April 8

Page Two

Science Can It Meet Our Needs? 3-8

Challenges now facing the world must be met if humankind is to escape disaster. On the threshold of the 21st century, the question is, Will mankind’s search for scientific truth meet these challenges?

Home Schooling​—Is It for You? 9

Home schooling is winning more advocates every year. Is it worth considering for your family?

Neither Snow nor Rain nor Volume Halts the Mail 16

Millions of pieces of mail are handled every day. What is being done to ensure that your letter will get through?

Can Science Meet the Challenges of the 21st Century?

“There is now overwhelming scientific evidence to suggest that Mother Earth cannot cope with its uncaring, unruly brood for very much longer.” ​—The European, March 19-25, 1992.

ECOLOGISTS are increasingly of the opinion that the threat to the earth, far from being just a tempest in a teapot, is serious and that it warrants attention. In fact, they say that immediate action is vital if disaster is to be avoided. “We do not have generations,” said the president of the Worldwatch Institute at the end of the 1980’s. “We only have years, in which to attempt to turn things around.”

The editors of the book entitled 5000 Days to Save the Planet were more specific in 1990 when they published their book. Since that time their countdown has continued. Time left to save the planet, according to their deadline, now hovers near the 4,000-day mark. And by the time the 21st century dawns, unless something extraordinary happens in the meantime, the figure will have dwindled to some 1,500 days.

What unusual set of circumstances has given birth to this apparent crisis? What challenges are posed by the upcoming century?

No Shortage of Problems

Peace-loving people rejoice that the Cold War has ended. But the challenge of achieving and maintaining world peace is no less real. President Mitterrand of France, speaking in January 1990 about the problems of European unification, said: “We are leaving an unfair but stable world, for a world we hope will be more just, but which will certainly be more unstable.” And The European wrote: “The price of freedom [in former Soviet bloc nations] is a growing instability, which has increased the risk of nuclear war, slight though it still is.”

Actually, some of the challenges with which the world is now faced were practically unknown when the Cold War began. It is as 5000 Days to Save the Planet notes: “Barely fifty years ago the world’s environment was still largely in balance. . . . The world was a vast, beautiful and powerful place; how could we possibly damage it? Today we are told that our planet is in crisis, that we are destroying and polluting our way to a global catastrophe.”

So-called natural disasters​—floods, storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions—​occur everywhere. To what extent human tampering with the environment is responsible may be open to debate. There is evidence that the earth’s protective ozone layer has in some places become dangerously thin. Climatic changes capable of causing tragedies, some scientists now warn, could strike suddenly rather than develop gradually.

Cancer, heart disease, circulatory problems, and numerous other ailments have long challenged the skills of the medical profession. Despite years of medical progress, these sicknesses still kill. In Europe alone, an estimated 1,200,000 persons die of cancer annually, almost 65 percent more than a decade ago. Because of apprehension about a new scourge​—AIDS, which has killed far fewer—​this huge loss goes largely unnoticed.

Another challenge: In less than 200 years, the world’s population has grown from one billion people to some five and a half billion. Despite a recent drop in the annual growth rate, some estimate that by the year 2025, world population will probably have passed eight billion, and by 2050 it will be nearing the ten billion mark. Where will all these people live? What will they eat? A UN report released in 1991 estimated that a billion people are already living in absolute poverty, their lives “so characterized by malnutrition, illiteracy and disease as to be beneath any reasonable definition of human dignity.”

Paul R. Ehrlich, professor of population studies at Stanford University in the United States, notes the enormity of this problem, saying: “While overpopulation in the poor nations tends to keep them poverty-stricken, overpopulation in rich nations tends to undermine the life-support capacity of the entire planet.”

The possibility that the previously mentioned factors​—or others such as drug abuse, inadequate housing, crime, and racial conflicts—​might in the near future trigger a global catastrophe gives cause for real concern. The challenge is clear. How to meet it is not.

Seeking Ways to Cope

Nevertheless, in view of the seriousness of the problems, governments, with varying degrees of urgency, are seeking solutions. For example, on the environmental front, the largest ecological gathering ever held convened last June in Rio de Janeiro. The UN-sponsored Earth Summit was the second of its kind, following the one held in 1972 in Stockholm, Sweden. At that time a noted German politician said: “This conference can be a turning point in the destiny of the planet.”

Obviously, the 1972 meeting fell short of expectations. Maurice F. Strong, chief organizer of both the 1972 and the 1992 conferences, admitted: “We have learned in the 20 years since Stockholm that environmental regulation, which is the only real lever that environmental agencies have, is important but not adequate. It has to be accompanied by important changes in the underlying motivations for our economic behavior.”

Will the 1992 conference, however, prove to have been any more successful in achieving these “important changes” than was the one in 1972? And if not, will our planet still be able in another 20 years, in 2012, to host a possible third Earth Summit?

Confronted With Its Greatest Challenge

People in general are becoming more and more skeptical of the ability of religion and politics to solve world problems. But if not religion, if not politics, what can meet the serious challenges of the 21st century?

A brochure published by the German Federal Ministry for Research and Technology sheds light on this question. “Handling these problems calls for political strategies which can help not only to avoid any further changes caused by man but also to prevent the negative consequences of global changes. In view of the complexity of the problems facing us, meaningful political decisions will only be possible based on solid scientific findings and reliable forecasting models. This seems to be the only way to avoid expensive or even undesirable and disastrous developments. The provision of this information poses the greatest challenge to the scientific community at the present time.”

Science has faced formidable challenges before and has coped with them, at least to a degree. Still, it is not amiss to ask whether science can meet the unique challenges posed by the incoming 21st century. Is there room for optimism?

It is with pleasure that Awake! announces a discussion of these serious matters, to be covered in a series of articles beginning in this issue. Part 1 follows.

[Pictures on page 4]

What can science do about pollution, disease, and overpopulation?

[Credit Lines]

WHO photo by P. Almasy

WHO photo by P. Almasy

Part 1

Science​—Mankind’s Ongoing Search for Truth

“YOU will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) These oft-quoted words of wisdom were spoken by a man whom millions view as the greatest man who ever lived.a Although the speaker was referring to religious truth, in certain respects truth in any field of activity can set people free.

Scientific truth, for example, has freed people from many false ideas, such as that the earth is flat, that the earth is the center of the universe, that heat is a fluid called caloric, that foul air causes epidemics, and that the atom is the smallest particle of matter. The practical application of scientific truths in industry, as well as in the fields of communication and transportation, has freed people from unnecessary drudgery and, to a degree, from the limitations of time and distance. Scientific truths applied in preventive medicine and health-care have helped free people from premature death or a morbid fear of disease.

Science​—What Is It?

According to The World Book Encyclopedia, “science covers the broad field of human knowledge concerned with facts held together by principles (rules).” Understandably, there are various kinds of science. The book The Scientist claims: “In theory, almost any kind of knowledge might be made scientific, since by definition a branch of knowledge becomes a science when it is pursued in the spirit of the scientific method.”

This makes for some difficulty in defining, with any precision, where one science begins and another ends. In fact, according to The World Book Encyclopedia, “in some cases, sciences may overlap so much that interdisciplinary fields have been established that combine parts of two or more sciences.” Nevertheless, most reference works speak of four main divisions: physical sciences, biological sciences, social sciences, and the science of mathematics and logic.

Mathematics a science? Yes, without some unified method of measurement, some way of determining how large, how small, how many, how few, how far, how near, how hot, and how cold, productive scientific investigation would have been impossible. So not without reason, mathematics has been called the “Queen and Servant of the Sciences.”

As for physical sciences, these include chemistry, physics, and astronomy. The main biological sciences are botany and zoology, while social sciences include anthropology, sociology, economics, political science, and psychology. (See box on page 8.)

A distinction must be made between pure science and applied science. The former deals purely with the scientific facts and principles themselves; the latter, with their practical application. Today applied science is also known as technology.

Learning by Trial and Error

Religion and science are both examples of mankind’s desire to know the truth. But there is a significant difference between how religious truth is sought on the one hand and scientific truth on the other. A searcher for religious truth will probably turn to the Holy Bible, the Koran, the Talmud, the Vedas, or the Tripitaka, depending on whether he is a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, or a Buddhist. There he will find what is considered by his religion to be a revelation of religious truth, possibly deriving from a divine source and therefore viewed as a final authority.

