printed, for the reason that it is hoped that a lie, spoke often enough, will be believed as truth by credulous people, but not so with an evil rumor. It does not send its message by means of the headlines of a newspaper, nor is it proclaimed from the lecture platform or pulpit. It is usually whispered "over the grapevine" to the ears of those who love scandal, and who hurriedly relay the false message to other willing ears. Rumor seldom fails to wound, and it sometimes is deadly in its effect. Not long ago, as history measures, it was "rumored" that a very old woman has been tormenting children, with evil designs. As the rumor spread, people began to claim they were "bewitched." Before that rumor died, nineteen innocent people had been hanged for witchcraft! Rumors have closed banks all over the nation; ruined forever man's most valuable possession, spotless reputation. Rumor has separated families. I cannot remember ever having heard a false rumor in praise of the greatness of a good man. Rumor has not for its aims the doing of good deeds. Therefore, I make it a fixed rule to dismiss most rumors as chain-messages of malicious gossip. Thursday, January 27, 1955 Science and history tell us thousands of years ago man shrank in fear at thunder, which he believed to be the voice of God in anger. Man then had little knowledge of good or evil, right or wrong, sin or righteousness. But, for what he considered his misdeeds, he thought lightning was sent to search out his acts and storms were a heavenly threat of vengeance. We are told that this primitive man was possessed of great bravery. Only the largest and most ferocious animals that roamed the earth in those days could make him run to the security of his cave. These attacks he survived somehow. Most of the animals that threatened his existence have disappeared from the earth, while we have survived as his sons and daughters. Today, we do not fear thunder as the physical voice of an angry God, but we are in quaking mortal fear of the smallest thing in the world - a thing we cannot even see with the naked eye - the tiny atom. Will we have the bravery to survive it, as out pre-historic parents survived the saber-toothed tiger? Scientific research has established the intelligence of our earliest ancestors, who, of course, were brutal and illiterate. So, when we compare man today by our standards, with our ages-old ancestors, we wonder how they survived in their dangerous and underdeveloped surroundings with only their animal-like knowledge. Since that ignorant age, we have developed a civilization by recognizing the supremacy of a Creator, and acquired a knowledge that was not ever dreamed of a few centuries ago. Yet, with that knowledge, will we survive by using as good judgement as the cave man used in more natural dangers and harshest surroundings? Day and night, we are feverishly striving to stock-pile the atom bomb, with our potential enemy leading the race, while our knowledge, developed since the cave man, shows us that the atoms were intended as a useful force from the generous hand of God. With the best of our knowledge which has reached the mysteries of the stars - billions of miles away - that has convinced us beyond a doubt that if only a portion of the bombs stock-piled are used, civilization will exist no more, we make the atom a weapon. By being destroyed by a danger we have built ourselves we would step back into the darkness of the cave man, surrounded by unavoidable dangers, which we had no part in creating. Will men, as it says, in the New Testament, "Bring upon themselves swift destruction?" Thursday, February 3, 1955 In this article, I am going to make a confession. It is about a man still living to whom I never apologized or asked forgiveness for trying to drive him almost like a slave away from his sins and weaknesses. Before I tell you the man's name, first, let me say that the stern measures, I used almost my life against this man in an effort to reform him were used for the reason that I was interested in him, and in his welfare. I was raised with this man; we attended the same school and were the same age. Therefore, his weakness and proneness to sin were noticeable to me, even when a boy. At a very early age, I saw my closest companion had a temper an ambition. As young as I was I knew that if the temper was not curbed, and the ambition directed in the right direction, they might lead to ruin. Therefore, I did not wait for his parents to set him in the right direction. As young as I was, I actually forced him to attend Sunday School myself. He became a diligent Bible student; and when he actually became a Sunday School superintendent at the tender age of sixteen, I saw I had the upper-hand of the fellow, which made me determine to force my companion to do everything I told him. I hate to confess that I was a bully, but long before this lad became a Sunday School superintendent, I took him by the hand and said, "Come on with me, you are going to accept practical Christianity - and you are going to stay with it as long as I live." When he saw I was "boss," he did not hesitate, and he has never turned back; and, I now boast that I will see that he never does turn back as long as I live. Like myself, the boy's opportunity was not that of a millionaire's son, so I drove him into many a task, that many other boys would have dodged, and he learned to earn money, and make money work; but, at an early age, I convinced him that for money's sake alone could be an evil - that it was merely a means to a good end. While I confess to the stern disciplinary measures I used with this man, I still have no apologies to offer. For, when alone with him with no one else about, he thanks me for driving him almost like a galley slave to a degree of prosperity, Christian contentment and happiness. The name of that man is Thursday, February 10, 1955 Now that we are on our way with a clean slate, on which the acts of another year will be recorded, what will we write? Year after year, most of us think we start the year with a clean house, and make bold resolutions to keep it clean for another year. But have we really cleaned house? Have we swept out all the filth of hates, hidden under the carpets of the mind? Have we cleaned all the cobwebs of spite that accumulated last year? Have we disposed of the useless ashes from the flame of envy, hatred and petty piques of an old year, in which the embers of jealousy may be smoldering, and which can flame up and destroy the house? If you think that comparison extravagant, I have the best authority for referring to jealousy as " fire." It is the Bible. Long before the Indian savage read the white man's Bible, he found that fire inflicted the most exquisite torture of all punishments. Yet we carry the live coals of jealousy in our minds, in our hearts, knowing that the Bible has referred to jealousy as a fire, time and time again. I have not space to quote all the references; however, the following from the Old Testament should be sufficient. "Jealousy is cruel as the grave, the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame." In the same place, we are told, "In the fire of my jealousy have I spoken." In the Psalms of the Old Testament it is asked: "How long shall thy jealousy burn like fire?" We should heed this spoken by Ezekiel, "The whole land shall be devoured by the fire of jealousy." These quotations show Jealousy as the Frankenstein among all the other undesirable human emotions. If allowed to grow, it finally destroys its creator. So, sweep out the cobwebs of jealousy from the corners of the mind and envy, covetousness and grudges will disappear - it is the parent of these. It has destroyed millions of people by causing wars for the reason that it is the father of most hates. Out of the silliest trifles, jealousy can create in the imagination impossible situations and positions that never could exist, but which have wrecked homes and the lives of innocent people. So, we will not have to worry about the lesser evils if we have included in our New Year resolutions a resolve to be jealous of no one in this, or any other, year. "Jealousy is the rage of man," says the Good Book; and the Bible describes it as being of the same material that furnishes eternal punishment. Thursday, February 17, 1955 We hear a lot about the "common man," especially during political campaigns, when each politician is his sole champion and guardian. The kind of politician I refer to is the professional, who has developed no other profession, and who survives by exploiting and flattering the "common man" for his vote. Some of these professionals have occupied high places in government, including the White House, unfortunately. To the "common man," so called because he exists in such vast numbers, all praise is due. He contributes more to his community than all the professional politicians put together. But there is never enough said about the uncommon man who is my subject this week. If my uncommon man contemplates the universe in its marvels, which makes him aware there is a God responsible for his existence, and follows to the letter the philosophy and ethics of Christ; if he refuses to scorn and hate the beliefs and religions of others, he may die unknown to fame and without a cent, yet he has been a success - and that is uncommon as most men measure. My uncommon man will have nothing to do with intolerance, which is the child of bigotry; and he will believe in the dignity of man, whether his skin be yellow, white, black or brown. He will believe in freedom of the mind; free to think and write his beliefs, and that freedom he will grant to every other man alive. He will know that intellectual freedom and ignorance have nothing in common, and, therefore, cannot exist together. Even though my uncommon