Publication date
9/1/01
Volume
22
Number
17
The WatchTower
Views From the Watch Tower
The Watchtower Magazines
../literature/watchtower/1901/17/1901-17-2.html
SSPTSMBSR 
1, 
1901 
ZION'S 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(276-277) 
is 
like 
a 
great 
crowd; 
at 
the 
head 
are 
the 
world's 
notables, 
backed 
each 
of 
them 
by 
the 
hundreds 
and 
thousands 
and 
mil­ 
lions 
of 
hu~anity, 
willingly 
or 
unwillingly 
depending 
upon 
them 
for 
gUIdance, 
for 
life's 
comforts, 
yea, 
for 
its 
necessities. 
The 
entire 
crowd 
has 
tasted 
of 
the 
conveniences 
and 
bless­ 
ings 
of 
civilb'.ation, 
and 
the 
determination 
of 
the 
whole 
is 
that 
they 
will 
not 
go 
back 
into 
barbarism 
and 
savagery, 
but 
will 
press 
on; 
and 
a 
fear 
of 
pefl;onal 
or 
class 
or 
national 
disadvantage 
is 
eontinually 
goading 
the 
great 
majority 
of 
this 
struggling 
mass, 
bidding 
each 
look 
out 
for 
himself 
and 
his 
own 
interests, 
and 
let 
no 
opportunity 
escape 
his 
grasp. 
V{ith 
the 
majority 
the 
impelling 
fear 
IS 
an 
undefined 
one; 
and 
yet, 
in 
a 
general 
way, 
all 
seem 
to 
apprehend 
that 
i,ome 
sort 
of 
a 
check 
to 
the 
world's 
advancement, 
and 
to 
their 
in­ 
dividual 
progress, 
is 
imminent. 
Whether 
they 
can 
discern 
the 
ramified 
influences 
connecting 
them 
mdividually 
as 
factors 
in 
the 
problem 
or 
not, 
they 
can 
realIze 
that 
the 
more 
lucra­ 
tive 
situations 
in 
life 
are 
few 
m 
comparison 
to 
the 
numbers 
of 
humanity; 
and 
they 
ean 
see, 
too, 
that 
prosperous 
waves 
eome 
to 
the 
world 
occasionally, 
through 
an 
increased 
demand 
for 
the 
products 
of 
machinery 
and 
the 
SOlI. 
They 
can 
see 
that 
lf 
the 
Chinese 
Empire, 
for 
instance, 
with 
its 
hundredB 
of 
millions 
of 
ropulatiou, 
were 
thrown 
fully 
open 
to 
the 
com­ 
mercial 
entel 
prise 
of 
Christendom, 
it 
would 
cause 
the 
wave 
of 
prosperity 
in 
Christendom 
to 
haVE 
that 
mueh 
longer 
roll, 
because 
it 
would 
require 
time 
for 
the 
Chinese 
to 
fully 
adapt 
themselves 
to 
the 
new 
conditions 
iutroLluced 
by 
machinery; 
it 
would 
require 
time 
for 
them 
to 
learn 
how 
to 
install 
and 
to 
operate 
the 
machinery. 
and 
thus 
that 
the 
evI! 
day 
of 
over­ 
production 
would 
be 
put 
off 
the 
further 
into 
the 
future. 
In­ 
stead 
of 
calling 
these 
men 
"insane" 
shall 
we 
not, 
on 
the 
eon­ 
trary, 
say 
that 
they 
are 
wise 
ir 
their 
generation 
i-that 
they 
are 
acting 
out 
the 
only 
part 
they 
could 
be 
expected 
to 
take, 
as 
wise 
men 
of 
the 
world, 
laboring 
under 
the 
la 
IV 
of 
personal 
and 
national 
selfishness,-the 
law 
under 
which 
all 
the 
world 
has 
for 
centuries 
been 
operating? 
VV 
I' 
hold 
that 
the 
energy 
of 
these 
politieians 
and 
financiers 
is 
an 
energy 
begotten 
of 
wisdom, 
and 
rempmber 
the 
words 
of 
Solomon. 
