Awake!, March 8, 1966
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The Ultimate Destiny of Man—What Is It? PAGE 5
A Thirsty World Faces a Water Shortage
PAGE 8
Majesty of Mountains
PAGE 16
Transit Strike Cripples New York
PAGE 21
MARCH 8, 1966
THE REASON FOR THIS MAGAZINE
News sources that are able to keep you awake to the vital issues of our times must be unfettered by censorship and selfish interest. "Awakel" no has fetters. It recognizes facts, faces facts, is free to publish facts. It is not bound by political ties; it is unhampered by traditional creeds. This magazine keeps itself free, that it may speak freely to you. But it does not abuse its freedom. It maintains integrity to truth.
The viewpoint of "Awake!" is not narrow, but is international. "Awake!" has its own correspondents in scores of nations. Its articles are read in many lands, in many languages, by millions of persons.
In every issue "Awake!" presents vital topics on which you should be informed. It features penetrating articles on social conditions and offers sound counsel for meeting the problems of everyday life. Current news from every continent passes in quick review. Attention is focused on activities in the fields of government and commerce about which you should know. Straightforward discussions of religious issues alert you to matters of vital concern. Customs and people in many lands, the marvels of creation, practical sciences and points of human interest are all embraced in its coverage. "Awake!" provides wholesome, instructive reading for every member of the family.
"Awakel" pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subtle dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of God's righteous new order in this generation.
Get acquainted with "Awake!" Keep awake by reading "Awake!"
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CONTENTS
Do You Fear God as Well as Love Him? 3
The Ultimate Destiny of Man
—What Is It? 5
A Thirsty World Faces a Water Shortage 8
What to Know About the Badly Injured
in Highway Accidents 12
Majesty of Mountains 16
Maintaining Christian' Neutrality
Transit Strike Clipples New York 21
Zealous Christians in Our Day 25
"Your Word Is Truth"
How Many Sabbaths Between Jesus'
Death and His Resurrection? 28
Watching the World 30
Do you fear God as well as love him?
THAT we are to love God the Creator of heaven and earth is time and again commanded in his Word, the Bible. And that we should love him is easy to understand and appreciate when we consider who he is and all that he has done for his earthly creatures.—Mark 12:29, 30; Acts 17:28.
However, the Bible commands us not only to love God but also to fear him. Thus the prophet Moses, in his farewell discourse to his people Israel, warned them that "Jehovah your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the God great, mighty and fear-inspiring." Many years later the inspired psalmist wrote: "Let all those of the earth be in fear of Jehovah." Centuries after that the apostle Peter wrote: "Be in fear of God."—Deut. 10:17; Ps. 33:8; 1 Pet. 2:17.
How can we reconcile the commands to love God with those to fear him? By reasoning on the subject, in the light of the rest of the Scriptures. First of all, let us note that the fear we are to have of God is not a morbid terror, such as one would feel if he suddenly came face to face with a shark while swimming or with a python when walking through a forest. Rather, it is similar to the fear that the auto driver feels when he sees a traffic police car or
motorcycle on the highway. It is a wholesome fear that helps him to keep from exceeding the speed limit, if he were tempted to do so.
Not that that is all there is to it. This fear of God goes much farther. It is also the fear of displeasing someone we love, which fear, in turn, is based on our love for him, even as a dutiful child who has a good father fears to incur his displeasure apart from any punishment, although not necessarily so.
MARCH 8, 1966
So we might say that this fear of God is primarily based on our love for him, for who he is and what he has done for us and what he has promised yet to do for us. But it is also based, as the Scriptures so clearly show, upon our instinct of self-preservation, or our love of life. God himself appeals to this instinct in us, saying: "Turn back, turn back from your bad ways, for why is it that you should die?" So we should fear to displease God also because his displeasure means the loss of eternal life, even as Jesus made so plain: "Do not become fearful of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be in fear of him that can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna."—Ezek. 33:11; Matt. 10:28.
So we see that the dictionary definition of fear as "a painful feeling of impending harm or danger" cannot be ruled out in considering the fear of God and that the dictionary goes farther than its own definition of the fear of God, which is "profound reverence and awe."
That is why God's Word states that the fear of God Jehovah is the beginning of wisdom, because this fear causes one to act in a certain way. (Prov. 9:10) Consistent therewith we read: "The fear of Jehovah means the hating of bad." "The fear of Jehovah is a well of life, to turn away from the snares of death." That is why God's Word warns Christians who sin willfully: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," "for our God is also a consuming fire."—Prov. 8:13; 14:27; Heb. 10:31; 12:29.
Illustrating how the fear of Jehovah causes us to hate what is bad and thus is true wisdom, is an incident in the life of the Hebrew patriarch Joseph. Though a slave, he was put in charge of all the affairs of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officials. Because of his fine qualities as well as the vigor of early manhood, Joseph found himself the object of the attentions of his master's wife. The fact that she was infatuated with him did not flatter him but he steadfastly resisted her importunities. Why was he able to do so?
Because of his fear of God, even as he himself told her: "My master . . . has not withheld from me anything at all except you, because you are his wife. So how could I commit this great badness and actually sin against God?"—Gen. 39:8, 9.
Yes, Joseph feared to incur God's displeasure, for Joseph knew God was seeing what was happening upon the earth. True, Joseph was falsely accused by that woman
and as a result was thrown into prison; but with what a happy outcome! Succeeding events were maneuvered by Jehovah God in such a way that Joseph's imprisonment served as a stepping-stone to his becoming prime minister of Egypt. Would God have so greatly blessed Joseph had he yielded to that temptation? Feeling the fear of God actually caused him to hate what is bad and so proved to be wisdom for him. —Gen. 40:1-41:57.
