And now, This I Believe. Here is Edward R. Murrow.

This I Believe. C. V. Haworth is a teacher and historian. His career started in a one-room rural school. Later he became a school principal, and then, the superintendent of Kokomo City Schools for thirty-three years. As a historian, he is the author of a number of books on the Hoosier state. Hear now the beliefs of C. V. Haworth.

Even as a youngster, I was a voracious reader, and the books of the masters was grist for my mill. I became deeply interested in

the Darwinian theory of evolution. His theory was quite disturbing, because according to my interpretation, it was in conflict with the story of creation as it was related in Genesis. It was all the more disturbing because my mother, whom I adored, believed that the Bible was the word of God, and, therefore, every word of it was true. While in the process of adjusting myself to these new ideas, my father died. His death affected me greatly. I was depressed, bitter and resentful. My thinking was once again jarred, and to get away from this unhappy situation, I decided to leave the farm.

This move gave me little comfort. All efforts to find suitable employment proved futile. Thoroughly disillusioned and discouraged, I retraced my steps back home, resolved to finish my high school education. It was my senior year. A new principal had been employed who had a wonderful personality and within a short time had won the confidence and respect of the student body. He understood boys who were all mixed up in their thinking. He sensed my problems. His devotional exercises were inspiring. They appealed to me. Under his careful guidance, I got a new concept of life, a new philosophy, and as it unfolded, it became apparent to me that the great universe of which man was a part was planned and shaped by a supreme being.

I had found my bearings and I wanted to direct my energies in a career. The leading professions in our community were law, medicine, the ministry and teaching. Law was my choice. My funds were limited, and I resorted to teaching as a means of supporting myself while in college. Finally, graduation day came. My most cherished ambition had been realized. I was now in a position to practice law, but in the meantime, I had become interested in teaching. It had many possibilities that I wished to explore. Law promised honor, position, and influence. All of these I hoped to attain. On the other hand, teaching had its advantages. It offered a opportunity to do something for youth. This idea fascinated me, and I began to wonder if I had made a mistake in choosing my life profession. Tormented by indecision,

and realizing my own weakness, I turned to the source of all wisdom for guidance. My faith in the infinite had not been misplaced, for in the quiet of the evening hour, the answer came: teaching was to be my life work, and I was happy. My teaching experience covers a period of more than fifty years, and during that time, never has there been a moment when I regretted choosing teaching as a life work. My life has been rich and full, and I still believe that there's a divinity that shapes our ends, rough-hew them how we will.

That was C. V. Haworth, whose early search for a purposeful life has gained him fruitful rewards.