IN SEARCHING for appropriate words with which to comment upon the tragic death of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, your editor has discovered that the late senator himself delivered the most penetrating and patent indictment that could he made against his subsequent assassin. The speech was delivered at the Cleveland City Club following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but it is so perfectly descriptive of his own passing that we can find no more fitting tribute than Robert Kennedy's own words which follow:

"This is a time of shame and sorrow. It is not a day for politics. I have saved this one opportunity to speak briefly to you about this mindless menace of violence in America which again today stains our land and every one of our lives.

"It is not the concern of any one race. The victims of the violence are black and white, rich and poor, young and old, famous and unknown. They are, most important of all, human beings whom other human beings loved and needed. No one-no matter where he lives or what he does-can be certain who next will suffer from some senseless act of bloodshed. And yet it goes on and on and on.

"Why? What has violence ever accomplished? What has it ever

2 UNDERSTANDING

created? No martyr's cause has ever been stilled by his assassin's bullet, no wrongs have ever been righted by riots and civil disorders. A sniper is only a coward, not a hero; and an uncontrolled, uncontrollable mob is only the voice of madness, not the voice of the people.

"Whenever any American's life is taken by another American unnecessarily-whether it is done in the name of the law or in defiance of the law, by one man or by a in cold blood or in passion, in an attack of violence or in response to violence - whenever we tear at the fabric of life which another man has painfully and clumsily woven for himself and his children-whenever we do this, the whole nation is degraded."

——— ♦ ———

EDUCATION

INNOVATIONS in teaching techniques are being increasingly explored. Research and classroom experimentation are in progress now that are particularly concerned with the use of teaching machines, closed circuit TV, as well as computer banks of programmed lesson, and data. A new relationship is being developed between student. and teacher, for the greater efficiency of learning, which loses much of the personal element, that human dialogue and discourse which has been part of the educational process in the past.

Of greater significance, however, than the mere techniques of education are the larger changes (required by the technological world in which we live) necessary for a re-orientation of educational concepts, purposes and goals. With changes in work patterns, social and personal relationship,, and increased leisure, new perspectives are. imperative. The question of what shall be taught should take precedence over how it is taught.

It has been predicted that in less than a generation in the United States two percent of the population may be able to produce all the food and manufactured goods required by the total population. It. has also been projected that 40% of the jobs for college graduates in the next four years have not been invented yet! This indicates that one of the goals of education must be flexibility rather than training in particular skills. Another implication is that education

JULY, 1968 3

becomes a life long process. Also, to be considered is the substitute for "identity" which, until now, has been associated with man's work status.

The long "dreamed of leisure" as a possible reality in the near future poses additional problems in the educational field. Most men are neither emotionally nor psychologically ready for extended leisure, except as spectators rather than as active participants in income endeavor. To make life meaningful and satisfying man needs a challenge, a way to express his own uniqueness, an answer to "Who and What Am I?" and "What is the purpose of Life?"

Dr. Simon Ramon, of TWR, Inc., states: "Unless something is done to increase society's social maturity to match its technological advance, the society of the year 2000 will be a huge efficient factory for the production of identical, placid, druid-like automatons in response to a computer developed formula."

Arnold Toynbee, the historian, sees the problem as essentially a religious one in the sense that it raises the question: What is the true end of man! Is it to populate the Earth with the maximum number of human beings . . . or is it to enable human livings to lead the best kind of life that the spiritual limitations of human nature allows?"

Somewhere in the new educational programming a place must be made for spiritual, as differentiated from strictly religious, teachings which will relate man to a larger whole-to make his endeavors of significance and satisfaction.

Psychologists, according to Abraham H. Maslow, of Brandeis University, in his text Toward the Psychology of Being, have observed that when man's deficiency needs arc relatively satisfied he must become "self-actualizing." Unless he finds work to develop his capacities be will face sickness - termed "metapathology." This illness is characterized by such attitudes as boredom, alienation, meaninglessness, sense of absurdity . . . Education must make pro-visions for the "human use of time."

Higher education must prepare individuals to program the computers, by which all are to be educated, that life may bring responsibility, wisdom, challenge and nobility of spirit. Such concepts and goals will need the combined efforts of leaders in many fields-

4 UNDERSTANDING

teachers, social and physical scientists, psychologists, philosophers, writers, artists, and even the man in the street.

