Watch Tower Logos Down Through the Years

(guest post by Leroy)

The most read, translated and distributed magazine in the world has lived a long life. It was born in 1879 before the water closet toilet was generally introduced. It witnessed the invention of the radio, the telephone as we know it, the lightbulb, the airplane, cars, cinema, TV, internet, etc. It survived two world wars, countless economic recessions, and it survived pandemics like the yellow fever, cholera, the Spanish flu, Ebola, among others.

Throughout its history it has experimented with many internal changes, one of the most visible being its cover design. Today we are going to review, one by one, every cover logo the Watchtower magazine has had. We are including only magazine cover logos. There are other “institutional” logos used in letters and other documents, as well as in other publications; we are not including those in this article, only the ones that appeared in the cover of the Watchtower magazine.

NOTE: All logos included in this article had trademark registry in the past; however, we have consulted with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (uspto.gov) to confirm that none of them has a currently active trademark. We verified this because we don’t want to violate copyright laws nor the organization policies regarding the use of current logos. All the current logos that have active trademark registry can be found in the official website (jw.org)

1879
Years on the cover: 12

In July 1879 the first number of “Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald or Christ’s Presence” magazine was published, and it used this logo. The design appears to be inspired by the left side of the main gate of the Allegheny Cemetery, a very familiar place for young CTR. In it you can see a tower and a wall almost identical to the ones in the drawing that decorates the cover of the first number of the magazine.

Here are two photographs of the cemetery entrance, one seen from the front, and the other from the left side for comparison purposes.

Main entrance of Allegheny cemetery showing towers and gate. The first Watch Tower logo closely resembles this. Photograph by Jenny Karlsson and used with permission. See wild life photography at the cemetery: http://www.jennykarlssonphotography.com/blog/allegheny-cemetery

Main gate of the Allegheny cemetery as seen from the left side.

1891

Years on the cover: 4

In January 1891 the previous logo was moved to the first interior page of the magazine, and they put this other logo on the cover. It includes for the first time the cross and crown symbol. This symbol was quite common among Christians since the XIX century, it was used by Baptists, Methodists, Adventists and other Christian groups and was later adopted by the masons. The meaning is simple: it makes reference to the fact that those who want to be kings with Christ (bear the crown), but must first live a life of sacrifice like his (carry the cross). In this logo they also changed the lettering for one much more adorned.

1895

Years on the cover: 14

This is one of the most identifiable logos of the Watchtower; the main letters were put on top of a cloth banner. Two symbols were added at the top, on the left the cross and crown symbol, and to the right a coat of arms symbolizing the Christian armor. Even though this exact logo was active for 14 years, this general idea remained until 1931, a total of 36 years.

1909 (January)

Years on the cover: 0 (9 months)

The main banner was redrawn and also the upper part symbols. The title “Zion’s Watch Tower” was changed for “The Watch Tower”. The slogan letters were also redrawn.

1909 (October)

Years on the cover: 9

In October 1909 they changed the lettering of the word “The” and they came back to the 1895 design of the letters, symbols and slogan style.

1911

Years on the cover: 0 (3 numbers)

Some copies of the number for August 15, 1911 featured a color cover. This same cover appeared again in the January 1^st issue of 1912, which was a special edition. For this cover all the logo was redrawn, keeping the same idea, but in full color. The same year, the April 15 issue featured the same color cover.

1918

Years on the cover: 13

In March 1918 the logo was retouched again. The most notable change was the lettering style of the slogan, this time a little more “square” like than the previous.

1931

Years on the cover: 8

The Oct 15 issue featured a substantial change in the cover logo. The cross and crown and coat of arms symbols were removed and the design of the main banner was simplified, now looking more like parchment as opposed to cloth. The words “Watch” and “Tower” were merged, changing the title to “The Watchtower” and the slogan was placed in the left side of the composition.

1939 (January)

Years on the cover: 0 (2 months)

The lettering style of the word “Watchtower” was changed and the parchment banner was redrawn. The slogan changed to “And Herald of Christ’s Kingdom” instead of “And Herald of Christ’s Presence”.

1939 (March)

Years on the cover: 11

The slogan was changed to “Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom”. By this time the magazine cover was printed in two inks.

1950

Years on the cover: 24

Another drastic change occurred in the August 15 issue of this year. The parchment was abandoned and they used letters in perspective. The slogan combined two different styles and it was moved to the right of the composition.

