October 22

Page Two

One of the terrible blights of this 20th century has been the tens of millions of refugees fleeing from political, racial and religious persecution, as well as from economic and natural disasters. What is the solution to this problem? Who will care for these people? The following series has some of the answers

Ten Million Refugees​—Who Wants Them? 3

Legacy of Our Troubled Times 4

Nigeria Unloads Her “Burden” 7

Who Will Care for the Refugee? 10

Ten Million Refugees​—Who Wants Them?

TRAN used to teach mathematics. Now he​—and 1,900 others—​struggle to survive in a crowded Thailand refugee camp. “Inadequate food and sanitation are our biggest problems,” the 27-year-old former teacher says.

Alan was a refugee of another kind. A crumbling economy and a harsh government sent him fleeing his Caribbean island home. The 700-mile (1,126-km) journey to the United States was a treacherous ordeal that terminated in a detention camp.

Since World War II well over 40 million people have suffered the fate of the refugee. They have trudged across burning deserts, hacked through jungles and been tossed about by angry seas in their tiny, rickety boats. Thousands have died before reaching their destination. Thousands more have suffered the indignity of being packed into settlements frighteningly akin to World War II concentration camps. Authorities estimate that by 1982 there were well over ten million refugees worldwide!

The world’s response to this grim reality has so far been less than overwhelming. Meager funds and political realities seriously hamstring relief efforts. And while the Universal Declaration of Human Rights gives individuals the right to ‘seek and enjoy asylum,’ there is little guarantee that the country to which they flee will actually grant it.

Further, not all are considered legitimate refugees. This term is generally limited to persons who have fled their native land because of political, racial or religious persecution. By this definition, however, those escaping economic deprivation or natural disaster may receive, not refugee status, but the disdained designation of “illegal alien.”

Who, then, wants the world’s homeless? Not many. Integrating them into a foreign land with a different language and culture can be traumatic for all concerned. Refugees, too, often do not have the skills necessary to find jobs. Those that do are often resented for siphoning off jobs from local residents. Hence, many prefer simply to ignore the plight of the refugee as a problem for government bureaucrats. But, as you will see, it is not an issue to be ignored.

Legacy of Our Troubled Times

THE problem of the refugee is not a new one. History’s tides have often swept large masses of people away from their homes. The makeup of Europe, for example, is largely the result of migrations that erupted following the debacle of the Roman Empire. One would think, however, that such tragic movements of humanity would belong to the past. Yet, a former UN high commissioner for refugees recently indicated that “mass exodus is becoming a tragically permanent feature of our times.” Why?

The Era of the Refugee

As the Bible foretold, peace has been taken away from the earth since 1914. (Revelation 6:4) The opening shots of World War I signaled sweeping social, political and economic changes. The eruption of a second world war underscored this fact, leaving in its wake some 11 million European refugees.

After World War II, relief efforts focused on resettling these uprooted ones. But the war had also tolled the death knell for colonialism. Throughout Asia and Africa new nations began to emerge, paying in bloodshed and socio-economic chaos for their “independence.” Thousands of Europeans found themselves ousted from their adopted nations. Internal political upheavals also resulted in the exodus of thousands of local residents. And so it continues today. One million in the past six years have fled Ethiopia in the face of war and drought. Well over a quarter of a million fled Zimbabwe during its 1972-1979 internal conflicts.

Asia and Central and South America have similarly suffered mass migrations as the result of political change. The year 1947, for example, saw India gain independence from Great Britain. The subsequent slicing of this vast subcontinent into religiously divided India and Pakistan, however, triggered a nationwide bloodbath. Hindus and Muslims in both countries fled to their respective territories for refuge. It was one of the largest population “exchanges” in history​—18,000,000 people. As many as 10 percent of these refugees were killed or died of starvation and exhaustion before they could reach their new home. The partitioning of North and South Korea similarly spawned refugees​—1.8 million of them. And today Thailand must house almost 200,000 who have fled war in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

These massive population upheavals are but one indication that the problems plaguing man since 1914 are out of control! As further evidence of this, consider today’s economic refugee.

A Worn-Out Welcome?

“OUT WITH THE TURKS,” cried the hand-painted sign. It reflected a growing hostility among Germans toward the more than 1.4 million that have migrated from Turkey. And this in spite of the fact that they had entered the country at the invitation of Germany! Their plight is rather typical of yet another refugee movement​—the economic refugee. Such ones are not necessarily fleeing some oppressive government or religious persecution and are thus not considered bona fide refugees. Yet they are fleeing bankrupt economies, unemployment, unbearable inflation​—even starvation. Like bona fide refugees, they very often face hostility from the nation they chose as their place of refuge.

This reminds us of a situation that developed long ago in Egypt. Recall that the nation of Israel first went there as ‘alien residents’ when famine forced them to trek to Egypt for provisions. Pharaoh, indebted to Israelite Joseph for foretelling the famine and planning for it, invited the Israelites to reside in Goshen. (Genesis, chapters 41, 42 and 47) But the welcome did not last long.

“Growing Antirefugee Sentiment”

Tensions grew between the Israelites and the Egyptians as languages, cultures and religions clashed. Egyptian farmers especially resented the land-consuming flocks of the Israelites. A shift in Egypt’s rulership then occurred. The Israelites suddenly found themselves enslaved by the very ones who had befriended them.​—Exodus 1:8-11.

Similarly today, during periods of prosperity, aliens are frequently welcome, as they are often willing to work at jobs that residents disdain. Europe, for example, has some 12.5 million migrant workers. Said Business Week: “Two and a half years of slow economic growth, the decline of major heavy industries, and now factory automation are making jobs scarce and foreign jobholders an increasing target of racial pressures.”

Adding to the tension is the fact that many economic refugees have entered the United States illegally. It is estimated that from 40,000-50,000 Haitians have immigrated illegally since 1972. And from economically parched Mexico also pours a daily flood of thousands more, desperate for employment.

But massive influxes of refugees​—both legitimate and economic—​strain national resources and tolerance to the limit. Time magazine, for example, reported “a growing antirefugee sentiment in Congress . . . in the face of a declining U.S. economy and shrinking social programs.” And many other nations are similarly rolling up their welcome mats.

A recent incident in Nigeria illustrates just how unwelcome economic refugees can suddenly become.

[Picture on page 6]

Many economic refugees enter a country illegally in search of employment

Nigeria Unloads Her “Burden”

By “Awake!” correspondents in Nigeria and Ghana

“EXODUS of the Unwanted.” “Nigeria’s Outcasts: The Cruel Exodus.” With searing headlines, the international press publicized one of the most massive concentrated movements of people in Africa’s history. This was not a triumphant exodus of a liberated people, nor a frightened flight from oppression or war. It was an exodus of nearly two million people, forced out at the order of the Nigerian government.

Oil and the West African Community

By 1975 Nigeria had largely recovered from the ravages of civil war and become a major oil producer. The new oil wealth gave her increasing international financial clout and political recognition. Nigeria therefore took the major initiative in establishing ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) in May 1975. The purpose? To erect frameworks for trade and economic cooperation. As a result, ECOWAS citizens could visit member nations for up to three months without a visa.

