Determining Your Most Vital Needs
PAGE’ S/r
Working Wives and Mothers
PAGE
Wonder Vessels of the Sea
PAGE,12-'
What’s in a Name?
PAGE2O-1
MARCH 8. 1963
THE MISSION OF THIS JOURNAL
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CONTENTS
Are They Really Getting Away with It? 3
Determining Your Most Vital Needs
Lone Wanderer of the Ice Kingdom
A Religious Nation Without
Distance- con q uerin g C omm un i c ation s
"Your Word Is Truth”
Volume XL|V London, England, March 8, 1963 Number 5
TODAY there arc ever so many people who seem to be getting away with it. Getting away with what? Getting away with violating God’s righteous principles and laws, with betraying a trust or with violating the laws of man.
Not that everyone seems to get away with it. At least, not all the time. Dictators such as Mussolini and Trujillo failed to get away with it, and such notorious criminals as Chessman and Eichmann got away with it only so long. Prisons in every land are filled with violators of the law who thought that they could get away with it.
Still, there are ever so many culprits, big and small, that seem to be getting away with it. Employees rob their employers of material goods, and they steal from them by loafing on the job. Businessmen cheat their customers by dishonest advertising and by short weights. Users of the highways disregard speed laws. Citizens cheat when it comes to paying taxes. God’s principles regarding sex are ridiculed and openly flouted. Judges accept bribes; politicians gain office by vote frauds. And in particular do worldwide crime syndicates
seem to get away with it, corrupting government officials and instilling fear in all who would oppose them, while they live in luxury.
All such seem to be getting away with it, but are they? No, they are not, and that for more than one good reason. In the first place, let us remember that “the Judge of all the earth” takes note of what is going on. “The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, keeping watch upon the bad ones and the good ones.” As Jesus Christ noted: “There is nothing covered over that will not become uncovered, and secret that will not become known.” His apostle Paul bears like testimony: “Certainly the one that is doing wrong will receive back what he wrongly did, and there is no partiality” with God. “The sins of some men are publicly manifest, leading directly to judgment, but as for other men their sins also become manifest later.” Yes, sooner or later God will take an accounting: “The very name of the wicked ones will rot,” and “the very lamp of wicked people will be extinguished.”—Gen. 18:25; Prov. 15: 3; Matt. 10:26; Col. 3:25; 1 Tim. 5:24; Prov. 10:7; 24:20.
Not that all those who seem to be getting away with it must wait for God’s judgment for an accounting. The violation of God’s laws brings with it its own retribution. No one has ever proved God a liar and no one ever will. His laws cannot be violated with impunity, “Do not be misled,’’ we are admonished, “God is not one to be mocked. For whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap; because he who is sowing with a view to his flesh will reap corruption from his flesh, but he who is sowing with a view to the spirit will reap everlasting life from the spirit,’’—Gal. 6: 7, 8. '
How many have paid for overindulgence in food and drink by obesity, heart disease, liver or kidney ailments! And the evidence keeps mounting as to the terrible price cigarette smokers pay for the luxury of their petty vice. How many have paid for illicit sex relations with a life of shame, unmarried motherhood, venereal disease or divorce! Further, it is a known fact that perversions take a tremendous toll in loss of moral fiber and mental health, if not also in physical health, in keeping with the words of the apostle Paul that such will be “receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error.’’ Violators of speed laws too receive a recompense; many of them paying for speeding with their own lives.—Rom. 1:27.
The satisfaction of a clear conscience is also to be considered. To the extent that one keeps getting away with it, he becomes a hypocrite, he loses his self-respect. Is it worth it? Or he loses sleep because of a guilty conscience, like the guilty tax evaders who afterward anonymously send money to the government to find peace of mind. Recently a highly respected professional man in an eastern United States city was found dead in his office together with the wife of another man. They had been unfaithful to their own mates and chose suicide as the way out. Yes, many may seem to be getting away with it, but who knows what they may tie suffering because of a guilty conscience? So are they getting away with it?
In view of all the foregoing, how fitting the Scriptural counsel: “Do not show yourself heated up because of the evildoers. Do not be envious of those doing unrighteousness. For like grass they will speedily wither, and like green new grass they will fade away.” Not that it is wrong to feel righteous indignation at wrongdoing; righteous Lot did. But do not chafe, do not feel frustrated by others’ getting away with it. Do not let it unduly disturb you or make you bitter; do not envy those who think they are getting away with it and, above aii, do not find fault with God for permitting it. “Trust in Jehovah . . . and rely upon him,” for in his due time “he himself wil] act.” —Ps. 37:1-5; 2 Pet. 2:7, 8.
Yes, as a lover of righteousness take comfort in the words of Solomon found at Ecclesiastes 8:11-13: “Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, that is why the heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad. Although a sinner may be doing bad a hundred times and continuing a long time as he pleases, yet I am also aware that it will turn out well with those fearing the true God, because they were in fear of him. But it will not turn out well at all with the wicked one, neither will he prolong his days that are like a shadow, because he is not in fear of God.”
So be wise! Do not deceive yourself that you can get away with violating God's principles and laws. Do not become envious of those who apparently are getting away with it, deceiving themselves, for actually they are not getting away with it!
Vibert things do Y°u
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WHAT are the most important things lo you, ahove all else in life? Answers to this question may be widely varied, but it is well known that among the things most sought for are wealth, a good name and health. Just how important are these things?
H/’se View of Wealth
The usefulness and advantages of wealth cannot be denied. Though many have contended that money is the root of all evil, this is incorrect and a misapplication of the Bible verse at 1 Timothy 6:10, which, according to the King James version of the Bible, reads: “The love of money is the root of all evil.” Used with the proper motive, money can serve useful ends. The wise man Solomon verifies this at Ecclesiastes 7:12 in stating: “Money is for a protection.”
Unless we are isolated to the extent that it is necessary to be entirely self-supporting, it would be impossible to take care of the feeding, clothing and housing of ourselves and our families without money. In many ways we are also dependent on services that could not be provided without the use of money. Money purchases facilities such as piped water, cabled light and heat, transport, the communication of ideas to us by paper and radio waves, and all the labor involved in these conveniences.
Useful as money is, we should take care not to fall under its control. The amount of wealth possessed is not the issue. Those having few of this ivorld’s goods can let most?
Have you a in the o'?
firm assurance
vfi£LNEEDS
the love of money ruin them just as wealthy ones can. The apostle Paul states, at 1 Timothy 6:9: “Those who are determined to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and many senseless and hurtful desires.” Those who have acquired wealth are cautioned “not to be high-minded, and to rest their hope, not on uncertain riches, hut on God, who furnishes us all things richly for our enjoyment.”—-1 Tim. 6:17.
So be sure that your1 money serves you, that it remains under your control. Seeking after it should not crowd out the spiritual interests that are so necessary for all members of the family. Spiritual feeding is vital for us as well as material provisions, for as Jesus himself said: “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.”—Matt. 4:4.
Jesus applied his counsel by showing contentment with just the necessities for his material welfare, while giving first place to the service of God, freely using his time for the upbuilding of others with the spiritual truths from his Father’s Word. His was the perfect example for God-seeking men, women and children to follow. The well-balanced person will follow Jesus' words: “Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —Matt. 6:19, 21.
We are socially inclined by nature, so the desire for a good name in the community is natural. It is proper to want a good reputation. As stated at Proverbs 22:1: “A name is to be chosen rather than abundant riches; favor is better than even silver and gold.” Christians are particularly concerned with maintaining proper conduct so that their way of life will honor the name of God. They give the matter attention, not only in public, but also at home. Upbuilding and unselfish relations within the family lead to good relations with one’s neighbors. At a time when there is so much immorality and dishonesty the family trained in Christian conduct stands out as a shining example Of purity as a result of applying Bible principles. We are admonished at Colossians 3:5-10; “Deaden, therefore, your body members that are upon the earth as respects fornication, uncleanness, sexual appetite, hurtful desire, and covetousness ... put them all away from you, wrath, anger, injuriousness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of your mouth. Do not be lying to one another. Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality.” Such course of action produces a good name, not merely a standing with the community, but, most important, with God.
In the process of acquiring a good standing with the community care must be taken to watch one’s motive. Is there a tendency to push ahead of others in a spirit of competition by living beyond one’s means or seeking to make a misleading impression? The apostle Paul warns: “Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.”—Gal. 5:26,
If in the gaining of a high social standing with men there is the danger of turning away from a course of Christian integrity, then it would be wise to follow the course of Moses. Of him we read: “By faith Moses, when grown up, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, choosing to be ill-treated with the people of God rather than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin, because he esteemed the reproach of the Christ as riches greater than the treasures of Egypt.” (Heb. 11: 24-26) Moses’ faithful course put him in line for a place in God’s everlasting new world, and that same reward is open for all who make a name for faithful service to God as he did.
Good health is also essential, for without it wealth, social status and any other pursuits in life would be in vain. It is necessary therefore to take good care of our bodies, making sure they receive sufficient nourishment, rest, and health care. At the same time we ought to avoid becoming faddists or extreme in any way. Jesus established a Scriptural principle in saying: “Never be anxious and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or, ‘What are we to drink?’ ” “Who of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?” (Matt. 6:31, 27) This has proved true, for with all the health aids that have been produced, good health continues to be elusive and death continues to take its toll. So it is good to be reasonable on matters of health, not going to an extreme, but using proper care so that our bodies can be used to God’s praise, showing appreciation to him for the gift of life and the hope of a new world free from the ravages of sickness and death.
