July 1995 Quaker Thought ·fRIENDS and Life OURNAL Today The Forgiveness Party Waving the Flag Smuggling Medical Supplies to Cuba Among Friends Editor-Manager Vinton Deming Proper Credit and Bedbugs Assistant Editor Timothy Drake Art Director t can be humbling and enlightening to learn that Journal readers often glance at Barbara Benton page two to find out what's on the editor's mind. Sometimes it's a sutprise to me Development Consultant I when I am at a conference or some Friendly gathering and a subscriber will Henry Freeman come up to me and begin talking about a recent column I have written. Often, too, I Marketing and Advertising Manager Nagendran Gulendran receive letters from those moved to respond to my ruminations. Production and Editorial Assistant Two communications this month deserve comment. First, a response to my "On Kenneth Sutton the Road" report from south Florida (FJMay). Miami Friend Pat Coons rightlv Secretary points out that I didn't quite get it right when I introduced Filiberto Diaz to you as Edward Sargent pastor of Iglesia de los Amigos. Filiberto, Pat writes, "was never pastor of the Bookkeeper James Neveil Iglesia, although he was among the founders and has played an active part in its Circulation Assistant work for many years." And, to set the historic record straight, the photo credit on that Tara Collins same page should have read, "Clara Diaz." It was Clara who snapped the photo, Development Data Entry using Pat Coons's camera; Pat stands third from the left in the picture. My thanks to Pamela Nelson Volunteers Pat for these corrections! Jane Burgess, Emily Conlon, Marguerite Clark, And now, in response to "Mightier than a Megazord" (FJ June) comes this from Gwen Neveil, Robert Sutton Friend Richard P. Moses: Board of Managers Irwin Abrams, Jennie Allen, Frank Bjomsgaard, Your report on the response of the Quaker Oats Co. to comments on the use of the Sue Carnell, Marguerite Clarlc, Barbara Coffin, Emily Conlon, Phoebe Cottingham (Asst. "Quaker" trademark brings two incidents to mind. Treasurer), Richard Eldridge (Clerk), At the age of 13 I found a newspaper ad promoting Old Quaker Whiskey as "friendly" to Deborah Fisch, Marty Grundy, Kitty Harrison, the taste, "friendly" to the body, and "friendly" to its user. Eleanor Stringham, then clerk of Robert Kunkel, Carol MacConnack, New York Yearly Meeting Temperance Committee, wrote the distillery, protesting (in Mary Mangelsdorf, Richard Moses (Treasurer), Jack Mongar, Lee Neff, Caroline Balderston Parry, Quaker fashion) this unwananted use of our cognomen. The letter in response was flat and Margery Rubin {Asst. Clerk), direct, saying that they had bought this trademark with the purchase of the western Mary Ellen Singsen, Carolyn Sprogell, Pennsylvania distillery, the trademark had a following and they had no intention of Robert Stauffer, Robert Sutton, Carolyn Terrell, discontinuing its use. Furthermore, any litigation on the matter only would serve to draw Wilmer Tjossem Honorary Manager public interest, which would enlarge their market. Eleanor Stabler Clarice The second anecdote may well be aprocryphal, but it does throw light on the way corporate leadership can operate. It seems that a rail traveler to the West Coast anived at his FRJENDS JouRNAL (ISSN 00 16-1 322) was established in 1955 as the successor to The destination, having discovered bedbugs in his Pullman berth. He immediately wrote the Friend (1827-1955) and Friends lntel/igencer president of the railroad, telling of his experience, as he was sure the railroad would want to ( 1844-1955). It is associated with the Religious take appropriate action. He speedily got his reply, profusely apologizing for the passenger's Society of Friends. untimely exposure to vermin, saying that the car had been ordered removed from service so it • FRIENDS JouRNAL is published monthly by Friends could be decontaminated, and that all bedding on the car had been destroyed. The passenger Publishing Corporation, !50! Cherry St., Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497. Telephone (215) glowed with appreciation of the railroad's prompt response-until he found his original letter 241-7277. Accepted as second-class postage at to the president clipped to the reply. Scrawled across it were the words, "Send this jerk the Philadelphia, Pa., and additional mailing offices. bedbug letter!" • Subscriptions: one year $21, two years $40. Add In my mind such replies to customer complaints have assumed the generic titles of $6 per year for postage to countries outside the U.S., "Bedbug Letters." I'm afraid the Quaker Oats response falls into this category. Canada, and Mexico. Individual copies $2 each. • lnfonnation on and assistance with advertising is available on request. Appearance of any My thanks to Richard Moses for these reminiscences. Having written a few letters advertisement does not imply endorsement by myself on occasion to certain companies, to protest inferior