THE REASON FOR THIS MAGAZINE

News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times mutt be unfettered by censorship and selfish interests. “Awake I" 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 af “Awake!" is not narrow, but Is international. "Awake!" has its own correspondents in scores of nations. Its articles are read In many lands. In many languages, by millions of persons.

In every issue “Awake!" presents vital topics on which you should be informed. If features penetrating artides 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 reEi gio us 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 caverage. "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 af 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!"

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PUSLTSHSO SlSrt'Z.TANBWSI.T IN TH* UtttTED SMieS BY THE WATCHTOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC. 117 Adams Street                      Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201, U.S.A.

AND IN ENOLAND BY

WATCH TOWER BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY

Watch Tower House. The Ridgeway London N.W, 7, England

N. H. Knorb, President                     Grant Suits®, Secretary

CONTENTS

From the Moon—to Where ?	3	Eggs for Breakfast	23
Simplicity of Worship	8	Vegetation Controls Erosion	23
The Joy of Being with Children	9	Beware the Flyer with the Lyre!	24
Life as It Is in Abidjan	13	Protective Coloration	26
They Treasure Their Spirituality	16	“Your Word Is Truth"
Deepest Part of the Ocean	19	The Bible, a Condensed
Don’t Throw Away That Garbage	20	Record—Why?	27
Embalming the Dead	22	Watching the World	29

i^rpHE moon is only the first milestone

I on the road to the stars. . . . the doors of heaven are now opening.” So stated British author Arthur C. Clarke about man's voyage to the moon.

A headline in the New York Times declared: “Johnson Says Feat Shows ‘We Can Do Anything.’ ” The paper added: “To former President Lyndon B. Johnson, the successful landing on the moon means that America ‘can do anything that needs to be done.’”

Thus, after the astronauts’ moon walk many now say, in effect: ‘If science can reach the moon, there is nothing that it cannot accomplish. The whole universe now belongs to man.’

However, some express disenchantment. An office worker in Chicago said: “I think it’s a waste of money. There’s poverty all over the place, and yet we spend billions of dollars going to the moon.” An Atlanta housewife bluntly remarked: “It’s all a bunch of foolishness.”

Man’s walk on the moon is an amazing technological achievement. Of that there can be no doubt. Yet, there are serious questions that must now be asked: Is man really “on the road to the stars”? Are the very “doors of heaven” opening to him? Can men “do anything" they want? And how do such feats of science relate to our everyday life here on earth?

What It Takes

Before you begin planning your first moon vacation, it would be well to see just what such a voyage involves.

For one thing, every such space launch involves a fantastic expenditure of manpower and money. At its peak in 1966, the Apollo moon program involved about 400,000 people, 120 universities and laboratories, and 20,000 industrial firms. In that year alone, its budget was $5.9 thousand million,                                   '

The Saturn rockets and “spaceships” attached to them are enormously complicated. The Apollo-Saturn vehicle that took the astronauts to the moon was 363 feet tall and 33 feet wide. It weighed 3,200 tons and was made up of more than fifteen million parts!

Before an Apollo vehicle is approved for flight, it must be thoroughly tested and checked. This takes about four months. In the process, about 25,000 pages of procedures are checked over with painstaking care, Equally painstaking is the long and severe training given the astronauts.

All this results in an extremely high cost of operation. It is said that the cost of shipping payloads to the moon now comes to $22,187 per pound. Obviously, such huge expenditures of manpower, time, money and training will not be made just to take you on a moon vacation.

Yet, this gigantic effort involves just going to the earth’s closest neighbor, the moon. What is involved in going farther?

Exploring the Solar System

The truth is that in comparison to universal space, man’s going to the moon is practically nowhere! This can be seen when we consider the next target for a manned space voyage—the planet Mars. In this regard, a member of an advisory group appointed by the United States government to recommend the nation’s space goals for the 1970’s said:

“The moon is in our backyard. . . . But anything else is going to be 100 times farther. The next step to a planet is so huge in terms of energy and time that it represents an enormous problem of human endurance, ingenuity, navigation and communications. . . . You have such an enormous gap between the moon and Mars that Mars is just not imaginable.”

The moon is an average of about 238,000 miles distant from the earth. Mars comes no closer than about 34,000,000 miles, and is an average of nearly 50,000,000 miles distant. So Mars is from 150 to 200 times as far from the earth as the moon!

Estimates of the time it would take for a manned voyage to that planet vary. U.S. News & World Report said: “Space officials say a mission to land men on Mars would take about three years—a year to get there, a year to touch down on the planet and search for life, and a year to get back to earth.” World Book Encyclopedia states: “A trip to Mars and back could take about 17 months.” However, with a more powerful rocket, one estimate is that the round trip could be made in about 400 days.

Whichever estimate is correct, it is obvious that somewhere around a year would have to be spent making the trip. And the cost? Estimates range from $50 thousand million to over double that amount.

During such a trip the problems of caring for the astronauts would become staggering. Think of what it would take to store enough food for that time. Then there are the problems of getting rid of human waste, the cramped quarters, and the effect of prolonged weightlessness. All these things, and more, are serious problems even now when astronauts are in space only a few weeks.

It has also been suggested that stations could be established on one planet after another, until the outermost planet of our solar system (the sun and its planets) was reached. But that outermost planet, Pluto, is more than 15,000 times as far away from the earth as the moon! If going to Mars involves such awesome comp/exities, imagine what it would take for a manned spaceship to reach Pluto.

On the Road to the Stars?

Yet, these colossal problems pale into insignificance when we consider what it would take to go beyond our solar system “to the stars."

Other than our sun, the star nearest the earth is called Proxima Centauri. How far is it from our earth? It is more than 100,000,000 (yes, 100 million) times as far away as the moon!

Proxima Centauri is about 25,000,000,000,000 (25 million million) miles from the earth. The most powerful rockets today travel at about 25,000 miles an hour. Even if that rate could be maintained during the entire trip, it would take nearly 115,000 YEARS to reach Proxima Centauri—one way! And that is the star nearest to our solar system.

However, could scientists speed the rocket up? Let us say that it was possible to propel that rocket even at the speed of light, the highest speed known to scientists. That speed is over 186,000 miles A SECOND, compared to the 7 miles a second of today’s most powerful rockets. Even at the speed of light, a round trip to Proxima Centauri would take nearly nine years.

But to travel at the speed of light, that rocket would have to be 26,000 times as powerful as the Saturn 5 rocket that took men to the moon!

Yet, Proxima Centauri is a close neighbor as stars go. Our galaxy, called the Milky Way, is said to contain about 100,000,000,000 stars. How far is it from one end of our galaxy to the other? It is so far that if scientists could get a rocket to travel at the speed of light it would take 100,000 years for a ONE WAY trip across our galaxy!

Remember, though, that the universe is not just our Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is only one of perhaps thousands of millions of galaxies in the universe. So just to begin exploring the universe, man would have to leave his galaxy and travel to the next one. But the distance from our galaxy to one of its closest neighbors, the Andromeda galaxy, is so great that it would take about 2,000,000 years traveling at the speed of light to get there!

No, man is not about to be exploring the universe in your lifetime of 70 to 80 years. The simple truth is that such boasting is sheer nonsense.

What Would You Find?

Even if you could spend a vacation on the moon, or Mars, or some other planet, what would you find?

True, the moon looks quite attractive when it hangs in the clear night sky, reflecting its silvery light. But closer inspection reveals the facts as they are. For one thing, there is no oxygen, no atmosphere as we know it, on the lunar surface. You would have to take along your entire air supply.

Since there is no air, there is no means for sound to travel, for sound is heard by the vibrations of the air striking a person’s ears. On the moon, therefore, all is silent. A meteorite could crash into its surface, bounce and crash again, shatter and spray its stony debris without so much as a whisper. Even humans cannot talk to one another in the normal way, but must use radio for communication, or communicate by sign language.

Lunar temperatures offer another major problem. On the moon’s sunlit side things really get hot—240° Fahrenheit. That is enough to make a man’s blood literally boil. On the other side of the moon things really get cold—250° below zero Fahrenheit. And water freezes at only 32° above zero Fahrenheit.

But then, there is no water on the moon's surface. This means that you would have to take all your water supply with you. And what about food? You would have to take that too. The moon’s cratered landscape contains no vegetation you could use for food.

What of the planets closest to the earth, Mars and Venus? Of them, Scientific American of March 1969 said:

“In the atmospheres of both Mars and Venus the main component is carbon dioxide. ... free oxygen is rare and may be virtually absent; . . . What about water, which is so plentiful on the earth? If the earth were as hot as Venus, the oceans would evaporate, ... In Mars’ atmosphere water vapor is barely detectable.”

The other planets in our solar system are even more inhospitable. So aside from being objects for scientific curiosity, the moon and other planets of our solar system are totally unsuited to human life.