Even more important than physical health is your spiritual health. This is to be gained by taking in knowledge of God’s purposes and putting faith in them, so meriting favor and approval. The resultant joy leads not only to happiness and peace of mind, but even to an improvement in physical health. Proverbs 17:22 reads: "A heart that is joyful does good as a curer, but a spirit that is stricken makes the bones dry.” A happy heart springing from a contented mind is considered by many doctors to be the best kind of medicine. On the other hand, a person in a state of grief may not respond even to the best of medical care. A Christian father, therefore, ought to give serious consideration to the healthful words of God and lead his family in regular study of the Bible. Trained in such good things, each member of the family will be enabled to show concern for the upbuilding of all so that as a unit they will thrive spiritually. Take to heart the sound counsel recorded at Proverbs 3:1-8: “My son, my law do not forget, and my commandments may your heart observe, because length of days and years of life and peace will he added to you. . . . Fear Jehovah and turn away from bad. May it become a healing to your navel and a refreshment to your bones.” So, important as the care for physical health is, God’s Word shows that spiritual health is more so.
Then how should we view money, one’s name and health? Considering them purely from the human standpoint, they are not to be treated lightly. They can be used to good advantage. However, wealth can vanish overnight, as has been the bitter experience of whole nations. A good name, if made according to the standards of men, can lose its value when another ruler comes into power. Health can suddenly collapse as a result of epidemic or serious accident. At best, if one can successfully hold on to any or all of these things, they can be enjoyed for only a few short years until death comes.
Now viewing these things—riches, a good name and health—-but this time from a spiritual standpoint, having God in mind above our own interests, we can see them as being among the things that are most important to us. For example, with reference to riches the apostle Paul wrote: “Be rich in fine works, ... be liberal, ready to share, safely treasuring up ... a fine foundation for the future, in order that [you] may get a firm hold on the real life.” (1 Tim. 6:18, 19) Likewise, having a good name with God builds up merit with him and hope of future life: “A name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born.” (Eccl. 7:1) Such a name is certain of preservation. And as for the benefits of spiritual health, Solomon advises: “My son, to my words do pay attention . . . Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those finding them and health to all their flesh.”—Prov. 4:20-22.
God has wonderful blessings in store for those having such spiritual interests at heart. By putting these important things foremost in your life, may you be found pleasing to him and gain the privilege of serving him in the endless new world of righteousness now near at hand.
Belief Inconsequential
During May of last year the United Presbyterian General Assembly ruled that New Jersey minister John Harwood Hicks could retain his ministerial post even though be did not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. The general assembly thereby reversed the ruling of the New Jersey Synod’s judical commission, which had barred Hicks from membership in the New Brunswick Presbytery because of his denying Scriptural teachings.
IVES and ‘ mothers are -
not strangers to u H
work. From the be- Av
ginning they have shouldered a great * load of it, to the blessing of the human race. Today they are taking on more work than ever, but in a revolutionary pattern. Once upon a time they made their contribution to mankind’s welfare largely by hard work around the home or farm.
That began to change for many women when the Industrial Revolution opened the door to outside employment. World Wars I and II increased the flow of women into factories, while the large number of men killed in battle created a manpower shortage still felt in many parts of the world. Today more and more women from middleincome families are entering the labor pool. Newly married women and mothers who have raised their children are finding reasons to work. In some places there is hardly a job that women will not tackle. The entrance of millions of women, including wives and mothers, into the work force has created a sbcial and economic revolution of great importance.
The “experts” are not sure yet whether this revolution is for evil or for mankind’s good. One thing no one can doubt: It is very popular. In Russia, 40 percent of all industrial workers and one-third of the construction workers are women. In the United States, in 1961, 24,199,000 women were employed outside the home, one-third having children under eighteen years. The scope of the revolution can be grasped by the fact that many countries of Europe as well as En-gland and the Americas have passed laws relating 1 to day care for the chil-f. JoZ dren of working mothers.
J But what has led so many women from the home into paid employment? The manpower
shortage is not the only reason.
Many married women work out of sheer economic necessity, occasioned by separation, divorce, desertion or the death of their husbands. Some men arc physically or psychologically unfitted to hold a job. Others have only seasonal work. For many wives, outside employment means financial independence or freedom from boredom, frustration or loneliness. It may answer a craving for adult associations or fulfill a desire to put special talents to work. Working wives often use their pay to help retire a mortgage, buy a second car, support elderly parents, further the husband’s vocational training or give the children music lessons. Sometimes modern advertising creates desires for luxuries that the husband’s income would not cover. Or the tension of our times may induce wives to get a job in an effort to forget, their troubles. These are common reasons why an ever-increasing numher of wives and mothers are taking outside jobs.
The returns from this investment of womanpower are of no little importance. Working wives and mothers have helped to raise the general standard of living. They have reduced the burden of welfare payments by becoming self-supporting. Many women have gained a new sense of security, plus the benefit of paid vacations, group insurance rates and retirement checks. Many families are enjoying extra comforts that would not have come to them without mother’s earnings. Nevertheless, even from the economic standpoint the gains have not been without substantial losses.
The wife who goes out to work may have to spend a considerable sum on such things as carfare, lunches, work clothes, coffee breaks, union dues, office collections and hired care for her children. If she relies more on prepared foods, the family food bill will go up. Her earnings may put her and her husband in a higher incometax bracket. These are some of the reasons why some couples say, “No matter how much we earn, we just break even.” Harder to tabulate are the social costs.
Researchers are still trying to learn the possible effects of this womanpower revolution on marriages and children. It is conceivable that a wife’s income may lessen the economic pressure on a marriage and improve it. On the other hand, if the husband resents the competition from his wife’s breadwinner role, if the children respect him less and the wife’s fatigue leads to frequent quarreling, the family could come apart.
There are judges on the bench who feel that working mothers have helped to destroy the spirit of the home. They blame absentee mothers for much of the rise in juvenile delinquency. Defenders of the working mother say the problem is not solved by staying at home. Many delinquents come from homes where mothers do no outside work; and many working mothers have raised exemplary sons and daughters. But certainly a mother at home is in a better position to train her children if she is inclined to do so.
There is also a question as to how much harm is done to mothers who work but worry about their children while they are doing it. The existence of day-care nurseries does not completely solve this problem. In the first place, it is extremely difficult to find any substitute for a young child’s natural mother. It is true that in some cases the nursery may provide better food and supervision than the child would receive at home. In other cases discipline may be neglected or the child may become withdrawn. There is the added danger that mingling with many youngsters will spread infectious disease. These possibilities add to mother's worry.
From all indications the demand for married women to work will continue to increase. More goods and services will be required to satisfy the growing population and the demand for a higher standard of living.
More and more wives will be asking the question: Shall I go to work or not?
Necessity will not dictate the answer in every case. At least it should not. Probably many working wives could spare themselves the burden of taking outside work if they were better trained at managing household funds. Their government or local library may be able to furnish them with literature on how to budget money and make it go farther. Sometimes loan organizations publish similar aids. For example, money can be saved by avoiding installment buying, getting life insurance through a mutual company, using better shopping techniques and installing storm windows to save on fuel bills. Money saved is money earned.
Some married women will answer the question by a compromise: part-timework. Business firms are becoming more and more aware that therein lies the answer to their worker shortage. Two mothers could work a half day each on the same job. (Maybe they could care for each other’s children in the bargain.) Perhaps, like the model woman in the Bible, more women will make products at home for sale. (Prov. 31:24) Supplemental income can be earned at home by specialty cooking and baking, typing, candy-making, minding children, bookkeeping or operating a private “shirt hospital.” For some the answer will be to take in a roomer.
In many cases there will be no compromise solution unless public assistance is made available. A large number of mothers have to go to work to support themselves and their children. The problem, then, is to see that youngsters get adequate substitute care. Perhaps there is a relative who can give you a hand. One mother with a youngster to support found it convenient to work an evening shift when her baby was small. When the child began school, mother changed to a day shift—and raised a lovely daughter.
Mothers who have to work outside their home should not become discouraged. Teach your children that you work because you love them and want them to have good food and warm clothes. Take the optimistic view that their association with a caretaker or other youngsters during the day will be an opportunity for their personality to grow as they see how other adults do things and learn to get along with people.
If you make private arrangements for child care, try to get a caretaker whose interests, motives and attitudes are similar to yours. Give the caretaker authority to discipline your children, but come to an understanding as to the basis and manner of that discipline so that your tots are not confused. Remember, it is not only the quantity of time you spend with your children that counts, but also the quality of your association with them. Work for a warm, understanding and affectionate relationship. Do not give them the impression that you are too busy or too tired to hear their problems and daily experiences. On the other hand, do not sacrifice good discipline in an attempt to “make up” for your enforced absence. As they get older, give them responsibilities around the house as your helper. Let them feel that you are working together in the business of living and keeping a comfortable home. Never forget that it is the love you give them, not the luxuries, that will mean your success as a working mother. Above all, make time in your busy schedule to read the Bible and pray together. This is your greatest defense against failure and theirs as well.
Circumstances or an unjust economic system may require that wives with husbands take outside work. Many men in all parts of the world do not make an adequate wage. (Jas. 5:4) But the Christian wife who has to work out should not misinterpret her work agreement as a substitute for her marriage contract. Though holding an outside job, she will not forget her wifely duties and position at home, that God’s Word may not be spoken of abusively.—Titus 2:5.
