STUDY WATCHTOWER

Published Semimonthly By

WATCH TOWER BIBLE & TRACT SOCIETY 117 Adams Street -   - Brooklyn 1, N.Y., U.S.A

Officers

N. H. Knorr, President        W. E. Van Amburgh, Secretary

“And all thy children shall be taught of Jehovah; and great shall be the peace of thy children.” - Isaiah 54:13.

THE BIBLE CLEARLY TEACHES

THAT JEHOVAH is the only true God, from everlasting to everlasting, and is the Maker of heaven and earth and Giver of life to his creatures; that the Word or Logos was the beginning of his creation and his active agent in creating all other things; and that the creature Lucifer rebelled against Jehovah and raised the issue of His universal sovereignty;

THAT GOD created the earth for man, made perfect man for the earth and placed him upon it; that man yielded to unfaithful Lucifer, or Satan, and willfully disobeyed God’s law and was sentenced to death; that by reason of Adam’s wrong act all men are born sinners and without the right to life;

THAT THE LOGOS was made human as the man Jesus and suffered death in order to produce the ransom or redemptive price for obedient men; that God raised up Christ Jesus divine and exalted him to heaven above every other creature and clothed him with all power and authority as head of God’s new capital organization;

THAT GOD’S CAPITAL ORGANIZATION is a Theocracy called Zion, and that Christ Jesus is the Chief Officer thereof and is the rightful King of the new world; that the faithful anointed followers of Christ Jesus are Zion's children, members of Jehovah's organization, and are His witnesses whose duty and privilege it Is to testify to Jehovah’s supremacy and declare his purposes toward mankind as expressed in the Bible;

THAT THE OLD WORLD, or Satan’s uninterrupted rule, ended A.D. 1914, and Christ Jesus has been placed by Jehovah upon the throne, has ousted Satan from heaven, and now proceeds to vindicate His name and establish the “new earth”;

THAT THE RELIEF and blessings of the peoples can come only by Jehovah’s kingdom under Christ, which has begun; that His next great act is to destroy Satan’s organization and establish righteousness completely in the earth ; and that under the Kingdom the people of good-will surviving Armageddon will carry out the divine mandate to “fill the earth” with righteous offspring, and that the human dead in the graves will be raised to opportunities of life on earth.

ITS MISSION

HIS journal Is published for the purpose of enabling the people to know Jehovah God and his purposes as expressed in the Bible. It publishes Bible instruction specifically designed to aid Jehovah's witnesses and all people of good-will. It arranges systematic Bible study for Its readers and the Society supplies other literature to aid in such studies. It publishes suitable material for radio broadcasting and for other means of public Instruction in the Scriptures.

It adheres strictly to the Bible as authority for its utterances. It is entirely free and separate from all religion, parties, sects or other worldly organizations. It is wholly and without reservation for the kingdom of Jehovah God under Christ his beloved King. It is not dogmatic, but invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures. It does not indulge in controversy, and its columns are not open to personalities.

Yearly subscription Price

United States, 51.00; all other countries. 51.50, American currency; Great Britain, Australasia, and South Africa, 6s. American remlttani es should be made by Postal Note or by Postal or Express Money Order or by Bank Draft Outside of the United States remittances should be made direct to the respective branch offices. Remittances from countries other than those mentioned may be made to the Brooklyn office, but by International Postal Money Order only.

Foreign Offices

Australia ____.___           ______- 7 Beresford Rd., Strathfleld. N. S. W.

Canada __________.._________...___40 Irwin Ave., Toronto 5. Ontario

England 34 Craven Terrace, London, W. 2

India 167 Love Lane. Bombay 27 Newfoundland____________.____________ P. O. Box 521, St. John's

New Zealand 177 Daniell St.. WellinRton, S 1

Philippine Islands_________...----------- 1219-B Oroquieta St. Manila

South Africa  623 Boston House, Cape Town

Please address the Society in every case.

Translations of this journal appear in several languages.

ALL SINCERE STUDENTS OF THE BIBLE who by reason of infirmity, poverty or adversity are unable to pay the subscription price may have The Watchtower free upon written application to the publishers, made once each year, stating the reason for so requesting it We are glad to thus aid the needy, but the written application once each year is required by the postal regulations.

Notice to Subscribers: Acknowledgment of a new or a renewal subscription will be sent only when requested. Change of address, when requested, may be expected to appear on address label within one month Old and new addresses must be given. A renewal blank (carrying notice of expiration) will be sent with the journal one month before the subscription expires.

Printed in the United States of America

Entered as second-class matter at the post office at Brooklyn, N. T., under the Act of March 3, 1879.

“NEW SONG” TESTIMONY PERIOD

The month-long “New Song” Testimony Period falls in October of this year. All throughout it the singing of the new song to Jehovah’s praise will take on a very new feature, and that is the Society’s magazine Awake! first introduced to the world at the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly in Cleveland this past August. Kingdom publishers among English-speaking populations will therefore specialize for this one month on taking subscriptions for Awake! at the regular rate of $1 a year. Individual copies, five cents. Every person anxious to join in singing the new song of God’s kingdom should find special incentive in taking part in the Testimony during October in offering Awake!

“LET GOD BE TRUE”

This new book, of 320 pages, was a feature release at the recent Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly in Cleveland, Ohio. Its 24 chapters discuss simply and with many Scripture proofs the primary Bible teachings and questions .at issue today. It supplies a long-felt need for doctrinal instruction of this basic kind. All Bible texts cited or quoted are listed in an index with page numbers, and there is also a subject index for quick references. The book is bound in dark-green cloth, with title stamped in gold. It is mailed postpaid; anywhere, at 25c a copy.

“EQUIPPED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK”

This is a new 384-page handbook of vital information on the Holy Scriptures and brings together much cyclopedic material to aid in better understanding the Bible and presenting its message. The book is bound in maroon cloth, gold-stamped and handsomely embossed. Its first 20 lessons are grouped under the heading “Preparing the Way for Bible Study”. Then follow 33 lessons on “The Hebrew Scriptures” and, next, 17 lessons on “The Greek Scriptures”. Interspersed throughout are valuable illustrations, maps, and tables, with finally a “Scriptural Summary, Without Comment, of Primary Doctrines”. It is mailed, postpaid, at 50c a copy.

USE RENEWAL SUBSCRIPTION BLANK

The renewal blank sent you prior to the expiration of your Watchtower subscription should be filled out and returned to the Brooklyn office or to the Branch office in the country where you reside. Servants in the companies, and individuals, when sending in renewals for The Watchtower, should always use these blanks. By filling in these renewal blanks you are assured of the continuation of your Watchtower from the time of expiration, and without delay. It will also be a great help if you sign your name uniformly, and note any recent-change of address, on the renewal slip.

ANNOUNCING JEHOVAH'S KINGDOM

Vol. LXVII                              October 1, 1946                                   No. 19

GLAD NATIONS THEOCRATIC ASSEMBLY OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

JEHOVAH is the supernal Organizer of assemblies. He is immortally old at arranging and conducting conventions. From times prehuman the great Ancient of Days has convened assemblies of mighty spirit creatures in the spacious courts of heaven, long before that grand assembly of the “sons of God” reported in the book of Job, chapter one. In the law code which he gave to the Israelite nation through the prophet Moses, Jehovah God precisely ordered that his chosen people should hold a national assembly three times each year at the location which He would mark by putting his name there. Jerusalem became the settled place where he put his name by causing the great Assembly-place, Solomon’s temple, to be erected there. Then the nation’s male members in particular, by the hundreds of thousands on each occasion, came up to the holy city of assembly in obedience to God’s law governing assemblies. At his temple they rejoiced and worshiped together, lingering for eight days on end, particularly at the autumn assembly known as the “feast of tabernacles”.—Deut. 16:1-17; Num. 29:12-38; Lev. 23:1-44.

Among those who obediently went up to such festal assemblies at Jerusalem was the one Jewish prophet greater than Moses. Moses was just an ancient type of him, namely, Jesus of Nazareth, who was “made of a [Jewish] woman, made under the [Mosaic] law”. (Gal. 4:4) On such occasions he and his close circle of disciples enjoyed the free hospitality of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and suburbs. Such national assemblies were always the occasions when the Jerusalemites extended their hospitality to their Jewish brethren from other cities, throwing open their homes for the entertainment of the visiting conven-tioners. When Jesus paid his last visit to the convention city to celebrate the Passover feast, he was therefore within the fitness of things in sending ahead two disciples to ask the use of a certain upper room, saying to the householder: “The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?” (Luke 22:7-13) Thus visitors by the thousands were spread and lodged in the homes of the inhabitants of Jerusalem and suburbs and, doubtless, too, in portable tents or tabernacles which were pitched round about the neighborhood for the duration of the sacred assembly. It was a season of cordiality and of common rejoicing, binding the nation more closely to their God, Jehovah, and to one another as brethren of a national family. Of hotels and inns back there we know the names of none; which makes it very apparent that it is no new thing in these modern days for conventioners to be lodged in the private homes of the citizens of a convention city rather than lodged exclusively in the city hotels.

