Half a century of distinguished service to The Christian Science Monitor has brought international recognition as one of the world's foremost journalists. Decorated by seven foreign governments and appointed to various commissions and boards by American presidents, Mr. Canham has been a firsthand observer at many of the conferences and events which have shaped recent history. Now Editor Emeritus of the Monitor, he holds honorary degrees from twenty-eight colleges and universities and is a much-sought-after adviser to many leaders in public life. In all his affiliations, as a trustee of several colleges and a director of various businesses and foundations, he is clearly identified as a Christian Scientist. For many years he has taught a college-age Sunday School class in The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston.
A friend of yours says the secret to your full and active life, to your being able to accomplish so much, is that you're a "now" person, one who doesn't like to put things off. There must be more to it than this.
I am grateful for the friend's good opinion and occasionally I may be a "now" person, getting things done when they must be. I have a kind of operational or philosophical axiom (I hesitate to call it metaphysical, because I feel we often misuse this word, but it comes to much the same thing), which is: "There is always time to do what has to be done." This is not just a bland expression but a deep conviction of the capabilities of God's man. I have learned to work quickly and efficiently. Thus I get a lot done, and enjoy it. But, alas, I put things off, frequently until the last moment.
