Publication date
6/1/09
Volume
30
Number
11
The WatchTower
Brooklyn Bethel Hymns for July
The Watchtower Magazines
/../literature/watchtower/1909/11/1909-11-1.html
 
 
VOL. 
XXX 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
JUNE 
1, 
1909 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
No. 
11 
trolling 
power, 
drawn 
from 
all 
alike, 
upon 
whose 
omnipotent 
will 
shall 
rest 
the 
decision 
of 
all 
issues 
which, 
in 
its 
absence, 
might 
plunge 
the 
world 
in 
war.' 
"Such 
a 
power 
or 
tribunal 
was 
supposed 
to 
have 
been 
founa 
in 
The 
Hague 
Peace 
Court, 
the 
very 
name 
of 
which 
the 
rampant 
warlords 
of 
the 
earth 
now 
seem 
to 
so 
heartily 
despise."-"Dal­ 
las 
Morning 
News." 
RELIGIOUS 
RAPPROCHEMENT 
At 
the 
meeting 
of 
the 
House 
of 
Commons 
Sir 
George 
Keke­ 
wich 
will 
present 
a 
bill 
"to 
amend 
the 
law 
ecclesiastical 
with 
respect 
to 
inter-communion 
between 
the 
church 
of 
England 
and 
other 
Christian 
churches." 
The 
bill, 
which 
is 
a 
one-clause 
measure, 
provides 
that 
"it 
shall 
be 
lawful 
for 
any 
clergyman 
in 
holy 
orders 
of 
the 
church 
of 
England, 
not 
suspended 
or 
deprived 
by 
order 
of 
an 
eccles­ 
iastical 
Court, 
to 
preach 
or 
minister 
in 
any 
chapel 
of 
any 
other 
Christian 
denomination, 
or 
in 
any 
building, 
with 
the 
assent 
of 
the 
minister 
or 
owners 
or 
trustees 
thereof, 
as 
the 
case 
may 
be; 
and 
for 
any 
minister 
of 
any 
other 
Christian 
denomination 
to 
preach 
or 
minister 
in 
any 
cathedral 
or 
collegiate 
or 
parish 
church 
or 
chapel 
of 
the 
church 
of 
England 
with 
the 
assent 
of 
the 
dean, 
incumbent, 
or 
clergyman 
or 
other 
person 
in 
charge 
thereof, 
as 
the 
case 
may 
be." 
It 
will 
be 
observed 
that 
the 
bill 
refers 
to 
any 
building, 
as 
well 
as 
any 
chllpel, 
and 
Sir 
George 
Kekewich 
told 
our 
Lobby 
Correspondent 
that 
the 
measure 
as 
drafted 
will 
apply 
to 
Roman 
Catholics 
as 
well 
as 
to 
Nonconformists.-Exchange. 
PREDIOTS 
REFORM 
OR 
REVOLUTION 
"I 
may 
be 
wrong, 
but 
I 
feel 
that 
things 
strange 
and 
terrible 
are 
in 
the 
air. 
Here 
property 
ri),hts 
are 
violatrd 
and 
religion 
persecuted 
and 
here 
cabinet 
ministers 
are 
insulted 
in 
the 
streets. 
The 
government 
trembles 
before 
striking 
funC'tionaries 
and 
finally 
retreats. 
Men 
talk 
of 
barricades 
and 
revolutions 
and 
of 
a 
republic 
which 
shall 
be 
run 
by 
trade 
unions 
composed 
of 
peo­ 
ple 
who 
have 
no 
Christ. 
What 
more 
do 
you 
want? 
Months 
must 
see 
a 
change 
or 
the 
years-not 
more 
than 
five, 
perhaps, 
surely 
will 
see 
the 
end." 
The 
above 
is 
credited 
to 
"Father 
Kelley," 
of 
Chicago, 
re­ 
specting 
his 
recent 
visit 
to 
Paris. 
