SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1944


Vol. LXIV

January, 1944


New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHING
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.


Sufficient Unto The Day.
     A Sermon on Matthew 6:34
          Hugo Lj. Odhner 1
The Academy, Authority, and Freedom.
     Charter Day Address, 1943
          Bjorn A. H. Boyesen 9
The Preservation of the General Church.
     Address at Charter Day Banquet
          Willard D. Pendleton 19
A Way to Preserve the Church.
     Remarks at Charter Day Banquet
          Harold F. Pitcairn 27
A Study of the Apocalypse.
     A New Work, Briefly Reviewed     
          Frances M. Buell 29
Brought to the Light
     Aaron B. Zungu 32
Editorial Department.
     Church Attendance-An Australian Discussion     34
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     39
     Obituary: William George Bellinger     43
     Laurence Theodore Izzard; Kenneth W. Price     44
Church News     46
Announcements     48


PUBLISHED AT
PRINCE AND LEMON STS., LANCASTER, PA.

BY
THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

BRYN ATHYN, PA.
Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Editor. Mr. H. Hyatt, Business Manager.
SUBSCRIPTION: $3.00 A YEAR TO ANY ADDRESS. SINGLE COPY 30 CENTS.

Entered at the Lancaster, Pa., Post Office as Second Class Matter. Accepted for mailing at a special rate of postage provided for In Section 538, paragraph 4, Act of Feb. 28, 1925.

Vol. LXIV     No. 2
February, 1944


New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

Realism Versus Idealism.
     An Address     George de Charms 49
Peace and War.
     On a National Day of Prayer
          F. W. Elphick     57
Suffer Little Children To Come.
     A Sermon on Mark 10:14,16
          W. Cairns Henderson     63
The Living and the Dead.
     A Memorial Address
          A. Wynne Acton     70
The Divine Presence and Influx
     Gilbert H. Smith     76
Editorial Department.
     The Word in Childhood: Meaning of Words     82
     Potsherd     85
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     87
     Obituary and Photograph: Kenneth W. Price     91
Church News     92
Announcements     95
     Annual Council Meetings-April 10-15, 1944     96

Vol. LXIV
March, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

The Distinctiveness of the New-Church.
     A Series of Seven Doctrinal Lectures
          George de Charms 97
     I.     Introduction. Two Views Contrasted.
     II.     What Do We Mean By Distinctiveness?
Liberation.
     A Sermon on Matthew 27:50-53
          Morley D. Rich 109
Confession of Faith.
     An Address at Rite of Confirmation
          F. W. Elphick 116
Obituary.
     Rev. W. H. Acton
          Alfred Acton 121
     Tirzah Ammon Renkenberger
          Norman H. Reuter 123
Editorial Department.
     The Word in Childhood. II     124
     The Divine Style of the Word     128
     South African Mission News     130
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     135
Church News     139
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths
     Annual Council Meetings-April 10-15, 1944     144

Vol. LXIV
April, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

The Message of Resurrection.
     A Memorial Address
          William Whitehead 145
     Harold Kenneth Lindsay     147
Chivalry.
     Address at Graduation Exercises
          Eldric S. Klein 149
     Boys Academy-Senior Class, 1944     154
The Distinctiveness of the New Church.
     A Series of Seven Doctrinal Classes
          George de Charms 155
     III.     A New Love to the Lord.
     IV.     A New Concept of the Word (1)
Annual Reports.
      Secretary of the General Church
          Hugo Lj. Odhner 168
          Council of the Clergy
          Hugo Lj. Odhner 174
          Editor of "New Church Life"
          W. B. Caldwell 179
          Corporation of the General Church
          Edward H. Davis 182
Military Service Committee.
     Our Men and Women in the Services     183
Church News     187
Announcements.
     Annual Council Meetings-Program     191
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     192

Vol. LXIV
May, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

The Distinctiveness of the New Church.
     A Series of Seven Doctrinal Classes
          George de Charms 193
     V.     A New Concept of the Word (2)
     VI.     A New Goal of Education.
The Uses of Doubt.
     A Sermon on Genesis 17: 17, 18
          W. Cairns Henderson 205

Thought and Speech.
     A Study
          David F. Gladish, 211
Spurious Revelations
     The Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch
     And their Spurious Counterparts.
          Hugo Lj. Odhner 221
Editorial Department.
     Radio and the Spiritual World     225
     Two Centennials of "Regnum Animale"
          Alexander McQueen 227
Military Service Committee.
     Our Men and Women in the Services     229
Church News     233
     A Bryn Athyn Trio in Australia-Photograph     239
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     240
     Academy Joint Meeting-June 3, 1944     240

Vol. LXIV
June, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.


The Distinctiveness of the New Church.
     A Series of Seven Doctrinal Classes
          George de Charms 241
     VII.     A New Life of Religion.

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS.

Council of the Clergy Sessions
     Norbert H. Rogers     248
Educational Council
     Morley D. Rich     249
     Summer School for Teachers-August 16-30, 1944      253     
Use.
     Public Address to the Clergy
          Elmo C. Acton 254
Scripture Recitations.
     Address to the Educational Council
          F. F. Gyllenhaal 263
Responsibilities of the Home.
     Paper read at the Educational Council
          Eldric S. Klein 272
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     276
     Obituary: Ensign Oswald E. Asplundh, Jr.     280
Church News     281
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     288
     Academy Joint Meeting-June 3, 1944     288

Vol. LXIV
July, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS. II.

Joint Council Session
     Hugo Lj. Odhner 289
The Frontiers of the New Church.
     A Talk to the Councils
          Harold C. Cranch 296
The Eternal Uses of the Hells.
     Paper at the Council of the Clergy
          Ormond de C. Odhner 303
Knowledge and Insight.
     Address to the Educational Council
          George de Charms 312
A Talk to Children.
     The Power of the Angels
          Gilbert H. Smith 321
A Christian Protest
     Alfred Acton 325
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     327
     A Group in London-September, 1943-Photograph     331
Church News     332
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     336

Vol. LXIV
August, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

Life is God
     Willis L. Gladish 337
Looking to the Lord for Protection.
     A Sermon on Psalm 18: 1, 2
          F. E. Gyllenhaal 344
Every Man Can Understand The Truth.
     Comment on a Memorable Relation
          Morley D. Rich 349
Editorial Department.
     A Treatise on the Word-A Review:
          "The Bible: Its Letter and Spirit" (Dick)
Gleanings from New Church History.
     Lieutenant George de Charms, 1862     367
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     369
Roll of Honor Memorial Fund     373
Church News     374
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     383
     Academy Summer School-August 16-30, 1944     384
     Missionary Leaflet     384

Vol. LXIV
September, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

Man and Woman.
     An Address at Michael Church
          Wynne Acton 385
The Sealed Book.
     A Sermon on Revelation 5: 1
          Norbert H. Rogers 395
Vision and Use.
     Academy Commencement Address
          Geoffrey S. Childs 402
A Talk to Children.
     The Lord in the Ship
          Gilbert H. Smith 407
Evangelistic Fishing. Banquet Speeches.
     1. The Fisherman
          Donald R. Coffin 410
     2. The Fish
          Dominique Berninger 413
Editorial Department.
     Scripture Questions: The Lord's Prayer     420
     Parent-Teacher Journal     422
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     423
     Obituary: Sergeant James Martin Buss     427
Church News     429
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     432
     Charter Day-October 13, 14, 1944     432

Vol. LXIV
October, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

Three Festivals
     Bjorn A. H. Boyesen 433
Storge
     F. F. Gyllenhaal 441
Spiritism
     Arthur Clapham 445
The Habit of Giving
     Kenneth P. Synnestvedt 450
The Prophets of Judah and Israel
     W. Cairns Henderson 452
Prof. Frederick A. Finkeldey.
     Memorial Address
          George de Charms 460
     Photograph     463
Editorial Department.
     The Old Beliefs Persist     464
     Distributing the Writings     465
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     466
     Obituary: Lieutenant Allen William Kuhl     470
     A New Work on the Moral Virtues     471
Church News     473
Announcements.
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths          479
     District Assemblies and Episcopal Visits     479
     Ministerial Changes          480
     Charter Day-October 13, 14, 1944          480

Vol. LXIV
November, 1944

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

The Proper Study of Mankind
     Donald F. Rose 481
A Prayer for the Youth of the Church.
     Sermon on Psalm 144:12
          W. Cairns Henderson 489
Invasion and Intercession.
     Address at a Service on D-Day
          F. W. Elphick 493
The Uses of the Church
     F. E. Gyllenhaal 496
Freedom and Character.
     Paper at a New Church Day Banquet
          L. Garth Pemberton 499
Editorial Department.
     Opening the Word and Heaven     504
     Speaking With Other Tongues:
          General Meaning. How Was It Done?     505
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     515
Roll of Honor Memorial Fund     519
Church News     520
Announcements     528

Vol. LXIV
December, 1944
No. 12

New Church Life
A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG.

Who Was Noah?
      A Sermon on Genesis 6:1, 2
          Hugo Lj. Odhner 529
Canadian Northwest.
     A Pastoral Visit     K. R. Alden 536
Freedom and Protection.
     Charter Day Address, 1944
          Morley D. Rich 545
Editorial Department.
     Speaking With Other Tongues:
          The Apostolic Gift. How Was It Done?     552
Directory of the General Church.
     Officials and Councils     560
     The Clergy     561
Military Service Committee.
     Roll of Honor; Our Men and Women in the Services     565
     Prisoner of War; Obituaries     569
     Church News     570
Announcements,
     Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths     576


NEW CHURCH LIFE

VOL. LXIV
JANUARY, 1944
No. 1
     "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." (Matthew 6: 34.)

     In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord taught His listeners of the laws of His everlasting kingdom, which was not of this world. He was speaking to worldly and corporeal men whose minds had been absorbed in the concerns of natural life, to fishermen and trades-people, to farm folk and artisans; men who eked out their living in times at least as uncertain and arduous and materialistic as our own, with overhanging shadows of oppression and rivaling ambitions to confuse them and make the future one of dread. And the Lord exhorted them not to be anxious concerning their bodily needs, for food or for raiment, but to trust their Heavenly Father. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His justice," He told them, "and all these things shall be added unto you." It was an appeal for a stronger reliance upon the Divine Providence, and for faithfulness, sincerity, justice, and personal conscience, in the small matters of their own duty and use. And He added: "Take therefore no anxious thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
     Man gathers the materials for the needs of the day. But the Lord builds these materials into the house of the Future. It is sufficient that man should labor in the light of today, should do the tasks before him, face the temptations and problems of his own use, make the decisions that prove necessary. But he must also have faith that the Lord on the morrow will provide laborers for the harvests sown today, will give strength to him, or to those who enter into his labor, to finish the work begun today; faith that the Lord will fill in the lacks and mend the errors, and turn even our mistakes into account for the final upbuilding of the kingdom of God.
     The hells employ no other government than that of fear. Evil spirits seek to discourage many a good intention in human minds by arousing a fear of its consequences-a fear of the labor involved, of the responsibility to be assumed; a fear lest what man does from a sense of duty should make him unpopular, lay him open to criticism, and go counter to his worldly interests. Indeed, the spirits that are with man appeal to the prudence of man's self-intelligence, and suggest that it is easier to follow' the multitude in doing evil than to seek the kingdom of God and its justice; easier to avoid learning the truth than to become bound by conscience and take up the cross of temptation to follow the Lord. They seek to drive out our perception of what is good and just and true, by raising the ghost of possible failure, the dread that our doing our duty today may cost more than we are willing or able to pay tomorrow
     Those who are swayed by such a fear for the future are referred to by the Lord when He said, "No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9: 62.) He is afraid to go on. The furrow seems too long, the labor too great, the harvest too distant
     Let us not think that the Lord desired His disciples to discard all prudence. He warned against anxiety, not forethought: against lack of trust in Providence, not against precaution and planning. This is clear, that He told His followers what it would mean to become disciples, and described the hardships which they would have to endure. And He said: Which of you, intending to build a tower, would not first sit down and count the cost? Would not a king, before going to war, first marshall and count his arrow? Be ye prudent as serpents, and simple as doves! Consideration of consequences is the mark of a rational man; to act from mere impulse, to use rash and thoughtless words, is a sign of immaturity.
     The Writings, therefore, show that a man of business, if he has charity, acts from his own prudence, yet trusts in the Divine Providence; is not despondent in misfortune, nor elated with his successes. He thinks about what should be done on the morrow, and plans how it should be done; yet he does not feel anxiety-does not give anxious thought to the morrow, which be knows to be in the Lord's hands. (C. 167.)

3


And this applies to all uses. The prudence of man, by which he carries out his convictions with courage and intelligence, must be regarded as a medium, a channel, by which the Divine Providence can operate; and man must not neglect to offer the use of this cooperative prudence to the Lords service. Yet this can only be done, and is only done, so far as man recognizes the limitations of prudence, which cannot see beyond the more patent needs of its own day, and cannot discern the dangers of the morrow which are not yet born. To indicate that nothing more can be expected of human foresight, the Lord added: Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
     This saying in which converge the Divine pity for all our ills, and the Divine wisdom which permits them and limits their virulence-is of well-nigh universal application. It contains within it all the laws of the Divine Providence which govern evil; permitting evil to appear that it may be faced, fought and removed; yet restraining all other evils than such as can be turned into good by the Lord (A. 6663e, 6489, 6574e) and moderating the influence of evil in such a way as to maintain the spiritual choice and eventual freedom of man.
     The will of the Lord reigns in everything which can occur in His Universe. But because the Lord applies His will in relation to every one of His creatures, having regard to their freedom and welfare, both natural and spiritual, therefore His will is exerted differently in all circumstances. When a group of men are in a common state-as when, externally, they think, speak, and do the same thing-all act within the compass of the Lord's will. Yet one may act according to the Divine will, another from the Lord's good pleasure, a third from Divine leave or concession, and still others may act by Divine permission. (D. 2296; A. 9940.) These represent varied degrees of the influx and reception of life from the Lord, whereby His final ends are adapted to human states: ends which regard the establishment of the kingdom of God,-the universal society of mutual uses, in which everything of human life will contribute to the unending development of a heaven which looks towards infinity. (P. 202.)
     Evil is not of the Lord's leave, but of His permission And that applies alike to the evil choice within a man's mind and to the evils, or ills, which affect a man apparently against his choice: uninvited evils, temptations, infestations; accidents, misfortunes, and diseases.

4


For men continually complain that their lives are haunted by undeserved ills, that their uses here on earth, when at last peacefully established, are disturbed and uprooted by events and conditions not of their own making;-that what they patiently have built up is suddenly ruined by the selfish ambitions of others, or by unforeseen acts outside of their control, perhaps by wars and dissensions, perhaps by the onward march of social forces or changing fashions and customs. What we regarded as the straight furrow which we intended to plow is suddenly seen as ending against a field of stones.
     And we are called upon to meet the challenge of such ills, whether they be personal or social, whether they be natural or spiritual. For the spirit of man, in his slow pilgrimage towards heaven, also meets up against evils and temptations which he does not recognize as invited by himself: evils which intrude rudely upon the design of happiness and of spiritual purpose which he had adopted as his own,-evils which rush in without his full consent or recognition, and which have wrought their havoc ere he has marshalled his forces of resistance. Such evils he disowns, with some bitterness. He knows-from acknowledged doctrine-that his will, from inheritance is evil-receptive of the passions of hell-and that the imagination of his heart gravitates towards himself; yet he does not see wherein he has failed, and why he must take responsibility for controlling the strong currents of his inborn life which he cannot alter. He mistrusts his ability to withstand these resurging evils which are stronger than he can bear.
     But the truth is that evil is permitted in exact measure to man need. For man-being what he is-these evils that surge up, as it were without his rational consent, are as necessary as his daily bread. He must come to know them-know their hideous aspect and their destructive power-lest he be lulled into security and self-esteem. It is necessary that lusts from the native will enter-even as intentions-into the realm of his conscious thought or imagination, that he may grapple with them and defeat them as if of his own power. And if he does not examine these evils at that point, and resist them while they are as yet in embryo as intentions, it is necessary that at some time they break out into acts and thus be revealed as evils, not to himself alone, but also before others, and this that they may become rebuked, judged, and separated.

5



     Yet, "Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." The Lord never permits all man's evils-the total evil of his hereditary will, the lusts amassed from the cruelties and passions of all past generations,-to come to the surface of his life. These things of the sensual proprium, the native will, are kept covered, hid away, veiled over. (A. C. 8806, 8945f.) Their hideous potentialities, their bestial nature, are kept beyond man's own scrutiny or realization. As an unconscious, dormant whole, man only feels their general drift, as a dragging weight against spiritual progress. Only so far as man is equipped to resist in freedom does the Lord permit some evil affection to break out as conscious intention or act, that it may be judged or confirmed, according to man's choice.
     The Lord, both immediately, and mediately through spirits and angels, tempers and restrains man's evils, and permits only sufficient to come forth to serve the purpose of man's growth from age to age, from state to state, from strength to strength. For-with the man of the spiritual church-good cannot be appropriated, except by the seeing and shunning of evil. Otherwise good would seem to be from self, and not, as is the case, from the presence of the Lord and His influx through heaven and through the Word. Therefore external evils begin to come out with children the moment they are ready to take command or be instructed. This is sufficient for their day, for their battle. And as instruction increases, and the mind becomes rational and intelligent, more and more interior and hidden evils become recognizable. The battle is transferred into the field of motires, into moral issues of a more subtle kind. And when regeneration starts, these motives are purified, and tested by the temptations of the spirit, by the searching of the heart. Each evil affection or lust or self-delusion that is overcome enlarges the inheritance into which the spirit may enter, and strengthens the loves of the Lord and the neighbor, with all the virtues on which these rest, all the states of charity and use and peace and wisdom which man may choose as his eternal abode.
     But even when earth-life is over, and the regenerate spirit has found a home, the little part of himself which he has overcome-by miraculous Divine mercies-is but a tiny bit of redeemed soil on which his future progress is to be built.

6


As for the rest, his proprium, his hereditary will, is as black and abhorrent as that of the veriest devil. The mercy is that it is hidden, covered over, condemned even by himself, and thus cannot be a part of his real life.
     Yet it sometimes happens" that they who come into heaven desire to be elevated into a more interior heaven than that of their own degree and extent of good, believing that they might thus reach a greater happiness or use. (A. 8945.) And if they persist, it may be granted them to come into this higher heaven. Straightway they begin to be tormented. They become conscious of certain evils and falsities thence which they had never before noticed in themselves. Impurities and defilements begin to be manifested which, in the light of their lower sphere and through their grosser good, they had not perceived; things from their proprium which they had never conquered, never even fought, nor could ever fight. They feel deformed. And, returned into the tranquillity of their former station they thank the Lord that there are many heavens-heavens even for such as they. And they know, then, that if the Lord did not continually, by an omnipotent force, keep them away from the evils of their hidden corrupted will, and if He had not adjusted their responsibility to the evils that were sufficient unto their day of battle, their lot would be such as that of the devils in hell. For except for the strength given them day by day by the Lord, and except for the light of truth adjusted to their capacity, there was nothing in them to resist evil.
     Nonetheless, the perversity of man is such that he cowers before the evils that the morrow might bring, and thus heaps overfull the measure of ill which he must bear today. It is revealed (D. 3624, 3628) that evil spirits of many types instil such anxieties into men s minds-especially with those whose minds are not sufficiently diverted through contacts with others. They seek to hold man in reflection or brooding upon external things, upon money matters, clothes, and upon what others may think about him, and possible misinterpretations of his actions; or else upon matters that are beyond his control, and all the possible evil things that might occur. And this with the purpose to insinuate troublesome suggestions and anxieties, worries and lusts. It is as if the devils knew that the only strength of hell lies in man's ignorance. Upon this can they play, to reduce him into fear, self-pity, and melancholia, which undermine his rational mind and take away the illustration of his use.

7



     Such states of solicitude about future things are among natural temptations. For evil is permitted only when adapted to a man s state. Evil can be defeated only through spiritual temptations. But it is also active in other forms. Those whose minds are only anxious when their natural loves are assailed cannot undergo any spiritual temptations until after death. (A. 270, 4274:2, 4317e.) The fear or expectation, or the possibility, of their losing honor or goods of youth or health, casts them into sufferings which are the more acute the more they love themselves and the world.
     But spiritual temptations occur to a man as soon as he does or speaks against conscience or against charity. (A. 986.) Such a temptation breaks up evils and falsities, and induces a horror against them. They are attended by a despair of salvation, a feeling as if he had lost the power of thinking from his own faith, and was immersed in evils and scandalous thoughts, cut off from heaven.
     Man does not know the future. Neither does he know what goes on in his interior mind, or how the Lord is continually present in temptations and-by defending angelic spheres-tempers them to man s strength and endurance, and separates goods from evils and falsities from truths. He permits man to be tempted only so far as there are evils which can and must be shunned and abhorred, and only so far as man has already such goods and truths as can furnish the armaments for the battle waged by the angels in his behalf.
     The Lord thus fights for man from within, and meanwhile sustains him with spiritual food and drink, which are the goods and truths of heaven that are then conjoined in man s interiors. Man's spirit is fed with manna from heaven, and with waters out of the rock of flint. The spirit is released from anxiety for the morrow, is introduced into a state of consolation,-a happy and serene state. Hope and trust in the Lord are indeed the forces of combat from within, whereby man is given power to resist. (A. 6097.)
     Hope, from trust in the Lord's providing! These are the forces of combat from within. The Lord not only tempers the evil until it is "sufficient unto the day"; He provides also the heavenly manna-which is felt by the man as hope and trust; provides-for those who seek the kingdom of God-food "sufficient unto the day." And this is food which cannot be hoarded.

8


Like the manna in the desert it melts and disappears when the sun grows hot and human prudence begins its arduous tasks. Like the manna, which bred worms and became putrid if laid up for the morrow, our hope and trust is apt to turn into self-confidence or fatalism, and into the poison of a false security. Hope and trust in Divine Providence must be renewed with the dawn of every day, must come like the dew upon Israel. It must not take the place of man's work, but is meant to strengthen him in the task, whether in peace or in battle.
     And when it is said that this manna cannot be stored up, what is meant is that it cannot be stored in the natural mind of man or long remain pure when man's natural affections are called to the tasks of the day's work, evoking natural and selfish delights. In a certain sense, even the manna has its proper storehouse, in the interiors, where the treasures of heaven are laid up, which we therefore call "remains." It is the hope and trust of innocent childhood that are used by angelic spheres to temper our evils in later life. It is through such remains of the dawn-states of our life on earth that evil is restrained until it is only "sufficient unto the day" of our temptations. Even with the evil, who refuse to receive any angelic spheres, these remains are yet used to temper and moderate their faults and passions, and to prevent their utter perversion.
     It is ever the prayer of men to be spared the trials of temptation. Yet the Lord does not lead into temptation. Temptation is of evil, of anxiety, of unworthy fears: and the Lord accepts our plea to lessen the burden of evil, so far as we trust in Him to provide illustration and strength in that which He in His wisdom requires us to do. This trust, this hope, is a faith in His own promises, in His heavenly doctrine. It is the only faith which can exalt and purify our love, until-in the day of testing-it casteth out fear. Amen.

LESSONS:     Exodus 16: 13-26. Matthew 6: 24-34. A. C. 843
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 456, 481, 500.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 46, 90.

9


ACADEMY, AUTHORITY, AND FREEDOM 1944

ACADEMY, AUTHORITY, AND FREEDOM       Rev. BJORN A. H. BOYESEN       1944

     Charter Day Address, 1943.

     On October 17, 1877, three men * appeared before the Recorder of Deeds in the Inrollment Office for the City and County of Philadelphia. On behalf of themselves and nine other subscribers,** they declared that the application for the Charter of the Academy of the New Church was their act and deed. It was granted on November 3d by the Court of Common Pleas No. 2 for the County of Philadelphia; and, on November 5th, the Academy was duly entered in the Office for Recording Deeds as a legal Corporation of the State of Pennsylvania. Hereby the Academy was formally established.
     * The Rev. Messrs. Nathan C. Burnham, Louis H. Tafel, Mr. Francis E. Boericke.
     ** The Rev. Messrs. William H. Benade, James P. Stuart, J. R. Hibbard, William F. Pendleton, Rudolph Tafel; Messrs. David McCandless, John Pitcairn, Jr., Walter C. Childs, Franklin Ballou.
     We are here today to commemorate this event. Thus we rejoice in the present over a matter of history. But that is not all. This service is not a mere commemoration. It has far deeper significance. We are here today to dedicate ourselves anew to the purposes of the Academy as stated in its Charter. Hereby we look towards the future, intending to build on the foundation which history laid an edifice worthy of that foundation.
     Our past heritage and our future responsibility thus join as our present privilege. As we review whence the Academy emerged, and appraise whither it must lead, we may recognize that we are pledged to perform a unique use in human society, perhaps more desperately needed today than ever before.

10



     We may ask at this point: What is this use? When did it begin, and when will it end? Moreover, has no other institution ever performed it? And if some one has, wherein is the Academy unique? And finally, why is it especially needed today; and how shall we perform it?
     Many of you have undoubtedly heard the purpose of the Academy many times. Perhaps it is so well known that it may seem redundant to repeat it. Yet there may be some new students here who have never heard it. Besides, the Academy's purpose is her use, therefore, we can well afford to reflect upon it again and again.
     Thus, it is written in the Second article of our Charter: "The Academy of the New Church shall be for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem, promoting Education in all its various forms, Educating young men for the Ministry, publishing Books, Pamphlets, and other printed matter, and establishing a Library."
     At first sight this may seem a rather ordinary declaration. It may seem similar to such as are adopted by other church schools. And, indeed, if we regard the New Church as merely another Christian sect, there is little that is extraordinary in this declaration. But the New Church is not simply another sect. It is just as clearly distinct from the Christian Church as the Christian is from the Jewish. A Church is characterized by the revelation upon which it is founded, and which it regards as authority; but a sect represents merely a certain viewpoint regarding its revelation. Thus the Jewish Church was not a sect, but a dispensation based upon the Divine authority of the Old Testament. The Sadducees, however, as representing a certain interpretation of the Old Testament were a sect of the Jewish Church. Similarly, the Christian Church as founded upon the authority of the New Testament, is not a sect; but the Catholic, Episcopalian, and various other denominations of the Christian Church, are sects, because each one represents a different opinion in regard to the New Testament.
     By the same token, the New Church is not a sect. It is a dispensation, based upon the authority of an entirely new revelation which is called the Heavenly Doctrines of the New- Jerusalem, or the Writings of the New Church.

11


In the recognition of these Writings-whatever they may be called-as the authoritative Word of God, and in nothing else, resides the distinction of the New Church as an ecclesiastic dispensation for all mankind.
     Within this dispensation many sects may conceivably arise, as they have in former Churches. Any group which represents some special interpretation of the Writings' authority thereby becomes a sect of the New Church. Nor is this, in reality, anything to deplore. So long as they do not insist upon their own interpretation as the only right one, and thus confuse it with the Word itself, they only exercise their human right to have an opinion of their own. So long as they do not invest their own understanding with the authority which properly belongs to the Word, they only exercise their human prerogative to think and act on their own responsibility. So long as they d not teach for Divine doctrine the commandments of men, they only fulfill their human obligation to live as of themselves. This we cannot deplore. On the contrary, it is highly desirable, because it is equivalent to the only process whereby man's freedom of conscience may be perfected, which is the Church's only aim, and without which she is dead. Therefore, to formulate opinions of our own regarding the Word of God, founded, as best we understand it, on the Word's own testimony concerning itself, can hurt no one, and least of all the Church. By this procedure many sections will undoubtedly arise within the New Church, as they have in former Churches.
     In the last analysis, there are already as many such sections as there are men in the Church. But if any one such section, whether constituted of one man or of many, claims Divine authority for its own opinion concerning the Writings, and not for the Writings themselves upon which his opinion is supposedly based, he has thereby ceased to be even a sect of the New Church; for this is defined only by the Writings. He has rather become a church wholly of his own, which, unless he can prove that he is a Divinely appointed revelator, is really no church at all. That he continues to call himself by a New Church name makes no difference. Such are the methods by which former church organizations ceased to be churches. This is what the Writings mean when they say that the Old Church is dead. It does not mean that the real internal Jewish and Christian Churches have died.

12


They cannot die, any more than the Lord's New Church can die. They cannot die, any more than the Old and New Testaments can become obsolete. These are today included in the Writings, as the genuine Jewish and Christian Churches are incorporated in the New Church, and, in fact, are nowhere else. Salvation is still of the Jews and of Christians. But many of their organizations have died by transferring authority from their Word to their staff of critical research. If they are still called by Jewish and Christian names, it is then a camouflage. The same may be done by any New Church denomination, but we earnestly hope it will never happen.

     II.

     You may ask at this point: What has this to do with the Academy? Is it not a school rather than a church?-Yes, the Academy is a school, but a church school, which, in fact, began almost more as a church.
     As you may have read in a recent article in NEW CHURCH LIFE (August, p. 338), the founders of the Academy were priests and laymen who were members of the "General Church of Pennsylvania," which was at first under the jurisdiction of the "General Convention of the New Church in America." They were men who had come to recognize the Writings of the New Church as the veritable Word of God with Divine authority. They believed that the New Church could be established on no other basis than the recognition of this fact. In their minds more was needled for the establishment of the New Church than merely to explain the meaning of the Old and New Testaments, and thus to reestablish their authority in the Old Churches, and consequently revive them. To them, their mission was not to infuse the New Church into the Old, but to incorporate the Old Church into the New.
     To accomplish this aim, they saw the need for an entirely different approach than that practised by the Convention. Their first consideration became the education of the beginnings of the New' Church itself, rather than the missionizing of the Old. But, of course, by this concept they did not wholly discard the use of missionary work. They still recognized the need therefor, but to them this work also acquired a new meaning.

13


Its primary end became to gather the remnants of the Old Church safely inside the distinctive walls of the New Jerusalem, rather than to throw wide open the twelve portals of the Heavenly City (as yet not fully consolidated), and allow her young members to disperse into the cities of consummated churches.
     Thus education became the internal core of the church organization which they visioned, and missionary work became its external shell. It became necessary, in their opinion, to establish high schools, colleges, and theological seminaries at the very center of the New Jerusalem, while its more strictly devotional and missionary activities were moved towards the circumferences. In fact, they moved the Convention Church and her methods even outside of the City Wall, although, in the beginning, they did not seem to realize this fully, because they did not sever their connection with the Convention. They thought it might continue as the external of the organized church, while the Academy was her internal. Hence, and certainly in Providence, the Academy was actually begun as a church, and, in fact, as the very first church that was unmistakably a part of the New Dispensation which originates with the Writings. This is why the Charter states before anything else that "The Academy of the New Church shall be for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem."
     Since that time, however, the situation of the Academy has become slightly different. As you may now recognize, the Academy, from the very moment of its first inception, took a fundamentally different attitude than the Convention. She was founded on the Divine authority of the Writings, while the Convention, although it recognizes the Writings as necessary to understand the Old and New Testaments, was nevertheless founded on the latter. From this viewpoint the Convention was therefore still a part of the Old Church, let be a sincere and genuine part, perhaps both a remnant and a revival. At any rate, the differences were so great that they led to practical difficulties, which, in 1890, culminated in the withdrawal of the General Church of Pennsylvania from the Convention; and since her members were corporators of the Academy, the Academy went with her.

14


This Church then reorganized as the "General Church of the Advent of the Lord."
     However, the concept of the Academy as the internal church, devoted to education and the interior development of Doctrine, and of the more strictly ecclesiastical organization as the external church, engaged in evangelization and pastoral work, continued from previous days. But difficulties of government in the relation between ecclesiastical and educational uses soon arose, which served to prove that this concept was not wholly correct. It became evident that the uses of worship are really interior, and those of learning comparatively exterior; although, of course, both have their own internals and externals also. It was recognized that, rather than to place the schools towards the center and the churches toward the circumferences, they were better built side by side throughout the Holy City's extent. Thus another reorganization occurred, whereby the General Church of the Advent of the Lord was dissolved and the Academy was placed for all essential purposes under the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the "General Church of the New Jerusalem," which was established in 1897. However, each remained a separate corporation, and they were not tied together except by an unwritten agreement, mutually concluded, whereby the Academy Corporation annually elected the Bishop of the General Church as the President of the Academy.
     But this year, in 1943, the Academy passed the resolution, which you have seen in NEW CHURCH LIFE, whereby "as an independent Corporation, the Academy freely acknowledges the spiritual faith and the ecclesiastical principles set forth by the General Church of the New Jerusalem in its 'Statement of Order and Organization'. . . as being in accord and agreement with the teachings of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, for the promulgation of which the Academy was founded. In view of this acknowledgment, the Academy proclaims as its primary objective to labor for the establishment of that faith, and the promotion of these principles, through the medium of its educational uses (NEW CHURCH LIFE, August, 1943, p. 337.) The 'Order and Organization,' referred to in this resolution, states that `the General Church of the New Jerusalem is organized for the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ as manifested in His Second Coming, and for the performance of those ecclesiastical uses which have in view the teaching of men the way to heaven, and leading them therein."

15


It also affirms that "the Writings, as given, are the supreme authority in matters of faith." (A Statement of the Order and Organization of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, Bryn Athyn, Pa., October, 1935.)
     Thus you may note that the relation of the Academy to the Church has undergone some change from that of the early days. Its true place has been found and freely acknowledged. As it should, it has also finally been put on record. The Academy is now even technically recognized for what it is, and really always was, an educational institution, which, as the Church's right arm is today more securely anchored in its socket than ever before. Nor is this a mixture of metaphors, because the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, is also like a Virgin Bride, adorned for her Husband, who is the Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ. Freely, of her own accord, she has called His Word her one authority, and her right arm hath put it on record that this is true.
     Fundamentally, therefore, the Academy has undergone no change. It is still her supreme purpose, by means of all her educational facilities, now only more strictly defined, to labor for the recognition of the Writings' Divine authority. And, you may ask, finally, Why is this so extremely important, and why especially today? The answer is that the inmost aim of the Lord's Divine Providence is that man shall be free; but there can be no real human freedom without the acknowledgment of Divine authority and today there is less recognition of this truth than perhaps ever before in human history.

     III.

     In the supreme sense, only the Lord is wholly free. The reason is because He alone is the source of His own life, and can employ it to whatever work He wills. By His own power He both creates and preserves the universe. He has therefor absolute authority, and consequently absolute freedom. By this very definition such freedom belongs to no one else. The very acknowledgment of God as the Creator and Preserver of the universe requires the recognition that all but He are mere vessels receptive of His life. Neither authority nor freedom, therefore, are really theirs.

16


If they have any, it is at best but a gift of God, given to them by Him to appear, in His love, as if it were their own. It is only as if it were freedom, and as it were power. Such are human freedom and authority. They are but an appearance, but a semblance, but an image of God's. They are but a sense of freedom, and yet as much of freedom as any creature can have. Therefore, it is not a mirage, but a real appearance, so real, indeed, that man's freedom seems to inhere in himself, and be completely under his own control; when yet, in fact, it is but granted, and man may control it only in regard to himself. Even if he wanted to, he could not injure the spiritual welfare and freedom of others.
     It is by this fact that man's freedom is limited, even though he may not recognize the limitation. He may therefore affirm either the truth or the appearance. If he affirms the latter, he cannot thereby escape the truth. If he maintains his own authority, he cannot thereby escape the Lord's. All that he achieves is disillusionment. Hereby his freedom actually becomes a mirage, a matter of mere fantasy and imagination. If he rejects Divine authority in the attempt to be his own, it is but a futile evasion of reality, whereby he lands in a prison of hell. If, on the other hand, he confirms the truth, his sense of freedom is full and complete; because, strange though it may seem, although it is quite logical, the more clearly a man recognizes that he is the Lord's, the more fully he appears as his own.
     Thus human freedom is nothing but the acknowledgment of Divine authority. But man must acknowledge as of himself. Herein are joy and happiness. Herein is heaven. Heaven and hell, therefore, are not distinguished by their rulers; the Lord is King of both. Nor yet by His authority. It is the same in both. Heaven is not heaven because government originates with the people, but because the angels consent to the will of God; and hell is not hell because government originates with the Lord, but because the devils rebel against Him. If by democracy we mean that authority must arise from the people, it does not guarantee the freedom of heaven; and if dictatorship means that the authority flows from the ruler, it need not involve the slavery of hell. Yet heaven depends on democracy, and hell requires dictatorship.

17


The need of mankind is not for rulers who obey their people, but who formulate laws which agree with Divine authority, and flow not from their own caprice. The need of mankind is not for people who command their rulers, from their caprice, but for people who confirm the laws which agree with Divine authority. The need of mankind is for rulers skilled in the promulgation of law from the Divine; FOR THE POWER OF PROPOSING SHOULD COME FROM ABOVE. The need of mankind is for people skilled in its confirmation, for the power of consent is all that should come from below-. Before the Lord we are all receptacles-rulers and people alike-and our freedom lies in consent to Divine authority, and in rejection of anything else.
     Thus the human heart longs for freedom. No desire is more deeply ingrained in man s spirit. The human soul is but the love of freedom; and this because the Lord has so ordained. Therefore human society cannot but pursue it. Human history is but a struggle in the search for it. The cry for a "new-order" everywhere is nothing else. But man may qualify his freedom. He may decide whether this new order shall be one of the human love for one's own freedom only, which is but an illusion, or one of the Lord's Divine love for the freedom of all, which is the only reality. It is a choice between the love of self and the world, on the one hand, and the love of the Lord and the neighbor, on the other. It is the same struggle as men have ever fought, and the same war as ever raged on earth. "Why are the nations tumultuous, and the people meditating vanity?" It is because "the kings of the earth stand together, and the rulers consult together, against the Lord, and against His Anointed." It is because men try to establish their own "new order," instead of acknowledging that only God may say, "Behold I make all things new."
     This, then, is why it is so extremely important, and especially today, that the Academy shall fulfill her main object. This is why we must labor unceasingly for the recognition of the Writings' Divine authority. Nor is it a question of the Writings alone. They include and add to all former revelation. By their acknowledgment also the Old and New Testaments regain their authority. The Ancient Word is by them restored, whether or not the actual books are ever found. Even nature will again receive the homage she deserves as a theatre representative of Divine love and wisdom. It is, therefore, a question of Divine authority everywhere, and in all respects.

18


Without the recognition of the Writings as the Word of God it cannot be restored, and without it mankind cannot find her freedom.
     You voting men and women of the Academy have therefore a unique opportunity, and a unique responsibility. You are here to find your freedom in the recognition of the Writings as the authoritative Word of God, and for nothing else. To achieve this aim, we do not ask your blind acceptance of what your ministers and teachers say. You will necessarily do much of this in the beginning; and it is right that you should so do. But it is their aim that gradually, for yourselves, you may compare their teachings with those of the Writings. They plead with you to establish and perfect an opinion of your own regarding the Writings, that they and your own conviction may be your only authority. Only such as have conviction by their own understanding are strong and free. Only such are equipped to pass on their conviction and thus contribute to the real freedom of the human race. You are here that, as of yourselves, you may learn to "know the truth, that the truth may make you free." There is no other way. Through your reasoned conviction, others too may come to know, as of themselves, and thus be free.
     The Academy is therefore a means of entrance to the church, and heaven. When you leave her, you may join the church, and, through you, others too may join. Thus, through the Academy and you, even "the kings of the earth, and the nations of the world may ultimately "bring their glory and honor into the New Jerusalem." But "there shall in no wise enter anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie; but they who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life,"-they who consent, as of themselves, to the Divine Law Book of the Lord's Second Coming. Peace and freedom will prevail only when the Lord God Jesus Christ reigneth.

19


PRESERVATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH 1944

PRESERVATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH       Rev. WILLARD D. PENDLETON       1944

     Perpetuation of Academy Uses.

      (At the Charter Day Banquet, October 16, 1943.)

     The subject of the evening-the Preservation of the General Church,-is a timely topic, for we are living in a rapidly changing world. Even a superficial knowledge of the trends of the times is enough to destroy our complacency and encourage a discussion of the problems which may confront the General Church in the world of tomorrow. I do not mean to imply that our right to worship according to the dictates of our faith is at stake. That issue is being successfully defended on the field of battle at the present time. But in so far as we believe distinctive New Church education to be essential to our purpose, there is cause for real concern. The modern tendency toward federal control of education; an increasing tax burden; the growing demand for technical training; the regimentation of youth;-these are but a few of the trends which do not augur well for the future of the Academy. It is not our intention to discuss these matters, for we are not qualified to do so nor would it prove anything if we were; but, taken together, they are ample evidence of the direction in which the world is moving, and they give rise to the question of the place of private educational institutions in the post-war scheme of affairs.
     In all probability there is not one of us who anticipates any appreciable reduction in his tax burden with the termination of hostilities. The war debt has reached astronomical proportions, and the end is not yet in sight. Quite apart from the high cost of war, however, the democracies are committed to a program of social and economic reform which, by the way of taxation, will reduce private surplus to a new low for some years to come.

20


Whether or not we approve of this program is a matter of personal opinion, and has nothing to do with the subject under discussion. We simply accept the fact that such a program is under way and has received considerable popular support. Our interest in the matter is the effect of these trends upon private educational institutions, whether the trends be financial, political, or humanistic in nature; the particular point in question being the effect of the reduction in private surplus upon the Academy. And by surplus we mean the difference between the cost of the necessities of life and personal income. It is out of surplus, be it small or great, that institutions such as the Academy have been supported in the past, and, to the best of my knowledge, the only way in which they can be supported in the future.
     With this thought in mind, we can readily understand why it is that, in recent years, all private educational institutions in the country have sent out urgent appeals to their alumni for financial assistance. They are keenly aware of the fact that they can no longer depend upon the handsome bequests of former days. If they wish to preserve their private status, they must seek an increasing number of small contributions. Failing in this, they must turn to the state for support. With us, however, there is no alternative. Because we are a church school, open only to the children who have been baptized into our faith, we are not eligible for state subsidies, and, we might add, rightly so. Our only hope of additional support,-that is, of income other than return from endowment-lies with the small, but, we hope, determined membership of the General Church.
     At times reference is made to the large endowment of the Academy. We know what is meant; it is a figure of speech; but it is apt to create a wrong impression. When viewed in the light of the demands that are placed upon it, we cannot say that it is large; indeed, it is barely adequate to present needs. If this be so, what of future needs? Nor do we speak of that distant future when the Academy schools will be ten thousand strong. We refer to the problem that is immediately before us-to the education of the several generations of children for whom we are responsible in our own lifetime. Within the next fifty years the needs of the Academy will certainly be greater than they have been in the last fifty years.

21


We are extremely fortunate in our endowment, but we cannot rely upon it-not in the face of increasing needs and diminishing returns from investments. Perhaps it is just as well; for a false sense of security is not conducive to progressive development.
     These are the facts as we understand them. And if, in presenting them, we have taken a somewhat practical approach to the subject of the evening, it is because any serious discussion of the problem before us which does not take these facts into consideration is apt to be misleading. The support of the uses of the church must begin in ultimates and assuredly the Academy is one of our most important uses. Without the ultimate, spiritual uses cannot be performed. This is sound doctrine; it is one of those self-evident truths which requires no explanation. Perhaps it is so evident that at times we fail to see the need for emphasis; but if we judge the signs of the times aright, the need is with us now. We cannot expect the Board of Directors of the Academy to solve this problem for us; it is a mutual problem in which we all share some portion of the responsibility.
     So far we have been speaking of the Academy; yet our subject is the preservation of the General Church. There is much that might be said on this subject; it is a tremendous field for reflection. The preservation of freedom, the perpetuation of the priesthood, growth through missionary endeavor, the establishment of new societies,-all are pertinent to the problem; but we propose to confine our remarks to that phase of our work which most intimately concerns a Charter Day gathering. It is not only the nature of the gathering, however, which determines our approach to the subject, but the belief that it is our educational system, rather than these other matters, which is threatened by the counter current of the times. We submit for your consideration, therefore, the proposition that the perpetuation of the Academy schools is essential to the growth and development of the General Church.
     There is nothing new in this thought it is older than the Academy itself; nevertheless, it calls for consideration, or, should we say, re-consideration, in that every generation of New' Churchmen must determine this question for itself. At no time can it be said that it is no longer an issue. The reason for this is, that the work of education, now or in the future, cannot be maintained except at the cost of considerable sacrifice on the part of many.

22


And so we are forced to ask ourselves: Is it worth-while? Many New Churchmen have thought not. Our friends in Convention and Conference have never seen the need. Even within the General Church there are those who believe it to be superfluous. It is the position of the General Church, however, that "the true field of evangelization is with the children of New Church parents." If this is so no sacrifice is too great; if not, we do but waste our time and substance.
     When it is said that the true field of evangelization is with children of New Church parents," it does not mean that this is the only field. Rather does it imply that here is a field already prepared-a most fertile field, free from the doctrinal persuasions and preconceived philosophies of a decadent Christian world. These children, whom the Lord has committed to our care, are our first responsibility; and first things must come first. If we cannot inspire our own children with the love of truth, by what virtue shall we bring others to the light? This was the vision of the early Academy. Not that they ever repudiated missionary effort, but the educational responsibilities which they assumed required all that they had, both in means and man-power. Whenever and wherever it was possible, they established schools; and from that day to this we have been fully occupied with the work of education. The time is coming, however, and we hope it is not too distant when the General Church can assume its rightful obligations in the field of external evangelization; but it can come only as priests and teachers can be released from the more important demands of our schools and our established societies.
     When we say that the perpetuation of the Academy is essential to the preservation of the General Church, we are not speaking of the Academy as an institution but of the use which it serves. At the present time, however, the Academy schools are the ultimates upon which the use depends, and it is of the present, or the immediate future, that we are speaking tonight. It is imperative, therefore, that, for the time being at least, we sustain the institution despite the many difficulties which may arise. If the signs of the times are not favorable, it cannot be helped; these things are beyond our control. It is not impossible that they may be the very means by which our resolve will be strengthened, and the use which we serve more deeply appreciated.

23


One thing, however, is certain; if we are to succeed, it is to the use that we must look for our inspiration. If this may be counted among our assets, then there is no private educational institution in the world which can lay claim to the reserves which we possess. In facing the future we do not count upon our endowment, nor upon any handsome bequests; rather do we depend upon that spirit of determination which is born of a spiritual affection for truth and devotion to use. Granted these two things, and all else will follow.
     By the "love of truth" we do not refer to an intellectual appreciation of doctrine; we have in mind that spiritual affection for truth which is defined in the Writings as "the love of truth for the sake of use." This love is the true spirit of the Academy. In the education of our children, in our doctrinal endeavors, in the support of our institutions, we have no other end in view. If at any time we lose this vision, we will have failed, and nothing can spare us. Neither the General Church nor the Academy, nor any organization within the Church, could survive the judgment; indeed, there would be no further reason for our existence. The doctrine of use, as revealed in the Writings, is our spiritual Charter,-that Divine Document which clearly defines the purpose for which we exist and which insures our existence as long as we keep faith with the terms of the Covenant.
     Perhaps the most revealing evidence of the state of the Christian world is the fact that men think of uses as a means to an end, rather than as an end in themselves. The truth is that use is Divine. We are not speaking of vocations, labors, and services. These are merely forms of use, or the means by which the Divine of use, that is, the Divine will, is done. The fact is, therefore, that men do not do uses; they respond to them. So comes the meaning of the term "responsibility." Thus it is in the performance of their responsibilities that men enter into the life of use. Indeed, there is no other way. When it is said in the Writings that the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of uses, we understand it to mean that the kingdom of heaven is a kingdom of human responsibilities.
     If, therefore, in educating our children, we fail to inculcate in them a sense of responsibility for the uses of the church, by what virtue will the church be sustained?

24


To what purpose are the truths which are taught in these schools, if they do not inspire men with the love of use? These are not rhetorical questions, but issues which every New Churchman must determine in his own time and in his own way.
     We would not leave you with the impression that we believe the organized church to be essential to man's salvation. We are not speaking tonight of the Lord's New Church, but of a human institution dedicated to the work of the New Church. It is important that we bear this in mind. For human institutions can fail, but the Lord's New Church cannot. Somehow, and in some way, it will survive the rise and fall of civilizations. The truth cannot perish. Yet at all times there must he some organization-some group that will preserve the knowledge of the Most High God. It might well be that in their order and organization they will have little in common with the General Church of today, but one thing is sure,-they will, like the General Church, subscribe to the sole authority of the Writings. This faith, even if it be with a few, is imperative to the perpetuation of the Lord's New' Church. Whosoever declares this faith takes upon himself certain responsibilities-those responsibilities which are essential to the establishment of the Lord's Church on earth.
     It is not for us to define these responsibilities. Men must see them for themselves. That an obligation exists, is evident, but we do err greatly if we place men under a sense of obligation. To do so is to force their state, to make a natural burden of what should be a spiritual privilege. Our appeal is not to men's conscience, but to their affections. If their affections are dormant, if their hearts are not stirred by a presentation of the use, we must go our way. The ancient law of the debtor is the law of spiritual life. "When thou dost lend thy brother anything, thou shalt not go into his house to fetch his pledge. Thou shalt stand abroad, and the man to whom thou dost lend shall bring out the pledge to thee." (Deuteronomy 24: 10, 11.) Surely those who have received the ministrations of the church are indebted to the church. But we cannot force payment of the debt. The spirit of persuasion is an evil thing; it places men under a sense of obligation which, in their hearts, they do not recognize. Organizations of the church may be built in this way, but the Lord's New Church cannot.

25


It must be comprised of free men-free from all moral persuasion and spiritual coercion.
     This freedom, of which we speak, has been zealously guarded by the General Church since its formation. At no time has it stooped to those methods whereby men are persuaded against their will. In all instances it is the use which has been presented. We realize that there are many reasons why men may support uses, but there is only one good reason for so doing. This is the reason which should be emphasized, not only by those who are directly responsible for the organizations of the church, but by parents, teachers, priests, and laymen. By way of instruction men must be led to perceive that these uses are not burdens which have been placed upon us, but that they are the means which the Lord Himself has provided whereby our faith may take root in life. It is true that they come to us by way of men-that, externally considered, they are human institutions-but the use itself is Divine. The work of the General Church, the work of the Academy, is not the work of men; it is the Lord's work-the work of salvation. No man or group of men can save the soul of another; all that is given to us is the sacred privilege of cooperating with the Lord to this end. This is done by means of human instrumentalities, by means of institutions and organizations which serve as an ultimate basis for the operation of the Holy Spirit. If these means fail, others will have to be provided; but they will not fail-not as long as they serve the use to which they are dedicated.
     In educating our children within the sphere of the church, therefore, we are not primarily concerned with their intellectual development along doctrinal lines; our objective is a life of use. A knowledge of truth which is not inspired by a love of use is a sterile thing,-utterly unproductive of good. Thus it is that our educational system is designed to cultivate that spiritual affection for truth which prompts men to seek out those uses which the Lord would have us serve in order that His kingdom on earth may be established. If, indeed, we love the truth, we will respond; that is to say, we will accept responsibility. So it is that two things are essential to the preservation of the General Church,-two things which, in themselves, are one,-namely, a spiritual affection for truth, and devotion to use. Granted these two things, and the General Church will not only be perpetuated, but will enlarge the sphere of its usefulness with each successive generation.

26



     It is with these thoughts in mind that it occurs to me that this is an opportunity to acknowledge the spiritual debt which the General Church owes to the Academy. As one not directly associated with the institution, but as a pastor of the General Church, I do not believe that it would be inappropriate if I were to say a word in this regard. Certainly, if it were not for the Academy, the General Church would not be what it is today; indeed, there is reason to doubt if it would be at all. It is the Academy which has trained our pastors and teachers; it is the Academy which is the inspiration of our local schools; it is the Academy which has encouraged the study of interior doctrine among priests and laymen; and, more important than all this, it is the Academy which has imbued three generations of children with an affection for truth. Surely we would be callous indeed if we were not grateful. It is a large debt, but not one which we cannot repay. By way of devotion to use we can if we will, return to the Academy in full measure all that we have received at her hands.
WORSHIP FROM LOVE 1944

WORSHIP FROM LOVE              1944

     With those who are in the internal of worship there is an internal compulsion to worship, either from fear or from love-from tear of the torments of hell, or from love and a fear of losing it; the fear of God in a genuine sense is nothing else. to be compelled by love and a fear of losing it is to compel oneself, which is not contrary to liberty and rationality.
     From this may be evident the quality of compelled worship and worship not compelled. Compelled worship is corporeal, inanimate, obscure, and sad; corporeal, because it is of the body, and not of the mind; inanimate, because there is no life in it; obscure, because the understanding is not in it; and sad, because the delight of heaven is not in it. But worship not compelled, when it is genuine, is spiritual, living, lucid, and glad; spiritual, because spirit from the Lord is in it; living, because life from the Lord is in it; lucid, because wisdom from the Lord is in it; and glad, because there is heaven from the Lord in it. (D. P. 136, 137.)

27


WAY TO PRESERVE THE CHURCH 1944

WAY TO PRESERVE THE CHURCH       HAROLD F. PITCAIRN       1944

     (Remarks at the Charter Day Banquet, October 16,1943, where the theme of the evening was "The Preservation of the General Church.")

     A few weeks ago the Toastmaster asked me to prepare some extemporaneous remarks on a specific subject. Therefore I trust I will be pardoned if I refer to my notes. What this subject is, will become evident as I proceed.
     That the church cannot be preserved without an organization, and that there can be no organization without both the priesthood and loyal and interested laymen, has been well presented by the previous speakers. It is also an accepted fact that there can be no church without the Word of the Lord; and in the General Church by the Word of the Lord we also mean the Writings, for in A. R. 944 we read that the Lord will come again, not in Person, but in the Word, in which He will appear to all who will be of His New Church." And in A. C. 10320 it says: "That which the Divine has revealed is with us the Word."
     The Writings inform us of many things that are essential to the preservation of the church, but in these brief remarks I will speak of only one. However, before doing this, I would like to point out that, if a church organization is preserved only to remain static, it will decline from lack of vitality, and eventually decay; for it is a universal law that when progress ceases, retrogression sets in.
     In the church, growth must be spiritual growth, and this with the individual; for, naturally speaking, a church organization is the aggregate of its membership.
     Now I submit that the spiritual growth of the church will fall far short of what it should be unless most of its members are readers of the Writings. Everyone devotes his attention to those things which he loves; therefore, if, in addition to going to church and attending doctrinal classes, we do not also individually read the Writings, it is at least an indication that the love of spiritual truth is deficient.

28


Unless this love is active and vital, how can we hope for more than a tedious growth of the church?
     On the other hand, we might suppose that, if there is a love of spiritual truth, individual reading of the Writings will automatically become habitual with us. Unless many of us acquire this habit, is it reasonable to expect that there will be either adequate financial support or sufficient subjugation of propriums to assure a vigorous growth of the church? Also, without a predominant love of spiritual truth among us, the General Church can hardly fulfill that exalted destiny for which it was organized.
     I believe that habitual and individual reading of the Writings is one of the most tangible ways of stimulating the love of spiritual truth, and in support of this I will conclude by reading just a few excerpts from numerous teachings in the Writings: (Italics mine.)
     "That the Word is living, and thus gives life, is because in it in the supreme sense, the Lord is treated of, . . . so that life itself inflows into the minds of those who read the Word in a holy (state)." (A. C. 3424:2.)
     "From youth to early manhood, communication is opened between the natural and the rational by hearing and reading the Word." (A. C. 5126:3.)
     "The angels confess that they have all their wisdom through the Word." (S. S. 73.) And in A. C. 10452:3, we read: "Heaven is in wisdom from the Word when it is being read by man."
     "Those only have life from the Word who read it in order to draw Divine Truths from it as from their fountain, and at the same time to apply them to life." (T. C. R. 191e.)
     "No one can be conjoined with heaven . . . except by such things as are of the Word, however morally he lives. . . The reason is that a man becomes spiritual solely through the things of the Word." (S. D. 5933.)
     "They who love truth because it is truth . . . are elevated from their proprium while they are reading the Word, and even into the light of heaven." (A. E. 714:15.)
     "The Lord does not teach man truths immediately, . . . but through the Word." (A. E. 1173:2.)
     "In order that a man may be in enlightenment, let him read the Word every day." (A. E. 803:2)

29


STUDY OF THE APOCALYPSE 1944

STUDY OF THE APOCALYPSE       FRANCES M. BUELL       1944

     A New Work Briefly Reviewed.

     THE DRAMA OF THE APOCALYPSE. By the Rev. Dr. Eldred E. Iungerich.

     This book, still in manuscript, has been in preparation for many years. In the present period of world-change, it is a book for our time explaining the primal causes of the consummation of the age and the coming of the New Church. The treatment is focused upon the actual drama of the Last Judgment, forerunner of the "freedom and peace which the human race will enjoy in both worlds" when the New Church is established.
     The Apocalypse is the herald, the precursor, of the Writings of the New Church. The Apocalypse Explained and the Apocalypse Revealed give us the doctrinal meaning of the spiritual drama, and were effectual in bringing about changes in the spiritual world,- the world of causes. Probably every reader of these three books has felt the need for sustained instruction on this subject,-need for a connected series of what actually took place at the time of the Last Judgment, for the meaning of the word millennium, for a reconciliation of the many apparent divergences between the Apocalypse Explained and the Apocalypse Revealed, for an explanation of the fact that the Apocalypse Explained stopped at the exposition of Chapter XIX, and was not published by Swedenborg, while the Apocalypse Revealed gives the internal sense of the whole of the Apocalypse; and a need has been felt for a doctrinal generalization of both of these expository works of the Writings. Dr. Iungerich's book, now available for publication, embodies a scholarly and extensive study that fully meets this need.
     This will he evident from the following summary of the chapters of the Apocalypse, and of the general subjects treated:

30




     I.     The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed no John as the one God of heaven and earth.
     II     and III. The seven stages of regeneration.
     IV.     The order of the heavens prior to the Lord's coming.
     V.     The order of the heavens after the Lord's coming.
     VI.     The disclosure to the celestial heavens of the reasons for the imaginary heavens below them.
     XII.     The calling forth from the imaginary heavens of those who were to form the spiritual heavens.
     XIII and IX. The disclosure to the salvable residue in the imaginary heavens of the evil states of their companions.
     X.     Their rejection of love to the Lord.
     XI.     Their rejection of charity toward the neighbor.
     XII     and XIII. This is because of their approval of salvation by faith alone.
     XIV.     A prediction of a new evangel, and of the condemnation of the love of dominion and of faith alone.
     XV and XVI. To the intellectually wicked in the imaginary heavens their regenerative failure is disclosed.
     XVII and XVIII. The failure of the voluntary wicked is disclosed to them.
     XIX and XX. These describe the appearing of the Lord as the Giver of a crowning revelation, and the establishment thereby of a firm tribunal that will judge every man immediately after death. The imaginary heavens are abolished.
     XXI.     That the heavens and the church on earth will hereafter derive their states from this new everlasting gospel.
     XXII.     The New Church of the future will be guarded from the errors that wrecked the churches in the past.

     Each chapter in Dr. Iungerich's book presents: (1) The literal text; (2) A generalization; (3) A schematic outline of the subject matter; (4) The particular argument. The intention of the author is to give a sustained theological thesis. Although the thought might be held down to the external appearances of the Apocalyptic phenomena, here it is held on the elevated doctrinal plane, and therefore the drama is primarily on that plane. In every chapter there are comprehensive digests of New Church doctrines, which in the successive chapters attain to a completion.
     Certain chapters may perhaps be said to be especially dramatic, down to the powerful ultimates. Among these we may mention John's visions of the Lord in the midst of the seven golden lamp- stands and on the throne, the book sealed with seven seals and opened by the Lamb, the cherubim, the four horsemen, the dragon. An explanation is given of that strange eleventh chapter and Swedenborg's facing apparent death while expounding it.

31


Chapter XIII is dramatic but difficult, because it includes an exposition of subtle reasonings in favor of faith alone. Chapter XIV treats of the everlasting gospel.
     Included in the book are historical explanations of the genesis of the heavens initiated at the beginning of the Christian era, and of the new natural heaven.
     The interspersed musical selections are from those in use in the General Church. We have sung them together for two generations, and they are reminders of words we have long known, now newly studied.
     Twenty-two aquarelles on the twenty-two chapters were prepared by Florence Iungerich in Paris in 1936 to illustrate a series of sermons. They are offered without presumption, and not at all in the tradition of modern illustration. They are an aid to the reader, they are partly diagrammatic, and their serenity of design is undisturbed by the difficulties of drawing the strange, mighty things that John saw. Although the facility of the artist certainly could be shown in more sophisticated work, here the simplicity and spontaneity are deliberate.
     The author's style is compact, vital, and interesting. Every sentence functions. The book may be used for reference, for reading, or for parallel study while reading the Apocalypse Explained or the Apocalypse Revealed. The fifty-page Index is a doctrinal study in itself, amply repaving the reader's attention.
     As every student knows, any study of parts even any allusion, made without a knowledge of the whole, may lead astray. In studies of the Writings, an awareness of the whole series is a necessity. We are here given the whole drama of the Apocalypse and its whole doctrine. It is to be hoped that means may be found for the publication of the book.

32


BROUGHT TO THE LIGHT 1944

BROUGHT TO THE LIGHT       Rev. AARON B. ZUNGU       1944

     How I Came to a Knowledge of the New Church Doctrines.

      (Mr. Zungu received his theological training in our Theological School at Alpha during 1936, and when the School was transferred to Durban in 1937, he continued his studies there until June, 1938. He was ordained into the First Degree of the Priesthood at "Kent Manor," Zululand, on August 21, 1938, Bishop George de Charms officiating. He is now Assistant Minister to the Kent Manor Society, and Headmaster of the school there.-F. W. ELPHICK.)

     My father and mother had been members of the Swedish Lutheran Church from a very early period of their youth-almost from childhood. By 1930 my father had served the Church as an evangelist for more than thirty years. Therefore, up to about 1930 I had been brought up a staunch Lutheran adherent.
     In 1920 my father sent me to a Lutheran Institution, Umpumulo, in Natal, where I took my First Grade Teacher's Certificate in 1924. At the close of my school career there, I was appointed one of the members of the College Staff.
     In 1927 I resigned the post to pursue further study at Adams College. In 1929, there, I passed my Higher Primary Teacher's Examination. During this period, experiencing a loss of all faith in religion,-a result of a confused state of mind when I took stock of my religious data in Lutheranism,-I decided to search into various faiths. Finding no satisfaction in most I decided upon the Catholic (Roman) as the nearest to truth. Yet, one thing I trembled at the thought of praying to Saints!
     At various times I questioned the priests about the relation of "Jesus" to the Trinity, with the result that I became more confused. When this became provoking to the Fathers, I abandoned the inquiry.
     In 1930 I was appointed Headmaster of the Impolweni Government School. There this unsettled state of mind became really serious, and I continued the search into religious literature more intensely.

33


Various things in my life crept up at this time, which I called temptations, which were really natural afflictions, that a desire for something that was "real" filled my heart. Then I turned my back to all man's instructions and creeds, and thought the Bible alone could give me this something which I did not know what it really was. I read the Bible very frequently then. One of my assistants lent me The Book Sealed With Seven Seals, by the Rev. Theodore Pitcairn. For the first time, here was something by someone who seemed to know something useful. I read it twice or thrice.
      In 1933 I was transferred to Impapala Government School-one mile from "Kent Manor"! The American Board Minister, with whom I stayed, told me of an "evil" Church nearby, which called itself "The New Jerusalem Church." This Church, according to him, taught that Jesus was not God. When I heard these things, I remember that I expressed my desire to help the minister destroy the New Jerusalem School, by taking all their children.
     Later, I decided to go and see for myself.
     There I found the teacher, Mr. R. Simelane. We talked about school matters. I expressed a wish to see his books, and he led me to the school cupboard. Among others there was one with the name Heaven and Hell on its back. I took it, and opened it on the first chapter. Once the first sentence was read, I could not take my eyes off. I borrowed it, and bade Mr. Simelane good-bye. I read all the way home, with evening darkness falling. The fire was kindled! I felt sure that what I was now reading was true. I could not say why I thought so. But I did.
     The following day I inquired from Simelane where I could get more of Swedenborg's books. He mentioned Mr. Peter Sabela. I sent for him, and early in the morning he appeared on horseback in the schoolyard. I showed him Heaven and Hell, and asked him if he knew it. He smiled. I asked for all books bearing Swedenborg's name. I got a portmanteau full the next day. Now you can guess the rest!
     The following year, my father, mother, sisters and brothers, nieces and nephews, were baptized into the Church of the New Jerusalem.

34


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor     Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION

$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     CHURCH ATTENDANCE.

     In the October issue of THE NEW AGE, Australian Monthly Journal, we noted especially a communication from "a younger member of the New Church" who offers comments upon the subject of "The Disappearance of Public Worship,"-a topic which had been dealt with in previous issues of that journal. As many of our readers do not see the contemporary periodicals of the New Church, we believe they will find interest and value in the views expressed in the course of the discussion in THE NEW AGE, as the matter is of vital import in all bodies of the New Church.
     The subject was first presented by the Editor, the Rev. Richard H. Teed, in the March. 1943, issue. `We quote from his editorial Notes and Comments:

     "We are disposed to label what we are about to write as 'The Disappearance of Public Worship,' for that is apparently what is taking place. Recently we conducted worship at which the entire complement was twelve, and of these precisely half the number bore the same name as the present writer.

35


True, there had been rain, but those who attended were not our younger members and did not reside in the near vicinity of the church War conditions are to blame for much. All youth has been unsettled the boys are away from home. The girls are seeking forms of war-service.
     "There is the doubtful consolation that one's own disappointing experiences are not peculiar to oneself. . . . The Conference of the New Church in Great Britain, in the Report and Statistics of the Secretary, has drawn attention to the serious decline in attendance at Public Worship. During the last seven years the average attendances decreased by almost 2000 per Sunday or 50 per cent of the former number. During the last two years alone there has been a drop of 730."

     Mr. Teed then treats the whole subject, pro and con, and concludes:

     "What satisfactory substitute shall we provide for Public Worship? In our opinion all formality has lost its appeal to the new generation. The pulpit discourse, like the theological lecture, seems to have outlived its appeal. The liturgical service, be it ever so beautiful, seems to lack life in the mind of this new generation. We are disposed to think that the supreme use of our churches in the days to come will he for the administration of the Holy Supper, and also, of course. Baptism; for the observance of these acts is worship itself, and can never be superseded. But for other uses of the Church we believe we shall need to break up more into small groups, meeting usually in private homes, where prayer and a Scripture reading may he briefly engaged in together, and then a theme introduced and discussed by all present. Discussion or even just conversation seems to accord more with the temperament of the new age. There, as it seems to us, will lie the opportunity for usefulness for the would-be shepherd of the flock in the days to come. Further than this the sense of constant companionship with the Lord should be ceaselessly stressed, so as to encourage the pervading spirit of prayer or sense of inward communion with the Lord day by day as one goes about ones tasks     
     "It is sadly we thus express ourselves, for we have ever loved the Church and all associated with it. From childhood we have delighted in the solemnity of the sacred building, the appealing notes of music, the solemn sound of the minister's voice leading in prayer, the joy of singing the favorite hymns. Since ever we have attained the stage of the developed Rational we have always loved the sermon; to hear the preacher work out his theme has evoked an answering thrill of delight. It was this love of these things that led us to sense the call to take up the work of the ministry; and it is a real grief to find that others do not love these things also. Frankly, they find these things boring. Yet they are God's children, and it is our part as a shepherd of the flock to strive to help in the sphere of our use in such a manner that our proffered ministry can be acceptable and so can be really helpful. Our business is to save souls.

36


If need he we must sacrifice what we have dearly loved, for we must never fail to keep our eye on the end we seek; means must be found and made to serve that end. It is not for us to weep and wring our hands because folk won't come to church. We must accept the situation-Public Worship is quietly dying; our people don't want it. Let us then get busy and teach our folk to worship and meditate on Divine things in such a way as they will find acceptable and understandable; let us help them to find the Lord-for that is all that really matters. We must get to the people, for only there is the potential Church."

     A communication from Mr. Lloyd Bartle, Wellington, New Zealand, appeared in THE NEW AGE for June, 1943. From this we quote:

"Dear Mr. Teed:
     "After reading THE NEW AGE for March, it strikes me chat you are perplexed with the same problems regarding the extension of the New Church as I have been. Why don't people go to church? Here are a few reasons that come to my mini:
     "I. Though it is a new age, there is much about religion that is old-fashioned. We use the Authorized Version or the Revised Version of the Bible. The Elizabethan English may be beautiful to older ears, but it does not attract non-churchgoers and young folk. Prayer books are written in the same style. In the New Church we have adopted old-fashioned forms and terms from traditional use. Now let us remember, ours is no old-time religion. It is forever new, and we want to make it look as new and fresh as possible.
     "2. Churches are still uncomfortable, cold and unattractive. The architecture is usually of an old-fashioned type. Compare the comfort, warmth, beauty and style with which we equip our theatres. Churches should be places of beauty which anyone would take a pride in belonging to.
     "3. The churches give abstract discourses which are above the bead of the common man. Their ideas are vague, and he learns little. Since he is getting better informed each year, he gets less patient with the pious babblings of preachers. The rising generation is better educated and more book-minded. The churches are not keeping pace with the march of science. The average sermon does not give satisfaction to the intelligent man. . .
     "4. The church is a gathering place where young folks can meet. If they cannot meet one another there, they will go to dances instead. .
     "The church service can be brightened up. Singing is an attraction, and better music for the most popular hymns and more acceptable words are needed. Two or three short discourses might hold the attention better than one long one, and they should be inspiring and instructive. A New Church translation of the Scriptures in modern speech is desirable. . . ."

     The subject was further treated in the issue for October, 1943, by Mr. Wilfred Burl, who writes as follows:

37





     THE DISAPPEARANCE OF PUBLIC WORSHIP.

The Editor of THE NEW AGE:
     Dear Sir: As a younger member of the New Church, it was of especial interest to read your Notes and Comments on the above subject, and then a reply from New Zealand. My remarks are prompted by that theme.
     One gathered from these two articles, especially the latter, that the depletion in congregations was to be deplored in all denominations, and a suggested remedy was to be found in the conduct of the service and the means thereto. Frankly, I can well understand a deterioration in the Old Church, and is it not an expected event-a sign of the Second Advent? Like yourself, I have at various times visited other services, but have always come away with a feeling of gratefulness for the teachings of the New Church. How a person with any degree of intelligence could sit through the usual type of sermon Sunday after Sunday is hard to understand. The sermon is not the service certainly, but then again we find, too often, the service depends wholly on an emotional appeal, which is, to say the least, unbalanced. The youth of to-day is very questioning, and unless he receives a satisfactory answer he doubts. Too often an evasive answer is given to questions on religious beliefs, which is only to be expected from the Old Church. How can a dead church, typified in its worship of a dead Christ, be expected to make an appeal to any thinking person?
     What should concern us is the position of the New Church. And yet, how are we to judge the progress of the New Church, considering it is not to be judged as a denominational body? Swedenborg says that the New Church would be among the few for a considerable period of time, providentially that a real, live nucleus might be formed. We cannot say as a body we are 100 per cent New Church to-day by any means. So many members come from the Old Church and try to mix the Old and New beliefs, resulting in hopeless contusion. In fact, I have heard the theory of "permeation" expounded from a New Church pulpit, as well as the ridiculous teaching of "universalism." This is definitely not New Church teaching, savoring much of the Old Church. I think we should concentrate on trying to be worthy members of the New Church first ourselves. Some of us are too hasty in pushing our beliefs down another persons throat without first preparing them. The result is very often spiritual indigestion. Surely it is better to set an example, and be ready when the occasion rises to help an inquirer. How many of us could explain adequately to a stranger just what differences are to be found in the teachings of the New Church?
     The conduct of New Church services could quite possibly be altered with advantage. There must he provision for some kind of doctrinal instruction, but unfortunately some members think this to be the main part of the service. A sermon of 15 minutes is ample, and should be strictly to the subject. You don't go to church to hear a lecture; you go to worship, and this is very often forgotten. Too true at times, however, the speaker's message depends on the reception the listener is willing to give.

38



     A new translation of the Word in accord with New Church teaching would not be amiss. But it would have to be a very careful translator, one who was not influenced by his own preconceived ideas. It would indeed be difficult to translate idioms into exact modern speech. The Bible as we know it to-day is a recognized authority as pure English language, and as such could hardly be called out of date.
     The question whether a liturgical service is to be preferred is largely a matter of opinion. Such a service certainly lends itself to the orderly conduct of worship, and this is something at which to aim. The New Church Liturgy lends itself to quite a number of variations in the order of service, and must be admired for its careful compilation.
     Then there is the big question of the young people. For hundreds of years, I should imagine, the remark has been, "We don't know to what the younger generation is coming!" And yet it has always risen to the occasion. Look to the parents, and there you will find in 99 per cent of cases why there is a falling off in attendance of the young people. All instruction cannot be obtained at church services, and the indifference of the parents as to what the child learns and does at Sunday School is tragic. Very often it is a means of getting rid of the children for the afternoon. In a number of cases the children don't go at all. We must not fall into the error of making a church merely a social club in order to attract the younger people. We see it being done in all denominations around us, and it is pitiful to think that this is what they must do to try and keep their congregations. Remember that a church is for spiritual instruction and worship primarily, and never forget it. Have socials certainly for the young members, but don't look by this means to swell your numbers. A person who comes into a church solely for this is not worth considering as a member. He must be attracted by its teachings. So, older members, don't blame the young people for all their faults; look at yourselves, and there you will find the reason for many of their wayward deeds.
     There is no reason at all why our churches should not be comfortable and attractive. As to the latter remark, it would largely depend on one's architectural taste. A New Church building should be erected and fitted preferably with regard to correspondences. But unfortunately this has to give way to expense in the majority of cases. What is more inspiring than a stone Gothic structure? And then there is the fact that the building itself is not the main part of a church.
     As a young man who is interested in New Church teaching. I cannot be discouraged with our few numbers. For one thing, it is contrary in youth to be despondent all the time. Then again, anyone who doubts the final mission of the New Church cannot have a great faith in Providence. What greater assurance do we need for the future than the truth that "the Lord God Jesus Christ reigneth, whose kingdom shall endure for ever and ever." We too often console ourselves that we are New Churchmen, when actually we are only that in name. Concentrate first on quality; quantity will be a natural result.- Yours faithfully. WILFRED BURL.

39


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Norman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., O.S.,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, A.C. 2 Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, A.C. 2 Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, A.C. 2 Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Kuhl, 2nd Lt. A. William,
Nail, A.C. 2 Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, P/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, W.O. Orville A.,
Charles, Pvt. William A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jess3man, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, Cpl. Leonard,

40



John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 2 David K.,
Scott, Gnr, Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, P/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, L.A.C. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, A.C. 2 Keith I., British Columbia,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, Sgt. Geoffrey P.,
Finley, Cpl. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, P/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motum, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, 2nd Lieut. J. S.,
Buss, Tpr. Brian,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, 2nd Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
Craig, Major Thomas,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S.,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Wounded and honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, 2nd Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Capt. Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, S/Sgt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Pvt. J. M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Pvt. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Cpl. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 2/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,

41



Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Major Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, A/S Theodore F.,
Cowley, Cpl. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Lt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Ensign Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, P.F.C. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Capt. William R.,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, P.F.C. David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, A/C Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 3/c,
Price, Sgt. Kenneth,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/S John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, P.F.C. Henry,
Schiffer, Cpl. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, A/C Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/S Hilary Q.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan I.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Synnestvedt, Pvt. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, A/C Pvt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 2/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, Pvt. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Pvt. Roland,
Asplundh, Ensign O. E., Jr.,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Pvt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A.S. William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 3/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
King, Cpl. John B. S.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. (j.g.) Stanford,
McQueen, A/S Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., A.S.,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Pvt. Gerhardt King.

42




     Michigan.
Birchman, Owen R., A.S., Honorably discharged,
Childs, P.F.C. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Marvin J., C.P.O.

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 2/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Lt. (j.g.) Alexander,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Ensign Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., A.S.,
Lindsay, John G., S 2/c,
McGaffic, A/C H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Lt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Av/C Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.

     Elsewhere in the United States,
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Davis, A/C Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Lt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, A/C Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Glenn, A/C Alfred M., New York,
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lymjan S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Posey, A/S John A., Alabama.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., A.M.M. 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Tarr, Joseph, S.K. 3/c, Maryland.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

43


OBITUARY 1944

OBITUARY       NORMAN H. REUTER       1944

     William George Bellinger.

     In the December issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE (p. 566) it was noted that Flying Officer William George Bellinger, of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, had been reported "missing after operations." A brief account of his life was given, especially as to his activities in the Royal Canadian Air Force.
     On November 22, his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harold D. Bellinger, received a telegram from the Canadian Government informing them that their son would not return. So remarkable was a letter from the father, conveying this sad news to the undersigned, that it is herewith quoted in part:
     "Just a few lines to inform you that our Bill has passed on and will not return to us. Needless to say, the telegram came with a shock, as we did hope, without end, that news of his safety would eventually come. Now we know that his uses on earth have been terminated, and we need no longer tolerate the suspense under which we have been held since he was first listed as missing. The Lord has called him to perform greater uses in heaven. While we feel and know that Bill cherished life here, and was by no means ready to give it all up so early, just having attained manhood, and while we shall greatly miss him,-greatly miss his enlightening communications from overseas, greatly miss his anticipated return home to us,-through our aching hearts we after all realize that our loved one, Bill, has entered upon eternal, peaceful, happy life in heaven. His was the lot to be saved the ordeal of struggling through this world's unrest and cruelty. Our thanks go to the Almighty for having revealed through the New Church Writings the truth and understanding which gives us strength in this hour of sorrow."

     WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, from boyhood to manhood, showed outstanding promise as a New Churchman. Although he was isolated from the instruction possible in a full society of the Church, his love of the things of the Church, and, in later years, his grasp of the Doctrines with a perception of their import beyond his years, was his dominant characteristic. His steady, searching attention to spiritual things impregnated his courteous, conscientious disposition, and frequently expressed itself in a genuine appreciation of the material sent out by the Military Service Committee. This inner trait, giving him a strong sense of the right and the wrong, made him unhesitatingly volunteer his services to his country. It caused him not only to be well liked by those of his own age, but also by those of the older generation with whom he came in contact. It makes one feel that there was character of deep worth beneath his cheerful attitude and his ever ready willingness to lend a helping hand. For he was the earnest, steady type, upon which a pastor expects to depend in the work of society building.
     He "was" all this! He still is. May we not believe that, because he was and is such, the Lord can make greater use of him in the freer, higher sphere than could be possible here on earth? He, and other young men like him who have gone on, will continue to work with us-nay, with the Lord,-in the establishment of the kingdom of God upon earth. May this thought, and the silent sympathy of us all, be of comfort to his parents, to "Bill's sister, Joyce, who is now at the Academy which he loved, and to his brother, Walter, soon to enter the Academy. As to his youngest brother, "Jimmy," who entered the other world six years ago at the age of seven, we can picture Bill's joyously meeting him. Together they are engaged in the Lord's work, and so are inmostly present with those on earth whose hearts turn to similar uses.
     NORMAN H. REUTER.

44


Title Unspecified 1944

Title Unspecified              1944


[Photograph.]

     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD. Royal Canadian Air Force. Reported missing from air operations on the night of 5/9 December, 1942. Under date, "Ottawa, 11th October, 1943," now for official purposes presumed to have died on December 8th, 1942."
     Laurence Theodore Izzard, the only son of Herbert Percy Izzard and Vera Kuhl lizard was born on February 1, 1916. in Toronto, Canada. He was affectionately known as "Larry." After six grades of New Church education in the Olivet Day School, Larry successfully, and always with high scholastic standing, passed from Fern Avenue Public School to the Parkdale Collegiate, and got his senior matriculation 10 the Mimico High School, just outside of Toronto. Then he went to Bryn Athyn and had two years in the Academy College.
     On returning to Toronto in 1935, Larry found employment at photo-engraving, in which he remained for five years. In 1937 he was confirmed and became a member of the General Church and of the Olivet Church. In this society he became a leader of the young people, among whom he organized a club called "Alpha Pi," for the purpose of helping in the work of the Church and of promoting distinctive New Church social life among the youngest group of young people.
     He enlisted in the R.C.A.F. in December, 1940, went overseas as a Pilot Officer in September, 1941, and in due course won his promotion to the rank of Flying Officer. In England he was assigned to the R.A.F., with whom all of his operational flights were made. He took part in upward of forty flights over enemy country, from Norway to the Mediterranean, among them the first thousand-bomber raid over Cologne, and he piloted some of Britain's biggest bombers. His last station was in Suffolk, and the Wing Commander of his Squadron wrote to his mother, under date. 6th June. 1943: "Laurence completed eleven successful operational flights prior to being reported missing on the night of 8th December, 1942, when he was on a mining operation in the Baltic. . . . Laurence was captain of his aircraft, and his primary duties were bombing of enemy territory."
     Larry visited the London and Colchester Societies several times, and wrote home that he much appreciated their cordial hospitality. In one of his last letters he said he had hoped "to get leave over Christmas and spend the holiday in Colchester, but it looks as if I've just missed it, unless the leave roster gets readjusted."
     In the same letter he tells about "meeting 'Olga' from the Volga. You
probably remember reading about the Russian girl sniper, who had killed 309 Germans, or something. I believe she and a party of other Russian heroes visited Canada and America recently. Well, they visited the station here a couple of weeks ago, and were just being shown over my aircraft when we arrived to take it off for the evening jaunt. So my crew and I were introduced all round, and exchanged the usual compliments (through an interpreter) while newsreel cameras clicked and buzzed.

45


I obtained a print of one of the photographs, showing me introducing my navigator, Jack Strachan, to 'Olga.' Unfortunately the picture shows a few technical details in the background, so I'll have to wait till after the war to show it to you. . . 'Olga' couldn't speak much English. All she could say was, 'You bomb Berlin dis side, we bomb other side.'"
     On August 11, 1942, he wrote to his mother a very beautiful letter telling her what arrangements he had made in case of "accidents." If missing, and after six months "you don't bear,-all I can say is that I'll be happy, and you will have the knowledge that I have doe my best to put my life on this earth to the greatest use to humanity of which I was capable. I have no major ambitions in life. One is to be able to do something toward the betterment of the human race, to contribute my bit toward solving the problems of civilization, and making my country in particular, and the world in general, a better place in which to live. That. I believe, is the highest use to which a New Churchman can put his knowledge and intelligence, and is the use I hope to perform, possibly through the medium of literature. The second ambition is to find, and win, my true conjugial partner, some one who can give me a happy married partnership, and who can work, with me toward the ideals of the use I have mentioned. In my present work, I am at least doing what I can, at present, toward the first goal. And it is something to be able to feel that I am doing my duty, not only toward my country. but also toward my own personal ideals and convictions. So just remember, if you do get a cable that I am missing, that there is every chance I have bailed Out over Germany."
     Larry has been greatly missed in Toronto, and his many friends here will always honor and love him for his sterling qualities, and for the great service he rendered so willingly and capably to his country and to humanity-F. E. GYLLENHAAL.

     SERGEANT KENNETH W. PRICE was reported "missing on a mission" after a flight out of Charleston, South Carolina, on November 15. He was a flight engineer on a B-24, and no trace of the plane or crew has been found, although Army, Navy, and British patrols searched waters over an area of 500 miles for a week.
     Word has now come that the Army considers the crew "officially dead." and that a memorial service was conducted by the company chaplain. On Thursday, December 9 a service in memory of Kenny was held in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral and we shall publish an account of his life and special qualities in the next issue of New Church Life.
Title Unspecified 1944

Title Unspecified              1944

     OUR PAMPHLETS.-The Military Service Committee is receiving an increasing number of requests for copies of the Sermons and Classes we send to those in the armed services. These papers are printed as small folders, and a great deal of time and thought have been expended in their selection. The subjects have been chosen with the hope of meeting a variety of needs and interests, but in general they are of a fundamental type, applicable to the states of persons under war conditions.
     For the convenience of those who wish copies of these pamphlets, we have made them available through the Pastoral Extension Service. A complete list of titles will be furnished by Mr. William R. Cooper. Bryn Athyn, Pa., on request. Ten cents in stamps is the price of each folder. A list of titles will also be incorporated in a new Pastoral Extension Service announcement to be published soon.-D. G. P.

46


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     WYOMING, OHIO.

     In checking back through past copies of the Life, we have come to the startling conclusion that there have been no reports from us for nearly a year. However, the Wyoming Circle is still functioning, and is even showing definite signs of growth. Since our last report struck a rather pessimistic tone, we are glad to be able to report definite indications of improvement.
     We have had two notable additions to our group: Miss Jeanne Haworth, who was baptized last year, and is now in Bryn Athyn attending the Girl's Seminary; and Mr. Leigh C. Latta, Jr., who was baptized in childhood at Glendale, Ohio, by the Rev. Louis G. Hoeck, and confirmed in the faith of the New Church at Wyoming. March 13, 1943, by the Rev. Norman H. Reuter.
     Two of our young people have graduated from the Academy Schools, and at the present time four are enrolled in the Seminary. They are: Miss Julia Fay Smith, Miss Jeanne Marie Haworth, Miss Marjorie Merrell, and Miss Doris Merrell.
     On September 11, the betrothal of Mr. Leigh Clark Latta, Jr., to Miss Cora Virginia Merrell was performed at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Merrell with the immediate families present.
     This beautiful and distinctively New Church ceremony preceded the outstanding event of the year, which was the marriage of this young couple Oil October 16. The wedding took place in the little "Swedenborgian" Church in Glendale, Ohio, the Rev. Norman H. Reuter officiating. The bridegroom's parents are members of the Convention Society, and are almost the only remaining members of what was once a flourishing New Church group.
     On this happy occasion, Mrs. Donald F. Rose and her prospective daughter-in-law. Miss Mary Van Zyverden, were most welcome visitors to our group. We were also fortunate in having the Reuter family with us, as well as the family of Mr. Robert Barnitz of Urbana, Ohio. Mr. Barnitz contributed greatly to the wedding ceremony by his beautiful singing of the hymn, "O Precious Sign and Seal of Heavenly Union."
     Situated, as we are, fairly close to Dayton, Ohio, and Fort Knox, Ky., we are fortunate in having occasional visits from various members of the Armed Forces, as well as young ladies interested in the Armed Forces. Lt. Warren Reuter and PFC David 0dhner have visited from Fort Knox, and the Misses Margaret Brown and Nancy Stein from Pittsburgh, Mr. Felix Junge was in Cincinnati on business for a short time, and twice found an opportunity to attend services. Lt. George Brown has been a rather regular visitor from Patterson Field. It has been very gratifying to have these friends dropping in and taking part in the affairs of our small circle.
     We have maintained regular Sunday services, and all who may be visiting Cincinnati or the vicinity have the opportunity of attending worship, although Mr. Reuters visits are limited to once a month. For the benefit of those who may be passing this way, we wish to announce that, on the second Sunday of every month, a service is held by Mr. Reuter at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Donald Merrell, 227 Grove Avenue.

47


On other Sundays a less formal service is held at the same place. We suggest that friends passing through Cincinnati telephone Mr. Merrell's office, VAlley 2152, or his home VAlley 2479. Visitors are always welcome, especially if they bring their ration books with them.
     We are now looking forward to the visit of Bishop Alfred Acton, November 23 to 28, at which time there will be a series of classes and a Thanksgiving Service with the administration of the Holy Supper.
     D. M.

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     So far, winter is being very good to us in Glenview. Instead of lots of snow and slush and real cold weather, we've been enjoying many bright, sun- shiny days-with only a couple of light snow flurries as gentle reminders of what's to follow. Those of us who are Optimistic say. `There's two months of winter gone already." And those of us who are pessimistic reply, O.K., but we've still got four more to go!"
     At our Friday suppers our new pastor, the Rev. Elmo Acton, has been giving a series of classes on Church Ritual.
     Also, Mr. Acton has started a weekly men's meeting for the purpose of studying Swedenborg's Preparatory Works. The average attendance is twenty, and we hold the meetings in our homes. After one hour of reading and comment, refreshments are served and we continue our discussion in a more informal manner. Beginning Thursday, December 9, the young people will also have a weekly class with Mr. Acton.
     At the November meeting of the Glenview Chapter of the Sons, Mr. Acton read a paper entitled "Thoughts on Child Training-an enlightening treatment of a much-misunderstood subject. I think Atigelo Patri would have been in accord with most of it.
     On Saturday evening, December 4, Mr. Alec McQueen entertained a sizeable group of our members with a lecture on Russia. For a man who has not taken leave of the United States for some forty years, we gather Mr. McQueen's data have been gathered from reading and hearsay. In any event I was told the evening was a most enjoyable one, topped off, as it was, with tea, coffee, cake, and no vodka.
     Folks, we've taken on a new job-a very pleasant one! We now have a Hospitality Committee, headed by Mrs. David Gladish, 73 Park Drive-phone number, Glenview 769. Let me introduce this new activity in Mrs. Gladish's own words: We always enjoy having visitors but think some people may hesitate to come because they have no place to stay. Hesitate no longer! If you have the urge to visit our Park-and who hasn't?- just call or write to me and every thing will be arranged."
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

     COLCHESTER, ENGLAND.

     Life went on normally during the Summer in our society. Doctrinal classes have now been resumed, studying Divine Love and Wisdom, which is proving a most interesting subject to the few who can attend. Classes are also continuing for our younger groups.
     The School Closing was of special interest, as the children gave a little play, "The Queen's Birthday," written by one of the pupils. Stella Appleton. It was performed with simplicity, and had a good moral. The children afterwards sang the 3rd and 8th Psalms.
     Our Harvest Festival was well attended. The chancel was decorated with flowers and baskets of fruit and vegetables. Mr. Pryke gave a very good address to the children, who afterwards made offerings, which went to the Navy Comforts Fund. As last year, a special service for the Air Training Corps was held in October, about fifty attending.
     Two more of our boys have left us for the Forces-Alvin Motum and Garth Cooper. The next are about 16; we hope they will not be needed.
     F. B.

48


REALISM VERSUS IDEALISM 1944

REALISM VERSUS IDEALISM        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944




     Announcements





49




NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. LXIV
FEBRUARY, 1944
No. 2
     (Delivered at the Local Assemblies in Kitchener and Toronto, Canada; the District Assembly in Glenview, Illinois; also at Montreal, Canada.)

     The modern world is torn between two conflicting philosophies. They are bitterly antagonistic and apparently irreconcilable. For they are based on opposite views as to what constitutes the dominant characteristic of human nature, and thus as to what determines the inmost quality of man's life.
     Realistic thinkers hold that man is born a self-centered creature, his whole world revolving around the ego as its sun. And since no one can act contrary to his own nature, they cynically declare that there is no deed if man, however magnanimous it may be in outward seeming, which, if the inner truth were known, would not be found to be motivated by some form of self-interest. This being the case, they regard it either as blatant hypocrisy or else as sheer folly to pretend that it is otherwise. The hope for a day when men will relinquish their personal ambitions, so that they may dwell together in charity and mutual love, they stamp as the vain product of a wishful thinking which ignores reality. They see in it only a sign of weakness, and the forerunner of racial decadence. For men can allow themselves to be thus deluded only because they lack courage to face the truth with intellectual honesty. Candor should compel us, therefore, to admit that despite the advancement of culture and civilization, with all its boasted altruism, men have not become less selfish. They have merely learned to sublimate the more obvious manifestations of egotism by the practice of what has been called "enlightened self-interest."

50


In doing so, their profession of religious and moral ideals has but served as a convenient tool, at first to deceive others, and finally even to deceive themselves. Only when these childish evasions have been discarded, and men boldly assert the power of the human will as the only reality, can there be true progress. Convinced that this is so, the realists have set themselves the task of unmasking hypocrisy everywhere. Emphasizing the ugly and the revolting in literature, in music, and in art; robbing history of its heroes; exalting force as the only arbiter of right and justice;-they challenge all sincerity, and cast suspicion on every appearance of human virtue.
     Idealists, on the other hand, cling to a belief in principles of religious morality as constituting the very foundations of human society. In spite of long delay and repeated disappointment, they refuse to abandon their faith that freedom, justice, and enduring peace based on an all-embracing spirit of brotherly love, actually lie within man's power to achieve. Their hope is founded upon the conviction that human nature is by no means as black as the realists have painted it. They point to abundant evidence that in every human heart there is not only selfishness, but also a fundamental impulse to be kind and generous, just and honorable, peace-loving and merciful. These qualities they maintain may be cultivated until they become dominant. In fact they are regarded as the more deeply instinctive qualities of man's inborn nature; and ample indication is found that they have been steadily emerging by a process of spontaneous evolution as man has climbed painfully up through the centuries from primitive barbarism to the outstanding accomplishments of modern times. All that is needed to hasten this process is intelligent leadership. For the prime cause of evil, they believe, does not lie in human nature, but in ignorance. and in the deplorable conditions of disease, of squalor, of poverty and frustration that ignorance begets. These are the incentives to evil, and scientific knowledge intelligently applied has power to remove them. The implication is, that when poverty has been abolished, there will be no further temptation for men to steal. When everyone is free to attain, by peaceful means, his heart's desire, there will be no cause for jealousy.

51


Then the lust for power or for gain, which has ever been the cause of war and violence, will die out for lack of fuel, and man's nobler nature will assert itself in a spirit of good will, producing a universal brotherhood of men and nations.
     This, of course, is an extreme statement of the two positions. But it has been made deliberately, in order to emphasize their complete incompatibility. Those who adopt a compromise-and they are indeed the great majority-abandon all logic in an attempt to select from either side according to convenience. But a tiger and a lamb cannot successfully be harnessed to the same chariot. Whoever assumes the pessimistic premise that man by nature is unalterably selfish cannot avoid its inevitable consequences. And the same is true of one who begins with the hopeful conviction that man's nature is basically unselfish. Straight thinking will lead each in an opposite direction to an inevitable conclusion that cannot greatly differ from what has here been briefly outlined.
     Yet it is a fact that, when rightly viewed, these seeming opposites can be fully reconciled. For each of these philosophies contains a basic truth, and at the same time an invalidating falsity. The Divine interpretation of human life now given in the Writings differs radically from both-even while acknowledging the underlying truth in each. For it discards their falsities, and weaves their truths into a pattern altogether new.

     II.

     As you know, the teaching is that man as to his hereditary proprium is wholly evil. His native will is nothing but the love of self. Nor can he, by any power of his own, surmount that love. By no personal endeavor can he attain a spirit of charity that is not deeply contaminated with it. There is no denying, therefore, that much apparent good is counterfeit. For the tendency to dissemble virtue for the sake of self-aggrandizement is the universal heritage of fallen man. It appears on every page of history; and no one who dispassionately examines his own motives can fail to discover it within himself. In the frank acknowledgment of this as a basic fact of human life, we also must be realists.
     Yet our minds revolt against the cynicism that would denounce every semblance of human virtue as hypocritical. We find about us men of simple faith, earnestly striving to live up to whatever principles they have of religion, of honor, and of justice.

52


We see examples of life-long sacrifice without apparent thought of self. We see faithful devotion to duty, and consideration for the welfare of others, seemingly without thought of reward. In many acts of those about us we sense a spirit of sincerity. And while we cannot truly know the hidden motives of men, the Writings confirm our belief that, in spite of the preponderance of evil, genuine virtue does exist. For they assure us that even to the end and a new beginning of the Church the Lord mercifully preserves a remnant of innocence, and with it a natural charity that is sincere.
     This charity, however, is not inseated in man's proprium. It is a gift of God. For the Lord insinuates it through the influx of heavenly affections during infancy and childhood. These affections dispose the mind to recognize and acknowledge the truth of religion. Some remnant of that truth has been preserved with every people. For there has been an unbroken stream of Divine Revelation through all the ages, bringing to the minds of men the truth essential to their salvation. And while this truth has been twisted and falsified by the evil, the fundamentals sufficient for a simple faith have never been destroyed. The truth that there is a God; the truth that there is a Divine Law that ought to be obeyed; the truth that he who breaks that law will stiffer punishment, while he who keeps it will be blessed;-these are the truths of the Word whence has come every human idea of honor, justice, of duty and self-sacrifice in the service of others. No one could have invented these ideas. The love of self could not produce them. Only the Lord could reveal them, and He alone could gift man with affections capable of receiving them. He who refuses to recognize their Divine origin, and claims them as his own, destroys them with the poison of self-merit. But all who accept them as the gifts of God, with simple faith and gratitude of heart, are endowed by the Lord with a charity wherein there is innocence and a deep sincerity. In our belief, therefore, that in the midst of a world predominantly evil, and in spite of the utter selfishness of man's inborn nature, genuine charity exists, we still must be idealists.
     The charity of a gentile faith, however, is not equipped permanently to conquer the forces of evil.

53


It may check them for a time, because when evil loves exceed all bounds, threatening to destroy the foundations of society, the Lord inflows with greater power to protect the simple. Many who had been thinking only of themselves are roused by fear to the defense of justice. In the face of impending danger, cynicism is forgotten. Instinctively men seek the protection of a higher power. There is a notable resurgence of interest in religion. With hope renewed many look for the near approach of the millennium. But they are doomed to disappointment. For as soon as the danger is past, the loves of self, temporarily held in leash, are loosed once more in a wild scramble to regain, each for himself, whatever advantages he may have sacrificed.
     No appeal to natural reason no amount of intellectual education no increase of scientific knowledge, will prevent this. For as long as the prevailing spirit is selfish, men will measure the value of education by its practical ability to give them what they want. They will turn it to the service of self-interest, even while professing a deep concern for the welfare of others. By the powerful undertow of this returning tide, the simple man is carried helplessly beyond his depth. He cannot swim against that current. His trusting nature is betrayed, and he becomes the gullible victim of those who shrewdly seek to use him for the furtherance of their own ends. As men and nations jockey for position, jealousies and resentments mount, painting out the rosy picture of universal brotherhood upon which the simple everywhere had pinned their hope. No-to rely on gentile charity to save the world is indeed a sentimental idealism with no foundation in reality.
     Yet it is well that we should recognize this charity for what it is, even while, with realism, we face its limitations. Under the inscrutable guidance of Providence, its powers of conservation and restraint are of incalculable value. Based as it is on the common perception of mankind, provided by the Lord through the heavens and through the Word, it serves as a balance wheel to all the machinery of human society, and prevents the unbridled lusts of gain and of dominion from tearing the whole structure to pieces. It is like cool shade that preserves some moisture in the soil of human minds, so that at some future time they may be prepared to receive the seeds of spiritual truth.

54


For many it keeps open the way to eternal life, so that when they come into the spiritual world they may be instructed by the angels and led by the Lord to a place of use and happiness in heaven. The simple faith of children and of gentiles everywhere is the only ground wherein the New Church can possibly take root and grow. We should respect it, honor it, and cherish it wherever it is found, because innocence is in it, and where this is, the Lord Himself is present.
      But more than natural charity, however genuine, is needed for the redemption of the race. The innocence of ignorance can for a time protect the simple: but it cannot rebuild the ruined structure of man s spiritual life. For this task spiritual knowledge and intelligence are required. This is the reason why the Lord has come in the Heavenly Doctrine, teaching a new way of life, and urging men to walk therein, that He may bless them with a higher form of charity. That which man can never accomplish by his own will and his own intelligence, the Lord can do for him-hut only if he will receive in his heart the seeds of spiritual truth Divinely given in the Writings.

     Ill.

     It is essential for us clearly to understand the difference between that natural charity upon which the modern idealists have pinned their faith, and the spiritual charity which alone can establish a New Church. When Jacob met the shepherds at the well in Haran he said to them, "My brethren, whence are ye?" This, the Writings tell us, was an inquiry as to the kind of charity in which they were. By the shepherds of Haran are meant those who profess a life of charity. The well whence they watered their flocks represents the teaching of their religion in which was some remnant of truth from the Word. But the external form of charity thence derived might be either from the love of self, and thus from proprium, or it might be from the innocence of simple faith.
     Concerning this, the Doctrine teaches that "the charity which in external form appears as charity is not always charity in the internal form. Its quality and its source are known from its end. The charity that comes from a selfish or worldly end in its internal form is not charity, neither ought it to be called charity; but the charity that regards as its end the neighbor, the general good, heaven, and thus the Lord, is real charity, and has within it the affection of doing good from the heart and the derivative delight of life, which in the other life becomes bliss.

55


It is of the utmost importance to know this, in order that man may know what the Lord's Kingdom in itself is." (A. C. 3776.)
     It is necessary that we should inquire as to the origin of the apparent charity that we find in others, lest we be deceived and led astray by those who at heart are evil. This we must do for our own protection, even though we know that our judgments are superficial.
     But that which is here said to be of such great importance is the need to ask ourselves, "What is the quality of our own charity? Is it from love to the Lord or from the love of self?" The answer we can never know with certainty. For true charity is a very subtle thing. It can be acquired by no self-conscious effort. It is imparted by the Lord without our knowledge, and when we least expect it.
     It is given only when we forget ourselves in the fulfilment of our duty to the Lord and to the neighbor. But we can know-and we should know-that it is possible only in the degree that we love the truth of Revelation, only in the degree that we strive, through every temptation, to keep that truth in faith and life, because the Lord is in it. Wherefore the Writings tell us that "to know truths, to will truths, and to be affected by them for the sake of truths is charity." (N. J. H. D. 106.)
     This is a kind of charity that cannot exist with the gentiles who are in spiritual ignorance. For without the knowledge of truth it cannot be given. He who would receive it from the Lord must seek that knowledge as the only means to its attainment. This essential requirement is what is lacking in modern idealism. It is what renders it sentimental and unreal. For the ends that are sought can never be accomplished by human effort, but only by the Lord, and through the medium of spiritual truth, received, acknowledged, and lived by man. The reason is, that only by means of the truth now revealed in the Writings can man be withdrawn from his proprium and lifted above the selfishness into which he was born. Only as he receives this truth, and yields his heart to its guidance, can the Lord conquer in him the evils of his inherited nature.

56



     The question, then, that we must ask ourselves is, "Do we love the teaching of the Writings above all things? Are we seeking day by day to understand them better? Do we place the keeping of this truth above the achievement of any worldly ambition?" For on this the spiritual quality of our charity, and thus of our New Churchmanship, depends.
     To know and understand the truth is first in time. But by itself it is not enough. For charity we are told, is not the knowledge but the life of truth. (A. C. 10485.) To live truth is to shun the evils and the falsities that are opposed to it. And to shun evils in ourselves as sins against God is the same thing as to do good to the neighbor. This is the charity that makes the New Church. It is in the highest degree idealistic, because it is founded upon an abiding faith in the power of the Lord, by means of His Word, to redeem man forever from his bondage to the love of self. And yet it is the truest realism. For it fully recognizes the fact of man s innate selfishness. But instead of denying the existence of God, and of all that is truly good from Him, and yielding to the pessimistic view that man's evil nature is the only reality, it acknowledges that everything real with man is of necessity a gift of God, while that which arises from his proprium is the source of all that is fantastic and unreal.
     This is the inner truth upon which is founded our unconquerable faith in man's ultimate redemption. But if that hope is to be realized with us, then must we strive, in the everyday life of the Church-in the life of our societies and of our homes, in the performance of every duty to our fellowmen-for the kind of charity that the Writings teach, the kind that springs from love to the Lord, and from a deep devotion to the Truth of the Heavenly Doctrine. Nothing else has power to build the New Church in our hearts. Nothing else will preserve it with our children, and strengthen it with each succeeding generation. And only as men become imbued with this charity can there be any real basis for the hope that the rivalries of nations may at last give way to permanent cooperation for the preservation of the freedom and the peace of all mankind.

     (READING: Genesis 29: 1-14.)

57


PEACE AND WAR 1944

PEACE AND WAR       Rev. F. W. ELPHICK       1944

     (A Discourse given in the Church of the New Jerusalem, Durban, Natal, on a National Day of Prayer, September 5, 1943.)

     "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears, let the weak say, I am strong." (Joel 3: 10.)

     Today, in this country, we observe a National Day of Prayer, commemorating the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of the greatest war of all time. In Britain this anniversary was commemorated on the 3rd of September, on which day four years ago the British people, unprepared, said No" to continued "unprovoked aggression." And so again, by high command, many people, with many shades of faith, creed and opinion, meet together on an appointed day, and in sundry places, to offer prayer to God. In a combat of total war-where all forces, military, naval, air, and all sources of production, natural and manufactured, are bent and directed for the defense of freedom and the destruction of harsh military despotism-for the fourth time we are called to reflect upon the signs of the times, and to reflect upon them in the House of God.
     We are aware that war commentary, given almost to bewilderment, is, to some minds, tiresome and tedious. Yet, on occasion, it is necessary to note the why and the wherefore of contemporary history. And in the New Church, where there is a Divinely revealed system of doctrine-teaching-knowledge-as to why there are wars, and why they are permitted by Almighty God, the events of our age should be of intense interest. They should also be an abiding lesson, even though these events are sad and terrible.
     In the New Church a National Day of Prayer does not mean a mere ritualistic appeal to God to have mercy upon us, and to use His Divine influence to stop this war-this terrible conflagration. But, within the dress and ceremony of public worship, it means a rational looking to the Lord, and a discerning of the Lord in His revealings of Divine Truth, so that we may understand something of His providence and leading.

58


And it is only by means of the Lord's revealings of Divine Truth-the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Heavenly Doctrines-as also the looking back upon past events and experiences, that this providence and leading can be seen.
     In the Scriptures, war is referred to many times, and especially in the Old Testament. Indeed, it is because many people cannot reconcile the idea of God-said to be all-merciful, all-wise, a perfect Being who can control everything-with His allowing the wars which were waged under Moses, Joshua and Gideon, associated as those were with destruction and murder. They conclude, therefore, that the Old Testament teaches things which should not concern Christians, much less innocent children. But, as we shall note later, there are other reasons for the record of such wars in the Word of God.
     On the face of things, the wars of Holy Scripture are not very different from those of ancient, medieval and modern times. For throughout history there are times called "peace," which soon ended in "war"-even to this, the greatest of all wars. Hence, from a natural and material point of view, striking analogies can he seen. Were not Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire from heaven? And do we not read in Joshua that "the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them; . . . they were more which died with hail-stones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword." So today, the modern cities of Europe and Asia are bombed from the sky with "stones"-explosive stones, stones of fire and of metal, made by the science and art of man! And there is no distinction between "combatant" and "non-combatant"! It is "total war." Men stand aghast at the indescribable destruction; and still there is no visible Divine Hand which intervenes. God allows it. He does not stop it.
     Many have looked for the times of peace. They think of the oft-repeated words: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." (Isaiah 2: 4.) But the Scriptures also say: "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong." (Joel 3: 10.) And thus do the Scriptures appear to teach things which are opposites-contradictions.

59


How, then, some say, can we have faith in their guiding?
     But men cannot understand the Scriptures-the Word of God-unless they have a revealed doctrine from heaven to help them. And this revealing doctrine is now present in the world. For although the Scriptures are the Divine Truth in ultimates-that is, in last things, things near the earth, near our natural lives-and are so written that the ideas and thoughts recorded and preserved for thousands of years so often fit, it seems, the many conditions which befall our lives in this world today-yet all references in the Word to war deal with that higher, inner, and spiritual conflict of evil against good, falsity against truth, or, vice versa, of good against evil, truth against falsity.
     And so the text we have chosen seems to fit our day and our times. For are not all things of peace and plenty turned now to things of war and destruction? Plowshares, symbols of peace and plenty, are turned into swords, and pruninghooks into spears. And we may also translate sword and spear into the modern equipment of war,-tank, battleship, plane and bomb-and this so that "the weak may become strong"! That there may be aggression in the cause of defense of what is right and just, fair and honorable, "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong."
     But in this, what are we doing? We are applying the words of Divine Revelation to the period of our own day. The same conditions, under different circumstances of living, also occurred in times gone by-in Old Testament times, in New Testament times, in all the wars of Western and Eastern History. The words written by the Prophet Joel refer to conditions of all time, thus also to the conditions of the Last Judgment which took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757, the results of which are having their effect on our world in our time.
     Clearly our text is a call from peace time to war time, and yet with the idea that war will eventually bring peace. For, according to revealed doctrine, "plows" signify the church as to the good of life (A. E. 734:2) and this state of the church-the good of life- has to take the sword of truth and fight falsity. "Pruninghooks," or truths of doctrine, are to take the form of "spears"-spears of defense, which really are "the interior power of truth from good" (A. C. 9141:4, 2799:21).

60


Hence, with the truth of Divinely revealed doctrine-interpretation-we can see how everyone, in any age, can rise from unregenerate states and be made strong by means of the powers of good and truth which come from the Lord. "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong."
     Thus, briefly, can we see how, as a matter of interpretation, the letter of the Scriptures may be applied to temporal things-natural conditions of war and peace,-and to eternal things-spiritual conditions of war and peace. And it is in this matter of trying to see the proper relationship between things natural and things spiritual that the New Church needs to give attention.
     But there are not only matters of interpretation-important and instructive, so that we may understand the Scriptures. There are matters in which there is practical application. And one form of this practical application concerns our attitude toward war in general, and toward this war in particular. It is, moreover, the formation of these attitudes in which the Doctrines of the New Church give so much assistance. Hence, in the work called The Divine Providence we read:

     "There are many reasons stored up in the treasury of Divine Wisdom why the Lord does not check the greater wars, with their kings and commanders, connected as they are with homicides, depredations violence and cruelties, neither in their beginning nor in their progress, but only at the close, when the power of one or the other has become so reduced that he is in danger of destruction. Some of these reasons have been revealed to me, and among them is this: that all wars, however much they belong to civil affairs, represent in heaven the states of the church, and are correspondences. Such were all the wars described in the Word, and such also are all wars at this day." (D. P. 251:3.)

     Here, then, let us look at the present war from this wider and revealed spiritual aspect. For although we know that wars entail homicides, depredations, violence and cruelties, and exist now, yet they are not ordained by an angry and cruel God. These things happen because of the law that evil always has within it its own punishment, and brings its own punishment.

61


Herein, too, is the reason for the record of the wars of the Israelites. Self-pride has within it its own punishment. Love of dominion from the love of self has within it its own punishment. Stealing has within it its own punishment. And so with every evil. Because men are left in freedom to act as if of themselves, so it is that, if they persist in the things which are opposed to the Lord's order, they bring punishment upon themselves. In the present war, as in many others, because the verdict of history is that certain leaders in certain nations have used power wrongly, so the very methods by which they tried to use that power are turned upon them. Hence now the devastation at which men stand aghast.
     Self-love is blind and cruel and deceitful; and because no true religion can grow in such a sphere, so we see the hand of Providence in looking back upon four years of war, showing that dominion by force is wrong. Not only are there the incidents of aggression, and the clearing of the atmosphere as to the real tyranny facing free and democratic nations, but, in Providence, great men, with long vision and high ideals-great leaders of the people-born, educated, and of long experience in countries of inborn freedom-freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of parliament, freedom of government, freedom of religion-such men, representing Democracy under Royalty, and Democracy under Republic, have had to solve the great problems of this upheaval. And although this war involves terrible devastation and destruction, yet it must be waged to the end. And this can be done without hatred, that there may be just punishment. For justice can be enacted-harshly, but not in a revengeful spirit. As truth must fight falsity on the higher spiritual plane; as good must fight evil on the higher spiritual plane; so on the natural plane, those minds which have devised conquest by the greatest military machine ever known in history must receive punishment in action terrible as it is.
     But behind all this upheaval is the state of men in regard to religion,-their spiritual life, the life of their souls. And before the New Christianity, born of the Second Coming of the Lord, can in any way be established and grow among men, the Old has to perish. Age-long and worn-out creeds, which have led to false ideas of the Lord and His Providence, are under judgment.

62


States of atheism and materialism false ideas of repentance and the remission of sins; exaggerated notions of religious life-that it means seclusion in monastery and nunnery:-all this is the fruit of a decaying Christian Church as a dispensation.
     Let us remember, however, that there are always individual Christians who are in states of charity and single-minded faith. What we see now being enacted in the world around us is a part of the Last Judgment which took place in the spiritual world in the year 1757. This is possible because a spiritual influence-a state of the minds of men-is without "time" and so we can have results of that Judgment now in this world. But what all this will lead to; how the New Church-the True Christian Religion-will grow from few to many; all this is in the treasury of the Divine Wisdom, hidden from the gaze of men. No one can see the future. We are living in the days of devastation and preparation.
     And now one other concluding theme, connected with the times. We have said that men stand aghast at the destruction and the terrible evil of this war. But what, in part, creates this dismay? It is the mass and size and extent of the evil which astounds. What is required is to see evil in its smallness in its little forms, in its incipient stages. And this is really the essence of all future "reconstruction." For evil seen in its little forms, where it can be taken to task, and shunned as sin against God, is that which will bring a better world. It is the selfish "dictator" in ourselves that must be killed,-harshness, greed, injustice, selfish dominion in the home in the school, in church organizations, in business office and factory- in all walks of life-and this in all nations! For it is the individuals in every nation who make the nation.
     And in any regenerative effort, the Church, as a communion of God, has to help the right incentive and encourage the true spirit, leaving it to the State to make plans, to enact laws, and to construct organization in the many uses of life. It is in this sense that the church in each one, as the kingdom of God, and as to the good of life, is the "plow." It has to turn this "plow" into a "sword"-truth fighting falsity. It has to use the truths of doctrine-"pruninghooks,"-and turn them into "spears,"-the interior forms of truth from good. In other words, this process is none other than the formation of faith from the good of life. And these, the "sword" and the "spear," have to fight evil.

63


Then indeed will men and women be made "strong". Of themselves they are "weak". It is a provision for spiritual life as well as for natural life.
     All this can take place while we are in the natural world and engaged in its work, whether in times of peace or times of war. And if there is this hidden and interior form of warfare, then, even in such times as these, known as "total war," the way is being opened to real victory and peace.
     In the fifth year of war we therefore have to be strong-strong spiritually and strong naturally-using the spiritual and natural weapons which the Lord has given for the betterment of mankind. At the same time we have to remember that no one leaves this world, either in war time or peace time, until his use is accomplished in this world and it is best for him to enter the spiritual kingdom. "Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong." Amen.

LESSONS:     Joshua 10: 1-11. Revelation 13: 1-10. D. P. 251.
SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME 1944

SUFFER LITTLE CHILDREN TO COME       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1944

     "But when Jesus saw it, He was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them." (Mark 10: 14, 16.)

     The quality of any religion-it has been said-may be judged merely by its teaching concerning the lot of those who die in childhood. If this be true, then on that ground alone the New Church's claim to possess a Divinely given doctrine would be well established. For there is no teaching on this subject more pregnant with heavenly beauty and tenderness, or more evidently direct from the Good Shepherd Himself who pressed the little ones to His bosom, than that which is given in the Writings. None is in fuller accord with the truth manifested in our text,-that the Lord, in His infinite love, permits no barriers between Himself and the infants who are brought to Him.

64


And there is none which can impart greater assurance, comfort, and positive happiness to all who, in the inscrutable but good Providence of the Lord, have been parted early from the children once entrusted to their care. For none is given which reveals more fully or authoritatively the nature of the true, spiritual blessing which the Lord bestows upon the little ones He takes up in His arms.
     By childhood, in the Writings, is meant the period from birth to the twentieth year, when the age of responsibility is attained; and the teaching is, that all who leave this world through the gate of death at any time during the first twenty years of their life are at once received by the Lord, are educated in heaven, and are saved. There are no exceptions to this law. All who die in childhood, as the term is used in the Writings, become angels eventually and this whether they were born within the Church or in the Gentile world, whether they were baptized or not, whether their parents were good or evil. Under the government of the Lord, who is love and wisdom itself, it could not be otherwise; for a child, who does not yet possess liberty and rationality, cannot be held responsible in the same way as an adult.
     It must be understood, of course, that those who depart this life in childhood do not become angels the moment they enter the spiritual world, and that although they are in heaven, they are not of it until their education and training has been completed. At first they are still babes, infants, children, or youths, according to the age at which they left this world, and as such they do not possess the intelligence and wisdom which make an angel. And on the other hand, although they are without actual evil, they have the same tendencies to evil as their brothers and sisters who are still on earth. Like all others who would enter heaven, they must be prepared, and must undergo temptations. But the point is, that although the final result is not revealed to them beforehand -in which case there would be no temptation,-none of them fail. None are lost; all are saved. Of the little ones whom the Lord takes into His arms through death, all receive the blessing of eternal life. And to the New Church has been given the privilege of knowing how that blessing is received.

65


In the Heavenly Doctrine we may read the full story of the after-death life and development of children in heaven, from their first entrance into it as newcomers to their re-entrance as angels after preparation.

     II.

     When a little child dies as to the body, he is raised at once and taken up into heaven. The period of three days for resuscitation normal with adults, is not necessary in his case, because of his more tender states. Immediately after the death of the body, he is raised into conscious experience of the spiritual world. His state of life corresponds to his age on earth. He is still in the human form and shape, but in one far superior to that which he possessed on earth, since his body and its senses are now spiritual substantial instead of material.
     If the little one is still in the state of infancy, he is taken,-according to his latent genius, which is most perfectly known to the Lord,-to one of the many angelic societies whose special use is the care of infants; and there he is committed to the care of an angel- woman, a heavenly nurse, in whose home he is to spend his infancy, and whom he will learn to call mother. All of these nurses are angels who, in this world, loved all infants and children from a motherly tenderness and at the same time loved the Lord, and who are in good and in the capacity to receive influx from heaven. There is granted them a perception as though the babes given into their care were their own infants, and they surround the little ones with a tender love that is returned instinctively. To each one is granted the care of as many infants as she desires from a truly spiritual love of children.
     Older children go first to other angelic societies. But all who enter heaven as infants are first committed to the care of one of these angel-nurses, and from her they receive the rudiments of their education for heaven. Because they are in the spiritual world, they progress much inure rapidly than infants do on earth. They walk without practice, and speak the angelic language, we are told, within a month; but it is to be understood in regard to this that their first speech is merely the sound of affection, and that it becomes distinct as ideas from affection enter the thought later. They say the Lord's Prayer, and learn prayers from their nurses, by means of an influx out of heaven.

66


There are preachers for them, and an intelligence and wisdom flow into their minds which far exceed those of the learned in this world, although they have only a very childish idea about them.
     Education in the heavens is progressive. The law unifying its various stages is: that children there are led by the Lord into angelic wisdom, and through that into heavenly love, by means of enjoyable and pleasing things;-first, by means of beautiful and pleasing things in their homes and in gardens, then by means of representatives of spiritual things which affect the interiors of their minds with pleasure; and finally by means of truths of wisdom, and so by means of goods of love. The first of these stages is gone through in infancy, the interiors of their minds being opened by the insinuation into their affections of the delightful things which appear before their eves, the sensation of which is accompanied by influx from heaven; and to this end they are led into paradises, are shown representatives out of heaven, and are adorned with flowers and garlands according to their industry. These little ones do not know otherwise than that they were born in heaven. They have no idea of time and space, or of other earthly things. And they are initiated especially into this, that they know no other father than the Lord, and that they have their life from Him;-which idea lays a foundation for the knowledge in later life that He is Lord of all, and therefore the God of heaven and of the universe.
     Those who enter heaven in infancy and childhood do not remain children. Their education under the Lord's auspices is a gradual perfecting in the intelligence of truth and the wisdom of good, and from the beginning is a process whereby they are introduced into the goods of innocence and charity. And as they receive these things, they grow in stature; for intelligence and wisdom is essential spiritual nourishment, and develops their bodies as well as their minds in heaven. Consequently, a stage is reached whereat they pass out of their heavenly infancy, and when this happens, a change takes place in their life. They leave the homes of their angel nurses, and are transferred to other angelic societies, in which they are instructed further; the girls by governesses, the boys by masters. It is to these societies that those go first who die in childhood but after the period of infancy.

67



     Not much is said in the Writings about the period spent in these societies. We know, however, that the children live in houses with the teachers under whose care they are,-the girls with their governesses, the boys with their masters,-and that the mode of education is still that of representation, though now in a more advanced form. We are told that, in the afternoons, both girls and boys play suitable games under the supervision of their teachers; and reference is made to games and sports of various kinds, by means of which the mental powers of boys are increased and quickened. Eventually the children of both sexes are ready to enter upon a third and final phase of their preparation for heaven, when a change occurs which corresponds to that which takes place when a youth in this world passes from school to college.
     Both youths and maidens leave their former teachers, and are transferred to colleges among the places of instruction in the third state of the world of spirits,-which is also the first abode of those who reach adolescence before leaving this mortal life. Here on the confines of heaven, they live a much more mature life than the one they have just left. They have now entered into the most interior phase of their formal education; and in the case of maidens, we are given a general description of the way in which this period is spent. They live in houses with their teachers, from three to five in a house; and each one has her own room in which stands her bed, a closet for her clothes, and a cupboard with drawers in which she may keep the things she values. They are kept constantly at their work, which is embroidery upon white linen, and which they either give to others or keep for their own use. Without their knowledge, they receive garments with which they clothe themselves every day, and a better garment for feast days; and each has a little garden, in which only flowers grow'. When they see spots on their garments, it is a sign that they have thought ill, or done something forbidden, and these spots cannot be removed by washing, but only by self-examination and repentance. This disappearance of garments, and the withering of flowers in their gardens or their being changed into worse ones, is a similar sign. If, on the other hand, they see a new garment, or more beautiful flowers, they rejoice, for they know then that they have done well. We are told also that they are given coins of silver or gold, which they treasure as tokens of industry or virtue; that they have the written Word, and hymn-books which they take with them to church; and that they are sometimes visited and examined by the preachers.

68



     No corresponding account is given of the lives of young men during this period. We do know, however, that much of their time is spent in the gymnasia, where matters of the deepest wisdom are discussed under the presidency of a senior teacher. It is at the end of this period that those who have been reared in heaven attain their full bodily development. When they have come, the youths to the stature of a youth of eighteen in this world, and the maidens to that of a maiden of fifteen here on earth, they cease to grow or age further, and remain to eternity in the flower of young manhood and womanhood, ever increasing in the true beauty that comes from within. And when their training and development has thus been completed, they are given in marriage, which is provided by the Lord. The marriage is celebrated in the heaven of the young man, who then follows his wife into her heaven, or into her house if they are of the same society. And in this second entrance into heaven, those who have hitherto been in heaven, but not of it, are received at last as angels of heaven, thus realizing the blessing bestowed on them by the Lord when He took them up in His arms.

     III.

     Such, in brief, is the story of our children in heaven unfolded in the Writings. General reasons are given why some individuals die as children, some as youths, some as men, and some in old age; but we are not allowed to know specifically why any particular person is withdrawn from this world by death at the age he has attained. Yet, while it is a hard thing to lose the bodily presence of a little one, we can know with certainty that behind the separation is a hidden end of good; and in the revealed story of our children in heaven is a solvent for the most heartfelt sorrow. As the story is read, grief may give place to gratitude to the Lord that we have been given to co-operate with Him in the certain increase of His heavenly kingdom by yet another angel. No matter how short the earthly life span of a child may be, it is of eternal significance, in that it has furnished the indispensable basis for everlasting life and happiness in heaven. The flesh may cry out, but the spirit recognizes in the death of a child, not the blow of a malignant fate, but the call of Him who says, "Suffer little children to come."

69



     Our children are usually introduced early to the story of the Lord's little ones in heaven; and some of them, deeply impressed, have been known to wonder why the Lord does not take all children into heaven, since they have there so glorious and happy a life. To the adult mind, one reason at least is obvious,-that if He did so, the human race would perish, and the heavens themselves would fail. All children may not be able to understand this. But at least they can be reminded that the Lord knows, and does, what is best for each one of us; and they can he told that those only are taken into heaven in childhood who cannot be prepared to serve the Lord in any other way, and who can therefore be of greater use than if they remained here. They can be told, also, that those who are left have an equally important use, for which they can be prepared only by life in this world; and that it will bring them just as much happiness in heaven after death, if it is done sincerely, faithfully, and diligently. If this can be conveyed in a simple way, the mind of the child will be set working in the right direction.
     At the same time, because little children are of indispensable use in heaven, and because they do not remain children, a steady stream of little ones must ever come to the Lord, to be taken up in His arms and receive His blessing. Behind this meaning of our text, however, is the important truth that no one may enter heaven who has not received from the Lord the spiritual innocence and charity of which childhood is a symbol. (See Matthew 18: 3.) This innocence, which is the very life of good and wisdom with man, is the desire of being led by the Lord alone; and it is this quality in it which causes the mind to be brought to the Lord, and which receives the gift of salvation that is His blessing. May the Lord inspire us so to humble ourselves before Him that we may all, from the newborn babe to the old man, pass through the gates of death as His children, and receive the blessing He bestows upon His little ones. Amen.
LESSONS:     Psalm S. Mark 10: 1-16. Heaven and Hell 329.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 581, 572, 593.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 7, 204.

70


LIVING AND THE DEAD 1944

LIVING AND THE DEAD       Rev. A. WYNNE ACTON       1944

     (Delivered at a Memorial Service for Mr. J. S. Pryke at Colchester, England, September 19, 1943.)

     "But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." (Matthew 22: 31, 32.)

     These words clearly state the fact of eternal life. If man were not to live after his departure from this world, it could not be said that "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." In their spiritual sense they teach us concerning the nature of eternal life, namely, that what comes from God and is received by man is eternally living, and all else is dead.
     These words were spoken by the Lord in refutation of the Sadducees, "who say that there is no resurrection," and they refer to what God said to Moses from the burning bush: "And God said unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you. This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." (Exodus 3: 15.) This was spoken to Moses several centuries after the death of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, showing that they were still living in the other life; and their repetition by the Lord in the world indicates that He Himself was Jehovah God who had appeared to these patriarchs.
     In the internal sense, however, we are not taught about the resurrection of the spirit from the material body,-the passage of the spirit from the natural world to full consciousness in the spiritual world-but concerning regeneration. For the spiritual sense treats not of persons, either in this world or the next, but of states of good and truth received from the Lord. In this sense "the dead" are those things which are purely natural with us,-the selfish desires and false reasonings which we have from our unvivified proprium.

71


"The resurrection of the dead" is the birth of a new spirit within us,-the reception in a new-formed will and understanding of the living things which come from the Lord.
     "God is not the God of the dead, but of the living." teaches us, therefore, that God cannot be present in those things within us which are "dead." So long as we cherish selfish desires and thoughts, we dwell in what is dead, and reject the very source of life.
     That which is external is in itself dead, because it is separated from the Divine. And so, if our hearts are set on external things, we continually associate ourselves with what is dead. Of such a nature is the ardent desire for worldly fame and reputation, the love of possessions and riches for their own sake, and the longing for worldly pleasures and merely external comfort and peace. If these are the things for which we live, we are dead, and the Lord cannot be present with us; for "God is not the God of the dead." Even our worship of the Lord, if it be separated from inward life, is dead.
     And no matter how vehemently we may cry, "Lord, Lord, open to us," He will reply, "Verily I say unto you, I know ye not." (Math. 25: 11, 12.) It is not that the Lord refuses to hear, but that man has rejected the living things in which alone He can be present; for He is "God of the living."

     II.

     While the external is in itself dead, it is nevertheless so created that it can receive life. We see this in all things of creation, especially in the growth of the vegetable kingdom. Man alone has the inestimable privilege of co-operating with the Lord in forming the external things of his life so that they may become receptive of the Divine Life. It is not required of him that he renounce the life of this world, but rather that he should make it subservient and serviceable to the things of eternal life. He can resist his natural, perverted love of eminence and riches, and receive from the Lord in its place a love of uses as a means of serving the Lord's Kingdom; and in the place of his innate selfishness he may receive out of heaven a living love to the Lord. Thus by regeneration man receives a new life, whereby his spirit is created anew, and even his external loves are brought into order and usefulness.