This opened the floodgates of migration. “All roads led to Nigeria,” the wealthiest and most populous nation in the community. Foreigners from countries like Chad and Ghana passed through its immigration checkpoints sometimes at the rate of 3,000 persons a day! The greatest influx, however, came imperceptibly, stealthily​—and illegally—​across the country’s porous, unpatrolled borders. Nigerians, though, for the most part welcomed the immigrants. They provided cheap, skilled and unskilled labour in jobs often unattractive to Nigerians. But as with any huge migration, there were large numbers of undesirables. So it was not long before problems developed.

Immigrants Become a “Burden”

By 1978 the influx of immigrants was already causing concern. Many felt that cheap foreign labour was contributing to the growing unemployment of Nigerians. According to the Nigerian press, in 1980, and again in 1982, religious riots fomented by illegal immigrants resulted in the death of thousands of people. Unemployed immigrants formed armed gangs, robbing, killing and raping innocent citizens. Thousands of immigrant women were engaging in prostitution. Aggressive alien beggars​—men, women and little children—​became a nuisance.

Some therefore feared for the social and political security of the country. In 1980 they began speaking out against “illegal immigrants” and “unwanted aliens.” In response, the Nigerian government in 1981 called on all non-Nigerian Africans residing in the country to register at immigration offices. Little, however, was done to enforce this law.

Then came 1982. Nigeria became a victim of the international oil glut, which, combined with inflation, resulted in economic recession. As the Lagos Daily Times expressed it: “The gloomy picture of the economy was enough signal to the Federal Government that Nigeria can no longer play the role of ‘father christmas.’” So the people who had come in on the tide of the oil boom and economic plenty were about to be forced out on the receding economic tide.

The Exodus

The government’s “quit” order of January 17, 1983, giving all illegal immigrants two weeks to either regularize their status or “quit” (leave) was therefore no surprise. Nigerian landlords evicted immigrant tenants. Employers laid off immigrant workers. As a result, most unregistered aliens packed their belongings quickly. One Ghanaian man had recently told friends he would leave Nigeria only at gunpoint. “Even so,” said he, “it will be a slow march home.” But the gathering momentum of the exodus turned his predicted “slow march” into a gallop.

So by the hundreds of thousands they left, cramming into minibuses and trucks piled high with their motley belongings, jamming the roads, crowding into the international seaport and airport in Lagos. But where could they go? Ghana’s border was closed. Both Benin and Togo likewise closed their borders for fear that hundreds of thousands of Ghanaians would be trapped inside those countries. Until this problem was ironed out, waiting crowds, including children and pregnant women, suffered hunger and unhealthy conditions. Naturally, the Benin and Togo authorities did what they could to be helpful. January 29, 1983, however, saw Ghana open her borders. The world now witnessed a scene extraordinary as the waves of humanity surged into Benin, across Togo, into Ghana and beyond.

Ghana had already set up a Special Evacuation Task Force to handle this influx. The spacious grounds of the Trade Fair site at Labadi, Accra, were designated as a reception centre for those arriving by road and boat. By Sunday morning, however, the Fair grounds were choked, forcing the opening of several other centres. An urgent call went out for car owners to lend their cars to the government’s evacuation fleet. Amazingly, the returnees were so efficiently dispersed throughout Ghana, it was not necessary to set up refugee camps.

Each returnee had a story to tell. One Ghanaian man managed to reach the border town of Aflao and wondered how he would ever get to Accra. Suddenly he heard a loud commotion as loaves of bread were being thrown from a slow-moving van, and people rushed to catch them in midair. Leaving that scene, he started walking toward Accra but was forced to return to Aflao where a frantic struggle to board buses was taking place. Soon he spotted a loaded truck stuck in the traffic. “I mustered the little energy left in me,” said he, “threw my travelling bag into the truck and started slowly climbing. I was profoundly grateful to feel a steady push from someone behind me, which got me into the truck. There about a hundred of us endured the three-hour journey to Accra.”

Adversity at times promoted camaraderie. Some returnees shared their provisions with perfect strangers. Strong ones helped weaker ones to obtain food. At the airports some even shared their money with fellow travellers. But adversity also produced savagery. One hungry returnee had his meal taken away from him at knife point. A woman carrying a basket of food to a reception centre never got to serve it​—it was swiftly grabbed by hungry returnees.

At the airports and seaports people similarly had to endure the crush of humanity until boats and planes evacuated them. Many fell into the water, and at least one drowned as the pressing crowds struggled to board the boats. The returnees, however, quickly organized themselves into a rescue squad. And with each successful rescue, a wave of thunderous applause rippled through the crowd​—Ghanaian and Nigerian alike. Finally they set sail, as jam-packed as bristles on a coat brush.

The Aftermath

This has been called the cruel exodus, and so it has been in some respects. Many feel that the order was too sudden and that the period of two weeks was too short. However, Nigerian commentators remind us that illegal aliens were long ago instructed to regularize their immigration status and that only those who failed to do this were affected. And Nigerian authorities did try to minimize the suffering of the departing aliens. They were allowed to take along their properties and earnings. Limited medical aid was provided. The Nigerian Transport Owners’ Association volunteered 200 trailers free of charge for use in the evacuating of people from all over the country. And many individuals gave financial assistance on a personal level. Nigerians claim, too, that they already feel relief as employment and housing opportunities have opened up.

Nevertheless, the Nigerian action certainly bruised international relations. And in unburdening herself, Nigeria was shifting a heavy social and financial load back onto much poorer countries. Ghana alone now has over one million new mouths to feed and has made an international appeal for aid. In response, financial and material aid has been sent to Ghana, Togo and Benin by several foreign countries and organizations. Nigeria, too, has voted one million dollars (U.S.) in aid.

So what future have the returnees? Whether you call them refugees, deportees or evicted illegal aliens, their plight is a dramatic underscore of the perplexing, unsolvable problems world leaders must wrestle with​—a stinging indictment of a world that can no longer care for its inhabitants.

[Picture on page 9]

What future for people like these?

Who Will Care for the Refugee?

“SHARE your food with the hungry and open your homes to the homeless poor.” Thus spoke God by the mouth of his prophet Isaiah to those who were keen on religious ritual but dull of feeling for their fellowman. (Isaiah 58:7, Today’s English Version) However, few nations today can or will do this. Succumbing to selfishness or cultural, racial and religious prejudices, they shut not only ‘the door of their tender compassions’ but also their jealously guarded national borders. (1 John 3:17) Yet callously closing one’s eyes to the plight of millions will not make the problem go away. As long as there is political strife, as long as there is oppression, as long as there is starvation and poverty, there will be refugees. What, then, can be done?

World Government​—The Real Answer

A change in earth’s rule is the only real solution. And by this we do not mean some political change that would likely send still more millions fleeing. Rather, we refer to the Bible’s promise that God through Christ will take over the management of the earth. (Matthew 6:10) Does this seem incredible?

Not when you consider that God has a personal interest in the future of this earth. “He the true God, the Former of the earth and the Maker of it, He the One who firmly established it, who did not create it simply for nothing, who formed it even to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18) In his due time he will intervene and strip earthly governments of their power to ruin.​—Daniel 2:44.

The effects on earth of this heavenly rule will be astounding. War and war weapons will be disposed of. (Psalm 46:8-11) “Plenty of grain” will be provided to feed all of earth’s populace. (Psalm 72:16) And there will be no more homeless ones. Earth’s inhabitants will “certainly build houses and have occupancy.” (Isaiah 65:21) No one will ever feel obliged to flee God’s benevolent rulership!