1974

Years on the cover: 4

In January, 1974 appeared a new logo, the only changes being the word “The”, changed to a cursive style, and the slogan typography. The slogan was also moved to the bottom of the cover.

1978

Years on the cover: 4

In this year the logo was simplified, they used capital square shaped letters for the title and they added for the first time the Watchtower shape over the letter W.

1982

Years on the cover: 2

This year the typography was changed for one in upper and lower case. The word “The” was increased in size. The left line of the Watchtower shape was shortened, and the slogan typography was changed for one with a bigger and slimmer style.

1984

Years on the cover: 2

The logo is the same as previously used but from this year onward the main title “The Watchtower” appeared in color, and the rest of the composition in black.

1986

Years on the cover: 1

This year they used the same logo but it was used all in one color rather than black.

1987

Years on the cover: 4

This year the word “The” was made smaller, the tower shape was redesigned, making the battlements shorter and it was relocated to be on top of the letters a, t and c. The slogan style was changed for a bold font.

1992

Years on the cover: 28 so far

The typography was changed for one in upper caps with serif and the base of the tower was made thinner. This is the cover logo up to this time of writing.

Because this logo has active trademark protection we cannot show it here, but you can find it on the official website jw.org

Which one is your favorite?

Note from Jerome: This material was first published in Spanish on a long-running history blog and is reprinted here in English with permission. Even if you have to use the joys of Google Translate, it is well worth checking out at:  www.tulees.blog

Addenda

It appears that the original 1879 Tower logo was used on foreign language versions of Zion's Watch Tower for some time. Below is a graphic of a Swedish language Watch Tower from 1904 which has been sent to Bruce.

New Publisher

lulu.com prints my books. They are in meltdown and some are alleging criminal intent. It is evident that I will soon need a new print on demand publisher. Can you help me find one?

Blog visits

We're visited by members of a discussion board supposedly for Jehovah's Witnesses; most of it closed to outsiders. That includes me. I have no intention of joining something like that. But I would like to know what their interest in my writing partner is. She's dead. A continuing, low-level assault on her character and personality continues. I have no clue why. But I think it is disreputable.

Sorry ...

I receive an occasional email wishing that this blog also appeared in other languages. I have no plans to do that, and Google translate seems to do a creditable job translating it.

Please Understand

I'm really ill. I have nearly 200 unanswered, unread emails. Contact me if you must, but please only do so if urgent until I post otherwise.

ALSO,

Lulu.com, my printer, has had a major, self-inflicted failure, and it appears that sometime this year I'll migrate my books to another publisher. I will need help with this. Let me know.

The Photo - UPDATED

An earlier post presents a photo with the speculation that it may be Joseph Russell. Mike C. replied in  the comments trail that it was Henry Weber. I agree with mike. Herewith is Weber's photo as it appears in Separate Identity vol. 2. Compare photos, and I think you will agree.

Henry Weber in 1885

Photo is misidentified on web page.

The original shows this to be someone else. Not Weber.

Can we establish this?

Is the man who wrote as O. F. L'Amoreaux, and who claimed to be Chair of Languages at Wheaton College really Oscar F. Lumry?

A possible new photograph of Joseph Lytle Russell?

All readers here will be familiar with the portrait of Joseph Lytle (sometimes Lytel) Russell that was taken in the 1850s. It appeared to be the only picture in existance. Because of potential copyright issues with some sources we are reproducing as our main picture below a line drawing of Joseph.

Drawing by BK and AG as found in Separate Identity volume one, 
reproduced with permission.

But now a possible second picture may have been discovered, taken much later in Joseph’s life.                                                                                                
Eagle-eyed collector, Zions Herald, noticed a portrait picture on the wall on the right in this picture of the Pittsburgh Bible House parlor. Whose picture was this?

The original glass negative of this photograph is owned by Brian. The grain as seen below was on the original 5 x 7 inch glass plate negative. Using 12,800 dpi scanning and some Photoshop manipulation, he was able to rescue the picture below.

  

How does it compare with the early known photograph of Joseph? Both Bernhard and Brian have made careful comparisons of faces. But as the original sitters are seen from different angles, along with the passage of time and the camouflage of a rather bushy beard, conclusive identification is difficult. There has been quite some discussion before posting this and the end result still has to be that we don’t really know. But here is one of the grids to attempt to line up key features.

