May 8

Table of Contents

May 8, 2001

Can Prisoners Be Reformed?

All too often, prison is simply a training ground for more serious crimes. But read how some inmates have been helped to make genuine changes.

3 Prisons in Crisis

4 Is the Solution Part of the Problem?

8 Is Real Reform Possible?

11 Can We Save the Candelabra Tree?

12 Could the Holocaust Happen Again?

18 A Unique Japanese Handicraft

22 Cherrapunji​—One of the Wettest Places on Earth

24 Living Mosaics in Montreal

26 The Genuine Panama Hat—Made in Ecuador?

28 Watching the World

30 From Our Readers

31 “Watching the World” Goes to School

32 ‘Educational and Informative’

On Safari in Ghana 14

Come on a fascinating journey through Mole National Park, and see its thrilling wildlife for yourself!

Was Jehovah the Tribal God of the Jews? 20

How do we know that Jehovah is God to people of all nations?

Prisons in Crisis

“Building more prisons to address crime is like building more graveyards to address a fatal disease.”—ROBERT GANGI, CORRECTIONAL EXPERT.

IN A WORLD where political correctness often whitewashes the darker side of reality, we have soft alternatives for the bleak word “prison.” We prefer “penitentiary” or “correctional facility,” where “vocational training” and “social services” are provided. We even favor the term “inmate” over the dehumanizing word “prisoner.” Yet, look under the veneer, and you will find that prisons are facing serious problems today, such as the skyrocketing cost of keeping offenders behind bars and the ever-widening gulf between the aims of incarceration and the actual results.

Some people question the effectiveness of prisons. They note that while the number of prisoners worldwide has soared to over eight million, the crime rate in many lands has not significantly diminished. Moreover, while a large number of those in prison are there for crimes involving drugs, the availability of drugs on the street is still a grave concern.

Nevertheless, many consider imprisonment to be the punishment of choice. They feel that when the offender is jailed, justice is served. One journalist describes the zeal to put criminals behind bars as “lock-’em-up fever.”

There are four principal reasons why lawbreakers are put in prison: (1) to punish the offenders, (2) to protect society, (3) to prevent future crimes, and (4) to rehabilitate criminals, teaching them to be law-abiding and productive after their release. Let us see if prisons are accomplishing these objectives.

Is the Solution Part of the Problem?

“Demeaning and demoralizing prisoners is the worst way to prepare them for the world outside.”—AN EDITORIAL IN THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION.

IN MANY cases prisons simply act as a restraint—and a temporary one at that. When a prisoner is released, has he really paid for his crime?a What about the victims or their loved ones? “I am the mother of a murdered child,” pleaded Rita when the convicted killer of her 16-year-old son was released after serving only a three-year sentence. “Please stop for a moment. Think. Can you begin to imagine what this means?” As Rita’s case illustrates, tragedy often lingers long after the courts have finished their business and the headlines have faded.

This issue is of concern not only to those whose lives have been touched by crime but also to everyone else. After all, whether released prisoners have been rehabilitated or simply hardened by their experience behind bars has a direct bearing on your peace of mind if not on your very safety.

Schools for Criminals

The prison system does not always quell criminal behavior. “When money is poured into building another prison cell at the expense of rebuilding a prisoner’s self-image, it is often just a prelude to more—and worse—crime,” writes Jill Smolowe in Time magazine. Peter,b who has spent 14 years behind bars, would agree with that statement. “Most of my fellow inmates started off with petty crime, then they moved up to property crime, and finally they graduated to serious offenses against other humans,” he says. “For them, prisons are like trade schools. They’re going to come out worse.”

While prisons may take criminals off the streets for a while, it seems that they do little—if anything—to deter crime in the long term. Inner-city boys and young men often view imprisonment as an initiation rite. Very often they end up becoming hardened offenders. “Prison doesn’t rehabilitate you at all,” says Larry, who has spent much of his life in and out of jail. “These guys come out and do the same thing all over again.”

This ‘revolving door’ may explain why, according to one study in the United States, 50 percent of all serious crimes are committed by about 5 percent of the criminals. “When prisoners have no constructive way to spend their time,” remarks Time magazine, “they often fill the hours building a reservoir of resentment, not to mention a grab bag of criminal tricks, that . . . they will take back to the streets.”

The situation is not unique to the United States. John Vatis, a physician at a military prison in Greece, states: “Our prisons have become very good at producing people who are menacing, violent, and mean. When released, most inmates want to ‘square up’ with society.”

The Social Cost

The prison crisis reaches right into your wallet. It is estimated that in the United States, for example, each prisoner costs taxpayers about $21,000 annually. Inmates over the age of 60 can cost three times that amount. In many countries public confidence in the penal system is waning for additional reasons. There are concerns about prematurely released criminals as well as offenders who manage to avoid prison sentences altogether because of some legal technicality discovered by an astute lawyer. Usually, victims do not feel sufficiently protected against further violation, and they may have little voice in the legal process.

Public Concern Grows

Public confidence in the prison system is not helped by the inhumane conditions to which prisoners are exposed, as described in the accompanying box. Prisoners who have suffered unjust treatment while serving their sentences are hardly candidates for rehabilitation. Then, too, a number of human rights groups are concerned about the disproportionate numbers of members of minority groups who are found in prisons. They question whether this is a coincidence or the result of racial discrimination.

A 1998 Associated Press report drew attention to the plight of ex-prisoners of the Holmesburg Prison, in Pennsylvania, U.S.A., who sought compensation for having allegedly been used as human guinea pigs in chemical experiments while imprisoned. And what about the reintroduction of chain gangs in the United States? Amnesty International reports: “Work on the gang lasts for 10-12 hours often in hot sun, with very brief breaks for water, and an hour for lunch. . . . The only toilet facility available to chain gang inmates is a portable chamber pot behind a make-shift screen. Inmates remain chained together while using it. When the chamber pot is inaccessible, inmates are forced to squat down on the ground in public.” Of course, not all prisons operate that way. Nevertheless, inhumane treatment dehumanizes both the prisoners and those who mete it out.

Are Community Interests Served?

Naturally, most communities feel safer when dangerous criminals are behind bars. Other communities like prisons for different reasons. When a prison in the small Australian town of Cooma was to be closed, people protested. Why? Because the prison provided employment for the economically struggling community.