Jehovah’s Witnesses already give evidence of the Kingdom’s influence in their lives. For one thing, they practice neighborly love as part of their worship. (Matthew 19:19) During the recent Nigerian exodus Jehovah’s Witnesses in Ghana shared in feeding and providing overnight accommodations for the returnees.

But while such humanitarian efforts produce good, Jehovah’s Witnesses know that far more lasting good is accomplished by helping others to learn about and develop a faith in God’s Kingdom. God “will wipe out every tear from [our] eyes.” (Revelation 21:4) And never again will man suffer the agonies of the refugee.

[Pictures on page 11]

Under God’s Kingdom, never again will there be homeless people

Why Do Babies Suffer and Die?

A NEWBORN baby​—what a joyful reward after months of expectation, preparation and a painful labor! A wise teacher of ancient times expressed it this way: “A woman in labour is in pain because her time has come; but when the child is born she forgets the anguish in her joy that a man has been born into the world.”a

But for many parents pride in their ‘little bundle of joy’ is soon shattered. The child falls sick or dies. The poor parents become heartbroken. Even in countries with a high standard of living, there are millions of children suffering from one form of handicap or another. In less developed lands many more millions of babies die each year. In some countries half the babies born die before they turn five.

This has led people to ask: Why does God allow innocent babies to suffer? Why do so many of them die?

A Worldwide Problem

Due to imperfection in the parents’ sex cells, some babies are born deformed or mentally retarded. Genetic impairment results in many diseases, among them spina bifida, caused when the spinal column of the infant in the womb does not form properly, and anencephaly, in which most of the brain fails to develop. These conditions have been termed “the Curse of the Celts” because of their high incidence in Scotland and Northern Ireland, where one in every 100 babies is born with such a defect.

Another common problem is cerebral palsy, caused by brain damage before, during or after birth, and estimated to strike once in every 170 live births.

In less developed lands millions of babies die from diseases such as kwashiorkor, marasmus, measles, pneumonia and tuberculosis. The book The Competent Infant states regarding a major cause of fatal illnesses: “In most areas of the world malnutrition in early life is directly or indirectly responsible for more deaths among children than all other causes combined.”

Who Is to Blame?

The Bible informs us that when God created the first man and woman, he blessed them and commanded them to “fill the earth” with their offspring. It was God’s purpose that if they and their offspring proved obedient to him they should live forever. But the first human pair willfully broke God’s law and so brought suffering and death upon themselves.​—Genesis 1:28; 2:16, 17; 3:6, 19.

They could not pass on to their children the perfection that they themselves no longer had. According to the law of heredity, their children would be born imperfect. As the Bible says: “Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” Hence, God cannot be blamed because some babies are born with defects leading to early death. The cause is, as the Bible states, “one man,” the first man, Adam, who brought death upon himself and his future offspring.​—Romans 5:12.

This situation has been aggravated by the greed, ignorance and carelessness of mankind in general. It is now well known that pregnant women who take aspirin or tranquilizers are more likely to have defective babies. Many women also harm their future offspring by smoking, which decreases the supply of oxygen to the baby in the womb, sometimes resulting in death to the newborn, especially crib death. Those who overindulge in alcohol or coffee are also more likely to have deformed or mentally retarded babies. When the babies of such mothers suffer, or even die, can God honestly be blamed for it? Is it not, rather, a case of ‘reaping what a person sows’?​—Galatians 6:7.

In recent years the 20th-century practice of bottle feeding has been promoted by industry in less developed lands, where formerly most women breast-fed their babies. Reports say that millions more babies are dying each year because of this. Mother’s milk provides a natural immunity to illnesses such as diarrhea, a common cause of suffering and death among infants. Some mothers who use a powdered-milk formula mix it with contaminated water or dilute it to save money. The result is an undernourished and sick baby. For example, a southern Africa newspaper recently stated about one African hospital: The “General Hospital’s paediatrics department was full of bottle-fed babies suffering from diarrhoea.”

Kwashiorkor is a protein-deficiency disease that afflicts many infants. In southern Africa this comes about because, after being weaned, many babies live on maize porridge, which has only about 9 percent poor-quality protein. Marasmus, on the other hand, is a disease that afflicts infants that have been weaned early and are fed with insufficient substitutes. Because of faulty assimilation, they suffer from calorie as well as protein deficiency.

Babies that survive these severe forms of malnutrition suffer for the rest of their life. Regarding this, the book The Competent Infant says: “The intellectual attainments of children who have recovered from . . . protein-calorie malnutrition are consistently lower than those of individuals with adequate nutrition during infancy.” Regarding less severe forms of malnutrition, the authors state that these “might be correlated with a decrease in intellectual development.”

The Creator cannot be blamed for malnutrition. The earth is capable of providing more than enough wholesome food for all. Commercial greed and poverty are the main causes of malnutrition among infants. The facts show that the responsibility for the suffering and death of babies has to be borne by man.

The Creator Desires All to Enjoy Life

Jehovah God could immediately have destroyed Adam and Eve after they had sinned. So why did he allow them to have offspring before they died? It was because he wanted us to have the opportunity to demonstrate by obedience our appreciation for his loving provisions, with the prospect of living forever. Had God destroyed the first human pair immediately after they sinned, we would never have been born.

How does man’s Creator feel about babies who suffer due to inherited sin? In answer, consider his merciful view of even wicked men. “‘Do I take any delight at all in the death of someone wicked,’ is the utterance of the Sovereign Lord Jehovah, ‘and not in that he should turn back from his ways and actually keep living?’” (Ezekiel 18:23) If the Creator finds no delight at all in seeing even a wicked man die, it is obvious that it is not his will for millions of babies to suffer and die.

True Comfort From God’s Word

Sometimes when a young child dies, clergymen “comfort” the parents by saying: “God chose your child because he wanted another beautiful flower in heaven.” Expressions like that are in fact lies. By saying such things people are misled into thinking that God is responsible for the suffering and death of babies, whereas the truth is that mankind has brought these things upon itself by rebellion against God and his rule.

Lovingly, Jehovah has made provision to undo all the harmful effects of inherited sin and death. He has given his heavenly Son, Jesus Christ, a Kingdom government, which will rule this earth for a thousand years. According to Bible prophecies, that Thousand Year Reign is very near. During that time the dead, including babies, will be resurrected. The Bible describes a prophetic foreview of this, saying: “The sea gave up those dead in it, and death and Hades [the grave] gave up those dead in them . . . And he [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 20:6, 13; 21:3, 4.

That the resurrection will include children, Jesus demonstrated when he was on earth. He restored to life a 12-year-old girl who had fallen sick and died. Understandably, her parents “were beside themselves with great ecstasy.” (Mark 5:42) And in the near future many more millions of parents will be thrilled when Jesus, from his heavenly throne, brings back all who are in Hades, the common grave of mankind. Think of the joy on the faces of God-fearing parents as they receive back healthy babies​—with the prospect of their living forever in perfect surroundings!

How thankful we can be to our loving Creator that his purpose includes such a loving provision!

[Footnotes]

Visiting Happy Prisoners

PRISONERS are usually unhappy. You can understand why, for you certainly would not like to be deprived of your freedom and your association with family and friends. Especially so if sentenced to years in prison.​—Compare Matthew 5:25.

