THE FLOOD OF NOAH’S DAY

Widespread evidence that there was a world-wide flood

Spreading Hope with “Hope”

Adventurous ministry of seafaring Christians in Newfoundland

The Digestive System

Perfectly equipped to handle food

Bringing the Outdoors Indoors How modem design and decoration of homes

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Volume XXX                        Brooklyn, N. V., Juno 22, 1M2                          Number 12

THE FLOOD OF NOAH’S DAY

Of all the calamities and dis-asters that have befallen man iSSlSs none equal in destructiveness hHHM the flood of Noah's day. That catastrophic disaster was so universal and overwhelming that it encircled the globe and literally washed the original world of human society right out of existence. Little wonder, then, that the legends of practically every race of people mention the never-to-be-fotgotten deluge. The face of the earth also carries indelible marks and scars caused by that frightful cataclysm, scars that thousands of years of time have not been able to erase. And while the muddy, refuse-laden waters of the higher critics, skeptics and infidels have washed over and obscured the flood’s evidence from general view, yet the bedrock facts still remain, to be uncovered by digging through the soft deposit of false theories.

Sir James George Frazer, speaking before the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland in 1916, declared: “It has long been known that legends of a great flood, in which almost all men perished, are widely diffused over the world/' Sir James then related a great number of these legendary stories about the flood, beginning with the ancient Babylonian accounts and then proceeding , with traditional tales from Europe, Asia, North and South America and the islands of the sea. Other noted men have confirmed Frazer's exhaustive work.

A historian by the name of Berosus, who lived in the third century before Christ, wrote down the Babylonian version of the flood story, and portions of his account were preserved by other historians like Eusebius. However, up until 1872 conceited critics, in an effort to belittle the Bible, claimed Berosus had only taken his story from the Bible and hence it was of no account What a blow this faultfinding suffered when George Smith in 1872 disclosed that cuneiform tablets containing the “Epic of Gilgamesh” was the original source of Bero-sus* story! These clay tablets that had popped up during excavation in the ruins of Nineveh have been termed “one of the glories of the nineteenth century”. Written for the Royal Library of Nineveh by Sin-liqi-unnini in the seventh century B.C. they told of the building of the ship, the storm, the end of the storm, the sinking of the sea, the grounding of the ship on a mountain, the sending out of a dove and raven, and finally the disembarkation and offering of sacrifices by the survivors.

Some years later other fragments telling of the flood were found in the Mesopotamia valley at Ashur and in Asia Minor at Boghaz Keui, and these findings further shook the world of skeptics. The fragments found at Nippur, written in Sumerian, a non-Semitic language, were much older than the “Epic of Gilgamesh”, and are believed to have been cut in cuneiform about Nimrod's time.

Europe <znd Asia Remember the Flood

Eves as Babylon wove the story of th$ flood into their religious fables* so likewise the ancient Egyptians told various tales of how an overwhelming deluge had purified the earth in the far-distant past. One of their stories related how Osiris, the “Noah” of Egyptian mythology, escaped in an ark. In Greek literature the story is repeated with all the appendages of Greek mythology added to the original facts. Among, the Druids of nortliwestern Europe there were sacred monuments that are believed to have been a memorial to the ark, and Welsh legend tells of a ship that “con-tained a male and a female of every sort of living creature, so that after the deluge the animals were able to restock the world”, according to Frazer.

About A,D. 1222 Snorri Sturluson, said to be “the greatest name in old Scandinavian literature”, set down the story of the flood as told by the primitive inhabitants of Iceland. A Finnish race of people, the Voguls, that lived on both sides of the Ural mountains, had their version of the greal flood. Dr. H. von Wlislocki, according to Frazer, has shown that the ancestors of the Transylvania Gypsies brought their deluge story from their ancient home in India.

There is no question that Hindu mythology alluded to a universal flood in its ancient writings. In the Satapatha Brak~ mana, written at least 600 years before Christ, the story is found. In Sanskrit literature, as, for example, the Mahabharata, compiled 500 years before Christ, an Indian epic eight times as long as the Iliad and Odyssey combined, tells of the devastating flood. And again the storyds repeated in other Sanskrit writings: Matsyu Purana, Bhagavata Purana and Agni Purana, The Kamars people in India's Raipur district and the Bhils tribe in the wild jungles of central India also have legendary tales about the flood. Cut off from all other people for many ages, the inhabitants of the secluded valleys of Kashmir, the “Paradise of India”, had stories about the flood they had learned from their ancient parents. These are found in their.oldest annals, the Nilamata Parana.

Toward the close of the eighteenth century, when Captain Samuel Turner penetrated the forbidden stronghold of Tibet high among the lofty peaks of the Himalayas, he was very much surprised to hear them telling about an inundating flood of long centuries past. Also the Santels and aboriginal tribes of Bengal, the Karens of Burma and the natives of the Malay peninsula each have stories they received from their forefathers by oral tradition about a supernatural flood.

As Told in China and the South Seas

The Chinese too, according to H. J, E. Peake, have flood tales that go back to 2200 B.CL, not so long after the great event. The Mongol inhabitants have a tradition that tells how that part of the world was once under water, and the presence of sand, crab and oyster shells far from the sea is proof of it, according to Sir Aurel Stein. Says Sir William Jones: “I may assure you, after full inquiry and consideration, that the Chinese believe the earth to have been wholly covered with water,” (Asiatic Researches, v. 2: Dis, on Chinese; also see Shuckford's Connexions, v. 1, p. 29) The Lolos people that lived in the almost impregnable mountains of Yunnan ii} southwestern _v China,_z a fierce, warlike people so hostile toward others they even invented their own peculiar way of av ri ting, were not without their legendary tales about the flood.'

Many years ago when the French missionaries first filtrated into Bannavs, a tableland between Cochin China, Laos and Cambodia, they asked what the natives knew of the origin of mankind, and, to the amazement of the missionaries, they were told that the father (really the second father) of the human race was saved from a terrible flood because

AWAKE I

he shut himself up in a large chest. The Bahnars of Cochin China, the Lushais and Singphos, and also the Ahoms of A^sam, a sprout off the Shan race of Indo-China, all have their flood tales.

Go throughout the many islands of the East Indies where people have lived more or less undisturbed for thousands of years and the flood will be found tied to their beliefs concerning the origin of their races. The Andaman islanders in the Bay of Bengal, the Battas or Bataks of Sumatra, the natives on the islands west of Sumatra, Nias and Engano, the Sea Dyaks and Ot-Danoms of Borneo, the natives on the islands ot Celebes, Ceram and Flores, will air tell you about the flood. The natives of Botti, who never heard of the Bible, offer a yearly sacrifice so that another Hood will not destroy them as it did the people in Noah’s day.

Travel farther eastward and other versions can be heard from the natives of New Guinea, the aborigines of Australia, the many tribes on the 7,000 islands in the Philippine group. The wild tribes of Formosa have very elaborate accounts of the flood. Or go hopping from island to island among the Polynesians and Micronesians of the South Seas and one can hear firsthand tales of the flood from the Fijians, Tahitians, Hawaiians, Mangaians, Samoans, Maori-ans and Pelewians.

Flood Story Found in Western World

Tte natives of North, Central and South - America, though far removed from Europeans and Asiatics for thousands of years, still remembered the handed-down account of the flood. ‘Says Dr. Hamilton, in his Friend of Moses, page 322: “Even the Indians of the Choctaw tribe had, it is well known, when they first came into contact with the whites, traditions handed down from their remotest ancestors, of a mighty deluge, from which a small number of persons only escaped on a raft.” Likewise, stories of the flood were common among all the other tribes throughout the Americas. Frazer lists 32' legends told by natives of North America, and 18 others told by the tribes of Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, British Guiana, Bolivia and other South American countries. According to Humbolt’s Vues des Cordilleras, ancient Mexican paintings tell about Coxcox, the “Noah” of the Mexican Indians. Herrera’s History of America says that the aborigines of Cuba told the white man “that an old man, knowing the deluge was to come, built a great ship, and went into it, with his family and abundance of animals; that he sent out a crow, which did not return, etc.” And according to this same authority the Incas of Peru have a similar story. “The most barbarous X)f the Brazilians,” says Herrera, “have some knowledge of a general deluge.”

Even in the wastelands of the frigid north the natives have for generations repeated to their children oral traditions about the flood. The polar explorer, Dr. Richardson, tells how tribes of Crees “all spoke of a universal deluge, from which one family alone escaped, with all kinds of birds and beasts, on a huge raft”.

These, then, are some of the 90 different flodd legends and tales of folklore collected from among the heathen races by eminent scholars like B. Andree, H. Usener, M. Winternitz, E. Bbklen, G. Gerland, P. Buttmann, F. Lenormant, H. Howorth, J. Frazer, and others. It is true, though they all tell of some great overflowing cataclysm that took place ages ago, yet these various legends are so twisted and altered from the account given in the Bible there is only a rough similarity in outline between many of them.

Of What Value Are These Legends?

But there is one all-important truth to which these 90-odd legends testify: all of them are founded on the basic truth that in the distant past a universal flood almost destroyed the human race. Only such a remarkable event would cause all these varied and scattered races of people to hand down traditional notice of it from one generation to another. And so we And it.

Only by admitting that the Bible record is authentic is it possible to explain why so many of these traditions of the heathen speak of an overwhelming deluge of water, of a dove and raven being sent out at the close of the flood, and of the appearance of a rainbow. If these stories were not all founded on the facts that are set forth in the Bible, then why, according to Biblical Repository, is an ark a very conspicuous object of worship by so many heathen! Or why does an individual variously called Noas, Noasis, Nusus and Nus occupy a similar role in Oriental mythology as Noah does in the Bible, if there is no truth in the Biblical account? “Admit these traditions to be all founded upon the Noachian deluge and all difficulties vanish/⁷ says Olmstead, ^<fbut deny this identity, and we need a miracle, greater than would be required for & universal deluge, to resolve them/⁷—Noah and His Times, page 128.

Flood'* Indelible Mark on Earth’s Face

About a hundred years ago skeptics began prying around in the ruins of ancient civilizations of the Mesopotamian valley in an effort to discredit the Bible. But to their shame, every scrap and fragment only corroborated the account as set forth in the<Bible. Archeological findings show that at some distant time in the past there was a great inundating flood that buried whole civilizations. That men and women were living on the earth at that time, to quote Sir Joseph Prest-wich, the noted geologist, is “now a question not necessary to argue", since there is an abundance' of well-known evidence to substantiate the fact

In addition to archeology, geology also vindicates the Bible record. Accord* ing to tradition and the Bible, “the flood was of comparatively short duration, and this statement agrees with the’ geological conditions, in that there is an entire absence of such sedimentary deposits as must have been formed had the waters rested long on the land.” [The Tradition of the Flood, Prestwich, page 4). Some put forth the theory that the flood must have been caused by spring thaws after exceptional heavy snowfall in the moan tains which forced the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to overflow their^banks. Such an “explanation’’ is preposterous! Every spring not only the Euphrates overflows its bank, but also the Nile of Egypt, the Yellow river of China and ''‘Old Man” Mississippi. People in those lands in olden times knew this. Hence, if there had been an exceptionally high rise in the rivers that inundated the land, causing the great flood, those people would have quickly identified it as such.