If you would have the fear of Jehovah God, you must, of course, first of all become acquainted with him, learn of his attributes of power, wisdom, justice and love and what his righteous laws and principles are by which we must govern our lives. Read the Bible, not merely out of curiosity or for entertainment, but as the Word of God, which it actually is; and as you become acquainted with its great Author, learn not only to love him but also to fear to displease him, fear to go contrary to his righteous principles and laws. As you read the lives of faithful servants of Jehovah God, such as Noah, Joseph, Moses and others, who showed "godly fear," let your heart glow in admiration of their upright course and resolve to follow their example. —Heb. 11:7.
Then, as little issues or problems come up from day to day, let yourself be guided by those principles, those examples, and you will find yourself becoming more and more aware of God; and more and more concerned not to incur his displeasure. Then should some great temptation or test come across your way, as it did with Joseph, you will be able to stand firm, take a wise course, and so keep free from bitter regrets. Yes, the fear of Jehovah means turning away from what is bad, so we do well to fear as well as love Him!
THE ULTIMATE DESTINY OF MAN
What is it?
IT IS a common saying that all religions are merely different paths leading to the
Do you know: it is vital that you have a reliable answer.
same goal. But what is that goal? What is man's ultimate destiny? Does anyone know? What do some of the world's major religions teach on the matter? Let us examine and see.
A belief common to almost every major religion is that man consists of body and soul, and that at the death of the body the soul continues to live on in a spirit world. While the souls of the wicked are believed to suffer some form of punishment in a hellfire, those of the righteous are thought to enjoy eternal existence in a
absorption into the all-embracing Brahman."
In Hinduism the famed school of Vedantic thought, the Monistic, teaches that the highest ideal that can be attained by man is a realization of complete and utter identity with God. Vedantic philosophy teaches that "man is, in reality, the finite and eternal spirit, and, as such, is different and separate from the body and mind as we, in our present state of ignorance, learn the world of creation which
though to enjoy the state of happiness, in the heavenly presence of God, or by absorption into the "Universal Spirit."
Religions that teach transmigration of the soul at the death of the body, notably Buddhism and Hinduism, speak of man's ultimate destiny as Nirvana. By Nirvana is meant the absorption of individuality into the divine spirit with extinction of personal desires and passions. Commenting on this, The Encyclopedia Americana, 1956 Edition, Volume 14, page 196, says:
know them. The world of matter, which to our ordinary perception, is apparently unconscious, is also, in reality, the spirit. . . the primary purpose of this life is the full discovery and manifestation of his innate divinity."
Roman Catholic Teaching
The Roman Catholic Church, interestingly, has notable similarities in its teaching regarding man's ultimate destiny. A question in an official Roman Catholic catechism asks: "Why did God create man?"
"Buddhism . . . propagates selfdevelopment by intellectual means of knowledge (jñāma). Viewing the world as a transitory, changeable sphere, it strives after the constant Eternal which lies beyond the range of name and form (nāma-rūpa). It sees constant peace and bliss only in final absorption in the superpersonal receptacle of Nirvana—a concept not unlike the Brahmanic postulate of re-
It answers: "God created man to know Him, to love Him, and to serve Him, so that after death man might, by possession of God in the beatific vision, be happy with Him for ever in Paradise." \dagger atific vision of God consists in the vision of the very essence of God, who manifests Himself directly, clearly and openly to the soul, which, however, is only able to exercise this vision by the help of the light of glory; from this vision and possession man gains true, full and never-falling happiness—that is eternal life."
The Catholic Encyclopedia under "Heaven" observes: "We are born for higher things, for the possession of God. This earth can satisfy no man, least of all the wise. . . . God made us for holiness, for a complete and final triumph over passion . . . But his happy goal is not reached on earth, but in the next life." Then it notes: "The beatific vision is a mystery. Of course reason cannot prove the impossibility of such a vision. For why should God, in His omnipotence, be unable to draw so near and adapt Himself so fully to our intellect, that the soul may, as it were, directly feel Him and lay hold of Him and look on Him and become entirely immersed in Him?"
So the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as the teaching of the major Eastern religions, is that true happiness can be realized only as a result of the uniting or immersing, in some way, of one's soul with God. But if, as The Catholic Encyclopedia says, "this earth can satisfy no man," why did Almighty God create the first man Adam and place him in a paradise garden here on earth? Was this not meant to be the permanent home for him and his offspring?
The Roman Catholic Church answers this way: "The Christian revelation teaches that Adam was created, not in a state of pure nature, but in what is called the state of original justice; that is to say, from the beginning his soul was endowed gratuitously by God with habitual or sanctifying grace, which raised him to a plane altogether beyond the human. Man by nature tends to God as his last end, as the
creature tends to the Creator; but sanctifying grace made him a partner of the divine nature, and gave him a supernatural end, namely, to see God as He is, face to face, and ultimately to be united to him as to an all-loving Father."*
This Catholic teaching regarding man's ultimate destiny raises questions: If God created man to be united eventually with Him, what activity is man to enjoy after realizing this uniting? Does the soul after being immersed in God cease to have individuality, as is implied in the beliefs of Buddhism and Hinduism? Apparently there was some borrowing by Catholic theologians from the views of the older Eastern religions.
Heavenly Glory for Some
In contrast with the teaching of the world's major religions, the Holy Bible does not teach that man has an immortal soul that continues to live on in a spirit realm at the death of the body. Plainly the Bible says: "The soul that is sinning—it itself will die." (Ezek. 18:4) While not once are the words immortal, everlasting or never-dying used in connection with the word soul in the Bible, there are literally scores of instances showing that man himself is a soul, and that with the death of a person, the soul dies.
Then why did God create man? As was noted earlier, the Roman Catholic catechism answers: "So that after death man might, by possession of God in the beatific vision, be happy with Him for ever in Paradise." However, the Bible does not teach that God created man to die, and then enter a heavenly paradise to be with Him. God put man in an earthly paradise to live there, enjoying forever the grand blessings He had prepared for him. God specifically stated that only if man'stined would he die.
