November 8

Table of Contents

November 8, 2000

Nurses—What Would We Do Without Them?

Although often taken for granted, nurses are a vital part of health care. What are the joys and the challenges of this noble profession?

3 Nurses​—Why Do We Need Them?

5 The Vital Role of Nurses

12 Meet Australia’s Stingless Bees

15 Welcome to the Copper Canyon

22 A Visit to a Chinese Pharmacy

28 Watching the World

30 From Our Readers

31 A Dramatic Rescue

32 ‘You Are Showing Love to All’

Faith Under Test in Poland 19

Why was this man persecuted and repeatedly imprisoned in the decades following World War II?

Should the Zodiac Influence Your Life? 26

Millions look to the stars for advice. What are the dangers?

Nurses—Why Do We Need Them?

“Nursing is one of the most difficult of arts. Compassion may provide the motive, but knowledge is our only working power.”—Mary Adelaide Nutting, 1925, world’s first professor of nursing.

IN ITS simplest form, nursing goes back thousands of years—even to Bible times. (1 Kings 1:2-4) Throughout history, many outstanding women have nursed the sick. For example, consider Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-31), daughter of King Andrew II. She organized food distribution during a famine in 1226. Thereafter, she arranged for hospitals to be built, and there she cared for lepers. Elizabeth died at a mere 24 years of age, having spent most of her short life caring for the sick.

It is impossible to speak of the history of nursing and not mention Florence Nightingale. With a group of 38 nurses, this intrepid English lady reorganized the military hospital at Scutari, a suburb of Constantinople, during the Crimean War of 1853-56. When she arrived there, the mortality rate was nearly 60 percent; when she left in 1856, it was less than 2 percent.—See box on page 6.

Another strong influence on nursing was the Institution of Protestant Deaconesses at Kaiserswerth, Germany, which Nightingale had attended before going to the Crimea. In time, other outstanding nursing groups developed. For example, in 1903, Agnes Karll founded the Professional Organization for German Nurses.

Today, nurses make up what is considered to be the largest professional group in our health-care system. The World Health Organization reports that currently there are well over 9,000,000 nurses and midwives serving in 141 countries. And what a vital work they perform! The Atlantic Monthly notes that nurses “weave a tapestry of care, knowledge, and trust that is critical to patients’ survival.” Thus, we can rightly ask regarding nurses, What would we do without them?

The Nurse’s Role in Recovery

One encyclopedia defines nursing as “the process by which a patient is helped by a nurse to recover from an illness or injury, or to regain as much independence as possible.”

Of course, much is involved in that process. It is more than just the performance of routine tests, such as checking the pulse and the blood pressure. The nurse plays an integral role in the patient’s recovery. According to The American Medical Association Encyclopedia of Medicine, “the nurse is more concerned with the patient’s overall reaction to the disorder than with the disorder itself, and is devoted to the control of physical pain, the relief of mental suffering, and, when possible, the avoidance of complications.” In addition, the nurse offers “understanding care, which involves listening with patience to anxieties and fears, and providing emotional support and comfort.” And when a patient is dying, this source notes, the nurse’s role is “to help the patient meet death with as little distress and as much dignity as possible.”

Many nurses go above and beyond the call of duty. For example, Ellen D. Baer wrote about her experience at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York City. She did not want to rush through her morning work with the surgery team. “I wanted to stay with the patients,” she writes. “I wanted to work with them on their breathing, help them ambulate, do a good dressing change, answer their questions, explain things to them, and offer some personal comfort. I liked the intimacy of connecting with and relating to patients.”

No doubt anyone who has spent time as a patient in a hospital can recall a sympathetic nurse who had that same spirit of self-sacrifice. But what does it take to become a proficient nurse?

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Florence Nightingale

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Courtesy National Library of Medicine

The Vital Role of Nurses

“A nurse is a person who nourishes, fosters, and protects—a person who is prepared to care for the sick, injured, and aged.”—Nursing in Today’s World—Challenges, Issues, and Trends.

UNSELFISHNESS, though essential, is not enough to make a proficient nurse. Good nurses also need extensive training and a breadth of experience. One essential requirement is from one to four years or more of study and practical training. But what qualities make a good nurse? Here are some answers from experienced nurses who were interviewed by Awake!

“The doctor heals, but the nurse cares for the patient. This often requires building up patients that have been damaged both inside and outside when, for example, they are informed that they have a chronic disease or will face imminent death. You have to be a mother to the sick person.”—Carmen Gilmartín, Spain.

“It is necessary to be able to feel the pain and anguish that the patient feels and to want to help. Kindness and long-suffering are needed. You must always want to learn more about nursing and medicine.”—Tadashi Hatano, Japan.

“In recent years nurses have needed more and more professional knowledge. Therefore, the desire to study and the ability to understand what is studied are essential. Also, nurses need to make speedy judgments and to take swift action when the situation demands it.”—Keiko Kawane, Japan.

“As a nurse, you have to show warmth. You must be tolerant and show empathy.”—Araceli García Padilla, Mexico.

“A good nurse must be studious, observant, and extremely professional. If a nurse is not self-sacrificing—if he or she has a selfish streak or resents advice from others higher up the medical hierarchy—that nurse will become unsuitable both for patients and for colleagues.”—Rosângela Santos, Brazil.

“Several qualities are indispensable: flexibility, tolerance, and patience. You also have to be open-minded, with the ability to get on well with your colleagues and the medical hierarchy. You have to be quick to assimilate new skills in order to remain efficient.”—Marc Koehler, France.

“You must love people and really want to help others. You have to be able to cope with stress because in the nursing world, it is all or nothing. You must be adaptable in order to do the same work when at times you have fewer fellow workers—without compromising quality.”—Claudia Rijker-Baker, Netherlands.

The Nurse as a Caregiver

Nursing in Today’s World states that “nursing is concerned with caring for the person in a variety of health-related situations. Thus, we think of medicine being involved in the cure of the patient and nursing with the care of that patient.”

Hence, a nurse is a caregiver. Obviously, therefore, the nurse has to care. Some time ago 1,200 registered nurses were asked, “What’s most important to you in your work as a nurse?” Providing quality care was the answer that 98 percent gave.

Sometimes nurses underestimate their value to the patients. Carmen Gilmartín, quoted above, a nurse with 12 years’ experience, told Awake!: “On one occasion I confessed to a friend that I felt limited when caring for very sick patients. I saw myself as a mere ‘Band-Aid.’ But then my friend replied: ‘A blessed “Band-Aid,” for when a person is sick, you are what is needed more than anything else—a sympathetic nurse.’”

Needless to say, giving such care can put great strain on a nurse who works for ten or more hours each day! What motivated these self-sacrificing caregivers to become nurses?

Why Be a Nurse?

Awake! interviewed nurses around the world and asked them, “What motivated you to become a nurse?” Here are some of their answers.

Terry Weatherson has 47 years of nursing experience. She now works as a clinical nurse specialist in the Urology Department of a hospital in Manchester, England. “I was raised a Catholic and attended a Catholic boarding school,” she says. “As a girl, I decided I wanted to become either a nun or a nurse. I had a desire to serve others. You might call it a vocation. As you can see, nursing won out.”