Pooh-poohing this river idea, the eminent geologist Prestwich points out that the story of the flood “could not have had its origin otherwise than in an event of a very exceptional and extraordinary character—far more so than any that Could have resulted from ordinary river floods." And again he says: “Riverfloods, howsoever devastating, as for example those of the Yellow River, make no lasting impression on a busy and rude population, and are soon forgotten.”

Bible Record Reasonable and Scientific

Not the Bible record, but the opinions of Christendom's clergy contradict and conflict with the facts of archeology and geology. Not the Bible, but the private interpretation of many of the clergy claims the earth was created in six 24-hour days. The Genesis account of creation allows many thousands of years, at least 42,000 years, for the processes of creation to gradually unfold. The Bible record also indicates that during these

thousands of years before man was on earth there were periodic deluges that engulfed the globe, causing further buckling of the earth's surface. For more details see the Watchtower publication entitled "The Truth Shall Make You Free”, chapter 4.

These pre-Edenic deluges and the bucklings that followed explain why there are raised beaches of sand and shells, some places raised 10, 100 or 600 feet or more above present water levels. The vast boulder drifts silently add their testimony to the fact that there were watery deluges of overwhelming size. At Plymouth, England, in southern France, in Italy, along the northern coasts of Africa, and in many other places, there are rent rock formations, gaping fissures in the limestone and great “shell-fish cemeteries”, that give visible evidence to this fact. Debris and the remains of animals were washed into these fissures and ravines by a sudden deluge, for there is an absence of marine sedimentary deposits that would have been present had a long period of time accounted for these formations. No local affair these aqueous rings that gravitated to earth I They were globe-encircling. Says the Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge:

It may also be observed that in the regions far remote from the Euphrates and Tigris, viz., Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England, the United States, etc., there are frequently found, in places scores of leagues from the sea, and even on the tops of high mountains, whole trees sunk deep under ground, as also teeth and bones of animals, fishes entire, seashells, ears of com, etc., petrified; which the best naturalists are agreed could never have come there but by the deluge.

Granted, then, that there were diluvial floods that caused these things thousands of years before man was on earth, it calls for no stretch of the imagination to believe that one more such aqueous ring descended on the earth in Noah’s day with appalling consequences to both man and beast. It was such a falling ring of water that caused the icecaps which still ding to the earth's polar regions. With no longer a canopy of water about the earth ta form a hothouse condition at the poles, the falling water quickly froze in those areas. The huge mammoths and mastodons were frozen alive before they could flee, and when recently dug out of the Canadian and Siberian iceboxes their flesh, skin and hair were as well preserved as if they had been kept in a modern deep-freeze refrigerator. These are cold facts that cannot be disputed^ facts that prove the Bible record is true.

Far more important than all this testimony is that given by the greatest Teacher and Prophet that ever lived, namely, Jesus the Messiah. Speaking of the time when this present evil world would end and He would return and establish His Kingdom, Jesus said that one of the visible signs would be this:

For just as it was in the time of Noah, it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For just as in those days before the flood people were eating and drinking, marrying and being married, until the very day Noah entered the ark, and knew nothing about it until the flood came and destroyed them all, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.—Matthew 24:37-39, An Amer. Trans.

It is even so today. "Just as in those days," the great majority of the people mock and scoff at the warning now being given that Jehovah God once again purposes to destroy this wicked Satan-^uled world. But these very scoffers themselves are powerful testimony that we are in the “last days” of this old world, for the apostle Peter says: “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise‘of his coming! for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For . . . they willingly are ignorant [of the fact] that the world that then was [in Noah's day], being overflowed with water, perished-'¹—2 Peter 3:3-6.

JUNE                                                       7

y                   atlth

BLACK rocks with jagged profiles jut their twisted contours into the sea along¹ the tortuous coast of Newfoundland. Lofty crags spiral skyward and echo the dismal groans of foghorns; their peaks girdled with clinging mists, and crowned with blinking lighthouses? Storm-scarred cliffs rise high and handsome, their faces oddly sculptured by centuries of warfare with the aggressive sea. Numerous islands pierce through the ocean's swelling bosom, and leaping waves continually break into a shower of white to give contrast to the green seascape. Here and there coves have bitten their way into the shore; and beautiful bays, bordered with yellow moss and rich evergreens, have eaten through the coastal escarpments to go winding many miles inland to meet the rivers.

But people live in these places. Wishing villages nestle under the towering cliffs, and perch with uncertainty upon the brinks; others sprawl over the islands, and hamlets hide in almost every nook that affords any shelter from the brutish rigor of the ocean. Logging and small-scale farming help the people who live in the bays, but many coastal settlements depend wholly on the sea for food and a living. Isolated as the people are, their schooners are their trains; their rowboats are their automobiles, and the waterways are their roads from town to town.

Weather, tides and seasons guide their labors; but slashing stdrihs, frequent fogs and whipping winds are unable to curb their toil against the sea. Their lives depend on each year's supply of fish wrought from the ocean. They work in a natural aquatic 200 where denizens of the deep perform, where whopper whales blow and dolphins dive, where swordfish bask and porpoise play. They seine the sporty salmon by the shore and capture silky seals from off the ice. They jig and trap and trawl the lazy cod, and ply the streams in search of tasty trout. With muskets cocked they chase wild ducks and geese, and watch the giant fish hawk bolt down from the sky in a headlong plunge for fish.

In the harbors wharves run off the beaches everywhere, and skiffs and dories nudge continually at the piers. Here the vessels land supplies, curious strangers, and mail. Here the men build boats, mend twine, and work at fish, all the time a “yarnin'" and a “cofferin'". Here the women meet on flakes to help in spreading and gathering the Here the children play with no fear of the deep water, little ones hardly as high as dory gunwales are skilled at rowing and sculling through the lops—this is their fun, their youth, their pleasure.

Homes are built in the sheltered places and they are well cared for by the industrious women. No matter how humble their quarters are one feels at home with them because they have a natural hospitality and frankness. Many varieties of fish and sea birds often deck their tables. Vegetables are grown wherever crevices fiold enough soil to plant a bed. The surrounding hills and swamps pour down berries for desserts—partridgeberries, bakeapples; and blueberries grow everywhere. Artificial ways of living have not captured them yet. They cure their fish, store vegetables away for the winters, and drag home many gallons of wild fruit each season. They store in supplies of flour, tea and molasses, salt beef and pork. These are hard-working frugal people who take all the -thrills of their exciting lives for granted.

Orthodox Reliffiong Hopeless

All they need further is the hope of the new world under Christ Jesus; they need spiritual succor and knowledge. Not that there are no churches and schools; indeed, there are more churches than the people can support. Some settlements have as many^as two or three different churches for as * few as three hundred population, and denominational schools exist for the various orthodox religions which many consider burdensome and unnecessary. It is really religion and its' attendant prejudices that make the only marked division among the people, and religion has been unkind and unchristian. Unkind over cemeteries, baptism, schools and money.

Unkind over cemeteries? Yes. Cases are on record of families uniting to establish burial grounds and for many years using their family plots to bury their dead. They have owned their plots too, they paid for them, worked for them and used them; but in due course the cemeteries were consecrated to the churches. Then it has come about that families who have changed their faith have been barred from their own plot where their loved ones lie, and in the sudden emergency they have had to bury in any available place. Christening of infants by the clergy shackles the people, too, for it is generally believed that the unchristened child who dies without a name to be known by in the other .world will run into difficulties.

And money is the key to it all. The church demands its pound of flesh, and if fees are nbt met then people stand in fear of being cut off from decent burials, christenings, and school privileges for their children. However, recently education has become more organized for the help of all children, rather than to suit the denominations. Marriages are religious, none civil. No license is needed.

These religions unchristian? Yes, Some clergy have done witkedly in not allowing parishioners to keep Bibles and books that will help them to understand God's purposes for mankind. They have warned and threatened the people not to have anything to do with ministers of Jehovah God who preach the Scriptures and help the people to learn how to use the Bible for themselves.

“Hope" Spreads Hope

But, regardless of the great fight put up by the religionists to keep the truth from the people in the isolated outports, each summer for many years the little Hope boat has plowed her way to parts of these regions, taking spiritual food to these lonesome settlements. The Hope is small, only 42 feet long. It is our floating missionary home from May month until December,

The ocean seems to tire at night and often sleeps quietly like afpot of bluish ointment until sunrise;

then the winds start striving on its brbw, furrowing and wrinkling its face into massive waves. So we usually sailed with the dawning, before the moody sea began its daily romp with the rugged rocks. Occasionally we would stop over shoals to jig a fish for dinner, or slow down to shout a greeting to fishermen at their trawls and nets. In those early hours the air was crisp and good when it was wot foggy, and the smell of brine, and coffee from the galley, were delightful as the Hope uubbed along with a roll and twist. Little puffs of gray smoke puncturing the gloom of the shadows indicated where villages nestled, and before the towns -were fully awake we would be docked and preparing for our day's work among the people. We had many interesting experiences.

One Saturdaynight we sought shelter from a storm in a small nook where a cluster of houses hid. The people were kind and receptive. They were pleasant to_t talk with, and appreciated our visit as we helped them locate Bible truths about the new world. Many were glad to offer a small contribution for Bibles and books. But, alas 1 the next day in church the clergyman preached a tirade against us and instructed the people to have nothing to do with us, and he told them not to keep the Bibles and books, but to bring them back to us again. That night three persons returned their Bibles and literature. That a Protestant minister should command his flock to return Bibles came as a great shock to many good people, and it did not do religion's reputation any good, either. The real results were that we placed much more literature, for the people were thoroughly aroused, and they asked many questions.

At an early hour next morning the fishermen from other near-by settlements were visited. He warned the fishermen, even those who were of different denomination, that they should have nothing to do with those ‘bad’ Jehovah's witnesses. Again results favored us, because the men were curious to have our Bible message explained. Next Sunday we arranged for an Orangeman's hall to give a Bible lecture in another village up the bay. Lo, once more he appeared, and we did not get the hall.