History, though, tells us of some happy prisoners in Philippi, an ancient city in northern Greece. They were the apostle Paul and his companion Silas. They were in that prison because of their Christian worship, yet the Bible shows that they happily “were praying and praising God with song.”​—Acts 16:25.

In September 1982, two ministers from the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses in New York visited another Greek prison. They met with over a hundred devoted Christians who were also happy.

The visit was made to Avlona Military Prison, a modern complex about 50 kilometers (31 mi) north of Athens. Though it is for all types of military prisoners, recently a sizable part of the inmate population has been young men who are ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why are they in prison?

These Witnesses were imprisoned because they hold fast to beliefs similar to those of early Christians. (Isaiah 9:6; 2:4; Matthew 26:52) A Short History of Rome by Ferrero and Barbagallo states: “Even in the second century, Christianity had affirmed that ‘it is not right to be a man of the sword, . . .’ and that ‘a son of peace, whom it becometh not even to engage in a litigation, should still less take part in a battle,’ had affirmed the incompatibility of military service with Christianity.”​—Page 382.

The imprisoned Witnesses in Greece usually receive a four-and-a-half-year prison sentence. After spending six to eight months in Avlona, the remainder of their sentence is served in other prisons, where they are also treated well and with respect.

The ministers visiting Avlona were cordially received by a senior military officer of the prison. While hospitably sharing some Greek coffee with his visitors, the officer commented on the fine conduct of the young ministers. They are respectful and trustworthy. In fact, they have been made responsible for the kitchen and food storage.

The officer kindly showed the visitors around the prison, including some of the quarters where the Witness prisoners room. Depending on the space, four or more Witnesses might room together, making it convenient for them to have a library of Bibles and related study material. The prison has basketball courts and football fields that are open to all prisoners, but the Witnesses are particularly appreciative of another facility. They have available a large (150-seat) room used exclusively for their weekly Christian meetings. Despite its being mid-day, the 101 Witness prisoners were allowed to meet with their brothers from Brooklyn and share some upbuilding spiritual fellowship.

The two ministers also visited some rooms where samples of the beautiful artwork the prisoners did in copper, wood, wool and oil paint are displayed.

Though developing artistic skills is satisfying, the Witness prisoners gain particular happiness from studying the Bible, gaining deeper insight into its principles by which they live. And each day that they do gardening or other such work it counts as two days of their sentence. They can thus work toward an early release. Then they will have the greater freedom to share with many others the good news they have learned from the Bible. Certainly it is good news to learn that God will soon eliminate all suffering and oppression from earth. (Revelation 21:4, 5) At present, “all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain,” as the apostle Paul mentioned at Romans 8:22. But the Christians imprisoned for their beliefs at Avlona know that all who faithfully serve God can look forward to the time when “creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.”​—Romans 8:21.

As the two visitors departed, they carried away from Avlona fond memories of devoted young men who are happy to serve God under any circumstance and who are determined to increase their public praise of God as soon as they are able.

Brooklyn’s Incomparable Bridge

Tens of thousands excited people crowding the streets, cheering marchers, floats, bands, all in grand parade! In the East River there is a flotilla of harbor craft, some with horns blowing while water cannons spray in tribute! There are exhibitions. A sound-and-light show. Flags. Food. Fireworks!

What is happening? It’s May 24, 1983, and New York City is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge. But why such excitement over a bridge?

“BABYLON had her hanging gardens, Egypt her Pyramid, Athens her Acropolis, Rome her Athenaeum; so Brooklyn has her Bridge.” These were the words a proud Brooklyn shopkeeper put in his window when the Brooklyn Bridge first opened to traffic in 1883. Public excitement ran high.

The opening ceremonies would long be remembered. On that bright, sunny 24th of May, Chester A. Arthur, president of the United States, led the grand parade across the elevated promenade of the bridge. That night, 14 tons of fireworks lit the sky.

“The greatest bridge in existence, . . . the greatest engineering work of the continent, and of the age.” This is what its designer, German immigrant John Roebling, predicted it would be. He was right.

Perhaps that is the main reason why the fanfare associated with the centennial celebration appealed to so many. After all, the Great Bridge had been an engineering milestone. Besides, it still works. In cars and on foot, 150,000 people pass over it every day. And though many hardly give it a thought as they cross, they were forced to on May 24th​—the bridge was closed off for most of the day! But the 18,000-member parade was allowed to pass over it.

A Costly Project

Who could have known the price this bridge would exact in terms of time, money and human lives? John Roebling himself, while taking a preliminary survey by Fulton Ferry, would be the first casualty. His foot was crushed between pilings jostled by an incoming ferry and he died from tetanus three weeks later.

Then there was caisson disease.a What was it? No one knew then. But workers in the caissons, the underwater boxlike structures for digging the tower foundations, increasingly reported pains in their joints, as well as dizziness and vomiting. As the depth increased, there were a number of deaths.

John Roebling’s son Washington succeeded his father as chief engineer. But in only three years his health was ruined by caisson disease coupled with overwork. Eventually he became so weak that he couldn’t even visit the bridge site anymore. He directed most of the project from a house on nearby Columbia Heights.

Ah, what a feat it was to complete such a bridge! Men worked with horse and wagon, hammer and chisel, and steam power​—not with the kind of labor-saving equipment we have today. It took 14 trouble-filled years to build the bridge, 9 years behind schedule. And the cost was over 15 million dollars, more than twice the originally estimated price. Twenty lives were lost in building it. But the final product was a monument that was years ahead of its time.

It was the biggest suspension bridge in the world, more than a mile in length. Its main span, supported by steel cables​—something never before used—​was an unprecedented 1,595 feet (485 m) long​—half again as long as any span ever attempted up to that time. The two granite towers, each with impressive Gothic archways, were the most massive man-made structures in North America.

What a Bridge!

Today, this structure no longer appears to be so daring an act of engineering. There are now bigger bridges, with far wider spans. The bridge, in fact, looks somewhat old​—though stately—​against the background of glass and steel skyscrapers towering over it. But for all the technological and architectural advances that have been made since its opening, nothing in the 20th century has quite the same impact as old Brooklyn Bridge.

This most familiar landmark has been featured on stage and screen, has inspired songs and poetic rhapsody, has been “sold” countless times as a century-old joke and has even lured many a depressed soul to a suicidal death. For better or for worse, the Brooklyn Bridge has left an indelible mark on history. New York City celebrated it.

A Night to Remember

The celebration was only beginning, however, as night fell over the city. By then, hundreds of boats were filling the upper part of New York harbor below the bridge. Over two million New Yorkers, along with out-of-towners, were gathered on both sides of the East River. An amazingly peaceful crowd, they waited patiently as a recorded sound-and-light program dramatized the history of the bridge, to the delight of those within hearing range.

Then came the highlight! In 28 minutes $200,000 worth of fireworks were shot off. The sky was ablaze as 9,600 rockets burst over the harbor. The noise was enough to shake nearby buildings. Never has New York City seen such a spectacle. One young girl said, “I’ll tell my children about this, about how it made people in the city happy​—very happy—​for a little while.”

As the crowds dispersed and the gentle breeze cleared the air of smoke and powder, Brooklyn Bridge just stood there quietly, ready to carry traffic once again.

