Awake!, July 22, 1974

Download: PDF — Awake!, July 22, 1974

Awake! — July 22, 1974

Source: jw.org

Contents

Record Crops, but Food Shortages—Why?

When a Hindu Becomes a Christian

Your Amazing Circulatory System

New Building for Cultural Work in Mexico

They Keep Dogs for Protection

Delicious Drinks from Unlikely Ingredients

Some of Their Happiest Memories

The Monarch of All Precious Stones

Capital Punishment—Is It God’s Law?

Watching the World

Help For Teaching Young Children

Are Better Times Ahead?

Record Crops, but Food Shortages—Why?

EVERY shopper knows what has happened to the cost of food in recent times. In most countries prices have gone up very sharply. This reflects the basic fact that there are food shortages throughout the world.

Yet, during 1973, there were record harvests in many major food-producing countries. The American corn, wheat and soybean crops set new records. In the Soviet Union grain production rose from 168 million metric tons in 1972 to about 222 million tons in 1973, a huge increase of about 54 million tons.

Why, then, are there food shortages with resulting higher prices? Just what is happening to the world food supply?

Supply and Demand

In the field of economics, there is what is referred to as ‘the law of supply and demand.’ What this simply means is that when the demand for something rises faster than the supply of it, prices will usually rise.

That has been happening to food. There has been a tremendous surge of demand for food in the past few years. This huge increase of demand has outstripped the increase in supply. Hence, a food shortage, resulting in higher prices.

Also, while 1973 was a good crop year, 1972 was not. In fact, 1972 saw a net decline in the world’s food production. United States Department of Agriculture official Don Paarlberg said: “Never in modern times have crops been so poor in so many major producing countries at the same time. Prices rose and stocks were drawn down.” Of wheat production, The America Annual said: “The world production of wheat was 300,489,000 metric tons of wheat in 1972, down from 323,188,000 tons in 1971.”

But the demand for food did not drop in 1972. It kept increasing, relentlessly. And the higher food production of 1973 was not enough to build up reserve stocks. Thus, Paarlberg says:

“Even with this large crop, no appreciable increase in U.S. stocks of the principal grains seems likely in the near future. . . .

“This anomaly of continuing tightness in the grain markets, despite a much-improved crop, gives rise to the feeling that we may have entered a new era of short supplies, hungry people, strong prices.”

Indeed, world grain stocks are getting lower all the time. U.S. News & World Report notes that in 1961 world grain reserves were 222 million metric tons, enough to feed the world’s population then for 94 days. But by mid-1974 reserves are said to be only an estimated 105 million tons, enough to feed the world’s population for only 29 days.

With demand for food soaring everywhere, more and more nations have looked to the United States to make up their food deficits. An estimated 90 countries have ordered U.S. grain this year. As Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Carroll Brunthaver states: “The nations of the world are using more grain, they are buying more of what they use in the world market, and more of what they buy is coming from the United States. . . . The world’s food economy is running increasingly on U.S. [grain].”

But this has put immense pressure on U.S. grain reserves, so that they are practically nonexistent now. The vast food surpluses of past years are no longer the case. And because of the huge demand by so many other countries, the cost of this food has jumped. In mid-1972 a bushel of American wheat cost $1.30. In the next year and a half the price quadrupled, although it has now lowered somewhat because of good crops.

So because of increasing domestic and foreign demand, there are no more large surpluses in the United States. This has a sobering meaning for poorer countries. Stephen S. Rosenfeld, an editorial writer for the Washington Post, points out: “Its food surpluses exhausted and its priorities changing, the United States no longer can act as international good Samaritan.” An example of what this can mean is noted by Saturday Review/World:

“America’s surplus policy has changed drastically. During India’s famine of 1966-67, the United States dispatched enough wheat to feed more than 50 million people . . .

“But in 1973, during the Sahara drought, the United States found it could pack off only 156,000 tons of food, barely 1 percent of the earlier Indian shipments.”

What Experts Are Saying

The trend in the world food supply is causing deep concern everywhere. More and more observers are now saying the same thing in regard to the immediate future.

Washington Post writer Rosenfeld declares: “The world, including the United States, may be entering a period of indefinite, if not permanent, food shortages. Some experts envision hunger, malnutrition, and starvation on a scale never before contemplated.”

Director General of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization Dr. A. H. Boerma said last year: “The world food situation in 1973 is more difficult than at any time since the years immediately following the devastation during the Second World War.” And, because of the low reserves everywhere, Boerma warned: “There is little if any margin against the possibility of another widespread harvest failure, and the world has become dangerously dependent on current production.”

Norman Borlaug, winner of the Nobel Prize for his work in developing new types of wheat and rice (described as the “green revolution”), agrees. He said regarding 1973: “Only a handful of people are aware of just how close we were to having 50 to 60 million people die.”

A recent article in the New York Times carried this headline: “WORLD SEEN NEAR A FOOD DISASTER.” The article stated:

“Dr. John H. Knowles, president of the Rockefeller Foundation, said tonight that the world was coming close to the brink of a Malthusian disaster, with starvation and misery for millions . . .

“Among the 2-1/2 billion people living in the world’s less developed countries, Dr. Knowles said, 60 per cent [1-1/2 billion] are estimated to be malnourished, underdeveloped physically and poorly educated and 20 per cent [500 million] are believed to be starving at this moment.”

Population “Explosion”

One of the main reasons for such dire forecasts has to do with world population growth. It is “exploding.” And the largest growth is taking place in the very lands where food shortages already exist.

By 1975 there will be four billion people on earth. The net increase will then be about 80 million each year (it is now about 78 million each year for a population of 3.9 billion). Such increases each year are the equivalent of the entire population of Bangladesh. India alone adds some 13 million more mouths to feed annually.

What worries experts so much is that world population is increasing faster and faster. It took thousands of years for the world to reach a population of one billion, by about 1830. But it took only 100 years for the second billion, by 1930. Then it took only 30 years for the third billion, by 1960. However, it evidently is taking only 15 years for the fourth billion—in 1975!

