June 22

What About Alcoholic Beverages?

IN RECENT years you have heard much about the use of drugs such as heroin. No doubt you are aware that they are a growing problem.

However, did you know that in many countries the excessive use of alcoholic beverages causes about ten times as many problems as use of narcotics does? From a global viewpoint, alcoholism is a far greater problem than is the abuse of narcotics.

Perhaps you know someone who drinks too much. It may even be your husband, wife or a very close friend. If so, then no one has to tell you what a problem it can be. And for a certainty the problem is not diminishing, although it may not capture as many headlines as drug addiction.

In the United States there are some seven million alcoholics. That is an increase of several million in just the past few years. Over fifteen million more are somewhat alcohol-dependent. Thus Health News says: “Alcoholism is our nation’s most widespread addiction.” Even among youth, drinking too much is a far greater problem than the use of narcotics.

The situation in France is alarming. Newsweek comments: “According to doctors, social workers and the police, alcoholism is France’s biggest domestic problem.” On the average the French consume far more alcohol than the people of any other country​—about 65 gallons of wine per adult per year.

In Communist countries alcoholism is usually their most serious domestic problem too. Nor is it much different in other places. “In the Bahamas . . . alcoholism is the number one health problem,” says Physician’s Alcohol Newsletter.

The High Cost

The cost of alcoholism is very high. And not just in terms of the price of liquor either.

Of the more than 50,000 killed in automobile accidents throughout the United States each year, about 30,000 result from drivers trying to handle a car after drinking. That is several times the number of Americans killed in any one year of the Vietnam war.

Sixty percent of the industrial accidents in France are blamed on alcohol. And in the United States it costs industry more than four thousand million dollars a year through absenteeism and reduced performance. It is responsible for more lost work time than all other diseases combined.

In addition to the high cost in killed and injured through accidents and time lost from work, there is another tragic cost from excessive drinking. A husband or a wife who does not control the intake of alcohol is usually the source of great anguish for other family members. A judge in France says that the most common complaint of wives seeking a divorce is their husbands’ drunkenness. And the effect on children can be catastrophic.

The Alcoholic

From the enormous problems caused by drinking too much, it is obvious that alcohol is far more than just another beverage.

By acting to depress the central nervous system, alcohol affects one’s mood. Small amounts can be pleasurable. But larger amounts affect one’s judgment and reasoning, almost always for the worse. With continued drinking, activities that require the control of arms and legs and other body parts are affected. Finally, excessive drinking interferes even with automatic processes such as breathing.

Someone who gets drunk on occasion may experience many or all the reactions just described. But that does not necessarily make him an alcoholic. What does? A person becomes an alcoholic when he makes a habit of drinking and feels that he cannot control it. When he feels the ‘need’ for a drink and says that he cannot restrain himself, he is on the way to becoming an alcoholic or is one already.

At first, addiction may be psychological. The alcoholic may feel that he has to have a drink to face life, or merely because he enjoys the effects. But after prolonged use, physical dependence sets in. The body tissues literally become dependent on alcohol and, when denied it, severe withdrawal symptoms can occur.

Thus, a person is an alcoholic when he depends on alcohol and feels that he is not able to cut it off. In time, perhaps very gradually, he will progress to the point where his whole life is affected by his drinking. It will interfere with his family relationships, with his ability to earn a living and also with his health.

Damage to Health

Some authorities say that the physical consequences of heavy drinking are more serious than those resulting from the use of heroin.

Dr. Harry Johnson, medical director of the Life Extension Institute of New York, says: “The likelihood of death from acute alcoholic poisoning and in withdrawal from chronic alcoholism is much greater than from overdosage and in withdrawal from heroin addiction.”

Withdrawal symptoms can include nausea, hallucinations, severe agitation or convulsions and, in extreme cases, death. These symptoms are part of what is called “delirium tremens,” and this is estimated to have a 20-percent mortality rate.

In advanced alcoholism the drinking binge is common. The alcoholic gets drunk and stays that way for days. He becomes seriously malnourished, often filthy and unable to care for himself. He is in danger of death due to liver, brain or other body damage, or from an accident. To forestall death, he must be detoxified. He must stop drinking long enough for his body to eliminate the alcohol and restore itself to some measure of normal functioning. Full restoration can take months. But some damage, such as to the brain or liver, can be irreversible.

Official figures show that during 1969, 22,130 in France died from cirrhosis of the liver. That disease causes the liver to shrink and harden, and is definitely identified with alcoholism. It is now said to be the number three cause of death among middle-aged adults in the United States. Also, in France, every third bed in psychiatric hospitals has a patient suffering from alcoholism.

However, many alcoholics do not wait for disease or accident to complete the destruction of their bodies. They commit suicide. “Studies show that the suicide rate among alcoholics is about 50 times greater than that of the general population,” observes the Atlanta Journal.

How Do They Get That Way?

Sometimes alcoholism starts with social drinking. It may be the custom in a community, or among the people with whom one associates. He may not want to be ‘different’ so he goes along with the trend. In time, it becomes a habit.

There is a high consumption of alcohol among executives. It is particularly so among sales executives and advertising personnel, people in ‘pressure’ jobs that often require much entertaining of clients. More than one fourth of all executives studied were found to be heavy drinkers. They consumed six or more ounces of whiskey every day of the week, including weekends.

Another reason is the need many people feel to escape from the anxieties and depressions of everyday life. Their life may be empty and without hope for the future, so they try to fill it with alcohol. But experiments at Boston City Hospital revealed that after a few hours of drinking, anxiety and depression increased!

However, it is a mistake to conclude that a person must have serious mental problems or anxieties before he becomes an alcoholic. Some do not. A person may simply find that drinking gives him a temporary sense of well-being. It makes him ‘feel good.’ He may continue drinking until it becomes habitual. So a rational person can become an alcoholic if he does not exercise self-control.

Childhood influences are often decisive. A higher rate of alcoholism has been noted among those raised in homes where drinking was common to one or both parents. The same is true where a child had been neglected by his parents. So the background, or culture, of people plays an important part.

Also, there are persons who simply have less tolerance for alcohol. Two individuals may drink the identical amount of alcohol. One may become addicted to it, the other not. The hereditary makeup is said to be the difference. Yet, even if true, it is not the hereditary trait that makes a person an alcoholic. It is the alcohol.

A person may be predisposed toward lung cancer and if he smokes cigarettes, he may get it; but if he did not smoke, he would not get the cancer. Some people are allergic to certain foods; but if they avoid these foods, they avoid the illness. So too with drinking alcoholic beverages. It is not the body that is responsible for the ‘illness.’ No one is compelled to be an alcoholic by some deficiency in his body. He becomes one by drinking too much. The possibility that his body will be unable to handle alcohol well just aggravates the situation. But even a person who does ‘handle it well’ can become an alcoholic by drinking too much.

The root of the problem is in the mind, in a person’s attitude. To say that the alcoholic ‘could not help it’ is to find a convenient excuse. Why can others, just as predisposed toward bodily intolerance for alcohol, ‘help it’? Why can some avoid smoking cigarettes? Why can some give up foods that cause them illness? For the same reason that they can avoid becoming an alcoholic​—they have the mental strength.

A Balanced View

Because of the trouble alcoholic beverages can cause, some have labeled all drinking as ‘evil.’ Others say or imply that all strong drink is condemned by God. But that is not a balanced view. And it simply is not the truth, for it is not God’s view.

Do you remember reading about the first miracle that Jesus Christ performed? It was the turning of water into wine. (John 2:1-11) How reasonable would it be for him to make wine and then forbid people to drink it? And if God disapproved of all drinking, would he tell us in his own Word that he “will certainly make for all the peoples . . . a banquet of well-oiled dishes, a banquet of wine kept on the dregs”? (Isa. 25:6) Then, too, the apostle Paul advised Timothy: “Do not drink water any longer, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent cases of sickness.”​—1 Tim. 5:23.

So, of itself, drinking is not wrong. It is like many other things God created for man’s enjoyment. They can be used for good or for bad. For instance, is eating food bad? No, but you can make it bad if you habitually overeat to the point of becoming a glutton. Is your hand bad? Of course not. It is a marvelous instrument for man’s use. But you can make it bad if you use it to commit a crime, such as strangling someone with it. Yes, you can take things that are ‘good’ and make them ‘bad’ by the way you use them. It is the same with alcoholic beverages.

It is not the drinking of alcoholic beverages that God’s Word condemns. It is their excessive use: “Do not be misled. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men kept for unnatural purposes, nor men who lie with men, nor thieves, nor greedy persons, nor drunkards . . . will inherit God’s kingdom.”​—1 Cor. 6:9, 10.

Yet, even this chapter of the Bible shows that such persons, including drunkards, can change. 1Co 6 Verse 11 adds: “Yet that is what some of you were. But you have been washed clean.” So a drunkard can change, showing that alcoholism is not irreversible. But, of course, the longer one persists in it the more difficult a change becomes.

Best Advice

If a person finds that his body does not handle alcohol well, then the best advice is to avoid it altogether. If he feels that he cannot control it, he should not even take one drink, as often that paves the way for more.

Some persons who take several drinks a day feel that, since they are not getting drunk, it means they have the matter under control. If you suggest to them that this may constitute the beginning of alcoholism, or that they are already mild alcoholics, they usually reject the thought. They may say that a few drinks a day is not alcoholism and that they can stop at any time they want.

If so, there is a simple test that can help the person to see the direction in which he is going. He should see whether, without its causing mental and emotional turmoil, he can stop drinking altogether for a long period of time, at least a month or two. If he cannot, or if he does but finds he just waits for the day when he will resume drinking, it is a definite indication that he is already trapped by the alcohol habit.

However, some, challenged to do without alcohol for a length of time, say that they have no need to make such a test since they are not alcoholics. But this is often an excuse to keep drinking because they cannot face up to the fact that they may be too far gone already toward some degree of alcoholism.

