Can Religion Appeal to Youths Today?

A Warning from Ancient Rome

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Dog Towns of the American West

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Women of the Far East in the Twentieth Century

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OCTOBER 22. 1969

THE REASON FOR THIS MAGAZINE

News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. "Awake!" has no fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts, it is not bound by political ties; it is unhampered by traditional creeds. This magazine keeps itself free, that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth.

The viewpoint of "Awake!" is not narrow, but is international. "Awake!" has its own correspondents in scores of nations. Its articles are read .in many lands, tn many languages, by millions of persons.

In every issue "Awake!" presents vital topics on which you should be informed. If features penetrating articles on social conditions and offers sound counsel for meeting the problems of everyday life. Current news from every continent passes in quick review. Attention is focused on activities In the fields of government and commerce about which you should know. Straightforward discussions of religious Issues alert you to matters of vital concern. Customs and people in many lands, the marvels of creation, practical sciences and points of human interest are all embraced in its coverage. “Awake!" provides wholesome, instructive reading for every member of the family,

"Awake!” pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of God's righteous new order in this generation.

Get acquainted with "Awake!" Keep awake by reading "Awake!”

Published Simultaneously in the United States by the WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC. 117 Adams Street                        Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.

and in England by WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY Watch Tower House, The Ridgeway      Landon N.W. 7, England

N. H. Knorr. President                     Grant Suiter, Secretary

The Bible translation regularly is«d h “Awake!” Is the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1961 edition. When other translation) «r« seed, this is clearly marked.

CONTENTS

What's Happening to

Heart Transplants?

Most Widely Used Languages

Can Religion Appeal to Youths Today? 5

The People Who Farm

A Warning from Ancient Rome

A Mosquito Killer

Dog Towns of the American West

Fantastic Light with a Future

‘Gaps in Man's Knowledge’

Women of the Far East in the

Twentieth Century

The Little Dots That Move People

“Your Word Is Truth”

Bible Prophecy Is Not of

Private Interpretation

Watching the World

Volume L                            London, England, October 22, 1969                           Number 20

HEART TRANSPLANTS?

THE death of Philip Blaiberg in South Africa marked the end of an era for many in the medical profession. Blaiberg, who died in August, was the world’s longest-surviving heart transplant patient. He had lived over a year and a half since the operation, a total of 594 days.

Blaiberg’s death prompted a sobering review of the future of heart transplants. As Houston heart surgeon Dr. Denton Cooley said: “As long as he was alive, so was the heart transplant program. But now we must consider whether to continue or not.’’

What is the major problem that is causing such a reassessment? It can be noted in a statement that gave the cause of Blaiberg’s death as “chronic heart rejection.” While the technical aspects of the transplant surgery had been a success, at the very moment that the new heart was received a fierce struggle began, one that Blaiberg would be losing every day thereafter. That struggle was his body’s “rejection” of the “foreign” element, the second heart.

God created man with a marvelous mechanism for protection against diseasebearing germs and viruses. This mechanism enables the body to go to work immediately to begin attacking any foreign substances introduced into it. While not fully understood, it appears that the main factor involved is a type of white blood cell, called the lymphoid, or lymph 'cell. Humans have thousands of millions of these lymph cells. These have a “built-in” ability to recognize other cells in the body. When they recognize cells that belong to the body, the lymph cells remain passive. But when they recognize cells that do not belong to the body, then they manufacture antibodies that attack the invaders, either neutralizing or destroying them.

In acute, or immediate, rejection the transplanted cells that are attacked swell up and die a sudden, massive death. However, in other instances, the rejection proceeds at a slower pace. In Blaiberg’s case, the rejection was slow. But while slow, it was relentless. His body’s defenses never let up attacking the foreign cells of the new heart.

The medical profession tries to counteract this rejection process. But doing so presents them with a serious dilemma. If the process can be slowed by the use of various drugs, the new organ will not be rejected as quickly. However, the more the suppression, the less the body can defend itself against disease-bearing germs. So while drugs may delay the rejection process, they also lower resistance so that the patient may contract other illnesses.

Blaiberg contracted hepatitis in about six months. Then he got pneumonia. By a delicate balance of drugs that counteracted the rejection process and drugs that counteracted the new illnesses, he was kept alive. Yet, all the time the rejection continued without letup.

What condition was his second heart in at the time of his death? The New York Times of August 19, 1969, reported: "So much of Dr. Blaiberg’s heart muscle was destroyed, in fact, that his heart was back to the condition of his original heart before the transplant operation, doctors said.”

Another heart transplant was out of the question. Why? Because, as Time magazine of August 29 stated, his deteriorating new heart “could no longer pump enough blood to his lungs to pick up oxygen for his body’s needs, or to his kidneys to sustain their vital filtering function. As a result, these organs had also deteriorated.”

A sober reappraisal of heart transplants comes because doctors know that they cannot halt the rejection mechanism at this time. As Dr. Christian Barnard, who performed Blaiberg’s transplant, admitted: “I have never bluffed myself or the world that we have a cure. It is not possible to prevent rejection, but only to slow down the process.” That is why there are so few long-term survivors. As of August, of 141 patients who had undergone heart transplants, only 29 survived.

A similar rejection is at work in other types of transplants. Figures reveal the following: lung transplants—20 recipients, one survivor; pancreas transplants—10 recipients, one survivor; liver transplants— 100 recipients, 14 survivors. In kidney transplants, among persons not related 58 percent die within a year, persons related having a higher survival rate.

Because of the low rate of survival, and the short term, many institutions have taken a hard look at transplants, particularly those of the heart. Cleveland cardiologist Dr. Irvine H. Page said: “The results in heart transplantation do not warrant the time, expense and risk.” A New Orleans cardiologist Dr. G. E. Burch declared: “It is an injustice to hold out hope to a sufferer at this time that a heart transplant is the solution.”

No person in his right mind wants to die. Life is precious, so man wants to live. But cannibalizing human organs is not the answer to longevity. The answer can come only in Jehovah God’s new order after the end of this system of things. As God’s inspired Word guarantees at Revelation 21: 4: “He will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more.”

Long life, yes, everlasting life, will then be available, not if one can find a heart donor and can afford the medical bills, but to all who exercise faith in Jehovah’s provision for eternal life through the ransom sacrifice of his Son Jesus Christ. What a delight life will be then! It is with good reason that the Bible calls it “the real life”!—1 Tim. 6:19; John 3:16.

DO YOU realize that almost one-half of all people living today are under twenty years of age? These hundreds of millions of youths arc growing up in a confused world. Many are becoming increasingly disillusioned by what they consider to be the failure of their elders. In their despondency some have turned their backs completely on God.

The principal of a Catholic high school in Victoria, Canada, revealed that 75 to 80 percent of his Grade 12 students admitted that God had little or no meaning for them, that high-school religious instruction made little or no impression on them. “I love God but

I hate the church,” one teen-ager said. This reflects the increasingly common feeling that the church is just another part of the ‘‘Establishment,” and has abdicated its position as exemplar and guide.

But is religion really incompatible with youth? Is it simply not possible for progressive-minded young folks of today to find answers to their problems through religion? Are you one who feels that religion and youth just do not mix?

Whatever you personally believe, undoubtedly you would like to hear both sides of the matter. To do this, consider how two students with different viewpoints might discuss the subject.

Hypocritical Religion

“Cesar, it’s good to see you again. I thought I’d meet you at the youth rally wo held last week, but I didn’t see you there. I notice you don’t run around with the old crowd anymore. Where have you been keeping yourself?”

“Well, Pedro, I have been quite busy lately. You know, I have been studying the Bible.”

“You? Studying religion? I’d never have believed it! What could religion possibly offer a fellow like you? I haven’t been to church in a long time. I think religion is outmoded and dying out.”

“I know how you feel. That’s exactly what my sentiments were before I began studying the Bible. But look at it this way, Pedro. If a lawyer failed to keep up with the law and began to advise his clients simply on the basis of his own ideas, would you blame the law because the clients were misled?”

“Of course not. It’s the lawyer’s fault.”

“Exactly. And that’s how it is with God’s law. The majority of the churches today are not applying God’s laws found in the Bible. Instead, they follow their own traditions and philosophies. It was like that when Jesus was on earth. He told the religious leaders of his day: ‘You have made the word of God invalid because of your tradition.’ And then he quoted God as saying: ‘It is in vain that they keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.’ (Matt. 15:6, 9) True, some of the clergy have made attempts to ‘modernize,’ but instead of applying God’s law they have ended up merely conforming to the world and so have lost their influence. But the Bible itself is really up-to-date and has given me some excellent counsel.”

“Well, I have nothing against the Bible, but it’s all those sanctimonious ‘holier-than-thou’ airs that disturb me. I see people go to church pretending to be good, then come out and act worse than before. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s hypocrisy. I think I'm as good as they are even without going to church.”          -

“At least you’re honest in your views, Pedro, and that’s good. A hypocrite claims to be one thing and does another. But look at what the Bible says about hypocrisy, here at Matthew 23:3: ‘All the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform.’

‘‘Also in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 it says that many hypocritical persons would arise in the ‘last days’ and that we should avoid them. It says that they would have a form of godly devotion, but prove false to its power. So it's not surprising that there is so much hypocrisy today, but still this shouldn’t embitter us against God or make us feel that all religion is wrong. If you had lived during the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry, I don’t think you would have rejected Jesus as 'just another Pharisee,’ would you? So, it wouldn’t be wise to judge all religions as false because many of them fail to set the right example.”

