Christmas 2011 Thoughts …

One of my favorite Christmas songs is “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”. For me the lyrics capture  life’s bittersweet moments and the hope we all carry for a better tomorrow. The words were written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow on Christmas Day 1864 and later set to music by John Baptiste Calkin.

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
Their old familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet the words repeat
Of peace on earth, good will to men.

James Allen – Inspired Author, Gentle Soul

James Allen (1864-1912) was a gifted writer and philosopher who lived the type of life he wrote about (a complete list of his works and links to them are listed at the end of this post). His wife said he was “a good man who lived every word he wrote” (preface to Book of Meditations) and that “he never wrote theories, or for the sake of writing, or to add another to his many books; but he wrote when he had a message, and it became a message only when he had lived it out in his own life, and knew that it was good. Thus he wrote facts, which he had proven by practice.”—preface to Foundation Stones to Happiness and Success.

James was born in Leicester, England on November 28, 1864. His father went to America in 1879 to improve the family’s financial circumstances. Shortly after his arrival in New York and before he could send for his family he was robbed and murdered. Thus at the age of 15 James had to leave school to work and help support the family.

He married Lily Louisa Oram in 1895 at the age of 29 and they had their only child Nohra in 1896. There are various descriptions regarding what inspired him to write but all agree that he “retired” from regular work to devote his time to writing in 1902. He published his own magazine The Light of Reason which was later renamed The Epoch.

Like my other favorite author, William George Jordan (who was born the same year as James), James Allen’s works are replete with profound thoughts such as, “Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.” He often used analogies from gardening, a favorite pastime.

He died January 24th, 1912  at the relative young age of 47 having written material that would be published in 20 books. Today, nearly 100 years following his death, his words are still cherished by many and have a positive impact on mankind. I believe he is still accomplishing the mission he set for himself as described in the foreword of his first book From Poverty to Power; or, the Realization of Prosperity and Peace.

I looked around upon the world, and saw that it was shadowed by sorrow and scorched by the fierce fires of suffering. And I looked for the cause. I looked around, but could not find it; I looked in books, but could not find it; I looked within, and found there both the cause and the self-made nature of that cause. I looked again, and deeper, and found the remedy.

I found one Law, the Law of Love; one Life, the Life of adjustment to that Law; one Truth, the truth of a conquered mind and a quiet and obedient heart. And I dreamed of writing a book which should help men and women, whether rich or poor, learned or unlearned, worldly or unworldly, to find within themselves the source of all success, all happiness, all accomplishment, all truth. And the dream remained with me, and at last became substantial; and now I send it forth into the world on its mission of healing and blessedness, knowing that it cannot fail to reach the homes and hearts of those who are waiting and ready to receive it.

His books are both inspiring and challenging to read. You’ll more than likely find that reading Allen causes some personal discomfort as you identify areas in your life that can be improved and begin to realize that only you stand in the way of a positive change. However, when you take that first step you’ll find a loving God who will support you on your journey.

The following are some of my favorite quotes from As a Man Thinketh (HTML, PDF), his most well known book.

A noble and Godlike character is not a thing of favor or chance, but is the natural result of continued effort in right thinking, the effect of long-cherished association with Godlike thoughts.

Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace.

Every thought-seed sown or allowed to fall into the mind, and to take root there, produces its own, blossoming sooner or later into act, and bearing its own fruitage or opportunity and circumstance.

Circumstance does not make the man; it reveals him to himself.

Men do not attract that which they want, but that which they are.

Not what he wishes and prays for does a man get, but what he justly earns. His wishes and prayers are only gratified and answered when they harmonize with his thoughts and actions.

… what, then, is the meaning of “fighting against circumstances?” It means that a man is continually revolting against an effect without, while all the time he is nourishing and preserving its cause in his heart.

Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound.

… man has but to right himself to find that the universe is right; and during the process of putting himself right he will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him.

… there is no comforter to compare with goodwill for dispersing the shadows of grief and sorrow.

