JUNE 8, 1952 SEMIMONTHLY

THE MISSION OP THIS JOURNAL

News sources that arc able to keep you awake to the vital Issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. “Awake!” h®* no fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free io publish facts. It la not bound by political ambitions or obligations; it Is unhampered by advertisers whose toes must not be trodden on; it i-unprejudlced by traditional creeds. This journal keeps itself free that it may apeak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity io truth.

“Awake I” uses the regular news channels, but is not dependent on them. Its own correspondents are on all continents, in scores of nations. From ths four corners of the earth their uncensored, on*the*scenes reports come io you through these Columns. This journal’s viewpoint is not narrow, but is international. It is read Ln many nations, in many languages, by persons of all ages. Through its pages many fields of knowledge pass in review—government, commerce, religion, history, geography, science, social conditions, natural wonders—why, its coverage is as broad as the earth and as high as the heavens.

“ Awake I” pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of a righteous New World.

Get acquainted with “ Awake 1” Keep awake by reading “Awoke!”

Published Semimonthly By watchtower bible and tract SOCIETY, INC.

CONTENTS

"A Wicked* and Adulterous Generation” 3

Decline of the Judiciary

Corruption in High Places

Presidential Pardons—Another Scandal? 8

Embezzling: Another Sign of Times 8

Behind Protestant Murders in Mexico 9

Catholic Clergy Are Blamed

What Shall It Be—Coffee, Tea, or

Yerba Mate?

1,000-Year-Old Seeds Sprout

Awe-inspiring Function of

the Human Lungs

Nature’s Famous Fasters

Wycliffe and the Lollards

Where the Kids Dictate

Courts Clarify Selective Service Rights 24 “Your Word Is Truth”

Scripture or Tradition?

Jehovah’s|Witnesses Preach in

All the Earth—Venezuela

Watching the World

"A Wicked and Adulterous Generation”

DO YOU see the title of this article? To whom does it apply? Does a tide of righteous indignation within you say, “Not me—not in this Christian age when the cathedral, the crucifix and the name of God on clergy lips fill every street of the Western world.” Or is your conscience more tenderly aware of a gnawing religious apathy, juvenile delinquency, mounting crime, lax social morality, open political corruption? Does it make you wonder?

These words find their origin with Jesus Christ, the Founder of Christianity. Once a group of Jewish Pharisee and Sadducee sectarians, to tempt him, “asked him to display ... a sign from heaven.” Contrasting their ability as weather prophets with their knowledge of God’s Word, the Son of God replied: “You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but the signs of the times you cannot interpret. A wicked and adulterous generation keeps on seeking for a sign, but no sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” (Matthew 16:1-4, New World Trans,) There would be no “magic tricks”.

Of course, modem Christendom is. not like those foolish Jews. Why, they turned down Christ’s kingdom and rejected him as their Messiah, choosing to meddle in Roman politics with a cry that “we have no king but Caesar”! Their dull spiritual eyesight saw in Jesus' works not fulfillment of prophecy but sensational magical art. They looked at the sky and forecast the weather; but they peered into inspired written prophecies of a Messiah, stared at the fulfillment in their very midst, and saw nothing. When has Christendom ever been guilty of such things? When indeed!

Readers will recall a photograph given wide circulation by Religious News Service purporting to show planes on a U. N, bombing mission over Korea. However, as if etched on the cloudy backdrop, the likeness of what were passed off as the face and outstretched arms of Christ appeared. When an air of mystery settled over its explanation, a wide-eyed public made it a “best seller”, a public that had gained its faith in Christendom’s religions. However, Air Force Staff Sergeant Roy C. Bumham finally turned up with a duplicate of the photo which he had acquired in England during World War II. An Air Force photo laboratory technician had done the retouching against a picture of a B-17 bombing sortie over Europe with the idea of selling prints for souvenirs. Said Bumham, as Time magazine (December 3, 1951) quoted him: “I thought it was time people, found out the truth. The thing has been carried too far. Some people are actually beginning to believe that stuff about the picture.”

Take another example. Go back to October 13, 1917, near the little Portuguese village of Fatima. A great crowd is gathered to watch three small children receive a “vision”. Of course the anxious crowd

saw no vlaiop—anxious trowds never do— but the children claimed for sure that the "Virgin Mary” appeared. Something many of the others did see, however, has been handed down ever since like folklore. Witnesses swore that the sun swung crazily and dipped sharply toward the horizdh.

For long the Catholic Church was cati-tious, but at length accepted the event as a true vision and miracle, never discouraging the "sun dance” story which acted as a sort of “physical proof” of the whole thing. However, Life magazine (December 3, 1951) remarked: “No astronomical observations in other parts of the world verify that it happened.” But finally, after thirty-four years, on November 17, 1951, the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano published photographs dated Fatima; 12:30 p.m., October 13, 1917. The amazing pictures show the sun very low, near the horizon. It is much hazed over and the sky is quite dark. If the time were accurate it would indeed leave one grasping for'an answer, especially since no astronomical records bear any mention of it. Not daunted by this, L’Observatore’s intrepid editors added that the pictures were of “rigorously authentic origin”.

Buoyantly, Vatican sources released the pictures for world-wide distribution. But in a stroke of woe to the original editors, copies naturally fell into the hands of their “rigorously authentic origin”. Between the official newspaper for the shrine of Fatima and Dr. Joao de Mendonca, brother of the man who took the pictures, their true origin was established. Alfredo de Mendonca, brother to the doctor, had been one of a party of pilgrims returning from Fatima on May 13, 1922. (The Fatima paper gave the date 1921, but the New York Times inserted the correction as 1922.) At about 5:30 p.m. someone thought the sun was performing in an unusual manner and Alfredo took pictures. Records establish that the day was rainy and cloudy. Considering the time of day and the weather, there is certainly nothing phenomenal about a dark sky and a hazy sun low in the heavens. Later, Dr. de Mendonca says he inscribed the date, Fatima, 1917, and presented them to a visiting cardinal (Federico Tedeschini) as a gift while still bearing the erroneous date. Most embarrassing. At first Rome hedged. On this March 10 “a high Vatican source” protested that its pictures were still “rigorously authentic”, and spoke wildly of “other photos” as the unauthentic culprits. Three days later Rome capitulated. L’Osservatore Romano limply admitted that if the pictures were not authentic, their editors had been deceived.

From this two things become very clear: (1) that it is a shame L’Osservatore’s editors were deceived, and (2) that it is an infinitely greater shame that they did not see fit to thus dismiss the entire sun hoax, the vision of Fatima itself, which is still considered quite “rigorously authentic", and all the other alleged “visions” after which shrines the world over are named and which are considered “rigorously authentic”. Instead, in such spiritual sensations Christendom prefers to rest its faith while completely ignoring the great and positive sign of the birth of Christ’s kingdom which has been made evident for the first time in our day. (See Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.) Concerning this truly important and authentic sign she does nothing except ridicule and persecute the few true Christians who take it seriously and go about preaching the good news of God’s kingdom. Like the faithless Jews of Christ’s day, she would gladly follow Jesus as the world’s greatest magician, but as the Messiah then and the reigning King now they ignore him.

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JUSTICE is not for sale* None should tamper with it. Its source is righteousness; its foundation, truth. The Great Judge and God ministrators no business firm in the nation would have them. Yet it is to these “judicial misfits” that we have entrusted our lives and property in the highly precarious work of justice.

The Canons of Judicial Ethics of the American Bar Association lists judicial obligations as follows: “In every particular his conduct should be above reproach. He should be conscientious, studious, thorough, courteous, patient, punctual, just, impartial, fearless of public clamor, regardless of public praise, and indifferent to private political or par

of Justice is Jehovah. His judgments are sure. His decisions never reversed. His timely counsel to the judges of Israel was: “You must never tamper with justice, you must never be partial to anyone, and you must never accept a bribe— for a bribe blinds even men whose eyes are open, and it destroys the case of a good man. Justice, justice you must aim at, that you may live and possess the land given to you by*the Eternal your God.” “You act as judges not on behalf of man but of the Eternal, who is beside you as you give your decisions. So let awe for the Eternal control you; be careful to act in that spirit, for the Eternal our God knows nothing of injustice, nor of favouritism, nor of bribing/’ (Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 2 Chronicles 19:5-7, Moffatt) The judges of Israel spumed this wise counsel and the nation fell from its high judiciary to corruption and was destroyed.

A similar condition exists in the judiciary today. The incompetence, tyranny and political corruption in the courts is scandalous. Judges devoid of legal knowledge rely on secretaries and “has-been” lawyers to write their decisions. Some are lazy. Some are drunkards. Others sleep on the bench. Some are such miserable adtisan influences; he should administer justice according to law, and deal with his appointments as a public trust; he should not allow other affairs or his private interests to interfere with the prompt and proper performance of his judicial duties, nor should he administer the office for the purpose of advancing his personal ambitions or increasing his popularity.” The disgraceful truth is that almost every rule in this judicial code of ethics has been smeared by judges who hide behind the black robe and the awesome aura of “Your Honor” and "May it please the Court”.

Each year four million look to the traffic court for justice. It is a proved fact that a competent traffic judge can hear about fifteen nonaccident cases an hour, averaging at best four minutes for each. It is virtually humanly impossible to try more cases with justice. But an Indianapolis judge raced traffic cases through in less than two minutes each. Another judge boasts in disposing of six hundred traffic ' cases in a single day. A New York judge has “tried” 967 cases in three hours; the New York record is 1,016 in two and one-half hours! A traffic judge in Detroit has the habit of leaving the bench while the witness is testifying. He returns minutes

later to decide the case. An Alabama judge amuses himself by having Negro traffic violators roll dice to s?e what the fine or penalty will be, Of some 602 of those elected as justices, investigation in a single state showed only one-quarter had*had any legal training and one in five did not even possess copies of the traffic laws he was administering. Favoritism and political influence has warped the sense of justice. In many of the lower courts even-handed justice is a forgotten principle.

Corruption in High Places

“There is scarcely a corner of our lives to which the power of a judge does not reach,” said Harold H. Burton of the United States Supreme Court. A judge can deprive a widow of her rights, women the support of their husbands, commit persons to insane asylums, take away property and children, etc. The bench, therefore, is no place for a judge to be found sleeping, writing letters, or nursing a hang-over. Yet a judge of one of the nation’s highest courts gave this flimsy excuse for his conduct: “I’ve been working at night. I just have to get some sleep in the daytime.” He sleeps or sits there with a devil-may-care attitude while your life and property hang in the balance. .