"Well, I think you’ve made your point there, Cesar. But, really, is there any religion today that has that ‘power’ you were talking about?”

Religion Free from Hypocrisy

“Yes, there is. Since I’ve been studying with Jehovah’s witnesses I have found a people who really do practice God’s principles without hypocrisy. As to the ‘power,’ I can testify that it is really there. Take my case, for example.

"You remember how at night I’d wait until everyone in the house was asleep and then I’d sneak out quietly to join the rest of the gang. And you know how we used to ‘live it up,’ vandalizing property, stealing, smoking ‘pot’ and getting drunk. Looking back, I realize that I was the hypocrite, pretending to be one thing to my parents’ face, and doing just the opposite behind their back.”

“I guess you’re right at that, Cesar, although I’d not thought about it like that before. Here I am condemning hypocrisy, but I’ve practiced my share of it too.”

“Well, I used to think that all young folks acted like that, so I suppose I just went along with the crowd. But one day I was invited to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and I saw some young people there who were really serious, clean and happy. It made me think. At first, I was cynical and some of my questions must have sounded a bit belligerent, but the Witnesses were understanding and their answers made sense.

“Since then I’ve spent quite a bit of time associating with Jehovah’s witnesses and have found them to be sincere people with high standards, and they really try to live up to them. So I began studying the Bible, and now I have changed quite a few of my views as well as a lot of my bad habits.”

Realizing Genuine Freedom

“But don’t you find that religion stifles your freedom? I mean, you won’t be able to have good times with us anymore, will you?”

‘‘That’s what I thought at the beginning, Pedro, but it just isn’t true. I thought I was really free and enjoying myself when we were going around with the gang with nobody to interfere with us. But now I realize that I was a slave to my own desire to be ‘mod’ and. conform. Besides, weren’t we always hiding our activities from our parents and the authorities, ending up frustrated and tense?

“I’ve learned from the Bible that man was given freedom by God, but it is a limited freedom, bounded by reasonable restrictions. At Revelation 4:11 the Bible tells us that we were created because of God’s will, and so we exist primarily to do that will of God. When we have proper guidance then we can safely enjoy the freedom God gave us, but without that guidance we may well abuse our minds and bodies, especially since we are still young and lacking in experience. Only now am I experiencing real freedom— freedom from wrong thinking, bad habits and a bad conscience. It is a safe freedom, since it is bounded by the supreme authority, Almighty God.”

A Time for Serious Consideration

“But I have always felt that youth is a time to enjoy myself, to be happy-go-lucky, leaving more serious matters until we’re older.”

“That has been the thought of many, but you notice now how many high school and college students, including yourself, Pedro, are taking a more active interest in serious things than before. In fact, youth is the time to think deeply and lay the foundations for future life. Why, it is possible to ruin your entire life by just one bad mistake when you are young! What the Bible says at Galatians 6:7 is really true: ‘Whatever a man is sowing, this he will also reap.’

“Look at the number of suicides among young people. In the United States, for example, suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students, and there may be as many as 5,000 suicides a year in the age-group from fifteen to nineteen. What a shame to have lost all desire to live, when in fact the best years of life are still ahead! Isn’t it better to listen carefully to more experienced people, thus laying a good foundation for future life?”

“But if youth is a time to prepare for the future, wouldn’t it be better to get a good education and prepare for a good job, rather than study religion?”

Materialistic Goals Unsatisfying

“I agree that a good education is a fine help and I have tried to study hard myself to lay a good foundation of knowledge, but materialistic goals alone are not enough. Take, for instance, our own city. Would you say that the only ones who are restless and in many cases violent among the youth are the children of poor parents?”

“No, in fact I have read in the newspapers that a large number of those who commit crimes are sons of the more affluent.”

“So, doesn’t that show that a purely materialistic philosophy is impractical? Many of these young men and women are materially self-sufficient, but still they lack something. They are restless. They need spiritual and moral guidance if they are to avoid the frustrations of today’s world.

“As you know, Pedro, I was very ambitious when in high school. I wanted to land a good job and really be somebody in the world. But since studying the Bible I have learned to be morie balanced. My goal now is not just to make money or ‘be somebody,’ but to serve God and respect his principles so as to gain the hope he offers of eternal life in real happiness.”

Student Efforts Insufficient

“Don’t you think, though, that these student demonstrations we have been staging are for the ultimate good of the community?”

“It’s true that many of the students are sincere in their desire for a change. But really, Pedro, are not many of the students demonstrating about local school problems, often minor injustices, rather than about major wrongs?

“Also, there is always the danger in a demonstration of losing one’s control or of having radical or criminal elements take advantage of your cause. You have to admit that during the recent demonstrations at the university quite a bit of damage was done to property. Then again, if the demands of the students are met on one point, this will encourage more agitation and more demands until law and order may break down in a state of anarchy. Then the community would suffer rather than benefit, wouldn’t it?

“We often hear of ‘student power’ and it is a very real power. But power without control can be very dangerous, just as an atom bomb in the wrong hands would be disastrous. I’m sure you remember what happened in Communist China not too long ago. The ‘Red Guards’ were sent out to implement the government’s cultural revolution, but eventually the government had to control the ‘Red Guards’ stringently because they got out of hand.”

“Yes, I can see that, but at least youth is trying to get things accomplished."

“True, youth is idealistic. But keep in mind that the ‘Establishment’ of today is composed of men who were once youths. No doubt they too felt that they could solve all the world’s problems if given the chance. But once in power they often find that the problems are far more complicated than they had realized, and that they are becoming more difficult as time goes on.”

“What does the Bible say we should do, then?”

“The Bible counsels us at Romans 13:1 to ‘be in subjection to the superior authorities.’ That indans obeying the laws and respecting authority. That is what Jehovah’s witnesses do. This doesn’t mean that they are satisfied with the present system of things. Far from it."

The Bible's Solution

“The Bible explains that neither adults nor youths, no matter how sincere their efforts may be, can solve the world’s problems. Rather, it is God alone, through his kingdom, who wjll bring an end to the entire unjust system and establish a righteous rule that is far beyond our greatest expectations.

“This is where I have placed my hope, Pedro, and this is where I am devoting my time and energy, because it is only through the true worship of God and this way of life that I have found real meaning to life. I would like to recommend that you look into this for yourself, Pedro, and I’m sure you will find the answers to the questions you have about life and the future.”

“Well, Cesar, you’ve certainly made me think. I never dreamed that I would think of taking up religion again, but from what you’ve said I would like to sit in on your Bible studies. If that religion can make such a change in you and give you a real purpose in living, then maybe that’s really what I’m looking for.”

THE PEOPLE WHO FARM

In the United States and Canada, fewer than 8 of every 100 persons live on farms. In Asia, South America, and parts of Europe, over half the people are farmers. About 70 of every 100 Africans farm as a way of life.                         '

A WARNING FROM

LYING for business advantage; crime in the streets; sexual immorality and easy divorce; entertainment that features brutality. Does that sound like a description of the world in which you live? It is! But did you know that it is also a description of ancient Rome?

These very practices so weakened the Roman Empire that, in 476 C.E., it collapsed before its enemies, just as a mighty tree that is rotten inside crashes to the earth in a storm. There is a warning in this for us.

Lovers of Money

The Romans were materialists who lived for the possessions they could gather about, themselves. Since money bought these things, they sought it with avarice, having no scruples as to how they got it. A Roman writer by the name of Martial revealed the general attitude of the Roman gentry when he urged a friend who tended to be honest to leave Rome. Why? Because this friend was not a parasite, could not tell lies like an auctioneer, could not cheat old ladies out of their property, sell false political or gambling rumors or in other ways get money by corrupt means.

Love for money made wealthy old men who were bachelors very popular in Rome. They were fawned upon by acquaintances who had hopes of being mentioned in their wills. Describing this, the book A Day in Old Rome, by William S. Davis, observes: “The rich bachelor is sure of obsequious service from innumerable quarters. The move he coughs and the paler he grows, the more the presents he receives

and the more do loudly condoling friends press to his bedside. They reach the very depth of servility, and sometimes they are rewarded.” Once mentioned in a will it was not beyond one of these friends to hasten the bachelor’s death.

As might be expected among these money-loving people, street crime was high. After sundown people did not venture out on unlit streets unless accompanied by friends or slaves with torches. Dagger men were lurking on the streets. There were also lawless young nobles who would roam the streets in groups, taking evil pleasure in beating up poorly guarded persons found traveling the streets at night.

Justice in the courts was for the man who had money and who was able to put on an appearance of wealth by wearing handsome rings and a fine toga. If a person’s appearance did not reflect riches, the jui'ors would assume that he was a nobody and would vote against him. Regarding this, the book Beacon Lights of History by John Lord states: "What shall we say of the boasted justice, when judgments were rendered on technical points, and generally in favor of those who had the longest purses; so that it was not only expensive to go to law,' but so expensive that it was ruinous? What could be hoped of laws, however good, when they were made the channels of extortion, when the occupation of the Bench itself was the great instrument by which powerful men protected their monopolies?”

Even in the days of the Christian apostle Paul, 400 years before the fall of Rome, bribery of public officials was not uncommon. The Roman Procurator, Felix, kept Paul in prison for two years, awaiting trial, in hope of getting a bribe from him. —Acts 24:26, 27.

