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V Focus On Faith t The Bugles' Indistinct Sound TOE CHQONJCLE, Clinton, S. C., Nov. 30, 1967—1 r » » i % * ■ * I ! I i i i »■ # r, «r By REV. A. L. BfXLER Pastor First Presbyterian Church “If the bugle gives an in distinct sound, who will get READY FOR BATTLE?” Our time abounds in indis tinct sounds. “Bugles announced re veille, time to get up. It was the bugle that announced chow time. It was the ,bugle that commanded advance, that ordered the charge, that - called for re treat in battle, the retreat of the colors, and sounded taps when the day was done. With buglers there was no place for confusion. They were sup posed to know the call to be used, and to use that call in response to a definite order. Each call was definite, dis tinct, and decisive, and those trained under the sound of the bugle were supposed to hear and promptly obey.” Life needs such ordering as will make for organization, unity, sure purpose, and or dered progress. But confu sion, uncertainty and fear are much more inevidence. This seems particularly to be true in three specific spheres of life the “sound of the trump et should be positive and clear.” First, in the realm of gov ernment. In this area I speak more from the point of view of an interested and con cerned citizen. But the truth is, I find it very difficult to know what our government is saying. I am bewildered as I try to decide whether the trumpet that is being sounded is for the national good, or merely for the advantage of the administration, a chosen few, or a political party. It used to be that as population centers multi plied, crowding increased, and society became more complex, that rules of con duct were tightened and res trictions on individual rights were molded to protect the community as a whole. But now it appears that the courts of our land are follow ing an opposite course — ad ding to the rights of the in dividual to do what he pleas es, regardless of the effect "that itTlnay have on the com munity as a whole. So that crimes are being committed with the protection of the law. Does freedom mean that in dividuals have the right to do just anything without re gard for the community? Are we really to conclude that the riots we have heard and read about are caused by poverty, lack of educational opportunities, discrimination and slums, deplorable as these are? Have these not ex isted in our world from time immemorial? Although I do not for one moment wish to suggest that we should not employ our very best efforts to eliminate them, what I am trying to say is that unless there is clear trumpet call from government leaders as to the stupidity responsible for riots that burn down buildings, loot stores, and destroy human lives, — a trumpet call followed by responsible action — we shall have nothing but anarchy. IN THE second place, it seems to me that the trump et sound on the part of the Church has been uncertain and indistinct. The Church was established and organiz ed by God to be His trumpet. As long as the trumpet con tinues to give an uncertain sound who is going to prepare himself to do something about it? We have a Book; and that Book is our only source of the Divine revelation. It is our only authority for the Church’s ‘ existance, for the Church’s message, and for the Church’s mission. Accepting and obeying its revelation is our only hope for a better world and a better day. That Book has a great deal to say about God as the Creator, the Revealer of truth, as the Sustainer of life, and the Re deemer of men. It portrays Him as a God of love and power but it also depicts Him as a God of justice. History has known many instances when God has acted in judgement against His crea tion.- However, there is a sense in which we must say that our God is a helpless God, be cause until such a time as the cup of man’s sinfulness over flows. (and God alone is the Judge), He has left man with the responsibility to MAIN TAIN law and order. This is a part of our having baan created in His image - free, responsible agents. If people pie will not obey His commandments, if people will not emulate His ex ample, if people will not fulfill His purposes, if people will not trust His then there is nothing He can jo about it until the cup of His divine wrath has filled, and He must act in judge ment. Until then He must let man make his own choices and take the consequences. ThF Church has been guilty of sounding an indistinct blast upon the trumpet. Its prim ary tasft has always been and still must be to call all men ■.o be reconciled to God. And ! cannot but believe that God vill not look upon us in the church as guiltless for our neglect and failure to carry out this great commission. The Church has been guilty of neglecting this her first duty and has allowed herself to become preoccupied with secondary matters. I would not for one moment mini