Awake!, June 8, 1966
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Wise and Foolish Builders-What Kind Are You?
PAGE 5
Preparing for a Convention
PAGE 9
Stenotypy—the Machine Shorthand Method
PAGE 14
Antibiotics and the Fight Against Infection
PAGE 20
JUNE 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" has no 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.
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CONTENTS
Fire on the High Seas 3
World War I Was Different 4
Wise and Foolish Builders
—What Kind Are You? 5
Preparing for a Convention 9
Stenotypy—the Machine
Shorthand Method 14
The Mighty Paraná on the Rampage 17
Antibiotics and the Flight
Against Infection 20
Traveling on Alaska's Marine Highway 24
Praying for a Sign 26
"Your Word Is Truth"
Who Is "the Alpha and the Omega"? 27
Watching the World 29
FIRE ON THE HIGH SEAS
IT WAS a cool, balmy night as the Yarmouth Castle cut through the waters of the Atlantic Ocean on November 13, 1965. The cruise ship, with 550 passengers and crew members, aboard, was on its regular run from Miami to Nassau in the Bahamas.
Suddenly, what had been a vacation dream come true to the relaxed passengers turned into a nightmare of terror, for fire broke out. The thirty-eight-year-old vessel, largely of wooden construction, was soon ablaze. Within minutes the fire raged out of control. Panic ensued. "I ran onto the deck," said one passenger. "The heat was so intense my feet were burning on the surface of the deck. I jumped overboard."
Other witnesses later declared that the utter confusion among crew and passengers added to the subsequent death toll. A board of inquiry found that there was poor performance on the part of the ship's master and some of the crew; that absence of safety features and inadequate crew-training produced the fatal atmosphere of alarm that prevailed.
The immediate outcome was tragic. Ninety persons perished in the flames or drowned in the deep Atlantic waters. Within hours of the outbreak the Panamanian-registered vessel went to the bottom. The survivors, many of them suffering from shock and burns, eventually reached shore
with a horrible experience deeply etched on their minds.
On April 8, 1966, another vessel, this time the Norwegian-registered ship Viking Princess, caught fire in the Caribbean. Of her complement of 496 passengers and crew members, only three persons died—and these were victims of heart attack. In this instance survivors had nothing but praise for the cool-headed bravery of the captain and crew. There had been faithful stewardship of lives committed to their care.
Disasters May Bring Stiff Regulations
These two sea disasters—both due to fire—were sure to spark official investigations. At Washington, D.C., a House committee reviewing the Yarmouth Castle case called for a stricter code of safety regulations for passenger ships of foreign registry. It urged that vessels falling to measure up to legal American standards be banned from taking on passengers in United States ports.
The committee's report had twenty-eight pages of recommendations. Several members of Congress spoke out and demanded that United States representatives to a forthcoming London meeting insist on improved international regulations covering passenger ships. An international convention requiring all future passenger vessels to be built of fire-resistant, fire-relardant materials was proposed.
Said one member of the committee: "We feel that foreign vessels should meet this requirement." American ships have been under such a requirement for thirty years.
Also recommended was the institution of bilateral agreements with other countries until a uniform set of regulations can be formulated. Meanwhile the committee urged that measures be taken to ensure that all foreign-flag passenger ships using American ports conform to the safety standards observed by all United States ships of the same class.
"Yarmouth Castle" Study
After reviewing all the facts in the Yarmouth Castle tragedy, the committee of inquiry expressed the belief that the vessel, had it been under United States law, would have been long since retired from service. And what caused the high death toll? The committee reported: "There is little evidence that the Yarmouth Castle was efficiently manned and operated when it met with disaster."
The following major weaknesses contributing to the disaster were listed: (1) Lack of supervision by the master and ship's officers; (2) the general alarm was not sounded; (3) the emergency squad did not muster; (4) only six out of thirteen lifeboats on hand were launched; (5) the swimming pool valve from the fire pump was open, causing inadequate pressure at
the hose nozzles; (6) the public-address system was not utilized; (7) the master was among the first to leave the ship in the first lifeboat away, and (8) there was failure to radio for assistance.
What Should Be Done?
Two major recommendations came from the committee: (1) All old ships should have biweekly fire and boat drills for their crews; and (2) all foreign-flag passenger ships should provide at least two radio operators and maintain continuous radio watch. Many other specific recommendations were also made as to the construction and furnishing of such vessels, with fire prevention being the overriding consideration.
one seaman expressed something that goes right to the root of the matter when he said: "Things just go along and you assume nothing will ever happen. When it does, it proves how much care should be taken with human lives. We must protect passengers. In this case it was shown that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure."
It is certainly evident that, if shipowners were just as concerned about the safety of lives entrusted to their care as they are about the profit angle, there would be a decided decrease in the danger from fire on the high seas. Freed from apprehension born of avoidable disasters, vacationers could, with confidence, go on enjoying the exhilaration of holiday cruises.
WORLD WAR I WAS DIFFERENT
Unlike all the wars that mankind had fought before 1914, World War I involved practically every race and people on earth. Regarding this, Life magazine of May 8, 1964, observed that World War I "embroiled almost every race and people on earth—Canadians, South Africans, Sikhs, Gurkhas, Siberian Tartars, Turks, Japanese, Morocans, Australians, New Zealanders, Senegalese, Bantu tribesmen. By 1918 over 65 million soldiers had been dragged into the struggle." It was one of the evidences foretold by Jesus Christ as marking the beginning of the conclusion of the present wicked system of things. Matt. 24:3-8.