Without Self-Control

Being materialists, the Romans catered to the lusts of the flesh in every conceivable way. The book Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon states: “The greater part of the nobles, who dissipated their fortunes in profuse luxury, found themselves poor in the midst of wealth, and idle in a constant round of dissipation. Their desires were continually gratified by the labour of a thousand hands; of the numerous train of their domestic slaves, who were actuated by the fear of punishment; and of the various professions of artificers and merchants, who were more powerfully impelled by the hopes of gain.”

Wives had their extramarital love affairs and husbands had their mistresses. Even teen-age boys frequented the brothels and had affairs with women and men. Divorce was easy. All a person had to do was to tell his mate before witnesses: “Take away your property!” It was not uncommon for a couple to separate, marry elsewhere, separate again and resume the old marriage. Some women boasted, as is commemorated on their tombs, of having had eight husbands in five autumns.

The book Roman Imperial Civilisation by Harold Mattingly remarks: “There was room for many virtues of private life, for devotion of husband and wife, for firm family loyalties. But there was much to justify the Christian protest. Standards were too low; immorality was taught by theatre and public shows, and marriages were too easily undertaken and broken.”

When it came to eating and drinking, the Romans here too manifested lack of self-control. Their banquets very often developed into orgies. Emetics would be served to the guests so they could vomit in a place specially designed for that purpose and then return to the banquet table and continue indulging in the sensual pleasure of eating and drinking.

An actual tomb inscription expressing the self-indulgent attitude of the Romans says: “Bathing, wine, and love-affairs— these hurt our bodies, but they make life worth living. I’ve lived my days. I revelled, and I drank all that I desired. Once I was not; then I was; now I am not again—but I don’t care.”

A Brutal People

The fine qualities of compassion, mercy, kindness and empathy were not common among the Romans. They were so morally corrupt that they were insensible to the welfare or sufferings of others. Gibbon states: “In the exercise of domestic jurisdiction the nobles of Rome express an exquisite sensibility for any personal injury, and a contemptuous indifference for the rest of the human species. When they have called for warm water, if a slave has been tardy in his obedience, he is instantly chastised with three hundred lashes; but should the same slave commit a wilful murder, the master will mildly observe that he is a worthless fellow, but if he repeats the offence he shall not escape punishment."

In Roman arenas the people took particular delight in watching gladiators kill one another and wild beasts tearing humans or other beasts apart. The book The Historian’s History of the World by Henry Smith Williams observes: "We must remember that these things were not done casually, or under the influence of some strange fit of popular frenzy. They were done purposely, systematically, and calmly; they formed the staple amusement, I had almost said the normal employment, of a whole people, whose one audible cry was for ‘panem et circenses,’ ‘bread and blood’.’’

You Reap What You Sow

By living for sensual pleasures and for material things the Romans selfishly sowed with a view to the flesh, and so reaped corruption as a result of it. This is a fundamental law expressed in the Bible: “Do not be misled: 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." (Gal. 6:7, 8) The cultivation of vices can lead in only one direction and that is downward to ever lower levels of depravity as was so vividly demonstrated by the Romans.

We see today the same process in operation world wide. Moral decay is growing steadily worse. Many groups of young persons advocate sexual freedom; many male college students think nothing of bringing co-eds into their room for the night or of setting up housekeeping without being married; and some religious leaders speak out in defense of homosexuality.

Expressing the free and easy view being taken of sex, Dr. Joseph Fletcher, a professor at the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said: “No sexual act between persons competent to give mutual consent should be prohibited, except when it involves either the seduction of minors or an offense against the public order." Is this not like ancient Rome?

Sexual promiscuity, the use of sensestimulating drugs and overindulgence in alcohol are all part of the frantic pursuit of sensual pleasures that has engulfed not only young people but adults as well. As a result venereal diseases are reaching epidemic proportions despite modern forms of treatment; illegitimate births and abortions are on the increase, and alcoholism and drug addiction are rapidly growing problems.

From World War II to 1961 male homosexuality in Great Britain alone rose 600 percent, and in 1967 illegitimate births there reached 70,000. According to the Chicago’s American of March 11, 1968, the illegitimacy rate in the United States between the years 1938 and 1965 skyrocketed, not only among youths, but especially among adults. The paper reported that the illegitimacy rate "for the 15-19 age group of mothers increased 123 per cent.” Then it said: “But in the 40-and-over age group, it increased 300 per cent; the 35-39 group, 400 per cent; the 30-40 group, 673 per cent.”

A mother in Rhodesia said: "My daughter had an abortion just after she was 17. . . . Today no young girl is safe. If mothers dare to ask their daughters the truth (and get it) they may get a nasty shock." How much like ancient Rome!

Entertainment

As with the Roman Empire, entertainment today is not usually conducive to instilling good morals, respect for human life, compassion and unselfishness. In The Saturday Evening Post of November 5, 1960, the following observation was made regarding popular literature and theater: “Realism [in literature] turned out to be sex, sadism, shock and degeneracy. . . . Likewise in our theater the only valid material has come to be obscenity, blasphemy and decadence, our tastes so jaded that the nuances of normal human behavior no longer interest us. There is a grim historic precedent for this. The stuffed and bored Roman aristocrats, for kicks, ate a sauce made from putrefied fish while they watched people being torn apart in the arena.”

With every imaginable form of human brutality, sadism and moral degeneracy being depicted regularly on television and movie screens as “entertainment,” is not the present generation like the Romans who eagerly watched similar things in their theaters and arenas?

We also see today the same overpowering love for money that contributed to the corruption of the Roman Empire. In business and in government right principles too often give way before the greedy pursuit of money. In countries all over the world moral decay is manifested in the regular practice of bribing government officials in order to get a contract approved, get things past customs, and so forth. From time to time misconduct by political leaders in taking bribes or misusing public funds becomes so scandalous it gets into the newspapers. So people are usually well aware of the existence of political corruption.

With respect to this greed for money Dr. Stuart A. MacCorkle, director of the Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, remarked: “It seems to me that the theme of the day is to take all you can regardless of how you get it— and a lot of this attitude is seeping down from high places.” It manifests itself in growing employee dishonesty, the underhanded practices so common in the business world and in the persistently rising crime rate. Out of love for money lawless youths and adults are making city streets as unsafe to walk as were the streets in ancient Rome.

What are we to conclude when we see all these evidences of moral decay in the world today? Is it not obvious that the world is following a similar path? This time, however, it is not only one nation, or one empire, that is infected; it is the entire global system of things.

Seeing the trend of things back in the latter part of the nineteenth century, the historian John Lord said, after writing about the fall of the Roman Empire: “But if amid our magnificent triumphs of science and art, we should accept the Epicureanism of the ancients and fall into their ways of life, then there would be the same decline which marked them,—I mean in virtue and public morality,—and there would be the same penalty.” This time, however, there will be a difference.

The ultimate fall of the present system of things will come, not at the hands of men, but as a judgment from God, as was foretold long ago in Bible prophecy. It is there in the Bible that we also find hope for something better—a righteous new system of God's making that will never develop internal moral decay. We do well to inform ourselves about it.

STRANGE, is it not, that there are animals that build their own towns and prefer the civic atmosphere to isolation? Stranger still that they should have housing regulations, police service, precinct divisions and a considerable measure of civic pride. Like the Indians and the buffaloes, however, they are a swiftly disappearing feature of America’s Great Plains. Yes, we refer to prairie dogs—now mainly to be found in protected parklands.

At one time these dog towns were numerous and vast—one of them, in the Staked Plain of upper Texas, extending a thousand miles in width and some 250 miles long, and having an estimated population of 400,000,000. The advent of the cattlemen and their huge herds brought with it a declaration of war upon these dog towns—a war of extermination. Human combatants did not hesitate to resort to poison gas. No mercy was shown. Young and old, male and female, all were to be slain.

In the process of justifying this slaughter, the claim was made that the forage of the Great Plains was insufficient to support the millions of prairie dogs as well as the swiftly multiplying herds of the cattlemen. Every 256 prairie dogs, it was said, ate as much forage as one cow, 32 of them as much as one sheep. Besides, did not their burrows constitute a grave danger to the livestock—resulting in broken legs? So the campaign went on and on, without regard to any possible benefits that might accrue to the land as a result of prairie-dog activities.

Meet Mr, Prairie Dog

Of course, you are in for a surprise when you meet Mr. Prairie Dog, for he is not a dog after all. He is a yellowish-brown little rodent, twelve to fifteen inches long, standing some five inches at the shoulder, plump and short-legged, and having a stubby tail that wags up and down instead of sideways. He looks more like the cottontail rabbit—that is, without the rabbit ears, for his ears are tiny, round things, closely set and giving him a somewhat flathead look. In weight he varies between one and a half and three pounds.

Note some of his other characteristics. His forepaws are equipped with long Claws, ideal for digging. His eyes are quite unusual. They have orange-colored lenses that act as filters to help him withstand the intense glare of the sun. Placed well forward, they are about the first thing to appear above the surface when he is emerging from his home.

In his youth Mr. Prairie Dog is quite playful. When excited, even in adulthood, he lets out sharp little barks. Perhaps you can begin to appreciate why the little rodent should get the name “prairie dog,” what with bark and wagging tail and other characteristics that remind you of playful little yellowish puppies. In zoological circles, however, he gets a name that means “dog-mouse.”