One thing is clear: when a person does not want to, or feels that he cannot go without drinking for a long period of time, it is a solid indication that he is already in trouble with alcohol. He should face the situation honestly and not continue to delude himself. For if he continues, the likelihood is very strong that he will progress toward a more serious form of alcoholism and see his entire life deteriorate.

Considering Others

What can you do to help other people who may have problems with drinking? There are several things you may consider.

For instance, if you are hosting a gathering and offer refreshments, do you present only alcoholic beverages? Why not offer a nonalcoholic beverage too? This would be considerate of those who may take an alcoholic drink because of social pressure but who may really prefer something else. And if you know that someone already has a problem with alcohol, why serve it at all when he is in the group?

In some cases where a husband or wife has retreated into alcoholism, it may be due to the unpleasantness or quarreling that exists in the marriage relationship. Perhaps showing more consideration and kindness, more attention to what the other wants or says, can have a wholesome effect and reverse the trend. This has happened many times, as in the case of a housewife in Chile who had three young children and an alcoholic husband. Because of his excessive drinking, he had lost his good job. The family had to move to very poor quarters. The children did not have enough to eat, since he was spending so much on alcohol. The wife had to work to support the family. She also responded by being unpleasant, arguing, and screaming at her husband certainly things that are easy to do when confronted with an alcoholic.

But then, one of Jehovah’s witnesses called on the woman. She became interested in learning about God’s purposes for man as noted in the Bible. She also began to learn how a Christian wife should act toward her husband, even one who is an alcoholic. As she progressed in knowledge, she began to pray to God to be a better wife so she could help her husband.​—1 Pet. 3:1-4.

The change in her attitude and actions impressed the husband. He began to cut down on his drinking. Then he stopped altogether and refused to join his ‘friends’ in their drinking bouts. He began caring for his family and using his money wisely. Family harmony returned. He explained that what caused him to come to his senses was the great change for the good he noticed in his wife after she began to study the Bible. He noted that she treated him with more kindness and consideration despite his drunkenness. Finally, he began such a study of the Bible too, anxious to continue the fine improvement he noticed in his family life.

Basically, what changed here was the whole way of life. And this is what has been found most helpful in dealing with alcoholics. As Dr. Benjamin Kissin of New York says: “We try to change the life pattern.” His work has also shown it to be the best way. And this is what the Bible says can be done, counseling: “Strip off the old personality with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new.”​—Col. 3:9, 10.

With the right kind of motivation, one can indeed acquire the determination to combat alcoholism. And there is no greater motivating force anywhere than that found in the Bible, God’s Word: “The word of God is alive and exerts power and is sharper than any two-edged sword.” (Heb. 4:12) It can supply the best motivation for cutting the bonds of alcoholism.

So what about alcoholic beverages? As you can see, they can be enjoyed when used in moderation. But if self-control is not exercised, they can become one of the worst curses afflicting the human family.

[Box on page 5]

LOST WORK TIME in the U.S. due to misuse of alcohol is said to account for more than do all other diseases combined.

30,000 LIVES LOST in U.S. during 1970 due to drinking drivers. This is more than seven times the number of U.S. troops killed in action in Vietnam in 1970.

[Picture on page 4]

7 MILLION ALCOHOLICS

The number of alcoholics in the U.S.A. is as great as the combined population of ten of its largest cities

Blood Transfusion Dangers

The June 1970 issue of Science Digest, page 55, states the following: “Blood transfusions result in 30,000 serious cases of hepatitis and 1,500 to 3,000 deaths in the United States alone each year, according to the National Academy of Sciences​—National Research Council. Moreover, it is estimated five others develop subclinical cases of hepatitis for each full-blown disease.” The publication also noted that a study at the National Institutes of Health showed that “half of a group of 82 patients receiving commercial blood had developed hepatitis within six months after corrective heart surgery.” God’s law prohibiting the taking of any blood into one’s body is, indeed, a protection to those who obey it.​—Acts 15:20, 28, 29.

Colors​—from Light

HAVE you attempted to make your way around a pitch-dark room? Or have you ever closed your eyes tightly and tried to go about your daily activities? You may have found it rather frightening. It is a real relief to see the light! The inspired words of the Bible are indeed true, “The light is also sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.”​—Eccl. 11:7.

The sun is our main source of illumination. Every second of every day it is changing four million tons of its matter into energy. This is sprayed out in all directions from its surface at over 186,000 miles a second! But what is the nature of these emissions? How do they make vision possible? And how is it that they enable us to see such a great variety of colors?

What the Sun Gives Out

The emissions from the sun are called “electromagnetic energy” or “radiation.” This radiation is frequently viewed as a stream of tiny particles. But, at the same time, it is also viewed as traveling in waves. Commenting on this apparently contradictory view, Professor Walter J. Moore said: “This unwillingness of light to fit neatly into a single picture frame has been one of the most perplexing problems of natural philosophy.”

While all radiation, including light, travels from the sun at the same speed, it is not all the same. There are many kinds. Some kinds of radiation have very long wavelengths, being measured in miles. Others have very short wavelengths, measured in tiny fractions of millionths even thousand-millionths of an inch.

Radiations that have longer wavelengths include heat waves and the very long radio waves. And among the shorter radiations coming from the sun are ultraviolet rays, X rays, gamma rays and the very short cosmic rays. But none of these are visible to human eyes, and so they are sometimes called invisible light. However, in between the longer heat waves and shorter ultraviolet waves is a very narrow band of wavelengths that are visible. So the part that we see is only a very narrow band in the middle of a broad spectrum of wavelengths, from cosmic rays to radio waves and electrical currents.

Radiations Reaching Earth

Not all radiation the sun sends toward earth reaches here. This is because earth’s atmosphere acts as a shield. Thus what reaches earth are essentially the wavelengths of visible light, with a restricted range of invisible waves. How glad we can be that our atmosphere keeps out most invisible radiation, for if it were permitted to reach earth it would kill us all!

On the other hand, we can be grateful that visible light floods our earth in such abundance. Plants capture the energy from light and employ it in converting carbon dioxide and water into a simple sugar that is the basis of all food. Without this energy from light, plants could not grow, and nothing could live on earth.

Wavelengths That Give Color

But light gives us much more. It blesses us with gorgeous color and beauty. What is so remarkable is that the band of visible wavelengths that give us light and the many colors is so narrow. These wavelengths measure from only about thirty-two millionths of an inch from crest to crest, which our eyes recognize as red, to about sixteen millionths of an inch, which we see as violet!

Traveling at the speed of light, as these rays are, the number of waves striking the eye are between about 375 and 750 million million a second. This vibration the human visual system interprets as light, the color corresponding to the frequency of the vibrations.

Light’s Numerous Colors

Does it seem strange to you that we should speak of light as being composed of different colors? Did you think that it was all white? Well, it usually appears white to our eyes because all the wavelengths of visible radiation are traveling together. They are unseparated. But when the wavelengths are separated, we can see their individual colors.

You might check this for yourself sometime. You can hold a long-playing phonograph record up to the light and look along its finely ridged surface. The light will be diffracted and you can see the light’s various colors. Or you may have observed after a rainstorm how the tiny droplets of water in the air have separated sunlight into its basic colors​—violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red—​producing a beautiful rainbow.

This does not mean that light can be separated into only these few colors. It can actually be split into tens of thousands of different wavelengths, each producing a different hue or shade of the basic colors! The eye, however, cannot distinguish between the color of one wave of light and the color of another wave if they are too similar in length.

Studies have revealed that the human eye can distinguish about 128 separate shades of color in visible light. But in order to distinguish even this many, one wavelength of light must be projected on a screen, and before it is removed, another one of a slightly different wavelength must be projected alongside. Only by visually comparing them can the eye tell the difference between more than a hundred colors in visible light.

The Source of All Color

For a moment raise your eyes from the printed page, and look closely at certain things around you​—perhaps a bookcase, a desk or even the floor. Is it not amazing what a great variety of color there is? But from where does all the color come?

Color does not exist in the desk, the floor or whatever object at which you may have been looking. True, we may speak of these things as being of a certain color. But the truth is, we do not live in a world of colored objects. The color of things is actually in the light that shines upon them. Light is the only source of color, and without light not even the faintest color exists.

Seeing Light

But how is it that we can see light with its innumerable wavelengths of color?

Light cannot be seen as it travels through space, any more than can radio waves and other radiation. What causes light to become visible to the eye are the material substances upon which it falls.

For example, if we were in a room without particles of dust or even air, we could not see the beam or path of light from a flashlight if one were turned on. A beam of light in a vacuum is quite invisible. Thus when the astronauts in space looked out their window they could see the brilliant sun, but the sky was black. Black is the absence of light or color. The sun did not light up the sky because space does not have substances upon which the sun’s light can fall. We can see light only when it hits some object that will reflect its waves to our eyes.

Well, then, what causes an object to appear a certain color? Why are most plants and trees green and the sky usually blue? And why does the sky sometimes turn deep orange or red near the horizon in the evening?

Producing Color in the Sky

Our sky is filled with air, as well as tiny particles of vapor and dust. Earlier we noted that the atmosphere shields us from deadly radiation. It acts like a giant mirror to reflect most of such radiation back into space. However, light penetrates this shield, but in so doing many of its waves are scattered by the particles of air. The size of these particles is such that the shorter blue waves are scattered far more than others. Thus the sky has a blue color.

But when the sun is near the horizon it can be different. The more horizontal angle of sunlight shining through a dust-laden atmosphere tends to scatter light’s longer waves, causing the sky to take on a deep orange and red appearance. Thus, back in 1883, after the Krakatoa volcano erupted violently and scattered dust particles through earth’s atmosphere, the world enjoyed a series of remarkably beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

How Most Color Is Produced

However, the scattering of certain wavelengths of light is not the principal way color is produced. Most objects receive their color as a result of their absorption of certain wavelengths of light and their reflection of the others.