"The 
wise 
man 
foreseeth 
the 
evil 
and 
hideth 
hanseH, 
while 
the 
foolish 
pass 
on 
an,l 
suffer 
for 
it."-Prov. 
27: 
12. 
As 
our 
Master 
said 
at 
the 
first 
advent, 
so 
we 
may 
now 
re­ 
peat.-"The 
children 
of 
this 
world 
are 
wise 
in 
their 
genera­ 
tion"-wiser, 
sometimes, 
than 
are 
the 
childrpn 
of 
light. 
Therefore 
the 
lattl'r 
need 
to 
take 
the 
more 
('al 
nest 
heed 
to 
the 
divine 
revelation, 
which 
is 
able 
to 
give 
them 
the 
"spirit 
of 
a 
sound 
mind" 
bevond 
all 
others. 
The 
Scriptures 
gi~'e 
the 
key 
to 
the 
present 
situation: 
they 
show 
us 
clearly 
that 
the 
divine' 
law 
of 
love 
has 
always 
con­ 
demned 
the 
law 
of 
selfishness, 
under 
which 
fallen 
humanity 
has 
long 
governed 
itself. 
The 
law 
of 
selfishne'is 
is 
no 
worse 
a 
law 
today 
than 
it 
has 
always 
been. 
It 
has 
been 
the 
cause 
of 
wars, 
injusbces, 
sufferings, 
slaveries, 
etc., 
in 
all 
the 
peJ'Jods 
of 
history. 
It 
is 
neither 
worse 
nor 
better 
today; 
but 
new 
conditions 
have 
come 
upon 
us: 
civilization 
has 
lifted 
one­ 
fifth 
part 
of 
the 
world 
to 
a 
higher 
plane 
of 
thought 
and 
sen­ 
timent, 
and 
upon 
these, 
since 
the 
beginning 
of 
"the 
day 
of 
his 
preparation," 
1799, 
the 
Lord 
has 
been 
gradually 
lifting 
the 
veil 
and 
granting 
a 
discernment 
of 
the 
secrets 
of 
nature, 
which 
has 
resulted 
in 
great 
chemical 
and 
mechanical 
discoveries. 
These, 
while 
proving 
great 
blessings 
to 
mankind, 
are 
surl:' 
eventually 
to 
bring 
great 
calamities, 
by 
reason 
of 
conflict 
with 
the 
law 
of 
selfishness 
now 
prevailing. 
All 
thinking 
men 
realize 
that 
under 
the 
laws 
of 
selfishness, 
competition, 
etc., 
it 
is 
only 
a 
question 
of 
time 
when 
the 
vast 
resources 
and 
possibilltJes 
of 
machinery 
in 
the 
hands 
of 
the 
brightpst 
and 
keenest 
of 
the 
world's 
population 
will 
reach 
t}lC 
pomt 
of 
a 
death-struggle 
with 
the 
masses 
of 
Christendom.-not 
even 
waitjn~ 
to 
rpaeh 
the 
ma'iSCS 
of 
heathendoll!. 
All 
wl"h 
to 
avoid 
'this 
pra"h, 
for 
all 
in'itinctively 
realize 
that 
it 
will 
be 
terrible 
when 
it 
comes; 
but 
many 
seek 
to 
avoid 
the 
matt 
.. 
r 
by 
"a 
e 
in~ 
to 
thems 
.. 
lveH. 
It 
will 
not 
pomc 
in 
my 
day 
an.n\a,)·. 
And 
meant 
imp 
eaeh 
fppls 
a" 
though 
he 
is 
powerless 
to 
Htem 
the 
cnrrent, 
01' 
to 
rf'"ist 
the 
pressure 
which 
i" 
behind 
hiro. 
fecting 
us 
in 
this 
country 
in 
some 
ways, 
perhaps, 
worst 
of 
all. 
It 
seems 
a 
madness 
of 
the 
Anglo-Saxon, 
as 
he 
loves 
to 
call 
himself, 
more 
than 
of 
any 
other 
people. 