Those mammoth conventions at Jerusalem passed away not long after Jesus’ violent death and miraculous resurrection from death. Since A.D. 33 Jesus’ followers known as “Christians” have been under no such specific divine commandment to hold general conventions or assemblies annually at any fixed location. Jerusalem ceased to be a convention city for Jews and for Christians at its destruction A.D. 70. In the nineteen centuries since, there is every indication that Jehovah’s curse, of which Moses had forewarned his Jewish brethren, came upon that nation for rejecting the antitypical Moses A.D. 33. Likewise there is every indication that there was a change-over of Jehovah’s favor to spiritual Israelites, or Christians, and that he made these his commissioned witnesses among all the nations of the earth. Hence, because his favor is no longer confined to the natural Jews as a nation, believers from out of all Gentile nations became joined with his new spiritual nation under Jesus Christ and were made glad because of God’s extraordinary favor. Moses foretold this expansion of God’s favor to the Gentile nations, at Deuteronomy 32: 43. The Christian apostle Paul had the privilege of making known this enlarged divine favor to the Gentiles of many nations. Therefore he was inspired to quote Moses and wrote, at Romans 15:10: “Be glad, ye nations, with his people.” (Rotherham) This text has been made very prominent throughout the earth during this eventful year of 1946. How so, will soon appear.

A.D. 33 the seemingly insignificant gathering of about 120 Christian believers in an upper room at Jerusalem was unexpectedly expanded into a mighty convention of about three thousand Jewish believers. God’s spirit descended upon the nucleus of 120

believers on that day of Pentecost, empowering them to speak with foreign tongues to city visitors from at least fourteen outside countries. The news of the spirit’s descent caused thousands to convene and to hear a lot of preaching by various speakers in the languages of the fourteen distinct countries which they represented. Then came a baptizing of new believers in water: “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41) Note that it was with gladness that they received the word preached in their various languages. Concerning their prolonged gladness the convention report says: “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.”—Acts 2:46.

About three years six months later that gladness with Jehovah’s spiritual people under Jesus Christ was widened out. It then began to embrace the Gentile believers from all nations when the apostle Peter preached the gospel message in the home of a Gentile, the Italian centurion Cornelius. This Cornelius and his believing friends were the first of the nations to be glad with Jehovah’s people. (Acts 10:1-48) Soon other nations, besides Italians, learned to be glad with Jehovah’s witnesses of that first century. About twelve years after that, the assembly of the apostles and other elder Christians at Jerusalem confirmed the right of the uncircumcised nations to rejoice with God’s people over the gospel.

Those Christian assemblies were only preliminaries. Jehovah God was merely giving his servants and witnesses on earth a foretaste of the gathering of all gatherings which he reserved for the future now near. He tells the consecrated Christians of it, at Hebrews 12: 22, 23, saying: “Ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all.” As to this church of the firstborn, the Bible places its number of finally approved and enrolled ones at 144,000. When it is completed in the first resurrection, there will be a glorious assembly in the heavens under the presiding Head, Jesus Christ, who will be attended by unnumbered myriads of angels of God. That grand assembly is near, because all the prophetic signs since A.D. 1914 combine to testify that the kingdom of God is at the door. Hence now the remnant yet on earth of that “church of the firstborn” presents to all persons of good-will out of all nations the invitation to be glad with Jehovah’s people, now that His kingdom by Christ Jesus is at hand. In full keeping with this invitation, the text to be adopted as the yeartext for 1946, was

Romans 15:10: “Be glad, ye nations, with his people.” (Roth.) Likewise the greatest and most outstanding convention of Christians in this first postwar year was called Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses.

In all nations to whom the Kingdom gospel has thus far been carried by Jehovah’s witnesses many have been made glad. Their reason for gladness is that God’s kingdom by his Christ was set in operation toward this earth A.D. 1914 and that it will early banish the Devil’s wicked organization from this earth and usher in a Theocratic rule of everlasting tranquillity and prosperity for all who submit themselves to God’s kingdom. All such ones were invited to this Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of eight days, August 4-11 inclusive, at Cleveland, Ohio. Tens of thousands from more than thirty-one distinct nations and lands acted on the invitation and came. When so many come from such distances and from so many different nations in this the first postwar year, with world conditions as they are, it must indicate much. It does. It demonstrates an overpowering faith in God and a boundless and unrestrainable gladness in Him and his kingdom. It brings prominently to view the few Christians who ignore divisive nationalities and race and language barriers in order to meet together in peace and oneness of faith after six years of global war with all its restrictions. This unity of faith and of purpose stands out in sharp contrast with the numerous get-togethers of political and military representatives of the so-called “United Nations”, who meet and confer over long periods of time. They argue and debate and leave the basic issues unmet and unsolved, only to come at last to frustrating deadlocks.

THE THEOCRATIC STAND DECLARED

But what about the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly? It fearlessly faced the world crisis. Taking up the Biblical cry, “God is with us,” it touched on the main issue before all the universe, that of world domination. With all forthrightness it declared its stand for God’s side of the issue. Its keynote was fearlessness, let this terrifying atomic age bring what it will. Clothed with such God-inspired fearlessness, this assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses overflowed with a gladness such as marked no previous earthly assembly of His people. It lifted up still higher and set out in still bolder relief the single, unchanging standard of the truth of God’s kingdom in order that all lovers of righteousness everywhere might clearly see it and rally to it and be glad for evermore. This assembly took up and discussed the most vital matters dealing with the internal welfare of God’s people. It made plain and unmistakable the position of Jehovah’s witnesses toward this doomed world of corruption. Such open discussion, free for all the world to listen in on, has cleared the atmosphere more than ever, and Jehovah’s witnesses are now seen more sharply than ever to be “for signs and for wonders from Jehovah of hosts” as the uncompromising advocates for His kingdom. How so ?

This is the time when a great conspiracy has reemerged upon the stage of earthly affairs after six years of being down in a bottomless pit of inaction. That conspiracy of united political action backed by a show’ of force is the United Nations, the successor of the ill-fated League of Nations. The reappearance of such an international alliance for world peace, security and preservation has forced anew the issue of world domination upon all humankind. It calls for a new decision, or a restatement of one’s position, to be made by those who claim to be Christians. Such a restatement Jehovah’s witnesses have boldly made under the new circumstances of the atomic age. Without any premeditated forcing of events the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly was scheduled to open up at Cleveland on the same date (August 4) that the International Conference of Church Leaders on the Problems of World Order, from sixteen countries, opened up at Cambridge, England. The four days of this religious conference convened by the Provisional Committee of the World Council of Churches coincided with the first four days of the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly. But the two gatherings did not coincide in their attitudes and world views. They were as far apart as Cambridge is from Cleveland. In fact, they were diametrically opposite.

The religious International Conference met to give support to the United Nations organization and to meddle in its affairs. Said the dean from one American theological seminary: “It is imperative that the churches of the world seek in every legitimate way to bring moral pressure to bear on the leaders of the world. If it is appropriate for labor and business to put pressure on the United Nations organization, it is necessary for churches to do the same thing.” And on August 6 this conference of 75 Protestant leaders voted into existence an international Protestant commission on world affairs to “make the voice of the Protestant and Eastern Orthodox churches heard in international political and economic questions”. The religious conference leaned tow’ard collaboration with the religious organization of the Vatican, for joint action on the problems of this world by Protestants and Roman Catholics. This seemed to be in response to the plea of Pope Pius XII in July that this world’s peacemakers be made to face a united religious front. Said one religious supporter of the religious conference at Cambridge: “Collaboration with the Roman Catholic Church on matters of world order needs to be prepared sympathetically and with an understanding of that church’s difficulties and background.” An American delegate, representing the Federal Council of Churches, said ^parallel action” of the Catholic religious organization and of the World Council would at least be sought.

In glaring contrast with that religious conference in England the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses came out uncompromisingly for Jehovah’s kingdom by his anointed King, Christ Jesus, as the rightful ruler of all this earth and mankind. The Assembly exposed the United Nations organization as a sly, religiously whitewashed conspiracy against the direct rule of God’s kingdom over this earth. The principal spokeman for this Assembly declared blank outright that the world organization of combined nations was doomed to certain failure regardless of all the moral pressure the religionists put upon it. Jehovah’s Government by Christ will take full control of the new world and alone bring relief and salvation to obedient humankind. The Assembly called for strict non-participation or non-interference in the politics of this doomed world; it straightforwardly urged each true Christian to “keep himself unspotted from the world”, as an expression of the ‘pure and undefiled worship of God the Father⁵.—Jas. 1:26,27.