Also, any failure in the millions of parts of your spaceship, or in your space suit, could cost your life. Your capsule could also be hit by a meteor. And with voyages outside the protective atmosphere and magnetic field of earth, there is the problem of radiation resulting from flares on the sun. Some of this radiation is in the form of cosmic rays, which are particularly deadly. There is no way that these solar flares can be predicted. The longer the voyage, the greater the danger of being caught by one.

Wise Use of Resources?

Even if space travel to the planets and stars were practical and safe, is it wise now? Is it wise to spend so much time, energy and money on space projects when on earth society is falling apart?

For instance, if you live in any large city, ask yourself: Did the moon walk help make it possible for you to walk the streets after dark free from the fear of muggers, robbers or rapists?

If you are a poor person, have any of the space ventures helped to provide you with clothing, food, decent housing or education?

If you are ill, did the effort to put men in space give you any medical benefits? Has it helped to prolong life, cure cancer, relieve heart trouble?

The moon project cost the United States $24,000,000,000. That could have built 2,400,000 homes costing $10,000 each, which in most countries would be luxurious. Do you think that 2,400,000 poor families are happier with the moon walk, or would they have been happier moving out of their rat- and roach-infested slums into a nice home?

Weiosweek of July 7, 1969, commented: “Apollo Il’s vaulting mission . . . reminds man how dismally he has failed to put in order other missions—in Vietnam, in the cities, in the ghettos, in the quality of the natural environment, on the campuses and in the ticky-tacky suburbs."

This is why philosopher Lewis Mumford called the space project a “colossal perversion of energy, thought and other precious human resources.” He added:

"Any square mile of inhabited earth has more significance for man’s future than all the planets in our solar system.” He also said: “Space exploration, realistically appraised, is only a sophisticated effort to escape from human realities, promoted by Pyramid Age minds, utilizing our advanced Nuclear Age technology, in order to fulfill their still adolescent—or more correctly infantile—fantasies of exercising absolute power over nature and mankind.”

Do Not Be Misled

The efforts of true science are to be commended. Such has resulted in a better understanding of our earth and has helped produce many things that have aided mankind.

But science is also greatly responsible for putting the entire human family in jeopardy because of its inventions. Its guns, planes, tanks, nuclear bombs and other devices have already killed tens of millions of people in our generation. Its chemicals now pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that grows our food.

Do not be misled by promises of what science is going to do for mankind in the future. Even if the promises of scientists could be fulfilled, that future would be so far away that you would not live long enough to see it. Actually, the truth is as Professor H. S. Commager of Amherst College stated in Saturday Review:

“At the end of a generation of unparalleled advance in science and technology, mankind found hunger more widespread, violence more ruthless, and life more insecure than at any time in the century.”

Indeed, the boasts that through science mankind can now “do anything,” that “the doors of heaven are now opening” sound much like those made by the ancient builders of the Tower of Babel who said: “Come on! Let us build ourselves a city and also a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves.” (Gen. 11:4) However, those builders were not working for the good of the common people, but to preserve their power and prestige regardless of the price the common people had to pay. God disapproved their selfish schemes and took action against them.

What the Evidence Shows

Before the moon walk, some scientists were agog at the prospect of analyzing the rocks that would be brought back to earth. But the rocks proved to be a particular disappointment to them in that they contained no sign of life, either past or present.

As more evidence comes in, it all shows that the moon and other planets are lifeless, totally unsuited to human life. The earth, more than ever, stands out as a jewel, it alone being able to sustain life.

In July, Michael Collins, the astronaut who stayed with the command ship while his two companions went down to the moon, said:

“I thought about the planet Earth and what a magnificent place to live it is, . . . I thought about how nice it would be to get back to planet Earth, and to see blue water for a change instead of this utterly sterile, vacuum world [the moon] that I was going around. . . . We’re extremely lucky just to have the air to breathe and the ocean to cup in our hands and pour over our heads.”

Also, the New York Times of September 16, 1969, remarked in an editorial that “the lifeless desolation of the lunar and Martian surfaces emphasizes more than ever how wonderful it is and how little science understands why it is that earth ... is so uniquely green, vibrant and overrunning with life.”

Science may not understand it, but the humble, God-fearing person does understand it. He believes what Isaiah 45:18 says: “This is what Jehovah has said, the Creator of the heavens, He the true God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited."

Humble persons everywhere give thanks to Jehovah for creating this marvelous earth as a home for man and for giving us the breath of life. They appreciate that while sending men to the moon is a great achievement, it is infinitely greater for the Creator to have put the huge earth “spaceship” into orbit and to have designed it so wonderfully to support such an interesting variety of life, providing air, water and nourishment to sustain it all.

Many scientists would do well to learn a little humility and acknowledge this. They would do well to acknowledge their indebtedness to God from another standpoint too, because had it not been for the precise physical laws of the universe that God set in motion, the scientists would never have been able to put man on the moon.

Far Greater Consideration

There is another powerful reason not to be distracted by science’s promises for the future. God’s Word clearly reveals that science will definitely not determine the future of man or this planet. Why not? Because that future has already been decided—by Jehovah God.

All the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy shows that it is ‘closing time' for this wicked generation. Jehovah has decreed that its time limit has almost run out, that this system of human rule that has caused so much grief is to be forcibly removed from this earth, (Dan. 2:44) As the Bible says: “The world is passing away and so is its desire, but he that does the will of God remains forever.”—1 John 2:17.

Nothing—no moon walk, Mars trip, or anything else—can stop the action that God will take in the near future. “Many are the plans in the heart of a man, but the counsel of Jehovah is what will stand.” —Prov. 19:21.

Persons who truly love life on this earth and want to ‘remain forever’ on it will make haste in taking in knowledge of the Creator, Jehovah God, since it is He who will determine their future. He will determine who will die at this system’s end, and who will survive into a new order of things under God's administration. That new order will be free from today’s wars, crime, poverty, unhappiness, and wasting of earth’s resources.

When a ship is sinking, the wise thing to do is to work for survival, not to be distracted by the technological marvels of the ship. This system of things is sinking. The wise person will do as God’s Word at Zephaniah 2:3 says: “Seek Jehovah, all you meek ones of the earth, who have practiced His own judicial decision. Seek righteousness, seek meekness. Probably you may be concealed in the day of Jehovah’s anger.”

Then, in God’s new order, we will wait upon the Creator of heaven and earth to inform us about his purpose for these other bodies in outer space.

.Simplicity U^otikip

9 Today the religions of Christendom put much emphasis on ritual. But not so the early Christians. As one of them tells it: “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray.”—First Apology of Justin Martyr, chap, 67, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1, p. 186.

WHOEVER wrote that children are made of ‘sugar and spice and everything nice’ left out a part of the recipe. Children also have at times a cantankerous spirit, a driving curiosity and a bent toward being crafty and mischievous. (Prov. 22:15) But whatever their makeup, we thank God for them, because there can be a deep joy in being with children.

The English authoress Mary Howitt once wrote: “God sends children for another purpose than merely

to keep up the race—to enlarge our hearts; and to make us unselfish and full of kindly sympathies and affections; . . . My soul blesses the great Father, every day, that he has gladdened the earth with little children.” No doubt many people are moved daily in the same way to give God thanks for brightening the earth with little children.

There is something immensely rewarding about being with children. There are moments when a “spark” leaps from a father to a son, or from a mother to a daughter, when something special is done together and sealed by memory. For example, there was a house that had a high peaked roof that towered above all the surrounding cottages and looked out over the sea. In this roof, near the top, was a trapdoor that could be reached only by a ladder propped on the attic floor. Children often played in the attic, but none of them ever climbed up to the trapdoor. Such would require parental permission.

One clear day the boy’s father came by. He glanced up at the trapdoor. “Must be quite a view from up there,” he said to his son. “Why don’t we have a look?” The boy felt his heart begin to pound with excitement and there was also a touch of fear as he looked up. But the father quickly tested the ladder. “Up you go,” he said. “I’ll be right behind you.” The father unhooked the latch and the trapdoor slid back. A new and thrilling sight burst upon the boy’s dazzled eyes.

The father had been on the roof many times, but he knew that his son was anxious to see the view from up there. There lay the sea, but what a sea! gigantic, apparently limitless, blazing with splintered sunlight. Years later the boy stated, “I remember that moment on the roof with my father as if it had happened yesterday.” The father, too, remembered it. That was a special moment they shared together that neither one of them ever forgot.

Such experiences teach us that a relationship with children can be mutually rewarding. Each affects the other. When adults show loving insight, children are made happy. When children are wise in their behavior, parents are made glad. “The father of a righteous one will without fail be joyful,” says the inspired proverb. “The one becoming father to a wise one will also rejoice in him. Your father and your mother will rejoice.” (Prov. 23: 24, 25) Thus there is a reciprocal action. “The crown of old men is the grandsons, and the beauty of sons is their fathers.” —Prov. 17:6.