Chiwa Matsunaga from Saitama, Japan, has run her own clinic for eight years. She states: “I followed my father’s thinking that ‘it’s best to learn a skill that will qualify you for work all your life.’ So I chose the road of nursing.”

Etsuko Kotani from Tokyo, Japan, a head nurse with 38 years of nursing experience, said: “When I was still in school, my father collapsed and lost a lot of blood. As I watched over my father in the hospital, I decided that I wanted to be a nurse so that I could help sick people in the future.”

Others were motivated by their own experience while being sick. Eneida Vieyra, a nurse in Mexico, says: “When I was six years old, I was hospitalized for two weeks for bronchitis, and it was then that I decided I wanted to be a nurse.”

Clearly, being a nurse requires great self-sacrifice. Let us take a closer look at both the challenges and the rewards of this noble profession.

The Joys of Being a Nurse

What are the joys of nursing? The answer to that question will depend on a person’s field of nursing activity. Midwives, for example, feel rewarded with every successful birth. “It’s wonderful to deliver a healthy child whose development you have supervised,” says one midwife from the Netherlands. Jolanda Gielen-Van Hooft, also from the Netherlands, says: “A delivery is one of the most beautiful things that a couple—and a health worker—can experience. It is a miracle!”

Rachid Assam from Dreux, France, is a State-certified nurse anesthetist in his early 40’s. Why does he enjoy nursing? Because of “the satisfaction of having contributed to the success of an operation and of being a member of a profession that is fascinating and constantly progressing,” he says. Isaac Bangili, also from France, said: “I am touched by the expressions of thanks we receive from patients and their families, especially in emergency situations when we manage to recover a patient for whom we thought there was no hope.”

One such expression of thanks was sent to Terry Weatherson, mentioned earlier. A widow wrote: “I cannot let the occasion pass without referring once again to the relief that we gained from your calm, assured presence throughout Charles’ illness. Your warmth was a shining light, and it became a rock from which we gained strength.”

Facing the Challenges

But along with the joys of nursing come many challenges. There is no room for mistakes! Whether giving medication or drawing blood or inserting an intravenous device or even simply moving a patient, a nurse must be extremely careful. He or she cannot afford to slip up—and this is especially true in lands where litigation is common. Yet, sometimes the nurse is placed in a difficult situation. For example, suppose the nurse feels that a doctor has prescribed the wrong medication for a patient or has given orders that are not in the patient’s best interests. What can the nurse do? Challenge the doctor? That requires courage, tact, and diplomacy—and it carries an element of risk. Sadly, some doctors do not take kindly to suggestions from those they view as subordinates.

What have some nurses noted in this regard? Barbara Reineke from Wisconsin, U.S.A., a registered nurse for 34 years, told Awake!: “A nurse must be courageous. First of all, she is legally responsible for any medications that she administers or treatments that she performs and for any harm caused by them. She must be able to refuse to carry out an order from a doctor if she feels it is out of her scope of practice or if she believes that the order is incorrect. Nursing is not what it was in the days of Florence Nightingale or even 50 years ago. Now the nurse needs to recognize when to say no to the physician and when to insist that the doctor see the patient, even if it is in the middle of the night. And if you are wrong, you must be thick-skinned enough to take any ridicule you might get from the doctor.”

Another problem nurses have to face is violence on the job. A report from South Africa says that nursing personnel “are recognised as being at higher personal risk of abuse and violence in the workplace. In fact, nurses are more likely to be attacked at work than prison guards or police officers and 72% of nurses don’t feel safe from assault.” A similar situation is reported for the United Kingdom, where 97 percent of nurse respondents in a recent survey knew a nurse who had been physically assaulted during the previous year. What causes this violence? Often, the problem comes from patients who are on drugs or who have been drinking or who are under stress or who are affected by grief.

Nurses also have to contend with burnout caused by stress. Staff shortages are one factor. When a conscientious nurse cannot give adequate care to a patient because of work overload, stress soon builds up. Trying to fix the situation by skipping breaks and doing overtime seems only to lead to more frustration.

Worldwide many hospitals are understaffed. “We lack nurses in our hospitals,” says a report in Madrid’s Mundo Sanitario. “Anyone who has needed health care recognizes the importance of the nurses.” What was given as the cause of this shortage? The need to save money! The same report stated that Madrid hospitals had a deficit of 13,000 nursing professionals!

Another reason given for stress is that shifts are often too long and wages too low. The Scotsman stated: “More than one in five of Britain’s nurses and a quarter of nursing assistants have a second job to make ends meet, according to the public service union, Unison.” Three out of 4 nurses feel that they are underpaid. As a result, many have considered leaving the profession.

There are a number of other factors that contribute to the stress of nurses. Judging by the comments that Awake! obtained from nurses around the world, the death of patients can have a depressing effect. Magda Souang, from an Egyptian background, works in Brooklyn, New York. When asked what made her job tough, she answered: “Watching at least 30 terminal patients whom I had cared for closely die in a period of ten years. That drains you.” Little wonder that one source says: “Continually investing oneself in patients who die can take a tremendous toll on personal resources.”

The Future for Nurses

The growth and influence of technology increases the pressures in the field of nursing. The challenge is to reconcile technology with humanity, the humane way of dealing with patients. No machine can ever replace a nurse’s touch and compassion.

One journal states: “Nursing is an everlasting profession. . . . So long as humanity exists, there will always be a need for caring, compassion, and understanding.” Nursing fills that need. But there is an even greater cause for a bright outlook in the matter of health care. The Bible shows that a time will come when no one will say, “I am sick.” (Isaiah 33:24) Doctors, nurses, and hospitals will not be needed in the new world that God has promised.—Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:13.

The Bible also promises that “God . . . will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3, 4) In the meantime, however, we should be grateful for all the attention given and sacrifices made by the millions of nurses around the world, without whom hospital stays would certainly be less pleasant if not impossible! How appropriate, then, the question, “Nurses—what would we do without them?”

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Florence Nightingale—A Pioneer of Modern Nursing

Born in 1820 in Italy to wealthy British parents, Florence Nightingale had a pampered upbringing. Young Florence turned down offers of marriage and pursued studies in health and in care for the poor. Despite her parents’ opposition, Florence took up a position in a school for training nurses in Kaiserswerth, Germany. Later, she studied in Paris, and at 33 years of age, she became the superintendent of a women’s hospital in London.

But she faced her greatest challenge when she volunteered to care for wounded soldiers in the Crimea. There she and her band of 38 nurses had to clean up a rat-infested hospital. The task was formidable, for at first there was no soap, there were no washbasins or towels, and there were not enough cots, mattresses, or bandages. Florence and her crew rose to the challenge, and by the end of the war, she had brought about worldwide reforms in nursing and hospital administration. In 1860 she founded the Nightingale Training School for Nurses at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London—the first school of nursing without a religious affiliation. Before her death in 1910, she was a bedridden invalid for many years. Still, she continued to write books and pamphlets in an effort to improve standards of health care.

