Awake!, May 22, 1968
Download: PDF — Awake!, May 22, 1968
Unforgettable Moments of Pleasure
Lovers of Pleasures Rather than Lovers of God
Lubricants-Man's Efficient Servants
You Can Teach Your Children to Read
MAY 22.1968
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 interests. "Awaken!" no has letters. It recognizes the importance of the truth. "Awaken!" it is unimpeded 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 "Awakel" is not narrow, but is international. "Awakel" 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 "Awakel" 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. "Awakel" provides wholesome, instructive reading for every member of the family.
"Awkew!" pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subdue 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!"
4 = C = N | = N | = N | = N | = N
PUBLISHED SIMULTANEOUSLY IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE
WATCHTOWER HIBBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY OF NEW YORK, INC.
112 Mainstreet Brooklyn, N.Y. 11220. U.S.A.
London N.W. 7. England
GRANT SUITER, Secretary
Average printing each issue: 5,000,000
5d a copy (Australia, Se: South Africa, 31pc)
A 1999 (Newcastle, S.C.) Job Offer
Job Offer
Job Title: Information Officer
Location: Newcastle, S.C.
Salary: $14,000 per month
Applications: EOE
Institution: Newcastle College of Technology
Now published in 26 languages
Sasimalimity - Attrikkan, Ibunda, Ibunda, Ibunda, Ibunda, Kandilah,
Kandilah, Petitah, Gambar, Gambar, Gachi, Gachi, Kandilah, Japanese,
Karren, Narsanglan, Dengguran, Snamik, Snamik, Tagalah,
Kali.
Monthly Chinew, Ginseng, Haligazone, Malayalam, Poker,
Tamil, Parainik.
CHANGES OF ADDRESS should reach as timely as before before your email close. Also your old and new addresses all possible. your email address (email). Write Watch Tower. Watch Tower Home. The Higginsy. London N.W. 7. England.
Known as crest-closing master at Bromley. A.K.
Printed in England
The Bible translation regularly paid in "Awake" is the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1961 edition.
When other translations are used, this is clearly marked.
CONTENTS
Unforgettable Moments of Pleasure 3
Lovers of Pleasures Rather than
Lovers of God—a Warning Sign 6
Lubricants—Man's Efficient Servants 11
Mail in the United States 15
India's Varied Burial Rites 16
Most Populous Creature 19
You Can Teach Your Children to Read 20
Kingdom Ministry School
Overlaps with Benefits 23
"Your Word Is Truth"
Is the Book of Jonah Historical? 27
Watching the World 29
Volume XLIX
Unforgettable Moments of PLEASURE
PLEASURE is a state of inner enjoyment. It is exaltation of spirit, gladness or delight. Awe and a sense of wonderment
are often a part of memorable pleasure.
Not all people find pleasure in the same way or to the same extent. A humanitarian finds pleasure in the service of his fellowman. An observant person with an eye for beauty finds pleasure in the marvelous colors, designs and variety in creation. A Christian finds pleasure in the worship of God. To some, the pleasure from these things is deep and satisfying; with others, the enjoyment is soon forgotten. But learning to see things in relation to God and cultivating genuine interest in one's fellowman give a person insight and help him to make his moments of pleasure ones that are truly unforgettable.
Amid a Busy World
The whole subject of pleasure has become somewhat complicated by such things as the radio and television, the phonograph and the movies, which cause people to be the audience and rarely the participants. There was a time, and not too many years ago, when people found
their own amusements in the home. People sang together, danced and played musical instruments by their fireside
and indulged themselves in the pleasure of accomplishment. Or they practiced some craft that took their thoughts from the daily routine as well as giving them the pleasure of achievement. Most of those pleasures are still with us, but among many people in these hurried days they have not been thought of for so long that their appeal has almost been forgotten.
We today are often vaguely aware that uncorrupted pleasure awaits us somewhere, if we will only open our hearts to make room for it. But do we? One autumn a young couple planted some flower bulbs, but when spring came the husband was so busy at his place of business that he had no time to notice that the bulbs had sprouted and beautiful flowers were in bloom. Then one day he passed a beggar who had a sign that read: "It is spring and I am blind."
"Early the next morning," his wife said, "my husband arose and walked into the garden where the flowers were blooming profusely. He picked a crocus and looked into its small purple chalice.
As he drank in its beauty he resolved that business, that thief, would never deprive him of such unforgettable moments of pleasure again". It took a blind man to remind him of the pleasure of spring.
A family, during the electric power failure of November 9, 1965, in the northeastern part of the United States, discovered the pleasure of living in a more relaxed way. They found candles and lighted them. They made a fire and cooked hot dogs on a stick. There was no distraction, no radio, no television. The children read by candlelight. After they went to bed, the parents lingered by the fire, reluctant to give up this unexpectedly lovely evening. "Do you suppose it could be like this more often?" asked the father
wishfully. It was a moment of unforgettable pleasure.
Pleasure in Simple Things
Much that brings pleasure is found in little things. Babies as a rule laugh at the iridescent bubbles bursting in their bath. Children get excited at the sight of butterflies. They find exhilaration in learning to read, to whistle, to ride a bicycle and to swim. And there is pleasure in looking back on the days when you did those things and feeling the thrill over again.
An old man revisited a swimming hole of his boyhood days. Moved by the memory of days long past, he took off his clothes and plunged in. The joy that he had when a boy returned to him. He felt young again and shouted for joy.
Many adults breathe deeply and express delight at the subtle scent of bumblebee or the fragrance of newly mown hay. Generally people brighten up at the song of a bird or they may delight in stroking a kitten. These are experiences that are pleasurable, and they are simple things.
There is a tendency to forget that pleasurable beauty surrounds us.
Unless effort is made to enjoy it, one will soon allow petty distraction to blur the vision. Just as a family quarrel can spoil a beautiful day, so long hours of television watching that features broken families, crime and violence can disrupt one's inner peace.
