October 22

Page Two

It has been nearly 70 years since the Titanic sank with a loss of over 1,500 lives. Here is a firsthand account of that tragic event as told by one of the survivors. But the information that follows is of even greater importance, for it explains how you can survive the sinking of this system​—an impending disaster far more tragic than the sinking of the Titanic.

3 “I SURVIVED THE SINKING OF THE TITANIC”

9 BUT WILL YOU SURVIVE THE SINKING OF THIS SYSTEM?

“I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic”

IT BEGAN while I was visiting my elderly parents and uncle in Jacksonville, Florida. This was shortly before my uncle died a few months ago. As usual, we went to the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Sunday morning to attend a public talk. We heard a fine discourse, “Will You Be a Survivor of the ‘Last Days’?” On the way home, my uncle said: “That talk reminded me of when I survived a terrible disaster.” He paused a moment, then added: “You know, I survived the sinking of the Titanic.”

Later I asked my uncle, Louis Garrett, to tell me about his experience on the Titanic.

“Let me go back to the beginning,” he said. “I was born in 1900, in Hakoor, Lebanon, a small mountain village about 80 to 90 miles (130 to 140 km) north of Beirut. My family owned and operated a water-powered stone mill that ground wheat into flour. My father was the village miller. It was decided that the family would migrate to the United States. In 1904 my mother and my two sisters left Lebanon. Later, in 1906, my older brother left for the United States. It was in 1912, to complete the family migration, that my father, my sister and I were to leave for the United States.

“In March 1912, we sailed to Marseilles, France. While there, we booked passage on the Titanic to sail on its maiden voyage to New York. The date of its sailing was April 10, 1912. My father had to be left behind in Marseilles because he could not pass the required physical examination due to an eye infection.” My uncle smiled and exclaimed: “A very fortunate turn of events for him!”

“My sister was 14 years old,” he continued, “and I was 12 when we boarded the Titanic. We were saddened to leave my father behind, but were excited about being on board the R.M.S. Titanic, the largest, fastest and most luxurious ship of its time​—and also said to be unsinkable! There were over 2,200 people on board, including some of the wealthiest and most influential people of that time. Many were on the Titanic to celebrate its maiden voyage. It was the “in” thing to do for the socially prominent. The ship’s speed was as expected. The anticipated arrival in New York was to be Wednesday, April 17. The water was calm, the weather typically chilly for April.

“On Sunday, April 14, our fifth day at sea, the weather turned exceptionally cold​—so bitterly cold that not many people were out on the promenade deck. We heard that there were warnings of icebergs in the area. None were expected to be sighted on the ship’s course, so the Titanic maintained full speed ahead. However, the captain of the Californian, another ship in the North Atlantic, radioed a warning to the Titanic about icebergs being sighted in our path. This was ignored. The price paid for overconfidence on the part of Captain Smith, nearly 700 fellow crewmen and over 800 passengers, was indeed very high.

“At approximately 11:45 p.m. Sunday, April 14, my sister and I were awakened with a jolt. She was in the upper berth of the cabin and screamed, ‘Something’s wrong!’

“‘Go back to sleep,’ I called to her. ‘You worry too much.’ Soon an elderly man, whom we had met on board and who took a fatherly interest in us, came to our cabin and said calmly: ‘Come out of your cabin and go to the upper deck. Don’t bother about taking your belongings for now. You’ll get them later.’

“We had steerage-class tickets, meaning we could go up to the second-class deck. But those on second-class and steerage could not pass through a guarded gate that led to the first-class upper deck. However, we were told it would be wise to get to the first-class upper deck in order to have a better chance of getting into a lifeboat. The only way this could be done was to climb an iron ladder from the steerage deck below up five or six decks to the lifeboats above. This we did with much difficulty, for it was hard for my sister to climb the iron ladder. But with help from others we made it.

“What a sight! Most of the lifeboats were gone. The crew was permitting women and children only to board the lifeboats​—there were not enough for everyone. We saw women crying, not wanting to leave their husbands; husbands begging their wives and children to hurry and get into the lifeboats. Amid this complete pandemonium and mass hysteria stood my sister and I, two immigrant children, unable to speak English, frightened beyond belief, crying and looking for help.

“The last lifeboat was being loaded. A middle-aged gentleman was with his very young, pregnant wife. He helped her into the lifeboat, then looked back to the deck and saw others wanting to get aboard. He kissed his wife good-bye, and, returning to the deck, grabbed the first person in his path. Fortunately, I was there in the right place at the right time and he put me into the lifeboat. I screamed for my sister who had frozen from fright. With the help of others, she also was pushed into the lifeboat. Who was the gallant man who performed this kind act? We were told he was John Jacob Astor IV. At that time he was 45 years old and his wife, Madeleine, was 19. They were traveling to the United States because they wanted their child to be born there. Many newspaper stories were written that told how John Jacob Astor gave up his life for a young immigrant. The Astor family records indicate that, according to Mrs. Astor, Mr. Astor had words with a crewman who tried to prevent him from helping his wife into the lifeboat. He did so anyway. And, as I said, he kissed her and, returning to the deck, began helping others into the lifeboat.

“I was happy to be in the lifeboat, but I still had a feeling of sorrow for the ones left on the Titanic. Looking back at that big, beautiful ship, I could see it from a different perspective and, with some of the lights still on, I could see the size and beauty of the ship. In the stillness of the night and with sound traveling so well over water, we could hear the band playing on deck and people singing ‘Nearer My God to Thee.’ The crew rowed away from the ship as far as they could. There were fears that a suction would develop when it made its final plunge into the ocean depths. That did not happen, nor was there an explosion as some thought there would be. The waters were unusually calm that night and it was a good thing, for most of the lifeboats were loaded down with people.

“The Titanic sank about 2:20 a.m. April 15, 1912, according to the records. I saw it slide down into the ocean to its horrible finish. The moment it sank left a memory of something that haunts me till this day. It was the eerie sound of the people groaning and screaming frantically for help, as they were hurtled into the icy water. Almost all died from the cold water. The sounds lasted for about 45 minutes and then faded away.”

My uncle was quiet for a while, remembering. He then continued: “An SOS had been sent out about midnight. It was received by the S.S. Carpathia of the Cunard White Star Line. It was about 58 miles (93 km) away and immediately turned around from its course, which was heading for Gibraltar, and proceeded full steam ahead to the rescue. It arrived at about 4:30 a.m. Interestingly, the S.S. Californian was only 20 miles (32 km) away from the spot where the Titanic sank, but the radio operator did not pick up the SOS signal because he was off duty. Later reports showed that the Californian did see flares in the night, but thought the passengers on the Titanic were shooting fireworks in celebration of the maiden voyage.

“The Carpathia completed the rescue operations about 8:30 a.m. Our lifeboat was among the last to be rescued. After being taken aboard, bundled up, given hot tea and made comfortable, I was happy to be alive, even though I had a coat and shoes much too large.

“Later the captain of the Carpathia called all the survivors to come on deck and see the iceberg. My 12-year-old mind recorded it as being as high as a two-story house, much wider and with a huge chimney. The ship delivered us to New York before continuing its trip to Gibraltar, a very kind act on the part of the management of the Cunard White Star Line. We arrived in New York at 8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 18, and were taken to the Cunard White Star docks.

“Looking back at those long hours in the lifeboat, it now seems miraculous that we reached the safety of the Carpathia. The bitter cold was almost unbearable. We huddled together to keep warm. People were kind to one another. I remember how windy it was there on the deck of the Carpathia. The winds had picked up to several knots per hour. Fortunately the winds held off just long enough for the rescue mission. Had the waters not remained calm and smooth during that time, it is doubtful that the rescue operations would have been so successful.”

“Did any in the lifeboats die?” I asked.

“I only know of one person in our lifeboat who died from the cold. The body was wrapped in a sheet and slipped overboard.”

“Were there any men in your lifeboat?”

“Only women and children, as ordered by the crew, with the exception of a few crew members who served as oarsmen. There was one young couple with a baby who ‘put one over’ on the crew. The wife was very shrewd; she dressed her young husband as a woman, covered his head with a shawl and gave him the baby. He was in one lifeboat and she was in ours. Both were rescued by the Carpathia.

“On our arrival in New York, we expected to be taken to Ellis Island to clear immigration procedures. However, this was waived because of the pain and suffering already endured by the survivors. We were turned over to the Red Cross to be united with our families. My older brother, Isaac, was in New York and our meeting was mixed with joy and sadness. My father was still in France. However, we concluded that had he been on the Titanic with us, he would not have survived because of the women-and-children-only rule. Maybe even our being survivors would have been affected. We would have found it hard to leave Dad on board the Titanic and be seeking our own safety. Fortunately for him, he arrived safely three months later on another ship.”

My uncle paused, lost in thoughts of that terrible ordeal. Finally, I broke in on his reverie. “You survived that tragedy. Now, when did you learn of this impending tribulation of the ‘last days’?”