Town House a la Prairie Dog

The prairie dog lives and breeds underground. His burrow is really engineered— not merely a hole in the ground. The entrance hole, six to eight inches wide, is set in the midst of a miniature volcano crater. This is because he has purposely built a rampart one or two feet high, having a circumference of from twelve to fourteen feet. And there may be as many as twenty of these to every acre. The burrow entrance leads into a precipitous tunnel descending perhaps fourteen feet, then turning sharply and continuing horizontally for some distance before gradually inclining toward the surface again to what is apparently a dead end. Actually, however, that dead end is so close to the surface that the prairie dog can use it as an escape hatch whenever danger threatens.

The main tunnel has several short branches turning off to the right or the left. One of them not far from the surface seems to be a sort of guardroom or listening room as well as a place to turn around to check whether intruders are following. In the other passages there may be bedchambers, one of them at least the delivery room where the tiny half-ounce pups are born in litters of about five— blind, hairless and voiceless. By the fourth week they are already well furred; by the fifth the eyes are open, and they make their first feeble barks; by the sixth they are ready to accompany mother on the first trip to the surface.

A New Neighbor Moves In

When a prairie pup is grown up and decides he needs his own home, he will first select the spot, and begin digging with sharp claws, passing the loose earth under his belly and kicking it backward with rear feet. At times he will be seen pushing the loose earth before him with strong forepaws; at other times, emerging backward, kicking out the earth with powerful strokes of the hind legs. Perhaps a younger animal will peer into the hole inquisitively only to be met with a barrage of flying earth that sends it tumbling backward in surprise.

The first of the loose earth is used to form that circular rampart around the entrance. The dog carries loads of the moist earth to the desired spot, and then rams and packs it into a firm condition by repeated drives with his flat nose. As the creature works he holds his body in a curved position, shoulders bent, so that the body can act as a powerful tamping machine, driving the hammerlike muzzle into the earth. Before the dwelling is completed, the little builder may bring as much as twenty bushels of material to the surface.

That circular rampart serves as a protection against flooding when unduly heavy rainfalls soak the plains. The far end of the burrow is very useful too. Not merely does it provide refuge when some burrowing enemy has pursued the prairie dog into its home, but also it provides an air pocket in which the dog can find refuge until floodwaters subside. The craterlike entrance porch serves both as a lookout station and a convenient point from which to exchange gossip with the neighbors.

In a prairie-dog town each animal finds itself a member of a clan or “coterie,” as it is called. Each “coterie” occupies a distinct precinct of the town, and dogs of another clan are not welcome. At the approach of a strange dog the first one noticing him will jump abruptly on his hind legs, raising its forepaws in the air and giving a loud yip. That constitutes a territorial warning, and right away there are responses from neighboring mounds as, one after another, local dogs express protest at the intrusion. On the other hand, dogs of the same "coterie” use one another’s burrows, groom one another’s fur, and are constantly at play.

During the heat of the noonday, activity is at a minimum as the little creatures retire to their burrows for a siesta. But early in the morning and in late afternoon the whole town will be astir. Scores of dogs will be stretched out on the ground while. companions go over their fur, cleaning and dressing it. Others squirm and wriggle in the dust to rid themselves of fleas and ticks. Younger animals will engage in games. One will chase another until, like a football tackler, he can bring him down. Then they reverse positions, and the chased becomes the chaser.

There are always sentries on the watch, standing at rigid attention, scanning now the earth and now the sky with beady eyes. At first sight or sound of the unusual, they will yip out a warning. Two sharp barks and every prairie dog within earshot scurries to its own mound and stands upright. As soon as they see the enemy approach they duck into their burrows. And many an enemy they have, in addition to humans. Badgers, coyotes, foxes, black-footed ferrets, rattlesnakes and ground owls will invade the burrows at times. Eagles and hawks will swoop down from the sky on any dog-town citizen that has ventured too far from the home base.

Prairie dogs have been known to seal off a burrow into which a snake has trespassed. And as a precaution against skulking ground enemies, citizens keep the plant life around their entrances for many yards cut quite short, thus depriving unfriendly intruders of cover.

Shopping and Socializing

The prairie dog simply forages for what he needs as he needs it. And his diet, though largely vegetarian, is varied. He relishes wheatgrass, bromegrass, grama grass, Russian thistle, sagebrush, prickly pear and saltbrush. For water he relies on his ability to manufacture fluid in his body by metabolic conversion of carbohydrates—something he has in common with many denizens of the desert. A tiny form of milkweed as well as a miniature mallow called “Cowboy’s Delight” are special treats. The black-tailed species of prairie dog will also eat some grasshoppers, particularly when these threaten him with a shortage of forage. The whitetailed species will eat grubs, adult beetles, larvae of moths and butterflies. Still, shrubby plants, weeds, grasses and seeds make up the bulk of his diet.

During the winter season, though they do not hibernate in the strictest sense, prairie dogs drowse away most of the time in their burrows. But even then, on a bright sunny day when the temperature hovers around zero, they will come up on top to enjoy a change. Wintertime is when they live on the reserves of fat they have built up during summer and fall. Some animals get so layered with fat that when they look back over their shoulders their sides crinkle like corrugated paper.

Whenever prairie dogs meet while out foraging, they pause for greeting, touching noses as though bestowing a kiss, fondling and patting one another, at times even sitting on their haunches, the forepaws of one resting on the shoulders of another. Two have been known to sit facing each other, placing their forepaws together with repeated pat-a-cake movements, then dropping to the ground and rubbing noses. Can you imagine what gossip they indulge in on such occasions?

Some authorities claim that some of their antics when meeting each other are really a system of determining which is a dog from their own precinct and which from another. Whatever the purpose, they are fascinating to watch. One observer, for example, saw two females meet while out foraging. They bowed and then, standing straight up with forepaws touching, put their muzzles together as though kissing. But when two old males met, they whirled around and tried to kick up dirt at each other.

Vanishing—for Belter or Worse?

There was a time when the three- to four-hundred-mile belt of the Great Plains, extending from Canada southward to Mexico, was populous with dog towns. The gently undulating reaches of this treeless, semiarid region were once alive with the play and work of millions of prairie dogs. Now a great stillness has descended upon it. Unless one visits some specific, protected park areas, no longer can one hear the yips of excited prairie dogs or see them playing and foraging in surroundings that were well suited to their way of life.

As is often the case with shortsighted human policies, the campaigners for extermination of the prairie dog appear not to have considered the possibility that this little creature might confer benefits upon humankind. Only in 1939, and perhaps too late, the United States Department of Agriculture issued its report on the subject. Was it true that these little creatures seriously threatened the forage supply for livestock ? Neither Russian thistle nor rabbit brush are suitable for cattle, yet the prairie dog thrives on them. One dog’s stomach was found to contain 20,000 seeds of the poisonous knotweed. In Montana it was noted that as high as 70 percent of the food consumed by prairie dogs was locoweed, rank poison to livestock. And 14 out of 20 stomachs examined in the month of May contained cutworms —as much as 35 percent of the food consumed.

' And not only does the prairie dog star in the field of poisonweed disposal, but he also confers another signal benefit on the land where he pursues his instinctive way of life. His numerous burrowings serve to turn over and chum up the soil, aerating and sweetening it, supplying water drainage, and generally readying it for cultivation by man.

There is something inhuman about man’s dealings with this little relative of the squirrel. On the other hand, there is much about the prairie dog to remind one of imperfect humans: the gossiping on the front porch, the socializing, the community activities and prejudices, his ‘getting up on his hind legs’ when angry over some matter, one old dog’s ‘doing dirt’ to another, and so forth. Nevertheless, it does seem regrettable that a little creature that crams his eight years of life to the full with the joy of living should now be pushed so close to the brink of extinction.

JUST nine years ago, in I960, a radical new kind of light was first produced. Never before had it been known to exist on earth. It is the purest, sharpest, most intense light with which man is acquainted, burning billions of times more intensely than the light at the sun’s surface. It easily cuts through diamond, the hardest substance known, and it can vaporize any substance on earth.

The idea for producing this fantastic light was first proposed in a paper published in 1958 by two scientists, Arthur L. Schawlow and Charles H. Townes. Two years later Theodore H. Maiman built the first device that successfully produced short bursts of the proposed light. The device is called a laser, which word stands for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. What the laser does is to amplify or strengthen light.

When it became known that such a lightamplifying device could be built, the laser received an unprecedented amount of publicity. Its potential fascinated the imaginations of men. The military saw in it, for example, a super weapon—a death ray. On the other hand, grand applications of the laser were foreseen in medicine and industry.

Development and Sales

In the beginning, however, there were disappointments as efforts were made to transform the laser from a laboratory curiosity to a working item of practical value. But recently the laser has started to live up to its early raves, as more powerful and efficient lasers have been developed and an increasing number of profitable applications have been found for them. Evidence of the laser’s success is seen in the sale of thousands of them each year.

In 1965 an estimated $97 million was spent on lasers. Nearly 60 percent of this amount was on research, but the rest was accounted for by sales of lasers and laser products. Now the general business connected with lasers is estimated at as high as $300 million a year. But so rapidly is the market growing that some experts predict that lasers will become the next “billion-dollar-a-year industry,” probably sometime in the early 1970’s. Lasers are now sold for as low as $200, but others cost, tens of thousands of dollars each.

It is true that they are still in their early stages of development. As Dr. Schawlow noted: ‘‘Lasers are still very primitive devices. They’re still about at the crystal-set stage of radios, or airplanes around 1910.’’ But when one considers what they can do, it is understandable why industries are devoting so much time and expense to their development.