A middle-aged couple threatened with failure of their marriage thought that a vacation together away from the rush of modern city life would do them good. They rented a cabin miles away from any signs of civilization. As the owner advertised: "This place is miles from nowhere. No main road for miles around. You will sleep like a log. No traffic noises. As for convenience, you've got a broom." The couple sat on the cabin porch in the evening, under sweet-blooming roses, and talked. "We hadn't talked like this in years," the wife said. By day they picked berries, sat in patches of sun, or held buttercups under each other's chin. When time came for them to leave, they did not want to go. They had found happiness in being together. This vacation became an unforgettable moment in the life of this couple, and it was the simplicity of it that made it beautiful.
Pleasure in Doing for Others
The most delicate and sensible of all pleasures are to be found in promoting the pleasure of others. Jesus Christ is quoted as having said: "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." (Acts 20:35) A young mother was reminded of this when she walked through a supermarket. The smell of newly baked bread brought back treasured memories and fired her imagination. She knew that almost every conceivable kind of bread could be bought at the market or at a nearby bakery, and for less than she could make it. Yet, an unforgettable memory moved her to bake her own bread
that day for the pleasure that it would bring to her family. Vividly she recalled the days when she was a child and her mother baked bread. The smell of freshly baked bread and the joy of eating it with homemade butter were pleasures never to be forgotten. The sight and sound of her own family enjoying that pleasure enabled her to relive her own happy experience, but somehow the pleasure was even finer this time because she was the one who was giving.
Robert Kahn in his book Lessons for Life asks: "When life is spent and all added up, what are the memories that warm our hearts? The happy laughter of a child as we swung him high; the joys of an after-dinner hour when we put aside the dishwashing for a bit and just sat and talked." Simple things, but they bring pleasure because we are taking an interest in others.
Misconceptions of Pleasure
Especially children of today's affluent Western world who enjoy an abundance of almost everything think of pleasure in elaborate terms, such as the expensive dinner, the trip abroad, the big automobile. They imagine pleasure to be a thing that can be bought with money if the price is right. While youth pushes ahead in hot pursuit of "canned" pleasure, the genuine article escapes his notice. Pleasure to him is a bird if you can catch it. On the other hand, pleasure can be a bird free in its natural setting, reflecting its brilliant colors and song. One's appreciation and standard of values determine whether one will find pleasure, and in what.
The English author Rudyard Kipling once wrote: "Teach us to delight in simple things." And in this fast-paced world, one might add: "And help us to simplify our lives to make room for them." Both youths and adults deceive themselves with countless pursuits that should bring pleasure but do not.
The new home, the new furniture, the brand-new automobile, the fur coat, the diamond ring, the things that should be done and seen. They say: "I'm going to be happy if it kills me." They think they can force pleasure upon themselves, for they have come to believe
that pleasure is a product that can be purchased, packaged and delivered.
But genuine pleasure cannot be forced. It comes without much effort if we have the right outlook on life. It is ours if we draw close to God. And the pleasures that we find will be most unforgettable if we seek them, not only for ourselves, but to share them with others.
THERE is nothing wrong with pleasure, when chosen wisely and enjoyed in moderation. Neither the feeling of pleasure nor the impulse to seize it is necessarily sinful, for the moderate desire for pleasure and its fulfillment can and do add to one's happiness. However, just as a man who takes pleasure in nothing is morbid, unhealthy, so too the one who desires and seeks only pleasure is unbalanced, mentally sick.
Someone has to decide which pleasures are good and which bad, as well as the extent to which one can safely seek and indulge in pleasure-giving activities. And what better One could there be than mankind's Creator? To the Christian, then, God's will determines which pleasures may be rightly enjoyed and to what extent.
The written Word of God guides him in such sensitive areas of his day-to-day life.
The Bible reveals that the highest and
most satisfying pleasure man can enjoy is communion with his Creator. (Ps. 111:2; 112:1; John 17:21) To some this may sound strange, but, nevertheless, it is true. This unique pleasure, however, does not exclude other legitimate pleasures. In fact, other pleasures are greatly enhanced thereby. The pleasures of investigating true science, beauty in art, yes, and even the moderate bodily pleasures of eating and drinking, are all proper and consistent with Christian living when governed by a sense of closeness to the true God, Jehovah.—Col. 3:23.
Extreme asceticism, that is, a severe mistreatment of the body, a deliberate denying to oneself the normal comforts and blessings of life, is not in keeping with Christian principles. Self-imposed isolation and extreme self-denials practiced by some religious devotees do not reflect the genuine, loving, sharing spirit of Christ and his followers.—Col. 2:16-23; 1 Tim. 4:3-5.
Pleasures that are out of harmony with the Bible's principles degrade. They enslave the personality and overpower the will of the person indulging in them, and lead to frustrations and many hurtful experiences. To guard against this form of slavery the Scriptures recommend keeping the fleshy body in strict subjection in relation to lawless pleasures.—1 Cor. 9:27; Phil. 4:11-13.
Foretelling this very era in which we live, the Bible warned that men would be "lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of godly devotion but proving false to its power." (2 Ttm. 3:1-5) Referring to the conditions that fulfill that prophecy in our time, historian Arnold Toynbee points to this stress on "pleasure-loving" as 'a red light of warning for the Western way of life.' "The last days" of this system of things are truly upon us.
Lessons of the Past
Past history should teach us many things. However, present conditions offer ample proof that mankind in general has learned little from the past. Reminding us that what happened to God's ancient people, the Israelites, was recorded as a warning for us, the apostle Paul wrote: "Now these things became our examples, for us not to be persons desiring injurious things, even as they desired them. Neither
become idolaters, as some of them did; just as it is written: "The people sat down to eat and drink, and they got up to have a good time.' Neither let us practice fornication, as some of them committed fornication, only to fall, twenty-three thousand of them in one day. Neither let us put Jehovah to the test, as some of them put him to the test, only to perish by the serpents." (1 Cor. 10:6-9) Finally, that nation was given up to destruction by her enemies because of putting lustful pleasures ahead of right worship of its God.