Sin leading to death would result in the loss of paradise, not the gaining of it.-Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23; 5:12.
When the first human pair sinned and were ejected from the paradise garden, it did not mean that God's purpose regarding mankind had failed and would not be carried out. No, for God, motivated by perfect love, sent his heavenly Son to earth as the man Jesus Christ to die as a ransom sacrifice to recover mankind's right to earthly life.—Matt. 20:28.
At the same time, provision was made to purchase from among humankind a body of associates who would join the resurrected Jesus Christ in heaven. This would not be accomplished by disembodied souls' surviving the death of human bodies and ascending to be united with or immersed in God. No, but like Jesus Christ, these anointed Christians die in the flesh as humans, and are resurrected as invisible spirit creatures. (1 Pet. 3:18) At their resurrection they become spirit persons, just as God is a Spirit, and the Bible says: They "shall be like him, because [they] shall see him just as he is."—1 John 3:2.
These persons resurrected to heavenly glory compose a relatively small number, as the Bible at Revelation 14:1, 3 shows: "And I saw, and, look! the Lamb [Jesus Christ] standing upon the [heavenly] Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand . . . who have been bought from the earth." Yes, only 144,000 persons all together will finally be taken from the earth to heaven. And rather than be bodily united with or immersed in God, they will enjoy a purposeful existence as corulers in the heavenly Kingdom with Jesus Christ. This is explained in another scripture, which says: "You [Jesus Christ] made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will rule as kings over the earth."—Rev. 5:10.
MARCH 8, 1966
The Earth Is Man's Home
Since Jesus Christ and those associated with him in heavenly glory will be ruling over the earth, people obviously will be living here on earth enjoying the benefits of that righteous rule. Who? Why, the great mass of humankind, including those who will be raised from their tombs. While on earth, Jesus Christ promised: "Do not marvel at this, because the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear his voice and come out."—John 5:28, 29.
We can have confidence in this promise, for, while on earth, Jesus demonstrated his power to restore the dead to life—resurrecting Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain and Jarius' daughter. (John 11:39-44; Luke 7:11-17; 8:49-56) And soon, after this present wicked system of things is swept away in God's righteous war of Armageddon, the heavenly King Jesus Christ will resurrect all those under the benefit of his ransom sacrifice. Foretelling the annihilation of the wicked from the earth and the making of it into an everlasting paradise home for restored mankind, the Scriptures say:
"Evildoers themselves will be cut off, . . . But the meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace. The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever upon it."—Ps. 37:9-11, 29.
Almighty God created the earth as man's home, for him to live here and enjoy life. And in keeping with His original purpose, this earth will be restored to exquisite beauty, and will become the eternal, peaceful home of righteous humankind. Apart from the small number who will rule as kings with Christ in heaven, everlasting life in a paradise earth is man's ultimate destiny.—Rev. 21:3, 4.
WATER shortage? There must be a mistake, some persons might think. People in Japan, Chile and Austria might recall the recent floods in their lands and feel that, instead of there being
Thirsty World WATER SHORTAGE
a shortage, there is too much water. Similar thoughts might be expressed by those who observed the destructive rainswollen rivers in Italy, South Korea and the southern and midwestern sections of the United States.
In spite of this seeming abundance of fresh water in certain locations temporarily, the fact remains that many places in the world are experiencing prolonged water shortages. The problem was so severe in the northeastern United States this past year that numerous restrictions were placed on private use of water. Restaurant owners in New York City, for example, were ordered to serve water only when customers specifically requested it. On the other side of the globe, a scarcity of water forced the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong to overlook its political preferences and buy water from Communist China. War threatens to break out between Israel and its Arab neighbors over the water rights in the Jordan River area.
Where Is the Water?
The increasing magnitude of the water shortage problem is not caused by a substantial decrease in the supply of fresh water on the earth; that remains fairly constant. Man does not create new water—he only reuses the water already here. In fact, since there is no such thing as brand-new water, the next glass of water you drink may contain molecules that were in the Jordan River when Jesus was baptized. If there is no less water now than in past centuries, it is reasonable to ask, Where is the water?
In a broad sense, man has at his disposal some 326,071,300 cubic miles* of water. However, 97.2 percent of it is salty ocean water, unfit to drink in its present state and unsuitable for most irrigation. Another 2 percent is held in permanent deepfreeze in glaciers and icecaps. So, in reality, man is left with less than 1 percent of the world's total water supply that he can readily use. Fortunately, the sun daily draws out of the oceans billions of gallons of fresh water and makes a gift of it to the land in the form of rain and snow, replacing the water that is used and that flows into the oceans. This natural pump works night and day, bringing life-giving moisture to plants and sufficient water to fill all man's needs, if he will use it wisely. —Eccl. 1:7.
However, man's needs for water, or at least his demands, are far in excess of the approximately three quarts a day per person said to be required by the human body in order to function properly. With the increase in technology man uses a growing flood of water for washing, sanitation, cooking and comforts such as air-conditioners and swimming pools.
A typical British town is estimated to use between 120 and 200 quarts of water for each person every day. In some cities, notably in the United States, the use of water per person has soared well beyond 800 quarts a day. Even so, such personal and household application of water constitutes only a small percentage of the total amount used. In the United States it is less than 10 percent.
Nearly half the water used in America is devoured by industry. Though the figures vary according to the efficiency of the company, up to 7.5 gallons of water are used to make one pound of soap; 667 gallons for a ton of glass bottles; 16,000 gallons to produce one automobile.
The remaining 45 percent of the water used in the United States goes for agriculture. Why so much? you might wonder. In addition to the water plants themselves use, they release into the atmosphere tremendous quantities of water each day; an average tree about 50 gallons; an acre of corn some 4,000 gallons.