In recent times some governments have sold their prisons to private enterprise as a cost-saving measure. Unfortunately, more prisoners and longer sentences are good for business. Thus, justice can become mixed up with commercialism.

All told, the fundamental question remains: Do prisons rehabilitate criminals? While the answer is often negative, you may be surprised to learn that some inmates have been helped to change. Let us see how.

[Footnotes]

[Box/Picture on page 6, 7]

A Brief Look Behind Bars

OVERCROWDING: Prisons in Britain have an acute overcrowding problem, and no wonder! That land has the second highest per capita prison population in all of Western Europe, with 125 prisoners for every 100,000 of the population. In Brazil, São Paulo’s largest prison is built to hold 500 inmates. Instead, it houses 6,000. In Russia, cells that should hold 28 inmates are housing between 90 and 110. The problem is so severe that prisoners must sleep in shifts. In an Asian country, 13 or 14 prisoners have been crowded into a 30-square-foot [3 sq m] cell. Meanwhile, in Western Australia, officials have coped with lack of space by using shipping containers to house prisoners.

VIOLENCE: The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reports that in German prisons brutal inmates kill and torture because of “the war of competing cliques for illegal business in alcohol and narcotics, sex, and usury.” Ethnic tensions often fan the flames of prison violence. “There are convicts from 72 nations,” notes Der Spiegel. “Friction and conflicts leading to violence are unavoidable.” In one South American jail, the officials said that on the average, 12 prisoners were killed every month. Inmates said that the number was twice as high, reported the Financial Times of London.

SEXUAL ABUSE: In the article “The Rape Crisis Behind Bars,” The New York Times states that a conservative estimate is that in the United States, “more than 290,000 males are sexually assaulted behind bars every year.” The report continues: “The catastrophic experience of sexual violence usually extends beyond a single incident, often becoming a daily assault.” One organization estimates that in U.S. prisons, some 60,000 unwanted sexual acts take place every day.

HEALTH AND HYGIENE: The spread of sexually transmitted diseases among the prison population is well documented. Tuberculosis among prisoners in Russia and some African countries attracts worldwide publicity, as does the neglect in the fields of medical treatment, hygiene, and nutrition in many prisons around the world.

[Picture]

An overcrowded prison in São Paulo, Brazil

[Credit Line]

AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills

[Picture on page 4, 5]

The maximum-security prison La Santé in Paris, France

[Credit Line]

AP Photo/Francois Mori

[Picture on page 6]

Women in prison in Managua, Nicaragua

[Credit Line]

AP Photo/Javier Galeano

Is Real Reform Possible?

“No one can force another human being to be rehabilitated. Change has to come from within the individual and to be willed.”—VIVIEN STERN, A SIN AGAINST THE FUTURE—IMPRISONMENT IN THE WORLD.

A VITAL key to real reform among prisoners centers on education and a change in values and outlook. Without a doubt, there are sincere individuals who are making efforts to educate and help prisoners. The fine and altruistic work of such people is indeed appreciated by many prisoners.

Some people will argue that the prison system as a whole is beyond reform and that it is barely possible for prisoners to change in such an environment. While it may be true that incarceration alone does not instill new values, Bible instruction has helped some to change their lives. This illustrates that reform is possible on an individual basis.

Today, with help from the Bible, some inmates are making the changes that produce right thinking and conduct. How? By heeding the Bible counsel: “Quit being fashioned after this system of things, but be transformed by making your mind over, that you may prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:2) How is this accomplished?

The Role of the Bible

Many people feel that religion can play a large role in helping prisoners to repent of their previous actions. Of course, a basic problem with this is that any change of character brought about behind bars may vanish once the prisoner has been released. One inmate put it this way: “A lot of people find Christ in this place—but when they leave here, they leave Christ behind!”

Experience has demonstrated that genuine change must occur within—in the criminal’s mind and heart—and that the basis must be sincere repentance for past wrongdoing. A program of Bible education can help an individual to learn how God feels about wickedness and why it is wrong. This can give him strong reasons for not wanting to continue in such a course.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are conducting such a Bible education program in numerous prisons around the world, with wonderful results. (See page 10.) “We have been helped to discover what the Bible says about the purpose of life and the blessings the future holds for mankind,” commented one prisoner, adding: “It’s an incredible education!” Another inmate remarked: “We’re making decisions based on God’s counsel. . . . We see changes in ourselves. We know what life’s priorities are.”

Of course, the need for reform extends beyond prison walls. The true solution to the prison crisis lies in eliminating the need for prisons. One of the glorious Bible truths that has touched the hearts of so many inmates is expressed in God’s promise: “Evildoers themselves will be cut off . . . The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it.”—Psalm 37:9, 29.

When that happens, God’s superior standards will be enforced by an incorruptible government that is both loving and firm, God’s heavenly Kingdom under Christ—the government for which Christians have been taught to pray. (Matthew 6:10) In that new world, every inhabitant will be reformed by learning God’s superior laws. Then it will be true as never before that “the earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.” (Isaiah 11:9) With what result? The law-abiding inhabitants of the new world “will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.”—Psalm 37:11.

[Box/Pictures on page 10]

Opening a Window of Hope

For more than 20 years, volunteer ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses have carried out a successful Bible-based educational program in the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. During that time, more than 40 inmates have been helped to become baptized ministers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and more than 90 other inmates have also benefited from regular Bible studies.

Awake! recently spoke with several Bible teachers who have unselfishly worked in that prison.

◼ Why is Bible education so effective in motivating certain inmates to change their lives?

David: Many prisoners are people who haven’t been shown love, even in childhood. So when they come to know that God loves them and when they pour their hearts out to him in prayer and then he answers their prayers, he becomes real to them. Their hearts are motivated to love him in return.

Ray: One of the inmates I studied with was abused as a child. When I asked him what attracted him to Jehovah, he answered that when you learn Bible truth, you find out that Jehovah really understands you. This made him want to learn more about the personality of such a loving God.

◼ Some will say that prisoners cling to religion because of ulterior motives—to reduce their sentence or just to kill time. What has your experience shown you?

Fred: When the inmates come to our studies, we don’t appeal to their sentimentality. We simply study the Bible with them. In short order, they learn that they’re going to be taught about the Bible and that this is all we do. I’ve had them come to me and ask for help in dealing with their court cases. I’ll not discuss this with them. As a result, the ones who come into the study group and stay there over a period of time really want to learn what the Bible says.