Thoughts of doubt doubt and fear never accomplished anything, and never can. Purpose, energy, power to do, and all strong thoughts cease when doubt and fear creep in.

A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another.

Dreams are the seedlings of realities.

… you … will realize the Vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will always gravitate toward that which you secretly, most love.

Below are are list of his works with links to online versions, some of which were published after his death by his wife. Note, with the exception of As a Man Thinketh, for which I’ve created PDF and HTML versions, all HTML links are from The James Allen Free Library.

Books

• From Poverty to Power; or, the Realization of Prosperity and Peace, 1901 (Google, HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Harmony, Municipal Journal and Engineer, Practical Ideals. Note, this was published later as two separate books The Path to Prosperity and The Way of Peace.
• As a Man Thinketh,1902 (HTML, PDF)
  Contemporary reviews: The Advance, Buddhism: An Illustrated Review, Camera Craft, Electric Traction Weekly, The Four-Track News, Unity.
• All These Things Added, 1903 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Association Men, The Metaphysical Magazine, Now, The Phrenological Journal and Science of Health, The Theosophical Review. Note, this was later published as two separate books, Entering the Kingdom and The Heavenly Life.
• Through the Gates of Good; or, Christ and Conduct, 1903 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Camera Craft
• Byways of Blessedness, 1904 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Buddhism: An Illustrated Review
• Out from the Heart, 1904 (Google, HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Common Sense, Tomorrow Magazine, Unity. 
• Poems of Peace, including the Lyrical-dramatic Poem Eolaus, 1907 (Google, HTML)
• The Life Triumphant: Mastering the Heart and Mind, 1908 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Association Men, Unity
• Morning and Evening Thoughts, 1909 (Google, HTML)
• The Mastery of Destiny, 1909 (Google, HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Book Review Digest
• Above Life’s Turmoil, 1910 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: Book Review Digest, New-York Observer
• From Passion to Peace or The Pathway of the Pure, 1910 (Google, HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The Humanitarian Review, New-York Observer, St. Andrew’s Cross, Unity, The Word.
• Eight Pillars of Prosperity, 1911 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The Bookseller, The Humanitarian Review, The Independent, The Living Age, Unity
• Man: King of Mind, Body and Circumstance, 1911 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The Advance, The Humanitarian Review, The New York Observer, Unity.
• Light on Life’s Difficulties, 1912 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The American Review of Reviews, Journal of Genetic Psychology, The Living Age, Unity
• James Allen’s Book of Meditations for Every Day in the Year or Meditations, A Year Book, a compilation of earlier text, compiled by his wife, Lilly L. Allen, after his death, 1913 (HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The Bookseller, The Business Philosopher, The Christian Register, The Living Age
• Foundation Stones to Happiness and Success, 1913 (Google, HTML)
  Contemporary reviews: The Book News Monthly, The Bookseller, The Business Philosopher, The Christian Register
• Men and Systems, 1914 (HTML)
• The Shining Gateway, 1915 (HTML)
• The Divine Companion, 1919 (HTML)

Biographical Highlights

• 1864: Born in Leicester, England on November 24th.
• 1879: his father died in America.
• 1895: Married Lily Louisa Oram.
• 1896: Birth of his daughter Nohra.
• 1902: “Retired” to Ilfracombe,England (southwest coast) to be a full-time writer.
• 1902: Founded and edited “Light of Reason” which was later renamed “The Epoch”.
• 1912: Died on January 24th.

Other Resources:

• A Tribute to James Allen, Ancient Wisdom Publications
• Google Books
• James Allen – Unrewarded Genius
• Project Gutenberg
• Sunbooks
• The James Allen Free Library (my favorite )
• The James Allen Library 
• Who was James Allen?
• Wikipedia

The Coloured Picture Bible for Children – Part 4 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section IV The Holy Gospels.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures and a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Coloured Picture Bible for Children” Part 3 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section III Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures and a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Coloured Picture Bible for Children” Part 2 of 4

The “Coloured Picture Bible for Children” is divided into into 4 sections (I. “Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”). The table below contains artwork from Section II Judges, Ruth & Kings.

