From the Millennial Star, November 1944 —

Woman’s Sphere

By Edith Russell

The following is a letter despatched from London to the Lady Missionaries at the time of their evacuation to a safety zone during the bombing of the capital:

Dear Children.

We have pleasure in sending your Ration Books, but all the same, I hope that you will bring them back soon.

We have had very little trouble since your departure – which is just what might have been expected! Probably the trouble will have disappeared completely after to-day, when Sister Russell really manages to get on a train for Harrogate. She returned from King’s Cross on Saturday, and again yesterday, saying that the queues (what a pequeueliar word that is!) were too long, and that the trains had been cut down in number. You may imagine how President Brown and some others seized the opportunity to tease her about disobedience, reluctance to leave us, etc.

My wife, Sister Smith and Margaret will remain here unless things get worse.

I wonder if Sister Coleby was terribly upset about the extension of her holiday?

Have a good time, girls. All of us join in sending love and blessings.

Your most desertedly,

NORMAN DUNN.

Mission Secretary, Accountant. Bookstore Manager, Head of Circulation Dept. Millennial Star, Office-boy, Poultry-keeper. Assistant Gardener, Clock-winder, etc.

I await now the departure of President Brown, my wife and Sister Smith: and then I can really get going with their jobs as well.

-oOo-

Isn’t this superb? – and just like a man. Seriously, almost the identical situation is prevalent at the Mission Office at the moment, but how invincibly the British Mission carries on! Their motto is the one selected by the splendid R.A.F.: – The possible we do at once, the impossible takes just a little longer.

– Edith Russell

-ooOoo-

From the Millennial Star, February 1945 —

Equipment for the Soul

By Edith Russell

Yesterday you went to school – remember? And because you were small and frightened the unaccustomed glory of a slate upon which you were encouraged to draw, lavishly, and a huge coloured ball, which turned and spun for your enchantment, brought comfort to your untutored soul. Later, as you walked with growing confidence along the path of Education, the slate became a symbol of more serious achievement; the colours on the ball developed contours and meaning out of their beautiful irrelevancy and became a Globe. You grew, and the instruments of your education grew with you. From amusing you, they puzzled, then inspired and enlightened you. They were the crutches to your mental efforts to walk; they were effective means to a highly constructive end.

The period of man’s probation on the earth is, in every way, synonymous with that early period of his academic education. The earth is the school and God the great Teacher. Spiritually, man is as unschooled as he was, academically, at the tender age of five.

He has much to learn and, indispensable to his learning as the instruments of his education – the spiritual counterpart of the academic slate and globe. To adequately expound the things of the spirit, the means of instruction and enlightenment must inevitably be of spiritual origin. The soul of man, in the school of life, must learn of and familiarise himself with all the equipment at his disposal.

This is more abundant than is generally known.

It is the purpose of man’s life upon the earth, to prepare himself, and as much of the world as he is able to influence, to attain the highest possible degree of glory in the world to come. He must, therefore, acquaint himself with the essentials of government exercised in that world or state, as the case may be, and learn to live with purity and exactitude, the principles of righteousness practised there.

As the means to this end, God has provided many text books of unvarying excellence. On the cover of one is written, “Revelation”; on the cover of another, “Prophecy.” An abridged edition of the former has the name, “Inspiration.” Here is siperb equipment for the education of the soul.

There is a kind of student in the school of life who suffers from an acute deafness. Even the wonderful voices which speak of revelation and prophecy are not loud enough to penetrate his eardrums. But God is mindful even of him, and sets, among the other instruments one especially adapted to the use of people whose souls are deaf, the miracle. This is the loud voice which he must hear, and invariably does. The miracle is a source of wonder to all, but an essential to belief only to those whose ears are not attuned to the still small voice.

There is a condition attached to the presence on earth of these aids to the development of man. They are predicted on the existence of his faith. Just so long as he has an active faith in the power of God to bless the earth with these manifestations of his favour, just so long will God continue so to do, but upon the frail shoulders of man lies the onus of the choice.

The individual must have faith so that not merely he, but his neighbour also, may have hope of that education he needs to prepare him for eternity. Indeed, his faith is a testimony of the love and thought which he has for his friends, because it is the guarantee of the continuance of God’s greatest blessings to man.