Nick: One thing I notice is the changes that some inmates make while they are in the penitentiary. Some of them have become baptized ministers and have suffered a lot because of other inmates. That is very hard for them. If the Bible had not touched their hearts, they would not have been able to remain faithful under those circumstances.

Israel: Generally, they are people with a deep desire to learn about Jehovah, and they express it in a beautiful way. You can see that it comes from their heart.

Joe: The ones who become true Christians have come to understand why things went wrong in their lives. They also understand that there is hope for change—a window of hope opens up for them. Now they can sincerely anticipate the fulfillment of Jehovah’s promises for the future.

◼ Why cannot the prison system alone change criminals?

Joe: The purpose of the penal system is, not to rehabilitate, but to keep criminals away from the rest of society. That’s the core of the problem—the mind-set of the prison system toward these men.

Henry: The prison system is unable to change the offenders’ hearts. Most of these people are going to repeat their crimes when they get out.

[Picture on page 8, 9]

Scores of inmates have been helped to learn the truth of the Bible

Can We Save the Candelabra Tree?

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN BRAZIL

AT ONE time southern Brazil was covered with pine trees. Their resemblance to a branched candlestick earned one species the name “candelabra tree.” It is also known as the Paraná pine and the Brazilian pine.

The cones that hang from the candelabra tree are bigger than grapefruits, some weighing ten pounds [5 kg]. One cone may contain up to 150 seeds, called pinhões in Portuguese. When the cone is ripe, it bursts open with a loud crack, and the seeds spill out.

Humans, birds, and animals eat the seeds, which smell and taste like chestnuts. At one time pinhões—a good source of protein and calcium—formed the staple diet of some indigenous tribes in southern Brazil. The seeds are still used today. For example, in Brazil’s Santa Catarina State, they are found in regional dishes, such as paçoca de pinhão (crushed pinhões).

The sun began to set on the candelabra tree when 18th-century European settlers saw its potential for wood. Soon, candelabra trees were being chopped down to build houses or were simply cleared away to make room for cornfields and vineyards. Over time, more trees were cut down than were planted. Now, only a few scattered patches of forest are left. Consequently, the value of the candelabra tree has risen sharply. “Pine is no longer wood,” remarked a man who has been processing candelabra timber for 50 years. “It is gold.”

Researchers say that if it were not for the azure jay, the candelabra would be extinct. This restless bird feeds on the seeds of the candelabra tree, storing some in moss and dead tree ferns. A number of these seeds later germinate. In a sense, then, the azure jay is a busy planter of candelabra trees! Sadly, though, the number of azure jays is declining because of the destruction of the pine forests.

Some logging companies have now begun to conserve small tracts of forest and also to replant the candelabra in parts of southern Brazil. Perhaps this means that the sun will continue to rise on the candelabra tree.

[Pictures on page 11]

Each cone contains up to 150 “pinhões”

[Credit Line]

Tree and cones: Marcos Castelani

Could the Holocaust Happen Again?

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN SWEDEN

ON January 26-28, 2000, heads of State and representatives of 48 governments from around the world gathered in the capital of Sweden for the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust. Some statements from the rostrum revealed a fear that world leaders harbor of a revival of Nazism. Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Barak said: “This conference sends forth a universal message: Never again to tolerate, anywhere on the face of the earth, a regime of evil and murder and discrimination among human beings on the basis of their religion, race or color.”

Not Just a Jewish Concern

Many people around the world relate the term “Holocaust” only to Jews. However, others were victims as well. At a well publicized Jewish Holocaust remembrance ceremony held at the Great Synagogue of Stockholm during the forum, Sweden’s prime minister suggested that a pledge be made that all archives around the world be opened up to enlighten the public on the Holocaust. “Let us know,” he said, “about the genocide of the Roma [Gypsies], the mass murder of disabled persons and the persecution and murder of homosexuals, dissidents and Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

The Swedish government has produced a book on the Holocaust entitled Tell Ye Your Children, which has been distributed throughout the country free of charge to all households with children. This publication notes that Jehovah’s Witnesses “refused to swear an oath of allegiance to Hitler and Nazi Germany. Such resistance is exceptional because merely signing a document declaring their allegiance would have ended their persecution—yet few chose this option.”

The Holocaust and Jehovah’s Witnesses

In 1933, there were about 25,000 of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany. Thousands of them were among the first people to be thrown into Nazi camps and prisons. They declared their neutrality as Christians toward all kinds of political and military activity. They did not heil Hitler. They refused to accept the Nazi racist ideology and to share in Hitler’s war machine. About 2,000 died, more than 250 of them by execution.

Furthermore, Witness prisoners helped fellow prisoners to endure, including Jews and others. They did so by instilling Bible-based hope in them and by sharing whatever they had with sick and weak ones, often offering some of their last piece of bread. During the early years of Nazi persecution, they also smuggled out information about the existence of concentration camps and about what was going on in them. Since then, in their globally circulated magazines, The Watchtower and Awake!, they have published numerous articles dealing with Nazi atrocities as well as survivors’ life stories.

Fear of a revival of Nazism was evident among the delegates at the Stockholm International Forum on the Holocaust. Professor Yehuda Bauer, director of the International Center for Holocaust Studies at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry, Israel, expressed it this way: “Because it happened once, it can happen again, not in the same form, not necessarily to the same people, not by the same people, but to anyone by anyone. It was unprecedented, but now the precedent is there.”

[Picture on page 12]

The purple triangle identified Jehovah’s Witnesses in the camps

[Pictures on page 12, 13]

1. Julius Engelhardt, one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was executed by the Nazis at Brandenburg on August 14, 1944

2. Three of Jehovah’s Witnesses head home after being liberated from Sachsenhausen, 1945

3. Elsa Abt, a Witness who was separated from her little daughter and imprisoned for nearly three years

[Credit Line]

Nordrhein-Westfälisches Hauptstaatsarchiv, Düsseldorf

[Pictures on page 13]

Witness survivors tell their stories on these videos

On Safari in Ghana

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN GHANA

AS THE darkness and mist give way to the morning light, we slowly make our way over the 50 miles [80 km] of untarred road leading to Mole National Park in the Northern Region of Ghana. The surrounding landscape consists mainly of grass, bushes, and short trees. Occasionally, we pass a small village with huts made of clay and roofed with straw.