Fantastic Poiver

The power of light increased in intensity by a laser is truly fantastic. Describing a demonstration of this power, one observer wrote: “The technician aims [the laser] at a piece of steel the thickness of a quarter, using a lens to focus the beam to a fine point. . . . you hear a whine, a sharp report. This time a shower of incandescent sparks flies from the piece of steel. It has been pierced all the way through by that awful blast of light.”

As ever more potent and efficient lasers are developed, the prospect of actual "death ray” weapons being produced comes closer to reality. In fact, there is serious talk among scientists regarding the possibility in the future of lasers being used against unfriendly missiles.

But even though some lasers can be focused to provide light powerful enough to kill, others are very gentle, weak enough so that one can put his hand in front of their beam without harm. Yet the intensity of even a very weak beam is fantastic. This was demonstrated not long ago with a Surveyor spacecraft that landed on the moon.

The spacecraft had aboard a television camera, which was aimed toward the part of the earth experiencing darkness. On the earth several laser beams were pointed toward the spacecraft on the moon, some 240,000 miles away. These were beams of only one or two watts, hence much weaker than an ordinary 60-watt bulb. Nevertheless, the television camera on the moon very easily picked up the laser beams and radioed back a picture of these bright spots on earth. Amazingly, the laser beam of two watts showed up brighter on the moon than all the hundreds of millions of watts of electric lights in such population centers as New York city and Los Angeles!

What is the secret to producing such intense light? Just what is a laser? How does it operate?

Incoherent and Coherent Light

The characteristic of ordinary visible light is that it is incoherent, that is, the waves are jumbled. They are of varying size and frequency, and travel in divergent directions. By using reflectors, such as in a searchlight, ordinary light can be made to move in one direction. However, there is still general disorder within the beam of light, and it eventually fans out and disperses.

The laser, on the other hand, is a device that produces coherent light, that is, light that is all of the same wavelength, and these light waves are all in phase or in step. It might be likened to a column of soldiers all in step marching down a street. Then another column joins in, and it is also in step with the first column. As this group continues, another column joins, always in step, until the original column is increased or amplified manyfold. The laser is a device that assembles light waves in such an orderly way and emits them in step in the same precise direction with the same timing. Thus, light is increased in intensity or brightness to a fantastic degree.

The first laser beam, produced in 1960, employed synthetic ruby. However, the ruby laser is only one of many kinds of lasers. It is an example of a solid-state laser, that is, the "lasing” material is a solid. Various gas lasers also have been made, such as the helium-neon, ionized-argon and carbon-dioxide types. The gas laser beam is generally more coherent than the solid-state laser beam, and it is also somewhat easier to operate continuously.

The radiation emitted by lasers, in the majority of cases, is visible to the human eye, because it is a wavelength to which the human eye is sensitive. However, there are other electromagnetic radiations that are not visible to the human eye, such as radio waves, infrared or heat waves, microwaves, X rays and cosmic rays. Back in the early 1950’s Dr. Townes invented a device that produced microwaves that were all in step and amplified manyfold. This device is called a maser, which stands for microwave amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. On the suggestion that the maser could be applied to visible electromagnetic radiation, the laser was invented. The laser is thus sometimes called an optical maser.

Uses of the Maser

The very weak microwave signals the earth receives from the heavens must be amplified in order to study their source properly. It is here that the maser is ideally suited. The maser amplifies these weak signals and does not introduce any “noise” or other spurious radiation that other types of microwave amplification devices do. The maser was used, for example, to measure the 1.25-inch-wavelength electromagnetic waves coming from the planet Jupiter. This information enabled astronomers to determine that the temperature of Jupiter is about 141° F. below zero.

The maser is also suited as a clock. An ordinary clock keeps time by periodic motion, which is achieved by a pendulum or a balance wheel. The electromagnetic wave oscillations in a maser are very constant and are periodic, not varying with temperature or position on the surface of the earth. These inherent oscillations of the maser are so accurate that a maser clock would not gain or lose any more than three or four seconds in a thousand years.

Applications of the Laser

However, it is the laser, or optical maser, that is finding by far the majority of uses. Hundreds of ingenious applications have been found for it in industry, medicine, military technology and space exploration.

Some applications of the laser stem from the fact that its light can be focused to an extremely small point. Just as a “burning glass” can be used to focus the sun’s rays to a small area and cause flame, so the laser can be concentrated on an infinitesimally small area.

Due to its intensity, tiny holes can be drilled into extremely hard substances. The Western Electric Company has successfully employed a ruby laser system to drill and resize diamond dies that it uses in making extremely fine copper wire. A drilling operation that once required long hours or even days by conventional methods, the laser now does in two minutes or so.

The laser is used also to vaporize small amounts of material from very delicate instruments, such as a balance wheel in a watch. If desired, the vaporized material can be analyzed by a spectrograph to identify its chemical elements. The Jarrell-Ash Company in Waltham, Massachusetts, has sold scores of lasers at $15,000 each, designed for use in making spectrographic analyses of objects.

In one instance, a painting that was supposedly done by a sixteenth-century painter was exposed as a forgery by this laser device, which is called a microprobe. The painting was placed under the microprobe, and a carefully calculated blast of light from the laser vaporized an infinitesimal amount of paint, leaving a tiny, unnotice-able crater in the painting. The plume of vapor, under analysis by a spectrograph, revealed a trace of zinc, and zinc-based paint pigment was not used until 1820!

The laser is also finding wide application as a measuring device. Boeing and other large aerospace firms use laser techniques for a variety of measurements and calibrations. Small spot welding of metals is also done using a laser beam.

The laser, too, is finding wide application in medical areas. Particularly has it been successful in welding a detached retina into place in the rear of the eyeball. The light passes through the transparent cornea and other parts of the eye to the retina, where the light is absorbed and fuses the retina to the tissue behind it. Melanoma cancers, the type containing black pigments that absorb laser rays, also have been successfully treated.

Its Future

However, undoubtedly the most spectacular applications of the laser are yet to be realized. Dr. Schawlow predicts that within twenty years it will be a common tool “in the office, in the factory, and in the home, where it could be used for peeling potatoes.” Already a laser is soon to be marketed that will be used to erase typing mistakes.

Dentists also envision using a laser to remove caries. Since the carious area of the tooth is darker colored, light will be absorbed in that area and thus vaporize the decay, leaving the white part of the tooth unaffected.

The laser’s use in the field of communications is particularly exciting. Theoretically, one laser beam could transmit the entire text of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in a fraction of a second, or it could carry all radio, TV and telephone messages of the world simultaneously.

On the other hand, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are experimenting with a rock-pulverizing laser to be employed in boring underground tunnels for highways and railroads. And, remarkably, lasers make practical the idea of three-dimensional photography, as well as enormous, wall-size TV screens. Dr. Townes explained in an interview:

"We should someday have TV screens the size of a movie-house screen. . . . Today, if you project a picture from a TV tube on a very large screen, it would be too dark. The laser beam, however, can be swept across the screen and you can get a pretty good picture with enough illumination—and in color, because you can get various colors of laser beams. . . . I would think this will be simple and practical enough. So it is very likely to come along sooner than the three-dimensional TV.”

In just the nine short years since its birth, this fantastic new kind of light is finding amazing applications. But apparently this is only the beginning. Truly, it is a light with a future!

'Gaps in Man's Knowledge'

The theories of men in connection with the earth and life upon it are often not built upon a firm basis of factual information. This is shown by the comments of W. H. Bradley of the United States Geological Survey. In the book The Fabric of Geology (1963), page 22, he writes of the growing realization that "the earth's history and the processes involved in shaping it are vastly more complex than was thought even a generation or two ago. We have, so to speak, become more conscious of the number of variables and the magnitude of the gaps in our knowledge. . . .

“Everything is too new, too pregnant with the possibility of growth and change —too much is clearly missing or imperfectly understood—for us to become preoccupied with reflective thinking about what is already known. . . . Some day we may grow old and have more laws; right now we are busy exploring, experimenting, and trying to understand more of the ‘how’ of those processes that have produced the features of the earth, its crust beneath, and all it contains.” Hence, when theories of men conflict with the Bible, which will you believe?

HJOldi n CE THE EHR EAST

AT FIFTEEN Miss Tranthi Ho Le joined the Viet Cong guerrillas, partly out of a sense of adventure, and partly because she was told that she could help emancipate Vietnamese women. For three years she lived in the jungle, becoming an expert in guerrilla warfare. By 1969 she had become a “seasoned combat veteran” and had command of a twelve-girl mortar squad.

Back in 1913 a girl like Tranthi would have been happily changing the diapers of her baby brother, tion Party, mistress of China’s Communist Party and wife of China’s leader, Mao Tse-tung.

Thirty years ago she was an easy-mannered housewife, busy raising two daughters and preparing her husband’s meals. Today she has a voice even in her country’s military affairs.

Yes, the earth-wide developments of history have produced drastic changes in the lives of women. Many consider the year 1848 as the starting point for these changes—a year when

while watching the fragrant rice boil for the family supper, somewhere out there in the once peaceful fields of the Mekong Delta.

Edith A. Dizon, mother of six, is an expert concert organist. But she has traveled extensively abroad as a woman air pilot, a music specialist, a writer, a cultural observer and public relations officer. She is also a lieutenant in the Makati police force, and a judo specialist in the Philippines.

In 1913 she would have been happy in the simple role of wife and mother. Her musical skills would have been enjoyed by her own family and close neighbors.