John R. Platt, of the Mental Health Research Institute of the University of Michigan holds: "We now realize that the society we can and will become is shaped by what we teach, by the kind of human nature we are producing day by day in our children. This means that there is a problem of choice in our teaching far larger than any single, wise educator can solve for us..." This article has touched only upon a few of the highlights of a changing world which is now making demands upon our educational philosophy for the future. It poses more questions than it answers.

How will education provide the personal flexibility, the creative challenge, and individual motivation for a truly fruitful existence? How will education, particularly if it becomes a matter of personal study with a "little black box" wired to a larger bank of computers, give man needed self-confidence, identity and purpose! How will education prevent man's alienation from the world by relating him to a larger whole, mentally, emotionally and Spiritually

How will education give man a basis for accepting life in a world of rapid change, with its new challenges and uncertainties

The sooner we can answer wisely some of these questions the sooner can we instigate the means whereby the education of today will prepare our youth for the new tomorrow.

——— ♦ ———

CAN CREATIVITY BE TAUGHT?

Related to the educational problems for the future is this article in the Ithaca (N.Y.) Journal of December 18, 1967, entitled: Can Elementary Children Think Creatively!

A team of educational psychologists at Cornell University is investigating whether elementary school pupils can he taught productive thinking and problem-solving abilities by direct instruction.

Robert J. Treffinger, candidate for a doctorate in educational psychology, and Richard E,. Ripple, associate professor of educational psychology, are working under a federal grant of $20,000 to test, some 1,200 students in the finger lakes region, surrounding Ithaca. During the current school year these students will take

JULY, 1968 5

special courses, often encountering problems with no single answer, but with a variety of possible solutions.

The experiment "is an attempt to develop what we call divergent or productive thinking, as contrasted with the traditional and necessary convergent thinking often taught in schools (that is, the zeroing in on a fact-two and two is four, Columbus discovered America, for example!!)

Mr. Treffinger said the project has a two-told purpose:

1. To introduce to teachers the concepts and latest materials for teaching divergent thinking, that is creative thought and problem solving: and

2. To evaluate the specific materials and investigate whether creative thinking can, indeed, be taught.

Treffinger said tests taken by the pupils before and after the courses will be compared with tests given comparable students who were not given either of the two courses of "The Productive Thinking Program." One of the key questions that Treffinger and Ripple hope to answer is whether the thinking methods taught by the courses are transferred to problem solving, in other school courses.

The teachers giving the courses will assist in the evaluation. They are being asked to rate their students based on the following description of how creative students often behave and (to composition work.

Creative students typically:

- Like to do their own planning, make their own decisions, and need the least training and experience in self-guidance.

- Do not like to work with others, and prefer their own judgments of their work to the judgments of others. They therefore seldom ask other students (or their teachers) for their opinions in this respect.

- Take a hopeful outlook when presented with complex, difficult tasks.

- Have the most ideas when a chance to express individual opinion is presented. These ideas often invoke the ridicule of the class. Are much more likely to stand their ground in the face of' criticism.

Are the most resourceful when unusual circumstances arise

6 UNDERSTANDING

- Can tolerate uncertainty and ambiguity better than others.

- Are not necessarily the "smartest" of "best" students.

In their compositions, creative students typically

- Show an imaginative rise of many different words.

- Are more flexible, going off on tangents from the main theme or thought.

Tend to elaborate on the topic assigned, taking much broader connotations of it and then elaborating these.

- Are more original. Their ideas are simply different from the average student's response. Their criteria of originality is considered to be the most important characteristic to be evaluated relative to the results of the given courses in creativity and problem solving.

All the information will be evaluated this summer. If the results of this study indicate that creativity and problem-solving can be taught and learned a significant contribution will accrue to educational goals and practices.

——— ♦ ———

FROM MYSTICISM TO MAGNIFICENCE

"Religious beliefs have been greatly influenced by mysticism. Our early predecessor's religious inclinations were stimulated by the recognition that many forces existed in their environment which were beyond their understanding. In order to overcome the feeling of fear generated by these uncontrollable factors it was necessary to establish some type of mental relationship with the phenomena. From these conditions evolved the first group of tradition and rites which eventually became known as religion.

