Publication date
5/15/09
Volume
30
Number
10
The WatchTower
Brooklyn Bethel Hymns for June
The Watchtower Magazines
/../literature/watchtower/1909/10/1909-10-1.html
 
 
 
MAY 
I, 
1909 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
(143-147 
) 
of 
my 
thirty-six 
years 
been 
spent 
in 
the 
newspaper, 
printing 
and 
publishing 
business, 
which 
enables 
me 
to 
draw 
a 
fair 
idea 
of 
your 
burdensome 
duties 
while 
serving 
the 
Lord 
in 
so 
many 
different 
capacities. 
However, 
I 
am 
impressed 
that 
it 
would 
be 
unwise 
on 
my 
part 
to 
further 
delay 
writing 
you, 
hence 
this 
letter. 
We 
have 
a 
small 
class 
here 
which 
elected 
me 
teacher. 
Will 
you 
and 
the 
Bethel 
family 
remember 
me 
daily 
at 
the 
throne 
of 
grace 
1 
I 
want 
more 
of 
the 
holy 
Spirit 
and 
the 
spirit 
of 
a 
sound 
mind. 
I 
want 
to 
teach 
with 
understanding. 
Fifteen 
years 
ago 
I 
joined 
my 
wife 
and 
the 
Methodist 
Church. 
I 
know 
at 
the 
time 
my 
wife 
was 
the 
principal 
magnet, 
although 
I 
firmly 
believed 
the 
Lord 
would 
come 
my 
way 
anc} 
in 
due 
time 
make 
me 
as 
happy 
as 
my 
brethren 
pro­ 
fessed 
to 
be. 
My 
blessed 
Redeemer 
did 
not 
give 
me 
the 
:;weet 
assurance 
I 
expected, 
and 
after 
two 
years 
I 
withdrew 
with 
more 
noise 
and 
confusion 
than 
I 
commenced 
with. 
I 
resolved 
to 
never 
enter 
the 
building 
again 
and 
that 
resolution 
hall 
not 
been 
broken. 
I 
took 
up 
Darwin, 
Hume 
and 
Ingersoll. 
These 
were 
later 
discarded 
for 
Confucius, 
Buddha 
and 
Mohammed. 
None 
of 
these 
things 
satisfied 
my 
hunger 
for 
Truth. 
Then 
came 
the 
Book 
of 
Mormonism, 
which 
I 
read 
with 
considerable 
enthusiasm 
and 
finally 
passed 
it 
up 
to 
a 
Baptist 
preacher. 
About 
this 
time 
Mrs. 
Eddy 
made 
her 
little 
bow 
in 
my 
com­ 
munity, 
begmning 
with 
my 
wife's 
mother, 
a 
very 
bright 
and 
well·disposed 
lady, 
whose 
wealth 
and 
social 
prominence 
added 
no 
little 
to 
the 
Eddy 
Idea 
at 
this 
place. 
I 
studied 
the 
proposi­ 
tion 
hard, 
but 
was 
not 
permitted 
to 
see 
the 
point. 
One 
day 
one 
of 
the 
Lord's 
faithful, 
Bro. 
C. 
S. 
Livingston, 
of 
Enter· 
prise, 
asked 
me 
if 
I 
would 
take 
pleasure 
in 
the 
Truth 
if 
I 
knew 
it 
was 
Truth. 
I 
told 
him 
I 
would. 
Then 
he 
gave 
me 
Volume 
I 
and 
asked 
me 
to 
~o 
to 
my 
closet 
and 
pray 
for 
help 
to 
understand 
that 
book. 
If 
there 
was 
a 
God 
I 
wanted 
to 
know 
it. 
Besides 
I 
was 
in 
the 
micldle 
of 
a 
campaign 
for 
an 
important 
county 
office 
and 
the 
election 
was 
only 
six: 
weeks 
ahead, 
and 
I 
wanted 
to 
please 
Brother 
Livingston 
and 
get 
his 
vote. 
I 
went 
on 
to 
my 
closet 
and 
tried 
to 
pray. 
It 
was 
the 
first 
time 
I 
had 
tried 
to 
communicate 
with 
the 
Lord 
in 
ten 
or 
twelve 
years. 
My 
petition 
was 
short 
and 
remarkably 
stupid, 
but 
the 
Lord 
certainly 
looked 
at 
the 
spirit 
in 
which 
I 
approached 
him 
and 
not 
the 
eloquence 
or 
multiplicity 
of 
words. 