The Deeper Joys

A man can achieve literary or artistic fame, but even greater can be the reward of sharing life with your own children. A Christian father of three sons proudly admitted that it was an inner thrill to go to Christian meetings with his sons and see them take an active part. “It gives you a sense of pride,” he said.

This same deep joy was also described by a mother who had this to say: “Having had the privilege to aid eight persons to come to a knowledge of God and a dedication of themselves to Him is a rare blessing that has been mine. But not even so great a privilege can compare with the deep joy I experienced when my oldest daughter, who is seventeen, expressed her own desire to dedicate her life to serve Jehovah. It was a thrilling moment I will never forget throughout my lifetime. It made me deeply happy to think that my training and teaching did not fall on deaf ears, but took root in my daughter’s heart, pointing her to the way of life.”

The Difference Children Make

The moment a baby is born there is the joy of being a new mother and a new father. Holding your own newborn baby in your arms for the first time is an unforgettable thrill. One husband would not pick his daughter up for anything, but he talked to her and poked her gently to see if she would smile. He wore a big grin when her tiny hand clamped around his finger.

Then there is the tiptoeing into the bedroom just to get a glimpse of the precious little bundle that lies asleep, his delicate face turned toward yours. You watch him grow.

Soon those little fingers that first clasped you so tightly and explored your face are snatching prized possessions and are into everything. The plump dimpled knees and wobbly legs suddenly become dirty and bruised from climbing trees and jumping rope. The gurgling sounds that used to say “Mommy” and “Daddy” are now asking for this and that.

One father admitted that his first child altered his whole outlook on life. “As I near home after a hard day’s work and my boy comes running toward me with outstretched arms, saying, ‘Daddy! Daddy!’ well, he makes it all seem worth while.” The father added: “Sometimes just to sit around the table and watch the children eat and discuss the happenings of the day is most enjoyable. It is a time when you can talk to them and inquire of their well-being and of their behavior. What a joy it is to know that your discipline has worked out well.”

Another father stated: “What pleasure there is in picking children up and squeezing them with loving affection! There’s also an inner contentment to know that they miss you, that they love you and desire to be with you. To see children tumbling, laughing happily and playing innocently, completely oblivious to the anxieties of the world is indeed a marvel in itself that I have come to appreciate.”

True, the ways of little children can also give cause for anxiety at times. A mother stated that ‘it seems you spend your whole life running after your children, picking up litter, repairing the damage and taking sharp objects away from them.’ Even the boy Jesus gave his parents anxious moments. But what unspeakable joy was Mary’s as she “carefully kept all [the boy’s] sayings in her heart.” —Luke 2:41-52.

Learning from Children

American authoress Lydia H. Sigourney said: “We speak of educating our children. Do we know that our children also educate us?” This fact may come as a startling revelation to many adults. It was the man Jesus Christ who placed a high value on children, their simple directness and unfeigned sincerity. He said children have some traits that adults do well to imitate. On one occasion Jesus used a young child to teach his apostles a lesson in humility! “Truly I say to you, Unless you turn around and become as young children, you will by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.”—Matt. 18: 1-6.

Children should learn self-control from their parents. But a father of three children learned the beauty of self-control from his son. One evening the three children were arguing among themselves. The father counseled them firmly that this was no way for Christians to behave. Not long after that the father and mother were involved in a heated dispute over some trivial matter. The nine-year-old boy interrupted the argument: “You tell us not to quarrel, but you and Mommy are quarreling." There were tears in the boy’s eyes. “My son’s words went right through me,” confessed the father. “He was right. I was preaching something that I myself was not practicing. Now we are careful how we speak to one another, which has made our home a happier place—thanks to our children.”

Thinking Young

Older persons owe much to children for keeping them thinking young. A married couple admitted as much, saying: “We find that going with children keeps us physically and mentally active toward things of interest. The schools take the children to various parks, zoos and museums and other places of interest. If children are impressed, they urge us to go to these places as a family group, which, of course, makes life more stimulating in later years. And, too, as older persons we find ourselves playing ball, jumping rope, rolling on the ground with them, building castles in the sand on beaches, even dancing and singing, things we ordinarily just would not do, if children were not around to prod us.”

When children play, they become intensely alive. By means of play they exercise their minds and bodies. Adults who play along with them find that some of that life rubs off—is exhilarating.

Also, when playing with children it is necessary to be the kind of person children like to have around, otherwise they may refuse to play. Children like one who is friendly, interested, jolly but not intrusive, and for that matter, so do adults. Thus playing with children becomes emotionally stimulating for adults.

Treasured Intimacies

Children have feelings about things. Knowing how to handle these feelings with tact and firmness can make the difference between a battlefield and a happy bond. A mother tells of her daughter’s feeling sad because she received fewer gifts than her brother. The mother took the girl in her arms and assured her that she loved her just as much, but that is the way things worked out, that next time things may be the other way around. The child was satisfied with the explanation. She embraced her mother and off she went with a smile. All she needed was an assurance that there was no break in their loving relationship. The mother cherished her daughter’s concern.

A father tells of the day it rained when the family was to go on a picnic. His son cried. The father took him aside and explained, “Daddy didn’t make it rain, did he? In life Daddy doesn’t always get his way either, but we have to learn to take things as they come.” Just that quickly the boy was over his sadness. All he needed was an assurance of his father’s care.

“When I was sick in bed,” said a mother, “it thrilled me to see my eight-year-old Sharon come to me and ask if I needed anything. She made tea and brought it to the bedside. She washed the dishes and cared for the house. Her ladylike deportment made me beam with pride."

Unforgettable Moments

No doubt only Christian parents understand the secret thrill of the heart when a son or a daughter displays interest in God. “Why do you want to go with mother when we talk to others about the Bible?” a three-year-old girl was asked. “Because I want to serve Jehovah," she said. “Her reply may not seem like much to others, but it thrilled us. We could see that she had already developed some appreciation for God,” said the mother.

And a Christian father said with delight: “One evening when I was about to say the bedtime prayer, my boy said, ‘Daddy, you don’t have to pray for me today. I'm going to pray to Jehovah myself.’ You have no idea how wonderful that made me feel. My son wants to talk to Jehovah, I thought thriilingly to myself. You have no way of knowing whether you are getting through to children until they explode with something like that."

Discipline Helps to Maintain the Joy

Because of human imperfection, “foolishness is tied up with the heart” of a child, Proverbs 22:15 says. So there is the other side of children. They learn quite promptly that emotional blackmail can be a profitable business. An infant knows whether he can manipulate his parents or not. If he can, he will. The key word with children is discipline. They need to know there is someone stronger and wiser in the family. When discipline is being administered, the situation is not joyous. But deep down inside children are pleased when parents are firm with them and have the good judgment and the strength to protect them against their folly and lack of experience.

However, children are constantly testing, to see how much they can get away with, and how far parents will let them go. They secretly hope that their parents will not let them go too far. The parent who tries to curry the favor of his child by giving him everything he asks for and letting him do as he pleases loses out. Someday when in trouble, the child nd]] say, “Why did you let me do it? What kind of parents are you anyway?” The parents are blamed for not disciplining in righteousness. But where loving discipline is administered, the outcome is usually a happy one.—Heb. 12:11.

There is a saying, “You don’t miss water until the well runs dry." How true that is with children. When they are gone, the house becomes quiet and there is less laughter. Little do children realize the warm attachment they have awakened in their parents. Even though parents expect their children to grow up and live lives of their own, they are never quite prepared to face the emptiness when children leave. The void is filled to some extent, however, when children return home now and then to seek advice or when they come to visit Mom and Dad. Children, for your parents’ sake do not forget to do this, for they enjoy being with you.

Elephants and ivory! Mount Kilimanjaro! Jungle fever! Gold! Lions! “Dr, Livingstone, I presume,”

These are but a few thoughts that perhaps crowd the mind when the African continent is discussed. But times have changed since Stanley trekked through the jungle in search of Livingstone,

Why not come and learn for yourself the situation in Africa. Come to a gleaming white city in West Africa, full of trees and flowers, to Abidjan, capital of Ivory Coast. It sprawls invitingly across blue lagoons at the sea’s edge. For best results you should be up at sunrise.

If you creep out from under the mosquito netting, leaving it billowing white above the bed, and go to the window, you will find the air still cool and light. The sun is a flaming ball in a haze of gold, A gentle breeze lifts the tree leaves and wafts in the fresh scent of woodsmoke as our neighbors prepare breakfast in their courtyard. We, too, will have breakfast— crusty French bread and black coffee. By all means coffee, for this is Ivory Coast’s chief export. That and cocoa, pineapples and bananas combine to keep the country’s economy going.

To the Market

Breakfast over, let us head for the market for our fresh fruits and vegetables. Since it is not far, and it is not yet too hot, we will walk. We pass the mosque with its onion-shaped domes and crowds of Moslems sitting around on the pavement with their wares heaped around them. Clad in their long white robes and little fez caps, they are reciting prayers together or reading to each other extracts from the Koran in Arabic. The population here is 23 percent Moslem, 13 percent nominal Christian and 61 percent animist.

