The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian. [volume], April 06, 1921, Image 2

About The Presbyterian of the South : [combining the] Southwestern Presbyterian, Central Presbyterian, Southern Presbyterian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1909-1931

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
npllK l'KKSl.YTKKI AN ADVANCK lias an
A editorial note under the title "We are
Si ill I It-re,*' in which it says: "According to
the Ka stern Methodist, over six hundred re
ligious weehlies have been forced tt? suspend
publication during the era of high prices for
while paper and printing. It ntlds. 'Our Ad
voi-ates would have gone the same way hut for
the help they received from the Centenary
I* iiinl.* Well, the ?i\ hundred ;ire out <>l
their troubles; hut the rest <d' us arc still in
ours, and with no Centenary or other fund to
help. And this paper is still being published
mainly because mauv good Iriend- >end n? >t
only subscriptions, but additional checks to
help tide. over. It is such friends who save the
day and the paper. It is because they believe
in 1 he mission of The Presbyterian Advance."
I lie Presbyterian ? > i the S-?uth has had 110 extra
cheeks sent it. but it has been able to keep its
head above water, and has not gone down with
"the gallant six huudrcd, who died for lack
of support. We have had no Centenary or
other fund upon which to draw, nor do we ex
pect to have any such source of support. All
that we iisk is that our subscribers will pay up
promptly, and that many others will help as
some have done by sending us some new sub
scribers. Those who do this will help us. but
they rentier a far greater service to those who
are induced to take the paper, that it may
carry its messages of instruction and inspira
tion into their homes each week.
DIYOKC1-: Ii.is become one of the outstand
ing evils of this country. Tin* marriaige
tic is oik- of t In* most sacred with which man
has to do. being second only to that which
binds him to (!o<l. I tut its sacredness is fast
disiippearing among the Anicriciin people. I'Vw
probably realize that the nnmher of divorces
granted in this country is rapidly Hearing the
number of marriages performed each year. In
considering this ipicstioi: it should he remem
bered that the Woman Catholic Church permits
no divorce, except in rare eases of dispensation
by the Pope. This, of course, has a strong de
terrent effect upon the whole Catholic popula
tion. The State of South Carolina grants no
divorce, Japan has been for a long time con
sidered the worst country in the world in con
nection with divorce, but recently there has
been a wonderful change for the belter in
'lapan, while conditions in this country are
rapidly getting worse. The late-l statistics
that are available are for the year 1!H(>. In
that year thirty-two of the American states had
a larger ratio of divorces to population than
?lapan had. In 1880 the ratio in Japan was
220 divorces to ion. (too population. A federal
law of the empire passed some years later has
reduced the number of divorces from 221) to
10!). In thirty-two states of our country the
ratio of divorces to 100.000 population was
from 112 in Maine to in Nevada. For the
whole country the ratio is greater than that
of Japan in 101b, being 112 per 100,000 popu
lation. We, of the South, are somewhat in
clined to think that all such evils belong to
other sections of t lie country and assume a
"holier than thou" attitude. liut before tak
ing sueh a stand let us faee the faets. In 1!<1<?
J'or eaeh 100.000 population, divorce* wen*
granted in the Southern slates, as follows:
Texas 221. Arkansas 1220, Missouri 202. New
Mexico 15M. Oklahoma IT'1. Florida 1 ????. Ken
tucky 1 t ( ). Tennessee Louisiana 11. "i. Mis
sissippi 10.~?. Aiabama 101. Virginia !?!!. Mary
land s7. West Virginia ??!?. (Jeorgia ??!. North
('arolina South Carolina 0. District of
Columbia 1~>. These figures are not entirely
fair to all the states, h is a well known lad
that the laxuess of the laws of Nevada induce
many people to i;ii there to -eclire divorces. I I
ii also true that a great many people who have
trouble in getting divorces in tin- District of
Columbia find it easier when they move across
the river into Virginia. < >n the other hand, no
doubt some people from South ('arolina secure
divorces in other states. When heathen Japan
lias waked up to the seriousness of this situa
tion. is it not time that Christian America
should arouse itself? And shall we do less to
remedy this great evil than .Japan lias done.'
PASTOR Kl'SSKLL, of infamous fame, fixed
several times the second coming of
Christ, Probably the last dale lie lixed for the
I M*?r i 1 1 1 1 i i ilt of the Milcunium was in 11)14. We
ean never associate that year with anything
hut the letting loose of the powers of hell in
this world through the great world war. llis
propherv having failed then, and lie. having
died, his followers are carrying on his work in
his way, ami rliey have revised the prophecy.
