THE Archbishop of Cincinnati made headlines across the U.S. recently when he announced that because of high costs the parochial schools of his archdiocese would close their first grades next semester. This was news, but to TIME it was more of a suggestion than a story. As a result, correspondents surveyed the Roman Catholic education situation across the U.S., and this week RELIGION reports a changing pattern that points toward some kind of private-public recombination of religious and educational responsibilities.

Seeking out the broader and deeper news behind what is only a piece of the story is a basic aim of TIME'S editors. Thus in medicine this week the obvious news is that the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration announced approval of three more oral contraceptives. But with sales of the pills increasing steadily around the world, many questions arise. Just what are the pills? How do they work? Are they certain? Are they safe? What are the disadvantages and discomforts of using them? How long can a woman go on taking them? Could they cause cancer or deform babies in the womb? MEDICINE reports and analyzes the answers and concludes that, in nearly every case, they are reassuring.

Some of the trends beneath the headlines may seem frivolous, but they bear watching as part of life in a modern world. As Music reports this week, all Christendom has lately learned that rock 'n' roll begat what Englishmen call "the beat," and the beat begat the Beatles. But not so many people outside the territory of some astute British journals realize that rock-turned-beat has actually had a salutary effect on some of the toughest juveniles in England, turning them away from delinquency and toward something that Music describes as "better than beating up old ladies with bicycle chains." MODERN LIVING spots another trend in entertainment--the rise in the U.S. of the discotheque, a highbrow version of the juke joint where dancing Americans are doing the Bug, the Wobble, the Push, the Pop.ye, the Barrel and other exercises.

In business matters, the big story often develops bit by bit over a period of months or years. After continuing reports of increasing prices in European countries, TIME correspondents in London, Bonn, Paris and Rome carefully studied the price that Europe is paying for prosperity. Putting together evidence, from the price of steel to the fact that a glass of beer costs nearly as much in Munich as it does in Milwaukee. WORLD BUSI NESS concludes that inflation is the most serious threat to the health of Europe's economic boom. In some cases, the threads of a major trend story literally spread around the world. WORLD BUSINESS got reports from 25 cities-for the two-column story charting the worldwide increase in the use of electric power and the search for new sources.

At times the immediate impact of a news event leads to exaggeration and distortion of the real story. This tended to be the case with the primary election in New Hampshire, which, with all the polling and computing and promoting, was inflated beyond its scope. In a cool assessment of the results, THE NATION takes measure of New Hampshire's significance in the race for the Republican nomination for President.

Assessing the meaning of trends that are merely suggested by the immediate news events in all areas of life--social, economic and political--is the essence of a journalist's task. TIME'S commitment to performing that task, this week and every week, is unceasing.

* London, Rome, Paris, Bonn, Beirut, Oslo, Stockholm, Istanbul, Teheran, New Delhi, Nairobi, Salisbury, Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Hong Kong, Sydney, Kuala Lumpur, Taipei, Manila, Tokyo, Washington, Salt Lake City, Ottawa and Montreal.

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