This is in rough draft the first few paragraphs of current work. Tentative title for this chapter is Evangelical Voice. Usual rules. Do not copy elsewhere, though you may copy for your own use. It will change. Do not rely on this in this form. Do not share it with others. It will come down in a day or two.
We're posting it for comments. Your comments are valuable feedback. When there are no comments I doubt we've done well.
Evangelical Voice
The
Barbourite movement was narrowly focused, drawing almost entirely from
non-Seventh-day Adventists, Age-to-Come believers and other Millinarians.
Barbour saw those without a millannialist point of view as worldly and lost. He
saw himself as God’s appointed voice for the Last Days. Paton’s believed he was
divinely appointed, and he saw “advances” in spiritual insight as God’s special
revelation to him. Both published tracts, Paton many more than Barbour who
relied on the Herald of the Morning to further his ideology. The focus
of both was narrow, and they didn’t seek a wider voice.
Suggestive Hints to New Colporteurs made its first appearance in 1887. We have a much later edition, but we need to see the first edition. If you have one, or one much earlier than the 1912 edition, please scan it and send it to us.
Wrong title given above: This is what we're seeking:
VOL. IX. PITTSBURGH, PA., SEPTEMBER, 1887. NO. 1. ========== R967 : page 1 HINTS ON SELLING DAWN. Any one desirous of engaging in the spread of the truth can find grand opportunities and plenty of them, selling paper-bound DAWN, VOL. I. The present price, 25 cents, brings it within the reach of all. We state again that ten cents per copy is allowed for expenses out of the Tract Fund. According to your zeal, faith and talents united, will be your success. Take your sample book and make a trial before ordering books. For particulars of how to succeed in selling DAWN, write to us for a copy of our Hints to MILLENNIAL DAWN Canvassers, just printed. It will be sent free by mail.
From about 1870 to well into the 20th Century, envelope and advertising seals were commonly used in Germany. These copied official government seals used on correspondence. So it's not surprising to find that the Watch Tower society used them too. Here is an example found on the front end paper of Der Krieg von Harmagedon.
The
10:30
Bible
study
of
Watch
Tower.
Millennial
Dawn
and
Old
Theology
readers
will
be
conducted
by
Arthur
Pennock
of
Taylor.
Any
one
is welcome. -- June 6, 1908, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News
from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania · Page 4
This is found in the University of Manchester Library. We need a scan or photocopy. Acquiring it from the USA is very expensive. If you live near Manchester or visit there, would you acquire this for us:
I posted a hymn she wrote and that met Russell's approval a ways back. Really two related hymns ... Based on her long poem, An Old, Old Story. Russell published the long poem entire as Old Theology Quarterly No. 7. This is often wrongly attributed to Maria Russell.
Russell published without attribution as did the American Tract Society. It was widely known, and neither the Watch Tower nor ATS saw a need to append a name.
Above is a postcard dated November 9, 1911, sent from
St Peter Port, the English capital of the Island of Guernsey in front of the
French coast.
The sender is named Bocolaud (ed. note - checking the U’s and the N’s that may
well be Bowland) and the recipient is Adolphe Weber, Tour de Garde, Convers
[Canton], Berne, Suisse.
The writer had been circulating copies of the volumes
(Studies) in Guernsey.
In 1986 the "Awake"
magazine had an article about the Channel Islands. It stated:
Seeds of Bible truth were sown here back in 1925 when
Zephaniah and Ethel Widdell arrived from England with their bicycles to
organize a regular program of Bible studies. As a direct result of their work,
congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses were soon formed in both Jersey and
Guernsey.
This is not exactly so, because according to the postcard
"Seeds of Bible truth" in Guernsey island were already sown
in 1911, if not before…
Editorial notes from Jerome
This is of
interest, not just because Weber was a very well-known figure in the
continental Bible Student community, but also because it takes a little bit of
history back a further 14 years from what has previously been known. The
postcard shows there was a Bible Student presence of some sort back in 1911,
and probably before that. It speaks
of "still selling a good number of volumes," which could well be
pre-1911. And it is noted that the writer used English rather than French when
writing to Weber.
I
could only find one male named Bowland (the variant Boland) in Guernsey in the
1911 census, which was taken in April 1911, living in a street quite near Union
Street in St Peter Port, from whence the postcard was later sent that year. This
Bowland/Boland is a labourer working in the stone industry, aged 31, with a
wife and two children. Of course, there is no guarantee that this is the right
person, and the initials don’t seem to match. There is no-one with a name
approaching anything like Bocolaud.
As
for the Awake magazine (Awake April 22, 1986, page 19) detailing the start of “seeds
of truth” for 1925, one must remember that there was never any official attempt
to document the growth of interest in places like the Channel Islands at the
time. We have to rely on people looking back long after the event. In 1970 the
Society sent a lengthy letter to all old-timers asking for their reminiscences.
