Golden Age

A JOURNAL OF FACT HOPE AND COURAGE

in this issue

INDICTMENT FOR CONSPIRACY

A reprint, by request, of a portion of the startling revelations published in No. 27 of The Golden Age.

FINAL appeal to the league

FLECKS OF FOAM

ON THE FIRING LINE IN INDIA
THE GREAT PROPHET

Full text of an address by Judge Rutherford, broadcast in WATCHTOWER national chain program

every other WEDNESDAY

'five cents a copy one dollar a year Canada & Foreign 1.25

'Vol. XII - No. 293

December 10, 1930

LABOR AND ECONOMICS America’s Annual Crime Bill .178 Poland 20-percent Workless . .179 Cotton Pickers Must Go . . .179 Bad Conditions in Germany . .179 The Crisis in Britain .... 180 Let Adult Workers Replace

Children

The Unemployed Outside

Sacramento

FINANCE—COMMERCE—TRANSPORTATION

Soviet Wheat in England , .178

Russian Grain Brings Prices

Down

Russian Invasion of Finnish

Markets

"Washingtonians Prefer Taxis . 179 The Telephone Gold Mine . . . 180 Colorado’s Shale Oil Fields . . 181

Golden Age Number

Twenty-Seven ..... 163

Indictment for Conspiracy , . 164

Not 100 Percent Anyway , . . 177

Flecks of Foam . . . . . .178

No Skyscrapers in London . .178

The Baby Bandits of Salinas . .179

Few Deserving Beggars . . . 180

Ludendorff’s Gloomy Predictions . 180

Wine Campaign in Italy . . . 180

Safety in Motor Traffic . . . 181

Judge Smathers on Prohibition , 191

SCIENCE AND INVENTION

New Power Scheme a Success . 185

HOME AND HEALTH

Guiltless of 71 Murders . . . 180

TRAVEL AND MISCELLANY

Abyssinia’s Big Dam . . . .178

The Unspoiled Guaharibos . . 180

On the Firing Line in India , . 182

MANUFACTURING AND MINING

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

328.000 Oil Wells in United States 178

The Great Prophet^- ..... 186

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(The Golden Age

Volume XII                      Brooklyn, N. Y., Wednesday, December 10, 1930                     Number 293

Golden Age Number Twenty-Seven

THE International Bible Students are what their name implies. They are students of the Scriptures, and fortunate in the fact that they are living in the great and wonderful day of the Lord when these long-hidden and little-understood messages of wisdom are being opened by the same hand that wrote them, Jehovah God.

Bible Students do not claim that they have not learned anything in twelve years. They claim to the contrary: that they never learned so much in so short a space of time as during those precious twelve years. But that does not mean that they are ashamed of their efforts to understand the Word of God prior to that time. Far from it.

It is now about thirteen years since the death of Pastor C. T. Russell, a man who walked with God according to the measure of light given to him. Many Bible Students, while he lived, no doubt had too exalted an opinion of his understanding of the Scriptures; but that was because he helped them, in his day, as none had helped them theretofore, in seeing that our God is truly worthy of all praise. .

After his death a compilation of his studies on Revelation was published under the name of The Finished Mystery. That work is out of print, having been superseded by a far better explanation of Revelation, namely, Light, Books One and Two, of which mention was made in these columns recently.                  •

But, at the time it appeared, the Bible Students had every right that anybody could have to set forth their understanding of a passage of Scripture, a right guaranteed to them in the Bible itself and in the Constitution of the United States.

One of the passages of which an attempted explanation was made seemed at the time to call for a denunciation of militarism, and such a denunciation was made, being largely composed of extracts from the pen of Pastor C. T. Russell and other well known writers.

Eager to justify the payment of their salaries, the clergy, first of Canada and then of the United States and other warring countries, followed by hosts of government officials whose interest had been stirred up by them, commenced a persecution of the Bible Students for the publication, in a Bible commentary, of these seven pages against militarism.

The result was that Judge Rutherford, then and now president of the International Bible Students Association, and seven of his comrades and associates, were sent to Atlanta Penitentiary under four sentences of twenty years each for doing what they had every right to do.

That they had no adequate trial is proven by the fact that the presiding judge showed his bias one hundred and twenty-five times in his eagerness to get these Christian men behind bars. He succeeded for a time, but after nine months the Lord opened the prison doors and they came forth free men and resumed their work of witnessing for God.

About a year after they emerged from prison The Golden Age had the great privilege of laying before the American people a true picture of the conditions that prevailed in America at the time these men were indicted, tried and imprisoned. It is a record to make every American hang his head for shame. It was published in Golden Age Number 27, September 29, 1920.

In recent years -we have had so many requests for copies of this number, now long since out of print, that we have concluded to reprint in this issue a small portion of its contents. What appears following constitutes one-third of the issue of which, at the time, four million copies were printed and circulated. The article is from the pen of Judge Rutherford:

Indictment for Conspiracy

CONSPIRACY is an agreement between two or more persons or classes to do a wrongful act. A conspiracy may be established by an express agreement or may be inferred from the acts or conduct of the parties working for the accomplishment of one general purpose. The clergy as a class openly claim to be the Lord’s representatives on earth; therefore the allying of themselves with worldly classes or organizations to accomplish a purpose contrary to the Lord’s command would bring upon them the special indignation of the Lord, which would necessarily involve those allied with them.

Jehovah, through His holy prophets, laid an indictment against the unfaithful leaders and rulers of Israel, which indictment is also laid, according to the rules of prophetic application, against the clergy and allies of the present time. The charge in this divine indictment is, briefly, unfaithfulness to the Lord. Stated in prophetic phrase, the formal part of the indictment reads: “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my [professed] people have committed two evils: (1) they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters [source of life and truth], and (2) hewed them out cisterns [man-made systems and creeds], broken cisterns, that can hold no water [really contain no life-giving truth].”—Jer. 2:12, 13.

A conspiracy is formed amongst the men of antitypical Judah and Jerusalem, namely, the hypocritical and unfaithful clergy. Catholic and Protestant, and their suborganizations, Knights of Columbus, Y. M. C. A., etc., together with the financial giants and professional politicians, to establish a system on earth for the control of mankind, and against the anointed of the Lord, the “seed of promise”, and against the common people and to deceive the people by setting up a counterfeit of Messiah’s kingdom. To accomplish this wrongful purpose “they [have gone] after other gods to serve them”, to wit, gods of power, wealth and fame.—Jer. 11:9,10; 18:18.

Overt Acts

In furtherance of such conspiracy the clergy in particular and their subordinate organizations and allies have committed the following overt acts, to wit:

• (1) They have forsaken the Word of God, formulated and taught doctrines and creeds of their own, and set up other idols which they worship;

• (2) The ecclesiastical systems, under the leadership of a disloyal clergy, have committed fornication with the powers of state, political and financial; and

• (3) Posing as the representatives of the “Prince of Peace” a disloyal clergy have openly advised, encouraged and advocated deeds of violence and “in [their] skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents” (Jer. 2: 34);

• (4) They have resorted to lying, fraud and deceit, thereby leading the people into paths of error, and destroyed their faith in God and His Word (Jer. 12:10, 11; 14:13, 14; 5:26-31; 8:9-11; 9:8, 9);

• (5) They have scattered the flock of God, the true Christians, and suffered them to starve;

• (6) Hating the light that exposes them and their disloyalty to God, they have persecuted the light-bearers (Matt. 5:14), and by and through their wicked spy system they have sought out, arrested, persecuted, imprisoned, and killed the loyal servants of the Lord; '

• (7) Although divinely commissioned to teach the people concerning Messiah’s coming kingdom as the only channel and means of lasting peace, righteousness, liberty, life and happiness, they have, contrary to this command, advocated and endorsed the formation of an earthly “league of nations” and hail it as the savior, deliverer and blosser of mankind; all of which is a pollution of the office assumed by them and contrary to and against the peace and dignity of Jehovah and His Word.              ’

The Proof

It is but necessary to call attention to the well known and indisputable facts that have developed in recent years to establish beyond question the truthfulness of every overt act charged in the indictment. We consider the main charge of the indictment and the overt acts in the order named.

(1) The forsaking of the Word of God and the establishment of man-made creeds instead:

Nineteen centuries ago Jehovah began the development of the “seed of promise”, Jesus the Head and the church, His body, Jesus referred to the members of His body as “branches of the true vine’. (John 15:1, 2) The church began its development in purity of practice and in action, Of it Jehovah said: “I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine [vine of the earth] unto me?”—Jer. 2 : 21; Rev. 14:19.

Jehovah gave to the church nominal, particularly its leaders, the greatest commission ever held by any earthly creature, viz.: To preach the glad tidings of great joy of Christ’s coming kingdom through which all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Isa. 61:1-3; Luke 9:60; 1 Cor. 1:21; 9:16) What a wonderful . and blessed opportunity to carry to a sad and sin-cursed world the very message of comfort all needed! To deviate from that message or to teach instead man-made doctrines amounts not only to a falling away but to positive disloyalty to the Lord. Christians are plainly told: “Love not the world [honor, plaudits, and the things that the world can confer], neither the things in the world.” “Be not conformed to this world,” but “keep [yourselves] unspotted from the world”.—1 John 2:15; Rom. 12: 2; Jas. 1: 27.

The early church grew rapidly and at first there was no distinction between the members, such as clergy and laity. The early history of the church nominal is full of beautiful stories of self-sacrifice and loving service. But Satan was active in planting ‘his seed’ among the loyal ones; prosperity and wealth came, and with them came men ambitious to be leaders—‘lovers of the world’. Office seekers crept in, obtained control, and soon substituted formalism for simplicity of worship. Theological contentions took possession of the church organization, and the religion of Jesus Christ became a political society. The church nominal surrendered to the emperor of Rome, Constantine, who, notwithstanding he put to death his own sister, his son. and his -wife, was fawned upon by the ambitious clergy and ivas chosen as the champion of the church. Christ and Him crucified then became and still is a reproach to the self-seeking ones. The state became so-called “Christian” and the church became imperialistic. True Christianity in its organization was supplanted by politicians and bishops, and the divinely given commission was cast aside. The selfish, ambitious clergy paganized and imperialized the religion of Jesus, and their disloyal course caused vast numbers to accept the new nominal Christianity, and thus true Christianity was turned into a political religion. The clergy loved the honors of the world and still love them and despise the selfsacrificing position of the one avIio faithfully performs his God-given commission. With the edict of Justinian came the parting of the ways between the true church of Christ and the church nominal, between Christianity and churchianity, and they have never met again. From then till now the true Christian has been ruthlessly persecuted by the church nominal.

The clergy took away the Bible and forbade the common people to read it and enacted laws making the possession of the Bible by a layman a criminal offense. From Arius till now some of the true followers of Jesus have dared hold aloft the banner of truth and thereby subjected themselves to wicked persecution. Time came when there w-as a great Protestant reformation, but alas, today the so-called “Protestant” church is a system without the protest. The God-dishonoring doctrine of eternal torment, originated by Satan and first taught by the Papacy, is eagerly taken up. and proclaimed to the people by many Protestant clergy who know they are teaching a falsehood, a defamation of God and His Word. In all the theological colleges the doctrines of higher criticism and evolution are substituted for the message of the Lord, His sacrifice and His kingdom. Instead of keeping themselves unspotted and separate from the world the larger percentage of the clergy, Catholic and Protestant, seek an alliance with the professional politicians and the financial giants who can confer wealth and honor upon them. Instead of humbly seiwing and worshiping God, they serve the worldly-minded, and set up idols of gold, earthly power, and influence, which they freely worship. The proof of the first overt act charged in the indictment is common knowledge and fully apparent to all.

Second: Spiritual fornication, the second overt act charged, means illicit relationship between the church and Satan’s organization.

The clergy claim for themselves the divine right to interpret the Bible and they interpret it to suit their own selfish passions. In modem times they have adopted worldly methods in their work. Organizations such as the Knights of Columbus, Y. M. C. A., etc., are the children or offspring of the church systems. They use the Bible in a distorted attempt to show the propriety of controlling the political affairs of this world through the church and their offspring organizations. They run after the political lords and professional politicians and brazenly offer the church systems as an added means to control the people. The church system’s methods are so very brazen in her attempt to ally herself with unholy earthly interests that the Lord says to her: “Thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.” (Jer. 3:3) And so abominable is the conduct of the church system, her clergy and her children in seeking the companionship of the professional politician and the financial powers that the Lord likens her to a certain wild beast who at the time of her regular heat seeks beastly gratification from anyone who will accommodate her, saying to her, “How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? See thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways; a wild ass used to the wilderness, that snuffeth up the wind at her pleasure; in her occasion who can turn her away? all they that seek her will not weary themselves [to locate her]; in her month they shall find her.”— Jer. 2: 23, 24.

Third: The third overt act charged is that of responsibility for the great wars that have afflicted the peoples of earth, and particularly the World War, which began in 1914, at the end of the Gentile times. And for this cause the Lord says to them: “In thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I [Jehovah] have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.”—Jer. 2: 34.