“Let me take you from 1912 to 1930,” he said. “A colporteur from Brooklyn, New York, had visited Jacksonville, Florida, where my older brother’s family and my family, consisting of my wife, my son and I, resided. My older brother had been studying the Bible with some of Jehovah’s Witnesses who spoke Arabic. He had become an active Witness himself. The colporteur, named George Kafoory, held several meetings for Arabic-speaking people. I received a copy of the book The Harp of God in Arabic. After many debates with my brother, I got so upset that I finally told him, ‘I disown you as a brother because you have left your original Greek Orthodox religion. I can’t believe that you’ll never make the sign of the cross, the symbol of the Trinity, again.’

“I loved my brother and I was deeply disturbed by this rift between us. Months later, I happened to come across that copy of The Harp of God that I had obtained. It had gathered dust, but I opened it and started reading in the early afternoon, continuing beyond midnight. The truth of God’s Word began making inroads on my heart. I joined a study being conducted for Arabic-speaking persons and was baptized in 1933.

“One more event in my life stands out. It was in 1949 that I was financially able to make a trip I had dreamed of for many years. In Lebanon, I had an older half brother with whom I wanted to visit and share the Kingdom hope. On the flight back to Lebanon, our route took us over Greenland and also very nearly over the spot where the Titanic sank. I was overcome by my emotions while looking down on the cold Atlantic waters and reflecting on that sad occasion.

“A stewardess, noticing the tears streaming down my face, leaned over quietly, patted my arm and asked: ‘Is there anything wrong? May I help?’ I responded: ‘No, I was just thinking of when I was a young lad 12 years old. I was on a great ship, the Titanic that went down and lost over 1,500 lives in those very waters below. I still can’t forget that frantic morning and the cries for help that came from the darkness and those icy waters.’ ‘How sad,’ said the pretty dark-haired stewardess. ‘I remember reading about the Titanic disaster.’

“I completed the trip to Lebanon. Happily, my older half brother was interested in the Bible. Later he also became a dedicated Christian witness of Jehovah.”

My uncle Louis concluded his story with an expression of hope that the kingdom of God will replace the present satanic system of things.

“The truth of God’s Word,” he declared, “has been a guiding force in my life. I thank Jehovah for sparing my life in the Titanic disaster and that I have had the opportunity to serve him now in these critical ‘last days.”’ He lived near his older brother and his wife and together with them served Jehovah to the best of his ability to the day of his death. Never did he cease praying for God’s will to be done on earth as in heaven. (Matt. 6:9, 10) It was his strong hope that, should he die before Armageddon, God would rescue him from the power of the grave by a resurrection to life.

[Blurb on page 6]

We could hear the band playing on deck and people singing “Nearer My God to Thee”

[Blurb on page 6]

I saw it slide down into the ocean to its horrible finish

[Blurb on page 7]

I can’t forget that frantic morning, the cries for help that came from the darkness and those icy waters

[Box/​Picture on page 5]

The “Titanic,” 882.5 feet (269 m) long, was the largest ship on the seas. Its gross displacement exceeded that of contemporary battleships by 5,000 tons. Its hull was divided into 16 watertight compartments, and, because four of these could be flooded without sinking the ship, it was deemed unsinkable. “In safety, . . . it was believed, the last word had been uttered in the construction of the ‘Titanic.”’ (New York “Times,” April 16, 1912) But the fatal iceberg opened a 300-foot (90-m) gash in the side of the ship, flooding five of its watertight compartments, and the “unsinkable” “Titanic” foundered.

[Box/​Map on page 4]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

U.S.A.

NEW YORK

NEWFOUNDLAND

WHERE THE “TITANIC” WAS LOST

IRELAND

ENGLAND

SOUTHAMPTON

FRANCE

[Box] Wednesday, April 10: “Titanic” sailed from Southampton on its maiden trip, with approximately 2,200 persons aboard. After brief stops in France and Ireland, it headed toward New York.

Sunday, April 14: Weather turned very cold. “Titanic,” warned of icebergs ahead, steamed ahead at 22 knots. Shortly before midnight, it struck an iceberg about 95 miles (150 km) south of the Newfoundland banks.

Monday, April 15: “Titanic” sank only 2 hours and 40 minutes after impact, with a loss of 1,500 lives. The ship was 1,600 miles (2,570 km) northeast of its destination.

[Picture on page 8]

Some passengers refused to heed the warnings to abandon ship

But Will You Survive the Sinking of this System?

THE sinking of the Titanic was undreamed of. According to the New York Times, her commander, Captain E. J. Smith, had long been of the opinion that “shipbuilding was such a perfect art nowadays that absolute disaster, involving the passengers on a great modern liner, was quite unthinkable.” But it happened. Even as the great ship began to sink, people on board refused to believe they were really in danger. As reported in the April 19, 1912, New York Times, one survivor made this statement:

“The members of the crew urged everybody to get aboard [the lifeboats] and no one was in a hurry to do so. It was believed that there was no danger, and the general feeling was that those who had put off were making fools of themselves and would have the trouble of rowing back to the boat again after a few hours.

“The people were apathetic at first all through the ship. The confidence that the ship was unsinkable was so great that most felt sure of its safety until the last minute. One of the stewards told us afterward that he had knocked at the door of a woman repeatedly, but she refused to move. Finally he tried to drag her out, but she fought him off, till he finally gave it up, and she went to the bottom of the sea, it is thought, in her stateroom.”

The Titanic’s lifeboats had space for 1,178 persons​—not enough for everyone, but far more than enough for the 700 survivors. Many died needlessly because those early lifeboats went out half empty, thanks to misplaced confidence in the “unsinkable” ship.

Did you notice that a steward knocked at the door of a woman passenger, repeatedly warning her that the “unthinkable” was happening, only to be ignored? ‘How foolish!’ you might say.

Yet people repeatedly knock at your door, too, giving you an urgent warning. Those people are Jehovah’s Witnesses, faithful “stewards” of Almighty God. Their warning is, not that this entire worldwide system of things is in danger of “sinking” in a flood of war, crime and brutal violence. Rather, that God will soon send it ‘to the bottom’ so that it can be replaced with a righteous new order ruled by his heavenly kingdom.

What is your response to that warning? Like that woman passenger of the Titanic, do you say, ‘Ridiculous! Unthinkable!’ and close your door? Such an attitude can cost you your life.

Danger Should Be Obvious

Interestingly, a few alert people aboard the Titanic sensed impending disaster. Why? Because the ship was violating the most basic rules of sound seamanship. As one survivor pointed out: “We understood all afternoon that we were breaking all records for crossing the ocean. It was repeated among the passengers only a few hours before we crashed into the berg that we were making twenty-three miles an hour. We all knew of the warnings of danger that had come to the boat during the day.”

Why the dangerous, breakneck speed? Another survivor had this recollection: “Before I retired [on the night of the disaster] I had a long chat with Charles H. Hays, president of the Grand Trunk Railroad. One of the last things Mr. Hays said was: ‘The White Star, the Cunard, and the Hamburg-American Lines are devoting their attention and ingenuity in vying one with the other to attain the supremacy in luxurious ships and in making speed records. The time will soon come when this will be checked by some appalling disaster.’ Poor fellow, a few hours later he was dead!”

Is not the present world situation much like that? Heedless of safety, trusting in the myth of its own invulnerability, the Titanic was in a dangerous race. The nations of the world today are engaged in a far more dangerous arms race, trusting, like the captain of the Titanic, that disaster will not ensue. But have they grounds for such trust? Or is their confidence misplaced? Thoughtful observers of the world scene argue that disaster is getting more and more likely.

If you are tempted to say ‘Ridiculous! Unthinkable!’ when Jehovah’s Witnesses warn you of coming disaster for this system of things, remember: This world is violating the most basic rules of sound government, sound ecology and sound international relationships. Why should disaster be unlikely?

Need to Heed Warning

Of course, mere awareness of danger will not save a person from the end of this world system, just as it did not save Mr. Hays on the Titanic. The survivors of the Titanic were those who took the proper action in response to warnings of danger.

For many, such action meant leaving a comfortable stateroom in the middle of the night to rush up to a chilly deck, clad only in a dressing gown. It meant strictly and humbly following the orders of stewards and crew to get into a small lifeboat, perhaps leaving a husband or a brother behind. It meant pulling away in that little boat from a ship described at the time as “a great fifteen-story floating palace, splendid and gigantic in every detail . . . with . . . great saloons and restaurants, a miniature theatre, squash and tennis courts, swimming pools and Turkish and electric baths; great smoking rooms, card rooms, beautiful music rooms, sun parlors, Winter gardens, palm courts, gymnasium, and . . . even a miniature golf links.” It meant giving up all that luxury and comfort for a hard seat in an open boat in a chilly sea. It meant, at least for those on the early lifeboats, overcoming the fear of ridicule by those who said they were “making fools of themselves” and would soon be sheepishly rowing back to the Titanic. Yes, even if you had heard the warning, heeding it might not have been easy! Heeding that warning called for determination, humility, a denial of materialism, and a spirit of self-sacrificing acceptance of hardship. But it was worth it! The alternative was a few more comfortable minutes, then death.

