December 10, 2018 – davidbruceblog #2

• At the Constitutional Convention in 1787, proceedings were kept secret. Someone dropped a copy of the secret proceedings, and George Washington found it. He told the other members of the convention, “I am sorry to find that some one member of this body has been so neglectful of the secrets of the convention as to drop a copy of their proceedings. I must entreat gentlemen to be more careful lest our transactions get into the newspapers and disturb the public repose by premature speculations.” Mr. Washington then dropped the copy of the proceedings on a table and said, “I know not whose paper it is, but there it is. Let him who owns it take it.” Nobody took the paper.

• The motherhouse of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity had no stoves, no washing machines, no electric fans, no air conditioners. Mother Teresa explained, “I do not want them. The poor we serve have none.” When she first had the idea of starting the Missionaries of Charity, she even thought that she would allow the nuns to eat only the kind of food the very poorest people ate — rice and salt. However, she asked advice from Mother Dengal, who told her, “How do you expect your sisters to work, if their bodies receive no sustenance?” As a result of the advice, Mother Teresa allowed her nuns to eat well, but to eat only simple food.

• A group of Soviet Communists visited the United States and toured an American car factory which had a parking lot filled with cars. The Communists were informed that the factory belonged to Henry Ford but that the cars in the parking lot were owned by the workers. Later, a group of American Capitalists visited the USSR, where they toured a car factory that had a parking lot with only one car in it. The Capitalists were informed that the factory belonged to the workers but that the car was owned by the factory manager.

• The Carroll Theatre in Crown Heights, Brooklyn used to give away dishes as an incentive to get people away from their television sets and in front of live entertainment. One week, the theatre gave away dinner plates, the next week soup bowls, another week saucers, etc. Each week, without fail, the audience would sit with their free dishes in their lap, become engrossed by the show, and forget about the dishes. After the show, they would applaud, then stand up — and their free dishes would fall to the floor and break.

• After an attempt to remove then-President Mikhail Gorbachev from office in the Soviet Union, many frantic Americans and Soviets went to the American embassy for advice. Some Americans were worried about losing their businesses, and some Soviets were hoping to be allowed to emigrate. An American tour group leader asked for advice, and received the reply to stay out of crowds. Shocked, the American tour group leader asked, “Does that mean I can’t go shopping?”

• A general had an antique teacup which he greatly prized. One day, he was admiring it when it nearly slipped out of his hand, greatly alarming him. This made the general think: “I have been a general in battle after battle, often risking my life, yet never have I been as alarmed as I was when I nearly dropped this teacup. Why is this?” The general realized that he had become overly attached to the teacup, so he walked away, throwing the teacup over his shoulder and smashing it.

• The Native Americans were frugal. For example, the Tlingit, Native Americans of Alaska and other parts of North America, used all parts of the animals they caught. They ate the meat of a deer, used its sinews to sew, made moccasins from its hide, and so forth. Also, they believed that things came to a person for a reason. A Tlingit woman who found a piece of copper would find a way to use it — for example, to scrape inside an animal hide and make it soft.

• “The enemy has no definite name, though in a certain degree we all know him. He who puts always the body before the spirit, the dead before the living; who makes things only in order to sell them; who has forgotten that there is such a thing as truth, and measures the world by advertisement or money; who daily defies the beauty that surrounds him, and makes vulgar the tragedy.” — Gilbert Murray.

• Author Maurice Maeterlinck once tried to take the photograph of opera singer Mary Garden, saying, “Come into my dark room. I want to photograph your soul.” However, Ms. Garden demurred and replied, “I should say not. Everything about me the world seems to own. That is the only thing that belongs to me and I can’t let it go on a plate.”

• The Buddhists believe in a realm of being that is populated by “hungry ghosts.” They have enormous bodies but very small mouths, so they are constantly feeding themselves to fill up the emptiness inside. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist teacher in Vietnam, was once asked what the realm of the hungry ghosts is like. He replied, “America.”

• While touring the Orient, Ted Shawn and his dance troupe purchased many unusual items — fans, mandarin coats, amber, jade, etc. Mr. Shawn once asked the electrician of his troupe if he had purchased anything. He replied, “You bet I have. Today I found something I’ve been looking for ever since we got to the Orient — an alarm clock.”

• Actress Ellen Terry once dumped out the contents of her heavily filled pocketbook onto a table as she searched for a note she wanted to give to Harry Fiske. Mr. Fiske surveyed the contents of the purse, then asked, “No slingshot?” Ms. Terry replied, “No slingshot.”

• Yogi Berra once showed Phil Rizzuto through his new home. Mr. Rizzuto complimented him by saying, “Wow, Yogi! What a beautiful mansion you’ve got here!” “What do you mean. Phil?” Yogi asked. “It’s nothing but a bunch of rooms.”

• After his first few James Bond books made him successful, Ian Fleming bought a gold-plated typewriter, on which he typed the last James Bond books.

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Proverbs 3 (Geneva Bible)

Proverbs 3

1 My son, forget not thou my Law, but let thine heart keep my commandments.

2 For they shall increase the length of thy days and the years of life, and thy prosperity.

3 Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them on thy neck, and write them upon the table of thine heart.

4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man.

5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own wisdom.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy ways.

7 Be not wise in thine own eyes: but fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

8 So health shall be unto thy navel, and marrow unto thy bones.

9 Honor the Lord with thy riches, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.

10 So shall thy barns be filled with abundance, and thy presses shall burst with new wine.

11 My son, refuse not the chastening of the Lord, neither be grieved with his correction.

12 For the Lord correcteth him, whom he loveth, even as the father doeth the child in whom he delighteth.

13 Blessed is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.

14 For the merchandise thereof is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof is better than gold.

15 It is more precious than pearls: and all things that thou canst desire, are not to be compared unto her.

16 Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory.

17 Her ways are ways of pleasure, and all her paths prosperity.

18 She is a tree of life to them that lay hold on her, and blessed is he that retaineth her.

19 The Lord by wisdom hath laid the foundation of the earth, and hath established the heavens through understanding.

20 By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.

21 My son, let not these things depart from thine eyes, but observe wisdom, and counsel.

22 So they shall be life to thy soul, and grace unto thy neck.

23 Then shalt thou walk safely by thy way: and thy foot shall not stumble.

24 If thou sleepest, thou shalt not be afraid, and when thou sleepest, thy sleep shall be sweet.

25 Thou shalt not fear for any sudden fear, neither for the destruction of the wicked, when it cometh.

26 For the Lord shall be for thine assurance, and shall preserve thy foot from taking.

27 Withhold not the good from the owners thereof, though there be power in thine hand to do it.

28 Say not unto thy neighbor, Go and come again, and tomorrow will I give thee, if thou now have it.

29 Intend none hurt against thy neighbor, seeing he doeth dwell without fear by thee.

30 Strive not with a man causeless, when he hath done thee no harm.

31 Be not envious for the wicked man, neither choose any of his ways.

32 For the froward is abomination unto the Lord: but his secret is with the righteous.

33 The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.

34 With the scornful he scorneth, but he giveth grace unto the humble.

35 The wise shall inherit glory: but fools dishonor, though they be exalted.

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Source: http://www.genevabible.org/files/Geneva_Bible/Old_Testament/Proverbs.pdf