Whether or not it is right for a nation to engage in war need not be here considered. The sole question here is, What is the proper position for the church to take. From God’s viewpoint the church must stand for things spiritual, as distinguished from worldly governments. The commission to the followers of Jesus nowhere commands them to go to war, but exactly the contrary course is prescribed. Jesus said: “My kingdom is not of this world: . . . [if it were] then would my servants fight.” 'When the mob assaulted Him He said He could call for twelve legions of angels to fight His battle, but He declined to resort to force. He even forbade His disciples to use weapons of defense. The church is His body, the members of which are called to follow in His footsteps. (1 Pet. 2: 21) If worldly nations want to fight, that is their business. The followers of Jesus, to be faithful, must obey His expressed will and refrain from shedding blood.—2 Cor. 10: 3, 4.

But the majority of the clergy have abandoned the will of the Lord and set up their own will, which they do. It is the clergy who taught the kings to believe that they have ruled by divine right. From their teaching came the axiom, “The king can do no wrong”; this upon the theory that the king (political governing factor) represents the Lord on earth, and since God can do no wrong, neither can the king, ‘ruling by divine right,’ do wrong. But rulers have convinced themselves that to make war upon a neighboring nation is justifiable, because the clergy have so held and taught. Had the professed Christian clergy taught the people the truth, and had the people received it, there would have been no wars between Christian nations nor wars of Christian nations against other nations. The truth would have turned the people away from an evil course and saved them from the horrors of war. The preachers have preached war contrary to God’s Word, as He says: “I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in my counsel [Word], and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.” (Jer. 23:21, 22) Hence the responsibility of the clergy for “the blood of the poor innocents”; and G-od will require at their hands a fearful accounting, unless they speedily avail themselves of the divine remedy.

Fourth: The clergy have forsaken God in this, that they have resorted to lies, fraud and deceit to build their own systems, and thereby led the people into error and away from God. For centuries they have maintained their organizations by imposing upon the people the false doctrines of eternal torture, purgatory, masses for the dead, etc., and thereby induced many honest people to support them morally and to contribute large sums of money for their upkeep. They have taken the position that all who are saved must go to heaven and that such must unite with one of their church systems in order to secure a passport to heaven; whereas, on the contrary, God’s Word shows (and they should have told the people this) that the mass of mankind 'will be saved on earth and restored to perfect manhood during Messiah’s reign. Since the great war the clergy are saying, “We must have some new religion; the soldier will not stand for the old,” some new stories by which to deceive the people and hold them in bondage.

The people greatly desire peace, liberty and life in happiness, all of which blessings the Bible teaches are coming to man during the millennial reign of Christ. The clergy scoff at these truths, deny the millennial reign of the Messiah, and resort to fraud and deceit in order to keep the people in subjection and to feed fat their own selfish desires; hence God says to them:

“For among my people are found wicked men: they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine; yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked; they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge. Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this? A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land; the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my [professed church] people love to have it so; and what will ye do in the end thereof T’—Jer. 5: 26-31.

Many of the clergy class have claimed to have power to forgive sins, and use this fraudulent and deceitful means to extract money from the pockets of the people. They have claimed' to be the friends of the common people, whereas they deceive and defraud the people. lienee God says of those unfaithful stewards: “rind they will deceive every one his neighbour, and will not speak the truth.; they have taught their tongue to speak lies, and weary themselves to commit iniquity. Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. Their tongue is as an arrow shot out; it speaketh deceit; one speaketh peaceably to his neighbour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait. Shall I not visit them for these things? saith the Lord: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this [a nation forming an alliance with such unfaithful stewards] ? Then the Lord said unto me, The prophets [preachers] prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy [speak] unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.” —Jer. 9:5, 6, 8, 9; 14:14.

Fifth: That the clergy, pastors, priests, etc.,

have scattered the flock of God, and left them to starve and die. The Scriptures refer to the followers of Jesus as “the flock of God”. The positive command given the elders and leaders (who became clergymen) was, “'Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking'the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly, not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but beingexamples to the flock.” (1 Pet. 5: 2, 3) The only food that would sustain the true followers of Jesus is the pure Word of Truth, the Bible. The clergy failed to teach the people the Bible truths which satisfy the hungry soul, namely, the ransom, resurrection and restitution blessings which will be extended to all people during the reign of Christ, now beginning. And when any of “the flock” sought and found the truth the clergy have scolded, threatened and persecuted them and scattered the Lord’s sheep among the ravenous beasts of the earth, and have destroyed the. faith of many thousands. When some of the humble followers of the Master brought forth the pure message of truth, exposing the error, this unfaithful clergy class caused the suppression of that truth and the prosecution and imprisonment of the humble teachers of the people, and for which denunciation is pronounced upon them by Jehovah.— Ezek. 34:1-8.          *

“Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel against the pastors that feed my people: Ye have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them; behold, I will visit, upon you the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the [preachers], Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem [interchurchianity] is profaneness gone forth into all the land.”—Jer. 23:1, 2, 15.

Sixth: In forsaking the Lord and following the evil tendencies of their own hearts the unfaithful clergy, and assistants, have committed the overt act of hating and wilfully spying out and persecuting the true and humble followers of Christ Jesus.

God foreshadowed and illustrated this in the life experiences of Esau and Jacob. Although heir to the Abra.ham.ic promise Esau, because of his love for fleshly gratification and earthly pleasure, sold his birthright for a mess of savory meat, and then persecuted Jacob because the latter made effort to avail himself of the prize he had justly bought. Esau pictured .the class of “Christian” people, laymen and clergy, who have loved the pleasures of the world, honor and preferment of men, and despised the promises of God concerning His kingdom blessings. Jacob pictured the humble and faithful Christians who purchased the heavenly birthright by selling their all in full consecration to the Lord. The Esau class, faithless ones, have persecuted the Jacob class, faithful ones, who preferred to suffer persecution and death, remaining faithful to God rather than yield to the spirit of the world and lose the promised prize. The very faithfulness of the Jacob class has been a rebuke to that class who have desired to use the Christian religion as a camouflage to hide their evil and selfish course. Of the true Christians Jesus said: “Ye are the light of the world.” The selfish, faithless clergy have hated this light. The true Christian progresses in the knowledge of God's purposes. “The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day.” Every progressive step of the true follower of Jesus has met with vigorous persecution at the hands of the clergy class.

Chureh-State Destroys Religious Liberty

The Catholic hierarchy and the Protestant nominal church systems have created societies, such as the Knights of Columbus, Y. M. C. A., Intercliurch World Movement, etc., to aid in their work, and these have rendered valuable aid to their parents. It has been another means to cement firmly the “unholy trinity”. Their members are active in politics and fill important offices in every branch of the government. They respond readily to the wishes of a parent clergy. These members of the antitypical Esau class have hated and maliciously slandered Pastor Bussell, the friend of the people, and his zealous associates. The great war furnished the opportunity to make manifest that hatred. In 1886 Pastor Russell began the publication of a series of Bible comments, Studies in the Scriptures, in seven volumes, six of which he published in his lifetime, and the seventh, The Finished Mystery, was published after his death. It is an interpretation of Ezekiel and Revelation. These prophetic books of the Bible contrast the course of the true with the nominal church. In prophetic phrase the Lord foretold the persecution of the true by the false, and the great hypocrisy of the clergy. Necessarily The Finished Mystery explained these Scriptures in the light of the historical facts, recording fulfilled prophecy. This greatly angered the clergy, because it interfered with their scheme to further defraud the people, and they sought an opportunity for vengeance.

The so-called “Espionage Lav/” furnished an effective weapon. It was to be expected that this law would search out spies. But what spy was prosecuted under the law? The chief selected for its enforcement was a well known, ultra-nominal churchman, who is known as a “heretic-hunter”, having heretofore prosecuted Rev. Crapsey for heresy. He was aided in the collection of evidence by a “dyed-in-the-wool” Knight of Columbus, and both of these men have ready ears for the cry of the clergy. The penalty for violation of the Espionage Law did not seem sufficiently severe. Early in 1918 a convention of clergymen was held at Philadelphia, at which a resolution was adopted calling upon Congress to provide that alleged violators of the Espionage Law should be tried by court-martial, and death inflicted as a penalty. A general in the United States army was authority for the statement that the purpose and intention of this proposed law was to punish the officers of the International Bible Students Association and the publishers of The Finished Mystery by putting them to death.

A bill was pending before Congress to amend the Espionage Law so that one charged with its violation might have an opportunity to make further defense. The member of the Department of Justice having in charge the enforcement of this law, namely, John Lord O’Brian, appeared before the senate committee having in charge the bill and argued that the amendment be defeated, assigning as his reasons therefor three classes that he could not prosecute successfully if the amendment carried, the three classes named being “The Finished Mystery”, the “International Bible Students Association”, and the “Kingdom News”. Mr. O’Brian well knew at the time that the three represented but one class of Christians. No other conclusion can be reached than that he deliberately misled the United States senate into defeating this amendment. His report appears in the Congressional Record of May 4, 1918.

Public sentiment must be worked up against the “offensive Bible. Students”. The clergy-started the ball. Another member of the unholy alliance, big business, dominates the public press. Unscrupulous politicians holding office are ready tools. First the books of account of the Bible Students were seized, on a pretext that money was being obtained from the enemy, Germany. For five weeks experts searched them and found not one penny coming from a questionable source. It was then discovered that before the war a little wireless receiving instrument had been presented to Pastor Russell and placed on the roof of the Bethel Home, and some of the boys had been attempting to learn the code. It never had a sending instrument. No messages ever were sent or could be sent from it. In November, 1917, this instrument was removed and stored in the basement. In the search by the secret service agents it was found packed away in the basement, and hauled out, and then a deliberate lie was sent by the Associated Press throughout the world, announcing that the ‘Russellites’ were maintaining a powerful wireless on the roof by which they could send messages across the ocean to the Germans; all of which was necessary to work up public sentiment. Then followed the indictment of the officers of the Association and their trial amidst a great excitement of the war. Being thus staged, a verdict of guilty was easily obtained. Sentence followed, in which seven of these Bible Students were sentenced each for eighty years’ imprisonment. Bail was denied and they were immediately incarcerated, and remained in prison for nine months, without the privilege of bail, pending appeal. Later they were released, and upon a hearing of the case in the Appellate Court that court reversed the judgment of the lower court, holding that the defendants had not been given a fair trial. On May 5, 1920, the indictments were dismissed by the government, and the defendants discharged. The defendants were thereby exonerated after suffering nine months’ illegal imprisonment; but the subsidized press industriously avoided publishing any facts about that part of it.

While these men were in jail their friends circulated a petition calling upon the authorities to grant them bail or a re-trial. Mr. John Lord O’Brian, contrary to all precedent known to American legal ethics, sent circular letters throughout the country defending his position in the prosecution of these men.

Widespread Persecution

The spring and summer of 1918 witnessed a widespread persecution of Bible Students, both in America and in Europe, at the instigation in every case of the clergy. The homes of the Bible Students were searched without warrant, their hymn books, Bibles, Studies in the Scriptures, and other Bible literature were seized, carried away, and in many instances destroyed. In Los Angeles, California, every kind of Bible literature was seized by officers without a search warrant, and many of the Bible Students were arrested and thrown into jail. Others were beaten, their ribs broken, their heads cut, and some permanently injured. Inoffensive men and women were mobbed and thrown into jail and held there without charge or without trial.

We give a brief statement of the facts in a few of the sample eases of persecutions, all of which occurred in a so-called “Christian” land.

When and Where Ministers Were Anarchists

Against the rights guaranteed under the Constitution of the United States, namely, the selling of Bible study textbooks not under ban of any kind:

Baptist ministers, taking advantage of war conditions, caused the following outrages:

March 1,1918, at Salem, Virginia, C. W. Morris was arrested at the instance of Rev. JR. C. Smith. March 23, 1918, at Checotah, Oklahoma, Charles J. Crews was jailed nine days at the instance of Rev. E. D. Cameron, his teacher's certificate was revoked and his home and furniture lost, all in accordance with the Reverend’s threat that he must give up his belief or go to the penitentiary. No offense was ever charged and the case was never brought into court. April 23, 1.918, at Miami, Texas, Mr. and Mrs. R, A. Bayless were jailed several days at the instance of Rev. J. C. Stalcup. May 30, 1918, at Post Oak, Missouri, W. L. Bowen’s new automobile was disfigured and he was carried to Leeton, Missouri, by a mob associated with Rev. L. Newkirk, pastor of Providence Baptist Church, after threats by members and deacons of his church. Rev. Newkirk is now insane.

Methodist ministers caused the following outrages :

February 15, 1918, at Anadarko, Oklahoma, A. H. Sempley was threatened with imprison-xnent. April 19, 1918, at Winnsboro, Texas, G. W. Wilcox was jailed in a filthy privy over night. April 28, 1918, at Farmington, "Washington, Mrs. C. A. Imhoff was threatened with imprisonment. At Tamaha, Oklahoma, Mr. and Mrs. B. Merriman and M. R. Charley were jailed six days at the instance of Reverend Phal. Mr. Charley, 65 years of age, died from the effects of his imprisonment. May 1, 1918, at Mesa, Arizona, an Episcopalian minister joined with a Methodist minister in causing the jailing for two days of P. R. Starks.

