September 22

Page Two

Modern medical science has made remarkable strides. Smallpox has been eliminated. Several forms of cancer are now curable. Other diseases claim fewer and fewer victims each year. Does this mean that the end of all sickness is finally in sight? Are there any limits to what medical science can do for mankind? Or will sickness always be a part of the human condition? What is the major cause of sickness today?

Is the End of Disease in Sight? 3

What Medical Science Is Up Against 5

Shall We Ever Be Rid of Disease? 10

Is the End of Disease in Sight?

“I KNOW of no medical problems we will not be able to solve in the near future.”

The speaker was one of the world’s leading scientists, a researcher at the Sloan-Kettering Institute in New York, U.S.A. He had just completed the world’s first bone-marrow transplant. The operation had opened the way to investigations of often fatal blood diseases such as leukemia, hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia and Hodgkin’s disease.

Was it too soon to envision a land in which no resident would say, “I am sick”? (Isaiah 33:24) The scientist Dr. Robert Good believed a revolution in medicine was just beginning. That was in 1975. Dr. Good was not alone in predicting the end of disease.

Two years earlier, epidemic experts at the CDC (United States National Centers for Disease Control) were delighted. Medical scientists had headed off an expected epidemic of rubella. The threat, said Dr. John Witte of the CDC, was averted by immunizing children between five and nine years of age with a highly effective new vaccine. A level of immunity between 75 and 80 percent was obtained.

In the United States massive outbreaks of rubella had been recurring regularly every six to nine years. Based on the last rubella epidemic in 1964, hundreds of thousands of people had been spared the scourge. In 1964-65 it caused as many as 50,000 tragedies in one form or another​—birth defects, stillbirths or therapeutic abortions. But in 1970 only 77 cases of children deformed by prenatal exposure to rubella were reported. In 1971 there were only 68 cases and in 1972, 33 cases.

“The Epidemic That Never Happened,” said a newspaper headline, greeting the triumph. Then, suddenly, fear of another epidemic gripped the country. It was the 1976 threat of “swine flu.” Newspapers were comparing the new flu virus with the Spanish influenza, which killed 21.6 million people in 1918-19. Quickly, the president and Congress of the United States approved $135 million to produce free serum for everyone. There was no epidemic.

That same year, smallpox​—the disfiguring, blinding, killing scourge of mankind—​was close to being wiped from the earth. WHO (World Health Organization) reported that by September only seven persons in remote desert villages in Ethiopia were known to have smallpox. According to WHO, just nine years earlier smallpox had stricken 10 to 15 million persons and 2 million had died in 43 lands. By 1980 the organization was able to announce confidently: “Smallpox is dead!”

Can Other Great Killers Be Conquered Too?

In 1977 the United States targeted seven communicable childhood diseases for eradication. The attack was launched by a nationwide Childhood Immunization Initiative. During the next five years, the CDC reported that at least 90 percent of the nation’s children were immunized. On May 7, 1982, the CDC announced considerable success: The incidence of measles had dropped 77 percent, mumps 45 percent, polio 25 percent, rubella 47 percent, tetanus 37 percent; diphtheria and whooping cough had also dropped to near-record lows.

In many fields medical science was lifting the hopes of suffering mankind. New antibiotics, vaccines and mental-disorder drugs; new procedures​—prosthetic surgery (parts replacement), microsurgery, organ transplants—​the advance of medical science was promising to prolong life and enhance the quality of life to an extent undreamed of a few years before.

“Twenty years ago,” recounted Dr. T. Albert Farmer, Jr., of the University of Maryland, in 1981, “the five-year survival rate for children under 15 years of age with leukemia was less than 1 percent; today, more than half can be cured. Fifteen years ago choriocarcinoma of the ovary had a 100 percent mortality rate; today the cure rate is almost 100 percent.”

He added: “By the mid-1960s we had practically eliminated polio; we introduced psychoactive drugs that enabled us to keep huge numbers of people out of institutions.”

In so many ways, the Sloan-Kettering scientist’s prediction appeared to be holding true. But what about the other big killers? Was there not reason to share Dr. Good’s glowing assurance that “the same scientific revolution . . . will wipe out diseases such as stroke, heart disease, cancer, and those diseases caused by bacteria, viruses and birth defects”?

Man’s triumph over disease​—is it at last in sight?

[Blurb on page 4]

“I know of no medical problems we will not be able to solve in the near future.”

What Medical Science Is Up Against

DURING the 1970’s the United States, through the National Institutes of Health, poured more than $20 billion into disease research, a third of it for cancer. The result? In 1978 the American Cancer Society issued a grim warning that during the past 25 years lung cancer had increased some 200 percent, due mainly, it was believed, to the use of cigarettes. Here was a dramatic example of one of the things that medical science is up against. Human life-styles were producing bigger problems than medical science could handle.

“The cause is not known.” That sentence, which ended many of the reports at the end of the $20-billion crusade, highlighted another of the obstacles facing medical science. Multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, even the common cold, still would not give up their secrets. The fight against some infectious diseases was generally gaining ground, although even here problems were being encountered owing to overuse or misuse of antibiotics.

And then there were the professional casualties adding to the problems of doctors. For example, serum hepatitis has increased greatly through an “increased use of blood transfusions in hospitals and the mounting tide of drug abuse in the streets,” according to U.S.News & World Report.

U.S.News & World Report also stated: “Venereal disease, once thought conquered, is making a frightening comeback.” Other reports bear this out. The CDC reported a 33.4-percent increase in syphilis cases in the United States in 1980. The New York Times reported that gonorrhea was the most common bacterial disease of humans. “There are an estimated 100 million cases each year throughout the world.”

However, The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that another venereal disease, caused by what are called chlamydial infections and very difficult to diagnose, is “about 50% more common than gonorrhea.” And the threat of genital herpes, currently considered incurable, is sending shock waves through the swinging community. People’s life-styles surely pose problems for doctors as they pursue their goal of eliminating sickness from our planet.

In Other Areas of Our Planet

In Western Europe there is about one doctor for every 500 people. Yet, even where the situation is most ideal, people’s life-styles are turning the scientists’ dream of ridding the earth of disease into frustration. But what about countries where most people are so poor that they seldom see a doctor? Well, scientists have had successes there too. The effects of the conquest of smallpox were largely felt in the poorer countries.

But victories are few, and frustrations abound. In the huge continent of Africa, where 80 percent of the people live in the rurals and many live under the shadow of political instability, too many health projects get started and too few ever get carried out, according to the World Health Organization. With about one doctor for every 5,000 population, and with millions suffering from malnutrition, poverty, ignorance and superstitions, not even massive international relief efforts stave off Africa’s greatest enemy, disease.

Some 100 million Africans are afflicted with malaria, and about one fourth of the continent’s populace are afflicted with sleeping sickness. Ten million in one region are threatened by river blindness, which is transmitted by the buffalo gnat; at least 1.7 million suffer from leprosy and many suffer from cholera. Polio, cerebrospinal meningitis, tuberculosis, bubonic plague, measles, schistosomiasis and other afflictions combine with other diseases to wipe out half the children under age five, along with millions in other age groups.

Starting Causes out of Control

Whether in an advanced or a less developed country, medical science is simply up against more than it can cope with. The basic causes are outside the laboratory. They are social, political, economic and environmental. Doctors have few pills and fewer surgical tools to alter the etiology​—the starting causes—​of many diseases.

For example, anthropologist R. D. McCracken of the University of California believes that the carbohydrates in grains, potatoes and refined sugar play a dominant role in such modern afflictions as “diabetes, heart disease, stroke, schizophrenia, alcoholism and even possibly some kinds of cancer.” The worst food, he believes, is pure or near-pure sugar. He says: “Two hundred years ago the per capita consumption of sugar in England was about 7 1⁄2 pounds a year. Today it is 120 pounds.”

