DecempBer 1, 1915 not seem like a complaint, but instead, a service in behalf of the cause we all love so well. With warmest love in the Lord. Yours in His service, . TIME ENOUGH FOR PROTEST Deas BRoTHER RUSSELL:— In reading and rereading the first article of Sept. Ist Tower; ie. “Christian Duty and the War,” we have been greatly helped and encouraged. We especially wish to speak of the last part of the article and the advice given therein. We gladly accept and appreciate this advice. You seem to have said just what was in our hearts and minds. We are desirous, however, of asking a further question. Would you think it proper and wise to place before the government at this time, before they become involved in the war, our determination in ease they do? “Be it known unto thee, O King, we will not serve thy (War) gods.” Would not a perfectly frank and honest position on our part require such action? As for instance, the sending of a resolution to this effect. signed by all who wished, to President Wilson and the public press. Greetly thanking you for your continued labors of love and praying the Master’s richest blessing upon you and the glorious work you are doing, we remain, Yours faithfully in the Anointed, Vou. XXXVI THE WATCH TOWER BROOKLYN, N. Y., DECEMBER 15, 1915 (367-371) We advise that no protest be made until there is some demand; and then only a quiet, modest declaration of our consciences on the subject. EDITOR. “LIFT UP YOUR HEADS AND REJOICE!’’ Question—Should the Lord’s people be grieved, or should they rejoice, over this present great international war? Answer.—Our Master said, “When ye see these things begin to come to pass, then lift up your heads and rejoice!” We cannot think that the Lord meant that we should rejoice in tne sufferings of those engaged in this war, nor in the sufferings of the wives and children, the bereaved ones, nor in the loss of those whose homes are destroyed, nor in the sorrows of millions here who are without homes in consequence of the war, We cannot think that he meant this! He says that we are to sympathize with those who are in trouble, to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those wlio weep. The reason why we rejoice is that we know what the outcome of this trouble upon the nations will be, as foreshown in the Scriptures. We rejoice not in the sorrows, the difficulties, not in the war, and what is to follow in its wake, but in the fact that all these things prefigure the end of the reign of Sin and Death and the inauguration of Messiah’s glorious empire! No. 24 WATCH TOWER, BIBLE AND TRACT SOCIETY ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR—1915 Although the year 1915 falls considerably short of previous years in respect to the Society’s activities in the promulgation of truth; nevertheless, this is one of the best reports the Society has ever been privileged to render. It so impresses us because many of the dear friends who have been active supporters of the work in the past have been so generous, 80 fervent, so zealous, that they left themselves with merely enough of this world’s goods to properly maintain themselves and those for whom they had responsibility. Our expectations that the Lord’s consecrated people might be taken beyond the veil by October, 1914, had muth to do with these previous activities; leading the friends to spend and be spent in the most marvelous way in the interest of the King and the brethhen, heirs of the kingdom. True, for two years preceding the date mentioned, THE WarcH Tower pointed out that the grand climax of our hopes seemed not likely to be fulfilled at that time. Nevertheless, the fervent zeal of the brethren led many of them to serve to their limit. And during the year preceding, the PHoToDRAMA OF CREATION so greatly appealed to the brethren as a providential arrangement of the Lord for the scattering of the truth that it quite made up for any loss of expectancy in regard to the time. We therefore consider it very remarkable that in the face of these circumstances the work has gone on, practically uninterrupted—some features of it even increasing, notwithstanding the financial depression of the earlier half of the fiscal year. First of all, we note the beautiful spirit manifested by the Lord’s people in every part of the harvest field. A deep work of grace in the hearts and minds of the brethren is everywhere manifest. Their possession of the holy Spirit in increasing measure is manifested, as the Apostle declared it should be, in the fruits of the Spirit; i. e., meekness, gentleness, patience, long-suffering, brotherly kindness, love. We know of these prevailing conditions, not merely through the dear brethren who represent the pilgrim work and by whom reports are continually sent in in respect to every class visited; but we have information of the same thing from every part of the world, through the Correspondence Department. As an illustration of how the work goes gradually on, we note the fact that in the New York City congregation the number immersed during the year-—208—exceeded those of the preceding years. We have similar reports from all over the world, witnessing to an increasing number, coming under the influence of the truth, and “presenting their bodies, living sacrifices,” in consecration to the Lord and his service. THE COLPORTEUR WORK The financial strain of the early part of the year discouraged many of the colporteurs, and led them to leave the harvest work temporarily and enter business pursuits—it being impossible for them, for a time, to meet their expenses. Now, however, the great improvement in business everywhere, resulting from the manufacture of munitions of war for Europe, is encouraging many of these brethren to return to the harvest work. There surely never was a more encouraging time for engaging in this blessed service. Not only are the STuDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES supplemented by the Creation Scenario; but additionally and especially, the minds of the people are open as never before, to know something about the meaning of the war, and to consider the relationship of God and the divine plan to the terrible war now in progress. We have the thing they need, the thing they erave; and no one else has it. We are hoping that many of the dear friends who became temporarily discouraged will perceive the hand of the Lord beckoning forward for a further gleaning in the harvest field before “the night cometh when no man can work.” The circumstances mentioned will account for the decrease in the output of the STupIEs IN THE ScripTURES, as shown in this report. THE PILGRIM WORK While various circumstances and conditions have seemed to make it advisable that some of the pilgrim brethren be dropped from the active service, others have been brought into the work, and still others are expected to enter it in the near future. The results of the year, as shown in the tabulation, certainly compare very favorably with the year 1914. We consider this one of the most important branches of the service, and continue to commend to the love and special consideration of all the Lord’s people the pilgrims whom the Society sends forth. A special blessing seems to be going with this feature of the work at the present time. The public have an ear to hear, and the Lord seems to be giving his faithful ones more and more of wisdom and grace in the presentation of the message. The results are gratifying. CREATION PHOTO-DRAMA This branch of the work, having been pushed for a year, most persistently at great expense, yielded such bountiful results that we were loth to see the great activity in this direction curtailed. Nevertheless, it was the only wise and possible thing under the circumstances—the financial stringency. For a time, all but three of the DraMas in the United States were discontinued; and these were not run as continually as before. Various endeavors were made to put the DraMa on a financial footing to yield its own expenses. It was found, however, that in order to make it attractive to the theater people, the DrRaMa was so shortened that the main object was largely frustrated. The Society, on the contrary, had the special interest in the slides and records, because by these the great Gospel message was delivered—the moving pictures merely being introduced to draw the audience and to hold their attention. All such exhibitions of the Drama have been discontinued. Hereafter it is to be shown only in its full four parts, without any curtailment. And the Lord’s blessing seems to be returning to the Drama on the free basis. We have now, practically, all of our DraMa sets in operation, though not showing usually, except Sundays, in the theaters, And the friends can usually obtain the theaters at a very low price. In cities where ordinary Photo-Drama entertain [5813]
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