In March, 1918, at Enid, Oklahoma, L. F. Hall was jailed three times and bonded for $12,000 on complaint of a Lutheran minister. On May 25, 1918, at Harrah, Oklahoma, Jesse Hearn was jailed two days without warrant or explanation and beaten into insensibility in his own field by a mob organized by a minister of the so-called Christian denomination.

Other ministers, acting individually, procured the following outrages:

March 9, 1918, at Chickasha, Oklahoma, A. H. Sampley and Mr. and Mrs. S. S. Croy were jailed and fined. March 17,1918, at Weiser, Idaho, two colporteurs were threatened and compelled to stop work. April 30, 1918, at Thayer, Missouri, Charles Franke, Edward French, M. R. Griffin and Mr. and Mrs. D. Van Hoesen w^yere taken to the Y. M. C. A. and threatened by a mob. Griffin was forced to leave towm and sacrifice home and business. The postmaster here held mail in the post office six months without delivery. April 30, 1918, at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas, Mrs. Minna B. Franke was mobbed and compelled to close out a $10,000 stock in one day and leave town. At Garfield, Washington, Donald Main and Mr. Ish were jailed and threatened with death. At Minerva, Ohio, S. H. Griffin was first jailed and then released to a mob, then lectured fifteen minutes by the minister, then struck repeatedly, cursed, kicked, trodden upon, threatened with hanging and with drowning, driven from town, spit upon, tripped repeatedly, jabbed repeatedly with an umbrella, forbidden to ride, followed five miles to Malvern, Ohio, rearrested, jailed for safety at Carrollton, and finally taken home by brave and faithful officials who, after examining his literature, said, in so many words, “We find no fault in this man.”

Companies of ministers, acting together, procured the following outrages:

March 20,1918, at Checotah, Oklahoma, T. II.

Bradford was jailed two nights, his home entered and Bible study textbooks seized, and he was driven from towm. March 27, 1918, at Corpus Christi, Texas, the home of Mrs. Clara Hanke, a native American, was raided, her person attacked and threatened and Bible study textbooks seized. April 24, 1918, and April 28, 1918, these raids were repeated, accompanied by more threats and by an invasion of Mrs. Hanke’s bedroom when she was resting on the bed. The court’s final disposition of the matter, April 30, 1918, was that no more literature of the kind should be circulated during the war, inasmuch as it hurt the feelings of the clergy. At Globe, Arizona, EL Bender and P. R. Starks vzere jailed two days, and three ministers were heard to urge the officials to “give the boys the limit”.

April 12, 1918, at Medford, Oregon, E. P. Taliaferro was mobbed and chased out of town for preaching the gospel, and George R. Maynard was stripped, painted and driven from town for permitting Bible study in his home. April 14, 1918, at Denison, Texas, W. E. Murphy, P. E. Williams, A. M. York, J. IV. Safford, B. Drake and A. E. Class were mobbed, and attorneys forbidden to accept the case. Knights of Columbus assisted the clergy in the Denison outrage.

April 25, 1918, at Comanche, Oklahoma, O. M. Davis and son were insulted and threatened. May 1, 1918, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mrs. Beulah B. Covey was arrested and suitcases and Bibb* study textbooks seized without warrant. May 4, 1918, at New^r London, Ohio, Clyde Morrison and Claude Morrison were mobbed and arrested. May 8, 1918, at Greenville, Mississippi, Mrs. L. F. Lartigue was arrested, but after examination of the literature the sheriff dismissed her with the statement, “No one could find fault wfith those papers except the clergy.” At Celeste, Texas, a mob demanded the arrest of A. J. Tolbert, G. B. Weaver and Mrs. Harvey Huddleston; the demand was refused by the authorities but the parties had to leave town to escape violence. June, 1919, at Rochester, New York, William E. Wheeler was -twice arrested and browbeaten for circulating a petition appealing for the release of Bible Students unjustly sentenced to prison. All the foregoing outrages were directly incited by two or more clergymen.

Church members, acting as tools of clergymen, caused similar outrages as follows:

March 28, 1918, at Monroe, Louisiana, Henry C. Humble was made to lose a government position and was jailed three months at the instance of two Methodist church members, one of whom secured his job. April 28, 1918, at Centreville, Iowa, E. A. Talbott was abused, threatened and jailed three days at the behest of a mob of whom four announced themselves as church members determined to secure his imprisonment. October 16, 1918, at Marshfield, Oregon, Fay R. Smith was thrown out of employment and jailed twenty-four days on complaint of two prominent Presbyterians,

Catholic priests were not in any mobs that attacked Bible Students. They have had centuries of experience in getting results otherwise. At present, if they want any rough work done for them they use the Mollie Maguires, alias the Ancient Order of Hibernians, alias the Knights of Columbus. Also, they prefer to put these people in office first and then use them with a show of legality, instead of following the coarser, less efficient mob tactics of the Protestant ministers. This is the Beast in action. Attention is invited to the following, by way of illustration of the point in question':

March 4, 1918, at Hazleton, Pennsylvania, Benjamin Kimmel, Reuben Platt, Amos K. Smoker and William Kimmel were jailed by two alleged officials named McKelvey and O’-Larnic, given a hearing before Curcio in the office of Gorman, questioned by O’Brien in the presence of McHenry, McDermott and Boyle. March 4,1918, at Scranton, Pennsylvania, Clayton J. Woodworth, M. L. Herr and Stanley Young were arrested by McCourt and McHenry and arraigned before Kileullen. April 28, 1918, at Boise, Idaho, Dr. H. D. Morris and nine others were jailed and covertly threatened with mob violence by McClear. That night Dr. Morris’ house was disfigured. April 30, 1918, at New Orleans, Louisiana, James M. Wilbon, carrying a permit from the mayor for distributing his literature, was jailed two days by Mooney, the chief of police. At Jacksboro, Texas, Miss Lula E. Jackson was visited by the sheriff twice, once with McCombs and once with Keith, demanding the surrender of Bible study textbooks. May 18, 1918, at Houston, Missouri, a poor woman, Mrs. Gertrude Kimpe, was jailed by McCaskill because she was unable to buy bonds. At Henderson, North Carolina, Mrs. K. W. Edwards was repeatedly threatened, the threateners including a judge and a Roman Catholic. At Kennebec, Maine, Mrs. Frederic Holmes was grilled three hours by McKean. At Rossville, Georgia, G. W. LaFerry was visited by Finley, "who demanded all his religious books and literature.

Judges Do Some Wonderful Things

March 14, 1918, at Pomona, California, J. Eagleston was jailed fifteen days in prison tanks, four of them with no bed or mattress, with insufficient covering and insufficient food. When the jury disagreed, 5 to 7, the judge said in open court, “If there is no law to settle these cases, they will be settled, if it is done by the American people themselves.” What did this judge want done by the American people?

April 17, 1918, at Shawnee, Oklahoma, G. N. Fenn, George M. Brown, L. S. Rogers, W. F. Glass, E. T. Grier and J. T. Tull were jailed. During the trial the prosecuting attorney said, “To hell with your Bible; you ought to be in hell with your back broken; you ought to be hung.” When G. F. Wilson, of Oklahoma City, attempted to act as counsel for the defense he also was arrested. Each was fined $55 and costs ; offense, distributing Protestant literature. The trial judge encouraged mob action following the trial, but the mobs were foiled.

April 22, 1918, at Kingsville, Texas, L. L. Davis and Daniel Toole were chased by a mob led by the mayor and a county judge and subsequently caught and jailed without a warrant. Davis was forced out of his job. In May, 1918. at Tecumseh, Oklahoma, J. J. May was seized and incarcerated thirteen months in an insane asylum by the order of a judge, after threatening and abuse. His family was not advised as to what had been done with him.

In June, 1918, at Roanoke, Virginia, C. W. Morris was jailed three months for being “a strict adherent of the Pastor Russell sect” and was warned that if, after his release, he preached his doctrine he would receive milch worse treatment. In fulfilment of this, in the same city, February 15, 1920, Alex. II. Macmillan was jailed by the mayor, without warrant or charge, at the hour when he was advertised to lecture to the public on the topic, “Christ’s Second Coming Near; Millions Now Living Will Never Die.”

In the spring of 1918, at Los Angeles, California, Ernest D. Sexton, with twenty-five others, was tried for distributing Protestant literature which the trial judge, Benjamin Bled-see. admitted contained nothing whatever seditious. The only charge against several of these men was that they had attended a prayer meeting. Not a scrap of evidence was produced against a number of them. The jury disagreed and the case was dismissed, but while en route to the bullpen these innocent Christian men were assaulted and terribly beaten by the Roman Catholic police; one of them received serious injuries.

November 8, 1918, at Iroquois Falls, Ontario, A. R. Wood, Peter Wood, Thomas Phillips, Mrs. A. E. Holland, Mrs. Wood, Mrs. McCurdy and Mrs. Atcheson were fined $100 each for having a prayer meeting. The Bibles seized at this meeting, together with the Bible study textbooks, were all burned in the furnace by order of the trial judge, J. K. Ebbitt, member of the Church of England.

Bankers and Big Business Anarchists

March 17, 1918, at Grand Junction, Colorado, a meeting for Bible study was broken up by a mob composed of the mayor, leading newspaper men and other prominent business men. April 80, 1918, at Brownstown, Indiana, Curtis Plummer was threatened and coerced by a mob composed of the county sheriff and business men. May 5, 1918, at Corpus Christi, Texas, Mrs. Bertie M. Chalk was threatened and insulted by officials. May 10, 1918, at Tarboro, North Carolina, C. F. Bullard was jailed ten days, a local banker refusing to honor a cashier’s check intended to effect his release on bail. April 14, 1918, at Denison, Texas, J. R. May was forced out of business by the Denison bankers for not hiiying bonds. He entered the secret conference where they were deciding to ruin him, laid down five one-hundred-doliar bills in front of them and offered to give the entire amount to any Denison banker who could show where the war had cost him one dollar of Iris own money, and not one of them could or did open his mouth in reply.

June 5, 1918, at Indianapolis, Indiana, William Darby, after thirty-two and one-half years of honorable service as a letter carrier, was discharged by J. C. Koons, First Assistant Postmaster General, for the offense of being a Christian; no other details available. At Fontanelle, Iowa, Etta Van Wagenen was forcibly driven from town by a banker and another silk hat anarchist. Subsequently, men in the uniforms of officers of the United States army endeavored in vain to force her employer to dismiss her. At Fort Cobb, Oklahoma, A. L. Tucker’ was driven penniless out of town by a mob of ten men, which included his own banker with whom he then had funds on deposit. He w^Tas forced to leave the county and sell his property at great loss.

Other Sickening Examples of Anarchy

In March, 1918, at Shattuck, Oklahoma, J. B. Siebcnlist, a native American, was jailed three days without warrant and without food, except three pieces of spoiled cornbread, was taken from jail by the mob, stripped, tarred with hot tar and whipped with a buggy-whip having a wire at its end, for the offen.se of applying at the depot for a package of Protestant literature. April 22, 1918, at Wynnewood, Oklahoma, Claud Watson was first jailed and then deliberately released to a mob composed of preachers, business men and a few others, who knocked him down, caused a Negro to whip him and, when he had partially recovered, to whip him again. They then poured tar and feathers all over him, rubbing the tar into his hair and scalp. April 29, 1918, at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, W. B. Dunean, 61 years of age, Edward French, Charles Franke, a Mr. Griffin and Mrs. D. Van Hoesen were jailed. The jail was broken into by a mob who used the most vile and obscene language, whipped, tarred, feathered and drove them from town. Duncan was compelled to walk twenty-six miles to his home, and barely recovered. Griffin was virtually blinded, and died from the assault a few months later.

For distributing the same Protestant literature, which no government official has ever found objectionable except that it hurt the feelings of the clergy, the following other riots and outrages were arranged:

March 26, 1919, at Jacksonville, Toxas, C. L. Schellinger was jailed twenty-six days; April 10, 1918, at Vinita, Oklahoma, Ray Vvalrod was jailed ten weeks. April 22, 1918, at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, H. A. Wenricli and Mrs. James G. Zea were arrested and placed under $2,500 bond. April 29, 1918, at Pasadena, California, Clayton II. Loose was jailed one night. April 1918, at Missouri Valley, Iowa, A. C. Northop was jailed.

May 1, 1918, at Greenville, Texas, A. J. Tolbert was jailed. May 1, 1918, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Leota S. Cunningham was arrested and threatened. May 2,1918, at Wilson, North Carolina, C. F. Bullard was arrested. May 18, 1918, at Corpus Christi, Texas, B. H. Posey and Dr. George L. Spivey were jailed two days. May 29, 1918, at Jamestown, North Dakota, Allen D. Moser was jailed three days. May, 1918, at Terrell, Texas, Mrs. Lee Versell and Mrs. Harvey Huddleston were arrested and mobbed. May, 1918, at Commerce, Texas, A. J. Tolbert, G. B. Weaver and Mrs. Harvey Huddleston were arrested and mobbed.

