The White Ribbon. "For God, and Home, and Humanity." WELLINGTON, MARCH 18, 1933. LESSONS FROM THE DEPRESSION.

White Ribbon, Volume 38, Issue 451, 18 March 1933, Page 6

The White Ribbon. "For God, and Home, and Humanity." WELLINGTON, MARCH 18, 1933. LESSONS FROM THE DEPRESSION.

Mrs Trevor pee|wd through th# gup in the thick. leafy ledge which dlvtd. <1 her i»uck yard front that of her neighbour and friend. Hhirley Hannon. "Hhirley," she tailed, and tier friend I tanned ill her tank of gathering in snowy linen from her chwiktl clothe*line. She came acrona to the hedge, tine arm full of clothes, the hand of the other clasping 11»* i»« ,a she had u. t taken out. "What! Ngw ire, have you gathered your washing In already T‘ she asked. "Yes! Hurry up and finish, my dear. I have a cup of tea ready, hut it will wait until you are.” A few minute* later the two frier da sat down t«> afternoon ten in Mr* Trevor a cheerful kitchen. When th« > had finished. Mrs Trevor leaned l»ut k in her t hair and looked seriously tu ross at h* r friend. "Shirley, I've found it at lust.” rhe said "What*’ asked Hhirley, sinili 'That last crossword clueT "Now, don’t t*e saica- tie'” Ngalre begged "No* I've found the sllvt-i lining to this depression." "Nonsense. ni> dear" KMrle> v ■« not sure that her friend wan not Inducing in one of her frequent joke* "Tin* beastly thing hasn't got a lining ut ai . let alone a silver one*"

"Well. I thought so too, and I used to wonder what good could possibly come out of Jack tsdng so long on rebel worn, and the kiddles and myself so short of even necessaries." Her grave manner had al last convinced Shirley that sto* was ver> much in earnest "At last." she continued, "as I looked al»out me and began to think a little more clearl>. It dawned oil tile just how much good these hard times are doing us." "'Klucidate!* us old Miss Maths tmed to say." "It's this way, Hhirley. I hardly know how to express myself, hut I'll do my ls*»t First of all. I. for one, have learned the difference between want and need. When Jack was in u good f*.» ition. I used to i»u> things which were necessary neither to our health nor our happiness, hut which were Just a |»assing craze ITotmbly, a few' hours ufterwards, I would wi. h I had not been so extravugant You and I. Hhirley, were brought up In the wasteful years—the vars of plent) and |ieace, after famine and fighting Why! I tin hardly Isdleve. now. that I used to pn) alsait £3 for a hat. and never turn a hair. It was not us if I couldn’t have got one just as durable, fashionable, and becoming for far legs money. Th«* trouble was, we did not know the value of money. Everyone was sending. and we went with the crowd."

"You are uuite right. N’gaire I once bought a very smart suit which e«»st itu about £lO The first time I wore If, someone passed a disparaging remark about it, and next day I gave It uwin lu a cousin who did not need it, just b cause I was dissatisfied with it. No! we certainly dal not know bow to spend our money to the l**st advantage" "I came acroaa mu expression In en«» of George M» I kuiald's ttonks, which, I think, sums up our way of living It occurs In a story als>ut a young Hcots lassie who goe* from her country home town to servile in Edinburgh. Her first letter to tor mother say a, ‘The wyste cow* a*. Kl“|*etli fclePudyen w ild f.'* t her livin' frue umang their feet ' Man. Klspcths would have land well on our *. a. te in pn*-depression days." "That reminds me. You rememlier how careless lam I’utteison Used to l*e over her household budget. I was there the other afternoon, and in the middle of tea she excused herself to turn out the gas under a >»*e oil kettle heated ill case of second cups. 'l'm not mean,’ she said. ‘Home (wople are so mean with their gas, it hurts them; hut I have found that care is necc* ary us well us wise,' ** *‘l think we all have. Hhirley. Hut I must tell you at other lesson I hiv** been taught lately. lie tore the tleluge, I used to buy marly every new novel that came out ll>ught *»i te lad* - crtmlnattngly, too! Now when even shilling sh«M*kera are Is youd our means, even if w* wanted them, I have b< n thiown Isick on ;i rather «i»< ill bln -n of classics I gat he reed together in <’ I- !. ge and 'Varsity days. Ninety | er • nt of the modern rtuff I Isttiglit Is not worth u second leading Indoe* I, I

