Eastern Mennonite School - Shenandoah Yearbook (Harrisonburg, VA)

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—II ill ■ITI III II [6]

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Thy Word Is Truth The Word is the light that shines into the windows of our souls. Without the Word we are shut up in prison houses of doubt and speculation. Even the great Grecian philos- ophers, who, though apart from Revelation, advanced far in their quest for truth, were yet unable finally to pierce the somber walls surrounding them. In that last discussion on immortality that Socrates held with his friends before he took the hemlock, one of the inner circle, Simmias, stated that absolute truth might be impossible to find. He then advised that if this were the case, each man should simply “take the best and most irrefra- gable of human notions, and let this be the raft upon which to sail through life—not with- out risk, as I admit, if he cannot find some word of God.” We have this “word of God.” It is ours. When I was only a lad in Christ, I wrote one day with astonishment and awe on the Hyleaf of my Bible, “How wonderful it is that we can hold in our hands and on our laps the very Word of God!” The Word is the anchor of the soul amid the surging tides of this latter age. Many ships of faith and creed that once carried great cargoes of religious commerce have cut loose from the anchor of revelation, and now drift to and fro in the night, prey to every new wind of social doctrine and “scientific” dictum. The Word is the “sword of the Lord, and of Gideon” in assaulting the strongholds of Satan. It seems a very feeble instrument, but it is mightier than all the armies of Russia and all the atomic weapons of the United States. They shall pass away. It shall endure. “For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.” The Word is the mirror of the human heart. The proud shrink from the image it sets forth. The righteous rejoice to see themselves depicted in the garments of righteous- ness. The Word is the compass of the conscience. True as the needle to the pole, the Word points the conscience to the will of God, and unlike natural compasses, no allow- ance for declination need be made for varying latitudes and longitudes. Its pattern for human conduct is universal. The Word is the staff of the pilgrim as he faces the last dark valley and looks beyond to the city of his eternal sojourn. Let us allow Van Dyke to say it for us: “No man is poor or desolate who has this treasure for his own. When the landscape darkens and the trembling pilgrim comes to the Valley named of the Shadow, he is not afraid to enter: he takes the rod and staff of Scripture in his hand; he says to friend and comrade: ‘Good-by, we shall meet again’; and comforted by that support, he goes toward the lonely pass as one who walks through darkness into light.” —Stanley Shenk.

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Dedication The president of Eastern Mennonite College opened the door to his office and walked in. It was 10:50. There were just fifteen minutes until he would have to meet with his class. He had walked up to the College that day maybe because he wanted to think or maybe just because he wanted the exercise. For a man who has been with the College for thirty years it was good exercise. He had hardly sat down before his door opened again. A girl needed a transportation route worked out so that she could make an emergency trip home by train that afternoon. His train schedules were at home. He could have said, “I walked up this morning; I’ll bring them up when I go home for lunch,” and then forgotten about them. He could have pulled out his watch and said, “I have a class in a few minutes; maybe someone else can help you.” He could have been too busy, or made a dozen other excuses. But he would not do any of these, because he does not do these things. He did say, “My train schedules are at home, but it will take me only a few minutes to get them.” And he did walk home and work out the girl’s transportation route. He was not just being courteous in an emergency; he was doing only what he naturally would do. As a church leader he has a church-wide viewpoint and a great concern that the church maintain her high principles of personal life and conduct. He moves cautiously, yet he hears two sides of a question and tries to weigh the problem to make a fair decision. He is always concerned that the church does not reach a static position in its ethical value in any age. One of his chief forms of recreation is the same as that of President Roosevelt. When the tasks of the school, the church, or just life in general become too heavy, he gets his fishing rod and drives to a trout stream. If it is the wrong time of the year to fish, he walks through the woods. His reading is well-balanced. He is well informed as to what is going on in the world. When it comes to religion, he is acquainted with the thinking of great church leaders in and out of our own church. Many busy men have little time for home life. This is not true of Brother Stauffer. At home he is very friendly and very informal. Believe it or not, he likes to tease. He has a way of getting close to his children. He likes cabinet work and has spent time with his sons showing them how to work with tools and helping them to set up a shop. He has watched Eastern Mennonite School grow up into Eastern Mennonite College. He has been a witness to all its changes. When the school began in 1918, he left the mission station at Altoona, Pennsylvania, and became one of its first teachers. Since 1935, he has served as President. As a tribute to his devoted service in behalf of Eastern Mennonite College and to his sincere interest in the life of every student as well as in the entire church, the 1948 SHEN- ANDOAH staff dedicates this volume to President John L. Stauffer. —Alvin Jantzi.