Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-12-07
AN OUNCE OF PREVENTION is
WORTH A POUND OF CURE
ditor ASkov American,

1
Editor Askov American:
Please insert the enclosed article
by w. H. Murk, pastor Temple Bap-
fist church and Seven Corners
Christian Center, st. Paul, in your
"Opinion of Others" column We per-
haps think that the churches are not
doing much to better the world but
after reading this article of facts by
w. H. Murk, we should be con-
WINGED that they are doing miracles
and could do greater miracles if peo-
pile would cooperate more with the
church.
Rev. Murk's article follows:
Our state and country spends lit
orally millions each year for better
pigs, better chickens, better cattle,
better farms. In comparison how
much do we spend for better chill
dren? We spend enormously to COM
bat germ and disease in trees, fruit,
grain and vegetables. How much do
we spend to combat sin (disease)
in the souls of our offspring? Our
nation spends $14, 900 100000 annually
to combat crime in America; never
theless, crime is ever increasing.
How much do we spend on the causes
or the root of crime that confront
our coming generations?
THE true Christian Sunday school
is without question the greatest medi-
UNI for character building for the
growing children. The Sunday school
gives the child groundwork upon
which fine Christian character may be
built. Let us take the statement of
Lewis L. Fawcett when he was coun-
ty judge in Brooklyn, New York.
When sentencing George H. Lott, age
10 years, to a term in Elmira prison
for burglary, he said:
"'Of all the undesirable professions,
that of burglary is the worst. No
matter how good burglar you may
be, you will be caught and sent to
prison sooner or later. 1 have seen
your friends who wished to speak
to me in your behalf, and after CUES
tioning them about your past life,
I found that all attempts to have you
go to Sunday school failed.
"'In the five years I have been
sitting on this bench, have had
2,700 boys before me for sentence and
not one of them was an attendant of
Sunday school. Had you gone there,
l am sure that you would not be be-
fore me today
Let us take the statement of this
same judge when he was justice of
the Supreme Court of the state of
New York. In letter to Dr. Carter,
general secretary of the New York
Bible Society, Judge Fawcett wrote
in part as follows:
Permit me to state that my eX-
perience during % years on the bench,
in which time over 1000 boys were
convicted of crime before me, only
three were members of a Sunday
school. This has satisfied me as to
the value of Sunday schools to the
community in helping safeguard, to
the extent to which Sunday schools
exist, from the growth of criminals.
"In fact, 1 regard our Sunday
schools, including those of all faiths,
as the only effective means to stem
the rising tide of vice and crime
among our youth. Society carries the
heavy burden of criminality OOO,-
000,000) chiefly because of the lack
of religious training of the youth.
eff all the children could be kept
under the influence of the Sunday
school and the grown-ups were &C
tive in some church, we could close
our prisons and jails, instead of being
compelled to increase their number.
Some years ago the report of the
Secretary of State of Michigan said
there were 9O4 boys and men in the
Michigan penitentiary. Of these, 800
said, we never went to Sunday
school,
''The chief of police for New York
said, 25 years ago, that among 1900
prisoners in penitentiaries, not one
of them had received Christian train
ing up to seven years of age.
Here is a statement made by w.
A. Hills that is very significant:
"rNine thousand children on the
| dClllC COdSI WSIe ldhcIl lIOIIl tIl6
slums; heredity was all against them;
they were trained up to seven years
of age in a Christian institution and
only one of them was ever arrested
and the charge was proven false
'There is no agency that is doing
more to build up law-abiding citizens
than the church and Sunday school,
If all our children could be trained in
the Sunday school for few gener-
ations, we would need very few
policemen, and our prisons would
soon be depopulated. If the church
and Sunday school did no more than
to save men from crime, it would
pay big dividends for the time, money
and effort given.
go to church on Sunday. Go
where you can hear the blessed Cos
pei story of His saving grace. You
owe your offspring the very best;
the best religious training, the best
home training which call for the best
examples; therefore, bring your chill
dren to Sunday school; don't send
them