Publication date
7/15/11
Volume
32
Number
14
The WatchTower
Our Convention Tour--No. 1
../literature/watchtower/1911/14/1911-14-1.html
 
 
 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
BROOKLYN. 
N. 
Y. 
reply 
to 
my 
question 
as 
to 
his 
right 
to 
do 
so 
was 
instructive, 
as 
throwing 
light 
upon 
an 
incident 
in 
the 
life 
of 
our 
Lord, 
as 
to 
which 
SQme 
difficulty 
has 
been 
felt. 
"In 
the 
early 
spring, 
when 
the 
first 
leaves 
appear, 
an 
im­ 
mense 
numher 
of 
small 
figs 
are 
produced, 
which 
do 
not 
ripen, 
but 
fall 
from 
the 
branches, 
crude 
and 
immature, 
to 
the 
ground. 
To 
these 
we 
fino 
reference 
in 
Hev. 
6: 
13. 
The 
true 
crop 
is 
not 
produced 
till 
later 
in 
the 
year. 
This 
first 
crude, 
'un­ 
timely' 
growth, 
though 
of 
no 
commercial 
value, 
is 
yl't 
plucked 
and 
eaten 
by 
the 
peasantry, 
sometimcs 
with 
pinch 
of 
salt, 
sometimes 
with 
bread. 
Like 
the 
wild 
fruit 
of 
our 
hedgerows 
it 
is 
free 
to 
all 
passersby. 
It 
was 
just 
at 
this 
early 
season, 
hefore 
the 
feast 
of 
the 
Passover, 
that 
our 
Lord 
and 
his 
dis­ 
ciples, 
having 
walked 
from 
Bethany, 
'hungered.' 
Seeing 
ll. 
fig 
tree 
'afar 
off 
having 
leaves' 
they 
sought 
fruit, 
but 
found 
none. 
Seeing 
leaves 
they 
had 
right 
to 
expect 
fruit. 
Find· 
ing 
fruit 
they 
would 
have 
had 
right 
to 
pluck 
it, 
'for 
the 
time 
of 
figs 
,vas 
not 
yet 
'-the 
true 
and 
valuable 
crop 
was 
not 
yen 
produced. 
This 
incident 
he 
turned 
into 
solemn 
lesson 
of 
warning 
to 
the 
Jews, 
etc., 
etc." 
Yours 
humbly 
in 
him 
and 
his 
serdce, 
WILLIAM 
SMITH. 
DONATION 
OF 
MIRACLE 
WHEAT 
Brothel' 
Bohnpt 
writes 
us 
that 
he 
has 
gra,lually 
accumu­ 
late,l 
nop 
of 
miracle 
wheat 
from 
the 
few 
grains 
he 
ob­ 
tain(',1 
u.s 
start. 
He 
prefers 
that 
thp 
first 
opportunity 
for 
ohtaining 
this 
wheat 
shall 
go 
to 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
readers. 
lIe 
will 
HPII 
it 
for 
$1 
per 
pound, 
inelmiing 
postage, 
anti 
give 
the 
entire 
procee,ls 
to 
our 
~oriety. 
All 
onlers 
for 
this 
wheat 
should 
Ill' 
a,I,1res~(',I, 
'\Ilracle 
\Vheat 
Bohnet, 
17 
Hicl{s 
street, 
Brooklyn, 
.:\. 
Y. 
TIll;; 
will 
keel' 
mail 
on 
this 
subject 
separate 
from 
his 
persOlJal 
ma.il 
and 
from 
ours. 
Broth('r 
Bohnet 
promises 
to 
be 
reatly 
to 
ship 
this 
wheat 
hy 
August 
1. 
He 
says 
miracle 
wheat 
should 
be 
sowed 
one­ 
fourth 
as 
thick 
as 
common 
wheat. 
Ordinarily 
it 
should 
pro­ 
ouce 
from 
ten 
to 
fifteen 
times 
as 
much 
proportionately 
to 
the 
amOllllt 
.'OWI1. 
To 
save 
keeping 
accollnt, 
1I10ney 
should 
accompany 
the 
Orller. 
WATCH 
TOWER 
readers 
will 
have 
the 
pr"fer"nce 
up 
to 
August 
15, 
aft"r 
,,'hidl 
of(lers 
will 
be 
at· 
tentled 
to 
in,liscriminatel:,', 
,;0 
long 
as 
the 
suppl:,' 
hol,ls 
out. 