TENS of thousands of millions of dollars are spent yearly on buildings of various kinds throughout the world. In the United States alone, a survey showed, a minimum expenditure of 5,000,000,000 is expected on college housing over the next ten years. Planned water projects in the state of California will cost in the vicinity of2,000,000,000. Unique snowsheds in mountain areas of other states, superhighways webbing key industrial cities, lavish religious dwellings and mammoth business centers, factories, offices and homes are sprouting up. All of this underscores this as an era of unprecedented building.
As useful and necessary as this material construction may be to the happiness of man, yet a wise builder recognizes that an office building, or a college, or a bridge, or a house of a certain style is not the principal factor in human happiness. For what lasting worth are multiple-storied structures if men in them are torn with strife and discontentment? Of what great comfort are lovely, spacious homes if families that live in them are not happy?
It is obvious that, in addition to the physical dwellings, there must also be a spiritual building by man. For happiness and contentment are rooted, not in material accomplishments, but in the human mind and heart. And these qualities are kept alive and healthy by the refreshing
What is worth- while building? How can you build with a view to the future?
truths that flow freely from the Word of God.
Jesus Christ pointed out this fact to his followers in the conclusion to his Sermon on the Mount. There he said: "Everyone that hears these sayings of mine and does them will be likened to a discreet man, who built his house upon the rock-mass. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and lashed
against that house, but it did not cave in, for it had been founded upon the rockmass. Furthermore, everyone hearing these sayings of mine and not doing them will be likened to a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain poured down and the floods came and the winds blew and struck against that house and it caved in, and its collapse was great."—Matt. 7:24-27.
The illustration is apt. A man builds his personality and way of life as he would a house. Such a comparison must have been doubly appealing to Jesus. For he may have been a builder; as a carpenter's son and a carpenter in his early years he likely worked on houses. And every thought in man is like a piece of timber in his "house" of life, every habit like a beam, every imagination like a window, well placed or badly placed; and they all gather into some kind of shape, forming something beautiful or grotesque. Of the two builders, one is a thoughtful man who deliberately plans his house with an eye to the future; the other is not necessarily a bad man, but he is thoughtless, and casually begins to build in the easiest way, the way of least resistance.
The one is earnest, farsighted, conscientious; the other is carefree, leading a careless and unexamined life. (1 Cor. 15:32) The latter may be unaware that his course is an unprincipled, foolish one until it is too late, and he is face to face with disaster.
The Right Use of Financial Resources
But how to build with lasting benefit to ourselves and those whom we love is a big question, even today. Jesus answers this question in his Sermon on the Mount, showing how we might identify ourselves as wise or as foolish builders in the things we do with our finances, the manner in which we regard values. For example, regarding finances, Jesus says: "Stop storing up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves break in and steal. Rather, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."—Matt. 6:19-21.
Imagine the time people spend today doing precisely what Jesus states not to do! Worldlings declare, 'Store up treasures upon the earth.' Christ says, 'Stop storing up such treasures.' Ignoring this counsel of Christ has not resulted in happiness on earth.
A choice confronts every builder, indicated Jesus. A person can use his life to gather treasure on earth or he can gather treasure for himself in heaven. Treasure on earth is beset by risks. Wealth in Christ's day was registered partly in fabrics—in rugs, garments and hangings. Moths threatened the stored treasure, and thieves could break in and steal it. Rust would eat away those precious items made of metal. If Jesus were on earth today, he would remind the old and the young that
you can't take it with you. (Luke 12:20, 21) One of the richest men in the world today, J. Paul Getty, now in the twilight of life, has also been referred to as 'one of the loneliest,' which proves that money in itself is not everything. The Dallas oil tycoon H. L. Hunt has amassed a fortune estimated to be "somewhere between two and three billion dollars [$3,000,000,000]." His daily income is "nearly a quarter of a million dollars." But it is true of these men as it is of others that "even when a person has an abundance his life does not result from the things he possesses." (Luke 12:15) And without life what true value is there in wealth stored up on earth? —Matt, 16:26.
But there is another kind of wealth—it is spiritual wealth—a life devoted to the interests of God's kingdom. Jesus encourages us to pursue this life—a life of dedication to God—a life devoted to truth, faith, hope and love. This builds credit with God in heaven. (Luke 12:33) Neither vermin nor thieves can touch this treasure, this credit that we accumulate with our heavenly Father. The reward of this kind of building is everlasting life.
Every person, therefore, is a builder with a choice. He can strive to build storehouses of wealth on earth, with total loss eventually, or labor to increase his credit with God, with the hope of gaining life everlasting. This choice, worthily made, does not necessarily mean that all one's money must be spent in the direct preaching of God's kingdom. (Matt. 24:14) No, some financial resources must be used to care properly for one's personal needs and the needs of one's family. Not to provide for those who are our own, and especially for those who are members of our household, is the same as disowning the Christian faith. (1 Tim. 5:8) Using our financial resources in this godly way is to build wisely.
Because Christians have chosen to store up for themselves treasures in heaven, which is a decision to serve God and not Riches, Jesus said: "On this account I say to you: Stop being anxious about your souls as to what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your bodies as to what you will wear... why are you anxious?... For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these other things will be added to you." (Matt. 6:25-34) It is the will of God that Christian builders seek first the interests of his kingdom, that they live lives free from anxiety. If they do this, they can consider themselves wise builders indeed!