They now say that Christ's coming will tak"
plaee in 1 }'2"?. It is very easy to predict what
will take place in the future and when it does
not occur to postpone it to a future date. We
think we might be good prophets ourselves, if
that is :i 1 1 that is required of a prophet. The
editor of "Our Hope"' tells us of ;i similar
method adopted by others. In 1 *>'.?."? he was
given a hook by the ruthor. Mr. Uaxter, which
lixed :{ I'. M ., April LN5. 1!H)S. as the time for
the Second Coining. A new edition of this
hook is now heing sold with an advanced date
substituted for the eomiug of the Saviour. Any
one with half an eye ought to be able to see
that these impostors are just trying to make
money by selling their books.
Must iikaktily do We endorse the fol
lowing editorial paragraph from The
l'rsby lerian Advance: ? ' '* It is reported that
the defendant in a certain notorious murder
trial. which resulted in the acquittal of the ac
cused, has been offered large sums by pub
Ushers for the story of her life, ami is also
much sought by moving picture concerns. Such
tilings are a burning shame. We do not need
to tell the story of tins case in order liiat pen
pie should understand what we are talkimr
about. 1'nforl unately, they are already fully
informed as to that. It is a sordid story id"
illicit love and a wrecked home with which we
are becoming disgustingly familiar. It is a
shame for publishers and picture men to seek
to exploit this story tor gain. Ii is a greater
slut me t li.it tlo? public taste r..r siteh tilings
justifies purveyors to the i:i t (linking
that such exploitation w. hi !? i bring great i?;i in.
It this woman has a trace < ? t* the womanhood
which her < lefcm lers ?*?' | n?'s?-i 1 1 1 lii-r a>? having,
tin* only safe ami ? I ??<*?? 1 1 1 tiling lor h?*r to do
is to h-arii some h?*i | ?t*ii I work ami remove her
self from 1 1 1 <> |>i 1 1 ? tic ga/e in I In* < 1 1 1 i < |>ursnii
of her occupation. Similar eases show ltin<
people will pay I heir good mi?n- y to satisfy ;i
morbid curiosity, ami then ea-.t her oil lor Ii.iv
iny paraded her shame."
Ml N I ST K I IS S( >\'S. it is some t imc slamh-i
oilsly charged. are the worst boys ill the
community. Here i> what The ("iiitc<| IVesby
teriau says, al'ter some investigation: "Wlien
you consult "Who's Who in America,' whose
purpose is to catalogue the men who are mak
ing the history of the nation, the men who are
creating literature, educating the young. am!
leading in religious. scicntilie. commercial, so
cial. military, productive, and artistic activi
ties. we liml that of the 1 ?? h ? names, ll.li>.*.,
are fathers. If ministers' sons a vera ire the
same as the sons of other professions, there
should he :>1 in this volume. I > i 1 1 we liml that
there are !HS sons of ministers: eighteen times
the average number. < M U of these !'1>. 1 s> are
clergymen. L'! of whom are bishops; >7 presi
dent- i>l Oillegiie<. iiniversiiie-. and M'liiiiiaric-:
li!t college professors: 4!' other educators; 7M
la wvers : !? t aut hors ; M' edit ors a ml journa I isl s ;
? 4 physicians and so forth. Statistics recently
compiled for the Federation of < huivhes show
that o| 4 ( >t ) leading captains of industry in this
country, live per ceiii. arc the sons of bankers,
t' ii per cent, the sons of merchants. Iweuty-live
per cent, the soils of lawyers, doctors, and
teachers, and thirty per cent, sons of ministers
wlht-e salaries were bel iw -si.-jnu \ear."
I'KH H'S things are done in the name of
_> religion. We have received a clipping
from a paper which makes this statement:
"The First Church for Animal Wights. which
meet s at the Hotel Astor each Sunday at I*.
A I .. acts as the spiritual fountain-head and
-poke-man of humane ot'gauixat ion- and animal
societies. Woyal I >ixon. t he founder and leader,
ranks among the great naturalists o! America.
Me has dedi(*atcd his life to the cause of animal
light-: to preach and teach * I he Omiie ? ot
All l.i.e" and a weaken ihe humane conscious*
ness in youth ami adult, lb' is ably assisted
by Dr. S. A. Schncidiiiaii. a veterinarian.
I here is a need for a creed ol humaneness ami
the organization is steadily growing." We
most heartily approve of all that can be done
to advance humaneness in the treatment of
animals. Many organization- have been formed
and have done excellent work in the interest
of better treatment for animals, but why such
an organization should he called a ( hiireh is
more than we can understand. We have al
ways felt that a ( 'hut ch is an organization of
(iod's people gathered together primarily to
worship (iod.