Thus, agriculture expert Lester Brown says: “World wheat reserves in 1973 fell to their lowest level in 20 years. . . . In 1974, even with good to very good crops anticipated in most key countries, already depleted world grain reserves are expected to decline further.”

What makes the population problem even more “explosive” is that the growing billions are demanding a better diet. As more people increase their incomes, they want to eat better. In the United States, for example, the consumption of beef per person has doubled since 1950. Spanish consumers now eat twice as much meat as they did in 1960. In nation after nation, the story is the same.

The greater demand for meat, milk products and eggs puts a strain on all food resources. A person eating grains directly may consume about 400 pounds of them a year. But meat, milk and eggs added to the diet takes much larger amounts of grain to produce. To illustrate: Each American uses up about a ton of grain a year, but eats only 150 pounds of it directly in bread, pastries and cereals. The rest is consumed by the animals that produce the meat, milk products and eggs he eats during the year.

Thus, ‘rising expectations’ use up food grains much faster than population increase alone. It is a relatively new element that previously had not been much of a factor. But now, the “exploding” world population plus its demand for a better diet constitute a dramatic, new, twofold assault on available supplies.

Changing Weather

In recent years weather patterns have changed in many areas. Droughts in some places and floods in others, unexpectedly, have caused havoc with food production.

A severe drought has persisted in large parts of North Central Africa. In its seventh year now, the drought area embraces thousands of square miles along the southern part of the Sahara Desert. The nations most affected so far are Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Upper Volta, Niger and Chad. Also stricken are parts of Nigeria, Cameroon and Sudan.

In those areas, thousands of people have already died and millions more are now in danger. The bones of once-great herds, literally millions of animals, lie bleaching in the sun. What is happening is being called the greatest “natural” disaster in Africa’s history.

There is also a severe famine in Ethiopia. One estimate gives the death toll as being over 100,000. Entire villages reportedly have been wiped out by starvation and disease. And the famine continues to spread relentlessly.

The Soviet Union suffered adverse weather during 1972, including severe droughts. This caused a large drop in food production. The grain harvest, targeted at 195 million metric tons, came to only 168 million tons that year. This caused the Soviet Union to buy about two billion dollars’ worth of food in other countries, mainly the United States, Canada and Australia.

The effect of those Soviet purchases was felt all over the world. This huge, sudden demand on world grain supplies caused prices to soar. In the United States wheat prices skyrocketed. And world grain stocks were severely depleted.

Weather experts now say that a major drought is overdue in the United States. There has been a historical pattern of severe drought about once every twenty years. The last droughts were in the 1930’s and 1950’s, so more are expected in the 1970’s. Since the United States is the leading food exporter in the world, one bad crop there would have a calamitous effect on the food available to other nations.

More Problems

In addition to “exploding” populations, rising demands for a better diet, and shifting weather patterns, there are other problems that bode ill for poorer nations. One is the rising prices of all commodities, including oil. This price rise puts a tremendous strain on the ability of poor countries to buy food, fertilizer and farm machinery.

For example, the price of oil has quadrupled in recent times. This means that the hungry nations must divert a far greater portion of their limited income to pay for necessary oil products. In the case of India, U.S. News & World Report says:

“India’s oil bill, at precrisis levels of consumption and current prices, would take 80 per cent of India’s export earnings. Oil-fed fertilizer plants are in trouble. Fertilizer-fed ‘green revolution’ and the bumper crops India has enjoyed may now be ending. If so, 1975 may be India’s year of famine.”

Recent sharp price increases are a disaster for people in poorer nations. It makes the difference between eating, although poorly, and not eating at all. This is why, as the New York Times put it, World Bank president Robert McNamara has been “asserting with almost missionary zeal that the rich nations have not yet calculated the economic and human consequences of quadrupled oil prices or begun to grapple with the food and fertilizer shortages he foresees. . . . One or two more seasons of bad weather, he observes, and the human family will be enduring unimaginable disasters.”

Furthermore, the land now used for planting crops is diminishing as population increases. For instance, in 1944 there were 366 million acres planted in 16 major crops in the United States. But in 1974 that had dropped to 278 million acres. Why the huge decrease? The New York Times says:

“The decline in planted acreage since 1944, despite sharply higher farm prices, reflects steady conversion of croplands to housing, shopping centers, highways, airports and other nonagricultural uses, as well as livestock raising.”

Can the world’s oceans be looked to for more food in the form of fish products? That is not likely, say authorities. The world’s vastly expanded fishing fleets are taking so much fish from the oceans that the fish are barely able to reproduce their number. Some experts even say that “overfishing” is already a fact, resulting in less fish for the future.

All these reasons make the world food picture bleak indeed. Human society, as presently constructed, is simply unable to feed earth’s billions properly. Even those experts who had been optimistic about this matter a few years ago now feel that mass starvation seems inevitable. That is why an American government official predicted: “The food crisis of 1974 will look like a Sunday school picnic compared with the food crisis of 1975-1976.”

[Map on page 4]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

AFRICAN DROUGHT

MAURITANIA

SENEGAL

MALI

GAMBIA

UPPER VOLTA

TOGO

NIGER

NIGERIA

DAHOMEY

LIBYA

CHAD

CENTRAL AFRICAN REP.

CAMEROON

SUDAN

TERR. OF AFARS AND ISSAS

ETHIOPIA

SOMALIA

KENYA

The area shown in color represents the zone of severe drought that has spread in this part of Africa in recent years

[Picture on page 5]

KEY FACTORS IN WORLD FOOD SHORTAGE

“EXPLODING” POPULATION

RISING DEMAND FOR A BETTER DIET

SHIFTING WEATHER PATTERNS

LESS LAND USED FOR FARMING

HIGH COST OF PRODUCING FOOD

When a Hindu Becomes a Christian

By “Awake!” correspondent in India

THE street is lined with rows of pitiful beggars. It is a sight Purshotham Patel cannot help contrasting with the magnificence of the building he is about to enter. In the receptacle at the door he dips his finger. and puts it to his forehead. Inside, the somber darkness is relieved by the flickering lights that reveal the recessed images of the holy ones to be worshiped. Incense weighs heavy in the air. Holy music is in the background.