Some take exception to the altruistic image of Florence Nightingale, arguing that others deserved at least as much credit for their contributions to nursing. In addition, her reputation has been hotly debated. According to the book A History of Nursing, some claim that she was “temperamental, highhanded, opinionated, quick-tempered, and domineering,” while others were fascinated by her “brilliance and charm, her astonishing vitality, and the very contradictions in her personality.” Whatever her true character, one thing is certain: Her techniques in nursing and hospital management spread to many countries. She is regarded as a pioneer in the nursing profession as we know it today.

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St. Thomas’ Hospital after the establishment of the Nightingale Training School for Nurses

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Courtesy National Library of Medicine

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The Qualifications of a Nurse

Nurse: “A person who is especially prepared in the scientific basis of nursing and who meets certain prescribed standards of education and clinical competence.”

Registered nurse: “A graduate nurse who has been legally authorized (registered) to practice after examination by a state board of nurse examiners . . . and who is legally entitled to use the designation R.N.”

Clinical nurse specialist: “A registered nurse with a high degree of knowledge, skill, and competence in a specialized area of nursing.”

Nurse-midwife: “An individual educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery.”

Practical nurse: “A person who has had practical experience in nursing care but who is not a graduate of any kind of nursing school.”

Licensed practical nurse: “A graduate of a school of practical nursing . . . who has been legally authorized to practice as a licensed practical or vocational nurse.”

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From the U.S. publication Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary

UN/J. Isaac

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‘The Backbone of Health Care’

At the International Council of Nurses Centennial Conference in June 1999, Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, director-general of the World Health Organization, said:

“Nurses, as the key health professionals, are in a unique position to act as powerful advocates for a healthy planet. . . . As nurses and midwives already constitute up to 80% of the qualified health workforce in most national health systems, they represent a potentially powerful force for bringing about the necessary changes to meet the needs of Health for All in the 21st century. Indeed, their contribution to health services covers the whole spectrum of health care . . . It is clear that nurses are the backbone of most health care teams.”

The president of Mexico, Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León, gave special praise to the nurses of Mexico in a speech in which he said: “Day after day all of you . . . devote the best of your knowledge, your solidarity, your service to preserving and restoring the health of Mexicans. Day after day you take to those who need it not only your professional help but also the comfort that comes from your kindly, committed, and deeply humanitarian manner. . . . You are the largest segment of our health institutions . . . In each life saved, in each child vaccinated, in each assisted birth, in each health talk, in each cure, in each patient who receives attention and solid support, there is present the work of our nursing staff.”

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UN/DPI Photo by Greg Kinch

UN/DPI Photo by Evan Schneider

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An Appreciative Doctor

Dr. Sandeep Jauhar of the New York Presbyterian Hospital admitted his indebtedness to good nurses. A nurse had tactfully convinced him that a dying patient needed more morphine. He wrote: “Good nurses also teach doctors. The nurses in specialized wards like the intensive care unit are some of the best-trained professionals in the hospital. When I was an intern, they taught me how to put in catheters and adjust ventilators. They told me which medicines to avoid.”

He continued: “Nurses provide essential psychological and emotional support to patients, because they are the ones who spend the most time with them. . . . Rarely do I respond faster than when a nurse I trust tells me I must see a patient right away.”

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“I had a desire to serve others.”—Terry Weatherson, England.

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“As I watched over my father in the hospital, I decided that I wanted to be a nurse.”—Etsuko Kotani, Japan.

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‘A delivery is one of the most beautiful things that a midwife can experience.’—Jolanda Gielen-Van Hooft, Netherlands.

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Midwives get joy and satisfaction from assisting with childbirth

Meet Australia’s Stingless Bees

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN AUSTRALIA

HAVE you ever been soothed by the relaxing hum of busy honeybees as they hurry from flower to flower in the brilliant sunshine of early spring? Truly, they are beautiful insects. If only they didn’t sting!

You might be surprised to learn that there are bees that don’t sting. They are known as Australian stingless bees, and they can be found in many parts of eastern Australia. Stingless bees are little more than a sixth of an inch [4 mm] in length. They are black in color, with thick white hair on their faces and sides. Many of them have tiny yellow dots on the back edges of their middle body segments. At least ten species of stingless bees can be found along the coast from the far north of Queensland down to southern New South Wales. Some have also been found in the continent’s tropical Northern Territory.

Think of the benefits for those who extract honey from hives. One beekeeper says: “Whereas I will wear a bee veil and turtleneck sweater to work with [other bee species], I need nothing at all to protect myself from [stingless bees]. Five minutes after opening the box, the bees are still working as though I’m not there.”

The hives of stingless bees are quite different from those of other honeybees. In fact, they are often called nests. Instead of storing their honey and pollen in the usual hexagonal honeycomb arrangement, the stingless bees construct clusters of oval pots. The pots are sealed after they are filled, and then other pots are built on or around them.

Inside the Nest

Let us take a tour inside the nest, home to some 15,000 stingless bees. Be careful, though, for although these bees do not sting, they can nip you with their mandibles, or jaws.

Passing along the corridor of the nest, we encounter a world of activity. There is real teamwork among these bees. Each one knows exactly what to do and where it needs to be done. We see one tiny bee shaping and polishing a new honey pot, as if meticulously following a perfect blueprint. Four more bees are beside us, sealing a pot that has just been filled with honey. A huge three-dimensional trellis provides the framework into which the honey pots are built. This engineering masterpiece helps support the weight of the honey.

We now enter the next compartment and notice a bee that is much bigger than the others. This is the queen in all her splendor! How beautiful she is, dressed in her bright black and gold rings and surrounded by a crowd of other busy bees! Now the queen begins laying eggs in the 60 cells that have been prepared for her. How delicate and precise she is, reminding us of a mother putting her baby into a crib! Notice, too, how quickly the workers seal the cells behind her. In just a few minutes, the job is done.

When the Eggs Hatch

When the eggs hatch, each resultant tiny grub (or, larva) consumes the food that was placed in the cell prepared for it. After it outgrows the waxy cell, the larva spins a silken cocoon for itself. In this cocoon the grub becomes a bee (passing through a pupa stage). Later, it emerges from the cocoon and gets to work—that is, after it receives a little pampering from some nursing bees. What happens to the waxy cells? They are immediately collected, and the material is recycled. Once the bees emerge from their cocoons, the cocoons are no longer needed. If left there, they would only clutter the nest. So numerous cleaner bees dispose of these leftovers.

Many species of stingless bees produce a building material called cerumen. This is produced from wax from the bees’ own bodies combined with resins and wax that they collect from plants and trees. Cerumen is used to build a framework of pillars and beams and crossties, with all joints reinforced. As they form the honey and pollen pots in this framework, bees run around inside the pots, shaping and compressing the cerumen. Then the pots are filled and sealed for storage. Instinctively, the bees seem to know the seasonal value of plants and the hazards of seasonal weather. They seem well aware that the collection and preservation of food is a primary requisite for survival.

The bees leave the nest and forage for their building material as well as for nectar and pollen. Once outside the nest, the bee becomes a qualified pilot and navigator. The bee also knows just what to collect and where to find it.