More and more, people are being awakened to the water problem. The liquid they so long received in unlimited quantities at a low cost is, in an increasing number of places, becoming more costly to obtain. What they took for granted has become a commodity in limited supply and carrying a price tag. Stewart L. Udall, Secretary of Interior of the United States, commented on the swelling thirst for water: "Look at any statistics, ponder any tables, and you can't escape the conclusion that our No.1 resource problem is water."
A Man-made Problem
It should not be concluded, though, that there just is not enough water to meet the demand; that is not so. Mr. Udall identified the problem as "rather a case of infinitely poor management."
A major difficulty in the supply of suitable water for many areas is the fact that the water that is available is polluted. The water is there, but man has spoiled it, contaminated it to the extent that it is unpleasant and unhealthful to drink without first being put through a costly purification treatment. For example, while New York City struggles with a water shortage, the mighty Hudson River flows along its side. Every second a million gallons of water sweep past the city into the Atlantic Ocean. But the Hudson's high degree of contamination has discouraged its use by New York City as a source of fresh water.
In ancient times towns and villages were often built by rivers so a supply of water would be readily available. With growth and progress the towns and cities became cleaner and more sanitary at the expense of the waterways. Sewage slowly polluted the water supply. Once Londoners could fish for salmon in the Thames River. By 1823 pollution had forced the salmon to abandon the river; yet it continued to be used as a source of drinking water. Little wonder that London suffered a number of severe cholera epidemics. This contamination of rivers by sewage has continued to be a problem down to our day, causing many cities to abandon nearby rivers as sources of their fresh water.
While sewage is a contributor to the pollution, and thus to the water shortage, we cannot overlook industrial and agricultural pollution. Many industries discharge into nearby waterways tons of chemicals and industrial wastes. In addition they pump out of the rivers fresh water and return it as heated, contaminated water destructive to life. A UNESCO report observed: "Even one thirtieth of an ounce of oil products can make 200 gallons of water sufficiently poisonous to kill aquatic life and unfit for domestic uses." Agriculture shares responsibility for pollution as pesticides are washed into the rivers.
The contamination thus caused is so pronounced that even the seas around Britain and European countries are being affected.
What Is Being Done?
The problem is not hopeless! The waterways and water supplies of the world can be restored to a condition where they will help ease the water shortage. This has been successfully demonstrated in the populous, industrialized Ruhr area in Germany. Even though the Ruhr River is threatened by the sewage of millions of people and the wastes from coal mines, steel mills and other industries, it is the cleanest major waterway in West Germany.
The key to success in the Ruhr is an association called the Ruhrverband. Every industry and community using Ruhr water must be a member. Simply stated, the principle on which the organization operates is: If you pollute the water, you must pay to purify it. The more you pollute, the more you pay! Understandably, in order to minimize their use of water, many factories have recirculation systems, using water over again instead of quickly pumping it back into the river. Consequently, some mills that once used 130 cubic yards of water to produce a ton of steel now use only 2.6 cubic yards. Because of this campaign against pollution, the Ruhr River supplies drinking water for some three million people.
Encouraging steps are also being taken in some areas to eliminate the contamination resulting from sewage. For years many communities shirked their responsibility to keep the water supplies pure because they felt that the problem was not theirs. They reasoned, 'Why should we go to the expense of installing efficient sewage-treatment plants when the other towns on the river do not?' As a result, the garbage
from one city floated to the doorstep of the next one down the stream. With the growing awareness of the potential water supply available from rivers, communities are taking action. More and more of them are installing or improving their plants for the treatment of sewage.
In addition to being a method of eliminating pollution in the rivers, proper treatment of human wastes can help relieve the water shortage in another way. Since sewage is mainly water, why not reclaim the water and put it to use? At first the idea might seem repugnant, but so is the thought of having no water. One water expert commented: "Sewage actually is 99 percent plain water. All the pollutants in it amount to less than 1 percent. . . We have the processes for removing that 1 percent—leaving water purer than when it came from nature."
Demonstrating the feasibility of this process, one arid town in the United States puts to use the liquid effluent of a standard sewage treatment. After being given further chemical purification and then filtered, the water is used to fill public ponds. The people of the community happily swim and fish in this reclaimed water. After their normal water supply failed, 10,000 residents of another town lived for several months on such reclaimed water.
Even if the water from a sewage plant is not purified to the extent that it is safe to drink, it can be put to good use. In an experiment at one university, instead of pumping the effluent into a pond or stream, the water was sprayed over trees and land. What was the result? The minerally rich water increased the yield from corn and hay crops 300 percent. Another benefit gained from this use of reclaimed water was that it substantially decreased the yearly drop in the local water table, the underground water supply in the earth.
One major city is lessening its water shortage problem by using the ground as both a filter and a storage area.
Water from its sewage disposal plants and excess water available during the winter is allowed to seep into the earth. This purifies the reclaimed water and holds it until it is needed; then the clean water is simply pumped out. In effect the ground becomes a water bank.
What else is being done? Scientists, realizing that some farms use over a million gallons of water to irrigate each acre of land for a growing season, have been seeking to decrease the amount of fresh water used for agriculture. Water that is not good to drink may be fine for irrigation. In Israel an experimental garden has been grown using only seawater. Other experiments have shown that certain vegetables, such as beets, kale and spinach, can be grown on brackish water. Of course, such water would not be suitable for all crops.
Even the past is helping the present in its water crisis. In his book Rivers in the Desert archaeologist Nelson Glueck stated about the ancient Nabataeans: "They sought out drops of moisture with the same eagerness that hunters display when stalking game. . . . Their endless effort, crowned more often than not by success, was to make wheat or barley or grapevines grow where none had even been planted before and to tap or to collect supplies of water where none was known previously to exist." Today farmers in Israel employ Nabataean methods, such as conserving run off water, to grow crops successfully in normally desert areas.
