June 8

Page Two

5 INTERNATIONAL UNITY THROUGH FAITH​—MONTREAL ’78

Hard-fought battles for religious freedom only strengthened the faith and stimulated the growth of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Quebec. Large crowds will gather in international convention this July at Montreal’s Olympic Park. How has this minority become a welcome guest?

16 THE WORLD’S MAJOR SPORTS EVENT

The sports event that thrills more fans than any other is the World Cup, and the trophy itself is the symbol of international soccer supremacy. Read how soccer fever grows

19 HOW ARE YOU AFFECTED?

There is a stirring of competition. Does it make you want to participate? A professional gives his view

Riches within Your Reach

WHO would not like to be rich? There are many professional counselors who would persuade you that if you will listen to them, heed their advice, you could become rich, materially rich. But the facts belie their claims. There are just too many uncertainties​—health, education, environment, natural temperament or endowments and unforeseen circumstances—​for them to assure every one that heeds their advice that he, too, can become rich.

Because of the obstacles to be overcome by those in pursuit of material riches (and the pursuit of such riches is indeed an obstacle course!), the results have often been very harmful to those striving to be rich. Thus, the apostle Paul warns against being “determined to be rich.” And wise King Solomon wrote: “He that is hastening to gain riches will not remain innocent.”​—1 Tim. 6:9; Prov. 28:20.

How true that is! Have you not seen it proved? Those determined to get rich, or who are in a hurry to amass wealth, seldom are concerned with remaining innocent, and they often come to grief. Thus, for the sake of profits, many businessmen will misrepresent their products or services, obliging the government to call them to account and impose large fines on them. Politicians accept bribes in their haste to get rich. Other persons practice shoplifting or other forms of stealing, even robbing banks​—which crime is becoming ever more prevalent—​so as to get rich in a hurry. According to one of America’s leading financial writers “the magnitude of business crime in the U.S. today staggers the imagination . . . an estimated $125 billion a year.” Back in July 1976 a group of criminals dug a tunnel to a Paris bank vault and got away with loot worth over $7,000,000 (U.S.), an all-time high. Did that loot bring them happiness? No, it brought long prison terms to a number of them.

In fact, even when material riches are acquired by honest means, seldom do they make their possessors happy. With riches often come loss of real friends and fear of being robbed or kidnapped. Nor do satisfaction, contentment and happiness depend on material riches. And certainly riches will not preserve a person’s life, as Jesus declared: “Even when a person has an abundance his life does not result from the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) So, truly, the eager pursuit of riches has little to recommend it. Either the pursuit of them proves futile or their possession proves to be vanity, as King Solomon so well noted on his amassing great wealth.​—Eccl. 2:4-11.

There are, however, riches that are within the reach of all. Among such are true knowledge and wisdom. These can be obtained by a sincere and enlightened study of God’s Word. This takes time and effort, but the results are worth it. Becoming acquainted with your Creator, learning what his rules of conduct are and applying them in your life will make you truly rich, even as God’s Word shows, in saying: “Having it [wisdom] as gain is better than having silver as gain and having it as produce than gold itself.” Why? Because “length of days is in its right hand” and “its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its roadways are peace. It is a tree of life to those taking hold of it, and those keeping fast hold of it are to be called happy.”​—Prov. 3:13-18.

There is yet another form of riches that is available to you and that is within your reach. That is the riches of doing fine works, unselfish deeds. Persons rich in material things are ordered, at 1 Timothy 6:18, to “work at good, to be rich in fine works, to be liberal, ready to share.” Jesus Christ expressed a similar thought when, in his Sermon on the Mount, he recommended laying up treasures in heaven and spoke of one’s being rewarded by one’s heavenly Father for doing good to others. (Matt. 6:3, 4, 20) By such acts of kindness or mercy a person becomes rich in contentment and in expressions of appreciation on the part of others.

For example: There is a certain Christian woman, who, though regularly working 40 hours a week, finds time to sew all kinds of useful things for elderly persons and other deserving individuals. Not content with that, she has taken the time to record the entire Bible on cassette tapes, which she lends to an elderly blind fellow Christian for her enjoyment. She also preaches the good news of God’s kingdom from house to house and conducts Bible studies with interested persons. Does she find contentment, satisfaction and happiness in doing these things? She most certainly does. This woman is also rich in expressions of appreciation received from those for whom she does these things.

Then again there was an elderly couple who unexpectedly received quite a sum of money. It was not enough to make them affluent, but they used some of it in a way that made them feel rich. How was that? They generously shared this unexpected blessing with certain needy and deserving acquaintances. The very fact that they were able to do this to such an extent made them feel rich. And, of course, they were rich in fine works and therefore rich in laying up treasures in heaven.

All of this is related to the way the Creator made us. He endowed us with his four principal attributes of wisdom, justice, power and love. He also gave us a conscience. That conscience not only serves to warn us against doing wrong, and pronounces us guilty if we transgress, but also gives us a sense of well-being when we do the unselfish, the generous, the merciful, the loving thing. This is in keeping with the principle stated by Jesus Christ, the Son of God: “There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving.” (Acts 20:35) Also, it is in harmony with what King Solomon said about 1,000 years earlier: “The generous man will be enriched; And he who waters will himself be watered.” (Prov. 11:25, The Bible, An American Translation) The apostle Paul expressed a similar thought when he wrote: “He that sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Cor. 9:6) He did not mean, primarily or necessarily, that the one who gives material things may reap like material things. Rather, the apostle meant that he who gives generously to needy ones will reap spiritual riches, favor with God, happiness and contentment. Truly, such riches are within your reach.

International Unity Through Faith​—Montreal ’78

By “Awake!” correspondent in Canada

THE year was 1960. And the date? September 1. A milestone event was about to take place at Montreal, Canada. In its suburb of Verdun, Quebec’s first all-French district assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses was about to begin.

What was so unusual about the Witnesses’ having an all-French district assembly in Quebec? Well, during the years prior to 1960​—especially from 1945 and 1946 on into the 1950’s—​there was much official opposition to their Christian activities. Premier Maurice Duplessis, an avowed opposer, had declared “war without mercy against the Witnesses of Jehovah.” And war it was! The battles were fought mainly in the courts of the land.

A Look at History

For more than 30 years, Jehovah’s Witnesses in Quebec had struggled for freedom to preach the good news of God’s kingdom. At first, their numbers were small. For example, in 1945, at the peak of the persecution, there were only some 300 Witnesses in all Quebec. Most of them were centered in Montreal, then Canada’s largest city. They made up only 4 percent of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Canada, and the majority were English speaking, even though Quebec is predominantly French speaking. The opposition was great for just 300 people. Many of them were arrested more than once on false charges of seditious libel and peddling without a license. They were harassed in many ways. Mob violence, often clergy inspired, was common. Thousands of cases came to be pending before the courts.

By 1960, however, there had been five major Canadian Supreme Court decisions in favor of the Witnesses, proving the charges brought against them to be unfounded. This turn of events virtually cleared the courts of the pending cases. With this legal background, one can see how it became possible to hold the first all-French district assembly in Quebec during 1960. Even though some prejudice was evident​—the five Supreme Court decisions could not erase that—​the zeal and determination of the Witnesses were blessed by God’s spirit, and the assembly was held. There were 3,219 persons at the public talk​—a tremendous encouragement to the Christians there because 1,000 of that number were persons who were not Witnesses. As small as that assembly was, it was a milestone.

From Opposition to Cooperation

But that was 1960. This is 1978. What about today? There will be quite a change in a number of ways. At the “Victorious Faith” International Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses to be held in Montreal on July 5 to 9 this year, our expectations are to have an attendance of 75,000 people! For such a multitude, it will be necessary to use the full facilities of Olympic Park, including the mammoth Olympic Stadium. Of course, the conventioners are not all coming from Quebec, as this will be an international assembly. But there should be quite a contrast with the 1960 gathering. This time 3,000 volunteers will work with mop and pail to ensure spotless facilities.

How is the news of this convention being received by the people of Quebec? Are there any public and official prejudices or problems with cooperation? The convention manager reflected the feelings of his entire staff when he said: “In all the conventions I have managed, I have never before experienced such fine cooperation from civic officials, from the mayor on down. For example, right in the middle of Montreal we’re anticipating a 100-acre site as a trailer city that could have as many as 12,000 people move in overnight​—literally overnight! There is a tremendous amount of work to do in setting up facilities for such a project, and, of course, there are standards and laws that must be met. The city engineers have given us their full cooperation in an undertaking that neither we in this country, nor they, have experienced before in such proportions.”

One Witness, who had been at the 1960 district assembly, was amazed at the politeness, the cooperation and the interest that city and Olympic officials demonstrated. “How different it is from the days of Duplessis and Church domination,” he said.

The convention manager summed it up by saying: “With each day spent in convention preparation, I get the feeling that the city really wants us here.” You can also be sure that every one of the 110 French and 32 English Witness congregations in Quebec wants the convention there too. So do the six Italian congregations, as well as the Greek, Spanish and Portuguese congregations functioning in Montreal.

Jehovah’s Witnesses in Quebec certainly have grown over the years. Instead of having just 4 percent of the total number of Witnesses in Canada, Quebec now has 15 percent. There the increase in numbers has been 200 percent faster than in the rest of the country. The Witnesses in this province are a dedicated and hardworking group. This is also reflected in the fact that in Quebec one out of every 11 Witnesses is a full-time pioneer in the evangelizing work.

Olympic Park and the Contest of Faith

The excellent facilities at Olympic Park undoubtedly will contribute to the success of the convention. The stadium itself seats about 70,000 people and will house the English sessions. All the Witnesses in eastern Canada and portions of the northeastern United States have been invited. Requests for rooming accommodations at the assembly headquarters reveal that hundreds also are coming from other parts of the world. The French attendance, however, will come primarily from Quebec itself. Yet, there are indications that French-speaking delegates will be coming from quite a number of lands, such as France, Guadeloupe and Martinique. The French sessions will be held in the air-conditioned Velodrome, another major facility of Olympic Park. About 12,000 Witnesses are expected for the French sessions. Surely that would have warmed the hearts of those few Witnesses in Quebec back in 1945, had they been able to see what the future would bring.