It is during the last century or so that degenerative diseases have taken such a devastating toll in wealthy countries, McCracken stressed in an interview during a meeting of the American Anthropological Association. The interesting comment was made that in some ways ancient man was healthier than modern man.

Disease Land Mines

Potential epidemics lurk like land mines. They can explode in the most unexpected ways, whether a country is advanced or not. Diseases from parasites, for example, can invade a country of high living standards, simply because so many people, including some doctors, do not believe that such diseases matter or even exist. Dr. Myron G. Schultz of the CDC’s parasitic disease branch cites malaria as a disease that was supposed to be eradicated from the United States in the 1940’s. But it keeps cropping up. “Our population is completely nonimmune to malaria,” warns Schultz, “and we have the mosquitoes present in this country that could spread the disease.”

Additionally, transportation makes advanced countries vulnerable to epidemic outbreaks from any corner of the globe. “Today a man living in Britain may be infected with . . . malignant malaria in West Africa and be home the same day,” Professor Brian Maegraith of the Liverpool, England, School of Tropical Medicine told a symposium of the Royal Society of Medicine.

“We Are Killing Ourselves”

But when everything is viewed and reviewed, most of mankind’s afflictions are self-induced. “We are killing ourselves,” declared heart and exercise specialist Dr. Kenneth Cooper. “We don’t have to die so soon. All five of the leading causes of death are preventable to some extent.”

Cooper, who designed aerobic exercises to improve the heart and lungs, says that the number one killer, heart disease, “can be reduced by maintaining proper weight, diet, exercise and avoiding tobacco.” The second, lung cancer, is associated with a history of cigarette smoking in 88 percent of the deaths it causes. Automobile injuries, the third killer, could be reduced drastically​—according to the National Safety Council—​if everyone used seat belts. The fourth, cirrhosis, is a liver disease often caused by alcohol. And the fifth, strokes, is related to obesity, or overweight. Dr. Cooper says: “Fifty million Americans are one billion pounds overweight. Obesity is related to hypertension which causes strokes.”

Alcohol abuse is a part of the problem of at least 25 out of every 100 patients hospitalized with ailing stomachs, bleeding intestines or cirrhotic livers. Drunken drivers account for more than half the 50,000 people killed in automobile accidents in the United States each year. Heroin claims hundreds of thousands of victims and is a major cause of death of young men in New York City. More than a million Americans are hooked on sleeping pills, usually barbiturates. About eight billion uppers (amphetamines) are gulped down each year. Fifty million Americans spend $8 billion a year for tobacco, the use of which causes many of them to die from heart disease and lung cancer. The number one killer is from the abuse of self.

Hence, even if medical costs were no problem, if doctors were within easy reach of everyone, if overpopulation, environmental pollution and all the other external causes of disease were eliminated, there would still remain what one doctor called, “the myriad ways in which we insist on making ourselves sick, . . . or even dead.”

How Far Could the Life Span Be Stretched?

But suppose that people cut out all forms of self-injury. Yes, what if all the current major causes of self-induced death were eliminated? How long could we live if we tried? Would medical scientists then achieve their dream?

No, says zoologist James Giesel. The human life span might be lengthened by a few years, but other illnesses would simply become bigger killers, he believes. Older people’s resistance would continue to become weaker. “They would die of things like pneumonia and flu,” he says. Why? For one thing, aging itself is not understood. Giesel concludes: “There is little chance that we will greatly increase life expectance or postpone aging in the near future.”

The health of people demands a life-style that puts spiritual values above everything else. That fact was recognized nearly 2,000 years ago when the apostle Paul urged Christians who lived in the degenerating Roman empire: “Godly devotion is beneficial for all things, as it holds promise of the life now and that which is to come.”​—1 Timothy 4:8.

And as for the conquest of old age and death, that cannot happen until “the tent of God is with mankind.” Only Jehovah God can “wipe out every tear from their eyes,” as promised by those awe-inspiring words: “Death will be no more.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

[Box on page 9]

GENITAL HERPES:

What May or May Not Be Done About It

WHAT IS HERPES? Herpes is caused not by a bacterium but by a virus. Herpes simplex type 1 usually causes cold sores around the mouth. Herpes simplex type 2 usually infects the sex organs and surrounding areas. In rare cases, type 1 is found in the genital areas, and type 2 on the mouth.

HOW IDENTIFIED? Only a doctor with laboratory tests can make sure whether a person has genital herpes. Sometimes other diseases can be confused with herpes.

HOW SPREAD? Doctors feel that a person cannot get it from toilet seats or bathtubs. It is caught by actual contact with infected parts. Cold sores can be spread by touching or kissing when the infective agents are active. Genital herpes may be spread by any kind of contact with the genital areas.

WHEN IS IT CONTAGIOUS? At any time, for either type, until the sores are completely healed.

DANGERS? Hazards include: (1) Herpes can be spread to a new location by touch. So touching an infected area and then another vulnerable part of the body, such as the eyes, nasal membranes or sex organs, should be avoided. If the infection is spread to the eyes, this may lead to a severe eye infection (herpes keratitis). (2) Pregnant women with genital herpes are more likely to miscarry than are those without. (3) Such women are five to eight times more likely to develop cervical cancer than are those not infected. (4) Newborn children whose mothers are actively infected with genital herpes run the risk of being infected, and over half the infected infants die or are severely damaged.

TREATMENT? Other than trying to relieve discomfort and prevent further infection, doctors offer little real help and no cure for genital herpes. Specialists recommend bathing with soap and water or other soothing agents, such as Burow’s solution or Epsom salts.

WARNING: “Don’t harm yourself with treatments that don’t work!” warns a booklet published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It lists among treatments that are ineffective (and some of which may be harmful) vaccines for other diseases, immunization stimulants, antiviral agents, ether, vitamins and minerals. Concerning a host of “advertised cures,” William Whittington of the VD branch of CDC stated: “None of these work.”

[Map on page 6]

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Africa has one doctor for every 5,000 people, the United States one to every 500

[Picture on page 5]

During the past 25 years lung cancer has increased 200 percent, due mainly to cigarettes

[Pictures on page 7]

Too much refined sugar may damage your health

Auto injuries could be reduced drastically if everyone used seat belts

[Picture on page 8]

The fourth greatest killer is liver disease, often caused by alcohol

Shall We Ever Be Rid of Disease?

CLEARLY, despite all its advances, medical science is a long way from ridding the human race of disease. Does this mean that the end of disease is not in sight? By no means. It just means that we have to look elsewhere.

When Jesus was on earth he showed another approach to the problem of disease. He was not a medical doctor, yet the record says: “He received them kindly and began to speak to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those needing a cure.”​—Luke 9:11.

How was Jesus able to heal people? By God’s power. “Jehovah’s power was there for him to do healing.” (Luke 5:17) That same power gives us the hope of seeing the end of all disease.

How Will It Happen?

God has purposed to bring in a new spiritual authority, a “new heavens,” as well as a cleansed, earthly society, “a new earth.” (2 Peter 3:13) This spiritual authority is the “kingdom of God” that Jesus told people about. By God’s power, that Kingdom will eventually cure all man’s sicknesses, just as Jesus cured the sick of his day. Thus, “no resident will say: ‘I am sick.’ The people that are dwelling in the land will be those pardoned for their error.”​—Isaiah 33:24.

When, and for Whom?

When will that be? Soon. At the moment, we still have to look to medical science for some relief from our sicknesses. But Jesus gave a series of prophecies about things that would mark the last generation of this old, disease-ridden society. (Luke 21:10, 11, 25, 26) All those prophecies have come true in this century. Hence, his further words are also true now: “When you see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, This generation will by no means pass away until all things occur.”​—Luke 21:31, 32.

Who will enjoy this disease-free world under God’s Kingdom? Those who subject themselves to that Kingdom now. Hence, we are advised: “What sort of persons ought you to be in holy acts of conduct and deeds of godly devotion, awaiting and keeping close in mind the presence of the day of Jehovah.”​—2 Peter 3:11, 12.