Said the keynote speaker at the Assembly: “We can no more go along with the mass of the people in their misguided movement in favor of the new international union than we can go along with the people’s rulers in Christendom. The Word of God is against joining in the popular trend.” Then he quoted from Isaiah 8:11-13 in support of this refusal to go along with the Nazi-Fascist-tainted Vatican and the other popular religious organizations that back up a rule of this earth by the United Nations conspiracy. Neither the fear of the atomic bomb nor the certainty of opposition and of persecution from all this world succeeded in frightening this Theocratic Assembly into any statements or attitudes of compromise with world schemes. The Assembly’s stand for Jehovah’s kingdom by his Christ was. frank and unmistakable. It constituted a challenge to all the world which has chosen a man-made political, commercial and religious world organization in place of God’s kingdom. In this position the Assembly stands out alone. But it is firm and unshakable in its conviction from God’s Word that its stand for His kingdom will shortly be vindicated by utter destruction to the world conspiracy and by the creation of a righteous new world by God’s hands and under the kingdom of Christ.

BY WHOM ORGANIZED

All the activities and pronouncements of this Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly give proof that the Assembly and its timing and its remarkable features were arranged by the great Organizer of Theocratic conventions, namely, Jehovah God. Very undeniably the Assembly has served His purposes well. It has set Jehovah’s witnesses to the great work of reconstructing His worship world-wide. It marks a courageous forward-step in the work of His people in bearing witness to His kingdom in all the habitable earth before the disastrous end of this present wicked world takes place at the battle of Armageddon. By a unanimously adopted Resolution the Assembly declared its determination to do this work throughout the length of this postwar period. Hence more and more of the nations are sure to be made glad by the good tidings of the Kingdom.

The Assembly was sponsored by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, which has branches in fifty lands outside the United States. This Society is a legal corporation of the state of Pennsylvania, and acts as a servant of Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the earth. Since its incorporation in 1884 it has run up a record of many convention assemblies, which have grown in size and importance, until this 1946 assembly. The convention of 1889 stands as the first on record, with 225 in attendance, and 22 being baptized, at Allegheny, Pa. Next might be mentioned the five-day convention in Chicago, Ill., in 1893, which ran up an attendance of 360 delegates from the United States and Canada, and with 70 being there baptized in water. After the close of World War I the first convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, was held in September, 1919. It was attended by 6,000 of Jehovah’s witnesses. Among them were many who had been mobbed, mistreated and imprisoned during the war for their faithful Christian stand. The Society’s president himself and seven other members of its headquarters were among those present who were released from unjust imprisonment and then fully exonerated from all false charges. At this eight-day convention 300 were baptized in Lake Erie, and the attendance at the public lecture was 7,000. Also, on “Colaborers’ Day” the Society’s new 32-page magazine The Golden Age was announced, and the convention unanimously approved its publication and expressed itself as wanting to take subscriptions for this magazine as soon as it should be issued. But the League of Nations was then not yet a going concern.

Now in the first year after World War II a like convention of Jehovah’s witnesses takes place, but on what grander proportions! The attendance becomes more than ten times as great. A crowd of 80,000 turns out to hear the public address on “The Prince of Peace”. At the regular sessions of this eight-day convention many hundreds of faithful young ministers of the gospel are present, recently let out of Federal prisons where they had been put for refusing to turn aside from preaching God’s kingdom during World War H. And among the surprising releases at this Assembly is a new magazine named Awake! Of all the conventions in the Society’s career of more than sixty years this one of 1946 was admittedly the best organized, arranged and regulated and the most effective. It was not just "the best yet”, but, to use one expression heard, “it was better than the best yet," and the report of the Assembly bears out that conclusion. Its effects are certain to be felt to the four corners of the earth and to the end of this postwar epoch.

Just think of more than 60,000 conventioners moving in on the Cleveland area from outside cities, states and countries to spend eight days in assembly. It leaves a person wonderstruck at how this city of 878,336 inhabitants with limited hotel rooms and in a time of nation-wide housing shortage could take in and entertain so many visitors. But it was done, by resorting to the system used in Bible times for caring for conventioners at Jerusalem. How? By lodging the Theocratic assemblers not only in hotels but chiefly in the homes of the common people and in a trailer and tent camp on Cleveland’s western outskirts. Beginning June 2, or more than two months in advance, 575 pioneers, or full-time Kingdom publishers, carried on a house-to-house canvass in the four sections of Cleveland to engage rooms for visiting delegates to the Assembly.

Demand for rooms was tremendous. Although it was estimated 50,000 would attend the Assembly, the Convention Rooms Committee in Cleveland received requests for living quarters from thousands more than that number estimated. On July 10, over three weeks before the Assembly, one Cleveland paper published a long article under the heading, ‘Witnesses Seek Rooms for 54,766—35 Miles Radius Canvassed by Watchtower Society.” By then the rooms canvassers had covered the territory several times, but the demand for enough rooms was not yet met. When the Assembly opened the canvassers had gone over the area five times. While doing so they also preached the Kingdom gospel, and thereby put 132,000 booklets containing its message into the hands of the people. They put in 158,577 hours of work, all together, in this effort afield. At last housing space was provided for an advance registration of 63,820 delegates, including a trailer and tent camp which finally accommodated upward of 20,000 campers. Many prejudiced persons resented the coming of Jehovah’s witnesses in such throngs to hold convention in their city, but Cleveland deserves to be commended for the hospitality that many other thousands of her kindly-disposed citizens showed to these much-maligned, much-misunderstood and much-persecuted witnesses of the Most High God.

Already, by the spiritual good that the witnesses have brought them, these have not failed of their reward, not to speak of the financial benefits that they reaped.

An airplane view of the Municipal Stadium during the Wednesday afternoon session of the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly

Also the city fathers were quite cordial in wanting to have the Assembly come to Cleveland, which fact speaks well for the conventions that Jehovah’s witnesses held in Cleveland in 1942 and just last year, at the Municipal Auditorium. When choice of a city for an eight-day convention was up for decision before the boards of directors of the two Watchtower corporations of Pennsylvania and New York, it was found that no other city could furnish such adequate facilities for an all-nations assembly as this fair city on Lake Erie offered. Hence Cleveland was selected. The main thing desired was to be able to get the entire assembly all together in one place and under one roof, if possible, and the vast Cleveland Stadium allowed for this. Its double-tie red, roofed spectator stands could cover over 70,000 conventioners. With its exposed bleachers section at the eastern arc of the great bowl the entire Stadium could accommodate 83,000, all visible to one another. The baseball field in the midst could provide the place for the speakers’ platform. This Stadium is at a fine location right on the lake front. Moreover, just across the railroad bridge from the Stadium is a vast hall along Lakeside Avenue. A cafeteria and kitchen could be set up there capable of feeding thirty to forty thousand in the course of one meal. And connected with this by an underground arcade is the Municipal Auditorium building with a large main auditorium and a Music Hall and a Little Theatre, besides all its other facilities in the basement. To provide for all the multiplied services of the all-nations Assembly, all the above-mentioned facilities were engaged, at the cost of many thousands of dollars.

Ecclesiastes 11:4 says: “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” If the Society arranging for the assembly had regarded clouds and been in fear of rain it would not have engaged this open-air Stadium for a gathering of eight days’ duration. But, determined to go through with the assembly rain or shine, and with full trust in the God of heaven and earth to take care of the weather, they engaged the Cleveland Stadium. Such trust in Jehovah God was not misplaced. Not once did storms or downpours break up any of the Assembly meetings. The entire eightday program ran its full length exactly as scheduled, to its glorious final flourish on Sunday night, August 11. Certainly these favorable weather conditions were not of any human weather bureau’s arranging, but were another proof that the great Organizer of Theocratic conventions was back of all this assembly of his glad people. Many happenings throughout the preparations for the Assembly as well as during its actual progress served to manifest the great unseen Organizer’s guidance, provision, protection and blessing.

In tribute to the great Organizer of heaven and earth we say that never was a Theocratic assembly better arranged, with careful thought for every detail affecting the welfare, comfort and convenience of the conventioners. Everything was departmentalized, involving such things as executive direction, legal matters, advertising, auditor and treasurer, bookroom, cafeteria, engineering, equipment, first-aid hospital, immersion, information, installation, lost and found articles, music, parking and traffic, photography and reporting, public-address system, publicity, refreshments, room accommodations, sanitation, field service, signs and designing, trailer camp, trucking, ushers in the Stadium and the cafeteria, volunteer service, etc. All this contributed to the smooth, orderly operation of the Assembly as a whole. One important human factor that played its part to this end was that all these departments and services were manned by 15,000 of Jehovah’s witnesses. Their service was voluntary, unselfishly rendered with no demand or expectation of financial pay. All was undertaken as service to the interests of God’s kingdom, to glorify His name. All service was freely offered out of love for him and for his people. Hence this furnished a marvelous display of brotherly love, by which it might be known that these are the disciples of Christ indeed.

The entire organization was a marvel, even to many worldly persons who observed it and came in touch with it. Amidst this disorganized world with so much strife, violence and confusion, it was an impressive sample of how the visible organization of God’s righteous new world will function on earth after the battle of Armageddon will have cleared all the wicked fighters against Jehovah out of existence, thus cleansing this earth. All credit for the successful operation of the Cleveland Assembly goes to Jehovah God through Christ Jesus his King. The entire tiling could never have been carried on thus without God’s spirit and assistance.

