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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 1956)
28-(Sec IV) Statesman. Salem. Ore., Sun., Aug. 12. 56 'Bible Cure' Transforming Lives of Drunkards at Colony in Blue Ridge Mountains . , Br OLIVE ANN BURNS SHUIXS MILLS. N.C. 11 .A distinguished surgeon arrived one afternoon at Hebron Colony, in , the Blue Ridge Mountains, to take the "Bible cure ' lor alcoholism. . "I've never been religious," he aaid bluntly to the Rev. E. A. Dil lard, superintendent. "But I'm a i desperate man. I m going ta to- 1 operate if tt kills me." ' The next morning the surgeon found himself at prayer meet inf. Ha told Or. Dillard later "I knew I didn't have to pray out loud. But I d promised to cooper tt. The only prayer I could re member was Now-I-Lay-Me-Down . . to-leep, and I knew that would break up (he meeting, because we'd Just had breakfast." what the surgeon blurted out when bis turn cam waj the grace hi mother used to say: 'Lord, make us thankful for these and all other blessings. In Jesus' name amen. Lean Ta Fray Learning to pray is part el the cure here at Hebron, a Christian homo for men alcoholics, and at Grace Home for women alcohol ice. Anybody in the United States , who needs to come is welcome, , fret of charge, provided he or she arrives sober,- earnestly wants to quit drinking, agrees to stay eight weeks and. "to help with the work armmd the place. The patients have never been so high from whisky. They re near hr 1 Wl ft nn ah mminliiii top, willi huge blue sky and white clouds overhead, green valleys be low and gigantic blue mountains balgiag toward eternity all around. Ragged, prehistoric Grandfather Mountain towers ia the distance. When the mocking - birds ouiet down, the silence gets ao loud a man can bear bia eouL ' May Kay Saber '"At least M per cent of our graduates stay sober, and that's very high average in alcoholic circles," aaid Dr. Dillard. "The secret is that the patients change their thinking here. I don't en courage talk about their binges, and we don't dwell on the prob lem of alcoholism.'! teach the patients not ta major In staying sober. Instead, they major in building new life. I'm not here to give good advice. They've all had plenty' of that. I'm here to giva good newt about what God can do for a man." . Treatment starts on the day a patient arrives. For medicinal purposes. Dr. Dillard prescribes 12 Bible verses, printed on a card. Ha asks the patient to memorise , verse a day and recite it at the . breakfast table. A dose of family prayer cornea after breakfast. Dr. Dillard leads four evening aerv- . Icet a week at Hebron, and meets Uvea timee a week with the wo- . and Bible instruction. ifcla.sUadlaf He ereaeribea at least two or three boors of Scripture reading day. "nrst," be said. "I auk the patient to read through the Gospel of John, underlining the word belief.' When he reports to me en that, I ask him to find and list the seven miracles in the first 11 chapters of John. Then I tell him to list the claims of Christ 'I am the light of the world,' 1 am the door,' etc. Next ,le reads the book of Romans, uit dertinlng the word 'righteousness' t whenever it appears, then the :d "know in the First Epistle nt John. "I emphasise believing. I ask patienta to note particularly what the Scripture says Christ did for - those who believed. 'If you be lieve in Christ, these blessings ' are yours.' I remind them. Think of yourself as a child of God. Be lieve that He loves you. that Christ has redeemed you, that you are not alone.' . "We had a county Judge as a patient once. A brilliant attorney He came to me after a week here and asked when I was going to ram religion down his throat. I aaid I wasn't. No Argameat . . I don't argue religion with any - body. Certainly not with a law . yer. ! just teach religion. But the ' spirit of the group here 1 a pow . crful therapy. No pressure is put , 'on -anybody, yet most of the pi . Meats change very quickly. There la m tapering-off whisky, by the .way. We don't have a drop en the plice." - .... When you get to Hebron, you "lust don t want whisky a y more ' aaid James Blackwell,, a tall, white-haired mail carrier from Florence, S.C. He was washing dubes in the