One 
week 
later 
I 
retired 
from 
politics 
forever, 
thank 
the 
Lord. 
My 
friends 
urged 
and 
threatened, 
but 
I 
retired 
from 
the 
race. 
Five 
weeks 
later 
I 
had 
read 
the 
six 
volumes, 
Tabernacle 
Shadow8 
and 
several 
\V 
ATCH 
TOWERS. 
I 
went 
out 
on 
the 
streets 
and 
wrangled 
with 
every 
preacher 
and 
Sunday 
School 
teacher 
I 
could 
find. 
I 
thought 
I 
was 
going 
to 
be 
a 
power 
among 
my 
friends 
and 
political 
followers. 
But 
alas, 
it 
is 
sad 
to 
relate. 
They 
say, 
and 
believe, 
"Much 
study 
has 
wrecked 
his 
mind, 
for 
a 
truth 
he 
has 
paresis!" 
I 
have 
been 
zealous 
for 
the 
Lord 
and 
the 
doctrine 
of 
the 
Kingdom. 
On 
every 
suitable 
occasion 
I 
pour 
out 
all 
the 
hall 
at 
my 
command; 
but 
they 
won't 
listen. 
If 
they 
can't 
slip 
away 
they 
will 
try 
to 
change 
the 
subject-sing, 
do 
anything 
except 
listen. 
Not 
one 
grain 
of 
wheat 
can 
be 
traced 
to 
my 
energies. 
The 
real 
pillar 
of 
the 
Baptist 
Church 
at 
this 
place 
for 
twenty 
years, 
Brother 
J. 
J. 
Morris, 
accepted 
the 
Truth 
four 
months 
ago 
and 
Babylon 
charges 
me 
with 
his 
ruin 
and 
destruction. 
Would 
to 
God 
they 
told 
the 
truth, 
but 
they 
do 
not; 
as 
usual, 
they 
err; 
the 
Lord 
did 
it. 
And 
now, 
since 
he 
is 
not 
grinding 
at 
their 
mill, 
they 
say 
"he 
always 
did 
have 
cranky 
notions." 
Enclosed 
you 
will 
please 
find 
"the 
Vow," 
our 
Vow. 
All 
the 
"Israelites 
indeed, 
in 
whom 
there 
is 
no 
guile," 
will 
take 
the 
Vow. 
Tho 
more 
I 
see 
of 
it 
the 
more 
I 
am 
impressed 
that 
it 
is 
the 
Lord's 
sieve. 
Please 
send 
us 
a 
Pilgrim. 
The 
friends 
want 
an 
Alabama 
Convention 
at 
Texasville 
in 
the 
summer. 
Remember 
us 
daily 
at 
the 
Throne 
of 
grace. 
Yours 
in 
the 
One 
Hope, 
W. 
M. 
BAILEY. 
THE 
NEWSPAPER 
EVANGELISM 
The 
number 
of 
newspapers 
publishing- 
Brother 
Russell's 
sermons 
weekly 
continues 
to 
increase. 
\Ye 
advise 
these 
be 
given 
the 
preference 
and 
every 
way 
encouraged. 
If 
any 
poper 
cuts 
down 
the 
space 
below 
three 
columns 
or 
fails 
to 
publish 
the 
sermon, 
write 
the 
editor 
a 
kind 
card 
telling 
of 
your 
interest 
in 
the 
sermons 
and 
that 
you 
subscribe 
for 
his 
paper 
largely 
on 
account 
of 
the 
sermons. 
If 
you 
subscribed 
through 
us 
drop 
us 
a 
card 
of 
explanation 
also. 
VOL. 
XXX 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
MAY 
15, 
1909 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
No. 
10 
":BLASTING 
AT 
THE 
BOOK 
OF 
AGES" 
For 
the 
past 
twenty 
years 
we 
have 
been 
sounding 
the 
alarm 
a~ainst 
the 
infidel 
tendencies 
of 
the 
colle~es 
and 
seminaries 
of 
Christendom. 
We 
have 
pointed 
out 
that 
Higher 
Criticism 
of 
the 
Bible 
and 
the 
Evolution 
Theory 
are 
taught 
in 
practically 
every 
institution 
of 
learning 
of 
higher 
grade 
than 
a 
Grammar 
School 
and 
that 
even 
in 
these 
the 
seeds 
of 
infidelity 
are 
being 
sown 
in 
the 
class 
books 
and 
studies, 
though 
not 
openly 
lec· 
tured 
upon. 
