F L Alexandre Freytag

 With thanks to Franco

Alexandre Freytag was appointed by CTR as branch manager in Geneva, Switzerland. It did not end well. You will note that the caption to his photograph calls him “the faithful and prudent (wise) servant”. 

Quoting from the 1980 Yearbook on the history of Bible Students/Witnesses in France:

FREYTAG PREPARES A TAKEOVER

Starting with the April 1919 issue, Freytag printed his name on the second page of each French Watch Tower, no longer as “manager” ("gérant responsible" in French language), of the Geneva office,

 

but as “editor” (rédacteur in French language) of the Watch Tower.

As the official French edition of the Watch Tower represented less and less the English edition, some brothers in Switzerland took it upon themselves to publish a more accurate translation of the English-language Watch Tower. Thus there were for a time two French editions of the Watch Tower circulating among the brothers!

In August 1919, Freytag transferred a part of the Society’s literature stock and other property to his own address. Knowing that in January the Paris Congregation had informed Pittsburgh of what was going on, and that on March 25, 1919, Brother Rutherford had been released from prison, Freytag doubtless realized that the Society would certainly soon take action against him. So he began stowing away the property that he intended to keep for himself.

(the above taken from 1980 Yearbook 1980 page 49 - The History of the Work in France)

Below is Freytag’s last Watch Tower.

 

At the bottom of page 2, Freytag put in this announcement:

NOTICE TO OUR DEAR READERS

The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, having taken our name, and publishing a newspaper that is titled the same as ours, now we prefer, to avoid confusion, to publish our newspaper under the name: "The Angel of the Eternal, the Kingdom Messenger of God"

Editorial note

I find it rather surreal that having used the Watch Tower's template cover for the Watch Tower magazine, and advertising CTR's Studies etc. inside the front cover, Freytag would then write: “The Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, having taken OUR name, and publishing a newspaper that is titled the SAME AS OURS...” (Capitalization mine)

Ultimately the Society took Freytag to court on three occasions to finally recover the property he had taken (see 1987 Yearbook page 127, History of the Work in Switzerland). Freytag died in 1947 but descendants of his movement still exist in places like France (1980 Yearbook page 51) and (Germany (1974 Yearbook page 85).

The Watchtower in French

 With grateful thanks to Cedric

Very first issue, October 1903

1908

1909

1910

1930

World War 2

1947

The Larvent family

Historian Laurie Larvent supplied the graphics for this short article. They relate to his grandfather Élie Larvent (1882-1954) who is pictured on the right with his family in the photograph below.

Larvent was a French Bible Student who met CTR several times when he visited France, in 1909, 1911 and 1912. The card is a response from CTR to the Memorial report Larvent sent in for 1916.

Also supplied is a photograph of CTR’s visit to the Denain ecclesia on August 6, 1912. Circled in the picture is CTR and probably members of the Larvent family.

Larvent would not stay with the Watch Tower Society but founded a French subsidiary of the LHMM. His grandson Laurie Larvent wrote the forward for the recent book by Bernard Blandre La préhistoire des témoins de Jehovah (2023) as well as a thesis on the LHMM and a biography of grandfather Élie.

French tracts

 L’ÉTUDIANT DE LA BIBLE for November 1915 (The Bible Students Monthly in French).

JOURNAL POUR TOUS for October 29, 1916 (Everybody’s Paper in French).

It is interesting to see that, while the title Everybody’s Paper was generally phased out in America in early 1913, the title was still being used in France in this 1916 issue advertising The Photodrama of Creation.