An Inspiring Evening

By Edwin B. Petersen

HELLO FOLKS – Mr. Khrushchev says, “We will bury you.” – If the present Department of Agriculture plans for the farmers work out Mr. K. won’t have to do any digging.

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WE ATTENDED our daughter Karen’s graduation last night and as is usually is the case I was greatly inspired.  The moving “Pomp and Circumstance” the beautiful invocation, the colorful grandeur and the fitting address all combined to lift the spirits to greater heights than we mortals are apt to follow in our daily pursuits.

One of the quotations given that I think quite appropriate went like this.  “Be careful of what you do.  You may be the only Bible some people read.”

As I was saying, graduation night has a great uplifting influence on me and I hope it has just as great an influence upon the graduates.

When one is placed spiritually above the clouds we can see the beauty of nature and the purpose of life better.  We can also see the dross and sham and it gives us a sense of shame for the frailties of man.

I got to thinking as I sat there how wonderful it would be if we could and would all pull together in the finer things of life to better the conditions of our fellow men.  There is so much of brute force in this world, so much imposing of our will upon our fellow man, so much selfishness.

Sometimes there seems to be so much evil that it is about to overwhelm us.  Vera and I took in the show, “Mien Kampf” and today in much the same vein history is repeating itself.

I am confident that in the overall purpose of it all there is a ‘silver lining;’ a worthwhile purpose.  I think it was very well stated by Rev. Albert F. Ciarcia in ‘Quotable Quotes’ in the Readers Digest:

“If we do not go out into the world and call every man our brother, there are those who will go out and call him “Comrade.”

We do have the greatest challenge before us today we have ever had.  Man has the ability to destroy himself off the face of the earthy and he has the potentiality to make every man his brother.  It is up to us to decide which it will be.  I think it will be the latter.  I believe it will be latter because evil always destroys itself.  Good, on the other hand regenerates itself.  If you like a people enough they are pretty apt to like you, etc.

Anyway, here’s hoping.