Meantime, what can we do to survive as the old order with its diseases and other problems draws to a close? Jesus counseled: “Pay attention to yourselves that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare. For it will come in upon all those dwelling upon the face of all the earth. Keep awake, then, all the time making supplication that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”​—Luke 21:34-36.

For those who thus “keep awake,” the end of all disease really is in sight.

Toxic Wastes and Organized Crime

For much of 1980, residents of Pittston, a town in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., watched trucks pull up behind a filling station along Highway 81, pause there briefly and then move on.

About the same time, there began appearing in the waters of the nearby Susquehanna River a powerful mixture of “carcinogenics, mutagenics and teratogens” (that is, chemicals causing cancer, mutations and gross developmental deformities). Once discovered, according to a report in the California newspaper Star-News, the deadly contamination was halted with difficulty just 25 miles (40 km) from the fishing grounds in Chesapeake Bay.

Where did the poisons come from? They were traced to a stream near an abandoned mine. In the mine was a pipe that came out of the ground behind the garage where all those trucks had been stopping. Seemingly, the trucking firm had been collecting dangerous chemicals from reputable firms, charging up to $1,000 a load to cover such things as fees for approved toxic-waste dumps, then illegally dumping the lethal chemicals into the pipe, where they drained into the mine, then into the stream, then into the Susquehanna River and almost into the Chesapeake Bay fishing area.

Who would do such a thing? Reports linked the operation to an organized crime group. According to reports submitted to Senate subcommittees, this is but one of “dozens of examples in which criminals have stepped in to earn large fees by illegally disposing of modern industrial wastes,” said the Star-News.

Modern Technology Against the Wolves

Recently, The New York Times reported how modern technology is being used in man’s war against the wolves in Alaska. Alaska is a huge state bigger than France, Spain and Italy combined. Its total population is a little over 400,000 humans, and no more than 12,000 wolves. In the rest of the United States there are more than 200 million humans, but there are only a thousand or so wolves. Clearly, the wolf’s continued existence is precarious. Nevertheless, state sharpshooters have been hunting wolves from airplanes, and, to make their hunting more effective, they have been trapping a wolf pup and equipping it with a collar with a small radio transmitter. When the cub tries to rejoin its pack, the airborne hunters follow the signals from the collar and zero in on the whole pack.

Why do they try to kill the wolves? The reasoning, which many do not accept, is that the wolves kill moose that human hunters want. Many are disturbed, however, for another reason. Radio collars were developed to gain knowledge of animals so as to preserve threatened species. “This is the first time radio-tracking has been used to destroy,” reports The New York Times.

Teenage Marriage​—Pleasure or Pain?

IT WAS a beautiful wedding. The handsome groom looked so mature for his 19 years, and his 18-year-old bride just beamed in her gorgeous pink-trimmed white gown. Don and Maureen were a “perfect match”​—he, the football team captain, and she, chief cheerleader. In a small chapel they exchanged vows, surrounded by her parents and many of their close friends.

Maureen thus joined the ranks of nearly half a million teenage brides who wed each year in the United States alone. Like the others, she hoped for marital bliss. “But deep inside I was scared,” revealed Maureen. “Though this was supposed to be the most beautiful day of my life, I felt uneasy, wondering if I’d really be happy.” Why such apprehension?

Why Wed So Young?

Maureen was pregnant. She and Don had dated each other since she was 16 and gradually they became more intimate in their expressions of affection. “We had talked about getting married, but sometime in the future. I wanted to further my education and he was just starting into college sports,” stated Maureen. “But we were in a small town and my parents had a lot of friends, so for their sake we thought it was best for us to get married. And we both loved each other dearly.”

Yes, an illegitimate pregnancy often pushes many teens into marriage. A young expectant mother’s fear of rearing a child without a husband can be terrifying. However, Dr. F. F. Furstenberg, after his 1976 study of over 400 teenage mothers, concluded: “It hardly matters whether the mother marries. In time, she may be almost as likely as the unwed mother to bear the major, if not the sole, responsibility for supporting her child.” So to marry simply to legitimize premarital pregnancy is a shaky foundation for marriage.

Though from one third to one half of all teenage marriages involve a premarital pregnancy, this certainly is not the only reason for young marriages. The desire to marry is natural. Marriage is a gift from our Creator who implanted this desire within us. Nor is a young marriage necessarily wrong. Even today, in some places, teenage marriages are common. In such areas, however, the close support of the family and a more relaxed or stable community environment often help the couple to adjust.

Nevertheless, many who marry young do so to escape a bad situation at home. But is marriage a cure-all? Vicky, who married as a teenager, had a painful homelife. She admitted: “Communication was my problem at home. It was also my husband’s problem with his family. Now that we’re married, what do you think is our problem? Communication!” However, this teenage couple worked to overcome this problem. Improvement was painfully slow. Yet they strove to follow Bible standards and preserved their marriage.

Some others wed young to slip away from an unhappy school or community situation. Many youths head for the altar because they want the status of appearing grown up, while others want to imitate their newly wedded friends. Glamorous images of marriage, as well as sexually stimulating material, pour forth from today’s TV/​movie screens and literature. For many, marriage seems a way to satisfy those romantic fantasies.

Over and above these reasons, Dr. Lee Burchinal, a leading authority in the field of youthful marriages, pointed to what is considered a major cause. He noted a study that found that girls who married as teenagers “had started dating younger, . . . gone steady more often, been ‘in love’ more frequently, dated more frequently at younger ages.”

This proved true in Maureen’s case. “I started going with boys when I was 14 and had a steady boyfriend at 15,” she admitted. “I also had a lot of problems at home. My mother and I couldn’t get along at all. I couldn’t stand her telling me what to do, so when I turned 18 I moved out and lived with two other girls. Finally, I broke the news to Mom that Don and I were getting married. But I’ll never forget what happened after a one-day honeymoon.”

“I Was Miserable”

“It seemed that I changed overnight,” revealed Maureen. “I was angry with Don that I was pregnant. I didn’t want a baby and I felt trapped. I kept thinking, ‘You did this to me! You got me to go against my conscience. I knew it was wrong!’ I started losing respect and love for him right from the start.” Though Don tried to be kind and considerate, he was nevertheless saddled with the task of trying to please a resentful, short-tempered wife, hold down a job and fight off his own burning desire to participate in sports. The pressure got to him and he relieved it by drinking and leaving the house for hours​—and eventually days—​at a time.

“I kept nagging him and was constantly hurting him by yelling and screaming,” admitted Maureen. “But I was miserable. I felt so guilty over what we did before marriage. Then, when the baby arrived, things just got worse. Everything Don did irritated me​—even the way he smacked his lips when we ate. Finally, we both couldn’t take it anymore.” Maureen and Don became a painful statistic​—divorced after one year and nine months. Though extreme, their situation is not rare.

“One Unchallenged Bit of Information”

Marcia Lasswell has done considerable research in the field of marriage. In 1974, as professor of Behavioral Science at California State University, she wrote: “If there is one unchallenged bit of information we have concerning whether or not a marriage will last, it is that those who are very young when they marry have three strikes against them.” The charts at the left show the results of over 19,000,000 first marriages consummated between 1950 and 1970. By 1975 many of these had already broken up. Which were the most unstable? Look at the proportion of divorces and separations based on the age at the first marriage. A man who married as a teenager was more than twice as likely to divorce or separate as one who waited till 25 to marry. A teenage woman was three times more likely to do so!

[Charts]

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RESULTS OF ALL FIRST MARRIAGES IN THE UNITED STATES 1950-70

As of June 1975

WOMEN

100

90

80

70 14-19

60

50

40

20-24

30

25-29

20 30+

10

0

RESULTS OF ALL FIRST MARRIAGES IN THE UNITED STATES 1950-70

As of June 1975

MEN

100

90

80

70

60

50

14-19

40

30

20-24

20

25-29

30+

10

0

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Source: Current Population Survey, June 1975,

Divorce and separation are not the only indicators of an unhappy marriage. The charts in the right column of the next page represent the results of in-depth interviews with over 80 couples. One half of these wed when one of the spouses was under 19 years of age and still attending high school, whereas the others married between the ages of 21 and 26. They were asked: ‘If you could live your life over again, would you postpone marriage?’ and ‘Did you feel not prepared for what marriage brought?’ Which group had more individuals who wished that they had waited? Other investigations have found that from one third to over one half of young husbands and wives reported that they regretted marrying when they did!

