Show ii Kathleen Norris Says days There Is a cc Power Stronger Than Armies Bell Syndicate Service y 0 V e t. t p If rt r o J w t i p 1 I 1 C I c r I x t t a I r w 1 Pamela says this is our war as much muc as Grandma asks what is America coming to when tie we have hate to ask another nation for perm permission to feed starving European children And Tom departing for college says sas democracy exists only in Russia By KATHLEEN NORRIS HE only persons who are THE happy today are those who believe in the infinite power and goodness of God and who ask Him with the faith of children children chil chil- I chil-I dren to bring good and peace I of the sad I Imad and brotherhood out mad tangle into which men have gotten the world This doesn't mean that only clergymen rabbis monks and nuns can claim today that inner sense of security and confidence we call faith One doesn't have to renounce the things of the world or join an order to find God He is as we are taught as children everywhere He and the infinite peace and rest of His goodness are close beside us all th the time We have only to turn ito to them and receive them I But the worry and pressure of the times are so great that many women today dont don't dare stop to pray They get themselves themselves themselves them them- selves into absolute frenzies of fear hate and resentment as they take in hi news reports and argue breathlessly with anyone and ev- ev everyone who will listen The talk that goes on at family dinner tables today is enough to disrupt disrupt disrupt dis dis- dis- dis rupt even the most devoted groups Father opines gloomily that democracy democracy democracy racy is dead and the country headed for ruin Mother wishes that European European European Euro Euro- nations had some sense and had seen this cataclysm coming then we would not ha have Ve gotten into such a fix Pamela is sure that if Mother and Dad just came down to I headquarters with her every morning morn- morn ing im they'd know that this is our war n n I 0 J as much as it is Grandmother Grandmother Grandmother Grand Grand- mother says she doesn't know what Americas America's coming to when she has hasto hasto hasto to ask some other nation humbly for permission to feed starving European European European Eu Eu- children And Tom departing departing departing depart depart- ing with wilh his books for college observes observes observes ob ob- ob- ob serves that democracy doesn't exist in any country in the world except I in Russia Gee Professor Brown Brownis I is swell when he tells them about Russia Makes Praying Difficult Under these circumstances how hard it is to turn to prayer The inevitable weary hopeless feeling I is if God is all power and all good why was this allowed to happen Well it wasn't allowed to hap hap- pen It is no accident this seething horror of murder and hate in hi Eu Eu- rope It is as much the logical fruit of what has been going on there for a thousand years as the raging forest fire is the result of careless campers scattered cigarettes abandoned fires For a thousand years nations that should have been good neighbors and friends nations whose sons and daughters have interchanged interchanged interchanged in in- colleges enjoyed the same sports and books and operas influenced each others other's pattern of clothes and manners have been planning wars rather than cultivating cultivating cultivating ing peace And after every war the winning winning whining win ning nations have imposed conditions conditions conditions condi condi- as cruel as they dared upon the losing nations Taxes have been quadrupled territory has been seized customs rates and tariff costs cleverly adjusted to work the absolute ruin of the once liked and admired neighbor and armies of occupation have moved in to maintain food blockades and destroy the and the comfort of the conquered people For a thousand years With no noI I THE TIlE WAY TO PEACE W We IPe all want peace says say's Kathleen Kathleen Kathleen Kath Kath- leen Norris but we are willing willingto to work for it only after we get what we want And to get what we wo want we employ means that lead inevitably to war tear hate and injustice Or having gained a temporary peace we use our power to promote the agencies of war tar IVe We trample on the rights rig of the conquered W We e set setup setup setup up prohibitive tariffs to ruin nations nations nations na na- we once called our f friends There is a better way to a lasting lasting lasting last last- ing and constructive peace Good results never come from the wrong kind hind of thoughts and deeds We need not withdraw from the world We need not spend all our time in prayer But we must says Kathleen Norris Norris Norris Nor Nor- ris recognize the fact that we can find the only real way ivay to peace through religion I peace treaty ever maintained and each war more terrible than the last And unless the hearts of men are changed they will go on forever No Sign of Change How are they to be changed There is no sign now of a change The enemy is always to be defeat defeat- ed The victorious peoples must be allowed to dictate the terms of surrender And then well we'll all turn good and holy again and there will be Gods God's peace upon the earth Then indeed indeed in indeed in- in deed we will love our enemy forgive forgive forgive for for- give them that hate us and despitefully despitefully despitefully despite- despite fully use us render not evil for evil but overcome evil with good All this we are prepared to do only do-only only we dont don't mean to begin until some nations nations nations na na- na- na are smashed To talk this way is sheer blasphemy blasphemy blasphemy blas blas- phemy and it is folly to help from on high while we indulge in it But Gods God's ways and Gods God's peace are as near us as ever and if any worried and harassed woman wants to prove it she can do so easily by lifting her thoughts quickly to infinite goodness and understanding This need not mean kneeling down or withdrawing oneself from the thousand thousand thousand thou thou- sand duties of household and kitch kitch- en But it does mean dismissing all distressing and fearful thoughts with the old wonderful prayer I believe 0 O Lord help thou mine unbelief unbelief unbelief un un- un- un belief I believe in the possibility of world peace and world friendship I believe that the billions wasted on war could be spent to build so generously generously generously gen gen- and universally for profit and security that poverty and idleness idleness idleness idle idle- ness and ignorance and injustice and slums and disease and crime could be lessened and lessened steadily until they 11 vanished no ro from the world i Hate Can Be tie ne Overwhelmed I believe that hate could crumble could be overwhelmed c could uld awaken awak awak- en to find that it has never been hate it had only been the ignorance that masks love I believe that all peoples have innate good within themselves just as all men and women have and that if we could once stop this mad race for armaments armaments arma arma- m ments this panic of fear this international international international inter inter- national selfishness and greed there would be more than enough money food service sunshine and joy in the world for us all Believe this and when you l lift t your heart in prayer say that you believe it When agitating thoughts come to you whether you are in the market or making your beds or shelling peas for supper supper confide them to Gods God's keeping give that time to thought of Gods God's power |