72



     The man who does not shun evils as sins remains in them. He closes his mind to the influx of life from above. As the Prophet says, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. . . . But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die." (Ezekiel 18: 20, 21.) At the centre of the soul which is not turned upward to God is self only; it seeks to draw to itself all the delights and possessions of others; whatever is noble and upright it contaminates; it tends ever more and more to shrink within itself, to dwell in loneliness, in hidden and dark places, where alone it can find its delights.
     But that soul which turns away from self reaches outward and upward continually. It finds its delight in the good of others, and has its greatest pleasure in being of spiritual and natural use to them. It is vibrant with spiritual life, and emanates a radiant and enlivening sphere to others. In the presence of such a man we feel spiritually refreshed and strengthened; the life-giving presence of heaven is sensed, because the heat and light of heaven can be felt in his presence. But in the presence of one who is spiritually "dead" we feel depressed and cast down; we see everything good and noble absorbed into selfishness, and the very Sun of heaven seems darkened. Even in this world, we may sense, howbeit most generally and imperfectly, such a contrast between a living soul and a dead soul.
     We are reminded by our text, moreover, that we do not create the things of life for ourselves; we can only receive them from the Lord. As man cannot create life, no more can he create a single living affection or thought. What man attempts to create for himself, in his mind or in his body, is necessarily dead, because it comes from a dead external. No, we must look away from ourselves to the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob, that we may receive life.
     By these three names are signified "the Divine Itself, and the Divine Human, thus the Lord." (A. C. 6847.) For by Abraham is signified the Lord as to the Divine Itself, by Isaac the Lord as to the Divine Rational, and by Jacob the Lord as to the Divine Natural. The God to whom we must look that we may receive life is the Divine Human of the Lord, revealed to our external sight by His Advent on earth, and manifested to the sight of our spirit by His Second Advent in power and great glory.

73


He alone is living, and from Him alone we may become receptive of the things of spiritual life. But that He may create us anew, we must receive His presence through the truths of His Word. Let us look to no other gods; let us turn aside from man-made teaching and thought; let us shun as deadly sins against His Divine order the desires and devices of our own nature that from Him we may have life, and that we may have it more abundantly. Truly did Paul say to the Romans: "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom. 6: 23.)

     III.

     It is well that we should think of these things when one of our brothers in the church passes over into the other life. The natural man calls this death, but in reality it is passing into a higher and a fuller life. The body, together with the obscurities and frailties of the natural mind, has fulfilled its purpose; and when it is laid aside, the spirit can come fully into its own proper sphere of life. By the death of the body, which is of use in this world only, the man himself loses nothing whatever which belongs to him as a man; rather does he come into a fuller life-a greater ability to enter into those loves and uses for which he had been prepared in the world. The man himself, in a perfect spiritual body, can then feel the warming rays of the spiritual sun, and rejoice in its light, to a greater degree than ever before.
     We read in the work on the Divine Providence: "All those who are taught by the Lord in the Word are taught in few truths in the world, but in many when they become angels. For the interior things of the Word, which are Divine spiritual and Divine celestial, are implanted within him at that time, but are not opened until after his death, when, in heaven, he is in angelic wisdom which is ineffable comparatively to human, thus his former, wisdom." (D. P. 172.) Note that this is said of those who in the world "are taught by the Lord in the Word." And in regard to the increase of love it is stated: "Man lives as a man after death, and those who are conjoined with God by a life according to His commandments, are more blessed and happy than before in the world, exceeding it a thousand times."

74



     When we think of our friend, now entering into the consciousness of that higher world, we think of his great love for the church, his ardent affection to enter ever more fully into a truer and deeper understanding of its Divine Doctrines, and his deep anxiety to make them the centre and rule of his life. We see this in the many papers which he has contributed to the thought of the church, in his thought and work for its orderly development, and in his delight in sharing these things which he prized most highly with all who would receive them.
     These are the things which we saw to be living in him. And they cannot pass away. They have deeply affected all who knew him, and have added their solid contribution to the good of the church on earth. And further, these same qualities will continue to advance the spiritual state of the church in the higher sphere to which he has now departed. The work for the things which he loved is not a memory which is passed; his fuller work has but begun. And so far as the men of the church on earth look to the living things which make its true quality they will profit by his spiritual performance of uses now being performed.
     A spiritual love toward the neighbor (which is true charity) is a love of what we see to be good and true within our neighbor, rather than his person. This is a love of what we see our neighbor to have derived from the Lord. Thus it is a love of what is living, in which the Lord can be present, and not a love of the external man which in itself is dead. If our love, instructed and formed by Divine Truth, be of this character, it is not fundamentally changed when one passes from the external life. It is true that the external medium through which we saw those living things has ceased to be, and in its passing we are bound to feel a deep sense of loss. But the living things that we loved do not cease to be. In a sense they were never of this earth, for they were spiritual. Like all the states of the church received from the Lord, they have their proper sphere in heaven, even though they receive an ultimate form through the lives of men and women on earth. And our sense of loss and separation will be less keenly felt as we learn more and more to appreciate and truly value these spiritual things of the church-the living things which come from God-which for the time we saw shining through the external life of our friend.

75


As the departure of our friends in the church causes us to look to what is spiritually living from God, our sense of loss will be far overshadowed by the realization that, working in a higher and freer sphere of existence, they will be of much greater help to us and to the church.
     And so the passing over of one of our number into the other world may well cause us to reflect upon what is truly living, and also upon what is more properly called "dead." We see that, in this transition, nothing that is living is lost, but is preserved by the Lord to spring forth into a new and fuller life. Only the body, which in itself is dead, is cast aside. And, what is more important, it should cause each one of us to think of life and death, not as some future event, but in its relation to what is happening to us daily. We are continually making the external things of our life on earth either living or dead. If we regard them merely from the viewpoint of self, they are dead; whereas if we make our whole external life serviceable and of use to the Lord's Kingdom, we become living in an ever fuller sense.
     Such a thought should be a stimulus, causing us to turn aside from our transgressions whereby we have sinned against the infinite life of God, to see the purpose of our lives in this world in a true perspective, and to combat all affections and thoughts which come from hell. In this way we are constantly being separated from what is dead in our lives, and what comes from the Lord becomes living with us. In the regenerating mind, this separation of life and death takes place daily, until, in the Lord's mercy, the time arrives when, as a culminating step, the final separation can be effected, and the Lord can call us to the blessedness of His eternal kingdom.
     The Lord has said and daily says to each one of us: "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him; for He is thy life, and the length of thy days; that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, to give them." (Deut. 30: 19, 20.)

LESSONS: Zechariah 18: 19-32. Matthew 22. A. C. 3016.

76


DIVINE PRESENCE AND INFLUX 1944

DIVINE PRESENCE AND INFLUX       Rev. GILBERT H. SMITH       1944

     That the Lord's dwelling-place in man, and the way of His entrance into him, is in the inmost of his soul, is one of the most certain of all things true. (H. H. 39.) This inmost place, the holy of holies, is also called the "human internal," which is above the plane of the angelic heavens, thus above man s conscious mind. (A. C. 1999.) It is by the opening of our conscious mind to influx from the Lord where He dwells within that it is possible for anyone to have a source of power, enabling him to meet life with confidence, and to perform great use, and to find happiness, no matter what his situation and his circumstances may be. This is true, and it is a precious truth, and we should never lose sight of it.
     When we are able to realize that the Lord dwells within our souls, and that He is almighty in heaven and on earth, what is there to fear? "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91: 1.) Thus our souls may dwell, if we are willing to work for it, "under the shadow of the Almighty." And those who need strength and courage for any particular usefulness, or to sustain hardships or misfortune, will find that needed strength by opening the thought to the Lord's very presence within their souls, and by surrendering their own will to His Divine influence and leading.
     It is a matter of being able to open the thinking mind, which is below the soul, to influx from the Divine. And this opening of the conscious thought to the Divine influx from the Lord is accomplished in us by affirming the truths of the Heavenly Doctrine, and acting upon them, and by doing this for the simple and single reason that this Doctrine is His own teaching.
     The possibility of receiving influx of life from the Lord is the most certain of all realities, although its actual operation is hidden from man, and the revealed truth concerning it very seldom enters his thought.

77


There is an influx through the soul into the mind. There is an inward dictate, and anyone can be led by it.
     By virtue of his Divine illumination, Swedenborg described it as a mighty river of general affections. "It is like continuous rivers inflowing," he tells us, "or it is a general affection flowing as it were in a continuous river. And it varies itself in a marvelous way. It is like an atmospheric stream. And all those who are in this river, or those rivers, are affected according to the genius of each one; it is received according to the genius of each individual. And in that general river each acts with all variety, according to his nature. So are all men within this general river of heaven, which is composed solely of affections thus flowing and affecting each single thing, and in such a manner that no one can escape beyond the bounds of affection." (S. D. 4272.) And he shows that, while a man may entertain a great variety of thoughts, still he will be driven by that same river, and determined by it in general.
     "These general rivers of affection," he continues, "are in every degree. In the interior ones they flow more gently and constantly, with a happy variety; but in the less interior they flow more inconstantly and with less ease. And since these influxes are like a river in the atmosphere, it was said by the Lord concerning one who is to be regenerated that His Spirit was like the wind that blows no man knowing whence it comes or whither it goes. So it is exactly with influx from the Lord, as cannot be shown to a man until he becomes a spirit in the other life. That influx of life is from the Lord alone, and it affects all in such a way that they suppose that they live of themselves. And that influx is mercy itself, from whence are all man's affections of love and of truth." (S. D. 4273.)
     In this general way is described the influx of the Lord from His dwelling-place in the soul into the consciousness and thought of the mind of every man. Let everyone know that there is an influx from the Lord, and that there is an internal dictate, a sure guidance.
     We are instructed that there are two kinds of influx. The one is immediately or directly from the Lord Himself, from His own Divine Soul. And the other is indirect or mediate through a great host of angels and spirits. This latter kind is from the Lord's Divine Human,-the kind that comes through the minds of spirits and angels; and it is an influx into the will of man, and through his will into his understanding, but not the reverse.

78


This kind is also perpetual, and is received in good with the good; but with the evil it is either rejected, suffocated, or perverted, as happens with those who live a life of mere pleasures and selfish aims, and who do not care for the truths of the Word. But if anyone fights against these evils, to get rid of them because they are sins against the Lord, he will tap the sources of Divine guidance within his soul, and will be carried along in that river of general heavenly affections to the perception of truth and to happiness.
     There constantly flows in into man through spirits who are with him the affection which is of the love of good and of truth; and from hell the affection which is of the love of evil and falsity. And in so far as the affection of the man agrees with that which inflows, it is received by him in his thought; but in so far as it does not agree, it is not received. Hence it is evident that thought is not injected into man through spirits, but only an affection of good or an affection of evil. All the life of man is affection of the one kind or of the other. With those who love the Lord, heaven inflows and illustrates; but those who love Divine Truth only for the sake of honor and of gain are turned away from the Lord, and with them there is no influx and no illustration.
     The illumination of the mind from the Lord who dwells within the soul depends, therefore, upon the kind of spirits that inject their affections into it. To receive light and guidance from the Lord through the heavens, the evil spirits who surround a man must be made to part company with him. And this they are obliged to do when the man affirms the truths of doctrine from the Word, and resolves from his own will to put them into practice. But so long as one clings to the practice of some evil thing, and it becomes a habit, he continues in the company and influence of the spirits who delight in that thing. And because of their presence with him, he is unable to open his mind to the Divine dictate and leading. There is a cloud over his intellectual sight.
     That everyone who wants to receive it may have both the direct and the indirect influx of Divine life, is the sure teaching of the New Church. The direct influx through the soul is from the very Divine of the Lord; and the indirect influx through good spirits and angels is from His Divine Human. Hence, when a man receives both kinds of influx, the Divine and the Human of our Lord are united in him, and the presence of the Lord is perceived as reality.

79



     But we are told all these things only in order that we may have the experience of the Lord's presence and power. If we shun evil things in our outward life, He flows into our intellectual mind with light, and from that into our rational mind, and from that into our knowledge of doctrine in the memory, and gives us to perceive that it is so. Enlightenment to receive and to sec truth comes from the Lord from within.
     And we are told that if one feels any anxiety when he reflects upon the evils he has done, it is a sign that he will still receive influx through the angels. But if he feels no anxiety, it is a sign that he is no longer willing to receive it.
     This teaching-that anyone may receive light and love from the Lord, for guidance, and power to overcome evil, and to do good,-s so great a thing that it is scarcely believed. How can the Divine Life Itself be with man in the midst of his many faults and impurities?
     In this connection it helps to know that the evil impulses which enter into the thought, but are there stopped and go no farther, cannot do the slightest harm. For it is a fact that evil is continually infused by evil spirits into human minds. "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man, but that which cometh out of the mouth." When evil impulses enter into the will, then they do harm, for then they also go forth into speech and act, whenever there is no external thing to hinder it. And evils enter the will by being kept in the thought,-by consent, and especially by act and the resulting delight in the act.
     The reason why evil is appropriated to the man who wills it is that he then believes that he does it from himself and in this way he makes it his own. But if a man can believe, what is really the truth, that it does not originate in himself, no evil would be appropriated to him as his own, but he would receive good from the Lord. For the moment that evil thing entered his thought, he would reflect that it was from evil spirits with him; and if he believed this, the angels would then turn it aside and reject it. For the influx of the angels is into what one knows and believes, but never into what he does not know and believe.

80


If we know and believe this, then the Divine life of our Lord not only can be with us, in the midst of our evil impulses, but can even defeat them, and cause good affections to flow in instead. No evil in man is his own, unless he consents to it and wills it. And neither is any good his own, but is from the Lord's influx into him.
     The influx of the Lord through the heavens is into what a man knows. It is into what is called his conscience. And the conscience with any man is the sum total of the truth he knows and believes. If he believes the truth which he knows, then the angels of heaven can rule over him, by means of his affections. The inflowing of their affections is the influx from the Lord's Divine Human.
     And so, if we believe this great truth about the Lord's dwelling in our souls, we can receive through the angels the affections of their love of being led by Him, and thus receive the light and power of His Spirit, to guide and to dispose us.
     This inflowing stream of good affections is available to all people; but when there are falsities and evils in the mind, the influx is turned aside and perverted. The influx of good from the Lord is continual, and by it a new will can be created in man. But there are evils which prevent its being received. Remove these evils from the life by means of truths from the Word, and then the mind is opened to the influx of good, and one can feel the security and happiness of eternal life.
     To feel this greatest blessing, it is necessary that one believe in the Lord's Divinity. Influx, as we have said, is not into anything but what a man believes, of all the things that he has been taught. If one does not believe in the sole Divinity of the Lord, in spite of the fact that this is the main teaching of the New Testament, he cannot receive any Divine light from Him. He will have a light from human learning and science, but no Divine light. And he will have no power to overcome his inward evils. For his thought is not in agreement with the thought of angels, and so he cannot receive of their affections, because in heaven they look to the Lord as the only Divine, and worship Him alone. Such a one does not avail himself of the Lord's leading, but leads himself. He also confirms in his mind the appearance that both good and evil originate in himself. All that seems good in his life he ascribes to himself, and all that is evil he makes his own.

81


He makes his own intelligence the sole judge of right and wrong; and this is what is meant by eating of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
     Let us continually examine our thoughts, and see what it is that we really believe. For it is only into this that the angels of heaven can flow. The things in our Doctrine that we are asked to believe are many, and various, and very wonderful. They are so many, in fact, that it required the writing of many books to tell us of them. They are so wonderful that in many points they seem to go beyond our ability to believe. But this is as we should expect, for these works are Divine. And it does not matter so much that we cannot know the truths of our Doctrine in its fulness, but only that we want to know them fully, and are willing to believe those things that we do know. And to believe is also to do. The great general truths of our Doctrine are easy to learn, and are not hard to believe. To believe them in a simple way is enough to assure us of Providence, and enable us to live in confidence, and to discharge our duties with honor and gladness, and thus be happy in our daily lives.
INTELLIGENT READING OF THE WORD 1944

INTELLIGENT READING OF THE WORD              1944

     When the judgments and statutes revealed for the Jewish Church in the Old Testament are read by a Christian man, the Divine things which are in them, and which were represented by them, are apperceived in the heavens, and fill the angels with what is holy; and then, at the same time, by influx from the angels, they likewise fill the man who reads, and still more if the man himself then thinks concerning the Divine things which are in them. From this it is evident that the Word even of the Old Testament is most holy. (A. C. 8972:5.)
     When infants or pious persons read the Word, there are few things which they perceive, but many which the angels perceive; indeed, the angels perceive things which have never come into the idea of man, since he is in the literal sense, which is relatively obscure. But it was given me to say to the angelic spirits that it would be better if man also were at the same time in light. Thus they would make one, and order would be full. (S. D. 4246.)

82


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor     Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION

$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     THE WORD IN CHILDHOOD.

     A correspondent has written us in regard to a phase of this general subject which we believe would be useful to lay before our readers. In doing so, we would extend an invitation to others who may wish to contribute to a discussion of the question he raises as to whether the children of the New Church, in the course of their education from an early age, might not be introduced into a more intelligent appreciation of the meaning of the words of the Scriptures and of the sacred songs of the church.
     MR. ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, of Chicago Illinois, in the course of his letter, writes of this matter as follows:

     "I've never entirely recovered from being a little child, and I remember feelingly how many things I heard when I was little that I didn't understand. The grown-ups understood them, but probably did not give sufficient thought to the ignorance of the infant mind.

83



     "I was thinking of this last Sunday when we were singing a hymn. It was a beautiful old hymn, and included, very properly, some old-fashioned, archaic words. Several of the words might just as well have been Greek to the children who sang the hymn. I know that children get something out of singing anything that is in the Liturgy, because of the favorable sphere that surrounds the singing, but they might as well understand the words.
     "Of course, I wouldn't say, 'Now children, in these hymns there are some funny, old-fashioned words; this is what they mean.' But, in the course of their lessons in school each day, without mentioning hymns, I would insert a few archaic words; then, when the kiddies encounter them in a hymn, they will seem natural to them.
     "Take, for example, the good old Saxon word sherd, sometimes shard, meaning a fragment of something brittle. If children know what a sherd is, they will get some idea of what is meant by the expression, 'Dried up as a potsherd is my strength,' when they sing the Twenty-second Psalm. And, less important, they might recognize what Kipling, in his Recessional, means by 'iron shard.'
     "I would never suggest dispensing with archaic words in hymns. In fact, if I had my way, no hymn sung by us now would employ a word not found in the Authorized Version of the Bible. It is a valuable means of keeping our sacred compositions distinct from the secular. But whatever words are used, they ought to be intelligible."

     Comment.

     Mr. McQueen here very usefully calls attention to the importance of our knowing the meaning of the words of the Psalms and hymns we sing in our worship, and the duty of parent and teacher to explain the meanings to children, even from an early age. For words are the forms and embodiments of ideas, and these in turn give form and quality to the affections expressed in singing.
     Since the most ancient times the order of our development is from external to internal. From infancy we learn to read, recite and sing the sacred expressions of the Word of God, and of human compositions in hymns and anthems, as a part of our formal worship of the Lord. But these will become the empty forms of piety and worship, lacking any internal, unless both our thoughts and affections are engaged, which comes about by degrees as we learn more and more of the meaning of what we are saying and doing, including the meaning of the sacred words, and later their significance in the spiritual sense of the Word.

84



     It is, of course, the aim of our home and school education to do this for the children by instruction and training. But there is always room for improvement in any of our educational efforts, and it is well that we should be reminded from time to time so that we may be diligent, and not neglectful, in imparting sacred knowledges to the minds of infants and children, enlightening their native ignorance, preparing them for the rational and spiritual understanding of the Word in adult years, and for the interior affections of charity and love to the Lord that come to men as they enter the interiors of the Word in thought and life.
     We all know the charm of infantile innocence and the delight we experience in observing the signs of the developing mind of a little child, especially when it begins to speak, and to give expression to its slowly forming ideas, at first so tender and simple, and mingled with so many misconceptions, misunderstandings, and errors. So long as a sphere of innocence prevails, its wrongdoings and mistakes are "even pleasing" (A. C. 164), not being from deep and deliberate purpose, though this "pleasure" to adults is diminished when something of self-consciousness and smartness enters, being encouraged by unwise parents who make playthings of their children, and who like to parade the "smart sayings of the young,"-an all too common practice in the world today.
     It is the aim and effort of New Church parents to initiate their little ones from an early age into the knowledge of the Lord as their Heavenly Father, to teach them to say the Lords Prayer, though it be faltering at first, to tell them the stories of the Word, beginning with pictures, and to train them to sing the sacred songs of the church. The words, meaning little to them at first are explained as their minds can grasp. And then, both at home and in school, this is carried forward by continual instruction in the knowledges of the Word, and by training them to sing the sacred songs in concert with other children.
     Patience and sympathy are needed as we help the growing minds of the young, fostering their states of innocence as long as possible, postponing the day of sophistication which comes all too soon.

85


Once, when we were telling the story of David and Goliath, mentioning the giant's coat of mail, we asked the class what a coat of mail is like, and one little child answered, "It must be a coat made of letters." He was thinking of the mail man! That is how a child's mind works, and it was charmingly innocent, opening the way for gentle correction and further instruction.
     We grown-ups often have this experience: Suddenly there dawns upon us the meaning and significance of a word or phrase of Scripture which we have been hearing, reciting, or singing from our childhood. And when this happens we may ask ourselves, "Why wasn't I told that when I was little?" The chances are we were told, at some time or other, but we didn't take it in. Now there is a certain joy of discovery in these awakenings of the mind to the meaning of oft-used words, both sacred and secular. And it is an experience we may enjoy throughout life. There is an immense vocabulary in the Hebrew, Greek and Latin forms of the written Word, and in their English versions. It could not be otherwise with the ultimate of a Divine Revelation which embodies the infinity of Divine Truth, an image of which we find even in its literal forms, which are as the stars of the heavens and the sands of the seashore for multitude.
     Potsherd.-This is a good example of an uncommon word which occurs a number of times in the Scriptures, and one which doubtless many of us have read and sung for years without knowing its literal meaning or understanding its significance. A sherd or shard, as noted above, is "a piece or fragment of a brittle substance, as of an earthen vessel." A potsherd is defined as "a piece or fragment of a broken earthen pot." (Webster.) As used in the Word, potsherd has a notable significance, as we may here briefly trace.
     The Lord Himself is likened to a potter, because He creates man a vessel receptive of life, as a potter fashions an earthen vessel to contain food and drink. "But now, O Lord, Thou art our Father we are the clay, and Thou our Potter; and we are all the work of Thy hand." (Isaiah 64: 8.) So, also, the Lord remakes or regenerates man by means of the truths of the Word, and the man is then like a potter's vessel in a spiritual sense. But man, from self-intelligence and the fictitious creations of his own imagination, perverts the truths of the Word, falsifying them, opposing the Lord, and as it were disputing with Him as a man argues with a man, not acknowledging Him as Creator and Regenerator.

86


Such a perverted or broken mind with man is likened to a potsherd: "Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?" (Isaiah 45: 9. See A. E. 177, 585:12.)
     Therefore, also, the Lord likened the infirm human which He assumed from the mother to a potsherd, as in the Twenty-second Psalm, which opens with the words which He uttered on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?" and where He confessed, in the humiliation of His final temptation, that the human was helpless apart from His Divine. For He declared, "My strength is dried up like a potsherd." (v. 15.) The dissipation of the evils and falsities from the human which He had from the mother, as the Lord put on the Divine Human from His Divine by His victory in the final temptation, is meant in these words of the Apocalypse, "As the vessels of a potter shall they be broken in pieces, even as I received of my Father." (2: 27.)
     When singing the Twenty-second Psalm, it is sufficient that a child should know that a potsherd is a broken bit of pottery; in course of time the notable significance of the term will be learned, and the Psalm will have its full meaning. Let us remember, too, that the angels perceive the spiritual import of Scripture words when they are read or sung on earth by men or children who do not understand them. But let not this fact be an excuse for our remaining in ignorance. For singing on earth is most delightful to the angels "when the thoughts of men are in accord with their ideas." (S. D. 491.)

87


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Norman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., O.S.,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, A.C. 2 Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, A.C. 2 Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, A.C. 2 Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, P/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, W.O. Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,

88



Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 2 David K.,
Scott, Gnr, Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, P/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, L.A.C. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, A.C. 2 Keith I., British Columbia,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, Sgt. Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, P/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motum, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Demobilized,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, 2nd Lieut. J. S.,
Buss, Tpr. Brian,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, 2nd Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Wounded and honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, 2nd Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Capt. Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, S/Sgt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Pvt. J. M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Pvt. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Cpl. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,

89



Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, A/S Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Lt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, P.F.C. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Ensign Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, P.F.C. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Capt. William R.,
Lyman, Russell S. M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, P.F.C. David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, A/C Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 3/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/S John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, P.F.C. Henry,
Schiffer, Cpl. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, A/C Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/S Hilary Q.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan I.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Synnestvedt, Pvt. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, A/C Pvt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 2/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, Pvt. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Asplundh, Ensign O. E., Jr.,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A.S. William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 3/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
June, William F., S 2/c,
King, Cpl. John B. S.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. (j.g.) Stanford,
McQueen, A/S Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., S 2/c,

90



Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably Discharged,
Wille, Pvt. Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Owen R., A.S., Honorably Discharged,
Childs, P.F.C. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably Discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Marvin J., C.P.O.

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 2/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Lt. (j.g.) Alexander,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Ensign Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., S 2/c,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Lt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Av/C Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, A/C William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, A.S., Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Lt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, A/C Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Glenn, A/C Alfred M., New York,
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lymjan S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/S John A., Alabama.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., A.M.M. 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Tarr, Joseph, S.K. 3/c, Maryland.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

91


OBITUARY 1944

OBITUARY              1944


[Photograph.]

     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE was born at Huntingdon Valley, Pa., on August 8, 1921, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Price (Edna von Waldeck). He received his education in the Bryn Athyn Elementary School and the Boys Academy. Entering military service in October, 1942, at the time of his death on November 15, 1943, he had almost completed his training in the United States. On November 12th he telephoned his father (who had just returned from a year of construction work in Africa) telling him that he would be home on furlough after a few more "difficult flights." and that he would then be ready for overseas duty. Everyone who knew Kenny speaks of him with affection, and mentions a kindly quality as outstandingly his.
     A memorial service for him was held in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral on December 9th, being conducted by the Rev. C. E. Doering, from whose address we quote the following:
     "We are gathered here to pay a tribute of affection and gratitude to our young friend, Kenneth Price, who has given the full measure of devotion and sacrifice to the protection of his country, that the rest of us may have freedom to do our uses and to serve the Lord without fear.
     "We knew Kenneth as a boy who early wanted to get to work. He knew what he wanted to do, and sought to do it; and when he found what he wanted, he devoted himself assiduously to it, so to make a success of it. And with his interest and progress in his work he developed an active interest in the Church; and the deeper things of life became of vital importance to him.
     "He was beloved by all who knew him intimately, because he loved them and in many ways w as eager to be of service to them. When our country was attacked, he at once offered his services for its defense, but his induction was delayed for some time. On entering the army, he was assigned to the air force, in which he advanced to become a flight engineer with the rank of sergeant. It was while on a training mission with his squadron that he met accidental death in the line of duty. He cave his life for his country as assuredly as if he had done so in actual combat. The Lord says of such, 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' (John 15: 13.)
     "The news of his passing brought with it the inevitable sense of loss and of sorrow. Yet our natural grief is not unmixed with a spiritual uplifting and a thankfulness to the Lord who, in His infinite mercy, has saved him from long suffering, and has opened to him the wonders of new life in His heavenly kingdom, which will now be his country, in which he will find even greater opportunities for service and use than he did here. For his love of country and his love of use continue with him."

92


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA.

     On the 6th of August, 1943, our society had attained its thirty-eighth birthday, Perhaps these anniversaries will be celebrated formally sometime in the future. At present they are occasions for individual thanksgiving to the Lord.
     Two days later the Sunday School children had their annual prize-giving day. P.F.C. Michael Pitcairn was to have given the address and presented the prizes, but duty had taken him elsewhere and his place was filled by Mr. William Burl, President of "The New Church in Australia." who gave a delightful talk on "Unity." The awards showed both good attendance and diligence on the part of the children, We take this opportunity to record the pleasure felt by the society in having P.F.C. Pitcairn here for so many months, and the general regret aroused by his departure.
     The Annual General Meeting of the society was held on Wednesday, September 1, with an attendance of six members. Our Secretary presented his usual digest of reports. This stated that the membership was 28, that there had again been a decrease in support of the uses of public worship and pastoral instruction, but that the financial year had been satisfactory, although income was the second lowest for several years. Mrs. E. M. Heldon replaced Mrs. Hubbard as agent for NEW CHURCH LIFE and treasurer of the Pastor's Support Fund; Mr. Fred Kirsten replaced his father on the Business Committee; and the Social Committee was revived with Mrs. Heldon and Mrs. Kirsten as members, but no other changes were produced by the elections. The pastor gave a short address in which he stressed the importance of the use of insinuating good which is assigned to the laity (see A. C. 6822), stating that this was best done by example; not by setting ones self up as an example, but by being one.
     Between August and October, doctrinal classes have been given on "Regeneration" and "Enlightenment," and three monthly teas have been held. At the first of these the subject dealt wit was "The Preservation of the Church." Points made by the pastor were: that preservation means progress, that internal progress is more important than external, that previous churches have been weakest internally when most strong outwardly, and that we may take courage from the fact that the greatest advances internally seem often to have been made in times of external weakness and stress. During August, four sermons had been preached, on New Church Baptism, Marriage Within the Church, New Church Education, and Social Life in the Church, and these subjects were discussed at the September tea, The following month the pastor read a digest of the doctrine given concerning Government, and then invited those present to discuss its application to existing systems.
     Three useful meetings were held by the local chapter of the Sons of the Academy during the same period. The first took the form of a discussion evening; LAG. Sydney Heldon gave an informative talk on meteorology at the second; and at the third an address by Bishop de Charms on the Relation between the General Church and the Academy was read.

93



     LAG. Sydney Heldon was able to obtain several home leaves during this period, and both Tpr. Lin. Heldon and Sgt. Tom Taylor visited us again.
     For some months now the pastor has been preparing and sending to members in the forces and other isolated friends a monthly digest of his sermons and a monthly installment of outline notes on leading doctrines.
     Finally we record with pleasure two baptisms: that of Ross Alan, son of Trooper Lindthman and Mrs. Heldon, on August 29th, and that of Christine Ingrid, daughter of the Rev. W. Cairns and Mrs. Henderson, on October 24th, the pastor officiating on both occasions.
     W. C. H.


     NORTHERN OHIO.

     Our group dispensed with an annual meeting this year, since it was impossible for our members to get together. We follow the same schedule as last year-church once a month and class biweekly. We hold all of our church services at the home of the Edmund Glenns in Norton Center. They have a home ideally arranged for our purposes which is our very good fortune, and they take it as theirs also.
     In the past year we have welcomed quite a few new members. The Russell Stevens joined us in June, coming from Glenview with their daughters Julie and Wendy. Early in November, Terry Faulkner Ebert was born. She lives with the Quentin Eberts, also of Norton Center. The John Willes of Glenview have just come, to stay if the Army will let them. We now have fourteen pre-school children in our immediate group.
     Bishop Acton visited us in September. He was in his prime, we felt, as he delivered his address on "The Mechanics of Immortality." He delivered it with such clarity and verve that we were put to it to keep up with him. We particularly enjoyed the lively discussion following it.
     Our Thanksgiving Service was for the children, and Mr. Reuter gave them an excellent talk. Early in December, Mr. Pendleton visited us from Pittsburgh. While here he baptized the Quentin Eberts daughter, Terry.
     Christmas this year was very peaceful. We had a beautiful service and tableaux at the Stroemple's home, followed by supper for everyone.
     This year the men started a group gathering at the suggestion of Mr. Ebert. It is a combination of study group and Son's chapter. I may have this wrong, as I am not sure of their organization, but their purposes are the same.
     We have had a great number of visitors from all points, and hope they will increase. We need inspiration for social life. We have missed one of our star members this year, as Arthur Wiedinger has been sick a great deal, and has been on night shifts so much that we only see him as a visit or.
     Our group has grown to the size where we feel we need a building of our own. We tried to rent the Norton Center town hall, which is a little box built at a country crossroad. Unfortunately it was already occupied on Sundays by another congregation. The Church may be unable to survive by infiltration, but our neighbors are going to have quite a surprise one of these days when they wake up and find they are surrounded, We have already started a building fund with something like twelve dollars. Our ideas, at least, are big.
     A. B.


     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     It is with much sorrow that we have to record the loss by death of another member of our group. Scarcely had we recovered from the sad news of the death in action of Flying Officer "Bill" Bellinger, R.C.A.F., whose obituary appeared in NEW CHURCH LIFE for January p. 43, than our hearts were again grief stricken by the passing into the spiritual world of Mrs. Violet F. Day, our oldest and perhaps best-loved member.

94



     Gorandma Day, as she was affectionately known by us all, dropped peacefully to sleep on January 3 after a long illness. The widow of Horace Day, a staunch New Churchman and deep student of the Writings, who died more than twenty-five years ago, Gorandma Day devoted her entire life to her family and the Church. She was the mother of thirteen children, grandmother of eighteen, and great- grandmother of seven. Truly this remarkable woman, by example and precept, has earned for herself a place in the hearts and memories of all who love and serve the New Church.
     Mrs. Day was one of the first Detroit New Church members to cross the river to Windsor, Ontario, on the occasions of the pastoral visits of the late Father Waelchli to the Bellinger family. Soon others were induced to accompany her, and when the visitors from abroad" outnumbered the Canadian members, it was decided to make Detroit the headquarters of the movement. It is from such a small beginning that the present Detroit group, numbering upwards of forty persons, has grown, and Gorandma Day played a large part in the development of this promising branch of the General Church.
     We are going to miss Gorandma Day very much indeed. She loved her Church, and never missed a service or class if it was humanly possible for her to attend. In this respect she set an example of love for and devotion to the Church which all of us may profitably follow.
     The resurrection service for Mrs. Day was conducted by our group's pastor. Rev. Norman H. Reuter, of Akron. Ohio.
     Our activities for 1943 came to an end with the children's Christmas service and party on December 19. While the prevailing epidemic kept several of our members at home, including this reporter, it is understood the affair was up to our usual high standard and was greatly enjoyed, especially by the younger children, who received gifts and took a prominent part in the entertainment and carol singing which followed the luncheon.
     For those who may be interested in statistics we would like to add the following. During the year 1943 our pastor made twelve visits to Detroit, one each month. He conducted twelve services of worship, at one of which Bishop Acton preached the sermon. We had twenty-nine doctrinal classes or other meetings at which Mr. Reuter presided. Also we had ten in between lay services, very capably conducted by Mr. Norman P. Synnestvedt.
     We feel that the year was fairly successful and very much worth-while, and we are starting the new year with the determination to do as well, or even better, if it is at all possible.
     W. W. W.

     Additional.-Violet Emily Goodwin Day was born at Brightlingsea, Essex. England, on January 21, 1870. It was in England that she met and married Horace Ormes Day, and their union was blest with thirteen children. In 1906 they moved with their family to Hamilton. Ontario, and here they came in contact with the General Church, largely through the late Jacob Stroh. Later they lived for a short time in Kitchener, where the children attended the Carmel Church School, and in 1916 they moved to Detroit. Of their eight surviving children, five are members of the General Church, and two married daughters are members of the Detroit Society of the General Convention.-NORMAN H. REUTER.


     OBITUARY.

     Dr. F. E. Doering.

     Word has come through the Red Cross informing us of the death of Dr. Frederich Emanuel Doering in a nursing home on the Isle of Jersey on September 14, 1943, in his eighty-ninth year. Over a period of years he paid occasional visits to America, as is well remembered by his many New Church relatives and friends in Canada and the United States; and he attended several General Assemblies, including the one held in London, England, in the year 1928.

95


We are indebted to Miss Celia Bellinger, his niece, for the following sketch of his career:
     He was born in Philiipsburg, Ontario, in May, 1855, and was baptized and confirmed in the New Church by the Rev. F. W. Tuerk of Berlin, now Kitchener. The older brothers and sisters of a family of thirteen attended the New Church school at Urbana, Ohio, but after the death of their father, Christopher Doering, the younger children were unable to attend that school.
     Dr. Doering studied dentistry in Canada. Later he took a postgraduate course in Philadelphia and graduated as Doctor of Medicine. He worked his way through medical school by practicing dentistry in small mining towns during vacation.
     After graduation he sought adventure in new fields, and established a large practice in Johannesburg, South Africa, and later one in Pretoria. As his love and interest had also been in sheep ranching, he procured large tracts of Government grants in Kenya Colony, near Nairobi, which he stocked with herds of cattle and sheep.
     Africa had become his home, and after the Boer War he devoted his talents to the development of the country he loved so dearly. But when he retired from active duty he became a world traveler, searching out remote places of the earth; for his interest lay in the opening up and development of new lands.
     Finally he settled in a comfortable home in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, where he found keen pleasure in experimenting with a French gardener in raising unusual fruits, grains and trees.
     At the outbreak of the war he was in London, England, about to sail for Canada. Being taken very ill, and returning to his home in Jersey to convalesce, be was unable to leave when the Islands were occupied by the Germans in June. 1940. All communication with the outside world was cut off, and in the course of three long years he received and answered but two messages from members of his family, through the instrumentality of the Red Cross.
ANNUAL COUNCILS 1944

ANNUAL COUNCILS       GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944




     Announcements



     The Annual Meetings of the Councils of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will he held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., April 10-15, 1944.
     GEORGE DE CHARMS.
          Bishop.
DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944



97



NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
MARCH, 1944
No. 3

     A Series of Seven Doctrinal Lectures.

      (Delivered in Bryn Athyn. Pa., January 7-February 25, 1944.)

     I. INTRODUCTION. Two VIEWS CONTRASTED.

     Among the receivers of the Heavenly Doctrine there have been from the beginning two opposite views in regard to the establishment of the New Church. Some have expected a spiritual revival in the modern Christian world, bringing a widespread rejection of traditional doctrines, and a ready acceptance of the Writings. This expectation is founded on the teaching concerning the Last Judgment of 1757, when in the world of spirits the imaginary heavens were destroyed and a New Heaven was formed by the Lord. These imaginary heavens had been growing for centuries from those who had lived on earth in the Christian world. They were under the domination of the evil, who sought to use the power of religious faith for the promotion of their own personal ends. They had come to form a dark cloud, cutting off all light from heaven to the minds of men on earth. When these obstructing clouds had been swept away, it would seem to follow that the sun of heaven must shine brilliantly once more, bringing spiritual enlightenment to those on earth.
     Knowing that this has actually taken place-as the Writings plainly declare-it is believed that we must look everywhere for a stirring to new spiritual life. Indeed, the signs of this awakening may be clearly seen in the new era of intellectual freedom that has brought so many marvelous scientific discoveries and inventions since Swedenborg's day.

98


They may be seen in the progressive weakening of faith in the long established dogmas of medieval Christianity. Have we not witnessed a great lessening of sectarian antagonism, and a steady increase of religious tolerance? Do we not see a return to a spirit of charity in the fact that in all religious teaching the stress is on the good of life rather than on doctrinal differences? Is not this spirit demonstrated by the great development of charitable organizations, bringing help to the needy in all parts of the world without distinction of race or creed? If this is the case, then the New Church is by no means limited to those few who happen to have a knowledge of the Writings. The new light from heaven is shining everywhere. It is dissipating the clouds of falsity, and bringing a perception of spiritual truth to many who have never heard of the Writings.
     According to this view the Writings are not regarded as the necessary source of light for the New Church, but rather as a means of focusing and intensifying a light that comes to all men from within directly from the New Heaven. A knowledge of the Writings enables us to recognize this light and to understand whence it comes. It helps us to define more clearly the new ideas of truth generating in the minds of men. As this knowledge spreads, therefore, it will hasten the growth of the New Church, which is springing up spontaneously, both with Christians and with Gentiles in all parts of the world.
     The function of the New Church as an organized body is conceived to be a temporary one. It will no longer be needed when the Christian Sects have seen the light, and have become New Church. This function is to go forth, as it were, to meet this awakening spirit in the Christian world, proclaiming the dawn and helping men to realize the full meaning of what is happening to them. The work of the New Church should be such as to encourage everywhere those tendencies that testify to the reception of influx from the New Heaven, and to show how they are foretold and explained by the teaching of the Writings. We should proclaim the spiritual affinity between those who happen to have found the Heavenly Doctrine and all sincere Christians who, although they know it not, have by the secret leading of Providence already been brought to the New Church, being infused with the spirit of it from within.

99


So far from keeping aloof, the organized New Church should identify itself with this spirit wherever it is found,-the spirit of true Christianity which the Lord is awakening universally by secret but infinitely powerful means in the process of establishing His final Kingdom among men.
     In contrast with this view, those who founded the Academy, and later formed the General Church, have believed that the New Church is not to come as a revival of modern Christianity, but is to be a new and distinct dispensation. They believe it will come through a knowledge of the Writings, and among those who receive in faith and in life the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine. They look to this as the only source of spiritual light. That light will increase only in the degree that men will read and study the Writings, acquiring thereby an intelligent understanding of the truth from heaven therein revealed.
     The Last Judgment did indeed release the bonds of tradition, and inaugurate a new era of intellectual freedom. The effects of this are plainly discernible in the progress of civilization since 1757. It did establish a New Heaven, and open the way of influx thence into the minds of men. This influx is universal, and has exerted a powerful influence upon the history of mankind. But this influx, by itself, does not give spiritual enlightenment. It does not establish the New Church. There is no enlightenment without knowledge; and knowledge must come from without. The knowledge of spiritual things can come only from Divine Revelation. Like all other knowledge, it must he acquired by reading, study, and reflection. Nor will it be acquired except by those who feel the need for it, and who consciously seek it. There must be a desire, an affection, a love that prompts the search.
     According to this view, two things are necessary to produce spiritual enlightenment: an affection for spiritual truth, insinuated by an influx from the Lord through the heavens; and a Divine Revelation making available to men a knowledge of that truth. The first of these was provided by the Last Judgment, when the path of communication from heaven to earth was restored. And the second was at the same time provided by the giving of the Writings through Emanuel Swedenborg. It is only where the influx from the New Heaven meets in human minds with the knowledges of truth given in the Writings that the light dawns.

100


And only when these knowledges are loved and are applied to life does the New Church begin to be established.
     With those who have no knowledge of the Writings, the influx from the New Heaven does bring intellectual freedom. But that freedom will be used for the exercise of whatever loves are dominant in the mind of the recipient. It gives freedom to search out the kind of knowledge men want most,-the kind they think will yield the greatest reward in increased happiness and well-being. Those who were looking for natural happiness used their freedom to investigate the secrets of nature. That search was fruitful. It multiplied knowledges, and with knowledge came light-the light of intelligent understanding. It gave an understanding of natural laws and natural forces, and how they might be utilized to satisfy the external needs and desires of men. But it brought no increase of spiritual light. Indeed, the darkness of spiritual ignorance was deepened as men immersed their thoughts more and more in the things of earth, and turned away from any contemplation of the Word. It imparted no wisdom in the task of overcoming the evils of self-love, of greed, of the love of dominion, which continued to turn the newly acquired knowledge and skill to evil ends, bringing fear and want, and suffering and death, rather than the abundant life that was hoped for.
     Believing that the New Church is not to be a continuation of the former Christianity, but is to supplant it, there is no expectation of a revival in modern Christendom. Nor are the signs of a changing attitude in religious matters regarded as indications of a widespread approach to the New Church. The growth of religious tolerance, and the lessening stress on doctrinal differences, is seen, not as a new birth of spiritual interest, but, on the contrary, as a result of a rapidly spreading indifference to all spiritual truth. The multiplication of charitable organizations is not regarded as the product of an unrealized infusion of the spirit of the New Church, but as an endeavor to solve the problems of society by human intelligence, and to create a natural heaven without regard to Divine Revelation, and with no concern as to the life after death.
     The evidence of this lies in the fact that there is no eager search for spiritual truth. Not only the discredited dogmas of an earlier day, but the teachings of the Writings also are ignored and rejected. In the Writings the Lord Himself appears.

101


There He speaks to men words of Infinite Wisdom, teaching them the way of life. As men hearken to His words, rising up to follow Him, treading the path of life to which He points, the New Church will be established. Where His teaching is rejected-where no desire is felt and no effort is made to learn the truth He has come to reveal-we can find no evidence of the spirit of the New Church.
     There is a profound and fundamental difference between the kind of tolerance and the kind of charity so enthusiastically acclaimed in the modern world, and that respect for the spiritual freedom of others-that regard for their eternal welfare-which is to be characteristic of the New Church. Interiorly viewed, the two are direct opposites. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that this difference be clearly seen, lest we mistake these developments in the Christian world for the coming of the New Church. It is essential that we should not identify the New Church with them, but should set it distinctly a part, focusing every endeavor upon the task of strengthening the understanding and the spirit of that true charity which can be given only to those who follow the Lord in His Second Coming.
     This concept of the New Church, and of the way it is to be established, is the basis for the doctrine of distinctiveness which has characterized our body, and which has determined the course of its ecclesiastical development. It is founded upon many direct statements of the Writings. That the New Church is not to come as a revival of Christianity, is taught as follows:
     "The destruction of the (Primitive Christian) Church is foretold by the Lord in the Gospels, and by John in the Apocalypse; and this destruction is what is called the Last Judgment. Not that heaven and earth are now to perish, but that in some quarter of the globe a new church will be raised up, the present one remaining in its external worship, as the Jews do in theirs. (A. C. 1850.) "After the Jewish Church had been consummated, the Primitive (Christian) Church was set up from the Gentiles, the Jews being rejected; so too will it be with this church, which is called Christian." (A. C. 2986.)

102



     That the New Church can arise only with those who receive and love the teachings of the Writings, is foretold in the twelfth chapter of Zechariah, which, in its internal sense, sets forth: "That the Lord is about to form a New Church. That at that time there will not be any doctrine in the old church, and that therefore they must flee from it. That there is no longer any understanding of truth, except with those who are in the Word, and are of the New Church. That these will learn the good of doctrine from the Lord. That then the Lord by truths of the Word will destroy all falsities, that the doctrine of the New Church may teach nothing but truth." (A. R. 707.)
     This doctrine of distinctiveness is to many a hard saying. It runs counter to the whole trend of modern religious thought. To many it appears harsh, condemnatory, narrow. It seems to condone and perpetuate a truculent spirit of sectarian strife over doctrinal differences, against which there is such widespread revolt. It is thought to be uncharitable, and contrary to the clear teaching that religion is a matter, not of doctrine, but of life. The easier path-the one that appeals more strongly to the natural man-is that which would minimize the distinctiveness of the New Church, and permit it to follow along with the rest of the world, on the assumption that modern developments present a rosy picture of genuine spiritual revival;-the path that does not require us to study the Writings too deeply, to follow them too closely, or to separate ourselves from the host of those who are presumably becoming New Church without them. But if the General Church is correct in its interpretation of the Writings, we have no choice in the matter. The hard path is then seen as the one Divinely commanded. There is no other way to the establishment of the New Church. For, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it."
     Every generation must see this doctrine for itself, in the light of its own day. If it is perpetuated merely as a traditional policy laid down by our forbears, the Church will surely decline. Its light will go out, and its soul will depart from it. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that from time to time the position should be reexamined, tested against the teaching of the Writings, and restated in terms adapted to the times.

     READING: Zechariah 12: 1-8.
     MUSIC: Revised Liturgy, Doxologies 1, p. 382; 16, p. 397.

103





     II.     WHAT DO WE MEAN BY DISTINCTIVENESS?

     We ordinarily think of distinctiveness in terms of the doctrinal beliefs, forms of worship, and religious customs that set our Church apart as different from other ecclesiastical bodies. The differences arise from the acknowledgment of the Writings as a new Divine Revelation. The teachings of the Writings are new. They are fundamentally different from any doctrines known or accepted in the Christian world. They give a new idea of God, a new concept of the life after death, a new understanding of what religion is, and how by means of it the Lord effects the salvation of men.
     These teachings are not merely intellectual beliefs. They are ways of living. They are new commandments from the Lord as to how men must live if they would find true happiness-either on earth or in heaven. Only in the degree that our lives are brought into conformity with them is the Church really established with us. If they are to accomplish their intended purpose, they must he put into practice. This means that traditional customs out of harmony with them must he discarded. They must be replaced by new customs expressive of our faith. And these customs must be observed from conscience, as things commanded by the Lord. So far as this is done, the members of the Church will adopt rituals, modes of government, and forms of religious and social conduct, distinguishing them from others. The appearance is, that in these characteristic features of church life, established and perpetuated out of loyalty to the Writings, distinctiveness consists. For the teaching is, that primarily religion is a matter, not of faith, but of life. The religion will be new only so far as it produces a new mode of life.
     Yet such changes in ecclesiastical practice are not strictly what is meant by the distinctive life of the New Church. They may be signs and indications of that life. We take for granted that they are such signs with those who originate them. These have definite reasons for adopting them-reasons drawn from their understanding of the Heavenly Doctrine. In their minds the customs adopted represent a desire and intent to observe the Lord's teaching. But with those who inherit them they may be perpetuated simply as a tradition, without thought or understanding as to their inner purpose. They may be observed for the same external reasons that induce others to maintain the customs of the church into which they happen to have been born and educated.

104


They may be adopted by the old life,-the life that we have in common with those of other religions-which life thus merely puts on new clothes.
     Life, in its essence, consists not of what we do, nor even of what we think, but only of what we love. For love is the life of man. When it is said that "religion is of life," it does not mean merely that the teachings of religion ought to be put into practice. It means rather that whatever a man loves supremely, this is his real religion, and at the same time his real life. Religion may be defined as that which he regards above all else, that for the sake of which he will sacrifice everything else, that to the achievement and protection of which he wills to devote all his energy and his whole being. If what he professes to believe and what he outwardly does are not in accord with this love, then they are not his real religion.
     Furthermore, the Lord alone is Life. He is Love Itself. Man is only a recipient of life from Him. And to receive the Lord's Life is to love Him in return. There is only one true religion, namely, the religion that is of the Lord's Life. It is the religion that springs from the reception of that Life, and has its origin in love to the Lord. If it does not arise from this source, then whatever its formal confession of faith, its modes of organization and worship, its social and religious customs, it is a false religion. To say, therefore, that religion is of life is to say that the quality of a man's life depends upon the quality of his religion-that is, of his inmost love. If this is a true love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, then he has a true religion, and his life will be genuine, eternal, flowing with an ever deepening current of joy and blessedness toward a more perfect reception of the Lord's Life. But if it is not true-being at heart the love of self and of the world-he has a false religion, one that cannot lead to happiness nor to use, one that must ever he checked, restrained, imprisoned by the protective operation of the Divine Law. This latter is what is called spiritual death.
     When He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new (Rev. 21: 5), the meaning was that the Lord at His Second Coming would change the loves of men, subduing in them the lives of self and the world, and kindling love to the Lord and charity. Where this change takes place, and so far as it takes place, there and to that extent the New Church is established. In this alone lies its real distinctiveness.

105


For what is here meant is a new love to the Lord-a love never possible before-a love utterly unknown in the Christian world. Not that there are not many among both Christians and Gentiles who in all ages have loved God. But they have not known Him as He really is. They have loved what they thought He was. As He has now revealed His true nature in His Glorified Human, He could not be known before the time of His Second Coming. So far as He is now known, He can be loved in a new way.
     And this new love "makes all things new." It produces a new life and thus a new religion in man. The history of mankind, when interiorly viewed, is the history of human religion. It is the history of the loves that have stirred men's hearts-of the longings, desires, and ambitions that have inspired their thoughts and actions. These have molded their ideas, formed their languages, developed their art, their science, their industry, and their social customs. These signs of culture and of civilization have been no more than the external manifestations of man's loves. And as the loves have changed, so too have the words and the deeds expressing them. It cannot be otherwise, for there is no other force or power capable of moving men to action. As the Writings teach: "It is in everyone's power to know very well that no life is possible without some love. . . Such, however, as is the love, such is the life. . . . If you were to remove loves, or what is the same thing, desires-for these are of love-thought would instantly cease, and you would become like a dead person. . . . The loves of self and the world have in them some resemblance to life, . . . but as they are altogether contrary to true love, which consists in a man's loving the Lord above all things, and his neighbor as himself, it must be evident that they are not loves, but hatreds; for in proportion as any one loves himself and the world, in the same proportion he hates his neighbor and thereby the Lord. Wherefore, true love is love to the Lord, and true life is the life of love from Him. . . . There can be but one true love, and therefore but one true life, whence flow true joys and true felicities such as are those of the angels in the heavens." (A. C. 33.)
     To this must be added the realization that whether we are born within the Church or outside of it matters not in this respect, that in either case we are born into the loves of self and the world, which loves are the common heritage of all men now living in the world.

106


The life of these loves is the "old life" which the Lord has come to change by means of the Truth now revealed in the Writings. They are the life of the world, and in it is the spiritual death from which the Lord would rescue all who follow Him. Yet to us as to all men, they appear as true life-indeed, as the only life. To sacrifice them appears as death itself. Because we are born into this "old life," we are part of the world, part of the day, part of the age in which we live. Even if we are brought up in the Church, taught the truths of the Writings from infancy, trained in the observance of all the customs that distinguish the New Church from other religions, still these loves lie concealed within.
     These hidden loves feed on the spheres of the world about us draw us into the gyre of thought and affection that is common to other men, and bring influx from the spirits associated with them in the other world. However loyal we may be to the formal confession of our faith, and to the external observance of traditional modes of life in our Church, these loves continue at adult age to dominate our life, and to be our real religion. If the New Church is to be truly established with us, this old life must die, and give place to the new love inspired by the Lord as He comes to us in the Heavenly Doctrine. This love must become the really dominant power in our secret hearts. Unless it does, no forms of worship, no customs of social life, no outward characteristics of our Church, will make our religion distinctive.
     This change of love is inevitably a slow process. How slow will appear if we reflect that a man is a little world. Each of us is a small counterpart of the world into which we are born. The loves that actuate the nations around us are our loves-ours by inheritance, ours by environment, ours by the powerful influx from the spheres of men with whom we come into contact, ours by virtue of the force of public opinion that presses upon us from every side. How difficult it is for the new religion, the new love enshrined in the teachings of the Writings, to gain a foothold in the midst of these present-day loves, is clear from the slow growth of the New Church. The Doctrines have been published and preached in many parts of the world. Yet a very few,-indeed, from the standpoint of the world, an utterly negligible number,-have been willing to receive them.

107


This is not because of ignorance or lack of opportunity. If, by the same methods, with the same amount of effort at dissemination, something had been offered to the world that struck a responsive chord,-something people had been looking for as a necessary means to the attainment of their highest desires,-the gift would long since have been universally known and accepted. When gold is discovered, or oil, labored methods of advertisement are not needed. If the Truth of the Writings had been wanted as men want gold, then the first inkling that this Truth had been given would have been enough. Like a stone dropped on the water, it would have started an ever widening wave that would quickly have become a world movement. Each one who heard of it would have caught it up, passed it on, and carried it to others, until no one remained who had not heard and seen.
     The fact that this did not take place is because the dominating loves of men are inherently opposed to the fundamental love presented in the Writings. Men in general are not looking for a spiritual religion,-an other-worldly religion that looks to the life after death,-but for some means to abate the hardships, the sufferings, and the grievances of this world. They are looking for an earthly heaven that will satisfy the desires of their selfish and worldly loves. Few are prepared to lay down this life-the life of these loves,-that they may receive a new, spiritual life from the Lord. And this that we see illustrated in the world around us is just as true of us as individuals. The loves of the world are our loves, and the spiritual loves of the New Church find the same difficulty of slow reception in our own hearts. Because we have been raised in the Church, or perhaps have accepted the Truth of the Writings in adult age, we do not thereby suddenly become New Church as to the real inner loves that actuate us. We gradually become New Church only as the old loves are driven back by constant combat and victory in temptation. The struggle to drive them back through an endeavor to obey the teaching of the Writings, in intention, thought, and act, is what is really distinctive of New Church life.
     When we speak of distinctiveness, therefore, we do not refer primarily to a difference from other religions in form, but to a difference in essence. Such an essence will inevitably produce its own corresponding forms, whereby it expresses itself. By these it may be outwardly known and recognized.

108


By means of them, children and young people are held in the sphere and under the protection of the Church. Before they are capable of grasping the inner meaning of the Church, they can learn to love its representative forms. And these, being impressed upon their minds with affection, can bring an influx from heaven, ordering their nascent will and understanding to the reception of the Truth revealed in the Writings. The distinctive forms and customs of the Church can thus serve as a means to lead children to the Lord, that He may teach them, even according to His Divine injunction: "Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not."
     These representative forms are needed also by adults throughout life. About them the affections of the Church gather. In time of temptation they give strength to cling to our faith when doubts assail. They are the ultimates of heavenly influx which surround us with a protecting mantle when the forces of the world would draw us away from the Church. But a mere observance of the external forms-an observance that does not spring from a love of the Lord as He appears in the Truth of the Writings, and does not bring us back to that love, rekindling its flame in our hearts-does not constitute the real distinctiveness of the New Church. That distinctiveness resides solely in the reception of a new love from the Lord out of heaven-a love that "makes all things new."

READING:     Revelation 21: 1-10.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, Doxologies 29, p. 406; and 17, p. 398.

     (To be continued in the next issue.)

109


LIBERATION 1944

LIBERATION       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1944

     "Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." (Matthew 27: 50-53.)

     The Lord alone is the Liberator of all mankind. Only He can free men from the enslavements of their natural heredities and environments. In Him alone is there a pure and perfect love for every one of His creatures. This love only is pure in its universal concern for the freedom and rationality of man. And this love alone is eternally consistent in creating and preserving those conditions in heaven and on earth which will best serve human freedom and rationality.
     By comparison, the love for the neighbor's freedom and rationality which men develop by regeneration is a very imperfect, inconstant and finite image of that Divine Love. This becomes painfully obvious upon reflection. For the Lord alone has a universal view of all things, an infinite grasp of all the complex maze of interlocking factors in each man's development, and a perfect view of the relationships of all to each and of each to all things and beings in the created universe. So He alone has infinite Wisdom and Love in guarding and cherishing, "as the apple of His eye," man's freedom and rationality.
     These reflections upon the great truths of Divine Revelation come to us from time to time. But we are especially reminded of them when we read of the more spectacular and universal demonstrations of the Lord as the Liberator,-such demonstrations as occurred in the course of each great judgment.

110


These more spectacular events vividly illustrate for us the constant, particular liberations which the Lord strives to bring to each man, even through every smallest detail and particular of his life in the world.
     The particular great spectacle of liberation which we are permitted to view through the looking-glass of our text is that which the Lord accomplished between the time of His crucifixion and that of His resurrection. Not many references are to be found in the Heavenly Doctrines to this particular liberation. But, in general, it resembled very closely the liberation of those spirits in the lower earth which took place at the Last Judgment of 1757.
     The facts which are thence brought forward are: that in this "lower earth,"-a state midway between hell and the world of spirits,-were gathered uncountable millions of good spirits,-men who had gone there from the natural world for ages past. Although they were segregated in one place, and protected from the hells sufficiently to keep them from being seduced into real sin, yet they were surrounded by communities of millions of evil spirits. They were in a concentration camp, so to speak, and the surrounding societies continually infected them with their falsities and evils. Consequently, they were in a constant turmoil of mind. Although they inwardly loved God, and desired to obey Him, they were ignorant of His will. Because of this, they were in constant doubt and anxiety of mind over the falsities subtly insinuated into their minds by the evil with whom they were surrounded. They were in genuine, spiritual captivity.
     Now, after the Lord's crucifixion, it is taught, He descended to this lower earth, freed these millions of good spirits by teaching them the truth, and brought them with Him when He arose into heaven on the third day.
     Such are the historical facts of this great liberation. But what is their significance? And what is the relationship between this act of the Lord and all the other things which He accomplished by His life, crucifixion and resurrection?
     These things cannot be understood unless it is first seen that the liberation of those in the lower earth is inseparably connected with the Lords glorification, His redemption of the human race, and His liberation of men in the natural world. All these accomplishments form one Divinely Human picture, and constitute essential parts of the Lord's purpose of establishing and perfecting to eternity a heaven from the human race.

111



     In a sense, everything in the Lord's life which preceded His crucifixion and resurrection was but a preparation for the final accomplishment. For it was by the victory on the cross that He finally subdued the hells, and fully united His Human with the Divine of which it was begotten. Afterwards occurred the liberation of the spirits and of men on earth.
     What was it, then, that the Lord accomplished during His life preceding these events in the way of preparation? Principally, it was the glorification of His Human. For it was by means of this glorification that He was able to redeem mankind, to defeat and order the hells, and to liberate the captives.
     What do we mean when we say that we glorify something or someone? We mean that we honor or give glory to it or him. We make them great. We attribute many good things to them, endow them with nobility of form or character. They become beautiful and authoritative in our eyes. If it is a human being whom we thus glorify, then everything which that human being does and says assumes added significance, wisdom and authority in our minds. Yet this should be done with the Lord alone, as is quite clear from the instruction of the angel to John. When John wished to kneel at his feet, the angel said, "See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren the prophets: worship God." (Rev. 22: 9.)
     By His life in the world the Lord glorified Himself in the eyes of angels, devils and men. Everything He did and said thus became an ultimate picture, Divinely devised to convey to all men the truth that these words were indeed Divine, and of Divine Authority, albeit in Human form. So all His actions and teaching become human receptacles of Divine Revelation,-receptacles, ultimates, which were afterwards recalled, by the Lord, to the minds of the writers of the Gospels in a Divine Order so that they were established to eternity in writing as ordered pictures by which the Divine could appear to men forever and ever in His own, deliberately-chosen human forms. This, indeed, is the whole purpose of the Word,-to convey to man, in Divinely-chosen pictures of human life, some concept of God as Man. In this regard, the Lord, while He was in the world, was the living Word. He was Truth Incarnate, as, indeed, He still is.

112


His actions and teachings were and are the Word itself in terms of human flesh and blood.
     How these things are so may be seen from the life of the Lord with His disciples, from His struggles with the hells, and so on. If the New Testament is examined with this thought in mind, it will be seen that His every word and action were specifically, definitely designed to construct, in the disciples' minds, a strong impression of His Divinity, of His oneness with the Father, of Himself as the Son of God, whose life in flesh and blood was a purposefully directed portrayal of Divine Truth in ultimates. More universally, His life was designedly lived so as to form this strong impression in the minds of all men in all ages. This, indeed, is why it increasingly appeared to the disciples that "He spake as one having authority, and not as the scribes." And so it was that, by His life in the world, the Lord glorified Himself in the eves of His disciples and of all men. He grew in stature, in beauty and in authority until, at last, after His resurrection, even Thomas was moved to acclaim Him as his Lord and God.
     So did the Lord glorify His Human. He associated, indeed, united His Human actions and speech with the Divine, providing to all men the opportunity of being taught with Divine Authority in human terms; and this by making it possible for them to associate these natural symbols, these ultimates, His earthly actions and speech, with the Divinity of which they were begotten, from whence they sprang in orderly series.
     This cumulative process, or this evolution, whereby the Lord assumed Divinity more and more in the eyes of His disciples, and in the eyes of readers of His life in all generations, culminates in the crucifixion and resurrection. For by these two events the Lord fully glorified Himself before the whole human race. By them He enables all men to appreciate the truth that He is omnipotent God, eternally able to rise above death and to conquer and rule the hells. This culmination is shown by the internal sense of the rending of the veil of the temple, which was the sign of the final unition of the Human with the Divine. This culmination forever stamps His Human with Divinity in the eyes of those who wish to believe in and obey God.

113



     By this glorification of His Human, the Lord assumed power and authority as the one God of heaven and earth; that is to say, He assumed such power and authority with those who believe on His name and who wish to live according to His teachings. Viewed in an obscure light, it is strange that it is by virtue of this authority only that mankind was and is liberated. For in the minds of many the terms "authority" and "freedom" seem to conflict, inevitably. "How is it possible," it is often asked, "for a man to obey authority, and yet be free to do what he pleases?" Yet common reason sees that, in human governments, it is only by the delegation of authority to some over all that all are freed. No one is free, it is perceived, in a state of anarchy or no authority. But the establishment of authority at once establishes a measure of freedom within limits for each individual; without it, there is no freedom even within limits.
     When men, by means of the Word, which consists of ultimate symbols chosen by the Lord to present Himself to them, perceive and acknowledge the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ as God of heaven and earth in Human Form, their liberation begins immediately. At once they are endowed with a Base from which to work, an Authority in which to rest, a Rock to which they can flee from the anxiety and doubts caused by infesting and wandering falsities. They, as it were, turn to the Sun of heaven; and the light and heat-the wisdom and love of the Divine Human of the Lord,-begin to make themselves felt. In His light men see light. In His light they see the obscuring clouds of their falsities, their foolish pride and dark prejudices; and the clouds dissipate, one by one. And the warmth of Divine Human Love makes them aware of the cold fetters of their hereditary appetites and loves; one by one these disappear in the combats of temptation, like the strands of a spider's web. So are men freed from the infection of evil societies.
     The Lord thus becomes man's acknowledged Liberator, by virtue of the fact that man has seen the human actions and speech of Jesus Christ to be invested with Divine Authority. This, indeed, is the reason why the question is asked, in the baptismal ceremony of the New Church, "Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the one God of heaven and earth?" This question is, in fact, the essential of baptism. For it is only by man's affirmation of this that he can be liberated from the infesting spheres of spirits foreign to Christianity, which is one of the uses of baptism.

114


Also, this is why it is written that only those are and can now be admitted to heaven who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ; for only those can be liberated by the Lord from the bonds of death and hell.
     This, now, gives indication of the reasons why the Lord's glorification of His Human was an essential requirement for His liberation of those bound in the lower earth.
     Not only was it necessary for the Lord to enable men to accept His authority by His life in the world. But it was also necessary for Him to convince the powerful bells of this authority, so that they might never again dare to seduce men or to disturb the heavens in such obsessive ways as would prevent men's regeneration. This He did by admitting them into the human taken on from the mother. In this way He was able to meet and to defeat them on their own grounds, as it were, to convince them by drastic demonstrations of His power and authority. By refusing to allow them to sway Him from His Divinely appointed life and actions in the world, He conclusively demonstrated His omnipotence to them, and openly assumed rule over them, so that they were brought into order.
     Once having demonstrated this power-(and the final and conclusive demonstration of it took place on the cross, when all the hells attacked the Lord at once and were completely defeated)-the Lord could confine the hells within proper bounds or spheres of influence, in orderly concentration areas, so to speak. In this way, the path was cleared for the liberation of the good spirits in the lower earth. No longer infected by the tumultuous false ideas and evils of their neighbors, they were now in a state to hear and receive the truth.
     Yet the Lord could not have liberated even these, if He had not assumed human ultimates in which He could appear to them as one having authority. Had He not glorified His Human, they would have doubted His power to save them, and also the truth of what He was to teach them. But because they had, in all probability, witnessed something of the Lord's conflict with their evil neighbors and His victory over them, they were in an affirmative state to Him as God in Human Form. Hence they received Him, and by the truths which the Lord taught them their minds were liberated from falsities and evils, and, finally, they were prepared to be taken into heaven.
     The description of the way by which they were led out of the lower earth by the Lord is a vivid one.

115


They were led out to the left through a wilderness, and so upwards. On the way through the wilderness, it is said, they passed between many communities of the worst devils. But they were surrounded by "columns of angels," who protected them, so that no evil could possibly touch them. This same thing is represented in the journey of the children of Israel through the wilderness and the Suph Sea after their liberation from the land of Egypt. It will be remembered that they were led and protected by a column of smoke by day, and by a column of fire by night. The children of Israel were thus led into the promised Land of Canaan. Likewise were these formerly enslaved spirits led up into heaven when the Lord rose on the third day.
     All this is represented by our text. So, by "the sepulchres being opened" is signified the removal and rejection from the "saints" of falsity from evil; it signifies the liberation of those who are in love to the Lord from the dead things of falsity, represented by the sepulchres, in which were their bodies.
     Our text not only pictures the liberation of those in the lower earth, but it also depicts the liberation of the whole human race, and of each individual man, which is accomplished by his acknowledgment of the Lord and his life according to His commandments. So it was that the Lord made it possible for men to understand how, by acknowledging Him as King and final Authority, they become truly free. Men must yield to Divine restraint, in order to be spiritually liberated.
     In His last humiliation the Lord, to all external appearance, was a hound and helpless prisoner. Yet He was the Liberator of angels, spirits, devils and men at the same time. His body appeared to be stricken by death and confined in a tomb. Yet He was, simultaneously, redeeming mankind and saving the world. So He became the First and the Last, the Greatest and the Least. He entered into every particular of human life, and made it Divine with Himself. So He became the Redeemer of the world. Without Him no mortal could have been saved. But they are saved who believe in Him and keep the commandments of His Word. This is His commandment: "That we love one another as He hath loved us." Amen.

LESSONS:     Exodus 13: 11-22. Matthew 27: 50-66. A. C. 8099.
MUSIC:     Pp. 488, 450, 459.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 59, 119.

116


CONFESSION OF FAITH 1944

CONFESSION OF FAITH       Rev. F. W. ELPHICK       1944

     (In connection with the Rite of Confirmation.)

     It is perfectly clear, and a fact easy to grasp by those who have seen and accepted the teachings of the New Church, that the faith of the New Church is a rational faith. To those who are confirmed in that faith, that is, who are settled in mind as to the general teachings of the New Church, a philosophy of life is granted that will abide with them in this world and in the life hereafter.
     But while men are living in this natural world, while engaging in all its work and pleasure, there are three factors which especially appeal-or should especially appeal-to the masculine mind of the New Church, the mind that wants to reason, to see things logically and clearly, and to be rid of sickly sentiment, empty ceremony, and sham religion. The three factors which especially appeal are: 1. Revelation; 2. The Sciences of the World-rightly placed and used; and 3. Experience-individual and collective. Indeed, if we reflect upon it, we shall find that these three influences-Religion, Science, and Experience, with their correlation and their bearing upon each other-constitute our very life, especially the life of the present generation, which is surrounded by, and influenced by, the results of the greatest strides which men have taken in the fields of science and of learning. Let us briefly consider each of these factors.
     REVELATION is the first factor. Revelation is a part of the history of religion. It is what the Divine gives to men. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock," the Lord says. (Apoc. 3: 20.) And Revelation is the Lord standing at the door of the natural mind of man asking admittance. From Revelation men know that God reveals Himself, that God creates, that He redeems and saves, that there is a heaven, that there is a hell, that there is good, that there is evil, that there is a judgment after death, that there is a life everlasting. In Christian countries, this Revelation is the Old Testament and the New Testament, known as the "Word of God."

117


To the Christian Church this "Word' is the only source of Revelation. We shall later note what a change takes place when the Doctrines of the New Church are added as a Revelation.
     SCIENCE, the second factor, may be defined as the continual discovery and arrangement and rearrangement of observable facts. In the natural sciences it means the examination and application of natural phenomena, with all their forces and laws. In the mental and moral sciences it is the examination of human conduct; in the social sciences it is the application of such conduct to group and cooperative life.
     EXPERIENCE, the third factor, whether individual or collective, is the way in which human minds react to the appeal of Revelation on the one hand, or to the appeal of science, on the other.
     From this very brief analysis of the factors-the influences-around us and in us, we can see why the Second Coming of the Lord should take the form of a Rational Revelation, it is because the human mind, especially in the last two centuries, has developed the reasoning faculty so much, and yet has not known how to apply the Revelation of the Old and New Testaments, that the Lord has given a further and fuller Revelation of Himself, to the end that men may now know, if they wish, what God is, how He creates, how He redeems and saves, what heaven is, what hell is, what good is, what evil is, what the judgment after death is, and what the life everlasting. And in this further and fuller Revelation the Sciences can help and confirm: Experience, individual and collective can also help and confirm. Hence it is that in the New Church there can be a rational religion, a practical religion, a religion of love. And, strangely and interestingly, the difference can be expressed in the changing of the little word that to how and to what, as we have indicated. The difference is great; and it is also expressed in the contrasting terms, "The Christian Religion"-now passing away-and "The True Christian Religion"-just being born into the world.
     Throughout all the changes which have made Christian history, the Lord, by His providence and permissions, has been guarding and guiding. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock!" The Lord is always present and willing to reveal Himself-to open the door of the natural mind of man, so that he may enter the spiritual kingdom by the formation of the spiritual mind while he lives on earth.

118


This holds true for every individual. And it is also true collectively-of nations and peoples.
     Yet the Lord's readiness to reveal is not seen is not heard. For although science in general is a useful addition to life, yet merely man-made science closes the door. That is the science which leads to materialism, atheism and agnosticism. There is then no communication between heaven and earth, between the spiritual and natural minds in a man. For as a door divides two compartments, and can be the means of entrance from one to the other, can be open or shut, so there can be an actual state of mind, an actual spiritual condition, a revealed psychological fact, in which the mind of a man can either open to the Lord or close against the Lord. And this psychological fact, which is now revealed in the New Church Doctrines, and which has yet to be found by modern psychological research, is hidden in the Scriptures. We shall cite two instances.
     The first is from Isaiah: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast." (26: 20.) Here "to shut thy doors about thee until the indignation-the anger-be overpast" means no communication with evils, which are the indignation or anger. (A. C. 8989.) This is a clear teaching as to how the mind communicates or can communicate, with the devil or with hell.
     The second is from the 24th Psalm, "Lift up, O gates, your heads, and be ye lifted up, O doors of the world, that the King of Glory may come in!" Here is pictured the opening and elevation of hearts to the Lord, that He may enter in, giving communication with heaven. The "heart" means the will part of man, the will part of his mind, and to provide communication with heaven means that the Lord flows in with the good of charity and the truth of faith which are the life of heaven.
     And the same idea is involved in the words of the Apocalypse: "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The little word "If"-"If any man hear my voice"-implies free choice. For man is perfectly free. He can open the door of his natural mind, or keep it closed. He can open his mind to what is spiritual, or keep it closed.

119


For no one is forced to be good, forced to be religious, forced to obey the Lord and His commandments. The Lord is always present and watching, but if the mind is not opened by the man himself, there is no communication with the Lord and heaven.
     Now the question arises: How is the door to be opened? It is not opened by worldly learning; it is not opened by intense theological learning; it is not opened by extensive learning in the sciences; it is not opened by merely human experience. But it is opened by a man s acceptance of the truth of the Word in faith, and then by his removing evil by "shunning and turning away from it as infernal and diabolical; for whether you say evil or the devil, it is the same; and, on the other hand, whether you say good or the Lord, it is the same for the Lord is within all good, and the devil is within all evil." (D. P. 233:4.) And by the term "devil" is not meant a personal devil, but hell, or evil in the complex.
     And what is evil? Here the New Church Doctrines leave no one in doubt. We are told that evils are "chiefly adulteries, frauds, illicit gains, hatreds, revenges, lies, blasphemies, and elation of mind." (A. E. 803:2.) Shun these evils, and the door will be opened. It is the process of a lifetime. For the revealed psychology is, that so far as these evils are shunned, so far the Lord enters, and with the Lord heaven. "So far as a man detests adulteries, so far chastity enters; so far as he detests frauds and unlawful gains, so far sincerity and justice enter; so far as he detests hatred and revenge, so far charity enters; so far as he detests lies and blasphemies, so far truth enters; and so far as he detests elation of mind, so far humility before God and love of the neighbor as oneself enter." (A. E. 803:2.)
     Such is the Doctrine of the New Church. Such is the psychology of evil and good. Men cannot alter this teaching. It is there to be used-to be seen and applied. And if this detesting of evil be the motivation, not from any sense of self-righteousness, self-merit, but because it is the revealed mode of conduct, then the natural mind is influenced by the spiritual mind. The Lord enters with His good and His truth, and there is appropriation by man and conjunction with the Lord, who "sups" with man, and man with the Lord.
     And so it is that New Church people the world over need to see the value of Revelation, as it is now given to the New Church,-the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the Heavenly Doctrines.

120


It is this new Revelation which tells how we are to use the natural and mental and moral sciences, and how we are to use our experience aright. It is this rational Revelation which helps one to analyze the thought and philosophy which surrounds the New Church today. People do not like to hear about the real nature of evil, the things revealed in our Doctrines concerning hell, concerning selfishness, greed, and like things. Much of the psychology of education today is based upon the idea of the inherent good in man. `Encourage the good," they say, "help purposeful activity." And these injunctions are all right in their place. But to see evil, and punish the evil spirits who attend all human beings-this is not insisted upon. The result is that human conscience is endangered, and there is a locking of the door which divides the natural mind from the spiritual mind.
     In the application of Revelation, Science and Experience, the New Church in the world requires thoughtful minds,-minds to help the need for the higher education,-the education or "drawing out" that will improve natural life by the motivation of the spirit, which knows that to find good, evil must be shunned. And it will not be until such a spirit animates the individual life, and thence the collective life, that it can be said that the New Church is established. Indeed, an admonition is given in the Doctrines, that "if there be with a man the affection of knowing and understanding the truths and goods of heaven and the church, together with the affection of willing and doing them; also the affection of fighting with zeal against falsities and evils, and dispersing them, both in himself and in others;-from this the man has faith and love, and from this he has intelligence and wisdom. Thus, and in no other way, is a man reformed; and so far as he knows and believes truths, and wills and does them, so far is he regenerated, and from natural becomes spiritual." (A. E. 803:2.)
     It must be remembered, however, that although spiritual life is thus reborn in mankind, after the door has been opened on man s part and endeavor, yet, as long as a man lives in the world, he knows nothing of the opening of the inmost degree of the mind in himself. For this is not opened to his full consciousness until his spirit lives in the spiritual world after the death of the body.

121


This also is a revealed psychological fact, unknown in the world.
     And so we are admonished, in all these matters, to read diligently the Word of the Lord in the Sacred Scripture and in the Writings of the New Church, to avail ourselves of all the means of instruction which the Lord has provided, in order that we may receive light from heaven. And in our progression from youth to manhood and to old age, through all the vicissitudes of life in this world, with its periods of warfare and its periods of peace, we should be mindful of the Lord and His Providence. For He is ever present, asking to be received. "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock; if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
REV. W. H. ACTON 1944

REV. W. H. ACTON       ALFRED ACTON       1944

     An Obituary.

     The Rev. William Henry Acton, after a very brief illness, passed into the spiritual world on Friday, December 31. 1943, at the age of eighty-three.
     Mr. Acton was born in Chester, England, April 25, 1860. He received his education at Shaw Street College, Liverpool, from which he graduated as a public school teacher. He continued in this occupation until 1882. But his real love was the ministry, and in 1883 he and Mr. Edward S. Hyatt were admitted as students in the Theological College of the English General Conference, being the only students in the College. The course was completed in two years, and the two students were then offered ordination. But meanwhile they had become greatly attracted by the teachings of the Academy of the New Church, and their growing acquaintance with the teachings of this body, and the reading of NEW CHURCH LIFE and WORDS FOR THE NEW CHURCH, brought them a keen realization of the inadequacy of the preparation for the ministry then provided by the London College. This led them to refuse ordination. The refusal was given in a joint letter addressed to the English Conference, in which the inadequacy of the theological course and the mismanagement of the College were set forth in no stinted terms.

122


The letter also announced the intention of the writers to pursue their studies in the Theological School of the Academy.
     They entered the Academy School in 1885, and completed their courses, Mr. Hyatt in 1888, and Mr. Acton in 1889. During the summers of his last years in the School (1887-1888), Mr. Acton, as a candidate for the ministry, ministered to the Circles in Williamsport and Scranton. He was ordained in 1889, and served as Headmaster and Assistant to the Rev. John Whitehead in the Allegheny Society. The following year he was appointed Assistant to the Rev. N. D. Pendleton in Glenview, where he was ordained into the second degree by Bishop Benade in 1892. In 1897, he was appointed Pastor of the Colchester Society in England, and there established the first New Church school in that town. As a teacher he was greatly loved by his pupils, both in Colchester and in Glenview, and those of them who are now living cherish in deep affection the remembrance of his efficient instruction and, above all, of the affection for the Church which he implanted in their minds.
     In 1898, owing to the disturbance consequent upon the separation of Bishop Benade, Mr. Acton resigned from the General Church and so from the Pastorate of the Colchester Society, and united himself with the Rev. Messrs. Tilson and Ottley. Soon afterwards, he entered again upon his old duties as teacher in the Public Schools, having been engaged by the London County Council. He continued in this work until 1930, when he was retired on pension.
     When Messrs. Tilson and Ottley joined the General Church in 1919, Mr. Acton did not follow them, nor did he join any New Church body, though he preached occasionally at Burton Road for Bishop Tilson, for his nephew, the Rev. A. Wynne Acton, and also for Conference Societies in London, and took an active interest in the work of the London Swedenborg Society. This Society appointed him to make a new translation of the first volume of the Spiritual Diary, and he devoted the later years of his life to this work, basing his translation on the phototyped MS. The work was sadly needed, for the present translation is extremely defective. Mr. Acton's aim was to produce a translation which would not only faithfully reproduce the original, but would also be couched in good English, and his learning and his training well fitted him for this work.

123


The translation was completed some time before his death, and is now in the hands of his nephew, the Rev. A. Wynne Acton, who, I believe, is preparing the MS. for publication by the London Swedenborg Society.
     In December, 1889, a short time after his ordination, Mr. Acton was united in marriage with Miss Susan Aitken, and together they lived in happy union for almost forty years, his wife passing to the spiritual world in October, 1928. They are survived by three sons and two daughters, all members of the New Church. Their oldest son, Osmund, was killed in action at Gallipoli during the First World War, in which he was one of the earliest volunteers for service in the army.
     Although Mr. Acton was not a member of the General Church, he was always remembered with affection by his former fellow members; and those of them who visited London rarely missed the opportunity of calling upon him to renew old friendship. His hospitable home was ever open to his brethren of the Church, and in that home reigned a sphere of peace and tranquillity based on a profound trust in the guidance of Divine Providence. Into that peace he has now entered more fully, a peace which is the greater because it brings a fuller realization of his union with her who preceded him in her entrance into the spiritual world.
     ALFRED ACTON.
Tirzah Ammon Renkenberger 1944

Tirzah Ammon Renkenberger       NORMAN H. REUTER       1944

     Tirzah Ammon Renkenberger, who died at Salem, Ohio, on January 13, 1944, in his 82d year, belonged to the General Church Circle at Akron. Born at Columbiana, Ohio, August 2, 1862, he was the son of Jacob and Mary Ann Renkenberger. In 1884 he married Agnes West, who survives him, together with two sons and three daughters, and a number of grandchildren and great grandchildren. In his native town he was engaged in manufacturing until 1930, and was twice mayor.
     His parents and grandparents were members of the New Church, and his father was instrumental in building the old historic church at Greenford, where he attended worship until it disbanded. When the Revs. J. E. Bowers and F. E. Waelchli visited Youngstown, he was among those who attended their meetings. Of late he and his wife lived at Zelienople, Pa., which is not far from Youngstown, Ohio, where reside his sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Norris -NORMAN H. REUTER.

124


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     THE WORD IN CHILDHOOD. II.

     In our February issue (p. 82) a phase of this general subject was presented, dealing with the importance of teaching children the meaning of the words of Scripture, to the end that they may understand when they hear, read, recite or sing the text of the Word. Another phase of the subject, which we believe may well be discussed among us, has been brought to our attention in a letter from the Rev. A. Wynne Acton who mentions a recent broadcast and its effects in England. His brief account is as follows:

     A Broadcast.

     "There has recently been quite a controversy in the correspondence columns of the London newspapers, occasioned by a series of broadcasts in the children's hour, given in fifteen installments by Dorothy Sayres in the form of a play depicting the Life of Jesus. She followed the Gospel accounts quite closely, but discarded the wording of the Authorized Version in favor of a 'modern' English, often verging on 'slang.'

125


There is a great external love of the Bible in England, and this brought a great outcry against her. It was her contention that the language of the Authorized Version simply does not mean anything to the modern child, especially to those who have never been to Sunday School. She also wished to emphasize that the scenes enacted and the people mentioned are not simply old- fashioned tales that are past and finished, but that we have the same kind of people who say and do the same things at this day. So she thinks the children will learn really to appreciate the value of the Bible in our everyday life, if they hear it in the language which they commonly speak. Although she is a devout woman, she of course lacks our teaching concerning the presence of the angels in a state of simplicity and innocence, and the importance of the angelic remains thereby received."

     Comment.

     While we wish that Mr. Acton had written an article for us on the subject, we take the occasion to make some observations upon a matter which we believe will be of general interest to our readers.
     The broadcast carried with it a suggestion that we need a version of the Word in English adapted to the mind of a child who has not been educated to grasp the language of the Authorized Version or King James Bible. Certainly, if the stories of the Word are to be received by children, they must he told in a language which they can grasp or understand. But the New Churchman will sympathize with the revolt against any reducing of the sacred text to the language of the street. Something like this has been done in those modern versions which tend to secularize the Word and deprive it of its holiness. When this is done, "truth is fallen in the street." (Isaiah 59: 14.)
     We know the weighty reasons for a preservation of the integrity and sanctity of the text of the Word, especially for children with whom it is powerfully effective because of the presence of the angels in the heavenly sphere of the internal sense, and in the states of simplicity and innocence with children who hear or read the literal sense. We may recall a few of the many statements of the Writings on this subject:
     "All the historicals of the Word are truths more remote from Divine doctrinals themselves, but still they are of service to infants and children, that thereby they may be introduced by degrees into the interior doctrinals of truth and good, and at length into the Divine doctrinals themselves.

126


For when the little children are reading the historicals, and from innocence are affected by them, then the angels who are with them are in a pleasant heavenly state; for they are affected by the Lord with the internal sense, consequently with those things which the historicals represent and signify. It is the heavenly pleasantness of the angels which inflows and makes the delight with little children. In order that there may be this first state of the infancy and childhood of those who are to be regenerated, the historicals of the Word have been given, and so written that all and single things therein contain in them things Divine." (A. C. 3690:2.)
     "It may seem a paradox, but still it is most true, that the angels understand the internal sense of the Word better and more fully when it is read by infant boys and girls than when it is read by adults who are not in the faith of charity; and the reason for this was told me. It is because infant boys and girls are in a state of mutual love and innocence; and thus the most tender vessels with them are almost celestial, being mere faculties of reception which can be so disposed by the Lord, although this does not come to their perception, except by a certain delight suitable to their genius." (A. C. 1776.)
     "In the literal sense of the Prophetical Word scarcely anything appears but what is devoid of order, but when it is read by man, especially by an infant boy or girl, it becomes by degrees, as it ascends more beautiful and delightful, and at length is presented before the Lord as the image of a man, in and by means of which heaven in its complex is represented, not such as it is, but such as the Lord wills it to be, namely, a likeness of Himself." (A. C. 1871.)
     "The historicals (or stories) of the Word have been given to the end that infants and children may be initiated thereby into the reading of the Word; for they are delightful, and seat themselves in their minds, and by this a communication with the heavens is given them, which communication is grateful, because they are in a state of innocence and mutual charity. This is the reason why the Word is historical." (A. C. 6333:4.)

127



     Now while it is highly desirable, and even essential, that the text of the Word itself should enter the minds of children by hearing and reading, we may also recognize the need of adaptation and accommodation of the Word to the minds of children, explaining its meaning. But this belongs properly to instruction from the Word as the means to an understanding of the Word. It is essential that the Word itself be heard and read in the church, and also that there be doctrine derived from the Word and confirmed by it, presented by those who are qualified to do so. It is well to keep this in mind in telling the stories of the Word to children, that they may be led to a holy delight in the Word itself, that they may learn from the Lord Himself there, that they may understand His teaching ever more clearly, and obey His precepts in the daily life for their salvation.
     The Writings speak of the state of holiness and piety that should attend the reading of the Word. To interest children in the Word, it is not necessary to secularize and make common the stories which in themselves are sacred. Let the teacher keep within the holy sphere of the Word, using as much as possible the phraseology of the Scriptures, especially with younger children, who love repetition. The older ones will feel the distinction between the story itself and the teacher's explanation and application to the present day. For so do adults realize the distinction between the Word itself and doctrine from the Word, the main purpose of which is to lead to the Lord in the Word, that He may enlighten and inspire.
     We cannot speak in detail of the broadcasts which Mr. Acton briefly describes. If we assume that the devout broadcaster was actuated by a sincere desire to impart the Gospel to children, and eventually to bring them to a holy regard for the Word and its teachings,-to a belief in the Lord and a love for Him,-we still must question methods which discard that very holiness by using common language, and even "slang," to describe sacred things. That a need is felt for such methods is a sign of the times. For where the Word is truly revered and taught in the home, the children will grow up to know and to love its sacred language. Perhaps the indignation aroused by the broadcasts will quicken the conscience of some parents who have been neglectful in this important matter.

128



     The Divine Style of the Word.-As to the suggestion that there is need for a Child's Version of the Scriptures in "modern" English, the New Churchman will at once realize the primary need of preserving the integrity of the literal sense of the Word. It is for this reason that Divine Revelation has been given in "dead" languages-Hebrew, Greek and Latin-that it may not undergo the changes of a spoken or living tongue. It is for a like reason that "in every larger society of heaven, a copy of the Word written by angels inspired by the Lord is kept in its sacrarium, lest it should be altered in some point." (S. S. 72.)
     When we consider that it is the Word itself which is a medium of conjunction between angel and child, beneficial to both, it is clear that a translation from the original into any language should preserve as far as possible the Divine style of the Word as it was given by Divine inspiration to those who wrote it in the original languages, where every jot and tittle is a correspondential basis and containant of the spiritual sense and of the Divine Truth Itself.
     Among English-speaking people the King James Bible has preserved that style for over 300 years. It represented a devout effort to be faithful to the original text, according to the lights of the translators, and it was a work of fine literary art, preserving the poetry and mystery of the Word. To many this version has become sacrosanct. But we of the New Church know that there is need of a revision, especially of the Old Testament, to bring the text into conformity with the revealed spiritual sense. Yet a New Church version should at the same lime preserve the Divine style of the Word. Let us recall what is said on this subject:

     "The natural man cannot be persuaded to believe that the Word is the Divine Truth Itself, in which is the Divine Wisdom and the Divine Life; for he regards it from its style, in which he does not see these. But the style of the Word is the Divine style itself, with which any other style, however sublime and excellent it may appear to be, cannot be compared, for it is as thick darkness to light. The style of the Word is such that what is holy is in every sentence, and in every word, yea, in some places in the very letters. Hence the Word conjoins man to the Lord, and opens heaven." (S. S. 3.)

129



     "Unless the single things in the Word represent, and the single words by which those things are written signify, the Divine things of the Lord, thus the celestial and spiritual things of His Kingdom, the Word is not Divine. And because this is so, it could never he written in any other style; for by this style, and by no other, human things and expressions correspond to heavenly things and ideas as to the least jot. Hence it is that, if only the Word be read by a little child, the Divine things which are therein are perceived by the angels." (A. C. 2899.)

     Examples.-Manifold instances could be cited from the Writings to indicate that the internal sense requires the exact word or expression of the original language of the Word, which should be preserved in any translation. Let us note the following:
     GENESIS 3: 15,-the first prophecy of the Advent of the Lord. The Authorized Version reads: . . . "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." "Because the Lord is the Seed of the woman, it is not said it, but He." (A. C. 256.) Thus it should read, "He shall bruise thy head."
     EXODUS 9: 35.-The Authorized Version reads: "As the Lord had spoken by Moses." It should read, "As the Lord had spoken by the hand of Moses." For we read in the Arcana: "By the hand of Moses signifies by means of the Law from the Divine, as is evident from the signification of by the hand of anyone, that it is mediately, and from the representation of Moses, that it is the Law from the Divine. That to speak by the hand of anyone is to speak by means of him, or mediately, is because by the hand is signified power, thus by the hand of anyone vicarious power, which is the same as mediately; for what is done mediately is done by the power of another in one's self. Hence it is that in the Word that formula of speaking is used, as in the Books of Kings, where it says a number of times that Jehovah spake by the hand of some one, as when He spake by the hand of Ahijah the prophet (I Kings 14: 18); by the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite (15: 29); by the hand of Jehu the prophet (16: 7, 12); by the hand of Joshua (16: 34); by the hand of Elijah (17: 16); by the hand of Jonah the prophet (II Kings 14: 25)." (A. C. 7619.) In some of these places the Authorized Version retains the words by the hand of, in others it omits them, as in Exodus, noted above.

130



     II SAMUEL 6: 6-The Authorized Version reads: "Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it." The words his hand are not in the original Hebrew, and the reason is given in the Writings: "The ark represented the Lord, thus everything holy and celestial. That Uzzah put forth to the ark represented his own power, or man's proprium, and because this is profane, the hand is not mentioned, although it is understood, and for this reason, that it might not be perceived by the angels that so profane a thing had touched what was holy." (A. C. 878:8.) An English version should therefore read: "Uzzah put forth to the ark of God."
     For other examples we would refer the reader to our treatment of this subject in NEW CHURCH LIFE for November, 1942, pp. 509-515.

     A New Church Version.-As noted above, a revision of the English version of the Word will be necessary, to bring the text into conformity with the spiritual sense, now revealed. It is possible, also, that the use of more modern words and phrases will be desirable in some passages of the Old Testament, and we believe that this can be done without doing violence to the Divine style or depriving the Word of its poetry and sanctity. Yet it is a fact that the old-fashioned and archaic terms of the Authorized Version set it apart from secular writing. For so it was in the Ancient Church, to which the Most Ancient style of writing was handed down, and was "venerated because of its antiquity." (A. C. 1756.)
SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION 1944

SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION       Various       1944

UMCAZI (The Expositor). Official Journal of the South African Mission of the General Church of the New Jerusalem. Editors: Rev. F. W. Elphick and Rev. Moffat B. Mcanyana. Durban, Natal, September, 1943. Vol. I. No. 3. Mimeograph, 10 pages.

     In its present form, this periodical has been issued annually since 1941. The number just to hand includes: An Obituary of the Rev. Philip Johannes Stole, who passed into the spiritual world on March 8, 1943; an article on "Man's Resuscitation from the Dead," by Violet Vilakazi, one of the Zulu school children; and passages from the New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine.

131


All of the contents are printed in both English and Zulu. The greater part of the issue is occupied by reports of the activities at the various centers of the Mission, from which we select the following of special interest:

     MISSION NEWS.

     Alexandra Township, Johannesburg.-The Society meets regularly under the leadership of the Rev. T. Matshinini. This group is not sending any financial assistance to the Mission, since it is busy buying a piece of land near the home of its Minister for future church use, and the monthly payments must be paid regularly and on time. This, however, is good work, for it indicates initiative and a looking toward the permanent establishment of the New Church in the vicinity. The Rev. M. B. Mcanyana visited the Society in June, 1943.
     Durban, Mayville.-Rev. M. B. Mcanyana, the Pastor, reports that Sunday services are held regularly here. Although certain circumstances have caused the members to be scattered all over Durban Districts, a new beginning is being made with a very little group. Since 1939 there has been a steady growth, and the Society now has 21 adult members, most of them new members, and 20 children. He paid a visit to Verulam, where there is another promising little group under the Leadership of Mr. M. M. Lutuli. At Canelands, Verulam, on January 20. 1943, Mr. Mcanyana officiated at the New Church Marriage of Josiah Lutuli and Hilda Phewa. He paid visits to the Transvaal and "Kent Manor," Zululand, accounts of which are given below.
     Durban, 19 Turner's Avenue.-After the death of the Rev. Philip J. Stole on March 8, 1943, the members of this Society joined the Mayville Society. The Night School is continuing under Mr. Peter Mnguni as Head Teacher and Arthur Stole as assistant.
     Ezimfabeni, Mahlabatini, Zululand.-Services are held each Sunday in this district by the Rev. S. B. Mkize, the average attendance being 15.
     Greylingstad, Transvaal.-The Rev. Jonas Motsi is in charge of this Society and district. The average attendance on Sunday is 25, as many members have removed from the immediate vicinity, and must come long distances to reach the church building. Rev. and Mrs. Motsi are endeavoring to maintain a Day School for the younger children, but the Mission is not able to provide for the hither grades and thus for a greater number of scholars, as has been customary in the past.
     Hambrook, Acton Homes, Ladysmith, Natal.-In the reconstructed church building, after the hurricane of March 16, 1942, services are held regularly. To aid the reconstruction, Native Societies of the Mission contributed L5, 5sh., and further help was received from the Durban Society (European) amounting to L3, 5sh. For this assistance the members and the Minister at Hambrook were very grateful. The Rev. S. E. Butelezi, Minister, visited Burford on June 12 and 13,and gave a lecture on the New Church Doctrines.

132


The attendance was 29, and after the address was concluded at 9.30 p.m., questions and discussion continued until 1.30 a.m.
     New Church Day.-We were disappointed that the Superintendent and Rev. M. B. Mcanyana were unable to be with us for our celebration, but we had to carry on the work, and arrange for visitors-strangers-to have a chance to join in our Church Service, which included Baptisms, the Sermon, and the Holy Supper. The text was Revelation 9: 8-10. At noon the celebration commenced. Mr. Jacob Butelezi acted as Chairman, and the following Addresses were given: "The Second Coming of the Lord is not a coming in Person, but in His Word," by Mr. Abel Vildkazi; "The Holy City New Jerusalem-The Bride and Wife of the Lamb," by Rev. S. E. Butelezi; and a few extemporaneous Addresses. Between the Addresses music was given by the children, and the church choir sang "June the Nineteenth." At 5 p.m. dinner was served, and as the weather was cold, the guests were invited to attend the last portion of the program on the following day, Sunday, June 20, when the Service was attended by 93. The program was continued with the reading of short papers by the school children, namely, Violet Vilakazi, Goodness Butelezi, Ellina Mngomezulu and Emanuel Zuma.-S. E. BUTECEZI.
     "Kent Manor," Impapala, Entumeni, Zululand.-The work here continues under Rev. P. Sabela, who has the good assistance of Rev. A. B. Zungu. On April 11 the Superintendent conducted the Service, and administered the Communion with the assistance of Revs. Sabela and Zungu. Concerning the 19th of June Celebration, Rev. Sabela writes: "I am sorry to say that we had a poor one this year; many of the members did not come, owing to the cold weather. The attendance was only 22. I gave a lecture about 'June 19th,' reading from T. C. R. 791 and other suitable quotations from the Word. Mr. E. Mthethwa spoke about the Trinity, and Mr. B. Zungu dwelt on the Second Coming."
     The Rev. M. B. Mcanyana reports: "I visited 'Kent Manor' on July 21 to officiate at the Marriage of O'Brein Sabela and Busisiwe Gwala. Although the bride was educated in our New Church School, she was not a member of the said Church; she then had to be received by Baptism before the Marriage Service, by the Rev. A. B. Zungu. On the following Sunday I administered the Holy Supper to 23 communicants, and there were also 3 Baptisms-one infant and two adults."
     Macabazini, Deepdale, Natal.-Rev. B. Nzimande is in charge at this center. As the Government will not grant a church site, the services must be held in private homes. The average attendance is 25. Sometimes the Service is held at Inkumba, and sometimes at Macabazini. On March 21 a Memorial Service was held for the late Rev. Philip J. Stole, who used to visit the Society on various occasions. On the 28th another Memorial Service was held for a member of the group.-Mrs. Titus Radobe. The 19th of June was observed in the form of a feast, after which "there were choirs and interesting discussions.
     Sterkatroom, Cape Province.-Rev. Johnson Kandisa is maintaining a small group in this Xosa center of the Mission. They meet regularly every Sunday, with an average attendance of about 20.

133


Rev. Kandisa reports that he held a celebration of June 19th, and gave a lecture about "New Church Day." There was an attendance of 35. The Communion was administered. These meetings were held on Sunday, June 20.

     MISSION VISITS.

     In addition to the normal work of our several groups, there have been a number of visits by several Zulu Ministers, with the endeavor to extend the work of the Church. The Rev. M. B. Mcanyana reports as follows:
     The Transvaal.-At the request of the Superintendent, I visited the Transvaal Societies during the month of June. The first Sunday was spent with Rev. Jonas Motsi at Greylingstad, and we had an interesting meeting, the Service being attended by 23. On Monday morning, June 7, I visited the Day School, which is under the supervision of Rev. Motsi, who is assisted by his wife. The number of pupils was 21. I gave a short talk to them. It was interesting to see the New Church Minister struggling to keep up a New Church School l
     The same day I left Greylingstad for Alexandra Township, and on Thursday, June 10, there was a Doctrinal Class at which 9 attended. On the 11th I went to Pimvil to see people there who wanted to hear about the New Church Doctrines. Owing, however, to illness among the people, I had to return to Alexandra on Saturday. On Sunday the 13th we had a Service, with an attendance of about 32. During the week there were many opportunities for talks on the Doctrines; for I found the people very interested, and they wished to know more about the New Church.
     New Church Day, June 19th, was held on Sunday the 20th, when I spoke in the Sermon on the subject of Bondage and Redemption. (Exodus 20: 2.) It was shown how the Lord always redeems people from bondage, and that when He does this, there is a day of special remembrance. There was the going out of Egypt and the Passover; there is the Lord's First Coming and "Christmas," and there is the Lord's Second Coming and "New Church Day." I also noted that on each occasion it is spiritual bondage which is referred to, and I spoke in detail of what happened on June 19, 1770, which event is celebrated by all the Societies of the New Church, wherever it exists. After the discourse the Communion was administered to 19 communicants. The attendance at the Service was 47
     The following Sunday, June 27, I visited Heidelberg, conducting a Children's Service at 9.30 am., with an attendance of 7, and an Adult Service at 11.30, when 9 adults and 5 children attended. The majority of these people came from Brakpan, and there are many in this district who are desirous of having a New Church Minister visit them.
     M. B. MCANYANA.

134




     The Rev. A. B. Zungu reports:
     Zululand.-I left Impapala on June 14 to go to Esiqhomaneni. Mr. Jacob Mngoma, our Esibudeni branch assistant, had departed about two days before me, as he intended to visit his son at Melmoth, who is a member of the police there, and also interested in the Writings. We had arranged to meet at Ndunduku on the morning of June 15, and to proceed thence to Esiqhomaneni 00 foot. a distance of 15 miles. We arrived there late in the afternoon, about four o'clock.
     We rested Wednesday and Thursday, and in the evening of Friday we had a doctrinal class, the subject being The New Jerusalem. On Saturday we celebrated the 19th of June. It was a very cold day, as it ham] rained the previous night. There were speeches by Evangelist Mngoma, Mr. Cole our host, and myself. We had gathered in a large rondavel, just half finished. There being about 30 people in attendance, I gave a concise lecture, briefly treating of the Last Judgment. I noted why judgment was necessary; the number of previous judgments; the successive churches which had been judged; where the judgment took place; and the meaning of the judgment which Swedenborg saw in the spiritual world on the Old Christian Church; and of the sending of the Apostles throughout that world on June 19, 1770.
     Evangelist Mngoma spoke on the Lord's end in man's creation-his life to eternity; the Lord's continual provision for man's happiness, and His continual reestablishment of good and truth in the Church.
     Mr. Cole, in his speech, described the Old Church sects, and compared the different groups and their warring doctrines to a number of people who are seeking something that has eluded them and got lost, each of whom claims to have found this wanted something. The speaker also compared Christmas Day with June 19th.
     The gathering was interested in these new speeches, and when they were told that they were free to ask questions, a number came up for discussion. One was concerning the correct day of the week for worship-Saturday or Sunday. The questioner was given the spiritual sense of the seventh day.
     A. B. ZUNGU.

     Additional News.-Mr. Jacob Mngoma has been appointed Leader at Esiqhomaneni and District, under the supervision of Rev. A. B. Zungu. The site for a house for Mr. Mngoma has been granted by ex Regent Chief Mphoqeni, but the site for a Church House has not yet been granted.

     The Rev. A. B. Zungu has completed a Zulu translation of The Four Doctrines, and efforts are being made to have it published.
     The Rev. M. B. Mcanyana is writing missionary literature designed to adapt the Writings to the Native mind. There are two young men who would like to receive theological training, and when war conditions make it possible to reopen the Theological School, there may be other applicants.

135


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Norman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., O.S.,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, A.C. 2 Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, A.C. 2 Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Kuhl, 2nd Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, P/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, W.O. Orville A.,
Charles, Pvt. William A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,

136



Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 1 David K.,
Scott, Gnr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, P/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, L.A.C. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, A.C. 2 Keith I., British Columbia,
Funk, L.A.W. A. Elise,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, Sgt. Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, P/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motum, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Demobilized,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, 2nd Lieut. J. S.,
Buss, Tpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, 2nd Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
Craig, Major Thomas,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Wounded and honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, 2nd Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Capt. Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, S/Sgt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Pvt. J. M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Pvt. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 2/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,

137



Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, A/S Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cpl. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Ensign Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, P.F.C. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Capt. William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P.,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, A/C Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 3/c,
Price, Sgt. Kenneth,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/S John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, P.F.C. Henry,
Schiffer, Cpl. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, A/C Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/S Hilary Q.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan I.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Synnestvedt, Pvt. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, A/C Pvt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, Pvt. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Asplundh, Ensign O. E., Jr.,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/S William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, Cpl. John B. S.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,

138



Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Pvt. Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, P.F.C. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Marvin J., C.P.O.

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Lt. (j.g.) Alexander,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (j.g) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., S 2/c,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Lt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Av/C Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, A/C William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, A.S., Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Lt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., A.S., Alabama.
Glenn, A/C Alfred M., New York,
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, Pvt. Joseph Douglas, New York.
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/S John A., Alabama.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., A.M.M. 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., A.S., Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Tarr, Joseph, S.K. 3/c, Maryland.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

139


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     ACADEMY SCHOOLS.

     Special Graduation Exercises.

     To meet the Country's call, nine students of the senior class of the Boys Academy being of military age, have been graduated at the close of the first semester. Graduation Exercises were held in the Assembly Hall on Thursday evening, February 3, with a large audience in attendance, and all present felt keenly the significance of the occasion.
     Bishop de Charms conducted the worship, and the Rev. Karl R. Alden, Principal of the Boys Academy, read the Lessons: Matthew 10: 16-40; and Arcana Celestia 4167.
     Professor Eldric S. Klein delivered the Address, in which he spoke of the regret felt by the Faculty at the need of this parting from the students, but also gratification that, being called to the service of their country, they "set out with a knowledge of what love of country really means-a knowledge which should develop into an ever deeper understanding as they devoted themselves whole-heartedly to her service. He then drew some interesting lessons from the Age of Chivalry which, by its teaching, "sought to develop reverence for the church, courtesy to women, honor in relation to one's fellows regard for the weak and helpless, and high proficiency in the use of arms." In closing he said to the graduates: "Like worthy knights, you may seize the sword of truth, and with it in hand find your strength refreshed, your courage renewed. When grievously assailed, you will find in the shield of the Lord a sure defense. In the spiritual warfare of regeneration, the virtues of knighthood are still required. Humility, honor, courage, endurance and strength will also distinguish the man of the spiritual church."
     When the graduates had come forward, Bishop de Charms spoke to them words of counsel and farewell, to which Louis King, as valedictorian, responded. The Bishop then presented Diplomas to the following: Gareth Acton, Harris Behlert, Winton Brewer, John Frazee, Louis King, Weston Smith, John Synnestvedt. Certificates of Graduation: John Alden, Robert Blair.

     PITTSBURGH, PA.

     As with every church society so with Pittsburgh: War and its ramifications have had their effect. The armed services and war work have called away so many of our youths and adults that we are left with a resident congregation of about eighty-five adults and about fifty children. Travel restrictions in a society in which the members live scattered throughout city and suburbs also deplete our "ranks." But in spite of such things, attendance at various church functions remains fair, and spirits seem high.
     Enrollment in the day school this year has dropped to what should be its low point for many years to come,-fourteen pupils distributed among seven grades. Hopefully, there are twenty-nine children here of preschool ages, and a few more are away "for the duration." Our new teacher, Miss Nancy Horigan, has pleasantly refreshed the teaching staff and student body.
     Bishop Alfred Acton presided over our Local Assembly, October 8-10.

140


Friday evening, the Rev. Ormond Odhner delivered an address, attempting to show how Providence, through a purposeful control of all phenomena of nature, leads each man to his own place in heaven-or, should the man refuse, to his own place in hell. This was followed by a social gathering. At the war-time-elegant banquet on Saturday evening, Bishop Acton addressed the congregation on the mechanics of immortality, explaining bow the limbus-that cutaneous envelope for the spirit, composed of natural substances-is fed and sustained to eternity. Bishop Acton also preached at the Sunday morning service.
     The Social Committee, headed by Mr. Samuel Lindsay, has enlivened our year so far with two excellent dances and one "Town Meeting." The latter was preceded by a bring-your-own-sandwiches (soup a la pastor and dessert a la Acton and Lindsay, supplied by the committee) supper. During the evening three converts to the church-Messrs. Charles Leeds, Edward Lee, and Dr. Marlin Heilman,- together with one "born" member of the church. Mr. John Frazier, spoke to the subject, "Why I Am a New Churchman." Marked by outstanding thought and sincerity, the speeches, moderated by "Judge" A. P. Lindsay, provoked much comment and enthusiasm.
     In response to requests, children services now are being held more frequently, and are no longer scheduled to coincide with the school calendar. The children's Christmas festival, with tableaux under the direction of Mrs. Bert Nemitz, proved, as usual, a marked success.
     Swedenborg's Birthday.-The children's banquet was toastmastered by our eighth grade-Anne Pendleton-and proved its usual success. Because of the smallness of our school, every chill can be called on for a speech. To hear the first graders calmly recite such speeches as, "Swedenborg liked little. . . Oh Swedenborg loved little children very much, and always carried candy for them in his pockets," is a joy forever to this writer. It bears good fruit, too, as may be seen in the savoir faire of the public appearances of the older children.
     At the adults' banquet, toastmastered by Mr. Gilbert Smith, Mr. Pendleton spoke concerning the disfavor with Charles XII into which Swedenborg came shortly before that monarch's death, construing it as a Divine provision to teach Swedenborg true and necessary humility. Mr. Odhner spoke of Swedenborg as a teacher of angels and spirits. A tableau, with appropriate singing and reading from the Writings, depicted our seer in his study witnessing a vision of an angel.
     Classes.-During the autumn, the Rev. Willard Pendleton conducted a series of doctrinal classes on the significance of Israel's tabernacle, illustrating it with the model from Bryn Athyn. In his last class he gave the following remarkable and thoughtful definition of responsibility: "Responsibility is the ability to respond to a use. Mr. Odhner recently began a series of classes on the life and teachings of the Apostle Paul.
     Once again Mr. Odhner is holding weekly classes for our boys and girls who are in public high schools. For this purpose they are dismissed from their classes the first period on Wednesday mornings. This class is studying general teachings concerning the leading doctrines of the church, and is now reading and studying Divine Lore and Wisdom. (It is reported that his young people's class makes Mr. Odhner feel somewhat like Phil Spitalney and his All-Girl Band!)
     Mr. Pendleton continues a series of addresses on The Rational Psychology at the monthly meetings of the Sons of the Academy. (Other activities of this group are reported elsewhere.) Mr. Odhner addresses the meetings of the Women's Guild this year. Theta Alpha almost silently performs its vital functions. As an experiment during February, Friday Suppers were begun at 7 p.m. instead of 6.30.
     And that winds up this report, except to list several welcome moves: the Emerson Goods farther up the road toward the church;

141


the Percy Browns from their isolation on Herron Hill to the house on Le Roi Road vacated by the Goods; the George Woodards from far away Oakmont to the neighborhood of the church; and from Bryn Athyn and Glenview, Miss Eleanor Cranch, Miss Aven Hyatt, and Mr. and Mrs. James Junge (the last three now living among the "isolated" across the Allegheny River).
     0. DE C. 0.

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     Thanks to the efforts of one of our members who was able to persuade the oil rationing board that we needed more oil to keep our school and other church uses in full swing, our regular meetings at the buildings continue without interruption. This avoids the necessity of holding Sunday services in our parish hall and the school in private homes. The young people's class and the men's reading group meet in various homes on Thursdays and Tuesdays respectively. The Women's Guild and the Red Cross sewing group also meet in the homes.
     On Sunday, December 19, the Glenview Sons listened to a paper written by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson of the Hurstville Society in Australia. Subject: "Society and the Church in the Postwar World." Mr. Henderson had written the paper especially for us, and sent it to Mr. Sydney Lee, who read it. It was most interesting, and, I believe, may be published in the Sons' BULLETIN.
     Our Christmas service on Saturela. December 25, was started in the church, where the Lessons were read and there were recitations and songs by the school children. Then a procession into the parish hall, where our pastor addressed the children and spoke of the scene of the Nativity which was on view. This was followed by the presentation of gifts from the church to all the children. At Sunday service the following day the Holy Supper was administered.
     Golden Wedding-On Wednesday, December 29, the Rev. and Mrs. Willis L. Gladish celebrated their Golden Wedding. In the living room of the David Gladish's hospitable home, the grand old couple held open house for the society and their many other friends and relatives from near and far. The society presented them with a silver gift, and after messages of congratulations from various centers had been read, Mr. Gladish proposed a toast to the Church. This was followed with a toast to the bride and groom, responded to by Mr. David Gladish on their behalf. Nearly all the members of the society dropped in during the afternoon to pay their respects.
     A New Years party on Friday evening, December 31, was a great success. The Rev. and Mrs. Elmo Acton were hosts. The first item on the program was a Zulu dance by Mr. and Mrs. Acton. This proved to be an astounding combination of fancy steps and weird singing, culminating in terrific yells on the part of the male performer, who, during portions of the ceremony, brandished a 5-foot spear with graceful abandon. This was followed by other demonstrations of the customs of the Natives of South Africa. Games, songs and refreshments brought the evening up to midnight, at which time confetti, streamers and noise-makers (mechanical as well as human) registered the fact that it was now 1944.
     A few days previous to Tuesday, January 11, people from all points of the compass began to arrive in Glenview to attend the wedding of Lieutenant Wayne Doering and Miss Jane Bellinger. Among the first arrivals were the groom's grandparents. Dr. and Mrs. C. E. Doering from Bryn Athyn, who brought with them their grandson, Lloyd. Then came Mrs. A. G. Bellinger and her daughter Jane from Waterloo, Canada, Carita Hill and Marion Hazen, friends of the bride, also came from Waterloo. From Fort Worth, Texas, Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Doering, parents of the bridegroom, together with their daughter Jean. were the next to appear on the scene. And finally, Lt. Wayne Doering arrived from Arizona, where he had just received his wings in the Army Air Corps.

142


All of which arrivings made for a very festive preparation for the wedding itself.
     Those of you who have read my notes consecutively will remember my claim that I am unable to write worth-while accounts of weddings. And you will doubtless recall that I have proved this point on more than one occasion. So here goes again:
     Jane Bellinger, suitably gowned in a beautiful white wedding dress, looked very charming-and very happy. Wayne in his uniform of an officer of the Army Air Corps, looked every inch a soldier-and, I might add, an excellent example of a fine New Churchman. The service was simple and very impressive. Wayne's grandfather performed the ceremony-a case of a grandson being married by his grandfather in the presence of the grandfather's son! A delightful reception followed.
     On the previous Sunday we had the pleasure of listening to a sermon by the Rev. C. E. Doering.
     At the Sons' meeting on Sunday evening, January 16, First Class Petty Officer Harvey Holmes talked to us about his experiences in the South Pacific-a mighty interesting account. On Tuesday evening, January 18, about twelve of our members drove in to Sharon Church to attend the first meeting of the New Church Club,-a group of New Churchmen in the Chicago district who are interested in most anything that has to do with the New Church. Our friends in Chicago had prepared a smorgasbord to which we all did ample justice and then settled down (after the passing of the plate) to hear a paper by the Rev. Elmo Acton on "The Nature of Swedenborg's Preparation." There were 36 men present, and it was decided to hold these meetings bimonthly.
     Right after the Friday supper on January 21, someone raised the curtain of our stage, and there we saw literally mounds of presents! It was the opening volley of a kitchen shower for Shirley Blackman and Harvey Holmes. It must have taken over an hour to read off all the names on the packages, and of course Shirley and Harvey were very happy about the whole affair-which incidentally was a complete surprise to both of them.
     Which brings us up to Saturday evening, January 22, the wedding day of Shirley and Harvey-two of Glenview's children. If you think Wayne Doering came a long way to get married-Arizona to Glenview-what do you think of Harvey's jaunt-Guadalcanal to Glenview! He made it O. K., and arrived in plenty of time to get ready for his wedding. For those of you who don't know Shirley, just let me say that she is very, very easy to look at being "dark of hair and complexion fair." She really looked stunning in the beautiful wedding dress her mother had worn at her wedding. Harvey, in his First Class Petty Officer's uniform, plus a tan gained by many weeks of all kinds of Southern Pacific weather, looked the picture of health-and happiness. The Rev. Elmo Acton performed the ceremony, and the reception which followed gave us all an opportunity to greet the bride and groom.
     At our Swedenborg Birthday banquet, held Friday evening, January 28, the Rev. Elmo Acton was toastmaster, and he and the Rev. Harold Cranch and Mr. Sydney Lee made the three speeches of the evening-on Experience. Geometry, and Reason, respectively-as spoken of by Swedenborg in the opening pages of his Principia.
     A new family has joined our society-the Jean Richters-recently come from Bryn Athyn. They are a most welcome addition, and are already taking part in the work of the Immanuel Church. Jean has organized a Boys' Club. The three Richter boys are attending our school, two-thirds of them being twins, which makes it difficult for me to know whether I am looking at Robert or Richard!
     Those of you who are not acquainted with the actual size of our Park may be interested to know that it covers an area of 40 acres. Several years ago, 10 acres were added to the North, and now negotiations are being made to add 21 more acres to the West.

143


So if you'd like to move to Glenview, we've lots of room-and we'd like to have you.
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

     CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

     Sharon Church.

     Our Christmas service for the children was held on Sunday December 19, and for the Representation our pastor had made two scenes, placed on either side of the chancel-one of the Shepherds, the other of the Wise Men. They were made of heavy cardboard, arranged in perspective, giving the effect of real figures. Artistically done, they were very well suited to our limited space. There was an address to the children and the offering of gifts. After the service all enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner. On December 26 there was a Christmas service for adults, an unusually fine sermon, and the administration of the Holy Supper.
     South Side.-There has been another change in the place of meeting for our members residing in the southern part of the city. The one in the Masonic Hall which was used for a few months became too heavy a financial burden. When this place was selected, the intention was to hold services once a month or so, not every Sunday. But with the providential opportunity of having the Rev. Gilbert Smith assist with the services, and the growing desire of this active group to have services every Sunday, it became necessary to make new arrangements for a place of meeting.
     A vacant store was found on 83d street, and the first service was held there on January 22. That sounds easy, but does not explain all the work that went into the remodeling of the place. A vacant store may not sound promising, but what was made of it is promising. In the window there is a set of the Writings, an attractive sign inviting people to attend the services, and there is room for pictures and other means of attracting strangers. On entering you find yourself in a small office-like room. There are chairs, and a table filled with pamphlets concerning the New Church. Here Mr. Smith and Mr. Cranch can have fixed hours when anyone interested can drop in. Across the street is an extensive group of buildings which comprise one of the new housing projects. It appears to be a very nice residential region,
     Then there is the room for worship, with the chancel and appurtenances that were used in the Masonic Hall, and with heavy curtains which are drawn when services are not being held. While there is no piano or organ, this lack is pleasantly overcome by using the phonograph records which Miss Creda Glenn presented. Mr. Ed. Kitzelman manages the music, and he has a supply of beautiful selections for voluntaries and interludes. The first service was attended by 34 persons; and those who had worked so hard to bring about the wonderful transformation of the empty store had reason to feel a glow of gratification over the result. Classes can be held here, too. With the guidance of our inspiring pastor, and with such a loyal group to support his ideas, the outlook appears very encouraging.
     North Side-We have started holding weekly Friday suppers and doctrinal classes. The attendance has been 8 and "up." Just how "upper" the number will become we cannot say, but those who have had the privilege of attending regularly or occasionally feel that it is something to which they may look forward. In the classes we are reading Invitation to the New Church. Mr. Cranch reads a few numbers each time, with helpful remarks upon the subjects of the text.
     We have welcomed a new member, Mrs. McGinn, and with her charming personality and lovely voice we feel that we are doubly fortunate.
     V. W.

144


BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS 1944

BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS              1944




     Announcements



     For the information of those who may wish to visit Bryn Athyn from time to time, and prefer to come as paying guests, we would state that a few rooms are available at moderate rates. Breakfast if desired.
     Address: Mrs. V. W. Rennels, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (Chairman of the Hospitality Committee).
ANNUAL COUNCILS 1944

ANNUAL COUNCILS       GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944

     The Annual Meetings of the Councils of the General Church of the New Jerusalem will be held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., April 10-15, 1944.
     GEORGE DE CHARMS.
          Bishop.
MESSAGE OF RESURRECTION 1944

MESSAGE OF RESURRECTION       Rev. WILLIAM WHITEHEAD       1944



145




NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. LXIV
APRIL, 1944
No. 4
     (An Address delivered at a Memorial Service for Harold Kenneth Lindsay in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, January 30, 1944.)

     We read in the Gospel of Mark that when our Lord Jesus Christ had arisen, on the third day, two women from Galilee came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James came bringing aromatics, in order that they might anoint the body of the Lord. These women signified the affections of truth and good, and being from Galilee, these affections in the natural man. The "aromatics" which they brought signified the perception of and affection for the supreme truth of the Lord's Divine Human. Although they came to embalm the body of the Lord,-although they came in grief and fear to a sepulchre of death, in the coldness and obscurity of the deep dawn,-yet they found that the Lord had not gone. He had come. He had arisen in the glorification of His Human. It was the dawn of a New Day, and of a new life.
     Herein lies the first and most interior of the truths of our Church. To understand and receive this is to believe, not in a dead Christ, but in the Living God, through whose Word a heaven may be formed from the men, women and children whom He has created in His image upon this earth.
     This ability to acknowledge the Lord in His Second Coming,-the ability to discern His Divine Truth and His Divine Good,-however simple and rudimentary the form of our faith, is the very heart of the true Christian religion. It is the first of the New and crowning Church, and it qualifies its entire life.

146


And this because the Divine end of creation-the very nature of the universe-calls for conjunction with the Divine Proceeding of the Lord, so that the earth may become a receptacle and an image of the Natural Ultimate of the Divine Human, and the Divine Truth operate in ultimates in all omnipotence and power to save men from spiritual death and awaken them to the beauties of a new life beyond their dreams.
     Hence we are taught in the Writings that the three heavens are images of the External Man of the Lord; and that their beauty can never be described to human understanding; for all the Infinite Love and Wisdom of God are thereby represented.
     In these three heavens, the mediate influx from the Lord-flowing through the heavens and the church, even into the ultimates of natural life-is everywhere conjoined with the immediate influx; and so ever thing in the heavens is in exact correspondence with the Infinite Love and Wisdom, and not as on this earth, where man is assailed by misfortunes and evils breathed upon him by the daily presence and influx of the hells.
     In the warfare of our regeneration, nothing is more important than that it is the Lord alone who can roll the stone of self from the sepulchre; and this He does for those who know His voice and seek His presence-even though it be in the coldness and obscurity of dawn, and when humiliation and the fear of spiritual death are upon us.
     The truth is, that the Lord blesses all those who sincerely come to His church with the gift of affection for the truth, and thence with some ability to recognize and see it when it is presented. When they worship the Lord in His Divine Human by opening their hearts and minds to His Word, He is present within them.
     Of these states of inner reception no man can speak, for man's internal quality is beyond our vision. It may be seen and judged only by the Lord, whose understanding and compassion for His children passes all human judgment and all human understanding.
     Whether we, who are members of the church, are gifted with a purer intellectory that enables us to sensate and perceive the deeper things of the Divine Love and Wisdom, or whether we have merely a certain perception, exercised through memory and imagination, that arises from a simple affection for the internal sense of the Word and its application to life,-nevertheless, that which is basic to all our aspirations for heaven is the acknowledgment of, and obedience to, the Lord in His Word.

147



     Indeed, however the Lord may come to a man to enable his resurrection to a new life, He must needs come at first in some sort of dawn,-a faint stirring of light through the exterior things that are wrapped like deep mists around our spiritual life. This dawn light comes through affections in the external sensory-the songs and stories of childhood, the experiences of youth at school and in the external life of the societies of the church, with all their memories of the men and women, parents, teachers and friends who stand about us in our early days. And, greater than these, the impress made by the reading of the Lord's Word, and the discussion and instruction of Divine Doctrine. In these, and in a myriad of invisible ways, the Divine Providence guides the feet of all men of the church, ever striving to withdraw them from evil and keep their hearts and minds in the sphere of His presence. Nor can we know of these Divine operations, for if we sensed them we should struggle against them. We would fight against God to the great hurt of our immortal souls. For neither reason nor love can be forced; or they then cease to be reason, or they cease to be love.
     The Lord is not a punitive Judge. He is our Father who is in heaven; and they who worship Him come to Him in spirit and in truth. They come in simple-hearted faith, along the hard way that seems sometimes to portend despair and defeat. They come like the two Marys from Galilee, because they feel they must obey the welling forth of loves that refuse to die, even though their Divine objective seems to be buried in the tomb.
Harold Kenneth Lindsay 1944

Harold Kenneth Lindsay              1944

     Our brother in the church, Harold Kenneth Lindsay, has been released from this natural life to find himself and his Lord in the spiritual world. Born of parents of strong character, and of deep, abiding loyalty to the Doctrines and life of the church, his infancy and childhood was surrounded by those spheres of affection for spiritual things which the Writings tell us arise from the presence of heaven. For indeed heaven does surround us in our infancy. In the Schools of the Academy his active mind quickly gained for him a record of capable and shrewd leadership amongst his fellows. When, on graduation, he relinquished the presidency of his fraternity, his comrades by a beautiful gift bore testimony to their affection and personal esteem.

148


In those years he won the affection of his professors and teachers,-an affection which he retained to the end of his life. In his business life, he was a man of strong and vigorous integrity; and to his high standard of honesty his business associates have given ungrudging tribute. Generous by nature, he nevertheless had a keen sense of justice; and his instinct for fair play was manifest throughout all his years.
     He delighted in conversations about the church, its doctrines, its uses and its problems; and in these things he never lost interest. His gift for winning and holding the affections of his friends in the church inspires the belief that, in the Lord's good time, he will be reunited with those whose spiritual ends he, like they, struggled after in those old school days, which left deep and ineffaceable marks upon his mind and heart. For, in spite of his years, Harold never ceased to be a boy, in his singleness of mind, his genuine humility, and his passionate hope for a better world, both for himself and for his neighbors. Into that better world our prayers follow him-a world free from injustice, disease and despair, a world free from the incessant warfare of evil spirits, a world in which, in the beautiful language of the Writings, "like are brought as of themselves to their like for with their like they are as with their own, and as at home." (H. H. 44.)
     And in this home "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. 21: 4-5.)

149


CHIVALRY 1944

CHIVALRY       ELDRIC S. KLEIN, BA., M.A       1944

     (Delivered at the Special Graduation Exercises of the Boys Academy. Bryn Athyn, Pa., February 3, 1944.)

     As student and as teacher I have been listening to annual Commencement Addresses for more than a quarter of a century, and while I cannot hope to emulate the wisdom of some that I have heard, or the practical advice of others, I can at least be brief. Such an address customarily consists of exhortations and admonitions directed particularly at the graduating class. I shall not attempt to break with precedent in that regard, although you of today's graduating class probably feel that you have already received more advice than you can use, and may well wonder what I can sax' to you now, in fifteen minutes, that you have not already heard from me during the years in which you have been present, at least physically, in my classroom. You are leaving the Academy somewhat sooner than we anticipated when you first registered, and we still have a few minutes to fill in before the bell rings and the class is dismissed.
     We of the Faculty regard your imminent departure with mixed feelings of satisfaction and regret. There is, this time, more than the regret at parting which we usually feel when graduates leave us. Our common efforts in the field of New Church education have been unduly abbreviated, and we know that, although each one of you has been called upon to undertake a man's work, you are not yet men. I mention this in the hope that if, in the course of the undertakings that lie ahead, you ever become discouraged at your rate of progress, you may remember that the rate of your growth to maturity in body and mind was determined to a large extent at the time you were born. Will and perseverance on your part, together with the pressure of circumstances, may hasten your maturity in many respects, but probably not in all.
     We regret the exceptional hazards of your new enterprise, and also the time you apparently-but perhaps only apparently-will lose in your preparation for your life's work and your entrance upon it.