"SCIENTIFIC 
PROOF 
OF 
A 
FUTURE 
LIFE" 
In 
a 
sermon 
in 
which 
he 
told 
of 
the 
effect 
of 
religious 
seance'! 
and 
the 
efforts 
of 
certain 
writers 
to 
shatter 
belief 
in 
a 
future 
life, 
the 
Rev. 
H. 
D. 
C. 
Maclachlan 
preaC'hed 
to 
a 
large 
congre­ 
gation 
in 
Seventh 
Street 
Christian 
church 
on 
"The 
New 
Spirit­ 
ualism," 
in 
which 
he 
gave 
scientific 
proof 
of 
a 
future 
life 
and 
exhorted 
his 
hearers 
to 
be 
of 
good 
cheer 
and 
continue 
to 
hope. 
Mr. 
Maclachlan 
spoke 
in 
part 
as 
follows:- 
"There 
has 
been 
no 
more 
remarkable 
ChalJge 
in 
publiC' 
opin­ 
ion 
than 
that 
witnesged 
within 
the 
last 
few 
years 
with 
rC'ganl 
to 
that 
class 
of 
facts 
known 
as 
spiritualistic. 
There 
W1l8 
a 
time 
when 
it 
was 
not 
quite 
respectable 
to 
bt>licve 
in 
them. 
but 
quite 
recently 
there 
has 
been 
a 
chang-e. 
Ghosts 
hn 
V(' 
hpe'ome 
respec­ 
table; 
planchette 
anll 
table 
rapping 
are 
paJ 
lor 
amll~Cl11cJ\ts; 
thp 
popular 
magazines 
vie 
with 
each 
other 
in 
saying 
nice 
things 
about 
mediums 
and 
their 
ways. 
RESULTS 
OF 
MEDIUMS 
"The 
cause 
of 
this 
change 
in 
public 
opinion 
has 
bpen 
a 
sim­ 
ilar 
change 
in 
scientific 
belief. 
It 
is 
not 
more 
than 
thirty 
years 
ago 
that 
orthodox 
science 
refUl'ed 
gO 
much 
as 
to 
investigate 
the 
things 
of 
which 
we 
are 
speaking. 
\Vhen 
Sir 
William 
Crookes, 
the 
;:rreat 
chrmist, 
brought 
in 
hig 
report 
to 
the 
Royal 
Society 
of 
England, 
in 
which 
he 
avowed 
his 
belief 
in 
the 
lea1ling­ 
phenomena 
of 
the 
seance 
room. 
his 
report 
was 
not 
even 
taken 
from 
the 
table. 
But 
since 
that 
day 
the 
history 
of 
Galileo 
and 
his 
telescope, 
through 
which 
the 
scientists 
of 
Padua 
refused 
to 
look, 
has 
repeated 
itself. 
"Some 
twenty-five 
years 
ago 
the 
Society 
for 
PsychiC'lll 
Re­ 
search 
was 
formed 
in 
England 
with 
sUe'h 
names 
as 
Crookes. 
Myers, 
RomanI'S, 
Eldgwick. 
Barrett 
and 
others 
on 
its 
list 
of 
members, 
and 
since 
that 
day 
telepathy, 
table 
rapping, 
clair­ 
voyance, 
clairaudience, 
telekinesis. 
apparitions, 
materializa­ 
tions, 
mental 
healing 
and 
all 
the 
other 
phenomrna 
which 
Pro­ 
fessor 
James, 
of 
Harvard, 
aptly 
calls 
'residual,' 
have 
been 
in­ 
vestigated. 
Mediums 
have 
been 
transferred 
from 
back 
par­ 
lors, 
where 
all 
sorts 
of 
trickery 
WIlS 
possible, 
to 
the 
physical 
laboratories 
of 
the 
universities. 
They 
have 
been 
put 
under 
conditions 
of 
strictest 
control. 
Even 
the 
traditional 
darkness 
has 
been 
denied 
them. 
And 
still 
the 
wonderful 
results 
came. 