However, the searcher for scientific truth has no such final authority to turn to​—neither a book nor an individual. Scientific truth is not revealed; it is discovered. This necessitates a system of trial and error, with the searcher for scientific truth often finding himself in a fruitless endeavor. But by systematically following four steps, he pursues a fruitful search. (See box “Arriving at Truth the Scientific Way.”) Nevertheless, scientific victories are celebrated on the ruins of scientific defeats as formerly accepted views are rejected to make way for new ones viewed as more nearly correct.

Despite this hit-and-miss method, scientists have over the centuries built up an amazing amount of scientific knowledge. Although often mistaken, they have been able to correct many inaccurate conclusions before serious damage was done. In fact, as long as faulty knowledge stays within the realm of pure science, the danger of inflicting serious harm is minimal. But when attempts are made to transform seriously flawed pure science into applied science, the results can be disastrous.

Take, for example, the scientific know-how that made possible the development of insecticides. These were highly valued until further scientific research revealed that some of them leave residues harmful to human health. In certain communities near the Aral sea, located in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, a link has been established between the widespread use of such insecticides and a rate of esophageal cancer seven times the national average.

Because of the convenience they offered, aerosol sprays became quite popular​—until scientific investigation suggested that they were contributing to the destruction of the earth’s protective ozone layer, more quickly, in fact, than was once thought. Therefore, the search for scientific truth is an ongoing operation. Scientific “truths” of today may be tomorrow’s mistaken, and possibly even dangerous, ideas of yesterday.

Why Science Should Interest Us

Science and technology have had much to do with creating the structure of our modern world. Frederick Seitz, former president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, said: “Science, which started out primarily as an adventure of the mind, is now becoming one of the principal pillars of our way of life.” Thus, scientific research has today become synonymous with progress. Anyone questioning the latest scientific developments runs the risk of being labeled “antiprogressive.” After all, what some call scientific progress is to them what separates the civilized from the uncivilized.

Small wonder, then, that 20th-century British poet W. H. Auden observed: “The true men of action in our time, those who transform the world, are not the politicians and statesmen, but the scientists.”

Few people would deny that the world needs transforming. But is science up to the task? Can it discover the scientific truths necessary to cope with the unique challenges posed by the 21st century? And can these truths be learned fast enough to free humans from the fear of an impending global catastrophe?

Two-time Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling said: “Everyone who lives in the world needs to have some understanding of the nature and effects of science.” It is for the purpose of providing our readers with some of this necessary understanding that we present the series “Science​—Mankind’s Ongoing Search for Truth.” Be sure to read Part 2, in our next issue.

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Picture on page 7]

ARRIVING AT TRUTH THE SCIENTIFIC WAY

1. Observe what happens.

2. Based on those observations, form a theory as to what may be true.

3. Test the theory by further observations and by experiments.

4. Watch to see if the predictions based on the theory come true.

[Box/​Pictures on page 8]

SCIENCES DEFINED

ANTHROPOLOGY is the study of humans as viewed from biological, social, and cultural standpoints.

ASTRONOMY is the study of stars, planets, and other natural objects in space.

BIOLOGY is the study of how living things work and the classification of plants and animals.

BOTANY, one of the two main branches of biology, is the study of plant life.

CHEMISTRY is the study of the properties and composition of substances and the way they react with one another.

MATHEMATICS is the study of numbers, quantities, shapes, and relationships.

PHYSICS is the study of forces and qualities such as light, sound, pressure, and gravity.

PSYCHOLOGY is the study of the human mind and the reasons for human behavior.

ZOOLOGY, the second main branch of biology, is the study of animal life.

Home Schooling​—Is It for You?

“AN ECCENTRICITY that has become a national movement.” That is how Time magazine recently described home schooling in the United States​—a growing trend championed by parents who believe that the best education a child can receive is available in his or her own living room, not in the traditional classroom.

Still viewed by some as eccentric or even revolutionary, home schooling is, nevertheless, winning more advocates every year. Researchers say the home-schooling ranks have swelled from about 15,000 in 1970 to 500,000 in 1990. Some home-schooling advocates claim that more than a million families in the United States are now schooling their children at home.

Support groups for home schoolers have also sprouted up in Australia, Canada, England, Germany, Japan, and New Zealand, indicating that interest in home schooling is spreading around the globe.

Why are so many parents making the decision to teach their children at home? How effective is home schooling? Is it a choice worth considering for your family?

In its basic concept, home schooling is not as radical as it may seem. “Home, not the school, was the original educational system,” suggest Raymond and Dorothy Moore in their book Home-Spun Schools. “Until the last century, most children who went to school started at twelve or later.”

Notable persons, such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Edison, and Albert Einstein, were schooled at home. In fact, compulsory-school-attendance laws were not introduced in the United States until late in the 19th century. So, according to author and home-school parent Kerri Bennett Williamson, home schooling is, not just a recent fad, but “an old educational standard.” Indeed, home schooling was the standard for most people in Bible times.

Why They Do It

Interestingly, the National Catholic Reporter estimates that from 50 to 90 percent of U.S. parents who practice home schooling do so for religious reasons. These parents are generally concerned about protecting their children from what they perceive as atheistic influences in the schools. “The backbone of the home-school movement is the Christian Fundamentalist community, which believes that religion is either abused or ignored in the classroom,” said Time magazine.

Other parents have pulled their children from public schools to safeguard them from exposure to damaging immoral influences at an early age. “Things were getting pretty out of hand with immorality in the schools,” said one Christian man who decided several years ago that he and his wife would school their children at home. “We were concerned about our children and about the sad state of affairs in the school.”

Sometimes, parents choose home schooling for educational rather than ideological reasons. They are fed up with overcrowded classrooms, low academic standards, and safety problems prevalent in many public schools. Disappointed by the often lackluster results of institutional teaching, they believe that they can help their children more by giving the one-on-one attention that home schooling makes possible.

Explaining why some prefer home schooling, the book Home Schools: An Alternative states: “Parents [who school at home] have 100% involvement with their children . . . They can devote their attention to their own child’s education.”

Does It Work?

Those who advocate home schooling say that children learn more effectively at home because lessons are woven into every aspect of the family’s daily activity. “Many families begin with a mathematics textbook, but then discover that lessons can be learned through everyday experiences,” writes Jane A. Avner in School Library Journal. “Shopping and checkbook balancing, for example, can help their students comprehend money management, while home repairs make for an excellent primer in measurement.”

How effective has home schooling proved to be? Some studies have shown that home schoolers generally earn scores at or above the national average on standardized achievement tests. But such results do not necessarily prove that home schoolers are better off than conventionally schooled children.

“The present evidence is inconclusive,” says the book The Home School Manual. “The primary problem with all of these studies is that test scores from a significant proportion of homeschoolers are not available to the researcher.”

There is “virtually no empirical evidence available” to prove conclusively that home schooling is an academically superior educational method, The Home School Manual explains. “While homeschoolers commonly do well, the proper research design would need to show that any difference is not due to other factors.”

Many Still Skeptical

Home schooling is not without its critics. Many school officials have expressed concern over the inconsistent quality of education being offered through home-school efforts. Time magazine put it this way: “Good intentions do not automatically translate into solid education.”

For that reason school districts are sometimes uncooperative, or even antagonistic, when parents announce plans to teach their own children. While some school districts in recent years have made an effort to work more closely with those who do home schooling, other educational authorities remain skeptical. Both the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Education Association (NEA) have taken a stance against home schooling, fearing that some parents may not be capable of providing adequate home education. According to the NEA’s official position statement, “home-schooling programs cannot provide the student with a comprehensive educational experience.”

Home-schooling advocates say that parents don’t need college credentials to be good teachers. “Parents need not know all the answers in order to encourage their children to seek after answers to their own questions,” says the book Home Schooling​—Answering Questions. Children can be directed to appropriate source materials. Parents and children can learn together. And where advanced training or expertise is required, private tutors can be hired on a part-time basis.

Critics also claim that home-schooled children are too isolated and are deprived of normal interaction with other children their own age. Again, this is a judgment that advocates soundly reject. “These children are not socially isolated,” said Brian Ray, director of the National Home Education Research Institute. “Home schoolers usually take field trips to the zoo or to the art museum. They play in the neighborhood just like other children. The idea that they’re locked up in a closet from eight in the morning until ten at night just isn’t right.”

Is It for You?

Home schooling takes, “not just courage, but stamina, inventiveness, and steady nerves,” says Christianity Today. So if you are contemplating home schooling, think realistically about the commitment involved. Diligent effort and good organization will be needed to keep up with chores and other family responsibilities in addition to providing a daily academic program for the children. “You might be working so hard you’ll feel like quitting,” Ray said. “It’s very demanding.”

