DADDY WAS "LIBERAL"

DADDY WAS "LIBERAL" Daddy once said of another congregation that was visiting our church, following that afternoon's collection, just before adjourning, whose members had come from far away in southern Missouri to visit our own modest church, St. Matthews CME, in Meacham Park, Missouri, the following: "We sincerely want to thank all of the members of ____church, who have come so far and who have given so liberal." The visiting church was offended, because they thought Daddy had said "little," instead of "liberal." Now, true enough, Daddy should have said "liberally," its adverbial usage, to be more grammatically correct. But, Daddy was Daddy and Daddy being Daddy, what was done was done, in love, even if it was temporarily misunderstood! This humorous family memory was called to mind as I read Aristotle's "Nicomachean Ethics," to wit: "Let us speak next of liberality. It seems to be the mean with regard to wealth; for the liberal man is praised not in respect of military matters, nor in respect of those of which the temperate man is praised, nor of judicial decisions , but with regard to the giving and taking of wealth, especially in respect of giving." P. 984, THE BASIC WORKS OF ARISTOTLE (1941, 2001) I seriously doubt that our Daddy had ever read any part of Aristotle , or even if he understood "liberality." But his heart was in the right place.