Covenanter Witness Vol. 55 - Rparchives.org

minors'association"Vineyard GleaningsTIME FOR VIGOROUS PROTESTHave you noticed the new tobacco policy to slant advertising toward teen-agers? They started with unobtrusivefeeler-ads, but have become bolder until now they use fullcolor pictures of fresh young girls lighting cigarettes forolder men. The reading matter somehow includes them inits reference. The attempt of course is to accustom us tosuch association and break down resistance tosmoking. The direct approach will follow just as rapidly as publicremonstrance weakens, just as was used in making smokersof women. Write to magazines and to the Children's Bureau, Washington, D. C.Get those petitions signed. Petitions to senators on theLanger bill, S 923, and to congressmen on the Siler bill, HR4627, should now be steadily circulating. If you do not haveenough, type more. Get as many as possible to congress before the hearing in January. These are the twin bills againstinterstate advertising of alcoholic beverages. Why should wepermit our children to become the prey of the liquor saboteurs right in their own homes?IS LIFE WORTH LIVING?About 20,000 people a year commit suicide in the UnitedStates, according to a summary of recent data in The NewYork Herald Tribune. The rate is 16 to 100,000.The high point for suicides in the United States was inthe 1930's when it reached about 17 per 100,000.The rate is higher among divorced than married persons; among professionals than nonprofessionals; amongwhite-collar workers than among laborers; among officersthan among enlisted men in the armed forces; among whitesthan Negroes; among urbanites than country people.Evidently 20,000 people a year come to the conclusionthat life is no longer worth living. Some take poison; othersjump from bridges or high windows; while others resort tofirearms.HARVESTING "WITHOUT GOD"It is reported that East German Communists have beenusing an anti-religious slogan to promote the harvesting ofcrops throughout the Soviet Zone this year. Displayed prominently on the main streets of East German villages, atState-operated tractor-lending stations, and at farmers' cooperatives is this bold slogan"Without God and SunshineWe Are Bringing in the Harvest." What an empty boast!Without God-made seed and God-given sunshine there wouldbe no harvest to bring in.RADIO TALKS ON THE BIBLEThe American Bible Society will present its winterseries of broadcasts on Radio Chapel over Station WOR forthe four Sabbaths in December. Three of the addresses willbe given by Dr. Francis Carr Stifler and the fourth by theRev. Laton E. Holmgren, Foreign Secretary of the AmericanBible Society. The program will be :December 4 "The Bible in Family Life" Dr. StiflerDecember 11 "The Plight Before Christmas" Mr. HolmgrenDecember 18 "Wondrous Things Out of Thy Law" Dr.StiflerDecember 25 "The Book That Came Alive" Dr. StiflerThe broadcasts will be heard on Sabbath, 9:30 to 10:00October 19, 1955A. M. Eastern Standard Time. The Program is especiallyrecommended for those who do not attend Bible School atthat hour.BIBLES FOR FLOODED AREASFollowing the example set by the American Societyin this country in offering to replace Bibles that were lost inthe recent flooded areas, the Mexico agency of the Bible Society made a similar offer to the pastors who had suffereddamages in the floods that swept a part of Mexico City.Pastors of other regions, whose churches had also beenflooded, were made the same offer.In response to requests, several thousand Bibles havealready been placed by the Bible Society in this country.The first request came for 130 copies to be sent to a Lutheran Church in Pennsylvania.SOUTH KOREAN PRISON "SEMINARY"In 1952, while the Korean War still poured its miseryout upon the thirty million Koreans and the United NationsArmy of sixteen nations, Chaplain Harold G. Voelkel, aformer Presbyterian missionary in Korea, witnessed a miracle in the POW camps off Korea's south coast. Scores ofcaptured North Koreans who had served in the Communistarmies joined prison churches, enrolled in Bible classes orbegan Bible correspondence courses. The American BibleSociety provided free Scriptures for this unusual project.Out of the Bible-study groups came men who memorizedentire books of the New Testament. Five men in one compound learned by heart the whole book of Revelation. Perhaps most wonderful was the fact that hundreds of theseformer Communist soldiers began active study to enter theministry. In 1952 there were 600 South Korean pastors whohad been killed. This was nearly identical to the numberof prisoners who began their ministerial studies in thePOW compounds.Mr. Voelkel is again a civilian missionary in Seoul. Afew days ago he had a meetingalumniof the "prisoner of wara get-together of the men who are now(Continued on page 247)THE COVENANTER WITNESSIssued each Wednesday by the Publication Board of theREFORMED PRESBYTERLAN CHURCHOF NORTH AMERICAat 129 West 6th Street, Newton, Kansas orthrough its editorial office at 1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka, Kniwmto promote Bible Standards of Doctrine, Worship and LifeFor individuals, churches and nationsOpinions expressed in our columns are those of the individual writer* :not necessarily the views of the Covenanter Church or of the Editor.Dr. Raymond Taggart, D.D., Editor1209 Boswell Avenue, Topeka KansasContributing EditorsFrank E. Allen. D.D.Prof. William H. RussellWalter McCarroll, D.D.Remo I. Robb. D.D.Departmental EditorsRev. John O. EdgarMrs. J. O. EdgarMrs. Ross LatimerSubscription rates: S2.50 per year; Overseas, S3.00 ; Single Copiei10 cents.The Rev. R. B. Lyons, B.A., Limavady, X. Ireland, Agent for thBritish Isles.Entered as second class matter at the Post Office in Newton, Kansasnder the Act of March 3, 1S79.Address communications to the Topeka office.245