Here is the market where buyers and salesmen come. Taking a deep breath of fresh air, we plunge inside where pungent odors prevail. We pass sandals, snake skins, bales of cloth, earthenware jugs, big calabashes, toothbrushes and dried lizards. We finally reach the lemon table. After much wiggling of eyebrows and haggling over the cost, we obtain lemons at a bargain price. The woman even gives us two extra as a “cadeau” (gift). French is the official language, but there are more than 60 different native tongues—a veritable Babel.

Passing the section where they sell smoked bats and large, forest snails all alive—oh, we come to the fruit section. As we survey the colorful abundance of fresh fruits we cannot but think of Paradise and its abundance of fruit-bearing trees.

A warning note though. All these purchases we will have to steep first in a solution of bleach and then in water so as to destroy the parasites that lurk on skins and among leaves. These parasites, together with the diseases of yellow fever and malaria, used to be the cause of a high mortality rate. Today, however, stringent hygienic measures, daily or weekly malaria tablets and yellow fever vaccines have worked wonders. But still we must carefully bleach each lettuce leaf!

Street Scenes

As we wend our way home we note many women back already and busily pounding foo-foo for the noon meal. This is made by crushing boiled plantain and manioc root with a wooden pestle and mortar until a smooth, porridgelike consistency is reached. The women wield that huge, clublike pestle in a very efficient manner. So perhaps it is good for husbands that they are still much respected here.

Another common scene is that of beggars in the square lined up in rows. They are little more than bundles of old rags on the pavement who waggle at passersby twisted limbs, malformed legs, extremities eaten away, and wail blessings at them. Most of them are not native Ivorians, but professionals from abroad who have come to share in the local prosperity.

There is poverty and disease here as in most large cities. Efforts are afoot to tackle these problems, but even the growing number of well-equipped hospitals is far from adequate. Children frequently seen on the streets have bodies covered with sores or suffer from eye ailments. Of the country’s population of about four million, almost two million are under fifteen.

Visit to the Banco

As we leave the house after dinner, heat rises oppressively from the pavement and sunshine shimmers off the white buildings blindingly. It is like this here almost continuously during the hot season.

In a friend’s car we speed over the lagoon by the old bridge, over sparkling waters that reflect faithfully the vivid blue of the cloudless sky. We are on our way to the Banco, the town’s local park, where roads have been cut deep into the forest so that people can venture in. No need to worry, for there are no lions. However, there are snakes. Out of the 3,000 kinds of snakes here, only about 600 are poisonous, and, of these, only a very few are fatal to man.

Here we are entering the forest, an equatorial rain forest. Once inside the forest, the change is dramatic. Suddenly no more glare of the sun, no more heat beating at you from all sides. All is cool and green and dim. Huge bamboo shoots spring up on either side and interlace above our heads. At a pool, where the stream has been dammed up for swimming, the tall mahogany trees crowd to the water’s edge, reflected on its surface as green shadows. It is sort of scary to the uninitiated.

Superstitious people here were persuaded that there were forest gods who were vicious and cruel. The Baoules, for example, one of the ethnic groups in Ivory Coast, did not believe that death was ever natural. One who had died was without doubt poisoned by another, or was being punished by the gods, whose anger had been incurred. Not too long ago the Baoules were afraid to look too long at the moon, for the demon drummer, Konan Djeti, who supposedly lives there, was feared to beat a death song for those too curious.

The Senoufo, one of the tribal groups from the north, believe that the bush is inhabited by little sprites, the “badegale,” small grotesque genies, who haunt the villagers and are supposed to have their feet attached back to front. Such beliefs still have a strong hold on the ignorant. In certain parts of Abidjan you will still find street-sellers whose wares are charms and amulets of every type for protection against the spirits.

Whether one is a botanist or an amateur “green thumb,” this place has much to offer. Plants of all kinds invite your examination. High, high above are the tops of tall trees, laced with vines and lianas, often fringed with fungi of various types. And through the greenery above, the sun comes glimmering, from a little patch of blue, down to the dark undergrowth, tinge-ing all with gold and spearing the water with light. Rotting plants and fresh green foliage combine their odors. Near the forest floor are sea-green shadows, here and there relieved by the colors of insects and flowers illuminated by shafts of sunlight.

On our way home, the night air is filled with the delicious smells of fried plantain and yam as the people sit on the pavement next to their braziers and cook them on the spot. One can hear the rhythmic beat of drums as instrumental groups play on each comer and the music shops boom out the latest on the African hit parade. But down near the water’s edge it is quiet and peaceful.

Solving Problems

To the visitor it might seem that Abidjan is halfway to paradise. There is life and color and beauty, but there is also sickness and poverty, illiteracy and other problems. Of course, Abidjan is not all of the Ivory Coast, Nor is Ivory Coast all of Africa, but its problems and its beauties are typical. The nations of Africa all have problems. Although having an insufficiency of trained workers, they are seeking to solve these problems.

The Ivory Coast has a stable government. However, in Africa, as in other parts of the world, stability is only relative. At the present this land has a vigorous economy and is blessed with a host of natural resources just waiting to be tapped. But man ‘cannot live on bread alone,' that is, on the material fruits of the ground. No, he has need of spiritual things too, a knowledge of the words of Jehovah, the Most High God. (Matt. 4:4) Will Ivorians gain this surer sustenance?

The answer is to be found in the ministry of Jehovah’s Christian witnesses in the Ivory Coast and adjacent lands. Conscientiously, they travel throughout the territory, in towns, villages and rural areas, bearing the message of God’s kingdom—a kingdom under which all problems will be positively solved, under which lovers of righteousness will enjoy an abundance of peace as well as of the fruitage of the earth.

THE neighbors shook their disbelief! They could not understand why the young witness of Jehovah who was graduating from high school had rejected a college scholarship. When they learned that he did this because he wanted to be a full-time preacher and teacher of the Bible, they whispered, “Oh, how foolish and impractical!” Yes, and this is the way many react when they hear of an adult Witness refusing an offer to get ahead in the business world or of one in a time-consuming position of importance relinquishing it in order to have time to pursue spiritual matters.

Why do Jehovah's witnesses put spirituality ahead of everything that this world has to offer? Because spirituality enables them to lead God-pleasing lives now and fortifies their hope of surviving God’s destruction of this wicked system of things in the near future. They know that to build their lives around this doomed old order would be like starting to paint the smokestack of a stinking ship. Cultivating and treasuring one’s spirituality is the most sensible and practical thing that one can do in the short time left. —Zeph. 2:2, 3.

Bethel Service—

A Spiritual Treasure

An excellent example showing how deeply Jehovah’s witnesses treasure their spirituality is the Brooklyn Bethel family. It is made up of over one thousand Witnesses who have volunteered to live and work at Watch Tower Society’s headquarters in Brooklyn, New York. Each member of the Bethel family is provided a room, meals, a modest clothing allowance and $14 a month for personal expenses. The buildings in which they live are referred to as “Bethel,” which means “house of God.” This is a fitting name, for the preaching work that Jehovah’s witnesses in all the earth are doing, directing attention to Jehovah God and his Word the Bible, is directed from there. As might well be expected, the activity and life at Bethel are conducive to spirituality.

In taking up Bethel service the various members of this large family left behind many offers that the world would view as tempting in order to concentrate their efforts and talents on spiritual interests. For example, consider a young man who specialized in science when he was in high school. He was offered $10,000 worth of assistance to take up biochemistry in college. He had to decide what to do. He said: “I realized that there could be no middle ground. Either I would devote myself entirely to science or serve Jehovah God whole-souled.”

Later he talked with some friends who spoke most enthusiastically about Bethel. What they discussed helped him to appreciate that this would be the place where he could give the most of himself in the service of God. He has spent eight happy years doing this very thing, and Jehovah God has richly blessed him for it.

A talented young lady who has a fine singing voice also serves at Bethel. Her father offered her a college education or to pay whatever it would take for her to succeed in music. Also, he told her that if she went into the full-time preaching work she was not to expect one cent from him. Her voice teacher said that she should use her "God-given talent or gift” of music. However, this Witness chose to go preaching full time, and she applied for Bethel service.

When she became a member of the Bethel family she was assigned to be a housekeeper. How did this work contribute to her spirituality? She knew that her making the beds and keeping clean the rooms that she was assigned would greatly contribute to the well-being of the ministers who lived in them. Her work let them go to their duties with no need to be concerned over these matters, and they could give their full attention to other work such as printing and binding Bible literature. Now she herself is helping to process subscriptions for the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. She said: “I feel that Bethel is the best place this side of Armageddon and that it does more for you than being in any other field of activity.”