History supplies us with ample references to the many rituals that were, performed to please the Gods. The sacrifice of animal and human life in religious ceremonies was deemed necessary in many instances. Even the Bible tells of such occasions. The story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice the life of his son, Isaac, is a profound example.

Diseases and plagues were thought to be curses of the Gods. During the Middle Ages Bubonic Plague (Black Death) killed an estimated 60,000,000 people. This epidemic produced fear and superstition which greatly affected plan's attitude toward life for

JULY, 1968 7

many years. People who suffered epileptic seizures were thought to be demon possessed.

It is understandable that our ancestors' first religious approach to life would be limited, because of their modified understanding of their environment. Regardless of its limitations, however, early religion did enable our early kinsmen to establish enough faith in their personal consciousness for them to begin exploring the world in which they lived.

This process of exploration had two primary effects on mankind. First, it permitted an increase in the factual understanding of the functional processes present in the surrounding phenomena. Second, the increase in knowledge automatically gave man power over many of the forces which he had previously been content to leave in the hands of God. Thus, the conflict was begun which has finally culminated in the present dilemma concerning the death of God.

Regardless of our feeling about this conflict, it is an inevitable occurrence. History is filled with proof that man has always had difficulty adjusting to changes in his basic religious thinking. Even though he has progressed tremendously in many ways, man is still influenced by his predecessor's taboos. Failure to accept the challenge of change when it affects some of our fundamental religious beliefs is one area where today, our inhibitions are causing us considerable discomfort. However, science is forcing us to re-evaluate some of our attitudes by destroying the foundations upon which they rest.

The astounding accomplishments of science today are supported by knowledge that has been accumulating for generations. Consider the man years it has taken to acquire the knowledge which enables us to observe from our living room the launching of a space craft that weighs as much as a larger destroyer.

Black death is no longer considered a curse of God. Although some disagreement still exists among; the medical historians as to the actual cause of Bubonic Plague, fleas from infected rats are generally accredited with leaving caused this catastrophe.

Epilepsy is not caused by some evil spirit. It is a condition produced by an excessive discharge of electrical energy in the brain. The study of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid), a minute particle that goes to wore. the instant life begins in a fertilized egg is a

8 UNDERSTANDING

good example of the intricate processes involved in producing a human life. By differentiating the work of the cells of the body, DNA has become known as the code of life.

This is but a small sampling of the vast amount of knowledge that man has acquired since his meager beginnings. Science, however, sloes not destroy the existence of Col.

It should be remembered that without the existence of a certain consistency in the universe man would have been unable to accumulate this knowledge. It seems rather naive to suppose that this consistency would exist without some stabilizing force to support it.

Regardless of whether this force is called God, Primary Cause, or Divine Intelligence all evidence greatly supports its existence. The fact that science has discovered a :mall portion of the labyrinth of intricate processes under the control of this force only adds to the dimensions of its magnificence.

- Cecil M. Wright

——— ♦ ———

UFO REPORTS FROM JAPAN

UNDERSTANDING receives from Japan the UFO news, official publication of the CBA International. The bulletin is written basically in Japanese but it is well illustrated, with English captions under the pictures. From these captions we offer news of UFOs in Japan. We regret that we cannot reproduce the illustrations as well.

Saucer photographed over Hanoi-at the night of last autumn. It is reported that a bright illuminating object larger than an automobile hovered over the central heart of Hanoi city for a few minutes, without sound. The object suddenly disappeared into the sky, watched by hundreds of people, including military personnel. CBA obtained the photo from an informed source in North Vietnam.

Mother-ship over Yokahama - Large mother-ship appeared over the southwestern sky of Yokohama at 0:45 P.M. on January 1, 1968. At the peak, nine UFOs were observed by the staff of CBA International.

UFOs over Chiba - a small mother-ship and a saucer photo were taken by a student, Takhiro Kobayashi, over Chiba at 10:45 A.M., October 29, 1967.

JULY, 1968 9

Mr. Shigera Ouchi of Tokyo photographed an UFO about 6 P.M., October 10, 1967, and At Mr. Kazuo Kakiza, Photographed a whitish blue lightning UFO on January 1, 1968.