have sent most of them to the auction rooms, ami I tell you, when I can afford to buy Issiks again, they will Is hooks such as I would like to fail bock on in times of stress like the present, not any twaddle with a flashy title and a ftambuoyjuit cover My little collection of Ihckens. Eliot, and a few other gtssl eld trusties have Iteen a pricel* hh Ihhiii to IIV*. ' "I used to t»e just us mad on reading everything new, whether I could afford to buy it or not My stationer’s hill was staggering sometime* That’s the worst of the credit system. It is the devil in disguise, tempting us to live Iwyond our means. You cun count it as another particularly shiny piece of lining iii.tf laiaineas people have, to a large extent, ceased to give credit, especially to relief workers. It seems hard especially in cases of sickness, but taking it all round. I hope the credit system is out to stay out It is the only hope we have of teaching our children how much u pound sterling will or rather won't buy." "Talking altout sickness or any emergency brings me to what I think is the brightest thing brought il«»ut by the depression You know how thoughtlessly we used to sing '<»od moves it. •% mysterious way. His Win ders to j*erforni \V« 11. ! have l«*en amused lately to flint how strangely ami uptly our p«*d hav*» been ministered to, ami that • lorn, oftentimes, the most unlikely •liiarters. Just when I am at my wits' end. along come some eggs, a nice rabbit, or a parcel of clothing. People really are awfully decent, and I feel no false shame hi taking from those who •ire a little letter off thun us. because I nov« it is <b>d’s way of providing for us Hhirley, I lsdieve this depression Is m: to give us hack our faith Who knows,” sh** added thorghtfully, "I ut v. h::f it v. ill bring the so'utlon to all the o*i* t and misery of these post-war I rememlier my music master, • " i* • tin wnr. when *|ieaklng of some ' I*' 1 * v » had a fin*, simple faith in ' •' in 1 Ilia eternal goiitiness. ||e a d to r if, 'Hut what a wotulerful thing t » hav> a faith like that How safe • no would feel. I wish I had It.* A iVir.g faith' It would Is* worth a dozen 1 pie dons if one could come through v ith that!" "Oh! Ngalre, I am so glad you feel like that I have l»een rather shy of speaking alamt it. hut. for a good while now. I have had that feeling of Clod's near-ess to me and mine, und I am ’earning to ‘enst my burden on the f **!.' and confidently expect Him to < ' m* We h el i:«>t ■>'» far away from Him in our mad chase after wealth and pleasure." . ’i Trevor's eye* were shining as she id eagerly. "It’s wonderful. Isn t it. S'lirNy? It reminds me of one of our i turm-d soldiers He was a clergyman •n nr church when he enlisted. He • ten blv wounded early in one of the •at pn h«s, but managed to roll Into I hole, where !• • lay on No Man's ' 1 ’ many hours until assistance Hu» he brought out of that hell <-f stiff*• ring a heaven of memory, for

God was with him in that unsi>eakab|e place. He had such a wonderful feeling of God's love and protecting pieseme around and atiout him. that lie was sustained in his terrible ordeal until he was rescued. If only we could get near to Clod like that In our everyday life, how changed it would all Is*! Hut the realisation of His nearness seems to come only in times of great stress, when all our faculties are pretematurally sharpened. Hut perhaps, now He has come so close to us in our own time of trouble, we will be able to grow nearer and dearer to Him, and not lose touch as we did liefore.” "I think we have all had too sharp a lesson on our weakness and His strength for us ever to grow away from Him again. Ngaire. It is too precious a thing, once experienced, to Is* lightly relinquished, this sense of God's loving care. I can almost say I’m glad of the depression, for if we hav* lost much materially, we have gained more spiritu- ■■ "Yes, we have grown in our knowledge of values—of money, of men, and of the Messiah.”