August 22

Page Two

Almost unbelievable! In a few short years this twentieth century has seen dozens of age-old monarchies vanish into oblivion. Why? Will the British monarchy be next? What do the British think? What do others think? This series of three articles answers these questions

The British Monarchy​—Can It Survive the 1980’s? 3

A Better Monarchy 7

Divine Monarchy Is Coming! 9

The British Monarchy​—Can It Survive the 1980’s?

By Awake! correspondent in Britain

SINCE the fateful year 1914 some thirty monarchies have disappeared from the world scene. They were either unable or unwilling to adapt to the swift and drastic changes that were taking place in government throughout the earth. Among the survivors has been Britain’s House of Windsor. During this critical period it has presented no obstacle to democratic processes for it has accepted the dignified but limited role of national figurehead.

Yet questions arise concerning its future. Is its continuation important to the nation? Is its cost acceptable in these days of high unemployment and tight money? What benefits does it bring? Do the people want it to continue? Such questions are asked by admirers and opposers alike. Perhaps you have thought about them yourself.

Splendour from Bygone Days

The British monarchy has endured now for a thousand years and more. During this time Britain rose to become a world power greater than any before her. Then the autocratic powers of the early centuries withered away as parliament became stronger and took firm hold of government. Also, within a few decades in this twentieth century, she released her colonies, joined them in a commonwealth of independent nations and retired to her own shores. Of the former splendour very little remains. What there is lives on in the monarchy.

Evidence of this past splendour may be seen in the pageantry with which parliament is opened each year. The queen, with others of the royal family, rides to the palace of Westminster in a gilded horse-drawn coach accompanied by the household cavalry in resplendent uniform. With great ceremonial detail the members of the lower House of Commons are summoned to the upper House of Lords. There the queen, from the throne, reads a speech drafted by her government of the day outlining its programme for the coming session. The old traditions are carefully observed.

Occasionally there is opportunity for even greater splendour. You may have seen on television the wedding of the prince of Wales on July 29, 1981. It was a spectacle in the grand manner. Eleven carriages with an escort of sixty-four horsemen conveyed the royal bride and groom and their relatives, from Buckingham Palace down The Mall and the Strand to St. Paul’s Cathedral. About a million people, including thousands from overseas, lined the route. Some 700 million televiewers, a sixth of the world population, watched such pomp and circumstance as is rarely seen by this generation. The nation loved it.

And it provided the royal family with a new member, the princess of Wales, who was soon to become, next to the queen, the most popular of them all. The nation then awaited with great interest the birth in June of her first child, William, who is next in line to the throne after the present heir, Prince Charles.

Role of the Monarch

What does the role of the queen as constitutional monarch entail? Pears Cyclopaedia explains: “In law she is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander-in-chief of the armed forces and temporal head of the Church of England. In practice, the Queen’s role is purely formal; she reigns, but she does not rule. In all important respects she acts only on the advice of her ministers. However, she still plays an important role symbolically as Head of State and Head of the Commonwealth.”

What keeps the queen busy all day? Her activities, and those of other members of the royal family, are listed daily in the court circular of some newspapers, and so are open to public scrutiny. A reader of the London Times summarized these listings for 1981 and noted in a letter to the paper that the queen had fulfilled well over 400 engagements during 1981, ranging from official visits inside and outside the country to audiences, investitures, the receiving of ambassadors, weekly visits of the prime minister, and so forth. She reads briefs on the day’s engagements, official reports and minutes of cabinet meetings of senior ministers, and there are many documents to sign. Obviously, a busy schedule. The general feeling is that the queen fills her role most conscientiously. Undoubtedly, she is Britain’s foremost ambassador when visiting other countries. A public poll conducted by Marplan found that the 774 persons questioned awarded her an average of 9.1 out of 10 for her work.

As for other members of the royal family, Prince Philip, husband of the queen, and Prince Charles, heir to the throne, both have full diaries. The queen mother, widow of King George VI and now in her eighties, also attends many official functions.

Whether it is necessary for royalty to attend all these occasions is sometimes questioned. Could not a local dignitary, such as the mayor, adequately provide the desired “presence”? Organizers of such events think not. When royalty is present public attendance is much greater, indicating an interest in them that others cannot command. And it must be said that the queen’s presence at such engagements, or that of others of the royal family, does relieve government ministers of much time-consuming ceremonial.

So the British public generally view the monarchy as something like a family heirloom. Though they value it and like to show it off, it does not greatly affect their daily lives. But there are those who balk at the cost of maintaining this stately heirloom!

So, What Does It Cost?

Every year there is a much publicized row in parliament over maintaining the royal family. What sparks it off is the debate on the “civil list.” This is the money the government proposes to allow for the functioning of the monarchy for another year. It is in two parts: one is the queen’s list and the other provides for some other royal family members.

The queen’s list for 1982/83 has been increased by 8 percent to £3,541,000 ($6,374,000, US), some three quarters of which is for paying the salaries of those employed in the royal household, from private secretaries to palace cleaners. The civil list for 1982/83 also provides £767,000 ($1,380,000, US) for the support of seven other royals. In addition to these allowances, some £15 million ($27 million, US) is spent by government departments on the maintenance of the royal palaces, the royal yacht, the Queen’s Flight of six aircraft, the royal train, and so forth.

Yet it seems that the nation does not object too much to paying these large sums for the upkeep of the monarchy. The Marplan opinion poll, mentioned earlier, found that 76 percent of those questioned said that the advantages of having the monarchy outweighed the cost of supporting it.

But not everyone thinks that way. The Times reported one member of parliament as saying that the proposed civil list “shows them up for what they are: a greedy, grasping lot who have nothing to contribute to the solution to all the troubles besetting the country. The time is rapidly approaching when the people will rise up in revolution.” But if the people intended to do that they have shown little, if any, inclination in that direction so far.

Role in the Church of England

The queen is temporal head of the Church of England, which simply means being its symbolic figurehead. She has no ecclesiastical functions. The spiritual and executive leader is acknowledged to be the archbishop of Canterbury. To select a new archbishop or bishop, or move one to a more prestigious see, a sixteen-man body, the Crown Appointments Commission, submits two names to the prime minister who, in turn, recommends one to the queen for appointment. For example, recently the bishopric of London became vacant. The Commission recommended two names but the prime minister rejected both and put another to the queen. “The head of the church yielded on constitutional principle.” So it is obvious that, in this respect at least, the present queen does not regard herself as another King Henry VIII, a predecessor who busied himself with church matters.

What Do the British Think?

The popularity of the monarchy today is due in no small measure to the family life of the queen and Prince Philip and their four children, now grown up. Many see in this something warm and wholesome with which they like to identify; it is reassuring to have as their first family one that gives evidence of being so devoted and united.

However, the abundance of young royals and their cousins now reaching adulthood caused one writer to remark that before all of these are old enough to add to the tax load of the civil list, “it would be well to think about the role, scope and size of the Royal Family.” Therein may lie a thorny problem for the future.

Probably the main reason the British are reasonably content with their monarchy is their inbred, conservative respect for institutions that have worked for a long time. They are used to them and are wary of change. They feel that the monarchy provides stability and continuity in a world that is so fickle. They do not care to have their head of state subject to the vagaries of electoral campaigning to which they submit their politicians. They are not nervous about the monarch’s power because constitutionally she has little. Instead, they see her as a steadying influence on the politicians who come and go at the wish of the electorate. They attach to the Crown none of the responsibility for the economic state of the nation, with its three million unemployed. That is the business of the politicians. Nevertheless, in the face of today’s crushing unemployment, the high cost of supporting so many of the royal family does arouse much criticism.

As for the future, The Economist believes that “the monarch-led democracy will remain the most democratic government for Britain because a public opinion poll last year [1980] showed that 86% of Britons want one, and there will not this century be 86% approval for any single politician-led alternative.” So it seems clear that the British people are content to have as their rulers those whom they elect, but as their head of state, the monarchy.