For example, most plants and trees are green, due to the particular arrangement of the pigment molecules in the chlorophyll. When sunlight falls upon the chlorophyll, most of the shorter violet and blue waves of light are absorbed, and so are most of the longer red waves. These wavelengths of light are used by plants and trees in the manufacture of food. However, primarily the green waves of light are reflected, and that is why we see plants and trees as being green.

The colors of man-made things, such as paints, dyes and inks, are produced in the same way. Their pigment molecules absorb certain wavelengths​—or we might say that they subtract a certain part of the narrow band of light. Then they reflect back the part that is not absorbed, or subtracted. Thus, it is the combination of the reflected wavelengths​—that is, the mixture of all the colors of light that are not absorbed—​that give color to most objects that we see.

So a red dress is red because the dye absorbs, or subtracts, the other wavelengths and reflects red light. Asphalt is black because the molecules of its pigment absorb all wavelengths, and reflect very little of any of them. On the other hand, we see an object as white when it reflects equally all colors of light, which together comprise white.

Pigments actually reflect at least some wavelengths of all colors. Theoretically, if two colors each reflected only one wavelength, then when they were mixed black would result. But as it is, we can mix blue and yellow paint and get green paint. This is because blue paint also reflects green light, and yellow paint also reflects green light. So when they are mixed, blue light is absorbed by the yellow pigment, and yellow light is absorbed by the blue pigment. This leaves green light, common to both, to be reflected, producing green paint!

The variety in combinations of light as it is reflected from things around us staggers the imagination. Since no wavelength is fully absorbed, we see the world around us in a wonderful array of colors. It has been estimated that about ten million colors exist!

A factor in the color of an object, in addition to how it absorbs and reflects light, is the nature of the light itself. The energy of sunlight is distributed evenly through all the colors, but this is not so of artificial light. The fluorescent lamps often used in stores are strong in blue light. However, incandescent light bulbs lack in blue wavelengths, and so emit a yellowish light. This can affect your shopping.

For example, you may buy a red dress in a store that has fluorescent lamps. But when you get outside in the sunlight you may be surprised to see how much more red the dress really is. This is because the fluorescent lamps, with a concentration of blue light, did not produce a sufficient amount of red wavelengths to be reflected by the dress. Or, in a store lighted by incandescent bulbs, you may think you are buying a black suit. But when you get outside in the sunlight you find it is blue! In the store the incandescent light provided no blue wavelengths to reflect, and since the suit absorbed all other wavelengths it looked black.

Colors by Another Method

There is yet another important method by which colors are produced, and that is by the surface structure of some objects. Many of the most beautiful colors displayed by living things result from the way their bodies separate light into its constituent waves.

Consider, for instance, a butterfly that appears a metallic blue color when looked at from above, but appears crimson when looked at along the surface of the wing. The different colors are produced by the way the light is diffracted by the finely grooved surface of its wing. This can be demonstrated. Soft wax can be pressed against the blue wing, and the wax will acquire the color of the butterfly. But when the surface of the wax is smoothed off the color disappears!

Truly, light blesses us with so many good things. Life itself is dependent upon the radiations from the sun that bathe our planet. But what a marvelous bonus we receive from light in its multitude of gorgeous colors! And whom should we thank for these blessings? Why, the Grand Creator, of course. Yes, thank “Jehovah, the Giver of the sun for light.”​—Jer. 31:35.

Nesting Habits of the Goldfinch

Most birds begin to raise their families in springtime, but not the American goldfinch. He is an individualist, for he and his mate do not begin to build their nest until July, August or even September. Even his relatives, the sparrows, and other comparable species do not follow this procedure. Why then does Mr. Goldfinch put off nest building until the summer months? The answer may be tied to the fact that young goldfinches are fed largely on semidigested seeds that their parents regurgitate directly into their mouths. And in early spring the available seeds are not as plentiful.

A Practical Guide for Home Bookkeeping

HAVE you ever wondered, after you have spent your weekly or monthly income, just where the money went? Are you spending more on certain items than you really want to? Are you spending more on the same item now than before, and is this because of inflation or some other reason? To get the answers you will find it most helpful to have some form of home bookkeeping.

Many persons shudder at the thought of keeping records. They may feel it is too time consuming or too difficult. But this need not be the case. Furthermore, home bookkeeping does not require keeping track of every cent you spend.

Actually there are various systems for keeping track of expenses. And you can select the system that suits you best. Whatever system is used, there are three main steps in setting it up: (1) Classifying your expenses under main headings; (2) keeping a record of what you spend under these headings and (3) summarizing the expenses monthly.

The Classifications

First, find out what are the main areas of expense. Then group the different kinds of expenses under a few main headings, such as food, housing, household operation, clothing, transportation, personal allowances, income tax, savings, and so forth.

The heading “personal allowances” includes allowances to members of the family, gifts and contributions, health, personal grooming and small personal items. No detailed record is kept of expenses under this heading.

What about “savings”? There are two types of savings one for needs that may arise in the near future, and the other for long-term goals. Savings for the short term would allow for emergencies that might arise, expenses that cannot be anticipated, such as a sudden doctor bill. Savings for long-term goals might be for a vacation, travel to a convention, new furniture or some luxury item.

The Envelope System

There are various methods of keeping records of expenses. Some are simpler than others. A simple method is the “envelope” system. Each envelope is marked for the type of expense it represents, such as food, housing, clothing, and so forth. Every payday the income is transformed into bills and coins. Then it is distributed among the envelopes and the amount assigned to each type of expense is noted on the envelope.

When the time comes to meet these expenses, money is withdrawn from the appropriate envelopes. As one spends, no record is kept of it. When an envelope is exhausted, the amount noted thereon is spent. Suppose now that more needs to be spent on an item, and the envelope for it is empty. In such a case, if another envelope has surplus cash, some of the money can be transferred to the exhausted envelope. Make a note of the transfer on the two envelopes. At the time of next payday, cash remaining in any of the envelopes is transferred to the “savings” envelope. (You may make a few exceptions; for example, you may wish to accumulate funds in the “clothing” envelope for a future purchase.) Notes are made on the envelopes of any transfers.

To illustrate: If you earn $100 a week, at payday the money is converted into smaller notes and put in the envelopes, such as food, $30; housing, $20; household operation, $10; personal allowance, $20; savings, $5, and so forth. If the food envelope is exhausted before next payday, a transfer can be made from another envelope that still has money. If this is the personal allowance envelope, then you may transfer $3 to the food envelope and make a note on the two envelopes.

If by the next payday, the food envelope has $1 left, personal allowance $2 and savings $5 and the others are exhausted, then the $1 and the $2 are transferred to the savings envelope.

A record is then made of your expenses for the week: Food, $32 ($30 plus $3 less $1); housing, $20; household operation, $10; personal allowance, $15 ($20 less $3 less $2) and savings, $8 ($5 plus $1 plus $2). From time to time savings can be put into a savings account at the bank to earn interest.

The “Spike” System

Another simple method is the “spike” system. Spikes are made for as many groupings of expenses as you need. These spikes could be made of steel wire.

As you pay out money for the various expenses, keep the bills and receipts and place them on the appropriate spike according to the category of expenses. When no bills or receipts are given you, make a note on a piece of paper of what you spend; then place the paper on the spike.

At the end of the set period, the amounts on the bills, receipts and notepaper on each spike are added. Thus the total expense under each heading can be determined.

Paying by Check

There is another simplified system, but this one can be used only by those who have a checking account with a bank. The system is to put the monthly income into the bank and to use checks to pay all important expenses.

Expenses for small items can be met from time to time by withdrawing cash from the bank. Then you can take care of expenses with this cash by means of one of the two systems already mentioned.

At the end of the month, the canceled checks, other than those for cash withdrawals, are sorted into the different types of expenses, and the total of each category is determined. The totals of the categories of cash are then added to the totals of the respective categories for the canceled checks to give the expense under each heading for the month.

Accounts Book or Forms

For those who like to keep detailed records, the system of recording expenses on sheets of paper or in an accounts book is used. Accounts books are available in many stores. However, some of them provide for more record keeping than is necessary, and so, many persons have found it better to make up their own accounts sheets.

A simple form of accounts sheet will show the type of expense at the top of the sheet, with three columns to enter information as to the date, particulars and amount spent.

Whenever you pay out money, keep a record of it on the appropriate sheet. At the end of the period, each sheet is totaled and thus the expense under each category is determined.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Each of the four systems has certain advantages and disadvantages. For example, although the envelope system is simple, for it to be really successful you have to be honest with yourself. You may take out $5 from an envelope to spend under a certain category. You may actually spend only $3.50. If meaningful summaries are to be obtained, then the $1.50 left must either be returned to the envelope or, if spent on something else, a note should be made of the transfer from one envelope to the other.

Also, you may take money from two envelopes and have change left from both categories of expense. The change may become mixed and then you may not know how much belongs to each category. In this case you will find that keeping your bills will help you to find out the amount spent under each category.

As for the “spike” system, you do not always get receipts for payments. At the time of payment you may not have paper and pencil handy to make a note, and the expense may be forgotten. In such cases a pocket notebook could be carried so that such information can be kept.

The checking account system is a good one, but banks may make a service charge for transactions. This could become costly if many checks have to be made out each month.

The detailed record keeping will be successful only if you are keen on keeping records. The work involved is not really difficult, but to succeed you need to develop the good habit of recording expenses promptly. If a few days go by before you write down the information, you may try to remember what happened and find that you rely on guesswork.

So, these systems have their pros and cons. Select the one most suited to your temperament and circumstances. Develop good record-keeping habits.

Review of Monthly Expenses

Having obtained your expenses for the month under the main headings, the next step is to summarize these expenses at the end of the month. The purpose in making this monthly summary is for the review of the trend of your expenses. This will enable you to make any adjustments if you observe any undesirable trends creeping in. This will help you in planning how to spend your income and thus gain the optimum use of your money.