What a contrast when we reach Damongo, a bustling rural town with shops, tarred roads, and heavy traffic! Children dressed in beige and brown uniforms are on their way to school. Women in colorful clothes carry all kinds of loads on their heads—firewood, foodstuffs, and vessels full of water. Cars and tractors are honking, and bicyclists are passing. We have 14 miles [20 km] to go.

At Mole National Park

Finally we reach the park. According to our tour guide, Zechariah, the Mole Game Reserve was established in 1971 and covers an area of 1,870 square miles [4,840 sq km]. There have been 93 species of mammals, 9 species of amphibians, and 33 species of reptiles recorded in the park. These include lions, leopards, spotted hyenas, civet cats, elephants, bongos, dwarf forest buffalo, warthogs, waterbuck, duikers, genets, hartebeests, mongooses, baboons, various monkeys, roan antelope, porcupines, crocodiles, and snakes, including pythons. In addition, more than 300 species of birds have been seen here.

Slapping at hungry blackflies, we walk through the knee-high grass and soon come close to a herd of antelope. At first, it is difficult to see them, since their color blends in with their surroundings. While we are watching them, they are watching us just as intently, so that the distinction between tourist and attraction becomes blurred. As we take pictures, we are startled by a loud snort to our right. Protesting our invasion of his privacy, a big male waterbuck runs off into the bush ahead.

Then we notice four huge elephants under a big tree. They pull branches down with their trunks and chomp the soft leaves. We move closer, and when we are just 30 feet [10 m] away, Zechariah encourages us to take pictures. He slaps the butt of his rifle, which produces a metallic sound that drives the elephants away from under the tree and gives us a chance to take even better pictures. Not far away, the elephants find a muddy spot and use it for bathing. Zechariah explains that the elephants’ color changes—from their natural black to red or brown—depending on the color of the mud they bathe in.

We walk a little farther and get a full view of the landscape of the park. Its vegetation includes beautiful acacia and shea trees. On our way back, we take the same path that the elephants have taken. They are still a number of feet away, but the biggest elephant of the group raises its ears, gets into a fighting stance, and heads toward us. Is it going to attack?

Zechariah tells us not to worry, but at the same time, he takes his rifle off his shoulder and leads us away from the path that the elephants have chosen. We continue walking, the guide with his rifle—and we with our cameras—ready for use. Soon we are out of the elephants’ sight.

Zechariah explains that elephants in the park are used to humans and that some even come close. When the elephants are frequently seen, the guides start giving them names. One they called Knobby because it had a big knob on its skin. Another elephant they named Action because it used to frighten tourists.

Next, we encounter a number of baboons. We watch them swinging in the trees or running on the ground. Our guide calls our attention to a mother baboon carrying two babies, one at her back and the other at her breast. They are twins, he explains.

Truly, we have seen quite a bit of wildlife today. Zechariah tells us that to see wildlife during the dry season—between April and June—one only has to wait at the water holes because the animals will come in large droves for a drink. He also says that by driving into the park with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, one can observe many other animals, including buffalo and lions.

It is now time for lunch. While we are eating, a large baboon takes a position on the bed of a pickup parked next to our car and boldly focuses on my lunch. Other baboons pass by, along with some antelope and a warthog, and finally four elephants appear on top of a hill close by. Perhaps we have found an easy way to get these animals to pose for a picture!

At the Marketplace

The time we spend at Mole National Park is much too short, but we now take a two-hour drive across untarred roads to Sawla, a rural town inhabited by the Lobi, a tribe of farmers. The women of this tribe have the curious custom of artificially enlarging their lips. Although nowadays the tradition is slowly dying out as young girls are influenced by modern civilization, many women are still proud of the size of their lips. Indeed, it is considered an insult to tell a Lobi woman that she has short lips like a man.

We arrive at a village and enter the market. The booths are made of tree branches and have thatched roofs. There is a white man standing in the market among all the black Africans. We approach him and discover that he recently came here to translate the Bible into the Lobi language. He lives in the next village right among the Lobi so that he can learn to speak their language fluently. I am reminded of Robert Moffat, who set up a mission among the Tswana-speaking people of southern Africa in the 19th century and translated the Bible into their language.

Sitting on a bench in one of the market booths is an old Lobi woman with enlarged lips. Two whitish wooden plates, each as big as a thumbnail, have been pushed into a hole in each of her lips. I would like to take a picture of her, but as soon as I lift my camera, she turns away. One of my companions explains that the old Lobi have a belief that their soul can be adversely affected when someone snaps a picture.

On our way back to Sawla, where we will stay for the night, I think about the wisdom and variety that we have seen in God’s creation. He designed both animals and humans masterfully. It is just as the psalmist exclaimed: “How many your works are, O Jehovah! All of them in wisdom you have made. The earth is full of your productions.”—Psalm 104:24.

[Map on page 14, 15]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

GHANA

[Picture on page 14]

Warthog

[Picture on page 14]

Spotted hyena

[Picture on page 15]

Elephant

[Picture on page 15]

Hippos

[Picture on page 15]

A herd of antelope

[Picture on page 16]

A mother baboon carrying two babies

[Picture on page 17]

Hartebeest

[Picture on page 17]

The marketplace

A Unique Japanese Handicraft

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN JAPAN

DENSE forest covers the mountains of Hakone in the vicinity of Mount Fuji in Japan. Taking a seldom-traveled winding mountain road, we arrive at a quaint hamlet named Hatajuku. This tranquil community is the birthplace of yosegi.

Yosegi literally means “combination of pieces of wood.” Its hallmark is geometric designs on the surface of wooden handicrafts ranging from simple bookmarks to boxes with sliding drawers. There are designs in a variety of shapes and colors. Upon realizing that these patterns are not painted but are assembled by gluing together wood of different colors, we view yosegi items with renewed appreciation.

How has this unique handicraft developed? In the 1800’s, a craftsman named Nihei Ishikawa devised the concept of gluing together wood of different colors. Then, by crosscutting thin sheets of wood from the original blocks, he crafted boxes and other items with mosaic designs.

Later a more efficient method of producing yosegi was developed. This involved planing original blocks into paper-thin sheets and gluing them onto thicker pieces of wood as a veneer. This made it possible to create affordable souvenirs for those visiting the nearby hot springs of Hakone.

Many different woods are used to make yosegi. The white color, for example, comes from the spindle and dogwood trees, yellow from the lacquer and Japanese wax trees, light brown from the cherry and zelkova trees, and black from the katsura tree.

