SUNBEAM COLUMN

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1920, Page 6

SUNBEAM COLUMN

Greetings, 1 Sunbeams. . • Good Thoughts, Sunbeams. * Next -week 1 want to talk about Christmas. So there will bo talk about the stars Send Good ■••Thoughts, Sunbeams. Send us n Christinas Greeting. Send it to the Editor, so that it will be printed in the Christinas Number. Thoughts are things, Sunbeams! Especially if- you send your thoughts to the Editor in a letter. Send early, Sunbeams. Do it now! Don't forget the printer wants his Christmas homo with his Sunbeams. And the Editor wants to have a day with his Sunbeams. So do it now! Now, Sunbeams! So, Sunbeams, we have started on that wonderful track called Evolution. And avc heard the story about the poor men who were tortured for saying the world was round.. And, Sunbeams, we must be careful or wo might get tortured. So we must be careful not to tread on someone's pet disc. [ told you Little Sunbeams, that we liave inside of our tieads, a number 3f little discs, that we store memory an. When I went to school, and I expect it is the same now, we all used to stand up in a row and repeat over and over again twice one are two, twice two are four and so on. And ivc used to learn recitations and songs mil pieces by memorising them. What lo we mean by memorising them? Whj f simply saying them over and over : igaiu until they were impressed on those ■ little discs in our heads and stored away. And we come into the ,vorld, Sunbeams, with /some of these nemories in our heads. A baby will ;ry almost so soon as it is born. Well, t'must have been born with the memny of how to cry. It seldom laiigh.t. L'h« reason, Sunbeams, is that we are jorn in pain. Dogs, cats ,and birds ire born with certain memories, which ye call instinct. But they do not derclop along the same lines as children, ;o they do not memorise or learn many >ther things. They are not born Avith ho gift of speech, although some ani-' mils have all the vocal cords in their hroats, that man has got, but they ire not able to make words. Some lay they may! It Avould not be surprising to hear of a dog being taught ) speak. Many years ago I was in he North-west of Australia, and there he natives had very few words, and they seldom spoke. They employed signs. Strange to say, Sunbeams, that ev'on white people almost lose the sower of speech if they live alone by themselves. Then, again, in Western Australia I have met men in the bush who would hardly exchange a greeting with you— white men, who would work all da}-, come home, cook their food, have a smoke and go to bed and not speak one single word. We deteriorate if avo are left by ourselves too long. Man is a social animal, and men must live together to progress. Then, again, we stumble on another great truth, Sunbeams, and that is the truth that only those who combine survive. It we look back, down through the history of life on this glebe, we sec again and again Avhy man survives and by animals that were upon the earth boore man came, and since, have disappeared or are disappearing. Only (those who combine suivlvc, Sunbeams, i>nd perhaps, strange to say, Sunbeam:;, or.ly those Avho combine in love survive. Love is life, Sunbeams, and I canont understand those men and women who belong to churches believing anything else. The world, Sunbeams or the people on .the world, have gone together in groups. which they call nations, and the nation that teaches love will live. The nation that teaches hate Avill die! I want you to mark this Sunbeams, because there , are eertau: truths that must be known and J would have you know them All milr tary nauons die, Sunbeams! It Gical Britain becomes a military nation thei. Great Britain will pass away, l.ieri nave been many military nations bun beams, and they haw all gone down O--io the other -hand, peaceful and pcaci loving nations grow airger and larger, It is the law of life, Sunbeams, 01 tixe law of love. \Vncn" that Gi-ciu Teacher, whose birthday we colibratc at Christmas, was asked had He an; faith message to g, V o He repliou '•-.Love' ye one anotacr! " .And it ib the only hope, Sunbeams 'Ihero are one or two fundamental laws oi lux that you should know, Sunbeams, lou canon' build a house properly uiiles* you put in a proper foundation, ana you cannot building a character unlew 'ou have truth- as a foundation. 1 Know many men and .voincn whoaiu just like pieces of seaweed thatgiv. on rocks, they sway uUmt all ow tiie pfcrce »but never get a,»ywnere. IVu'e Vied to the roe* of supexs..u«a, and tuey are afnud to iet g- .- ., -< iii-ver be afraid of anyU"T Do you nearf Don't be afraid £ ue dark. The dark is on^y caused Uaough.tho spin of the carl .. 'lhc cr,,r is on the other side. Don t bS of gliU yearns. There arc no ghosJs, but the evil memory that you ravV inherited, or the evil you L Don't be airaid of the dead, buubeams, the dead wi.L not lnirt you. lie living may. Don't go m for roadxi I tea "ayes ia a tea-cup, Sunbeams, " 3 one of the survivals or ignorance, I would leach children to unu brave and they v.-Ul be good, ilici* ■r b ut one thing to fear, •nid that is ignorance. I± you ncai a f nnjnoise a* night, and you become afraid, remember or try to Temembei Sa you would not be afraid it you ; iru . what the noise was caused Sigh Think of the birds in the trees, how they sleep out all night A I tie chap called Sunbeam Laurie, who is now in Australia, came to stay AVjth used to sneer at him and call him a little coward, and force him to go out, and I felt for that little chap because I felt sure he had inherited that instinct of fear. So, I used to get our children to play outside, .and not to come in whten the dark came. And then we would go for a walk around the bush, and talk about the stars, and we used to take the dog, and let him rush in and out of the bush, and gradually Laurie became stronger ancJ stronger, until he would go outside quite, fearlessly. But I , know, Sunbeams, that if we have inherited tear avo are weak. Weak people arc vorj often cowards. Cowards arc ott« bullies. Love makes you slrong. 11 you love all people ,you can look then straight in the eye. ' If you fear them you cringe. Watch little children wh( arc shy. I would not have you bold Sunbeams I Avould have you strong I Tcmembera little rosy chonib o six Avho came in the room Avhilst Avas waiting to sec her mother once and she came up to me and said, " am six; my name is Myrtle. Do yoi