Next, find out the home-schooling laws in your area. For example, in the United States, home schooling is legal in all 50 states, but the levels of regulation vary considerably. In some places, teaching your child at home simply means notifying the local school superintendent and filling out a one-page form. In other states, a parent must be a certified teacher to qualify for home schooling. Determine what local policy is so that you can comply with all the legal requirements.

Then, consider the cost. Shopping for teaching materials presents one of the greatest challenges in home schooling​—especially if funds are limited. “You are a sitting duck for educational suppliers,” warns A Survivor’s Guide to Home Schooling.

While some suppliers charge a modest tuition fee, other home-teaching programs cost hundreds of dollars. Standardized tests, which home schoolers are required to take annually in some states, can cost up to $50 each. New textbooks, work booklets, and other materials will be needed year after year, so a carefully planned home-school budget is a must.

Of course, not all parents are willing or able to expend the time, effort, and money that experts say are required to make home schooling a success. “Home schooling is not for everyone,” said one 14-year-old girl who began home schooling when she was 7. “It takes the right circumstances, the right attitudes, and the right parents.” Self-discipline​—by parent and child—​can be added to the list too. The man quoted earlier said that to make home schooling work, “it takes a strong commitment.” He continued: “The real challenge is being able to devote the time to doing it and following through with it.”

Even ardent supporters of home education admit that home schooling is sometimes done in an ineffective or even irresponsible manner. Indeed, every year there are some home-school efforts that fail, leaving children ill-prepared to face future academic challenges.

Further, parents should not deceive themselves into thinking that home schooling alone will protect their children from the immoral influences found in the public schools. There is no way for anyone to be completely shielded from contact with the world. Many factors beyond formal schooling shape a child’s thinking, including parental example, associations, entertainment, and both personal and family Bible study. Without diligent training in all these areas, no educational system will prove successful in raising Christian children.

True, some parents have felt that home schooling has contributed to the spiritual progress of their children. But it should not be forgotten that many Christian youths who are attending public schools are making fine spiritual progress as well. In many cases, parents have had good results in working closely with their local school district to ensure that their children get a quality education.

Parents, who are ultimately responsible for the proper education and training of their own children, need to decide for themselves the type of schooling they feel will most benefit their family. So weigh all the factors carefully before deciding if you are ready to take on the challenge of teaching your children at home.

[Blurb on page 12]

“Children should be on a time schedule just as if they were in school.”​—C. F. L., parent who taught daughter at home

[Pictures on page 10]

Only you can decide which is best for your child ​—public schooling or home schooling

Young People Ask . . .

What Can I Do About So Much Homework?

“Too much schoolwork” has been cited as one of the most common causes of stress among young people

“If you’re not well organized, you lose a lot of time deciding what you’re going to do next”

‘WE DON’T have enough time!’ So complained one group of high school students. The cause of this problem? The demands of school and homework. “I start school at 8:00 a.m. and finish at 5:30,” says young Véronique. “By the time I get home, it’s 6:30. It’s hard. Parents think that being in school is a wonderful life. They don’t understand that school is tiring and stressful, and then when we get home, there’s the homework.” Seventeen-year-old Sandrine adds: “I spend from two to three hours a night on my homework, plus the weekends.”

Véronique and Sandrine live in France, where students have one of the longest school days in Europe. Students in many other lands likewise feel stressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed by all the demands on their time. “Too much schoolwork” has been cited as one of the most common causes of stress among young people.

Since it is harder than ever to find employment in most parts of the world, many young people see getting a good education as crucial to their future in the working world. As Violaine, a high school student, puts it: “The opportunities for getting a decent job have become so hard to come by that kids today realize there’s only one thing to do​—STUDY!”

Not Enough Time?

Nevertheless, those who do well in school know that it takes a lot of time and energy. And if you are a Christian youth, you have extra demands on your time: attending Christian meetings, studying the Bible, and sharing your faith with others. (John 17:3; Romans 10:10; Hebrews 10:24, 25) The Bible further says that there is “a time to laugh” and have a good time. (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 4; 11:9) Like most youths, you probably want to have at least some time for recreation and relaxation. But schoolwork may seem to leave you with little time to do the things you need to accomplish​—much less do the things you’d like to do.

Often, though, the problem is not simply a lack of time. A recent study revealed that two of the major reasons why high school students had academic problems were their “poor use of time” and “lack of organization.” As a youth named Olivier discovered, poor personal organization can affect more than your grades. He says: “If you’re not well organized, you lose a lot of time deciding what you’re going to do next.” How, then, can you get yourself organized?

A Balanced View of Schoolwork

First of all, you must put your schoolwork in perspective. The Bible tells us to “make sure of the more important things.” (Philippians 1:10) And when you think about it, what really should be the most important thing in your life? Should it not be your spiritual obligations? After all, Jesus told his followers: “Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness.” (Matthew 6:33) That means giving priority to Christian meetings, prayer, study, and the work of preaching to others.

Does this mean that schoolwork is unimportant? Not at all. But as a Christian, your goal in pursuing an education should not be to equip yourself for some secular career. Rather, it should be to learn skills that will prove useful to you in your career as a minister of God. At the same time, you are preparing yourself to be able to hold a job and support yourself, and perhaps a family some day. (1 Thessalonians 4:11, 12; 1 Timothy 5:8) Knowing this should help you to strive to do your very best in school. At the same time, you need to put forth reasonable efforts to keep yourself strong spiritually.

“Buying out the opportune time” for spiritual obligations, chores, recreation, and schoolwork, can be a real challenge, but it can be done.​—Ephesians 5:15, 16.

The Value of Establishing a Routine

One way to buy out time is to become more efficient in the way you study. Chapter 18 of the book Questions Young People Ask​—Answers That Work offers a number of helpful suggestions.a For instance, have you tried to develop a schedule or set a routine for your schoolwork?​—Compare Philippians 3:16.

“By far the most common difficulty in study,” writes Harry Maddox in his book How to Study, “is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work.” What about you? Do you put off doing your homework until you are in the mood​—or when it seems more convenient? Warns Ecclesiastes 11:4: “He that is watching the wind will not sow seed; and he that is looking at the clouds will not reap.”

Harry Maddox further observes: “It is fatally easy to dribble time away. If you do not impose set hours on yourself you are more than likely to spend the time when you should be studying in watching T.V., reading a magazine, . . . or in doing any of those hundred and one things which weak students are ready to do rather than get down to work. If you have a schedule and mean to stick to it, it has all the force of a law which must not be disobeyed, and in time adherence to it becomes effortless, and you begin to regard it as a natural part of your life.”

If you handle your schoolwork in a well-organized and disciplined manner, you will likely have more time on your hands. Good planning on your part can also help you prevent conflicts between completing your school assignments and meeting your Christian obligations, such as attending congregation meetings.

Organize Your Time!

What about the other things you want and need to get accomplished, such as household chores? Here too, getting organized is the key. Try applying the following suggestions:

Keep a list of things to do. Time-management consultant Stephanie Winston recommends carrying a pocket-size notebook with you at all times. Use it to record “every idea, assignment, call, project, task, or errand​—large or small, minor or important—​as it arises.” At first glance, your list may seem overwhelming, but using the following suggestions, you can whittle it down to a more manageable size.

Put things in priority order. This can help you focus on the things that really need to be done. At the same time, you can eliminate the things that can wait or that you simply do not have time to do.

Prepare a schedule. Yes, transform your list into a plan of action​—a written schedule. A small pocket calendar, or diary, may serve you well in this regard. Far from restricting your freedom, a well-balanced schedule will enable you to have better control of your time.

Be realistic. Through trial and error, work out when it is best to do certain things. You may find it advantageous, for example, to schedule your homework sessions as early as possible in the day, when you are still alert mentally.

Realize, though, that you don’t have to plan every moment of your life. Keep your schedule flexible, leaving room for the unexpected and the spontaneous. Make adjustments as needed, but stick to your schedule as much as possible. Note: It is usually best to overestimate the amount of time you will need to accomplish a particular task. You can always adjust if you finish early.

Set your own deadlines. This helps you avoid the tendency to wait until the last minute to get something done. If you have a school project, try to set a completion date that is well in advance of the date it is due to be turned in.