At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all the pictures and a a scanned version of the children's Bible.

“The Road to Emmaus”

In Luke 24:13-32 we read of two of Christ’s disciples who journeyed from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus on the third day following the crucifixion of Christ. As they walked and talked of all that had recently transpired a fellow traveler joined in their conversation. He asked what they were talking about and if they were sad.

They recounted to him all that had occurred. When they related that had expected Christ to redeem Israel and that although it was the third day they had not seen him, the stranger chastened them a bit for their unbelief and then clarified the scriptures for them.

As the disciples approached their destination the stranger “made as though he would have gone further.” However, they insisted that since it was late in the day that he stay with them. Later as “he took bread, and blessed it” they realized that it was Christ whom they had journeyed with.

It is interesting that although Christ joined his disciples on the road He would not have stayed with them without their invitation. This is an analogy for how He operates today. So the question for the day is what have we done to invite Him to be with us. Have we sought after His views, have we followed His advice? Have we visited the sick or fed the hungry (Matthew 25:34-40). If we’ve lost sight of Him, this is the season for renewing our commitment to follow the two great commandments “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” and “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 25:34-40). In these difficult times there are many opportunities to serve others and bring the spirit of Christmas into our lives.

"The Coloured Picture Bible for Children" Part 1 of 4

My Christmas gift this year  to you, dear readers, are scanned copies of pictures from The Coloured Picture Bible for Children [1] which was published in London in 1884. These can be used for family home evening lessons or other teaching opportunities.

I first found these online when I was looking for images to use in earlier blog posts that covered biblical topics [2]. I recently purchased my own copy of the children’s Bible. It’s a small book (6”x7”x1”) and while the illustrations are great the writing could be better.

The picture bible is divided into into 4 sections. I’ve create a blog entry for each one (“I. Creation of the World to the Death of Moses”, II. “Judges, Ruth & Kings”, III. “Hezekiah to the end of the Old Testament”, and IV. “The Holy Gospels”) where the illustrations are shown in the order they appear.

Note, At the end of the post I’ve included links to download all pictures for each section and a scanned version of the entire children's Bible.

Ron Mann's "Freedom" Reading List

Below are a list of great books, recommended by my father (Ron Mann), and me that will help you discover your American heritage and how to protect it. They are organized by category.

Some of these books can be downloaded or viewed online. I've added links to connect you to the appropriate sites. For most books I've linked the title to its entry in books.google.com which has links to where the book can be purchased and often has a description and reviews.  While working for President Reagan Ron helped formulate the legislation to create a The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and was later named Deputy Director of the Commission. In his Challenge to the readers of The 5,000 Year Leap he says:

The First “Thanksgiving Day Proclamation”

Below is the first national Thanksgiving Day proclamation written by President George Washington. It affirms that those who participated in the founding of America acknowledged the hand of Providence, both in winning the Revolutionary War and establishing the Constitution. You’ll find humility grace and a recognition of the hand of God along with a sense of our obligation to serve others and promote “the knowledge and practice of true religion”. Contrast these words with those emanating from Washington today and you’ll see why a change is needed. Unfortunately, the words from our political leaders usually reflect what we want to hear. The change we need to make starts with ourselves and for that I’m grateful. Grateful that we live in a country where that is still possible.

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor — and Whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Reform Utah Politics?

Over the last 18 months I’ve seen a growing number of articles in newspapers promoting the idea that Utah’s caucus system is flawed and must be revised to prevent a variety of ills. I read another such article Saturday morning in editorial section of the Deseret News.

Answers from Candidates – Dan Liljenquist

A couple of weeks ago I posted a set of questions I would seek to answer for candidates looking for my vote. Thursday evening I attended an event where state Senator Dan Liljenquist spoke about fiscal responsibility. From what I understand there is a good chance that Dan will run against Hatch to be the Republican nominee for the US Senate. I’d like to share with you what I was able to glean from this event and some time spent afterwards relative to my list of questions.