love little children 1 ?" and I said, " Yoti, litflo sweetheart, becauso I am only ji little child grown up, and I. lov<> (v be loved." This is a glorious world, .sunbeams, and there is so niticli lovu wjislod. There are millions who inn starving for the want of lnvi 1 , Sunbeams, fill the world with (kind Thoughts. Next week we celebrate l:h<s birth of lovo. II: wo could only (ill the world with tho same Good Thoughts every day mk will l.»o sent I'orlh at. Christmas time, then indeed this would bo a .happy old world for nil. Do your part. Sunbeams. Send Good Thoughts to all tho world! 1 UNCLE T.KI>.

]\li]]erl<m. Dear Undo Ted, — A very jMony Christmas and a Happy 'New Year to you, and all the Sunbeams. This is tho last time I will bo writing to you from Millevton as we arc going away. The" weather is lovely now and I liopo it will keep fine for the holidays. Good Thoughts to you, Uncle Ted,' and all the world. — Your loving- Sunbeam, ELAINE. Ho-Ho. Dear Uncle Ted, — I've not much ft write abo\it, but I'm not; going t: O allow Christmas to pass without, sending all hands good wishes. It is wonderful how all people feel different at Christmas, and seem to get a common feeling for a little while. We are ill looking forward to sports, races, good times, good feeds, and a spell. I fancy it's what we anticipate that, nakes some of us happy and friendly n- peevish and mean. That is where the call of Good Thoughts conies in right enough. I reckon Christmas a ;ood illustration of the value of your jospel, Uncle Ted. Dickens shows' the nfluence, of Christmas on Miser Scrooge, and I suppose you expect, wen when you don't actually sow, hat your advice will have certain good esults. Somewhere, some time will the mister roll be called. *ays a •rcfornit, and the helpers of humanity will cc beside them their colleagues and cconders. I wish we could all pull to-i-ether throughout the year .like avc do t Christmas. I suppose wo will some lay in a good many more directions nan avc do now. We pull together as fcis where our ancestors used to quar-cl biyway, I send all Sunbeams and their nentor gootl thoughts for the season or peace. MAEY ANN. iMy Dear Undo Tod.— Don't think .not I have forgotten you or the corner Lruely, We are very busy, and I ani »ne those beings who have to be enirely wrapped up and saturated with ■he matter in hand or I am nowhere. ' If course milking ten cows twice a lay seems not much, but there are so ma.iy other things that have to jo attended "to which keeps us going md when niglit comes there is the olnuning out for the next days doings: md don't forget it: — there' are only bwo of us £>n the job. No doubt, later in wlie 1 everything has found its own time and place, things -will beco'nie rery much easier and give us at least ft little more, breathing time. And :iow I want to thank the Sunbeam who wished good luck to my potatoes. Truly it was good and kind of the Sunbeam, and the potatoes did come on just sple.idid. iJy,but I thought we were rightly in it until about a a month ago, when one night that ever dreaded enemy (the frost) came prowling along and left them a sight fit ha make the angles weep. We wont out in the mor.iiug, and there- they were, all the great big shining loaves of the day before, in mourning, drooping everywhere ; and 1. could see my poor old Dad felt sick, svnd then I thought of Ujiclo Ted and Sunbeam Ward's Christmas dinner, aid what to do about it, and the only answer i can give afc present is: — "May there be better luck next time." And so fare you well niy dear Fi:cle Ted. ami nil Sunbeams, iint-M after the coniiiK holidays, which I hopp and trust wil nvove heartily enjoyable to you all. This is the wish of your loving niece and ' fellow sunbeam . TE WTBOI (Tho T,nrkV