In 
these 
twenty 
years 
we 
have 
counselled 
parents 
that 
it 
is 
better 
to 
give 
their 
children 
less 
education 
than 
to 
risk 
the 
complete 
wreck 
of 
their 
religious 
instincts 
and 
faith 
in 
God 
and 
the 
Bible. 
Our 
views 
were 
thought 
to 
be 
extreme 
and 
rarely 
heeded. 
Now 
parents 
are 
writin~ 
us 
of 
their 
sad 
mis­ 
take--that 
the 
faith 
of 
their 
children 
IS 
irreparably 
lost, 
be­ 
cause 
they 
refuse 
to 
read 
the 
only 
thing 
which 
would 
enable 
them 
to 
regain 
the 
ground 
of 
faith 
lost, 
namely 
The 
Divine 
Plan 
of 
the 
Ages. 
Finally, 
when 
the 
new 
manhood 
and 
womanhood 
have 
been 
thoroughly 
inoculated 
with 
the 
poison 
of 
infidelity 
others 
are 
awakening 
to 
the 
situation; 
as, 
for 
instance, 
Mr. 
Hjarold 
BoIce, 
who 
writes 
in 
the 
"Cosmopolitan," 
and 
Hon. 
H. 
S. 
Blake, 
who 
has 
started 
a 
good 
warfare 
in 
Canada. 
We 
give 
below 
John 
Temple 
Graves' 
note 
of 
alarm. 
He 
says:- 
Out 
of 
the 
curricula 
of 
American 
colleges 
a 
dynamic 
move· 
ment 
is 
upheaving 
ancient 
foundations 
and 
making 
an 
open 
way 
for 
a 
revolution 
in 
the 
thought 
and 
life 
of 
this 
people. 
Those 
who 
are 
not 
in 
close 
touch 
with 
the 
great 
colleges 
of 
the 
country 
will 
be 
astonished, 
in 
most 
cases 
indignant, 
to 
learn 
the 
creeds 
that 
are 
being 
fostered 
by 
the 
strong 
men 
in 
the 
professors' 
chairs. 
In 
hundreds 
of 
classrooms 
there 
is 
a 
scholarly 
repudiation 
of 
all 
solemn 
authority, 
and 
it 
is 
being 
taught 
daily 
that 
"the 
Decalogue 
is 
no 
more 
sacred 
than 
a 
syllabus"; 
that 
"the 
home 
as 
an 
institution 
is 
doomed"; 
that 
"there 
are 
no 
abso­ 
lute 
evils"; 
that 
"immorality 
is 
simply 
an 
act 
in 
contraven- 
tion 
of 
society's 
accepted 
standards"; 
that 
"democracy 
is 
a 
failure 
and 
the 
Declaration 
of 
Independence 
only 
spectacular 
rhetoric" 
; 
that 
"the 
change 
from 
one 
religion 
to 
another 
is 
like 
getting 
a 
new 
hat"; 
that 
"moral 
precepts 
are 
passing 
shibboleths"; 
that 
"conceptions 
of 
right 
and 
wrong 
are 
as 
un· 
stable 
as 
styles 
of 
dre'ls;" 
that 
"wide 
stairwa.YH 
are 
open 
be­ 
tween 
sorial 
levels, 
but 
that 
to 
the 
climber 
children 
are 
en· 
cumbrances"; 
that 
"the 
sole 
effect 
of 
prolificacy 
is 
to 
fill 
tiny 
graves," 
and 
that 
"there 
can 
be 
and 
are 
holier 
alliances 
outside 
the 
marriage 
bond 
than 
within 
it!" 
Every 
quoted 
sentiment 
is 
from 
the 
spoken 
or 
written 
word 
of 
some 
one 
of 
the 
leading 
and 
famous 
professors 
of 
the 
great 
colleges. 
And 
the 
colleges 
carrying 
such 
new 
and 
revolutionary 
creeds 
are 
not 
the 
minor 
schools, 
but 
those 
vaster 
seminaries 
such 
as 
Harvard, 
Yale, 
Princeton 
(shade 
of 
Jonathan 
Edwards 
behold 
it!), 
University 
of 
Pennsylvania, 
University 
of 
Chi· 
cago, 
Columbia, 
Syracuse, 
California, 
George 
Washington, 
Wil· 
liam 
and 
Mary, 
Northwestern, 
the 
universities 
of 
New 
York, 
Iowa, 
Kansas, 
Michigan, 
Wisconsin, 
Cornell, 
Brown, 
Leland 
Stanford, 
Union, 
Nebraska 
and 
others. 