[Charts]

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WOULD YOU HAVE POSTPONED YOUR MARRIAGE?

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

Wife

Husb.

30

20

10

Husb.

Wife

0

DID YOU FEEL NOT PREPARED FOR WHAT MARRIAGE BROUGHT?

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

Wife

30

Husb.

20

10

Husb.

Wife

0

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Source: Social and Psychological Factors Associated with High School Marriages, by Rachel M. Inselberg.

But what if you are already in a teenage marriage? Does this mean it is doomed? Not at all! In fact, knowledge of the dangers of early marriage may have just the reverse effect. Many teens work that much harder to make their marriage successful, viewing the handicap as a challenge. And when they sincerely pray to the Author of marriage for help they can be assured of ‘power beyond normal’ to aid them. This is what Vicky and Mark found.​—2 Corinthians 4:7.

Yes, there are exceptions to teenage marriages’ bringing only pain. James and Ann, for example, married as teenagers. But, after 11 years of successful marriage, when asked if they would take the same course again, James straightforwardly replied, “I most certainly would! I have no reservations about our marriage.” Ann, his bride at 18, added: “Though we’ve had problems just like any other couple, we’ve always been able to sit down and talk things out.”

What made the difference between James and Ann’s marriage and that of Maureen and Don? Why can a youthful marriage bring pain to some and pleasure to others? The following article will provide answers.

[Blurb on page 13]

“Those who are very young when they marry have three strikes against them.” Does this family counselor know something you should know?

Young People Ask . . .

How Wise Is a Teenage Marriage?

MARRIAGE is not a game. “A man will leave his father and his mother and he must stick to his wife and they must become one flesh,” according to the Bible. A husband and wife are to forge a permanent bond, closer than with any other human.​—Genesis 2:24.

Is that how you view marriage? If so, then you can see the wisdom of ‘looking before you leap,’ for your marriage mate could be someone you will stick to​—or be stuck with—​for the rest of your life! Is teenage marriage for you? As we have learned, many such marriages brought pain rather than pleasure. What makes the difference?

What Do You Expect?

“We had a very poor idea of what marriage was,” explained one teenage girl in the Midwestern United States. “We thought we could come and go, do as we pleased, do or not do the dishes, but it isn’t that way.” There are not only dirty dishes to wash but also clothes and a house to keep clean. Sickness, with accompanying doctor bills, can be devastating. “Many teenagers get married to play house. Oh, it looks like such fun! You think of a child as a little doll, something that is so cute and that you can just play with, but that’s not the way it is,” confessed Vicky, who married as a teenager and gave birth to her first child at 20. A 16-year-old mother described the agony of being “stuck in the house” with a child that “cried for five months straight.” She said: “I thought I’d lose my mind.”

Even more difficult is trying to become “one flesh” with a different personality (which may even change from day to day) and trying to provide for the needs of that one’s heart. At times this seems impossible! “Those who [marry] will have tribulation in their flesh,” stated the apostle Paul. How true! Yes, “tribulation,” or “pain and grief.”​—1 Corinthians 7:28; The New English Bible.

Though “tribulation in the flesh” puts a strain on every marriage, the inexperience of most teenagers and often their unrealistic expectations make their marriages especially vulnerable. While not all youthful marriages crumble under such pressures, those that succeed must hurdle the greatest obstacle to successful teenage marriage​—immaturity.

“We Grew Up”​—And Apart

Nine-year-old Raymond knows the qualities of a good wife. “First she has to like pizza. Then she has to like cheese cake. After that she has to like fudge candy,” he said. “Then I know our marriage will last forever.” Obviously, his concepts are subject to change! “When I was a babe, I used to speak as a babe, to think as a babe, to reason as a babe,” wrote the apostle Paul. “But now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a babe.”​—1 Corinthians 13:11.

But have all teens put away “the traits of a babe” when it comes to choosing a mate? Maureen, mentioned in the previous article, recalls: “I was in love with Don. He was so handsome, so strong, such a good athlete and very popular. I thought, ‘Boy, if I get him I’m really going to have a catch.’ His looks and his status as a football star were what were important to me then. Our marriage had to work.” But it collapsed within two years.

It was after her marriage that Maureen grew up emotionally. She developed totally different needs and values. “Suddenly, we realized that our life goals were miles apart,” explained Maureen. “We grew up. I now realized that I needed someone I could relate to intellectually. But Don’s whole life was sports. The things that I thought were so important at 18 suddenly meant nothing to me.” With time and patience persons can grow and yet still learn to love and care for their marriage mate. Yet how much anguish could be avoided by postponing marriage and working first to put away fully “the traits of a babe,” becoming “full-grown in powers of understanding.” This will also help you to overcome a major complaint of youthful couples.​—1 Corinthians 14:20.

Money Problems

The most intense problem of 48 teenage couples who were interviewed after three months of marriage was “spending family income”​—more difficult even than child training and in-law problems. After nearly three years, 37 of these couples were asked the same question. Money problems again​—and their anguish was even worse!

“What fun can you get out of life,” asked Bill, “when you never have enough money to buy the things you need to make you content? Sure, money isn’t everything, but when you don’t have enough to last from one payday to another, it can start lots of fights and unhappiness.” Teenagers often have the highest rate of unemployment and the lowest wages. “Because I couldn’t provide for my family, we had to live with my parents,” admitted Roy, who married at 18. “This created real tension, especially since we had a child as well.”

“Prepare your work out of doors, and make it ready for yourself in the field,” recommends the Bible. “Afterward you must also build up your household.” (Proverbs 24:27) In Bible times men worked the fields to provide for the needs of their family. They were to prepare the ground with crops and raise livestock so as to support themselves and a family, and then, after such preparations, ‘build up a household,’ or marry and have children. Would not such similar preparation today eliminate much heartache after marriage?

Installment Debts

However, whether a couple has enough money is often not so much a matter of paycheck size as it is of their values, ideals and expectations. One study revealed that “teenagers expected to be able to purchase immediately for their projected family units many of the items that probably had taken their parents years to acquire.” To get these, many plunged into debt after marriage. In 1977, 65 percent of family heads under 25 years of age in the United States were saddled with installment debts. These payments consumed over 20 percent of the annual income of one out of six of these​—a greater proportion than any other age group and over twice the national average. Many teenage newlyweds still struggle with heavy financial debts.

“Buying everything new and paying off installment bills would have wrecked us,” stated James. As mentioned in the previous article, he and Ann have had a successful marriage though they married as teenagers. “But we didn’t buy anything new. Much of our furniture was hand-me-downs from some of our friends and our parents. Though nothing we had was really, really nice, it was adequate. In time we bought some new items by saving for them.” Ann, reared by moderately wealthy parents, found that “always scrimping and saving” was a real adjustment.

“But I determined,” confessed Ann, “that I was not going to force my husband into debt or cause him to work more to have new things as I had seen some of my girl friends do to their husbands. I had been taught by my mom to sew and she gave us a sewing machine. I made most of James’ clothing. We found that we could concentrate on the important things, especially our worship, which drew us close together.” Yes, this young couple had the maturity to be content with “sustenance and covering” and had put away “the traits of a babe,” not thinking that happiness comes from material things.​—1 Timothy 6:8-10.

‘I Have Tribulation Now!’