Olympic Park was built especially to house the 1976 Olympic Games held in Montreal. At that time, the Olympic flame burned there to signify that the games were in session. The athletes contended for the honor of their sport and in the hope of furthering unity and understanding among nations, one of the objectives of the games. To a degree, there has been a beneficial result. But it is obvious that there is still much more to be desired in the way of unity. One person was heard to remark: “This business of some nations not sending their athletes because some other nation has theirs there​—it’s like some of the kids that play in the park next to my home. I heard one of them say about another, ‘If he’s going to play, then I’m going home.’” Yes, in connection with the Olympic Games there is such bickering among nations. Although it would be unfair to question the sincerity and integrity of all the athletes participating, one can conclude that international unity is advanced very little by the games, when compared with the great needs that yet exist.

By contrast, in July of 1978 Olympic Park will be free from any bickering of national groups. Delegates to the “Victorious Faith” International Convention will also have a flame, a fire, but of a different kind. It is like the fire in the bones of Jehovah’s prophet Jeremiah, who could not hold back from giving out his message from God. (Jer. 20:9) Similar zeal had kept the Witnesses active in Quebec during earlier times of trial. And it is this same zeal and devotion that will bring thousands of them together in Montreal. They, too, are in a contest. (2 Tim. 2:5) It is the contest of faith. The apostle Paul compared it to running a race for the prize of eternal life. (1 Cor. 9:24-26) An assembly such as this provides the training, stimulation and motivation that stoke the fires of faith. It furnishes spiritual instruction that truly unites national groups.​—1 Cor. 1:10.

Unity Through Faith

Today in Quebec, there is a prominent issue involving national unity. It is hotly debated. But over the years, Jehovah’s Witnesses, French and English, have stood united, side by side. They have resisted unwarranted attacks and have continued to love their neighbors and even their enemies. They have shown that faith can overcome man-made barriers to unity. Their unity will be in evidence during the forthcoming international convention, at which there will be sessions in French, English, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese, Korean, Ukrainian and Arabic. Why not attend and observe the unity that prevails?

Montreal is a large city with a population of about 3,000,000. The people are friendly and want you to feel at home. Especially are the 55 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Montreal area eager to have you present. They have already spent many hours obtaining rooms in hotels, motels and private homes so that the convention delegates will have suitable accommodations. Olympic Park is right in Montreal and there is easy access to it by subway.

If you wish to spend a little time touring Montreal before or after the assembly, you will not be disappointed. The city is rich in history and has some interesting sites, excellent eating places and fine shopping centers.

Come to the “Victorious Faith” International Convention in Montreal and you will be glad you did. Witness and share in this example of international unity through faith.

Life and Survival in Brazil’s Cactus Drylands

By “Awake!” correspondent in Brazil

LOOK at that dark patch on the map, an area of some 1,500,000 square kilometers (579,150 square miles). It is Brazil’s northeast, notorious for scorching heat, periodic droughts and an unusual way of life. Why, mere survival there in the dry season takes on a note of drama!

But come closer. Bathed by the Atlantic Ocean in the north and east, this region’s beautiful, palm-fringed beaches, under a deep-blue sky and burning sun almost all the year around, suggest the descriptive name Costa do Sol (Sunny Coast). It is also on the coast that most of the population lives. The general features of these people betray indigenous origins, a cross between white man and Indian. They are hospitable, skillful and imaginative. But leaving the coast behind, let us explore the hinterland.

“Caatingas”​—Drought-plagued Cactus Drylands

As we travel inland, there is a gradual change in vegetation. Trees become sparser and look more stunted. Suddenly, we enter a caatinga (meaning “white forest,” that is, thin forest). This is the name that the indigenous people have given to the typical terrain, where the dry season hits hardest and lasts longest. These caatingas are not a continuous dryland region, but are smaller or larger upland areas scattered over the northeast. It is here that droughts endanger life.

At first, you would not think so as you identify the flora, especially in the rainy season when the land is green and luxuriant. The mandacaru cactus (Cereus jamacaru), with several thorny stems joined at the ground, dominates the skyline. It reaches a height of three meters (9 feet). Xique-xique cactus (Pilocereus gounellei) is similar, only smaller, and is sometimes candelabra-like in appearance. There is the spiny mesquite, a tree with tiny leaves that form an impenetrable parasol, allowing vegetation to grow in its humid shade. The jujube tree spreads a large evergreen crown at a height of 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet). The most common is the drumstick tree (Cassia fistula), named for the shape of its seedpods. In the spring, large yellow flowers add a riot of color and perfume to its dense foliage. Then there are flowering mimosa and brauna trees. The pau-branco (Auxemma glazioviana, order of Polemoniales) seems like a huge bride’s veil with its perfumed white flowers that attract swarms of wild bees.

The oil-fruit-bearing oiticica tree stands firm with a roundish crown some 15 meters (49 feet) in circumference. The tropical roble, or umbu-rana, with pink flowers, and the ever-present carnauba palm, are dotted about in a mesh of shrubs and thorny bushes. There are also croton, quince and pepper trees, bromeliads with spiny leaves and flowers in dense spikes. All these plants have one thing in common: They are hardy, colorful in the rainy season, and they can withstand any drought for months on end. They may lose all their leaves and appear dead, but as soon as the rainy season starts, they spring to life with an outburst of tropical colors.

Trees and shrubs are by no means the only living things. An assortment of wild animals adds life and variety. The sly fox and the stealthy jaguar are here. A two-meter-long (6.5-foot-long) lizard, the teju, as well as armadillos, opossums and the rock cavy can be seen. High above circles the much-feared caracara hawk, and near the earth wild pigeons abound.

But what means of living could exist in such a seasonally inhospitable land? Cattle raising. Yes, large cattle ranches make the most of the seasonal pasture grounds. However, the rains that fall from January to March are not sufficient to develop good grasslands. They merely encourage the growth of cactuses and brushy vegetation, which is soon eaten up, partly by the hungry cattle and partly by the merciless sun.

Surviving the Dry Season

As early as May or June, the pasture in the caatinga already is scarce. The cattle raiser is beginning to face difficulties. Unruffled by the age-old problem, and unable to feed his animals, he is forced to “close the gate on them.” What does this mean? It means that the corral is closed, the cattle being sent off to fend for themselves.

Virtually abandoned, the animals take a beating in their fight for survival. To begin with, they chew on the lower branches. Then they attack the bark of small trees and, finally, there is almost nothing to relieve their hunger. Slowly, under a flaming sun, at once beautiful and terrible, the leaves disappear, the birds migrate, barely subsist or else die. The small seasonal rivers and rivulets dry up. All vegetation turns an ugly gray. Bared to sight is a wilderness of thorny branches. These shrubs and trees, like roots turned up, averaging three meters (9 feet) in height, present an almost impenetrable tangled mass. As far as the eye can see, there is the same disheartening picture. The animals lose weight rapidly. Searching for water, they find it only in tiny, shallow pools remaining from the last rainfall and shielded by the thicket.

The Vaqueiro​—Ready Helper in Need

The vaqueiro (the herdsman or cowboy) is placid, taciturn, of slight build and a little bent. His eyes have a languid expression, seemingly reflecting no ambition. With the oncoming drought, he prepares himself for the toughest part of his assignment. From now on he will wear his strange-looking clothes. A leather jacket hangs on his bony shoulders. A breast protection, often made of jaguar skin, reaches from neck to belt. Tough leather leggings protect his legs. Rough, sandallike footwear covers his feet. Thick leather mittens and a conical leather hat with turned-up rim, complete his outfit.

Only when dressed like this is the vaqueiro able to venture into the scrubby caatinga. He searches for the sick animals, the wounded or starving, those unable to walk. Like a shepherd, he brings them temporarily to the corral. As a last resort, the animals receive a ration of branches from a nearby mesquite. Or they may chew on some sour mandacaru or xique-xique, cactuses rich in water. The cowboy has to singe these first to burn away the thorns. In extreme cases of drought, he has been known to share in this frugal diet.

Bringing in the Cattle

From about December the rainy season returns and with it a welcome relief from the specter of drought. There is a marvelous reawakening of ground and trees. Now is the time for the older animals to be caught in the budding brushwood and to be brought to the ranch. Some will be ready for the slaughterhouse. Others will be left to roam wild for another year or so.

Dressed in his leather armor, which makes him look more like a medieval knight than a cowboy, the vaqueiro picks his way on horseback, alert and attentive. From previous experience he knows that most of the animals will have survived. No doubt this is partly due to the sturdy Indian crossbreed, locally called “roughbred.”

Catching an animal is really a spectacle. Look! There is a bull. Yes, the horse has spotted it too. The cowboy knows what his trained mount will do next and prepares himself by tucking his head into the horse’s mane. Then the mad race is on!

Accustomed to its wild state, the bull will not surrender easily. The horse follows right on its trail, going deeper into the bushland, indifferent to the rider, who presses himself tightly against his mount and tries to avoid the flood of branches whipping his leather armor. The horse has but one obsession: Catch that bull!

There appears a patch of open land​—the chance to catch the fleeing animal! In a sudden burst of speed, the cowboy and his horse are side by side with the runaway. His right foot in the stirrup, with one hand holding his horse’s mane, the cowboy leans to the right and grabs the bull’s tail. A well-calculated and rapid jerk to the side and the bull stumbles, falling to the ground with a thud.

As the bull goes down, the cowboy jumps on top of it. Turning the bull’s head to the side, he digs its horns into the ground. Inexplicably, this move tells the bovine that the battle is lost. There is no further resistance. From his bag, the cowboy pulls out a leather mask to blindfold the animal, as well as fetters (a pair of small hollowed-out pieces of wood) into which to fit the animal’s forefeet. Thus blindfolded and bound, the bull will remain motionless until driven to the home corral.

Now the cowboy again reaches into his bag, takes out a piece of brown block sugar. Eating this, he satisfies his hunger and thirst, while keeping an eye on the caatinga. The vaqueiro will stay in the shrubland until he has brought together a herd of cattle. Only then will he return to his simple, thatched hut and to his family.