The letters sent by return will have numbered into their hundreds, possibly
thousands, around the world, and formed the basis for the various histories
that subsequently appeared in the Yearbooks. These covered not just countries
like the United States and Britain, but everywhere. This testimony was
supported by documented proof in some cases. For example, the son of one of the
editors of the St Paul/New Era Enterprise was moved to send his files to the
Society. However, in many cases it was simply the anecdotal memories of older people
looking back. The account in the 1986 Awake may well date from that 1970
initiative. No-one alive in 1970 or thereabouts had any memory of events before
1925 for the Channel Islands. So the “find” of a post card sent to a well-known
figure like Weber is significant as far as Channel Island history is concerned.
It shows that even the smallest piece of ephemera is worth checking in the
search for completeness.
Since Separate Identity was
published in 2014, we’ve had two complaints about the writing style, both from
UK residents. Both reject our style as un-academic. What they mean is that we
do not write as they do in the United Kingdom. We don’t. We’re not British; we
don’t pad our writing with euphemisms, circumlocutions, misused prepositions,
and we don’t use passive voice.
Passive voice is endemic in British
writing. It allows one to escape responsibility for opinions, observations and
conclusions. It defers responsibility to authors cited or to a non-existent ‘other.’
British academics avoid any blunt
statement. They wouldn’t call ‘a spade a spade’ if their life depended on it.
Americans are usually plain-spoken. If something is wrong, we usually say so
with little quibble.
Bruce, my writing partner, has a
complex ancestry. But he is American, on the conservative side, a teacher with
significant peer recognition. He is separated by a century and a half from the
last immigrant family. His family’s presence in America started in 1607. I
share some of his ancestry. But I’m separated by a generation from Austria, and
I am a dual US-Austrian citizen. I am, despite the duality, an American. As
does Bruce, I write like an American. And I find British academic writing
stultifying. Say what you mean. Drop the extraneous words you use to pad your
writing. Get to the point. And take responsibility for your thoughts.
Both of those who complained about
our style are bound to the circumlocution that characterizes British writers.
Frankly, if you experienced the hand of an American editor, you would not come
off well. [I’ve read your stuff.]One of
those who complained about our writing style is caught up in the arguments
about the value of popular [public] history and academic history. Both fill
important slots. It’s a meaningless argument, only meant to preserve history as
the field of assistant professors. [The life of an adjunct professor is not an
easy one. I know.] But having academic credentials does not elevate one to a
special position in life. Besides I’d set my BA x 2, MA x 2 and PhD against
yours any day.
Another difference between American and
British writers is the kind of analysis each brings to their writing. Brits are
more likely to quote every available opinion, sensible or not, to make some
sort of indifferent, indirect analysis. Facts can be manipulated. But for British
writers, facts are ephemeral things, hardly real. Most American writers do not
see evidence in that light. British writers like to pretend that academic
competition does not exist. Dear heart, it does both there and here. It’s
intense, sometimes nasty.
Amazon ranks books by sales. I think
it is telling that Separate Identity outsells the books of both of those who
complained. It ranks about two million places ahead of both. I think that says
something about its content and worth.
I repeat, take responsibility for
your work and opinions. Use direct sentences. Avoid passive voice. Be plain. Don't be an academic snob.
Herewith is a power point presentation on British academic writing. Note that it advises use of Passive Voice. It makes them feel good. No competent American writer would use passive voice. The reasons given for using it in this video are, frankly, idiotic.
Someone from University of California at Long Beach visits
regularly. I suspect they’re looking for something specific. If you are that
person, let me know how I can help.
German Girl: Thanks for your offer to translate. We’re
having a scarce German booklet scanned. I do need help translating it. My
German is very poor. Email me directly, and when it’s scanned I will send it to
you. [r m de vienne @ yahoo dot com]
We still need von Zech family papers belonging to his German
relatives if they are relevant to Otto’s evangelism. I haven’t a clue how to
look for those.
Watch Tower presence in Germany before 1903 is impossible to
document in a meaningful way. Yet, we know it existed. Anyone? The same is true
of Norway and France. There was at least one Barbourite in France in the 1870s.
We can’t follow that up, or we haven’t with any success.
We are very dissatisfied with our history of the earliest
work in Canada. Most significant documentation is from the late 1890s, outside
the scope of Separate Identity. Can you add to our understanding of the work in
the 1880s?
We need scans of any letters, postcards or memoranda signed
by Russell, no matter how brief or mundane they may seem.
Letters between Bible Students sent in the Russell era would
help. Have one? Please scan it.
Two people have asked through email if I recommend Zydek's biography of Russell, Charles Taze Russell: His life and time: The man, the millennium and the message. I wouldn't try to stop any one from buying it. Some of our readers have. Jerome reviewed it when published.