June 3, 1918, at Auburn, Nebraska, Mr. and Mrs. David Smith were reviled and coerced. June 12, 1918, at Huntington, West Virginia, Frank A. Poston was jailed twelve hours, without warrant. June 30, 1918, at Pride, Louisiana, C. J. Robinson was jailed eighteen days. At Oakland, California, Benjamin F. Holaday was arrested and jailed. At Knowles, Oklahoma, Charles L. Coultrup and Otis Hummler were jailed. At Appleton, Wisconsin, M. T. Lindeni was abused, insulted, and jailed four days. At Bandon, Oregon, Mrs. Edith R. Smith and son, Walter B. Carpenter, the latter in naval uniform, home on a furlough, were run out of town.

Is It a Crime to Sell Books?

At the following times and places the parties named were arrested and jailed for selling religious books not under a ban of any kind:

In February, 1918, at Bogosha, Oklahoma, Mrs. C. L. Knowles, was jailed. March 4, 1918, at Siloam Springs, Arkansas, S. Van Houten was jailed. March 12, 1918, at Vanoss, Oklahoma, J. T. Grier and R. Hall, jailed eleven days and fined $88. March 25, at Ardmore, Oklahoma, Claud Watson, jailed eight days. At Franklinville, New York, Mr. Yeager, fined $10 for selling a ten-cent copy of The Divine Plan of Ike Ages.

“The Right of Petition”

For the circulation of a petition for the release of Bible students unjustly sent to prison the following outrages were perpetrated:

February, 1919, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, C. M. B. Claus was arrested. April 13, 1919, at Shawnee, Oklahoma, G. M. Brown, Thomas Kociolek, J. T. Tull and R. S. Teeplcs were arrested and jailed. At Memphis, Tennessee, R. M. Irwin was arrested. At San Francisco, California, Benjamin F. Holaday vras arrested. At Brownsville, Pennsylvania, because they happened to be Hungarians, who loved their English-speaking brethren, and because there is too much love abroad in the world, the following not only were arrested for circulating the petition, but were fined $10 each, viz.: Louis Zazic, Alex. Vargo, Andrew Lassen, George Azari, Bila Gara and Steve Basty. Did you ever read the Constitution of the United States?

June 30, 1918, at Olive Branch, Louisiana, Alex. Evans was jailed four days, under $5,000 bond, for distributing copies of a regular weekly newspaper, the St. Paul Enterprise.

“Secure in Their Persons, Houses, Papers, and Effects”

March 1, 1918, at Cleveland, Oklahoma, T. D. Johnson was'jailed three days and books confiscated that were never under any ban. March 1,1918, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, Mrs. Alta Randall’s home was entered by officers and others who confiscated Bible study textbooks without any warrant, accompanied by abusive, threatening and violent language. March 30, 1918, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, O. R. Cove;/ was arrested, his home and garage entered and searched and property seized, all without any warrant. On the same day, in the same city, Mrs. Elva Thomas’ home ■was entered by other alleged officers in plain clothes v/lio confiscated Bible study textbooks without warrant. March 16, 1918, at Princeton, Indiana, J. A. Miller and S. A. Keith -were jailed five days, their homes entered and property’ seized without warrants.

March 19, 1918, at New Orleans, Louisiana, James M. Wilbon, Frank M. Douglas and Raiford A. Fleming were jailed without warrant, the first night without any bed. Bond was refused and for forty hours they were forbidden to consult attorneys. Meantime their homes were ransacked and property seized, including seven Bibles, hymn books, concordance and lantern slides of Bible pictures.

March 27, 1918, at Corpus Christi, Texas, the home of Dr. George L. Spivey, a native American of English descent, was invaded without warrant and his effects seized. He was cursed and abused as a German spy, falsely, and his patient driven away and told not to return. In March. 1918, at Alba, Missouri, at 11 o’clock at night, the home of Mary E. Thayer, 71 years of age, was invaded without warrant, her person threatened and her effects seized.

April 1, 1918, at Pocatello, Idaho, the rooiu of P. G. Gloystein was raided and his Bible, hymn book and Bible study textbooks were confiscated. April 24, 1918, • at Corpus Christi, Texas, Mrs. Bertie M. Chalk was threatened and insulted and her effects seized. At Victoria, British Columbia, A. Sutherland was jailed three months for having a Bible study textbook in his possession. At Wickliffe, Ohio, the home of Mrs. K. F. Burkholder was entered and a Bible study textbook confiscated without warrant. June 5, 1918, at Greenville, Texas, the home of Mrs. S. H. Lynch was invaded and several religious books were confiscated that were never under a ban of any kind. At Wilmington, Ohio, in August, 1918, the home of A. 1ST. Price was invaded and religious books and papers seized that were never under any ban. July 10, 1918, at Tulsa, Oklahoma, C. M. B. Claus was misrepresented as a German spy, discharged from his position, mobbed, whipped, kicked and his jawbone fractured, necessitating six weeks of intense sufferings.

“The Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble”

At all the following times and places meetings of Christian men and women at which the gospel, and only the gospel, of our Lord Jesus Christ was discussed, or would have been discussed, were broken up by mobs arranged for the purpose, usually with some alleged officer of the law as spokesman:

March 10,1918, at Walla Walla, Washington, accompanied by threats and abusive language by chief of police. March 16, 1918, at Denison, Texas, accompanied by abuse and seizure of Bible textbooks without -warrant by alleged Federal officers. April 21, 1918, at Corpus Christi, Texas. April 5,1918, at Grand Junction, Colorado, by that fearless warrior LieutenantColonel Furman, who led a large company of armed men, with bayonets fixed, into the private home of a gentle Christian, Mr. Perry, and without any warrant confiscated his Bible study textbooks. April 24, 1918, Polish Bible class at Chicago, Illinois. On this occasion W. Jasinski, ten other excellent Christian men, and one woman, -were jailed two nights, and hundreds of Bibles and Bible study textbooks never’ under any ban were confiscated, together with a phonograph, magic lantern and slides. Does such action make the vmrld safe for democracy? On the same date, at Plover, Wisconsin, the Polish class there was also jailed. The same month, at Du Bois, Pennsylvania, the Knights of Columbus, after a night invasion of a Protestant home, forced the abandonment of a meeting and seized the $25 paid for theater rental.

May 6, 1918, at Nashville, Tennessee, a meeting of colored Bible students consisting of a grand total of three men, three women and two children was broken up by just forty brave armed men, twenty of them in policemen's uniform, and the hymn slips were confiscated. June 1, 1918, at Jamestown, Kansas, late at night, the Roman Catholic .mayor’s mob drove R. L. Robie from town so that he could not, on the next day, preach upon the topic, “The World Has Ended; Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” June 29, 1918, at Estherville, Iowa, C. E. Stewart was run out of town to prevent his giving a similar lecture. July 1, 1918, at Portland, Oregon, Ernest D. Sexton was jailed one night for delivering a lecture, illustrated by Bible pictures of the highest class. In Roanoke, Virginia, March 21, 1918, Oscar E. Rylander was arrested by one IV. R. Bryon, without warrant or charges, while on his way to a Bible study. A loaded revolver was held to his temple, he was threatened with tar and feathers, and also threatened with being thrown from a seventh-story window-; total criminality consisted in the fact that he had with him some hymn books for use at the meeting. At Perry, Oklahoma, brave men waited on an aged woman, Mary E. Vollmer, and threatened her with physical violence if she continued discussing the Lord’s gospel v.-ith anybody. But she refused obedience. Which is better: To be a real Christian during war-time, or an Interchurch IVorldling afterward ?

Christians Entrapped

The following reads like the wicked Inquisition. On March 17, 1918, a little class of Christians had quietly assembled in southern California to study the Bible with their textbook, The Finished Mystery. The United States district attorney, officer of the department of justice, knew of their meeting place. He sent four men to attend the Bible class. These men, Messrs. Atwood, Boden, Mussel, and Meeker, sat through the study and at the conclusion manifested interest in the Bible. They then approached Mrs. Emma Martin, the widow of a well known doctor, and Messrs. Sonnenberg, Hamm and Stevens, students and members of this Bible class, and induced them to let them have a copy or copies of The Finished Mystery.

A few days later these Christians were arrested and the above named men appeared in court as the only witnesses against them, testifying that they went to the Bible class at the direction of the district attorney to get evidence against these harmless people, They were tried and sentenced to terms in the penitentiary for interfering with the selective draft. The cases were appealed and affirmed.

On May 17, 1920, more than a year and a half after the war was over, they were taken to prison. The Los Angeles Record said: “Two hundred and fifty Bible Students assembled at the pier and sang, ‘Blest Be the Tie That Binds Our Hearts in Christian Love’ and ‘All the Way My Savior Leads Me’, etc. A stranger inquired, ‘Are these departing missionaries?’ and was amazed when told that they were going to the penitentiary”, for selling a religious book to sleuths of the law.

Officers of the law, in league with an apostate clergy, deliberately conspired for the conviction and imprisonment of these innocent Bible students. It is inconceivable how their acts could have interfered with the selective draft, and still harder to believe that a year and a half after all other* nations have discharged even their political prisoners these Christians should be quietly taken off to serve terms in the penitentiary. This case is a disgrace to American institutions and proves that the unholy alliance has destroyed religious freedom. Such was foretold by the Master -when He said: “They shall deliver you up to councils [courts], and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten, and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them.” (Mark 13:9) These cases will ever stand as a testimony against the unholy trinity.

Seventh: Substituting a man-made “League of Nations” for Messiah’s kingdom. In this the clergy have denied the divinely given commission to every follower of Jesus Christ to proclaim the message of His kingdom as the panacea for all human ills. God never fails to make good all He promises. He has promised and bound that promise with His oath, and it cannot fail (Heb. 6:18) that in “his due time” every man shall have a full and fair opportunity for life, everlasting liberty and eternal happiness. Such is the great desire of all honest hearts, and God’s rvay is the only way these blessings can ever be had. Radical elements of society honestly think they can bring about this desire, but they cannot in their way. God’s way is the only way. He commissioned His church to keep before the mind of the people His great promise of blessings under His kingdom. The clergy claim to hold a commission to preach the gospel. But alas, they have abandoned the Lord and His way and set up a way of their own. Their overt act here consists not only in a failure to tell the people of restitution blessings coming through Messiah’s reign, but in trying to keep others from telling the people. They not only reject the Lord’s way, but set up a way of their own by advocating and urging the formation of a league of nations and hail it as the emancipator and blesser of man, created and set up by man in lieu of the Lord’s kingdom. Hear the authoritative words of The Federal Council of Churches, issued January, 1919:

The time has come to organize the world for truth, right, justice and humanity. To this end as Christians we urge the establishment of a League of Free Nations at the coming Peace Conference. Such a league is not merely a peace expedient, it is rather the political expression of the kingdom of God on earth. The League of Nations is rooted in the gospel. Like the gospel, its objective is “Peace on earth, good will toward men”. Like the gospel, its appeal is universal.

The heroic dead will have died in vain unless out of victory shall come a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.—2 Pet. 3:13.

The church [nominal] can give a spirit of good-will, without which no League of Nations can endure.

Thus the clergy claim that it is the blood of soldiers shed upon the battlefield which will purchase the freedom and blessing of mankind, instead of the blood of the Holy One, Christ Jesus ; and thus again they deny the great ransom sacrifice.

Furthermore, their argument is that the political, financial and ecclesiastical powers combined will establish “Peace on earth, good will toward men”, “a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness,” and will do this by and through the League of Nations; hence no need of Messiah’s kingdom to come. Verily, nothing short of blasphemy!

God foreknew that in the end of the age the political and financial povcer would unite in forming a league of nations and that ecclesiasti-cism, the clergy in particular, would join in the enterprise, and that the league would form for the purpose of self-preservation. And knowing this, God foretold it through His prophets, of which we shall have more to say hereinafter.—

Isa. 8:9; Zeph. 3:8; Joel 3:1, 9-11; Jonah 4:6-8.                                   _     _ _i

To submit further proof on this point would seem superfluous. In fact, we are inclined to the thought that the clergy will willingly plead guilt}- to the seventh overt act here charged. Their public utterances show that they claim much credit for the League of Nations scheme, claiming it the greatest achievement since the resurrection of Christ Jesus.

The Judgment ■

Upon the indisputable evidence the unholy trinity stands convicted as charged of every overt act in the indictment, and the verdict must be “Guilty”.

Haman built a gallows upon which to hang the one whom he hated without a cause. Haman graced the gallows with his oven body. What will be God’s judgment upon Churchianity ? Has Jehovah indicated what His judgment will be and hove it shall be executed? Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10, reviews the derelictions and wrongful acts of natural Israel and the punishments that followed. Then lie adds: “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” The old world is passing away, and the new coming in, hence we are at the ends, concluding end of one, beginning end of the other, of the worlds or ages. Through His prophet Jeremiah God gave warning to fleshly Israel that unless they repented He would cause a strong people from the north, a mighty and fierce people, to make their land desolate. Such was a mere picture of what is threatened by Jehovah against all Christendom, unless there, is a speedy repentance. Jehovah’s judgment upon the unholy trinity truly was foretold in the following texts, which were written aforetime for the benefit of those now on earth: “And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods [gods of gold and power], and worshipped the works of their own hands.” (Jer. 1:16) “Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.”—2 Ki. 21:12-15.

“Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, 0 house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither under-stanclest what they say. Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all mighty men. And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, which thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.”—Jer. 5:15-17.

“Thus saith the Lord, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth. They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea: and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, 0 daughter of Zion.”—Jer. 6: 22, 23.

“But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting King; at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. For the pastors are become brutish, and have not sought the Lord; therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered. Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.”—Jer. 10:10, 21.

“'Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets [preachers], Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall; for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land.”—Jer. 23:15.

“Therefore prophesy thou against them all these words, and say unto them, The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his habitation; he shall give a shout, as they that tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he

will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.”—Jer. 25: 9, 10, 30, 31.

Thus has. God indicated that unless the divine remedy is immediately applied there shall come upon “Christendom” greater distress and punishment because of her wicked course.

Gold Medals for Persecutors

Under the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian (A. D. 303-313), there was a great persecution of .Christians. Hundreds of thousands suffered violent deaths. “Coins were struck and inscriptions set up recording the fact that Christian superstition was now utterly exterminated.”—McClintock and, Strong’s Encyclopedia.

Gold medals were bestowed upon those who participated in St. Bartholomew’s massacre, August, 1572. “Medals commemorative of the event were also coined in the Vatican in the papal mint by order of the pope. One of these is now on exhibition in Memorial Hall, Philadelphia.”

The giving of medals for persecuting has not perished from the earth with the coming of the light of the twentieth century. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, one of the mouthpieces of ec-clesiasticism, in its issue of August 21, 1918, contained the following:

Buckner Gets Gold Medal

When Assistant United States District Attorney Charles J. Buchner took up the investigation leading to the arrest and conviction of the Russellites, Chief Deputy Marshal William II. Parry said to him: “Charlie, if you convict those people I will give you a medal.” Mr. Buchner paid little attention to the remark. The “medal” arrived today. It was a gold badge, bearing the coat-of-arms of the United States and the words ‘ ‘ Charles J. Buchner, Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District, New York”, on it. “Pretty white of Bill, hey?” he asked today of all to whom he showed the badge.

Who paid for the medal, and who authorized the use of the United States coat-of-arms on this gold medal presented by one Roman Catholic to another for his efforts in the prosecution of the “Russellites” will make an interesting story when all the facts are published.

The true followers of Christ, however, have never feared because of persecutions.

Disheartened by the slow progress which the League of Nations has made toward the disarmament 'which it was expressly created to bring to pass, Lord Cecil, one of the drafters of the League covenant, addressed the Assembly of the League on October 4, in the following moving appeal:

Life is uncertain, and no part of it is more uncertain than political life. It may well be that this is the last time I shall have the honor to address this Assembly. You, therefore, will forgive me if I venture to make a final appeal to you. I want to say to every delegation that you will have to make up your mind what course you want to pursue. Do you really -want peace? Are you really determined on it? Are you really prepared to take whatever measures may be necessary for that object, and even to undergo what sacrifices may be required? No great quest in this world is without danger. If we want this great object we must be prepared to pay the price for it. Let us count the cost before it is too late.

The dispatch which brings us this news item states that this final address at the close of the eleventh Assembly of the League of Nations plunged the League into a gloom deeper than it has ever entered since it was founded. It is apparent to all that the League is unworkable. A dispatch in another paper says, forcefully: “Today, the League Assembly is so outspoken and so frankly a brawl that it -would probably make a senator homesick to go there and listen.” A further statement is that “the paucity of arms limitation measures to date -was plainly discussed at Geneva, and an air of almost complete hopelessness seems to pervade”.

Professor Paul II, Nystrom, of Columbia

University, tells us that, by actual count, 80 percent of the women nowmdays have plucked eyebrows, 50 percent to 75 percent use lipsticks, and in most cases the hair remains short. How does it come that we have to get all this from some professor? We call on the men of America to make an investigation of these matters, each on his own hook, and, judging from the pages of history, any assistance from the professor is entirely unncce s sa ry.

Flecks of Foam

Progress in North Carolina

..Tt IVE North Carolina credit for taking a step VX ahead. Sixty textile mill owners have accepted the proposal of the Cotton-Textile Institute to eliminate night work for women and for children under eighteen years of age.

Two Women Traverse Africa

TWO English girls have just traversed Africa from Cape Town to Cairo, eight thousand miles, without molestation. They made the journey in a small car, suffering only , five punctures en route. One old chieftain in Uganda, disturbed because these women were traveling unescorted, kept six warriors posted outside their tent throughout the night.

No Skyscrapers in London

LONDON is not willing to have her streets jammed with a crowd of humanity such that progress through it is oftentimes hardly possible. While New York is building higher and ever higher buildings, London has just taken ten feet off, and hereafter no London building may be constructed of a height greater than 80 feet.

Children Careful in British Streets

THE children are more careful in British streets than the grown folks. Of eighty persons killed in London streets in three months, 54 were adults, 18 were between five and fifteen years old, and 8 were under five. The cause of death in each of these cases was set down as “Crossing without due care”.

Arrests in Italy

DURING the last five years Italy has arrested 107,156 revolutionists, or more than four times the number arrested in any other country for the same offense. From this the suggestion naturally arises to the mind that the ice in Italy is very thin and liable to break at any moment.

Grand Opera Passing Out

John Erskine, president of the Juilliard

School of Music, in discussing the grand opera, with its elaborate scenery, preposterous plots and grand opera stars singing in a foreign tongue says effectively, “I see no future for it, and I don’t think it has even a present.” Adieu to the grand opera fake.

Soviet Wheat in England

BRITISH farmers are distressed because of the dumping of 800,000 bushels of Russian wheat at Hull during September. This was but the start, as vessels to carry Russian wheat to England were being chartered at the rate of 5,000 tons a day, at last reports.

Wages and Life

THE direct relation between wages and life is shown in the fact that where the father earns $1,250 or more only 59 babies die out of each 1,000 during the first year of life, but if the father is without employment the death rate of the babies is 211, or almost four times as many.

America’s Annual Crime Bill

AMERICA'S annual crime bill is said to be about seven and one-half billion dollars a year. Added to this vast expense is all the money that is set aside for war purposes. War itself, you know, is defined as a crime, in the Kellogg-Peace Pact. Seems too bad to have to support both kinds of crime.

Three Trainloads of Currency Annually

UNCLE SAM uses up three trainloads of currency annually, or, in other words, must dispose of 6,000,000 pounds of worn-out paper money every year. This would load three freight trains of fifty cars each with 40,000 pounds of paper to each car. Each of us is responsible for using up about an ounce of currency each year.

328,000 Oil Wells in United States

THE 328,000 oil wells in the United States produce 67.9 percent of the crude petro^ leum of the world. Venezuela produces 9.3 percent, Russia 6.7 percent, and Mexico 3 percent. Persia, Dutch East Indies, Rumania, Colombia, Peru, Argentina, Trinidad, Bri tish India, Sarawak and Poland follow in the .order named.

Abyssinia’s Big Dam

ABYSSINIANS will soon have an enormous

dam, to be thrown across the Blue Nile ■where it emerges from Lake Tsana. A firm of American engineers will build the dam, at an estimated cost of $20,000,000. The impounded waters will be used both for power and for irrigation purposes.

Russian Grain Brings Prices Down

HpIIE great Russian agricultural machine is beginning to reveal its strength. A considerable part of the scare . over surplus wheat is caused by the fact that a year ago Russia unloaded barley in Europe at half the prevailing European prices, and it is predicted that now she can unload wheat in the United States cheaper than it can be produced here.

Russian Invasion of Finnish Markets

THE Soviet administration is selling Russian

lumber at such low prices in European countries that Finland is being forced to run her sawmills at a loss. The result is that some- -thing akin to Fascism has broken out in Finland and employers seem determined to force workers to agree to a program of wage cuts, and are running communists out of the country.

William Crookes’ Prophecy re Wheat

Sib William Crookes, in 1898, made the prophecy that should all the wheat-growing countries add to their area to their utmost capacity, the yield then provided Avould be only just enough to supply the increase of the population among bread-eaters until the year 1931. But there are now millions of bushels of wheat that cannot be marketed, and 1931 is only around the corner. How easy it is to make a mistake.

Poland 20-percent Workless

WHILE the figures move up and down somewhat with the season, yet the past summer has shown Poland about 20-percent workless. Out of 1,006,996 insured workers, more than 200,000 were out of work all summer. There is a shortage of working capital in Poland, with high prices for industrial products, low wages and a general low level of consumption.

Cotton Pickers Must Go

THE new cotton pickers, which do the work of forty pickers each, are said to be a success, and this means that the cotton pickers, the cheapest labor in the country, must go, or at least three-fourths of them must. Just where they are to go, and what they will eat and wear while on their way, is something that- has not yet been disclosed by the great minds now managing tilings.

Bad Conditions in Germany

AT THIS writing it is said that every fifth person in Germany is now living on public funds and that of 40,000,000 men and women of voting age nearly one-third are dependent on the public treasury for food and shelter. Unemployment insurance in Germany ranges from $2 to $5.50 a week. The cost of living is only a little less than in the United States.

The Baby Bandits of Salinas

ON A houseboat in an irrigation ditch police officers of Salinas, California, found the rendezvous of a gang of armed baby bandits ten to thirteen years of age. One of the kids toted two guns. In the- headquarters were found rifles, ammunition, 200 pass-keys, several hundred dollars’ worth of jewelry and much fishing tackle.

Shady Seats and Sunny Seats

ON TRAINS Numbers 131, 152, 176 and 177, operating between New York and Washington, the parlor cars hereafter will operate with one drawing room away from the sun and one drawing room toward the sun, in each direction, thus making it now possible to request a seat on the shady side of the train and get it, if one has the necessary wherewithal to purchase.

Washingtonians Prefer Taxis

THE street car companies of Washington.

D. C., contracted with the city to provide six rides for a quarter; then they boosted the fare to six rides for forty cents. Then they moved up once more, fixing four fares at thirty cents or a single ride for ten cents, and then the people struck. At present Washingtonians are riding in taxis and the street car companies are taking in less money at ten cents a ride than they did -when- the fare was much less.

Mr. Patti’s Hurd Luck

Mr. Rath, alias Pius XI, pope, is having hard luck. The Vatican City has only 560 people in it, and there are 600 telephones, so that a pretty close tab can be kept on each of them, yet recently thieves entered the Lateran Palace and swiped valuable Mosaic fragments and other precious antiques. Eighteen men have been arrested and held on suspicion, but this is only three percent of the population and the authorities may not have the right men at all.

'^he Crisis in Britain.

HE unemployed in Britain are now regularly more than 2,000.000, and predictions are freely made that within another year they will be 4,000,000, Lloyd George thinks the present conditions comparable only to the darkest hours of the World War and predicts a crisis soon, Male labor is being displaced in Britain by illy paid female labor in the operation of pressing machines, the women working for as low wages as 24-^.. an hour.

Let Adult Workers Replace Children

HE National Education Association has made the sensible suggestion that one of the things that can be done to ease present conditions is to let the million or more child toilers give up their job and go to school, where they can learn something, and let their places be taken by the country’s idle adults. The absurdity of permitting child labor and serious unemploj’-ment of adults at the same time and in the same place is so self-evident that anybody ought to be able to see it.

The Telephone Gold Mins

VERYBODY knows, or ought to know, that the telephone trust is at present a gold mine for those who have stock in it. When they finally get all their dialing systems in, they will save about 30 percent on this part of their labor by letting out 30 percent of the switchboard girls. Don’t ask what will become of the girls. They cannot get married, because the boys they would marry cannot get any jobs either. Machinery is doing all the work and getting all the wages or profits, or whatever you wish to call it.

Few Deserving Beggars

oil's D. Godfeby, mendicancy officer for the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities, declares that he has investigated and talked with thousands of beggars variously known, from their tricks, as patters, floppers, high-heelers, crust throwers, fit-throwers, throw-outs and black hoods, and that they average $15 to $25 a day, and that he has never yet discovered one really deserving case. Even on the side streets, Mr, Godfrey claims, a beggar will make about $6 daily, or $12 on Saturday. He might have included the pulpit beggars, whose business is generally confined exclusively to Sunday, the best day of the week for that kind of business.

Ludendorff’s Gloomy Predictions

ekera'l Ludendobiw, often called the brains of the imperial German army, predicts a new world war in 1932. His lineup is France, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Yugoslavia on the one side and Italy, Hungary, Austria, Great Britain and Germany on the other, with Russia fighting for the bones that are left. He claims that 45,000 Germans are now or shortly will be in Russia for training in military communism.

Wine Campaign in'Italy

TN THE effort to get her surplus wines consumed, Italian newspapers are printing statistics that wine contains four-fifths of the elements necessary for human life, the remaining fifth being necessary for good humor; that it stimulates the digestion; that it conquers nervous depression and raises resistance to disease;That it kills typhus germs in drinking water; that it is antiseptic, tones the system and raises the morale, and is indispensable for all workers.