What does seem apparent is that the picture from the parlor has someone holding a volume of Millennial Dawn. Comparing the covers of the editions of Millennial Dawn from that era, the most likely candidate in the photograph is volume 4, The Day of Vengeance. If this is so, then this book was published in 1897 (announced in September, official forward dated October) and it was on December 17 of that year that Joseph Lytle, now back in Pittsburgh, died.

Ultimately, the key question to ask is: if this is not Joseph Lytle, who else could it be? This person was important enough to CTR that he chose to have their framed photograph on his wall. None of the male members of his family supported him. Nearly all his early associates eventually chose different paths, and anyway, their pictures and identities have been well established. It is none of them. The person in the photograph is in the right age group.

Bernhard has suggested that it might be a picture of Henry Weber, the well-trusted Vice President of the Society from 1892-1904 (his death). There is only one photograph of Weber we know, which is taken from the 1900 book American Florist (Henry was a horticulturist). Although published in 1900, we don’t know when the photograph was taken.

But in 1897, the year for the Millennial Dawn volume, Weber was 62 and Joseph Lytle 84. What age best fits the picture on the parlor wall? I obviously WANT it to be JLR. What do others readers think?

In MY book we have here a new photograph of Joseph Lytle Russell.

Possibly…

(With grateful thanks to Zions Herald, Brian and Bernhard, whose discussion on what started life as just a throwaway query has been most interesting. To paraphrase a phrase from Uncle Tom’s Cabin, like Topsy it just growed.)

Useful?

Some of you will find these useful:

https://ia802809.us.archive.org/34/items/jewish-hopes-russell-1910/Jewish%20hopes%2C%20by%20C.%20T.%20Russell%2C%20edition%20of%201910.pdf

https://archive.org/details/poemshymnsofdawn00russ/page/n6/mode/2up

Hemery Archive

I received a notification that my inbox was so full it would shortly not accept new mail unless I went through it all and deleted stuff. I did a reverse order shuffle to find emails from way back that never got deleted at the time. There were even some from Bruce from 2008. But what has prompted this post now was an email from a reliable source in India (!) from 2005, about a mouth watering cache of material that had apparently been recently sold on eBay.

The story as told to me was as follows:

Apparently the library of Jesse Hemery appeared on the market only a few months back. If I have the story correctly it was bought as part of a job lot of second hand clothes etc by a lady who deals in that sort of thing. It  seems Jesse Hemery's trunk was full of most interesting items including and original Three Worlds, about 115 letters from Russell, mostly handwritten, 50 or 60 from Rutherford and a few from Knorr, various photos and numerous other books including Horae Apocalypticae etc. Had a lot of interest, and it finally went for 34,000 GBP. There cannot be many who would pay that kind of money. Do you have any ideas? Apparently included were the following:

178 letters from Pastor C T Russell mostly written in hand from about 1900 to 1916 . Some are typed, paper very aged in some, some splitting where badly opened. Some deal with Bible Students Conventions in London, Glasgow, The new London Tabernacle, The London Opera House Photo Drama show, Travel to London by steam ship. Most are of practical rather than theological content.

74 letters from J F Rutherford, mainly typed and signed from a variety of locations. In NY, California, etc. Most again are practical. Bible Student Conventions at Alexander Palace, Royal Albert Hall, travel arrangements. Radio broadcasts from London. BBC monopoly etc.

12 letters from NH Knorr typed but signed - general admin at Craven Terrace post War.

200 Miscellaneous  copies of the Outlook for the London Company,  Judge Rutherford and ‘Empire news’, His Majesties Aliens Dept letter re deportation of American A Schroeder, letters from various UK Bible Students groups non WT Society enclosures. Letters from European Offices of Society 1920 – 1950. Letters from Scottish brethren Minna and John Edgar.

Maybe 60 Photos - various of Russell at conventions around UK?  With Hemery, similar with Rutherford. Photos of Craven Terrace inside and Elders.

Books, Booklets various Old Theology, Golden Age, Towers, Convention reports – random selection about 90 items, paperback Plan of the Ages – cream cover (signed as gift by Russell).

Audio Angelophone Hymn record – broken/cracked

Non Society material - Books by various authors: Elliot (Horae Apocalypticae), Barton (God’s Covenants),  Barbour (Washed in his blood.), Henry Drummond (Dialogues on Prophecy), Morton Edgar (Prayer and the Bible, etc

Hemery books! – Revelation Unfolded, The Second coming of Jesus Christ - 1950’s. He seems to have left the Society by this time.