Justice Hubert T. Delany of the Domestic Relations Court charged that there were judges who drank to the point that “they aren’t on the bench half the time”. Presiding Justice David W. Peck of New York’s Appellate Division spoke of a judge who was “so righteous he would never quash a jury notice, but when he got on the bench to discharge his truly vital duties he sat there writing letters—paying no attention to the case at hand”. If an objection was raised he would stop writing and ask the court stenographer to read back a few lines so he could make a ruling. Another ambitious judge, who resorted to handing out perfume and silk stockings to get elected, sent one of his decisions to a law journal which highly praised the ruling as brilliant, only to discover later that the judge made up the case and the decision out of thin air.

Federal Judge Medina, who spoke of U. S. trial methods as fantastic as “Alice in Wonderland. You could not believe it if it had not happened in front of your eyes”; also told of a judge who was famous for his swift decisions. “Once I asked him on what basis he was able to arrive at such swift decisions. He replied, ‘I base it all on the witnesses. If a witness lifts his left heel off the floor 1 know he’s lying. I simply decide against him.’ ” “But he wasn’t serious, was he?” “Of course he was serious!” was Judge Medina’s answer. “We have people on the bench much worse than you could believe.” New York Supreme Court Justice J. Edward Lumbard told the cold truth when he said: “Only twenty-five per cent of our judges are anywhere near capable. Some of them are less fit than the people they put in asylums.” But this judicial tragedy does not end here.

Attorney Morris Ernst, champion of civil rights, said; “One of the judges I know is a sadist, pure and simple.” What chance for justice have you before such a man? Or before a judge who permits his black robe to turn him from a suave, affable gentleman to a dictatorial arrogant man on the bench, an unmitigated tyrant?

Wc would not tolerate a baseball umpire who was negligent of his duties or a referee who conveniently looked in the wrong direction, still we tolerate judges to leave the bench for a smoke while the livelihood of men, women and children is at stake. We shrug our shoulders and wink at politics and favoritism that has wrung the life out of justice in our courtrooms. Is not justice worth the price of a baseball ticket, or truth a pass to the prizefight ring?

Chief Justice Bolitha J. Laws, of the United States District Court, District of Columbia, declared: “No business house in the country would tolerate the devilish conditions of fiduciaries in our county courts.’'

Fraud, deceit, laziness and injustice have wormed their ways into'the higher courts of the land. A litigant who had won an important decision in the federal district court at Philadelphia urged that it be set aside because it was tainted with fraud. In federal district court at Springfield, Illinois, A. F. Howe, an inventor, settled a patent infringement case for $1,958,240. Before turning the check oven to Howe, Judge Briggle, who approved the agreement, handed down a decree approving $794,038 in attorneys’ fees. After Howe had paid off the attorneys and settled his taxes, with the government, his almost $2-million check dwindled down to a mere $132,840, or about $50,000 less than Judge Briggle had granted to two of his attorneys.

Circuit Judge Martin T. Manton of the United States Appellate Court, considered to be number ten ranking jurist in the nation, was accused and convicted of corruption. Judge Manton had dealings with a host of shady characters, and his decisions were influenced by dollars and cents. Yet while he was so engaged, he was being mentioned as a Supreme Court possibility.

The U.S. Supreme Court

The Nation’s “best and highest bench” has recently come under a withering blast by Fred Rodell, professor of law at Yale University. Rodell charged that the Supreme Court of the United States “has sunk to its lowest point in a hundred years”. And that by the quantity of work it takes on and by the quality of its work it has branded itself, “conservatism aside—as incompetent, indolent and irresponsible.”—Look, July 31, 1951.

Under Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes, the Supreme Court heard arguments on, discussed, decided,rand found time to write opinions on over two hundred cases a term with ease, but today’s number has plummeted to a new and scandalous low. In the 1949-50 term, the first that saw the Truman-Vinson Court on the bench, the Court wrote opinions on a bare ninety-four cases; during the 1950-51 term, it dropped to a new low of eighty-six. This amounted to only about one out of ten cases brought before the High Bench. The Hughes Court in its heyday could have completed all the work of this past term—beginning in October, when the court meets—and could have been through in time for Christmas with the term completed. Incompetence and sheer laziness are the reason why no more work is being done, says Rodell.

Individual freedom of thought and expression—not free thought or expression for those who believe and agree with us, but freedom and expression for the thought that we do not agree with—is slowly being strangled to death by the loud cry of the present Supreme Court majority. The upholding of New York’s Feinberg Law on March 3, 1952, is evidence of this fact. It “denies them [the citizens] freedom of thought and expression", said Supreme Court Justice Douglas. Condemning the Court’s decision in this case Mr. Douglas said: “The law inevitably turns the school system into a spying project. . . . What happens under the law is typical of what happens in a police state. Teachers are under constant surveillance; their pasts are combed for signs of disloyalty; their utterances are watched for clues to dangerous thoughts.... There is no real academic freedom in that environment. Fear stalks the classroom.”

Justice Black agreed with Douglas and said: “This is another one of those legis-

lative enactments which make it dangerous—this time for schoolteachers—to think or say anything except what a transient majority happen to approve at the moment. . . . Basically these laws rest on the belief that Government should supervise and limit the flow of ideas into the minds of men,”

This trend of thought is that the government is supreme; the individual is inferior. Fear dictates the policy of the present court majority instead of individual freedom. The scales of freedom which have always been tipped in favor of the individual are slowly but surely tipping in the opposite direction, in the direction of authoritarian oppression, from which history teaches there is no return.

How long will God tolerate the oppression of the poor and this underhanded justice? Not for long. Soon at Armageddon Almighty God will balance the scales of justice by destroying the wicked oppressors and establishing righteousness. He will not tolerate forever the wicked who tamper with justice, for “righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne”. —Psalm 89:14, Am. Stan, Ver.

By “Await*!" correipqnd^nf in Mexico

LIKE an angry serpent, religious persecution has raised its head in very recent years from its former place of seclusion to strike at those who form minority groups of various religious faiths in Mexico. Since 1944 reports have come in of more than seventy cases wherein religious groups or individuals, in widely scattered parts of the republic, have been persecuted and in some cases murdered in cold blood. News of these atrocities has been suppressed or published only locally.

On January 27, 1952, an incident occurred which was brutal beyond description and received publicity in many of the leading newspapers of the republic. So vile and malicious was the attack upon a small group of Protestants that it caused a wave of revulsion among the Mexican people of every walk of life. The incident took place about sixty-five miles from Mexico City.

A Protestant committee of six ministers had been visiting the small towns in the State of Mexico, preaching to their adherents on consecutive Sundays. On Sunday, January 27, they arrived in the small town of Mavoro. A group of about twenty persons were having a peaceable assembly in a private home, when suddenly they heard the approach of a mob of more than four hundred men, women and children. Armed with knives, axes, stones and other objects, the mob attacked the home, causing the meeting to disband. Some of the twenty in attendance were able to escape the fury of the mob, but the attack was directed primarily against four of the pastors. These were obliged to flee for safety,

but the crowd chased them for more than ten kilometers through open country.

By this time the crowd was joined’by angry aggressors on horseback. Agustin Corrales, who had been pointed out to them as the leader of the Protestant group, was “lassoed” and dragged over rough terrain hanging from the saddle horn, causing him untold suffering and severe wounds. The climax came when the victims, now completely exhausted from running and the beatings which they had received, reached the highway leading to Queretaro. There the fanatical persecutors pelted the victims with stones, leaving them beside the highway as dead. After some delay the victims were taken to nearby towns where they received first-aid treatment. The above-mentioned Agustin Corrales was attended by a doctor who was unable to help him, but not only because he had been dragged by the horse. The doctor discovered that he had been knifed in the back as well.

Not satisfied with the taste of blood, the religious fanatics of the region have taken other steps to advance their ambitious persecution against resident Protestants. On February 15, the religious bullies together with their henchmen took upon themselves the task of expelling forcibly two entire families from their homes in Mavoro, with the threat that if any member of these families returned to the town, he should “consider himself as dead”. The only “crime” charged against the two families was that they had been associated with the Protestants. Before being expelled, they were the objects of innumerable annoyances. For days they had been practically besieged by the hoodlums; their water supply which came from private wells had been contaminated by dead animals, stones and all kinds of garbage thrown in by the hood’ lums. They were prevented from going to the market to buy food, or from communicating with anyone. Under such circumstances, being unable to maintain themselves, they were obliged to leave their homes to find employment elsewhere. Why have not the civil authorities taken some action to prevent such atrocities? The facts are that the authorities are impotent or unco-operative and afraid themselves.

Crimes Come to Surface for Judgment

Hie newspaper Ultimas Noticias, of February 15, quotes Attorney Rafael Carvajal Gonzalez, public prosecutor of the town of Ixtlahuaca, State of Mexico, as follows: “In these towns (Ixtlahuaca, Concepcion de los Banos, Mavord, etc,), murders because of fanaticism, because of religious intolerance, because of land disputes, and for whatever minor cause are everyday happenings. And we as judicial authorities are just a grain of sand in this sea of bloody acts.”

Also, the same newspaper quoted the military commander of the Military Zone of Toluca, Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Vargas Maldonado, as follows: “The State of Mexico, of all the Republic, is best characterized by its bloody deeds, and by its religious intolerance, due basically to its lack of culture and economic backwardness for centuries. They lack soldiers, they lack police, they lack teachers,”

Perhaps the strongest rebuke is found in the form of an editorial in the daily newspaper Zdcalo, under date of January 20, 1952, entitled “A National Disgrace”: “The foreign press has been publishing information, mysteriously eluding the attention of the Mexican reader, referring to the mortal and underground fight that has been developing for more than ten years between the Catholic clergy, with all its wisdom, power and influence, and the representatives and propagators of the Protestant faith. For more than ten years, foreign readers know that here other apostles of Christ kill new apostles of Christ in the name of the legitimacy of one church or the other. It has been necessary to have committed a bestial act which is unclassifiable, unworthy of Mexican tradition and of the courage and dignity of our people, in order for the news of this daring and unscrupulous war to come to the surface, from where it had been kept before, to the level of the pages of the national newspapers. The lynching of two Protestant pastors or ministers or propagators at Kilometer 115 of the Queretaro highway, near Ixtlahuaca in the State of Mexico, constitutes a motive for shame and disgrace for our hation. Who is it that so frequently and with such ability moves our Indians, who are indifferent to everything else, to rise up blindly as in moving pictures of the Indian Fem&ndez against the propagators of another civilized form of the Christian faith?”

