Solemn Discovery

"The Christian Century stands alone among the independent opinion-making weeklies . . . of national circulation, as an advocate of Federal prohibition."

Under the heading "A Solemn Responsibility," leading editorial in last week's Christian Century, Editor Charles Clayton Morrison made that statement which, he said "has been a fact for a long time but has not been recognized until now." Occasion for Editor Morrison's awakening was the announcement of the change of Christian Herald from weekly to monthly schedule beginning next February.* "It is not too much to say that the success or failure of Prohibition may rest with The Christian Century," he added.

Editor Morrison had to bank heavily upon his distinction between an undenominational magazine, as The Christian Century describes itself, and the denominational press. Except for the Wet Catholic journals, most important of which are Commonwealth and America, the denominational press is mainly a Dry bulwark. Prohibition leans hard upon the support of the Methodist Episcopal Christian Advocate (circulation 250,000), the Presbyterian Christian Observer (34,553), and their like.

Editor Morrison further said :

"We wish that there were journalistic allies by our side. We wish that the Atlantic Monthly, Harpers, Scribners, were with us. We wish that the Nation, the New Republic, the Outlook (Lyman Abbott must have turned over in his grave when that paper recently became the most liquor-soaked organ in the country), the Literary Digest, TIME, the Forum, the World Tomorrow, or any other of the major weeklies were with us. But they are not. One dares to hope that among them one or two converts may yet be made."*

To meet what Editor Morrison described as a deplorable emergency he rallied his readers as follows: "[Our readers] already constitute the most powerful moral bloc of public opinion in this nation. How better can they exercise their power than by enlarging the bloc itself? . . . Every teacher in your public school should now be sought out--every professor on your college faculty--every minister in your town--every legislator in your state and representing your state at Washington--every colleague on your board--every parishioner in your congregation who can read serious discussion--every lawyer, physician, club woman, thoughtful business man, political leader --these should be sought out and enlisted as readers of The Christian Century."

Obvious was the sincerity of this appeal. No less obvious was the fact that, however intended, it was excellent business for The Christian Century; that The Christian Century (present circulation 32,500) stood to reap the sort of benefit that befalls munitions makers in wartime.

* A canvass of leading non-religious magazines made by TIME (March 24) revealed no avowed supporter of Prohibition save Ladies' Home Journal.

* TIME's position has been and will remain unbiased on Prohibition and all other public questions.--ED.

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