So you do not keep track of your expenses for the sake of keeping records. The recording of expenses alone means nothing. To be of real value, the results must be used to compare expenses in other periods. Then you can determine trends and make adjustments as circumstances warrant. Or the results may be used in connection with a budget or plan, comparing one with the other. If you take action to correct matters whenever undesirable trends begin to show themselves, then this will help you to live more in harmony with your life’s goals.

Knot-tying Fish

◆ The eel-shaped hagfish is a most unusual creature. It has three hearts, no jaws, no stomach and has teeth on its tongue. When it is disturbed it can produce a large quantity of tenacious slime. It has the unique ability of being able to loop its body into a knot and then pull itself through this knot so as to wipe off from its body slime that could block gill openings.

Echoes of Christendom’s Thirty Years’ War

IT IS very difficult for some persons to understand how Catholics and Protestants could be fighting each other in this twentieth century. If you are one who finds such a thing hard to comprehend, take a look at a little history for an explanation. For example, the Thirty Years’ War that ravaged Germany in the seventeenth century (1618-1648) is most revealing in this regard.

The Prelude

It was October 31, 1517, or 101 years before the Thirty Years’ War began, when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses on the door of a Catholic church in Wittenberg, Germany. That Reformation spawned a series of conflicts that dragged on for many years. Finally, the political questions seemed to have been settled by the Treaty of Passau in 1552, and then in 1555 the Treaty of Augsburg dealt with the religious ones. Charles V, Spanish emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and bitter foe of Protestantism, failing in his efforts to stamp out Lutheranism by fraud and force, was compelled to make the concessions these treaties represented.

Among the concessions won by the Lutheran princes in the Augsburg religious peace treaty were certain religious freedoms: each prince could choose the religion for his own land. Anyone who did not agree with the religion of his prince was free to move to a land whose prince had the same religion as his. Also Lutherans became members of the imperial court of justice. Proselyting was forbidden, and it was agreed that when a bishop or abbot changed his religion the Catholic Church retained title to his property.

As a result of this treaty, in one Rhineland area, the people were obliged either to change their religion four times in succession or move to another prince’s territory. Another weakness of this treaty was that no provision was made for Protestants who were not Lutherans, such as the Calvinists; a flaw for which the Lutherans as much as the Catholics were to blame.

Charles V, who had been emperor since 1519, retired to a monastery in 1556, a year after the Augsburg Treaty, and died two years later. After him came several Hapsburg emperors who were not inclined to fight the spread of Protestantism. One of them even seems to have been quite favorable toward it.

But then, as the New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 14, p. 98, tells it, “the Austrian Hapsburgs, encouraged by Jesuits, Capuchins, and Spanish zeal, fostered a militant policy of religious conquest and conversion. . . . In 1618, when the Bohemian estates accused the imperial government of violating their sovereign rights and [religious] privileges, they forcibly ejected the imperial emissaries by the defenestration of Prague, thereby proclaiming their rebellion against Hapsburg rule.” What happened was this: The Bohemian representatives threw the more contemptuous and imperious of the emperor’s emissaries out of the window​—a way of expressing protest known as “defenestration.” Although falling some sixty or seventy feet, they suffered little harm, as it seems they landed on a pile of soft manure. But this particular act sparked the Thirty Years’ War in Germany between Catholics and Protestants.

The Bohemian and Danish Phases

The Bohemians rose up in arms and at first were quite successful, defeating the imperial army. They even chose their own king, Frederick V​—an ill-advised move that turned out disastrously. The Catholic king, Ferdinand II, whom they had refused to recognize, was made emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, and this enabled him to muster forces that soon put down the Bohemian rebellion. He had the temperament for just such a war, having been educated by the Jesuits. For him the voice of a Jesuit or a monk was the voice of God and he openly stated that he would rather rule over a desert than over a heretical land. As one historian observed, he almost succeeded in making Germany a desert but did not succeed in wiping out ‘heresy.’ He lost no time in instituting a policy of “death sentences, imprisonment, and confiscation of land” by which he “eradicated rebel opposition and weakened Protestant strength.”​—New Catholic Encyclopedia.a

The Bohemian phase lasted from 1618 to 1620. Next came Christian IV, king of Denmark, in defense of the Protestants. Fearing at once religious as well as political domination by the Catholic house of Hapsburg, he entered Germany with his armies to oppose this twofold threat. However, even as with the Bohemians, his victories were short-lived. Count Tilly, the able general at the head of the armies of the Catholic League (which had been formed to oppose the Protestant Union), and General Wallenstein, who with his mercenaries was hired by Ferdinand II, were able to administer to King Christian such decisive defeats that he was glad to sue for peace and withdraw to his own country. This Danish phase of the Thirty Years’ War lasted from 1625 to 1629.

These victories over the Protestants emboldened Ferdinand II to issue the Edict of Restitution in 1629. “This comprehensive religious settlement,” the above-cited Catholic authority tells us, “represented the height of Catholic reaction.” It robbed the Protestants of all their hard-won gains over the previous eighty years. It was a turning of the clock of freedom back with a vengeance, and was considered by Ferdinand II an important step in his Jesuit-inspired goal to wipe out the Reformation. However, this was not without a counter-reaction. Some of the Protestant princes, who had been indifferent to the Protestant cause up until now, were awakened to the real danger that was facing them.

Gustavus Adolphus to the Rescue

Next to take up the cause of German Protestantism in this war that was to last thirty years was the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, a military genius. He entered the conflict after it had been raging for twelve years and would have done so sooner had he not been at war with the Poles. He arrived in June 1630 with a small but well-disciplined army of 15,000 Swedes. In keeping with his religious convictions, he knelt in prayer upon arriving on German soil and required that his army engage in public prayer twice daily.

At first he met with very little cooperation, the German princes viewing him with indifference, envy or fear. But with the fall of the city of Magdeburg (which Gustavus might have prevented had certain German princes not opposed him) he began to get a little more cooperation. Ferdinand II at first had only contempt for Gustavus, sneeringly referring to him as the “Snow King” that would soon melt when he reached warmer climes, but later he was obliged to revise his opinion of this “Snow King.” The Swedish king, by reason of his military skill and thoroughly disciplined army, won one victory after the other. In one of these battles the emperor’s most able general, Count Tilly, was slain.

Ferdinand II had earlier dismissed his general Wallenstein at the instance of his princes who complained about the way Wallenstein’s mercenaries were devastating their lands; those mercenaries plundering the lands of friends and foe alike. But in the face of the successes of Gustavus, Emperor Ferdinand was obliged to recall Wallenstein, who now held out for such high terms that it was said he became the master, and the emperor his servant. However, able as Wallenstein was, he too met defeat at the hands of Gustavus, but in a succeeding battle Gustavus lost his life.

The Crime Against Magdeburg

Magdeburg literally means the burg or city of the maid. It was a city of Protestants who were proud of their record. Repeatedly they had repulsed attacks by Catholic forces; they had even resisted a siege for a whole year during the reign of Catholic Emperor Charles V. Now, nearly a century later, they taunted the demands of the emperor’s generals to surrender. They were confident that Gustavus would soon succor them. But General Tilly and Pappenheim had their forces storm the city, after it had been besieged for a month, and it fell. However, it seems that the conditions within the city itself had a bearing on its fall.

Concerning the fall of Magdeburg, the German historian Friedrich Schiller wrote: “Here commenced a scene of horrors for which history has no language, poetry no pencil. Neither innocent childhood, nor helpless old age; neither youth, sex, rank, nor beauty could disarm the fury of the conquerors. Wives were abused in the arms of their husbands, daughters at the feet of their parents; and the defenseless sex was exposed to the double sacrifice of virtue and life. . . . In a single church fifty-three women were found beheaded. The Croats amused themselves with throwing children into the flames; Pappenheim’s Walloons with stabbing infants at the mother’s breast.”

When some officers of the Catholic League, horror-struck at what they saw, reminded General Tilly that he could order a stop to these atrocities, he replied, “Return in an hour. . . . I will see what I can do; the soldier must have some reward for his dangers and toils.” To clear the streets, more than six thousand bodies were thrown into the river Elbe, and a much greater number of bodies were consumed by the flames. The plunder and carnage were stopped by the flames​—but only for a time. The total number who perished is estimated at 30,000.

What the historian Trench has to say about the Thirty Years’ War was especially true of the crime against Magdeburg: “It was indeed the bitterest irony of all, that this War, which claimed at the outset to be waged for the highest religious objects, for the glory of God and for the highest interests of his Church, should be signalized ere long by a more shameless treading under foot of all laws human and divine, disgraced by worse and wickeder outrages against God, and against man, the image of God, than probably any war which modern Christendom has seen.”

More and More Political

Gustavus, in the matter of two years, from 1630 to 1632, succeeded in turning the tide in favor of the Protestants; thereafter theirs was no longer a lost cause. But only because Catholic France came to the aid of the Protestants. How so? Because Cardinal Richelieu, the power behind the throne in France, was determined not to let the House of Hapsburg dominate Europe. So now religion receded into the background and political considerations came more and more to the fore. These years saw the worst phases of the war. Both sides took to plundering. Famine conditions got so bad that cannibalism became widespread, graves were robbed of the newly buried, gibbets were robbed of their victims, children and prisoners disappeared mysteriously. To top it all, pestilence raged through the land. The war not only greatly impoverished Germany, it also reduced the population from some 30 to some 12 million.

No wonder that from time to time each side got weary of the fighting and showed signs of willingness to negotiate. These negotiations finally resulted in the Treaty of Westphalia. France and Sweden, having been largely victorious, had the major say in the peace terms. France saw to it that she got certain territories she greatly coveted, and the Swedes, while getting some territorial advantages, were chiefly concerned with religious benefits. Mainly as a result of their efforts the treaty granted religious freedom to ever so many who had not enjoyed it before. Thus Calvinists and other Protestants were accorded the same rights as the Lutherans, rights that went even beyond those granted by the Augsburg Treaty and which had been nullified by Ferdinand’s 1629 Edict of Restitution.