mize the importance of slum clearance, of poverty and hun ger, programs of better race relations, and of war and peace. The Church must stir up the conscience of its mem bership to the physical and social needs of our world, so that as individuals we might be stirred into action. Like the priest and the Levite we have been guilty too often of passing by on the other side. However, these do not con stitute the primary message of the Church. I cannot help but feel that those of us in the pulpit who have encour aged civil disobedience must bear same responsibility for the inexcusable riots occur ring all over our nation. Had we who constitute the Church of Jesus Christ been faithful and obedient in the proclama tion of the gospel of Christ to all men including the Ne gro people in our back yards and in the ghettos of our cities, we would not now be paying the awful price we are having to pay. AND THIS leads me quite naturally toj my last point. We, as Christians above all the peoples of the world, are supposed to hear and obey the “trumpets” of God. In fact we seem to have forgotten that our personal lives are supposed to be bugles, bugles that say something to the so ciety" in which we live and through whom God wants to say something to the whole world. The tragedy of our age might well be laid at our door step because w'e have refused to obey the words of Jesus. We have seen the plight of the unedu cated Negro bound in his silly superstitions and sin, and instead of directing him to the Cross of Christ, we have turned our faces and smiled, and permitted them to be come the victims of other philosophies and ideologies, which in turn s have incited them to riot and destruction. There is a sense in which we are reaping the consequences of our sin of complacency and neglect. May God have mercy upon us and help us tb redeem the time while it is yet day. I find it hard to make my peace with much that is part of modern life. I just cannot help it. I cannot get used to vulgarity, indecency, immo rality, cheapness, lack of pa triotism, disrespect for au thority, and indifference to God. And so I pray God that a trumpet will be sounded among us that no one can ignore a trumpet that will call us to battle, a trumpet that will determine for us and. for the future security of our great land, its purity and its progress, and in the end the peace and freedom of the world. And I pray God that a clear sounding of that trumpet shall be heard and seen in the lives of every one of us. TELEVISION SERVICE WBTV CN^m-OTTlI THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 30 Mike Douglas, 4:30 p.m. Ricardo Montalban is co-host for the week. Color. Arthur Smith, 8 p.m. The Crackerjacks present an all-hymn program. Color. Thursday Movie, 9 p.m. "The Money Trap,” with Glenn Ford, Elke Sommer, Rita Hayworth. Color. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 Freedom’s Finest Hour, 7:30 p.m. Ronald Reagon narrates the story of the American Revolu tion. Color. RONALD REAGAN Gomer Pyle . . . USMC, 8:30 4 p.m. Gomer is sold a $500 pearl ring for $18. Color. Friday Movie, 9 p.m. “The Horizontal Lieutenant,” with Paula Prentiss, Jim Hut ton. Color. SATURDAY. DECEMBER 2 My Three Sons, 8:30 p.m. Katie's Aunt Cecile arrives in town unexpectedly. Color. Hogan’s Heroes, 9 p.m. Hogan plans to wipe out Ger many’s top military leaders. Color. Mannix, 10 p.m. Mannix is hired to stop a blackmail nmt Color. SUNDAY, DECEMBER S NFL FootUU, 1:30 p.m. Double Header: Dallas Coir- boys va. Baltimore Colts; Chi cago Bears vs. San Francisco 49ers. Color. The Tennessee Ernie Ford Special, 9 p.m. Tennessee Er nie Ford, Andy Griffith, Danny Thomas star. Ernie Ford Color. Mission: Impossible, 10 p.m. The IMF must rescue the captured leader of a small Bal tic country. Color. MONDAY. DECEMBER 4 ‘ Mike Douglas, 4:30 p.m. Don Rickies is co-host for the week Color. Best of Hollywood, 7 p.m. “The Girl He Left Behind”, with Natalie Wood. Carol Burnett, 10 p.m. Guests are Jonathan Winters and Barbara Eden. Color. TUESDAY. DECEMBER 5 Daktari, 7:30 p.m. Clarence hides in the jungle. Color. Southern Conference Basketball, 8:30 p.m. Davidson Wildcats vs. Fur man Purple Paladins. Color. . 1967 National Drivers Test, 10 p.m. Audience participation with emphasis on winter driving. Color. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 6 Theater Three, 7 p.m. “Eight Iron Men.” with Lee Marvin. Color. CBS Playhouse, 9 p.m. “Dear Friends,” with Patricia Barry. James Daly, Rosemary Harris. Anne Jackson, Hope Lange. Pernell Roberts, Eli Wn'laoe David Wayne. Colo putting a caramel candy in a ;up of hot tea? It’s .excellent! 