Imperial Rome should also be a lesson to us. Built up into a huge pleasure-seeking empire, it promoted every kind of lewd, disgraceful and unnatural pleasure. Its gladiatorial combats degenerated into wild massacres. Its huge arena, seating some 385,000, was at times lit up by human torches. Girls were thrown to wild animals or dragged around naked by maddened bulls. Fans threw themselves on the funeral pyres of favorite charioteers. The populace cried for bigger and bloodier shows. The empire fell apart. Could anything less have been expected in view of the lessons of history and the warnings of God's Word?
Distressing Modern Trends
If history has failed as a teacher, it has failed especially in this one area, to instruct men that immoral pleasures, war, crime and violence do not pay. Much of the behavior in this modern world would lead one to conclude that lustful pleasures and selfish, narrow aims are the pursuits of the majority. Daniel P. Mannix, author of Those About to Die, shows that the very practices that led to Rome's downfall are the leading pleasures of today. 'Any modern sports promoter,' he says, 'who cared to put on a series of shows duplicating the Roman games would easily be
The ancient Romans eagerly pursued pary and violent pleasures, but so do modern-day masses who sit in front of their TV sets
able to fill the house. Ancient sports in one form or another are all popular.' The modern television arena seats not merely 385, 000, but millions of people of all ages, and the performances of crime, immorality, violence, destruction and death are flashed
right into the Living room twenty-four hours a day, every day of the year. Old Rome's pleasure spree fades into insignificance.
In her hour of shameless corruption Rome had no reverence for religion, even her own multiplicity of gods. What pleasure secker today holds true religion in high esteem? The goddess of, this world has left it confused, in a fumbling search for direction and a new moral standard. This loss of a sense of values, this confusion, has come about, according to columnist Walter Lippmann, because man 'has lost faith in the traditional concept of God. Lacking any star to guide him, he goes off first in one direction and then in another, like a ship drifting at sea without rudder or compass.'
Without faith in God there is no way to understand the real purpose in life. As in Rome's day the tendency today is to become preoccupied with self. Headier stimulations and excitements are sought. Simple pleasures no longer satisfy. Men turn to drugs, ever more potent, but even these do not satisfy. Frustrations, depressions, berserk tendencies and suicides follow along in the dismal process.
Warped
Attitudes
The pleasure pursuit has brought about a change in attitudes tellingly revealed in current vocabulary. The apostle Paul described the attitude of some in his day as: "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we are to die."
(I Cor. 15:32) This was the view in Corinth, celebrated as "the most beautiful and most depraved city of antiquity." Today, too, we hear such expressions in common use, by youth particularly, as "live for today," "grab your happiness," "the hereafter may be nothing at all."
This same irresponsibility is reflected in the lyrics of the New York World's Fair theme song: "Walk away from every care. This is your fun time. You are entitled to it." How can anyone get away from every care? Yet that is what multitudes are now striving to do. They have convinced themselves that the world owes them a living, and that to earn their way by hard work is outdated. This is their "fun time," and if their dreams of plenty fail to materialize, then there are protests and demonstrations. They see nothing strange about demanding the maximum benefit for the minimum of effort.
Preoccupation with Play
The desire to be entertained is an outstanding feature of the pleasure pursuit. Money spent on spectator sports events has climbed to a peak of 1,500,000,000 and on participant sports to8,500,000-
The total expenditure in 1960 for sporting equipment alone exceeded $2,-000,000,000, and the figure is now far beyond that. Is there any doubt about where the heart of this generation is? As Jesus Christ so accurately appraised matters: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."—Matt. 6:21.
A West German industrial research institute recently found that the nation's fourteen- to twenty-four-year-olds spend some $5,000,000,000 annually, more than a third of that amount on luxury goods. Thrift is an old-fashioned joke among many young Rhinelanders. Buying beauty, style and speed is not considered extravagance. Dressed in chic clothes and carrying transistor radios, they promenade in couples or groups, and ride light motorcycles, which seem to satisfy their love of noise.
In France, youths generally want more money for clothes, apartments, luxuries, cars—all the things that represent "le standing." The story is much the same among the 100,000,000 youths, between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five, from Madrid to Moscow.
Sexual Degradation
Great appeal is made today to the sex instinct, much of it sheer pornography. When Sweden's Justice Minister Herman Kling was asked whether he thought pornography should be kept out of the hands of the young, he replied: "With the freedom existing between boys and girls in Sweden, they have no need for pornography. They look upon sex as a natural thing." Many popular magazines are uninhibitedly devoted to the so-called joys of love and sex. The more popular movies are the ones wherein nudity and immoral conduct appear repeatedly. The popularity of this type of entertainment reveals the general appetite for illicit pleasure.
Is there any defense for the modern swing to immorality? The Bible says, No. In fact, the Bible's divine Author refuses his guidance and protection to a generation that refuses to acknowledge him as God. Wrote the apostle Paul: "That is why God gave them up to disgraceful sexual appetites, for both their females changed the natural use of themselves into one contrary to nature; and likewise even the males left the natural use of the female and became violently inflamed in their lust toward one another, males with males, working what is obscene and receiving in themselves the full recompense, which was due for their error. And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting, filled as they were with all unrighteousness, wickedness, covetousness, injuriousness, being full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malicious disposition, being whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, insolent, haughty, self-assuming, inventors of injurious things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, false to agreements, having no natural affection, merciless." (Rom. 1:26-31) All these detestable practices are prevalent today because people have forsaken God.