man may live in a hovel, he will think, experiment and reach out for knowledge, and he will continue on and on in his search until he finally graduates with honor from the school of experiences which affords an education obtainable in no school or college. He will continue on with his studies, but he will take time out, under the open sky, where he is closer to his Maker in Communion. He will think for himself, which, alone makes him uncommon; and by thinking, he will resolve never to become a chattel, with his franchise sold to flattery. My uncommon man cannot be identified by either the royal purposes or the patched overalls he may wear; like those in the Psalms, he is "clothed in righteousness." Thursday, February 24, 1955 I picked up an interesting book called "This I Believe." It was written for and edited by Edward R. Murrow, who says on the jacket that it contains: "80 contemporary personal philosophies and 20 immortals." You have, no doubt, heard some of them on the radio. In his forward, Murrow says ". . . We ask our guests as much as possible to concentrate on their spiritual beliefs rather than their political or social convictions." Murrow continues: "It also contains twenty beliefs of what we have chosen to call "Immortals," men and women of the past whose statements have been drafted by the authorities best qualified to reconstruct their philosophies." I suppose that the philosophy of anyone who has left a considerable amount of written material might be reconstructed; but I doubt very much if anyone could reconstruct the spiritual beliefs of Abraham Lincoln or Thomas Jefferson - and that is what this book dwells on - "spiritual belief." I have no intention of criticizing these writers, but the manner in which some of them arrived at their spiritual beliefs should be pointed out, I believe. First there is no philosophy of men living or dead that can be substituted for the Bible, or which can be used as a basis for spiritual belief. No two philosophers entirely agree. Philosophy is merely the fine wisdom of great men; and no two men are alike; that is exactly the point I wish to stress. A number of these writers have used their wisdom, acquired largely from earthly experiences, in establishing their spiritual beliefs. Very few of them have shown faith; and without faith we are lost. These men are intelligent, but this is not a matter of intelligence. As I see it, they have substituted the wisdom of man for the wisdom of God. In fact, I have this advantage over them. My faith in God has allowed me to experience the pleasure of not allowing a brother or a neighbor to do greater things unto me than I do unto him. It has allowed me the pleasure of making the money that has "In God We Trust" on it and it has allowed me the thrill and joy of giving. "My faith looks up to Thee," and not to the wisdom of mortal philosophers for spiritual advice. Years ago, with my body racked and torn by a killing disease, I put my faith in men. In their wisdom they said I could not live. I believed them for a time and then I turned to my Maker in faith and was healed. "Go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole," was said to me just as surely as it was said to the blind Bartimaeus. "O ye of little faith." Thursday, March 3, 1955 With newspapers, radio, and television headlining threats of war, mankind is troubled and confused. It is natural that our last troubled thoughts before falling asleep at night are about another world war that seems unavoidable, and our first thoughts on awakening in the morning are of the same danger. Before this is published, we could be in the midst of another horrible war. Yet, to those who trust in the Bible; we know its divine history and the purport of its teachings, there come comforting thoughts, despite the fact that more and more wars may come. While the Bible warns us that there will be wars and rumors of wars, this will not always be, because the same Bible promises us there will be an Armageddon. All the battles of the past have been fought between two or more nations. And no one living will say that there has not been evil in everyone of these nations; and when evil men fight to kill, it is not war, it is mass murder. Therefore, when this last battle is fought, it will not necessarily be between nations, if any evil exist in them. No, this great battle is not to be wholly fought between the powers of good and evil. Of course, the powers of good will conquer, and wars will be no more. After that battle, then, indeed, will men "beat their swords into plough shares, and their spears into pruning hooks" forever. While even the rumor of war brings disquieting and troubled thoughts, the specter of the war should bring us comfort, for the reason that the closer we are to Armageddon, the closer we are to God for the Bible tells us that it will be "the great day of God." It should also be a comforting thought when we look about us and see the "power of good" has been gradually growing stronger since the beginning. The New Testament is less than two thousand years old, yet nations have not constantly lived and died by the sword as they did under the Old Testament. We look about us in intervals of peace and see so much good and love and mercy that we almost forget that man is born in sin. Just one illustration to prove that the forces of the "power of good" are increasing: Just a few years go, our mentally sick were treated as criminals, and Christians made their last stand in catacombs. Let us keep our Bible open on our knee and take heart; let us be comforted even in the midst of war with the thought that one will some day bring "the great day of God!" . . . not the "great day" of some king or dictator. Thursday, March 10, 1955 In a former article, I stated that Happiness is a condition everyone strives to achieve. Many different roads are traveled in life with the hope and belief that each of them leads to Happiness. Of course, there is only one direct road to any destination, regardless of the fact that other roads may branch out along the way. My experience has shown me that there are no "short-cuts" or detours on the direct road to Happiness. From an old school reader, long since discarded, I learned that Happiness does not come entirely from the condition of our worldly surroundings. I think the verse below worth repeating in this connection: "Tis not in titles nor in rank, I have a degree of happiness that I would not exchange for all the wealth, titles and fame on earth. Since actual experience furnishes true facts, I give you mine for what it may be worth. The following very simple illustration might put someone on the road to Happiness. Regrdless of what we may think, when we deposit money in a bank at interest, we give that money to the bank - we have no more to do with it - it is out of our hands and control altogether. As long as the bank invests that money and pays us interest. Of course, we may withdraw our money and cease to give, but then the interest stops. The more we deposit (give) the more interest we receive. My experience in life has taught me that the only way to have happiness is to give happiness to others. We can give happiness in many ways that will bring us interest, as money given for stocks, bonds, and bank deposits bring us more money. When we cease to give Happiness - cease to invest in the "bonds" of humanity, that have for their motto, "Whatsoever ye would that men do to you, do ye even so to them" - the interest ceases. The greatest wage paid to man on earth by God is paid in happiness; and that wage is paid for the delightful work of making other people happy. No one can be happy in the midst of unhappy people. We must contribute our share to alleviate that unhappiness before we can be happy. Thursday, March 17, 1955 It was an old philosopher who knew the facts of life, who said: "Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax." You have seen the truth of that statement demonstrated in many walks of life - so have I. I have seen politeness melt down the most obstinate and unreasonable stubbornness. I have seen courtesy and politeness pay off in business transactions where bargaining sometimes failed. I have seen the smiles of courtesy and politeness melt the ice of unfriendly reserve into warm friendship, which no logic and argument could have won. In my early school days, I was instructed by a teacher whom I accepted only as such - just a teacher. But, in looking back in reappraisal of the talents of this man, I now conclude he had some of the wisdom of Solomon. I suppose that almost every school has had its bully - a physically strong person who imposes upon weaker students to prove bravery, although he is a coward at heart. This school was no exception. Let's call our over-grown bully "Bill." Bill was a morose and belligerent individual who lorded it over the rest of the school. He kept the playground in such a turmoil that his actions constantly had the attention of the teacher. Every other student wished to see Bill disgraced for bullying weaker playmates, but he did it with a sort of deference, a politeness that one would expect of a guardian dealing with a prince. While the actions of the teacher infuriated the rest of the boys, in a short time it was noticed that a change for the better was taking place in Bill; and, in few short weeks, he was "one of the boys," obeying every rule of the teacher. I do not know whether the actions of the teacher would work in all cases. But the teacher evidently knew that had he used physical punishment on Bill, he might have helped to make an outlaw out of him, forever. After seeing the unreasonable stubbornness of Bill melted down, I am sure that old philosopher was right when he said: "Politeness is to human nature what warmth is to wax." In my business