"Stop Judging" Others
Building calls for cordial relationships between all the workers involved. Quality suffers where friction exists, and few things inflame frictions as much as undue criticism. Jesus strikes to the heart of many modern-day heartaches when he says: "Stop judging that you may not be judged; for with what judgment you are judging, you will be judged; and with the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you. Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother's eye, but do not consider the rafter in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, 'Allow me to extract the straw from your eye'; when, look! a rafter is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First extract the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to extract the straw from your brother's eye." (Matt. 7:1-5) To work on the other person's faults while ignoring one's own truly does not make sense. What it really does is label the critical person as a hypocrite.
Jesus does not rule out all judging. Each day by word or deed we judge or evaluate
ideas or organizations, and form opinions of neighbors and friends. It is inevitable that we do, because the mind is made to judge, to discriminate between good and bad. We cannot rightly remain silent in the face of flagrant wrong. The honest mind and heart must judge. So we must be clear in our thinking about the meaning of the word Jesus is using when he says: "Stop judging." Jesus is warning against a mind that is given over to quick, harsh, unjustified criticism. Thus he draws a line between honest appraisal with loving counsel and sharp-tongued criticism. He counsels us not to be quick to criticize or condemn others while ignoring our own shortcomings.
James the brother of Jesus gives us some sound advice along this line, saying: "Quit speaking against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are, not a doer of law, but a judge. One there is that is lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you to be judging your neighbor?"—Jas. 4:11, 12.
Being overly and unnecessarily critical of others is not upbuilding to them or to ourselves, because life has a way of giving back what we put into it. (Matt. 7:2; Eccl. 11:1) If we allow a critical, judging spirit to take root in the heart, evil and not good will sprout. For condemnation brings condemnation. The plea of Christ is that we put up with one another in love and forgiveness. "Even as Jehovah freely forgave you, so do you also."—Col. 3:12-14; Matt. 6:14.
Rule for Behavior
Every builder of worth needs a rule to follow. Jesus, the Architect of our salvation, gave us this behavior rule: "All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them; this, in fact, is what the Law and the Prophets mean."
(Matt. 7:12) This rule, sometimes called "the golden rule," cannot be kept unless the builder has the love of God. This rule instructs us how to live with our neighbor. Men often excel in mechanics but bungle in human relationships. A survey of 4,400 people who had lost their jobs showed they failed, not because of lack of skill, but because of not knowing how to be friendly, neighborly. We need the rule Christ gave us, that we may know how to build to God's glory.
While the rule is simple in terminology, it is not easy to apply. The rule is positive. Jesus taught that the essence of righteousness is the constructive doing of good. The illustration of the good Samaritan is a good example of Jesus' emphasis on doing good deeds, even to strangers.—Luke 10:25-37.
It is noteworthy that the disciple Luke places Jesus' rule as an introduction to sayings that command Christians to love their enemies. Luke quotes Jesus as saying: "Just as you want men to do to you, do the same way to them. And if you love those loving you, of what credit is it to you? For even the sinners love those loving them. And if you do good to those doing good to you, really of what credit is it to you? Even the sinners do the same. . . . To the contrary, continue to love your enemies and to do good and to lend without interest, not hoping for anything back; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind toward the unthankful and wicked. Continue becoming merciful, just as your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:31-36) Here Christians are called on to show extraordinary love. They are called on to imitate Jehovah in his kind, loving and merciful way. When was the last time you
applied this behavior rule? When was the last time that you showed love to your enemies, that you did good to those who did not favor you first, that you lent money to a needy person without hoping for anything back? This rule not only determines the quality of your work, but it also reveals your inner motive and the depth of your sincerity in the service of God.
While there are many construction programs in progress, there are only two kinds of builders—the wise and the foolish. In Luke's account Jesus speaks of two builders, one who built on the ground without a foundation, the other who built upon the deep-underlying rock. Wise builders, Jesus said, are those who come to him, hear his words and do them. The foolish are those who hear Jesus' words but who do not do them; they build on present superficial values without a view to the future.—Luke 6:47-49.
Every building must be tested, however. Seasons change. When spring and fall rains come, a river may flood its banks and become a raging torrent. It is the same with man; even before the end of this system of things at Armageddon, temptations, trials, sorrows and testings do come. Whose house will stand? Those who build on sand or on the ground without a foundation have in store disappointment. Jesus assures us of that fact. But wise builders will provide a refuge in the time of storm, because they heed Jesus' words and they dig into God's Word of truth to make sure of all things; they will be rewarded for their efforts. When the Armageddon storm strikes, their house will stand. (Rev. 16:16) So bear the future in mind as you build today, for the future will determine whether you are a wise or a foolish builder.
Preparing for a
SUMMER is at hand again, and for many persons that means preparing for a convention. In the United States alone some ten million persons each year attend more than 75,000 state, regional and national conventions. Think of the hundreds of millions of hours spent annually at convention sessions!
Think, too, of the immense outlay of money! The Nation's Business of April 1965 noted concerning this: "Meetingholding [is] a 6 billion-a-year domestic industry. In some U.S. cities conventions account for as much as 67 per cent of the yearly revenues of the largest hotels." In Washington, D.C., for example, conventions and tourism generated400 million in business in 1964, making them the second-largest industry in town next to the federal payroll.
Conventions Serve Serious Purpose
Many organizations are realizing that successful conventions contribute to an organization's growth and internal strength. For this reason conventions have received increased attention in recent years. Every effort is made to see that they function smoothly and efficiently. Commenting on this, a popular United States magazine last year noted:
"One of the reasons why conventions are so successful these days is that they are carefully planned . . . In fact, most of them run so smoothly that the average member isn't aware of the long behind-the-scenes planning, even down to the minute details."
