WATCH TOWER

BIBLE

AND TRACT

SOCIETY

CO1PORTEUR AND CLASS QUOTAS SET fOR 1929

2,350,000 Books and 3,000,000

Booklets Expected to Be Sold in the United States

The big drive is on ! The fiscal year of the Society closed September 30. From that time forward the work Is outlined for the ensuing year. In setting quotas for the classes and colporteurs for 1929, we have taken into consideration the work of 1928. We noted the increase of class workers and colporteurs and their sales. The Lord has made clear through The Watch Tower the necessity for giving this witness; and every one really interested in the Kingdom is going to do something. Didn’t they make a big fuss over the election on November C? Tne papoitr were lull of Sim tn and Hoover. When these men are in a campaign for some political oilice all their time and attention is given to that work. Isn’t it more important, then, that we get our big campaign for 1929 started, and make known the Kingdom among the peoples of earth? The Lord shows there will be only a few that will be faithful; but these few will be so well organized that the nations will be astounded at their campaign. The end will be the victory for the Lord brought about by his great power; but till then we will campa ign for the King of kings.

Here is the plan for the classes. They have taken hold of the Feo pies’ Friend booklet wonderfully and it will have the effect of getting some new workers into active field service who haven’t always been in the field each week. Last year the average number of workers per week was 3,588, which was a big increase over 1927; in fact an average of 1,182 more workers per week than in 1927. This year it is planned to have 4,000 workers. We are setting this as a goal for the number of workers during 1929. We should like to go away over that each week, but it all depends on you and your reports.

We all like to sell books. No? Oh yes; any one Interested in having this message in the hands of the people likes to sell books because the books contain the message and the witness which Jehovah wants given, and the giving of this witness is just what “the servant” desires to do. The classes are all going to strive to put 900,000 books and 1,400,000 booklets in the hands of the people. Some one just said, “Why, that is over 2,000,000 all together." That’s right. But just look at if I this way. If every worker sells oni five-book combination, three three book combinations and five other I cloth-bound books each month, it I will be over 900,000 books; and if > each worker sold seven booklets each week, it would be over 1,400,009. Well, that is different. By the Lord’s grace we can do that. We -shall Jet you know in the January 1 Bulletin how you got along in \ October and November, and hereafter we shall let you know each month. The five-cent booklets will not be included in the quota set for the classes or colporteurs, but all other booklets will be.

During the past year the Increase in the pioneer colporteur work has been most heart-cheering. At the present time there are 1,160 pioneers, many of whom are in the South, or on their way there. Some are away out West and others in the North and some here in the East, where it snows and gets cold just as in other places. Anyway, they are going to try to stay in the work this winter, because they can get winter territory in the large cities where there are plenty of stores, apartments and homes close together. Before next October rolls around we hope to have 1,500 pioneer colporteurs in the field.

Sometimes you forget to report, don’t you? But this year you won’t, because you have a quota to work for and if you and a few others don’t send in report cards that means we can not add it in. Last year’s records show that if we have only 900 pioneers reporting regularly this year you can sell 1,450,000 clothbound books and 1,600,000 booklets. And somebody says, “Why, that is over 3,000,000!” You are right again. We believe you can do it, so your quota is going to be 1,450,000 books and 1,600,000 booklets.

The auxiliary colporteur work has been encouraged by the Society, and the friends have engaged in it. We have great hopes for them this year. At the present time there are 744 in the work, a great increase over any previous year. These brethren, we know, want to have a quota, and so we have set one for them. Throughout the year we shall try to get 1,000 into the work as auxiliary colporteurs spending ten hours each week, exclusive of Sundays, in canvassing from door to door. Auxil- ■ iary colporteurs work in conjunc-

(Continued page 2, col. 3)     '

Drive Exceeded Expectations Classes Advise that Eighty Percent of Canvasses Resulted in Sales

We know you are wondering what method of attack will be adopted by the Lord’s army after New Year; and that each one of you may be ready to participate in this attack, we are outlining it in detail here. Commencing with January 1, and continuing until January 20, The Peoples’ Friend campaign is again to be strenuously pushed in your most thickly populated territory not already covered with that booklet. During this period every effort should be made to reach all the territory that can be worked with the message during the winter, working the cities and larger towns first This period allows for New Year’s Day, which is a holiday for practically all the friends, and three Saturday afternoons and two Sundays which can be almost entirely devoted to this drive. Week-end parties to tlie larger centers can be arranged for, the friends staying over Saturday afternoon until Sunday and cleaning up the territory in that way. Little local convention picnics could be arranged for Saturday and Sunday, when the friends could take their lunch and a supply of Peoples’ Friend booklets and devote the whole day to the work, having their lunch at tlie home of some friend or interested party in the locality. These are only two suggestions that might be followed. Undoubtedly each service committee can formulate plans and arrangements that will make these holidays profitable and effective in the distribution of the message.