Catholic Clergy Are Blamed

Perhaps the answer to the question propounded can be found in the magazine Tiempo, which republished the following words of Monsignor Luis Maria Martinez, primate of the Catholic Church of Mexico, at the opening of the Jubilee Year of Guadalupe in October, 1944: “With Christian serenity, but also with great energy, we will oppose the Protestant campaign’s continuing to spread. What is more, we will combat it until we do away with it.”

The Protestant bishop, David G. Ruesga, president of the National Committee of

Evangelist Defense, charged: “The wicked acts of the Catholic Church against the Protestant people of Mexico constitute a real crime of Genocide.” Commenting upon the Catholic-instigated crimes, the newspaper Zdcalo said on February 8,1952: “In these three years all kinds of crimes have occurred against Protestants: fires, lynchings, rapings of women, expulsions, persecutions, threats against those who refuse to abandon their religious creed, forced baptisms, etc. This continuous persecution, seemingly directed by the Catholic clergy themselves, as appears to be confirmed by the words of the Catholic priest of Los Reyes, justifies the accusation of Genocide according to Bishop ftuesga.”

Arnulfo Uzeta R., special reporter for Zocalo, who made an on-the-scenes report of the crime, said: “Fernando Vidal, the priest of the little town, 40 kilometers from Toluca, where today judicial proceedings were started to determine who are the ones responsible, was indicated by those who were attacked as the one who instigated the mob. They said that from the pulpit of his¹ parish he is continually inciting the faithful to punish severely those who come near with strange doctrines and who make fun of their beliefs and religion.” He also quoted the vicar general of Toluca as saying that what is repeated the most in all the parishes of the State is the Fifth Commandment: “Thou shalt not kill” fit is actually the Sixth Commandment of the Law.], but that nevertheless when their feelings are hurt, they respect no one.

The same reporter spent one day visiting the two leaders of the two branches of these religions, but whose attitudes seem to be irreconcilable. The presbyter of the Protestant church finished the interview with the deduction that the Roman Catholic clergy should stop inculcating hatred among the Mexican people. He added, “After all, we are all brothers, and we should love each other. We believe in Jesus Christ and they in God, but I believe that it is the same.”

Next the reporter visited Archbishop Jose Maria Martinez, primate of the Catholic Church in Mexico, who whitewashed the crimes with these words: “We profoundly regret the happenings at Ixtla-huaca, but we have no control over the people in this respect. It is truly regrettable that Protestant ministers should go to Catholic peoples to spread their faith. We have always tried to avoid these disgraceful acts, but the people have their beliefs, and good or bad, we cannot take them away from them.”

Confirming that the Catholic priests use the pulpit to stir up hatred, the chief director of the Evangelical Council of Mexico explained to the Zocalo reporter that in the past few years persecution of Mexican people has assumed alarming proportions. He declared: “Four years ago, 800 evangelists were going to be killed during a meeting which we were holding'in Toluca, due to the instigation of a Roman priest.”

To see members of one faith persecute and kill members of another faith and to hear their cry for justice may seem strange to honest-thinking persons. But to true Christians this is not strange, because they lenow this is an evidence of the closeness of God’s kingdom to which they look for the establishing of love, tolerance, and good will among earth’s inhabitants. Then Isaiah’s prophecy will have its fulfillment, namely: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [kingdom], saith Jehovah.” (Isaiah 65:25, Am. Stan. Ver.) Furthermore, “You must love . , . your neighbor as yourself” and “Love does not work evil to one’s neighbor; therefore love is the law’s fulfillment’*.—Luke 10:27; Leviticus 19:18; Romans 13:10, New World Trans.

By "AwokeJ” corriipondent In Porogwoy

VERBA mate? Never heard of it, What is it*?-It is a drink made from leaves of a South American tree. Yerba is the leaf from which the drink is brewed and mate (pronounced mah'tay) means gourd, the traditional vessel for the steeping and sipping of the beverage, Both the processed leaves and the infusion made from them are generally known as yerba mate, or simply mate.

There are three methods used In making the beverage, known respectively a$ bitter mate, sweet mate, and mate tea. The sweet mate Is said to be a sign of friendship; the bitter a sign of indifference; and when served with pinnamon it says, “I think of you often/’ or with an orange peel it conveys, “Come to me.*¹ And the favorite saying is, “He who accepts mate will come back again."

The people of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay are sold on it. They prefer it to either tea or coffee. The drinking of yerba mate has become so much a part of the national .pastime of these countries that no occasion is complete without it, whether it Is a fiesta or wake, a wedding or just the family gathering. Due to its popularity, certain customs grew up for its preparation and use. For example, among an assembled group, the same mate and bomb ilia (tube used for sipping the beverage) are parsed from one person to another, in a similar manner as the early American peace pipe was passed around and smoked. It is customary that the guest does not thank his hostess until he has satis-fled his thirst for the mate; his thanks at this point signifies that he does rot wish any more, C Between the months of May and October when the leaves are fully matured and have

eyed natives go out from camp to locate / the yerbales, or ; groves of these trees.

The harvesters cut ■ ■■ the smaller branches ( and tie them in huge \ bundles of two to three hundred

j pounds each and load them on their heads and shoulders to be carried back to camp.

**The first step in preparation of the leaves consists of a rapid toasting over a hot open flame. Then the leaves are dried in large domed racks. The threshing of the branches removes the leaves, which are packed into , sacks for shipment to the refining mills, Here, after several months of aging to improve the <• flavor, the yerba is cleaned, ground, sifted, blended, and packed. There are now more than eighty popular brapds of mate on the market. i < In Paraguay, yerba mate is credited for winning more battles than gunpowder. The reference is. usually made to the fortifying i and invigorating zip that the mate gives one—

an asset to any army in action. Many Paraguayans attribute to mate much of the sue-f cess of the victory of the war with Bolivia, which was fought under difficult conditions. * Further exploring the possibilities of yerba < mate, “scientists have discovered the feasiblL ■ ity of extracting caffeine from the leaves for

pharmaceutieal purposes. There are at present half a dozen factories producing caffeine from mate in Brazil, There is also keen inter*

est in the possibility of employing yerba mate i leaves, which are especially rich in chlorophyll, to make Che vegetable coloring matter so extensively used by the food and cosmetic

the best flavor, small groups of strong, clear-

industries.”

f.OOO-

The University of Chicago’s Dr. Willard F. Libby has reported Manchurian lotus seeds 1,000 years old still able to sprout. Previously, it had been concluded by English scientists that seeds were lifeless if more than 150 years old. Dr. Libby’s findings are also based on a more reliable standard than past calculations. Whereas formerly investigators had to gauge the age of seeds by the age of the places where they were found and local tradition, Dr. Libby employed the most up-to-date means of measuring ancient ages. He tested them for radioactive carbon 14, an element found in everything living, and found his seeds to be 1,000 years old.

OUR lungs and the air we breathe are marvelously adapted for each other.

Intelligent man realizes that the Master Chemist designed both, precisely fashioning this human organ to utilize the exact proportion of gases mixed together in the atmosphere of the earth. The lungs could not function with any large variation in this blend of gases. Both its composition and physical properties are exactly right for human usage. Strange then that any man dependent upon the air so bountifully bestowed could doubt that his lungs were designed to use it. Just as surely as the automobile was designed to fuel with gasoline, the lungs, with divine skill and craftsmanship, were made to take fuel from the air, and thus support all the processes of human life.

The function of the lungs is to provide oxygen for the blood stream and to remove carbon dioxide foiined in cell consumption of oxygen. The lungs are made of spongy "frothed tissue", reddish from many blood vessels, so light that, unlike any other body organ, they will float on water. The lungs of an adult male weigh between forty and fifty ounces; those of a female from twentyeight to thirty-five ounces. In structure, the lungs are composed chiefly of some 700,000,000 microscopically small air sacs, having thin walls in which blood capillaries are spread out. AlKthe blood of the body passes through these blood vessels,' called capillaries, many times during an hour. The walls of the capillary are so thin that oxygen passes from the air through them into the blood. The blood gives off carbon dioxide through the walls into the air spaces. The contaminated air is driven out of the lungs and is replaced by fresh air.

The more deeply one breathes, the more com-p1e t e the change of air in these sacs.

The very posit ion of the heart and lungs emphasizes the need of one for the other. The lungs are situated in an airtight chamber called the thorax. Together with the large blood vessels, the heart and lungs' completely fill the thorax or chest. The heart is located in the center of the two lungs, occupying a forward depression. The floor of this compartment is formed by a'large, arched sheet of muscle called the diaphragm. By action of the diaphragm, which converts the lungs into a sort of bellows, air is inhaled and-exhaled.

Within the thorax is a thin, two-layered membrane called the pleura. One of these layers lines the chest while the other cov-j 4

ers the surface of the lungs. This permits the rise and fall of the lungs without friction during the process of breathing. But when the pleura becomes inflamed by the disease known as pleurisy, friction develops which causes a slight rasping noise distinctly audible through the stethoscope. In order for the blood to perform its vital function, which is to sustain life, it must be supplied with oxygen and purified of its carbon dioxide- Hence the blood makes a short trip to the lungs to be purified and refreshed.

Before cons! dering the ind ispendable journey of the blood through the lungs, let

us follow⁷ the course of the air through the respiratory system. The air is taken in through the nose or mouth, next passes to the pharynx and then through the voice box, the larynx, located at the top of the windpipe. The larynx is the movable hard object popularly known as the “Adam’s apple”. Below is the flexible trachea, or windpipe, a tube about four and one-half inches long which divides into two main branches, called bronchi, each of which feeds one of the lungs. (Inflammation in the bronchial tubes is called “bronchitis”.)

Our Journeying Blood

On plunging into the lung each bronchus breaks into numerous small branches, like roots of a tree, reaching out in every direction covering the entire lung. At the end of each of these roots or hairlets, called bronchioles, are tiny clusters of air sacs— this is the end of the line for air’s inward journey. It is here at these air sacs that the blood through capillaries lining their walls comes in contact with the air. The blood releases its load of carbon dioxide and takes up a fresh supply of oxygen, returns with it through the capillaries, through the veins, to the heart. This circuit, or round trip of the blood from the heart, through the lungs, and back to the heart is known as the lesser or pulmonary circulation. This is to distinguish the passage of the blood through the lungs from its circulation through the entire body. So there are two circulatory routes or roundtrip journeys of the blood, one throughout the whole body and return, another, through the lungs and return. The trip to the lungs is to discharge carbon dioxide gases and to pick up the oxygen. The complete cycle of the whole process is as follows:

The heart receives the highly carbonated blood brought by the-veins into the right auricle and discharges it to the lungs through the right ventricle. The carbonated blood Is purified and refreshed and returns via veins into the left auricle of the heart, then the heart sends it forth to the body through the left ventricle.

