.40 A Valentine's like a handclasp-- Somehow it has a way Of implying all the friendliness Unspoken day by day; So may this greeting cheer you As a friendly handclasp would, And convey a heartfelt wish to you. For everything that's good: --Author Unknown . .. Volume 13 � February Number 2 � GENERAL CON:'ERF_NCE � 1950 DEPARTMENT OF E7MCAT1ON TAKOMA PARK, WAS:1;;!GION 12, D.C. CHURCH SERVICE SURVEY Here are the results of the survey our reporters have carried out during January: Women employees of the General Conference are carrying church, YFMVS, or Sabbath school responsibilities in ten churches in this area--Adelphi (we have known this as Hillandale), Capitol Memorial, Damascus, Decatur Heights, Hyattsville, Park, Sanitarium, Silver Spring, Sligo, Spencerville. There are eight deaconesses among us: Ellen Buckwalter, Esther Fenn, Ruth McAdams, Jessie Moffitt, Mabel Mulholland, Margie Osborn, Kathryn Scharffenberg, Esther Yost. Three church clerks: Mary Paul, Margaret Weir, Evelyn Wells. One church organist: Ena Manuel. Two church pianists: Marilyn Froelich, Hazel Olson (prayer meeting). Two church press secretaries: Lydia Schander, Kay Thomas. One church librarian: Helen Smith. Three church missionary society secretaries: Pat Bunch, Eleanor Libby, Dorothy Ninaj. One assistant church treasurer: Elsie Minesinger. One leader, Home and School Association: Gladys Westburg. Doing valiant service in the Missionary Volunteer Societies we find: Leader, or assistant leader: Gladys Dunn, Myrtle McGee, Margie Osborn, Evelyn Perdue. Committee member: Naomi Dart. Master Comrade leader: Lydia Schander. Chorister: Ena Manuel. Crusader editor: Hazel Olson. ''..i.a.,..4.,..:4A �J • It � 4 • � . , 4 ' . 7.; ._. '', - .1* 'f• , ' � . �r .efe,:--. .VI:j4 � iJ ;, . � '41iT - IN WaL, ,,rt,:,-vv.,• • - ..--,..-id„g,,,,,,,..;...,......sm.c.,. ,.. � .::.• ,, � --.. '-e a � V 4,i• ‘4,\.? b , C � t.‘. • - .:.. to , ',•;:,,,....,..,(.... (1 r) .$)A, • Secretaries: Among Sabbath school officers are: Division superintendents: Bethel Barger, Genevieve Melindy, Louise Meyer, Vivian Ross, Frances Samp- son, Gladys Westberg. a Treasurers: Irene Caslow, Mary Scott, Mintie Truitt, Theodora Wirak. Organists: Audra Ching, Pauline Klady, Ena Manuel. Pianists: Anita Olsen. Verna Slate, Marjorie Isner-Hild. And there are at least nine Sabbath school teachers: Gladys Dunn, Grace Fields, Betty Grider, Emma Howell, Guide Jo Mathews, Anita Olsen, Mary Paul, Helen Smith, Gertrude von Tenspolde. This listing is, of course, an inadequate representation of the sum total of outside-office-hours thought, time, and effort devoted to Christian service by our headquarters of- fice personnel. But it does show that many are busy carrying out definite assignments in their church associations. MISERIES Among those who "served time" at the Sanitarium during January were Genevieve Melendy and Margaret Weir. They report the hot fomentations HOT and the cold showers COLD, as of yore. Others succumbed to the attack of the current "bugs" and were miserable at home for varying lengths of time. Included in this group were Dorothy Ninaj, Helen Miller, Marion Nyman, Louise Surface, Hazel Shadel, Mary Scott, Elizabeth Zeidler, and Stella Fleisher. Barbara Britton has sworn off the surgeon's knife and hospitals since parting with her tonsils not so long ago. Her abhorrence of the pungent odor of stencil correction fluid is pitiful to see, for it seems to bring back unhappy memories of the ether cone. VISITORS Mary Neufeld, now enthusiastically working as Bible instructor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made a short personal appearance in the office January 7 and greeted friends. She is encouraged over contacts with certain interested persons who plan to become church members in her new field of labor. Grace Coyle-Sanborn, of Rock Creek, Ohio, was in Takoma Park the week end of January 21 and made her friends brief calls. MUSICAL TOURISTS Over the week end of January 13-15, Gladys Dunn joined a group of students from Washington Missionary College who motored to Mount Vernon, Ohio, for a rally to recruit students for the College. They were accompanied by President Shephard and Mr. Johnson. Barbara Britton and Ena Manuel assisted in services held by W. M. C. theological students at the Staunton and Stanley churches in Virginia. SYMPATHY Our deepest sympathy to La Verne Case who received