Perhaps you attended a convention recently. Were you aware of the preparation involved? Did you stop to think of what
was required to set up and operate a large convention? How long in advance did preparation begin? What went on behind the scenes to make your presence comfortable and beneficial?
Experienced Conventioners
Jehovah's witnesses are perhaps in the best position to know what is involved in setting up and operating a convention. Since 1941, when many thousands of persons assembled for the final day of their eight-day convention in St. Louis, Missouri, they have held numerous assembly sessions with more than 100,000 in attendance. Observed the New York Times Magazine concerning their international assembly in 1958:
"The biggest convention ever held was the recent convocation of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Yankee Stadium and the Polo Grounds. It brought 142,668 people to New York in the last week of July. . . . According to the records of the New York Convention and Visitors Bureau, 61,621 stayed in 438 hotels while the other 81,047 bunked in private homes, motels, trailers or rooming houses." Thousands of other Witnesses commuted from their own nearby residences, and on the final day ten of thousands of visitors turned out to swell the assembly's attendance to over 250,000.
No other convention could compare with it! Its magnitude was almost beyond belief. The 1959 Arena Auditorium Stadium Guide commented: "New York City, blase, not easily impressed, thought it had seen everything in the way of a gathering. . . Then came Jehovah's Witnesses! Quiet, orderly, extremely well-mannered, they came by ship, bus, train, plane until more than one hundred and fifty thousand of them were on hand. By sheer numbers they impressed the big town as no other convention had ever done." The 1958 convention remains the largest ever held, principally because there are no facilities to handle more of Jehovah's witnesses comfortably.
Since that large international assembly, Jehovah's witnesses have concentrated on holding a series of smaller conventions each year, sometimes called district assemblies. These annual meetings are in addition to the yet smaller circuit conventions, where eighteen to twenty congregations in an assigned area assemble every six months for a weekend of Bible instruction. Every weekend of the year, on the average, about sixty of these circuit conventions are in session somewhere in the world, with anywhere from a few hundred up to several thousand persons in attendance.
The officials of cities that entertain assemblies of Jehovah's witnesses are generally impressed by the smooth way in which preparations for these conventions are carried out. Last year, for instance, a member of the Corpus Christi, Texas, Chamber of Commerce offered to be helpful. After making suggestions on "accommodating all these people" coming to the
district assembly, "signing them in," "seating them," and "catering," he said: "You people don't seem to need much help. You have everything organized. Most people enter my office, flop down, stare at me helplessly, and blurt out. We are going to have a convention. What shall we do?"
Motivation
What makes Jehovah's witnesses different? It is not only experience in handling conventions. It is also the quality of love—love for one another, for fellow Christians. (John 13:34, 35) Jehovah's witnesses consider one another brothers and sisters, all part of one family of God. And just as a human family cares for the interests of one another, so do Jehovah's witnesses.
In a large family there are many chores to perform—cooking, cleaning, washing, and helping in other ways—so at a convention there are similar duties to care for. In fact, at large gatherings of Jehovah's witnesses there are as many as twenty-eight different departments of work, such as Attendants, Volunteer Service, Refreshments, Cafeteria, Installation, Check Room and Lost and Found, Information, Cleaning, Trucking and Equipment, Travel, Music, Rooming, Signs, and so forth. It is because Jehovah's witnesses lovingly volunteer to assist in these many departments that their conventions operate so smoothly.
First Requirement
But, first, people must have a desire to attend. For a convention to be successful something appealing must be offered. One trade association official explained: "The big thing is program. You've got to offer a compact, appealing and meaningful program geared to the needs of your audience." Jehovah's witnesses do this. They feature God's Word the Bible, showing how it offers practical solutions to the very problems facing mankind.
It is this faith-strengthening program of Bible instruction that often draws over 100,000 persons to assembly sessions.
The Watchtower Society provides the basic outlines for the subject material to be presented. This is done only after carefully determining the current spiritual needs of the organization. Then qualified, experienced ministers with public-speaking ability are assigned to prepare and deliver the talks and oversee the demonstrations. These ministers spend many hours in preparation and practice. They appreciate that their brothers often make great efforts to attend, and that they deserve the best in spiritual food.
For many months now preparations have been in progress for the "God's Sons of Liberty" District Assemblies, which commence June 22-26 in Toronto, Canada. This series of conventions then sweeps across Canada, southward into the United States—visiting Dallas, San Francisco, Baltimore, Miami Beach and Mobile—and, later in the year and early 1967, moves on into Mexico and many Central and South American countries. In Britain and other parts of the world the same assembly program will also be presented.
Early Preparation
It was back in December 1964, or about a year and a half ago, that negotiations first began in connection with holding the assembly this month at the Toronto Exhibition Grounds. Shortly afterward negotiations began for use of Candlestick Stadium, San Francisco, August 3-7; the Memorial Stadium, Baltimore, August 17-21; Convention Hall, Miami Beach, August 24-28, and other United States and Canadian assembly sites.
This past December and January, N. H. Knorr, the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, visited more than
a dozen Central and South American countries to negotiate contracts and make travel arrangements for conventions in those places. These assemblies will not get under way for another six months or so. But obtaining a suitable meeting place is only the initial preparatory step in connection with a convention.
Contacting hotels to see what space is available and what the prices will be is often the next step. For the Baltimore assembly this August these contacts began last fall. Then, about six to ten weeks before the convention begins, Jehovah's witnesses start an organized house-to-house search for rooming accommodations in private homes. In Toronto this work commenced April 24 and is still in progress.
