Awake!, June 22, 1969
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Who Are the Criminals?
PAGE 3
Spring's Chorus on Wings
PAGE 8
Understanding the Change in a Woman's Life PAGE 12
An Outing with Grandpa
PAGE 17
JUNE 22,1969
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. "Awake!" 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.
The viewpoint of "Awake!" is not narrow, but is international. "Awake!" has its own correspondents in scares 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.
"Awakel" pledges itself to righteous principles, to exposing hidden foes and subite dangers, to championing freedom for all, to comforting mourners and strengthening those disheartened by the failures of a delinquent world, reflecting sure hope for the establishment of God's righteous new order in this generation.
Get acquainted with "Awake!" Keep awake by reading "Awake!"
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The Bible translation regularly used in "Awake" is the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1961 edition. When other translations are used, this is clearly marked.
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CONTENTS
Who Are the Criminals? 3
Those Troublesome Warts 7
Spring's Chorus on Wings 8
"Perfect Love Throws Fear Outside" 11
Understanding the Change in
a Woman's Life 12
Resisting Wicked Spirit Forces 16
An Outing with Grandpa 17
They Are Preparing for You 21
A Pillar of Strength 24
Colorful Marketplaces of Ecuador 25
"Your Word Is Truth"
Covering Over Transgression 27
MAN enters a store, pulls out a gun and holds up the cashier. Some 53,000,000 was stolen in this way in the United States alone during one recent year. Yet, in that same year, some4,000,000,000—more than seventy times as much—was stolen from companies by their own employees!
An armed robber holds up a
WHO ARE THE CRIMINALS?
How deep-rooted is criminal behavior today? Will justice ever be completely realized?
bank and gets away with some of the millions of dollars stolen in this way each year. But the ones who get away with even more do not need weapons. They are bank employees who steal nearly twice as much as holdup men do!
A "Hypocritical Age"
Throughout the world shoplifters take hundreds of millions of dollars worth of merchandise each year. But the London Daily Express says: "Staff thefts will account for twice that of customers." Verifying this, the Sunday Bulletin of Philadelphia states: "Once again, the professionals finish a poor second. Shoplifters make off with only about half the amount of plunder that finds its way into the homes of retail store employees."
The Sunday Bulletin adds: "Most crime is committed by people who wear nice, clean shirts to work every day and who get together over lunch in company cafeterias or downtown restaurants to decry the way law and order has broken down
in the country." It called our time a "hypocritical age of doublethink."
Yes, the facts show that many people who protest the rise in crime are themselves taking far more money and merchandise from their own employers than are the "professional" criminals. Does the fact that these employees do not use weapons make their stealing any less criminal?
There has been a tremendous rise in all kinds of theft world wide. Just one example was noted by the Daily Express when it said about shoplifting: "The menace is growing so fast that we have to make a co-ordinated bid to beat it. Ten years ago it scarcely existed. Even two years ago there wasn't a fraction of the amount of thieving now going on." And yet, the greater volume of theft is carried out by seemingly respectable employees who are taking twice as much as the shoplifters.
There are, of course, many really honest persons, but their numbers are dwinding.
Those who investigate the matter realize that a large proportion of the general population now often engages in dishonest practices. The Toronto manager of Pinkerton's Detective Agency said, as reported in the Canadian Weekly:
"In our investigations we've found, as an average, that one out of every three employees is basically dishonest—which means he will seek ways of stealing; that [another] one out of every three employees will be dishonest if given the opportunity."
Cheating at Sports
That the moral values of much of mankind are rapidly sinking can be seen in any field of human endeavor. Take, for example, sports. Cheating, taking dishonest advantage, is now a "way of life" to millions of weekend sportsmen.
"With some guys it's a mania. They have to win at all costs," said Clay Langston, head of a Michigan sports club. A Paris internist explained: "It relaxes me on the weekend to cheat a little at golf." And Fort Worth publicist Jerry Todd confided: "I've played with some certified public accountants who continually seem to forget just how many strokes they used to sink a [golf] ball."
"Cheating—it's the name of the game," said William McCormick, San Francisco
manager of a sports car club. Explained Newsweek:
"Most rules for amateurs are designed to keep engines uniform and emphasize driving skill. Yet at a typical rally there may be three distinct packs—the 'super cheaters' in front, the slight cheaters next, the people who follow engine specifications far back."
To satisfy the ego of some hunters, at French private hunts birds are fed so much meal that they are barely able to fly. Then they are released directly into the line of fire of the hunters' guns. In Italy, some two million hunters compete for the little wild game left. Many who would otherwise return empty-handed buy pheasants and rabbits, complete with feathers and fur, in stores on the way home. They pass these off as successes of their "hunt."
Are such sportsmen committing "crimes"? To them it may be just part of the sport to cheat. But would you trust them under the pressure of a business transaction? Will their children know and respect the difference between right and wrong? It is very obvious that many children growing up today do not know this difference. Of youthful shoplifters we read in the Daily Express: "We get quite a lot of schoolchildren at it who simply regard it as a game," said one store security
OUT OF EVERY THREE EMPLOYEES—
AWAKE!
</div> chief.
'There doesn't appear to be any kind of social stigma attached to it, and if they are caught it is just hard luck.'"
The Advertising World
How good or bad a society is also often reveals itself in the moral tone of its commercial advertising. One advertising executive with thirty years of experience retired with the conviction that advertising in general is based on the "permissible lie." He said: "A lie that helps build profits is considered a permissible lie." In his book The Permissible Lie, S. S. Baker charged that the main consideration among advertisers and their agencies is simply: "How much can we get away with?"
