' W & iC d 'T îe t v & a s ia n t d .
By James O. Henry Chairman, History Department, BIOLA College
among youths over 18 and that among those below 18 were drawing closer with a shift from the higher to the lower age group. While the number of juveniles over 18 among penal of fenders has gradually declined since the peak of 46.5 per cent was regis tered in 1956, crimes by youths under 18 have increased, especially in the 16-to-17 year bracket. Junior high school youngsters. Arthritis Quacks Scored in Report Arthritis sufferers were reported re cently to be spending $250,000,000 a year on quack treatment and devices. This was one of the findings of a six-month study of deceitful arthritis advertising and promotion conducted by the Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation. Several devices seized by Federal and state authorities as fraudulently advertised were put on display at the foundation’s annual meeting held recently in New York. Photographs of other quack devices also were shown. One of the devices on display was a metal kitchen cabi net equipped with a sun lamp, several panes of colored glass and two glass jars. The distributor had claimed that the rays from the sun lamp, in passing through the colored glass, irradiated the water contained in the jars and that this water would cure the patient who drank it. After reading such reports and then reading how the wholesale drug industry has over charged sufferers of Arthritis, one wonders if there is any such thing as a conscience left in man. An American jukebox with rock ’n roll spirituals was installed next to the pipe organ in the Pembroke Mis sion Church in London recently. “ After all,” said the Rev. Christopher Gardener, “ the jukebox belongs to God as much as anything else.” He added: “We’ve got to sell modem re ligion with modem music.” To make sure the service got the right beat, the Vicar also invited a rock ’n roll singer, Gary Mills. The Vicar started the service by punching a button. Rocking out of the box came the hymn, “Wonderful News.” The big moment was when the singer, his long, blond hair gleam ing, clutched a guitar, tapped his foot Church Jukebox Plays Rock 'n Roll Spirituals
Catholics Advised To Pay in Colombia
The Roman Catholic hierarchy of Colombia reportedly h a s advised parishioners of La Plata, Huila De partment, to make restitution f o r damages they caused to Protestant church property there. The report was contained in a bulletin of the Evan gelical Confederation of Colombia, re ceived in America recently. The Bul letin quoted the National Catholic News Service of Colombia as the source of its information. On the night of September 3, the bulletin said, 300 Catholics attacked the site of church construction in the town, destroying and damaging building materials. While urging payment for damage, the bulletin said, the report on the incident asserted that “ public indig nation” over the Protestants of La Plata “ finally exploded” when the people could “ stand no more.” The re port, the Bulletin said, contended that, since the town had only 80 to 100 Protestants, it should not have a Protestant church. Even though the Roman Catholic Church recommend ed payment for damages it still makes no concession to Protestants in Colom bia. Number of British Divorces Falling Steadily The British divorce rate has been dropping steadily since reaching a record shortly after the end of World War II. A number of reasons have been given for the downward trend. War, economics, and the new role of women in society all seem to have been important factors. The latest unofficial figures on Eng land and Wales—which compile their marital statistics together—show that 22,654 divorces were granted in 1958. This represents a drop of more than 1,000 from 1957. Post-war figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland show that there, too, the divorce rate reach ed a peak after thé war and then started dropping. Juvenile Crimes Up In Japan A report submitted to a national meeting of judges of family courts shows a sharp rise in juvenile crime in Japan. The Family Courts, which deal with crimes and misconduct in volving youths aged between 14 and 20, number forty-nine throughout the country. The report said that the rate
and sang about “Mary’s own blue eyed boy, come to be my pride and joy.” Later the jukebox whirred to life again, giving out with “ Living Lord.” Sorcery Ordeals in Belgian Congo Kill 241 In the Savannah country on the southern edge of the dark equatorial forest in the Belgian Congo 241 sus pected witches and sorcerers have been put to death by poison •since December 1, 1959. Belgian authorities state that this weird outbreak of tschipapa, or trial by poison, was the most serious since the traditional B a n t u method of exterminating witches was outlawed forty years ago. They noted that all the victims were old, useless, and unloved members of the Bakuba tribe. Such people are vulnerable targets in any witch hunt, they observed. Ten Misheke, or professional mixers of poison, have been arrested. But the investigation is hampered by the fact that no one, including 180 accused witches and sorcerers who survived the trial, see anything wrong about tschipapa. The Belgians explained that tschipapa generally starts after a family, clan, or tribe, has had a run of bad luck. Perhaps crops failed or a wife proved sterile. Or maybe a child sickened and died. The family becomes convinced a witch has put a curse on them. The diviner confronts the patient with an interminable handshake. While pumping hands the diviner questions the patient about family and friends. A convulsive perk of the patient’s hand implicates as a likely witch the person whose name has just been mentioned by the divin er. Having identified the source of the curse the patient next obtains an exor cising agent. He goes to a pharmacist (misheke), who not only produces poison from the powdered bark of the ihumi tree but personally administers four small cups of toxic brew to each suspected witch.
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TH E K IN G 'S BU SINESS
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