 (end of list)

The big question is where did it all go? Has any of it surfaced on the internet in the collecting world since then? Or has someone got this all lined up as part of their pension fund?

Photodrama memorabilia

A few items from Tom's collection.

On Amazon now

I make more money if you buy from lulu.com. But if you must, volume 2 is now on Amazon. Some [hopefully very positive] reviews would be welcome.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1678009245/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i0

The Cincinnati Daily Star - April 28, 1877

Catching up ... and

I've caught up with about half of my emails, starting with the oldest unread. I'm still on meds that make me woozy and sleepy. I walk somewhat better. Remain patient.

I'm trying to arrange a photocopy from the Wisconsin Historical Society. I may need a volunteer to make it, when everything calms down and the virus is a reduced threat. All three universities with a presence here are closed. All the schools are closed. The post office main counter is closed. But the pollution had dropped out of the air, except for occasional blowing dust from plowed fields.

I'm housebound anyway. And now I learn I was exposed to someone with symptoms ... Such an interesting time in which to live. If those John the Revelator describe as ruining the earth go away, it should heal fairly rapidly. I think the lock downs show this. I'm surprised how clear one of our rivers has become. It's usually very muddy, full of runoff from farmers' fields. So very interesting.

Anyway, I'll report the volunteer request later, when and if it become necessary and it's safe to visit the library.

My Thanks ... and

I'm still not able to function fully after my fall. Be patient if you're expecting a reply to an email.

My thanks to ZionsHerald who made the links work, and who has assumed coding responsibilities.

I need any material relevant to Nelson Barbour you may have. Send it even if you think I probably have it. Please.

C. B. Downing

I'm still restricted in movement, mostly bound to a chair. But there is this:

From the Chinese Recorder, 1911, page 529

In Memoriam. — Miss C. B. Downing

            Miss C. B. Downing died at the New Missionary Home at Chefoo, July 22nd, 1911, at the age of 82. Her early home was at St. Johnsbury, Vermont. In 1857 she joined the mission to the Choctaw Indians under the care of the Presbyterian Board, in what is now known as Oklahoma. At that time it required six weeks of tiresome travel to make the journey from Pittsburg, Pa., a journey which can now be made within two days. Miss Downing taught in the school for Indian girls until the work was stopped by the civil war in 1861. Miss Downing returned north and became a teacher in what is now the Women's College at Blairsville, Pa.

            In 1866 she came to China in a sailing vessel around the Cape of Good Hope, and settled at Chefoo, where she has spent forty-five years, with the exception of one year spent in America on furlough. As soon as suitable buildings could be erected and arrangements made a girls’ boarding school was opened under her special care. At that time there were no Christian families from which to draw pupils.

            When non-Christians were asked to send their daughters to school, the questions often asked were: Can girls learn to read and write? What good would their education accomplish? Gradually prejudice gave way and many happy Christian homes and efficient teachers and Bible women have been the fruit of this school.

            After some years, in consequence of failing health, she gave up the school and opened her home to missionaries and all needing rest and change. In early years she excelled as a conversationalist. Her humor, ready repartee and geniality helped to lift people out of despondency and take more hopeful and cheerful views of life.

            For several years Miss Downing, as strength permitted, assisted in teaching in the Anglo-Chinese School. Not a few of the young men who learned to speak English well owe much to the skill and faithfulness of her teaching. She also did much to help this school financially.

            She helped many of her pupils and Chinese friends to secure comfortable homes of their own rather than live in rented houses.

            The past few years of her life were spent in the beautiful new missionary home overlooking the sea. She assisted most liberally in getting this home established, believing that missionaries living in less favored parts of the country needed when weary in body and mind some health resort, in order to be always at their best and be able to do successful work.

            She was always ready to help any in sorrow or in need.

            A wave of sorrow swept over many hearts when the news of her death was heard.

            'Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.'

Hunter Corbett. Chefoo, August 3rd, 1911.

The St. Johnsburry, Vermont, Caledonian

Jan 11, 1878

Delays

I woke up this morning to about 100 unread emails. It will be a while before I can answer everyone. If you're expecting a reply, be patient.

I fell, hurting myself rather badly. I'm not doing much of anything, and answering emails is low on my list. Doctor put me on a narcotic pain pill, something they're very cautious about these days. It knocks the pain back, but leaves me on the woozie, unfocused side.