Another young man was offered the opportunity of going to college. His father offered to pay his tuition for six years and purchase all the textbooks he would need during that time. The young man could study whatever subject he wished, and his father promised him that he would not even need to work part time to defray the expenses. When his father made this offer, the young man was spending his vacation in the full-time preaching work as one of Jehovah’s witnesses. After one week of deliberation, he decided that, instead of going to college, he would work toward becoming a regular full-time preacher, with the goal of eventually going to Bethel,

Today this young minister is at Bethel enjoying the privilege of embossing the titles on the covers of the various Biblestudy aids published by the Watch Tower Society. Here are his thoughts: "I am glad that I made the decisions I made because I am happier here; I have peace of mind; I enjoy good associations and my spirituality has increased tremendously.”

One member of the Bethel family says that she had it in her heart to come to Bethel since she was twelve years old. In fact, she spent part of her summer vacation each year in the full-time preaching work since she was seven years old. Even though she was among the top ten of her graduating class and was offered a college scholarship, she pursued full-time preaching and today is happily serving where she had set her heart

Leaving Behind the Things of the World

There are members of the Bethel family who once held responsible positions in the world. One such was a diesel engineer who worked with a large commercial salmon ship that brought in 200 tons a day. When he held this position he was receiving a very fine salary. Let him tell his story:

“At that time I was not baptized nor too interested in the Bible’s truth that mother had tried to instill in me when I was younger. However, I attended an assembly and heard the Watch Tower Society’s president, J. F. Rutherford, lecture on full-time service. I decided right then and there that this is what I ought to be doing, and I was baptized at this assembly. When someone jokingly invited me to join him in the full-time preaching work, I answered, Yes. So I quit my job and went preaching.

"After two months, I visited a friend who spoke about Bethel service. We talked together from 9:30 p.m. to 4:00 the next morning. He mentioned the machinery at the factory there, and I thought to myself that I would rather run machinery for Jehovah than on the outside. Before I went to bed that morning, I mailed my letter applying for Bethel service. Four months later I was called in.” After thirty years of Bethel service, he said: "Bethel grows more valuable every year. It is a treasure that increases.” Today he is serving as the factory manager.

Another worker at Bethel is serving as the overseer of the purchasing department in the printing plant. Once he held a responsible position as metallurgical engineer in a steel corporation. After he found the truth of God’s Word, he and his wife had in mind full-time service as a couple. Does he regret coming to Bethel and leaving behind what the world had to offer him? He answers:

"Bethel is the zenith of service privileges for anybody. My wife and I want to remain here and we can think of no better place to be when we finish our earthly course.” Their remaining in full-time service together for over twenty-six years demonstrates their appreciation.

Other Bethel family members have given up fine businesses they once had set up. Some have left behind fine homes to come to Bethel. They know that all that this world has to offer is just temporary, because it is “passing away.” They are well aware of the fact that ‘valuable things will be of no benefit on God’s day of fury at Armageddon.’ Since righteousness “will deliver from death,” they wisely seek to cultivate it. (1 John 2:15-17; Prov. 11:4) For them, Bethel service is the ideal way to do this.

Ambition Replaced by Spirituality

Among those in the Bethel family are ones who once had ambitions to advance in some field. However, upon learning God’s purposes, they set aside these ambitions to do his will. For example, a young Chinese Witness works in an office at Bethel. Once he was studying to become a medical doctor and was going to school for that. In his second year of study he learned the Bible’s message of truth and began to study it. Ten months later he was baptized. He gave up his ambition to be a doctor and six months after his baptism he went into the full-time preaching work. He declares that he does not feel he could serve Jehovah in any other capacity as fully as he is now serving at Bethel.

Also there are two young men in the Bethel family who once had the burning ambition to become concert pianists. They spent many hours practicing their instrument so as to perfect their art, yet when they learned the message of truth contained in the Bible, they set aside that ambition. They gave up working for the opportunities of playing with symphony orchestras and traveling to various cities to give recitals in order to make a name for themselves. Now, instead of seeking fame in this system of things, they humbly work to magnify God’s name, Jehovah. They rejoice in the privileges of work assigned to them at Bethel.

Yes, there are within the ranks of this unique family of dedicated ministers individuals who either were or aspired to become artists, chemists, scientists, military officers, models, beauticians, and so forth. They could have gone far in their chosen fields, but here they are at Bethel devoting all their time and talents to Jehovah and serving in his organization. How glad Jehovah’s heart must be to see such unselfish devotion to his cause!

By treasuring their spirituality and by channeling their talents to serve Jehovah, these folks aspire to gain everlasting life in his approaching new order. There they will have the supreme Joy of using whatever gifts they may have to the glory of God and to the delight of their fellow servants. Truly a most worthy ambition!

Life at Bethel Builds Spirituality

Bethel affords its members the best possible opportunities to make full use of their time in Jehovah’s work. This is seen in the number of hours that they work at their assigned duties. The regular Bethel workweek is forty-six hours and fifty minutes. This totals over 187 hours a month. It does not include the many other hours they spend in the preaching work.

Members of the Bethel family lovingly use their free time to travel to homes and study the Bible with families, widows, teen-agers, orphans, older folks, yes, anyone who is interested in pleasing God. They find that teaching God’s Word to others is a satisfying and joyful work. The change of pace is beneficial. In what better way could they safeguard the spirituality that they treasure so highly?

The program at Bethel is also designed to keep the members thereof in the best spiritual health. Each morning the family spends about twenty minutes considering a text from the Bible. How upbuilding this is! In addition, the family assembles Monday evenings for an hour Bible study using the Watchtower magazine, followed by the Theocratic Ministry School, which is a course in public speaking and Bible research. This daily and weekly program supplies the Bethel family with the needed dynamic spiritual energy. Each year they spend over 200 hours in study together. This equals over fifty four-hour study sessions! This does not include the time they may spend in private study or at meetings with the local congregation.

Right from the time that one enters Bethel attention is given to his spirituality. He is enrolled in the Primary School, which is a six-month course during which the student is required to read through the entire Bible, Various portions are studied in detail. In addition, they listen to timely Bible lectures. Truly, this intensive course starts the new Bethel family member off on the right foot for life in this “house of God.”

It would take many more pages to tell of all the benefits of living at Bethel. The members of this happy family have left the things of the world behind and are seeking first the kingdom of God. There is so much that one receives from life at Bethel, things that cannot be measured in dollars and cents, if he first of all is willing to give of himself wholeheartedly in Jehovah’s service. The inner joy and peace that are his are worth far more than all the gold in the world. What unbounded happiness comes from the satisfaction of serving God and fulfilling the purpose for our being on earth!

Spirituality is the real treasure that brings happiness today and leads to eternal life. How very wise to safeguard and treasure it now, no matter what the cost may be!

FACED with the rising food prices at your neighborhood market, have you ever wished you could grow in your own backyard the fresh fruits and vegetables your family needs? Or, have you thrilled at the sight of a beautiful array of colorful flowers, luxuriant grass and artistic shrubs, and wished you could grow these in your own garden?

Perhaps you have tried something along this line, and, filled with high hopes, have gone to work digging, planting, hoeing and watering with a will. And then—disappointment? The few plants that did come up were scrawny and straggly.

Such experiences have discouraged many a would-be gardener. He simply resigns himself to the idea that he just does not have the proverbial “green thumb.” But even if you are one of those who are enjoying moderate success at gardening, perhaps you feel that you could still do much better. Perhaps you feel that you are at a standstill. Your efforts year after year have brought little improvement.

One solution to such problems is simple, inexpensive, close to hand. The secret lies in utilizing many things that you are now throwing away as useless—garbage from your kitchen, grass cuttings from your lawn, hedge trimmings, weeds, leaves. All of these are garden assets that can bring rich returns, both in dollars as well as in beauty. Properly composted, these materials can be converted into rich fertilizer that can put into your soil all the elements that your plants need to make them healthy, productive and beautiful.

So, as long as one has a small plot of land available, it is worth while to stop— when it comes time to dispose of garbage —and ask, Would any of this material be useful as fertilizer? Most of your garbage can become fertilizer through the process known as “composting.”

Composting

This refers to a variety of methods by which vegetable matter is decomposed and reduced to a dark, rich humus. The logic of the process is obvious. You are simply returning to the soil what has been taken out of it. You are imitating the natural arrangement of things, whereby bacteria and fungi begin to break down and decompose all dead matter, eventually returning it to the soil. This continuous cycle is what makes it possible for land to go on producing year after year without losing fertility.

But would it not be far easier to go to the store and buy a bag of chemical fertilizer? Yes, it would be, but that procedure lacks certain definite advantages. Would you not like to save the cost of the store-bought fertilizer? Then, too, with natural organic fertilizer you never need to worry about applying too much and “burning” your plants. Besides, you have to keep adding chemical fertilizer each year, whereas organic fertilizer will build up the quality of your soil. And many persons are convinced that flavor and food value are improved by using natural fertilizer.