Such a case was a TV shave cream commercial. It showed a razor making a clean stroke across a sheet of "sandpaper" that was freshly lathered with the shave cream being advertised. But the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the demonstration was a "deceptive trade practice." Why? Because the "sandpaper" was really slick plexiglass. It took real sandpaper eighty minutes to soak in the shave cream before a razor could scrape off a swath of sand!
Some maintain that "the fraudulent advertising practices of a few smear the good practices of the majority." However, the manager of the New York code office of the National Association of Broadcasters agreed with Baker that it is the other way around, saying: "The fact is that too substantial a number of advertisers who stretch the boundaries of truthfulness simply never get caught."
How "criminal" is deceitful advertising? Legally speaking, only a few offenders are given a public scolding and told to stop it. But are not such devious practices another indication of a morally degraded culture?
Corporate Crimes
A study was made over a forty-year period of the law-breaking habits of seventy of the largest United States corporations. Every one of them had violated one or more laws and had been convicted from one to fifty times. They averaged thirteen convictions for each corporation. Collectively they scored a total of 307 adverse decisions on charges of restraint of trade; 222 infringements; 158 violations of the National Labor Relations Law; 97 condemnations for false advertising; and 196 other violations.
In some places there are "habitual criminal" laws that impose severe penalties on criminals convicted the third and fourth time. Were such laws to be applied to these corporations, about 90 percent of those studied would be regarded as habitual criminals!
About 75 percent of the national banks examined in a particular quarter were found to be violating the national banking laws. And what was found to be the root cause in most bank failures? Dishonesty on the part of employees, usually bank officials.
Insurance frauds are enormous, on the part of both the insured and the insurer. Murders are committed, houses burned, automobiles destroyed, and sickness or injury feigned to collect insurance. However, Principles of Criminology says: "The insurance company is seldom free to prosecute for fraud, for it seldom has clean hands . . . it makes a settlement at the lowest possible figure . . . claim agents, lawyers, and physicians for the insurance company frequently practice misrepresentation."
Public Officials
The same source charges that "in some cities, any purchase of commodities which is strictly honest is an oversight." Public officials take bribes in connection with the purchase of supplies, the making of contracts, the enforcement of regulations, and the enactment of legislation.
And what examples do national leaders often set? In the heyday of Adolph Hitler the German people shouted: "Fuehrer, command! We will follow you!" Twenty years later, a United Press International survey said on May 5, 1965: "They [the Germans] realize now he was at best a maniacal genius and at worst a cold-blooded killer who wanted to take them all with him." Hitler's henchmen and extermination camp operators are still being hunted down and prosecuted for crimes against humanity. Yet, we are often told that if the Axis powers had won the war, they would have prosecuted officials of the opposing side for their "crimes."
Nazi Germany is no lone monument to criminal behavior by nations. Time after time the nations have gone on the rampage and killed thousands, yes, millions of innocent men, women and children by their wars. A man who murders another is prosecuted by the law. Then what of nations that kill millions of people, many of whom are not even soldiers but who are helpless men, women and children?
It is considered a crime to break into someone else's home and take his property. Also, if a corporation steals patents or processes from other companies it can be prosecuted. Such is considered criminal behavior. Yet, nearly every nation sends spies into the territory of other nations to obtain their secrets. Why is it criminal behavior when an individual or a company does it, and not when a nation does it?
the plane had been shot down deep inside Russia and the pilot captured. He admitted that it was a spy plane. Not only had it intruded into another's territory illegally, but government officials had been caught lying about it to the entire world.
In 1960, when a United States U-2 aircraft was missing in Russia, American officials announced that it was simply a weather craft gone astray. However, it was then announced by the Russians that
Telling a lie in a court of law is perjury, a punishable offense. But on December 6, 1963, Arthur Sylvester, then United States Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, told a press gathering that it was the inherent right of a government "to lie to save itself." But why should an individual be prosecuted for an official lie, and governments not?
So when a citizen breaks and enters someone else's property, lies, steals and kills, he is called a criminal and is punished. What, then, of entire nations that have done the same on a massive scale?
Yes, there is a fantastic rise in "organized" crime, of murders, rapes, muggings, robberies and the like by "professional" criminals. The press comments regularly about this. But not as well understood is the fact that there is a corresponding gigantic rise in criminal behavior and attitude that is saturating masses of people and leaders alike.
Calling the World to Account
Will this crime-ridden world never be brought before the bar of justice? Will criminal men and nations forever trample down truth, honesty, integrity, decency and morality?
Not at all. The Bible, God's Word, warns; "Each of us will render an account for himself to God" for his behavior. (Rom. 14:12) God's Word also puts it this way:
"Jehovah has a legal case with the inhabitants of the land, for there is no truth nor loving-kindness nor knowledge of God in the land. There are the pronouncing of curses and practicing of deception and murdering and stealing and committing of adultery that have broken forth, and acts of bloodshed have touched other acts of bloodshed."
—Hos. 4:1,2.
Just as Almighty God executed judgment against apostate Israel of ancient times, so he will do so against this modern system of things. When God concludes his legal case against all earth's inhabitants, those who have mocked honesty and morality will pay the price. Only persons
who have taken the time to determine what is right in God's sight, and who have sincerely endeavored to practice it, will receive favorable judgment: "The upright are the ones that will reside in the earth, and the blameless are the ones that will be left over in it. As regards the wicked, they will be cut off from the very earth; and as for the treacherous, they will be torn away from it."—Prov. 2:21, 22.
THOSE TROUBLESOME WARTS
HAND with one or more ugly warts may not be pleasant to look at. Think how distressing warts can be to a girl whose natural desire is to have lovely hands. A boy too can be upset by their ugly appearance and annoyed with their constantly getting in his way when he works. But the hands are not the only place on the body where warts can appear.