The Meaning of Pleasure-seeking
Even those studying trends among modern youths have had to agree with the apostle's conclusion. They say that youth is reacting to the sustained assault on beliefs that have kept people relatively sane for centuries. These beliefs have to do with the existence of God and his purpose for man and the earth. Men like Darwin, Freud and others attacked those beliefs through their theory of evolution. The clergy came around to accepting that theory and went a step farther—pro claimed that "God is deed."
The result? Vast numbers of today's youth are faithless and adrift without direction.
Since evolutionists and their clergy supporters have rejected the Bible, the present generation is left in doubt about what is really moral and what immoral. The traditional churches have lost the respect of youth. Young people have lost patience in the long wait for the political and religious institutions to do something about bringing in a more just system of things among men. Their faith in God's ability is dead. They want their pleasures now! their blessings now! their kingdom now! And, what is worse, they threaten violence to achieve their wants.
As the sacer elements among men brace themselves to meet this era of increasing lawlessness, immorality and violence, what can they do to ensure the safety of themselves and their loved ones? Is there some strong anchor of hope to which they can hold? There surely is. What is it? It is the expectation to which the Bible's promises can lead them, the expectation that, though this whole system of things among men is nearing its end, there is hope for those who "turn away" from the pleasure-mad multitude and demonstrate themselves to be lovers of God rather than lovers of illegitimate pleasures.
The apostle Paul, while foretelling today's wild and immorald quest for filthy and immoral pleasures, warned those who at this time find themselves out of harmony with such godlessness to turn away from the evildoers. But that 'turning away' calls for a return to the same, accurate thinking that is based on God's written Word, for the apostle goes on to admonish: "Continue in the things that you learned and were persuaded to believe. . . All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." (2 Tim. 3:1-5, 14-17) The Bible's accurate message can fortify against the disastrous course of those who are "lovers of pleasures rather than jovens of God."
Further, those who grasp the urgency and seriousness of the world situation today will recognize that the present intensified pursuit of pleasure is one of the sure signs that we are living in the foretold "critical times hard to deal with," that we have indeed reached "the last days" of this wicked system of things. It is just as vital to your life to identify yourself with those who give proof of their love for God as it was for those people in Noah's day to identify themselves with God's chosen ark builder.
Make no mistake! Jesus Christ spoke with full authority from his heavenly Father when he declared that in the "last days" it would be again "as it occurred in the days of Noah." (Luke 17:26) Lovers of God and of legitimate pleasures in moderation will receive divine protection and preservation. Lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God will be engulfed in the greatest trouble of all time. They will be swept into oblivion because of refusing to take note of the multiplying signs of oncoming disaster. Turn away, then, from the blinded devotees of pleasure. Turn positively to God's Word with the same confidence that was so well expressed by the psalmist: "You will cause me to know the path of life. Rejoicing to satisfaction is with your face [or presence]; there is pleasantness at your right hand [of favor] forever."—Ps. 16:11; Acts 2:28.
HAVE you ever thought of how much you depend upon the efficient services of lubricants? Without them your automobile would not run, the big generators supplying your home with electricity would grind to a halt, trains and airplanes would not move, and, in fact, every moving mechanical device would cease to function. What a problem this mechanical age would have if it suddenly were deprived of all lubricants!
Lubricants are not limited in form and therefore can serve you in many ways. There are liquid lubricants, gaseous lubricants, solid lubricants and semisolid lubricants. In their various forms they keep man and his machines moving by reducing friction.
Friction is the resistance to motion experienced by two bodies in contact with each other. It accounts for the difficulty you have in pulling a heavy log across the ground or pushing a carton of books across a floor. Friction is what makes your hands warm when you rub them together and it makes the steel wheels of a locomotive grip the rails of a railroad track. In fact, you depend upon friction just to walk from one place to another, for it prevents your feet from slipping.
What it is that causes friction can be understood when a smooth metal surface is examined under very powerful magnification. Irregular hills and valleys of varying heights and depths are seen. The
highest peaks are called surface asperities. When another piece of smooth metal is slid over this surface, its peaks strike the others, which resist the motion, and since only the highest ones in the two pieces touch, the pressure and temperature become high at those tiny spots. This causes microscopic welds that break away as the metal pieces are moved back and forth. Such constant welding and breaking causes severe wear of the surfaces, a noticeable result of friction. To lessen it, something must be used to separate the two surfaces, and that is the valuable service performed by lubricants.
Protective Lubrication
A lubricant can put an almost frictionless film between two moving metal surfaces. It separates the microscopic peaks in them so they do not strike one another. As a result the pieces can be moved with far less energy and cause less heat and wear. That is why a good supply of oil is vital for the smooth operation of your automobile.
What little friction there is when a lubricant separates moving surfaces is due mainly to the shearing stress placed upon the lubricant itself as the portions clinging to the surfaces are moved at different speeds or in opposite directions.
But even under the best conditions there is some occasional metal-to-metal contact that causes microscopic surface damage. These two sources of friction generate very little heat. Substantial heat, however, can result from the stresses placed upon the metal itself. Much of such heat is carried away by the lubricant. Thus the oil in an automobile engine, for example, not only reduces friction but also acts as a cooling agent.
The crankshaft of your automobile is held in place by several bearings. A small space is permitted between a journal on the crankshaft and a bearing so that the shaft will turn freely. When the engine is not operating, the weight of the shaft may squeeze much of the oil out of the bearing, and so the metal of the journal and that of the bearing come in contact at the point where the shaft rests. Such bearings frequently lack sufficient oil when starting from rest, with slight wear being caused for a few seconds until an oil film of sufficient thickness is formed. As each journal floats clear the crankshaft can rotate with very little friction.
Because a rotating journal can act like a pump as it draws oil in one side and sends it out the other there must be a continuous supply of fresh oil for your automobile engine. You should therefore keep the supply of oil at the recommended level. Maintaining any moving part of a machine with sufficient oil or other lubricant is the first principle of lubrication.
