It has been suggested to me by Nichonettes that we should have on this forum a Missionary Statement of Position. After only the most profound deliberation, Carl and Mats and myself have decided upon the following, the first six lines of which are taken from ‘Sunbeams for Missionaries’ (Revised version 1910).

Over the seas there are little brown children,
Fathers and mothers and babies dear.
They have not heard of the Dear Lord Jesus,
No one has told them that God is here.
Swift, let the message go over the water
Telling the children that He is near.
For courage such as His we pray
That all our lives our actions may
Still keep the name of William Penn
Respected, loved, revered.


Edited by Miles

I don't believe it, but I may have beaten the W.W.O.T.W(or N,S, E or whatever to it). (Answers later in a very long, complex and confusing diatribe, but probably elsewhere).

This is really serious and has upset me considerably.

I do not support the promulgation of patronising, and particularly patronising and racist statements. From whatever source or historical period.

I am ashamed that I have supported a forum on which this item has been allowed to be published, whereas others of less immediate harm have been edited out.

Miles,

Do you remember the Eamonn Andrews Show with its Sunday night people who made you long for Monday morning?

Sandra

The Missionary Statement is neither racist nor patronising.

Fran however takes a different view and, it seems, will no longer be contributing to this wonderful Forum.

He will be missed.

Sarajane is right, of course.

Thank you, Miles for providing us with such a clear and concise Statement. I was not a pupil at William Penn School, but I do know that William Penn was a great man who devoted his life to helping those over the seas. It is most fitting, therefore, that any such Statement should reflect his work as a missionary.

May I draw the attention of readers to a message posted to Abby’s Forum (known by some as Abyss Forum) at 10.44 last night. It appears that the Sunday Night People are putting themselves about a bit.

I am shocked that one of this forum’s most erudite and cunning contributors should interpret the Statement as being racialist. William Penn did indeed strive to improve the lot of little brown children (and their parents) and was imprisoned for his beliefs. The School Song clearly states the missionary position of William Penn. Here is the first verse:

We bear the name of William Penn who valued freedom more
Than rank or title, wealth or ease
Who braved the perils of the seas
To found a Christian Commonwealth upon a distant shore.

Or have the tumerity and audacity to go and tell other people what they should or should not do?
Sounds familiar.
regards,
jay

"The rich man in his castle,the poor man at his gate. God made them high and lowly and ordered their estate." We often sung this excellent song back in the good old days when of course things were bright and beautiful. I can't remember anyone questioning the sentiments expressed then.

This awful political correctness thing is just getting silly. When the facsimile of the 1946 Rupert was published a few years ago,Rupert goes to Coon island, (i have a copy of in the original 1946 edition),was not included in case it offends the sort of sensitive souls who are upset by gollywogs on marmalade jars.

Surely, there MUST be illustrations of gollies being spanked in children's literature?

While searching for same, golly fans will find a sad reminder of the golly's demise and wonderful news of his resurrection at:

http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/golliwog.htm

and

http://www.sterlingtimes.co.uk/golly2.htm

William Penn? Did he not make a last stand on corporal punishment in Pennsylvania? Or am I getting confused with Custer’s last stand when he saw a naked woman at that battle in Montana where all his men went down?

Robin,

I think we all recognise the style. (All that is missing is a parenthesis). I feel very sad about it.

The identity of the person who started the thread is even more obvious!

Is there an illustration of a golly being slippered in Enid Blyton's "Noddy Goes to School"?

The part of the plot that I recall related to Noddy's first day at school. He had a narrow escape from getting the slipper and then Calico Joe (I can't remember what sort of a creature he was) does get slippered. The slipper was a carpet slipper, not a plimsoll. It hung on a hook on a wall of the classroom and naughty boys had to take the slipper to the schoolmistress.

The stance that William Penn took on corporal punishment is sure to be the same as all God-fearing folk from olden times to the present day. As we read in the Good Book:

Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it from him. (Proverbs 22.15).

Make no mistake folks! They that fail to administer the warm, loving, flagellatory discipline to their children will be hurled headlong with hideous ruin and combustion down to bottomless perdition, there to dwell in adamantine chains and penal fire!

My message – that is God’s message – may be a too strong for you in the UK.
That guy is too demonstrous you’ll say. But sure I’m demonstrous. I’ve got the Spirit of God inside me. Wouldn’t you be demonstrous?

'Demonstrous'?

No, I really don't think I want to be 'demonstrous'.

I'm sure the little brown children thought William Penn was demonstrous - "de monstrous white masser wid de big stick wanna teach us bout de good Lord Jesus".

I'm equally sure they were later very grateful for his intervention in their development.

The message from "Christian" must be one of three things.

a) A spoof and amusing satire on the religious right in America.

b)The result of a misspent youth consuming vast quantities of hallucogenic drugs.

c)The poor chap is actually serious

I know which direction im going after i shuffle off this mortal coil. I have heard it said that sinners are condemned to commit their chosen sin in perpuity - i shall obviously have to take up fornification before its too late!

James:

Do you mean 'fornication'? The message is serious otherwise we would not have allowed it to appear on the board. Did you not recognise the quote from Milton in the third paragraph?

Miles

I am most upset that Fran has ceased to contribute to this forum. In an attempt to console myself I have spent the last hour scanning the pages of the Abyss Forum in the hope that I might discover one of her green knickers stories that I had previously missed. Alas, I did not, but did see a delightful verse. Sent by ‘John’ at 4.23pm on April 21 of this year (a few months after Fran had announced her intention to no longer contribute to the Abyss Forum) it is entitled ‘Sycophantic Message from a Fran-fan’. I make no apologies for reproducing it here.

Your messages here I fondly treasure,
And the one that gives me greatest pleasure
Is where you wrote you were quite trembly,
Before being slippered at a school near Wembley.
It’s good to see you’re carrying on,
Albeit as another ‘anon’.


This is indeed a fitting tribute to a writer of the calibre of Fran. I only wish that I had written it. Surprisingly, there were no replies to the message.

Miles