DOMINION PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

White Ribbon, Volume 25, Issue 7, 1 October 1953, Page 3

DOMINION PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Dear Fellow Members, While in America I went to one of their National Forests and stood at the base of a giant Sequoia tree reputed to be 5,000 years old. As I gazed some hundreds of feet upwards into its branches I wondered what message it would give to mortal man if it had the gift of speech. I had a feeling it would say “God is Love”! It stood so tall and straight and for all those years had grown up, and ever up into the blue sky; there Was nothing mean looking about it, no twisted boughs, no blasting of its mighty trunk—it looked very, very noble. Standing there in contemplation it gave me a sense of the immutability of God, His unedmg patience, His unerring wisdom, His unfailing love. Five thousand, years ago Moses stood on Mt. Sinai and talked with God face to face and this tree was then just a little sapling. Tune has not altered God’s word, nor are the laws vouchsafed to Moses discarded or set at nought—no, change is not with God but with Man 1 It was so quiet in the forest, birds nesting; deer quietly foraging for food; bears, practically tame, wandering about; chipmunks and squirrels playing and no-one making them afraid, indeed the peacefulness was like a benediction. What ails man that he is oft-times so out of harmony with God and himself? Perhaps nothing but littleness of spirit; pride and lust of power and position makes for such discord and is the root cause of most of this worlds ilis. But my thoughts were not all sad as I rested at the foot of this mighty monarch of the forest, no, I thought of the vast army of God’s saints who have journeyed along life’s pathways through aeons of time and who have left the world nobler and sweeter and a trail of gladsome memories as our inheritance and surely we are the richer for their living.

As I sit and pen this letter to you I am reminded that time is passing and that we are fast approaching the end of another year’s toil in our W.C.T.U. vineyard. Have we reached the goal we set ourselves? There is something inspiring about a goal, even St. Paul speaks of “pressing on towards the goal” and I do think in our work it is so necessary to have a destination point. It is so unwise just to amble along.

I heard an amusing conversation, or part of it, the other day between a Cradle Roll Superintendent and some Union members, the gist of it being that they must get the Dominion Banner this year and to this noble end the Superintendent was spurring on her comrades. I have an idea they thought of doing a house to house canvas. Well, that is a good spirit indeed—it rejoiced my heart to hear them.

We need more members. We have been concerned indeed over the King Country situation and every woman in our ranks gives us greater strength when sending letters to Parliament. Let us make this a very personal matter and may each of us secure at least one other woman to add to our membership. Wc have a wonderful Cause, and like St. Paul, we too are not ashamed of our calling, for we know that it is indeed for God, for Home and for Humanity. Yours in Joyous Service, CONSTANCE TOOMER.