Already Sinking

This world system has been ‘sinking’ ever since 1914, when World War I began a remarkable fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy found in the Bible at Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 21 and Mark chapter 13. Jesus put it this way: “Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress.”​—Matt 24:7, 8.

As Jesus went on to point out, those “pangs of distress” would be followed by persecution of Christians, the rise of false prophets, increasing crime and lawlessness, and the earth-wide preaching of the good news of God’s kingdom. “And then,” said Jesus, “the end will come.”​—Matt. 24:9-14.

Who can deny that these very predictions have been coming true more and more since 1914? It would be like the passengers of the Titanic denying that the great ship had really struck an iceberg!

What happened to this world system in 1914 was something far more significant than any collision with a mere iceberg. Bible chronology indicates that in 1914 Jehovah God installed Jesus Christ as rightful ruler over this earth.a Christ’s immediate action was to cast Satan the Devil from heaven to the vicinity of the earth, with the result that is well described at Revelation 12:12: “Woe for the earth and for the sea, because the Devil has come down to you, having great anger, knowing he has a short period of time.”

That “short period” of worldwide “woe” began in 1914. How long will it continue? Jesus indicated it would wind up within the lifetime of the generation that witnessed its beginning. (Matt. 24:34) How would this period of “woe” end? Not gradually, but suddenly as this foundering worldwide ‘ship of state’ is finished off in a dramatic confrontation between this world’s political forces and Christ’s angelic armies, a final showdown known as the battle of Armageddon.​—Rev. 16:14, 16, Authorized Version; Re 19:11-21.

So do not be deceived by any false “buoyancy” of this system of things! Some people are like the foolish passengers of the Titanic who “joked over the matter.” In fact, according to contemporary newspaper reports, “some of the fragments of ice [from the iceberg the Titanic struck] had fallen on the deck and these were picked up and passed around by some of the facetious ones, who offered them as mementoes of the occasion.”

Likewise today there are “facetious ones” who say, in effect, that the world has always had its share of war, crime and other hardships. ‘So,’ they ask, ‘what’s all the excitement about?’ (2 Pet. 3:3, 4) This ‘ship of state’ can stay afloat for a long while yet, they claim. But remember! War, lawlessness, famine and other hardships are merely indicators that the ship is sinking. They will not ultimately sink it. God will do the sinking​—suddenly and soon!

The Deck Is Sloping

However, two world wars, unprecedented earthquakes, millions of yearly victims of worldwide famine, the accelerating arms race​—all these indicate clearly to wise persons that the deck of this worldwide ship is sloping. Its time is running out. Just as the Titanic’s passengers could not find enough lifeboats when they finally woke up to the seriousness of their plight, so the Bible indicates that when most people finally realize that this worldly system is doomed, it will be too late. The “lifeboats” will be gone.​—Matt. 24:38-42.

Once those lifeboats were gone, those left behind had no hope of being saved. It did not matter that John Jacob Astor IV had a personal fortune estimated at $100,000,000 at the time. His money could not save his life. Nor could the money of his son Vincent. Back in New York city, he was described as “almost hysterical from grief” as he besieged the wireless office, telling everyone “that he would give all the money that could be asked for if the [wireless] operator would only tell him that he had heard news of his father’s safety.” All in vain.

Yes, the disaster of the Titanic was great, but the disaster just ahead for this system of things is far greater. About one third of the passengers of the Titanic managed to escape death. However, there is no Biblical indication that so large a proportion of this world’s population will survive the impending destruction of this system of things. To the contrary, “those slain by Jehovah will certainly come to be in that day from one end of the earth clear to the other end of the earth.” (Jer. 25:33) The slain ones will include, “kings . . . military commanders . . . strong men . . . freemen as well as slaves . . . small ones and great.”​—Rev. 19:18.

The warnings have been given in the pages of this magazine and its companion, The Watchtower, for many years now. There is still time for humble ones to find a place on a “lifeboat” by following the Bible-based instructions of “stewards” who still come to their doors. But time is running out! Why not ask Jehovah’s Witnesses what you should do to survive the sinking of this system of things while there is still an opportunity?

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 10]

Like that woman passenger of the “Titanic,” do you say, ‘Ridiculous! Unthinkable!’ and close your door?

[Blurb on page 11]

There is still time to find a place on a “lifeboat.” But time is running out!

[Picture on page 9]

Do you heed the warning of the end of this system?

“Busy as a Bee”​—How Busy?

How much do bees have to work to provide the beekeeper with a single kilogram (2.2 lbs.) of honey? A circular put out by the German Apiarist Society, Inc., gives us the answer. In one hour, it says, a bee can pollinate about 700 blossoms. To produce one kilogram of honey, however, requires that the bees fly to more than seven million blossoms! That means that a single bee​—if it would live that long—​would need almost 10,000 “flying hours,” or some 15 months, to gather one kilogram of honey. The bee would have to fly a distance of 240,000 kilometers (150,000 mi.), equal to about six times around the earth at the equator.

How Can I Get Some Sleep?

‘ . . . 397 . . . 398 . . . 399. . . . Why can’t I sleep?’ Does it sound familiar?

Many experience this night after night. According to a German medical journal, every fifth person has some sleeping disorder​—women more so than men, adults more so than youths, town dwellers more so than people in the country. Some have difficulty in falling asleep, others wake up too early, and still others wake up many times during the night. What can you do about it if you have such problems? To begin with, it is good to know something about sleep.

Electrical Brain Activity

Sleep involves intense electrical activity in the brain. Medical equipment can measure this. When you sleep undisturbed for a whole night, you pass through wave patterns of different kinds of sleep.

First, you slowly sink into a “deep trough,” called delta sleep. This is a sound sleep during which everything slows down. Your brain, heart and muscles relax. Your body cleanses and rebuilds itself, as evidenced by the release of growth hormone.

Then you slowly rise to the top of a “wave,” to a much lighter sleep, called rapid-eye-movement, or REM, sleep, which is quite different. It is mostly during this period that you dream. Researchers have found that there is as much brain activity in the REM sleep as there is when a person is fully alert, wide-awake. This stage is not yet fully understood, but scientists theorize that this is when the brain is absorbing the events of the day, like a computer, storing them in its memory bank.

You may pass through four to six such “waves” during the night, each “wave” lasting about an hour and a half.

This sleeping rhythm is important to a person’s well-being. It can be disturbed by alcohol, sleeping pills and sedatives, which eliminate or reduce the important REM sleep. Some appetite-hampering drugs and cough medicines may also disturb this rhythm.

Stop Worrying and Start Sleeping

If you have trouble in sleeping, the first thing to do is stop being overly worried about it. Worry only hampers your sleep. Usually there is no danger in being without sleep for a period now and then. The Swiss psychotherapist Paul Debois likens sleep to a dove. If you hold your hand out gently, it comes voluntarily and settles on it. But if you try to grab it, it flies away.

Don’t compare your sleep with that of other persons. The need for sleep varies with age and from person to person. Babies need 18 hours of sleep. Normally, younger people need seven to eight hours. Some older persons need only four to seven hours. Much of the anxiety about sleeplessness is unnecessary, as sleep requirements normally change with age. What matters is not how many hours of sleep you get but how you feel. Indeed, analysis of the sleep of persons who claim to suffer from sleeplessness shows that they often sleep more than they think they do.

Find the Cause

It is important to find the real cause of your sleeping problem, if indeed you have one. Sleeplessness may be a symptom of some physical disorder, such as hypertension or upset stomach. But often, the cause is in your mind rather than in your body. Are you worrying about something? Try to reason it out with yourself in a balanced way. Prayer, offered in faith, can put a person’s mind at ease. Consulting a wise and mature person regarding your problem may also be beneficial.

Perhaps the problem is not you but that of your environment. The ventilation of the bedroom may be poor, or the temperature may be too high. Try keeping it between 59 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 17 degrees Celsius). Rather high humidity in the bedroom is usually good. If you take the chill off your bed before lying in it, you may fall asleep more easily, as a cool bed has a stimulating effect.

Is your bed well suited to you? You should be able to move in it without difficulty. Since your bed is where you spend one third of your life, get the best you can afford. Make sure it is correctly placed in the room. Most people prefer to sleep with their head toward the window. Even the material in the mattress and the bedclothes may affect your sleep. For example, a nightdress of synthetic fiber might cause discomfort.

The bedroom light may disturb you. Some need complete darkness and even have to wear an eye mask, while others want a soft night lamp burning. There may also be annoying sounds. Have a new washer put in that dripping faucet. If nothing else helps, use earplugs​—although it takes some time to get used to them, and they are not a good idea for people with chronic ear problems.