Arranging for Accommodations
When a householder agrees to list rooms with a representative of the rooming committee a description of the accommodation is filed with the rooming office. Then, when a request for rooms is received, that accommodation request is matched with a listed accommodation in the file that fits the request. The person requesting the accommodation is then notified at whose home he will be staying, and is advised to let the party know at what time he will arrive in the assembly city and other pertinent information. The person listing the accommodation is also written, being advised who has been assigned to his home, and that he will be writing soon.
As can be appreciated, all of this takes a lot of work. For the international assembly in New York city in 1958, more than 236,000 hours were spent in the house-to-house search for rooming accommodations. In addition, an office staff of over 100 persons worked for more than two months prior to the assembly, processing requests and accommodations.
Generally the community is very hospitable in welcoming assembly delegates into the local homes. At times the mayor of the city takes the lead by opening up his home to visiting Witnesses. For example, last year the mayor of Minneapolis agreed to accommodate a family of nine during the convention in his city.
As a result of their conduct, Jehovah's witnesses have obtained a good reputation. People know that they can be trusted. Following the convention at Yankee Stadium last summer one person wrote, as published in the New York Daily News of September 4: "Regardless of what people may feel about the beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, it must be admitted that they've proved one thing—that the Bible sure works when applied to the field of human relations. What with racial tensions being as they are it's a pleasure to see that some people can live together as just one race, the human race. We all can learn a lesson from that."
Volunteer Service
Jehovah's witnesses also work well together at their conventions. All service performed is voluntary. No one receives pay. To coordinate the workers, a Volunteer Service department begins functioning months in advance of an assembly.
The files of this department contain an extensive list of the key workers at previous assemblies, their qualifications, and what assembly departments they have worked in. A couple of months before a convention begins, the Volunteer Service department starts writing letters to confirm whether these keymen will be able to serve again. In the letter, certain brothers are often encouraged to line up helpers in their own congregation or circuit to work with them in their convention assignment. Many of such crews have
worked together at assemblies many times before. At large assemblies, when these groups of workers are merged together, they form a nucleus around which the convention organization is built.
So Volunteer Service is principally a processing department, lining up and assigning personnel to where they are needed. It has been found in the past that, for an assembly to operate smoothly, usually one volunteer worker is required for every six persons in attendance. At the huge international convention in 1958 when 253,.922 attended on the final day, there was a total of 45,980 persons who volunteered their services to work in one of the many departments sometime during the eight-day convention.
However, not all of Jehovah's witnesses who go to conventions are in position to volunteer. Last year, for instance, one person, in answer to an invitation to work in connection with the Yankee Stadium convention, wrote:
"I am very sorry to have to refuse your invitation to serve with you as a captain in the Volunteer Service Department, but my wife has recently undergone surgery twice and is pregnant, so such an assignment would be out of the question for me at this time. I am very thankful for the invitation and would otherwise try my best to fulfill the responsibility involved. I would appreciate it if Brother ——, or whoever is in charge, would keep me on this list for such assignment for the future, because I have enjoyed assisting in that department in the past and would again. With you in the desire of an assembly to Jehovah's praise."
This letter expresses the attitude of tens of thousands of Jehovah's witnesses, and explains how their assemblies can operate so smoothly. Even inform and handicapped persons often volunteer, and their services are used well in certain departments.
Other Preparations and Work
Weeks in advance of a large assembly an organizational meeting is held. Here arrangements are discussed for setting up a workshop and obtaining the necessary equipment. Observed S. H. Plumhoff, the Trucking and Equipment servant, in his report on the Yankee Stadium convention last year:
"It is a tremendous task to get the needed equipment and trucks to supply the needs of the 28 departments which are set up to handle such a convention, but through letters and personal contact the response was indeed gratifying. Equipment was called in from 49 circuits in the northeastern part of the United States.
"The response of business concerns in making courtesy loans of valuable equipment was very helpful and greatly appreciated. . . . Smith Corona loaned 12 secretarial model typewriters. Underwood loaned 2 office typewriters and an electric calculator for our use. Hobart loaned a 5 HP meat grinder, 2 mixer choppers, 4 slicing machines, 2 potato peelers and a 5 HP mixer, grinder pattie-making machine. . . . When business concerns make such loans it helps one to appreciate the good name and respect that Jehovah's witnesses have been able to establish."
When the time for the convention arrives, setting up the stage and many convention departments is a tremendous job. At times there are only two or three days, or less, to do this. So, as has occurred at Yankee Stadium, scores of loaded trucks and hundreds of volunteer workers stand poised to swing into operation as soon as the last batter is out and the fans leave the ball park. During the convention itself, the trucks operate throughout the night bringing in the necessary supplies, particularly food. This is prepared and served at the assembly's cafeteria and refreshment stands.
Last fall the New York city bulletin, Inside Health, reported relative to the tremendous feeding task performed by the cafeteria: "At least one-half million meals were served to about 50,000 persons at the Jehovah's Witnesses Convention, Aug. 24-29 at Yankee Stadium—and not a single case of food poisoning occurred. . . . Consumed daily—among other things—were 25 tons of beef, eight tons of potatoes, 4000 dozen eggs, 600 gallons of coffee and a trailer truck load of milk."
Close cooperation is required to prepare food rapidly in such quantities. How Jehovah's witnesses work together to accomplish the task is illustrated by the sandwich-making operation, described by E. V. Singer, in charge of Refreshments: "Rye bread was used. One sister would spread mustard on the first slice, the other would put on the premeasured cup of pastrami, the next would place the mustard pickle chips on the pastrami, the last one would place a slice of bread on top and move it along to those who would wrap the sandwiches in dry wax paper."