A. P. Adams

Some of you may find this useful

https://archive.org/details/songsofspiritout00adam/page/70/mode/2up

Latest Review of Separate Identity vol 2

Posted on publisher's web site:

Stéphane

            I want to paint the portrait of the book and tell its qualities as I judge them, without unveiling if possible the treasures of its contents, nor the discoveries and the surprises waiting there for the reader.

            The 2 volumes of Separate identity, and a third one under preparation, constitute the first real reference work of historians addressing the birth and the first decade of the Watch Tower movement, from the double point of view of its doctrinal evolution and its progressive rise and turbulent development.    .

            The works of Herodotus are entitled Histories, of a Greek word meaning inquiry or investigation : for the first time ever, it is to such a work of investigation, a patient, comprehensive, in-depth as well as objective and impartial work, that the two historians Rachael de Vienne (until her death last year) and Bruce Schulz devote themselves, since over 15 years.

           This innovative work not only brought to light novel discoveries, but standing as a true work in progress, the research, as it went along and was enriched with new elements, sprang up, opening new pathways to explore, requiring new developments (some of them important enough to necessitate a supplementary third volume).

It inaugurates a new decisive step of the research into the history of the Watch Tower — the movement and the magazine —, characterized by an increased granularity (or level of detail) of several orders of magnitude.

            Thanks to their rigorous method, and their attention to telling details, Schulz and de Vienne’s research stands out from the works of previous authors who wrote about this period of the Watch Tower history, whose works are often mostly superficial, patchy, and simply rehashing earlier works, or accommodating to the recourse to second or even third-hand sources — when not downright biased or polemical.

            They also stand apart from the official history works published by the Watchtower Society, which are as a rule insufficiently documented, despite their custody of the archives of the movement, and sometimes inaccurate, and notoriously rushed, due to the lack of time or thinking imposed by editorial constraints (short deadlines, apologetical pretensions).

            It took historians almost 140 years to submit the issues of the first years of the Watch Tower, for a start, to a close and systematic reading, followed by a classification and a sound analysis. Rather than their heavily redacted Reprints that omit not only a vast amount of items rejected as irrelevant, but also a number of important contributions, — either for having been penned by redactors having dissented in the meantime, or for dealing with doctrines no longer finding favor, — the original issues of the magazine offer to the investigator, besides in-depth articles on doctrinal topics and debates, a rich palette of announcements of any kind, of news echos, of travel, mission and even accounting reports, together with an abundant “Letters to the Editor” section. No serious study should skimp on, sweep, dispense with, avoid, obviate this invaluable collection of facts, it is the non disposable starting point of any research worthy of the name.

            Not only did the authors exploit this corpus as the basis of their work, especially in Volume 2 of Separate Identity, but they extended their review to the innumerable papers, newspaper articles, discourses, tracts, and to the 6 volume collection, that flowed from the prolific pen of Charles Russell.

            Then, to resituate the teachings of Russell and his followers, as well as their progressive elaboration, they confronted them systematically with those of the dissenting groups or of groups related by a community of doctrine, through an examination of their respective writings.

            They particularly committed themselves to unscramble Charles Russell’s investigations in the perilous field of the final ends’ chronology, but they have above all deepened the analysis of the dual concern which is at the centre of his message, — focused on the merits of the Ransom by Jesus Christ, — as well as the contradictory reactions it had to elicit, either of fierce rejection, or of enthusiastic reception : viz. the blasphemous lie of the eternal torment reserved to almost all humans, in total contrast with the bright perspective of the times of the “restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began“ as heralded by St. Peter in his founding speech of Christianity at Pentecost.

            To describe the sequence of events that shaped the life of the movement, its growth, its evangelism and its trials and tribulations, and to place them in the context of the time, they performed a multitude of cross-checks with an abundant harvest of documents, often never seen before, gained after a tireless hunt for newspaper articles, narratives, books, yearbooks, catalogues, family genealogies, obituaries, official papers, not to forget an array of old photographs… this monumental documentary base not having benefited from any access to the official archive held by the Watchtower Society, except for a handful of documents made available in dribs and drabs, and one single photograph — a proof, if needed, of the independence of the research and its lack of sponsoring.

            A similar approach was followed to reconstruct the biographies of as many people as possible mentioned in the movement’s documents, even when they appear under a simple name: first-day followers, collaborators, propagandists, missionaries, traveling speakers, occasional correspondents, up to and including opponents of the movement.