But why does the blood in the capillaries take up the oxygen and give off its carbon dioxide? This is due to both physical and chemical action. Liquids under pressure will hold gases in solution, just as the pop bottle retains carbon dioxide, which, however, bubbles off¹ when the pressure is reduced by removal of the cap. While in contact with the functioning body cells the blood receives the carbon dioxide produced in their operation, at the same time supplying the cells with oxygen. These physical operations which follow the laws governing the action of gases are greatly increased by chemical reaction between the blood and the carbon dioxide which is partly changed into sodium bicarbonate. There passes into and out of the lungs in one day no less than four hundred cubic feet of air.

Process of Breathing

Each outgoing breath contains two cubic inches of carbon dioxide, and contaminates five thousand cubic inches, about half a barrel of air. The lungs exhale every day an amount of carbon that, if caught and solidified, would about equal a lump of coal weighing half a pound. In the lungs and throughout the body the oxygen and carbon dioxide gases are carried along by the blood fluid and by the pigment of the red corpuscles called hemoglobin. The oxygen dissolved by the fluid of the blood is hardly 1/50 of the amount taken up by the hemoglobin of the blood cells in chemical combination. The blood when it comes to the lungs heavily loaded with carbon dioxide is dark red, and when it returns refreshed with a new supply of oxygen it is brilliantly crimson.

The process of breathing and purifying the blood must be kept up night and day, asleep or awake. The lungs have not the power to Inflate themselves. ITiey hang in the chest cavity inert and helpless. If it were not for the weight of air, which presses upon man from every side at the rate of about fifteen pounds per square inch at sea level, his blood vessels would rupture, his intestines would swell from the pressure of gases within, and he could not breathe. Breathing Is accomplished by increasing the size of the chest. The compartment in which the lungs are located is' airtight and when the ribs move outward and increase the space there is a tendency to form a vacuum between the chest wall and the lungs; the lungs, being thin and stretchable and having an opening to outer air, are forced to expand. It is generally thought that we draw in air, but the fact la that the weight of ah on the outside Is greater, causing it to rush in and expand the lungs, by stretching them, when the chest walls spread out and make room. This space between the chest wall and the lungs is kept constantly at a pressure below that of the outer atmosphere. The lungs are considerably smaller than the chest cavity, even at its smallest, but the vacuum on one side and the air pressure on the other keep them constantly on the stretch, In this way, without any mechanical connection, they are held in contact with the chest wall and are made to fill a space larger than themselves throughout lifetime.

In case the chest wall is punctured the lung will collapse or. the side that is punctured and it will cease to operate. Air entering the open wound destroys the vacuum effect. However, a hole in one side deflates only the one lung, the reason being that the lining of the thorax Is folded up snugly between the two Jungs in such a way that each is virtually ip its own separate half of the compartment. There would be little advantage in having two lungs if both were affected by the one puncture.

Ute fact that lungs can be deflated by admitting air through the side is now made use of in the cure of tuberculosis. It constitutes a rest cure for the lungs. Instead of admitting air, however, the practice of the surgeon Is to pump nitrogen, mtn the space. If air were pumped in the I would soon absorb it and establish the vacuum again. So for more lasting effects a combination of exygen and nitrogen is used.

Breath Control

The control of breathing is chemical. The nerve center that sends out impulses to the breathing muscles is situated In the lower part of the brain, in the medulla oblongata. If a child were to stop breathing, or a man were at the point of death from asphyxiation, it would seem that the logical thing to do would be to pump in oxygen; but, to the contrary, a doctor will fill his lungs with carbon dioxide, thus shocking the nerve center at the base of the brain which wakes it up and starts it to operating the respiratory'muscles again. Because of this stimulation by carbon dioxide no one can hold his breath for very long. Commenting upon this phencmencm one authority remarks: "When it is remembered that carbon dioxide is a waste gas, which must be removed from the body, we cannot hut be overwhelmed with admiration for the ingenuity of the chemical control of breathing. Through the power of carbon dioxide to stimulate the respiratory center and through this the respiratory movements, it calls into play the means for its own removal.” Here again is evidence of the Creator’s wisdom and his awesome skill.—Contributed.

Nature’s Famous Fastens

f7" ASTING has, in all ages, and among all F peoples, been much in use in times of mounting, sorrow, and afflictions. It is, in some sort, inspired by nature, which, in these circumstances, denies itself nourishment, and takes off the edge of hunger.” (Gruden's Com

plete Concordance) However, rather than choice, as it is with men, nature’s 1 asters fast because of the con* ditions and circumstances they are forced to endure. If families were

to follow nature’s example in fasting there would be no food shortages or grocery bills to pay. Nature simply closes shop and tucks itself away, not tor days or months, but years!

Experiments carried out as far back as 1825, by professor of geology and mineralogy at Oxford, England, show that toads lived up to thirteen months without food or water. The Natural History Museum in

Kensington, London, England, once exhibited an Egyptian desert snail. This snail is said to have Iain dormant for almost four years, from March 25, 1846, to March 15, 1850. It was placed in water and within 15 minutes the snail moved and the next day it ate cabbage.

Even the fish fast from food and water. The African lungfish, a long conger eellike fish with a flattened tail end, enjoys its life in swamps and streams. But in certain parts of Africa these streams might remain dry for months. During this time the fish fasts. The lungfish, however, makes “hay” while it rains and dozes away after the sun dries pool and stream. But before things get too hot and the puddles dry up completely, the lungfish begins to prepare for his fast. No stock of vegetables or juices, just digs a cozy nest in the clay or mud, leaving a tiny air hole to the surface. His body will absorb all the muscle tissues to keep him alive during the fast.

But what keeps his body moist? Ah! Nature has seen to it that the lungfish is carefully sealed in an air- and water-tight cellophanelike wrapper, protecting it from all evaporation. So at the close of his fast he is just as moist as when he began it. Frank W. Lane, in his article “Nature’s Record Fasters”, says, “Lungfish have proved themselves able to live in their mud cakes for over four years and then be revived by moisture.” The first trickle of water will bring the fish to life, and long before the clump of clay is soaked the fish is ready to eht and swim again!

The bedbug by na means is & feeble faster. They have been found alive in homes that have been vacant for three years. W. L. McAtee, formerly of the U. S. Fish and Wild* life Service, writes: "In the town where I grew up was an old soldier's home,’ and it was reported that some of the inmates there had bedbugs which they had sealed up In bottles for various terms of years (five and ten, I recall), and I remember seeing at least one of these specimens which could move but was practically translucent.”

Like the bedbug, the tick too is a warm* blood eater. It will hang on to a blade of grass or a plant until some warm*blooded animal

rubs up against it—the switch will take place and the tick will dine. But years might pass between meals! Russian authorities on ticks, Pavlov* skii and Skruinnik, say that one species (Omit ft odor us Papillipes) can live without food for seven and a half years. In the book The Nature af the Beast, J. Baron UexkuH and G. Kriszat claimed, in 1934, that some ticks can live 18 years without eating!

Nematodes are small worms. These are known to have been revived after 27 years without food and water! Professor Heinrich

Simroth is said to have kept in galled wheat at the Zoological Institute of the University of Leipzig a nematode that was revived after 28 years of dormancy. In June of 1945, G. Steiner and Flor* ence E. Albin, two experts on nematodes, examined a dry rye seedling and found five nematodes on it, tw’o females and three larvae; moistened, them, and these came to life after a 39-year fast! From the autumn of 1906 to 1945 these nematodes lived without food or water.

Next time you boast about your ability to stay on a diet think over these cases!

John Wycliffe is chiefly remembered as the first one to translate the Bible (from the Latin or Vulgate version) into the English language for the benefit of the common man and to the great consternation of Catholicism. According to one of his contemporaries, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Canterbury Arundel, 'John Wycliffe was a pestilent wretch, a son of the old serpent, the forerunner of antichrist, who completed his iniquity by inventing a new translation of the Scriptures?

Wycliffe lived from 1324(?) to 1384, or what may be termed the halfway mark in England’s struggle with the papacy for independence, Ever since King John, in 1213, surrendered sovereignty to the pope because of the threat of invasion by Philip Augustus, king of France, as sword of the pope, England chafed under the yoke of papal bondage, which was as grievous economically as it was religiously and politically. This bondage ostensibly came to an end in 1534, when Parliament, under Henry the Eighth, abolished all papal authority m England. In the latter part of the fourteenth century Wycliffe played a prominent role in this struggle.

In addition to translating the Bible Wycliffe also wrote hundreds of tracts in English at a time when there were no English dictionaries, spelling books or grammars, and all scholarly works were written in Latin. Because of these efforts he has been termed the father of English prose even as his friend, Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales, is known as the father of English poetry. In his day Wycliffe was the foremost theologian, philosopher and scholar of England’s foremost university, Oxford. He was also a keen student of the Bible and in his later years became known as the “Gospel Doctor”.

Fourteenth-Century England

Wycliffe seems first to have come into the public eye by reason of his discourses against the abuses of the monastic orders and, later, those against the mendicant friars* These begging friars of the Dominican and Franciscan orders had entered England comparatively recently but soon exceeded older orders in power and wealth. They roamed the countryside, mixed Bible stories with ridiculous legends and Greek fables, sold the pope’s indulgences, privileges and livings and had great influence with the womenfolk. To swell their ranks they kidnaped youths from the universities; causing Bishop Fitzralph to complain to the pope in 1357 that as a result of their depredations students at Oxford had dropped from 30,000 to 6,000, all because of parental fears that their sons would be kidnaped.

Another burden against which the English people were rebelling at the time was the papal tax, which, according to one parliamentary remonstrance, was taking five times as much from the people as the king’s tak. Another concerned the foreign occupancy of benefices. These benefices were church offices that carried with them

very lucrative incomes and political rank, and were auctioned off by the papal court at Avignon to the highest bidders. This meant that still more money left the country, as these benefices were usually purchased by foreigners who did not bother coming to England to live. And there were many other grievances: the ever-increasing wealth of religious bodies, tax exemption for the friars, the right of sanctuary, whereby any criminal could escape punishment by fleeing to a church building, and the pope's demand of resumption of payment of the annual vassal fee of 1,000 marks as per King John's agreement, after its neglect for more than thirty years.

Because of his outspokenness and reputation as an independent thinker Wycliffe’s judgment and his opinions on these matters were frequently appealed to and adopted by the Commons, he himself sitting in Parliament. He held that each state had supreme jurisdiction over its own land and that the pope had no right to levy taxes but merely to accept alm£, which could be refused on sufficient grounds. He further argued that it was sheer fatuity to send immense sums to the papal court, rich as it was, when the country was so impoverished. In 1374 Wycliffe was one of seven Royal Commissioners sent to the pope to discuss grievances.

