THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY’

Dominion, Volume 35, Issue 285, 31 August 1942, Page 4

THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY’

Comments —Reflections Intercession. O God, who art the author otj jieace and lover of concord, we pray for the pence of mankind.- Create that goodwill among men without which there cannot be pence, on earth; scatter those who delight in war. remove from men’s hearts fear, suspicion and hatred, and increase among the nations understanding, and the helpful spirit. Amen.

Good manners, and soft words have, brought many a diltieult thing to pass. —Sir John Vanbrugh.

"Our World Council and its very many subsidiary councils must not bemerely masculine in membership. The world must contain many more women and children than men. Their viewpoint is needed to ensure that the world is not run in the lopsided way which seems inevitable- if only men function. For instance,’ I should like to propose for some important position Mrs. Hortense Odium, who recently.resigned her post as president of a great department, store in New York lifter six years’ service. In this time she raised the annual volume of sales from million dollars to more than 10 million, Then, to everyone's amazement.she retired. She was not interested, she said, in milking money, but merely in experimenting as to the validity of her principles. These principles were kindliness, consideration for customers and employees alike, courtesy and appreciation. These qualities, she believed, together with good merchandise, would create a store where women would like to shop. 'Would it not be worth while to invite Mrs, Odium to try out her theories on the World Council'?”—Miss A. Ruth Fry, in her latest book, “Everyman's Affair."

“If, unhappily' for the democracies ns well as for China, we were defeated in the end, at least the world ought to know that we were beaten not liecause of lack of.courage—either moral or physical—but because, by the concerted action of the democracies. China was strangled to death by an eonomic noose fashioned by Japan out of British appeasement, American profiteering and French fear. With the innate qualities of recuperation and reviviscence which characterize our people, and which are daily becoming more evident, the spirit of China is unconquerable. Whatever happens, we will prove our valour and our honour. An oldfashioned word—honour; yet a word of sterling worth. It has suffered an eclipse, or a partial eclipse, in international relationship for some years, but we hope to see it emerge again shining like a lustrous beacon guiding to a safe haven those peoples who might unfortunately be tossing helplessly upon an ocean of trouble not of their own making. To all the citizens of the democracies who have given their time, their substance, and their sympathy to succour and encourage the millions of stricken ones in our country goes out the abiding gratitude of all the Chinese people.”—Madame Chiang Kai-shek, in her book "China Shall Rise Again."

“The nation is now well in health, whether or not we all agree it- was well at the beginning of this war. But surely it. is the business of statesmen to watch for indications of changes in the tide. Should not wo do something before there ore quite clearly signs Of a change of the tide? I do not want disease to come suddenly upon us, not in the first winter of the war but in a winter which in all human probability will find the nation rather more tired, rather more weary, suffering a little more from monotony, a little -more apt to grouse, a little more easily discontented, than it was in the first winter of the war. In nil human probability we shall have difficulties. I should hate to be a 'bad prophet in respect of anything in tbe nature of an epidemic tliat may happen, but, supposing we had something like the influenza epidemic Hint we had at the end of the last war. What is our weapon for fighting it? Our chief weapon is to maintain the resistance of our people to enable them to keep well in health. It is the workers who are really the most important people, and it is necessary that we should keep them at the highest, level bf efficiency to which they can possibly attain. I think as regards both milk and eggs we cannot afford to do without them. You are not going to have good cookery without them.” —Lord Dawson, the eminent physician, in the House of Lords.

“It is as curious us it is certain that most of us are at our best when we are on holiday. Those strangers whom you met and made friends with long ago and far away, were removed from the daily round in which tlieir lives were spent., The burden had fallen from tlieir shoulders; they had no letters to answer. They were, In short, •off the leash,' ns the Scottish grocer remarked when he saw the minister on his holidays in flannels. Besides, they had no conventions to tie them down or to keep them in the correct, way. They saw new faces as delightful. People not of their own way of living were surprises to them, Even those who frequented other sanctuaries met for worship under the mountains or in the cabin of the ship, and it came as Bn agreeable surprise to them to find that you were . . . what you were. They were ready for adventures in fellowship, and they found one in you. And you found one in them. There were lessor but still real gains. In you they found a now hearer for their liest tales, and for. the jokes which sent thejr family at homo into the depth of gloom. For jokes which send strangers Into fits of laughter plunge our nearest find (learest into fits of depression. And they listened to your best in a way which refreshed your spirit, Such friendships, brief as they were, may pe wlmt is called in Holy Scripture (in ‘earnest,' something given ns tn« advance as'a security that the whole will |>c paid. It is an earnest ‘of our inheritance with tlie saints in light.”'— Quintus Quiz, in the "Chrlstiiin Century.”

Dawn, He who would see the dawn break

bright Must, first climb lonely through the night Till twenty thousand feet of space Hang between him and earth's em-

brace ; Fearful but unafraid must lie Dare all the night’s malignancy, But then how splendid is the glow That tints the wide horizon’s bow, How comforting a moral then Dawn's lingers point for weary men 1 —From “Winged Victory,” by “Ariel,” a flight lieutenant.