——— ♦ ———

NEWS FROM GERMANY

(The following news item which appeared in the UFO - Nachrichten (UFO newspaper received from Germany) was translated by Ruth Ilten, Moscow, 13, Nov. In the Soviet Union there has been formed, according to a report on the Moscow Television, an official commission to establish if UFOs that have been seen in the Soviet Union are Flying Saucers, or natural phenomena.

The Commission, which is led by a not named Air Force General, will first investigate pictures of miraculous bright lights which Soviet citizens have seen. There are seen at least a photograph and many sketches. The sightings of meteorologists and pilots will be heard.

There were earlier reports in the Soviet union about UFO appearances that came out of the West., and were discarded as "fiction" in the Capitalistic sensation newspapers!

——— ♦ ———

world report

UFO Drops Something

(Saucers, Space and Science, Editor Gene Duplantier, 17 Shetland St., Willowdale, Ont., Canada.)

On July 3. 1967, Warren Smith of Calgary, Alberta, along with two other prospectors, photographed an U.F.O. Squadron leader E. B. Chase of Calgary said the photo was the best one yet in the air force files of a UFO.

SS&S understands that the. complete story is to be written into an article for a national magazine or a booklet. Briefly, one of the men Lorne Grovue, said he saw something fall from the UFO. He later searched for the "something" and found a hole with a.

10 UNDERSTANDING

"strange" ash and put samples in a container. He also found some metallic fragments which were examined by a local semi-retired engineering assayist who claims he is "baffled by the sample.

The sample contained aluminum and some silver granules but in a state not usually found in the area. Another metal element would not dissolve and is unidentified. Both men have consulted with Dr. J. Allen Hynek.

Minnesota Sighting

EDINA ( Minn.) - Edina residents are looking for an explanation of a strange glowing object they watched pass over their homes at three separate and regular intervals last Tuesday night. (5/21/68).

"We sure would like to know what it was," said Mrs. Charles Wilson, 5020 Oxford Ave. S. "It looked like a small moon to me, orange and bright. It was traveling southwest, and looked lower than tire stars."

Mrs. Willson's neighbors, the Joel Tierneys, also saw the unidentified object. Tierney described it as "something burning that seemed to suddenly `go out' as it passed to the southwest."

The "what-ever-it-was" was sighted at 8:45, 9 and 9:15 p.m. Mrs. Wilson called the Schedldahl Company in Northfield to find out if the object was one of the Echo satellites manufactured by the company, but was told they travel in a different direction.

A check at the University of Minnesota observatory and the Naval Air Station turned up no answers. Theories, anyone?

Common Characteristics in Saucer Reports

(From Tampa Tribune, Tampa, Fla., Jan. 31, 1968)

LAKELAND, Fla. (By Staff Writer)-A "number of serious and well-documented reports" of unidentified flying objects from around the world cite common characteristics of the "flying saucers," a student of the UFOs said here yesterday.

Rev. Paul C. Hartford, a flying missionary of St. Petersburg, said he's been studying the reports of unidentified aerial phenomena for some 20 years.

Capt. Hartford said he has seen five UFOs himself during his aerial trips and visits to some 50 nations. He is a member of three major research societies studying the flying saucers, including that headed by Donald Kehoe, retired Marine Corps major.

The common characteristics illustrated by the speaker among the

JULY, 1968 11

flying saucer reports were the convex lower surfaces of the circular objects, the presence of hemispherical protrusions on the bottoms that apparently serve some purpose in landing, and the cylindrical superstructures on the top side of the UFOs, usually pierced by portholes.

He remarked that the saucers often are reported as capable of generating some form of cloud that might be the result of electromagnetism, and witnesses tell of seeing the machines hovering at 45-degree angles and leaving some form of contrail as they dart away.

He pointed out repeatedly during his slide-illustrated talk the number of sightings of UFOs made by reliable, trained observers, ranging from policemen to scientists.

He said his, own five sightings within ten years made him "somewhat of a believer or accepter" of the phenomena, and his profession as a minister led him to study them from biblical or theological standpoints.