and social contacts, I have met some great people who have convinced me of this. That the greatest politeness and courtesy is to be found in great people. Thursday, March 24, 1955 Most philosophers and sages have stated that happiness and peace of mind, are the ultimate goal in life. At least, it cannot be disputed that everyone strives to attain happiness. Many people live all their lives under the mistaken belief that money alone can bring happiness. That I know can be an erroneous idea, from personal experience. I have been comparatively happy and contented in mind all my life, both without the necessary things that money will buy, and with the things that money affords. The path to happiness - or at least to that degree of happiness which is obtainable here on earth - is not hard to find; it is plainly revealed if we know where to look to find it. Some find it the hard way, and some never find it. A story told by a tourist in Switzerland will furnish an illustration. The man was elderly, and had had wide experiences in life. He told me that up to about 1930 he had always been of a restless disposition, and was never satisfied unless activity engaged in business. He had started out very early in life to amass a fortune and had succeeded. He told me that the devotion of this whole time to the making of much money had crowded out many of the charitable urges that were natural in him; and as he looked back over his condition, he realized that the novelty of possessing much money soon wore off, and, although in good health, he was restless and unhappy. Then, he said, the financial crash of 1929 wiped out all his investments, and left him without much more than the meager amount with which had started in business when a very young man. Then a boyhood friend of his came to him, not knowing his financial condition, and asked him for a loan to start a gasoline filling station. He said he gave him a portion of the money he had left and with the remainder, started in business again and again made money. The tourist said, in looking back over his life, the sacrifice he made in helping his boyhood friend on his way to happiness afforded the greatest happiness he had ever known and that now he never failed to consider the condition of a needy brother. The man found the road to happiness, at last, the hard way. Had this man when a boy, listened with understanding and obedience to a Sermon, preached nearly two thousand years ago on a Mountain, he would have found the road to happiness plainly marked - and it does not necessarily have to be paved with gold. Thursday, March 31, 1955 When I tell you that I became a philosopher years ago, I do not mean that I write like the great philosophers whose works will live forever. The fact of the matter is, I had to become a philosopher years ago-that is, work out a philosophy of living my own life-or die. As I mentioned once before in an article, I was afflicted years ago by what the doctors called a killing disease. I was condemned by them to die in a short time. Out of the hands of the doctors who said they could help me no more, I had to arrive at a philosophy that would help me live on or perish. Fortunately I was raised in an extremely Christian home in which the Bible came first and all other books afterward. Being familiar with the basic teachings of the good Books, I turned from men to the Great Physician and was healed. As I am firmly convinced that could happen to anyone in a like condition, I think is worth repeating. But, what I wish to stress today, is three points in my philosophy of living, based on the Bible's teachings which healed me. My code of living is very simple. Most of it could be contained wholly in this: To allow no man or woman to be more unselfish and generous toward me than I am toward them. Which, of course, is a form of the Golden Rule. In my life work, from the grueling treadmill of the hardest labor on up to a business office, I have become acquainted with people in all walks of life. Therefore, I have no illusions about humanity. I know humanity's proneness to sin, and the weaknesses that cause us sometimes to make great mistakes. But, I also know that in all walks of life, from the highest to the lowest, there exists a great generosity and a grand nobility. Therefore, I know from personal experience that when bread is cast on this sea of humanity it comes back many fold from the generous and noble. Another point, although it may not seem so important, is to keep my sense of humor - to be able to even laugh at myself. If you can laugh at yourself, you will never become a "stuffed shirt." Wars and dictators will last on and on until people learn to laugh at them. Villains thrive on hatred, but disappear like mold from a cellar under the sunshine of laughter. I am told in Genesis of the Bible that, "God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." Thursday, April 7, 1955 In looking back to the days of our youth, all of us who have lived a number of years, are more than ever convinced that time does really change everything. As these articles are about the so-called "little things in life," which are rarely discussed by others, I would like you to go back with me to my school days and consider briefly one of the so-called "little things." Yes, a "little thing" not worthy of discussion in print by modern writers, yet a "little thing" that can take all the happiness out of life - a "little thing " called Envy. As proof that time really does change everything, I look back at my attitude toward the most envious pupil in the school I attended. My attitude was one of extreme dislike for that envious pupil. Time has changed that dislike to pity. Why? I consider Envy an all-consuming disease - and one should have pity for the afflicted. If my envious school mate saw another with an apple larger than his, I actually believe that it took some of the savor and enjoyment out of his apple, that he did not enjoy hearing it for the reason that his classmate had a larger one. If my envious school mate saw another, who, by dint of hard study and close application, forged to the head of the class, it did not spur him to harder study, it did not arouse in him the desire for friendly competition; it did not make him wish to strive for the head of the class. He returned in sulky envy, which caused him to whisper untruths about the successful students. Yes, there is some excuse for the passion of hate (we should hate evil); but there is never any justification for Envy. It is a disease that the patient allows to grow until it becomes chronic and incurable, and, being a disease, the victim is more to be pitied than censured. It is not one thing under the sun other than envy that causes Russia to hate our national success. The leaders of the Kremlin simply cannot bear to see another nation with a "larger apple" than theirs. The disease of envy will not allow them to compete for "head of the class," by using the methods that have made others great and successful. Envy tells them they must "whisper untruths" in an effort to destroy the success of others. Among the passions that destroy, envy, that fosters bigotry and useless hates, is the man-hunting tiger of them all. Thursday, April 14, 1955 As I have stated before, I have but one objective in writing these articles. That aim is that I may be of some help to others, especially to those starting in life - and an early start on the right road of life is of prime importance. No man is entirely free on earth. We are born with responsibilities required of us by our Creator; and, no matter, how long or short our stay maybe on earth, our whole life is required in the discharge of these responsibilities. But physical, intellectual and personal freedom allowed by governments made by man, is another thing. Therefore, as I grow older in years and experience, I grow more thankful for the privilege of living in a country which allows more freedom to the individual than any other country, past or present, on earth. That experience has also taught me that the more freedom the individual enjoys under government the more responsibility he must assume in maintaining that freedom. That condition is what made a very great man say, "The price of liberty is eternal vigilance." Almost any school boy can repeat what that great sage and patriot, Benjamin Franklin, told the framers of the Declaration of Independence, that brought quick action. The southern element wished it worded to suit the South; the West had other ideas; and the East had its version. They fought and argued bitterly, until it seemed that they could come to no decision. But, when Franklin reminded them that "We must all hang together, or we will hang separately," the declaration took form as if by magic. That witty but true statement by Franklin applies to conditions today as much it did when the Colonists' necks wee threatened by the noose. My experience has taught me that if we allow ourselves to become self-centered, with our selfish desires alone dominating all we do, we will contribute nothing to insure our continued freedom, and leave unpaid the obligation we owe our Creator. The price of our freedom paid by our forefathers was not paid for the benefit of one man, or group of men, but for all Americans. Therefore, each individual is obligated to contribute to "the price of freedom," in order that this country continue as it was originally "founded under God." Unless we "hang together" on that, we will, in time, lose our Freedom forever. These are simple statements, as I intended them; but if followed by all young people starting in life, they will be on the right road, which is more than half the journey. Thursday, April 21, 1955 With the ungodly hands of infidel dictators reaching to free lands, we are apt to think of Liberty as