'I'his 
wheat 
shoul,l 
be 
sown 
in 
the 
fall. 
BRITISH 
VISITS 
OF 
BROTHER 
FRANK 
DRAPER 
Nottingham, 
Eng., 
July 
23, 
23; 
Hucknall, 
Eng., 
July 
24; 
Bolsover, 
Eng., 
July 
25; 
East 
Kirkhy, 
Eng., 
July 
26; 
Sheffield, 
Eng., 
July 
27, 
28; 
Bl'arlford, 
Eng., 
July 
29, 
:W; 
Dewsbury, 
Eng., 
July 
31; 
Otley, 
Eng., 
Aug. 
1, 
2; 
Grimshy, 
Eng., 
Aug. 
3; 
Eston, 
Eng., 
Aug. 
4; 
Middlesboro, 
Eng., 
Aug. 
5, 
6; 
Bedlington, 
Eng., 
Aug. 
7. 
YOLo 
XXXII 
BROOKLYN, 
N. 
Y., 
JULY 
1, 
1911 
VIEWS 
FROM 
THE 
WATCH 
TOWER 
No. 
13 
UNREST 
IN 
EUROPE 
The 
following' 
"Unitcd 
Press" 
report 
from 
London 
seems 
to 
give 
very 
moderate 
view 
of 
the 
Old 
World's 
affairs:- 
"After 
an 
undisputed 
reign 
of 
more 
than 
1,000 
years, 
the 
European 
'ruling 
classes' 
are 
beginning 
to 
realize 
that 
the 
pxistence 
of 
their 
order 
is 
threatened 
eVf'rywhere. 
Not 
even 
the 
French 
Revolution 
itself-hitherto 
perhaps 
the 
most 
re­ 
markahle 
social 
upheaval 
in 
the 
world's 
history-was 
so 
sig­ 
nificant 
as 
the 
present 
movement 
of 
the 
masses 
against 
the 
classes. 
"Curiously 
enough, 
it 
is 
in 
England, 
with 
all 
its 
con­ 
servative 
traditions 
anc1 
the 
freest 
government 
in 
Europe, 
that 
the 
feeling 
is 
strongest. 
To 
great 
<>xtent 
this 
is 
due 
to 
the 
fact 
that 
in 
Great 
Britain 
the 
upper 
classes 
and 
the 
landed 
interests 
hn.ve 
always 
heen 
praf'tically 
identical. 
And 
the 
land-hungcr 
which 
has 
!Jeen 
increasing' 
among 
the 
English 
masses 
for 
forty 
years 
past 
has 
intensified 
popular 
hostility 
againRt 
those 
representatives 
of 
th8 
upper 
classes 
(which 
sub­ 
stantially 
means 
all 
of 
them) 
who 
have 
selfishly 
monopolized 
the 
land 
for 
their 
O1m 
pleasures. 
"Recpnt 
advanced 
legi,;lation, 
tending 
toward 
the 
breaking 
up 
of 
the 
great 
landed 
estates, 
has 
made 
matters 
wors<>, 
too, 
instead 
of 
hetter. 
The 
people 
who 
"'ant 
land 
are 
angrier 
than 
they 
were 
hpfore, 
hecaURe 
they 
have 
Recured 
only 
part 
of 
what 
they 
consider 
their 
due, 
while 
the 
landed 
aristocracy 
is 
furious 
over 
having 
had 
to 
relinquish 
even 
fraction 
of 
its 
possessions. 
"The 
change 
that 
has 
eome 
over 
rural 
England 
in 
the 
past 
threc 
decadf's, 
is, 
in 
fact, 
nothing 
short 
of 
marvelous. 
In 
the 
old 
days, 
if 
villager 
failed 
to 
doff 
his 
hat 
to 
the 
parson 
or 
th8 
squire, 
or 
if 
his 
wife 
omitted 
reverential 
courtesy 
to 
them, 
it 
was 
foregonp 
cOlJl'lusion 
that 
that 
couple 
would 
he 
driven 
from 
the 
village 
forthwith, 
or 
that 
at 
any 
rate, 
if 
they 
remained, 
thrir 
lives 
,,'auld 
he 
made 
intolerable. 
To­ 
(lay, 
even 
in 
cases 
wh<>rp 
the 
farm 
lahorer 
retains 
an 
outward 
appearance 
of 
r<>sp<>ct 
for 
those 
ahov<> 
him, 
he 
looks 
on 
the 
latter 
as 
his 
natural 
en<>mies, 
and 
n<>ver 
misses 
chance 
of 
voting 
against 
thpm 
at 
the 
polls. 