[Blurb on page 5]

A poll found that the advantages of having the monarchy outweighed the cost of supporting it

A Better Monarchy

JUST before their royal wedding British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge wrote that “in these troubled and changing times, only fortunetellers, Marxists and Jehovah’s Witnesses will venture to prognosticate whether Prince Charles and Lady Diana will actually one day mount the throne as King and Queen of England.”

Mr. Muggeridge was, of course, mistaken. Jehovah’s Witnesses offer no prediction of that kind. What Jehovah’s Witnesses do say, however, is that should Charles mount the throne of England his reign may well be short.

Why is that? It is not due to any failing on the part of the prince. Nor is it due to any real likelihood of a republican revolution in Britain. No, the reason is far more profound.

Bible prophecy indicates that the British monarchy, along with all others, will soon be replaced by a much better monarchy​—one capable of carrying out numerous badly needed programs that Prince Charles himself will surely approve of. Indeed, statements by the prince indicate a remarkable harmony between his desires and the goals of the coming world monarchy under the kingship of Jesus Christ. Here are three examples:

I. Righteous Judgment

“So many people are judged by outward appearances,” commented Prince Charles during a recent tour of a mental hospital. “You’ve got to keep telling yourself that appearances are often not what’s underneath.” The desire of the prince to avoid superficial judgments is certainly laudable, but does any man really have the discernment to do so? As God rightly pointed out to his prophet Samuel: “Mere man sees what appears to the eyes; but as for Jehovah, he sees what the heart is.” (1 Samuel 16:7) Jehovah has given this ability to his Son. Hence, Jesus could say: “You judge according to the flesh; I do not judge any man at all. And yet if I do judge, my judgment is truthful, because I am not alone, but the Father who sent me is with me.”​—John 8:15, 16.

While Jesus was not sent to earth as a judge in the first century, there is no doubt that he will serve as Jehovah’s Judge under God’s coming kingdom. Regarding that time, the prophet Isaiah predicted that “he will not judge by any mere appearance to his eyes, nor reprove simply according to the thing heard by his ears. And with righteousness he must judge the lowly ones, and with uprightness he must give reproof in behalf of the meek ones of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:3, 4) What a heartwarming prospect!

II. Golden Rule

“The only motto I go by,” commented the prince while visiting a factory, “is ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you.’ I try to put myself in other people’s positions. That way I hope I can reasonably do the right thing.”

Surely Prince Charles has an excellent motto. Perhaps you realize that he was quoting from the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus said: “All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean.”​—Matthew 7:12.

Who, then, could better apply that “motto” than Jesus himself? Was not his whole life spent doing good for people? No wonder the Bible refers to him as the “fine shepherd” who ultimately “surrenders his soul in behalf of the sheep.” (John 10:11) Indeed, Jesus proved time and again his interest in doing good for mankind.

III. End of Hatred Coming

“There’s so much bigotry about, it’s appalling. Fear . . . ignorance. . . . Whatever the reasons behind it, it’s such a tragedy. Because in the end we’ve all got to get along together, or what’s the future going to be?” The prince was here speaking of a serious problem in British society, but his remarks are equally true of most places in the world today. Prince Charles’ dislike of racial hatred and his personal example of goodwill to men of all races are very commendable, but what can Prince Charles, or any human ruler, do to change deep-seated prejudices? Little, as most people realize.

With God’s kingdom, however, it is different. The Bible assures us that it will bring to pass man’s age-old dream of universal brotherhood. Unlike human governments, God’s kingdom will operate on the principle that the apostle Peter appreciated when he said: “For a certainty I perceive that God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.”​—Acts 10:34, 35.

No wonder that in vision the apostle John saw “a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb . . . saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’” (Revelation 7:9, 10) Yes, John was seeing the people who would live under God’s kingdom, and those people were without national or racial divisions. They were worshiping God harmoniously together, just as Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing even now in all parts of the world.

Your Decision

The fine qualities of earthly representatives of monarchy, such as Prince Charles, endear them to many. Yet their good qualities pale before those of Jesus Christ, “the image of the invisible God,” Jehovah. (Colossians 1:15) Really, is there anyone who would make for this earth a better ruler than Christ? No!

But how do we know that God’s kingdom will really rule this earth, and that it is not just a vague state of mind as so many believe? Most important, what evidence is there that such kingdom rule will begin very soon, certainly within the lifetime of most earthly monarchs? Our next article answers these important questions.

Divine Monarchy Is Coming!

HISTORIANS tell us that monarchy has been going out of style for centuries. Most countries today are ruled by representatives of the people, at least in theory. Even where monarchs still exist, such as in Great Britain, they have little real power.

Why, then, would God purpose to govern the entire earth through a monarchy? Doesn’t he realize that such an idea is unfashionable in these republican times? Yes, but Jehovah God does not care about what is fashionable among men. He is going to give the earth the type of rulership it needs, regardless of what people think they want.

God does not purpose to conduct a worldwide referendum to see if people will accept his kingdom, his monarchy. Instead, here is how the Bible describes the establishment of that kingdom. The setting is a dream that an ancient monarch had regarding the future of world government, represented by a huge statue of gold, silver, copper, iron and clay.

As ancient King Nebuchadnezzar regarded that composite image, “a stone was cut out not by hands, and it struck the image on its feet of iron and of molded clay and crushed them. At that time the iron, the molded clay, the copper, the silver and the gold were, all together, crushed and became like the chaff from the summer threshing floor, and the wind carried them away so that no trace at all was found of them. And as for the stone that struck the image, it became a large mountain and filled the whole earth.”​—Daniel 2:34, 35.

The symbolic meaning is clear. World governments are in for destruction! But at whose hands? Who is responsible for the great stone that destroys the statue? What is the large mountain that fills the whole earth after the world’s governments are destroyed?

We do not have to guess, because the Bible explains the king’s prophetic dream, saying: “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite; forasmuch as you beheld that out of the mountain a stone was cut not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the copper, the molded clay, the silver and the gold. The grand God himself has made known to the king what is to occur after this. And the dream is reliable, and the interpretation of it is trustworthy.”​—Daniel 2:44, 45.

No human is going to put God’s kingdom into power! It will be set up by divine irresistible force, destroying whatever world governments exist at the time it comes to dominate the whole earth, like a large mountain. Since God’s Word assures us that the vision is reliable, there is no reason to doubt that God will do just what he said. There is no excuse for religious organizations failing to alert people to this important fact. They do this by teaching people that God’s kingdom is just an abstraction or a state of mind!

The question is not whether God intends to set up a worldwide kingdom, but when will he do so. From their study of the Bible, Jehovah’s Witnesses are convinced that the time is very near. Why?

Here are two good reasons—

First, the same prophetic book of Daniel containing this vision also contains chronological prophecies clearly pointing at our century. For example, Daniel chapter 4 contains a prophecy in which God’s kingdom is pictured, not as a stone or a mountain, but as a tree. Jehovah’s Witnesses have proved in detail that the “seven times” that were to pass until the fulfillment of that prophecy lead directly to this twentieth century.a (Daniel 4:25) There can be no question concerning the chronological accuracy of Daniel’s visions. One of those visions correctly predicted the time the Messiah was to arrive. (Daniel 9:24-27) No wonder Jesus Christ referred his followers to the book of Daniel when discussing future events!​—Matthew 24:15.

A second reason is found in the words of Jesus Christ himself. If you read Matthew chapter 24, Luke chapter 21, or Mark chapter 13 you will find his discussion of the world conditions that would mark the time of his return as King of God’s kingdom. No discerning reader can fail to be impressed by the similarity between the wars, famines, earthquakes and lawlessness foretold by Jesus and the wars, famines, earthquakes and lawlessness daily reported in the news.