It is inaccurate, poorly researched, flawed and not worth the money you spend on it. But it's your money. Buy it if you wish.
A huge amount of work stands behind
this blog. Though there is a donation button here, we get about twenty dollars
per year on average. We fund this research out of the sale of our books and out
of our own pocket. Original research is expensive. In the past four months we’ve
spent more than good sense would permit. Off the blog we get support for which
we are truly grateful. One long time blog reader purchased material for us.
Others have done the same in years past. We appreciate this.
I did not write this to ask for
donations. While we have monthly expenditures, we’re usually capable of
handling them on our own. And we get unexpected help. A university librarian
found our work important. She scanned a booklet from their library, the only
surviving copy, and waved their fees. So instead of costing us the forty-five
dollars we expected, it cost us nothing but politeness. And the booklet is
useful. We will quote from it, though probably not in volume two. Certainly we
will in volume 3. We’ve already added a paragraph to a ‘finished’ chapter.
The work that our contributors and
Bruce and I put into writing our books and posting on this blog merits
something more than a parasitical use of our work. We live in an age when
people do not feel responsible for the use they make of other’s work. This is
wrong. Blog statistics tell us that we get something under 100 return visits a
day. And we get new visitors who may read one article and not return, their
curiosity satisfied. Of the regularly reoccurring visitors, fewer than ten
comment on anything like a regular basis. Visitors to this blog reap the work
of others. It satisfies your curiosity; it interests you; some use it as
resource material for their own work.
But you do not comment. One of our
contributors excuses that by saying comments or not, we’re generating interest
in the subject. However, the original purpose of this blog was to further our
research. One way for you to do that is to comment. Comments, like reviews,
need not be elaborate. And I realize that most readers do not understand Watch
Tower history, or any aspect of religious history, at much depth. But a simple,
“oh, how interesting” would do. As it is, you’re eating from our plate of
cookies and drinking our milk without a simple ‘thank you.’
The ideal comment is one that
informs or leads us to something new. Sometimes a question from a reader does
that for us. I feel very unappreciated. I’d have left this project a long time
ago, except Bruce is dependent on my help given his health issues. No-one knows
this subject as well as he does.
This letter to our readers will not
improve anything but my disposition. And that is doubtful. But it is my belief
that we owe something to those who produce important work. Apparently most of
those who read this blog [And Roberto’s forum posts] do not believe they owe
anything to anyone.
When you leave a comment, make certain you're leaving it on the appropriate post. Some recent comments were appended to posts for which they had no relevance. The evident intent was to comment on a post above or below the one where the comment was inteneded.
Although relating to events a little more recent
than the general focus of this blog, this is an account that many may find of
interest. Thanks are due to “Franco” who kindly sent the scans used in this
short article.
Franz Zürcher (1891-1978) worked at the Bible
Students/Jehovah’s Witnesses Central European Office in Switzerland for nearly
55 years. He started in 1923, although his first couple of years were spent
taking the Photodrama of Creation film out to Belgium, Alsace-Lorraine, along
with locations in Switzerland. For many years he was the Branch Servant in
Switzerland. In the 1930s he was the editor of the German edition of The Golden
Age magazine. In 1943 he was sentenced to gaol [ie: jail] for his activities.
He is known for writing a book published by the
Society, which apparently was never officially translated into English. Crusade
Against Christianity was first published in German in 1938, and then translated
into French and Polish in 1939. It detailed the persecution of the witnesses
under the Nazi regime, and some of the material appeared in the English edition
of Golden Age.
Here are some covers of the three language editions.
First published in German in 1938. The publisher was
Europe-Verlag, Zurich-New York.
Translated into French and Polish (both 1939)
The French translation was also published by Europe-Verlag,
Zurich-New York. However, you will note that the Polish translation added Watch
Tower Bible and Tract Society, Berne.
Franz Zürcher remained an active witness in the
Berne Bethel until the end of his life, and is one of the comparatively few
witnesses to have an obituary in the Watchtower magazine. See Watchtower for
August 1, 1978, page 31.
The
Barbourite movement was narrowly focused, drawing almost entirely from
non-Seventh-day Adventists, Age-to-Come believers and other Millinarians.
Barbour saw those without a millannialist point of This post was deleted.
We have located the booklet by Tucker noted in an earlier post in a library in Santa Clarita, California. If you live close and are willing to photocopy it for us, please let me know.
![Falcon's Crown: Kidnapped [e-book edition]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkBe00FOeBBmYbVCCTcdazS0iVnLd1WDFAqgsN2RZ54_2mWSQGowpbpnwmDREb-FVVk6AGpaGBEGezxxmeNm1qq65js_RZsBYwu6E6-3ucp3_YQyONvEK3NuIInA3Ru_cqrfm_JizezcrwPiewPQwunSXPJG1OI38N9mQwxOeGd4SvcPUf-DtO7FLMVcg=s238)
