The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-05-01

!
DO pretty small. At its greatest ex-
tent it measured only about $50
miles north to
south, and an
average of about 1
120 east to west.
Lay that down
alongside the
map Of your own s
state, and it will sas sls3 -
not look enor-
nous. Further b.
more, kings are - -
very unpopular DR.. Foreman
nowadays. We cherish the few
that are left, but more as curio-
stiles than as vital necessities.
Nevertheless, this ancient free
booter who rose to q throne, who
hacked a kingdom out of the
wrecks of other kingdoms, was a
man of such strength of character
personally that he has remained
figure of romance and religion
combined, for centuries. 1t would
not do us much good to think Of
him as king. for nobody around
here has any ambitions to become
a king. Still. most Americans do
cherish the ambition Of some day
becoming an executive. the bigger
the better; and we can do our
selves some good by thinking Of
David as a good example OF big
executive.
For the People
The executive will always be
with us. Whether you are operat-
ing lfeboat or an orchestra or
college or steel plant. there has
to be a boss of some kind. People
may not like particular bosses, but
a man who thinks we'd better
abolish all bosses doesn't know
what he's talking about. The an
cient king, like the modern bust
ness executive, is the policy-maker,
he makes the decisions that affect
his whole business. If he is any
good, he is worth his extra salary.
But what makes q boss a good
one? OF course he should know the
business well, from the inside; and
David surely did He knew the land
and the people. he was an exper-
fenced guerilla fighter, he had been
trained in the leadership Of smaller
units before he took high COM
mand. He knew what the people
needed, having come up from the
ranks. he knew what they thought
and what they wanted and how
they lived. It is said of him that
he administered justice and equity
to all his people" Some kings have
used their power for themselves;
David used his for his people.
Public Relations
David was no Hitler, perpetually
unsatisfled SO long as another
country was left unconquered. He
dreamed no dreams of world-em-
pire. His territory for those days
was ample, and larger than most.
We read of his friendly relations
with other kingdoms on various
borders Now that is another mark
Of the good executive; he not only
uses his position for the public
good, but he maintains good pub
lie relations" in every direction.
Nowadays every business Of any
size. including educational institu-
tons, will have a public-relations
director. This is not mere adver-
Using. Whatever good your outfit
may be able to do, it can do its job
better II its aims are understood.
uadsr God
David was first ana last a relig-
ious man. He learned some hard
lessons the hard way; one of these
was that not even a king can be
above the law of God. His king
dom. strictly speaking, was not his
own; it was Gods kingdom which
he was expected to manage as
Gods representative. The people he
ruled were Gods people before
they were his. Like all kings, he
came and went; only God remains
forever. God is King Of Kings, Lord
Of Lords. When J. B. Phillips came
to translate Ephesians go, he had
happy thought. Turning what
Paul writes into the forms of the
10th century. he remembers that
master" and Slave" are no longer
realistic words. So he has Paul
warn employers: Remember that
you are responsible to q Heavenly
Employer! High office, whether it
Is in a business Arm, a manufac-
turing plant, q university, or in a
political position, Is not only a
public trust, but it IL Z response
bility under God.
tBeaed On outlines ee1yYighted BY
the Division q ChYistisn Education,
Nstional Council Il the Churches Of
Christ n TIE o. 8. A. 1sleased BY
Community Press oeEv1oe.l
MIST ri RAIINnER