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More letters from alumni about Ministers in the world
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Doing good in the world

Two items in the February 21 issue caught my attention.

First, the letter of Joseph E. Upson '33 voicing concern that five Princeton graduates who entered the ministry for largely humanitarian reasons speak about God but, as reported in interview, do not mention the name of Jesus Christ in connection with their vocation. Second, news of the WROC rally to call attention to issues that affect the lowest-paid workers at Princeton, and the accompanying faculty opinion entitled "Fair Pay, Fair Play" by Peter Singer, whose appointment to the chair of bioethics recently occasioned widespread controversy.

Concerning the first, in Christ's prophecy of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:24-40) the "King" rewards those who relieved the suffering and needy, but who, if their question is to be taken seriously, are surprised to discover that they served "the author and finisher" of their faith in doing so. Mentioning the name of Jesus is not stated as prerequisite for being numbered among "the sheep." As for the second, Singer's views, consistent as they are with others he has expressed elsewhere, cause me to suspect that he may be numbered among the sheep despite the unlikelihood of his ever applying for membership.

The second also reminded me that in 1941, contrary to my staunch commitment to Republican Party principles based on family upbringing, I was persuaded by my classmate, Hal Cowper, to circulate a petition calling attention to issues affecting the lowest-paid workers at Princeton. Whether the petition produced any benefit I do not know, but if it did the result has not been permanent. "What goes around comes around." Sixty years later, here we go again!

Robert M. Healey '42
Roseville, Minn.

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Anne Carter Enidy '79's incisive response (Letters, February 21) to your "condescending commentary" on the article "Calling All Ministers" (cover story, December 20) brought to mind a report I heard during World War II when I was serving overseas. A war correspondent was detailed to do a story on a field hospital where a nun was changing the bandages of a GI's suppurating wounds. The stench was almost unbearable. The correspondent took one look and said, "I wouldn't do that for a million dollars!" The nun simply replied, "Neither would I" and continued her job.

Charles D. Trexler '35
New York. N.Y.

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