            The outcome of this untiring hunt for documents and original sources followed by their exploitation (classification, analysis, interpretation), results in a voluminous data set made of a myriad of details. Thanks to the talent of the authors, the synthesis of this accumulation of well established facts, being anything but rebarbative, blends into a harmonious whole of a teeming richness.

            As can be seen by consulting its table of contents, Volume 2 articulates on 16 chapters that fit together like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle providing a picture of the movement and its evolution seen from various angles : foundation and beginnings of the movement, segregation from the mainstream churches, organization into congregations, launch and funding of a huge publishing ministry, starting and extension of the evangelism, expansion of the field of activity to the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Africa, as well as the European Marches of the Ottoman Empire.

            The narrative, full of life, at times even thrilling as an adventure novel, interweaves with a portrait gallery presenting a variety of characters, often endearing, sometimes heroic, less frequently unsympathetic, and more than a few particularly colourful.

            The book opens with two prefaces where each of the authors begins by expressing a more personal view — and lets show through his or her own style — about their intentions, their expectations, their working method, the obstacles encountered, their opinion about the current state of research, and specifically the irreducible discrepancies between Russell and the Adventists. These exordia introduce a very elaborate monograph by Rachael de Vienne that broadens the project horizon, situating the characteristic teachings of the movement within the wider context of the history of Christian doctrines.

            The book ends with a To-be-followed : in an Afterword, it evokes the crisis that shook the movement around the year 1881, and led it to affirm its specificity by assuming a separate (organizational) identity, — thus reaching the conclusion of the research —, defering the detailed development of the circumstances to a third and final (?) volume of the series.

            Last but not least, Volume 2 incorporates no less than 1813 notes, and quite as many references, an eloquent invitation to plunge into the original sources, and why not, pursue the research…

The Barbour Collection

I'm very close to losing this. I've committed everything I can spare. If you can donate even a minimal amount to the cause, it will help.

Update:

  

I was not able to purchase the Barbour collection. It sold for over $2800, and donations combined with my own money totaled under $1000. If you want your contribution back, let me know by Wednesday next week.

However, if you donated to this project and are willing, I have put off buying expensive scans and photocopies from the Library of Congress, a Massachusetts based museum, and other libraries, and I will use the money for that. The amounts donated will nearly cover this. These are things I need to consult as I write SI vol. three.

  

If I do not hear from you by next Wednesday, I will presume you are okay with this. 

Among the items I need to see are tracts by early associates, some of whom left the movement. I need a photo copy of two years of a magazine, the complete set. Last quotation I had for that was $350 dollars. Research is expensive.

  

It is depressing to lose out on the Barbour material, and as I said, it has gone down a dark hole, purchased by a collector not known for his eagerness to share. If he reads this, perhaps he will provide me with scans or photocopies. I would be most grateful.

Help solve a mystery?

A brief article in the January 1861 issue of Prophetic Times is signed with the initials D. G. M. I would like to know who this is. Anyone find the answer?

Russell Talk Invitations

(Reverse side)

Tech issues ...

Blogger should be blocking access to the comment section for some language groups. If this is an issue for you, email me.

N. H. Barbour

As some of you know, I'm revising Nelson Barbour: The Millennium's Forgotten Prophet. I have an opportunity to acquire some original Barbour material. I do not have the funds. I hesitate to ask for assistance, especially since the amount asked is very high, in my opinion. However, since this is nearly unique I hate to see it disappear down a hole. Up to you. Can you help?

Most Recent Visits

A one sentence review of both volumes of Separate Identity

From: MOUVEMENTS  RELIGIEUX: Bulletin publié par  l’Association d’Etude et d’Information sur les Mouvements Religieux, Mars – Avril 2020, Numéro  476-477

Cet ouvrage monumental est fondamental sur l’histoire des étudiants de la Bible, de leurs précurseurs et des débuts de leur histoire.

"This monumental work is fundamental to the history of Bible Students, their forerunners and the beginnings of their history."

Some tech issues

A friend to this blog has updated the blog codes. That means that cut and past function has gone away. Blog editors have that function but they must use the post edit function to do it.

If there is something on this blog you wish to use for your own research, instead of struggling to copy it, email me. We like other researchers here, usually. But we expect you to observe the research and publication standards everyone should follow. That means you credit your source either in text or through a footnote. It means that you do not turn what one of us wrote into nonsense in another context. Trying to make something we write support an idea or claim opposite of our conclusions is dishonest. Do not do it.