And 
plainly 
this 
madness 
is 
the 
result 
of 
a 
disease; 
it 
is 
the 
outworking 
of 
the 
greed 
microbe, 
or 
it 
comes 
from 
the 
yeasting 
in 
the 
human 
blood 
of 
the 
lust 
for 
property 
and 
dominion. 
And 
because 
of 
this 
frenzied, 
grasping 
tendency, 
which, 
as 
a 
sort 
of 
demonism, 
has 
tak~n 
possession 
of 
the 
leading 
nations 
of 
men, 
and 
Qf 
our 
own 
reople 
and 
the 
ruling 
element 
among 
them 
particularly, 
the 
whole 
earth 
is 
plunged 
into 
a 
condi­ 
tion 
of 
singularly 
disastrous 
feud 
and 
conflict 
at 
the 
present 
moment. 
"Leading 
nations 
have 
simply 
fallen 
into 
a 
veritable 
madness 
in 
their 
scramble 
for 
trade. 
That 
is 
precisely 
the 
way 
thing~ 
are. 
Commercial 
interests, 
so 
called, 
stand 
ready 
and 
al 
e 
eager 
to 
sacrifice 
everything-untold 
treasures 
of 
the 
people 
at 
large, 
along 
with 
their 
highest 
rights 
and 
profounde~t 
welfare-in 
order 
to 
keep 
or 
attain 
supremacy 
for 
themselves 
and 
for 
the 
furthering 
of 
their 
ends. 
Think 
what, 
under 
this 
influence, 
not 
only 
Great 
Britain 
and 
we 
in 
America, 
but 
Ru~.,ia 
also, 
and 
Germany 
and 
France 
and 
Italy, 
are 
read,\' 
to 
"pE-nd 
in 
this 
desperate 
rivalry! 
Millions 
on 
millions 
of 
the 
people's 
money 
are 
these 
nations 
hot 
to 
lavish 
in 
outla,\' 
so 
as 
to 
buy 
or 
bribe 
the 
chief 
advantage 
in 
trade 
lines, 
the 
one 
agaimt 
the 
other. 
This 
is 
at 
the 
bottom 
of 
our 
milita­ 
rism. 
IIpre 
is 
what 
our 
wars 
mean 
. 
. 
. 
. 
. 
'Val', 
we 
may 
rest 
a'lsured, 
is 
alwars 
precisely 
as 
General 
Sherman 
character­ 
ized 
it. 
Thclc 
i~ 
no 
good 
in 
it 
for 
anybody; 
only 
evil-the 
eonsummation 
of 
evi!. 
A 
trade 
war 
is 
the 
same 
as 
any 
other. 
Greed 
is 
behind 
it; 
and 
we 
have 
the 
highest 
authority 
for 
holding 
that 
grecd 
is 
behind 
all 
wars. 
They 
come 
of 
mE'l1'~ 
lusts. 
But 
today, 
greed 
in 
the 
elaborations 
and 
marvel 
om 
eomplications 
of 
modern 
life 
has 
become 
an 
overmastering 
d,isease. 
The 
whole 
land 
is 
swept 
by 
it. 
Society 
quivers 
in 
its 
sway: 
so 
do 
our 
churches 
and 
our 
homes. 
Commerce 
is 
mad<len~<1 
IJY 
it. 
It 
is 
a 
craze 
in 
the 
heart 
of 
the 
nation-. 
It 
has 
well 
i!igh 
come 
to 
be 
a 
veritable 
demoniacal 
possession. 
driving 
tlU' 
whole 
wide 
world, 
and 
especially 
the 
peoples 
that 
ought 
to 
he 
con'lpicuous 
in 
light 
and 
leading, 
into 
a 
desperate 
frcnzy, 
makinp: 
the 
immediat(' 
outlook 
for 
highest 
human 
wel­ 
farc 
very 
tlark 
antl 
forehoding." 
This 
is 
all 
a 
mi"take. 
The 
present 
agitation 
and 
gra"p 
for 
power 
and 
trade 
is 
not 
the 
result 
of 
a 
special 
disease 
of 
gleed 
fllJ(l 
selfishness-not 
a 
new 
form 
of 
insanity. 