Rodeo and Folksingers

At the end of the rainy season, the typical northeastern rodeo takes place. Although of Spanish origin, it has acquired a local flavor. It is the festival that reproduces the vaqueiro’s work, but with merrymaking and the public’s applause.

From all parts of the region, many herdsmen arrive on their mounts. With polished saddles, clean harnesses and brushed leather jackets, they repeat the feats normally performed only in the wilderness.

With the cowboys come the “singers,” witty versemakers of the backwoods who accompany themselves on the guitar. They share the people’s gaiety and are a popular attraction at the fairs and rodeos. And there is also the feuilletonist, a novelist of the backwoods, praising his latest work, written in backwoods language and telling a score of impossible stories. For a while, all have forgotten the harshness of their land.

The Cowboy and Religion

Although the region’s prevailing form of worship is Roman Catholicism, in practice the popular religion is a mixture of mysticism and superstition. Do you see the strange figure on the road, the one dressed in penitent’s garb, a type of coarse religious habit? He is a common sight in these parts. Although he is dressed like a monk, his vows are only temporary. Often a man can be seen carrying a heavy cross on his way to a church several kilometers away. Or, he may walk as a pilgrim chanting religious hymns and prayers. Some simulate the act of “crucifying” by having themselves bound to a large wooden cross in front of a church or chapel.

Once a year, hundreds of cowboys meet to celebrate the “singing Mass of the cowboy,” in memory of a murdered colleague. In front of an improvised field altar, they listen first to a cowboy-priest. Then, on horseback, they file past the altar to deposit their offerings. For Communion, they all sit on the ground sharing their usual food: dried meat, block sugar and manioc flour.

Opening Up Wells of Spiritual Waters

Life has not been easy for the people in Brazil’s drought-stricken northeast. Slowly, however, the economic image of the backwoods is changing. In the towns, working conditions are on the upgrade. Hundreds of rainwater reservoirs have been built in recent years, the one at Oros having a capacity of over two billion cubic meters (2.6 billion cubic yards). A dam in the São Francisco River created a lake of 34 billion cubic meters (44.5 billion cubic yards).

More important still, the Word of God is making great strides in the region. Even in the areas most affected by the periodic droughts, abundant spiritual waters of divine truth are bubbling forth to quench the thirst for knowledge of God. Many of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been successful in reaching outlying townships and isolated farms with the comforting good news of God’s kingdom.​—Matt. 24:14; Rev. 22:17.

In spite of illiteracy and superstition, many are those wanting to quench their spiritual thirst. Several Christian congregations are busily telling others that the time is near when literal “springs of water” will gush forth in the desert. (Isa. 35:6, 7) Then the fascinating but afflicted caatingas of Brazil’s northeast will become a beautiful part of an earth-wide paradise, without the struggle for survival.

[Map/​Picture on page 8]

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BRAZIL

Why Fasten Your Seat Belt?

By “Awake!” correspondent in Newfoundland

THE January morning dawned cold and sunny on the Burin Peninsula of Newfoundland. An overnight shower of freezing rain had left the highway covered with a treacherous blanket of shimmering ice. But by 10 a.m. the sun’s rays had melted the ice, leaving seemingly ideal driving conditions. Unknown to the northbound salesman hurrying home and the southbound family heading for town, the road remained very slippery where the shade from the roadside cliff covered the highway. On that short stretch of icy road, the salesman’s car skidded out of control, colliding with the family car and careening over a nearby cliff. By 11 a.m. a young wife and mother of four lay dying in the hospital, while the seriously injured salesman waited in agony for an ambulance. All had neglected to fasten their seat belts.

While details vary, the sad story is repeated thousands of times each year on the world’s highways, as tens of thousands of people are killed or injured in automobile accidents. In 1976, about 47,000 people died on the highways of the United States. Many more have met death in other countries. Despite concerted efforts in recent years to improve the safety of automobile travel​—padded dashboards, collapsible steering columns, reinforced body frames, lowered speed limits and better police surveillance—​the fact remains that each time a person travels in an automobile, he faces the very real risk of injury or death. Of great concern to all who value life is the question: What can be done to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in an automobile accident?

One simple, yet practical suggestion is: Fasten your seat belts.

How Seat Belts Work to Protect You

A person’s understanding what happens in an automobile collision may help him to appreciate the value of seat belts. When, for example, a car collides with a solid barrier at 30 miles (48 kilometers) per hour, actually there are two collisions: (1) The car’s collision, in which the automobile hits the barrier, buckles and then comes to a stop in about one tenth of a second, and (2) the “human collision,” in which a person’s body is hurled with crushing impact against some part of the car’s interior. During the one tenth of a second in which the car is coming to a standstill, a person’s body continues to move at a speed of 30 miles per hour. Hence, when the body strikes glass or metal, serious injury or death usually results because the body absorbs most of the impact.

Likewise, in a 30-mile-per-hour crash, the car’s front end yields perhaps two feet (.6 meter) on impact as it is crushed and bent. However, when a person collides with the dashboard or windshield, he usually stops over a much shorter distance, perhaps one to two inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters). This difference in stopping distance means that an individual will stop much more abruptly than the automobile. So, to allow the body to come to a more gradual stop, thus greatly reducing impact forces on it, all the car’s stopping distance must be utilized. This is accomplished by the seat belt. By holding the individual in his seat, the belt makes him a part of the car. The effect of a seat belt can be understood by comparing the results from falling on soft ground with those from falling the same distance on concrete. The soft ground yields, perhaps a couple of inches, providing a greater stopping distance and reducing the force of the impact. The unyielding concrete stops a person much more abruptly, resulting in greater impact and, therefore, greater injury. Like the soft ground that yields, the seat belt gives a person an additional 2 feet (.6 meter) in which to stop. The force of the impact, now considerably reduced, is borne by the hips and shoulders, and these parts of the body can best withstand the force.

Do Seat Belts Really Work?

In recent years, extensive laboratory research and on-the-scene accident investigations have been carried out by scientists interested in determining the value and limitations of seat belts. For example, in a 1966 report, N. I. Bohlin states that experiments with specially instrumented dummies and human volunteers in simulated crashes established beyond question the value of seat belts in significantly reducing the risk of injury and death. Data supporting this conclusion was gathered from instrument records and slow-motion film of remote-controlled crashes.

Of course, laboratory experiments cannot simulate the more complex real collisions. Therefore, on-the-scene studies have been undertaken by teams of engineers and doctors. What have they concluded? According to the booklet The Human Collision (published by the Ontario, Canada, Ministry of Transportation and Communications), about half or more of the deaths and serious injuries could have been avoided in the accidents if lap-and-shoulder belts had been worn. Additionally, statistics have been compiled by authorities in countries where mandatory seat-belt legislation has been enacted. For instance, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation reports that during 1976, in Ontario, there were accidents involving 61,221 unbelted drivers, of whom 355 were killed. Belted drivers, however, were involved in 269,772 accidents, with 153 fatalities. Thus it was concluded that ‘a belted driver’s survival chances in a collision are ten times higher than an unbelted driver’s.’

Similarly, a widely publicized report from Sweden in the mid-1960’s concluded, from a study of 28,000 records involving all kinds of accidents, that belted people received about half as many injuries as unbelted persons at all speeds. Remarkably, at speeds of up to 60 miles (96 kilometers) per hour, no one wearing a seat belt was killed. Yet, unbelted people were killed in collisions at speeds of less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour.

But some ask: What if my car goes into the water, or catches on fire? Such fears discourage many people from wearing seat belts. However, the facts show that the chance of being trapped in a submerged car, or in a burning automobile, are very rare compared with the possibility of a head-on collision. Even if a person should become involved in one of these rare accidents, the seat belt still reduces the risk of injury causing unconsciousness. Obviously, a person cannot escape from a sinking or burning car if he is lying on the floor with a fractured skull.

Protect Your Children

Some may feel that a small child can be protected in a car accident by being held securely in the arms of an adult. However, a child weighing 30 pounds (14 kilograms), when thrown in a 30-mile-per-hour impact, exerts a force of 1,000 pounds (455 kilograms). Who is strong enough to restrain that immense weight?

If a child is over five years old, or weighs more than 50 pounds (23 kilograms), he can wear a regular lap belt. Placing the child on a firm cushion or pillow may make the lap belt fit more snugly over the child’s hips. This will also put the child in a raised position, enabling him to see better, thus reducing boredom and irritability. It is recommended that children under five or weighing less than 50 pounds be placed in specially designed, safety-approved seats, which now are widely available.

“But my child is so restless,” some may argue. At first this may be a problem, but patience and firmness will soon get the young one accustomed to his own seat. One couple with a child of four reports that the youngster, though objecting at first, now protests loudly when he is not belted securely in the seat.

Achieving Maximum Protection for You and Your Passengers

The first step in securing protection is always to fasten seat belts. Many fatal accidents occur at low speeds, near home, and under ideal driving conditions. For maximum protection with a seat belt, be sure that it is snugly adjusted over the hips, that the shoulder harness has no more than two inches (5 centimeters) of slack, and that the belts are not twisted. Secondly, encourage all passengers to fasten their seat belts for their protection and yours. The driver’s belt is of little benefit if an unbelted passenger becomes a missile inside his car, being hurled against him with a force of several thousand pounds.

The life we have is a precious gift. It is much too valuable to be treated carelessly. Appreciating its value should move us to take the necessary precautions to prevent injury to or the death of ourselves and others. Some common-sense steps will reduce the risk of death or injury while we are traveling. We should drive carefully and defensively, avoid combining drinking with driving, stay within the speed limits and keep the automobile in good condition. And a most vital precaution that requires little effort and only a few seconds is: FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT!

Research Biologist Now Researches the Bible

MY WIFE and I had been in professional training as research biologists for a little over six years. I had received extensive evolutionary training during my undergraduate days. Additionally, I worked as an assistant curator of reptiles in a taxonomic museum and was in contact with what were considered some of the “finest minds” in the fields of evolution and taxonomy. As a result of my training, I had no confidence in the existence of God. I felt that if he did exist, he wasn’t worth much.