the sad news of her father's death on December 31. She and Ralph made the jour- ney to Memphis, Tennessee, to be present at the funeral. NEWCOMERS Mrs. Rachel Anderson is one of the new employees at the Purchas- ing Department. Returned from China, Rachel commenced working there the first of January. Mrs. Esther Cone is a part-time worker in Mr. Knight's office. La Verne Cunningham has joined the Insurance Department staff as secretary to D. A. Cone. Norma and Bill Ashlin are proud "baby sitters" in their own right. Sarita Darlene arrived January 8, weighing five ounces over six pounds, and promises to be their little ray of sunshine. The 1950 Yearbook! Mingled with exclamations of surprise and delight at its appearance in mid-January were groans of dismay at the prospect of the toil of indexing to make more readily available the valuable contents of this indispensable mine of information. HOLDING THE BAG? Sunday night, January 22, on her return to Washington from Norristown, Pennsylvania, Louise Meyer stopped in a telephone booth to make a call. As one naturally does, she left her suitcase out- side the door to the phone booth, and when she came out, it was gone. She notified the police and gave a full description of the bag and its contents, but she fears her lovely new dress and other belongings have disappeared for good. She'll be MORE cautious next time, she says, but <70 worth of clothing, et cetera, is learning the hard way! HOME TO STAY We are happy, too, for Mary Reinhard who was overjoyed on January 23 to receive a letter from her sister in Friedensau, Ger- many, telling that her husband, Karl Strasdowski, had just returned home from the Russian prison camps. Mary's brother-in-law had been away from home for seven years, two years in the army and five years Ilin prison camps, and so his return home has meant a great deal to r all the family. NEWS HIGHLIGHTS Those who have been accustomed to the fi.iendly Southern greetings of Myrtle McGee as receptionist for the Purchasing Department, will find that she has been relocated, and now handles domestic orders in her office on the second floor of the building. A number of the Keepers took advantage January 21 of the organ recital by Alexander Shreiner, organist of the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, at the Mormon church on 16th Street. As far as the Home Study group are concerned, their "Crinky," Corinne Wilkinson, as piano accompanyist at Halcyon's "Holiday Inn" was a star performer. Remember the books collected by Louise Caslow for a family in Indiana who had lost all their possessions in a fire which destroyed their home? Louise has received a note of thanks from the mother of the family, Mrs. Dohrer, to be relayed to the Keepers who participated in this gift. The Purchasing Department folks are glad to have Clara Mae Hardin drop in for a day or so now and then to help out et her old job. Clara Mae works regularly at the Potomac Conference office. Recently the Home Study employees have received greetings from Mrs. Olive Jorgensen, who was formerly employed here and was one of the editors of the KEYNOTE. Polly writes that she is teaching English and her husband, Jorgy, is teaching Voice at the Canadian Union College. They are kept very busy and are enjoying it. It seems that Eddie Hild has a plan which is quite sufficient to restore one's faith in romance and all that. He celebrates with American Beauty roses each month when the anniversary date of their marriage arrives. That was the bride you saw walking happily k by with two roses. How flat will Eddie's purse be when the twelfth month arrives: The Home Study Institute is sorry to grant leave to Mrs. /Ruby Parsons, but still happy that beginning the first of February she can just keep house for a while. We can't get away from Florida even in February: Thelma Wellman reports that the well-laden orange groves, scarlet poinsettia and the orange trumpet vines, and the beginnings of a veritable host of azalea blooms made a colorful setting for the vacation days. The most dramatic occurrence of the trip was seeing three Cubans taken off the bus in West Palm Beach by the immigration officer because they could not sneak English, had no papers of identification, and were obviously trying to make their way to Miami without benefit of government. This smuggling is a common thing down that way, and the immigration