Word: crumbs
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...good Christian and the still-loyal Communist stage a fascinating intellectual wrestling match for each other's minds and souls. Rab scoffs at the existence of God and His goodness: "Did God create man for misery, for eternal struggle, in order to enjoy his obsequious thanks for every crumb cast him, every small mercy?" Argues the priest: "The measure of faith is faith . . . You no longer believe in communism. You only use it to argue with...
Then there are the programs that offer solutions to personal or social problems under the guise of religion. If there is Christian truth in them at all, it is generally a crumb fumbled off the whole, meaningless or misleading by itself: "For example, 'brotherhood' is lifted out of relation to God's Fatherhood, which is seldom mentioned . . . and mere brotherhood is offered in the name of Christianity as a nostrum to keep America strong. In the name of God, this kind of thing represents a prostitution of the Christian faith and a crucifixion anew of the Christ...
...German bureaucrat who might drop dead worrying over whether he could ever achieve carpet status, Herr Schaffer added a crumb of posthumous comfort: flowers and wreaths, plus ribbons "in such quality suitable to the honor of the deceased," might be sent provided they cost no more than 40 marks ($10)-except of course, in summer, when flowers are cheaper. Then, according to Herr Schaffer, 30 marks at most will provide all the honor necessary...
Their obvious tactic was to stall until the Viet Minh could mount an offensive against the Red River Delta or drive westward into Laos. Whenever the West showed signs of impatience, they could throw another crumb on the table. If the West finally got disgusted and moved toward intervention, the Communists could always accept the half-loaf that France was all too willing to give them...
Last week the Communists threw a crumb. Viet Minh's Pham Van Dong* suggested an immediate cease-fire and a readjustment of the zones held by the two sides into large "economic areas." The U.S.'s Bedell Smith promptly declared that this would lead to a "dishonorable" peace. But Bidault seized the crumb, carried it off to Paris and a meeting with the Cabinet. He returned with orders to examine the proposal prayerfully and to suggest a modification: troops should stay in their present general positions, thus creating a smallpox pattern instead of large divisions, which would amount...