Flattery!—Some are gifted in the art of flattery, which is defined as "to praise unduly; to compliment insincerely; to fawn upon: to represent as more pleasing than the reality." Flattery is the world's stock in trade. It is the coin of the politically, minded. Applied thick and wide, and piled deep and high, it actually deceives few. Flattery is simply a species of deceit. Extended to others, it calls for reciprocity—I pat your back, and you pat mine; I boost your stock, and you boost mine. Tragic the circumstances when flattery creeps into the church and insinuates itself among Christian workers. It is of the earth, earthy, and ill comports with preachers of truth and exemplars of sincerity. It is usually practiced with a motive—either to curry favor or to create a sense of obligation, though sometimes it is to cover weakness and deficiency. Recourse to flattery is the sign of a small or tricky soul. Beware the man who flatters you. Seldom is his adulation altruistic. There is usually a motive behind it, a catch in it. Let us eschew it.
Copyists!—Sometimes a young worker finds some strong personality whom he admires and, consciously or unconsciously, begins to copy his mannerisms and methods, his inflection and voice, his gestures and ways—and, alas, often his weaknesses and handicaps. He tries to be like his ideal without the other's strength and personality, affability and elasticity—and so is constantly getting into trouble. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this process of patterning is detrimental to the copyist. Instead of seeking to duplicate another's personality, one should be developing his own. He should find the way of doing or preaching that is best suited to himself. One successful evangelist is a detail man. His burden and his strength are in systematizing his work. And because he is loaded with detailed organization, he way be weak in his public presentations. Another is strong and appealing in the desk, but is weak in his personal work and follow-up, and in the correlation of his work. The one would be driven to distraction if he sought to follow the emphasis of the other, and probably would fail in the attempt. Let us seek the way of working for which we are individually fitted.
PULPIT POSES!--Twas a Sabbath morning service at camp meeting. The ministerial brethren on the platform were segregated into three groups by their clothing. Ten of the group were appropriately dressed in black and wore black ties. They looked like ministers of the gospel. Three wore gray suits and dark ties. They also looked the part and had the bearing. But two of the group were garbed in tan suits, one with a yellow tie (he would have passed for a sleek businessman or lawyer anywhere), and the other with a light tie of pronounced figure. The latter wore tan shoes and sat with his legs crossed throughout the service, his eyes roving to and fro over the congregation. The other one clad in tan, with sports-cut clothes and white shoes, slouched down in his chair with feet extended, evidently very comfortable. To the credit of the rest, they sat in dignified pose with both feet on the floor, and for the most part with knees kept fairly close together, and eyes reasonably well fixed on the preacher. In which category would you fall, brother preacher?
TEAMWORK!—Someone must prepare every important recommendation, resolution, report, group statement, or similar document to be released to denominational readers, the press, or the public. In our standard procedure this is then studied by a committee, a board, or an editorial or other group. Under this procedure the original drafter should not be sensitive or determined to resist changes in phrasing or thought. After all, the statement is not to be merely his own personal expression. He is but the framer of a group expression or concept. It should therefore be theirs as much as his. If the group is competent, the revised statement should be better balanced and stronger and more safeguarded than in the original form. That is the purpose of committees, the essence of teamwork.
TARDINESSI—The practice of chronic tardiness at appointments—expecting everyone else to wait for you on a committee, board, or other appointment, and causing loss of time awaiting your appearance, or through repetition of what has been done, for your benefit—is born of simple selfishness. It springs from a careless disregard of the rights and time of others. It is placing oneself before all others. It presumes upon their good nature, leniency, and toleration. It is trying to advantage oneself at others' expense—to finish some item, to see one more person, to write one more letter, or what not—while others wait. It is a violation of the golden rule in the practical relationships of life. If cleanliness is next to godliness, promptness is next to Christianity in action. There are unavoidable tardinesses in every life which cannot be helped and are not under discussion here. It is the habitual, chronic policy of coming late to which we refer. Such a practice is not only a violation of the rights of others, but is a source of irritation to them, whether expressed or not. If you have agreed to serve on a committee, board, or council, honor the obligations of such a commitment, one of the fundamentals of which is to be on time.
L. E. F.