Composting is neither difficult nor complicated. There are such a number of methods that it is altogether likely one of them will suit your particular need. For example, there is the method of making compost in plastic bags. Out of heavy plastic simply cut and sew four bags, each slightly larger than a pillowcase. Begin filling one of them with damp garbage (large pieces of rind should be chopped up), grass clippings, old flower arrangements, some loose soil, and, if available, a little manure. Then tie the bag tightly with a cord and leave it to decompose, preferably in the sun. Every day or so the bag should be rolled over. Then, repeat with the next bag. By the time the fourth bag is full, the contents of the first should be ready for use.

For composting on a larger scale a bin is usually constructed, into which the various materials are put in layers—first, a layer made up of grass trimmings, plant cuttings, leaves, straw, and so on, and then a thin layer of garbage, then a layer of manure if available, and finally a sprinkling of loose soil. Earthworms may be added after the pile has cooled down some, and this should speed up the decomposition. A tight-fitting, solid cover will help keep down flies or unpleasant odors.

If scavengers are a problem, it may be sufficient to cover the bin with chicken wire. The pile should be kept damp, and since the liquid draining from the pile carries many valuable nutrients into the soil under the bin, it might be beneficial to change the location of the bin from time to time. By having two bins, one can be started while the other is maturing or being used.

Better still is another method, which calls for the use of large oil or paint drums. These are first coated with tar or paint to prevent rusting. Then drainage holes are drilled at the bottom. They can be placed just off the ground on flat stones or bricks. In this way one can move them about so that various spots in the garden can benefit from the liquid drainage from the compost material. If one has a flair for the artistic, these drums could be camouflaged with green or brown paint, or dressed up with some colorful design.

Of course, in a larger lot one could simply build the compost heap as a large mound at the back of the lot. Simply wet it down well and cover it with plastic sheeting, held firmly in place by piling earth or a few heavy stones around the edge. The sheeting promotes decomposition, since it maintains moisture and heat, and there is no need to turn over the fermenting material. The finished heap should be dug up vertically so that the various layers of materials will be well mixed. In mild weather the heap should be ready in a month; colder weather slows down the decomposition, sometimes by several weeks.

Other Alternatives

It may be that none of the foregoing methods are suitable under some circumstances. Then, here is another way, specially suitable for those in town who would want to make sure that problems relating to odors, flies and rats do not arise. Simply bury the kitchen refuse in next year’s planting rows. The material can be put in, not too thickly, and covered over with about eight or nine inches of soil. A full year should be allowed before planting, so as to be sure that decomposition is complete.

This same principle can be applied in order to restore soil fertility at deep root levels, say by trees or large bushes such as lilacs. In this case, simply dig a deep pit into which to dump your garbage. You can use your own judgment as to its size and depth. One gardener dug a pit three feet long by two feet wide and about five feet deep. All winter long he dumped the kitchen refuse into it—vegetable tops; peelings, egg shells, table scraps, and so forth.

A covering that would be level with the ground could be made for such a pit. From time to time a little agricultural lime and pulverized granite can be added to the pit to ensure a more complete fertilization. If odors begin to develop, they can be controlled by covering each layer of garbage with a few inches of dirt, using the dirt removed from the hole. When the pit is nearly full, remove the covering and finish filling with dirt to ground level. It will not be long before you will see a remarkable improvement in your nearby bush or tree.

A gardener described the results of such a garbage-filled pit: “Along with the granite and the lime, the nutrients in the fill had leached out into the surrounding soil, bringing food to smaller feeder and taproots of that special French lilac. Its foliage became a darker, denser green, and when the buds appeared they completely covered the bush which, by blooming time, was a lavender mound of fragrance.”

Is it not evident, then, that there are many ways of building up a supply of good organic fertilizer? Whether in a city or on a farm, whether you are amateur or experienced at gardening, there are ways of making sure that your plants and flowers are getting the nutrients required for healthy production.

Would you like to be able to supply your table with extra fruit or vegetables at greatly reduced cost? Would you like to convert a drab yard into a lovely lawn bordered with beautiful shrubs and colorful blooms, with here and there a luxuriant shade tree? Then you might consider starting a compost heap. You do not have to throw away all that garbage. Use it to build up soil fertility.

HAT do you usually have for breakfast? Is it just a sweet roll or some bread and jam with coffee or tea? Even though that may be the custom where you live, many people elsewhere believe they get a better start for the day by having eggs for breakfast because of the protein in them.

There are about six grams of protein in just one egg. It Is also rich in minerals and vitamins. In fact, an egg is very similar to meat in its nutritive value. As far as protein is concerned, two eggs are equal to one two-ounce serving of meat. Did you realize that eggs are such a fine food?

There are many ways they can be prepared. Rather than serve them always boiled, fried or scrambled, for variety you can consult cookbooks that give many interesting ways of preparing them. For example, eggs that have been cooked hard could be served in a boiled cream sauce of flour, milk and butter. The whites are cut up and mixed in the sauce and then the sauce is poured over toast. On top of this the yellow yolks are grated. Such an egg dish is attractive and tasty.

An omelet can be made inviting by adding such things as a sprinkling of ham or some cottage cheese or jelly before rolling it up. As a further attraction it might be put in a toasted bun.

Poached eggs are easy to prepare, and there are various ways they can be served. One is to serve them on toast. Another would be to use half a toasted English muffin. A round slice of ham could be laid on the muffin and then the poached egg placed on top of that. Over it all can be poured a hollandaise sauce.

Have you had trouble with boiled eggs cracking and some of the inside coming out while they are still in the water? You can prevent this by allowing the eggs to warm up to room temperature before dropping them in. It is also helpful to needle the eggs by pricking the large end with a darning needle. Push the needle in about one-quarter of an inch. You should have no cracking problem then.

Instead of bailing eggs at a high temperature, which often causes the whites to toughen and the yolks to crumble, try cooking them at a lower temperature. Use about 180° F. for a longer period of time. This permits them to cook more uniformly throughout.

When buying eggs you need not be concerned about color. Neither color nor size affects their quality or food value. Whether the large, medium or small eggs are the best buy can be determined if you remember this: if the price of medium eggs is seven-eighths as much as large eggs, the cost is actually the same for both sizes. Although the price of the medium size is less, you are also receiving less egg. If small eggs sell for three-quarters as much as the large ones, the cost is the same as for the large ones.

Hens' eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs, but there are other eggs that some people enjoy. Duck eggs, for example, are popular in certain countries. In some parts of the world plover eggs are regarded as a delicacy. The eggs of many other birds are also used as food in various places. But for breakfast you are likely to prefer hens’ eggs.

If you decide to add more protein to your breakfast, you may want to try eggs if they are not too expensive where you live. Those who do eat them for breakfast believe that they give themselves something substantial to carry them through to the next meal.

VEGETATION CONTROLS EROSION

♦ When rainfall strikes bare ground, the force of the water breaks loose and carries away topsoil. In time, this erosion makes land unproductive. Vegetation, such as forest trees, brush and grass, breaks the fall of rain, so that it does not strike the ground with full force. Some of the water then is absorbed by decayed leaves and other vegetation, as well as by the roots of plants and trees. The rest trickles slowly down through the earth until much of it finds its way into springs and streams. This process preserves the soil and also provides water long after rains and snows. How wise the Creator’s provision of vegetation as a protective covering for earth!

Only during the first three days of the disease can another mosquito become infected by biting the invalid. As many of the Aedes aegypti species as do bite, however, become potential carriers. After about twelve days from biting the diseased person it is able to infect any non-immune person, and it retains this dread power to the end of its life—some four to six weeks.

Dengue fever is another epidemic disease that can be spread by this mosquito. Though not fatal, it can spread over a wider geographical area than does yellow fever. The victim is disabled for about three weeks, suffering severe pains in the joints and muscles. No wonder it is called “breakbone fever’ ’! Because of its disabling effects, dengue fever can swiftly disrupt industry.

This mosquito is easy to identify, not only because of the clear outline of the lyre on her thorax, but also because white rings encircle her legs and abdomen. She is quite at home in human habitations and lives almost exclusively on human blood. So, having thoroughly exposed her as the vector of yellow fever and dengue fever, we do well to keep up the war against her, giving no quarter.

How She Operates

The lady with the lyre likes clean, fresh water for deposit of her eggs, and she has an infallible nose for this. In fact, eggs can actually be trapped by using containers of fresh water. Put this trap in a shady area and if a pregnant mosquito is around there will be eggs there before long. Gutters, flowerpots, tin cans, rain barrels, tree holes or even rain puddles—all of these are likely places for her eggs. Nine days are ordinarily required for the adult mosquito to develop from the egg. And it is here that a certain characteristic known as ovular endurance becomes evident.

While the eggs of the Anopheles mosquito, the malaria carrier, all start hatching at the same time and must hatch within a week or die, if wet conditions are not available, it is otherwise with the eggs of the Aedes aegypti. The hatching of her eggs is staggered, and even if dry conditions persist for a time, these eggs can lie dormant for up to a year and still hatch when wet weather returns.

