"Heavenly Treasure"

Ten years ago the earthly heaven of that earthly little black "god," the Rev. Major J. ("Father") Divine, was enriched by two new angels, Verinda and Thomas Brown. As working Negroes go--they were cook & butler in Forest Hills, L. I.--the Browns were well heeled. Soon after they visited Father Divine's heaven at Sayville, L. I., confirming their angelic state by taking the names Rebecca Grace and Onward Universe, they forked out their savings, nearly $1,000. Onward Universe liked the porkchop heaven so well that he stayed put, while Rebecca Grace worked to send Father $70 of her monthly $80 wages, as her deposit in the "Heavenly Treasure."

Father Divine, who professed to deprecate sexual intercourse, caused the Browns to part. He explained: "When I wrote the Bible, I didn't mean 'Who I have joined together let no man put asunder.' I meant this--that who I had joined together let no man put your body asunder." When the Browns met thereafter, they greeted each other politely with "Peace, Mr. Onward" and "Peace, Miss Rebecca." But they got fed up with this kind of heaven. Finally Rebecca Grace asked for her money back--$3,937, she said it totaled. Father Divine's reply, according to her testimony in court (TIME, Dec. 18): "He just said 'Peace' very loud and walked out of the room."

Last week Mrs. Brown won her suit, tried without a jury before Justice Benedict D. Dineen in New York Supreme Court. It was the first time a court had upheld anyone's right to withdraw from the "Heavenly Treasure." Now all Mrs. Brown had to do was collect--from a man whose property has always been held in the names of his followers. Previously, Justice Dineen had denied Mrs. Brown's motion to have the Father's holdings declared the property of the Father Divine Peace Mission, or be put in receivership. (When he heard this proposal, Father Divine angrily threatened to "evaporate for 1,000 years or so.") Last week it appeared that Father Divine would have to do some tall evaporating to avoid the suits of other disgruntled angels.

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