“I knew that having sex before marriage was wrong, so my primary reason for getting married was for sex, though I would never have admitted this to anyone,” confessed Roy, who married at 18. Some teenagers seeking marriage may even point to 1 Corinthians 7:9, which reads: “If they do not have self-control, let them marry, for it is better to marry than to be inflamed with passion.” But in 1Co 7 verse 36 the apostle Paul recommends marriage when one has passed “the bloom of youth.”

During the teenage years the sexual desires bloom and become very strong. However, after this initial surge the sexual desires subside, just as a flower that reaches full bloom will begin to wilt. If you marry during “the bloom of youth,” it can distort your reasons for marriage and blind you to certain negative qualities in a prospective mate. For instance, Roy, whose marriage ended in divorce in three years, added: “After I got married I found out that the great thrill of sex wears off very soon and then we started having some real problems.”

The previously mentioned study of 48 teenage couples found that, after financial problems, most arguments were over sex relations. Marriage certainly did not solve all problems. Satisfying sexual relations within marriage are the result of unselfish consideration by persons who have developed self-control. Therefore, by learning to control your desires and showing unselfishness in your life as a single person, you will be preparing for a happy marriage.​—1 Corinthians 7:3, 4.

So, is a teenage marriage a wise decision? If you are considering it, look at the charts on pages 14, 15. Based on numerous case histories, it shows what your chances could be for marital satisfaction.

Marriage is a decision you may have to live with the rest of your life. Certainly a teenage marriage is no crime. But how much wiser to test the strength of your love by waiting and being sure that you have developed the inner resources needed to cope with marriage.

[Chart on page 19]

Forecast of Marital Satisfaction

Characteristic Poorest Intermediate Best

Based partially on Trends and Prospects for Young Marriages in the United States, by Lee G. Burchinal.

Part 2​—The First World War—​Was It the Prelude to Man’s Final Era?

In our previous issue, Part I explained how the nations’ leaders allowed the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand to escalate into war. Europe​—and soon the rest of the world—​was thrust into a new era. Will it be man’s last?

“THE war will be a pushover,” the German soldier boasted. “It will last just a few weeks and we will gain the victory!” And on the eve of war, many shared this confidence. Propaganda campaigns were all too effective in convincing a naive public that the war could be won quickly. Says historian Hans Herzfeld: “The condition bordering on ecstatic excitement with which the peoples of Europe, spoiled by a long period of peace, entered the ‘Armageddon’ of World War I is only too easily passed off today as incomprehensible, both in substance and psychologically. But it is so much a part of this turning point in history that without understanding this wave of enthusiasm and willingness to sacrifice, the historical nature of the catastrophe would, to all intents and purposes, be incomprehensible.”

Belgian Resistance​—A Signal to Germany

Germany’s hope for a quick victory over France was largely based on her war strategy. A modified version of the “Schlieffen Plan,” it was deceptively simple. The German troops would march through Belgium and enter France from “behind,” avoiding the fortifications along her border. Striking first​—and quickly—​was essential to the success of this scheme. No one, however, counted on the Belgians’ putting up much of a fight.

For but a brief moment, King Albert of Belgium captures history’s spotlight. Germany demands they be allowed to pass through Belgium unmolested. Addressing the Council of State, King Albert says: “Our answer must be ‘No,’ whatever the consequences.” Hastily formed Belgian troops therefore fight fiercely, savagely, against the invading armies.

Propagandists quickly cushion this blow to German morale. Relatives of men killed in the Belgium campaign, recalls one elderly German, “received commemorative papers with the picture of an angel on them, stating that the soldier had died ‘for the Kaiser and for the Fatherland.’”

Germany crushes tiny Belgium. But her invasion of this neutral land has aroused the ire of the world. England immediately decides it will not idly watch Germany gobble up Europe. On August 4, England declares war. Belgium’s resistance thus proves to be a warning signal to Germany. Victory will not at all be “a pushover.”

The war has now become a world war. Historian Gerhard Schulz explains: “The war became a world war by the very fact that unity within the [British] Empire was maintained throughout the war, the allied powers of England, France and Russia having access to the resources of the entire world.” Soon the Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) will ally itself with Germany, Japan with the Allies, and even some Central and South American countries will join the fight against the Central powers. By the end of the war few countries will boast of having remained neutral.a

Bible students would find new meaning in Jesus’ startling prophecy: “For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom.”​—Matthew 24:7.

Stalemate on the War Fronts

German soldiers now advance toward Paris, despite French resistance. Within just miles of Paris, however, the German war machine falters. Poor communication and indecision on the part of her military leaders allow the Allies to regroup and mount a devastating counterattack. At the Battle of the Marne, the German army is forced to make a humiliating retreat. It is, nevertheless, able to dig in and secure a position. The Allied armies do likewise. A deadly no-man’s-land now separates the entrenched troops.

For many months, the war is a stop-and-go game of trench warfare​—soldiers venturing into no-man’s-land, hurling grenades at each other and making a hasty retreat. Human blood flows like wine at a drunken carouse, without bringing victory for either side a single day closer. Periods of uneasy silence regularly punctuate the sporadic fighting, during which the media report “all quiet on the western front.”

Periods of fighting are brutal. Recalls one German soldier: “I operated a machine gun, and this meant that I was always in the front ranks. We allowed the French to get within 100 meters [110 yd], and then opened fire into the huge mass of approaching troops . . . We simply mowed them down.” Meaningless deaths! The battles fought in 1916 at Verdun and on the Somme last for months and “cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers on both sides.”

Fiendish weapons add to the terror of battle. Ninety-two percent of the war casualties are credited to the machine gun. A set of German cannons, popularly called Big Bertha, rain death on Paris from the then unheard-of distance of 76 miles (122 km). Soldiers become acquainted with the drone of the airplane​—at first used mainly for reconnaissance but later as a lethal weapon. Sailors live in fear of submarine attack. And even poison gas​—at times as devastating to the attacker as to the attacked—​becomes part of the arsenal. Historian Herzberg calls a poison-gas battle fought at Ypres in 1915 “one of the most murderous events of the war,” taking over 100,000 lives. Nevertheless, trench warfare on the western front continues to be a frustrating stalemate.

On the eastern front, though, German military leaders Hindenburg and Ludendorff achieve such staggering victories against ill-prepared Russia that they are dubbed the invincible demigods of war. Nevertheless, the winter of 1914-15 sees a deadlock develop also in the East. For months the tide of war ebbs and flows indecisively. As late as 1917, it seems anyone’s guess as to who will win.

The Tide of War Turns

In 1917 Russia is immobilized by a revolution. The new Bolshevik government immediately sues for peace with Germany, temporarily relieving her of the burden of war on two fronts. Germany, nevertheless, is unable to use these events to her advantage, for a formidable enemy now enters the war. The 1915 sinking of the vessel Lusitania arouses U.S. sentiment against Germany. And in 1917 the United States officially joins the war. Before U.S. assistance can arrive, however, the Germans desperately attempt an offensive. But small gains are overshadowed by enormous casualties. Allied losses are high, too, but the increasing stream of U.S. help more than makes up for the losses. German offensives become German retreats.

However, defeat is not solely due to military losses. Germany’s economy has utterly collapsed. The Allied blockade​—and some bad weather—​takes its toll and produces severe food shortages. As one German recalls: “Although things had been rationed for a long time, the rations just kept getting smaller.” During the winter of 1917, hungry Germans have to settle for the lowly turnip as their main fare. “The turnip winter,” they bitterly call it. Attempts to stretch their diet with horrendous substitutes​—everything from sawdust to earthworms—​prove hopelessly ineffective. As an eyewitness recalls: “Hunger was an enemy Germany could not conquer . . . Many families had lost both father and sons. Now all they saw before them was illness, hunger and death.” Some 300,000 persons die of undernourishment and sickness. The nation is on the verge of revolt.

Austria-Hungary fares little better as its empire begins to disintegrate​—member nations either suing for peace or declaring independence. Face to face with a demolished morale, evaporating supplies and the sheer mass of the Allied armies, the Central Powers have no choice but to surrender.

