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? 1 *\\J A I ^ ? CRITICS there are who still say that the Presbyterian Church is slow and unpro gressive, some even say that it is asleep and needs to be waked up. This, some of the critics are wont to say, is specially true of the South ern Presbyterian Church. One who will read l>r. Graham's article on another page will real ize how far criticisms are from being true, lie shows that our Church is the most pro gressive, most wide-awake, most liberal and accomplishes more than any other Church in i his country. It is growing in numbers by a larger per cent, than any other Church, and its irifts per member are greater than any other Church, and in both cases far in advance of the average of the churches. This should be a cause of thanksgiving to God, that lie is per mitting us to do so much for Him, and yet it should not be the cause of pride or vain glory. This is a case in which we should not compare ourselves with others, but we should compare ourselves with ourselves. What each of us ought to do is to ask himself the question, "Am I doing for God all I can do ?" When we make an honest investigation, we are compelled to say that as a Church and as individuals, we are doing far less than we ought to do. When we think of the ability and the wealth that God has given us, we must say, "We are un profitable servants," but we cannot add, "we have what it was our duty to do." The golf player is more anxious to beat his own record than to beat a fellow-player. May we each, as individuals, determine that we will beat our record ; and, if we do, the Church will beat the record. MAPS are often needed in connection with addresses or programs on Foreign Mis sion. Heretofore it has been hard to get good maps of our Foreign Mission fields. The Exe cutive Committee in Nashville is having pre pared a set of maps, G by 8 feet in size, of our fields in Mexico, Africa, Japan, China, Korea and Brazil. Some of these are ready now and others will be soon. The committee proposes to rent these maps to those proposing to use them for conferences and other meetings at $1 apiece or the set of six for $5. COURT cases are increasing very rapidly in this country, according to many reports that have been given to the public. This, it seems, is not due so much to any increase in crime, but rather to matters growing out of business relations. The New York Lawyers' Association has recently issued a statement showing the number of cases pending in the courts of that city for several years. On Decem l>er 31, 1917, there were 10,265 unsettled cases on the dockets of these courts. In 1918 the number increased to 10,744, in 1919 to 12,419, in 1920 to 16,402, in 1921 to 20,687. Where the responsibility lies for this condition in the courts, we do not pretend to say, but we are convinced that oftentimes the ends of justice are defeated, and the litigants are put to much unnecessary trouble and expense by the great (lelay in settling cases before the courts. In ^rew York City an Arbitration Society has been organized, which claim's to have the support and approval of the courts, which proposes to provide means for arbitration for all cases, ex cept criminal and divorce cases, for all who are billing to have their differences settled in this ""in *1*18 way. It is claimed thai cases can be settled with a great saving of time and money, and without leaving the hard feel ings so often found after a legal battle in court. The purposes of this organization are very much to be commended, and it is to be hoped that it will be so successful in its undertaking, that it will be encouraged to carry out its plan of establishing such organizations in all of the cities of the country. CHURCHES sometimes think they want to get rid of their pastors. When this idea gets started in a church it is likely to spread very rapidly. The members, in order to justify themselves for wanting a pastor to leave, will begin talking about his real or his supjiosed faults, deficiencies and failures. The result will likely be that the pastor will leave, but it will only be after the revelation of the senti ments of his people has come to him unexpecet edly and suddenly, and, when so much feeling has been worked up in the congregation, that there is probability of a serious outbreak in which both pastor and people will suffer. We recently heard a better plan suggested for get ting rid of an undesirable pastor. Say all the kind things about his good qualities that you can, and there is no pastor that has not some good qualities. When he preaches a sermon look out for something in it that is helpful to you or to some one else. Tell him and others how it has helped. Go to your pastor and tell him that you realize that he has a heavy load of work to carry, and offer to help him in any way that he will suggest. Tell him that you are praying for him that God may bless