Collected writings of Clarence Edwin Flynn, first series — Reading Notes

e writings were collected during the primary process of collecting poetry. The longer explanation is in the preface to the book cited in the third footnote. As with the book of poetry, this is the inaugural collection of writings and is limited to those published in 1929 or earlier in accordance with a copyright rule governing works first published before 95 years ago.

[1] _Who’s Who in America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Men and Women_. Vol. 24, 1946–1947, Two Years. Chicago: The A. N. Marquis Co., 1946. p. 780 [2] Lawrence, Alberta, ed. _Who’s Who Among North American Authors_. Vol. 5, 1931–1932. Los Angeles: Golden Syndicate Publishing Co., 1931. p. 1089 [3] This collection of writings does not include poetry. I created a separate book of his poetry: Flynn, Clarence Edwin. _Collected Poems of Clarence Edwin Flynn_. First edition, 1929 and earlier. Jun 17, 2025. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/76332

LIST OF WRITINGS BY CATEGORY

Categories are not mutually exclusive.

“It was an innocent-faced maid” (1906): Humorous anecdote

“A man entered a downtown street car” (1906): Humorous anecdote

The Modern Grandmother (1915): Humorous anecdote

The Opportunity and Peril of the Writer (1918): “He dare not fail to be a mouthpiece of truth.”

The Message of the Washington Monument (1919): “...it outlines the essential qualities of our people.”

The Post-War Outlook for Literature (1919): “The fundamental principles of life have not changed, but our attitude toward life and our application of those principles have changed mightily.”

Free Verse (1921): “It is one of the best outlets poetry can ever offer for the expression of the moods and thoughts of the human soul.”

Music and History (1921): “The issues of life have always proceeded from the heart, and the heart of any age expresses itself in its musical productions.”

Correspondence (1929): “As good correspondence is an art, so a good correspondent is an artist.”

The Sabbath Desecration (1910): “We may well ask whence this great difference between our age and that of the preceding generation.”

The Light (1915): “In the life of man, [light] takes the form of the knowledge of the truth which makes him free.”

The Yoke (1915): “...the command of Jesus to accept and wear His yoke is often much more dreadful than there is reason that it should be.”

The Crowded Inn (1916): “[The story] has been the most tragic because it has represented the most widespread condition.”

The Price of Liberty (1916): “The tragedy of Calvary opened up the way to liberty....”

Paul’s Ideal Sufficient (1918): “Each social institution has one task to perform, and it will be found to be unable to perform more than that one task well.”

The Religion of the New Age (1919): “The facts of religion can not change, but humanity can achieve progress in rightly interpreting them and in rightly adapting itself to them.”

Christianity and Americanism (1920): “The perpetuity of the state depends most largely upon the very things for which the Christian religion stands.”

The Christian Program (1920): “[Realization of the Kingdom] therefore depends upon the passing from one to another of its master secret.”

Essay contributed to a symposium on “The Church and Young People” (1920): “Unless [the church’s status in relation to youth] is improved, the kingdom will become a victim of race suicide.”

The Message of an Empty Tomb (1920): “[Jesus’s] life had been a message of life triumphant.”

The Laboratory Test (1921): “...the only way to appraise [the Christian faith’s] real merits…”

The Nearness of Destiny (1921): “‛What you are to be you are now becoming.’”

Children and the Church (1922): “...we should assume that every child is...to be reared in its ways and teachings...until he wilfully forsakes it.”

The Church’s Fourfold Program (1922): Evangelism, education, social welfare, and finance

Newer Conceptions of Religion (1922): “We cannot alter the divine plan of life and redemption, but we can make progress in our understanding and use of it.”

The International Religion (1923): “As to whether God proposes to save the many or the few, it would seem to favor the first answer.”

The Great Teacher (1925): Vital things, simple and plain, and position clear

What Can We Believe? (1928): “One is made or unmade by his beliefs.”

The Christ of the Sea (1929): “He began at once promoting the kind of thing the practical world calls impossible because it is right.”

The Comrade Perfect: An Appreciation (1929): “...life is not all that it ought to be without the presence of the Personality which completes us.”

Four Addresses to Young People (1929): Christian service, communion with God, spiritual and practical leaders, and the church’s purposes

What Is Happening to Religion? (1929): “Eminent scientists announcing their faith in and support of religion are a growing company.”

LIFTING CHRISTIAN MINISTERS

Has the Day of Great Preachers Passed (1921): “The one standard by which he is measured is the question of his ability as an exponent of the Christian religion.”