Resetting Your Day and Night Rhythm

Do not try to force yourself into sleep. Some people simply cannot get sleepy until the early morning hours. Doctors have found that it is much easier to adjust their internal clocks by advancing them than by trying to “move the hands back.” Some lifetime insomniacs were cured by simply postponing their bedtime a few hours each day until their cycles advanced to a normal bedtime! “During treatment I felt like a zombie [a walking dead person],” admits one cured patient, but the final results were good.

Some people who complain about poor night sleep actually rob themselves by sleeping during the day. So, if you find it difficult to fall asleep at night, try to avoid that nap after lunch. ‘But I get so drowsy!’ some will say. Well, at those times why not do something else that may be refreshing, like taking a quick walk? Think of your sleep as money in the bank. If you “spend” it in naps, you won’t have it at night when you really need it.

The “Do’s” and “Don’ts”

Vigorous physical exercise is a good remedy for sleeplessness. Have you considered getting off the bus one or two stops earlier on your way home from work and walking briskly the rest of the way? It may help you to sleep better. On the other hand, too much exercise just before bedtime is not advisable. Nor is eating a heavy meal before bedtime. Both activities will get your body all “fired up” and may chase sleep away for hours. Even a light meal before bedtime may activate you if it contains sugar.

Did you know that smokers generally have more problems with their sleep than do nonsmokers? Sleep habits of smokers who suddenly quit improve dramatically, according to researchers at Pennsylvania State University. In fact, heavy smokers who abruptly stopped reportedly spent 45 percent less time awake during the first three nights after quitting.

Avoid stimulants before bedtime. Coffee, tea and cola drinks contain caffeine, the stimulating effect of which usually does not culminate until between two and four hours after you have consumed the drink. Even cocoa is somewhat stimulating. Some persons cannot drink such stimulants as coffee or tea after four o’clock in the afternoon if they want a good night’s sleep. Other sleep-hampering stimuli may be late TV watching and exciting reading.

Milk, cheese, nuts and liver contain the amino acid L-tryptophan, which makes a person sleepy. Preliminary results show that persons taking a dose of L-tryptophan before going to bed fall asleep more quickly and sleep longer.

A warm bath, or at least a warm footbath, before bedtime has a soothing effect.

Other suggested remedies for insomnia include such herbs as hops, heather, chamomile, passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) and peppermint used in the evening tea.

In some cases doctors may prescribe sleeping pills for a limited time, but, as Family Health put it, sleep experts “are categorically against the use of any sleeping pill for an extended period of time.”

If you suffer from sleeplessness, why not try the simple ideas found in this article? If they don’t work, see your doctor. It may be that your insomnia is caused by a chronic physical problem of which you are unaware. While it may be true that sleeplessness never killed anybody, it is equally true that, as a haggard victim of insomnia said: “It can make you wish you were dead!”

[Box on page 15]

WANT TO SLEEP BETTER?

● Avoid sleeping pills.

● Sleep at regular times.

● Get physical exercise, and avoid sleeping during the daytime.

● Quit smoking.

● Avoid coffee, tea, cola drinks, cocoa, TV watching and exciting reading before bedtime.

● Take a warm bath, or at least a footbath, before going to bed.

● Have a cup of soothing herb tea.

● Keep your bedroom well ventilated, with low temperature and rather high humidity.

● Don’t take your problems to bed with you. If you couldn’t solve them today, let them wait until tomorrow.

The Odd Couple​—Halloween and All Saints’ Day

HALLOWEEN got its name from the old English term All Hallows E’en, the eve of all the holy ones’ day, or All Saints’ Day, which falls on November 1 in the Church calendar. But just how did a night full of ghosts, witches, skeletons and a host of other things of the dark ever get tied up with a day for the “saints” of the Roman Catholic Church? It is a story that betrays how thin is the line separating pagan folklore and Church practices.

Where Halloween Got Started

Under the heading “Halloween,” the “Encyclopædia Britannica” says: “Oct. 31 was also the eve of the new year in both Celtic and Anglo-Saxon times and one of the ancient fire festivals. . . . Since November ushers in the darkest and most barren half of the year, the autumnal festival acquired sinister significance, with ghosts, witches, hobgoblins, fairies and demons of all kinds roaming abroad.”

The festival was held in honor of Samhain, the Celtic lord of the dead, who it was believed, allowed the souls of those who died in the preceding year to return home that evening. Festivities included building huge bonfires to chase away the witches and demons. Sacrifices of crops, animals and even humans were made to appease the souls of the deceased. The people also engaged in fortune-telling and wore costumes made of animal heads and skins.

The Romans also contributed some of their pagan rituals to the customs of the Celts whom they conquered. One of their autumn festivals held in honor of Pomona, the goddess of trees and fruits, probably accounted for the prominent use of apples in Halloween festivities​—apple-bobbing and apple-on-a-string, for example.

What About All Saints’ Day?

For centuries, the Romans prayed for their dead at the Pantheon, the temple dedicated to the goddess Cybele and other Roman deities. Then in about 610 C.E., Emperor Phocas presented the temple as a gift to Pope Boniface IV, who rededicated it to Mary and the martyrs of the Church on May 13, the date of a feast observed by the Church for its martyrs. Thereafter, Roman converts could come to the same temple to pray for their dead, only now in the name of Mary and the martyrs instead of Cybele and the deities. For some 200 years the anniversary of the dedication became the major celebration at the “Christianized” Pantheon, and this observance, many authorities believe, became the predecessor of All Saints’ Day.

How the Two Got Together

The needed linkage was the Roman conquest of the Celts, who subsequently became “Christians.” However, they persisted in many of their customs, including their October 31 festival of the dead. So, in 837 C.E., Pope Gregory IV, in line with the Church policy of absorbing and “Christianizing” the customs of the converts rather than abolishing them, ordered that November 1 be observed throughout the Church as a day for all the “saints.” Thus, in a single stroke of ecclesiastical diplomacy, a totally pagan festival with all its paraphernalia intact was married to the Church’s own centuries-old pagan worship of the dead. And ever since, the odd couple, Halloween and All Saints’ Day, have inseparably stuck together.

That Magnificent Black Eagle

By “Awake!” correspondent in South Africa

A HARSH cry is heard overhead. Two falcons are attacking a female black eagle in midair. Down hurtles one falcon, but the eagle meets the attack by rolling onto her back and extending her talons. Now both falcons dive, one behind the other. Again the eagle rolls to meet the first falcon. But can she sustain inverted flight long enough to deal with the second? With perfect control she executes a double roll just in time to ward off the second attack. What magnificent flying!

The black eagle, with a wingspan of 1.8 meters (6 ft.), is found from South Africa through East Africa and into Israel. As the name implies, the bird is glossy black in color. A white patch on the back forms a “V” over the shoulders. When the bird is in flight, pale patches at the wing tips give the wings a transparent appearance.

Well-made Nests

Usually the nesting site is an inaccessible ledge on a precipice. A pair of black eagles may have two, or even three sites​—all in the same area—​and may use them, in turn, according to fancy. Rotating the use of the nests may assist in keeping them free from parasites. Black eagles are scrupulously clean.

The nest is well made and is enlarged and remodeled each time it is used. It may be 1.5 meters (5 ft.) across at the base and almost as high and is made of sticks as thick as the human thumb. Both the male and the female birds contribute to the building of the nest. However, while the male may place the sticks where he feels they are best suited, his mate will often rearrange them. In doing this, she may eventually return a stick to its original position; but she is then satisfied that this is the best place. The nest is no haphazard pile of sticks.

The depression in the center of the nest is finally lined with green twigs and leaves that are renewed frequently. This serves as a soft lining and may also provide the humidity needed for hatching the eggs.

An Elaborate Courtship

In the middle of May, after nest repairs have been made, an elaborate courtship commences. This is not for the purpose of winning a mate, as these eagles mate for life, and some may live for 50 years. Rather, it is a preliminary to mating, and both eagles share in thrilling flight displays.

At times the male will descend on the flying female, and she will roll over at his approach. The pair lock talons and fall, spinning for a considerable distance before they separate. At other times, the birds will climb and dive on a course like that of a swinging pendulum, turning at the end of the swing by wheeling over on one wing. The ratios of weight times wing area and wing length times breadth provide an excellent compromise for an eagle’s flight requirements.

Rearing a Chick

Eggs are laid by black eagles in the early part of June. Usually there are two eggs, with an interval of one to four days between them, and they are incubated for about 44 days. The male shares with his mate in sitting on the eggs during daylight, but the female always takes the full night watch.

Although two eggs are in the nest, only one eaglet will be raised. Sometimes the female will destroy one of the eggs when it is evident that a live chick is in the other. On other occasions, both will be allowed to hatch. When that is the case, the firstborn chick usually dominates the other one, which soon dies. The parents do nothing to prevent this, although there is ample food for both birds. Why?