Other behind the scenes changes may occur. They should not affect your ability to read this blog, at least in most countries. The few countries that changes might affect represent a collective of trolls, spammers, and pornographers who are not welcome here. It is necessary that in time we sacrifice some readers because of the persistent misbehavior of most of their fellow citizens.

There is a work-around for this. If I know you to be a regular reader and to not be on my "idiot" list, contact me, and I'll give you the details. But all of this is future and not an immediate worry.

Some thoughts on the new book

This is a collection of thoughts on Separate Identity volume 2, which has now arrived, as a suitably doorstop-sized package. It is nice to be able to thumb through it and examine it, and not just see pages in isolation on a computer screen.

It has been a long wait, but the book is not disappointing.

What aspect of the contents have I particularly enjoyed? Here are some personal thoughts.

One is the way the book turns around perceived accounts by delving deep into original sources.

As an example, I’ve always been interested in the premise that CTR visited various areas and started 30 congregations in the first year or so of ZWT. On the face of it, that sounds good and the way the Bible Student movement ultimately grew and developed is a matter of record. But the question remained - for these very early days, where did these people come from? They didn’t come out of the ether. They would have to be people with a prior interest; otherwise why would CTR go to their particular towns? Using information from existing magazines, including Storrs’ Bible Examiner and Barbour’s Herald, and other sources pre-dating Zion’s Watch Tower, the authors tracked down what can be known about those people and places. There were numerous independent local fellowships that came and went. These accepted speakers from all over, read papers from all over, and continued to do so for some years. Ultimately people had to choose. Some eventually chose Zion’s Watch Tower. But the background and details, brings this period alive.

Other examples: while opposition and personal attacks were there from the start, it was interesting to note how some clergy from established religions gave up their living and joined the fold. And from where did the majority of CTR’s early Allegheny Bible class come? Not the Adventists as commonly held, but from the Methodists! And every point that turns established concepts on their head is supported by volumous footnotes.

The other aspect I particularly enjoyed is the history of key individuals, which will obviously come even more to the fore in volume three. I am always happy to have detailed life stories, be they of the good, the bad, or the downright ugly. There are so many unknown or almost forgotten characters out there, and the bad ones are often the most interesting – at a distance. The Society’s own histories tend to concentrate on CTR and those who stayed with him. And quite naturally they focus on things from the early days that tie in with their modern mission. But a wider picture can be seen by following up the lives of some of those who started with CTR but then branched off. The theological mindset of those who became Universalists meant that some, like John Paton, tried hard to keep tabs on everyone. So the authors of Separate Identity have extracted details from such sources that, while theologically suspect for some of us today, do fill in the gaps in real history.

Still another aspect I liked is that the narrative is not just America based. Obviously American features prominently – Allegheny, CTR and all that – but a lot of books seem to be so America-centric it’s as if the rest of the world outside their bubble doesn’t exist. So the foreign language field at home and then abroad is an important section of this volume, and fills a gap generally unfilled (until the recent European series started appearing).

And context is also stressed. What was the world like in that part of the world at the time? What were popular beliefs of mainstream religion and why did people believe what they did? If you try and superimpose modern beliefs and attitudes on the 1870s and 1880s you miss the point that while some aspects of developing Watch Tower theology raised conservative eyebrows, much was mainstream belief. Rightly or wrongly, it is much of so-called mainstream belief of the day that has moved on.

It has to be noted that the book is long. One of my correspondents baulked at the thought of over 600 pages to add onto the previous 360 plus pages, and more to come. Well, frankly, this book is not for that person. You can’t really judge Separate Identity on the same terms as a commercial production. A commercial production is designed to make money, through appealing to the largest group of people who may buy it. A commercial editor would have reduced the size, and even in academic publishing I believe would have done so. It wouldn’t then be the same book but just another book in the WT history shelves. The length and detail make it unique, even if that may discourage some who could be dismissed as casual readers.

That is NOT a criticism, because the aim was to cover the minutiae, and so the discovered details dictate the length. Probably the only way to achieve this was by self-publishing; and as long as the formatting and layout remain professional looking – which it does - then that is fine.