Christian husbands of working wives will want to show them more than the usual consideration in view of their added burden. A wife that works out and rushes home to prepare a hot meal for you and the children deserves your fullest cooperation and appreciation. Show it by helping with the children and household chores. You can show her love by consulting her before inviting relatives and friends to dinner or for an evening get-together. Her busy life and energy limitations may require that the invitation be postponed until a more convenient time.
If you are laid off the job for some reason, such as a strike or seasonal employment, there is no need to discourage your working wife by studiously avoiding other work, and especially work that needs to be done around the house. You are still the rightful family provider and it is important that you set a fine example for your wife and children. (1 Tim. 5:8) Take care that your working wife does not become overly fatigued from lack of relaxation. If she is too tired to benefit from meetings of the Christian congregation and family Bible discussion, she may become sick spiritually. This possibility should be taken into consideration when deciding whether your wife should take an outside job or not.
COMING IN THE NEXT ISSUE
• The Family Peacemaker—Do You Use It?
• Our Marvelous Eyes-
• South of Buenoa Aires.
• Is Yoga Something for Christiane?
• From Cotton to Clothing.
This decision is one that deserves careful deliberation by husband and wife. Is it needs or wants that make you even consider it? Will your wife’s job help your marriage or hinder it? Will additional income solve your economic problem or would better management of present income do just as well? Will the anticipated benefits of outside work make the step worthwhile or will it create other disadvantages that offset the gain? If some outside work is necessary, does it have to be a full-time job or will part-time work do, allowing more time for the children? These are some of the important questions worthy of consideration by married women and their husbands.
SOLUTION TO FOOD SHORTAGE
“Scientists have estimated that the world marine food production of more than 80 billion pounds annually could be increased to 500 billion pounds without upsetting the balance of life in the teeming ocean waters. From the billions of pounds of fish wasted by the U.S. alone each year, enough fish flour could be produced to solve present world food problems. . , .
“Just the unharvested U.S. fish, made into fish flour, could produce enough animal protein to supplement the deficient diets of one billion people for 300 days at a cost of less than one-half cent per person per day. Yet two billion of the total three billion persons In the world are badly undernourished and millions die of starvation annually.”—Science News Letter tor August 11, 1962.
ON Friday, March 23, 1962, the harbor at Yorktown, Virginia, was lined with excited people. They were there to get a glimpse of a graceful queen, the N.S. Savannah, As she appeared in dazzling white, they thrilled at the ease of her motion and the grace of her lines. She is majestic in grandeur and graceful in beauty. She is an exciting ship—all 595.5 feet of her.
The N.S. Savannah (the “N.S." stands for Nuclear Ship) is the world's first nuclear-powered merchant vessel to be launched. She cost the United States government almost $47,000,000. There is none quite like her. She moves without smoke or stack. She has fins like a whale that keep her from rolling. When the fins are needed, a gyroscopic brain sends them out, and they steady the ship. As much as 90 percent of the ship's roll is eliminated by their stabilizing effect. When their work is through, the flippers fold back into ready-made sockets. The ship speeds on.
The Savannah’s noiseless powerplant is another sight to behold. Tt emits an eerie greenish light. The power of her plant is as frightful to contemplate as her light is to see. With just a little more than a teaspoonful of her fuel—uranium 235—the Savannah can move her 20,000 tons for three days through heavy seas at top speed. In fact, she can cruise for 300,000 nautical miles at twenty knots or more for three and a half years, or fourteen times around the world, before needing to refuel. At the end of that journey she will have consumed only 110 pounds of uranium 235 —less than a lovely queen among men might weigh. Even Savannah’s atomic ashes are worth their weight in gold in the form of radioisotopes.
The N.S. Savannah is a wonder in other ways too. She is ultramodern from stem to stern. Her trim lines conceal a capacity for 10,000 tons of cargo. In addition to a crew of 124, she can accommodate sixty passengeis in spacious, comfortable cabins. She is equipped with a hospital, a swimming pool, a promenade deck, elevators, colored television, air conditioning, a dance floor, a beauty salon, a novelty shop and library. AH of this can he enjoyed on board the Savannah in an exhaustless and practically vibrationless peace.
But. who will ride her? Will anyone, for fear of radioactivity? One official stated that “there's a filing cabinet full of applications from people who want to be passengers aboard. They don’t know where she’ll go, and they don’t care. They just-want to ride in a nuclear ship.’’ So the N.S. Savannah seems well on her way to success.
The old S.S. (Steam Ship) Savannah, after which the atom-powered Savannah was named, had a start not nearly as bright. She was dubbed “Fickett’s Steam Coffin” after the builder, Francis Fickett. She was only 98.5 feet long by twenty-six in the beam—much smaller than many tugs today. It was difficult to get men to sail her, because they feared she would blow up. No passengers had the courage to ride her on her maiden voyage; not even the owner’s wife would chance it.
On May 22, 1819, almost 150 years ago, the S.S. Savannah’s ninety-horsepower steam engine was started. It sputtered and hissed and billowed clouds of black smoke into the air. Scoffers laughed. Some men ran for water buckets. They thought she was on fire. Others hurried out of the way, thinking she was about to explode. But soon her detachable iron paddle wheels began to turn and the S.S. Savannah began to move out to sea on her first transatlantic journey. Few people seeing her believed that she would ever make it. Her boilers used uncondensed seawater that made it necessary to stop the engine periodically to chip out the accumulated salt. When her engine was stopped, sails were hoisted. During rough seas her paddles were removed and brought inboard to keep them from damage. She had only one hundred hours of fuel supply on hand. She chugged along at five knots an hour. In twenty-nine days the Atlantic was crossed, to the amazement of all. The S.S. Savannah proved one thing: that steam was safe to live with and could be harnessed safely to serve the needs of men on the open sea. This fact made her significant.
The N.S. Savannah is out to blaze another trail. She must prove to the world that nuclear power is reliable and safe to live with. She must arouse the world to make ready for a new era of nuclear power. “The more passengers we carry, the quicker folks will appreciate there is much to gain and nothing to fear from the peaceable atom,” said John Robb, the chief of construction of the Savannah for the Atomic Energy Commission. “The most important job of the Savannah is to break down political, legal, and psychological barriers to use of nuclear energy. We want her to show the world that the atom can be put to work at sea like any other source of power. To do this she will have to go where the Savannahs of the future will take them. She has to point the way for economical ships to follow. She isn’t just the first model off the production line; she’s a trail blazer.”
Man’s desire to travel over and under the sea, no doubt, is as old as his wish to fly. The proverb writer said that “the way of a ship in the heart of the sea” wTas one of the things in life too wonderful for him. (Prov. 30:19) It must have been just as fascinating for others from very early times, for we read about ships in the very first book of the Bible—Genesis. The Scriptures also tell us about the ships of Tarshish and Kittim, and about King Solomon’s navy of ships. Huge fleets went out of Egypt down the Red Sea, across to the Sinai Peninsula, and up the Syrian coast, seeking tin and copper ores, gold, silver, precious stones, perfumes, spices, peacocks and apes and other exotic luxuries to grace the persons and homes of the noble classes. Some of these early expeditions comprised as many as forty ships, which indicates that there may have been thousands of smaller vessels at that time.—Gen. 49:13; 1 Ki. 9:26; 10:11, 22; 22:48; 2 Chron. 9: 21; Dan. 11:30.
The Chinese were among the first to subdivide the hulls of their ships into numerous, self-contained compartments. Such subdivisions were not used in Europe until the nineteenth century; yet at the end of the thirteenth century Marco Polo could write of the Chinese: “Moreover the larger of their vessels have some thirteen compartments.” Elsewhere he wrote: “These ships you must know are of fir timber. They have but one deck though each of them contains some fifty to sixty cabins wherein the merchants abide greatly at tfieir ease, every man having one to himself.” This was the beginning of the passenger ship.
But it was only a little more than a century ago, on July 4, 1840, that the Britannia sailed on her maiden voyage to forge a link between America and Europe and provide the first regular mail and passenger service across the Atlantic. It took the Britannia seventeen days to cross. She promised safety and punctuality through storm and calm.
After her came such famous-name ships as the Mauretania, the Normandie, the Bremen, Rex, Europa, Roma, the Empress of Asia, the Viceroy of India and others. The ravages of war have claimed most of these. The Axis powers entered World War II with sixteen liners; only four survived. Two of the world’s largest passenger liners, the Queen Mary and the Queen Elizabeth, survived the war without mishap.
During the hazardous World War II years, the Queens raced across the North Atlantic in defiance of Hitler’s strict submarine blockade. They carried almost 1,500,000 personnel, representing almost one hundred complete divisions. The Queen Elizabeth, weighing 83,673 gross tons, is larger, heavier and faster than any battleship. She is 1,031 feet in length, 118 feet wide and measures 234 feet from keel to topmast. She is forty-seven feet longer than the Eiffel Tower in Paris is high. And her sister ship, the Queen Mary, is only eleven feet shorter than she.
The Queen Mary can carry 1,995 passengers, while the Queen Elizabeth accommodates 2,314. Over 1,200 personnel are required to man each ship. The Queen Elizabeth has thirty-five public rooms, comprising spacious lounges, smoking rooms, dancing salons, restaurants, including a theater seating 338 persons. Her deck space is greater in area than two and a half football fields. There is even a special exercise deck for dogs.
These Queens are virtual giantesses. It would take forty miles of freight cars to carry the weight of one of them. The Queen Elizabeth’s rudder alone weighs 140 tons, equal to the tonnage of the Mayflower, yet it guides her with ease, which reminds us of the words of the disciple James: “Look! Even boats, although they are so big and are driven by hard winds, are steered by a very small rudder to where the inclination of the man at the helm wishes. So, too, the tongue is.”—Jas. 3:4,5.