One 
after 
another 
leading 
scientists 
entered 
into 
these 
investi­ 
gations 
skeptical 
and 
contemptuous, 
but 
came 
out 
of 
them 
be­ 
lievers 
in 
the 
facts 
on 
the 
evidence 
of 
their 
own 
senses. 
ARMAGEDDON 
"The 
old 
claim 
formerly 
made 
here 
and 
there 
by 
highly 
im­ 
aginative 
and 
expectant 
calamity 
prophets, 
that 
the 
time 
was 
at 
hand 
for 
the 
great 
and 
final 
conflict, 
the 
battle 
of 
Armaged­ 
don, 
has 
died 
down 
until 
one 
rarely 
receives 
a 
crude 
tract 
or 
hears 
a 
pulpit 
warning 
to 
remind 
him 
of 
such 
impending 
dis­ 
aster. 
Just 
about 
the 
time 
the 
wild 
prophets 
have 
yielded 
to 
the 
spirit 
of 
brotherhood 
and 
peace 
that 
has 
been 
taking 
fast 
hold 
upon 
the 
world, 
one 
finds 
a 
desperate 
contention 
and 
uproar 
amongst 
the 
ambitious, 
egged 
on 
by 
mercenary 
makers 
of 
the 
machines 
and 
accoutrements 
of 
war 
and 
by 
ambitious 
hopefuls 
in 
uniform, 
to 
outdo 
each 
other 
in 
preparations 
for 
the 
Battle 
of 
Armageddon. 
"If 
there 
had 
been 
announced 
in 
flaming 
lines 
across 
the 
sky 
the 
great 
and 
awful 
fact 
that 
the 
final 
battle 
of 
destruc­ 
tion 
and 
annihilation 
was 
at 
hand, 
it 
could 
hardly 
have 
led 
to 
more 
sudden 
and 
tremendous 
preparation 
for 
war 
than 
that 
now 
under 
way 
between 
three 
of 
the 
leading 
nations 
of 
the 
world, 
the 
very 
nations 
that 
boast 
of 
the 
Anglo-Saxon 
desire 
and 
purpose 
to 
encourage 
the 
arts 
of 
peace. 
The 
best 
that 
can 
be 
said 
of 
such 
untimely 
departure 
from 
the 
peace 
policy 
so 
loudly 
professed 
by 
these 
countries 
for 
the 
last 
decade 
is 
that 
the 
warlords 
in 
the 
saddle 
and 
interests 
which 
find 
profit 
in 
war 
a.nd 
in 
preparations 
for 
war 
have 
grossly 
and 
outrage­ 
ously 
misrepresented 
and 
misused 
the 
people 
over 
whom 
they 
have 
influence 
and 
power. 
"Twenty 
years 
ago 
there 
began 
a 
promising 
movement 
to 
promote 
the 
peace 
of 
the 
world. 
The 
movement 
led 
up 
to 
largely 
attended 
conferences 
in 
all 
civilized 
lands, 
and 
The 
Hague 
Peace 
Court 
was 
one 
of 
the 
results 
of 
the 
work 
of 
wise 
and 
progressive 
men, 
including 
the 
leading 
statesmen 
of 
the 
time. 
Arrangements 
were 
consummated 
at 
great 
expense 
by 
which 
disagreements 
were 
to 
be 
settled 
according 
to 
rules 
of 
justice 
and 
not 
by 
a 
resort 
to 
butchery 
and 
fire. 
The 
peace 
movement 
did 
not 
stop 
here. 
Peace 
treaties 
became 
fashion­ 
able, 
and 
a 
week 
rarely 
passed 
without 
an 
account 
of 
some 
happy 
pact 
between 
the 
very 
nations 
now 
most 
desperately 
bent 
on 
preparing 
for 
the 
great 
Battle 
of 
Armageddon 
and 
some 
one 
of 
the 
nations 
whom 
their 
warlords 
and 
captains 
of 
the 
military 
industry 
pretended 
to 
smpect 
or 
fear. 