In 
each 
of 
these 
great 
institutions 
some 
professor, 
neither 
infallible 
nor 
inspired, 
but 
a 
free 
thinker 
rioting 
in 
the 
mere 
license 
of 
opinion, 
and 
some, 
alas, 
hungering 
for 
the 
noto­ 
riety 
of 
the 
utterance, 
are 
flinging 
down 
daily 
doctrines 
like 
these, 
not 
to 
strong 
and 
mature 
men 
capable 
of 
discrimina­ 
tion 
and 
accustomed 
to 
disputation, 
but 
speaking 
from 
reo 
sponsible 
stations 
to 
youthful 
and 
undeveloped 
minds 
which 
are 
accustomed 
to 
receive 
what 
comes 
from 
the 
scholar 
in 
the 
chair 
of 
authority 
as 
the 
unchallenged 
gospel 
of 
the 
time. 
"Meat 
for 
strong 
men 
and 
milk 
for 
babies," 
has 
no 
re­ 
straining 
influence 
upon 
the 
riot 
of 
opinion 
among 
these 
so­ 
called 
professors 
of 
today. 
If 
these 
men 
really 
believe 
the 
monstrous 
conceptions 
which 
are 
stirring 
the 
age 
to 
unwhole­ 
some 
revolution 
against 
the 
doctrines 
of 
the 
ages, 
they 
should 
at 
least 
voice 
them 
first 
in 
serious 
councils 
of 
their 
peers, 
and 
submit 
them 
solemnly 
and 
primarily 
to 
an 
arena 
in 
which 
[43 
93 
1 
May 1, 1909 of my thirty-six years been spent in the newspaper, printing and publishing business, which enables me to draw a fair idea of your burdensome duties while serving the Lord in so many different capacities. However, I am impressed that it would be unwise on my part to further delay writing you, hence this letter. We have a small class here which elected me teacher. Will you and the Bethel family remember me daily at the throne of grace? I want more of the holy Spirit and the spirit of a sound mind. I want to teach with understanding. Fifteen years ago I joined my wife and the Methodist Church. I know at the time my wife was the principal magnet, although I firmly believed the Lord would come my way and in due time make me as happy as my brethren professed to be. My blessed Redeemer did not give me the sweet assurance I expected, and after two years I withdrew with more noise and confusion than I commenced with. I resolved to never enter the building again and that resolution has not been broken. I took up Darwin, Hume and Ingersoll. These were later discarded for Confucius, Buddha and Mohammed. None of these things satisfied my hunger for Truth. Then came the Book of Mormonism, which I read with considerable enthusiasm and finally passed it up to a Baptist preacher. About this time Mrs. Eddy made her little bow in my community, beginning with my wife’s mother, a very bright and well-disposed lady, whose wealth and social prominence added no little to the Eddy Idea at this place. I studied the proposition hard, but was not permitted to see the point. One day one of the Lord’s faithful, Bro. C. S. Livingston, of Enterprise, asked me if I would take pleasure in the Truth if I knew it was Truth. I told him I would. Then he gave me Volume 1 and asked me to go to my closet and pray for help to understand that book. If there was a God I wanted to know it. Besides I was in the middle of a campaign for an important county office and the election was only six weeks THE WATCH TOWER (143-147) ahead, and I wanted to please Brother Livingston and get his vote. I went on to my closet and tried to pray. It was the first time I had tried to communicate with the Lord in ten or twelve years. My petition was short and remarkably stupid, but the Lord certainly looked at the spirit in which I approached him and not the eloquence or multiplicity of words. One week later I retired from politics forever, thank the Lord. My friends urged and threatened, but I retired from the race. Five weeks later I had read the six volumes, Tabernacle Shadows and several WatcH Towers. I went out on the streets and wrangled with every preacher and Sunday School teacher I could find. I thought I was going to be a power among my friends and politica] followers. But alas, it is sad to relate. They say, and believe, “Much study has wrecked his mind, for a truth he has paresis!” I have been zealous for the Lord and the doctrine of the Kingdom. On every suitable occasion I pour out all the hail at my command; but they won’t listen. If they can’t slip away they will try to change the subject—sing, do anything except listen. Not one grain of wheat can be traced to my energies. The real pillar of the Baptist Church at this place for twenty years, Brother J. J. Morris, accepted the Truth four months ago and Babylon charges me with his ruin and destruction. Would to God they told the truth, but they do not; as usual, they err; the Lord did it. And now, since he is not grinding at their mill, they say “he always did have cranky notions.” Enclosed you will please find “the Vow,” our Vow. All the “Israelites indeed, in whom there is no guile,” will take the Vow. The more I see of it the more I am impressed that it is the Lord’s sieve. Please send