products or poor service, FRJENDS JOURNAL. I am reminded once again of those sage words by Mark Twain from Pudd'nhead • Postmaster: send address changes to FRJENDS JOURNAL, !50 I Cherry St., Wilson, well w:orth pondering: '1t is by the goodness of God that in our country we Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497 have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of • Copyright C 1995 by Friends Publishing conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them." Corporation. Reprints of articles available at nominal cost. Pennission should be received before reprinting excerpts longer than 200 words. Available on microfilm from University Microfilms International. PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER Moving? Let us update your subscription and address. Write or call: FRIENDs JOURNAL; 150 I Cherry St., Next Month in FRIENDs JoURNAL: Philadelphia, PA 19102-1497 (215) 241-7277; Fax (215) 568-1377 Fifty Years After the Bomb: a Special Issue Just War Theory? Our Readers Respond 2 July 1995 Fruoos JoURNAL ..July 1995 FRIENDS Volume 41, No. 7 JOURNAL Features Departments 7 Waving the Flag 2 Among Friends Roberta Spivek Perhaps the best symbol for our nation is the care we give to 4 Forum one another. 19 Reports 8 A Visit to Burundi Carol Reilley Urner 21 Friendly Puzzle Friends in this violence-tom country are living out their faith 22 News of Friends and witnessing to reconciliation. 23 Bulletin Board 11. Smuggling Medical Supplies to Cuba 23 Calendar Katherine Baker 24 Books She found a meaningful way to act despite our government's embargo policy. 28 Mil•stones 13 The Heart of It 29 Classified Edward Hoare We must.find ways to talk with one another about the heart of Poetry our spiritual lives. 16 Called to Public Ministry 15 ..John's Prayer Landrum Bolling Peter Meister D. Elton Trueblood, 1990-1994, led an active lifo ofpubli c service as an author, educator, philosopher, and theologian. 18 The Forgiveness Party Grace LeClair and Bess Lyn Sannino This fomily looked for a better way to keep their neighborhood safe. Cover photo © by Danna Cornick FRIENDS JOURNAL July 1995 3 Forum feelings or incompatible opinions have to us from the beginning of time, all the way Worship in song seemed overwhelming. But breaking bread across the universe! As interest grows in the forthcoming together, singing, and taking time in quiet As does, by the way, God's Light. Friends General Conference hymnal, the worship to renew spiritual leading have Hymnal Oversight Committee would like to brought the project to near completion in a Dimitri Mihalas share with Friends an overview of the spirit of true unity. Champaign, Ill. process by which the hymnal is being Friends are deeply concerned about created. language. To achieve the goal of The committee first came together to inclusiveness, there will be instances of Mormon Heaven? consider a new hymnal in 1986, but it took pronoun changes or altered ve-rses as well as That the Mormons have baptized the hymns that retain traditional language. In several years of exploration by regional Jewish Holocaust victims into Mormon general, hymns and songs written since groups to begin to envisage a truly Quaker Heaven has been well publicized. Now hymnal. When 22 representatives of these 1960 have been accepted only if the comes news that they have also baptized groups came together at Pendle Hill in 1989, language is inclusive. Some old hymns will Shakespeare and Churchill. Could the we discoyered at least eight different former have completely new texts written by Journal please check whether George Fox, religious backgrounds. As participants Friends. As the MuSeWoGs learned through Margaret Fell, William Penn, Lucretia Mott, became aware of many other musical work and worship to validate each other's and others of our deceased Quaker free traditions formerly unknown to them, their religious experience, so it is our hope that spirits have been bapti.zed and bound into vision of a Quaker hymnal was enlarged. It the same process will occur as Friends and Mormon Heaven? This Friend is uneasy. became clear that any music that is meetings use and enjoy the hymnal. spiritually nourishing to Friends could be We truly feel that this new resource Mary Lou Mills Coppoch included in our hymnal, no matter what its (planned publication date August 1996), Tempe, Ariz. source. Both hopes and fears about a new which will include historical notes, biblical hymnal were articulated and acknowledged. references, suggestions for usage, and From these deliberations, the committee several indices, will enhance the spiritual was able to write Guiding Principles, which life of individuals and meetings, and that Tinkering with language have formed the basis for all subsequent Friends, more than ever, will be able to Prior to any large (mainly colonial) work. "Worship in Song." European involvement in Africa, most A Music Selection Working Group Frances N.