Wycliffe's position in these matters won him many friends among both small and great But not among his superiors in the Catholic Church! These summoned him to face charges, in 1377, at a convocation which drew a great crowd. A dispute between one of Wycliffe's friends and the presiding bishop caused the hearing to end in a riot. Shortly thereafter the pope issued five bulls against him and he was summoned before another convocation in 1378. Just before the trial got under way the queen mother sent word forbidding any untoward action to be taken against

Wycliffe. A popular mob also broke up this trial.

Wycliffe’s Religious Activities

As time went on Wycliffe became Jess and less occupied with political problems and more and more concerned with religious ones. To spread his message as well as to counteract the baneful influence of the mendicant friars, he instructed, trained and sent forth itinerant preachers known as the Poor Priests. The example that Wycliffe set before these was that of the seventy evangelists sent out by Jesus.

These Poor Priests, went forth in simple attire and preached to the people from the Bible texts they had, to the extent they understood them, in churchyards, market places and in the fields. Their message so delighted the common folk that they often emptied the churches. They spread so that an enemy of Wycliffe complained that every second Englishman was a Lollard, or follower of Wycliffe.

Opinion differs as to why they wene called Lollards. In the previous century certain devout and semimonastic societies in Germany and the Low Countries had been termed such because of their remarkable singing, or “lollen’', as it was called in Low German. The term was also used to designate heretics. But, whatever its origin, the connotation of the term was unfavorable.

While there is nothing to indicate that Wycliffe and his Lollards had the truth on such subjects as the trinity, eternal torment or immortality of the soul, they did present a decided step forward to compare with the teachings and practices of the Catholic Church. They condemned use of images, pilgrimages, monastic orders, hierarchy of priests and prayers for the dead, Christ's sacrifice was sufficient and so no need for confessions, penances, indulgences and the mass. Condemned also were the great tem-

poral possessions ot Uie church, political Offices of the clergy and wars.

After-Wycliffe’s attack on the doctrine of transubstantiation (that the priest had the power to transmute the bread and wine of the Mass to the actual flesh and blood of Christ) a Catholic court convened to try him, and, as a result, Wycliffe was ousted from his position at Oxford. It seems that it was chiefly from then on that he translated the Bible into English, with the help of his friend Nicholas of Hereford; ■ Wycliffe translating the Christian Greek Scriptures and about half of the Hebrew Scriptures ("Old Testament”), his friend translating the remainder.

One of Wycliffe’s staunch friends was John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, second son of King Edward and considered by some the strongest man England ever had. During Wycliffe’s time King Edward HI died (1377) and was succeeded by his grandson Richard II, his ailing son, the "Black Prince”, having preceded him in death. John of Gaunt had much influence with his father, Edward HI, but not with his nephew Richard H, who leaned toward the papal party and was no friend of the Lollards. In 1395 he forced the chancellor of Oxford to publicly condemn Wycliffe’s “errors”. Toward the close of his reign he became the indefatigable pursuer of heretics. These were forced to recant Lollard-ism and to "swear to god ... that fro this day forward I shall worship images, with praying and offering unto them in the worship of the saints that they be made after, and also I shall no more despise pilgrimage”.—Wilkins, Vol. Ill, page 225.

In 1399 Richard n was deposed and Henry IV came to the throne with the help of the papal party. With his co-operation Archbishop Arundel caused a law to be passed that "none should thenceforth preach, hold, teach . . . [anything] contrary to the Catholic faith”. Offenders were to be "burned alive, in a conspicuous place, for the terror of others”.

Even with due allowance made for the fact that the record coming down-to us was made primarily by Catholic historians, it seems recantations were the rule, and willingness to embrace martyrdom the exception, among the Lollards, especially at first. Evidently Wycliffe’s outcry against the greed of the Catholic Church for wealth and power carried greater weight than the exposures of the unscripturalness of her teachings, which came mostly later in his life. The first "heretic” to be burned at the stake in all English history was one William Sawtrey, a Lollard and priest of London who “was condemned chiefly for denying the doctrine of transubstantiation and refusing to worship the cross”. As time went on, however, titled and distinguished gentlemen no longer associated with the Lollards and the Lollards showed themselves to be made of sterner stuff.

In view of the fact that ever since apostate Christianity and pagan religion united, in the time of Constantine A.D. 325, the Catholic Church had punished "heresy” with death, it does seem remarkable that it was first at the dawn of the fifteenth century that a "heretic” perished at her hands in England. Catholic authorities enlighten us on this by showing that it was due not to tolerance but to lack of heresy in England. Interesting in this connection is the observation found in the Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 9, page 335, on this institution of the burning of "heretics” in England, that it was “merely the application to England of the common law of Christendom”. Merely! And of Christen-dom? What an excuse in view of the fact that all Christendom was Catholic in those days and since we look in vain among Christ’s words for any authority to burn at the stake those who disagree with us in points of doctrine, or for any other reason, for that matter!—-See Matthew 26:52; Ro* mans 12:19.

Nor can Roman Catholic apologists resort to the alibi found in modern encyclopedias to the effect that at a time when church and state were united all "heresy" was treason and therefore it was the duty of secular princes to destroy “heretics", thus exonerating the church. Why not? Because the history of England in general, and that of the Wycliffian era in particular, shows to what extent such actions were taken only because of the pressure exerted upon the state by the church. An incident that shows the difference between the way the clergy and the way the royal princes viewed this business of stamping out heretics follows:

In 1410, one John Badby, a simple tailor and Lollard, was brought before the whole majesty of church and state in England: two archbishops, eight bishops, the duke of York and the chancellor of England. And still he maintained that “Christ sitting at supper could not give his disciples his living body to eat”. As a result he was condemned to be burned at the stake. At Smithfield Market, where the pile of faggots was awaiting him, the heir to the throne, Prince Henry, entreated with him long and earnestly, promising him life and wealth if he would but recant; but in vain. The faggots were lighted and, noting the agony of Badby, the prince thought he was recanting and so ordered him to be rescued from the flames. But no, Badby was not recanting and so he was again delivered to the flames. Says the historian: “Henry the Fifth could beat the French at Agincourt, but here was something beyond his understanding and beyond his power.”

Yet such was the influence of the clergy that when this Henry became king he caused the law to be passed “that whatsoever they were that should read the Scriptures in the mother tongue (which was called Wycliffe's learning) should forfeit land, cattle, body, life and goods .. . condemned for heretics to God, enemies to the crown, and the most arrant traitors to the land”.

English kings came and went but the Lollards, in spite of all persecution, continued on. In 1428 a number were burned to death; concerning the deposition on which one of these was convicted we read: “Iten Nicolas Belward is one of the same sect and hath a New Testament . . . and taught the said William Wright [for] the space of one year and studied diligently upon the said New Testament.” In this same year the remains of Wycliffe were disinterred, burned and thrown into a brook nearby; the Council of Constance of thirteen years before having decreed that the remains of no such heretic should contaminate consecrated ground!

A century later Erasmus, also a great scholar but lacking the courage of a Wycliffe, wrote the new pope, Adrian the Sixth, urging the remarkable (!) doctrine of the uselessness of persecution, confessing that ‘once the party of the Wycliffites was overcome by the power of the kings; but it was only overcome and not extinguished’.

Lollardism made more striking progress in Bohemia than in England, whence it was transplanted due to Wycliffe’s manuscripts, reaching that land because of its relations with England, Queen Anrie, wife of Richard H, being from Bohemia. There it found an earnest advocate in Jan Huss, resulting in the Hussite movement, the forerunner of the Lutheran Reformation.

In England it took more time. However, from the foregoing it is apparent that Wycliffe, the “first Protestant”, with his Lollardism prepared the soil for the acceptance of Luther’s teachings in England and the divorcing of that land from under Henry the Eighth.

Manufacturers, workers, salesmen, agents, clerks, and parents all might think a toy is sensational, but If the kids say no, it is no sensation. Junior dictates the who’s who

and what’s what in toylahd, Before a new toy is approved, manufacturers ask, “Do the kids go for it?” If no, junk it. If yes, mass production begins almost immediately,

. Developing a new toy is an expensive business, Over a half million of some items must be sold before a profit is made. Great care is taken to choose the right toy. The toy must be interesting, different, attractive in appearance and price. It must meet the approval of fathers and mothers.

Before buying mothers will check to see if the toy is practical, safe, and durable, ire there any sharp edges? Is the costume nflammable? Is the paint poisonous? Are Lhere any nails, tiny parts, loose beads, and nsecure buttons that might be swallowed? Will it endure junior’s manhandling? On-:he-spot tests are made, The toy is bounced, Hilled, rubbed, and stretched. If it is still n one piece, it might sell. Some adults ilay with the toy, They conclude if they enjoy it why shouldn’t junior? But this almost always works in reverse. Others study the toy for its educational value. If they understand it, it’s too simple; if they don’t, then it’s too impractical.

The toy must do a number of other things. Toy-shoppers will bring junior along to pick out his toy, Alas! He has found what he wants. Then mother must ically active?” “Yes.” “Does it mess the house?” “No,” “Is it appropriate for city apartment, country house, indoors, outdoors?” “Yes, it is appropriate for all four,” “Will the toy please both boys and girls?” “Yes,” Then, “How much is it?” “Only two-fifty,” “What? Two-fifty? That’s outrageous!” Junior is yanked away screaming, No sale.

Science has learned by digging back through the ages that toys of very young infants, both boys and girls, are always basically the same. What is true of older girls’ paraphernalia of play today has been true of girls in all times past—the idea has always been to imitate mother’s round of household duties. On the other hand, the modern toys of boys, in whom the creative instinct is more strongly developed, bear little resemblance to ancient toys, for the boy of today is interested in things different from those which stirred the imagination and primitive skill of the boy of the Middle Ages, So science, delving in the excavations at Susa or uncovering graves in Egypt, has found among the Egyptian mummies dolls of wood with painted heads and hair of crocheted yarn. In Susa were found little images of a lion and a pig on tiny wheeled stands, with a hole through one end for a string. In Babylon a doll with movable arms was unearthed; in Kish a toy chariot with horsemen, and in Greece a little toy cart which some child played with in the time of Aristophanes. Aristotle describes a doll that moved and looked like Venus, and the mathematician Ancyras made a child’s rattle.