Everyday Miracles

Of late my life seems full of happy coincidences (miracles as I choose to view them). For example, today at church as we began to sing one of the hymns I wished that we would sing more than the first four verses of this particular hymn (99.9% of the time we only sing those verses that are written between the lines of music – typically 4 verses – and not the additional verses written out at the end of the music).

Well guess what? The chorister had us sing one of the two extra verses. Not a big deal. Well maybe but for me it was important as the additional verse carried for me extra import and I really thought about the words we sang. Then I took the time to read and ponder the last verse which I would normally not do. This last verse stayed with me throughout the day.

How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption’ grand design,
where justice love and mercy meet
In harmony divine!

How Great the Wisdom and the Love, Eliza R. Snow, verse 6.

You can listen to this hymn by playing the following YouTube video. Probably sounds better than we did at church :)

Happy coincidence or miracle. Here’s the definition of miracle:

1. an event that is contrary to the established laws of nature and attributed to a supernatural cause
2. any amazing or wonderful event
3. a person or thing that is a marvellous example of something: the bridge was a miracle of engineering

For me #2 fits the bill. Let me list a few of the other minor miracles I’ve seen lately.

• My wife had a great product idea this summer and has been working to turn the idea into a reality. In September she had reached the point where she needed to file a patent. At that exact point in time I had someone comment on a blog post. For some reason I chose to try and find out more about this person. His Facebook page mentioned that he was a patent attorney and that he lived in my town. After I reached out to him it turned out he lived about 200 yards from our home. Definitely an “amazing or wonderful event”. More amazing still was that he had done work recently in the specific area that my wife’s patent application would require.
• My wife and I volunteer on Saturday mornings at a nearby temple. Not long ago I was walking down a hall and literally bumped into a friend who was on his way to the room in which he was to be married. I had been invited to the wedding but had forgotten. As it happened, I had a break between assignments (which rarely happens) and was able to attend the ceremony.
• My mom is from Germany and she, along with my wife,  recently traveled there for 3 weeks to try and get some estate issues settled. My mom’s only sister passed away last year and among other things the house my mom was born and raised in was left to her. It was too expensive to keep and so it really needed to be sold. Well within a week a buyer was found (without a real estate agent) and two days before the flight home my mom was in a notary’s office signing the paperwork to close the deal (at the price my mother wanted). Lest you think the real-estate market in Germany is hot, it is not! Pretty much the same as here … in other words very much a buyers market.

For me life is not always the way I want it to be but I’m sure it is the way it should be. These happy coincidences let me know that there is a God and He is aware. The more minor the miracle the more I realize that He cares, even about something a trivial as singing an extra verse.

Hope you had a great Sabbath.

Family Faith - A Road Trip to Louisville

The following story is illustrative of stories that get lost over time unless they become part of a family’s history by recording it in family journal and it is shared from time to time. I was recently asked to share a story about our family that no one would know. Sadly I don’t think our most of our children would remember hearing it and they certainly couldn’t have read about it (as it hadn’t been written down).

We had been married about a year when we left Provo for Louisville, KY in August of 1981. I had gotten an 8 month internship with GE at their Appliance Park facility. Our car was a 1973 Toyota Corolla hatchback (similar to the one on the right)  that I was somehow able to keep running in spite of my mechanical ineptitude. When it comes to trying to fix mechanical items I instinctively do the wrong thing . I finally gave up trying to work on cars around 1988 after I figured out that it was costing me more money to fix it myself than to take it to a shop. Now, refilling the washer fluid, checking the oil and changing wiper blades is the extent of my repertoire. But I digress so let’s get back to the story.

Questions for Candidates

Election season is fast approaching and as we begin to decide who to support for various offices I’d like to share some of my thoughts on that topic.

