Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

pace,"
murder."
Pray
school."
Glimpses of the Religious World
Frank E. Allen, D. D.
Cigarettes Shorten Life
Results of the study by the American Cancer Society
show that one who smokes cigarettes at the rate of a pack
a day shortens his life by six hours a pack if he keeps this
up for ten years or more. This astounding fact was revealed
to the American Association for the Advancement of Science
by Dr. Hardin B. Jones, University of California medical
physicist, as he spoke recently at Berkeley, California. "This
smoking
of the average life
said Dr. Jones, "means a total of ten years
span."
His graphs showed that the
average smoker is physically ten years older than he would
be if he did not smoke and were otherwise healthy.
Let everyone, especially the youth, take careful note of
this discovery, and let them realize with all seriousness
that such smoking results in a slow .process of suicide, short
ening the life by ten years or more. Long
ago cigarettes
nails"
were called "coffin and the above study shows how
this is really true. With this before you, boys, girls and men,
if you are addicted to smoking, resolve with an unyielding
firmness, that, by God's grace and with His help you will
put it away now and forever.
Other tests by the Cancer Society
have shown that other
forms of .
smoking are almost as injurious as that of
cigarettes.
90 Per Cent of Crime
The Polk County grand jury (where Des Moines is
located) has declared, "We believe that 90 per cent of the
cases (criminal) we have had to deal with are more or less
attributed to alcoholic beverages." The report continues, "We
are alarmed by the number of drunken driving cases we
have had and such cases seem to be on the increase. Some
of the taverns are veritable 'hell holes,' having no regard for
the law or rights of others. In these places, we have had
cases originating all the way from drunken driving
and kid
naping to rape and
This report appeared with large headlines on the front
page of the Des Moines Register, the leading newspaper of
Iowa, so men generally are not ignorant of the facts. Why
then do the people and the officers of the law permit this
terrible source of vice, crime and death to continue to operate
The majority of the citizens who permit this source of greed,
selfishness and crime to continue are guilty along
with the
manufacturers and venders of the various grades of alcoholic
beverages.
A Message from Jacob DeShazer
We received a recent "Christmas Letter from the
De-
Shazers"
which contains items of interest for our readers.
You will remember that Mr. Jacob DeShazer was one of the
Dolirtle fliers of the war forced down in Japanese held ter
ritory, made a prisoner of the Japanese and persecuted at
their hands for over three years; but while held by them,
read a Bible, gave his heart to God in consecration and re:
solved to be a missionary to Japan.
Their letter says: "It is with mingled feelings that we
approach the end of our first missionary term in Japan.
Gladness that the Lord has counted us worthy to be His
ambassadors in this needy land; sorrow that we have fallen
so short in accomplishing the great task of evangelizing in
Japan. Praise to God for the miracles that He has wrought in
50
our lives and work during these six years ;
sorrow that our lack
of faith has hindered His working in even greater ways. Heart
felt thanks to those of you at home who have supported us
with gifts, prayers and letters; disappointment in those who
should have given, prayed or sent a letter and did not. A
pang of lonesomeness as we think of leaving our home and
loved ones in Japan; joy to think that we shall soon be re
united with parents and loved ones in America. The Lord
willing, we plan to return to the States for furlough some
time in April. . . .
"Rev. DeShazer keeps very busy with Bible Classes and
Evangelistic services nearly every night of the week and with
language study and mission responsibilities during the
morning hours
Quite a number of people have been con
tacted through the tent meetings held this fall and also
through the weekly radio program ....
School Work
for
these."
The DeShazers continue, concerning their work: "We are
approaching the end of another semester at the college. Satan
has done much to destroy the work of the revival which we
had two years ago but we are praying that He will give us
another gracious outpouring
of His Spirit in our midst. . .
This afternoon we attended the funeral of one of the girls
in the educational department of the college. She was struck
by an automobile on Thursday
and died the next day. She
had only been saved one year but left a glowing testimony.
We thank the Lord that the students and faculty of Osaka
Christian College were helpful in leading this girl to the
Lord Jesus. Pray
for our
International Missionary Convention
The Fourth International Students Missionary Con
vention met on December 27-31 at the University
nois, Urbana, 111.
of Illi
The Convention was under the auspices
of the Intervarsity Christian Fellowship
tions.
and other organiza
Word has just come from the Sandersons who attended
and were among the regional speakers at the Convention,
a part of which is of interest to the whole church. "This is
a wonderful conference. We wish you could all be enjoying
it with us ... .
missionaries and
There are around 2,000 here, about ISO
speakers."
There were 1650 registered from
the U. S., 250 from Canada (80 of those from Winnipeg), 88
staff members, and some not registered who attended . . . There
are quite a number of international students too, some of
whom are not Christians
yet."
There were about 50 mission
boards represented. The writer spoke of meeting a young man
from Egypt and another from Bethlehem, both are attend
ing schools in the U. S. There were some who were interested
in work in the Near East,
and some in our mission.
Student Volunteers
The above writer states: "Last night
they asked all to
stand who were going
to a mission field and one fourth to
one third of the audience stood. Then they asked for all those
who were going to consider the mission field and definitely
pray
for God's guidance in their lives and 90 per cent or
more of the audience stood.
(Continued on page
55)
COVENANTER WITNESS