James O. Henry, M.A., Editor
Associate prof, of History, Biola Bible College
Pastime in Soviet Russia The newspaper Komsomol Prav- da has called for the recruiting of armies of school children to scour the countryside with Geiger coun ters in a vast search for uranium ore. The Communist Youth League organ, casting an eye in the direc tion of the United States, declared that “ the feverish hunt for urani um in America is succeeding even though it is based on the profit motive.” PravcLa declared that “ as things are, Soviet school children have to find excuses for hikes in the country. . . . What better way is there for them to put their idle time to use than for the glory of t h e i r motherland?” th e p a p e r asked. The article may he an indi cation that the Soviet Union is short of uranium ore. It is known that they are vigorously exploiting uranium mines in Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary and Bul garia. The Fruits of Alcoholism A general depreciation of men tal health in California is being reflected by increased alcoholism and a rise in the suicide rate, ac cording to a warning by State Attorney General Edmund “ Pat” Brown to members of the District Attorneys’ Association which met recently in Santa Monica, Calif. Brown noted with alarm the state’s increasing crime rate. “ Fast living and the feeling of a need for stim ulants have been major causes in this problem,” he said. A statewide conference is being planned this fall to study the problems and causes of crime increase. Technical Progress An experimental light bulb in a desk lamp at the General Electric Co. is expected to bum for more than a century. The lamp recently lighted is on a desk used for many years by Thomas A. Edison whose pioneer electric light bulb burned for 40 hours. The company i m m e d i a t e l y
scotched any idea that householders would soon be buying bulbs that wouldn’t have to be replaced until 2057. Dr. Guy Siots, G.E. vice- president and director of research, said the amount of electricity re quired by a 100-year bulb would offset any saving. Japan Physicist Compares Fall-out Soviet nuclear tests from March 1956 to March 1957 produced more radioactive fall-out over the Niigata area than American tests did, a Japanese physicist has re ported. Dr. Hironobu Watanabe, profes sor of public health at Niigata U n i v e r s i t y , 150 miles north of Tokyo, said recently that he had counted nine Soviet and 15 Ameri can nuclear tests dining the period. Each Soviet explosion was followed by an average of 11.8 rains show ing radioactivity. T w e n t y - e i g h t radioactive rains were counted after one Soviet test before the air cleared. American tests were fol lowed by an average of 3.2 radio active rains. He calculated that 3.2 millicuries of dangerous strontium- 90 were dumped on each square mile of the Niigata area. Of this he said, “ Soviet tests caused 2 milli curies and American tests 1.2 mil licuries.” Evolutionists Celebrate The Darwin anniversary com mittee plans to retrace the round- t h e - w o r l d voyage of Charles Darwin which helped the famous naturalist develop his theory of evo lution. The memorial voyage is planned for 1958, the centennial of the year Darwin presented his thesis. Dar win’ s voyage on the British ship Beaele took five years, from 1831 to 1836. A Call for Teachers Although there was an upturn in the number of enrollments in teacher training courses in the United States last year, officials in
the 48 states estimate a shortage of elementary school teachers in the next three years and 40 states esti mate a shortage of high school teachers for the same period. “ One- third of those who train to become teachers never enter teaching,” says the National Education Asso ciation, and e a c h y e a r 84,000 teachers leave the profession be cause of illness, age, lack of success or desire for higher incomes paid by other occupations. Americans little realize the sig nificance of this warning. W e are being told constantly of how we are falling behind Russia in tech nical education, particularly in the fields of science and engineering. Our scientists are constantly warn ing us that our very existence de pends on our keeping ahead of the Soviet Union in scientific develop ment. To do so, we must adequate ly educate our youth. Don't Blame Liquor “ Blame for problem drinking in the United States lies with the drinker, not with the alcoholic bev erage,” says W . W . Wachtel, presi dent of the Calvert Distilling Co. Liquor, in his opinion, is the “most maligned product in America,” and its distillers don’t get off much better. “ In England,” says Mr. Wachtel, “ if you are a distiller you are knighted, while in the United States you’re indicted. . . . When a person drinks too much and suffers ill effects, the blame is placed on liquor, not on the drinker. Of the approximately 65,000,000 Ameri cans who drink alcoholic bever ages,” he says, “ only about 5 per cent are problem drinkers. If we in the liquor industry had our way, they would never have it to drink, but the condemnation of liquor for all is not the answer to their prob lem. It lies rather with medical and psychiatric aid.” Such a defense should be rather little comfort to one who is engaged in a commodity that has brought so much misery to the world. END.
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