officers are con- stantly on the alert. One of the funniest features was the blase expression on the face of the colored gentleman operating the electric boat at Silver Springs. Having given his little spiel about each spring innumerable times, he sounded like a phonograph record, says Thelma. Were it not for the necessity of making the cash to pay for the great enterprise, a number of our ambitious but home-loving Keepers would be out at all hours of day under the guise of side- walk superintendents of the building of the apartment house on Garland. Sometimes we suspect them of secretly yearning for some high-powered telescopes to sneak a look even during their spare minutes at the office. The windows are in, the fireplaces are being constructed, and the report is that home sweet home is coming on apace. Like Nehemiah they would rather be up on the walls doing a great work than cooped up in offices, but mindful of the fate of the gentleman who said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built?" they faithfully delve and toil to pay for the same. Rumor hath it that when this dream house is finally completed, admission will be charged the eager visitors to see the wonders. lie won't settle for less than a series of Mme. TussaudIs waxworks of the famous in our midSt. Further, kind friends are invited to send in appropriate names for ' the mansion. GOOD-NEIGHBOR PROJECTS At the gathering of the Keepers the night of January 29, two good-neighbor projects were presented, toward which the girls are invited to lend a helping hand. Mrs. Rebok presented the case of Mrs. Oileen Liu, a Chinese girl, who as a baby was abandoned by her parents. She was found and adopted by one of our missionary families, who raised her to be a good Seventh-day Adventist and educated her in our mission schools. She became a capable musician, stenographer, and book- keeper. She married and had two little girls and then was deserted by her husband. Mrs. Liu has worked in our offices in China to support herself and her two children, who are now of academy age. Though her work is on par with that done by most of the girls in our office, she has always worked on a Chinese salary, which has meant very frugal living. She suffered much during the Japanese invasion of China, and feeling that she could not face the hazards of the present political situation in China, through gifts from friends, she has brought her two young daughters to America and placed them in one of our schools. But because of entering the country on a visitor's visa, she is not allowed to work. It is hoped that her status can be changed after a few months, but in the meantime the cost of living and mounting school expenses are raising an almost insurmountable barrier to her finding peace and happiness in our land where she has sought asylum. Any help that our girls can extend to this sister steno of ours will be a great encouragement as well as a real financial help, and will be very deeply appreciated. Anyone who wishes to contribute to this worthy cause may leave money with our treasurer, Marilyn Froelich, ground floor; Mary Ogle or Ruth Williams, second floor; Mrs. Scharffenberg, Temperance; or Mrs. Yost, Seminary. Another project, which comes closer home, is that of helping one of our dear older church members right in our own community. Just think how much you would like to have a radio if you were old and poor and almost blind and lived alone. If several girls would give a dollar each, we could have her old radio repaired, )r perhaps even buy a new little one.. Money for this project may )e left with the same people as listed above. Please indicate to which project you are contributing, if not to both. We probably will not sponsor another project for some months; 30 keep these two worthy causes in mind and contribute as liberally ts you can as soon as you can; but if you cannot do it right away, (our gifts will be welcome a little later on. Mary Ogle THE KEYNOTE Issued Monthly by The Keepers of the Keys General Conference Office Takoma Park 12, D. C. Subscription Price $1.00 editors: Mary Paul, Ena Manuel krt Editor: Alice Fagerstrom ?roduction and Circulation: Irene Caslow, Lena Wetmore Typists: Alice Koger, Lillian Dickerson, Helen Hambleton, Aline Mangum February Reporters: Audra Ching, Dorothy Morgan, Frances Slate, ' � � Thelma Wellman, Pauline Klady, Kay Thomas, Edith Seek.