During my last quarter as an undergraduate, I took a course in Systematics and Evolution. It was a very involved course concerning mechanisms of evolution, missing links, taxonomic structure, and so forth. Our instructor was a Harvard-trained scientist, with whom I worked closely in the museum. On the last day of our class, he made a startling statement, that evolution was not really sound science, and he proceeded to tell us why it wasn’t. What he said started me thinking.

After graduation, my wife and I went on to graduate school to work on our master’s degrees. I never forgot my surprise over that instructor’s statement; so I started seriously investigating the structure of science. As I progressed, I became increasingly aware of evolution’s almost complete lack of foundation.

During this same time, I began going to churches of Christendom with questions about the existence of God and his personality. The answers I received were unsatisfying, that this was a mystery and that I shouldn’t worry about it. Although I had become interested in the Bible, I soon discovered that Christendom had nothing to offer me, and so I decided not to become involved. I then started looking into Eastern religions, but found the same emptiness.

By this time, we were at a real turning point in our lives. My wife was pregnant with our first child. I was due to finish my M.S. degree about the time the baby was expected, and I couldn’t find employment anywhere. I was convinced that all man’s conflicting philosophies and religion added up to a big fat zero. So I decided to follow our family tradition and volunteered for the Marine Corps.

One night, just to assure myself that I was right, I silently offered a “prayer.” It went something like this: “All right, you up there, if there’s anyone there, if there’s any truth or reason for me to keep looking, I want to know about it, or else I’ll never bother again.”

I’d never spoken to one of Jehovah’s Witnesses before, nor even “seen a live one” for that matter. However, the next morning at 9 a.m., two ladies were at my door, offering the book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life and a free home Bible study. I was stunned, but accepted their offer to have a teacher call back in a day or two to study.

Between that initial call and the first study, I “devoured” the Truth book. When the man came for the first study, I fired some questions at him and was amazed at his ability to answer every question from the Bible. By the third study, I had decided to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses; it took my wife until the fifth study. Even though we had made our decision, we had much to learn. So we started attending meetings, continued asking questions, and read all the Witness literature on which we could get our hands.

However, there was that other problem developing. I had volunteered for the Marine Corps and was committed. Prayer was again the only channel, and we took to it freely, and more respectfully too.

In a period of a few days, I received a phone call. The Vietnam War was winding down, and the Marine Corps had decided not to take me.

Our baby came a month later. I went to work as a welder on the night shift. My wife and I were baptized together in symbol of our dedication and we are continuing joyfully to serve Jehovah, the greatest Scientist of all.

The World’s Major Sports Event

Is it baseball’s World Series? American football’s Super Bowl? Or has it become professional basketball’s play-off series?

THE above are the team sports events that probably come to mind, if you are a North American. Yet, outside the United States​—except in a few places—​comparatively little is heard of these events. With soccer (known throughout most of the world as football) it is different.

The German magazine Der Spiegel said of the 1974 world soccer championship: “At least one billion persons​—from Santiago to Sofia, from Helsinki to Hobart—​are expected to be in front of their television screens for the final game.”

One billion persons! That is a quarter of the world’s population​—nearly five times the population of the United States! As Der Spiegel observed: “That is more than ever bowed their heads in the direction of Mecca at prayer time. And all the Christian churches put together have never been able to gather that many believers to their altars at one time, not even at Christmas.”

Yes, soccer is by far the world’s favorite sport. Up to 200,000 and more persons have attended a single game. “There is scarcely a subject in this country that people feel so strongly about,” notes Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. And now soccer fever is again rising rapidly, since the world soccer championship is on the line.

World Cup 1978

The attention of hundreds of millions of soccer fans is now focused on Argentina. There, during this month of June, 38 games are being played to decide who will win the World Cup, symbol of international soccer supremacy. Every four years the World Cup games are held, with a different country hosting them each time.

The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the governing body of soccer, is the sponsor of the World Cup. More than 140 nations are FIFA members. The World Cup games were first held in 1930, and they have since become the world’s most popular sports event, with the possible exception of the Olympic Games.

This is how the 16 teams reach the World Cup finals: Countries that belong to FIFA pick an all-star team from their nation’s best players. These men train together as a unit, and they play regional elimination rounds. During the past two years, for example, a series of 248 qualification games between 95 countries narrowed the field down to the 16 teams now in Argentina.

Host country Argentina has provided over $400,000,000 to help finance the World Cup. From a business standpoint it may be money well spent, judging from the great worldwide interest. Tens of thousands of fans from outside Argentina are expected to attend the games.

Soccer Fever Grows

For many months now radio stations in the Federal Republic of Germany have been reminding: ‘It is just 100 [or another number of] days to the World Cup.’ Businesses have been offering customers who purchase their merchandise an opportunity to win an all-expense-paid trip to Argentina for the games. About 150 fans from Scotland are making the trip in an unusual way​—by submarine.

The vast majority of fans, of course, will be watching the games on television. German TV, for instance, will show two or three games live on each of the 12 days of play. Other games will receive delayed coverage. During the 1974 World Cup, there were some 92 hours of soccer on German TV!

During the games in 1974, factories closed. Religious organizations adjusted meeting times so as not to conflict with the games. In Rio de Janeiro, criminal activities in the city reportedly hit an all-time low. In Zaïre, bus drivers abandoned their vehicles as their nation’s team took the field. In Rome, negotiations to restore the dying government were disrupted when leaders walked out to watch the games.

The games seemingly take on a religious significance to many. The New York Times Magazine observes: “Football (that is to say, soccer) has become in the postwar European era a kind of new mass religion, with millions praying for salvation in the sports stadia and tens of millions faithfully following the services on color television.”

But just as religious fanaticism has been dangerous, even deadly, so has soccer fanaticism. It has not only hindered many from developing wholesome spiritual interests and qualities; it has also led to riots, killings and even war.

Only a Game, or What?

Soccer often fans the flames of nationalism, with frightening results. Consider what happened during a contest in Lima, Peru, in 1964.

Some 50,000 fans packed the stadium. Late in the game, Argentina was leading one to zero when Peru knocked in a goal. However, the referee noted a foul, which disqualified the tying goal. The angered, disappointed fans rioted; 328 people were killed and over 1,000 were injured. “A heavy iron door to the locker room probably saved the lives of the referee and players,” noted the New York Times.

How important is winning and losing in soccer? When considering what also happened between Honduras and El Salvador, it makes one wonder. In June 1969 the two countries played a series of games to determine which team would qualify for the 1970 World Cup. Tensions and hostilities fanned by the games were a factor in the outbreak of war. The Americana Annual for 1970, under the heading “The ‘Soccer War,’” notes that more than 2,000 soldiers and civilians were killed.

True, these are extreme examples, but soccer violence is by no means rare. In Britain, according to one report, one in four male fans has been involved in violence. Also, 100 fans a week there reportedly land in jail for soccer hooliganism.

The 1975 Britannica Book of the Year acknowledged the “unhappy saga of violence on and off the field,” and said: “Trenches, moats, barricades, and other constraining impedimenta were employed.” But despite such measures, violence remains a feature of many soccer games.

Yet the problem is not only with soccer. “If attitudes don’t change,” warns the team physician of an American professional basketball team, “we’re going to have to do what they do in South America; put up a fence and a moat to keep the fans away from players.”

What is responsible for such problems with sports? Is there, for example, something fundamentally wrong with soccer that causes these terrible consequences?

An Appealing Sport

From simply watching soccer, it is incomprehensible how the sport itself could be the source of such troubles. Basically, soccer is an uncomplicated, wholesome game. There are 11 players on each team, as there are in American football, and the playing field is approximately the same size. At each end of the field is a goal, which is a 24-foot- (7-meter-) wide, eight-foot- (2.4-meter-) high cage with netting to catch the ball. The objective is to propel the round ball past the defending goalkeeper into the cage for a goal. The team with the most goals after 90 minutes of play wins.

The goalkeeper is the only player who may use his hands. The 10 other players on each team may only kick the ball with their feet or hit it with their heads or bodies when the ball is in play. The ability of skilled players to dribble the ball, pass it with accuracy, and propel it in for a goal without the use of their hands is remarkable. Chest-high passes are brought by foot obediently to the ground and then dribbled along as if tied by a string to the feet. And an over-the-head pass may be driven home for a goal by the powerful head thrust of a leaping player.

What many like about soccer is that it is not as dangerous to play as are some other sports. “Soccer is more finesse and endurance,” observed one father who is happy that his boys chose to play soccer rather than American football. Of course, there is a certain degree of danger of being hurt when playing soccer, even as there is, for example, in playing basketball. This is especially true when the game is played with undue intensity to win at all costs. So use good judgment when playing.

Another advantage of soccer is that persons of average size can excel. Pele, for example, who is considered the greatest player of all time, is only 5 feet 9 inches (175 centimeters) tall and weighs 165 pounds (75 kilograms). In addition, hardly any equipment, besides the ball, is required to play soccer. So, the expense is minimal.

Soccer is at last becoming popular in the United States. Last August 14 a sellout crowd of 77,691 packed New Jersey’s Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands for a game. A major factor in this upsurge of popularity are the many famous players who have come to the United States, being lured by huge salaries. The New York Cosmos, for example, paid Brazil’s Pele $4.75 million to play for three years, and Franz Beckenbauer, who led Germany to the world championship in 1974, $3 million for four years. But what promises to make soccer a permanent major sport in the U.S. is the fact that it is catching on at the “grass roots” level. Some 5,000 high schools and 700 colleges now have teams.

Perhaps you are among the hundreds of millions who either play soccer, attend the games, or watch them on TV. Are you affected beneficially? How can you avoid adverse effects?

[Box/​Picture on page 17]

Contenders for the 1978 World Cup

West Germany Austria

Brazil Scotland

Italy Netherlands

France Peru

Hungary Argentina

Poland Iran

Spain Tunisia

Sweden Mexico

How Are You Affected?

DO YOU watch soccer or other sports on television? Will you be watching the World Cup games? To what lengths will you go to see them? How important to you is their outcome?