Among the religious aspects, he said, is the "eternal equation - we now call it `space,' or the 'non-succession of time' " and said scientists and medical professions give consideration to the idea that time ceases in space capsules that might be hurdled across outer space at a speed approaching that of light.

The concept, he said, "is taking on staggering proportions."

Can Smog Be Drained?

(By Russel Neilsen, Grants Pass (Ore.) Courier, Sept. 29, 1967)

RENO, Nev. (UPI) - University of Nevada scientist believes smog can be drained from a city just like water is drained from a bathtub.

Lester McKay, a research associate with the Department of Environmental Patho-physiology, has worked on his plan 12 years and wants to put it to a test here.

No fly-by-night basement scientist, McKay has several patents, including one for a smog-control device for automobiles. His idea for ridding cities of smog was presented to the Seventh International Conference on Medical and Biological Engineering in Sweden where it was termed the "most exciting paper."

McKay's plan would take advantage of gravity, especially during night time or inversion periods, when the polluted air is pulled

12 UNDERSTANDING

close to the ground. The air would be pulled into underground drain systems by suction caused by fans or the friction of running water. The waste matter in the polluted air would be accumulated in receptacles and resold.

"It was felt we could use the downward pressure of the atmosphere during nighttime periods to an advantage if we provided all avenue of escape for the trapped polluted air," McKay said. "This pressure which presently prevents upward evacuation of contaminants, might enhance the effectiveness of suction below ground if it could be economically arranged."

In their model, they. first pushed the air through the "drain system" with a volume control fan and then by the use of friction of running water.

"In each case, the contaminated air was effectively evacuated much like `pulling the plug' front a bathtub." McKay said.

Virgin Mary Reports

(Chicago Tribune, May 7, 1968)

CAIRO, Egypt, May 6 (Reuters)-Police today blocked the main road to the Church of the Virgin in the suburb of Zeitoun because of the huge crowds flocking in following reports of a vision of the Virgin Mary.

Thousands of people of all religions from all over Egypt went to the church over the week-end following verification of the visions by Coptic Patriach Kyrillos.

The vision was reported to have been observed from April 2 to 29, when it was seen ascending to the sky from the roof of the church. A report in a Cairo newspaper that the Vatican envoy in Cairo verified the vision was denied by a spokesman.

——— ♦ ———

OUR RICH HERITAGE

(To each man there is something special about the land of his birth. Here is a tribute by an American, appropriate for the month in which we commemorate our Independence.)

Recently a fellow employee and I were sent by our firm to St. Louis on business. We decided to go see the new baseball stadium and watch the Cardinals play one evening. It was a very beautiful

JULY, 1968 13

night for baseball and the fans came into the stadium in a steady stream. By the time the players had finished batting practice the place was swarming with fans.

In crisp clear tones the announcer said, "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, LET'S ALL STAND TOGETHER AND SING THE .STAR SPANGLED BANNER." All the lights in the stadium were turned off and as the musical introduction began, the first few lines of the song were flashed on the FAN-O-GRAM signboard in right center field. In that split second I remembered the, many times I had stood in a public gathering scarcely moving my mouth while a few braver souls sang the words of our national anthem. We American have become woefully careless in the manner in which we treat our great heritage. The priceless riches of today can easily be gone tomorrow.

My heart started to swell and leap with pride and then and there I decided to sing those precious words loud and clear, even if I were the only one singing in the entire stadium. "OH, SAY CAN YOU SEE BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT ?" Now I noticed the man standing in front of me. He hadn't. been singing but now his mouth started to move. Others about us also started to sing and by the time we reached the words, "WHAT SO PROUDLY WE HAILED," it seemed that everyone had started to sing, proudly, unashamed that others might hear. The 'Spirit of '76' was burning in the hearts of all and we became strongly united as we sang of our own country and our flag. This rich spirit of patriotism reached a crescendo as over 38,000 Americans in the St. Louis baseball stadium sang out that "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER DOES WAVE, O'ER THE LAND OF THE FREE, AND THE HOME OF THE BRAVE."

I sat down, and although the crowd was now cheering the players as they took the field, I doubt that. anyone noticed as I wiped the tears from my eyes. I continued to feel a lump in my throat for some time, but joy was in my heart. I was glad that we had come to the game that night, for I was an American who had needed a patriotic shot in the arm.