When we elect someone to public office we are entrusting them to make decisions on our behalf using information to which we often don’t have access. That being the case I’m more interested in the quality of their character than a specific policy position that may change as an office holder gets access to additional information.

Here are 5 questions that will not be asked of candidates in public debate, but which I seek answers to when evaluating candidates. Some of these are best answered (e.g. #2) by people who know the candidate rather than the candidate:

Three-Fifths Clause–Did it institutionalize the notion that slaves were less than fully human?

Last week I had a spirited discussion with friends at work regarding the three-fifths clause and whether or not it was written to devalue the humanity of slaves (thanks D.S. for providing a great topic for my blog).

Here’s the text from Article I section 2 paragraph 3 of the Constitution.

“Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within the Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons, including those bound to Service for a Term of Years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three fifths of all other Persons.”

Notice that the formula was applied to representation and taxes. This context (representation and taxation) from my perspective sets up an interesting debate. Do you diminish the power of slave holding states by not counting slaves when apportioning congressional representation while at the same time reducing their burden with respect to direct taxes or do you maximize their representation and increase their tax burden (thus imposing a financial penalty on them). The three-fifths compromise was just that a compromise that diminished the potential representation of slave holding states and yet did not eliminate the direct tax burden associated with slaves. The clause was not about the humanity of slaves nor in any way intended as an affront to them.

Jonah – A Positive Example?

A while back I was asked to substitute for a Sunday school teacher at church. The lesson was on Jonah. While I try to look for the positive in most situations and look for hidden lessons I wasn’t sure that I would be able to find much in the way of either. Jonah’s story provided me with more than I would have originally thought. The more reading I did the more questions I had about what I thought was a pretty simple subject. It started with, where in the heck is Nineveh anyways. The answer: Across the river from Mosul, Iraq and about 560 miles as the crow flies from the port of Joppa (now surrounded by Tel Aviv), which is where he departed from. Then other questions followed:

Of Freedom, God, and Christ #2

In his letter to the Galatians Paul tries to dissuade Jewish members of the Church from following the strict practices of their former faith (the Mosaic Law)  and insisting that other gentile (non-Jewish) members do the same.  Towards the end of his letter he makes a very bold statement “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free, and be not entangled with the yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). The Mosaic law with its emphasis on obedience and sacrifice was a preparatory law that laid the foundation for the higher law and pointed to Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

If God had a Computer …

I have traveled quite a bit over the last 25 years as a part of the various jobs I’ve held in the high tech/software industry. Before there were iPods or iPads to occupy my mind while in the air I  would occasionally let my imagination run wild as I pictured how today’s technology might be applied or have been applied to managing all of creation. I’ve kept these thoughts largely to myself but will risk sharing some of them with you today.

For example, imagine the pained look on the face of the angel in training charged with managing the climate control computers as he told his supervisor that he had accidently reset the system.  His boss, after informing the big guy makes a quick call to Noah letting him know what is going down. You know the rest of the story.

Little Problems of Married Life by William George Jordan

I recently finished reading an excellent treatise on the issues and problems common to most marriages by William George Jordan. He applies the keen insight on human nature he demonstrated in his earlier books (The Kingship of Self-Control, The Majesty of Calmness, The Power of Truth and The Crownship of Individuality) to the challenges of marriage. I now have two favorite books on marriage, this one and Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, by John Gray.

 

Although this book was published in 1910 and some of the societal norms were different than today, his discussion on the kinds of issues that arise in marriage and how they can be remedied are as a valid today as they were yesterday.

 

The book contains 23 chapters, each of which discuss a specific issue. They are relatively short can be read in 5 to 10 minutes but you will likely want to think about them for much longer. Reading a chapter a night with your spouse would be an excellent way to spend quality time with your loved one and can’t help but spark discussions that will improve the quality of your marriage.