freedom from Communist chains and shackles alone. While slavery under Communism makes men who have fully tasted Liberty prefer death to it, yet there are worse conditions than physical slavery. The kind of slavery I have in mind is the lack of the will to be free under any physical conditions. I can illustrate what I mean by a brief biographical sketch of a slave who enjoyed a freedom that few so-called freemen never possessed. With the war seething between the States, a Negro baby was born to a slave-parents. While this baby nursed from the breast by a slave-mother, it enjoyed a liberty from its Creator that the bonds of men could never confine. Its Creator gave it the will to be free under any physical conditions. I have carefully read all that has been written about this Negro lad, who was to become the greatest agricultural chemist the world has ever known, and nowhere do I find one word of complaint from him about his social or political condition, or that of his parents. He was born with a liberty, that men are not privileged to bestow, or take away. After this Negro boy grew into manhood, he could not afford the laboratory of a Luther Burbank - but he made one. From above, he was granted the liberty to perform miracles in that laboratory. The materials he used in the performance of these miracles were ordinary cast-off sweet potato peels, the hulls from peanuts, and worn waste lands of his Southland. From his magic hands appeared many un-dreamed of and useful products from cotton wastes. He made the ordinary soybean reveal products until then hidden from mankind. He taught the planters of the economy of the South soil improvement and crop diversity that improved the economy of the South, and brought them a wealth that slave labor had never brought them. This was George Washington Carver, born in the poverty of slave bondage, but who could no more be a slave than Benjamin Franklin or Thomas E. Edison. He willed to be free under any physical condition - a liberty from above, that cannot be restrained by chains and shackles made by man. When all men, like George Washington Carver, decide to become benefactors instead of masters of mankind, they will then become free in mind. In the midst of such freedom of the mind, all dictators die. It was a very wise man who said, "Man's mind and not his master make him a slave." Thursday, April 28, 1955 One of the most truth-revealing and therefore gratifying and satisfying articles I have read in years, appeared in the April 5th issue of LOOK magazine. The article was written by Dr. Warren Weaver, who is accepted as one of the world's greatest scientists. The title of the article is "Can a Scientist Believe in God?" Before I state my conclusions about the article, I want to say that I think all will agree that it has been the accepted belief that scientists, because they deal with proven facts, have, as a rule, show a skepticism in a belief in God. It was thought that because God had not been found in the realm of their mathematics, in the vision of their telescopes and microscopes, or in the evidence of their test tubes, that some scientists dismissed Him as a myth. This great scientist has shown by this article that the public's view of the belief of the scientists about God is entirely wrong, and that scientists - or at least Dr. Weaver personally - have come nearer seeing the hand of God working than we who accept Him only through faith and belief. To use a common every-day illustration: we who are not versed in the facts of science, are like those who hear a beautiful voice over the radio. We do not se the singer; yet, through faith and belief, we know that the singer exists, and sings to us. Through that faith and belief we know that God exists. Every time we hear His voice in the music of the stream, in the laughter of a little child and in the song of a bird, we know that God exits. We do not need the scientist's mathematics and his test tubes. We know that he exists. On the other hand, the scientist does not rely wholly on faith and belief in the unseen. He must satisfy the eye as well as the ear. And, according to this great scientist's story, he has seen the very hand of God at work through the electron, the atom, and the planetary systems. He has better real evidence of the existence of God, than those who know by faith and belief. To complete the illustration, we, of the unscientific mind need only to hear the voice over radio to know the singer exists, while the scientist must hear the Voice and see the Hand - over television. Only "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God." And, in this article, the scientist provides, above all men, that he is no fool. All "ye of little faith" should read this article in LOOK. Thursday, May 5, 1955 Did you ever stop to think what a marvelous, sensible thing friendly Co-operation is? Cooperation greases the wheels of progress; It helps us attain our goals, it engenders friendly human relationships. The evils resulting from the lack of cooperation may be seen in the following true incident which occurred in New York City some years ago. Close to the ever expanding business district, a large and valuable lot had on it an old dilapidated tenement building, almost in the last stages of decay, an eye-sore to the business district. A business firm purchased the lot, razed the old building, and commenced preparation for the erection of a large business building. The surveyors moved in, ran their lines and established the legal boundary of the lot. When the surveying was finished, it was found that an adjoining building encroached one and one-half inches over the property line. The people who owned the building were notified of the facts of the case. They immediately opened negotiations, and acknowledged the unintentional inch-and-a-half trespass. They offered any reasonable amount of money, and everything else thought of, in exchange for the inch-and-a-half of land that the building rested on. All offers were rejected, with the contention that all of the lot was needed for the erection of the proposed building. In their greed, the owners of the new building had over looked the fact that American brick is 3 3/4 inches wide. In this case, it is easily seen what a little Co-operation would have accomplished. Cooperation is but another name for agreement; and without agreement, homes fall apart, communities do not progress, and nations fall prey to Death through wars, which should cause them to say (as the ungodly said in Isaiah) "We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement." Thursday, May 12, 1955 I have never visited the prison on the lonely island of Alcatraz, yet I can easily imagine the feeling of utter helplessness of the inmates. Here ambition may not be dead, but it brings no more to the progress of the inmate than a tree adds to its growth while frozen in the ice of winter. It seems to me that to be alive, yet dead to the world for a whole lifetime, is the most horrible punishment devised by man. While I have never seen this penitentiary, I have known a few people, intimately, who lived all their lives in another kind of prison from which they could not escape and which held them as securely as locks, iron bars, and vigilant guards with guns. They, themselves, have built their own dungeons, cells and bars out of things different from those built out of iron and concrete in Alcatraz. Ambition may not be dead in these people, but they are behind bars of fear which keep them from making no more self-progress than the prisoners of Alcatraz. There is a certain vicious courage, an ungovernable boldness, in the prisoners of Alcatraz who have committed armed robbery; there is nothing but cowardice in the man who does not break the chains of fear. I am sorry if this statement seems unkind, but facts will verify it. Of course, I need not explain that I do not have in mind the fear that warns us of obvious danger, sin and evil. I have in mind only the fear that is a phantom. This fear makes the wide open world a prison yard for its victims, who march in lock-step through life with those who "dream-not!" It kills initiative and self-expression to the extent that its victims are never seen in the van of progress - they are prisoners in their own mental Alcatraz. I have seen this phantom fear in the eyes and expression of good people in the congregations of religious church service who were afraid to acknowledge Him, and testify before men, on account of the irreligious laughter of the scoffer and scorner. Is there a key that will release these prisoners from their own mental Alcatraz? There is one, and, just one - Christianity. Whether saint of sinner, all-everyone-will agree that there is no fear in the mind of those who implicitly believe in and practice Christianity - not even in the minds and souls of those thrown to the lions. Thursday, May 19, 1955 I seldom mention politics in this column. Yet, once in a while certain statements of occurrences that could affect the whole Republic, and every individual in it, have been discussed. Such statements, it appears to me, have been made in the April number of the Reader's Digest by Adlai Stevenson, who apparently aspires to be President of our nation. His statements should be called to the attention of all citizens. While I refrain from making over critical or over negative statements in this column, I must say that the article by Stevenson appears to me to be a class of pessimism, an argument for the acceptance of defeat without fighting. This is wholly contrary to the American attitude which has brought us victories and progress. If we are going to lose our individuality as a nation, and assume the role of world leadership (as the writer of the article assumes that we have, or must do, without stating why) we certainly