The Unspoiled Guaharibos

FIFTEEN hundred miles up the Orinoco river in an outboard motor boat is the record of Doctor Herbert Spencer Dickey, his wife and throe others. At length they reached the land of the reputedly savage and terrible Guaharibos, only to find them stark naked, but simple, likable people. Dr. Dickey says that “the bad Indian is a dream. There is no such thing as a bad Indian until the white man makes him so”.

Guiltless of 71 Murders

HE German Reich’s health department has officially exonerated Dr. Albert Calmette for the death of the 71 infants which he caused by injecting anti-tuberculosis vaccines into their blood. The German health department is doubtless wholly under the control of the medical profession, and medical ethics require that Dr. Calmette should be vindicated even if the number of deaths had been many times as great as it was. Meantime, be sure to “see your doctor*’. He may have some new vaccine that you might like tried on your children. AU these vaccines are 'perfectly safe’: they say so on the wrappers in which they come from the factories where they are produced.

Higher Standards of Living, Not Lower

resident Hoover has well said that ‘‘any retreat from our American philosophy of constantly increasing standards of living becomes a retreat into perpetual unemployment and the acceptance of a cesspool of poverty for some large part of our people”. Manifestly he does not believe in wage cuts, nor in the laying off of workers, but rather in full wages at reduced hours, which at this writing seems the only way out, speaking humanly.

High-Pressure Salesmanship

N AUTOMOBILE salesman in 'White Plains, New York, not only sold his prospect a nice new car, but actually talked him into a marriage alliance with his widowed sister, the mother of a grown son and daughter. When they returned from trying out the car a jewelry salesman was on the job, and the first thing the poor customer knew he was a regularly and duly certified married man. Now he wants the court to tell him what he can do about it. What a bond salesman that man would make!

Colorado’s Shale Oil Fields

OLOEADO'S shale oil fields, estimated to contain 800,000 acres of oil lands and 40,000,000,000 barrels of oil, are said to be in danger of being gobbled up by the big oil companies. The claim is made by a Colorado representative of the United States General Land Office that for the past five years he has been trying without avail to get the Department of the Interior to protect the rights of the public in this matter. Not being able to get such protection, he has resigned his office.

The Unemployed Outside Sacramento

WHETHER still there or not we do not know, but recently there was encamped outside of Sacramento an army of unemployed men demanding that each unemployed citizen be paid $25 weekly, and that empty houses be commandeered and turned over to them rent free, with light and heat provided at state expense. The committee of five representing this army went to the governor or the state, asserting that the funds to carry out their program could be secured by reducing the salaries of all state officials- to $5,000 a year and levying special taxes on the rich and on large corporations.

An Item from the Rum Front

N ITEM from the rum front tells us that when agents from the Newark prohibition headquarters raided a supposedly empty factory in Paterson they found an elaborately equipped distillery with a plant worth $100,000. As the agents entered the building eight or ten men disappeared into a tunnel, dragging a barbed wire entanglement behind them. They made their escape through an adjacent vacant building.

Lemming Plagues of Norway

VERY few years Norway has a plague of yellowish-brown furry rodents about the size of field mice. Nothing but death stops these lemmings, as they are called, when they once start to move. They go in a straight line, and if it takes them over a precipice or off the side of a bridge, over they go. In crossing the fiords millions of them drown and their numbers floating on the water are so great as to impede the progress of the steamers. When on the march they devour everything in their path.

Zaro Agha on Broadway

HESE New Yorkers are the limit. They got old Zaro Agha, the 156-year-old Turk, into a beauty shop on Broadway, and kept him there for an hour, bleaching his complexion and ironing out the wrinkles. When it was all over his brown, leathery, wrinkled'face was supplanted by a soft yellowish-white one and the wrinkles were nearly gone. He was astonished when he looked in the mirror, and went out of the beauty shop declaring that he had not felt younger or better in. the last 125 years.

Safety in Motor Traffic

HE highways department of Ontario is circulating blotters pointing out that in traffic emergencies the normal man will respond in one-fifth of a second through the motor nerves in the muscle of the arm and hand, but if he has two ounces of whisky in him at the time this process will take from two-fifths to three-fifths of a second. In other words, with a drink of whisky in him a man loses two-fifths of a second in an emergency, and in two-fifths of a second, in a car going at thirty-five miles an hour, the car travels between 20 and 21 feet, which may mean all the difference between life and death.

On the Firing Line in India*

WE COMMENCED our tour at Karachi, 500 miles from Bombay. We were there for about eight weeks, during which we placed nearly 1,000 bound books. For six weeks of that time we stayed at the largest and best hotel in the town free of all cost. The proprietress gave us an invitation to stay as long as we liked as her guests. We had the best the hotel could offer. Other folks paid one pound per day for the same thing.

Our next move was to Hyderabad, in the Sind desert, 50 miles inland. We again did well, but were there only a week. It was here that they had all those awful floods. When that was gone an epidemic of cholera swept over the town, killing one-half of the 1,500 infected. 'When that abated they had a plague of locusts which swept destruction to all crops in its path as a new broom sweeps dust. We saw some of it. The air was thick with them, as in a snowstorm. Every tree was gray with them. That week I placed 145 bound books and took orders for 30 more. This was in spite of two days off.

My next place was Hissar (where the D. ,D. tried to get me chased out of the waiting room where I was staying), and then Ambala. Then came Bikaner (where I went over the Maharajah’s palace and sat on his bed and made pals with his new state elephant); and then Muscona, a small town 6,600 feet above sea level. From Ambala I did 150 miles by train to Dhira Dun and then hired a car to take me the next 12 miles. In the last 3 miles we climbed 2,000 feet. From the road terminus I hired a horse and 3 coolies to get up the mountainside. I had never before ridden a horse other than on the level; so I had plenty of thrills. He slithered and slid about in the loose gravel. Once, when overtaking another horseman, the two horses set to and had a scrap. Beastly ungentlemanly to settle one’s quarrels on the edge of a cliff. It was an exciting sixty seconds for me, and I sweat to think of it.

Whilst there I heard of a bus company which did the road journey much cheaper; so I found it out and booked a seat for the return journey. I also found they gave special rates for missionaries; so I was promptly a missionary, When I got down the mountainside I found a fine car waiting for me and learned that I was the only one who had booked, so they v/ere tak-‘Extraets from private letters to one of the workers at the Bethel home. We are sure these experiences will be of interest to many of our readers.

ing me in that. So by trying to save the Lord’s money I got a better ride still. I was told that the car was built to the specification of the Rajah, for him, but for some reason was rejected. So you can bet it was a good one. It cost me, all together, 21/- to get up and 8/6 to get back. Acheha! (good!) as the coolies say.

The forest and jungle around there and here (Dhira Dun) abound with wild life: elephants, tigers, panthers, leopards, deer, eagles, snakes, etc. It is a popular resort for the breakers of the everlasting covenant. If I am as flat as a pancake next time you see me you will know an elephant has trodden on me. By the way, I have eaten elephant’s flesh.

#

We have just received Prophecy here. I had 6 copies to start with and placed them all yesterday, together with 34 other bound books. I landed at a little town called Tangalle, at the extreme south of Ceylon, the day before yesterday with 4 cartons of books. I worked one day (it’s too hot between 12 and 4) and a couple of hours the next, and in all placed 56 bound books. So I came away with one carton less. It is difficult to obtain a conveyance at times. There was no railway there. So the Lord provided, as usual. The local magistrate bought a set and asked me to return to lunch, and when I told him I was going to Matara, offered to lend me his car. So that was that. It was 23¹/? miles away, over bad roads; so it saved me no small expense and trouble.

Ron and I had a fine time last November. It was this way. A free lance missionary had had a lot of booklets and tracts from the office and according to his statements had been distributing them. The office had received many letters from the Punjab asking for more books and requesting that a representative should visit them. So Ron and I were sent. The D. D. had offered to be our interpreter. We met him and did not take long to find out that he was a thorough rogue, and a liar, and dishonest. What had really happened was this. A Air. Cayley, who knew the D. D., had read one of the booklets and was so impressed with it that he at once offered to distribute all the D. D. had. He was a type of local preacher, and did so. The letters coming in were a result of his labors, and the D. D. claimed all the credit. Well, to cut a long story short, w^Te bundled the D. D. overboard and toured the Christian villages with

this Mr. Cayley. He was regular rough diamond. The village folk in India are very simple and honest and sincere. So when we gave the lectures they sat there in a semicircle, squatting on the ground with their vernacular Bibles in their hands, and heard us out. After the lectures we had questions; and didn’t they ask some tough ones, too! We placed clearly before them how the clergy and missionaries stood. They recognized it as the truth, and the message spread like wildfire among the other villages, so that as we reached them they were eagerly waiting for us. Some decorated the villages in honor of our arrival. Others killed sheep and fowl for us. But each in turn, once we had satisfied them on the truth, said that henceforth no padre would get an ear in their village. They bundled them all out, S. A. as 'well. They had been starving for food, and we had the privilege to feed them. Since our visit the office has been stormed with letters, so much so that the local manager has gone up there himself. So, hurrah for the Lord and His Kingdom! We have stirred up a hornets’ nest there 0. K. The missionaries are furious. We had to toui' these villages on camel and horseback. It was mostly over desert land.

*

Good evening! It is now 8 p. m. and I have not long returned from the work. I usually work only in the mornings on a Sunday, but I thought I would try to make up for my morning’s slackness. I am filled with self-reproach for my behavior this morning. I went to lunch with the D. D. and he vzas very full of giving me a lift in a friend’s car to my next station, about 80 miles away, so that I did not bring up the subject as I had intended. You see I had called upon him on my last call the evening before and, as in my usual program, I steered him clear of all controversial subjects. I have always found that to advantage, so much so that to four of the five padres in Karachi I delivered a set, and Ron a Volume A to the other. But this fellow pleaded poverty and I could not get round him. So I determined that if he would not have the books to show him just where he stood, then he must have it verbally; and then, I, like the ass I am, let the opportunity slip by. I arrived back here at 12:30 sad and miserable at heart with the knowledge that I had failed to faithfully grasp an opportunity. So I just told the Lord of what I had done, and then, seeking revenge upon his Sooty Highness, I picked up my ammunition case and set out in my wrath. I had not been out a great length of time when I found another D. D. He knew of us and our work and strongly opposed us all. along the line. I refrain from arguments, as a rule, but this was the exception. I assumed a decorous attitude, but firmly stood my ground. On one occasion he was so mad that he ordered me out of the house. But later he became more, reasonable, and at last asked me to join him at tea, which I gladly did, in view of the thirst I had created. You would have screamed to see us alternate in having a little say and then a bite to chew. Well, the finish of it all was that I placed a set with him and he gave me the definite promise to thoroughly read the books and then let me know how he gets on with them. I left that house with a light tread and a heart just pouring out thanks to Jehovah for his goodness in so using me when I thought horv unfaithful I had been to Him that very morning.

Proceeding upon my Avay I found ever so many houses unoccupied: Kalaw is a hill station health resort for the hot season and at present is out of season. I tramped a long Avay before I could get in a canvass. That vzas in the hotel. In the grounds here I discovered a four-foot snake, and Avith others avc succeeded in killing it. I AA-as sorry afterward, as it turned out to be non-venomous. The Chinese boy triumphantly took it aAvay as a delicacy for his evening meal. The proprietor of the hotel helped in the cornering of it and I immediately cornered him and delivered a set. There was only one visitor at the hotel, and I had canvassed him on my way up in the train and procured an order from him.

I returned at 6:30 with lightness of tread, heart and case that did me good to feel, and my heart Avent out in gratitude to that Giver of all good things for the joy of Kingdom service. . . . This brings to my mind to tell you that I can-A/assed Ghandi about nine months ago norv, before his movement started. I had a long chat Avith him and he is reading the Prosperity Sure and Last Days booklets. He is an ardent admirer of Christ, although a Hindu himself.

iff *    *

I left home at Rangoon at 5 a. m. Wednesday and caught the 6 a. m. train for Yamathin, my first station, and arrived there at midnight. I slept that night in the Avaiting room, and at 7: 30 the next morning commenced canvassing and continued until 3 p. m., by which time I had the town finished, that is, all the English-speaking peoples: we have no Burmese vernacular yet. I placed there 22 bound books and took an order for another set, 29 books in all. I then caught the 4:15 train on to Pyawbwe. This was a very small place, and by noon the next day this was completed, resulting in two sets’ being placed, one of which was to a missionary. I tried to purchase some grub for my tiffin basket, but nothing could be obtained other than native stuff.

I caught a train at 2: 30, my next station being Thazi, at which I arrived at 3:30. I obtained half a dozen coolies (females) to carry my luggage to the Dak bungalow. Approaching this I discovered a European coming toward me; so I invited him in to look at the books, which he reluctantly did. Half an hour later I had the good pleasure to see him leave with a set of books tucked under his arm. So that made me two sets and two orders for Thazi, or a grand total of 42 books for the whole day.

At 7 a. m. next day I was in the train once more, and it took from then until 3 p. m. to reach Kalaw, a mere matter of 60 miles; but the town was high up in the Shan mountains, so the going was slow, the mountains being climbed by the system of repeatedly reversing.