Each of the four propellers of the Queen Mary weighs thirty-five tons and measures twenty feet from tip to tip. Yet they are so delicately balanced that they can be turned by a touch of the hand. Each anchor of the Queens weighs sixteen tons, equal to the weight of twelve average-size automobiles. Each anchor has attached to it 165 fathoms (990 feet) of cable chain, whose links are two feet long and whose total weight is 225 tons. No watch chain this!
The main engines of each of the Queens generate approximately 200,000 horsepower, equal to that of fifty modern passenger locomotives. The forward funnel of each of the Queens is large enough to allow three modern locomotives, placed abreast, to pass through. The height of the Queen Mary from the keel to the top of the forward funnel is eighteen feet greater than that of Niagara Falls. Thirty tons of paint are required each time the Queen Elizabeth’s exterior is painted. She has some 30,000 electric lights and 4,000 miles of wiring. Her four turbogenerators deliver enough electrical energy to meet the lighting and public service needs of a city of 150,000 people, such as New Haven, Connecticut. Her refrigeration plant would meet the refrigerating requirements of 15,000 average homes. Some of the staple foods carried on-one round-trip voyage include 4,400 quarts of ice cream, thirty-five tons of meat, 176,000 eggs, 1,200 pounds of coffee, six tons of fresh fish, thirty tons of potatoes, 25,000 pounds of poultry, 30,000 pounds of fresh vegetables, six tons of sugar and over two tons of butter, to name a few items.
The Queens cross the Atlantic in less than four days. The only passenger ship faster is the United States, which has set a world speed record of 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes. This averages about forty-one miles an hour. That may not sound fast in this day of supersonic travel, but if we were to imagine seeing the whole Pennsylvania Station in New York city racing down the street at forty miles an hour, that would be something! Well, these ships are every bit that size. And the future holds even more surprises.
Even as it was once hard to envision ships without sails, oars or stacks, so today it is difficult to think of ships as vessels that can fly over water, hover over land or sea, that are submersible and inflatable. Yet such has become the case. The Amphritite, for example, is the world’s largest inflatable ship. It is a unique ship, sixty-five feet long and twenty-nine feet wide. All told the ship weighs only six tons. No component of the ship except the engines is too heavy for one man to lift. A five-man crew can assemble and launch her without mechanical power. She is believed to be practically unsinkable. She was made to serve as tender and carrier for undersea exploration vessels.
The hydrofoil ship is another wonder of the sea. It is a hundred-ton, twin-hulled vessel that can skim over the surface of the water at one hundred miles an hour carrying forty-six tons of cargo. These ships are designed to be free from pitching and heaving even in the roughest seas. Actually, the 100-lon hydro-skimmer, as it is sometimes called, is designed to fly over water, hover over land and water, climb beaches or ramps and settle at will in water or on dry land.
Nuclear-powered submarines, too, have become wonders. They have crossed the Atlantic both ways submerged. The - S.S. Triton, world’s largest atom-powered submarine, was submerged during nearly all of its 30,708-mile voyage around the globe. By adding new sounding devices and by equipping them with thick glass panes, submarines someday may be used for oceanographic studies. A new-type submarine is expected to descend three miles into the depths of the ocean sometime in 1963. Conventional submarines have never dared go down that far.
Scientists tell us that we are about to witness an era when man with his beanshaped machines will rise from the floor of the ocean, fly through the far reaches of space and return to earth, his home. For though the sea and the sky beckon him, man still by nature is a land lover. And why should he not be? Is he not “of the earth, earthy”?—1 Cor. 15:47, AV.
Lone Wanderer of tine Ice Kingdom
TVO little boys playing in the snow skidded cheerfully over the ice and pressed their boots merrily into snow heaps. One exclaimed, “I wish I were a polar bear so I could walk and walk all winter on the ice and snow and never get cold.”
He had learned well his lesson in school, because the lone wanderer of the Arctic, the polar bear, travels expertly, though unaccompanied, through snowbound stretches and icy wastes with built-in heating equipment that prevents his freezing or succumbing to the cold.
While the entire body of the polar bear is insulated by its fur and protected by a complex internal readjustment, the legs are exposed to a greater degree than the rest of the body and the feet are in constant, direct connection with a cover of snow or ice. Why don’t they freeze? Because his feet are built to maintain poor circulation. Combined with slight insulation, this helps to check or reduce heat loss to the surroundings. If his feet were too warm, the snow clinging to the hairs of the feet would melt and freeze. It would then form an ice cover, which would reduce insulation and cause him to freeze, with fatal results. On the other hand, his feet must not be so cold that the interior temperature is below the freezing point. Then his blood circulation would stop and the legs would be frostbitten, becoming stiff and finally breaking. Mr. Polar Bear has been marvelously equipped by the Creator.
All this carefully devised mechanism added to the layer of fat that
the bear accumulates in the fall makes him master of his surroundings, the leading tourist of the Arctic world. Open before him are enchanting vistas and a wealth of rare experiences shared only by his fellow Arctic animals and by a few courageous men who accept the ice challenge to seek out knowledge of this Arctic king.
Restless, suspicious and aggressive, Mr. Polar Bear often turns the tables on man's hunting parties and does a little chasing of his own. His extraordinary sense of smell, his curiosity about any object, his formidable appetite, and an uncanny speed on ice sometimes take him on a chase after some human wanderer.
In 1960, on northern Ellesmere Island, Ralph Lenton heard this story: At the radio station one of the men was out for a walk about a mile from the camp when he came across a bear. He dropped an article of clothing to distract the animal and retreated toward camp. By discarding a series of articles of clothing he arrived safely in camp out of breath and in his underclothes. It was the bear’s curiosity about each piece of clothing that enabled the man to have extra time for his escape. Why the need for extra time? Because the polar bear is speedy on land, even in soft snow, because of his snowshoe-like paws. Even an exceptional runner would have trouble escaping him.
Lenton was grateful for this knowledge of the polar bear when, in August, he found himself attending to a tide gauge station in the Arctic. He was living alone in a tent about eleven miles from the main camp, when one morning he sat on a small lump of ice watching pink-footed geese in an open water space close by. Just then a hungry polar bear arrived, apparently interested in having a feast.
The bear's curiosity held him long enough for Lenton to remember the story and he threw his binoculars away from his tent to distract the bear. “In that split second before I beat it lor the tent and my rifle I saw him head for the binoculars. I don’t think I have ever been so fast even when at school—it was only a matter of seconds before I had the rifle out of its case and was outdoors again to find the bear just behind the tent standing in his curious way waving his head from side to side and making low growling noises. It was my intention not to shoot him unless he showed aggressiveness. He did and I had to kill him.’’
When Lenton later examined the bear's stomach, it was empty, except for bits of seal. “I guess I could have been his next meal.’’
Lenton’s protective spirit in refusing to kill the hear until absolutely necessary is reflected only in a limited way in national and international arrangements established for the protection and preservation of polar bears. Some hunters have wantonly killed as many as one hundred bears a year, often in the summer when the skin has no value except for footwear or leather. Only the winter skin is worth anything, for rugs or other purposes. In Canada and Greenland the bears are protected and it is unlawful to kill them unless it is- done in self-defense. In the above-mentioned experience, if the killing had been unjustified, the narrator could have been fined up to $1,000 and a year’s imprisonment. These two countries allow only the Eskimos to kill bear.
Seal, and especially the ringed seal, is the food most likely to be found in any polar bear's stomach. When seals are scarce, however, he will also eat plants and even some emergency foods such as rope ends. His predilection for the ringed seal is the reason that the polar bear primarily haunts the ice along the coasts, the firm ice near land, as well as the drift ice farther out to sea. This constant search makes him the greatest wanderer among Arctic mammals. He probably visits the North Pole, wandering over the enormous ice field of the polar sea. He has been observed on ice as far as the 88th parallel. These hazardous trips have made it difficult for expeditions to follow and acquire knowledge of his ways, so much so that explorers today still leave for the Arctic searching for answers to many questions about this cautious wanderer of the ice floes.
In following the seals, the bear’s weight of almost a ton will not impede his progress or success as a hunter. With a tiger’s suppleness and the stealth of a Sherlock Holmes, the polar bear will approach his prey and capably seize his lunch. Able to sniff out a blowhole, he will break the ice with sharp claws until the hole is big enough to get his paw down. With patience, he sits and waits until the seal's head emerges. Then, “clump!”—a blow on the head and the seal dies instantly. Who can guess the strength of the bear? He never takes time to enlarge the hole to draw up the seal with ease. Grasping the head with his teeth and claws, he forces up the animal through the small opening, causing its ribs to break and crushing the pelvis before the seal is on the ice. Then he starts his meal.
Once a polar bear was seen sitting on the snow, trying to catch low-flying snow buntings with his front paws. The birds dove by in reckless abandon, enjoying the game, but measuring carefully their actions. As they sped by, the bear clapped his paws together and looked disappointed when he opened them and found them empty.
That the bear is an animal to be carefully considered is seen in the mother bear’s ferocity when protecting her young. The mother keeps the cubs in a sheltered place for about two or three months. It takes about nine days before the cubs open their eyes, and they are hairless when born. You will see her raise the cubs to her loins to keep them from freezing. To move them to other quarters, she carries them in her mouth. When the male bears follow her tracks to snatch the cubs to devour them, she attacks at once. Following a terrible struggle, the male is usually defeated. She takes the cubs out to sea on drift ice, where they are secure from the attacks of wolves, and she suckles and trains them for two years. At the end of two years the family bonds begin to loosen.