Patel moves to the images before which he wishes to worship. Some images have the form of women, others of men. There he prostrates himself alongside other worshipers. Patel earnestly petitions for the matters he has in mind, which, as usual, involve personal problems. He touches an image three times, returning the hand to his forehead and chest. Surely his faith and devotion are without question.

Do you wonder what the religious faith of Patel is? You may say he is obviously Catholic. But if you are a Hindu you may say that he is obviously a Hindu. Would it surprise you to hear that the above description fits either place of worship?

The worship of Catholics and Hindus in India is so similar that Hindus commonly say they are one and the same, just that the gods have different names. In fact, Patel commonly worshiped in both the Hindu temple and the Catholic church, as is the custom with many Hindus.

Similarities in Worship

The Hindu religion in India, with its over 400 million devotees, has wielded a strong influence on the 10 million professed Christians in the country. The churches claim to have “Indianized” their services, yet church members often say the services have been “Hinduized.”

Commenting on the introduction of Hindu rites in a Catholic church, the South Indian newspaper Malayala Manorama said: “Mass was conducted in the genuine model of Hindu pooja (worship). Hymns and songs in word and in tune were like that of the incantation of Hindus. The emblems used were the same as in Hindu temples.” Similarly, the Official daily newspaper of the Catholic Church in Kerala, Deepika, quoted a leading priest as saying: “We are still following the customs of Brahmins with timely changes.”

Hindus here carry their god through the streets in a procession accompanied by loud music and vigorous dancing, even as Catholics carry images of their saints. In some churches priests wear saffron robes and have long hair. At the main festival time for Hindus, called Diwali, lanterns and “stars” are widely used. Then, shortly thereafter, at Christmastime, these same decorative lights are used by professed Christians in their celebration.

“Christian” women mark their foreheads with a circle of red powder, “Kum Kum,” which is a Hindu caste identification. At the Shrine of Our Lady of Vailankanni in South India, Catholics who have made vows shave their hair and beards off, the same as Hindus who make a vow at their temple. Here, too, ear-boxing ceremonies and special rites are carried on for girls when they come of age. For marriage and other important events, the Hindu custom of consulting the horoscope is used to determine the auspicious time for the event.

It is these and many other similarities in worship that cause the Hindus to say to Jehovah’s witnesses when they call in their preaching work: “Our religions are all the same. You Christians call your god Jesus and we call the same god by other names.”

This is how Purshotham Patel felt. Although born a Hindu, he explained why he became a Catholic: “It was my desire to go to heaven. In the Hindu belief I could see that this could have taken an unknown period of time, but in the Catholic faith the priest told me that this could happen at the time of my death. So to become a Catholic was simply a short-cut to my objective of getting to heaven.” Yet his change of religion resulted in no corresponding change in his way of life. In fact, he said: “As a Catholic I felt more free for worldly living.”

Bible Truth Changes Lives

It is different, however, when a person becomes a true Christian. Real changes then take place in one’s life. This is illustrated by Latha, a devout thirty-year-old Hindu woman who lived near Ernakulam, Kerala.

Her devotion to the goddess Kali was so intense that there were times when she would be completely possessed. She would be informed nine days in advance when the goddess would take control of her. During the intervening time she would eat only fruit. Toward the end of this period she would eat some betel nut, immediately after which Kali would take control of her.

As Kali was a goddess of blood, Latha’s sisters would cut her legs until the blood flowed freely. The period of possession was for one hour, and during this time the sick were brought to her to be healed, including those mentally ill. She would also give correct information about things stolen. For eighteen years her superhuman abilities were the main support for her and her family, although she was also a well-known dancing tutor.

However, a study of the Bible was then started by Jehovah’s witnesses with one of Latha’s sisters. In time Latha joined the study and made good progress in gaining Bible knowledge. She came to see that it was not a god made of clay that possessed her, but really invisible wicked spirit forces.—Eph. 6:11, 12.

She threw away the stones around the neem tree in her garden, which were used in connection with the worship of Kali. Immediately the neem tree dried up, and neighbors knew that Kali had left her. An oppressive pressure was lifted from the entire family.

Latha stopped giving dancing instructions so as to devote more time to learning of the Bible promise of God’s approaching new order of righteousness. (2 Pet. 3:13) Now her income is derived from manufacturing ladles and spoons made from coconuts. She is grateful for having found the true God and the happiness that this has brought her.

Family Problems Corrected

Among those who have had unfortunate family situations corrected is V. T. Devasia of South India, and his Hindu companion Savitri. After a period of studying the Bible, they came to the point where they wished to dedicate their lives to Jehovah God. However, Devasia had previously been married to a Catholic woman, Mary. He had two children by her before abandoning her to live with Savitri, by whom he also fathered two children.

When the elders of the local congregation of Jehovah’s witnesses explained the Bible principle that a husband can properly have only one wife, Devasia decided to rejoin his wife Mary. This meant he would have to leave Savitri, even though she had now progressed with him in understanding the truth of God’s Word. Both Devasia and Savitri prayed earnestly to Jehovah for guidance.

In the meantime the elders contacted Mary to explain the situation. Her joy knew no bounds when she learned that she was to get back her beloved husband. This was something she never dreamed would happen, since neither the Catholic priest nor the police had proved of any help when her husband had abandoned her.

When Devasia and Savitri made their decision to separate, Savitri wrote to Mary. She explained that because she wanted to be one of Jehovah’s witnesses she was prepared to separate from Devasia willingly and wished to see him back with his legal wife. The time came for the separation. It was a time of deep emotion as both Mary and Savitri embraced in warm love.

A Bible study was arranged with Mary, who attends the meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses along with her husband and the children. One can well imagine the feelings of Savitri as she sees the man who was considered her husband sitting in the same hall with his legal wife. Bible truth can certainly build noble personalities and reunite broken families in the bond of love.