Christendom as Unchristian as Ever

But is all this merely interesting history? No, because it has a bearing on current events. Today in Ulster, Ireland, there are professed Christians, Catholics and Protestants, hating and killing each other. Time magazine, July 13, 1970, reported: “A pall of anger hung over Ulster last week following the fiercest battles between Catholics and Protestants in eight months. In addition to the seven dead, at least 250 people were wounded or injured, stores and pubs were fire-bombed and buses were overturned to make barricades.” And U.S. News & World Report, October 26, 1970, quoted a top Ulster official as saying: “This country is ungovernable. No one agrees on what is to be done. Ulster is a paradox​—a small, insignificant place, but devilishly difficult to govern.” And practically all there profess to be Christians, either Catholics or Protestants!

Throughout the rest of the world, too, Christendom belies by its fruits its claim to be Christian. Widespread crime and violence, political corruption and corporate greed, drug addiction and loose morals are evident everywhere. And in particular do wars between professing Christians belie their claim to be followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves.” Clearly all those fighting with carnal or fleshly weapons are not followers of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.​—John 13:34, 35.

[Footnotes]

How They Found the Truth

“HOW did you get the truth?” Is this a strange question to you? Probably so. But among Jehovah’s witnesses it is one often asked and one that they delight to answer. In fact, when Witnesses become acquainted with other Witnesses they almost always ask this question in the course of their association.

The Witness who is asked this question understands it to mean: How did he learn God’s truth as taught in the Holy Bible? What was his experience in his taking up God’s pure worship with the hope of gaining eternal life as promised by man’s Creator?​—Titus 1:2.

Hearing such joyful experiences enhances one’s appreciation for the happiness that comes to those finding God’s truth. This spurs one on to try to help others to get this truth that leads to eternal life. Most importantly, these experiences strengthen one’s faith in God. They show how powerfully Jehovah’s truth is at work today and how he is leading sincere people to it.​—1 Thess. 2:13.

Those Who Searched for It

Many honest-hearted persons find that their spiritual needs are not satisfied by the teachings and traditions of their church. You may be one of these. Some persons have searched for the truth of God by visiting churches of different denominations in hopes of finding the one that teaches it and practices it. They have prayed to God to help them to find the true religion based on the Bible.

In New York one such person who searched for God’s truth and found it said: “In my early youth I went to both the Methodist and Catholic churches. This was because my uncle was a Methodist minister and my mother was of his faith, while my father was a Catholic. When I grew older my father insisted that I become a Catholic, and I did so. I became very involved in the church’s activities, even serving as an altar boy. I felt that I wanted to be near God and to serve him.

“In the course of time I noticed that certain church practices were not in accord with the Bible. Its various money-raising schemes bothered me. For example, they set up boxes in the vestibule of the church with attendants to collect money from those entering and leaving. Even my father complained that the church was getting to be like a theater where you have to pay to enter. I remembered learning that Jesus threw out money changers from God’s temple.​—Luke 19:45, 46.

“I now began searching for the truth of God by going to the Episcopal church and Baptist street meetings. I even planned to go to a synagogue to see if the truth was there. The week I planned to do this was when I finally found the truth. A witness of Jehovah who called on me but could not speak English well was returning with one who could. We met by chance in a park near my home. I was coming home from a Baptist street meeting and my Bible was under my arm. I asked the Witness if she could explain the Bible and she said that she thought she could. ‘Fine,’ I said, ‘explain the meaning of Revelation 17!’ and I handed her my Bible.

“I had asked others about this but none could explain it. This Witness took my Bible and began explaining the various symbolisms in this chapter and I knew that she was telling me the truth of God. After explaining many verses, she turned to Matthew 24:3-8 and showed how World War I, the famines, pestilences and earthquakes since 1914 C.E. were a fulfillment of the prophecy concerning ‘the conclusion of the system of things.’ I easily saw the truthfulness of this, and my excitement knew no bounds. I asked her what I should do and she told me about the meetings at the Kingdom Hall.

“After we parted, I danced home singing: ‘I found the truth! I found the truth!’ Within two weeks I was attending the meetings, having a Witness help me learn the Bible and going out and telling others what I was happily learning. In my heart I know that God saw to it that I met one of his Witnesses that warm June evening twenty-four years ago and I have happily served as one of them ever since.”

Spiritual Emptiness Stimulates Curiosity About Truth

Not everyone goes out investigating various religions. Yet the feeling of spiritual emptiness often causes persons to inquire of others when the opportunity presents itself. This is what led a family living in upstate New York to find the truth. The wife reports:

“My husband and I were good Catholics, faithfully attending Mass with our two sons. One day I said to my husband, ‘Dear, we went to church again this morning and what did we gain? Nothing! I feel empty. What do you think?’ He replied that he felt the same way. I then said, ‘Someday I think we are going to stop altogether!’

“Just about the time this feeling was developing, we met one of Jehovah’s witnesses whom we were hiring to pave the driveway of our home. As we talked to him he mentioned his religious activities and we became curious about his religion. We asked him many questions about it and, seeing that our curiosity was actually interest; he arranged to help us learn the Bible. In a short time we saw that we had inadvertently found the satisfying truth of God!

“Our priest, noticing that we stopped attending Mass, came to visit me. I told him that we were now studying the Bible with Jehovah’s witnesses. ‘God help her!’ he exclaimed and added, ‘Think of your children!’ I asked him to prove from the Bible the teachings of the church. All he could say was that they were a mystery or a church tradition. He could not put his finger on one scripture in the Bible. He left completely frustrated. I was thrilled, for his inability to show Biblical support for Catholic teachings strengthened my conviction that I had found the true way to worship God. I think that I thanked Jehovah a hundred times that afternoon for helping me to take my stand for his truth.”

How One Who Had Lost Faith Found the Truth

Some persons who have lost faith in God nevertheless have hearts that are receptive to God’s truth. Consider, for example, the experience of a former World War II naval officer. His observations of the inhumanity of war, the clergy’s conduct during the war and his subsequent college training in Massachusetts left him an agnostic. He tells what happened when he went to New York city to visit his relatives who are Jehovah’s witnesses:

“My Witness relatives knew how I felt about religion and did not try to preach to me. One day I read one of their booklets exposing the hypocrisy and false doctrines of the church. I found that I agreed with many things it said. So I began reading more of their literature, usually when they were not home. At last I learned the answer to a question that was very perplexing to me! Why was wickedness so rampant in the earth if there was a God? I found the Bible’s answer: God was permitting it only for a specific time, but soon it would end, along with this corrupt system of things. I rejoiced to learn that a new order would be established on earth righting the wrongs afflicting mankind over the centuries.​—Rom. 9:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:3, 4.

“Before many weeks passed, my intensive reading made me realize that I had found the truth of God. During this time I attended some churches in New York city to compare what they were saying with what I was learning. It was immediately obvious to me that the message of the churches was shallow, unscriptural and thoroughly unsatisfying. Since then my faith has increased yearly as I have observed with delight the Bible’s prophecies undergoing fulfillment.”

Yes, the truth of God is a precious treasure that brings great happiness to those who find it. (Ps. 119:162) Not only does it open up the prospect of everlasting life in paradise but it frees one from false religious ideas, fear of man and enslavement to sinful practices that bring grief.​—John 8:32.

Have you obtained Bible literature from Jehovah’s witnesses, perhaps the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life? If so, then no doubt the Witnesses have called back offering to help you to learn the Bible. We urge you to take advantage of this offer now, trusting that you too will experience the joy that comes to one who finds the truth!

A Reason for Medical Modesty

● There are members of the medical profession who are prone to express themselves quite dogmatically. So often, they are absolutely sure that their judgment is right and should not be questioned by the ‘layman.’ But what are the facts?

Highlighting the mistakes doctors make in diagnosing patients is the article appearing in the New York State Journal of Medicine, August 1, 1967. It is entitled “Lack of Correlation Between Antemortem and Postmortem Diagnoses.” That is, it shows where autopsies contradicted the diagnosis made by the physician while the patient was still alive. After stating, “Literature abounds with examples of antemortem versus postmortem discrepancies,” the article gives some statistics regarding eleven kinds of diseased conditions.

Among other things it reports that in pulmonary embolism, such as a blood clot in the circulatory system of the lungs, less than 50 percent had been diagnosed correctly; the errors ranging from 10 to 89 percent, depending upon the series. Diagnoses of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, that is, bleeding from the stomach or the intestines, were found to be mistaken 33 percent of the time. The majority of cases of renal infarction (areas of dead tissue in the kidneys) were not recognized prior to death; the same was true in the great majority of cases of myocarditis, that is, inflammation of the muscular wall of the heart.

In France, autopsies of 1,000 cases showed that only 55.4 percent had been accurately diagnosed beforehand. And in 23.5 percent there were serious secondary disease conditions discovered only after death.

A case in point: A woman who had a habit of gagging while eating died from choking while eating in a restaurant. Two doctors diagnosed it as a serious form of heart attack. An autopsy, however, showed that she had choked on a piece of steak. A correct diagnosis might have saved her life.

This medical article further comments: “That autopsies often correct diagnoses . . . is an objective commentary on how much medicine still has to learn.”

Since this is so, is not modesty a virtue that members of the medical profession should cultivate?

The Piñata and Its Use

By “Awake!” correspondent in Mexico

“HIT it, hit it, hit it! To the right! Lower! Now higher!”

What’s happening? Why so much shouting by children and adults? Why so much excitement?

As we approach the group, we see two men from two adjacent roofs holding a cord from which an object that looks like a three-pointed star is suspended. “What is that?” we ask.

“It’s a piñata,” the children shout.