should not assume such a role, it seems to me, without having confidence that we can do the job. Yet Stevenson says: "The first step in learning our new role in world affairs is not one which can be taken by the State Department. It has to be taken by individual Americans. It involves a conscious acceptance of Christian humility - a recognition that we are never going to solve many of the world's hard problems, but will have to learn to live with them for years, maybe centuries." The writer acknowledges that we have never known defeat. (He had to, after two of his party's world wars, and such things as building the Panama Canal after a European nation had failed.) But he now predicts failure (after courting it) after acknowledging that we were never defeated, when he says: "The difficult we do immediately; the impossible takes a little longer. Just pour in enough man-power, money and bulldozers, and we can lick it." That habit of mind, he acknowledges, has won for us. But he continues: "As long as this habit of mind persists, we shall never be able to face our problems realistically. Our first job, it seems to me, is to school ourselves in cold-eyed humility; to recognize that our wisdom is imperfect, our capabilities limited." What would have happened if Washington had acknowledged that weakness to his army at Valley Forge? What would have happened if Patrick Henry had added it to his "Give me liberty or give me death" speech? What would have happened to our America if it had subscribed to such pessimism and defeatism, instead of hitching its wagon to a star, and having for its motto, ""Let us do or die?" Thursday, May 26, 1955 I would like to discuss a subject which many people ignore, that of a valuable quality which should be cultivated by everyone, for the reason, that it is the father of all inventions, and everything new from the hands of man. And, without being boastful, I can say I might possess little of it for the very reason that I dare to discuss it - the subject of Originality. A man saw a railroad brakeman on top of a moving freight train, tightening the brakes on the cars with a pick-handle. It was winter, and in addition to the hardships imposed upon the brakemen, there were wrecks from the crude operation on the steep grades in the hills around Pittsburgh. The man began to think, and out of the originality of his thinking, the air brake, the reversible railway frog, and signal devices were invented, which cut railway accidents to a minimum. In addition to contributing to the safety of people and property, the inventions made George Westinghouse a rich manufacturer. He dared to step out of the beaten path, and tread one of his own - he had Originality, and cultivated it. An Army surgeon practiced his profession in a climate where Yellow Fever left thousands dead in the wake of its ravages. Instead of being satisfied with the salary the Army paid him, he began to conduct original experiments with the view of killing the deadly germ. He took the results of his original experiments to Washington with the plea that they be tried in the fever-belt. He was placed at the head of a commission for the study of the fatal disease, and today only the name of Yellow Fever exists. The results from the original ideas of the man destroyed the germs of man's No. 1 killer in warm climates. The largest medical center and army hospital stands as a monument to Walter Reed, the man whose original ideas killed Yellow Fever. A poor boy began to develop original ideas. He said, "If you sell enough articles at a nickel you will make as much profit as the man who sells skyscrapers." He was laughed at, and told he would go broke; and that they wouldn't give him a "nickel" for his original idea. The F. W. Woolworth Stores paid off in multi-millions, all from the original "nickel" idea. If we do not develop Originality to the extent that something new and different is brought into the world, and into our lives, our course in life has been already made for us - we must follow the beaten paths made by others. Thursday, June 2, 1955 There is no such thing on this earth as complete security. Neither money nor health - or the possession of both - can bring it. Almost everyone knows that money, that is, gold, is not valuable as steel or aluminum, when put to use as a metal. Gold, the standard of our money, represents a worth, a value, day of sweat, a night of toll, a mental effort. These cannot be laid away in a bank for future use as the gold, or its equivalent that represents it, may be banked. About everyone also knows that the main incentive for making money and banking it, is that of the inevitable advance of old age, when we may become helpless and unable to earn. That incentive springs from the dread of helpless dependence in extreme old age - and it is a worthy incentive. But there is something else of greater importance. Another important thing that all of us who have passed the meridian of life know, is that the accumulation of our acts in life may be compared to a bank account. All of those in the afternoon of their lives know that in the exuberant days of youth, under the heat of prodding ambition, the young are too busy with youthful activities to ask the bank of memory for an accounting. The young man knows not whether he is becoming rich or poor. Unlike the bank that sends him a periodical statement of his account, he does not search memory for a statement. But as old age advances, after the heat of active youth has cooled; after the finger of ambition points away from earthly things; after we have begun to think of the final accounting - then we naturally turn to the bank of memory for an accounting. It is then that we find an accumulation of interest that will be paid in chagrin, remorse and regret, or in well-earned pleasure and contentment. This article has nothing to do with the merit or demerit of making money; it is mentioned only for purposes of illustration. In regard to money, it has been truthfully said that "You cannot take it with you." But we will take with us the record of the acts of our lives, recorded in the bank of memory, for final accounting. These can make a poor man very rich, or a rich man very poor indeed. Thursday, June 9, 1955 My early schooling did little to familiarize me with great writing and authors, and my busy life since then has permitted regrettably little time for increasing that familiarity. However, I do remember, as well as any man who has lived under the conditions I have lived under, those things which I have either read or heard from the great masters of literature. Among the things remembered, which have influenced my outlook on life is a quotation from a writer who could hardly be said to have enjoyed the most favorable of life's conditions, yet who still declared he found "Books in running brooks, sermons in stones and good in everything." That is a wonderful and desirable attitude toward life; and, if we have it, we will come to know that the world is growing better and better, despite the fact that sin and wars are still a part of it. I think the following will illustrate the outlook of those who do not see "good in everything." In the recent developments that science has made with the atom, these people see only the material atom bomb - they see only an evil, material weapon, that has already destroyed people and wrecked cities, as the only result of the progress of science. On the other hand, the people who "see good in everything," have confidence that some day it will cease to be a weapon, and prove to be a power sent by God to aid struggling man and reward him for his prayers, in recognition of Him. Science, which, only a few years ago, we used to associate with everything evil, is becoming religious, and has, too, this grand outlook on life. Proof of this, I quote from a current issue of the Reader's Digest: "The late Dr. Charles Steinmetz, one of the world's greatest scientists, was once asked what line of research would see the greatest ultimate development. He replied: "The greatest discoveries will be made along spiritual lines. Some day people will learn that material things do not bring happiness and are of little use in making men and women creative and powerful. Then the scientists of the world will turn their laboratories to the study of God and prayer. When that day comes, the world will see more advancement in one generation than it has in the last four.'" Yes, there is "good in every thing." And we will see it, unless the evil in us blinds our vision." Thursday, June 16, 1955 Men of my profession have the important privilege of knowing men in all walks of life, from the greatest industrialist to the laborer who cleans the factory floors. While our economic system, functioning as it does, requires that a profit be made by the business, many think that profit goes to the business man alone. Therefore, one of the greatest misunderstandings existing in this country today is that between the man who builds and operates factories of various kinds and those who work in the factories. I regret to state that one of the major causes of that misunderstanding has been brought about by so-called labor leaders. In any enterprise or organization, teamwork is of paramount importance, if progress is made. That applies to church organizations, baseball, or General Motors. If a business makes progress, the man who sweeps the floors must work in the interest of the head of the firm, and the head must consider the interest of the man with the broom. If that cooperation exists, you have teamwork and the rest depends upon the application and ability of all. Now, may I illustrate with the life work of the late Henry Ford, whose name I used once before in another connection. I began with the statement that Henry Ford left the results of his