Beginning at 11:00 a.m. on November 11, 1918, the guns are silent.

In our next issue, the final installment will discuss the aftermath of the war and the postwar efforts to maintain peace.

[Footnotes]

What Is the World Coming To?

THIS question is often asked when we read about the things that ordinary people do. For example:

● Dorice, a young woman from Queens, New York, was slashed in the head, face and leg by an unknown man, who then ran away without saying a word. Bleeding profusely, she rang several doorbells in a nearby building, looking for help. Some householders called the police, but nobody would let her in or help her. Why not? Seemingly they were afraid. “It’s a terrible world,” said her mother after Dorice’s ordeal.

● A plane crashed near Detroit city airport. One man lay dying and another was critically injured. When emergency crews reached the scene of the accident, they found that the injured men had already been robbed of their wallets and other valuables. Who would do a thing like that? “Ghouls,” commented the New York Daily News in giving the report.

● An out-of-control van ran onto the sidewalk and knocked a four-year-old boy out of his mother’s arms. The mother, thinking her son was dying, screamed: “Don’t die, don’t die.” The driver, uninjured, leaped from his vehicle to help the injured boy and his panic-stricken mother. Immediately, a mob of passersby, seeing the truck unattended, looted it and fought among themselves for a share of its cargo of sweatshirts. “It’s very depressing,” remarked an observer. “It’s a jungle.” The boy suffered a crushed pelvis and fractured ribs.

● An assistant psychology professor and his students staged a number of faked crimes in the streets of different cities over a two-year period to test the response of bystanders who witnessed the “crimes.” The results? Mostly, no response! During one staged car break-in, a bystander wanted to join in. Another time, they quite openly “stole” a motorcycle. Just 50 feet (15 m) away, a police car was parked. But nobody interfered. Other “crimes” included stuffing an apparently unconscious man into the trunk of a car. In New York City, only 3 percent of the “crimes” were reported by witnesses. This was ahead of cities like Boston and Miami, where no one reported them.

● A 26-year-old man, friendless and depressed, climbed to the top of a 100-foot (30-m) smokestack on New Year’s eve, shouting: “I want to die! I want to die!” Three Emergency Services police sped to the scene and climbed the chimney to rescue him. An automatic boiler at the base of the building turned on, and smoke poured up out of the chimney, causing the young man to choke and gag, almost causing him to fall accidentally. A crowd had gathered below by now, watching the drama. Seeing the young man’s distress, some raised their hands, made a fist and booed. Others screamed: “Jump! Let him do it.”

What is the world coming to? A very good question!

‘Our Son Is a Beautiful Colour Now’

OUR son Jonathan is one of twins. When he and his little sister, Abigail, were born, Abigail was perfectly healthy, but Jonathan had serious problems​—extensive congenital defects of the heart.

Our local doctor said that Jonathan would be disabled within two years, and eventually he would die. An operation might clear up the problems, but then again Jonathan might not survive it. And since the doctor knew we took seriously the Bible command to “abstain . . . from blood,” and hence would not accept blood transfusions, he told us we would not be able to find a surgeon to do the operation anyway.​—Acts 15:20.

As Jonathan grew older, he was often short of breath. His little heart used to beat hard at the slightest exertion, and the purple colour in his cheeks and under his fingernails and toenails told us that he really needed the operation; otherwise he might not live much longer. In time we got in touch with one of Britain’s most eminent surgeons who, with his specialist team, was willing to undertake the necessary open-heart surgery without using blood.

We arrived in London on a Thursday, but we had to wait for more than a week for Jonathan’s operation. He was now just four years old. On the Wednesday before the operation, we had an interview with a haematologist. About a year before, he had been involved in the case of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who had undergone an open-heart operation that was performed without blood. So we asked him what he thought of our stand regarding blood.

To our surprise, he did not oppose it. Why? He could see how important it was to our faith. He also mentioned that blood is more difficult to get now. People are not as prepared to give it as they once were, so it is expensive. Besides, he said, blood transfusions sometimes cause hepatitis. So some surgeons are now learning to operate with less blood on hand than they used to.

When we asked what was Jonathan’s chance of coming through his operation, the answer was: “You are fortunate because you have one of the best surgeons in the world. Also, you have your God, and I am sure he will answer your prayers for your son.” This haematologist happened to be contacted at his home that same week by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses engaged in the preaching ministry. The doctor told the Witness about our son and said: “I want you to go home and pray for little Jonathan.”

However, while we were waiting for the operation, there were comments of the other kind, too. For example, the hospital physician came around the ward visiting the young patients. She was accompanied by about 20 foreign doctors who were delegates to a conference on heart surgery being held that week. When she reached Jonathan’s bed she asked the other doctors whether they would accept the case of one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and operate without blood. They all said, No, they would not do it. It would be too difficult. You can imagine how that made us feel.

Thursday, the night before the operation, Jonathan was visited by an Australian surgeon. He was very kind and gently explained to us the seriousness of the operation that Jonathan was about to undergo. He said: “I give Jonathan a 50/50 chance of pulling through.”

He also asked us if it would be possible to take some of Jonathan’s blood and store it for use in case of possible emergencies. Then he himself said, “No, we can’t do that, can we? That would be against your conscience.” When we said, “That’s right,” he went on: “Anyway, if we did that, there would be no guarantee that the blood used would be Jonathan’s blood!”

Before the operation, Jonathan’s blood count was checked and found to be 15, which was very good under the circumstances. That was not surprising, however. Some time before, when we knew the operation would have to take place, we had noted the recommendation in the booklet Blood, Medicine and the Law of God that the blood count should be built up before an operation. We wrote to our general practitioner and received a prescription for iron medicine for Jonathan. We had given him this for the previous two and a half months.

Thursday evening, after kissing Jonathan good night, we went to bed, discussed together verse by verse Psalm 116 and prayed earnestly to Jehovah before trying to sleep. Fully aware of Jonathan’s danger, we were not asking for miracles. If things went wrong, we knew that Jonathan could die, and if that were to happen, we had full faith that we would see him again in the resurrection.

Our son was due in the operating room at eight o’clock on Friday morning, so at seven o’clock we arrived at the hospital and stayed with him until he was prepared to go into the theatre.

At one-thirty that afternoon we were back at the hospital, but Jonathan was not out of the operating theatre. At two-thirty we asked again, and he was still in the theatre. Three o’clock, three-thirty and four o’clock passed. Still no news. He had been in there now for eight hours. Finally, at 4:15 p.m., we called the nurse and she said: “Wait a minute, I have to get the sister.” We had a sinking feeling, sure we were going to hear bad news. Then the sister came on the line and said: “We’ve got good news for you. Jonathan has come through the operation and he is in the recovery room!”

At five o’clock we were allowed to see him. He was conscious but looked awful with all the tubes and wires attached to him. However, he was alive, and in a faint voice he said to us: “I want to get out of here!” After the short visit, we thanked Jehovah that his first big hurdle was over.

Of course, the danger was not completely past. One possible source of problem was that the surgeon had inserted catheters into Jonathan’s body to drain excess fluid, and these had to be removed. Seemingly, there is some danger in this procedure. However, when Jonathan’s drains were removed, we were told that he did not lose a drop of blood. Another big hurdle was behind him.

The hospital domestic staff, too, were interested in Jonathan’s case. They tended to be opposed to our decision not to allow the use of blood. Two Spanish girls who are Jehovah’s Witnesses worked among them, and they came under a lot of pressure. The women they worked with were saying how cruel we were to let Jonathan die! However, when Jonathan recovered, they became more friendly and helpful.

Blood transfusions became quite a topic of conversation. The mother of another little patient, a girl, said: “Could you tell me if my little girl had blood? I hope she was like Jonathan and did not have any. We don’t want any complications.”

That week, too, we met a young Muslim couple whose little boy had serious problems. They were very religious and each time one of the tiny patients was taken down to the theatre, they prayed for him. They wanted to know why Jonathan was looking so well after having such a dangerous operation.

