Third World Power—the distressing outcome of her presumptuousness against God.

This should serve as a warning to all persons who claim to be servants of God to be very careful about following their leaders in any presumptuous course of action and relying on the words of men and their traditions, which are contrary to God’s Word or which express or indicate disbelief in it. It should also make us realize the suicidal course that it is to place reliance in the boasts of men, be they philosophers, scientists or clergymen, as to what man will be able to do to preserve this present-day wicked system of things, which is ruled over by the great false religious empire Babylon the Great. We appreciate the point made by the wise writer of Proverbs:

“Has presumptuousness come? Then dishonor will come; but wisdom is with the modest ones.”—Prov. 11:2.

Putting Kingdom Interests First

As told by Helene Hartstang

BORN in 1902 in Dresden, Germany, I was one of four children reared by God-fearing parents and taken regularly to meetings of Jehovah’s witnesses, then known as Bible Students. I can recall the excitement in 1912 over the visit to our city of the first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Charles T. Russell, when he addressed a large crowd. Having received good home training in Bible knowledge and appreciation of the Creator, I decided at the age of fifteen to dedicate my life to Jehovah God, symbolizing that dedication by submitting to immersion in water.

In September 1932, with confidence that Jehovah’s strength would make up for my own lack, I left the pleasant atmosphere of home and embarked on a career of full-time service of the Kingdom interests. I was assigned with a group of missionaries to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. When caring for this assignment, we went to preach in the Catholic village of Volendam, and placed so much literature on the first day that we ran out of supplies. Next day we returned with high hopes. Very soon I was approached by an inspector who asked if I was carrying printed matter in my bag. I answered him “Yes,” speaking in English, something I had never done before, and he let me go ahead. When I finished work and located the others at the edge of the village I learned that they had been driven out at knife-point and had been worrying over my whereabouts.

MY LIFE COMPANION

In 1934 I became a member of the branch office staff of the Watch Tower Society there in Amsterdam. As Helene Micklich I had often longed for a good companion who would be willing to share his life with me, one who, like myself, would always want to put Kingdom interests first. Imagine my great joy when Fritz Hartstang chose me as his wife. At