In the year 1969 the most powerful woman in all Asia is undoubtedly Chiang Ching, adviser to the cultural revolution committee of the Chinese People’s Liberasome unhappy women in New England, in the United States of America, began a campaign for equality with men. But the truth is that it took the momentous conditions of the year 1914 to enforce an altogether new view of woman’s role among the nations.

The Philippine Woman

Turning attention momentarily from examples of change in the role of women, let us consider the situation that confronts the average Philippine woman. We shall call her Liwayway, which means “dawn.” She is a shy creature, but no weakling, for she stands loyally by her husband and children whatever the crisis. Her position is aptly illustrated by that of the frail orchid of the Philippine forests, a flowering plant that clings closely to the tall molave tree through sunshine and storm.

She is a fine cook, an expert dressmaker and a shrewd breadwinner. She never ventures into the councils of the menfolk; Ihat is not her field. The only time she raises her voice is in the disciplining of her children, whom she rules with a firm hand. For all her shyness, she is held in high esteem by her family—a satisfying reward indeed.

Though there are still many thousands like Liwayway, multitudes of Filipina women have stepped out from under the traditional- parasol into the bright sunlight of the modern world. They are restless and eager for change. They feel that Liwayway is old-fashioned for clinging to timeworn ways.

“Today’s woman,” they keep urging Liwayway, “ought to improve herself, socially, intellectually and culturally.” “A college degree would be a desirable goal for her,” they say. At such educational institutions she would participate in student debates, students’ rights movements and demonstrations.

That, admits Liwayway, would qualify a woman for competition with men in various fields. But would it make her a devoted wife and a loving mother? She might be a success in the big world, but would she be a success at home?

“Come with Us, Liwayway”

Thus, Liwayway finds herself powerfully drawn in the currents of a swiftly changing society. She wants to cling to the safer ways of the past, but the call to change becomes daily more insistent. Not that she is against progress, but she doubts whether this change in woman’s role is really for the better.

Liwayway knows that women who become a “success” in the world often sacrifice husband and home in their efforts. Liwayway recalls the statement in the Reader’s Digest of November 1968 (Asian edition); “Women at the top have also won success by relinquishing many of the female prerogatives. As a group, they tend to make home and family, when they have them, accommodate the total pattern. When it comes to a showdown, it’s often the job that wins out; a high proportion of executive women are single or divorced.”

But the modern Filipinas, who would have Liwayway follow them, point to what one prominent lady judge wrote. This female judge “deplores the fact that women, especially in developing countries, are reluctant to run for public positions, are content to leave politics to the men, and worse, are not using their right to vote.” —Woman and the Home, October 15,1967.

Those who would have Liwayway depart, from the old paths also point to the United Nations’ publication Magna Carta of Women, which says in part: “The welfare of the world and cause of peace require the maximum participation of women as well as men in all fields.”

So, the new Filipinas continue to chant, “Come with us; come with us.” They claim that women of this twentieth century, particularly women of the Far East, have a new and vital role to play, a role that they hope will influence the future for good.

One More Searching Look

At their insistence, Liwayway does take one more long look at the changing role of women in this twentieth century. Some startling facts appear.

In Burma, for example, women are the legal equals of men, are independent and retain their maiden names even after marriage. Ceylon had as its prime minister a woman. A lady from India was once president of the United Nations. A Vietnamese woman heads the South Vietnamese National Liberation Front’s team at the Paris peace talks.

And look at India! In that land there are 73 women members of parliament, 206 women members of State legislatures, 2 union ministers of state, 19 state ministers and deputy ministers and one chief minister. That is said to represent 8 percent of the total number of seats in parliament and State legislatures. And at present India’s prime minister is a woman!

During the 1965 elections in the Philippines, women wielded 4,490,210 votes and put into office women who would protect the rights of women in general. There are three women governors and one vicegovernor. There are more women in the Congress and in the Senate than ever before. With the 1970’s it may be expected that many more women will be elected to office.

More and more women of the East are competing with men, taking over their jobs. The impact of war and revolution is hastening the process. In North Vietnam, for instance, women have taken over the “fields of agricultural and industrial production, communications, transportation, health services, education, cultural studies, reconstruction, engineering and, to a certain extent, politics.”—Graphic, July 17, 1968.

In South Vietnam the wortien are not far behind. “In their diaphanous silk ao dais, they can readily appear as delicate and inconsequential as so many songbirds. In fact, Vietnamese women are birds of a very different feather. . . . they have become, under the pressures of two decades of war, Asia’s most emancipated women.”—Time, Asian edition, November 8, 1968.

And in case there is a tendency to discount them as poor substitutes for men, just remember that the Viet Cong employ all-female combat units. “Our women have. so much power!” one Viet Cong male is reported to have exclaimed.

Some Sobering Thoughts

There is another facet to this picture of women and their role in the Far East. Consider Tranthi Ho Le. The press reports that she found no contentment as a Viet Cong guerrilla. She wanted a more peaceful, a more feminine way of life. She escaped to Saigon.

The trend that draws women into active pursuit of political, military or business careers also can leave children without the needed tender care of a mother.

Furthermore, the path of the new Fili-pina has led to frustrations, disappointment, failure. She has tried to stifle the demands of her own physiology, the need to belong to someone, the overpowering need for her to expend loving, motherly compassion on children.

On the grounds of emergency, current conditions, and so on, many a new Filipina may try to justify her desertion of the woman’s place in the family and in the home. But, as Liwayway often wonders, will such women ever be able to turn back to normal life as a loyal wife and a devoted mother?

Almost everyone has heard of Abraham’s wife, Sarah. She was a humble, God-fearing woman of the Orient. Liwayway takes consolation in the fact that Sarah was highly recommended by the highest Personage in the universe because she knew and maintained her position as wife and mother, loyal to the principles of her Creator.—1 Pet. 3:1-6.

By "Awake!" correspondent in Ivory Coast

OLORFUL lights, blazing torches lit up the evening darkness as the returning chariot of the victorious Egyptian general swept into the Roman amphitheater. His breathtaking entrance climaxed a long procession of beautifully costumed soldiers flushed with triumph and a magnificent ballet in which nimble dancers enthusiastically whirled to the delight of the audience hushed with awe. The night air was filled with gorgeous orchestral harmonies, rich choral singing and the blare of jubilant trumpets. Music triumphal! The sight of all this enthralled the audience, and the stirring sonorities that, filled their ears thrilled them.

Suddenly the scene changes to where an audience of young people, mostly teenage girls, are gathered in their thousands, screaming uncontrollably. Some tremble Violently, others sob, a number faint, and most are hysterical. Four young men with long hair on the platform hold the attention of all, and rising above the bedlam of sound is the rhythmic throb of electric guitars and drums.

That first occasion described above was a dignified open-air performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, Aida, at Verona, Italy. The second, a performance by the Beatles at Shea Stadium, New York city. Both demonstrate in their own way the tremendous emotive power of music. There is no doubt that music exercises a powerful influence on people, rousing strong emotions, whether base or noble. Yes, those thousands of little dots that appear across the pages of music, when translated into sound, generate a power that has long been recognized by man.

Ancient Imaginings

Writers of ancient times entertained the superstitious idea that music could place people under a spell. Many of their legends reflect this belief. For example, it was said of Orpheus that his playing was so miraculous that it held spellbound enchanted animals, birds and trees, and that even rivers came to listen to his melodies. He was supposed to be the fon of Calliope, one of the nine Muses, goddesses who were thought by the Greeks to preside over the liberal arts, and from whom we get the word “music.” When Orpheus’ beloved wife Eurydice died, he went in search of her, according to the legend, to the world of the dead, and there played so beautifully that the god of the underworld let her go.

There are other examples of this superstition in Greek fable. For example, the jealous and violent king of the sea, Triton, was said to calm the waves or lash them into tempestuous fury merely by blowing his magical horn, a twisted seashell. The Sirens were reputedly sea-maidens whose singing was so captivating that passing sailors were lured to their death on the rocks as they felt themselves irresistibly drawn by the power of the music. One day, however, it was said, Orpheus sailed by, playing his lute, and the Sirens were so chagrined at being outdone that they drowned themselves.

Because of its great emotional impact, false religion has, for the most part, played up the role of music in its services of worship, while playing down the role of the mind. Greek choruses were an integral part of the ancient Greek ceremonies of religion, just as African ritual dances are vital in the pagan worship of Africans. The stone whistle and certain drums are held sacred in parts of Africa. When used in ritual playing, the drum is supposed to be inhabited by the spirits of the jungle or the elephant god.

History of Music

There is no doubt that music and grand themes were familiar among God’s angels long before human history began. It is interesting to note, however, that the first instruments for music were manufactured for humans by Cain’s descendant, Jubal. (Gen. 4;21) The need for music to soothe the spirit and help wicked men to forget the evils was highlighted by Saul’s commandeering the service of David as a harpist.—1 Sam. 16:14-23.

Archaeologists have brought to light Egyptian bas-reliefs and Assyrian wall decorations that depict music makers of very early times. Vocal and instrumental music was to be heard continually in the palaces of Rome, and it is said that their costly instruments included flutes, enormous lyres and hydraulic organs. Through the centuries music has undergone many changes, for better and for worse. Though some like to think that this modem age has come a long way from the rhythmic tom-toms of Africa, one has only to listen to some of the compositions currently considered popular and he is transported in imagination back to the primitive life of the jungle.