- Denzil .J, West

14 UNDERSTANDING

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING

Man's Common Humanity

From Kansas City (Mo.) Star, March 7,1968

Peoples too long have emphasized their differences and it is high time they reversed this and became members of one family on this planet, said Philip W. Geary, New York, a fellow of the Royal Geographic society, who also is associate director for Trans World Airlines and a United Nations correspondent. In the final analysis, he said, every citizen of the world is a universal man and the cause of each nation is the cause of mankind.

"Let us recall the words of William Lloyd Garrison, who about one hundred years ago said 'The world is my home; every man is my countryman.' Those words are still valid today. Our job is not to educate robots but the universal man," he said.

Geary said through his travels and meeting different peoples he had come to understand that there are many attitudes common in all men.

The chief ones, he explained, are the common denominators, man's involvement with the atomic equation and his concern for the big plus, which is freedom of mankind.

As examples of "common denominators" he listed love and hospitality.

"These common denominators can be found even among the Santals, a primitive tribe of India, or the natives of dark Africa. Let us not feel that these men are far removed from us," he said.

As regards the atomic equation, which he explained as mankind's fear of a nuclear holocaust, he said:

"There has to be the personal involvement until this fear is neutralized. If not, the Geneva agreement will never come true." On man's quest for the big plus, or freedom, Geary said:

This is the operating principle in the world. All history is the story of man's struggle for freedom. The universal man is the champion of freedom.

"The struggle for freedom will go on until all men of this world are free."

JULY, 1968 16

`Living God of Nowhere'

From Grants Pass Courier, March 22, 1968

By Lord Cassels, United Press International

"God is nowhere ... God is nothing ... God does not exist." An atheist talking? No; those statements come from one of America's leading Protestant. theologians, Dr. Nels F. S. Ferre. In a new book entitled "The Living God of Nowhere and Nothing" (Westminster Press), Dr. Ferre seeks to clear away some of the misconceptions that cause many intelligent people to feel that they cannot believe in God.

The basic problem, he says, is that Christians have tried to express their experience of God in language borrowed from Greek philosophy and particularly from Aristotle's thought, which tends to identify reality with substance. Thus God is spoken of as a separate entity -- "The Supreme Being."

Although well-informed Christians know what is meant and not meant by this terminology, Dr. Ferre says, its inevitable impact on others is to convey the impression that God is ..a concrete entity... a being among other beings ... a finite object among other finite objects."

If God is a being, He must be somewhere-if not "up there" in a physical heaven, then out there" in space.

And all of this is profoundly contrary to what Jesus Christ taught about God. "The living God, as Jesus pointed out, is spirit, and spirit dwells not on mountaintops nor in temple."

That is why Dr. Ferro emphasizes that, for authentic Christian faith, "God is nowhere."

Dr. Ferro calls for a return to the language of the Bible, which depicts God as "the. creative spirit who is love."

"He is the invisible, eternal reality out of whom all things come, in whom all creation lies, and to whom all finite spirits return." He is beyond time, beyond spatialization, beyond all human theories about personality, process and being.

Dr. Ferre is saying what the great English Bible scholar J. B. Philips once put in down-to-earth words:

"If you can't believe in God, the chances are your God is too small."

16 UNDERSTANDING

Poet’s corner

Understanding

Ultimate goal of all should be

Nurturing laws of eternity.

Depend mere on direction from within,

Elevate the self from the worlds loud din.

Respect tile temple that serves so well.

See that morals clearly dispel

The danger of making a private hell.

Answer the call when you are needed.

Never let it go unheeded.

Deeds of kindness whether large or small are

Infinitely precious and carry far.

Notice the way your spirits sear.

Great are the blessings which on you pour.

- Marie A Hale, #37

Look Beyond

How wise is he

Who looks beyond

The veil of life's intensity;

To grasp the hope and thrill

JULY, 1968 17

Of knowing Life is, --

And was; and evermore will be

One in the vast expanse continuing,
-- Eternity.

-Grace R. Ballard

——— ♦ ———

book reviews

The Tiger's Fang

(The Tiger's Fang, The Story of An Incredible Journey, by Paul Twitchell, Illuminated Way Press, P. O. Box 5325, Las Vegas, Nev. 89102. $5.00)

To obtain the tiger's fang it is necessary to first kill the tiger. For a spiritual teacher to show the way (for each experience is individual and personal) he, himself, must have consciously realized God.