As you describe in the introduction, there is some overlap of material in some chapters. The plan of the book means this is inevitable, and with two authors writing over years and not writing in chronological order means you can’t help this happening a bit. But adding an occasional “who we met earlier” “as discussed in chapter x” etc. (I paraphrase here) shows the book has been proof read as a whole and you are “aware” of its total contents. I think that is important to support the “professional” feel, and on my last read through this has succeeded.

So if you haven’t ordered your copy (and extras for a friends) – please, do it now!

I still need techie help

I need help banning all visits from Poland, Russia and Korea. ALL of them.

1919 Year Text Motto Card

Andrew's Review

Andrew had been of immense help. Along the way he read and reread various versions of Separate Identity, volume 2. This is his lulu.com review:

For anyone interested in the history of the Watchtower Society, this book is a MUST read. And not only this book, Separate Identity Volume 2, but also its predecessor, Separate Identity Volume 1. Both books in the series bring to light information about the early days of the Watchtower Society that even the Watchtower Society's own official histories do not. In particular, those fascinated by the person of Charles Taze Russell, who are interested in a more detailed look into his background, the evolution of his belief system, and his relationship to those who both revered and reviled him, this book will be a treasure. Some considered Russell a saint, others a con man. The true picture of Russell and his associates is much more complicated, and the incredibly comprehensive details Schulz and de Vienne have unearthed make this book one you will likely have trouble putting down. In the book, filled with astonishing detail, the authors have carefully followed Russell's journey through several decades of his life, and thoroughly give multiple insights into the mind of the man, how he came to believe what he believed, who influenced him, what teachings from others he accepted, which ones he rejected, and what motivated many of his readers to modify their own belief systems. An incredible amount of research has gone into telling the stories of dozens of people who became WatchTower adherents, some of whom stayed with Russell, and others who drifted away into other beliefs. In many cases their stories have never been told. Their histories are an essential part of the WatchTower story. In particular, Russell's belief about his own identity as an instrument used by God springs in large part from the enormous amount of letters he received from grateful readers, many who saw him as such an instrument. Using original sources, Schulz and de Vienne have shone a light on a period of WatchTower history many had thought was unrecoverable. They humbly concede that their work is only preliminary; but even if it is, the comprehensive nature of their work will surprise many who either thought they know much about WatchTower history, or had lost hope that it would ever come to light in such astonishing detail. Get this book! And then lend it out to anyone you know who has an interest in 19th and 20th century religion. It is a story that should have been told long ago. It is a monumental achievement.

1873-1874

Believers in Christ's return who focused on those years met in various places. Many left the movement at the end of 1873, but some persisted. One group organized a meeting in Springfield, Massachusetts. Beyond the fact of the meeting I know nothing. Can you fill in the details?

The Talentless Polish Troll

The [insert unkind word of your choice here] Polish troll has identified "Jerome" with someone I do not know, never heard of and wouldn't allow on this blog. He's looking in the wrong country. Our Jerome lives across the sea from me. Not only that but across the North American Continent and then the Atlantic Ocean. "Jerome" isn't his true name. Rachael de Vienne stuck that on him for the sake of his privacy, deriving it from  Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος whom you would know as St. Jerome, because in some way known only to my dearly missed niece, he reminded her of the 'saint.' Sometimes the workings of her mind were a mystery.

The incompetent, Polish troll should improve his troll talent. Or give it up.

While I'm at this, let's note that using a different ISP does not change your point of origin, and statcounter will tell me your exact location. So, dear brother from upstate NY, you're not accomplishing anything. But if you must you must. 

Now!

On lulu.com, soon on Amazon and other book sites.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/b-w-schulz/separate-identity-organizational-identity-among-readers-of-zions-watch-tower-1870-1887-volume-2-culture-and-organization/paperback/product-24466010.html

Plain cover saves some expense. Price is higher than I would wish, but nothing like the 140 dollars if Routlage published it. Feedback is welcome.

UPDATE

SI2 isn't on Amazon yet. Publisher tells me it will take anywhere from 2 days to six weeks. No explanation as to why, but apparently it depends on how swamped Amazon is.

One person does not like long books. That's fine. Read something else. As an observation, Proclaimers is 150 pages longer. Given the type size difference, about the same as volume 2. Don't people read anymore?

Some concern from a Witness over Rachael's intro essay. My comment: IF the society did not object, and they were given the opportunity to do so, why should you? They sent me a photo to use in the book after reading it. Go wring your hands somewhere else.

The Card - Front and Back