When visiting Hakone, you may be content to purchase small yosegi coasters or bookmarks, which are comparatively inexpensive. Even these small mementos will bring back memories of visiting Hakone in the vicinity of famous Mount Fuji and getting a glimpse of an intriguing craft that started more than 150 years ago.

[Box/Pictures on page 19]

THE MAKING OF YOSEGI

The yosegi craftsman planes woods of different colors to the desired thickness. Then he glues the sheets together in layers. A colorful pattern appears on the side of the glued sheets. The craftsman then crosscuts the glued sheet to get strips of layered wood to fit into a special mold. (1) After smoothing the strips with a plane, he takes them out of the mold, glues them together to form a pattern, and binds them with cotton strings. This becomes a basic unit for yosegi.

Next, the craftsman again glues together several units to produce a larger unit. (2) This he saws into slices. (3) Then he arranges these into a yet larger pattern and glues these together. This process continues until the craftsman has made a large plate called a tanegi, or a wooden material piece.

The craftsman now has a basic pattern for the finished product. (4) With a special plane, he shaves the tanegi into paper-thin sheets called zuku. (5) After these sheets are ironed, the craftsman is ready to decorate his wooden artifacts with the zuku veneer.

[Pictures on page 18]

“Yosegi” patterns are not painted but are assembled by gluing together wood of different colors

The Bible’s Viewpoint

Was Jehovah the Tribal God of the Jews?

IN MANY lands today, the name Jehovah is closely associated with the modern-day organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet, this name appears in some Bible translations that are used by religions besides Jehovah’s Witnesses. Indeed, the name Jehovah as represented by the Tetragrammaton has been in use for thousands of years.

Jehovah is sometimes called “the God of Israel.” (1 Chronicles 17:24) This expression has led some to believe that he was merely a local tribal god whom the Hebrews either borrowed from another culture or invented for themselves. “[Jehovah] began life as a very aggressive tribal deity of the Israelites,” claims Karen Armstrong, writer of the book A History of God. “Later, the prophets of Israel . . . , in about the seventh and sixth centuries B.C., made this tribal God a symbol for the absolutely indescribable reality.”

A number of religious historians have attempted to trace the origin of the name Jehovah to Canaanite or Egyptian sources. Others assert that it “is an old tribal name” and does not identify the God portrayed in the “New Testament.” Is that true? What does a careful reading of the Bible reveal?

Jehovah—The God of All People

The Bible acknowledges the intimate association of Jehovah with the Israelite nation. But this is no reason to consider him a mere tribal god. The Christian apostle Paul asked: “Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of people of the nations?” Paul’s clear answer? “Yes, of people of the nations also.” (Romans 3:29) Who was the God that Paul referred to? Well, in this same letter to the Romans, the name Jehovah appears 19 times. The apostle, quoting the ancient Hebrew prophet Joel, noted that not just the Jews but “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”—Romans 10:13; Joel 2:32.

The Israelites did not choose Jehovah as their God; rather, Jehovah chose them to accomplish his purpose—that is, to prepare the way for the Messiah. Furthermore, a tribal god’s destiny is bound up with that of its people. When the tribe is vanquished, the god too suffers defeat. This has not been the case with Jehovah.

Jehovah’s covenant with Abraham—put into effect centuries before the Christian era—promised blessings for people of all nations, showing God’s interest in all mankind. (Genesis 12:1-3; Acts 10:34, 35; 11:18) Israelite King David showed that Jehovah was proprietor of more than just the land of Israel: “To Jehovah belong the earth and that which fills it, the productive land and those dwelling in it.”—Psalm 24:1.

Later when David’s son Solomon dedicated a temple of worship to Jehovah, he showed that there was a way by which Jehovah could be approached by humble people of any nation. In his dedication prayer, Solomon said: “Also to the foreigner, who is no part of your people Israel and who actually comes from a distant land . . . and prays toward this house, may you yourself listen from the heavens, your established place of dwelling, and you must do according to all that for which the foreigner calls to you; in order that all the peoples of the earth may get to know your name so as to fear you the same as your people Israel do.”—1 Kings 8:41-43.

Israel Rejected

Regarding the relationship of Israel with Jehovah, Professor C. J. Labuschagne wrote: “Throughout her history Israel experienced again and again that the ‘national’ God could act in a most unnational and even antinational way.” In the first century when Israel rejected the Messiah, Jehovah rejected that nation.

However, Jehovah’s name was to continue to be used among Christians. As the Christian congregation grew, its membership came to include people of all nations. Presiding at a Christian assembly in Jerusalem, the Jewish disciple James spoke of God as having “turned his attention to the [non-Jewish] nations to take out of them a people for his name.” As proof that this had been foretold, James then quoted a prophecy in the book of Amos in which Jehovah’s name appears.—Acts 15:2, 12-18; Amos 9:11, 12.

Cares for All, Blesses All

Further confirming the universalness of Jehovah’s Godship, Paul wrote: “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for there is the same Lord over all, who is rich to all those calling upon him.” (Romans 10:12) Yes, all obedient humankind can receive Jehovah’s blessing.

To all his faithful and obedient human children—regardless of their nationality or race—Jehovah promises a glorious future. His Word describes such people as “the desirable things of all the nations.” (Haggai 2:7) These people get to know Jehovah and come to love him. The last book of the Bible says about them: “All the nations will come and worship before you [Jehovah], because your righteous decrees have been made manifest.”—Revelation 15:4.

[Picture on page 20]

Moses holding the Ten Commandments

Cherrapunji—One of the Wettest Places on Earth

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN INDIA

ONE of the wettest places on earth? But how can that be? Water shortages are fairly common here in India, and on most days you do not even need an umbrella! What curious place are we describing? Cherrapunji—a town in Meghalaya, a northeastern state of India, bordering Bangladesh. Meghalaya is so beautiful that it has been called “the Scotland of the East.” Its very name means “abode of the clouds.” But why has Cherrapunji long been regarded as one of the wettest places on earth? Let us take a brief trip to this intriguing natural wonder.a

We begin our journey in Shillong, the capital of the state of Meghalaya. Boarding a tourist bus, we head south. As we pass rolling hills and open grasslands, we see the waiting clouds ahead of us, instantly reminding us that the name Meghalaya is fitting.