Music’s Spontaneous Expression

Despite the misuse of this art by some today, music has a legitimate place in men’s lives. Think of the spontaneous outburst of joy when Moses and his human flock sang of their deliverance from Pharaoh of Egypt. Then there was the song of Deborah and Barak, signalizing their gratitude to Jehovah for triumph over their enemies. Call to mind, too, the touching song of King David-—his lament over the death of Saul and of his friend Jonathan. The Scriptures credit David with being “a skilled man fat] playing upon the harp.” —1 Sam. 16:16, 18; Ex. 15:1-21; Judg. 5: 1-31; 2 Sam. 1:17-27.

Whether we can play some musical instrument or not, most of us enjoy music —get real satisfaction out of the various expressions of music. Often music can enhance the oral expression. And there is such a variety! There is music to stir us to action, music to soothe and lull to sleep, music to relax with, music for the dance. And stories set to music certainly make a deep impression on the listeners. Some sing because they are happy, some because they are sad, and some because the sound of running water in the bathtub or shower has struck a responsive chord.

What Is Music?

It is one thing to sing or hum a familiar ditty without knowing anything about written music. It is quite another to read and write music so that the melody can be reproduced accurately. The tonal scale best known to the Western world is called the diatonic scale. It is divided into eight notes that ascend or descend in a certain order. Starting with “do”—there are two whole steps, then a half step, three whole steps and then a half step: do, re, me, fa, sol, la, ti, do. These notes can be raised a semitone, that is, up a half step (sharps) or lowered a half step (flats).

By arranging these notes in a certain way and lengthening or shortening the duration of certain ones to fit a particular beat or rhythm, we can produce stirring strains or a haunting melody. The alteration in pitch is what makes a tune, as anyone can tell if he has heard someone hit a wrong note.

Orientals sometimes divide the scale into twenty-four intervals or quarter tones. And most old folk music has a five-note scale as does ancient Chinese and Scottish music.

The tunes are recorded in written music by the use of small dots with short vertical lines attached to them. By placing these dots or notes in various positions on a bar of five horizontal lines, the position on the scale is indicated for each note. Using different types of notes indicates how long they are to be held.

Instruments

Determine the Color

Playing a melody on various instruments will give one a variety of colors or timbres. If we choose to play a happy melody on a flute, the sound will be sweet and birdlike. On the bassoon, it will sound low and mellow and, no doubt, amuse us! On the guitar, the sound of it may cause one to want to dance to it. Yes, this melodic line of little dots can have its color changed just by the instrument that is used to play it.

The various instruments are divided into four main classes: string, woodwind, brass and percussion. In string instruments the sound is produced by rubbing the ■strings with a bow or plucking them. On most woodwind instruments the sound is produced by blowing into a hollow chamber with the help of reeds located on the mouthpiece. In brass instruments the lips are all-important to producing music. Percussion instruments, including the piano, the triangle, the cymbals and all types of drums, are those in which there is a striking or beating action involved. Of course, each class of instruments has a great variety within it.

Some of the unusual ones are the horns made of seashells, the wooden talking drums of Africa, the forked harp with a calabash attached to serve as sounding chamber, and the balaphon, an African-style xylophone with rows of little calabashes of various sizes underneath to give the tones.

One of the finest of all instruments, however, is the human voice. Though not perhaps possessing the large range of a number of other instruments, it is capable, with training, of far greater depths of emotion and shades of feeling. And its worthiest theme is the singing of the praises of the One who created man and his marvelous voice, the God whose name alone is Jehovah.

Truly, music is a marvelous gift, and like other gifts, when properly used, it blesses the giver and the recipient. When it is used in conjunction with the tongue in expressing what is good, true, joyous or upbuilding to the mind, then it reflects something of the glory and majesty of the only true God, who is worthy of every musical expression of praise.

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MEN sometimes make accurate forecasts based on their own interpretation of existing trends and circumstances, but often their predictions are -wrong. This is because the available evidence is either improperly evaluated or is insufficient fop making a reliable forecast. By contrast', Bible prophecies stem from an unerring source. Wrote the apostle Peter: “No prophecy of Scripture springs from any private interpretation. For prophecy was at no time brought by man’s will, but men spoke from God as they were borne along by holy spirit.”—2 Pet. 1:20, 21.

In fact, man’s interpretation of how existing conditions will affect the future generally suggests something altogether different from divinely inspired prophecy. For example, the Jews in the eighth century B.C.E. felt secure in their fortified cities. They, in effect, reasoned: ‘Never will Jehovah permit the destruction of his temple. And, even if we are threatened by the Chaldeans, Egypt’s military might will save us. Why, the mere report that a military force was coming from Egypt caused the Chaldeans to withdraw from against Jerusalem. So we need not fear a calamity at the hands of the Babylonians.’ This was the way humans viewed the prospects for the future.—Compare Jeremiah 5:17; 7: 4, 14; 14:13; 37:5-10.

How different, though, was God’s prophetic word! Through his prophet Jeremiah, Jehovah said: The Chaldeans “will shatter with the sword your fortified cities in which you are trusting.” (Jer. 5:17) “I will do also to the house upon which my name has been called . . . just as I did to Shiloh” (Jer. 7:14), where the tabernacle had been located in Joshua’s time. (Josh. 18:1) "Look! The military force of Pharaoh that is coming forth to you people for the purpose of assistance will have to go back to their land, Egypt, And the Chaldeans will certainly come back and fight against this city and capture it and burn it with fire.” (Jer. 37:7, 8) Unbelievable as these words may have seemed to the Jews, they were fulfilled.—Jer. 44:2.

No less astounding were the prophecies uttered by Christ Jesus over six centuries later about the destruction of Jerusalem for her unfaithfulness to Jehovah and her rejection of His Son as Messiah.—Matt. 23:37-39; Luke 19:42-44.

In order that his followers might not share Jerusalem’s fate, Jesus told them: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her.” (Luke 21:20, 21) Jesus’ disciples may well have wondered how they would be able to escape without greatly endangering their lives. Human reasoning would have suggested that once the enemy surrounded the city it would be too late to flee. But completely unexpected developments made escape possible.

Cestius Gallus came against Jerusalem in the year 66 C.E. Although the capture of the city was within his reach, he did not persevere with the siege. “Cestius,” writes the Jewish historian Josephus, “suddenly called off his men, abandoned hope though he had suffered no reverse, and flying in the face of all reason retired from the City.” This strange turn of events, so contrary to what anyone would have predicted in view of Cestius’ seemingly favorable circumstances, enabled Christians to heed Jesus* prophetic exhortation to flee from the doomed city.

Around Passover time of the year 70 C.E. the Roman armies, under the command of Titus, returned and again laid siege to Jerusalem. Nearly four decades earlier Jesus had foretold that the enemy forces would build a fortification with pointed stakes around the city. (Luke 19: 43) Yet even at this late date there was no tangible evidence that this would happen, especially since it was not the usual procedure. Josephus reports that at a council of war various views were expressed about taking the city. Seemingly Titus alone conceived the idea of encircling Jerusalem with a wall to keep the Jews from leaving the city so as to bring about their surrender or, if this did not materialize, to make it easier to take the city due to the resultant famine.

The unexpected came to pass. Titus’ arguments won out. Thereafter the army was organized to undertake the project. The legions and the lesser divisions of the army competed with one another to finish the task. Individually the men were spurred on by a desire to please their superiors. The countryside about Jerusalem within a distance of some ten miles was denuded of its trees to provide materials for the construction. Amazingly, according to Josephus, the fortification was completed in just three days, an undertaking that ordinarily would have required months to finish.

Both of the temple and the city Jesus had prophesied: “They will not leave a stone upon a stone.” (Luke 19:44; 21:6) This would have been difficult to foresee even at the beginning of the siege, for Titus evidently was desirous of doing the very opposite. Note his words addressed to the Jews, as quoted by Josephus: “Most unwillingly I brought engines to bear on your walls: my soldiers, ever thirsting for your blood, I held in leash: after every victory, as if it was a defeat, I appealed to you for an armistice. When I got near to the Temple I again deliberately forwent my rights as victor and appealed to you to spare your own holy places and preserve the Sanctuary for your own use, offering you freedom to come out and a guarantee of safety or, if you wished, a chance to fight on other ground.”

But contrary to the original intentions of the victorious Titus, the prophecy was fulfilled. The historian Josephus reports that the entire city and its temple were razed to the ground, with the exception of three towers and a portion of the western wall. Says he: “All the rest of the fortifications encircling the City were so completely levelled with the ground that no one visiting the spot .would believe it had once been inhabited.”

Bible prophecies are truly a product of God's spirit and are not based on men’s private interpretation of conditions and trends existing at the time they were uttered or recorded. “Consequently,” as Peter wrote because of having seen Jesus’ transfiguration, “we have the prophetic word made more sure; and you are doing well in paying attention to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place.” (2 Pet. 1:19) By heeding the prophetic Word, we may be privileged to see the end of all wickedness and share in the blessings of a new system of things foretold to become a reality in our generation.—Luke 21:25-32; 2 Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 21:4, 5.

Falling Sequoias

More of those beautiful giant sequoias have fallen this year than in any previous year on record. In one area ten of those ancient giants toppled to the ground. In Yosemite National Park, California, the 2,000-year-old Wawona Tunnel Tree crashed to the earth. Authorities blame heavy snows for the falling epidemic. The ground has become wetter than usual, loosening the roots.

Rising Divorce. Rate

4- Divorces in the Soviet Union have jumped from 270,200 in I960 to 646,300 in 1967, the last year for which statistics are available. The rate of 2.7 per thousand, for 3967, is one of the highest in the world.