The reason for instinctive limiting of the family is not clear. It definitely is not due to a shortage of food. The thorough training that an eagle requires may be a factor, since one chick seems to occupy the full attention of both parents.

But why, then, should there be two eggs? If only one egg were laid, there would be times when, through infertility, accident or the action of predators, it would be lost. Two eggs increase the chances of a successful hatching and ensure the survival of the eagle. When two hatch, if something should be wrong with the firstborn, the second-born chick would be dominant and survive its older sibling.

The tapping by the chick on the egg shell is the signal to the male bird that a hatching is imminent. He hunts for a tender young rock hyrax (Procavia capensis, the “rock badger” of the Bible [Lev. 11:5]). Under normal circumstances, this creature makes up 99 percent of the black eagle’s diet. The hyrax weighs up to 4.1 kilograms (9 lbs.) and is usually eaten entirely​—flesh, skin and bones. That may seem strange, but the bones provide calcium, essential to the eagle’s diet. The skin, with its fur, seems to serve as an aid to digestion.

The choicest portions of the prey are fed to the hatched chick, which resembles a small ball of white down. It eagerly takes the strips of meat torn from the carcass by the parent. As the chick grows older, it learns how to strip a carcass and to swallow such awkward parts as the bones and skin.

There are other things that the chick must be taught early in life. For the nest to remain clean, the chick must learn to defecate over the rim of the nest, paying attention to the direction of the wind. The mother may move the chick by putting a foot under it and walking the little one to the rim of the nest until it learns to relieve itself in the right place. As the bird gets older, a firm foot placed on its foot and a meaningful stare suffice to convey the thought that it must move.

The rearing of an eagle manifestly takes much time. In fact, 95 to 100 days will pass before the young eagle will fly.

The Eaglet Flies

As the time for the first flight approaches, the eaglet becomes increasingly frustrated by the restrictions of the nest. It watches other birds, stretches its wings and legs, flaps its wings and jumps up and down. The feathers are fully grown, but the plumage is not the glossy black of the parents. The young bird is a mottled brown and russet color and will not attain adult plumage until the third-year molt. The parents sense that the time for flight is near and stop bringing food to the nest for a day or so. No doubt it is best for the first flight to be undertaken on an empty stomach!

What starts the youngster on the maiden flight? It is usually a call from the parents, made from a nearby perch or as they fly by. If all else fails, an unexpected push will propel the eaglet into space. With the sensitive primary feathers at the wing tips, the eaglet feels the pressure and movement of the air. At this stage, however, the bird does not know how to act on the information received, and so the flight is short-lived. Down the mountainside the youngster goes, to the lower slopes, there to make an ungainly landing and to rest, with rapidly beating heart. At that, the parents feed their offspring. Then, with confidence restored, the young bird is ready to try again. A few more awkward attempts and it will begin to master wing control.

A Thorough Education

The art of hunting comes next in the program of education. Often both parents put on an aerial display, attracting the attention of the hyraxes, which enjoy sitting on sunbaked rocks, keeping a wary eye on their enemy​—the black eagle. Eventually, one eagle will drop low and, using the cliffs for cover, will make a rapid sweep around a corner and pick up an unsuspecting hyrax from behind. Death comes instantly. With the force of the swiftly flying bird behind it, the rear talon penetrates the prey. The fore talons close in a lock, and the dead hyrax is swung forward, to be carried in one claw to the “butcher block,” often a rock, where the prey will be decapitated and dismembered. The young eagle observes these actions.

Much work goes into making the young eagle a proficient flier. The bird must learn how to ride the winds deflected upward by a precipice, how to swoop and how to soar. For long trips, an eagle chooses a day when the wind is blowing in the direction opposite of flight. Then, when the sun is up and warming the air in the valleys, the bird launches itself from a rock perch. Soon a bubble of heated air is found. By turning within it, the eagle rises to perhaps 4,000 meters (13,000 ft.). With the lift of the air petering out, the bird turns toward its destination. By planing down, the eagle maintains momentum. At the same time, the flow of the wind over the wings imparts lift. In this way hundreds of miles may be covered with no more than a few flaps of the wings at the time of taking off.

Fully equipped for its role in life, the young eagle is escorted from home by the parents. Taking their offspring far afield, they leave it to find a mate and to establish a home of its own.

At the sight of an eagle in the skies, we may well exclaim, ‘How magnificent!’ The study of earth’s creatures can indeed be absorbing. We marvel at the beauty of design evident in the animal creation. Not only do such creatures fill a necessary niche in the whole balance of the natural world; they do so with a grace and beauty that reflect the qualities of their Creator. We must agree with the Bible writer Agur, who marveled at “the way of an eagle in the heavens.”​—Prov. 30:18, 19.

A Most Costly “Tombstone”​—The Taj Mahal

By “Awake!” correspondent in India

“I WITNESSED the commencement and accomplishment of this great work, on which they have expended 22 years during which 20,000 men worked incessantly: this is sufficient to enable one to realize that the cost of it has been enormous.” Jean Baptiste Tavernier, French jewel trader, thus wrote of the Taj Mahal at Agra, India.

A new urban complex at Agra mushroomed about the year 1632. Master masons moved in from Delhi, Multan and Baghdad. Skilled dome builders traveled from Turkey and Samarkand. From Shiraz, Persia, came specialists in stone calligraphy. Crowds of stonecutters and laborers were recruited locally. Thus Taj Ganj, a new international township, was created.

What sparked this building effort? Who were the people behind the project?

Those Behind the Taj Mahal

At the time the building project began, the Grand Mogul was Shah Jahan. He belonged to the dynasty of Delhi rulers founded by Babur in 1526. Through Tamerlane the Tartar of Samarkand, Babur was a distant descendant of Genghis Khan of Mongolia. Babur and his Tartar hordes stormed into India, occupied Agra and Delhi, and proclaimed himself Padshah, or sovereign of Delhi, in 1526. He was followed by the Mogul emperors, Humayun, Akbar and Jahangir. The Muslim moguls ruled in material splendor, and their wealth, jewelry, patronizing of literature and fine arts, as well as their harems of veiled dancing girls, had become proverbial.

In 1611 Emperor Jahangir married the forbidden sweetheart of his youth, after murdering her husband. The new empress lost no time in reinforcing her power. In short order she secured the marriage of Jahangir’s third son by another wife, Prince Khurram, to her very beautiful niece, Arjumand Banu Begum, whose father, Asaf Khan, was the wealthiest and most powerful aristocrat in the realm.

For the next five years Prince Khurram was involved in warfare. All the while, his attractive wife was his constant companion. Seemingly, their endangered lives forged a mutual bond of affection between them.

Mumtaz Mahal

When Khurram ruthlessly eliminated all royal rivals, with the aid of his powerful father-in-law, and ascended the throne in 1628, Arjumand Banu became his empress. He assumed the title Shah Jahan, “king of the world,” while dubbing his queen Mumtaz Mahal, meaning, “chosen of the palace.” Mumtaz Mahal continued to accompany her husband in his Deccan wars. Indeed, when Shah Jahan encamped his army at Burhanpur to suppress a revolt, Mumtaz Mahal, pregnant with her 14th child, was with him in camp!

An army camp in the searing northern summer seems an unlikely place for an expectant mother. The queen, evidently drained of her bodily resources from bearing her previous 13 children in rapid succession, died in June 1631, a few hours after giving birth to the future princess Raushana Ara Begum.

Shah Jahan was plunged into grief! For two years he refrained from rich foods, royal dress, music and entertainment.

Conception of the Taj Mahal

The emperor, in planning an exceedingly magnificent memorial to his dead wife, appointed an international council of skilled architects and builders. That council studied sketches of the world’s most famous structures. Then a wooden model was made and reportedly worked on until the desired structural features were determined.

Breaking from mogul tradition, they planned a four-quartered garden, or charbagh, as a picturesque foreground instead of placing it in the center. Then by having the “Taj” overhang the broad river Jumna, the white edifice would be set against a blue sky. The first sod for the Taj Mahal construction was turned in 1632.

Construction of the Taj Mahal

The resources of an empire were mobilized to build Mumtaz’ tomb. An army of 20,000 workers was set in motion. White marble from Makrana, Rajasthan, and red sandstone from nearby Fatehpur Sikri were given by subject states. The emperor dipped into his treasury for 16,000 ounces of pure gold, originally valued at 600,000 rupees (£135,000 sterling). For inlay decorations, jasper came from the Punjab, diamonds from the Panna Hills, Madhya Pradesh; China supplied jade and crystal, and turquoises were brought from Tibet; sapphires were furnished by Ceylon, and Arabia provided coral and carnelian stones; onyx and amethysts came from Persia. Taj Mahal furnishings were lavish: exquisite Persian carpets, a tapestry of pearls, and a screen and oil lamps in pure gold.