A number of blindfolded children have taken turns in trying to break the piñata with a stick. But the men have prevented it by pulling the cord to move the piñata away. Finally, a blindfolded boy strikes the piñata a tremendous blow. It breaks open, and its contents spill onto the floor. There are all kinds of fruit, pieces of sugarcane, oranges, peanuts, tejocotes (a sloe-like fruit), and so forth.

The children scramble to see how much each one can pick up. After a few minutes nothing is left on the floor except broken pottery and scraps of crepe paper. The cones, which had given the piñata the appearance of a three-pointed star, are taken by the children as trophies.

Our curiosity is aroused. We want to know more about the piñata. What is its origin? Why is it used in Mexico and other Latin-American countries? Is there any significance to breaking it?

Religious Connections

The origin of piñatas is not definitely known. But it is believed that the famous Venetian traveler Marco Polo brought them from the Orient to his native city in Italy. Later, in Spain, their use became a part of religious celebrations. Following the Spanish conquest in the western hemisphere they were introduced in Mexico. The materials used to make piñatas are a clay pot, crepe paper, a little glue and cardboard to give form to the figure.

Catholic teachers employed piñatas in giving the Indian natives religious instruction. They were used, for instance, in connection with Lent, which is observed from Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday. Even today they are used in some places. On the day before Easter a piñata figure of Judas Iscariot is broken, scattering candies that children scamper to pick up.

Piñatas also came to be used in connection with Christmas. A modern writer notes: “Indians were very fond of theatrical representations in the development of rituals. The friars started to put on theatrical representations in connection with the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.” Breaking the piñata came to be the final part of such a theatrical representation.

It was around the year 1587 C.E. that an Augustinian friar by the name of Diego de Doria received authorization from the Pope to hold Masses during nine days before Christmas. The tradition was taught to the natives that before the birth of Jesus, Joseph and Mary searched for nine days to find lodging. The Bible, however, does not say this. It is just a man-made tradition.

The Posada was the celebration introduced to teach this tradition. It enacted the supposed nine-day search of Mary and Joseph. A young man and young woman were chosen to represent Joseph and Mary. It became the custom to form a group that would sing and pray as they went around pretending to look for lodging. People would gather in church for this theatrical representation.

Later, the celebration was also carried on in the homes of the people, who organized their own Posada. With the passing of time, clay, plaster of Paris and wooden figures of Joseph and Mary were substituted for human representations of them. It became the custom for two children to lead the procession carrying the figures of Joseph and Mary.

Families in Mexico look forward to the Posada on each of the nine nights before Christmas day. Children leading the procession go from room to room, being refused admittance until they come to the room where a nacimiento or nativity scene has been constructed with a miniature well-adorned stable. Here they are admitted and they place the figures of Joseph and Mary in the stable. It is not until the last night of the Posada that a figure representing the babe Jesus is placed there.

The celebration comes to its end with the breaking of the piñata. These piñatas may have many different forms​—ships, clowns, devils, three-pointed stars, rabbits, radishes, watermelons, and so forth. Nowadays the host may invite everyone into his courtyard. There blindfolded persons take turns in trying to strike the piñata, which may be suspended by a cord from the porch roof or a branch of a tree.

Catholic teachers have placed great significance on the use of the piñata in this religious celebration. They have taught that the piñata represents the Devil or a bad spirit. The fact that the person who tries to break the piñata has his eyes covered indicates that he should have blind faith that will overcome the Devil. The articles that are put in the piñata represent the temptations that man has during his life. And breaking the piñata means that he has gained eternal life.

Modern Trend

Nowadays the Posada in Mexico features disorder, drunkenness and criminal activity. The celebrations are used as an excuse for wild and immoral living. Persons frequently are killed, and others are robbed and injured. Police are kept extra busy during these celebrations.

One is reminded by the Posada of the early mid-December Roman festival of the Saturnalia. The fact is that encyclopedias say that this pagan festival provided the model for many merrymaking customs of Christmas, of which Posada and the use of the piñata are closely linked.

Today, however, many give little thought to the religious aspects of Posada and the breaking of the piñata. All some businessmen know about it is that selling piñatas is profitable. They may sell for as much as sixteen dollars or so apiece, and during Posada celebrations their cost goes up. Piñatas today are also used extensively for entertainment at social occasions, such as children’s parties and birthday celebrations.

But even though the use of the piñata is quite popular in some places, there are those who have serious misgivings about the false religious practices connected with it.

Hair

● The average number of hairs on the human head is 120,000.

The Coconut Palm and How It Serves You

By “Awake!” correspondent in Fiji

REGARDLESS of where you may live, it is likely that the coconut palm in some way serves you. Some islanders depend upon it for life’s essentials​—food, drink, housing, clothing—​plus many other things. No wonder many call it the tree of life.

But in industrialized nations, too, coconut-palm products are finding widespread use​—in factories, automobiles, kitchens, bathrooms. They are serving to make life safer and more pleasant.

In tropical lands there are over ten million acres of coconut-palm plantations, with some six hundred million trees. This does not include those grown in villages and elsewhere. Since a tree normally produces about fifty to a hundred nuts a year, an annual crop of 30 thousand million would be a conservative estimate, or about nine coconuts for every person on earth every year!

The Tree and Its Nut

A coconut palm usually begins to bear at around seven or eight years. But it is about the tenth to fifteenth year before it reaches full production. Thereafter it may bear up to a hundred nuts a year for more than fifty years. Then it starts to fail, and dies at the age of ninety or so.

The coconut palm needs plenty of water, sunshine and a temperature of at least 72° F. most of the year. Provided these conditions, it sends its gracefully curved, branchless trunk forty to a hundred feet into the air. Its top is crowned with featherlike leaves, flowers and developing nuts. The leaves may reach a length of twenty feet. They have a strong midrib from which long leaflets grow, giving the featherlike appearance.

The ripened nuts are large and have a smooth, light-colored rind. An island visitor looking up at them once asked, “What are those?”

When told, “Coconuts,” he said: “Oh, the ones we buy back home are much smaller, brown and rough textured.”

He was surprised to learn that the actual coconut is encased with a thick protective husk. This is usually removed when the nuts are exported. The nut itself averages about six to ten inches in diameter.

It takes about a year for a nut to ripen. But a tree at any moment may have nuts at all stages of development, from opening flower to ripe nut.

Although the coconut palm can grow inland, it has a remarkable affinity for the sea. The vast majority of them grow on islands, peninsulas and coasts. The islands of the Philippines and Indonesia are the major coconut producers, and the Fiji Islands rank tenth.

How It Serves

The ways in which the coconut palm serves man are almost endless. A delectable salad is prepared from its growing bud, located high in the tree’s top. This tightly packed bundle of cabbage-like leaves is about the size of a man’s forearm. It might be called the “heart,” for when it is cut or damaged the whole tree dies. So a salad made from it is an expensive treat!

The gigantic palm leaves are used in many ways. One authority says that with a hundred of them a spacious dwelling can be constructed. The thatch roof, walls, partitions between rooms, windows and doors are all made of the leaves, as well as baskets, mats, fans, brooms and other items used in the house. Clothing, such as skirts and hats, is also made from the leaves. And they can be utilized as torches and firewood.

A remarkable drink is obtained from the unopened flower buds. When a clump of them are bound tightly, cut and bent over into a container, they begin to drip steadily drops of sweet juice called toddy​—several pints of it a day. When the liquid is permitted to ferment, it makes an alcoholic drink. Or it can be boiled down to produce a fine syrup to use on bread or pancakes. And if it is left a few weeks it becomes a good vinegar.

The unopened flowers are protected by a sheath of stiff, coarse fiber. This is an ideal material for use as a sieve or strainer. And it can also be fashioned into shoes, caps or even a kind of pressed helmet.

In five to six months the nut grows to full size, at which time it contains approximately two glassfuls of a remarkably cool, slightly aromatic, sweet-tasting “water.” What a refreshing drink it is! And it is good for one, possessing vitamins, minerals and about two tablespoons of sugar per nut. It is so wonderfully pure and sterile that it has been used in replacing body fluid in humans, and as a plasma volume expander.

When left to mature, the white nutmeat begins to form inside, becoming firm when the nut is ripe. It is indeed a rich taste treat! When finely grated and pressed, a thick white cream is produced that is used in making fish, meat and vegetables more tasty. And a fine oil used for cooking, lamp fuel and lotions is also obtained from the nutmeat.

The short, stiff fibers of the husks are called coir. From it rope, twine, mats, brooms, brushes, and mattress filling are made. Coir dust is turned into a humus for plants, and a wallboarding is also produced from it.

The coconut’s hard shell is useful in countless ways. Vases, brooches, earrings, necklaces, lampshades, toys, eating utensils, and numerous other items are fashioned from them. Half a shell makes a satisfactory bowl or glass.

Coconut-palm trunks, being highly resistant to termites, make fine supporting posts for houses. They also make sturdy stadium seats and bridges over culverts and creeks. The trunk yields a hard, dark-colored wood called “porcupine wood,” useful in building cabinets.

Even the roots are of use. A bit of root can be utilized as a toothbrush. And roots sometimes are used as a medicine for dysentery, a dye and a mouthwash.

But you may be thinking, ‘I haven’t even seen a real coconut palm. I can’t see that it serves me.’ Nevertheless, it probably does, and not only in shredded form as an ingredient of the candies, cakes and pies you may eat.

Coconut meat is dried to produce what is called copra​—millions of tons of it a year. Then copra is processed for its marvelous oil, rich in glycerin and other complex things. This oil is found in the brake fluid of cars, in shampoos, lotions, lubricants, detergents, soaps, shaving creams, toothpastes, plastics, paints, ice cream, margarine, vegetable shortening, yes, in numerous things you probably use or eat.

The coconut palm is indeed a remarkable tree that no doubt serves you, wherever you may live.

“Your Word Is Truth”

‘Happy They Who Mourn’

CONTRADICTORY, is it not, to say that one who mourns can at the same time be happy? Not necessarily. When Jesus made this seemingly contradictory statement in his Sermon on the Mount he apparently did not have in mind the more common meaning of the word “happy.” Evidently he meant something more than lighthearted cheerfulness.​—Matt. 5:4.