How easy, then, for this lady of the lyre, to send her progeny on trips of many hundreds of miles! Large and small ships plying the interisland and international routes between the Caribbean and South American ports offer the best accommodations. All it takes is a pile of used tires on the open deck, or any other container that will hold water. Mrs. Mosquito just lays her eggs and away they go to faraway places.

Unremitting Efforts

Armed with accurate knowledge of her characteristics and her habits, health authorities are able to wage an effective campaign against this dangerous carrier, but the pressure must be constant. Two lines of attack are followed; eradication programs and vaccination campaigns. In Trinidad, for example, there are many dense forest areas. Every twenty years or so the howler monkeys in these forests may become infected with yellow fever by the wild mosquito, Haemagogus speggazzinii, and then, in turn, other mosquitoes in the area are infected. A nonimmune person then venturing into the jungle becomes a prospective victim of yellow fever. If he then returns to an urban area where the domesticated mosquito is to be found, there are all the potential conditions for a severe epidemic.

Vaccination of persons living in' these areas adjacent to the dense forests is the common practice. The vaccine used is a modified form of the yellow fever virus, produced in laboratories and identified as 17D. The vaccination is almost painless, with little or no aftereffect. And it produces an immunity that is conservatively set at ten years’ duration.

Much work is being done by national and international organizations to control the depredations of the night flyer with the lyre, and block its migrations from one country to another. Some Caribbean countries, yes, and even the United States, showed little enthusiasm about these mosquito control pregrams as long as they felt that they were not affected. However, during the years 1963 and 1964 a severe epidemic of dengue fever swept through the Caribbean and the southern states. On that occasion Trinidad and Tobago were passed over with not a single case.

Now the United States has embarked on a vast campaign of eradication and control that is costing millions of dollars, and other countries are joining their efforts in the war. In fact, at the Pan American Health Organization’s meeting in Washington, D.C., in 1967, plans were formulated for better cooperation among the countries involved. The aim? To free the Western Hemisphere of this dreaded vector, Aedes aegypti.

The actual eradication work is carried out by trained crews of workers. Men are sent into all parts of the land to search for mosquito infestations. Homes are sprayed with insecticides. Water containers on ships and in and around homes are examined for the presence of larvae. If any signs of infestation are noted, the spray crews go to work right away and keep at it until all signs of this mosquito’s presence are removed.

Aedes aegypti has the ability to develop a resistance to various chemicals used in sprays. Formerly a spray containing Dieldrin was effective in Trinidad. In 1959 it was found that the mosquito was resistant to it. Dieldrin and Gamma B.H.C. were then used, and within a year the country was cleared of infestation. Currently organic phosphate insecticides are being used, and with good results. But for how long, nobody knows.

What You Can Do

Homemakers in these danger areas and travelers alike can protect themselves, their loved ones and the public in general from this scourge. Do not leave anything exposed that can catch and hold rain or other water. Water stored in open containers should be covered, or at least screened with a mesh small enough to keep out the mosquito. The netting should not sag down into the water itself, for that would provide a place for the eggs to be deposited. If you live in an area where mosquitoes are known to be, another simple precaution is to sleep under a mosquito net each night.

Submitting to vaccination is a matter for individual decision. But if you plan to travel to a tropical country, you may be required to have a valid vaccination certificate against yellow fever. If this should be the case, keep in mind that you should be vaccinated at least ten days prior to your departure. You could then enjoy your stay in the tropics without fear of the song of that lady of the night, the flyer with the lyre on her back.

THAT the Bible contains a highly condensed record of historical events there can be no question. Respecting the earthly ministry of Christ Jesus alone the apostle John wrote: “There are, in fact, many other things also which Jesus did, which, if ever they were written in full detail, I suppose, the world itself could not contain the scrolls written.”—John 21:25.

Obviously, therefore, a work setting forth all the details of man’s history from the beginning until the first century C.E. would have contained far more material than the average person could have read in a lifetime. Few persons could have afforded to buy it, and doubtless such a work would not have become available in all major languages of earth’s inhabitants, as the Bible has. Hence, in order to enable all desiring to benefit personally from its contents to do so, God's Word had to be a condensed record.

Its being an abbreviated account enhances the value of the Bible record. The really important points are not obscured by many insignificant details. The Bible’s message is simple and direct, as illustrated by its very first chapter. In that chapter God is identified as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and his earthly creative works are listed in chronological order. But nothing is said about the composition of the physical universe, the laws governing it or the procedure that God used in bringing it into existence. Yet the Bible’s silence on these matters is no flaw. In view of the difficulty experienced by man generally in understanding far simpler scientific matters, truly a detailed account of things completely unfamiliar to human experience would have been beyond his grasp.

On the other hand, the simple and direct information in Genesis chapter 1 furnishes reason enough for doing God’s will. It should move us to make a heartfelt expression like that of the twenty-four older persons seen by the apostle John in vision: “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created.”—Rev. 4:11.

At the same time the lack of extensive descriptions in the Bible concerning the creative works cannot rightly be interpreted to mean that Jehovah God wants man to remain in ignorance. Had this been his purpose, he would not have endowed man with the ability to think and to reason. That the Creator wanted man to use his mind is indicated by his giving the first man Adam the privilege of naming all the animals. (Gen. 2:19, 20) This also shows that it was not necessary for the Almighty God to supply information about things that man could ascertain for himself by using his God-given faculties.

Man, however, cannot acquire the most important knowledge through research in secular sources and physical observation. Regardless of how extensively he might study the material universe, he would not come to know the invisible God. He would remain ignorant about the Creator’s attributes, name, purposes and his will for those desiring to gain His favor. Here is where God’s Word the Bible comes in. It primarily serves to make available this important information. Therefore, while by no means exhaustive, the Bible record furnishes everything man needs to gain God’s approval and life. For this reason the apostle John could write: “To be sure, Jesus performed many other signs also before the disciples, which are not written down in this scroll. But these have been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, and that, because of believing, you may have life by means of his name.”—John 20:30, 31.

Since so much more could have been said about Christ Jesus, some may wonder why the other Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark and Luke, often reported on the same events. The reason for this becomes apparent when we take into consideration that the Gospel accounts provide the basis for exercising faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. This faith is essential for one to gain everlasting life. (John 3:16) And the rejection or acceptance of the testimony about Jesus Christ is really a life-or-death matter. In harmony with the principle that serious matters be established at the mouth of two or three witnesses, Jehovah God kindly saw to it that four different men recorded the events of Jesus’ earthly ministry. (Deut. 19:15; Matt. 18:16) Thus the testimony of four witnesses can provide a basis for faith in Christ Jesus.

There being four witnesses, we should expect to find variations in the accounts and also supplementary details that can aid us to get a more complete picture of the events. In themselves the variations provide a further basis for faith, as they demonstrate that there was no collusion among the Bible writers.

The fact that the Bible does not supply all the details serves yet another purpose. It “weeds out” those who are not sincerely desirous of doing God’s will. This is illustrated by what happened in the first century C.E. On one occasion Jesus said to his listeners: “Most truly I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves.” (John 6:53) At that time he did not explain how others could feed on his flesh and drink his blood. That missing detail caused many to quit associating with him. They completely lost sight of all the other marvelous things that Jesus had said and done. (John 6:60-66) Their failure to seek an explanation indicates that they had no real appreciation for Jesus or his message and thus deserved to be “weeded out.”

The same thing can happen to people today. They may read a particular passage in the Bible and, since not all the details are there, begin to question whether God was really just when executing judgment in a certain case. Forgetting that they were not on the scene and ignoring the abundant testimony found elsewhere in the Bible regarding God’s justice, they may be stumbled. But how much better it would be for such persons to consider the Bible’s testimony as a whole on the matter. For example, God was willing to spare the notoriously wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah for the sake of ten righteous persons. And, when not even that many could be found, he saw to it that righteous Lot and his daughters were delivered. (Gen. 18:22-32; 19:15, 16) In the light of this, could anyone rightly question God’s justice when full details are not furnished? Surely what God did in this case satisfactorily answered Abraham’s question: “Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?”

May we, therefore, never be among those who stumble because of the Bible’s containing a condensed account. Rather, may we always be among those who appreciate that the Bible provides us with the vital information we need to gain God’s approval and life.

Cigarette Smoking Increased $> Despite warnings of the harmful effects on health, cigarette smoking is more prevalent now than ever before throughout the world. A report presented on September 30 to the United Nations Agriculture Organization’s committee on commodity problems stated that in 1966 (the last year for which complete figures are available) more than 2.8 trillion cigarettes were consumed. It said that this was 45 percent higher than the 1955-59 average, and indicated an annual increase of 70,000,-000,000 cigarettes smoked.

