A Brutal Sport
Professional boxing, in this country and in the United States as elsewhere, is a brutal and low, debasing form of sport. But increasing numbers are being given a taste for brutality as a form of entertainment through the press, radio and television. And as to boxing, thousands pay high prices to witness two men endeavouring to batter one another into an unconscious, helpless condition physically. During last March in Los Angeles, a professional boxer, Davey Moore, was so severely injured in a contest that he died a few days later; another man named Lavorante is still in a coma in Los Angeles after being knocked out in a fight six months ago. This is the kind of brutal, low-down conduct on the part of drunken toughs in the streets of our towns which brings the police on the scene and lands men in prison according to the law of the land. But in the boxing ring practically anything can happen and it’s within the law. Professional boxing should be banned by a professing Christian nation.
Scottish Judge Puts Crime in its Proper Place
We were indeed glad recently to read the wise and forthright observations of an eminent Scottish Judge on crime and the attitude of a psychiatrist thereto. Lord Wheatley in the High Court, Edinburgh, in sending a hardened criminal to four years imprisonment said that so long as people like the accused were determined to carry on with a career of crime, they would be treated as criminals and not as psychiatric patients. He said further: “Now a psychiatrist informs the Court that such a person is not a hardened criminal. Instead of calling you a criminal he says you are a psychopathic personality and says a probation order with a condition of treatment in a mental hospital is the proper way of dealing with a case such as yours. But so long as judges and not psychiatrists are entrusted with the task of deciding appropriate sentences, people like you . . . will be treated as criminals and not as psychiatric patients.” The Judge also stated that the public were entitled to be protected from criminals. We should be thankful that the Bench is occupied by men of Lord Wheatley’s mind and outlook. The psychiatrist will have moral wickedness to be merely the manifestation of mental disorder and thus sin is not really sin in their view.
Men Hateful and Hating One Another
The Bible reveals many features of man’s sinfulness. One feature is that men are hateful and hating one another. We know that this is manifested and proved on every hand and throughout the world. A proof and striking illustration of this appeared in an article in “The Scotsman” on the colony of Fiji in the Pacific. The Indian population of 212,000 outnumbers the Fijians by 35,000, and want control of the island group. The Fijians own virtually all the land. The Indians rent most of it. Three years ago people were talking of a blood bath in Fiji and the possibility is still there, the article said. The Indians and the Fijians completely fail to get on with one another. The Indians say the Fijians are lazy. The Fijians say the Indian is a rascal and hold him in a sort of threatening contempt. These are some of the points in the article which brought vividly to mind the words in the Epistle to Titus, chapter 3, verse 3, ” . . . living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.” How true and exact the inspired Word of God is!
Punishment and Not Merely Reformation
The Earl of Mansfield addressed a conference of the Prison Officers’ Association, at Perth, last March. He said that every effort should be made to reform offenders, particularly first offenders in cases where experts considered it possible. Further he said: “But I totally disagree with the modern theory which states that all treatment must be of a reforming nature, and that in no circumstances must actual punishment be considered. Persons who commit outrageous crimes deserved to be punished, quite apart from reformed.” With these sentiments we fully agree. The Scripture states: “Spare the rod and spoil the child”: A rod for the fool’s back.” And God corrects even His own people with rods. And the bold and wicked criminal should be punished in a manner to fit his crime.
Mormon Headquarters in Edinburgh
The press have made known that the Mormons have taken over a 15-roomed mansion at Colinton Road, Edinburgh, as headquarters of a “North Scottish” mission. From here so called missionaries are being directed in their evil and menacing operations all over the Eastern part of Scotland from Thurso to the Border. We have written before in our pages of the Mormon menace in Scotland, and herewith state that they should be exposed and opposed in every legitimate way with the greatest vigour. Missionaries from Salt Lake City and the followers of the wicked Joseph Smith for Scotland! Poor Scotland!