The Greek word for “happy” in this text, makaʹrios, was applied by the Greeks to the supreme bliss, the bliss that the gods were supposed to enjoy. In view of the way the word is used in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and throughout the Christian Greek Scriptures, a more comprehensive meaning of makaʹrios would be ‘happiness due to being favored by God.’

Who, then, are those ‘favored by God’ because they mourn? Just anyone who is sad? No, for the Greek word for “mourn,” pentheʹo, means a deep mourning, a feeling of being crushed. The apostle Paul used this word when censuring the Corinthian congregation because they were not deeply cut to the quick with grief due to the gross immorality in their midst: “And are you puffed up, and did you not rather mourn?” (1 Cor. 5:2) In a similar vein the disciple James censured certain ones in his day: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you indecisive ones. Give way to misery and mourn and weep.”​—Jas. 4:8-10.

That Jesus meant a deep sense of mourning is borne out by Luke’s parallel account: “Happy are you who weep now, because you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21) “Weep” here translates the Greek word klaiʹo, which “is used of any loud expression of grief, especially in mourning for the dead.” (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, W. E. Vine) No doubt about it, a deep mourning, a strong weeping, is what Jesus meant in this second of the beatitudes (happinesses) mentioned in his Sermon on the Mount.

But are all persons who, for any and all reasons, are deeply moved by grief the ones made “happy” or favored by God? Evidently not, for Jesus said that these mourners would be comforted, and yet not all who are crushed in a spirit of grief receive comfort. The motive of the heart enters into the matter. For example, there was Esau, the brother of Jacob, who, because of “not appreciating sacred things, . . . in exchange for one meal gave away his rights as first-born.” Afterward he regretted the exchange and deeply mourned his loss, but to no avail.​—Heb. 12:15-17.

Similarly Judas, the unfaithful apostle, felt remorse after betraying Jesus, yet he ended up a suicide. There will be no comfort either for the rich who mourn over the fall of Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion. They too will perish.​—Matt. 27:3-5; John 12:6; Rev. 18:7, 8, 11, 15, 19; 19:19-21.

Then to whom do the words of Jesus apply? They have primary and direct application to those of his followers who will inherit God’s heavenly kingdom. It is to these that “the kingdom of the heavens belongs,” it is these that “will be called ‘sons of God’ and will actually “see God.”​—Matt. 5:3, 9, 8.

The disciples of Jesus deeply mourned when their Master was put to death on a torture stake. But they were later comforted when he appeared to them after his resurrection. (Luke chapter 24) The apostle Peter deeply mourned because of having denied his Master three times. (Matt. 26:75) However, because he showed godly sorrow he was comforted, being given a threefold commission to feed Jesus’ sheep and lambs, and being privileged to take the lead in preaching the Kingdom good news to both the Jews and the Gentiles.​—John 21:15-17; Acts 2:14-41; 10:34-48.

Jesus’ words, ‘happy they who mourn, who weep,’ had special application to the anointed Christians in modern times who were grieved because of their desolate condition due to the attacks of the enemy. The prophet Isaiah foretold that Jehovah’s anointed One, primarily Jesus Christ, was to “comfort all the mourning ones; to assign to those mourning over Zion, to give them . . . the oil of exultation instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of the downhearted spirit.” These are also the ones of whom it was written: “When Jehovah gathered back the captive ones of Zion, . . . our mouth came to be filled with laughter.” Yes, comfort and laughter were their lot.​—Isa. 61:1-3; Ps. 126:1, 2.

However, the words “happy are those who mourn,” “happy are you who weep now,” also state a principle that applies to others as well. The prophet Ezekiel had a vision of some who were “sighing and groaning over all the detestable things that are being done in the midst of” their city Jerusalem. They in turn were greatly favored by divine preservation when God’s executioners went through that city slaying all those who had not been identified as mourners.​—Ezek. 9:1-7.

These mourning and weeping ones find their counterpart in our day, for Christendom claims to be God’s ‘city,’ even as did Jerusalem. Like that ancient city, Christendom is filled with detestable things​—false religion, sexual and other kinds of immorality and violence. Those with the right heart condition are not indifferent to this situation; they deeply mourn over these things. These are the ones today who also receive God’s favor and are comforted.

By what means? By means of the preaching of the good news of Jehovah God’s kingdom. This message, being brought to such mourners by the Christian witnesses of Jehovah, tells them of God’s purpose to root out from the earth all practicers of wickedness. (Prov. 2:21, 22) It tells them that soon now will be fulfilled the prayer of Christians: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” Surely this is a great comfort to them. And more than that, this good news also tells of the coming of a resurrection of all those in the memorial tombs. Yes, there will be a reuniting of those whom death has separated.​—Matt. 6:9, 10; John 5:28, 29.

Also of great comfort to these mourning ones is the good news that under God’s kingdom nothing will hurt nor destroy, for the knowledge of Jehovah will cover the earth as the waters cover the very seas. (Isa. 11:9) Additionally, by applying to mankind the benefits of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus, God “will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be any more.”​—Rev. 21:4.

Surely with this deeper understanding of what Jesus was saying, all question of contradiction is removed. Truly happy, in an enlarged and greater sense, are those who mourn, who with the right heart condition toward Jehovah God are deeply grieved, for they enjoy God’s favor and are comforted.

Watching the World

China and the U.N.

◆ A commission appointed by President Nixon recommended that the People’s Republic of China be admitted to membership in the United Nations, ending American opposition. However, it also recommended keeping a seat for Nationalist China on Taiwan. Observers state that such a ‘two Chinas’ policy is unacceptable to Peking.

Government Influence Expands

◆ The influence and control of public affairs by the federal government in the United States is constantly growing. In the ten years between 1960 and 1970 the population grew 13 percent. However, government spending rose ten times as fast, by 130 percent, and federal taxes increased by 113 percent. Also, the number of employees working for the government jumped 51 percent, about four times the growth in population.

Welfare Up, Jobs Down

◆ New York city’s woes continue to grow. The number of persons on welfare rose to a staggering 1,195,603 at the end of March. This was an average monthly increase over the last nine months of more than 13,000, compared with an original estimate of 5,500. At the same time, the number of jobs in the city declined.

No ‘Peace Dividend’

◆ The withdrawal of American troops from Vietnam during the last two years has cut in half the cost of the Indochina war. But due to inflation and the rise in other government spending, any savings that could have been diverted to more urgent needs have all but vanished, concludes the Brookings Institution. Even with reduced war costs, large deficits are foreseen for the federal budget in the present and coming fiscal years.

Arms Spending at Peak

◆ World military spending reached an all-time peak of about $204 thousand million in 1970. That is the equivalent of a year’s income produced by 1.8 thousand million people in the poorer half of the world.

High Heroin Use

◆ After visiting Southeast Asia, two congressmen report that heroin addiction among American troops in Vietnam is of epidemic proportions. Officials indicate that 15 percent, or more, were using high-grade heroin, and that between 40 and 60 percent use some form of drugs.

Army in Lowest Esteem

◆ Former Army Chief of Staff and NATO Supreme Commander General Matthew Ridgway stated: “Not before in my lifetime has the army’s public image suffered so many grievous blows and fallen to such low esteem in such wide areas of our society.” Some reasons are the massacres of Vietnamese civilians by American troops and planes, high military spending, embezzlement charges against senior army men, awarding of battlefield decorations to officers for acts not performed, and the sentencing of a former general, the army’s top law-enforcement officer, to jail for criminal acts.

Car Repair a Problem

◆ Two Wall Street Journal reporters deliberately made defective a 99-cent part in an automobile’s motor. They took the car to twelve repair shops to see if widespread reports of overcharging were true. Mechanics at three failed to find the trouble. Mechanics at six others fixed the part but added an array of unneeded parts and labor to raise the bill, one charging over $54. Of two high estimates, one said repairs would cost $130. Just one fixed the trouble and charged only for that.

Record Car Imports

◆ Sales of foreign cars in the United States set a record in April. About 144,000 were sold, 16 percent of the total. This shocked American manufacturers who had hoped their own recently introduced small cars would cut down imports. Leading the imports was Germany’s Volkswagen, with over 54,000. Following was Japan’s fast-increasing Toyota, at over 24,000, and Datsun at nearly 19,000.

Abortion Rate Climbs

◆ In 1968 California’s abortion rate was 15 for every 1,000 live births. Toward the end of 1970 the rate rose to about 300. In Japan the rate is said to be 912, and in Hungary 1,356 for every 1,000 live births.

Fat Babies​—Fat Adults?

◆ Researchers suggest that people who were fat as infants will likely stay fat as adults. Dr. Hans Neuberg, a New York obesity specialist, says the cure rate for such obesity “is worse than the cure rate for cancer of the stomach.” If a baby is overfed, the number of fat cells can triple or quadruple during the first few months of its life. Those cells appear to stay permanently, which causes the problem later on.

Transfusions Caused Rare Infections

◆ For several months, doctors at the National Institutes of Health at Bethesda, Maryland, were mystified as to the source of an outbreak of severe bacterial infections among patients. Seven patients contracted a rare disease, and one of them died. After persistent detective work, the source of the infection was found​—transfused blood. It came from a donor who made a profit by selling his blood for money about twice a week during the past four years. He was not aware that he had a serious bone infection that was transmitted to others through the blood.

More Evidence Against Marijuana

◆ Two Philadelphia psychiatrists report a consistent pattern of mental disarrangement in 38 young people who habitually smoked marijuana. None of them had experienced mental problems before. Those who smoked marijuana four or five times a week had gross nervous disorders, including slurred speech, staggered gait, hand tremors, thought disorders and disturbance in depth perception. Even those who smoked two or three a week experienced disorders. Of the 18 girls in the study, none had been sexually promiscuous before smoking marijuana. But, afterward all of them were, seven becoming pregnant and four others contracting venereal diseases. Five engaged in homosexual activities and three attempted suicide.

