Arp Tracts: Small but Effective

Guest post by Leroy

From 1887 to 1891 the Society produced millions of copies of a tract known as the Arp Slip, Arp’s Joy or the Arp tract. This little tract was very effective to convince people to read CTR´s books, in particular the first volume of the Studies in the Scriptures series, known at the time as Millennial Dawn or The Plan of the Ages¹. The tract was designed to be handed out to people outside of churches on Sundays, and also to be included in letters and in any other post sent by readers of Zion´s Watch Tower to friends, family, etc.²

By December 1887, two months after their first appearance, more than 100 thousand copies had been printed, and the goal was to print a million of them.³ Two months later, in February 1888, the TOWER mentioned the following:

 “Seeing the good results from the slips already distributed, it is proposed to deluge the country with them. Order all you can use. Labor while it is called day, for the night cometh werein no man can work.”⁴

There are many experiences that demonstrate the effect that these tracts had, such as that of S. O. Blunden, who went out one Sunday to distribute the tracts outside a church in Harrisburgh, Pennsylvania. Church leaders were furious, with two of them threatening Blunden with arrest. Blunden ignored their threats and continued with his activity. One of the leaders grabbed him by the throat to try to drag him out, but Brother Blunden continued to distribute the tracts and warned the man that if he did not let him go, he might be the one to have him arrested. The man then stood between Blunden and the people and asked the people not to receive the tracts, to no avail. Failing to stop Blunden, he sent someone to the police office to bring in an officer and arrest the brother, arguing that there was a man "stopping people from going to church." The policeman came and arrested Brother Blunden, and then took him to the police station. There, without a trial or hearing, they set a $100 bond to let him go free. Brother Blunden expressed his happiness at having experienced something similar to what happened to Peter and John in Acts 4:1-21.⁵

Another brother reported: “The Arp slips have been scattered broadcast throughout this locality, and […] have caused a grand confusion. The nominal churches are denouncing us, and specially warning their congregations to not even allow a scrap of paper of any kind we may send out to come into their homes, and warning their children not to read anything of the kind.But […] it is only stimulating us to greater efforts, and we can already see some fruits of our labor.”⁶

A young Methodist, after reading the tract began to cry with emotion, bought the book The Plan of the Ages, and said that he could not believe the doctrines taught by the nominal church, such as universal damnation and eternal torment. Many others had similar experiences.⁷

Some had their own methods for distributing them: “I find it is a good plan to leave them in the seats in the R. R. depots. I notice the passengers read them carefully, and fold them up and put them in their pockets, which shows, I think, that they are interested.”⁸

Some even distributed them door to door, and came back a few days later to offer the Plan of the Ages.⁹

But, what, exactly were Arp Slips? What was their content?

Arp Slips were small single-sheet tracts measuring 7 cm wide by 34 cm long (2 ¾ × 13 ½ inches). On the front they contained Bill Arp's comments on the book The Divine Plan of the Ages, (hence the name) and on the back the poem "The Minister's Daughter" by John Greenleaf Whittier. There were several versions with slight modifications to the text accompanying Arp's comments. Below, you can see a photo of one of these tracts:

It reads:

“Let every man read, ponder and take comfort, for we are all prisoners of hope.”

“BILL ARP’S” JOY

UPON READING
     MILLENNIAL DAWN,
     THE
     “PLAN OF THE AGES.”

FOOD AND COMFORT FOR ALL THINKERS.

READ HIS COMMENTS.

[From Atlanta Constitution.]

A kind lady has sent me a book of 350 pages called “Millennial Dawn,” published by the Tower Publishing Co., in Pittsburg, Pa., which will, I believe, awaken the thinking world. I see that its sale is already over twenty-five thousand. It is impossible to read this book without loving the writer and pondering his wonderful solution of the great mysteries that have troubled us all our lives. There is hardly a family to be found that has not lost some loved one who died outside the church—outside the plan of salvation and if Calvinism be true outside of all hope and inside of eternal torment and despair. We smother our feelings and turn away from the horrible picture. We dare not deny the faith of our fathers, and yet can it be possible that the good mother and her wandering child are forever separated—forever and forever?
I believe it is the rigidity of these teachings that makes atheists and infidels and skeptics— makes Christians unhappy and brings their gray hairs down in sorrow to the grave—a lost child, a lost soul!

Let us see how many lost souls. The geographers give the world a present population of fourteen hundred million, of whom only one hundred and sixteen million are Christians,— that is, who live in Christian countries. Of these, only sixteen million are adult members of the church; and of these, about one million walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. That is a beautiful picture.—Only one million of truly good, pious Christian people in all the world, and thirteen hundred and ninety-nine millions who are elected to be eternally damned. Add to these figures one hundred and forty-two billions, who have already lived and died in the ages past, and if all these are damned, it does look like God’s plan of salvation was a miserable failure. He gets one soul for glory while Satan captures thousands.