150



     Mingled with our regrets, however, there is our gratification that, in responding to the call to serve your country, you set out with a knowledge of what love of country really means,-a knowledge which should develop into an ever deeper understanding as you devote yourselves whole-heartedly to her service. We rejoice that, since you must leave us, it is to perform so noble a duty to your fellow men, and that you share with us the knowledge that a man fighting for his country is under the special protection of Divine Providence.
     We know that, fortified by a knowledge of the teachings of the Lord in His Second Coming, and by reflection upon them, you will have the reserves of character, not only to prove equal to the exacting requirements of your training, and to the strain of interminable hours of inaction, but also in combat itself, even to go beyond the call of duty.
     In another respect also you are fortunate. For upon leaving school you know that you are all urgently needed by your country. You have reasonable assurance that any exceptional talents you possess will be utilized to the full in the service of your fellow men. The national need for you is proclaimed on every hand, and the feeling of being so necessary is infinitely precious. When the war is over, and you return to civil life while your country is undergoing a difficult business readjustment, some of you may feel for a time that you are not needed at all any more; but if this should happen, remember that if a need is not generally recognized, that does not mean it does not exist.
     As a matter of fact, the world's need for you after the war will be as urgent, if not more urgent, than it is now. Your country and the world need the New Church; in every walk of life they need New Churchmen who know and practice the teachings of the Lord in His Second Coming. The New Church itself needs ministers and teachers; your country needs men of principle in public life; and the world needs in every occupation men who sincerely, justly and faithfully perform the duties of their office and employment, and who also, through association in the organized church, provide an ultimate on earth for the worship of the One God, the Creator and Savior of the human race.

151



     During the years you have been with us the Academy has striven to equip you to take your place as New Churchmen among your fellow men. While it has recognized that spiritual life can be attained only by the individual, and with the Lord's help, it has pointed the way to Revealed Truth as man's unfailing reliance in the spiritual warfare which inevitably accompanies any effort toward regeneration.
     At the risk of repetition, let me review some of the ways in which the Academy has sought to prepare you for your part in that spiritual warfare which leads to the establishment of the Lord's Church on earth-that is, to its establishment in the hearts of men. Perhaps these may be seen more clearly by comparison with the ways in which men of another age, who cherished similar ideals on a more external plane, sought to train their young men.
     During the Middle Ages, under the guidance of the Church, society evolved a remarkable group of customs which, taken together, are called CHIVALRY. Devised to combat the threatened disintegration of society, Chivalry sought to accomplish this by a restoration of spiritual ideals accommodated to the requirements of daily life. The protection of society, especially by physical combat, became the lifework of its chosen defenders; but it was recognized that this life- work required a preliminary training which involved far more than the efficient use of weapons. The young also learned reverence for God and the church in all its manifestations. They were taught a moral code-a set of rules of conduct in human relationships, whether with friend or foe. In rudimentary form, these rules survive in modern ideals of sportsmanship. The young men learned courtesy to women, and to assume as an obligation the protection of the weak and helpless in all ranks of society.
     To learn these things, a boy of noble birth became a page in the home of a knight, whom he served in the performance of humble duties, while the knight and ladies assumed responsibility for his training in manners and in mind. Later, if he proved worthy, he became a squire; and then, in addition to further training in courtesy, he received, in attendance upon his sire, practice in the use of arms, as well as a deeper appreciation of the knightly virtues of honor, courage, endurance, humility and strength. Usually, after seven years of such service, and with ceremonies which included a night of solitary prayer and meditation, he received the accolade of knighthood and was presented with the weapons of his calling.

152


Sometimes the length of service before knighthood was shortened by heroic action on the field of battle, or by other evidence of worthiness.
     In modern life it is generally recognized that society is to be protected and served by all its members, and that this protection and service is not the special prerogative of any particular class. There have been those who believed that the place of the nobility of the feudal age was to be taken by an aristocracy of wealth. Others, from the time of Plato, have looked to the intellectuals as the potential instruments of the Divine for the protection and betterment of mankind. But aristocracies of birth, wealth, or intellect have never been united in an understanding of the exalted functions which others have assigned to them, or which some of them have claimed for themselves. There is, however, one element that is common to all true benefactors of mankind, whether they he men of noble birth, of wealth, or of intellect and ingenuity, and that element is character. It was this element that the education of the Age of Chivalry sought to develop specifically by teaching reverence for the church, courtesy to women, honor in relation to one's fellows, regard for the weak and helpless, and high proficiency in the use of arms.
     The Academy has sought to provide you with a basis upon which you may build all these elements into your own character. Here you have been taught about religion, and have been encouraged to think from principles derived from religion. You have received instruction in the genuine truths which were so vaguely perceived in the chivalrous concept of womanhood. In your relations with your fellows in the classroom, in social organizations and in athletics, you have had opportunity to infill the sportsmanship of the world with a new and deeper meaning.
     Because principles can only be ultimated in act in situations which are rightly understood, your education has been directed, not only to the acquisition of facts, but also to the organization of facts, to the end that knowledge may lead to a just appraisal of situations or problems, as an essential step in seeing the principles that are to be applied. Skill and judgment in this thinking process are essential to the attainment of proficiency in almost any calling, and in modern times they are as essential in the uses of civil and religious life as an unerring aim with the lance and skill with the sword were essential to knighthood.

153



     Even where direct religious sanction is not felt, the moral code of western civilization enjoins upon the fortunate a regard for the welfare of the weak and helpless. The spiritually weak toward whom you particularly have such an obligation are those who have lost their earlier religious convictions, whose morality is not buttressed by spiritual foundations and is therefore unstable and infirm, whose yearning for something true and eternal to which they might adhere has been turned, by frustration in the realm of the spirit, to greed, materialism, and sensuality. If you should meet such a man, and he affords you a definite indication of a desire for spiritual light, you know the source of such light and can point the way to him. In your relations with these spiritually weak, it would be well to remember the man who saw a leper begging bread, and was given the insight to exclaim, `There, but for the grace of God, go I." Your knowledge of the Divine Truth has come to you in the Lord's mercy, not as a personal possession, but as a sacred trust. It is well to bear in mind also that spiritual weakness may be more apparent than real, and that the man who in the morning may seem lost to all spiritual light may that same evening unhesitatingly give his life for his friends.
     In terms of chivalry, then, your days as pages here are over. You are squires now, and primarily under the tutelage of your own consciences. It is our hope that in time you will feel that you are ready to become knights in the service of your God, your church, your country, and your fellow men; that in your own names you will wish to assume the responsibility for making the truths of religion the heart of your lives; that you will then come before the Lord to confess your faith, and as true knights wage relentless war against the hosts of darkness,-the evils which lie in ambush in every human heart. For every youth of the church the weapons he requires for the war of the spirit are ready at hand. Your confession of faith will be the outward confirmation of your intention to gird yourself with them.
     It is possible that, like an unworthy knight of old, you may leave the sword and shield hanging upon the wall to become covered with dust, ever saying to yourself, "The time for combat is not yet; another time I shall take down my arms from the wall."

154


But if such combat is continually refused, evaded and denied, its clamor will no longer be heard, and the skill and the will to fight will perish before the creeping paralysis of spiritual death.
     On the other hand, like a worthy knight, you may seize the sword of truth, and, with it in hand, find your strength refreshed, your courage renewed. When grievously assailed, you will find in the shield of the Lord a sure defense. In the spiritual warfare of regeneration the virtues of knighthood are still required. Humility, honor, courage, endurance and strength will also distinguish the man of the spiritual church.
     Let me say in conclusion that you are at least fortunate in this, that your country needs you, now, consciously and urgently. You know what you are going to do, and we know that you are going to do it well. You have the assurance that, when you return, or church and your country will need what lies in your power to offer to both. There remains for me to assure you, on behalf of my colleagues of the Faculty, and of all your other friends, that when you leave us to take up the work that lies ahead, our highest hopes and our hearts go with you.
BOYS ACADEMY-SENIOR CLASS, 1944. 1944

BOYS ACADEMY-SENIOR CLASS, 1944.              1944

     GRADUATED:     Gareth Acton, Harris Behlert, Winton Brewer, John Frazee, Louis King, Weston Smith, John Synnestvedt, John Alden, Robert Blair.
     At the Graduation Exercises, held on February 3, 1944. Principal Karl R. Alden read the names of the members of this Class who had already volunteered for service in the armed forces, as follows: Lloyd David Crockett, Arthur Henderson Dunham, John Hilldale, Thomas Andrew Hilldale, Russell Scott Jackson, Kenneth Theodore McQueen, Donal Price, Donald Bruce Schnarr, Ronald Doering Schnarr, Gordon Bruce Smith.
     Seven members of the Class are continuing their studies in the Academy.

155


DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944

     III.     A NEW LOVE TO THE LORD.

     As pointed out in the previous lecture, religion is of life, and life is of love. A man's religion is that which he loves supremely. But true religion is the life of love to the Lord, and only those who love-the Lord above all things can be said to have a true religion. Since there is but one Lord, and His name one, there can he only one true religion. From eternity there has been but one Lord; and true religion, as it has existed from most ancient times, has always been the love and worship of Him alone. The history of the churches is the history of how this religion has been perpetuated from age to age-how the flame of this love, when it was about to die, has ever been rekindled in the hearts of men. No matter how widely the Word has been falsified and doctrine perverted, and men have turned to the worship of idols, somewhere in the world there has always been a church wherein the worship of the Lord has been preserved.
     Yet we are told that the Lord has come to establish a New Church-a new religion. Our common idea of this is, that the New Church is to be different from the falsified faiths of decadent Christianity, and from the effete religiosities of the pagan world. In all of these there is idolatrous worship. Love to the Lord has been lost because there is no true knowledge of Him. Where the Lord is not known, worship is directed to false and imaginary gods. We ordinarily think that the New Church is to be distinct from these errant religions because in it the lost love of the Lord is to be restored. This of course is true; but it is not the whole truth. The love of the Lord, such as it was known in earlier times, can never be regained. To suppose that it can is a very common mistake. It is responsible for all the movements in Christendom seeking to recapture the innocence, the simplicity, the spontaneous joy of the Primitive Church, by copying their outward modes of life.

156


Community ownership of property, feasts of charity, patriarchal government-vainly men have imagined that if we return to these, pure Christianity will be brought back to life. But the truth is that we can never return to past states. Experience cannot be erased, because it produces a permanent change in the structure of the mind. No, the soul, the living essence, of the New Church must be a new love to the Lord, different from that which was known in any preceding religion, even in its prime. It must be different from that love to the Lord which was characteristic of the Apostolic and early Christian Church, different from the love to the Lord that prevailed in the Ancient Church in its purity, or in the Most Ancient Church with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. But how, we may ask, can this be possible?
     The Lord is eternal and unchanging. His love is the same from age to age. But man receives that love variously according to the changing states of his life. Such as his reception is, such is his love to the Lord. An infant receives the Lord's love without in the least knowing or realizing what it is, or whence it comes. He is surrounded by angels who are in love to the Lord, and by them he is held in a state of innocence. From this state of innocence he learns to love those who care for him and who stand to him in place of the Lord. But he cannot truly love the Lord because he does not yet know who He is.
     A child receives the Lord's love by means of whatever he may be taught from the Word, or from the religion of those by whom he is educated. His mental picture of God is moulded by this teaching, into which angels inflow with the affection of love to the Lord. It is the mental picture, not of a God the child has seen, but of a God he has been told about by others who claim to have seen Him, and thus to know what He is like. The way the child will worship God will depend upon this borrowed idea of Him. He cannot truly love the Lord, because he does not know Him. He can love only that which other people have told him about God.
     A youth receives the Lord's love, not only according to what others have taught him, but according to what he begins to think out for himself. With widening experience he begins to think from sources quite independent of parents or teachers.

157


From books, from the journals of the day, from radio broadcasts, from personal contacts, he gathers ideas often contrary to those he has been taught. He must either reject these alien influences, or, accepting them, must reject his childhood teaching; or by his own thinking he must find a way to reconcile the two. In the process, his concept of God and of religion is apt to undergo a radical change. But still, his mental picture of God is composed of a personal selection and arrangement of things he has heard or been told by others. It is, in a sense, his own idea, but it is not based on anything he himself has seen. His love of the Lord is a love of what he has chosen to believe is true among all the things that others have told him about God.
     Only at adult age, if he himself examines the Word from a sincere desire for truth, can the sight of man's spiritual mind be opened so that he may see the Lord. Then for the first time is a true love to the Lord, and thus a true religion, possible to him. This opening of the spiritual sight, this inner vision of the Lord, is what makes all things new for him. It gives to all things of religion a new meaning. It makes religion vital, living, deeply moving in a way never before experienced. If this awakening does not take place, then throughout life he remains in the worship of an unknown God-in a blind faith, in the outward confession of some one else's religion. Meanwhile his own religion will be whatever he at heart loves supremely. Whatever he sees as the thing most to be desired and sought after, this will be his real God, and the worship of this his real religion.
     The spiritual mind cannot be opened until the natural mind has been formed, through infancy, childhood, and youth. There must be knowledges imparted by others,-knowledges gained by personal effort from others, or by individual experience, and this in great abundance,-before the light of spiritual truth can dawn. The reason is that the light from the sun of heaven, like the light of the sun of the world, if it is to become visible, must fall upon objects. The light of the natural sun, if it merely passes through empty space, or through a transparent atmosphere, cannot be seen. It is the form, the color, the contrast of light and shade produced by objects that reveal the light. So too the light of truth cannot shine in an empty mind. There must be knowledges to be illuminated by it.
     And furthermore, we must have learned how to think, how to reason, how to arrange and order these knowledges into meaningful patterns.

158


As long as they enter the mind just as they come to us, just as others understand them, and in the order they think we ought to learn them, they will not fit our individual form of mind. They will be like building materials haphazardly piled at the site of a future building. They will be in the wrong order for us, and no one but ourselves can rearrange them. We must visualize for ourselves the design and structure of the house wherein we can live,-the home of our individual love. And we must set about building that house out of the materials that have been gathered from others. Only when the things we have learned have been thus reordered by our own reflection, in the light of our own mind, will they become translucent to spiritual light. Before this, however clear they may have been to those who taught us, or however sure we are that we understand them in the light of others, they will really be opaque to us, and their true significance will remain obscure. Only if the mind has been furnished with accurate knowledge, and if that knowledge is ordered by straight thinking from the Word and from a longing for truth, can spiritual light be given. Then, for the first time, true religion begins with any man, because then first he sees the Lord, and, seeing Him, can love Him.
     Now this that is true of the individual is equally true of the race. From the beginning of human life on earth, mankind has been passing through stages that correspond to infancy, childhood, and youth, in successive order. In each of these ages there has been genuine love to the Lord, and thence a true Church. Yet the quality of love to the Lord that was possible has ever been limited by the stage of racial development. We cannot think or understand beyond our time.
     In the Most Ancient Church, even with adults, love to the Lord was like the love of infancy. It was an innocent acceptance of direct Divine teaching, together with a perception that it was true without questioning how, and a willing obedience to it with utmost trust and confidence. Yet there was the greatest simplicity of ignorance. In the Ancient Church, it was like the love of childhood, based on knowledges, especially the knowledge that all natural things correspond to things heavenly and Divine. Through the science of correspondences, men perceived the truth that the Lord is a Man, that He is the Omnipotent Ruler of heaven and earth, and that His qualities of love and wisdom are everywhere represented in nature.

159


Men believed this, and delighted to picture it in parables, in imaginary stories, in rituals, in the ordering of natural things to reveal these Divine qualities, and to speak of the Lord's merciful presence and protection. But they could see the Lord only as these things represented Him.
     In the Christian Church, it was like the love of youth; for then the Lord was actually seen on earth, and by His miracles and parables He began to open the inner meaning of His Word. He was seen, and yet was not seen, because the vision was not understood. Yet the urge to understand was irresistible, and men began to reason about spiritual things, seeking to solve the riddle of the universe. But they were only in the process of learning how to think spiritually. At first they believed that the Lord was God, although they could not understand how this could be so. Their knowledge of nature was but superficial. The hidden forces of nature, the interior structure of material objects, the quality of the spiritual world, and how it operates on natural things-of all this they were profoundly ignorant. For this reason they were not yet prepared to understand rationally the nature of God and His Divine operation. Their effort to understand led them into error, and they confirmed falsities that eventually destroyed all true worship of the Lord, except the simple childlike faith of those who believed without knowing why or perceiving in the least how what they believed could be true. But the very effort to understand was used by the Lord as a means to prepare the way for genuine spiritual intelligence.
     Now note the teaching of the Writings that, through all these stages of racial growth, God remained essentially invisible to man, even as He remains invisible to infants, children, and youth in every age. Before He appeared in His Glorified Human, He could be seen only as represented by an angel, or as pictured in the symbolic imagery of the Word, and in correspondential forms and rituals. These representatives were inadequate to reveal Him as He truly is. They were sufficient to enable men to know that He is, to know that He is a Man, to acknowledge Him as a wise and loving Heavenly Father, and thus to believe in Him and worship Him from the heart, as children do.

160


But they were not sufficient to enable man to understand how the Lord is both God and Man; how He is everywhere present to govern the universe; or how He operates to regenerate the individual and to redeem the race. For this reason theirs was a childlike faith, not yet spiritually rational, not based on an inner vision of the Divine Human.
     Thus we read: "By means of (the Divine Human) Jehovah God sent Himself into the world, and made Himself visible before the eyes of men, and thus accessible. To the ancients in like manner He made Himself visible, and thus accessible in human form; but then through an angel. But as that form was representative of the Lord who was to come, so with the ancients all things pertaining to the church were representative." (T. C. R. 188.) Again, in regard to the Christian Church it is said: "The faith of the former church has been a faith in a God invisible, inaccessible, and incapable of conjunction with man; and this idea of God has been like its idea of spirit, which is like that of ether or air. But the faith of the New Church is a faith in a God who is visible, accessible, and capable of conjunction (with man) in whom, like the soul in the body, is God invisible, inaccessible, and incapable of conjunction; and its idea of this God is that He is a Man, because the one God who was from eternity became Man in time." (T. C. R. 647.)
     For God to be truly seen, two things were necessary: the racial mind (that is, a heaven from the human race) had first to be formed through successive stages, corresponding to those of infancy, childhood, and youth. That mind had to be furnished with knowledges concerning God, and concerning nature, slowly acquired through many centuries of learning and experience, even as an infant's mind must gradually be built by instruction during the period of minority. And secondly, a rational revelation must be given of the Divine nature of God, the modes of His operation, and the laws of His Providence. This is a revelation of the Divine Mind-of the Human that the Lord put on and glorified during His life in the world. Only after these two things had been accomplished was it possible for the Lord Himself to be seen directly by men or by angels.
     And this vision of Him produces a profound change in man's ability to love Him. It introduces a totally new phase of human development, even as the vision of the Lord that can come only at adult age inaugurates a new kind of development in the individual.

161


The religion that results is not a mere return to the worship of the Lord that was known in preceding churches, any more than the awakening to the truth of religion in adult age is a return to the faith of infancy or childhood. It is not merely a restoration of that love to the Lord that has characterized sincere Christians. In it is a distinguishing quality unknown in the Christian Church. It is a new religion-new to the angels of heaven as well as to men on earth-a distinctly different kind of religion, because of a different kind of love to the Lord, now made possible for the first time in the history of the world. This is the real reason why the New Church is and must be distinctive.

READING:     T. C. R. 787.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, Hymn 37. p. 459.


     IV.     A NEW CONCEPT OF THE WORD. (1)

     A new love of the Lord can arise only from a new vision of Him. The way we love the Lord depends upon the way we think of Him. It depends upon how the Lord appears to us, and what we conceive to be His will. It depends upon what we consider He requires us to do. For truly to love the Lord is to keep His Commandments, even as the Lord Himself teaches in John: "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." (14: 21.)
     The Lord can make known to man His will only by means of the Word. In order that men may be given a new vision of the Lord involving a new idea of His Commandments, a new understanding of what is meant by keeping them, and thus a new concept of what the life of genuine religion is, the Lord Himself must teach them. He must speak to them in a new way, giving them a new Word as the cornerstone whereon a new church is to be built. Unless such a new Word be given, no distinctly different church can possibly arise. A different way of loving the Lord cannot be discovered by man, nor invented by human intelligence. A new vision of the Lord must come from the Lord by means of a new revelation. Without this, the changes that can take place in man's religious ideas are superficial. They are but modifications of an already existing concept of what religion is. Such changes can produce only sectarian differences of faith and of worship.

162


At best they can effect no more than a temporary revival of the church. They can only redecorate, repair, or at most rebuild the superstructure of the church on the old foundations. But when the Lord gives a new Word, He lays the foundation for a church that is distinctly new. A new vision of the Lord brings with it a new idea of our relation to Him, and thus a radically different concept of what it is to lead a truly religious life.
     This is why we believe that any real understanding of distinctiveness in the New Church depends upon the acknowledgment that the Writings are a new Word. Yet this acknowledgment has proved a stumbling-block to many. It is remarkable that among those who accept the Writings-even among those who regard them as a Divine Revelation-there are so many who find it impossible to think of them as the Word. That inability prevents them from seeing that the so-called "New Church" is really new, really distinct from the former Christianity. They think of religion as devout Christians think of it, in terms of the Lord's teaching as given in the Gospels. They think of the Writings as imparting a deeper significance to this teaching, as removing the false ideas that have gathered about it through the decline of Christian faith, and as restoring the pure doctrine of primitive Christianity. Thus they cling to the former Scriptures, and especially to the New Testament, as the Lord's Word to them, regarding the Writings merely as something that throws new light on the teachings of the Gospels. That this new light comes from the Lord, they gladly acknowledge. But to call it the "Word," and regard it with the same reverence as the former Scripture, strikes them as shocking, and in some way sacrilegious.
     It is but natural that this should be the first reaction of those who have been raised in the Christian faith, and who from earliest childhood have been imbued with the idea that nothing can rightly be called the "Word" except the Old and New Testaments. It is not so difficult for them to accept the teaching of the Writings that there was an earlier Scripture, an "Ancient Word," long since lost. But it is another matter to believe that a prophet could arise, and a new Word be given in modern times, especially a Word so different in form and mode of expression as the Writings are, when compared to the former Scriptures. Against this idea they cite the specific warning given at the end of the Apocalypse: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." (Rev. 22: 18.)

163


Traditionally this has been taken to mean that with the Apocalypse the Word comes to an end, the era of Divine prophecy is past, and God will never again speak directly to men.
     Furthermore, with all who have been raised in the Christian faith. the Old and New Testaments have been associated with worship. A sphere of holiness surrounds the Bible, and sets it apart in their minds from all other books. This sphere, impressed in childhood, remains throughout life, exerting a deep and powerful influence upon the thought. Anything that seems to run counter to this concept of the Word is instinctively resisted. When these deep affections are touched, the whole mind rises in defense of them. For this reason the difficulty in acknowledging the Writings as the Word is understandable. Yet, until that difficulty is overcome, the distinctive quality of the New Church will not be seen. It depends upon a realization that in the Writings the Lord has given to mankind a new vision of Himself, a new understanding of His Commandments, a new concept of what the Word is, what ft is intended to teach, how man is expected to obey that teaching, and thus a new concept of what the life of religion is. Only on this vision, and on this concept, can a church be built that in soul and essence is distinctly new.
     But just what is new in the idea of the Word as now revealed in the Writings? Before we can see the answer to this question, we must have a clear idea of how the Word has been regarded in the past. In the Ancient Church, the Word was conceived as the voice of God teaching men purely spiritual truth, revealing the invisible and intangible things of the spirit. This, of course, is true. But these revelation came to them only perceptively, and this, when they looked upon natural objects that represented heavenly things. The Word was thought to be Divine teaching as to how the objects of nature might be ordered and arranged accurately to picture spiritual things, and thus to impart a perception of them. Also, the Word was regarded as giving instruction as to how men might represent heavenly things by symbolic actions, by the rites and ceremonies that would invite an influx from heaven and open the mind to perceptions of the Lord, bringing a sense of His presence and His overruling Providence. It was not only in formal worship that this was to be done, but in all human relations, in the everyday life of the home.

164



     To these ancient people-whose state was like that of little children-religion was a kind of art, a mode of representative expression whereby internal feelings and deep perceptions of truth might be roused and communicated to others. Through these feelings, through these heavenly affections, the Lord could lead them, enlighten them, and teach them wisdom by direct command, even as a parent leads and teaches a little child through affections of innocence. The only requirement made of man at that time-even as is the only requirement made of a little child today-was that he be willing to follow the Lord's leading, and consciously seek to surround himself with those representations which would hold him under the influence of heaven. This was the fundamental concept of the Word and of religion through all the ages preceding the Advent of the Lord. Religion was a representation, a dramatization, a symbolic ritual. It consisted of ceremonial acts.
     This idea of religion persisted to the end of the Jewish Church, because the religion established with the Sons of Israel was not strictly a new dispensation, but only a temporary reformation within the Ancient Church. The only difference was that now, in the Jewish Church, the perception of truth had been lost. Nothing remained except the outward forms of ritual strictly commanded in the Law of Moses. These, when meticulously observed, exerted a strange power. They brought an influx from heaven and the presence of the Lord, together with a sense of awe and holiness, even though they gave no enlightenment in spiritual things. The Mosaic Laws were regarded as the articles of a covenant between Jehovah and His chosen people. They were to be kept in order to secure the favor of Jehovah, and to insure the fulfillment of His promises to give prosperity, wealth, power, and dominion over others. To break these commandments brought inevitable punishment; but in keeping them there was great reward.
     The commandments were understood as physical acts-things to be done in special ways, journeys to be taken, offerings to be made, prayers to be repeated, garments to be worn, etc. As conditions changed, the Laws of Moses could not be kept in the same way. The Rabbis had to interpret them, not according to any spiritual meaning, but by a purely natural symbolism, adapting them to existing circumstances.

165


Thus arose the complicated codes of religious conduct, continually being modified and reformulated in the rabbinical schools that came to require of men a mass of meaningless and often absurd customs, in the name of religion. In addition to this, the Word was supposed to record the national history of the Jewish people, to foretell literally the coming of the Messiah, to describe accurately the conditions of worldly power and glory that the Messiah at His coming would establish with the faithful descendants of Israel.
     The Christian Church was distinctly new because the Lord, at His Advent, give an entirely new idea of God. He gave an entirely new idea of the Word, its purpose, its meaning, and how it was to be used. `Thus He imparted to men an entirely new concept of what is meant by a religious life. He revealed Himself as the God of all nations, whose kingdom embraced people of every race and country. He refuted the idea of the Jews that they were a chosen people, and offered Divine protection equally to all who received His teachings. Coming as He did, as a humble teacher of a new way of life, preaching a spiritual kingdom of love to God and goodwill toward men. He completely destroyed the idea of the Messiah as a worldly conqueror. He set forth a concept of religion so different from anything that had previously been known, that few could acknowledge Him as the promised Messiah. In order to do this a complete mental revolution was necessary. But with those who were capable of undergoing this revolution, the Lord could inaugurate a new era in the development of the race.
     The Lord could do this, and He did do so. Yet the roots of the old concept remained. In the midst of the new garden of spiritual understanding which the Lord had planted with the seed of His Gospel, these old roots sprang up and choked the tender plants. Except for a brief period after the Lord's resurrection, the Christian concept of the Word did not remain pure, but became polluted by natural and worldly ideas. There was little realization of what the Lord meant by a spiritual kingdom. The idea of eternal life was confused by the doctrine of a bodily resurrection at the last day in an earthly paradise: and this degenerated into a shadowy hope of survival after death. The religious life taught in the New Testament was interpreted in terms of moral virtues-justice, honesty, mercy, charity, faithfulness to duty, etc.

166



     In Catholicism, this concept of religious life degenerated into a formal observance of symbolic rites, the paying of money to the church, the offering of prayers to the saints, in order to secure priestly forgiveness of sins or to mitigate the lot of those in purgatory. In Protestantism, a similar decadence resulted from the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, and the setting up of man-made codes of religious conduct-the prohibition of external acts such as card playing, drinking, dancing, theatres, and the like, besides enjoining on the conscience many petty requirements for Sabbath observance, and emphasizing these as the very essentials of religion. In this we see a reversion to the pre-Christian idea of a religious life as consisting of certain specific symbolic acts commanded or prohibited by the Lord.
     In addition, the Bible came to be regarded as giving Divine teaching with reference to material things. The first chapter of Genesis was to be taken as a literal explanation of how the world was created. The age of the earth was to be reckoned according to Ussher's Chronology,* and thus limited to 6000 years. Any scientific observations that did not agree with the traditional idea of what the Bible taught were condemned. Biblical prophecies were to be interpreted as historic events that might be recognized by a literal analysis of Scriptural language. From the teachings of Christ men were to devise an economic paradise of social order.
     * Archbishop James Ussher, a noted scholar of the 16th Century, who formulated the chronology of the Bible that has been adopted in the Authorized Version, and has been widely accepted as correct.
     When scientific knowledge, advancing in the face of bitter persecution, finally vanquished the traditional doctrines of the Church, and set up its own criterion of truth in Nature rather than in the Bible, it left the simple Christian with nothing but a blind faith-a faith that somehow the Word of God must be true, although its many apparent contradictions, its seeming disharmony with the provable facts of experience, could not he understood. To this faith the simple in the Christian world still cling, as to a last refuge of spiritual life. Many are troubled by deep and vital questions to which neither science nor the Church can give a reasonable answer: and they hope to find that answer in the Bible.

167


But every effort to discover it in the old way, by a literal interpretation of the Scripture, is futile. Unless the Lord open the eyes of men to the internal sense of the Word, revealing its spiritual meaning, the veil of darkness that enshrouds the minds of men cannot be lifted.

READING:     John 14: 15-26.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, Hymn 44, p. 466.

     (To be continued in the next issue.)
WORD INTERIORLY REVEALED 1944

WORD INTERIORLY REVEALED              1944

     "That before the church has been fully vastated the Word is interiorly revealed, that is, as to its spiritual sense, is because a New Church will then be established, into which those who are of the former church are invited; and for the New Church the Divine Truth is interiorly revealed; for various reasons this could not be revealed before. This has now been done in like manner as it was done at the end of the Jewish Church, for at its end, which was when the Lord came into the world, the Word was opened interiorly. For when the Lord was in the world He revealed interior Divine Truths which were to be of service to the new church then to be established by Him, and which also were of service to that church. At this day also, for like reasons, the Word has been interiorly opened, and thence have been revealed still more interior Divine Truths, which are to be of service to the New Church which will be called the New Jerusalem." (A. E. 948.)

168


ANNUAL REPORTS 1944

ANNUAL REPORTS       HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1944

     SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH.

     During 1943, eighty-tour new members were enrolled in the General Church of the New Jerusalem. In the course of inquiries made with a view to eliminating names which no longer belong on our list of members, the status of those whose addresses have been unknown for years was examined, and nine were found to have died, while twenty others are now dropped from the roll for various reasons. Twenty-four other deaths and one resignation were reported during the year. By an error, the death of Mr. David P. Lindsay was reported in our last annual report as having taken place in 1942, when the actual date was Jan. 5, 1943, and the item should have been reserved for the present report.
     The net increase of our membership at the end of the year 1943 was therefore only thirty members.
     Membership on Jan. 1, 1943     2319
          U. S. A     1352
          Abroad          967
     New Members (Certificates nos. 3396-3479)     84
          U.S.A     64
          Abroad     20
     Deaths     reported during 1943          33
          U.S.A          23
          Abroad          10
     Resignation     (U. S. A.)          1
     Dropped     from the Roll          20
          U.S.A          5
          Abroad          15
     Losses     54
     Net increase     30                              

Membership on Jan. 1, 1944     2349                         
     U. S. A     1387
     Abroad     962



     We append a revised list of those whose addresses have been unknown for some time and who are of "Uncertain Status." in the hope that our ministers and lay members may furnish some information about them. We here express our thanks for past cooperation in this matter.

169




     NEW MEMBERS.

     January 1 to December 31, 1943.

A.     THE UNITED STATES.

Atlanta, Georgia.
Mr. Augustus Chester Frost.

Chicago, Illinois.
Mrs. Sarah (Mungor) Alden.
Mrs. Bertil (Ella Sofia Farlander) Grenman.

Evanston, Illinois.
Mr. Robert Fulton Leeper.
Mrs. R. F. (Norna Bergman) Leeper.

Glenview, Illinois.
Mr. Herbert Greiss Croll.
Mrs. H. C. (Gret Constance Grenman) Croll.
Miss Dorothy Jane Day.
Mr. Stuart Billings Nicholson.
Miss Nadia Forrest Smith.
Mrs. Marvin V. (Bruna Franca Bergonzi) Stevens.

Clear Water, Iowa.
Mr. Dale Eliwyn Beal.

New Orleans, Louisiana.
Mrs. Elizabeth Augusta (Schoenberger) Bruser.

Baltimore, Maryland.
Mrs. William Felix (Adeline Browning) Knapp.

Saginaw, Michigan.
Miss Virginia Lowrie Childs.

St. Paul, Minnesota.
Mrs. Gladys May.

Livingston, New Jersey.
Mr. Robert Kenneth Blackman.

Cardington, Ohio.
Mrs. Samuel A. (Dora Belle Johnson) George.

Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
Mrs. Grover C. (Leona Serena Wager) Hosford.

Glendale, Ohio.
Mr. Leigh Clark Latta, Jr.

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.
Miss Jocelyn Bostock.
Miss Ruth Bostock.
Mr. Theodore Edward Cooper.
Miss Rachel Josephine David.
Miss Diantha Davis.
Mr. Philip James Finkeldey.
Mrs. P. J. (Ruth Gunhild Nilson) Finkeldey.
Miss Mary Jane Heilman.
Mrs. Robert C. (Dorothy Virginia Drought) Hilldale.
Mrs. Hyland R. (Edith Myra Hushes) Johns.
Mr. Robert Louis Kendig.
Mr. John Blair Smith King.
Mr. William Roscoe Kintner.
Mr. Gunnar Nathanael Nilson.
Mrs. G. N. (Helen Francis Barnitz) Nilson.
Miss Glenn Pendleton.
Mr. Charles Fredrich Pleat.
Mrs. C. F. (Anna Mae Marie Hodkinson) Pleat.
Miss Geraldine Fusselman Pleat.
Mr. Joel Pitcairn.
Mr. John Pendleton Pitcairn.
Miss Judith Pitcairn.
Mr. Stanley Alan Rose.
Miss Barbara Alethea Smith.
Miss Ann Synnestvedt.
Miss Jane Arrington Umberger.
Miss Mary Saunders Walter.
Miss Jean Lenora Webster.

Erie, Pennslvania.
Mrs. Wilson J. (Marion Elizabeth Soneson) Murray.
Mr. Carl Gustaf Sonesen.

Glen olden, Pennsylvania.
Miss Marian Elizabeth Jenkins (now Mrs. John Lewis).

Glenside, Pennsylvania.
Mr. David Santrid Odhner.

Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Thomas Dubois Redmile.

170




Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Frederick George Herbert Archer.
Mr. Adin Francis Vincent Burton.
Mrs. A. F. V. (Florence Amelia Bill) Burton.
Mr. John Albert Crouse.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Miss Patricia Ann Horigan.
Mr. Francis James Junge.
Mrs. Alex. H. (Betty Jane Gahagen) Lindsay.
Miss Phyllis Anne Schoenberger.

Rockledge, Pennsylvania.
Mr. Donald Coffin Fitzpatrick.

Memphis, Tennessee.
Mr. John Davis Scalbom.
Mrs. J. D. (Louise Bowman) Scalbom.

Fort Worth, Texas.
Miss Jean Lyons Doering.

B. CANADA.

Pouce Coupe, British Columbia.
Miss Elizabeth Allen Heinrichs.

London, Ontario.
Miss Isabelle Shouldice.

Kitchener, Ontario.
Miss Marion Louise Hasen.
Mr. Allen William Kuhl.
Miss Vivian Gail Kuhl.

Toronto, Ontario.
Mr. Gordon Geoffrey Anderson.
Miss Claire Bellinger.
Miss Eileen Constance Raymond.
Mrs. Hubert Frank (Rose Beverly Nowsad) Raymond.
Miss Phyllis Mary Wright.

Waterloo, Ontario.
Miss Elizabeth Jane Bellinger.
Miss Carita Hill.
Miss Nancy Elizabeth Stroh.

C.     ENGLAND.

Colchester, England.
Miss Marion Mary Appleton.
Mr. Henry Wallace Glover.
Miss Beatrice Annie Waters.
Miss Christine May Waters.
Miss Sylvia Mary Waters.

D.     AUSTRALIA.

Hurstvile, N. S. W.
Miss Ruth Fletcher.


DEATHS.

Reported during 1943.

Ahlstrom, Mr. T. L.. Maywood, Ill., Jan. 15, 1943.
Beckman, Mrs. Samuel O., of Erie, Pa. Date unknown.
Behlert, Miss Olga Maria, Baltimore, Md., June, 1942.
Boatman, Mrs. John Stuart (Nancy Margaret), Washington, D. C., March 12, 1943.
Burns, Mrs. Robert S. Date unknown.
Bush (or Busch), Mrs. Harvey (Margaret Burckhardt, later Mrs. Carlsen, California, Sept., 1928.
Coffin, Mr. James Price, Abington, Pa., May 15, 1943.
Coffin, Mrs. James P. (Catherine Raber), Philadelphia, Pa., May 10, 1943.
Creamer, Mr. Warren E., of Williamsport, Pa. Date unknown.
David, Rev. Llewellyn Warren Towne, Bryn Athyn, Pa., Sept. 22, 1943.
Ferdinand, Mrs. Adolph, Kitchener, Ont. Date unknown.
Howland, Mrs. W. Smith (Carrie Davenport), Denver, Colo., March 23, 1943.
Izzard, Flight Officer Laurence Theodore, of Toronto, Ont., Dec. 8, 1942.
Kuhl, Mrs. George S. (Agnes Glebe), Kitchener, Ont., Nov. 21, 1943.

171



Lane, Rev. W. Harrison, Tulsa, Okla. Date unknown.
Lechner, Mr. Arthur Otto, Pittsburgh, Pa., March 9, 1943.
Lechner, Mr. Frederick George, of Pittsburgh, Pa. Date unknown.
McQuigg, Miss Emme, Columbus, O., May 16, 1943.
Naseby, Mrs. Rebecca, of Sydney, Australia. Presumed dead.
Pflueger, Mrs. Frederick (Wilhelmina Hafner), Darby, Pa., Feb. 2, 1943.
Potts, Miss Edith, Brattleboro, Vt., April 26, 1943.
Pryke, Mr. James Samuel, Chelmsford, Essex., Sept. 15, 1943.
Pryke, Mrs. James S., Northampton, England, Oct. 4, 1943.
Richey, Miss Janet Curry, Pittsburgh, Pa., June 7, 1943.
Schweitzer, Mrs. Conrad, Hamilton, Ont., March 31, 1943.
Sellner, Miss Josephine, New York, N. Y., July 20, 1943.
Smeal, Miss Florence L., Glenview, Ill., April 26, 1943.
Stebbing, Mr. Ernest James, Bryn Athyn, Pa., May 12, 1943.
Steen, Mr. Isaac Bretz, Waterloo, Ont., Jan. 20, 1943.
Swan, Mr. Archibald, Toronto, Ont., Dec. 6, 1943.
Tilson, Mrs. R. J. (Edith Gunton), London, England, June 10, 1943.
Trautman, Mrs. August J., Pittsburgh, Pa. Date unknown.
Tyler, Mrs. George Theodore (Gertrude Price), Philadelphia, Pa., May 11, 1943.


RESIGNATION.

Riefstahl, Mr. Charles Franklin, Evanston, Ill.


DROPPED FROM THE ROLL.

Bellinger, Mr. Homer C., Toronto, Ont.
Bellinger, Mrs. Homer C., Toronto, Ont.
Borer, Mrs. Clement W., Victoria, Australia.
Bromberg, Mr. Eric, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bromberg, Mr. Ivar, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bromberg, Mr. Sten F., Gothenburg, Sweden.
Bromberg, Mr. Sven Olaf, Malmo, Sweden.
Ferran, Mr. Michel, Sydney, N. S. W.
Flon, Mr. K. R., Paris, France.
Griffin, Mrs. John (Dorothea Julia Behlert), Baltimore, Md.
Guthrie, Mr. G. W., Hurstville, N. S. W.
Kendig, Rev. Julian Hubert, Cambridge, Mass.
Maynard, Mr. J. E., Chicago, Ill.
Mokoena, Mr. George, late of Alpha, O. F. S.
Murray, Miss Amelia, Hurstville, N. S. W.
Soderberg, Miss Dorith Beats, Philadelphia, Pa.
Strebelle, Mr. Nestor, France.
Strebelle, Mrs. Nestor, France.
Strobbach, Dr. George, Cincinnati, 0.
Svensson, Mr. John Mauritz, Sweden.

172





     UNCERTAIN STATUS.

     Under this heading we continue to list a number of names of members with whom no contact has been maintained for a number of years, and who may possibly have died or lost interest in the work of the General Church. Any information about them, and especially about their whereabouts, will be appreciated by the Secretary.

Anderson, Mrs. (Dorothea M. Saeger).
Anderson, Miss Ida H., Mason, Wis.
Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. John, Mason, Wis.
Balcaen, Mr. Prosper, Belgium.
Baldinger, Mrs. Fred. D. (Bundsen), Denver, Colo.
Ball, Mr. and Mrs. Harold J., London, England.
Beal, Mrs. Lucien, Isleton, Calif.
Beaton, Mr. and Mrs. (Annie) William.
Bergman, Mrs. Lena M., Mason, Wis.
Brown, Mr. Edgar T., Meadowvale, Ont.
Burr, Mrs. Marion, Boston, Mass.
Catford, Mr. Darnley, Bermuda.
Clacs, Mr. Raymond F. M., Malines, Belgium.
Daniels, Mrs. Hattie C.
Dean, Miss Ida. Married name unknown.
Delieutraz-Bourquin, Mine. Helene, Switzerland.
De San, Mr. Joseph, Belgium.
Do Prado, Sur. and Sora. Theomnesto, Brazil.
Dwight, Miss Grace.
Erickson, Mr. Emil Theodore, Stockholm, Sweden.
Fraga, Mr. and Mrs. George G., Belvedere, Ill.
Gianoli, Mr. Louis, Geneva, Switzerland.
Gould, Mrs. Walter (Annette Northgraves), Toronto, Ont.
Haglind, Miss Anna, Omaha, Nebr.
Hansen, Mr. N. Christopher, Denmark.
Herau, Miss Augusta, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Herbeck, Mr. and Mrs. Charles, Brooklyn, N. Y.
Hunt, Miss Marie L., Washington, D. C.
Kaufman, Mr. Benjamin, Jacksonville, Fla.
Kirk, Mr. James B.
Knudsen, Mr. Thomas, Llanelly, Wales.
Levitt, Mrs. Alice, Abington, Mass.
Lindsay, Mrs. Latira E.
Manoedi. Mr. Martain, New York, N. V.
Marvin, Mrs. William, Cleveland, 0.
McKerrow, Miss Helen M., Croydon, England.
McMullen, Mrs. Leo W. (Marian E. Tilton), Lowell, Mass.
Miller, Mrs. Harold E., Columbiana, O.

173



Montayne (or Montanye), Mr. Amos T., Glenview, Ill.
Motum, Mr. and Mrs. Philip, Colchester, England.
Munkel, Mr. Lewis C., Philadelphia, Pa.
Myers, Miss Ida.
Nicolet, Mr. Jean A., Lausanne, Switzerland.
Olsen, Mrs. Hall O., Lindsborg, Kansas.
Orme, Miss Agnes J. A. Married name unknown.
Petterson, Mr. Anders Pontus, Rockford, Ill.
Pierson, Mrs. J. V. L. (Stankowitch), Philadelphia, Pa.
Northgraves, Mr. Walter W., Walkerville, Ont.
Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Charles A., Sandy Lane, Costessy, Norwich, England.
Rouillard, Miss Edmee, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Shattuck, Mr. and Mrs. Oliver P., Chicago, Ill.
Shriver, Mr. Thomas B., 3d, Philadelphia, Pa.
Smith, Miss Edith G., Philadelphia, Pa.
Snow, Miss Zella Marie, Tampa, Fla.
Stewart, Mr. and Mrs. Lebbeus A., Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Stone, Mr. William T. B., London, England.
Wells, Mrs. A. S., Toronto, Ont.
White, Miss Frances, London, England.
Whittemore, Mr. Byron H., North Chelmsford, Mass.
Williams, Mr. Hollis V., Cartersville, Montana.
Wilson, Mr. Alan Armstrong.
Witham, Mrs. M. A., Michigan.


     GENERAL CHURCH MISSION IN SOUTH AFRICA.

     No report has at this date been received from the Superintendent of the South African Native Mission.

174


COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY 1944

COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY       HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1944

     January 1, 1943, to January 1, 1944.

     During the year of 1943, one of our Pastors, the Rev. L. W. T. David, passed into the spiritual world. On January 1, 1944, the Clergy of the General Church of the New Jerusalem consisted of thirty-seven priests-two of the episcopal degree, thirty-three of the pastoral degree, and two of the ministerial degree. In addition to these, the General Church, in 1943, had eleven ordained native priests in its South African Mission; including two pastors and eight ministers. One of these pastors died during the year. A list of the Clergy of the General Church and its Missions is printed in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1943, pages 558 to 561.
     As gathered from the reports received from our Clergy up to February 29, 1944, the following Rites and Sacraments were administered during the year
1943 (fourteen individuals out of thirty-seven having not yet reported)
     Baptisms          94
     Confessions of Faith          29
     Betrothals          10
     Marriages (including 2 Consecrations)     15
     Funeral Services          19
     Holy Supper          135
     Ordinations     -
     Home Dedications          2

     REPORTS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CLERGY.

     Rt. Rev. George de Charms, Bishop of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, and President of the Academy of the New Church, reports as follows:

     "Since the last meeting of the Council, the Rev. L. W. T. David has been called to the spiritual world. We wish to record our deep personal affection for him, and our appreciation of his faithful and devoted services to the Church.
     "The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers has accepted appointment to the office of Secretary of the Council of the Clergy, in which office Mr. David had served for several years prior to his death.
     "The Rev. Gilbert H. Smith, having served the Immanuel Church of Glenview as Pastor for more than twenty-five years, resigned last August, continuing in office until a successor was chosen and could take over his duties. Mr. Smith's resignation left him free to devote a larger proportion of his time to missionary work through the medium of radio broadcasting and the follow-up work connected with it. An opportunity to perform this use under the auspices of the Western New Church Union had previously been offered and accepted, but the time available, in addition to regular pastoral duties, had been insufficient to take full advantage of it.

175


This is the first systematic attempt on the part of a General Church minister to present the Doctrines of the New Church to the world by radio. Mr. Smith's deep interest in the work, his faith in the possibilities it offers for the spread of the New Church, and his proven ability in the field of missionary effort, combine to encourage the hope that the experiment may prove successful. The times are particularly propitious. The war has produced a widespread state of questioning in regard to religion, and there may well be some who are prepared to receive the teachings of the Writings. It is undoubtedly providential that both the man and the facilities have been made available, and we shall follow the experiment with keen interest. In addition to this work, Mr. Smith will have charge, as Missionary Pastor, of the Circles in Rockford, Ill., and North St. Paul, Minn., and the groups in Clinton, Ill., and St. Louis, Mo., and will cooperate with the Rev. Harold C. Cranch in supplying the pulpit for both branches of the Sharon Church in Chicago.
     "The Rev. Elmo C. Acton has resigned as Assistant Pastor to the Bryn Athyn Society, in order to accept a call to become Pastor of the Immanuel Church in Glenview, Ill. We wish him every success in the new use he has undertaken.
     "The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers has resigned his position as Assistant to the Pastor of the Carmel Church in Kitchener. Ont., Canada, in response to a call from the Bryn Athyn Society to succeed Mr. Acton as Assistant Pastor there.

     "I presided at the Annual Council Meetings held in Bryn Athyn, June 21-27, 1943. I presided also at the District Assembly in Glenview, Ill., Oct. 22-24; at Local Assemblies in Kitchener, Ont., Oct. 1-3, in Toronto, Ont., Oct. 8-11, in Arbutus, Md., Nov. 27-28, and in Philadelphia, Pa., May 15, I made Episcopal Visits to Ottawa and Montreal, Canada, Oct. 4-5 and 6-7, respectively; also to the North and South Side branches of the Sharon Church in Chicago, Oct. 25-26, to Rockford, Ill., Oct. 27, and to North St. Paul, Minn., Oct. 29-31. On Dec. 26th I preached and administered the Holy Supper in Philadelphia, Pa.
     "I wish to make grateful acknowledgment of assistance in the Episcopal Office given by Bishop Acton, who presided at other Assemblies, made a number of Episcopal Visits, and gave valued counsel throughout the year.

     "During the past year I have preached nine times in Bryn Athyn, have delivered eight addresses at Children's Services, and six doctrinal lectures to the Society. In addition I presided at meetings of the Society and performed the other duties pertaining to the Pastoral Office.
     "The Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner, the Rev. Elmo C. Acton, and-since Oct. 1st-the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers have given regular and able assistance in the work.
     Their help, and that so kindly offered by other ministers in preaching, conducting group classes and serving on the chancel, is deeply appreciated.

     "Throughout the year I have presided as usual at the meetings of the Board of Directors, the Corporation, and the Faculties of the Academy of the New Church; and also at a joint meeting of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the General Church, held last June to consider a statement on the relation between the Academy and the General Church.

176



     "I conducted an Extension Course on "The Growth of the Mind" during the school-year of 1942-1943. My official acts as President of the Academy are reported in detail to the Joint Meeting of the Corporation and Faculty."

     Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton, Dean of the Theological School of the Academy of the New Church, acted also as Visiting Pastor of the Washington Society, paying regular visits every three weeks during the season. As representative of the Bishop, he held Local Assemblies at Akron, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Wyoming (0.), preaching and giving from one to four addresses on theological subjects at each place. Visiting isolated families and groups, he administered the Holy Supper at Yeagertown, and gave talks at Youngstown and Columbus. In the latter place he encouraged the institution of regular meetings for the reading of the Doctrine.
     Rev. A. Wynne Acton, Pastor of Michael Church, London, England, reports the same average attendance as last year, despite the increased pressure of the war on the lives of our members. Sunday services are continued, but evening meetings are not possible. Once a month the members are invited to bring their lunches to the church and remain for a doctrinal meeting held in the afternoon. The attitude of the New Churchman in a changing world was considered in some detail at some of these meetings, and the subject proved of great interest. The Society was glad to welcome, as frequent visitors to their services and meetings, men from the armed forces of Canada and U. S. A.
     Mr. Acton has continued to serve as chairman of the British Finance Committee which cares for the needs of our isolated members in England. This work took him to a dozen or more places on one or more occasions during the year. The "News Letter." which he still edits, is published only once a month (owing to the paper shortage), but increased its circulation, including the General Church military personnel now serving at English bases. He also continues as a member of the Council of the Swedenborg Society and as Secretary of its Advisory and Revision Board, which are planning a new publication of the Latin version of the Arcana Coelestia. He has also acted in consultative capacity in some translation work.
     Rev. Elmo C. Acton, while Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, preached there eight times, gave twenty-one children's addresses, conducted various classes, and taught four courses in Religion in the Elementary School. June 17 to September 1, he ministered to the isolated in the West and North West of Canada. Resigning from his position in Bryn Athyn, he accepted the call to become Pastor of the Immanuel Church at Glenview, Ill., which position he has filled since October.
     Rev. Karl R. Alden, Principal of the Boys' Academy, preached twice in New York, once each in Bryn Athyn and Philadelphia, and six times at Wallenpaupack, Pa. He has also conducted evening worship at the two dormitories, and given three children's addresses. This Fall he began a weekly class for an average of twenty-five adults on the fundamental doctrines of the Church.

177


This class takes the form of an hour's lecture followed by questions and discussion and a social time.
     Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen, as Pastor of the New York Society and the New Jersey Circle, conducted 16 services and 11 classes in New York, and 14 services, 5 classes and two children's services in New Jersey. As Visiting Pastor for the Southern States, he conducted 36 services, 57 doctrinal classes, 14 children's services and "innumerable" children's classes. By invitation, he gave the Cathedral Address on the Academy's Charter Day, preached at Benton Harbor, and gave a class at Philadelphia. He administered the Communion 35 times in the South and 8 times in New York and New Jersey.
     Rev. W. B. Caldwell served as Editor of NEW CHURCH LIFE and as Professor of Theology in the Academy.
     Rev. Harold C. Cranch, Pastor of the Sharon Church, Chicago, Ill., also served until October as Visiting Pastor to the Rockford, St. Louis, and Clinton Circles. He served on the Radio Committee of the Western New Church Union, and later on that of the General Church. The work on the North Side continues encouraging, despite the absence of many active members in the armed forces. The South Side is now formed into a separate cooperating group, growing both in numbers and in doctrine, and looking towards the day when they can support a minister of their own. Harmony prevails in the whole society, and the future in Chicago seems bright. The participation of the Rev. G. H. Smith in the preaching has made possible a greater activity in both groups.
     Rev. E. R. Cronlund, although engaged in secular work, preached four times in Bryn Athyn and once in Toronto.
     Rev. C. E. Doering, Dean of Faculties in the Academy, Professor of Mathematics and Instructor in Religion, conducted the morning services for the Academy Schools and once preached and administered the Communion to the Washington Society.
     Rev. Willis L. Gladish, retired, conducted Sunday services during the summer at his home in Linden Hills, and presided at meetings of the "LIFE Class" in Glenview.
     Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, Pastor of the Hurstville Society at Sydney, N. S. W., preached at 54 services and conducted 31 doctrinal classes, two philosophy classes, and 9 study circles for teachers; also 46 sessions of the Sunday School and 3 children 5 services giving 47 addresses and teaching on 38 Sundays; also addressing 12 meetings. He continued to edit the monthly Calendar and, since June, has prepared digests of his sermons and doctrinal notes for members of the armed forces and others.
     Rev. Eldred F. Iungerich, Professor of Languages in the Academy, preached once in Quantico, Va., and once in Baltimore, Md. In March he completed the manuscript of his book, "The Drama of the Apocalypse," which was then submitted to the Academy Publication Committee and reviewed by Miss F. M. Buell in NEW CHURCH LIFE.

178



     Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner, an Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church, preached nineteen times, gave one children's address, three funeral discourses, twelve doctrinal classes, and six other addresses. He also preached once in Philadelphia. As Professor of Theology in the Academy, he taught four courses in Religion; and as Secretary of the General Church, he prepared the 1944 Calendar Readings.
     Rev. Ormond de Charms Odhner, Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, in addition to preaching, conducting children's services and doctrinal classes, also gave 23 young people's classes (to an average of seven), and a weekly class in Heaven and Hell and on other basic doctrines for those of High School age, thus taking advantage of the provision which allows public school children to be excused from classes once a week for the purpose of receiving religious instruction from ministers of their own denomination.
     Rev. Willard D. Pendleton, besides his regular duties as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, visited Glenview, Akron, and Bryn Athyn, preaching and addressing various organizations connected with the Church.
     Rev. Martin Pryke, Pastor of the Society at Colchester, England, has continued to visit isolated members at Thurloxton, Street, Bristol, Bath, Cheltenham, Manchester, Warrington, Wallasey, Portsmouth, Birmingham, and Farm- borough. He preached twice in London, and served as a member of the British Finance Committee of the General Church and of the Advisory and Revision Board of the Swedenborg Society.

     Ten of the members of the Colchester Society are serving in the armed forces, and others are away due to war-work. The future existence of the small day school, which has now been in existence for nearly twenty years, is threatened by the fact that soon there will be only two of our own children of an age to attend, and no younger ones in prospect. Apart from this. he sees "no difficulties which cannot be overcome by the cessation of hostilities and the earnest endeavor of all members."
     Rev. Morley D. Rich, Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, and Visiting Pastor of the Arbutus (Md.) Circle, notes an increase in the uses of both fields, despite war conditions and difficulties in transportation; and he commends the loyalty and patience of our members.
     Rev. Norbert H. Rogers, up to last October Assistant to the Pastor of the Carmel Church, Kitchener, Ont., and acting Principal of the Carmel Church School; and since October an Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church; preached twenty times in Kitchener, once in Toronto, and four times in Bryn Athyn. He gave 21 children's addresses, seven of them in Bryn Athyn, and conducted three doctrinal classes. In Kitchener, much of his time was taken up with teaching secular subjects to the upper grades of the school.
     Rev. Gilbert H. Smith resigned from the position of Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Ill., the resignation becoming effective at the end of September. After this he became Missionary Pastor. He ministered to the Rockford (Ill.) Circle as Visiting Pastor, and continued to make monthly visits to the North St. Paul (Minn.) Circle. Since November 1942, he has delivered weekly Sunday Talks on Radio Station WJJD, Chicago.

179


The program. The Voice of the New Church," now in its second year, is sponsored principally by the Western New Church Union, and has succeeded in interesting a considerable number of people in the Heavenly Doctrine. This work he did for a year without compensation, but now the members of the General Church are contributing to his support by donations made to the program.
     Rev. Homer Synnestvedt, although retired, assisted with religious instruction in the Bryn Athyn Elementary School during an interim, and preached in Detroit and Arbutus, and visited New Church people in the Philadelphia and Chicago districts, as well as in Pittsburgh, where he now resides.
     Rev. William Whitehead, Professor of History and Political Science in the Academy, has also preached twice in Bryn Athyn, twice in Philadelphia, and once in New York, and worked actively on the Committee on Adult Education. He represented the General Church at a "Convocation" called by the General Convention (June 21 to 23), and reported its meetings to the Council of the Clergy.

     Rev. Raymond G. Cranch preached twice in Toronto and once in Kitchener, and declares his willingness to act as substitute for other ministers when needed.
     HUGO LJ. ODHNER,
          Acting Secretary.
REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF 'NEW CHURCH LIFE.' 1944

REPORT OF THE EDITOR OF 'NEW CHURCH LIFE.'       W. B. CALDWELL       1944

     During the year 1943 there was an increase in our subscription list and in our total circulation. The figures given in the Report of the Treasurer, December. 1943, and a comparison with the previous year, are indicated in the following tabulation:
                                                  1942     1943
Paid subscribers                                        503     540
Free to our Ministers, to Public Libraries and New Church
     Book Rooms, and in Exchange for other Periodicals
                         95     89

Free to Men and Women in Military Service                    205     323

     Total Circulation                                   803     952

     Paper Shortage-The general shortage of print paper has not as yet affected us, but we anticipate that before long we shall be obliged to use a paper of lighter weight.


     There are many ways in which the members may cooperate in promoting this journalistic use of the General Church, and we would here set down a few recent reflections upon the subject.
     The Writer and the Reader.-It is the function of a magazine, by means of the printed page, to transfer ideas from the mind of the writer to the mind of the reader-to transfer the ideas and also the affection and the spirit of the writer.

180


In the case of a church periodical, the writing is largely concerned with spiritual ideas, in the general sphere of Divine Revelation, presented in expositions of the Word and in doctrinal papers, this extending out into many collateral and confirmatory fields.
     The intercommunication of minds on the intellectual and spiritual plane, effected by this transfer of ideas from mind to mind, we may regard as the central and essential use of our magazine, and an important way of promoting the establishment of the New Church. This, indeed, is the Lord's work, in which men and women-both writers and readers-are given to cooperate, and ever with the hope that there may be enlightenment and inspiration from the Lord, with benefits to all and the upbuilding of His Kingdom.
     During the past year our journal has continued on its way as a purveyor of general information in matters of the church, and as a vehicle of spiritual instruction, the latter chiefly by the voluntary contributions of those in the General Church who write, both ministers and laymen, affording our readers a fair representation of the active thought of the church, within our space limitations. A fair representation, we say. There are those who write, but do not contribute, do not avail themselves of the opportunity to share their ideas with their fellow members. Undoubtedly there are valuable things written which are not made available for publication. "Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and to waste its sweetness on the desert air" of some writer's desk drawer.
     There is mutuality in all uses-blessing him that gives and him that receives. A writer feels delight when he hears that he has been instrumental in bringing satisfaction to a reader; and the reader is grateful for the benefit he has thus received. When readers of the Life say or write, as they often do, "I read every issue from cover to cover, and with joy," it is gratifying to realize, not only that our writers have thus performed a use, but also that there are minds which so keenly appreciate spiritual things. There are not many such minds in the world today-minds open to the light of heaven.
     It is a fact, also, that even those who love spiritual things, and who crave instruction in truth concerning the Lord, heaven, and the church, are not at all times in receptive states of mind. There are times when the pages of Divine Revelation are luminous, and there are times when they are not. Times, we say, but we mean states. The mind has its states of illustration and its states of obscurity, from various causes, often unaccountable.
     In general, the minds of men in the world today are so much engrossed in the things of the natural life that they have no time and no state of desire for spiritual things, and therefore see no light in them. "The care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word, and it becometh unfruitful." The closing words in the work on Heaven and Hell read: "The things which have been said in this work concerning heaven, the world of spirits, and hell, will be obscure to those who are not in the delight of knowing spiritual truths, but clear to those who are in that delight, and especially to those who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, that is, who love truth because it is truth; for whatever is loved enters with light into the idea of the mind, especially when truth is loved, because all truth is in light." (H. H. 603.)

181



     Among men generally there is no insight into the marvels of our revealed Doctrine. The books are widely distributed, but very few indeed give signs of having seen the spiritual and Divine light that is in them. Yet we are assured in the Writings that "the time is coming when there will be illustration." (A. C. 4402:3.)
     We speak of this matter because the main purpose of our ecclesiastical journal is to disseminate spiritual ideas and to stir spiritual affections. As stated on the cover, it is "devoted to the teachings revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg." Our readers are mainly among those who have accepted these teachings, and who desire to be instructed further in them. Yet even these know that there are times when the revealed teachings-these precious truths from heaven-are luminous and full of meaning, and there are times when they are not. We are not always in a state of receptivity and appeteney; we are not always hungry or thirsty for spiritual food and drink.
     What is the answer? We have all learned by experience not to give up when the mind is not clear in spiritual things, but to try again at a later time, with the hope of finding greater value in what at first seemed of little value. In short, we long and pray for illustration, And, in fairness to ourselves, we choose a time and place that will be conducive to bodily repose and an exemption from worldly cares, and thus to mental clearness in the sphere of spiritual doctrine.
     Readers of our magazine have often said: "I liked that article so much that I have read it several times." Which means that it happened to meet a state and a need. Of course, such an experience is superlatively true of the books of Divine Revelation. New Churchmen read the Word and the Writings day by day, and find ever new meaning in them. The same is relatively true of doctrine from the Word presented in sermons and papers. We see more and more in them after reading them several times, Indeed, is not the same true in a measure of the finest human creations in the fields of literature and art? Where there has been a genuine inspiration in their composition, we find new meaning as we read a great book or hear a great symphony again and again. And we may find more in them at one time than at another; the difference lies in our own states. In this connection, let me recall an incident recorded by Swedenborg in the Diary, where we read:

     "ILLUSTRATION.-That Divine Truths are of such a character that they cannot be perceived except by one who is enlightened [illustrated], and are rejected by one who is not enlightened, was made evident to me by the following experience. The books concerning Heaven and the Last Judgment were given to a certain spirit to read through and examine as to whether their contents are of such a character that they can be printed in Holland and sold at a profit. This spirit, I think, held such an office in Holland while he lived in the world, being able to see with considerable acuteness whether a book contained truths that ought to be acknowledged or falsities that ought to be rejected.

182


He read the books [Heaven and Hell and the Last Judgment] through, and said that he found their contents to be of such a character that they could be printed with profit. But after a while he read them again, and said that they were of no merit, and would be accepted by no one. From this it was made evident that he was in illustration the first time, and saw the contents of the books from the light of heaven, but the second time he saw them from a light similar to natural light. From this it was made evident that Divine Truths are in clearness, and are pleasing, when they are read in the light of heaven, but in obscurity and unpleasant when read in natural light. It is different with other writings for which the light of heaven is not needed. The same books were given to another spirit, who was of the same character, and he confirmed almost the same thing." (S. D. 5908.)
Respectfully submitted,
     W. B. CALDWELL.
CORPORATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH. REPORT TO THE JOINT COUNCIL. 1944

CORPORATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH. REPORT TO THE JOINT COUNCIL.       EDWARD H. DAVIS       1944

     Since my report to the Joint Council dated June 1, 1943, the following members of the Corporation have died:

Rev. Llewellyn W. T. David,
Mr. James S. Pryke.

     The following new members have joined the Corporation:

Mr. George H. Woodard,

Mr. Charles S. Cole, Jr.

     The total membership is now 131.

     This report covers a period of only eight months, and during that time the Executive Committee has held three meetings. These three meetings were devoted mainly to the financial affairs of the General Church which will be covered in the report of the Treasurer. Among other subjects considered were the preliminary report of the Pension Committee, and Pastoral Visits to Northwest Canada.
     The meeting of June 25, 1943, was unusually well attended, and the preliminary report of the Pension Committee was discussed at length. At this meeting a Resolution was adopted, That the Pension Committee be authorized to consider pensions for teachers of General Church local schools, and also that the Committee be enlarged to include members from Societies not then represented.
     Respectfully submitted.
          EDWARD H. DAVIS.
               Secretary.

183


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., O.S.,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, A.C. 2 Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel. Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, P/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, W.O. Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,

184



Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 1 David K.,
Scott, Gnr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, P/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, L.A.C. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. Hohn E., British Columbia,
Frazee, A.C. 1 Keith I., British Columbia,
Funk, L.A.W. A. Elise,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, P/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motum, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Demobilized,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, 2nd Lieut. J. S.,
Buss, Tpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, 2nd Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
Craig, Major Thomas,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Wounded and honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, 2nd Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Capt. Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Pvt. J. M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,

185



Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,
Cooper, Cadet Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, A/S Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cpl. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, P.F.C. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Major William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P.,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, A/C Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, A/C Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/T Hilary Q.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan I.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Pvt. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, A/C Pvt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T. A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, Pvt. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Asplundh, Ensign O. E., Jr.,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John E.,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/S William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,

186



King, S/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, A.S.,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, A/C Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Marvin J., C.P.O.

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, Ph.M. 1/c,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., A.S.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (j.g) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, A/C William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, A.S., Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Lt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., A.S., Alabama.
Glenn, A/C Alfred M., New York,
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, Pvt. Joseph Douglas, New York.
Ingersoll, Frank, A.S.,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/S John A., Alabama.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., A.M.M. 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., A.S., Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

187


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     DURBAN, NATAL.

     Nov. 15, 1943.-After having reported that evening doctrinal classes had to be abandoned in the Durban Society, it is with great pleasure that I can now say that they were resumed on October 6th. This was made possible by the relaxation of the blackout until 11 p.m.
     In the doctrinal classes during the present session, the Revd. Elphick is giving instruction on the subjects mentioned in the report which appeared in the August issue, p. 378, namely, "The Three Essentials of the Church" (D. P. 259) and "The Three Sources of Falsity" (A. C. 4729).
     As it is now possible for us to hold functions in the Church Hall in the evening, we have already arranged for our next Bazaar, to take place at 7.30 p.m. on December 4th.
     Hallowe'en.-On October 29th Theta Alpha gave a very successful party for the children of schoolgoing age, and fifteen children were entertained on the school grounds from 5 to 7 p.m., cooking, eating, and playing games. But the highlight of the entertainment was the Puppet Show, which was composed by Mrs. Viola Ridgway and played by her children, Michael and Bunty. This kept everyone much amused after the cooking was over.
     Wedding Bells-At the Ladies Class, held at the home of Mrs. Scott Forfar on Thursday morning, November 4th, a surprise "Shower" was given for Mrs. Denise Stenhouse (nee Cockerell), who was shortly to be married to Mr. Egbert Bongers. Their wedding, at which the Rev. F. W. Elphick officiated, took place quietly in the church on Saturday afternoon. November 6th. About fifty guests were present at the church and at the informal reception held afterwards at Denise's home-the home of Mrs. Darcy Cockerell. The bride looked charming in a neat powder-blue two- piece ensemble, wearing with this navy blue shoes and hat. She carried a sheaf of pink carnations. On leaving for the honeymoon, Mrs. Bongers handbag and gloves matched her shoes and hat.
     Our Boys on Active Service.- Our boys are on the move again, and several more have gone Up North within the past few weeks. At present we have 12 members serving in the Middle East, which is a comprehensive term for Italy, Sicily, Egypt, Palestine and other places in that part of the world. Sergeant Martin Buss and his cousin. Trooper Bryan Buss, before they sailed recently were able to visit us and bid us "Au revoir." This is the second time they have left us for the North.
     Prisoners of War-In the previous report, sent to NEW CHURCH LIFE on September 9th [December issue, p. 570], I mentioned the fact that the surrender of Italy had kindled our hopes that we would soon see our Prisoners again. Fortunately I advised caution, as General Smuts had announced that the position had still to be clarified, and that we must be patient. Now it is quite clearly understood that the majority of Prisoners held in Italy have been removed to Germany. Up to the time of writing we have heard of the whereabouts of Lieut. Colin-Owen Ridgway only, who is stated officially to have arrived at a Camp in Bavaria. Needless to say, we daily await news of the other five, and it should not be long in coming.
     P. D.C.

188




     TORONTO, CANADA.

     "The old order changeth"-a quotation used on many occasions by the late Edward Craigie, and proven once more. Mr. Craigie passed into the spiritual world on February 18 last, being at the time the eldest person in the Olivet Society, and having been a member of it for the past thirty-three years. It would have pleased him to know that, just before he left this world, two new sons were born into the Society-one the son of Frank and Helen Longstaff, and the other the son of Alan and Lois Longstaff, both at present residing in the United States, but both about to come to Toronto, when their fathers leave for Active Service. So, Mr. Craigie would say, "The old order changeth."
     The Toronto Society also added to its adult members when Haydn John made his Confession of Faith on Sunday, February 20. The Society was not only delighted to welcome Haydn to its midst officially, but also very glad just to see him, as he has been away for twenty-two months, which is a long time for a person to be on Service without a "leave."
     Despite rationing, the weekly suppers have been carried along this winter in fine style, the meals being both delicious and nutritious. The ladies of the Society deserve many thanks and much credit for the obstacles they have overcome. The Doctrinal Classes following the suppers have been based on The Growth of the Mind, by Bishop de Charms, until the past week or two, when the topic of Providence was presented by Mr. Gyllenhaal to the attentive interest of all present.
     The Ladies' Circle and Theta Alpha have met at the various homes once each month, and have enjoyed talks on Education, written by Bishop de Charms and read and commented upon by Mr. Gyllenhaal. Theta Alpha again this year invited the ladies who were interested in the subject under discussion to attend their meetings.
     The Forward-Sons have held their monthly suppers, the men taking turns at preparing the meal. (Wives have been of some assistance on some occasions, but that is strictly underground and a non-military secret.) At each meeting a paper is given by one of the members on a topic of interest to himself, and, he hopes, to others.
     Mr. Joe Pritchett has obtained a large stack of stage scenery for the Society, and this should forecast a Play within our walls in the not too distant future.
     We are proud to learn that Robert Scott is now a Flying Officer, and sorry to hear that Tom Fountain is suffering ill health in Italy.
     V. C.

     COLCHESTER, ENGLAND.

     Feb. 7, 1944.-Our news dates back to December 2, when we held our Annual Sale of Work, with entertainment in the form of competitions and refreshments. It was really marvelous where all the articles came from, as the sale realized L30.8.3, which was very encouraging.
     The Sons of the Academy held an Open Meeting on December 12 at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Owen Pryke, with an attendance of eighteen. The Rev. A. Wynne Acton came from London, and gave us a very interesting paper on "The New Church in the World Today," which brought forth a very good discussion.
     At the School Closing, the children presented a play entitled, `Father Christmas Has a Cold," written by Ruth and Rose Waters. Our school is becoming quite a problem. Four or five pupils will be leaving this year for higher schools, which will leave only two of our own children. It looks very sad for the time being. When the children of the next generation come of school age, we hope their parents will be able to bring them near enough to attend.
     Christmas-On Sunday, December 19, we had the Tableaux and Carols. With appropriate songs and readings from the Word, eight scenes were presented: Zacharias and the Angel, The Annunciation, Mary and Elizabeth, Zacharias and Elizabeth, The Roman Soldier, Mary and the Child, The Wise Men and the Star, and the Adoration of the Wise Men.

189


They were very inspiring, bringing to us strongly the meaning and sphere of Christmas. On Christmas morning a service was held in the church, the pastor addressing the children, and there was a special offertory. The next day being Sunday, the sacrament of the Holy Supper was administered.
     At our annual New Year's Eve Social, Mr. John Cooper officiated as toastmaster, and the first toast was to the Military Forces,-New Church men and women all over the world,-with the song, Academia March. Then followed a series of toasts and responses: The Old Year, Mr. Owen Pryke; The New Year, Miss May Waters; The Church, Rev. Martin Pryke; New Members, Mr. W. Glover. The pastor spoke of the passing to the other world of the Rev. W. H. Acton, and Mr. A. J. Applegate recalled Mr. Acton's work in the Colchester School at a time when we had the greatest attendance. Thanks were extended to our Kitchener friends for the parcels they had sent to us. Then came a surprise-the gift of a new organ from Mr. and Mrs. John Cooper and Lieutenant David R. Simons, to all of whom we expressed our hearty thanks. The rest of the evening was spent in playing games and other forms of entertainment. At midnight a short service was held, closing with the singing of the 19th Psalm.
     Early in January a social was held for the children, twelve being present. They had an enjoyable time, with games, recitations, and charades. Our Annual Meeting came on January 23, when the business was satisfactorily transacted and all office bearers we returned for another year. We had tea together and singing afterwards.
     Swedenborg's Birthday.-The children of our Sunday School and Day School celebrated on January 28, the pastor giving them a talk on the Rules of Life, copies of which were given to each child.
     The adult celebration was held on January 29. The pastor first read portions of an Address on "Swedenborg" by the Rev. Karl R. Alden. Mr. Colley Pryke spoke in response to the toast to "The Church," and Mr. Alan Waters on "Introduction to New Church Education." We were honored with the presence of the following guests: Sergeant Henry Heinrichs; Mr. John Posthuma; Rachel, Beryl and Gabriel Howard from St. Albans; Beatrice and Sylvia Waters, on leave; Cpl. Donald Boozer and John Boozer.
     This meeting was disturbed by an Air Raid Warning and the guns. So we all retired to the shelter for a time, and then resumed the meeting. But the sphere had been broken, which was most unfortunate. Yet it was the first time a celebration has been disturbed in this manner during the years of the war. So we have much to be thankful for.
     E. B.


     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     The Detroit group is now well represented by members in all parts of the world. One by one our young men have entered the service of their Country, the seventh to leave being Willard McCardell, who is now in training somewhere in the South. Number eight will be Leo Bradin, who has passed his physical and is scheduled to be inducted into the Navy at an early date.
     It is a source of much pride and satisfaction that our small group has been able to provide so large a percentage of its membership for the defense of our Country. At the same time we most keenly miss their presence at our meetings, as well as their help, always so willingly given, particularly in the placing and removal of the chancel furnishings, chairs, Liturgies, etc., and in tending the furnace fire. With only one or two young men left to us, these tasks may soon have to be taken over by some of us older members, and the prospect is far from pleasing.
     In our "Vital Statistics" department we have another interesting event to report-a new addition to our cradle roll.

190


On February 17 a baby boy was born to Mr. and Mrs. Willard McCardell (Edith Cook). Little Willard Junior may not be seen by his daddy for quite some time, unless a furlough can be arranged. But we can imagine there was considerable excitement in Willard's quarters when word reached him that he was again a father-this time of a nine-pound son and heir. Needless to say, we all share the happiness of the family in this "blessed event."
     Two young men in the uniform of the R.C.A.F. attended our service on Sunday, January 23. They were Alfred H. Hasen, AC, and Keith E. Niall, LAC, both from Kitchener, Ont. It was a real pleasure to have you with us, boys. Come again, if you have the opportunity!
     At our last monthly meeting, February 27, a letter from T/Sgt. John E. Lindrooth was read. Jack was our first member to be taken by the armed forces after war was declared, and we were glad indeed to hear from him. He told of his pleasure in receiving the material sent out by the Military Service Committee, and of his keeping informed of the doings of the Detroit group through these reports in NEW CHURCH LIFE. It had not occurred to us that in this way we were actually keeping in touch with our absent members, and it makes the job of preparing these reports seem very much more worth-while.
     Thanks, Jack, for this assurance and the lift it has given us. Although you are thousands of miles away, you are always with us at our meetings, and we are looking forward eagerly to the time when you, and the rest of our boys, will come marching home to us again. That will be a happy day for us all. May it come soon is our prayer.
     W. W. W.
PEACE 1944

PEACE              1944

     From "The Word Explained."

     "The Lord lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace." (Numbers 6: 26.)
     To lift up the countenance upon anyone is to see him from mercy, thus to exhibit grace to him.
     To give peace is to give His kingdom and all the felicity which belongs to His kingdom. Peace comprehends within itself ineffable things which man can never utter, nor in any way perceive in thought. For the kingdom of God Messiah consists in peace, and therefore peace is the kingdom of God Messiah, and so is God Messiah Himself.
     Gladness, tranquillity, etc., are not peace; they are below peace, and, compared to peace itself, are as it were nothing. In peace there is not the least of quiescence, but it is life itself. Yet it is signified by that rest into which the sons of God Messiah will enter.
     By the Divine mercy of God Messiah, it has been given me to experience something of this peace. But I sacredly testify that it can never be expressed by any tongue; for it is the complex of all felicities, with the fullest life, devoid of that life which is wont to rise up from concupiscences, pleasures of the body, care, anxiety about things to come. It is being in the bosom of God Messiah.
     (Latin: III: 6920-6925. English: 6861-6863.)

191


ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1944

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS              1944




     Announcements
     BRYN ATHYN, PA., APRIL 10-16, 1944.

Monday, April 10.

     8.00     p.m. Consistory.

Tuesday, April 11.

     10.00     am. Council of the Clergy.
     3.30     p.m. Educational Council: General Meeting.
               Address: Bishop George de Charms.
     8.00 p.m. Educational Council: General Meeting.

Wednesday, April 12.

     10.00     a.m. Council of the Clergy.
     10.30     a.m.     Educational Council: Panel Meetings.
     3.30     p.m.     Educational Council: General Meeting.

Thursday, April 13.

     10.00     a.m. Council of the Clergy.
     10.30     a.m.     Educational Council: Panel Meetings.
     3.30     p.m.     Educational Council: General Meeting.

Friday, April 14.
     10.00     a.m.     Council of the Clergy.
     10.30     a.m.     Educational Council: General Topics.
     3.30     p.m.     Educational Council: General Topics.
     3.30     p.m.     Executive Committee.
     7.00     p.m.     Society Supper, followed by:
     8.00     p.m.     Open Session of the Council of the Clergy.
               Address: Rev. Elmo C. Acton.

Saturday, April 13.

     10.00     a.m. Joint Council.
     3.30     p.m. Joint Council. (If required.)

Sunday, April 16.

     11.00     a.m. Divine Worship.

192


ACADEMY BOOK ROOM 1944

ACADEMY BOOK ROOM              1944

     Bibles.-At the present time we are unable to fill orders for the Bibles for Children and Student Bibles which we have hitherto carried in stock and advertised, as the publishers cannot supply them.
     Bible Pictures.-We now have on sale some new Pictures in Color of Old and New Testament subjects, as advertised on the cover of the present issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE.
     Academy Book Room,
          Bryn Athyn, Pa.
DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944



193



No. 5

NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
MAY, 1944
     V. A NEW CONCEPT OF THE WORD. (2)

     The traditional Christian idea of what the Word of God is may be summarized as follows: It is a direct message from God to man delivered through the prophets and the evangelists. That message, in its entirety, is contained in the Bible, or the collection of books recognized by common consent and approved by the Church Councils as being of Divine origin. As to what books are rightly to be included in the Bible there is a difference of opinion. The Protestant Bible contains thirty-nine books in the Old Testament, and twenty-seven books in the New Testament. The Catholic Bible, in addition to these, contains seven other books in the Old Testament. All are agreed, however, that nothing except what has been included in the Bible can rightly be called the 'Word.' The message is given in the form of history recording past events, and prophecy foretelling future events-both conceived as taking place on earth. Thus the Old Testament describes the creation of the world, the flood at the time of Noah, and the history of the descendants of Israel. It foretells the coming of the Messiah, the place and mode of His birth, and of His death. The New Testament recounts the incidents of the Lords life, and the early history of the Christian Church. It also prophesies the events connected with the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world. All of these were to be understood literally. In addition, the Word contains moral teachings, Divine Laws of conduct, and the key to a perfect social system.

194


It prescribes the forms of worship, and the modes of behavior that are regarded as essential to a genuine life of religion. Christians who are confirmed in this concept of the Word will of course deny the very possibility that a new Word could be given through Emanuel Swedenborg. But their judgment will be based, not on the ESSENCE of the Word, but on its FORM.
     In essence, the Word is the Lord Himself speaking or writing through the instrumentality of a man. Whatever the Lord speaks is the Word of God, regardless of the language or the modes of expression He may use. Through all the ages the Lord has spoken to men, and the form of His speech has varied in adaptation to the state and the need of the time, and according to the ability of men to understand. To every succeeding dispensation the Lord has spoken in a new way. He has given His Word in a new form-a form that was totally unexpected, and that produced a radical change in man's idea of the Word. In the Most Ancient Church there was individual open vision, and direct oral teaching by the Lord as the Angel of Jehovah. This teaching was passed on from man to man, and from generation to generation, by oral instruction. In the Ancient Church there was a tremendous change involved in the transition to a written Word consisting of correspondential parables. In the Jewish Church there was another radical departure in associating the Word with the actual history of a chosen people. With the coming of the Lord the form of the Word was again changed, and this so markedly that few of the Jews, accustomed to think of the Word only in terms of the Old Testament, could accept the Gospels as of Divine origin.
     When the Lord was on earth, He openly promised to come again, and to teach men in a new way; for He said: "These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly of the Father." (John 16: 25.) Even on the basis of the Lord's literal promise, therefore, Christians should look forward to a new kind of teaching. They should expect the Lord to give His Word in a new form. But, just as the Jews had formed such a preconceived idea of what the promised Messiah should be like that they failed to recognize Him when He came, so the Christian world today has formed so fixed an idea of what the Second Coming must be like, and of the way in which the Word must be given, that they are unable to see the Lord in the teaching of the Writings, or to recognize that what He there teaches is His Word.

195



     That the Word, when regarded as to its essence, is whatever the Lord speaks, is clear from the following teaching: "(The Word which was in the beginning with God, and which was God, does not mean) the Word regarded as to the words and letters of the languages in which it is written, but as seen in its essence and life, which is from within in the meaning of its words and letters. From this life the Word vivifies the affections of that man's will who reads it devoutly, and from the light of its life it enlightens the thoughts of his understanding; therefore it is said in John: 'In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.' (verse 4.) This constitutes the Word because the Word is from the Lord and concerning the Lord, and thus is the Lord. All thought, speech, and writing derive their essence and life from him who thinks, speaks, and writes; the man, with all that he is, being therein; but in the Word is the Lord alone." (A. R. 200.) Whether or not, therefore, any book may be regarded as the Word of God depends not at all upon the time when it was written nor on the form in which the writing is expressed. It depends entirely upon the answer to this simple question: "Is it the work of a man, the product of a human mind: or is it the Lord, acting through a man to express Divine Truth such as no human mind could possibly discover or imagine?"
     In regard to the Writings, the answer to this question will depend upon the power with which the truth there taught strikes the mind of the reader with a realization of its magnitude, its unanswerable logic, its complete harmony with the teaching of the former Scriptures, its infinite depth. When the wonder of the truth set forth in the Writings is seen, it is not hard to accept Swedenborg's own statement: "From the first day of my call I have not received anything that concerns the doctrines of this Church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word." (T. C. R. 779.) Indeed, it could not be otherwise, for no one but the Lord Himself could reveal the Divine and heavenly things there found. And if this is so, then the Writings must be the Lord speaking to us in a new way, even as He promised He would do, showing us plainly of the Father.

196


Can we possibly conceive that what the Lord thus speaks is not the Word of God?
     To acknowledge that the Writings are the Word does indeed require a radical change in our ordinary understanding of what the Word is. It does not alter our recognition that the Word is a direct message from God to men, but it implies a broader concept of how that message can be given, and of the forms in which it may be given. We must come to see that God's approach to man is not limited to the times of the prophets and evangelists, but that He may draw near to speak to men whenever the need demands it. We must come to see that the Lord's approach to man is not confined to the books included in the Bible, but that He has power to open a new path of communication, that He may lead men back to a spiritual faith when they have lost their way and wander helplessly in a wilderness of error and confusion.
     Furthermore, we must come to see that, whenever the Lord has spoken to men. His purpose has been, not to describe historic events, nor to teach scientific facts, but always to impart spiritual truth,-the truth concerning God and heaven, and the love and worship of God that leads to heaven. From the very beginning, although He had to speak in parables, and in terms of times and persons, places and events, thus in the form of history, yet back of this there lay a deeper meaning-a spiritual meaning having reference solely to the Lord and His Kingdom in heaven and on earth. This hidden meaning lay stored up in the earlier Scriptures, awaiting the time when the race was sufficiently advanced in knowledge and experience to understand it. Something of this meaning was perceived in every age. This was indeed the real essence of the Lord's message to each succeeding Church. Only a few general truths were seen by men on earth, but in greater fulness this spiritual meaning was perceived in heaven. It was the wisdom of the angels. This same inner meaning of the Word is what is now set forth in detail, expounded in rational language, in the Writings. For this reason the Writings are the very essential Word. They contain the very essence of the Lords teaching in all the Scriptures-that inner meaning whereof the wisdom of the Word, its holiness, and its Divinity consist.
     More than this, the Writings do not merely explain in human language the hidden things of the Word that had previously been understood only by the angels of heaven: they present new truth that had not been known, and that could not be known before, either in heaven or on earth.

197


This is the truth which the Lord first took to Himself the power to reveal by His life on earth and by the glorification of His Human. It is the truth concerning the immanent presence of God in nature, and how He creates, preserves, and perpetually governs the material universe. It is the truth concerning the relation between the two worlds-the spiritual and the natural worlds, and how the one affects the other. It is a revelation of the Lord's purpose in the creation of natural things, why they are created in the form and interrelation in which we find them, how they are intended to minister to the spiritual welfare of mankind, and how man can use them to promote that end. It is the truth that the life of religion consists, not in a personal love of Jesus as He who died for us on the cross, nor in stereotyped forms of ritual observance, nor in any social system, but in the love of this spiritual truth, to the end that we may use our God-given faculties, and utilize the objects and forces of our material environment for the furtherance of the Divine end in creation-that is, for the spiritual regeneration of the individual and the redemption of the race. The first essential of distinctiveness is to see that this truth, now made available in the Writings to both men and angels, is the very Word of God.
     The consequences of this concept of the Word are vast and boundless. It changes our whole idea of God, the mode whereby He came into the world, the purpose of His Advent, and what was accomplished thereby. It removes entirely the false idea of three persons in the Godhead, the mistaken belief that all men were condemned for the sin of Adam, and the erroneous doctrine of atonement by a vicarious sacrifice upon the cross. It gives us to see that there is only one Infinitely Human God, who Himself came into the world as Jesus Christ, not to make a vicarious atonement for past sins, but to remove the overpowering influence of hell, and set man free to think, to will, and to act in accord with the Divine Laws of life. It enables us to understand that the purpose of the Lord's Advent was to prepare the minds of men, in both worlds, for the rational revelation of those Laws which has now been given. It changes our whole idea of the Word, the purpose for which it was given, and the way in which it is to be interpreted.

198


We are given to see why it had first to be written in the form of parables, dark sayings, apparent history, and moral precepts, before the inner content of these could be openly revealed. And at the same time we come to realize that this inner meaning was the real message the Lord was seeking to impart, just so far as man was able to receive it.
     And finally, an acceptance of the Writings as the Word changes our whole concept of what is involved in the life of religion. It helps us to understand that religion is not a thing of the body. It is neither a representative act, nor the outward observance of any prescribed code of conduct. In its essence it is a love of the spiritual truth of the Word, leading to a search for an ever deeper understanding of that truth, and this solely to the end that we may learn how to use the manifold gifts of the Lord's creation for the eternal benefit of others, and for our own preparation to perform an everlasting use in heaven. There is no branch of human knowledge wherein this concept of the Word does not open for us a whole new world of investigation and discovery,-the discovery of a continuous chain of causes from the ultimates of nature back to God, the Infinite Creator and the First Cause of all. There is no field of human activity wherein this concept does not open new paths of endeavor, looking to the ultimate expression, in the uses of society, of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor, not by representative acts, but by the fulfillment of spiritual responsibilities. In this the true life of religion consists.

READING:     John 16: 12-25.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, Hymn 49, p. 471.


     VI.     A NEW GOAL OF EDUCATION.

     If, as pointed out in our last lecture, the Writings reveal a truth distinctly new and different from anything that has been known before, then, to establish that truth, a new education becomes imperative. Truth is the way of life, and the whole purpose of education is to teach men how to live. A fundamental change in our idea of how to live cannot but produce a corresponding change in our concept of education. It will not be merely a change in organization, nor in curriculum, nor in pedagogical method and classroom procedure.

199


It will be a change in the goal toward which education is directed-a new orientation of all teaching. This cannot fail to affect profoundly every phase of the educational process.
     That which is new in the teaching of the Writings is the concept there given of what Truth is, and how it is to be discovered. In ancient times the only truth that was known or needed was that which was revealed in the Word of God. "The men of the Most Ancient Church were indeed aware of the external objects relating to their bodies and the world, but did not care for them, perceiving in all the objects of sense something Divine and celestial. (A. C. 920.) ". . . they looked at earthly objects, they did not think about them at all, but only about the things which they signified and represented. These were most delightful to them, for they were such things as are in heaven, from which they see the Lord Himself." (A. C. 1122.) ". . . The Ancients, after the flood, from traditions and collected accounts, knew that visible objects were significative, and therefore held them to be holy. . . . They did not worship outward things, but by means of outward things remembered inward." (A. C. 2722.) Thus it was spiritual truth, concerning God and eternal life, that they sought. No other truth than this was desired or considered of any value.
     In classical times, when the spiritual understanding of the Word had perished, men thought of truth as something to be discovered by abstract reasoning. Men hoped to derive it by a logical deduction from axiomatic principles, seen a priori, or from within. It was not based upon factual knowledge. This was merely used to confirm and illustrate.
     In modern times, men have thought of truth as something that can be established only on the basis of scientific proof. It is to be discovered, not by deduction a priori from a preestablished principle, nor by a preconceived idea, but by reasoning a posteriori, or from the evidence of known facts. It is regarded as a summation of knowledge, a concatenation of facts, a generalization more nearly approaching the truth as our fund of knowledge increases in volume and in minute accuracy. Truth thus fabricated by painstaking observation, checked and rechecked by repeated experiment, testified by universal experience, it is now thought is the only reliable truth man can know.

200



     Spiritual things-the imponderables of the human mind and spirit which cannot be subjected to the same indisputable tests-remain therefore outside the category of truth. They are regarded as personal opinions, often exerting a powerful influence on human thought and progress; but they have no inherent authority. Revelation is regarded merely as the historic record of those religious ideas which have been most widely accepted, most persistent through the ages, the best and most influential of man's speculative thought in his struggle to find a satisfying answer to the problems of life.
     Up to the present time, therefore, the prevailing idea has been that there is only one foundation of truth, and the concept of what this foundation is has shifted in succeeding ages. In the Ancient Church, it was the Word of God. To this, human reason was subordinated, merely playing the role of interpreter. Factual knowledge was but incidental, being valued only so far as it served to represent spiritual things, and thus reflect the light of truth. - In classical times, the intellectual faculty, pure reason, was regarded as the final arbiter of truth. The remnant of the Ancient Word, distorted by superstition, was no longer considered as an authoritative source of truth by thinking men. Factual knowledge was still secondary and regarded as utilitarian. In modern times. Nature alone is acknowledged to be the sure foundation of truth.
     But the Writings declare that there are two foundations of truth,-the Word of God on the one hand, and Nature on the other. (S. D. 5709, 5710.) Human reason, being ever prone to error is incapable of discovering truth, unaided. In regard to material things, the errors of reason can be checked and corrected by accurate scientific observation and analysis. In regard to spiritual things, similarly the errors of reason can be corrected by the direct teaching of Revelation. But rational truth, now for the first time brought within the range of man's understanding, is the Divinely established relation between natural and spiritual things, and, in the last analysis, the relation of both to God. That this relation is to be made known by the Lord at His Advent is clear from the teaching in T. C. R. 200. There, in reference to Isaiah 19: 23-25, concerning a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, with Israel a blessing in the midst of the land, we are told: "In the spiritual sense this means that at the time of the Lord's coming, the scientific, the rational, and the spiritual will make one, and that the scientific will then serve the rational, and both the spiritual."

201



     Always in the past the dominant concept of truth has given the directive impulse to education. In ancient times, and wherever the idea has been preserved that the Word of God is the sole foundation of truth, education has been primarily religious. It has been under the government of the Church. Where this light has failed-even in Christian lands-education has become speculative, intellectual, and humanistic. Its foundations were laid in abstract philosophy. When this proved erroneous and unproductive, ending in barren scholasticism, men turned to nature in their search for truth. Then education was divorced from the Church, and became secularized. It was centered in the discovery, classification, and transmission of factual knowledge, and in the skillful application of that knowledge to the needs and desires of earthly society. Religious education, conceived as indoctrination in some chosen faith, was set apart in a category by itself. But the concept of truth given in the Writings demands that religious education and secular education be brought together. The two foundations of truth must be seen in just relation to one another, in order that rational truth may emerge. There must he unfailing devotion both to ultimate fact and to spiritual verity. For, as we read in D. L. W. 416: There is natural love and there is spiritual love. The man who is in natural and at the same time in spiritual love is a rational man." A genuine understanding of Revelation and an accurate knowledge of nature must be combined in a perfect and harmonious unity, if we are to understand truly how to live. The key to this conjunction between the two foundations of truth is now given for the first time in the history of the world in the Divine teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine. It could not be given before because the human race was not prepared to receive it.
     The impact on education of this new concept of truth is revolutionary. Let it be well noted that neither in nature nor in Divine Revelation are we given a ready-made answer to the questions that puzzle our minds. Just as knowledge must be gathered from Nature by a slow process of devoted observation, experiment, and analysis, so also must knowledge be gathered from the Word by persistent study, comparison of passages, and the gradual formulation of genuine doctrine.

202



     Each of these-Nature and the Word-is a specialized field of exploration. Some men are called by their innate gifts and faculties to one field, and some to the other. Scientific knowledge must be constantly expanded and corrected by reference to careful observation and experience. And spiritual knowledge must be continually enriched and checked by painstaking reference to the authoritative teachings of Revelation. The theologian must devote himself primarily to his chosen realm, and the scientist to his. But each is dependent upon the other. Neither one, by himself, can discover that rational truth which is seen to be the common goal of all learning,-the truth that teaches us how we must live, how we must use both spiritual and natural knowledge to promote the genuine welfare of mankind.
     If this is clearly seen, and if both religious and secular teachers are inspired by a desire to search out this truth as the only reliable guide to practical living, then will they work in harmony. Neither will seek to dominate the other, but each will contribute his share to the attainment of the common goal. Their fields of study will be diverse, but the Truth they are seeking will be the same. It will be both spiritually true and scientifically accurate. It will be the spiritual truth about nature, revealing the cause, purpose, and use of all things. All teachers will then be united by a common love-the love of seeking the relation of natural things to spiritual things, and of all creation to the Divine. From the self-evidencing reason of that love, the light of rational truth will arise.
     Nature also, rightly conceived, is the Word of God. He who created the world is He who spoke the Word. The laws of nature also are the laws of God. For this reason, those who study the sciences are seeking to understand and interpret the Word of God just as truly as those who study the Sacred Scripture or the Writings. There cannot but be absolute harmony between the truth of Nature and the truth of Revelation. To discover that harmony is to see living Truth,-the Truth of life. It is to see the Divinely intended use of all the objects and all the forces of nature. And it is to see the application to human need of all the principles of Revelation. This is to see the Love and the Wisdom of God actually at work in His creation. And this is the vision of God as immanently, livingly present in His Divine Human.

203



     To inspire the all-dominant love of truth as thus conceived, to turn the minds of each generation in search thereof, to enkindle a determination to make that truth the governing power in all things of human life-this is the goal of New Church Education. So far as this goal is achieved, it will bring men into the Kingdom of God, that is, under the government of Divine Truth.
     We cannot accomplish this end through the education of the day. Modern education, divorced from religion, based solely on factual knowledge, directed toward the utilization of that knowledge to satisfy the natural needs and desires of men-without regard to its relation to the Divine end of creation, which is a heaven from the human race-this does not open the minds of children and young people to truth. For the sake of minute and accurate study, science has cut the world into little pieces called "subjects," "branches of learning," "fields of investigation," "specialized sciences." Each piece is isolated, carefully demarked and set apart. In each a technical language is developed, incomprehensible to the uninitiated, insomuch that even learned men in other fields are baffled by it. As a well-known scientist said recently, when we converse with those in other branches of learning "we simply talk past each other." (Mackay, A Preface to Christian Theology, p. 15.)
     This piecemeal scientific knowledge, however efficiently transmitted in the classroom, affords no adequate basis for an understanding of life, or how to live As President Hutchins of Chicago University points out, this kind of teaching "presents an atomistic instead of a planetary world. It lacks a great central, luminous, integrating idea to give it meaning and direction." (Ibid., p. 14.) Nor can religious teaching, given separately merely as another specialized branch of knowledge, unrelated in any organic sense to secular instruction, supply this need for integration. The result is, that while knowledge is imparted in abundance, with admirable accuracy, the truth concerning that knowledge-what it is for, and how it should be used-is not seen. On the contrary, the minds of the students are turned away from the idea of truth as a unified world-view, such as might give significance to the isolated particulars of human experience. Rather are they encouraged to believe that, if enough knowledge is accumulated, the tiny pieces of a world that has been reduced to a jig-saw puzzle will fall into their proper places of themselves and yield a perfect picture of what life should be.

204



     This is the reason why faith in the Writings as a new Word of Revelation from God, given to build among men a new world of human life, must produce its own education. it is the reason why that education must be distinctive throughout-not merely by the addition of a different kind of religious instruction to the secular education of the world. The difference must lie, not in new methods ingeniously devised, but in a new goal, a new vision of the truth that is to be taught-a new concept of the end and purpose that underlies every subject on the curriculum. It must be an education wherein the teachers of religion and the teachers of secular subjects are thinking together, both searching for the same truth, and endeavoring to impart to their students that vision of Truth that will bring into harmony the knowledge of nature and the knowledge of the Word.
     Such an institution, even in its small beginnings, is a university. Although not in fact, yet in spirit and in aspiration, it embraces all Truth and every field of learning. It reaches out to meet the needs of every type of human mind. For it deals with life-that life of which every human being is a recipient vessel and a living organ. It can be neither a religious education nor a secular education, as these are commonly understood, but both united as they have never been united before, in the search for that spiritual-natural truth now offered in the Writings as the goal of all man's learning. As we conceive it, such is the essentially distinctive quality of that New Church Education envisioned by the Founders of the Academy.

READING:     Isaiah 19: 18-25.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, Doxologies 19, p. 400, and 17, p. 398.


     (To be concluded in the next issue.)

205


USES OF DOUBT 1944

USES OF DOUBT       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1944

     "Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before Thee!" (Genesis 17: 17, 18.)

     Abraham was old, and his wife had borne him no children. His possessions had become great, and he had long wished for a son to inherit them. When he was yet childless, and had no other heir than his steward, the Lord had promised him a son. (Genesis 15: 2-4.) In due course, Ishmael had been born of Hagar, Sarah's bondwoman. (Genesis 16: 15.) But now the Lord had said that this should not be his heir, because Sarah would yet bear him a son. The wish of Abraham's lifetime was to be granted. Yet in the very moment the promise was given he was moved to doubt whether it could possibly be fulfilled, because of the great ages of Sarah and himself; he being a hundred, and she ninety years old.
     A similar thing had happened before. The Lord, who had brought him out of Ur of the Chaldees into the land of Canaan, had told him that he would inherit this land in which he was yet a sojourner. Abraham had earnestly desired to believe in the promise, but on that occasion also he had been given to harbor a doubt-not as one who denied, but as one who accepted, yet desired to be fully assured-and to ask of the Lord: "Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" (Genesis 15: 5-8.) In each of these instances, the circumstances in which the Lord's promise was given were providentially such that there was room for doubt-the doubt that leads eventually to confirmation of the truth by means of thought and reflection.
     Similar occurrences are recorded in other parts of the Word. The most notable of these is connected with the miracles in Egypt. These miracles were performed, both to compel Pharaoh to let the people go and to induce them to believe in the Lord.

206


Yet although there was imperative need that both the Egyptians and the sons of Israel should believe in the miracles, Pharaohs magicians were permitted to imitate many of them. Thereby doubt was excited among the Israelites as to whether the miracles wrought by Aaron were Divine and the teaching of the Writings is, that the magical miracles were allowed for that very reason, namely, that an opportunity was thus given them of thinking and considering whether the Aaronic miracles were Divine, and of finally confirming themselves that they were. It may be supposed that Abraham was permitted to doubt for a similar reason, although there is no direct statement to that effect.
     This conception of doubt, as serving the use of leading to confirmation of truth by stimulating active thought and reflection is plainly taught in the Writings, which develop it in this way. It is according to the laws of order, they say, that no one ought to be persuaded about truths in a moment; that is, no one should so confirm truths instantaneously as to have no doubt whatsoever. The reason given is that the truth which is so impressed upon the mind becomes persuasive, and is devoid both of extension and of yielding quality: wherefore it is represented in the other life as hard, and as incapable of so admitting good as to be applicable to life. And the teaching continues, that because this is the case, the presentation of truth before good spirits by manifest experience is followed soon afterwards by the insinuation into their minds of something opposite which causes doubt. In this way, the teaching concludes, it is given them to think about it, and to consider whether it he so, to collect reasons, and thus to bring that truth rationally into their minds. And by this there is effected an extension in the spiritual sight in respect to that particular truth, even to its opposites, whereby the mind sees and perceives all the quality of the truth, and thence can admit influx from heaven according to states. (See A. C. 7298:2.)
     The same principle operates in temptations. In them, as is well known, there must be doubt,-and this almost negative-as to the end, and as to the presence and mercy of the Lord. And the use served by this doubt is just that which is indicated in the teaching we have been considering. If the man foreknew the end, and was manifestly aware of the presence and mercy of the Lord, he would simply be persuaded of these things, and would think no more about them.

207


His ideas concerning them would be limited to his first conception, and would therefore become fixed. But because there is doubt, he must think and reflect deeply on his experiences in the light of doctrine; and thereby he may confirm that the Lord is present, and is merciful, and at the same time infill his first ideas, and so suffer his thought to be extended.
     As an instrument in true intellectual development, doubt therefore has important uses. But if our thought concerning it is not to become confused, if there is to be no sinking from misunderstanding into notions that are entirely false, several important distinctions must be carefully noted. In the first place, doubt is not superior to true faith. "The familiar proverb, that there is "more faith in honest doubt than in half the creeds." is misleading precisely because it is a half-truth. Sincere doubt may often be preferable to the blind, irrational faith insisted upon by certain sections of the Old Church. But confirmed skepticism is not better than a rational faith, nor is it characteristic of true intelligence: and the danger is, that this saying may be so used as to suggest that the doubting mind is of a higher quality than the one which gives allegiance to any creed. That this is not so, is plainly taught in the Writings.
     Doubt, we are taught is never a mark of wisdom, but is a state that may precede it; and true wisdom has not been attained until all doubt has been dispersed. In itself, doubt is neither good nor bad. It is simply a sign that man will either affirm or deny the truth of the Word later, according as he inclines to a life of good or of evil. But it always comes in an unregenerate state, or before regeneration is complete. It is the natural man who places truth in doubt, and reasons whether it is so, never the spiritual man: and it is when the things of this world dominate in the mind over those of heaven that truths are doubted. Doubts are insinuated by the spirits adjoined to man, indeed, when his thought is only in truth, and this to the end that the truth may be confirmed, and so be brought into conjunction with good. But it is only when these doubts are dispersed by reasons and the truth affirmed, that conjunction is effected. Thus we may see that, while doubt is an important means of developing the understanding, the state in which it serves this use is one that precedes rebirth.

208



     We must be clear, also, as to what may, and may not, be properly doubted. For it is taught in the Writings that we are not to doubt the things of faith because we do not understand the causes operating in them, or because they do not seem to agree with the appearances we have observed, when yet they are truths because the Lord has spoken them. It is a fact, of course, that only that which we understand is true for us, and becomes a part of our individual faith. But this does not mean that we are to doubt the truth of the infinite things in the Writings that we do not understand. The criterion of truth must not be our personal estimate of whether a thing is likely to be true, but whether the Lord has spoken it. And if He has, it must be accepted as a truth, whether it can yet become a part of our personal faith or not; and if it cannot, the difficulty must be acknowledged sincerely to be in ourselves. We may experience doubt as to bow the truth is to be understood and applied, or as to the way in which it is true. But that it is a truth should not be a matter of doubt. Thus, in the General Church, we discuss freely how the teachings of the Writings are to be understood and applied, and often differ in our opinions; but we would not dream of discussing, and still less of arguing, whether the teachings themselves are true.
     What is involved here is the fact that there is an affirmative doubt and a negative one. The distinction between these two must be clearly seen, for all uses pertain to the former, and it is the latter against which we are warned in the Word,-in such passages as that in which the Lord charges His disciples to "have faith, and doubt not." (Matthew 21: 21.) The forces of the spiritual world inflow into the human mind continually. Good spirits and angels inspire ceaselessly what is affirmative, and evil spirits as constantly insinuate what is negative; and from these two influxes arise, we are told, two universal principles, one leading to all intelligence and wisdom, the other to all insanity. (A. C. 2568:4, 2588:2.)
     These principles are called in the Writings the "affirmative" and the "negative"; and the latter is, first to doubt, and then deny all things, that is, to say in the heart that we cannot believe them until we are convinced by what we can apprehend, see, and touch. Those who are in this principle, we are told, are such as incline to a life of evil; and although they do not think so, they would not be convinced even if they could be given the proofs they demand; for they would always form new negative reasonings, no matter how strong the weight of evidence contributed by reason, knowledge, and sense-experience.

209


The other principle is to affirm what is of doctrine from the Word, to think and believe within one's self that it is true because the Lord has spoken it. Those whose minds are being formed by this principle may be in doubt before they affirm; but they are such as incline to a life of good, and as they suffer themselves to be bent to that life by the Lord, so do they affirm the truths of faith whenever they think about them. And it should be noted that Thomas belonged to this class, for he doubted before he affirmed (John 20: 24-28); and as he was afterwards taken into heaven, it is evident that he inclined to a life of good.
     In the Divine Providence, everyone is kept during childhood in an affirmative belief that what is said by parents and teachers is true; and with those who become spiritual men, this affirmative is confirmed later by scientifics and knowledges. But with the rest doubts are afterwards admitted. The affirmative of what is good and true is thus broken, and when they become adults they admit negative things. Not that the affirmation of truth involves that the things of faith should simply be believed without rational sight. Such blind faith is hurtful; and lest it be entered into by those who can become spiritual, doubts, and sometimes even negative things, are excited by the spirits adjoined to them, whereby they are enabled to affirm the truth rationally as the affection of truth prevails with them. But those who are in the affirmative consult scientifics differently from those who are in the negative. They use them to confirm truths, and thus to strengthen their faith,-accepting those which affirm truths, and rejecting those which do not,-and therefore allow truth to rule. And indeed it is only when man has been confirmed, and is thus in the affirmative, that it is allowable for him to confirm the truth of faith by scientifics; for he then rejects fallacious scruples, and, without denying it, puts on one side what he does not understand.
     From these teachings we may draw certain conclusions. It is not permissible for us to doubt whether the teachings of the Writings are true but we may, and should doubt, whether we understand them and see their application clearly. The Writings contain an inexhaustible store of infinite Divine Truth.

210


Consequently, the man who instantly affirms his first understanding of any doctrine, and closes his mind to any other understanding, whose views on that subject are henceforth crystallized, and who never examines them but merely restates them, cannot advance into the interiors of any truth. His thought has no extension, but is limited to, and by, his first conception.
     If, on the other hand, the mind is kept open, new ideas may introduce doubts. But these very doubts can lead to a reconsideration of the whole problem,-to further reading, study, and reflection and thereby to confirmation in the truth and to a concept of wider extension. As all mental development is through ascending appearances of truth, this is the only way of progress; and to assist it is the use for the sake of which doubt is permitted to exist, We come as near as we may to truth itself only by penetrating successive veilings, and this must involve states of doubt.
     But only affirmative doubt can assist true intellectual development. Because Divine Truth cannot be demonstrated to the bodily senses, negative doubt can lead only to materialism and atheism, And there can be little question that negative doubt is dominant in this age. Science has been ostensibly most careful not to invade the realm of theology, but it has very subtly permeated modern thought with the suggestion that nothing can be true in any province of life which cannot be scientifically demonstrated. Against this the New Church must fight-not without meeting certain temptations. The result of the prevailing materialism is, that it is considered smart and sophisticated to doubt and then deny, but simple and credulous to affirm the truth of the Word and doubt only one's understanding of it. And people do not like to be regarded as simple and credulous, even New Church people! But we must learn to withstand these temptations, realizing that the amused pity of the skeptic can hurt only our proprium, and that the way of affirmation in simple trust is the way to wisdom of life. Amen.

LESSONS:     Genesis 17: 1-20. John 20: 19-31. A. C. 7298:2.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 581, 517, 570.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 98, 178.

211


THOUGHT AND SPEECH 1944

THOUGHT AND SPEECH       DAVID F. GLADISH       1944

     Nowhere but in the Writings of Swedenborg can we find any valid attempt to explain the operation of the mysterious, but seemingly automatic, processes of thinking and speaking.
     There is a passage in the Spiritual Diary which seems to me to be the propaedeutic to the whole subject. In it Swedenborg begins with the consideration of abstract reflection, and quickly gives it a physical subject, most aptly illustrating with what are valuable fruits of his own reflections, on subjects ranging upwards from the muscular habits needed for walking to a precise plan of the mental habit needed to promote appreciation of the wonders of Providence in everything that comes to our notice. I quote the passage in full:

     On continual reflection, and the continual presence
          of the Lord with the angels. On spheres.

     4226. It was first perceived how the case is with continual reflection, that it is not innate with man, but is imbued by habit from infancy, so that at length it becomes as if natural. Thus it is, for instance, as I have before remarked, with reflection upon the things a man meets with in walking, upon the motions of his body and members, upon his gait, into all of which he is led by habit; for unless he had learned it, he would never be able to walk upon his feet; and there are many such things with man that are at once acquired and made natural. So also it is with his speech whether his vernacular or other languages; the sense falls into words, while the man does not think of it, from custom; yet he had to learn it; so also it is with those who practice on musical instruments. All things of the external body are thus imbued, the muscles being wonderfully taught, and also the sight and hearing. When one speaks, then the sight is present, as also the hearing in various manner. When he speaks with a person of dignified rank, there is respect in every item of his behavior, which is in like manner acquired. It is the same with a man who is regenerating, as was perceived; in those things which are of conscience, his conscience is present in every least thing which he thinks and does, though he is not aware of it; with the pious man, piety is present in everything; with the obedient, obedience is present in everything; if he has charity, charity is present in everything; if he has conjugial love, that love is in everything. In each case it is present, although the man is not aware of it. In like manner is the presence of the Lord with the celestial angels; although they do not know it, still it is the Lord's presence.

212


When, therefore, it is said that one is to think continually of the Lord, this is what is meant; not that a man is so to hold his thoughts continually and sensibly, which, however, can be done in the beginning, and even until he is gifted with such a continuity. Hence now the spheres of faith.

     Now a passage like this may seem, on a casual reading, to say little that is not thoroughly known. It speaks of familiar habits and mentions facts which we cannot deny. But when it is considered further, we begin to feel that, in spite of our complete acceptance of the familiar phenomena, we have not previously known how to 'reflect' upon them to equally wise conclusions. There is in the number quoted a simple but universal rule for all human operations, namely, that a ruling state with man is perpetually present in every least particular, though the man is not conscious of it. This applies to all the manifestations of our reactions to the inflowing life from the Lord. Without these constantly inflowing powers, we receptacles could do nothing-could not speak, could not think even an accustomed trite thought.
     The passage quoted also gives a clew to the operation of thought and speech with man, for it states that "the sense (of the thought) falls into words." It also indicates that, in speaking, man calls upon his laboriously developed habit of speech, but without reflecting upon the fact that he does so.
     Elsewhere in the Writings we find that there are two distinct kinds of thought, called "speaking thought" and "thought not speaking." For, as Swedenborg points out, we can think more in a moment than we can speak in a considerable period of time. "Thought not speaking" is by means of ideas, not words: and the ideas are elements of the "universal language" that is common to all men and spirits. Spirits speak that universal language, and men have their interior thought in it; and as soon as men become spirits, after the death of the gross body, they come into the easy and untaught use of it.

     Thought and Affection.-Thinking is strictly according to affection with man. (H. H. 236.) Affections in abundance are perpetually offered to man,-good ones from good spirits, evil ones from evil spirits; and human freedom lies right at this peak of consciousness, where man may select an affection to his liking.

213


Providence affords each man a spate of available affections from which to choose, and yet most marvelously controls the supply to the benefit of the man, and without hindrance to his complete freedom to cooperate in his own regeneration, or to condemn himself, if that is what he wants.
     An interesting sidelight is, that no two men are offered identical affections, nor entirely equal quantities of them. Some have the genius to use better or worse ones, some to use more or fewer of them. Men are by no means created equal, nor are they equally supplied after their creation; but if they cooperate, they are furnished with every affection and knowledge and experience necessary to develop their fullest capabilities to their potential zenith. And further, each man is prepared for a use which no one else can so adequately perform, to eternity. This would indicate that it behooves a man to try in every reasonable way to discover his own best capabilities; or, maybe it is more essential that he explore his peculiar limitations.
     The impingement of an affection upon a man's consciousness is a thought, in his mind. He is not conscious of the affection, per se, but he can consider the thought of which the prompting affection might be spoken of as the "soul." The affection, in this analogy, is the soul of the resulting thought. The affection comes to man by means of spirits. And therefore the soul of a man's thought may be regarded as having spiritual extense, and as reaching its ultimate, or its natural body, in the man's thought. At the same time, life from the Lord flows in to give the man the ability to be conscious of the thought, and to be able to reflect upon it with his interior thought. Swedenborg explains that man has a higher and a lower thought, and that if he had not, he would be but little better than a beast. He must be able both to entertain a thought and to give it rational consideration.
     There are many benefits to us in the conscious realization that every moment there is available to us all we can use of good and of evil affections, either to stimulate or to goad our thoughts. We may well apply the advice given in the quoted number from the Diary, and persist in this thought "even until we are gifted with such a continuity." For if we will but realize clearly and rationally-as all New Churchmen admit in principle-that we are not able to entertain so much as a single thought, or single affection, without its being supplied us immediately through spirits, from the Lord, then only will we select the affections for our thoughts with a care that they are good ones; and then we may approach a little the delight which Swedenborg felt when he realized that he thought nothing from himself, and could thus reflect upon the things which were introduced into his thought. (S. D. 1911.)

214



     There is another cycle to be considered in the process of thinking, as outlined in the Arcana: "Such is the perennial circle with man that everything of knowledge is insinuated through the sight or hearing into the thought, and thence into the will, and from the will through the thought into the act. From the memory, also, which is like an internal eye or an internal sight, there is a similar circle, namely, from that sight through the thought into the will, and from the will through the thought into the act." (A. C. 4247:2.) As we have before stated that "thinking is strictly according to affection,' we should correlate this with the circle just described, beginning from the sight or the hearing, or I suppose from any of the five senses, or from the memory. We have only to realize that we see or hear or otherwise sensate many more items than we have the affection for, to make us conscious of them all. Thus while thought is excited from without through the senses or the memory, we still think according to our affections, similarly excited thereby. For we read in the Arcana: "I was instructed that all things of thought inflow from within, but not from without, although it appears so; and it was said to me that it is contrary to order that what is posterior should inflow into what is prior, or what is grosser into what is purer, thus that the body should inflow into the soul." (A. C. 3219.)
     So much for the affections, which should take precedence in any mental activity with man. Parenthetically I must mention the statement that with some, who are like the celestial angels, speech can be directly from the affections without intermediate thought processes, and that it is much more full and complete. (S. D. 4670, etc.)

     The Universal Language.-A consideration of the universal language is needed as a preliminary to a collation of the facts we have in regard to both speech and thought. There is a series in the Spiritual Diary, not entirely in number order, which makes clear its use and operation.

215




     "The speech of spirits is from the ideas of the speaking thought, which ideas with man are devoid of words; for when a man is speaking, he thinks only of the sense of the thing concerning which he is speaking, and that sense falls into words. That thought which is speaking or exterior, when divided into ideas, presents the speech of spirits, and it is from the interior natural memory." (S. D. 5588; See A. C. 6987.)
     "Spiritual speech is such as is the interior thought of man, without words of human speech; for man thinks without them, on which account he comprehends a thousand things in a moment. This thought becomes speech in the other life, and indeed with all" (S. D. 5102.)
     "All languages derive their origin from the speech of spirits." "The speech of spirits is a universal speech, and from it all languages arose, and were as if born." "The speech of angels, which is still more universal, is, as it were, the mother of the speech of spirits." (S. D. 2137-2139.)
     "It follows that there is a still more universal speech, namely, of the more interior and the inmost heaven, which is not intelligible to the angels of the interior heaven, still less to spirits and men." (S. D. 2140.)
     "Hence it is now evident that the Lord alone is Speech (Serino) and the Word, because from Him are all things." (S. D. 2141.)
     And there is a further revelation of the universal language in Heaven and Hell: "A speech like that in the spiritual world is implanted in every man, but in his interior intellectual part. But because that speech with man does not fall into words analogous to affection, as it does with angels, man is not aware that he is in it. Yet it is because of this that, when man comes into the other life, he is in the same speech with the spirits and angels there, and that he know-s how to speak so without anyone teaching him." (H. H. 243.)

     In short, then, the universal language, in its lowest form, is man s most interior and highest thought. Each word a spirit uses is a whole idea for us, with all its indagation of collateral subjects and knowledges. And surely we will be best prepared for congenial conversation in the spiritual world, if we have habitually selected the highest of our affections to kindle our thoughts while we are still in this vale of tears.

     Organics.-Of course, the operations of man's mind, being organic, must follow the laws of mechanics, though the processes are so subtle that I can only see a vague outline, from the wealth of instruction given in the Writings. It is clearly stated that an affection, in the mind, changes the slate of the cortical substance in the brain, and that a thought is a change of form of a cortical cell or cells. To speculate about these statements: Could not the change of state, from an affection (and affections have connotations of warmth), be like a melting of the cortical substance affected?

216


Then the malleable cell would have to change form, and take on a form impressed upon it by the shape of the contiguous substances. As a result, the form, or the thought, would be conditioned by all the knowledge, prejudice and personality of the man. For we know that every man's thought is modified by all that is peculiarly his.
     I base these speculations upon such statements as these: "No thought is possible unless a change of state is induced upon the substance." (W. E. 927.) "All the operations of the mind are variations of form, which variations in the purer substances are in such perfection that they cannot be described: the ideas of thought are nothing else; and those variations exist according to the changes of the state of the affections." (A. C. 6326.) And there are many similar passages.

     Two Classes of Thought.-We have noted above that there are both "speaking thought" and "thought not speaking." These two classes are needed, because the two kinds of thought are quite different. "Speaking thought" is a lower, grosser, and much less inclusive form of thought, whereas "thought not speaking" is in a sense purer, more refined, and more subtle, though its content may be vile with those who are interiorly evil. "Speaking thought," of course, is the thought that is adapted to the relatively gross and general communication between man and man. "Thought not speaking" includes our rational thinking, our too infrequent flights of fancy, and our deep consideration of correspondences, if and when we indulge ourselves in that luxury.
     In the Apocalypse Explained we read: "Active thought, which is of the understanding, corresponds to the speech which is of the mouth; . . . the action of the thought into the speech and the organs of speech is influx." (A. E. 1080.) Thus there seems to be an exquisite correspondence between, or similarity in operation of, the influx of affection to form thought and the influx of thought into the organs of speech to produce speech of the mouth. But this influx can produce speech only when the man has prepared his organs by long training to the habit of speech. Man can never receive these influxes except into an organism that has been long and tediously prepared by his constant cooperation.

217



     Here I would note a few of the many admonitions given in the Writings from which we can better direct our thoughts on the subject before us:
     A rational man is one who thinks the good and truth of faith. They who think what is evil and false are insane. (A. C. 1914.)
     All who have loved uses think sanely in their spirits. (Div Love XV: 3.)
     When a man shuns evils because they are sins against God, he is taught by the Lord every day what to do and to speak. (A. E. 825.)
     We are to think from general principles, and thus view particulars. (S. D. 4392.)
     To think from ends is of wisdom; to think from causes is of intelligence to think from effects is of knowledge. (D. L. W. 202.)
     The end is the first of speech, . . . the thought is the second, and thence flows the speech of words. A man who attends to the speech of another does not attend to the words of the speech, but to the sense; . . . and he who is wise attends to the end (that is, the intent or the purpose). (A. C. 9407.)
     And I recall the gist of two observations that seem to be in lighter vein: The presence of a spirit who was in the itch to speak about everything caused an uncomfortable feeling of cold in Swedenborg's left nostril, as though a cold wind were blowing. (S. D. 5143). And it is said that sensuous men reason sharply and skillfully, because their thought is near their speech and almost in it. (T. C. R. 565.)

     Method of Study.-Now this paper started with the didactic statement that there is only one place to find an explanation of thought and speech. No New Churchman would dispute that. All the citations from the Writings given above should tend to prove that so abstruse a theme can only be illuminated through the pages of Revelation.
     But my study of the subject began with a search of exoteric books rather than the esoteric books of the Writings. I realized, of course, that the doctrine bearing upon these subjects would be available in the Writings, but I mistakenly presumed that, if I wanted to obtain detailed, scientific information pertaining to thought and speech origins, I should have to lay a groundwork of worldly knowledge concerning it, and later assimilate that mass with a digestant of principles from the Writings. No plan could have been less practical.
     My search began with a reading of many books on psychology. I read slowly and carefully at first, and then faster and faster as it dawned on me that the authors, Gestalt and otherwise, were patently avoiding any deductions that might be condemned by that fearful adjective 'metaphysical.'

218


I took my problem to the Crerar Library in Chicago, and they dealt me out a tray of cards, each of which denoted a volume on thought or speech from some angle of consideration. I skimmed dozens of them, and found such ingenuous gems as these: "Thinking is speech without sound." "Of the 124 cases examined. 97 were found to be without imagery, the rest included images." "Before we can advance in philosophy, we must accept the fact that we think in words, and in words only." This latter statement I could not accept, nor, indeed, much of their philosophy, though they have most intriguing compilations of scientific data. And I found that psychiatry is too much concerned with its own mental troubles to worry about where thoughts, in total, hail from.
     Eventually it occurred to me that the philosophers should have the answers. For information on sources of thought and speech I skimmed the works of a dozen or so of the philosophers, ranging from Aristotle to Korzybski, through the ages, and including Bacon, Spinoza, Locke, Kant, Rousseau. Voltaire, Bellamy, Descartes, and even Adam Smith. Many of them I had read before, but I now did so with my attention cocked to any mention of where we get our thoughts, or what boils them down into words. Nowhere in this field did I find any answer to my questions, though I found much that was of extreme interest. Aristotle, for instance, used all the right technique in his thinking; and his conclusions, it seems to me were all that any man could reach, lacking Revelation. Kant's reasoning is stimulating to follow, especially the chapter in his Critique on the Transcendental Aesthetic, but we would starve for spiritual food if dependent on his victuals. Locke is more correct than many, and shows the comparative liberty permitted in his country at the time of his writing.
     Though I found most of the philosophers very interesting, I feel about most of them as Huck Finn and Jim did about their pseudo-royal companions on the raft. Maybe that is a harsh judgment, because they worked under terrible handicaps of superstition. Yet none of the oldtimers had to combat a superstition quite so prevalent and sinister as the present widespread belief that nothing exists unless it can be detected by the gross physical senses, and be compassed by man's untaught mental peregrinations. But I was amazed at the instability of the foundations upon which the philosophers build.

219


In most cases the man's ego prevents him from acknowledging a God, and so he has no firm start for his system. He cannot guide us to a heaven, because he does not believe in one, and so has no destination toward which to work. At best, he can only give us a description, or rather a description, of our mid-section.
     But there is in the human make-up an urge to philosophize, and an occasional individual is worthy of the training and the latitude to practice it. The only existing seat of learning providing an education for it is the Academy College and Theological School at Bryn Athyn, and from there it can, and does, progress to the limit of the abilities of the graduate. Many of our young men of scientific bent have overlooked the best possible training for their work.
     The trouble with all well-known philosophies is that they essay a system interpreting the universe, or a portion of it, without being willing to give a thought to what really makes it run. Now we ought to be able to do better than that, and our many studious leaders do; but our average level of mental ability would be greatly raised, and our percentage of geniuses would shoot up, if we had an adequate appreciation of the wealth of unique, practical knowledge that is available to us in the Writings. Our young men would compete for acceptance in our own College, and the ablest would continue through Theological School. In some cases they might not have the ability or the inclination to become pastors, but they would be eager for the most possible of the really practical learning that is to be had only from the Writings. Thus adequately equipped, they would enter the competition of the world-at-large with a head start in general knowledge and practical competency; and if humility is built into them, they'll be a credit to their uses.
     Our nearby neighbor, the University of Chicago, has realized this line of reasoning, and is doing its best, under Robert Maynard Hutchins, and with its vast endowment from the Rockefellers, to get to the same end by means of the study of the wisdom of the merely worldly philosophers whom I have belittled above. Does it not strike you as providential that a school of such power and influence in the educational world should be led to show the educators that more of an ability to think and reason can be had from this method of training than by the old? Is this example given to strengthen our courage to attempt, and to surpass?

220



     With Revelation to guide our students, some of them can do what a philosopher should do,-guide mere science to the right fields of research. For we have before us the transcendental science-the science of correspondence. I am inclined to think that it was Aristotle's nearness to a knowledge of correspondences-I mean his proximity historically to the Greek gods-that made his thinking and his system so effective that the peripatetic schools founded by him lasted for eight hundred years, until banned by a Roman Emperor. Men still marvel at his analysis of physical and mental phenomena; for though he had woefully inadequate scientific apparatus, he had a mental view that was more important. We can have both, if we want to.
     After my search of the philosophers, I had a brief look at the poets, and I found among them a bit more of insight, though nothing of explanation. You can imagine that, after all this, my persistent appetite for knowledge concerning the operation of speech and thought had been whetted to famine proportions.
     Now I turned to the Writings of Swedenborg, and at once began to find a wealth of detailed explanation and revelation on the two subjects. And though my sources were the Spiritual Diary, Heaven and Hell, the Arcana Celestia, True Christian Religion, Apocalypse Revealed, Divine Love and Wisdom, Intercourse between the Soul and the Body, and many others of his volumes, all statements were in most complete harmony and agreement, each with all, as is always the case with this Divinely reasonable Revelation. Part of it I have mentioned in this paper. There is a great deal more that I have not been able to comprehend, and doubtless much that I have simply failed to locate. My search has also covered most of the bound volumes of New' CHURCH LIFE, but there I found only three articles more or less closely paralleling my subject, and each more adequately covers a phase of the subject. These articles were: "A Man Thinks Nothing From Himself," by Lillian Beekman, 1909; "How We Think," by Wilfred Howard, 1913; and "Speech in the Spiritual World," by W. Rey Gill, 1914.
     The confession of my ineptitude, detailed in the last several paragraphs, is of course mentioned in the hope that it may deter some other equally determined student from proceeding in so backward and roundabout a way to the real source of scientific information.