On 
the 
conbary, 
it 
is 
the 
result 
of 
a 
larger 
amount 
of 
reasoning 
on 
the 
part 
of 
humanit~, 
in 
general, 
and 
especially 
on 
the 
part 
of 
~tate"llIpn 
antI 
financiers, 
along 
lines 
which 
the 
writer 
of 
the 
above 
artiple. 
1I0\\e\'er 
otherwise 
intelligent, 
has 
not 
fully 
appl 
eeia 
te,!. 
The 
fact 
i'\ 
tllat 
the 
present 
movement 
is 
the 
result 
of 
condi 
{ions, 
and 
not 
the 
result 
of 
theories. 
Theories, 
aggressivc 
theol'les, 
selfish 
theories, 
have 
prevailed 
in 
the 
world 
for 
centuries, 
and 
probably 
prevail 
no 
more 
today 
than 
in 
thc 
past. 
It 
is 
not 
a 
new 
microbe 
of 
greed 
that 
has 
at­ 
tacked 
mankind, 
but 
new 
conditions 
which 
appeal 
strongly 
to 
what 
for 
a 
long 
time 
has 
been 
known 
as 
the 
first 
law 
of 
, 
' 
ture--self 
- 
preser\'a 
tion. 
Statesmen 
and 
financiers 
the 
world 
over 
have 
realized 
that 
the 
new 
conditions 
brought 
into 
the 
civilized 
world 
during 
the 
lJast 
fifty 
years 
mean 
a 
revolution-an 
irresistible 
revo­ 
lution. 
They 
mean 
that 
machmery 
and 
steam 
and 
electric 
po\\er 
have 
become 
the 
servants 
of 
men, 
and 
that 
these 
ser­ 
vants 
can 
be 
multiplied 
at 
a 
comparatively 
small 
cost, 
and 
that 
the 
necessities 
of 
Christendom 
can 
now 
or 
shortly 
be 
supplied 
by 
one-thirrl 
the 
popub 
tion; 
which 
means 
that, 
now 
or 
shortly, 
two-thirds 
of 
Christendom's 
population 
will 
be 
in 
enforced 
idleness. 
Statesmen 
and 
financiers 
seek 
to 
ward 
off 
such 
a 
condition 
of 
thmgs, 
reahzing 
that 
it 
would 
mean 
ealamity, 
financial, 
social 
and 
political. 
This 
is 
the 
secret, 
then, 
of 
the 
effort 
on 
the 
part 
of 
the 
most 
highly 
civilized 
peoples 
in 
the 
world 
to 
obtain 
new 
markets 
for 
their 
goods 
and 
to 
retain 
their 
hold 
upon 
the 
markets 
already 
estab­ 
lished, 
at 
home 
and 
abroad. 
There 
arc 
people 
who 
tell 
us 
that 
business 
should 
revert 
to 
oM-time 
methods, 
moderatior., 
fair 
prices, 
limited 
produc- 
. 
. 
. 
. 
tion, 
and 
general 
contentment; 
but 
such 
people 
fail 
to 
rec- 
As 
an 
illustration 
of 
thc 
forces 
at 
work 
in 
Christendom, 
ognize 
the 
grcat 
change 
that 
has 
come 
upon 
the 
world 
in 
a 
lesult 
of 
the 
nl'W 
conditions 
introduced 
to 
the 
world 
dur­ 
respect 
to 
conditions. 
They 
fail 
to 
See 
that 
the 
business 
pres- 
ing 
the 
ninctcenth 
centmy, 
notc 
the 
strife 
between 
the 
United 
sure 
which 
is 
now 
exerted 
is 
not 
a 
voluntary 
one, 
but 
rather 
States 
Steel 
CorporatlOll 
and 
the 
Amalgamated 
Assodation 
an 
enforced 
one; 
for 
those 
who 
would 
persist 
in 
followmg 
of 
Iron 
awl 
Steel 
Worhrs. 
Much 
can 
be 
said 
on 
each 
"ide 
of 
old·time 
methods 
in 
manufacturing 
or 
business 
would 
speed- 
the 
question. 
but 
it 
fill 
resolve" 
itself 
in 
harmony 
with 
the 
ily 
find 
themselves 
bankrupt. 