Discipline yourself to stick to your schedule. It can be tempting to go over to a friend’s house when you need to stay home to study for final exams. But sow sparingly when it comes to your studies, and you may reap poor grades later on. (Compare 2 Corinthians 9:6.) Besides, you will usually enjoy your free time more if you have got your work out of the way. A helpful principle is, Important things first, fun things later.

Scheduling and organizing yourself will take time, patience, and considerable self-discipline, but Christians are told to exercise self-control in all things. (1 Corinthians 9:25) Learning to stick to a schedule is good practice in applying this principle. The results may be the satisfaction of accomplishment, more control over your life, and more time to do the things you want and need to do.

[Footnotes]

[Picture on page 15]

Establish a study schedule and stick to it

Neither Snow nor Rain nor Volume Halts the Mail

“As long as there are postmen, life will have zest.”​—William James, U.S. philosopher (1842-1910)

ALMOST everyone has an annoying tale to tell about mail service. The letter he mailed arrived weeks or even months later than expected, postage rates are rising too fast, or the line at the post office is exasperating. Back in October 1966, catastrophe threatened a postal system. A U.S. Postal Service spokesman told Awake! that “the then largest U.S. postal facility, at the crossroads in Chicago, was virtually shut down when it became jammed and was unable to handle the mail.”

What has been done to ensure that the mail flow does not stop and that your letter will get through? Is there anything you can do to improve the service you receive? Have letter-delivery methods and dependability changed significantly over the centuries?

Ancient Postal Service

The earliest organized postal services were exclusively for governmental use. Such systems existed in ancient China, Egypt, Assyria, Persia, and Greece. The Roman postal system was named cursus publicus, literally “public way”; however, it was primarily the government’s exclusive service. Interestingly, letters by the Bible writer Paul to the congregations in Ephesus and Colossae, and to Philemon were sent by private arrangements and not by the Roman government postal service.​—Ephesians 6:21, 22; Colossians 4:7-9; Philemon 21, 22.

While transportation and delivery of correspondence changed very little until the 19th century, views about controlling or eliminating private mail services began to evolve earlier. Why? Because authorities felt a need for jurisdiction over private communications. In his book The Universal Postal Union, George A. Codding, Jr., offers two major reasons for the creation of a government monopoly over postal services. First, the revenue was “an excellent means of subsidizing the official service.” Second, the security provided was an aid in controlling communications by the State’s enemies.

Thus, the French Royal Post began to handle some public mail in 1464. In 1635, Charles I of England opened the Royal Mail service to the populace. Other governments acted similarly and thereby monopolized postal service, taking control of this exchange between people.

Britain regulated the early American system, much as the Roman Empire had extended its postal network into Britain. The Roman system duplicated much of the Persian arrangement, which was a postal system of mounted couriers working in relays that was instituted in the sixth century B.C.E. Thus, characteristics of many postal systems can be traced to Persia.

The colonial American postal system officially began handling overseas mail in 1639, and domestic mail, between Boston and New York City, in 1673. That short-lived mail route came to be called Boston Post Road, now part of U.S. Highway 1. By the middle of the 19th century, mail was being transported by stagecoach, steamboat, and railroad. Delivery of mail to San Francisco, California, from New York City took about a month or more by ship and much longer by stagecoach.

The Pony Express

To speed up transcontinental delivery in the United States, something other than stagecoach or ship was needed. What would solve the problem? The centuries-old method of post rider and horse was used. History of the U.S. Postal Service 1775-1984 quotes newspaper advertisements from March 1860:

“Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over 18. Must be expert riders willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.”

Those hired “had to swear on a Bible not to ‘cuss,’ fight, or abuse their animals and to conduct themselves honestly.” This was the famous pony express, which reduced the delivery time to ten days on the 2,000 mile [3,200 km] route between St. Joseph, Missouri, and the west coast of the United States. Riding at top speed for 10 to 15 miles [15 to 25 km], then changing horses without delay, those young riders raced over mountains, plains, and rivers in all kinds of weather. Throughout the existence of the pony express, because of having the fastest horses, the daring couriers outraced Indians and highwaymen; however, one rider was killed.

Legend has magnified this bold postal service, which ran only from April 3, 1860, until October 26, 1861. It went out of business with the beginning of transcontinental telegraph service, thus ending one of the most colorful chapters in American postal history.

Modern Methods

Let us mail a letter today and see how it is handled. Delivery time may vary depending on the way you make use of the service.

As you finish your business for the day, the accumulated correspondence is mailed. Since this is the routine for most of us, a flood of mail enters the postal stream in the latter part of the day. Thus, mailing earlier in the day gives you the advantage of a few hours and puts your pieces in front of the daily tide. In 1991, the average daily volume of this mail flow in the United States was 454 million pieces, with 13.3 million for New York City; France, 71 million pieces, with 5.5 million for Paris; Japan, 62.5 million, with 17 million for Tokyo; and Britain, 60 million.

Letters mailed at a deposit box on the street or in a small post office are brought to a larger post office. Depositing your mail just prior to collection times and, if practical, near the larger offices improves delivery time.

At the local post office, your letter is bagged, and then it is trucked to a postal facility called a sectional center, where automatic mail-sorting equipment is used. Here, by means of ingeniously designed machines, letters are flipped and turned automatically as they proceed on conveyor belts through culling, facing, canceling, sorting, and stacking. One such device, called a facer-canceler machine, zips through 27,000 letters an hour for cancellation and postmarking.

During the afternoon and on into the night, the outgoing mail is sorted. Letters with easily readable addresses​—typed, printed, or hand-lettered—​may be sorted by machine. Newer machines decipher two lines containing ZIP or postal code; city, state, or province; and street address.

Such machines and related equipment can automatically “read” addresses and print special mailing codes on thousands of letters an hour. First-class letter mail that cannot be processed by machines must be manually sorted, at an average of 800 pieces an hour. An easily readable address, with a ZIP code in the United States (postal or postcode in many other countries) allows your letter to be processed by the faster, more efficient methods.

Outgoing mail is dispatched by air or surface transportation. First-class mail is normally delivered overnight to specified cities and sectional centers, in two days to locally designated states, and in three days to anywhere else in the United States. In Britain, 90 percent of first-class mail should be delivered the next working day and 97.4 percent of second-class mail by the third day. French postal surveys published in May 1992 show that 81 percent of domestic letters were delivered overnight and that 96.3 percent of postal items were delivered within two days, excluding Sundays and holidays. Thus, late at night this outgoing mail becomes incoming at area-mail processing facilities and then at the destination post office. Through the night and into early morning, incoming mail is sorted for delivery.

Larger postal customers, such as the Watchtower Society, prepare their mail so that the post office can accept it by tractor-trailer load at the sender’s plant. This mail is transported by the post office directly cross-country to postal delivery personnel. Postal services are making greater use of competitive means of communications, such as electronic mail (E-mail; data sent by computer over telecommunications lines). The French system dispatched ten million pieces of remote printing (E-mail) last year.

Though postal procedures may vary among countries, most of the world’s mail is processed similarly to what we have described for the U.S. Postal Service, which handles 40 percent of the world’s mail volume.

Other Postal Services

Postal systems provide more services than just mail processing. A U.S. post office will help you obtain a passport. You may bank in a Japanese post office or with the British Girobank (formerly owned by the British postal service). Also, mailed merchandise may be insured or registered to cover the cost if lost or damaged. If a mailed piece requires only proof of mailing or delivery, sending it certified may cost less than if registered. People may obtain life insurance from the Japanese postal service.

Upon request, some postal services, such as that of the United States, will provide you with available address-correction information. Write “Address Correction Requested” or “Do Not Forward” on the front of the envelope just below the return address. At no additional charge, first-class mail will be returned to you with the new address (if less than one year old) or other reason for nondelivery.

For these and other services, the world is very dependent on the postal system. The report Evaluation of the United States Postal Service says: “The Postal Service is doing a good job handling an enormous volume of mail, but the errors which cannot be eliminated should continue to be acknowledged so that the public will know what it is realistic to expect of the mails.” In the United States, if just 5 percent of the nearly 250,000,000 pieces of first-class daily volume is delayed, it amounts to over 12,000,000 pieces each day. This makes for many complaints of late delivery.

Troublesome economic conditions have affected postal systems. Rising rates, damaged items, delayed mail, and modern technology fostered increased competition with government-controlled services. Although innovative handling methods have improved mail processing, the pressures on all institutions make critical times for the postal systems. The U.S. Postal Service had a revenue deficit of some $1,500,000,000 for 1991. Drastic measures, such as large mail-rate increases and personnel reductions, may be necessary to continue the present service.