More 
than 
this, 
he 
has 
rpached 
point 
where 
he 
not 
only 
disput<>s 
the 
aristocracy's 
title 
to 
monopolize 
the 
land 
which 
he 
thinks 
should 
he 
his 
own, 
hut 
refuses 
to 
acknowledge 
its 
superiority 
over 
him 
in 
any 
form. 
"In 
the 
towns, 
of 
course, 
where 
radicalism 
has 
long 
h<>en 
rampant, 
the 
ruling' 
classes 
have 
heen 
haten 
for 
much 
greater 
length 
of 
time 
than 
in 
the 
country. 
But 
wherl'as 
they 
were 
merely 
hated 
nfty 
years 
ago. 
their 
very 
right 
to 
exiRt 
is 
now 
disputed. 
Popular 
education 
ann 
popular 
newspapers 
have 
heen 
mainly 
responsible 
for 
the 
growth 
of 
this 
fe<>ling. 
The 
average 
mechanic 
WllO 
has 
to 
work 
hard 
for 
small 
wages, 
denies 
the 
right 
of 
another 
to 
live 
in 
inleness 
upon 
what 
obis 
father 
left 
him. 
Thr 
present-nay 
British 
workmen's 
creed 
is 
that 
everyone 
in 
the 
world 
ought 
to 
start 
equal. 
"To 
large 
extent, 
the 
growth 
of 
this 
sentiment 
has 
been 
at 
the 
hottom 
of 
recent 
labor 
trouhles 
in 
England. 
Com­ 
plaints 
have 
been 
made 
everywhere 
that 
the 
lallOr 
unionists 
have 
refused 
to 
obey 
their 
own 
chief's 
orders 
and 
have 
thus 
precipitated 
useless 
strikes. 
But 
this 
is 
only 
partly 
true. 
Leav­ 
ing 
out 
the 
fact 
that 
most 
of 
the 
labor 
leaders 
belong 
to 
passing 
generation, 
and 
are 
not 
in 
as 
close 
touch 
as 
they 
should 
be 
with 
the 
rank-and·file, 
there 
is 
quite 
different 
reason 
for 
the 
men's 
unmanageahility. 
And 
this 
reason 
is 
that 
the 
feeling 
of 
unrest 
and 
discontent 
is 
so 
rife 
as 
to 
render 
the 
masses 
of 
workmen 
anxious 
to 
defy 
rathpr 
than 
to 
treat 
with 
their 
employers. 
Just 
as 
the 
village 
laborer 
regards 
the 
sf(uire, 
so 
the 
city 
mechanic 
regards 
the 
capitalist. 
Both 
country 
squire 
and 
city 
capitalist 
represent 
the 
ruling 
classes 
to 
the 
man 
who 
works. 
THE 
SPREAD 
OF 
SOCIALISM 
'Generally 
throughout 
Europe, 
the 
growth 
of 
Socialism 
is 
held 
accountable 
by 
the 
aristocracy 
for 
the 
masses' 
dis· 
content. 
"In 
England, 
for 
instance, 
it 
is 
the 
Tories' 
custom 
to 
refer 
to 
any 
man 
of 
progressive 
political 
ideas 
as 
'Socialist.' 
They 
use 
the 
word 
as 
term 
of 
reproach, 
but 
the 
truth 
is 
that 
it 
is 
really 
not 
the 
right 
word 
to 
use 
as 
the 
Tories 
use 
it. 
'Advanced 
radicalism' 
would 
he 
more 
accurately 
descriptive. 
Not 
many 
English 
workmen 
admit 
that 
they 
are 
Socialists 
and 
not 
many 
of 
them 
are. 
"In 
Germany 
they 
do 
admit-assent 
it 
in 
fact. 
And 
the 
spread 
of 
Socialism 
in 
the 
Fatherland 
is 
making 
the 
old 
aristocracy 
shake 
in 
its 
shoes. 
Noone 
there 
would 
be 
surprised 
by 
Socialist 
victory 
at 
any 
election 
and 
when 
the 
Socialists 
secure 
control 
of 
the 
Reichstag 
the 
aristoeracy's-and 
the 
monarchy's-days 
are 
numhered. 
German 
Socialists, 
like 
the 
English, 
are 
advanced 
Radicals. 