From the six continents of the earth and from many islands of the seas the conventioners flocked to the Assembly, by air, by ship, by train, by motorcar and bus, and afoot. From the time that N. H. Knorr, the Watchtower president, made a surprise announcement of the proposed Assembly at the Eastern Seaboard Convention in Baltimore, Md., last February 9, the news spread to the far parts of the earth. By special communication the Society’s Branch offices and the thousands of companies of Jehovah’s witnesses all over the land were notified and given an invitation to come and partake of the spiritual feast. Also in his tour during March, April and May of seventeen different lands in the Caribbean sea basin the Watchtower president extended the invitation to all foreign groups of Jehovah’s witnesses that he personally addressed. The Society also arranged to bring many Branch servants and foreign representatives to serve on the program. Throughout the earth the brethren were imbued with the convention spirit. They did not give way to the factional, partisan and nationalistic spirit dividing the nations, but the spirit of the Lord’s universal family and the desire to see and meet with one another moved all those who could arrange to act on the gracious invitation. The difficulties at the time of international travel did not daunt them, but were tackled and surmounted, by God’s grace. And so they came -with joy and gladness.

Weeks in advance they began arriving in America. By American Overseas Airways 64 British delegates flew across the North Atlantic Ocean to a happy landing here; all together, some 95 delegates from Britain came by boat as well as by air. From the Hawaiian islands came a delegation of 22, some by air. From Siam, from Argentina, from Finland, from Alaska, and from many points in between these four terminal outer territories, scores of thousands converged upon Cleveland and fellowshiped together at a spiritual table with no regard for race, color, language, social plane or previous religious connections. Jehovah, who is rich toward all that call upon him through Christ Jesus, spread out a fat, rich portion for them all, to the satisfying of them all beyond their expectations.

PROGRAM

The best program ever featured at any Theocratic gathering was arranged for the occasion. Breaking all precedent, it was published in full in advance on the last page of the August 1 issue of The Watchtower, that all Watchtower readers might have their spiritual appetites whetted. Besides this, a beautiful colored-cover program of thirty-two pages was printed at the Society’s Brooklyn factory, replete with all the necessary information and containing detailed diagrams of the Convention Grounds and also of the thoroughfare system of the Greater Cleveland area, all for the guidance and easy movement of the conventioners. On the special train that pulled out of New York city Friday evening, August 2, bound for Cleveland with more than 650 conventioners, this program booklet began to be distributed free to all, shortly after the train got out of the New York Central station. At Cleveland itself this printed program was made available to all ahead of the opening day of the Assembly. This proved to be a great convenience.

Saturday, August 3, 28 special trains from various parts of the United States had pulled into Cleveland by 7 p.m., and some convention specials were reported “lost” as far as the station’s bulletin boards were concerned. The day previous 4 special trains had arrived, and 6 more were due the following day, the day of opening the Assembly. Motorcades of autos, house-cars and trailers with license tags from all states of the American Union and from Canada and Central America moved along the highways into Cleveland in an almost continuous stream. Thus Cleveland suddenly leaped up in its population figures, and the widespread hunt for the rooms to which conventioners were assigned began.

According to the program, each day of the Assembly was given an appropriate name, suggestive of the special-feature talks to mark that day. Sunday, August 4, was named “Harvesters’ Gladness Day”, to conclude with a final discourse on “The Harvest, the End of the World”. August 5 was “‘Defense of the Gospel’ Day”, with fitting discourses and demonstrations. August 6 was “ ‘Good Courage’ Day”, to he marked by the keynote speech by the Society’s president on the gripping subject “Fearless Against the World Conspiracy”. August 7 was “Servants’ Deportment Day”, with pertinent features. August 8 was “Publishers’ Equipment Day”. August 9 was “ ‘All Nations’ Day”. August 10 was “God’s Truthfulness Day”. And Sunday, August 11, was “Universal Peace Day”, to feature the president’s public address on “The Prince of Peace”. From its looks, it was a well-conceived and varied program, with hundreds due to take part on the platform. Surprises and unusual developments were expected by all the gathering throng. Back there the question was, How will the Assembly program be executed? Now, after this epochal Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s -witnesses the proper question in the minds of many Watchtower readers is, How was it executed? What did it bring forth? The public press of the world failed to give a due, unbiased report of this most significant Assembly. Hence The Watchtower undertakes to do so in its remaining pages of this issue.

EIGHT UNFORGETTABLE DAYS OF GLADNESS

THE Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses in Cleveland, Ohio, occupied eight days, from August 4 to 11, inclusive. The Assembly opening took place in the main hall of the Municipal Auditorium, a huge horseshoe-like interior facing a broad stage, and seating 12,000. The holding of a double-header series of American League baseball games in the Stadium on the afternoon of this same Sunday debarred the Assembly from having its opening there. The Auditorium was much too small for the vast convention crowd that was already in the city, and naturally the main hall was packed out at the opening session of the Assembly. Thousands milled around outside and listened in by loud-speakers.

HARVESTERS’ GLADNESS DAY (SUNDAY, AUGUST 4)

Harvesters who reap a successful crop from the fields of work have cause to be glad. Was this the secret of the gladness with which the Assembly swung into action by a gathering for field service at 9: 30 a.m. this day? Before the day would be over, the ones packing out the Auditorium’s main hall would appreciate more the nature of the work they were today doing in the witnessing field.

It was a magnificent sight to see the great hall overcrowded with workers mustered out for a service meeting preliminary to moving out on the field of action as Jehovah’s witnesses. Under the manipulation of the organist from radio station WBBR the Auditorium’s fine organ swelled out the strains of the favorite song, “Eternal God, Celestial King,” and then the glad thousands of voices blended in the four verses of song. Next song No. 1, “The Greater Jephthah Calls,” was sung as a beginning to singing right through the Kingdom Service Song Book during this Assembly, in order that the conventioners might become familiar with all the high-grade songs of this songbook. There was now a prayer by the temporary chairman and then he gave a stirring service talk. Referring to the long-awaited opening day of the Assembly, he moved all to applause by crying out, “That day is here!” He reminded them that now eight days of unusual opportunity were ahead of them, and they should take full advantage of them. After the discussion of the day’s Bible text and comment, he gave out service instructions and stressed one of the strong reasons for assembling, saying: “To make glad the nations is why we are here.” So forth the refreshed Kingdom publishers went, to spread Christian gladness among the great populace in and about Cleveland.

Quite generally throughout the earth Sunday is the day for the study of the principal articles of The Watchtower by the local companies of Jehovah’s witnesses. Except for other convention duties or the limited capacity of the main hall, the conventioners had no excuse for missing the regular Watchtower study today. As the main feature of the afternoon session an exhibition study of The Watchtower was staged on the platform by a group of 55, made up of elements composing any ordinary company of Jehovah’s witnesses in the United States. By means of loud-speaker equipment, and by a portable microphone which picked up all comments by those on the stage answering the questions on the lesson, the many thousands of onlookers benefited by the exhibition study and followed along with it in their copies of The Watchtower which they specially brought along with them. They not only got the benefit of the Watchtower contents and discussion but were also spectators to a demonstration on how to conduct a most profitable study.

Oh yes, that afternoon double-header baseball game over in the Stadium! Why, it was washed out in the second inning of the second game by a heavy downpour of rain. But at 7 p.m., when the hosts of conventioners began surging over all routes to the Stadium, the rain had completely passed and the sun was setting like a fire-red ball in the west. Some 50,000 took seats in the two tiers of the immense Stadium, for the official opening of the Assembly. Those serving on the evening program, as well as the many servants responsible for the Assembly preparations, sat on a temporary platform out on the green outfield back of second base of the baseball diamond. At 7:35 p.m. song began, being led by a fine orchestra of brethren, whose numbers finally soared to 160 instrumentalists, and also by a select chorus which at last numbered hundreds of voices, soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Now the vice-president of the Society’s New York corporation read aloud a few telegrams. They were just the beginning of more than 100 cable messages received from 40 different countries and publicly read to the Assembly.

“Without qualification, all lovers of righteousness and of Jehovah, the true God, are welcome at this great Christian Assembly. Glad persons are gathered here!” With these opening sentences the official address of welcome was delivered by the regular convention chairman, G. Suiter. In words that followed he put heavy stress on pure and undefiled worship of Jehovah God, a worship united and indivisible on the part of all of Jehovah’s people despite race, color, tongue, or national extraction. Then, to an exulting and deeply moved audience, the chairman introduced F. W. Franz, the vice-president of the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation, who thereupon took up the subject, “The Harvest, the End of the World.” It was a complete exposition of Jesus’ parable of the wheat and tares, at Matthew chapter thirteen. By known facts it proved that since A.D. 1918 this harvest of God’s heavenly kingdom class has been under way. However, in these latter years it is being complemented by the gathering of the Lord’s “other sheep” who have an earthly destiny. The evidence showed up very strongly that this “time of the end”, during which the harvest takes place, is nearing its final end.