Voice from the Sky

Then for the first time we used the powerful sound equipment of the Hope in this district Denied the hall, we sailed

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the boat out to the center of the harbor and, with God's blue sky above and the placid waters beneath, our auditoriun was as large as the horizon and the tall waa heard in all the towns close by. One woman said, When our Savior was born Mary couldn't get into the inn, or a home, so the King of the world was born in a manger. Now men come preaching and teaching the Bible and they are spoken against in the. churches, kept from using the halls, and they have to preach to .us with a voice from out of the sea,-’ The clergyman urged one man who had obtained from us the book "Let God Be True” to burn it immediately. The man answered that he had learned more from that book than he had ever known in his life before.

One chilly morning in late September when the orange and cardinal colors of autumn were touching the berry branches and spreading upward to the tips of birches and maples, we sailed up a long bay to work a settlement. Arrangements were made to give a Bible lecture in the Orange hall at 8:30 on Sunday night, and the people looked forward to it. But Saturday the local preacher began warning people against ns and all day Sunday the air of the place was electrified with excitement. We decided to attend church that night to hear his denunciation of us. It was just that, but in making remarks about us the preacher was surprised to see several parishioners get up and walk out,

Well, we did not get the hall after that, but, ironically enough, the sexton of the church offered us his big dwelling house in which to give our talk. The place was crowded—upstairs, steps, kitchen, parlor and porch. In a later visit we were able to engage the Orange hall, and this time we had no trouble except threats and wild rumors.

In places where halls were shut to us, and when the weather was good, we would use our sound equipment for lecturing. In this way many heard the mes

awake i sage of God’s kingdom, but first along it caused quite a stir. On a clear evening this public-address system can amplify sound to reach four to five miles away. Probably it is the high terrain that echoes the words and music so far. Not having heard such strong open-air lecturing before, people in settlements that we had not yet visited were startled to hear hymns and music descending from the gorges and mountain crests. It was as though heavenly hosts were singing a hallelujah chorus from the sky.

And when the words of Scripture and a call to serve the Almighty God Jehovah came to the people’s hearing, they afterward told us that they were greatly moved and even frightened. It was not hard for them to imagine that Gabriel’s horn had blown, and to those who look for a visible return of Christ could easily come the fear or hope that a white horse would soon break forth from the clouds. They told us the situation was all the more frightening when sometimes the words seemed to come from an old abandoned church, and sometimes from the graveyard, other times from a parsing cloud. When the people got used to the Hope and the loud-speaker programs they often heard the sound in the distance and smiled with understanding— somewhere Jehovah’s witnesses were lecturing tonight

Good Results

We made many fine and noble friends along these weather-beaten shores, and after a frhile it got so that whenever we arrived in a port the children came aboard and visited us with joy to see us back; the people enjoyed more open-air talks on the Bible. Although the religious leaders opposed us, and told the parents to keep the children from visiting the “awful crowd⁷’ on the Hope, little heed has been given, and so we look forward to each season’s work among these humble people. Despite the way the clergymen acted in these places described, in

JEW# 1949

the 1948 season, we were able to leave 2,877 Bibles and books, 5,000 magazines and booklets, 400 new subscriptions; and we had the pleasure of making 1,600 back-calls, giving 50 Bible lectures besides all the sound work with the boat equipment, and 26 home Bible studies were started.

Some may think, from the description of life in an “oatport” where we spoke of fishing, hunting and picking wild berries for food, that Newfoundland is the ideal place. The truth is that it is only when the fish and birds strike in in great quantities that there is a guarantee of winter’s diet, and the berry growth has good and bad seasons. Costs of equipment with which to fish is gradually spiraling to burdensome heights, so, although our coast is endowed with what sounds like good fishing and hunting, yet there are many poor people who find it hard to keep the wolf from the door. Some seasons have been complete failures. So the people here, like all the rest of the world, are in need of the blessings of the “new earth” after Armageddon's storm has passed.

As for the Hope, she will continue to ply the coast each summer from the time when navigation opens in spring, through the summer months when capelin, squid and cod are fished, when the silvery salmon leap the falls, and on into the fall when fish-filled schooners beat their lazy way homeward from distant Labrador. She will anchor in the quiet coves throughout the nights and make back-calls on meek people in the days. And when the barometer drops, and the sea quakes and roughens, coils and strikes in long green lashes on the rocky ramparts, the Hope will not give up. When the evil song of the northern winds soughs in gleeful storm, we will trust in Jehovah, who “is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea”.—Awoke! correspondent in N ewf oundland.

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Many Roads to Salvation?

<L Are the hundreds of religious sects and cults merely different roads leading to the same place of salvation? Many say yes; but it has been generally believed that the Catholic Church maintained “No salvation outside the Church”, meaning their organization. On April 13 three Catholic teachers at Boston College and one at Boston High School (both Catholic institutions) were fired by Jesuit Wm. L. Keleher, president of Boston College. The four professors had accused Jesuit Keleher of heresy for teaching: (1) There may be salvation outside the Catholic Church; (2) a man may be saved though he says the Roman Church may not be supreme among churches; (3) a man may be saved without submission to the pope. <L Many Catholic people had always understood as did the professors; so they picketed six Catholic Churches in the Boston area because of the ouster of the men, and carried placards that read; “No salvation outside the Church.^,f Vatican sources said jurisdiction over the controversy would be in the hands of Boston’s Archbishop Cushing. On April 17 Jesuit “Father” Feeney of the St. Benedict Center said he was unable to understand why the men were fired for expounding “the three basic premises of Catholic life”. The next day Archbishop Cushing announced that he had “silenced” Feeney and deprived him of all priestly functions.

The April 22 issue of the New York Times reported “Catechism Revised for Modern World”, the first major revision in sixty years. It is the Baltimore “penny” text used in America for seventy years, and the new 426-page book is titled “A Catechism of Christian Doctrine”. On the subject of the true church it says: “What do we mean when we say, 'Outside the Church there is no salvation*? When we say, 'Outside the Church there is no salvation/ we mean that those who through their own grave fault do not know that the Catholic Church is the true Church or, knowing it, refuse to join it, cannot be saved. 'Outside the Chhrch there is no salvation’ does not mean that everyone who is not a Catholic will be condemned. It does mean that no one can be saved unless he belongs in some manner to the Catholic Church, either actually or in desire, for the means of grace are not given without some relation to the divine institution established by Christ.”

This is hardly even a graceful loophole for the Hierarchy in a Protestant country. How do Protestants belong “in some manner” to the Catholic Church, which the above revised catechism claims is the only channel of saving grace? A vague and confusing play with words, that catechism answer. While quibbling about salvation through “an act of perfect charity”, undefined, the Catholic Encyclopedia_} volume III, page 752, says: “Only by entering the Church can we participate in the redemption wrought for us by Christ. . . . Outside the Church these gifts cannot be obtained. From all this there is but one conclusion: Union with the Church is not merely one out of varioas means by which salvation may be obtained: it is the only means.” The papal bull Unam Sanctam_} issued by Pope Boniface VIII in 1302, declared that “for every human creature it is necessary for salvation to be subject to the authority of the Roman Pon* tiff”. But now, in liberal America, at least, where the Catholic Church is a minority, she would like to pose as broadminded, admitting that there might be other means of salvation. C. Many roads to saltation? No; but if there were the Catholic Church could claim to have embraced them all in her broad trail through the past centuries. She reached out and took in teachings of pagan religions rnunci’ about, in violation of the Bible principle of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. Their way is h broad way, even allowing room for pagans to travel thereon and feel at home. Jesus spoke of the way of salvation as 'strait and narrow’. (Matthew 7:13,14) The Bible tells of one Mediator to bring God’s graces to men, namely Christ, and not a church, or a priest, or a woman named Mary, (1 Timothy 2:5) Many toads to salvation? Ephesians 4; 5 answers: “One faith.” That right road is marked out in God’s Word, the Bible.

AFTER the Japanese surrender in August, 1945, the Indonesians under leadership of Dr. Soekarno, proclaimed the independence of Indonesia on August 17; 1945. Shortly thereafter, by means of proclamations, on the walls of many buildings, at the corners of the streets, on the sides of electrical tram-wagons, the independence of Indonesia was declared. Mottoes as “Once free, forever free”, “Freedom, the glory of every nation,” “We don’t want the Dutch,” “Away with colonization,” could be read everywhere at Batavia. Caricatures appeared on the walls of buildings.

In September, 1945, the first Allied forces, small in number, landed at Tg. Priok, the harbor of Batavia. Soon thereafter the Japanese forces were disarmed and interned. Some of the Japanese fled into the country. The Indonesians, seeing the English were not able to maintain order and law, and instigated by the various radio propagandas, started various murders on the Dutch. Among them were innocent men, women and children, as it always happened during a revolution. Many fights occurred between the Allied and the Indonesians. Killing, murders, robberies and kidnaping were done on a large scale, even in the occupied cities, such as Batavia.

In the beginning of , the revolution the Chinese people were let alone, because of the sympathetic attitude of the Chinese government toward the Indonesian quest for freedom. However, this did not go on very long. Accusations were made on the side of the Indonesians that the Chinese people sympathized with the Dutch. Hatred toward the Chinese increased, and this gave rise to various murders, robberies and fires on the Chinese, their goods and chattels. All those crimes were committed by irrespdnsible JUNE 22, 1949

elements, all of them calling themselves “nationalists”.

Allied occupied cities were gradually restored to the Dutch, while the Allied troops went farther inland to occupy more territories. As lohg as the British were present, the Dutch could not have a free hand in settling the matter in their own way* The British some times were, forced to send out punitive.expeditions, such as happened at Bekasi, a village a few miles eastward from Batavia. An accident took place near Bekasi; a Dakota airplane with British and Indian troops was crashed to the ground, and the survivors were massacred by the mob. The British immediately took revenge by sending out an expedition to punish the guilty ones; but, alas, the latter took to their heels before the expedition reached the village. However, almost the whole village was razed to the ground.

After the revenge of the British, the Chinese again were blamed for betraying the Indonesians to their enemies. This was enough reason for the irresponsible Indonesian elements to plunder the Chinese houses, and to kill Chinese people, including women and children. This also happened at Tangerang, a village westward from Batavia, in May, 1946. The Dutch made “cleansing operations” in the neighborhood of Batavia. They marched to Tangerang, after cannonading it from Batavia. While the Dutch were on the way to Tangerang, the fanatic Indonesian people in the neighborhood of that village arrested the Chinese population, and "evacuated them to safer places, in order to defend them against the cruelties of the Dutch". Many of them were killed on the way. This Chinese murder filled the hearts of honest people with indignation. The Republican radio from Jogjakarta (Republican headquarters) broadcast that the Republican authorities would surely punish those irresponsible elements as they deserved.

