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Show By DOROTHY Q, REA was almost Christmas. The trooped into the school room smelling of wet wool sweaters and soggy lunches. Their eyes were bright as they looked at the Christmas drawings placed on the blackboard by a f.w students who had stayed lat die day before. Their beautiful teacher, Belle Smith, gave them a few minutes to enjoy the decorations before she said, You will notice that some thoughtless child has written a name on the frame of our lovely picture above the blackboard. The red chalk spoils the beauty of the picture. We will not talk about it anymoie. Im sure before the end of the day, whoever damaged the frame will help me arrange to have the chalk It (Fron Associated nd the wiret ot It Relgious News Service Press end the United Press International.) ttie Dialogue With Atheists A new, official document issued at Vatican City urged Roman Catholic priests and laymen to engage in dialogue with atheists. At the same time, would-b- e participants in such dialogue were warned of the need of proper preparation and of the dangers of political expk ! ition in some cases. The instruction or guide was issued by the Secrers after preparations that tariat for two ago. began years It declared that Dialogue between believers and while involving certain risks, is not desirable. It recommended that but only possible the training of students and seminarians include familiarization with modern currents of unbelief. Non-Belie- e Will erve The Lord' removed. She was right. After the other children had left for the day, a tearful little girl came to ask how much a new picture frame would cost. Together, teacher and. child worked on the frame until only a faint pink smudge could be noticed. Terhaps nobody else noticed the smudge but the little girl saw it everytime she entered the schoolroom. That long-aglesson in honesty has been repeated in many places in many different ways by that kindly teacher of teachers, President Belle Smith leader of some 312,000 Spafford, women w ho are members of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ o Bridge The Gap A Washington, D.C., folk music team, known as Dust and Ashes, will be employed by the United Methodist Board of Evangelism in a move to biidge the generation gap The agency has ; meed to make the team available to local churches, youth and student gatherings, and college and seminary camp uses at a modest fee to help defray program costs. D. Joseph Yeakel of Nashville, the board's executive, pointed out that pastors, parents, adult counselors and teachers often find themselves facing an opaque wall when they are in the presence of teenagers and teenagers in turn express a high level of frustration in their efforts to communicate with adults. Where's The Fire? Clergymen who feel that the laity do not follow their advice can take heart they listened too well in a Catholic church in East Meadow, N.Y. Disturbed by parishioners who were leaving before the end of Mass, Father Edward C. Finnegan, a curate at St. Raphaels church in the Suburban Long Island parish, stopped distributing Communion. Somebody better call the fire department, he said. The way those people are in a hurry to get out, there must be a big fire in the back. and pressed the fire Somebody did just that alarm. The defeated priest shook his head and continued to give out Communion. 70 Million Readers The Upper Room, daily devotional guide, now has an average circulation of 3 million per issue and is read daily by some 10 million persons, its editor reported in Minneapolis. Di. Wilson 0. Weldon of Nashville, Tennessee, said the guides success is traced to the fact it has met a need in the lives of millions of people in all walks of life. Although The Upper Room W'as started by Methodists, the guide has been interdenominational from the beginning and has never boosted one denomination or been slanted to one theological view, the editor said. Moral Direction Evangelist Billy Graham said in Montreat, N.C., that American people are looking for a change in the moral and spiritual direction of the nation and that candidates for President and for Congress should be aware of that fact. There was a tremendous amount of poverty when I was a boy growing up, and we didnt go out looting, robbing and throwing bricks, he said. I think we ought to recognize that theres a criminal element involved, and that we have taken morality and God and religion from our public schools. Inese young people have no moral framew'ork in which to live." Stating that the problem is essentially spiritual and moral and traces back to the home, school and church, Mr. Graham said, I dont think any amount of police forces or any amount of material advantages are going to change that until we start in the home and the school and the church, training young people that they have a moral and spiritual responsibility in our society. 