Th Scheme of Things

Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 23, 27 January 1940, Page 19

Th Scheme of Things

8> M.H.C

A few. short sentences about "Gracious Living" .by Ruth Jordan seryevto bring' before the mind how ne&r all gracious living may be to extinction, and the intense thankfulness peopife.; should feel that there, are still s6xn&; jsuch ideals remaining. ' Ruth Joyditb'S: ideal of gracious living is as follows: "To have a home—small, but perfect in conifort,: so that the business^ of living is subservient to the joy of living. To have good books, and a good .friend for companionship. To h-ave-'just a few lovely possessions to enjoy, so that they are a pleasure, not a" tie.'- To have work to keep the mind alive, b,ut enough leisure to expand it. ■^tf^ave a garden in which to rest my ejres,- ancl a dog to welcome,me, and a Kill'Up Which I can sometimes climb.

Abbye alii never tb be so preoccupied of trapped, vjiiri^^^ myself that! cannot

stopi>to answer^thfe ;cri de cqeur of a

irieiid,;Vbr ip "^eVso'- cluttered up with y moa(^^Jlfe;iih'ai'^«e'.a's no quiet oasis in which to look upwards for, irispira-

; Now,there, collected in a few short sentenijes,'■ is^a- wonderful ideal bf. life for anyone.?. Fpr^the1; parents whose children; are upgroWn and out.of hand; ftyr^ihe. unimarried.'. whV"haye, for any reason of their own, not taken ori the cares of family life; or for people whose lines, have j-fallen^ in lonely places of thfe^brlci. 'Hie; plan O f ;life : is very perfect— a. horned books, and congenial companionship,: work v to keep the mind active --with yet enough leisure, to expand the-ideas,; and: a lack of. over-4 preoccupation with self, which means a:j great deal. ■ These are all brought fdrwafd as -being the well-worth-while tmjjgSf-with--*a-brief -. mention of - the "cltttterW'up" life which exists among •so,many, •people today. They ;are the ories'whb never have time for anything that appears worth while, and' are never found in any worth-while situations of help or kindness,.and yet who: are always "terribly busy"—and' the world outside can only wonder"wh^t the business consists, of, and* what good

it does. Their lives fade out, and it is not possible to say anything about them even iwith the kindest intentions. They have!just filled some little place somewhere, so inconsiderable that the "foot-prints on the-sands f of time" are just too small to be noticed.

All the possibilities of tne ideal life for the present have been wiped out now the dreaded war has intervened; The possibilities of homes, the joy in those already established, the interchange of books, and. of other amenities of life—all held up, and possibly gone for a generation at least, while the misery of losing loved friends and companions is ever present. While these latter sufferings can be remembered by thdse who were adults during the last war they still have to be realised by the younger people, and a very bitter realisation it is; as the older people know. There has been a great impatience among the young people with their elders who talked or wrote about the 1914-1918 war. It was all an old story, and boring at that,; but those who endured it probably can never shake off the reality of it, or the tragic memories^ and they, perhaps, have been the ones to shrink most from the prospect of another . world tragedy, especially .as the^e are more effective ways of destruction, and all must suffer alike/young and old, and at all times and places. So.this, prospect has made the unthinking think, and the religious take, a deeper care to present their petitions' to the Power Above for intervention in the minds of . .those who'i, at the; other end of the world, still hold the scajes of war or peace in their hands.'. PrObaply, never in the history, of the world as •at present known and constituted, has there been such a united effort of prayer, it appears in every newspaper and from other parts of the; world, comes word of; the supplications made that those who are most concerned should be guided aright, and that those ( who' are on the side of peace should, prevail. Then, too, there are millions of people [who have, put up their private petitions for; help in this crisis. One is reminded of David of old who wrote, "I will look up to the hills from which Cometh my help," ifor to look out at night when the sky jp throbbing with stars and' see the c^Qh lie of the hills makes prayer come more easily and deeply. So, probably, .the Psalmist, in his troubled life, found help many times in such prayer.

What should: follow victory when attained most naturally is a- paean of thanksgiving, fox that is quite~as right as prayers for help. It is rather like the world to take all that is "given of good, and in the everyday occupations' and amusements of life to forget the words of thanks. Inthese days a great deal of service and kindnesses, large and small, are taken without thanks; it is an ungracious age in that direction, so it is to be hoped that the thanks due to God for His gift of grace to. the world will not be overlooked." Some of the most beautiful music is that which has. been written expressing gratitude. and joy after trouble and sorrow. In:some of'ttie old oratorio are some magnificent bursts of praise and (thankfulness, while the modern music, though less expressive to some people, still is fine .in its setting forth the gratitude of f.ian for mercies given. If and-when theaEuropean affairs are finally settled with all justice possible, and people i emerge ■ from under the dark and dense war. clouds,■ maybe some of the musicians of the day will be inspired to produce some adequate music-to represent: the general feeling Of relief and On look- N ing back it seems as if this miserable cloud has weighed ori humanity practically ever? since the last Xyar, so it Is to "be.hoped "that when finished those in;|augioril^<will see to it that real justice is dbriej with the quality of mercy \not strained where there have been faults. If people could only get back.to a reasonable.amount of work with* improved methods of distribution so that the ;. present, anomalies would no longer <?xist, there would be a far happier vista for the rising generation'to look forward to than theirv elders have ever had in the past.