What You Should Know About Viscosity
Whether you will use in your car an oil that is heavy and flows slowly or one that flows more freely at the same temperature is a decision that can directly affect the manner in which it operates. The resistance of an oil to flow is called viscosity.
The viscosity of an oil has a direct relationship to its ability to support loads. If its viscosity is very low at the operating temperature of a bearing it may be too thin for maintaining a lubricant film thick enough for preventing friction and wear. A heavy load on a bearing requires an oil with a high viscosity so as to support the heavy journal and to prevent metal-to-metal contact. A light oil would be squeezed out.
Although an engine may start easier in cold temperatures with an oil of low viscosity, the oil may become too thin when the engine is heated up and the car is running at highway speeds. Heat lowers oil viscosity, and with a light lubricating oil it causes viscosity to drop rapidly. Engine parts could, therefore, become overheated from friction, with the possibility of seizure, their being unable to make any further movement.
Automobile owners have a choice of oils that are designed for use in the cold temperatures of winter. These make starting easier because they have been adjusted to flow freely at zero degrees Fahrenheit. During the hot months of summer, engines require a different oil, one that is designed to have a suitable viscosity at 210 degrees Fahrenheit. A winter oil would become too thin at that temperature.
To help motorists select the oil they need for different driving conditions oil companies classify motor oils according to their viscosity at zero degrees and 210 degrees Fahrenheit. Those for winter use are classified with the numbers SAE 5W, 10W, or 20W. Those with heavier viscosity for summer use are classified as SAE 20, 30, 40 and 50. The initials stand for Society of Automotive Engineers, who issued this number classification. Oils with a wider temperature range than these and which permit use the year around are known as multigrade oils.
A multigrade oil that is designed to flow freely at zero degrees Fahrenheit and is able to maintain a satisfactory film strength at 120 degrees Fahrenheit is designated with two viscosity numbers, such as SAE 10W-30, to indicate its viscosity at zero degrees and at 120 degrees. Its viscosity has been strengthened with synthetic materials known as polymers. They minimize the extent to which the oil thins out at higher temperatures. While it is possible to use multigrade oils the year around in some localities, a few of them tend to deteriorate after a relatively short period of engine use.
The type of service for which an oil is suitable is indicated by the letters ML, MM and MS, the "M" standing for automobile engines and the other letters for light, medium and severe service. Diesel engines are meant when the first letter is "D." Low compression engines that have no special lubrication requirements and that are given light service can use a motor oil that is classified as ML. Those engines receiving medium service, which means they are operated under moderate to severe conditions, can use MM oil. This oil contains oxidation and corrosion inhibitors. The oils classified as MS are for severe service such as short runs in cold weather and constant city driving that involves trips of five miles or less each time the engine is started. They contain detergent additives as well as chemicals for inhibiting oxidation of the oil and corrosion of metal parts.
Corrosive acids resulting from oxidation of the oil and from combustion as well as other oxidation products such as sludge and varnishlike deposits can become a serious problem when an automobile is operated for only short distances in cold weather. Long drives at highway speeds can be regarded as light service because they make it possible for an engine
to function at its best and to keep itself clean.
Variety of Lubricants
There are many types of liquid lubricants used on the many machines man has designed. The most widely used ones are the mineral oils that are obtained by distilling petroleum. There are also various vegetable and animal oils, some of which have been used as lubricants for thousands of years. Ancient charlots appear to have used mutton or beef tallow on their axles. Early steam engines in industrial plants used lard oil or castor oil on their bearings, and large open bearings were lubricated with beef or mutton tallow.
Today castor oil is used in high-speed engines such as in race cars and jet aircraft because it keeps its viscosity over extreme ranges of temperature. It is also useful in temporarily overcoming the problem of an overheated bearing. A few drops of castor oil often solves it by quickly reestablishing an insulating film of lubrication between the journal and bearing. Rupture of the oil film is often the cause of such overheating.
Blown rapeseed oil and fish oil are frequently used on the bearings of marine engines that are sprayed with water when they are hot. Mineral oil in such bearings could gradually be dispelled by the water. Some of the other animal and vegetable oils that have been used as lubricants are sperm oil, whale oil, neat's-foot oil, olive oil, palm oil and peanut oil. Because fatty oils cling to metals they are often mixed with mineral oils used for supporting heavy loads so as to increase film strength. They help cutting oils, for example, to withstand the great pressures exerted by the edge of a cutting tool on a lathe.
For especially difficult conditions such as in some parts of the gas turbine of a race car or jet plane oils are not satisfactory, but synthetic lubricants are.
These are man-made lubricants that are based upon such chemicals as the sebacate, azelate or adipate diesters. They are able to hold up well under the extremely high temperatures, high speed and heavy loading of these engines. Another chemical used for making synthetic lubricants is silicone. A silicone lubricant can resist oxidation at moderate temperatures and does not attack rubber, plastics or paints.
ron nitride, borax, mica and vermiculite. Molybdenum disulfide is virtually unaffected by high temperatures.
Air is also being used as a lubricant under certain conditions. It serves well where there are light loads, high speeds, high temperatures and special environments. The bearings of gyroscopes used in some inertial navigation systems are lubricated with a cushion of pressurized air. So also are the bearings for dental
Greases
In some parts of a machine it is not possible to maintain a steady supply of oil or to prevent oil from flowing away, such as in the wheel bearings of your car.
Under such circumstances there are various greases that can be used. Most greases are mineral oils that have been thickened with me
drills that run at 400,000 revolutions per minute.
Frequency of Lubrication
How often a moving part in a machine should be lubricated will vary with cir-
NEXT ISSUE!
Medical Experiments and Your Health
custumest and machine design. A watch, for example, needs lubrication with fine instrument oil, such as one containing neats-foot or
tallic soaps. When at rest they act as a solid that seals out dirt and water, but when in contact with moving surfaces they act as a liquid lubricant.