"The 
unsound 
minds 
of 
a 
few 
ambitious 
warlords, 
reinforced 
by 
the 
greed 
and 
ambition 
of 
other 
men, 
have 
led 
to 
a 
sad 
loss 
in 
the 
courage, 
the 
morals 
and 
the 
purpose 
of 
the 
modern 
world. 
There 
has 
been 
no 
fall 
to 
be 
compared 
to 
it 
in 
many 
centuries. 
Just 
as 
the 
world 
had 
really 
begun 
to 
turn 
swords 
into 
plow-shares 
the 
whole 
policy 
of 
peace 
and 
brotherhood 
was 
exchanged 
in 
a 
night, 
as 
it 
were, 
for 
a 
war 
policy 
in 
pursuance 
of 
which 
the 
plow 
is 
now 
being 
converted 
into 
the 
sword. 
As 
'The 
News' 
sees 
it 
there 
has 
been 
committed 
in 
this 
an 
awful 
crime 
against 
humanity. 
Mr. 
Birrel, 
Secretary 
of 
Ireland, 
submitted 
an 
apt 
comment 
upon 
President 
Taft's 
declaration 
approving 
the 
present 
policy 
in 
this 
country. 
He 
said:- 
"'When 
I 
was 
young. 
America 
set 
the 
example 
of 
an 
un­ 
armed 
nation, 
but 
things 
have 
not 
worked 
out 
as 
was 
expected. 
Mr. 
Taft's 
speech 
on 
the 
question 
of 
United 
States 
armaments 
were 
words 
of 
doom. 
They 
have 
shattered 
some 
of 
the 
best 
hopes 
of 
humanity, 
for 
they 
show 
that 
even 
across 
America 
they 
have 
joined 
the 
ranks 
of 
the 
armed 
and 
are 
to 
be 
sup­ 
plied 
with 
a 
great 
navy 
and 
a 
powerful 
army. 
It 
is 
a 
misC'r­ 
able 
pity 
that 
hopes 
should 
be 
shattered, 
and 
that 
we 
are 
now 
to 
deal 
with 
the 
United 
States 
as 
a 
fully 
equipped 
military 
and 
naval 
nation 
. 
. 
. 
. 
. 
Wherever 
we 
go, 
we 
find 
armament, 
armament, 
armament.' 
"What 
must 
be 
the 
end 
of 
this 
desperate 
!!'ame 
in 
which 
en­ 
lightened 
nations 
are 
ae'tually 
striving 
to 
outbuild 
each 
other? 
Truly, 
as 
'The 
Independent' 
deelarps. 
'It 
is 
hopeless, 
for 
there 
is 
no 
end 
but 
utter 
collapse.' 
It 
has 
come 
to 
mean 
almost 
slavery 
for 
millions 
of 
the 
people 
of 
England 
and 
Germany 
al­ 
ready. 
,,'Dr. 
,Jefferson 
contribute'! 
to 
a 
recent 
number 
of 
'Atlantic' 
a 
soul-stirring 
protest 
against 
this 
crazy 
display 
of 
warlordery. 
He 
says:- 
" 
'A 
nntion 
which 
buys 
guns 
at 
$70,000 
each 
when 
the 
slums 
of 
great 
cities 
are 
rotting, 
and 
millions 
of 
human 
beings 
strug­ 
gle 
for 
bread, 
will. 
unless 
it 
repents, 
be 
overtaken 
soon 
or 
late 
by 
the 
same 
divine 
wrath 
which 
shattered 
Babylon 
to 
pieces; 
and 
hurled 
Rome 
from 
a 
throne 
which 
was 
supposed 
to 
be 
eternal.' 