Sometimes a wart will grow on the sole of a person's foot, making walking a painful process for him. When they grow there they are usually called plantar warts. They can, in fact, grow on almost any part of the skin, but most often they appear on the hands, fingers and soles of the feet. Since there are various kinds of warts, they vary in color, some being white, others varying from yellow to brown and still others being black or green.
Doctors are firmly convinced that warts are caused by a virus that can be transmitted from one person to another. In fact, the virus has been maintained in a tissue culture and has been photographed by an electron microscope.
When warts disappear spontaneously, it is thought that the person built up a state of relative immunity to them. Surprisingly, however, they will, at times, disappear from what appears to have been nothing more than suggestion. This is especially true of young children. A doctor might paint a wart with nothing more than tap water or touch it with an unusual object, assuring the child that this will cause the wart to disappear, and it very often does in the space of from one to eight weeks. It was observed, in The Practitioner of May 1967, that the "wart virus is
the only one producing lesions which can be influenced by the emotions." Children seem to respond much better to suggestion than adults.
Writing in the Journal of the Indiana State Medical Association, Dr. John A. Crawford stated in the October 1967 issue: "I have usually outwaited these crops of warts and have seen them disappear with little or no treatment." But this does not always work. So he went on to mention a treatment that he has used with a certain amount of success. "Injection with 'Keramin,' a proprietary vitamin A preparation, has been strangely successful, but I have no really scientific evidence to support its use."
Interestingly, a nutritionist also mentioned vitamin A as being effective in getting rid of warts. Adelle Davis states, in her book Let's Get Well, that she has seen several cases where warts disappeared within a few weeks after 100,000 units of vitamin A were taken daily and 300 units of vitamin E. After four weeks the vitamin A was reduced to 50,000 units daily.
Sometimes surgery is used to remove a wart, but this treatment leaves a scar, and when it is on the sole of the foot it can cause a tenderness that might be as troublesome as the wart was. Burning a wart with an electric needle can be effective if the treatment is thorough.
At present no form of treatment is wholly satisfactory for every case of warts. One may be fine for one person but not for another. But since there are ways of getting rid of warts, a person need not feel that he will have to go through life with ugly warts disfiguring his hands.
Spring's Chorus on Wings
LISTEN! The happy voices of spring are once again filling the air! It is the singing of a most beautiful chorus. Its joyful songs praise God and make glad the hearts of men. Spring is here in all its exhilarating glory, and how delightfully it is announced! A gaily colored chorus on wings! Robins, sparrows, bluebirds, thrushes, and many other birds each add their tiny voices to the tuneful choir. Their merry music signals the end of winter's long reign.
Trilling, warbling, whistling in many different keys, waves of gay-feathered troubadours arrive to herald the unfolding beauty of springtime in earth's northern regions. They appear to be singing for the sheer joy of having successfully made the long journey from their winter quarters in the south. How welcome their warm, cheerful melodies are to northern inhabitants who have been held in winter's long, cold grip. Such lilting singing awakens in them the delightful anticipation of again seeing the landscape renewed with the fresh growth of lush greenery.
The bel canto of these feathered songsters and their aerial acrobatics are so happifying that, at this time of year, folks, young and old, seem to walk with a spring to their step. Ah, yes, the warming up of the days by the spring sun's bathing the earth, the blossoming meadows and forests rich with the delicious scent of fresh flowers and new plant life make spring an exquisite delight. The pleasant sensations associated with this lovely season make one glad to be
lovely season make one glad to be alive! God-fearing persons are moved to thank and praise the Creator, who arranged it all.
Winged Singers Who Come from Afar
The formation of spring's feathered chorus begins when the days in the northern part of the earth lengthen and the sun's warm rays strengthen. Then winged migrants wintering in southern lands are gripped with the instinctive urge to fly back to their home nesting grounds. The songbirds indigenous to North America travel various distances in their trip north. Millions of tiny wings carry these colorful creatures from the southern United States, Central America and South America as far as Argentina.
Winter has hardly left the borders of Canada and the United States when raucous crows, cheery robins, red-winged blackbirds, exquisite bluebirds and happy meadowlarks appear on the scene. The spring concert commences.
One will not always see or hear the undulating clouds of these songbirds arrive from afar. Many of them migrate under protective cover of night at an altitude of between 2,000 and 6,000 feet. However, during the daytime they appear as if they came out of nowhere.
Suddenly, gardens and parks, fields and forests,
marshes, meadows and mountains are echoing their jubilant notes They swirl in to rest and feed. In little pools of cool water left over from a spring rain, they playfully bathe and ruffle their bright-colored feathers. They appear like little flowers tumbling in from
waii flies two thousand miles across the Pacific Ocean to nesting grounds in Alaska.
The Arctic tern is a traveler extraordinary. He will sometimes fly south to the Antarctic seas to winter and then fly north as far as the Arctic Circle. An amazing trip of 22,000 miles! The phenomenal ability of birds to return year after year unerringly to
the sky.
During April and May the hobolink is seen among the waves of winged songsters that sweep northward. This little fellow in black and white, unlike many songbirds, sings while in flight. Ecstatic song of rol-
licking notes bubbles and tumbles out of him faster and faster. Not many of his fellow singers have traveled as far as he has. He has come as much as 6,000 miles from the pampas of Argentina to southern Canada. The East Siberian willow war-
their northern nesting grounds without compasses reflects the wisdom and glory of God their Creator. The migratory instinct that he has built in them moves them to
fly south and north at specific times each year and enables them to fly great distances with stunning accuracy. Even more amazing is the fact that the young birds migrate without guidance from older birds
ber of Asia outdoes him. Though he
he weighs only a third of an ounce, he will
Africa to his Siberian home.
Not all of these traveling troubadours
settle in the same area in the north. Some travel much farther. The awe-inspiring wedge formation of Canada geese with heads resolutely stuck out ahead of them
migrate without guidance from older birds that have left before them.—Ps. 104:24.