Addicted to Petrol

◆ An eleven-year-old Australian boy was admitted to a psychiatric hospital because he was hopelessly addicted to inhaling petrol (gasoline) fumes. He told police that under the spell of the fumes he could see “monsters, animals and distorted faces.” The child became addicted after inhaling fumes from petrol taken from a lawn mower. He said that he could not stop inhaling the fumes because a voice inside him kept saying: “Sniff the petrol, sniff the petrol.” When he attempted to stop further inhaling, he said the “voices” overpowered him so that he continued.

Swordfish Called Dangerous

◆ The American Food and Drug Administration warned the public to stop eating swordfish. More than 90 percent of samples tested contained excessive amounts of mercury.

Asbestos Fabric a Hazard

◆ Coats made from a fabric that included asbestos were termed a health hazard by Dr. Irving J. Selikoff of New York. About 100,000 such coats already have been distributed. It is said that asbestos can be responsible for lung cancer and tumors. The danger is great to garment workers, for brushing or rubbing the material can produce asbestos levels in the air 10,000 times what is normal.

Advanced Degrees Losing Appeal

◆ Many youths attending high-prestige colleges are losing interest in advanced degrees. A declining percentage want to go on to graduate school. Harvard and Radcliffe report that some of their graduates are driving cabs, selling organic foods and working as telephone linemen and cabinet-makers. Contributing to the new mood are declining job opportunities for those with Ph.D. degrees, the ending of draft deferment for those in graduate schools, drying up of fellowship funds and a lack of desire for vocations that would get them into the executive-type ‘rat race.’

Colleges Closing

◆ Colleges in the United States have fallen on hard times financially. In the last two years, 39 have closed, branches of 7 others have shut down, and 28 have merged with others to stay open. Many others are cutting faculties, dropping courses and suspending building programs in an attempt to cut budgets. Dr. Allan Cartter, chancellor of New York University, said to a congressional committee: “There is hardly a college, public or private, that does not find itself over-committed in terms of its suddenly diminished real resources.”

Teacher Caught Cheating

◆ Some teachers in American schools have been caught cheating. They gave out answers to test questions before they gave out the questions. While a student’s test scores may be improved temporarily this way, the child is the real loser. By not studying to get his own answers, he is not cultivating the ability to learn. As these children go through the school system, and life, they will be increasingly handicapped. As it is, an estimated 7,000,000 schoolchildren cannot read properly now.

Wave of Burglaries

◆ Figures supplied by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that between 1960 and 1969 daytime burglaries in the United States increased 286 percent. Nighttime burglaries increased 108 percent. There is now one burglary every 16 seconds throughout the country.

Robbers Executed

◆ Nigeria’s first public execution of robbers took place in the capital city, Lagos. Tens of thousands witnessed the event.

London’s Subways Dangerous

◆ London’s Underground, its subway system, is growing more dangerous. The Guardian Weekly quotes police as saying: “We have lost, perhaps forever, any right to the claim that the Underground is safe at any time of the day or night. . . . The number of assault and rob cases, the number of bloody, vicious attacks on travellers and station staff are on the increase.”

Truck Thefts Soar

◆ Thefts of loaded trucks, either at terminals, warehouses and docks, or hijacked while on the highway, are a growing problem in parts of the United States. New York city hijackings have nearly tripled in two years, from 119 to 318, and thefts of loaded trucks parked or unattended grew from 1,850 to 2,323. In Miami, truck hijacking is four times what it was three years ago. Most thefts are carried out by professional thieves, since disposing of the cargoes is a complex affair.

Art Thieves Busy

◆ Artworks in Italy are being stolen at the rate of one a day according to officials there.

Sick World

◆ Columnist Jim Bishop spoke of the time gone by “when daddy was the font of knowledge at the dinner table; when peace and security were the norm; when an academic argument was a pleasure; when respect was accorded unasked.” But, he said, “it’s gone, and I extend an empty hand to an empty world.” He noted that now the world was filled with international tension, suspicion and hate, adding that “we have lost the definition of truth and justice. . . . Where is truth? What is justice?” This brings to mind the prophetic words of the Bible writer Isaiah, who foretold: “Justice has come to be far away . . . and the truth proves to be missing.”​—Isa. 59:9, 15.

Build On A Firm Foundation

Unless you build your faith on a firm foundation it will collapse like a house built on sand. The truth of God’s inspired Word, the Bible, is the firmest foundation you can find.

How each of the sixty-six books of the Bible can benefit you and make your faith strong is clearly pointed out in “All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial.”

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When All Nations Collide, Head On, With God

Hear this thrilling public talk to be given at the district assemblies of Jehovah’s witnesses during the summer of 1971.

Select the date and place that is convenient for you from those listed below. The talk is at 3 p.m. on the last day of each five-day assembly. You are welcome to attend all five days, but be sure that you do not miss this principal discourse. No collections will be taken.

UNITED STATES

JUNE 30–JULY 4: Cincinnati, Ohio, River Front Stadium, 201 E. 2nd St. Jersey City, N.J., Roosevelt Stadium, Danforth Ave. & Rte. 440. New York, N.Y., Yankee Stadium, 157th St. & River Ave.

JULY 7-11: Flint, Mich., I.M.A. Auditorium, 901 E. 2nd Ave. Greensboro, N.C., Greensboro Coliseum, 1921 W. Lee St. Jackson, Mich., Fairgrounds Grandstand, 200 W. Ganson St. Jersey City, N.J. (Spanish and French), Roosevelt Stadium, Danforth Ave. & Rte. 440. Lansing, Mich., Civic Center, 505 W. Allegan St. Lincoln, Neb., Pershing Auditorium, 15th & M Sts. Port Huron, Mich., McMorran Memorial Auditorium, 701 McMorran Blvd. Sioux Falls, S. Dak., Sioux Falls Arena, 1201 N. West Ave.

JULY 14-18: Albuquerque, N. Mes., Tingley Coliseum, New Mexico State Fairgrounds, 6715 Central Ave. NE. Anchorage, Alaska, Anchorage West High School, Roming Auditorium, 1700 Hillcrest Dr. Fort Worth, Tex. (Spanish also), Will Rogers Memorial Center, 1 Amon Carter Sq. Los Angeles, Calif., Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave. Memphis, Tenn., Mid-South Coliseum, Mid-South Fairgrounds. Milwaukee, Wis., County stadium, 201 N. 46th St. Philadelphia, Pa., Veterans Stadium, S. Broad & Pattison Ave. Portland, Ore., Portland Civic Stadium, SW. 18th & Morrison. Pueblo, Colo., Fairgrounds Grandstand, Colorado State Fairgrounds, Beulah & Summit Aves. San Antonio, Tex., San Antonio Convention Center, S. Alamo & Market Sts. San Francisco, Calif., Kezar Stadium, Golden Gate Park, Frederick & Stanyan Sts.

JULY 21-25: Chicago, III. (Spanish only), Jehovah’s Witnesses Assembly Hall, 7859 S. Ashland Ave. Corpus Christi, Tex. (Spaish only), Memoriall Coliseum, 402 W. Shoreline. Pomona, Calif. (Spanish only), Fairgrounds Grandstand, Los Angeles County Fairgrounds, Cor. White & Mckinley. Shreveport, La., Hirsch Memorial Coliseum, State Fairgrounds. Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii, Baldwin High School Auditorium.

JULY 28-AUJGUST 1: Atlanta, Ga. (Spanish also), Atlanta Stadium, 521 Capitol Ave. SW. Buffalo, N.Y., War Memorial Stadium, Cor. Best St. & Jefferson Ave. Greenville, S.C., Greenville Memorial Auditorium, 300 E. North St. Spokane, Wash., Spokane Coliseum, 1101 N. Howard St. Tulsa, Okla., Tulsa Assembly Center, 100 Civic Center.

AUGUST 4-8: Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, Kauai War Memorial Convention Hall.

AUGUST 18-22: Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii, Kalani High School Auditorium, 4860 Kalanianaole Hwy.

BRITISH ISLES

JULY 7-11: Sunderland, Roker Park.

JULY 21-25: Dublin, Irish Republic, Top Hat Ballroom, Dun Laoghaire, County Dublin. Manchester, Manchester City Football Ground, Maine Rd.

AUGUST 4-8: London, Rugby Union Ground, Twickenham.

CANADA

JULY 7-11: Vancouver, B.C., Pacific Coliseum, Exhibition Park.

JULY 14-18: Hailfax, N.S., Halifax Forum, 2901 Windsor St. Montreal, Que (French also), Blue Bonnets Raceway, 7440 boul. Decarie. Winnipeg. Man., Winnipeg Arena, 1430 Maroons Rd.

JULY 21-25: Victoria, B.C., Memorial Arena, 1925 Blanshard St.

JULY 28-AUGUST 1: London, Ont., Granstand, Western Fairgrounds, Queen’s Park. Saskatoon, Sask., Exhibition Grandstand, Exhibition Grounds. Toronto, Ont. (Italian only), George Bell Arena, 215 Ryding Ave.

AUGUST 4-8: Sudbury, Ont., Sudbury Arena, 230 Elgin St. S.

AUGUST 11-15: Calgary, Alta., Stampede Corral, Exhibition Grounds, 17th Ave. & 2nd St. S.E.

AUGUST 18-22: St. John’s Nfld., Feildian Gardens, Pennywell Rd.

GUAM

JULY 7-11: Mangilao, Kingdom Hall, Mangilao.

JAMAICA

AUGUST 4-8: Ocho Rios, Junior Secondary School.

AUGUST 18-22: Savanna-la-Mar, Junior Secondary School.

PUERTO RICO

SEPTEMBER 22-26: San Juan (English and Spanish), Hiram Bithorn Municipal Stadium.