Change of Religion Difficult

Family pressures often make it hard for a Hindu to change his religion. This was true in the case of Y. N. Bushan of Bangalore. As a Hindu he understood that those who were considered wicked would go to a “hell” where they would suffer torments. These torments included being forced to walk on fire, being put into a vessel of boiling water, and having one’s body cut into two parts from top to bottom. But Bushan could not see how such physical torments could be suffered when the body had been cremated and returned to the dust.

Such confusing Hindu teachings caused Bushan to search for truth through Bible study. The simple, clear statements of the Bible made sense to him, resulting in his changing his form of worship, even though it meant the loss of favor of his relatives.—Eccl. 9:5, 10; John 5:28, 29.

This difficulty of breaking away from family religious traditions was also experienced by Veeramani Iyer. He was of a Brahmin (priestly) family and his wife’s father was a Brahmin priest. He said that his change to true Christianity caused his parents distress. “But,” he said, “I loved Bible principles even more than the pleasure of my kin.”

Abandoning Religious Customs

It is often particularly difficult to abandon popular religious customs. For example, married Hindu women wear around their necks a string necklace called a “thali.” This has considerable significance.

Since the word “thali” means “to bind,” this necklace, given at the time of marriage, becomes a visible sign that the wearer is married. To remove it could indicate that the woman is a bad type, or that the marriage is broken. However, the thali also has lines engraved on it to indicate which god the wearer worships. Thus the removing of the thali indicates that the wearer has thrown aside her god. This thali is also worn by some church members, but, instead of a symbol of a Hindu god, a cross is engraved on it.

Because of its religious significance, a decision has to be made by one who becomes a Christian as to whether she is going to continue wearing the thali. This is one reason why Jehovah’s witnesses endeavor to include the husband when a Bible study is conducted in a Hindu home. As a result, he will understand that his wife has no intention of breaking the marriage should she remove the thali upon learning its religious significance. Her removal of the thali simply indicates that she is now worshiping Jehovah and does not approve of idol worship.

Another religious custom that Christian women here abandon is the marking of their foreheads with a dot of colored powder, usually red, called the “Kum Kum.” Originally this was for caste identification, but today many modern Indian women wear it for decorative purposes. However, because of its association with the Hindu religion, Christian women prefer not to use it.

Maintaining Local Customs

At the same time, becoming one of Jehovah’s witnesses does not require persons to abandon customs of their land that are not in conflict with the Holy Bible. Most Christian women in India, in harmony with local custom, will not eat their meals with their husbands. Only after the husband has eaten will the wife eat. Also, when men enter the presence of women, the women cover their heads with their saris.

There are many other local customs that are often observed in Christian homes. For example, upon entering a home the householder and visitors will customarily remove their shoes and leave them at the door entrance. When eating, members of the family usually sit on the floor, using their fingers, but only those of the right hand, to eat. In some areas of India, such as in Tamil Nadu, there is much objection to the eating of beef. When people from this area become Christians, it is noticed that generally they continue to show a dislike for eating beef. The typical Indian greeting “Namastay,” made by holding the two hands in a prayerlike position, is also commonly used. Thus, with these and many other local customs, the Christian maintains his Indian identity.

A New Way of Life

While, in general appearance, it may not be noticed whether one is a Hindu or a true Christian, in the way he conducts his life it will be. This was found out by Purshotham Patel when he began to study the Bible regularly with his friend.

Patel soon learned that his worldly habits of gambling and getting drunk, which had been no barrier to his being either a Hindu or a Catholic, had no place in the worship of Jehovah God. This meant a new way of life for him, a new set of friends, but also progress toward a good relationship with the true God, Jehovah. Now his hope is not set on a Nirvana of nonexistence, but on living forever on this earth when it will soon return to paradise conditions in harmony with the loving purposes of Jehovah God.—Ps. 37:29; Rev. 21:3, 4.

Hindus are sensitive to “conversions.” They know that the churches in the past used force to convert Hindus to their faith. In recent times bribes of food, such as cheese, milk powder and similar items, have often been used to influence the poor and hungry to associate with the churches, and Hindus understandably object to this. However, a person who becomes one of Jehovah’s witnesses does so because of his own desire to worship the true God and not because of coercion or for selfish reasons.

Today, in many parts of India and in other parts of the world, Hindus are becoming Christian witnesses of the true God, Jehovah. This is often not easy, due to family and community opposition, but the pleasure of knowing and serving the Grand Creator, who promises everlasting life to his worshipers, is what motivates them.—John 17:3.

Your Amazing Circulatory System

I AM your blood, and I travel through some 100,000 miles of blood vessels from the top of your head to the tip of your toes. I am really a very special transportation system. In me are red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets carried around in a fluid called plasma. The average person contains about six quarts of my fluid.

Just relax for a few minutes as we take you on a tour. My red blood cells would like to tell you something about their role in your amazing circulatory system.

Red Blood Cells

Do you know what we red blood cells look like? Well, we are shaped much like a doughnut without the hole; we are very small disks with indentations on both sides. We are colored a faint pink by an iron-containing substance called “hemoglobin.” However, when we are joined together by the millions in a drop of blood, we look red. Now, we are not going to dwell on that. We know that some of you get uneasy when you see us, so we try to stay out of sight. But we are your friends.

We are made in a “factory,” as it were, called red marrow. In the bones of your arms, legs, and so forth, your marrow is very busy turning out new supplies of us red cells. Every day about eight and a half trillion of us are made; and a similar number are destroyed. Did you know that all of that was going on inside you?

Our life-span is not very long—only about four months. What happens when we come to the close of our life? Well, we end up either in the liver or in the spleen. Here special cells called phagocytes (meaning “cells that devour”) are waiting for us. They engulf the old red cells as they move by in the blood. Then inside the phagocytes we are broken up. But our remains are treated with respect. About 85 percent of the iron in the hemoglobin is kept in your body to use in the making of hemoglobin for the new red cells. So only the 15 percent of iron that is used up needs to be replaced. You do that by eating liver, oatmeal, eggs, spinach—a diet that includes iron-containing foods.

Our main purpose is to carry oxygen from your lungs to the cells of your body. As you may know, when we go to the lungs, we unload our carbon dioxide and get a fresh supply of oxygen.