At close of this speech, at 10 p.m., in the illumination of the great batteries of lamps which flooded the field with light, temporary chairman, H. C. Covington, announced and held aloft the first release of the Assembly. It was the August 15, 1946, issue of The Watchtower, containing the subject matter of the speech just presented on “the harvest”. It was to be available to the conventioners for their use at once in the field. This release was given a glad welcome. Prayer by G. Suiter closed the sessions of this successful opening day. The time was well after 10 p.m., but activities by special workers continued on through the night to get the Stadium in readiness for the next day.

“DEFENSE OF THE GOSPEL” DAY (MONDAY, AUGUST 5)

On assembling at the Stadium for the 9 a.m. field-service rally, what a sight met the eyes of those who found it convenient to come here rather than to go out from their lodgings direct to their near-by assignments of service territory! What a gorgeous Assembly-speakers’ platform out there on the field, just behind second base! It was a raised platform, shaped like an elongated oval, the sides of which sloped down and outward all around. On these sloping sides one beautiful hue shaded off and blended into another hue, to give an opaline sheen which, in the morning sunlight, was like illumination from inside. Silhouetted against this luminous colorful background, both to the front and to the back, were tall block letters spelling out “Glad Nations Assembly”. On the platform, in front of a row of simple modernistic-design chairs, was a large umbrella-type eanopy with lights within the concave underside, and beneath it the speakers’ stand and microphones. At each vertex of the ovaloid platform were tall potted evergreens, and also, running out in a graceful arc, a double hedge of dark-green arbor vitae leaf material, to guide one’s approach to the platform steps on either side. Front and back the hedge bore in large block letters “Jehovah’s witnesses”. The ornate platform-design and structure were all the workmanship of skilled witnesses of Jehovah.

Standing on this platform and sweeping one's eyes around at the spectators’ stands, one saw suspended out front at the foot of the upper deck of seats twenty signs with a legend in as many languages. Beginning with the Hebrew sign at the northeast wing of upper tiers and running around to the Hollandish sign at the southeast wing, all of the signs announced “Be Glad, Ye Nations, with His People.—Romans 15:10.” Soon, also, the sign appeared in English in large painted letters across the curving facade of the bleachers’ section at the rear of the Stadium’s field.

This morning, with the appearance of these signs, the foreign-language meetings of the Assembly began, the Greek meeting in the Music Hall of the near-by Auditorium building; the Arabic meeting in the Little Theatre of the same building; the Lithuanian meeting in seats of the Stadium’s upper tier right over the sign in Lithuanian at Section 5; and the Russian meeting in the upper-tier section 39, where the sign in Russian was displayed. At each such foreign meeting the program was the same, but given entirely in each group’s respective language. First experiences and accounts were given. Then came three 20-minute speeches by competent brethren, the first to encourage and instruct foreign-speaking witnesses to learn English if residing here or whatever is the language of the land of their residence as foreigners; the second, a speech on service organization; and the third, a speech based on a select Watchtower article. Thus for this hour-and-a-half meeting each group met apart and let its gladness overflow in its own native tongue. Many who understood no English were thereby able to attend a part of the Assembly that was intelligible to them firsthand. In the course of the Assembly seventeen such foreign-tongue meetings were held, and the respective attendances were as follows:

(Monday) Greek, 564; Arabic, 112; Lithuanian, 132; Russian, 272; (Tuesday) Polish, 1,470; Italian, 574; Portuguese, 78; Armenian, 76; (Thursday) Ukrainian, 800; German, 953; Finnish, 134; Hungarian, 685; (Saturday) Spanish, 1,009; Scandinavian, with lectures in Danish, Norwegian and Swedish, 700; Slovak, 840, French, 525; Hollandish, 193; making a total of 9,117, and not counting in some 500 turned way from the packed German meeting.

Besides introducing foreign-language meetings, today started off an extensive series of experience accounts by field workers from many parts of the earth. At the opening morning session today experiences were related from the main Stadium platform by Kingdom publishers from Mexico, Cuba, and South Africa; and this afternoon, by other publishers from Cuba, Scotland, and England.

In close agreement with the special name of this Assembly day, the principal speech of the afternoon, at three o’clock, was delivered by one who has been foremost in the “defense of the gospel” in hundreds of law courts of this country, to wit, H. C. Covington. He is the Society’s legal counsel and also vice-president of its New York corporation. His subject of one hour’s discourse was “Proper Conduct in Court”. It presented simple, but pointed, practical counsel on how Jehovah’s witnesses should proceed to defend effectively the gospel and their gospel ministry in the worldly courts.

“The Messenger” the theme of the next speaker, G. Suiter, seemed to lead off to nothing surprising, but only to a good talk on Isaiah 52: 7, 8. But about 4: 20 p.m., when the speaker held forth the copy of the first edition of the Assembly’s own 8-page newspaper entitled “The Messenger”, then the great audience caught on to the real purpose of the speech. Not since the Columbus convention of 1931 had such a newspaper been issued. Now at this Assembly five editions of the revived paper The Messenger were to be published to give all readers what the commercial newspapers failed to give the public; namely, a full and factual Christian report of the Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly. A sixth and final edition, of 48 pages, was to be published after the Assembly. All could subscribe for it, to be mailed to any postal address on the globe. Of the first edition 100,000 copies were there on hand. They sold like hot cakes as soon as the afternoon gathering was dismissed.

In 1943 the Theocratic Ministry School was first organized among companies of Jehovah’s witnesses, for the special purpose of training the brethren, men and women alike, for the “defense of the gospel”. Tonight, beginning 7: 30 p.m., a model Theocratic Ministry School meeting was conducted as a demonstration on the Stadium platform. M. G. Friend, one of the instructors of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, presided; and the company of about 55 members went through the regular School meeting scheduled for this very week, with review questions on “Bible Concordances” (Lesson 59 of Theocratic Aid to Kingdom Publishers') and an instruction talk on Lesson 60, “Exhaustive Concordances.” Three 6-minute student talks followed, on (1) “Creator’s Remembrance”, (2) “Character or Integrity, Which?” and (3) “Stephen”. Through the medium of stationary and portable microphones, and public-address system, the entire Assembly heard clearly and distinctly all parts of this School meeting.

After this one-hour School session, a platform demonstration was made of how to apply the knowledge gained at this particular School meeting tonight in defense of the gospel. T. Chornenky presided over this session of about an hour and ten minutes, prefacing it with a short talk on “Refuting Arguments from Door to Door”. Thereafter he made brief comments after each of seven “door” demonstrations to show up the key principles of refutation. A different couple of the School students put on the demonstration at each of the seven successive “doors”: (1) a young witness opposite a gruff man disputing the youth’s being a gospel minister; (2) a girl opposite a white-haired, Scotch-accent woman believing in literal hell-fire; (3) a young man opposite an ex-soldier bringing up the flag-salute issue; (4) a young lady opposite a self-righteous religionist who relies on her so-called “character development”; (5) a part-time publisher opposite an ordained clergyman who is shown things out of his own Bible concordance; (6) a young lady opposite a somber-toned funeral undertaker who has heard many religious-sermons on where the dead are; and (7) a tactful witness opposite a belligerent policeman who assumes Jehovah’s witnesses provoke public disturbances, bringing trouble upon themselves.

All these evening demonstrations were well performed and hugely enjoyed. Truly, for eight days all the sessions of this Glad Nations Assembly, converted Cleveland’s sports’ Stadium into a college center of superior learning and instruction.

“GOOD COURAGE” DAY (TUESDAY, AUGUST 6)

A light drip-rain marked the opening of today’s Field Service assembly, but in the course of the morning the dripping passed and the skies cleared up, letting the Stadium field be bathed with sunlight. Experience accounts by Kingdom publishers from fields in England, Newfoundland and Hawaii; and also meetings in Polish, Italian, Portuguese and Armenian, high-lighted the morning hours. Today 200 territories were thrown open to publishers for placing placards in the city’s display windows, such placards advertising next Sunday’s public lecture by the Watchtower Society’s president, N. H. Knorr, at 3 p.m. in the Stadium on the subject “The Prince of Peace”.

This afternoon there was a preliminary speech on “Jehovah Reigns”, by G. R. Phillips, Branch servant from South Africa. After this, about 3:52 p.m., came the eagerly awaited Keynote Discourse by the president, N. H. Knorr. Doubtless the name “'Good Courage’ Day” was suggested by the title of his address, namely, “Fearless Against the World Conspiracy.” It was a courageous, challenging message, and during its delivery the vast audience was moved to more than thirty heavy applauses. It made clear just how the postwar combine of the nations is a world conspiracy against the rightful rule of Jehovah’s Theocratic Government by Christ Jesus over earth. It hurled defiance at the international conspiracy by emphasizing Jehovah’s warning to his witnesses not to join in the popular trend advocating for such demon-engineered world conspiracy, because the conspiracy will surely be broken in pieces and come to nothing in disgrace. Yes, this bold speech sounded out the keynote for this Assembly, namely:' “Good courage” to keep on openly advocating for Jehovah’s kingdom by his Christ, all down through the postwar era till the world conspiracy is shattered, for the reason that “God is with us!” This spells triumph for His people.