So Bible chronology and Bible prophecy combine to prove that all of us, including Prince Charles, are living among people of the generation that will see God’s kingdom begin to rule this earth, sweeping away the present squabbling monarchies and republics of men like so much chaff from a threshing floor. When that day arrives, are you going to be ready?

Your relationship with God and his Son, the righteous ruler Christ Jesus, is not something you should take for granted. It will determine what happens to you when Jehovah’s worldwide monarchy is established. You can either be crushed as a resister of God’s kingdom or look forward to a delightful life in God’s “mountain” as it transforms the earth into the paradise it always should have been. The choice is yours.

How can you make such a choice? The Christian witnesses of Jehovah will be glad to help you to obtain the Bible information on which to make the right decision. Why not talk to them? You can live in happiness under the only perfect monarchy this world will ever know.

[Footnotes]

[Diagram/​Picture on page 10]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

GOD’S KINGDOM

Babylonia

Medo-Persia

Greece

Rome

Britain & America

Radical Popular Movements

“Lest We Forget . . .”

In the March 14, 1982, issue of the Manchester Guardian Weekly, the following appeared among the letters to the editor, on page 2, under the title of “Inhuman Acts on Conscientious Objectors”:

“I was very interested to read Harry Whewell’s article ‘. . . Nor the years condemn’ (February 21). In it he mentions plans to turn the cells of Richmond Castle, Yorkshire, into a permanent memorial to the conscientious objectors of the first world war.

“The treatment he describes of those intrepid men reminds me of that meted out to my friend Frank Platt, who died in Mill Hill, London in 1974. He was one of those who were transported to France and then submitted to the most horrendous torture in an attempt to make him take up arms against his fellow man and fellow Christians.

“He was given ‘shot drill’ that required him to carry a 30 lb weight at arm’s length and repeatedly put it down and pick it up again until he finally fell exhausted to the ground. This after three months of a bread and water diet. For having collapsed he was sentenced to another 18 days of shot drill.

“When this had terminated he was bashed in the face several times and then tied day after day by the shoulders, hands and feet to a beam in a tiny storeroom from 8 am until 8 pm with an hour’s break for cold rice and water. From there he was transferred to the ‘Black Hole of Le Havre’, where some prisoners were even beaten to death. Fortunately Frank survived the experience and kept his integrity.

“When I faced the same issue in 1950 things had greatly changed. I received a six months’ prison sentence. But as your writer correctly states many other countries are still way behind on understanding this issue of conscience. It is an international phenomenon of those who would sow peace and love. Let it not be forgotten that there were also thousands of German conscientious objectors, many of them Jehovah’s Witnesses like Frank Platt, who spent more than a decade in the concentration camps. Many of them also breathed their last in those infamous places. But the victory was theirs.

“Eric Beveridge, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y. 11201.”

Surfing​—What’s It All About?

As told to Awake! correspondent in Australia

WHAT does it feel like to go skimming effortlessly along the waves on a beautiful sun-bathed beach? Thousands of people around the world regularly have that thrill. They are surfers, and surfing is their particular pleasure in life. I invited three Australian friends to explain surfing’s special attraction. As you read their experiences you will also catch a timely word of advice. I will let John Gittins tell his story first.

“I was awakened by the thunder of huge waves pounding on the volcanic rocks below me. The sound excited me and yet made me feel a little scary at the same time. Why? Because shortly I would be testing my wits and strength surfing on those watery monsters.

“Still half asleep I groped around in the dark of my little van, looking for my board shorts. On opening the van doors my wildest dreams were realized. Perfect ten- to twelve-foota waves were peeling off the point down into beautiful Honolua Bay, on the island of Maui, Hawaii. I was looking at a surfer’s dream.

“I had surfed at some of the top surfing spots of Australia, South Africa and Europe. Now in Hawaii I was at the surfers’ Mecca. Before my eyes were the biggest, most powerful well-shaped waves I had ever seen. Surfboard under arm, I ran down the track between the wild cacti to meet the sea. A quick but careful scan of the oncoming waves revealed there was a lull, giving just enough time for the final dash to the jump-off rock, and then I was into it​—the beautiful, cool, clear Hawaiian surf.

“I paddled out and, at the right moment, stroked into the face of one of the big waves. The incredible rush as the wave took over and the smooth speed of the drop are still clear in my mind. Turning at the base of the wave, I slotted up into the long green wall, racing along the face faster than I had ever done before. The roar of the thundering curl went right through me. For a moment I thought it was all over as the throwing lip of the wave encircled me. But finally I made it out the end and slid off the back of the spent swell into the deep water of the inside bay. What a thrill it had been!

“Now, surfing may not be your idea of fun but most people at least like to stand and watch. The camera bugs, with their zoom lenses, really get excited. And wherever there are big waves it is more than likely that there will be surfers too. Many travel all over the world just to ride good waves. In fact, surfing is now a professional sport with its own points system and increasing financial prizes.

Is Surfing Monotonous?

“Some people ask, Isn’t surfing monotonous, just waiting in the water for some suitable wave, and doing the same thing over and over again? Not at all. Every swell of the sea is different. Every sandbar, or reef, forms a distinct break. Every wave ridden varies, not only in size and power but in speed, texture and rate of peel. There is certainly no room for monotony!

“What about the expense in surfing? Is it costly to get started? Not really. In fact, one of its attractions for the young people is that it offers a lot for little outlay. To begin with, the ocean is free. Of course, you have to get there first. Then all you have to buy is the surfboard, and a wet suit if the water is cold. Otherwise any swimming gear is good enough.”

Are There Any Drawbacks?

To answer that question I went to my second informant, Rob McTavish, who is well known in the surfing world as a surfboard designer.

“I have travelled all over the world surfing and have seen the changes that have crept in during the last two decades. Not all have been for the better.

“By the early 1960’s a complete life-style developed around the sport, one that ran counter to the materialistic succeed-at-all-costs culture. Many surfers threw away potential careers and pooled their funds for gas in their world search for quality waves. Money was not considered to be all that important. Basically, surfers then were simply trying to enjoy the natural gifts of sun and surf.

“As the sixties progressed many surfers got swept into the counterculture, the hippie movement, and, of course, the drugs that went with it. I have seen many previously dedicated healthy surfers end up on the human scrap heap of degradation and addiction.

“Another negative factor in the sport has been the increased competition, commercialism and professionalism. This has been more evident since the innovation of the short surfboard in 1967. That small board opened up the wave-riding aspects of surfing to entirely new levels of excitement. More powerful waves are needed to drive it, and that means travelling to places like Hawaii and Indonesia for the big mid-ocean swells that create the really high-quality waves.

“With more people surfing, an aggressive spirit has crept in. Crowds of surfers hustle and fight for the best waves. This can often lead to fighting and ‘punching each other out.’

“Maybe you are wondering what happens when a surfer gets older and the competition for waves is tougher. Many have found themselves in a quandary. They may have spent their entire teens and twenties chasing waves, only to find themselves with a wife and children and not too well qualified to earn a living. Others have set themselves up in life by peddling drugs and eventually becoming part of the new ‘establishment,’ just like the one they opposed in the sixties.”

How Safe Is Surfing?

I wondered about that question and decided to ask ex-surfer John Wright for his opinion. He is specially qualified to answer, as you will discover.

“At eleven years of age I was already riding waves on the Australian coast. When a team of surfers from California visited Sydney in the summer of 1956, the surfing fever really caught on. Just watching those Californians perform their tricks really inspired us youngsters​—‘cornering,’ ‘walking the plank,’ ‘spinners’ and ‘head dips’—​they made it all look so easy!