Since the number of us in your blood is determined to an extent by your needs for oxygen, some persons have more of us than others do. For example, an athlete has more red blood cells than an office worker. And people who live at high altitudes have more of us than those who live at sea level. You may have heard the familiar expression, “Your blood thins when you become accustomed to warm weather.” Actually, as far as we are concerned, the opposite is true! For we increase in number during warm weather and we thin out in numbers during cold weather.

There is a peculiarity that we have. You really ought to know about it because it might save your life. You see, we grab up a poisonous gas called “carbon monoxide” even more quickly than we do oxygen. If you start your car in the garage before you open the door, we red cells load up with carbon monoxide. This is bad for you, because then we cannot carry oxygen. Furthermore, the hemoglobin does not let go of that poisonous gas easily. So it is a long time before we affected red cells can do good work for you again. In the meantime, your body cells are deprived of the oxygen they need. The result is dangerous. It is as if a large number of us were taken out of circulation! If too many of us are affected, that is the finish—for us and for you! So please be careful.

Our companions, the white blood cells, also have something to tell you.

White Blood Cells

First, let us say that we are not really white but colorless, so that to see us under a microscope you have to add a special dye. Even though there are five kinds of us white blood cells, there is only one of us to about every 700 or so of the red cells. Let us tell you how we differ from red blood cells.

To us white blood cells, our companions, the red cells, are like rafts on a river; they cannot choose where they want to travel. They just go whatever way the river flows. But we are different. We can move anywhere! We even have the amazing ability to change shape! Because of this some of us can actually squeeze through the tiny spaces between the cells of the capillaries and move about among the body cells.

Now our ability to travel where we want to go is very important for you. You see, we can rush to any spot in your body to aid you in destroying certain germs. Say you cut yourself; as soon as bacteria get into the wound, we gather our forces and a battle begins. You do not hear any noise; you may even sleep through it. But we are on the job to take care of you. Each one of us can engulf many of the bacteria. Though most of the time we win the battle, there are casualties on our side too. As the engulfed bacteria are broken up, bacterial toxins or poisonous wastes are released. These toxins kill some of us white cells. But then other white cells arrive to carry on the struggle.

Now a word from our smaller associates, the blood platelets.

Blood Platelets

We may not look very impressive; we are small and colorless, but we are important to you. You see, we aid in the clotting of your blood. Without us, you could bleed to death. Did you know that?

Just how blood clots is not completely understood by your medical scientists. We keep it as our secret. But we will tell you this: As blood starts to escape from a cut in your body, we platelets stick to the rough edges of the wound and begin to dissolve. At the same time we release a substance that aids in forming a trap for the escaping red and white blood cells. As this net or trap contracts, a firm clot is produced. The system really works.

All of us in the bloodstream have high regard for the heart, and we would like to have you hear from him too.

The Heart

Physically speaking, I am your master pump. I am located in the chest a little to the left side and between the lungs. My two auricles receive blood from the veins and my two ventricles force blood through the arteries. I am about the size of your fist, have strong muscular walls, and continually pump blood to all the cells of the body and back again. In a healthy person, I contract from sixty to eighty times a minute. Try to open and close your hand that fast. How long can you last? Remember, I do it for a lifetime, with no days, nights or weekends off.

Men have spent a lot of time studying me. They still have much to learn. But one of them did make this observation:

“The work the heart does during the day is about equal to the energy expended by a man in climbing to the top of a mountain 3,600 feet high. Assuming that the man weighs about 150 pounds, this would be equal to an amount of energy sufficient to lift 90 tons to a height of three feet. The work of the left side is greater than that of the right, since the former has to drive the blood all over the body, while the latter has only to force it to the lungs, which are near by. For this reason the muscle walls of the right ventricle are much thinner than that of the left ventricle.”—Elements of Biology.

Every time I beat, the blood is forced into the arteries in a wave that can be felt in the wrist or neck by placing your finger over an artery. This rhythmic wave, as you know, is called the pulse.

There is much, much more to be said, but that is enough for this time. While you are getting acquainted with us, the blood vessels would like to tell you about their role.

Blood Vessels

We are mainly three kinds: arteries, veins and capillaries. You might compare us to three sizes of pipes. In fact, your amazing circulatory system is much like the water supply system of a big city with its variety of pipes. How is that? Well, water in the reservoir has to be pushed a long way to the city. Pumps do the pushing. The city needs a big pipe through which the water can travel. The big pipe branches off into smaller ones. Each of these smaller pipes may provide water for one street. Then smaller pipes lead from the street pipe into the houses. In your circulatory system, your pump is, of course, your heart, and we blood vessels are the pipes.

We arteries carry blood AWAY from the heart. The aorta is like a main pipe in a water supply system, since it is the biggest of your arteries. Starting directly from the heart, the aorta branches into smaller arteries that enter every organ of your body. The walls of us arteries are much thicker than the walls of veins. Inside we are very smooth when we are in good health, so blood can flow through quickly. We have no small valves as the veins have. But they will tell you about that.

Before we veins tell you about our valves, you may want to know why we have valves in the first place. This is because blood has to get back to the heart, and we veins do not push it back, for we have very little muscle. So what pushes your blood back to the heart?

Well, it is not entirely pressure, because that pressure is largely gone by the time blood reaches us veins. In fact, the pressure in us is only one thirtieth of the pressure that is in the arteries. This explains, incidentally, why a cut artery bleeds more vigorously than a cut vein. Blood in us veins needs help, then, to push it along. The ordinary muscles of your body and arms and legs provide that help, the muscle action forcing the blood in us toward your heart.

‘Why doesn’t the blood just fall back again when the muscles relax,’ did you ask? That is where our valves come in. You see, our valves are unique in that they consist of a small fold of tissue that lies closely pressed against the walls when the blood flows toward the heart. However, we form cuplike pockets and fill with blood when backward pressure is exerted. Thus we keep the flow of blood going in the proper direction. We like to keep our valves in good shape, but sometimes they weaken to the point that they no longer keep the blood from backtracking. Doctors then call us “varicose veins.”