Of course, all we could say was that we were immensely grateful for the skill of the whole medical team, and especially that they had consented to do the operation without blood. We started to explain: “As Jehovah’s Witnesses we do not accept blood . . .” But the husband cut us short and asked: “Why don’t you accept blood?” We showed him from the Bible where Christians were commanded to abstain from blood and gave him some Bible literature. He asked who had operated on Jonathan, and we told him. So he said that since his son would need another operation he was going to approach Jonathan’s surgeon and ask him to do it, if possible.

Jonathan had other problems to overcome. But his own spirit, the skill of the doctors, the care of the hospital staff, the prayers of our friends and especially the strength that Jehovah gave carried the three of us through. After six weeks in London, we returned home.

It was a difficult experience. For four years, we had watched Jonathan suffer. Now, we are grateful to have a healthy son. When Jonathan runs upstairs, if we put our hand on his heart we cannot feel anything abnormal. Each day we see him gaining strength. He is smaller than Abigail, but he’s growing! The purple has gone​—he is a beautiful colour now.​—As told by Simon and Brenda Pitts.

[Blurb on page 24]

Jonathan would be disabled within two years, and eventually he would die

[Blurb on page 25]

“I give Jonathan a 50/50 chance of pulling through”

[Blurb on page 26]

“Why don’t you accept blood?”

‘Fouling Our Nest’

● “It was appalling to me to see how dirty our atmosphere is getting,” said astronaut Paul Weitz, commander of the recent five-day flight of the U.S. space shuttle Challenger. “Unfortunately, this world is rapidly becoming a gray planet,” he said, mentioning that pollution, resembling the blue smoke of burning wood, could be found over all the world’s landmasses​—even in undeveloped countries. “Our environment apparently is flat going downhill,” Weitz added. “We are fouling our own nest.”

● Canadian and U.S. researchers report that Arctic air pollution is increasing. “We found the haze layers much more numerous than anticipated, and the intensity of the pollution larger than expected,” said project director Russell Schnell of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This report follows a six-year study by the Office of Naval Research, which found the polar region acidic air pollution to be “on a scale and with an intensity that could have never been imagined, even by the most pessimistic observer.” Most of the pollution is thought to come from industrial plants in the Soviet Union and Europe. Scientists fear that the warming effects of the pollutants may alter the world’s climate, perhaps even raising world sea levels by several feet due to the melting of polar ice.

● Other remote areas being polluted by man include Mount Everest and Antarctica. Nepal’s authorities are worried about the growing amount of trash and gear left by climbers on Mount Everest, despite rules against it. “In a few years, base camp will be a big rubbish heap,” said one professional climber of a camp located at the 17,100-foot (5,200-m) level.

● Similarly, a report from Antarctica speaks of “piles of litter, mountains of machinery and shells of old buildings” left behind by explorers, much of which is dumped onto the sea floor in an “‘out of sight, out of mind’ waste disposal system.” Said the leader of one expedition: “You can see that in the end we will have our bases surrounded by one huge rubbish dump. That is the ultimate.”

How Much Is a Tree Worth?

Most people would determine the value of a tree by the lumber and other wood products it yields after being cut down. But, according to Professor T. M. Das of Agriculture University in Calcutta, “a medium size tree at current market rate would hardly fetch on an average more than Rs. 5,000 [$600, U.S.] which was only 0.3 per cent of its real value.” So reports India’s The Hindu. Not everyone would place the same monetary value on such things, but note the box showing the professor’s calculations as to the value of services rendered by a tree in a 50-year period of its life.

Trees generally survive for 100 to 200 years, according to the professor, and life spans of 400 to 500 years are not uncommon. So the real value of a tree can be many times more than the figure cited, which does not even include the value of timber and fruits.

Observing that many trees were simply destroyed for a nominal price, the professor “regretted that utter ignorance coupled with influx of population has made people choose short-term benefits,” says the report.

[Box on page 27]

Production of oxygen $30,000

Air-pollution control $60,000

Soil-erosion control $30,000

Recycling of water $36,000

Bird and animal shelter $30,000

Protein conversion $3,000

Total value $189,000

From Our Readers

Learning Problems

Thank you so much for the articles on “Does Your Child Have Learning Problems?” (May 8, 1983) They came at a time of great need and we benefitted greatly. As parents of a boy like Marty, we were as if trapped, not knowing what to do next in order to help our boy to become stable. Due to the scarcity of such mentioned professionals in some countries, we look forward to getting more advice and help through your outstanding publication.

S. K. M., Uganda

“Awake!” does not presume to replace the need for qualified professional guidance with a do-it-yourself approach. But we endeavor to present the various aspects of such problems along with the recommendations of experienced persons of several different viewpoints. We are pleased that our efforts can be of help.​—ED.

Breast-Feeding

I certainly agree with the decision to breast-feed a baby (June 8, 1983), but I don’t agree with feeding “on demand” rather than adhering to a time schedule. If the baby is trained in the first ten days when his eating time will be, he will get used to it and you will know what other obligations you can fulfill in between.

O. D., California

I wish to clarify that supplemental bottle feedings of formula to the baby can be extremely helpful to a busy, tired and active mother. They give Dad a chance to feed the baby on occasion, also.

C. K., Connecticut

I agree that breast-feeding is a superior way of feeding your baby. The article, though, was discouraging for those who cannot breast-feed and must resort to formula. You needed some information to reassure parents that bottle-fed babies may also experience a close, loving relationship with their parents as well as good health.

C. L., Wisconsin

We agree that each couple will need to decide as to what will be most beneficial for the baby in accord with their circumstances. These points are touched on in a letter to “The New York Times” by Katherine Christoffel, M.D., Children’s Memorial Hospital, Chicago. She states: “Although breast-feeding is certainly desirable, mothers must not be made to feel guilty if their attempts to juggle working and nursing sometimes mean the end of nursing. Breast-feeding is only one of many factors involved in every family’s life style and health status, so there is much to do and enjoy even if nursing doesn’t work out optimally.”​—ED.

TV and Fire Hazard

Further information as to the inadvisability of leaving a TV set on as a burglary prevention while one is away from home is found in a news item in the “Daily News” (New York) of June 29, 1983. It tells of a 13-year-old boy who was fatally injured in a fire triggered by a TV set in his bedroom. The set was described as an instant-picture model that is energized by an electric current even when switched off. One fireman stated: “We’re seeing more and more fires caused by these types of sets. Just turning off the set doesn’t seem to work. The best thing to do is to unplug it.” See “From Our Readers” in issue of July 8, 1983.​—ED.

Watching the World

“Spy” Learns “Respect”

● An associate English professor from the University of Notre Dame visited a district convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses and reported her impressions in the magazine Notre Dame: “I still carry somewhere inside me the old, phobic Catholic reaction against contact with other religious sects. I feel a little like a spy. . . . I have already noticed that all women and girls wear dresses, all men and boys wear ties.” After observing the program, she wrote: “I walk away from Jehovah’s Witnesses, but I do so with more understanding than I had four days ago, and more respect. In a chaotic and random world, they have banded together to strive for an ultimate order. I think of the earnest faces, the precision, the urgency of separateness from the world. I think of the newly baptized Bill Stewart’s statement when I asked why he and his wife had chosen Jehovah’s Witnesses: ‘We wanted an organization that was clean.’”​—May 1983, pages 14-16.

Arms “Absurdity”

● “World military spending is rapidly approaching $800 billion [thousand million]” this year, complained Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar at a recent UN Economic and Social Council meeting. “According to my rough calculation, the total amount of official aid to all developing countries from all sources in an entire year is now equal to 18 days global military expenditure.” He concluded: “At some point this absurdity​—and there is no other word for it—​has to come to a stop.”