221


I hope I have learned how to pursue the next puzzle that intrigues my interest. I shall look it up first in the Writings. But after that I shall want to see what the books of the world say on the subject, for their reasonings and processes of securing data are very ingenious, sometimes stimulating, and to a great extent tend to clarify abstract principles by supplying color to fill in the outlines, even when their conclusions are erroneous.
     There is one last quotation, necessary to remind us of the quality of thoughts we should entertain, and the attitudes we should welcome toward their dissemination: "Those who are like the angels want, if it be possible, that their minds should be open, and that what they are thinking may be manifest to everyone; whereas they who are in evil are afraid lest anything they are thinking and willing should shine out." (A. C. 6655.)
SPURIOUS REVELATIONS 1944

SPURIOUS REVELATIONS       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1944

     The Book of Jasher and the Book of Enoch
     And their Spurious Counterparts.

     Among the books of the Ancient Word, the Writings mention certain titles referred to in the Old Testament, such as the Wars of Jehovah and the Enunciations (Numbers 21: 14, 27) and the Book of Jasher (Joshua 10: 12, 13; II Samuel 1: 18. See A. C. 2686, 2897; S. S. 103: T. C. R. 264-266; S. D. 6107; De Verbo XV.) These books are now lost. (A. R. 11; T. C. R. 279.)
     But a volume in unpointed Hebrew, with the title of Sefer-ha-Yasher or the Book of Jasher, was printed in Naples in the year 1552 or in Venice in 1613. Various legendary accounts of its origin and history were prefaced to this edition, which was eventually translated into many tongues. The first English version was issued in 1759, and this was followed by several other translations. And from time to time we find New Churchmen becoming quite entranced with the hope that this might prove to be a part of the Ancient Word!

222



     That their hopes are unfounded, however, appears when the book is examined. Prof. George Bush testified in 1840 that it was written in purest rabbinical Hebrew. As scholars now show, it contains material from the Babylonian Talmud (which dates between B. C. 180 and A. D. 500), the Midrash Abkir, and certain Jewish Chronicles, as well as from various Arabic legends. It is largely an elaboration of the Biblical story from Creation to Joshua, explaining some of its incidents by clever interpolations. The genealogy of Noah's descendants is altered and expanded to account for the various tribes and provinces of medieval Europe. The Biblical style is skilfully copied, and frequently passages are cited in full. One interesting feature is the description of the rape of the Sabines, taken from the Roman legend. All this indicates to scholars that the work was written in Italy in the 12th century. It carries no claim to any inspired authenticity, but the author carefully inserted the sentence which Joshua cited from the genuine Book of Jasher in regard to the sun standing still (Joshua 10: 13), and also makes Jacob charge Judah to teach his sons "the bow." so as to cover David's reference to the book. (II Samuel 1: 18.)
     Thus the present work may be classed as a late addition to that mass of "apocryphal" literature which has accumulated in the course of centuries, sometimes as the products of nationalistic or heretical zealots, sometimes as hoaxes ready-made for sale to credulous patrons. There are several periods in history when there was an outpouring of such unscrupulous writings which (often without real malice) were given the name of some famous patriarch or sacred writer, and were sometimes especially designed to be taken for some lost book mentioned in the Bible.
     Even the "Apocrypha" which are included in the Catholic versions of the Old Testament, and which date after the Babylonish Captivity, are generally conceded to have no claim to authenticity. But among the books actually recognized as spurious by design we find a large number of pseudo-revelations which were written during the period of Jewish national independence in the two centuries before Christ. One of these is called the "Book of Enoch," and purported to be written by Enoch, the seventh from Adam. Replete with symbolic visions and allegorical prophecies, it was so popular in its day that it was actually quoted in the Epistle of Jude and by early Church Fathers, and it is still extant in an Ethiopic and a Slavonic version.

223



     Swedenborg never saw this book, which was not brought to Europe until the year after his death. But he discloses that the beginnings of the Ancient Word actually came about through the recovery of certain compilations of correspondences preserved among those of the church called Enoch." (A. C. 3432, 2722, 464, 521, 609: S. S. 21; A. E. 728; S. D. 5999.) Swedenborg also found these documents in a central library in heaven. (S. D. 5999.) But he does not identify them as the source of Jude's quotation. Instead, he merely concedes that Jude had quoted from ancient books written in correspondences,-a thing which he also says about the Book of Job and the Song of Solomon, which latter is called "an imitation" of the style of the Ancients. (A. E. 735:4, 740:14; A. C. 1540.) The Book of Job is distinguished from the latter as originating in the Ancient Church, and is especially praised as an excellent and useful book.
     As to the spurious book of "Enoch" New Churchmen soon began to wonder whether it might be some later version based upon the antediluvian documents which the Writings indicate as the first of the Ancient Word. An examination of the book certainly confirms that correspondences and elaborate symbolisms were used in its construction. But most scholars are convinced that its writing was accomplished by pre-Christian Jews, and that it was later somewhat altered by Christian editors. Portions of the book seem to have been dated after the brief period of Jewish independence and prosperity under the earlier Maccabees had passed into decay and perversion, and with this the hope of any eternal kingdom of God on earth. "Enoch" purports to record what happened when "God took him" (Genesis 5: 24), translating him into the realm of cherubim and fallen angels, and showing him the workings of the universe. He predicts the imminent coming of the Son of Man, who would sit on the throne of His glory and conduct a universal resurrection and final judgment, to be followed by the creation of a new heaven and a new earth for the spirits of the just.
     Thus the authors of "Enoch" and other similar "apocalyptics" merely elaborate upon the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah and Daniel, adding fantastic details.

224


Many of these ideas-such as the concept of angelic hierarchies and of a bodily resurrection of the dead-may without hesitancy be traced to the influence of Persian religious thought, which contained many a contorted echo of the lore of the Ancient Church; but they could still serve as symbolic forms, not only for Daniel and Isaiah, but also for the teachings of the Lord; for "without a parable spake He not unto them."
     The fact that so many spurious "apocalypses" were abroad in the days before the Christian canon of Scripture was finally fixed was one reason for the warning given at the end of the Book of Revelation: "If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book." (Apoc. 22: 18.) So-called "higher critics" have made the same fact an argument for sweeping away faith in all revealed writings and denying the authenticity of the Word itself. Nevertheless we are indebted to modern scholarship and to textual criticism for helping to expose the many spurious "revelations" which at various times have been foisted upon the credulous public by religious cranks and conscienceless fanatics, who fortunately leave recognizable trade-marks upon their products. To New Church scholarship alone is reserved the knowledge of the internal criterion by which Divinely inspired books can be distinguished; for the books of the Word are all those which contain a continuous spiritual sense.
     Some day the New Church may gain knowledge of some of the genuine books of the lost Ancient Word which Swedenborg saw in use in certain heavenly societies. But it seems to me quite possible that we shall recover these lost writings only as fragments of truth and allegory mixed up in the structures of old mythologies and in rituals and doctrines which have been preserved here and there since the dawn of historic times.

225


RADIO AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLD 1944

RADIO AND THE SPIRITUAL WORLD       Editor       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE

Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.
Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa..
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     New Churchmen have long seen the parallel between radio transmission in this world and the marvels of the communication from mind to mind that prevails in the other life. They have also seen clearly that the two operate on distinct planes, with a discrete degree between them, as discrete as the body and the mind of man, the relation between the two being one of correspondence. Radio transmissions, employing the forces of the terrestrial ether and air, bring impressions to the human senses of sight and hearing, but the transmission of the thoughts and affections of spirits and angels operates in the realm of the spiritual atmospheres, which are within and above the earthly spheres, thus supernatural.
     But now comes the suggestion that eventually we shall be able to "contact" the other world-the world of the mind-by radio. We quote from an Australian newspaper, kindly sent to us by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson:
     Sir Ernest Fisk, managing director of Amalgamated Wireless of Australia, stated at a Legacy Club luncheon that radio communication with the dead might be possible in the future. He said:
     "Scientists have accumulated evidence showing that the dead are as much 'alive' as we are.

226


Twenty-five years ago I addressed a luncheon of advertising men in Sydney, and told them that one day we in Australia would hear the human voice by radio from London, and they looked at me as skeptically as you are looking at me across this table.
     "I believe that if you and I at this moment 'died,' dropped our physical carcasses, we would wake up in a new and different world-a world with a different vibration rate. I think it is possible, through radio science, to contact that other world.
     "If this universe is fundamentally a universe of mind, there must he a controlling mind, and our individual minds must be related to it. It is through our individual minds and the controlling mind of the universe that people, particularly those related to our unfortunate lads who are prisoners in Japan, might be able to help these boys, despite the enemy's physical barriers. It seems we can do nothing here about our lads' predicament. . . We can think about them, we can pray for them, and perhaps we can help them directly. This is speculative, and, although it is beyond scientific knowledge, it is based on existing science.
     "The best way, and probably the only sure approach we have in our lives today to this realm of action, is through our churches and other religious organizations."

     Professor V. A. Bailey then remarked: "If these 'dead' people are alive, they will be at a disadvantage without radio receivers." (Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH, February 4, 1944.)

     We can sympathize with the desire to aid the unfortunate prisoners of war, but we may well question whether, in such an evil age as the present one, a mind to mind contact between persons in this world-something more than mental telepathy-would not have greater disadvantages than uses.
     It is comforting to know, however, that, while we are waiting for the perfecting of a mechanical means of contacting that world of a "different vibration rate," the Church will continue to function, and to provide the only orderly means to a knowledge of the life after death. This, we know, is now fully given to men in a Divine Revelation, that men may be prepared by faith and life in the Word of God for their entrance into that world where there is a communication of all thought and affection, where every individual is a "transmitter" and a "receiving set," giving forth and receiving according to the capacity of his love and his thought thence, provided only that his love be good; for the evil are restricted and restrained.
     But there is among men a widespread and persistent urge to penetrate the veil between this life and the next, to "climb up some other way" than by the Church-by the Lord who is the "door" of the heavenly sheepfold.

227



     We must recognize the great use to mankind now being performed by radio,-the local and global communication that is bringing the race in all parts of the earth into closer association and greater eventual unity. Yet it is but a foretaste of that universal communication in the realm of the spirit which is the Divinely ordained means of uniting all good souls in an eternal heaven for their eternal blessing.
     "The angelic state is such, that each one communicates his own blessedness and felicity to another; for in the other life there is given a communication and most exquisite perception of all affections and thoughts; wherefore each communicates his own joy to all, and all to each, so that each is as it were the center of all, which is the heavenly form. . . . Such is the communication of all with each, and of each with all, when one loves another better than himself. But if anyone wishes better to himself than to another, then the love of self reigns, which communicates nothing from itself to another except the idea of self, which idea is most filthy, and, when it is perceived, is immediately dissociated and rejected." (A. C. 549.)
TWO CENTENNIALS OF "REGNUM ANIMALE." 1944

TWO CENTENNIALS OF "REGNUM ANIMALE."       ALEXANDER MCQUEEN       1944

     In this year of 1944, it may be useful for us to ask: "What was happening in 1844, and in 1744?"
     1744 is important in New Church history because it was Swedenborg's final year as natural scientist and philosopher, and the eve of his call to the office of revelator. In 1745 he was to receive from the Lord a definite call to witness and proclaim the Second Advent: in 1757 he was to describe the Last Judgment, as familiarly, in the words of one of his friends, "as if he had been the secretary there, and taken down the minutes." But all this was to come in due order, after due preparation. An important step in that preparation was reached in 1744, with the publication of the first two volumes of the Regnum Animale, which, usually rendered "Animal Kingdom," might well be termed "The Kingdom of the Soul."
     A hundred years later, in 1844, the English edition of this great work was completed, translated by Dr. James John Garth Wilkinson, of London. Dr. Wilkinson's prominence in the medical world earned the book a review in the London FORCEPTS, reading in part as follows:

228


"This is the most remarkable theory of the human body that has ever fallen into our hands; and by Emanuel Swedenborg, too!-a man whom we had always been taught to regard as either a fool, a madman, or an imposter, or perhaps an undefinable compound of all three. Wonders, it seems, never will cease, and therefore it were better henceforth to look out for them, and accept them whenever they present themselves, and make them into ordinary things in that way. For thereby we may be saved from making wonderful asses of ourselves and our craft, for enlightened posterity to laugh at."
     A similar article appeared in the (London) MONTHLY REVIEW: "If the mode of reasoning and explanation adopted by Swedenborg be once understood, the anatomist and physiologist will acquire more information, and obtain a more comprehensive view of the human body and its relation to a higher sphere, than from any single book ever published; nay, we may add, than from all the books which have ever been written (especially in modern times) on physiology, or as it has been lately named, transcendental anatomy."
     From which we may gather that the MONTHLY REVIEW was favorably impressed by Swedenborg's science and philosophy; but it is not safe to assume a similar approval of his theology. Some years earlier, when George Nicholson published his Dictionary of Correspondences, "faithfully extracted from all the Theological Works of the Hon. Emanuel Swedenborg," the REVIEW devoted two pages to a derisive attack on the claims of the revelator, with such statements as: "It is possible for a madman to make all these assertions but he must have better luck than most other madmen to find a brother lunatic who believes him, and who will transcribe and arrange his rhapsodies in a quarto volume. Our patience has been put to the severest trial in turning over these pages."
     A century ago, as now, not every one was ready, willing and able to receive spiritual truth. But in this doubly centennial year of the Animal Kingdom, New Churchmen may well take stock of their treasures, and recognize as part of those treasures the scientific and philosophic works through which Swedenborg journeyed indeed to "The Kingdom of the Soul."
     ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

229


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O. Norman,
Heldon, L.A.C. Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., O.S.,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably Discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, L.A.C. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, W.O. Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,

230



Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 1 David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, L.A.C. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, A.C. 2 Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.W. A. Elise,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motom, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably Discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, 2nd Lieut. J. S.,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, 2nd Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
Craig, Major Thomas,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Wounded and honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, 2nd Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Capt. Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Pvt. J. M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P.,

231



Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, A/S Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cand. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, P.F.C. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Capt. William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P.,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, A/C Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, A/C Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan I.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pvt. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, A/C Pvt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, P.F.C. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Asplundh, Ensign O. E., Jr.,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/S William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, S/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,

232



Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, A.S.,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably Discharged,
Wille, A/C Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably Discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Marvin J., C.P.O.

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, Ph.M. 1/c,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton, Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., A.S.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (j.g.) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, A/C William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., A.S., Alabama.
Glenn, A/C Alfred M., New York,
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, P.F.C. Joseph Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F 2/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/S John A., Alabama.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., A.M.M. 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., A.S., Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Tarr, Joseph, S.K. 3/c, Maryland.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

233


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA.

     February 4, 1944.-A very pleasant combined Sunday School entertainment and Fair was held in the church hall on November 6. The first
part of the evening was devoted to a presentation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." On an appropriate stage setting the children mimed the tale as it was read to the audience by the narrator, and some of the songs from the film version were sung backstage. Felt toys, refreshments and other things were sold later, and the sum of L18:3:6 was raised for the South African Mission. Mrs. Fletcher organized the entertainment; but so marry contributed time and labor that this delightful and successful function was really a society project.
     The Hurstville Sons of the Academy, despite rationing and manpower problems, provided an attractive meal and program for their fifth annual banquet on November 14, but circumstances arose which made it advisable to postpone the second of these (the program) till a later date.
     No doctrinal classes were held in November, mainly on account of the pastor's indisposition; but a series of three classes on "The Prophets of Judah and Israel" was condensed and given on December 5. As a matter of local record, we note here that on November 28 the pastor preached his 500th sermon from the Hurstville pulpit.
     At the Monthly Tea on December 12 the Sons presented the program which had been arranged for their banquet. Greetings sent by absent members of the chapter were read, and the topic for the evening. "New Church Education and the Hurstville Society," was handled by three speakers. A paper sent by Tpr. Lin Heldon showed convincingly the inability of the state schools to give our children the kind of education we want them to have. Mr. Ossian Heldon offered some valuable suggestions as to what might be done until the society can establish a day school on a permanent basis. And the pastor spoke extemporaneously on the final solution of the problem.
     Christmas.-The ladies again staged, on December 7, the first Christmas party held in the society. After a very attractive lunch had been served, games were played, competitions introduced, and gifts exchanged.
     On December 20 a combined Society and Sunday School Christmas party was held, and very successful it was. The Tableaux were followed by half an hour of carol singing, after which Father Christmas made his appearance and distributed to children and adults the gifts arranged round the lighted tree. Refreshments and the singing of "Auld Lang Syne" closed a very happy evening.
     In preparation for the society's celebration of the Lord's First Advent, the pastor began, on October 31, a series of eight sermons on "The Messianic Prophecies" which was concluded on December 19. The Holy Supper was administered at this service, which was regarded as our particular celebration of the Advent.
     A fine sphere and spirited singing marked the children's Christmas service which was held in the afternoon, the presence of a greater number of adults undoubtedly contributing to both. The pastor's talk to the children on "Why the Lord Was Born on Our Earth" rounded off a series on "The Earths in the Universe" given recently in the Sunday School.

234



     Our customary Service of Praise was held on Christmas morning. The short address from the pulpit was a sequel to the sermons on the Messianic Prophecies. After the service was over and the chancel curtains had been drawn, the message of Christmas Greeting from Bishop and Mrs. de Charms was read to the congregation.
     With no doctrinal classes in January, and Sunday School in recess until the 16th, it was a quiet month in the annals of the society. The Sons' chapter usually does not meet in this month, but the presence of all tour Heldon brothers in Hurstville-an event that had not occurred for two years -called for a special meeting. It was held in the evening of January 16, and took the form of a visit by mail with the Bryn Athyn, Glenview, Kitchener and Toronto Chapters, which had sent letters relating their history and describing their activities.
     Swedenborg's Birthday.-Thirteen guests assembled in the church halt at 6.30 p.m. on January 29 to celebrate the anniversary of Swedenborg's birth at a delightful banquet. Mr. Ossian Heldon was toastmaster; and toasts to "The Church," "Swedenborg," and "Absent Friends," were proposed by Tpr. Lin Heldon and L.A.C. Sydney Heldon. An address on the Gothenburg Trial was given by the pastor. Weather conditions were exceedingly trying, but the evening seined to be much enjoyed.
     We note here that one of our members, Mr. Edwin Freeman, celebrated his ninetieth birthday in January. As a young man Mr. Freeman "sat under" Dr. Bayley in the Kensington Church, London.
     Visitors. -During each of the three months covered by these notes we have been privileged to welcome a visitor who started his present wanderings from Bryn Athyn. Lt. Sanfrid Odhner was here early in November; Lt. Gunnar Nilson visited us at the beginning of December; and in January we had the great pleasure of renewing our acquaintance with P.F.C. Michael Pitcairn, who arrived just in time to celebrate Swedenborg's Birthday with us for the second year in succession.
     Our own servicemen are again scattered. Sgt. Theodore Kirsten is reported in a land which the New Church reader will readily identify by its correspondence with scientifics! Cpl. Tom Taylor is again somewhere in the great Australian loneliness. As mentioned earlier in this account, the three Heldon brothers in service were all in or near Sydney during the greater part of the month. But Lin has now returned to duty after twenty-four days' leave, Sydney has been posted for further training in another State, and Norman has moved on to an unknown destination.
     W. C. H.

     DURBAN, NATAL.

     January 5, 1944.-The month of December, 1943, was a really busy one in the Durban Society, and it was like the good old days to be able to hold functions again in the evenings, after fifteen months of blackout from dusk till dawn.
     We began the month with a most successful Bazaar, held by the Women's Guild in the Hall on Saturday evening. December 4, for the benefit of church funds. The Bazaar was opened by Mr. Wilfred Buss in humorous vein, and then the buying began, from lovely homemade toys, jams, cakes, and garments, to beautiful flowers and plants-all gifts donated by members or friends. The Hall was crowded with shoppers, and the success of the evening can be gauged by the fact that the takings amounted to over L60. This sum was augmented by an additional L25.-the proceeds of a Jumble Sale for Native people, held the day before-making a total of over L85.
     The following week, on Friday, December 10, Kainon School held its Closing Exercises, which were attended by parents and a number of interested friends. After a short Address, given by our Acting Pastor, the Rev. F. W. Elphick, on our Ideals of New Church Education in the School and Home, Miss Pemberton, who had received some lovely bouquets from her pupils, gave a satisfactory report of the year work, and then the prizes were presented by Mrs. Elphick.

235



     Presentation to Miss Champion.-On Sunday evening, December 19, under the auspices of the Social Committee, we held our first Social Evening in about eighteen months. This was one of the happiest adult evenings ever held, and it took place at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Schuurman, with about 45 members attending. The evening began with carol singing and the singing of Christmas songs around the piano. Then, after a little refreshment, a presentation was made by the Revd. Elphick on behalf of the Durban Society to Miss Elsie Champion, B.A., recently retired as Principal of Kainon High School. The presentation consisted of an Illuminated Address-the artistic work of Mr. Wilfred Buss-and signed by the Acting Pastor, the Hon. Secretary and the Hon. Treasurer of the Society, and a handbag given by the Women Guild in which was a cheque from the members and friends of the Society and past and present pupils of the School.
     In making the presentation, Mr. Elphick expressed the Society's appreciation of Miss Champion's work in the Durban Society for twenty years, and read extracts from a Diary written by the Rev. Hugo Odhner recording the inception of Kainon. Miss Champion replied in suitable terms, after which the evening concluded with the Game called "Musical Gift Exchange" and tea.
     Christmas.-Our celebrations began with the Party given by Theta Alpha in the Hall from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, December 17, for all the children under 12 years of age. About 25 children were present, and all obviously enjoyed themselves with games and carol singing around the illuminated Christmas Tree, a sit-down supper, and finally a surprise visit from Father Christmas, who handed each delighted child a gift taken from the tree. One is really amazed at the energy of our Father Christmas who, year after year, somehow manages to find the time after school and war work to arrange all sorts of good things at Christmas for the children of our Society, such as entertainments and tableaux, all of which entail so much hard work. The Society is always grateful for "his" work, and I do not know what we would do without her!!
     Our Children's Christmas Service was held in the twilight on Christmas Eve, and was very well attended, many friends as well as members of the Society, and their children, being present. The chancel had been decorated with blue and pink hydrangeas and bowls of red roses; and giant ferns and evergreens helped to create the sphere of peace and coolness within the church during a very hot Christmas season. The children, in procession, brought gifts for the church and the school to the chancel, and in the course of this very beautiful service the Revd. Elphick addressed the congregation on the reasons why we sing carols and why we give gifts to one another at Christmas time.
     At the conclusion of the service the procession filed into the adjacent Hall where everything was ready for the presentation of the four Tableaux: "The Annunciation," "The Wise Men," "The Shepherds," and "The Nativity." These beautiful Tableaux were due to the work of Miss Sylvia Pemberton, while the Representation placed in the church vestibule was this year the work of Mrs. E. Bongers (Denise Cockerell).
     The adult celebration began on Christmas Day at morning worship. About 80 people were present at this Christmas Day Service, and it was like the good old prewar days to see so many there, although unfortunately members of the Forces were too busily engaged elsewhere to be able to attend. The only members on Service who were able to join us this year were Derick Lumsden (on leave from Pretoria) and the two brothers, Graham and Peter Cockerell, of the South African Air Force.

236



     The sphere throughout our Christmas celebrations this year was one of peace and happiness, from a calm belief in a victorious future. Mr. Elphick, during December, had been giving us a series of Christmas sermons, and these culminated on Christmas Day with an inspiring Address on the text of Luke 2: 12, "And this shall be a sign unto you, ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."
     The Christmas celebration of Holy Communion was held at the conclusion of the Service of Praise on Sunday, December 26, and our year's work ended with the New Year Service at 9.45 am, on New Year's Day, the subject of the discourse being from Psalm 90: 9, `We spend our years as a tale that is told."
     Our Boys on Active Service.-At the time of writing we have 12 members "Up North," and a parcel of comfort was sent to each one of them from the Durban Society for Christmas. Some acknowledgments have already been received, indicating that the boys found the parcels welcome and useful.
     Some of our boys have already engaged the enemy, and 2nd Lieut. R. W. Cowley (Bob) had quite an adventure near Taranto, Southern Italy, when his plane crashed in a vineyard. Fortunately Bob escaped with only slight injuries,
     The news of the Prisoners of War is very cheerful, messages now having been received by next-of-kin from them all-from Germany. In letters to Mrs. Melville Ridgway and Mrs. Brian Ridgway we learn that Brian and his brother Glenn have met and talked with one another in one of the transit camps in Germany; Glenn has also met Frank Bamford again. Mrs. Bamford, in letters from her husband from Stalag IV C. Germany, dated September and October, has received the news that Frank is well and in the best of spirits in the circumstances. He mentioned that there had been a time when he had expected to see his wife very soon, but unfortunately that had to be postponed, as he had been forced to take another trip "around the Continent"-meaning his transfer from Italy to Germany. But he was confident that his travels would soon be over. In the meantime he had plenty of work and books, "and the time was passing very quickly."
     P. D. C.

     NEW YORK, N. Y.

     Reporting for the year, from March, 1943, through March, 1944, the New York Society was able to continue the uses performed by the Society under the leadership of its Pastor-the Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen. Due to the pressure of extra wartime duties, the Sunday afternoon discussion groups have been discontinued, but in their place we have reading from the Word, the Writings and the Extension Service pamphlets at the home of the Pastor on the first Wednesday of each month. This schedule is interrupted, of course, when the Pastor makes his visits to the Southern States in his capacity as Visiting Pastor.
     Last Fall it was our privilege to have as guests and visiting pastors the Rev. K. R. Alden and the Rev. Morley D. Rich, who conducted services of Divine Worship and one Doctrinal Class. During the present month the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner was with us, and at the next service we expect the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers to be with us.
     In June, 1943, the members of the New York Society were guests of the New Jersey Circle for New Church Day, which was celebrated at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Murray Cronlund at New Roselle, New Jersey. We all look forward to these occasions when our two group; of New Churchmen, living on either side of the Hudson River can get together. Our Pastor serving both groups makes a strong link between the two groups.
     The Swedenborg Birthday celebration this year was held at the home of Miss Jane Kintner, and was attended by 31 members of the two New Church groups. It was a great honor for us to have Bishop de Charms with us. He admitted that he was very seldom invited to speak at Swedenborg Birthday dinners, as the life of Swedenborg is primarily under Bishop Acton's domain.

237


Bishop de Charms chose as his subject "The Philosophy of Swedenborg," which was exceedingly stimulating and provocative to all of us. We want to commend Miss Kintner for squeezing 31 people into her New York apartment for this occasion. With assistance from other members of the Society, she managed beautifully, and we all commented upon the sphere created in the home which we never felt in a similar type of gathering held in a public restaurant.
     As we go to press we have just learned that Mr. Leon Rhodes will be leaving us for the U S. Navy, and that Mrs. Rhodes will give up their home in New York for the time being. Their temporary removal from the city will be a great loss to the New York Society, but we look forward to the day of peace when they can return as a family unit again.
     We continue to have many New Church visitors from all parts of the country who attend our services of Divine Worship, which are usually held on the 2d and 4th Sundays of each month at the Capitol Hotel. Broadway and 51st Street. We mention this now because we feel that more and more of the New Church men and women in the service of their country may find themselves in New York every now and then. To them we extend a cordial welcome.
     LOUISE K. KRAUSE.

     TORONTO, CANADA.

     May we introduced to you the Alpha Pi of Toronto? We do not believe you have met this gay group of young people, ranging in age from 16 to 28 years, who are members of the Olivet Society or "potential members." as Mr. H. Hyatt would say. They are duly organized, with a Constitution, monthly fees, a President. Vice-President-Treasurer, and a Secretary. Meetings are held on the first Friday of each month in various homes. Apart from participating in frivolous good times, they have founded a Gremlin Fund with which to send gifts to their members who are now overseas, and expect shortly to give an entertainment for the purpose of furthering this work. The Alpha Pi has presented to their pastor a stole, and to the Day School a subscription to the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC. Their number is depleted at present, due to war emergencies, and the masculine element is sadly missing, but there will come a day
     With deep regret, Mr. Gyllenhaal announced to the Society the resignation of the Day School teacher, Miss Edith Carter. From her first day in the school Edith has won the hearts of her pupils, and has received an affectionate response to her able and loving care of their tuition. For this reason, and because her resignation is due to ill health, the members of the Olivet Society are doubly sorry to see her leave, but hope that it will not be so very long before she is able to return to her post.
     The Forward-Sons, at their meeting this month, heard a paper given by Alec Craigie on "Delinquent Children." but not much more should be said about this, as it turned out that it is the parents rather than the children who are delinquent!
     LAC. Haydn John just returned to Halifax after his "leave" here in time to be sent to Vancouver. At present writing he is in Sidney, British Columbia.
     V. C.

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     "New Frontiers in New Church Education" was the title of a talk given here recently by the Rev. Harold Cranch. The occasion was the February meeting of Theta Alpha, held at the home of Mrs. Alvin Nelson. Mr. Cranch described the work being done by the Theta Alpha Extension Education Committee for isolated members of the General Church. Periodically these members receive pamphlets and lessons suitable for Sunday School study, together with pictures illustrating the lessons.

238



     On Friday afternoon, February 25, the children of the Immanuel Church School celebrated the birthdays of Lincoln and Washington by giving a series of short plays and recitations and songs, depicting various historic events. This was done in a most charming manner. The sphere of innocence which prevailed was inspiring to the adults who attended.
     Sons of the Academy.-Those worthy Sons who live in Chicago have a delightful habit of inviting the Glenview Sons to hold our February meeting in Chicago each year. So, on the third Sunday in February, three or four carloads of Sons drove to 5220 Wayne Avenue, where a fine meal had been prepared (confidentially-by the ladies) and liquid refreshments were forthcoming. After the usual business session, the Rev. Harold Cranch read a paper dealing with the relationship between the three bodies of the New Church now extant in the United States-the same being the General Convention the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and The Lord's New Church which is Nova Hierosolyma. During the discussion that followed we expressed our appreciation of the paper, which clearly defined the positions of these three bodies.
     At the March meeting of the Sons, nominations for officers for the coming year were once more in order. We are finding our choice more limited than ever, as thirty-one of our members are in the armed forces. After the business meeting, our pastor, Rev. Elmo Acton, read a paper entitled "The Ministry of Blessing."
     For the benefit of those of us who are not color blind, Mr. Sydney Lee, on a recent Saturday evening, entertained the Society with a talk on "The Miracle of Color," illustrating by means of fabrics and charts how the right combination of colors can produce a pleasing result-and vice versa.
     A Wedding.-On the evening of March 20, our church was the scene of another war wedding, when Lieutenant Robert Pollock was married to Miss Virginia Rae Studebaker, the Rev. Gilbert H. Smith performing the ceremony. The church was lit by many tall white candles, and decorated with pink carnations. The bride wore an ivory satin gown with a long train and veil, and carried a spring bouquet of white carnations and yellow jonquils. The couple were attended by Miss Elizabeth Pollock as maid of honor, whose dress was of orchid satin and chiffon and Miss Patricia Heydon, the bride's cousin, her dress being of chartreuse moire. The bridesmaids carried bouquets of pink carnations, As the man-power shortage has created many difficulties, not the least of which is the usher problem, our overworked head usher. Mr. Alan Fuller, was assisted on this occasion by four usherettes, who seated the wedding guests under his direction. The special sphere of solemnity which surrounds a war wedding was followed by one of jollification as the bride and groom received the toasts and congratulations of their friends.
     New Church Club.-Offhand, the question, "Was Swedenborg a Mystic?" might sound a hit on the superflous side. That, however, was the title of the paper presented by the Rev. John L. Buyer, of the General Convention, at the second meeting of the New Church Club, held in Chicago recently. Mr. Boyer had done a great deal of research work in preparation of this subject (ably assisted, as he told us, by his wife). And he showed that Swedenborg, far from being a mystic, appealed to the rational in all that he wrote.
     A Worthy Cause.-The General Church Military Service Committee is doing such a grand work, by keeping all of our people in the armed forces supplied with literature, etc., that we felt we should make some tangible recognition of our appreciation. Accordingly, on Saturday evening, March 25, we put on a special party-one of those very informal affairs where you may play cards or any other game you wish or even just stand around. The proceeds were for the G. C. M. S. C., and we raised $63.00. All who attended, besides having a fine time, were mighty well satisfied to have this money go to so useful a cause.
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

239





[Photograph]

A BRYN ATHYN TRIO IN AUSTRALIA.

LEFT TO RIGHT:

P.F.C. Michael Pitcairn,
Lt. Sanfrid E. Odhner,
Sgt. Ray S. Odhner.

240


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       ELDRIC S. KLEIN       1944




     Announcements



     The Annual Joint Meeting of the Corporation and Faculty of the Academy of the New Church will be held in the Chapel of Benade Hall, Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Saturday, June 3, 1944, at 8:00 p.m. The public is cordially invited to attend.
     After opportunity has been given for the presentation and discussion of the Annual Reports of the officials and departments of the Academy, an Address will be delivered.
     ELDRIC S. KLEIN,
          Secretary.
BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS 1944

BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS              1944

     Members and friends of the General Church who from time to time visit Bryn Athyn, and wish to arrange for accommodations, may communicate with the undersigned.
     For the information of those who may prefer to come as paying guests, we would state that there are a few rooms available at moderate rates. Breakfast if desired.
     Address: Mrs. V. W. Rennels, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (Chairman of the Hospitality Committee.)
DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

DISTINCTIVENESS OF THE NEW CHURCH        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944



241




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
JUNE 1944
No. 6
     VII.     A NEW LIFE OF RELIGION.

     The stress we have laid upon a new concept of God, of the Word, and of Truth, might give the impression that, after all, the distinctiveness of the New Church is an intellectual abstraction. This is by no means the case, and we must return to our original proposition, namely, that the Church is not new because it has a different doctrinal belief, or a different form of religious life and worship. The essence of its distinctiveness lies in a new love. We do not mean a new abstract idea of love. We mean love dynamic in thought, word, and deed. We mean love expressing itself in charity, friendship, loyalty, devotion to duty, and every virtue that flows from an unselfish regard for the welfare of others. "Doctrine alone," we are taught, "does not make the church in man, but a life according to it." (A. C. 10763.) In the spiritual world, into which every man comes after death, it is not asked what your faith has been, nor what your doctrine, but what your life, thus what is its nature and quality." (D. P. 101.) It is only as the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine inspires the hearts of men with a new love, a new spirit, and a new life, that the Church becomes truly distinctive.
     No one can fail to see how desperately the world is in need of a new religious life. That Christianity has proved a failure, as charged by its enemies, is stoutly denied by devout Christians. Their denial, however, is not based upon what the church has already accomplished, but on what they still believe it can do.

242


As a result of recent events, the proud and confident hopes of its most ardent advocates have been bitterly disappointed. Only a few years ago the leaders of Christian thought were sure that they had found the answer. If men would only forget their doctrinal differences, and unite in the common task of meeting the practical needs of society, the church would come into its own. They had only to maintain an unswerving faith in the fundamental goodness of human nature, taking for granted that Christians and non-Christians alike at heart were honest and charitable, and motivated by good will. They had only to act in accord with this spirit, treating everyone as a friend worthy of their confidence. They firmly believed that, if this were done, the counsels of wisdom would prevail, evils would melt away, and the long-heralded millennium would be at hand.
     But to their surprise things did not turn out that way. While they were suppressing doctrine, and hopefully seeking the solution of political, economic, and social problems by "group discussion," something suddenly went wrong. Millions of professed Christians repudiated their faith altogether, because it gave no promise of achieving the worldly ends which they felt to be imperative. Protestant Germany and Catholic Italy joined with pagan Japan in following the banner of Anti-Christ. War threatened to stamp out Christian faith altogether, in favor of the age-old cult of force as the only arbiter of right.
     The shock of this unbelievable happening, refuting, as it did, all their most profound convictions, left the Christian leaders stunned, dumbfounded. Their situation is aptly compared by Dr. John A. Mackay, President of Princeton Theological Seminary, to that of the Disciples when the Lord was crucified. "We, like them," he says, "had dreamed of a new age. Like them, we have known the bitterness of disillusionment. Christendom has been disrupted. Millions of our fellow travellers have taken farewell of Christ and Christian civilization and Christian hope. An era has closed. The Road to Emmaus has become our road. A mood of quiet desperation has become our mood. Theology has a new task today, the task of bringing back meaning into life, the task of restoring the foundations upon which all true life and thought are built." (A Preface to Christian Theology, p. 3.)

243



     It is indeed remarkable that many who but yesterday joined the chorus decrying doctrine and exalting "social planning" as the destined function of the church, should today agree with President Mackay that, after all, we must look to theology to restore the crumbling foundations of "true life and thought." This implies the recognition that the mere changing of external economic and political conditions, effected by a "watery interdenominationalism" devoid of any deep religious conviction, will not suffice to halt the devastating advance of evil. Something must be found that has power to curb the will of evil in the heart of man.
     But will these stricken leaders of Christian thought really go to the sepulchre where the Lord is buried, that they may behold the miracle of His Resurrection? Will they abandon the squalid streets of the old Jerusalem-the false creeds and the naturalistic doctrines of their traditional faith,-that they may in very truth walk along the road to Emmaus? Will they hearken to the teaching of the Writings, that the Lord may "expound unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself"? Together, with all who do this, the Lord indeed will walk, teaching them such truths that their hearts will burn within them. And although their eyes may at first be "holden from Him," yet if they will invite Him to sup with them, they will come to know Him in the "breaking of bread." This we know, for it has already come to pass.
     It is in the breaking of bread at the end of the journey that the Lord is known. Along the way the mind is opened to an intellectual vision of the truth. But only when a love is kindled, and the heart also is opened, is the inner significance of the Lord's teaching revealed. Then for the first time is He truly seen. Yet it should he well noted that nothing but the Truth now given in the Heavenly Doctrine can inspire that new vision of the Lord and that new love of Him which is the distinguishing characteristic of the New Church. Christians, in their dark hour of despair, do indeed seek a new vision of the Lord. But they seek this in an emotional experience, apart from any revelation of new truth out of heaven. For the most part- being unwilling to give up their long established ideas of Christ, and of the manner of His coming-they close their minds against what are to them the strange new doctrines presented in the Writings. They refuse to hear what the Lord would teach them on the way to Emmaus.

244


And because of this, even if they think they see Him, it is not as He really is, but only according to the imagination of their own hearts.
     New Church education doctrinal instruction, individual reading and reflection upon the teaching of the Writings, turn our steps into the road to Emmaus. But it is only at adult age, or whenever we reach the end of that journey, as each one of his own free will constrains the Lord to sup with him, that the Lord can be truly known in the breaking of bread. Then for the first time is the Church born in man's heart. The invitation for the Lord to sup with us is the desire to do His will, to keep His Commandments as He gives us to see and understand them in the Writings. It is the desire to clothe our intellectual faith with word and deed, that it may hear fruit in works. It is the endeavor to bring doctrine and life together in practice as well as in theory. This endeavor begins with repentance-that is, with resistance to the tendencies to evil in ourselves that are revealed by the teaching of the Writings. It is the act of repentance, the struggle to remove the obstacle of self-will and self-thinking that enables the Lord to break bread with us; that is. it enables Him to impart the good, the delight, the love of heaven, that we may feel it as our own delight and our own love. The gradual removal of evil through the conflict of temptation, the gradual reception of good from the Lord as the way is opened by this removal-this is the process of regeneration, whereby our inherited nature is progressively charged.
     The conflict lasts to the end of life on earth, and continues for a time in the spiritual world. It is accompanied by many discouragements, and it seems to grow in intensity rather than lessen with advancing age. Lest we give way to despair, and capitulate because our progress is so slight, or lest we yield to overconfidence, and perhaps to self-merit, the Lord mercifully conceals from us the degree of our success. Regeneration is not really accomplished by our conscious effort. It involves innumerable things of which we can know nothing. We do no more than open the way for the Lord to operate in us. So far as the way is opened, it is the Lord who removes evil and imparts good. Still, the ceaseless effort consciously to resist evil is what the Lord requires of us; and it is the very essence of a truly religious life. The evils to be resisted are not, as commonly supposed, merely the obvious breaking of the Commandments in word and act.

245


They are the far more subtle delights of self-love, which dwell in our secret hearts. Like wolves in sheep's clothing, these delights may appear garbed in all the forms of piety, politeness, courtesy, honesty, justice, and even great self-sacrifice in devoted service to others. To fight against these inner evils, which are largely hidden even from ourselves, to search them out by candid self-examination in the light of the Writings-this is the special responsibility devolving upon New- Churchmen. And it is this that really opens the heart to the Lord. It is this whereby we "cleanse the inside of the cup and the platter, that the outside may be clean also," and that our "righteousness may exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees."
     The discovery of the deeper evils is effected by reflection when we are alone; but the conflict against them must be fought when we are with others. It is in our daily work, in meeting our personal responsibilities-whether they be in business, in civil life, in meeting social obligations, or in the home, in every contact with our fellow men- that these proprial evils are to be faced and overcome. By these contacts we perform human uses. We are not referring to the mechanical things that we do with our hands, or with our brain, which are of service to others. These are usually mistaken for uses, but they are only the tokens, the carriers thereof. By human uses we mean the exchange of spiritual gifts,-gifts of mind and spirit, those subtle qualities that go to make up personality, distinguishing one individual from another. Of these things each one can receive from the Lord something strictly individual-something that is needed by others for the enrichment and perfection of their individual gifts. Our outward occupation, our civic, social, and domestic duties are but means of imparting to others these individual gifts.
     But the quality of our use to others will depend upon how far self-love has been removed by internal resistance. To this extent the Lord enters and works through us, so that others receive, not of our proprium, but something of the Lord, something that brings to them a deeper perception of truth and a more perfect realization of heavenly good. This can be done only through the instrumentality of human beings, and it is the very essence of human use. Machines can be invented to perform almost any mechanical operation. More and more they have been taking over, and multiplying a thousand-fold, the external work of men.

246


But it is where judgment is called for, affection, understanding, a perception of deeper needs, that the human mind is essential to the performance of a use.
     The real quality of that use is determined by two things inseparably united. It is determined on the one hand by our use of nature as one necessary foundation of truth, by the extent and accuracy of our knowledge, the efficiency of our training, and our consequent skill in outward performance. But it is determined even more vitally by our use of the Word, as the other essential foundation of truth, by the sincerity of our love to the Lord, our charity toward the neighbor, our affection for spiritual truth, and our understanding of that truth, and the degree to which self-love has been removed by internal resistance. It is these two things together that constitute a truly human use; and it is the endeavor to perfect these two components of our use simultaneously that makes a religious life the life of regeneration.
     This concept of regeneration is a far cry from that traditionally taught in the Christian churches. It is distinctly different from the idea of salvation by faith, thought of as a sudden conversion whereby a man "gets religion," and thereafter knows that he has been saved. It is equally distinct from the idea of absolution from sin by confession to a priest, by paying money to the church, burning candles to the saints, and offering prayers for those in purgatory. Both of these traditional Christian concepts leave religion almost wholly out of the practical judgments and decisions we are called upon to make in our daily contacts with others. They separate business, politics, and social recreation from religion, allowing men to take care of religion on Sunday, and then to follow their own devices in regard to these other things during the week. They magnify the importance of obvious evil, but permit hidden affections and delights of evil to remain undisturbed. They encourage complacency as to our spiritual state, and harbor a feeling of self-merit that prevents the entrance of the Lord into the heart. They minimize the need for spiritual instruction. making it appear that keeping the Commandments is a very simple matter, for which no understanding of Divine Laws is necessary.
     Such are the fatal defects of modern Christian morality-defects that are well known, clearly seen, and keenly criticized by leading thinkers in the Christian Church itself.

247


But it is one thing to criticize, and quite another to perceive the remedy. It is far easier to destroy than to build. The task of the New Church is to build a new kind of religious life-a life based upon the two foundations of truth whereof we spoke in the previous lecture.
     The more we study the Writings, the more we realize that the life of religion there taught is radically different from anything that has been visualized in the Christian world. It is so different that it is not understood by those who are not of the New Church. Indeed, those who belong to the New Church,-inheritors of the same traditions as others, heirs to the same proprial tendencies, surrounded on all sides by the same currents of thought and life,-only gradually and with much difficulty come to perceive the real difference. Although we possess the Writings, we continue, to a very large extent, in the life of the world about us. Impulsively we react as others react to the situations in which we find ourselves. And we do so without realizing that these reactions are contrary to the Truth we have intellectually acknowledged. Yet the real growth of the Church with us as individuals and as an organization depends not upon intellectual acknowledgment, but upon life. It is not the mere possession of the Writings, nor the understanding of them, that will determine the quality of the Church, but how we use the Truth the Lord has placed in our hands. The degree in which our faith inspires a new spiritual love, a new spiritual charity that finds expression in a new mode of religious life, will measure the degree of distinctiveness that, in the sight of the Lord and of heaven, will characterize the Church with us.

READING: Luke 24: 13-31.
MUSIC: Revised Liturgy, Hymns, pages 476, 444.



248


ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1944

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS       NORBERT H. ROGERS       1944

     BRYN ATHYN PA., APRIL 10-15, 1944.

     COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY.

     The Forty-seventh Annual Meeting of the Council of the Clergy was held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., April 11-14, and was attended by the following: The Rt. Rev. George de Charms, the Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton, and the Rev. Messrs. E. C. Acton K R Alden, B. A. H. Boyesen, W. B. Caldwell, H. C. Cranch, C. E. Doering, A. Gill, V. J. Gladish, F. E. Gyllenhaal, E. E. Iungerich. H. Lj. Odhner, O. de C. Odhner, W. D. Pendleton, N. H. Reuter, M. D. Rich, N. H. Rogers, G. H. Smith, H. Synnestvedt, W. Whitehead, and R. G. Cranch.
     There were four regular morning sessions, and one open session, held on Friday evening, April 14, following a supper given by the Bryn Athyn Church.
     At the various sessions the following papers were presented: "Noninterference with the Law of Offspring." by the Rev. E. E. Iungerich: "Frontiers of the New Church," by the Rev. H. C. Cranch; and "The Eternal Uses of the Hells," by the Rev. O. de C. Odhner. Besides discussing these papers, and dealing with the annual reports of the Council of the Clergy, the Secretary of the General Church, the Editor of the NEW CHURCH LIFE and the South African Mission, the Council considered the subject of the Curriculum of the Theological School, presented by the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal, and a suggestion to change the place of meeting for the sessions of the Council of the Clergy, made by the Rev. O. de C. Odhner. At the Friday evening session a paper on "Uses" was given by the Rev. E. C. Acton.
     A motion that the Bishop appoint a program committee to arrange for three sessions from eleven o'clock to twelve-thirty was defeated.
     Motions that unpublished papers presented to the Council of the Clergy be automatically duplicated were defeated.
     The Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner presented the following MEMORIAL RESOLUTION, which was adopted by a rising vote:

249




     RESOLVED, That this Council desires to express its sense of loss in the absence from these meetings of its late Secretary, the Rev. Llewellyn Warren Towne David, whose uses were transferred to the spiritual world last September.
     Because of his mature and dependable convictions-always expressed in temperate and well-considered words, and coupled with modesty of opinion, kindly charity, and affectionate loyalty-we, his colleagues, treasured his friendship even as we appreciate and respect what his strong character, patient learning, keen theological acumen, and devotion to our uses, have contributed to the life of the Church since his ordination in 1914. And be it further
     RESOLVED, That this Memorial be spread upon our Minutes, and that a copy of the same be communicated to his wife with our deep affection and sympathy.

     A motion to give a vote of thanks to the ladies who so kindly provided refreshments during the morning recesses was carried unanimously.
     NORBERT H. ROGERS
          Secretary of the Council of the Clergy.
EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL 1944

EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL              1944

     The program of the Educational Council this year divided naturally into two general sections: (1) Papers and discussions on various pedagogical subjects; and (2) projects adopted and undertaken.
     The greater part of the first section was carried out in the general sessions, whereas most of the projects recommended and undertaken were discussed and planned in the panel meetings of specific faculties.
     To the FIRST GENERAL SESSION, which was held on Tuesday, April 11, at 3:30 p.m., Bishop George de Charms delivered an address entitled, "Knowledge and Insight," in which he clearly set forth that the prime aim of New Church education is the development of the mind, rather than the imparting of many and diverse knowledges. In this connection, he spoke at length on the problems of the curriculum, showing that we will have to face the problem of having too many subjects for the student, if he is to absorb any one of them thoroughly, and to the detriment of a genuine development of the rational to see causes.

250



     The discussion which followed was in general agreement with the need of so shortening the curriculum that the work may he concentrated on essentials. Various suggestions were made as to how this could be done: such as, giving shorter courses in some subjects, so that an affection may be implanted without detracting from more essential subjects; the deletion of dead material from his own course by each teacher; the use of a correlation of subjects which would make it possible to concentrate much education in a shorter time; and the use of the principles and methods of the school of progressive education.
     In conclusion, Bishop de Charms said that he was fully in sympathy with the views expressed as to the difficulties of simplifying the curriculum. But we are going to be faced, soon or eventually, with this definite problem in regard to it. We ought to agree upon what we are going to do about it, and as to our basic philosophy in regard to it. There is a definite reason, in Providence, for the modern multiplication of knowledges; but we must resist the trend of the world, which is to follow this multiplication in the wrong way. There is a great tendency to give too many knowledges in too many subjects. The problem cannot be solved in a moment. The discussions will be many and long before a workable conclusion is reached.
     The SECOND GENERAL SESSION, held in the evening of Tuesday, April 11, dealt with the various relationships which do and should exist between the New Church school and the home. Five speakers briefly treated of various aspects of this subject.
     Miss Celia Bellinger introduced the general subject, showing how necessary, in these times of formal education, is cooperation between parents and teachers, especially in the dovetailing of instruction in various subjects on the part of school and home.
     Miss Nancy Horigan spoke of the need of cooperation between parents and teachers, especially in the matter of child behavior in school and in the home, showing how necessary it is that the two agree in essentials, so that the child may not be torn by conflicting ideas of proper behavior.
     The Rev. Karl Alden brought forward the problem in relation to the teaching of religion and behavior, especially with the older high-school students.

251



     Mrs. Besse Smith demonstrated the essentiality of musical training, both in the school and in the home, especially treating of the point that, if music is known and loved, and sung naturally in the home, the school-training is greatly implemented thereby.
     Mr. Eldric Klein brought the formal speeches to a close, speaking of some of the aspects of the cultural and disciplinary responsibilities of the home in respect to the children of high-school age.
     The discussion which followed was brief and to the point, treating especially of the necessity of implanting obedience and respect with children, of the general willingness to cooperate which is found in most parents, of the various kinds of parent-teacher meetings, and of the use of general rules of behavior agreed upon by both the schools and the homes.
     The THIRD GENERAL SESSION, in the afternoon of Wednesday, April 12, heard an address by the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal, in which he gave a detailed account of his methods and procedure in encouraging the memorizing, by children, of selections from the letter of the Word. Entitled, "The Use of the Letter of the Word for Recitation the paper dealt with the value of such memory work, and also made suggestions to the effect that much of it can be done unconsciously through recitations in worship, that compulsion should not he used in this matter, and that a general sphere of affection is most effective in memory work in the letter of the Word, rather than a purely formal atmosphere of disciplined memorization.
     Differences of opinion arose in the course of the discussion some feeling that the passages of the letter of the Word, if thoroughly learned, would aid the individual in combating the falsities of Christianity in discussions with those outside the church, others believing the most effective method to consist in the presentation of leading ideas and principles to others, rather than the quoting of specific passages from the letter of the Word.
     It was recommended, seconded and passed that each minister, or anyone interested in the work, should compose and submit a list of the passages from the letter of the Word which they considered most essential for children to memorize.
     At the FOURTH GENERAL SESSION, on Thursday afternoon, April 13, the Rev. Ormond Odhner spoke on the subject of "Latin in the Elementary School."

252


Giving a detailed account of his experience with this in teaching the 6th, 7th and 8th grades in the Pittsburgh Elementary School, he drew the conclusion that the value of Latin so early is doubtful, and that, if its full effectiveness is to be reached, all the schools, including the Academy, would have to cooperate, arranging their courses accordingly. He also spoke of the real need for a special Latin primer for 7th and 8th grade students.
     In the course of the discussion which followed, various individuals told of their experiences with the teaching of Latin to the young, and a general agreement was evident that it could he a very useful thing, providing certain methods and materials were provided. Also, the importance of Latin to the future scholarship of the church was stressed.
     PANEL MEETINGS, attended only by specific faculties, were held on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings, April 12, 13, and 14. The first was a conference of history teachers, at which Dr. William Whitehead introduced the subject, Miss Anna Hamm gave a report of a recent meeting of the National Council of Social Studies, and Miss Nancy Horigan spoke on "What Dates Must be Memorized in the Elementary and Secondary Schools." The discussion dealt largely with the need of correlation between the stories of mythology, the findings of science in regard to ancient man, and the teachings of the Writings concerning the Pre-Adamites and the Most Ancient and Ancient Churches.
     Thursday's Panel Meeting was a conference of English Teachers. Mr. Stanley Ebert introduced the subject of "Spelling and Composition" with a paper. Miss Nancy Horigan spoke informally on the need of constant practice for the children. Miss Rita Buell presented a list of questions which each teacher might ask himself in regard to his course, which would help him to re-form and clarify it.
     Mr. Richard Gladish gave a brief summary of his course in Composition and Reading. The discussion brought forth the value of board-work, and of having the children write for someone or for something.
     The third Panel Meeting, held on Friday morning, was entitled "Phantasmagoria," and the attendance included all the teachers. This was in the nature of a "jam" session, and covered a wide variety of topics, both practical and pedagogical.

253


The subjects discussed were: A summer-school for teachers; Copies of the proceedings of the Educational Council Memorizing from the letter of the Word; the PARENT-TEACHER JOURNAL; Aptitude Tests; the use of Bishop W. F. Pendletons Rules of Conduct; the English Faculty; the chairman for next year; the time of the 1945 meetings, and the subjects which should then be discussed.
     Specific projects discussed and planned during the 1944 sessions of the Educational Council, principally in the course of the panel meetings, were:
     1. A Summer-School for teachers, possibly to be held during the last two weeks of August in Bryn Athyn, the Lectures to be followed by question periods and individual research.
     2. The papers and minutes of the Educational Council to be copied and sent to each of the church schools.
     3. The pastors to be contacted to compose lists of essential passages from the letter of the Word for memorization by children.
     4. The tentative subject for next year's meetings was chosen: "The Proper Presentation of the Problems posed by Science." Miss Helen Maynard was suggested as one who might plan this subject.
     MORLEY D. RICH
          Secretary.
SUMMER SCHOOL FOR TEACHERS 1944

SUMMER SCHOOL FOR TEACHERS              1944

     August 16-30, 1944.

     In response to a strong desire, expressed at the recent meetings of the Educational Council, the Academy of the New Church has inaugurated a Continuation Course open to all who are actively engaged as teachers in any of our New Church Schools.
     Professor William Whitehead has volunteered to conduct classes in the Teaching of History, in a concentrated course of study during the two weeks between the 16th and 30th of August.
     There will be no tuition charge, but no dining hall or dormitory accommodations can be provided by the Academy. Teachers desiring to take the course are invited to register at the office of the Dean of Faculties on August 16th.

254


USE 1944

USE       Rev. ELMO C. ACTON       1944

     (At an Open Session of the Council of the Clergy, April 14, 1944.)

     A vision of the universe as a purposeful creation, in which everything contributes to the Divine will or end from which it arose, has been given to men throughout the ages. But until the Revelation of the Second Coming this vision could not but be vague, and reach only to the generals of the universe. In the doctrine of use now given in the Writings this general perception is infilled with particulars, so that from them man may see in every least thing of creation the Divine use which presents in natural form a vision of God Man.
     To see the Divine use in the things of creation is to see the Lord in His Divine Human; for use is the human form itself. The development of this doctrine in thought and life will bring the New Church into the fulness of its Divine use. Every New Churchman, whatsoever his profession, business or work, must train himself to look for the natural and spiritual and Divine uses in all things that come under his view. He must form his philosophic, scientific, economic and practical conclusions and ideas from a sure knowledge that there is nothing in the created universe that does not exist for some use which use can he discovered if humbly viewed in the light of the Heavenly Doctrines now laid open by the Lord in His Second Coming. And in this search he must subordinate his self-intelligence to the Divine Doctrine; and if, in his pursuit, he discovers that which seems to have no use, he will acknowledge that his conclusions even though supported by sensual experience, are false, and he will continue his search. For the Divine Doctrine is "that there shall not be anyone or anything from which and through which a use is not effected."
     The general doctrine of use was clearly seen by Swedenborg in his scientific and philosophical works, and he pursued every study in its light.

255


The discoveries he made in the kingdoms of nature, which were beyond the science of his day, can all be attributed to his firm conviction that the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth is a kingdom of uses. Those who affirmatively read his preparatory works continually marvel at the truths and beauties laid open in the light of the doctrine of use. From this doctrine or principle he arranged and ordered all the vast store of knowledges received through experience; and by it, more than by anything else, his mind was prepared by the Lord for the giving of the Revelation. The firm conviction with which he held to this doctrine is evidenced by the following quotation from the Rational Psychology:

     There is no one, I think, so insane as to deny that there is a supreme direction or Divine Providence; for all things are full of Deity, and we admire in each and every thing the order which is attributed to nature and its perpetual preservation, not by itself, which would be absurd, but by some higher Being from whom it has existence and consequently subsistence. We see blended together a multitude of phenomena going to prove a regulating providence, as that all things seem to be for the sake of use or an end. . . . There is not a worm, nor a plant, nor a blade of grass, without its use, namely, that it may serve as a means to a certain end. . . "(No. 549.) And this end he clearly saw; for later in the same work he says: "No other end of creation can be given than that there may exist a universal society of souls, or a heaven, that is, the kingdom of God." (No. 553.)

     In his preparatory works, Swedenborg saw general spiritual principles so clearly that we almost wonder at times as to the necessity of the opening of his spiritual sight. The truths revealed in the Writings are the spiritual particulars infilling the general spiritual principles by which our revelator's mind had been formed prior to the opening of his spiritual sight. These particulars could not he given except by immediate Divine Revelation.
     When we come to the Writings, the doctrine of use is unfolded in its Divine and spiritual realms. We need no longer confine our vision to the natural uses of created things, with only a dim perception of their Divine end. By study and effort we can see within those natural uses their Divine and spiritual purposes, and thus have our spiritual eyes opened to behold the Infinite in its Divine Glorified Human as God Man.
     The importance of gaining such a vision is clear from the doctrine of use as taught in the Writings. "All joy, beatitude, happiness, felicity and delight in the heavens is in the affection of use on account of use."

256


And since man cannot have an affection of that which is unknown, it becomes very necessary for him to see and know uses with ever increasing light.
     The doctrine of use therefore, is not an abstract theological dogma, but a practical teaching, the knowledge and life of which will enable us to attain eternal happiness, not only in the world to come, but also while we are still here on earth. For "heaven and heavenly joy commence in a man when a looking to self expires in the uses which he performs," and man cannot perform uses fully unless he understands them.

     II.

     Use is the third attribute of the Divine. There is the Divine of Love. the Divine of Wisdom, and the Divine of Use. And the Divine of Use is therefore the form in which Divine Love and Wisdom manifest themselves. Without use, love and wisdom are ideas of abstract thought, both in relation to God and in relation to man. We can know the Divine Love and Wisdom only as they present themselves in the uses of creation. So also we can know love and wisdom in man only through the uses he performs. "Use is the complex, containant and basis of wisdom and love; and use is such a complex and such a containant that all things of love and all things of wisdom are actually in it; it is their simultaneity." (D. L. W. 213.) And since man is love and wisdom formed, he is therefore use.
     As to his soul, each man is a specific form of use formed from the uses which are infinitely one in God. The seed from which he is propagated is actually a form of use covered over with substances from the purest things of nature. (C. L. 183.) From this seed or form of use, his body is formed in the womb; and so the whole man, even as to the gross materials out of which his body is made, is a form of use. To come into the fulness of his life, he must consciously come into the use of which his soul is the form; and since this first form of use is a Divine creation, when man comes consciously into it, he is in the Lord, because in the use; and the Lord is in him because the Lord is that use with him. Therefore all communication of life from the Lord is through and according to uses, which, when man enters into them, become the basis of conjunction. "To be in the Lord means to be in use." (Divine Love XIII; C. L. 7; D. L. W. 335; A. C. 503.)

257



     Not only is man a use, but also the whole of the Lord's kingdom in heaven and on earth is a kingdom of use, for it is a manifestation of His Divine Love and Wisdom, which present themselves as use in the things created. The whole of creation is therefore one from the Divine of use. For the end of creation was an angelic heaven from the human race, and so everything of the universe conspires to this one end. This end, therefore, lies interiorly hidden in every least created thing; "for there is not a single thing in the universe in which there is not hidden a use for man." (T. C. R. 13.) We should therefore try to discover the use in those things of creation which come within our sphere of use. We should endeavor continually to grasp their use to man's eternal well-being, and order them in our lives and thoughts according to their relation to the one universal use or end of creation.
     Use, such as it is in the Infinite, cannot be known. It can be known only in the forms of the created world. Use, therefore, cannot be known except through the ultimate forms of creation as existing in the natural world; for every Divine work proceeds from firsts, by means of atmospheres, to lasts in which it presents itself to view. The ultimate forms themselves are not uses: they are forms representative of use: the use in them being the activity by which there is a return to firsts. On this we read: "In earths there is an effort (conatus) to produce uses in forms, or forms of uses. That there is this effort in earths, is evident from their origin. For the substances and matters of which earths consist are the ends and terminations of the atmospheres which proceed as uses from the spiritual sun. . . All uses are produced by the Lord out of ultimates; wherefore in ultimates there must be effort to uses." (D. L. W. 310: see 311, 314.) And again: "All uses, which are the ends of creation, are in forms, and they take up forms out of substances and matters such as are in earths." (D. L. W. 307.)
     Thus creation is the formation of substances by a process of finition, but uses exist by the Divine inflowing through the atmospheres and forming those substances so that uses, both spiritual and natural, may come forth by means of them, all of which uses are subservient to the end of ends,-an angelic heaven from the human race.

258



     As this is the end of creation, and is fulfilled in man alone, therefore in man are brought together, as in a complex, all the uses of the created universe. Man, therefore, as to use, is an image of creation, and through man the uses which have come forth from God return to Him. Man, in a true sense, then, is not a person, but a use; and this, bears witness to the truth that God is Man; for He is Else. (D. Love V.). "In a spiritual idea, man is not a person, but a use,. . . and every good use is in form a man." When we see the use of anything, we are seeing the human form; and if we see its Divine use we are seeing the Divine Human Form. It is this that we should seek in all material and natural forms.
     There are indeed many things which appear to have no use to man:
as, for example, seeds that never germinate, and many other apparently waste products of nature. Concerning these and like things the Writings lay down the general principle that "superfluity does not take away use, but makes uses persistent." (W. 331.) Thus in the very superfluity the continuation of the infinite and eternal is assured.
     Use is also the basis of all correspondence between end, cause and effect. If we see the natural use of a created object, we see its true natural form: if we see its use to man's eternal welfare, we see its spiritual cause; and if we see its use in relation to the Divine, we see the very end itself from which it exists. Influx, then, from the spiritual into the natural is not into created objects, but into the use of those objects, and from the use into the ultimate forms.
     In regard to the body, this general law is revealed: "The heavenly societies correspond to the functions of an organ, and because they correspond to the functions, they also correspond to the organic forms." (A. C. 4223, 2991; H. H. 96, 112; S. D. 3574-3578.) Uses, therefore, do not refer to material forms, but in every case are the spiritual within the material. To see the living use of what is material is to see the spiritual. Concerning this we read:

     "How the Divine proceeding, which is the very and only life, can be in things created and finite shall now be told. This life applies itself, not to man, but only to uses in man. Uses themselves, viewed in themselves, are spiritual; while the forms of use, which are members, organs and viscera are natural. . . The Divine life applies itself to the uses themselves in every series. and thereby gives life to every form; from this man has the life that is called his soul. (D. Love IV.)

259


And again: "When the forming Divine is in them and their continuations, it is in them spiritually, not materially, for it is in their uses; and uses regarded in themselves are immaterial, while the things necessary for uses to become effects are material." (Div. Wisdom III: 2; S. D. 2512; D. L. W. 46.)

     This is the reason why the spiritual world is everywhere present in the natural, and cannot exist without it as a basis.
     Now let us contemplate uses in regard to man in the natural and in the spiritual world.

     III.

     As all use is love formed by wisdom, so in regard to man all that he does from love by wisdom is use in him the nature of the use being qualified by the quality and quantity of the love. For this reason we can speak of evil uses, even as we can speak of evil loves. To define more specifically: All that man does from a good love by means of genuine truths is use; and all that man does from an evil love, whether by apparent truths or falsities, is evil use. In external form, when viewed from without, the works done will appear exactly the same.
     Now, as in the universe use cannot be seen except in forms created out of natural substances, so uses cannot be known with man except in natural occupations. Therefore, while in thought we must separate use from occupation, yet for all practical purposes use is everywhere identified with function and occupation; as where we are told that the essence of love to the neighbor is to perform the function of one's office sincerely, justly, honestly, faithfully, and sedulously. Yet the thing that makes such performance of work the essential of charity is the end of doing good to the neighbor through use.
     It is our duty to try to discover the good of use in our daily work. This is important, because there is a wide series and degrees of use in work, and each must find its proper place. The true use of a work is not always seen; in fact, it is seldom seen, except as to its natural usefulness; and for regeneration it is not necessary that it should be seen. The Writings tell us that he who shuns evils as sins against God, and performs the functions of his calling faithfully, is in use, in spiritual use, without knowing what that use is.
     From this it would seem that it is not necessary to the performance of use to be in any particular calling.

260


For it is into the right performance of a function that heaven inflows, and not into the function apart from its right performance, which is its use. And yet, from the doctrine of correspondence, an ideal state would seem to be reached when there is a correspondence between the use in which a man is and the occupation by which he exercises that use while in the world. It would seem that the only indication we have of this relation is the feeling of satisfaction in a particular occupation-in the feeling of happiness in an occupation, apart from any ulterior consideration. It would seem wise, therefore, to use every means available to discover that occupation for which we are naturally fitted, if it is not clear to us by a strong desire for a specific occupation.
     It seems to me that the general doctrine concerning a conjugial partner could be applied to this relation of use to occupation. In other words, there are similitudes among occupations, the uses of which men are forms. Therefore there are a number of different occupations a man may engage in, and by which he may come into the fulness of the use for which he was created, and of which he is inmostly a form. This idea would seem to be strengthened by the fact that many men may perform their use by means of the same occupation; and although the occupation is the same, yet the use in the occupation is different with each man. No two men can perform the same use; for use is the form of the love. The use of any occupation with an individual man is according to the way in which he performs it. This is what gives it individual form; and by "the way" we mean all the qualities of his will and understanding which enter into it.
     A multiplication of occupations does not necessarily mean an increase of uses, but merely a multiplication of the form in which uses ultimate themselves. If uses, in themselves, are Divine, then they are also eternal, and cannot be referred to as to number, except as to the infinite variety in which they appear in the created universe.
     So important is this doctrine of use in regard to man that the Lord has provided that there shall be no person or thing which is not of use. The difference between the uses of hell and the uses of heaven is not essentially one of the exterior forms in which they manifest themselves, but of the interior loves from which they originate. In their inmost form they both originate in the Sun of Heaven; but in hell they are turned in the interiors of the devil into evil loves, which evil loves nevertheless manifest themselves in orderly forms of use.

261


When the Writings say that the uses of hell are vile uses, I think it is referring to them in their interior forms-their forms as seen in the light of heaven, not as to their appearance in the light of external order in the hells.
     The devils of hell perform the same uses as the angels of heaven, to all appearance, but they perform them from fear of punishment, and from no love of the good offices to their fellow men which are administered thereby. For this reason they receive no delight from their performance; the blessing of the use is not communicated to them: for from their evil loves they have cut themselves off from it. But those who are in heaven are in the love of the good of any use they perform, and this good is from the Lord, who communicates the blessedness and happiness of the good of the use.
     This general idea is further confirmed by the teaching that all food in the other life is given in use. Now there can be no other food than good food, and therefore the devils, while in the performance of uses, are fed with the food of heaven, but only as to what is external with them. Outside of their use, their evil loves break forth, and they come into torment and punishment. But while they are in their use or work, or tasks, their evils are excused. It is therefore only because of their internal form that the vile uses of hell are likened to the uses of decomposed matter. However, so completely is the Lord's kingdom a kingdom of uses that, even while they are in the active life of their evil loves, their evil intentions are turned by the Lord into good uses for those who are around them. The Writings speak of those men who are in the love of glory and fame preaching truths with zeal, by which good men are inspired to good, and say that their zeal is a result of spirits in hell who are (if a like nature.
     We must learn, then, to regard all men from use, or, so far as the world is concerned, from their usefulness. For all men, as men, are the same and equal; it is only use that distinguishes one man from another in any real sense. And so we must learn to regard all things of our own life from use; for heavenly joy commences when self-regard expires in respect for use, the reason being that heavenly delight is contained in use, and is given or communicated according to the quality and quantity of the performance of use.

262


The truth of this law may be seen in the fact that even in this world delight is according to use. The higher the use, the greater the delight. Thus the procreation of offspring is said to be the use of all uses with men in the world. Around this use, therefore, all others must revolve, for in it is contained the end of ends in creation.
     In conclusion, let me say a word about the occupations of the angels of heaven. That their occupations appear in the same forms as the occupations of men upon earth, is not only evident from the description of them as given in the Writings, but also from the principle that all things of the spiritual world find their basis, containant, and fulness in the created forms of this world. And yet, as to their internal form, they must he discretely different; for a discretely high thing is never in itself the same form as the external natural thing in which it manifests itself in this world. Concerning the uses of the angels, the Writings say that they cannot be described in natural language, yea, not in a natural idea. Yet in a spiritual idea man can have some conception of them even while in this world.
     It is said in the work on Heaven and Hell that man's use in the other world is not an occupation corresponding to his occupation in this world, but one corresponding to the use of his occupation. In many passages in which the uses of heaven are described, they have to do with introducing men and children into spiritual life, and in establishing and protecting the spiritual life of men on earth. Yet it is also said that each one has his own particular function apart from these general uses. I have no light to throw upon this subject, and yet I believe that as the church grows in spiritual life there will be an ever increasing growth in the understanding of this subject. It is our part now to perform the work before us justly, sincerely, and faithfully, and to seek an understanding of the uses of the occupations in which we are now engaged. If we do this, and are in a life of shunning evils as sins against God, we shall become forms of use from inmost to outmosts, and shall he prepared to enter the kingdom of eternal uses.

263


SCRIPTURE RECITATIONS 1944

SCRIPTURE RECITATIONS       Rev. F. E. GYLLENHAAL       1944

     The Use of the Letter of the Word for Recitations.

     A PAPER

(Read at the Educational Council, April 12, 1944.)

     The letter of the Word of the Old and New Testaments has always been used by the General Church and the Academy schools for recitations. Many portions of it are used in the services of worship in church, school, and home. These include the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, many of the Psalms or portions of them, and other verses of the two Testaments. Whether they are read or sung from the book or from memory, these selected portions of the letter of the Word are in general recitations; and their suitability and indispensability for worship are well established by Divine doctrine, and are so recognized.
     Our subject may be more correctly stated as the suitability of using the letter of the Word for memorized recitations, and especially this use by children in school; or whether our schools should require pupils to learn recitations from the Word. Should the Word be used in this manner? As memorizing is hard work for some children, and often is disliked, if it must be done, should the Word be used? Will not the dislike be extended to the Word?
     There are two quite separate subjects here. One is the suitability of using the Word for memory work. The other is the compelling of children to learn the Word, whether by memorizing portions of it, or by reading it, or by listening to the reading and teaching of it. Surely there is a strong and unanimous conviction among us as to both these subjects.
     Compulsion, unless it is self-compulsion, only produces obstinate and continued resistance and finally hatred. Compulsion is necessary as to many things in childhood and youth, but should not be used in respect to the Word and the spiritual things of the Church, and would seem to be unnecessary. Resistance can be overcome by other methods than compulsion, if only parents and teachers are patient.

264


In cases where it cannot be overcome, it is surely better to give the child something to do that he likes doing, and later to investigate thoroughly the reasons for the unexpected resistance.
     It is of order, and it is sound doctrine, to memorize portions of the Word, and to have children do this. Whatever we love we easily memorize, especially at certain ages and in certain states. Little children easily and quickly memorize verses they like, or which they constantly use. This is especially true of songs, perhaps, but also of poetry and prose. The manner in which they are led to memorize the letter of the Word will produce either an eager doing of the work or an indifference to it, or else opposition.
     The work should be done for use, and for immediate use, whenever possible. What is learned, especially at first, should be used daily at home in family worship, and in school at the school opening service also at other times during the day, both in school and at home. The children should know that they are doing it for this purpose. They should also he taught that by means of the Word-by reading it, by reciting portions of it, by singing it both in English and in the original Hebrew and Greek, also by talking about the Word, its stories, and what the Lord teaches by them, even by thinking silently about the Word-they are serving angels and spirits, and are enabling spirits and angels to serve them.
     Even five-year old kindergarten children can understand these uses of the Word well enough to want to listen to the reading of it, and to memorize verses from it. Though they cannot read, they like to look at things, to be told about them, to see what is inside. They are always greatly interested in a beautifully bound copy of the Word in the original languages. They are interested also in the Liturgy, in hearing what is inside it and where these inside things come from, in seeing the words and music, in learning that it is the book their parents use in church.
     Most children like to do things, and not to have everything done for them. They easily learn to recite and sing, before they can read, and the letter of the Word is the Divinely provided Fountain from which their thirst for knowledge should first he quenched. But their delight in reciting and singing the letter of the Word will largely depend upon the delight they sense, by sight, hearing. and spheres, in their parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, schoolmates and other playmates.

265



     The delight children feel in reciting and singing the letter of the Word will also depend upon their love of the Word, their love of reading it, hearing its stories read, and looking at pictures of those stories. They should be encouraged to read the Word for themselves at home, at least a few verses every day. Every child should have his own copy of the Word or Bible. This should have good print, and he well, even beautifully, bound. Even as a Book, as the Book of books, the Word should be precious.
     Children are encouraged in their reading only when their parents and teachers show constant and real interest in their progress, in what stories are being read, and by casually supplying backgrounds and explanations that help them to understand what they are reading. Another persons evident delight in the subject, or in what is being done increases the child's delight. This can be further stimulated and much knowledge unobtrusively imparted and insinuated, by interesting them in noting words which are not now used, or which are spelled differently now, or which are printed in italics; also by explaining marginal references; and by teaching them to find their way in the Word; for example, to know where to look for the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Parable of the Sower. When encouraged and helped in these ways, a child will memorize the names of all the books of the Word, also of many stories and characters, without realizing that he is doing so.
     Such memory work is really necessary as groundwork for thinking from the Word. Neither reading a chapter, nor hearing it read, two or three times, will furnish the memory with enough material for much thought. However, what is memorized should not be allowed to supplant thought. When first memorized, it should be used as the Divinely given medium of thought. This is done by making sure that its meanings are known, and by using it in conversation and in instruction on various related subjects. Then it will become increasingly evident that the recitations are not only for formal worship, nor only part of school work, but that they apply to daily life.
     The interest of children in such memory work is greatly increased, too, if they are shown how it can be used at other times than in school and at family worship.

266


For example, they can recite and sing by themselves in bed, before the time they are allowed to rise, or before falling asleep at night, when the light is out and play is not allowed. They can do the same when they are sick in bed,
     Nothing that I have said is new. But all of it helps. I hope, to establish the usefulness of memorizing portions of the letter of the Word. The success of this work, especially its value to the children, will depend largely upon the manner in which it is initiated and directed; also in the co-operation of the parents with the school. What is needed by both parents and schools is a booklet of well-chosen and graded selections from the letter of the Word. The sections of the Liturgy entitled Psalter, Law, and Gospel supply many suitable selections but there are many others even more suitable for children, and those in the Liturgy are not graded for children.
     Now as to the practical working of such memorization in the Olivet Day School. The opening of school each morning is by worship in which the School Opening Service in the revised Liturgy is followed. The service begins promptly at nine o'clock, and takes fifteen minutes. The pupils never use any Liturgics or Hymnals, for they recite and sing from memory. And for several years we have had to sing without any instrumental accompaniment.
     Nine Doxologies are well known. One is used each week as an Introit.
     A different Sentence of Scripture is said by the Minister every morning. A selection of thirty each year is arranged in groups of five. The sentences of three groups are said facing the Word, and are suitable for that position. For example, "Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; Thy throne from generation to generation." (Lam. 5: 19.) The sentences of the other three groups are said facing the pupils, and are of the following kind: "Blessed be the name of the Lord for ever and ever; for wisdom and might are His." (Dan. 2:20.)
     Five sets of Responsives, before and after the Lord's Prayer, are used each year, one each month, repeating the cycle twice in the ten school months. During the last week of each month a different set of Responsives is used each day. No announcement is made of what set will be used at any time, but the pupils, with very few exceptions, make the correct responses. This gives variety and rouses interest; it also removes to some extent the mechanical nature of all memorized recitations.

267


The Responsives are taken from the old Hymnal.
     After the Lord's Prayer and Responsives, a short sentence, which is called the school's monthly motto, or guide, is repeated in unison. The same one is used daily for a month, a different one each of the ten months. This year the one for April is: "I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." (John 11: 25, 26.)
     Then comes the Recitation, which is a longer portion of the Word. The same Recitation is used for one week. We are using this year: The Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, the New Commandment, the Ten Blessings, six other selected portions of the Sermon on the Mount, and prophecies of the Lord's coming; for example, "I shall see Him, but not now" (Numbers 24: 17), and "The people that walked in darkness" (Isaiah 9: 2, 6, 7) the Magnificat (Luke 1: 46-55), the Benedictus (Luke 1: 68-75), the angel's announcement of the Lord's birth to the shepherds (Luke 2: 8-14), the coming of the wise men to Jerusalem (Matt. 2: 1, 2), their offering of gifts (Matt. 2:11,12), three selections from Revelation (Liturgy, p. 196, nos. 55, 56, 57), the first General Confession of Faith: or twenty-one in all. These are all memorized, either at home to earn a gold star, or by use in school.
     After the Recitation they sing either a Hebrew Anthem, of which seven are known, or one of the two Greek Selections, both of which are known.
     Then follow the reading from the Word and the Writings, and a very short talk, particulars of which will he mentioned later.
     Finally a Psalm, Anthem, or Hymn is sung, a different one every day. The children know four Psalms, seven Anthems, sixteen Hymns from the old Hymnal, and twenty-six Hymns in the Revised Liturgy.
     This makes a total of one hundred and seven different recitations and songs used this year. In former years, when we had seventh and eighth grades, about one hundred and fifty were known and used during the year, including the Ten Commandments in Hebrew. Possibly this is too much variety, especially for the first three grades. But this year, only the Greek Selections and three new Hymns have been taught in school.

268


The others were all learned in former years, or at home from older brothers and sisters, and by use in family worship. Every Friday, for half an hour, the Psalms, Anthems, Hymns, and Doxologies have been practised to the accompaniment of the piano, to improve the singing.
     Every morning, school is closed by the pupils assembling before the opened Word, which is in the opened Repository in the Worship Room, and by there repeating a very short Sentence of Scripture, none of which is included in the before-mentioned one hundred and seven items. A different sentence is used every day, upwards of twenty being well known, having been learned in previous years. They include: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect"; "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do and hear"; `Judge not, that ye be not judged"; "All religion has relation to the life, and the life of religion is to do good'; and many others of the same general kind. The afternoon session opens without any formality, but closes with the singing of a Church song and either "O Canada!" or the National Anthem, and a salute to the King. A dozen or more songs of the Social Song Book are known and used in school and at parties.
     In School Opening Service the pupils are allowed to interrupt the reading and talk by raising the right hand, and, if recognized, rising to ask the meaning of a word, or a question about a portion read, or a statement made, or to comment on parallel passages in the other Gospels. This liberty develops keener listening, and makes worship reciprocal and living. Delay until the class period usually results in forgetting the question or comment. Order and reverence are always maintained. Even the kindergarten children, only five and six years old, often ask good questions or make surprisingly intelligent comments. They, as well as the older pupils, call attention to sentences and portions that have been memorized and are used in worship, and sometimes to what had been used in church on the previous Sunday! Of course, this is possible only with a very small group. Some of the parents have repeatedly told me that their children thoroughly enjoy the School Opening Service; and this liberty, as well as the readings and talks, contributes to the enjoyment. During the past year the pupils have many times called attention to differences in the three Gospels that have been read since last September, and in the last three chapters of all four Gospels.

269


These twelve chapters have been read at home by most of the pupils during the first week of April. During March and April they have been read aloud by the pupils in school and discussed.
     The Word is ready every day. The reading is consecutive, from Genesis to the end of Revelation, and from twelve to seventeen verses are read at a time. But not every chapter and verse is read. Those portions which have a story understandable to children, some of the Psalms, portions of the Prophets, and the whole of the New Testament, are read. But brief attention is called to whatever is not read, and explanation made of the omission. There are very few exceptions to this. In class, however, the children are instructed to read through the Word at home without any omissions the first time, and they do so.
     The reading of the New Testament is immediately followed by the reading of a short selection from the Writings. The following are two typical examples.

     THE WORD: Besides these, there are many other wonderful things there, which are from the Word; as, for instance, if any one who is in falses looks at the Word lying in the holy place, there arises a thick darkness before his eyes, and thence the Word appears to him black, and sometimes as it were covered over with soot; but if he also touches the Word, an explosion is made with a loud noise, and he is thrown to a corner of the room, and for an hour lies there as if he were dead. If anything is written out of the Word on paper, by any one who is in falses, and the paper is thrown up towards heaven, then a similar explosion is made in the air, between his eye and heaven, and the paper is torn into atoms, and vanishes. The like happens if that paper is thrown towards an angel who stands near. This I have often seen" (T. C. R. 209.)
     "FOOD IN THE SPIRITUAL WORLD.-They eat and drink there, just as in the natural world ; but all food there is from a spiritual origin; wherefore it is not obtained beforehand, but is given daily. When it is dinner-time and also when it is supper-time, a table furnished with food appears while the meal-time lasts, and disappears when they have dined or supped. All spirits are supplied with food according to their employments-rulers sumptuously, with much pomp, the magnificence of which cannot be described; the rest less sumptuously, according to their condition." (S. D. 6088.)

     There are many similar selections which can be usefully read to grade-school pupils in worship, but they should be positive statements of truth, easily understood, new, interesting, and short.

270


I am making a collection of such selections that teach about the Lord, the Lord's Names, the Word, the Church; about books libraries food, clothing, work, play, schools, and many other things in the spiritual world; about the earths in the universe, and reasons why the Lord was born on this earth; about charity, faith, duty, co-operation, order, obedience, and many other somewhat more abstract subjects: about children in heaven; and about animals, birds, trees, stones, and many other subjects. A general idea of the internal meanings of the Word is easily taught by the parables of the sower and of the wheat and tares, and the Lord's own explanations of them: and also by the precious stones and metals, and the many useful minerals, hidden in the earth and gained by man's industry.
     The daily talks at the opening worship are seldom on the subjects of the readings from the Word and the Writings, and they may have no connection with their subject-matter. Beginning the first day of school in September, and again in January (in the present year, and of many past years), the first subject has been the Lord, followed by a series on the Word, the Church, the Home, the School, Order, Obedience, Good Will, School Spirit, Responsibility, Duty, Cooperation. This year, as well as in past years, the following series, in groups of five, have been given: Reverence, Courtesy, Punctuality. Alacrity, Cheerfulness; Chip on the Shoulder, Mote in the Eye, Imposing on Others, Making Excuses, Ridiculing Others; Leadership. Team Work, People, Things, Trust; Hope and Fear, Courage and Cowardice, Beauty and Ugliness, Caution and Rashness. Sensible and Silly; Big and Little, Pleasant and Disagreeable, Hard and Easy, Good and Bad, Careful and Careless: Discontent, Dissatisfaction, Grumbling, Complaining, Contrariness; Self-satisfied, Self-denial, Fault-finding, Accusing, Getting Even. Much can be said in three to five minutes. These talks are planned one, two, or three months in advance, depending upon the time available. Material is found at odd moments, and the final form is usually thought out during the morning shave!
     No pupil is required to memorize any portion of the Word, or any song. There is no penalty for neglect in doing so. But they are encouraged by the hope of winning gold stars. They also memorize unconsciously by hearing others recite and sing, by joining in the service, and by encouragement at home. The home is, or certainly should be, the strongest and best influence and encouragement.

271


Occasionally the pupils recite for the gold stars during the religious instruction period, but usually during the Hebrew period, when one recites while the others copy Hebrew. The limit to what they can memorize seems to be my ability to find time to select the recitations, type them out, prepare the cards for the stars, and hear the recitations. Stars are also given for written and singing memory work. There is never any recitation for stars during February. and from March until June a second star can be earned for what was learned and acceptably recited from September to February. This furnishes a check on retentiveness of the memory, and shows whether the growth of the mind is producing more intelligent rendition and increasing affection.
     Experience has shown that much of what has been memorized is soon forgotten, when not used. Boys and girls who did exceptionally well in the six grades in our school, and in the Sunday School classes they attended while in High School. seem to forget most of the recitations and songs they had learned and used for six years. Some of them also fail to continue their daily reading of the Word and the saying of prayers at night. This is due to several causes, of which the chief is the failure of adequate home influence and steady encouragement. I am able to learn about this condition in my Young People's Class, and so this is not mere hearsay or guesswork. However, the early efforts were not wasted, nor are they to be regretted, for they were means of storing up remains that will be of great use, both in later life on earth and in the life after death.
     We can see rationally many of the uses of memorizing portions of the letter of the Word, especially by children, but also by adults. Such memorization should delight the child. Usually it does, especially when not imposed as a task, and when the child can see an immediate purpose and use for it. A moderate amount of competition and emulation, also the hope of some kind of visible reward or evidence of achievement, are of order and seem to make the work easier. Certainly they supply helping delights, and the more delights that are aroused for any kind of work, also by the work itself, the easier the work seems to be, and the more roots there are to support and feed whatever is produced.
     But no compulsion should be used with any child disliking memory work, and those children should not be made to feel that they are in any way or by any person, condemned because of their dislike, lest the dislike be extended to the Word itself, and to worship and religion.

272


Central in all memorizing of portions of the Word there must be preserved the Word itself and its holiness. The most important work of parents and teachers is to foster a love for the Word. Such a love will be shown by the reverent and constant use of the Word. If the Word becomes a child's greatest treasure, the best loved Book, the most read Book, it will be the most powerful means, in the Lord's hands, of teaching the child, and the man or woman into which it matures, the way to heaven, and of leading him safely therein, with growing good will to his fellow men and thanksgiving to his Heavenly Father.
RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOME 1944

RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE HOME        ELDRIC S. KLEIN       1944

     Aspects of the Cultural and Disciplinary Responsibilities of the Home in Respect to Children of High School Age.

     (A Paper read at the Educational Council, April 11, 1944.)

     With children of high-school age, the cultural and disciplinary responsibility of the home is to continue and improve development upon foundations already established in infancy and childhood. The methods of exercising this responsibility differ from those employed with younger children; for they look toward the very near need which the adolescent will have, as an adult, for self-discipline and cultural interests and resources of his own. The responsibility involves, for the parent, the creation of a carefully controlled but expanding field of responsibilities to be assumed by the adolescent, as well as an ever-increasing range of choices which the adolescent must he permitted to make for himself, even at the risk of choosing the wrong thing, but within the field upon which the parent has relaxed control. If the adolescent makes a wrong choice, the parent still has the opportunity to point out why the choice was wrong, and to show how a wiser choice could have been made, and even to enforce such instruction with reproof or punishment.

273



     Parents will differ in the methods they employ in exercising their responsibilities, in accordance with their own judgment and also with the character and temperament of their offspring. It is important that both school and parents recognize this fact, for both are subject to the temptation to impose a uniformity of practice to accord with their own particular problems or interests. A long process of education for parents is necessary to the adoption of uniform customs of social behavior, for instance; and efforts to impose such uniformity where there is not a common basis of understanding and purpose are futile. It is exasperating. I admit, to be met incessantly with: "Tom and Mary Jones can do it, and I don't see why I can't!" The retort, of course, is: "Well, you are not Tom or Mary Jones!" But that retort is not convincing without further exposition, and frequently not even with it.
     A cursory examination of such commonplace parental problems as contemporary literature and the radio will illustrate the topic we are considering.
     Mrs. Jones is a member of the Book-of-the-Month Club, and Mr. Jones is a subscriber to ESQUIRE (or was until the U. S. Mails intervened). Mary Jones, in her early teens, avidly absorbs mother's and father's cultural interest in contemporary literature and art. She has developed a precocious sophistication, at least beyond most of the members of her class in school.
     Mrs. Perkins, on the other hand, buys no books, and reads very few. But her, 15-year old daughter, Jane, reads the SATURDAY EVENING POST, GOOD HOUSEKEEPING and BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS, and these magazines are helping her to picture to herself and to evaluate the world in which she will live as an adult. Her brother knows that the ability to retire at fifty-five, and thereafter to live at ease, troubling only to walk out to meet the postman who brings the check from the insurance company, is a goal for which all self-respecting men should strive.
     Don't make the mistake of thinking that the young ignore advertising matter. They "eat it up." I detest the so-called comic books. They are "tripe," but they at least do not usually pretend to be anything else. In time the young learn to evaluate them properly. But much of contemporary advertising is also "tripe." And it is more difficult to evaluate than the comics: for it subtly permeates the fabric of the mind, as it is expensively designed to do.

274


The parent has the responsibility of subjecting to critical analysis the more fallacious assumptions of contemporary life ac they are revealed in newspaper, magazine and radio advertisements.
     The Fulton family is very careful about its reading matter. Father takes the NEW YORK TIMES, which has no comics, and mother gets the READERS DIGEST, which has no advertisements. Even the READERS DIGEST, however, is designed for adults, and some of its articles and condensations of contemporary novels are not exactly suitable for adolescents. Looking back upon some of these condensations in recent years makes me wonder why our Librarians ever bothered to set up a Z shelf of books for adults only. Moreover, the DIGEST fits in well with the modern idea of learning to play the piano in ten (10) easy lessons. Its monthly handout of predigested pabulum instills a distaste for the more solid and substantial fare which is needed to strengthen the intellectual sinews that will support the responsibilities of a democracy and of a "reading" church in the coming generation.
     The Fultons also get the NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, especially for their teen-age boy. But the boy isn't interested. He spends much of his time on Sundays visiting the Perkins, where he reads the comics before he drifts on to the Jones's to examine the latest issue of LIFE. The boy really has a hobby, and there is a good magazine dedicated to that hobby. He would read this magazine from cover to cover and thoroughly enjoy it, but his parents have never "looked into it." That is unfortunate, because his special interest would give him real insight into the value of material in that field, and this would provide a basis for the development of a genuine critical faculty.
     But after all this has been said, it must be admitted that reading matter plays a less and less influential part in the cultural environment of the home. Many of us here are old enough to be able to look back upon an adolescence in which we read a great deal, at least in comparison with the present generation of adolescents. But in those days the movie was an exceptional experience, and the radio for domestic use was unknown.
     Mention of the radio brings me to Sinatra. I don't like Sinatra. I don't like the responses he evokes from his audiences. I detect in them the undiluted animalism which came over the ether only as overtones from the mobs at the Sportspalast and the Pallazo-Venezia.

275


The most effective cure, perhaps. would be to make adolescent girls listen to Sinatra records for four solid hours (better make that eight), and not allow them to do anything else during that time. Short of such a drastic measure, the best we can do is to be patient, in the expectation that maturity will bring greater discernment.
     The radio does represent and reflect all levels of American culture, and the home is the place for the adolescent to learn to use it, and to learn to discriminate between the good, the had, and the indifferent. A system of established priorities should help in this. Churchill, Roosevelt, Hull. and other statesmen of great experience and vast responsibilities, are Al. followed closely by symphonic music news reports and analyses, etc. But the programs enjoyed by the adolescents must be represented also, in accordance with the principle of the expanding field of choice.
     The trouble is that such a well-ordered system is effective only so long as domestic life is well-ordered. When a child or an adolescent is ill, but not seriously so, the easiest way to keep him or her amused is to allow unrestricted use of a bedside radio. Then what a procession of insipid, morbid, sinister, and moronic characters throngs the room, as one snap opera follows another! We can only hope that a standard of values has been established firmly enough in normal times to withstand such an assault. And then there are the inescapable and intolerable "singing commercials! A gathering of young people is just as likely to burst out in song in praise of some soft drink that `hits the spot" as they are to sing "Old Black Joe." We can be comforted that they sing, and that they all know the former tune, and sing it with great feeling.
     An adequate analysis of the use or abuse of the radio in establishing the cultural tone of the home would take all evening. As in the matter of reading, social life, and so many other aspects of adolescent life, the essential step is the establishment of a standard of values based primarily upon principles of religion, and the creation of an expanding area of free choice for the adolescent under parental guidance in order that the boy or girl of high-school age may be adequately prepared to assume the responsibilities of adult life, and, in assuming those responsibilities, to become a man or woman of the church.

276


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably Discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, L.A.C. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,

277



Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, O/D Robert P.,
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 1 David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.W. A. Elise,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., O.S.,
Hamm, Sgt. Major John E.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motom, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably Discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lieut. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lieut. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, L/Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,

278



Alden, Pvt. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, A/C Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Cpl. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cand. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, P.F.C. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Cadet Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Major William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, Sgt. Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P.,
Pitcairn, A.S. Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., A.S.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pvt. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, A.S.,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, P.F.C. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,

279



Fuller, A/S William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, S/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pvt. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably Discharged,
Wille, A/C Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably Discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, Ph.M. 1/c,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., A.S.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (j.g.) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/C, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., A.S., Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, P.F.C. Joseph Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F 2/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/C John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., A.S., N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.

280



Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, P.F.C. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

     [Photograph.]

     Oswald E. Asplundh, Jr.

     In the assembly ball of the Immanuel Church buildings hangs a beautiful plaque-our Roll of Honor-a visual reminder at our meeting place of the young men and women who have joined the colors-to help in the stupendous task of again bringing peace to the nations of the earth.
     Against one of those names there has now been placed a gold star-a sign that Ensign Oswald F. Asplundh, Jr., has given his earthly life for his country and his church. And thus does our community join the ranks of those many groups who feel the loss of a much loved friend. The war has indeed come into our midst. Oswald's earthly career was ended while flying in the service of his country on Saturday, April 22nd, at Quonset Point, Rhode Island.
     Let us scan the record of this young man whose pleasing personality, cheerful disposition and courteous manners made him popular such young and old. Born in Philadelphia, Pa.. May 10, 1922, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Oswald E. Asplundh (Bessie B. Heilman), we trace his education by his attendance at the Boys Academy in Bryn Athyn, New Trier High School in Kenilworth, Illinois; Main Junior College - Northwestern University - Aeronautical University - Lockport Civilian Pilot Training-Iowa University-then with the United States Navy at Pensacola, Jacksonville, Glenview, Norfolk. Atlantic City, Quonset Point. In all those halls of learning and training stations, Oswald's record was excellent. Says his acting commander. Captain J. M. Hoskins: He was a first-rate pilot with natural leadership and enthusiasm. He was an outstanding officer, loved and respected by everyone."
     The following words were spoken at the beautiful memorial service we hold on Tuesday evening, May 2nd,- a strengthening link between earths and heaven:
     "We are hero tonight to commemorate the passing of one who has established himself firmly and deeply in our affections. His cheerful disposition and quick and ready wit gave promise of many years of work and service with us. He went to the service of his country willingly and gladly, and in that service he has laid down his life for his friends. The love of country is the highest of natural loves, and hidden within it is a love of the Lord's kingdom; for 'he who loves his country in this world, after death loves the Lord's kingdom, for there the Lord's kingdom is his country.' His prompt and eager response to his country needs in this world will be turned into a ready and willing service in the Lord's eternal kingdom."
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.
     The Funeral Service, conducted by Bishop Alfred Acton, was held in the Bryn Athyn Cathedral on Thursday, April 27th, with a large congregation in attendance. It was followed by interment in the Bryn Athyn cemetery.

281


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     LONDON, ENGLAND.

     Michael Church.

     The two major events to be recorded in this review of our recent activities are the Christmas Party and Swedenborg's Birthday. The former was a reminder that at least one tradition has been born since the war began, for this is the second year in which the Women's Guild has sponsored a Christmas Tea Patty, and all are agreed that succeeding years must celebrate others.
     Christmas.-As fewer members could be expected on the actual Christmas Day, we chose Sunday, December 19, for the occasion. The church was decorated, and the whole day was given over to the celebration of Christmas, beginning in the morning a worship and music, on the spiritual plane, and descending in the afternoon to the natural plane of sociability and fun.
     A very beautiful sermon on "the Eternity of the Lord's Kingdom" was delivered by the Pastor, and during the service Holy Communion was administered to 22 persons.
     After lunch the afternoon proceeded somewhat on the lines of previous years. Mr. Acton gave a short talk on "The Divine Descending and the Divine Human Ascending," illustrated from the genealogy of the Lord in Matthew and Luke. The singing of carols by the congregation preceded and followed the address.
     The Party began at about 3.00. Being so scattered and busy in our wartime lives, it is almost impossible to meet much beforehand, and most preparations must be done on the day of the meeting. Although this creates a certain amount of nerve racking anxiety, on the whole it acts with gusto. There was a great deal of shutting of doors and rehearsing in corner at odd moments; and, taking on the flavor of family parties at which all alike are both hosts and guests, the festivities went with a swing. The tables, spread with an unbelievable supply of cakes, contributed by various ladies, looked (and tasted) almost pre-war.
     Each of the three tables had its Christmas tree, ingeniously decorated by Miss Mary Waters. Who would have supposed those glittering stars to be the tops of milk bottles? A group of singers, conducted by Miss Lilian Spaulding, sang (unaccompanied) some old and very lovely carols, all joining in the choruses. This was truly delightful, as was testified by the applause. These followed a ballad, spoken by a narrator and mimed by some of the young people. Mrs. Acton, who stepped almost at a moment's notice into the part of a dragon, played it as if she had a life-long acquaintance with these scaly beasts. Perhaps there are dragons still in the States?
     An exchange of pulpits between Colchester and London took place on Sunday, January 2, Michael Society having the pleasure of hearing the Rev. Martin Pryke, who conducted the service and delivered a sermon dealing with the subject of Natural Good.
     Swedenborg's Birthday.-Sunday, January 23, was dedicated to our celebration of this event with a lunch and address. The Pastor's sermon of the morning fittingly introduced the day with a treatment of the subject of "The Reception of Divine Truth Revealed."

282



     A larger attendance was prevented by the prevailing flu and war duties, but there were a few visitors from Colchester and elsewhere, including Mr. Arthur Fountain of the Canadian Army and Mr. Harold Jones of the R.A.F. The paper (read by Mr. Victor Tilson) was written by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson and published in The New Philosophy. It dealt with some little known but very interesting details of Swedenborg's work as Assessor of Mines.
     Discussions.-Lack of space prevents more reference to the several animated Sunday afternoons when talks have been given by the Pastor, and also by the Rev. Henry Heinrichs, Mr. Cecil James, Lieut. Wareing, and Miss Ethel Spalding. A favored theme on these occasions has been the Attitude of New Churchmen in the World of Today. Following the Pastor's broad outlining of this subject, other speakers have dwelt from time to time on particular aspects of the problems besetting the New Churchman in the war and postwar world.
     On the whole we each look back upon an encouraging year,-a year in which attendance has averaged slightly higher, and in which, despite the war, efforts to maintain some sort of social life have not been unsuccessful.
     Before closing, two baptisms and two deaths must be recorded.
     On December 12. Raymond Frank Waters, infant sons of Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Waters, was baptized. This was a real event, for Michael Church hasn't many babies.
     The baptism on January 30 was that of Lieutenant Philip Frank Wareing, whom we are delighted to welcome as a member of the General Church. No stranger to us since his war duties have stationed him near London, he has been one of our more constant and by no means inactive visitors throughout the past year.
     We must here record the death of Mrs. William Lewin, who passed away on October 27. She was long a faithful member of the Church in London. Though not often able to attend in recent years, she is remembered by the older members as a very active supporter of the Society.
     On December 29 the Rev. William Acton, uncle of our Pastor, passed peacefully away after a long life of service in the Church, Of recent years he had attended Michael Church very frequently, often preaching in the absence of the Pastor or Bishop Tilson. He was known and loved by us all; indeed, no one could be in his presence without being affected by the sphere of happy tranquillity surrounding him. Nor should we grieve, knowing that his fine mind and capabilities are now released in the spiritual world to further with increased power the uses of the Lord's Church.
     F. E.

     SWEDEN.

     In a letter to Bishop de Charms, the Rev. Gustaf Baeckstrom reports the death of Mr. Bertil Gustaf Liden, a member of the Stockholm Society and a flyer in the Air Force of the Swedish Army. While on duty in the vicinity of Stockholm, his plane was forced down on a rough sea. Boats and other planes went to the rescue, but their search was in vain.
     Berth was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Liden, and was in his twenty-third year. In 1942 he married Miss Ulla Berta Elisabet Brandt, who, with their two children, survives him.

     Miss Centervall's Novel.

     The Hackaert Family is the title of a recent novel by Miss Senta Centervall, of the Stockholm Society. We hear that the book has received highly favorable reviews its the Swedish press, and that there is talk of a second edition. It is also to be published in Danish.
     Miss Centervall, it will be recalled, visited the United States in 1917, and was a student in the College of the Academy of the New Church for two years, receiving the Bachelor of Arts degree in June, 1919. Her many friends in the Church will rejoice at her success in the literary field.

283





     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     Because of other demands on the time and energies of our pastor, who serves several groups with a large aggregate membership, our Easter service was held this year on Palm Sunday. Mr. Reuter made it a typical commemoration of Easter in every way, including the Sacrament of the Holy Supper. Significantly, too, it was the first time our chancel had been fully equipped with hangings, drapes and floor covering, all of a rich burgundy shade. Now, as we look toward the altar, our eyes are no longer offended by incongruous objects, and the sphere of worship is very much improved.
     It is remarkable how many difficulties and disadvantages must be overcome by small groups in their valiant efforts to maintain worship in a suitable sphere. That they succeed so well is a tribute, we think, to their loving devotion to the Church. Not the least of the drawbacks to complete enjoyment of the services, necessarily held in rented quarters, can be an out-of-tune or otherwise defective piano. We have had a lot of this trouble, too.
     Soon after this report appears in print, our young people who have been attending the Academy Schools at Bryn Athyn will be returning home to us. We are certainly looking forward with much pleasure to having them at our meetings. It will make a lot of difference, both in numbers and enthusiasm, to have these fuse young people worshipping with us. And so, to Barbara, Elaine, Joyce B., Joyce R., Duane, Geoffrey Jr., and Vance we say: We shall be very happy to welcome you at our next group service, which will he held on Sunday, June 25th. Be sure to save the date and join with us in this service. We shall be very happy to welcome you.
     After twenty months in the Army, sixteen of them spent in the dreary, desolate Aleutians, Cpl. Walter C. Childs came home on furlough late in April. He had the supreme pleasure of seeing, for the first time, his daughter Barbara, born more than a year ago. Walter received a hearty welcome at our service on Sunday. April 30th, which he attended with his wife (Beatrice Cook). We all hope his next assignment may be to a much more pleasant place and for a much shorter time.
     Also at this service we were very happy to have with us the Rev. Homer Synnestvedt, who is visiting at the home of his son and daughter-in-law, Norman and Eloise. It is always a privilege to have Mr. Synnestvedt with us, and we trust he may remain long enough to officiate at our next in-between service, usually conducted by Mr. Norman Synnestvedt on the second Sunday of each month.
     Another of our blue star members. Marvin J. Walker, is receiving congratulations on being commissioned an Ensign in the U. S. Navy. Marvin is serving on an escort carrier which has been seeing much action in the South Pacific.
     W. W. W.

     TWO SOUTHERN JOURNEYS.

     It is some time since a report on the South appeared in NEW CHURCH LIFE, the last home in the November, 1943, issue. Since then I have undertaken two journeys as Visiting Pastor for this territory.
     My fifth trip took place between November 1st and 27th, 1943, and included Quantico, Va., Columbia, S. C., Miami, West Palm Beach, Dunedin, and Oak Hill, Fla., New Orleans, La., Birmingham, Ala., Atlanta, Ga., Louisville, Ky., and Charleston, W. Va.-a total of eleven places in twenty-eight days. I conducted 10 services of Divine Worship and 17 doctrinal classes for adults. The Holy Supper was administered to 39 communicants. Formal services for children wore held in two places only, but as usual there were a considerable number of classes or them, and I often led in family worship and gave a short address.
     The sixth journey was undertaken between February 29 and March 28, 1944.

284


Places visited were the same as above except that I was not able to stop in Quantico, Va., but was able to include Brunswick, Ga. The number of visits was therefore the same. Adult services were held 8 times, there were 14 doctrinal classes, and 38 persons received the Holy Communion. There were 3 formal children's services, and again many classes and instances where I led in family worship.

     Soldiers in the South.

     The Military Service Committee kindly undertook to inform our men and women in the Armed Forces who were stationed near any of the points on my itinerary. Last time this notice was sent to about 50 persons. By this and other means I have been able, in the course o my last two trips, to meet the following: Sgt. Theodore Alden; Miss Elaine Carswell, S 1/c; Miss Joan Davis, A.M.M. 3/c; Lt. Henry De Maine and his wife; Lt. Karl Doering; Cand. Hugh A. Gyllenhaal; Capt. Oliver I. Powell and family; Cpl. Henry Rosenquist; A/C. Huard I. Synnestvedt; Lt. Warren A. Reuter; Miss Gloria Smith, Sp. T. 3/c; and M T/Sgt. Stevan Iungerich and family.
     During the fifth journey, nine of these ladies and gentlemen were able to attend one or more functions; and in the course of the sixth trip, seven did so. This might seem a rather small percentage, but it must be remembered that military personnel cannot arrange their own time. The work of the Military Service Committee in this connection would seem to be well worth-while, even if only one or two persons on each trip were enabled thereby to attend some functions in the South. The use to themselves in participating in a New Church service of worship, and of partaking of the Holy Supper, even if only very seldom, is obviously of first importance.
     In addition, our isolated civilians derive much useful contact and pleasure from the visits of our men and women its the Armed Forces. It is a very real satisfaction to them if only one or two more New Churchmen are added to their diminutive congregations. It tends to break their sense of isolation, and brings a realization that the Church exists as an actual living thing in many places. I presume that no one who has not been isolated can quite understand the delight which such persons derive from the concrete evidence that they save fellow New Churchmen who normally live in established societies. It is a ray of hope which illuminates the catacombs of their loneliness, and gives them power to await patiently that glorious day of the Lord when a church dedicated to the spreading of the Gospel of His Second Coming may be firmly established in their own neighborhoods.
     War is truly a terrible thing. It separates married partners and breaks up families, at least temporarily. It interferes with the formal distinctive education of the children, and disorganizes our societies and circles in many ways. Worst of all, perhaps, is the way in which it may occasion the corruption of the human heart. These things are undeniable, and in these respects war goes the same way as all judgments. Yet, as in the case of all judgments, many of its temporary evils may, in the Lord's Providence, be turned into long-term goods. The very dispersion which causes so many heartaches to some of our groups and individuals may give comfort and strength to others.
     If the present situation will make us more aware of the problems of others of our church-groups than of our own immediate society; if it will make us realize that we have brethren in the church elsewhere, who, in the past, have had a harder struggle than we, and yet have remained loyal; if it will make us eager to give to them some of the advantages which we have enjoyed in the past; then, undoubtedly, the present situation will not have been a real loss when the final account is made. In spite of the individual sorrows, it may indeed be a real gain in the eyes of the Lord. If it has aroused a wider love of our neighbors in the church, and more concrete evidences of this love; if it has lessened the separation between isolated individuals, and perhaps equally isolated societies; it may have served us well.

285




     Means of Growth.

     It may do no harm to realize in this connection that not all societies have the same opportunities for growth. The larger and securely established depend mainly upon their own children for numerical increase, if they have been well educated us the principles of the church. Yet, at one time these societies also drew their first members from the outside. In fact, the whole General Church arose originally from the missionary activities of the Convention. Many of our smaller groups are still in circumstances in which they have no other possible way of increase; and still others in the future will undoubtedly have to pass through the same condition. And at this stage they need much encouragement and help. For missionary activities, indispensable to them, are difficult and expensive. It is a fact, however, that they who most depend upon missionary effort sometimes for the very continuance of their existence-have the least means to support it.
     It may be suggested that they confine themselves for the present to bringing any interested friends to such classes and services as they have. Yet it would seem that this way of introduction to the church is no longer very propitious. It may have worked well in the past, and statistics indicate that it was at one time the most successful means. But this may have depended upon various circumstances, as, for example, that other missionizing activities were not sufficiently well organized to show up favorably. Moreover, religion was once a far more common topic of conversation than it is at present. Today, whether for good or evil, people seem to avoid it in their personal contacts. We all resent religious persuasion, even from our best friends. In this situation it would appear that an impersonal approach, such as can be made only through public advertisements or by an ordained minister from the pulpit, offers not only the best, but also the only possible solution. It may be slow and expensive work, indeed, but in the long run it would hardly be surprising if it proved more effective than any other method. After all, is it not better that they who come to investigate the New Church do so because they freely wish it, rather than because they feel under obligation to a New Church friend? And is it not intrinsically right that the actual work of spreading the Church should thus be placed mainly in the hands of the clergy, except in the matter of support, in which it belongs to all?
     It would therefore seem that here is a very important field of usefulness. The Extension Work of the General Church is indeed of the kind that the Writings call the benefactions of charity, which are such as a man does freely outside of his duty and calling, though it is nonetheless important to the growth of the Church. Its some instances it may even be vital to its very preservation. The Extension Fund of use General Church, as listed in the Treasurer's Annual Report, is therefore one which deserves the thoughtful affections of every New Churchman who has at heart the future of the Church in other places than his own. It would undoubtedly be well if, in the not too distant future, that fund were sufficiently large so that small groups, who depend upon the outside for their growth, could safely be given some help with their equipment and advertizing needs. It would scent well worth-while to make at least some modest experiments in this direction when and where the circumstances seem to offer some encouragement.
     In the South.-It is not my intention to create the impression that any such condition as yet exists in the Southern Circuit; nor do I know when, or even if, it may arise anywhere in this territory. For the present, or in the nearest future, other small groups could probably make better use of such help, if any were to be had in addition to the partial support of their pastor.

286


It is quite true that equipment and advertising help seem hardly warranted except where public worship already has been established, or is in prospect of being established; or, otherwise, when the General Church is able to support and equip special missionary ministers who can devote their whole training and time to the development of new societies, where other ministers may afterwards be placed and perfect their work.
     However, the Southern work has not been without its very real encouragements. Foremost of course stand the spiritual values brought to our isolated members and their children by New Church worship, the administration of the sacraments and rites, and also doctrinal instruction. But it has also borne more obvious fruit. Some young people, who otherwise might not have done so, have been enabled thereby to attend the Academy, and there are others yet to come. These things have meant much to the Church as a whole, but especially, of course, to the people directly concerned.
     But these are results which are more or less to be expected. And while they undoubtedly constitute the deepest and most immediate real value, they nevertheless do not seem to inspire quite the same rejuvenating delight as when a new heart shows signs of being touched by the message of the New Church. The visits of outsiders, and especially their repeated visits, constitute an external encouragement which our people can see with their own eyes, and in which resides their most cherished hope for the growth of the church in their midst. It creates the vision of a society of their own, with regular worship and instruction for them all. And is it not right that this should be their most earnest desire?
     And in this respect the Southern work has not been entirely lacking. Especially in Atlanta and New Orleans, several persons with little or no previous contact with the New Church have attended more than once. Atlanta has seen several classes and services with between eighteen and twenty-two in attendance. In New Orleans there have been as many as eighteen. In both places, it is true, these congregations have consisted largely of our own adult members and their children; but there have also been several recurrent visitors, who, if more frequent visits could be arranged, might be permanently interested.
     In conclusion, let me note that our friends in the South have done very well in their support of these pastoral visits, especially if we consider their small numbers and limited resources. They deserve our sincere congratulations upon their loyalty and earnest devotion to the growth of the Church.
     BJORN A. H. BOYESEN.


     TORONTO, CANADA.

     One of the highlights this month was the Forward-Sons "Ladies' Night," an annual affair to which we all look forward. As always, the men prepared and served a delicious meal, and saw to it that the ladies lifted not a hand, even to clearing away the dishes and tables. The President, Mr. John Parker, presided.
     The guest speaker entirely charmed his audience. He was a young Polish flyer, Sgt. Szadkowski, of Warsaw. Poland, who wears the highest award for bravery given by Poland, plus the Polish Gallantry Cross with three bars, plus the British Distinguished Flying Medal. This sergeant, a man of about twenty-seven years, has made 52 missions over Germany, including flights over Berlin, Hamburg, Essen, Cologne and Bremen, and it was while over Cologne that his luck ran out and he was wounded in the face. Sergeant Szadkowski is in Canada as an Instructor, and, at the time of his visit to us, was touring on behalf of Canada's Victory Loan. Hidden in his story is a depth of sorrow indeed, and he touched our hearts by telling us that nowhere had he been made to feel "so much at my home as you have made me feel."

287



     Mr. George Orchard gave an academic treatise on the spiritual aspect of electronic activity, and the balance of the Forward-Sons program carried through in lighter vein with an amateur Information-Please program, the ladies having sent in the questions, and the Experts being the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal, Messrs. Alec Craigie and Ray Orr, assisted by a feminine Guest Star-Mary Parker, Ella Brown, and Vera Craigie taking turns at being the Guest Star-well, "Guest" anyway.
     The Toronto Society learns with sympathetic regret of the passing at Durban, South Africa, of Mr. George E. Pemberton, father of Mrs. F. E. Gyllenhaal.
     Our newly commissioned officer, P/O Orville Carter, is in town for a couple of weeks' "leave." And our newest uniform belongs to O/D Robert Anderson, of His Majesty's Royal Canadian Navy.
     The Olivet Society is anticipating with pleasure a visit from the Rev. Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner on May 16th, 17th and 18th.


     THE NORTHWEST.

     The Rev. Karl R. Alden is to undertake a Summer's tour of pastoral visits to members of the General Church in the Canadian Northwest and the State of Washington. His itinerary is as follows:
     Leaving Bryn Athyn on June 15th, he will go to Toronto and thence to Sarnia, Ont., where he will board the steamer for Port Arthur, Ont., and from there go by rail to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Visiting places in southern Saskatchewan and Alberta, he will then go to Spokane and Seattle in Washington State, and from there to British Columbia.
     On the eastward journey he will visit other points in Alberta and Saskatchewan, calling again at Winnipeg, and going thence to Kitchener, Toronto and Montreal, arriving in Bryn Athyn about September 11th.


     ANNUAL COUNCILS.

     Reports and Papers.

     The official Reports of the April sessions of the Council of the Clergy and of the Educational Council are printed in the present issue of NEW CHURCH LIFE, together with the text of three of the Papers presented at the meetings.
     The Report of the session of the Joint Council will be published in the July number. The text of other papers presented at the Councils will he made available to our readers in the July and subsequent issues.


     ACADEMY BOOK ROOM.

     A Pamphlet.

     The Series of Seven Doctrinal Lectures on The Distinctiveness of the
V. C.     New Church," by Bishop George de Charms, will be available during the month of June in a 48-page pamphlet at the price of 25 cents. They have appeared serially in NEW CHURCH LIFE, March to June, 1944.

     A New Booklet.

     "The New Jerusalem, an Introduction to the Doctrine of the New Church" is the title of an 85-page booklet by the Rev. Gilbert Haven Smith, just published by the Book Room and on sale at 25 cents.

     Bibles.

     We are again able to supply copies of the Bible suitable for the use 01 Children at Home and in School. Price $1.00.

288


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       ELDRIC S. KLEIN       1944




     Announcements



     The Annual Joint Meeting of the Corporation and Faculty of the Academy of the New Church will be held in the Chapel of Benade Hall, Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Saturday, June 3, 1944, at 8.00 p.m. The public is cordially invited to attend.
     After opportunity has been given for the presentation and discussion of the Annual Reports of the officials and departments of the Academy, an Address will be delivered by Professor Camille Vinet.
     ELDRIC S. KLEIN.
          Secretary.
BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS 1944

BRYN ATHYN ACCOMMODATIONS              1944

     Members and friends of the General Church who from time to time visit Bryn Athyn, and wish to arrange for accommodations, may communicate with the undersigned.
     For the information of those who may prefer to come as paying guests, we would state that there are a few rooms available at moderate rates. Breakfast if desired.
     Address:     Mrs. V. W. Rennels, Bryn Athyn, Pa. (Chairman of the Hospitality Committee.)
ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS 1944

ANNUAL COUNCIL MEETINGS       Various       1944



289




NEW CHURCH LIFE
Vol. LXIV
JULY, 1944
No. 7
     JOINT COUNCIL.

     APRIL 15, 1944.


     The fiftieth regular joint meeting of the Council of the Clergy and the Executive Committee of the General Church of the New Jerusalem was held in Bryn Athyn, Pa., on April 15, 1944, at 10 am.
     The following members were present:

     OF THE CLERGY: The Rt. Rev. George de Charms, the Rt. Rev. Alfred Acton; the Rev. Messrs. F. C. Acton, K. R. Alden, B. A. H. Boyesen, W. B. Caldwell, H. C. Cranch, C. E. Doering, Alan Gill, V. J. Gladish, F. E. Gyllenhaal, E. E. Iungerich, H. L. Odhner, O. de C. Odhner, W. D. Pendleton, N. H. Reuter, M. D. Rich, N. H. Rogers, G. H. Smith, Homer Synnestvedt.
     OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: Messrs. K. C. Acton, E. C. Bostock, G. S. Childs, R. W. Childs, F. H. Davis, Hubert Hyatt, W. L. Horigan, Hubert Nelson, P. C. Pendleton, H. F. Pitcairn, Raymond Pitcairn, Paul Synnestvedt.

     1. After prayers and reading from the Word, the meeting was opened by Bishop George de Charms, who presided.
     2. The MINUTES of last year's meetings were adopted as published in NEW CHURCH LIFE, 1943, pp. 395-403.
     3. The Report of the SECRETARY OF THE GENERAL CHURCH, Containing the 1943 statistics, was adopted as published in the LIFE for April, 1944, pp. 168-73, after removing the name of Miss Amelia Murray which had erroneously been placed on the list of those "Dropped from the Roll"
     4. The Report of the Acting Secretary of the COUNCIL OF THE CLERGY was accepted as published in the April issue, pp. 174-179.

290


It was explained that a number of important reports from ministers had not been received in time for publication; some of these were read, and it was recommended that late reports might be printed in a future issue of the LIFE.
     5. The Report of the TREASURER OF THE GENERAL CHURCH, as mailed to the members four weeks before, was submitted by Mr. Hubert Hyatt, and, on motion, accepted and filed. Bishop Alfred Acton expressed the appreciation of the meeting for this excellent report. Dr. Odhner recommended that a summary of the annual Treasurer's Reports be published in our official journal for the sake of record and convenient reference. This proposal was discussed. It was objected that a summary report might be misleading, and the Rev. Alan Gill suggested that the Treasurer's Reports be printed in the same format as the LIFE, so as to be inserted in the bound volumes. The further suggestion was made that the Report be so paged with the LIFE as to be referred to in the Index.
     6. On motion of Mr. K. C. Acton, the proposal as to how to publish the Treasurer's Reports was referred to the Bishop and the Treasurer with power to act.
     7. The Report of the EDITOR OF THE NEW CHURCH LIFE was accepted as published (April issue, pp. 179-182). Dr. Caldwell told of a number of encouraging letters received from appreciative readers of the magazine.
     Mr. C. S. Childs suggested that many isolated younger married people desired to see a Talk to Children in every issue of the LIFE,-a thing which would also remind the Church of the great responsibility of bringing up our children in the faith. Mr. R. W. Childs called attention to a passage (S. D. 5908) cited in Dr. Caldwell's report, as to the deep effect of articles which met a state and are affirmatively received; whereas the critical attitude poisons the mind against the real value of a thing.
     8. The Report of the Secretary of the CORPORATION OF THE GENERAL CHURCH was received as printed in the April issue, p. 182.
     9. The Bishop-on behalf of the SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION COMMITTEE-explained the present arrangements for the use by the General Church of Mr. Theodore Pitcairn's property at Kent Manor, Zululand, in return for the use by the other mission movement of the Alpha Mission property, O. F. S., which is owned by the General Church.

291


Mr. Will Ridgway, who had acted as Superintendent at Kent Manor, has retired, and Mr. Aaron Zungu is at present in local charge at this place, which is seemingly not suitable as the headquarters of our mission, although it is at present the best equipped and has a large congregation.
     10. After a recess, a vote of thanks was extended to Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Pitcairn for the provision of comfortable chairs at these meetings.
     11. The following Report of the MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL CHURCH was read by the Secretary, who was unanimously asked to convey to Mrs. Doris G. Pendleton the Joint Council's deep appreciation of the excellence and extent of her work and that of her Committee.

     REPORT OF THE MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.

     The Military Service Committee is functioning according to plan. In general, the work continues as outlined in former reports; but there are some additional activities that may he of interest.
     We have undertaken (jointly with the Academy Book Room) the publication of a book entitled The Moral Life-which is a group of 9 doctrinal classes on the moral virtues, given in Bryn Athyn by the Rev. Hugo U. Odhner in 1933. In our opinion, a copy belongs in every New Church home, and attractively bound copies will he on sale through the Academy Book Room. This book will make a nice gift, especially for young people, for Christmas, birthday, or graduation presents.
     We are sending a five-pound package of food to London and Colchester every month, to help lighten the burden of entertaining foreign visitors. Our good friends in England are performing a great use to our boys, and their hospitality is very much appreciated. The home of the Rev. and Mrs. Wynne Acton is quite a New Church rendezvous, and serves as a clearing house of information as to the whereabouts of other friends stationed in England.
     To meet increasing requests, the military service pamphlets have been made available through the medium of the Pastoral Extension Service. We are sorry to charge for these folders, but feel that any accommodation of our work to civilians should be carried financially without using committee funds.
     Working on the Military Committee is inspiring. The response from the 375 members of our military family is encouraging; but we are increasingly impressed with the responsibility of the Church toward these men and women. The world is a shock to our boys-especially the young ones-and we must help them! They need a sure basis with which to meet open and insidious influences around them. They must know what they believe, and why. Requests have been made for literature outlining and explaining our fundamental doctrines.

292


Some of the younger boys find themselves at a loss to explain our doctrines simply to others-or even to themselves-and some come into confusion and doubt as a consequence.
     Incidentally, the missionary possibilities in what is sent to our own boys is becoming more apparent. Excellent sermons are available, but the material just mentioned is scarce, and we wish to make a plea to the clergy for help in meeting a real need. Specific requests on definite subjects have been made, and if possible we would like special papers answering these questions. This may sound peremptory, but we feel that everything possible must be done by individuals and groups to increase spiritual stability with our generation at war. Whatever of lasting spiritual value can be given them now (today and tomorrow) will not only be of use to them in their peace of mind and development, but it will also be an investment in the future of the General Church.
     Respectfully submitted.
          DORIS G. PENDLETON.

     April 13, 1944.

     13. Various suggestions were made as to how to meet the Committee's desire for apologetics and other literature of the type needed to stabilize and orientate the thought of the youngest age-groups now coming into the armed services.

     Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal believed that ministers should be made acquainted with the live questions worrying the boys. He cited instances in favor of short articles which could be read by the men in their briefer intervals of rest. He also told how a copy of NEW CHURCH LIFE was the means of one flyer's discovering the only other New Churchman he had ever met in the service.
     Rev. H. C. Crouch mentioned the fact that the Rev. G. H. Smith's missionary pamphlet on "The New Jerusalem" was now in press in Chicago, and Mr. Paul Synnestvedt promptly offered to defray the cost of additional copies to supply the need, of the Military Service Committee.
     Mr. P. C. Pendleton pointed out that many of the younger boys show a certain confusion of mind as to why they are fighting and what they are to defend. They are shocked by some of the evils which they meet up with; and the sudden realization of the state of the world is apt to make them skeptical about the future.
     Mr. C. S. Childs took issue with this, believing rather that the general spirit of those in the armed services is a wholesome and grim resolve to get this war against tyranny successfully finished off at any cost to themselves. In the meantime a certain amount of grouching is a part of military life.
     Mr. R. W. Childs observed that-unless everything has changed since the last war-soldiers are not as a rule in any exalted patriotic state, but are let down into externals, and the nearer they are to the fighting fronts the less they are concerned with idealism and philosophizing, but are simply intent on getting their job done so that they can go home.

293



     Rev. K. R. Alden stated that the Academy Schools, while not providing any formal course to orient the minds of the boys to their part in the war, does offer the answers to the questions which Mr. Pendleton mentioned, and especially in the courses in Religion and History. From his active correspondence with some thirty recent ex-pupils, he had been impressed with their tremendous love and appreciation of the Church, and their interest in their religion. Some had pals with whom they discussed the Doctrines. He felt that World War II had more compensating features for the youth of the Church than former wars.
     Rev. W. D. Pendleton emphasized what a wonderful job this Committee of ladies is doing for the Church "without benefit of clergy"! In effect, the service list is a congregation of nearly four hundred souls, which represents the hope of the future Church. What has been done, these ladies are doing with very little help from the ministers, although sermons and articles have been supplied by the ministers. Really, the work deserves the full-time help of one of the pastors. As to the confusion of mind on the part of the younger boys, this is an inevitable result of their immaturity, and the abnormal situation in which they are placed at this early age.