When the grown bear finds himself on his own in the winter, he burrows underground in sandy or gravelly riverbanks in very dry regions, where it is possible for him to burrow at the early part of winter. A poor conductor, the snow prevents the higher temperature of the burrow from escaping to the outside. Sometimes the bear walks about on the ground until he finds a favored spot where he senses snow will pile up on him and will lay down, curled up with his nose buried in his paw. Patiently he waits for the snow to cover him like a blanket.
A bear’s struggle to cope with his native surroundings should discourage cruel and reckless hunting. Needless killing has nevertheless stalked the wanderer’s footsteps, and skills have been developed to trap and demolish the brave polar bear.
In one type of pursuit, the hunter cuts loose his fastest dog, which reaches the bear and climbs on his back. The bear tries to slap at the yelping dog; the hunter hears and releases two more dogs, and so on, until the hunter reaches his victim. Sometimes the bear escapes to an ice hammock or iceherg where the dogs cannot reach him and sails off in victory.
Hunter or hunted, the wandering bear copes with his loneliness, avoiding clashes with his kind, maintaining fearlessness and a humorous quality as occasion allows. A caribou hunter had occasion to taste of the bear’s fearlessness and love for humorous display. He saw a yellow spot in the distance on ice about three miles off. When the yellow spot disappeared he surmised that the bear had lain down behind an ice cake. Drawing closer, the hunter studied his surroundings with field glasses from a high spot, then clambered down holding his rifle. Hearing a noise behind him, he turned and saw a polar bear about twenty feet away and almost above him. Had the bear attacked immediately, we would not be reading the story because, according to the hunter, an ancient Greek fable explains that lions (or bears) do not write books.
It seems that the hunter had passed the bear by about one hundred yards, while the animal was following his tracks by smelling them from a distance. The bear was hunting the man, who was not troubling to look behind him. As the bear prepared for attack, he stopped suddenly to view his victim in triumph from his perch, gloating at his seeming superiority. The man was quick to seize the opportunity.
Marvelously equipped to conquer and enjoy the splendid blue-white realm, the polar bear is indeed a lone wanderer of the ice kingdom.
By “AwnM” convtpondcnt In Moracco J
EVEN years alter her independence from 5 France was gained, Morocco has at last 5 received a constitution stating the rights £
of her citizens and how the government will c function. 5
Such a constitution was first conceived by 5 the king of the independence, His late Maj- £ esty Mohammed V. Now, under the rule and £ at the hand of his successor son King Hassen 5 II, the constitution has become a reality. The J world is interested in seeing how this new- £ born, independent country is developing and J what this new constitution will mean to its 4 citizens. Since Morocco has a king, is her £ government an absolute monarchy, or is It 5 a democracy? Freedom lovers desire to know £ what the rights of the people are, and if these £ are guaranteed by the constitution. Let us £ see the answers to these and other questions. 5
As stated by the first article of the consti- £ tutlon, “Morocco is a constitutional, democrat- £ ic, social monarchy.” An examination of the 5 constitution itself will tell us what this means. 5 The king is the sovereign by heredity. He 2 is therefore not voted into office and there 5 Is no termination of his rule until his death. > The kingship stays in his lineage. In reading £ the articles applying to the king and his £ powers, we find that he appoints and dis- 5 misses all ministers of the government. He £ can dissolve the chamber of representatives £ and dismiss its members. He has the power £ to propose laws. The sovereign has the right £ to bring controversies in the government or £ the parliament before the people to decide 5 by public referendum. Thus the king Is in £ fact the chief executive. However, his mon- £ archy is not absolute and the constitution 5 prevents it from becoming such. £
The democratic aspect of the government £ is seen in the power of the people in the £ referendum. Democracy is evident also in that £ the members of the chamber of represent a- 5 tives are voted into office by general election. £ Whereas members of this chamber can be £ dismissed by the king, members of the cham- £ ber of counselors, who are also voted into 5
office, and who with the chamber of representatives make up the parliament, cannot be dismissed by the king. From this short discussion, we can see that the new constitution of Morocco does not provide for an absolute monarchy nor for a pure democracy, but is, rather, a compromise between the two.
Even more important than the structure of the government are the liberty and the rights of its people. What are the rights of the people as guaranteed by the constitution? The constitution assures equality of all citizens before the law. All have the right to travel to and to live in any part of the country. The freedom of opinion and of all forms of expression is guaranteed. Along with freedom of opinion and expression, the ninth article of the constitution guarantees the freedom of assembly. The constitution guarantees that the home is not to be violated and that the mail is uncensored. Article thirteen declares that all have equal rights of education and work. The citizen has the right to belong to the labor union or political party of his choice. He is also guaranteed the right to strike. He may own property.
On the religious question, the sixth article of the constitution says; “Islam is the religion of the state, which guarantees to all the free practice of religion.” Abdelhadi BoUtaleb, a secretary of state, said, in commenting on this article, that Islam Is anchored in the hearts and minds of the people, but that the constitution “recognizes explicitly complete freedom of religion.” Mohammed Berrada, writing in the book La Pens&e (published by the Ministry of State in charge of Islamic affairs), says that the sixth article “guarantees to the Inhabitants of the country the free practice of religion, thus permitting citizens to practice their own religion absolutely without constraint or pressure.” On the other hand, it should be mentioned that article nineteen of the constitution says that the king, as “Commander of the Believers,” "sees that Islam is respected.”
The new constitution guarantees many human rights. It Is a step forward in Moroccan history.
NAMES are everywhere. No matter where you go you see and hear them. You, like three billion other humans on earth, have one and you doubtless know hundreds of others. But how much do you know about names themselves, their origin, history, what they mean, and why they are important? Just one name can mean the difference between being lost in a large city or not. Some names can open doors, while others close them. The right name can bring a bank loan, obtain an important permit, or put information in a newspaper, on the radio or TV. A mere name can set people to trembling, striking fear in their hearts, while another can wreathe their faces with smiles of joy and pleasant anticipation. Yes, there is more to a name than meets the eye.
Names have a long history, stretching back billions of years into the unfathomable past and making them among the most ancient things in existence. How so? Not merely because modern anthropologists and etymologists admit they can find no evidence whatsoever of any people in ancient history who were lacking names. They simply confirm thereby what the oldest history book of all, the Bible, records: that from man’s beginning he has had, used and given names, (Genesis, chap. 2) But names came before humans. The same inspired history shows that each of the heavenly bodies in the universe, stars and planets numbering into the billions upon billions, has its name. (Ps. 147:4) It shows too that, besides these inanimate creations, there are animate spirit creatures who likewise have names, although the Record only mentions three directly by name. (Dan. 8:
By ** Awake ! ” correspondent in the Dominican Republic
16; 10:13; Rev.
12:9) Finally, it reaches back to the
the Creator of names, Jehovah, the God
Eternity.—Ps. 83:18.
What is a name? You may remember the grammar school rule that a noun is a name or, vice versa, a name is a noun. So names are just words applied to people, places and things. Interestingly, the major encyclopedias draw upon the Bible in their explanations of the origin and use of personal names. On investigating we learn that among the ancient Hebrew’s and others names were simply words or word phrases taken from their vocabulary and applied to individuals. Some were taken from objects of nature and the animal creation. Thus Tamar is the Hebrew word for “palm tree”; Jonah means “dove”; Deborah, “bee”; and Jael, “wild goat.” Other names expressed parental affection or hoped-for qualities (as David, “Beloved,” and Solomon, “Peaceful”). Some were related to circumstances connected with the child’s birth, as Isaac (Laughter) and Ben-oni (Son of My Sorrow), Sometimes just one name formed an entire sentence. It would seem strange to us today to be introduced to a boy named A Mere Remnant Will Return, yet the name of Isaiah’s son Shear-jashub meant precisely that.
The frequent Hebrew practice of compounding names to include the name of Jehovah, such as the name Jehoshaphat (Jehovah Is Judge), was also practiced among the Assyrians, Arameans and Phoenicians, the difference being that these latter ones used the names of their pagan gods. Thus the Hebrew name John (Jo-hanan) means “Jah (Jehovah) Is Gracious,” while the Phoenician name Hannibal means “gracious Baal.” Religion, then and now, has had considerable influence on the formation and use of names.
Though many names had complimentary meanings, this was not always the case. Roman names were often blunt and unflattering, as Porcius (Swineherd), Crassus (Fat), and Caesar (Hairy). Some Roman parents gave their children numbers for names, as Quintus (Fifth), Sextus (Sixth). Among savage societies a child might even be named “Dirt” to convince the evil spirits that he was not. worth their attention. Then, too, a name given at birth might be changed in later life due to some exploit or achievement, the Indian papoose “New Moon” becoming the Indian brave “Buffalo Hunter.”
Surnames (family names) were unknown among the ancient peoples of the Orient as well as in early Europe. During the Roman Empire a three-name system existed, calling for a first (or personal) name, a second name (of the “house” or “clan”), and a third (or family) name. The name M. Cornelius Scipio, for example, meant Marcus of the clan of Cornelius of the family of Scipio. InEnglish-speaking lands the use of the family name began in the Middle Ages, first with royalty and nobility and then with the common people. While in smaller communities one name might suffice, with larger cities the use of two helped avoid confusion. So in time John the miller became John Miller, John of Whitting Town became John Whittington, and John the son of William became John Williamson. In the Middle Ages ail kinds of workers in metal were called “smiths” (smiters of metal), and this helps explain why today entire pages of telephone directories are filled with this surname.
