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The Vol. 96. No. 8. Presbyteri RICHMOND, VA.. FEBRUARY 22, 1922. PROHIBITION is the law of this land, but it is hard for some people to admit it. There are many who try by all the tricks which their ingenuity suggests to violate this law. There are many others who are guilty of efforts to nullify it, by refusing to enforce it, though they be officers sworn to enforce all law. All efforts thus far to have the law modified or weakened have proved a failure. In some cases the law has been strengthened. There are some interesting facts connected with this subject that are worthy of considera tion. The city council of Chicago went on reeord as favoring the nullification of the Eighteenth Amendment and refused to declare themselves in favor of the enforcement of the prohibition law. They sent copies of their action to the councils of every city in this country having a population of 25,000 or more. They have had practically no encouragement from the other councils, and in many cases they received emphatic refusals to take any such action. The value of prohibition to Chicago is seen from the decrease of major crimes in that city. In 1919 one-half of the year was wet and the other half dry. In that year there were in that city 330 murders, 6,108 burglaries. In 1921 there were 190 murders and 4,774 bur glaries. This shows a decrease of 140 murders and 1,334 burglaries. In New Jersey the policy of the governor and other state officials has been decidedly in favor of nullification, and yet the county hospital of Essex County re ports that in 1917 148 patients were admitted who were insane from the use of alcohol. In 1921 there were only 4 such patients brought to the hospital. One of the troubles connected with prohibition has grown out of the require ments of the churches for sacramental wines. -Most Protestant churches, we believe, have given up the use of fermented wine. It would be well if all did so. "We have seen no report of such action on the part of the Roman Cath olic Church. The Rabbinical Assembly of the Orthodox Jews has declared that fermented wine is not necessary in their worship. THE CONGREGATIONALIST, the prin cipal organ of the Congregational Church, lias lost its editor, the able and gifted Dr. How aid A. Bridgman, who has recently severed his connection with that paper, after thirty-four years in its editorial chair. Not only will the readers of that paper miss the fine editorial writings that came from his pen and his heart, but many others will feel the loss, for what he wrote was often quoted in other papers. Dr. bridgman is leaving newspaper work to take up educational work. His fine mind and noble soul make him a great asset to any institution, and we predict for him great success in training youth for the work of life. [FEBRUARY 26th is the day appointed by j*- the General Assembly, according to a long l*stablished custom, for special prayer for the routh in the schools of our land. No class of ?eople need the prayers of Christian people Pore than the boys and girls in the schools ?^d colleges. Naturally their characters have ?>t been firmly establiahed. Just going out ?om the training, the influence and the protec ?on of the home, they are specially subject to ^mptation. They need the prayers of God's people that they may not be led astray and that they may be fitted for God's service. Many of them are needed as life-workers for God and His Church. All of them are needed as Christian men and women to take their stand in the world for the high principles of the religion of Jesus Christ. Individual and united prayer should be offered in order that these young people may be kept sound in the PRAYER WEEK FOR THE PRESBYTERIAN PROGRESSIVE PROGRAM, MARCH 5-12, 1922. SUGGESTED PROGRAM. tSunday ? March 6th ? Sermon: "Stewardship of Life." Monday ? March 6th ? Prayer for our Foreign Mission work and workers in Africa, Brazil, Cuba, China, Japan, Korea, Mex ico. Tuesday ? March 7th ? Prayer for Home Mis sion work in the mountains and on the frontier; among the immigrants, Jews, Hungarians, Bohemians, Italians, Chin ese, Spanish, French, Russians, Cubans, Indians and Negroes. Wednesday ? March 8th ? Prayer for aged and infirm ministers, and their widows and orphans. Prayer for laborers to go out into the "whitened harvest." There has been an Increase of only 28 ministers a year for 15 years to supply both home an^L foreign fields. Prayer that parents dedicate their children at birth to His service, and that parents give their chil dren a Christian education. Thursday ? March 9th ? Prayer for the 9,566, 187 people in the South who do not at tend Sabbath School. Definite prayer that our own members may realize the need of systematic Bible study. Prayer for the organization of men's and wo men's Bible Classes in your Sabbath School if you have none. Friday ? March 10th ? Rededication prayer ser vice. Prayer that this night God may accept our talents, our time and money to be used to advance His cause. Prayer for those in the congregation who have not surrendered their souls to God, that God may open their eyes that they may understand His purpose and yield their lives to Him unreservedly. Sunday ? March 12th ? Sermon: "Stewardship of Possessions." 1. After the sermon have the deacons dis tribute tithing covenant cards to every member. Read the card, request every one now a tither and all who will begin tithing to sign a card. Then have the deacons take up the cards. 2. Call those who will make the Every Mem ber Canvass on that afternoon to come forward and stand before the pulpit Set them aside with prayer for that spe cial work. Request every one to remain at home until seen by the officers. Pray without ceasing. 1 Thess. 5:17. faith, and that they may be led to consecrate their lives to God's service. EVERY Member Canvass is one of the most important steps ever taken by our Church. It has done more to solve financial problems than anything else ever attempted, and has helped the churches in many other ways. Strange to say many of the churches have not yet realized its value. According to reports last year more than half of our churches failed to make this canvass. It is very probable thkt many churches made this canvass and failed to report it. This is unfortunate, as it makes the Church as a whole show up badly. The can vass should be made and the report should be sent, in to the Presbyterial manager just as soon as possible. If any church failed to make the canvass last year it ought to begin at once to arrange to take it on the 12tli of March. This plan is easily carried out, it is practical, it is businesslike, it is Scriptural. Let every church try it. MOVING picture interests have been very much criticized for the character of pic tures which they have been giving to the public, and it has been said that the business which is practically a great trust, is owned very largely by a number of Jews, who care for nothing but the money that can be made out of it. Many efforts have been made to get Congress and State legislatures to pass censorship laws to control them, but little has been accomplished. This trust has recently surprised most people by calling to be its head a man who was a mem ber of the President's Cabinet, who is a man of marked ability and of high character, an elder in the Presbyterian Church. To induce him to take this position the trust has bound itself to pay him a salary of $150,000 a year for three years. What were the motives prompting the trust to call ex-Postmaster General Will R. Hays to this position, we do not know, nor do we know just what his duties will be, but we cannot help hoping and believing that he will be able to do something- to make moving picture shows decent, which is not true of many of them today. We cannot conceive of such a man taking such a position, unless he can see a way by which he can improve conditions, where im provement is so much needed. ARKANSAS has set an example that might well be followed in other States. This piece of information comes from Rev. W. F. Rogers, Stated Clerk of the Synod of Arkan sas: "On December 25, 1021, every active minister in the Synod of Arkansas received a one thousand dolar life insurance policy. The premiums are to be paid yearly through the liberality of Mr. A. B. Banks, a deacon in the Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock. Mr. Banks has carried a similar policy on the ministers of his former Presbytery, Pine Bluff, for several years. When a man enters active service in our Synod, he becomes eligible for a policy. Mr. Banks should be highly com mended for his thoughtfulnoss and great lib eral it v." SUNDAY SCHOOLS are spreading over the the world and are proving one the most ef fective -agencies for winning non-Christian peo ple to accept the Saviour of sinners and the great salvation He offers them so willingly. The Sunday School Union of India has enrolled schools whose combined membership is 600,000. The Sunday School Union of the Philippine Islands has a membership of more than 100, 000. At a recent Rally Day service, held bv a Sunday school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, more than 1,400 were present.