Consequently 
all 
find 
it 
neces- 
foregoing. 
The 
edpitalists, 
representing 
the 
money 
invested 
sary 
to 
bestir 
themselves 
and 
adopt 
new 
methods 
of 
business 
and 
the 
machmery, 
are 
plessed 
by 
competition 
and 
seeking 
to 
adapted 
to 
our 
day. 
As 
they 
are 
pushed 
,1n 
by 
others, 
so 
maintain 
their 
own 
standing 
financially 
and 
to 
make 
progress. 
others 
in 
turn 
are 
pushed 
on 
by 
them. 
The 
civilized 
world 
They 
do 
not 
desire 
the 
degradation 
of 
their 
workmen 
in 
any 
[2867] 
SEPTEMBER 1, 1901 fecting us in this country in some ways, perhaps, worst of all. It seems a madness of the Anglo-Saxon, as he loves to call himself. more than of any other people. And plainly this madness is the result of a disease; it is the outworking of the greed microbe, or it comes from the yeasting in the human blood of the lust for property and dominion. And because of this frenzied, grasping tendency, which, as a sort of demonism, has taken possession of the leading nations of men, and qf our own people and the ruling element among them particularly, the whole earth is plunged into a condition of singularly disastrous feud and conflict at the present moment. “Leading nations have simply fallen into a veritable madness in their scramble for trade. That is precisely the way things are. Commercial interests, so called, stand ready and are eager to sacrifice everything—untold treasures of the people at large, along with their highest rights and profoundest welfare—in order to keep or attain supremacy for themselves and for the furthering of their ends. Think what, under this influence, not only Great Britain and we in America, but Russia also, and Germany and France and Italy, are ready to spend in this desperate rivalry! Millions on millions of the people’s money are these nations hot to lavish in outlay so as to buy or bribe the chief advantage in trade lines, the one against the other. This is at the bottom of our militarism. Tere is what our wars mean. .... War, we may rest assured, is always precisely as General Sherman characterized it. There is no good in it for anybody; only evil—the consummation of evil. A trade war is the same as any other. Greed is behind it; and we have the highest authority for holding that grecd is behind all wars. They come of men’s lusts. But today, greed in the elaborations and marvelous complications of modern life has become an overmastering disease. The whole land is swept by it. Society quivers in its sway: so do our churches and our homes. Commerce is maddened by it. It is a craze in the heart of the nations. It has well nigh come to be a veritable demoniacal possession, driving the whole wide world, and especially the peoples that ought to be conspicuous in light and leading, into a desperate frenzy, making the immediate outlook for highest human welfare very dark and foreboding.” This is all a mistake. The present agitation and grasp for power and trade is not the result of a special disease of greed and selfishness—not a new form of insanity. On the contrary, it is the result of a larger amount of reasoning on the part of humanity in general, and especially on the part of statesmen and financiers, along lines which the writer of the above article. however otherwise intelligent, has not fully appreciated. The fact is that the present movement is the result of conditions, and not the result of theories. Theories, aggressive theories, selfish theories, have prevailed in the world for centuries, and probably prevail no more today than in the past. It is not a new microbe of greed that has attacked mankind, but new conditions which appeal strongly to what for a long time hag been known as the first law of i> ture—self-preservation. Statesmen and financiers the world over have realized that the new conditions brought into the civilized world during the past fiftv years mean a revolution—an irresistible revolution. They mean that machinery and steam and electric power have become the servants of men, and that these servants can be multiplied at a comparatively small cost, and that the necessities of Christendom can now or shortly be supplied by one-third the populstion; which means that, now or shortly, two-thirds of Christendom’s population will be in enforced idleness. Statesmen and financiers seek to ward off such a condition of things, realizing that it would mean calamity, financial, social and political. This is the secret, then, of the effort on the part of the most highly civilized peoples in the world to obtain new markets for their goods and to retain their hold upon the markets already established, at home and abroad. There are people who tell us that business should revert to old-time methods, moderatior, fair prices, limited production, and general contentment; but such people fail to recognize the great change that has come upon the world in respect to conditions. They fail to see that the business pressure which is now exerted is not a voluntary one, but rather an enforced one; for those who would persist in following old-time methods in manufacturing or busiaess would speedily find themselves bankrupt. Consequently all find it