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I spent most of the day on personal tasks: wrote the last two days’ journal entries, paid bills to Dr. Fung (eye examination), Dr. Justin Williams (breast x-ray), and the telephone bill. I want to pay Dr. Schaupp in person so as to get the bill receipted and send it to the insurance company.
I made files for some of Carol’s material.
At noon I went to the meeting of the Bechtel Women for Affirmative Action which was held in the Metropolitan Building. This was an informal meeting to discuss the next steps to be taken. Raising funds is one of their chief problems. A proposal to management has been submitted to allow secretarial salaries to be based on merit rather than position of supervisor. They have plans to poll all Bechtel women as to their desires by means of a questionnaire. Observing that they considered all Bechtel female employees their membership, I warned them on the basis of SFSC experience that such inclusiveness risks control being vested in a group which sides with management. After the meeting was over, I found that my remarks pleased several women who spoke to me about being more active in the organization. One, Barbara Gersh, who wants to have lunch with me, told me that the steering committee is already being used by management.
I put some documents in file folders for Carol.
At home I ate leftovers, washed the dishes.
I left for the Temple service at 7.30, picking up Magnolia and Mary. Most of the congregation was in the building but not all were upstairs yet.
There were the usual preliminaries. When rides were arranged I did not volunteer, as I had Magnolia and Mary to take home, and Contonia had asked me for a ride. I did not know how many children were with her.
I helped take the offering. Change was not on the floor yet.
Jim came on the podium about 9.30.
Jim spoke on the Chicago trip. They met some important people. The future will show what was accomplished. The healings were beyond parallel. The meeting the last night lasted until morning. The group wants to establish a Temple in Chicago. Two miracles took place on the buses. They got in to Chicago hours earlier than they could have if no mishaps had occurred. The buses will come back directly. Our people were graciously received by the Muslim leadership, though their temple here had not cleared the appointment as they said they had.
Birdie Marable wants renewed fellowship. We don’t know whether we will accept her. Somebody has been calling at that house; had better tell.
“Socialism” is not a dirty word in Chicago. They met with Jesse Jackson’s group and with another organization. If there are many cities like Chicago, people are going to break out of their bondage. We had an all-black audience. A doctor is coming out. He was so impressed. There was respect, reverence, awe, a difference between their attitude and ours. Familiarity breeds contempt. They wanted to start a socialistic church; they asked me.
An offering was taken by sum.
Jim commented on the number of surgeries in the country which were unnecessary.
Jim asked how many are looking forward to living in the promised land. Only a scattered few say they aren’t. One young person said she felt it was for the old and the very young; the young should stay here. Jim answered that if there was a need, we all must go. Another, a man, wanted to stand with Father. Jim: He’s right, but I don’t want to see you starve. One elderly woman: “If push comes to shove. I’ll go.” Another woman wanted to stay to fight if Jim stays. Jim said this is his home, he was here before Ford. “I resent their making a mess of it. If they won’t let ten people go, none of us will go. We’ll stand together.”
Jim closed the meeting early. He asked everybody to come to the altar.
When I approached, he beckoned me to step up. He said: “Your sister? You know what happened in Chicago? Is this erratic behavior of hers a pattern?” I told him something about Dorothy, and he gave me more details of what happened in Chicago. He said she had “done everything to make us think she was an enemy agent.” If she had said she was my sister, she would have got in without difficulty. He said everybody liked her. She was well-informed but very naive. I told him I was sorry she had given the Temple trouble, but be did not seem distressed.
The service was over about 11.00.
I took my riders home. Contonia had only one child with her.
I got home at 11.45.
I made popcorn. I ate it and a piece of toast and jam, reading Edmund Wilson.
I went to bed at 2.00.