In Spanish lands the child takes the surnames of both parents and so Governor Luis Munoz Marin of Puerto Rico would be addressed, not as Sefior Marin, but as Senor Munoz (Marin being his mother's family name).
Many names are international in their use, but when int roduced into the different languages they under'went changes in their form. Surnames, loo, may have different endings that mean the same. When American John Johnson meets Russian Ivan Ivanovitch he may think the Russian has a strange name, yet. it is the same as his own (Ivan being the Russian form of John and the ending “vit.ch” meaning “son of”).
You can see, then, that names do not convey the same meaning to their hearers they once did. The peoples of the ancient Orient instantly understood the complete meaning of a name on hearing it, but today only those interested in the etymology of names would be likely to know-. Names are given now mainly for their sound or due to association with some family member but with no thought of the name’s original meaning. And that original meaning may in no way describe the name hearer. Philip may refuse to go near a horse, while his name (from the Greek) means “Lover of Horses.” Paul may be tall, yet his Latin-derived name means “little.” Thomas may be an only child, but his name (of Aramaic origin) means "the twin.” And when Algernon was born his mother perhaps thought him “a little doll,” yet this Old French name means "with whiskers.’"
Clearly, then, the importance of a name lies not so much in what the name is as in who wears it. In many Catholic lands a child is regularly given the name of the particular “saint” on whose “day” he was born. A little Spanish boy may be named Jesus Angel, yet this name would not ensure his future righteousness any more than naming a child Samson would make him strong (though the name Samson really means “Sunny”). Names have power, but only according to the person for whom they stand. When a small bundle of humanity is born and the proud parents place a name on it that name means little to anyone but them or those of the immediate family. As the child grows, demonstrates a certain temperament, develops certain qualities, says and does things, the name grows in meaning. When the child’s activities stretch out beyond the family circle, the meaning of its name also extends out and grows in the community. And so it goes throughout that person’s life. To those who know you best your name will always mean the most.
So, do you see why a name is important? It’s because your name is you. Someone else doubtless gave it to you, but you are giving it its meaning. Probably nothing else except your own body is so intimately connected with you. What people do to your name they do to you; where you go it goes; and though you may disguise it (as you can disguise your body), nevertheless, it is always there with you and may pop out and identify you.
Unfortunately most people take only a surface view of their own name. They long to see it in the newspaper (perhaps alongside some “big name” of this world), or spread across a billboard, placed on the name post of a street, engraved on a public edifice, or perhaps embossed on a stained-glass window in some church. In the Bible such craving for name prominence is related to an ill-fated striving for immortality and it shows that such ones forget that, even should their name find its way into all those places, eventually it will also find its way on to some plaque in a cemetery and that where their name goes, they will go too.—Ps. 49:11-14.
Consider the thirty-year Trujillo regime during which this dictator of the Dominican Republic forced his name into prominence in every city, town and store, and practically in every home in the country. From political platform, public press, and even church pulpit, praises were daily sung to his name. Signs everywhere read: “Praise to Trujillo," “Trujillo the Benefactor,” “God and Trujillo.” Yet today his name is an object of scorn and the very lives of those who share his surname have been placed in danger, forcing them to flee the country.
How true, then, the Proverb (22:1), which says, “A name is to be chosen rather than abundant riches.” You make that choice by your choosing to make your name stand for good things, worthwhile qualities, righteous principles and, above all, godly devotion. Yes, “a name is better than good oil, and the day of death than the day of one’s being born.” (Eccl. 7:1) Not the name chosen for us at birth but the meaning of the name we bear at life’s end is what has determining value, particularly with God, who tells us, at Proverbs 10:7, “The remembrance of the righteous one is due for a blessing, but the very name of the wicked ones will rot.” Of what value, then, to be a Great Name of History or among the Who’s Who of the World if one’s name is not among those in God’s book of remembrance?—Rial. 3:16.
Note one other improper attitude toward names: that of failing to show due or merited respect for the names of others. Some fail in this, not necessarily through speaking ill of others, but just through undue familiarity in the use of names, perhaps applying unwanted nicknames, twisting the name, or even being careless in its pronunciation or spelling. Dale Carnegie is quoted as saying, “The sweetest music in the world to another person is the sound of his own name.” While this reflects the world’s egocentric interest in names, it also recalls the point that the name stands for the person. So take care! Gertrude may not appreciate being called “Gertie” and she may like “Gert” even less. Also, some name variations or nicknames may sound pleasing from the mouth of one’s mate, family or intimate friend and yet sound coarse and brazen from the mouth of a bare acquaintance. You may be “stepping on a person’s toes” by the way you speak his name. Remember, it has taken him his lifetime to give it the meaning it has.
With some the problem is how to remember names. That ability can certainly be helpful. Some politicians specialize in this, knowing that the person whose name is remembered after a casual meeting feels definitely complimented. One U.S. politician is said to have been able to call 50,000 persons by their first name. Not politics, but the desire to promote friendship, improve relations with others, as well as avoid embarrassment, will cause many to work at this, including Christian ministers. Though they will never equal Jehovah God, who knows and never forgets billions of names, still they can improve greatly. How?
The different methods suggested usually sum up to this: associate the name with the person. Have him repeat his name, be sure you hear it clearly, and look at his face while he says it. Then use the name as often as possible during the rest of your conversation with him. Learning what you can about the person, his personality, his background, will also help make the name stick. Writing the name, even though you lose the paper, will help impress it on your mind through the sense of sight and through the motor impulses used in the action of writing it. These things, coupled with a strong intention to use the name again on a future occasion and a genuine interest in the person it represents, will be the magnets needed to draw it to the surface when the call comes for its use.
What’s in a name? Much indeed; perhaps life itself. It might be asked, What’s in your name? No matter what it is now, make for yourself the kind of name that will open for you the doors to God’s righteous new world near at hand. There you will learn the names of millions of persons truly worth knowing and remembering and for whom the sweetest sound on earth or in heaven is, not their own name, but the name of the new world’s Creator, Jehovah, and that of its King, Christ Jesus.
A RELIGIOUS NATION WITHOUT RELIGIOUS PEOPLE
“The population of the United States Includes more Christians and Jews than any other nation in the world. Yet, less than half the population practices any faith whatever. More than 70 million admit no affiliation. An additional 30 million attend services now and then.” —The Miami Ne-ws, September 2,1962.
DISTANCE - CONQUERING
WHAT would a modern businessman do without a telephone or an efficient mail service? What would a newspaper do without teletype? What would a plane or a ship do without a radio? Without these modern means of communication that we often take for granted, our ‘ way of life would have to be greatly changed.
Almost everyone finds a constant need to communicate with other persons who are beyond the sound of his voice. In jungles where primitive peoples have none of the modern implements of communication, the need for distance-conquering communications is still recognized and met in the best way they know how. Some solve the problem with signal drums. A hollowed log with a lengthwise slit in it or a skin-covered end is used to beat out messages, which travel for miles at the speed of sound. But the disadvantages for business use are evident. Private conversations are impossible. A drum makes every message public knowledge.
Natives living in open country have found that smoke signals can be used effectively for communicating over a distance. The American Indian was noted for using them. In fact, Australian bushmen still use them. A penetrating whistle is used by the inhabitants of Gomera in the Canary Islands. By means of whistle signals they can carry on conversation over a distance of about a mile - of mountainous terrain. But, like the drum, whistle signals and smoke signals are slow and limited in their capacity for sending messages as well as the distance they can cover. The same can be said for semaphore signals with flags or flashing-light signals, such as with a heliograph. These methods of communication are satisfactory for limited messages or limited distances, but they could never serve the needs of this modern world.
Before the coming of modern communications and methods of rapid transportation, couriers had to be used to carry messages from one place to another. Ancient Greece, for example, became famous for its trained athletes, who were the official runners of the city-states. Rulers felt the need to be in touch with the farthest corners of their realms. So they used couriers to carry their verbal or written communications to distant places. This practice grew into the establishment of relay systems, from which comes the English
“p o s t.”
Fixed way stations or posts
word
were set up along a route of communication. The messenger, or "postman,” handed over his message to another courier or procured another mount to continue his journey.
A communication relay system of this nature became well developed in the extensive empire of Persia. Admiring it, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote: “Neither rain nor snow nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.” These words are today inscribed on the wall of the New York Post Office.
In the days of the Roman Empire chariots were used by postmen, who were permitted to wear a feather in their hat to denote speed. Because the system was abused, it came to be hated by all the people through whose territory the couriers passed. The riders would take by force horses for government service. At times persons living near the way stations would have to house and feed up to forty men and their horses without payment.
During medieval times mail systems began to develop, as the pressing need for people to communicate with one another over a distance grew. For merchant guilds to meet their need to communicate with buyers and sellers, they formed private mail systems that eventually gained recognition by town governments, which used them for sending official communications. By the year 1500 Europe was a maze of letter-carrying systems that the public was beginning to use. But delivery of a letter sometimes took a year or more and was expensive.
In time enterprising men built up great private mail organizations that speeded up the mail and ensured delivery. These organizations gradually gave way to mail systems that were government operated.
State control did not bring greater efficiency. In fact, there was so much corruption in the system that it gave birth to the expression “crooked as a postman.” This condition in England was common in other countries as well. Finally, in 1840 Rowland Hill persuaded the British government to accept a scheme whereby a letter could be delivered anywhere in England for just one penny. This was an immediate success, which set a standard for the rest of the world.