From a trickle in ancient times to a flooding stream today, the mail flow continues despite the problems, thus satisfying an inherent need to communicate.​—Contributed by a postal worker.

[Box/​Picture on page 18]

Mail Delivery Persian-Style

The setting is the ancient empire of Persia. Written documents were carefully prepared, officially sealed, and dispatched by the government’s postal service. Many lives would be lost if the orders were not delivered immediately and acted upon promptly. But how would the mail be delivered? The “letters were sent by mounted couriers riding on horses from the royal stables. . . . So the couriers, mounted on their royal horses, were dispatched posthaste at the king’s urgent command,” states The New English Bible, at Esther 8:10, 14.

Those dependable relay riders, with horses stationed at approximately 14-mile [23 km] intervals, were the preferred means to deliver King Ahasuerus’ counterdecree that would save the Jews from genocide during the fifth century B.C.E. Historian Herodotus said that these letter carriers were not “hindered from accomplishing at their best speed the distance which they have to go, either by snow, or rain, or heat, or by the darkness of night.” This was the everyday governmental communications system that ran throughout the Persian Empire.

[Picture on page 17]

Machines automatically read and sort thousands of letters an hour

[Credit Line]

USPS Photo

Millions Are Suffering​—Can They Be Helped?

By an Awake! correspondent in Africa

IF YOU had the power, would you eliminate human suffering? Of course you would​—if you had the power! The reality is that no human has the means to put an end to all the pain and anguish in the world.

Yet, you may have the power to help reduce, and even prevent, some of the suffering going on around you. For example, it is estimated that, in various lands, tens of millions of women are suffering much pain and anguish as a result of an old and deeply entrenched tradition. According to the tradition, well-intentioned parents arrange for the removal of part or most of their daughters’ genitalia. It has been called female circumcision.a But most experts are now calling it FGM (female genital mutilation), a term that more accurately describes this procedure.

The Hosken Report on FGM informs us that genital mutilation is a practice in a large region stretching from East Africa to West Africa and in some adjacent areas. This painful mutilation of females brings health problems and can be life threatening.

Voices Have Been Raised

It has not been easy to speak out against this practice. The Kenya newspaper The Standard noted that FGM “has been largely surrounded by secrecy. It has been difficult and sometimes dangerous for those women or men who want to stop the operations, to speak out against the practice. They are frequently accused of being anti-tradition, anti-family, anti-religion, anti-national, or of rejecting their own people and culture.”

The same African newspaper explains that FGM “is not a ‘harmless cultural practice’ but a major cause of permanent physical damage and death to women and girl children . . . It violates the right of every girl child to develop physically in a healthy and normal way.”

Throughout Africa and internationally, many others are raising their voices in an effort to educate people about this practice. It inflicts pain and mutilation on girls, even from infancy, and has no medical justification whatsoever.

The number of permanent, painful disabilities and reported deaths have alarmed health officials and governments of many nations. It is even suggested that FGM may play a part in the transmission of AIDS in Africa. And because of the influx of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East to Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States, this mutilation of females is becoming a public-health issue in some Western health-care facilities. Not to be overlooked are the costs for ongoing treatment of the physical complications and, in many cases, psychological damage.

Legislation has and is being enacted to curb this custom. England, France, Italy, and Sweden are some of the European countries where FGM is illegal. The Globe and Mail of Canada reported that FGM “has been banned by the regulatory body that governs Ontario’s doctors.” Further, it was stated: “Although Canadian law does not directly mention female circumcision or infibulation, federal officials have said such practices would be considered a form of child abuse or aggravated assault.”

A number of international organizations such as the World Health Organization have worked to discourage FGM. A milestone was reached in September 1990, when world leaders, including the presidents of African countries, such as Senegal, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, met in New York to sign the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This document condemns female circumcision as torture and sexual abuse.

London’s Economist reported: “Female circumcision​—more properly called genital mutilation—​remains one of the great unmentionable African horrors. According to a report by the London-based Minority Rights Group, . . . tens of millions of girls are affected every year.”

This publication went on to say: “The procedure varies from mildly painful to gruesome, and can involve the removal of the clitoris and other organs with knives, broken glass, and razors​—but rarely anaesthetic. It can lead to severe problems with menstruation, intercourse and childbirth, psychological disturbances and even death. . . . The practice continues thanks to superstitious fears of female sexuality, habit and the mistaken belief that it is hygienic.”

The Practice Survives

In one African country where many of the women have undergone this procedure, laws enacted in 1947 prohibit the most severe type of mutilation. But the ritual is still carried on. Why? Because millions of well-intentioned people continue to be misinformed and are deceived into believing that FGM is beneficial. For instance, elderly village women believe that it is for the girl’s good. This is why, as reported by the Nigerian newspaper The Guardian, the Minority Rights Group stated that it is necessary to “change the minds of the older women who perpetuate it.”

The magazine Nursing Times reasoned similarly: “Education is the only way you can really fight female circumcision.” And later, this same journal stated: “The whole problem can be eradicated only by raising the awareness of it, and educating men, as well as women.” Why educate men also? Because many fathers pay for the surgery so that they can marry off their daughters to men who won’t accept uncircumcised women.

Another reason that this mutilation continues involves money. The American Journal of Nursing states: “Circumcision is an important source of income for those involved in its performance; therefore, such people have a vested interest in perpetuating the practice.” Not only do older women get paid to perform this procedure but midwives and barbers do too. Nurses and physicians at some medical clinics will also do it to try to spare the girls some of the risks and trauma that come from unsanitary operations. However, regardless of who does it, it is still mutilation.

In some cases adult women submit to this operation again and again through their childbearing years. The New York Times International noted that “many women undergo a painful series of de-circumcisions and re-circumcisions after each childbirth. Scars from circumcisions are cut open before delivery and stitched together afterward. This causes severe hemorrhaging, prolongs delivery and increases the risk of fetal brain damage.”

The magazine New Scientist reported that many “little girls bleed to death because clumsy operators have cut into the pudendal artery or the dorsal artery of the clitoris. Others die of post-operative shock because no one knows how to resuscitate them and the hospital is too far, or those involved are reluctant to seek help because they are ashamed of the botched operations.”

Yet, the practice continues. Reports of FGM keep showing up in African and European newspapers. One African journal recently reported that “most of the victims of female genital mutilation are babies and girls. Although parents circumcise their daughters in the belief that it is right and necessary, the operation and its aftermath is comparable to torture.” According to the London newspaper The Independent (July 7, 1992), a recent survey revealed that “the practice was more widespread in the UK than previously believed.” In Britain more than 10,000 girls, “most of them aged eight or under, are estimated to be at risk of female circumcision.”

A Tradition Based on Falsehoods

Some believe the falsehood that the female genital organs are unclean and must be purified by cutting them away. They think that only men have the right to enjoy sexual pleasure. It is also believed that FGM improves fertility, discourages sexual immorality, and increases a girl’s chances for marriage. “Ironically,” notes Time magazine, “the frigidity or infertility caused by the mutilation leads many husbands to shun their brides.”

Not believing that female circumcision will prevent women from being promiscuous, participants in a recent conference of the Inter-African Committee, held in Lagos, Nigeria, stated that early moral training is much more beneficial. Wrong actions can be prevented by education, not mutilation. To illustrate: Should we cut off the arms of babies to keep them from growing up to be thieves? Or cut out their tongues so that they will never say bad things?

One Nigerian couple refused to circumcise their daughter. This infuriated the husband’s mother, who felt that the child would grow up to become promiscuous. But with good moral upbringing, the girl remained chaste. In contrast, some other children known by this family, whose parents did not take the time to impart good morals to them, ended up being quite promiscuous even though circumcised. Now the grandmother has become convinced that the important thing is, not circumcision or the lack of it, but the inculcating of God’s moral laws in children.

If we love our daughters, we will reason on the bad consequences of FGM on their lives and not promote or encourage this practice in any way. This will take courage because in some places fear of community pressure to conform to this tradition is intense.

A Religious Connection

The history of female mutilation is enlightening. The practice is centuries old and is even evident among the mummies of ancient Egypt. The journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery notes: “Female circumcision was practiced in ancient Egypt and relates to the Pharaonic belief in bisexuality of gods.” To this day, the name of the most severe type of this mutilation is Pharaonic circumcision.