his work in the church. You will soon find that he is preaching better sermons, doing better pastoral work, and is a more agreeable man. You will also find that other people are talking about him as a strong and growing inan. Soon some other church will call him ? and then you will not want him to go. This plan is worth trying in every congregation. PESSIMISTS say that the world is growing worse and the prospects are that it will continue to grow more so. There is one fact that will show that this is not true, though there are many others that will show it equally as well. When we see thousands of men and women and young people all over the land at tending conferences, conventions and summer schools just for the purpose of studying the word of God and the work of the Church, and when we see that this number is increasing rapidly each year, we realize that there is a strong and growing force of righteousness that is at work in the world, which will more than offset the growth of the forces of evil. JONAH was swallowed by a whale, many people say ; and then comes along the scient ist, who says that Jonah could not have been swallowed by a whale, because a whale's mouth and throat are not large enough to allow it to swallow a man. The Bible does not mention a whale in this connection, but speaks of "a great fish." The scientists have said that there is no other fish large enough to swallow a man. Mention has been made in this paper before of a fish caught on the coast of Florida, that meets all the requirements of the Jonah story. The Philadelphia Presbyterian gives this interest ing account of it: "Early last year we pub lished an article by W. H. H. Peters, on the great fish which had been captured near Miami, Florida. The article elicited much interest, l>oth in America and Great Britain. Some in teresting and imjK>rtant questions were asked. Among the others, the exact date and place of its capture and the ? present location. Mr. Peters has given much time to securing this information. Mr. Guy W. Livingstone, secre tary of the Miami Chamber of Commerce, gives the following information. The following are some interesting figures given by Mr. Peters in his former article: 'The net veigfit of the fish when caught was 30,000 pounds. Its liver weighed 1,700 pounds. Its length from tip to tip was and is now 45 feet; circumference, 23 feet 0 inches; diameter, 8 feet 3 inches. Hence, there was plenty of room inside for a large man to stand upright. Its mouth is 50 inches wide and 43 inches deep. Its tongue 40 inches long.' It is reported that it retpiired fifteen barrels of formaldehyde and other chemicals to preserve it. Also, when the fish was cut open, after being on the dock three days, it is affirmed that it was found to contain hundreds of pounds of fish in great varieties, including an octupus, and all were alive. Air. Livingstone says, 'The big fish to which you have reference was caught near Miami in the year 1912, by Captain Charles Thompson, after a fight lasting thirty nine hours. Five harpoons and one hundred bullets were required to subdue the monster fish, which has been pronounced by the Smith sonian Institute of Washington to be a whale shark, scientifically known as "Rhinodon typhis," and is the second of its kind that has l>een captured on our east coast, although the same species is often seen along the west coast of North America, this one being the largest. Its weight was 30,000 pounds, length 45 feet, and the liver alone weighed 1,700 pounds. It was placed on exhibition first in Miami and then taken for a tour of the country. About three years ago a special barge was built, more on the style of the Mississippi stern wheeler, and this barge was taken up the Mississippi River, also the Missouri and Ohio Rivers, and everywhere that there was sufficient water for it to navigate. We do not know where it is at the present time.' " BOOTLEGGERS are losing caste, r?ay3 a daily paper. It seems strange to same people that Ijootleggers have ever had a caste that was worth recognizing by honest men, and it is hard to see how a man could occupy a lower position in the social scale than that occu pied by the bootlegger, who makes it his busi ness to violate law, and who is usually thor oughly dishonest in all of his dealings. Rut what the newspaper meant was that there is a growing sentiment among people generally that the ltootlegger is a man to be condemned and his business is one to be despised. This is a very hopeful sign. We have always lieen very sure that this state of feeling would come among all right-thinking men and women. We do not believe that there is any large propor tion of people in this country who will long up hold any class of law breakers. The officers of the law are doing excellent work in stamping out this defiance of law, but a strong public sentiment supporting them will enable them to work far more effectively.