the fundamental American belief and dependence on God was best secured by this move and went on to say, “ We believe that such is the best way of in suring that this Government and our way of life shall not perish from the earth.” In addition, Governor Thomas E. Dewey endorsed the Regents’ suggestion by saying: “In these days of world-wide conflict between the free world and the slave world of Godless Communism, it is more vital than ever before that our children grow up with a sense of rever ence and dedication to Almighty God.” The Board of Regents, whose thirteen members include Protestants, Roman Catholics and Jews, was unanimous in Vast new oil deposits have been dis covered hidden beneath barren, volcanic Harran Plateau between Syria and Turkey. For years no one suspected that this desolate region was anything but useless stone. Today, it seems that the oil resources located in the Harran desert may run into millions of barrels. This discovery was made by Jean Mercier, a noted French geologist, just back in Paris from an extensive geo logical survey of the Middle East. Oil circles are talking excitedly of the oil boom to come and the French press has hailed the discovery as something likely to change political and military think ing about the Middle East. This is but another link in the chain of Biblical events that is most certainly leading to the prophetic culmination taught in the Scriptures. Korean Bible Institutes Scores of Christian churches and no less than 14 Bible institutes are flourish ing among North Korean and Chinese Communist prisoners of war which are interned in United Nations Prison Camps. This spiritual revival, according to Dr. T. Stanley Soltau, is being spear headed by North Korean pastors who were forced into the army by the Com munists. These pastors are being aided by American chaplains and 20 mission aries who were permitted to return to South Korea. The report also had its tragic side when it was learned that at least 300 Presbyterian pastors had been killed in Korea and that in other areas as many as 80 per cent of the elders, deacons and pastors of the faith had paid with their lives. 4600 Discovered <£* A recent discovery in the Milky Way of 4600 giant red stars, some of them thousands of times bigger than our sun, was reported to the American Astro nomical Society. All of these are brand- new stars never seen before and all are at least hundreds of times bigger than our sun. These were detected by taking pic tures of 40 per cent of the Milky Way with infra-red photographic plates. The 4600 new stars are cooler and, therefore, are red in color. Page Fifteen its recommendation. New Oil Deposits
Supreme Court to Rule <£* Recently the United States Supreme Court agreed to rule on the constitution ality of the released-time program of religious instruction in New York public schools. Under the program children have been excused from school to attend religious classes which are held off the school premises one hour a week. It is expected that the Court will hand down its decision early in March. For some time the released-time pro gram has been a controversial issue in some sections of the country. Opposition to the program links the 1948 Supreme Court ruling in the McCollum case as affecting the released-time program. The defendants of released-time point out that these classes are conducted away from school property and, therefore, the McCollum decision is not applicable. 1240 Catholics Expelled & The number of Roman Catholic foreign missionaries who have been forced to leave Communist China during 1951 has numbered 1240 including 18 bishops, 530 priests, 40 laymen and 652 nuns and sisters. According to the same report, 1500 foreign priests and about 600 foreign sisters still remain in the Chinese mission field. Steel Promised «5* The failure on the part of the National Production Authority to allocate steel for new church construction projects was due to an oversight and will be cor rected soon according to a high official of that agency. Out of 374 applications, 73 church construction projects were ap proved for the first quarter of 1952 which showed qualifications under the “Hards up” provisions of the law by virtue of having been under construction already at the time the controls were imposed. According to Lewis Allen Weiss, assistant administrator of the Civilian Requirements Division, the National Production Authority had neglected to give adequate consideration to churches but promised a new program is being set up that will remedy the situation. Mormons Losing According to the findings of the sur vey presented to leaders of the National Council of Churches, there is a constant leakage to other churches from the once flourishing Mormon fold. The survey pointed out that while there is no great landslide of defection from Mormonism, “the steady trickles total a very con siderable cultural erosion.” It noted that both Protestant and Roman Catholic authorities have testified that their church' membership rolls are increasing everywhere as a result of this defection. Copies Entire Bible «5* Mr. William Gille, Jr., of Troy, New York, has received a unique present from his mother—the St. James Version of the Bible copied in her own handwriting. It took Mrs. William Gille, 65, of the Bronx, N.Y., 15 years of work in her spare time to complete the copy and she describes F E B R U A R Y , 1 9 5 2
it as “ The greatest thing I have ever done in my life.” Mrs. Gille also points out that she learned a lot more about the Bible and she is now fully convinced that everything contained in the Bible is true, the grammar is perfect, the spelling cor rect and its philosophical advice the greatest criterion for leading a good life. MacArthur Urges Revival At a luncheon of the Salvation Army Association in New York City, the General of the Army, Douglas Mac Arthur urged the restoration of the religious base which “has been the motivating impulse to our moral and national growth.” The General also warned that moral decay and political irresponsibility has penetrated to the roots of American institutions and that it is essential that every spiritual force be mobilized to defend and preserve the religious base upon which this nation was founded. Figures on Giving £ An organization known as the Golden Rule Foundation has figured on the amount of money the American people gave to religious projects. In 1950 the average per capita gift for all members of the 48 Protestant denominations amounted to $30.58, but, of course, not every one belongs to these denomina tions and the best estimate available on the per capita giving for the entire population for 1950 was $23.33 which would bring a total of between 3% and four billion dollars given for all religious purposes. It should be remembered that the year 1950 was one of the greatest financial years in the long history of our country but when we compare the giving in 1933 which was down in the pit of the de pression, the figure shows $79.78 per capita. In other words, we are now giv ing less than one-third of what we gave then. If, on the other hand, the American people had tithed, the 1950 per capita giving would have been $143.60, or about seven times what it actually was. Daily School Prayer The Board of Regents, which is the governing board of the New York State Public Schools, has formally recom mended that every school day begin with a prayer. The Board is convinced that
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