Starting a New Home

As the colony grows, the nest becomes filled to capacity. What happens now? “We’ll have to build another house” seems to be the message sent out to the family. Occasionally, a single scout will investigate a cavity that may be a suitable nest location. Next comes the visit from the “engineers.” Usually from 30 to 50 of these experts will inspect the inside surface of the cavity for several hours, as though marking it out with lines and stakes. Then, having determined that the foundation is good, they return home, apparently to report. Next, usually within 48 hours, the actual “builders” arrive. There may be more than a thousand bees in the crew—but no queen. They quickly get to work, flying in building material and food from the mother nest.

In preparation for the arrival of the queen of this new nest, the brood nest must be constructed to maintain the right temperature—about 80 degrees Fahrenheit [28°C]. To achieve this, the worker bees surround the nest with a wall of cerumen, as if wrapping the nest in a blanket. It is as though these wise bees know that the eggs must be kept warm. Now everything is ready, and about the ninth day, the new queen, who has been developed in the mother nest, is brought in. Immediately, she begins laying the eggs that will produce more bees for her palace.

Gradually, the bees that moved in from the mother nest will die off and be replaced by new, younger bees from this new home. In time, the bees from this nest will find it necessary to build another house. And so another amazing cycle designed by a matchless Creator goes on!

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Instead of constructing a hexagonal honeycomb, the stingless bees construct clusters of oval pots

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At least ten species of stingless bees are found in Australia

Welcome to the Copper Canyon

BY AWAKE! CORRESPONDENT IN MEXICO

THE Copper Canyon is a natural wonder located in the northern Mexico mountain range known as the Sierra Madre Occidental, and it covers approximately 20,000 square miles [50,000 sq km], an area equal to about the size of Costa Rica.

The name, however, is somewhat misleading. The Copper Canyon is not a single canyon but a network of 20 interconnected ones. One of these is the Copper Canyon from which the entire system takes its name. According to explorer Richard Fisher, at least three of these canyons are deeper than the Grand Canyon in the United States.a

Because of the extraordinary magnitude of the Copper Canyon, most tourists can visit only a few of its many natural vantage points. The most impressive views look toward the Copper, Sinforosa, and Urique canyons. However, some people feel that the most spectacular view is offered at Divisadero, which provides a panoramic view of the convergence of the Copper, Urique, and Tararecua canyons.

A Varied Climate

Abrupt changes in elevation affect the climate and vegetation of Copper Canyon. Miguel Gleason experienced this firsthand when he and a group descended Urique Canyon. In the magazine México Desconocido, he writes: “We began to feel warm, and the pine forests disappeared, giving way to tropical vegetation with bananas, avocados, and even oranges. We could not believe it. Suffice it to say that never in my life had I passed from cold forests to warm subtropics in such a short time and distance.”

The high plateaus of the canyons are covered with 15 species of pines and 25 species of oaks. There are also poplars and junipers in Copper Canyon. During the summer a great variety of flowers flourish throughout the sierra, some of which are used as food or natural medicine by the local inhabitants, who are known as the Tarahumara. At altitudes of over 5,900 feet [1,800 m] above sea level, the climate of the sierra fluctuates from temperate to cold for the greater part of the year. Winter brings light rains and even occasional snowfall.

As visitors descend, they notice that various kinds of trees and cacti begin to appear. Lower down a subtropical climate can be found that has pleasant winters in which the average temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit [17°C]. In contrast, the summers can get quite uncomfortable in this zone, as the temperature fluctuates between 95 [35°C] and 110 degrees Fahrenheit [45°C], with abundant rains that fill the rivers to the point of overflowing.

The beauty of the area is topped off by two majestic waterfalls. The Piedra Volada, one of the highest waterfalls in the world, has a drop of 1,490 feet [453 m], and the Basaseachic has a drop of 810 feet [246 m].

A Wildlife Refuge

Copper Canyon plays host to a considerable variety of wildlife. It is said that 30 percent of the mammals registered in Mexico inhabit this area. These include the black bear, the puma, the otter, the sprocket deer, the Mexican wolf, the boar, the bobcat, the raccoon, the badger, and the striped skunk as well as bats, squirrels, and hare.

Some 400 species of birds have found a home in Copper Canyon, including the golden eagle and the peregrine falcon. The canyons are located at a strategic point between North and Central America, so migratory birds come here to pass the winter. Others just stop to rest before continuing their journey.

Copper Canyon certainly is a credit to the Creator of all natural wonders, Jehovah God. As King David once expressed it, “yours, O Jehovah, are the greatness and the mightiness and the beauty and the excellency and the dignity; for everything in the heavens and in the earth is yours.”—1 Chronicles 29:11.

[Footnote]

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A View From the Train

The Chihuahua-Pacific Railway stretches 583 miles [941 km] from Ojinaga on the U.S.-Mexico border to the port of Topolobampo on the Pacific Ocean—crossing Copper Canyon in the process. Because of the characteristics of the topography, this railway is considered a major engineering feat. In its travels the train crosses some 37 major bridges, the longest stretching 1,640 feet [500 m] across the Fuerte River. The highest bridge towers 300 feet [90 m] above the Chínipas River.

The train also passes through 99 tunnels. The longest is called El Descanso and measures 5,900 feet [1,810 m]. During this ride tourists can enjoy an impressive view of Copper Canyon.

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(For fully formatted text, see publication)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

MEXICO

CHIHUAHUA

Ojinaga

Chihuahua

COPPER CANYON AREA

La Junta

Creel

Divisadero

Topolobampo

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Basaseachic Falls

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© Tom Till

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View at Divisadero

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© Tom Till

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The Tarahumara live throughout the canyon

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George Hunter/H. Armstrong Roberts

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Lake Arareco

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George Hunter/H. Armstrong Roberts

Faith Under Test in Poland

AS TOLD BY JAN FERENC

I WAS just a youngster when World War II was raging. I well remember an uncle who was one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He used to visit our home and read to us from the Bible. My parents were not interested, but my brother Józef, my sister Janina, and I really were. Soon we each symbolized our dedication to Jehovah by baptism. At the time of my baptism, I was just 14 years old.

Observing the fine effect that Bible study had on our lives, our parents began to listen. When my father realized that the Bible condemns idolatry, he said: “If this is what the Word of God says, the priests have kept us in ignorance. Son, take all the images off the walls and throw them away!” About two years later, my parents were baptized. They served Jehovah faithfully until their deaths.

Troubles We Faced

Jehovah’s Witnesses faced hard times after the war ended. For example, there was a raid on the office in Lodz by the Office of Security, and those working there were arrested. In eastern Poland guerrillas of the National Armed Forces, under the influence of the Catholic clergy, brutally attacked Jehovah’s Witnesses.a

Also about this time, the Communist authorities withdrew the permission that they had previously granted us to hold our assemblies, and they tried to interrupt the assemblies that were already in progress. Yet, the growing opposition only increased our determination to carry on with the preaching of God’s Kingdom. In 1949 we reported well over 14,000 Witnesses in Poland.

Before long, I became a pioneer, a full-time minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses. My first assignment was some 300 miles [500 km] from home. In time, though, I was appointed to serve as a traveling overseer in an area east of Lublin, not far from where my parents lived.