Church Bows to Ritualism

● “Shonas [tribal members] in Zimbabwe can now pour beer on the graves of their dead and call on the spirits to safeguard a dead loved one with the approval of the Catholic Church,” says the Sunday Tribune of Durban, South Africa. “Catholics used to dismiss this ritual as heathen, but now the booklet Kuchenura Munhu [‘to purify the spirit-soul of a dead person’] details a ritual which is the same, but has the name of Christ in the wording.” The booklet “was commissioned by the six Catholic bishops of Zimbabwe,” says the newspaper. “Now Zimbabwe’s Christian Shonas can continue to perform their traditional tribal rituals, knowing that they have the sanction and approval of the Catholic Church of Rome.”

● “Saints live on flowers, candles and incense,” declared a Mayan Indian shepherd in San Juan Chamula, Mexico, as he laid flowers before a “saint” in his church. “I feed this one so he will give me lambs.” The Indians here “hold Mass and are baptized,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “But they also sit on the church floor, smoke cigarettes and swig posh, a numbing sugar-cane rum, while a healer hired for $1.50 implores Jesus Christ, their god of the sun, to help cure a headache.” Anthropologists maintain that the 64 “saints” in the local church correspond to specific Mayan gods. Even so, “we have to consider the Indians of Chamula as Catholics,” said nun Lucia Jimenez, adding: “They do have a slight problem with idolatry.”

At Home in Heat

● Bacteria that thrive at well over twice the boiling point of water​—482° F. (250° C.)​—have been found in volcanic vents on the ocean floor. That is more than double the temperature at which it was previously thought possible for life to exist. The British science journal Nature reports that these microbes actually failed to grow below a torrid 167° F. (75° C.), yet most other plants and animals die when kept at temperatures above 104° F. (40° C.). And while most life draws energy from organic sources, directly or indirectly from sunlight, these organisms produce energy in darkness from inorganic chemicals such as sulfur, manganese and iron, using a process called chemosynthesis rather than the usual photosynthesis.

“Clash” for Freedom

● The book Fragile Freedoms​—Human Rights and Dissent in Canada describes events contributing to freedom in that nation. One important factor, according to author Thomas R. Berger, was “the clash between the Catholic Church and the [Jehovah’s] Witnesses, the confrontation between [Quebec Premier] Duplessis and Jehovah . . . [which] laid bare competing ideas of freedom of speech and freedom of religion.” The book reports on the Duplessis era (1936 to 1959) when “Church and State joined in persecuting Jehovah’s Witnesses, who carried their struggle for freedom of speech and freedom of religion to the Supreme Court of Canada again and again. . . . The fervour of this small Protestant sect had more than a little to do with establishing the intellectual foundations for the Charter [of Rights and Freedoms].” Why such a struggle? Answers Berger: “The Jehovah’s Witnesses have always been zealous to spread God’s word. They believe they must share their faith with others . . . the world has often been indifferent and sometimes hostile to them.”

Poison Power

● “Paraquat is probably the most effective herbicide that exists right now on the Earth,” asserts lung specialist Edward Block, who has treated some of its victims. But “it is also one of the world’s worst poisons.” It accumulates in the lungs, making them brittle, and there is no effective antidote for those who ingest it, breathe it or get it on their skin. Yet sales are booming worldwide because it so effectively prepares fields for economical “no-till” farming (planting without plowing). Treated overgrowth quickly wilts to a protective mulch, while the poison itself neutralizes on contact with soil. Dr. Block believes that the risk is acceptable only under controlled conditions. But it can readily be purchased in developing countries by uneducated workers. Paraquat deaths over a period of 20 years are estimated at between 600 and 1,000, but experts fear a much higher toll as use escalates among the inexperienced.

Turtles Tricked

● Going after what they see as a tasty jellyfish meal, the ocean’s leatherback turtles often consume floating plastic bags instead. One study indicates that 44 percent of these largest marine reptiles have death-dealing plastic material in their digestive tracts. Scientists believe that one factor behind the leatherbacks’ dwindling numbers is plastic pollution spread by water enthusiasts. “For their own benefit, swimmers and boaters should realize that these sea turtles help control the jellyfish that plague them in the summer,” says the director of the International Center for Endangered Species.

Picasso’s Prank

● A letter to the editor of the Manchester Guardian Weekly commented on the newspaper’s review of a London gallery’s recent exhibition of cubism (abstract art): “Speaking of those who desired only the peculiar, the sensational, the eccentric or the scandalous in today’s art, [the late cubist artist] Picasso said: ‘And I myself . . . have fed these fellows what they wanted and satisfied these critics with all the ridiculous ideas that have passed through my head. The less they understand them, the more they admire me.’” Picasso became rich and famous by means of his artistic distortions, but admitted: “When I am alone, I do not have the effrontery to consider myself an artist at all​—not in the grand old meaning of the word. I am only a public clown​—a mountebank.” (More in Awake!, 10/22/80, page 31)

Alcoholic Killers Curbed

● The number of lives saved when driving drinkers were curbed in New South Wales, Australia, illustrates the extent of carnage they cause. The Sun-Herald of Sydney reports that road fatalities dropped by 42.9 percent during a recent three-month period of random breath testing by police. “It is fair to say that around 200 lives have already been saved,” notes the report. During the period, the fatality rate in New South Wales fell from 3.0 per 100 million kilometers (62 million miles) traveled to a rate of 1.7, lower than Great Britain (2.0), Canada (2.7) or the United States (2.1).

Autos Less Deadly

● Traffic deaths in the United States dropped again last year, to 46,300, down from 49,125 in 1981 and 51,077 in 1980. Correspondingly, the motor vehicle death rate fell to 2.95 per 100 million miles (160 million kilometers). Officials are not sure just why there should be such a decrease, since the overall number of miles driven actually increased by about one percent.

● A recent federal study has revealed that the average amount of lead in the blood of U.S. residents fell by more than one third between 1976 and 1980. “The most likely explanation for the fall in blood lead levels is a reduction in the lead content of gasoline during this period,” said the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The government requires that all new cars use unleaded fuel. Most lead in the atmosphere is said to come from gasoline, and the amount of lead used for making gasoline reportedly has decreased by more than half during the four-year period.

Simple Ulcer Remedy?

● In a desperate effort to help a patient suffering sharp ulcer pain one night in Iran’s Evin prison, an imprisoned physician prescribed the only remedy available at that hour​—water. He gave the patient about a pint (500 cc) of fluid and, as reported in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, “his pain became less severe and then disappeared completely after eight minutes.” Experimenting with other prisoners, the doctor settled on prescribing a glass of water half an hour before eating and another two and a half hours later. During his imprisonment he was able to document the progress of over 600 patients, noting that the prison pharmacy had almost no demand for antacids toward the end.

“Dead” Pet Revived

● When a car struck the Chihuahua Percy his heart stopped. The saddened owner’s father buried the little dog in a sack in his garden in Barnsley, England. But the father’s own terrier, Micky, kept whimpering at the grave site. Seven hours later, Percy’s owner related, Micky “ran inside and barked at my parents until they followed him outside. They found Percy in the sack​—and his heart had started to beat again.” Apparently the terrier, sensing life, had dug up the sack and pulled it toward the house. “The incredible thing is that normally these two dogs are at each other’s throats,” Percy’s owner marveled.

“Placebo” for Smokers?

● The fire that killed at least 23 people on an Air Canada flight in June raised the issue of smoking on airline flights. The director of the U.S. Aviation Safety Institute said that about 25 fires have to be extinguished in airplane lavatory waste containers every year. Cigarettes are often the culprit. “Cigaret smoking should be banned from commercial airliners,” he said. “Give the people a placebo if necessary but let’s get smoking off the planes.”

Living Forever Not Just a Dream

This is the opening chapter of the exciting new book You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. Sound reasons are given why this is possible. But, more importantly, you are shown how you can live forever in Paradise on earth. Among the fascinating chapters are:

□ Why We Are Here

□ Resurrection​—For Whom, and Where?

□ What Happens at Death?

□ Judgment Day and Afterward

□ What Kind of Place Is Hell?

□ What You Must Do to Live Forever.

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