The keynote speech of the president set the ears of all listeners tingling, but the evening that followed also had its own peculiar stirring features. The first discourse, at 7: 45 p.m., on “Awake!” by L. A. Swingle, a director of the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation, was well named. With stinging rhetorical blows it showed up how this modern world with its atomic fission, its jet-propelled transportation, and its scientific, social, educational and political advances is fast asleep as to the real cause of world distress and the great disaster that is impending. Therefore men need to be awakened to the facts, to find their way to safety. At 8:20 p.m., as a good follow-up to this rousing speech, S. M. Van Sipma, from the Society’s Brooklyn headquarters, presented twenty minutes of news items. This review of recent news was a sort of watching the dizzy world go by and briefly gave the vital essence of the news; it was a kind of news-reporting that the people need.

Because the world is asleep concerning what the situation from and after A.D. 1914 really portends the supplying of timely awakening information is imperative. “An Answer to the Rousing Call,” was therefore well ordered as a finale of the evening, to be handled by the Society’s chief executive, N. H. Knorr. Let courageous publicity be given to the vital facts; let the sleep-dispelling information be made available to the people everywhere, in a concise manner and regularly published: this must be the answer to the rousing call to “awake!” How? By publishing Awake! and by circulating it that the people may read it and keep awake!

At this high point of his speech, President Knorr flashed before the eyes of the Assembly a copy of the first issue of Awake! of August 22,1946. Beholding from such a distance, the audience in the Stadium thought he was displaying a copy of a new booklet. But when he announced that this was a magazine to take the place of the aforetime magazine Consolation, then their applause starting up anew crescen-doed to great strength, accompanied by cheers, exclamations of “Oh!” and whistling. The speeches they had heard tonight were material taken from the first issue of Awake! The advice that a free copy was to be given to everyone there brought new applause. At 9:25 p.m., while all remained seated, the distribution began, to the singing of the songs, “Courage, Press On,” and “Rejoice, Jehovah Reigns”. In about ten minutes the distribution of free copies was completed. From the Brooklyn publishing house 200,000 copies had been brought to the Assembly; so there were enough copies to go around, and also thousands to spare for extra copies to the conventioners to use in their field activities from then on. So with deep gratitude to God for the’ day’s blessings, the Assembly bowed as Brother Knorr closed the sessions with prayer.

SERVANTS’ DEPORTMENT DAY (WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7)

The second issue of The Messenger came out today, and was avidly taken up by the conventioners. Today’s program gave no room for general field witnessing this morning, for three talks were scheduled beginning at 9:30 a.m. They were a boost especially to the full-time field publishers known as pioneers. The first talk, “How to Remain a General Pioneer,” was given by E. A. Dunlap, formerly a pioneer but now one of the instructors of the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. The second talk, “Privileges of the Special Pioneer,” was delivered by R. E. Glass, formerly a special pioneer in the United States but now a graduate of the Watchtower Bible School and on temporary leave from foreign missionary service in Havana, Cuba. The third talk, “Foreign Missionary Service,” was presented by J. M. Steelman, also a graduate and on leave from service in Cuba as a missionary, where he has lately been serving as a servant to the brethren by visiting the Cuban companies of Jehovah’s witnesses. All three talks, being given by experienced men, were very practical and fell on appreciative ears.

From 2:45 p.m. on, the afternoon was well occupied by “hearing from publishers from Europe, Pacific Area, South Africa, Latin America and to the North of us”, to quote the program. In the array of 21 speakers that then briefly addressed the Assembly were the following: From Europe, representatives from England, Switzerland, and Denmark; from the-Pacific area, representatives from Hawaii and Australia; from South Africa, one representative; from Latin America, representatives from Argentina, El Salvador, Trinidad, Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Curagao, Costa Rica and Jamaica; and from the North of us, representatives from Alaska, Finland, Canada, and Sweden. The views they gave of work and activity in their respective lands were quite kaleidoscopic in variety, but gave the Assembly faithful glimpses at the witnessing in progress in these many places. Hearing them lasted till about 4: 38 p.m.

To add to the multinational features of the day, 7:15 p.m. unleashed a batch of telegrams for the Assembly to hear, from Uruguay, Chile, Panama, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Northern Rhodesia, Southern Rhodesia, Western Australia, England, Cuba, Bolivia, South Africa (Transvaal), and Canada. What world-wide interest in this Assembly!

The eight-day-long Assembly did not interfere with the conventioners’ attending a weekly service meeting, for there was one brought right to them and plumped down in their midst, on the Stadium platform. A specially organized company of 56 members, with M. N. Quackenbush as officiating company servant, staged an appropriate hour-long service meeting for this week of August. Five other servants of this platform company followed one another in discussing (1) “The August Campaign”; (2) “Delivering the Message”; (3) “Door-to-Door Witnessing,” with a short demonstration by two other members of the company; (4) “Back-Calls”; and (5) “Book Studies.” Song, prayer, and announcements served to round out the meeting to correspond exactly with any typical meeting throughout the English-speaking world. Being well arranged and conducted, it was worth while to watch and listen in on it. Such a service meeting would be a credit to any company anywhere, because its servants deported themselves faithfully according to their duties.

But what gave the strongest emphasis to the theme of the day as “Servants’ Deportment Day” was the closing speech, about 8: 45 p.m., by the Society’s president, Brother Knorr. His subject, “Keeping Unspotted from the World,” received less than an hour’s discussion but was mighty in effect. Brother Knorr showed that servants of Jehovah God must be clean in morals and not conformed to the standards and practices of this corrupt world. Their record of service afield in publishing the Kingdom message might appear ever so good, but it would be vitiated if the active publisher did not keep free of God-dishonoring spots due to imitating and companioning with this immoral, self-seeking, pleasure-mad world, the enemy of God. Within His visible organization God’s standard of devotion to righteousness must be maintained always with utmost vigilance. For this outspoken reaffirmation of right standards in the church of God the Assembly was most grateful. The audience, the biggest yet, showed hearty approval of the Society’s stand for purity within the church by vigorous applauses, breaking out many times even before the speaker could finish his sentences. It was a potent answer to false charges by the “evil servant” class and other maligners.

Later, at 10: 45 p.m., a 15-minute interview with Brother Knorr by two delegates to the Assembly was broadcast over the 50,000-watt radio station, WTAM, of Cleveland. This was by WTAM’s free grant.

PUBLISHERS’ EQUIPMENT DAY (THURSDAY, AUGUST 8)

Today the 9 a.m. assembly for field service, and the foreign-language meetings thereafter in Ukrainian, German, Finnish and Hungarian, took up the morning hours in and about the Stadium. Simultaneously, extensive witnessing activities went on in and around Cleveland.

It was under overcast skies that the afternoon sessions began at the Stadium, with some 58,000 conventioners putting in appearance. Special consideration was paid to the full-time publishers, the pioneers who include foreign missionaries, special publishers and regular pioneers together with summer-vacation pioneers. All such were seated en bloc in the front seats from Sections 12 to 32, inclusive, for this was the afternoon of the “Pioneer Assembly”. At the moment there were 3,750 pioneers in the United States, including some 504 summer-vacation pioneers of this season. Probably most, if not all these, were now seated there together with pioneers from other lands. It made the heart glad to see seated en masse so many Kingdom publishers who devote themselves full-time to proclaiming the good news of God’s kingdom in the field.

At 2:35 p.m. the programed symposium of three discourses began. “Laying Up Sound Wisdom” was given by A. D. Schroeder, the registrar as well as an instructor at the Watchtower Bible School. His discourse traced the development of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and exalted the sound wisdom which God has laid up in its pages. C. D. Quackenbush, from the offices of the Society’s plant at Brooklyn, then discoursed on “Religion versus Sound Wisdom”. He showed how religious traditions transgressed God’s plainly-stated laws and commandments and were lacking in the sound wisdom contained in the written Word of God. During this discourse there was a brief interruption. A light dripping of rain made it advisable to move the exposed pioneers back under cover, and this took about fifteen minutes. Then the discourse went on, with undampened spirit, from the platform in the field.

Shortly after 4 p.m. Brother Knorr’s discourse followed. His subject, “Equipped for Every Good Work,” made one’s mind revert to today’s name, “Publishers’ Equipment Day.” The need of faith to be a pioneer was specially dwelt on by him, but he pointed out how God had never disappointed the faith of those who went pioneering. More Kingdom publishers were encouraged to join the ranks of the pioneers. Besides faith, all Kingdom publishers must be furnished or equipped with knowledge of God’s Word in order to do the good work of gospel-preaching. Systematic and intensive study of the Bible is invaluable, and it would be of tremendous aid to have information on each of the Bible’s sixty-six books, also information showing up religious traditions and apocryphal fables. “Brethren,” said Brother Knorr, “you have all that information and much more in the new book entitled ‘Equipped for Every Good Work’.” As he exposed a copy of this new 384-page book, what a blast of applause swept the Stadium! His description of its contents then followed, and the statement that all pioneers were to be presented with a free copy raised more applause. Hence the pioneers were let march out of the sections first to procure their gift copy. After that the rest of the audience was dismissed to get their copies on a nominal contribution. Gladness and delight abounded on all sides.

