◆ SpookStack

( node 7) The Mayor of a large French city once helped two of the signers of this cocument to locate a suitable building for a colony of children, At his sugzestioa a luncheon was served to some of the leading citizens when the colony was opened. Food was scarce and those participating furnished what they could, 4s we assembled, the Mayor made a gracious speech about the work of the Quakers and ended by saying, rather apologetically, that he knew there would be no wine ata Quaker luncheon and for the benefit of the non-Cuakers he had broug! ralong a few bottles.. He politely inquired if he might serve it. Of course, we consenicd that it be served to those who wanted it but we were gratified to note that none of the Cuakers participated. The time-honored Quaker testimony of abstaining from the use of alcoholic drinks’ was upheld, Imagine our chagrin, when a little later, four top Service Committee leaders from the United States made headlines in the papers for participating in the French custom of wine-drinking. There was hilarity about the clinking of Quaker glasses and we felt that our testimony had been compromised, A non-CQuaker from America, serving on our staff, told us later that when she accepted service in the Cuaker organization she discontinued smoking and xvinking and tried to live by what she thought were Cuaker standards. She was much relieved, she told us, to find an American Quaker (not one of the four re~ ferred to above) engaging in both practices and assuring her that she might resume them. Cae non-Quaker, European member of our organization was an aleonelic .* : and was making a brave and successful effort to overcome the handicap, in American Quaker staff member insisted on offering her wine at mealtimes.