It is said that during the wars of Frederick II of Prussia men became so scarce that they actually enrolled schoolboys. If there happened to be a child that was growing too fast the parents would be heard to say, "Don't grow so fast or the recruiting officer will catch you." Do not rush into responsibility. (Text.)
(1318)
Growth—See Assimilation; Faith in God.
GROWTH, CAUSE OF
Carbon from the air entering the cells of
plants comes in contact with a substance
called chlorophyll resident in the cells. A
wonderful change at once takes place. When
the sun is shining, the carbonic acid and
water contained in the cells are decomposed;
ie., separated into the parts composing them.
These, with the carbon, then unite again and
form a new substance very different from
either the carbon or the water, viz., starch
or like substance, which, with some of the
mineral matters supplied through the soil
water, serves as food for the protoplasm of
the cells, so that the latter increase in number
rapidly and thus cause the plant to grow.
There is real growth of the soul of man only when the divine spirit unites with the human powers. (Text.)
(1319)
Growth, Curious—See Obstacles, Unexpected.
GROWTH, EVIL
Educators make much of growth, nor can
we over-emphasize the importance of the
principle. But if the thing that is increasing
is bad, then growth is a curse immeasurable.
Given a spark and growth means a conflagration
that ruins a city. Given a gipsy-moth
in the parks of New England and
growth means the devastation of the forests
of a State. Given a disease, and growth
means death. Given any form of sin, and
growth means the wreckage of character and
destiny. (Text.)—N. D. Hillis.
(1320)
Growth in Educational Work—See Needs, Meeting Children's.
GROWTH IN NATURE
Once, a half-century ago or more, a
farmer and his men came down from the
pastures, and for purposes of their own cut
a ditch straight through the middle of the
bog to the open water. The hundreds of
scrawny night-herons, sitting on pale blue
eggs in scraggly nests in the cedar swamp,
must have heard the cedars laugh as this
went on. It was the swamp's opportunity.
Where the farmer and his men with incredible
labor cut and tore away the marsh-grass
roots the cedars planted their seeds,
and called upon the alders and the swamp-maples
and the thoroughwort, the Joe Pye
weed, and a host of other good citizens of
the swamp to help them.
So vigorous was the sortie and so well did they hold their ground, that you may trace the farmer's wide ditch to-day only as a causeway down which the swamp has come to build a great wooden area in the midst of the bog, accomplishing in half a century what it might not have done in five times had it not been for human aid.—Winthrop Packard, "Wild Pastures."
(1321)
Growth, Spiritual—See Spiritual Perturbation.
Growth Through Struggle—See Struggle
and Growth.
GROWTH, UNCONSCIOUS
Moses, when he came down from the mountain, "wist not" that his face shone. So in much of our spiritual life, we are unconscious of the fact of growth. As a writer upon life in the fields likening the spiritual life to that of the seed says:
But all the winter through, tho it was
hidden by frost and snow, the seed was
growing beneath the earth; the difference is
that now we can see it. And so it is with the
growth of the soul. The soul is growing,
tho we do not know it, in its winter weather,
when all is dead and cold and dark; when
the Spirit has convinced us of sin and we
say, "I seem to have no part and lot with
the saints, no joy nor peace; I only feel the
burden of my iniquities; I question whether
I am a living soul." Ah, but the seed sown
by the hand of God is growing through all
those wintry days; if a man can feel and
lament his weakness, his deadness, his barrenness,
he is a living soul. (Text.)
(1322)
Growths, Undesirable—See Barriers.
Guardian Friends—See Pledge-keeping.