Watchtower Network

Broadcasting of the weekly WATCHTOWER Hour through tlie newly organized WATCHTOWER chain of radio stations began Sunday, November 18. Every Sunday moruing, from 10 to 11 (Eastern Standard time), this WATCHTOWER program, including lecture by Judge Rutherford, may be heard over the following stations:

WBBR New York; WOV New York; WCSH Portland, Ale.; WOKO Poughkeepsie, New York; WFBL Syracuse, New York; WODA Paterson, N. J.; WGBI Scranton, Pa.; KQV Pittsburgh, Pa. ; WHK Cleveland, Ohio; WMAL Washington, D. C.; WOL Washington, D. C.; WTAR Norfolk, Va.; WBT Charlotte, N. C.

It would be well if the classes distributed the Society’s new “Radio Slip” while canvassing. We can print these for any class at $1.50 per 1000. This slip, similar to our book question slip, lists the chain stations and at the same time invites all to listen, in and read our books. These are not charged to class accounts.

Many Now Enroute to Southern Territory

Winter Assignments in Cities

Also Popular

In times past the month of December usually saw the colporteur list shrink to about three hundred regular colporteurs. But not so this year. It is thrilling to see how those who really love the Lord above everything else In life are determined to keep in the work in spite of bad weather, bad roads and bad everything else. If one is looking for an excuse to drop out of the work, the Devil will provide It; but if one really wants to continue, don’t you believe that the Lord is just as able to provide? Of course he is.

One of his provisions has been winter pioneer territory in some of the large cities; and at the time the Bulletin goes to press there have been one hundred colporteurs who have taken advantage of this. Many others have made long trips to the South and the Southwest. And why 1 It’s because they love the Lord so much that they just can’t keep quiet. There has been a regular swarm of house-cars, tin-Lizzies, trailers, and almost every kind of contraption on wheels, gliding, rattling, bumping and shaking its way southward in order to carry the message of God’s kingdom to the people. Such is the advance of the little band of singers of the Lord’s army against the enemy.

Some of the large cities in the North have been making preparations for their pioneer guests. In one class there is to be a pioneer camp so that all the colporteurs there may have the benefit of cooperative buying of food, as well as cheaper housing accommodations.

City territory is proving popular for winter work on account of the houses' being close together. Apartments are especially good for cold and stormy days, since they give one

(Continued from page 1, col. 3) tory, the quantity consigned should be distributed. In an endeavor to solve this problem we found, in every case, that foreign classes in the immediate vicinity were very glad to cooperate; and in practically all the cases above mentioned the English classes found that their consignments not only were within reach but came far short of what their territory would consume. In this connection it is well to keep in mind that although it is necessary for various nationalities to have their own ecclesias so that they may witness to their people more effectively, at the same time all the ecclesias, regardless of nationality, have a common objective, and that is to magnify the name of our God; so that on occasions when a special drive is staged the directors of the English ecclesias should feel at liberty to invite all the foreign classes within the boundaries of the territory assignment to cooperate with them In making the campaign a success.

A complete report covering the

Workers Like to Canvass for Five-Book Combination

Colporteur Makes Successful Experiment

Have you been canvassing with the five-book combination? Majbe you haven't tried it. If not, you are missing a good opportunity.

One colporteur recently told us that he made an experiment with it, selecting a rather thickly populated territory. On the first day he spent his time canvassing for the $1.00 combination. On the next he used the $1.98. At the end of both days, he found that the total number of books sold was approximately the same. From this he concluded to always offer the five-book combination, especially whenever he got into scattered territory, where his dally number of calls would be few, in order to make the most of each one.

That’s a good suggestion. Why not try it? If this colporteur, who has been specializing for a long time on the smaller combination, can sell in one day as many books with the larger combination, with which he has had little experience, don’t you think it reasonable to conclude that after becoming more familiar with the larger combination he will be able to even surpass his previous results?

Another brother writes, “From my thus far very short trial of the new offer, it seems that it Is financially, as well as otherwise, a success.” the opportunity to get thawed out a bit or to keep dry. Not all towns have many of these, but in almost all of them a few can be found above the stores. Classes, as well as colporteurs, would do well not to overlook such places. In times past some have hesitated about going Into them, thinking that they are stores, but in most cases you will find them to be dwelling-places.