Yes, there is a great deal of work in connection with assemblies of Jehovah's witnesses. The cooperation and Christian love shown contribute to their unusual success. Even in the matter of neatness they take pride, as the 1959 Arena Auditorium Stadium Guide noted: "Not so much as a match stick or discarded candy wrapper could be found in the stadiums and other areas they had rented. Thousands of their members, men, women and children made up a committee to leave every square foot of area as clean or cleaner, than they had found it."
The next time you attend a convention, think about the preparations involved. Accept our invitation to attend one of the "God's Sons of Liberty" District Assemblies this year.
STENOTYPY
-the machine shorthand method
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HAVE you ever noticed a person operating the keys on a machine in televised courtroom dramas, United Nations hearings and Presidential news conferences? He takes down everything that is said, easily keeping up with the speakers. The device he uses is a remarkable machine known as a stenograph.
The keyboard was developed about fifty years ago by a shorthand reporter named Ward Stone Ireland. Weighing only about four pounds, the machine is easily carried about and is operated without wires and electricity. What it writes on a length of paper tape may appear to be meaningless to the untrained eye, but actually the writing is not as difficult to read as it appears. Instead of strange symbols, Roman letters
are used. By looking carefully, you would be able to pick out portions of recognizable words. You would also see some words that are written out in their entirety.
the back of the machine. Each time the keys are pressed, the machine automatically moves the tape up for the next word.
A stenograph can be used for recording almost any language. This is due to the fact that the writing is done phonetically and the correct spelling of a word is not necessary. For example, the word "tough" is written on a stenograph as TUF, the word "your" as UR and "laugh" as LAF. One stroke on the machine can represent a syllable, word or phrase. From one to all ten fingers can be used in a single stroke.
Division of the Keyboard
The keyboard is theoretically divided into three basic units: the beginning of
How a Stenograph Works
The keyboard of the machine contains 23 keys, with 21 keys representing 16 letters of the alphabet (a few letters are duplicated). There is also an asterisk and a space key. Operation of the machine is much like playing a piano. The keys are pressed lightly by the fingers, either singly or in groups. When a key is pressed, a letter is printed upon a strip of paper that is prefolded so that when it comes out of the machine it drops neatly into a tray at
words, the vowels and the endings. The initial consonants of a word, such as T in TAB, are written with the fingers of the left hand and they appear on the left side of the tape. The vowels, such as A in BAT, are written
with the thumbs and appear in the middle of the tape. Final consonants, such as R in TAR, are written with the right hand and always appear on the right.
Each finger handles two keys on the machine, the exception being the small finger on the right hand, which presses two extra keys, but never at the same time. One-syllable words are written in one stroke instead of pressing each letter individually as on a typewriter. The word "start," for example, requires five strokes on a typewriter, but on a stenograph it requires only one stroke.
All five keys are pressed at the same time and appear on one line on the tape. Here is another illustration: "The star was out." This sentence requires only four strokes on a stenograph but sixteen on a typewriter, apart from closing punctuation. Note the illustration of how this sentence is written on the tape. You read across from left to
right for each word and then shift your eyes down for the next one. Since words are written phonetically on a stenograph and few strokes are required, as many as 250 words per minute can be recorded by a highly skilled stenotypist.
The Basic Theory
With the keyboard containing only 21 letters, it is necessary to combine two or more existing letters to substitute or represent the missing ones. For example, there are only four vowels on the keyboard. There is no I. The letters EU are used to represent this missing vowel when they are struck together, using the right thumb. Thus the word "pit" is written on the tape as PEUT. After a while a trained operator mentally sees the vowel I whenever he sees EU.
For ending words with the letter D there is a D on the right side of the machine, but there is none on the left side for beginning words with D, such as DAD. When confronted with such a word, the operator uses the two letters TK to represent the beginning D. Some other substitutions are: TP for F; PW for B; HR for L; TPH for N and TKPW for G. After learning these various combinations, it is not difficult to learn the rest of the theory. This shorthand method is simple and not
nearly as complicated as it might at first seem.
Speed is the objective in stenotypy, and to achieve it abbreviations are essential. Here are some examples: The letter U stands for the word "you," K for the word "can," T for the word "it," UR for "your" and WH for "whether." Some abbreviations for words of two or more syllables can be written with only one stroke. For example, POS for the word "possible,"
SUF for "sufficient," SERT for "certain," PRAPS for "perhaps" and TERT for "territory" can each be written with only one stroke on the machine, thus saving time. Because a stenotypist
can use as many fingers as are necessary at one time, he seems to an observer to be able to keep pace with the person speaking and even, at times, to be waiting for him to finish.
As with anything else that humans do, errors are certain to occur. To correct them the stenograph operator uses the asterisk key (*) in the middle of the keyboard. After this, the correct letters are pressed. The transcriber knows when he sees the asterisk that the word immediately preceding the asterisk is incorrect but the one following is the correct word. To indicate a new paragraph, this key is pressed twice in succession.
On the average, each stroke represents a word. A word of two or more syllables that is not abbreviated is written as a succession of sounds, and that requires more than one stroke on the machine. For example, the word "hotel" is written with two strokes. The syllable HO goes on one line and the syllable TEL on the next line. The same is true when an unimportant or unaccented vowel occurs in the middle of a word or in the last syllable.
For example, the word "article" would be written in only two strokes, first the syllable ART and then KL. Each stroke is on a separate line.
Numbers and Punctuation
Numbers are written by pressing the numeral bar that runs across the upper part of the machine, while pressing certain keys. To write numerals 1 to 4 and 6 to 9, the numeral bar is struck in conjunction with the keys in the top row. The bar raises the keys and enables them to strike numbers instead of letters.