To many, whether their team wins matters above practically everything else. Rivalries between countries can be unbelievably intense, resulting in strong feelings of nationalism. “For many,” noted the New York Times, “soccer is a symbolic form of war.” To illustrate, the newspaper described the results of the game that gave Peru a berth in the 1970 World Cup finals, saying:

“As the game ended, most of Lima’s population poured into the streets. A raggedly dressed boy rushed out of a doorway near the San Francisco Church, threw his arms around a huge black dog, and screamed: ‘What happiness! What a beautiful day for Peru! We’ve won, Pepito! We’ve won!’

“Lima was in the grip of columns of wildly decorated automobiles and chanting and dancing crowds all night. Several thousand people marched to the home of President Velasco, who climbed out on the roof and waved a large flag. The President, his voice hoarse with emotion, joined in the chanting. In one impromptu speech, he told the crowd that bad management under previous administrations had resulted in unsuccessful soccer teams.”

The foregoing is typical of the intense feelings of many sports fans. Victory raises them to the heights of ecstasy, but defeat may bring them to the depths of despair. This can lead to terrible consequences, as we noted in the previous article. Are you ever affected by a spirit of competition? When a team you favor plays, do you become emotionally involved, perhaps even challenging: ‘We’ll show them now who’s best’?

The Bible gives wise guidance relative to this. If we apply it, we are sure to benefit. Note what the Scriptures say: “Let us not become egotistical, stirring up competition with one another, envying one another.” (Gal. 5:26) What does this mean?

“Stirring Up Competition”

According to Greek-English lexicons, the Greek word here rendered “stirring up competition” means “to call forth,” “to challenge to a combat or contest with one.” Thus, The Bible, An American Translation has the rendering: “Let us not in our vanity challenge one another.” And a footnote of the 1950 edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures offers the alternative, “forcing one another to a showdown.”

Armies force opponents to a “showdown,” and so do warriors. Recall how, in ancient times, the bully Goliath called out: “Am I not the Philistine and you servants belonging to Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. . . . Give me a man, and let us fight together!” (1 Sam. 17:8-10) But Christians will want to avoid such a spirit when playing a game. Life does not depend on winning or losing such games. Soccer and other sports should be kept in proper perspective​—as simply recreation, as a temporary diversion—​not as something of vital importance.

How do you view sports? For example, do you make a practice of missing Christian meetings to play or attend games? On the other hand, would changing the times of regular Christian meetings so that they do not conflict with World Cup games indicate that a proper value is being placed on spiritual matters? Would doing this be setting a good example for those who are just beginning to make spiritual progress? Remember, Jesus urged: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom.”​—Matt. 6:33.

What About Participation?

Playing games, such as soccer, can be beneficial. The Bible says: “Bodily training is beneficial for a little; but godly devotion is beneficial for all things.” (1 Tim. 4:8) Since a lot of running is involved, soccer provides excellent exercise. And due to involvement in the game, the mind can be benefited by the diversion from other cares. But when played with the wrong motive​—to win at all costs—​problems result. And this is what often occurs in professional soccer. Also, the more important thing​—“godly devotion”—​can be crowded out. Note, therefore, the decision one professional player made:

“In 1965 my dreams became reality and I joyfully told my workmates at the machine shop: ‘Boys, I’ve just signed a contract with Bayern-München!’ (the professional soccer club). What I once had been doing after work hours, now became part of the day’s work itself: game preparations, training, training camp.

“For me, at 18, the big world of professional soccer had begun! Alongside Franz Beckenbauer and Georg Schwarzenbeck, with whom I had grown up, I played with Gerd Müller and Sepp Maier (all four being members of the 1974 World Cup championship team).

“Highlights of my professional career were the German Soccer Cup victory in 1966 before 66,000 fans in the Frankfurter Wald-Stadium, the European championship games that followed, and our trip to North and South America in 1967. In 1968/69 I was traded to the First FC-Nürnberg club, and in 1969/70 to the Stuttgarter Kickers.

“In Stuttgart I seriously began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I soon realized that Christians should not neglect their meetings. When I was at home this was no problem; but when I was on the road the entire weekend was generally spent traveling.

“My decision to give up professional ball was not easy. However, on August 3, 1973, I symbolized my dedication to Jehovah God by water baptism in Munich. Soccer had given me much pleasure in life, but it could never compare with the pleasure one has in knowing that he has a fine relationship with Jehovah.”

Man’s ability to play​—his gracefulness, his agility—​are gifts of a happy Creator. But, like so many other gifts, these can be misused and abused. There is a need for balance, for keeping matters in proper perspective. We should always keep in mind the excelling value of godly devotion, “as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.”​—1 Tim. 4:8.

Unique Wildlife in Jeopardy

By “Awake!” correspondent in Papua New Guinea

WOULD you like to join in a fascinating tropical wildlife excursion in Papua New Guinea? You would? Fine! But you will need some background information before we start.

Situated north of Australia and just south of the equator, Papua New Guinea is a group of islands that explorers and missionaries have called wild and dangerous. For the conservationist, the terrain is primeval and exciting. Yet, some of its species of unique wildlife now are in jeopardy.

The rain forests of these islands provide the secluded habitat of many species of the gorgeously plumed birds of paradise. On the island of New Britain, volcanic hot springs provide natural subterranean heating systems for incubating the eggs of unique large-footed megapode fowls. In the lowland tropical rain forests of Papua, rare bird-wing butterflies flutter among vine-draped trees.

For centuries dark-skinned tribesmen armed with bows and arrows have stalked their prey here. They shoot and set ingenious traps for birds and animals, which they value for food, trade and personal ornamentation.

While traveling through the dense tropical jungles, you will be surprised at the complete absence of predatory animals like tigers or leopards. And upon emerging from the jungle into inhabited village clearings, you will notice a remarkable absence of domestic beasts of burden, such as horses and donkeys.

Wildlife Endangered

The danger to wildlife is not apparent while you are in the jungle terrain. However, conservationists have learned that if protective measures are not taken promptly, with an exploding human population and accelerated industrial development, sooner or later there will be no wildlife left to save. Therefore, the World Wildlife Fund has been approached to assist in early implementation of conservation measures in this developing country.

The main dangers to wildlife in Papua New Guinea are (1) shrinking habitat, (2) hunting and (3) pollution. This country’s native population is expected to double by 1985. Hence, there is increasing pressure for the clearing of forested land for cultivation and industry. Also, there is a greater demand for the skins of animals and plumes of birds that play an important part in the economy and folk customs of the village people. This makes the widespread substitution of the shotgun for the bow and arrow a real hazard to the lives of many attractive birds and animals.

Perhaps the greatest cause of shrinking wildlife habitat is the escalation of technological power while economic development is also being accelerated. Areas of isolated virgin forest, recently considered inviolable by human disturbance, now are the locales of extensive lumbering, mineral prospecting and mammoth copper mining projects that pollute the adjacent rivers. Additionally, gigantic hydroelectric schemes are to provide power for heavy industries that will poison the land, water and atmosphere. Yes, hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat have been earmarked for destruction, either by extensive clearing or by the upsetting of ecological balance.

Birds of Paradise

With this background information, we are now ready to start our excursion into a highland rain forest, the home of the bird of paradise. As we walk warily off the beaten track, suppose we talk about some members of the bird family called Paradisaeidae. Their exquisitely colored plumage and their courtship behavior are unsurpassed by any other species of bird life. Of the 42 known species, 36 occur exclusively in Papua New Guinea. Some of the better-known species are named Raggiana’s, blue, magnificent, twelve-wired and superb​—all birds of paradise. Incidentally, in sanctuary conditions a bird of paradise can be taught to talk as does a parrot.

The well-known ornithologist E. Thomas Gillard has written a vivid description of birds of paradise. He tells us that, according to their species, these birds are bedecked with feathers in lacelike patterns, or having the form of skirts, whips, capes, twisted enamel-like wires or erectable expandable fans. Some have saberlike tails and patches of iridescent plumage. These birds also have other ornamentations​—jade- and opal-colored mouths, naked, garish areas of skin and nutlike wattles. The beautiful dance movements of these birds also help to make them appear more like an ornament than a living bird.

The species known as the superb bird of paradise is about the size of a dove. When courting, the male opens his bill wide so that its brilliant yellow interior forms a startling contrast with his deep-black plumage, the vivid green of his head and the iridescent purple green of his breast patch. This bird has two tufts of black feathers at the base of its bill.

Shh! Be very quiet. See that tall tree? It is a bird of paradise display tree. Look up at that branch. Can you see that gorgeous bird? Watch him dancing on the branch for the benefit of his mate. Suddenly, he halts and stands stiffly, displaying his long lacelike cascades of plumage.

Other species have their own fascinating dance displays. Some hang by their feet under the limbs of their display trees, in shimmering pendulous masses. Certain male birds dance on the ground, alternately freezing and spinning so that their circular feathers look like the extended skirts of ballerinas.

Doubtless you will be sorry to learn that thousands of these unique birds are not going to live out their natural life-span. Are you surprised? Do you wonder why?

Well, the skins and plumes of birds of paradise are highly valued by the native people. With the enforcement of fauna protection laws, extensive commercial trading in plumes virtually has been stopped. However, there still is widespread shooting. You see, the highland tribesmen value the plumes for decorating their ceremonial headgear.

In recent years the tribesmen have been encouraged to gather annually at the towns of Goroka and Mt. Hagen. There you see them dancing in great numbers at festivals called “Sing Sings.” On such occasions great emphasis is placed on costuming, and an almost incredible number of bird of paradise plumes are displayed on the heads of the tribesmen as they compete with one another.

These spectacles may be affecting the local populations of birds of paradise, for the native people will go to great lengths to obtain this beautiful male raiment. As it is now, a visitor can rarely see the resplendent male birds of paradise, except for their plumage on the heads of native people.

Back at the village we observe how the bird of paradise plumes are treasured. The owners store them away carefully in plugged bamboo tubes. Before a tribal dance, a young man spends hours dressing. Then, suddenly, he bursts into the dancing arena under a shimmering crown fit for an emperor. The crown contains the plumes of a dozen or more male birds of paradise of six or so different species. When some 50 men get together in a dance, the swinging plumages make them appear to be on fire.

