From Our Readers

Herpes

I read your article about herpes (September 8, 1984) and am wondering why you did not bring out that herpes doesn’t only afflict people who are immoral. I had to take a herpes test prior to an operation, and though I’ve never had illicit sex relations, the test was positive.

C. D., Michigan

Yes, one can contract genital herpes without being immoral. This point was confirmed in footnotes in our articles mentioned above, on pages 4 and 7. But genital herpes is generally transmitted by sexual contact, and it is believed that the widespread increase of this disease has been due to the great increase of sexual promiscuity in recent years.​—ED.

Experience in Dachau

I was shocked by the article “From Death to Life in Dachau.” (February 8, 1985) Please screen out explicit sexual, torture-type items (last paragraph on page 17) and do not go this far again.

K. F., California

We agree that we should not publish any sexually explicit material in our magazine. However, we do not consider the last paragraph on page 17 to be sexually explicit. Admittedly, the paragraph has impact, but it leads up to a strong teaching point in the following paragraph. If that young girl could survive the experience, we can surely survive the account of it. The Bible is far more explicit in certain situations.​—ED.

I felt a great many emotions as I read: sympathy, anger, happiness. When I read about the inhumanities that she watched her mother suffer, I cried. Her story was strengthening to me. I am very happy at the outcome of this experience, so glad that she now has such a wonderful future to look forward to. Her example in attitude is certainly one worthy of imitation. Thank you for printing such a wonderful article.

J. F., Illinois

Electricity

I enjoyed your article on electricity (February 22, 1985), but shouldn’t the description and illustration on page 27 have explained that it makes a difference which way the power wires are connected? Connecting them backward could cause some problems.

C. P., Florida

It was not intended to go into such detail. Color was put on the one wire only to distinguish it from the other wire in the knot, but it could be misleading. To conform to the U.S. National Electrical code for this type of three-wire plug, the neutral wire, which is white, should be connected to the flat blade shown on the right in this illustration. This blade will be marked “white” or have a silver- or light-colored screw. The black or dark-colored wire should be connected to the other flat blade. Only the green or green-and-yellow-striped ground wire should be connected to the round ground pin shown to the front. This ensures the greatest safety. Other countries also have standard practices for connector wiring, which should likewise be followed.​—ED.