     13. Rev. Harold C. Cranch then addressed the Council on THE FRONTIERS OF THE CHURCH. (Page 296.)

     He spoke of certain experimental methods used in his work in the Chicago district. The basic strength of the Church was considered to be the clear understanding of the Doctrines, and New Church education was the means to that end. In developed centers where schools were in operation, this presented no real problem, but among the isolated or in small societies (which often feed these larger centers), the difficulties were many
     The problem was: How shall we provide so that all our members in such small societies may obtain a General Church background?
     Two organizations, the Theta Alpha and the Sons of the Academy, had worked in various ways towards this goal. The Theta Alpha had recently begun to provide isolated parents with some material for the instruction of pre-school children. Both organizations had provided scholarships, and aided in impressing upon our parents the need of New Church education for their children.
     In Chicago-which was a large city, yet, so far as the New Church was concerned, only one of our frontiers-it had been realized that our body of doctrines and our instructional material were too vast to present adequately by using the old and time-honored methods alone. Four methods had therefore been employed for the propagation of our truths:

294



     A. Visual Education. In the Army and Navy, this method of teaching (with the help of such pioneers as Walt Disney) is utilized to an increasing extent in assisting students to absorb principles quickly. A picture is worth a thousand words.
     Those who have been isolated are often ignorant of the letter of the Word. Through the Visual Education Society in Chicago, film-strips illustrating the Bible incidents had been obtained. There were thousands of pictures to select from. By their use in a projection lantern, children and adults can he addressed at the same time, the spiritual sense of the stories being elaborated for the adults. (Certain small, portable lanterns are available which work from a battery.)
     Special series of slides were also prepared with a view to arousing interest in various distinctive fields; and more are planned. A series of pictures of a tour of the Bryn Athyn cathedral buildings, for instance, can he employed to describe all the symbolism, from that of the cornerstone to that of the various windows. The sight of this and other church-buildings, and of the Academy Schools, lends courage to the isolated and a feeling of being backed by a strong organization, and inspires a desire to profit by its uses. Slides of the model of the Tabernacle also would furnish an ultimate for instruction adapted to many different states and ages. By slides of the various colored charts used in the Academy, the general philosophy of the Principia could be explained in one or two evenings.
     B. Recordings. The South Side Society in Chicago is using Miss Creda Glenn's recordings of the music for the services. It has proved dignified, productive of a sphere of worship, and a great assistance in carrying the singing. A library of such records could easily be left for the use of isolated groups. Records of sermons have been employed in Rockford, Clinton, etc., and some twenty or thirty records by various ministers are already available.
     C. Magazines. For the last six months, mimeographed material has been sent out under the title "General Church Notes," with the special view of assisting parents to instruct their children. The contents are not necessarily original, but the endeavor has been to make available the wealth of material which lies buried in the LIFE and other magazines. Thus the Sunday School Notes printed in NEW CHURCH LIFE for 1926 and 1927 are being reproduced, as well as stories and talks for children. Handwork for the children is also included, and each issue contains pictures from some story of the Word for them to color. On the cover, there is a sketch of some New Church building. Each issue also carries an editorial for the use of priming the parents on the essential principles of the General Church work. Thus there are citations from various authors on such subjects as "The Credibility of Swedenborg," "Home Worship," "The Authority of the Writings," "The Place of Religion in Education." etc. (Sets of this publication were on display in the Council Chamber.)
     D. Radio. Mr. Cranch also described the work of the Rev. G. H. Smith, whose broadcast-The Voice of the New Church"-constitutes a distinctive Sunday morning address which the isolated, as well as others in the Chicago area, may regard as a visit to their home.

295


This work is only in its beginnings, and can be indefinitely developed.
     What was needed was a coordinated effort to develop the frontiers of our Church, not only in the Chicago district, but wherever the work is called for. We could all give some form of support, moral or financial. Suggestions and contributions of pictures, recorded speeches, and articles, would be welcomed.

     14. During the ensuing discussion, various speakers showed that they had been impressed by the promise involved in Mr. Cranch's program, and by the tremendous amount of work which he had put into it. It was felt that he should be relieved of some of the technical phases, and that financial aid could be arranged.
     The Bishop pointed out that both helpers and financial aid were needed. Dr. Iungerich offered the use of a set of water-color illustrations of the Apocalypse. Rev. N. H. Reuter told of his experiences in using some of the slides which Mr. Cranch had photographed and prepared at the cost of untold hours of work. The use of such slides had "ruined" his methods of teaching children, who now were no longer satisfied by ordinary pictures. Religious instruction had definitely passed out of its "horse and buggy era." Taking as an example a recent talk to a little boy on New Church marriage, illustrated by slides showing Rebecca at the well, he noted the power of visual education, when eye and ear and heart are aroused together. Mr. E. C. Bostock philosophized that the case for visual education was supported by the fact that we needed to live here on earth, in order to see the ultimate objects of a space-time world. He also hoped that an effort would be made to put our cardinal doctrines into a form easily comprehended by new inquirers and by our own young people. He had appealed to our ministers for such material, and hoped that some response would be forthcoming.
     15. By a rising vote, the Council paid its unanimous tribute to the memory of the late Rev. L. W. T. David, and the Secretary was instructed to inscribe upon the Minutes the following resolution:

     RESOLVED, that we, the members of this Joint Council of the General Church, desire to express our sense of loss in the absence from our midst of the Reverend Llewellyn Warren Towne David, who on the twenty-second day of September, 1943, was transferred to a new sphere of usefulness in the spiritual world. Because of his mature and dependable convictions-always expressed in temperate and well-considered words, and coupled with modesty of opinion, kindly charity, and affectionate loyalty-we appreciate and respect what his strong character, patient learning, keen theological acumen, and devotion to our uses, have contributed to the life of the Church since his ordination in 1914. And be it further

296



     RESOLVED, that this Memorial be spread upon our Minutes, and that a copy of the same be communicated to his wife and family with our deep affection and sympathy.

     16. The Secretary, on motion, was instructed to convey the thanks of the meeting to the ladies of the Women's Guild of the Bryn Athyn Church, who had provided morning refreshments for the Council of the Clergy and the Joint Council.
     17. The meeting adjourned, at 12.40 p.m.
     Respectfully submitted,
          HUGO LJ. ODHNER,

Secretary.
FRONTIERS OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

FRONTIERS OF THE NEW CHURCH       Rev. HAROLD C. CRANCH       1944

     A TALK

     (At the Council of the Clergy and Joint Council, April, 1944.)

     The frontiers of the New Church are not the geographical boundaries which limit our membership, for there can be no natural limitations to spiritual affiliations. The frontiers are the difficulties which stand in the way of fully receiving the church. They are crossed and conquered as we develop methods to meet them. The frontiers are where the truth of the church meets the obstacles which seem to prevent its spread to fill the earth, both the natural earth and that of our minds.
     In our larger societies these frontiers are continually pushed back. There New Church education is firmly established, and is gradually and efficiently converting the material science and philosophy of the world to serve the New Church. But even in the centers some of the problems met in our effort to conquer these fundamental frontiers have not yet been answered. They may not be for many more years.

297


One of our greatest needs is the preparation of distinctive textbooks to guide us to the true use of every scholastic subject. This is one problem seen from the beginning, but not yet solved.
     The fundamental philosophy and psychology of our educational methods has been presented in Conversations on Education (Benade) and The Growth of the Mind. (De Charms.) These studies, together with our normal school training, have helped us to adapt and use texts written by others. But we must eventually prepare our own, as was proposed by the early Academicians.
     At the present time we are in the stage of being led out from captivity in Egypt. Mentally, as a church, we are but recently freed as slaves to the natural and material philosophies of education which rule modern schools and universities. We are, in fact, still despoiling the Egyptians, borrowing of their precious gems and their gold and silver, to mould and forge them into a new tabernacle, with its furnishings, wherein we may worship in our own distinctive way.
     We must borrow from the Egyptians,-from the scientific and materialistic civilization around us-that we may understand our religion in terms of the environment in which we must live and perform our uses. And we have taken somewhat. But we have not borrowed enough. We are to take the gold, and leave the dross. We are to borrow to meet our needs. But we do not meet all the needs of our day. Our communities have established New Church education successfully, although even in them we are never done. We must progress to improve our methods and facilities.
     But many members of the church are isolated from our schools. Some are isolated from any but the most primitive schools. A large proportion of our members are isolated; and if we were to include those who are in societies without a school, the number would greatly increase. We have been told that, if only those high-school age children of our isolated families in the United States and Canada were to attend Bryn Athyn, the high school would be 200 per cent larger. The Boys Academy would have over 150 boys, and the Girls Seminary would have about the same number of girls. Our high school would have over 300 students.
     The Sons of the Academy and Theta Alpha have done much to get the isolated to our school. They have supplied money, and they are increasing their activities in other ways, to instill in the children from away the desire to come to Bryn Athyn.

298


But still the field is almost untouched. The program must be expanded in scope and effectiveness to accomplish the results we want and should have. It seems essential that the work be done during the elementary school years. so the children will grow up with the desire to come to Bryn Athyn. So they will establish systematic savings to help them out there, and with some New Church education, and more New Church ideals and loyalties, to help them fit in when they arrive.
     And to make good New Churchmen, some of this education, with its true perspective, should be instilled with those who cannot attend a New Church school at all. Only by some such program can we remain true to our duty to the church-to sow and reap in its confines as we should, even while we work to spread its bounds.
     The frontiers are many. Each problem is an unknown field to be explored and charted, that we may conquer it, and bring it into its proper place to contribute to the welfare of all.
     And now, briefly, we shall list some of these frontiers which are still to be explored, conquered and developed.

     Text Books.-We have many good books of the church which we use for texts. But those prepared are mostly in fields already distinctive to the church, such as our studies in Mythology, Hebrew, Exposition of the Word, and Education. These are all important subjects for preparing Priests and Teachers, but we need the textbooks on everyday subjects, correlating them with our understanding of the religious life, that we may place them in the hands of the pupils themselves. Ibis is the essential. That need is expressed in the study of the curriculum of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School thus: "Religion must flow as the life-giving sap through every branch of the tree of knowledge, even to the smallest twig." "The child who has learned the laws of heaven and the laws of the world together, the relation between them, and the effect of one upon the other, will be prepared to lead a truly religious life in after years. This will train him for 'complete living' in the true sense."
     The preparation of distinctive textbooks is thus seen as the major problem in our established method of internal evangelization.
     But our external growth must take the same pattern. We grow in numbers also, only by pushing back the frontiers of ignorance, of materialistic philosophy, and of superstition.

299


With the isolated, our problems are greater; for we have the same job to do-to provide the newly given truth thoroughly and efficiently, and this without a New Church School, and often with very few visits from a minister. Of course, the Writings supply the truth itself. But our work must be to inspire a love for the truths they teach, and by instruction in general truths to give the isolated and newcomers the background and perspective that make reading from the Writings a source of instruction and pleasure, and not merely a duty more or less unpleasant.
     In this field, perhaps the problem most closely allied to the need for texts is that of correspondence schools. To reach the isolated, and to supplement the usual public school education, some system must be devised such as the Calvert School. (See NEW CHURCH LIFE, July, 1938, page 300.) That institution gives a complete correspondence course for the elementary grades, supplying all texts and materials, plus full teaching instruction for the parent or tutor, with a monthly check-up of the students' work.
     This is the field now being developed by Theta Alpha in the Sunday School work. More and more material is being supplied, and its scope is increasing. Whereas in the beginning it was but two or three times a year that material was sent out, now it is sent out every month, with supplies and instruction for weekly or even daily work. And their little journal, "General Church Notes," helps to meet the urgent need of the isolated for direction and guidance along New Church Principles. The section for parents, while limited in size, gives some instruction in principles with each issue, together with specific guidance in the Sunday School Notes.
     In the first issue, the purpose and content of the journal is premised. It says in part: "The magazine will be written in several sections. One for adults, containing Sunday School Lesson Notes from the Letter of the Word, with some explanatory notes from the Writings. Also an article of general interest, with occasional reviews of articles from other sources, and of Pastoral Extension Pamphlets. Through the year, teachings concerning Home Worship will be given, and also on the principles of New Church Education as they apply to the subjects taught in Elementary Schools. These are to aid the parent to augment the public school training and give it direction, that it may further the inmost acceptance of Revelation."

300


The first article established the arguments for "Swedenborg's Credibility. The Editorials have been on Home Worship, the Full Divinity of the Writings and the Place of Religion in Education. In succeeding issues, the broad principles of New Church Education in a particular subject, such as Geography. English, etc., will offer some tools by which the parents may give new direction to the studies in the Public Schools. As we prepare our distinctive texts, their main principles could be summarized for this group of the isolated.

     Visual Education.-Slides and miniature film strips (like movie film, but projecting one still picture at a time) are widely and successfully used in modern schools of the world. Their importance is indicated by the fact that the Army and Navy and many commercial organizations use them for quick and thorough detail instruction. Specialized courses, which had taken several years to complete, are now given in a few weeks by the use of visual education, and the results have been better. We can now use the best of these materials available, and they are many and useful. And we can already make many filmstrips of our own. We might picture the museum at Bryn Athyn, which has many valuable specimens, including many that illustrate our doctrine concerning the Ancient Churches. Also, we could picture the Tabernacle model, the Life of Swedenborg, and the Memorable Relations. For a genuine form of propaganda, they can be used to illustrate the government of the church, the native missions, the uses of the Academy, and similar things.
     Slides are useful to promote the feeling of unity in the church. They alleviate the feeling of futility and loneliness experienced by many of our isolated. Pictures of the various centers, their buildings, activities, and accomplishments, help to give a better perspective of the natural extent and strength of our organization.
     Slides of the principal charts, of the doctrine of degrees, and of the Gorand Man, etc., would make it possible to present the general doctrine on these vast subjects in one or two classes. And the many uses of micro-film, to make available the rare books and documents which now can be consulted only at Bryn Athyn, are obvious to students of Swedenborgiana.

     Recordings-All important speeches and many sermons and classes could be recorded, and by means of cheap phonographs could be played by isolated and for small circles.

301


This should be part of our adult education work. By recordings we can provide music for services where there is no organ; and in any case, records could well serve to teach small groups how to sing the chants, hymns, and Psalms.

     Missionary Priests could carry slides and projectors, recordings and a phonograph. They could show Bible study slides to children and adults together, talking to the adults, maintaining the child's interest through the pictures. This method stimulates questions, covers more ground, and primarily establishes an affirmative point of view and cooperation immediately. A library of recordings and a cheap phonograph could be left, and the library changed on the next circuit.

     Missionary Teachers.-If correspondence schools could be arranged, occasional personal check-ups could be made. In more populous districts, there could be a monthly visit, with homework and material for the next month provided.

     Radio Broadcasts.-It is possible to reach a great many of our own isolated members by regular radio broadcasts, at the same time providing a medium for disseminating the truth to strangers. We can thus gain a list of those who write expressing their interest, giving us some definite group to concentrate upon in our missionary work.

     These are some of the frontiers still ahead of the church. A few cannot be developed at the present time, although plans can be made. But some work can be done in most fields immediately, by the men now active, using equipment and materials at hand.
     We are still preparing material for texts, trying them out on individual classes. Work on recordings has gone on under Miss Creda Glenn; in Detroit, and on the South Side of Chicago, they supply the music for services. Recorded sermons and classes have been used in Rockford, St. Louis, Clinton, and with small groups in Chicago.
     Motion Pictures have been taken of Assemblies. Graduations, Charter Days, and missionary trips. Slides of the Cathedral, and of Bible Study, have been made and used in classes and talks.

302



     Radio Work has gone forward a step. Two complete services have been broadcast from Glenview, and we are in the second year of presenting a strong Missionary Talk in cooperation with the Convention once every week. As a result, two members have been baptized, and a list of affirmative prospects has been compiled.
     These small efforts are not enough. They are supported by individuals or small groups. We need a unified program to prevent duplication of effort, to determine the value of the experimental work, to carry on and exploit that which is worth-while, and to guide and strengthen, or to put aside the less successful. We have been somewhat guilty of perfectionism. Although much could be done with the materials at hand, we strive for perfection before we use it. The ideal, of course, is good, but in fact human perfection is never attained, except by rectifying the mistakes revealed in use.
     These are some of the frontiers of the church which must be explored and cultivated to meet and answer satisfactorily the problems of our people on the fringe of the church-those without any New Church background, with little chance to learn and a burning interest in what we have to offer. By visual aids they can painlessly concentrate upon background facts easy to remember. By recordings the use of the Minister's visit is extended long after he has left for his next call. By the Theta Alpha handwork and extension program, the children may be supplied with Sunday School training, even though they are isolated: and the handwork could be useful to a great many children in the church. And those isolated who are fortunate enough to be in the Chicago area can reap the first real benefits from the Radio Ministry of the New Church. And this is not a small number-nor limited to strangers.
     These four new frontiers have been crossed, and we have found that rich fields lie just beyond. They seem full of promise. We feel that the work now being done may be useful to all in the church. We know that the intelligent interest of others will help us to develop and use this work to better advantage, to make known and firmly establish our church.

303


ETERNAL USES OF THE HELLS 1944

ETERNAL USES OF THE HELLS       Rev. ORMOND DE C. ODHNER       1944

     (A Paper read at the Council of the Clergy, April 14, 1944.)

     "The Lord's kingdom, which is over (both) heaven and hell, is a kingdom of uses." (D. P. 26.) And we read in the Divine Love:

"(In the spiritual world) no idler is tolerated, no lazy vagabond, no indolent boaster claiming credit for the zeal and vigor of others." (XII) Again: "The Lord's kingdom is such that everyone . . . must perform a use. Nothing but use is regarded by the Lord in His kingdom. Even the infernals must perform a use but the uses which they perform are the most vile." (A. C. 10972.) Yet again: "No idle person is tolerated even in hell. Those who are there are in workhouses, and under a judge who imposes tasks upon the prisoners which they must do daily. To those who do not do them, neither food nor clothing is given, but they stand hungry and naked; thus they are compelled to do work there. The difference is, that in hell uses are done from fear, but in heaven from love; and fear does not give joy, but love does." (A. E. 1194:2.) And finally, in the Spiritual Diary, in a passage speaking of the progressive states of the infernals, we read, where their final state is treated of: "They are then, from time to time, elevated into the world of spirits, that they may serve for the vilest uses, with very little life and scarce any delight." (D. 4471.)
     These and other well-known passages teach the well-known doctrine that even the devils of hell must perform uses, and that they are punished if they do not perform them. They teach, also, that the devils perform their uses, not from love, but from fear, and that these uses done from fear give them no delight, or "scarce any."
     Little is said in the Writings as to what these uses of the devils appear to be, but it is obvious that they would take on the appearances of the many occupations of worldly life. In hell there are governors-infernal governors-and I do not doubt that there are infernal farmers, shoemakers, etc.

304


With the appearances of their uses, however, I am not here concerned. What I wish to deal with is what I choose to call the "reality" of their uses,-that is, what uses the devils perform for or to men on earth.
     It is my belief that, in the last analysis, use is influence. This belief, I imagine, all New Churchmen hold in common. "Uses, which are goods," we read, "are from the Lord, and consequently are Divine; nay, they are the Lord Himself with man." (Divine Love XIII.) Surely the external occupation is not here meant, but rather the living use within the occupation,-that of the Lord which passes from the Lord by means of man to man, and leads to salvation.
     Use, I believe, is influence,-the influence one man has upon another. In common speech we say that a certain man's use is not limited by his occupation. A shoemaker, for example, has a lowly occupation. Yet he has a great, a widespread and an exalted use to the extent that he influences other men to good. Use is influence,-influencing men to good. In the last analysis, in fact, there is one and only one use,-the salvation of souls. Men and spirits partake of this use to the extent that they permit something of the Lord to pass to other men by means of them, to influence those others to good. The primary natural vehicles through which they perform this use are the various occupations of their daily lives.
     In the sense, then, that use is influence, the real use of the angels (whatever appearances it may take on in the spiritual world) is the inspiration of men on earth to love and do that which is good and true.* And if the real and essential use of the angels is the inspiration of men on earth (albeit, in the case of the angels. inspiration to what is good), so, too, is inspiration of men on earth the real or essential use of the devils. But inspiration to what? That is the question. To evil?
     * That inspiration of men on earth to love what is good and true is the real or essential use of the angels, is plainly indicated in the Arcana, as follows: "That (the Lord) acts mediately through heaven is not because He needs their aid, but that the angels there may have functions and offices, and consequently life and happiness in accordance with their offices and uses." (A. 8719.)
     Devils, of course, do inspire men to love and do that which is evil and false. This, in fact, they love to do. But this, most certainly, cannot be that use which they are forced to perform-that use which they perform from fear rather than from love, and which, consequently, gives them no happiness.

305



     It is usual in the church, apparently, to think of the real uses of the devils as being what might be called "negative" uses,-uses which the Writings sometimes call "excrementitious,"-the evil yet necessary uses; that is, of giving life to the evils of man's proprium, and also of tempting regenerating men to do evil, that through fighting off evils in temptation, men may be more firmly established in good. These uses of the devils, of course, I cannot deny. They are uses which today must be performed; and they cannot be performed by angels.
     For several reasons, however, I cannot believe that these are the eternal uses of the infernals,-the uses which they are forced by many kinds of punishments to perform.
     The first of these reasons I have already quoted from the Writings, namely, "No idle person is tolerated even in hell. . . In hell uses are done from fear, . . . and fear does not give joy." (A. E. 1194:2.) The negative use of supplying life to the evils of man's proprium is not, certainly, a use done by the devils from fear. It is a thing they revel in, it is their life's delight. Nor is the temptation of regenerating men to slide back into evils a use done from fear. This also gives happiness to the infernals, though, to be sure, they know unhappiness when the man whom they are infesting conquers in his temptations.
     There is, however, another thing which leads me to conclude that the eternal uses of the devils must be something more than the giving of life to the evils of mortals' propriums and the temptation of regenerating men. It is never stated in the Writings in so many words, but is, I believe, almost everywhere inferred in the teachings concerning the interdependence of the spiritual and natural worlds.
     In the Divine Love and Wisdom we read: "The greatest (form or unit or body) in which is the Divine is the whole heaven and at the same time the whole church; the least is an angel of heaven and a man of the church." (W. 79.) Here I would emphasize the "and" in the latter clause: "the least (form or unit) (in which is the Divine) is an angel of heaven and a man of the church." Not or a man of the church, but and. An angel and a man together, then, constitutes the least unit in which the Divine is. Neither an angel nor a man individually constitutes this least. Both together do so.

306



     This quotation adds emphasis to the teaching in the work on the Last Judgment which reads in part: "The spiritual world cannot be separated from the natural, nor the latter from the former; nor, consequently, the angelic heaven from the human race, nor the human race from the angelic heaven; wherefore it is so provided by the Lord that each may afford mutual services to the other. . . . Hence it is that the angelic mansions are indeed in heaven, separated to appearance from the mansions where men are, but yet are with man in his affections of good and truth. Their presentation to the sight as separate is only an appearance." (L. J. 9.)
     Note here that it is only an appearance that men live apart from spirits, spirits apart from men. A similar teaching is found in the Divine Love and Wisdom, no. 92.
     The quotation from the Last Judgment continues: "The angelic heaven without the human race, would be like a house without a foundation, for heaven closes into it and rests upon it. The case herein is the same as with each particular man; his spiritual things, which pertain to his thought and will, inflow into his natural things, which pertain to his sensations and actions, and in these they terminate and subsist. If man were not in possession of them, that is, if he were without these boundings and ultimates, his spiritual things, which pertain to the thoughts and affections of his spirit, would flow away, like things unbounded, or like those which have no foundation. In like manner, when a man passes from the natural world into the spiritual, . . . then, because he is a spirit, he no longer subsists on his own basis, but upon the common basis, which is the human race."
     "No angel or spirit subsists apart from man, and no man apart from spirit and angel." (L. J. 9.)
     Now it is a universally accepted belief in the church that no single man on earth today can ever do anything without influx of life through spirits. If this influx partakes of good, it is through good spirits; if it partakes of evil, it is through evil spirits. This holds true in each and every possible single instance. There is no exception. The least (unit) in which is the Divine is an angel of heaven and a man of the church." So, also, the least unit in which there is a perversion of the Divine is an evil spirit and an evil man. "No angel or spirit subsists apart from man, and no man apart from spirit and angel."

307



     And just as it is true that no man whatever can do anything apart from spirits, so also is it true, I believe, that in no instance whatever can any spirit, any devil, any angel, do anything apart from some man on earth.
     In the passage quoted above (L. J. 9), the indication is that man affords to spirits the uses of sensation and action, without which the things of the spirit would flow away. In many places in the Writings, a spirit is defined as being an affection. (D. P. 300; C. L. 42, et al.) And these teachings-that the angels are affections of good, and the devils are affections of evil-I take to be literal statements of truth. An angel is a form of his particular affection of good: a devil, of his particular affection of evil.
     Now the affections which constitute the life's love of a man on earth cannot live their full lives unless and until they are ultimated in things pertaining to his body-either in bodily acts or, at the very least, in the corporeal imagination. This, all experience affirms. When a man dies, he is deprived of the things pertaining to his own body, and depends for the bodily things pertaining to sensations and actions upon the common basis which is the human race. And so I conclude that a spirit cannot live the life of the affection which he is unless and until that affection finds ultimation in some man on earth-either in his bodily acts or, at the very least, in his corporeal imagination. This, I believe, is the real meaning of the teaching that it is only an appearance that the angelic mansions are separated from the mansions of men.
     I know that some who are here will heartily disagree with this conclusion. Some may point out that spirits who are with a sleeping man are nevertheless awake. To this I can only reply that I believe that if all men on all earths were asleep at once, so too would all spirits and angels.
     But let me continue. The Writings teach that a spirit is an affection. The Writings teach that no spirit can subsist without men on earth, who afford to him the uses which the things pertaining to man's body afford to the things of his spirit. The Writings teach that "the least unit in which is the Divine is an angel of heaven and a man of the church." The Writings teach that it is only an appearance that spirits live separate from men, even as it is only an appearance that men live their lives independently of spirits.

308



     From these teachings I conclude that, no matter what a spirit appears to be doing in the spiritual world, actually what he is doing is inspiring a man on earth to ultimate, at least in his corporeal imagination, the affection which that spirit himself is. And, furthermore, I believe that a spirit cannot live that life of the affection which he is, except to the extent that this affection is so ultimated.
     With these thoughts in mind, I would pass to a reconsideration of the eternal uses of the devils,-the uses which they are forced to perform, and which they do perform eventually.
     There is a remarkable number in the Spiritual Diary (4471) concerning the eternal lot of the devils, which, I believe, is a key to the whole question of the real eternity of hell. It gives the general pattern of the progression of a devil's states after death: and into this pattern fit all the teachings concerning life in hell that I have yet seen. It reads:

     Evil spirits return at first into their own life, and afterwards, in the world of spirits, exercise their wickedness according to their various dispositions; and when they then exceed the delight of their life, they are punished, and this frequently, until they are deterred. . . . Still, however, it is provided by the Lord that they shall not do evil to the good, and those evils which they attempt to inflict are turned by the Lord into good; these are the temptations by which the good are fortified. After they have led this life for several years, and have exercised their wickedness, they then collect their evils together and become nothing else than evils of their own genus; and goods are then taken away from them. Thus their wickedness is at length consummated, even until they are made thoroughly fearful of doing evils, whereupon they precipitate themselves into the hell where are those of their own quality. There they torment one another in various ways, according to all their skill and magic, and in the meantime sit like skeletons, or those deformed in body and face; and from time to time they are interiorly tormented, and are everywhere then remitted among themselves into their delights; but they return to the states mentioned above. . . . They do not then dare to rise into the world of spirits, for they know immediately that grievous punishments await them, and therefore they recede into their hells. At length, after many ages passed in this kind of torment, their corporeal delights can be laid asleep to some extent, and they are then from time to time elevated into the world of spirits, that they may serve for the vilest uses, with very little life and scarce any delight. Such is the lot of the evil." (S. D. 4471.)

     In general, what this passage teaches is this: Up to a year (H. H. 498), a newly arrived evil spirit may live an apparently good life.

309


Because I believe that whatever a spirit may appear in the spiritual world to be doing, what he is really doing is inspiring some man to ultimate the affection which he is. And because an evil spirit in this state of his externals is an evil affection hypocritically cloaked with good, I conclude that a spirit in this state would serve the use of inspiring hypocrite's on earth. There is, for example, the teaching that the Lord permits certain evil spirits to inspire evil preachers on earth to preach good sermons. (A. C. 10309.) Certainly, in this hypocritical state, an evil spirit would not be inspiring men on earth to open evils.
     Within a year after death, every evil spirit has his hypocritical externals stripped from him, and leads a life according to all those evils he lusted after interiorly while on earth. At first he is allowed to do so, apparently without punishment; but if he ever exceeds the evil which he actually appropriated while on earth, he is direfully punished. For we read: "It is a law in the other life that no one may become worse than he has been in this world." (A. C. 6559.) The Lord, of course, rules over the evils they commit in this state, and makes certain that they do not injure the good. In this second state, I imagine, evil spirits serve the negative uses of giving life to the proprial evils of mortal men, and of tempting regenerating men.
     Perhaps they perform these same negative uses in their third state,-their life in hell,-performing them through ambassador spirits sent into the world of spirits. The passage quoted from the Diary teaches that, after they have exercised their evil lusts, they become veritable forms of their own evils, and then precipitate themselves into a hell of devils of their own genus, where they mutually torment each other. This is hell as it is usually pictured. In this state-note the teaching-they are punished for the evils of their nature or disposition,-those very evils which they were allowed to do while in the world of spirits; and they continue to be punished for them until they are afraid to commit them. In the world of spirits they were punished if they sought to commit any new evils,-punished, and yet allowed to become actual forms of their own evils. In hell they are punished for these very evils of their own genus-punished, apparently, until through fear they force themselves to lead an externally ordered life punished both by torments and by enforced labor in hell's horrid workhouses.

310



     And then, "after many ages have passed," their infernal lusts (because, apparently, they do not let them proceed into act) can be "laid asleep to some extent," and they can serve in the world of spirits for some good use, albeit the vilest of good uses. In this state they are somewhat like confirmed drunkards who finally see that their drunkenness keeps them from worldly success, and for that reason alone cease drinking, and even practically cease to think of drinking. Their evil desires remain forever, but because they will not let themselves indulge their desires, they at length become dulled. Very little of their real life remains, for evil is their real life. When the corporeal delights of the devils are at last somewhat laid asleep by the fearsome punishments and privations of hell (and their corporeal delights are their real life), very little life remains in them, and they scarcely know delight. But with what life they retain they perform a good use in the world of spirits, albeit the vilest of uses.
     In this final and eternal state of their lives, the devils must perform a use which is positively rather than negatively good. It is not the use of giving evil life to the evils of mortal propriums; for, it would seem when devils commit evils in the spiritual world, they are at the same time inspiring men on earth to do these evils; conversely, when they inspire men on earth to commit evils, they also commit them, and for the evil acts which they commit after their second state they are punished. Nor is it the inspiration of hypocrites that is the use of the devils in this final state of their lives; for in this state they themselves are no longer hypocrites; though they live externally ordered lives, they do so from fear, not hypocritically. Nor is their eternal use the negative use of tempting regenerating men to evil, permitted in order that through temptations the regenerating may be fortified in good. For the tempting of good men to do evil is a thing the devils love to do; and their eternal uses they are forced to do, and they do them from fear rather than from love.
     What, then, is the eternal use of the devils? My conclusion herein is not startling, not anything wonderfully new; but it does, I think present a fairly sensible picture of the eternity of hell. It explains, I believe, the apparent contradiction involved in the teaching that the devils are forced to perform uses, and that they do them from fear rather than from love And perhaps it helps to show how even the devils can perform a necessary though vile use in the Lord's kingdom, and how, therefore, in no single instance is the purpose of the Lord's creation utterly thwarted.

311



     My conclusions herein. I have said, are nothing new. But they are, I believe, underemphasized in the usual discussions of the subject of hell.
     A devil, in this last and final and eternal state of his life, no longer commits open evils, except occasionally,-in states of night, perhaps, comparable to the state of evening in heaven. In this state he lives an externally ordered life, not from love, but from fear. He is an affection; an affection is of love, and love is life. The first instinct of life is self-preservation. From a desire for self-preservation, then, the devil leads an ordered life, and in it he performs uses to his fellow spirits, and refrains from open evils.
     At the same time, however, because the inhabitants of both worlds are inseparably connected, he is inspiring men on earth. To what? The answer, I believe, is that in his eternal state he is inspiring men on earth to what the Writings call "apparent goods." (A. C. 1708, 1712, 1715, 2657, et al.) In their essence these goods-apparent goods,-are not good at all. Yet without them no one today could be regenerated. But though they are not really good at all, they are to be distinguished from hypocritical goods. They are such things as the goods performed by little children and the simple-who, of course, must be inspired by spirits, even as adult and rational men are. Essentially the goods of childhood and spiritual simplicity are evil rather than good. Self, not the Lord, is their real end. Yet, with children and the simple, they are to be called "goods," and are to be distinguished from the acts of hypocrites.
     These apparent goods, I believe, could receive their life, their inspiration, from the infernals in their eternal, their externally ordered state of life. This by no means denies the association of angels with children and with the simple; but it leaves to the angels associated with them functions more worthy of the exalted affections of good which they themselves are, and affords to the devils an opportunity of performing a real, a positive, use in the Lord's kingdom, and of receiving somewhat, though little, of that heavenly delight which it is the Lord's will to give to every being of His creation.

312


KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT 1944

KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944

     (Delivered before the Educational Council, April 11, 1944.)

     About fifty years ago, Charles W. Eliot, then President of Harvard University, precipitated a discussion of curriculum simplification. The subject roused widespread interest among educators, leading to investigations, conferences, reports, and volumes of considered opinion. The consensus was, that the curriculum certainly should be simplified, whereupon it continued to expand and become more complex and this at a steadily increasing rate.
     There are several understandable reasons for this opposition between theory and practice. Leo J. Bruechner, professor at the University of Minnesota, suggests that, against the will of the educators the curriculum "has become disorganized and unwieldy," partly "because of the desire of the school to adapt its program to changing social conditions, partly because of the insistent demands of pressure groups in society with special interests." (The Changing Elementary School, p. 99.) This undoubtedly is true, but we think a more cogent reason may be seen in the fact that, while the schoolmen are practically unanimous in their recognition of the need to simplify, there is no semblance of unity among them as to how this should be done. It always seems to mean dropping something from the program of study, and whoever has the temerity to suggest that any specific subject be deleted is at once overwhelmed by a storm of protest. On the other hand, when a new subject is proposed, it is easy for those who sponsor it to demonstrate its importance, and to explain the special contribution it can make to the enrichment of the mind. One who, in the interests of greater concentration, would prefer not to see another subject added to the already overcrowded curriculum, finds himself at a distinct disadvantage. Any effort to counter the enthusiastic claims made for the new subject is usually regarded as evidence of personal prejudice, as indicating a deplorable narrowness of outlook, or as bespeaking some misanthropic disposition to deprive children of their rightful opportunities to learn.

313



     But the really basic factor in the persistent expansion of the curriculum is a matter of educational philosophy. It is the popular idea that the primary goal of education is to impart knowledge. The thought seems to be that the success of any educational system is to be measured by the variety of knowledges and skills to which it introduces the student. This idea has been emphasized in recent years by experiments tending to show that learning is not transferable. By this is meant that the mastery of one branch of learning, or one type of skill, will not increase our ability to master another. In one direction this has been used as an argument for the elimination of certain subjects, which, although admittedly of small practical or utilitarian value, still were retained on the curriculum because of their supposed contribution to the general training of the mind. M. V. O'Shea, professor of education at the University of Wisconsin, explains that, "according to the doctrine of 'formal discipline,' those studies are of greatest value that strengthen or sharpen the faculties of the mind, even though the subjects themselves have no relation to any of the needs of life. When our curriculum was planned originally, it was believed that specific studies developed general mental ability, but our educational psychologists have shown that this is an erroneous doctrine, and we no longer have faith in it, speaking generally." (The Child, His Nature and His Needs, p. 394.)
     The abandonment of this "doctrine of formal discipline" has largely removed the study of ancient languages from its former position of importance in the school program. It has eliminated long lists of spelling words-chosen with a view to training the memory-because they are rare, and present unusual difficulties. It has tended to confine the study of mathematics and grammar, history, and other subjects, to their more practical aspects. And it has led many schools to adopt the principle that no subject is to be admitted to the curriculum merely for the sake of mental training apart from some clearly defined and practical application. But at the same time it has strengthened the demand for variety, on the ground that each subject studied imparts only a very limited ability, and if the student is to be equipped to cope with the highly complex demands of our advanced civilization, he must acquire special skills in many different directions.

314


Certainly if knowledge is the end of education, and if knowledge gained in one subject in no way helps us to acquire learning in any other, then there would appear to be no alternative to a curriculum of ever increasing complexity. There are innumerable fields of science continually being opened by human investigation. Through the instrumentality of discovery and invention, both the known categories of knowledge and the modes of applying it to the uses of society are being multiplied year by year. The number of different things that may prove of practical value for students to know must therefore grow endlessly; and the curriculum must grow with it.
     As many of the leading educators of the day clearly recognize, however, this theory of education leads into a blind alley. It imposes on the schools an impossible task. There simply is not enough time to teach all the subjects that seem to be demanded by the requirements of society. The more subjects we place on our program, the less time can we devote to each one. Our students merely learn less and less about more and more. If we wish to maintain even a reasonable standard of achievement in any one subject, selection is forced upon us. At once a generally recognized principle according to which selection should be made becomes an imperative necessity. Yet this is what is lacking, and without it the choice is unavoidably haphazard, subject to individual opinion; or it is determined by special local conditions on grounds of temporary expediency. The uncertainty and confusion so evident in our existing system is but an inevitable result.
     The most serious consequence is the apparent necessity to choose between a narrow thoroughness in a few things and increasing superficiality in many. As T. M. Greene, professor of philosophy at Princeton University, points out in his recent book, Liberal Education Reexamined, this choice is not a happy one. "A major weakness of formal education today," he says, "is its tendency toward too narrow specialization. Particularly are our abler students being permitted. and often encouraged, to study a limited subject-matter from a limited approach, at the expense of other subjects." "On the other hand," he continues, "what is frequently called 'general education' is often superficial. . . . Here depth is so completely sacrificed to breadth that the student cannot be expected to achieve any genuine understanding of the questions at issue, or to escape bewilderment, growing distaste, and finally boredom." (P. 101.)

315


So long as knowledge is regarded as the supreme end of education, and so long as no clear principle of choice is discovered to guide in the framing of a curriculum, it will continue to be difficult if not impossible to avoid the Scylla of "narrow specialization" without being wrecked on the Charybdis of mere superficiality.

     II.

     New Church educators are confronted with this problem no less than are their contemporaries in the world. And we have asked ourselves, "Does the teaching of the Writings give us any clue to its solution? Is there anything that may help us develop our curriculum along rational lines, toward a definite objective, rather than merely in response to the pressures of the world about us?" That the Writings do contain the only principles capable of supplying the real answer, we have no doubt. But whether we can at this time discover those principles, and formulate them with sufficient clearness to unite us in support of a program at variance with the general practice in other schools, is open to question. However, we believe that the discovery of an answer is so vital to the future of New Church Education that some effort should be made to search for it. And while we may not be immediately successful, the search may be taken up by others and brought eventually to its desired goal.
     Certainly it is clear from the teaching of the Writings that the end of education is not knowledge, but wisdom, and that wisdom is not a mere accumulation of knowledges. The Lord's warning to "take heed and beware of covetousness, for man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth" (Luke 12: 15) applies not only to the material possessions of the world, but equally to the intellectual things of the mind. Yet knowledge, although not the end of education, is nevertheless an indispensable ingredient thereof. Wisdom cannot be attained without it. Indeed, it may truly be said that the broader and more accurate the fund of knowledge we acquire, the more ample will be the foundation upon which wisdom may be built. Thus we are taught: "Intelligence is not wisdom, but leads to wisdom: for to understand what is true and good is not to be true and good, but to be wise is to be so.

316


Wisdom is predicated only of life-that the man is such. A man is introduced to wisdom or to life by means of knowing, that is, by means of knowledge." (A. C. 1555.) The meaning is, of course, that knowledges serve as a continual introduction to wisdom. For we go on learning throughout our life on earth, and afterward to eternity. And the things we learn perpetually prepare the mind for a more perfect insight, and thus a truer wisdom.
     Yet learning by itself does not produce wisdom. An abundance of knowledges, if not digested, may but confuse the mind, rather than clarify its perceptive faculty. For this reason a simple man possessing few knowledges may be wiser than a scholar. This is illustrated in the case of certain spirits who while in the world had boasted great learning, of whom Swedenborg says:
     "They had made life consist in the body, and by means of matters of knowledge and philosophy had confirmed themselves against the life of the spirit or soul after death; and thereby (they) had closed the interior things against themselves in such a manner that they could not possibly be elevated into them. After they had confirmed themselves against the things that belong to the life after death, if the veriest truths had been told them, they would have treated them like the blind who see not, and like the deaf who hear not; and some of then-i would ridicule them, and this in exact proportion to their belief in their own preiminent wisdom. But the unlearned, who have been in the good of faith, are not of this character, for they have not confirmed themselves against the things of the church by means of any matters of knowledge and philosophy, and therefore their perception is broader and clearer; and because they have not closed interior things, they are capable of receiving goods and truths." (A. C. 6317.) And of other spirits he says that "they were unable to perceive the Heavenly Doctrine in the very smallest degree; for they have no perception that it can be true, because they have by means of sciences extinguished every gift of perception." (S. D. 4779.)
     If knowledges are multiplied in this way, the end of education is frustrated. For then learning becomes an instrument of evil, and the mind becomes progressively more insane with every advance in learning. But if, even on the basis of a very few knowledges, there is genuine insight, then education achieves its goal.

317


For then the few things learned will be rightly used, and, through their use, knowledges will increase continually; and as they are multiplied, the mind will grow in wisdom.
     This makes clear that, while a variety and abundance of knowledge is desirable, it is not the prime consideration in the educative process. Our first concern must be to impart a perceptive insight. So far as knowledges contribute to this end, they are important and necessary. But beyond this they may become a hindrance. If this is made the criterion, it will prove an indispensable guide in the construction of the curriculum.
     But what do we mean by "insight," and what is necessary to produce it?
     Insight is the same as what the Writings call "perception." It is the faculty of perceiving truth-that is, it is the faculty of perceiving the nature, the quality, the purpose, the function, and the use of the things we know. Knowledge has to do with the outward appearance, the form, the structure of things, as revealed to the senses. It is analytical, divisive, noting distinctions and cataloguing differences. But the purpose of insight is synthesis. It discloses harmonious relations, interactions, the dependence of one thing upon another, and how the parts thus unite to form a whole. Inmostly, it reveals the dependence and relation of all things to God, in whom they become distinctly one. Thus it reveals the nature of God, His Love and His Wisdom in all creation. So intimately is every least part of the created universe bound up with every other part, in the supreme unity of the Divine purpose, that if we could perceive the full significance of a single flower, or even of a grain of sand, we would be equipped to understand all things, and we would understand them as soon as they came to our knowledge.
     This suggests that, while the psychologists are probably correct in their conclusion that facility gained in one branch of learning will not make it easier to acquire knowledge or skill in another branch, this is not at all true of insight gained in any particular field of study. The wisdom of the celestial angels-who excel in the faculty of perception-is not only deep, but broad, extensive, giving insight into many fields of knowledge. It is because psychologists are intent upon knowledge rather than insight that they find learning to be nontransferable. If this is true, then by making insight our chief objective we may avoid the impasse of present day education, faced as it is with the apparent need to teach an impossible number of things.

318


If we lead our students to a perceptive appreciation, deep and true, even of a few things, we may still prepare them to grasp the significance of innumerable other things wherewith they may come into contact in later life. This is a very different thing from the narrow training referred to by Prof. T. M. Greene as the study of "a limited subject-matter from a limited approach."
     But insight is not a thing that can be taught. How, then, can we make it the objective of our teaching? It does not come from without, but from within. It does not pass from man to man. It is none other than the enlightenment or illustration of the Holy Spirit that comes from the Lord through man to man. It is the light, the "self-evidencing reason," of love. Its source is an affection secretly insinuated by the Lord as remains,-an affection that lies at first dormant in the inmost recesses of the mind. When this affection is roused, and with it a longing for truth; when this longing produces individual effort, persistent and determined, to seek the truth, then the light breaks, and under the immediate guidance of the Lord, with reference to the man's spiritual state and need, insight is given.
     The part of the educator is to rouse the affection and assist the search. In doing this, his own affection is the active instrument. The affection or interest of the teacher "inspires" a corresponding affection in the student, and inaugurates the effort to discover truth. And this endeavor is assisted by presenting knowledges so ordered that they reflect and picture forth the truth. The importance of this ordering cannot be overemphasized. It is this with which, above all else, on the intellectual side, the function of teaching is concerned. Wherefore it is said that "they who are able to think above the things of sense, provided the things in the memory have been set in order, possess a greater capacity than others to understand and perceive and this according to the degree in which they view things from what is interior." (A. C. 6598.)
     The ability to "set in order" the "things in the memory" depends upon the affection of truth and the consequent insight in the teacher. If the teaching is to lead to wisdom, this must be a spiritual insight, for again we are taught: "The things which are in the external or natural man live from the light of heaven, for this light is living light, because it proceeds from the Lord, who is Life itself: but they do not live from natural light, for in itself this light is dead.

319


In order, therefore, that those things which are in natural light may live, there must be an influx of living light through the internal from the Lord. (A. C. 9103.) The teacher, therefore, must have a knowledge and perception of spiritual truth derived from Revelation. He must have an affection of this truth as the active motivation in all his teaching. Thus and not otherwise can he be equipped to order the external knowledges in the memory to reflect spiritual light, that they may spring to life in the mind, revealing their function, their use, their Divine purpose. Only when this is the case is a corresponding affection inspired in the student that will lead to wisdom.
     Children are not yet capable of spiritual understanding. This must await the opening of the internal mind as they approach adult age. They can, however, perceive truth, and this on a plane that is elevated step by step, as they grow. At first it is on the plane of the senses, then on that of the imagination, then on that of moral and civil life in the world. They can acquire knowledges on these successive planes, both of natural and of spiritual things. And so far as these knowledges are ordered from within from the Word, from the love of spiritual truth, and insight on the part of the teacher, they prepare the mind to perceive the spiritual truth when adult age is reached. The more abundant the fund of knowledges acquired, provided they are thus ordered, the broader is the foundation that is laid for future wisdom. But the more knowledges are imparted in a perverted order, and disposed merely in accord with worldly loves, the more is the path to wisdom obstructed.
     This would seem to indicate that the important thing in education is not to impart an inordinate number and variety of knowledges, but to be sure that whatever is taught is ordered aright. If this principle is made paramount, the curriculum will be limited by a judicious selection of those things that can best be used as a medium for the attainment of insight by means of knowledge.
     One further point. Because insight cannot be transmitted from without, but must come from within in response to individual affection and endeavor, it requires application, work, on the part of the student. The student must aspire to accomplish, on his own initiative. This accomplishment must be real, and it must yield results of Increasing excellence.

320


Children are quickly satisfied with imagined accomplishment. They are impatient to reach the goal. If they are actually to attain it they must learn to see it truly, and to criticize their own results in the light of that vision. It is the clear vision of a goal, and the persistent effort to attain it, together with the experience thus gained, that opens the mind to perceptive understanding. For by this means an ordering of the knowledges in the memory is accomplished that is individual to the child. It is an ordering that the teacher cannot do for him because he cannot see deeply enough into the child mind. It is an ordering that is done secretly by the Lord, who infinitely knows the states and needs of the child.
     This is indeed the most important ordering of all. That which is done by the teacher is at best only an adjunct to it, and a preliminary aid. For this reason the path to wisdom calls for labor, struggle, determined effort by the student. And this fact renders thoroughness in education of paramount importance. A hurried skipping from one thing to another, made necessary by an overcrowded curriculum, leaves no time for that kind of training which enables the Lord most perfectly to order the mind from within. If this is fully realized, it will provide another compelling reason why the temptation to introduce too many things should be resisted. The number of things done should not be permitted to interfere with the thorough learning of those few things that may be recognized as preeminently important. If the accepted curriculum is having this effect, it should be reduced at all costs. For if this is done, the gain will far outweigh the loss.
     I do not know whether, in our present program of education, we are attempting too many things. I do know that, according to Prof. T. M. Greene, twenty-two distinct subjects are expected to share the available Classroom hours in the public schools of New York State. In our own Bryn Athyn Elementary School there are sixteen, and several others clamoring for admission. Among these latter are some that undoubtedly would be desirable on the basis of their own merits, and the fact that we cannot include them is frequently deplored. If we combine the classroom work with the large number of extracurricular activities in which our children are expected to take part, the question as to whether we are already spreading our efforts beyond the limits of the truest effectiveness would seem to be quite legitimate.

321


If in fact this is the case, it is important that we should unite to remedy the situation.
     And while I anticipate many difficulties in applying the principles here indicated from the Writings, I firmly believe that they will in time light the way to a revision of our curriculum in the right direction. The only alternative is to take the path of least resistance, and allow our course to be determined by the contemporary trends in the world about us, and thus permit ourselves to be swept along without guide or compass. This, I believe, will prove increasingly detrimental to the achievement of those high objectives toward which the Writings clearly point.
POWER OF THE ANGELS 1944

POWER OF THE ANGELS       Rev. GILBERT H. SMITH       1944

     A Talk to Children.

     I will tell you something now about the great strength and power of the angels who live in heaven. You know that after a person dies he becomes an angel, if he has been good, and that the Lord gives him a place to live in heaven. And all the people in the other world are still very close to us, and the angels have great power to help us. They help us not to do or say what is wrong, and they help us to say and do what is right. For they have great power. But they have all their power from the Lord, who is called the Mighty One.
     Wouldn't you like to be very strong and to have great power yourself? If you were very strong, you would not be afraid of anybody doing you any harm, and you would be able to protect other people if anybody tried to do harm to them. We all want to be strong, or to have power, so that we can protect ourselves and protect others from harm. A soldier wants to be strong so that he can defend his country against harm and beat the enemies who attack it.
     When we have to fight against somebody trying to do what is wrong, we have to use our hands-our fists. And a soldier has to use guns and bombs.

322


But an angel has no need to use any of these things. He has another kind of power. All he has to do is to come near the people who are doing wrong, and to look at them with his eyes. Then they turn and run away from him. That is the kind of power the angels have. And they have it from the Lord.
     Some people think that the angels cannot have any power because we cannot see them. But angels have feet and hands and eyes just as truly as we have. They have power to drive away those who are evil in the other world just by looking at them with their eyes.
     That is one way in which we are like the angels. Every angel has a mind and a body, just as we have. And in the mind every angel has a will and an understanding, just as we have. And all the power and strength that anyone has is from his mind,-from his will and his understanding. When he wants to do a thing, and thinks about it, then he can do it. Perhaps you did not know it, but if we did not have these two things,-a will and an understanding-we could not speak and we could not do a single thing. We could not even lift our hands. We could not walk and we could not eat. It is from the mind that the body has the power to do anything. We would not have any strength at all if we did not have a will and an understanding which the Lord gives to us.
     Now it is from the power of some of the angels who are near us that we have the power to use our will and the power to understand things. And if these angels were not with us, we could not move our hands or our feet or our tongues. The power to move any of these comes from the angels who are with us. One time the Lord showed Swedenborg how the angels moved his hands, feet and tongue, and all parts of the body. Without them he could not do a thing. And it is just the same with us. All the power we have to do things comes from the Lord through angels. They give us the power to use our will and the power to understand anything.
     And this is the reason why we ought to pray to the Lord to send his angels to us, so that they can guide our steps, and help us to do what is right and speak what is true, and protect us from harm. For the Word tells us that the Lord "shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." (Psalm 91: 11, 12.)
     But in the spiritual world the power of the angels is even greater than we can imagine.

323


The Lord allowed Swedenborg to see the marvelous power of the angels, and what they could do. Once Swedenborg saw in the other world a big mountain that was the home of many evil spirits who wanted to fight against the angels. Well, the angels merely looked at this mountain, and at the evil spirits who lived on it, and the mountain began to tremble and shake, and it was thrown down. There was a great earthquake, and the mountain cracked apart, and the evil spirits disappeared through the openings in the earth. The evil spirits were not killed, because no one can ever be killed in the other world, but they went down below to their proper places in hell. So you see, no matter how many bad spirits there are, and how cleverly they are able to fight against those who are good, the angels have such power that they can send them away in a moment.
     This shows how much power the angels have in the other world. They have this great power without using their hands or guns or weapons of any kind.
     And sometimes the power of the angels has been seen in this world also. For we read in the Word about how the angels scattered and destroyed whole armies of men that were trying to do what the Lord did not want them to do. (II Kings 19: 32-37.) And once there were seventy thousand men who had an evil intention who died of a disease when the angel of the Lord appeared among them. (II Samuel 24: 15, 16.)
     And now' you can see why the angels, because they have such power, are sometimes called "powers." They are called the "powers of the heavens" in the Word. And we also read in the Psalms of the Word: "Bless the Lord, ye angels who are mighty in strength."
     But the strange thing is that the angels have no power of their own. All the power they have is from the Lord. And the angels know that this is true. As soon as they begin to think that their power is their own, then they have no power at all. But if they believe that all power is from the Lord, then their power is great As soon as they think the power they have is their own, apart from the Lord, they become so weak that they cannot fight against one evil spirit.
     And this is why the angels do not like anybody to praise them for any good thing they do, but they want all the thanks and praise to be given to the Lord. For all power to do good is from Him.

324



     But the angels are not all alike. Some of them are stronger than others. And the strongest ones are those who love the Lord the most; for these have the greatest desire to do His will, and have the best understanding of the Lord's truth.
     I am sure we all want to be strong and powerful like the angels. And we shall be, too, When we come into the other world, if we use our understanding to think what is true, and our will to do what is right,-to do what the Lord teaches us we ought to do, and if we use our will and understanding to check ourselves when we want to do what is wrong. In fact, the angels will help us to do these things, and give us some of their power every day, if we want them to be near us.
     But let us remember that there are also some evil spirits near us all the time. And they try to make us tell lies, or steal something that does not belong to us, or to hate and make fun of somebody and try to do him harm. All we have to do then is to say to ourselves that such things are wrong, and are just the opposite of what the Lord teaches us in His Commandments, and make up our minds that we will not do them. And when we use our will and our understanding in this way, the angels give us power not to do them.
     All the power that is worth having is the power not to do what is evil. And when we use that power, the Lord will give us power to do what is good instead. The Lord gives us this power through the angels. So we read in the Psalm: "The God of Israel is He that giveth strength and power to His people." Amen.

LESSONS:     Psalm 68. Matthew 9: 1-13. Heaven and Hell 228.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 422, 426.
PRAYERS:     Nos. C-11, C-14.

325


CHRISTIAN PROTEST 1944

CHRISTIAN PROTEST       ALFRED ACTON       1944

     The teaching of the Writings that the Christian Church is spiritually dead does not exclude the possibility of men in that Church seeing those truths which were preached in the first age of the Christian Church. The Roman Catholic Church has practically forbidden the reading of the Word, and the Protestant Church has blinded the eyes of its readers by the false doctrines of Three Persons and Faith Alone. But the New Testament still remains, and it is still possible for men to see therein the genuine doctrines of the truly Christian Church.
     These thoughts came to my mind on reading The Spiritual Issues of the War, a leaflet issued weekly by the British Information Services, an Agency of the British Government in New York City. I refer to the issue for February 17, 1944, containing the official protests addressed to Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart, Hitler's representative in Holland.
     Preceding the sending of these protests, in February, 1943, a Circular was read from all the Protestant pulpits in the Netherlands, stating that it was the task of the Church "to raise its voice, even in matters of public life, in protest when the principles that have their root in the Gospel are being violated. The Church therefore has repeatedly lodged serious complaints with the occupying power regarding the measures that constitute specific violations of the principles on which the Christian life of our people is based: justice, charity and freedom of conscience. The Church would be neglecting its duty if it failed to impress upon the authorities that they too are subject to Divine Law. For that reason it has drawn the attention of the occupying power to: `the increasing lawlessness: the persecution unto death of Jewish fellow-citizens: the fact that an outlook on life which is a flagrant violation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is forced upon the people; the compulsory labor service as a National Socialist educational institution; the forced labor of Netherland workers in Germany; the killing of hostages; the imprisonment of numerous Dutch subjects, including church dignitaries, in such conditions that an alarming number have already lost their lives in concentration camps.

326



     "On the other hand, the Church also feels bound to issue an emphatic warning against hatred and feelings of revenge in the hearts of our people and expressions thereof According to the Word of God, no one may take the jaw into his own hands."
     In the following June, another formal protest was addressed to Reichskommissar Seyss-Inquart by the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches together: "Something so terrible is now taking place (it stated), that we cannot desist from addressing these words in the name of our Lord to your Excellency. We have already complained about several acts on the part of the occupying power. These acts clash with the spiritual principles of our people . . . A beginning has now been made with the sterilization of so-called mixed marriages. But God, who created Heaven and Earth, and whose Commandments apply to all men, and to whom your Excellency, too, must give account one day, told men: 'Be fruitful and multiply.' Sterilization means physical and spiritual mutilation directly at variance with the Divine Commandment that we shall not dishonor, hate, wound or kill our neighbors. . . . It is the last consequence of the anti-Christian racial doctrine which destroys nations, and of self-exaltation without bounds. It represents a view of the world and of life that undermines all real Christian existence, making it ultimately impossible.
     "Your Excellency is . . . entrusted with the maintenance of law and order, not only by the Fuhrer of the German Reich, but also through the inscrutable dispensation of God, whom the Christian Church proclaims on earth. To you apply, exactly as to all other men, and to you especially because you happen to be placed in this high office, the Commandments of this Lord and Judge of the entire earth.
     ". . . It is your Excellency's duty to stop the shameful practice of sterilization. We have no illusions. We are well aware that we can hardly expect your Excellency to heed the voice of the Church, that is, the voice of the Gospel. . . . But what we cannot hope for as a human achievement, we dare hope for in our Faith in Christ. The living God has power to convert and to change your Excellency's heart. For that, too, we pray God for the good of your Excellency and our suffering people."
     ALFRED ACTON.

327


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably Discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, L.A.C. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,

328



Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Bellinger, O/D Robert P.,
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, A.C. 1 David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motom, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably Discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lieut. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably Discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably Discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B.,
Hammond, A/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.

329





     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Cadet Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, Pvt. Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Commander Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cand. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard, Elizabeth, W.A.S.P.,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Cadet Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Major William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P., Honorably discharged,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A. P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., A.S.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pvt. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, S 2/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, P.F.C. Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,

330



Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, S/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, P.F.C. Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, P.F.C. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably Discharged,
Wille, A/C Gerhardt King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably Discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Cpl. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B.

     Pittsburgh,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., A.S.,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Sgt. Tech. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Conn, Daniel L., A.S.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (j.g.) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 2/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, P.F.C. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F 2/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.

331



Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/C John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., A.S., N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 2/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Cpl. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.

[Photograph]

A GROUP IN LONDON-September, 1943.

     Left to right: Pvt. Cecil J. James, W.O. Leonard E. Hill, Miss Yolande Brisco, Mrs. A. Wynne Acton, F/O William G. Bellinger, Lt. David R. Simons.

332


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     SOUTH AFRICAN MISSION.

     Change at Kent Manor.

     Over eleven years ago in recording the activities of the Mission, we sent the following paragraph to NEW CHURCH LIFE, and it was published in the issue for November, 1932:

     In July the Mission Council approved the appointment of Mr. W. N. Ridgway to help the Mission at Kent Manor. The immediate future, therefore, opens another chapter in the development of this Zululand center, with Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Ridgway leaving their Durban home with good intent to experience isolation, country life, and all kinds of interesting (and sometimes worrying) vicissitudes of a South African Mission Station."

     This "chapter," as far as the Mission is concerned, came to its conclusion on Sunday, February 27, 1944. After the morning service, which was conducted by the Superintendent and the Revs. Peter Sabela and Aaron Zungu, the members of the Native congregation expressed their "Goodbyes" to Mr. and Mrs. W .N. Ridgway and Mrs. Martin Buss (who has been staying at Kent Manor with her parents while her husband, Sgt. J. M. Buss, is away "Up North"). A number of speakers testified to the good attention which had been given by Mr. and Mrs. Ridgway during their eleven years' stay at Kent Manor, and feelings of regret were expressed at their having to leave for Durban, which was to take place on March 3. Both Mr. and Mrs. Ridgway made suitable and touching replies.
     To these expressions we may here add that the change has become necessary on account of ill health and advancing years. There are many friends, both in South Africa and overseas, who can recall in mind's picture the happy days they spent with the Ridgways at Kent Manor. Indeed, we have no doubt that there could be placed on record many anecdotes illustrating the "isolation and all kinds of interesting (and sometimes worrying) vicissitudes of a South African Mission Station"! And those who read these lines, and who have such living memories, will also picture Kent Manor, and testify to the good work done by our Durban friends in Zululand. But the country loses and the city gains, and the Durban Society is very glad to have Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Ridgway back again. We hope that, in Providence. they will be with us for many happy years, with the war over and past.
     Until we in this country learn what disposition is to be made of the Mission properties, the Kent Manor Mission buildings and homestead have been left in charge of the Rev. A. B. Zungu.

     Other Mission Centers.-In Caps Province, Natal, and the Transvaal, the work of the Mission is continuing slowly and on a very small scale. There are now no Day Schools, but the Ministerial work is maintained. With the lifting of the blackout regulations in Durban, we are hoping to hold there in July the long postponed Native Ministers Meeting. If, moreover, we are able to proceed "according to plan," it has already been arranged that, after this meeting, the Rev. Jonas Motsi will leave the Transvaal and take up work in South Basutoland, and the Rev. Peter Sabela will go from Kent Manor to take the Rev. Motsi's place at Greylingstad.

333



     F. W. ELPHICK.
Durban, March 7, 1944.


     SWEDENBORG SCIENTIFIC ASSOCIATION.

     The 47th Annual Meeting of the Swedenborg Scientific Association was held at Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Thursday, May 25. 1944, at 8.00 p.m., Dr. Leonard I. Tafel presiding. An attendance of 82 was composed of 45 members and 37 non-members.
     During the meeting the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: President: Dr. Leonard I. Tafel. Board of Directors: Messrs. Alfred Acton, Edward F. Allen. Gideon Boericke, C. E. Doering, Harold F. Pitcairn, Willard D. Pendleton, Eldred E. Iungerich, Wilfred Howard, and Miss Beryl O. Briscoe. At a subsequent meeting of the Board, the officers of the Association were reelected for the coming year.
     The Treasurer reported a very successful year, with a balance on hand of $726.05. The number of books sold during the year was 92, as against 63 sold last year. Thirty-seven new members have been received during the year, making our present membership 245.
     In his Report as Literary Editor, Dr. Acton mentioned that he had delivered an Address to a meeting of some 15 or 20 Doctors of Osteopathy on the subject of Swedenborg's theories on the motion of the brain. Keen interest was manifested, and many questions were asked, leading him to speak further on the subject. As a result of the Address, several of the group have purchased copies of The Cerebram.
     The Secretary read a report of the activities of the unofficial Chapter of the Association established last year under the leadership of the Rev. Willard Pendleton of Pittsburgh.
     The Annual Address was delivered by Dr. Howard D. Spoerl. It was entitled, "Toward a Knowledge of the Soul," and discussed in general the development of Swedenborg teachings on psychology up to the period of The Worship and Love of God. In his later development as revelator, Swedenborg more or less abandoned the idea of constructing a scientific psychology, and his psychology then became theology. The interesting discussion which followed the Address will be reported in the July issue of THE NEW PHILOSOPHY.
     WILFRED HOWARD,
          Secretary.

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     Weddings.-Under normal circumstances the marriage of Miss Barbara Blackman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Geoffrey Blackman, to Lieut. Huard I. Synnestvedt would have been solemnized in Glenview, and would have been our fourth wedding of the year, but owing to the war it was held in the chapel at Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana, on the afternoon of April 15, the ceremony being performed by Captain Barbee, a minister from a town in Pennsylvania not far from Bryn Athyn. The parents of the bride were present, and the bride and groom were attended by Miss Nancy Synnestvedt and Lieut. Robert Swisher. The bride wore a deep pink afternoon dress, and Nancy one of pale blue.
     Two days later we attended our fifth wedding of the year, which was held in the Immanuel Church on Monday evening, April 17, when Lieut. Stanley Scott Leonard and Miss Marjorie Joy Rydstrom were married, the Rev. Elmo C. Acton officiating. Lieut. Scott is from Youngstown. Ohio, and it was while he was attending Wooster College in Ohio that he met Marjorie. The bride wore ivory satin, with a long train and veil, and she was attended by Mrs. Hubert Rydstrom, who wore cerise lace and carried red roses and blue iris. The groom's brother, Mr. Frank Leonard, was best man, while the two bridesmaids were Mrs. Sherritt Chase and Miss Phyllis Headsten, who wore blue lace and carried red roses.

334


The gowns were designed by the bride, And had been worn by her and her court when she presided as May Queen in the annual festival at Wooster College in 1943. They were most appropriate as wedding finery, and made a patriotic red, white and blue color scheme against a background of candles and Easter flowers.
     Obituary-On Monday, April 17, Mr. Laurence Bostock Burnham passed into the spiritual world in his fiftieth year. The son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Hugh L. Burnham, he was the first child born in The Park. He was a pupil in the Immanuel Church School, and afterwards attended the Boys Academy in Bryn Athyn, graduating in 1913. Of quiet and retiring disposition. Laurence was a mechanical genius.
     A pioneer member of the Immanuel Church left us for the higher world with the passing of Mrs. William H. Junge (Malvina Elise Boericke) on May 10 in her 85th year. They were among the first couples to move from Chicago to Glenview when this community was formed. To those who did not know Mrs. Junge let me say that she was a lady of rare charm. The hospitality of the Junge home is a byword among us, and Mrs. Junge had the faculty of making people feel completely "at home." To my knowledge, the trials and tribulations of war, death and depression had no effect upon the superbly even temperament of Mother' Junge, whom we all loved so much. And her keen intelligence in spiritual things, and her active participation in our society uses, have been greatly valued by our members down through the years.
     Entertainments.-A delightful Musicale, directed by Miss Phyllis Headsten, was given on Saturday evening, May 6. Piano playing, singing, and picas for stringed instruments were on the program, and afforded a very pleasant evening, which closed with refreshments.
     The following day, Mr. Jesse Stevens put on one of his Immanuel Church School orchestra performances-another amazing demonstration of young children producing pleasing sounds on a variety of instruments. And on the same day the mothers of our society attended an entertainment given by a group of young girls.
     Sons of the Academy.-The Glenview Chapter held its annual installation banquet on May 20. We were fortunate in having, as speakers of the evening, President Carl Asplundh. Mr. George Woodard and Mr. Geoffrey Childs, who were introduced by Mr. Harold McQueen as toastmaster.
     Theta Alpha.-The local Chapter invited the members of the society to a Book Review by a Mrs. Posey on Saturday evening, May 27. The book reviewed was Germany Will Try It Again, by Sigrid Schultz. Mrs. Posey has spent much time in Europe, and was able to give us first-hand descriptions of conditions there shortly before the war. This book makes one hope that those responsible for settling the terms of peace will make a good job of it.
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

     REV. W. H. ACTON.

     Since the publication of the Obituary in our March, 1944, issue, we have received a letter from the Rev. F. F. Coulson, Minister of the Kensington Society of the New Church in London, in which he furnishes additional information which he asks us to publish for the benefit of the future historian of the New Church, as follows:
     "The Rev. W. H. Acton was for twenty-five years, from 1915 to 1940, a member of the Kensington Society of the New Church. The fact is, that, due to his great friendship with the Rev. J. F. Buss, he became a member of the Kensington Society; and he loyally supported its uses until failing health and the distance of his residence from the church compelled him to cease doing so. When be resigned in 1940, he gave as his reason 'failing health and distance from the church.' He was held in great esteem by all our members of the older generation, and conducted the services and took the doctrinal class on a number of occasions since my ministry at Kensington commenced in 1934.

335



     "Although he was never a Minister of the General Conference on its list of Ministers, there can be no doubt that he was a member of one of the Societies affiliated with the Conference. For a short time in the nineteen twenties he served as honorary pastor of the Plaistow Society of the New Church in East London, retaining his membership in the Kensington Society.
     "I may also mention that, in addition to his work on Volume I of the Spiritual Diary, he prepared a revised translation of Volume X of the Arcana Coelestia, which was published in 1932. This has been greatly appreciated and highly commended by those competent to judge. It sets a high standard in respect of accuracy and faithfulness to the original, as well as good English."


     TORONTO, CANADA.

     Dr. Odhner's Visit.-The members of the Olivet Society were looking forward to a visit from the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner, but the realization proved even more delightful than the anticipation.
     On Tuesday, May 16, he gave a profoundly interesting paper on "The Arcana of the Heavenly Marriage," carrying the instruction from the highest to the lower degrees. We trust this paper will appear in print.
     To many, if not to all, the highlight of the visit came on Wednesday evening, when Dr. Odhner spoke on "The Spiritual Meaning of the Word." condensing three doctrinal classes be had conducted in Bryn Athyn. Commencing with Genesis, and covering the entire Scriptures to the Book of Revelation, there was portrayed to the listeners in broad colorful strokes the historic and prophetic story of the Glorification of the Lord and the regeneration of man. The result was a complete and brilliant unit that will remain with those who were privileged to hear it. The evening opened with one of our regular Wednesday suppers, decorated with fresh Spring flowers, and with an augmented attendance of our members.
     On Thursday evening a service of Divine Worship was held in our church, conducted by our pastor and Dr. Odhner, the latter reading the lessons and preaching an enthralling sermon which urged the congregation to "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."
     The society is particularly grateful for Dr. Odhner's visit, and we hope that he will return in the not too distant future.
     A Wedding.-On Saturday, June 3, Mr. Raymond L. Carter and Miss Mary C. Downey were married at a quiet ceremony in our church, the Rev. F. F. Gyllenhaal officiating. Mrs. Sydney Parker, at the organ, provided the musical setting. The best of good wishes are extended to Mary and Raymond.
     Other Events.-The children had a party It was a patriotic party given by the Ladies' Circle, with ice cream, cake and ginger ale, not to mention candy prizes and a little flag for each guest. Twenty-one small fry thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
     The annual elections at the Theta Alpha Meeting gave the following results: President, Lois Longstaff; Vice President, Grace Barber; Secretary, Mary Parker; and Treasurer, Jean Bellinger. The members voiced their appreciation of Mr. Gyllenhaal's valued assistance in making the year a pleasant and instructive one.
     It is recorded with regret that Cpl. Leonard Jesseman has been badly wounded during action in Italy.
     F/Lt. Sydney Parker is now in the South of India, taking a Refresher Course in a somewhat higher altitude than he has been enjoying(!).
     V. C.

336


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944




     Announcements



     Summer School.

     Teachers desiring to take the Continuation Course in the Teaching of History, to be given by Professor William Whitehead, August 16-30, 1944, as announced in the June issue, page 253, are invited to register at the office of the Dean of the College on August 16.
     GEORGE DE CHARMS.
          President.
LIFE IS GOD 1944

LIFE IS GOD       Rev. WILLIS L. GLADISH       1944



337




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
AUGUST, 1944
No. 8
     It has been revealed by the Lord Himself that the difference between God and man is, that God is Life, while man is but a vessel receptive of life from God. Therefore God LIVES in and of Himself, while man appears to live, because he is in conjunction with God, who is the Source of his life. For Life in Itself is infinite, Divine, Uncreate. Life is Love, and Thought therefrom. Therefore Life involves Personality. For He who loves and thinks must he a Person must be Human. He who loves and thinks from Himself must be God the Creator, must also be Man, and indeed the only Man. But those whom He creates as images and likenesses of Himself are men, so far as they receive from Him of His Love and of His Thought.
     God cannot create other Gods; for He is uncreate; nor can He create other Infinites; for the Infinite is unlimited and two Infinites are unthinkable. But reason agrees that God, from finite substance, could create images and likenesses of Himself, which could be animated by Him, which are receptacles of His Life.
     Science has recognized life as separate from matter, and has spent much time and thought on how animate life came upon this planet. If only the scientist could account for life, it would be easy to account for all creation by evolution without a Creator. How much easier to believe the truth from heaven,-that God is Love, and Love is Life!
     Love could not choose to live alone, but would hunger for children, for creatures who could return His love, and could love one another. Therefore God created substances from Himself, finite substances, devoid of life, but capable of receiving life, because they had been produced from Life Itself.

338



     The first of these substances constitutes the sun of the spiritual world. From this sun, by congobations of its substances, there was produced an atmosphere, the atmosphere of the spiritual world, and also the sun of the natural world, and finally substances at rest, on the surface of the earth. From these dead substances, the Lord, by mean of the atmosphere of the spiritual world, and at the same time by means of the three atmospheres of the natural world, built the forms which could receive and be animated by His Spirit sufficiently to live and grow. Acting through them, the Lord next produced the forms of the animal kingdom, providing them with a soul from the highest natural atmosphere (the magnetic aura), just as He provided a soul for the forms of the vegetable kingdom from the ether. And finally the Lord God created man in His own image and likeness.
     This was the crowning work of creation. This was the end to which all creation looks, man, male and female. Therefore He endowed man with a soul from the finest created substances of the spiritual world. And by virtue of this inmost soul, man is able to receive the Lord's love and wisdom-is able to love God, and believe in Him. No mere animal has this inmost dwelling place of God. But with man. Into his soul the Life from God flows freely and unhindered, above man's consciousness. Thus man lives from God, and feels life as his own. In the infancy of the race-the Golden Age,-man lived as he was created to live, loving God supremely and the neighbor as himself. Sin was unknown.
     But man was endowed with free-will. Love cannot be forced. In order that man may be free to love God, he must be free not to love Him. Moreover, man has not only a soul, but a body also. And the body has its own delights. As the age of infancy passed (the infancy of the race) there were some who cultivated the delights of the body rather than those of the soul, and finally their posterity preferred the external delights of the senses to those of the soul, refusing to obey the voice of God.
     And so sin gradually came into the world. Man closed the upper door, and, so far as he was able, lived as the animals live, delighting only in the things of this world. Yet he retained enough of his highborn estate to exercise reason, and to know truth when he was instructed in truth.

339


But having no love for spiritual truth, he could not retain it.
     When man had thus closed the upper door, there remained but an outer approach. And God must then take upon Himself a body such as man has, must live in the world as a Man. What other way was left? Hence it was announced, at the time of this "fall" of man, that the Seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head, which meant that the Lord God would come into the world.
     And until the Lord actually came, He made Himself as it were present with men by repeated prophecies, and by filling an angel with His look, and by speaking through an angel. And in the fulness of time He came. Known to the Jews as Jehovah, He taught His disciples to call Him Lord. He came as a little babe, born of a virgin mother, according to prophecy. For He willed to follow the order set for all men. But He had no earthly father. Jehovah God was His Father,-Life Itself. As to the body He was the Son of God. For the angel said to Mary: "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that Holy Thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1: 35.) Since the Most High was His Father, the Lord was internally the Father of Eternity. It was only as to the body born from the Father that He was to be known as the Son of God.
     He came into the world, not as ignorant men have supposed, to pay the penalty of the broken law, so that God the Father might pardon sinful men. Shall not He, who requires men to forgive until seventy times seven, gladly and freely forgive, as often as a man truly repents? He came into the world to make Himself known to men as a man. For men had lost all true knowledge of God. They thought Him altogether such as they themselves. He came to manifest forth the love of God the Father for men, and also to do a work of judgment in the spiritual world. But the nature of this work of judgment could not be revealed to men until, at His Second Coming, the spiritual world was revealed.
     Let it not be thought too wonderful that the Infinite God should thus have bowed the heavens and come down for our salvation. Could not He who created man, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of Life, create a body for Himself, that He might come into the world and save man, who is the object of His tenderest love?

340


Surely you would not limit the power of God to save what He Himself had created. Remember that God knows the future. He must have known before He created man that man would fall, as he did, and must have had the remedy in mind.
     And so God our Creator became our Savior. He took on through a virgin mother a body like that of man. Externally it was like that of other men, but internally it must have been different, for it was formed by Life Itself. In ordinary birth the soul is from the father and the body from the mother. It was so in this case. The Soul was from God, and was God; but that soul must have formed for itself a body that was unique. It was not a vessel receptive of life, but internally it was Life Itself. This the Lord Himself declared in John: "For as the Father hath life in Himself, so hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself." (John 5: 26.)
     The Difference.-Here is the great difference between the Lord and all other men born of woman. He from birth had life in Himself. All others have life from Him. He alone is Man, because He alone lives and loves and thinks from Himself. Others are but images and likenesses, so far as they receive of His life. The difference is a radical one, like the difference between the light of the sun, which shines of itself, and the light of the moon, which shines only by reflected light from the sun. Think what this comparison carries with it. As John says again, "In Him was Life, and the Life was the light of men." (John 1: 4.)
     A distinction must be observed, however, between the mere human of the Lord, born of Mary, and His Divine Human, born of God. From her He took a human altogether like that of other men. But this He put off by temptation combats, putting on in its place a Divine Human from the Father which dwelt within Him. It was as to the Divine Human, the Internal Man, that He was the Life which is the light of other men. It was essential that the Lord take upon Him a human like that of another man. It was essential that He should retain something of that human as long as He was in the world. It was because of this external human that He must learn as other men do from the Word; though He did not remain like other men in the sense of the letter, but the Word was open to Him from the Divine within Him. But from His first consciousness He rejected in thought the merely human, that He might think and speak from the Father.

341


Until finally, after His last temptation, and on the cross, He rose fully Divine, the very vessels from Mary having been put off and replaced by Life Itself. Thus the Lord became God as to the Human also.
     It was essential that this distinction between the Divine and the Human be clearly pointed out by Divine Revelation. This Revelation constitutes the Second Coming. It was necessary, first, that we might know the Lord clearly, and second, that we might know man and his limitations. It is the common thought in the world about us that man is as God or like God, only less powerful. Not so, says the Heavenly Doctrine. Man has no life in himself; therefore man has in himself or from himself no ability to think and to gain knowledge, to love, or to do anything. This should not seem strange to the man of the New Church, who has been taught to pray that the Lord would inspire him, and teach him what to think and to say. It has been customary in the past for preachers to refuse thanks for their sermons, saying that they preached but that which was given them to say. And did not the Lord tell His disciples that, when they were brought before magistrates and kings, they were not to meditate what they would say, for it would be given them what to say in that same hour? And does not every humble Christian pray that the Lord will teach him and lead him, and enlighten him, that he may read the Word aright?
     Yet few realize how dependent man is upon the Lord for all light, for all intelligence, and for all wisdom. The matter is complicated by this, that man is in the midst of spirits both good and bad, so that inspiration is never lacking. But it may be good or bad-from heaven or from hell. Or it may be partly true and partly false, all depending upon the company in which a man is in the spiritual world at the time.
     I know that this teaching,-that affection and thought do not originate in man, but in the Lord, and are passed on to others, so that man cannot think anything except in company with others-I know that this is not according to the appearance; for it appears to everyone that his thought is his own. It is only in the spiritual world that it can be made apparent that all thought flows in from others.

342


There, in the presence of the Lord's Servant, Swedenborg, that it might be made known to all men on earth, a certain one was deprived of all communication with other spirits, and he lay helpless like a new-born infant, until the communication was restored. (S. D. 4322.) That all thought flows in from others is so evident in the other life that no one thinks of denying it.
     All a man has that is really his own is that he is such or such a form, and that he therefore responds to such and such an influx. Did not John the Baptist say, "A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven?"
     With this true idea of God and man, and of their relationship to each other, it is possible to understand how the Lord governs the universe. That is to say, it is as easy as for the soul to rule the body of man. The question, Then why does the Lord permit evil to abound, if He governs everything? can be answered only when human freedom is taken into consideration, and that man must of necessity act as of himself.
     The instructed New Churchman is to think of the Lord as the only Man. because man is man by virtue of thought from affection: and since the Lord is the only one who really thinks and loves, He alone deserves the name "Man." It was from a perception of this truth that the first Church on the earth called the Lord "Man," and called "men" only those who received love and wisdom from Him.
     No wonder every evil man rejects this doctrine. But the man of the New Church ought to embrace it as precious beyond rubies. What zeal should he feel that nothing but the truth should find lodgment in his mind! How he should rejoice that the Lord has so fully revealed Himself in His threefold Word! And with what zeal he should daily read the Word, with prayer to be guided aright in his understanding of what he reads!
     Shunning evils takes on a new and vital meaning. The Lord cannot come in where evil rules. The heart must be purified from evil affections before the Lord can make it His abode. Verily the Lord left to the last the two most precious truths about Himself: First, that He is One in Person, in whom is the trine of Divine Essentials, and that the One Person is our Lord. And second, that man is only a vessel to receive life from Him; that of himself man has nothing of either thought or affection, but that he receives them either from heaven or from hell: and that the Lord keeps him continually in freedom to turn to either.

343


I say these truths were left to the last, because they were not fully revealed until the Second Coming.

     Addendum.-"That man is not life, but a receptacle of life from God, is manifest from these evident testimonies, that all created things are in themselves finite, and that man, because he is finite, could not have been created except from finite things. Wherefore it is said in the Book of Creation that Adam was made from the earth and its dust, from which also he was named, for Adam signifies the earth's soil; and every man actually consists only of such things as are in the earth, and from the earth in the atmospheres. Those things which are in the atmospheres from the earth man absorbs by the lungs and by the pores of the whole body, and the grosser constituents he absorbs by means of food made up of earthly substances. But as regards man's spirit, that also is created from finite things. What is the spirit of man but a receptacle of the life of the mind? The finite things of which it is are spiritual substances which are in the spiritual world, and also are brought together into our earth and are stored therein. . . Who with reason can think that the Infinite can create anything but the finite, and that man, because he is finite, is anything but a form which the Infinite can vivify from the life in Itself? And this is meant by these words: 'Jehovah God formed man dust of the earth, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of lives.' (Genesis 2: 7.) God, because He is infinite, is Life in Himself, and this He cannot create and so transcribe into man, for that would be to make him God." (T. C. R. 470.)

344


LOOKING TO THE LORD FOR PROTECTION 1944

LOOKING TO THE LORD FOR PROTECTION       Rev. F. E. GYLLENHAAL       1944

     "I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." (Psalm 18:1, 2).

     David, toward the close of his life, after years of fighting against many enemies, from whom, on occasions, he had been miraculously saved, sang the triumphant psalm of which our text is the beginning. He ascribed victory, and his own safety, to the Lord his God in terms that may seem to us extravagant, and which deny any help by his captains and soldiers, or any skill and fortitude on his own part.
     We note this characteristic throughout the Old Testament. All the victories of the Israelites are ascribed to the Lord their God in such terms as make Him alone the Deliverer, the Redeemer, the Savior, the Protector, the Victor. Such humility and reverence would seem to show a good state, far surpassing the real state of the Israelites throughout their history, as disclosed by the stories of their idolatries, disobediences, rebellions, cruelties, and their generally decadent nature, and as revealed in the Writings. Or else it would appear that David and most of the other kings and leaders mentioned in the Word were naive hypocrites.
     But when we know that whatever they did and said represented and signified the states of men, and supremely the Lord when on earth, we are able to understand why they ascribed to the Lord such power and glory. Thereby we are taught, over and over again, the truth we must know and believe and daily acknowledge, in order that we may be delivered from the hells as they attack us from within by infestations and temptations, and from without by the oppressions and persecutions of men. This truth is, that the Lord alone is our Deliverer and Protector, because all power is from Him.

345



     The Writings give only the inmost meaning of the text, or that meaning which relates to the Lord's life and work while He was on earth. The inmost meaning is, that the Lord was victorious over the hells and subjugated them; also, that in His combats with the hells He had confidence from the Divine within Himself (P. P.). To this are added a few particulars; namely, that "strength and rock," in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, signify omnipotence: "fortress" and "strength" or "strong rock" in which He trusts, signify protection; "buckler" or "shield" and "horn of salvation" signify consequent salvation. "Strength," "fortress," and "shield" in the Word are predicated of Divine Good: "rock," "strong rock," and "horn" are predicated of Divine Truth: therefore these signify omnipotence, protection, and salvation, which are from Divine Good through Divine Truth (A. E. 316:10).
     Throughout His life on earth, the Lord fought against the hells. To fight them, and to subjugate them, were two of the chief purposes of His putting on the human from Mary. It is hard for us to understand the nature of the Lord's combats with the hells, and to realize the completeness of His victories, as also the effect of that other-world warfare upon the human race of this world, because all of it occurred within Himself, and because the appearance is so strong that only outward reformations, such as the great Christian Church Reformation and the French Revolution, are able to change conditions on earth.
     There seems to be more and worse wickedness on earth now than there was two thousand years ago. This raises up doubts concerning the Lord's victories over the hells, and concerning what the Writings teach about the nature and finality of the Lord's work at His first and second comings. Such doubts should make us aware of our ignorance and lack of understanding, as also of our spiritual complacency in respect to world conditions. But if we think from the Writings about the whole subject, we will perceive that every outward revolution and reformation has resulted from inward mental struggles and victories, even though these may have been confined to relatively few persons. When we perceive these truths, we can go a step further and perceive that the omnipotence, protection, and salvation of the Lord operates perpetually from Divine Good by means of Divine Truth as these are received by men.

346



     We know that material things supply the means by which the desires and thoughts of men can be effected, both for the common good or common evil,-to promote the welfare and happiness of men or to destroy them. But all material things, and everything produced out of them, are only means to an end. The power that produces and uses them is human, and in its origin is Divine. All human power is from Divine omnipotence. Therefore omnipotence controls all human power, as it is exercised by both good and evil men. The fact that we cannot see the evidence of that control enables us to deny it, but does not disprove it. Because it is invisible and unfelt, man is free to act as of himself, or to enjoy freedom and rationality, which are his most vital and precious abilities.
     Omnipotence controls human power, or the Lord governs man, both by infinite means, which we cannot know, and by Divine Truth from Divine Good, which we can know, and which we must know, if we want to use His power wisely to produce on earth conditions that promote the highest welfare of all men. The Lord has made known His Divine Good and Truth by means of His Word. But that there is any power in truth, especially in truth from the Word, often seems to us too simple, or merely an ideal.
     Many men now have no difficulty in recognizing the power of scientific truth, as it is called, because such truth can be directly applied to material things in such a manner as to show its power by producing immediate and visible results. All the marvelous productions of this age show the power of scientific truth, but they do not show that this power is derived from omnipotence, that is, from the Lord. This can only be seen rationally from Divine Revelation. There are comparatively few men, however, who know and acknowledge, or are willing to know and acknowledge, that far more powerful than scientific truths are such truths as these: that there is a God, that the Word is Divine, that there is eternal life; yet these are protecting truths of an order higher than scientific truths. (See A. E. 355:16.) They are more powerful than scientific truths, because they lead men to shun the evil uses of scientific truths, and to devote these truths to the common good, when they are acknowledged and applied to life.
     It is by these higher, spiritual truths that the Lord, with man's knowledge and free co-operation, governs man and protects him from the evil of hell especially, but also from the evil actions of other men just so far as men, from these higher truths, restrain their evil actions.

347


Apart from these higher truths, or apart from the good motives which these higher truths teach, there are no good motives or purposes broad enough to inspire restraint of evil, except temporarily and locally. Therefore, as to these Divinely revealed truths, the Lord is our "Rock' and "Fortress" and "Deliverer." And we should seek His protection, not only against the hells active within us, but also against the assaults and oppressions of violent and wicked men. We are to do this by learning, and acknowledging, and applying to daily life, these Divinely protecting truths.
     We need to read, and hear, and meditate often upon the many statements of Divine Revelation about the Lord's power of protection and the ways by which we can avail ourselves of it, because, as we come to believe them, and to live according to them, they are the means by which the Lord's protection is extended to us. Take as an example of the universal application of its meaning, and therefore of its power, the statement of the Doctrine: "The Lord cannot protect man unless he acknowledge the Divine and lives a life of faith and charity; for otherwise man turns himself away from the Lord, and turns himself to infernal spirits; and thus his spirit becomes imbued with a malice like theirs." (H. H. 377.)
     The history of mankind shows clearly that religion, in spite of its perversions and corruptions, has been the only effective means of restraining evil. Therefore it confirms the truth that a true religion, provided it were truly lived, would be a completely adequate protection against evil. Certainly there is much that men must learn, if they are to get the true religion provided by the Lord; and they must do and love what they learn. This fact shows the need of realizing the relative values of different fields of knowledge. Men eagerly learn much of the enormous and ever increasing mass of knowledge about things of this world, but have little or no appetite for knowledge about the spiritual world and Divine things. They lay up their treasures on earth, and acquire no heavenly treasures. They build larger and more barns and storehouses for their earthly riches, and are indifferent to what will be their lot after death. Even their experiences in natural events and as to material things-for example, of being too late in preparations of defense against enemies, and in neglecting safeguards for machinery used in industry-fail to convince them that the same conditions, but more serious because more lasting, exist in their spiritual life.

348


And they seek a shield of defense also a deliverer, but one that is only human and material, although their God, in numerous ways, has revealed during countless ages that the help of man alone is vain.
     Yes, we need to ponder the meanings of plain truths which the Lord has revealed, and need to make our thoughts and ways in respect to them correspond with their meanings, so that the Lord's power can be exercised by means of them in the least things of our life. Many of these plain truths may seem paradoxical. For example, this one: "No one can, by his own power, and in his own strength, purify himself from evils: yet still it cannot be done without the power and strength of man, as his own." (T. C. R. 438.)
     The appearance is strong, almost overwhelming, that all our victories result from our own power and prudence. It is true that, for the sake of victory, we must use whatever prudence and power we have, but at the same time we must know, and believe, and acknowledge, that the Lord alone overcomes, purifies, and delivers. And this state of mind must be the result of a spiritual advancement in the life of regeneration-the fruit of life-long spiritual growth. For only then, after many temptations, answering to the wars David fought-wars with their defeats as well as victories,-will the regenerating man be prepared to confess with songs of gladness. "I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust: my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Amen.

LESSONS:     It Samuel 22: 1-29, or Psalm 18. Luke 12: 13-40. T. C. R. 437, 438.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 385, 387, 421, 428.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 42, 110.

349


EVERY MAN CAN UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH 1944

EVERY MAN CAN UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1944

     (Comment upon the Memorable Relation in the Apocalypse Revealed, no. 224, which should be read in connection with this paper.)

     It is a basic and obvious fact that the life of religion cannot be lived unless the truths which form and order that life are known. This, indeed, is supremely the case with the life of religion in the rational and crowning Church of the Lord,-the Church of the New Jerusalem. And this is also the reason why an essential of the New Church is the reading of the Word and the Writings, and why there must be not only the reading of them, but also the study of them, and why not only the reading and studying of them are necessary, but also reflection upon them. This learning of truth, together with its goal,-the genuine life of religion-forms the yardstick of man's true Christianity and the measure of his entrance into the true Church of the Lord on earth.
     The life of religion is to do good. Good cannot be done unless man understands what is good. He understands this only in the measure in which he reflects upon what is taught in the Word. He cannot reflect rationally, and from universal principles, without some study of the teachings of Revelation. And he cannot study those teachings unless he reads the Word and the Writings. Without this reading and study and reflection, indeed, a man's life of religion becomes a sentimental, a traditional, a loose weak thing. His understanding becomes flaccid, his attitude indifferent. He accepts the teachings of religion from the persuasion of personal authority. He relies more and more upon the things which have stirred him to thought in the long-dead past; and these things, like the manna which the children of Israel saved, contrary to the Lord's instructions, "breed worms and grow putrid."
     To live the life of the true Christian religion does not merely involve being a decent, law-abiding citizen of the world on the external plane, without thinking and willing below the surface.

350


As we so often realize, it also involves reflection upon the whys and wherefores, a doubt as to one's true motives, and the conflict of temptation arising from these.
     Consider, for the moment, the basic truth that man's most subtle temptation is to wish to overcome his evil motives and intentions of and by himself, without reference to outside aid, although it is the Lord alone who can give victory and peace. Further consider that, before the temptation combat produced by that proprial desire to conquer by himself can be successfully terminated, man must humbly acknowledge that of himself he can do nothing, and pray to the Lord for help. Then, consider the case of a man who has never read the Writings. He could not possibly know those teachings. Consequently, during his whole life, he could be enmeshed in a struggle to conquer his evils by himself instead of as of himself. Resultantly, he would not be doing any genuine good, for it would all be done from himself, and not from the Lord.
     This, indeed, is the cause of failure for many in the world who have no knowledge of this truth. It was the cause with the Puritans who believed that every man could be absolute master of his soul, that his evils were his own, and that he himself could overcome them by main strength. The result was the production of so many of the dual characters, the split personalities, for which Puritanism is notorious; for "a house divided against itself cannot stand." It is also the case with many who believe that, by their own power, by governmental agencies, by philanthropic societies, mankind can rid itself of all human evil. These are only two of the countless illustrations which might be furnished of the imperative necessity with each individual that he, in some measure, read, study, reflect upon, and understand the Lord's teachings, and this with some constancy, in order that he may receive the "manna from heaven" in constantly fresh quantities.
     We might consider, also, what may be called the unreality of evil desires and lusts. No man can gain a strong and intimate realization of how essentially unreal are all evil intentions and wishes without reflection upon the many rational teachings of Divine Revelation. And so he is deprived of a strong weapon by which he might drive out those desires.

351


He is constantly plagued by the recurrence, the return, of those desires; and while he may restrain these from coming forth into action, still the essential battle is not won. He cannot live the true life of religion. He cannot do genuine good within himself.
     As an example of this, we may reflect upon the evil lust of the miser. It is unreal and fantastic when examined in the light of truth. The miser has an inordinate love of acquiring and keeping money. He may like to dream about all the things he can buy with that money. He fancies himself secure from all possible dangers by his possession of it. Yet he puts it to no use whatsoever. Essentially, therefore, he lusts for and hoards what is only a dead thing. The money is only a collection of atoms compounded and formed in a certain way. It has no significance or use when it lies idle in the miser's vaults. That which is of no use, which is not in motion, is dead. And, in a sense, it is not real, because reality involves action and reaction, use and abuse. Therefore the money has no reality; and the lust for it as a thing in itself is likewise unreal. But this can be understood and acted upon only by him who, from his study of and reflection upon the truths of religion, knows that only that is real which is alive and in motion, and that only that which is of use is alive. His knowledge and acknowledgment of these truths can alone save him from the various forms of the lust of the miser. Knowing intimately how unreal, essentially, is that lust, he is able the more easily to dispel it in himself as of himself, with the acknowledgment that it is the Lord alone who, through Revelation and through influx, has given the victory.
     In speaking of the unreality of evil, we do not mean, of course, that evil has no existence, nor that it is not a very real thing, having action and motion. What is referred to here is that evil lusts and desires are directed toward unreal ends, and are built upon pure fantasy.
     This may also be illustrated by hatred of the neighbor. Hatred, basically, is the lust of murder. Man tends to hate those whom he fears, who have threatened some love or interest of his own by opposing him. The hatred is based upon fantasy, because, by that one act of opposition or perhaps by several, his opponent assumes the horrible aspect of a monster to him. His opponent thus becomes something not human, a symbol to him of one evil, blinding him to the other human qualities of that person.

352


The mote in his neighbor's eye looms larger than the whole form of the neighbor, and blots it out in a false perspective. The goal in such hatred, whether man is conscious of it or not, is the murder of the other, either the murder of his body or of his reputation or of his delights and loves. This goal, also, is fantastic. For it contemplates merely the destruction of the physical body of another, and accomplishes nothing real except the transference of the murdered one to a full state of life in the spiritual world.
     The same fantasy is present in class hatred, racial hatred, and national hatred. The outstanding evil of a class or nation or race differing from that of the man's own is then permitted to assume such immense proportions in his mind that it appears to him as a distorted monster, instead of appearing in the human form, having distinct parts and characteristics, viscera and members. Instead of a studied portrait, he sees a caricature, a cartoon, together with all the unreality and fantasy attached to that art. If this nightmare vision is permitted by him to persist, it finally leads to an insensate, insane desire to blot out each and every individual of that race, class, or nation. To express this in another way, a group other than his own, in this case, assumes the unreal aspect of a monster in man's eyes, because he is not contemplating reality, but a fantasy of his own making. He is not picturing such a group as composed of various human beings, having activities, loves, hates and dreams startlingly similar to his own, but he is lumping them all together in a vast, unreal, collective mass, without parts or distinctions.
     That which alone can save any man from such fantasy, which alone can enable him to do the genuine good of the life of religion in this respect also, is a knowledge and acknowledgment of the teachings of Revelation-of the truths that all men are souls who will live after death, who are destined by the Lord to live and perform uses in His kingdom, that each and every group and society, and each individual thereof, were created to perform distinctive uses in that kingdom. Yet the mere knowledge of these universal truths will not suffice to change his attitude thoroughly. There must also be some study of their details, in order to confirm and strengthen them, and thus to perfect them as effective agents in the war of regeneration. And furthermore, there must be reflection upon them, in order that understanding may be perfected, and thus that the new will may be increasingly purified and strengthened.

353




     Reading and Understanding.-It is worthy of notice that one of the chief difficulties experienced by all who read Divine Revelation is mentioned by the English spirits in the Memorable Relation which we shall now consider. In answer to the angels' injunction to "read the Word." these spirits said, "We have read, but did not understand." It is probable that, from the very first writing of the Ancient Word up to the present, this has been one of the most common complaints and universal difficulties.
     In the reply of the angels, however, we are given the essential reason for a non-comprehension of the Word. And, upon reflection, it is seen that this is the only real reason for not understanding. Lack of analytical ability is not a real reason. It is not lack of mental ability. Nor are environmental difficulties a real reason. Nor is language an insuperable barrier. The true reason is simply and solely the answer which the angels gave so levelly and frankly to the English spirits: "You did not approach the Lord, and you have also confirmed yourselves in falsities."
     The truth is, that every single individual in the universe can understand every single truth of the Word in some degree. As the angels continued to say, "We can affirm to you, that every man, whose soul desires it, is capable of seeing the truths of the Word in the light."
     Examination and reflection upon this first statement cannot fail to give much illustration in the proper modes and attitudes for approaching the reading of the Word.
     "You did not approach the Lord." The Writings teach that there are two general avenues or modes by which the Lord approaches man. One of these is down through the heavens into his will and understanding. The other is up through the Word and the ultimates of nature by means of physical sensations into his will and understanding. When these two influxes meet, then man's regeneration can be and is effected. But they can meet with regenerative power only through man's cooperation.
     Man must also approach the Lord by opening these two avenues. First, he must humbly ask the Lord for enlightenment through his will and understanding, thus opening himself to the light and heat of heaven.

354


And then he must read the Word from that attitude, thus opening himself to influx through the physical world. By this cooperation, the Lord is able, without removing man's freedom, to flow from within through heaven, and from without through the Word at the same time, and, at the juncture of these two influences, to produce spiritual enlightenment in man's mind. It is as if the Lord stands with arms outstretched, and, at man's trustful prayer and signal of consent, places His two healing hands over his blind eyes. Then, indeed, man exclaims, "This I know: that whereas I was blind, now I see."
     These two things are absolutely dependent upon each other. If man does not read, study, and reflect upon the written Word, the Lord cannot give him enlightenment, no matter how humble and beseeching the man's attitude may be. Likewise, if he reads the Word without a genuine humility in approaching the Lord, he will not understand, no matter how much he reads.
     This last statement points to some of the preliminaries which will benefit the individual before he begins his reading of the Word. The external preparations are only symbolic of the internal preparation which is needed before the Word can be read with understanding; therefore they may be adapted and changed to suit the individual requirements and needs. The essential internal preparation is that man attain a sincere attitude of wishing to approach the Lord for instruction and enlightenment as to the life of religion, that he sincerely desire to learn how to do that good which is the life of religion. This attitude, like regeneration, does not spring forth in full bloom with his first reading of Divine Revelation; but it must be cultivated, for it grows only slowly. It must be assiduously cultivated, for otherwise enlightenment will fail permanently, and the heart grow weary of reading without understanding. Nor is it well to desire to understand all things at once; for this is not only impossible, but it leads to a disappointment that will inevitably weaken man's desire to approach the Lord.
     Symbolic of this preparation for enlightenment is the form of the services of our church. That is why, indeed, a period of prayer comes immediately after the opening of the Word. This is a preparation for the lessons and sermon which follow.

355


In this preparation, every man asks for the Lord's help and enlightenment to understand the teachings of His Word. By this period of prayer is typified the individual's humble acknowledgment of and approach to the Lord. Even the form of kneeling has particular correspondential connotations and associations which induce an attitude of inner humility.
     Even in the worship of smaller groups, and for the individual alone in his reading, a particular form of preparation followed each time is extremely beneficial. For, as time passes, the external actions habitually performed in preparation for reading the Word take on more and more power. By the fact that they become associated with the worship of the Lord, they can exercise a soothing and calming influence. Consequently, as sometimes occurs when the time comes for man to turn to the Lord in His Word, he is distrait and upset, angry or in a state of obscurity, owing to the events of the day, then the external actions, the very small things which he must do in preparation for his reading, have power to change his state, enabling him once more to enter understandingly into the mysteries of faith. Without that habitual preparation, his distrait and disturbed mind may not be able to function, and he would then read without understanding, thus deriving no benefit from it whatsoever.
     These external preparations, however, if they are to be of benefit, should be genuine correspondences. And it appears very strongly that there are two essentials of preparation which ought to be observed,-the opening of the Word, and prayer. The opening of the Word is significant of the present possibilities to all men of understanding the internal sense of the Word, as well as its literal sense. The prayer, sincerely repeated, is the ultimate signal of man's willingness and desire to be enlightened.
     It may here be noted, in passing, that the fact that every man can understand every truth of the Word may be a source of great encouragement and inspiration. Yet it, likewise, cannot be known save from Revelation. It cannot be known, therefore, unless Revelation is read. And it cannot be understood in fulness, and with sufficient power to effect a change in man, to give him continued encouragement and inspiration, unless it is studied and reflected upon, unless the Lord is approached through prayer and through His Word.
     This keynote of man's ability to understand is sounded several times in this Memorable Relation. Thus, after the angels had taught the spirits some truths, some of the latter exclaimed.

356


"We do not understand," and also, "We will not understand." These spirits were examined, and it was found that they were of those who wished to be respected and adored as oracles and gods, and who believed that blind faith alone saves. These were the spirits of whom the angels were speaking when they said, "You have also confirmed yourselves in falsities."
     Here we are given another reason for not understanding the Word. Often it is not that a man does not approach the Lord that inhibits his comprehension, but the fact that, interiorly, he does not wish to understand. For he sees that the truths taught are such as threaten his evil loves and deflate his estimation of his own intelligence. In addition to this, it is undoubtedly true that the influence of blind faith alone is insidious, that it can obscure the understanding if not rooted out.
     There are several questions which a man might ask himself when he finds difficulty in understanding some portion of his reading. First of all, he can say to himself, as the angels said to the spirits when the latter declared of the teaching concerning the Holy Supper, "This is a mystery,"-"It is a mystery, but still such that it can be understood."
     Then he may ask himself such questions as: "Do I really want to understand this? Or does my difficulty spring from the fact that this teaching conflicts with my own opinions and desires, and that my mind therefore subconsciously refuses to receive and understand it? Have I really approached the Lord? Am I really seeking His truth for the sake of my life, in humble acknowledgment of my need for His aid? Or am I merely trying to confirm my own opinions? Or am I reading purely for the sake of finding flaws in the reasoning about which I can dispute, and from which I can justify myself?"
     The Englishmen in the Relation,-those of them who were sincere,-fulfilled all the requirements for understanding the truths of heaven. They first prayed to God for enlightenment. Then they listened attentively and affirmatively to the angels whom the Lord sent, which was equivalent to reading the Word itself. Hence, as the passage says, they were "enkindled with the desire of being wise," which is the same thing as being encouraged and inspired to read, study and reflect upon the Word by the truth that there is nothing that may not be understood by any man.

357


They were thus inspired to seek the truth of heaven, to ask questions of the angels. And so, at the end, they said, "Now for the first time we understand." And then, "behold, a flame with light descending from heaven consociated them with the angels, and they loved one another."
     This "flaming light" which descended from heaven corresponded to the enlightenment which they had received, and to the spiritual charity which they thence derived. It corresponded to the same thing as did the tongues of flame which descended upon the disciples shortly after the Lord's ascension, which gifted them with a flaming zeal and with a genuine charity toward each other. "And they loved one another."
     So are we given, once more, the picture of the relation between spiritual faith and charity. And we see it plainly indicated that genuine charity can only be given through the medium of the teachings of Revelation. "The life of religion is to do good," but genuine good cannot be done unless man knows what it is and how to do it. Men cannot love one another, except in a purely sentimental, external way which easily yields to murder and theft and adultery, without the knowledge and study of, and reflection upon, the teachings of the Lord. Indeed, when that is present, charity,-love to one another-flows between them effortlessly, joyously, without affectation or artificiality.
     So it was with the spirits in the Relation. They had been discussing and receiving the truths of heaven together. By this they were enkindled; they were warmed into higher life; they entered into a communion of spirit otherwise impossible. And so, when they looked, each man at his neighbor, they found, perhaps somewhat to their surprise, that they really "loved one another."

358


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS              1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     A TREATISE ON THE WORD.

THE BIBLE: ITS LETTER AND SPIRIT. By William C. Dick, MA., F.E.I.S. Emeritus Headmaster. Glasgow Education Authority. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, Ltd., 1943. Cloth, 16mo; pp. 290 + xiv. Price 7/6. The Academy Book Room, $2.00.

     We have received a copy of this book for review. The latest of a long series of collateral works on the subject by Conference writers, both ministers and laymen, it differs from most of its predecessors in giving extensive recognition to the findings of modern Biblical research-a field with which the author is thoroughly conversant. Yet the purpose of his book is to point the way to the spiritual sense of the Word,-the spirit within the letter.
     New Churchmen who have seen the glory in the cloud,-the Divine Truth revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine, opening the rational mind to the spiritual light and life of the Word, illumining and dispersing the clouds of the letter-are moved with a longing to impart this vision to others who may be ready to receive it.

359


The author of the work under review is animated by this desire. The book is of missionary intent, and is brought out in such a way as to reach the general public. For it is dedicated "to all lovers of the Bible, especially those privileged to instruct others in the greatest book in the world." And the Preface opens: "The Divine Authorship of the Word is the fundamental principle underlying the view of the Bible that is herein presented, and the main purpose is to show: 1. The Rationality of a Spiritual Sense in the Word. 2. And that the essence of the Inspiration of the "Word is the presence of a Spiritual Sense within the Letter."
     Further we read in the Preface: "The reader should bear in mind this main purpose when incidents in the Word are being treated from a spiritual point of view. Such explanation as is given is not intended to do more than suggest the profound depths of religious philosophy that may be essayed by the student of spiritual exposition; or the Divine, personal and historical applications of spiritual truth by homiletical exegesis that is the special province of the preacher.
     It will be enough if the ordinary reader of the Bible is led to a fuller appreciation of the Letter for the sake of that inner Word which is the unfailing guide to spiritual wisdom and the good of life."
     New Churchmen will be in full accord with this worthy object, and will hope that the volume may come into the hands of many Christians who are seeking to understand the Scriptures, and to have their mysteries unveiled. The Bibliography at the end of the book lists the expository works of the Writings; and those of the Christian remnant who revere the Bible as the Word of God are thus directed to the revelation of the spiritual sense. To those who are affirmatively disposed toward a more interior understanding of the Bible, the first volume of the Arcana Celestia is the Divinely provided means of opening the interiors of the Word, leading even the untutored mind by degrees to a knowledge and grasp of the wonders that lie within the literal sense.

     Biblical Criticism.-As a missionary volume, however, we think the scholarly pages of The Bible: Its Letter and Spirit are more likely to catch the interest of the intellectuals and the learned than the simple in faith. Mr. Dick meets the Modernist on his own ground, and aims to lead him inwardly into the Word, away from too much reliance upon natural, human interpretations of a Book whose real meaning is Divine and spiritual, and can only be disclosed by a revelation from the Divine Author Himself.

360


We wish him success in this enterprise. It is ploughing a rather inhospitable soil for the seeds of revealed spiritual truth. Those who approach the interpretation of the Bible from an investigation of ancient manuscripts, monuments and ruins, and from linguistic textual criticism, "seeking the living among the dead," as though they could find the soul by dissecting the body, and who use their discoveries to tear the Scriptures to pieces, thus "parting the garments" of the Lord, are apt to become so confirmed in the process, and so inflamed with the pride of human achievement, that they are unable to "break" from the letter to the spirit of the Word. They are like the scribes, who rejected the Lord's teaching, who were the "wise in that generation." from whom the truth was "hidden, but revealed unto babes."
     The fact is, that most of those in the Christian world who have received the Heavenly Doctrine, and its opening of the internal sense of the Word, have been the simple in faith, loving the Bible as the Word of God and longing for a better understanding of its mysteries for the sake of life and salvation. Their minds were not cluttered up with the vagaries of the Biblical critics, but their spiritual education began from the revealed Doctrine of the Second Coming, and from that they saw the glory in the clouds of the letter. They learned that "the Word, by doctrine, is not only understood, but also shines in the understanding; for it is then like a candelabrum with its lamps lighted. A man then sees many things which he had not seen before, and also understands those things which he had not understood before; obscure and discordant passages he either does not see and passes by, or he sees and explains them so that they may agree with the doctrine." (T. C. R. 227.)
     To the man of the New Church, however, whose approach to the literal sense of the Word is from the revealed doctrine, the findings of the Biblical critic may still serve a use, contributing in a measure to a determining of the genuine meaning of the letter in obscure passages, bringing it into harmony and correspondence with the spiritual sense. The Word Explained is the record of the mode by which Swedenborg was prepared in this field, being led ever inward by the Lord. The investigation of historical remains, when rightly evaluated, may thus perform a use to the New Church.

361


As Mr. Dick remarks in his Preface, "Biblical Criticism may be regarded as helpful in so far as it maintains the integrity of the Canonical Word, and appreciates a difference in the Books of the Bible with regard to Inspiration."
     To a large extent, however, Modern Biblical Criticism does not "maintain the integrity of the Canonical Word," but tears it apart with incredible boldness. A recent work on The Problem of Ezekiel, for example, declares: "This book is certain to have lasting effects on Old Testament scholarship. A review and critique of previous research on Ezekiel is followed by a chapter-by-chapter analysis of the Book, in which criteria for distinguishing the genuine from the spurious parts are discovered and applied. Less than one-fourth of chapters 1 to 39 is found to be genuine, and none of the chapters 40 to 49 is the work of Ezekiel. A history of the book of Ezekiel explains the structure of the book, and the genuine material is arranged in its apparent chronological order."
     When the mind is deeply occupied with such things, and not opened to view the letter from its Divine and spiritual light, then are "the wells of Abraham stopped up by the Philistines." Nor can they be opened again to yield their water of life save by the Isaac rational of the New Church. (Genesis 26: 18, 19; A. C. 3419, 3424.)

     Writers of the Books.-Mr. Dick, when treating of the Book of Daniel, puts the matter in right focus from a New Church point of view when he says: "All the arguments which seek to decide, not merely the historical character and personality of the Prophet and the historical accuracy of the text, but also the date when the Prophecy was written, only lead one to wander amid the most perilous paths of Biblical criticism. . . When it is realized that the interpretation must be spiritual, it is a matter of little moment whether the traditional or the modern view as to the historicity and the date of the compilation of the Book be accepted." (Page 187.)
     He is not so happy in dealing with the question as to who wrote the Apocalypse. "It has been commonly supposed," he says, "that the writer of the Book was the Apostle John, although the Book itself makes no such claim."

362


And then, after an outline of the various theories of the critics, he concludes: "The name John, which tradition has handed down as referring to the Apostle, should be considered in its representative sense, denoting those in the Church who combine in their lives the loftiest principles of love and wisdom; (Pages 251, 254.) Now while it is a fact that the name "John" has a representative meaning in the Apocalypse, a New Churchman need have no doubt that it was John the Apostle who wrote the Apocalypse, for it is plainly declared in the Writings, where we read:

     "'And He signified it, sending by His angel onto His servant John.' . . . That by these words is meant that the things were revealed to those who are in the good of life from charity and its faith, is because these are meant by 'John.' For by the Lord's twelve disciples or apostles were meant all within the church who are in truths from good. . . Now because good of life from charity and its faith makes the church, therefore through the apostle John were revealed the arcana concerning the state of the church which are contained in his visions. (A. R. 55)
     "'And I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of heaven.' . . . That John here names himself, saying, 'I John,' is because by him as an apostle is signified the good of love to the Lord, and good of life thence; wherefore he was loved above the rest of the apostles, and at the Supper lay at the Lord's breast." (A. R. 879.)
     "The things revealed out of heaven are said to be for those who are in the good of love, because it is said, 'sending by His angel to His servant John.' and by 'John' are represented and meant those who are in the good of love. For by the twelve apostles are represented and signified all in the church who are in truths from good, and by each apostle something special, by 'John' the good of charity or good of love. Because John represented this good, therefore the revelation was made to him." (A. E. 8:2.)

     Here, we think, was an opportunity to clear up the confusion of the Biblical scholars and critics by a plain statement of what has been revealed to the New Church. And it is important that the New Church reader should not be disturbed by doubts concerning a matter upon which he need have no doubt. While it is of little or no consequence who actually wrote this or that Book of the Word,- what human instrument was employed by the Divine Author of the Word to ultimate the Divine Truth in written form,-it was of sufficient importance in the case of the Apocalypse to reveal that John the Apostle wrote it, and that he was "commanded to betake himself into the isle of Patmos, that the things which are to be at the end of the church might there be revealed." (A. E. 50.)

363


Thus an apostle who was instrumental in establishing the Christian Church was also given to write the prophecy of the state of that Church at its end and so it may be said that, in the form of this prophecy in the Apocalypse, John was to "tarry until the Lord came." (John 21: 22.)

     Mr. Dick, of course, has much to say about the way in which the Bible was composed, in citing the findings of the scholars who have devoted themselves to a study of the subject. He treats it specifically under the heading, "Inspiration and Inspired Selection," pp. 53-57, but in the end concludes: "The Divine Wisdom has achieved its purpose in the inspired selection which so many unnamed scribes have been moved to compile." (Page 200.) Here he is treating of the Psalms, and deplores the effects of Modern Criticism: "The traditional view that David was the writer of the Psalms carried with it the implications that their subjects were the personal history of David and the circumstances of his age. This simple faith did much to maintain an intuitive belief in the unity of the Book as an epitome of Biblical prophecy, inspiration, prayer and praise, centred though it be in a single historical personality. One of the unfortunate effects of Modern Criticism is to shake this simple faith. . . When, however, the doctrine of spiritual interpretation is acknowledged, disintegration of faith is avoided and the idea of unity is conserved." (Page 199.)
     And that spiritual interpretation reveals that the Psalms treat solely of the Lord and His kingdom,-that "David did not speak the least word, but the Spirit of the Lord through him, although he applied to himself whatever was said of the Messiah and His kingdom." (S. D. 2640.)
     And so with respect to all the Books of the Word. The Canon is now established for the New Church by the Heavenly Doctrine. The names of the Books are Divinely given; their contents are ascribed to them as the writers, and are so referred to throughout the Writings. The significations of those names are known in heaven, and are to be preserved in the church, which is the foundation of the heavens.
     It is typical of the sophistication of the age that many would rather argue that Bacon wrote the Shakespearean dramas than enjoy the beauties of their poetry and wisdom.

364


Many of the Biblical scholars and critics are of a like spirit, being more concerned with the supposed human sources of the Scriptures than with their Divine origin and message, Mr. Dick, in his endeavor to lead them away from this, marshalls a great deal of information concerning what they have done in the past and what they are doing today. The New Church reader of his book will feel indebted to him for this wealth of information, but will evaluate it with keen discrimination in the light of the revealed truth of the Writings.
     It must be remembered that Swedenborg met the Biblical critics in the other life; and his description of their state, and their effect upon him, comes to us as a warning:

     "They who in the life of the body studied only the critical art when they read the Word were little solicitous about the sense. Their thoughts were represented as closed lines which could not be opened, and as a texture thence. Some spirits of this description have been with me, and then everything that was thought and written became confused, the thought being kept as it were in prison, for it was determined only to the expressions, withdrawing the mind from the sense, insomuch that they very greatly fatigued me; and yet they believed themselves wiser than others." (A. C. 6621.) "Some of them labored in translating the Sacred Scriptures, . . . and although they thought themselves wiser than others, yet others who were of the lowest of the common people, and even infants, were much wiser, and understood the sense more wisely, From this it was made evident what such erudition or human wisdom is like, that it is much inferior to the wisdom of the lowest of the common people and of children, because it closes the way to interior things." (S. D. 1950.)

     Scope of the Work.-The comprehensive nature of Mr. Dick's treatment of the subject of the Bible may be gauged by a brief outline of the chapters, to which we shall add a few comments.

     Chapter I.-1. Jewish Chronology. 2. Evolution. The false view of Evolution is here countered by scientific writers themselves, and finally a New Church view of creation is broached, But nothing is said of the grand plan of the created universe provided in Swedenborg's philosophical works and the Writings. The Scriptures have their own Chronology, as noted in the Writings. (See A. C. 1502, 2959, 7985; S. D. 6082.)
     Chapter II.-1. The First Community. 2. Spiritual Perception. 3. Domination of the Intellect. 4. Language: Wordless to Verbal. 5. The Realization of the Spiritual. 6. The Need for a Written Word. 7. Writing Introduced for the sake of the Word.

365



     Here the reader is introduced to the subject of the Most Ancient Church,-"The First Community." "Somewhere in the heart of the near East was the cradle of the human race," the chapter opens. (Page 11.) As this could only be known from revelation, it would seem highly appropriate that the reader should be informed that "the Most Ancient Church was in the Land of Canaan (no. 567), and that hence arose the representatives of the places, on which account Abram was commanded to go thither, and that land was given to his posterity from Jacob, to the end that the representatives of the places might be retained, according to which the Word was to be written (no. 3686)." (A. C. 4447:2.)
     Chapter III. The Bible in English. The Various Editions.
     Chapter IV. Manuscripts of the Bible.
     Chapter V. The Composition of the Bible.
     Chapter VI. The Sources of the Early Books of the Bible.
     Chapter VII.-1. Authorship of the Books of the Bible. 2. Inspiration, and Inspired Selection. 3. Universality of Appeal of the Bible. 4. The Canon of the Word.
     Chapter VIII. Divine Authorship.
     Chapter IX.-l. Correspondence. 2. The Word with the Five Churches. An Index of Correspondences is printed on pages 276-290.
     Chapter X.-1. The Nature of the Inner Sense. 2. The Threefold Application. 3. The First Bible: The Ancient Word. The Most Ancient or Adamic Church.
     Chapter XI. The Ancient Word. The Ancient or Noatic Church.
     Chapter XII.-l. The Old Testament, the Bible of the Jewish Church. 2. Stories of the Patriarchs. 3. The Establishment of the Jewish Church-The Representative of a Church. 4. Note on Dates, Numbers, Time, Space.
     Beginning with Chapter VIII, and continuing to the end of the book in Chapter XXII, the author gives a general explanation of the Books of both Testaments in the light of the spiritual sense. We cannot comment in detail, but we believe this has been done in general keeping with the doctrine as given in the Writings, with some personal interpretations. When treating "The Fourfold Nature of the Gospel," for example, he offers an ingenious inner reason for the four in diagrammatic form. (Page 209.)

366


He recognizes that a harmony of the Gospels is an internal one: "When one becomes aware of the necessity for a spiritual interpretation of the Gospels, rather than a natural one based on the literal aspect of the narratives, the less will be the importance attached to the problem of their harmony." (Page 210.)

     As an Appendix to Chapter VII, we find a brief account of Emanuel Swedenborg, the closing words of which indicate the author's position with respect to the Writings and the New Church, To quote:

     "Instead of the book of nature the Bible became his textbook, and the system of theology which is the body of doctrine for the New Church is wholly derived from the Word. Swedenborg in his books, particularly in The Arcana Coelestia, The Apocalypse Revealed and The True Christian Religion, describes the establishment of this Church and formulates its theological system; but although he lived till 1772 he founded no sect and originated no cult.
     "The organized New Church has been formed of those who desire to worship according to the principles of revealed spiritual truth, without reservations. This truth, however, cuts across all modern intellectual life. It is permeating scientific, literary, philosophic and also religious thought; and many do not deem its acceptance incompatible with membership of other Christian denominations, provided only that these acknowledges as the core of their religious life the Divinity of the Lord and the Divinity of the Word." (Pages 60, 61.)

     Later on we find this statement:

     "Within 150 years of the publication of the Authorized Version of the Bible, there appeared a series of works by Emanuel Swedenborg on the nature of the spiritual, including one called The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture, which has completely revolutionized our ideas of the Bible. Never has greater homage been paid to the literary beauty and grandeur of the Bible than in our day, but never have there been more scathing attacks on the natural or literal form as the outward manifestation of the Divine. These attacks are symptomatic of the age; for even where organizations, commonly regarded as part of the Church, hold nominal sway, the sole Divinity of our Lord and the Divinity of His Word are denied. The spiritual life which the advent of our Lord revealed to those with whom He established His first Christian Church has ebbed, giving place to the cold though brilliant intellectual life of materialism. This, repeating the cycle of the ages, has spread like a miasma over the religious world, and has led to a general denial that the Divine has visited the world in person and has given the world His Word. With the failure of the Christian Church to maintain the spiritual perception which the early Christians enjoyed, and to proclaim the Truth of the Word, the time has come for John's vision city of the New Jerusalem to descend into the hearts and minds of men, for a new Christian Church to be established in which there shall he the acknowledgment of the Divinity of our Lord and a true knowledge of the Word.

367


In the writings of Swedenborg there are described how this New Church-the fifth and final in the world's history-has been founded, and how the real nature of the Bible has been revealed, thus rendering possible a spiritual appreciation of the Word." (Pages 78, 79.)
GLEANINGS FROM NEW CHURCH HISTORY. 1944

GLEANINGS FROM NEW CHURCH HISTORY.       Lieut. George de Charms       1944

     Lieut. George de Charms, 1862.

     The account given below was brought to our attention by Mr. Ray S. Odhner, T/3, now serving with the United States Army in Australia. While examining the library of a New Churchman there, Mr. Odhner came upon the item in a volume of THE MONTHLY OBSERVER AND NEW CHURCH RECORD (London, 1862), where it was quoted from the (American) NEW JERUSALEM MESSENGER. Signed "W. H. B."-undoubtedly W. H. Benade, who was then a member of the editorial Advisory Committee of the MESSENGER,-it is the obituary of Lieutenant George de Charms, son of the Rev. Richard de Charms and uncle of our present Bishop, who has in his possession the watch worn by Lieutenant de Charms when he lost his life at the Battle of Pittsburg Landing (Tennessee), now better known as the Battle of Shiloh, April 6-7, 1862, the first great battle of the Civil War.
     The Academy Library has a complete nine-volume set of the MONTHLY OBSERVER, 1857-1865, and we quote from Vol. VI, 1862, pp. 250-251:

     Departures into the Spiritual World.

     In the obituary notices of THE NEW JERUSALEM MESSENGER of May 3, 1862, the death is recorded of a young man whose name is familiar to many New Churchmen in this country. His father, some years since, resided in England, and was for some time engaged as a printer with Mr. Hudson [publisher of the MONTHLY OBSERVER].

     We extract from the MESSENGER the following account of the melancholy, yet interesting, circumstances attending the son's death:
     "Died on the field of battle at Pittsburg Landing, on the 6th of April. GEORGE DE CHARMS, oldest son of the Rev. R. de Charms.

368



     "At the outbreak of the rebellion which has destroyed the peace of our country, the subject of this notice was among the first to volunteer his services in defense of the Government, He entered the ranks of the army as a private soldier, joining a regiment that was raised in the Stale of Ohio, and served with the troops under General Rosecranz in Western Virginia. By his good conduct and soldierly bearing, he gained the esteem and respect of his officers and comrades, and when his regiment was ordered to the West, he was promoted to a lieutenancy in Company C of the Fifty-fourth Regiment of Ohio Volunteers. With his regiment he marched to the South, and was engaged with the division under General Sherman in the bloody conflict at Pittsburg Landing. Of his conduct on that occasion, his brother [William] who reached the field on the second day, being in General Buell's division, writes as follows:
     "The attack on George's brigade commenced about 11 1/2 o'clock. Captain White, of George's company, was sick at the river, the first lieutenant was sick, and although he went out with the company, he gave the command to George. For three hours George was in command of the company, and right in front of the line, the whole time cheering on his men. At three o'clock the order came to retreat, as the brigade had six regiments of rebel infantry and one battery of artillery to contend against, who acre pressing them on three sides. George then ordered his men to fire by ranks, and at the second volley he fell, struck in the breast by a Mini ball. He was caught by two of his men, and borne some two hundred yards, when he told them to put him down, as he could not hear to be carried. They put him down, and Lieutenant Browning received his last words: 'Tell my folks at home that I died like a man.'
     "His body was afterwards found by his brother, and buried on the field on which he had given his young life a sacrifice for the good of his country.
     "We have known him long, from his childhood through youth up to manhood. He was ever a good, amiable, noble-hearted, brave boy; a kind, patient, devoted, manly boy; and so he grew up, manifesting ever a self-sacrificing love for his family, which could not otherwise than open to him the higher influence of that love of country which has now placed him among that noble band of young heroes who have given their lives that their country might be saved. He is a worthy companion, worthy by his heart, by his character, by his life, of the Grebles, the Winthrops, and the Putnams, whom he has followed in the mode of his death. Concerning them we may hope that their patriotism will be fully changed in that other life upon which they have entered into a love of the Lord's heavenly kingdom.
     "Our young friend was reared in the sphere of the New Church. His life, though numbering but few years, had been one of great trials and much sorrow; and we have every reason to believe that the principles of the Church had exerted a powerful influence upon the formation of his character, so that when he became a soldier he also entered into the charity of the soldier use,
     "W. H. B."

369


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. WAG Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably Discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, A.C. 2 Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, L.A.C. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G.,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

370




     Toronto.
Anderson, O/Smn. Robert P.,
Bellinger, A.C. 2 Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, L.A.C. David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Dvr. A. E.,
Boozer, Cpl. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Alvin,
Motom, 2nd Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lt. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Sgt. J. M.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, S/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F.,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,

371



Alden, P.F.C. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Alden, William B., S. 2/c,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Cadet Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, T/5 Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, P.F.C. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, P.F.C. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 3/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Capt. Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Glebe, Ian, A.S.,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pvt. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Cand. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard, Elizabeth, W.A.S.P.,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Cadet Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Major William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P., Honorably discharged,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, P.F.C. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A.P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, P.F.C. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald, S 1/c,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S 2/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., A.S.,
Smith, Pvt. Gordon,
Smith, Pvt. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pvt. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, S 2/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Lt. Robert E.,
Walter, T/5 Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, P.F.C. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, P.F.C. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, P.F.C. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,

372



Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, P.F.C. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gladish, Pvt. D. Philip,
Gunsteens, S/Sgt. Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 2/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Cpl. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, S/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, T/5 Cedric F.,
Lee, Tech. Sgt. Harold,
Lee, P.F.C. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, P.F.C. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, A/C Robert T.,
Reuter, Lieut. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Lt. G. King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Pvt. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, P.F.C. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B., Honorably discharged.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., S. 2/c,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, P.F.C. William E.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Conn, Daniel L., A.S.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Ebert, Lt. (jg) Charles H., Jr.,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 2/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, P.F.C. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F 1/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. Fergus M., Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, P.F.C. Stanley, Calif.

373



Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Nail, S/Sgt. George U.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/C John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., S. 2/c, N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (Y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 1/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Sgt. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Toedt, Sgt. Harry K.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.
ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND 1944

ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND              1944

     "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15: 13.

     From fifteen anonymous donors the General Church has received a fund of $1,068.09 in memory of those men and women who have given or who may give their lives in the service of their country. The fund is to be invested, and the income thereof is to be used for General Church purposes.
     It seems altogether fitting that we, who continue to enjoy the fruits of their loyalty and their devotion, should perpetuate the memory of our sons and daughters who made the supreme sacrifice, by sustaining the uses of the Church they were fighting to defend.
     Those desiring to increase this fund may send contributions to "The General Church of the New Jerusalem," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., indicating the purpose of the gift. All such contributions will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged.

374


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     COLCHESTER, ENGLAND.

