United Colleges - Vox Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

Page 28 text:

A SERMON By David Blostein In the beginning was God¬ in the beginning, before atom, before universe, Before man, before religion, was the Infinite. And the Infinite begat all. There can be but one Infinite, unlimited by time, by space, By mere concept of any kind. To concept Man has turned in order to comprehend the Infinite. And through concept Man frustrates himself in this task. In how many different forms and dogmas Has the Infinite been conceived? Into how many molds and vises has Man’s awe of the Infinite Been poured, shaped, and squeezed? How many Gods has Man created for himself? How could the microscopic organism that is man dare to imagine That the Infinite, the Prime Existence, is a being In the shape of a calf, or wolf, or man; or call it He, or She? Yet Man, throughout his history, has done this, and has further Endowed the Infinite with qualities of hate, or jealousy, or Monarchical pride; has, in effect, satisfied himself that Through humanizing the Prime Existence He has come to know and become a part of it. And he has deceived himself. How many elaborate systems have been evolved, Each designed to reach God in the only correct way, each System subdividing itself into new systems, and each New system breaking itself into even Newer systems, each Excluding all others from any claim to possession of true belief? Religion quarrels with religion and sect quarrels with sect. And concept quarrels with concept, and all Are man-contrived. All the quarrels of the universes Cannot shake The Infinite from its Infinity, The Prime Existence from its prime existence. Is God approached only by those who have written that God Is present in certain articles of food, or those who have Written that God is not present in them; or by those who Bare their heads, or those who cover them? The Chassidim tell of the time, long ago, when Rabbi Isaac Leib Barditzivor was conducting the services on the Day of Atonement. In the congregation sat a shepherd boy; he could neither read nor write. He could only sit with brimming soul while he listened to those around him as they intoned their prayers from their books. As the joy of the Lord came upon him, he wept that his lack of words could keep him from his God. And, placing two fingers in his mouth he pierced the air of the synagogue with the sweet clear whistle with which he would call his sheep. The congregation rumbled and turned on the one who dared to disturb the sacred ceremony.

Page 27 text:

PUBLIC RELATIONS By Roy Mackenzie John looked up and groaned inwardly. There she was again. And dressed in one of those barbaric American get-ups with bright colours and completely concealing lines. She sailed into the cafeteria under the impetus of a breezy “hi” to the President’s daughter. Sounding like a St. Bernard with laryngitis she swept between the tables greeting everyone who was anyone, until she landed at the one next to his. She let out a shriek of laughter, derision and stage¬ craft, at one of the fellows sitting there. “Oooooooh, Harry, how do you feel now? You should have seen yourself last night. I’ve never laughed so hard in all my life. Poor Joyce didn’t know what to do.” With this piece of delicious news she subsided into a chair, while Harry, who obviously felt today what he looked like last night, made a painful grimace and attempted to squirm lower in his chair, away from the humourous glances directed at him by everybody within five tables in every direction. Nothing daunted, our walking, talking AP agent whirled on another defenceless victim. “Why, Agnes, I hear you didn’t make your average? Isn’t that a shame. We did so want you in with us. And your mother an alumnus too.” Agnes, of course, could think of nothing she wanted to talk about more, and entered into the con¬ versation with a muttered “yeh”. And so on and on . . . and on, . . .“I hear the Phi Delts are having another weiner roast, I do hope it isn’t like the one I was on last year, my best summer dress was simply ruined.” ... “I wonder who George is taking to the formal next week” . . . Gradually her associates drifted off with lame ex¬ cuses about a lab to catch up or a book to read, until finally only one patient soul remained to endure her tirade. Finally he realized he had a class that hour, and ambled off. Left alone she obviously didn’t know exactly what to do. She tried straightening her skirt, but soon ran out of wrinkles to press flat and finally left it with a bored sigh. She picked a “Manitoban” and glanced over the front page. But each time a boy descended the stairs the paper was quickly forgotten and she prepared herself for his glance, so she could smile sweetly and casually flit a dainty finger at him. Her eyes roamed over the tables, not a soul she knew. She tried patting her hair, assuming the coy pose so emblematic of superior beauty, with one arm poised and the hand slightly cocked. However, her arm got tired after a short spell of that and she realized no one was watching her anyway. Having run out of possible stalls, and not even considering reading the book under her arm, she eyed John more closely. He could see her steel herself for the great effort and come towards him. “Why, John,” she started demurely, “I haven’t seen you since we were together in high school. What ARE you taking.” He dismissed the fact that she had completely ignored him hundreds of times in the halls, and muttering something about having to catch the next bus, made a bee-line for the door. None of ' that for him thank you. Are you fully insured against fire loss? If not, call d-omplimenli Pearson, Son Co. op tv 1201 CHILDS BUILDING friend PHONE 92-6649 25

Page 29 text:

But Reb Isaac called, to them to halt; I feel in my soul, he said, that of all the prayers that have been offered today, the prayer of the shepherd boy alone has reached God. Man, look at your neighbour. Is he that sees in the Prime Existence the creator of all, And therefore loves his neighbour as himself, And stands in awe of the Infinite, And names it Manitou, Not accepted of God? And is he that sees in the Prime Existence the creator of all. And therefore loves his neighbour as himself, And stands in awe of the Infinite, And names it Allah, Not accepted of God? And is he that sees in some Prime Existence the creator of all, And therefore loves his neighbour as himself, And stands in awe of the Infinite, And for that reason thinks himself agnostic, Not accepted of God? Not accepted, Because correct religion bars the way? Religion was made of man, and God of God. Religion is system, and system is made of man. Religion is dogma, and dogma is made of man. Religion is Zealot, and Scholastic, and Enthusiast, And Inquisitor, And God is none of these. Religion must be a service to its God, and when that is so, Its humble man-made origin might be forgotten; But where religion fights religion, as it has and as it does, God is not there. Then religion becomes the property of man alone, And becomes hollow, The ravings of a tongueless beggar, stopped short in his own mind. For all the quarrels of the universes Cannot shake The Infinite from its Infinity, The Prime Existence from its prime existence. Man, look at your God. There is but one Infinite, and, though clad in different robes Of time and space and concept, it has been worshipped by humanity From the beginning of the race. In a myriad ways it has been worshipped, and if of these Any is a sole correct way, it is known Only to the Infinite itself. .Yet how many millions, valuing that knowledge more than its object, Have ruined and been ruined these many thousand years? Must the pagans teach us tolerance? And must we then laugh, and say, All gods are created equal? Or can we choose between the vanity of sectarianism And the truth of the Prime Existence, Throw off the accumulated molds of centuries of Godless bickerings, Proclaiming one to another: Hear, O Man, The Lord is our God; Yea, the Lord Is ONE.