The metallic soaps for greases are made by reacting the hydroxides of calcium, sodium, aluminium, barium and lithium with various fats or fatty acids. These various metals produce greases with physical properties that are suitable for various uses.
There are many mechanisms today, especially in the fields of nuclear power
purpose oil, no otener than once a year. Locks need a silicone or dry graphite lubricant once a year. Sewing machines need regular lubrication, and manufacturers usually supply lubricating instructions as well as the correct oil, one that will not become gummy when left for long periods. A squeaking mechanism is usually a certain indication that a lubricant is needed.
For many years it was customary practice for automobile drivers to change their engine oil every 1,000 miles, but for the
aviation and rocketry, in which greases and oils are unable to serve as lubricants. In their place have appeared a number of solid lubricants that permanently maintain their solid state when between moving surfaces. Graphite and molybdenum disulfide are widely used as friction-reducing coatings. Other solid lubricants are silver sulfate, tungsten disulfide, bo
past few years longer intervals between changes have been recommended by automobile manufacturers, General Motors, for example, recommends that the oil be changed every 6,000 miles or every two months, depending upon which is reached first. This, however, does not apply under severe driving conditions such as when a car averages five miles or less almost every time it is started, especially in cold weather.
A car that is used for this type of driving requires oil changes about every 1,000 miles because of oil contamination from the by-products of combustion.
Expensive super oils contain almost twice as many additives as many other oils and are helpful for cars being used under severe conditions or which have the positive crankcase ventilation system that is designed to fight smog. The strong acids
ommend that both be changed immediately after driving through extremely dusty conditions. Therefore, how often you change your oil and oil filter depends upon your driving conditions.
Some cars require greasing only once a year or every 30,000 miles, but this is to be done with a special grease. If conventional chassis grease is used, greasing is recommended about every 6,000 miles. Parts that may have grease sealed in, such as a steering mechanism, might be removed.
formed in this system require the extra neutralizing power of these oils. Cars without the smog device or that are operated under moderate conditions can usually get along nicely on less expensive oils.
Even if a person has an exceptionally fine oil filter, it may not be advisable to run a car much beyond the recommended mileage or time period because the chemical additives in the oil become depleted. The oil then deteriorates rapidly. Although the oil base stock does not seem to wear out and the filter may succeed in
as a steering mechanism, might be regarded by some persons as never requiring fresh grease, but this is not necessarily so. If the car steers with difficulty, it requires grease regardless of what might be claimed about permanent greasing. Greases cannot indefinitely withstand mechanical shearing by moving parts.
In the many machines man has made there are fine lubricating systems that keep operating smoothly for many years, but these systems compare poorly with those in human and animal bodies.
removing many of the contaminants, the oil will not be able to give the engine the protection it did when the additives were still active. You can buy concentrate additives and put them in the oil, but it is difficult to determine which formulations are needed for the kind of oil stock you have.
Changing the oil filter at regular intervals is just as important as changing the oil, because when it becomes clogged with dirt and other contaminants, it can cause damage to it.
menting on this, the Encyclopaedia Britannica observed: "In nature the framework of animals comprises many joints which are so perfect mechanically and so well lubricated with a liquid lubricant that they operate for an entire lifetime with an effectiveness that has never been approached in man-made mechanisms." Thus the Creator wisely provided for your wonderfully made body to be served by lubricants.
Whether you live in an area where your daily living involves the use of many me
no longer function as it was modified. So important is the keeping of this filter and the oil clean that some persons rec-
chemical devices or you live where few are used, lubricants are needed, and they serve you efficiently.
Mail in the United States
♦ 72,000,000,000 pieces of mail are generated in the United States annually; that is half as much mail as the rest of the entire world combined. How much of that mail do you receive? If you count magazines and advertisements, in addition to personal letters, the total may be more than you thought.
INDIA is a land into which many tribes of men have poured, some by armed invasion, others by peaceful penetration. Each one brought along its own peculiar religious beliefs, variations of the religious system originating in ancient Babylon on the plain of Shinar in Mesopotamia. During the centuries some of those tribes had lived in remote and isolated areas, separated one from another, and had developed their own unique rituals of religion; and in the burial customs still ob
servable in India we can note the vestiges of ancient tribal peculiarities.
By "Awake!" correspondent in India
In actual practice, in India, the word "burial" is but a loose term to describe the disposition of the dead. Often the body is not even put beneath the ground. Elaborate ceremony is common, much of it based upon the belief that the dead are really alive and able to influence the lives of survivors for good or for evil. Fear of the supposed power exercised by "dead men" is a major consideration.
Caste Influence in Hindu Funerals
Even within the preponderant Hindu section of the population strange variations are encountered. The old caste system gave rise to many of these. Consider, for example, the funeral of the Brahmins, the highest of the castes. Their dead are usually cremated atop a pyre, which may be formed by a pit filled with dry wood, or by a pit constructed wholly aboveground. Over the layers of fagots are poured pitch and even butter. The body is bathed, perhaps anointed with butter, dressed in new gurments and laid on the pyre. More pitch and butter are then poured on, and the oldest son, if
present, applies the fire to the parent's face while keeping his glance averted. Others light the pyre at other points, and soon the confinement is well under way.
Among the Nambati Brahmins the oldest son carries an earthen pot of water around the pyre. A priest follows, breaks the pot, transfers the water to another pot, and, after throwing the water on the fire, smashes the second vessel. This is supposed to symbolize that the body has been bathed in the "holy" water of the river Ganges and that Agni, the fire-god, witnessed the act. Mourners bring their own towels and bathe and purify themselves immediately after the ceremony. So, where feasible, the pyre is located close to a river.
The ashes of the dead may be placed in an urn and later scattered in a sacred river. Others bury the pot of ashes, while still others wash in milk such bones as may survive the fire, placing these in a funeral urn for burial. Some tribal groups deny the right of cremation to children under six who have not had their ears pierced. Instead, they are simply buried.