They Sing for a Mate
Bird singing at its finest, springtime and nesting all go hand in hand. Yes, bird
songs belong to the mating season. Springtime is that magnetic time for our feathered friends.
Usually, the males arrive first on the scene. They stake out territory to hold so as to woo a mate. They are dressed in the brightest garb
go honking to a destination beyond the northern borders of the United States. These honkers sometimes winter in central Mexico and summer above the Arctic Circle. The bristle-thighed curlew that winters in Ha JUNE 22, 1969
and sing the sweetest songs to beguile the heart of a prospective mate. Red-breasted bluebirds, orange-breasted Baltimore orioles and others in equally beautiful plumage will stake out a pleasing territory and call out their claims from commanding perches. Such territories may vary from a few
square yards to several acres.
When two or three of the same kind decide on the same spot, squabbling usually settles the matter.
Finally, the females arrive. Now each male croons his sweetest melody and shows off his bright spring suit to woo a mate. The irresistably charming black and orange Baltimore oriole perches near a friendly female. He now pulls himself to full height and then begins a series of low bows displaying his flaming orange breast and then his black head, all the while whistling softly. Elsewhere the mating arias of yellow warblers fill the air.
Most songbirds court from stationary perches, but some, like Mr. Bobolink, add a series of aerial acrobatics to their serenading. A shorebird, the male woodcock, puts on quite a courting performance at dusk. He spirals a few hundred feet in the air on whistling wings and then suddenly tumbles earthward, trilling to his listeners below.
The horned lark climbs skyward in large sweeping circles, all the while delivering a series of sweet twittering notes. Then when he reaches a desired height, he closes his wings and plummets downward, gaining momentum with each passing second. Just when it looks as if he will crash, the lark opens his wings and glides to a graceful landing. What some fellows will do to impress a female!
Once a winged singer has won his mate, she will select within his domain a nesting spot to suit her taste. And do tastes vary! Vireos build their nests like satchels hanging from forks near the ends of high branches. Hermit thrushes build their cozy little homes on the ground. Woodpeckers excavate a hole in a tree trunk for a home. Others set up house in shrubbery, thickets, vines and bushes. April and May are the big migration months for this jolly winged
choir, the time when their morning concerts are almost deafening in some places. June and July are the nesting months, yes, the home months.
Varied Voices of the Chorus
The choral concert by spring's winged chorus reaches its climax in June. By then the full chorus has assembled and all the various voices are present. It seems that no two are alike. Some warble rhythmically. Some whistle tunefully. Some sing with breathtaking sweetness, while others twitter and chatter. Amazingly, some members of the same family will vocalize in geographic accents.
Some songsters carol at their very best when alone in a deep forest. Others serenade you in your garden or in a park. Some sing in the morning and evening, and there are ones that sing to the bright full moon. Yes, some even love to sing in the rain.
Practically all members of birddom have something to say, especially in the spring. It matters not whether they prefer forest, marsh, grassland, mountain or a garden. Thrushes, larks, grosbeaks and finches, sparrows, orioles, and to some extent, vireos and warblers are the most admired among the winged musicians. For example, the hermit thrush will send out a haunting, sometimes tremulous strain ringing through the north woods. His song is so exquisite that those who hear it while standing quietly in a woods at twilight are profoundly touched by it.
Wood thrushes add a chimelike fluted ee-oh-lee ... ee-oh-lay, pausing in between as if to hear it float away. The song sparrow is perhaps the best-known singer in North America. He Irequents most of Canada and the United States in the summer. In the spring he sings as at no other time. Perhaps 300 times in an hour, he breaks out into his solo.
Mockingbirds, brown thrasher and catbirds are admired by many who delight in their mimicry. These funny fellows constantly volunteer their imitating abilities and add to their colorful singing the songs and cries of other birds.
Probably the most famous and most admired of all the singers on wings is the nightingale. His sublime voice rings through the night and its loveliness has been praised by poets for hundreds of years. He nests in western and central Europe. Another famous singer whose name comes from his pretty song is the cuckoo. His musical contribution is a series of low, delicate notes.
The delightful solos of the nightingale, the cuckoo, and other birds have inspired great musicians to incorporate their melodies into their musical compositions. Beethoven used birdcalls in describing a scene by a brook in his "Pastoral Symphony." Handel wrote an effervescent organ concerto in which he used bird imitations, and this earned for it the title "The Cuckoo and the Nightingale." Handel's famous "Nightingale Chorus" in his Bible oratorio "Solomon" is indescribably charming in its use of this bird's song interspersed with the choral singing. Yes, the songs of spring's chorus on wings have delighted and fascinated man down through the ages.
The exhilarating beauty of spring's melodious choral cantata on wings is truly a gift from heaven. Its never-ending variety and invention proclaims the superior wisdom of the great heavenly Composer, Jehovah God. Whatever our musical taste, when we step outside on a warm spring day, take a deep breath and hear the joyful singing of the birds, we may well call to mind what the psalmist wrote: "It is good to make melody to our God; for it is pleasant—praise is fitting." "Praise Jehovah from the earth." Not only "winged birds," but "every breathing thing—let it praise Jah. Praise Jah, you people!"—Ps. 147:1; 148:7, 10; 150:6.
"Perfect Love Throws Fear Outside"
HE apostle John wrote that "fear exercises a restraint," "but perfect love throws fear outside." (1 John 4:18) Yes, the grip of fear stifles one's spirit and restrains his Christian activity. How vital to guard against letting fear get control over our thinking! Consider what happened to a witness of Jehovah in Hungary who overcame her fear by letting perfect love move her to action:
"A Witness lacked the courage to talk about the Bible to her relatives and friends. She had a very close friend, but she was afraid to speak to her about it because she was afraid she would lose her as a friend. Her fear increased even more when this friend of hers married a police officer.