life's work to function on for thousands, after he died. Henry Ford did not buy as many fine clothes as the average auditor or floor-manager of a large department store. His food was of the simplest fare. He was seldom away from the din of the factory that had his undivided attention. Henry Ford - and all other great industrialists for that matter - knew that the industrial empire he was building would grow as a result of the complete teamwork of all. To insure this teamwork, he knew all the team had to share in the profits. Therefore, he voluntarily raised the pay of his workers, far beyond the demands of the most rabid leaders who live off of labor. He established the best employee profit-sharing plan ever devised. When he died in 1947, in a modest room, lighted by an old-fashioned kerosene lamp; it could be said that he had taken no more out of the money he earned for his personal use than one of his foremen. He left his business to work for others, yet unborn. Henry Ford knew the value of teamwork and strove for it, as do all successful industrialists. Thursday, June 23, 1955 When I wish to purchase first class merchandise, I never go to a second-hand store or a "bargain" basement filled with "shopworn" goods. America, which has become unique on account of its phenomenal growth, owes its success more or less, to the sound operation of both big and small business concerns. So these sound concerns, to continue in growth through the years, must, due to competition, market superior articles, which they cannot afford to sell at second-hand or bargain basement "prices." Therefore it is considered, making the old American maxim true - "You get what you pay for," which may be bad English, but a good rule. For the same reason, during my entire career as a business industrialist, I have made it a rule never to go to the "second-hand stores," or "bargain-basements," for the services of men in the various corporations I represent, especially for the services of men required in important key positions. I have found that there is no such thing as a "bargain" in employing the services of men - "You get what you pay for." Usually the sound concerns mentioned above, reward a man in proportion to services rendered. So, if a man jumps from firm to firm with the hope of quick advancement, he is "second-hand." And, if he comes to me, self-advertised without present employment, the thought occurs to me: "When merchandise does not 'move,' it is placed on a "bargain counter" - and there is no such thing as a bargain when superior quality is considered." Keen competition in American business and industry has encouraged an ever-widening group of specialists in various fields. A man cannot be a "jack-of-all-trades" and a master of one. He must confine his best efforts to a particular line of business, stick to it and grow up with it; then, if he be successful, he becomes an expert, a specialist. For that reason, instead of shopping at the "second-hand" markets and "bargain" offerings, I have selected men suitable, even from the lowest ranks of my employees, and advanced them as their services deserved, until key positions have been filled with specialists in the business they grew up with. In addition to establishing the most amicable relations with all my employees, they, by being specialists, helped me take 14 of my corporations through one of the worst depressions in the history of America, without a single failure. None of these men had jumped from pillar to post and thus became second-hand, available at "bargain-basement" salaries in proportion to their worth. Thursday, June 30, 1955 This is not a sermon. It is merely a statement of the reactions I have experienced in attempting to do some good in life. While we probably feel closer to God in a church than elsewhere, the warmth of His presence may be felt in the most unsuspected places, and on the most routine everyday occasions if our work is in harmony with God's laws. I firmly believe that we may refrain from committing sin, doing evil, constantly attend all church services in prayer, and still not be a whole Christian. There is something more important we must do constantly - the things Christ did while on earth - we must perform Christ-like acts, do some good at all times, no matter where we may be. We cannot discharge our obligations to a creator with one-hour-a-week Sunday church attendance. Being a full Christian is not only a one-hour Sunday church requirement, but an every-day, every-hour job, seven days a week - and it requires work, as Saint Paul worked. I remember an article in my old school reader, under the truthful heading - "No Excellence Without Great Labor." So I refer to the important business of being a full Christian as a "job," which requires constant application and labor. As proof of that fact, I now ask you: do you know of anyone who labored harder than Christ during the short time He was here on earth? One of the most perfect Christians of the Bible became perfect because, as he tells us in I Corinthians, "I labored more abundantly than they all." To return to my subject; Christ was to be found in the most unusual, unsuspecting places - among sinners, the poor and afflicted (something new in His day), at prayer, on a mountain, walking on the waves of a sea, with a sinful woman at a well. So, I believe the invisible presence of our Creator may be actually felt in every good deed we do, whether we be at the sea shore, on a mountain, in a business office or at church. One illustration will show how I believe we are rewarded right here on earth for these daily good deeds. You take a discouraged neighbor by the hand. He has been baffled and frustrated by the rebuffs of misfortune. He needs your help. You give him bread, and use your best persuasion, your best words and efforts to help on the way - and when you give your best efforts, you are working, laboring. Naturally, you feel a sense of satisfaction from the good you have accomplished. Does that satisfaction come from the egotistical thought that you possess great Christian virtue? No. I believe that a warmth of satisfaction is felt from every good deed we do, whether on the streets of sin, or where two or three are gathered together in His name - because, in doing good deeds, we have stepped a little closer to His invisible hand. When our whole life is full of this warm satisfaction, then we are giving all our time to the job of being a full-time Christian - and there can be no such thing as part-time Christianity. When you are not serving God you are serving Mammon. Being a full-time Christian is a never-ceasing job; but, remember, "God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love." Thursday, July 7, 1955 To accuse those who never had the opportunity of acquiring a college degree, or even a high school education, of being ignorant is, most times, wholly wrong. Ignorance, like most other things, is where you find it. My dictionary tells me that anyone is ignorant who is without general knowledge about any particular thing. A "particular thing" is what most people spend their lives in doing. Therefore, some of the most illustrious men and women of history may be accused of ignorance, while some of the so-called "lowly people" - the laborer, the housewife, the farmer, etc. - have lived happy lives, indicating great knowledge. Certainly Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin showed ignorance in the "particular thing they were interested in - that of conquering the world. They had plenty of knowledge from history to show that a military machine, such as they attempted to build and use, had always failed. Ambition, running riot, made them ignorant of facts. Like men crazed from drugs or drink, they rushed on and on, to certain destruction, leaving hundreds of thousands dead in their wake. One ended up on a lonely island, almost insane from his reflections on the mistakes he had made; another committed suicide; and the fate that overtook Stalin may never be known. These men showed an ignorance of the particular things" in which they were interested, and in which they spent their lives. They were ignorant of the very laws of life and living and, there, I doubt if one of them, or their kind, ever spent a day of real happiness in their business of killing. By these standards then, let's see who really is ignorant. The Golden Rule, that has made hundreds of so-called "lowly people," whom I have known, supremely happy, was not a rule of Napoleon, Hitler, and Stalin. As a result of living by the Golden Rule, the grand and glorious charity that I have seen make lovely the life of many a mother, does not show Ignorance. The priceless integrity that I have found in the so-called lowly workman, farmer and teacher, does not come from the Ignorance. The priceless integrity that I have found in the so-called lowly work man, farmer, and teacher, does not come from the Ignorance that causes men to die outcasts on lonesome islands, commit suicide, or be strangled in their own beds, as may have happened to Stalin. No one but the most Ignorant will deny that supreme happiness comes only to those who live by the Golden Rule, all others are "alienated from the life of God through the Ignorance that is in them," says the New Testament. Thursday, July 14, 1955 In looking back, it seems strange how little incidents of childhood teach important lessons thAt last through life. When a very small boy, I had the job of taking care of the family milk cow. She was my sole charge. Usually she was an obedient old cow, and would graze quietly without too much watching in the river-bottom meadow, where the pasture was best. But she had other moods at times, that would cause her to jump the brush or rail fence and take off to forbidden pastures. There she would remain until found, and