There are other unusual Hindu rites. One forest tribe of Bihar tie a rupee or copper coin to the corpse so that the "soul" does not enter "the next world" penniless.
On the tenth day after death the soul is supposedly recalled. At a meeting of two roads rice is offered to a cock; if it eats the rice, this is taken as a sign that the soul has returned, and it is now asked to sit on a broomstick to be carried to its final resting-place—a corner of the house where it joins the other deceased members of the family.
The Lingayat Bunyas are buried whole, in an upright sitting position, with the phallic symbol of the Hindu god Siva held in the right hand. In another contemplative community, the Sanyasis, the dead are buried only after the skull has been broken in order to be sure that there will be immediate transit to "eternal bliss."
Appeasing Dead "Souls"
Despite the Hindu belief in transmigration of souls, there is the practice of appeasing dead relatives and honoring them by means of food and drink offerings. Among the Kols, for example, vessels of water are provided in which the dead may bathe themselves. The Khonds in Gumsur not only leave meals for the dead at the site of the funeral pyre, but also offer rice and fowl on the twelfth day, beseeching the "soul" not to harm its relatives. The Syrian sect of Christendom in Kerala has adopted a variation of the Hindu practice of feasting with relatives and offering some of the choice morsels to the spirit of the deceased. They have prayers in church for the deceased, followed by a big feast at the home.
The Kol tribe of Chota Nagpur collect the bones of the corpse after cremation and carry them in a bamboo tray in procession to all the favorite haunts of the deceased. In Sambalpur the members of the tribe place a ball of powdered rice under a tree with a lamp nearby. The first
insect to settle on the rice is believed to be the soul of the deceased, and is carried home and honored.
A rather macabre rite is practiced by the Khairwar tribe of Bilaspur district. Children cut a piece of flesh from the finger of a deceased mother and swallow it. Since the mother carried the burden of the child inside her for nine months, the child will now carry part of the mother within him, thus guaranteeing that he will not be haunted by the dead parent.
In certain places in South India the corpse of one who died on an "unlucky day" is not carried out through the door of the house, but through a hole made in the wall. Then such a house is abandoned for from three to six months.
What a great difference it would make for many of those people if they but knew and exercised faith in these authoritative words of the Holy Bible: "The living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all. . . . they have no portion any more to time indefinite in anything that has to be done under the sun"!—Eccl. 9:5, 6.
Islam's Rites for the Dead
The Moslems constitute the second-largest community in India. Though they have lived for so long in close proximity to the Hindus, their rites differ radically. Mohammedans, for example, do not cremate, but bury their dead. Over the remains the survivors will raise memorials, each one according to his means. Some of these, such as the Taj Mahal at Agra, are of a magnificence that even outdoors the splendor of public buildings. It is said that this particular mausoleum took 20,000 workmen fifteen years to complete.
When death occurs, there are certain matters immediately cared for by devout Mohammedans.
The eyes and mouth of the corpse are carefully closed, to prevent the soul's seeing or tasting anything disagreeable. The toes are tied together with cloth and the head is turned toward Mecca, the "holy city" of Islam. During the funeral procession from mosque to cemetery friends and relatives take turns carrying the bier. And, to the surprise of the Westerner observing such a funeral for the first time, the mourners purposely cover their heads out of respect for the dead.
When the deceased has been lowered into the grave a professional Muslim will sit there and gravely instruct the "soul" on how to answer the crucial questions that will be put to him by Minikar and Nakir, the two angels who conduct judgment of the dead, according to Islamic belief. The "soul" is instructed to confess that "God is my ruler, Islam is my religion, Mohammed is my prophet, the Koran is my guide and Muslims are my brothers." By his answers the angelic judges are said to determine whether he will abide, until resurrection, in peace or in torment.
Mohammedans are taught that Solomon and Christ Jesus were two great prophets of Allah, but strangely they pay little attention to the inspired expressions of these prophets regarding the state of the dead. For example, Solomon declared that "there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol [the common grave of dead mankind], the place to which you are going." (Eccl. 9:10) He said nothing about the dead going to any place of torment. And Christ Jesus spoke of one person, already dead for two or three days, as being in a deep, dreamless sleep, which, ordinarily, would not be interrupted until the resurrection "on the last day." John 11:11, 14, 24.
Rites of the Parsees
The Parsees, it is said, came to India from Iran more than a thousand years ago, bringing with them the teachings of Zoroaster. According to their religious view, fire, water and earth are sacred, and may not be polluted by disposition of the dead in them. An unsolvable problem? Not at all. They expose the corpse in an open tower, called the Tower of Silence, where they are swiftly disposed of by waiting vultures. An average corpse, by this method, is reduced to mere bones in a matter of only twenty minutes.
Other unusual rites are performed by the Parsees. The body is quite likely to be bathed in the urine of bulls, said to be for purposes of purification. At one point in the proceedings a dog may be given a distant view of the corpse, this in the belief that the look of the dog will discourage evil spirits from leaving the body to harass the living. It is also believed that if there were still some life in the body the dog would howl in terror. Mourners walking behind the bier on the way to the Tower of Silence walk in groups, joined together by each grasping a handkerchief or piece of cloth. This is supposed to offer protection, since one person alone is thought to be too easy a target for attack by evil spirits leaving the body.
These followers of Zoroaster claim to stand for good works, good thoughts and good deeds. Hence they explain with pride that their system of disposing of the dead does not waste valuable land on the decaying flesh and bones of the dead. Besides, they will say, it is truly charitable to donate the useless flesh to feed hungry birds. Also, the funeral service is inexpensive, since no grave plot, no coffin, no memorial stones, and no expensive wood pyre are required. Then, too, they will add, the poor and the rich at death are all rightly reduced to the same level.