In some places, ancient religious ceremonies are connected with FGM. An African authority explained that one particular ceremony is considered an act of communion with an ancestral god, whose protection is invoked to help the girls through the actual operation and at the same time to give them the wisdom of their forefathers.​—Compare 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

It is not difficult to understand why true Christians living in countries where FGM is practiced do not observe this tradition. There is nothing in the Bible that even hints at the need to perform such a mutilating operation on women. It is clear that the Creator designed the female to be able to enjoy sexual pleasure within the marital arrangement. Female genital mutilation does not harmonize with the principles of love, empathy, and reasonableness promoted in the Holy Scriptures.​—Ephesians 5:28, 29; Philippians 4:5.

Most important, the God of love, Jehovah, is saddened by this unreasonable mutilation and the resultant suffering of millions of women and little girls. How glad we are that he has promised a new world where no one will suffer!​—Revelation 21:3, 4.

[Footnotes]

[Box on page 21]

What About Male Circumcision?

Some may raise the question, Is not male circumcision a mutilation of the body as well? The Bible states that at one time God made the circumcision of males mandatory. Later, with the establishment of the Christian congregation, circumcision was no longer a requirement, although not prohibited. It is left up to each individual to decide whether he will submit himself or his sons to circumcision or not.

Today, male circumcision is practiced in many places. True, the operation involves the surgical removal of flesh. But this procedure is in no way a counterpart of FGM. As a rule, men do not experience adverse side effects after circumcision. In contrast, normal female functions, such as menstruation, intercourse, childbirth, and the elimination of urine, are often accompanied by lifelong excruciating agony as a result of FGM. Also, extremely complicated childbirth has caused serious birth defects in and even the death of many newborns.

How many men would subject themselves or their sons to a procedure that mutilated the penis so as to prevent all sensation during intercourse and that caused persistent pain and health hazards throughout life? Clearly, there is no comparison between male circumcision and FGM.

[Box on page 23]

An African Girl Speaks Out

‘I was eight years old when I was circumcised. I’m 11 now, but I still remember the operation so well. Even to think about it makes me upset, and sometimes I have terrible dreams. Most days I’m a happy person, but when I think about it, I start to feel dead inside.

‘I was really happy when I first heard about it. My family and my relatives were going to give me many presents. I didn’t know what the circumcision operation was, and I didn’t think that it was going to hurt.

‘My excitement vanished. I started crying and became really scared. There were four women holding my arms and legs. One woman covered my mouth with her hand. I tried to free myself, but they were stronger than I was and forced me down again. It hurt so much.

‘When the knife cut into me, there was blood everywhere. I never thought that anything could hurt that much. Afterward they covered the wound with a mixture of eggs and sugar. Then they tied my legs together. I was carried back to the car. I cried all the way back to the village.’​—Excerpt taken from Kenya newspaper The Standard.

[Picture Credit Line on page 20]

WHO/​OXFAM

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Must We Pay Our Vows?

AN OTHERWISE happily married couple faces an agonizing problem. Years ago, when they were deeply mired in a thorny family dilemma, they vowed to donate one tenth of their income to God if he would pull them out of their troubles. Now, well advanced in years and saddled with unexpected money problems, they wonder, “Are we compelled to fulfill this vow?”

Their predicament underscores the wise man’s counsel against overhastiness in speech: “Better it is that you vow not than that you vow and do not pay. Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, neither say before the angel that it was a mistake.”​—Ecclesiastes 5:5, 6.

No Lame Excuses

Even though frivolous oaths and evasive promises are the norm in today’s permissive society, we cannot expect God to believe contrived excuses; even businesspeople know better than that. Laments the article “Business Integrity: An Oxymoron?” in the trade journal Industry Week: “We no longer trust people to tell the truth, to do what is right rather than expedient, to live up to their commitments.” While convenient falsehoods, such as “the check is in the mail,” might buy time with human creditors, angels are never deceived.

This is not to say that God uses angels to enforce vows in the way that an unscrupulous loan shark might use thugs to extort usury payments from hapless victims. Rather, God lovingly makes his angels “spirits for [upbuilding] public service, sent forth to minister for those who are going to inherit salvation.” (Hebrews 1:14) As such, angels can and do play a part in answering our sincere prayers.

However, if we continue to make empty promises in our prayers, can we rightly expect God’s blessings? The wise man states: “Why should the true God become indignant on account of your voice and have to wreck [to some extent, at least] the work of your hands?”​—Ecclesiastes 5:6b.

Thus, it is not the fear of an avenging angel that should move us to pay our vows rather than make excuses. Instead, we should value a good relationship with God and honestly desire God’s favor on our activity. As the above-mentioned couple beautifully expressed it: “We want to have a clean conscience before God and want to act according to his will.”

Keep a Good Conscience

In order to have a clean conscience about paying a vow, we must be honest with ourselves. To illustrate: Suppose someone owed you a large sum of money but because of some misfortune found himself unable to repay you. Which would please you more​—if he shrugged off the whole debt as impossible to repay or if he at least arranged to pay you small, regular amounts as he was able?

By the same reasoning, suppose a hasty vow to devote one’s full time or other resources to proper Christian activities simply cannot be kept. Should we not feel duty-bound to come as close to complying as present circumstances allow? “If the readiness is there first,” Paul wrote, “it is especially acceptable” whether we have much to give or only a little. (2 Corinthians 8:12) But what about vows made before one had an accurate knowledge of Bible truth?

Wrong or Unscriptural Vows

If we learn that a vow is unclean or immoral, we should drop it like a hot coal! (2 Corinthians 6:16-18) Examples of unclean vows are:

◻ Vows made to false gods or goddesses, such as the Babylonian “queen of the heavens.”​—Jeremiah 44:23, 25.

◻ Unlawful vows, like the oath of 40 men not to take a bite of food until they had killed the apostle Paul.​—Acts 23:13, 14.

◻ Apostate vows that follow the “teachings of demons, by . . . men who speak lies . . . , forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be partaken of with thanksgiving by those who have faith and accurately know the truth.”​—1 Timothy 4:1-3.

So, obviously, we may have to declare some past vows void. But as to vows that involved nothing unscriptural, why look for loopholes? Should not our present accurate knowledge make us show greater respect than ever for past vows?

Consider Your Past and Future Vows

It also follows that we should think soberly before adding any future vows to our worship. Vows should not be used simply to motivate a person to do or not do something, such as increase one’s time spent in Christian worship or refrain from overeating. Jesus, though, did not object to all oaths, as, for example, when required in a court of law. But he apparently drew the line with regard to indiscriminate oaths, for he cautioned: “It was said to those of ancient times, ‘You must not swear without performing, but you must pay your vows to Jehovah.’ However, I say to you: Do not swear at all.” (Matthew 5:33, 34) Why did he take this position? Had vows become less appropriate than before?

Oaths by faithful ones of ancient times were often conditional. In solemn prayer they would promise Jehovah, ‘If you help me through this crisis, I will do such-and-such in your behalf.’ But Jesus said: “If you ask the Father for anything he will give it to you in my name.” Far from recommending conditional vows to faithful ones of his time, Jesus assured them: “Until this present time you have not asked a single thing in my name. Ask and you will receive.”​—John 16:23, 24.

This confidence in the name, or office, of Jesus should also comfort anyone who still feels guilty because​—try though he may—​he cannot fulfill what he promised God “thoughtlessly with his lips.” (Leviticus 5:4-6) So while not treating our former vows lightly, not only can we now pray in Jesus’ name but we can appeal to God to apply the ransom sacrifice of Jesus for our sins, and we can beg for forgiveness in Jesus’ name. Thus we can receive “the full assurance of faith, having had our hearts [cleansed] from a wicked conscience.”​—Hebrews 10:21, 22.

[Picture Credit Line on page 24]

Priests taking vows at Montmartre

Jumping Musicians of the Insect World

WE ADMIT to being creatures with voracious appetites. And yes, our appetites can raise the ire of farmers who view us as pests for destroying their crops. Nevertheless, we grasshoppers have some interesting characteristics​—how we jump, how we fly, how we climb, and how we make “music.”

Did you know, for example, that we have five eyes? Instead of having to wear bifocals as many humans do, we have three small eyes in the front of our head for close-up viewing. Our other two eyes are large and set farther back on the head, letting us see what is going on all around us. That is why we are able to keep a jump ahead of you. Wouldn’t you like to have eyes with such capabilities?

How good is our jumping prowess? We can jump ten times our own height and land about three feet away [0.9 m]. For a human to duplicate that, he would have to leap the height of a six-story building. Our secret is our very powerful muscles in the hind legs. They give us the kicking power to accomplish such feats.