"However, this Witness attended the meetings of Jehovah's witnesses regularly. There she heard from time to time the encouragement that we should tell the Bible's truth first of all to our friends and relatives. Due
to this she decided to tell her close friend about God's marvelous promises, come what may, this being her Christian duty. To her great surprise this woman and her husband, the police officer, listened attentively. They liked what she told them, and the husband especially had many questions.
"Since she found such unexpected interest, she took one of the responsible ministers in her congregation with her when she made her second visit on them. They were able to start a home Bible study with this couple. The interest of this couple grew rapidly and they even asked if they could have their lessons twice a week. Soon they too were attending the meetings of Jehovah's witnesses. Now they also have begun preaching to others about what they are learning. How inexpressibly happy is this Witness because she overcame her fear of men and let the perfect love of God move her!"
THE sun peeped quietly through the half-closed drapes as if to say, "Time to get up!" Outside, a mockingbird sang cheerfully, its sound reaching the ears of the woman lying in bed.
It was like many other mornings. Yet, this particular morning everything seemed different. She lay staring up at the ceiling with a sad look in her eyes. And for some unexplained reason, she felt the need to cry.
She heard the footsteps of her husband as he came whistling down the hall. But even that seemed to grind on her nerves.
"Time to get up, honey!" he called out cheerfully.
When she failed to answer, he moved to the bed and laughingly pulled the covers back a little. "Come on, dear, time to get up!"
Suddenly, she sat up in bed and said in an angry voice: "Let me alone! Let me alone!"
Before the startled husband knew what was happening, she fell back into the pillow and buried her face in it, sobbing as though her world had fallen apart.
The Menopause
Yes, that could be what takes place in the home of many women throughout the world who go through the menopause, the "change of life." The scene might not be as drastic with most, but it does happen and can affect the entire family circle. The husband may be at a loss as to what he should do. The children become worried. And yet, the mother is the one undergoing the most trying time. She is experiencing a physical change in her body that can upset her emotional stability, a change that she may not
even understand herself.
The word for this change, "menopause," comes from the Greek words "men" (month) and "pausis" (cecession). It means the period when the menses, the almost monthly discharge of blood and mucosal tissue from the uterus, becomes irregular and finally ceases. It is something that all women experience, generally between the ages of about 45 and 50. A much smaller number experience the menopause earlier due to surgery, serious illness, poor nutrition, deep emotional stress or some glandular difficulty.
The menopause is the time when the possibility of childbearing is nearing its end. The aging ovaries will finally cease producing the ovum, or egg, the fertilization of which by the male sperm results in pregnancy. But the ovaries produce more than the egg cell. They also produce vital hormones that pour into the bloodstream and help regulate the menstrual cycle and the growth and activity of body cells. As the ovarian hormones lessen during menopause, the balance of hormones throughout the body is shifted, affecting the nervous system, since it is also supported by the hormones.
The emotional stability of many a woman is tested at this time of life. She must face the fact that she is passing the age of childbearing. She also begins to feel that she is no longer young and attractive. It is likely that her waistline will increase as she gains weight and begins to lose the girlish figure she once had. But most of all, it is a time when irritability, tension and headaches could become the number one problem.
While the menopause brings fear and heartache into the lives of millions of women, many others do not find it the enemy they supposed it would be. Hence, while some find it almost unbearable, others have faced it without any noticeable problems. One authority on female diseases estimated that not more than 25 percent of all women have trouble or discomfort with the menopause. The remaining 75 percent adjust so readily and rapidly that they hardly know there is any change in their lives at all. And it rarely leads to mental illness. Another authority concludes that mental illness is seen only in those women who had such tendencies before the onset of the menopause.
However, this is small comfort for those women who do have difficulty during menopause. What do they experience? What can they do to reduce the discomfort?
The Symptoms
During the menopause those women who are more affected complain of many strange and unwanted feelings. Women, of course, differ as to symptoms, but some of the common ones are hot flashes, depression, headaches, dizziness, numbness, faintness, palpitations of the heart, digestive disturbances, loss of appetite, nausea, aches and pains, insomnia, nervousness and fatigue.
The hot flash is the most bothersome symptom to many. The flash, or flush, may appear as a violent blush on the face and neck. Or a wave of heat may sweep from the toes or waist to the top of the head. A number of women wake up at night wet with perspiration, especially about the neck and shoulders. The hot flash is thought to result from the sensitivity of the nervous system and tiny blood vessels to the change in hormone content of the body.
Another prominent symptom is the melancholy feeling, the depression, that comes for no apparent reason. One who has experienced it understands that at times it is very difficult to hold back a sudden flow of tears. In some cases, women have cried for days, closing themselves up in the solitude of their room, giving in to the feeling of depression. They feel incapable of handling even the smallest problem. But this is more the exception than the rule. Most women will not experience such deep depression. Some undergo a depression so mild that it is not even noticed by others.
Another complaint is the constant threat of headaches. They have been described as a pressure in the back of the head at the base of the skull. At times this pressure is so heavy that it leaves one tired and irritable. Others say that their head felt full and sluggish, as though it had been stuffed with cotton, and that they had trouble concentrating even on small matters.
What can be done to counteract these and other symptoms? How can a woman help herself in this difficult time of change in her life?
Coping with the Problem
Proper nutrition plays an important part in reducing the severity of the symptoms of menopause. Since the body is made from the elements of the soil, these elements must constantly be replaced if the body is to function well.
Vitamins and minerals are known for their direct aid to certain parts of the body. And since nerves are directly affected by the menopause, it could well be that the entire B complex group of vitamins are needed at this time. Some have found it helpful to use extra amounts of B{11} , niacin, and B{12} because of their beneficial effect upon the nervous system. Vitamin E has also been of use to some in reducing the discomfort of hot flashes. Liver and iron are recommended to keep the body strong and healthy.