Their 
idea 
is 
less 
the 
rule 
of 
Socialism 
than 
an 
evening-up 
of 
conditions-with 
perhaps 
not 
entirely 
unnatural 
desire, 
on 
the 
part 
of 
some 
of 
them, 
for 
revenge 
upon 
the 
privileged 
classes 
who 
have 
oppressed 
them 
so 
long. 
"In 
Austria-Hungary 
an 
identical 
proeess 
is 
at 
work. 
The 
dear-food 
riots-the 
revolt 
against 
the 
excessive 
cost 
of 
living 
-are 
the 
first 
expreisions 
of 
the 
popular 
oemand. 
Exploited, 
generation 
after 
generation 
by 
the 
greedy 
rich, 
the 
masses 
have 
lost 
their 
patience 
at 
last. 
"The 
strained 
industrial 
situation 
in 
France 
is 
due 
to 
the 
same 
cause. 
In 
France, 
however, 
the 
rehellion 
is 
not 
against 
an 
aristocracy, 
hut 
against 
the 
ring 
of 
capitalists 
which 
runs 
the 
government 
alJn 
every 
thing 
else 
in 
the 
repuhlic. 
As 
the 
memhers 
of 
this 
ring 
grow 
richer, 
the 
poor-and 
the 
middle 
classes-grow 
poorer 
every 
day. 
Concessions 
in 
one 
par­ 
ticular 
trade 
will 
do 
no 
good 
in 
France. 
What 
is 
needed 
is 
change 
in 
the 
entire 
economic 
system. 
"Russia 
is 
no 
better 
off. 
The 
revolutionary 
movement 
there 
is 
and 
always 
hal!! 
heen 
an 
attempt 
to 
pull' 
the 
system 
of 
feudal 
tyranny 
which 
grinds 
the 
people 
into 
the 
dirt. 
Unlike 
his 
fellows 
elsewhere 
throughout 
Europe, 
the 
r48441 
(178-195) reply to my question as to his right to do so was instructive, as throwing light upon an incident in the life of our Lord, as to which seme difficulty has been felt. “Tn the early spring, when the first leaves appear, an immense number of small figs are produced, which do not ripen, but fall from the branches, crude and immature, to the ground. To these we find a reference in Rev. 6:13. The true crop is not produced till later in the year. This first crude, ‘untimely’ growth, though of no commercial value, is yet plucked and eaten by the peasantry, sometimes with a pinch of salt, sometimes with bread. Like the wild fruit of our hedgerows A DONATION OF Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumulated a crop of miracle wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to THz Watcn Tower readers. He will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire proceeds to our Society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed, Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. Tlus will keep mail on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours. Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship this wheat hy August 1. He says miracle wheat should be sowed onefourth as thick as common wheat. Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times as much proportionately to THE WATCH TOWER Brooxtyn, N. Y. it is free to all passersby. Jt was just at this early season, before the feast of the Passover, that our Lord and his disciples, having walked from Bethany, ‘hungered.’ Seeing a fig tree ‘afar off having leaves’ they sought fruit, but found none. Seeing leaves they had a right to expect fruit. Finding fruit they would have had right to pluck it, ‘for the time of figs was not yet’—the true and valuable crop was not yet produced. This incident he turned into a solemn lesson of warning to the Jews, etc., etc.’’ Yours humbly in him and his service, WILLIAM SMITH. MIRACLE WHEAT the amount sown. To save keeping aecount, money should accompany the order. Watcu Tower readers will have the preference up to August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so Jong as the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall. BRITISH VISITS OF BROTHER FRANK DRAPER Nottingham, Eng., July 22, 23; Hucknall, Eng., July 24; Bolsover, Eng., July 25; East Kirkby, Eng., July 26; Sheffield, Eng., July 27, 28; Bradford, Eng., July 29, 30; Dewsbury, Eng., July 31; Otley, Eng., Aug. 1, 2; Grimsby, Eng., Aug. 3; Eston, Eng., Aug. 4; Middlesboro, Eng., Aug. 5, 6; Bedlington, Eng., Aug. 7. Vou. XXXII BROOKLYN, N. Y., JULY 1, 1911 No. 13 VIEWS FROM THE WATCH TOWER UNREST IN EUROPE The following ‘‘United Press’’ report from London seems to give a very moderate view of the Old World’s affairs:— ‘‘After an undisputed reign of more than 1,000 years, the European ‘ruling classes’ are beginning to realize that the existence of their order is threatened everywhere. Not even the French Revolution itself—hitherto perhaps the most remarkable social upheaval in the world’s history—was so significant as the present movement of the masses against the classes. ‘“Curiously enough, it is in England, with all its conservative traditions and the freest government in Europe, that the feeling is strongest. To a great extent this is due to the fact that in Great Britain the upper classes and the landed interests have always been practically identical. And the land-hunger which has heen increasing among the English masses for forty years past has intensified popular hostility against those representatives of the upper