Norwich bulletin., 1909-02-06
SUNDAY MORNING TALK
ON WALKING UP TO OUR PROB.
LENS.

Problems, problems. problems. What
an array of them on every hand. The
fundamental problem Of human exist
ence-What are we here for and where
are we going when we die, the prob
lem OF keeping soul and body togeth-
er, of paying our bills, Of laying up a
little against old age, and the possible
rainy day the problem of living and
working with others, Of home admin
istration, of child training; the social
problem, the industrial problem, the
racial problem; the problems involved
in international relationships and af-
fecting the peace of the world These
are but few of the personal and d.
fessional knotty questions that are dis
coveraDle as We look about us.
Every growing life has its problems.
as has every growing indugtry. Indeed,
they are q sign of growth and il they
are all together absent from your ex-
perience it may be because you have
ceased to grow or have gotten into
deploraole ruts. So when we find them
IN our way it behooves US to have
settled our policy In advance concern
ing them. Not that we can solve any
OF them ahead of time, but we can
maintain a certain constant attitude
toward the entire problem area Of our
lives.
This attitude. I would roughly de-
fine as walking straight up to them.
The contrary policy is far easier and
much more common. We evade prob
lens when we can. We cross the
street to get rid of them. We dodge or
Ignore them when we ought to walk
straight up to them and take the
measure of them with fearless eyes and
cool brains. In all probability they will
not look to us so big or so formidable
A parent or a school teacher dealing
rri m oh
Is often tempted to avoid the issue to
temporize or to compromise, when one
clear, steady look at the situation
would lead to the clearing up Of the
difficulty. Il Strengthened out that
boys table manners in a week" said
boarding school teacher, referring to
lad who had come to him from a
home where his PARENTS had allowed
things simply to drift from bad to
worse.
The grapple is the thing. Walk up
to your problem, and after measuring
it, take firm hold OF it. 1t won't be any
easier to tackle tomorrow than It is
today. Waiting may complicate it
still further. Moreover, waiting gets on
to ones nerves. You lose, while wait
ing, the power and the GOODNESS you
need for the grapple. There was new
er a problem that did not become
somewhat simplifed by the effort to
solve it. The knot may still remain
tough. but the threads have been
loosened a little
A problem sometimes seems TO me
like game of pool Sometimes the
balls arrange themselves on the table
In such way as apparently to pre-
vent the making of a successful shot
But IS you study closely the situation
you discover that one good TRY" can
be made. So with our problems-you
can always do one thing with them.
And that done. something else will ap-
pear to be done, and so on from play to
play until perhaps the whole problem
Is shot through and through with
light.
Quail not, then, in the presence Of
problems, personal or professional.
When Macaulay heard that there were
1000 thieves in London he remarked
Glad of it. Shows how rich the city
is" And we are not to pity ourselves
or others when problems arise. They
show what confidence God puts in our
energy, our wisdom our resources, our
persistency. our courage.
THE PARSON.