Of course, not all persons believe in taking vitamins. They may feel that their nutrition is cared for in their daily meals. But since so much of our food today is highly processed and lacking in some vitamin or mineral, taking these for a period of time as a supplement could prove beneficial.
Too, watch out for obesity. Putting on too much weight can result in an additional strain on the body, and the mind, since most women will worry if they are too heavy. And remember that being overweight is more often the result of an overactive fork than an underactive thyroid gland! Keep those weight-producing foods and sweets to a minimum.
It has also been suggested that during periods of high stress a small glass of wine can do much in helping to relax the mental strain. The apostle Paul said: "Use a little wine for . . . your frequent cases of sickness." (1 Tim. 5:23) This advice might be applied to nervous tension during the menopause. However, one should be cautious in its use, not becoming dependent on it. The same could be said for the use of nerve tonics and tranquilizers. They easily become a crutch to offset every unpleasant condition. Then they are an added problem instead of solving the problem.
Keeping busy during this period will help. Work is beneficial to mental and physical well-being. Recreation such as swimming, walking, gardening, and the like can be helpful. However, one must avoid becoming exhausted and thereby offsetting the beneficial effects of exercise. This means that proper rest is essential. And that includes the needed amount of sleep during the night, and perhaps a nap during the day.
Another suggestion that has been offered for the release of nervous tension is chiropractic treatment. Much has been said in its favor and many find that a chiropractic treatment can succeed in relaxing taut muscles and nerves that bring on headaches and tension.
Some doctors feel that the more troublesome symptoms of the menopause can be alleviated by hormone therapy. Since the menopause is brought on by the failure of the body to produce the female hormone called estrogen, it has been said that when this hormone was supplied, a state of well-being resulted in many cases. But others have noted distressing side effects. And when liver disease, diabetes or fibroid tumors are present, the use of hormones is not recommended. Actually, there has been much discussion about hormones, and many doctors do not agree with their use. So those seeking medical help must decide for themselves whether they will take their doctor's advice relative to the use of hormones as a treatment during menopause. In any case, the safest course is not to consider them when they are not really needed, as the body will make its own adjustments, and usually sooner than if hormones had been used.
Self-Control
One of the greatest aids during this time is self-control. Self-control means not giving in to every emotion or feeling. It means to control one's actions and speech.
Here, the woman who has already been guiding her life, by the principles of God's Word, the Bible, will have a decided advantage over others. She has learned that self-control is one of the fruits of God's spirit: "The fruition of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control." (Gal. 5:22, 23) Knowing this, the Christian woman will have already been cultivating self-control. It will now help her to avoid many of the emotional outbursts that other women give way to. So doing, she avoids the consequences, for just one emotional outbreak can produce a headache that may last several days. The same outburst can damage relationships with others as well.
It is the course of practical wisdom, when a woman feels tension or anger about to sweep through her, for her to avoid pursuing further the matter that is provoking her. She may even tactfully excuse herself from the room if she finds it is others who are arousing her irritation. Her nerves are on edge and unwanted words could easily slip from her lips. So she needs to be on guard and work hard to control her desire to speak and act rashly, thus safeguarding herself and those around her.
Others Can Help
Members of the family, as well as close friends, can also help much at this time. The husband in particular can greatly encourage his wife during this trying period of one to three years or more. He can put forth a deliberate effort to show more than the usual love, consideration, tolerance and understanding.
If the husband finds his wife more irritable at times, or sharp when answering him, he should try to realize that very likely the cause is the change taking place in her body. He would be wise not to answer with hasty and blunt words. This will only make matters worse, as it will probably trigger a further emotional surge in his wife. Instead, the practical course would be to heed the counsel of the Bible at Proverbs 15:1, where it says: "An answer, when mild, turns away rage, but a word causing pain makes anger to come up." If this is ignored, and unkind words are hurled back, then a quarrel will grow. Proverbs 26:21 reminds us: "As charcoal for the embers and wood for the fire, so is a contentious man for causing a quarrel to glow."
The husband can also assist his wife to conserve her strength and brighten her outlook by helping with some of the household chores. He might suggest going out for a meal occasionally, or some other diversion to break her routine of duties in the home. And if he has noticed that his wife's girlish figure is giving way to age, rather than make fun of it, he would do well to take a quick look in the mirror and remind himself that he too has changed, very likely around the waistline.
Higher Source of Help
The Christian wife has an even greater source of encouragement, strength and help. She can petition Jehovah God in prayer, asking his assistance in overcoming the disturbance pushing its way into her mind. The Bible assures her that "never will [God] allow the righteous one to totter." (Ps. 55:22) Thus, Christians are counseled to "throw all your anxiety upon him, because he cares for you."—1 Pet. 5:7.
She also finds great relief by following the Bible principle which says: "There is more happiness in giving than there is in receiving." (Acts 20:35) By helping others in various ways she will take her mind off her own problems and at the same time accomplish things of real value.
Particularly is this so when the Christian woman spends time helping others study the Bible. By talking to others about the upbuilding information in God's Word she improves their outlook on life, as well as reinforcing her own. This, together with her own private Bible reading, will do much toward overcoming difficult periods, for "the word of God is alive and exerts power." (Heb. 4:12) It has the power to comfort and uplift, to be a source of hope and joy.
So if you are one who is now experiencing the problems of menopause, meet them head on without fear, coping with each one as it confronts you. Take definite steps
to counteract the feelings of depression. Improve your diet. Get sufficient exercise and rest. Keep busy with things that will work for your upbuilding. When necessary, seek professional help. But even more important, consult the wisdom that comes from God himself, as the Creator of mind and body surely knows best what is needed.