“As I grew older my appetite was whetted for the big waves of California and Hawaii. At the age of twenty-one I dropped out of college and started to work and save for my first trip to the USA. When I finally made it I saw that the surfers’ life-style was not a whole lot different from what it was in Australia​—drinking parties, brawls, loose morals and the misuse of drugs. Fights over waves were common.

“But you are wondering, what about the safety? Obviously in surfing you take a lot of falls, but usually into water. So as long as you are a good swimmer, there is normally no real danger. But there is always the unforeseen circumstance that can strike anyone at any time. Take my case as an example.

“One day in 1975 while I was testing out a new surfboard at a local break, I was doing a ‘reentry’ on a four-foot wave. The wave ran across a shallow sandbank and the lip of the wave speared me headfirst into the sand. The whole weight of my body came down on my neck. I sprang to my feet and then collapsed face down in a foot of water. While lying there I wondered why I could not move.

“Just as I was about out of breath, a fellow surfer who had caught the wave before me saw me floating there and came to my rescue. He rolled me onto my back and floated me to shore. By this time a small crowd had gathered on the beach. It seemed like hours that I waited for the ambulance. That was the last time I rode a surfboard. I had broken my neck. Ever since then I have been a quadriplegic.b

“The thought of being confined to a wheelchair weighed heavily on my mind. Gradually, with the help of physiotherapy, I have regained a lot of use in my arms and hands and am able to get around with the aid of crutches, thanks also to the constant encouragement from my loving wife, whom I married in January 1980.

“Although I am unable to surf, I do enjoy swimming, which helps to keep me fit and I still get pleasure in watching the surf and the many skilled surfers riding the waves near our home overlooking the ocean on Australia’s east coast.

“Is there any lesson to be learned from my unfortunate experience? Accidents can happen in any sport due to unforeseen circumstances. If I would have hit that sandbank with my hands instead of my head the story would have been different. Obviously you cannot trifle with the blind forces of nature. A wave, carrying tons of water, can generate a tremendous force. That is why a surfer has to know how to harmonize with the flow and the rhythm of the wave. It is also helpful to know the kind of terrain that is lying under the waves and be prepared to take emergency action if necessary.

“When I look back on my surfing days I can think of many happy and thrilling moments. There was a joy in harmonizing with the ever-changing movements of the waves. But there were also the negative aspects of a life-style that included drug addiction and loose morals. In addition there is the aggressiveness and competition.

“I am also forced to reflect on another aspect of surfing. All sport is supposed to be a recreation, a pastime, a change of activity from the normal run of life. Of course, if one is a professional that is different. But I must admit that surfing was more than that to me. It was a time- and energy-consuming full-time occupation. Whole days were spent surfing, waiting for the perfect ‘tube,’ the really big wave. I can see now how easily it became a self-centred activity, with hardly a thought for anyone else. And at the end of the week or month, what was there to show for it? Of course, as a spare-time recreation surfing is as good as any other sport. But now, as an active Christian I am bound to say that it should not be practised to the exclusion of other people and responsibilities.

Surfing With a Better Life-Style

“During my surfing days, and while on drugs, I was plagued by questions about the spiritual side of life. I wanted answers to questions such as, Why are we here? Is there life after death? If we are meant to live in harmony with nature and God, why is mankind so intent on destruction? In my search I examined various Eastern philosophies, but they didn’t satisfy me. Then a couple of surfers with whom I was working began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses. I was soon impressed by their changed attitude. They became less aggressive and seemed to develope a genuine concern for their neighbour​—in this case, me!

“One day we were discussing world conditions when one of the men showed me a scripture at 2 Timothy, chapter 3, where it mentions the ‘last days’ and describes what people’s attitudes would be like. This really impressed me because I could relate it to our time period. As I progressed in my understanding of the Bible I began to learn about this loving God, Jehovah, who is going to take action to ‘bring to ruin those ruining the earth.’ (Revelation 11:18) So I could see that it was necessary for man to bring his life into harmony with God’s purpose. That meant that I had to make changes in my life-style. I stopped living an immoral life and gave up drugs. In 1974, before my accident, I was baptised as a dedicated servant of God, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“Of course, my love of surfing did not diminish, and I went surfing whenever I could. But it was no longer dominating my life as before, and I could enjoy it in relation to the Creator and his great works, one of which is the oceans.

“My accident has not affected my belief in God and his promises to transform this earth under the righteous rule of his kingdom by Christ. With health restored in God’s future new order, I look forward to enjoying again the thrills of the waves. Meanwhile my wife and I are doing all we can to help others, including surfers, to know the true God, Jehovah, and his Son, Christ Jesus, through whom salvation from this corrupt system of things is possible.”

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 15]

Although a rare occurrence in surfing, unforeseen circumstances can sometimes cripple

I Quit Church, I Quit Smoking, I Quit Business

Edward George tells why

MOST of my life I was a Presbyterian. I started attending when I was four. Became a deacon. Taught Sunday school for fifteen years. Sang in the choir. I was deeply involved. Then I quit.

It was 1943. World War II was on. I was about twenty, joined the Air Force, and started smoking. I smoked for thirty years, ending up using three and a half to four packs a day. Then I quit.

My father started in the tobacco business over fifty years ago. Thirty years later I became his partner. It was a very lucrative business, doing three to four million dollars a year. When he died I became the sole owner, and managed the business for years. Then I quit.

I quit the church and the smoking and the business, not because I’m a quitter, but because I started something else. I started studying the Bible.

Many things, however, led up to all this quitting. The smoking started when I enlisted in the Air Force. I was very patriotic. I was a scoutmaster for three and a half years. And the church was also very patriotic. It gave special recognition to those in the service. They put your name in a star up on a big board for all to see.

I was in for three years. Shipped overseas in 1944. We were required to fly fifty missions. I was on my forty-sixth when I was shot down over the Black Forest in Germany. I was flying a B-24, four-engine bomber. There were ten in the crew and I was the pilot.

We had many, many narrow escapes. On one bombing mission we had two engines knocked out and I had to crash-land in Corsica. We stayed there until our plane was repaired. Flak was our biggest danger. Very few times were we attacked by fighter planes. The Germans had plenty of them, but they didn’t have the oil to fly them​—US bombers had hit their oil fields very hard. One frightening thing, however: the Germans were first to develop jet fighters. It was awesome to see these planes streaking by so fast! Fortunately, they had a flight endurance of only about fifteen minutes​—only enough to shoot up once and try to hit you and then land again.

As I said, flak was the biggest problem for us. We’d fly between twenty and twenty-five thousand feet, and they’d know from radar just where we were​—very disconcerting! The flak were shells​—88 or 105 millimeter—​with a time fuse. One of them would get to a certain altitude and explode, with shrapnel spraying out in all directions. If it exploded near you it would do heavy damage or even make you crash.

That’s what happened on our forty-sixth mission. A shell ripped into our wing, through the gas tank, but exploded above us. Had it exploded upon impact I wouldn’t be telling this story.

During the war I went to nightly services conducted by the chaplains. They were more like psychiatrists than clergymen. However, I was looking for religious comfort; I never knew whether or not I’d be back from my next mission.

And I didn’t return to the base after this forty-sixth mission. The shell had hit our gas tank and knocked out one of our engines. It happened where Czechoslovakia meets Germany, which is not too far from the Russian border. Soon after I gave the order, “OK, open the bomb-bay doors, get on the catwalk and jump!” Seven jumped. Three of us stayed with the plane.

Now we were over the Russian-German line, fighting was heavy below us and we had been hit hard. It disabled everything. We started spiraling down, fast. There were no controls, wheels were not operative, and as we came down the plane flattened out, hit the ground and skidded to a halt. As it burst into flames we jumped out the top hatch.

I was taken prisoner by the Germans. For me the war was over. I spent six months as a POW, then was liberated by the Russians. After my hitch in the Air Force ended, I returned to Jacksonville, Florida. That was in 1946.