Our road climbs and winds along the lip of a deep gorge thickly blanketed with trees. Waterfalls tumble from a great height, feeding the river surging through the valley. As our bus stops at Mawkdok, we see low cloud formations moving through the hills. Suddenly they blot an entire segment of scenery from view and then lift just as quickly to reveal it. For just a moment, we too are enveloped in the cloud mass and are lost in a soft white blanket of invisibility. Soon, though, the clouds swirl away, and the sun illuminates the breathtaking view.

Cherrapunji is 4,000 feet [1,300 m] above sea level. When we reach the town, there is not a rain cloud in sight, and no one is carrying an umbrella. Only we visitors are prepared for a downpour! So when does the rain fall?

Tropical regions experience heavy rainfall when the sun evaporates a large volume of water from the warmer parts of the oceans. When moisture-laden winds from the Indian Ocean strike the southern slopes of the Himalaya Mountains and are forced to rise, they empty their load in the form of torrential rains. The Meghalaya plateau is a major receiving ground. Moreover, it appears that since this high area receives the full power of the tropical sun in the daytime, the rain clouds rise and hover above the plateau until the air cools toward evening. This may explain why much of the rain falls at night.

During July 1861, Cherrapunji received an astonishing 366 inches [930 cm] of rain! And 1,042 inches [2,646 cm] of rain fell during the 12-month period from August 1, 1860, to July 31, 1861. Today, on the average, Cherrapunji has rain 180 days a year. The rain is heaviest from June through September. Since most of the rain falls at night, visitors can enjoy their sightseeing without getting soaked by a downpour.

It is hard to believe that with so much rain, this region could ever experience a water shortage. Yet, that is often the case during the winter months. Where do the monsoon torrents go? Because of extensive deforestation just outside of Cherrapunji, most of the rain pours off the high plateau, filling the rivers of the plains, which flow mainly into Bangladesh. The damming of streams and the construction of reservoirs are projects being considered. But according to the tribal king of Mawsynram, G. S. Malngiang, there have been “no serious efforts to solve the water problem.”

The visit to Cherrapunji has certainly been exciting and educational. What breathtaking scenery the place has to offer! And there are wonderful flowers, including some 300 species of orchids and a unique species of the carnivorous pitcher plant. Moreover, there is a wide variety of wildlife to admire, and there are limestone caves to explore and megaliths to examine. The area’s extensive orange groves produce the juicy fruit as well as make possible the natural production of delicious orange honey. All of this awaits visitors to Meghalaya, the “abode of the clouds,” and to Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth.

[Footnote]

[Map on page 22]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

INDIA

Cherrapunji

[Credit Line]

Mountain High Maps® Copyright © 1997 Digital Wisdom, Inc.

[Picture on page 23]

Waterfalls feed the river surging through the valley

[Picture on page 23]

This species of the carnivorous pitcher plant is unique to this corner of the earth

[Credit Line]

Photograph by Matthew Miller

Living Mosaics in Montreal

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN CANADA

FROM June 19 to October 9, 2000, the charming city of Montreal, Canada, was host to Mosaiculture International Montreal 2000 (MIM 2000), the first international floral sculpture exposition. Under the theme “The Planet Is a Mosaic,” artists from 14 countries were invited to design and build about a hundred floral exhibits.

Two-dimensional floral mosaics—in which plants are used to create a picture—have decorated public gardens for centuries. For the past 50 years, however, horticulturists in China, Europe, and elsewhere have created three-dimensional sculptures by covering metal frames with a careful selection of plants. By bringing together both types of mosaics into one exhibition, the organizers of MIM 2000 revived the term “mosaiculture”—originally used to describe floral covers in France—and applied it to both two- and three-dimensional floral sculptures. In all, some three million specially chosen plants were used for MIM 2000. To water and maintain the living mosaicultures, the talents of 68 horticulturists and gardeners were required.

The Chinese mosaics were particularly intriguing, for their creators braided a mixture of clay, horse manure, and rice straw through the metal frame of a three-dimensional sculpture. They also used tiny plants with small roots that require very little soil.

Each of the artists who entered MIM 2000 hoped to win the competition. But most visitors were content simply to admire the innovative design and spectacular beauty of each mosaic. “This really is artwork,” commented Lynn Duranceau, director of the international competition. “It’s like a small museum. We’re quite proud of the outcome.”

[Pictures on page 24, 25]

Above: Sculpture of panda, from China

Center: Ancient palace, from Thailand, along with butterfly, from China

Bottom: Mallards, from Quebec, Canada

[Pictures on page 25]

Above: Floral sculpture of painting by Vincent van Gogh, from Canada; peacock, from France

The Genuine Panama Hat—Made in Ecuador?

BY AWAKE! WRITER IN ECUADOR

WAS the customer duped? To an observer, it might have seemed so. Why, the fellow paid $300 for a genuine Panama hat. But the salesman took it out of a box that was clearly stamped “Made in Ecuador”! A fraud? Far from it. In fact, the true Panama hat is indeed made in Ecuador. But how did such a misnomer come about? And why would such a hat be worth hundreds of dollars?

In the mid-1800’s, gold seekers rushed to California by way of the Isthmus of Panama. There they purchased hats imported from Ecuador. In time, the hats came to be known by the name of their point of purchase rather than their place of origin. In any event, the Panama hat became very popular. In 1849, for example, Ecuador exported more than 220,000 of them! Then, in 1855 a Frenchman who lived in Panama introduced the hats to the world’s fair in Paris. The fashion-savvy French were impressed with the delicate material, some even describing it as “straw cloth.” Soon it was virtually unthinkable to wear any other style!

The popularity of the Panama hat soared at the start of the 20th century when a photograph of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sporting a stylish fino appeared in the world press. The demand for the chic hat rose. Prominent companies around the globe began distributing them. In Turkey, modernization laws banned the traditional fez in 1925 and mandated the use of Panama hats. By 1944 the Panama hat had become Ecuador’s primary export item.

By the second half of the 20th century, the popularity of hats waned. Yet, Ecuador’s finely woven Panama hats maintained their mystique. Indeed, expert hatters throughout the world compete for premium-grade specimens. Famous people from bygone eras to our day have been captivated by the elegance of the Panama hat. It has graced the heads of Winston Churchill, Nikita Khrushchev, Humphrey Bogart, and Michael Jordan—to name but a few.