when being driven back, she would toss her head from side to side and ring the cowbell in a great clatter, as if mad and disgusted with defeat. One evening at late milking time she was nowhere to be seen. She had eluded my usually watchful eye. My older brother and I were sent to find her. We searched through the thickets and woods until darkness descended upon us, without hearing a tinkle of her tell-tale bell. It was not long until clumps of bushes and dead stumps seemed to move as they turned into imagined ghosts and dangerous animals.. The usual night sounds seemed to become louder and louder as they took on a threatening tone. We entered a large grove of trees in our search. In this woods, it was so pitch-dark that the sudden hoot of an owl sent by brother scurrying home in great haste. I do not blame him, we were both equally scared, and I was tempted to follow him, but didn't. Left alone in my search, I attempted to whistle back my courage; and looking back now, I realize that it took courage for a boy of my age to search a dark woods alone. I was on the verge of crying, but I clambered on over briers and fallen limbs - I was determined not to go back without the cow. Suddenly I stumbled upon the cow's hiding spot, where she stood motionless, to keep from warning me with her bell. When she saw me, she started for home with me following. I have never forgotten my experience in the dark woods when a child. Whether my victory came from stubborness or bravery, the memory of it has helped me over seemingly insurmountaable handicaps, when life seemed as dark as the woods that failed to blind the way to my first great victory in life - and probably the most important. This has been a simple story about a boy and a cow but how about the lesson learned from the victory won? The story of any child learning to walk is, too, a very simple story. But without that the first victory, no man has ever won a race in life. Thursday, July 21, 1955 On the dividing line, atop our target mountain range, the slightest breeze during a rainfall sends a drop of water on its way either toward the Pacific Ocean or toward the Mississippi Basin. That rain drop under the influence of an element of weather that decided its course on earth, seems like a trivial thing hardly worth mentioning. Maybe so, but I think it takes on importance when used as an illustration of the seemingly trivial things that can change the course of our lives. One word of good or bad advice to young people starting in life may seem like a small thing, too. Yet experience has taught me that it may change the whole course of their lives. Believing that to be true has caused what I write to young people in this column, or what I say in personal contact with them, to become a great responsibility to me. That is as it should be, when we consider that young people starting on a career in life have little to guide them except from the experience of older people. The full force of that responsibility was brought home to me a short time ago. It was on the occasion when I had the honor of delivering the address to the graduating class of Wesley Junior College at Dover, Delaware. Just before being introduced to these young people, the thought occurred o me that I had the fearful responsibility of giving the last word of advice to them, that might decide their future course in life. Like the rain drop, under the control or influences that might send it down one slope or the other of the Continental Divide, my advice could start them on the right or wrong path of life. While being introduced, I silently prayed that aid might be given me from Above to help start these young people who had reached the "Great Divide in life," on the right road. Before I arose to speak, I knew my prayer had been answered by a passage of scripture being recalled to my mind, which told me, "The words that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak." Sincere prayer always brings us the right decisions; and mine was made. My decisions caused me to depart somewhat from the notes I had prepared, and based my talk strictly along Christian lines, mostly from my own experiences as a Christian. I shall never know whether my word stated any of these young people in the right direction, who were now at the "Great Divide in life" but this I know: I was happy in the thought that I had discharged one of the greatest responsibilities of my life to the best of my ability with help from Above. Thursday, August 4, 1955 I suppose that every man who has been successful in life looks back on the method he employed in reaching his goal. That is only a supposition, but this I know to be true: The world may look upon a man as a successful doctor, a great lawyer, or business man, but there is just one man who knows whether or not that man has been wholly successful, and that is the man himself, and no one else, except his Maker. If the so-called successful man looks back on the method employed in dealing with his fellowmen, and the reflection brings him unhappiness, regret and discontentment - even though the world thinks him successful - he has been a failure. On the other hand, if the man whom people call successful, looks back on his dealings with his fellowmen, and that memory brings him contentment, peace and happiness, that man has, consciously or subconsciously, followed the Golden Rule of the Bible, and has won a full measure of success. This man is bound to be generous, liberal and brotherly in relation to his fellowmen. He will have a desire to help others, which cannot be restrained. Let us go back to the life of Benjamin Franklin, and use the only measurements we have to judge whether or not he was a successful man. Did he become successful alone as a result of his great scientific discoveries? I am sure that is not true. Did he become successful by reason of the fact that he was a great diplomat? No, we cannot measure success by that alone. What proof did he have, then which substantiates he was successful in the widest measurement of the term? Franklin left one conclusive proof: When we look at the imperishable writings of this great American, it is plain to be seen that about everything he wrote was in the form of advice to people, especially to young people starting life. He had that insatiable desire to help others, which could not be restrained. When we read the writings of Franklin, it is also plain to be seen from his inspired sayings that he must have been in a state of happiness in helping others - and a constant condition of happiness is a true measurement of Success. Franklin's writings prove: that to withhold advice and Information acquired from personal experience which might bring happiness to people starting in life, is no proof of modesty, but of extreme selfishness. Franklin proved that real Success comes in constantly trying to make others successful; and, that constant effort turns us into active Christians, which is worth more than all the gold in the world. Thursday, August 11, 1955 In looking back now over the years, I am convinced that no circus has the lure today that the blacksmith shop, in a nearby community where I lived, had for me when a boy. I remember the blacksmith - a large, muscular man who seemed a giant to my childish imagination. He would sometimes hum a tune or whistle at his work, in which he appeared to be happy at all times. He would wipe the perspiration from his face with his left forearm while he pumped the bellows with his right hand, until the coals in the furnace glowed with a blue-white light, which had greater charm for me then than the klieg lights of Hollywood have for me today. He knew when the time was ripe to strike as he reached for his long tongs and quickly transferred a piece of shapeless iron, glowing in white-heat from the furnace to the anvil. Then he would cease to hum or whistle while he feverishly hammered away at the hot iron with great and rapid blows. I stood at a safe distance away and watched the burning sparks fly in all directions. This display, I watched with an interest that brought childish delight, which the most brilliant holiday fireworks do not bring today. The sound of the hammer on the anvil was a music then, sweeter to me than is grand opera today. The operation of heating and hammering continued until the shapeless iron took on the form of a useful tool, which the smith finally brought to the right temper, as it "sizzled" in the brackish water in the tub made from the half of an oil barrel. Anything the blacksmith did had great charm for any boy. But what is more important now, is that the last light tap that finished the mattock, or nailed the shoe on the horse, seemed as important, to the blacksmith as the first, for he abhorred the slipshod. The blacksmith, along with his rough-shod horse and iron-tired buggy, has disappeared from the American scene. But the one I knew, was a perfect artisan for the reason that he did nothing slipshod, left us a homely philosophy which applies today. I saw my old blacksmith friend a short time before he passed on. I asked him what his trade had taught him in life. "Well," he began, "it taught me that no matter what the job, whether it be correcting a child or sharpening a plow point, never do anything with a lick-and-a-promise, for that is one promise that will never be kept. Take as many licks as are necessary or the job is never done. And above all, strike now or never, strike while the iron is hot; it is too late when the iron is cold. Well, that I suppose, is what some people call taking advantage of opportunity. Presidents and plowman, preachers and plumbers, could learn from that lowly blacksmith. Thursday, August 18, 1955 The incidents in connection with my own life which I have used from time to time in my column are all true . . . sometimes embarrassingly so. In recounting them, I feel that the reader stands to gain more through an honest recital of actual experiences than an effort to persuade him by means or theory. In a court of evidence, where the life of an accused person or his freedom is at stake, hearsay evidence or personal opinions of witnesses, are not accepted by the court. Only evidence seen or heard by the witness is accepted, and anything else is merely hearsay, and worth no more than idle imaginings of groundless gossip. I am convinced that applies in all walks of everyday life. I believe young people will be convinced and influenced by the voice of experience much quicker than by mere opinions, not based on experience. With this explanation, I shall mention further experiences with the hope of helping young people on to success. It has been my opportunity to travel somewhat extensively in other countries. In my travels, I have observedopportunities in other countries are restricted, compared with our country, which is a wide open field of opportunity. In fact, it is more: America is a vast, unlimited and unrestricted training field, where every youth has the privilege of training into a champion. Success in business or the profession hinges upon acceptance of the idea that rigorous training is a "must," and upon the strength of character essential to the pursuit of such training. When a young lad, but a robust and healthy one, I found myself exploring what I have called a "training field." I ventured into one of the toughest parts of it - Pittsburgh, which was tough as iron, and made tougher, then, by a terrible depression. I took the first job at hand, which was porter-clerk in a 6th rate hotel. I had no intention of remaining a porter-clerk, but I started out to be the best one in America, because I was now training for something better." While at this menial task, I filled in spare time by accepting roles in such plays at "The Vanderbilt Cup." I was a ham actor, of course, but I gave it all I had for the reason I was training for a greater role in life. Being large for my age and husky, I accepted challenges from wrestlers. I know no more about "strangleholds," and the like, than a baby. But I proved a tough antagonist, for the reason that everything attempted was attacked with all my might. I knew I was training to develop what wrestlers called a "submission hold," on the obstacles between me and my plans in life. As a result of this early training, I learned that any job half-done, for want of full application and effort is a failure; and every failure leaves us weaker for the next job. So, whether it be sincerity in prayer, energy in play, or effort and application in work, what success I have had in life has come from giving the thing at hand "all I have," which usually proves to be "a submission hold" on most obstacles. Thursday, August 25, 1955 Patience is one of man's greatest virtues . . .perhaps the greatest. When I think of patience I think of such illustrations as these: Patience is the boy Abraham Lincoln. He is sitting on an adze-hewn floor, in front of an open fire at midnight. The lanky boy has a piece of pine board on which he is writing and cyphering with a chunk of charcoal from the fireplace. Tom Lincoln, Abe's father, who had failed in life for the reasons that he had wandered from place to place, awoke and called, "Abe, why don't go to bed?" The result of that boy's patience - a reunited nation: the Gettysburg Address. A crude, but true and simple illustration of Patience and Impatience could be the following: It is dark. Two men pass through a strange land, thick with brier, bramble and thorn. One man travels in the same general direction. He carefully avoids the natural handicaps that beset the path he takes. Of the two men, he travels the shorter distance and ends his journey with fewer wounds. The impatient man has to cover more ground to reach the same destination. He impatiently turns, first to the right and then to the left. In his impatient flight, running hither and yon, he encounters more thistle and thorn, and ends the journey bleeding and wounded. Such, my friends, is the journey through life. One last illustration: Two men read a great book through. The patient man reads slowly without skipping. That gives him time out for thought and meditation on what he has read. The impatient man hurries over the chapters that are not interesting to him. In these chapters are hidden some of the fine gems of thought which the patient man discovered, and the other man missed. In our journey through life we cannot skim-read from the full chapter and know the whole story. May I now turn to my greatest source of information - the Bible - for proof of the reward Patience. "Ye have heard of the patience of Job," (New Testament: James, v. 11) Job was so perfect that the Lord said of him, "there is none like him in the earth." His wealth made him "the greatest of all of the men of the east." It was all taken away and he lay afflicted in a ditch. He had lost all but one thing -= Patience. For that, "The Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the beginning." Yes, Patience might be the greatest virtue that man possesses. Thursday, September 1, 1955 Over a year go, I wrote about the importance of an early fixed plan, to be strictly followed before starting on any career in life. Speaking from experience again, the procedure is of such paramount importance that I consider it worthy of further discussion. To fight a major battle in war, without a plan carefully worked out in detail, would be considered by great generals as foolhardy, to say the least. I know of no battle that was won without carefully thought-out plans to meet every possible movement of an enemy. Stonewall Jackson became one of the greatest generals of the world for the reason that his plans were great and carried out to the letter. Prior to World War II, Field Marshall Rommel, one of the greatest generals of the German Army, came to this country to retrace every movement of Jackson, in an effort to discover his plans and tactics. As it would be foolish to engage in a major battle without plans to follow, it would be equally foolish to engage in the battle of life without plans, to be carefully followed. It is hardly in the realm of reason to even imagine that any one would commence the structure of a giant skyscraper, or a mammoth bridge, without blueprints to bring order to every ounce of energy expended in the structure. So we must form mental blueprints early in life. If we do not, success is left to chance. What success I have attained in life, I owe to the fact that I religiously followed plans formulated in my mind, while still a mere boy. At the age when most boys were in school, I commenced delivering merchandise along muddy and rutted roads, for which I received $10 a month and board. By means of a horse and spring wagon, I worked all day and many times into the night. One day, while delivering goods in the rain, I concluded then and there to make a vital decision in respect to the plans I had formulated previously. I wanted to be a doctor, a lawyer, or a minister - but realized my lack of education closed these fields to me. The only thing left me, with which to work for the good of myself and humanity was to make money. But there was just one thing more - the Important thing: I sought the advice of the Great Architect in forming my plans - and what success I have had, has come from the fact that I have never lost contact with Him. No. 1 Unpublished Article This is a subject many modern writers shun . . .that which concerns the art of conversation. I call it an art because when it is practiced by those intelligent people who have perfected it we can learn more than from the brush of the painter, the hand of the musician, or from the pens of most writers. But because conversation is as common to us s breathing or walking, we sometimes become careless and falter or stumble in our talk, as we might become careless and falter or stumble while on a brisk walk across country. Since I have placed intelligent conversation on a level with the fine arts, you will expect me to prove that statement. Let us begin with Longfellow who said: " A single conversation across the tables with a wise man is better than ten years study of books." While I am aware that conversation can be developed into one of the fine arts, I am afraid a lot of us sometimes forget that good conversation entails more than talking. I am sure that Longfellow would never have learned more by conversing with his wise man than from books if he had not been a "good listener." Conversation between any two intelligent persons requires that each in his turn be a good listener, for by so doing each stands to gain much, both in knowledge and pleasure. Calvin Coolidge's fame rests largely on the fact that he was a good listener. He had much to say, of course, but was wise enough to realize that he learned more by listening than talking. We sometimes attempt to judge someone by appearance, by looks, and are wholly mistaken in our judgement. But we are never wrong in judging people by their conversation. If we would hear words that made conversation the finest of the fine arts, we must turn to the Bible. . . We must hear Christ converse with His Disciples, with Peter, with the woman at the well,. This is why we are told in the New Testament: "Let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ." s it is said that conversation is becoming a lost art, so is the discussion of these subjects of late years. But we learn the most important things in life from them.
'Tis not in wealth like London Bank
That makes us truly blest.
If Happiness have not her seat,
And center in the breast,
We may be wise, or rich, or great,
But never can be blest."