Arrested and Persecuted

In June 1950, I was arrested and accused by the Communist authorities of spying for the United States. I was thrown into a damp cellar. At night I was taken out for questioning by an investigating officer. “The religious association you belong to is a sect and an enemy of our State,” he said to me. “Your office works for American intelligence. We can prove it! Your brothers have already admitted that they traveled across the country and collected data on military facilities and factories.”

Of course, these accusations were entirely false. Nevertheless, the officer advised me to sign a statement renouncing what he called “your disgraceful organization.” Time and again, he tried to get me to sign. He even tried to get me to write down the names and addresses of all the Witnesses I knew and the places from which our publications were being distributed. His efforts were futile.

After that, the officers beat me with a club until I lost consciousness. Then, they drenched me with water to revive me, after which the interrogation resumed. The following night, I was viciously beaten on my heels. I begged God aloud to give me strength to endure. I feel that he did. Those nighttime interrogations occurred regularly for almost a year.

I was released from prison in April 1951, but many Witnesses were still imprisoned. I went to a responsible Witness and asked for a new assignment. “Aren’t you afraid of being arrested again?” he asked me. “I am even more determined to work where the need is greater,” I replied. I resumed my work as a traveling overseer, and later I was invited to organize the printing and distribution of our publications in Poland.

Back then, we used primitive mimeograph machines and wax stencils to duplicate The Watchtower. The quality of our printing was poor, and we had to pay exorbitant prices for paper, which at the time was in short supply. The duplicating had to be done in secluded places, such as barns, basements, and attics. For those who were discovered, the penalty was imprisonment.

I remember a dry well we made use of. In its wall, some 35 feet below ground, was a hatch leading to a small room where we mimeographed the magazines. To get there, we had to be lowered by rope. One day, I was being lowered into the well in a huge wooden bucket when suddenly the rope broke. I fell to the bottom and broke my leg. After a stay in the hospital, I went back to operating the mimeograph machine.

About this time I met Danuta, a zealous pioneer minister. In 1956 we were married, and for the next four years, we worked together in the ministry in central Poland. By 1960 we had two children, and we decided that Danuta would discontinue the full-time ministry to take care of them. Before long, I was arrested again, and this time I was put in a rat-infested cell. Seven months later, I was sentenced to two years in prison.

In and out of Prison

There were more than 300 prisoners in the Bydgoszcz prison, and I prayed to Jehovah that I might share the Kingdom message with honesthearted ones. I talked to the head of the prison, suggesting that I could serve as a barber. To my surprise, he agreed. Soon I was shaving the prisoners, cutting their hair, and giving a witness to those who seemed favorably inclined.

The prisoner who worked as a barber with me soon responded to our conversations. He even began to share with others the things he learned from the Bible. Soon, the head of the prison ordered us to stop spreading what he labeled as “subversive propaganda.” My fellow barber held firm. He explained: “I used to steal, but now I don’t. I was once addicted to nicotine, but I have quit smoking. I have found purpose in my life, and I want to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

When I was released from prison, I was sent to Poznan to oversee a “bakery,” as we called our secret printeries. By the end of the 1950’s, our printing had greatly improved. We learned how to reduce the size of pages photographically—a milestone in our technology—and to operate Rotaprint offset presses. In 1960 we also began to print and bind books.

Shortly afterward, a neighbor reported our operation, and I was once again arrested. After I was released in 1962, I received an assignment to serve in Szczecin along with several others. But before we were to leave, we received what we believed was direction from loyal Christian brothers to go instead to Kielce. There, however, we were arrested, and I was sentenced to another year and a half in prison. We had been betrayed by impostors from within. In time, they were found out and removed from our ranks.

When I was eventually released from prison, I was appointed to oversee our printing operations in all of Poland. In 1974, after ten years of avoiding detection, I was tracked down and arrested in Opole. Shortly after that I was sent to prison in Zabrze. “Your bishop’s duties are over,” I was told by the head of the prison. “If you continue to share your propaganda, you will go to solitary.”

Preaching in Prison

Of course, my work as a minister was anything but over. In fact, I started a Bible study with two of my fellow prisoners. Eventually, they made progress to the point that I baptized them in a big bathtub in the prison.

Other prisoners also responded to our preaching, and in April 1977, we met together to observe the Memorial of Christ’s death. (Luke 22:19) Two months later, in June 1977, I was released, and I was not arrested again.

The authorities had by then become more tolerant of our work. No doubt the visits of members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses helped greatly. In 1977, three of these spoke with overseers, pioneers, and longtime Witnesses in various cities. The following year, two of them made a courtesy call at the Office for Religious Affairs. It was not until 1989, though, that the ban on our work was lifted. Presently, some 124,000 Witnesses are active in Poland.

Because of poor health, Danuta has not been able to accompany me in recent years, but she encourages me and wants me to continue to visit congregations. I will forever be grateful for her strengthening aid during my many imprisonments.

The decision I made 50 years ago to serve Jehovah God surely was the right one. I have found great joy in serving him wholeheartedly. My wife and I have experienced the reality of the words recorded at Isaiah 40:29: “He [Jehovah] is giving to the tired one power; and to the one without dynamic energy he makes full might abound.”

[Footnote]

[Pictures on page 20]

We used a mimeograph machine and later a Rotaprint offset press to print the publications

[Pictures on page 21]

My wife, Danuta, and me

A Visit to a Chinese Pharmacy

KWOK KIT has been ill for several days, so he decides he should see a doctor. Being Chinese, he prefers a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. A friend of the family knows just such a doctor, who owns and operates an herb shop around the corner. The friend tells Kwok Kit that the doctor can concoct an herbal tea that will cure what ails him.

In China, as in most of Southeast Asia, a visit to a doctor is quite different from a visit to a doctor in Western lands. In the West a visit to the doctor usually involves making an appointment, going to the doctor’s office, getting an examination, and receiving a prescription. Then the patient must go to a pharmacy to have the prescription filled. With a Chinese doctor, the procedure is much simpler. You visit an herb shop, where there is almost always a resident herbalist who is also a doctor of Chinese medicine. He can examine you, diagnose your problem, measure out the herbal prescription, and tell you how to take it—all in one quick stop!a

Herbs as Medicine?

While most Westerners are accustomed to pills, capsules, and injections, such forms of medicine are relative newcomers. For thousands of years, people have looked to natural means of healing. Hebrew physicians in Bible times, for example, used remedies such as oil, balsam, and wine. (Isaiah 1:6; Jeremiah 46:11; Luke 10:34) Poultices made from dried figs were apparently used for treating boils.—2 Kings 20:7.

In fact, almost every nation or people has at one time used herbs and preparations of various sorts to treat illnesses and diseases. Even many spices used today in cooking were first used for their medicinal value. This is not to say that such practices have always been successful. On the contrary, superstition and ignorance were often involved. Nevertheless, such methods for treating the sick have been around for millenniums. Even some of today’s most common medicines are derived from plants.

Theory and Practice of Chinese Medicine

Treating disease with herbal medicine is an integral part of Chinese history. Folklore credits Huang Di, the Yellow Emperor, with composing the Nei Jing, the canon of internal medicine, which medical practitioners in China still consult.b This canon, whose date of writing is debated, deals with many of the same subjects that a Western medical book may cover. It discusses not only diagnosis, symptoms, causes, treatment, and prevention of diseases but also anatomy and bodily functions.