From this we learn that toys are about as old as man. Certain toys have never changed. Other toys adapted themselves to the times in which the people lived. Toy manufacturers, like children, like to innovate, explore new possibilities. This helps business, too. As usual, toys of today reflect interests as varied as those of a child. TTiey tell of television programs, Alice in Wonderland, mamma’s latest hairdo, the war in Korea, the world of science, the zoo and the Wild West.

March, of Dolls

The doll has always played a leading role in toyland. The china doll usually lasted about two weeks, after which the head invariably broke and the sawdust-stuffed body poured out its vital substance. The wax doll made its debut. Her complexion beyond words—exquisite; with yellow curls like rows of tiny sausages; blue eyes that opened and shut beneath long, curling lashes; and if this wax model was kept away from the fire it was of durable quality. Rag and bisque dolls followed. They were charming, but find themselves outclassed by the dolls of today. ■

In the land where youngsters rule the emphasis is on reality. Hair that curls, waves, combs, can be braided and shampooed. Dolly’s eyelashes are real. She has miracle skin. Her custom wardrobe is a lace-trimmed flared ninon or organdy dress, rubber panties, white socks and booties.

Added to the known favorites that walk, sleep, smile or screw up their face and bawl, wink, and drink, are dolls that speak and sing in French and Spanish, dolls that kiss, suck their thumbs, pat their hands, say both “mamma” and “papa”, shake their heads, change expressions,' and have removable chignons or human-hair strands rooted in the scalp. TTiere are Toni dolls, each with a hairdo of a different period, and Blessed Event baby dolls amazingly like newborn infants. So cuddly! Press her tummy, her mouth opens, baby yawns, pouts, puckers and cries softly. And there is the Tintair doll. Inspired by the home hair tint used by adults, “Tintair” special doll hair-coloring lets sophisticated daughters change baby doll from a blonde into a redhead or brunette, keeping pace with fickle sister’s tastes in hair color. Mothers are reassured that doll hair tints are claimed to be harmless, and washable. Just dip the redhead under the faucet and out she will come a blonde again!

An. Eye for the Future

From sister’s doll land across the department floor into'brother’s pretty “kettle of interplanetary fish” equipped with every kind of “futuristic” gadget is some hop into the imaginary future. Junior is all enthused about receiving an "artificial gravity generator’’, a “viewport”, “radar bridge” and a “teleceiver”. What’s that? “Every space cadet knows that these marvels enable the pilot to see as well as talk ship-to-ship, ship-to-earth, and ship-to-plahet,” says he. These are referred to as “futuramic” equipment. This part of the department definitely reflects an interest in science. Here are “atomic rockets”, which scoot across the floor on wheels, “zoome-ray” guns which shoot recoiling spirals of plastic, “paraloray” guns, “atomic rockets” that spit harmless sparks, jet helicopters and space sleds, space pups, and space-mobiles. Here also are the whirling silver wings of a scientifically designed airplane that will fly as high as three thousand feet. Connected to its rod by thread, it can be reeled in like a kite. For the young physicist, a cloud chamber, showing alpha particles at 12,500 miles a second.

For tomorrow’s mechanics and engineers, there are trucks with changeable tires, automobiles with plastic crankshaft and pistons which can be watched in motion; and the rear body comes off to reveal the metal works which make the miniature car run. There is the remote-control-operated train that puffs smoke, choo-choos, whistles short and long blasts; the push-button-control GI jeep that goes forward, reverse, left and right.

Emphasis on Realism

In toyland animal lovers can take their pick. They look enough alive to walk away. Stuffed dogs and poodles covered with real lambskin which may be washed. Imported koala bears covered with real kangaroo and wallaby fur. Fluffy white kittens that would fool anyone but a mouse. An ingenious coil spring in. its body allows the toy to be manipulated so that it crawls, eats, and does everything but ^umeow”₍ Would you care for a small bearlike doll made of nonallergic materials, or animals whose limbs are wired so that they can be bent in various positions? Pull toys are plentiful in the shape of wooden caterpillars, rabbits and grasshoppers that move on wheels to simulate naturalness.

Puppets change expressions of face in the most subtle fashion by means of a control board of twelve separate dials. There are mechanical, electronic, and pneumatic controls that make it possible to repeat a facial expression exactly.

Music lovers find music boxes, miniature plastic player pianos, musical ukuleles, a musical mechanism in a little merrygo-round and a miniature covered wagon that plays “0 Susannah”, The big feature is n u r s e r y-rhyme books with built-in mechanisms that play the nursery rhyme.

Practically every product of the gambling world will have its counterpart in the toy world. With the exception of racketeers, of course. Everything from electric pinball machines to a variety of horseracing games to suit junior’s sporting blood. The directions of one of the horseracing games carefully explained that in the parlance of the track, to “place” meant to finish second and to “show”, to come in third. A Monte Carlo—type roulette wheel, complete with a green felt pad for placing bets, games played with cards and poker chips, along with miniature slot machines, chuck-a-luck sets and dice in a “bird cage”, are all in the toyland of realism.

Christian parents need not deny their children the pleasure of toys. They can, however, choose toys that will contribute to the development of the mental and physical abilities of the child. A wise choice of toys will contribute to the constructive use of leisure time. Only an infant should play with a rattle. Toys should stimulate growth and development.

For girls select such materials as dolls, housekeeping toys, crayons, scissors, beads, and good books; while for the boys choose blocks, balls, dump trucks, wagons, electric trains, planes and good books. When selecting a toy*see that it is sound educationally, of good quality and durable; It is unwise to buy poor scissors or poor tools. Good tools are a worth-while investment. A well-built toy will serve the succeeding children in the family or it can be given to those who cannot afford to buy playthings, A toy of educational value is a toy that makes a child do something for himself.

To want to play is a natural urge. It constitutes one of the great hungers of life. Make the toy you buy for your child do more than satisfy that urge. Make it contribute to his strength, health; to his posture, grace; and to his enjoyment, life.

Courts Clarify Selective Service Rights

Local Boards Must Grant Full Hearing ! Richard Sobocinski, one of Jehovah’s wit- !

nesses, registered with his local draft | ioard and claimed exemption both as a min* ♦ ister and as a conscientious objector. The । board ignored a request for personal hearing | as provided for in Selective Service regula- t tlons, sent his file to the appeal board which, j on an advisory recommendation, likewise de- | nied his claims. In the meantime two agents | of the Federal Bureau of Investigation sought | to get Sobocinski to waive his conscientious j objector's claim. He refused, since the law au- I thorizes two such claims as he had made. The I state director ordered the case sent back to | the local board for a personal appearance. j

The registrant appeared at the local board I as notified. He was fully prepared and brought j a witness whom the board promptly excluded i from the hearing. Almost at once the chair- ! man became infuriated. The board adamahtly | refused to hear the registrant’s plea and evi- j dence, and handed him a I-A classification, । turning a deaf ear to his requests and, in j effect, driving him away without a hearing, j

Again the appeal board gave no relief and, 1 further, failed to refer the case to the Depart- j ment of Justice for an investigation, hearing I and recommendation, as required by the regu- । lations*                                                j

Sobocinski was prosecuted for failing to t obey the draft board’s order. Upon the trial ! his counsel urged many grounds for acquittal, j including the local board’s refusal to grant a I full and fair hearing. His attorney produced I a letter appearing in the file from the United | States attorney to the state director which I stated in part: "It appears that the proceed- I ings of this registrant would not warrant a | successful prosecution.’'                          I

But apparently he changed his mind, for | in court the government attorney pushed vig^ j otously for a prosecution, However, to his I chagrin, his earlier misgivings proved true ! ^prophecy as the case he directed at the in* | stance of the state director crumbled in his ♦ hands. United States District Judge Lederle 1 at Detroit, Michigan, wiped the record clean j when he held the draft board had flagrantly 1 violated the regulations by denying the de- J -fendant his vital procedural rights. He was | acquitted.                                          •

Appeal Boards Must Review All Claims ^rpHE case of Milton (7oa? v. Lieutenant | General A. O. Wedemeyer arose under the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, There was a long delay before the case got into the courts. Following the time that Cox reported at the induction station for the purpose of completing the selective process and exhausting his adpiinistrative remedies, the military authorities claimed that he had been legally inducted. However, Cox denied he had submitted to induction, stating that he refused to take the oath. He thereafter openly departed from the military base and returned home. There he resided openly for seven years and was not arrested until May, 1949, for desertion. He then filed an application for writ of habeas corpus in the federal court at San Francisco, Cox had first .claimed conscientious objection to military service, then also asked exemption as a minister of religion. Still later, he filed a form for conscientious objectors.

The local board classified him as a conscientious objector in class LA-O, making him available for noncombatant service in the armed forces. He appealed, requesting a IV-D classification, that of a minister of religion. In taking his appeal he did not mention his claim as a conscientious objector. The appeal board denied his minister's claim and refused to consider the conscientious objection, saying: “The registrant does not appeal as a conscientious objector but only because he claims to be a minister of religion,”

The court of appeals reversed the judgment, holding that it was the duty of the local board to consider Cox’s file entirely anew. The court pointed out that it was the duty of the board of appeal, if rejecting a conscien* tious objection request, to send the file to the Department of Justice for further investigation. This was not done in Cox’s case.

Registrants cannot safely depend on such slim prospects of the courts’ finding the boards guilty of neglect. Those claiming ministerial and/or conscientious objectors’ classifications must strive to meet full-time ministerial requirements. Sincere belief must always accompany pleas of conscientious objectors so that when this, rather than the board’s carelessness, is the matter under fire, it too will prove able to justify the defendant

WITH Christians God’s written Word must come ahead of tradition. When their Exemplar Christ Jesus was being tempted by Satan the Devil he repeatedly warded off that adversary’s thrusts with “It is written”. (Matthew 4:1-10) And ever and anon in his discussions with the scribes and Pharisees and in his teaching of disciples and the people the Son of God appealed to the Bible.—Matthew 22:29-32; Luke 10:26; John 5:39-47.

While such citations could be multiplied, nowhere do we read that Jesus appealed to the traditions of Judaism as authority for what he had to say. Or? the contrary, he condemned the traditions of the Jewish clergy of his day in no mistaken terms: “Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,’ and, 'Let him that reviles father or mother end up in death.’ But you men say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, “Whatever I have by which you may' get help from me is corban, (that is, a gift dedicated to God,)”, you men no longer let him do a single thing for his father or his mother/ and thus you shove the word of God aside for your tradition which you handed down. And many such maxims you do.”—Mark 7:10-13, New World Trans.

The early disciples and apostles followed Jesus’ example in both respects. They also appealed to the authority of the Scriptures. Peter at Pentecost quoted scripture after scripture to prove his points. Stephen, in his defense before the Sanhedrin, reviewed the history of the Jews, showing the greatest familiarity with the Scriptures, and his manner of presentation showed that he took for granted that his listeners were likewise familiar.—Acts chapters 2 and 7.