     May 14, 1944.-Life in the Colchester Society goes steadily on, much the same as in 1943. The regular program of uses has been maintained, in spite of war conditions-Sunday services, doctrinal classes, monthly socials, young people's classes, and the day school.
     The school children presented another little play at school closing. It was entitled "Bo Peep," was well acted, and the players showed talent.
     A very successful Sunday afternoon meeting was held in March. Interesting papers on the subject of "Marriage" were read by Mr. Colley Pryke and Mr. Owen Pryke. These were followed by a good discussion, nearly all who were present taking part. Then came tea and singing practice, which closed the afternoon's program.
     On Palm Sunday there was a very beautiful service for the children, who brought their offerings of flowers to the altar. Our pastor addressed them on the "Lord's Entry into Jerusalem." On Good Friday evening we had a musical service with five Lessons, and Easter Sunday was celebrated with the Administration of the Holy Supper.
     Two more of our young men have made their confessions of faith-Roy Appleton and Garth Cooper. It was most gratifying to see them take this step, for it is upon the younger generation that the future of our society will depend. We hope they will return after this war with great enthusiasm for the real, living church, and enter its uses.
     We have enjoyed occasional visits from our Bryn Athyn and Canadian friends, but now I suppose we shall pass through a period when no leaves will be granted. We trust the time is not far-off when freedom of movement and peace will reign again, Then for our Assemblies!
     E. B.

     ACADEMY SCHOOLS.

     Joint Meeting. A forecast and vision of the far-distant future of the New Church was the striking theme of the Address delivered with characteristic charm by Professor Camille Vinet at the Joint Meeting of the Corporation and Faculty on the evening of June 3d.
     An account of this meeting is to be given in the JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, together with the Annual Reports. a summary of which was presented at the meeting by the Secretary, Mr. Eldric S. Klein.
     Elementary School. In the presence of a large audience in the Assembly Hall on June 13. Certificates of Graduation were presented to 10 pupils of the Bryn Athyn Elementary School at the closing exercises, and Mr. Frank Bostock delivered the Address, in which he spoke to the graduates and the school in highly fitting and effective terms.
     Commencement.-The following morning, June 14, another audience filled the Assembly Hall for the Academy Commencement Exercises, and all present were stirred with feelings of confidence and good will toward the graduating sons and daughters who go forth to take their places in the church and the world-some of them, indeed, already in the ranks of the forces marshalled in defense of their country. Only five of the nineteen senior students in the Boys Academy were present to receive their diplomas.

375


The service was conducted by Bishop de Charms, who also announced the various awards and presented the diplomas, a member of each graduating class voicing the gratitude and resolve of his classmates.
     Dean Doering read the Lessons from Matthew 7: 7-29 and the Doctrine of Charity 158, and the exercises were enriched by the students' singing of the 48th Psalm, and by the anthem, "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul," sung by the senior girls to Russman music.
     The Commencement Address was delivered by Mr. Geoffrey S. Childs, Class of 1910, who spoke extemporaneously and from the experience of thirty-four years, as he said, in offering his counsel to the graduates of this day, which he hoped they would receive in the spirit in which he had listened to such counsel in 1910! His general theme was "Vision and Use," and his text from Proverbs 29: 18, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." Enlarging upon the meaning of these words, in their application to the vision of the New Church in a wartorn world, he did so in a manner to engage the chose interest and attention of young and old. We trust the text of this Address will be made available for publication.

     ACADEMY AWARDS.

     Diplomas.

     JUNIOR COLLEGE: Gina Dorothy Thomas.
     Boys ACADEMY: Alfred Gareth Acton,* Edward Boyd Asplundh,** Harris Lorenze Behlert, Winton Irving Brewer,* Geoffrey Stafford Childs, Jr., Dandridge Malcolm Kuhl David, Livingston Magill Echols, John Edward Frazee,* Donald Philip Gladish,** Louis Blair King,* Kenneth Theodore McQueen,** Lawson Pendleton, Gordon Bruce Smith,** Weston Lane Smith,* John Tafel Synnestvedt,* Louis Ernest Synnestvedt. Certificates of Graduation: John Hyde Alden,* Robert Homer Blair,* Denis Cooper.** [* February 3, 1944. ** In Absentia.]
     GIRLS SEMINARY: Sharon Acton, Nancy Alden, Carol Childs, Claire Louise Damm, Grace Shirley Glebe, Anne Gyllenhaal, Marcia Dean Henderson, Shirley Hyatt, Barbara Lou Macauley, Marjorie Merrell, Sarah Forbes Pendleton, Marjorie Irene Rose, Nadia Forrest Smith, Virginia Kendig Smith, Eleanore Barbara Soderberg, Endrede Synnestvedt, Freya Synnestvedt, Jacqueline Mary Synnestvedt, Margaret Ruth Umberger, Muriel Wells. Certificate of Graduation:     Margaret Lilian Evens, Virginia Smith, Dawn Walter. Certificate of Attendance: Elenor Elizabeth Eklund.

     Honors.

     Deka Gold Medal: Grace Shirley Glebe.
     Alpha Kappa Mu Merit Bar: Shirley Anne Barger.
     Theta Alpha Scholarship: Gloria May Stroh.
     Sons of the Academy Gold Medal: Geoffrey Stafford Childs, Jr.
     Boys Academy Faculty Silver Medal: Edward Boyd Asplundh.
     Oratorical Prize Silver Cup: Geoffrey Stafford Childs. Jr.


     BRYN ATHYN.

     New Church Day.

     In spite of several thunderstorms, which interfered with the activities planned for outdoors, New Church Day was very suitably celebrated by the Bryn Athyn Society.
     On Sunday. June 18th, the morning service was devoted to the Quarterly Administration of the Holy Supper, Bishop de Charms as Celebrant being assisted by four ministers. The choir sang a very beautiful anthem as an interlude. At a special service in the evening, the Rev. Norbert H. Rogers delivered the sermon on the text "And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow: and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering, and to conquer." (Rev. 6: 2.) The sphere and beauty of the service were greatly enhanced by the singing in the interludes of the choir, and of a group of high-school girls under the direction of Mrs. Besse E. Smith.

376



     On the morning of the Nineteenth there was a special children's service, which was made particularly distinctive by the banners which the children carried. In his address to them, the Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner explained the meaning of the prophecy of the Second Coming contained in Matthew 24: 29-31, "Immediately after the tribulations of those clays, the sums shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, etc." After the services, the children were treated to ice cream and cookies in the Choir Hall, the distribution being supervised by Mr. Winfred Smith.
     In the evening there was a very enjoyable Banquet in the Assembly Hall, with 326 members and friends in attendance After the repast, Mr. Elmer Simons took charge as toastmaster, and he is to be congratulated upon the most interesting and instructive program which he had prepared. The motif of the speeches was "Fishing"-Evangelization.
     Mr. Donald Coffin spoke on "The New Church Fisherman," pointing out that it was the duty of every New Churchman to proclaim the knowledges of the Second Coming.
     Mr. Dominique Berninger spoke of "The Fish," that is, of those who could be and were converted to the New Church. He described the famous impressions, some a little puzzling, which new converts are apt to get of a New Church community, and the need to make the distinctiveness of the Church apparent.
     The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers dealt with the subject of "Fishing in Home Waters," that is, of internal evangelization. He dwelt upon the need for the internal growth of the New Church, which is accomplished not only by giving instruction adapted to the various states of the Church, but also by the transmission of affection from one to another.

     Bryn Athyn Post.-We take this opportunity to remind the readers of NEW CHURCH LIFE that a record of our church and community activities is furnished in the weekly issues of The BRYN ATHYN POST. Each number contains a Calendar of Events and a summary of the Sunday Sermon, as well as social and personal news. The POST will be mailed to any address for $1.00 a year upon application to the Editor, Mr. Otho W. Heilman, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Civic and Social Club.

     Tunis organization has general charge of the social uses of the Bryn Athyn Society, and has fulfilled its responsibilities during the past year with efficiency and success. At the annual meeting of the Club, held on May 19, 1944, the President, Mr. Griffith Asplundh, stated that the Board of Directors had met each month, with an average attendance of 14 members, and that the Board had given him splendid cooperation. In his annual address, Mr. Asplundh reviewed the accomplishments of the past year, which indicated the nature of the many undertakings of the Club.
     The activities of the year have been centered upon promoting entertainment for young and old in the society. Club Community Suppers, managed by the Women's Committee, have been held practically every month, and have been exceptionally well attended. The Club House has also served as a place for the suppers and meetings of the Sons of the Academy. And Bishop Acton has conducted there a weekly class in the study of Rational Psychology.
     The Town Meetings, sponsored by the Club and held in De Charms Hall, have provided a forum for the discussion of current topics of the day, pro and con, and have proved enlightening to the many who attended them. In addition, there have been several fine Lectures on various subjects of a current nature, such as European Conditions and Victory Gardens. And the Club has provided movies for both children and adults. It has also maintained the Pond and supervised its use for swimming.

377



     It has been found advisable to hold parties instead of dances, and so there was a New Year's Party and a Dutch Party, both well attended. The Club organized the Fourth of July celebration and also an observance of Memorial Day on May 30th. On both occasions there was a parade which led to the flagpole on the Academy grounds, where a patriotic address was given and there was singing by all there assembled.
     During the Summer months the Club provided entertainment for the young folk in the form of quoits, outside ping-pang, shuffle board and ice cream parties, all of these being held in the afternoon and early evening. And at the present time the Club is engaged in the important project of enlarging the Club House, to provide more commodiously for time needs of our young people and children.

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA.

     May 16, 1944.-The monthly Holy Supper Service on February 6th was marked by a delightful variation. During the interlude preceding the sermon, P.F.C. Michael Pitcairn played Handel's "Largo" as a violin solo with organ accompaniment. On the next two Sundays there were no services, as the pastor and his family were away on vacation, but the Sunday School was held, with Mr. Ossian Heldon in charge, and Talks by the Rev. F. E. Waelchli were read to the children. Church was resumed on February 27th with a Harvest Thanksgiving Service, and there was a similar service for the children in the afternoon. Both of these services were well attended and were much enjoyed.
     With the coming of March, the society took up again its full round of activities, which, as far as we know now, will be similar to those of last year. The first event was the Sunday School picnic, which had been postponed for a month to escape the oppressive heat of February. It was held at National Park on March 4th under ideal weather conditions, and was much enjoyed by the small company of children and adults who were present.
     In the general doctrinal class the following evening the pastor gave the first of three lectures on the subject of the Lord's Glorification. For the Monthly Teas this year, the pastor has planned a series of talks on various phases of the life and work of Emanuel Swedenborg. The first of these, given on March 12th, dealt with Bishop Swedberg, the pastor stating that he had chosen this subject because Swedenborg's paternal heredity was undoubtedly an important factor in his equipment for the office of revelator.
     The teachers' study circle resumed its meetings on the last Sunday in March, and the Hurstville Sons of the Academy held their annual meeting on the last day in the month. All the officers of the Chapter were reelected, and a syllabus for the year was a gain adopted. The address of the evening was given by the pastor, who read a paper entitled "Some Reflections on the Development of the Rational."
     Easter.-At the service on Palm Sunday the sermon was on the subject of "The Mount of Olives. On Goad Friday the pastor preached on the "seven words" spoken by the Lord from the cross. The discourse at the Eastern Communion Service was on the words, "And the Word was made flesh" (John 1: 14), and it was shown that this scripture was fulfilled, not by the Lord's advent, but by His glorification. At the children's service in the afternoon, the significance of the Lord's resurrection, was explained to them in a simple way.
     At the Monthly Tea on the following Sunday evening a talk was given on "Swedenborg's University Education." The first of a series of doctrinal classes on "Perception," which should have been given toward the end of the month, was postponed until May, in order that a class might be given on the subject of "The Limbus," which came up for discussion during the earlier lectures on "The Glorification."

378



     The ladies continue to meet monthly for lunch and recreation, and on April 20th they came together again to give a surprise party for Mrs. Helena Morgan, one of our oldest members, who celebrated her seventieth birthday on that day.
     There has been an unusual amount of sickness during recent months, and the society has lost the earthly presence of its most aged member. Mr. Edwin Freeman, to whose ninetieth birthday we referred in our last report, passed into the spiritual world on April 21st. Deafness and other infirmities had kept Mr. Freeman from attending services for several years, though be read the sermons regularly. His family,-Mrs. E. M. Heldon and her daughter and sons,-despite their sense of loss, have been quick to see in his sudden and painless transition a most merciful dispensation of Providence.
     Visitors.-During the last few weeks we have been privileged to add the name of Mr. Dale E. Beal, G.M. 2/c, Iowa. to our list of visitors. Lt. Philip Cronlund called on the pastor and Mrs. Henderson, but was unable to be here on a Sunday to meet other members of the society. Tpr. Lin Heldon has been home on a leave which turned out to be longer than expected; and we were able to congratulate Sydney Heldon personally, both on his obtaining high passes in his examinations, and on his receiving a commission in the R.A.A.F. We have been fortunate in having several of our men in the Forces come home with fair regularity. As the tempo of the war increases, it becomes apparent that we may soon lose that advantage, and we look forward to the time when the war and its separations will belong to the past.
     W. C. H.

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     Two very fine group meetings are worthy of special mention.
     The first was a most ambitious and highly successful celebration of New Church Day, held on Sunday, June 18th. For this affair we decided to use the Ferndale Community Center, where our monthly services are held, The Center has, in addition to good kitchen facilities, a large, well-shaded playground, and here we had games and contests for the youngsters and for some not quite so young. This part of the program was arranged and conducted by our transplanted Pittsburgher, Mr. Dan Horigan. Quite naturally, in such capable hands, it was a huge success.
     Prior to the partaking of the picnic lunch and the program of games, a short lay service of worship was held under the leadership of Mr. Norman Synnestvedt. After appropriate Scripture and Doctrinal readings, and the singing of a hymn, he read a sermon, "Fear Not, Little Flock," by the Rev. Willard D. Pendleton. This was a most enlightening and encouraging message, especially for those of us who may have been overly concerned because of the apparently slow growth of the Lord's New Church.
     Our second outstanding meeting was the service conducted by the Rev. Norman H. Reuter on Sunday, June 25th. On this occasion we had with us the local young people who had returned from Bryn Athyn, where they had been students in the Academy. Their presence added much to the sphere of our worship, and their young voices helped greatly in the singing. It was a real inspiration to have them with us, and Mr. Reuter evidently felt this, for he preached an unusually brilliant sermon, choosing as his text the words of Revelation 21: 2, "And I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."
     The day being exceedingly hot, the luncheon tables were arranged outside under the trees, in banquet fashion, and here we ate in comparative comfort. Afterwards, in place of the usual doctrinal class, we listened to talks and readings on various subjects, interspersed with the singing of Academy songs.

379


Mr. Geoffrey Childs gave us a very interesting account of his visits to the Sons' meetings at Glenview and Bryn Athyn, and we learned that our group's secretary, Mr. Norman Synnestvedt, is now a member of the executive board of the Sons of the Academy
     This very fine meeting, bringing out the unusually large attendance of 18, closed with the singing of "Our Glorious Church."
     News from California.-The Pacific Coast branch of our group, consisting of the Walker families at Los Angeles and La Mesa, continues to grow and flourish. We are happy to report that, on May 25th, another son, Robert Billings (a nine-pounder, by the way), was born to Ensign and Mrs. Marvin J. Walker at Los Angeles. Our heartiest congratulations! You never can fell just what is going to happen out in the wonderful California climate, so keep tuned to this station for news of further developments.
     W. W. W.

     CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

     Sharon Church.

     In reviewing the church events of the past year we have good reason to feel encouraged. There were definitely more activities in the society than in the previous year.
     North Side.-The Ladies' Auxiliary held several meetings, and expects to be even more active hereafter. In addition to the regular monthly Sunday dinners, we have begun holding weekly Friday suppers. The attendance grew from four to twenty-one. The low score was due to a combination of very unpleasant weather and those unexpected happenings that will interfere with the best of intentions to attend.
     In the Friday doctrinal classes the subjects considered were mainly from Volume I of the POSTHUMOUS THEOLOGICAL WORKS: Invitation to the New Church, Ecclesiastical History, and Additions to the True Christian Religion, after which we began The Doctrine of Faith. Besides the inspiration of the sound doctrinal teachings received, there was a pleasant informality about the suppers that was enjoyed by all.
     On one of these evenings we even took time off for a "shower" for Miss Orida Olds (oft delayed by the "absence of Hamlet") to help her to equip her newly bought home. And I am sure that all would agree that these delightful suppers would have been impossible without the delicious meals prepared by Mrs. Cranch. There was always a surprising variety in these appetizing suppers. If the attendance increases, as we hope, we shall form committees, as it would not be fate to impose further upon the unending good nature and efficiency of our pastor's wife. There is a nominal charge at the suppers, and anything extra goes into the building fund.
     Easter.-The Friday classes also included instruction in special preparation for the celebration of Easter. This, together with the evening service on Good Friday and the service on Easter Sunday, made an observance outstanding in impressiveness, strengthening our appreciation of the commemoration of this holy event, in all that it should mean to us. For these occasions some new candle brackets adorned the wall of our place of worship, these being additions to the many improvements in the appearance of our church which the pastor has made, as mentioned in our previous reports.
     South Side.-Here also the developments have been interesting and encouraging. Since the Masonic Hall place of meeting was given up, as told in our last report, and a store on 83rd Street was remodeled into a church, services have been held every Sunday until July 2d. This was made possible by the much appreciated cooperation of the Rev. Gilbert H. Smith. Services will be resumed in September.
     Perhaps the outstanding service of the season was that held on the evening of Sunday. February 20, when Pastor Cranch administered the Holy Supper and baptized two adults,-Mrs. Loretta C. Cowood and Miss Ingrid Elizabeth Andreasson, the latter being the first person who definitely entered the New Church as a result of the Chicago missionary broadcasts of the Rev. Gilbert H. Smith.

380


Mention should be made of the music at this service, produced from records by Mr. Edward Kitzelman; this was especially effective during the administration of the Sacrament; it was delightfully quiet, just enough to adorn the silence-an excellent example of the use of science in the service of religion.
     A Sunday School met in the home of Mrs. Murdoch, who instructed the older children, Mrs. Otho Brickman teaching the younger class. After instruction in their classes, the children marched into the church to conclude with a full children's service.
     The services that were held in the Masonic Hall were planned to be suitable for possible newcomers. Two evening Lectures were given, the first on "Why does God permit war?" answered in the light of the teachings concerning the permissions of Providence. This Lecture was advertised in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, but only five strangers were attracted. The second lecture class was held a few weeks ago, the subjects being: "Where is Heaven?" and "Is there a Hell?"
     Twenty-one members of the Chicago Church (including those who reside at a distance) are in the service of their country. But even with that reduction in active members there seems to be every hope for a busy season when we resume in the Fall.
     V. W.


     TORONTO, CANADA.

     The month of June brings with it two big events in the Olivet Church, first, the Day School Closing, which is closely followed by the commemoration of the 19th of June.
     This year, the Rev. Karl R. Alden, en route from Bryn Athyn to the Canadian Northwest, was present for the Closing Exercises of our school and gave the Address, his subject being "Doors and Shepherds." Skilfully he caught and held the attention of the little ones by showing them that man's senses are the doors to his mind, and woe into the picture the parable of the Good Shepherd who entered in by the door of the sheepfold, while the bad shepherds climbed in by some other way.
     The children, immaculate in best suits and dainty dresses, and with beaming faces, are always a delight to behold on these occasions; and they are always so happy to have their best endeavors on view for Mummy and Daddy to see. The exhibition of school work, displayed in the assembly ball, was well worth the attentive interest it received.
     Presentations were made by the pupils to their teachers, the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal. Miss Edith Carter, and Mrs. Sydney Parker. In Miss Edith's absence, Mrs. N. A. Carter graciously received the gift on behalf of her daughter.
     New Church Day.-On Sunday, June 18th, 92 persons attended a banquet in honor of June 19th. Members of the Ladies' Circle cooked the delicious meal which preceded the intellectual repast. It was a Salad Supper, consisting of potato salad, cabbage salad, and fresh fruit salad, augmented by cold meats, celery, pickles, cake, candy, rolls and coffee-more than one cup! We have noticed that write-ups so often speak of "delicious and delectable" meals, but seldom mention what was so delicious and delectable. This time the reader is not left in the dark.
     The pastor was toastmaster, and first called upon Mr. Raymond Orr, who delivered a thoughtful address on "Unity in a New Church Society." Mr. Joseph Pritchett then made his debut as a speaker, and most assuredly will find himself called upon again. In debonair style he asserted that the Church must be militant against evils, both within and without its borders. Mr. Gyllenhaal looked forward twenty years, and gave us a preview of an address be intends to deliver at that time, pertaining to the enlightenment of the regenerating man.

381


Songs of varying description interspersed the speaking program, and a spirit of gaiety prevailed.
     On June 29th a "Hunt and Seek" shower at the home of Mrs. Joseph Knight was attended by the ladies of the society. Mrs. Raymond Carter did all the "Finding," and, much to her astonishment, male a very good "haul." It is a pleasure to welcome Mary Carter to our group.
     The annual meeting of the Ladies' Circle took the forum of a Potluck Supper, and the election of officers for the coming season brought the following results: President, Mrs. Joseph Knight; Vice President, Mrs. Robert Brown; Secretary, Mrs. Ray Orr; Treasurer, Mrs. Orville Carter.
     V. C.

     DURBAN, NATAL.

     April 15, 1944.-During January of this year quite a large number of the Durban Society were away on holiday, as the schools did not open again until January 25th. Our Sunday services were held as usual during January, our Acting Pastor. Rev. F. W. Elphick, having arranged to take his vacation in February, when Mr. Garth Pemberton very ably deputized for him; and we much appreciate Mr. Pemberton's help, which enabled Mr. Elphick to take a well-earned rest.
     "The Adviser" was not published during January and February, but the Letter of Greeting from Bishop de Charms, dated November 18, 1943, was published in the first 1944 issue on March 4th.
     During March, Mr. Elphick delivered a series of four sermons on the text, "What is truth?" (John 18: 38); and when the weekly evening doctrinal classes recommence on April 19, the subject for the first two months will he "Dreams" (by request). As the blackout in Durban and on the rest of the coast is now totally suspended, we hope we shall he able to carry out all evening programmes in the future.
     Death of Mrs. Richards.-On February 21st, after a short illness, Mrs. Walter Richards (Eveline de Chazal), the beloved wife of Private W. W. Richards, died at Rondehosch, Cape Province, in her 64th year. Mrs. Richards was the daughter of Mr. Auguste de Chazal of Mauritius, who was one of the pioneers of the Natal Sugar Industry; and when he returned to his home in Mauritius, his daughter Eveline, then a small child, was brought up under the influence of the New Church. In 1912 she was married to Mr. Richards, and they lived and farmed in the Orange Free State, where they brought up their two daughters-Ninette (now Mrs. George Mellanby-Little) and Alix (now Mrs. Ian Donald), who are both living in England. Pte. Richards was serving for some time in Pretoria, but shortly before his wife's death he had been transferred to a unit in Cape Town, and thus fortunately was able to be present at her passing. We extend our sincere sympathies to all relatives and friends in this, their sodden bereavement.
     Kainon School.-Our little school reopened for the first term of 1944 at the beginning of February, with nine pupils in Classes I and II and Grade I. It may be of interest to mention here that Kainon School has been inspected and registered by the Natal Education Department as a suitable Elementary School under the new regulations which came into force this year.
     Easter was very quietly observed in the Durban Society this year. The services were well attended, very few being away on holiday, but of the Forces only Major W. G. Lowe and A/Corpl. Peter Cockerell were able to join us. We are glad to have with us again Mr. and Mrs. William N. Ridgway, who have returned to their old home in Durban after eleven years in charge of "Kent Manor," Zululand. Their daughter, Mrs. Martin Buss, and her three children are with them, as Martin is now serving "Up North" with the Sixth South African Armoured Division.
     Mr. George Elliott Pemberton.-It is with extreme regret that we record the passing into the other world of Mr. George E. Pemberton on Saturday evening.

382


April 1st, after a few months of rapidly declining health, in his 82nd year. A quiet, home-loving man, Mr. Pemberton was a foundation member of our Society, for which he acted as Hon. Treasurer for over twenty-five years. A Memorial Service was held in the church on Sunday evening, April 2nd, and was attended by relatives and friends in the Society who had gathered together to render their respect and love for one who, in the everlasting mercy of the Lord, has now passed from us after close upon sixty years of loyal support The Rev. Elphick's Memorial Address was based upon the text. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in Me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you." (John 14: 1-3.)
     Our hearts go out in sincere affection and sympathy to his widow, Mrs. Lilla Pemberton (nee Cockerell), to whom he was married for nearly fifty-four years, and to their family-Mrs. F. E. Gyllenhaal, of Toronto, Mrs. Garth Pemberton, Mrs. Walter Lowe, and Miss Sylvia Pemberton, also to the grandchildren
     Prisoners of War.-In my last report, published in the May issue, I stated that messages had been received by the next-of-kin from all our Prisoners, from Germany. This is incorrect, as I find that Corpl. Colin Bernard Ridgway has been "missing" since before the fall of Italy. Relatives are now concerned at his silence, as they have not heard anything of him since June, 1943, when he wrote saving he was happy in his camp (in Italy), but was wondering what had happened to us! As people were frequently writing him, we feel that he is one of the unlucky ones, and that one day he will suddenly turn up in some unexpected place. And so we must wait patiently until after the invasion is over and the prisoners are released.
     As regards the rest of our Society in the Forces, four have recently been honorably discharged (three being our "Nurses"), 17 are serving in the Union of South Africa. 12 are Up North, one ms in Rhodesia, and one is in the Navy
     P. D. C.

     Death of Sergeant Buss.-Since the above report was received we have heard from the Rev. F. W. Elphick that on Tuesday, May 16th, the Durban Society learned by cable that Sergeant James Martin Buss, of the Royal Durban Light Infantry, was "killed in action on May 7th." Mr. Elphick sends an Obituary of Sergeant Buss, together with a Photograph, and these will appear in our next issue.- EDITOR.

383


ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH 1944

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH       GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944




     Announcements



     Summer School.

     We are pleased to announce that the Summer School Sessions previously advertised for August 16-30, 1944, will include two courses, one on Teaching the History of the Most Ancient and Primitive Peoples, to be given by Dr. William Whitehead, and one on Astronomy, to be given by Mrs. Robert M. Cole.
     Teachers desiring to take these courses are invited to register at the office of the Dean of the College, on or before August 16th.
     GEORGE DE CHARMS.
          President.
MISSIONARY LEAFLET 1944

MISSIONARY LEAFLET              1944

     "The New Church" is the title of a new six-leaf folder written by the Rev. Gilbert Haven Smith, and now available at no cost except for postage. Briefly stating eleven principal points of the Doctrine of the New Church, and ending with a list of the most available volumes of the Writings, the leaflet is designed as a suitable one to give to the uninitiate.
     A package of the leaflets will be sent to any address for 10 cents, to cover postage and mailing. Apply to the Rev. Gilbert H. Smith, 534 S. East Ave., Oak Park, Illinois. Summer address: South Shaftsbury, Vermont.
MAN AND WOMAN 1944

MAN AND WOMAN       Rev. A. WYNNE ACTON       1944



385




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
SEPTEMBER, 1944
No. 9
     (A Paper read at Michael Church, London, May 7, 1944.)

     The Writings of the New Church present teaching concerning the essential nature of man and woman which is entirely new to the world. From this teaching we must discover the fundamental qualities of each, in order that we may understand their proper and orderly relationship, as well as the relative uses which they can best perform to mankind. On the fundamental natures of man and woman, the teaching is very definite, but, as is always the case, the application is left to our careful thought and reflection. The underlying nature and use of men and women, concerning which we are taught in Revelation, is ever the same but the way in which those uses are actually to be carried out varies in different ages and under different conditions. We must make that application to our own day; but in doing so, let us guard against an undue influence by the thought and sphere of the age. Let us be quite clear about the principles given in the Writings, and then apply them in the best way we see.
     Let our starting point be the first creation of mankind on the earth, of which we read, So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and female created He them." (Genesis 1: 27.) Neither man by himself nor woman by herself is a full image of God; only the two taken together. As stated in the work on Conjugial Love. When the male man and the female man become one, then, taken together, they are one man (homo) in his fulness; but without this conjunction they are two, and each as it were a divided or half man." (C. L. 37.)

386


These two aspects of a man (homo) are necessary, that the Divine Love and the Divine Wisdom may be imaged in creation, and be received.
     In contrast with this teaching, the thought in the Christian Church has been based upon the later story of creation (Genesis 2: 18), that the male was first created, and then, from one of his ribs, a woman was formed to be "a help meet for him." This led to the idea that woman was a being of less majesty than man; the male was created after the image of God, but the woman after the image of the male. Thus the woman owed obedience to the male: for he was as it were intermediate between her and God. As directly stated by Paul: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church." (Ephesians 5: 22, 23.) "A man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man." (I Corinthians 11: 7.) (This false doctrine is given as the reason why women must not appear in church with the head uncovered.)
     The Writings combat this false idea which was developed in the Christian Church. They combat the equally false and more subtilely dangerous idea, which seems to be gaining prevalence at this day, that the differences between man and woman are relatively external, due largely to differences in environment and education. One reason for this thought is the lack of a real comprehension of the difference between the will and the understanding: and the following words of the Apocalypse Explained appear as a prophecy of this day: "Unless the thought which is of the understanding and the affection which is of the will are distinct, the sexes would be confounded, and there would not be marriage in which man is truth which is of thought. and woman affection." (A. E. 555:13.)
     The fundamental distinction of the sexes is seen from the fact that it continues after death. "They are so different that one cannot be changed into the other: it follows that after death the male lives a male, and the female a female, each a spiritual man (homo) (C. L. 32.) At death the natural mind, together with the body, is put off, and) then true masculinity and femininity stand forth as "love from wisdom" and "wisdom from love." (C. L. 88.) And there is that complete union between the two which makes one perfect image of God.

387



     Mankind was created male and female to provide for the fuller reception of the Love and Wisdom of the Creator. Yet it cannot be said that one is the exclusive image of the Divine Love, and the other of the Divine Wisdom; for the relationship of the male and the female is not static, but is an active one, undergoing variation. In the celestial kingdom, for instance, man is a form of love, and woman a form of wisdom; whereas in the spiritual kingdom the opposite is the case. (A. C. 8994e, 8337.) Nevertheless, man is always a form of masculine love and masculine wisdom, and the woman a form of feminine love and feminine wisdom. They both have the same qualities, and yet these qualities are essentially different in each. If this were not so, they would not be complementary and capable of conjunction. This is epitomized in the statement of the Doctrine that "there is a masculine love to the Lord, and there is a feminine love: and the love is not full unless these are together." (Index to the work on Marriage, Posthumous Theological Works, II, p. 530.)
     Perhaps the most comprehensive phrase given in the Writings is that "man is a form of the love of wisdom, and woman a form of the wisdom of that love." The male is born with a desire of acquiring knowledge, intelligence and wisdom, and thence he may be led into, and become a form of, the love of wisdom which is his inmost soul. Whereas this detached search of truth for its own sake is not active with women, still there is greater wisdom in her love, from which she desires to relate her knowledge at every stage more directly with practice and use. And thence is her love conjoined with the wisdom of the male, and she becomes an outward form of that `wisdom from love" which has been impressed upon her soul.
     Thus, while it is wrong to suppose that wisdom and understanding are the sole prerogatives of men, and love and affection the sole prerogatives of women, yet it is true that the whole outlook of men is from the angle of truth, while that of women is from love. Or, as stated in the Diary, "It is according to their institution from creation that the masculine sex pertains to the classes of the spiritual, but the feminine sex to those of the celestial." (S. D. 1061.) Thus they are both in truth, but man in the understanding of it, and woman in the affection of it. (A. R. 434.)

388


They both have perception, but "it is masculine to perceive from the understanding, and feminine to perceive from love." (C. L. 168.)
     And note the statement in Heaven and Hell: "Man is born that he may be intellectual, thus that he may think from the understanding, but woman that she may be voluntary, thus that she may think from the will." (H. H. 368.) But, lest we confine understanding to men and affection to women, the next number adds: "Both men and women enjoy understanding and will, but still the understanding predominates with the man, and the will predominates with the woman, and a human being is according to the nature of that which predominates." (H. H. 369.)
     In the Writings there is a stimulating variety in the descriptions of men and women (as there is also in their actual relationship), but still we can see in general the predominance of a love of the intellect with man, and with woman the wisdom of applying the things of the intellect. The process and development, and thus the result, of both understanding and will are therefore entirely different with men and with women. If regenerate, they both come into love and wisdom, but of different quality. "The wisdom of the wife," for instance, "is not possible with a man, nor the wisdom of the man with a wife." (C. L. 168.)
     It is of prime importance that this "universal distinction" be recognized. We should have no patience with one sex imitating the other, either physically or mentally. Nor should we tolerate any sense of rivalry between the sexes. They were originally created, in the wisdom of God, "male and female," to the end that conjointly they might receive the blessings which God willed to bestow upon all mankind. But to be conjoined, and to be mutually serviceable, each sex must develop itself in its own sphere and according to its particular nature, and there must be the freedom to both to do so.
     In the decadent human race, the male man has unjustly set himself as the judge of the uses and duties of women, and thereby restricted their free and rightful development. In doing so, he brought as great spiritual harm upon himself as upon the woman. By degrading the feminine use, his inmost love turned away from the wisdom of the woman and inwardly upon himself, and became a love of self-conceit and pride; and by depriving the woman of his love of truth, he caused her love to turn inwardly upon herself, and to become a love of her own attainments and beauty.

389


This is the exact opposite of what was intended from creation, which provided for mutual and reciprocal love. (A. C. 2731.)
     Let us consider the deep-seated causes of this perversion.
     In the Most Ancient Church, the relative and complementary uses of the sexes were appreciated. There could be no thought that one was superior to or more important than the other. The man would desire to be more a man-more a form of wisdom and the woman more a woman-more a form of the love of that wisdom, in order that the one might be worthy of and conjoined to the other. As a man of that Church, in heaven, said to Swedenborg: "We are one. Her life is in me, and mine in her: we are two bodies, but one soul. . . . She is my heart, and I am her lungs. (C. L. 75; cf. S.D. 6110: 14.)
     The decline of that Church commenced when mankind began to attribute life to themselves. Then the love of wisdom which they received from the Lord through the male ceased to be one with the wisdom of love received through the female. By this separation, both were destroyed, so that mankind came to will evil and to think falsity. And never since that time has the world returned to the harmonious and orderly relation of love and wisdom, and thus of man and woman.
     After the Flood, the will and the understanding were separated, and a new order was introduced whereby the understanding had first to be reformed: wherefore man (as a form of understanding) began to take precedence over the woman (as a form of affection). One's love had to be formed and judged by the standard of truth, and so, as a corollary, woman had to be guided by the judgment of man. This state of affairs spread among the corrupt descendants of the Ancient Church, and accounts for many of the laws given to the Jews concerning the subservience of the woman to the man. (A. C. 568.)
     Much of this teaching was carried over into the Christian Church, perhaps especially through Paul, who wrote from his Jewish background. Then came the doctrine of salvation by faith alone, which gave complete ascendancy to that form of understanding which is embodied in the male. Add to this the unbridled love of dominion, and the superior physical strength of the male, and you have the spiritual and natural causes why the male sex became so predominant.

390



     But how could the least vestige of conjugial love be preserved when the natural passions of the male and the obedient servitude of the female were the leading factors in marriage? Therefore the old order had to change. Following the greater freedom since the Last Judgment in the year 1757, there was a sharp and general revolt. Women have rightly demanded a greater degree of freedom in shaping their own lives, and in determining the contributions they can make to the welfare of mankind. In certain directions this has been carried to excess; yet many benefits have undoubtedly been acquired, not the least of which is that economic independence which permits a young woman a greater freedom in her choice of marriage.
     The excesses have been due to the fact that the fundamental difference in character between the understanding of man and that of woman, and between their loves, has not been recognized. One outcome of it has been a tendency, apparently growing, to break down all barriers and differences between the sexes, especially among the young: and this has led to a condition which is altogether unhealthy, and which very directly threatens that return of conjugial love which is promised to the New Age. Further, it has tended to cast aside all mental differences between the sexes, with the result that there are now-thought to be few-uses, if any, which are the proper province of either man or woman.
     That this is contrary to the truth, and therefore detrimental to all human society, can be clearly seen from a section of the work on Conjugial Love which is headed: "There are duties (officia) proper to the man, and duties proper to the wife: and the wife cannot enter into the duties proper to the man, nor the man into the duties proper to the wife, and rightly perform them." (C. L. 174.) This section deals with the duties of husband and wife in particular, rather than of men and women in general; yet what is true of the particular must also be true of the general, when certain specific allowances are made.
     The number commences: "That there are duties proper to the man, and duties proper to the wife, there is no need to illustrate by recounting them, for they are many and various, and everyone knows how to classify them according to their kinds and species, if only he direct his mind to the discernment of them.

391


The duties above all others by which women conjoin themselves to their husbands are the educations of the little children of both sexes, and of girls up to the age when they are given in marriage." (C. L. 174.)
     Here the primary duty of the wife, which cannot be rightly performed by the husband, is given as the education of little children, and of girls up to the age of full adolescence. It follows that this same use is an important duty of women in general. In the educational field, it opens a wide scope of feminine usefulness for the welfare of mankind. What the wife and mother can do in the home, women teachers can best do in the schools. And as it calls for the affection of the wife, rather than the thought of the husband, we may conclude that the teaching of children of the ages specified is the province of women teachers rather than of men. (Incidentally, this teaching, combined with certain other principles of the Writings, points very definitely to the need of separate and distinctive education for boys and girls after the period of first childhood-perhaps at the beginning of puberty-until full adolescence; the boys to be predominantly under male teachers, and the girls under women, corresponding to the jurisdiction of the husband and the wife in the home.)
     The rest of this section in Conjugial Love does not specify particular duties, but lays down the principles upon which we must base our judgment of all uses. The passage continues: "In the duties proper to the man, understanding, thought and wisdom act the leading part; but in the duties proper to wives, will, affection and love act the leading part." Note that the emphasis is on what "acts the leading part" in the performance of any particular use; for in every use, both wisdom and love, thought and affection, are necessary, though in some the one predominates over the other.
     A restrictive principle in regard to feminine uses is then given: "It is believed by many that women can perform the duties of men, if only they are initiated into them from their earliest age, as boys are. They can indeed be initiated into the exercise of them, but not into the judgment upon which the right performance of the duties inwardly depends. Women, therefore, who are initiated into the duties of men are constrained in matters of judgment to consult men, and then, if they are at their own disposal, they choose out of their counsels what favors their own love." (C. L. 175.)

392



     Here we have definite teaching which runs counter to much of the thought of the age; and yet it is the logical outcome of all that is said in the Writings about the interior nature of the sexes. It demands our clear and most careful thought, and might well be read in connection with an earlier passage which states that the masculine "application is to such things as are intellectual, in which the understanding predominates, very many of which are forensic, and regard public uses," whereas the application of the woman "is to such works as are done with the hands, as knitting, needlework, and the like, and besides this to the various duties which are called domestic, and adjoin themselves to the duties of the men, which are called forensic." (C. L. 90, 91.)
     We do not understand this teaching to be strictly limiting, or that men are confined to forensic uses, and women to domestic uses. Rather is it a statement of the uses to which men and women for the most part naturally gravitate. In any case, it would be difficult to define what are "domestic" uses and what are "forensic" or public uses. There are few public uses which have not a direct relation to domestic uses; as is indeed suggested by the phrase we have before quoted, that the duties of the women "adjoin themselves to the duties of the men." No doubt there are many duties which partake of both natures, and to which, therefore, both men and women can bring their respective gifts to the advancement of mankind.
     In this connection we would refer to another statement of the Writings: "As woman is beautiful, so she is tender; and as she is tender, so she has ability to perceive the delights of conjugial love; and as she is able to perceive these delights, so she is a faithful custodian of the common good: and as she is a custodian of the common good, and the man is wise, so she looks after the prosperity and happiness of the home." (Index to the work on Marriage, P. T. W. II, p. 534.)
     From her love woman is the "custodian of the common good," which is elsewhere defined as being the sum total of all the goods of use which the individuals of a community perform.

393


Individual uses create the common good, and each in turn depends upon it for its own subsistence. (Doctrine of Charity 126.)
     "As she is the faithful custodian of the common good," (and what man can ever be as faithful as a good woman?) "so she looks after the prosperity and happiness of the home." Note the close relationship of the common good of a community and the prosperity and happiness of the home,-of the forensic and domestic uses of which we have spoken. And she who looks after this latter is the guardian and promoter of the common good. Why do our schools, public institutions and businesses exist, if not to make possible the maintenance and perfection of the home? On the other hand, how can the common good of a community or country be established at all, save as it is built up in individual homes?
     Further, in the homes of a community is developed the next generation of men and women, who will determine the course of public affairs and shape the customs and institutions of the future community. The affection which the wife and mother, aided by the wisdom of the husband, ("if the man is wise"), displays in the home and in the education of the children, does indeed make her the custodian of the common good. It is not too much to say that in her hands is the next generation.
     Basically, both masculine and feminine uses may be considered as being centered in the home, and through this looking to the common good. This is perhaps especially so with members of the church, who look to the home to provide, not only future generations on earth, but also to be the seminary of heaven.
     The man's use to the home is to provide for its external and material welfare by his use among his fellow men. He is carefully to search out and develop the wise principles upon which life in the home is to be established, and he is to cooperate with the wife in the education of the children, taking the lead in the case of the sons on their reaching the first age of youth. The wife, in addition to her external duties, must look especially to the education of the children for heaven, as well as for the world. Through her faithful performance of her duties, there is provided through her from the Lord that sphere of conjugial love which will be a blessing to all in the home.
     This does not confine the activity and interest of the man to the outside world, and that of the woman to the home.

394


Man neglects his duty, if he does not direct his affection and interest, and his careful thought to the welfare of the home. And the woman must know and appreciate what is happening in the world around her, in order that she may be able rightly to fulfill her duties. But the chief need is, that the great desire of both husband and wife-a desire with which no other attraction whatever will be allowed to interfere-is to establish a home and bring up a family that will contribute its uses to the world and to heaven. This is the most ultimate and direct fulfilment of the masculine and feminine uses for which they were created from the beginning.
     But we would note further that the functions of husband and wife are particularized forms of general uses. All women are the potential custodians of the common good and the providers for the prosperity and happiness of homes, and there are many- different ways in which this use must be fulfilled. And all men are potentially the providers of the world's wealth, and as it were the administrators of the common good, without which the home could not exist.
     And now we would thus summarize our thoughts. We commence with the distinct, yet complementary, uses of mankind, and with the teaching that "in the male the masculine is masculine in every part of his body, even the most minute, and also in every idea of his thought, and in every least impulse of his affection. And so likewise the feminine in the female." (C. L. 33.) And each sex must bring its full potentialities to those uses which are particularly suited to it, the masculine having particularly to do with acquiring and learning, the feminine with cherishing and preserving.
     The inmost characteristics of man and woman, and their distinctive approach to the performance of uses, are revealed to the New Church for the first time since the Most Ancient Church, in order that we may develop as true men and true women. Man must acquire and develop his love of wisdom, and from it enter into and advance the uses of the world and of the church; and woman must develop the wisdom of her love, and apply this wisdom to the uses of the world and of the church. These uses have their common center, in end and in purpose, in the establishment and welfare of the home. As men and women mutually and reciprocally develop this use, each in his and her own way, spiritual wisdom and love will return to the earth, and the human race will increasingly become the seminary of heaven.

395


SEALED BOOK 1944

SEALED BOOK       Rev. NORBERT H. ROGERS       1944

     "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals." (Revelation 5: 1.)

     To achieve a desired end, suitable means must be provided and used. Otherwise the end remains unrealized and is nothing. Hence, in the case of the Last Judgment, whose purpose was the separation of the good from the evil, to the end that order might be restored in heaven and on earth, and that there might be a new heaven formed and a new church established when all was in readiness for its prosecution, the Lord provided the instrumental means, without which there could have been no judgment. This was and is the Word, which is described in our text as a Sealed Book "in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne."
     The appearance of the Book was new, but not the Book itself. It had existed from the beginning with God, and had been manifested to men countless times. The prophets of Israel and Judah had seen it, and had testified concerning it. Ezekiel wrote, saying, "When I looked, behold, a hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; and He spread it before me; and it was written within and without." (Ezek. 2: 9, 10.) And Daniel was commanded to "shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end." (Daniel 12: 4.) The time of the end was the Last Judgment. At that time the Book was again brought to view, and its seals broken, to reveal the mysteries contained within it. By the things written in it, many were purified and made white: but others found nothing but a cause for "lamentation, mourning and woe." For, by means of the things written, the good were separated from the evil and introduced into life, whereas the evil were rejected and cast down.
     To accomplish its purpose effectively, it is requisite that the instrument of judgment possess at least two qualities-wisdom and authority;-possessing them not merely in theory, but in actual fact.

396


By "wisdom" is meant the ability to deal with all things for which judgment is required, so that no matter shall fall beyond the limits of jurisdiction. By wisdom is also meant the ability to investigate penetratingly every case, shedding light on every least detail, evaluating them singly and collectively, to the end that a clear decision may be made and a just judgment rendered. By "authority" is meant the power of final judgment, against which there can be no appeal, and also the power to carry out the judgments that have been made. There can be no order, but only chaos and anarchy, where the instruments of judgment are lacking in either wisdom or authority. And as chaos and anarchy, together with all the evils they breed, are wholly contrary to the Divine order which makes one with the Divine will, the Lord provided that His instrument of judgment-the Word-should be beyond the possibility of failure, endowing it in a supereminent manner with those qualities of wisdom and power which are required for judgment and order. This is signified in our text by the Book being in the "right hand' of Him that sat on the throne.
     For of all the parts and members of the body, the right hand carries out the intentions of the will with the greatest skill and force. Its form is especially adapted to receive the influx of wisdom and power from the understanding and will, transmitting that influx and applying it to use. The reason is that the right hand corresponds to the southern quarter of heaven. For the South, in its relation to the Fast, which is the focal point of heaven, is on the right hand. And it is taught that, in the spiritual South, truth is in its light, that is, in its greatest potency. It is further taught that good has all its power, intelligence and wisdom through truth. Thus the "South" or the "right hand" signifies wisdom and power; and, in reference to the Divine, it signifies Omniscience and Omnipotence.
     The words, "And I saw in the right hand of Him that sat on the throne a book," signify, therefore, the revelation that the Word is the product and containant of the Lord's Divine wisdom and power. It accommodates and ultimates them so that they may effectively operate to fulfill the Divine will. The Word throughout, as to every general and particular, and as to every sense, both within and on the outside, is wholly the work of God, possessing not the least particle of human limitations and fallibility.

397


It is, therefore, a most perfect instrument. But it is not merely an instrument; it is not merely to be regarded as a Divine Work; it is it self Divine. Not only is the Word from God and with God; it is also one with God-it is God. It is the Son of Man, to whom the Father in heaven has given all power and judgment. (John 5: 22, 27.)
     Since the Word is Divine, it is as it were a "book sealed with seven seals," thus one that is so securely locked that "no man in heaven, nor on earth, neither under the earth, is able to open (it) and to look upon (it)." (Rev. 5: 3.) That is, no man whatever can grasp the true significance of the Word, and make use of it of himself by his own finite power and intelligence, which are in themselves as nothing compared to the infinite power and wisdom of God. Man may read the Word in its letter, seeing what is as it were "written on its back." but of himself he will not perceive one iota of the genuine sense of what he reads, much less anything of the interior things inscribed within it. Only the Lamb, that is, the Lord, is able to reveal what is written in the Word, giving man the ability to see and to make use of the Divine wisdom and power. And the Lord so reveals the Word to those who approach Him, humbly seeking wisdom and desiring strength, that the Divine will may be fulfilled. To them the Word is a Book of Life, giving them the light to see out of obscurity and out of darkness, and the strength to walk in the way of the Lord. But to all others it is of the Divine will that the Word remain a Sealed Book unto the end, lest they profane its holy things, abusing them to make themselves as gods, and to injure the spiritual state of their fellow men.
     The love qualifying a man determines what he shall see and receive. He who loves truth and good is given the ability to see and to receive what is true and good. To him the Word is opened, that he may find in it, and derive from it, the things he loves. But he who loves falsity and evil has neither the desire nor the ability to see and receive truths and goods, except in so far as he can contort them into the forms of falsity and evil which he loves. It is for this reason that the Word may be opened for some, but not for others. For this reason also the letter of the Word, which all may read if they will, is to some a purifying agent, while to others it is a book of heresies. To some it is the entrance way into the wonders of its internal sense, while to others it has little meaning or value.

398


To some the Word is full of hope and consolation, while to others the things written therein are "lamentations, and mourning, and woe." (Ezek. 2: 10.) To some it is a source of intelligence and delight, while to others it is wholly incomprehensible and undelightful, `being as a book that is sealed. which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith. I cannot, for it is sealed: and the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith. I am not learned." (Isa. 29: 11, 12.)
     The internal sense of the Word is plainly revealed in the Writings. Yet the Word continues to be a sealed book to the unworthy. For the Writings, being the Word, are also sealed. They, too, are opened only by the Lord, for the use of those who approach Him. That is to say, the teachings of the Writings are unfolded and brought to light before the understanding of the man who loves truth and good, and who endeavors to know and to do them. Such a man is given the ability and perception necessary to penetrate ever more deeply into the heavenly arcana that are revealed. But the man who has no love for good or truth finds little or no interest, meaning or value in the teachings of the Writings. To him they seem to be written in an awkward, difficult and displeasing style. They seem to contain nothing but unnecessary repetitions, abstract and inapplicable doctrines, inconclusive and unconvincing arguments, and dubious claims to authority. For the love of evil and falsity blinds the sight of man's rational faculty. Wherefore "none of the wicked shall understand: but the wise shall understand." (Daniel 12: 10.)
     For the wicked, the Word remains a sealed book until the end, that is, until the time of their final judgment in the spiritual world. At that time the Book is taken by the Lamb, and its seals are broken, to the end that what is written therein may be manifested and used in judgment. That is to say, the Lord releases the Divine wisdom and power contained within the interiors of the Word, that they may become clearly apparent in and through its ultimates. There is then no possibility of misinterpreting or of disregarding the teachings of the Word. For wisdom and power are in the fulness of their potency when in ultimates. The Divine power is such that, whatever man may will, he then becomes wholly subject to the will of God. The Divine wisdom is such that it shines brightly through the natural sense, and penetrates with its light into the very core of man.

399


Thus every love and affection is brought into open view, and is examined and judged according to the Laws of Order written in the Word. He who, while in the world, had come to love those Laws, and had endeavored to regulate his life according to them, is purified and made white. But he in whose heart and life the Law's of Divine Order have had no part is cast down. Thus good and evil are separated, each being relegated to its own spiritual place. In this manner, order is established and maintained in heaven and made possible on earth.
     None but the Lord is worthy to open the Book and to look thereon. That is, the Lord alone is able to exercise the Divine wisdom and power to look upon the heart of man, and to judge his essential quality. Concerning this it is taught in the Doctrine that there are two things which go forth from the Lord . . . , namely, Divine Good and Divine Truth. Divine Good from the Lord is called the 'Father in heaven,' and is meant by 'Him that sat on the throne. And Divine Truth from the Lord is called the 'Son of Man,' and is meant by the Lamb.' And because Divine Good judges no one, but Divine Truth judges, it is said that the Lamb took the book from Him that sat on the throne. . . But it is to be known that neither does the Lord Himself judge any one from the Divine Truth that goes forth from Him, for this is so united to Divine Good that they are one; but the man spirit judges himself: for it is the Divine Truth received by himself that judges him . . . In respect to judgment the case is this. The Lord is present with all, and from Divine Love wills to save all, and also turns and draws all to Himself. Those who are in good and in truths therefrom yield, for they join themselves to Him, but those who are in evil and in falsities therefrom do not yield, but turn backward from the Lord, . . . and (this) is to turn from heaven to hell." (A. E. 297.)
     In this connection it is of interest to note that, when the Lord is called the "Lamb," reference is made to His Divine Human in respect to innocence. And innocence, literally defined, means unwillingness to harm or to hurt. Thus by "the Lamb judging" is meant that the Lord wills to save all men, and that He condemns no one.
     The "sealed book" in our text also signifies the interior states of man's life.

400


These, only the Lord can know; and it is according to them that man is judged. Apparently the two significations of the "book" are quite different, being linked together, as it were, only by the characteristics they hold in common: namely, that no man is able to "open the book, and to look thereon," and that judgment is according to them. However, the connection between them is closer and more direct. For it is the Divine Truth of the Word which makes heaven and the church, which makes each angel a form of heaven, and which reforms man, that the church may be in him, and that he may have life. The state of the church with each man-his state of life-is wholly dependent on and in accord with his attitude towards the Word and his reception of it. What determines the quality of a man's life, spiritually considered, is essentially the extent and manner of his taking up the things of the Word into the interiors of his mind to form the love and thence the life. Thus the Word in man makes his spiritual state, and is his, life.
     Whatever has relation to or bearing upon man's state of life is indelibly recorded in his interior memory. The external memory is used consciously in the world, and is not properly part of the man himself, but of the body only. Thus what is in the external memory is outside man, being written "on his back," as it were, and not within him, and comes to him through his bodily senses. But the interior memory is of the spirit, forming an inseparable part of the man to all eternity. The things inscribed upon it are those which he loves; thus it is a record of every love and affection that has been active in him from his birth, bearing testimony to his essential quality. So long as he is in the natural world, a man is not conscious of his internal memory, although it is being continually inscribed upon, and although he does make use of what is within it, as he does whenever he thinks and acts according to his loves and affections. For whenever a man uses the things of his interior memory, they as it were flow down into corresponding things in the external memory, and appear no otherwise than as belonging to the external memory.
     Properly speaking, there are two interior memories. The true interior memory belongs to the rational plane, and is formed of those things which make one with the spiritual loves which man receives from the Lord. Such an interior memory can exist only in those who are regenerating, and can properly be called man's "book of life."

401


The other interior memory is beneath the "book of life." It exists in the interiors of the natural plane, and is formed by natural loves which are man's own, and whose primary regard is the man himself.
     The regenerating man possesses both interior memories, and carries them with him into the spiritual world. There the lower memory is then closed, and made inactive, though it is still with him: whereas the true interior memory is opened by the Lord, and the angel-man lives from and according to it.
     The unregenerate man, however, develops only his lower interior memory. For he possesses no spiritual loves and affections from the Lord, but only natural and evil loves. Thus, as the plane of the true interior memory is closed with him, the lower memory constitutes his "interior" memory. And it is a memory of evil, from which and according to which he lives after death. It is thus not a book of life, but a book of death.
     At the time of man's final judgment, his interior memory is opened by the Lord, and examined in the light of the Divine Truth of the Word. For according to it man is judged. He who in the world had loved the Word only naturally, that is, who had no true love for the thing; of the Word, but had twisted and used them only to further his proprial ends, rejecting what he could not so abuse, though he may have led an apparently blameless life, such a one possesses but a memory of evil and falsity, of what is profane and perverted. When this memory is opened for inspection, and the genuine truth of the Word is made known to the man, he sees by its light that his life's love is contrary to the teachings of the Word. To accept the truth would deprive him of his life, and therefore he rejects it a second time, turning himself from it, and casting himself into hell. But he who in the world reads the Word with genuine affection, loving truth for its own sake, and for this reason seeks to know the truth and to live according to it, he comes to possess a memory inscribed with the truths he loves. And when he is given to look upon the opened Word, he joyfully reaffirms his acceptance of its teachings, and is raised by the Lord into life eternal. Amen.

LESSONS:     Ezekiel 2. Revelation 5.     A. E. 299.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 449, 464, 466.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 16 and 105.

402


VISION AND USE 1944

VISION AND USE       GEOFFREY S. CHILDS       1944

     Academy Commencement Address, June 14, 1944.

     A sage was once asked, "Who is an old person?" He answered, "Anyone who is twenty years older than yourself is an old person to you." Now, if this is true-and I think there is some truth in it-you are being addressed today by a patriarch. It was just thirty-four years ago that I graduated from this School.
     I mention all this for a reason. Thirty-four years is quite a long time, but I can testify truthfully that my affection for the Academy has increased with the years. I am everlastingly grateful for the education received here.
     My testimony is, perhaps, of some interest, but what is far more significant is the fact that all loyal members of the Sons of the Academy and Theta Alpha feel the same way. There is a meaning in this for you who are just graduating.
     Why do we feel as we do?
     It is because we believe that the Writings are the Word of God-the true Second Coming-the Lord with us.
     It is because we believe that the truths taught in the Writings, and given in the education here, are Divine Truths which are to govern our lives happily and usefully in this world and in the world to come.
     It is because we believe that our Church gives us access to a true philosophy of life whereby we can found our house upon a Rock. "There was a wise man who built his house upon a rock; and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not; for it was founded upon a rock."
     And now let me move along to the basic thought I would like to leave with you. In these years of stress and strain there often comes to my mind the powerful quotation from Proverbs. "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (29: 18.)

403



     There has been much failure in the last three decades in men and in uses and in nations. The education you have received here, and the keys to the doors of Truth now in your hands, give you the means of acquiring true Vision. Let me illustrate by touching upon a few fundamentals taken from the Writings.
     In Divine Providence, no. 46, we read, "The Lord's Divine Providence, in all that it does, regards the infinite and the eternal." Today we are in the midst of a great world-upheaval. At times the shadow of war touches us deeply and intimately. We find our Vision failing. Then the teachings from the Writings come to comfort us, and to tell us that the Lord's Divine Providence is over all, and that it is working for infinite and eternal ends-for ultimate good. From time to time we see the truth of all this in some experience of the past. At the moment it max- have seemed too great a burden to bear, and then, with the years, comes the realization that "it happened for the best." We may never live to see the true fruits of this terrible world-conflict, but we must know and believe that in the years to come it will be seen that it all happened for the best.
     Again, "It is a law of Divine Providence that man should act from freedom according to reason." (D. P. 71.) There is no freedom in ignorance. and no reason without truth. I think it is comforting to know that we belong to a Church that teaches us that we must learn to think clearly and correctly. There is always Vision in clear, correct thinking.
     Again, "It is a law of Divine Providence that man should not be compelled by external means to think and will, thus to believe and love, the things of religion: but that man should bring himself to it, and sometimes compel himself." (D. P. 129.) Here we have the reason as to why our enemies must be defeated. They stand for the belief that "Might is right," and ultimately this philosophy must perish from the earth. There is Vision in the realization that we know why our fight is a righteous one. Individually, however, it is easy to stray from the strait and narrow path. I would urge you to determine at the threshold of life that you are going to expose yourself to the things of the church-daily reading from the Writings, attendance at church and doctrinal classes, and distinctive New Church social life, wherever possible.

404


In all this there is great individual protection.
     And while we are on the subject of the Writings, I would like also to quote two numbers having to do with the Doctrine of Use: "All joy, beatitude, happiness, felicity and delight in the heavens is in the affection of use for the sake of use." (S. D. 5155.) And also: "Heaven and heavenly joy commence in a man when looking to self expires in the uses which he performs." Now, in these two passages we have the Vision of why we are here. No one else in all the world has been created to perform the particular eternal use which we have been created to perform as individuals.
     Men and women who are in the uses they love know the joy that comes from the sincere and effective performance of one's calling. I would point out, however, that no one comes easily into the fullness of his work. The answer lies in facing the task that is yours for today to the very best of your ability. In this spirit one may be given from time to time a Vision of greater opportunities. Bear in mind the teaching that "heaven and heavenly love commence in a man when looking to self expires in the uses which he performs."
     Now, let me remind you once more that thirty-four years stand between your viewpoint and mine. Under these conditions I feel sure you will permit me to put on my patriarchal beard and talk to you about a few fundamental observations that have come from the experiences of these years. So that you will bear with me I will tell you that these observations are five in number.
     1. Progress is not measured in great events, but in the day to day accomplishments that make the great events possible. It is so easy to fall into the temptation of believing that you can do wonderful things when you have wonderful things to do. Life just doesn't work that way. The invasion of France is going "according to schedule," not because of the sudden heroic determination of the men involved, but rather because of the almost unbelievable planning and training down to the last details that went on for months before D-Day. What you do today, tomorrow and the next day will ultimately determine your career. I would urge you to set your heart and mind on the idea of making every day count for something worth-while.

405



     2. Difficulties are the means of progress. Welcome them, instead of avoiding them. Often, when we are in the midst of some problem, we long for the day when it will be solved. Somehow, when the problem no longer exists, there is a lost, empty feeling. The joy that we looked forward to fades so quickly. Already a new problem is before us which demands our attention, and perhaps once again we find ourselves looking forward to the "day of rest." If we can acquire a philosophy that difficulties are to be welcomed instead of shunned, life takes on new meaning. The idea is not altogether easy to carry out, and sometimes the burdens appear too great. However, I recommend it to you for your consideration, because I believe it is one of the essential keys to a happy, useful life.
     3. Failures come to all. The important thing is not the failure, but how one takes it. The human thing when a mistake is made is immediately to blame someone else. The human thing is not necessarily a good thing. I would urge that, when a failure or mistake falls to your lot, that you strive to see where you fell down. If you look for the blame in yourself, and you are successful in your search, you can do something about it. If you blame someone else, you can do little, if anything about it. Bear in mind that the other person involved is probably blaming you.
     4. States of mental depression come to all. The only difference is that some people are more successful than others in keeping these states to themselves. These states vary, of course, in time and in intensity. Let me urge that you realize that states of depression are not good things in which to indulge. They are rarely solved by talking about them to others. The best cure is to throw oneself actively into some work. In more serious cases one should turn to the help of the church and the society of others. "Look out!" is a good injunction in more ways than one in dealing with states of depression, The temptation is to "look in" upon oneself, and in this lies no hope of solution. Mental disturbances feed on solitude and idleness.
     5. And, finally, use is not just one's job. It is also the work that we can and should do for our church, our country, our community, etc. In your early years the work that you can do may seem very humble, but let me remind you once again that it is little things well done that lead to greater responsibilities.

406


I urge that you pledge yourself to do your part whenever Providence indicates that there is work for you to do.
     And, now, I want to refer once more to that quotation, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."
     This "perishing" can be individual or as a group or as a nation. You are equipped-we are equipped-with vision to see that we must go forward with trust in the Lord's Providence, with determination to do well the uses indicated as ours, with confidence in the future. This is our time-our day. We cannot hope to solve all the world's ills, but when we do our assigned part-and it is an important part-we go forward in our uses faithfully, justly and sincerely. The opportunities are great, because the problems are great.
     The Word of God is the source of all true Vision.

     O Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle?
          Who shall dwell in the mountain of Thy holiness?

     He that walketh uprightly, and doeth justice,
          And speaketh the truth in his heart.

     He that slandereth not with his tongue.
          Nor doeth evil to his companion.
               Nor putteth shame upon his neighbor.

     In whose eves a vile person is despised;
          But he honoreth them that fear the Lord.

     He that sweareth to afflict himself,
          And changeth not.

     He that giveth not his money to usury,
          Nor taketh a gift against the innocent.
               He that doeth these things shall never be moved.
                                        PSALM 15.

407


LORD IN THE SHIP 1944

LORD IN THE SHIP       Rev. GILBERT H. SMITH       1944

     A Talk to Children.

          You remember that when the child Jesus had grown to be twelve years old, He talked with the doctors in the temple at Jerusalem, and that when Joseph and Mary found Him there, He went home with them to Nazareth. Now when the Lord had grown to be a man He left his home with Joseph and Mary in Nazareth and went to live among the fishermen at Capernaum, which was a little town beside the Sea of Galilee. The fishermen had many little ships or fishing boats, which usually had one sail and some oars to row with when they went out on the sea with their nets to catch fish.
     One time the Lord wanted to go across this sea, because He knew that there were two men over there who needed Him. So He and several of the men who were His followers got into one of these small fishing ships and sailed across the Sea of Galilee. But a great storm or tempest came up and the waves broke over the ship, and it looked as if it would be wrecked. The Lord had fallen asleep, and the men came to Him and woke Him. They knew that He could save them.
     Then the Lord made the fierce storm to stop, and the ship was safe. The men who were with Him were very much astonished when they saw how easily and quickly the Lord had made the storm to stop. They were the men whom the Lord had been teaching from day to day, and so they were called His "disciples." That is what the word "disciple" means; it means one who learns from a teacher. These disciples were amazed to see what great power the Lord had, and they said: `What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!' Because He was the Lord. He only had to say to the winds and the waves. "Peace, be still! And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm."

408



     Do you know what ships are for? These little ships were used for catching fish with a net. Big ships carry all kinds of goods, sometimes very precious and valuable things, like gold and silver and food: and they take people from one land to another over the ocean.
     Do you know what is meant in the Word by catching fish in a net and pulling them into a ship? The Lord said to His disciples, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men!" They were to teach people about the Lord and about heaven, and so to bring them into His church. That was like catching fish in a net, and drawing the net into the ship.
     The church is also like a ship because the church has all kinds of good things in it. It has all the precious and valuable things that we learn from the Word. Our church is full of knowledge about the Lord, and heaven, and what is good and true, and how the Lord takes care of us. This knowledge is like the gold, and silver, the food and grain, and all other valuable things that are usually carried in ships.
     The Lord Himself was in this fishing ship, and that means the Lord is in His church. And that is the reason why the Lord so often sat in a ship near the seashore and taught the people who sat on the land and listened to Him.
     The Lord made the storm to stop, and made the wind and the waves quiet, although at first He was asleep, and the men in the ship were all afraid that the storm would wreck the ship. This shows that the Lord has power to keep our church from all harm, just as He saved the ship.
     So the ship came to land on the far side of the sea, and the Lord saw the two men who were in great trouble coming to Him out of some holes in the rocks called "tombs because they were used for burial. The Lord knew they were there, and He had come to help them. They were two men who were under the power of some evil spirits. The evil spirits made them fierce like wild animals, or like people who are very angry. The men could not help it, because the evil spirits had taken possession of their minds and bodies and made them do wild things. And there were a great many of these evil spirits. They said their name was "Legion," and that means "Many." (Mark 5: 9.)

409



     But when these evil spirits saw' the Lord coming near them, they said: "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" They knew that He was going to make them go away from the two men, and would drive them out. So they begged the Lord to let them go out of the two men and to go into a herd of swine or hogs that were feeding nearby. And the Lord commanded the evil spirits to leave the men and enter into the swine, because the Lord is always merciful, even to evil spirits. But then they made all the herd of swine run down a steep bank into the sea, and all these animals were drowned.
     Do you know what the swine mean, or the hogs? They mean greediness. Evil spirits like to be with people who are greedy, who want the best of everything for themselves. That is why they wanted to go into the swine.
     And do you know what being drowned in the sea means? Well, it means coming into hell. For in hell there are seas and lakes full of dark and dirty water. The Lord does not want anyone ever to come into hell, and He is always trying to save people from it. He wants everyone to come into heaven where they can be happy forever. But He cannot take anyone into heaven until He has saved him from evil spirits, as He saved the two men on the other side of the Sea of Galilee.
     After the Lord had cast out the evil spirits, they had to go back into hell where they had come from. And the two men who were saved from their power gave thanks to the Lord, who had come all the way across the sea to help them.

LESSON:     Matthew 8: 23-34
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 421, 447, 461.
PRAYER:     Nos. C 6 and C S.

410


EVANGELISTIC FISHING 1944

EVANGELISTIC FISHING       DONALD R. COFFIN       1944

     (From Speeches at a New Church Day Banquet, Bryn Athyn, June 19, 1944. Mr. Elmer Simons, toastmaster, prepared the program.)

     I.     THE FISHERMAN.

     In going to the Writings, I found that the subject is divided into the general classifications of "the fisherman," "fishing," and the "fish." In the present discussion, the part in which I am interested is that of "the fisherman." First of all, I ran across the problem of what kind of fish he should try to catch. Then came the question as to his equipment. Finally, the matter of his mental equipment in doing the job.
     The following passage from the True Christian Religion seems to bear upon the subject of a layman fishing:

     An evil spirit was questioning Swedenborg after a discourse, saying. "How is it that your Lord revealed the arcana, which you have just enumerated in a long series, to you who are a layman, and not to some one of the clergy?"
     To this Swedenborg replied, "This was the good pleasure of the Lord, who prepared me for this office from my early youth. Nevertheless I will ask you a question in return: 'Why did the Lord, when in the world, choose fishermen for His disciples, and not some of the lawyers, scribes, priests or rabbis?' Discuss this question among yourselves, draw your conclusions from judgment, and you will discover the reason." (T. C. R. 850.)

     This passage seems to indicate, not only who shall be fishermen, but also what kind of people are capable of receiving the Truth, so that they too can become fishermen. In any event, it certainly indicates that we laymen of the New Church have a certain obligation in this matter of fishing.

411


For we have a knowledge of, or maybe I should say access to, Revealed Truth, and should therefore be anxious and glad to share it with others who are less fortunate than ourselves.
     I suppose there are members of the General Church who hesitate in this matter of evangelistic fishing. They remember and hide behind the warning that we should not "cast our pearls before swine." The net result is, that they use such caution in discussing our doctrines with outsiders that their caution kills the possibility of success, or even kills the urge to fish itself.
     However, what I am interested in at the moment is not the increasing of the membership of the General Church, but rather the spreading of the knowledge of the Second Coming. I believe we have a duty in this matter, and that if we meet this duty, Providence will take care of the increase in the membership of the General Church according to that Church's uses.
     Our prime interest should be that of making certain that the people we meet in our daily life-those who meet certain conditions-are told about the Second Coming, and are given a chance to accept it, or to study the Writings if they care to do so. (In passing, I would like to remind those who hold that the growth of the church should be from within, that if they are at all economy-minded, it is much cheaper to get new members through missionary methods than it is to grow them.)
     The "certain conditions" just mentioned seem to be covered in the Writings by the term "Christian Gentilism." In other words, if you can find a "Christian Gentile," you may have a possible receiver of our doctrines before you.
     The term "Christian Gentile" seems to be built up of words which are at cross purposes. Yet it is not hard to picture a "Christian"; and a "gentile' is someone who is outside of something. So we have that composite picture of a person who, while Christian" as to his remains, background and way of life, is still a "Christian Gentile," in that the organized Christian Church, as it is today constituted, leaves him cold, since he cannot take what that Church hands out to him in the name of Religion. This person is not merely lukewarm about his church or any church, but he has an active distaste for the drivel he is expected to take in the name of Christianity.

412



     Another quality manifested by a "Christian Gentile" is a feeling of vacancy in the life of his mind, which is caused by the purely social-humanism of the present phase of the Christian Church. I realize that you will not find many "Christian Gentiles" while you are waiting for a train at the Reading Terminal; but I believe that, if you are on the look-out, sooner or later you will meet the type of person who fits the general picture.
     I will admit that I have probably met and passed up people who could embrace our Faith. Sometimes I have guessed wrong, as in the case of a certain newly married couple. He was a Presbyterian, and she an Episcopalian. Since they had only been married about ten days, it was natural that our discussion should get to the topic of conjugial love. They were also toying with the idea that maybe it would be better if they both joined a third Church, rather than that he should go to hers or she to his. They attended church at Bryn Athyn on at least two occasions, seemed very well impressed, and then quit. I learned later that the man had been elevated to the position of deacon or something equivalent to our "pillar of the church" idea.
     Another couple, to whom I had sold a home, showed more than ordinary interest in the doctrines-as expounded by myself, of course. They had no church connections whatsoever. It looked like a lead-pipe cinch until the husband ups and says he hadn't ever gone to church, and he didn't see any reason why he should start now. I think the wife is still interested, but it would probably break up the marriage if she were urged to action.
     Neither of these cases, however, would come under the term "Christian Gentilism."
     There is another angle, and no small one, If you really want to see how little you know' about your own doctrines, just tackle a red-hot "Christian Gentile." It's like trying to take a fifty-pound fish on a ten-pound line.
     Up to this point my remarks have been concerned with the kind of fish we are to be on the lookout for. Now I want to talk about the qualifications of the fisherman.

413


Time will not permit my going into all of the qualifications of a good fisherman, so I will just stick to one generality.
     Today is the 19th of June. It is the 174th anniversary of the Second Coming. In our fishing for men, and making known to them the highlights of our Faith, the Second Coming, our celebration of its anniversary, and our understanding of what it means to us, individually and as members of the Church,-this is the corner stone of our belief, and the chief instrument of our fishing equipment. We must not only be convinced of the fact that the Lord has made His Second Coming, but we must have, and show, a certain joy in that fact, before we can possibly sell that idea to anyone else. If we keep this doctrine paramount, we can avoid the danger of selling the doctrines piecemeal-the danger being that our listener will merely confirm the truths he has within himself, without recognizing the real import of this new Source of Truth now made available to man.

     II. THE FISH.

     BY DOMINIQUE BERNINGER.

     May I ask all those present to raise their hands who came into the New Church from outside, who were not "born" into the Church? The audience numbered 326, of whom about 200 were adults. From among these latter, about 70 raised their hands.] Now that showing disposes of pages of argument. We can all see how many and who those are, among us, whom Mr. Coffin called "the fish,"-fish in various stages of development, from just plain fish to fishermen, with rod, tackle, net and patience.
     We would be fewer here tonight, were it not that, since that eventful 19th day of June 1770, some New Church fishermen set out, beyond the quiet waters of their own families, to brave the treacherous ocean of the world beyond,-to extend their sphere among those who stood outside, to whom they said: "Come, share with its the new life!" These New Churchmen, then as today, delighted in their discovery of the Writings, and they wished to share that delight with others. They loved their Church, and wanted to see it grow.
     The addition of new members from the outside is a task wherein the layman particularly can contribute towards church uses-a task conducive to humility, because it puts to a practical test the knowledge and the love wherein our New Churchmanship consists; a task that requires preparation.

414



     The good fisherman does not set out blindly, in a leaky boat, with torn net and unpalatable bait. He knows his fish, and where they are to be found. All the time not spent in reaping the reward of his toil, he uses to improve his tools, equipment and methods.
     Men are not as easy to know as fish. But all of us have occasionally met persons-not New Churchmen-whom we could whole-heartedly admire; persons who appeared to be searching for the real truth of what life is all about.
     Occasionally we meet married couples who are devotedly attached to each other. They wonder about death and separation. Would they not welcome knowing about conjugial love, and the truth that what the Lord joins together, He joins together to eternity?
     We also meet parents who are appalled at the thought of sending their children out into a world which to them appears aimless and perverted. Such parents are yearning to learn about childhood remains, and about the protective sphere of the celestial angels who attend every child.
     And how about those who have studied the Bible with devotion, but have become discouraged by the apparent contradictions and the abject cruelty which they find in the sense of the letter? Would not all such delight to know' about a spiritual sense, about correspondences, and about the Lord's Second Coming?
     There are also those who do believe in a God, and in some Providence. but who find no satisfaction in the lifeless teachings of unclear religions. To them the truth that God is one in Essence and in Person, infinite Love and Wisdom, and that this God is the Lord Himself, will appear evident on first hearing.
     Yes, there are also many who know of nothing but eating and drinking, playing horse races, reading the funnies, and listening to ball game returns-those who, cynically or blissfully, close their eyes to anything but what is material. But even these are better prospects than the countless others whose minds, either from confirmation or obstinacy, are closed, because they believe themselves to be saved already. Building on vacant ground is hard enough, let alone having first to dynamite and then to clear away the debris.

415



     Now, to find such prospects, we need not go on a world cruise. Indeed, many a prospective New Churchman was picked up literally down in the valleys, and even on the very steps, leading to our Church. For the Divine Providence, in its unceasing leading, placed them there.
     Let me cite an instance. An infant boy on a farm in France, having been vaccinated, contracts pneumonia and remains so sickly that the doctor says, "He cannot live much beyond twenty." He is not sent into the fields as other boys are, but through high school, and then to college. The fateful twentieth year passes, but his life goes on, and he interrupts his course in pharmacy to join the Salvation Army. After one of their meetings, a stranger, a Mr. Vaissiere, approaches him: "You spoke briefly, but you said much. Here, read this copy of Heaven and Hell!" That little book, and his violin, became his prize possessions-and both were stolen by a thief! A new copy of Heaven and Hell was asked for, and with it came the True Christian Religion. In the light of these doctrines the Salvation Army now appears shallow. He resigns, and turns to teaching school.
     Just then a vast new field opens in Madagascar. He is to go there with two others. But first he wants his marriage consecrated by a New Church minister-by Mr. Oettle in Paris. Thrice he writes him, but receives no answer. Just as, in desperation. he had mailed a letter to a Mr. Theophilus Odhner in far-away America, Mr. Oettle's reply arrives: "Yes, I will be glad to perform the marriage ceremony." But the course of the Divine Providence is unperturbable. From America soon comes the word: "Why Madagascar? Why not join us in Bryn Athyn?"
     In Madagascar there is malaria, and his young wife is delicate. So they set out into the world, and arrive safely in Bryn Athyn. On arrival here, his wife promptly does contract malaria. But the men he was to accompany to Madagascar, on arrival there, are shot dead!
     The ways of the Divine Providence are inscrutable. But at times it can operate only through the instrumentality of men like Mr. Vaissiere and Mr. Theophilus Odhner. Without their initiative, there might now be in Madagascar another gravestone, and in Bryn Athyn, in this hall, a few vacant chairs, among them that now occupied by Monsieur Vinet. Madame Vinet, unfortunately, could not be with us tonight.

416



     Not all such stories can be as picturesque, and we know that there could he but one Monsieur Vinet. But there are within our reach, potential New Churchmen everywhere.
     The chances are that the quiet young man in our office, or the blonde at the typewriter, are just what we are looking for. Our business or professional associates, co-workers and co-students: all these men and women whom we see nearly every day in office, shop, factory, or in the armed forces; all these, and the neighbors about us, must be considered prospects until we have tried and found differently. For the Lord, in His Divine Providence, may have led them there, within our reach, for us to do our job as fishermen.
     But when conversation turns to subjects as personal as one's faith or religion, all men, even the best of them, are weary and diffident, weighted with inertia, and generally on the defensive, And why should they not? For centuries the poison of insincere religion has permeated all mankind, and, once such men have found a place of relative peace in the scheme of things, they resent being disturbed,-disturbed by what to them appears as just another attempt at conversion the mention of a New Revelation appears preposterous in today's world of radio, movies, and airplanes.
     Before we approach them, therefore, it will be well to rehearse our part, and to say to ourselves: "I want to show this man the way to the New Church,-the way towards a life of love to the Lord. I know that influx from the New Heaven flows into the minds of all men, This is the Lord's work. My task will consist in imparting such knowledge of the New Revelation as I may possess, and to show, by means of examples particularly adapted to the listener's curiosity, wherein that New Revelation should be of vital interest to him. I must remember, also, that unless his dim remains of love and affection be kindled, and fanned into a perceptible flame of responsiveness, any amount of lecturing will be in vain."
     How important this latter phase of the appeal really is, can be inferred from the slender response brought forth by the impersonal dissemination of the Writings throughout the world. There the Truth itself can be bought for a few cents a volume, but few copies are sold, and fewer read; and lone indeed is the reader who discovers enlightenment therein.

417


From this we may gather the secret as to why personal contact yields the best results, and is the ideal avenue of approach to missionary work. Knowledge can be taught, but love and affection must be aroused by subtler and more potent means. Unless our listener can see in our personality, or way of life, our attitude and our example, a deeper affection than mere words can convey, he will not understand the truths we are trying to preach.
     These attributes are precisely the Lord's gifts of goods and troths to those who are already on their way towards a life of shunning evils as sins. And so we say to ourselves: "Assuming that I am such a one, how must I proceed? Perhaps I can take a lesson from the Writings themselves. Are not their fundamental teachings clear as crystal? Is not the consistency of their reasonings marvelous? Does not joy and gladness shine through every page thereof? And must not I, therefore, in my appeal, weak and imperfect as it may be, strive towards those same characteristics of clearness in my presentation, consistency in my reasonings, and joy and gladness in my discussion?" What a contrast that would be in the growing confusion of the world's science, philosophy, and psychology, the centrifugal whirl of which eggs men on to chase the troth in ever widening realms, when indeed the Truth, now as always, is to be found right close by, in the very center of it all.
     This distinctiveness of our personal approach, and of the presentation of our subject, will, in the early stages of our mission, be far more potent than the very truth we are attempting to convey. Then, little by little, but ever more rapidly as our pupil wills to take hold and do his own reading, can we withdraw, and the critical part of our task is done.
     This, our individual distinctiveness, must not only be evident when we meet this prospect in private: it most also he present when we invite him to our home, to the social gatherings in our community, and to worship in our church.
     There he will find, not one society, but indeed a number of them. He will meet family groups-some sixty-three Smiths, and almost as many Synnestvedts. He will meet the clergy, the teachers, the scientists, and the philosophers. He will meet the artists, the musicians, the caterers, and the clowns. He will meet many subtle and subtlest groupings and subdivisions, altogether too many to mention here, but all contributing towards a general sphere.

418


He will wander from one to the other-an experience not unlike that of a man passing into and through the world of spirits, where the sheep are sorted from the goats. Either he will gradually find his place in that sphere, and remain, or he will not, and will forever vanish out of sight. Only if the many distinct things that he finds blend together into a one-a form that corresponds to heaven-can we hope that one who remains with us is in fact of the sheep, and not perchance of the goats.
     Let us assume that he so finds unity because the Lord is in our midst, and about Him a society of men and women who are turned towards Him and led by Him. And let us assume that he is then carried away by the enthusiasm of this discovery. If, then, when attending singing practice, he finds plenty of vacant chairs, he will not be able to conclude otherwise than that most of the population is matte up of Schumann-Heinks and Carusos, whose privilege it is to save their vocal chords for more important occasions, And, at some of our social dances, he will not at once associate the noises emanating from the loudspeaker or band with those unrhythmical and unmelodious abominations noised by a million jukes. Upon more interior thought, he may even find in such occasional dissonances an illustration of the need of evil, temptation, continual self-examination and repentance.
     In his further journey through our sphere, no outsider can fail to be impressed by the order that prevails. In a delightful setting, carefully chosen by our founders, the fine cathedral. Homes, old and new, and in each home the Word. Happy couples, and many children. The older people among us strikingly young in mind and spirit. The many conversations and discussions focusing on religion. The delightful simplicity of our weddings. The inspiration of our funeral services. And, above all, a consummately ordered ecclesiastical government, continually vigilant-in worship, education and social life-to keep our faces turned towards that place in our midst where the Lord dwells.
     All these are the outward signs of a distinctiveness which Bishop de Charms, in his recent classes, has clearly defined. Without distinctiveness, there cannot be a New Church, just as, without a fisherman's net, there cannot be a separation of those fish which are within from those which are without. Unless a thing be distinct, it cannot be seen; and what cannot be seen may as well not exist.

419



     In conclusion, it appears evident that, in the measure that this distinctiveness becomes ever more fully the foundation and fountainhead of our individual and collective lives, joining together an abundance of goods and truths from the Lord in the performance of uses, in that measure only will our fishermen be successful in their inspiration of others to love as we love, to see as we see, and thence to discover for themselves the reality of the Second Coming. In that measure the Church will grow, not only within but in numbers as well. "For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance."
ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND. 1944

ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND.              1944

     "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15: 13.

     From fifteen anonymous donors the General Church has received a fund of $1,068.00 in memory of those men and women who have given or who may give their lives in the service of their country. The fund is to be invested, and the income thereof is to be used for General Church purposes.
     It seems altogether fitting that we, who continue to enjoy the fruits of their loyalty and their devotion, should perpetuate the memory of our sons and daughters who made the supreme sacrifice. by sustaining the uses of the Church they were fighting to defend.
     Those desiring to increase this fund may send contributions to "The General Church of the New Jerusalem," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., indicating the purpose of the gift. All such contributions will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged.

420


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By

THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     SCRIPTURE QUESTIONS.

A Phrase in the Lord's Prayer.

     A reader asks this question: "In other churches they use the wording. 'Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.' On what basis do we use the phraseology in our Liturgy: 'Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth'?"
     The phrase as commonly used in other churches is similar to the English version of the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6: 10, "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven," But the version in Luke 11: 2 reads, "Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth," The original Greek is the same in Matthew and Luke, and may be literally translated: "Thy will be done, as in heaven, and (or also) upon the earth." The translators of Matthew took some liberties with the exact form of the original Greek by putting "earth" before "heaven."
     In the Writings, however, we find three different forms of this phrase in the Latin, thus: sicut in caelo, ita in terra-as in heaven, so on earth: sicut in caelo, etiam in terra-as in heaven, also on earth; in terris sicut in caelis-on the earths as in the heavens. (See A. R. 749, 839, 956; A. E. 1217.)

421



     The form we use in our Liturgy conforms to the original Greek, as also is the case in the Conference and the Convention, except that their Books of Worship have: "so also upon the earth." Yet it would seem that there is nothing inherently wrong in the Matthew version as used in the Christian churches, since we also find it used in the Writings. The meaning of the phrase is clear in both versions. To state it simply, we pray that the Lords will, as it operates in heaven, may also be fulfilled upon earth, or that the Lord's will be done by the men of the church as it is done by the angels of heaven.

Closing Words of the Lord's Prayer.

     In a sermon delivered in one of the Christian churches, heard by one of our readers, the preacher stated that the closing words of the Lord's Prayer, "for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory," are not found in the original text of the Gospel. This kind of negative teaching is common today where the Word is expounded under the influence of Modernist Biblical criticism.
     According to the Biblical scholars, the closing words of the Prayer, known as the "doxology," are not found in the early manuscripts of the Gospel-at least in some of the early manuscripts. On this account, Christian commentators express doubts of their authenticity, and some textual students would omit them. They are omitted in the Luke version of the Lord's Prayer, chapter 11: 2-4, but are included in the Matthew version, chapter 6: 9-13. The preacher was undoubtedly referring to the early manuscripts, although the Christian Church has long accepted the Greek version of Matthew which includes the closing words, as translated in our English Bible. One commentator has this to say:

     "The whole of this doxology is rejected by Wetstein, Griesbach, and the most eminent critics. The authorities on which it is rejected may be seen in their works, particularly in the second edition of Griesbach's Testament, who is fully of the opinion that it never made a part of the sacred text. It is variously written in several manuscripts, and omitted by most of the Fathers, both Greek and Latin. As the doxology is at least very ancient, and was in use among the Jews (see I Chronicles 29: 11), it should not, in my opinion, be left out of the text, merely because some manuscripts have omitted it and it has been variously written in others." (Adam Clarke's Commentary.)

422




     For the New Church, of course, the authenticity and the canonicity of the text of the Gospel is determined by the Writings. And in the case of the closing words of the Lord's Prayer, "for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory" which we use in saying that Prayer, they are quoted several times in the Writings, and the internal sense is given, as in A. E. 48:3. A. C. 5922:17, and other passages. We can sympathize with Adam Clarke, although we have greater authority for including the "doxology" in the Lord's Prayer,-the authority of a new Divine Revelation from the Lord out of heaven.
PARENT-TEACHER JOURNAL 1944

PARENT-TEACHER JOURNAL              1944

     Season of 1944-1945.

     The purpose of this periodical is to provide material for the education of children in the home, and also to maintain cooperation between the Church Schools and the Academy.

     EDITOR: Miss Celia Bellinger.

     ASSISTANT EDITORS: Mrs. Besse E. Smith. Miss Lois Stebbing,

     Published Monthly, October to May, inclusive.

     Subscription: $1.00.
     Address: Mrs. Phyllis S. Cranch, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

423


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.
     SERGEANT JAMES MARTIN BUSS, Durban, Natal, South Africa. Royal Durban Light Infantry. Killed in action in Italy, May 7, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, Sgt. WAG J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Bond, Sgt. Pilot Thomas A.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, L.A.C. Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, Sgt. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Kuhl, Lt. A. William,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,

424



Schnarr, Lt. John G., Honorably discharged,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Anderson, O/Smn. Robert P.,
Bellinger, L.A.C. Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Sub-Lt. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, L.A.C. David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Cftn. A. E.,
Boozer, L/Sgt. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cohen, Eng. Comdr. Maurice L.,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, A.C. 2 Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Tpr. Alvin,
Motom, Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lt. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, S/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F., Honorably discharged,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope, Honorably discharged,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/P G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.

425





     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, Pfc. Karl R., Jr.,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Alden, William B., S. 1/c,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Cadet Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, T/5 Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, Pfc. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S 1/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Childs, Edith W., A.R.C.,
Cole, Pvt. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, Pfc. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, Dandridge M. K., S. 1/C,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 2/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Capt. Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W., U.S.N.R.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, Sgt. Otto G.,
Glebe, Ian, A.S.,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pfc. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard, Elizabeth, W.A.S.P.,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Cadet Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Major William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, Charis, W.A.S.P., Honorably discharged,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, Pfc. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, Pfc. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Pitcairn, Lt. Stephen, C.A.P.,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, Pfc. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald B., Cox.,
Schnarr, Pvt. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S.F. 3/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., A.S.,
Smith, Pfc. Gordon,
Smith, Pfc. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pfc. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, E.M. 3/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Capt. Robert E.,
Walter, T/5 Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, Pfc. Earle.

426




     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, Pfc. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, Pfc. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, Pfc. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gladish, Pvt. D. Philip,
Gunsteens, T/3 Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 1/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Sgt. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 2/c,
King, T/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, T/5 Cedric F.,
Lee, T/Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pfc. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, Pfc. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, Lt. Robert T.,
Reuter, Lt. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Ensign Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Scalbom, P. Jane, A.R.C.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 3/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Lt. G. King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Pvt. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., S. 1/c.
Packer, Pfc. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B., Honorably discharged.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton, Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., S. 2/c,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Pfc. William E.,
Conn, Daniel L., A.S.,
Ebert, Lt. (jg) Charles H., Jr.,
Heilman, Lt. Marlin Grant,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, S/Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 2/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.

427



Halterman, Pfc. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F 1/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. M. Fergus, Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, W.A.S. P., New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Linaweaver, Pearl, A.M.M. 2/C, N. J.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, Pfc. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Nail, S/Sgt. George U.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, A/C John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., S. 2/c, N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (Y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 1/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Sgt. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Toedt, Sgt. Harry K.
Waddell, Syd., Arizona.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.
OBITUARY 1944

OBITUARY       F. W. E       1944

     Sergeant James Martin Buss, who was serving with the South African Forces in Italy, gave his life in battle on May 7, 1944.

[Photograph]

     Martin was born at Pietermartizburg, Natal, on July 2, 1909, and thus was in his thirty-fifth year. He was the eldest son of Mr. W. M. Buss, recent Principal Emeritus of Mansfield Road School, Durban, and the grandson of the late Rev. J. F. Buss, the first Pastor of the Durban Society. On December 18, 1937, he married Miss Doreen Ridgway, only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. W. N. Ridgway, who have recently returned to live in Durban after a residence of many years at "Kent Manor," Zululand. Sergeant Buss is survived by his wife and three little sons-Anthony, Peter and Neil.
     Educated at the Durban High School and Ixopo Secondary School, where his father was Principal, Martin became associated with the mining industry in the Transvaal, and was sit employed at Springs when he enlisted. Having had several years training with the Natal Mounted Rifles, he joined his old regiment, and in 1940 went through the Abyssinian campaign, in which he was wounded. He also served in Egypt. He returned to the Union on leave in December, 1941, and, as Sergeant, was on duty in various places in South Africa. After his transfer to the Royal Durban Light Infantry, he left for the North the second time to November, 1943.
     A well-attended Memorial Service was held at the church of the Durban Society on Sunday evening. May 21, conducted by the Rev. F. W. Elphick. from whose Address we quote:

428




     "We all knew Martin to be of a bright and happy temperament. But it is also interesting to hear what his military superiors thought of him, and then we see the other side of his character-the qualities so needed in these times. An officer commanding his regiment has written of him: 'He was the finest possible type of soldier,-brave, of course, but also resolute, cool in action, intrepid, resourceful to a degree. He is a man that will be hard to replace, and can never be forgotten in the regiment. He loved it with the passionate love that only a real soldier feels, and he will be mourned by it with a deep regret that only a real soldier inspires.' And an officer wrote from Abyssinia: 'He was keen, efficient, cool and calm in battle.' These testimonials reflect great credit upon our friend.
     "But behind all this, and deep within, there was the serious man, with a love for the cause of the New Church and her teaching. Indeed, it is significant to note that, to those whom Martin knew more intimately, he seemed to give the impression that he felt that he was not coming back. And his last gift to his three little boys, posted from the Middle East, was a copy for each of the New Testament, as issued by His Majesty The King to his soldiers. In each copy Martin wrote a message that was both an admonition and a blessing to each son.
     "Surely these are evidences of spiritual advancement. Martin, too, was happy in his marriage. When both partners are of the same faith, of the same belief, of the same aspiration, there is light and comfort in the assurance that only in such marriage can real happiness exist and grow. Yet, for some reason of Providence, unknown to us, the war has been the means of causing an early parting.
     Martin has crossed over, and it may happen that the ones to meet him, or the ones to greet him, will be his friends of this society who have very recently gone before. In that world he may learn, more than ever we can know, why there is this conflict in this natural world of ours, and what may be the nature of the spiritual danger into which the nations of these times were drifting. And why, too, the Lord's Providence permits this great upheaval and great judgment, in which the cities of men are being destroyed and thousands of souls are passing to the world of spirits in preparation for their final abodes.
     "But what of those who remain behind-wife, sons, parents, friends? All that they and we can do, while the world is such that wars are inevitable, or until the hearts and minds of men and women be really changed-all that can be done is to 'remember and love the man who, from the zeal of love for his country, fights with her enemies even unto death, that he may thereby deliver her from the yoke of servitude.' (T. C. R. 710.) But in this loving we should also do all we can to instruct, inspire, educate, and train hearts and minds, so that the day may come when men can adjust disputes without recourse to fire and sword and destruction of life and property. Yet this change of heart can only come about when men see the meaning of the old-time war of the Philistines against the Israelites, and perceive the Goliath within themselves, and kill him with the simple stone of truth provided by the Lord."
     F. W. E.

429


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     July 30, 1944.-During the last two months our society has been enlarged by two families. Mr. and Mrs. Eldred Coffin and children have moved here from Philadelphia, and Mr. and Mrs. Neville Wright and children have come back after an absence of three years. We are glad to have the Wrights back and the Coffins with us.
     The ladies of the society are now having informal doctrinal classes with Mr. Acton each Tuesday, to continue during the Summer. These meetings are well attended and greatly appreciated.
     The Immanuel Church School held its closing exercises on Friday, June 16, bringing to a close a period of some fifty years of New Church education. There was no graduating class this year.
     New Church Day.-Our celebration started with a special service of worship on Sunday, June 18th. In the afternoon, and immediately following a special children's service, a most impressive tableau was enacted. It depicted the twelve disciples being called together and instructed to spread the gospel that "The Lord God Jesus Christ doth reign." This, together with singing by the choir and congregation-all in the courtyard of our buildings-brought this part of our celebration to an end. In the evening an informal outdoor meal was served.
     The following evening we held our June 19th banquet, at which the Rev. Elmo Acton was toastmaster. His three speakers were Mr. Herbert Croll, Mr. Alan Fuller and Mr. George Fiske. Mr. Croll spoke of the duties of the individual in a society of the General Church. Mr. Fuller spoke of the uses to be performed by the members of the church, and Mr. Fiske's talk was on the proposition that conflict is an essential of life.
     At the close of the meeting the society presented a gift to Miss Venita Roschman as an expression of our affection for her and our deep appreciation of the work she has done in our school for many years. Miss Roschman accepted the gift with becoming meekness. She is leaving us to take up her work of teaching in the school of the Olivet Church, Toronto. We shall miss her greatly-and Toronto is to be congratulated in gaining her for a teacher.
     Sons of the Academy.-At the June 25th meeting of the Glenview Chapter of the Sons a talk was given by Captain Stelter of the United States Navy. The ladies were invited to attend, in order that all might hear this talk. The Captain gave us an account of his experiences on the U. S. Carrier "Hornet." This was followed by a sound picture, entitled "The Life and Death of the Hornet." The picture itself was very realistic, and was made doubly effective by the fact that there was present with us an officer who had served on the "Hornet" during its short but illustrious career.
     At the July Sons' meeting, Mr. Trumbull Scalbom read a short paper on "Some Aspects of the Conflict between Science and Religion." It was so good that some of us felt that it was too short, and the discussion continued until supper time.
     July Fourth.-Our celebration was carried out in the usual manner-with parade and flag raising at the buildings, games and races for the children. This year, however, there was an added attraction-a short but impressive ceremony at our new flagpole, which has been placed directly behind our service flag at the entrance to The Park.

430


At the conclusion of Mr. Sydney Lee's dedicatory remarks, the flag which had been presented to Mr. and Mrs. Asplundh by the Navy upon the death of their son, Oswald. Jr., was raised. It forms a most appropriate background for our service flag.
     Men's Meeting.-It is our custom to hold our weekly men meetings with Mr. Acton at the various homes of the members. But on July 11th we received a special invitation to hold that meeting in the new summerhouse, recently completed on the grounds of the Asplundh residence in the village. The evening was hot, and we were mighty glad to accept. Mr. Asplundh had prepared quite an elaborate repast, and everything went smoothly until a high wind arose, and it looked for a moment as though the driving rain from the south would soak us. But Mr. Asplundh braved the storm and brought in a large tarpaulin which we tacked up against the south wall-and the meal continued with reasonable decorum.
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

     WYOMING, OHIO.

     August 7, 1944.-The absence of news reports from the Wyoming Circle since last January is no indication of inactivity on the part of this group. Although frequently it is literally "where two or three are gathered together," nevertheless services are held regularly on Sunday mornings. On the second Sunday of the month, the Rev. Norman H. Reuter, visiting pastor, comes to Wyoming and holds services and classes for adults and children. Unfortunately, he is not able to be here at the time of the church festivals, and so our Christmas, Easter, and June 19th celebrations are usually held without benefit of clergy.
     While the past season has been relatively quiet, we wound up the year in a burst of activity which included practically every service in the Liturgy except the rites of ordination and burial of the dead. Before the week-end was over some of its felt ready for the latter.
     To our great delight. Mr. Reuter brought his whole family, arriving on Friday evening, July 21.
     The next day we held an augmented Sunday School picnic in Sharon Woods, a lovely natural park within short driving distance of Wyoming where our County has provided facilities for picnicking and outdoor recreation. The picnic was attended by: Rev. and Mrs. Norman Reuter and their children-Margaret. Justin and Mark; Mr. and Mrs. William Allen Smith. Mrs. Edith Smith, the Misses Julia and Joanne Smith, and Billy Smith; Mr. and Mrs. Leigh C. Latta, Jr.; Mr. and Mrs. Lowell Haworth, Miss Jean Haworth, and Donald Haworth; Mrs. George A. Cowing; Lieut. Warren Reuter; Lieut. Marjory Barber; Lieut. George P. Brown; Mr. and Mrs. Donald Merrell, the Misses Gwynneth. Marjorie, Doris, Barbara, and Bobby Merrell; and Mr. T. M. Zimmer, who is a business associate of Mr. Merrell;-a total of twenty-nine adults and children at the outing.
     On Sunday there was a combined adult and children's service with an attendance of twenty-five. Miss Marjory Merrell made her Confession of Faith, and the service closed with the administration of the Holy Supper. In the afternoon the pastor officiated at the Baptism of Lt. Marjory Elizabeth Barber, of Fort Knox, Kentucky. Following the Baptism there was the Betrothal of Lt. George P. Brown and Miss Gwynneth Merrell. In the evening a doctrinal class was held. In between the above-mentioned events, classes were held for the children.
     Special Class.-At the request of the group of young ladies, who appear to have a special interest in the subject at the present time, the author of these notes has undertaken to conduct a class on Conjugial Love. This is not, as it may appear, a case of the layman usurping the function of the priesthood; it is merely a case of "pinch-hitting for the parson." These classes are supposed to last an hour, but it is usually nearer two hours before all the questions are settled, more or less, to the satisfaction of these young ladies.

431



     After one very elaborate explanation of a profound philosophical phase of the subject, one of the little darlings asked, "Pop, do you really understand what you are talking about?" On another occasion, in discussing the statement that there is one specific conjugial partner born for each man or woman, one of the young ladies said: "Dr. Acton told us one thing, Dr. Doering the opposite; now which one is right?" It is becoming more and more apparent why the teachers in the Academy Schools get that tired look at the end of a school-year.
     Next month, five of our young ladies will leave for the Academy in Bryn Athyn. This number, considering the size of the Wyoming Circle, is something of a record.
     DONALD MERRELL.


     TORONTO, CANADA.

     August 7, 1944.-Church attendance has been very well kept up this Summer, allowing for vacationists. One Sunday the pastor preached on the subject of "Betrothal," and the next on "Marriage," with the result that at the recent wedding these topics were sufficiently in mind to cause many comments. Last Sunday, Mr. Gyllenhaal spoke on "Contentment" in a stirring manner, and voiced the thought that "a satisfied man is not long happy; a contented man is not long miserable."
     Overseas news, so far as our boys are concerned, is not as bright as the war news in general. Sydney Parker is in the hospital with malaria, but we are glad to learn that it is a light attack. Arthur Fountain has been wounded while in France, the extent of the injury not being known as yet. William Kuhl, of Kitchener, has given his life for his country. Surely the reward will be great. But to his family and friends it is a loss that is difficult to conceive
     A Wedding.-The marriage of Captain Robert E. Walter and Miss Claire Bellinger was solemnized in the afternoon of Saturday, August 5th, the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal officiating. Captain Walter was accompanied by Lieutenant David Simons as groomsman, and Claire was attended by her sister, Jean, as maid of honor, with the Misses Mary Walter and Aileen Raymond as bridesmaids. The bride was escorted by her uncle, Mr. Norman Bellinger, of Buffalo. Mrs. Sydney Parker played the organ during the ceremony, and Messrs. Philip Bellinger and Ray Orr ushered in the guests.
     Claire was a very lovely bride, in a flowing gown of old ivory satin and brocaded marquisette, with an embroidered train and long, sweeping veil. She carried cream gladioli and wore a wreath of bavadia. It is interesting to note that the train and parts of the dress were taken from the wedding dress of her mother. Mrs. Lenore Bellinger. The attendants wore black sheer with brilliant multicolor floral bouquets.
     There was a strong American spirit pervading the occasion, as the bridegroom and best man were in formal U. S. Air Force uniforms, wearing well-earned decorations. And among the guests were quite a number from the United States, including Mr. and Mrs. Harry C. Walter, the groom's parents.
     Mr. Reginald Anderson was toastmaster at the reception which followed. Mr. Gyllenhaal responding to a toast to "The Church." and Lieutenant Simons proposing a toast to The Bride and Groom." which was acknowledged by the groom with quiet dignity.
     The sphere at the wedding of two young New Church people is impressive, and on this occasion was evident from the moment of entering the beautifully decorated church, which was lit by many candles and ornamented with large clusters of white gladioli. A large number of friends gathered to express the wish that the happiness which Claire and "Woiky" so evidently have may continue, "not for time alone, but to eternity."
     V. C.

432


CHARTER DAY 1944

              1944




     Announcements



     All ex-students of the Academy of the New Church are cordially invited to attend the Charter Day Exercises to be held at Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 13th and 14th, 1944.

     Program.

Friday, 11 a.m.-Cathedral Service, with an Address by the Rev. Ormond de C. Odhner.
Friday Afternoon.-Football Game.
Friday Evening.-Dance.
Saturday, 7 p.m.-A Banquet in the Assembly Hall. Toastmaster, Mr. Carl H. Asplundh.

     Arrangements will be made for the entertainment of guests, if they will write to Mrs. V. W. Rennels, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
THREE FESTIVALS 1944

THREE FESTIVALS       Rev. BJORN A. H. BOVESEN       1944



433




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
OCTOBER, 1944
No. 10
     The Mosaic Law prescribed three annual festivals which were to be observed in the Jewish Church according to the Lord's command, "Three times thou shalt keep a feast unto me in the year." (Exodus 23: 14.) The spiritual significance of these three feasts or festivals is now revealed in the Heavenly Doctrine, affording valuable instruction for the New Church. But first let us consider the subject of festival observance in general.
     It is a custom among human beings to celebrate outstanding or happy events with appropriate festivities. Some of these observances are almost universal among men; others are limited in one way or another, as by creed, race, nationality, community, or family. Some are definitely religious; others may be predominantly civic and social; they may be agricultural, or otherwise connected with human occupations; they may be historical, or otherwise traditional; in short, they may be classified in many different ways.
     Modern scientists, for the most part, maintain that the majority of these celebrations, if not all, have their roots in what were originally pagan customs, which at first had no relation whatsoever to religion. According to them, they grew out of entirely natural circumstances, which had a purely materialistic connection with the physical conditions of man. Thus they would argue that the celebrations at the birth of a child, at its coming of age, and at its entrance into the married state, had no other origin than the joy of contemplating its ever increasing participation in the struggle for survival. They would assert that harvest festivals, and similar ceremonials, had no other source than exhilaration at the decrease of physical danger and labor, and the increase of worldly prosperity and security.

434


They connect everything with the protection of the community against the hazards of nature and other human beings, and with the provision of an ample supply of food for all.
     Religion, they say, was a later development, growing out of a fear of starvation and death, and a hope for sufficiency of food and numerical increase by frequent births. Failures were originally blamed on the evil powers of enemies, who were eventually spiritualized into demons of every kind, inhabiting the innumerable objects of nature. Success was originally ascribed to the good powers of self and friends, who were spiritualized into gods, residing in similar but different objects of nature. In this way, say the scientists, men created gods out of their own attributes. There were gods of hunting, fishing, and agriculture, of the community, family, and sex, and a thousand other gods. These, we are told, were used as objects upon which failures could be blamed, and to which successes could be ascribed. They were invoked to solemnize celebrations of every conceivable nature, that these, through their mystic powers, should scare the individual or the group into meeting their obligations to the community. Out of these man-made gods of the earth, the one God of Jews and Christians is supposed to have arisen by fusion and sublimation.
     The Writings of the New Church give us a very different viewpoint. "There is a universal influx from God into the souls of men that there is a God, and that He is one." (T. C. R. 8.) Hence all men are originally predisposed to the acknowledgment of one God; and, before evil came into the world, they needed only instruction to worship Him. They knew, too, that this God is a God of love, who perpetually encouraged good, and never needed resort to fear to lead from evil to good. There was no evil to leave. People then lived in such close consociation with the heavens that they were almost one with them. In fact, their community was essentially a spiritual communion with God. Their celebrations were therefore originally of an altogether religious derivation, being simply external manifestations of their worship of God,--of thanksgiving for spiritual blessings to the commonwealth of heaven, and, at the same time, for natural benefits to society on earth.

435



     Whereas the spiritual and natural worlds were then so closely conjoined as to be almost one, their celebrations were also hardly distinguishable. They were all thought of as spiritual, so close was the correspondence. Their birthday celebrations were essentially a service of worship and thanksgiving because another soul had been added to the spiritual commonwealth of men; their celebrations at the coming of age, because another man had been intromitted into the responsibilities of human freedom and reason; their marriage festivals, because a new conjugial relationship had been concluded as part of the seminary of the heavens. Similarly, their harvest festivals were a celebration in gratitude for the reception of heavenly love and wisdom while they still lived on earth. Thus all their celebrations were a thanksgiving to God, and all their joy was the joy of His worship.
     It was only as evil crept into the world that the attributes of God were ascribed to men and things. Human imagination created demons and deities who inhabited nature, upon whom failures could be blamed, and to whom successes could be ascribed. Thus monotheism became polytheism the acknowledgment of God became the fear of men and things; and godliness became selfishness and worldliness. Again, it was only as evil was multiplied that the world became separated from heaven, and that earthly society became an association for the protection of one group of men against another, and for all against the dangers of the wilderness. Men became resentful slaves of the physical needs of the community. Exalted spiritualism became sordid naturalism. Celebrations of spiritual worship and thanksgiving became orgies of natural self-exaltation and indulgence. The primitives became savages. In this way, according to the Writings, arose from the truly attractive ceremonials of the Ancient Church the all too often repulsive rituals of later pagans. And from the latter our modern scientists have drawn their mistaken conclusions, viewing as original savagery what was in fact a far developed decline. Yet we can hardly blame them when we realize that, even in this so-called civilized world of ours, practically every festivity is still predominantly an occasion for nothing but immoderate physical indulgences of every kind, while any spiritual significance is deliberately pushed into the background, if it is even seen at all.

436



     However, the fallen state of the human race, whether in the past or in the present, which removed from men the consciousness of any spiritual significance in human affairs, did not remove the fact of such significance, so long as some representative features of an acceptable character could be preserved. As we have seen, appropriate representatives were in the beginning natural and spontaneous, and arose from the close correspondence between the world and heaven, or from spiritual and celestial perception. It was not necessary to legislate them by external command. But in process of time as men separated themselves from heaven, and lost their spiritual and celestial perception, it became necessary to perpetuate appropriate forms of human activities by compulsory legislation. Intuitive correspondence became artificial representation. To preserve society, rules and regulations of every conceivable nature were enacted for a special group of people-the Hebrews-and were incorporated in the Word of God as the Mosaic Law.
     The precepts of that Law prescribed the ceremonials of worship, festivities, and every day acts of life, often to the most meticulous details, and imposed severe penalties for the slightest infraction, thus safeguarding the perpetuation of heavenly appearances on earth, and preserving society. Everything was made a part of religion by signification. Thus, while the Jews were made to act in a seemingly heavenly manner, most of them had at the same time no conception of the importance and meaning of their doings. They became mere actors on a giant stage of heavenly representations; or, what is the same thing, the Jewish Church became a natural theatre mimicking a spiritual church.
     Their representations, however, did not always appear wholly heavenly. In accommodation to the character of the actors, many incongruous features were allowed to creep in. Yet the essentials of heavenly representation were irrevocably preserved. In this way, although the angels of heaven could no longer be associated with the minds of men, with their loves and affections, they could nevertheless be connected with the acts of their life. The angels could find delight in the propriety of men's natural behavior, and experience joy in the spiritual significance which they alone perceived. And this, their happiness, they could communicate to a small remnant of simple good in the Jewish Church, and among the Gentiles of the earth, with whom they were still in some degree mentally associated.

437


By imparting to them some vague sense of the spirit of the ceremonial, they could instil into them some genuine longing to understand and love the meaning of the representatives,-some genuine desire for spiritual good and truth.
     And so, by means of these representatives, the way was kept open for a spiritual revival,-for mental reformation and regeneration,-for some communication between heaven and earth. They became the last bonds between two worlds, both of which, without them would have perished utterly. This, then, was the aim in preserving orderly representatives, and of connecting them with the Lord and the rituals of the church, that men might thereby he prevented from destroying themselves, and, through celebrations of joy for natural benefits received, might be turned again to worship and thanksgiving for spiritual blessings, and thus to reformation and regeneration.

     II.

     The Lord commanded the Jewish Church: "Three times shalt thou keep a feast unto me in the year." "Every male shall appear three times in the year before the faces of the Lord Jehovah." (Exodus 23: 14, 17.) Therefore all the masculine members of the Jewish Church left their homes at the appointed times, and traveled to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices to the Lord, and to participate in the ceremonies of worship and thanksgiving, which were enacted there on these occasions.
     In the month of Abib, which is the first month of the Jewish ecclesiastical year, the Passover, or, as it is also called, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, was celebrated in Jerusalem. The Feast of Harvest, or of First Fruits, which is also called the Feast of Weeks, was held in the month of Sivan, which is the third month of the sacred year. And the Feast of Ingathering, or of Tabernacles, took place in the month of Tisri, which is the seventh month. These three feasts, when taken together, represent all that is necessary for man's regeneration.
     The Passover represents repentance, which delivers from the most obvious and blatant evil and falsity. The Feast of First Fruits represents reformation, whereby truth is implanted in the human mind, and its first goods are gathered. Thence evils and falsities are more interiorly removed.

438


Finally, the Feast of Ingathering represents regeneration, whereby man acquires and enjoys his final good, which is angelic human good. At its presence, evils and falsities are removed, even from man s most secret affections and thoughts. Thus repentance, reformation, and regeneration are the three stages whereby man's new creation is fully achieved. And the number "three" signifies what is complete and also what is eternal, thus the "three feasts" the whole of man's salvation.
     Furthermore, "every male was to appear three times in the year before the faces of the Lord Jehovah," because the male members of the church represent the human understanding, by whose instruction this process is fulfilled. They were to go to Jerusalem, because this city, as the center of the church, represents its doctrine, through which, as the only proper means, the Lord's truth may be communicated to the human understanding. And they were to keep the feast "unto the Lord," or "before the faces of the Lord Jehovah," because the joy of salvation can be bequeathed only by the truth of Divine Good, or as a blessing of the Divine mercy.
     The Passover was instituted in remembrance of the Israelites' deliverance from slavery in Egypt. The name is derived from the fact that the angel of the Lord, when he came to slay the firstborn in the land of Egypt, passed over the households of the Israelites when he saw the blood with which they had painted their doorposts. "Egypt" here represents hell; "the firstborn of the Egyptians" represent the principal evils and falsities which hold the mind captive; and the "Israelites" represent those who are to be regenerated. The "Redeeming Angel" is the Lord's Divine Truth, which liberates the faithful, but condemns the evil. Thus the Passover represents deliverance from damnation. It is essentially accomplished by the Lord, but man must also cooperate with the Lord in the deliverance. It is not enough that the "Redeeming Angel" slays the Egyptians. The Israelites were also commanded to remove from their households the remnant of the lamb which they had eaten, and all things containing leaven. This represents the removal of evils and falsities from man by his own efforts. They were also to appropriate to themselves the first goods of innocence, represented by the flesh of the lamb which could be eaten, and also initial truth, as represented by the unleavened bread. Therefore the Passover is also called the "Feast of Unleavened Bread."

439


Nothing, then, could be a better picture of repentance than this feast; for repentance is the removal of evils and falsities, and also the acquisition of first goods and truths, in the beginning of regeneration. And for this reason the Passover was celebrated in the first month of the year.
     But repentance is not enough. It is only the beginning. Hereby only the most external, and therefore the most obvious and blatant, evils and falsities are all that is removed. Similarly the goods and truths which are acquired are also very external. They are no more than some obscure knowledge of a little truth and good, and a measure of simple but often unwilling obedience. Something more than repentance is therefore needed; and this is represented by the second feast of the Jews, that of "First Fruits," or the "Feast of Weeks."
     This was the first feast of the harvest, and was celebrated in the spring, when the earliest and hardiest produce of the fields was garnered, and while the greater part of the planting was still in seed or just beginning to sprout. It is therefore essentially a festival of solemnity, a service of meditation and of prayer for an abundance yet to come. It is a dedication to labor. Such is the state of man's reformation. As yet he does not really love good, but only truth. The loving and doing of truth is what is meant by "first fruits." It is merely the spiritual love of conscience. Man is then in the hope and prayer for the love of good itself, to which he has not as yet attained. It is a state of greater willingness than that of repentance,-a state in which man is definitely led by truth, but often obscurely and clumsily, because his evils and falsities are not entirely removed, but dim his vision. He does good from truth, which, indeed, is both good and useful; but when good is done in a state of conscience, it is done with some reluctance. Therefore reformation is still a state of trial, anxiety, and temptation. It gives an occasional foretaste of heaven, but is not the full enjoyment of its blessings.
     There is need for still another step in man's regeneration; and this is signified by the third and final feast, that of "Ingathering," or, as it is also called, "The Feast of Tabernacles." This is the second and final feast of the harvest, celebrated toward the end of the year, in the Fall, when all the produce of the fields and gardens has come to full fruition, and has been safely gathered and stored for the use and enjoyment of men.

440


It is therefore preeminently a festival of rejoicing and thanksgiving.
     The state of full regeneration is similar. It is given as man perseveres consistently in his former state of reformation. If he continues to do good from the love of truth, he has ample opportunity to experience the delight of doing good; and as the desire for this delight increases, the doing of good becomes a pleasurable habit. The love of good itself is then freely given by the Lord, without man s knowing how. This love is meant by the abundance of the produce at the harvest. In this state the man is no longer led by a faltering knowledge of truth, laboriously acquired and often fallacious. He is led by the Lord by a direct perception of good itself, and from this he sees truth in clear light whenever it is presented to him. He therefore enjoys enlightenment-illustration.
     The gift of illustration becomes possible in the full state of regeneration because he is no longer misled by evils when they are aroused or by falsities when they are inspired. Because the love of self and the pride of self-intelligence have now been subdued, there is no anxiety, no conflict of temptation. Because, in humility, adoration and thanksgiving, the man now worships the Lord alone, he receives from Him the tranquillity and peace of heaven. This was the state of life which the most ancients enjoyed, when as yet they lived their happy but simple lives in their tents, when, family by family and in mutual love, they gathered continually "before the faces of Jehovah." This, too, is the manner in which they live today in the highest heaven of celestial love and perception. And it was to represent this state that the Jews were commanded to dwell in tents during this Feast of Ingathering, on which account it was also called the "Feast of Tabernacles."
     We may now see the Divine purpose in preserving heavenly representatives with the Jews in natural correspondences, that through such means they might be encouraged to seek the spiritual and celestial blessings of heavenly life. This was the reason why they were commanded to keep three festivals-of the Passover, First Fruits, and of Ingathering-that through them they might be led to the shunning of evils and falsities, to the love of truth, and finally to the love of good itself. The reason was, that they might learn to find genuine happiness in the forgetfulness and renunciation of self, and in the worship and acknowledgment of the Lord; that, in their humiliation, adoration and thanksgiving, demanded from them for their own sake, and not for the Lord's glory, they might find the tranquillity of peace, so that heaven might descend upon the earth.

441



     And this, indeed, is the purpose of all human festivals. May our celebrations also,-our feasts of joy and plenty,-teach us to "enter into the Lord's gates with thanksgiving, into His courts with praise, to be thankful unto Him, and to bless His holy name." (Psalm 100: 4.)
STORGE 1944

STORGE       Rev. F. E. GYLLENHAAL       1944

     (In English this Greek word storge is pronounced either stor-jee or stor-gee.-WEBSTER.)

     The Two Great Commandments declare love to the Lord and love towards the neighbor to be the two great loves and the sources of all good loves. But love towards the neighbor shows itself in innumerable ways, or by innumerable derivative loves, all of which are named for the sake of man's knowledge, use, and governance of them. The fundamental and principal of these loves towards the neighbor are conjugial love and the love of parents for children. The importance of these two loves will appear from the following from The Arcana Celestia, where it is treating of `The Societies which constitute Heaven": "It is the Lord's mercy, that is, His love towards the universal heaven and the universal human race, thus it is the Lord alone who determines all and single things into societies. This mercy it is which produces conjugial love, and from this the love of parents for children, which are the fundamental and principal loves. From these come all other loves, with endless variety, which are arranged most distinctly into societies." (A. C. 686.)
     Throughout The Arcana Celestia the term "love of parents for children" is used with much the same meaning as the word "storge," which occurs, it would seem, only in The Spiritual Diary, Heaven and Hell, The Apocalypse Explained, Conjugial Love, and The True Christian Religion.

442



     The importance of storge, or the love of parents for children, appears also from the consideration that without this love there would be no children, therefore an end to the human race. Doubtless this is why, in the book, Conjugial Love, the lack of storge is the first-named really sufficient cause of separation of husband and wife,-a cause in the wife, because she is the first recipient of storge, and through her it is transferred to the husband.
     Just what is storge? It is the love of infants and of the innocence of infancy. It is the love of parents towards children. This love is common, not only with men and women, but also with animals; also, it is common with evil men and women as well as with good ones, and with evil, or wild, animals as well as with good, or domestic or tame, animals. Nor is it confined to the natural world. There is a spiritual storge, which is a love of spiritual offspring, and which is also a love of the infants who are raised in heaven, having died in the world as infants. The human conjugial and the human storge differ from such conjugial love and storge as animals have, but the two loves are universal throughout the human and animal kingdoms, because the preservation of these kingdoms depends upon those loves. Conjugial love and spiritual storge are also universal in heaven, for without them there would be no angels. But in hell there is neither conjugial love nor storge.
     The supreme origin of storge, as well as of all good loves, is in the Lord, and is His love towards the universal heaven and the universal human race. We read in the Writings that "unless the Lord loved all and each as a father his children, and the inmost heaven from the Lord, as a mother her infants, there would by no means exist any storge." (S. D. 1683.) Love truly conjugial, such as it is in the inmost or celestial heaven, is also the origin of storge. We are taught that the celestial angels love infants much more than do their parents, even their mothers, for which reason some of their uses are attendance on infants and charge of them, not only after birth, but before birth, when they care for the nourishment of the foetus and preside over the functions of the womb. (S. D. 1201.) By these celestial angels the love of infants, called storge, is implanted in mothers. For the Writings state that from the womb, which signifies the inmost good of love, and the inmost of conjugial love, and corresponds to the inmost of conjugial love, is derived the maternal love that is called storge. (A. E. 710:2.)

443


However, this love, called storge, is not derived from the womb primarily, but from conjugial love.
     As to its origin in conjugial love, we read: "That upon the conjugial love, into which women are born, the love of infants is inscribed, is manifest from the lovely and consociable affections of girls for infants, and for images of them, which they carry, dress, kiss, and bring close to their bosoms; such affection boys have not. It appears as if mothers had the love of infants from the nourishing of them in the womb from their own blood, and thence from the appropriation of their own life, and thus from sympathetic union; but still this is not the origin of that love, since if, without the mother's knowledge, another infant should be substituted after birth in place of the genuine one, it would be loved with equal tenderness as it would if it were her own; besides, infants are sometimes loved by nurses more than by mothers. From these things it flows, that this love is from no other source than from the conjugial love implanted in every woman, to which is adjoined the love of conceiving, from the delight of which the wife is prepared for reception. This is the first of this love, which, with its delight, after the birth, passes fully over to the child born." (C. L. 393.)
     Storge, therefore, is a love natural to every woman, a love implanted in every woman. But this love can be destroyed, so that there is no storge, no love of infants, no love of children, no love of spiritual offspring-a lamentable state. With those having storge it increases and becomes active, especially with mothers. But it is not necessarily stronger with good mothers, or mothers who are spiritually good, nor with spiritually good fathers; for "storge exists with the evil equally as with the good, and sometimes it is stronger with the evil. . . . With those who are in charity, that love (storge) is conjoined with love towards the neighbor and with love to God; for by them children are loved according to their morals, virtues, studies, and talents for serving the public. But with those who are not in charity, there is no conjunction of charity with the love called storge; wherefore many of them love evil, immoral, and crafty children, even more than those who are good, moral, and prudent, thus those who are not useful to the public more than those who are useful." (T. C. R. 431.)

444



     The greater strength of storge with some of the evil is due to the strength of self-love; and such love is confined to the parents' own children and grandchildren, with intensity concentrated on them, and is not a love of all infants and children, still less a love of the innocence of infancy. Storge with the good can be as strong as storge with the evil, and much stronger; but the advance in regeneration is not proportionately as great as the depth of evil in the present state of the world.
     Because conjugial love and storge are universal loves, they exist with men as well as with women; yet they are transferred through the women into the men. We read concerning conjugial love, that "the sphere of conjugial love is received by women, and through the women is transferred into the men, from the cause, that the women are born loves of the understanding of men, and the understanding is the recipient; the case is similar with the love of infants, because this is, by origin, from conjugial love. That mothers have a most tender love of infants, and fathers a less tender, is known." (C. L. 393.) Again we read: "The love storge is transferred from the wife into the husband; and also then (namely, after bearing an infant) the love of procreating, which with the woman makes one with her conjugial love, as was said, is not like (what it was before giving birth to her first child) is manifest from numerous indications."
(C. L. 403.)
     Thus men receive through women the spheres of conjugial love and storge, and so have storge whether they are married or unmarried. This, too, is the case with women, but they also receive, when married, a more particular sphere of both conjugial love and storge, as also do fathers. Before parenthood, both men and women may be said to have storge potentially. After parenthood they can have it actually, in greater or less fullness and strength. This, apparently, is the specific meaning of the statements: "It is this innocence (of infants, received from the Lord through the inmost heaven,) by which parents are inmostly affected, and that makes the love called storge." (H. H. 277e.) "Innocence, flowing in on each side (that is, through the parents and through the infants,) produces the love called storge." (C. L. 398.)
     The Writings further teach that this love is especially active while the offspring are infants, because the innocence of infancy,-an innocence flowing down from the Lord through the heavens,-is its origin and source; but it is resurrected, as it were, when there are infant grandchildren, with whom the grandparents have association.

445


It is also kept alive, or kept active, by association with other infants than one s own, especially by the care of them, and by the instruction, teaching, and training of children. (C. L. 385.) The Writings also say that storge is greater towards grandchildren. (S. D. 1683.)
     Storge, therefore, is a love to be sought by the implantation of remains, to be cultivated and nourished by proper means, and to be cherished and preserved, because it is a fundamental and principal love. We are told further that storge is a direct influence, strong and effective according to its own strength, in tying together, or conjoining, the minds of consorts,-of husband and wife, of father and mother,-into one. The duties proper to the husband and the duties proper to the wife are the ultimate actions which are conjoined or tied together by their being done for the sake of each other; and by their conjunction they provide a necessary ultimate for the conjunction of the minds of husbands and wives. Such duties are also conjoined in whatever is done for their offspring, and for all children. And the love of infants, called storge, is a love that effects, or brings to pass, such conjunction of duties and minds, and thus of consorts and parents. (C. L. 176.) And with both men and angels this "love (storge) adds itself to their conjugial love, and continually elevates it, and conjoins them." (C. L. 211e.)
SPIRITISM 1944

SPIRITISM       Rev. ARTHUR CLAPHAM       1944

     (An Editorial in the NEW-CHURCH HERALD, April 22, 1944.)

     A recent prosecution for fraudulent practices in connection with spiritistic s?ances brings to mind once more the dangers of this cult. We note that the usual question raised in discussions upon this matter is as to whether the manifestations are genuinely spirit-manifestations or the result of fraud and trickery on the part of the medium. That is no doubt the proper question to be decided in the courts, as was pointed out in the course of the case referred to. But we would suggest that, apart from the legal aspect, it would be more proper and more useful to question whether the practice of spiritism, genuine or not, is healthy or unhealthy, good or evil.

446



     We believe that the New Church does well in denying the validity of the term "Spiritualism" as applying to these practices, and insisting on "Spiritism" as their proper appellation. Spiritism is concerned with spirits, not with anything necessarily spiritual; and the more it seeks manifestations and materializations of spirits, the less spiritual, the more natural and even materialistic, does it become. There is, after all, nothing very "spiritual" in demanding material demonstrations of the reality of the spiritual world! Those whose belief in spiritual reality is dependent upon its material demonstration to their material senses are simply materialists. There is no other possible description of their outlook and mental state.
     Although the practices of spiritism lend themselves to all manner of fraud on the part of unscrupulous people, we know of no reason to doubt that genuine spirit-manifestations are possible. We feel reasonably confident that, in spite of occasional exposures of trickery, the majority of spiritistic mediums are honest in their intentions and practices, and that they are sincere in their belief that by these practices they are helping the world to a belief in the reality of the spiritual world, and to a concept of life based on that reality. But the sincerity of a belief is no guarantee of its truth, and provides no assurance that the practices based on it are healthy and good.
     Let it be admitted that it is possible to induce spirits to communicate with people on this earth, and that many of the manifestations received at s?ances are quite genuine spirit-manifestations. The really important question still remains. Is this kind of thing desirable? Is it a practice that helps men and women to become spiritual in thought and outlook? Does it make them more rational, more truly men and women? And, finally, does it lead them to an acknowledgment of the Lord, in His Divine Humanity, as their Lord God and Savior?
     We have no hesitation in saying that the answer to all these questions is No. We have already indicated that the demand for material demonstrations of spiritual reality is an indication of a materialistic, rather than a spiritual, state of mind. And the more this demand is complied with, the more materialistic does the mind become. A spiritual state is not born from materialism. The mind convinced by these demonstrations does not rest in its conviction but goes on to demand and to seek more and more convincing demonstrations, more and more complete materializations.