necessary to bestir themselves and adopt new methods of business adapted to our day. As they are pushed on by others, so others in turn are pushed on by them. The civilized world ZION’S WATCH TOWER (276-277) is like a great crowd; at the head are the world’s notables, backed each of them by the hundreds and thousands and millions of humanity, willingly or unwillingly depending upon them for guidance, for life’s comforts, yea, for its necessities. The entire crowd has tasted of the conveniences and blessings of civilization, and the determination of the whole is that they will not go back into barbarism and savagery, but will press on; and a fear of personal or class or national disadvantage is continually goading the great majority of this struggling mass, bidding each look out for himself and his own interests, and let no opportunity escape his grasp. With the majority the impelling fear 1s an undefined one; and yet. in a general way, all seem to apprehend that some sort of a check to the world’s advancement, and to their individual progress, is imminent. Whether they can discern the ramified influences connecting them individually as factors in the problem or not, they can realize that the more lucrative situations in hfe are few m comparison to the numbers of humanity; and they can see, too, that prosperous waves come to the world occasionally, through an increased demand for the products of machinery and the soil. They can see that if the Chinese Empire, for instance, with its hundreds of millions of population, were thrown fully open to the commercial] enterprise of Christendom, it would cause the wave of prosperity in Christendom to have that much longer roll, because it would require time for the Chinese to fully adapt themselves to the new conditions introduced by machinery; it would require time for them to learn how to install and to operate the machinery, and thus that the evil day of overproduction would be put off the further into the future. Instead of calling these men “insane” shall we not, on the contrary, say that they are wise ir their generation;—that they are acting out the only part they could be expected to take, as wise men of the world, laboring under the law of personal and national selfishness,—the law under which all the world has for centuries been operating? We hold that the energy of these politicians and financiers is an energy begotten of wisdom, and remember the words of Solomon. “The wise man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself, while the foolish pass on ant suffer for it.’—Prov. 27:12. As our Master said at the first advent, so we may now repeat—"The children of this world are wise in their generation”—wiser, sometimes, than are the children of light. Therefore the latter need to take the more eainest heed to the divine revelation, which is able to give them the “spirit of a sound mind” bevond all others. The Seriptures give the key to the present situation: they show us clearly that the divine law of love has always condemned the law of selfishness, under which fallen humanity has long governed itself. The law of selfishness is no worse a law today than it has always been. It has been the cause of wars, injustices, sufferings, slaveries, etc., in all the periods of history. It is neither worse nor better today; but new conditions have come upon us: civilization has lifted onefifth part of the world to a higher plane of thought and sentiment, and upon these, since the beginning of “‘the day of his preparation,” 1799, the Lord has been gradually lifting the veil and granting a discernment of the secrets of nature, which has resulted in great chemical and mechanical discoveries. These, while proving great blessings to mankind, are sure eventually to bring great calamities, by reason of conflict with the law of selfishness now prevailing. Al) thinking men realize that under the laws of selfishness, competition, etc., it is only a question of time when the vast resources and possibilities of machinery in the hands of the brightest and keenest of the world’s population will reach the point of a death-struggle with the masses of Christendom,—not even waiting to reach the masses of heathendom. All wish to avoid this crash, for all instinctively realize that it will be terrible when it comes; but many seek to avoid the matter by saying to themselves, 1t will not come in my day anyway. And meantime each feels as though he is powerless to stem the current, or to resist the pressure which is behind him. * * * As an illustration of the forces at work in Christendom, a result of the new conditions introduced to the world during the nineteenth century, note the strife between the United States Steel Corporation and the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers. Much can be said on each side of the question, but it all resolves itself in harmony with the foregoing. The capitalists, representing the money invested and the machinery, are piessed by competition and seeking to maintain their own standing financially and to make progress. They do not desire the degradation of their workmen in any [2867]

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