Negotiations and More Bloodshed

The British, who have been playing the role of arbiter, tried to reconcile the Dutch with the Indonesians. Their efforts led to the Lihggadjati Agreement on November 15, 1946. (Linggadjati is a place in West Java.) According to the agreement, both the parties shpuld cooperate to form as soon as possible a sovereign democratic federation, namely the United States of Indonesia.

As both the parties suspect each other, it is no wonder that the agreement had little or no effect. Soon they accused each other of trespassing the truce. Both the Indonesians and the Dutch newspapers were summing up the numerous transgressions of the other. At last, Dr. Van Mook, determined to make an end to the trouble, by bringing "order and peace* in Indonesia, by the expansion of the Dutch territories, .according to Dr. Van Mook's own words, 40 that the people could breathe more freely. The first police action, as the Dutch called it, took place on July 21, 1947. The operations of the Dutch troops under General Spoor made much progress,' and soon many towns and villages of Java and Sumatra fell into Dutch hands. The Republican troops, which are not in possession of bombers, could offer little resistance.

According to the Republican comments, their withdrawal did not mean loss, but that they would be able to organize the guerrillas. Before their withdrawal they burnt many buildings and houses/as at Soekaboenrd and Malang. The tragedy of evacuating Chinese people to other - places, where ^they would be defended against the Dutch”, repeated itself. They fell victims to fanatic, irresponsible elements, who call themselves “nationalists’’. Many of them are organized in gangs, whose only desire is robbing and killing, and have not the slightest idea of what freedom for the country means, in fact. In their rage they even burned alive innocent children and women, as at Malang, a place south of Sourabaya. The Republic appealed to the Security Council for intervention, and this indeed took place. America suggested that both the fighting parties pease firing, and the Dutch, fearing to displease powerful America, stopped their operations on August 5,1947.

Security Council Commission

The Security Council decided to send a commission to Indonesia to investigate the situation. This commission is called the Commission of Good Services, composed of three members, namely America, Australia and Belgium. This commission is called by the. Malayspeaking people Kommisi Tiga Neg&ri (K.T.N.), or Commission, of Three Countries. At last the parties, came to an agreement, namely the Renville Agreement,. which was signed on board the Renville, an American ship.

According to this agreement signed January 17, 1948, there will be held free elections by the Indonesian people io determine for themselves the position of their states with respect to the United States of Indonesia in the future. According-to the "six additional articles of the Commission of Good Services", the sovereignty, formerly belonging to the Dutch government, will be transferred to the IL S. I. after a certain period. Before the ending of that period, certain responsibilities are to be transferred to a preliminary federal government. The position of the Republic of

Indonesia will be a state within the U. S, I.

The stumbling-block for both parties is the pending question about the participation of the Republic in the U. S. I. The Republic cannot believe that the U. S. L will be in fact a free and sovereign state. Numerous accusations of trespassing the truce by both parties were repeated, and in November,¹ 1948, the lieutenant governor general, Dr. Van Mook, tendered his resignation. Dr. Beel came in his place. But negotiations came to a deadlock.

Second "Police Actiorf* and Its Results

Then for the second time the Dutch decided to take up arms. The second so-called “police action” started on December 19, 1948. The Dutch used their paratroops to land at Magoewo, the Republican aerodrome near Jogjakarta. Before the landing the environs of that aerodrome had been machine-gunned by Dutch fighters, so that the paratroops could land safely. General Spoor himself attended the air raids from above. The paratroops marched to Jogjakarta and arrested the Republican president, Dr. Soekarno, the vice-president, Moh. Hatta, General Sudirman, and other high Indonesian officials. Soon thereafter the whole city of Jogjakarta fell into Dutch hands. The Dutch troops made their attacks at several places in Java and Sumatra at the same time, and in a few days occupied almost all Republican territories.

However, this did not mean that order and peace were brought in Indonesia, and certainly not freedom. On the.contrary, the Indonesian guerrillas continued their fight for freedom, though their leaders were taken captive. The newspapers day by day made, mention of guerrilla activities, which caused damage amounting to millions of guilders and loss of many lives. Many were the reports about Indonesian raids at the occupied cities. The situation for the Dutch planters in Java is very critical.

The Republican leaders, whose abode had at first been kept secret, were held on the isle of Banka. On arrival in Banka, Dr. Soekarno was welcomed by the population of that island. He even was carried on the shoulders of the enthusiastic people. Discussions were held between the Republican leaders and the delegation of the B. F. 0. (Byzonder Federaal Overleg). This is a commission composed of the representatives of states, which will form the federation of the U. S. I. Again the Republic was invited to become a part of the U. S. I. The Republic required the immediate release of all Republican political prisoners and the restitution of the Republican power at Jogjakarta, this being in accordance with the decisions of the Security Council. The B. F. O. affirmed Republican requirements in its resolution of March 3, 1949.

On May 7 the United Nations Commission for Indonesia announced that the Dutch and the Republic had agreed to halt the five months of jungle fighting, and the Dutch will free the political prisoners taken last December and the Republic will once again become a functioning government, with its cabinet in Jogjakarta. The Republic will take part in a round-table talk at The Hague on the Indonesian problem, but insists on the holding of the full-dress debate bn Indonesia that is on the United Nations

General Assembly agenda, though the Netherlands objects thereto.

The real tragedy is that while the political leaders look for what they call 4 "satisfying agreement”, while the Security Council again and again assembles to discuss the Indonesian problem, the

ion people, especially in the Dutch

recently occupied territories, suffer by famine and disease, and sharp fightings. Truly, the freedom quest is far from rose-colored, though it is frequently blood red.—A wake 1 correspondent in Indonesia.

VIBV ftlflKTIVT fiYftVnt ^01gHS’ murder, adultery, im

THIS IMUSBrlw« SIwlSIW morality, stealing, false wit

Perfectly Equipped to Handle 1

THROUGHOUT the ages that sin and death have tortured and slain men without exception, many cures and many culprits have successively been held up for popular acceptance. Perhaps no other panacea has been tried in such vast varieties and combinations as food and drink. Men sought to attain the strength of the lion by eating its meat, or capture the vigor of the slain enemy by drinking his blood. Intense desire to win the affections of the opposite sex or of a cherished member induced man and maid alike to drink copious quantities of “love potions"’. Besides incantation, aild because of its more material appeal to the credulous victim, the magician customarily also prescribed a ‘‘witch’s brew” to eat or drink. From the bubbling cauldron, the foul odors of the sorcerer’s concoctions filled the patient’s nostrils with nausea, but hope. Confidently the practitioner promised to cure any distress from ugliness to sterility in wives, any illness from weakness to wanderlust in husbands.

Later all this was thrown overboard by the more educated. Or did it merely appear in different style, with brand-new nomenclature? Even the “intelligentsia” of Jesus’ day were so concerned about their diet and eating habits‘that Jesus was impelled to undeceive the common people. “And he called the people to him and said to them, Listen to this, and grasp it I It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that pollutes him,’” As the disciples failed to understand, Jesus elucidated : “ ^fHave even you no understanding yet? Can you not see that whatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and then is disposed of? But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they pollute a man. For out of the heart come wicked de-

j         ness, impious speech. It is

these things that pollute a man, but not eating with unwashed hands 1* ”—Matthew 15:10,11, 16-20, An Amer. Trans.

This article will consider the versatile and competent action of the human digestive system, its ability to “take it or leave it”.

While “digestion” is sometimes defined in a limited maimer as the “conversion of food by the action of the gastric juices into soluble products so that it can be assimilated by the blood” (Webster’s), it is not a simple stomach process its this might imply. Most of us remember from our hygiene hooks that the main digestion takes place in the intestines. But what part is performed by the liver? and why does the pancreas discharge its juice through the same duct that carries the bile? Suggestions on some of these points are all that can be offered.

The alimentary or digestive tract comprises the mouth, pharynx (throat), esophagus (gullet), stomach and intestines. The processes tal^ng place within the alimentary tract whereby food is prepared for absorption into the blood stream are all included under the term digestion. Its appendages include the lips, the teeth, the tongue, the salivary glands, the gastric and intestinal glands, the pancreas and the liver. The whole is a marvel of organizetion, functioning with perfect timing and efficiency. Its action is partly physical and partly chemical.'*

/from Mouth to Stomach

Even in the process of chewing, the first digestive action, which appears so simple that we are seldom conscious of the motion, there are many muscles and nerves in perfect co-ordination permitting the mandible or lower jaw to move forward and backward, up and down or laterally, the lips and tongue to retain and move the food, while the teeth eat and grind and the saliva mixes. Other nerves tell us of its texture, taste, smell and temperature. The system does not need any advance notice as to what kind of food it will be required to handle. The three pairs of salivary glands, the parotid, sublingual and submaxillary, are stimulated by the sight and odor of food, and also by chewing. Two pairs lie below the tongue, and the parotid, below the ears. In structure they resemble a bunch of grapes, the main stem representing the chief excretory duct. For this reason the salivary glands as well as the pancreas are called ^racemose” (Lat. racemus, “a cluster,” as of grapes).

The enjoyment of the sight and smell of food, by stimulating the flow of Saliva and also of the gastric juices of the stomach, thus serves a physiological purpose, as do most of the natural pleasures. About a quart and a half of saliva is secreted normally in 24 hours. Saliva has a twofold action: chemical and physical. Chemically it converts starch into sugar (dextrins, maltose). If a small portion of boiled starch, or a piece of bread, is retained in the mouth a few minutes the sweet taste is noticeable. Physically, saliva softens and moistens the food, and through its mucin, which is viscid or adhesive, the mass is prepared for swallowing. The liquid from the three types of glands each have slightly different composition, and the amount each sends forth will be determined by the properties of the food. Thus, without conscious effort on the part of man, a more fluid saliva is secreted for dry food, a more adhesive for meat, etc. Saliva also cleanses the mouth, moistens it for speech, probably produces thirsf.

Now the process of swallowing is simple to perform, but it is accomplished by the perfect co-ordination by many nerves and muscles, and provision is normally made so that the nasal passages and larynx are closed to prevent food passage. Breathing is suspended just preceding and during the act of deglutition (swallowing). When the body is upright, swallowed food that is liquid passes through the esophagus and reaches the stomach in about two seconds. When the subject's head is below the stomach, the liquid, as do solids, will pass down slowly by peristalsis, a rhythmic, waveltke movement, a very important action which characterizes the function of stomach and intestines as well.