As is true with most arts of Southeast Asia, the yin-yang doctrine has a pervasive influence in the theory and practice of Chinese medicine. In this case, yin represents cold and yang represents hot—they also represent many other opposing properties.c In addition, meridian points on the body, associated with acupuncture, are taken into account for diagnosis and treatment. Herbs and foods considered either cold or hot would be prescribed to counteract the yin-yang imbalance in the patient.

For instance, a patient with a fever is considered hot, so herbs said to be cooling would be prescribed. Although yin-yang may no longer be specifically mentioned, the same principles are still used to determine how to treat a patient. But how does the doctor of Chinese medicine arrive at the diagnosis? And what is an herb shop like? To find out, why don’t we follow Kwok Kit to the shop recommended by his friend?

An Exotic Herb Shop

Surprise! Today Kwok Kit has to wait to see the doctor. It seems that there is a flu or cold epidemic, so two patients are ahead of him. Let’s look around the shop while we wait.

As we walked in, the first things that caught our attention were the heaps of dried goods—mushrooms, scallops, abalones, figs, nuts, and other edibles—displayed in open bins at the entrance. Yes, there are food items available here. But some of them may also be part of the prescriptions.

Looking past those items, we notice glass display counters on both sides of the rather narrow shop. These counters contain rare or special herbs, minerals, and dried animal parts, which command a high price. Looking closely, we notice deer antlers, pearls, and dried lizards and sea horses, as well as other exotic items. Until recent years, rhinoceros horn, bear gallbladders, and other animal parts like these could be found in such display cases, but now these items are banned.

In another corner of the shop, we find packets of mixed herbs for common ailments like colds and upset stomach as well as a pharmacopoeia of bottled herbal medicines from China. Just tell the shop assistant or clerk what your problem is, and he will either recommend a bottled product or give you a mixed-herb packet and tell you how to prepare it at home.

Along one side of the wall behind the shop assistant, we notice shelves lined with tall glass jars containing various dried roots, leaves, and twigs. These are herbs familiar to the patrons and may be bought for do-it-yourself cures or for cooking. On the other side of the shop, there is a floor-to-ceiling cabinet containing many rows of well-worn drawers. It has been called baizigui, or “cabinet of one hundred children,” because there may be a hundred or more drawers in this type of herbal cabinet. These drawers permit quick access to the herbs most commonly used in prescriptions, the most frequently used ones being in the areas easiest to reach. It is not unusual for these drawers to be unlabeled. The experienced assistants know exactly where each herb is located.

Notice how deftly the assistant weighs herbs for the woman he is serving. He is using a delicate but accurate Asian scale—a graduated stick with a round tray suspended from three strings at one end and a movable weight on the other end. He knows that certain herbs can be deadly if taken in excessive amounts, so he must pay attention to his measurements. Not everything is weighed. Now we see him picking out about half a handful each of several herbs from different drawers and depositing them on a sheet of wrapping paper. Yes, you are right, this prescription also contains the shell of cicada molts. As he wraps up the collection, he tells the woman how to prepare this potion.

Herbal medicines are prepared and taken in various ways. Some come in powdered form. The patient dissolves them in hot water and then drinks the potion. Some are pastes. They are taken with honey or in some form of alcoholic spirits. However, this woman is told to use the most common method of preparation, namely, decoction. This means she will boil the herbs in a ceramic pot for about an hour. Then she will drink some of the mixture every few hours. If the woman later needs her prescription refilled, she only has to come back to the shop for another supply.

Kwok Kit’s turn to see the doctor is finally here. No, the doctor does not take his blood pressure or listen to his heartbeat. But he does ask Kwok Kit about his symptoms. How has he been sleeping? How are his digestion, appetite, bowels, temperature, and skin condition and color? The doctor looks closely at his eyes and the color of various areas of his tongue. Now he is taking Kwok Kit’s pulse from both wrists in several positions and with varying pressures, a procedure that is believed to reveal the condition of various organs and parts of the body. Why, the doctor even takes note of any unusual odors he detects! The verdict? Not surprisingly, Kwok Kit has the flu. He needs bed rest and plenty of liquids along with a prescription that he is to boil up and drink. The resulting herbal tea will be bitter, but it will make him feel better. In addition to telling Kwok Kit which foods he should avoid, the doctor even kindly prescribes a preserved plum that will leave a nice taste in Kwok Kit’s mouth after he takes his medicine.

So, off Kwok Kit goes with his packet of herbs. The doctor’s visit and the medicine cost him less than $20—quite a bargain. Although the herbs will not bring a miracle cure, Kwok Kit should be well in a few days. But he must not make the mistake that some have, thinking that more is better. It is not unusual to hear of people suffering severe reactions because of overdoses of certain herbs.

In some countries there are little or no standards regulating either herbs or practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine. This has opened the door to herbal quackery and even the sale of dangerous herbal concoctions passed off as cures. Understandably, then, when it comes to choosing a traditional Chinese doctor, many Asian patients rely on recommendations of relatives and close friends.

Of course, no treatment—be it with herbs or Western medicines—can cure every sickness. Nonetheless, the Chinese pharmacy and its doctor of traditional medicine continue to be an integral part of life in Asia.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 23]

Exotic items, including dried sea horses, can be found in the herb shop

[Pictures on page 24]

Dried roots, leaves, and twigs are carefully weighed

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Should the Zodiac Influence Your Life?

“THERE IS NO LACK OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULTS WHO SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF THEIR DESTINY IN THE STARS.”—POPE JOHN PAUL II.

ACCORDING to one poll, 1 out of every 4 Americans uses astrology when making decisions. Consulting astrological signs is by no means limited to that part of the world. Virtually worldwide, the zodiac is consulted for advice on financial matters, travel plans, career moves, wedding dates, and military strategies. It is claimed that one’s zodiacal sign can identify prospective mates and can even reveal which partners will be incompatible. From East to West, astrology has captured the attention of millions. But what is the origin of the zodiac?

Historical Background

Various forms of the zodiac can be traced to the earliest known civilizations. Even the Bible mentions “the constellations of the zodiac.” (2 Kings 23:5) Evidently, the zodiac was consulted in ancient times by Hindus as well as by the Chinese, the Egyptians, the Greeks, and other peoples. However, the earliest references to the signs of the zodiac were found in ancient Babylon.

The Babylonians developed astrology in an effort to obtain information about the future. As celestial movements were noted, elaborate charts and tables were made. From these, human affairs and terrestrial events were predicted. In many cases political or military decisions were not made until astrologers were called in to give their advice. Hence, a priestly class claiming to have special wisdom and supernatural powers came to have great influence. In fact, all great temples in Babylon were equipped with a celestial observatory.

In modern times signs of the zodiac continue to play an important role in the lives of many people. Even those who do not claim to believe in the horoscope may casually consult it simply for entertainment or out of curiosity. It is true that astrologers have made some predictions that have come true. But does this mean that consulting the stars is beneficial? Really, how did ancient servants of God view interest in astrology?