The Tiger's Fang is the account of Paul Twitchell's soul journey into the cosmic: realms, accompanied by his spiritual guide, Rebazar Tarzs, master of the ancient science of Eckankar or soul travel.

The journey takes the travelers through eight spiritual planes. It is noted that the three lower ones are the highest heavens reached by most religions. At the fourth plane and beyond All simply Is. Concepts of matter, energy, space and time no longer exist.

Given are beautiful descriptions of each heaven world, descriptions which overwhelm the mind, yet words are wholly inadequate to express that which can only be realized by direct perception and telepathy. How can one describe worlds of pure light, rivers of all suffusing sound, or of total consciousness?

18 UNDERSTANDING

On each plane of spiritual progress a visit with its Lord or God leads to dissertations on soul wisdom, divine truth and cosmic concepts which will take more than a single rending to absorb, understand and practice.

Whether or not you can accept the book as a factual account of Mr. Twitchell's pilgrimage to spiritual worlds with a personal realization of God, or whether you merely consider the story as fiction and fantasy, nonetheless you will experience an expansion of soul awareness for you will seek to imagine and understand that which could be.

The author guarantees that "If you react this book with all open mind, you will never be the same man."

——— ♦ ———

bulletin board

New Officers Elected

At its Annual Meeting the Buffalo Unit 37 elected officers for the coming year.

Congratulations to President Marie A. Hale (58 Berwyn, Buffalo, N. Y. 14215) ; Vice-President, Paul Swing: Corresponding Secretary, Lorraine Sterling; Recording Secretary, Lois Dietrich; Treasurer, George Admas; National Librarian, Betsy Gay; UFO Chairman, Paul R. Weiss; and Chaplain, Cora Prantner.

With 19 members added during the year, the Unit reports a total membership of 71 persons.

JULY, 1988 19

Convention in July

Wayne S. Aho has announced the Seventh Annual Northwest Space Age Convention will be held on June 20 and 21 near the Alt. Rainier area, not far from Eatonville, Wash. It is expected that the Convention will he co-sponsored by many Space Age Organizations. Its theme is: To the Mountain!

For additional information please write to Chairman Leonard Arlint, P.O. Box 867, Eatonville, Wash. 98328.

Planetarium Party

San Francisco Unit 11 on June 21st held its Second Annual Planetarium Party at Chabot Planetarium in the Oakland Hills.

The large telescope was focused upon the Planet Jupiter, and the smaller one on another planetary body. A motion picture was viewed, and a talk on special demonstrations were offered by the observatory scientists.

Merlin Unit 1 Reports

The June Home Discussion Session of Understanding featured a group of young people from Illinois Valley who explained the so-called "Hippie Philosophy" and answered questions from the group. Later in the month the Unit hosted Dr. Frank E. Stranges with the showing of his film-Phenomena 7.7--in Grants Pass.

No home meetings are scheduled for July or August.

Books for Library

From Mr. E. O. Me Vey of Salt Lake City, the Understanding Library at Merlin and the National Understanding Library at Buffalo, N. Y. have received three volumes in a series of home Study Courses in Ontology by Carl O. Johnson. The books are entitled: All Power- is Given Undo Me; Let God Solve Your Problems; and The Kingdom of God is at Hand.

Thank you Mr. Mc Vey!

New National Librarian

Mrs. Howard Gay of 83620 Eggert Road, Orchard Park, N. Y. 14127 is the new Librarian for the Understanding National Library, sponsored by our Unit 37 of Buffalo, New York. She replaces Mr. James Czerwinski who has had a call to serve in the Armed Forces.

20 UNDERSTANDING

We ask that all members note this change in their files so that no delay will result in their orders for books from the Library.

Another Understanding Library

Unit 9 of Santa Cruz, California, has opened its new Rental Library of UFO and Metaphysical books. Many books have already been donated by Walter J. Gordon but the Unit invites others to donate such books as they no longer need in order that they may be read by others.

The books will be loaned free for one week, with a small charge if kept longer.