The realization of an effective international mail service came from the establishment of an International Postal Union in 1874. Twenty-two states subscribed to the union, which has since grown to become the Universal Postal Union that serves the entire world. Member nations to this union agree that for the purpose of postal communications their respective territories are to be considered as one whole with complete freedom of mail transport, and each has full and unrestricted use of the latest and best means of communications that any country may have. This has-now been expanded to include telegraph and telephone communications. Because of this fine arrangement, a person can communicate with someone in another country by letter, telegraph or telephone without being faced with the need of a passport, visa or any of the difficulties that confront a traveler.
The invention of radio, the telephone and the telegraph made it possible for people to communicate with one another over great distances at the speed of light. Speed and a capacity for handling an enormous number of messages have made electronic communications an essential factor in bringing peoples of other nations closer together and in making the operation of modern society possible.
An added refinement to modem communications was the Telstar satellite that was put into orbit around the earth on July 10, 1962. It made possible ocean-spanning telephone and television transmissions by means of microwave radio. The need for such relay satellites is evident from the rapidly increasing load that is being put on the transatlantic telephone cables. These cables and radio circuits carried about 4 million international phone calls in 1962. Experts estimate that this will increase to about 10 million by 1970 and to 100 million by 1980. Fifty new submarine cables would be needed to carry this tremendous communications load. Relay satellites seem to be the answer to this problem. Aside from increasing the communication capacity between continents that have oceanic cables, they can link continents that are not joined by such cables. They also make possible a greater capacity for transcontinental communications.
Even the great distances of space are ceasing to he communication obstacles for man. Rockets that are probing into space millions of miles beyond the earth can communicate their findings back to man, and man, in turn, can send instructions to them. When the Mariner II spacecraft that was sent to Venus was more than one and a half million miles from earth, it was commanded by radio to go through an intricate maneuver and fire a small rocket engine to correct its course. Later, over a distance of 36 million miles, it sent back to earth invaluable information that was gathered by its instruments as it passed close to the planet Venus. Up to this point, this was the greatest distance over which man had succeeded in sending and receiving messages.
A new means of distance communication is a device called a laser. It makes possible the transmitting of messages and television pictures on a beam of light. It emits a beam of coherent light whose waves are almost identical in length and frequency. A beam from an ordinary light source dissipates its power very quickly, hut this is not so with the light beam from a laser. In 1962 researchers projected a heam of light from a ruby laser through a telescope, focusing it on the moon, and detected the light as it was reflected back to earth. This remarkable demonstration of the capabilities of a laser has aroused speculation about using this system of light amplification for communicating with space vehicles.
On earth a laser can be very useful in a communications network. Estimates have been made that a single laser light beam could carry a hundred million simultaneous television programs.
With the prospect of continued improvements in rapid and dependable communications, businessmen, as well as others, can get messages through quickly and personally. Electronics is doing a superb job in conquering the communication barrier of distance.
"fkytoid Medication
* In the issue of November S, 1962, TlwaJce/ implicated thyroid extract as a cause of teratogenetic effects. Medical opinion in general exonerates thyroxin, of any responsibility for malformed fetuses, but what it does warn against is thyroid medication during pregnancy employing the Thiouracil group, iodides for thyrotoxicosis and in particular radioactive iodine I131.—The Practitioner (London), July, 1962.
WHAT does it mean to be incomparable? To be incomparable means to be “of such quality as to be beyond comparison; having no equal; matchless, peerless, transcendent.” (Webster) In all the universe there is only One who can truly be said to be incomparable, beyond comparison, and that is Jehovah God, the Creator of all things, the Source of life and the Supreme Being.
In fact, Jehovah God himself claims to be incomparable: “Who in the skies can be compared to Jehovah? Who can resemble Jehovah among the sons of God?” “To whom can you people liken me so that I should be made his equal?” “To whom will you people liken me or make me equal or compare me that we may resemble each other? ... I am the Divine One and there is no other God, nor anyone like me.” —Ps. 89:6; Isa. 40:25; 46:5, 9.
Pursuing this theme farther, we might ask, In what respects is Jehovah God incomparable? In at least seven distinct and basic aspects: (1) in authority or right; (2) in position or location; (3) in existence or being; (4) in person, body or organism; (5) in personality, qualities or attributes; (6) as Creator, Owner or Possessor; and (7) in name and fame.
No question about Jehovah God as being incomparable (1) in authority, for he is the rightful Sovereign, the King of the universe, “the Sovereign Lord, Jehovah of armies.” “Jehovah is our Judge, Jehovah is our Statute-giver, Jehovah is our King.” His will is supreme. As Job said; “Who will say to him: ‘What are you doing?’ ” Nebuchadnezzar was caused to become insane until he would know that “the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind.” The very immutability of the laws of nature testifies to the sovereignty of Jehovah God.—Jer. 50:25; Isa. 33:22; Job 9:12; Dan. 4:32.
Jehovah God is incomparable also (2) in position, in location. His is the highest, in the most exalted place in the universe, far above even the angels. Men, in their ambition to rule the earth seek the “ultimate position,” entirely overlooking the fact that it is already occupied by One, Jehovah God. He is the “High and Lofty One.” He alone can say of himself: “The heavens are my throne, and the earth is my footstool.” Dwelling as he does above the circle of the earth, to him the nations appear “as a drop from a bucket,” and man as a mere speck on a speck.—Isa. 57:15; 66:1; 40:15.
In that he is without beginning Jehovah is incomparable (3) in existence. He alone had a limitless or infinite past. Only he, therefore, can properly be termed “the King of eternity.” He, the Ever-living One, is the Source of all life. Men have had to admit that they cannot explain the origin of life, for all life comes from precedent life. But God, the Source of life, is the exception. It should not be too difficult for finite creatures to accept by faith the infinity of the Creator, since they cannot fathom how both time and space can be infinite, and yet men acknowledge that they are.—1 Tim. 1:17; Ps. 36:9.
Jehovah further merits being termed incomparable (4) because of his personal glory or excellence of body or organism. Some would have God omnipresent or as a Principle without a body or an organism. But not so. Jehovah God as a person has a body anfi a location, even as indicated by Jesus’ words: “I came out from the Father and . . . am going my way to the Father.” And concerning that return to his Father we further read: “Christ entered . . . into heaven itself, now to appear before the person of God for us.” (John 16:28; Heb. 9:24) Jehovah’s person is of such glory that no man can see him and live. (Ex. 33:20) Fittingly Isaiah asks: “To whom can you people liken God, and what likeness can you put alongside him?” And well did David say of him: “He is the glorious King.”—Isa. 40:18; Ps, 24:10.
Jehovah is also incomparable (5) in personality, in his personal qualities, virtues or attributes. He has the four basic attributes of wisdom, power, justice and love to the superlative degree and in perfect balance with one another. What wisdom and power his material universe makes manifest, and reason and the Scriptures unite to testify that his immaterial universe, the spirit heavens, must speak even more eloquently of these attributes! Particularly from his Word is man made aware of Jehovah’s justice and love. What respect for his own justice he showed, and what great expression of his love he gave in sending his only-begotten Son to earth to ransom humankind! Not only is God omniscient, all-knowing, but he also is prescient, that is, he is “omniscient regarding the future.”—Isa. 46:10, 11,
Concerning his attributes the Scriptures state: “God is love.” “Jehovah himself gives wisdom; out of his mouth there are knowledge and discernment.” “I am Jehovah, the One exercising loving-kindness, justice and righteousness in the earth.” “As for the Almighty, we have not found him out; he is exalted in power, and justice and abundance of righteousness he will not belittle.” To the extent that human creatures take God at his Word, to that extent they themselves will benefit from these attributes of God.- 1 John 4:8; Prov. 2:6; Jer. 9:24; Job 37:23.
Then again, Jehovah is incomparable (6) as the Creator, Owner and Possessor of the universe and all that is in it. As the psalmists so well testify; “To | Jehovah] belongs every wild animal of the forest, the beasts upon a thousand mountains." “Heaven is yours, the earth also is yours: the productive land and what fills it—you yourself have founded them.” “Jehovah is God. It is he that has made us, and not we ourselves. We are his people and the sheep of his pasturage.” Logically, by virtue of his having created all things Jehovah God owns the universe; it is all his possession. —Ps.50:10; 89:11; 100:3.
And in conclusion, Jehovah is incomparable (7) also as to his name and fame. He alone can bear the name Jehovah, meaning, “He Causes to Become,” for he alone did cause all things to he, using his Son as his active agent. (John 1:3) What a name of fame he has made for himself since the creative epochs by such acts as the flood of Noah’s day, the deliverance of his name people from Egypt and at the Red Sea, and the many deliverances of them in the days of the judges and kings of Israel! Well does his Word say: “In no way is there anyone like you, O Jehovah, You are great, and your name is great in mightiness.” “You who set signs and miracles in the land of Egypt . . . that you might make a name for your own self.” “Not for your sakes am I doing it, O house of Israel, but for my holy name.” To Jehovah, the vindication of his name is even more important than the salvation of creatures.—Jer. 10:6; 32:20; Ezek. 36:22.
Surely this incomparable God, Jehovah, is deserving of our exclusive devotion; he has the right to require that we ’love him with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength.’—Ex. 20:5; Mark 12:30.
