education

The art of exercising the faculty of thinking, and reflecting upon every object that is seen, ought to constitute a material branch of a good education . . .

CECILIA: How comes it, Sophia, that I am so often idle, and my thoughts wander from what I am about, when I really intend to be good?

Approved! 
A Story About Quaker Meeting for Business
Written by Nancy L. Haines
Illustrated by Anne E.G. Nydam
Reviewed by Iris Graville

Dear Editor: I deeply appreciate your publishing my poem “On Garbage” in the Nov/Dec 2017 issue of Western Friend, but I was disappointed that a word was omitted from the penultimate line. It should have read:

Only love matters. Only love turns junk into jewelry,

A crown of thorns into a crown of light.

The current century is one of political, economic, and cultural upheaval in Bolivia, which has long been the poorest country in South America. Extreme rural poverty, lack of educational opportunity, and discrimination have held the indigenous majority captive for centuries. These are the Aymara – people who have lived high in the Andes for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.

On October 26 I took part in an interesting phone workshop on Quaker history sponsored by the Western Friend. It was the first online workshop I have ever taken part in, and I want to commend Mary Klein for organizing it and for providing excellent background readings and good questions to ponder. It worked extremely well. I was able to hear and see everyone clearly.  

Everyday Prophets: Backhouse Lectures, Volume 16
Written by Margery Post Abbott
Reviewed by Stanford J. Searl, Jr.