Of course, there are inexpensive mass-produced imitations of the genuine Panama. However, many of these crack; others do not breathe. In contrast, the genuine Panama is light and airy, and it lasts a lifetime. Each is handwoven and therefore is one of a kind. Prices range from a few dollars for the coarser hats to over $1,000 for the rarest, the superfinos of Montecristi. Quality is determined by the fineness and regularity of the weave as well as the consistency of color. But always remember this: A genuine Panama hat is made only in Ecuador.

[Box/Pictures on page 26, 27]

The Making of a Panama Hat

How is the Panama hat made? A palmlike plant provides the supple yet resistant fiber called toquilla. Ecuador’s coastal lowlands provide ideal conditions for the growth and regeneration of this plant. The Ecuadoran hat artisans are considered to be among the world’s finest weavers, and what painstaking work they perform! It can take them six months or more to weave the high-quality Montecristi superfino. The length of each fiber in the hat is quite short. Yet, in a genuine Panama hat, you can hardly tell where one strand ends and the next one begins. Furthermore, the strands are so tightly woven that even water will not seep through!

The town of Montecristi is renowned for its excellent handwoven hats. The masters of the Montecristi area weave in the early morning or late afternoon so that the equatorial heat does not affect the pliancy of the fiber. They begin the crown by meticulously weaving circle upon circle of intricately laced fiber until the desired diameter is achieved. Then the crown is placed on a cylindrical wood block so that the artisan’s hands can deftly spiral downward as he weaves the sides. After many weeks his weaving proceeds at a right angle to form the brim. A thorough trimming, washing, and bleaching coupled with sundry finishing techniques produce the famed Panama hat.

[Pictures]

Straw fibers of the peeled leaves are boiled and dried before weaving

[Picture on page 27]

Winston Churchill is one of many well-known people who have worn the Panama hat

[Credit Line]

U.S. National Archives photo

Watching the World

Teach Religious History?

In a recent poll conducted by the newspaper Le Monde and the magazine Notre Histoire, only 57 percent of French people declared that they would be in favor of having a course on religious history in State-run schools. “Remarkably, the number of opponents is growing,” says Notre Histoire. “This shows either a suspicion toward proselytizing or a concept of a school from which religion should be totally left out.” The paradox is that a vast majority believe that such courses would promote tolerance among pupils. According to the poll, Islam, with four million adherents, is now the second main religion in France after Catholicism, while Protestants, Jews, Buddhists, Orthodox Christians, and Jehovah’s Witnesses also form part of the country’s “diversified religious landscape.”

Transmitting Infection

“Infectious diseases can be passed from one person to another by such simple actions as turning on a tap or picking up the telephone,” says The Guardian of London. Scientists at the University of Arizona, Tucson, U.S.A., reported that a person with a bad cold who blew his nose and turned on a tap could leave “more than 1,000 viruses on the handle.” Many of these could infect the next person who touched the tap, especially if that one then touched his mouth, nose, or eyes. Tests involving a bacterium and a bacterial virus showed that “telephone receivers passed on 39% of the bacteria and 66% of the viruses, while taps passed on 28% and 34%.” Touching the lower lip with an infected finger would transfer more than a third of these pathogens. Diseases caused by rotaviruses and diarrhea caused by salmonella could easily be passed on in this way by unwashed hands.

Locust Plague Remedy

“An army of 700,000 specially trained ducks and chickens has been mobilised to help fight China’s biggest locust plague in 25 years,” reports The Daily Telegraph of London. In the summer of 2000, locust swarms destroyed 4.1 million acres [1.6 million ha] of crops in the north and east of the country and 9.6 million acres [3.9 million ha] of grassland in far western Xinjiang. The ducks and chickens have been trained to pursue and eat the insects at the sound of a whistle. Zhao Xinchun, deputy head of the Locust and Rat Control Office in Xinjiang, where the birds are trained and used, explains: “Farmers knew that chickens were very fond of eating locusts, so we did some tests [and] found that ducks can eat more than chickens [up to 400 locusts each per day], are tougher than chickens in bad weather and do not get eaten by eagles or weasels. . . . We release them on the grassland, blow whistles, and they eat the locusts.” The birds are part of a program that includes crop-dusting planes and microorganisms that kill locusts.

Sleep Is Not a Luxury

“At least a quarter of South Africans are functioning on half throttle [at half their potential] due to sleep deprivation or disorders,” states the South African newspaper The Natal Witness. According to Dr. James Maas, a sleep researcher, sleep enables the brain to replenish vital neurotransmitters, so adequate sleep is essential for good memory, creativity, problem solving, and learning capabilities. The effects of insufficient sleep include depression, irritability, anxiety, decreased sense of humor and social skills, decreased ability to concentrate and remember, reduced communication and decision skills, increased risk taking, and reduced productivity and quality of life. People who sleep five hours or less also reduce their resistance to viruses. “For peak performance,” says Maas, “we must invest one-third of our life in sleep which averages out to eight hours per night.”

Deep-Sea Coral

“In the deep, dark, chilly waters of Northern Europe, coral reefs have been discovered—reefs with all the intensity and diversity of marine life typical of their tropical counterparts,” reports Canada’s National Post. The corals support hundreds of species, including sponges, sea fans, and “copious species of marine worm, many of which scientists have never described.” Numerous small animals were found in sediment samples from the seabed, “about half of which were new to science,” says Alex Rogers of Southampton University Oceanography Centre in the United Kingdom. “We need to protect these reefs not so much for the coral itself—it exists in single colonies elsewhere—but for the habitat of the other creatures that live there.” He estimates that some 900 species live among the coral. It is also suspected that the corals are home to “the juvenile stages of some commercially important fish,” says the newspaper.

Britain’s Family Breakdown

Britain has the highest divorce rate in Europe and an even greater rate of breakdown among cohabiting couples. “The Cost of Family Breakdown,” a report on a study commissioned by the government, warns: “The principal cause of declining child well-being is family breakdown—specifically the break-up of the mother-father child-raising unit.” The direct results cost the British taxpayer an average of £11 [$15] per week, but indirect costs include the extra homes needed for split families and consequent damage to the environment. While not intending to moralize, the report states: “We believe that marriage has proven through the ages to provide the surest foundation for a stable society and raising children.”

