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Show S.-D. A. Church Tackles Alcohol Problem Milford Seventh-day Adventists will discuss one of the nation's top public health problems at 11 a. m. Saturday, Feb. 28 and they will be asked to do something about it. The problem is alcoholism, currently America's No. 4 public health menace. "With 5 million alcoholics in the United States, according to the Yale School of Alcoholic School Studies, and some three million pre-alcoholics who are 'on the way' the church must do something unusual un-usual and effective to curb this growing blight on our nation," Pastor Clifton Calkins said in announcing an-nouncing the service. The Saturday service, according to Pastor Calkins, is designated as Tempei'ance Commitment Day, and all members of the church will he asked to pledge themselves to a program of enlightened education of others in relation to the public health program of alcoholism. "One out of every four mentally disturbed Americans1 is an alcoholic," alco-holic," Pastor Calkins said, "and one out of every seven persons who take their first drink becomes an alcoholic. Today 10 to 15 of all mental institution beds in the U S are filled by alcoholics, not people with a mental defect that is no fault of their own. The church cannot stand idly by and watch these multiplied 'millions of lives being lost to Christianity" s eternal rewards." The minister said members of his church will he asked to partic ipate actively in the future in distribution dis-tribution campaigns of educational magazines and pamphlets aimed at the prevention of alcoholism in addition to giving financal support to educational campaigns for schools, clubs, churches, and governmental gov-ernmental organzations.. |