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Picture on page 18]

A View From the Bridge

Coming over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan, you cannot fail to see on the right two imposing buildings with the word “Watchtower” on them. Exiting at the first side street, you are in Brooklyn Heights, location of the headquarters buildings of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, incorporated in 1884, just a year after the Brooklyn Bridge was completed.

Only a few hundred yards from the Brooklyn Bridge​—whose stones and cables testify to the wisdom of its builders—​this building complex testifies to fulfillment of a prophecy of Christianity’s Founder, Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses, in cooperation with the Watch Tower Society, are now preaching this “good news of the kingdom” worldwide, as Jesus long ago said would be done.​—Matthew 24:14.

[Pictures on page 16, 17]

1883

1983

When Two States Burned

By “Awake!” correspondent in Australia

THE maximum temperature forecast for that day was 43 degrees Celsius (109° F.). The predicted wind velocity: 37 knots (42 1⁄2 statute miles per hour). The humidity was less than 10 percent. Australia, already known as the driest continent on earth, was in one of its worst droughts in years. Put these factors together and you have what most Australians (and insurance companies) dread​—the makings of devastating bushfires that exceed the wildest nightmares imaginable!

And that’s exactly what happened on Ash Wednesday, February 16, 1983, when the two Australian states of South Australia and Victoria were largely on fire. The final death toll: 71 people, 36,000 cattle and 320,000 sheep. Over 2,000 homes were destroyed.

Most of the inferno was started, it is believed, by spontaneous combustion from material that was lying on the tinder-dry ground. Once started, there is something peculiar to Australia’s bushfires alone. The fuel is almost exclusively the gum tree, rich in eucalypt oil. The tree literally explodes into a fireball and, with winds to whip the fire along, the flames swirl and roll over one another in eagerness to eat up anything in their path. This fire was clocked travelling through eucalypt trees at 45 miles (72 km) per hour, jumping all fire breaks. The flames rushed with a tremendous roar, likened by one person to “20,000 [railroad] trains gone mad.”

Panic spread as roads became closed or blocked. Blinded by the thick acrid smoke and ash, many people couldn’t tell just where the fire was, in what direction it was moving or at what speed. Then all of a sudden it would be upon them. Telephone lines fell or melted. Often the only knowledge people had of the whereabouts of the fires was what they heard on their portable or car radio​—which usually came too late. The 13 helicopters and 13 other aircraft used by the fire fighters were hindered by the smoke and the gale-force winds. Headlights, too, were useless in a pea-soup fog of smoke.

It was hoped the wind would die down by Wednesday evening. Rather, it switched directions at an increased speed of 55 miles (89 km) per hour, catching many who thought they were out of danger. In several towns all were told to drive into the local sports oval or school grounds, wet their clothes and stay in their cars. There they would watch their entire town burn to the ground, including even their fire station. The heat radiation was so intense that some felt they would not even survive parked in the middle of a football field!

In one coastal resort town, residents were forced to run into the ocean and stay freezing in the water for two hours before they could safely return to shallower water and the beach itself. Apples were cooked on trees as the fires raced through orchards. Cows that survived had their udders so scorched they are now useless. In blistering heat, firemen would stop their trucks, get out and hose each other down. For some, cars helped save their lives. Others, including 12 firemen who were found later in and under their trucks, were trapped and just burned alive sitting in their cars.

Of the 17 congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses situated in the fire zone, only one family and a woman lost their homes. Thankfully, none lost their lives. The aid offered by Government agencies and their fellow Christians resulted in a “that’s enough” response within only a few days​—such was the generosity with which others responded in helping the victims materially.

Of course, people react in different ways at seeing all their possessions gone in but a moment. Most go through four general stages: numbness and shock, depression, anger (especially when some learned the fire in their area had been deliberately lit) and, eventually, the desire to rebuild and start all over again. It is estimated, however, that it will take 30 years for the forest to regenerate.

There was also speculation as to whether God had a hand in matters. Were these bushfires truly “acts of God,” as insurance agencies call them? “Why was the pub saved when the church and the general store and the newsagency were warm, crumbling rubble?” asked one writer. Others wondered why the flames would envelop one home when the one right next door was not even singed. But those knowledgeable in God’s Word recalled that “time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all.”​—Ecclesiastes 9:11.

The disaster has caused people to think seriously about the transience of life and earthly possessions. Some, in anguish, greatly mourned their losses​—the possessions they worked so hard to acquire. Others, happy to escape with their lives, prepare to rebuild on the ashes. And those whose hope lies in God’s promise of everlasting life in a Paradise earth have strengthened their resolve to keep rendering God “sacred service with godly fear and awe.”​—Hebrews 12:28; Revelation 21:3, 4.

Young People Ask . . .

How Can I Keep a Job?

“Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other blessedness.”

DO YOU agree with those words of the 19th-century British historian and author Thomas Carlyle? Most youths would. A recent poll found that, of many teenagers surveyed, 84 percent rank steady work as a major life goal.

Yet it is becoming more difficult for youths to find and keep jobs.a From North America to Europe to Asia the total number of people who are now unemployed is higher than at any other time since World War II. As the world economy slides down, unemployment jumps up. Employed youths are among the first to suffer. Why? Because in tough economic times the working world says: “Last hired, first fired.” But do these words always have to ring true for you?

No, because job loss could be for reasons other than economic conditions, which latter you cannot control. What are they? Poor job attitude is one. Loss of value to the employer is another. These two can be changed. So even during an economic downturn, you may be able to hold onto your job if you

Have a Willing Attitude

“People who retain jobs are people who are willing to work and who show a willing attitude to do whatever the employer asks,” says Cleveland J. Jones, an employment specialist who helps people find and keep jobs.

“Let your employer see that not only can you follow instructions but you can do more than what is required without constant supervision,” advises Mr. Jones. “Because in a tight labor market, the workers who remain are not necessarily those who have been there the longest, but those who produce.”

Young Sal found this to be true. He says: “I always tried to accommodate my employer. I was willing to bend my schedule when necessary, follow instructions and be respectful to my supervisors.” This reminds one of the Bible verse: “Slaves, your job is to obey your human masters, not with the idea of catching their eye or currying favour, but as a sincere expression of your devotion to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22, Phillips) Though the employee-employer relationship is different from that of slave and master, this principle still holds. Such attitude may keep you on the job, while others who are less cooperative are dismissed.

What is meant by “attitude”? It is your state of mind​—how you feel about your job, the people you work for and work with. A positive, cooperative attitude improves your chances of staying on the job; a negative, indifferent one reduces them. Your attitude will reflect on the quality of work you do. Your boss will judge your worth not only on your work output but also on your attitude.

Your attitude is not fixed forever as if it were cast in concrete. Attitudes are contagious. A wise proverb warns: “Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.” (Proverbs 13:20, Today’s English Version) Beware! A good attitude can turn into a sour, complaining one if you allow yourself to “make friends” with faultfinders. Avoid them like the plague, especially if you are a new employee!

If you are new on the job, fear​—fear of the unknown—​is a common emotion for the first few days. You may wonder: ‘Will they like me? Can I do the job? Will they like my work? I hope I will not look stupid.’ Here you need to be careful or your fears will nibble away on your positive outlook.

