PAGE SIX CRHIE AND THE SUNDAY SCHOOL | By JOHN EDGAR HOOVER Director Federal Bureau Investigation U. S. Department of Justice The criminal is the product of spir itual starvation. Someone failed mis erably to bripg him to know God, love Him, and serve Him. As a result, the criftiinal’s mental attitudes hpd actions are guided by a selfish in dividualism. He has no respect for the law—he hates it. Moral tradi tions are subject to his scorn as he declares war on society. Unfortunately, there are many in the United States today who flout the laws of both God and man. This is home out by facts and figures in the possession of the FBI. By the end of 1946, a total of 1,- 685,203 major crimes were recorded in the United States —the highest annual total recorded in the past decade. Crime in urban areas in 1946 increas ed 7.4 per cent over the previous year as sharp rises were noted in murders, robberies, aggravated assaults, burg laries, larcenies, manslaughters by negligence, and rapes. The upward crime trend in the rural areas was more pronounced in 1946, with an increase of 14 per cent. In each crime classification the rural upswing exceeded that in the cities. A Shocking Record The gravity of the crime situation in 1946 was reflected by the fact that during the average day 36 persons were slain, 33 were raped, and 185 others were feloniously assaulted. During each 24 hours, on the average, 172 persons were robbed, 981 burg laries were reported to the police, 630 cars were stolen, in addition to 2,580 miscellaneous larcenies of various types being committed. Although a comparatively small percentage of the total offenses were classed as vio lent crimes against persons, it is sig nificant to observe that every 5.7 minutes in 1946 there was a criminal homicide, rape or assault with intent to kill. The rise in crime during 1946 re vealed that we are still faced with an abnormally high rate of juvenile mis behavior. Youngsters under 21 years of age were responsible for 51 per cent of the auto thefts, 41 per cent of the burglaries, 28 per cent of the rob beries, 27 per cent of the thefts, 26 per cent of the rapes, and 18 per cent of the arsons. More than one-half of all crimes against property during 1946 were committed by persons un der 25 years of age. The upward sweep in postwar crime is characterized by criminal incidents reminiscent of gang events following Ward's Shoe Shop WEST EDEN STREET . . . JUST OFF BROA» Guaranteed Repair Work Quality Materials WAIT SERVICE Your Business We Have Always Appreciated J’l'icrjllv Thought/ 0 iPJSSF* * . ’ . V »j-i i >.,• 1 ■ i\ : . ; | The smile upon the face of youth inexperienced, hopeful —is like an expectant dawn eagerly appraising the world it has come upon . . . brave youth. The smile upon the face of age —experienced, faithful —is like the sunset of fulfilment ... Or is it like the light in the old house that shines out upon the turn in the road —a signal light at the crossing—a torch in the wilderness . . . courageous age. It is natural jor us to wish that more people should know about our abilities, jacilities and fairness of fee. (S.Ct 4iom* PH. 231 EDINTONy World War I. Gangsters, hoodlums i and trigger men are eagerly recruit ing youngsters into the criminal army. Guns are finding their way into the ’ hands of mere boys who are ready to laugh at the law and kill if necessary. 1 1 recall one case where two police » officers were dispatched to a cabin on 1 the outskirts of a town to locate sev eral boys who were wanted at that r time for questioning. The officers lo - cated the boys and were at once con , fronted with a defiant group of young sters rivaling the hostility of hard ened gangsters. Four boys armed with machine guns held the officers at ; bay. As the two officers awaited re -5 inforcements and sought to avoid s bloodshed, the boys retreated to the swamps along a nearby river. The - youngsters were surrounded and i called upon to surrender. Their I answer was a volley of gunfire. In the pitched battle which followed, a ’ 14-year-old boy was killed. The ' others surrendered. " These youngsters turned out to be > the ringleaders of a youthful gang ■ svhich had perpetrated a wave of i thefts. On two successive nights prior to the gun battle, the gang of boys , had burglarized a National Guard j armory and had made away with an arsenal consisting of sub-machine I guns, rifles, hand grenades, several thousand rounds of ammunition