Even after our initial jump out of your path, we can make it even harder for you to catch us by using the two pairs of wings all of us possess. The stiff upper wings perform the same function as airplane wings, whereas the more delicate underwings are used as a means of extra propulsion. Thus, by combining our skills of jumping and flying, we can usually fly far enough away to discourage your pursuit.

Do you find it difficult to climb a greasy pole? We don’t. In fact, we can run up a slippery blade of grass with barely a slip because of how the Creator designed our six feet. Minute pads on each foot have tiny hairs that give off a sticky fluid, helping us to get a firm grip on things. Additionally, each foot is equipped with two strong, spiked hooks that prevent us from slipping back on steep inclines. Yes, long before humans ever thought of mountain climbing, we were well equipped to climb.

The males of our clan are the musicians. The lady grasshoppers are duly impressed and consider them quite gifted. Yes, we can hear and respond to different sounds. Our ears are located on each side of the thorax. Thus, when in the mood, the male gently draws a raspy hind leg over the raised veins of a wing in the same way a violinist draws his bow across the strings of his violin. How relaxing on a warm midsummer day to lie in a grassy meadow and absorb the symphony from a thousand grasshoppers and crickets. Ah, the sound of summer!

Crossword Puzzle

Clues Across

1. Jesus said that this “will by no means pass away until all these things happen” (Mark 13:30)

7. A Roman soldier jabbed Jesus’ side with this after he found Him dead (John 19:34)

8. Peter said that Jehovah has been patient with mankind so that all may attain to this (2 Peter 3:9)

10. A place to which David sent spoils from his war with the Amalekites (1 Samuel 30:29)

11. Stop (Acts 8:38)

15. Widely used means of communication (2 Kings 10:1)

16. Fix indelibly (Daniel 9:24)

18. Hardest natural mineral (Ezekiel 3:9)

22. More than the usual (Psalm 90:10)

24. Flesh (Judges 6:19)

25. The first city mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 4:17)

28. The worship of this deity included the practice of child sacrifice (2 Kings 17:31)

29. Throw (John 15:6)

30. Observation post (2 Chronicles 20:24)

Clues Down

1. One of the three great divisions of the Levites (Numbers 3:17, 21)

2. To put forth sustained effort (Luke 13:24)

3. Noah built the first one mentioned in the Bible (Genesis 8:20)

4. A family that descended from Asher (Numbers 26:44)

5. The series of colors formed in a rainbow

6. Moses was in one when found by Pharaoh’s daughter (Exodus 2:5, 6)

9. The son of Jesus and an ancestor of Jesus Christ (Luke 3:28, 29)

12. Falter (Psalm 38:17)

13. Occupation that primarily uses traps, snares, and nets (Proverbs 6:5)

14. He honored his sons more than Jehovah (1 Samuel 2:27-29)

17. How women viewed barrenness in ancient times (Luke 1:25)

19. Assistance (Joel 1:14)

20. “Christ died ---- for all time” (1 Peter 3:18)

21. Brave and courageous (Hebrews 11:34)

23. The hill upon which Abner persuaded Joab to stop pursuing him, thus ending the battle (2 Samuel 2:24-28)

24. Men from here shared in making wicked Abimelech king (Judges 9:6)

26. An interjection of scorn (Isaiah 18:1)

27. To watch secretly for hostile purposes (Galatians 2:4)

Crossword Solutions Page 19

Solutions Across

1. GENERATION

7. SPEAR

8. REPENTANCE

10. RACAL

11. HALT

15. LETTERS

16. IMPRINT

18. DIAMOND

22. SPECIAL

24. MEAT

25. ENOCH

28. ANAMMELECH

29. PITCH

30. WATCHTOWER

Solutions down

1. GERSHONITES

2. EXERT

3. ALTAR

4. IMNITES

5. SPECTRUM

6. ARK

9. ER

12. LIMP

13. BIRDCATCHER

14. ELI

17. REPROACH

19. AID

20. ONCE

21. VALIANT

23. AMMAH

24. MILLO

26. HA

27. SPY

Watching the World

Disappearing Treasures

In the last 12 years, Russia has lost as much as 90 percent of its art treasures, such as paintings and icons, according to an investigative report in Moscow News. In 1990, customs officials confiscated a fortune in folk art, gold coins, and religious articles. However, that was only a fraction​—perhaps from 2 to 5 percent—​of all the smuggled goods. Moscow News alleges that about 40 smuggling gangs, organized largely in Germany and Italy, are currently at work in the country. They have the most valuable items cleaned and restored and then send them to be sold in wealthy countries.

Pardoned At Last

Pope John Paul II has granted Galileo a “solemn pardon.” Until now, the Catholic Church viewed the celebrated physicist as one “censured by the Holy Inquisition” in 1633 for insisting that the earth moves around the sun. Now, 360 years later, the pope sought to close the issue once and for all with a solemn speech before the Papal Academy of Sciences. But according to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, even on this occasion the pope did not hold back from reaffirming that Galileo was wrong on at least one count. It seems the physicist rejected a “suggestion” that he present his conclusions as a hypothesis until there was “irrefutable proof.”

Life on the Bottom Rung

India’s Mushars have “always stood at the bottom rung of the ladder” of society, said India Today recently. This community of untouchables, as their caste is referred to, number about three million, living predominately in the state of Bihar. Most, according to one 60-year-old Mushar, “do not know what a full meal means.” India Today vividly describes a group of Mushar children who, foraging the countryside for food, smoke an army of rats from their holes, club them, roast them, and eat them. In the local language, the magazine explains, “Mushar” means “rat catcher.”

Teenage Satanism

Satanism is gaining ground in schools in Johannesburg, South Africa. According to the newspaper The Star, one psychologist says she has treated a number of students affected by Satanism. Patients spoke of suburban covens that took drugs and practiced sex and sadomasochistic orgies. Contrary to stereotypes, she says, “these children look perfectly respectable.” A police officer told The Star that police are aware of satanic groups throughout the country. Satanism is not illegal, but the police follow up on crimes related to satanic rituals. They recently arrested a teenage girl and her boyfriend for the murder of a 38-year-old woman. Both were involved with Satanism, and they told the police that they committed the murder under demonic influence.

Greenhouse Hurricanes

Many scientists worry that the recent spate of severe hurricanes may be connected to the greenhouse effect, the warming of the atmosphere due to human pollution. According to Newsweek magazine, an average temperature just a few degrees higher might intensify such storms and enlarge the area of ocean that breeds them. The magazine notes that Hurricane Andrew in 1992, which rated a 5 on a 5-point scale of hurricane intensity, would once have been called a hundred-year storm because that is how rare such disasters usually are. But Hurricane Hugo in 1989 rated a 4, and Gilbert of 1988 also rated a 5. Thus, Newsweek summarizes the concern of many scientists: “Look at Andrew; that may be what a greenhouse world would be like.”

Charity for Whom?

What happens to all the money that charities collect each year? Quite a bit of it goes to the people who run them. According to a survey, in more than one third of the 100 largest charities in the United States, chief executives raked in over $200,000 each in salaries and benefits last year. Thus reports the International Herald Tribune. Three of these executives received over $500,000. The survey was sparked by the ousting of the president of one charity, who was accused of financial mismanagement and lavish spending. He was making $390,000 per year. His successor makes “only” $195,000.

Till Divorce Do Us Part

In 1991 over 130,000 marriages ended in the divorce courts of Germany, reports the newspaper Allgemeine Zeitung. Marital breakup has become so common that divorce sympathy cards have proliferated, bearing such slogans as “Congratulations on your divorce” or “Welcome to the first of the best days of your life.” Some 10 percent of the couples who marry in Germany now make preparations for divorce well in advance of the wedding. They write up contracts specifying which spouse will get what​—house, furniture—​in the event of divorce. Why so many divorces? Allgemeine Zeitung comments: “Just a few years after exchanging rings, 80 percent of women complain that their husband shows too little interest in them. . . . A study covering 5,000 couples confirmed that they usually talked to one another for just nine minutes a day after six years of marriage.”

Parents Pay for Lack of Discipline

A court in Tokyo, Japan, recently ruled that the parents of three teenage members of a motorcycle gang must help to pay for their children’s crimes. The boys had beaten and repeatedly kicked a man in the stomach after he complained about the noise of their motorbikes. The man died a month later. “The crime was an extension of the kind of lives the four young men were leading, repeatedly not attending school, drinking, smoking and riding motorbikes,” Mainichi Daily News quoted the judge as saying. “While fully aware of the kind of lives their sons were leading, the gang members’ parents did not discipline them,” he said and ordered the parents to pay a total of ¥83,000,000 (almost $700,000, U.S.) in compensation to the dead man’s family.