You can quicken your adjustment and calm your nerves by learning more about the company. Look, listen and read. Ask your supervisor reasonable questions about your job and your performance at the proper time​—it will not make you look dumb. Ask yourself, How does my job fit in with my department, with the overall company objective? The answers can help you to develop good work habits and job satisfaction, keeping your interest at a healthy level. This will also make it easier for you to

Get Along With Co-Workers

Skill alone does not guarantee a job. It takes a combination of skill and the ability to get along and work well with others. All jobs involve dealing with other people. Know the importance of good human relations and how to practice them. Nobody is an island. Even if you work in a room by yourself, sooner or later you will come in contact with people​—your supervisor will visit, and you will meet co-workers as you go to and from your work room. Following this advice helps: “If possible, as far as it depends upon you, be peaceable with all men.”​—Romans 12:18.

Do not think that someone is inferior because he is different. Respect his right to be different. No person likes to be treated with lack of respect; it makes him feel as if he is a nobody. Everyone likes to feel wanted and needed​—a somebody. Your fellow employees, your supervisor, yes, even the boss need to feel that they are somebody, and they will feel that way if you give them proper respect. This contributes to good morale and helps you to

Avoid Gossip

“It’s a bad pitfall,” says Sal, “because gossip could give you a poor impression of the boss or others.” The grapevine is not the best source of information. It may result in sour grapes for you. Rumors grow on the grapevine. They usually exaggerate a small truth into a distortion. So many rumors are false! Therefore, smother the urge to gossip.

No one appreciates a complainer. If something is bothering you on the job, don’t broadcast it through the grapevine. Go and talk to your supervisor. But before doing that, check to see if your attitude may be at fault. If the thing still bothers you, then make an appointment to talk with your supervisor, rather than burst into his office in a heat of rage and be sorry later for rash words. While there, avoid the snare of personal attacks. Keep to the facts. Be as clear and honest as you can be in describing the problem. Maybe you could begin with an opening statement such as, “I need your help . . .” or “I may be wrong, but I feel this way about . . .”

One very important thing required to keep a job is to

Be on Time

Two big reasons why people fail to keep a job are: being late for work and missing days from work. An employment and training director for a large industrial city said about youth workers: “They need to learn to get up in the morning, to learn how to take orders. If they never learn these things, it just perpetuates the unemployment syndrome.”

Sal learned the lesson of punctuality the hard way. “I lost my first job after just three months because of tardiness,” he sighs, “and this made it more difficult to find other jobs.” So to keep a job be at your work station ON TIME, and

Be Honest

Mr. Jones, job recruiter, says: “Honesty will help a person keep the job.” It prevents him from stealing not only material things but also time by taking needless breaks. An honest employee is trusted. For example, Morris is a 17-year-old witness of Jehovah who works at an exclusive clothing store that caters to the wealthy and the famous. He tries to follow Bible principles in his day-to-day life, even at work. This has helped Morris become more valuable to his employer.

“One day,” Morris begins, “the manager found an item in the stockroom, hidden inside some other clothing. One of the workers was stealing from the store. At closing time I went upstairs to the manager’s office and to my surprise all the employees were there. All the employees were kept there to be searched. I was the only employee excused from the search. That made me feel very good.”

Therefore, if you have a job, be thankful. Work hard to keep it!

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 23]

What an Employer Looks for in Employees

● Punctuality and regularity

● Giving notice if expecting to be late or absent

● Compliance with company rules

● Honesty and dependability

● Amount of work compared with others

● Quality of work compared with others

● Respect for supervisor and co-workers

● Regard for company equipment

● Taking initiative

● Following directions

● Not a complainer

[Picture on page 22]

Which worker is more valuable to his employer?

“Country Music’s in My Blood”

THERE was snow in the mountains​—lots of it. The roads were blocked. Provisions were running low. Because Dad loved people, he loaded four packhorses from our own supplies. Since he knew the ways of the rugged terrain, he was able to work his way up the rivers and streams to bring food to those in need.

That was more than 50 years ago. Although we soon left West Virginia, Dad’s interest in people has stayed with me until now. Besides a love for people, Dad gave me something else​—a love for what I call “heartland” music, country music that extols natural beauty, wholesome family life and positive values.

Dad played banjo and Mom sang. How often I’ve reflected on evening walks down mountain paths, listening to a gurgling stream and the playing and singing of mountain folk echoing through the valley! Throughout my life I have felt that the world needed much more “heartland” music. And I set out early in life to give it to them.

Getting Started

Shortly after moving from West Virginia to Pennsylvania, I took up playing guitar. While still in school I formed my first musical group. We played at school functions and box socials for young adults. It was soon evident to me that music has a power to make people happy.

Then came World War II. Going to war and killing just didn’t fit the love for people Dad had instilled in me. Since I raised hogs, I was deferred at first. Later I was drafted into the infantry. One night on training maneuvers, I fell 30 feet (9 m) off a swinging bridge and broke my leg in seven places. While it mended, I performed with a small group of servicemen.

After leaving the military, I set out to form a top-notch country and western group. By advertising in Billboard Magazine, musicians were gathered from all over the country to form the Pine Hollow Jamboree. We started on radio. Soon we were making personal appearances in both the eastern United States and Canada. A 17-station radio network was set up in our tour area.

Next came my Hillbilly Park in Pennsylvania, where many of the most notable performers in country music appeared as guest stars. I’d emcee the shows and as many as 35 of the Pine Hollow Jamboree cast backed them up. Although it was business, it was also gratifying to see thousands come each week to picnic in the park and enjoy live “heartland” country music.

Rock ’n’ Roll

Things looked good for country music, but then came rock ’n’ roll. My first encounter with rock music came when I was host of a show in Cleveland’s Circle Theatre. The producer came running backstage. He was furious. The audience was upset. Some were thoroughly bored by the performer on stage. Others were shocked by his body movements. Many were walking out in disgust. As emcee it was my job to get some new young performer called Elvis Presley off the stage and bring on the next act​—and do it quickly!

“That kid will never amount to anything,” I thought to myself. Of course, I was wrong. After his voice lessons, he probably did more to promote rock ’n’ roll than anyone. At the same time, I think he also did much to influence country music. Much of modern country music has shifted away from traditional country toward rock. By doing this, it gained the popularity of both country and rock, but the price of popularity was high.

While rock music was taking the country by storm, I kept busy promoting country music. A Nashville booking agency asked me to go on tour with country and western star Jimmy Wakely. After covering much of the eastern United States, we ended up in Hollywood, where I appeared in several movies.

Something Was Missing

Things were working out well for me in Hollywood. I was meeting the right people, going to the right places and doing all the things an up-and-coming star should be doing. But something was lacking. In all the glitter of its make-believe production, it lacked the basic substance I equated with the barefoot boy walking down the mountain path that I’ll always picture myself as being. Back home to Pennsylvania I went.

A recording company asked me to record a holiday song, “Elfie the Elf.” It was an immediate success. Seven record-producing companies couldn’t keep up with the sales demand. The popularity of my first record made it much easier for my following recordings to reach high sales figures.

Record fame called for more road shows. But the songs we played reminded me of my own devoted wife, all too many miles away. It picked at my heartstrings to go back home to her. Often performers turn to alcohol or drugs to help them cope. I went home.

Finding What Was Missing

In 1969 we moved to Florida. There in the flat land of central Florida, I found out what my instinctive love of people, mountains and music was all about.