Pauls arguments in his letter to the Romans regarding justification or being declared righteous are all based on the assumption that his readers are familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. The same is true of his arguments in Hebrews and of the letters of James and Peter regarding the identity of the Messiah. Christians were commended for diligent study of the Hebrew Scriptures.—Acts 17:11; 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:14-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

And like Jesus, his apostles condemned traditions, Paul tells us that it was while he was so zealous for the traditions of his fathers that he persecuted the Christian congregation. (Galatians 1:13,14) He warned: “Look out: perhaps there may be some man that will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ,” (Co-lossians 2:8, New World Trans.) And Peter told his readers: “For you know that it was not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, as a ransom that you were released from your fruitless form of conduct received by tradition from your forefathers.”—1 Peter 1:18, New World Trans.

“But,” says a Roman Catholic writer for the Knights of Columbus, in the booklet But Can It Be Found in the Bible? under the heading “Let’s Take a Look at Tradition—Both Kinds,” “that is false tradition . . . or false teaching. There is also true tradition—the tradition of Christ and His Apostles.” And concluding, he states:

“The tradition of Christ is found in the 'many other things’ that Jesus did, which St. John specifically states were never written down. It is foand in the forty days’ instruction that Christ gave His Apostles before He ascended into heaven after His Resurrection. Together with the teachings recorded in the New Testament, it forms the full teaching of Our Lord. It was the full teaching that the Apostles took into the world, that was believed by all Christians, and that the Catholic Church continues to teach today.”

Without a doubt Jesus said far more than what is recorded in the Christian Greek Scriptures. (John 21:25) And in writing to the Thessalonians Paul did instruct them to heed the traditions he had given them: “So, then, brothers, stand firm and maintain your hold on the traditions which you were taught, whether it was through a verbal message or through a letter of ours.” (2 Thessalonians 2:15; 3:6, NW) So there are true traditions as well as true Scripture. But, we ask, can that fact be used to support traditions that are contrary to the Bible?

Did Jesus, before his resurrection, teach that “One is your teacher, whereas all you are brothers” and then after his resurrection instruct his apostles regarding a corn-pie^ hierarchical structure consisting of lay brothers, priests, bishops, monsignors, archbishops, cardinals and popes?—Matthew 23:8, New World Trans.

Did Jesus before his death say: “Do not call anyone your father on earth, for One is your Father, the heavenly One” and then, just before his ascension, make provision for a clergy class that were to be called “father” and for their chief to be called “most holy father”? Did Jesus preach against vain repetition in prayer in the Sermon on the mount and then after his resurrection give instructions about repeating so many “Hail Marys” and Pater

Nasters?—Matthew 6:7; 23:9, New World Trans.

And the apostle Paul. Did he insist in his letters that an overseer be the husband of but one wife, and in his oral instructions insist that overseers had to be celibates? Did he state in his letter to the Romans that the wages sin pays i_s death, and then in his oral traditions preach that its wages were purgatory and eternal torment? Did he tell the Corinthians in his first letter to them ^hat flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s kingdom, and then in his oral teachings state that the human fleshly bodies of both Jesus and his earthly mother Mary were taken to heaven?—Romans 6:23; 1 Corinthians 15:50; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:5,6, New> World Trans.

Did Paul assure Christians by letter that they were righteous in God’s sight by reason of Christas blood and their faith, and then by oral tradition teach them that to become righteous one must confess to a priest, do penance and have masses said? Did he say in his letters that no other foundation can be laid than Christ Jesus, and then by tradition instruct that Peter was also a foundation?—Romans 5:1, 9; 8:33; 1 Corinthians 3:10,11.

Clearly, the Roman Catholic Church cannot use the argument of true traditions to bolster up her traditions that contradict God’s Word. Her traditions are the kind Paul told us to avoid, and not the kind he himself delivered to Christians. (Colossians 2:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:15) True traditions are in harmony with the Bible* Such traditions as are not in line with the Scriptures are false traditions and could not possibly have been taught by Christ, Remember the specific instructions of the apostle Paul: “Even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed.”—Galatians 1:8, New World Trans.

Venezuela

VENEZUELA is a land of exciting contrasts, In the streets of its capital, the cool, modern city of Caracas, you will see both the latest streamlined cars and trains of burros laden with banana leaves. You will see a young lady dressed in the latest Fifth Avenue styles on one side of the street, and on the other side her sister balancing on her head a five-gallon water can or the week’s groceries.

In Venezuela people say good-by when they meet you, and to indicate direction, instead of pointing their finger they pucker their lips. When they want you to come closer, they wave you away. While at an ultramodern hotel you might shudder to read such headlines in your newspaper as: “Wild Indians Attack Oil Camp. Five Dead, Pierced Through with Poisoned Arrows!” Yes, only five hundred miles away, on the other side of the “Gran Sabana”, or great plain country, lies one of the most impenetrable jungles of the world where the Indians with their blow guns, jagged spears and poisoned arrows defy modern civilization.

In this land of contrasts and wonders you will find more than 500 witnesses of Jehovah, busy teaching the Bible, By constantly searching for the people of good will toward God and his Word they get to know the people and the country, their customs and their ways. This takes them from house to house, over the hot sand dunes, to the highest hills and into jungle country.

The joy of educating the Venezuelan in the Bible is great. Though his manner and organization may not compare with some, yet he loves to talk and never lacks time. Often persons have been found engaging in Bible teaching themselves with pieces of literature obtained from the Watchtower Society before they even realized there was an organization with which they might work. As soon as they begin to study, it is only natural to explain the procedure to the curious neighbor at the corner store while waiting in line for water, or at the window grill in Spanish style.

The mild temper of the sheeplike Venezuelans is appreciated by the some thirty Watchtower missionaries that are engaged in the full-time ministry in five different cities. The 901 persons that attended the 1951 Memorial were an indication that there is much good-will interest and that the prospects of expansion are good. During the past decade thousands of pieces of literature have been placed in the hands of these people. Climb to the highest hill and you will find them reading Despertad! (Spanish Awake!) Go to a little town, or “pueblo”, and there’s La Atdlaya (Spanish, The Watchtower) in the courthouse. Arrive at a hidden village in the jungle accessible only by canoe and you will find a group of persons joined together in preaching the Kingdom. And should you visit the various tribes of Indians of the jungle, you would find that they also have received the message by their unique “grapevine” method, because their queen and her family are attending Bible classes conducted by Jehovah’s witnesses. These are some of the many joys of being a missionary in a foreign field, There is a constant stream of wonderful surprises!

In 1949 a missionary planted some seed in Puerta La Cruz among the people of good will toward God. When a special representative of the Watchtower Society visited them recently, to his surprise he found 25 persons publishing the good news although they had no literature or mature help. A total of 83 came to hear the talk on field preaching, and 108 came to hear the public lecture. The few brothers there are convinced that the “harvest is great, but the workers few’L

Another unusual privilege arose, due to a young witness’ honestly upholding the truth. It happened at St. George School in Caracas'when the teacher said nonchalantly, “Mary is the mother of God.’’ “That is impossible,” contested a little ten-year-old girl, “because God had no beginning. How could Mary be his mother?” The teacher, an Episcopalian, though blushing, ignored the comment and continued, "God has no name.” Came the speedy reply from the little girl, “But Psalm 83:18 says his name is Jehovah.” At this the teacher snapped back, “Different people call him different names.”

When the mother and a friend of this Jittle girl visited the principal of the school to investigate the matter of Bible teaching, he suggested that, as undoubtedly the teacher was misinformed, perhaps they, the teacher and the friend, being Bible students, would be willing to take over that class and present the facts and truths as they should be from the Bible. Also he wanted to know how much would be charged for their services. Amazed to learn that it would be free, he remarked, “That’s the first time in my life that I ever heard of anyone teaching the Bible free."

The new class got under way, but not without a bit of politics first. The Catholic children had been separated to take their catechism lessons from someone else. Yet a good group of about 20 remained, from 7 to 13 years of age. To obtain some information on just what instruction they had had, the new teacher, one of Jehovah’s witnesses, began to describe different Bible characters and the children were to tell who they were by the history given.

Cain and Abel turned out to be “Cain and Abraham”; Samson was “Simson”. And to the question: “Who was the disciple who cut off a man’s ear, walked on water and denied Jesus three times?” a little miss cried out with confidence, “Judas Iscariot.”

The hour passed quickly. They read from the Bible all the most important points of these famous men, thereby gaining accurate knowledge, and it was explained why God used them. The children were delighted and asked their new teacher to be sure to come back. For homework they were to learn the Lord’s prayer and Ecclesiastes 12:1. Six students immediately ordered Bibles. So now, every Friday afternoon, you will know what is going on at one school in Caracas. In Venezuela the comforting message of Jehovah’s new world proceeds peaceably, steadily increasing, in contrast with the baffling economic and political strife of the country and the general unrest among the people. Almost the entire population is gambling its money away on state lotteries and horse racing, many hoping with their meager winnings to better feed their hungry children. Amid these pitiful conditions, prevailing in spite of the country’s very rich resources, the good news of God’s kingdom is being preached and many are gladly freeing themselves of bondage and are having a share in saying to the prisoners, “Go forth.” It is truly a great contrast to see the happy groups of Jehovah’s witnesses working from door to door and on the streets enthusiastically offering God’s Word of life to all who will listen.

Voice of the Prisoners

& At the Panraunjom truce talks the U. N. stuck to its proposal to return only the prisoners who wished repatriation. The Reds asked how many this would be. Sessions were recessed and a survey was made. The question was not if the prisoners wanted to go, but whether they would "forcibly resist” being returned. The results were startling. Only one out of four (5,100 out of 20,700) Chinese "volunteers” would not resist being returned to "New China”. There are 173,■ 000 prisoners. A hundred thousand of them, 47 per cent of the North Koreans, 76 per cent of the Chinese, 77 per cent of the South Koreans who had been pressed into North Korean service, and 81 per cent of the Korean civilian internees, would "forcibly resist” being returned to Communist control. Time magazine (5/5) commented: "Almost against its will, the U. N. had uncovered a wonderful political and psychological asset in Asia—100,000 living witnesses against the hatefulness and tyranny of Communism. It was unfortunate that this great asset stood in the way of a truce.”

Korean Cost

An interesting fact from the U. S. Defense Department (3/28) is that the cost of the Korean conflict for the 12 months ending June 30 will be $5,000,000,000. Another interesting fact is that if you earned $10,000 a day, beginning when Columbus set sail for America in 1492, it would take until the 29th century to earn $5,000,000,000!