and other government property. Previ ously, the boys had stolen several i cars, burglarized storehouses, an auto t| mobile agency, a bowling alley, and a s private residence. > The leader of the gang was 18. He • led a band who refused to practice > the very necessary virtues of honor, ■ decency, and love of God and coun * try. Certainly, these boys had very ' little chance to learn and appreciate > these virtues because they had been 1 exposed to indifference, lack of par - ental guidance and drunkenness. After reviewing the thousands of 1 case histories which have poured into j the FBI, I am firmly convinced that there are two factors in our outlook which if not checked will plunge us headlong into national decadence. ■ The first is the failure of the home i itself as the first classroom and, sec ond, our national indifference toward > evil influences in our life which are ' beyond the immediate control of parents. The Initial Responsibility ' Criminals are not born. They are , the products of neglect, the victims of indifference, the results of an age : which has tossed morality in the junk yard. Moral chaos and crime run hand in hand as they eagerly attempt to destroy peace, order and happiness. ’ If we are to get down to funda : mentals in approaching the problem , of crime it is necessary to begin to build the spiritual structure of the child at the dradle. This responsibility rests initially with the parents. The home must be the first great arena of teaching. In the final analysis, the child who fails to learn honesty, dis cipline and respect for authority from his parents can quickly become ex- / Everyone knows wtefg ones J : m fc*.- BSP*'" .i, 3 mtdUn mllna TIJSP *, >; " i ' \ Tune in HENRY J7 AY ICR. '‘3- 4 < v % Mutual Network, White tldewmli L ->,. Mondays and Fridays n aa 111uatrated, available at extra co«t. ~ w ... | No, it hasn’t always been easy, here of late, to be absolutely sure just which way automobile design was heading. So it’s a refreshing thing, people tell us, to see one car that quite clearly knows where it’s going and shows it inside and out. You can’t mistake this poised ONo gears ever shift in DYNAFLOW DRIVE* In Buick't new Dynaflow Drive, sliding gear transmissions and complex gear-changers are made unnecessary. You simply set a selector lever and step on the gas. The power plant does the rest, adjusting itself to varying driving conditions with utter smoothness. You start up accelerate climb hills cruise stop'— start up again all without touching the selector lever. 4, •Optional at extra coet on Roadmaster model*. CHAS. H. JENKINS MOTOR COMPANY mtolOMMjMsnSStrea* Edenton, N. C. ■ THE CHOWAN HERALD, EDENTON, N. C., THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1948. i posed to the virus of-crime'. Unhappily, there are many homes where parents are untrained in their | obligations to their offspring; where . unguarded talk is as regular as three meals a day; where disrespect for au thority and criticism of officials are common occurrences; where childish [ independence is encouraged, and re ' fractory conduct is condoned; where breaches of discipline and. anti-social ; whims are overlooked; and where God ' and religion are considered too old fashioned in an age dedicated to ma t terialism. The children of such homes need . help and the Sunday schools can do . much and are doing much to bring . God and religion into the starved 1 souls of these youngsters. Our Sun > day schools are not sending forth ' children who easily succumb to life -1 wrecking temptations. Instead, the > boys and girls who have gone to Sun | day school have been well prepared 1 for the entire span of life. ■ The Sunday school is a citadel of i real spiritual influences. Religion to i a boy or girl becomes a reality based s on love and not on fear. Youngsters come to know that God asks more ; than mere lip service to His com [ mandments; that He asks us to live : under His guidance and love. The Sunday school teaches the 1 power of prayer and the need to make • God an intrinsic part of our daily 1 lives. The Sunday school teaches the ; child to “rule his spirit” and to place 1 a reliance upon God which will not be I shaken in later years. It stands as a ; strong bulwark against the angry 1 waves of evil presently sweeping ' across our nation. It is a powerful 1 medium in materially reducing the army of youthful offenders and de ! linquents. ! I would like to pay tribute