It was Christmas day 1970. We had just returned from church. A knock at the door introduced me to an honest-faced, plainspoken man I’ll never forget. Although we spoke of many matters and he showed me many things in the Bible I didn’t know, it was his obvious concern for me that impressed me more than anything he said.

Before he left he invited me to a nearby Kingdom Hall. The meeting was that day in a few hours. I went. The Bible discourse was interesting, but what caught my attention was the open discussion of a Bible topic that followed.

Racial problems that were plaguing the country were nonexistent here. Blacks, whites, young and old, from all walks of life, were intent on sharing something from their hearts. “This is how it should be!” I thought to myself.

After the meeting I was deluged with welcomers. The man who had invited me told me that Jehovah’s Witnesses would be glad to study the Scriptures with me in my home. “How soon can we get started?” I responded. We started the next night.

Two weeks later he invited me to go with him to call on others. And I’ve been sharing the Bible’s hope for better conditions ever since.

Pressure to Compromise

My intention in moving to Florida was eventually to find some part-time outlet for my music interest. I drifted into a variety band that played two or three nights a week at various clubs. What I didn’t realize was that changes in modern music were on a head-on collision course with the Bible principles I was learning.

To emcee a club show often calls for suggestive, sex-oriented jokes and comments. As patrons have more to drink, their thinking gets duller, which subsequently calls for more brazen dialogue. I never would do this. My refusal to compromise my standards began to cause problems in getting jobs.

The shift in country music toward rock melody didn’t present much of a problem for me. A country musician can arrange the melody to suit his pure country delivery. That’s what I did. One thing I couldn’t do, however, was change the lyrics.

The words of traditional country music at times gravitated to things like romance triangles. With the movement of melody toward rock, modern country music’s lyrics have become increasingly vulgar with more vivid descriptions of lewd conduct. This is often what is demanded by the public, especially in clubs.

What would I do? My whole way of life hinged on my expressing myself through music. But the music that people wanted to hear was attacking everything I considered moral and decent!

It all came to a head when I was doing a club show shortly after I began studying the Bible. As we performed, the crowd danced or sat at tables talking, eating and drinking. Then a woman, who obviously had had too much to drink, exposed herself from the waist up and asked us to play a modern country-music song with immoral lyrics.

That did it! ‘What am I doing in a place like this?’ I asked myself. ‘What would my newfound Christian companions think?’ This final pressure to compromise my moral standards and Bible principles caused me to quit professional country music that night.

Sharing Wholesome Music

Music had been much more than just a good living for me​—it was in my blood. So quitting it entirely would have been a near impossibility. It didn’t come to that. At a picnic of members of our congregation, one brought a fiddle, another a guitar, and so on. I joined in and it started all over again. We play at weddings and other get-togethers of fellow Christians. Although it’s without financial reward, the wholesome fun and the opportunity to express myself through music make me feel well paid.

The part of country and western music that has meant so much to me has dealt with the basics that enrich life: love of the natural surroundings, devotion in the family arrangement and the peace of mind these things can give. One autumn day as I was driving through the radiantly colored Pennsylvania hills, a new realization hit me ‘like a ton of bricks.’ My “heartland” feelings relate directly to my newly learned Bible truths.

It was Jehovah God who gave man the land to love and care for. He purposes to return not just one valley to a state of peace but the entire earth to a beautiful Paradise. Jehovah always wanted fidelity in marriage and will demand it in the new system of his making. It all made sense! This is what “heartland” was all about.

Over the years I’ve seen how sharing wholesome music can lift the spirits of persons facing war, economic distress and family breakdown. But the enjoyment music gives offers only a temporary relief at best.

Sharing Bible principles and hopes with my neighbors as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses can do much more. It should. The lyrics are perfect. It’s a song that can touch every longing heart. And it gives a peace of mind that can lift you up forever.​—As told by Woody Wooddell.

From Our Readers

“From Bitterness to Love for God”

I really appreciated the article about Colette Regnier. (July 8, 1983) It gave practical suggestions on how to handle self-pity and provided her encouraging example. I have been using such experiences to help others appreciate that Jehovah is real. Other religious organizations don’t fully acquaint you with this tenderhearted God, Jehovah.

T. H., Rhode Island

I really enjoyed the experience in the article “From Bitterness to Love for God.” I liked this because some people don’t even preach their faith when they are perfectly healthy. This lady is in a wheelchair and yet she puts forth every effort to preach the good news. I’ll always remember that point when I am in the preaching work, and when I’m older I’ll try as hard as I can to follow her example.

J. D., Massachusetts

Laserite Versus Bread

I have just read your report on the installation of the Laserite and Autokon at your main offices. (June 22, 1983) When so many of our fellow humans are dying each day through lack of the most basic necessities of life, it seems very strange that a so-called Christian organization should spend vast sums of money on machinery, the only benefit of which is that they can produce more quickly your propaganda material. To respond glibly, “The people have no bread or water, let them read The Watchtower” is, to say the least, heartless. How Christlike!

C. R. D., England

We are surely not insensitive to the material needs of people. Many private and government organizations are helping to meet those needs, and this is commendable. Few, though, are helping with the very essential spiritual needs of mankind. Jesus emphasized the importance of such when he quoted the following from God’s Word: “Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every utterance coming forth through Jehovah’s mouth.” (Matthew 4:4) Material assistance is at best only temporary. Jesus said: “Work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for life everlasting, which the Son of man will give you.” (John 6:27) We believe that it is Christlike to follow Christ’s teachings, and we will continue to spend our time, strength and money, not for propaganda, but to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom. This will help people not only to improve their life now but also to get a hope of everlasting life on a Paradise earth.​—ED.

Help in Marriage

Thank you for the fine articles on marriage. (July 22, 1983) I experienced some marriage difficulties, and if it were not for these fine articles I would surely have taken a wrong course.

R. P., Florida

I really appreciated the timely articles on marriage. (July 22, 1983) A problem arose in my marriage after I was told by my husband of two homosexual situations he had found himself in. I was greatly distressed, but with the help of counsel from God’s Word I decided I must make a go of it. I was helped to make the best decision for my happiness and that of my husband. It has made me appreciate that everything God tells us is for our own good.

G. D., United States

Watching the World

Priest Shortage

● United States: Roman Catholic seminary enrollment dropped from 22,963 in 1972 to 11,500 in 1982, reports The New York Times. The climbing rate of death among aging priests and resignations among younger clerics have added to the shortage problem. If present trends continue, the next decade will see the number of American priests cut in half, predict analysts. In addition, since 1966, the year after the Second Vatican Council, the number of nuns has fallen from 181,421 to 121,370 and the number of Catholic brothers in religious orders has decreased more than 60 percent to 7,880. These drastic drops are of “grave concern” to the pope, who was moved to say: “The median age of religious is rising and their ability to serve the needs of the church is becoming increasingly more limited.”

● Austria: “No later than in 15 or 20 years every second parish in predominantly Catholic Austria will be without its own priest,” reports Schwäbische Zeitung of Germany. Even now a fifth of all parishes are without “a parish priest of their own,” according to the study that was made. The study also called attention to the advanced age of most of Austria’s clergymen.

● Canada: Due to the severe shortage of Roman Catholic priests in Toronto, the archdiocese put up 35 billboards around the city portraying a crucified Christ as part of an advertising campaign to recruit clerics. They fear that in the next five years the present ratio of one priest for every 3,000 parishioners will drop to one for every 5,000. An editorial in The Toronto Sun summed up this approach by saying: “If there is a shortage of priests it is because God, not the local Archdiocese, has decided to stop calling them.”

