Watching the World

Trappists Disappearing

◆ The number of Trappist monks in the United States has fallen drastically in less than twenty years. In 1955 there were 1,000 full-time members of the Order of Cistercians of the Strict Observance (official name of the Trappists); in 1965 their number was less than 600. Now the figure has dipped below 400. An article by D. McCarthy in Tropic magazine of Miami, Florida, says: “Each of the 12 Trappist houses has its own tale of decline.”

Religious Politicians

◆ There are now five clergymen in the U.S. Congress. Two are Baptists; the other three represent the Catholic, United Church of Christ and Presbyterian religions. Four clergymen were defeated in the recent elections. Only four members of Congress say they have no religious affiliation. A recent poll reveals that the two houses of Congress include 115 Catholics, 84 Methodists, 78 Presbyterians, 66 Episcopalians, 55 Baptists, 27 United Church of Christ members, 16 Lutherans, 14 Jews, 10 Mormons, 9 Unitarian-Universalists, 7 Disciples of Christ, 5 Christian Scientists, 4 Eastern Orthodox members, 4 Quakers, and 2 Evangelical Free Church members. Eight other churches have one member each. Some congressmen prefer to call themselves simply “Protestants.”

Psychiatrists and Witch Doctors

◆ E. F. Torrey, a psychiatrist and anthropologist, recently wrote the book The Mind Game: Witchdoctors and Psychiatrists. He believes that the two perform essentially the same function within their respective cultures. After observing and working with witch doctors all over the world, he concludes, in a Washington Post article: “What I learned from these doctor-healers was that I, as a psychiatrist, was using the same mechanisms for curing my patients as they were​—and not surprisingly, I was getting about the same results. A Canadian psychiatrist, he says, has reached similar conclusions after studying Nigerian witch doctors. Torrey argues: “Recognition of this should not downgrade psychiatrists​—rather, it should upgrade witchdoctors.”

The “Minipill” Contraceptive

◆ The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved sale of the so-called “minipill” contraceptive. It does not contain estrogen used in conventional birth-control pills. The conventional pill apparently prevents ovulation by acting on the pituitary gland. “But,” says Newsweek, “the minipill is believed to confine its action to the lining of the uterus itself; it does not prevent ovulation, but apparently makes the uterine lining unsuitable for implantation of the fertilized egg.” If this pill allows fertilization, but prevents implantation of the fertilized egg, then it is basically abortive in nature; it does not actually prevent conception. In this respect it seems different in its mode of operation from normal oral contraceptives.

U.S. Credit Losses

◆ Most retailers agree that the number of people who refuse to pay their bills is increasing. A large American finance company has “written off” as unpaid nearly $18 million in the last three years; a major oil company cannot find 3,500 of its credit-card holders who owe $350,000. Lawyers, doctors and business owners​—not just unskilled laborers—​are among those who refuse to pay their bills.

Dollar Devalued Again

◆ For the second time within fourteen months the American dollar has been devalued. In February, the dollar dropped 10 percent in value against currencies that did not change their official price, such as the German mark, French franc, Dutch guilder and Soviet ruble. For Americans this will mean an increase in the price of foreign goods, including raw materials and parts, sold in the U.S. The basic cause of the devaluation has been too much American spending abroad. The excess number of dollars overseas resulted in a lessening of its exchange value.

The Unborn Person

◆Some who currently defend abortion claim that an unborn child is not really a “person.” But Dr. H. L. Herschensohn, writing for the Los Angeles Times, disagrees: “The fetus is not just a parasite in the mother’s body as so many people choose to believe. The unborn child is very much a personality in his own right. Like anyone else he has periods of activity and periods of rest and sleep. . . . He decides what position to assume that is most comfortable for him inside the uterus. . . . He can hear . . . Even noises outside the body can affect the fetus. A sudden noise in a quiet room will disturb him. If a strong flashlight is placed against the mother’s abdomen there will be a fluctuation in the fetal heartbeat. . . . He is not existing as if he were in a stuporous state but is an alert, active and responsive little one.”

Oceanic Pollution

◆ The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports that Atlantic Ocean pollution is distributed “far more widely than had been previously suspected.” One of its ships says that last summer its nets were often clogged with “oil clumps so thick they extruded through the mesh ‘like spaghetti.’” A dozen different types of plastic were found floating in open ocean. A similar report comes from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography concerning the Central North Pacific. They estimate that there are between five million and thirty-five million plastic bottles adrift in the North Pacific. Plastics, it is feared, endanger the lives of several fish species.

