4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, Noyeflifcer 9,1963 t From Where We Stand... And Enough Honest Wealth Editor’s Note: The following is an article written by Charles F. Hess, teacher of vocational agriculture at Man heim Central High School. We invite your comments. Address correspondence to Editor, Lancaster Farming, Box 1524, Lancaster, Penna. “AND ENOUGH HONEST WEALTH” ' The above four words will ring a bell in the minds of most teachers of vocational agriculture in the country. The words will be recognized as being taken from the fourth paragraph of the Future Farmers of America creed which states: “I believe in less dependence on begging and more power in bargaining; in the life abundant and enough honest wealth to help make it so for others as well as myself.” And now we, as FFA advisors, are suddenly challenged to make an interpretation of what we consider “honest wealth” and to indi cate how important it really is to us. The FFA creed, including the above paragraph, has been learned and recited by millions of FFA members first as ninth grade students when the words perhaps meant little more to them than something to be learned as a prere quisite to membership in the FFA or ganization. Later these words were re cited or recalled with an increasing sig nificance to the member as he progress ed through school. And finally the words of the creed were considered in re trospect as the young man now, per haps an American Farmer realized that the words of this creed had portray ed some rather solid bits of philosophy which may have helped him chart his course in life. Today, as. leaders of this FFA group, we are asked to make a decision concerning certain Future Farmer acti vities which could make a meaningless mockery of parts of the FFA creed. I refer to the offer made by persons in our great Commonwealth of Pennsyl vania to make available to certain rural groups including our FFA money which has been specifically ear-marked as coming from the state tax on legaliz ed gambling at horse races. “Let’s take it.” “What’s wrong with that?” “If we don’t use it somebody else will and it may be used for something not nearly as worthy and deserving as our rural groups.” “Cigarette and liquor tax monies are used for educational purposes ” “No questions are raised about this practice.” These are some of the statements which I know will be hurled out in favor of taking this money. I should like to reply to these statements one by one. “Let’s take it.” No! Let’s not take it, at least not without a long hard look at the gift and some of the implications involved. One of the major troubles with our generation is that there are too many people sitting around with a hand held out waiting to receive something for nothing. We see it in hundred of. kinds of give away schemes, certain operations of labor unions, abusive use of unemployment payments, relief pay ments, gambling, etc, etc., and more Prune sorest Trees Pruning young forest plant ings “as long as you can react Liluca< ’ t<?r °" n Farm Weekly the branches with a pruning hook” assures clear, straight trunks, and provides a better timber crop, says E P. Far ran'd', extension forester at Offices Penn State The trees should 22 E Mam St . , x ~ i- Lititz, Pa. be pruned doTrp ft b one vigor ous*iwd*r‘for '“dVrfeiopment of* ’ r> ‘* lolle " Lancaster , . , 39-4-3047 or a longer, maifc trunk , , * ' >' Lititz 626-2191 <4ii “ I i 'v-t etc. almost without end. The mere fact that -funds are available .does not necessarily mean that they should be talcen and spent. This is too much like some policies and practices of which we are prone to be so critical. “What’s wrong with that?” This is “tainted” money. It is money that has been taken as a tax on a legalized gambl ing operation that has encouraged peo ple to spend money beyond their means* money that in many cases should have been used to provide food, cloth ing, and shelter for families. This gambl ing has been the underlying cause of more than one respectable citizen resort ing to dishonest practices. To say that these people were basically dishonest anyway is a poor excuse for creating a condition that led them to be “forced” into such actions. In addition, this money comes from a business which has drawn and spawned all manner of rack eteers, hoodlums, and generally unde sirable persons. Frequently an investiga tion of some of the “fixes” in connection with gambling on football or basketball games has brought out the fact that the people involved were also persons who were actively associated with betting on horse races. Significant too is the fact that professional baseball, football, and basketball try in every way to dissociate themselves with gambling on horse races. There is a difference between “legality” and “honesty”. Betting on horse races is “legalized dishonesty.” Doesn’t it seem strange that an FFA advisor who would crack down on his boys for matching pennies or playing cards for money might' condone taking money from betting on races? What price do we place on our standards? “If we don’t use it somebody else will. It may be used for something not nearly as worthy and deserving as our FFA.” So what? Let them. Did you ever see an animal eat so much it got sick just because another animal was waiting to eat the food he left? It we stoop to the reasoning that use of the money for FFA purposes would be justified be cause of the worthiness of the FFA, we may find ourselves in the position of taking even stolen funds provided our use of these funds would be more justifiable and worthy than some other person’s or group’s use of the same money. It might also be pointed out that the FFA has gotten along quite nicely without this “tainted” money. If this money is accepted, we are actually plac ed in a position of creating an activity that will call for the spending of the money just because it has been offered not because it’s really needed. “Tobacco and liquor tax monies are used for educational purposes. No ques tions are raised about this practice.” Yes, they are. However, these payments come from a general fund where the money has lost its identity as to source. Furthermore, we as persons affiliated with the FFA, were never asked to tie our organization or its activities direct r ly to these funds It appears rather ob vious that an aura bf decency and re spectability will hover ’round this lega lized gambling if even a few respect- Lancaster Farming P O. Box 1524 Lancaster, Penna P. O. Box 266 - Lititz, Pa. (Continued on