Much has been said recently that might give persons the idea that the solution to the water shortage problem rests in developing economical methods of desalting ocean water. For example, one proposed atomic-powered desalination plant would turn out up to 150 million gallons of fresh water a day, enough to supply a city of
750,000. But a noted water scientist at Harvard University remarked: "If the oceans were all fresh water, it still wouldn't solve the problem." There would remain the difficulty of transporting it to distant inland areas. Pumping costs alone would render such sources as prohibitive for large-scale irrigation. So while desalination might be a partial answer for places having little or no potable water, for the majority of lands the cheapest solution rests in conservative and sensible use of existing water.
Personal Steps
There is a saying, 'Tall oaks from little acorns grow.' In principle that also applies to the water problem. While the water one individual or one family saves will not solve a country's water problem, it is a step in the right direction. Besides, it is a good lesson in economy. For instance, think of how much water would be conserved if persons did not let the faucet water run until it got cold. Why not, instead, keep a container of water in the refrigerator? Do you fill the glass with water even when you want only a sip?
After you finish washing vegetables, could you use the water on some nearby potted plants or the flowers outside the window? Do you leave the water running while you wash each dish individually, or fill a container and use the same water for many dishes? A great quantity of water could be saved if each person exercised more care in his daily use of this precious commodity.
Just as the water shortage has different causes in different places, so it is that there is no one universal solution to the problem. The Creator has seen to it that there is an abundance of fresh water available for mankind, but men must see to it that they treat with respect this liquid treasure from God.
What to know about THE BADLY INJURED in HIGHWAY A
THE student rode joyfully along on his scooter with his girl friend seated behind him. It was only about 4 p.m., and they both wanted to enjoy to the full the remainder of this bright and warm Sunday afternoon, so typical of the region of Marseilles in southern France.
Unfortunately, as the scooter jolted over an open gutter in the road, the girl fell off the back. However, she did not seem badly hurt—just a little injury on the face and another on the knee. She also noted a slight pain in the nape of the neck, but it seemed nothing to worry about. After having a dressing applied to the injuries in a nearby drugstore, she got back on the scooter and her companion took her home.
During the evening, the girl complained of a sensation in her lower limbs, like that produced by pins and needles, and also of violent neck pains. An hour later, she was running a temperature of 102\circ and was breathing with difficulty. She was rushed to a hospital. But when she arrived, her arms and legs were completely paralyzed and her temperature had risen to 106\circ. At 11 p.m., seven hours after the accident, she died.
Such a tragedy brings to mind many questions. Why did this girl die in view of the fact that her injuries seemed so slight? Was her death avoidable? What should have been done for her? These questions are of immediate importance because many highway accidents happen daily, and their
By "Awake!" correspondent in France
number is increasing rapidly. In France, during 1963, there were
France, during 1963, there were about 250,000 persons injured in highway accidents. In the United States the number was about 1,600,000 in 1964, with the death toll 47,800! The trend in such accidents on the road strongly suggests that the increase will continue, since the number of motor vehicles in use throughout the world grows.
An analysis of the accident death toll in France reveals the following facts: 10 percent of the victims are killed outright; 20 percent die within four hours of the accident; 35 percent die within forty-eight hours. Hence, apart from those not killed immediately, 55 percent die within forty-eight hours of the accident. This shows that the rapidity and effectiveness of the treatment these receive is truly a matter of life and death for them.
Features of Injuries
For some time it has been noticed that the injuries to victims of road accidents follow a particular pattern. They are often internal, therefore unseen. By the time these internal injuries are discovered it is often too late.
They prove fatal.
In most cases of death due to internal injuries, the injuries are produced by a sudden deceleration. It has been estimated that in the case of the sudden stopping of a vehicle in a collision, the force and pressure of impact equal half the weight of the victim multiplied by the square of the speed at which the automobile was traveling. Thus, higher speeds cause the pressure of impact to soar.
A few examples will help us to understand what this force of deceleration is. When a vehicle stops suddenly, passengers are thrown forward. The violence of that forward movement is directly related to the speed of the vehicle. If, in a train, someone pulls the alarm signal and the train stops suddenly, passengers and luggage are thrown forward pell-mell. The force of deceleration has catapulted them in the direction in which the train was traveling. This force is such that the sudden stopping of an automobile traveling at thirty miles per hour corresponds to a fall of thirty feet. At fifty miles per hour, however, the force is equivalent to a fall of seventy-two feet. And at sixty miles per hour, the force corresponds to a fall of one hundred and thirty feet, about the same as a fall from the top of a fifteentory building. It has been calculated that a man weighing 155 pounds and traveling at forty miles per hour develops a force of about nine and a half tons! This is sufficient to bend steel bars at the time of impact.
the brain, which actually weighs only a little over three pounds. The liver, which weighs almost four pounds, acquires an apparent weight of eighty-four pounds, while the heart, which weighs less than a pound, acquires an apparent weight of fifteen pounds.
The same thing that happens to the luggage in the luggage rack of a train happens to the internal organs of the human body, which organs are more or less mobile in their natural cavities. The effect of the sudden stopping of a vehicle traveling at fifty miles per hour is said to give an apparent weight of sixty-three pounds to
All these vital organs crash against the front wall of their natural cavity with a force more than ten times their normal weight. The violent impact causes considerable internal damage, which is very difficult to detect right away. Professor Arnaud of the Marseilles Medical Faculty says that in a bad road accident the bronchial tubes of the victim can break open, the spleen and the duodenum burst, the smaller blood vessels be torn, the spinal cord stretched, the spine dislocated and the tissues cracked and crushed. These injuries are typical of those produced by road accidents. They are extremely hard to detect and yet they cause most of the deaths.