us a Pilgrim. The friends want an Alabama Convention at Texasville in the summer. Remember us daily at the Throne of grace. Yours in the One Hope, W. M. BaILey. THE NEWSPAPER EVANGELISM The number of newspapers publishing Brother Russell’s sermons weekly continues to increase. We advise these be given the preference and every way encouraged. If any paper cuts down the space below three columns or fails to Vor. XXX BROOKLYN, N. Y., MAY 15, 1909 publish the sermon, write the editor a kind card telling of your interest in the sermons and that you subscribe for his paper largely on account of the sermons. If you subscribed through us drop us a card of explanation also. No. 10 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER ‘BLASTING AT THE ROCK OF AGES’’ For the past twenty years we have been sounding the alarm against the infidel tendencies of the colleges and seminaries of Christendom. We have pointed out that Higher Criticism of the Bible and the Evolution Theory are taught in practically every institution of learning of higher grade than a Grammar School and that even in these the seeds of infidelity are being sown in the class books and studies, though not openly lectured upon. In these twenty years we have counselled parents that it is better to give their children less education than to risk the complete wreck of their religious instincts and faith in God and the Bible. Our views were thought to be extreme and rarely heeded. Now parents are writing us of their sad mistake—that the faith of their children is irreparably lost, because they refuse to read the only thing which would enable them to regain the ground of faith lost, namely The Divine Plan of the Ages. Finally, when the new manhood and womanhood have been thoroughly inoculated with the poison of infidelity others are awakening to the situation; as, for instance, Mr. Harold Bolce, who writes in the “Cosmopolitan,” and Hon. H. S. Blake, who has started a good warfare in Canada, We give below John Temple Graves’ note of alarm. He says:— Out of the curricula of American colleges a dynamic movement is upheaving ancient foundations and making an open way for a revolution in the thought and life of this people. Those who are not in close touch with the great colleges of the country will be astonished, in most cases indignant, to learn the creeds that are being fostered by the strong men in the professors’ chairs. In hundreds of classrooms there is a scholarly repudiation of all solemn authority, and it is being taught daily that “the Decalogue is no more sacred than a syllabus”; that “the home as an institution ig doomed”; that “there are no absolute evils”; that “immorality is simply an act in contraven tion of society’s accepted standards”; that “democracy is a failure and the Declaration of Independence only spectacular rhetoric’; that “the change from one religion to another is like getting a new hat”; that “moral precepts are passing shibboleths’”; that “conceptions of right and wrong are as unstable as styles of dress;” that “wide stairways are open between social levels, but that to the climber children are encumbrances”; that “the sole effect of prolificacy is to fill tiny graves,” and that “there can be and are holier alliances outside the marriage bond than within it!” Every quoted sentiment is from the spoken or written word of some one of the leading and famous professors of the great colleges. And the colleges carrying such new and revolutionary creeds are not the minor schools, but those vaster seminaries such as Harvard, Yale, Princeton (shade of Jonathan Edwards behold it!), University of Pennsylvania, University of Chicago, Columbia, Syracuse, California, George Washington, William and Mary, Northwestern, the universities of New York, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Cornell, Brown, Leland Stanford, Union, Nebraska and others. In each of these great institutions some professor, neither infallible nor inspired, but a free thinker rioting in the mere license of opinion, and some, alas, hungering for the notoriety of the utterance, are flinging down daily doctrines like these, not to strong and mature men capable of discrimination and accustomed to disputation, but speaking from responsible stations to youthful and undeveloped minds which are accustomed to receive what comes from the scholar in the chair of authority as the unchallenged gospel of the time. “Meat for strong men and milk for babies,” has no restraining influence upon the riot of opinion among these socalled professors of today. If these men really believe the monstrous conceptions which are stirring the age to unwholesome revolution against the doctrines of the ages, they should at least voice them first in serious councils of their peers, and submit them solemnly and primarily to an arena in which [4393]

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