 

Below is a list of the quotes from some of the chapters  which give you a sense of the content:

Of Freedom, God and Christ

A couple of months ago I participated in a conversation on religion with some business colleagues. One of my co-workers made the statement that he cannot believe in a God because of the tragedies he had personally witnessed in Africa. If there was a god how could he allow such things to happen. This is not an original concept but when we are the personal witnesses to tragic events and injustice, as was my friend,  the point becomes very real.

“Now is the Time to Make a Difference” by Ron Mann

On April 19th, 2008, Ron Mann, former Deputy Assistant to President Ronald Reagan and Deputy Director of The Commission on the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution, delivered the following address to a political gathering in Salt Lake City.  It is as relevant today as it was then. It is filled with excellent quotes and serves as a reminder of the civic responsibilities that each of us carry. Enjoy!

In the Absence of Religion, Morality and God by Ron Mann

Below is an excellent discourse by my father on the necessity of religion to sustain our republic. Enjoy RWM.

The Founders of our Republic repeatedly warned of the need to uphold morality, religion and God in our society or suffer the loss of our freedom. During the formation and early years of our republic the leaders and citizens in general read from a well spring of knowledge; scriptures and writing of the founders, in the process ensuring that their freedom would remain.

Liberty Lost by Ron Mann

My father, Ron Mann, wrote this speech a number of years ago. It is somewhat long but well worth the read as it is still pertinent today, perhaps even more than when he wrote it.

Liberty Lost

Several years ago a young naval officer was promoted to captain and given command of a new destroyer. He was awed with his promotion and his new assignment. One day during initial sea trials of his ship he ran into a dense fog. While standing on the bridge of his ship his communications officer, a young Lt. Commander came running in and said: “Sir there is a ship’s light heading directly in our path.” “Signal him to change his course five degrees!” The new caption said. In a few minutes the young officer returned with another message from the other commander. “You change your course!” Signed Lt. Smith. The hair of the back of the captain’s neck bristled. “Send him another message to change his course immediately!”

The Hand of Providence: Boston Freed and Other Miracles

On July 4, 2010 Ron Mann (my father) was the keynote speaker at the Milestones of Freedom event in Orem, Utah. He discusses the Hand of God in the founding of our nation with a focus on the battle of Boston which concluded in March of 1776. The video below is 53 minutes long but well worth watching.

Prior to his speech the Freedom Choir sang "Amazing Grace".  The story my dad told can be found in a separate post on my blog entitled "Amazing Grace: The Rest of the Story".

Note, if you are interested in a DVD version please contact me at mannrw@gmail.com. The video or audio only can also be downloaded from the Internet Archive.

Also, if you like the stories in the speech, I've written about another one in a post (If God be with us who can be against us) and provided a skit that can be used in a family setting.

I've posted my father's recommended reading list on my blog. It's a long list so don't be overwhelmed. Find a couple that sound interesting and jump in ... the water is fine :)

"When in the Course ..." Part I by Ron Mann

Here's another excellent article by my father on our nation's founding.

The book of Joshua in the Old Testament provides a wonderful introduction for this article on the Declaration of Independence. As you will recall Joshua was allowed to lead the Israelites into Israel and one of the first obstacles was the crossing of the river Jordan.

14 And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priest bearing the ark of the covenant before the people.

15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priest that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvests).—Joshua 3:14-15

"When in the Course ..." Part II by Ron Mann

The article below is the 2nd half of an article by my father (see "When in the Course ..." Part I).

“No free government or the blessings of liberty can be reserved to any people but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue.”
—Virginia Declaration of Rights

Protecting Your Family from Pornography

About a year ago I was asked by my local church to write a short note on how to filter Internet content for parents. I thought I’d share these tips since exposure to and use of pornography is undeniable harmful to individuals, families, and society in general. Numerous groups such as Fight the New Drug and Morality in Media are great sources for information on the impact of pornography.

While there is no perfect solution for eliminating the chance to be exposed to unwanted content on the Internet there are steps that can be taken to reduce the chance of “accidental” exposure. Below is a brief description of two free Internet filtering solutions that may be used to help protect your family. You can use one or both but when used together they offer a more complete solution.

