Churches Tempted

An office on the twenty-second floor of Chicago's Mather Tower last week had its finger on the pulse of the U. S. churches. The pulse beat briskly. Throughout the land, ladies' aid societies, missionary circles and altar guilds were becoming "Good News Broadcasters." At the rate of 11,000 per day the ladies were signing up for a simple scheme by which they would make money for their churches just by buying, and getting other ladies to buy, certain nationally-advertised products. In full swing was the "Goodwin Plan."

Adolph Oettinger Goodwin, 42, Baptist, is a onetime newsman (Raleigh, N. C. Times), onetime adman (Critchfield & Co., William H. Rankin Co., MacManus, Inc.). With $250,000 capital he formed Goodwin Corp. His scheme is to build up a consumer market hy getting church people to sell products on commission. The church-going salesladies get 2% "remuneration"' which they "may" turn over to their church--a technicality to sidestep restraint-of-trade statistics. Wrappers or sales slips establish proof of sale. The manufacturer whose product is thus sold agrees to spend at least 3% of the additional volume of sales on newspaper advertising in the locality covered. The manufacturer also agrees to pay Goodwin Corp. 1 1/2% of the volume of new business. Goodwin Corp. has sent 900 agents into the field to recruit "Good News Broadcasters" from the churches. Last month 30,000 had been signed up, last week 130,000, with more & more names piling up in the Chicago office whose staff now includes 116 employes. Goodwin Corp. promises to issue its list of products when 250,000 Good News Broadcasters have been recruited. With each Broadcaster working on at least ten families the potential market is 10,000,000 consumers. Each Goodwin sales list would include one, and only one, article of its kind and price. Thus one list might include Pepsodent as its sole toothpaste, another Pebeco. Not more than 500,000 Good News Broadcasters would handle one list.

Promoter Goodwin estimated last week that 225,000 U. S. churches would be benefited by his plan. To make it even more palatable, the prospectus announces that manufacturers whose products appear on the lists must agree to use "a portion'' of increased profits to raise wages, shorten hours, improve labor conditions, eliminate child labor.

But the scheme failed to tempt the more vigilant pastors of Christ's flock. Said the Christian Century last week:

"It is amazing that an intelligent church woman can be taken in by it.... The whole atmosphere of their church life will be cheapened and commercialized by their participation in it. ... The Christian church has its own dreams, and it will not prejudice their realization ... on behalf of the acquisitive dreams of any private interest whatsoever."

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