Where there’s fire in one’s bones, there’s no danger of cold feet.

two weeks set aside for the Peoples' Friend distribution is not yet at hand. Some of the nearby classes and colporteurs have not yet sent in a complete report for the week ending November 4; so we can not let you have the final figures as we had hoped to do.

We feel that this is a good place to call your attention again to the difficulties with which we are confronted if you do not report promptly and regularly. In this issue of the Bulletin we had anticipated presenting the figures showing the progress of the classes as compared with their quota for the month of October; but we find that we have not yet received all the October reports. Each worker and colporteur, as well as members of the service committees, should recognize their responsibility in this connection to do ail in their power to see that we get reports as soon as possible. If we were to stress this item in accordance with its importance we should devote the whole Bulletin to it; but we trust that a word to the wise will be sufficient.

Suggestions Offered for Selling Books as Presents

The Christmas season approaches, with its made rush for buying something to give to some one else; with its crowds, jabbed ribs, stepped-on toes, crying babies, tired mothers and worn-out clerks. The Devil’s machine has certainly commercialized the spirit of giving, and his organization is robbing the people with its inflated prices. In past years many of us have set aside serving the Lord for the month of December so that we too might join the crowd. But why should we? Hasn’t the Lord something more important for us to do? Isn’t the truth about God’s divine plan the best gift that we can possibly give to any one? If we don’t think so, then we might just as well start running a peanut stand as to go canvassing.

“But,” some say, “what’s the use of going canvassing this month? People don’t want to buy books on the Bible to give to their friends and they are not thinking of buying something for themselves. They are spending money, but not for our books.”

Now we are all interested in taking advantage of every opportunity to magnify the Lord’s name, and of course each would like to be able to place a lot of books in the hands of the people for themselves and for their friends. How then can we show them that our books would make a desirable present?

The question which naturally comes Into the person’s mind is, “What will my friend think of me if I give him these books?” Why not try to answer his question before he has the opportunity to think of it? How can this be done?

First convince yourself that you have the best thing that one can possibly get, either for himself or for a present. If you don’t believe it, you certainly won’t be able to convince any one else. Then open your canvass with some such statement as this: “If you are looking for a present to give to a close friend, or a near relative, your mother, father, brother, sister or cousin, I have something in which you will be Interested and which they will appreciate very much.” Since during this month all are thinking of buying presents, they are looking for gift suggestions and appreciate them if they are made to appear attractive. Price is also an important consideration. As you show them the books, make some such statement as “They are of great value but cost so little that you will be astonished at the price. There has been no increase for the Christmas season”. Points such as the following help to convince one of their value as a gift and to show how much the five-book combination would be appreciated by the one who receives it:

• (1) Their wide circulation of millions of copies.

• (2) Their being considered internationally as books of authority on the Bible, being translated into many different languages.

• (3) Their being widely known and read because of the great radio campaign.

• (4) How many are buying the combinations as gifts and are so impressed with them that they are taking an extra set for themselves.

• (5) The beautiful colors, pictures, and the reference feature of the books, making them an ideal library which is always appreciated.

• (6) The enjoyable discussions that they will stimulate if given to a friend.

• (7) The many pleasant evenings that they will afford during the cold winter months.

• (8) Their helpfulness to some one who is sick or in trouble, to the mother or Sunday school teacher in instructing the children, to the man interested in world conditions, science, the Bible, etc.

The Society is not in favor of the Devil’s plan of commercialized giving, but it does believe that since this is the custom, we might just as well make the best of it. It certainly will not do us or any one else any good for us to sit back, fold our hands and say, “I can’t do anything because of Christmas.” Surely it will be more pleasing to the Lord for us to offer the people sometldng that will be a lasting good to them and their friends and at least to grant them the opportunity of making their gifts something worth while.

real joy in following these reports month by month; we know we shall. Watch for next month’s Bulletin.

Many of the classes set quotas for the year. So do some class workers and colporteurs. This is a very good thing to do, because it keeps you in touch with the progress of your work. Since the Society always begins the year with October 1, and, of course, ends it the following September 30, it would be well for the classes to set their quotas for the same period.

Remitting for Subscriptions

Colporteurs need not make out separate money orders for the Watch Tower and Oolden Aye subscriptions which they send us from time to time, since these are all handled by the Colporteur Department. One remittance for both subscriptions will be sufficient.