447



     As to rationality, it is but too evident that spiritism tends to a facile credulity, a dependence upon the words and sayings of the communicating spirits, and an acceptance of their dicta as against one s own considered and rational thought. It produces, as the Writings tell us, an effect like that if miracles, which is to persuade and drive men to worship for a while, but to deprive man of his rationality, and at the same time shut in his evils, instead of allowing the man to see them and know them, and so shun them, as of himself, as sins. The persuasiveness of spiritistic phenomena-a particular result of their essentially materialistic character-needs no comment. It is easily perceived that anyone giving himself to these practices will be strongly persuaded to trust to the messages received from the spirits rather than to his own judgment. But it must be quite clearly understood that this makes him less than a man. He is strongly persuaded to put himself under the control, or at least under the direction, of another person (for a spirit is simply another person) and to act at that person's dictation.
     There seems to be a generally accepted idea that spirits, because they are spirits, are necessarily wiser and more knowing than people who dwell on this earth. The Writings clearly show us, and our common sense confirms, that that is by no means so. Foolish people are still foolish when they enter the other world, and the unteachable remain unteachable. The wicked, the deceptive, the boastful, the vainglorious, the self-seeking, the irreligious, all carry their distinguishing characteristics with them, and continue to exercise them there. Uncle Podger,-that stupid, selfish and boastful old incompetent whose advice no one ever thought of taking seriously while he lived in this world-is still Uncle Podger, still as incapable of learning anything from experience in the spiritual world as he was of learning wisdom in this. But he still likes to give advice and pose as a wise man.
     There is, however, no reason to suppose that the spirit who "comes through" as Uncle Podger is really that disgraceful old reprobate, although he may reveal his intimate knowledge of family secrets. A spirit is very well able to read what is in man's own memory, and any spirit could easily build up for you a very personable likeness of anyone you have known. There is no harm in this association of spirits with man's memory until man begins to seek communication with spirits.

448


Up to that point the spirit does not know any other than that the things in man's memory are his own. But when men seek to communicate with spirits, the spirits know at once that they are with men, and then, if they are of that character, they begin to work to get men into their power.
     And the spirits who indulge in this kind of communication are of just that character. They are those who cling to the earth and earthy things, and who have little or no interest in really "spiritual" things.
     The true order of human development is, that, after this life in a material environment, men should progress to a spiritual environment, leaving behind the grosser, material environment and all the thoughts and ideas belonging to it. They should pass onward to a spiritual understanding of spiritual things. But these spirits who communicate are turning backward, against true order, striving to enter again into material consciousness. And spirits of this disorderly kind have no love for man, and no good will towards him. Their ultimate aim is his destruction, body and soul.
     We are reminded of a book which we once read at the request of a spiritistic acquaintance who said that we should find it a beautiful and ennobling work written through certain spirits by means of automatic writing. We certainly found that a great part of the work was beautifully written, and it seemed to convey a high ethical and devotional message. Not that we found in it anything new, or indeed anything that could not be found in the Scriptures or in the Writings of the New Church, but the message was very beautifully presented with, apparently, the utmost reverence. But then, towards the end of the book, these spirits began for the first time to speak of the Lord Jesus Christ. They intimated, still very beautifully, that He was a spirit of a high order, very remote from men, but still a spirit, not God. They then suggested that they themselves were very willing and anxious to help men to come into communion with God, and that, if men would present their prayers to them, they would do their utmost to see that they were heard. So all this beauty of language, this apparently angelic goodness and regard for man's welfare, was simply a trap to seduce men from the acknowledgment of the Lord in His Divine Human, and to turn them to the worship of the spirits themselves.

449



     It is common for spiritists to claim Swedenborg as a medium; indeed, they will admit that he was the greatest of all mediums. They go to considerable lengths to try to induce the New Church to throw in its lot with them on that account, even claiming that they have received messages from Swedenborg to the effect that the New Church should do so. They appear to think that New Church people follow Swedenborg blindly, accepting everything that he says because he has said it, and without considering it rationally. It would be strange, indeed, if the veritable Swedenborg ever gave such a message through spiritists, for it would contradict the whole of his spiritual philosophy.
     But was Swedenborg a medium in the spiritist sense? We assert without fear of contradiction that he was not. And we declare that in all his spiritual-world experiences he was the very opposite of everything that a spiritist means by a medium. The information that he gives us concerning the spiritual world and its inhabitants (and what a world of difference there is between his dry, matter-of- fact records of "things seen and heard" and the mumbled and jumbled records of spiritism!) was obtained by a means exactly and precisely opposite to that which spiritism uses.
     Spiritism confessedly and openly endeavors to get spirits to manifest themselves through material means, through material instruments, through mediums who yield themselves to the control of the spirits, through materializations, and so on. Spiritism depends upon material manifestations. The spirits must somehow be brought into this world, and express themselves through the phenomena of this world. But Swedenborg went himself into the spiritual world, with all his faculties about him. He went to the spirits, and was with them in their own environment, as one of them, with full consciousness of his own identity and full command of his own faculties. He was the scientist and philosopher at large in the spiritual world, not the medium struggling to get the spiritual world to give some material sign of its existence. The two things are completely opposite, as opposite and distinct as two things can possibly be. The one is exactly the reverse of the other, and it is sheer nonsense to say that Swedenborg was a medium, or anything like one. But spiritists are not, perhaps, very discerning people, and we doubt whether they will be willing to appreciate the difference.

450


HABIT OF GIVING 1944

HABIT OF GIVING       KENNETH P. SYNNESTVEDT       1944

     The state of childhood is conducive to the development of habits of many kinds, and the habits which are thoroughly adopted by the child often stay with him throughout life. This is because children learn things from affection, rather than from rationality. Implanting good habits in early years is therefore a vital part of child training; and this, of course, is an important reason why we emphasize New Church education.
     This principle is applicable to the matter of the financial support of the church; and while we may recognize this application of the principle, so far we have not made adequate progress in developing the habit of giving. It is fairly well accepted that, speaking generally, the financial support of the church is neither sufficiently widespread nor properly proportioned with relation to the individual's means.
     Ideally, giving to the church should be of free will, based upon a genuine love for the things of the church, and not a mere matter of habit. Nevertheless, forming the habit is a necessary introduction to the genuine state of making the "free will offering." Even in the matter of attending worship, or of reading the Word or the Writings, we know that forming the habit precedes, and acquiring the affection follows.
     Looking to the future, it is of vital concern that we make progress in this matter of financial support; and to this end the development of the habit of giving in our children should be most fruitful. Since this is a field of child training which must be carried by the parents, it is important that parents pause and reflect upon what training their children are receiving in this matter.
     What one gives to the church should be one's own,-something valuable to him. A child, therefore, should have his own fund from which to give,-his own allowance or earnings.

451


The idea of personal ownership can be emphasized, if a weekly allowance be given at a time and in a way which is disconnected, in the child's mind, from the act of taking an offering to church. For example, the allowance can be given to the child on a day other than Sunday. The child should always take some of his own funds for offerings or contributions. Moreover, the total of an allowance should always be greater than the amount the child is expected to give, in order to convey the idea of setting aside a part of one s own for the church. Even a very small child can understand that a nickel of his own taken to church means one less ice cream cone.
     This system is in sharp contrast with the practice of handing the child a coin for an offering just before church time, or of taking the child to church, and then, just before entering or even after entering, placing a coin in the child's hand with instructions to take it up and put it in the basket. How can these practices possibly develop a habit of giving something of one's own? On the contrary, they convey the idea that someone else will always step in at the crucial moment and take care of the matter.
     We should always remember that what one gives to the church should be some substantial part of one's own, and not merely the smallest possible part. Although the ritualistic value of the act can be achieved by taking a penny, the habit of giving should extend beyond the mere act. For this purpose an allowance given to a child should be large enough to permit his giving some amount noticeably greater than the smallest possible part; and the training should also lead the child to give more as his allowance increases.
     If the means of a family are small, the parents' own offerings or contributions could well be reduced, if that is required, in order to place sufficient funds in the hands of their children to help develop the habit of giving, and of giving an amount properly proportioned to the available means.

452


PROPHETS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL 1944

PROPHETS OF JUDAH AND ISRAEL       Rev. W. CAIRNS HENDERSON       1944

     History of the Prophetical Order.

     The prophetical office first rose to prominence in connection with the establishment of the monarchy in the time of Samuel. Under the Mosaic Law, the priesthood was the instrument by which the Jewish Church was taught and governed in religious things. It was commissioned to teach and lead the people by word and symbols,-by instructing orally in the Law, and by administering the rituals of the Church; and for several hundred years after its institution this function was adequately fulfilled. But during the period of the judges the priesthood sank into a state of degeneracy. Oral instruction was neglected; the acted lesson of feast and fast, sacrifice and offering, became ineffective. A new instrument of spiritual and moral power was needed. In Providence, this need was met by the institution of the prophetical office; and the man chosen to serve as the means for its establishment was Samuel.
     His task, however, was not to found something entirely new. Prophets, prophetesses, and prophesying, were not unknown before the days of Samuel. Indeed, an order of prophets was an institution which Israel originally shared with the Gentile nations of Canaan and of other Semitic lands. The gods of Phoenicia had their prophets,-the fanatical devotees of the Tyrian Baal,-whose frenzied zeal was shown at Mount Carmel during the reign of Ahab. But the prophets of Israel in Samuel's day were companies of enthusiasts who traversed the land in a state of wild and ecstatic excitement, preaching a holy war against Philistine oppression in much the same way as the dervishes later preached the crusades against the infidels. And the use entrusted to Samuel was that of disciplining and organizing these companies, of regulating the turbulent element in their character and behavior, and thus of giving to the prophets a place of importance they had never before held.

453



     To this end, Samuel was led to encourage the formation, at various religious centers, of prophetical brotherhoods,-the colleges or schools of the prophets. One of these communities was founded at Ramah in his lifetime, and at later dates others were established at Bethel, Jericho, Gilgal, and elsewhere. Into these institutions were gathered the "sons of the prophets,"-candidates for the prophetic office,-who were presided over by an elderly or leading prophet, called their father or master, whose office was apparently entered through the rite of anointing. In them provision was made for the nurture and training of the prophetic gift, and also for the systematic instruction of the people in the things of religion. The gift of prophecy was regularly cultivated by means of a system of training and devotion. In addition, the arts of literature, music, and psalmody were studied; and these schools became the annalists of the kingdom. It is considered probable that the Books of the Kings were compiled within their precincts, and that in them the books of the Law were copied and preserved. Marriage was not normally forbidden to the prophets, but their mode of life was generally austere and some were noted for their stern asceticism. No direct and express Divine provision was made for the support of their communities, as it had been for the priesthood; and they seem to have depended upon the free-will offerings of the people.
     So successful were these institutions that from the days of Samuel to the end of the Old Testament period there was no break in the line of official prophets. Only in the times of the Maccabees are they represented as extinct. But when the prophets became a professional class, it was only occasionally that individuals arose among them who played an outstanding part in history. It must he realized, however, that the prophetic order and the prophetic gift are not necessarily identical terms. A man could belong to the prophetic order, and not be endowed with the gift of prophecy; on the other hand, there were-as in the notable case of Amos-inspired prophets who were not members of the prophetic order. Generally, the inspired prophets came from the schools of the prophets, and were members of the prophetic order, but there were hundreds of members of that order who were not called to the prophetic office.
     So by the "Prophets of Judah and Israel" we mean, specifically, the sixteen prophets whose inspired writings form a part of the Old Testament Word, and those others, such as Elijah and Elisha, to whose call to the prophetic office the Word testifies, although they were not writing prophets.

454




     Functions of the Prophetical Office.

     Important spiritual uses were performed by the prophets, some consciously, others without their knowledge. They received the Word from the Lord, and taught it under direct inspiration, both by preaching and by writing. In the Scriptures they signify those who teach truth and through it lead to good; and also those whom the Lord leads, and with whom He inflows and reveals to them the arcana of the Word, whether they teach them or not. They represented the Lord as to the Word, and as to the doctrine of genuine truth, and of the church therefrom. And by the treatment accorded them by the people, and by certain symbolic actions which they were commanded to perform, was represented the status of the Word in the Jewish Church, or the state of that Church as to doctrine from the Word and life according thereto.
     At the same time, in the discharge of these functions, the prophets became the privy councillors of the kings, the historians and poets of the nation, the religious instructors of the people, the defenders of genuine worship against idolatry, and the spiritual watchmen and moral censors of their times. Theirs was a professional order, having a recognized place and function, alongside that of the priesthood, in the religious life of the nation. They were extraordinary but authorized exponents of the Law who held a quasi-pastoral office. The most outstanding example of the religious influence of the prophets is furnished by Elijah,-the scourge of Ahab's dynasty, and sleepless foe of the imported cult of the Phoenician Baal,-who, as an instrument in the Lord's hand, prepared the way for a restoration of the worship of the Lord when all hope thereof appeared lost.
     Furthermore, some of the prophets yielded a purely political power which was very great at certain epochs. Originally, as commanded by the Lord, they were the most prominent supporters of the throne. But when the Word of the Lord came unto them, they did not shrink from fearlessly rebuking injustice, even in the person of the monarch himself. Thus Samuel reproved the disobedience of Saul, and predicted his impending doom; Nathan and Gad rebuked David; and Ahijah denounced the sins of Jeroboam and foretold the overthrow of his house.

455


As Divinely commissioned champions of the true faith, they claimed the right to control and judge in the Lord's name the conduct of kings and statesmen and nations; and their power was sufficient to provide an effective counterpoise even to the tyranny of an Ahab. Notable illustrations of this political power are the parts played by Elisha in the fall of the house of Omri and by Isaiah during the siege of Jerusalem in the reign of Hezekiab. As the apostacy of the kings and the degeneracy of the people increased, so did the antagonism between them and the prophets, who found themselves more and more opposed both to the rulers and to the popular beliefs and customs of the nation. This was especially true of the kingdom of Israel.

     The Inspiration of the Prophets.

     If we have seemed to speak of the prophets of the Lord as ever acting or speaking from themselves in the exercise of their office, that is only in accordance with the appearance sometimes presented to them and to their contemporaries. They were, of course, fully inspired. In this connection it is interesting to note that, in the East, the idea of a prophet is closely related to that of a madman. Both are regarded as possessed; the one by the Spirit of God, the other by spirits. Indeed, the ordinary Hebrew word for prophet, ndl3i, is derived from a verb which means "to bubble forth" like a fountain. Thus the idea conveyed by the term is that of one who pours forth the words of the Lord. But the rationale of prophetic inspiration has been revealed in the Writings.
     There are two modes of revelation, internal and external. That is, all revelation has been either from perception or from discourse with angels through whom the Lord spake. For evident reasons the Word was given by the second of these modes; and the general teaching concerning the inspiration of the prophets is that they wrote as the spirit from the Divine dictated; for the very words which they wrote were uttered in their ears. The Lord did not speak with them immediately, but by spirits who were sent to them,-spirits whom He filled with His aspect and thus inspired with the words which they spoke to the prophets. Thus the giving of the Prophetical Word was not by influx, but by dictation. There was no influx into the interiors of the prophets.

456


They were not enlightened as to the understanding, but only received in their hearing the words to be spoken or written. And this carried the condition that, although what they said and wrote undoubtedly had some meaning for them, they had no perception or understanding of the interior meaning of what they saw and heard, and still less of the spiritual sense. These things were to them merely verbal and visual revelations.
     How the Word was thus dictated is explained in the Writings. The finite proprium of the angel or spirit used was rendered quiescent, and he was filled with the Divine; the result being that the words spoken were not his own, but the very words of the Lord, which is why they have an internal sense. Thus the influx was into the angel or spirit, not into the prophet, who only received what the angel or spirit said. Yet there was also a general influx from heaven and the world of spirits into the prophets-partly by dreams, partly by visions, and partly by speech. With certain of the prophets this influx descended into their speech and into their very gestures, thus into the acts of their bodies; and then they did not speak or act from themselves, but from the spirit that possessed them. Some of them acted as if insane, as did Saul when he lay naked on the ground, and as others did in wounding themselves.
     Possession was therefore an actuality. The effect of the prophetic spirit which seized Saul and others was that they spoke and acted under words and ways that were unknown to them. According to our Doctrine, when the prophets were possessed, their bodies were occupied by spirits, so that scarcely anything was left to them but the knowledge that they existed. The spirits used for this purpose were those who did not want to obsess men, but only to enter into their corporeal affections, and thus into all things of the body. There were also other influxes, which left the prophets to their own discretion, and which caused them to hear spirits speaking inwardly in them; not influx into their thought and will, but discourse into hearing by an internal way. This was the mode by which spirits spoke with the prophets; not as man with man, but as spirit with man, which is always from within.
     When we tabulate these statements, we see that there were four states of inspiration with the prophets. These may be classified as: 1) a state of dictated writing; 2) a state of dictated action; 3) a state of dreaming; and, 4) a state of vision.

457


All were produced through the agency of angels or spirits: the first, by their speaking to the prophet what the Lord inspired them to say; the second, by spirits possessing the corporeal affections and thence the body of the prophet; the third, by the inspiring of significant dreams while the prophet slept; and the fourth by the insertion of the prophet into the natural heaven. There was also a form of dictated action in which the prophet was not possessed, but performed symbolic actions which had been commanded viva voce. And in whichever of these states the prophet was when he experienced the events recorded, the record itself was written from dictation, so that the very words of the prophetical books are the Lord's own words. With the prophets themselves the first three were bodily states; the fourth, a state of the spirit. The mode of dictation and of possession have been briefly explained, and something must now be said about prophetic dreams, and about the "state of the spirit."
     All dreams are induced from the spiritual world, but prophetic dreams were immediately from heaven, and in these future events were foretold in a manner as representative and significative as with those things which were revealed in vision. As the prophet slept, an influx from heaven flowed into that part of the brain which remains conscious during sleep, causing to be enacted there representatively events that were to take place in the future; and what was thus revealed was so impressed on his mind that it could be called up into consciousness later, and written down.
     It might seem from this that there was very little difference between the state of dreaming and the state of vision given with the prophets. Actually there is a most important distinction between them. Dreams were given in a state of the body and in a state of unconsciousness. But the state of the spirit was one of spiritual consciousness. In the state of vision the prophet was out of the body and was consciously in the spirit,-in the natural heaven, which is the plane of heavenly representations. There he saw, with the eyes of his spirit, representatives of the celestial and spiritual things of the church, and of future happenings in the church. The things thus seen by the opening of his interior sight were retained in the memory and written down, as the Spirit of the Lord dictated, when he was returned to a state of the body. And as the things seen were themselves correspondential, the inspired description of them in the prophetical books of the Word was also correspondential and an ultimate for the Word.

458



     Note well, however, that the Word was not revealed in a state of vision. It was always dictated, viva voce, by the Lord. That is why the prophets always said that they spoke from Jehovah, never from the Holy Spirit. And note also that while the prophetic Word was thus fully inspired, the vessels which contain the truth thereof,-the finite ideas of persons, places, times, and earthly events which constitute its letter-were taken from the minds of the prophets. As present therein, these ideas were no different from those of other men. But as reorganized by the Lord, arranged into a new order and woven into the ultimate coverings of the Divine Truth, they became, when written down, part of the letter of the Word. Thus the prophets were more than lay figures. It was necessary that they be well instructed in the Law, and keen observers and analysts of their times; and this fact has misled many scholars into thinking that the prophets wrote either from themselves or only under a general inspiration. Among other things, the teaching we have presented helps us to understand the doctrine that the holiness of the ultimate Word is from the indwelling of the spiritual sense. By itself, the letter is not holy because it consists of finite ideas taken from the minds of men; but the presence in it of Divine Truth confers holiness, and as present therein that Truth is in its holiness.
     Out of the inspiration of the prophets arose one of the four characteristic styles of the Word,-the prophetical. As a safeguard against profanation this style is, as noted in the Writings, not continuous and scarcely intelligible in the letter. But we are assured that within the internal sense are the greatest arcana, which follow in a beautiful connected order, and which have to do with the external and internal man, many states of the church, heaven itself, and, in the inmosts, the Lord Himself. Every verse communicates with some society in heaven; and although the prophetic Word is obscure to men, its arcana are most clearly perceived by the angels.

     The Prophetical Books of the Word.

     Sixteen books comprise the prophetical portion of the Old Testament Word:--the works of the four Major Prophets-Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel-and the inspired writings of the twelve Minor Prophets.

459


These were all regarded as being instructive as well as predictive. The spiritual meaning of many passages and incidents is to be found scattered throughout the Writings, and summaries of the internal sense of each entire book are given in the little work, Prophets and Psalms.
     There is general agreement, which is confirmed directly or indirectly by the Writings, that the four Major Prophets were the instruments through whom were written the books that bear their names; though some critics assign to a second Isaiah, the "Prophet of the Exile," the last twenty-seven chapters of the prophecy through Isaiah. This, even if true, does not alter the fact that these chapters are a vehicle for the internal sense.
     In the sense of the letter the prophetical portion of Isaiah is mainly concerned with the Assyrian Captivity of Israel. Jeremiah consists of predictions of the Babylonian Captivity of Judah. Ezekiel is a series of prophecies written during the exile about the return of the Jews to the Land of Canaan. Daniel is composed of apocalyptic visions. All four describe, in the internal sense, various aspects of the perverted state of the church at its consummation or judgment. That is probably why all the prophecies are not arranged in chronological order. At the time of judgment all past states return simultaneously.
     Between the 8th and 4th centuries B. C., a new order of prophets was raised up at intervals-the twelve Minor Prophets with whose books the Old Testament Word closes. They were not inspired to write concerning the history of Judah and Israel, which had ceased to be a fitting ultimate for the internal sense, but concerning the ancient promise that the Lord would come into the world. Their function was that of keeping alive in the hearts of the people the hope that the long line of Messianic prophecies would soon be fulfilled, and so of effecting a gradual preparation for the Lord's advent.
     Each of these twelve books has its own distinctive subject-matter in the internal sense. Thus Hosea treats of the falsification of the Word and the destruction of the church thereby. Jonah describes the rejection of the Word by the Jews, their contempt for the Gentiles, and their inward anger at the extension to them of the means of salvation.

460



     Malachi, whose prophecy stands last in the Old Testament Word, was the last of the Minor Prophets. His date was around 397 B. C. The giving of the prophecy through him marked the end of the Old Testament Word. With him ended the use which the prophetic office had been established through Samuel to perform, and for the sake of which it had been sustained through eight centuries. During the four hundred years that were still to pass before the Advent of the Lord, no further Divine teaching was given. The Jews were restored to the Land of Canaan, and the Temple was rebuilt. But until the Lord Himself came as the Prophet, the voice of the prophet was no longer heard in the land.
PROF. FREDERICK A. FINKELDEY 1944

PROF. FREDERICK A. FINKELDEY        GEORGE DE CHARMS       1944

     Memorial Address.

      (Bryn Athyn Cathedral, August 13, 1944.)

     One who has been for thirty years a beloved fellow worker in the Academy has suddenly been called into the spiritual world. To our human sight his death appears as an irreparable loss. For Frederick Adam Finkeldey was not only a friend to whom we were bound by ties of deep affection; he was a man of unusual ability, who was performing many uses of outstanding value and importance to our schools,-uses it will be impossible to replace. The appearance is that he has been cut off in the midst of his days, leaving his work unfinished.
     He possessed a rare combination of talents, artistic, intellectual, educational, and executive, that won for him the affectionate esteem and admiration of all his colleagues, and indeed of the entire student body. As Director of Physical Education, his meticulous care and skill in protecting the health of the students under him; his sense of justice and fair play; his camaraderie with young people that won their confidence; his remarkable faculty for organization, and his inspired leadership in all school activities; the open frankness of his nature, born of a complete devotion to the truth;-all these are qualities for which he will be long remembered by those who enjoyed the benefits of his instruction.

461



     Foreseeing that the normal limitations of advancing years would prevent him from continuing indefinitely the strenuous exercise demanded by his chosen profession, he entered the field of biology, developing an excellent college course in that subject. Restricted by lack of funds from purchasing the apparatus needed for classroom demonstration, he overcame the deficiency by personal effort and ingenuity in the manufacture of homemade instruments out of such material as came to hand. His collection of biological specimens,- the result of painstaking labor,-is itself a valuable contribution to the Academy.
     Nor was his work confined to the prescribed curriculum. His artistic stagecraft and pageantry raised the standard of production in the school to a new level of excellence. And in addition he served the community with outstanding merit in various fields of activity. We cannot doubt that his indefatigable efforts to maintain in full efficiency the physical education program of the schools during the period of war emergency, when demands were increased and adequate assistance was not available, overtaxed his strength and hastened his death. But nothing could bear more eloquent testimony to the spirit of loyalty and the self-effacing devotion to duty which characterized the man.
     Within and above all this, however, and beyond his many valued services to the Academy and the Church that will be sorely missed, we loved Mr. Finkeldey for something in his nature deeper still. At the core of his character was the love of spiritual truth, and a devotion to the Heavenly Doctrine. Endowed with a scientific form of mind, delighting in the discriminating observation of natural phenomena, he followed with keen interest the scientific developments of the day in many varied fields. But within all the wonders of nature he sought to disclose before the eyes of his students the miraculous operations of Divine Providence. His instruction pointed to the spiritual causes that lay back of these phenomena, stressing the necessity for a creative Intelligence, a purposive Will to govern the seemingly mechanical forces of nature, in order to produce the marvels of living form and structure discoverable in our environment. Unsatisfied with the dry bones of merely factual knowledge, he was never more delighted than when he could demonstrate in concrete application the spiritual principles of Revelation.

462



     This desire to bring our knowledge of nature into harmony with the teachings of the Word is the distinguishing mark of Academy education. It is a desire that will continue to animate the mind of our departed friend and colleague in the other world. It will bind him to us in a mutual search for Truth,-the practical Truth that teaches how to live, how to use the gifts of God's creation that they may promote the highest welfare of mankind on earth, and prepare the minds of men to perform eternal uses in the Kingdom of the Lord. In seeking this Truth, we in the natural world may be together with those who have gone before. We may love together, think together, and work together. All in the other world who are seeking this Truth, as now revealed in the Writings, are co-workers in a spiritual Academy. From them comes the inspiration, without which we on earth could make no progress in our task.
     Mr. Finkeldey will carry forward in his new life the same essential use for which we loved him here. But there he will perform it far more perfectly. He will advance in it far more rapidly, receiving new instruction, and a vast increase of illustration, on the basis of the knowledges he had gained on earth, now illumined by the light of heaven,-knowledges both from the Writings and from the realm of nature. And so far as we are looking to the Writings, which are the common basis of instruction in both worlds, we will receive, in subtle, unseen ways, an enlightenment and illustration from his work there which could not otherwise be given. For in every use that is inspired by a love of spiritual truth, heaven and earth are one and there is a continual interchange of gifts between men and angels. Such is the direct teaching of the Doctrine.
     And knowing this, we may begin to realize that Mr. Finkeldey has not been called to the other world before his time. He has not left his work unfinished. Indeed, he has not left his work at all, but is entering into it more fully, and in a way that will yield a richer harvest than before. He is not really lost to the Academy, but serves her still, with faculties more keen, with zeal immeasurably increased. In the wisdom of the Lord, his earthly preparation for that higher use was complete. Nothing could have been added to it by a longer sojourn in the body. And the Lord, in calling him to the spiritual world, has had regard, not only to his eternal welfare, but also to the spiritual needs of His Church, and of all who remain on earth.

463



     This is hard indeed for us to realize; yet such is the wonder of the Lord's merciful Providence in death. If we can but acknowledge this from the heart, even though we suffer the grief of parting, even though we cannot fill the place left vacant here by the friend who has seemingly gone from us, yet we would not hold him back from all the joy and blessing of that new life which the Lord is opening before him. We can only submit our blind, human will to the guidance of the Lord's infinite love and wisdom, saying, with humble trust in His merciful Providence, "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!" Amen.

[Photograph.]

464


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS              1944

     THE OLD BELIEFS PERSIST.

     It is held by many New Churchmen that the old dogmas of faith alone and tripersonality are being widely discarded in the Old Church under the permeating influence of the light of the New Age, and while it is undoubtedly true that this is taking place to some extent as one result of the Last Judgment and the consequent greater freedom of thought in matters of religion, still we must remember that the old falsities remain embedded in both the Catholic and Protestant ritual, where prayers are still addressed to the Father for the sake of the Son, and not to the Lord Jesus Christ as the God of heaven and earth. And occasionally we have an illustration of the vigor of conviction with which the old beliefs are still held, and of the warmth with which the doctrine of the New Church is rejected. Recently two ministers of the British Conference,-the Revs. C. H. Presland and G. F. Colborne Kitching,-had such an experience at Stockport, England, as described in THE NEW-CHURCH HERALD of November 20, 1943, p. 187, as follows:

     A Rebuff from a Religious Bookshop!

     We set off together to a religious bookshop which has recently been opened in the district, and which has been hailed by local Nonconformist ministers as a great step forward for the cause of religion. Hoping to make arrangements for New Church literature to be stocked there, we were well supplied with copies of Day unto Day, for distribution to the Forces, and with information about the publications of the Church.
     We were given a most cordial welcome, and when Mr. Colborne Kitching explained the purpose of our visit, the manageress was very interested, and at once said that we must send her lists of our works. Then, almost as an afterthought, she asked what our Church taught. Briefly we explained the doctrine of the sole Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. She said: "We can't accept that here. We believe in the Bible, and the Bible teaches us that there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!"
     An endeavor to find out exactly what she understood by this Trinity at once revealed that there was in her mind precisely that tripersonahism which we are so often told is no longer accepted; and our endeavor to show that the doctrine of the New Church is scripturally sound and far more rational was met with an impregnable wall of scorn and impatience.

465



     Striving to find at least some ground for agreement, we turned to the subject of the Divine Providence, and were told that those who served in the shop "lived by faith, receiving no salary, being helped by God's children." The idea of a universal Providence had no appeal at all, and in fact we were told quite bluntly: "We are called by God to do His work-the innuendo obviously being that we were not so called! Our interview came to an end when we were dismissed with the calm claim: `We cannot discuss it with you, for we believe in the Bible!"
     There, then, is a local religious bookshop, blessed by the Free Churches, and abundantly stocked with their publications. Methodists, Baptists, Congregationalists, the Salvation Army-all have their very hymn-books on display. But the works of the New Church are not to be allowed there! And those who are "called" to work there cannot even discuss the Christian faith with New Church people, cannot even stop to lead them to a vision of the truth!


     DISTRIBUTING THE WRITINGS.

     How the Writings are being sold or presented to many persons in the United States and Canada by the Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., 51 East 42nd St., New York, is once more brought to our attention by the Annual Report of this organization.
     During the year ending April 1, 1944, the Foundation distributed many volumes of its Missionary Edition of Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, The Four Doctrines, Arcana Coelestia (Genesis I-VII) and "The World of Spirits." Sales, 7,732 volumes; supplied free in connection with radio work, colporteurs, and bookstores, 8,842. Total, 16,574 volumes. In addition, 327 copies of the Writings were donated to ministers, theological students, individuals and libraries.
     For the Blind.-The Foundation has recently completed its third Talking Book, heaven and Hell, and this has been distributed to the twenty-eight Libraries for the Blind in the United States. Another Talking Book, Divine Providence, is in course of preparation.
     In this connection we are reminded that the American Foundation for the Blind has recently completed a recording of the Bible as a Talking Book. An annual grant by Congress has provided the financial means. The Library of Congress places them in twenty-seven regional libraries which maintain departments for the blind, to whom they are delivered on loan postage free.

466


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.
     SERGEANT JAMES MARTIN BUSS, Durban, Natal, South Africa. Royal Durban Light Infantry. Killed in action in Italy, May 7, 1944.
     LIEUTENANT ALLEN WILLIAM KUHL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Army. Killed in action while serving with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in France, July 17, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, A/O A. Thomas,
Bond, Sgt. WAG J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, L.A.C. Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, L.A.C. Philip O.,
Hill, W. O. Leonard E.,
Hill, Sgt. Murray E.,

467



James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G., Honorably discharged,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Anderson, O/Smn. Robert P.,
Bellinger, L.A.C. Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Lieut. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, L.A.C. David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Cftn. A. E.,
Boozer, L/Sgt. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, P/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, A.C. 2 Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Tpr. Alvin,
Motom, Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 2 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lt. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpr. Bryan H.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, S/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F., Honorably discharged,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope, Honorably discharged,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, P/A/G G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.

468





     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, Pfc. Karl R., Jr., Honorably discharged,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Alden, William B., S. 1/c,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Pvt. Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, T/5 Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, Pfc. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S.K. 3/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Childs, Edith W., A.R.C.,
Cole, Pfc. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, Pfc. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Cross, Ensign Edgar G., II,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, Dandridge M. K., S. 1/C,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 2/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Capt. Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W., U.S.N.R.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, Sgt. Otto G.,
Glebe, Ian, A.S.,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pfc. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 2/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Lt. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Lt. Col. William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, Cpl. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, Pfc. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, Cpl. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald B., Cox.,
Schnarr, Pfc. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S.F. 3/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., S. 2/c,
Smith, Pfc. Gordon,
Smith, Pfc. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pfc. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, E.M. 3/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Capt. Robert E.,
Walter, T/5 Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, Pfc. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, Pfc. Irving,

469



Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, Pfc. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp., U.S.N.R.,
Burnham, Pfc. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gladish, Pvt. D. Philip,
Gunsteens, T/3 Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 1/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Sgt. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 1/c,
King, T/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, T/5 Cedric F.,
Lee, T/Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pfc. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, Pvt. Daniel B.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
Melzer, Pfc. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, Lt. Robert T.,
Reuter, Lt. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Lt. (jg) Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Scalbom, P. Jane, A.R.C.,
Smith, Lt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 2/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Lt. G. King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Pvt. Geoffrey S., Jr.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Pvt. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., G.M. 3/c.
Packer, Pfc. Robert E.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B., Honorably discharged.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton, Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., S. 2/c,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Pfc. William E.,
Conn, Daniel L., A.S.,
Ebert, Lt. (jg) Charles H., Jr.,
Heilman, Lt. Marlin Grant,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Cpl. Stephen, New York.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Barber, Lt. Marjory E., New York.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La.,
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, S 2/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, S/Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Dykes, G. Guthrie, S 2/c, New York.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 2/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,

470



Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, Pfc. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Ingersoll, Frank, F. 1/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. M. Fergus, Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, WASP, New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Linaweaver, Pearl, A.M.M. 2/c, N. J.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, Pfc. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Nail, S/Sgt. George U.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 2/c, Ohio.
Posey, Lt. John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., S. 2/c, N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (Y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 1/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Sgt. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Toedt, Sgt. Harry K.
Waddell, Syd., Arizona.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wille, Pvt. John H., Ohio.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.
OBITUARY. 1944

OBITUARY.       NORBERT H. ROGERS       1944

     Lieut. Allen William Kuhl, son of Mr. and Mrs. G. Harold Kohl (Evangeline Roschman), was born in Kitchener, Ontario, on September 20, 1922. He received his education at the Carmel Church School and at the Kitchener-Waterloo Collegiate. He then worked at the Goodrich Rubber Factory in Kitchener for two years. During this time he enlisted in the Canadian Reserve Army, where he acquired the qualifications of a sergeant in the infantry. In 1941 he transferred to the Royal Canadian Army, in which he served for more than two years as an instructor in both basic and advanced training, at first as a noncommissioned officer, and later as a commissioned officer. In 1944, he volunteered to go on loan to the British Army, and, arriving in England in May, was posted to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. In June he went with his regiment to France, and on July 7 went into the front line. He was killed in action on July 17, 1944.
     Bill was a quiet young man whose high ideals, deep love for all worthwhile things, keen sense of responsibility and sincerity, strongly affected all who came in contact with him and earned the respect and confidence of those who knew him. As a young person in the Kitchener Society, he was repeatedly selected to fill responsible offices and to take charge of various activities, all of which he carried out willingly and well. In the army, his qualities made him a conscientious officer, whose chief concern was for the comfort and safety of his men. [Photograph.]

471


And so, in speaking of his work, he wrote: "It is a big enough job just keeping my platoon happy, and seeing that I don't make any mistakes in judgment that will endanger their lives." He was proud of his men, and of the fact that they evidently showed that they appreciated and liked him. This to him was worth more than glory. It was fitting that his Brigade Commander should write of him: "During the short time he was with us, we came to appreciate very quickly his bravery and devotion to duty."
     The Church meant a great deal to Bill. His great ambition was to go to college at Bryn Athyn to study philosophy and science in the sphere of the Church and in the light of the Doctrines. He continually thought about this, and planned for it, finding great delight in anticipating its fulfilment on his return home. War interrupted his plans, but only for a time. For though his loss is keenly felt, we have the knowledge that he is continuing his life in a world where he will receive the instruction for which he longed, and where he will have unlimited freedom to apply his abilities to eternal uses.
     NORBERT H. ROGERS.
NEW WORK ON THE MORAL VIRTUES. 1944

NEW WORK ON THE MORAL VIRTUES.              1944

     The General Church Military Service Committee has just published a book entitled The Moral Life, by Dr. Hugo Lj. Odhner, for distribution among the men and women in the Services, in the belief that its contents will prove interesting and useful to them. It will also be available to the general reader at the Academy Book Room. The Committee has furnished the following comments, which will afford an idea of the nature and purpose of the book:
     Dedicated to the Parents and Young People of the New Church, the work should fill an urgent need, since the field of Ethics has never before been systematically presented from the New Church point of view. Obviously, the young people of the New Church need an orientation from which they may rationally view the moral and amoral attitudes of the world about us. Morality is the first step towards spiritual life.
     Originally delivered in the form of addresses to audiences of adults and young people who regard the Writings as their guide in life, the treatment nevertheless is not doctrinal in its nature, although many references to the Writings are given. The aim of the book is to meet a more or less universal state.
     We believe that this little volume will be of value to ministers, to Sunday School workers, and to parents, in their endeavor to offer guidance to young people. It is needed in every New Church home, and should also be of use to students of high school and college age,-the age when the problems of moral judgment begin to become pressing.

472



     Owing to the scope of the contents, the volume may well serve as an Introduction to Ethics. It presents a practical philosophy of life which every thinking adolescent must appreciate, both as a help and a challenge. The book is sympathetic in its approach to adolescent reactions. It does not "preach." It avoids political bias and sociological ideologies. It does not lay down set procedures from authority or confuse customs with morality. It analyzes the moral virtues but stresses the truth that no such virtue is a virtue unless placed in its proper balance. It shows that true morality comes only with the free exercise of reason.
ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND. 1944

ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND.              1944

     "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15: 13.

     From fifteen anonymous donors the General Church has received a fund of $1,068.00 in memory of those men and women who have given or who may give their lives in the service of their country. The fund is to be invested, and the income thereof is to be used for General Church purposes.
     It seems altogether fitting that we, who continue to enjoy the fruits of their loyalty and their devotion, should perpetuate the memory of our sons and daughters who made the supreme sacrifice, by sustaining the uses of the Church they were fighting to defend.
     Those desiring to increase this fund may send contributions to "The General Church of the New Jerusalem," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., indicating the purpose of the gift. All such contributions will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged.

473


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     COLCHESTER, ENGLAND.

     July 5, 1944.-On a Sunday afternoon in May a meeting was held at the church, and our pastor, the Rev. Martin Pryke, read a very interesting paper on the subject of "Prayer," which led to a discussion. About 26 sat down to tea, which was followed by singing practice. On Whitmonday also a number of us met at the church for tea, and we had a good time entertaining one another with songs, games, recitations and dialogues. It was grand weather, and we have had a fine summer so far.
     New Church Day was celebrated on June 17 and 18. The Feast was on a wartime scale, but we did have strawberries-and a beautiful fruit cake from our friends in Toronto was passed around. Our many thanks for their kind thoughts and good wishes! A letter from Bishop de Charms was received with great pleasure. Visitors could not come this year, because of the ban on travel, but the Rev. A. Wynne Acton and Lieut. David Simons were able to come from London; and some of our members from a distance whose homes are here were among the 40 who attended.
     Mr. Alwyne J. Appleton was toastmaster, and he had arranged a very interesting program on the theme of "The Church Through the Ages." After the singing of "The Lord God Jesus Christ Doth Reign," and a toast to "New Church Day," papers were read on the following subjects:" The Most Ancient Church," Brian Appleton; "The Ancient Church," Erie Appleton; "The Israelitish Church," Alan Waters; and "The First Christian Church," Colley Pryke. Then came an Address by the Rev. A. Wynne Acton on "The Church Which Recognizes the Lord in His Second Coming." This concluded the formal program, which was deeply interesting and enjoyable.
     Other toasts followed, including one to "Education," with a response by Lieut. David Simons. The evening closed with a toast to "The Pioneers of the Society," and we sang the New Church words composed by Mr. G. A. McQueen when he lived here forty- seven years ago, set to the music of "Auld Lang Syne." It was a very happy gathering, and I wish I could express more fully the general feeling at this most delightful celebration. We greatly missed those who were not able to be with us, especially those who are in the armed forces. It is the sphere that counts so much on these occasions.
     At the Sunday morning service, the Holy Supper was administered, the Rev. A. Wynne Acton being celebrant, and there were 33 communicants. The celebration for the children was held on Monday, June 19.
     E. B.

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA.

     July 5, 1944.-A series of three doctrinal classes on "Perception" was begun in May, the subjects being: "The Lord's Perception," "Angelic Perception," and Human Perception." This series is now being followed by four doctrinal lectures under the title. "The Characteristics of New Churchman- ship." At the monthly Tea held in that month the pastor continued his talks on the Life of Swedenborg, giving an address on "Swedenborg and the College of Mines." Preceding this address there was an interesting period of questions and discussions on the subject of the "Limbus."

474



     New Church Day.-Sermons on "The Apostles in the Spiritual World" and "How May We Think of the Lord?" were delivered on June 4 and 11 in preparation for New Church Day, and our week-end of celebrations began on Saturday, June 17. The first event was the afternoon party given by the Sunday School for its pupils and the younger children of the Society. After an hour and a half of games, the young guests sat down at a table stocked with refreshments prepared and attractively arranged by Mrs. Fletcher. A few songs, a toast to "The Church." and a short talk by the pastor, then brought this happy function to a close.
     The Society's banquet, held in the evening of the same day, was attended by twenty-one guests-a goodly number for these times. Messages of greeting were received from Bishop de Charms, "The New Church in Australia," the Leader and members of the Sydney Society, and the Minister and members of the Melbourne Society; from the Rev. and Mrs. Morse, and from our faithful friends, Mrs. White and Mrs. Brown; also from Tpr. Lin Heldon, P/C Sydney Heldon, PC Norman Heldon, Sgt. Then Kirsten, Sgt. Tom Taylor, and Pfc. Michael Pitcairn. These fine messages not only added much to the sphere of the evening, but also demonstrated the unity that exists in the Church.
     Toasts to "The Church," "The Day We Celebrate," "The Fraternity of the New Church," "The Church Militant," "Absent Friends," and to "Mr. and Mrs. Morse." were proposed by Mr. F. W. Fletcher, Mr. A. Kirsten, Mr. O. Heldon, Lt. M. Ferrand, Mr. T. R. Taylor, and Mr. F. Kirsten, respectively, and honored in the usual manner. There were also several impromptu toasts. In place of prepared papers, there was a session entitled "The Writings Speak," which consisted of three "radio interviews" prepared by the pastor in which questions about the Church were all answered by direct quotations from the Writings. The guests interviewed were Mr. O. Heldon, Mr. Alwyn Kirsten, and Mrs. Hubbard. Mr. Heldon was also our capable and vigorous toastmaster. Mrs. E. M. Heldon and Mrs. Kirsten, aided by other ladies grappled successfully with the commodity problem to produce a meal that was both satisfying and attractive. Mr. Morse, in his eighty-fifth year, no longer feels able to attend evening functions; but on this occasion he and Mrs. Morse were both missed and well remembered.
     During the service on the following Sunday morning the Sacrament of the Supper was administered. The sermon was on "The Marriage of the Lamb' and showed why a full marriage of the Lord with the church could not he effected until the New Church had been established, traced the nature of this union from the teaching given as to how the mind of a woman is formed into that of a wife by the marriage of conjugial love, and stated that the very life of the church is the love of the Lord's wisdom.
     A talk on the New Heaven was given to the children at their service in the afternoon. At the service held in the evening of New Church Day we were pleased to welcome several visitors from the Sydney Society, including the Leader, Mr. William Burl, who is also President of "The New Church in Australia," and who was present as the representative of these two bodies. A greeting from the Adelaide Society, received that morning, was read after the service.
     Other Events.-Ladies' luncheons were held as usual in May and June; and Hurstville Sons of the Academy have had three interesting meetings. Two of these were devoted to a discussion of the duties and responsibilities of Church membership, and our attitude as New Churchmen to enemy nations and nationals after the war. At the third meeting Mr. Fred Kirsten read a paper on Swedenborg's Mechanical Inventions.
     Social life, under present conditions, is naturally at low ebb; and with the exception of the monthly meetings of the ladies and the Sons, and occasional festival banquets, our activities are all compressed into the Sunday services and meetings.

475


But with the return of our young men from service in the armed forces, and less exacting demands upon others after the war, there will no doubt be a revival that will involve a fuller church life.
     W. C. H.

     DURBAN, NATAL.

     Today is June 9, and I have just realized that it is time I wrote another news letter about the doings in the Durban Society. The last one was written in April, but mails from here to America are so long in transit these days that I have not yet seen in print the news letter I wrote in November! So I had better hurry up with this one.
     Evening doctrinal classes commenced in April, and our Acting Pastor, the Rev. F. W. Elphick, is arranging to hold Sunday evening services once a fortnight in future, if attendances warrant them.
     Held back by the blackout (to which we have now said good-bye-for ever, we hope), the young people of the society have now formed a Social Club among themselves. About fifteen foundation members attended the inaugural meeting on Friday evening, April 14, which was held under the chairmanship of Mr. Elphick. And the first social activity of the Young People's Social Club was a response to the challenge of Theta Alpha to Ping Pong on April 28. Congratulations to the young people, who carried off all the honors, winning first, second and third prizes!
     The month of May is always a very busy one in our society. For, in addition to the usual activities, the annual business meetings of the society and of the Women's Guild are held, with the election of officers for the ensuing year,
     Our Annual Picnic, which is always a jolly affair, was held on Empire Day. May 24, in the lovely grounds of the home of Major and Mrs. Walter G. Lowe, just outside Durban at Westville. The weather was perfect. The V. P. S. C. helped with the children's sports in the morning, and in the afternoon played tennis on the court at the nearby home of Mr. and Mrs. Scott Forfar.
     Our June Bazaar took place on Saturday evening, June 3, in the Hall. In spite of the war and the consequent lack of many nice things, close to ?55 was earned for church funds at this Bazaar, and this sum was later augmented by ?12 raised at a jumble sale held for Native people.
     Then came Invasion Day-June 6. This anxiously awaited day has dawned at last, and, in common with the rest of the Union of South Africa, the members and friends of the Durban New Church Society met together for worship. A large congregation attended the special service held in the evening, and the Rev. Elphick's Address was based upon the text from Habakkuk 3: 16, "When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops." It was shown that although the letter of the Word appears to apply to present-day events, yet it does not; but its inner sense refers to the spiritual state of the church among men. Let me quote one extract from the Address:
     "Since, on many occasions, we have dwelt upon the doctrines concerning War and Peace, Providence and Permission, Prayer and Intercession, so now we should again remember the teaching of Divine Revelation. In our prayers, in our daily attitude towards this long looked-for development, let us remember that the invisible hand of Providence is over this invasion. . . . The Lord knows what is best before we ask Him. Yet, under the prudence and guidance of great men-leaders of the United Nations-in political policy, in military tactics, naval action and air direction, millions of human souls are obeying the instructions now being given for a great deliverance. For history affirms that the idea of superman and conquest by force, depriving men and women of the freedom to think for themselves, is of a spiritual influence, not from heaven, but from the nether world,-the falsity and evil of hell.

476


These things must be fought against. And the Lord allows wars to take place, and does not suddenly intercede, because He wishes men to learn their own lesson in freedom."
     Our Boys on Active Service.-It is with extreme regret that we write of the death of a member of our society,-Sergeant Martin Buss, who was killed in action on May 7 in Italy. He was out with a patrol near Cassino when this happened, and he was buried in the New Zealand cemetery at San Ella, just outside Cassino. A Memorial Service was held in our church on May 21, and the presence of a large congregation testified to the love and respect held for a very gallant soldier, who was at the same time a loving husband and father of three small sons. Our heartfelt sympathies are with his relatives, sons and widow (Doreen Ridgway) in their bereavement through this cruel war. (See Obituary in September issue, p. 427.)
     Another casualty in our society is that of Lieutenant Bob Cowley (seconded to the RAF.) who has been wounded while fighting over Italy. This is the second time that Bob has been injured and in hospital.
     The news of our Prisoners of War is very cheerful. This week Mrs. Melville Ridgway has received a post card from her son, Signaller Ginty Ridgway (Stalag IVc, Germany), saying that he had been down to the village and had attended a cinema. But we still await news of Cpl. Colin Bernard Ridgway, who has not been heard of for a year. It has been suggested, and we hope it is so, that he is in hiding and will turn up one day quite suddenly, as so many have done since our advance in Italy.
     And now, before closing, I must say how very proud we are of Major Maurice Howson (S.A.A.F.), Sheila Braby's husband, who has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. We quote from the NATAL DAILY NEWS: "Although his aircraft was damaged, and one member of the crew killed, Major Howson flew on until his objective had been secured and Rhodes Harbor thoroughly searched. He has contributed largely to the operational efficiency of his squadron, and to the excellent results they have obtained." Maurice is expected in Durban on leave very shortly.
     P. D. C.

     SOUTHERN FIELD.

     This Summer I undertook the regular "ministerial meander" through the Southern States originally planned by and for the Rev. Bjorn Boyesen. Because of the short notice on which I took this trip, I was unable to follow Mr. Boyesen's full schedule, but nevertheless I managed to bring services of the Church to sixty-seven persons in six localities, in the course of a journey lasting from July 16 to August 14.
     During my tour I administered the sacrament of the Holy Supper to an aggregate of twenty-four communicants, conducted six services of Divine worship, one children's service, sixteen doctrinal classes, and thirteen classes for children.
     A breakdown of the New Church persons contacted shows that I met 26 adults, 4 youths, and 18 children (three of these adults, one youth, and two children being of the General Convention); of persons not of the New Church, I met 13 adults, one youth, and 6 children. The large number of Old Church persons in attendance should not raise any great hopes for the growth of the New Church in the South. It may be accounted for mainly by the fact that I had with me the miniature of the Tabernacle constructed under the guidance of Bishop de Charms, and gave lectures on the subject. Word of this spread rapidly wherever I stopped, and at one place attracted a Baptist preacher. In my own estimation, only one of the Old Churchmen I met seemed affirmative enough toward the Writings to be considered a likely convert.
     My first stop was at Columbia, S. C., where I visited Mr. Leighton Cozby, who has a small but thriving business servicing peanut vending machines.

477


His interest in the Doctrines is rather all-consuming, and it was a novel experience to ride from drug store to barber shop to golf club discussing doctrine in a car filled with "goobers." I am sure that the peanuts eaten in Columbia for a week after my visit were more heavily salted with Swedenborgianism than with NaCl.
     In Dunedin, Fla., I stayed with my old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Merrell. Two of their grandchildren from Wyoming, Ohio-Sylvia and Audrey Merrell-were visiting there at the time.
     The four children of the Harry Hilldales at Oak Hill, Fla., lived up to all prophecies I had heard about them, and kept me busy, morning, noon, and night, trying to satisfy their insatiable desire for any classes I was able to think of that dealt with religion and the church.-In a lighter vein, they could not understand why I was not eager to go for walks with them through the Florida-orange-famous Indian River country where they live. It meant nothing to them that another name for Indian River-official and more appropriate-is Mosquito Lagoon.
     Finding that I had a two-hour stopover at Pensacola, Fla., on my way to New Orleans, I was able to get together with Ensign Lachlan Pitcairn, of Bryn Athyn. Time did not permit us to locate A/C Warren David and A/C Donald Edmonds, who are also stationed in Pensacola. But I found that it will be possible, with very little advance planning, to hold church services and/or doctrinal classes there on my next visit to the South in November. Apparently this can also be arranged for almost any other service men in that locality, if they will write to me, c/o Rev. Elmo C. Acton, 12 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois.
     In New Orleans, La., I stayed with the Herbert Schoenbergers. The New Church persons I met there included the Schoenbergers' married daughter, Mrs. H. Bernard Bruser, Mr. Durwood Crockett, Lt. Col. and Mrs. A. Higgins and their two daughters; also, Miss Carolyn Harris (now Mrs. Nathan Pitcairn), Sgt. Carl Soneson of Erie, Pa., S 2/c Robert Blair and Pvc. Lee Horigan of Pittsburgh. While I was in New Orleans, Mrs. Bruser received word from a friend in Italy that her husband had failed to return from a mission in which he was navigator of a Flying Fortress. Since that time she has heard that he was captured by the Nazis in Austria. Fortunately, he is well and apparently uninjured.
     Just as the North got the worst of the recent heat wave, cool weather arrived for my stay in Birmingham, Ala. There also children kept me busy-the six children of Seaman 1/c and Mrs. A. M. Echols, Jr. ("Seaman First Class" is best of all, isn't it? Adults met there were: Mrs. Echols, Senior; McGill Echols; Mrs. Echols, Junior; Mrs. F. Posey and her son, just graduated Lieutenant John Posey, home from California on his way to Kansas.
     In Atlanta, Ga., I stayed with the Henry Barnitzes, and there I also met Mrs. Thomas Crockett and her daughters,-Mrs. Thomas Wheeler and Miss Geneva Crockett-Mr. Chester Frost, Miss Burkhart, Sp.T. Gloria Smith of Glenview, Ill., Mrs. Hansell Wade of Brunswick. Ga., and again Mr. Durwood Crockett, who was able to tell me, the day I left, of a 7 1/2-pound addition to his family-a daughter.
     At present, Atlanta seems to offer the most hope for a future society of the Church. New Orleans runs a close second, but the lax laws of Louisiana and the resultant local conditions may be too great a barrier to hurdle. It was in Atlanta, by the way, that I met most of the Old Church persons who came to see and hear about the Tabernacle.
     REV. ORMOND ODHNER.

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     The day appointed for our July meeting found our pastor, the Rev. Norman Reuter, with Mrs. Reuter and their three children, spending a few care-free days at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Harold French, on Wolverine Lake, about twenty-five miles from Detroit.

478



     It had been a long time since we had seen Mrs. Reuter, and it was a great pleasure to have her and her three little darlings with us at the service of worship which Mr. Reuter conducted in Detroit on Sunday, July 30.
     After this service the group had luncheon, again out under the trees, for the day was very hot, following which quite a number of us drove out to the French place, where we spent the remainder of the day in pleasant relaxation on the lawn, or in the cool waters of the lake.
     Only superlatives could adequately describe the service held on Sunday, August 27. It featured the confirmation of two of our young ladies who were graduated at Bryn Athyn last June-Barbara Macauley and Frances (Frannie) Cook. Mr. Reuter had built the entire service, including his talk to the children, around the rite of confirmation and its obligations. His sermon theme was "Worship," and his text the invitation to worship used at the opening of all our services: "O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker." It was a very clear and useful exposition of the need for external worship, if one's internal state is to be kept alive and vital. It was made clear that the physical acts of kneeling and bowing down spring from, and vividly picture, the spiritual state of one who is in true worship.
     We were indeed delighted to welcome these two young ladies into full membership in our group. Frances is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William F. Cook, charter members of our group. Barbara is the first member of her immediate family to accept the teachings of the New Church. But many of her relatives have been in the Church for years, the most notable one being her aunt, Miss June Macauley, of the Academy Faculty.
     Perhaps this beautiful confirmation service, which was deeply impressive and one of the best of Mr. Reuter's many fine services, may have been significant of what the future may hold for the Detroit group. With our young people gaining such a splendid knowledge of the Doctrines, through their attendance at the Academy Schools, then returning home and eventually founding families of their own, it is not difficult to visualize the time when we shall need much larger quarters for our services, and also the full time of a resident pastor.
     Mr. Reuter, in spite of the necessity of traveling by train on account of gas rationing, brought with him this time a projector and a lot of slides, with which he introduced us to Visual Education, a subject in which he is deeply interested. Naturally the children just loved it, and all of us who witnessed the demonstration agreed that it offers remarkable possibilities, particularly in the teaching of Bible stories to children. Mr. Reuter plans to use this system in all of his children's classes from now on. And we have no doubt that the older folk will also want to see the pictures.
     W. W. W.

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH.

     Summer School.

     The two special Summer Courses offered to General Church teachers by the Academy were given as announced, with an enrollment of fifteen: From Glenview 3, Kitchener 1, Pittsburgh 1, Bryn Athyn 10.
     During the period of August 16th to 29th, lectures were given by Dr. William Whitehead on Teaching the History of the Most Ancient and Primitive Peoples, and on Astronomy by Mrs. Robert M. Cole, and these proved very delightful and profitable to those who attended.

     TREATISE ON THE WORD.

     The Bible: Its Letter and Spirit. by William C. Dick, MA.. F.E.I.S., reviewed in New CHURCH LIFE for August, 1944, is on sale at the Academy Book Room. Price $2.00.

479


DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES And EPISCOPAL VISITS 1944

DISTRICT ASSEMBLIES And EPISCOPAL VISITS              1944



     Announcements



     BISHOP DE CHARMS:

Sept. 19-Erie, Pa.
20-21-Detroit, Mich.
22-24-Gleoview, Ill.
Sept. 29-Oct. 1-St. Paul. Minn,
Oct. 3-Wyoming, Ohio.
4-5-Akron, Ohio.
6-8-Pittsburgh, Pa.

     BISHOP ACTON:

Sept. 29-Oct. 1-Toronto, Ont.
Oct. 6-8-Kitchener, Ont.
13-15-Montreal. P. Q.

480


MINISTERIAL CHANGES 1944

MINISTERIAL CHANGES              1944

     In the pastoral field of the General Church, the following changes have taken place in recent months:
     The Rev. Willard D. Pendleton resigned as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, effective July 1, 1944, to become a member of the Faculty of the Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
     The Rev. Bjorn A. H. Boyesen resigned as Pastor of the New York Society and the North Jersey Circle, and accepted a call to the pastorate of the Pittsburgh Society, entering upon his duties there on August 1st.
     The Rev. Ormond Odhner, Assistant to the Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, resigned that office, and has accepted a call to be Visiting Pastor of the Chicago District and the Southern States.
     The New York Society and the North Jersey Circle will be visited by pastors from Bryn Athyn.
CHARTER DAY 1944

              1944

     All ex-students of the Academy of the New Church are cordially invited to attend the Charter Day Exercises to be held at Bryn Athyn, Pa., on Friday and Saturday, October 13th and 14th, 1944.

     Program.
Friday, 11 a.m.-Cathedral Service, with an address by the Rev. Morley D. Rich.
Friday Afternoon.-Football Game.
Friday Evening.-Dance.
Saturday, 7 p.m.-A Banquet in the Assembly Hall. Toastmaster, Mr. Carl H. Asplundh.
     Arrangements will be made for the entertainment of guests, if they will write to Mrs. V. W. Rennels, Bryn Athyn Pa.
PARENT-TEACHER JOURNAL 1944

PARENT-TEACHER JOURNAL              1944

     Season of 1944-1945.

     The purpose of this periodical is to provide material for the education of children in the home, and also to maintain cooperation between the Church Schools and the Academy.

     EDITOR: Miss Celia Bellinger.

     ASSISTANT EDITORS: Mrs. Besse E. Smith, Miss Lois Stebbing.

     Published Monthly, October to May, inclusive.

     Subscription: $1.00.

     Address: Mrs. Phyllis S. Cranch, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND 1944

PROPER STUDY OF MANKIND       DONALD F. ROSE       1944



481




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
NOVEMBER, 1944
No. 11
     First of three inscriptions on the Temple of Apollo, at Delphi, was the simple admonition: Know Thyself!" The exhortation has been repeated by philosophers and poets ever since, from Seneca to Edgar Guest. Seneca pointed out thousands of years ago that "what you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you." More recently, but in the same vein, wrote Edgar Guest:

     I have to live with myself, and so
     I want to be fit for myself to know;
     I want to be able as days go by
     Always to look myself straight in the eye.
     I don't want to stand with the setting sun
     And hate myself for the things I've done.

     Most of those counseling self-examination, in prose or verse, have given warning that knowing ourselves is a duty rather than a privilege. The discoveries of self-inspection are usually unpleasant. The self-examining man is a fault-finder, a critic and accuser of himself. And so he should be, said Roger Ascham and other wise men. "Condemn no poor man, mock no simple man, which proud fools love to do; but find fault with yourself and none other."
     It has been recognized throughout the ages that it calls for both courage and skill to conduct an honest cross-examination of a man's own heart and mind. There is a significant statement in the Writings (R. 531) that many men lack what it takes to search their souls in honest self-analysis. "Protestants. . . cannot bring themselves to practice self-examination, and to look at their sins and confess them before God: it is as if horror seized them at the thought of it."

482



     But for all men a sincere and discerning self-examination is no easy matter. "Nothing requires a rarer intellectual heroism than willingness to see one's equation written out," says George Santayana. Cicero knew that "every man is least known to himself, and it is very difficult for a man to know himself."
     These reflections are from the writings of poets and philosophers. But the problem has also been a practical one for scientific thinkers since Aristotle and earlier. To know, if possible, the true nature of the human heart and mind has been a "proper study of mankind" for many ages. It was a chief concern of the wisdom of Socrates and his pupils. They sought diligently to "know themselves," not alone for the betterment of their personal behavior, but in the endeavor to discover the very nature of the universe of which man is the sole conscious and reflecting observer. It has been a brave and absorbing quest throughout its long history. The great Greek thinkers were its pioneers. By taking thought they tried to discover what thought itself may be. They looked away from the outer and visible world and within themselves to find truth and reality. Socrates himself taught that self-knowledge is the only way to dispel apparent knowledge and to attain truth. Emerson wrote that "out of Plato come all things that are still written and debated among men of thought," and the main theme of Plato is this "proper study of mankind,"-the nature of man and the mental stuff of which a man is made.
     Not long before Swedenborg's lifetime, serious doubt arose among thinking men as to whether the human being is competent to be completely and accurately self-critical. The obvious difficulty is that the thing thought about is also doing the thinking. It seems that self-examination requires a detachment and separation from self which is impossible. It appears that a man is required to think about himself from within himself.
     This difficulty may have partly inspired John Locke's famous "Essay on the Human Understanding," which was a magnificent effort to discover just how far human thought can go. It arrived, at last, at the common perplexity of all these investigations, which is the vital and difficult distinction between objective and subjective thought. It is not so hard to understand that a man can examine, consider and pass judgment upon experience that conies from outside himself, through the world around him and his five senses.

483


It is difficult to see how he can see clearly and judge wisely the ideas and emotions that seem to arise within himself. Locke called the newborn infant's mind an "empty cabinet," destined to be filled with knowledges and ideas by every kind of experience. And when the adult man engages in self-examining reflection, the appearance is that the cabinet has miraculously developed a critical awareness of its own contents. The cabinet is measuring itself, counting and evaluating the commodities on its shelves. It is almost as though the typewriter on which this is written should suddenly start to spell out the story of its own manufacture and be critical of the condition of its ribbon.
     This plausible appearance led other thinkers into serious and dangerous difficulties. Kant tried, and failed, to find a definable area in the human mind between the world of physical phenomena, as translated by the senses, and the central ego of the individual. Berkeley decided that the "objects" of thought are merely ideas, and drifted further to the speculation that the physical world is purely hypothetical and may not exist at all, except as ideas in lonely human brains.
     All this is part of a complicated and curious science, and the Greeks gave a word for it. It is called "epistemology," and is the science of determining what knowledge is and how thought functions. It is certainly a part of the "proper study of mankind," but it has yielded little except the knowledge that knowing is an extremely difficult subject to know anything about.
     At the beginning of this century some scraps of writing on papyrus were discovered which are sometimes called the "New Sayings of Jesus." One reads as follows: "The kingdom of heaven is within you; and whosoever knoweth himself shall find it." This admonition, though probably apocryphal, suggests a more important reason for self-examination than any which concerns the scientists. It seemed important, too, to Nicolas Malebranche, a theologian and philosopher of the 17th century who was a student of Descartes. He wrote that "all our clear ideas are, so far as their intelligible reality is concerned, in God. It is only in Him that we see them."
     This seems to say that the very nature of ideas and the value of thoughts, for good or evil, cannot be determined except in the Lord's presence. The Writings of the New Church say so. "As soon as a man, after examination, acknowledges evils to be sins against God, because they are contrary to Divine laws, and resolves in consequence to desist from them, the Lord opens his spiritual mind, and enters into his natural mind through the affections of good and truth; and He also enters into the rational, and from it arranges in order the things that are contrary to order below it in the natural.

484


This is what appears to man as combat." (P. 147.)
     Here seems to be summarized the process of self-examination which has so much puzzled the thinking world since men first tried to "know themselves." Its difficulty is declared in the statement that self-examination and its consequences appear to man as a combat and struggle within himself, a strife from which many shrink with a kind of horror. It echoes what is said in the apocryphal fragment, that self-examination is the way to the kingdom of heaven. It approves what Malebranche wrote, that only in God can we see and judge our ideas clearly.
     Yet self-examination must begin before the lord can open the spiritual mind and arrange into order the things that are below it. It cannot begin effectively before adult life, and it appears that with some it never begins. "There are some who cannot examine themselves, as infants, boys and girls before they arrive at an age when they become capable of self-examination; in like manner the simple, who are incapable of reflection; as also all who have not the fear of God; besides these, some who are diseased in mind and body. . ." (T. 527.) Here are some extremely practical instructions for those who engage in self-examination. It cannot he done in a diseased condition of mind or body, as is more specifically stated in another number teaching that true self-examination is impossible in a state of compulsion. "A state of compulsion is a state of sickness, a state of dejection of mind from misfortune, a state of imminent death; in a word, every state of fear which takes away the use of sound reason. . . ." (A. 8392.)
     It appears that no spiritual profit can be expected from self-examination, except when a man can think calmly and without undue emotion about his mental condition. This much the modern psychologists know, and give warning that mere morbid brooding is a mental disease, not a wholesome habit. The Writings seem to say that a man should examine himself in something like a state of peace; the storm will come later when the judgment has been made.

485



     There is another specific teaching. One devil must be cast out, at least temporarily, before self-examination is worth while: "It is impossible for those who are in the love of self to know what their ruling love is, because they love what is their own, and call their evils goods; and the falsities which they favor, and by which they confirm their evils, they call truths. . . " (H. 487.)
     It is frequently taught by the Writings that the key to self-examination is to seek out the ruling love and judge it honestly. But the problem and impossibility represented by Locke's comparison of the human mind to a cabinet filled with ideas and knowledges apply to those in the love of self who will not surrender it before examining themselves. They are inside the cabinet, and will not leave it. They love its evil and false contents, and call them goods and truths. So a brief rejection of selfishness, as well as calmness of mind, is prerequisite to self-examination.
      Both these injunctions are matters of our everyday experience. A man tortured by envy or jealousy or hatred knows in his right mind, or what remains of it, that he is incapable of clear thinking or a right estimate of what is good or evil, true or false. He is dimly conscious that he is possessed of a devil, that he is mentally, emotionally and even physically a sick man. He is in a "state of compulsion," even though the compulsion is within his own disordered mind.
     It is also a familiar fact of experience that self-love makes true self-examination impossible. It is an old English proverb that "self-love makes the eyes blind"; and the dramatist Massinger warned against the folly of men viewing themselves "in the deceiving mirror of self-love." Again quoting the parable of the mental cabinet, it is plainly a waste of time to attempt its housecleaning if there are secret drawers and compartments, crowded with our evils and errors, which we are stubbornly resolved not to open.
     There are other difficulties which are in some degree compulsions, and which make self-examination no simple matter. They are inherited characteristics which are so greatly a part of a man that he can hardly think or act as an individual apart from them. A man of violent temper, for example, is handicapped by his own nature from seeing his own fault clearly. Fortunately there are other means by which he may do so,-especially contact with his fellows, and their reactions to his behavior. This the Writings seem to mention when it is said that even those who are in the love of self may identify their ruling love with the help of others.

486


"If they were willing, they might know it from others who are wise, and who see what they themselves do not see." (H. 487.) It may not be necessary that these outside observers be wise. The approval or disapproval of society, the affection or dislike of our neighbors, the unspoken rebuke or criticism of those with whom we come in contact in our work and play, can be greatly helpful. They help us to see ourselves as others see us, which may be a means of subduing our self-love before we turn to the task of self-examination. "Weigh not thyself in the scales of thy own opinion," wrote Sir Thomas Browne; and Schiller went further: "If you wish to know yourself, observe how others act. If you wish to understand others, look into your own heart."
     More concerning the mechanics of self-examination is revealed in Divine Providence, 277. "It is to enable man to examine himself that an understanding has been given him. . . There has been given to his understanding higher and lower thought, or interior and exterior thought, to enable him to see from the higher or interior thought what the will is doing in the lower and exterior thought; this he sees as a man sees his face in a mirror."
     So far as this investigation has determined, no philosopher or scientist or psychologist has stumbled upon this solution to the problem which is the proper study of mankind,-the essential structure of the human mind, and the method whereby it may literally think about itself and judge itself. No scientist, for that matter, has been able to identify the cells in the brain in which purposeful thought takes place, though obviously it takes place somewhere. There is no recognition whatever of a difference and distinction between an upper and a lower mind, though it is frequently referred to throughout the Writings.
     Yet the distinction is a matter of common experience. We know that we can on occasion stand apart from our thoughts and emotions almost as spectators, and judge what they are worth. We can stand above them, if only briefly, and "see from the higher or interior thought what the will is doing in the lower and exterior thought." This is the saving miracle which permits self-examination.
     We are further informed what a man should seek to find when he has deliberately laid aside self-love and climbed to the interior mind to contemplate the lower.

487


We are told that it is not enough to judge our actions. "Not only the external, but also the internal, must be examined. If the external alone is examined, a man sees only what he has actually done. . . he spirit is examined only by man's attending to his thoughts, especially his intentions, for intentions are thoughts from the will." (P. 152.) This is explained more fully in N. J. & H. D. 164. "The man who examines himself for the purpose of doing the work of repentance must closely examine the thoughts and intentions of his will, and must thence infer what he would do if he were permitted, that is, if not restrained by the fear of the laws and the loss of reputation, of honor and of gain; for the evils of man reside in his thoughts and intentions, and from these proceed all the evil actions which he commits in the body. This is self-examination."
     Yet it is indicated in the Writings, and experience confirms, that the man who tries to read the purposes of his will, as shaped in his thoughts, may fall into confusion by attempting too much. "It is the part of a wise man to know the ends that are in him. Sometimes it appears as if his ends were for self, when yet they are not so; for it is the nature of man to reflect upon himself in everything, and this from custom and habit." (A. 3796.) In other words, there is no need for discouragement in the discovery that all the purposes of the human mind and heart can be cynically called selfish, as they are called by behaviorists and other pseudoscientists.
     The same passage goes on to say that, "if any one desires to know the ends that are within him, let him merely pay attention to the delight he perceives in himself from the praise and glory of self, and to the delight he perceives from use, separate from self; if he perceives this latter delight, he is in genuine affection. He must also pay attention to the various states in which he is, for the states very much vary the perception." This final sentence is a useful reminder that even in spiritual self-examination a man should not trust his own judgment too confidently. But he must do the best he can, with the light that is in him, and, above all, seek his purposes, his intentions, his ends, particularly the ruling and simple love that is a part of them all.
     "Everyone may see what kind of life he has, if he will only search out what his end is.

488


Not what all his ends are, for he has numberless ones, as many as intentions, and almost as many judgments and conclusions of thoughts, which are only intermediate ends, variously derived from the principal one or tending to it. But let him search out the end he prefers to all the rest, and in respect to which all others are as nothing. If he has for his end himself and the world, let him know that his life is infernal; but if he has for his end the good of his neighbor, the common good, the Lord's kingdom, and especially the Lord Himself, let him know that his life is heavenly." (A. 1909.)
     One other warning of the Writings is both an aid and comfort to those engaging in self-examination. "There is no need of enumerating sins before the Lord, nor of supplicating for their remission. The reason that there is no need of enumerating the sins is because the man has searched and seen them in himself, and thence they are present to the Lord, because they are present to himself." (T. 539.)
     Self-examination is a simple thing, after all, though the sages of centuries have wondered how it can be done, even while declaring it a good thing to do. It is a habit that can be formed, though it is said a man may examine himself "once or twice a year" and be sufficiently informed of his spiritual condition, if he is daily living a life of charity and good intention. Its rewards are worth while, as is declared in True Christian Religion, 534. "Those who rightly explore themselves are like ships from Ophir, laden with gold, silver and precious things; but before they have explored themselves they are like ships loaded with filth. . . . Those who explore themselves interiorly become like mines, all the sides of which glitter with the ores of noble metal. . . Those who do not explore themselves are like dry hones in a valley" (T. 534.)
     So the Writings agree with the poets and philosophers, and with the long experience of men, that self-examination is the proper study of mankind. "Full wise is he that can himself know," wrote Chaucer, and there seems to be no better gate to saving wisdom than sincere self-analysis in the light of truth and the presence of God. So we may wonder, in conclusion, whether the scrap of ancient paper discovered so recently, and called one of the "New Sayings of Jesus," is a corruption or correction of its version in the Gospels: The kingdom of heaven is within you: and whosoever knoweth himself shall find it."

489


PRAYER FOR THE YOUTH OF THE CHURCH 1944

PRAYER FOR THE YOUTH OF THE CHURCH              1944


     "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace." (Psalm 144: 12.)
     Life implies growth. A living church is therefore one which is in continual process of development. This is effected by a gradual but sustained advance into the interiors of doctrine and of life. The church consists of men and women in whose minds good from the Lord is being united with truth from the Word through victories in temptations. And its real progress is made as there are born of this spiritual marriage more and more interior concepts of the meaning and use of doctrinals, and ever more accurate and complete applications thereof in an increasing good life. In this alone lies true development: and the whole life of those who sincerely love the church and its uses is a prayer that it may be achieved and maintained.
     This prayer is expressed, correspondentially, in the words of our text. By "sons" in the Word are signified the understanding and thought of truth, or the truth of doctrine in the understanding and thought: and when the truths of doctrine therein are genuine, they are said to be "as plants grown up in their youth." By "daughters," on the other hand, are signified the will and affection of the truth and good of the church,-the love of the good within doctrine, and of its truth for the sake thereof,-thus the good of doctrine in the will and thence in the affections; and when this is spiritual, it is said to be a "corner stone," because it is that upon which rests the palace of wisdom in the human mind. Thus, in the abstract sense, our text is a prayer of the church to the Lord that its spiritual conceptions and births may be true doctrinals and genuine goods of life, and that thus the church may be preserved and perfected.
     But truths and goods become uses only in men and women, and the earthly life-span of a generation is soon over. Men must labor, but others must enter into their labors.

490


The development of the church requires, not only that we in our day shall make some advance into the interiors of doctrine and life, but also that we shall be followed by a generation which has been brought up to know and love the doctrine and life of the New Church; one which is able, not only to enter into the wisdom that is its heritage, but is also prepared and inclined by heredity, training, and environment to perceive more fully what is of wisdom, and to love more deeply the things wisdom teaches, and thus to take a further step into interiors. If each generation had to begin de novo, there would be no more progress than if each were to rest content with the achievements of the past. Development requires that every generation enter into the accumulated wisdom of the past as garnered and increased by its fathers, and then, through its own devoted efforts, extend the sum total a degree further.
     So it is that our prayer for preservation and progress becomes a prayer for the youth of the church; becomes, in the literal sense of the terms, a prayer for our sons and daughters. It is a well-known fact that good parents everywhere desire for their children the best they can conceive, hoping that their sons and daughters may be more fortunate than they, and counting no sacrifice too great if thereby they may achieve their wish. And in the New Church, in which conjugial love is to produce a spiritual love of children that is conjoined with love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor, this desire will look to spiritual ends. It will be seen that there is no higher blessing we can desire for our children than that they should receive the innocence of wisdom and become angels, no greater happiness they can have than that which inheres in the unselfish performance of the uses of the church and of heaven. And this perception will produce a heartfelt desire that they may come to love the teaching and life of the New Church, that they may have the spiritual protection and support to be found only within the church, and that through the worship of the Lord they may come into true intelligence, and into the love and life of spiritual uses.
     It is this desire that is the prayer of a living church for its youth, and it is fittingly expressed in the petition: "That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones."

491


For the desire is, that our sons may grow up into the love of becoming truly wise from the Heavenly Doctrine, and into the perception of what is of genuine wisdom, and that our daughters may come into the love of the wisdom of the church from that Doctrine. It is that by means of those loves their spiritual safety and happiness shall be secured, and the church among them come into a deeper understanding of truth, a higher quality of life, whereby its uses will be more widely and perfectly extended than in this our day.
     Yet pious hopes, like prayer of the lips alone, are of little avail. And if the prayer of the church for its youth is to become effective, it must be backed by sustained action in accordance with the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrine. We cannot regenerate our children, and the Lord will not do so when they grow up, unless they will to follow Him in the regeneration. But we can provide for them a training and environment, if not a heredity, that will dispose our boys to look to the Writings as the source of wisdom, and to love the acquisition of wisdom from them, incline our girls to love the wisdom of the church from the Writings as that which alone can show how womanly love can act to protect and preserve, and move both our sons and our daughters to seek in the doctrine and life of the church their highest ideals and truest happiness. And our prayer, if it he sincere, will take the form of providing these things, while looking to the Lord for guidance.
     The truth of the Word is the only way to heaven. There can be no leading of our sons and daughters to the church, no preparation of their minds to receive it, without sustained training in that truth. And the imparting of this instruction is the joint responsibility of home, school, and church; no one of these can be fully effective without the others. The home, with its bedside prayers, family worship, and many other occasions which may he arranged or seized upon as they arise spontaneously, provides opportunity for suitable instruction in the Word and the life that it teaches. Our Sunday schools, and still more our day schools, exist to extend that training in cooperation with the homes, and in adaptation to the growing mind. And behind these stands the church itself, with its graded instrumentalities for teaching youth the way to heaven. All these are means through which our children and young people may gradually learn the doctrine of the New Church, and become familiar with the many phases of its life.

492



     By itself, however, instruction will not achieve the end in view. It will, indeed, affect the understanding with them, will build up in them a different kind of intellectual mind. But it will not touch their hearts. If our prayer is, that our sons and daughters may come to hove, more than anything else, the doctrine and life they have learned, and so become true New Church men and women, we must lead as well as teach them. And this leading can best be done through a personal faith that will affirmatively affect the minds of our children, and through the silent but powerful force of example. For the fact remains that, whether we like it or not, our children will regard us as examples, and that we can best dispose them to love the doctrine and life of the New Church by our own love of them.
     A home in which much is made of the reading and discussion of the Word, and of the externals of worship, but in which the sphere, standards, and life are those of self and the world, unmoderated by the sphere of repentance, will only bewilder the forming mind of youth. We cannot expect our sons and daughters to love the Word and the Writings if we ourselves are seldom if ever seen with one of the sacred volumes in our hands. We should not be surprised if they lack enthusiasm for the schools of the church when we are never present in its doctrinal classes. We can scarcely hope that they will avail themselves regularly of the use and benefits of public worship if we ourselves hold these things so lightly that any external call is allowed to interfere with our occasional churchgoing. Nor should we suppose that they will be inspired to find delight in the social life of the church if we ourselves take little or no interest in it.
     Fortunately, the worst parental example cannot prevent the future regeneration of the young. But constant heading by a good example, combined with instruction in home and school and church, will do all that can be done to provide the youth of the church with a training and environment that will dispose it to love the life and teachings of the New Church. And when these two are given from a heartfelt desire that they may do so, our whole life will become a prayer "that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones." Amen.

LESSONS:     Psalm 144. Mark 10: 1-16. Conjugial Love, 202-204.
MUSIC:     Liturgy, pages 543, 636, 504. Revised Liturgy, pages 471, 468, 456.
PRAYERS:     Nos. 197, 80, 95. Revised Liturgy, Nos. 100, 122.

493


INVASION AND INTERSESSION 1944

INVASION AND INTERSESSION       Rev. F. W. ELPHICK       1944

     (Delivered at a special service in Durban, Natal, June 6, 1944.)

     "When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops." (Habakkuk 3: 16.)

     We have been asked by those in high places to meet together in the House of God, and to offer prayers for the greatest invasion of all history. And so, in common with those of different religions and different creeds-different ways and means of the approach to God,-we, of the New Church faith, assemble at this time when great events are stirring the peoples of Europe. For, whether it be conqueror to conquer and make slave, or conqueror to smite and set free from bondage; whether it be aggressor or defender, even aggression in the cause of defense; the literal words of Habakkuk are still true. For when the invader "cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops."
     There have been many invasions in the past. Among the wars recorded in the Old Testament, we read that "the Philistines invaded the land." (I Samuel 23: 27.) "David and his men invaded the Geshurites." (I Samuel 27: 8.) "We made an invasion in the south." (I Samuel 30: 14.) In secular history, we recall the old time invasions of the Greeks and the Romans-how Julius Caesar, on nearing Britain, waded through the sea to invade and conquer. Was this a fulfilment of the prophecy, "Thou didst walk through the sea with thy horses, through the heaps of great waters" (Habakkuk 3: 15)?
     No. The Scriptures do not refer to historical incidents of this nature, although in appearance they seem to apply-even to the waters of the European continent today! The Scriptures do not foretell present events; and yet, in appearance, they seem to fit in with the signs of the times,-the war of this, our day, with its long preparation, continuance, and now coming to the great crisis, pending the greatest invasion of all history.

494



     This is a characteristic of the Letter of the Word, because, in its ultimate sense, it touches the lives of the people, and is so constructed that it can be applied in any age,-past, present and future. But its inner, spiritual sense refers to the spiritual state of the church among men. And so this third chapter of Habakkuk refers to the prediction that the Lord will come into the world; that He will then examine the church; that He will, by His Divine Truth, dissipate the falsities of evil; that there will be judgment upon those who are in these falsities of evil, and that they will be cast into hell. There will be grief on account of their state, because there is no longer anything of the church with them. But those who at heart worship the Lord will be saved. (P. P.) Such is the teaching of our Doctrine concerning the spiritual meaning of this chapter, although, in its natural sense, it depicts prayer, pestilence, war and the equipment of war invasion, battle, and final rejoicing,-the very sequence of events which we are witnessing in the world today.
     On many recent occasions we have dwelt upon the doctrines concerning War, Peace, Prayer, Providence, Permissions, Intercession. So now, we should again remember the teaching of Divine Revelation, and in our prayers, and in our daily attitude toward this long looked for development in this war of our day, remember that the invisible hand of Providence is over this invasion, and over the sequence of events that will follow in its wake.
     The Lord knows what is best before we ask Him. Yet, under the prudence and guidance of great men,-leaders of the United Nations in political policy, in military strategy and tactics, naval action and air direction-millions of human beings are obeying the instructions now being given for a great deliverance. For history affirms that the idea of superman, of conquest by force, depriving men and women of the power to think and act for themselves, is of a spiritual influence-not from heaven, but from the nether world, from the falsity and evil of hell. These things must be resisted and combated. And the Lord allows wars to take place, and does not suddenly intercede, because He wishes men to learn their own lesson-in freedom.
     And so we do not pray for victory, but we pray that we may have strength to endure, to learn and teach, and to do everything in our individual lives to fight selfishness, so that this invasion may be the last of its kind.

495


For intercession means "perpetual remembrance of man from love" by the Lord. He never leaves men. Men turn away from Him. Let us hope, therefore, that what this war has brought thus far, and what it will bring after the turn of today's tide-to some grief, to some wealth, to some poverty-let us hope that its lesson will drive deeply into the hearts and minds of men and women the world over, and in whatever war service they may be,-the lesson that Providence has permitted these things for our spiritual good.
     And it is in such a spirit that our prayers, and our wishes and thoughts, should attend those who are risking life and limb to the end that warfare-aggressive, material, physical, chemical, mechanical warfare-may cease, that men may settle their disputes by rational arbitration, and employ the arts and sciences for the betterment of mankind, and have time and leisure to think of the important things of this life,-that it is a preparation, by the forming of a spiritual character, to live forever in the life hereafter, as well as being useful, upright and Christian citizens of this world. And this twofold preparation is the keynote of the whole of the New Church doctrine,-to teach and uplift and to save, even by a continual battle against the invasion of evil and falsity, that evil and falsity may be invaded and conquered by good and truth.
     Remembering, then, the teaching of the Heavenly Doctrine concerning the use and power of worship and prayer, we may realize that our prayers at this time can help, providing the spirit of the prayers is worthy. Then may we trust that the outcome of this great historical event which will go down through the ages in the records of this greatest of wars, will, in the Divine hand of Providence, bring good out of all the evil things which have beset this earth in recent years. And as spiritual law and natural law are a one by correspondence, so the old time text of the Prophet Habakkuk abides: "When he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops." Amen.

496


USES OF THE CHURCH 1944

USES OF THE CHURCH       Rev. F. E. GYLLENHAAL       1944

     We know that the church is the Lord's, because it conies down from Him out of heaven. We associate together, and organize or form a common body, for the sake of receiving the Lord's church, and for the sake of performing the uses that belong to the church. We call our organization "The Church," and yet we recognize and realize that it is genuinely so only to the extent that whatever we do as its constituent members corresponds with the Divine Truth of the Word of the Lord.
     The Divine purpose in creating man is a heaven of angelic men and every man is predestined to heaven. But the Divine purpose ms accomplished by means that allow every man a free choice of heaven. The Lord's church is the principal of those means. The sun of the uses of the church is the teaching and leading of men by the Lord immediately and consciously, that is, in every appearance as of themselves.
     Perhaps we do not think of the Lord's teaching and leading as being immediate and conscious to us in enlightenment from the Word. In fact, we may allow ourselves to be led and taught only mediately, by failing to dispose ourselves to the Lord's immediate teaching and leading. So let us note what the Writings declare about the Lord's teaching and leading. We read:

     "Man is taught by the Lord by means of the Word, and by means of doctrine and preaching from the Word, and thus immediately by the Lord alone. It has been said and shown above that man is led and taught by the Lord alone, and this from heaven and not through heaven, or through any angel there. And because he is led by the Lord alone, it follows that he is led immediately, and not mediately. How this is done will now be told." (D. P. 171.) In explanation of this general statement, we read further: "Now, because the Lord is the Word, it follows that the man who is taught from the Word is taught by the Lord alone.

497


The Lord is the Word, because the Word is from Him and concerning Him; thus to be taught from the Word is to be taught from Him. That this is done mediately through preaching does not take away its immediateness." (D. P. 172.)

     Evidently the attitude of the man taught and led determines for him the immediacy and consciousness of the Lord's teaching and leading. If he acknowledges that the Word is from the Lord and is the Lord, and that the preaching is from the Word and is the Divine Truth of the Word, he puts no human medium between himself and the Lord; for he thinks from the Word, he wills from the Word, and he acts from the Word. There is indeed an appearance of mediateness in preaching, and in all the work of the priest, teacher and parent; but that this does not take away the immediateness of the Lord's sole teaching and leading, any more than does a man's own reading of the Word, is expressly declared:

     "That this is done mediately through preaching does not take away the immediateness. The Word cannot be taught otherwise than mediately through parents, teachers, preachers, books, and especially by the reading of it. Nevertheless it is not taught by these, but by the Lord through them. And this the preachers know, and they say that they do not speak from themselves, but from the Spirit of God, and that all truth, like all good, is from God. They can indeed speak it, and bring it to the understanding of many, but not to the heart of any one; and what is not in the heart perishes in the understanding; the 'heart' meaning man's love. From all this it can be seen that man is led and taught by the Lord alone, and is led and taught immediately by Him when this is done from the Word. This is the arcanum of arcana of angelic wisdom." (D. P. 172.)

     Preachers, teachers, parents can declare the Word, and bring it to the understanding of many, "but not to the heart of any one." A man can read the Word for himself, and he can, as of himself, understand it; but in so doing he is not necessarily taught and led by the Lord immediately. The Lord's immediate teaching and leading reaches the heart, reaches the man's love, makes his love alive, feeds it, makes it strong, active, devoted to use. But the Lord's immediate teaching and leading is done within the mediate teaching from the Word.

498


The mediate work comes first in time, and must be done constantly, for it makes possible the Lord's immediate work. The Lord does not teach and lead us immediately apart from the Word, doctrine, and preaching. And our internal acknowledgment of the Lord in His Word and in His church is the acknowledgement of the heart, or of the love, that makes possible His immediate communication and conjunction with the men of the church.
     The heart or love that receives the Lord's immediate teaching and leading is the new heart or love from the Lord, and is not man's own love, is not the love of his proprium. Every man is created and born with three universal loves: the love of heaven, the love of the world, and the love of self. The love of heaven is the ultimate in man that receives the Lord's teaching and leading. This love is to be drawn out, infilled, built up, by remains, by precept and example, in infancy, childhood and youth, to the end that there may be at maturity that heart and love with the man by which the Lord can teach and lead him immediately. And the man who receives this education, and confirms it on his coming of age, becomes increasingly conscious of the Lord's sole immediate teaching and leading, because his supreme desire and effort is to be led and taught by the Lord alone.
     All the true uses of the church contribute to the effective realization of this supreme purpose, and are united in it. Every member of the church should do all that he possibly can to further this Divine purpose. We are taught that this can best be done in choirs, that is, by many working together, having a common purpose, using the same means.
     "A large number of angels of the interior heaven, together or in concert, formed a choir in which many of them together thought the same thing and spoke the same thing. And what is wonderful, although there was a large number of them, still they all thought and spoke as one, and this because none was desirous to act at all from himself, still less to preside over the rest, and lead the choir; for whosoever does this is of himself instantly dissociated: but they suffer themselves to be led mutually by each other, thus all in particular and in general to be led by the Lord." (A. C. 3350.)
     This is one reason why the church, according to the prescription of doctrine, has public Divine worship and doctrinal classes, and also adopts a calendar of reading the Word and the Writings, in all of which uses every member should take part for the sake of the perfection of the whole church.

499


The harmony that can be produced by such associations, and by such unanimous and simultaneous action makes possible a variety that is truly representative of the infinite things in God and a charity such as the angels enjoy.
     As we realize that all the uses of the church have their origin in heaven, and supremely in the Lord, we shall become more circumspect and diligent in our doing of them. And then they will be to us, not simply external acts of doubtful importance, but the means revealed by the Lord for the descent and extension of His church out of heaven, and for our preparation here on earth to fulfill His purpose in creating us and causing us to be born. All these uses, and all the work of the church's human organization, are necessary means to the end that the Lord alone may teach and lead us immediately, and with our awareness of His teaching and leading.
FREEDOM AND CHARACTER 1944

FREEDOM AND CHARACTER       L. GARTH PEMBERTON       1944

     (A Paper read at the Celebration of New Church Day, Durban, June 19, 1944.)

     We read in the Gospel that when Jesus "was demanded of the Pharisees when the kingdom of God should come, He answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation; neither shall they say, Lo here! or lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17: 20, 21.)
     In the full exercise of our life we have our full freedom to be ourselves. Rarely do we appreciate this freedom until something happens to hinder or restrict our own desires. In our democratic way of life, provided we keep within the law, and within the bounds of propriety, we have a full measure of personal freedom and activity entirely unhindered from outside restraints. But all this is merely natural freedom. The far greater freedom with which we have been favored, and which few of us genuinely appreciate, is our spiritual freedom,-that part of us which is solely and essentially ourselves, with which we may do what we please; that part of us which nobody can reach and nobody hurt-our very inmost soul.

500



     Spiritual freedom gives us the right to choose to walk with the angels-or with the devils. Inmostly, we can ascend to the highest level of profound spiritual beauty, or descend to utter depravity. But, in spite of these inherited qualities, it is human nature to ignore its greatest asset, and merely allow itself to drift-just drift with the crowd, neither considering nor caring whether its inmost life is hitched to the heavens or the hells. And it is usual that the freedom to please oneself merely follows the mood of the moment. In a calm environment we are calm, in a turbulent environment we are turbulent, with never a thought to consider the wonderful and amazing fact that heaven is right here, if we choose to see it.
     The kingdom of heaven is within you-and so also is the kingdom of hell. But how few of us really attempt to dissect this wonderful fact! In the spiritual freedom which has been given us we have a most glorious choice before us to build up in our inmost self the limitless beauties of heaven. In our inmost self we can see heaven, if we but choose to find it. All the best that is in us is heaven within us; and all the devil in us is hell; but in our daily lives we jumble these two states together, and hardly recognize the one from the other. Instead, we should cultivate the one, and with quiet determination check the other, until in time a very clear line of demarcation is drawn between them. If we are continually seeking to establish within us-within our inmost self-a beautiful state in conformity with our most cherished delights, we are, in fact, building our home in heaven. The building of this heaven within us can he a truly exquisite enjoyment in our natural lives. We are given the spiritual freedom to build and build, and to go on building. It may seem like a phantasy, or it may seem like a dream, but its reality can be profoundly and solidly a heaven in miniature-always provided it is, in its essence, love to God.
     We need not, of course, stress the fact that quite the opposite state of affairs exists with those who conjure up to themselves the alluring evils of life, living them in their hearts, but not outwardly, owing to the fear of the loss of honor and reputation. In them the kingdom of hell resides and grows. The need to cultivate heaven within us, therefore, cannot be too strongly stressed. Merely leaving our daily lives to the exigencies of the moment is boneless-lacking in character. If you want a beautiful garden, you must cultivate it. If you want a beautiful heaven to grow within you, you must cultivate it.

501


The Lord is at the door, knocking. If you but open the door, He will show you what perfect happiness is right here-here within you to cultivate, to foster and to cherish-to build to such perfection that the mean and squalid things in life will seem as things apart in your life.

     Character.-At this point let us digress to give an essay on Character. Before we can understand how character is to be built up, we must come to a distinct faith in its reality. Character is all that we can take with us when we die. Everything of the earth we leave behind; but our character, our real self, goes with us when we die. Many confuse reputation with character, whereas in building up reputation we may not even have started to build up our character. Character requires that we cultivate and ennoble our natures, that we enlarge and elevate our understanding, that we nay become wiser, better, and more useful to our fellow beings; but all these we should cultivate for their own sakes, and not for the sake of reputation or gain.
     It is necessary that our character be built up like a house on a sure foundation, on a ready plan for our daily lives. It is not enough that we note one or two particular weaknesses of ours, and devote our time to the reform of one weakness: for we are told that insomuch as we break one Commandment, we break all. Therefore, to have a strong, reliable character, we must watch ourselves closely, study both our thoughts and our deeds, make them consistent with each other, and then purify them by a persistent looking towards the Lord. True character consists in doing the will of God every moment of our lives. His will must be upon us everywhere and at all times.
     In the just training of character, if we first learn to understand the capacities and relations of Affection, Thought and Life, and to look within our own natures until we learn to comprehend how everything pertaining to our being belongs to one of these, we shall better appreciate the difficulties to be overcome before we shall be willing to make everything that we do the honest purpose of everything that we are. The cultivation of Thought lies at the root of all intellectuality, while it elevates and enlarges the sphere of the Affections: but until it is grasped by the affections, it does not belong to us, and does not become a part and parcel of our life.

502



     Our character is the complex of all that we love; and the motive power in us is affection. What we love we will, and what we will we do. It is impossible that any person should lead a consistent life unless a creed be adopted and steadfastly acted upon; because unless one holds distinct opinions in relation to life and duty, one is drawn hither and thither by impulse and passion as the mind's mood varies from time to time.
     Training of character demands that we should be sincere and truthful in our conversation, reverential in our mode of speech and pure in all we say, avoiding everything profane, obscene, coarse, or in any way offending delicacy, either in word, tone or suggestion. It demands courtesy-the doing as we would be done by-and simplicity. Those who study their own character with most care, and who best understand themselves, are apt to say least of the characters of others; they find too much to do within themselves, in curing their own defects, to have time or inclination to judge of the defects of others.
     In order to lead a worthy life, the first step to be taken is to come to a distinct understanding of what one wishes to be and do; and, in this connection, perhaps the cause which most frequently prevents this understanding is the failing to recognize the seriousness of life in this world. The solemnity of life lies in the fact that it is a preparation for eternity, and the solemnity of death, that the preparation is over, and the eternal life in heaven or hell begun.

     The Love of God.-God is Love, and as such fills the whole universe. We can quite easily partake of that Love, if we will. Our inmost self can seek it out, and utilize it to build our heaven within us, it is not difficult, because we each have it already implanted in us. But we have to learn how to use it, how to draw that Love to us. This we can only do each in his own way, because each one of us has a different heaven within us. But the essential part of each individual heaven must always be the same,-love to God.
     By this is not meant that we human beings, with our limited outlook, are expected to comprehend the vastness of Providence. But we can, we will, very easily understand and see the Holy Spirit within our midst. We are, in fact, born into that Spirit, as you can imagine when you look into the face of babies. Is it not a fact that a heavenly sphere surrounds beautiful babies?

503


The Lord said: "Suffer the little children to come unto me!" In lesser degree that Spirit still surrounds them as they grow up-lesser, of course, as they more and more throw off their innocence and imbibe the ways of the world. But Providence never leaves us. His Presence is either near or less near in accordance with how we ourselves behave or require that Presence. When, on our own initiative, we start to shun evils, in so far as we do so, we draw into ourselves the Presence. Thus God is ever present with us in His Love. For our part we have to "discover" that Love-each man for himself, and each man differently.
     Now we must realize that there is no use in our attempting to love something vague and incomprehensible. You can never truly visualize God in Person. To love God means to love the things that are of God, and, of course, to hate the opposite things of hell. In its simplest form, we should place emphasis upon as many of the beautiful things on the earth as we can find: kindness in heart, thought and deed; gentleness in manner, speech and action: affection in warmth, quality and refinement. All these, and many other attributes of love, are the things that must guide our lives, if done in the spirit that they belong to the Lord alone. For these are the things which are of God and from God. If we love these things, we are in fact loving God, because they are from Him.
     For those who have no conception of the life hereafter, it is natural to fear death. But to those who visualize in the after life an immediate continuation and progression, leading to an attainment of their most cherished thoughts, the journey can only be regarded with joyous anticipation, even though it may be with some trepidation that the evils of our life will also have to be faced in their stark nakedness, to be fought and conquered before the journey is over and the wonderful goal is attained.
     So let us, as a special resolve, seek out all that is best and loveliest in our inmost lives, and pattern it into a practical and living factor, to the end that we may, while the opportunity affords us before we die, build for ourselves a realistic heaven as our eternal home.

504


NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly By
THE GENERAL     CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager      Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions should be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.

TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     OPENING THE WORD AND HEAVEN.

     Early in the first volume of the Arcana Coelestia the exposition of the internal sense of Genesis is accompanied by disclosures concerning the nature of the life after death-"The Resuscitation of Man from the Dead, and his Entrance into Eternal Life" (nos. 168-189, etc.) and "On Heaven and Heavenly Joy." (Nos. 449-459, etc.) And the revelator declares that the internal sense cannot be known to anyone without a knowledge of the phenomena of the spiritual world:
     "Because, by the Divine mercy of the Lord, it has been granted me to know the internal sense of the Word, and in that sense are contained the deepest arcana, which have never before come to the knowledge of anyone, nor can come unless they know how things are in the other life-for very many things which are in the internal sense of the Word have regard to, describe, and involve these things-therefore it has been conceded me to disclose what I have heard and seen for some years during which it has been given me to be in the company of spirits and angels.

505



     "It is not hidden from me that many will say that no one while he lives in the body can ever speak with spirits and angels. Many will say that it is fantasy; others, that I treat of such things to gain credence and others will make other objections. But this will not deter me, for I have seen, I have heard, and I have felt." (A. C. 67, 68.)
     "If anyone knew how many arcana are contained in each verse he would be astounded very little shines out from the letter. But in the world of spirits the words of the letter are represented to the life in a beautiful order; for the world of spirits is a representative world. And whatever is there represented to the life is perceived in the second heaven by angelic spirits as to the more minute things which are in the things represented. And the things perceived by angelic spirits are perceived in the third heaven by angels, copiously and fully in inexpressible angelic ideas, and indeed according to the Lord's good pleasure, with all variety, which is endless. Such is the Word of the Lord." (A. C. 167.)


     SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES.

     The Apostles and their Hearers.

     When the Lord, after His resurrection, appeared unto the eleven disciples in Jerusalem, it is recorded that He "opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures." And then, before His ascension, He said unto them, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24: 45, 49.) This promise, we know, was fulfilled fifty days later on the day of Pentecost, when, according to the book of The Acts of the Apostles, "they were all with one accord in one place, and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 1-4.)

506



     And afterwards another remarkable thing occurred, as described in the Acts: "And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, . . . strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God." (Acts 2: 5-11.)
     But the Apostle Peter then explained to the multitude that this remarkable occurrence was the fulfilment of prophecy. "Standing up with the eleven, he lifted up his voice, and said unto them, This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel, 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh' (2: 28, 29)." (Acts 2: 14-17.) That it was the imparting of the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, as well as to the Apostles, is later declared in The Acts, where we read: "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all them which heard the word. And they which believed were astonished because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Spirit. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God." (Acts 10: 44-46.)
     This account of the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost-still commemorated in the Christian Church each year at Whitsuntide-is here recalled for the purpose of seeking an explanation of its phenomenal incidents in the light of the revealed truth of the Heavenly Doctrines. In particular, we would like to know how the apostles were given to speak with other tongues," and how the men of many nations "heard them speak, each in his own language."
     General Meaning-We know from our Doctrine that the "descent of the Holy Spirit" means that the Lord Himself, after His resurrection, was immediately present with men in His Divine Human, and that the virtue and operation of this presence is the Holy Spirit which "was not until Jesus was glorified." (John 7: 39.) By that presence and operation the Lord enlightened with a new faith, inspired with a new affection of charity, and thus regenerated all who genuinely received the Gospel doctrine in heart and life.

507


Thus the Holy Spirit was and is the Lord Himself immediately present with men, entering every regenerate mind to lead and teach in the way to heaven. That presence is also mediate through the angels and spirits with whom men are spiritually consociated according to their progress in the regenerate life. Those who have believed that the Holy Spirit is a third Person of the Godhead, when they enter the spiritual world after death, are first of all taught by the angels that the Holy Spirit is no other than the Lord, and that the 'going forth' or 'proceeding' [of the Spirit] is nothing else than to enlighten and teach by presence, which is according to reception of the Lord. They then, for the most part, put off the idea of the Holy Spirit which they had conceived in the world, and receive the idea that it is the presence of the Lord with man through angels and spirits, from which and according to which man i5 enlightened and taught. (Doctrine of the Lord 46.)
     When, therefore, the Lord, after His resurrection, appeared to the eleven, He manifested His new presence in the Divine Human, which was to be made effective and operative through them as apostles, after He had "breathed upon them, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit." (John 20: 22.) In passing, we may note an explanation of these words: "When the Lord breathed upon the disciples, and said that, it was because breathing upon (aspiratio) was an external representative sign of Divine inspiration (inspiratio); but inspiration is insertion into angelic societies." (T. C. R. 140.) Thus the Lord's "breathing upon them" was but an outward sign of His "breathing into them-His breathing into their minds by the influx of the life and light of the Divine Truth-the Word or breath of His mouth-inspiring them by the Holy Spirit to teach His Word of the Gospel, which was attended with their "insertion into angelic societies."
     At times, with the apostles and others in those days, this was an open communication with angels and spirits as to sight and hearing, as in the case of the shepherds of Judea, who saw the choir of angels and heard them sing. With John, when he wrote the Apocalypse, it was for the sake of a Divine Revelation through him.

508


We may well doubt, however, that this insertion into angelic societies" meant that the apostles were actually intromitted among the angels to be "as one of them," in the manner experienced by Swedenborg, but rather that the minds of the apostles were spiritually associated with angelic minds in the light and love of heaven, to the end that they might receive the influx of the Divine Truth through the heavens, and thus be enlightened and moved by zeal in their teaching of the Gospel, which was the mode of their inspiration by the Holy Spirit. For such an "insertion-not by open communication-takes place with anyone who reads the Word in a holy affection and faith. Those who are baptized are "inserted" among Christians in the spiritual world. (T. C. R. 677.) And we are told that after death "a man remains to eternity in the society into which he had inserted himself in the world." (D. P. 278a.)
     The disciples had been instructed and ordained by the Lord as apostles, and thus given the function of teaching and preaching the Gospel. And on the day of Pentecost, we may see, the Holy Spirit was manifested to the eleven by a special and immediate operation. They spoke "with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." And this gift was attended with miraculous signs,-to the hearing "a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind," and to the sight "the cloven tongues like as of fire-these signs being correspondences. On this we have direct teaching in the Writings:

     "The Divine virtue and operation, which is meant by the sending of the Holy Spirit, with the clergy in particular is enlightenment and instruction, . . . because these belong to their function, and inauguration into the ministry carries them with it; and some also believe that, when they are preaching from zeal, they are inspired, like the Lord's disciples, on whom He breathed, saying, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.' (John 20: 22.) And He also said to them, 'Take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate; but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye; for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Spirit.' (Mark 13: 11.) Some also testify that they have felt the influx. But let them be very careful not to persuade themselves that the zeal with which many are seized while they are preaching is the Divine operation in their hearts, for a like zeal, and even more ardent, is given with enthusiasms. . . For zeal, in itself considered, is a kindling of the natural man; if the love of truth is within it, then it is like the sacred fire which inflowed into the apostles, as described in the Acts, when 'there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat on each of them, whence they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.'" (T. C. R. 146.)
     "That the apostles and others, after the Lord's resurrection, 'spoke with new tongues,' signified a confession of the Lord and the truths of a new church.

509


Of this we read in Mark. 'Jesus said, These signs shall follow them that believe. In my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues.' (16: 17.) 'To cast Out demons' signifies to remove and reject the falsities of evil; and 'to speak with new tongues' signifies to confess the Lord and the truths of the church from Him. Wherefore, to the apostles 'there appeared divided tongues like as of fire, which sat on them; and then, being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other tongues.' (Acts 2: 3, 4.) The 'fire' signified love of truth, and their being 'filled with the Holy Spirit' signified reception of Divine Truth from the Lord; and `new tongues' signified confessions from the love of truth or zeal. For all Divine miracles, consequently all miracles mentioned in the Word, involved and signified things spiritual and celestial, that is, such things as are of the church and heaven." (A. E. 455:22.) And further: "That 'they were to speak with new tongues' derived its effect from this, that 'new tongues' are doctrinals for a new church."
(A. E. 706:14.)

     These statements reveal to us the representation and spiritual significance of the miraculous gifts and signs attending the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The "divided tongues like as of fire" were a correspondence of the zeal of the love of truth from which the apostles were to preach the new Gospel doctrine,-the "wonderful works of God," the story of the Lord's advent, His teachings and miracles. Their speaking with other tongues" meant the same as with "new tongues,"-the apostolic confessions of the Lord and the truths of the Christian Church which was to be raised up through their ministrations. In the light of this spiritual representation we may see that a like thing is taking place in these days of the Second Coming of the Lord. In proclaiming the newly revealed truths of the Heavenly Doctrine, New Churchmen speak with "new tongues." To Christians of other beliefs, and to the gentiles, these are as "other tongues," but they are heard and received by many different forms of mind, even as the multitude of many nations heard the apostles, "each in his own language."
     That the Pentecostal events and phenomena were in the nature of Divine miracles, effected by a special manifestation and operation of the Holy Spirit for the sake of the raising up of the new church of that time, is further declared in the doctrine:

     "Why miracles were performed in the time of the apostles, for the raising up of the church.
     "I have spoken with the angels about the miracles in the time of the apostles, as that they spoke with other tongues, and sensibly perceived the influx of the Spirit.

510


This was because it was entirely unknown every where that the Lord had come into the world, who would save souls, and this would never have been received by anyone without miracles; and neither would it have been so received by any such as worship idols or men after death; in which case, idolatry would have been the worship. For these reasons, miracles were performed; but now, when doctrine is received, they are no longer performed. The inrooting of truth and good with the gentiles is effected by external means; but with Christians, who are in the knowledge of internal things, otherwise. (S. D. 4724m.)

     How was it done?-To those who believe in the reality and actuality of the miracles recorded in the Scriptures, the Revelation of the Second Coming brings not only the assurance that they were actually performed, but also an enlightenment of the understanding as to the modus operandi or the way in which they were performed, thus furnishing an interior confirmation to a faith in their actuality.
     We know that the Divine miracles were never a violation of Divine order, but only an unusual or exceptional operation according to the laws of the Divine influx, to the end that simple minds might be moved to a faith in the Divine omnipotence, and thus prepared to receive the truth of the Divine teaching in an interior faith and life. When the fig tree withered away at the Lord's command, the disciples marveled, saying, "How soon is the fig tree withered away!" When the tempest was stilled, they exclaimed. "What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!" As a fig tree grows by the Divine influx of life through the spiritual world into the natural, bringing nourishment to its roots so the withdrawal of that nourishment caused it to wither. (De Miraculis 60.) As the ether is calm when the air is turbulent, and eventually reduces the air to quiet, so the Divine influx through the ether into the air stilled the tempest. (S. D. 418, 1176, 2089, 2717.) In these miracles the Lord accomplished instantly what ordinarily takes time, operating according to the Divine order, but in an unusual manner which caused the astonishment of those who witnessed the miracles.
     The Heavenly Doctrines now reveal the laws according to which the Divine inflows with men, both immediately from the Lord, and mediately through angels and spirits. And this revelation provides rational light and also confirmation from the spiritual experiences of the revelator. A legitimate field of inquiry thus opens before the rational mind which seeks to understand how the "gift of tongues" was imparted to the eleven apostles by the influx and operation of the Holy Spirit, enabling them to "speak with other tongues," and hew the men of many nations heard them speak, each "in his own language."

511



     In attempting a solution of such problems in the light of the Writings, the New Churchman avoids classifying himself with certain spirits who met Swedenborg in the other life, and of whom he writes: "These spirits spoke to me, but as one, who stated to me that he had known and could speak in various tongues, as they did in the Primitive Church. And he merely wanted to explain how that was done, and did so with persuasion, but I doubt whether it was so. . . . Such spirits want to know all things, and desire to explain them according to their fantasies, and they persuade themselves that it is so. Wherefore they belong to the kind of men who think they know the causes of all things, and are persuaded of the existence of things as they believe them to be." (S. D. 990.)
     We are not here told how the spirits explained the miracle. But Christian students have long sought to understand it. Let us note two suggestions by a Christian commentator:

     "'Every man heard them speak in his own language' (Acts 2: 6). We may naturally suppose that, as soon as any person presented himself to one of these disciples, he, the disciple, was immediately enabled to address him in his own language, however various this had been from the Jewish or Galilean dialects. If a Roman presented himself, the disciple was immediately enabled to address him in Latin; if a Grecian, in Greek; an Arab, in Arabic; and so of the rest.
     "'Are not all these which speak Galileans?' (Acts 2: 7) - Persons who know no other dialect, save that of their own country. Persons wholly uneducated, and consequently ignorant of those languages which they now speak so fluently.
     "'How hear we every moan in our own tongue, wherein we were born?' (Acts 2: 8). Some have supposed from this that the miracle was not so much wrought on the disciples as on their hearers; imagining that, although the disciples spoke their own tongue, yet every man so understood what was spoken as if it had been spoken in the language in which he was born. Though this is by no mean' so likely as the opinion which states that the disciples themselves spoke all these different languages, yet the miracle is the same, howsoever it be taken. For it must require as much of the miraculous power of God to enable an Arab to understand a Galilean as to enable a Galilean to speak Arabic. But that the gift of tongues was actually given to the apostles, we have the fullest proof, as we find particular ordinances laid down by those very apostles for the regulation of the exercise of this gift; see I Corinthians 14: 1 etc." (Adam Clarke's Commentary.)

512




     This comment is little more than a statement of the questions involved, namely, Did the apostles speak in other languages than their Galilean dialect? Or did their listeners hear them as if they did? This latter alternative is dismissed by the commentator as "by no means so likely as the opinion which states that the disciples themselves spoke all these different languages." And yet we believe it is one valid explanation in the light of what is now revealed in the Doctrines concerning the ways in which spirits speak with man, by influx into his interiors, always in the man's own language, while he hears it as though it came as a voice from without.

     The Writings on the Subject.-As to direct teaching, we find the following:
     "How in the Primitive Church they spoke in various tongues.- "Because at this day the world is such that it is willing to believe nothing unless it is understood, and at this day such [miracles] do not take place, as to converse with those who speak in foreign tongues, and thus to question them, and so be informed." (S. D. 205a; repeated, no. 972.)
     This seems to be incomplete, leading the English translator to remark in a footnote: "It is regrettable that the author did not finish the article." In no. 481, however, we find the statement: "That the apostles could speak in every language (loquela) was from spirits."
     So far as we are aware, these are the only direct statements in the Writings, but we may find light on the matter by recourse to what is revealed concerning the way in which spirits speak with man. For the operation of the Holy Spirit is not only immediate, but also mediate through angels and spirits. Moreover, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit inflowed, not only with the apostles, but also with their hearers, as we have before noted; and the influx of the Divine light would be through the minds and ideas of the spirits present with each man, taking on the audible forms of his own language, which is the customary manner in which spirits speak with man. On this we have plain teaching, as follows:

     "It is among the wonderful things existing in the other life that the speech of spirits with man is in his vernacular, which they speak as readily and skilfully as if they had been born in the same country and educated in the same language; and this whether they are from Europe, or from Asia, or from some other part of the globe, or even if they had lived thousands of years before that language came into existence.

513


Nay, the spirits do not know otherwise than that the language in which they speak with man is their own and native tongue; the case is similar with other languages in which the man is skilled; but they cannot produce a syllable of any other language than these, unless it is immediately given them by the Lord to do so. Infants also, who were deceased before they had learned any language, speak in like manner. The cause is, that the language which is familiar to spirits is not a language of words, but it is a language of the ideas of thought, which language is the universal of all languages; and when they are with men, the ideas of their thought fall into the words which are with the man, and this so correspondently and adaptedly that the spirits know no otherwise than that the very words are their own, and that they are speaking in their own language, when yet they are speaking in the language of the man." (A. C. 1637.)
     "The speech of spirits among themselves is not a speech of words but of ideas, such as are those of human thought without words but when they speak with man, their speech falls into the words of the man's language." (A. C. 1876.)
     "The ideas of spirits fall into the words of every language, so that if it were granted spirits of the same idea or speech to inflow into diverse persons of dissimilar language, then all those persons would perceive him to speak in their Own language or their own idiom, although the spirit spoke in one way only." (S. D. 1305.)

     As a footnote to the English version of the Diary at no. 1305, the translator asks: "Query-Was it not in this manner that the hearers from nearly every nation understood Peter? (Acts)?" Yes, we think this offers a reasonable explanation of the fact that the men of different nations and tongues heard the apostles, each in his own language. And what is more the men of different languages, into whose interiors the ideas of the spirit inflowed,-the ideas inspired by the Holy Spirit-could hear the spirit speaking as if he spoke into the external ear, as if it came from the apostles. This was how the child Samuel thought he heard the voice of Eli, when in reality it was the voice of the Lord speaking within him, perhaps through an angel or spirit. (See NEW CHURCH LIFE. 1942, pp. 370, 371.) For we are further instructed:

     "The speech of an angel or spirit with a man is heard as audibly as the speech of man with man, but it is not heard by others who are standing by, but by him alone. The reason is, that the speech of an angel or spirit inflows first into the thought of man, and by an internal way into the organ of hearing, and thus moves it from the interior; but the speech of man with man passes first into the air, and by an external way into his organ of hearing, and moves it from without.

514


From this it is evident that the speech of an angel or spirit with man is heard in the man; and because it equally moves the organ of hearing, it is heard audibly." (H. H. 248.)

     Since, then, the ideas and speech of angels and spirits, when it is granted by the Lord, can inflow into the minds of men, and be heard audibly by them, as though it came from without, we can understand this feature of the Pentecostal miracle:-how the Holy Spirit, the Divine Truth from the Lord, inflowed with those men of many nations-inflowed through spirits into their interiors, as a spiritual light and force, giving them to perceive the truth of the Gospel, and also to hear it audibly, each in his own tongue, though they thought it came from the Galilean apostles. "And they were all amazed and marveled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?. . . We do hear theta speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."

     We have offered an explanation of the Pentecostal miracle as it affected the hearers. There remains the question as to what is meant by the power imparted to the eleven apostles to "speak with other tongues" than their own Galilean dialect. For it is said that "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." In a subsequent treatment we shall endeavor to bring the light of the Heavenly Doctrine to bear upon this question.

     Addendum.-In the foregoing we have spoken of the eleven apostles as those who "were all with one accord in one place" on the day of Pentecost. They had been ordained and commissioned by the Lord Himself, and were expecting the fulfilment of the promise He had made when He commanded them to "tarry in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high." (Luke 24: 49.) We may note, however, that some Christian students have considered it probable that the 120 disciples mentioned in Acts 1: 15 were meant; others that there were twelve apostles present, including Matthias, who had been chosen by lot to replace Judas. (Acts 1: 26.) Yet it states that "Peter stood up with the eleven" (Acts 2: 14), not with the "twelve." We need not here discuss the various opinions, as we have been concerned with what took place, and how it was effected, in the light of our Doctrines.

515


MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE. 1944

MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.              1944

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.
     SERGEANT JAMES MARTIN BUSS, Durban, Natal, South Africa. Royal Durban Light Infantry. Killed in action in Italy, May 7, 1944.
     LIEUTENANT ALLEN WILLIAM KUHL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Army. Killed in action while serving with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in France, July 17, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,
Bond, P/O A. Thomas,
Bond, P/O J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, L.A.C. Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Philip O.,
Hill, P/O Leonard E.,
Hill, Sgt. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,

516



Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G., Honorably discharged,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Anderson, O/Smn. Robert P.,
Bellinger, L.A.C. Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Lieut. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, P/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Longstaff, Pvt. Fred. M.,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, L.A.C. David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Funk, A.C. 2 Jack,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.
Timmings, Pvt. James H., P. Q.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Cftn. A. E.,
Boozer, L/Sgt. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, F/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, A.C. 2 Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Tpr. Alvin,
Motom, Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lt. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpl. Bryan H.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, Dennis,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, P/A/O J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B., Indefinitely released,
Hammond, S/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F., Honorably discharged,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,
Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope, Honorably discharged,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, F/Sgt. G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,

517



Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, Pfc. Karl R., Jr., Honorably discharged,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Alden, William B., S. 1/c,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Pvt. Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, T/5 Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, Pfc. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S.K. 3/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Childs, Edith W., A.R.C.,
Cole, Pfc. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, Pfc. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Cross, Ensign Edgar G., II,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, Dandridge M. K., S. 1/C,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 2/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Capt. Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W., U.S.N.R.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Sgt. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Genzlinger, Robert G., R.T. 2/c,
Glebe, Ian, S 2/c,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pfc. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 1/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Lt. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
Kintner, Lt. Col. William R.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Lt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, Cpl. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, Pfc. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, Cpl. Stanley,
Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald B., Cox.,
Schnarr, Pfc. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S.F. 3/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., S. 2/c,
Smith, Pfc. Gordon,
Smith, Pfc. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pfc. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, E.M. 3/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Capt. Robert E.,

518



Walter, T/5 Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, Pfc. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, Pfc. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, Pfc. John,
Brewer, Pvt. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp.T.,
Burnham, Pfc. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gladish, Pvt. D. Philip,
Gunsteens, T/3 Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 1/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, Sgt. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 1/c,
King, T/Sgt. John B. S.,
King, Pvt. Louis B.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, T/5 Cedric F.,
Lee, T/Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pfc. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, Pvt. Daniel B.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
McQueen, Muriel,
Melzer, Pfc. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, Lt. Robert T.,
Reuter, Lt. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Lt. (jg) Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Scalbom, P. Jane, A.R.C.,
Smith, Capt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 2/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Lt. G. King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Pvt. Geoffrey S., Jr.,
Childs, Cpl. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., G.K. 1/c,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Pvt. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., G.M. 3/c.
Packer, Pfc. Robert E.,
Synnestvedt, Richard, A.S.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B., Honorably discharged.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton, Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., S. 2/c,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Pfc. William E.,
Conn, Daniel L., A.S.,
Ebert, Lt. (jg) Charles H., Jr.,
Heilman, Lt. Marlin Grant,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,
Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Cpl. Stephen, New York.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Barber, Lt. Marjory E., New York.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La., Prisoner of War.
Bundsen, Ensign Jerome, Calif.
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, H.A. 1/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.

519



Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, S/Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa.
Dykes, G. Guthrie, S 2/c, New York.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 1/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, Pfc. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Hollem, Howard R.,
Ingersoll, Frank, F. 1/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. M. Fergus, Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Barbara, WASP, New Jersey.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Linaweaver, Pearl, A.M.M. 2/c, N. J.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, Pfc. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Nail, S/Sgt. George U.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 1/c, Ohio.
Posey, Lt. John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., S. 2/c, N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (Y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 1/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Sgt. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Toedt, Sgt. Harry K.
Waddell, Syd., Arizona.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wille, Pvt. John H., Ohio.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.
ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND. 1944

ROLL OF HONOR MEMORIAL FUND.              1944

     "Greater love hath no man thou this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15: 13.

     From fifteen anonymous donors the General Church has received a fund of $1,068.00 in memory of those men and women who have given or who may give their lives in the service of their country. The fund is to be invested, and the income thereof is to be used for General Church purposes.
     It seems altogether fitting that we, who continue to enjoy the fruits of their loyalty and their devotion, should perpetuate the memory of our sons and daughters who made the supreme sacrifice, by sustaining the uses of the Church they were fighting to defend.
     Those desiring to increase this fund may send contributions to "The General Church of the New Jerusalem," Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., indicating the purpose of the gift. All such contributions will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged.

520


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     LONDON, ENGLAND.

     Michael Church.

     September 1, 1944.-Spring and early Summer were quietly busy months here, with celebrations of Palm Sunday, Easter and Whitsun. In conjunction with these events, special doctrinal classes were held in the afternoons. One of the advantages incidentally arising from the wartime practice of Sunday doctrinal talks is felt in the correlation of subject in sermon and class. Not only on the occasions which Church festivals obviously afford, but when, to give as an instance, our pastor addressed us on time subject of "Woman," a finely instructive sermon on the creating of Eve and the formation of the proprium shed added enlightenment on the afternoon's talk.
     When days lighten, hopes also brighten; and with the receding blackout, in increasing optimism, some mildly ambitious projects were laid. Plans were made for a week-end celebration of New Church Day, with a Saturday evening supper, addresses and songs in lieu of toasts, and for an outing in a nearby park on Sunday afternoon. Feelers were even put out for a Young People's Party, and for a Women's Guild Meeting to welcome our returned traveler, Mrs. Briscoe, and to hear the latest account of Bryn Athyn doings. Some of these were well under way when last-minute alterations had to be made.
     In London, the war has a habit, every now and then, of reminding us firmly that, however bright the news, we have not yet reached the easy day's of peace. This time the reminder is in time distinctly unpleasant form of the P-plane. Owing to the activities of these doodle-bugs, the Saturday supper was cancelled, and a one-day celebration was held on Sunday, June 25th.

     New Church Day.-Two things helped in the success of what was, after all, a very happy New Church Day. It did not rain, but the sun radiantly shone. (This has been a wet June, as no doubt the American Forces have sadly observed.) And not even one siren wailed to disturb the continuity of the meeting.
     Several visitors from outlying districts turned up: Mrs. Conrad Howard and her family of five from St. Albans; Mr. John Posthuma, also Mr. Dawson from New Mostyn. Unhappily, the Rev. Martin Pryke was the only Colchester representative.
     The presence of two priests in the conducting of the service, the celebration of the Holy Supper, the sermon on "New Church Day," by Rev. Pryke-all these strongly enriched the sphere of a happy June 19th.
     After lunch the Rev. A. Wynne Acton introduced the subject of the afternoon, taking a passage from The True Christian Religion (no. 3) on The Five Particulars of Faith on Man's Part. This was divided into sections, and elaborated upon by three speakers: "That God is One," Rev. Martin Pryke; "That evil should not be done, and that good should be done." Mr. Reginald Law: "These should be done by man as from himself," Mr. Eldin Acton. The discussion that followed was brisk, though, like most at this juncture of our lives, centering on the practical plane. If one remembers rightly, most of the talk pivoted upon the question whether actions are good or evil as actions, or only so in intention.

521



     Lest this report should read too much like a lament over what we might have done, let it he added that in Spring and early Summer one or two meetings were lucid. In response to a request, one dealt with that provocative topic, "Woman," referred to above. This was presented by our pastor, and subsequently discussed by the listeners, who, being mainly of the female sex, found it an interesting point deciding exactly how wide a region is covered by the term, "domestic uses."
     It is with regret and much sympathy for the sufferers that we write of the misfortunes of two families. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Waters and Mr. and Mrs. Jesseman have both lost their homes in recent raids, though mercifully escaping without injury to themselves.
     On Whitsunday the congregation witnessed what was certainly a unique event in Michael Society-the baptism into the New Church of an American soldier-Sergeant Charles Schiffer. Other service men have called here when leave brought them this way, two newcomers being Lieutenant Colonel William Kintner from the United States, and our first military visitor from Australian-P/O Norman Heldon, of the R.A.A.F.
     News has been recently received that one of our young men, Lieutenant Michael Waters, has been wounded in Normandy. He is now back in England, in hospital.
     It appears as if our activities for some little time will be limited to Sunday services; and, as a protective measure, they will be held downstairs in the schoolroom. This limitation of the society's uses comes as a disappointment to us, but one that can be borne more cheerfully, since every day seems to bring the end of the war quite visibly nearer. With the news such as it is, one can be forgiven for ending on a note of bright forecast. The date of writing this report is August-the month fondly remembered in England as Assembly Time! As the "All Clear" sounds for the -nth time today, the writer pleasantly envisages another August-next year, when she pictures herself reporting to these news columns an account of a REALLY RECORD ASSEMBLY!
     E. F.

     GLENVIEW, ILLINOIS.

     August and September.-The last two months of our Summer activities were brought to a close-abruptly but withal pleasantly-by the clanging of the Immanuel Church school bell. From now on, until next June, old and young will thrive under the restrictions of school day's and classes-restrictions self-imposed, so far as the adults are concerned.
     Visitors, many of them in uniform, have been entertaining us with their experiences in various parts of the country and overseas.
     Sons of the Academy.-At our meeting of the Glenview Chapter in August, the Rev. Harold Cranch gave an illustrated lecture on Visual Education. His remarks, as well as the slides he showed us, were illuminating. This idea of visual education is being given a real try-out by the Rev. Karl Alden during his visit to the Canadian Northwest this year, and we shall be interested to hear how the people reacted to it. Mr. Cranch is to be congratulated upon the fine work he is doing in connection with this new phase of education.
     At our September meeting, Dr. Harvey Farrington read a recently written paper on the subject of "The Human Body." We shall hope to see this in print. The subject is treated from the viewpoint of a New Churchman, and with the great advantage of a knowledge of Swedenborg's works.
     A lake carnival in August, given under the direction of Mr. O. F. Asplundh, was a huge success, and netted a profit of $223.35 for our park maintenance fund.
     Another family has moved into The Park,-the Rev. Ormond Odhners. We welcome them.