The Megapode Fowl

The next part of our excursion involves a two-hour journey by air to the northern island of New Britain. Soon we arrive at the Cape Hoskins area, with its sulphurous hot springs. These are the egg-laying grounds of a unique type of megapode, or junglefowl, which belongs to the wild fowl family called Megapodius freycinet. Incidentally, megapode means “big feet.”

What a bleak and desolate area we see before us! Hot water is spouting from steaming geysers, and deep holes reverberate to the sound of boiling mud. Yes, there is an enormous amount of subterranean heat to warm the incubation tunnels made by the megapode hens. On the fringe of the hot-spring area we can see the forest in which the megapodes do their mating.

Look at that dull-brown henlike bird scratching the warm ground under that tree. Watch how she tunnels with her big feet deep into the volcanically heated soil. She will dig six or seven tunnels close together and extending about four feet (1.2 meters) below the surface. Then she will lay about 10 eggs in each tunnel. Finally, she will fill the tunnels with soil and leave the eggs there for incubation. That will be the end of her role in the breeding of her chicks.

Well, then, what happens to the chicks? This is another unique feature of the megapode. In from six to nine weeks the chicks will hatch and then scratch their way to the surface of the ground and run into the scrub. They will be well developed, covered with feathers and able to fly within 24 hours. Yes, they will be capable of caring for themselves from the time that they emerge from their underground hatcheries!

Wildlife ecologists are concerned that these unique birds are in danger of disappearing. Why? Companies have purchased the rights to cut the timber in large tracts of the surrounding forests. Since these forests provide the habitat for these wild fowl, the extensive clearing of timber places this interesting species in danger.

Bird-Wing Butterflies

Now, for the final part of our excursion, we travel to the home of a rare species of bird-wing butterfly known as Ornithoptera alexandrae. We fly south to the tropical jungles surrounding the town of Popondetta in eastern Papua.

Yes, the bird-wing butterfly is indeed a uniquely beautiful creature. It gets its name from the large size and slow rhythmic beat of its wings. It also has a characteristic way of gliding in flight. In fact, alexandrae is the largest species of butterfly in the world. Females have been seen with up to 10-inch (25-centimeter) wingspans. This butterfly is found exclusively in these forests.

As we walk along this hot, humid jungle track, keep your eyes wide open. There it is! Look at that large butterfly gliding high up among the trees. Watch as it instinctively flies down to rest on that vine known as the Dutchman’s pipe. That species of vine is essential to the reproductive cycle of alexandrae. The caterpillars that develop from the butterfly’s eggs feed voraciously on the leaves. Then these creatures develop into shining chrysalides that hang from the leaves. Finally, there emerges another generation of beautiful alexandrae butterflies.

Here is a large male specimen. Its wings measure about eight inches (20 centimeters) across. Notice the pattern of broad black veins separating large patches of blue, green and golden yellow. This insect’s body is black and yellow, with tufts of red hair just below its head. What a pleasure to behold!

Because of its size, beauty and rarity, the alexandrae is greatly prized by wealthy collectors around the world. They are prepared to pay the native villagers high prices for good specimens. The result is that, even though there is a protective law that imposes a heavy penalty, unlawful collecting and surreptitious trading continue. However, it is more the threat of habitat destruction through forest clearing for agricultural purposes that places these unique living ornaments in danger of extinction.

Here we end our wildlife excursion. It is hoped that you have enjoyed it. Likely, you share my concern for unique wildlife that now is in jeopardy. But be assured that the Grand Creator of these fascinating birds and butterflies soon will fulfill his promise to restore paradise to the earth. Then all forms of wildlife will live unmolested in their natural habitats.

[Picture on page 22]

bird of paradise

[Picture on page 23]

megapode

Getting Acquainted with Our Foreign Neighbors

By “Awake!” correspondent in the Federal Republic of Germany

“ARE you acquainted with your neighbors?” “Why, yes,” may be the answer. “Mr. and Mrs. Schmidt live next door. They have a lovely little girl, Gabi, and their small poodle is named Susie. And over on the other side, Mr. and Mrs.​—now let’s see, what is their name? It’s not German, you know. They seem to be pleasant people, but they speak so little German. It’s so difficult for us to get acquainted. What a pity!”

Nowadays this can often happen in this country because there are so many people living among us whose native tongue is not German. Being unable to converse with these individuals makes it very difficult to get acquainted with them.

This is one good reason for putting forth efforts to learn a foreign language. Although not necessarily easy, it can be very rewarding. Consider the experience of a young man in Germany who, together with his wife, learned two foreign languages during the past few years. His desire was to become better acquainted with his foreign neighbors. He relates:

“I had never concerned myself with other languages and, while in school, found grammar to be one of the most boring subjects. Then, in 1966, when my fiancée and I began to study the Bible, we noticed that certain expressions used in it were new to us. However, being German, these terms were not difficult to learn. Eventually our study of the Bible led to our taking up the full-time preaching activity as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“In the spring of 1972, we were asked by the Watch Tower Society whether we would be willing to move to Spain to preach the ‘good news’ of God’s kingdom there. ‘Me, learn Spanish?’ I thought. ‘With my poor grammar and my distaste for foreign languages, never!’ But despite my fears, we decided to accept the invitation.

“In September 1972, we were advised to associate with the Spanish congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Cologne so that we could start learning the language. On arriving there in December, I could say only gracias (thanks) and buenos dias (good-day). What kind of progress could I expect?”

Perseverance and Self-Discipline Necessary

“Sometimes I became discouraged and thought that I would never be able to reach my goal. But on other days it seemed easier.

“My wife, on the other hand, made rapid progress, without even picking up a textbook. Her knowledge of English and French was a big help.

“But I bought several textbooks and read them over and over again. Regardless of where I was, my nose was always buried in a textbook. What I learned I immediately used, even though this often resulted in loud laughter. But I came to realize that it is also very important to be able to laugh at oneself and not to become irritated. Otherwise, not wanting to say something wrong, a person will be afraid to use what he has learned. I was determined not to give up, since perseverance and self-discipline are qualities that Christians should have.”

Experiences That Helped Me to Progress

“Two or three months later I was witnessing alone when I called on a Spaniard who just recently had seen a television program dealing with defrauders. Therefore, he was quite suspicious when I shared with him something from the Bible. In making a return visit on him, I asked a Spanish-speaking Witness to accompany me. This made the man even more suspicious. He had not completely grasped the reason for my first call and thought that we were using the Bible as a front in order to defraud him or to make a play for his wife. To check on us, he suggested that he come to visit us in our home. My companion agreed, and this man appeared on the scene at the time that we had arranged. Soon realizing that we were not defrauders, he and his wife began to study the Bible with us. Today both of them are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Three months later, I delivered my first discourse in the congregation. For a six-minute talk I needed five hours of preparation. Even then, the Spaniard who corrected my manuscript had to change about half of it. Later​—though much perspiration flowed beforehand—​I delivered an hour’s talk. Many of my Spanish-speaking friends willingly helped me to make progress by correcting mistakes made in writing or speaking.

“I soon realized that, instead of writing something in German and thereafter translating that material, it was better to write everything in Spanish and then correct it. A person must learn to think in the language that he is studying. It is also good to make sure of the proper pronunciation and spelling of the words he is learning.

“Sometimes mistaking words that sound alike can change the thought completely. For example, caballo (horse) and caballero (gentleman) can easily be confused. That could be quite embarrassing, couldn’t it? Once I meant to say, ‘We should work along with the spiritual Levites’ (los Levitas). But I said, ‘We should work along with the tail-coats’ (las Levitas). Instead of thanking someone for his hospitality (hospitalidad), a person can mistakenly thank him for his enmity (hostilidad). Usually, of course, the individual’s face tells you that you have made a mistake.”

A Second Foreign Language

“In the spring of 1974, instead of going to Spain, we were invited to visit a number of Spanish congregations in Germany on a regular basis. This traveling activity soon convinced us that it would be good to learn another foreign language, Portuguese. In the spring of 1975, I delivered my first Portuguese discourse, which sounded more like Spanish than Portuguese. But eventually we made improvement and today we can speak about the Bible’s message to both Spanish and Portuguese people in their own language.

“Of course, we are not the only ones who have learned these languages. There are a number of German-speaking Jehovah’s Witnesses who have learned either Spanish, Portuguese, Croatian, Turkish, Italian, Greek or English. All of them have had great joy in doing so, mainly because they wanted to contribute to the spiritual welfare of their foreign neighbors here in Germany. The difficulties involved have been small compared with the joy and the blessings that they have had. Learning a foreign language opens up many doors to new friendships.”

Would you like to learn a foreign language? If you have the needed time and perseverance, and will not be neglecting more important things when doing so, learning another tongue can be a gratifying hobby, one that will also help you to become better acquainted with your foreign neighbors.

The Bible’s View

What Sabbath Should You Keep?

AFTER being freed from Egyptian slavery, the Israelites were instructed to keep a weekly Sabbath. That Sabbath fell on the seventh day of the week, beginning at sundown on Friday and ending at sundown on Saturday. What was the purpose of the law requiring Sabbath observance? Is this the Sabbath that we today should keep?

Sabbath observance was first imposed upon the Israelites in connection with the miraculous provision of manna. On the sixth day, the people were to gather enough manna to last for two days, as none would be made available on the seventh day or the Sabbath. (Ex. 16:22, 23) When the seventh day came, however, some of the people did look for manna, indicating that they were not accustomed to observing a day of rest. (Ex. 16:27) Therefore, God’s message through Moses was: “How long must you people refuse to keep my commandments and my laws? Mark the fact that Jehovah has given you the sabbath. That is why he is giving you on the sixth day the bread of two days. Keep sitting each one in his own place. Let nobody go out from his locality on the seventh day.”​—Ex. 16:28, 29.