classes (which substantially means all of them) who have selfishly monopolized the land for their own pleasures. ‘*Reeent advanced legislation, tending toward the breaking up of the great landed estates, has made matters worse, too, instead of hetter. The people who want Jand are angrier than they were hefore, because they have secured only a part of what they consider their due, while the landed aristocracy is furious over having had to relinquish even a fraction of its possessions. “*The change that has come over rural England in the past three decades, is, in faet, nothing short of marvelous. In the old days, if a villager failed to doff his hat to the parson or the squire, or if his wife omitted a reverential courtesy to them, it was a foregone conclusion that that couple would he driven from the village forthwith, or that at any rate, if they remained, their lives would be made intolerable. Today, even in cases where the farm Jahorer retains an outward appearance of respect for those ahove him, he looks on the latter as his natural enemies, and never misses a chance of voting against them at the polls. More than this, he has reached a point where he not only disputes the aristocracy ’s title to monopolize the land which he thinks should he his own, hut refuses to acknowledge its superiority over him in any form. ‘“In the towns, of course, where radicalism has long been rampant, the ruling classes have heen hated for a much greater length of time than in the country. But whereas they were merely hated fifty years ago, their very right to exist is now disputed. Popular edueation and popular newspapers have been mainly responsible for the growth of this fecling. The average mechanic who has to work hard for small wages, denies the right of another to live in idleness upon what his father left him. The present-day British workmen’s creed is that everyone in the world ought to start equal. ‘“To a large extent, the growth of this sentiment has been at the bottom of recent labor troubles in England. Complaints have been made everywhere that the labor unionists have refused to obey their own chief’s orders and have thus precipitated uscless strikes. But this is only partly true. Leaving out the fact that most of the labor leaders belong to a passing generation, and are not in as close touch as they should be with the rank-and-file, there is quite a different reason for the men’s unmanageahility. And this reason is that the feeling of unrest and discontent is so rife as to render the masses of workmen anxious to defy rather than to treat with their employers. Just as the village laborer regards the squire, so the city mechanic regards the capitalist. Both country squire and city capitalist represent the ruling classes to the man who works. THE SPREAD OF SOCIALISM ‘Generally throughout Europe, the growth of Socialism is held accountable by the aristocracy for the masses’ discontent. “In England, for instance, it is the Tories’ custom to refer to any man of progressive political ideas as a ‘Socialist.’ They use the word as a term of reproach, but the truth is that it is really not the right word to use as the Tories use it. “Advanced radicalism’ would be more accurately descriptive. Not many English workmen admit that they are Socialists and not many of them are, ““In Germany they do admit—assent it in fact. And the spread of Socialism in the Fatherland is making the old aristocracy shake in its shoes. No one there would be surprised by a Socialist victory at any election and when the Socialists secure control of the Reichstag the aristocracy’s—and the monarchy ’s—days are numbered. German Socialists, like the English, are advanced Radicals. Their idea is less the rule of Socialism than an evening-up of conditions—with perhaps a not entirely unnatural desire, on the part of some of them, for revenge upon the privileged classes who have oppressed them so long. ‘‘In Austria-Hungary an identical process is at work. The dear-food riots—the revolt against the excessive cost of living —are the first expressions of the popular demand. Exploited, generation after generation by the greedy rich, the masses have lost their patience at last. ‘‘The strained industrial situation in France is due to the same cause. In France, however, the rebellion is not against an aristocracy, but against the ring of capitalists which runs the government and every thing else in the republic. As the memhers of this ring grow richer, the poor—and the middle classes—grow poorer every day. Concessions in one particular trade will do no good in France. What is needed is a change in the entire economic system. ‘‘Russia is no better off. The revolutionary movement there is and always has heen an attempt to ‘pull’ the system of feudal tyranny which grinds the people into the dirt. Unlike his fellows elsewhere throughout Europe, the [4844]

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 Privacy Policy    Terms of Use    .