The Stomach’» Work

It has been observed that starches, during the act of mastication, are at least partially transformed into sugar. This is produced by the action of an enzyme or ferment called ptyalin. The yeast bacteria is one type of ferment. Thus as yeast breaks down grain into alcohol and carbon dioxide, so the other enzymes reduce other foods into simpler coifipounds, which are eventually rendered acceptable for absorption. Thus 'the enzyme pepsin of the gastric juice of ► the stomach acts on proteins to form peptones, the’trypsin of the pancreatic Juice fornjs peptids of proteins. A small quantity of these leavens will convert a large quantity, even as Paul said, "A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” (Galatians 5:9) Apparently these enzymes are not used up in the process; hence they are compared to chemical catalysts, which induce or accelerate reactions between substances, but are not themselves changed.

Continuing the narrative^ of the food's journey, it has

now stimulated the opening of a valve, controlled by the cardiac sphincter, ana through it entered the stomach. There are other sphincter muscles, such as the pyloric sphincter at the other end of the stomach, which act together to close the stomach during the process of digestion. (A sphincter is a circular band of muscle which, acting like a purse string, serves to narrow the entrance to or outlet from certain hollow organs. Another, called the ileo-colic, apparently controls the ileo-cecal valve between the small and the large intestine; and still another controls the anus.

The stomach is a highly specialized organ of the thirty-five feet of digestive tract. On the average it is about twelve inches long, conical in shape, and its capacity varies between a quart and a half and a quart and three quarters. Its position is almost vertical, and when not distended by food its walls are contracted, partly in contact, and the whole organ is drawn up into the upper part of the abdominal cavity. It adapts itself to the varying amounts of food, hence varies in size. It is covered by a thin transparent membrane similar to -the peritoneum, beneath which are three layers of muscles. The inner surface is a velvety mucous membrane which, toward the pyloric (or lower) end is continuous with the mucous membrane of the intestine.

The food and saliva mixture, or bolus as it is now called, is shortly subjected to both physical and chemical actions. A peristaltic movement starts near the center or cardiac region of the stomach, making the organ look like a chain of progressive sausages or “hot dogs”. (When empty recurring peristaltic movements produce the feeling of hunger.) This wave both churns and pulverizes the food liquid or semi-liquid as it has now become, mixes it with the digestive or gastric juice, and also when it is ready for discharge ejects it into

18

we duodenum, or rmx or we small mtea* tine which connects with the stomach.

On the mucous lining of the stomach are more than 5,000,000 ducts leading from around 35,000,000 glands. Their chief secretion is mucus, enzymes of th<= gastric juice, and hydrochloric acid. The ferments or enzymes are pepsin, rennin, and lipase. Since the percentage of hydrochloric acid runs as high as 0.6 percent in the gastric juice and since the pepsin is the chief enzyme in the reduction of protein, a question has ariser which no one has satisfactorily an swered: Why does not the stomach digest itself f

The length of time the food remains in the stomach depends upon its composition, Usually two to four hours. The chief action of the stomach is upon proteins and milk. Sugar and starches (carbohydrates) while remaining in the upper part of the stomach continue to digest with the alkaline saliva, but when coming in contact with the acid gastric juice this ceases. Meat and milk and vegetable proteins are broken down by the action of the enzymes and hydrochloric acid. Digestion is much interfered with by anger, fear, anxiety; hence it is especially important at mealtimes to be in a peaceful state of mind.

The Pancreas, Liver and Intestines

When the food mass is discharged into the duodenum in spurts, through the Seri st al tic movement, it is only partially igested. Nestling in the duodenal curve, and connected with it by a small duct the orifice of which is common with the bile duct, is an important organ of digestion. This is the pancreas. Its secretions are more complex than all the others, and in the presence of the bile, which enters the duodenum through the same opening, and the canal is called the common bile duct, it completes the digestion of starch, protein arid fat. The fallacy that starches or carbohydrates should not be eaten together with proteins is ex-

A rr -a if E I ploded by an understanding of the pancreas. It is pointed out by some faddists that starch is digested in the mouth, protein In the stomach. The fact is that starch is much more powerfully acted upon by the pancreatic juices, which also complete the digestion of proteins, and do practically the whole job of digesting fat. It should be remarked that all these processes are at their best at body temperature. Another amazing fact is that the amounts of the several different enzymes secreted by the pancreas are automatically adjusted to or adapted to the properties or the food.

One branch of the common bile duet connects with the gall bladder, which is the storehouse for the liver’s contribution to digestion, the bile. This duct, as before mentioned, pierces the small intestine at the duodenum, or twelve-inch. Section of the intestine which connects with the stomach. The flow of the bile is most abundant when food is passing through the duodenum. The exact part played by bile in digestion has not been fully explained, but in some way it assists the action of the pancreatic juices, especially in the digestion of fats. Bile salts also dissolve soaps insoluble in water, which may be formed during digestion and thus favor the digestion of fats. It is thought also to stimulate peristaltic movement and that some waste products are thrown off by the liver through the bile.

Besides the peristaltic or wavelike movement which is intermittent and progressive forward, the intestine also develops another movement, "rhythmic segmentation.” Bands of circular muscle-fibers, situated at regular distances one from another, begin to contract and divide a mass of food into segments, after which they at once relax to he followed by contraction of other bands in the segments of the intestines overlying the segments of food. The result is again a division of the food into two new segments. In man they occur about ten times in a minute. Rhythmic segmentation is succeeded by another peristaltic wave which advances the food to a more distant region of the intestine, after which segmentation sets in again.

During the passage of the food through the 21 feet of the small intestine the nutrient parts of the chyme or food mixture are extracted through the villi, the small fingerlike absorbing structures. The digestive products are now in usable form for blood to distribute/This absorbed food finds its way to the organs through the veins of the gastrointestinal tract, which converge to form the portal vein; and through the lymph vessels of the small intestine, which converge to empty into the main lymph duct, called the thoracic duet. Blood vessels in the villi, and lymph vessels also in the intestine, carry away these vital products. The waste matter is then pushed along through the colon, or large intestine, where it is partially dehydrated and ejected.

The Vague Nerve

This gives a very brief description of a process so complex and marvelous that no man can help but observe in awe and admit his inability* to probe its secrets. Presiding over this process, and coordinating it, is the nervous system of communication. The great vagus nerve, whose microscopic fibers extend from the brain to the intestines, largely regulates the entire gastrointestinal tract, as well as influences the heart and lungs. No. man governs this great telegraphic line. Its action is completely established within the subconscious, and its function is multifarious and truly astounding.

Thoughtful men will therefore not question the wisdom of the God who made this digestive system so intricate, and who testified of its capabilities through His Son Christ Jesus in the words quoted in the second paragraph of this article.

H^U^oOUTDOORS indoors

By NATURE man is a lover of the great outdoors. H-e loves to bathe in the radiant warmth of sunbeams; he enjoys the refreshing coolness of shaded woodlands; he takes pleasure in strolling along beaches of sand and seashells. The gorgeous splash of sunset colors, the sweet music of songbirds and the entrancing perfume of flower gardens bring joys and pleasures to man’s eyes, ears and nose. Through the sense of touch he is thrilled when walking, barefoot on soft carpets of green grass.

What a contrast between these glorit ; of God’s creation and the nerve-racking grind of shop and office, the din of noisy factories and the foul air and dirt of the mine pit! In this modern civilization, when people leave their secular treadmills of bondage for only a few hours at a time, their flight into the wide open spaces is all too short. People therefore seek substitute measures to satisfy their craving for outdoor freedom. This, then, is why the ideas of modern architecture have been accepted by so many people. Modern design endeavors to bring into the individual home more outdoor elements—-sunlight, air, space and beauty of rock, tree and flower.

Blitzed cities like Portsmouth, England, are rebuilding so that more air and light penetrate the dwellings. Municipal housing projects an£ apartment developments in large cities like New York are planned not only so that more air and light float in the windows, but also so that the sight of green trees and shrubbery meets the eye from every window. Even

20 house-trailers, which have long boasted of their next-to-nature design, are now being built with a sundeck on their rooftops. However, the individual house and bungalow offer the greatest opportunities for combining the indoor comforts of home with the outdoor pleasures of nature.

Years ago houses were built of brick-on-brick and log-ondog. Windows if any were pint-size openings that let in little air, and less light, and gave plenty' of trouble. They jammed going up and jammed coming down. Nowadays the accent is on more and larger windows and the freedom they give, thanks to improvements in heating and insulation, modern construction materials; and nonwarping sashes and frames that do away with counter-weights and'pulleys. Stainless steel window frames for the cottage by the sea do not rust in the salt air.

More than a hole in the wall, a window must be carefully located to give the best service. For example, putting a large corner-window around the breakfast nook brings that “outdoor appetite” to the table and thus serves a better purpose than placing the same window in the bedroom. Instead of a dim-lit library, huge windows should invite people to read with freedom from eyestrain. Glass blocks give a diffused and soft light and at the same time privacy. They too have their place, but careful planning is neces-

sary in using them, to avoid giving a cold, heartless, mechanical look to either the inside or outside of the house.

You may mourn because your house has so few windows and you cannot afford an expensive, cheaply-built postwar house; but have you ever considered remodeling the “old shack”, putting more and bigger windows in its sides and giving it that new outdoor look? It can be done, and at a cost much less than that of a new house. However, if, like so many others, you are without a home and are contemplating building one, then design it according to location. The prevailing summer winds, direction and angle of the sun, the shape and size of the plot of ground, the location of the street and neighboring houses, and the general landscape, are important factors that should not be overlooked. Instead of stacking your house against another along a crooked zigzag street, lay its foundation down according to the compass, and thus take full advantage of the sun.

Only a Wall of Glass Between

Probably the most effective means of bringing the exterior view inside the house is to make the whole side-wall of the main living room out of transparent glass, from the floor to the ceiling. This gives an uninterrupted flow of space from the innermost corner of the room to the outside. But watch out, windowwalls let in more than light. In big cities a solid wall cuts out the ill view of the slums far better than a window, so be sure the outside is desirable to have on the inside before you extend it an invitation to enter. If a window-wall is on the street side there will be about as much privacy as in a store showcase or an exhibit in a public museum unless effective shrubbery is used to screen out the view of passers-by. One very well-planned house puts the garage and least-used rooms on the street side, while the living room with its huge window-wall, and the bedrooms, dining room and kitchen are on the back side overlooking an expansive lawn fringed with trees, shrubbery and flower beds.

Another idea, especially good for summer homes on rock-bound coasts overlooking the sea, is to make the windowwall in the form of sliding glass doors.

When opened, the full flavor of the outdoors enters—the enchanting roar of the pounding serf and the invigorating smell of the salty sea. Due to the corrosive dampness of the air, only rugged and durable furniture and decorations can be used in such a house.

Of lesser size than the window-wall is the "picture window”. A portion of the wall forms the frame, and _%an expansive and magnificent view of the countryside supplies the picture. One in

genious architect so designed a picturewindow to look out upon a private millpond which became a skating rink in the wintertime. The indirect reflection of light from the water or ice provided the room with an abundance of diffused light.