My family and the Belloit family lived in Jacksonville. During the war the two families had become associated with each other. After the war I met Yvonne Belloit and we got married. Members of her family were Jehovah’s Witnesses, but she had not been baptized as such. I associated with her family, but I told her to keep them from talking to me about their religion.

I continued my activities with the Presbyterian Church; Yvonne continued her association with the Witnesses. There were no religious squabbles between us, but in time Yvonne began to drift away from the Witnesses. She stopped studying with them, became very worldly, started to celebrate Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year’s and other holidays, and even became involved with politics.

During those years I heard very little about the Witnesses. Then one of them did some work for me and also for a friend of mine, Dr. Ivy. This workman told Dr. Ivy about the coming battle of Armageddon. The doctor had known Yvonne since childhood, so he called her and demanded: “Yvonne, you were raised a Witness. Why didn’t you tell me about Armageddon?” “I’ll call my brother Don,” she said, “and get him to explain it to you.” The result was that Dr. Ivy and his wife and Yvonne and I began studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Don Belloit conducting the study.

So this is the way it started, and by this time I was willing. I was becoming unhappy with some of the things happening in my church. I was a deacon and part of my job was to solicit pledges for money. I didn’t like it. I’d see people who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, and there I was asking them for money.

We were paying our minister $12,000 a year, and at that time it was more than nearly everybody else in the congregation was making. One of the deacons was disgusted about this and said: “Why is it these preachers always get the calling to a bigger church? They never get the calling to a smaller one. It’s always to a bigger church with a bigger salary!”

Church doctrine also had started bothering me. We used to get the Presbyterian Survey, and it came out with a big article on hellfire saying that it was a place of eternal torment for the wicked. I knew that that was not right, that the soul was not something immortal, but that when people died they were completely out of existence. If they ever lived again it would have to be by resurrection.​—Ezekiel 18:4, 20; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Romans 6:23; John 5:28, 29.

Well, anyway, this Bible study was started and that’s how all my quitting began. First to go was my association with the Presbyterian Church.

Don Belloit had faithfully come to our house weekly for four or five years, studying with us for three hours each time. We had gone through several books, along with the Bible​—he always backed up everything with the Bible. Also, Yvonne and I had started going to the Kingdom Hall to meet with the congregation of Witnesses assembling there. I was impressed by their sincerity and friendliness. One evening they disfellowshipped a Witness who had committed a gross sin, and I said to myself, “The Presbyterians where I had gone would never do that.” The Witnesses try hard to keep their congregations morally clean.

By this time I was ready to dedicate my life to Jehovah and be baptized. I was still smoking, but I managed to hold my cigarettes down to two or three during the study. I knew that the habit was frowned upon by the Witnesses, but it had not been outlawed. But now, just when I wanted to be baptized, a policy change was made that forbade it altogether!

Imagine how I felt! Sure, smoking was hazardous to my health. I knew that. I had been a heavy smoker for decades, and when I would get up in the morning I’d cough for an hour and a half. But over the years I had tried very hard to quit​—eight or ten times at least, and each time I’d failed.

Anyway, I determined to try once more. The motivation was more powerful this time. Now I had come to know Jehovah. Now I had pondered Jesus’ words, ‘Love Jehovah with all your heart’ and​—especially applicable relative to smoking—​“love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37-39) In all my forty-five years in orthodox religion I had never been taught to love my neighbor as myself in this area.

So this time I had to bring a spiritual strength into the fight against my addiction. I prayed for Jehovah’s help. My family also prayed for God to help me win the fight. One evening I was deeply moved when I heard my four-year-old daughter, Kelly, praying to Jehovah, “Please help Daddy stop smoking.”

I set a deadline for quitting. A large assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses was to be held in 1975. The night before the assembly would be my last cigarette! The two months prior to then I smoked more than ever, four and a half packs a day. It wasn’t wise, but I guess it was a last fling of sorts, a farewell, a kind of psychological finale. The night before that 1975 assembly I snuffed out my last cigarette. I have not lit one since.

No relapses. I’d never go back to it. But the craving comes back. Even seven years later. If anyone says smoking isn’t addictive, don’t believe him! For the first year I dreamed every night that I was smoking. Even now I do occasionally. I carry a bag of mints in the car to use when I get the urge. Strangely, when it comes it’s just as strong as the day I quit, but fortunately it only lasts a few seconds. It’s a series of continuing battles, but by Jehovah’s undeserved kindness I’ve won the war.

Now I came face to face with the third challenge: If it was wrong for me as a Christian to smoke, would it not also be wrong for me to supply tobacco for others to smoke? Should I, must I, sell my lucrative tobacco business? I had known of Witnesses who had quit jobs considered unsuitable for Christians​—jobs that paid ten or fifteen thousand dollars a year. But my tobacco business grossed several million a year. My state sales tax was between $100 and $110 thousand monthly.

In my business I was the middleman. The big manufacturers bought tobacco from the farmers, cured it, made the finished product and packaged it. I bought from them and sold to the retailers. The magnitude of the tobacco business is staggering. Not just cigarettes, but also cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco and snuff. Most people don’t realize it, but snuff alone is big, big business. I sold tons of it. And in this business there’s no recession. In fact, when hard times hit, people become anxious and they smoke more than ever.

So what about my tobacco company? I decided to sell, and did sell it. My three quitting ordeals were over.

All of this just because of a Bible study with the Christian witnesses of Jehovah! The climax of that study came in 1975 when its four students, Dr. and Mrs. Ivy and Yvonne and I, were baptized at an assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

[Blurb on page 18]

I gave the order, “Open the bomb-bay doors, get on the catwalk and jump!”

[Blurb on page 18]

I associated with her family, but I told her to keep them from talking to me about their religion

[Blurb on page 19]

I’d see people who didn’t know where their next meal was coming from, and there I was asking them for money

[Blurb on page 20]

My third challenge: If it was wrong for me as a Christian to smoke, would it not also be wrong for me to supply tobacco for others to smoke?

[Blurb on page 20]

I was deeply moved when I heard my four-year-old daughter, Kelly, praying to Jehovah, “Please help Daddy stop smoking”

Young People Ask . . .

Why Do I Get So Depressed?

● MELANIE had always lived up to her mother’s ideal of the perfect child​—until she turned seventeen. Then she withdrew from school activities, stopped accepting invitations to parties and didn’t even seem to care when her grades dropped from A’s to C’s. Her parents noted her sullen mood and at mealtimes would gently inquire what was wrong. Melanie would stomp away from the table, saying, “Leave me alone! There’s nothing wrong.”

● Mark, at fourteen, was impulsive and hostile, with an explosive temper. At school he was fidgety and disruptive. When frustrated or angry, he would race across the desert on a motorcycle or shoot down steep hills on his skateboard. His parents and teachers dismissed his rambunctious behavior as childishness.

You may be surprised to know that both Melanie and Mark suffered from depression. While widespread depression among adults is common knowledge, only recently have experts conceded that young people, too, get depressed. It can happen to you.

A Common Emotion

A survey conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health claims that about one out of every five youths may be suffering from the symptoms of depression. Youthful suicides in many nations have been described as a recent epidemic. Depression is the most common ingredient in juvenile suicides. Perhaps you know of some of your friends who got the blues and attempted to take their own life. But you probably do not need statistics to know that depression can touch your life. Why, almost everyone is struck with the blues at times for a few hours, days​—or even weeks. This is just a part of life. However, during their teen years many youths are especially prone to the blues. Why?

These years are probably some of the most difficult you’ll ever have to cope with. The internal pressures created by reaching puberty can bring great anxieties and mood swings. You find yourself caught in a transition period​—no longer a child but not quite an adult. Beset with new and often conflicting expectations from your parents, teachers or friends, you feel like a failure when at times you cannot measure up. To make matters worse, because of inexperience you are unfamiliar with life’s ups and downs. No wonder that some get painfully depressed.

