In its ninety-year history, The Christian Science Monitor has won a fair share of journalism awards, including six Pulitzer Prizes. Perhaps more important, it has won readers' hearts to a fairer view of humanity, supplying realism that is both truthful and respectful. The Journal offers this occasional column to record what Monitor readers say this newspaper means to them.
I'm Grateful to the Monitor for introducing me to the little Bible verse that appears on its editorial page: "First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear." Mark 4:28 from the American Standard Version (1901) of the Bible. It reminds me over and over again of the need for patience with the progress of civilization, for patience with my friends and family and with myself.
In Wisconsin, the growing season is very slow to start and long to finish. If you plant seed corn in May, the stalks that come up look very much like blades of grass. The patient farmer knows where the corn is planted and doesn't mow down the potential crop. When the ear forms, it looks pretty puny at first, and if you don't know better, you might be tempted to give up on the stalk. But finally, in August or even September, the mature ears of corn are ready, with a sweetness worth the wait.