'Jot only does it give a little .different taste to the tea, but .t takes the place of the su gar and cream which you or- linarily add. 1968 CROPS — The general variety recommendations for 1968 crops is now available from the County Agents’ Of fice. Several changes have been made in the vegetable area. , CLEAN BURNERS—While Tying things, turn those hrow-away pie tins upside down over the other burners an your stove and it keeps them clean. The tins are much easier to clean than the burners. FIRES — The disastrous fires in California should be a warning to S. C. resi- dents a$ the fall dry season spreads over landscapes. Fire Ik more than 90 percent of the forest fires are man caused. NYLON NET — Nylon net scrubs potatoes far better than a potato brush. Nylon net also can be used to make a wonderful soap-saving bag for those little pieces of soap. This little soap bag scrubs cleaner as well as being eas ier to hold onto when taking a shower than an ordinary slippery cake of soap. PECAN CROP — The 1967 pecan crop for the nations’ forecast is 208 million pounds, 29 percent above last year but eight percent less than average. v,'.' ?JLc^a nnir; wu 3TWii. JOANNA; S. C. 18 Years Experience Call 697-6931 SARARIES, WAGES Wage and salary payments to this country’s textile in dustry employees are ap proaching an annual rate of $12 billion. They work in paiBooi sviawqWqejsa 000‘fcS in 45 state*. • Winners In Last Week's Give-Aways \ MARY ROCHESTER 613 N. Broad St. HUGH BALLARD 151 Pine St. RONALD QUINN 804 Sloan St. STEVE ELLEDGE 1008 Sloan St. M. S. MARSE 609 Shands St. RESSIE McKENZIE 200 Shands St. DAVID BEATY East Carolina Ave. CARRIE BAGWELL Peachtree St„ Lydia BILLIE FINTZELL R. F. D. No. 3, Clinton ALBUREA HALL R. F. D., Enoree 41 Pomly Are Stocked With Fish By i. B. O’DELL Work Unit Conservationist Forty-one farm ponds in Laurens County were stocked [ last week with Bluegill, Redcar and Catfish. 60,000 fingerhngs were delivered to these pond owners by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Serv ice from the Hatchery at Orangeburg. These farm ponds are be- ng stocked as a part of a complete soil and water con servation plan prepared by the landowners with assist ance from the Soil Conserva tion Service. Dial Neighbors of near Hurricane Church, Dick Bolt of Trinity Ridge Section, and Thomas Young in the Dun can Creek area, planted grass waterways on their farms last week. The waterways were plant ed to fescue grass as part of the water disposal measures ’n connection with terracing of the fields. The agricultural conservation Program is f urnishing cost sharing as sistance for these basic con servation practices. James and Horace Martin of Gray Court had terraces re-built on over 150 acres of cropland last week. The Laurens Soil Conservation District’s motorgradcr was used for this earth moving job. Elmo Bramlett at Narnie had terraces re-pulled on a 10 acre field that he is plant ing in wheat this time. ■ Harold McClintock and Dr. Paul Grier had farm ponds built on their farms in the Ora Section recently. They followed plans and specifica tions provided by the Soil Conservation Service | and ACP Cost-shared in the construction cost. Below Estimates By M. L. OUTZ County Agent Farm income is off from es timates of two months ago. Laurens County farmers are among those affected. Weather has been the big factor. I believe we have had the most unusual year I have ever seen. First of all came the late cold spring. Farmers failed to get a good stand of cotton because of it and had to plant over some as much as twice. This w*s not only expensive but threw the crop late. Dry pockets through-out the county, during the sum mer, had its effect. Cotton farmers had, what I thought was a good crop, but late. This late crop was pushed to come through before frost. How ever, an early frost came and destroyed a fairly high per centage. Naturally, this loss was the profit. The dry fall cut into the soybean yield to quite an ex tent. In spite of the fact that a large quantity of soybeans are being cut in the county, the total yield is down due to low rainfall this fail. Cattle prices are down con siderably from the expected. Farmers were expecting 26 to thirty cents for top calves, yet they are bringing 24 to 26 cents per hundred weight. Even the timber or pulp- off tbit gnmmer to an extent. This has been a good corn year for our farmers — and what a difference that makes, with corn comes livestock feeding. Dairying has also been good this year. I suppose dairy farmers had their best year. Prices were good. The average annual income for Laurens County farmers rung between six and seven million dollars annually. This figure will be up some due to the soybean production and poultry that we normally do not have. There have been approximately 60,000 laying hens added this year and six to eight thousand acres of soybeans. This should boost our Income quite a bit. Timely Tips HOT TEA — Ever tried records plainly show that TAX PAYMENTS Tax payments to state and local government by the tex tile industry in 1967 are esti mated at $1,131 million. 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