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almost continual sunshine.
The children were more interested this year than ever before.
The program for the children, this year under direction of Helen
Starkey and Esther Olson, and the increased showing of the
"movies", along with the beautiful weather for outdoor play, made
the Festival very attractive to the youngsters. As my own little
granddaughter, age 4, said on being asked if she wanted to go back
to her new home in Pasadena, "Yes, sometime--but I want to stay
here, now," This year we had a moving picture program every
evening except the Sabbath eves, with instructional and educational
films of special interest to the kiddies, sound news reels, sound
pictures of the atomic bomb explosions at Bikini, sobering war
pictures making the horrors of war almost too realistic for some;
beside our own pictures in kodachrome showing the trip to Europe
including the hurricane in the middle of the Atlantic, the 14,000-
mile baptising tour around the four corners of the United States,
and many pictures filmed by Basil Wolverton which included former
festivals at Belknap, Ambassador College, and personal comedy
films.
For years we have been hoping to have a new hymn book of our
own, avoiding the unscriptural words of human writers who have not
known God's Truth, by setting the inspired words of God---the
Psalms---to music. Since last December my brother Dwight Armstrong
has devoted his entire time to this task. And at last we had the
first beginning of the new song book we have wanted so long---with
18 of the new songs printed in pamphlet form in our own printing
department in Pasadena. The songs, of course, were all new and had
to be learned. But we found them BEAUTIFUL---some of the tunes so
"catchy" they simply would not leave the mind---yet of such
quality, coupled with the exquisite words of divine inspiration,
that they were described as "classics," carrying a dignity and
character of divine royalty---songs befitting the regal splendor of
a King---yes, songs inspired by and sung to, THE King! Somehow,
after singing the gracious expressive words of Holy Scripture, the
hymns written by mortal man seemed hollow and empty and cheap and
common---employing flowery words to say so little. The literal
SINGING of Scripture added much this year.
We expect soon to have the first complete new hymn book
published and ready for distribution, and it is planned to make
phonograph records of the new songs so that all may play them in
their homes and HEAR these new songs sung. We hope to have these
ready some time after the first of the year.
Brethren, these great Festivals of the Eternal are HOLY
CONVOCATIONS which means GOD COMMANDS their observance and our
attendance. RIGHT NOW is the time to begin planning to be able to
come next year. Start NOW saving that "second tithe." A brief
Bible study giving you the Scriptures on this tithe will appear
below. Those who have been to Belknap feel very certain that it is
the place God has appointed for this service---secluded from the
outside world in God's great beautiful raw nature, with perfect
facilities in every way, except for the limited space. There is
possibility Mr. Bigelow, the owner of Belknap Springs, may sell or
lease this beautiful mountain resort before next Fall, but if he is