522


Mr. Odhner will be spending part of his time visiting the isolated, but it will be good to have him around when he is resting (?) in Glenview between journeys.
     Assembly.-The Chicago District Assembly slipped in upon us almost a week ahead of the usual time, and with it came Bishop de Charms.
     The opening banquet was held on Friday evening, September 22d. The toastmaster, Rev. Harold Cranch, introduced several visitors, among them being Mrs. Paul Carpenter of the St. Paul Circle. The subject of the evening was "The Growth of the New Church," and after a toast to "The Church," our toastmaster introduced the following speakers:
     The Rev. Elmo Acton spoke on the growth of the New Church in the individual: the Rev. Ormond Odhner on the growth of the New Church through the education of our children; and Mr. Noel McQueen on the growth of the New Church through teaching men of goodwill in the world the distinctive doctrines of the New Church.
     These three good speeches were interspersed with toasts and songs, not the least of the latter being a phonograph recording of the singing of a song about a Chinaman-by Bishop Acton. Unfortunately his pleasant stentorian voice was somewhat marred by very many scratching noises, superinduced, no doubt, by much playing of the record.
     The banquet closed with remarks by Bishop de Charms, who stressed the grave responsibility which we of the home front have-to see to it that our church work, in all its phases, is kept up, for the sake of our men at war, whose great desire is to come back to their homes, and to their church.
     On Saturday afternoon, an informal tea was held at our church buildings, giving everyone an opportunity to "visit around." In the evening, the Bishop delivered his Assembly Address, the title being, "Following the Indications of Providence."
     At the Sunday morning service the Bishop preached, the sermon being followed by the sacrament of the Holy Supper. On Sunday evening we had a rare treat. The Bishop had brought with him the model of the Tabernacle, which he set up and explained, passing around through the audience all the various parts, so that we might see them at close range while he was speaking. This meeting made a fine ending of our Assembly.
     School.-This year, the exodus of young people to attend the Academy at Bryn Athyn numbered 23, and this, together with the absence of many members at war, makes a big hole in our numbers.
     In the Immanuel Church School, the 1944-1945 line-up of teachers, grades, and pupils is as follows:
     Kindergarten, 6; grade 1, 7; grade 2, 5;-Miss Susan Scalbom; grade 3, 4; grade 4, 7-Miss Lois Nelson; grade 5, 6; grade 6, 6;-Mrs. Phyllis Alan; grade 7, 7-Miss Helen Maynard (Librarian); grade 8, 3; grade 9, 8-Miss Gladys Blackman. The total enrollment of pupils is 59.
     Prof. Jesse Stevens comes for orchestra and singing for the 6th and 9th grades. Miss Sophie Falk continues with her story telling, which is one of the most delightful periods of the school-day.
     HAROLD P. MCQUEEN.

     THE ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH.

     Enrollment for 1944-1945.

College               27
Boys Academy          61
Girls Seminary          73
Elementary School          149

Total                    310

     DURBAN, NATAL.

     July 8, 1944.-This year we were able to hold an evening celebration of New Church Day-the first since 1941.
     First of all, the Children's Celebration took place on Saturday evening, June 17th, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Hall.

523


Thirteen children of school-going age sat down to a dinner given under the auspices of the Durban Chapter of Theta Alpha, some of the members of the Chapter being present. The Revd. Elphick acted as toastmaster, and after toasts to "The New Church" and to "The King" had been honored, a programme of short papers, alternating with songs, was given, as follows: "The Second Coming," by Gwynneth Levine, read by Bunty Ridgway; "The Second Advent of the Lord in relation to the Earths in the Universe," by David Levine, read by Rosemary Bamford; "The People on the Moon," by Jonathan Levine, read by Serene Schuurman; and lastly, "The Writings Seen in the Spiritual World," a paper given by Brian Cooke.
     At the beginning of the programme a quartet from Kainon School, trained by Miss Pemberton, gave a recitation from Revelation 21: 1-4. The reciters were the younger children,-Serene Schuurman, Jennifer Bamford, Malcolm Cockerell, and David Royston. At the conclusion of the evening, Mr. Scott Forfar, in a toast of thanks to the members of Theta Alpha, expressed the children's appreciation of all that had been done for them for June 19th.
     Sunday, June 18th, was devoted to Worship, two services being conducted by the Revd. Elphick. During the morning service, and prior to the celebration of the Holy Communion, four young people came forward to receive Confirmation. They were: Miss Beryl Waters; Messrs. Wilfred Waters and John Elphick, and Corporal Peter Cockerell, S.A.A.F., but stationed in Durban. In the evening a Service of Praise was held, being very well attended. Mr. Elphick's Address was on a New Church Day theme from Matthew 24: 31,-"And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
     On Monday evening, June 19th, the adults attended a Buffet Supper served in the Hall by the Women's Guild. Sixty persons were present, including 15 young people and two members on active service-Corporals Peter Cockerell and Bobs Ridgway of the South African Air Force in Durban. The Revd. Elphick was toastmaster, and after "The New Church" and "The King" had been fully honored in toast and song, the program for the evening was as follows:
     Mr. Scott Forfar proposed a toast of welcome to five visitors. Then came two very interesting papers: "The Kingdom Within," relating to the subjects of Freedom and Character, by Mr. Garth Pemberton; and "The New Church and Democracy," by Lieut. Derick Lumsden, read by Mr. Gordon Cockerell in the absence of the author on service at Potchefstroom, Transvaal. Mr. Wilfred Buss followed with "New Church Reminiscences," giving his recollections of the work performed by his father, the late Rev. J. F. Buss, for the organized New Church in England and in Durban.
     At a suitable interlude. Mr. Alfred Cooke read Messages of Greeting from absent members: Major W. G. Lowe, from Pietermaritzburg; Lient. Bill and Mrs. Browne (Diana Cowley) of Saltriver, Cape Province; Mrs. E. Gardiner, Paardeberg, O. F. S.; Pvt. W. W. Richards, Maizenberg, Cape Province; Mr. and Mrs. J. J. Ball of Cape Town, and Corpl. Jo Cowley, on active service in the front line in Italy. A Greeting also came from Mr. and Mrs. Louis Levine, of Creighton, Natal, but unfortunately it was received too late for the meeting.
     Resuming the programme, Mrs. Viola Ridgway, in song and verse, mentioned those who are On Service, including our P.O.W. The toastmaster, in an impromptu toast, expressed best wishes to our ten young people who had received the Rite of Confirmation during the past twelve months. They were all present except Lieut. Bob Cowley in Italy. I am glad to be able to include here that news has been received of Bob's complete recovery from injuries received in his second mishap in Italy.

524



     The very happy and useful meeting concluded at 10.30 p.m. with the singing of "Our Own Academy."
     Our Boys on Active Service.-Since writing to NEW CHURCH LIFE on June 9th, I am happy to be able to say that at long last news has come from Corpl. Colin Bernard Ridgway, who has not been heard of since June, 1943. He writes his brother Ivan that he is now in Camp (Stalag) XI A, Germany (which we understand from maps is near Berlin). It appears that, on the capitulation of Italy in September, 1943, Colin Bernard escaped, and for five months had his freedom in Italy, until February of this year, when he fell ill with fever. On February 18th, he was recaptured and taken to Germany.
     P. D. C.

     TORONTO, CANADA.

     September 7, 1944.-The Olivet Society joins in the pleasure our friends in England must feel when once again the lights go on in London town. Such immense relief is incomprehensible to those of us who have not experienced the difficulties of such a long blackout.
     His Majesty the King requested that Sunday, September 3d, be dedicated to a Day of Prayer as we entered the sixth year of the war, and accordingly the Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal preached on the subject of "Prayers of Thanksgiving." It was a very appropriate sermon, and received the undivided attention of an interested congregation, closing with the request that we rise and sing the prayer, "God Save the King," which all most heartily did.
     The Rev. Karl R. Alden visited Toronto on his homeward journey from Western Canada, and gave an illustrated talk on "The Life of the Lord," as portrayed in the New Testament. His text was: "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me. Philip?" (John 14: 9.) The illustrations were colord "still" films of well-known pictures of the times when the Lord, during His earth-life, was present with Philip and the other disciples. For these very lovely pictures we are indebted to the Rev. Harold Cranch. Mr. Alden has the gift of making these lectures most enjoyable, and he has the permission of the Olivet Society to return whenever he is in the mood. The society has also derived much pleasure from the visit of Mrs. Alden, who has been with us for two weeks.
     One more soldier was added to our Active Service list when Fred Longstaff, Jr., joined the Army at the end of August, and before receiving his call. The best wishes of the society go with Fred in his new venture.
     Word came of one more casualty among our boys when Ernest Foley received a scalp wound while in action on August 17th. He is now in England, but no further details are available. Arthur Fountain is recovering, more slowly than he would naturally wish; but, considering the extent of the injury sustained, his recovery is remarkable.
     Miss Venita Roschman has arrived in Toronto to teach our Day School during the coming year. The Toronto Society extends to her a cordial welcome.
     V. C.

     TORONTO, CANADA.

     October 4, 1944.-September in the Olivet Society was a very busy month. The news in summary is: We have had the honor of a visit from Bishop Acton accompanied by Mrs. Acton; the Holy Supper was administered; two babies were baptized, our Pastor officiating; we sent four girls and one boy to the Academy Schools in Bryn Athyn; our Day School opened for the new season; our Treasurer completed 25 years' service in that office; one member celebrated 80 years of life; the Society held its Annual Meeting; our first overseas boy returned home; and we had a civilian war casualty.
     The two babies were baptized on September 10th, one being named Frank Raymond Longstaff, the other Laurie Arthur Fountain.

525


As neither of the fathers was able to be present, Mr. Frank Raymond Longstaff, Sr., stood with his grandson, and Mr. Frank Norman held his small nephew, as Sergeant Arthur Fountain is still in the Army Hospital in England.
     The five students who went to Bryn Athyn were: Evelyn Barber, Corona Carswell, Joan MacDonald, Joyce Carter, and Philip Bellinger. It is an all-time high record to have 19 Canadians attending the Academy Schools this year. In addition to the five from Toronto, there are eleven from Kitchener, two from Windsor, and one from Simcoe.
     Mr. Frank Wilson has served the Olivet Society as Treasurer for 25 years, and has guided its finances through many vicissitudes. To show that this has been sincerely appreciated, the Society presented Mr. Wilson with a silver cigarette case, suitably engraved.
     Mrs. E. S. Anderson had her 80th birthday in August, but it was celebrated at the opening meeting of the Ladies' Circle, when they presented her with an attractive handbag.
     The Annual Meeting of the Society was duly held, and for the most part matters were of a routine nature. The Finance Board for the coming year will include Messrs. Ray Brown, Alec Craigie, Reginald Anderson, Frank Longstaff, and Ernest Zorn.
     The Day School opened this year with our Pastor and Miss Venita Roschman as teachers. There are 10 pupils in 4 grades, and the latest report is that all goes well and happily.
     F/O Robert Scott came home from Coastal Command duties based in England and Ireland. He is the first to arrive, and must go on to Vancouver very soon, but this did not detract from the satisfaction it gave every one of us to have one of the boys home again. Robert has been able to tell us quite a lot that could not be written, and his experiences have been most colorful.
     The civilian casualty was Mrs. Lenore Bellinger, who had the misfortune to lose part of a finger while working in a war plant. Lenore, however, is making brave progress in her recovery.
     We shall give the particulars of Bishop Acton's visit in our next report, since part of that visit happened in October.
     V. C.

     GENERAL CONFERENCE.

     In spite of war conditions in England, the General Conference has maintained the continuity of its annual meetings, though the sessions have been reduced in number last year being confined to two days, this year to three. The 137th Annual Meeting was held in South Manchester, June 27-29, 1944, and we assemble a few points of special interest from the report of the proceedings published in THE NEW-CHURCH HERALD of July 29th to September 9th.
     The Rev. Eric A. Sutton. MA., B.D., who has served an extra year as President of the Conference, presided at the opening session or until his successor in the office was elected,-the Rev. George Thomas Hill, BA., who is Minister at Blackpool. Both the retiring and incoming Presidents delivered Addresses. The one by Mr. Hill is published in the HERALD, and us marked by- keen appraisals of the present spiritual state of the world, which should move New Churchmen to renewed zeal and effort in the life and light of the Heavenly Doctrines. As Mr. Hill said: "We must not let the fear of being different deter us one whit from a distinctive course. It is something different that is required and sought for by the thinking people of the world At this moment of great change in the externals of the lives of so many, strangeness is not foreign and does not repel; rather does it stimulate interest and call forth inquiry." Of like import was the Conference Sermon by the Rev. Rupert Stanley, BA., on the text. "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain." (Revelation 3: 2.)

526



     The Roll of Attendance at the Conference contained the signatures of 33 Ministers, 6 Trustees, and 54 Representatives,-a total of 93 members.
     The Reports of the Committee on a New Church Version of the Word do not indicate how far they have gone in this important task. The Rev. Arthur Clapham, reporting for the Old Testament Translating Committee, explained that, "although the committee was anxious to proceed with all speed with the work, they found on examining the state of the finances that only two meetings each year could be held without overspending." The Revs. J. G. Dufty and S. J. C. Gold- sack, of the New Testament Committee, expressed a desire to retire from the work, to which they have devoted many years of labor. Mr. Dufty, who began the work of a New Church translation of the Word, stated that he `undertook the task, amongst other considerations, to keep alive the flame of scholarship in the ranks of the Ministry."
     A Proclamation?.-A lively discussion followed the recommendation of the Social Service Committee which proposed "a clear proclamation by the Church upon the Divine Principles of World Order, without which mankind would perish." The Committee had prepared such a Proclamation, and asked that the Conference should approve it, and that the Council be instructed to communicate with the Church in America, Australia, and the Missions in Africa, with a view to joint publication of this or a similar proclamation. The divergence of views manifested in the debate may be gauged by the remarks of three of the speakers:
     "The Rev. Arthur Clapham thought the Committee had made a great mistake in speaking authoritatively on matters of State. It is not for the Church to intervene in the functions of the State. We do not expect the State to tell us what to do; neither should we tell them what to do. We have to preach that men must live 'in order.' But there we must stop."
     "The Rev. J. G. Dufty wondered whether the last speaker could stand purely as a spiritual being in this world. Wasn't he related to society? We had to act as members of the present world. The Church was in the world, and could not be separated from it; and spiritual principles should be put into the actualities of service. Otherwise we were shirking our responsibilities."
     The Rev. F. Holmes: "Spiritual things must be applied to natural things, but we cannot tell people exactly what they must do. The Church should not say. 'Have an International Force,' but international experts, in their application of spiritual principles, should do that. We do not go into business premises and offices, and tell the people they are setting about their work in the wrong way."
     The proposal was referred back to the Committee for further consideration, and to report at the next Annual Meeting. But Mr. Clapham, in a HERALD editorial on September 9th, set forth at length the view he expressed in the discussion. As the subject is of general interest at this time, we quote a few paragraphs from this editorial:
     Church and State.-We are confident that those who wish the Church to take action in the sphere of polities and economics are moved by, the will to further the cause and prosperity of the New Church. Nevertheless, we believe that they are mistaken in their views.
     "That is not to guy that the Heavenly Doctrines have not a great deal to teach about political and economic matters, or that New Churchmen have no responsibility for the better ordering of the world in which they live. They reveal the Divine Laws which govern the whole range of human activities, spiritual, rational and natural, and there is no prospect of a true order in human affairs unless New Churchmen, who have a knowledge of those Divine Laws, do interest themselves in the concerns of the world. There is nothing in the Doctrines of the New Church which would allow us to withdraw from the world into a kind of semi-monastic isolation, caring only for meditation and discussion upon doctrine.

527


It is in the world that we fulfill our uses, and on the fulfilment of uses in the world our spiritual life is based.
     "But confusion must arise when the request is made that 'the Church,' in its corporate capacity as a Church, should put forward particular applications of Doctrine to political and economic problems. . . For these belong to the realm of the individual conscience, which the Church has no right or power to coerce. The Heavenly Doctrines, so far as they related to the affairs of the world, present us with leading principles, from which everyone may think. But the decision as to how these principles may and will best be given expression in the external life of the community is a matter of human reason and freedom, and every member of the Church must be left in freedom to determine whether this or that is the right way to ultimate the Divine Law.
     "The Church has its own function to perform, and should not attempt to take over the functions of the State and the Legislature. . . . The function of the Church is on a higher plane altogether, and the Church has a responsibility to, and should have an authority in, all varieties of political thought, inasmuch as it is the Church's function to declare the Divine Laws which every political system should try to express and embody. But as a Church it should remain above every variety of political thought, and refuse to be drawn from the Divine Laws, which are its own special concern, to judge and decide the division of earthly inheritances.
     "When the Church attempts to devise political and economic systems, it is bound to confuse the Divine and the human-the Divinely revealed Doctrine, which is authoritative for every New Churchman, with the limited perceptions of merely human reason, which are not."
     The College.-In his report as Principal of the College, which is the Conference Theological School, Mr. Sutton stated: "We could by this time justly have expected ten more names on the list of Ministers, had there been no war." He also spoke of the impending departure of the one who had been the only student in the College in the last two years.
     Overseas Missions.-The Committee looked forward to much work on the Continent of Europe after the war. No contact could he made at present, except with Switzerland and Sweden. The Rev. E. Fieldhouse, Chief Superintendent of the South African Native Mission, had submitted "an excellent Report (published in the HEARLD), giving a vivid picture of the fine work being done in South Africa, where 20 new preaching centres had been opened, bringing the total up to 162 centres." But the members of Conference were amused (knowing what petrol restrictions are like in England) to "learn that Mr. Fieldhouse had been able to travel by car only 8,500 miles during the year" In West Africa, the late Mr. Mensah had been succeeded as Superintendent by the Rev. Michael Oba Ogundipe, a Yoruba of royal blood, who had proved to be the right man. He is looking forward to the next generation for full membership of the New Church in his endeavor to wipe out polygamy. There are 18 Societies in the Mission, 1,050 members of the Mission, 175 polygamist associates, and 900 children. Four day schools accommodate 363 children.
     Military Service.-From the Report of the Forces Secretary, the Rev.
C. H. Presland, we learn that there had been 1,103 men and women on the Conference list of those in the Forces. Of these 26 had been reported as killed or died, 21 missing, 13 prisoners of war, and 70 discharged.

528


WHO WAS NOAH? 1944

WHO WAS NOAH?       Rev. HUGO LJ. ODHNER       1944



     Announcements





529




NEW CHURCH LIFE
VOL. LXIV
DECEMBER, 1944
No. 12
     "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply upon the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sans of the gods (elohim) saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." (Genesis 6: 1,2.)

     Our text takes us back to prehistoric times. The Bible tells of three great epochs which are placed before the opening of coherent history. The first epoch is the life of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The second epoch has to do with Noah and the Flood. The third is that of the building of the Tower of Babel and the consequent confusion of tongues.
     The chapter of our text speaks of the descendants, of Adam-how they became wicked in character, so that every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually." The earth was corrupt before God, and was filled with violence, until finally God repented having made man, and decided to destroy both mankind and the beasts which were upon the earth. But Noah "found grace in the eyes of the Lord." God then sent a flood of waters, which destroyed the whole earth and all that were upon it-all except Noah and his family, who, by Divine command, built an ark or ship, and so saved themselves and specimens of all the beasts and fowls of the earth from the destruction that betook all else. From Noah, and from these animals of the ark, was the earth then repopulated.
     There is a grand and terrible lesson in this story of how the first race of mankind paid for its sins. Whenever the story is told we are impressed with the eternal truth that sinfulness necessarily leads to destruction, and faithfulness to salvation.

530


We are reminded of the fact that in every individual life there is a repetition of this story from the childhood of the human race-the story of the Flood and of the Ark. For when childhood innocence perishes there come temptations which descend upon the youth with the force of a flood. The fountains of the deep-the unknown cravings of his heredity-seem to break loose in him; the window's of the imaginary heavens of his environment are opened; and the youth is borne away to an inevitable destruction as to spiritual life, unless he can narrowly be saved by the Lord's help in the ark which is built to the Lord's own specifications-the ark of instruction and preparation, through which alone he can face the storms of life.
     But the story of the Flood testifies also to another truth: Noah represented a new beginning-a new start-a reform-movement within the ancient race. We see this principle of new beginnings carried out logically and consistently throughout all times. When the first race failed Noah and his cultural descendants became the chosen people. When the Noahtic nations failed by failing into idolatry, Abram was chosen, as head of a new chosen people or church. When this Israelitish church fell away, the Lord, who came in the flesh, gave the verdict: "The kingdom of God shall he taken from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Thus-through the Gospel-a new church was formed, bearing the name "Christian."
     Yet the prophecy was given by the Lord that even that church would at its end depart from His way and His doctrine. Then would come great tribulations, which the Lord said would come upon men unawares, even as did the flood of Noah (Matt. 24: 37-39); and there was to follow a universal judgment, affecting the living and the dead: and a New Church was to be inaugurated in both worlds-the spiritual and the natural-through which New Church there would be afforded a final salvation for men,-salvation from the great flood of falsities and evils that surges around us even now; so that this New Church, called the New Jerusalem, should be all ark of salvation against the dangers of atheism, and against that indifference to the real truths of Religion, which are now- threatening the world of modern civilization.

531



     In view of this continual Divine effort to reestablish Religion in its purity and truth through a faithful "remnant," let us note what the Word gives as the real causes of the great "Flood."
     After Adam and Eve were driven out of paradise, there were two sons born to them, Cain and Abel. But the elder slew the younger, in an outburst of jealous anger. A third son was born, Seth. From Cain and from Seth sprang two lines of patriarchs, strangely long of life. The human race seems to have separated into two parts, or at least to have shown within it two tendencies, or two elements, which are typified in these two lines of patriarchs. One notices that from Cain descended the heroes of worldly advancement. Cain himself built a city; Jabal originated nomadic cattle-herding and tent-life; Jubal was the father of musicians; Tubal-Cain was the first worker in brass and iron. Culture and the beauty (Naamah) of external life thus came from Cain, the fratricide, as the highest fruits of the philosophy of force and self-love. From Seth, in the other hand, came those who represented the development of religious life. Of Enos, for instance, it is said that "then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah": this meant a new restoration of religion, yet in external form. The name of Mahalaleel means "Praise God." Enoch, his son, is said to have walked with God." And it is added, "And he was not, for God took him-apparently showing that he represented a religious reformation After him came Methuselah, who is famed for his long life of 969 years, but whose name means "One who is dying." Then came Lamech-whose name signifies "destruction" (A. C. 527); and finally Noah, who also "walked with God"-"a just man, upright in his generations."
     It is evident, then, from the very letter of the Scripture, that both in the time of Cain and in that of Seth, there was a gradual decadence-an increase of externalism and wickedness which undermined and destroyed religious life. And the especial cause for this is mentioned: it seems that "the sons of the gods" became infatuated with the daughters of men, and from this profane intermarriage came forth, as offspring, the monstrous race of Nephilim of gigantic size.
     Here, it might seem, we are thrust right into the midst of mythology,-"sons of the gods," "giants," and so on! Indeed, the myth-or the symbolical narratives, the allegorical story-was the means of conveying doctrines in ancient times before language became abstract enough to allow for naked and rational statements of truth.

532


Just as the origins of mankind are narrated in the Holy Spirit in the form of a Divine myth,-an allegory about Adam and Eve and their descendants-so, in the human legends of Greece, the Golden Age was represented by Ouranos (or Heaven-the celestial man), whose corrupt descendants were the proud and wicked Titans and the one-eyed giant-race, the Cyclops, and Chronos, whose name signifies time, and who, with his children, the Giants and the Furies, represents much the same as "the mighty men which were of old" (literally, which were "of the Age," i.e., of Chronos), mentioned in Genesis. The Writings thus identify the mythical "Titans" with the Antediluvians.-the people living just before the Flood! (Coronis 38.)
     All the nations of the East had similar legends: but the Word of God-differently from the myths-contains a Divinely inspired story-which traces in continuous series the religious life of mankind from the beginning: a story not corrupted by human interpolations, albeit it may have been drawn from various original sources, embodied in several traditions. The story of the Antediluvians and of the Flood of Noah was the Word of God to the Ancients, long before Moses copied it into his inspired books. And it is the Word of God to us. It is Divinely true in its every symbolic detail: and it is only because men are unaware of how to understand it that they have come to imagine that it militates against reason, science and common sense. But it is now revealed in the Writings of the New Church that the Word contains an internal sense, which may he understood if the Word is opened beyond its literal meaning.
     In the spiritual sense, which is adapted to the understanding of angels as well as men, and which is the real meaning of the Word, the "sons of the gods" signify neither men nor angels, but the Divinely revealed truths which the most ancient people enjoyed, which they at first had written upon their hearts-as perceptive, heartfelt, instinctive realities-but later knew only as a matter of memory and hearsay. These "sons of the gods," however, were profaned; they were by degrees immersed among the unholy cupidities of the flesh. The first sign of decadence was the perversion of doctrine, by a tendency to worldliness and conceit,-the building of cities of falsities, structures of heretical ideas, which externalized faith, and divorced it from charity and the life of religion-slaying the primitive charity as Cain slew Abel.

533


The second sign of decadence is described in the genealogy of Seth. In this, the decline of good is traced, stage by stage, from the state of entire love to the Lord even to the state called Lamech, which signifies "destruction."
     The fair and seductive "daughters of men" signify the loves of man's selfhood, his "ego," or "proprium." When man comes to love Divine Truths, not because they are from God and are His will and His way of salvation, but from self-love and for the sake of self-advancement, and so bends the truth to suit his evil will, there arises a terrible state of profanation. The "sons of the gods" and the "daughters of men" become the parents of a brood of monstrous persuasions which destroy all spiritual life with man. It was so with this most ancient race. Those of them who were celestial, and had an instinctive perception of truth, when they became inflated with self-love, they not only thought themselves as of Divine origin, but also began to feel themselves to be as gods, and to be persuaded that whatever they willed and did was Divine! In this persuasion-that they were gods,-all their sanity was drowned, so that they placed themselves entirely beyond salvation. They became "giants" in their own eyes, and so persuasive that their power was deadly. The "imagination of the thought of man's heart was only evil continually." until men could receive no instruction nor profit by reproof.
     Now it is a law of Providence that man can exist only if he is in spiritual freedom-that is, as long as he has the faculty of reason and liberty, so that he is responsible for his moral and spiritual decisions. If man were not free and rational, he would be worse than the brutes. Men become bestial, parodies of men just in so far as their understandings are incapable of controlling their wills. And the evil will of the Antediluvians came so entirely to dominate their understandings that they could not reflect, could not think except in tune with their evils; since it was a characteristic of that race that they thought instinctively from their wills. And therefore, "when these people arrived at the summit of such persuasion, they became extinct of their own accord, and were suffocated by an inundation not unlike a flood." (A. C. 563.) Their panting for spiritual preeminence became such that their body itself perished. Indeed, the natural breathing, then even more than now, seems to have been under the spontaneous control of the will, but the passions were so intense as to throw this into disorder.

534



     The Writings of the New Church refer to certain physiological reasons for this extinction of that evil race-as by suffocation or apoplexy. Suffice it here to say, that these people had over-passed the physical limits of evil, and so perished, and that this is described in symbolic wording as a Flood. Even still, do we not speak of "currents" and "waves" of thought, a "stream" of ideas a "flood" of various popular notions and emotions? (C. T. Odhner, Golden Age, p. 151.) Nor is anything more real-or of vaster influence in the world of men-than a flood of false ideals or persuasive evils. Have we not seen repeatedly how a whole nation can have its rational faculties paralyzed and as it were flooded by warlike lusts, which insanely rush it to its ruin? As happened in the case of the war of the Jews against the Romans, which ended with Jerusalem's destruction, forty years after the crucifixion of the Lord!
     The flood of Noah was such an inundation by infernal persuasions, by evils which led to the almost total extinction of an ancient race. Religion does not compel us to believe that the beasts of the earth lived for a year in an ark of 300 cubits, nor that a universal flood of water covered the globe. Local floods of course occurred-some of vast dimensions And such a flood is here taken to symbolize the state of the corrupt race. But floods of water are no respecters of persons. Would God send such a flood? Is it a tribute to His nice sense of justice-according to which each man shall be rewarded according to his own deeds-to suppose that He sent a universal or even a general flood? The spiritual understanding of the Flood as an influx of evils and falsities which originated in the evil wills of men themselves, and affected each man according to his own state,-this gives a more worthy idea of God's discriminating judgments.
     Who, then, was Noah, the sole survivor of the Flood?
     The word "Noah" means rest, both in the sense of "peace" or "comfort" and in the sense of a "remnant." He was not an individual-as neither were any of the patriarchs preceding him. He stands for a type among the most ancient people-a type which constituted a remnant, which in certain limited respects remained salvable, because upright and honest,-a type of man whose rational mind or understanding was not utterly swamped by evil passion, although his will by birth was yet utterly evil and self-centered.

535


From this type of men the Lord collected a new church, called "Noah," a "remnant"; and these were instructed by the Lord through written revelations, and through the knowledge of correspondences. They were saved after a precarious voyage in the ark of spiritual discipline and self-control; and, their temptations finally over, they became the husbandmen of the spiritual church of ancient times, planters of the vineyard which produced that wisdom which once made the glory of Babylonia and Egypt, and ancient India, China and Greece.
     Let us not think that the Lord is vindictive. Let us realize that He does not create merely, on second thought, to destroy what He had made. Let us try to grasp the marvelous nature of the Word of God, which is such that it speaks to children in the language that children can understand, yet unfolds the profound laws of spiritual life before us who are adults, if we will but study the inspired text in the light of heaven, as we now may do by reading the Arcana of the spiritual sense.
     Indeed, such is our salvation. For Noah, though upright and honest, would yet have perished in the Flood, if he had not persisted in the building of the ark, timber by timber, after the pattern of God's instruction. Even so our understandings must be built up, truth by truth, to the pattern of Divine teaching, that our rational minds may not find themselves helpless before the flood of infestations; but that we may have an ark of safety which rides above the waves of doubt, until we again can feel firm ground underfoot. And a new world then emerges as our temptations recede-a world of new horizons and virgin fields ready for our planting; a world of new light, full of faith and charity, of promising labor and serene rest. Amen.

LESSONS:     Genesis 6. Matthew 24: 29-51. A. C. 635-637.
MUSIC:     Revised Liturgy, pages 430, 502, 529.
PRAYERS:     Ns. 94, 100.

536


CANADIAN NORTHWEST 1944

CANADIAN NORTHWEST        Rev. K. R. ALDEN       1944

     A Pastoral Visit.

     During the past Summer I had the pleasure of visiting members and friends of the General Church in Northwest Canada and the State of Washington. Going first to Toronto, the closing exercises of the Olivet Church Day School on June 16th afforded me the opportunity of delivering the Address. Here was New Church education in one of its smaller units, yet illustrative of that vital force which has played such a part in the development of the General Church.
     The following morning I left Toronto for Sarnia, where I embarked on the S. S. "Noronic." Two nights and a day of quiet rest were spent aboard the ship, before landing at Port Arthur. The trip from here to Winnipeg was brightened by :c theological conversation with two young ladies and a young married couple. For two hours they discussed with me the subjects of the Trinity and the Ness- Church concept of the Life After Death. I sent their names to Mr. Otho Heilman at Bryn Athyn, and he mailed them appropriate New Church literature.
     At Winnipeg I took the sleeper for Broadview, Sask., where I had been invited to do my first work. The four families here are all the married children of Mr. Jacob Loeppky, with their children, and Mr. Julius Loeppky, who is not married. Arriving at 4.30 am., I went at once to the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Ross Larter, seven miles out of town. After breakfast. Sunday School was held for the three children: Leslie 14. Billy 6, and Danny 3. With the aid of my violin, I taught them a couple of hymns, and then we had worship, which consisted of a hymn, the Lord's Prayer said on the knees, a lesson from the Word, a talk, the closing hymn, and the benediction. After the formal service the children colored some Bible pictures with crayons. After lunch there was another service for the children.
     We had planned a service for all the adults in the evening, but unfortunately a terrific storm descended, leaving the ground wet and white with hail. This made the roads impassable, so that only the Larters were able to attend; but the service was held with as much spirit as if there had been a large gathering.
     The following day, two more classes were held with the children, and it was planned to have a service in the town of Broadview that evening. The clan gathered at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Bruce Middleton, whose son Douglas, age 2, was to be baptized. In addition to the Larters. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Whitman, Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Loeppky. Mr. and Mrs. Middleton, Senior, and Julius Loeppky were present.

537


The service did not get started until about 11.00 p.m., and the baptism of Douglas was deferred until his father came home, and actually took place at 12.15 am. After the guests had gone, my host invited me to play some ducts with him he played the mandolin. After considerable experimentation, we found that the only tune that we could play well together was "When the Moon Shines Tonight on Pretty Red-Wing." We retired at 2.30 a.m., only to be aroused at 4.00 a.m., in order to catch the 4.30 a.m. train for Secretan.
     At Secretan I visited old friends whom I had met with Mr. Heilman in the summer of 1940. Here live four New Church families. Two Rempel brothers, Henry and Peter, have married two Loeppky sisters, Margaret and Anna; then there are Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Loeppky and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Loeppky, and grandmother Loeppky. In the Peter Rempel family there are the following children: Harry 21, Lillian 20, Alice 18, Ruth 16, Suzie 14, Betty 10, John 6, and Richard 5. In the Jacob Loeppky family there are: Jean 18, Norman 15, Margaret 13, Gordon 5, and Alfred, a soldier in the army. Isaac and Harriet have three boys, Bryn 5, Lyle 3, and Lynn 10 months. There seemed to be no end to the thirst for truth on the part of these people. Three services were held regularly every day-one at 11.00 a.m., Sunday School at 4.00 p.m., and an evening service at 9.00 p.m. One of the delightful things about the evening services was that we ate our evening meal all together at one or other of the houses. We were also all together for Sunday dinner; it was at the service preceding this meal that the infant son of Isaac Loeppky was baptized. The subjects of the services for the adults were: The Trinity, The Lord's Prayer, The Holy Supper, Baptism, a sermon on "Follow Me!" Swedenborg, and the Life After Death. The subjects of the children's addresses were: The Good Shepherd, Goliath, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Samuel, and the Fiery Furnace.
     The journey from Secretan to Spokane, Washington, proved very interesting. At Yahk, Alberta, one leaves the C. P. R. Transcontinental, and takes the Spokane International. My train was supposed to get to Yahk at 6.05, and the Spokane International was supposed to leave Yahk at 6.15, but my train was one hour and forty minutes late. To my joy, the International had waited for us. We were all hungry, as unexpected soldiers had eaten all the food aboard the train.
     After getting my baggage aboard the International, I said to the conductor, "Would I have time a get a sandwich at yonder restaurant?" "O get a full breakfast," he replied. "I'll wait for you." Fifteen of us did, and that was the way he ran his train, like a kindly father who wanted to make everyone feel satisfied. The train consisted of an engine, a baggage car, and one coach, and before we got to Spokane we were just one big happy family. I had been asked to play my violin to lead community singing. This lasted nearly two hours, and seemed to be enjoyed by everyone.
     The group in Spokane center around Mr. and Mrs. Emil Hansen and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Kobboroe. In the second generation there are Mr. and Mrs. Wm. E. Hansen and their daughter Helen Marie; Mr. and Mrs. Carith Hansen with their daughter Joanne; and the two married daughters of the Kobboroes, Edith Beales and Evelyn Taylor.

538


In addition, a young man, Everett Sorensen, attended our meetings, which were held in the evening. It was here that a lantern and five sets of slides arrived from the Rev. Harold Cranch of Chicago. I cannot overpraise these magnificent pictures. They were of the greatest help to me in all of my subsequent work. There was a powerful and earnest sphere present at all of our meetings; and one thing that added a great deal of pleasure was that Mr. William Hansen played the piano, and his brother Carith the violin; and usually the three of us played while the rest sang for a couple of hours after the classes. Never have I felt that I got to know strangers as quickly as I did the members of this group in Spokane, I gave doctrinal classes on the Trinity, the Lord's Prayer, the Easter Story, and preached on "Follow Me!" In addition, I showed the pictures of the Cathedral and the slides of the Easter Story.
     After four pleasant days. I took the sleeper for Seattle, where Mr. Peder Jobansen met me. After breakfast, he took me to the Camp where Duane Hyatt was stationed, and we had two delightful hours together. My host came into the New Church through the enthusiasm of Mr. Bundsen, who moved into his neighborhood. He had thought his way out of the Lutheran Church, and when the Writings were presented to him, he accepted them eagerly, and has become a profound student of them. Mr. Johansen's wife has passed into the spiritual world. The service held at his house was attended by his two sons, Paul and Artfield, and an elderly couple, Mr. and Mrs. G. Stedhim. We first had a regular service, which I conducted in my robes, and which included the administration of the Holy Supper. After the service I showed the pictures of the Cathedral and the Life of the Lord.
     The following morning, July 4th, I left Seattle for Port Angeles, where I met Mr. and Mrs. Sterling Smith and their son, Walter Edward; and, after spending a most pleasant afternoon and evening together, we departed on the early morning boat for Victoria, British Columbia, where we were met by Mr. and Mrs. Fred Frazee. The warm welcome they gave us will long be remembered, and we decided on the spot to call the forthcoming meetings the "Victoria Assembly."
     Among the delightful memories of my stay here were the conversations we had around the festive hoard. We would linger about the table discussing such things as the nature of the spiritual world, at what point the foetus becomes eternal, the state of the church, the Divine Providence in the war, and many kindred subjects. Although some of our arguments were heated, they were all carried on in the spirit of utmost friendship-the friendship that is hallowed has the common love for the Church. Amaranth Hiebert of Vancouver, who was stopping in Victoria, joined us in our meetings. She is a wide awake aunt intelligent girl. Sterling Smith remarked at the breakfast table, "I could not have had a vacation that I would have enjoyed more than the 'Victoria Assembly.'" The final service was formal, with the administration of the Holy Supper. This was followed by a social evening, lasting unit it was time to take me down to the night boat for Vancouver.

539



     In Vancouver, I was met at the pier by Beth Hiebert, who took rue to their home at 5709 Wellington Place. At breakfast I met her sisters Helen, Martha, and Evelyn, her brother Julius, and the rest of the sisters, Agnes, Molly, Florence and Lona; Mrs. Jacob Hiebert came up later to the service. I had not been there long before there was a phone call from the Rev. John Zacharias, asking me to preach for him at his 7.30 p.m. service. It gave me great pleasure to do this. He introduced me as the General Church minister from Bryn Athyn, Pa. At the close of the service I had an opportunity to talk on the relation of the General Church and the General Convention in the Northwest. Differences of doctrine do not divide, the Writings declare, where there is charity. "As a practical matter," I remarked, "this means that the ministers hold each other in respect, and do not talk disparagingly of one another in the absence of the other." I felt that my welcome there was warm and sincere. I also conducted a service at the home of the Hieberts at which I baptized Beth Hiebert and the two children of Molly, and then administered the Holy Supper.
     The following day I entrained for Kamloops, B. C., where I arrived at 3.50 a.m. No one was at the station to meet me, and there was no taxi. After amusing myself with my violin for a couple of hours, I finally persuaded a young man to take me in his jalopy to the residence of Mr. George Owen. There I was greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Owen (Sadie Funk) and Jack Funk, an air cadet. Kamloops is a charming spot unique in its scenery, situated, as it is, in the midst of brown, shale-covered mountains. In addition to the Owen family, with their son Douglas, 2, there lives in this city a New Churchman by the name of A. G. McDonald. His life story, and how he came into the New Church, is a fascinating one. He is an octogenarian, and a great admirer of Bishop de Charms.
     "How old is Bishop de Charms?" he asked me.
     "About fifty-three." I replied.
     "Glory be!" he exclaimed. "Then he can lead the Church for another forty years. He is a man of great illumination."
     Mr. McDonald had just finished reading the Bishop's articles on "Distinctiveness," and he was high in their praise. I conducted two services at his house, and two services at the Oxyen's home. The group here was small, but I felt that the earnestness was deep and sincere.
     My departure from Kamloops was again on the 3.50 a.m. train for Edmonton, Alberta, where I was the guest of Dr. and Mrs. Madill. They were most cordial, and I was able to hold a service at their house, and also to take afternoon tea with the Rev. and Mrs. Peter Peters, who very kindly put me aboard my train.
     At Gorand Prairie, Alberta, Ed Lemky and his children met me at the station, and it was his wish that we should have a service at once. So, after lunch, I conducted a service for Mr. and Mrs. Lemky, their three children,-Wilfred 13, Loraine 11, and Lavinia 3-and a young lady, Miss Marjory Woodward, who lives with the Lemkys. After the service, the remainder of the afternoon was devoted to a showing of the five sets of lantern slides.

540


Eugene and Mary (Lemky) Gaboury and three children joined us at supper, and then we had another service, at which I preached the sermon on "The Shunammite Woman." And they wanted to see the lantern slides again. At ten o'clock Herbert Lemky arrived and carried me off in their truck to the homestead, twelve miles outside of the city. There I met some old friends-Mrs. Johannes Lemky, John, Art, and Herbert and his wife, Emily.
     The following day was Sunday, and they had planned a great gathering of the Lemky Clan. We had three services-morning, afternoon, and evening,- and there were 22 present. The sphere was intense and delightful and I could not help being reminded of Primitive Christianity, when they ate together and held all things in common.
     After the evening service I was driven some 32 miles to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Mackay (Anna Lemky), who, with their two children, Avis 8, and Gordon 4, live on their farm at Teepee Creek. My work here was with these two little children. Each morning after breakfast we would go out on the sun porch, where I had arranged an altar with the beautiful blue velvet altar cloth and a red morocco bound copy of the Word. First, with my violin I taught the children to sing two hymns. When they had mastered these, then we had worship, using the first hymn as the introit and the second, as the closing hymn. I explained to them why we rose when we opened the Word, and why we knelt before it when we said the Lord's Prayer. I should never forget the sphere that was present as I knelt before the Word with these little children, one on each sing of me, repeating the Lord's Prayer. Then came a lesson from the Word, followed by an address adapted to their ages.
     During my stay in Teepee Creek I was able to visit the Gaboury farm, only a few miles away, and enjoy a meal under their hospitable roof.
     On Wednesday we returned to the parents' home, where we had planned to hold midweek meetings. Car trouble made it impossible for Ed and his family to attend the Sunday School services in the afternoon and the doctrinal class in the evening. Walter and Maud Lemky took me home with them after the service, and 1 hart a chance to get to know their children, Bryan 5, and Brenda 2. On a visit of this kind, nothing is more important than the remains implanted in the minds of the children. Walter is a fiddler, and he and I practiced the music for the next Sunday. We practiced all the hymns, and worked up two interludes; and members of the family were gracious enough to say that the music added greatly to the beauty of the worship.
     After two delightful days I returned to the "Homestead," where we had another general meeting, the subject of the class being the "Life After Death." The following day, as many of us as were able went over to the farm of Mr. and Mrs. Patterson (Eva Lemky), where the 6th birthday of her son Russell was being celebrated. I also met her second son, Roger 3, and quite a number of other children. After supper I gave a talk on the "Life of Swedenborg."
     All through the week we had been working up to the final Sunday Service. All the children except the Gabourys turned up. Earlier in the week I had had the pleasure of taking supper with Mr. and Mrs. Cyril Binks (Tina Lemky) in their home, and I had spent Friday night at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Lemky.

541


I spent Sunday night at the home of Ed Lemky. Thus I was able to visit with all the family in their own homes-a pleasure which I greatly enjoyed. There were 27 present at the final service, including Miss Marjory Woodward, who had attended practically all of our services, and who expressed great delight in the concepts of the Doctrines.
     After the evening service, the men asked me about the support of the work of the visiting minister, and I explained that it had been financed by the General Church. They said that they would joyfully undertake to make a contribution. While I am on the subject of the support of the church and the work, I may say that generous offerings were given in almost all of the places that I visited.
     As the first service in Gorand Prairie had been held at the home of Ed Lemky, so was my final address given there. Mr. Ed Lemky is the man who, four years ago, greeted Mr. Heilman and me at 5.00 p.m., as we drove up to the door of his "Homestead": "Hello, Mr. Alden; I want a service right now, another after supper, and another tomorrow morning before you go." Thus ended my stay of eight days in Gorand Prairie, and I left feeling that the New Church is a very vital factor in the lives of these people.
     Marshall Miller met me at the station in Dawson Creek, and took me at once to his hospitable home, where I met Mrs. (Viola Jean Evens) Miller, Thelma 15, and Billy 13, the only children still living at home. The following day I held four services, at 2.00, 5.00, 7.00 and 9.00, and here I had a remarkable illustration of the usefulness of the Rev. Harold Cranch's pictures. I showed the two Miller children the Life of the Lord, and then I showed it again and examined them on it, and to my delight they both got 100%. In this city live two of the married daughter of the Millers, each of whom attended some of the services.
     On Thursday, July 27, I commenced services at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Erdman Hendricks (Lena Hamm). Gladys Starkey and her five children had brought a tent and were camping at the Hendricks; so the services were well attended. In addition to the parents, there were the following children: Betty, Fred, Anna. Erdman, Stephen, Clarinda, Justy, and Rhona Hendricks, and Stephanie, Alethe, Seymour, David, and John Starkey. Frequently a number of the neighbors' children came in to see the pictures. Eight services were held here, culminating in the Sunday Service, at which the Holy Supper was administered. The singing was splendid, and there was an attendance of 20 persons. This was followed by a delicious chicken dinner, of which the whole company partook. Late in the afternoon I departed with the Millers to Dawson Creek, where I took the following day off to ride with my charming host and hostess 50 miles out the Alaskan Highway, driving over the beautiful new Peace River Bridge.
     The following day, the Millers drove me to Progress, where I was disappointed to find that Mr. and Mrs. Ted Hawley (Lorena Doering) were out of town, and would not return until after my visit was over so the Millers drove me at once to the home of the Starkeys.

542


There I occupied a little log cabin which Healdon had built for his radio shop. I arrived just in time to conduct evening worship. The two girls play flute whistles in alto and soprano as the accompaniment for the music at worship. Mrs. Starkey had made an addition to the house since I was there before, and this gave the girls a room to themselves. The work at Progress was most delightful. The sphere of the Church is present in everything they do. The children know the Hebrew and Greek anthems, the Psalms, and the hymns in the Revised Liturgy, together with a wide background of the stories of the Letter of the Word. A typical day here was a service in the morning, another in the afternoon, and the pictures in the evening. Frequently some of neighbors came to the evening meetings. I held a Conjugial Love class for the girls, and had some talks with the boys, and the response was glorious. It is indeed a privilege to have the opportunity to preach and teach the truth where it is so vitally yearned for.
     To quote a few lines from a letter that I wrote to my wife: "Really I have quite fallen in love with this place. The utter wildness of it, and its removal from civilization. There is not a house in sight, and you have a feeling of individuality that cannot be gotten in town or city. This little community is self-sufficient. I wish you could have seen the clever way that John, eight, mended a toy auto that had lost its wheels-a couple of nails bent at the end to hold them together, with a block placed under them to serve for an axle and make the whole rigid. There was more ingenuity in that little repair job than the city child has a chance to express in a month."
     The work in Progress ended with a Sunday Service and Communion, which the Millers came out from Dawson to attend. The theme of the sermon was: "Behold, I Make All Things New!" The wonder and the glory of the New Church were explained. So ended a delightful six days.
     The Millers took me back to Dawson Creek, where I had the pleasure of having supper with Mr. and Mrs. Tom Proctor (Edna Miller). In the morning I boarded the train for Edmonton, and about noon passed through the city of Gorand Prairie. To my delight. I found a group of New Church people on the platform to welcome me, and to present to me a book of songs and a paper knife as tokens of their affection. I was deeply moved.
     When I arrived in Edmonton, I found that my host, Dr. Madill, had had an accident, and had just returned from the hospital. In place of the meeting which had been scheduled to take place at his house. I accepted an invitation from the Rev. Peter Peters to exhibit a series of lantern slides. About fourteen attended the meeting and there was a delightful sphere present.
     In the evening I continued my journey to Oyen, Alberta, where I arrived the following day at 12.40 am. I was met at the station by Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Evens. Mr. and Mrs. William Evens, and their children, Mabel, Theodore, and Beatrice. Young William, a soldier, was boarding the train after a short furlough. Leslie, also a soldier, was not home, and Norman, son of Nelson, was also away from home in the service of his country. Six satisfying days were spent with this group. Young folks' doctrinal classes were held each day at the home of William, and evening services at the home of Nelson.

543


One feature that added to the success of our meetings was the presence of Miss Bernice Wenzel, an accomplished pianist who played the music for our worship. The final service was held at the home of William Evens, and the following morning the train for Saskatoon was boarded at 3.53 a.m.
     That evening at 7.36 I arrived at the historic city of Rosthern Sack., where I was met by John Bech and taken to his home, where I renewed my acquaintance with Ws wife and two adult children, John and Clara. Shortly after my arrival, I discovered that Mr. Bech plays the cornet. For two hours we practiced the hymns for the service the next day, and when we went to bed we felt that we had known each other for many years. The following day we called upon Gerhart Ens, and found him in his auto just outside of his home. We told him that we were on our way to visit his son-in-law, Jacob Epp, and he told us to get in, as he was on his way out to the farm at the moment. We had a cordial visit with the family, and I found Jacob out mowing the 20-acre oat field. He paused in his work long enough to have a heart to heart talk about the progress of the New Church in Rosthern. His wife told me of their adult daughter Martha in Montreal, and I promised to look her up. The whole family attended the service in the evening at the Bech's. In addition to the parents, there were Anna, Irene. Louis and Lam. Mrs. Helen Ens, and Mrs. Bergen, Mrs. Rudolph, and Doris Rudolph, together with Mr. and Mrs. Wilfred Klippenstein, made up the evening congregation. Mr. Bech added to the beauty of the service by playing the music on his cornet.
     After the service, Mr. and Mrs. Klippenstein drove me to their home in Laird, where were Mrs. Agatha Nickle and her son Jack, and the three young sons of the Klippensteins, Glenn 7, Kent 5, and Mark 2. Mr. and Mrs. Peter Abrams and their daughter Ethel, and four of the neighbors' children, attended services at the home of Wilfred. Three periods of instruction for the children and two adult services were held here, and it was with rest heartache that I tore myself away.
     After a considerable journey, I arrived in Roblin, Manitoba, the following night at 11.18. Jake Funk and his son Henry met me, and drove me to their hospitable home, where I had been a guest four years before. The following morning, Jacob Funk, of Boggy Creek, sent his car in for me; and, together with Elsie Stewart and Jean Funk, we arrived in time to have a delightful chicken dinner with our host and hostess and their four children. At this New Church center there is a church building, at whose dedication I had been present four years before. At 2.00 p.m. I conducted a service at which 75 people were present. A few had come in automobiles, but most of the congregation had come in horse drawn vehicles or on foot. They came, some of them from miles away, thirsty for the truth of the Word of God, and the sphere of that service was enough to enkindle the enthusiasm of any minister. After the service lantern pictures were shown for another hour, and it was announced that Sunday School would be held at 4.00 p.m. and evening services at 9.00 p.m., on the following two days.

544


The attendance at these services was 13 children and 30 adults.
     At Boggy Creek I was the guest of Mr. and Mrs. Julius Hiebert, who have 86 descendants. It would be hard to express the pleasure I felt in my stay at their log cabin. After breakfast, it was our custom to sing a German hymn, have the prayer, and a lesson from the Word, followed by another hymn and the benediction. It is hard to describe the sphere of consecration present at these little services where "two or three were gathered together." Mr. Hiebert took me a six-mile buggy ride to visit a sheep ranch of Peter Wiens. I said to Mr. Wiens, "Is it true that sheep know the voice of their shepherd?" For reply, he cupped his lips with his hands, and called. "S-h-e-e-p, s-h-e-e-p, s-h-e-e-p" and, lo and behold, from every quarter of the horizon the sheep came running. He went before them, and the sheep entered the sheepfold.
     After three days I was driven back to Roblin by Mr. Jake Friesen, who was taking his threshing outfit down there. I had the pleasure of watching the outfit go into action, and I fed one load of sheaves into its hungry maw.
     Sheylin is about 12 miles from Roblin, and there, in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Louis Burelle (Katie Funk), we held our first service. Eight other persons were present: Mr. and Mrs. Funk and their children, Jean, Edna, Anna, and Paul, and Mr. and Mrs. Fowler. The subject of the service was the Lord's Prayer, and at its conclusion there were many questions. The ride back to Roblin in an open truck, with a beautiful moon, will not soon be forgotten by those who were privileged to take it.
     The final service in Manitoba was held in a little country schoolhouse. There was a fine little pump organ there, and the hymns were played by Jean Funk and myself. In addition to the Jake Funks, there were Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Funk and their six children-George, Dorothy, Henry, Mary, David and Lona. A number of friends from Roblin were also present, making a total of 25 at the service. As there was a great preponderance of children, my address on Daniel was addressed particularly to thins. After the benediction a number of lantern slides were shown. Next day, a heavy rain made threshing impossible, which meant that I had the great pleasure of getting to know Mr. and Mrs. Pete Friesen. As the rain beat upon the roof and windows, we had a fine theological discussion of some of the great truths of the New Church.
     Leaving Roblin and its warm-hearted people. I met Walter Stewart in Winnipeg two days later, and we journeyed to Kenora together, where a few days of fishing enabled us to ship fifty pounds of fish to my wife in Toronto. Here I called upon Colonel Nelson Schnarr, and was delighted to find there Mr. George Schnarr, Mrs. Pagan, Nancy Schnarr, Captain Robert Pagan, and the Colonel's niece. After a delightful game of golf, I took dinner with the Colonel and his fatally group, and in the evening showed the pictures of the Cathedral and the Life of the Lord. Appreciation was expressed, and the Colonel added warmly that he hoped that I would be able to call upon him again next year.
     By say of the Great Lakes I returned to Sarnia, and thence by train to Kitchener, where I met my wife after a ten weeks' absence.

545


It was deeply satisfying to us to meet our many lifelong friends there, and I had the privilege of giving a few talks and of preaching for the Society.
     Sunday evening found us in Toronto, where two of our children had been born, where we had lived for four happy years during my pastorate in the Olivet Society. We were entertained at a delightful social on Monday evening, and on the following evening I gave an Address on the Trinity, illustrated with the lantern slide pictures of the Lord's Life.
     The following day we were to leave by boat for Montreal, but through an error beyond our control we got to the pier just in time to see our boat steaming away without us! We could have wept. We had to take the train to overtake the boat at Kingston. But this was an ill-fated boat; for it ran on a rock in the middle of the St. Lawrence River! There we were stuck for six hours, until a rescue ship, the "Rapids Prince," took us off. When darkness fell, the passengers were transferred to buses, and we finally arrived in Montreal at 11.00 p.m. instead of 7.00. Here we enjoyed the royal hospitality of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Izzard. I had two sessions with the children, two doctrinal classes, and a Sunday morning service of worship. Our friends saw us off at the station, where we boarded "The Washingtonian" and next day we were home again in Bryn Athyn. And so ended an active and intensely interesting Summer's vacation.
FREEDOM AND PROTECTION 1944

FREEDOM AND PROTECTION       Rev. MORLEY D. RICH       1944

     (Charter Day, October 13, 1944.)

     It has been many years since a civil charter was granted to the Academy of the New Church by the State of Pennsylvania. These sixty-seven years have witnessed the laying of solid foundations for spiritual-natural education. They have seen the sprouting, with us, of the first green leaves of the new tree "which shall he for the healing of the nations." (Rev. 22: 2.) These years have given experience and accumulated knowledge, which now lay open before our eyes a vision of the promise of New Church education-a vision which is sometimes well-nigh insupportable, so dazzling is it, and in potentiality so far above and beyond what is immediately attainable, so superior to our present strength and grasp.
     Yet it is peculiarly appropriate, on Charter Days, to tie that vision down to the broad, civil base upon which it rests,-indeed, upon which the vision depends for its very life and existence.

546


It is well to emphasize the uncuttable bonds which exist between civil and spiritual things, both in the life of the individual and in the life of every organized group of human beings.
     What is a charter?
     The Latin root of this word (charta) means "a piece of paper." In its simplest form, a charter is a piece of paper on which is written a contract between two individuals. In this contract, each promises to the other certain rights and privileges. For example, one person promises that he will build or make a certain thing in a specified way. The other party, in turn, promises that he will pay a stated sum of money to the first person in exchange or that he will do something in return.
     By the civil charter of the Academy, the State of Pennsylvania grants to the Academy the right to educate young people according to her religious tenets, and promises positive protection to that end. In exchange, the Academy tacitly guarantees to teach her students the elements of secular education which will make them useful citizens of the State. Added to this is the tacit understanding that the Academy will not teach anything which is opposed to the civil rights and privileges of other citizens of the State.
     To express this more directly, the State promises that it will not send its policemen to close the doors of the Academy, or to prevent its doors from opening, but will employ its officers to protect and defend this religious school from any possible persecution by other and fanatical groups of citizens. It then devolves upon the school to educate her students to become good and useful citizens devoted to the conscientious support of those rights and freedoms which have made their education possible.
     This charter would not have been possible without the labor and suffering of many men in former ages-labor and suffering which impose a very real debt and grave responsibility upon us in the present, and upon future generations. This charter has its roots of life deep down in the history of mankind. Immediately related to the history of religious freedom, it is also inseparably bound to the history of all civil freedoms.
     Here we would like to dwell upon only one of these roots, and that a comparatively recent one.

547


In the year 1701, William Penn placed before the colony of Pennsylvania a "Charter of Privileges," which, after adoption, formed the framework of Pennsylvania's government. In the foremost place of this document, Penn wrote a provision for the unconditional equality of all religious creeds. It excluded only atheists and polytheists, and included all religious faiths which acknowledged Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. What was in the inner recesses of Penn's mind when he insisted upon this provision, we cannot know. We do know, however, that he was a deeply religious Quaker. And we may assume that he saw the sources of inner strength and unity for the State which are contained in freedom of religion.
     We are led to reflect upon the wonderful and secret ways of Providence, when we find that the Assembly passed the Charter of Privileges without thinking much about, or much of, its first provision. They could not envision its deep importance to the welfare of the State. Indeed, it is recorded that the proviso was esteemed rather lightly by the Assembly. They felt, as one member expressed it, that "they had liberty enough for Englishmen." Some would even have preferred to disqualify all but Quakers! Penn's own secretary Thomas Logan, wrote that "most of us do not value it at so many pence. Yet, though far in advance of its times, it was, in the Providence of the Lord, adopted.
     In later years, this provision exercised much influence in the writing of the Constitution of the United States, which also provides religious liberty and equality. Something less than a hundred years after the adoption of the Constitution, this provision made it possible for the Academy of the New Church to obtain a charter from the State, as the charter says, "for the purpose of propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem, and establishing the New Church signified in the Apocalypse by the New Jerusalem promoting education in all its various forms." And now, today, the Academy schools are existing and teaching under the wing of that charter, and of the Republic which supports it by constitutional law.
     Such are the marvels of the Lord's Providence, who so guides external, civil affairs as to protect His New Church at its birth, who so uses men, even evil men, unbeknownst to them, that they unwittingly or selfishly assent to laws of civil freedom, without which spiritual freedom of thought could neither endure nor mature.

548



     These facts and this charter place upon the Academy the civic duty, not only of not breaking the laws of the commonwealth, but also of teaching affirmatively the civic duties and responsibilities which will be placed upon her students. Most of all, it places upon every General Churchman the responsibility of doing what he can to preserve all those freedoms of which the charter of the Academy is but the symbol.
     Indeed, it can be truly said that this charter is w-hat New Churchmen, whether they realize it or not, are fighting for and working for all over the world. And, lest this seem too limited all objective, too narrow an outlook, let us remember that this charter enables the Academy to teach those truths which are the only hope of the world,-truths which the Lord gave at His Second Coming for the possible salvation of all men, and which, ultimately, can lead every man, if he so chooses, to become a worthy citizen, devoted to the civil peace and freedom of his country and of the world.
     Let us suppose that all charters for private and religious schools were canceled. Suppose the republic made a law' designating public schools as the only legal agents for education. The Academy would have to obey the law by disbanding, or go underground. Little reflection is needed to show us what a well-nigh mortal blow this would be to New Church education. This, indeed, would be the beginning of the end for all religious freedom.

     *     *     *     *

     The students of the Academy can add much, even a distinctive quality, to the civic life of their countries. For the world desperately needs something more than men who are religious merely in the popular sense it needs people who are conscientious in their civic duties who are able to think clearly and rationally, who will not be confused by arguments based on effects only, who will keep their attention riveted to the main issues of freedom, not allowing themselves to be draw-n aside to weigh and assay the personal motives and merits of public servants, who will not be so selfishly or short-sightedly interested in protection that they allow freedom to slip away by unnoticed degrees.
     To fill this need, we are not necessarily called upon to become public servants. Few, if any, of the small number of New Churchmen will be able or equipped to enter political life.

549


Public servants, at any rate, are and can be but little more than mirrors and images of the composite desires and thoughts of the people they serve. Nor is the exercise of the privilege of electing officers the full duty of the citizen, essential though it be. For the free and secret vote is but the ultimate symbol, the lowest common denominator, of all those freedoms which it supports: and its exercise is, therefore, the most limited part of civic responsibility.
     Far greater than either of these is the responsibility which a man assumes when he speaks and acts upon and from those freedoms and those duties. And far greater is the effect of his private words and deeds than any he can produce by voting, or even by entering public office. For every word that he speaks, every deed he does, is like a stone dropped into water, from which the ripples flow out in ever-widening circles, affecting directly or indirectly every other human being in this world and in the other world.
     It is by these means that the Academy and her students will fulfill, in the highest degree, her part in her charter. Ever keener and more intimate will grow the acknowledgment that "all offices and employments, regarded as to the goods of use, constitute a form which corresponds to the human form." (C. 143.) And, therefore, that which affects each smallest unit of the civil body affects the whole body.
     Increasingly it will be seen and taught that no man can live in the world outside of human society, that no group of men can be entirely segregated from the civil affairs and influence of others. No matter how deeply men may believe that they have succeeded in separating themselves from the physical presence and mental influence of human society, its thoughts and its wishes, they only entertain a great delusion,
     Individuals here and there have, indeed, cherished this illusion. They have separated themselves from society, so they thought, by living alone on islands, in deserts, and like isolated places. But we notice, especially in modern times, they were able to do so only by means of the money which they had acquired through offices performed to other men. They took with them books written by other men, containing ideas by which they would be stimulated, educated, and affected generally. They traveled on trains and boats, built and manned by the minds and hands of others.

550


And, after their arrival, they depended upon the supplies, the news and ideas, of the outside world, brought to them by boats, manned by crew's maintaining a regular schedule by dint of faithful labor. Above all, they were able to live in security and freedom on their islands only so long as the human world outside supported security and freedom.
     As in heaven, society on earth constitutes a form which corresponds to the human body. When we study the human body, we may notice the delicate balance which is maintained therein between the two qualities of flexibility and rigidity. The muscles, tissues and nerves are most soft and flexible, so that the body may move freely. But the bones are rigid, so that the body may stand upright, exercise leverage in doing things, protect itself. So, also, there is a balance between freedom and protection in the body, which are like flexibility and rigidity. Thus, the muscles are so formed and directed that they move freely, and yet within limits, that they may not harm each other or the blood-vessels or the nerves. The various bloods have utmost freedom to flow to their respective places in the hotly: but, at the same time, each little cell is so protected that it will receive only so much blood and no more, and only of a certain type. The brain, as a larger example, is protected from the direct inrushing of all kinds and quantities of blood-protected by tissues which strain and purify and limit the amount of the blood which is to be admitted.
     So it is in human society. The whole struggle of mankind is to perfect in its offices and employments, that balance between flexibility and rigidity, between freedom and protection, which is the characteristic of the perfect human body. This struggle is sometimes manifested in economic competition, sometimes in political campaigns, sometimes in military wars. And it is demonstrated distinctly in the seemingly endless controversies between men as to freedom versus security, free trade versus protective tariff, free immigration versus closed borders, freedom of opportunity versus security of employment, economic incentive versus economic restraints, federal government versus states' rights, international government versus national sovereignty, and many other related questions.
     These are great and complex problems. Their perfect solution is beyond the scope of human minds. Indeed, when pondered too long, they stagger the intellect.

551


But their total lesson is a simple one: namely, that, like nature, human society is similar in greatests and in leasts. So it is that no real or permanent change can take place in the larger divisions of society unless they take place generally in the smallest units.
     For example, it is impossible for the world to have an Organization for peace, freedom and order between nations, unless there is, in most human beings, a strong enough desire for it, either out of long-term self-interest, or out of genuine concern for the neighbor. A world court of justice is possible only to the extent that each man desires justice for his neighbor next door, and is willing to sacrifice his own interests for the sake of it, either from genuine charity or because he desires justice for himself in return A responsible free and protective government is possible only to a responsible, free and protective people.
     So it is in all the units and civil divisions of humanity, from least units to greatest, from top to bottom, from within and from without.
     And this one fact illustrates the real importance of the smallest Units. It underlines for us our small responsibilities in the civil world in which we live. It brings home to us the reflection that we would not wish to escape our own duty of serving our fellow-men in civil affairs as intelligently and earnestly as we can, so that we may consciously add our least unit to the perfection of the greatest divisions of mankind, and that the charter of the Academy may thus be fulfilled, both in its broad civil base and in ifs statements of high spiritual purpose.
     For it is only by loving and serving his country, its freedoms and protections, for the sake of his fellow's, that a man becomes capable of loving and serving the Lord's kingdom. Only so far and so fully as he learns to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's" can he be prepared to "render unto God the things that are God's." Only in that way can he become a true servant in the work of "propagating the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem and establishing the New Church."

552


SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES 1944

SPEAKING WITH OTHER TONGUES              1944


NEW CHURCH LIFE
Office of Publication, Lancaster, Pa.

Published Monthly 8y

THE GENERAL     CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM BRYN ATHYN, PA.

Editor      Rev. W. B. Caldwell, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
Business Manager     Mr. H. Hyatt, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

All literary contributions sh00td be sent to the Editor. Subscriptions, change of address, and business communications, should be sent to the Business Manager.


TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION
$3.00 a year to any address, payable in advance. Single copy, 30 cents.
     The Apostolic Gift.

     Last month, when treating this subject in the light of what is now revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines, we offered an explanation of the mode whereby the men of many nations who had assembled in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost were enabled to hear, each in his own language, the words of the Gospel spoken by the eleven apostles. (Acts 2: 1-12.)
     It was shown that this Divine miracle was effected by an influx of the Holy Spirit with the multitude of listeners, as well as with the apostles, revealing to all a measure of the Divine Truth of the new Gospel Doctrine, to the end that those who were able might be brought to faith and salvation, and that the Christian Church might be raised up, at first by such miraculous means. (S. D. 4724m.)
     It was further shown that the influx of the Holy Spirit was not only immediately from the Lord, but also mediately through angels and spirits, and that the men heard the Gospel in their own language, according to the general law that the speaking of the Lord with man, or of angels and spirits with man, enters first into the ideas of his thought, and then takes on in his memory the words of his native language or other languages which he knows, and enters the organ of hearing from within, so that he hears it audibly as though it came from without, as was the case with the child Samuel, who thought he heard the voice of Eli, whereas it was the voice of the Lord speaking to him from within. (H. H. 248; S. D. 1305.)

553


On the day of Pentecost, the men of many nations were astonished at the miracle, and exclaimed: "Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue wherein we were born? . . . We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God. And they were all amazed, and were in doubt, saying one to another, What meaneth this?" (Acts 2: 7, 8, 12.)

     Gift of Tongues.-We would now inquire what is meant by the so-called "gift of tongues" which was imparted to the eleven apostles on the day of Pentecost. For we read that "they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and begin to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2: 4.)
     Although vocal utterance requires the cooperation of the lungs, larynx, mouth and lips, as well as the tongue, we commonly ascribe speech to the tongue, and our word "language" is derived from the Latin lingua-the tongue. "Other tongues" may be taken to mean simply other languages than the Galilean spoken by the apostles.
     But Christians have speculated and written much on the subject of the "gift of tongues." It is defined as "a charism or Divine and spiritual gift attributed to some of the Christians of New Testament times, the precise nature of which is uncertain, but which was apparently a kind of ecstatic utterance usually unintelligible to the hearers and even to the speakers therefore requiring interpretation. Phenomena thought to be similar to this have in modern times been attributed to the early Friends, Jansenists, Methodists, and others."
(Webster.) Nor need we doubt that the beginnings of various sects in modern times have been attended with phenomena similar to those accompanying the institution of a new church under Divine auspices; the phenomena in the case of the sects being brought about by the influence of magical and enthusiastic spirits. For it is chiefly from the magical spirits in the hells of the Ancient Church that "the Enthusiasms in the Christian world have come into existence."

554


(Coronis 45.) And the "gift of tongues" with their dupes has often been an "ecstatic utterance unintelligible to their hearers and even to the speakers" But the apostles were heard to speak "the wonderful works of God," clearly understood as the wonder story of the Lord's Advent. His teachings and miracles.
     According to the Writings, the "gift of tongues" meant that the apostles confessed and testified their faith in the Lord in the language of a "new doctrine," signified by the "other tongues" and the "new tongues" with which they spoke and preached the new Christian Gospel. And they did this with a new zeal, signified by the appearing of the "cloven tongues of fire." (A. E. 455:22, 706:14; T. C. R. 146.) Thus the purpose of the gift was the imparting of the Divine Truth to the understandings of all who could receive it, and to the confusion of the enemies of the faith. And this the apostles did with a new eloquence, under the influence of the Holy Spirit. For the Lord had said to them: "Settle therefore in your hearts not to meditate before what ye shall answer: for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist." (Luke 21: 14, 15.)
     The Apostle Paul who also had the "gift of tongues," averred that the understanding of the Gospel was more important than the mere gift of tongues, which, as a miracle, might mystify when it should enlighten. Let us recall some of the things he wrote on the subject:

     "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than ye all yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that I might teach others also, the ten thousand words in an unknown tongue . . . Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not . . . If therefore the whole church he come together into one place, and all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers, will they not say that ye are man? But if all prophesy [that is, preach the truth], and there come in one that believeth not, or one who is unlearned, be is convinced of all. . . He will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth." (I Corinthians 14: 15-25.) He also wrote: "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal." (I Corinthians 13: 1. See also 12: 7-11.)

     Taking the account literally, Christians have commonly held that the eleven apostles, by the descent of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, were empowered to speak in other languages than their native Galilean dialect-the Aramaic Hebrew-and thus to address the men of various nations in their own languages-speaking the Gospel in Latin to a Roman, in Greek to a Grecian, in Arabic to an Arab, and so with all others.

555


The miracle was the more remarkable, because the eleven apostles were not highly educated men, and probably knew little beyond their native Galilean dialect. But, assuming that they were actually empowered with such a gift of tongues' we are led to seek an explanation, in the light of our Doctrines, as to how this Divine miracle was effected.

     How was it done?-We have the general statement: "That the apostles could speak in every language (loquela) was from spirits." (S. D. 481.) That is, from the Holy Spirit inflowing through spirits: for "they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." Yet it is a general law, frequently stated in the Writings, that spirits speak to man only in his language, thus from his memory. And it is also a law that spirits are not permitted to speak to a man from their memory, but only from his memory. "It is not allowed any angel or spirit to speak with man from their own memory, but only from the man's; for angels and spirits have a memory equally as man." (A. C. 2476-2479; H. H. 256.)
     These are general laws which operate at this day for the protection of men, who are not consciously aware that spirits are present with them, just as spirits are not consciously aware that they are with men. And this mutual ignorance keeps evil spirits from injuring and destroying men which it is their disposition to do. But these preventive laws do not take away the fact that it is possible for spirits to speak to men from their own memory, and that it is possible for men to speak to spirits in return. (A. C. 784, 9438, 10751; A. E. ll82:4.) This relationship is prevented at this day, but the law is broken by those who seek spiritistic communication: and it would also be broken by "enthusiastic spirits," who believe themselves to be the Holy Spirit, if they were not restrained from speaking to men. (H. H. 249.)
     But we are here dealing with a Divine miracle, performed on a special occasion for the sake of the raising up of a new church by the Lord. It was of order, we have seen, that spirits were empowered to speak the Gospel to men in the men's own language. In the case of the apostles, however, it was not only a speaking to them in their own Galilean language, but also through them in other languages.

556


And for this purpose, it would seem, spirits were permitted to speak from their own memory in their native language.
     We should here note that the forms of a natural language are impressed upon the external or corporeal memory of man, the spoken or written words entering the memory through hearing or sight. And this memory is retained by man as a spirit after the death of the body; it is then quiescent, but capable of reactivation and revival, as happens in the case of some spirits of a low order who speak the spiritual language mixed with their vernacular. (A. C. 2481; S. D. 3783, 6049.) Such a revival occurs when a spirit speaks to a man in the world from his own external memory instead of from the man's, in a language that was known to the spirit when he lived in the world, and not in the language of the man to whom he is speaking. Thus a Roman spirit could speak Latin to a Galilean Jew, which would be a departure from the general law that spirits speak to man only in the man's language-that is, from the man's memory, not from their own. That such exceptions are sometimes provided or permitted by the Lord is indicated in the Writings, where we read:
     "The speech of spirits with man is in his vernacular, which they speak as readily and skilfully as if they had been born in the same country and educated in the same language. . . . Nay, the spirits do not know otherwise than that the language in which they speak with man is their own and native tongue; . . . but they cannot produce a syllable of any other language, unless it is immediately given them by the Lord to do so." (A. C. 1637.)
     The "gift of tongues," however, was more than the case of spirits speaking to the apostles: rather was it a speaking of spirits through them, by an influx from the memory of the spirit into the very tongues of the apostles; or, better still, a Divine influx of the Holy Spirit through the forms of language in the memory of spirits into the tongues of the apostles. In this way a Roman, Greek or Arabian spirit could speak Latin, Greek or Arabic by the tongue of a Galilean Jew. This would involve something of physical "possession" by the spirits, as was the case with the prophets of pre-Advent times. For we are told that the spirits through whom the Divine inflowed with the prophets not only spoke to them, but also at times through them.

557


We read:

     "It is known from the Word that there was an info from the world of spirits, and from heaven, into the prophets, partly by dreams, partly by visions, and partly by speech; and also with some into the speech itself, and into the very gestures, thus into those things which are of the body; and that on such occasions they [the prophets] did not speak or act from themselves, but from the spirits who then occupied their body. . . And because I desired to know how they were acted upon by spirits, it was shown me by living experience. To the end that I might know this, I was for a whole night possessed by spirits, who so occupied my corporeal parts that I could not feel, except very obscurely, that it was my own body . . By that state, in which I was during the night until morning, I was instructed how the prophets, through whom spirits spoke and acted, were possessed, namely, that the spirits occupied their body, to such an extent that scarcely anything was left but a knowledge that they existed. There were certain spirits appointed to this use, who were not willing to obsess men, but only to enter into man's corporeal affections; and when they entered into these, they entered into all things of the body. The spirits who possessed my body, as formerly the bodies of the prophets, afterwards talked with me, and said that at that time they knew no other than that they had life as in the body . . . It was further said, that there were other influxes also with the prophets, namely, that they were of their own right and their own thought, only that spirits spoke with them, for the most part on such occasions inwardly in them; but that the influx was not into the thought and will, but was only a discourse which come to their hearing." (A. C. 6212.) Swedenborg's living experience its this matter is further described in S. D. 2272-2255, 2659, 3157, 3963.

     "That the speech of an angel and spirit flows down from within even into the ear, was made evident to me from this, that it also inflowed into the tongue, and lightly vibrated it, but not with such a motion as when the sound of speech is articulated into words by the man himself." (H. H. 245)

     In the light of such revealed truths we may have a reasonable explanation of the way in which the "gift of tongues" was imparted to the apostles. Under the Divine direction of the Holy Spirit, the apostles were "possessed" by spirits who spoke in their own languages by the tongues of the apostles. Yet we think a distinction is to be made between the state of the prophets, when they were thus possessed and spoke the Word, and that of the apostles when they spoke and preached the Gospel. The prophets had little or no grasp of the spiritual meaning of what they spoke and wrote under Divine inspiration. The apostles not only understood the Gospel Doctrine, in which they had been instructed by the Lord Himself, but also, according to the record in the Acts, they were conscious of their possessing the "gift of tongues," even though they might not be familiar with the languages in which they were speaking when "they spoke with other tongues."

558



     The teachings we have cited from the Writings make evident a mode whereby this faculty could have been imparted to the apostles, as an endowment for the special purpose of raising up the Christian Church among those of many nations and tongues who could be brought to a faith in the Lord and a reception of the Gospel Doctrine in heart and life, at first by miracles. But when the Christian doctrine had been received and taught by many, such miracles ceased. Nor is it of order that they should be performed at this day, since no one is brought to a rational faith by such external means. Moreover, it would be perilous to men if they were to have such a "gift of tongues" as that which was temporarily imparted in the Lord's time. Bearing upon this we read:

     "At the present day there are very many spirits who wants to inflow, not only into man's thoughts and affections, but also into his speech and actions, thus even into his corporeal parts; when yet time corporeal parts are exempted from the particular influx of spirits and angels, and are ruled by means of general influx; that is, when thoughts are determined into speech, and voluntary things into actions, the determination and transition into the body is according to order and is not ruled by any spirits in particular; for to inflow into the corporeal parts of a man is to obsess him. . . . Therefore it is provided by the Lord that such spirits do not come forth into time world of spirits, but are kept closely shut up in their hells." (A. C. 5990; see 6311.)
     Taste.-"Because taste corresponds to the perception and affection of knowing, understanding, and becoming wise, and the life of man is in that affection, therefore it is not permitted any spirit or angel to inflow into man's taste; for this would be to inflow into the life which is proper to him. But still there are wandering spirits of the infernal crew, who, because in the life of the body they had formed the habit of entering into a man's affections for the sake of doing him harm, retain that desire in the other life, and app1y themselves in every way to enter into the taste with man; and when they enter into the taste, thy possess his interiors, that is, the life of his thoughts and affections; for, as was said, they correspond, and those things which correspond act as one. Very many at this day are possessed by these spirits; for at this day there are interior obsessions, but not, as formerly, exterior ones. . . " (A. C. 4793.) "A spirit has all the sensations which he had while he lived in the world, but not taste, lest he be able to enter into man's taste, and so possess his interiors." (A. C. 4794.) "From these things it may he evident why the tongue is assigned a twofold office, serving for speech and for nutrition. So far as it serves for nutrition, it corresponds to the affection of knowing, understanding, and becoming wise in truths; wherefore, also, wisdom (sapientia seu sapere) is so called from taste (sopore); and so far as it serves for speech, it corresponds to the affection of thinking and producing truths." (A. C. 4795.)

559




     In the light of these statements we may see that the Lord, by restraining such obsessive spirits, would protect man's freedom-his freedom of choice and his freedom of speech-to the end that he may cultivate a taste for wisdom and the expression of it for the benefit of his fellow men. For a man's taste is highly personal and individual to him: it is something peculiarly his own-an ultimate of his ruling affection, manifested in his preference for this or that food of the body or of the mind. "There's no accounting for tastes." we say. So, also, every man craves freedom to "speak his mind," to give rein to his tongue or to control it.
     A man deprives himself of these freedoms, if he gives way to the passions and phantasies of the animus: for he then yields to spirits who seek control of his tongue, that they may interiorly obsess him. He then takes himself out of the Divine protective sphere, which provides by a general influx that his thoughts and affections are determined into speech and action according to order, and are not ruled by particular spirits.
     The truths of angelic wisdom are now revealed to New Churchmen in the Heavenly Doctrines, and if they nourish their minds with these truths, if they delight to think and produce them in word and act, they will "speak with new tongues," and their eloquence from wisdom will be the orderly gift of tongues" granted by the Lord to the men of this age.
AFTER THE FIRST ADVENT 1944

AFTER THE FIRST ADVENT              1944

     "All the churches which had been before the advent of the Lord were representative churches, which could not see Divine Truths except as in shade; but after the advent of the Lord into the world a church was instituted by Him which saw, or rather was able to see, Divine Truths in light. . . The Lord, before His advent into the world, was indeed present with the men of the church, but mediately through angels who represented Him; but after His advent He is present with the men of the church immediately; for in the world He put on also the Divine Natural, in which He is present with men. The glorification of the Lord is the glorification of His Human which He assumed in the world, and the Human of the Lord glorified is the Divine Natural." (T. C. R. 109.)

560


DIRECTORY 1944

DIRECTORY              1944

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM.

     Officials and Councils.

Bishop:     Right Rev. George de Charms.
Secretary:     Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner.

Treasurer:     Mr. Hubert Hyatt.


     CONSISTORY.

     Bishop George de Charms.
Right Rev. Alfred Acton.     Rev. F. W. Elphick,
Rev. Elmo C. Acton,     Rev. F. E. Gyllenhaal,
Rev. Karl R. Alden,     Rev. E. E. Iungerich,
Rev. Gustaf Baeckstrom.     Rev. Hugo Lj. Odhner,
Rev. W. B Caldwell.     Rev. Willard D. Pendleton.
Rev. C. E. Doering. Secretary,     Rev. Gilbert H. Smith.
Rev. Homer Synnestvedt.


     EXECUTIVE COMIMTTEE.

Bishop George de Charms, President.
Mr. Edward H. Davis, Secretary.
Mr. Hubert Hyatt, Treasurer.

Mr. Kesniel C. Acton
Mr. Edward C. Bostock,
Mr. C. Raynor Brown.
Mr. Geoffrey S. Childs.
Mr. Randolph W. Childs.
Mr. David F. Gladish.
Dr. Marlin W. Heilman,
Mr. Walter L. Horigan.
Mr. Alexander P. Lindsay.
Mr. Nils F. Loven,
Mr. Charles G. Merrell,
Mr. Hubert Nelson,
Mr. Philip C. Pendleton
Mr. Harold F. Pitcairn.
Mr. Raymond Pitcairn.
Mr. Colley Pryke.
Mr. Rudolph Roschman.
Mr. Paul Synnestvedt.
Mr. Victor Tilson.
Mr. Frank Wilson.

561





     The Clergy.

     Bishops.

DE CHARMS, GEORGE. Ordained June 28, 1914; 2d Degree, June 19, 1916; 3d Degree, March 11, 1928. Bishop of the General Church. Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. President, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

ACTON, ALFRED. Ordained June 4, 1803; 2d Degree, January 10, 1897; 3d Degree, April 5, 1936. Pastor of the Society in Washington, D. C. Dean of the Theological School, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Pastors.

ACTON, A. WYNNE. Ordained June 19, 1933 3d Degree, March 23, 1934. Pastor of Michael Church, London. Address: Altona Lodge, 9 Groveway, Brixton, S. W. 9. London, England.
ACTON, ELMO CARMAN. Ordained June 14, 1925; 2d Degree, August 5, 1928. Pastor of the Immanuel Church, Glenview, Illinois. Address: 12 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois.
ALDEN, KARL RICHARDSON. Ordained June 19, 1917; 2d Degree, October 12, 1919. Principal of the Boys' Academy, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
BAECKSTROM, GUSTAF. Ordained June 6, 1918; 3d Degree, June 27, 1920. Pastor of the Society in Stockholm, Sweden. Address: Svedjevagen 20, Appelviken, Stockholm, Sweden.
BOYESEN, BJORN ADOPH HILDEMAR. Ordained June 19, 1939; 3d Degree, March 30, 1941. Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. Address: 299 Le Roi Road, Pittsburgh 8, Pa.
BRICKMAN, WALTER EDWARD. Ordained 1st and 2d Degrees, January 7, 1900. Address: 822 South Nebraska Ave., Weslaco, Texas.
CALDWELL, WILLIAM BEEBE. Ordained October 19, 1902; 3d Degree, October 23, 1904. Editor of New Church Life, Professor of Theology, Academy of the New Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
CRANCH, HAROLD COVERT. Ordained June 19, 1941; 3d Degree, October 25, 1942. Pastor of Sharon Church, Chicago, Ill. Address: 5220 Wayne Avenue, Chicago 40, Ill.
CRONLUND, EMIL ROBERT. Ordained December 31, 1899; 3d Degree, May 18, 1902. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
DOERING, CHARLES EMIL. Ordained June 7, 1896; 3d Degree, January 29, 1899. Dean of Faculties, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
ELPHICK, FREDERIC WILLIAM. Ordained February 7, 1926; 3d Degree, June 19, 1926. Acting Pastor of the Durban Society, Superintendent of the South African Mission Address: 135 Musgrave Road, Durban, Natal, South Africa.
GILL, ALAN. Ordained June 14, 1925; 3d Degree, June 19, 1926. Pastor of Carmel Church, Kitchener, Ontario. Address: 37 John Street East, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.

562



GLADISH, VICTOR JEREMIAH. Ordained June 17, 1938; 3d Degree, August 5, 1928. Address: River Drive, Box 29, Route 2, Wilmington, Illinois.
GLADISH, WILLIS LINDSAY. Ordained, 1st and 3d Degrees, June 3, 1894. Address: 50 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois.
GYLLENHAAL, FREDERICK EDMUND. Ordained June 33, 1907; 3d Degree, June 19, 1010. Pastor of Olivet Church, Toronto, Ontario. Visiting Pastor of the Montreal Circle. Address: 3 Elm Grove Ave., Toronto, Canada.
HEINRICHS, HENRY. Ordained June 34, 1923; 3d Degree, February 8, 1925. Address: R. R. 3. Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
HENDERSON, WILLIAM CAIRNS. Ordained June 10, 1934; 3d Degree, April 14, 1935. Pastor of the Hurstville Society. Address: 107 Laycock Road, Penshurst, N. S. W., Australia.
IUNGERICH, ELDRED EDWARD. Ordained June 13, 1909; 3d Degree, May 26, 1912. Pastor of the Society in Paris, France. Professor of Languages, Academy of the New Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
LEONARDOS, HENRY. Ordained, 1st and 3d Degrees, August 5, 1928. Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society. Address: 42 Prc Eugenio Jardim, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
LIMA, JOAO DE MENDONCA. Ordained, 1st and 3d Degrees, August 5, 1928. Pastor of the Rio de Janeiro Society. Address: 123 Rua Dezembargador Tsidro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
ODHNER, HUGO LJUNGBERG. Ordained June 28, 1914; 3d Degree, June 24, 1917. Secretary of the General Church. Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. Professor, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa.
ODHNER, ORMOND DE CHARMS. Ordained June 19, 1940; 3d Degree, October 11, 1943. Visiting Pastor, Chicago District and the Southern States. Address: 8 Park Drive, Glenview, Illinois.
PENDLETON, WILLARD DANDRIDGE. Ordained June 18, 1933; 3d Degree, September 13, 1934. Instructor, Academy of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pa. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
PRYKE, MARTIN. Ordained June 19, 1940; 3d Degree, March 1, 1943. Pastor of the Colchester Society. Address: Shaftesbury House, Culver Street, Colchester, England.
REUTER, NORMAN HAROLD. Ordained June 17, 1928; 3d Degree, June 15, 1930. Pastor of the Akron Circle, Visiting Pastor of the General Church. Address: 920 Peerless Ave., Akron, Ohio.
RICH, MORLEY DYCKMAN. Ordained June 19, 1938; 3d Degree, October 13, 1940. Pastor of the Advent Church, Philadelphia, Pa., and Visiting Pastor of the Arbutus, Maryland, Circle. Address: 137 Elm Ave., Philadelphia 11, Pa.
ROGERS, NORBERT HENRY. Ordained June 19, 1938; 3d Degree, October 13, 1940. Assistant Pastor of the Bryn Athyn Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

563



SANDSTROM, ERIK. Ordained June 10, 1934; 3d Degree, August 4, 1935. Assistant to the Pastor of the Stockholm Society, and Visiting Pastor of the Jonkoping Circle. Address: Levertinsgatan 5, Stockholm, Sweden.
SMITH, GILBERT HAVEN. Ordained June 25, 1911; 3d Degree, June 19, 1913. Address: 534 So. East Ave., Oak Park, Illinois.
STARKEY, GEORGE GODDARD. Ordained June 3, 1894; 3d Degree, October 19, 1902. Address: Glenview, Illinois.
SYNNESTVEDT, HOMER. Ordained June 19, 1891; 3d Degree, January 13, 1895. Address: 7533 Edgetton Ave., Pittsburgh 21, Pa.
WHITEHEAD, WILLIAM Ordained June 19, 1923; 3d Degree, June 19, 1936. Professor, Academy of the New Church. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     Ministers.

CRANCH, RAYMOND GREENLEAF. Ordained June 19, 1933. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.
ODHNER, VINCENT CARMOND. Ordained June 17, 1928. Address: Bryn Athyn, Pa.

     British Guiana Mission.

     Pastor.

ALGERNON, HENRY. Ordained, 1st and 3d Degrees, September 1, 1940. Pastor of the General Church Mission in Georgetown, British Guiana. Address: 273 Lamaha Street, Georgetown 4, Demerara, British Guiana, South America.

     South African Mission.

     Xosa.

KANDISA, JOHNSON. Ordained September 11, 1938. Minister of the Sterkstroom Society, Cape Province. Address: P. O. Sterkstroom, C. P., South Africa.

     Mosuto.
MOTSI, JONAS. Ordained September 29, 1939; 3d Degree, September 30, 1929.
Pastor in South Basotoland.

     Zulu.

BUTHELEZI, STEPHEN EPHRAIM. Ordained September 11, 1938. Minister of Hambrook District. Address: Hambrook, P. O. Acton Homes, Ladysmith, Natal, South Africa.

564



LUNGA, JOHANNES. Ordained September 11, 1938. Minister of the Esididini Society. Address: Esididini. P. O. Kalabasi, Dannhauser, Natal, South Africa.
MATSHININI, TIMOTHY. Ordained August 38, 1938. Minister of the Society at Alexandra Township, Johannesburg. Address: 165 11 Avenue, Alexandra Township, Johannesburg, South Africa.
MCANYANA, MOFFAT B. Ordained August 12, 1938; 3d Degree, September 30, 1929. Pastor of the Mayville Society, Durban. Address: 104 Oakleigh Drive, Durban, Natal, South Africa.
MKIZE, SOLOMON. Ordained August 31, 1938. Address: Pangode Halt, P. O. Melmoth, Zululand.
NZIMANDE, BENJAMIN ISHMAEL. Ordained August 21, 1938. Minister in the Deepdale and Bulwer Districts, Natal Address: c/n Inkumba Government School, P. O. Deepdale. Natal, South Africa.
SABELA, PETER. Ordained August 31, 1935. Minister of the Greylingstad Society. Address: Box 38. Greylingstad, Transvaal, South Africa.
ZUNGU, AARON B. Ordained August 31, 1938. Minister of the Kent Manor Society. Address: "Kent Manor," P. O. Entumeni, Zululand, South Africa.

     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES.

     In order to avoid confusion it seems well to observe, in the Official Records and the Official Journal, of the General Church, the recognized distinction between a "Society" and a Circle."
     In general, a Society" may be defined as a congregation under the leadership of a resident Minister or Pastor; while a "Circle" is an organized group receiving regular visits from a non-resident Minister or Pastor.

     GEORGE DE CHARMS,
          Bishop.

565







     MILITARY SERVICE COMMITTEE.

     THE ROLL OF HONOR.

Who does not remember and love him who fights even unto death that his country may be free. (T. C. R. 710.)

     LIEUTENANT RICHARD ALVIN WALTER, Bryn Athyn, Pa, United States Army Air Corps. Killed on the Asiatic Front, October 18, 1942,
     FLYING OFFICER LAURENCE THEODORE IZZARD, Toronto, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action, December 8, 1942.
     SERGEANT PILOT RALPH ROSCHMAN HILL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Killed on active service in Wales, February 9, 1943.
     FLYING OFFICER WILLIAM GEORGE BELLINGER, Windsor, Ontario. Royal Canadian Air Force. Missing in Action.
     LIEUTENANT JUSTIN HUGH DAVIS, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army. Killed in line of duty at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, October 27, 1943.
     SERGEANT KENNETH VON WALDECK PRICE, Bryn Athyn, Pa. United States Army Air Corps. Missing and officially presumed dead, November 15, 1943.
     ENSIGN OSWALD EUGENE ASPLUNDH, JR., Glenview, Illinois. United States Naval Air Corps. Accidentally killed while on active service at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, April 22, 1944.
     SERGEANT JAMES MARTIN BUSS, Durban, Natal, South Africa. Royal Durban Light Infantry. Killed in action in Italy, May 7, 1944.
     LIEUTENANT ALLEN WILLIAM KUHL, Kitchener, Ontario. Royal Canadian Army. Killed in action while serving with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in France, July 17, 1944.
     CAPTAIN LYMAN STEVENS LOOMIS, Zanesville, Ohio. United States Army Air Corps. Killed while on active service in China, June, 1944.


     OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE SERVICES.

     AUSTRALIA.

     Hurstville.
Heldon, Tpr. Lindthman,
Heldon, P/O Norman,
Heldon, P/O Sydney,
Kirsten, Sgt. Theodore,
Taylor, Sgt. Thomas D.

     CANADA.
     Kitchener.
Bellinger, F/O Alfred G.,
Bellinger, Leigh R., W/T,
Bellinger, Wren Elaine,

566



Bond, F/O A. Thomas,
Bond, P/O J. W.,
Bond, Sgt. Lillian D.,
Dickin, Sapper W. J.,
Evens, Tpr. John, Honorably discharged,
Evens, Gnr. Robert A.,
Evens, F/Sgt. Reuben J.,
Glebe, A.C. 2 Donald G.,
Hasen, L.A.C. Alfred H.,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Henry,
Heinrichs, Sgt. Philip O.,
Hill, P/O Leonard E.,
Hill, Sgt. Murray E.,
James, Pvt. Cecil J.,
Knechtel, Lt. Robert G.,
Nail, L.A.C. Keith E.,
Schnarr, P/O Joffre G.,
Schnarr, Lt. John G., Honorably discharged,
Scott, Pvt. Herbert G.,
Scott, L/Cpl. Joseph P.,
Steen, F/O A. Howard,
Steen, Sgt. George K.
Stroh, A.C. 2 Leon F.,

     Toronto.
Anderson, O/Smn. Robert P.,
Bellinger, L.A.C. Donald F.,
Bellinger, P/O John H.,
Campbell, Lieut. Stella, W.R.C.N S
Carter, F/O Orville A.,
Fountain, Sgt. Arthur A.,
Fountain, Cpl. Thomas J.,
Jesseman, Dvr. Edward,
Jesseman, L/Cpl. Leonard,
John, L.A.C. D. Haydn,
Longstaff, Pvt. Fred. M.,
Parker, F/Lt. Sydney R.,
Raymond, L.A.C. J. E.,
Richardson, L.A.C. David K.,
Scott, L/Bombdr. Bruce H.,
Scott, Pvt. Ivan R.,
Scott, F/O Robert G.,
Strowger, Mrs. Arthur R.
White, Pvt. Charles B.,

     Elsewhere in Canada.
Evens, Sgt. A. Leslie, Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 Norman W., Alberta,
Evens, A.C. 2 W. E.,
Frazee, Pvt. John E., B. C.,
Frazee, L.A.C. Keith I., B. C.,
Funk, L.A.C. Henry,
Funk, A.C. 2 Jack,
Hamm, Harold E., A.B., Ont.,
Hamm, John E., C.S.N., Ont.,
Miller, A.W. 2 Leona J., British Columbia,
Starkey, Sig. Healdon R., British Columbia,
Stewart, L.A.W. A. Elsie, Manitoba.
Timmings, Pvt. James H., P. Q.


     ENGLAND.
Appleton, Eric D.,
Appleton, L.A.C. Roy,
Boozer, Cftn. A. E.,
Boozer, L/Sgt. Donald,
Briscoe, Miss Irene G.,
Caldwell, Lieut. William T.,
Clennell, A.C. 2 Gordon,
Cooper, A.C. 2 Garth,
Dale, Tpr. Keith B.,
Dawson, F/O Geoffrey P.,
Finley, L.A.C. H. Michael,
Greenhalgh, Sgm. Colin M.,
Halliday, Lieut. Keith C.,
Jones, A.C. 2 Harold C.,
Lewin, John, O/Seaman,
Lewin, Olive, N.A.A.F. I.,
Lewin, Ronald,
Morley, F/O H. K.,
Morris, Lieut. David,
Motom, Tpr. Alvin,
Motom, Lt. John,
Notermans, Helene J., A.T.S.,
Tilson, Sgt. B. V.,
Tilson, 2nd Lt. R. J.,
Tinker, Harry, Honorably discharged,
Wareing, Lt. Philip F.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Beatrice A.,
Waters, Lt. Comdr. Gilbert O.,
Waters, Lt. Michael T.,
Waters, Tpr. Philip A.,
Waters, A.C. 2 Ronald D.,
Waters, A.C.W. 1 Sylvia M.

     SOUTH AFRICA.

Braby, Capt. Horace C.,
Braby, Lt. J. Septimus,
Buss, Cpl. Bryan H.,
Buss, Pvt. Ronald W.,
Churches, A/M J. A.,
Cockerell, A/M Dennis,
Cockerell, Sig. John,
Cockerell, A/M Neville,
Cockerell, A/Cpl. Peter,
Cockerell, A/M P. Graham,
Cowley, Lt. Robert W.,
Cowley, Cpl. W. S.,
De Chazal, P/N Miss D. S., Honorably discharged,
De Villiers, Gnr. D. B., Honorably discharged,
Fraser, Cpl. R. F.,
Gardiner, Lieut. J. O.,
Gibb, Air Sgt. J. E., Honorably discharged,
Hammond, Lieut. A. N.,
Hammond, Lieut. Harry B., Indefinitely released,
Hammond, S/Sgt. V. R.,
Howson, Major Maurice G.,
Lowe, P/N Miss S. F., Honorably discharged,
Lowe, Major Walter G.,

567



Lumsden, P/N Miss B. Penelope, Honorably discharged,
Lumsden, Lt. F. H. D.,
Lumsden, Cpl. John M.,
McClean, Sgt. Major A. P. D.,
Parker, Cpl. S. F.,
Pemberton, F/Sgt. G. Guy,
Richards, Pvt. Walter W., Honorably discharged,
Ridgway, Cpl. A. E.,
Ridgway, Cpl. C. R.,
Ridgway, Pvt. Durham,
Ridgway, Cpl. H. A.,
Ridgway, A/M. L. A., Honorably discharged,
Schulz, Pvt. C. D.,
Venton, L/Cpl. Keith G.

     Prisoners of War.
Bamford, Pvt. Frank D.,
Ridgway, Lt. Brian M.,
Ridgway, Cpl. Colin B.,
Ridgway, Lt. Colin O.,
Ridgway, Sig. G. M.


     UNITED STATES.

     Bryn Athyn.

Alden, S/Sgt. Guy S.,
Alden, Pvt. Helen B.,
Alden, Pvt. John H.,
Alden, Pfc. Karl R., Jr., Honorably discharged,
Alden, Robert,
Alden, Sgt. Theodore S.,
Alden, William B., S. 1/c,
Allen, Cpl. Ralph E.,
Asplundh, Pvt. Edw. Boyd,
Behlert, Pvt. Harris L.,
Behlert, Pvt. Thomas L.,
Bostock, T/5 Conrad,
Bostock, Sgt. Edward C., Jr.,
Bostock, Pfc. Robert M.,
Caldwell, Jeannette P., A.R.C.,
Carpenter, Lt. Philip S. P., U.S.N.R.,
Carswell, Elaine, S.K. 3/c,
Carswell, Pvt. Louis D.,
Childs, Edith W., A.R.C.,
Cole, Pfc. Dandridge M.,
Cole, Capt. William P.,
Conner, Pfc. Wilson Bennett,
Cooper, Pvt. Denis,
Cooper, Pvt. Geoffrey,
Cooper, Lt. Col. Philip G.,
Cooper, Lt. Rey W.,
Cooper, Cpl. Theodore F.,
Cowley, Sgt. William J.,
Cronlund, Lt. Elizabeth G.,
Cronlund, Lt. Philip R., U.S.N.R.,
Cross, Ensign Edgar G., II,
Daly, Lt. Jean,
David, Dandridge M. K., S. 1/C,
David, A/C Warren,
Davies, S/Sgt. John G.,
Davies, Sgt. Philip T.,
Davis, Joan, A.M.M. 2/c,
Davis, Sgt. Richard L.,
De Charms, Capt. Richard, U.S.N.R.,
Deigendesch, Paul H., S 2/c,
De Maine, Lt. Henry M., Jr.,
De Maine, S/Sgt. Robert E. L.,
Doering, Capt. Andrew A.,
Doering, Capt. John A.,
Doering, Lt. Karl W., U.S.N.R.,
Dunlap, Lt. (jg) Henry R.,
Echols, Lt. John C.,
Edmonds, A/C Donald,
Field, Lt. George A.,
Fine, Pfc. Raymond F.,
Finkeldey, Pvt. John F.,
Finkeldey, Lt. Philip,
Gansert, T/5 Otto G.,
Genzlinger, Robert G., R.T. 2/c,
Glebe, Ian, S 2/c,
Glenn, Lt. Alfred M.,
Glenn, Lt. Ernest Bruce,
Gyllenhaal, Pfc. Charles P.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. Hugh A.,
Gyllenhaal, Lt. (jg) Leonard E.
Hamm, Lt. Linda,
Heaton, S/Sgt. George B., Jr.,
Heaton, Pvt. M. Claire,
Heilman, Anthony W., Ph.M. 1/c,
Hilldale, Pvt. James D.,
Hilldale, Cpl. Thomas A.,
Homiller, Lt. William,
Howard Ensign John,
Hyatt, S/Sgt. Edward D.,
Hyatt, Lt. Kent,
Johns, Lt. Col. Hyland R.,
Johns, Hyland R., Jr., S 2/c,
King, Pvt. Louis B., Honorably discharged,
Kintner, Lt. Col. William R.,
Larson, Pvt. Fred A.,
Lyman, Russell S., M.M. 1/c,
Mansfield, Pvt. Robert R.,
Nilson, Capt. Gunnar N.,
Odhner, T/5 David S.,
Odhner, John Durban, A.S.,
Odhner, Julian H., S. 2/c,
Odhner, Lt. Loyal Daniel,
Odhner, Oliver R., S 1/c,
Odhner, T/3 Ray S.,
Odhner, Lt. Sanfrid E.,
Olds, Jonathan, R.T. 1/c,
Pitcairn, A/C Garthowen,
Pitcairn, Cpl. Joel,
Pitcairn, C/M John P.,
Pitcairn, Ensign Lachlan,
Pitcairn, Pfc. Michael,
Pitcairn, Lt. Nathan,
Potts, Lt. John W.,
Powell, Capt. Oliver I.,
Price, Donal, F. 1/c,
Redmile, Pvt. Thomas, Honorably discharged,
Rose, A/C John W.,
Rose, Cpl. Stanley,

568



Rosenquist, Cpl. Henry,
Schiffer, Sgt. Charles, M.,
Schnarr, Lt. Arthur W.,
Schnarr, Donald B., Cox.,
Schnarr, Pfc. Eugene C.,
Schnarr, Ronald, S.F. 3/c,
Simons, Lt. David R.,
Simons, A/C Hilary Q.,
Smith, Gaylor F., S. 2/c,
Smith, Pfc. Gordon,
Smith, Pfc. Ivan K.,
Smith, Pvt. Oliver Minard,
Smith, Virginia,
Smith, Pfc. Weston L.,
Synnestvedt, Cpl. Fred H.,
Synnestvedt, Lt. Huard I.,
Synnestvedt, John T., A.S.,
Synnestvedt, Sigfried, E.M. 3/c,
Umberger, Grant, A.S.,
Walter, Elizabeth, S.K. 1/c,
Walter, Capt. Robert E.,
Walter, T/5 Wm. H. S.,
White, Lt. Harry J.
Yerkes, Pfc. Earle.

     Chicago and Glenview.
Anderson, Cpl. Edward C.,
Anderson, Pfc. Irving,
Anderson, Cpl. Roland,
Barry, James F., M.M. 2/c,
Barry, Pfc. John,
Brewer, Pfc. Winton I.,
Brown, Pvt. Robert E.,
Burnham, Edwin, C. Sp.T.,
Burnham, Pfc. Roy M.,
Carlson, S/Sgt. Robert F.,
Cole, S/Sgt. Harold F.,
Cole, Sgt. Louis S.,
Elkins, Lois, Y 3/c,
Fuller, George, A.M.M. 1/c,
Fuller, A/C William,
Gladish, Lt. Donald G.,
Gladish, Pvt. D. Philip,
Gunsteens, T/3 Edmund Y.,
Hager, Pvt. Werner,
Holmes, Harvey J., S.F. 1/c,
Holmes, Cpl. Kenneth,
Holmes, S/Sgt. Leslie B.,
Junge, Lt. Carl F.,
Junge, Ralph, A.S.,
Junge, William F., S 1/c,
King, T/Sgt. John B. S.,
Kuhn, Capt. Raymond T.,
Lee, T/5 Cedric F.,
Lee, T/Sgt. Harold,
Lee, Pfc. Raymond E.,
Lehne, Lt. Stanford, U.S.N.R.,
McQueen, Pvt. Daniel B.,
McQueen, A/C Kenneth,
McQueen, Muriel,
Melzer, Pfc. James,
Melzer, Pvt. Philip,
Melzer, Sgt. Roger,
Nelson, Lt. Gerald F.,
Pollock, Lt. Robert T.,
Reuter, Lt. Warren A.,
Rydstrom, Lt. (jg) Hubert O.,
Rydstrom, Capt. J. F.,
Scalbom, P. Jane, A.R.C.,
Smith, Capt. Arnold M.,
Smith, Lt. Edmund G.,
Smith, Gloria J., Sp. T. 2/c,
Smith, Renee, Sp. (S) 3/c,
Starkey, Pvt. George C., Honorably discharged,
Wille, Lt. G. King.

     Michigan.
Birchman, Pvt. Owen R.,
Childs, Pvt. Geoffrey S., Jr.,
Childs, Sgt. Walter C.,
French, Arthur W., B.M. 1/c,
French, Gerald M., C. S.K.,
French, Robert H., G.M. 3/c,
Lindrooth, T/Sgt. John F.,
McCardell, Pvt. Willard B.,
Peterson, Pvt. Philip H., Honorably discharged,
Peterson, Warrant Officer Wm. F.,
Walker, Ensign Marvin J.,

     Philadelphia,
Cranch, Eliot, R.T, 1/c,
Glenn, Pvt. Curtis R.,
Heinrichs, Lt. Clara,
Iungerich, Alexander, C. Ph. M.,
King, Lt. Cedric S.,
Packer, E. W. Jr., G.M. 3/c.
Packer, Pfc. Robert E.,
Synnestvedt, Richard, A.S.,
Von Moschzisker, Lt. Michael,
Westacott, Ensign Ethel B., Honorably discharged.

     Pittsburgh,
Acton, Pvt. A. Gareth,
Alden, Lt. Gideon T.,
Blair, S/Sgt. James E. Jr.,
Blair, Robert H., S. 2/c,
Brown, Lt. George P., Jr.,
Brown, Pfc. William E.,
Conn, Daniel L., S 2/c,
Ebert, Lt. (jg) Charles H., Jr.,
Heilman, Lt. Marlin Grant,
Horigan, Pvt. Walter Lee,
Iungerich, M.T./Sgt. Stevan,
Iungerich, Zoe,
Lechner, Lt. Frederic B.,
Lindsay, Capt. Alexander H.,
Lindsay, David P., S 2/c,
Lindsay, John G., A.S.,
McGaffic, Lt. H. R.,
Pendleton, Lt. Philip C.,

569



Schoenberger, Capt. Ulrich,
Schoenberger, Ensign Walter S.,
Stein, Cpl. Frank.
Uber, Ensign Arthur E., Jr.,

     Elsewhere in the United States.
Acton, Cpl. Stephen, New York.
Acton, Pvt. William H., New York.
Anderson, Pvt. Walter I., New Jersey.
Barber, Lt. Marjory E., New York.
Beal, Dale E., G.M. 2/c, Iowa.
Brickman, Sgt. Elmer G., Texas.
Bruser, Lt. Henry B., La., Prisoner of War.
Bundsen, Ensign Jerome, Calif.
Caldwell, Dawn, New Mexico.
Caldwell, Cpl. Neil V., New York.
Coffin, James Price, H.A. 1/c, Minn.
Coffin, Capt. Roscoe T., Maryland.
Cooper, Lawson P., A.F.D., A.R.C., Calif.
Cranch, Ensign John E., N. Y.
Cranch, T/Sgt. W. E., Penna.
Crockett, Lloyd, A.S., Georgia.
Curtis, Lt. Mark T., Calif.
Davis, Lt. Charles F., Calif.
Davis, S/Sgt. Edward A., Calif.
De Maine, Capt. Philip B., Ohio,
Denys, Sgt. Raymond, Georgia.
Doering, Lt. Edward, Wayne, Iowa. Prisoner of War.
Dykes, G. Guthrie, S 2/c, New York.
Echols, A. M. Jr., S 1/c, Alabama.
Grant, Major Fred M., Washington, D. C.,
Griffin, William T., E.M. 1/c, South Carolina.
Halterman, Pfc. J. Douglas, N. Y.
Hollem, Howard R.,
Ingersoll, Frank, F. 1/c,
Jackson, Russell S., S 2/c, Calif.
Joy, Lt. M. Fergus, Calif.
Kahmar, Pvt. George R.
Leonard, Pvt. Jeremy, New Jersey.
Linaweaver, Pearl, A.M.M. 2/c, N. J.
Loomis, Capt. Lyman S., Ohio.
Merrell, Sgt. Frederick, Calif.
Merrell, Pfc. Stanley, Calif.
Moorhead, Pvt. Donald, Washington, D. C.
Nail, S/Sgt. George U.
Needer, Pvt. John H., Baltimore, Md.
Norris, John R., S 1/c, Ohio.
Posey, Lt. John A., Alabama.
Rhodes, Leon S., S. 2/c, N. Y.
Rott, Sgt. T. F., New York.
Schoenberger, Herbert N., Jr., S 2/c, Louisiana.
Smith, Cadet Robert P., Allentown, Pa.
Smith, Sterling R., Sp. (Y) 1/c, Georgia.
Snyder, Donald, A.M.M. 1/c, Ohio.
Snyder, James F., U.S.N.R., Ohio.
Soneson, Sgt. Carl, Erie, Pa.
Soneson, L. R., R/T 3/c, Erie, Pa.
Stebbing, Major Philip, Washington, D. C.
Storey, S/Sgt. Ferrell A., Alabama.
Toedt, Sgt. Harry K.
Waddell, Syd., Arizona.
Wheeler, Pvt. Thomas W., Georgia.
Wilde, Lt. Comdr, John, New York.
Wille, Pvt. John H., Ohio.
Wilson, Joaquin C., Jr., E.M. 2/c, Missouri.
Wilson, John E., U.S.M.S., Missouri.




     PRISONER OF WAR.

Lieutenant Edward Wayne Doering, reported missing on August 27th while flying on sorties over Germany, is now officially reported a prisoner of war in Germany.
OBITUARY 1944

OBITUARY              1944

     Captain Lyman Stevens Loomis was killed last June while flying priority cargo in China. He was in his 32d year. Born at Zanesville, Ohio, January 26, 1913, he was baptized on July 7, 1913, at Springfield, Mass., the Rev. J. E. Bowers officiating. In his youth he was a student in the Boys Academy at Bryn Athyn, 1920-1928. He joined the R. A. F. before the United States entered the war, but after we entered he returned to this Country and instructed beginners in flying at Fort Brady, Texas. From there he went to Forth Worth for instruction in blind flying in preparation or service on the difficult route between India and China.
     Lieutenant Keith C. Halliday was killed in action (between September 17th and 30th?) during the battle in Arnhem, Holland, when the airborne troops were trapped there. This information has come to us from Mrs. Frank C. H. Muller (Charlotte Caldwell), sister of Mrs. Halliday, who wrote from her home in Scotland concerning the death of her son.

570


Church News 1944

Church News       Various       1944

     CHARTER DAY.

     October 13, 14, 1944.

     A comparatively large number of visitors helped to make this Charter Day week-end the worth-while affair it always is. A threatening weather man, backed by threatening skies, induced the School to eliminate the customary march to the cathedral for the service on Friday morning, but this turned out to be the only departure from custom. That is not quite correct, however, for the kindergarten and three lower grades of the elementary school were not included in the congregation-an innovation which some felt to be a distinct improvement.
     The Address at the service was delivered by the Rev. Morley D. Rich. The speaker, after touching upon the historical background of religious freedom, particularly in the State of Pennsylvania which granted the charter to the Academy stressed the broad civil base upon which the Academy depends for its very existence and life. The granting of such a civil charter imposes upon the recipient a very real debt and responsibility, since men are so closely interdependent on the civil plane as well as upon the moral and spiritual planes. This debt and responsibility can be met by the Academy and her students in a superior degree: for they can add a distinctive and desperately needed quality of thought to the civil affairs of their countries and of the world.
     After the emphasis on faith, provided by the service, we turned to aim emphasis upon life, specifically athletic and social life. An aroused football team defeated George School in the second half of the game, 25-6, thus providing students and alumni with a measure of satisfaction.
     In the evening came the Charter Day dance. The youngsters, of course, bounced in promptly at 8.00 p.m., thus inflicting untold hardship upon the reception committee. As the evening progressed, the alumni gradually seeped in.
     Saturday evening brought the banquet, which might be called a unition of faith and life, each receiving equal emphasis. This banquet, with an attendance of 376, was a particularly good one, we thought. Certainly it betrayed a great deal of work on the part of the toastmaster and the various committees, with happy results. The first event on the program was the ushering in, by Mr. Heilman, of a huge pink and white birthday cake for the Academy, with sixty-seven candles on it. After a short speech welcoming the cake, the President of the Academy blew out the candles with three tremendous efforts. As if this were not enough, there had been distributed throughout the cake a number of metallic objects as favors. The lucky recipients of the favors were then called up by the toastmaster, Mr. Carl Asplundh, and made to answer all kinds of foolish questions by Mr. Donald Rose before they could collect their prizes. The climax was reached when Mr. Rose insisted that Mrs. Rose give the old Academy cheer, which she did in fine style.
     Before this, however, bouquets of flowers were distributed to all those who had graduated from the Academy fifty years or more ago. And, in connection with this pleasing ceremony, the toastmaster called upon Miss Celia Bellinger, who gave a short and entertaining account of the school as it was in her student days.

571



     But the program continued in a lighter vein even after the distribution of prizes. For the toastmaster voiced a complaint to the effect that people usually gave Presents to the one having the birthday, not the other way around. Whereupon, Messrs. Donald Rose and Stanley Ebert began to open presents which had been offered to the Academy. As a sample, the Asplundhs presented the Academy Corporation with a bottle of blood plasma!
     A sobering but inwardly satisfying, note was struck by the announcement of the establishment of the Fred A. Finkeldey Memorial Fund-a fund that is to be specifically used for scientific equipment in the Academy. The fund has now reached the neighborhood of $600.00, and an invitation was extended to the membership of the General Church to add to this amount.
     We proceeded, then, to the two formal speeches scheduled for the evening. These speeches, incidentally, were somewhat different from the Charter Day Banquet vocalities of the past.
     The first one was by Mr. George Doering, and contained a most interesting account and analysis of the Supreme Court decisions in the various cases involving the sect, Jehovah's Witnesses. The impression given was that the Court had been most meticulous and discriminating in upholding religious freedom, and at the same time in distinguishing between the "things which belong to Caesar" and those which "belong to God."
     The second speech was that of Mr. David F. Gladish, of Glenview, whose remarks were entitled, "Our Daily Intelligence." After dwelling upon the proper use and value of Mathematics, as one agent for developing sound thinking, he applied it to various subjects, showing how the mathematical type of thought can eliminate the individual's natural prejudices against other races, nations and forms of government.
     The banquet, and the formal exercises of Charter Day, closed with a speech by Bishop de Charms, in which he spoke of the unknown possibilities for change in the future, and in the need of working for the good of the Academy in the light of those problems and possibilities which we can see directly ahead of us. If we do this conscientiously, we shall meet and solve even the gravest problems now unknown to us, and in so doing we shall not be overburdened with anxious care for the morrow.
     M. D. R.

     HURSTVILLE, AUSTRALIA.

     A Centenary. Less than three weeks after New Church Day, we were privileged to celebrate the centenary of the organic beginning of the New Church in Australia.
     Mr. Thomas Morse, the father of our Pastor Emeritus, came to Sydney in 1833, and was one of the first New Churchmen in this country; but it was not until the 7th of July, 1844, that the first service of New Church public worship was held,-at the home of Mr. Jacob Pitman in Adelaide. The meetings held regularly from that date resulted in the formation of a New Church Society in 1847. Other societies were founded in the years following: Melbourne, 1853; Brisbane, 1865; Sydney, 1875; and Perth, 1928, although meetings had been held in that city since 1903. A church for occasional services was dedicated at Rodborough, Victoria, in 1882. The interstate association known as "The New Church in Australia" was registered in 1881; and THE NEW AGE, official monthly organ of that body, began publication in November, 1887.
     Australian. American, and English ministers have served some of these societies at different times. The Adelaide pastorate has been held by five different ministers, the Melbourne pastorate by two, and the Brisbane pastorate by three; but Sydney and Perth have always been under lay leadership.

572



     The Australian "Conference," as it is inaccurately but conveniently called, is independent of the General Conference in England, but in full communion with it. The English model has been followed; congregational government obtains in the societies; and in normal times there is a triennial Conference. The last Conference held before the war reported,-for Sydney, Melbourne Adelaide, and Perth,-two ministers, two leaders, and an adult registered membership of 150.
     The Academy movement in Australia took definite form in 1905 with the separation of twelve members from the Sydney Society. Services and reading meetings were held in Sydney for several years, but in 1918 the Sunday School removed to Hurstville. Mr. Richard Morse was ordained in the following year, and in 1931 the present church of the Hurstville Society was dedicated. Mr. Morse relinquished the pastorate at the beginning of 1936, after thirty years of work for the cause.
     The 100th anniversary of the beginning of the New Church in Australia, thus briefly sketched, was observed as fully as wartime restrictions permitted. An "Australian Centenary Number" of the New AGE, to which the undersigned was invited to contribute, was issued in July; and the interested reader of the LIFE who has access to a copy is referred to it for historical data, photographs, and a fair cross-section of current thought in the organized church here.
     Special meetings, held in Adelaide, were attended by the Rev. Richard H. Teed, Vice President of the Australian Conference, and the event was marked in various ways by other societies.
     Our own celebration began on Friday, July 7, with an evening service of thanksgiving, at which the spiritual implications of the centenary were dealt with in an address from the pulpit. A talk on the history of the New Church in Australia, illustrated by photographs, was given to the children in an open session of the school on Sunday, July 9. And a social supper, attended by seventeen guests, was held in the evening of the same day. Toasts to "The Church," "The Priesthood," and "The Laity," all coupled with the New Church in Australia, were proposed by P/O Sydney Heldon, Mr. Ossian Heldon, and the Pastor, respectively, and honored us with and song. Mr. William Burl, who was with us in his official capacity as President of "The New Church in Australia," addressed the meeting. Letters interchanged between "The New Church in Australia," the Adelaide Society, and the Hurstville Society, were read. And the Pastor repeated, in extended form, his talk of the afternoon. In addition to Mr. Burl, we were glad to welcome three other friends from the Sydney Society.
     Hurstville Events.-Sunday School prize-giving day was Sunday, August 13th. Mr. Wilfred Burl, Superintendent of the Sydney Society Sunday School, presented the prizes, after giving the children a most interesting talk on music, in which harmony and discord were illustrated by the use of handbells, and analogies were clearly drawn.
     The Annual General Meeting of the Hurstville Society was held on Wednesday, September 6th. Reports showed a good financial year, but a further, though slight, decrease in support of the uses of public worship and instruction. Little more could be attempted than the transaction of routine business, and the only change brought about by the election was that Mr. Fred Kirsten replaces Mrs. F. M. Heldon as agent for NEW CHURCH LIFE and treasurer of the Pastor's Support Fund. It may be of interest to state that the present position of the Society is as follows: Members, 28; awaiting membership on return to Australia, 1; interested, but not a member, 1; young people, 3 children of members (either attending Sunday School or below Sunday School age), 13, of whom 9 are in the school. There are also in the school 4 children from outside homes, making a total enrollment of 13.
     Our ordinary activities have been going on without interruption.

573


At the monthly teas in July, August and September the Pastor gave talks on Swedenborg's work in the House of Nobles, his twelve foreign journeys, and his preparation for the office of revelator. The doctrinal lectures mentioned in our last report were concluded at the end of August, and classes are now being given on the signification of the burnt-offerings and sacrifices made in the Jewish Church. Since the beginning of July, the Pastor has been preaching on the representations of the Sons of Israel in the series of regeneration, these sermons being delivered on alternate Sundays.
     The ladies are now holding their monthly meeting in the afternoon, and have found the change advantageous. Not only d these meetings provide for social intercourse, but the ladies who attend are active among themselves in raising funds for the General Church through the local pastor's support fund.
     The teachers' study circle has gone into recess for an indefinite period. But after a considerable lapse of time we again have a young people's class, consisting of two young ladies meeting once a week at the home of the Pastor.
     Hurstville Sons of the Academy continue to have good meetings. A quiz session was held in July, and at the August meeting, which somebody got pushed into the beginning of September. Mr. Ossian Heldon read an interesting paper on "Contentment With One's Lot."
     W. CAIRNS HENDERSON.

     DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

     It is undoubtedly true that a visit to Bryn Athyn, particularly during one of the special celebrations, brings a thrill and inspiration to the New Churchman that is obtainable in no other way.
     The size and scope of the General Church movement; the completeness of the Academy's educational system: the magnificence of the Cathedral and the beauty of the services held therein:-these outstanding features cannot be grasped and fully appreciated by one who has not visited Bryn Athyn and observed at first hand its religious, educational and social life.
     These thoughts are prompted by the glowing report given by two of our members, Norman and Eloise Synnestvedt, on their return from the Charter Day exercises. Although they were educated in the Academy Schools, and have visited Bryn Athyn many times since, they were deeply impressed by the capacity crowds and the enthusiastic manner in which everyone, young and old alike, entered into the spirit of the occasion.
     To those of us who are inclined to think of the Church's progress largely its terms of numbers, it was a thrilling surprise to learn that upwards of 350 persons attended the Charter Day banquet, and that at the service on Sunday the Cathedral was filled to the doors. One could not fail to return home from such an inspiring meeting with renewed faith in the progress and growth of our Church, and with strengthened determination to carry on the work to the ultimate of his abilities.
     Episcopal Visit.-Bishop de Charms, paid our group a brief visit on September 30-21. It is always the greatest pleasure to have him with us, and his talks were invariably most inspiring and helpful. We greatly appreciate the fact that the Bishop includes our little group at Detroit in his official itinerary.
     On the evening of the Bishop's arrival a social evening was held at the home of Leo and Freda Bradin, where many of us availed ourselves of the opportunity to renew our acquaintance with the Bishop and to enjoy an informal talk by bun.
     The following evening a banquet was held at our regular place of meeting. Bishop de Charms delivered the principal Address, and there were several responses. Mr. Norman Synnestvedt served as toastmaster, and while your reporter was unable to be present, he understands that the affair was completely successful and thoroughly enjoyable.

574




     Annual Meeting-On the occasion of the Rev. Norman Reuter's tenth visit of the year, October 26-29, our annual business meeting was held. The reports of officers, covering every phase of our activities for the year, were very encouraging, showing, among other signs of progress, a gain in membership and a record of very good attendances at the services and doctrinal classes.
     The pastor's report commended the officers and individual members for work well and faithfully accomplished. He also made a number of suggestions looking toward improvement and extension of our activities. These were referred to the Executive Board for study and recommendations to the group.
     The election of officers brought no change in the Board, they having done such satisfactory work that their reelection was unanimous and vociferous. Our officers are: Rev. Norman Reuter, Chairman; Norman P. Synnestvedt Secretary; William F. Cook, Treasurer, Miss Muriel Cook, Corresponding Secretary.
     Our Secretary, who is now a member of the executive board of the Sons of the Academy, is active in his efforts to establish a Sons' chapter in Detroit, and has called a special meeting of the men to see if this can be accomplished.
     P. S.-If you would like further information regarding the Detroit group and its future prospects, get in touch with our roving ambassador, Mr. Dan Horigan, who has lately become a commuter between Detroit, New York and Bryn Athyn. Dan also has many interesting facts concerning the advantages of living in "Detroit the Dynamic," where wages are high and the rainfall is low. Think it over, and, if interested be sure to see Dan, the man with a plan.
     W. W. W.

     CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

     November 3, 1944.-In Sharon Church we are now well into the new season of activity. The Chicago District Assembly came early, being held at Glenview, September 23-24. It was, as always, an inspiration and an encouragement. Bishop de Charms also visited Sharon Church for a supper and meeting with our members, and it was a very enjoyable evening. One of the high spots was the welcoming of the Rev. and Mrs. Ormond Odhner to this district. When possible, Mr. Odhner still help with our services on the South Side. On this occasion, the Rev. Victor Gladish was also present, as he has recently moved to Chicago.
     This season our "Friday Suppers" will be held on Wednesdays, and the attendance so far has been very encouraging, varying from 17 to 27. Four committees have been formed to prepare the suppers, so that the burden of this work may not fall upon any one person, as it did last year upon the too willing shoulders of Mrs. Cranch. In the doctrinal classes the work on Faith, begun last year, will be studied. But, first of all, our Pastor read from Spiritual Diary 733-739 on the subject of "Reflection," and enlarged upon this teaching. It is a powerful treatment, and in these days of confusion and unrest it makes us realize how important it is to make the effort needed for that reflection.
     Before the class we take time to sing a few hymns, and this is going to be a real help in our church services. In spite of the increased attendance at the suppers, they are still informal, and no question is asked that is not given a clear, concise answer.
     On Sunday, October 29, the service was especially impressive, as there were baptisms of two adults-Joan Dennis Anderson (Mrs. Roland Anderson), and Miss Beulah Edna Estey, who will become Mrs. Harold Anderson later this month.
     The Ladies' Auxiliary had its first meeting in October at the delightful home of Mrs. Anderson. The attendance was small, but we are hoping that these meetings will grow in size, too. Mrs. John Pollock will entertain us next month.

575



     Our pleasure in gaining two new members was saddened by the death of one of our most faithful members, Mr. Charles Herman Sturnfield, who passed into the spiritual world on October 30th, in his 73d year. His cheerful greeting at church and classes always added something worth while. We can rejoice with him in his passing so easily into the fulness of his eternal use, but we shall miss him very much. A Memorial Service for him was held on Sunday evening, November 5th.
     On November 4th we had a White Elephant Party. Not political, although this did peek in at the windows! It was a sale to which our members brought things they no longer needed. This was most ably engineered by Mrs. Brown, assisted by her in-law relatives-Helen Brown, Mr. and Mrs. John Pollock, and Mrs. George Rex. Mrs. Brown auctioned off the articles in a most efficient way. There were between 25 and 30 present, and we cleared over $60.00, which we think very good for our little group.
     On Sunday morning November 5, during the regular service we had the rare pleasure of witness the rite of betrothal for Miss Beulah Estey and Mr. Harold Anderson. We felt very fortunate in being invited to attend this ceremony, and to partake of its impressive sphere.
     V. W.
NOTES AND REVIEWS 1944

NOTES AND REVIEWS       Various       1944

     WILLIAM PENN.

     The 300th anniversary of the birth of William Penn, which was commemorated on October 24, 1944, serves to recall that Swedenborg met him in the spiritual world and also George Fox, founder of the Society of Friends, or Quakers. Both disavowed any part in the nefarious practices into which members of the sect were led by enthusiastic spirits who persuaded them that they were the Holy Spirit. We read:

     "I spoke with the founder of that religiosity, and with Penn, and they said that they had no part in such things. (Cont. L. J. 84; L. J. Post. 58; S. D. 3771.)
     "A certain spirit spoke with me from a high place in front, and it was said that it was Penn, from whom Pennsylvania [was named]. He spoke well; and because he perceived that [the Quaker spirits] were such as described above, he protested that he had not been such, that it was abominable, and that for himself he wanted to disclaim any part in it." (S. D. 3814. Dated November 1, 2, 1748. Penn died in 1718.

576