Pushing Out the Walls

What suppresses the mind of the prisoner is the immovable walls that constantly press upon him. If only he could push them back and enlarge his quarters! And so it is in the home. If only the rooms were bigger, greater would be the freedom! But to include more cubic feet is to increase the cost at a staggering rate; hence architects have devised many ways to give the impression that

more outside space has been included. Built-in cabinets, closets, drawers and bookeases give more floor space* The reflection of a large mirror covering half the side of the bathroom wall makes the room look twice as big. Built-in units and a large window reaching to the ceiling will prevent the cook from feeling imprisoned in a kitchen that is purposely made small to save steps*

Putting in transparent glass partitions between hallways and rooms allows the eye to see farther without obstruction. A sliding partition between two rooms allows for extra expansion on occasions. Or, better yet, the removal of the partitions altogether, and the formation of “combination” library, living and dining room is becoming more and more popular. In such a room the furniture, like the davenport and overstuffed, armchairs, and the dining table with its chairs, arb so arranged to divide the space for the various functions. If a housewife finds it hard to bring herself around to the idea of no partitions, an open lattice work can be placed between the dining and living rooms until she tires of dusting its slats and is glad to see it removed altogether.

Pushing the outside walls out is accomplished in a number of ways. The old-time veranda or front porch that was never used because of the dust and funles from the street has been moved around on the back side of the house and is galled a terrace or sun porch. With the main house roof extending out to include. u, and with its paving stones leveling off with the lawn or garden, the indoors and outdoors become closely attached* Sometimes glassed-in and heated for winter use, sometimes haying open rafters so the night heavens can be viewed in the summer, sometimes 'screened in to give protection from annoying mosquitoes, these "rooms” added to the 'house are used and enjoyed by all members of the family* If such a porch extends off the kitchen it serves as an outdoor summer dining room. Underneath one wing of a house built on a hill an open-air shelter can be arranged to give the children an outdoor playroom during rainy weather.

The Spanish-designed house with a patio or inner court is a very practical way of bringing the outdoor atmosphere right into the home, and more and more people in the warmer localities of the United States are making use of such an open-air room. With a pool of water in which are goldfish surrounded with natural rocks and water-plants, a large shade tree, many flowers and shrubs and climbing vines, the patio becomes a veritable garden inclosed within the four outside walls of the house.

Outdoor "Room?’

Not every locality is suitable for Spanish-styled houses, nor does every locality afford a beautiful panoramic view of countryside. Most homes, however, have sufficient ground about them in which a private garden can be cultivated. If properly walled, or fenced, and if its occupant is as good a gardenkeeper as housekeeper, it can be lived in part of the year, since most of the United States enjoys five months of weather suitable for outdoor living. An extra outdoor “room” a short distance from the house can be added by planting shrubbery in such a way that it cuts off its view from other parts of the garden. Then, if weatherproof furniture, tables and chairs, are put out here they need not be dragged in every time it rains. Thus one can extend the indoors outdoors, and vice versa.

An outdoor fireplace backed up against the house chimney provides “camping out” facilities in one-s own backyard, and even when autumn evenings grow cool the freedom of this roofless annex can be enjoyed. And speaking of fireplaces, homes that include an indoor fireplace or hearth use one of the most effective ways of giving a room that outdoor atmosphere of the campfire glow and warmth on winter evenings. To complete the outdoor touch, the chimney should be constructed of natural stone from the floor to the ceiling.

Give the Inside That Outside Look

Interior decorations and furnishings can do much to provide a home with an exhilarating atmosphere, reminiscent of nature’s beauty. If the spacious windowwalls, glass blocks and picture-windows make one feel he is a goldfish in a bowl, then colorful floral draperies and sheer curtains will counterbalance this objection. Let the upholstery carry soft leaf and flower patterns and the furniture will harmonize with the outdoor theme of the room. The kitchen need not look like a hospital. It will seem just as clean and spotless if finished in pleasing tints of plant green as it does painted a cold blue-white. Modern rugs, having “carved” and “sculptured” leaves, give the impression that one is walking on leafy carpets of the forest. Instead of lifeless plastered ceilings they can be ndade of unpainted redwood boards. Plywood doors, and walls of knotty pine, give that outdoor rustic look, and if the children’s room is so finished there is not as much fear that they will damage these daintily tinted walls. Even from the economy angle, plywood paneled walls are cheaper than lath-and-plaster construction. Cabinet work made of knotty pine will also add a rugged outdoor flavor. Many of these ideas are incorporated in what is known as the “ranch house” design, a style that is becoming more popular each year.

In addition to the above suggestions bring into the home some of nature’s sights, scents and sounds in the form of potted plants and flowers. Let a faint odor of pine, balsam or cedar scent the home in the winter and remind the occupants of the ever-beautiful evergreens. Flower gardens in the windows are a sure cure for the winter shut-in ‘‘blues”. Train vines around those large picturewindows on the inside and they will blend so nicely with the outdoor summer scenery one will forget a pane of glass separates the inside from the outside. Or slant the large window over the kitchen sink out at the bottom, put in a flower boi the height of the sink, and the happy housewife will think she is leaning over a delightful flowerbed instead of the disagreeable dishpan. Some inconsiderately bring wildlife indoors by imprisoning canaries and goldfish in small cages and bowls.

It is true, with an acute housing shortage, oppressive landlords, and ruthless real estate sharks abroad in the earth, feyr people are able to bring these outdoor pleasantries into their homes. But rejoice in the knowledge that these killing conditions are about to end. Armageddon will shortly cleanse this earth of all wickedness, and the doers of the same, and make way for God’s New World of Theocratic rule, under which people of good-will will enjoy the housing blessings long ago promised in the holy prophecies.

They shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of Jehovah of hosts hath spoken it. They shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.—Micah 4:4; Isaiah 65:21,22, Am. Stan. Ver.

Science and Medicine

4L Stage fright seised three electric eels when they were billed to perform for 200 electrical engineers. Usually a sturdy electric eel is good for 700 volts and one ampere, but on this occasion none of these flesh-and-blood dynamos could muster more than 400 volts. Possibly nervous before the electrical experts. But if the eels were bund!eg of nerves, so' were the engineers. Nervous tension reached its dimax when Dr. Coates, who had been handling his wriggling charges with affection and rubber gloves, lost his grip on one of the eels and it flopped down near the front-row spectators. Mental shock shook the electrical engineers as they envisioned physical shock should the runaway eel make contact with them, but the minor wave of consternation subsided when Dr. Coates made connections with the slippery “live wire”. It was only then that this annual meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers could give some attention to explanations of the type of electrical current eels generate and how they do it.

C'But eels and engineers continued to eye one another coldly, with ill-concealed mistrust and professional jealousy. And Dr. Coates’ rather nonchalant observation that there was no way to “turn an eel off” once he “threw the switch” did not improve relations. This 1949 conclave of electrical engineers in New York eity w&s further plagued by a power failure that plunged their assembly room into darkness. For ten minutes the only break in the black-out was shouted witticisms, such as “Is there an electrician in the house f ” They should have sued for peace with the eels and plugged one of them into the light .circuit.

*8? When water pipes get clogged up the plumber scrapes out whatever is obstructing passage. But doctors have hesitated to use this method in the ease of hardening arteries, whieh can lead to gangrene if arteries become so clogged that little blood gets through. Now a team of five French surgeons seems to have learned the trick. They split the artery (in extreme cases for as much as two feet), scrape out the stoppage, and sew it up. The team has worked on the main abdominal artery as well as arteries in the arms and legs. Out of 100 cases, 65 have improved. In operations involving arteries in the arms or legs improvement has been almost 100 percent.

H, Bikini Lagoon, still radioactively hot from A-bomb tests, has experienced a new scientific wonder: underwater television. A waterproof video Camera was lowered in the lagoon 100 feet and without lights sent its impulses up the coaxial cable to a screen aboard a ship. Scientists saw crystal-clear images of wrecked ships on the ocean bottom, looked into the face of fish swimming toward the camera, and watched divers at work. Underwater television opens new scientific vistas. The camera can go deeper than divers, and will be of commercial add military value. And scientists are drooling over its possibilities for deep sea study.

*8? Wrong operation, wrong patient, hospital so sorry. That is the cryptic tale that leaks out of the People’s Hospital of Akron, Ohio. Had everything proceeded as it should have, a middle-aged woman would have been recovering from a tonsillectomy, instead of a 20-year-old one. Here’s how it happened: A young woman was to have a glandular cyst removed from her neck. An orderly wheeled her into the operating room. Enter a surgeon, scheduled to perform a tonsillectomy on a middle-aged woman. He spied the young girl and very unflatteringly mistook her for his older patient and lifted her tonsils. A hospital official termed this comedy of errors a “regrettable error”.

The Way to a Lasting Happy Life RELIGIOUS teachers would have men believe that all men are immortal and therefore cannot die- Evolutionists would have men believe man is evolved from an insignificant animalcule and is advanced from one degree to a higher degree of life until he becomes perfect. Both theories are entirely wrong- Both are positively disproved by God’s Word His provision for man to live is the only possible provision or means of obtaining lasting life.

Does Holy Writ show that Jesus Christ died for all men! He died that all men who will avail themselves of God’s provision for life might live. But that cannot mean that life is forced upon any man whether he desires it or not and whether he obeys God or not The one who is a willful and deliberate opposer of God’s kingdom cannot receive life through Jesus Christ There is no reason to think that Adam, mankind’s human father, will ever live again, as he was a wicked man and died as such. As-God’s law provides (Psalm 145:20), all the wicked shall suffer destruction. Those persons who deny the existence of God and who treat the blood of Christ Jesus as a common thing and who refuse to have any faith in God or in Christ and who oppose the Kingdom and who teach the false doctrines contrary to God’s Word, cannot have the benefit of eternal life. At^2 Peter 2:1 we read: “Denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.” —Rev. Stan. Ver.

