ferred to in the Declaration of Inde pendence as the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God,” said he. It is not surprising, however, to find even in high circles evidence of the inability of the heart of the natural man to understand God or to know His truth. Flowers from Israel *5* Thousands of flowers, mainly gladi oli and carnations, are being flown to America as a result of negotiations be tween a New York firm of horticultur ists and a distributing agency in Israel. Because of its climate, Israel produces flowers easily all the year round. Many of the strains are claimed to be vastly superior to other brands. The whole matter is being pushed by the Israeli Government because of their shortage of international dollar values. It is interesting to note that God has said that the deserts are to blossom like a rose in that day of peace and plenty which lies ahead as predicted in Isaiah 35:1. Old Fashioned Discipline Many preachers, in making reference to the characteristics of the present day have warmly noted the phrase “ dis obedient to parents” in Second Timothy 3 and have been able to cite innumer able examples from their own observa tion. A few years ago, Mrs. Isabelle Buckley knew exactly what sort of a school she wanted to start in Los An geles and did so. The principle of this school was a “No Nonsense” approach to education, and a real emphasis on old-fashioned-obedience and courtesy. Through the years, Mrs. Buckley has earned a reputation on the west coast as a top-notch school teacher. She pur sues the same course, with pupils thor oughly instructed in good manners and taught self-expression through self-dis cipline. Along with this, all classes start each day with prayer and listening to stories read from the Bible. Later on, they study the Scriptures, attending Bible classes right up to graduation. The techniques are as old-fashioned as the principles, the teachers not afraid of drilling their charges, having them memorize reams of poetry, and making them listen quietly to a symphony or concerto. In the modern maze of educa tion this is a refreshing and delightful novelty. New Family Bible Perhaps the first new edition of a family Bible to be issued since the war has been produced in Sweden and is being distributed by Harper and Bros, of New York. It is beautifully bound and decorated, contains high quality paper, presswork and art. Entitled, “ The Illustrated Family Bible,” it is enhanced by 225 full-page illustrations by Gustav Dore and more than 300 smaller illustrations from art galleries all over the world. It has ample provision for family records of births, marriages, deaths, etc. Page Seven
Favorable Decision The Christian public will remember the famous Supreme Court Decision in the McCollum case when school boards were warned against allowing religious services on school property. Now the New York state Court of Appeals speaks out in favor of Released Time, which include one-hour-a-week classes to which school children are re leased with their parents’ consent. “ It is manifest,” the court decided, “ that the McCollum case is not a holding that all Released-Time programs are per se un constitutional. . . . The Constitution does not demand that every friendly gesture between church and state shall be dis countenanced. The so-called ‘wall of sep aration’ may be built so high and so broad as to impair both state and church . . . It must also be remembered that the First Amendment not only for bids laws ‘respecting an establishment of religion,’ but also laws ‘prohibiting the free exercise thereof.’ We must not destroy one in an effort to preserve the other.” Ridgway end Missions «S* According to David H. Johnson, Gen eral Director of the Evangelical Alli ance Mission, General Matthew B. Ridg way is in full sympathy with the con tinuance of the splendid missionary work that has been going on in Japan. In a recent letter, the General commends Mr. Johnson as follows: “ Please express to the members of your organization my sincere apprecia tion for the special greeting which you extended to me in your letter of June 6th. I am fully conscious of the great work which your missionaries are car rying on in Japan, and you may be assured that I shall always extend the utmost co-operation to the carrying on of their missionary efforts. With every good wish, sincerely, (signed) M. B. Ridgway, General, United States Army.” It is a wonderful answer to prayer that another man of such caliber is at the head of the Allied Forces in the Far East. Cigarette Advertising «S* The high-flying advertising claims of cigarette manufacturers are constantly under the scrutiny of the Federal Trade Commission. More than a year ago, the Commission instructed the manufactur ers to stop claiming that their cigarettes aided digestion or were “the lowest in nicotine.” Last week another company was enjoined to stop saying “with men who know tobacco best it’s Luckies 2 to 1; Luckies are less irritating, con tain less nicotine and acid than any other popular brands.” The Commission, of course, moves cautiously and after interviewing the referred to “ independent experts” found that 50 did not smoke at all and more than 100 did not smoke that brand exclusively. But in spite of these precautions, the advertising of false claims has built up S E P T E M B E R , 1 9 5 1
perhaps the most stupendous business of a ridiculous habit ever witnessed by the world. Below Prostitutes Recently there appeared in many of the newspapers of China a classification of the people according to their useful ness, in the “ People’s Republic of China” which is, of course, the Chinese Com munist Government. Here is the list:
1— Soldiers 2— Laborers 3— Farmers 4r —Government workers 5— Artisans 6— Intellectuals, teachers and students 7— Craftsmen 8— Business men
9— Prostitutes 10—Missionaries
Of course, this shows the diabolical hatred of Communists for anything that has to do with Christ or Christianity. Alcohol a Killer The American Business Men’s Re search Foundation recently concluded an investigation into the lethal qualities of alcohol with respect to insurance claims. This study is the most extensive of its kind since the repeal of prohibition and reveals that all drinkers have on the average a mortality rating one-third that of standard lives. This conclusion was based on a study of alcoholic cases which included 72,658 policy years and 758 death claims. Right and Wrong In a recent decision by America’s No. 1 Judge, Chief Justice Vinson, a blow was struck at the very foundations of right and wrong. According to Vin son, “Nothing is more certain in modern society than the principle that there are no absolutes.” This has occasioned a great deal of comment in the public press, with most people excusing Chief Justice Vinson for not thinking through what he had said. For instance, in the Christian Century there was dissent by Felix Morley: “ Our whole system of govern ment is based on the assumption that there are certain absolute values, re
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