"The 
one 
ill' 
sperate 
means 
of 
relief 
is 
suggested 
by 
the 
Jap­ 
aneseMail 
:- 
" 
'Yet 
it 
may 
even 
be 
that 
in 
this 
very 
costliness 
lies 
the 
best 
hope 
of 
ultimate 
restrictions, 
if 
not 
abandonment-that 
the 
sighing 
of 
the 
nations 
under 
the 
heaviness 
of 
the 
burden 
may 
at 
last 
find 
expression 
in 
the 
creating 
of 
some 
central 
con- 
[4403] 
* 
* 
* 
(163-164) 
Vou. XXX BROOKLYN, N. Y., JUNE 1, 1909 No. 11 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER ARMAGEDDON “The old claim formerly made here and there by highly imaginative and expectant calamity prophets, that the time was at hand for the great and final conflict, the battle of Armageddon, has died down until one rarely receives a crude tract or hears a pulpit warning to remind him of such impending disaster. Just about the time the wild prophets have yielded to the spirit of brotherhood and peace that has been taking fast hold upon the world, one finds a desperate contention and uproar amongst the ambitious, egged on by mercenary makers of the machines and accoutrements of war and by ambitious hopefuls in uniform, to outdo each other in preparations for the Battle of Armageddon. “Tf there had been announced in flaming lines across the sky the great and awful fact that the final battle of destruction and annihilation was at hand, it could hardly have led to more sudden and tremendous preparation for war than that now under way between three of the leading nations of the world, the very nations that boast of the Anglo-Saxon desire and purpose to encourage the arts of peace. The best that can be said of such untimely departure from the peace policy so loudly professed by these countries for the last decade is that the warlords in the saddle and interests which find profit in war and in preparations for war have grossly and outrageously misrepresented and misused the people over whom they have influence and power. “Twenty years ago there began a promising movement to promote the peace of the world. The movement led up to largely attended conferences in all civilized lands, and The Hague Peace Court was one of the results of the work of wise and progressive men, including the leading statesmen of the time. Arrangements were consummated at great expense by which disagreements were to be settled according to rules of justice and not by a resort to butchery and fire. The peace movement did not stop here. Peace treaties became fashionable, and a week rarely passed without an account of some happy pact between the very nations now most desperately bent on preparing for the great Battle of Armageddon and some one of the nations whom their warlords and captains of the military industry pretended to suspect or fear. “The unsound minds of a few ambitious warlords, reinforced by the greed and ambition of other men, have led to a sad loss in the courage, the morals and the purpose of the modern world. There has been no fall to be compared to it in many centuries, Just as the world had really begun to turn swords into plow-shares the whole policy of peace and brotherhood was exchanged in a night, as it were, for a war policy in pursuance of which the plow is now being converted into the sword. As ‘The News’ sees it there has been committed in this an awful crime against humanity. Mr. Birrel, Secretary of Ireland, submitted an apt comment upon President Taft’s declaration approving the present policy in this country. He said:— “‘When I was young, America set the example of an unarmed nation, but things have not worked out as was expected. Mr. Taft’s speech on the question of United States armaments were words of doom. They have shattered some of the best hopes of humanity, for they show that even across America they have joined the ranks of the armed and are to be supplied with a great navy and a powerful army. It is a miserable pity that hopes should be shattered, and that we are now to deal with the United States as a fully equipped military and naval nation..... Wherever we go, we find armament, armament, armament.’ “What must be the end of this desperate game in which enlightened nations are actually striving to outbuild each other? Truly, as “The Independent’ declares, It is hopeless, for there is no end but utter collapse. It has come to mean almost slavery for millions of the people of England and Germany already. “Dr. Jefferson contributes to a recent number of ‘Atlantic’ a soul-stirring protest against this crazy display of warlordery. He says:— “<‘A nation which buys guns at $70,000 each when the slums of great cities are rotting, and millions of human beings struggle for bread, will, unless it repents, be overtaken soon or late by the same divine wrath which shattered Babylon to pieces; and hurled Rome from a throne which was supposed to be eternal.’ “The one desperate means of relief is suggested by the Japanese Mail:— “Yet it may even be that in this very costliness lies the best hope of ultimate restrictions, if not abandonment—that the sighing of the nations under the heaviness of the burden may at last find expression in the creating of some central con [4403] trolling power, drawn from all alike, upon whose omnipotent will shall rest the decision of all issues which, in its absence, might plunge the world in war.’ “Such a power or tribunal was supposed to have been founa in The Hague Peace Court, the very name of which the rampant warlords of the earth now seem to so heartily despise.”—“Dallas Morning News.” RELIGIOUS RAPPROCHEMENT At the meeting of the House of Commons Sir George Kekewich will present a bill “to amend the law ecclesiastical with respect to inter-communion between the church of England and other Christian churches.” The bill, which is a one-clause measure, provides that “it shall be lawful for any clergyman in holy orders of the church of England, not suspended or deprived by order of an ecclesiastical Court, to preach or minister in any chapel of any other Christian denomination, or in any building, with the assent of the minister or owners or trustees thereof, as the case may be; and for any minister of any other Christian denomination to preach or minister in any cathedral or collegiate or parish church or chapel of the church of England with the assent of the dean, incumbent, or clergyman or other person in charge thereof, as the case may be.” It will be observed that the bill refers to any building, as well as any chapel, and Sir George Kekewich told our Lobby Correspondent that the measure as drafted will apply to Roman Catholics as well as to Nonconformists.—Exchange. PREDIOTS REFORM OR REVOLUTION “I may be wrong, but I feel that things strange and terrible are in the air. Here property rights are violated and religion persecuted and here cabinet ministers are insulted in the streets. The government trembles before striking functionaries and finally retreats. Men talk of barricades and revolutions and of a republic which shall be run by trade unions composed of people who have no Christ. What more do you want? Months must see a change or the years—not more than five, perhaps, surely will see the end.” *% * * The above is credited to “Father Kelley,” of Chicago, respecting his recent visit to Paris. “SCIENTIFIC PROOF OF A FUTURE LIFE’’ In a sermon in which he told of the effect of religious seances and the efforts of certain writers to shatter belief in a future life, the Rev. H. D. C. Maclachlan preached to a large congregation in Seventh Street Christian church on “The New Spiritualism,” in which he gave scientific proof of a future life and exhorted his hearers to be of good cheer and continue to hope. Mr. Maclachlan spoke in part as follows:— “There has been no more remarkable change in public opinion than that witnessed within the last few years with regard to that class of facts known as spiritualistic. There was a time when it was not quite respectable to believe in them, but quite recently there has been a change. Ghosts have become respectable; planchette and table rapping are parlor amuscments; the popular magazines vie with each other in saying nice things about mediums and their ways. RESULTS OF MEDIUMS “The cause of this change in public opinion has been a similar change in scientific belief. It is not more than thirty years ago that orthodox science refused so much as to investigate the things of which we are speaking. When Sir William Crookes, the great chemist, brought in his report to the Roval Society of England, in which he avowed his belief in the leading phenomena of the seance room, his report was not even taken from the table. But since that day the history of Galileo and his telescope, through which the scientists of Padua refused to look, has repeated itself. “Some twenty-five years ago the Society for Psychical Research was formed in England with such names as Crookes. Myers, Romanes, Eldgwick, Barrett and others on its list of members, and since that day telepathy, table rapping, clairvoyance, clairaudience, telekinesis. apparitions, materializations, mental healing and all the other phenomena which Professor James, of Harvard, aptly calls ‘residual,’ have been investigated. Mediums have been transferred from back parlors, where all sorts of trickery was possible, to the physical laboratories of the universities. They have been put under conditions of strictest control. Even the traditional darkness has been denied them. And still the wonderful results came. One after another leading scientists entered into these investigations skeptical and contemptuous, but came out of them believers in the facts on the evidence of their own senses. (163-164)

This website uses cookies to improve the website and your experience. By continuing to browse this website, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. If you require further information or do not wish to accept cookies when using this website, please visit our Global Policy on Use of Cookies and Similar Technologies .