The kingdom of heaven was the hidden treasure which Jesus purchased by surrendering His all. (Matt 13:44) It is the governmental organization of Jehovah God, created and organized by Him, and by it the new world is to be governed in righteousness. Thai organization is also de signaled-in the Bible as “Zion”, The Theocracy, the Holy City, and the Royal House of God. Of that royal house or kingdom Jesus Christ is the duly appointed and anointed King. It is God’s provision that there should be associated with Jesus in that kingdom 144,000 others, these to be taken from among men and changed from human to spirit. These are also called “kings and priests of God and of Christ", and they “shall reign with him a thousand years”. (1 Pet. 2: 9,10; Revelation 1: 6; 20:4, 6) Every member of that kingdom must be spirit, changed from human to spirit in the “first resurrection” and must live as spirit creatures in heaven, invisible to human eyes. This means that all such must die as human creatures and bo resurrected as spirit creatures by Almighty God- As it is written, at 1 Corinthians 15: 44: “It is sown [in death] a natural body; it is raised [in resurrection to life] a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body/’

Jesus Christ was the first of the Royal House and is its Head and Lord. God has committed to Him all power in heaven and in earth, including the power to resurrect from the dead those in the graves and to give them life jsall of which He does as Jehovah’s Chief Officer and Representative. (John 5:22,26; 6:40,44) God’s provision to give life to those who will become members of His kingdom is all by and through Jesus Christi When His apostles were seeking the way to life and Thomas propounded to Him the question as to that way, Jesus answered: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”—John 14:6,

Until Jesus had been raised from the dead and had ascended to heaven and paid over the purchase price for mankind_; it was impossible for any man to receive life everlasting, and so impossible for any man to understand how he might receive such life. After Jesus had ascended to heaven and had poured out the holy spirit upon His disciples on the day of Pentecost, then His disciples understood how God would grant life through Jesus Christ

The kingdom of heaven being first in importance, it must first be built up before dead mankind in general could be resurrected to life. The purchase price for mankind had been paid over at Jesus’ ascension, but the Kingdom must first be brought into operation before the bestowal of life. Those who would be associated with Christ Jesus in the Kingdom must first be selected, be put to the test, and be brought into the Kingdom before mankind in general could find the way to a lasting happy life and receive it Those who are members of the Kingdom must be redeemed from sin and death before they could enter upon the way to life. It is the lifeblood of Jesus, presented in heaven as the purchase price, that provides the means of redeeming those who will be members of the Kingdom and also all others of mankind who will comply with God’s fixed rules for life. What are those fixed rules? “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”-John 17:3.

This is the rule by which every man must be guided who finds the way to life. He must learn and know that Almighty God, the Eternal One, is Jehovah and

that-He is the source of life. He must learn and know that Christ Jesus is the beloved Son of the Almighty God and is the Savior of men, the Chief Officer of the omnipotent Goa, the great Judge, and the One who bestows life upon those who obey Jehovah God and His Messiah, the Christ This means that the person must have faith in God and in Ch Ast. Romans 10:17 states: “Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." In order for a person to have faith he must have some knowledge, and this knowledge must proceed from a truthful source, and then the person must rely upon that information or knowledge so received. Therefore faith may properly be defined in this manner: A knowledge aijd appreciation of God’s Word, which is the truth, and a confident reliance upon that Word. The Bible, which contains God's Word, must therefore be the guide of every one who exercises faith that leads to a lastirtfc happy life. 'Without faith it is impossible to please him.” And before saying this the apostle Paul defines faith in these words: “Now faith is the substance [that is, the ground or confidence] of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen,”—Hebrews 11:6,1.                      ¹

The faith that pleases God is faith in Him and in His Word as the only true guide. The traditions of religious men could not possibly be any ground or Ijasis for faith in God and in Christ. The theories or traditions of men are false guides that lead a person into complete darkness, the end of which is everlasting destruction. Worldly religion, demonism and evolution all spring from God’s enemy, Satan the Devil, and all plunge men who follow such traditions into, complete darkness and destruction. To safeguard people who are looking for the Kingdom and for a lasting happy life God’s Word specifically warns them against the theories of worldly religion and demonism, things which constitute a snare to mankind.—Deuteronomy 7:16.

Suppressing Truth on Undemocratic Greece

Despite pretenses, the responsible United States officials know that their country is not bulwarking democracy by pouring millions of American dollars into

Greece* They know that instead of financing justice and freedom they are maintaining in that land a clerical fascism honeycombed with fraud and graft and oppression, a rule loathed by the common people* By supporting such a harsh rule instead of championing true democracy they turn many toward the only alternative, Communism. It happened .in China* Now history repeats itself in Greece* This was borne out by Robert S. Allen, Washington commentator, in his broadcast heard over New York's powerful station WOR on April 3, 1949. His statement follows:

Secret Greek Report

From time to time, this program has reported a number of shocking facta about the Greek aid program which is coating American taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Disclosures about the incompetence, graft and obstructionism of the reactionary- and undemocratic Greek government, and the incompetence, bungling and waste of U. S. officials in Greece. These disclosures have not set well with certain high authorities in the State Department and the Pentagon building. They have done a lot of muttering and sputtering.

Tonight, this program can report a complete official confirmation of these shocking disclosures. This official confirmation is contained in a report in the hands of the Joint Congressional Committee on foreign Economic Cooperation. This is the so-called ^frWatch-dog Committee on the Marshall Plan”. The report was written by the counsel of this committee, after an extended personal survey in Greece. For some unexplained reason, this report has been suppressed. Personally, I suspect that this suppression is due to the State

Department and the military. There is very good reason why they would not want this report to be made public. It i$ very embarrassing to them. But I have a copy of this report and here are a few of its many shocking charges and condemnations:

That the Greek government is incompetent, reactionary and crooked; that it does not represent the Greek people, an<i does not have the confidence of the Greek people. Also, and this is a direct quote from the report, “The only reason the present Greek government remains in power is the support of the United States.” Further, that there are too many. American officials in Greece; &n,d that a large percentage of them are being paid $10,000 a year in salaries, plus an additional $7,000 for rent and food allowances. Also, that many of these Americans are incompetent and doing a poor job. Further, that there is too much American ostentatiousness in Greece. Many U. S. officials are driving around in big shiny new earflj and are living in a high-handed and showy manner.

The report also charges that a sfiiall handful of Greeks have a monopoly on importing certain foods and other commodities. Here is what the report says about this: “The Ministry of National Economy of the Greek Government, which controls import licenses, is rotten to the core. Graft ia predominant.” The report also reveals that to this day the IL B. still has not been able to get the Greek government to put price controls on private imports* and has been only partially successful in imposing price controls on government imports. As a result, profiteering is widespread and voracious- The report also charges that the Greek tax system is archaic, and that the wealthy pay practically no taxes at all. Sim? ilarly, the report says that it is impossible for the ordinary man to get justice in Greece.

It is such conditions, the report declares, that are making Communists in Greece. Not Russia or the guerrillas. Poverty, injustice and despair are turning people to the left. It is the sordid Greek government and our fumbling and bungling that is making Greek Reds.

Here is the conclusion of this suppressed official report: “We are not getting our money's worth in Greece. Water is filling the present Greek ship of state faster than the ECA can bail it out. It is impossible to win in Greece by purely military operations. Nor will money alone buy the Greek people. Social reforms and better and more honest administration are fundamental to Greek recovery. The United States should let it be known openly what is wanted in Greece and should make it plain that if these policies are not followed, U. S. aid will not he permitted to continue.”

That is what this report says. It is a despairing report, because it shows that despite all that has happened in China, the high brass in the White House, the State Department

*1------ and the Pentagon have learned nothing. That despite the billions we have already spent, ap6 the billions we are committing ourselves co spend under the North Atlantic Paet, we are not winning the cold war against Russia, We are not winning that war because of our incompetence, our stupidity, and our own cowardice in not supporting democratic and honest governments. We are pouring our strength and our resources down ratholes.

A dispatch from Washington dated April 4 and published in the New York Times of April 10¹ also gave highlights from this unpublicized, report, confirming the foregoing and adding: “According to the Wyman report, a relatively small number of the guerrillas are actual Communists. He estimates the percentage as not more than 15 percent. He also asserts that Communist aid from the adjoining Soviet satellite countries, ‘is not the whole story" ”

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Blockade Lifted, Airlift Lessened

Early May witnessed the arresting spectacle of an accord reached between Russia and the Western powers. Meeting in New York, representatives of the Soviet Union, Britain, France and the U. S., agreed on the terms for lifting the Berlin blockade, among which was the setting of a date for a four-power conference of the foreign ministers of these nations on the subject of Germany.

The Berlin blockade was actually lifted,' after nearly eleven months In effect, on May 12, at 12:01 a.ni. Lights that had been practically blacked out for months were switched on and there were parties and dancing throughout the city. Promptly trains began to move into the blockaded area, and the airlift began to drop off, r

Bonn Constitution for Germany

# The German political leaders of the Western zones pn May 8 (four years after V-E Day) approved the draft Constitution for a West German government, by a vote of 53-12. The Constitution was approved by the occupation powers on May 12. It provides for two houses of Parliament, the lower and larger to be composed of representatives elected by. the people, the higher being made up of appointees by the state Parliaments. The guarantees of the Constitution include freedom of faith, conscience and speech, and general equality is recognized. It is also stipulated, “No one may be compelled against his conscience to perform war service as a combatant”

New German Capital

<$> The last plenary session of the Parliamentary Council at Bonn selected that city May IO by secret ballot as the future capital of the Western German state to be. The vote was 33 for Bonn, 27 for Frankfort. So Bonn won.

Clay Departs

& General Lucius D. Clay, U. S. commander in chief in the European Command and military gov ernor in Germany, left Berlin a^ 6 p.m. May 15, on a flight that would take him to Washington and to retirement from the army.

Batavia Agreement

The Dutch on May 7 made belated concessions toward the Indonesian Republic in an agreement which provided for the release of imprisoned Republican leaders; re-establishment of the Republic and Its capital at Jogjakarta, giving it control over areas It held before last Dutch “police, action”; and Dutch-Indonesian talks at The Hague to settle the entire problem- It was understood that there would be an end to Republican guerrilla fighting; but numerous difficulties remained before there could

be a full settlement The Dutch Interests in Indonesia are largely economic.

Communist Advance In China

As Communists continued the advance southward the fate of Shanghai, China's greatest city, in early May hung in the balance. The wooden ramparts were hardly more than a symbol of the will to resist the attacker, and the mayor of the city said, perhaps a bit grandiloquently, “Shanghai will be defended. Its defenses are as strong as those of Stalingrad.” Toward mld-May the Communist action was chiefly a battle for Shanghai’s outlet to the sea at Woosung. British vessels In the harbor pulled out several miles to sea. Nationalist forces, falling back, blew up bridges. Communists, advancing, repaired them. Shanghai itself was as yet Untouched, but the escape port of Hangchow, a hundred miles to the south, bad fallen to the Communists earlier in the month. It seemed that Shanghai would soon be cut off from effective help or escape.

Israel a U. N. Member

<$> After due preliminaries Israel was voted a seat in the U. N. by a vote of 37-12 on May IL That was three days before the anniversary of the setting up of the Jewish state May 14, 1948, but the Jews everywhere celebrated this national birthday ten days earlier, on the basis of their lunar calendar.