Hidden Dangers

Unlike the Babylonians, faithful Jews did not practice astrology—and for a good reason. God had explicitly warned them: “There should not be found in you . . . anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead. For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah.”a—Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

God’s servants took a firm stand against astrology. For example, faithful King Josiah “put out of business . . . those making sacrificial smoke to Baal, to the sun and to the moon and to the constellations of the zodiac.” Josiah’s action was said to be “right in Jehovah’s eyes,” and God blessed him for it. (2 Kings 22:2; 23:5) But some might ask, ‘Do not at least some of the predictions of astrologers come true?’

Interestingly, in the Christian Greek Scriptures, we read of a girl who “used to furnish her masters with much gain by practicing the art of prediction.” Apparently, some of the things this girl foretold came true, since her masters profited from her powers. But what was behind this girl’s ability to predict future events? The Bible states that she was under the influence of “a spirit, a demon of divination.”—Acts 16:16.

The Bible shows that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” Satan the Devil. (1 John 5:19) By maneuvering events to make certain predictions come true, Satan and the demons have captured the attention of millions.

The simple truth is that astrology is one of “the machinations of the Devil,” which he uses to control and influence people to serve his purpose. Thus, it is hardly surprising that the Bible exhorts Christians to “stand firm” against Satan’s clever devices—which include astrology. (Ephesians 6:11) But does this mean that we are left without any guidance as to the future?

The Bible—A Reliable Guide

Millions have found the Bible to be a reliable guide in making decisions. As the psalmist David put it, “the reminder of Jehovah is trustworthy, making the inexperienced one wise.” (Psalm 19:7; 119:105) This does not mean that the Bible spells out precisely what a person should do in each situation. But God’s Word does contain principles that can help us train our perceptive powers. This, in turn, will enable us to discern right and wrong and will help us to make wise decisions.—Hebrews 5:14.

Thus, it is for good reason that genuine Christians do not consult horoscopes, even for entertainment or out of curiosity. Instead, they wisely heed the warnings in God’s Word against all demon influence, including subtle forms. By letting the Bible rather than the zodiac influence your life, you can enjoy God’s blessing eternally.—Psalm 37:29, 38.

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 26]

Eastern zodiac

[Picture on page 26]

Western zodiac

Watching the World

Seeking Fatness Because of Fear

Afraid that they will be mistaken for AIDS victims, “some women in the north of Cameroon stuff themselves with medicines that cause weight gain,” states a report in the Douala newspaper Le Messager, as published in Courrier International. “The news spreads very quickly when a sick person loses weight, and in public opinion, weight loss remains the best-known symptom of the illness.” This is also known as slim disease in Africa. Medicines, sold on the black market, are taken “without any medical prescription,” says the African source. For thin young women, however, rumors and the fear of being a social outcast because of assumed HIV infection are stronger than the potential risk.

Evidence of Paul’s Visit to Cyprus?

“Italian archaeologists at Paphos, on the rocky, sun-drenched southwestern coast of Cyprus, say they have uncovered the earliest material evidence of Paul’s presence on the island,” notes Biblical Archaeology Review. “Until now, the apostle’s visit was known only from the New Testament, which relates that Paul, on his first missionary journey, ‘sailed to Cyprus,’ where he crossed ‘the whole island as far as Paphos’ (Acts 13:4-6).” The evidence consists of a marble plaque fragment that shows two lines of Greek. The top reads “LOY,” and beneath it is “OSTO.” This is reconstructed by the archaeologists to read “(PAU)LOY (AP)OSTO(LOY),” or “Paul apostle,” and they date it to the first or second century C.E. “The Pafio [Paphos] fragment allows us to begin to reconstruct the map of Paul’s movements,” said Filippo Giudice, head of the archaeological team.

Naming New Species After You

“Looking for that extra-special gift for a loved one who seems to have everything?” asks Science magazine. “Help is at hand. In return for a donation to biodiversity research, you can have a previously unknown species of orchid, or mosquito, or sea slug, named after them and recorded in the scientific literature for perpetuity.” Or it can be named after you. Recent research suggests that only one tenth or fewer of existing species today have been described in scientific literature. Thousands of collected species are consigned nameless to museum drawers, waiting to be named and described in a scientific journal. People can now turn to a Web site and look at pictures of unnamed species that have a description ready for publication. Then, for a donation of $2,800 or more, they can bestow a Latin name on the species of their choice. By this means, the organization called BIOPAT hopes to raise funds for both taxonomy and the conservation of new species.

Child Victims

“Every day, . . . 30,500 boys and girls under the age of five die of many preventable causes,” says the United Nations Children’s Fund in its report The State of the World’s Children 2000. The Indian Express newspaper reports that “an estimated two million children have been killed and six million injured or disabled in armed conflicts in the last decade and still more millions are victims of human rights abuses.” More than 15 million children are refugees, and over one million have been separated from their parents or orphaned. Additionally, the report makes mention of studies by the International Labor Organization that show that at least 250 million children between 5 and 14 years of age are working as forced laborers, 20 percent of them in extremely hazardous conditions. About a million children worldwide are being forced to work as prostitutes, and 250,000 children are infected with the HIV virus each month. And 130 million children—two thirds of them girls—do not attend school.

A Modern Handwritten Bible

Work has started on an illuminated, handwritten Bible to be completed in six years, at an estimated cost of $3 million. It was commissioned by Benedictine monks at St. John’s University in Minnesota, U.S.A. At his workshop in Wales, British calligrapher Donald Jackson is overseeing a small team of calligraphers who are working with him on the project. They are writing on vellum, using goose-quill pens and antique Chinese stick ink made of refined soot mixed with gum. A calligraphic script specially designed for the work will be printed from a computer and then copied by hand, with illustrations and decorated letters added later. The completed work will comprise seven volumes and will have over 1,150 pages, each measuring about 24 inches [60 cm] high by 16 inches [40 cm] wide. The Bible chosen for this monumental task, the first of its kind in 500 years, is the English New Revised Standard Version. However, the order of the Bible books has been changed, and the first volume will start with the Gospels. Later, 100 copies of a collector’s edition are planned, to sell for between $60,000 and $80,000 a set.

Smokers or Not, Pollution Is Unavoidable

Most child smokers in India take up the habit at a very early age, according to a report by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, in Mumbai. On the average, street children with no parental supervision start at the age of 8, while school-going children with guardians start at 11. However, another survey in Mumbai showed that children who had good parental care and who never smoked were inhaling pollutants that were the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes a day! As reported in the newspaper The Asian Age, Mumbai and Delhi are among the top five most polluted cities in the world. With about 900,000 vehicles regularly plying the streets of Mumbai and another 300,000 moving in and out of the city each day, the air pollution rates, it is reported, are 600 to 800 percent higher than the permissible emission limits set by the World Health Organization.

China’s Wildlife Delicacies

China’s wildlife is being threatened as a result of “changing lifestyles and food habits,” notes Down to Earth magazine. A growing belief that certain types of wildlife are healthier in the diet than other foods has opened up a huge demand for exotic delicacies. Snakes head the list, with poisonous ones costing twice as much as the nonpoisonous. Wild boars, civet cats, toads, frogs, pythons, pangolins, Tibetan antelope, and rare birds are all high in the popularity ratings and appear on menus in restaurants throughout China. Many of these creatures are on the endangered species list, which qualifies them for government protection. Yet, some restaurant owners put up signs assuring their customers that the wildlife served is really wild and not domesticated or bred artificially. The Chinese government has launched a campaign to protect wildlife from the self-styled gourmets and is using the slogan, “Say no to eating wildlife.”