The night sessions, however, brought a capping of the climax. G. W. Richardson, a colored brother graduated from Watchtower Bible School and now assigned to missionary work in West Africa, led off with a talk on “Consecration”, warmly received. E. A. Clay, a member of the London Branch family, then talked on “Anointed to Reconstruction Work”; which led up to the final and crowning speech of the day, “The Problems of Reconstruction and Expansion,” by the Society’s president. Brother Knorr showed no standstill had occurred in efforts at witnessing during six years of global war. Promptly, after the war’s close, reconstruction work, yes, expansion work, had been instituted in Europe in the organic and productive structure of the Watchtower Branches over there. But in the field generally, from October 15 on, something new was to be introduced. The field was to be divided up into circuits including 20 companies each and to be served by circuit servants to the brethren; and every six months there was to be a circuit assembly. What gladness this disclosure awakened! Now the greatest of campaigns of Kingdom publicity is ahead! To meet the world-wide demand for Kingdom literature the Brooklyn factory must be enlarged. A new Bethel home must be built to house the expanded factory and office force. Watchtower radio station, WBBR, must be improved. To finance all this, no money would be borrowed from commercial banks. Jehovah’s consecrated people would be privileged to provide the loan of needed capital by taking the 2-percent notes that the Society would issue soon. Would the brethren take up all these notes? The hand-clapping and jubilation of the Assembly left no doubt about it.

“ALL NATIONS” DAY (FRIDAY, AUGUST 9)

The third edition of The Messenger came out today, and it was a joy to know that a copy of each issue of this Assembly newspaper was air-mailed posthaste to each one of the Society’s fifty Branches in all the earth, for the earliest possible refreshment of brethren there whose hearts and prayers were with the Cleveland Assembly.

Deserving of special mention, one of the largest mass baptisms of consecrated Christians took place in Lake Erie this morning. At 8 a.m. E. F. Keller, an instructor from the Watchtower Bible School, talked on “Water Baptism” to the candidates at the Stadium. After that, in hundreds of automobiles provided by the conventioners, the 2,602 candidates were transported to Edgewater Park for immersion. Providentially, Lake Erie was calm as a millpond for the great occasion which lasted for about four hours, till near 1 p.m. On the beach stood two large tents, one for the 903 male candidates to change garments for their baptism and another for the 1,699 female candidates to change apparel. Four abreast, the long columns of candidates stretched for blocks long. From ten to twelve strong brothers did the immersing of the candidates, scores of others assisting them in and out of the waters. Thousands, both of conventioners and of worldlings, stood ashore taking in the rare sight. Later millions of others saw shots of the mass baptism on screens of movie houses, great and small, all over the United States, Canada and other countries.

While the baptism moved along an all-day feature began at the Stadium at 10 a.m., which feature was programed as “Gladness of the Nations with His People”. It consisted of ten-minute reports by representative brothers from thirty different foreign lands besides the United States. Six such were heard from in the morning, namely, from Alaska, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, and Britain, in that order. As a good finishing-off of the morning reports a letter was read to the Assembly, which letter was received from Jesse Hemery, an aged member of the London Branch and unable to attend the Assembly. For many years he had been Branch servant in London. His letter was appreciated. Resuming again at 2:20 p.m., the representatives spoke from Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Curasao, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Eire, Finland, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, and Jamaica. At 7:20 p.m. the verbal reports continued, by the representatives from Mexico, Netherlands, Newfoundland, Nicaragua, Norway, Puerto Rico, Paraguay, Siam, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, and finally the United States.

As if the above was not enough to make it an “all nations” day, telegrams were read off received from Czechoslovakia, Norway, Brazil, Panama, Australia, Denmark, Netherlands, Greece, Finland, England, Switzerland, Hawaii, Argentina, China, Barbados, Nigeria, Petersburg (Va.) Reformatory convention, Alaska, Syria, South Africa, Canada, F. E. Skinner on the Pacific high seas en route from India to Cleveland, Cuba, Surinam (Dutch Guiana), Sweden, Nova Scotia, New Zealand, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, and Colombia.

Certainly there was no day like this in all the nineteen centuries of Christianity. Nineteen hundred years ago, about A.D. 48, an assembly of apostles and elders in Jerusalem was reported to by missionaries back from foreign work. It took knowledge that uncircumcised Gentiles in many lands were being received by the Lord into the Christian church. Today, the many verbal reports by eyewitnesses from 31 different lands give like proof, but more copious proof, that the Lord is gathering his other sheep to make up the “great multitude” and that in all nations of earth such sheep are being made glad with his people. The Kingdom, indeed, is here!

After the United States report by the Brooklyn factory servant, Brother Knorr took the stand, about 9:21 p.m., and summed up the “all nations” presentation of the day. Springing a surprise, he had the Mexican Branch servant translate his next words into Spanish and released a new 288-page Spanish Bible Concordance, printed at the Brooklyn factory of the Society and published as a separate volume. It corresponds exactly with the concordance in the Watchtower Bible edition, and answers a long-felt need and demand in all Latin America. But overhead clouds had been massing now for more than an hour and there was lightning and thundering, but Brother Knorr kept at his disclosure of good news: the subscription rate of The Watchtower is to be revised downward world-wide, in all languages, to compare with $1.00 a year American money; also the new magazine Awake! is to be translated and published in other lands and tongues and at the rate of a dollar a year; individual copies accordingly. After such good international news, let it rain! During singing of the closing song and prayer rain began to fall gently. After we made cover, down came a heavy rain, but it proved to be only a fifteen-minute shower. The Assembly then went home.

GOD'S TRUTHFULNESS DAY (SATURDAY, AUGUST 10)

this morning the final panel of foreign-language meetings was held, namely, in Spanish, Scandinavian (Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish), Slovak, French, and Hollandish. Also Number 4 of The Messenger was circulated.

An attitude of expectancy charged the atmosphere this afternoon at the Assembly, as the conventioners looked forward to the president’s 3:15 p.m. speech. Up above heavy clouds lumbered along across the sky, and there was a rising wind. Would it rain “good and heavy”? At 2 p.m. those boys we see seated on the platform were disclosed to be some of 4,000 ministers of the gospel who went to Federal prisons for refusal to deny their ministry. They were let go recently, one just in time to get in on the last part of this Assembly. They all addressed the Assembly, briefly, on their experiences while in prison. The first of these eight boys presented a Resolution adopted by his group of prisonmates.

Partial view of the Stadium on Saturday afternoon

Now, at 2:45 p.m., there is a preliminary discourse, on “A New Song”, by Wm. Dey, servant of the Norwegian Branch. Then Brother Knorr came on. As he surveyed the Stadium he saw the best Assembly attendance yet; there are now 67,009 listening in at this event, and all attentive to hear his challenging discourse, “Let God Prove to Be True.” Are Jehovah’s witnesses chargeable with bibliolatry? Do they put the Bible above the authority of God and of Christ? The Scripturally-backed answer of the speaker was a full-toned No! Then he turned the revealing light of the Scriptures upon the unwarranted and false position of those who trust in their religious organization as a magis-terium of final authority and who choose religious traditions from dead men in preference to the Bible. In complete dissimilarity, Jehovah’s witnesses follow no man nor manmade organization nor traditions of dead men. In the controversy as to which ranks as authoritative truth, Bible or religious tradition and hierarchy, they choose to let God be true by adopting and following his inspired written Word. Having clarified their stand, about 4:20 p.m. Brother Knorr offers this Resolution:

“We, the witnesses of Jehovah, assembled together from many nations in this ‘Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly’ in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., this tenth day of August, 1946, do publicly give thanks to Him for gathering us, and we unitedly make this Resolution before him and his anointed King: [Strong applause!]

“That, to the end of this postwar era, we will continue to keep our integrity to Jehovah’s kingdom by Christ Jesus as the only rightful Government of this earth and of all the universe, and which Government will endure forever; [More applause!]

“That we will therefore obey Jehovah’s command (Isa. 8: 9, 10) to refuse to join in with the people of Christendom in recommending a world conspiracy to quiet the fear and dread of men and recommending that thus a rule of human creatures be put in world control as a substitute for His kingdom by Christ since A.D. 1914; [Applause!]

“That we will fear Jehovah God and will continue to give the truth to God’s recorded Word by preaching in all the habitable earth the glad tidings that his Kingdom was established toward this earth in 1914 and that it is the only Government of universal peace, security and righteousness (Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10); and [Applause!]

“That, therefore, we will persist in rejecting the religious traditions which inquire of the dead men in behalf of the living, and we will continue to point the people to the law and testimony and all the Word of God, by means of the work of Bible education ‘publicly, and from house to house’. —Isa. 8:20; Acts 20:20.”