Another common cause of death in such accidents is the brain's being deprived of oxygen, particularly the base of the brain, which governs the activity of the heart and lungs. In fact, badly injured victims of highway accidents often die of asphyxia when the base of the brain is deprived of oxygen either because of serious hemorrhage or because of injuries to vital organs caused by rapid deceleration. It follows that in such injuries the breathing of the victim must be maintained. This is, in fact, one of the principal rules that apply to medical assistance given injured ones.
Other Injuries
Unfortunately, the injuries caused by deceleration are not the only ones to which the victims of traffic accidents are liable. Two other kinds of injuries also occur, sometimes simultaneously. The second type is directly due to the crash against an obstacle: steering wheel, windshield or dashboard.
These injuries include fractures of the skull and other bones, and hemorrhages, often serious ones.
A third kind of injury is an indirect result of the same impact. Under the weight of the head, the spine is violently bent at the neck, in the back, or in the lumbar region. These indirect shocks can cause fractures of the spine and serious complications in the form of injuries to the spinal cord.
So victims of traffic accidents suffer three kinds of injuries, those of the internal organs caused by sudden deceleration, those caused by the direct crash against the body of the car, and those caused by indirect shocks, such as the bending of the spine.
The terrible state of some injured seriously makes any treatment quite useless, for they have suffered irreparable injuries to the skull, brain, heart, blood vessels or other vital parts of the body. Autopsies conducted in the United States have brought such irreparable injuries to light in one-third of the cases.
Where injuries are not irreparable, everything depends on the rapidity and effectiveness of the assistance given.
What to Do—What Not to Do
Two principles should guide the actions of those witnessing a road accident. They should (1) alert those who specialize in rendering first aid, and (2) be sure not to undertake any action liable to harm the injured victims further.
The first point is not always as simple as it may seem. The person witnessing an accident, especially if it occurs at dusk or at night, does not always know whom he must call or how to get in touch with the police. In France, only a few of the national highways are equipped with telephones at regular intervals directly connected with police stations. The French Academy of Surgeons has therefore recommended the establishing of a single telephone number over the whole country for the police and surgical centers, also the setting up of signs indicating where the nearest police and first-ald centers are located. In most cases, the specialized first-aid personnel do not arrive on the spot until 15 or 20 minutes after an accident.
Frequently voluntary helpers on the scene of an accident do things that worsen the state of the injured. Two famous cases illustrate this point. The first is that of Prince Ali Kahn, whose spine was seriously injured in the cervical region due to the effect of sudden deceleration. He should have been lifted out of his automobile with great caution and held perfectly straight from the head to the pelvis. He should then have been placed on a hard, flat surface and taken to the hospital by ambulance. However, those on the scene of the accident took no such precautions, and he was taken to a hospital in a sitting position by private car. When he arrived he was dead, his spinal cord not having been able to stand up to this handling.
During a Tour de France, the racing cyclist Roger Rivière had a bad fall into a ravine. The person who went to his help lifted him up by holding the upper portion of his body and also his legs, thus bending his body. This position caused an injury to the spinal cord at the spot where the spine was fractured. Rivière's legs were immediately paralyzed.
As to what a person should do in a positive way, one point must always be taken into consideration: what the law of the land allows. A person would do well to find out from his doctor, the police or other law-enforcement officials what the local law permits in the way of assistance.
of highway accidents the following points should be kept in mind:
(1) Do not move the victim unless he is in immediate danger of further injury. Never urge an injured person to sit up, stand, or walk until proper assistance arrives. If he must be moved, do so with the greatest care, with the body (skull-necktrunk) always maintained absolutely straight. To avoid worsening any existing injuries; it should never be bent or twisted.
tended to, tell him, if he is conscious, that you are going for help, and do so immediately. But why not, if you are alone, go for help before this? Because if the patient cannot breathe or is bleeding seriously he may die before aid comes. These two vital points must be taken care of. But usually, at the scene of an accident, there are others that you can send for help as you begin to administer assistance.
A few other points to note also: Loosen
(2) The victim should be laid out flat with the head low and the feet slightly higher, even if he does not appear to be seriously injured. In the case of the student mentioned at the beginning of this article, she might well have recovered if she had been laid out flat after her accident and not moved until an ambulance arrived.
(3) Make sure the victim is breathing, or else all other aid will prove futile. If unconscious, his mouth could be opened to see if he has swallowed his tongue. If so.
tight clothing without moving the victim. If he vomits or seems likely to, gently turn his head to one side so he does not swallow the contents of his stomach and impair his breathing. Do not give an unconscious person anything to drink. Keep him quiet, warm and as comfortable as possible until help arrives.
Basically, what these suggestions mean is to take minimum steps until competent help arrives. But if you are in serious doubt as to what to do, it is better to do nothing, for many have died simply be-
it can be pulled out to prevent suffocation. Where artificial respiration seems necessary the mouth-to-mouth procedure should be used if one is at all familiar with it. Other artificial respiration methods that require applying pressure to parts of the body should never be used. If the spine is broken, these movements, and pressures could prove fatal.
(4) If breathing is satisfactory, look carefully for any visible signs of bleeding and apply a pad of some kind firmly against the wound. This is usually effective
cause of the incompetence of the aid rendered, whereas just a quarter of an hour later specialized first-aid workers could have acted much more efficiently. Also, if you do not know whom to call, just dial the telephone operator, tell her exactly where the accident is, and she will direct aid to you.
Of course, prevention is far better than any cure. Operators of motor vehicles will want to exercise prudence and self-control. Respect the law of the land. Watch out for the other fellow. Just because you are in
and preferable to a tourniquet, which can prove harmful. The tourniquet could render impossible, later on, the grafting of a vein or an artery. It has been responsible for the amputation of limbs.