Mohammed Hanif, chief mason, from Agra itself, was highest paid with a monthly wage of Rs1,000 (£112). Toiling laborers sweated to collect a mere half penny at the end of many a long, hot and exhausting day. But even at such low wages the total cost of the 22-year project was estimated at 40 million rupees (£4 1/2 million, 17th century). No expense or labor was spared for the regal “tombstone” extraordinary. Finally, the “Crown of the Palace,” Taj Mahal, was completed in 1648. The accessory structures took additional years for total completion.

A Tour of the Taj

We begin at the huge southern gateway, a work of art in itself! It towers over an old caravanserai edged by arched corridors. Moving into the cool, great arch, we note its interior panels of black marble. On its roof, through arched frames, spreads a sunlit vista.

The gigantic “tombstone” rises from a 313-foot-squarea platform, checkered in black and white marble. Framing the bulb-topped tomb are four slender, three-storied minarets of white marble. Contrasting the white memorial is a red sandstone mosque on its west and its jawab, or identical complement, on the east, to balance the entirety.

Each of the four facades and chamfers possesses a series of double arches that frame a massive central arch soaring 108 feet. Perhaps this moved the 17th-century French visitor Bernier to exclaim: “It consists almost wholly of arches upon arches and galleries upon galleries, disposed and contrived in an hundred different ways.”

Moving close to the monument, we observe where the architect stops and the jeweler takes up. Here the inlay artists gave vent to their exquisite skills. Every wall and panel is a riot of floral wreaths and scrolls inlaid with multicolored, semiprecious stones.

Within the central chamber under the lofty dome, the cenotaphs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan reveal the culmination of marble inlay artistry with the oleander scroll as the reigning motif. Set in one leaf on the queen’s cenotaph are 35 different types of carnelian. The real graves lie not in the mausoleum but in a crypt at ground level.

Truly, this extraordinary “tombstone,” the Taj Mahal, is a marvel in marble​—a monument to human skill and labor. If this is what man can do for his dead under sinful, oppressive rule, imagine the creative marvels humans will achieve for their living neighbors in God’s fast-approaching paradise on earth!

[Footnotes]

Attacking Major Depression​—Professional Treatments

“Awake!” is not endorsing or promoting any of the popular modes of treatment. We are simply reporting some of the recognized professional approaches. These attack a severe mental disorder that is far more intense than the “blues” that occasionally affect all of us.

THE patient’s depression was crippling. He couldn’t work and was in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Realizing that all other treatments had failed, neurosurgeon Keith Langford performed an operation, opening the man’s head and placing on his brain a battery-operated “pacemaker.” Reportedly, without damaging the brain or altering the thinking process, this “pacemaker” emits a rhythmic electrical pulse that alleviates depression.

It worked! The man regained his positive attitude and returned to work. “You saved my life,” he told the doctor. “Now I can live a normal life.”

This man had more than the normal blues. He was among the eight million Americans who yearly seek professional help for major depression​—a disorder that creates intense feelings of guilt, helplessness and hopelessness. Usually, there are disturbances in appetite and sleep, constant fatigue, crying spells and inability to derive any pleasure from life.

Very few cases require radical treatment with a “pacemaker.” Usually, however, with major depression some form of help from trained professionals is suggested. Studies indicate that in some lands as many as one out of every four women and 10 percent of the men will suffer such an episode at some point.

What treatments are available? There are a variety. Some are poles apart in their approach; yet others overlap. Why is this?

Some researchers feel that severe depressions are caused by a physical defect in the body (even if precipitated by some stressful event)​—a biochemical imbalance in the brain—​and therefore medication is considered vital in correcting this imbalance. Others argue that the disorder results from faulty thinking and that the mind creates the imbalance and can thereby rectify it. These believe that the mind needs correction by “talk therapy,” psychotherapy. There is some truth in each approach, yet neither has the full answer.

Mind and Body Involved

This issue is difficult to resolve because of the close interworking of the mind and the body. Each has decided effects on the other.

Mental disorders are very complex and every patient is different. Therefore a doctor who is acquainted with the patient usually can make recommendations as to which approach is best for the patient. If the patient is not satisfied, perhaps the doctor can assist him in seeking other specialists. The following material may be helpful in aiding both patient and doctor to realize that several treatments are available. No one form of treatment cures all cases of major depression. It is recognized, too, that within each field of treatment there is often a wide range of practitioners. For instance, in psychotherapy 130 different approaches are reported. Moreover, those using the nutritional approach may vary from prominent researchers who have behind them decades of study to some who have become “weekend experts” after attending a two-day seminar.

Talk Out Depression

When major depression is diagnosed, one recommendation is psychotherapy​—or “talk therapy.” Since a depressed person usually has greatly disturbed ideas, many have been aided by their talking to a therapist. Such professionals may include psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and others with specialized training. However, some have found help by talking with a lovingly concerned minister.a

Armand DiMele, director of the Center for Psychotherapy, observes: “The depressed person is protecting himself by shutting down his mind and body and not allowing any stimulation. For example, when someone suffers a loss such as a death, he may go into a depression rather than face the loss.” The job of the counselor is to help the sufferer to face the feelings and anxiety that come from such a loss. DiMele continues: “If the therapist sitting with him can really nurture him through and tell him what to anticipate in body sensations, then the person gradually realizes he can cope with the emotion, and the depression lifts.”

Submerged feelings, such as anger, resentment and guilt, have often bred depression. For instance, a psychologist employed by the New York State Mental Health Department treated a 58-year-old woman suffering from severe depression. She felt that God had abandoned her and that everyone was talking against her. As this expert of 20 years’ experience began to talk with her in a kindly way each week, he noticed that in discussions about her family she never mentioned her mother, with whom she was now living. He probed. In time she revealed that she felt that her mother, by her neglect, was responsible for her beloved father’s recent death. Gradually the counselor helped her to overcome this resentment, and her depression melted away.

Since guilt is often a major symptom of depression, psychologists will endeavor to eliminate it along with the patient’s feelings of worthlessness. One woman became severely depressed when her child turned rebellious. “I was never really a proper mother, was I?” she cried to the psychiatrist. “That’s why she’s gone wrong.” The doctor helped her to see all the good she had done for the child. The guilt then vanished​—and so did her depression.

However, the treatment of most cases is unsuccessful, according to Dr. Ronald Fieve. He reports in his book Moodswing​—The Third Revolution in Psychiatry that not infrequently, after weeks, months and years of working with a moderate or severe depressive, helping him to analyze his behavior, “very little happened.”

There is also a danger here for persons who are endeavoring to live by high moral standards. Some therapists go too far, justifying attitudes that the Bible disapproves. This is done to alleviate the patient’s guilt. True, a person should neither be overwhelmed with guilt nor feel “condemned by God” if improper feelings enter his mind. Yet, rather than reasoning that such erroneous thoughts are not wrong, as some therapists would say, those who highly value the Bible’s counsel prefer to correct such ideas or dismiss them. So they have to weigh seriously (or have help to weigh) counsel offered by a therapist. Potential problems may be avoided if the patient, or a companion, explains to the therapist the importance of the patient’s religious beliefs.​—Gal. 5:16, 19-21; Jas. 1:14, 15.

Authorities in the field differ as to intensive psychotherapy’s effectiveness. One of the reasons for this is that many doctors feel that the chemical imbalance present in severe moodswings cannot always be corrected by psychotherapy. They advocate the use of . . .

Antidepressant Medication

“I used to think that people could overcome any mood by just setting their mind to it, but now I don’t believe it,” confessed one housewife who previously slumped into a major depression. “At times I would drop to the floor and just sob for no real reason.” She finally contacted a doctor who had an answer that helped her.

After listening to her symptoms of major depression, the doctor said: “First off, let me explain that you have a physical illness. I have some medication that I feel will help.” He prescribed a tricyclic antidepressant. He believed this would offset a suspected chemical imbalance in her brain and relieve the depression. “Nothing improved for a while,” but then, she said, “in six months I was like a new person, completely off the drug.”

There are over 20 antidepressants and also lithium available. These are not “pep pills” (amphetamines) or tranquilizers, which immediately either stimulate or calm the nervous system and can be addictive. Rather than hinder certain impulses that produce anxiety, as do tranquilizers, these antidepressants (tricyclics and monoamine oxidase inhibitors, MAO for short) apparently modify the levels of certain neurotransmitters in the “pleasure center” of the brain and this is believed to make it easier for pleasurable impulses to be transmitted from one nerve cell to the next. So these drugs possibly treat a chemical imbalance within the brain.b

According to Dr. Ronald Fieve, director of Fieve Lithium Clinic in New York city, “lithium treats the manic phase of bipolar manic-depression and serves well as a preventative for this disorder and sometimes helps recurrent major depression.” He reported that in a 20-year period, over 6,000 patients given lithium in a dozen countries were carefully studied. Of those suffering from manic depression, 70 to 80 percent were successfully treated.