Page 7) Jack Owen, Editor move the -warm, moist air; Some stands of alfalfa or this adds to cow comfort, re- clover may be showing some moves unfavorable bairn • od- chickweed growth m the neai ors, and results in more pro- future; the months of Noveni- Estabhshed November 4, duction A special circular is ber and December are the best 1955. Published every Satur- available on the subject and times to spray for this weed, day by Lancaster-Farming, Lit- ' vve ur & e local dairymen to Use °ue of_the di mtro mater- Jtz pa study their ventilation situa- la ls f° r ‘warm weather spraj ’ ' tion. Other barns housing live- ln S with grass legume -mix _ stock that are confined should lures, and use chloro IPC for Entered as 2nd class matter be e if her mamia j ly or mecll _ spraying straight legume at Lititz, Pa under Act of anieally ventilated during the stuuds when air" temperatures March 8, 1879. winter months. Dripping ceil- are under 50 degrees. Next Robert G. Campbell, Advertising Director * mgs and windows reveal the spring is too late to spray for ' 1 ■ *».ll*l*f* ’ sir ~r W - Bible Material: Matthew 25 ;16«20; I Co* nmthitn* 15 through 16. Devotional headings 1 Coiinthlans 15:1* YEARS AGO the first wife oi the famous Lord Russell wrote a book on the right to be happy. Much that she said could be taken to heart by Christians, but not all, For she had to face honestly the problem of death. Is it not true that in the end death always wins? And if this is so, how can we be happy in the face of certain de feat at last? Mrs. Russell gave the only answer an unbeliever could Dr. Foreman triumph is as sured, she admitted; so what we must do is to forget this and live as if it were not true. Can anything be sadder than that? Here is a per son who wants to be happy, be lieves she has a right to be happy, but can be happy only by forget ting that all happiness ends in the grave. Tha last enemy There are persons within the Christian church who are just as hopeless as that lady was. They will tell you it is possible to be Christian without any hope of a life beyond death, that belief in such a life is no essential part of Christian faith. But they face (or should face) the same fact Mrs. Russell more honestly faced (for she did not pretend to be a Chris tian); Doesn’t death end all? And if it does, don’t you have to admit that air your hopes, dreams, ac complishments and ideals meet with final and hopeless defeat? If all the Christian can say is that death is the last enemy, the gate into Nowhere, then the Christian is no better off than the pagan. “If in this life only we have hoped in Christ,” St Paul says, “we are of all nien most to be pitied.” Every body in the world, people with no religion and people with religion, know the fact of death. They know the reason why death can be nght MAX SMITH getting things done on time and by using the most efticient and most productive methods Some farm ers have made the remark that they are not interested in learning any more about farming because they don’t practice what they already know This can make a fanner out of date real fast Modern methods and practices should be considered and accepted if they will increase your net leturns, - To Inspect Barn Ventilation, prove ventilation, Many dairy barns require forced fan ventilation to re- Victory Lesson for November 10,1963 give. True, death’s Now Is The To Be Alert For Respiratory Infection Ail kinds of livestock are subject to colds, shipping tever, and other forms of respiratory troubles. In the tall months •when so many animals are transported under changing climatic and nutritional conditions the problem may be more severe All live stock men are urged to be alert for rapid or inegular breathing, coughing, poor ap petite, drowsy condition, and abnormal body temperatures Consult youi local veterinarian before the animal gets too far gone. To Do Your Best Modem tanning requires the very best management tiom every farmer This means jd ihejast'.enemy;. for na hoyrrn’any'obstacles'a man irmount in the course of $ It, eventually death'looms me obstacle he cannot aur* . . . That is as the pagan , But the Christian view it stop with the words "last ” but goes on: the last en. be destroyed is death, ill ba changed The Bible teaches clearly that there is' life beyond death. The Bible does not teach clearly what that life is like. Probably there are no words in our human dictionary ies to describe it. One thing that is clear, however, is that the life be. yond death, the life which those who belong to Christ share with him, is different from what we now experience. We shall be changed, Paul writes; and strains his vocabulary (in I Corinthians 15) to say how utterly different that life will be. Jesus spoke of it once as a life in which marrying is no more. Just as it is impossible to think of life as we know it with, out love and marriage at the very heart of it, so it is beyond our mental powers to say what it means, and will mean, to live in a form of existence that Paul calls a “spiritual body,’’.and that Christ calls being like angels. If this strains the imagination, and is really too much for us to grasp, we might remember that to be alive in this physical body is a miracle every minute, and if to be alive in a "changed” body seems a miracle even greater, we must remember bow unlimited is the power of God. Work without limit Does a belief in the life everlast ing cut the nerve of the Christian’s conscience? Bismarck, famed and ruthless Prussian military man, said when defending himself against a charge of having wasted thousands of lives in a useless battle: “What’s the difference? In 40 years all those men will be dead anyway.” Does belief in im mortality make us all, even Chris tians, callous in the presence of human suffering and injustice? By no means; not for Jesus, and not for Paul. He ends his eloquent testimony to Life Eternal with a sentence beginning “Therefore, , . .” Therefore what? Let ps all sit down and wait for the golden chariot? Therefore let us think how happy we are going to be? No. His “therefore” (if you will look it up you will see for your self) is a plea for firmness of character and for enthusiastic service of God. The light of heaven lights the common road the common task. (Sued on outlines copyrlrhted by the Division, of Christian Education, National Council of the Churches of Christ in ths V. S. A, Ksleassd by Community Tress Service.) Time . . . BY MAI SMITH To Control duckweed
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