(5) You should have already sent someone to call for medical aid. But if you have been alone, then at this point, with the breathing and bleeding of the victim at-
the right does not mean you cannot be involved in an accident. Almost half of those killed in accidents have been in the right, being struck by those in the wrong. Respect your life and the life of your fellowman. Exercise the utmost care in your handling of a motor vehicle, for it can be an instrument of transportation and pleasure, or a projectile of Injury and death.
MAJESTY OF MOUNTAINS
DISTANT mountain ranges have a power of attraction that seems to beckon us to come and investigate. As we draw nearer our sense of awe and wonderment increases as we find ourselves being dwarfed by 'their overwhelming size.
Often the topmost peak is shrouded in mist and cloud. Some peaks wear a huge cap of frozen snow the year around. Below this they may be draped in wintertime by robes of shimmering fresh snow, and in summer by garments of greenery. Here and there perhaps a beautiful
blue mountain lake may peep out and waterfalls cascade over steep precipices. There is truly a majesty about mountains that is breathtaking.
Every continent can offer mountain scenery as a pleasant contrast to the plains. Africa and Australia, it is true, have comparatively small areas of high altitude; but Asia, on the other hand, has tremendous areas in which mountain ranges push their sharp peaks to the sky. In an area almost half the size of Australia, stretching northward from India, there is hardly any altitude lower than 10,000 feet above sea level. Out of this plateau rise thousands of peaks that reach an additional 10,000 feet or more into the sky. The giant of them all, Mount Everest, reaches a record height of 29,028 feet. No wonder this portion of earth's surface has been
called "the roof of the world."
These higher elevations, whether in Europe, Asia or the Americas, are permanently cloaked with snow and ice right down to what is termed the snow line. This is the point at which
the summer's warmest temperatures can no longer affect the snow and ice sufficiently to thaw it out. The result is that above the snow line the fresh snows of each season pile up over previous layers, adding more and more pressure upon the lower layers, which are thereby transformed into millions of crystals of ice.
When this pressure from above occurs in some shallow basin high up on the mountain's shoulder, the ice crystals tend to become plastic and by their own mass and weight begin to overflow the basin and spill downward
along the path of a valley. Several of these spills may unite and form a veritable river of ice, a glacier. The surface of some glaciers can be walked on with safety. Others are broken here and there by deep and dangerous crevasses. Where the path of the glacier is not steep, its progress slows to an imperceptible crawl. Nevertheless, its onward march is irresistible. Trees that stand in the way are uprooted and smashed like matchsticks, and large boulders are swept along as if they were but pebbles. These rivers of ice are known to attain a width of several miles and a length of over one hundred miles.
Mountain Variety
Some mountains stand out like lonely sentinels on a vast plain. Others, such as those on the Tibetan plateau, seem to have been called together in assembly.
Still others, notably the Rockies and the Andes ranges of the Western Hemisphere, occur in long narrow chains. Some ranges are almost hidden from view; such are the ones located far below the ice sheets of Antarctica, and those that, except for a few widely spread islands, do not rise quite high enough from the ocean floor to raise their masses above water. There are mountains, too, that share their mass between ocean and upper air. For example, Mauna Kea, one of Hawaii's volcanic peaks, shows only 13,784 feet above sea level, but its flanks slope down 17,000 feet more, deep into the Pacific.
From appearance some mountain ranges seem to be huge sections of earth's surface that have split and been thrown up at a sharp angle, conveniently displaying the various substrata of our planet's outer layer. Peaks of volcanic origin are often recognizable from their smooth coneshaped symmetry. This effect was produced by the flow of lava and the rain of ash and cinder that fell down their sides at the time of eruption.
Mount Fuji in Japan has preserved its conical shape. The distant viewer is usually impressed by the graceful downward curve and the pale bluish color of its flanks. A closer view reveals a surprise: that the mountainside is largely composed of coarse black ash and cinder. Mount Erebus, in Antarctica, presents another paradox. Rising 13,200 feet above the ice on nearby McMurdo Sound, and encased in snow and ice as it is, it lazily emits steam from its crater.
Other mountains are unique because of their location. For example, Mount Kilimanjaro's snowy top rises 19,340 feet amid the tropical heat of Africa. Its nearest neighbor, two hundred miles to the south, Mount Kenya, is practically on the
equator; and yet on its crown, 17,058 feet right up from the steamy plains, it can boast the presence of a glacier. So, on its flanks may be found every variety of climate, from equatorial heat to something like Arctic cold.
Lofty Scenery
When we go up through mountain country there are so many things that come home to us as unaccustomed experiences. The air at those heights is so bracing! And there is such a variety of mineral, plant and animal specimens that we seldom see. The higher we go the clearer everything seems to stand out due to the rarer atmosphere. Finally, looking down from some lofty lookout point, we have before us a panorama that gives the eye free range—a restful change after the limitations imposed by walls and fences and other close-up objects.
As the trail leads upward grassy meadows give way to forest land, where a sprinkling of evergreens contrasts with the lighter shades of hardwoods. Underneath, grass yields to ferns. Gradually the hardy conifers crowd out the other trees, and then, as we explore higher, the trees become scrubby and are soon replaced by tough, low-spreading bushes, with clearings here and there brightened by colorful flowers. Perhaps, then, we will note the lichen, clinging as it does to the rocky terrain up there near the snow line. Each plant has its own proper requirements as to oxygen, moisture, temperature and exposure to wind, and will flourish only where the right mixture is available.
Perhaps at this stage you are wondering, as you gaze out on some magnificent view, just how far that distant horizon really is. It has been calculated that when the eyes are at six feet above sea level the farthest horizon will be about three miles away. At one hundred feet of elevation the view will be extended ten more miles.
At one thousand feet, if there are no obstructions to the view, we should be able to scan a horizon that is some forty-two miles away.