In arranging for his people to have a Sabbath, Jehovah God was acting in their interest. It gave all the people, including slaves, and even the domestic animals, a period of needed rest and refreshment. Additionally, the Sabbath was to remind the Israelites of what the Most High had done in liberating them from Egyptian bondage. During that period of oppressive slavery, the people knew no rest. God’s law stated: “The seventh day is a sabbath to Jehovah your God. You must not do any work, you nor your son nor your daughter nor your slave man nor your slave girl nor your bull nor your ass nor any domestic animal of yours nor your alien resident who is inside your gates, in order that your slave man and your slave girl may rest the same as you. And you must remember that you became a slave in the land of Egypt and Jehovah your God proceeded to bring you out from there with a strong hand and an outstretched arm. That is why Jehovah your God commanded you to carry on the sabbath day.”​—Deut. 5:14, 15.

Since Sabbath observance was to serve as a reminder of what Jehovah God had done in freeing the Israelites from Egypt, it is clear that the law about keeping a Sabbath did not exist earlier; nor had it been given to any other people. This is further confirmed at Exodus 31:16, 17, where we read: “The sons of Israel must keep the sabbath, so as to carry out the sabbath during their generations. It is a covenant to time indefinite. Between me and the sons of Israel it is a sign to time indefinite, because in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth and on the seventh day he rested and proceeded to refresh himself.” So, in the case of the Israelites, Sabbath observance was a visible sign or proof of the covenant relationship that they enjoyed with their God. Surely, if other peoples had been keeping such a day of rest, the Sabbath could not have served as a distinguishing sign.

Though commanding his people to keep the Sabbath, Jehovah God was more interested in their heart appreciation for the arrangement than in a perfunctory observance of a day. This he made plain through his prophet Isaiah in these words: “If in view of the sabbath you will turn back your foot as regards doing your own delights on my holy day, and will actually call the sabbath an exquisite delight, a holy day of Jehovah, one being glorified, and will actually glorify it rather than doing your own ways, rather than finding what delights you and speaking a word; you will in that case find your exquisite delight in Jehovah.”​—Isa. 58:13, 14.

Note that what pleased the Most High God was not a mere refraining from work. Rather, it was a matter of setting aside the day as especially devoted to him, and, hence, concentrating on spiritual matters. The Israelites were to refrain from following their own selfish pursuits and were to find delight or pleasure in doing God’s will.

What about today? Does Jehovah God require his servants to set aside one day a week specially for him? Note what the apostle Paul wrote about observing days: “One man judges one day as above another; another man judges one day as all others; let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day observes it to Jehovah.” (Rom. 14:5, 6) These words show that in the first century C.E. Christians were under no obligation to keep any day as a Sabbath. The important thing for Christians was their doing of God’s will daily.

The Mosaic law, with its Sabbath requirements, was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. It had never been binding on non-Jews and so was not imposed on persons who accepted Christianity. Hence, Christians were not to let others condemn them, to make them feel that they were sinning, on the basis of their not keeping certain days. To fellow believers at Colossae, the apostle Paul wrote: “Let no man judge you in eating and drinking or in respect of a festival or of an observance of the new moon or of a sabbath; for those things are a shadow of the things to come, but the reality belongs to the Christ.”​—Col. 2:16, 17.

Moreover, the apostle Paul warned the Galatian Christians against professed Christians who were trying to bring them back under the Mosaic law in various respects. He said: “How is it that you are turning back again to the weak and beggarly elementary things and want to slave for them over again? You are scrupulously observing days and months and seasons and years. I fear for you, that somehow I have toiled to no purpose respecting you.” (Gal. 4:9-11) To the Christianized Hebrews, Paul also wrote: “We who have exercised faith [in the Christ provided by God] do enter into the rest, just as he [God] has said.”​—Heb. 4:3.

In view of this, what does Jehovah God want his people to do today? As in the case of the Israelites who were commanded to keep a weekly Sabbath law, that which pleases the Most High is the doing of all things to his honor and not the mere formalistic observance of a day of rest. (1 Cor. 10:31) Hence, we should strive to use each day in a way that will bring praise to Jehovah God.

Therefore, according to the testimony of Scripture, only the Israelites were commanded to keep the seventh day as a Sabbath. This Sabbath observance served as a sign of the covenant between Israel and Jehovah God. With Jesus Christ’s fulfilling the Law, Sabbath keeping was not imposed anew on his followers. (Rom. 7:4-6) However, by refraining from making selfish pursuits the focal point of their lives, Christians demonstrate that they recognize the importance of using their time to honor the Creator. Each day they should strive to follow God’s way, proving that they are finding pleasure in him.

Watching the World

“Printed Circuit Precision”

◆ When an embryo is developing, nerves growing out of the tiny central nervous system always find the proper tissue or muscle with which to link up. New Scientist magazine calls this “one of the great puzzles of embryology.” Now University of California researchers have found that “the muscle cells themselves may help the nerves along by choosing the correct input” from the various outgrowing nerves. This knowledge, says the journal, “could go a long way to explaining the printed circuit precision with which the embryo links up its nervous system to the target organs of its body.” However, the researchers do not explain who engineered this “printed circuit precision.”

Back from Bikini

◆ According to the U.S. Interior Department, Bikini islanders who only recently returned to their supposedly decontaminated native land will have to evacuate it again. A decade ago, the Atomic Energy Commission claimed that there was “virtually no radiation left” from 23 earlier atomic tests. But recent government tests have shown that Bikini well water contains radioactive strontium 90 and cesium 137, which are showing up in the people. Local coconuts, bananas and breadfruit contain the radioactive products. So food has to be shipped in until the inhabitants can be settled on other islands once again.

Teen Morals and Cancer

◆ Along with the steep rise in teen-age pregnancies in the U.S.​—33 percent in five years—​there has been a parallel rise in teen cervical cancer. “Cervical tissues in teenagers appear to be less resistant to the effects of possible harmful substances, including those in the male ejaculate,” says San Diego gynecologist Dr. Thomas Slate. Dr. William Creasman of Duke University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center agrees, noting that in girls 15 to 17 years of age the cervix is especially vulnerable to cancer-causing agents. And the study Adolescent Coitus and Cervical Cancer found that such sexually active girls are twice as likely to get cervical cancer as are those who do not engage in sexual activity until later in life.

Ancients Knew Better

◆ The Egyptian government has ended a Japanese effort to use ancient methods in erecting a small-scale replica of the pyramid of Cheops. (See Awake!, 4/8/78, p. 30.) Problems beset the project almost from the start, including skyrocketing limestone prices arising from pyramid-caused demand. A concrete foundation had to be used, ancient-type stone-carrying wooden sledges broke down, laborers were hard to get, and some of the three-ton hand-cut pyramid stones would not fit. According to the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram, the construction “took on the appearance of a deformity.”

Soda Boosts Height

◆ Ordinary baking soda has successfully restored normal growth to children stunted by a kidney disorder called renal tubular acidosis. Their kidneys fail to remove excess acid from their systems, thereby stunting growth. But researchers at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco found that ingesting sufficient amounts of alkaline baking soda neutralizes the excess acid. This produced startling results in 10 children ranging in age from eight days to nine and a half years. All reached normal height within three years, and one infant grew from 20 to 24 inches (51 to 61 centimeters) in just two months.

From the Experts

◆ In many countries, passenger rail service has long been superior to that in the United States. Now the U.S. National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) is renting a 203-ton French track machine to improve the quality of its poor roadbeds. The 152-foot- (46.3-meter-) long device “lifts up track with powerful magnets, loosens the rocky ballast and then uses laser beams to put the track down again in perfect alignment,” reports The Wall Street Journal. Amtrak also has purchased an Austrian ballast-loosening machine, as well as track-laying equipment designed in Switzerland.

Amazing Survivals

◆ A Canadian man, said to be trying to frighten or impress his girl friend, accidentally fell 23 stories from a window ledge. He fell 208 feet (63 meters) into about 3 feet (1 meter) of water in a swimming pool. Reportedly, the hospitalized 24-year-old man was in stable condition.

Another young man, who may have been under the influence of drugs, fell 27 stories down a ventilation shaft in San Francisco’s 48-story Transamerica building. He, too, was listed in stable condition after the 324-foot (99-meter) fall. The 22-year-old man had suffered fractured thighbones and kneecaps, and a broken heel bone, but had no apparent internal injuries. Police believe that striking the sides of the shaft on the way down broke his fall. Conscious when picked up by the ambulance, reportedly he sang songs, including one with the words, “Oh, What a Trip I’m On.”

Sweet Charity

◆ “There’s a war of professional fundraisers going on all over the country,” declared the head of San Francisco’s Concerned Citizens for Charity, “and there is no charity among these people.” Apparently, many smaller charities feel that they are being crowded out of their share of the charity dollar by the giant charity organization, United Way. They accuse United Way of monopolistic practices and, in some cases, are presenting their charges in lawsuits.

Glaucoma Relief

◆ Some persons have been using medically prescribed marijuana to control certain types of glaucoma. But a related drug called Nabilone has been synthesized and appears to reduce eye fluid pressure without the mind-altering effects of marijuana. The chairman of the University of Chicago’s ophthalmology department says that studies so far indicate that the drug “is effective in extremely low doses; and does not have any apparent side effects.”

Light on Cows

◆ Apparently plants are not the only living things that grow under the influence of light. According to a report in Science magazine, holstein cattle that received 16 hours of light a day in the winter attained 10 to 15 percent greater growth and gave 10 percent more milk than cattle receiving the normal average of 9.8 hours of sunlight alone. The milk of both groups had the same butterfat content, and the cows ate equal amounts of hay. “Manipulation of supplemental light may thus cause dramatic increases in food supplies from animals,” say Michigan State University researchers.

Never Too Old

◆ An 81-year-old man recently graduated from Hanazono primary school (sixth grade) near Nagoya, Japan. Because of poverty, he had gone to work rather than attending school in his earlier years. Then, in 1975, he applied for admittance to the primary school to receive some of the education that he had missed. Every day he bicycled 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to attend. Surrounded by students seven decades younger, he took examinations and did homework just like the rest. “The old man said he will continue learning as long as he lives,” reports the Mainichi Daily News.