Pictures of William George Jordan

When I first started researching William George Jordan (1864-1928), a very gifted writer with incredible insights into human nature, I was only able to find one picture of him online that was most likely not this WGJ. I’ve been able to locate the following pictures since then from magazines, newspapers, books, and family members with whom I’ve had the privilege of connecting (great niece and nephew). The Wikipedia entry for WGJ now contains the first portrait I located (I rewrote the earlier entry on him).

The First Tailor

In 1902 The Tailor (published by the Journeymen Tailors’ Union) republished an article by William George Jordan, one of my favorite writers and a personal hero, entitled “The First Tailor”. I chuckled as I read the article and thought I’d share it with you.

William George Jordan, late managing editor Ladies' Home Journal and editor-in-chief Saturday Evening Post, Philadelphia, writes to the Fashioner.

The first industry in the world was tailoring. The first maker of clothes and the first wearer was Adam. Of this strange character who appears on the pages of history in the dual role of the first tailor and the first customer we have but a brief biography. The meagre details require sympathetic interpretation to make up a complete story. Of his father and mother no mention is made, but the record shows he was destined to be a clothier of some sort, for he was put into Eden to “dress” the garden. We do not know if he obeyed this command, as his biographers do not so state, for, it seems, instead of “dressing” the garden he “dressed”' himself.

Articles that Reference William George Jordan

William George Jordan (author, editor, lecturer) was a well known figure in the US during the late 1800s and early 1900s. He was the editor of several popular magazines of the day including: Current Literature, The Ladies Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post. He authored a number of well thought of books who's focus was self-improvement. He was also interested in the role of government and for a time had significant influence on national politics.

Articles by William George Jordan

William George Jordan was a frequent contributor to newspapers and magazines. Many (if not all) of the chapters in his books were published previously as articles in magazines such as the Ladies Home Journal, New Science Review, and Cosmopolitan. His articles covered subjects such as marriage, politics, education and history. Local newspapers often republished, all or a portion of, articles that were published in major magazines and newspapers.

The Value of a Forgiving Heart

I was recently asked to speak at church on the subject of forgiveness. I had two weeks to prepare this talk. During the course of this preparation I was struck by the story of Joseph the son of Jacob, he who was  sold into slavery by jealous brothers.

His story, as most of your probably know, goes like this. After being purchased by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, he was eventually made the overseer of Potiphar’s household. At some point in time Potiphar’s wife made advances toward Joseph which he continually rejected until such time as he was forced to flee her presence. Afterwards she falsely accused him of trying to take advantage of her and had him thrown into prison.

Books by William George Jordan

The following is a list of the books and pamphlets (some were also published as articles or series of articles in magazines) authored by William George Jordan. It is complete as far as I can determine. If an online version is available I’ve linked the title to it. For ones that I’ve created shareable versions I’ve put links to them after the title indicating the format of the content (e.g. PDF).

William George Jordan is one of my favorite authors and one that I’ve done considerable research on. All of his books are on my must read list (I think everyone should read at least one). You can read about him in my post entitled William George Jordan – Author Extraordinaire as well as by looking at my other posts on the author and his books:

Books by Thornton W. Burgess

The following is a partial list of books written by Thornton W. Burgess (He wrote a total of 172), one of my favorite children’s book authors. Please refer to my other posts under the label/category Thornton W Burgess for information about the author and his stories.

 

Note, I’ve included links to where these books can be found online. In cases where I’ve created booklet versions I’ve put a link to the Word files as well. The booklet versions are designed to be printed on both sides of 8 1/2 x 11 paper then folded in half and stapled in the middle  or cut in half and spiral bound as shown in the adjacent picture.

 

 

 

Bedtime Story-Books

A Timely Lesson from Mr. Squirrel

The downturn in the economy, government debt, conflicts abroad and natural disasters are forcing many Americans relearn many of the lessons taught to their grandparents and great-grandparents during the great depression and subsequent war.