Khrushchev on Coexistence
At the East German Communist Party Congress Khrushchev demanded that Red China cool its ‘red-hot temper’ and not snicker at Moscow’s peaceful coexistence policy. The Russian leader said the U.S. has 40,000 atomic or nuclear warheads. (U.S. sources stated that 50,000 would be a more accurate estimate. The Soviet’s nuclear stockpile is placed at about 5,000, according to Newsweek of January 28.) “Dear Comrades,” said Khrushchev, “I'll tell you a secret. Our scientists have developed a 100-megaton bomb. If we were to drop it on France or West Germany, it would destroy you too. An empire on earth is preferable to a kingdom in heaven.” The Congress roared its approval.
Thirty Minutes of Chaos
Red China's troubleshooter and delegate to the East German Communist Party Congress Wu Hsiu-chuan listened and waited his turn to speak his piece before the Congress. Finally Wu got his chance. But when he mounted the platform to speak no one was in the mood to listen. Wu persisted. Soon the hall echoed with boos, whistles and catcalls. There was a stamping of feet until the hall shook. Wu yelled and pleaded for attention. This only brought on greater laughter. After thirty minutes of chaos Wu retreated to his seat
Military Pact
A historic document, signed by French President de Gaulle and West German Chancellor Adenauer, helped to ease bitter feelings that for centuries marred relations between the two nations. The pact calls for the two countries to meet at least every six months to exchange troops and training facilities for joint maneuvers.
Business Good
<$> Retailers in the United States came out of last year with close to $235,000,000,000 in the till. That was $15,000,000,000 more business than in 1961. Christmas always makes December a good month. Retail sales for December skyrocketed to a $24,200,000,000 peak. That bettered November’s high by $4,000,000,000 and the old high by $5,000,000,000.
Canadians Out-talk U.S.
•$> The 1962 edition of The, World’s Telephones, published by American Telephone & Telegraph Company, says that among the major nations of the world the Soviet Union had an increase of 19 percent in the number of telephones —the largest for the world. The total number of telephones now in Russia is 5,119,061, which barely exceeds the number of phones in New York city (4,663,632). The United States leads the world in telephones, possessing 52 percent of the world's total, or 77,422,000 telephones. However, Canadians appear to use their telephones more than any other people. They average 551.6 calls per person. The U.S. takes second place, with 529,7 calls per person.
Doctors Flee East Germany
The World Health Organization reports that West Berlin now has the highest MD-population ratio in the world —one physician for every 460 inhabitants. WHO says there is one physician for every 550 inhabitants in Russia, one for every 780 inhabitants in the U.S. In other parts of the world the ratio drops sharply. For example, in the Congo there is one doctor per 82,000 iohabitants, in Laos one per 100,000 inhabitants.
High-Speed Air Travel
A report released to the Federal Aviation Agencystated that by 1972 commercial aircraft will be flying at speeds up to 2,500 miles an hour. The trip from New York city to California will take less than ninety minutes. The British and French governments have agreed to develop a plane that will travel 1,450 miles an hour. The new airliner will cost the two countries $475,000,000. The first flight is scheduled for 1966 and airline service for 1970.
Swiss Curh Pills
# In Switzerland four million people are said to take 150,000,000 pills a year. Measures are being pressed now “to curb excessive drug sales.” Some 1,500 pharmaceutical products are now being sold without prescription. The new proposal is aimed at “making people realize that no drug is harmless.”
In America, where pills are plentiful, the public spends over $1,000,000,000 a year on phony medicines and "health foods.” Investigators found a package of sea salt that sold in chain stores for 12 cents was being sold to the public for $1.50 under a fancy label guaranteeing to cure everything from insanity to cancer. A fifth of a tablespoonful of mineral oil was being sold for $9;50 as a "cancer cure.” Ordinary bee honey was relabeled and was selling as a cure-all at ridiculously high prices.
Much Danger, Little Pep # The Guardian, of November 15,1962, reports that about 400,000 people in Britain arc currently taking "pep pills” and at least 80,000 of them have become addicted to them. The drug is of the amphetamine family, and the danger of addiction was termed "a real one.” Of the total addiction. 24.5 percent occurred after 65 years of age.
Red Dea n
The 88-year-old Dean of Canterbury Dr. Hewlett Johnson admitted that he is "a Communist in principle.” He was asked if he was a Communist when he became Dean of Canterbury. He replied: "Socialist at any rate.” In a Christmas message, Johnson said that it was from the East that Christ would detect rays of hope for the future. He will retire in May after thirty-one years of service.
Battle In Bethlehem
What would Christ have thought had he been present: in Betlilehem last December? The Toronto DaVy Star tar December 26, 1362, reported “chaotic” mob scenes at St. Catherine’s Church during the Christmas eve mass. The report says: “Jordanians stood aghast as crowds of Christians fought and cursed each other as they swept noisily into the church for the traditional midnight mass. . . . Last year, rival groups of priests fought free-swinging, bottle-throwing street battles over the right to hold rites in St, Catherine’s. This year more than 100 Roman Catholic prelates and choirboys jammed the church grotto while Greek Orthodox officials—who share the grotto —watched closely. When the Roman Catholic rite was over, the Greek fathers 'purified’ their half of the grotto while helmeted Jordanian police held back crowds clamoring for entry.”
Making Whiskey in Church
<$> An Associated Press dispatch from Nashville, Tennessee, stated that Pastor Bernard Swain, 30, of the St, Psalm Spiritual Church was fined $50 for making illegal whiskey in the church coffee urn. Police officers said they found a 55-gallon drum of mash and a 15-gallon coffee urn that also had mash in it. According to the Twin City Sentinel of January 8, the preacher told the judge that he was making sacramental “holy wine” for his congregation , The judge found him guilty of bootlegging.
New Depth Discovery
<$> The British Royal Navy's survey ship HMS Cook has found the ocean to be deeper than heretofore believed. In the Mindanao Trench not far from the Philippines in the Pacific it has recorded sounding a depth of 6,297 fathoms, that is, 37,782 feet or slightly over seven miles down. This is 1,578 feet or 263 fathoms deeper than the previous recorded greatest known ocean depth.
A Vicar Quits
<$> Snow piled up in front of the vicarage of Thomas Watson, 64, Anglican clergyman. The Vancouver Province, December 1, 1962, says that what really disturbed Watson to the point of no return was that the 200-year-old house allowed the snow to seep in. Most distracting wag the fact that it piled up before his television set, which hampered his view. So the vicar quit.
Hymns Need Changing
<§> Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery, one of Britain's war heroes, found time to voice his views regarding religious hymns. He said they do not truly reflect man's feelings. For example, he said, the hymn that says: "Oh Paradise, How I Long for Thee.” "We don’t long for thee,” Montgomery remarked. “We want to stay around as long as we can.” Instead, he said the words should read something like this: "Oh Paradise, Oh Paradise, I have a little shop; and just as long as profits last, here I mean to stop.”—Prov-We, Dec. 1, 1962.
Pin-up Pictures for Church
The News and Observer, Raleigh, North Carolina, January 14, 1963, said that Kenneth Toovey, 35, vicar of the Church of England, tried using pin-up pictures to help sell his church magazine. “I think it will help circulation,” the parson said. "I don’t want to offend my older members, but I will stand by what I have done.” What will the clergy t ry next?
Headaches for Pain Relievers
<$> According to the Wall Street Journal of January 18, a study, financed by the U.S. Trade Commission, has revealed that pill pain relievers difTer very little regardless of what advertisers say. Medical researchers have found no significant difference in ability to curb pain among five leading h on-prescription analgesics, Bayer Aspirin, St. Joseph’s Aspirin, Anacin, Bufferin and
EXcedrtn. Ordinary aspirin and Buffer)n caused fewer upset stomachs than Anacin or Exce-drin, the researchers claimed. Manufacturers of the products, however, contested the findings.
A Cold Winter
From the latter part of December through the middle of January, for five consecutive weeks, Great Britain and the European continent were blasted with ice and snow. Ice blocked all German waterways, even the Rhine. The Danube River froze over for about 150 miles—something not seen before in this century. Reports say that Antarctica was basking in a “heat wave.’’ Temperatures soared as high as freezing.
Age of Confusion
<$■ Educators in California were told that this generation lives in an age of anxiety. Dr. Warren B. Martin, provost of
Raymond College at Stockton’s University of the Pacific, said: Students today are confronted "by a state of psychological and religious confusion that is unparalleled.’’ Dr. Martin went on to say: "We live in an age, like it or not, when the church has lost its authority. ... The moral law has lost its divine sanction and the Christian home has lost its vitality.” "Man,” he said, "is living in a world where the bottom has dropped out of the barrel, when a man’s companion is not faith so much as fear, where he is not so much aware of the presence of God as the absence of God, when the truth does not make him free but more often makes him furious.”—San Francisco Examiner, Dec. 4, 1962.
Italy’s Highway Menace
<$■ The Italian government reported that 8,987 Italians met with death in highway accidents in 1961 as compared with 8,197 deaths in 1960. The new growing menace is causing great concern.
Transfusions Con Kill
<$> On November 19 Dr. Philip Thorek, associate professor of surgery, warned that donor blood can carry the germs of numerous debilitating or mortal diseases. As reported in the Chicago Daily Tribune of November 20, he said: “Many thousands of persons are dying this year because of blood transfusions, often after the surgeon has done his work skillfully and without apparent complications.” After giving many reasons why blood transfusions may be lethal, he said: “I always worry about my patients who are getting transfusions and get them back to eating by mouth as soon as I can, knowing that the God-given digestive system will do the regulatory job far better than I can.”
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