The Parsees believe that the "soul" of the dead hovers in the vicinity of the corpse for three days before proceeding to "another world," and so, on the fourth day after death, special prayers for the departing soul are offered and sandalwood is burned on the fire altar. They, too, are concerned about the harmful influence of the dead on the living, even while claiming to be practical and prompt about disposal of their dead. How much happier they could be if they would but accept the assurance of the inspired Bible writer that the dead can no longer even think about the living: "His [the dead man's] spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish." (Ps. 146:4) And another inspired Bible writer plainly says: "The soul that is sinning—it itself will die."—Ezek. 18:4.
Christendom's Burial Rites
There are, of course, in India many converts to the religion of one or other of Christendom's many sects. What about their funeral customs? Do they really stand in contrast to those of Hinduism, Islam and Parseeism? Just think of that briefly. If it is a Catholic funeral, prior to burial a light is kept burning by the bier, a cross is placed in the hands of the deceased, and the remains are sprinkled occasionally with "holy water." Then, there is the custom of watching the dead, not so much because of giving comfort to the survivors as in the belief that the soul is still hovering around and needs the prayers of the living.
The Greek Orthodox ritual, too, has its own peculiarities, which include binding a paper crown around the head of the deceased, laying an open Gospel on the breast, and bidding a symbolical farewell to the deceased by means of a kiss. Lugubrious music and cold, formal prayers punctuate the services of both the East and the West. Contradictorily, too, even the Protestant sects of Christendom hold at one and the same time the idea that the dead are really more alive than ever and the wish that the deceased ones might rest in peace.
So the burial rites of Christendom's sects in India have much in common with those of the non-Christian religions. Clergymen lead the survivors to believe that the dead are not really dead, but are alive in the invisible world. And this is precisely the kind of reasoning back of all the burial rites of Hinduism, Mohammedanism and Zoroastrianism. On the other hand, the Bible's view of the condition of the dead is clearly indicated by the inspired words of Peter and Paul, the apostles of Christ Jesus, relative to faithful King David of Israel: "Actually David did not ascend to the heavens." Rather, he "served the express will of God in his own generation and fell asleep in death and was laid with his forefathers and did see corruption."—Acts 2:34; 13:36.
No genuine comfort for survivors is to be found in all these formalistic burial procedures, most of them founded upon the first lie recorded in history, namely, "You positively will not die." (Gen. 3:4) The real comfort comes from the assurance of the Bible that "the hour is coming in which all those in the memorial tombs will hear [Christ Jesus'] voice and come out."—John 5:28, 29.
MOST POPULOUS CREATURE
Of all the insects in the world the industrious ant is by far the most numerous.
Teach Your Chi TO Ree
AS A loving parent you want to do all you can
to prepare your children for adult life. If they are truly going to progress, they need to be able to read, and to do it well. This may call for personal help on your part. How well do your children read? Have you ever sat down with them and encouraged them to read to you from a book, such as the Bible? You might be surprised at what you find. If they are not able to read fluently and with good comprehension, the time to learn about it is now.
Perhaps you live in a country where there is a public educational system that provides reading instruction for school-age children, and you may be satisfied with the results of that instruction. In the United States, however, there are many parents who are not satisfied. The magazine U.S. News & World Report for June 12, 1967, made the following comment: "There is disturbing evidence that millions of youngsters are being graduated from high school with only the barest reading ability. That evidence is bolstered by reports from many colleges that 25 percent or more of their students are gravely deficient in reading."
This magazine went on to quote from a spokesman for a national chain of department stores as saying: "We give a pre-employment test in two parts, reading and arithmetic. The reading part is very simple. We test them on word recognition. It's a multiple-choice test. They select
words which mean the same thing, then words which have opposite meanings. Four out of five applicants can't pass the test—and we don't generally give the test to anyone who doesn't have at least a high school diploma." Arthur S. Trace, Jr., an associate professor of English, wrote that about "a third of our high school students can't read well and that between eight and eleven million of our citizens are functional illiterates."
Not wanting their children to grow up without being able to read well, many parents try to teach their children the art of reading at home. Some begin before, their children start school. Others have felt it necessary when they discovered that their children were not reading satisfactorily after being in school several years. If you want to teach your children to read, you can do it, but you will need to be patient and willing to take the time necessary to do it.
Letter Recognition
Although children as young as one year old can be taught to recognize a few words that have been written in large letters and pronounced loudly, actual ability to read cannot begin until a child is able to utter the speech sounds of a language.
The speech sounds of most languages are represented by written letters and so have written alphabets. Some Oriental languages, however, use symbols to represent spoken words, requiring memorization of thousands of symbols. In English all that need to be memorized are twenty-six letters and the approximately forty-four sounds they represent, as well as a few words that are exceptions to the general rules. About 85 percent of English words respond to the sounds represented by their letters.
Once the sounds of the letters are learned a child can read written words he has never before seen. If they are in his speaking vocabulary, he will know what they mean. If not, he can ask his parents for their meaning, and when he has learned to use a dictionary, later on he can look them up. With this knowledge he has the means for constantly increasing his reading vocabulary and for improving his reading ability.
First Steps Toward Art of Reading
Now suppose you have a child that you want to teach how to read. Where would you begin? The logical place would be with the letters of the alphabet. On a strip of paper print the letters in their proper sequence, showing the capital letters as well as the lowercase letters. Take a few at a time. When he learns to recognize these, move on to a few more, until the entire alphabet has been learned.
Make a game of it by having the child find from among alphabet blocks the letters you name. You can also have him look at a printed page and point out the letters you ask him to find. Reverse the procedure by having him name the letters to which you point.
Now add to the strip of printed letters the capital and lowercase letters as they appear in handwriting. While teaching him to recognize the letters in this form, have him practice writing them. The art of writing is so closely associated with reading that it should be taught at the same time. Frequent reviews will help to fix the names of the letters in the child's mind. It is only a matter of practice for recognition of the letters to become automatic. But in order to read he must learn the sounds they represent.
…