Because the numbers always appear in the same position on the tape, certain numbers have to be written with more than one stroke to avoid the wrong figure. For example, the number 23 requires only one stroke, pressing the two keys together. However, if the figure were 32, the 3 would have to be pressed first and then the 2, which throws the two numbers on separate lines. Since the lines are read from the top to bottom, the first line would have the 3 and the second the 2, giving the figure 32. The number 16 can be written with one stroke, putting both digits on the same line, but the number 61 requires two separate strokes, and hence separate lines.
same amount of time to press three keys at the same time as it does to press one. When reading the tape, these combinations of letters are easily distinguished from single letters, helping the eye to pick
For punctuation marks combinations of letters are used. The period is written by pressing all four fingers of the right hand on the four upper keys FPLT. The comma is formed by using the same fingers but by pressing the bottom four keys RBGS. Similar combinations are used for other punctuation marks. Although a number of letters are involved in these marks, it should be remembered that it takes the
out the punctuation marks when transcribing the material. Note the illustration of the sentence, "He said, we hope to see you at the hotel." See how the letters RBGS and FPLT, that indicate the punctuation marks, stand out from the other letters. Notice also the two-syllable word "hotel" and how it is split between two lines because two strokes were required to write it.
Once the combination of letters is memorized and the theory learned, speed becomes a vital factor toward success in operating a stenograph. It takes practice and more practice to become a good operator. Only after many hours of practice does a student begin to develop the skill he needs to write rapidly with this machine.
As the folded tape comes out of the stenograph it represents a permanent record that can be stored away and read decades later. An important feature of this system of shorthand is the fact that one stenotypist can read and transcribe the notes of another, which is rarely possible in other methods. The stenograph has proved itself invaluable for long and tedious dictation in courtrooms, conventions, congressional proceedings, and so on. It is not as tiring as other methods of shorthand.
The rising growth rate of industry has created a large demand for accurate reporters, and since a certified stenotypist is regarded as a "dictation specialist," this is a field with employment opportunities.
The Mighty Paraná on the Rampage
By "Awake1" correspondent in Argentina
WHILE in other parts of the world drought has been producing acute water shortages, a large section of South America was suffering from too much water during the past several months. The entire Paraná River region, all the way from Argentina's northern province of Misiones to Buenos Aires in the south, was widely inundated by the surging, rain-swollen waters of this second-longest river of the southern continent. The result has been a major disaster, the cost of which in lives and damage can only now begin to be computed.
When in mid-January the heavy rains came in the north, they were accepted at first as the usual harbingers of Argentina's hot, humid summer season. Little did the people realize that those rains would bring about conditions of national emergency. The downpour was evidently heavier, more widespread, and of longer duration than anything experienced during the previous sixty years. The land could take only so much water, and then the surplus began to drain off rapidly. Yet still it rained.
To comprehend the devastation that was to follow, we should understand that the Paraná River traverses a course of three thousand miles, as it waters huge areas of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. The continuous runoff began to affect the river level at the point where Brazil's Iguazú River pours its tributary waters into the Paraná. Some 350 miles farther down, the Paraguay River also dumps its tremendous volume into the main stream.
abandoning their homes and thousands more were threatened. A few days later the northern province of Misiones was declared a disaster area, and this status was then extended to the neighboring province of Corrientes. By this time the Paraná had risen to a record level of fifteen feet above normal. The overflowing waters, like grasping fingers, were reaching out into the low-lying areas bordering the river.
Soon the river level was climbing swiftly. By the 18th of January hundreds were
Hazards of the Raging Torrent
Within a few days 90,000 persons were rendered homeless, and to add to the hardships and worries, the waters were hindering, and in places completely cutting off, communications, mail and transport services. Highways were menaced by the encroaching river; sections were washed out entirely, while others were submerged for long stretches. Anxiety about friends and relatives could not be allayed. Thousands of families were reduced to living in make-shift shelters.
The swirling waters brought other hazards too. Giant "camelotes," floating islands formed of tangled vegetation, swept down the river in such masses that they blocked the swollen river in places and caused its waters to spread into wide areas that might otherwise have escaped the devastation. At times these "camelotes" were large and buoyant enough to carry the weight of animals. In fact, it was reported that pumas had been carried downriver on them. Demolition crews now had to be called in as these floating masses piled up at bridges, obstructed navigation and threatened to block the intake channels of powerhouses and lines taking drinking water to the downriver cities.
Snakes and huge spiders from the tropical jungles also came down the river on those islands. One snake, thirty feet long and with a head as large as a good-sized dog's, was shot by police. In the province of Formosa an unprecedented invasion of reptiles was experienced. Increasing numbers of snakebites were being reported. Snakebite serum, as many as 115,240 doses, was rushed in by the Public Health Department. One newspaper published a plea for cooperation in rounding up and shipping snakes to an institution in Buenos Aires where their venom could be "milked" and used in the preparation of additional supplies of the serum.
Outbreaks of malaria, diphtheria and typhoid were feared. The putrefying carcasses of drowned cattle and other animals introduced worry about possible epidemics. The Health Department hurriedly distributed, in addition to snakebite serum, 29,900,000 units of antitetanus serum and 397,070 units of serum to combat malaria. In the province of Misiones yellow fever broke out, but though there were thirteen fatalities from this disease by March 9, the authorities managed to keep the situation well in hand.