You probably have noticed that when you sit still in one place for a long time you become uncomfortable. We are involved. You see, the flow of blood through us veins has been slowed down. But when you move about a little, you feel better, because the movement of your body and leg muscles speeds up the flow of blood in us. Keep that in mind and help us out.

If you don’t mind, we arteries would like another word: After we extend into all parts of the body, we generally divide into capillaries, which come into close contact with all the cells of the body and supply them with dissolved oxygen and foods. Now, just a word from those capillaries.

We are quite small. How small? So small that the red blood cells (millions of which are in a single drop of blood) have to pass through us in single file. However, what we lack in size we make up in numbers—we are so many that if all of us in a man were stretched out in a single line, we would measure almost 60,000 miles! Because of our great numbers we can easily carry nourishment and oxygen to the tissues and readily remove the waste.

So you can see now what the general pattern of blood circulation is: From the heart, blood goes through the arteries, then usually spreads out to us tiny capillaries; next, it moves into the veins and travels back to the heart again. We have been doing this for people for thousands of years, but this basic fact of circulation of the blood is something that was discovered by your medical scientists only some 350 years ago.

All of us hope that this brief tour of your amazing circulatory system will help you to understand our individual roles and to appreciate the marvel of the human body, that it is, as the Holy Bible says, “wonderfully made.”—Ps. 139:14.

[Diagram on page 13]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

A. Red blood cells. B. White blood cells. C. Blood platelets.

New Building for Cultural Work in Mexico

By “Awake!” correspondent in Mexico

APRIL 19 and 20, 1974, were filled with excitement for Jehovah’s witnesses in Mexico. Those days were the occasion for inaugurating a new building as headquarters for the cultural work of the Witnesses in this country. It contains facilities for printing and shipping literature used in this work, and provides living accommodations for a staff of volunteer workers.

The new building, set in a valley dominated by two snow-capped mountains, is located about eleven miles from Mexico City. Work on it began on June 7, 1973, with excavation on the 64,907-square-foot piece of property, and it was completed in 317 days.

The three-story building is 16,146 square feet in size. Some 120 tons of cement were used, greatly strengthening it against damage during seismic movements. The ground floor includes the printing shop, a laundry, storage area for more than 1,500,000 books, and a Cultural Meeting Hall, beautifully decorated in Mexican colonial style. On the middle floor are found office space, a kitchen, a dining room that seats 120 persons, and 16 bedrooms. A library and 36 more bedrooms are on the top floor. The building can provide living quarters for up to 104 persons, with room for future expansion of the printing facilities. A solar heater on the roof provides hot water for the entire building.

There was a pressing need for a new headquarters building in Mexico. The number of Jehovah’s witnesses there has increased rapidly in recent years. For example, in November 1973 there were 61,106 Mexican Witnesses. By February 1974 this number had climbed to 65,553, an increase of 4,447 in just three months. The former building, acquired in 1938 and enlarged in 1945 and 1962, could not meet present demands for printing and shipping the literature published by Jehovah’s witnesses in Mexico. Also, government plans to build roads call for demolition of the former structure.

A most unusual feature of this building project was the number of people who volunteered to work on it; over 90 percent of the work was done without pay. Witnesses from all over the country, and even some foreign visitors, donated their time, energy and skills to put up the new building.

Among the 3,379 present at the dedication program were the Mexican headquarters staff, more than 250 of the volunteer workers, a number of overseers of the congregations in Mexico City, and many guests. To begin the program, the administrator of La Torre del Vigía de Mexico, A.C. (legal corporation for Jehovah’s witnesses in Mexico), spoke of the success of the cultural work done by the Witnesses there during the past thirty years. He noted that since 1946 they have taught 46,468 persons to read and write, and have helped thousands to give up an immoral way of life.

The highlight of the program was a talk by N. H. Knorr, president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. He pointed out that the new building will be used to help the people of Mexico to learn of God’s arrangements for blessing mankind. He stressed the need for all to cultivate appreciation for things God provides to aid them. “Many people,” said Knorr, “lack real appreciation for the things they receive. To them the expression ‘Thanks’ is nothing more than a formalism. This should not be the case with us. We must keep in mind that to ‘appreciate’ means to esteem something highly, to consider it of great value. Let us view everything we receive from Jehovah in that way.”

The program of April 19 was repeated the following day to enable the majority of those involved in the project to attend. When it was over, all went away refreshed and joyful at having shared in a truly beneficial work.

They Keep Dogs for Protection

“BEWARE of the Dog,” printed in a bright, glowing orange, was observed as the most prevalent sign in one part of New York city. It was followed by a more official-looking one: “This Property Is Protected by Guard Dogs.”

People can hardly be blamed for seeking protection, especially after repeatedly being mugged or burglarized. But are dogs the answer? Are they really an effective crime deterrent?

What Dog Keepers Say

Dog trainer Arthur J. Haggerty, who has had over seventy rented dogs on nightly duty at construction sites in New York, says: “Contractors have told us that petty thefts and vandalism start to decline as soon as they post a ‘Warning—This Area Patrolled by Attack Dog’ sign on the site. When a dog moves in, thieves just move on to easier pickings.”

Dogs have also proved valuable in protecting stores. “I was robbed eight times in four years,” said Martin Blauvelt, the owner of a small liquor store, as he fondled his huge German Shepherd. “But since I bought Hercules two years ago, nobody has had the nerve to try anything.”

In large department stores, specially trained attack dogs accompanied by a handler patrol floors at night. While thieves may be able to conceal themselves from human guards, it is not so easy to hide from a dog. During the past year, according to Emanuel J. Falcone, security director at Gimbels, more than eighteen persons were apprehended with the help of dogs in one of their New York stores.

Many home dwellers, too, now consider a dog vital for their protection. For example, a family man living in a high-crime area explained: “Ordinarily I wouldn’t keep a dog in the city, especially a large one. But every home in this building has been burglarized, except ours. Besides, I would be afraid to let my wife step outside alone without him.”