If you are a woman who finds herself nearing the age of the menopause, do not be unduly concerned. Remember that the majority of women pass through this period with only minor difficulty. And even if you do undergo more trying times than others when it does come, be comforted by the fact that there are definite steps you can take to minimize its effects.
RESISTING WICKED SPIRIT FORCES
NE of Jehovah's witnesses in Connecticut writes the following experience concerning several women who were using "Oulja" boards:
"This past spring one of the Witnesses discovered that her two cousins and their girl friends were 'playing' with 'Ouija' boards. They each had one and explained that each board had its own personality. The power behind one board claimed it was the departed spirit of a dead person of Asian origin. The other claimed identification as a female of European background.
"As they pursued the boards for a while, strange things started to occur. One of the women was told by the spirit that she would be given a gift that was described in detail, stating that it had originally come from a person of royalty who inhabited another planet. A few days later this precisely described gift was delivered to her by an apparently unbalanced person!
"Another one of the women was told through the board that the spirit intended to master her mind and body and, if she refused, harm would come to her. When asked what 'harm', the board replied that she would first be hurt in the legs. A short time later she walked into a small table, striking her legs.
"Another woman was told through the board that her husband was going to die suddenly in an accident, driving her to terror at the prospect. It was at this point that the Witness directed them all to the Bible. Being fairly new in her association with Jehovah's witnesses, she asked me to explain about the 'Ouija' board to them at my home. They were invited, and, fortified with the June 22, 1968, issue of 'Avake!' with its article on the 'Ouija' board that had just arrived at my home the day before. I proceeded to tell the assembled group, nine people in all, about the demonic forces behind their 'toy.' After about three hours of questions and answers, the session was concluded.
"That same night all of them left my home and went to the home of one of the women involved with the board to discuss our Scriptural arguments against this spiritistic practice. They decided to destroy their 'toys.'
"As a direct result of these strange episodes, I am now conducting two Bible studies a week with one woman and her five children, and those whom she invites to her home, usually three more persons showing up. I also study with another man and his wife, their landlady and her two sons on another night. The man is soaking up Bible truth like a dry sponge."
"GRANDPA, will you take me to the rodeo?"
"Better ask your father," said grandpa.
Stephen, a budding teen-ager of Christian parents, lost no time in relaying the request to his parent. "Can I go, Dad? Can I? Please, Dad!"
Stephen's father thought for a moment, and then nodded approval. There would be educational merit as well as entertainment for his son. And under the guidance of his grandfather, a Christian of long standing and a working cowboy in his youth, Stephen could learn something of the early range rider, and at the same time gain a proper perspective of a cowboy. He knew grandpa would see to that.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was a few hours' drive away, and is the home of the famous Calgary Stampede, a well-known name in rodeo. A short telephone call to Aunt Min in Calgary and a few days' accommodation was arranged. Veteran grandpa and eager Stephen left on the bus.
Origin of Rodeos
"Why do they call them rodeos, Grandpa?"
"Sure. That's when cowboys gather the range cattle together by riding around them and driving them into a corral so they can brand them or get them ready for market."
"It's from a Spanish word. It means 'roundup.' You know what a roundup is, Stephen?"
"Basically, that's it, Stephen. It all started back in the early days, reportedly on the southwest plains in the United States. The men were forced to spend months on the range, so, at the end of the trail, they would gather together and have
contests to see who was the
by Awake'correspondent
in Canada
best roper, the best bucking-horse rider, and things of that nature. It was all unofficial at first, but then they became regular affairs."
Stephen reflected a moment, and then said: "That would be something like the lumberjack fair we have at home each year, wouldn't it, Grandpa? You know, where loggers get together and see who's the best axman, and the best tree climber, and they have log-rolling contests and things like that."
"Something like that, Stephen, only it wasn't long before rodeos were held commercially, and now almost every town of any size in western Canada and the United States has one, and even some in the East. Even women participate. Besides drawing contestants from present-day ranches, professional competitors travel the circuit of rodeos, and a number find it financially rewarding from the prize money they win."
"Is this one in Calgary the biggest?" Stephen inquired.
"It's one of the biggest and most famous now. It's not the oldest one though. Prescott, Arizona, claims the oldest annual one, although other places had rodeos before that. It's been going there since 1888, just a year before I was born."
"Since 1888! Are you that old, Grandpa? You sure don't look it," Stephen exclaimed.
Grandpa was sort of pleased with Stephen's observation. "Maybe not," he said. "I came into the world just about the time when the old range way of life was disappearing. That's one reason rodeos went over so well in the West. They're a representation of what the West was like in its youth. Westerners wanted to remember the old days and show off to Easterners the accomplishments of the pioneers of the Great Plains."
What grandpa said was true, for it was a passing era even back in 1887. In that year the Fortnightly Review commented: "The whoops and yells and whirling lariats of the cowboy fade farther and farther into the distance."
Rodeo Events
The rodeo spirit had gripped Calgary. A huge parade had exploded the famous Calgary Stampede and its effects upon the city. Bands, floats, riders on horses, in all their color and style, depicted life and dress in the early days. Everywhere one looked Western-style clothes were in evidence. Business people, clerks, waitresses, and even some clergymen, were seen sporting the white cowboy hat, symbol of the Stampede. Indians in the full regalia of bygone days were much in evidence. Persons could be seen enjoying flapjacks, or griddle cakes, bacon and coffee in the morning sun as a number of parking lots were converted into open-range chuck wagons for serving breakfast. At Stampede time, Calgary becomes a "roundup city."
Stephen and his grandfather were able to see a number of the rodeo events at the Stampede. It was obvious that the participants were highly skilled and had a great deal of stamina. At the calf-roping contest, Stephen was enthralled with the coordination between horse and rider as the cowboy and his steed would come bearing down on a fleeing calf, lariat swirling. In a matter of seconds from start to finish, the calf was roped and tied according to the rules of the competition.