The Young and Strong Drink
It is now apparently an established practice for youths under 18 years of age, in quite considerable numbers, in the towns and villages of Scotland, to take intoxicating liquor and to excess on occasions. The Aberdeen daily paper, “The Press and Journal,” for February 27th, carried a heading—”Growing concern at under-age drinking in Elgin.” In the news columns that follow a seventeen year old girl whose name and address were given said: “I know a number of girls, some of them only fifteen years old and still at school, who go into pubs regularly.” And we know that this state of affairs exists elsewhere in the North. Of course we think that this has been and is linked up with the terrible craze for dancing. Young girls are being allowed to remain out all night quite frequently to attend dances in town, village and countryside with little concern and less supervision on the part of parents. They and young lads, in our opinion, have learned to drink at these dances from certain older persons who make the practice of carrying with them to dances bottles of strong drink. And as a consequence immorality is raging. Drink licences are granted in increasing numbers; betting shops are opening on every hand where such an obnoxious thing never existed before; and with all this increasing unemployment at the time of writing. What is not being purchased or paid for when there is plenty of money being spent on drink and gambling even by the young? David said: “It is time for Thee Lord, to work: for men have made void Thy law.”
A Murder Case Which Calls For Consideration
Recently a case of murder came before a judge and jury at Carmarthenshire Assizes. A man shot his lodger after finding a love letter to his wife. He was found not guilty of capital murder, but guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation and diminished responsibility. He was sentenced to four years imprisonment. We see here that a man’s life is taken away for writing a love letter and what was improper in that conduct. And we see in this case that the man who commits murder is punished merely with four years imprisonment. Can it now be that a man can take the law into his own hands, if under provocation, and administer the “death penalty” to one who undermines his marriage relationship, and he himself for murder expect no more than four years imprisonment as punishment. Provocation or no provocation, there seems to be something wrong somewhere in the administration of the law in such cases as this one. It does seem that quite a number of murderers, under the existing law, are escaping the death penalty. Wicked and violent men can take away life, but the Criminal Courts are restricted as to administering the death penalty. The jury in the aforesaid case, of course, had the responsibility of bringing in a verdict of manslaughter. “Provocation and diminished responsibility” now appear to clear a man from the guilt of the terrible sin of murder. But although sinners escape judgment from man, they have still to meet with God.
Religious Public Processions Coming Back
At what is called Easter there was much activity even in Scotland in the holding of services in Churches on the days of the week which the Anglicans and Roman Catholics call “Holy Week.” And the Friday which is called “Good” Friday brings this Romish festival near to its climax. In Aberdeen on this Friday it was reported that people from various denominations made what was called a united witness by marching together through the centre of the city of Aberdeen. In Cheltenham, England, young people of the Church of England marched through the streets in procession carrying wooden crosses. There was no suggestion of wooden crosses in the Aberdeen procession organised by the Church of Scotland congregation of Beechgrove. But the crosses may come at a later date. We discern the trend in Aberdeen to aim at the practices of Roman Catholics and High Anglicans in the observance of such religious festivals which were removed by John Knox and other Reformers in Scotland as remnants of Popery. We wonder how much the doctrine and gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified is preached according to the Word of God in the pulpits of the Church of Scotland today. And multitudes who fuss about Easter keep as far as possible away from those who preach to men as ruined sinners the gospel of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But let there be a public hue and cry about religious festivals not enjoined in Scripture and they are interested for as long as the festival lasts. Probably many taking part in the procession in Aberdeen, as elsewhere, after “Easter,” “Lent” and “Holy Week,” went back to the dance, the theatre and the whole round of worldly living as before, but deceived into thinking that they had made great progress in the Christian life. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” declared the Saviour who died on the Cross and rose again.
The Loss of a Nuclear Submarine
On the 11th April last it was announced by the Americans that their nuclear submarine Thresher, which cost £20 million, was lost at the bottom of the ocean east of Cape Cod, with the loss of 129 lives. Everyone with any feeling, was deeply affected on hearing this extremely sad news which brought so much grief and sorrow to many families in America. We are of the mind with others that Britain and the U.S.A. require to look wisely to matters of National Defence. But this disaster is a voice from God in providence in our humble opinion—and a loud, solemn voice to Britain as well as America. In recent times the Houses of Parliament, the press, Radio, political speeches, etc., have resounded again and again with debate, discussion and argument about submarines as weapons of defence and retaliation. Without an act of war this modern and costly vessel, and especially precious lives on it, were suddenly lost at the bottom of the ocean. Is there not a message from God in this grievous disaster to those who have ears to hear? There are undoubtedly many messages. There is one we would suggest for meditation: “The Lord is our defence; and the Holy One of Israel is our King” (Ps. 89: v. 18). When such Nations as America and Britain talk at large about their reliance upon their weapons of defence or of war and obviously and consistently ignore the God of all grace and of providence, then we suggest with the utmost caution that God may well permit what has happened as a tremendous reproof.