Prisoners In Protest

<$> Prison riots in April and May backed up demands for better food, better treatment, less brutality. At New Jersey’s State prison at Trenton, 69 convicts seized four guards (4/15) and defied officials for three days. At the Rahway prison farm, 232 prisoners barricaded themselves and nine guards in a dormitory for 115 hours, demanding better treatment The worst prison riot.in U.S. history occurred in a crowded Michigan prison (4/20) when convicts overpowered guards and barricaded themselves inside their cell block. Then 2,600 prisoners rioted, wrecked and burned part of the prison. After five days their demands that the parole board be reformed, guard brutality and beatings be stopped and homosexuals be segregated from other prisoners were agreed to, and they surrendered. Soon thereafter (5/4) 500 Canadian prisoners in Montreal staged a four-hour riot over food conditions, breaking windows, set

ting fires and smashing furnishings.

The President: How Powerful?

<$> A major debate in the U. S. in April and May concerned presidential power. In the face of a strike Truman took over the steel mills (4/8) and implied he had power to take radio and the press if ever necessary. Condemnation was widespread. Resolutions of censure and impeachment were introduced in Congress. Court orders were sought by the steel companies. District Court Judge Pine ruled (4/29) "the acts of the (government] are illegal”. The ruling was a sweeping restriction of presidential power. He ruled: "The contemplated strike, if it came, with all its awful results, would be less injurious to the public than the Injury which would flow from a timorous judicial recognition that there is some basis for this claim to unlimited and unrestrained Executive power.” The decision was promptly appealed to the Supreme Court, which would have the final say. The extent of presidential power has long been argued, but this constitutional debate was called "the greatest in a generation”.

Military Command Adjustments <$> Major adjustments in Western military command were necessary when Gen. Eisenhower resigned as Supreme Cofhmander of the filled Powers in Europe to campaign for the U. S. presidential nomination. Gen. Ridgway was appointed to Elsenhower’s position, and Gen. Mark Clark was appointed to Ridgway’s place as U. N. commander in Korea. The adjustments are expected to take effect about June 1.

Death on the "Hobson”

Seven hundred miles out into m i d-A11 a n t i c from the Azores 23 U. S. warships engaged in a planned maneuver

(4/2fc). The 32,000-ton aircraft carrier “Wasp” sent out her planes, with the 1,600-ton destroyer-minesweepers “Hobsort" and “Rodman'’ standing by. At 10:20 p.m. the “Wasp" changed course to take her brood back aboard* Suddenly the engines were thrown “emergency full astern”, but not quickly enough to prevent the huge carrier from ramming the “Hobson”, which sank within four minutes* Despite 24-hour rescue operations 175 men were lost. A huge gash in her bow, the “Wasp” limped back to New York with the survivors of the worst peacetime disaster in U. S. naval history*

May Day, 1652

<$> Long ago there was a celebration on the first of May called Beltein (BaaVs fire), By 1899 it had evolved into an international labor holiday. It now is a special Communist holiday. This year violence reached its peak in Tokyo, Where 20,000 May Day rioters, chanting anti-Western slogans, injured 450 persons and burned at least a dozen American automobiles* It Is an annual crisis in the divided city of Berlin, where 400,000 turned out in anti-Red demonstrations and citizens hissed at each other across the East-West border, Communist rowdies who invaded the French sector were repulsed with water hoses. Around the world “peace” slogans were proclaimed, yet in Communist capitals hundreds of thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen marched and displayed their guns, tanks and planes. Half a million gathered in Peiping; one million in Moscow.

Forthcoming Mexican Flections <$> The Mexican government rarely worries about its congressional nominees. The Party of Revolutionary Institutions (P.R.I.) always wins, and the president usually chooses its congressional nominees on a political favoritism basis. This year the tradition has been broken. The government is showing new concern with opposition party pressures, and the president refused to name favorites. Several opposition parties have banded together with a single list of candidates to gain more seats in Congress. (They now have only 4 out of 211 seats.) The break in tradition has caused many to anticipate important changes in Mexican politics at the July 6 elections.

German Unification

Russia’s recent comments regarding German unification, a peace treaty and “free” elections helped to gum up an already difficult situation. The German-French clash over the proposed European Army, and the “contractural agreement” to .give West Germany almost complete sovereignty but tying her to the Allies, may both have been made more difficult. Western diplomats recognized that Russian proposals touched on a most important German political problem—unification of the Eastern and Western sectors. Some Germans would want to wait to see what Russia offered before tying too firmly with the West. Western officials were skeptical of the Russian proposals, but British Foreign Secretary Eden promised the door would not be closed on negotiations.

Thorny Problem of Trieste # One of today's many problems in international relations concerns Trieste, a small neutral territory (population 381,000) claimed by both Italy and Yugoslavia. At present it is divided into two zones: Zone “A” occupied by Britain and the U. S., and Zone “B” occupied by Yugoslavia. Lengthy three-power discussions in London regarding Italy's claim, to Zone “A” set off a wave Of demonstrations in Yugoslavia. In Belgrade 250,000 to 300,000 protesters paraded, as did

throngs elsewhere. General Dveder of the Yugoslav General Staff warned in May of Italy’s need for Yugoslavian co-operation if attacked by the Communist bloc, and that more thought should be given Italy’s "relation with her neighbors”. Both sides have such vigorous nationalistic feeling about Trieste that neither government appears in a position to make important concessions. Threats and public demonstrations will only increase the antagonism instead of helping toward mutual agreement.

An Unhealthy Trend in U. N.

A practical warning was given by the Indian delegation (4/26) that the U. N. might disintegrate if big powers continue the “trend that threatened to become a habit” of refusing to consider disputes brought up by smaller. countries against a big power. On orders from the Indian government, the warning was contained in a letter to the Asian, African, and Latin-Arne rican members, and was based on the Security Council's refusal to hear the French-Tunisian dispute. {France and Britain had voted against considering it, the U.S. abstained, Nationalist China and the Soviet Union voted for It.) The message, signed by Rajeshwar Dayal, chief Indian delegate, warned that the practice reminds of the defunct League of Nations.

Rewards in MaJaya

Since 1948 Communist guerrillas have harassed Malaya. Various plans have been instituted to encourage Malayans to co-operate with British troops against the Communists. One was the controversial collective punishment measures which Britain’s General Templer instituted against villages that had aided the Communists. The Manchester Guardian attacked this as being an attempt “to make the villagers more afraid of the Government than of the Communists, and to win co-operation this way". Another method is the offering of rewards for top Communists, either dead or alive. In a stepped-up campaign the rewards were tripled (4/30) and now go up to 250,000 Straits dollars ($84,000 U.S.) for key Communist leaders.

Peace Comes to Japan

Ten years, four months, three weeks after the airwaves crackled with: "Air raid, Pearl Harbor’ This is no drill," Secretary of State Acheson deposited the U. S. ratification of the peace treaty (4/28), and the war officially ended. A nine-day holiday began in Japan, commemorating the peace treaty, Hirohito's 51st birthday, May Day, Japan’s memorial day, the new constitution, and children’s day. A headline in Nippon Times said, "Little Signs of Joy; People in Quandary,"

Jetliner Seta Becord

Twenty years ago commercial airplanes flew from London to Johannesburg in 10i days. Thirteen years ago it took five days. Today's passenger planes take about 32 hours. Britain’s de Havilland Comet, ¹ carrying 36 passengers, spent nearly five hours on the ground, loafed along part of the way, and still streaked into Johannesburg ahead of schedule (5/3), just 23 hours 38 minutes after it left London on the world's first regularly scheduled jet passenger flight. It averaged 390 miles an hour for the trip and hit 525 between Rome and Lebanon. It is claimed that this gives Britain at least a four-year lead in jet passenger service.

Unstable Island

<•> Current conditions justly the charge that the world is "unstable”, but that charge concerns man’s affairs, not the planet. Just imagine the plight of inhabitants of the East Paklstanian island of Kutub-dla, whose very Island was unstable, After a month-long series of underwater explosions the northern part had sunk into the sea, and in late April about 40,000 inhabitants were milling about in panic.

Unsettled World

<$> Today’s world i® unsettled. No one can deny that. It debates official power, fears atomic war, faces the conditions Revelation 12 (New World Translation') predicted: "Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger.^u Gone mad, Satan drives earth into recurring crises and catastrophes. But this is because he knows "he has a short period of time”. His violence unquestionably marks the fact that it will soon end. His wicked rule will be replaced by one of righteousness.—Revelation 21:1-4.

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Have "You Wished for a Copy?

♦ Have you not, at one time or another, wished that you might have a copy of the original Greek text of the commonly styled “New Testament”? You may even have wished you could have it with the English words right under the Greek, enabling you to make comparisons for yourself.

♦ Such a Greek text is, in fact, available now in book form. It is' called “The Emphatic Diaglott”. The translation is based on the Vatican Manuscript No. 1209, one of the oldest Bible manuscripts in existence, and takes note of the various renderings of eminent critics. The 924-page volume includes valuable information on the Greek alphabet and grammar, history of the Greek text and English versions, and an enlightening preface and foreword to assist the reader in . his examination of the text. Comprehensive footnotes, references and appendix add to the value of this remarkable work. Postpaid, $2.

WATCHTOWER               ITT ADAMS ST,                BROOKLYN l_rN. Y.

Please send me a copy of The Emphatic Diaglott, fur which 1 enclose $2.

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What is its most important use?

rpHE uses of paper are many. In this modem day its benefits reach into all ^x avenues of life. It makes possible the wide distribution of printed matter, putting the means of learning into the hands of great and small, rich and poor. An outstanding use of paper i$ that of publishing the message of God’s kingdom far and wide, in fulfillment of the Lord’s words: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for the purpose of a witness to all the nations.” Three recent products of the press ate the vitally essential books: What Has Religion Done for Mankind? “Let God Be True”, and “This Means Everlasting Life”. The abundance of paper available makes it possible to put these splendid Bible-study aids into the hands of all truth-loving, lifeseeking persons. It gives them the opportunity to gain firsthand knowledge of the way to life. It also points out the dangers of false religion. Let paper, boon of modern times, be a boon to you, by obtaining these three well-bound, attractive books, containing a total of 992 pages. Sent postpaid to one address for $1,50.

WATCHTOWER          117 ADAMS ST.          BROOKLYN!, N.Y

Enclosed And 11.50. Please send me the books: What Has Religion Done for MankindT “Let God Be True", and Jfeonj Everlasting Life", postpaid.

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