Books may be borrowed from, and sent to. Mrs. Ruby Strong, 4340 Scotts Valley Drive, (just north of) Santa Cruz. The telephone number is: 438-2685.

Yearbooks Available

Yearbooks of the Understanding Magazine, for the years 1965, 1966, and 1967 have been bound and are now available. Theses are being offered at Two Dollars each. Please send orders to P.O. Box 206, Merlin, Ore. 97532. Thank you.

——— ♦ ———

CLASSIFIED DEPARTMENT

6c per word per insertion; 3 or more insertions same copy, 5c per word.

PEACE REQUIRES ESPERANTO, Test, record loaned Free, Esperanto Library Dept. USI, Middleton, Wis. 53562.

CHECK-THE PYRAMID, 1122 North Dixie, Lake Worth, Fla. 33460 for Metaphysical Study Classes and Lectures. Phone: 965-4639.

THE HOUSE OF ROISE was established on September 3rd, 1960, in the Nation's Capitol. We create activities of an exoteric nature, and we are engaged in Human Engineering. Should you wish a more detailed explanation of the activities which we sponsor, won't you kindly enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope for a reply. The House of Roise, .3932 Blaine St., N. E., Washington, D. C. 20019.

YOUR NEW AGE PRIMER from Flying Saucers as "signs" to mystery teachings of Life Hereafter. Send 50 cents to Dave Bent, Box 766, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 33302.

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EXTENDING HORIZONS BOOKS presents:

THE BLACK POWER REVOLT

a collection of essays by

BENJAMIN BANNEKER-JOHN E. BRUCE-STOKELY CARMICHAEL-JAMES P. COMER--GWENNA CUMMINGS-FREDERICK Douglass --W. E. B. DUBOIS-HENRY GARNET-MARCUS GARVEY-CHARLES V. HAMILTON -VINCENT HARDING -NATHAN HARE-ADELAIDE CROMWELL HILL - JULIS W. HOBSON --JOHN E. JOHNSON - LEROI JONES-MAULANA RON KARENGA-MALCOLM X.-FLOYD B. McKISSICK-GASTON NEAL--LAWRENCE P. NEAL-ALVIN F. POUSSAINT-ROBERT PURVIS-JOHN S. ROCK-BYRON RUSHING,_ JEAN SMITH-CHUCK STONE-BARBARA ANN TEER-NAT TURNER -DAVID WALKER--MARGARET WALKER-ROBERT F. WILLIAMS-NATHAN WRIGHT, JR.

Porter Sargent, Publisher Editor: Floyd B. Barbour

11 Beacon St. 288 pages, paper $2.95; cloth $5.95

Boston, Mass. 02108 March, 1968

NOW AVAILABLE

by Dr. Daniel W. Fry

Steps to the Stars (4th printing)

Curve of Development

Both softbound $1.50 each

also

White Sands Incident and

To Men of Earth

Hardbound-New Edition-$3.95

Atoms, Galaxies and Understanding

Softbound, $2.00

Hardbound, $3.00

Merlin Publishing Company

P. O. Box 105

Merlin, Oregon 97532

DIVINE REVELATION

HAS REVEALED TO ME THREE POWERFUL techniques for achieving HEALTH, WEALTH and HAPPINESS. Positive Results assured if techniques faithfully applied. Not for the insincere curiosity seeker. These techniques are superior to any other system. Please send $3.00 to cover cost of postage and handling. However contributions of any amount will be gladly accepted as our primary purpose is to serve humanity.

DAVID JACKSON THORPE

Box 35, Brigden, Ontario, Canada

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Memberships in Understanding

Understanding, Inc is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the propagation of a better understanding among all the peoples of the earth so that they may live in harmony and be better prepared psychologically and sociologically for the space age.

Several types of membership are available to those who wish to support our endeavors either with dollars or with time and service, or both.

The Associate Membership is Two Dollars per year; the Contributing Membership, Ten Dollars per year, including the Understanding magazine; Sustaining Membership, Twenty-Five Dollars per year, including subscription; and Life Membership, Five Hundred Dollars, including subscription to Understanding magazine.

Welcome to the Understanding family!

UNDERSTANDING, INC.

P.O. Box 76, Merlin, Oregon 97532.