Perhaps it is not too late to learn from Old Mr. Squirrel’s experience “when the world was young” as told by my favorite author of children’s books. The parallels to today are surprising in the following  tale from Thornton W. Burgess’s book, Mother West Wind “How” Stories.

William George Jordan – Author Extraordinaire

William George Jordan (1864-1928) grew up in New York City the son of Irish immigrants. I’m frequently asked what religion was William George Jordan. What I can say is that according to extended family members he and his family were Episcopalian. Another indicator is that he was married in the Grace Episcopal Church of New York City in 1922. His parents also referred to their heritage as Scotch-Irish. Indicating that they were not Catholic.

His father was a printer and perhaps that contributed to his vocation as a publisher and writer. He graduated from City College of New York in 1884 and immediately joined Book Chat, a monthly magazine which published reviews of current books and news in the publishing world. In 1888 he was hired as the managing editor of Current Literature, a magazine “devoted exclusively to the literature and topics of the day.”

On July 26th of 1891 The Inter-Ocean paper of Chicago published an interview with WGJ where he discussed his thoughts about education and “Mental Training”. After the article was published he received so many requests for information that he scheduled a trip back in October to lecture on the subject. The Inter-Ocean in a September 24th article reported that:

Favorite Political Quotes

Below are some of my favorites political quotes. If you have any recommendations please feel free to share them.

“How is it that the strange idea of making the law produce what it does not contain—prosperity, in a positive sense, wealth, science, religion—should ever have gained ground in the political world? The modern politicians, particularly those of the Socialist school, found their different theories upon one common hypothesis; and surely a more strange, a more presumptuous notion, could never have entered human brain.”—Frederic Bastiat, "The Law", 1850 (PDF)

“A culture obsessed with technology will come to value personal convenience above almost all else, and ours does. That has consequences we will explore. Among those consequences', however, is impatience with anything that interferes with personal convenience. Religion, morality, and law do that …”—Robert H. Bork, Slouching Towards Gomorrah, 1996, p 9

Their Aspirations Must Be Met!

As I listened to the news Thursday Feb 10th  and heard President Obama’s remarks regarding President Mubarak’s decision to not leave office. I was struck by his words. To better illustrate my thoughts I’ve made three substitutions to the text of his remarks shown below; Egypt to America, Egyptian to American, and United States to the administration.

“As we have said from the beginning of this unrest, the future of America will be determined by the American people. But this administration has also been clear that we stand for a set of core principles. We believe that the universal rights of the American people must be respected, and their aspirations must be met.  … 

To Con-Con or Not

Of late in Utah there has been a bit of news surrounding a legislative initiative to recommend that the state request the holding of a constitutional convention as outlined in Article V of the US Constitution. There are two ways to propose amendments to the Constitution which must be ratified by 3/4s of the states (either by their legislatures or by their own conventions as determined by Congress). The first is when 2/3rds “of both Houses of shall deem it necessary” and the second is when 2/3rds of the legislators of the states call a convention for proposing amendments. I’ve sent a couple of e-mails on this to my state rep and made several comments to a post by Holly on the Hill. Below is a summary of my thoughts on a convention.

“Hurry is the Counterfeit of Haste”

I spent much of the break between Christmas and New Year’s Day reading and researching one of my favorite authors, William George Jordan (1864-1928). He wrote several of motivational / self-improvement books (or rather booklets) in the early 1900s. One of his books, The Majesty of Calmness, has a chapter entitled, Hurry, the Scourge of America. He makes this interesting statement which I think is certainly applicable in our day-to-day activities, such as setting New Years goals.

Hurry is a counterfeit of haste. Haste has an ideal, a distinct aim to be realized by the quickest, direct methods. Haste has a single compass upon which it relies for direction and in harmony with which its course is determined. Hurry says: “I must move faster. I will get three compasses; I will have them different; I will be guided by all of them. One of them will probably be right.” Hurry never realizes that slow careful foundational work is the quickest in the end.