Risk of War Increases

● Modern technology is increasing the risk of nuclear war, warns the research group Worldwatch Institute of Washington. Communications and information technology have developed so quickly that they are taking on an “increasingly central role” in the arms race, says the author of the report, Daniel Deudney. Instead of holding war weapons in check, information technologies increase the temptation to launch a nuclear attack, asserts the report. It reasons that sophisticated communications systems are highly vulnerable and this “makes first strikes more tempting in crisis situations.”

Africa-to-Europe Link

● For more than a hundred years the idea of linking Europe with Africa has been discussed. Now, a project to unite the two continents by tunnel has the green light to move ahead, as a result of a recent conference held in Madrid, Spain. The 14-kilometer (9-mi) tunnel will go under the Strait of Gibraltar and will link Spain with Morocco. It will take some five years to construct the tunnel and will cost in the neighborhood of two billion dollars (U.S.). The goal is to have it finished by the end of this decade.

China’s Crime Problem

● Despite a three-year crackdown on crime, China still has “quite a problem” with lawlessness, says China’s new security chief, Liu Fuzhi, in the People’s Daily. “There was no obvious decrease in major crimes such as murder, robbery, rape and larceny” since 1981, notes Mr. Liu. China’s new middle class is the main target of criminals, for The Age of Melbourne, Australia, says: “The Ministry of Public Security has sent a circular to its officers throughout the country ordering ‘immediate action’ to protect wealthy peasants.” What makes the crime problem worse is “the continuing view of many peasants that ‘all property should be divided equally,’” reports the Peking correspondent for The Age.

Soviet Economy

● A 30-page memorandum by Soviet economists to Kremlin officials recommends “a profound restructuring of state economic management” in order to turn around the Soviet economy from its slowdown of more than a decade. The economists, associated with the Siberian Division of the Academy of Sciences in Novosibirsk, finger a bulky and dated bureaucracy as a cause of the Soviet’s negative economic trend. “Within the framework of that system,” notes the document, “people were regarded as ‘cogs’ in the economic mechanism, and they behaved accordingly​—obediently (passively), like machines and materials” thereby stifling their “creative impulses.” The result? The report charges Soviet workers with “an indifferent attitude to work, a shoddy quality of work,” and ‘widespread pilfering.’

Islam Modernization?

● At the opening session of the 43-nation Islamic Conference Organization meeting held in Mecca, King Fahd of Saudi Arabia called for a new worldwide theological body to revamp Islamic laws and find answers to “the challenges of modern life.” He proposed the return of ijtihad​—interpretation of Muslim sacred law—​as a means to reappraise the application of some Islamic laws. Although not all Muslim leaders desire such a change, Anwar Ibrahim, a Malaysian minister, said: “The revival of ijtihad would do away with outmoded thinking and ideas . . . It is necessary for us to reconcile Islamic laws with the modern world.”

Nutritional Anemia

● Many women in developing countries, at least 230 million, are anemic, estimates the World Health Organization’s statistical quarterly. They suffer from a deficiency of one or more essential nutrients, mainly iron. Pregnant women are hit the hardest by what WHO calls “one of the most frequently observed diseases in the world today”​—iron-deficiency anemia. “About half the non-pregnant women and nearly two-thirds of the pregnant women” have nutritional anemia, states WHO statistician Erica Royston. After examining areas of Africa, Asia and Latin America, the report noted: “Most nutritional anaemia can be prevented.”

Childless and Elderly

● “What will happen to you in your old age if you have no children?” is a question often asked the childless. Family Relations journal published a recent study by Pat M. Keith of the Department of Sociology, Iowa State University, on “how the childless manage in old age and whether they fare less well than their age peers who are parents.” Professor Keith’s research, based on interviews of childless persons and parents aged 72 or older, found that “children did not assure these older parents less loneliness, more positive appraisals of life,” and therefore, “it was concluded that the presence or absence of children did not seem to appreciably alter the lives of the very aged.”

French Reject Sin

● Ninety percent of the French population no longer believe in sin, and only 4 percent accept the concept of sin, according to a survey published in the Catholic weekly Le Pelerin. In addition, in a country where 82 percent of the population are Roman Catholic, the survey revealed that 69 percent said they never went to confession and that 13 percent go only once a year or less.

Sinai Opens Archives

● The discovery of Greek Bible manuscripts at Mount Sinai’s St. Catherine Monastery caused quite a stir back in 1975. Theology professors Barbara and Kurt Aland of the Institute for New Testament Textual Criticism, Münster, Federal Republic of Germany, have finally reached an agreement with the monastery whereby they will be allowed to study and analyze these texts. Over 60 unknown Greek Bible manuscripts have been filmed. This material will be compared in the Münster institute with the other 1,200 previously known ancient manuscripts found at the St. Catherine Monastery. According to the German newspaper Westfälische Nachrichten, this agreement between the institute and the monastery is in the form of an exclusive contract for which prominent Greek Orthodox officials acted as mediators.

A Very Long Tail

● One of the best-known short-period comets, Tempel-2, surprised British astronomers at the University of Leicester, England, by exposing its 20-million-mile (32-million-km) tail for the first time. Its once invisible tail, thought to be composed of dust blown off the comet’s one- to two-mile (1.6- to 3.2-km) nucleus by solar pressure, was sighted by IRAS (the American-British-Netherlands Infra-Red Astronomy Satellite). Short-period comets, those that return relatively often (Tempel-2 returns about every 5.28 years), were assumed to have no visible tails. But IRAS’ infrared wavelength sighting of Tempel-2’s very long tail may signify that all comets have tails.

Tooth Saver

● Tired of nagging your children to brush and floss their teeth? Well, nag no more. Instead, brush and floss their teeth yourself, suggests Dr. Ronald Johnson, chairman of pediatric dentistry at the University of Southern California. “Children under the age of 7 or 8 are simply unable to do a thorough job,” says Johnson. “Some lack the manual dexterity. Others lack a sense of responsibility. Parents can clean a child’s teeth far better.” Dr. Johnson believes that a daily, thorough brushing and flossing before bedtime is too important to be entrusted to children.

Cheep Pet

● Rent-a-chicken is flying high in the Netherlands. The Children’s Farm Foundation of Nuenen in Brabant, reports Holland Herald, hatched the idea to sponsor a campaign to breed familiarity between children and animals. But why brood about chickens? Why not lease-a-lamb, or charter-a-cow, or hire-a-hog? Chickens, they say, are comparatively easy to manage and, in addition, the family that keeps them gets a return, in eggs, for the $11 (U.S.) they shelled out for two chickens and a coop.

Abortions in Poland

● Abortions outnumber live births in Poland, according to a report in American Medical News. Official statistics indicate 702,000 births in Poland compared to an estimated 800,000 to one million abortions in 1982. Why so many abortions in a country where the Roman Catholic Church, which strictly forbids abortions, has such a powerful social influence on many of Poland’s 36 million inhabitants? Some experts blame it on “food shortages” or “a desperate housing shortage,” says the report, “while others contend that many couples consider abortion to be the only reasonable method of contraception available.” And, the report notes, “the Polish government and the Communist Party apparatus provide incentives [free clinical services] for abortions.”

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