"Did you see that, Grandpa?" Stephen exclaimed excitedly.
"Takes a lot of skill all right, but if you think that's tops, you should have seen some of the men of my day. You know, Stephen, there have been men so skilled with a lariat that they have roped buffalo, wolves, mountain lions, deer and antelope. Now, a man that can use his lasso like that has achieved a great deal of skill with his tool. In fact, in 1939, if I recall, a cowboy in Arizona even roped a full-grown golden eagle."
"How did he ever do that?" Stephen asked, amazement evident in his voice.
"Well, using a rope was part of the cowboy's trade. Many practiced a lot, and some really excelled at it. Most cowboys who were handy with a lariat took pride in their work and wanted to do a good job just as other men that take their occupation seriously do."
"Bronco Busting"
It was the "bronco busting" that stirred Stephen to his feet. "Look at him bounce on that horse!" he exclaimed. "Boy, it must be great to be able to do that!"
"Great?" quipped grandpa. "If you were to have even a taste of the experience I've had breaking horses, you'd agree the 'great' part about it is watching someone else doing it.
That's one part of the job where it hurts to learn right from the bottom up."
"Breaking" horses and getting them used to wearing saddles is one of the cowboy's jobs, and every outfit has its champion "bronc twister." At rodeos today, this primary event, called saddle bronc riding, and its related bareback riding, attracts many competitors to test their skill. In
in Alberta, in 1916. His owner used him for a cow horse for two years, and his young daughter rode him around the ranch yard. During a roundup on the Blood Indian reserve, he bucked off a cowboy, and his bucking career began. In 1924 he was
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the saddle bronc event, one rein is used, usually of braided manila, one and a half inches thick and six feet long. The object is to stay on the horse for ten seconds, and ride according to the rules, such as not touching the animal with the free hand or losing a stirrup. In the bareback event, they ride bucking horses with only a rigging. This is a double leather pad with a handhold, clinched to the brone's back. No stirrups or reins are used. The time objective is less than the ten seconds for saddle bronc competition.
Hoots and yells started again as another contestant, body twisting and turning, his free arm flailing the air, clung onto his rigging as his bucking brone gyrated, reared, kicked and plunged in an effort to dislodge its unwelcome passenger. After seven seconds, the horse veered in one direction leaving the cowboy to ride air in the other. Then a split second, and the rider grimaced as he thudded to the ground.
"Boy, that horse must sure be a killer!" roared Stephen.
"Not really," replied grandpa. "Bucking horses are not necessarily wild killers. Often they are halterbroken and are gentle until mounted. The famous "outlaw" horse called Midnight, for example, was foaled on a ranch south of Fort Macleod
entered in the Calgary Stampede, where he threw every rider that tried to sit on him. He became one of the most famous of the 'outlaw' horses and
stayed in the rodeo circuit chutes until he was retired in 1933."
"What makes a horse buck?" inquired Stephen.
"Usually it's just his dislike of being mounted. This dislike is even encouraged in rodeo stock. One way is by the flank strap that is placed around the hind quarter. Anything on the rear of a horse that he is not used to or dislikes can make him buck."
Steer Wrestling
An event that amazed Stephen was the steer-wrestling contest. A cowboy would leap from his horse to the steer's horns, bring it to a halt, and then wrestle it to the ground.
"He must be as strong as an ox," yelled Stephen.
"He has to be strong all right, Stephen, but the cowboy gains some advantage when he gets his grip on the steer's horns. With that leverage, he is in a position to twist the steer's head and wrestle him to the ground. It takes a good man to do it though."
At the bull-riding event, Stephen was more enthralled with the antics of the clown than by the men who tried to cling to the back of a 1,500-pound, bucking Brahma bull. A fallen rider could be tramplied or gored, but the clown, being quick of mind and foot, performs antics to distract the bull, thereby giving the fallen rider opportunity to leave the ring.
An exceptionally exciting event at the Calgary Stampede is the chuck-wagon race. This has become one of the chief attractions of the Calgary rodeo. Some say its roots are in the past when cowboys would hitch the horses to the wagons at the end of the roundup and race home to the ranch buildings. At Calgary, chuck-wagon races got their start when cooks, who served flapjacks in front of the grandstand at the rodeo grounds, would head their cook wagons to the barn in unscheduled races. This developed into one of the wildest events of the Stampede. Chuck wagons are kept in running trim for this event and are piloted by cowboys of considerable skill in order to keep the wagons upright behind the racing steeds.
Man's Loving Dominion over Animals
Grandpa and Stephen did not have time to take in all the Stampede, although they saw the events that demonstrated the skill of the cowboy plying his trade. However, Grandpa had planned the trip so he and Stephen could be back home in time for their Christian congregation's meeting that weekend. On the way home, Stephen's mind was flashing with thoughts of things he had seen at the rodeo.
"Grandpa, will we have rodeos like that in the new system of things?"
"I doubt it."
"Why not?"
"Well, most of what we saw there, Stephen, will become a lost art."
"How's that, Grandpa?" he asked quizzically.
"A rodeo principally involves riding bucking animals, or else roping or wrestling them into subjection. Right?"
"Yes."
"In the new system of things that the Bible speaks about that won't be necessary, for animals will be in proper subjection to man. You won't have to fight a bucking brone to ride him, or wrestle a steer to subdue him. The animals and man will be at peace with one another, and man will lovingly exercise his right of dominion over animals."
"Just as it says in Isaiah chapter 11, eh, Grandpa? 'The calf and the lion and the well-fed animal will all lie down together and a boy will lead them.' That is one of the first verses I can remember my parents teaching me."
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