A young man interviewed while walking his fierce-looking shepherd near the Brooklyn Heights section of New York felt similarly. Twice he had been mugged in recent months, once being severely knifed. “It wouldn’t have happened,” he claimed, “if my dog had been with me. I rarely go out without him now.”

Even little dogs are valuable, says Diana Henley of the Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Of her own Chihuahuas, she noted: “They couldn’t do anyone much harm, but they are great at alerting me if anyone is outside.” She also keeps a black Labrador that has growled at and scared off would-be muggers that have stalked her while they were out walking.

Even in many small towns and rural areas dogs are now considered important to have. For example, a young man living in the country at Wallkill, New York, recently paid $1,400 for a professionally trained guard dog.

Instinctive Characteristic

Such examples could be repeated thousands of times over. It is estimated that over twenty-five million dogs are maintained by households in the United States. And dog trainer Tom Nova claims that by far the majority of them instinctively protect the home. In addition, he says, many thousands of trained guard dogs are kept specifically for protection.

Most dog owners probably have observed a protective instinct in their dogs. Regarding it, The New Dog Encyclopedia says:

“Once a dog has accepted a person or family as his master, he immediately develops a well-defined sense of proprietorship and is ready to defend them, their home and possessions against all intruders. This sense of guardianship is present in almost all dogs, regardless of the breed, although it naturally asserts itself more in bolder or more aggressive animals. This guardian trait [is] now recognized by science and canine authorities as a definite instinct.”

This protective instinct can be encouraged and developed to a high degree of efficiency. A dog can thus become a weapon more effective, in certain circumstances, than a loaded revolver. For this, however, special training is required. Yet a dog may provide fine protection without any such training.

Dogs Without Guard Training

Professional trainers tend to categorize dogs according to the protection they provide. For example, a so-called “image dog” is large and imposing, belonging to a breed with a reputation for aggressiveness, such as a German Shepherd. Yet the dog need not have any aggressive tendencies. He can be mild-tempered and good with children. Simply his looks are a deterrent to wrongdoers. Interestingly, a dark-colored dog is generally feared more than a light-colored one, and so makes a better “image dog.”

A “watchdog” is a housedog that will bark, which is usually his principal effectiveness. Yet he may instinctively show signs of aggression in the appropriate situation. He may even bite an intruder, but since he has had no real guard training, there is little guarantee he will. You might consider a large “image dog” the best watchdog, but even inoffensive-looking little poodles or Chihuahuas can also make good ones.

Dogs with Guard Training

Then there are dogs with various degrees of special guard training. Some may simply be obedience trained, and developed to the point where they jump to their owner’s protection on command, or upon provocation. But they have, only to a very limited extent, been taught to bite.

It is different with the fully trained “guard dog.” He is trained to fight, and the power of his bite is developed by practice to where it can break an arm or snap a collarbone. He learns to protect himself and his handler from knife, gun and club. Such a dog has been compared to a professional soldier who may feel more at home in battle than in civilian life.

The dog is trained on a leash. A handler holds him while an “aggressor” agitates him with increasing offensiveness—by shouts, menacing gestures, digging a rounded-end stick in the groin, and so forth. The “aggressor” may have a heavily padded arm sleeve for protection, or hold a burlap bag that the dog bites. The dog’s confidence is built up in these attacks for he always drives off the aggressor. He never loses. Thus he is taught to believe that he can subdue any opponent.

An elite guard dog is sometimes called an “attack dog.” Instead of just a few weeks or months of training, he may require a year or so. Such a dog can sell for $4,000 and more. He will not only protect his owner but attack a specified person on command. This dog is, in every sense of the word, a weapon.

Are Dogs with Guard Training Safe?

Theoretically they are, since they supposedly will attack only on command, or under real provocation. Thus experiences are told of guard dogs escaping and being befriended by passersby who took them home and noticed nothing unusual about them. Yet different experiences occur too. Last fall in New Jersey two such dogs kept to protect contracting equipment escaped and killed six-year-old Hubert Russell. When they lunged at police officers, they were shot.

Even owners may not be safe. Craig Iwig paid $1,200 to a well-known New York dog trainer for a German Shepherd to protect his TV repair shop. The dog worked well for about six months. But then one Sunday, while alone in his shop, Iwig stooped to pick up a tool. The dog sprang, hitting him in the side of the face, and raking his scalp with his teeth.

“Guns misfire, and so do guard dogs,” trainer Tom Nova observed. “Like humans, dogs, too, make mistakes. They misinterpret. Two youngsters may be roughhousing, and a guard dog may hit one of them. It happens. I’d never keep one at home.”

Many trainers feel similarly. They are very hesitant to sell a guard dog for home use; some simply refuse to sell one to families with children. As trainer Jack Healy explained: “Sooner or later they’ll tease the animal, and even the finest dog can hit a child, given the right provocation.”

A Protection Dog for You?

Police departments and persons owning or in charge of stores, construction companies, trucking concerns and other commercial establishments may well decide that professionally trained guard dogs are for them. But is such a dog for you?

You might ask yourself: Would I keep a loaded pistol? Would I have it around the house where children might play with it? If not, a trained guard dog is not for you! The risk, not to mention the high price of such a dog, simply is not worth it, except perhaps under the most extreme circumstances.

However, due to skyrocketing crime, you may decide to keep a watchdog, or so-called “image dog.” But first count the cost. A New York city owner of a 75-pound German Shepherd recently calculated his weekly feed bill at $3.40. That is over $175.00 a year! Then there is the cost of collars, chains, license and perhaps veterinarian fees. And remember, a dog kept in an apartment needs to be walked outdoors at least once or twice a day.

Dogs can be wonderful pets and companions. How sad it is that world conditions are so bad that they have been trained to attack people! Happily, the promise of God’s Word is that soon, under His righteous Kingdom rule, all mankind will enjoy true security, with no need to keep dogs for protection.—Isa. 11:6-9.

Delicious Drinks from Unlikely Ingredients

By “Awake!” correspondent in Guyana

WHEN food is in abundance, waste is common. But when prices are high or supplies are short, some housewives learn to be resourceful. In Guyana many women do not even throw away the peel of the potato. They use the skins of potato, pineapple, plantain and other items to make beverages. Seeds of fruits such as papaw are also used to produce delicious drinks.