Are My Blues Normal?

There are, nevertheless, different degrees of depression. A young person could be demoralized by some upsetting event: failing a school test, the death of a loved one, not getting a job or losing one, as well as other stressful situations. Usually, with changing circumstances, these blues fade in a relatively short time.

However, if the depressed mood lingers and the person has a general negative feeling along with feelings of worthlessness, anxiety and anger, this can develop into low-grade chronic depression. The symptoms vary considerably. One young person may have anxiety attacks. Another may be tired all the time, have no appetite, experience trouble in sleeping or may lose weight. Sometimes even a series of accidents may be a warning. Note the box on page 23. If you answer “Yes” to most of the questions, chances are that your depression has become chronic. Recognizing this type of depression is vital for, if it is not dealt with, it will progress to major depression, a serious disorder that usually requires professional help.a

Some young persons mask depression by totally different behavior: by an endless round of parties, by sexual promiscuity, by vandalism or by heavy drinking. “I don’t really know why I have to be going out all the time,” confessed one fourteen-year-old boy. “I just know if I’m by myself, alone, I realize how bad I feel.” It is just as the Bible described: “Even in laughter the heart may be in pain; and grief is what rejoicing ends up in.” (Proverbs 14:13) So a pleasure binge may indicate that a person has real problems.

Is There a Physical Problem?

Marie had just started college and found herself in an emotional tailspin during the first few months. She had trouble in sleeping. She lost interest in food, in her studies and in her friends. Fortunately, a discerning college counselor referred her to a physician for a medical checkup. The cause of her problem? Iron-deficiency anemia. With proper treatment her spirits rose and her energy returned.

Yes, there is at times a biological basis for depression. Infections, glandular or hormonal disorders, malignancies, hypoglycemia and blood problems​—these can all trigger depression. Are you a junk-food addict? Deficiencies caused by such an unbalanced diet can cause depression. So can certain medications or allergic reactions.

However, usually juvenile depression can be traced to another cause.

“I Have Never Done Anything Right”

Donald felt that he had to excel in school to be regarded as worth while. His parents were scientists and he felt that they expected much from him. However, his girl friend accepted him regardless of his mediocre academic achievements. But then their relationship became punctuated by quarrels. He became depressed and suicidal. “I have never done anything right. I have always let everybody down,” bemoaned Donald to a therapist.

That a sense of failure can kindle depression is evident from the case of a Bible character named Epaphroditus. During the first century this faithful Christian was sent by his home congregation on a special mission to assist the imprisoned apostle Paul. But when he reached Paul he soon fell sick and Paul ended up caring for him. The Bible says that after his recovery Epaphroditus became “depressed” because the congregation had heard of his illness. You can imagine how he felt: ‘I’ve been a real failure! They were all counting on me and I fizzled out.’ Apparently he overlooked all the good he performed before he got sick. A similar sense of failure can make you depressed.​—Philippians 2:25-30.

Additionally, the type of entertainment you choose can affect how you view disappointments and may enhance feelings of failure. Discover magazine cites psychotherapist Margery Fridstein, who in Chicago’s juvenile “suicide belt” has treated many depressed young persons. According to her, television dramas, with swift, superficial and happy endings, are a disservice to young people. She stated: “Kids don’t like to read books​—they’d rather watch television and see the story end quickly—​and so they don’t know how to deal with long-term frustration. They don’t have the built-in patience, when something bad happens all of a sudden, to tolerate it.” By expecting problems to be solved easily or by comparing yourself to a carefree TV character who “never gets depressed,” you can create feelings of inadequacy. Also, movies, TV programs and literature that highlight depressing themes will often create within you a similar mood.

So there are many things that can bring the blues. You could probably list more, such as not having a close friend and feeling that no one cares, excessive guilt about some personal weakness, the breakup of an intimate relationship, even the teasing from schoolmates. Knowing the causes can be helpful when you feel down, because you can analyze what could be wrong. Yet, as helpful as all of this is, the matter of real concern to you is, ‘What positive steps can I take to offset a depressed mood?’ Some suggestions that have proved effective will be discussed in a future issue of Awake!

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 23]

Is It Low-Grade Chronic Depression?

1. As a young person are you tired most of the time even when you have had enough sleep?

2. Are you constantly restless?

3. Have you lost interest in almost everything​—in school, in family and in friends?

4. Are you unable to make decisions, even relatively minor ones?

5. Are you continually angry or resentful?

6. Do you have many bouts of anxiety, feeling that something terrible is going to happen?

7. Are you a chronic complainer?

8. Are you self-destructive?

9. Are you overly critical of yourself, often feeling very inferior or inadequate?

10. Do you spend an unusually large amount of time daydreaming?

11. Do you constantly have “up weeks” and “down weeks” with large mood swings?

(Based partially on The Book of Hope by Helen DeRosis and Victoria Pellegrino.)

Don’t Let TV Crowd Out Reading

EXPANDING the boundaries of the intellectual wasteland in every direction is the all-pervasive influence of television. In the United States, where there are almost seventy-five million homes with TV, the average eighteen-year-old has spent more hours (15,000) before television than in school. An environment has been spawned in which writers write with a view to having their work used on television.

“When TV moved to the forefront of the popular consciousness, the sense of literary tradition began to disappear from American writers,” author Norman Mailer charged at a Yale University symposium. Why work your heart out for literary excellence when a steamy, sexy plot, spun in a flashy style, will sell to television for more money than it will bring in book form? Besides​—who reads books anymore? Isn’t it a waste of time and effort when the work will come out on TV any day?

Because 70 percent of Americans have come to depend on television and radio for their evening news, for the past two decades afternoon newspapers, large and small, have simply gone out of business. For example, the New York Daily News (evening edition) and such established institutions as the Washington Star and the Philadelphia Bulletin ceased publication in quick succession in 1981.

Do you realize what a robber of our intellect television can be? TV, like the movies, comes at us through our eyes and through our ears. It totally dominates our two major senses. It stages the action. It commands the whole field of attention. What thinking is done is done by it. It carries the ball every exploratory inch of the way, every imaginative moment of the time. We don’t need to think or care or wonder or question. We huddle before it, reduced to mental zombies, not exercising our own thinking abilities.

Yet thinking, which is mental activity, requires exercise like a muscle. “Safeguard practical wisdom and thinking ability,” urges the Bible proverb, “and they will prove to be life to your soul and charm to your throat.”​—Proverbs 3:21, 22.

Publishers of books and magazines try frantically to cut across the audiovisual dominance of television. They entice us with more illustrations and fewer words. For the most part they cater to the sensual, the prurient, the sensational or whatever they feel will give them a competitive edge for every reader they can get.

In this avalanche of intellectual and moral pollution are we to give up in quest of a valuable and rewarding education? If not, what is a reliable course to follow? Become a reader!

Cultivate the Art of Reading

Do you want to mature to the full extent of your mental capacities? Do you reach out for the highest values in life? Are you conscious of your spiritual needs? If you want to develop in such directions you must still rely primarily on the written word.

Words solidified in writing (print), unlike the fleeting image on the TV screen, are permanent. We can pause as we read them. We can turn back to them. We can meditate, ponder, draw conclusions from what they tell us, learn a lesson, stretch and flex our mental abilities in the process. But without realizing it our mental reflexes may become flabby, even retarded, by long and continuous diversion to television. Our attention span may become abbreviated. Television with its intensely concentrated scenes, fractured every few minutes by commercial breaks, may condition us to tire prematurely from prolonged concentration. Our intellectual staying power may become exhausted.

Publishers of books and magazines are aware of this. They know that solid columns of print unrelieved by visual aids repel the average reader. The short, lively illustrated account is more apt to hold our attention. If a subject is long and involved, its prospects of riveting us are better if the material is segmented. For instance, it may be broken up in one- or two-page layouts dominated by imaginative subtitles and pertinent excerpts or pointers boxed in the margins​—along with visual aids.