I was much amused at sunset when I called upon the home of a rich Mohammedan. There was his nibs on the floor of the porch, saying his prayers. He opened his eyes at my approach and then, without ceasing his muttering, gestured to me to be seated and then continued his supplications. This incident brings to my mind a garri-walla I saw one evening supplicating Allah from the top of his garri. Every minute he would open his eyes, and, without ceasing his prayers, would look up and down the street for any prospective fares!

*■5         •';<         i>.

As I had so far had no sleep that night, I sought to get an hour before daybreak in the waiting room. This emitted such a pestiferous aroma that I would never had entered the place in the ordinary course of events; but being so tired, I ignored it, and, curling up on the settee, was soon asleep. That was at 5 a.m., and by 5:50 I was awakened by the sound of a swishswishing. Lo, and behold, if a coolie wasn’t sweeeping the room out! an act which had not been performed since the room was built. I gave one lusty yell, which sent him shooting through that door like a shot from a gun. He was doing it only for an excuse to ask for “backsheesh”. I had not intended to frighten the poor chap, but it was enough to make anyone see red. I tried to get off again, but by then the noises of the town had started, the ringing of bells, beating of tom toms and clanging of pagoda gongs; so I rose, bathed in the turbid river water, some of which I was forced to drink, and set off upon the work. By 2: 30 p. m. I had finished, having placed 24 books in all, including two sets to missionaries.

I was compelled to wait until 6:15 p. m. for a train (I wish I had a car to eliminate this waiting), and arrived here at Mandalay at 8 p. m., upon which I at once made a bee line for the refreshment room and enjoyed a good square meal. I had my things brought to the Dak bungalow and by 10 o’clock was in bed sleeping the sleep of the just, from which I did not awake till broad daylight today. And now I am taking a day off to finish some of my back mail.

So that brings me to date. Every minute of what I have related to you has been one of intense joy. I am convinced that the full joy cannot be obtained, from the service unless one throws himself into it, heart, mind, body and soul. One recognizes one’s nearness to the Lord in affiliation of the establishment of the Kingdom. I know that it is true that distributing books will get nobody into the Kingdom, but, speaking for myself, I can say that if I never did get into the Kingdom I should still consider that I had been repaid a thousandfold in joy alone for anything I may have done. The record I have just given is full of “I and “me”, but you may rest assured that Ronald enjoys the same experiences; it is easier to detail one’s own.

Instead of putting up at a hotel or the Y. M. C. A. (the latter being extremely nauseating) we are now trying to accommodate ourselves in Rangoon. We have rented an unfurnished flat, and into it put a couple of borrowed beds and other odds and ends, and having engaged the services of a “boy” and a “sweeper” (two necessary evils) we are now engaged in the experience of housekeeping, an experience in which we are not altogether ignorant, as you will remember in our camping. Our limited knowledge of the language lands us into many an amusing and annoying experience from -which an inveterate sense of humor generally lifts us little the worse for wear. The boy does the cooking, or rather does it in, and we' have found thereby that we can cut down our living expenses, and also prefer it to being robbed in a hotel or fed on eternal curry and rice in “digs”.

A sense of humor does not go amiss out here. The scrapes we sometimes get into as a result of our bad Hindustani and others’ bad English, beggar description. A missionary was telling me the other day of an amusing experience. Some words in Burmese have as many as four different meanings, the only difference being the force of accent. After studying for three years he thought himself proficient enough to ask the prayer at a Burmese meeting. Instead of asking a blessing upon “our minds”, he asked it upon “our goats”! I could detect no difference. A friend told him afterward that he overheard one native say in all seriousness, “I expect God understood what he said; I didn’t.” I thought to myself that he had not missed much, but of course did not tell the missionary that..

I have just seen the latest W. T., in which is the notice of two books, another two nails in the Devil’s coffin; we must all get busy driving them in.

Employer’s Personnel System (Agency)

A GENTLEMAN who had occasion to do business with the Employer’s Personnel System (Agency) of Los Angeles sends us a copy of the contract these people asked him to sign and says: “I thought that possibly readers of The Golden Age who have not had experience with employment agencies might be interested in seeing the sort of outrageous contracts that they expect people to sign.” The contract reads:

Contract Agreement—Read Carefully Before Signing

Date ........................................................................, 19 ............

Upon accepting a position, or positions, through the introduction, information or assistance of the Employer’s Personnel System (Agency), I agree to pay said Employer’s Personnel System (Agency) a fee equal in sum to, viz.:

One-fourth of my first full month’s compensation if the same is less than $60.00, or

One-third of my first full month’s compensation if the same is $60.00 or more and less than $150.00. or

One-half of my first full month’s compensation if the same is $150.00 or more.

Fifteen per eent (15%) discount for cash on acceptance of position, otherwise one-third of fee on acceptance of position, and balance in fifteen and thirty days, or four weekly payments.

In case board and room, or either, is a part of the consideration, I understand that same shall be computed at a reasonable rate as part of the monthly compensation.

Fee on temporary positions so understood at time of acceptance shall be one-tenth of the total amount earned, in no ease to exceed amount mentioned above.

The Employer’s Personnel System (Agency) guarantees that all other indefinite positions furnished will last at least ninety days. If I lose a position within that time, through inability to do the work, or termination of my services by my employer through no fault of my own, I agree to pay said Employer’s Personnel System (Agency) ten per cent of the salary actually earned, subject to Section 12 of the Employment Agency Act. If I have paid the full amount the Employer’s Personnel System (Agency) agrees to refund immediately, after investigation, the difference, if any, mentioned above, provided that I notify them immediately when I lose a position. IF I LEAVE A POSITION VOLUNTARILY, I AGREE TO PAY THE FULL FEE.

I have read the above and accept it as a 'binding and legal agreement.

Accepted: EMPLOYER’S PERSONNEL SYSTEM (AGENCY)

Per ................................................................................................................-.......

Applicant.

This contract is subject to the terms of a uniform receipt to be issued later, to be numbered..............................

New Power Scheme a Success

THE scheme of Professor Georges Claude for generating electricity b;v utilizing the difference in temperature between ocean water at the bottom and at the surface in tropical regions is declared to have been proven a success. A corrugated steel tube 5 feet 8 inches in diameter and 6,000 feet in length has been sunk so that one end of it brings up water, icy cold, from a point 1,800 feet down in the Gulf of Mexico. The cold water is used for suddenly cooling exhaust steam, thus creating a vacuum which operates an air pump, and a perpetual motion is thereby established.

Tlie Great Prophet

An address by Judge Rutherford, broadcast August 31 WATCHTOWER national chain program

THE paramount issue before the creatures of the universe today is, Who is the supreme God? This involves the question as to how can man be brought up to perfection and enjoy everlasting life. A few men and women positively and without qualification say: ‘Jehovah, He is God, and there is none other; and His purpose for mankind is set forth in the Bible, which is His Word of truth.’ The most prominent clergymen of the world deny this declaration. I quote the language of some of them as a sample. The distinguished bishop of Birmingham, who expects the people to sit at his feet and learn wisdom, claims to be a minister of God and yet boldly says: “The Bible account of man’s creation, primal innocence and fall and redemption, are mere folklore. Darwin’s theory of evolution has triumphed.”

Before a conference of clergymen and officials of fifty-seven colleges, held at Des Moines, Iowa, a noted American Presbyterian clergyman arrogantly proclaimed these words: “The god of evolution is a more potent factor in life than the God of the Bible.”

Questionnaires were submitted to a large number of American clergymen and the majority of them expressed their belief and confidence in evolution, and not in the Word of God. The evolution theory denies God’s expressed purpose of redemption and deliverance of the people by and through the blood of Christ Jesus.

While I often refer to the clergymen, I hope the audience fully understands that I have no quarrel with them as men. If they did not claim to represent God I would not even mention them. Because what they teach is not the truth, and because their false doctrines dishonor God’s name, and turn the people array from Him into darkness, I am uncompromisingly opposed to so-called “organized Christianity” and the clergymen thereof. The truth must be told, not merely to expose the faults of men, but that the people may be enabled to relieve themselves from the bondage of error and to learn the "way to everlasting life. If what I state to the people is not true, then it becomes the duty of the clergymen to show the people wherein my statements are untrue. Frequently they have been called upon to do so. They remain silent and at the same time secretly bring about the arrest and persecution of humble men and women who are faithfully trying to help the people understand the truth. The clergymen know they have no satisfactory answer to the plain proclamation of God’s Word, and therefore they resort to Satan’s favorite method of persecuting God’s witnesses, even as Jesus was persecuted when He was on the earth.

On this occasion I shall submit some of the prophetic testimony of God’s inspired witness as it appears in the Bible and prove that centuries ago Jehovah God foretold His means of salvation through His beloved Son, Christ Jesus ; and this testimony being true, it shows that the statements of modern clergymen are false as Satan himself. Their defamation of God’s word and name proceeds from Satan, whom they represent, whether they knoAv it or not. Therefore I call upon the people to set the Bible testimony opposite that of the clergymen of “organized Christianity” so called, and then upon comparison to determine which they will believe and which leads to the way of life everlasting in happiness. The books that are brought to you by faithful witnesses of the Lord will enable you to find in the Bible the texts you desire.

Jehovah, in preparing for the complete vindication of His word and His name, foretold the mighty agency He would use to accomplish that purpose. He would bring forth a Prophet who would speak authoritatively for Jehovah, a Priest who would serve as the chief executive officer of the Lord, a King who should in God’s due time rule the world in righteousness. Since the Redeemer and Deliverer of man must be strong and a great conqueror, it might be expected that the same Mighty One would fill the office of God’s Prophet, Priest and King.

The work of Moses as a prophet was about done, and God would have him tell Israel of the coming of the Greater than Moses. He therefore said to the Israelites: “The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken. . . . And the Lord said unto me, . . . I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. And it shall come to pass, that "whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.” (Dent. 18:15-111) The clergy must be guided by Christ Jesus, the anti-typieal Moses.

All peoples of earth shall in due time hear and obey that mighty Prophet, or Jehovah Himself will take the matter in hand. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Heb. 10:31) It follows that the One here described would come, not to speak His own message, but to speak the message of the Almighty God and to acquaint the people concerning the will of the Most High, that His will might be done by the peoples on earth as it is done in heaven.

The fact that God said that the great Prophet would be “like unto” Moses must mean that the work done or duties performed by Moses foretold the kind of work to be done or duties to be performed by the Greater than Moses. That which prominently stands out in the work of Moses may be summed up in this manner: He was appointed by Jehovah. God raised him up to he the deliverer of his people. He was the law-giver. He was the teacher of the people, informing them of God’s -will. He was the true and faithful witness of God for the people. He was the father and comforter of the Israelites. Above all, he stood for the name and glory of Jehovah. The Greater than Moses must do likewise, only on a far wider scale. The chief reason why God sent Moses to Egypt was to “redeem [Israel] for a people to himself, and to make him [for himself] a name”. (2 Sain. 7:23) Therefore the chief reason for sending the Greater than Moses must be to redeem the people and to make a name for Jehovah God. There is no intimation that He would be sent merely to save some and get them to heaven to help God run His affairs.

If it be found from the Scriptures and from the events that have actually come to pass that the prophecy uttered by Moses concerning the coming of the greater Prophet has been fulfilled, then it follows that the one fulfilling the prophecy is the mighty Representative of Jehovah God and that His words are true and import' absolute verity and must be followed and obeyed. It would also follow that any man, whether clergyman or other, who denies the words of Jesus is a false prophet and his words are false. All mankind, be they Jews or Gentiles, must obey whatsoever this great Prophet commands, if they would have the favor of Jehovah God.

Fulfilled

John the Baptist was a prophet. He was the one who made announcement of the coming of Jesus Christ the Son of God. The learned Jews came to John and inquired if he was that Prophet concerning whom Moses prophetically wrote. John answered that he was not, but that the one coming after him and whom he would announce is that great Prophet. When Jesus appeared and began His work John said: “This is he of whom I said. After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me.”—John 1: 21, 30.

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan the spirit of God descended upon Him and there was a voice from heaven saying: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) John testified that he witnessed this great demonstration of power. (John 1:33, 34) Peter at Pentecost declared Jesus Christ to be the One whom Moses foretold. (Acts 3:19-24) Paul also identifies Him as that great Prophet. (Rom. 1:1-3) The Nev,⁷ Testament scriptures abundantly testify that Jesus Christ is the great Prophet foretold by Moses. Did He meet the divine requirements of a prophet? He did in every respect. He spoke in the name of Jehovah God; His words on all occasions tended to turn the people to Jehovah God and to honor His name, and many things that He said have come to pass.

He spoke in the name of Jehovah and authoritatively as God’s mouthpiece. “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” (Heb. 1:1, 2) Jesus always honored His Father and claimed no honor for Himself. “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5: 30) “'As my Father hath taught me, I speak these things. ... I honour my Father. . . . If I honour myself, my honour is nothing; it is my Father that honoureth me.” (John 8:28, 49, 54) He did not attempt to magnify Himself, but always magnified God’s name. When those who heard Him would not believe Him, He asked them to believe Him because of His works. —John 14:10, 11.