kitchen. Tve gain - ed 20 pounds In leu than three ,weeks here. At home I carry a mail sack over a 12-mlle route, ' and I was really suffering when 2 had a hangover." ' I talked to a young civil engi beer. Tom Chewning of Savannah Gs , who started drinking in high school. ' - "I've been In all kinds of howl tali." he said, "but I never felt ."any confidence before that I'd quit. I'd take a month's rest cure thinking 'aw, I can still control ' whisky.' Then I'd go home drunk Now for the first time I don't WANT to drink. I've worked all Over the world as an engineer. but I've decided to become .echoolteacher. Useful Work : ' "The useful work we do at this place ia as therapeutic as the . - religion, when you just ait around leathercrat't or playing checkers. : it gets you. I d had enough of that 'I got talked into coming here by a friend ol mine who'a been sober ..si we he was at Hebron in 1941, Tom was holding a fence post while he talked. He and a textile .worker, Cecil Chapman, were : sinking posta on the Hebron (arm. "Two or three hills away, in a string-bean field, seven c.:-alcohol-'. its were laughing and talking and 'hoeinf. Dr. Dillard runa a truck farm and a grazing farm, which ft'Vwver expected to do when be a preacher a long decided to be time ago. "Our crops furnish part of our food: we just sell enough to pay for the fertilizer. Besides farm ing, the men patients do building and repair work and all the cook ing and cleaning. At Grace home, besides housekeeping and sewing, the women do canning, gather eggs and vegetables and look after . our chickens." The preacher gives out the work out in the field unless he's a assignments every morning sfter good cook." prayer time. "II a man's shaky. Driving the Jeep station wagon I put him around the house at back to the house. Dr. Dillard first," he explained. "Then after told the history of Hebron. "I was he gets his legs bark, I put him a Presbyterian pastor in Charlotte for 194 years," he said. "I'd tried could live awhile in a Christian to help some alcoholics in my atmosphere, the cumulative effect church every church has them, might straighten them out. My But they needed more time than wife and 1 found this property in a busy pastor ran give. I thought 1M7. A new patient once said He if we had a home where they bron ia so (ar 'from everywhere 'the preacher must've been lost when he (ound it.' Anyway I took an option on the place, asked the public for money, got $7,000 in a few days, paid $5,000 down and used the rest for food antMurni- ture. My wife and I and five al coholics came here and set up housekeeping." Today 25 men patients live at Hebron colony, and Grace home can accommodate It women. ' , - . I I W TfcTN X I -Xi . ! O 1 - tTK V S 7Ar, Til r sar i at Tun nm -n r , i d7jrvL A III nn r-f r i r i nrrn ii f wit- t n y if i j j II yi llfll v v innnnAni-r i I 1 1 uvn I I L IlllllllJIIIJaUl- I " I 1 IT! Vr&x IMIliI 111 III r r I LxL II' VP JaTllll UUIlbaLa I chC : Cr . h ft AZZsSs, 7 tliJii TV I ' ' UL . MMFA mZ2mJi' SECOND PtlZI-TrSvel Radio ttwm res Hill Kir 1 THIRD MIZI-Feur Federal Safli. ciira mi l i C7 v m IE 11 Mm A rm-Looi box Dear Friends: May we take this opportunity to invite esch and everyone in Salem, Keizer, Four Corners, Turner and Mill City and adjacent areas, to enjoy our first Tidewater Flying "A" Hospitality Week? We have a brand new official name, a brand new color scheme, many fine new dealers and, as always, the finest petroleum products and automotive accessories that money can buy. . W e think that calls for a celebration and that's Just what "we're doing. Please read the rest of this advertisement and see all the things we want to dorto make our Tidewater Hospitality Week, truly hospitable for you, our customers and friends. - As you will aee, the key to Tidewater Flying "A" Hospitality .Week is based on encouraging attendance and support of our home- swnee batem senators and that great Amerieaa-aportof batebelk-We- sincerely hope you'll be able to enjoy this ballgame "on the house," and with the other free gifta and awards as a special "bonus", this Is our way of saying "thank you" for your many years of loyalty to us ind our fine products. 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