Terrific Cost vit The Assistant Chief of Police on the Los Angeles force is responsible for the statement that three-quarters of the ac tivity of the Police Department in this great metropolitan city is necessary be cause of drunkennes. Between three and four hundred people go through jail every day because of intoxication. Some of these have been arrested 400 times. Many of them, both men and women, have been arrested at least 100 times. The cost of an average arrest is $20.00. The writer of the Book of Proverbs truly observed, “Wine is a mocker.” But not only does it mock its victims; it also sneers at the rank and file of taxpayers who have to dig down in their pockets to pay its exorbitant cost. Recently, Rev. Herbert M. Griffin, Home Director of the China Inland Mis sion, concluded a six months’ survey of China. While not visiting every station included in the C. I. M.’s vast network, he did carefully observe many represent ative centers in all the provinces. The observation of such a visitor is worthy of careful study. He reports, “ I was deeply impressed with the open heart of China and believe that the evident re sponse to the preaching of the Word is the greatest challenge China has ever offered the church of Jesus Christ. The internal strife in China bears down upon us the conviction that if China is to be thoroughly evangelized, it must be done now.” Baptist Gains The past year has been a banner one for the Southern Baptist Convention, with an increase of 285,152 new mem bers, bringing the total membership to a skyhigh of 6.3 millions. In conjunction with this, the Southern Baptist church goers contributed nearly 3 per cent of “their incomes to denominational coffers, a total of 132 million dollars in gifts. It should be remembered that this par ticular group has always laid heavy em phasis upon trained teachers and young people’s work. Stony Heart Recently in Columbus, Ohio, surgeons removed a stony sheath surrounding the bullet-scarred heart of Harry Beshara, convict. When he was 14, Beshara was accidentally shot by a playmate. The bul let lodged in his heart, but he recovered. A number of years ago, lime deposits be gan to form in the pericardium which were gradually strangling the heart. However, once the stony sheath was lifted, the pressure on the heart was re duced, and the patient declared himself remarkably improved. Not so newsworthy perhaps, but far more common, is the exchange of a hard ened stony heart in the sinner’s breast for the miracle of a truly spiritual heart resulting from the personal acceptance of the Son of God as Saviour and Lord. JUNE. 1948 China's Heart
resulting from sinful acts could be cured. While not actually stated, the impression was made that “ the wages of sin” could be by-passed. Now social leaders are re versing their position and advocating prevention instead of cure. Thus the truths of the Bible score again! Catholic Cities Bishop John F. Noll of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is responsible for the following rather startling discourse made at the meeting of the National Catholic Con ference in Chicago: “ There are only 7,000,000 members of Protestant churches in the fifty largest cities of the country, but 20,000,000 Catholics. Eighty per cent of Protestant ism is rural. And it is in rural America where family life is most wholesome and where the divorce rate is still low. “ On the other hand, where the bulk of Catholics live, one-half of the mar riages end in divorce. It is where they live that the big.motion-picture houses are located, the filthy magazine racks, the taverns and the gambling halls.” Now a new campaign is being mapped out by Catholic leaders to invade the rural corfununities. There are 1,000 out of 3,000 counties in the United States where not one Roman Catholic priest is to be found. Advertising Pays? The crash of an air liner is still news today; 1947 was a bad year for air line accidents. It will be remembered that many of the newspaper headlines of that twelve months were devoted to recount ing the air tragedies as they occurred. However, a recent insurance report re veals that more people were killed as a result of being kicked by donkeys in 1947 then were killed in aeroplane accidents. Yet very rarely does such an accident make the headlines. All of this proves that advertising may be productive of a true or distorted perspective of fact. It is good policy to weigh thoughtfully the headlines of the day. Better still it is to evaluate all news from the stand point of a thorough knowledge of the truth of the Word of God. Page Five
Protestant Radio According to President Charles P. Taft of the Federal Counoil of Churches of Christ in America, a Protestant Ra dio Commission, intended to develop a unified religious radio ministry, has just been formed. This new organization will provide technical advice on broadcasting and support national religious radio pro grams. “ For the first time in history,” declared the Commission, “ the church has in radio a God-given principle whereby the gospel of Christ may be *£ The National Association of Radio Broadcasters in their 1948 Opinion Poll found that the public was still greatly interested in radio but not as much as the year before. There was a correspond ing drop in listener approval on many parts of broadcasting. Perhaps related to this is the trend of radio in the last several years to" cut down on religious broadcasting. This is in spite of figures which set forth a large and constant approval of such programs. In the re ligious field were a number of outstand ing examples. For instance, ABC’s “ The Greatest Story Ever Told” on Sunday evening held its own against all kinds of competition. In other fields of religious broadcasting, though not so pretentious or widely-heard, the audiences are faith ful and appreciative. Marry Young Harvard University’s Dr. Walter Clarke, speaking in behalf of the leading U.S. health hygienists, believes one of the best ways of preventing social disease is early marriage. Ironically enough, the so-called easy cures of social diseases have led to a startling increase in them. Dr. Clarke goes on to say, “ We now realize the necessity of doing all possible to change the patterns o f conduct which lead to infection.” Among other things, he advised youthful marriage. Certainly this is a change in outlook for the better. For too long a time, the emphasis has been placed on the ease by which disease brought to all men.” Religious Listeners
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