Form an Appetite for Reading

Don’t let anything keep you from a steady reading diet. When your mind pushes reading matter away, pull it back with your hand. Force your eyes to consume the words as a nurse does when insisting that the child open its mouth and take the spoon. Immerse your mental processes in the stream of words until your intellect swims in comprehension.

Reading is communication. Are there not many great minds you want to communicate with? Some of the words and wisdom of the greatest minds in human history are caught and preserved in recorded words. Feast on them. Angels also have spoken words that men recorded. And most important, God himself has given words of life for men of all ages. They are preserved in the holy Bible, the Scriptures. When you read the Scriptures yourself you realize that “the word of God is alive and exerts power.”​—Hebrews 4:12; Luke 1:19; 9:35; John 8:40; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

Dig Out the Meaning of Words

If you do not read with ease, don’t give up. You can learn. Tackle the problem with gusto. Most likely your problem begins with your not being familiar with many words. But how many of us are? In the English language there are over 1,000,000 words. More than a million words. The average adult uses only 30,000 to 60,000. Imagine what we’re missing.

When the meaning of a word is hidden, think of it as a kernel encased in a shell. We crack the shell, we extract the nut and find that it is rich, delicious and nutritious. Words are rewarding that way. Don’t throw one away before you crack the mystery of its meaning. Learning a new word excites imagination. It inspires similes​—you find yourself saying “It’s like this” or “It’s like that—​like a diamond scintillating light in many directions.” Every new word lights up the intellect in some area never quite reached before.

What’s the first thing to do when you see a word you don’t know? A member of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel says the first thing he does is try to guess the meaning from the way it’s used. What would the surrounding words reveal if that word were missing? Already we are getting clues.

But don’t just guess or wonder. Crack the nut! Look up the word in the dictionary.

Let’s say you run across the word “catalyst”:

“Harvey’s sense of humor proved to be the catalyst that relieved the grimness of that night for all of us.”

We have a good idea, just from the context, of what “catalyst” means. But would you feel confident in using the word just yet? Let’s find out exactly what “catalyst” means before we add it to our active vocabulary:

‘CATʹA-LYST, n, a substance which either speeds up or slows down a chemical reaction, but which itself undergoes no permanent chemical change thereby.’​—Webster’s New Twentieth Century Dictionary.

Besides having a basic chemical connotation, “catalyst” is a good word to describe how Harvey’s humor ‘slowed down’ or eased or relieved a grim episode. But what is underneath the meaning? What are the roots of the tree that produced the nut?

We find “catalyst” in the midst of a whole family of kindred words. Directly above it in the dictionary is the noun “ca-talʹy-sis.” Among other things the dictionary tells us it is formed by joining two Greek roots, kata, down, and lyein, to loosen.

This digging a word up by the roots educates us in many ways. It helps us remember words. It deepens our understanding of words we already know. It opens up whole new families of words at a time. Speech authorities tell us this is the biggest reward from going to the dictionary, this learning the root meaning.

We find columns of words above and below “catalyst,” all starting with “cata” from the Greek kata, down. Here are a few:

“Catachresis,” [kata, down or against, charesthai, to use] the “down-use” or misuse of a word​—something we want to guard against.

“Cataclysm,” [kata, down, klysein, wash] a deluge.

“Catastrophe,” [kata, down, strephein, to turn] ruin, calamity, disaster . . . A world of words opens up just from one simple root.

Word power starts here. Extended meanings are gained by adding prefixes, front attachments, and suffixes, rear attachments. Look at what happens to the word “form” when we add a prefix such as “con” or “in” or “re”; or when we add suffixes such as “er” or “ing” or “less.”

Spending time studying the introductory material in the front of a good dictionary is an education in itself. And whether in school or out, you can gain reading power by developing a good dictionary habit, as illustrated here.

What Is There Worth Reading?

Amid all the welter of trash that crowds the newsstands and bookstores there is always something worth while to be searched out and read. But what is a safe guide to good reading? One of the best guides to reading or any other form of communication was recorded almost two thousand years ago: “Whatever things are true, . . . of serious concern, . . . righteous, . . . chaste, . . . lovable, . . . well spoken of, . . . whatever virtue there is and whatever praiseworthy thing there is, continue considering these things.”​—The Bible, at Philippians 4:8.

Worthless Gods

In a note under the heading “Marx, Mao and Me,” the editorial writer for Le Journal de Genève commented: “The gods are temperamental and do not always measure up to the hopes placed in them. The ancients, having discerned this, would choose another god from their pantheon just as soon as the initial one refused their sacrifices. . . . Many of our contemporaries worshiped Marx, but were not paid well in return. . . . Some turned to Mao, but his images were rapidly torn off the walls of the towns. . . . At a loss, the faithful began appealing to Me-ism, also a very exacting god with demanding rites.”

From Our Readers

Motorcycles

I wish to compliment you on the article “Motorcyclists​—Knights or Blights of the Road?” I think this is one of the best articles on the use of motorcycles that I have seen in the past few years. It shows the more productive side of the use of motorcycles instead of the usual downgrading of the cycles and riders. It is nice to see that there are people who look on the motorcycle as a means of economical transportation and recreation.

M. H., Yamaha dealer, Illinois

There is no doubt in my mind that motorcycles are in fact a very economical means of transportation and are very practical in many parts of the world. Our family is gathering funds together to help one of our missionaries in Kenya to purchase one to facilitate getting around in this assignment. However, in the United States there are factors that should be given consideration. Not that the machine is bad in itself, but the image portrayed by the majority of riders is bad. Aside from this, there is the safety factor. My insurance company will not insure a motorcycle unless one already has several cars on a policy and then only as a special risk add-on. This is because motorcycles are more dangerous than enclosed vehicles. The mortality rate is many times higher than that for ordinary cars or trucks. Whether for sport or for transportation the motorcycle is dangerous.

N. R., Maryland

Please tell your readers and the writer of this article that motorcycles are not a safe method of transport for the riders. Insurance companies in North America know that they are so dangerous that many will not insure them. Liability rates are low because a motorcycle does very little damage to someone else. But collision rates are high because of the numerous accidents. Uninsured motorists rates are two and a half times higher and medical payments insurance is nonexistent. The way that rates are set should tell you that motorcycles are dangerous to the rider. The motorcycle does have its advantages like everything else; but safety is not one of them for the rider.

G. B., insurance agent, Ohio

Your article had some good points in it, urging operators of these machines to be alert, careful and considerate of other drivers. However, the writer did not mention at all how dangerous it can be these days just to ride on a motorcycle. When a motorcycle is involved in an accident there is almost always serious injury or death to the person or persons riding the motorcycle. There is simply no protection.

F. G., Texas

Our article did not intend to encourage motorcycle riding nor to glorify it as a sport, but, rather, to show that it has a proper place as a means of transportation and to encourage those using it to be careful and considerate of others. We agree that it is a high-risk vehicle whether used as transportation or for recreation.​—ED.

Watching the World

World Decay Confirmed

● A recent 637-page report by the United Nations Environment Program confirms that world conditions have indeed deteriorated. States the Toronto Globe and Mail: “The report, a 10-year review of the world environment, is not a collection of vague suspicions. It is a carefully documented catalogue of social and physical ills which gives the impression that the human race inhabits not so much a planet as a nightmare of its own making. . . . The report assembles a description of a diseased, crowded world whose neurotic inhabitants continue to foul the air and sully the water while devising more efficient methods to kill one another.”