These beverages are very easy to make, and are nonalcoholic. Their widespread use in Guyana springs from the fact that an almost endless variety can be produced. They are served as thirst quenchers and refreshers, particularly on a warm day. Their tastes are quite varied and each one has its own characteristics.

Are flavorings used at all? Yes. Cinnamon and clove, among others, may be added to improve taste. Experience has shown that only very small quantities of these flavorings are needed.

Developing the art of making these drinks is largely a matter of trial and error. How so? The housewife merely sets peels or skins in some water, and after a few days she adds some sugar. Should it taste good, she experiments with it further.

After a Guyanese housewife finds good recipes, according to taste, color and length of time involved in preparation, she may pass on the information to others. Repeated experiments with respect to different fruits lead to a long list of homemade drinks of various blends, colors and tastes. So fruits formerly picked only for eating are, in addition, processed for producing beverages.

For the potato beverage the ingredients used are skin or peel of 4 to 6 potatoes, 1/2 gallon of water, clove and sugar. These are mixed together and left for three days before straining.

A particularly delicious drink is the one made from the pineapple peel. It is simple to prepare. Ingredients: (1) peel of one pineapple; (2) 4 glasses of boiling water; (3) sugar to taste and two cloves; (4) a piece of dried orange peel, if desired. Method: The peelings, cloves and orange peel are put in a jug, and boiling water is added. It is covered and left for twenty-four hours, after which the mixture is strained and sweetened. It should be used at once or bottled and kept for one or two days. When pineapples are plentiful, some of the pulp may be chopped and used with the peel.

A similar method may be adopted in using the pods of green peas and the skins or peels of guava and plantain. The green-pea beverage has the following ingredients: (1) 4 handfuls of green-pea pods; (2) 4 pints of water; (3) sugar to taste and a few cloves; (4) 1 level teaspoon of cinnamon; (5) 1 piece of dried orange peel; (6) a few drops of almond or pineapple essence. Method: Wash green-pea pods, place in a jar and add the water, sugar, spice and cloves, and dried orange peel. Leave it for three days. Strain and add the essence and ice, then serve.

A delicious papaw drink is made out of these ingredients: (1) Seeds taken from a yellow papaw; (2) 3 pints of water or more; (3) sugar to taste and a few cloves. Method: Put ingredients into a covered bottle and leave it for three days. Strain and serve with ice. Use a similar method for mango beverage.

There are obviously advantages from converting these apparent waste products to active, useful ingredients for beverages. For one thing, waste is conserved and money is thus saved. Production is inexpensive and almost labor free. There is the additional satisfaction the industrious housewife enjoys in developing her skill. Slight variation in processing can lead to a blend of different tastes and colors. Peels and seeds may seem to be unlikely ingredients, but they can produce delicious drinks.

Some of Their Happiest Memories

CHILDHOOD is a happy time for most youngsters. It is a time in life when they are usually free from responsibility and worry. They are usually cheerful, brimming with energy and curiosity. But there generalizations end. For with each child the time when he is happiest and the reason for his happiness are as varied as are his circumstances.

For instance, one young man recalls regarding his sixth year of life: “I was the only child and one of my friends had a little sister. After playing with me he could go home and play with his sister. But I had no one to play with. I wanted a sister so badly. Well, when my parents told me we would be having a baby soon, I just knew it was going to be a girl. And I can’t express the happiness I felt when my sister was born. It was what I really wanted and it made me very happy.”

With Other Children and Alone

Most children enjoy playing and being with other children. One young woman remembers: “My happiness as a child was centered on playing outside. We had so much fun. In the winter, we looked forward to the snow. We’d get out the sleds for racing downhill; we’d make snowmen and throw snowballs. Our parents understood this, for if we did something bad, we had to stay indoors. In other seasons, we skipped rope, played jacks, hopscotch, went on treasure hunts, and if it rained, we played house and school inside with our dolls. Those were really happy times!”

Not all children are the same, of course. One may be the only child in a family, not used to having playmates, or he may be one of a large family and like to get away from others to do things on his own. He may be happiest when he can spend quiet periods alone. Here is how a nine-year-old boy, an only child, expressed himself:

“I love to read. First of all, because if we couldn’t read, we couldn’t read the Bible and we wouldn’t know God’s will. So reading is important. But I like reading because it’s quiet. When I read about real-life experiences of other people, I feel like I’m with them. Of course, I like it when Mom, Dad and I go to the beach or up in the mountains. But when I’m alone, I like reading very much.”

Is that true of your children? Have they discovered the joys of serious reading, and the vast world it can unfold to them? Or are they allowed to sit for hours watching television, where all their thinking is done for them, or, worse yet, where violent trends are allowed to develop in their young and impressionable minds?

Pretending, and Developing Talents

Motion pictures have been another source of pleasure for many children. Since they like to pretend, films have provided a means of escape into the world of make-believe. As one woman, who was an only child, expressed it:

“When I was young, I used to go to the movies often and pretend I was the star, mentally doing all the things she had done in the movies. Of course, it wasn’t too long before I was back to myself again. But, at the time, it was fun pretending to be somebody else.” Unfortunately, the current trends in movies provide little that is wholesome for young minds to dwell on or to pattern their lives after.

But, regardless of the trends, the pursuit of natural talents can bring a child much happiness. An eight-year-old girl, who loves to draw, finds pleasure in giving her pictures to others. She exclaimed: “I drew a picture of my mommy and gave it to her. It made me so happy to see her put it in her room. Now, every time I go into her room, I see my picture.” Her face reflected the delight she had.

Encouraging your children to pursue whatever talent they may have can prepare them to serve others and give of themselves later in life.

Time Spent with Parents

Although children like to be with other children, they also want to be with their parents. A parent has but to stop and look down at a young child to appreciate this. He is greeted with a broad grin, as if the child were saying: “I love you. I want to be with you. You make me happy.”

…

Refine Search

Index Downloading...

Awake!, July 22, 1974