Of course, there can be unpleasant side effects with all these drugs. Frequently, several drugs are tested until the “right one” is found. The MAO inhibitors can cause a lethal reaction if combined with certain foods, such as aged cheeses, beer, wines and chicken livers. So all drugs must be used under the careful supervision of a well-informed doctor.

“[Drug therapy] is not, however, a magic solution to all of a patient’s problems,” writes Dr. Nathan Kline of New York city, in his book From Sad to Glad. This pioneer in the use of antidepressants continues: “What it does do is correct a particular kind of functional breakdown, so that the patient can address problems with capacities restored.”

Nutritional Approach

That a deficiency in what you eat can cause mental disorders, including major depression, was established over 65 years ago. A killer disease, pellagra, was then raging in many countries and sweeping away 10,000 Americans each year. The first manifestations of the disease were usually mental disorders​—predominantly depression.

In trying to get to the root of the problem, Dr. Joseph Goldberger put some healthy persons on the same diet that he found was being provided for some mental patients​—meals consisting mainly of cornmeal, grits, cornstarch and other corn products, and a tiny amount of vegetables. He waited. Seven of the 11 participants developed the depression and came down with pellagra! The doctor then added to their diet brewer’s yeast, lean meat and milk. All quickly recovered. A nutritional deficiency had been responsible for their depression.

Corn, the bulk of the diet of the poorer people in that area, lacks almost totally a vital amino acid​—tryptophan. This led to a shortage of some of the B vitamin complex.

Scientists have found that other nutritional deficienciesc cause such symptoms as depression, nervous irritability, fatigue and personality changes. Much research has linked vitamins, especially B-complex, with the conversion of amino acids, such as tryptophan, into neurotransmitters, which carry our thought impulses between nerve cells. A shortage of certain neurotransmitters has been associated with some types of depression.

“Putting the patient in the optimum nutritional balance is the first thing to do,” explains Dr. David Hawkins, founding president of the Academy of Orthomolecular Psychiatry. But even when a nutritional deficiency is discovered, correctional supplements do not always relieve the depression.

For instance, one severely depressed patient had read a book about mega-vitamin therapy and was taking large doses of several vitamins to find relief, but without any noticeable effect. A doctor using the nutritional approach carefully examined the patient’s diet. He found that her one meal a day consisted of a hamburger and French fries, with a little lettuce and tomato. She drank 25 to 30 cups of coffee a day. Adding a variety of vegetables, fruits and nuts to her diet, and restricting her intake of coffee, reportedly brought a complete recovery in a few months.

Even some of those doctors who use the nutritional approach will use drugs and electroshock therapy too. This is because the nutritional approach often is slow, and the patient, especially if suicidal, may need immediate relief.

Doctors advocating the nutritional approach primarily use substances normally present in the body and thereby avoid the dangerous side effects of psychotropic drugs. The American Journal of Psychiatry (May 1980) reported how a naturally occurring amino acid, tyrosine, was administered to a 30-year-old woman who had suffered for several years with major depression and had reacted adversely to antidepressant medication. She “improved markedly after two weeks of tyrosine therapy.” As a test to see whether the improvement really had some psychological basis, she was given a similar looking placebo. Within a week her depression returned! When the amino acid was reinstituted, her depression was “again completely alleviated.”

Research trials have indicated that another amino acid, tryptophan, is just as effective as some antidepressant drugs, with none of the side effects. While not all trials have been successful, Dr. J. H. Growden said in summary: “It seems likely that a group of patients exist whose mood disorders do improve clinically after tryptophan is administered, either alone or in combination with more conventional therapies.”

However, a pioneer in nutritional research, Dr. Allen Cott, warns: “A doctor is always necessary to work out the correct formula. One shouldn’t go around swallowing vitamins by the handful. If a person loads himself down with B6 he depletes his bodily store of magnesium. . . . Only an experienced physician can make sure that correcting one vitamin deficiency does not create another.” So nutritionists usually recommend several supplements, including vitamins, minerals, trace elements, enzymes and amino acids. Also, it is recognized that if a supplement is used in massive doses it acts on the body as a drug.

Psychiatrist H. M. Ross, who uses vitamins and diet in his daily practice and reportedly has treated hundreds of cases of severe depression successfully, states: “Vitamins are not the sole answer to many psychiatric problems.” Echoing this balanced opinion is popular spokesman for those using this approach, Dr. Carlton Fredericks, who admits: “As psychiatrist and psychologist have become obsessed with the concept that mental disease is purely mental, so must the orthomolecular practitioner resist the temptation to place overemphasis on a single biochemical approach to emotional and mental disorders.”

A Careful Self-Search

Though help can often be found through professional treatment, the solution is usually no “one shot cure.” It is crucial that a depressed person do some honest self-searching. One 35-year-old depressed woman found that she had to make several adjustments besides those in her eating habits in order to find lasting relief eventually. She explains: “Antidepressants will not solve all your problems. You must recognize and face your fears and anxieties and change your way of thinking.”

Yes, every form of therapy has its limits. Not one of them can in itself make you a new person. Medication and vitamins may level your moods, but they cannot put your family life in order. “If you require ‘perfect’ performance on the job, ‘just right’ friends, expensive and numerous material possessions,” warns DiMele, “you may be setting yourself up for a lifelong periodic depression.”

So while there is a variety of professional treatments for major depression, never forget that a sound effort on the part of the depressed one must go along with all of them. Only then will one conquer major depression.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 27]

Mental disorders are very complex and every patient is different. Therefore a doctor who is acquainted with the patient usually can make recommendations as to which approach is best

[Box/​Picture on page 23]

There is a close interplay between the mind and the body. Our thoughts can affect our body and can produce a chemical imbalance in the brain, leading to depression. Our body, because of deficiencies, disease or physical defects, can also affect our mind and contribute to depression

From Our Readers

HELP FOR HOMOSEXUALS

My husband and I contacted a 50-year-old man. When his subscription to “Awake!” delivered the issue dealing with homosexuality, it moved him to confide his life-style to us. His sincerity moved us to start a study with him. We have spent considerable time going over the articles in “Awake!” that have dealt with this subject during the past 14 years. We have shared these articles with him a number of times. Since he says he has never known any to change completely, the experiences in two issues have been of real benefit to him to see it is possible. These experiences have also enabled us to understand what a struggle it must be for him. We thank you for these articles and experiences. Such articles dealing with homosexuality, incest and other subjects are really giving many the added encouragement they need to change and to know that others have coped. It is our prayer that you will continue to discuss such subjects in future issues. It must bring you great joy to know how many lives are being affected by such articles.

R. & B. C., Alabama

COPING WITH DEATH

I really appreciated your article “A Death in the Family​—How Can You Cope?” A short time ago my little nephew passed away. We were hurt, but the comfort Jehovah gave us by means of the friends gave us the strength to endure. Also, we really experienced the truthfulness of what was written under the subheading ‘Another Powerful Help.’ The family is now getting back in shape. We appreciate all the information and encouraging articles in the magazines.

R. Y., Florida

READING THE BIBLE

I especially want to thank you for your suggestion about reading the Bible through in a single year. I started in January by reading three chapters a day, and, beginning with October, four a day. By the end of the year I just finished the last three chapters. I am so pleased that I plan to continue the same procedure next year and in future years as well. The regular reading of the Bible has helped me to fulfill my duties better, and has given me the opportunity to encourage others to read the Bible regularly too.

R. P., Germany

SUICIDE

I take this opportunity to suggest that you focus on a subject which, in my opinion, you have neglected. It is “Child Suicide.” I consider this problem, which has been on the increase these last few years, to be very urgent, and hope for your understanding. In all fairness, let me add that the ‘neglected subjects’ in your magazine are definitely in minority!

G. E., Denmark

We agree that this problem is serious. Please see “Awake!” of August 8, 1981, for a consideration of suicide, including some reference to the problem of youth suicides.​—ED.

SOLVING WORLD PROBLEMS

I was especially happy about your article entitled “A Sick World​—Can It Be Cured?” The articles are written in such a clear, timely and convincing way that anyone who reflects on the matter just a little should be able to recognize that God’s kingdom alone can solve the worldwide problems facing us and bring mankind everlasting peace.

F. V., Germany

Watching the World

Weapons and Human Rights

◆ One of Bolivia’s leading newspapers, El Diario, commented on the claims of various countries that say they champion human rights but at the same time sell weapons to those using them to suppress human rights. It said: “Those countries that provided arms and munitions paradoxically have tried to cover over . . . their capacity as providers, on a world scale, of instruments that are precisely those used in unlawful acts against human rights. They are the very ones who provide the objects to harm, kill, threaten, subject, eliminate with a revolver, a machine gun or a rifle, the human being.” El Diario noted that several leading nations “made it a point of doctrine and principle to preserve the untouchability of man; but, at the same time, they did not forget to make deals for the sale of arms . . . with the buyers who fought against the subjects of the seller. For those governments money sanctifies everything, and later on there is always opportunity to make speeches about human rights.”