The entire New Testament record of Jesus abundantly proves that He was the great Teacher from God bearing testimony to the truth of Jehovah. For this cause was He born and came into the world. (John 18: 37) He was the great expounder of the will of God. As God’s great mouthpiece He declared things to come to pass which could not be understood until they were fulfilled.

Jesus’ great prophecy concerning His second presence and the end of the world is set forth in the record. (Matt. 24) The things there prophesied began to come to pass in the year 1914, and they are still in process of fulfilment. Jesus foretold the fall of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews and that subsequently they would again become the recipients of God’s favor. The first part of that prophecy was long ago fulfilled. He testified that He must die to provide the great redemptive price for man. (Matt. 20: 28; John 10:10; G: 51) That prophecy has been fulfilled. (Heb. 2:9; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6) He prophesied that He would be raised from the dead, would ascend into heaven, and would come again; all of which prophecies have been fulfilled. Many of His prophecies have been fulfilled, and many more are yet to be fulfilled. What is here said is said for the purpose of showing that He met in every sense that which was required by the Lord and which proved Him a true prophet, and that He is the great Prophet who Moses prophesied was to come. .

As Moses was the redeemer and deliverer of the Israelites from Egypt, so is the great Prophet Jesus Christ the Redeemer and Deliverer of all mankind. As Moses was the lawgiver to the Israelites, so Jesus Christ is the great Law-giver for the people. As Moses was teacher of the people of Israel, so Jesus Christ is and ever will be the great Teacher of mankind. As Moses was the guide for the Israelites, even so Jesus Christ is the Guide and Leader and Instructor for the people. (Isa. 55: 4) As Moses was a “father” to the Israelites, so Jesus Christ is the great Life-giver of the world. (Isa. 9: 6, 7) As Moses stood for the honor of Jehovah’s name, even so the Greater than Moses, Christ Jesus, whom God hath exalted, is now and ever shall be an honor and glory to the name of Jehovah God. (Phil. 2: 9-11) The proof shows beyond all question that Jesus Christ is the great Prophet whom God foretold by the mouth of Moses, and that the words spoken by Jesus are from Jehovah, and that all who would live must hear and obey TIis words.

A Priest

The high priest of Jehovah God is the one who serves Him officially as His principal officer. The ceremony performed in connection with the tabernacle on the atonement day was a prophetic ceremony. The priest performed that ceremony. In substance that prophetic ceremony said: The time will come when the great High Priest, appointed by Jehovah, shall serve in that official capacity in making atonement before God for the sins of the world. A perfect human sacrifice must be offered up as a substitute for sinful man, thereby providing the cost price for the redemption of man, and must in due time be presented to Jehovah. Who would be the priest to perform that sacrificial work? Paul, the inspired witness of the Lord, answers the question and identifies Christ Jesus as that great High Priest who was faithful to God who appointed Him. (Heb. 3:1-6) The proof shows not only that He was the Priest of God when on earth, but that He still occupies that high office in heaven itself. (Heb. 4:15; 8:1) He did not take tliat high office by His own. appointment, but took it by appointment from Jehovah God. — Heb. 5:5, 6.

Once each year, on the atonement day, the high priest of Israel performed the prophetic ceremony by offering the lives of animals; and in fulfilment of that prophecy Jesus Christ, the great High Priest of God, offered His own lifeblood once, and thereby provided the ransom price and sin-offering for mankind. “'Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood, he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of tire world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Heb. 9:11, 12, 14, 24, 26) Choose today and believe these inspired words or accept the unsupported statements of a presumptuous clergy.

As further proof that the Jewish ceremony on the atonement day was prophetic, the high priest of the Jews must be taken from the tribe of Levi; and hence it was called the Levitical priesthood. Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, about which tribe nothing was said concerning priesthood. There was another priesthood provided, which is designated in the Scriptures by the Lord as the priesthood “after the order of Melchisedec”. (Heb. 7:11-17) Then Paul, in that connection, quotes the words of the prophet: “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God, abideth a priest continually.”—Heb. 7: 3.

By this language is meant that this priesthood did not come into office by reason of birth, as did the priests of the Levitical order, and that therefore He had neither father nor mother; and since there is no record of the beginning of the Mighty One, and since there is to be no end of His priesthood, it is stated that lie was without beginning of days or end of life. Therefore the Levitical priesthood prophetically referred to the work of the great Priest, Christ Jesus, to be performed in connection with the antitypieal atonement day, but it did not foreshadow other work that the same great Priest does. .

Another prophecy was made foretelling that great Priest and the nature of His work. When Abraham was returning from rescuing Lot he was met by Melchizedek, who was then king of Salem, which means that he was the king of peace, and he was at the same time a priest of the Most High God; and he gave Abraham nourishing food and drink. (Gen. 14:18; Heb. 7:1). That prophecy foretold the coming of a Mighty One who would fill the office of Priest of the Most High God and who would minister life-giving portions to the peoples of the earth. Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy and is God’s great High Priest and chief executive officer for ever, and He gave unto the. people that which will bring and sustain life. (Rom. 6:23) Being God’s chief executive officer, He does and will perform all things for Jehovah and in the name of Jehovah. Concerning this it is written that all things are from Jehovah and all things are by Christ Jesus’.—2 Cor. 5:18; 1 Cor. 8: 6.

King

The prophecy concerning Melchizedek shows also that the great High Priest who fills the office is at the same time the great King or Ruler. God caused Isaiah to prophesy concerning the coming of the Mighty Oue upon whose shoulder the government of righteousness would rest, and who would give life and peace to the peoples of earth. He foretold that that Mighty One is the Prince of Peace. (Isa. 9:6, 7) When Jacob was on his deathbed God caused him to utter a prophecy concerning what should come ' to pass in the future. Among other things he prophesied as follows: “Judah is a lion’s whelp-: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up ? The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” ■—Gen. 49: 9, 10.

Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah and is identified in the Scriptures as “the Lion of the tribe of Juda”. (Rev. 5: 5) The Mighty One thus foretold by this prophet must have the right to rule and be the great Law-giver to the people, even as Moses was the law-giver to Israel. His name Shiloh means peaceful One, or the Prince of Peace. The fact that the prophet declared that unto Him shall the gathering of the people be is a prophecy that He would be the Ruler of the people. Jesus has partially fulfilled this prophecy and is in course of fulfilling it all.

Jehovah caused His prophet to foretell the place of the birth of Him who must be the rightful Ruler of the world. “But thou, Beth-1 ehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Mie. 5:2) When Jesus was born at Bethlehem this prophecy was fulfilled partially, or in miniature. The words of the prophecy, “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting,” definitely identify the Logos, by whom all things were created and who was made flesh and dwelt among men, as the One who was born to be the Ruler of the world. (John 1:1-4) When Jesus was on earth He was anointed to be King and therefore was the King at that time, but He did not assume the office of Ruler at that time. He must wait until God’s due time, wffiieh was future, as He stated to Pilate. (John 18:36-38) The prophet indicated the time that Jesus would assume His office as King when he said: “Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.”—Mie. 5: 3.

That prophecy relates to the time when His nation would be born and His rule would begin, which has now been fulfilled, but which will be discussed in a subsequent lecture. God, through His prophet, referring to a future time, said: “Tet have 1 set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” (Ps. 2:6) That prophecy began to have its fulfilment in 1914, as will appear from evidence hereinafter submitted.

The indisputable prophetic testimony shows therefore that He ■whom Jehovah provided to redeem the human race is also the great Prophet of Jehovah God and speaks with absolute authority for Jehovah. The proof is also that He is the everlasting “Priest of the Most High God” and will forever administer the duties of that office, and is hence the chief officer of Jehovah. The proof is also that He is the great King and rightful Euler of the world, who will rule in righteousness for the blessing of the people, and that He received the everlasting right to all these high offices at the time when He was anointed by the holy spirit of Jehovah.

“Anointing” means designation to office and that the one thus anointed is clothed with power and authority to act in that office. The word “Christ” means anointed one, and it was at the time of His anointing that He received the name Christ. From that time forward He has properly possessed the titles of Prophet, Priest and King. The word “Messiah” also means the anointed one. God, through His prophet, foretold that the Messiah the Prince would be cut off, but not for Himself. (Dan. 9:25, 26) That prophecy is exactly in harmony with Isaiah’s prophecy concerning the One who should pour out His soul unto death to provide the redemptive price for man. (Isa. 53:8, 12) Jesus fulfilled this prophecy, because He is the Anointed, the Messiah, and He poured out His soul unto death, not for Himself but for the benefit of mankind.

When Jehovah God raised Jesus out of death and exalted Him to the highest place in heaven, He had then become the Redeemer and the One who makes atonement for sin; and He rightfully holds that title in addition to those of Prophet, Priest and King. Jesus then possessed the power and authority to establish immediately a righteous rule on the earth and take action against the great enemy to oust him from rulership of the world, and to perform the work of vindicating Jehovah’s name, and to command all the people to obey. It would have been His greatest joy to do so then, had it been God’s clue time; but God’s due time had not yet arrived; therefore Jehovah said to Him as He had foretold through the words of the Prophet David: “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Ps. 110:1) Paul recorded the fulfilment of that prophecy when he wrote: “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.”—Heb. 10:12, 13.

The above prophetic statement can not be taken to mean that Jesus must remain idle or inactive when directed to sit down, but must mean that He was to await God’s due time for taking action against the enemy to oust him from the courts of heaven, establish a government of righteousness, and vindicate His Father’s name. There was much other work for Him to do in the meantime. When He was about to end His earthly ministry as a man, He said to His disciples: “And I covenant for you, even as my Father has covenanted for me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22: 29, 30, Thus Jesus uttered a prophecy that His faithful followers (meaning His disciples and others who should likewise follow in His footsteps) would be with Him in His kingdom.

Again, He said to His disciples about the same time: “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also.” This was also a prophecy, the understanding of which was hidden from His followers until the time of His coming and His kingdom. Now that prophecy has been at least partially fulfilled and is in course of fulfilment, and those who are devoted to the Lord can understand it and do understand it. Seeing then that the prophecies foretold the Redeemer, the great Prophet, Priest and King, and that these prophecies have been fulfilled or are in course of fulfilment, there is an abundance of proof' to establish the faith of all who love Jehovah.

It is the privilege of the clergy to believe what they will, but it is not their privilege to wilfully mislead the people. If they believe that evolution is a more potent god than Jehovah, let them follow their false god, but let them cease to claim to be representatives of Jehovah God and ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Their words stamp them as false teachers. Let their mask, which falsely bears the name “Christian”, be torn off, and let them stand forth in their true position. They may be great and learned men of the world, but they are Satan’s chief visible instruments to blind the people from the truth. Why should the people longer halt between the truth and these false teachers? If the people believe that Jehovah is God, and that His Word, the Bible, is true, then let them emphatically repudiate the hypocritical clergy and take their stand on the side of God and of His Christ. ‘Choose this day whom ye will hear and believe.’

The fact that the Lord caused these prophecies to be written for the benefit of the man who devotes himself to Jehovah God is conclusive proof that in God’s due time the prophecies would be understood. Next Sunday, by the Lord’s grace, some Scriptural proof will be submitted to show that we have now come to the days of understanding, when God will have the people to understand these great prophecies. Those who do understand and obey will rejoice and be blessed.

Judge Smathers

toge William H. Smathers, of Atlantic City, in an address urging retail druggists to quit the rum trade, said passionately:

Prohibition has done more to corrupt the American government and to destroy the integrity of the courts of this country than any other evil known. There follows in the wake of every effort to enforce prohibition a trail of corruption, bribery and favoritism. Prohibition brought as one of the great evils the gang or gunmen scare that has been sweeping the country for

on Prohibition

several years. Bootleggers in the racket can not go into the courts to settle their differences, so they kill each other, and that situation will exist until prohibition is wiped off the books, opening the courts of the country to all its citizens. I do not drink alcohol in any form, and regard it as poisonous to the human system as any drug that can be found. I prefer, however, to have a few good-for-nothing individuals, who wish to poison themselves with alcohol, take that course rather than to have our entire system of government poisoned by the influence of prohibition.

rpHIS year it contains one of the most interesting reports ever made -*• by Judge Rutherford, president of the International Bible Students Association and the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society. The witness concerning God’s kingdom, which the Lord says must be given before the end, has been extended to practically every nook and corner of the earth. Read this year's report of each country and you will be thrilled to note the magnitude of the work accomplished in the world by Christians during 1930.       '

Besides this excellent report, the YEAR BOOK contains an explanation of the year text chosen for 1931 and, additionally, a text for each day, together with a brief comment in explanation thereof. You will greatly enjoy, every morning, reading the text from the Bible and the clear and concise comment. It is a good way to start the day, and we feel sure that by the end of 1931 you will have had many happy moments in picking up the I. B. S. A. Peer Book and considering the gems of truth it contains.

Write to the Watch Tower, using the attached coupon, and we shall be glad to mail you the I. B. S. A. Year Book for 1931, postpaid, anywhere, upon receipt of 50c.           .

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Please send me the I. B. S. A. Year Book for 1931 Enclosed find money order for 50$.

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