Bilingual Canada

< Officially, on September 7, Canada became a bilingual country, the two languages being English and French. The new law makes provision for federal services, government agencies and courts to provide services in both English and French in districts where at least 10 percent of the population speaks the second language.

Scientific Slips

<4> Studies of moon rocks have led to the conclusion that the rocks were not several hundred million years old, as many geologists had speculated, but at least 3,2<X)_TOOO.OOO years old, according to their calculations. Scientists at first said the moon was made of earthlike layers. The studies now being made show that these initial ideas have almost as many holes in them as the moon itself.

Control Locust Plagues

<$> The desert locust has puzzled mankind ever since its appearance early in man’s history. Apparently sharp changes in temperature or humidity whet the appetite of the locust. He becomes a voracious eater. He and his fellow locusts eat almost everything in their path. One ton of locusts, which is only a small platoon in a typical swarm, can consume as much in a day as ten elephants, 25 camels or 250 people. Over the centuries they have inflicted famine in many areas of the earth. Now the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has a program to check locust "plagues.” Weather satellites and air spotters locate locust concentrations. Some 42 countries report locust whereabouts. Last summer when clouds of locusts were reported, spray planes knew where to go. They dumped loads of spray until the swarms were stopped.

‘Unbalanced’ Bishop

Bishop Ralph Dean of the Anglican Church of Canada spoke to his denomination’s just-coneluded General Synod. In an emotional baring of the soul, he provides startling evidence of the reality of spiritual and moral anguish that has not only led some rebels to assault institutional churches but also tormented some of the highest of the hierarchs. The bishop said: "I’m not sure I believe in the Chureh anymore ... I give the Church, as structured— and I don’t just mean the Anglican Church of Canada —ten more years of life. . . . I don’t believe I’ll ever again be what you call balanced, because I’ve been pushed against the wall, and that’s right out of balance. ... I believe that within my lifetime we shall be the Church of the dispossessed. ... If our Church dies in its present form, it will die from self-strangulation by its own prosperity. We possess all things; that’s why we have nothing.” More and more people are becoming aware of the emptiness of “churchian-ity” and are fleeing its grip to share in true worship with Jehovah’s witnesses.

Seaway to Alaska

<$> The first commercial ship ever to negotiate the Northwest Passage to Alaska did so on September 14. The 1,000-foot S. S. Manhattan cut through 800 miles of Arctic ice to fulfill a dream that merchant voyagers have had for some 500 years. The ship’s destination was Point Barrow on Alaska’s oil-rich northern coast.

How Many Mates ?

•$> Women in Tanzania were out campaigning for the right to have two husbands. Their demand followed the government's proposal to make it legal for a man to have two wives. The government’s proposal calls for a new law allowing a Moslem or a “Christian” to have two wives, if his first wife agrees. God's law contained in the Bible says that a Christian should have but “one wife,” despite what others say to the contrary.—1 Tim. 3:2.

Church Attendance Drop

The rector of the Roman Catholic Theological College in Amsterdam, Jan C. Groot, said: “Most people feel that going to church is no longer an obligation but simply a matter of individual choice. Some are also becoming distrustful of religious institutions.” In the last two years the Sunday attendance dropped by about 5 percent annually, which he sees as reflecting a distrust in religious bodies. Most church officials expect the drop to become even more serious in the near future.

Death Penalty

While some nations are endeavoring to get away from using the death penalty, Brazil authorized capital punishment in peacetime for the first time since 1891. Those persons proved guilty of acts of subversion or terrorism were warned that the nation will not tolerate such behavior.

What Has Happened to

the Churches?

<$> Not all church buildings are used for religious purposes anymore. In upstate New York one former German Lutheran church is now the residence of a retired museum official, and another houses a discotheque. A onetime Episcopal church in South Carolina has been turned into a restaurant, and what used to be a Baptist church in Amenia, New York, is now a supermarket.

Burglars and Bank Robbers

<$> Five robbers entered the bank in Halifax, Nova Scotia. One of them hopped over the counter and tossed $1,360 to his accomplices. Before too much of them was seen, they had fled. But the police gave chase. Several blocks away the robbers were caught. All but $120 of the cash was recovered. Who were these robbers? One was six years old, two were ten and two were eleven. And some people keep on insisting that times have not changed.

A British mother told a juvenile court about her nine-year-old daughter who stole money, robbed a drugstore, smoked cigarettes and finally set up shop selling her stolen goods just across the street from the local police station. The police finally caught up with the girl and the gang whom she bossed at a grocery shop where she had just stolen some money. They found she got in by breaking the door down with her shoulder.

Postal Flood

<$> Some 78,367,000,000 pieces of mail each year are handled by the United States postal service. This is over 15 pieces of mail for every man, woman and child in the world.

Printed Page Popular

While 94 percent of all households in the United States have television sets, it does not mean that Americans have stopped buying books and newspapers. In 1967 Americans consumed about 18,348,000,000 pounds of newsprint and supported 4,255 newspapers and 2,037 periodicals. In addition to this paper mountain, 21,877 new books were published.

Land Full of Violence

The Alabama Journal in a recent editorial said: “There is something contagious about violence. . , , it is an out impossible for even the most conscientious parent to keep his children from being exposed to unrestrained violence in our society. Films which are rated for general audiences are frequently orgies of violence. Even in the cartoons, violent competition is always the theme, with animals being flung off the sides of mountains, run over by trains, or blown up by dynamite charges. . . . All this surely has the effect of enuring youngsters to violence.”

Highway Slaughter

<♦> Highway crashes killed 55,200 people in the United States last year. They injured about 10,000 people every day— nearly ten times the number hurt by all forms of violent crime. Drive carefully!

Screening Prayers

<> Opening prayers are now being limited to two minutes —and not a second more—in the United States senate. The new chaplain, Dr, Edward L. R. Elson, sixty-two, Presbyterian minister, reportedly screens the proposed prayers of visiting clergymen to make sure the prayers are short and do not offend any of the 100 senators. Might it not be wiser to ask whether the prayers please God?

Seeking Simpler Life

In the last five years more than 10,000 Americans have moved to Australia with the intention of remaining for life. Surveys indicate that the influx has paralleled the rise of violence and unrest in American life. Mrs. Margaret Valance, a former Chicagoan, who operates an advisory service in Sydney for Americans intending to migrate, said: “Almost all of the writers spoke of social unrest and violence among the reasons for wanting to move their families to another environment in Australia.”

Popes Grant Divorce

<> In his influential book, Divorce and Remarriage, Catholic theologian Victor Pospishil agreed with Jesuit archbishop Thomas D. Roberts that the Roman Catholic Church’s return to its former position allowing divorce was inevitable. Archbishop Roberts predicted that since the Catholic church had seen its way clear to grant divorces in the past it would do so again as the facts became generally known. The facts he referred to are such as those reported in the Toronto Daily Star, June 2, which revealed; “St. Gregory II, pope from 715 to 731, said divorce and remarriage was permissible if a wife could 'not ‘render the conjugal duties to her husband because of some ailment.’ . ... Stephen II, pope from 752 to 757, decreed that divorce was permitted after adultery . . .

Pope Eugene II reaffirmed this teaching, as did Pope St. Leo IV in 853. They were upheld in their decisions by church councils. Pope Celestine III, pontiff from 1191 to 1193, permitted a woman to divorce and remarry if her husband apostasized into paganism. This decree was set aside by Pope Innocent III who admitted, however, that ‘a certain predecessor of Ours thought differently.’ ” Pospishil in his book argues that divorce can hardly be called un catholic when the Eastern Orthodox church, which Rome has always acknowledged to be part of the universal Catholic church, permits its members as many as two divorces. Little wonder that some Catholics are expecting more changes in church doctrine.

Church Madness

Q A young man stood in the pulpit of Moerkhoej (Danish Lutheran) Church, in a Copenhagen suburb. Casually he ripped page after page out of the Bible, as loudspeakers blared “soul” and “beat” music. This was part of the planned re] igious program. It was called a “church happening" or "x-mass.” The forty-flve-minute service was described as “a pale imitation of a second-grade discotheque."

Quake Sense

Several seconds before a recent 100-second earthquake in the area of Cairo, Egypt, monkeys at the Giza Zoological Gardens panicked and peacocks screamed. Moments later frightened people rushed into the streets when buildings started to sway. “Monkeys and peacocks are endowed with a sixth sense for earthquakes,” Cairo zoo director Rahim said. “The other animals do not have that sensitivity.”

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Obligation to obey the law is being challenged on all sides. But does this growing lack of respect for authority change man’s basic needs? Does man’s ability to walk on the moon change the law of gravity? Rather, should not our generation more than any other see the need for proper controls and respect the order of the universe that makes such scientific accomplishments possible?

Knowledge brings responsibility. And man’s knowledge of scientific laws and his increasing ability to use them have not brought increased knowledge of spiritual laws or the ability to use them to bring harmony and peace among the peoples of the world.

What has happened to respect for authority? Isn’t it significant that the increase in lawlessness has gone hand in hand with the increase in disrespect for the Bible? Just as dependence on scientific laws is necessary for success of scientific achievements, so our dependence on the same Lawmaker’s laws is vital to govern our spiritual life with success. Think about it. Then try to find a valid reason for anyone’s disregarding the Bible. You can benefit personally and so can your family. Read the Bible regularly. But read it with understanding. Read it in the modern language of today. Read

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