Amid much applauding the chairman moved the adoption of the Resolution. Brother Knorr then called for a viva-voce vote, and the Assembly responded with a roaring Aye! Then, at this apex of unanimous decision in favor of God’s commandments and recorded Word, Brother Knorr announced and drew forth the Society’s new bound book, entitled “Let God Be True”. What an uproar now followed! Moreover, a free copy goes to every assembler at the Stadium who will read it. More rejoicing at the generosity of God’s visible organization! Now the grand march down the ramps and out of the Stadium exits to get the gift copy of "Let God Be True” begins. In twenty-five minutes, by 4:54 p.m., all are outside and possessed of the precious copy. We almost overlooked reporting, however, that at about ten minutes to 4 p.m. there was a moderate dropping of rain, but Brother Knorr continued with his discourse, and in less than fifteen minutes the strong wind had blown the rain clouds from overhead and sunshine beamed down.

Tonight, against a background of fathers, mothers, sisters and wives, of young men who went to prison because of their steadfastness as gospel ministers during World War II, a symposium was rendered by three speakers on the theme “Prisoners of the Lord”. The opening speaker, T. J. Sullivan, of Brooklyn headquarters, had served a number of such groups of imprisoned ministers regularly and now reported his observations. A. H. Macmillan, who traveled the most extensively in regular visits to the majority of these imprisoned groups, gave a corresponding report on these young ministers, wrongfully imprisoned like Joseph of old in Egypt. Then H. C. Covington, the Society’s legal counselor who has numerous times gone even into the U. S. Supreme Court in behalf of these unjustly treated ministers, next presented the legal sides of their predicament and of the fight for justice to them. In conclusion he suggested the following Resolution in their behalf:

“Now, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT

“(a) The President of the United States be formally requested by a representative of Jehovah’s witnesses, in behalf of this assembly, of all Jehovah’s witnesses throughout the earth and of all other liberty-loving people in this world, to immediately issue an order declaring executive clemency for such missionary evangelists, known as Jehovah’s witnesses, convicted under the Selective Training and Service Act, and grant them full pardon, restoring to them their civil rights, which is necessary in order to redress the deprivation of their rights and in order that justice may be done;

“(b) The chairman of this assembly duly certify to the adoption of this Resolution and deliver it to the representative of Jehovah’s witnesses for personal presentation to the president of the United States, together with a statement of the history of the treatment of Jehovah's witnesses under the Act, as soon as is convenient for submission.”

As president of the Society, Brother Knorr stepped out and, expressing it as an honor, made the motion to adopt the Resolution. T. J. Sullivan seconded this motion. Chairman Suiter then called for the affirmative vote. There was an all-embracing Aye! from the Assembly. He called now for the negative vote. Not a single No broke the tense silence. Accordingly then, by this mandate, the Resolution must be presented to President Harry S. Truman.*

Young men, the children of many consecrated Christians, were involved in the above symposium and Resolution. In this critical time what could Christian parents do to prepare their young children to serve God and to take a faithful stand like that of the above young ministers of the gospel? That question was answered well in the speech that followed, at 8: 30 p.m., on “Children in the ‘Time of the End’ ”, This speech, by the vice-president of the Society’s Pennsylvania corporation, was of great comfort to Christian parents.

[•During noon hour of Friday, September 6, our Society's attorney, H. C. Covington, accompanied by ex-lieutenant E. A. Kennedy and an associate attorney, presented the above Resolution to President Truman at the White House. The president said he would discuss it with the U. S. attorney general.]

UNIVERSAL PEACE DAY (SUNDAY, AUGUST 11)

This proved indeed the crowning day of the Assembly. Before the best morning attendance yet, a series of 20-minute speeches were given by L. R. Brandt, from Cama-guey missionary home; P. Chapman, from Canada; R. M. Gonzalez, from Havana; E. Nironen, from Finland; D. Haslett, from Hawaii; J. L. Bourgeois, from Mexico city; and P. D. M. Rees, from Australia. It was satisfying spiritual breakfast!

At 2 p.m. organ music transmitted from the Auditorium began to entertain the crowds massing to hear the heavily advertised public speech, “The Prince of Peace,” by N. H. Knorr. Then, at 2:30 p.m., the Assembly orchestra of about 160 instrumentalists, seated out on the field’s running-track, started a musical performance of specially orchestrated Kingdom songs; which won repeated applause. By then 75,230 were on hand to hear, but the crowd still kept coming and now swelled over into the hitherto unoccupied bleachers, to finally fill them three-fourths full. Stadium, adjoining halls, and trailer camp counted in, there are above 80,000 assembled to hear. Applause, surged through the Stadium as the speaker, Brother Knorr, crossed the field and mounted the platform, upon which were seated many representative brethren. In two minutes it is 3 p.m., and Chairman Suiter calls for the song “Take Sides with Jehovah”. This beautiful rendition over, the chairman introduces the speaker, and now the speech is on. It is not long ere applause is interrupting the speech.

In simplicity of argument the speaker identified the glorified Prince of Peace, Christ Jesus, against whom the present-day world conspiracy has gathered all nations in opposition. But the Prince is “Immanuel” (“God is with us”). His birth was for a sign of victory; and just as surely as he was born and triumphed over the world nineteen centuries ago, that surely this nefarious conspiracy will be broken to pieces at Armageddon and the “Prince of Peace” will reign evermore, with lasting peace, security and prosperity to all obedient subjects on earth. Hence persons of understanding today “will avoid destruction with such world conspiracy by exercising faith in Jehovah God. They will honor him by waiting upon him to carry through his purpose to its glorious finish soon. They will now take their stand for the everlasting Government of His Prince of Peace, and will pray and wait for it to bring in an eternal reign of peace with unfading glory to Jehovah God”.

The speech was so appreciated that, when the chairman, in his closing announcement, said it was published in full in the final edition of The Messenger and that a free copy would be given to everyone there, it drew applause; 200,000 copies were on hand, plenty to supply those wanting extra copies. Then the chairman extended the warm appreciation of all the Assembly to the people of Cleveland for their hospitality in giving lodging in their homes.

Thousands of conventioners now took their leave of the city for distant homes, but 50,000 remained to attend the terminal session of the Assembly, which proved to be one of the delightful treats of the Assembly. It sent the brethren back to their homes and territories with no grief at parting. At 7: 30 p.m. came the report by the convention servant, C. R. Hessler. This revealed many facts about the preparations and arrangements for the Assembly and then about its operation. It included the Assembly field report of eight days, namely: 15,592 field publishers on the peak day; 8,346 books; 102,919 booklets; 417 subscriptions; 72,834 magazines; 5,704 back-calls; 346 new home Bible studies started; and 138,733 hours. Brother Hessler simply had to choke himself off from talking more and to make way for Brother Knorr; but his suggestion that “the time to get ready for the next convention is before the present one is ended” precipitated an applause that betrayed the Assembly’s mind.

Appropriately, Brother Knorr carried forward the day’s theme, “Universal Peace.” He urged for present peace and unity among Jehovah’s people under our “Prince of Peace”. He expatiated somewhat on yesterday afternoon’s Resolution and reminded them of all the Lord’s special provisions dispensed here, the several Assembly releases. Also next year there ■will be national conventions which he hopes to attend, in Australia and other parts of the Orient and extending from there into various open countries of Europe and ending up with a general convention in Britain. To these European assemblies he invited the American brethren. But, not to neglect the United States, we should have a convention here. And since the East has been so frequently favored in past recent years, the 1947 convention will be held on the Pacific coast—in California!! With an explosion of loud rejoicing that this last disclosure detonated, it was time to close the Assembly, reminding the brethren that “God is with us”.

There was a singing of the song: “Zion, thrice happy place, . . . May peace within thee be; with great prosperity may all thy palaces be blessed. The saint that seeks thy peace, and prays for thine increase, God’s gracious favor on him rest.” A prayer was now voiced by Brother Knorr and, about 9:07 p.m., it was all over!

POST-ASSEMBLY CONFERENCE FOR EXPANSION

Departing from the Assembly, many Branch servants and other brethren assigned to foreign branches came right to the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead. There a three-day conference under Brother Knorr was held relative to the Kingdom interests in the various countries. How to handle the work of the circuit servants to the brethren and also the district-servant work was discussed. Considerable time was also taken up to discuss office arrangements, pioneer work, missionary homes, and general expansion. There were 54 brethren attending these sessions, which proved to be very profitable. Three mornings were devoted to discussing problems pertaining to all branches. During each afternoon different individual conferees were given opportunity to speak to the president about matters relating especially to their own countries.

Before going to the Assembly most of these conferees had the privilege of going through office routine and factory arrangements at Brooklyn, New York, and also the Bethel home system of handling the headquarters family. Many of these same subjects underwent discussion at the conference, and such queries as arose were answered. Many of the brethren taking part in the conference at the Bible School of Gilead remained there to take a course of training with the eighth class of students. Completing this, they will receive still further training at the Brooklyn Bethel home and factory. This will undoubtedly equip them to work for greater unity and oneness of mind in handling their Branch work in other countries, so that all will function together as never before for the sake of the one big interest, Jehovah’s Kingdom by Christ Jesus.