to the > thousands of loyal men and women ■ who are serving unselfishly as teach ' ers in our Sunday schools. We in law ! enforcement look upon them as com -1 panions-in-arms in the fight against ' crime. As true Crusaders for Christ, the Sunday school teachers want the na ’ tion’s children to be honest, truthful 1 and unselfish. They are convincing : youngsters that right habits, atti -5 tudes and appreciations are necessary • attributes for decent living. They ■ are in the front ranks of the great ' army of Americans who are courage- I ously fighting to free our national | scene from dishonesty, selfishness, : greed and moral instability. In re cruiting for God, they are building for America. ; More often than not, a child is first ■ introduced to the Bible by a Sunday : school teacher. It is quite impossible : to believe that progress along the i road to righteous living may be ac : complished without the guidance of . i the Bible. It is the source of spirit • | ual food, the solution of life’s prob i ; lems, and the inspiration for Christian ) ] living. ? j “Man shall not live by bread alone, • ; but by every word that proceedeth ’ ] out of the mouth of God” is a precept i which must be followed by all if life : is to have a meaning. Our fore - fathers believed in the inspired Word i of God and their religious faith and - simple devotion produced a strong national character. If we are to make progress in the fight against crime, make certain thac the children of the nation attend Sun day school. It is difficult to under stand why many mothers and fathers refuse to afford .to their children the wholesome, healthful, character-build ing environment of the Sunday school. As a law enforcement officer, I am certain that unless children are given the opportunity of participating m ac tivities which have God as their fun damental objective, we cannot hope to materially reduce crime in our country.—(Reprinted from The Sun day School Times). u. S. Army Seeking No. 40,000th Recruit Some young North Carolinian join ing the Army Air Force within the next few weeks will receive an ex traordinary reception from both Mili tary and civilian leaders if he happens to be “Number 40,000". Special plans are now being made to honor the 40,000th North Carolina volunteer since VJ Day. “Number 40,000” is expected to be enlisted in earjy Feb ruary. Recruiting officials are enthused over the response given to their vol unteer recruiting program by North Carolinians. They stated that last year the “Tarheel” state ranked eight in the nation for the number of vol unteers furnished the Army and Air Force although the last census places North Carolina thirty-second in popu lation. 'Master Sergeant C. B. Cayton in charge of the recruiting office in Elizabeth City says that he and his co-workers will make an extra re cruiting effort these coming weeks in the hope that “Number 40,000” will be one they helped to procure from the Albemarle Area. Chowan Native Dies At Home In Bethel John Calvin Hobbs, 68, brother of G. C. and Neal Hobbs of Edenton at his home ib Bethel Saturday morn ing after a short illness. He was a , son of the late John C. and Absila Bunch Hobbs of Chowan County. Be- Now with Mstarto-utt PLASTIC CURLERS * HOME PERMANENT Deluxe Kit *2 MITCHENER’S PHARMACY and ready fashion plate for any thing but a Buick you’re sure from a glance that you’ll find it steady as a battle cruiser and full of ginger as one of Grandma’s cookies. 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WHEN BETTER AUTOMOBILES ARE BUILT BUICK WILL BUILD THEM . \ sides his wife, Mrs. Lena Proctor Hobbs, deceased is survived by two ■ sons, J. Walter and William F. Hobbs, both of Bethel; two daughters, 'Mrs. ’/ Freeman Long of Hertford, Route 1, and Mrs. Lucius Butts of Hertford, Route 3; four brothers, T. P. Hobbs of Washington, D. fc., G. C. and N. M. Hobbs of Edenton and Linwood Hobbs of Hobbsville; and four sisters, Mrs. George Oglesby of Hamilton, Minnie Hobbs of Winston-Salem, Mrs. Roger Cullipher of Merry Hill and Mrs. S. L. Ferrell of Magnolia. Funeral services were held at the home in Bethel Saturday afternoon and burial made in the Bethel cemetery. Radio Service For qu> v k and dependable radio service, call THOMAS JACKSON at Hughes-Holton \ Hardware Store. Jackson Radio Service j PICK-UP AND DELIVERY j SERVICE ii SCHENLEY ! reserve Pleaded Whiskey 86 Proof. 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