Brighter Bibles

Had they lived long enough Edgar Saltus could have typed Imperial Purple on a purple machine and Nathaniel Hawthorne could have related the woes of Hester Prynne with a scarlet fountain pen. To pens, typewriters and kitchen sinks as well as to roadsters, vanity boxes and magazine covers, has come Color.

Lately, the Rt. Rev. Cyril Forster Garbett, Bishop of Southwark, England, caught the colorful spirit of the age and pleaded for brighter Bibles. Said he:

"Except in expensive editions I hardly ever see a Bible which is made outwardly attractive. Why is it necessary that almost always black should be regarded as suitable for a volume which contains good tidings?"

Last week the American Bible Society estimated that last year 32,000,000 Bibles (mostly black) were sold. Churchmen wondered whether Bishop Garbett's advice might not well make for even greater sales.