Dangerous to Birds

“North America’s office buildings and communications towers are silent killers,” declares The Globe and Mail of Toronto, Canada. “Strikes against structures, including windows on homes, are believed to kill 100 million birds annually on the continent.” Office lights left on at night inexplicably confuse the navigational ability of migrating birds. Experts say that the problem is widespread. “I don’t know any place in the country, on the continent, where there aren’t examples of this,” states ornithologist David Willard. Groups like Toronto’s Fatal Light Awareness Program are striving to educate office workers to turn their lights off at night.

In addition, “sky-beamers”—spotlights that sweep the sky to attract people to discos or other places of entertainment—divert nocturnal animals, reports the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The lights disturb the sensitive navigational system of birds and bats. In confusion, birds have been known to break up their migrating formation, change direction, call in anxiety, and even interrupt their migration completely. Sometimes birds, thrown off course, land exhausted after hours of circling, and weakened ones even die. The Institute for the Protection of Birds in Frankfurt has called for a ban on the “sky-beamers.”

From Our Readers

Gladiolus I would like to compliment you on the article “The Gladiolus—A Remarkable Flower of Fragile Beauty.” (February 22, 2000) I enjoy it when members of your church pay me a visit, even though I doubt I will ever join them. Anyway, the article was written by someone who really knows about glads. In this troubled world, growing glads is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy life.

C. M., United States

Suicide The series “Suicide—Who Are Most at Risk?” (February 22, 2000) hit the bull’s-eye. Eight months ago my mother died suddenly. My father was away when she died and feels guilty. He speaks about not wanting to live any longer. Hence, the articles were of great benefit to my father and me.

R. Z., Germany

My grandfather committed suicide two years ago. After the death of his wife, his mental state deteriorated. Your articles helped me to understand why he may have done what he did.

A. M., United States

In January my 48-year-old brother committed suicide. The day after his memorial service, my father, who is not one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, found this issue of Awake! in our mailbox. He was speechless and tearful as he showed it to us. My family cried tears of joy and thankfulness for this comforting series.

B. J., United States

In our school district, six children have committed suicide within the last year. It has been such a major concern that the school district has declared a suicide watch within the school system. We offered this issue to people in areas that are not usually receptive to our message. Sometimes people took the magazine out of our hands before we could finish our presentation!

C. C., United States

When I was a teenager, I tried to commit suicide twice after my father’s death. The very word “suicide” is considered taboo by some. Thank you for putting it on the cover of Awake! I found these articles to be frank, realistic, and very understanding.

M. G., France

Friendship Problems The article “Young People Ask . . . Why Did My Friend Hurt Me?” (February 22, 2000) helped me. My best friend of six and a half years hurt me very badly. By using the suggestions in your article, my friend and I talked things through calmly and peacefully. As a result, we are now closer than ever.

M. L., United States

Infirm Preacher The article “A Bright Outlook Despite Infirmities” (February 22, 2000) really moved me. I am young, and at times my problems seem insurmountable. Konstantin Morozov’s story was very encouraging. I treasure his words: “I want to continue to serve [Jehovah] as long as my heart continues to beat.”

L. C., Italy

I have three children, and because my husband does not share my faith, I must instruct them in spiritual matters. I also have to work and care for the house, and sometimes it seems that there is no more strength to be had. The positive attitude of Konstantin is amazing! Thank you for publishing his story.

O. K., Russia

A Dramatic Rescue

By Awake! correspondent in BENIN

“THOSE three men are alive only because Jehovah’s Witnesses saved them!” That was the news that spread like wildfire throughout the city of Calavi, in the West African country of Benin, on Wednesday, April 19, 2000. Who were the three men, and how were Jehovah’s Witnesses involved in their rescue?

About 6:30 a.m., Philippe Elegbe and Roger Kounougbe were getting ready to work on the assembly grounds of Jehovah’s Witnesses located adjacent to the Benin branch office of the Watch Tower Society. That evening hundreds were to gather there for the annual Memorial of the death of Jesus Christ.a Suddenly, a deafening crash shattered the peaceful morning calm. At once, Philippe and Roger realized that an accident had taken place on the highway.

Seconds later they heard a man scream: “My three apprentices are buried under the cement bags!” Philippe and Roger ran to the highway. There they saw a 20-ton truck lying on its side. Dozens of bags filled with cement had avalanched off the truck.

Josué Didolanvi, also a worker at the assembly grounds, was already on the scene, pulling a man out from between the cab of the truck and the cement bags. The driver, who had pulled himself out of the cab, was in a state of shock. Yet, he mustered the strength to cry out: “There are still two people under the sacks of cement!” Some onlookers began removing the sacks, but they soon gave up because of the tremendous heat. The cement had just come out of the manufacturer’s ovens!

To the Rescue

Philippe, Roger, and Josué began digging into the mountain of cement sacks, removing them one at a time. Their hands were racked with pain because of the heat and weight of the 110-pound [50 kg] sacks. Making matters worse, cement was spewing out of broken bags, blistering their fingers and making breathing difficult. “My hands were burning, especially my fingers,” Josué later said. “But I kept thinking that there might still be a chance to save whoever was under there.”

After moving nearly 40 sacks, the trio caught sight of a straw mat. Much to their surprise, they found the two men there—right under the mat. They were alive! When the accident occurred, these men were in the back of the truck sleeping on the mat that covered the bags of cement. When they tumbled from the truck, the mat fell on them, protecting them from the burning heat of the cement sacks that buried them.

During and after the rescue, a considerable crowd of onlookers gathered. All marveled that Philippe, Roger, and Josué had been able to remove a two-ton mountain so quickly and under such adverse conditions. They were also impressed that these three men would go to such lengths to help people that they did not even know. Soon everyone in Calavi seemed to know about their heroic efforts.

[Footnote]

[Picture on page 31]

Roger holding the straw mat after the rescue

‘You Are Showing Love to All’

THESE words of commendation were written to the branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Yugoslavia, a land where people of different ethnic backgrounds have been fighting one another for centuries. The letter stated:

“Dear Sirs,

I had heard much about you Jehovah’s Witnesses in my hometown, Sarajevo, but I was never interested in what you believe until last summer when I had the opportunity to attend your convention in Germany. I was deeply impressed to see people from Croatia, Yugoslavia, and Bosnia peacefully sitting together and even calling one another brother and sister. I have never seen anything like that! Your mutual love gives strong evidence that politics can do nothing to you. May God bless you for the love you are showing to all!”

Reports like this from areas where people harbor long-held hatreds raise the question, Will there ever be a world without war? This is the title of a 32-page brochure that provides powerful evidence that such a world will be achieved. But how? And when?

You can request this brochure by filling in the accompanying coupon and mailing it to the address shown on the coupon or to an appropriate address listed on page 5 of this magazine.

□ Send me a copy of the brochure Will There Ever Be a World Without War?

□ Please contact me concerning a free home Bible study.