Among the statistics of the report: Global expenditures for weapons are up to $1,000,000 (US) each minute; and nuclear detonations, poisoning land and atmosphere, have been averaging almost one a week. Only 15 percent of all the satellites launched are nonmilitary. During these ten years 450,000,000 people have been hungry and undernourished, 650,000,000 lacked adequate or clean drinking water and 800,000,000 remained illiterate. Eight million became refugees. An estimated 10,000,000 children under five years of age die annually from malnutrition. Air, land and water pollution increased steadily, so did drug abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and obesity in the developed nations. At the same time malnutrition and diseases, such as malaria, cholera, meningitis and dengue fever, spread in the developing nations.

There was one shred of good news in the report: Smallpox has been eradicated.

Space Pollution

● “Wherever man ventures, he leaves debris and waste in his wake,” says William D. Hibbard of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. He adds: “Space is no exception. There’s a lot of junk flying around up there.” An estimated ten thousand to fifteen thousand large objects, and hundreds of millions of smaller particles are hurtling through space at present. The debris comes from explosions in space, defunct satellites, spent fuel tanks and rocket shells. The annual growth rate of 11 percent for space trash poses a threat to mankind. There is fear that space junk, particularly radioactive debris, may fall on earth. Collisions in space also seem inevitable, and there have already been a number of satellite failures that could not be explained otherwise. As objects travel in space at speeds of thousands of miles per hour, even the smallest fragment can puncture a space vehicle and cause damage, injury or even death. A solution for cleaning up space does not seem imminent.

Music and Pregnancy

● In recent months pregnant women have been warned about tobacco, alcohol and coffee. Now they are being cautioned in regard to loud music. “Keep off jazz, rock, pop or any other loud music in the interest of your unborn child,” says Dr. S. Kameswaran of the Post-Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences in Taramani, India. Damage to the fetus could result, he said, if the mother was exposed to loud noise during the early months of pregnancy. According to a report in the newspaper The Hindu, the damaging effects of loud noise on unborn children have been substantiated by detailed investigations. In one laboratory study with pregnant mice, exposure to sound of eighty decibels at a frequency of 2,500 cycles per second for just ten minutes of each hour resulted in congenital defects in all the offspring. In addition to the unborn, noise is also damaging to grownups, says Dr. Kameswaran. A person who works all day where the noise level is ninety decibels or more is likely to become deaf in a few years.

Technology Aids Forgers

● Near-perfect fake bank notes are being produced with the aid of modern technology. According to a report in London’s Daily Telegraph, European police chiefs meeting in Paris “were warned that it was extremely difficult to identify forgeries produced by the new systems.” The latest method uncovered made use of lithographic plates produced by laser-beam color scanners. The bank note colors were found to be perfectly matched, and the forgeries were of high quality. While this method involved skill and special equipment, the use of a modern copying machine to produce fake bank notes did not. The new color-copying machine would accurately reproduce both sides of the bank notes simultaneously. Anyone having access to the copier and using the right paper could run off copies of the bank notes that would easily pass in shops, the police chiefs were told. While flaws could be detected in the English currency forgeries, it was more difficult in fake American dollars, which are all the same size and color. It is feared that if large quantities of the fake bank notes are produced, it could threaten the economy of the countries involved.

“Monster” Cloud

● A cloud of volcanic debris 13,000 miles (21,000 km) long and at least two miles (3 km) thick was discovered a few months ago. It stretched from Baja California across the Pacific and Indian Oceans to Saudi Arabia, and appeared shortly after the eruption of the El Chinchonal volcano in Mexico on March 29. Since it was over thirteen miles (21 km) high, it was beyond the reach of planes to inspect it. Scientists said it had the potential to alter the earth’s climate for five years, causing droughts or heat waves. Such a cloud, it was said, could cause temperatures to rise by preventing the earth’s heat from dissipating, or it could cause lower temperatures by reducing the sunlight reaching the earth.

Marijuana in Forests

● The forest lands may still be green, but more and more of the green is turning out to be cannabis​—marijuana plants. The growing of marijuana on government lands has been rising steadily in both the United States and Canada, particularly in California and British Columbia. In remote forest clearings, marijuana plants are being carefully grown and tended just like any other commercial crop. Public lands are chosen because of their seclusion and inaccessibility, making ownership of the illegal crop hard to prove. The estimated value of last year’s crop was $128,000,000 (US) in British Columbia and $1,000,000,000 (US) in California, thus making marijuana a leading agricultural product. Says one government official: “Wherever you grow marijuana, the crime rate rises. There are holdups. Killings. Gangs fight among themselves.” As reported in The Wall Street Journal, crime in the United States national forests has tripled since 1969. Growers are now turning to new hybrid plants that are more difficult to spot and that give more potent yields.

China’s Superhighway

● If everything goes as planned, China will have its first modern superhighway by 1985. The highway will link Canton with Hong Kong and Macao. At present, due to primitive roads, cargo between Canton and Hong Kong must move by rail, boat or air. Travelers from Hong Kong to Macao may even find it easier and faster to go on the new highway through China than by the present method of hydrofoil ferry. The new highway will allow for speeds of sixty to ninety miles an hour, and will eventually be expanded from four lanes to six. Tolls are expected to recover the costs in ten years.

Birthing Chairs

● What is the healthiest, most efficient and natural way to give birth? According to many obstetricians, it is to sit or squat​—because of the structure of the human pelvis. Until modern times, it was the method most widely used for giving birth. Various cultures used ‘birthing thrones,’ or stools, to aid in delivery. (See Exodus 1:16.) Recently a company produced an adjustable, modern birthing chair that allows the mother-to-be to assume the most comfortable position for giving birth to her child. Not only does it make for stronger and less painful labor contractions, but the new chair also allows the mother to assist in and see the birth of her own child. Since delivery is often so much faster, the manufacturer now installs a safety tray on the chairs to prevent infants from falling to the floor.

Highest IQ

● Which nation has the highest average IQ? The Japanese​—according to a study by Dr. Richard Lynn of the New University of Ulster in Northern Ireland. The study shows the average Japanese IQ has sharply increased since World War II, and now is 111, compared to 100 for the United States. Says the Lynn study: “Since intelligence is a determinant of economic success . . . the Japanese IQ advantage may have been a significant factor in Japan’s outstandingly high rate of economic growth in the post-World War II period.” What accounts for such rapid growth in the Japanese IQ? The most likely explanation, the study says, is due to environmental improvements such as improved nutrition.

Supersniffers

● Keeping drugs and other contraband out of prisons has always posed a problem for prison officials, who have experimented with various means to do so. Their latest: a team of highly trained rodents called gerbils. “It’s the only known method we have researched that works with a degree of accuracy,” said a spokesman for the Correctional Services of Canada. The $60,000 experiment will be tried first at a federal prison in Ontario. The teams of gerbils, hidden inside a cabinet in the entranceway, will sniff visitors and prisoners as they enter the prison. If drugs are detected, they have been trained to push a lever that activates a red light. They can also detect a high flow of adrenaline and will activate the light for this as well, as it may indicate the person is trying to conceal something. The suspected carrier will then either be searched or be refused entry. Gerbils were favored over dogs, as their noses are more sensitive and they are less expensive to feed and train.

Making Themselves Extinct

● It is estimated that only twenty-five to thirty condors remain on earth. They may be helping to make themselves extinct, judging by the scenario unfolding in southern California. A pair of condors have a nest there, which has been carefully monitored by ornithologists. The huge birds had a domestic quarrel in March over who was to care for their egg. In the skirmish, the egg was knocked out of the nest and smashed. Scientists were dismayed, for eggs are normally laid only once every eighteen months. But, to their delight, a new egg was shortly produced. Then tragedy struck again. A raven landed on the condors’ nest. In repelling the intruder, the condors again knocked their egg out of the nest. It fell to the rocks below, where the raven ate it.

World Destruction First​—Then World Peace

How will world destruction come? What will be included? Will humans bring it about? Or is it God’s purpose to do so?

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