Terrorist Toll

◆ Spain’s weekly magazine Cambio 16 reports that Western Europe holds the record for victims of terrorism during the past 12 years, with 1,267 dead. South America holds second place, with 861 deaths. Then comes Africa and the Middle East, with 531; North America, 318; Asia, 197; Black Africa, 124; and in last place, Eastern Europe, with 15.

Father May Share Blame

◆ “Fetal alcohol syndrome” is the term used to describe the pattern of birth defects in children born of alcoholic mothers. Such children can be mentally retarded and physically deformed. One researcher estimates that 43 percent of alcoholic women bear babies with the condition. Yet, what of children born to women who are not alcoholic, but whose husbands are? Dr. Eleanor Reiff-Ross of the University of Maryland school of nursing says: “When the father is an alcoholic, the syndrome symptoms are not as obvious at birth because the weight and length of the fetus tend to be within the normal limits. It’s only subsequently, a number of years later, that it becomes apparent there are emotional and psychological deficits in the child.” The therapist emphasized that fetal alcohol syndrome damage is irreversible, but “the tragedy is that it is preventable.”

Navigating by Satellite

◆ For centuries, the problem of navigating while at sea has challenged mariners. Now, more and more ships are using a computer that receives navigation information from orbiting satellites. One ship captain stated: “It’s the navigator’s dream come true. The sextant is out.” An operations manager for container ships declared: “The degree of improvement is unbelievable.” Ships now can save costly fuel by not having to zigzag at sea because of unnecessary course changes due to faulty navigation. Fishing boats can tell accurately where to return for good fishing. States The Wall Street Journal: “Even the cheapest sets give constantly updated latitude and longitude readings accurate within 200 yards. For sailors using the traditional sextant to determine positions by ‘shooting’ the sun or stars, an error of two miles has generally been acceptable.” And on cloudy days when the sun and the stars were not visible, the “dead reckoning” method often resulted in errors far greater than that. Satellite receiving equipment that cost about $70,000 (U.S.) 10 years ago is now below $5,000, and reliability has been improved vastly.

Inconsistent

◆ Medical World News editor Reginald Rhein, Jr., observed: “Smoking is a clear, present, and proven danger that kills 320,000 Americans every year through heart disease, cancer, and emphysema.” He noted, however, that both the federal government and the American Medical Association loudly proclaim the dangers of smoking while at the same time “quietly supporting the production of cigarettes.” Rhein said that at its annual meeting in Chicago, AMA delegates did come out “against federal subsidies for tobacco growers,” but then they “turned around and refused to order the Board of Trustees to divest the association’s pension fund of $1.4 million in tobacco-company stock.” The editor then asked: “Who is going to take the association​—or even individual doctors—​seriously now?”

Soviet “Secret Weapon”

◆ Psychologist Harold Hertz says that increasing drug use in the American armed forces has been called “the Soviet Union‘s secret weapon.” He stated: “A tank crew that has been smoking pot, an artillery team that has just sniffed cocaine or a Marine commando with heroin in his system, isn’t going to respond to a surprise attack very well.” An independent study by Burt Associates of Maryland shows that among those ranks below sergeant (or its equivalent) 61 percent of the marines, 59 percent of the navy, 53 percent of the army and 33 percent of the air force use drugs on a regular basis. General William Louisell, deputy assistant secretary of defense for drug and alcohol abuse prevention, told a congressional committee that it is not practical to dismiss all known drug users from military service because “to do so would decimate the force.”

Tomatoes from Waste Heat

◆ A 20-acre glasshouse in Yorkshire, England, produces over 2,000 tons of tomatoes a year using waste heat from a nearby coal-fired power station. The first substantial commercial use of this energy source in England, the project saves about 45,000 gallons of fuel oil per acre each year. The huge glasshouse is heated by the water that is used to cool the power station’s turbine condensers. The heated water is pumped through large pipes into the glasshouse complex and then through heat exchangers, with fans pushing the warm air through the glasshouse.

Threat to Amazon

◆ Large areas of the Amazon jungle in Brazil are being cut down for lumber, farming and other uses. It is feared that stripping the land in this manner will eventually turn it into a barren waste, since often the land is not the type that can be put to general use. The Detroit Free Press gives this report from Tucurui, Brazil: “The jungle that has resisted man for centuries now is being chewed up so fast that some predictions have the 1.2-billion-acre rain forest virtually disappearing within 20 years. Most of the jungle is being cleared by corporations, including foreign concerns.” In the state of Pará, “a swath has been cut into the jungle several hundred miles from the eastern and southern boundaries of the state, which is about the size of the Dakotas and Nebraska combined. Much of this area has been turned from jungle to prairie.”

Surgery for Unborn Child

◆ The first-known successful surgery on an unborn child was performed by a University of California medical team. The fetus was a male twin critically ill from urinary blockage. The doctors inserted a plastic tube through the mother’s womb and into the bladder of the fetus to drain its swollen urinary system. The surgery was performed in the last weeks of pregnancy without inducing early labor. The other twin, a girl, was unaffected by the surgery and both had a normal birth.

Mailbox Law Upheld

◆ The Supreme Court of the United States has upheld a federal law prohibiting the placing of unstamped material in private mailboxes. Expressing the majority opinion, Associate Justice William H. Rehnquist stated: “Letter boxes are an essential part of the nationwide system for the delivery and receipt of mail, and since 1934 access to them has been unlawful except under the terms and conditions specified by Congress and the Postal Service.” The law imposes a $300 fine for depositing unstamped matter in mailboxes. The issue came up in court when a civic association claimed that its right of free speech was being violated because it could not distribute leaflets by placing them in homeowners’ mailboxes. The high court disagreed.

Ousted for Morality

◆ An Anglican minister in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, spoke out against Church policy of having separate services for homosexuals. The Church asked for his resignation. “I could not in good conscience continue,” said cleric George Morley. “I have nothing against homosexuals; what I opposed and objected to was giving them a special status​—an identity within the church.” According to the Toronto Sun, “Morley said that the Anglican church had been all too liberal in dealing with society’s ills and it was about time it got back to its Christian standards.” “It is what God says that matters,” declared the ousted clergyman.

‘Biggest Construction’

◆ Nigeria is building a new Federal Capital in Abuja to house government offices now in Lagos. According to the New Nigerian newspaper, the operation “is the biggest single construction project in the world.” Director of Engineering Services E. A. Aguele explained that movement of the federal government to the new capital is planned to be done in phases during 1982.

“Sophisticated” Babies

◆ In a chance discovery, two Georgia researchers learned that newborn infants stop crying when they hear their own recorded cries, but cry harder when they hear the wails of other babies. “It was obvious they recognized their own voices,” said Dr. Russell D. Clark 3rd of Armstrong State College in Savannah. “Babies are more sophisticated and complex than we ever imagined.” He noted that many adults cannot recognize their own taped voices, yet the babies did. The researchers voiced the hope that the cry-damping effect of the recordings would continue even after infants left the hospital, possibly bringing relief to many beleaguered mothers.

New York’s Homeless

◆ New York State Office of Mental Health official Sarah Connell stated: “If someone said to me what is the single greatest problem in New York City today, I would say there is no question: the homeless.” While others might say that crime, unemployment or urban decay are greater problems, still, the estimated 36,000 homeless men and women in New York is no small matter. And the number seems to be increasing. These homeless are no longer confined to the Bowery or other poor neighborhoods, but wander about the city with tattered bundles or shopping bags, giving rise to such terms as “bag lady.” Some reasons for the increase: tightening of eligibility for welfare; loss of more than 25,000 rooms when single-room occupancy hotels were closed; and stricter standards of admission to psychiatric hospitals, which means that more of the mentally disturbed are homeless. Another trend is the presence among them of young men in their 20’s and 30’s, whom Mrs. Connell called “a new generation of urban nomads.”

Satan Worship Multiplies

◆ During the past seven years, according to the newspaper Die Vaderland of Johannesburg, membership in the Church of Satan in South Africa has grown from 20,000 to 165,000, an increase of over 700 percent. Quotations from the “Satanic Bible” that appear in an application for membership in the “Church” may explain why certain people are interested in joining. For example, one states: “Satan represents gratification rather than restraint.” And another: “Satan represents all the so-called sins since they all lead to physical, mental or emotional satisfaction.” According to the newspaper, their “services” are marked by animal sacrifices, sex orgies and the drinking of blood.

Can the Dead Help You?

At death is there some part of a person that survives? Is it possible, therefore, to receive help from those who have died?

This is a subject of intriguing interest to millions. You will find surprising answers in the 192-page book “Is This Life All There Is?” See the sound reasons for believing that there is, indeed, much more than this life.

Please send, postpaid, “Is This Life All There Is?” I enclose 75 cents (U.S.).

Whom Can You Trust?

Clergyman?

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Lawyer?

Politician?

Dishonesty has penetrated every walk of life. Certainly we need a voice we can trust.

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