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(Editor’s note: Clair E. Carpenter, pastor of the Adirondack Community Church in Lake Placid, wrote a guest column titled “Thinking together.” Below is the text of that column.)

Recently I received three letters: the first criticized something I had said in the pulpit. (Anyone has a right to do this.) The second letter was sarcastic in tone because the writer had found the front door of our church locked at 9:15 in the evening. (The door is open from 7 in the morning to 9 in the evening.) The third letter criticized the actions of another person and would I please go set that person straight and tell him “what trees made shingles.”

The three letters had this in common: They were all unsigned. Three people making complaints against what they considered intolerable situations but lacking the courage to make themselves known.

In the same category, but with much more serious results, one can put the poisoner of dogs who is so effectively working in our end of the village behind the cloak of anonymity. Someone doesn’t like dogs: therefore, when no one is watching, when no one knows, the person is secretly poisoning dogs which mean much to children and furnish companionship to older folks. Brave, isn’t he?

Instead of making an appeal to dog owners to keep their dogs off his property and at home, this person, without fear of detection, destroys something which means much to someone else. What he is doing in secret he would be afraid to do publicly.

The point of this is simply to say that whatever we feel is right ought to give us the courage to do openly. God may ask us to protest against certain actions which we feel are wrong, but God also asks us to have the courage to stand up and say so, not slink behind the veil of anonymity. The prophets in the Bible never sent anonymous letters. They are all printed in the Bible, and they carry the words, “Thus saith the Lord.”

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Keene Hill Climb

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The seventh annual Keene Mountain House Hill Climb will be held on Saturday, June 2, according to an announcement made this week by Robert Garno, chairman of the event which is sponsored by the Motor Sports Club of America.

Mr. Garno expects the largest entry list in the seven years of the hill climb competition. There will be eight classes of production touring cars and 10 classes of sports cars. The course is up East Hill Road in Keene.

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AAA regional tour

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A tour of the community for travel counselors of the AAA was arranged last Friday.

The trip included a view of both lakes, glimpses of all hotel and motel accommodations and a drive out to John Brown’s Farm, the Intervales ski jump and the Olympic bobrun.

Members of the visiting group were then guests of the Chamber of Commerce for an hour’s film program featuring AuSable Chasm and Santa’s Workshop. Roy Kennedy of AuSable Chasm and Harold Fortune of North Pole presented the films of their respective attractions and gave brief supplementary talks on the other Adirondack attractions.