When the vote for admission into the U. N. was taken making Israel the 59th member, the six Arab State s' representatives —Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Yemen— walked out of the Assembly in protest They returned the following day.

British Bill on Irelanft

A bill”was read in the British Parliament May 3 that recognized the full independence of the Irish Republic, though declaring that the republic would not become A foreign country to Britain. It also affirmed that the six cour-

ties of Northern ireianu nr raained part of the United KJ ng' dom, and would not cease to be such without the consent of the Northern Ireland Parliament. The South Irish Parliament on May 10 adopted a resolution protesting the Britlsn Bill’s “partition” of Ireland, as the Southern and Catholic portion of the Island calls It, but which “partition” the Northern and Protestant part insists upon.

English Conservative Gains

£ Mid-May witnessed sweeping Conservative gains In local elections throughout England and Wales. On a country-wide basts the returns Indicated the Conservatives had gained over SOO seats, while losing but 27; the Labor party lost nearly 800, while gaining only 85, The Conservatives hud control of six new boroughs of London In addition to five retained. The Labor party kept control of 17.

8tow-away Escapee

& Gerhardt Eisler, termed the No. 1 Communist in the U. 3,, was free on $23,500 bond, posted by the American Civil Rights Congress. He did not especially enjoy this freedom, however, so boarded the Polish ship Ba tory, and did not reveal his failure to pay passage until the boat was well out to sea on the way to Gdynia, Poland, via Southampton, England. Then he paid his fare. Thereupon he took his ease in his ffrst-class suite. At Southampton Scotland Yard detectives took him ashore by force. Special accommodations were provided for him In a London jail, although he indicated he would prefer continuing his trip as originally planned—destination the Soviet Zone of Germany. But the U. S. wanted him to come back and face charges held against him. Eisler referred to himself as the first prisoner of the North Atlantic Pact.

Canada, Britain Ratify Fact # The first document of ratification of the Art an tic Pact to be

iiirped In at Washington, D.C., was that of Canada, whose ambassador there on May 3 banded it to the American secretary of state. The British House of Commons on May 12 approved the pact by a vote of 333 to 6, an almost unanimous decision. There was interested discussion of the pact In the capital as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee conducted bearings on the treaty.

U- N. Labors

The General Assembly of the U. N. in early May labored hard in an effort to solve two thorny problems: Should the diplomatic boycott of Franco Spain be lifted? What should be done with the former Italian colonies? The Assembly’s political committee approved a plan by which the member nations could decide each for itself about sending an ambassador to Franco. No decisive action was reached by the middle of the month, nor was action taken on the matter of the Italian colonies.

“Voice of Aaertca’’ Jammed

The “Voice of America” broadcasts were not welcomed In Russia or its satellite countries. Early May saw the “Voice" almost totally blotted out oy Soviet “jamming”, accomplished by the broadcasting of whistles, walla and roars on the same wave length. It was estimated that the Russians were using from 60 to 100 powerful transmitters to keep the “Voice” out.

Exit Frank Hague

<$► Jersey City has for many years delivered a real sample of what Roman Catholic democracy can mean. Frank Hague has, with the backing of the Hierarchy, kept In power there for a matter of 82 years, finally putting his nephew In office, Frank Hague Eggers. May 10 a record tum-out of voters decided to get a non-Hague city administration pledged to wipe out boss rule, which, besides denying free speech and other civil rights, has

given jersey City the highest tax rate in the country and little to Show for IL Throwing out Frank Hague Eggers, they also got rid of boss Hague. After the defeat the city hall incinerators were found going foil blast, fueled with paper. The Hudson County prosecutor ordered a halt, suspecting that official records were being destroyed. City officials were warned against destruction or mutilation of or tampering with city records before the new regime took over. As head of the powerful city organization Hague not only had dictated state tickets, but had a large voice in national Democratic tickets. The defeat of bis organization In Jersey City has national implications. The new mayor is John V. Kenny.

U.S. Aid-to-Education Bill

The U. S. Senate on May 6 by a vote of 58-13 passed a bipartisan bill which authorized annual grants of $3Q0,000,000 to the states to help raise their educational standards. Catholic clergymen Interested In aid to parochial schools were told by Senator Robert A. Taft to “fight It out in the states” because the aid was to be given, not to schools direct, but to the states, which tn turn use the funds for public education. They cduld not turn $ny of the money.over to Catholic schools, but might perhaps supply such with textbooks, bus transportation and other auxiliary services. Protestant groups stand with the Constitution and insist that turning money over to parochial schools be forbidden.

Wood Labor Bill Killed

The U. S. House of Representatives on May 3 by a vote of 217203 approved the Wood Bill, which kept Taft-Hartley Act features with some modifications. But the House reversed itself the¹ following day by voting 212-209 to recommit the bill to committee, which was the same as killing it So the Taft-Hartley Act continued to be the law of the land, at least for the time being. The administration leaders set about

AWAKE J

preparing a labor bill that would be able to command the support of the majority. Ralph Wright, assistant secretary of labor, predicted (May 15) that the Taft-Hartley law would be repealed and a labor law passed containing the measures advocated by the president. Speaking at a “communion breakfast” of the Association of Catholic Trade Unionists, he denounced the Taft-Hartley Act as contrary to Papal encyclicals on labor.

Automobile Strike

<$> The United Automobile Workers, CIO, immobilized the great River Rouge plant May 5 as more than 62,000 workers there and at the near-by Lincoln plant walked out while negotiators at Detroit were still trying to reach a solution. Attempts to settle the strike met with little success, but a stalemate was avoided by keeping talks going. Said the Ford vice-president, “While we keep talking there’s hope.” By midMay 150,000 workers were Idle.

U. S. Rent Increases

The first week In May saw U. S. landlords taking action on a statement by Housing Expediter Tighe Woods, who told them that the federal rent control officials would grant rent increases to both small and big landlords. They were given the chance to substantially boost their rents. And they were not slow to put in the applications. A half million at once Indicated they would raise the rent for their hapless tenants, as much as possible. The “regulations” allow for considerable boosts.

New Secretary of the Navy

•$> President Truman on May 13 nominated Francis Patrick Matthew, of Omaha, to be the secretary of the navy. The new appointee Is a prominent Roman Catholic layman and businessman. Pope Pius XII designated him a private papal chamberlain with cape and sword in 1044.

Flour Scandal in Near East

A scandal broke out In the

Near East over Inferior flour delivered to refugees. U. N. relief sources reported (May 10) that the flour is very Inferior and has been in certain cases thrown back into the faces of the relief workers who distributed it.

Iran’s 12 Tons of Gold

Iran in mid-May reported that formal demand had been made of Russia for payment of more than twelve tons of gold, nearly $9,000,000 In U. S. currency, owed since World War II, and representing supplies and services furnished the Soviet Union by Iran.

British Princess Visits Pope

<& Britain’s Bill of Rights (1869) prohibits communion between a member of the royal family and the Papacy. But Princess Margaret Rose, spending a month on vacation in Italy, went to see the pope (May 10) nonetheless, talking with him privately for twenty minutes. King George VI said the visit was the princess’ own business. The archbishop of Canterbury said nothing.

Holland Tunnel Explosion

<$> The Holland tunnel under the Hudson river that links New York with New Jersey was seriously damaged by explosion of a load of highly inflammable carbon disulphide, carried into the tunnel contrary to regulations. A 300-foot section of the tunnel was wrecked, which put the eastbound tube out of operation for two and a half days. Temporary repairs were made with remarkable speed.

9,716,251 Bibles

<$> The general secretary of the American Bible Society reported at its 133rd annual meeting (May 12) that 9,716,251 copies of the Bible had been distributed throughout the world in 1948. Of these, 5,668,336 were placed in over forty foreign lands, the remainder In the U. S. The secretary for the society in Geneva, Switzerland, stated that publication of Bibles had been resumed in many European countries.

6,000,000,000,600,000,000,000

Miles

■$> It was announced (May 6) by Dr. Ira S. Bowen, director of the Paloma r and Mount Wilson Observatories in California, that a final polishing of the great 200-Inch telescope mirror is required to correct an inaccuracy of 1/50000 of an inch. This polishing job being completed will improve seeing possibilities of the great scope from 1,000,000,000 light years to 1,100,000,000 light years, or a distance of about 6,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 miles.

New Light Plane

<§> A new plane that can land and take off in a tennis court or similar area has been invented. It flies safely at a speed as low as 2“ m.p.h. and makes no more noise than an automobile. It is called the Heliplane because it lands and takes off something like a helicopter, its wing construction permitting it to hover somewhat. It has a top speed of over 100 m.p.h.

Fluorescent Tubes

<$> It was announced May 5 by Dr. Leonard A. Scheele, surgeon general of the Public Health Service, that the major manufacturers of fluorescent lights will cease using beryllium phosphor in them after June 30, because such lights when broken release mercury dust or vapor, which is dangerous. The pieces also may cause injuries that are hard to heal.

Four Newcomers

<$> The advent of four babies into the world is not ordinarily news, but when they all come at once and into the same family, then it is of tremendous importance to that family, and of considerable interest to neighbors over an area of a million square miles or so. Therefore the birth of quadruplets to Mr. and Mrs. Charles Collins of the Bronx, N. T-, on May 4, was included In the World News Roundup of the INS.

JUNE 22, 1249

Have You Divine Approval?

Is there one of us who would not wan’ to answer yes! And yet, how can one be sure? How is divine approval obtained? Paul told Timothy, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God.” (2 Timothy 2:15) The same rule applies today. There is no substitute for personal Bible study on the part of those who seek to be approved by God.

Have a Bible Study in Your Home

Those who are parents have the added responsibility of bringing up their children "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord”. A home¹ Bible study is the most effective way to teach the child; and adults learn much more that way, too. Are you carrying on a systematic Bible-study program in your home for the benefit of yourself and your loved ones? If not, you will be interested in knowing that without any cost or obligation it can be arranged for a qualified minister of Jehovah's* witnesses to call at your home and assist you in getting your family Bible study started.

Any of Jehovah's witnesses in your community will consider it a privilege to aid you in Bible study. If you do not know how to come in contact with them, simply fill in the coupon below, s^nd it to us, and we shall be happy to arrange for someone to call. Remember, there is no cost to you, nor will you be obligated in any way.

WATCHTOWB8              117 AnUnu St.              Brooklyn 1, 2V, K

Pledge arrange for one o£ your ministers to call at my home.

I am interested in your home Bible-study program.

Name ________—................-..........   -..................— Street —.....—.......--------------------------------------------

City    ...............— — —****       Ml .................... .. ..... |_jdM                                      ......F— T—H,,   _h...................... l-l—■

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