Drug Usage Everywhere

◆ Has drug addiction bypassed Alaska? No, says a comprehensive survey of over fifteen thousand pupils in the sixth through twelfth grades in Anchorage. Forty-one percent of the students have used a drug; this does not take into consideration use of alcohol or tobacco. This is a higher percentage than found in Dallas, Texas, and San Marco, California, when similar tests were administered. Use of hashish, mescaline and propoxyphene are rapidly increasing in Anchorage. A Journal of the American Medical Association editorial says: “The findings challenge assumptions that Alaska’s geographic isolation can protect it from the blights of civilization. On the contrary, data on drug use by Anchorage youth suggest that it is well within the mainstream of American society. . . . The findings of this survey leave little room for comfort.”

Religion Downgrades Bible

◆ The churches of Christendom are not teaching the Bible. Last November, in an address, Dr. J. A. Howard of Rockford College plainly stated: “The churches​—Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish—​once centered their attention upon God’s instructions to man, but these admonitions are heard much less often from the pulpit and the Sunday School lectern, having yielded to discussions of social problems and situational ethics.” His observation was again confirmed in January when the “Very Reverend” E. M. Howse, former moderator of the United Church of Canada, wrote in the Toronto Star: “The Bible . . . is not a single book, the product of one mind or age. It is a rich and varied library coming from many historical backgrounds and containing many different ideas, at times conflicting ideas. Some of the ideas are crude and revolting, the reflection of the brutal times in which they were born.”

Cocaine Use Grows

◆ Cocaine use is a growing problem in the United States. Agents now confiscate about a thousand pounds per year, five times what they took only five years ago. Organized crime may be stepping into the cocaine operation. Cocaine comes essentially from only one area, the Andes mountains in South America. The leaf of the coca bush is sold there for a few cents per pound; U.S. wholesalers pay $6,500 per pound for smuggled cocaine, a white powder, which they then retail for about $80,000. Jewelry stores across the country now feature gold ‘coke’ spoons, a device that assists users in inhaling cocaine up their nose. This practice can lead to destruction of the mucous membranes, major body defenses against disease. Cocaine, a stimulant, can also cause heart attack and respiratory arrest.

Unreported Rapes

◆ A growing number of police officers consider rape the most widely committed major crime. The FBI says that 85 out of every 100,000 female residents of major U.S. cities are rape victims. Rape also appears to be the least reported crime. Many women do not want to discuss their case with male policemen or otherwise risk the possible shame of revealing they were raped. Newsweek observes: “The conservative estimate is that a phenomenal 75 per cent of all sexual attacks on women go entirely unreported to the authorities.”

Space Budget Cut

◆ The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s next fiscal budget is for $3 billion. This is the lowest request since 1962. So far, 1,500 Administration employees have been dropped this fiscal year; another 1,800 are scheduled to go.

Most Populous Cities

◆ Shanghai is now listed as the most populous city in the world. The latest edition of the United Nations Demographic Yearbook, published in February, says that 10,820,000 persons live there. That would put it ahead of Tokyo (8,841,000), New York (7,895,000) and Peking (7,570,000). Almost 57 percent of the world’s population lives in Asia.

Learning Continues

◆ Latest work by a California researcher indicates that “people continue to grow and develop” mentally as they get older. A group of 212 men and women from the San Francisco Bay area were first given “IQ” tests in 1931 when they were between two and five years of age. They had an average score of 110.7. In 1941 those who could be found of the group averaged 113.3; in 1956, 124.1. The latest test on 48 of the original 212 persons shows an average of 130.1.

Ski Accidents

◆ There are more than one hundred thousand ski injuries reported each year in the United States; at least that same number are believed to go unreported. One surgeon estimates that sprains account for some 40 percent and bone breaks for 35 percent of the total. Medical World News says: “Despite the efforts of biomechanical engineers and ski patrolmen, the injury rate keeps pace with the race to the slopes.”

Schoolroom Cheaters

◆ How many school students cheat? A controlled experiment in Pennsylvania involved 312 junior high school students who were given a test covering several subjects. Their completed papers were collected and, unknown to them, copied. The originals were later returned and students asked to grade their own papers. The re-collected papers were then compared with the copies. Results showed that 151 students, over 48 percent, had cheated by making changes on their papers.

Movies​—Better than Ever?

◆ One of the most popular U.S. movies today has been described as “hard-core” pornography. It was made in six days for an investment of $25,000 and has now grossed over $3.5 million. Who is viewing this film? Saturday Review says: “Each evening as serpentine lines of giggling moviegoers wait . . . chauffeured limousines pull up in front of the [theater] to disgorge gaggles of New York’s wealthiest and most famous people.” Horror films are also increasingly popular. And a New York film critic says: “There is a lot of interest in the occult, mysticism, spiritualism​—especially in the younger, moviegoing audience.”