Crime and Politics

Organized crime is “without question the strongest lobby” in the American government today, said John J. Buckley, state director of the Council on Crime and Correction. He went on to say that crime infiltrated government through campaign donations. “Primarily in this way, organized crime infiltrates government, police, etc., right down the line," he said. Buckley stated that the President's Crime Commission estimated that 20 percent of the campaign contributions in the United States come from organized crime. "Organized crime has said that someday they would elect a president of the United States," Buckley said. “They have elected governors. I think this is a great threat to our way of life.”

Typhoons Hit Taiwan

Rains from Typhoon Flossie cut roads, caused landslides and left 75 dead and 31,000 homeless in Taiwan. Property damage ran into the millions of dollars. The city of Taipei itself was declared a disaster area. Half of the city was covered with up to 10 feet of water. The disaster struck less than a week after Typhoon Elsie left 102 dead and ruined crops over a large part of Taiwan.

‘Away-from-Kome* Drive

Austrians are leaving the Roman Catholic Church by the thousands, and the reasons are many. When the Nazis took over Austria, Hitler introduced a compulsory tax on Catholics and Protestants, to be paid to their churches directly. After the war, religious institutions showed no inclination to drop the tax. Resentment exists over this, but church taxes are only one of several factors in the drift away from the churches. Priest Josef Zeininger said: “What gives us true heartache is defection by believers, troubled by inner-church developments, and, more recently, a stunning ‘ Away-f rom-Rome’ drive.” More and more Austrian Catholics refuse to accept the authority of the Vatican.

Priest Zeininger said the church was spending a tremendous amount of time and money to keep a hold on so-called borderline Catholics, but “so far we have been unable to stop the trend,” Zeininger said. In Vienna, a city of 1,800,-000 inhabitants of whom 90 percent are Catholics, there was a 35-percent increase in defections over 1967.

DDT’s Killer Effect

<§> As an insect killer, DDT is said to be a wonder. It is cheap, easy to use and effective. And it is cumulative, which means it keeps killing on contact for a long period of time. But this is what makes DDT dangerous to other forms of life. It builds up in the bodies of birds, animals and fish. And there is mounting evidence that concentrations of the pesticide in birds, fish or animals can be harmful to humans who consume their flesh. Recently some canned coho salmon from the Great Lakes was condemned as too heavily tainted with DDT. DDT has been found in cow’s milk and in drinking water. In Alberta, Canada, pheasants and partridge have such a high DDT content that there was talk of canceling the hunting season this year. There are increasing cries for chemical companies to switch from producing DDT to other "safer” pesticides.

“Corruption Is Widespread”

<$> A United States Senate inquiry, on October 9, heard testimony to the effect that "corruption is widespread” throughout the United States army service club system in Vietnam and that “the most common form of corruption is the kickback.” An agent told the Senate investigating committee that she had paid custodians of various service clubs in Vietnam $8,000 to $10,000 over a two-year period, that being a club custodian is worth $150,000 and that many of them have Swiss bank accounts, and they “live very well.” The Senators also heard testimony that a group of sergeants "skimmed" $5,000 to $7,000 a week from slot machines while mismanaging service clubs in West Germany.

Return of Death Penalty

•$> A five-year moratorium on hanging will come to an end next year in Britain. There will also be an election next year in which party delegates see the law-and-order issue looming in the general elections. So the Conservative party conference urged on October 9 that capital punishment for murder be restored in Britain. The delegates attending the party’s annual meeting insisted, by a majority of 1,117 to 958, that the steps toward more effective rule include a pledge to restore hanging for murder.

Marijuana in Church

•$> Many people are disgusted with religion these days because of what is going on in the churches. For example, Episcopal vicar Robert Cromey testified in court in September that he believed marijuana could be one of the sacraments, like bread and wine, in “Christian” religious worship. He admitted that he himself smoked the illegal drug and said that he believed the use of drugs was probably behind many of the religious experiences recorded in the Bible. Little wonder that great crowds of people are fleeing the religious institutions when they are exposed to such nonsense.

“Today's Church Is a Mess”

Donald B. Ward, president of Yankton College, in his article "The Underground Church Is Nonsense," said: “Yes, today's church is a mess. Lord, how it needs to update its liturgy, compose timely hymns, pray in today’s language, be thoroughly honest with itself, jostle the status quo. But an underground church? Nonsense.” Just how sick ai-e the churches? asks Ward. “Every congregation has its pockets of gangrene and flashes of fitness. But isn’t it a matter of individual attitudes and personal relationships rather than one big institutional disease?" God’s Word shows that it is both.

Restless Mt. Rainier

<& Mt. Rainier stands snowcapped in western Washington. This 14,410-foot “dormant" volcano is showing signs of geologic restlessness. United States Geological Survey scientists said that the action does not mean necessarily that the volcano is about to erupt, but it does mean that the mountain bears close watching. A new warm spot was seen on the summit cone and instruments have recorded an increased amount of seismic activity this summer.

Protect Birds of Prey

Soviet scientists told a convention of world wildlife biologists in Moscow that extermination of owls and daytime predators should be stopped for at least ten to fifteen years. Staff members of Moscow University expressed alarm at the implications of what they called a catastrophic reduction in the number of birds of prey in the world.

Are Catholic Schools Dying?

-$> A top church educator, Msgr. James C. Donohue, director of the Division of Elementary and Secondary Education of the United States Catholic Conference, said: “Unless we change, we’ll wither away.” "In the next five and a half years, Catholic elementary schools will lose almost 2,000,000 pupils, half their enrollment, unless Catholics vastly increase support of their school system,” predicts Donohue. “I don’t want to sound trite,” he says, "but we’re at a crossroads.”

A “State of Impotence”

-$> What is the state of the churches in Britain, a country with a church-state legal embrace? Said one observer writing for the Austin Statesman (Texas): ‘The church . . . has become a museum. The impression you get after all the vitality and excitement of Great Britain is that religion has become a nostalgic experience. . . . But, alas, there is a great emptiness. There are no people. Tourists are not worshipers, and travelers are not going to take the place of regular members. The state church, The Church of England, is well-situated with ecclesiastical real estate. Yet the clergy, the lay leadership, the body of its membership is in a shocking state of impotence.”

“Dope” Traffic

<& A published Associated Press dispatch says that "more teen-agers than ever before are using marijuana, some with heroin.” Some California high school students reportedly spend $10 to $15 a week on marijuana. A narcotics control agent in Arizona said “teenagers are taking to marijuana with 'a missionary zeal.’ ” In New York city, Dr. Milton Helpern, the chief medical examiner, has just reported that diseases related to narcotics addiction cause more deaths among persons fifteen to thirty-five years old than murder, suicide, accidents or “natural” causes.

LSD—No Babies

<$> “If you are taking L.S.D. . . . don’t get pregnant,” says Dr. Elizabeth Tylden, one of Britain’s leading drug experts to her patients. "If you want a child, wait for a year after your last dose of L.S.D.” Reports show that mothers taking the drug have had deformed babies. Some have been born with open spines. “The evidence of chromosomal damage caused by L.S.D. is acutely worrying,” she said. “It is as dangerous as thalidomide."

“The Church ...

Collapse and Chaos" <$■ U.S. News & World Report, October 20, stated: "It was in an atmosphere of rebellion and crisis that top Roman Catholic prelates from around the globe gathered in Rome for the World Synod of Bishops opening on October 11.” The topic under discussion was, To what extent should the pope of Rome share authority with the bishops? There were 147 participating bishops present. Said one observer: "Basically Pope Paul is as much an innovator as his predecessor. But, with demands for change coming thick and fast, simultaneously, and from all sides, he fears that, unless he applies the brakes, the whole structure of the Church may collapse and chaos result.”

‘Worthless’ Clock

Basements and attics are often crowded with what people quite normally call junk. A seven-foot clock was discovered in the basement of the governor's mansion in Texas. It obviously was not worthy of display and no one wanted to reflnish such an old clock. It eventually was taken to a state prison so that their craftsmen would re finish it. An inmate found a paper in the clock that said it once belonged to Napoleon I. Appraisers called in by prison officials estimated the value of the clock at $80,000 to $100,000.

Evolution in Schools

Several members of the California Board of Education objected on October 9 to proposed guidelines for high school science courses. They complained that evolution is presented as a fact, not as a theory, and made no mention of the belief that the universe was created by God. “Evolution should not be accepted as a fact without alluding to creationism, which is felt to be sound by many scientists,” said Dr. John Ford, a physician from San Diego. Dr. Thomas Harwood, a physician from Needles, added: “I believe in the creation theory, not evolution. You people should try to find out more of a scientific background of creation.” It is said that the proposal would be rewritten to include mention of the theory of "creationism,” but will not include any references to God or the Bible.

Dog Shoots Man

<$> Twenty-three-year-old Jean Devaux of Le Havre, France, went hunting with his dog. As he opened the rear door to let the dog out, the dog stepped on the shotgun trigger and killed his master.

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