Pollution and Infant Mortality

A recent study in Brazil links pollution with the mortality of urban children five years of age and younger. According to the newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, Paulo H. N. Saldiva, researcher with the Faculty of Medicine of São Paulo, has found that whenever the air contains more nitrogen oxide (a gas released by burning diesel oil, gasoline, and alcohol), there is a surge in the number of deaths due to respiratory complications. An increase of a mere tenth part of this gas in every million parts of air means the death of eight more children per week in São Paulo. Since poor and undernourished children are most affected, Saldiva notes: “Those who are paying for the pollution by cars are precisely those who do not enjoy the convenience that the vehicle brings.”

Evangelizing Outer Space?

The Catholic Church is still contemplating the problem of evangelizing new worlds. Holy See astronomers involved with the search for intelligent life-forms in outer space have already evaluated the theological implications of finding such beings. “Baptize extraterrestrials? Why not?” asks Jesuit George Coyne, director of the Vatican observatory in Italy. “If one day we have the good fortune to meet them, we would be obliged to consider the problem.” Coyne sees it this way: “First of all, we would have to ask the extraterrestrial a number of questions, such as: ‘Have you ever had the same kind of experience as Adam and Eve, that is, of original sin?’ And then as a consequence: ‘Do you also know a Jesus who redeemed you?’” If the answer is no, then “the question of his evangelization would certainly arise.”

Long, Happy Marriages

“It’s the old line: do everything by the Ten Commandments and live happily ever after,” grumbled psychologist Gary Schoener in a recent issue of Newsweek magazine. The object of his scorn? Widely publicized data from surveys of nearly 6,000 people showing that older married couples are happier than young singles who are sexually promiscuous. The findings, which Schoener dismisses as promarriage and moralistic, show that while the frequency of sexual relations does decline somewhat with age, the happiest people surveyed were older couples who still found their mates “very attractive physically” and still enjoyed intimacy on a regular basis. Other studies have shown that those who control their weight and exercise regularly are more likely to remain sexually active in their later years.

Rapture Deadline Passes​—Again

The Mission for the Coming Days in Korea confidently predicted that on October 28, 1992, the “rapture” would occur, whisking faithful church members to heaven. The Korea Times reported that thousands of people who embraced this prophecy left jobs and family and sold off their belongings. Reportedly, one pregnant believer had an abortion out of fear that the fetus would weigh her down during her ascent heavenward. The day came and went without incident, except that a few disappointed churchgoers beat up their preachers, demanding to know why the rapture had not come. However, the church founder was already in prison. He had been arrested for embezzling church funds. The Korea Times notes: “Some of his investments included bonds maturing next May, months after his predicted doomsday.”

From Our Readers

Negative Emotions Thank you for the marvelous series of articles entitled “You Can Overcome Negative Emotions.” (October 8, 1992) I have had this problem for a long time. But now that Jehovah has given me the gift of these articles, I have finally found the strength to fight these feelings. Visualizing the future that he has in store for us and the blessings that we will enjoy then is a great help.

C. I., Italy

I became depressed after getting romantically involved with someone who proved to be totally deceitful. For months I beat myself with negative thoughts like, ‘I must be stupid to have believed his lies.’ Or, ‘I am a poor judge of character.’ This led to a cynical conclusion: ‘I will never again trust a man.’ The article’s practical approach to positive thinking is helping me to rebuild self-esteem and to remind myself that this episode was just another learning experience.

R. M., United States

I applaud your treatment of the subject of negative emotions. Nevertheless, not all negative emotions are caused by conscious thoughts. Subconscious thoughts​—such as suppressed memories of child abuse—​can also generate strong feelings. Some may attempt to apply this information only to find that doing so does not make them feel better. Their problem may be on a deeper level. People who feel a need to do deeper work on their mental or emotional health​—whether this involves professional assistance or not—​should therefore not be judged as going to extremes.

M. W., United States

Thank you for these comments. Readers should bear in mind that the articles were not directed to individuals suffering from such serious problems as major depression or the aftereffects of childhood abuse. Such ones may derive some benefit from applying the suggestions contained therein; nevertheless, as stated at the outset, the articles focused on “the normal negative emotions that are experienced by everyone.” Regarding severe forms of depression, the article acknowledged that such maladies “may require professional treatment.”​—ED.

Tears I recently attended the funeral of a faithful Christian who had served as an elder in our congregation for many years. When they wheeled the coffin out of the hall, I wept bitterly. Most of the others in attendance, however, kept their feelings under control. Just one day later, I received the September 22, 1992, issue of Awake! with the article “Why All the Tears?” It helped me understand that tears are not a sign of weakness but an expression of intense emotions. Many thanks for the informative article.

S. Z., Germany

Hands The article “Our Fascinating Hands” (August 8, 1992) was extremely interesting. I already realized that our hands are wonderfully made. But this article helped me to feel the greatness of our Creator.

K. Y., Japan

Prayer Thank you for the article “Young People Ask . . . Does God Answer My Prayers?” (September 22, 1992) I found the article to be very helpful. It taught me that my prayers shouldn’t consist of frivolous requests for material wants. I also learned that I need to persevere in prayer because Jehovah does not always answer right away. And he may not give us the answer that we prefer.

B. G., United States

Victims of Pedophile Priests Speak Out

“DURING the past decade, some 400 Roman Catholic priests have been reported to church or civil authorities for sexual abuse of children,” according to U.S.News & World Report. Recently, a national gathering of survivors of such abuse was held near Chicago, Illinois. Many spoke openly of how they had been victimized by pedophile priests.

But NCR (National Catholic Reporter) notes that speakers sounded another theme repeatedly throughout the conference: “The first abuse is sexual; the second and more painful, is psychological.” This second abuse occurs when the church refuses to listen to victims of abuse, fails to take their accusations seriously, and moves only to protect the offending priests. “Fairly or unfairly,” NCR reports, “they portrayed Catholic clergy as belonging to an unhealthy and misguided group more bent on preserving privilege and power than in serving lay needs.” Several speakers made ominous comparisons to the Reformation, which split the church wide open in the 16th century.

According to Richard Sipe, a former priest turned psychotherapist and expert on sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, all this institutional denial reveals “a deep, desperate and knowing personal involvement in the problem.” He added: “The church knows and has known for a long time a great deal about the sexual activity of its priests. It has looked the other way, tolerated, covered up and simply lied about the broad spectrum of sexual activity of its priests.”

Not surprisingly, then, many abuse survivors are suing the church. NCR quotes one attorney who specializes in such cases as saying that there are pedophile-priest cases in each of the church’s 188 dioceses in the United States. He says that out-of-court settlements have run as high as $300,000 per case. U.S.News & World Report says that such suits have already cost the church $400,000,000, a figure that could surge to $1 billion by the year 2000. And the Canadian Press reported recently that some 2,000 survivors of childhood sexual abuse in 22 church-run orphanages and mental institutions in Quebec are suing six religious orders for $1.4 billion in damages.

Interestingly, though, the aforementioned U.S. attorney, who represents 150 victims of pedophile priests in 23 states, says that he has never yet had a client who was eager to go to court. Each one first tried to seek justice “within the pastoral context of the church.” NCR concludes: “Survivors go to the courts, it appears, not as a first resort, but as a last resort.”

Teachers Give Creation a Chance

A school in Berlin, Germany, displayed on a huge wall a painting that depicted how apelike creatures supposedly evolved into modern man. Upon coming to school one day, students found that the picture had been covered over with white paint. What had happened?

A 16-year-old student named Natalie, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, asked her biology teacher why the picture had been obliterated. The teacher explained that a student had given her a copy of Life​—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation? The book impressed her so much that she showed it to other teachers on the school’s biology staff. The book fascinated them too.

The teachers, therefore, made the decision to paint over the image, as they said, ‘to prevent manipulating the minds of students in advance.’ So rather than teaching students only the theory of evolution, the teachers planned on also teaching creation, using material from Life​—How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Creation?

This fascinating publication is published by Jehovah’s Witnesses, an international organization of over four million Bible students who are devoted to helping people learn more about God’s purposes. If you would like to have further information or a free home Bible study, please write to Watchtower, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York 11201, or to the appropriate address listed on page 5.

[Picture on page 32]

Life​—How did it get here? By evolution or by creation?