Week after week the swelling waters of the Paraná continued to reach ever farther beyond its banks, making fresh inroads into areas of agriculture and population. Fears also now arose for the safety of the area around Buenos Aires where the river empties into the Rio de la Plata. If the onrushing floodwaters reached seawater at a time when the southeast wind was blowing strong from the ocean, then a considerable portion of the city's river districts might well be enveloped in the muddy waters. To some extent this fear was justified by the event, for six or seven thousand persons were forced to abandon their homes in that area. The delta islands were obliterated by the rising water level.
Relief with Problems
Relief measures were mobilized on a large scale. Food, clothing and cash contributions poured in from far and near. The army lent a hand, too, in rescue operations and in the delivery of relief supplies. In fact, the presence of the troops proved to be a necessary protection, for unprincipled persons had begun to loot. Large areas had to be declared a military zone in order to cope with an outbreak of organized and individual thievery.
There were others besides robbers who were ready to take advantage of the confused conditions resulting from the flood. Smuggling of contraband material from Paraguay is ordinarily controlled quite effectively by patrols that cover the normal river and highway approaches to Argentina. Now, due to the widening of the river artery it became virtually impossible for the customs officials to maintain full control. Smugglers doubtless conducted an intensified campaign.
The influx of relief supplies for flood victims appears to have brought to some unscrupulous officials a temptation they found hard to resist. Certain it is that fears were expressed by some citizens that urgently needed supplies were being stored for release at some future date—a date, they charged, that would fall around time for reelection, when votes might readily be purchased by means of gifts that cost the politician nothing.
Generous gifts from other lands were gladly welcomed. From abroad came large donations, especially of medical supplies, and considerable help was also given in the matter of providing means for the evacuation of endangered flood victims.
Witnesses Extend Help
There were refreshing incidents, too, that offered proof of the genuine concern of Christian ministers over the plight of the flood refugees.
At Resistencia in the province of Chaco, where the Paraná began its real rampage, and at nearby Barranqueras, a large number of people had suffered temporary loss of home. Across the river on the higher elevation around the city of Corrientes, Jehovah's witnesses broadcast their readiness to shelter and aid their homeless Christian brothers.
The branch supervisor for Jehovah's witnesses in Argentina made a special
flower and corn. In the province of Chaco damages were estimated at about $16,000,-000. Fifty percent of the cotton crop of this province, as well as 60 percent of the sunflower crop, was ruined. Loss of cattle by drowning was prodigious—185,000 head. And 60 percent of the province's paved roads would now require costly repair or replacement.
Though reports thus far on loss of life have not been issued officially, it is known
trip to the disaster zone to ascertain how best the Witnesses affected by the flood might be assisted. It was truly inspiring to find that, even where Kingdom Halls had been rendered unusable; the Witnesses had not left off meeting together regularly. Smaller meetings in private homes substituted for the larger gatherings and the vital spiritual welfare of the congregations was maintained. A number of Witnesses had lost all their possessions, and in several cases their homes had been unable to withstand the ravages of the flood.
that great numbers, including children and aged persons, were found dead when the waters receded. Many had delayed flight until too late, finding it hard to believe that such an unheard-of disaster could overtake them. In one case observers noted from some distance a woman, two children and a dog marooned on the roof of a submerged dwelling. On closer approach it was discovered they were all dead. What they had succumbed to, whether starvation or fright, could not be determined.
Argentina now has, in this huge devas-
Thirty congregations in the Greater Buenos Aires area were informed of the plight of their brothers. Within a short time six tons of food and clothing were on their way. As quickly as blocked and washed-out highways could be restored, private transport arrangements sped relief to the needy. Even the expense of transportation was defrayed by generous cash contributions for that purpose.
And Now What?
A general survey of the flood zone was
tated region, a gigantic job of rehabilitation on its hands. It is said that it will take at least three years before things can get back to normal. Meantime, amid the trying conditions of the flood's recession, Jehovah's witnesses continue to bear to the people a message of comfort and hope. They have good news for the people—news to the effect that in the New Order beyond Armageddon no such disaster will bring want and sorrow upon the inhabitants. Under the jurisdiction of a heavenly government, the elements of wind and wa-
taken toward the close of March, and some tragic statistics were disclosed. In the province of Formosa over four million acres were under water, including some 94,000 acres bearing crops of cotton, sun-
water will be controlled so that neither hurt nor ruin will come upon the obedient earthly subjects of Christ, the invisible King.—Isa. 11:9.
ANTiBiOTiCS
By "Awake!" correspondent in Australia
PICTURE in your mind a garden in which each plant has its own chemical-producing system that keeps the soil in its vicinity permeated with weed killer. Would it not seem advantageous to cultivate such plants for the purpose of extracting the weed-killing chemical to use against weeds elsewhere?
These thoughts ran through the minds of some men more than twenty-five years ago. Although they were not gardeners, these men had a most unusual "garden." They were growing molds similar to that which grows on stale bread. In small containers they had specially prepared "soil." The "weeds" with which they were working were minute plantlike organisms, bacteria that cause such diseases as diphtheria and pneumonia.
In their work they made a starling discovery. They found that the molds had a built-in defense system that released a chemical fatal to the bacteria responsible for the diseases just named. Later, this chemical was isolated and presented to the medical world as "Penicillin." Thus, about 1941, began the age of antibiotics, chemical warfare against mankind's most diminutive foes.
The selective destructive action of penicillin against some of the most dangerous disease-causing organisms and its relative harmlessness to most patients are of particular importance. Countless human lives that otherwise would have been ended by the ravages of disease bacteria have been prolonged. However, it was later recognized that there are dangers connected with the use of penicillin and other antibiotics. This has compelled hospitals and health authorities to engage trained bacteriologists to supervise their use.
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