4 t V . t t Latter-da- y Saints. Her words of loving counsel are given in the 273,000 copies of the monthly Relief Society Magazine of which she is general manager. Not long ago si:, said, If w'e w'ould have our households serve the Lord (and what parent v.ho loves the Lord has peace of soul without this?) then we must maintain homes of faith and righteousness, putting obedience and service to God foremost. We must ever hold before our families a vision of the greatness, the goodness, the power and the love of God. We must he! them to see the wisdom of His of ways, the priceless Worf.j of His words and the pre cious values accruing to those who do His will, even though they may not fully comprehend his purposes. Pres. Spafford tells mothers everywhere, Kcpp as the watchword of your home, As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Back in her college and schoolteaching days, Belle had never envisioned herself in a responsible position of leadership in which she w'ould be known around the world. In her position as General President of the Relief Society and an officer of the National Council of Women, Mrs. Spafford has traveled to most parts of the world. She has counseled with women in Europe, the Middle East, the South Seas and other far places. Much w isdom has gone into planning of Relief Society lessons geared to many cultures of the world. We have four volumes of special lessons prepared mostly for our Polynesian and Lamanite sisters. . . . Pres. Spafford rejoices in the goodness of the women she meets as she travels. There are good women everywhere in the world. Armed with the truth of the Gospel, they can bring peace to the world. If the women dont do it, it w mt be done. She conducted a meeting at the close of conference in which women from every continent except Asia wore present. And we hope it won't be Jong before Asian women too will be present. Pres. Spaffords next travel assignment will take her to South America. A woman of stature in the eyes of her country, she was called to serve as a member of the National Advisory Committee to the White House Conference on Aging. She was chairman of ' the two of the conference having to do with volunteer services. She has served as second vice president of tne National Council of Women of the United Stales and as a member of the executive committee. In 1954, she was chairman of tire delegation from the U.S. Council of Women when they attended the triennial meetings of the International Council of Women at Helsinki, Finland. She also attended triennial meetings in Philadelphia and Montreal and Teheran, Iran. In 1965 she was appointed third vice president of American Mothers Committee, Inc. She has a distinguished service aw:ard for her service to the Crusade For Freedom. Site holds honorary life membership in Utah State Conference of Social Woik and is. a special lecturer for the school of social work at University of Utah. She is a member of tire advisory committee at college of nursing at BYU. She has gained distinguished service awards from BYU, Ricks College and University of Utah. She has an honorary' doctorate in humanities from BYU. Belle was born in Salt Lake City, a daughter of John G. and Hester Sims Smith. Her father died before she was born. Her widowed mother reared her children in an atmosphere of spirituality. She taught them thrift and industry and willingness to help each other. Through careful planning she was able to give us educational and cultural opportunities and to send her sons into the mission field. I W'ent to LDS High School and to Normal School at University of Utah. Belle continued studies at BYU. She excelled in teaching. She taught in Salt Lake City schools and at tire Training School (elementary) at BYU where she became grade supervisor. Many young teachers gained valued experience and help while taking teacher training in ' Miss Smiths school room. While at BYU, she met the late Willis Earl Spafford, whom she married March 21, 1921 in the Salt Lake Temple. They had two children, the late Mrs. Clarence W. (Mary) Kemp, and Earl S. Spafford who lives in Salt Lake City. There are 10 grandchildren. After her marriage. Belle returned to BYU to set up some special classes for children who could not accomplish as much as other children the same age. She was able to bring every spe cial child to a satisfactory education al level in W'hich they could compete She was one of the teachers who pio neered the Binet tests, then beirg in troduced at BYU by Prof. Wilford Poulson of the psychology department. This was her final experience in school teaching. She didnt know then that she would be teaching womcn from all walks of life in all parts of tlie W'orld. In 1935, after moving to Salt Lake City, she was named a member of tie governing board of the Relief Society, soon becoming editor of the Relief Soci- ety Magazine. She was chosen as a counselor in the general presidency in 1943 and became general president in 1945. A lasting monument to her faithful leadership is the Relief Society Headquarters Building where she presides graciously with her counselors, Mrs. Marianne C. Sharp and Mrs. Louise V. Madsen. The building belongs to every Relief Society member. We are delighted to have the sisters come whenever they arc in Suit Lake City. There are beautiful treasures here from many parts of the world. Mrs. Spafford led Relief Society members in the accomplishment erf their great dream The building which was dedicated Oct. 3, 1956, with the dedicatory prayer given by President David O. McKay. i 13 CHURCH WEEK ENDING OCTOBER' 12, 1963 3 i |