Calvin Synod Herald, 2007 (108. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
2007-01-01 / 1-2. szám
6 CALVIN SYNOD HERALD 200 Years... - Continued from page 5 of the press. Converse closed his doors, pocketed his key, and opened for business back in Richmond three weeks later. Ason, Francis Bartlett Converse, joined Amasa at the Christian Observer as a child. Once when fire destroyed the office, Bartlett, who had handled the address list since learning to write, sat down and immediately wrote out 3,000 names and addresses from memory! During the War, the Christian Observer was distributed in the army. Popular legend claims that on occasion 100,000 copies circulated in the army at one time. The revivals which swept the army and kept the South from becoming another Ulster can be traced in substantial measure to the Christian Observer. At the close of the war, the Christian Observer moved to Louisville, Kentucky. The present publication is still chartered in Kentucky. During the administration of Dr. Bartlett Converse, Rev. James Converse, Rev. Thomas Converse, and Rev. Francis Beattie worked with him as editors. Harry Pollard Converse is the third patriarchal figure in the early Christian Observer. Bom in 1876, he attended Princeton and joined his father on graduation. In 1907, upon his father’s death, Harry Pollard became managing editor and held the post for fifty-three years. Other branches of the family gained recognition for the invention of locomotives, steam engines, shoes, and many other mechanical devices. Taking his turn, Harry Pollard invented modem typesetting equipment and employed the latest methods to streamline operations and eliminate duplications. During this period the Christian Observer became the most widely-read Presbyterian periodical and kept its conservative direction. Other Presbyterian publications drifted into what is now The Presbyterian Outlook. The latter is identified with the Presbyterian Church (USA) while the Christian Observer continues its tradition of serving a wider constituency. Associated with the publication during this period were Dr. David Sweets and Dr. William Thomas McElroy. In 1960, Miss Marys Converse became managing editor upon the death of her father. At this time, Dr. Samuel A. Cartledge of Columbia Seminary, Dr. Joseph M. Gettys, and Dr. Walter Lingle of Davidson College served editorial terms. The beloved Henry Wade DuBose of the Assembly’s Training School also served as a contributing editor for more than forty years. These things characterized the Christian Observer throughout its history. The editors refused to permit challenges to the historic confession or to exclude from the family those who claimed to be Presbyterian. Each issue was designed to strengthen the Christian home and build the family. Ahead of its time, the Christian Observer gave special attention to women in the church. The Christian Observer functioned as a clearing house for all Presbyterian news. In all things Christ was preeminent. The ministerial advisors and editors of the present Christian Observer promise to maintain this tradition. Whether one sees this as the legal heir of the Christian Observer or simply the most recent in a line of 16 faithful publications, the result is the same. Men and women from across the spectrum have come together to promote the Christian family and build the Presbyterian Church to the glory of God. Dr. Edwin P. Elliott Managing Editor GUEST EDITORIAL THE HUNGARIAN REVOLUTION OF 1956 - 50 YEARS AFTER October 2006 was the fiftieth anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. The roots of the popular uprising were complex and deep. During the 1940s Hungary was in the crossfire of the Nazi and communist dictatorships. In 1945 the country was occupied by the Soviet army, and by 1949 the Kremlin installed trained political agitators who imposed a one-party system; took over the control of the local and secret police. The press, radio stations, libraries, and churches were placed under state control. Soviet education system was superimposed in which teaching the Russian language was enforced; scores of educators, lawyers, clergy were dismissed. The industry was nationalized, small businesses were consolidated into state-run entities, farmers were forced into cooperatives, and private property ceased to exist. The secret police developed a cruel network of spies and everyone was suspected as political agitators, industrial saboteurs... or American agents. Those writers, farmers, and managers who resisted were imprisoned, tortured, put on show trials, executed... or deported into forced-labor camps. During the most unimaginable and horrible interrogations - often lasting for weeks - many of the accused died. Those who survived the body-grinding and soul humiliating pain were ready to sign any document. A whole army of informers were present on factory lines, in editorial offices, at universities, during church services and theatre performances. Tens of thousands of innocent people were baptized into hell. Even the shadow of basic human rights and personal freedom ceased to exist. In turn, the regime developed its own political elite and rewarded them with discounts in state-run stores and luxury resorts. Their children were assured entrance into higher education to provide a politically well-trained new generation to take control of all political, internal, and economic affairs. Passports to travel abroad was issued to the privileged. The former middle class disappeared, living standards declined, and salaries were at subsistence level. The country suffered from an acute housing shortage; often two and three families were forced to live together in one apartment with no personal privacy. Families were tom apart, and health care sunk to an unprecedented level. In 1953 with the death of Stalin there were some signs of a ‘thaw’ in the monolithic rule of Moscow and its puppets in Budapest. With Moscow’s blessings new leaders were imposed on the country with a ‘human face.’ Behind the scenes there was a desperate struggle going on in the Kremlin. i