Not ‘Rendering unto Caesar’

◆ Cheating on one’s income taxes is a way of life in many parts of the world. A United States Internal Revenue Service (IRS) agent recently admitted: “It’s really out of control. We have a $200 billion economy that operates completely off the books [without tax records]. That’s over 10% of the GNP [Gross National Product].” He also observed that even when the government’s 25,000 IRS agents find offenders, “juries don’t like to convict. It’s hard to convince a jury that what an evader did was wrong when, deep in their hearts, they would all love to beat Uncle Sam, too.” However, Jehovah’s Witnesses in every land obey Jesus’ command to “Pay back Caesar’s things to Caesar.”​—Mark 12:17.

Tight Squeeze

◆ A pressure equal to 700 times that exerted on the earth’s crust by Mount Everest is said to have made a diamond flow like plastic. Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory had achieved a pressure of 25.2 million pounds per square inch (1.77 million kilograms per square centimeter) when part of a small diamond flowed.

Not an Act

◆ In 1968, 40 teen-age Swedish hippies appeared in the film “They Consider Us Hooligans,” playing themselves. Since then, 10 of the 40 “actors” have died of drug overdoses, the latest being found dead in a Stockholm public toilet.

Immunizing Plants

◆ Vaccination of humans has been common for many years. Now this same principle has been used experimentally on tomato plants. According to Britain’s New Scientist magazine, scientists at the West of Scotland Agricultural College “have successfully protected their crop of Eurocross BB tomatoes from virulent strains of the pathogenic Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) by inoculating plants at the seedling stage.” The vaccinated tomato plants yielded an average of .68 kilogram (1.5 pounds) more per plant than TMV infected plants. “It is not possible to keep a greenhouse free of TMV in normal commercial conditions,” notes the article. So immunization could become a real financial boon.

Fast Food

◆ A tradesman’s tournament recently held in the People’s Republic of China produced a startling display of culinary dexterity. Hsinhua, the official news agency, reported that it took only two minutes and four seconds for master chefs to cook cubed chicken breasts in chili sauce​—starting with live chickens! The spicy Szechuan dish, dressed with peanuts, is called “palace jewels.”

Traveler Caution

◆ The World Health Organization (WHO) warns of a steady rise in the number of cases of “imported malaria” brought back to home countries by travelers in Africa. WHO emphasizes that all tourists should be informed “on the possible malaria risk in the areas they propose to visit, measures of protection against that risk, and the steps to be taken should the traveller develop fever after returning home.” Tourist information offices should have such information available.

Fastest Typist

◆ At the recent world typing championships held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, a Hungarian woman typed 18,665 characters without an error in thirty minutes, to claim the title. That would be the English equivalent of over 124 words per minute for the half hour.

Shetlands Short of Ponies

◆ The famous tiny Shetland ponies are declining on their native Shetland Islands. Only a few more than a thousand remain, as breeders find it unprofitable to continue in the business. There is little demand, so that prices at the last annual sale were as low as $28 (U.S.) for a 6-month-old colt. One problem is the high cost of transportation to a pony’s new home, which may be as much as $1,400 to New York.

Still More Languages

◆ According to two South African researchers, there are hundreds of African languages more than previously believed. It was thought that only 800 to 1,000 African tongues existed, but the researchers’ book, African Languages, a Genetic Decimalised Classification for Bibliographic and General Reference, lists some 1,500 languages. “Recent research has brought to light many little-known ‘minority-languages,’” explains one of the investigators, Professor Derek Fivaz of Rhodes University.

What Place Should Sports Have in Your Life?

Did you know that the Bible says “bodily training,” such as we get in sports, has its place? It is good for us. But how can we reap the good from sports and avoid possible harm?

The 192-page book Your Youth​—Getting the Best out of It discusses this in its chapter “Sports and Entertainment.” Send only 35 cents (U.S.) and a copy will be mailed to you postpaid.

Please send the hardbound book Your Youth​—Getting the Best out of It. I enclose 35c (U.S.).

Do Not Miss the Five-day “Victorious Faith” International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses

It begins this month. All sessions are free. Attend an assembly near you at any location below.

UNITED STATES

June 14-18: Dallas [Irving], Tex. (Spanish only), Texas Stadium. Milwaukee, Wis., County Stadium. New Orleans, La., Superdome. Washington, D.C., RFK Memorial Stadium.

June 21-25: Detroit [Pontiac], Mich., Silverdome. Lakeland, Fla. (Spanish only), Lakeland Civic Center. New Orleans, La., Superdome.

June 28–July 2: Los Angeles, Calif., Dodger Stadium. Philadelphia, Pa., Veterans Stadium. St. Louis, Mo., Busch Stadium.

July 12-16: Houston, Tex., Astrodome. Los Angeles, Calif. (Korean and Japanese also), Dodger Stadium. New York [Queens], N.Y., Shea Stadium. San Francisco, Calif. (Chinese also), Candlestick Park Stadium.

July 19-23: Cincinnati, Ohio, Riverfront Stadium. Monroe, N.Y. (French only), Jehovah’s Witnesses Assembly Hall.

July 26-30: Pittsburgh, Pa., Three Rivers Stadium. Seattle, Wash., Kingdome.

August 2-6: Los Angeles, Calif. (Spanish only), Dodger Stadium.

August 9-13: New York [Elmont], N.Y. (Spanish only), Belmont Park Race Track.

ALASKA

July 26-30: Anchorage, West High School, Romig Auditorium.

CANADA

July 5-9: Montréal, P.Q. (English, French, Arabic, Greek, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish. Some sessions only: Korean, Ukrainian), Olympic Stadium Parc Olympique.

July 12-16: Winnipeg, Man. (English. Some sessions only: Ukrainian), Winnipeg Stadium.

July 19-23: Vancouver, B.C. (English only), Empire Stadium, Exhibition Park.

August 23-27: Edmonton, Alta. (English. Some sessions only: Ukrainian), Edmonton Coliseum.

CARIBBEAN ISLANDS

August 2-6: Bridgetown, Barbados (English only), National Stadium. Fort de France, Martinique (French only), Hall des Sports, Stade Louis Achille.

August 9-13: Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe (French only).

August 16-20: San Juan, Puerto Rico (Spanish only), Hiram Bithorn Municipal Stadium.

August 23-27: St. Johns, Antigua (English only), Antigua Recreation Grounds. San Juan, Puerto Rico (Spanish only), Hiram Bithorn Municipal Stadium.

August 30–September 3: San Juan, Puerto Rico (English, Spanish), Hiram Bithorn Municipal Stadium.

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

July 5-9: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, Sheffield Wednesday Football Ground.

July 12-16: Dublin, Ireland (English. Friday morning session in Italian also), R.D.S. Main Hall, Ballsbridge. Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, Sheffield Wednesday Football Ground.

July 19-23: London, England (English, Greek, Spanish, Italian), Twickenham.

July 26-30: Edinburgh, Scotland (English only), Murrayfield Rugby Ground. London, England, Twickenham.

NORTHERN EUROPE (Scandinavia)

July 5-9: Copenhagen, Denmark (Danish, English. Sessions only on July 8, 9: Croatian, Greek, Polish, Spanish), Sports Park.

July 12-16: Helsinki, Finland (Finnish only), Messukeskus (Fair Center), Itä-Pasila.

July 19-23: Stockholm, Sweden (Swedish, Norwegian. Some sessions only: Spanish, Italian, Portuguese), Stockholms-mässan (Stockholm International Fairs), Älvsjö.

CENTRAL AND WESTERN EUROPE

July 12-16: Rotterdam, Netherlands (Dutch, Italian. Friday morning session only: English), Feijenoord Stadium.

July 26-30: Vienna, Austria (German, Croatian, Hungarian. Friday morning session only: English), Süd-Stadion. Brussels, Belgium (Dutch, French, Greek, Italian, Spanish), Palais du Centenaire-Heysel. Lille, France (French, Polish), Foire commerciale de Lille, Hall B. Nantes, France (French only), Stade Marcel Saupin. Marseille, France (French only), Stade vélodrome municipal. Munich, Germany (German, English, Greek, Turkish), Olympiahalle, Spiridon-Louis-Ring.

July 29–August 2: Düsseldorf, Germany (German, Italian, Croatian, Portuguese, Spanish), Rheinstadion.

August 2-6: Grenoble, France (French only), Palais des sports. Paris, France (French, Portuguese), Stade Yves du Manoir. Toulouse, France (French only), Stadium municipal.

SOUTHERN EUROPE

June 28–July 2: Athens, Greece, Apollo Stadium.

July 12-16: Thessalonica, Greece, District of Hortiatis.

August 2-6: Milan, Italy (Italian. Friday morning session only: English), San Siro. Lisbon, Portugal (Portuguese only), Restelo Stadium. Barcelona, Spain (Spanish only), Feria Oficial e Internacional de Muestras de Barcelona.

August 9-13: Rome, Italy (Italian. Friday morning session only: English), Stadio Flaminio.

ASIA​—ORIENT (North Pacific)

July 26-30: Nagoya, Japan, Nagoya International Exhibition Hall.

August 2-6: Osaka, Japan, Expo Memorial Park​—Sports Ground. Taegu, Korea, Kyungbook Silnae Gymnasium.

August 4-8: Seoul, Korea, Seoul City Students Gymnasium, Chamsil 1-Dong.

August 9-13: Sapporo, Japan, Olympic Stadium. Seoul, Korea, Changchoong Gymnasium, Changchoong Dong. Taejon, Korea, Choongmu Gymnasium.

August 11-15: Tokyo, Japan, Ohi Horse Racing Stadium.

August 12-16: Hong Kong (Chinese only), Dr. Chan Shu Kui Hall.

August 14-18: Seoul, Korea, Jehovah’s Witnesses Assembly Hall, San 16-15 Shihueng 3-dong, Sepul.

August 22-26: Manila, Philippines (Tagalog), Rizal Memorial Stadium.

August 23-27: Taipei, Taiwan, Chung Cheng Gymnasium.

HAWAII

July 5-9: Honolulu, Hawaii (English, Japanese), Blaisdell Center.

July 12-16: Honolulu, Hawaii (English, Japanese), Blaisdell Center.