Delinquent Elephant Adolescents

Young bull elephants are responsible for 36 recorded rhino deaths since 1991 in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park in South Africa, says an African Wildlife report entitled “Spare the Trunk, Spoil the Child.” The abnormally aggressive adolescents, it turns out, are relocated orphaned survivors of Kruger National Park’s elephant-culling policy that have reached musth, or sexual excitement, many years earlier than usual. Researchers believe that the absence of a normal elephant social structure is responsible for their errant behavior. That is why ten elephant patriarchs have been brought from Kruger National Park to bring discipline to the ill-tempered youngsters. Another game reserve, where this program was introduced in 1998, has thus far reported no more rhino deaths.

China’s Terra-cotta Army Under Attack

“One of China’s most famous tourist attractions, the 2,200-year-old terracotta army, is facing a new enemy,” reports The Guardian of London. Forty types of fungus have attacked over 1,400 of the more than 8,000 life-size soldiers, archers, and horses unearthed near the imperial grave of China’s emperor Qin Shihuang outside Xi’an, the country’s ancient capital. This spectacular collection, which was first discovered in 1974 and is now housed in an underground vault, is also endangered because “the breath and body heat of nearly 4,300 visitors a day is washing away the remains of the figures’ once-bright pigmentation,” says The Times of London. To prevent the mold from spreading to all the figures, Xi’an city authorities have called in a Belgian company that specializes in treating fungi.

Winter—Friend or Foe?

Cold and wet weather may not necessarily be harmful to your health, reports the German health newsletter Apotheken Umschau. On the contrary, regular walks in winter weather can give your heart and circulation a good workout and can strengthen the whole body, according to medical climatologist Dr. Angela Schuh. It may be that holing up in heated rooms can cause the body to lose its ability to react properly to temperature changes. This, it is thought, could increase susceptibility to infections, tiredness, and headaches. But a body hardened by regular exercise in “bad” weather may become less sensitive to cold and increase its stamina.

From Our Readers

Braille Congratulations on the article “Louis Braille—Bringing Light to Prisoners of Darkness.” (September 8, 2000) The head of the school where I work is visually impaired. He was very impressed when I read the article to him. A copy of the magazine was placed in the school library.

M.A.S., Brazil

Meditation I wish to thank you for the article “The Bible’s Viewpoint: Meditation That Is Beneficial.” (September 8, 2000) Now I understand that I have confused fantasizing with meditation. By applying Philippians 4:8, I now know the proper way to ponder over my problems. Thank you very much!

W. P., Poland

Beavers I am 15 years old and would like to thank you for the article “The Original Lumberjack Is Still on the Job.” (September 8, 2000) I enjoy reading about animals and how they live. But I never knew that beavers could do so much! I think that the way they take care of themselves and their families is so incredible!

S. J., United States

I am ten years old, and I read the article while camping by a creek. I could just imagine the beavers there working away. I enjoy the articles on animals because they help me appreciate all the wonderful things Jehovah has made.

B. P., United States

Fuzzy Math? I would like to bring to your attention what I consider to be a small mistake in the article “The Quest for a Perfect Society.” (September 22, 2000) You stated that it would take 26 years to read 200 thousand-page volumes. By my calculations, it would take less than four years.

P. I., Romania

Thank you for your observation. Although it is true that reading 200 thousand-page volumes of a narrative work would take much less time, the data being collected by the Human Genome Project involves sequences of DNA, which would be much more tedious and time-consuming to read.—ED.

I believe you made a common mistake in the article “What the Unaided Eye Cannot See.” (August 22, 2000) There you spoke of microscopes that can magnify objects a million times, “the equivalent of enlarging a postage stamp to the size of a small country.” One million postage stamps would fit in an array of 1000 X 1000 stamps. Assuming a stamp is one inch [about 2.5 cm] on each side, this would cover a square about 83 feet [25 m] on each side. I don’t think you will find any country that small!

R. C., United States

Instead of imagining that one stamp would become an array of 1,000 x 1,000 stamps, picture an array of 1,000,000 x 1,000,000 stamps, since magnification is linear. That would be roughly the size of a small island-country.—ED.

Air Travel Safety Just a note to thank you for the article “Making Air Travel Safer.” (September 22, 2000) I love flying, but after reading this article, I realize how much work and time is put into training pilots, with our safety in mind.

E. P., Virgin Islands

Thinness As soon as I saw the title “Young People Ask . . . Why Am I So Thin?” (September 22, 2000), my eyes filled with tears. I am 16 and weigh 100 pounds. Since I am so thin, I’ve felt ugly and unattractive. When I read the article, I appreciated the practical suggestions it made. The conclusion touched me the most because it made me realize that Jehovah sees the heart.

E. L., Italy

“Watching the World” Goes to School

EDELMIRA, a 15-year-old girl in the United States, put Awake! magazine to good use at school. In a letter to the publishers, she wrote:

“Every Friday we have an assignment to report on a current event. I read the April 22, 2000, Awake! and decided to base mine on the ‘Watching the World’ item entitled ‘Tobacco Company Admits Smoking Causes Cancer.’ I wrote a summary and read it to the class. The teacher and the students paid close attention. When I finished, a classmate asked me—right in front of the class—if it took me long to find my information. I gave her the Awake! She eagerly began to read it, and a boy in our congregation who is in her next class said that when he saw her, she was still reading it. Now the girl says that she wants to receive every issue of both Awake! and its companion The Watchtower.

“This experience made me proud to be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It taught me that we have so many opportunities to talk about Jehovah.” Edelmira concludes her letter: “I want to thank you for your hard work in making these magazines. Please keep printing ‘Watching the World’!”

‘Educational and Informative’

The above is how a 26-year-old man in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea described Awake!

In a letter to the local branch office, he wrote: “I commend you for printing the wonderful, factual, educational, and informative articles on subjects in your popular Awake! magazine.” The man explained: “Even though I’m not a member of the Jehovah’s Witnesses faith, I thoroughly enjoy reading copies of the Awake! magazine, which I borrow from friends. . . . Each time I read a copy, I feel like writing to commend your worthwhile efforts. But when I’m about to, another arrives and keeps me busy again.”

This appreciative reader concluded: “According to my view, Awake! is really valuable to anyone who can read. From the depths of my heart, I wish to thank you countless times.”

Awake! provides enlightenment on many subjects. Most important, it builds confidence in the Creator’s promise of a peaceful new world that will replace the present system of things.

The 32-page brochure What Does God Require of Us? highlights that purpose of God, providing information from the Bible to show what we need to do to receive his approval. You may request a copy of 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 What Does God Require of Us?

□ Please contact me concerning a free home Bible study.