From Alaska's Mount McKinley, 20,320 feet above sea level, one can take in about 100,000 square miles of northern scenery. From atop snowy Mount Hermon in Syria, at a height that is more than nine times that of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, one can see the whole of the northern part of ancient Canaanland, the sea of Galilee, the distant hills of Bashan east of Jordan, the seacoast locations of old Tyre and Sidon to the west, and the island of Cyprus far out on the Mediterranean. Even from Sinai's summit, about 7,000 feet, can be seen a vast portion of the Peninsula of Sinai, both arms of the Red Sea as it is split by the Peninsula, and the high mountains of Egypt and Arabia.
Benefits from Mountains
In addition to furnishing breathtaking views and a grand procession of animal and plant life, mountains also confer some very practical benefits upon those who live on the plains below. Some have grassy slopes that afford excellent pasturage for animal herds. Where forests clothe the slopes, there is provision, not only of lumber for construction, but also of a marvelous braking device that slows the flow of rain from the mountainside, so spreading its beneficial action over a prolonged period. The thawing of snow and ice at the lower altitudes also arranges for gradual watering of the surrounding plain. Thereby also mountain streams are fed, some of these growing to be mighty rivers that irrigate whole continents.
In fact, mountains have a great deal to do with rainfall in the first place. It is noticeable that at least one side of a
mighty mountain range benefits from the fact that low, moisture-laden clouds endeavoring to rise over the summit are forced to discharge much of their precious cargo, water's vitally needed form's crops and industries.
In mountain ranges, by means of which molten materials from deep underground have been heaved to the surface in solidified form, the greatest share of the world's mineral wealth is found. The exposed strata have pointed the way to many rich deposits that might not have been discovered until a much later date.
Generously spread across the face of our planet, mountains have proved to be a blessing to man. About one-fifth of the entire land surface is occupied by mountains. Their massive outlines often form most beautiful backgrounds to fertile plains or shimmering lakes. Man-made structures, though themselves marvelous, are surely dwarfed by the immensity of these towering masses. The Great Pyramid of Egypt stands 451 feet high on the desert sands, yet it would take more than sixty-four of these piled up one atop the other to reach the top of Everest. And Hawall's Mauna Kea, from ocean base to snowclad peak, is almost twenty-one times the height of the Empire State Building in New York City.
Superstitious reverence for mountains has been and still is felt by many peoples. However, we are awed and impressed by those mountains because we recognize them as part of the loving Creator's provision for the happiness and welfare of his creatures. Further, in their massive stature they powerfully though silently tell forth the praises of their Creator. So, if we let them, the majestic mountains will remind us of the greater majesty that belongs alone to the Maker of all things.
By "Awakel" correspondent in the Republic of Congo
IN ANY country of central Africa it is not surprising to see a mud-spattered pickup truck arrive into a town with its occupants tired and hungry after a long, dusty voyage in the bush. But the arrival of this truck in our small Congo River town in northeastern Congo was different. Its occupants were hungry all right, but they demanded that food be given to them as support for the rebel forces. Mostly young boys, aged ten to sixteen, with a couple of older men dressed in monkey skins, these new arrivals carried spears, machetes and rifles.
It was this mud-spattered truck that we found parked across from our home and Kingdom Hall when I returned from the field ministry with two others of Jehovah's witnesses. An interrogation was going on in an effort to locate any persons belonging to the police force, army, local or central government. Such persons were marked for arrest and execution. So it was that this relatively quiet town became a scene of bloodspilling and mourning.
Having heard that a policeman lived in the same complex of buildings that served as our home and Kingdom Hall, the rebels immediately approached us. They demanded that we turn this man over to their executional forces. We explained that the man was no longer a policeman; also that he had left the house earlier in the day
and was not expected to return for some time. We were then met with the abrupt alternative that the two older Witnesses and myself must die in his place.
It became evident that it would be hard to reason with these people. So we declared very simply that, if they were to kill us here this day and for this reason, it would be a very serious offense because we were ministers of the Most High God, Jehovah. Further, we were confident of a resurrection in the new order under God's kingdom by Jesus Christ. At this statement the rebel forces were taken by surprise. They were evidently so used to having people cringe in terror that they could hardly imagine anyone's being free from the fear of death. The three soldiers who were doing most of the talking then began asking questions about Jehovah and our ministerial work.
This gave us the occasion to explain the preaching work of Jehovah's witnesses and about their complete neutrality on political matters. Finally, the soldier who appeared to be in charge said, "Your God wouldn't want you to die here today." And with that he ordered all to leave our compound, and we had our freedom.
Questioned About Politics
The next day, upon hearing reports that insurgent forces were approaching the city, the three of us decided to leave and travel to a small village about twenty miles away, where the rest of the congregation had gone. However, even before we got out of town we were stopped by another group of rebel forces, two men armed with spears and a boy of fourteen or fifteen with a rifle. They checked our identity cards to see our place of origin. Normally, if one is from the lower Congo, as I was, that would be reason enough to be suspected of being a supporter of the central government and thus reason to be put to death.
One began to question us to determine whether we were in any way engaged in politics. Upon hearing that we were Jehovah's witnesses and that our only interest in this territory was that of declaring the good news, one said rather sneeringly: "Religious ministers? What proof do you have?" At that, two of us pulled from our pockets well-used Bibles, which they took and looked at very closely, turning them over and looking inquisitively inside. "But, that's not proof enough; you could have bought them or even stolen them."
So we opened to Matthew 6:9, 10 and started explaining to them the Lord's prayer and about the kingdom of Jehovah God by his Son, Jesus Christ. A small crowd of onlookers was listening, but not for long, for the boy with the rifle began clamoring for bloodshed, saying: "Kill them! We're not here to save people; we're here to kill them!"
But the man who seemed to be in charge prevailed when he said, "No, these men are truly ministers of God and not politicians." Yet, because we had not supported their political movement, we were beaten and left in the road.
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