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THE K I NG ’S BUS I NES S
September, 1942
The Tragedy Behind Darwin's Bombing [Continued from Page 329]
analysis essentially precedes all gram matical analysis and is fundamental to all alphabetical writing. Whereas the field of phonetics deals with the sounds of the language, mor phology deals with the manner in which these sounds are combined into words; and syntax then deals with the way' in which these words are com bined into sentences. In the course in morphology and syntax, a study is lhade of the grammatical concepts which may be expressed in language and of the processes which may occur in any of the languages of the world, and the methods by which to classify these processes. Contrary to rommon opinion, many of the aboriginal languages are among the most difficult in the world. They possess complexities of construction, categories of thought, and ways of ex pressing shades of meaning which are foreign to our English speech. In the San Bias language, for example, “My dog bit it” 'is expressed as “’achchu kunne,”. but the same sentence with only one accent means “I bit the dog.” Whether one has one or two accents in this identical sequence of sound makes all the difference between a mad dog and a mad man. In Kekchi the word “xinatinac” means “I spoke,” but “xinatina:c” means “I was spoken to.” In some languages it may be nec essary to differentiate between alien able and inalienable possession, be tween inclusion and exclusion to the second person when one speaks of "we,” and between animate and in- \Continued on Page 351] Linguistics Department Enlarged William Sedat Is well qualified to describe language investigation prob lems. Six years of association with Camp Wycliffe, together with ex tensive personal research In the Kek chi Indian language of Central Amer ica, have caused him to realize the extreme importance of scientific lan guage training for pioneer mission aries. With Mr. Sedat’s coming to the Bible Institute of Los Angeles this fall to teach such s u b j e c t s as Phonetics, Phonemics, Tonemics, and Morphology, the Institute is able to offer a schedule of courses in the field of linguistics that is perhaps the richest available in any Bible school in the nation. In the accompanying article Mr. Sedat explains the need of specialized training for mission aries w o r k i n g among aboriginal tribes.
fellowship meeting in the home of a Christian, and the- gospel was faith fully preached. The . home,, prior to the bombing of Darwin, was used for a fellowship meeting dùring the week, and as a rendezvous for Christian men in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, and did good service. While this service was in progress, another one' was also being held at Larrakeÿah, ih the Recreation Hut, and also a Wednesday Fellowship, at which Captain Holt usually spoke. (The captain is the Christian medical officer to whom reference was made earlier in this article.) Thus the gos pel was preached, and who' will be able to say what this has meant to soul-stàrvëd men in the Northern Ter ritory! Leaving Darwin in company- with a'group of evacuees after the, bomb ing, a friend and I came down the narrow gauge, rickety railway in cat tle trucks. When we arrived at Larri- mah, my friend brought out his piano- accordion, and we sang some popular numbers, then broke into some hymn tunes, and finally gave a talk to those men, some of whom had been in the raid. The message of the cross and the love of God gripped these men in the twilight. At the conclusion, these precious hungry-hearted men came round and gripped our hands in ap preciation. They had been unnerved by the bombing, and here was the sweet message of the love of God, like a balm upon their bruised and wound ed spirits, speaking peace. What Have We Learned? For Australia at this moment, whgt have we learned? We face largely a disillusioned people, who believed that riches and pleasure would carry them through life, and that war would never come, to Australian soil. Now, some are facing a veritable hell Of ap prehension, as they think of fathers, sops, brothers, and wonder whether they are missing or dead. Their rock has forsaken them; their cisterns are dry. Can we bring the message of Christ to these? The answer is, We MUST. SOMEHOW. It is the work of Christ’s people to find out how to do it. The general, anemic presentation of what we term Christianity has been neither sufficient to save our boys from moral collapse before the spear head attacks of Satan, nor to give any substantial c o m f o r t to those who mourn. How shall we call the nation to God except by a fearless presenta tion of God’s Word and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who alone can bring this world out of a tail-spin dive?
What a r f some of the facts that lay behind the catastrophe that so sud denly befell Port Darwin? The town of Darwin was named after the well-known biologist. Ac tually, Darwin never set foot in the town called after him, but the sbip on which he .had been traveling put into port there, and ever since, the town has been known by his name. It was Darwin who gave the lead to a theory which has shaken the faith of millions, including his own. It was heralded "as a ¡discovery of the first magnitude in the scientific world,-and a number of scientists,' more eminent than Darwin hiniself, embraced the theory. The sad part of it was that the church, rather than be classed as un scientific, largely embraced it, and saw in its implications the dawning of a new day "for the human race- The conclusion was that the continued ascendancy would create a millen nium, when the world would be so good that the kingdom of Christ would come. Vain hope! In recent times, the town of Darwin has had a name for moral corruption second to none in Australia, with a drink bill possibly greater per capita than any, other place on earth. Fig ures of the drink traffic are so stag gering as to be almost unbelievable. It is a vast brewers’ racket to produce dividends, and today drink is perhaps an equal menace with the Japs. To fight both is a colossal task. The township of Darwin is in itself, quite a pleasant region, and if beer had not obliterated any progressive spirit, it undoubtedly would have be come a beautiful place. The possibil ities are enormous, but in spite of it all, the region had the atmosphere of Oliver Goldsmith’s “Deserted Village.” The town is a *sink of iniquity, and as such it seemed inevitable, like the Sodom and Gomorrah of the past, whose wickedness cried unto heaven, that it should suffer the judgment of the wrath of Almighty God. It is a modern Pergamos, where Satan’s seat is, and the veryatmosphere is Satanic. In our Christian work in this city of the North, we met subtle and almost unbelievable opposition. It seemed like playing chess with some unseen power. Every effort seemed check mated, and today there stands a semi- completed building 'as a 'silent tes timony to souls who preached Christ there. It looks for all the world like another of God’s apparent failures, which in eternity may prove to be a glorious success, for it was done in faith and reliance upon God. Yes, something was accomplished. Evtery Sunday evening there was a
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