This wonderful book teaches that trial is yet to come—that all are to rise from the dead when Christ comes, that He will offer His salvation to all people ; not only to the living, but to those who rise from the dead. His kingdom will be supported by the saints and by good people everywhere, and the mother will have another chance to reclaim her wandering child and bring him unto the kingdom. This wonderful book makes no assertions that are not well sustained by the Scriptures. It is built up stone by stone, and upon every stone is the text, and it becomes a pyramid of God’s love, and mercy, and wisdom. There is nothing in the Bible that the author denies or doubts, but there are many texts that he throws a flood of light upon that seems to uncover its dark and gloomy meaning. I see that editors of leading journals, and many orthodox ministers of different denominations, have indorsed it and have confessed to this new and comforting light that has dawned upon the interpretation of God’s book. Then let every man read and ponder and take comfort, for we are all prisoners of hope. This is an age of advanced thought and more thinking is done than ever before,—men dare to think now. Light—more light, is the watchword.   BILL ARP.

Another version of the tract has Arp´s comments abbreviated, and then comment by other people praising the book. They all have advertising information at the end on how to get the volume. Here you can see two other versions, front and back:

So, as we see, the tract basically contained Bill Arp's comments recommending the Plan of the Ages. The goal was to whet the appetite to read the publication. This was the type of tract that Russell preferred to use, and not a tract that explained a biblical subject in very few lines. The reason is that he thought that a biblical topic explained in a few words did not have the power to convince someone to change their belief, instead, a little treatise like the Arp Slip, could encourage that person to read a more profound publication like The Plan of the Ages, and then this could really help them accept the truth.¹⁰

Who was Bill Arp?

Major Charles Henry Smith, better known by his nickname "Bill Arp," was born in Gwinnett County, Georgia in 1826 and was a highly influential figure in the American South. He held various government posts but his best-known facet was as a writer, humorist and lecturer. He was a highly respected opinion leader and deputy editor of The Atlanta Constitution newspaper.

“A woman” (you'll see why I put this in quotes later) from Allegheny sent him a copy of Volume 1 of Studies in the Scriptures, and he was so fascinated by what he read that he decided to publish a column about it in The Atlanta Constitution. This was printed in the issue of July 24, 1887, which I show you below:

The column reads:

“THE MILLENIUM.

Arp Pleased with a Book He Has Been Reading,

THAT TELLS ON THE COMING OF CHRIST.

When Peace Will Reign on the Earth for a Thousand Years - Some Strange and Startling Figures.

So many have written to me to know where Baxter’s pamphlet on the millenium can be had that I must answer publicly and say, I do not know—nor do I know who sent it to me, nor where it was mailed. An old friend wrote me to send it to him and I sent it. I do know that it is no ordinary interpretation of the prophecies and that it contains many wonderful and startling facts. But a kind lady from Allegheny has sent me a book of 360 pages called the Millennial Dawn, Charles T. Russell, and published by the Tower Publishing compay (SIC) in Pittsburg, Pa., which is far more comprehensive, and will, I believe, awaken the thinking world. I is in paper cover, and worth I suppose, not more than fifty cents. I see that its sale is already over twenty-five thousand. It is impossible to read this book without loving the writer and pondering his wonderful solution of the great mysteries that have troubled us all our lives. There is hardly a family to be found that has not lost some loved one who died outside the church—outside the plan of salvation and if Calvinism be true outside of all hope and inside of eternal torment and despair. We smother our feelings and turn away from the horrible picture. We dare not deny the faith of our fathers, and yet can it be possible that the good mother and her wandering child are forever separated—forever and forever.

I believe it is the rigidity of these teachings that makes atheists and infidels and skeptics—makes Christains (SIC) unhappy and brings their gray hairs down in sorrow to the grave—a lost child, a lost soul.

Let us see how many lost souls. The geographers give the world a present population of fourteen hundred million, of whom only one hundred and sixteen million are Christians, that is, who live in Christian countries. Of these, only sixteen million are adult members of the church; and of these, about one million walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. That it is a beautiful picture. Only one million of truly good, pious Christian people in all the world, and thirteen hundred and ninety-nine millions who are elected to be eternally damned. Add to these figures one hundred and forty-two billions who have already lived and died in the ages past, and if all these are damned, it does look like God's plan of salvation was a miserable failure. He gets one soul for glory while Satan captures thousands.

This wonderful book teaches that man’s trial is yet to come—that all are to rise from the dead when Christ comes, and that He is coming soon—very soon—within a few years and will reign on earth a thousand years, and will offer His salvation to all people; not only to the living but to those who rise from the dead. His kingdom will be supported by the saints and by good people everywhere, and the mother will have another chance to reclaim her wandering child and bring him unto the kingdom. This wonderful book makes no assertions that are not well sustained by the Scriptures. It is built up stone by stone, and upon every stone is the text, and it becomes a pyramid of God's love, and mercy, and wisdom. There is nothing in the Bible that the author denies or doubts, but there are many texts that he throws a flood of light upon that seems to uncover its dark and gloomy meaning. I see that editors of leading journals, and many orthodox ministers of different denominations, have indorsed it and have confessed to this new and comforting light that has dawned upon the interpretation of God's book. Then let every than read and  ponder and take comfort for we are all prisoners of hope, This is an age of advanced  thought and more thinking is done than ever  before, men dare to think now. Light – more light is the watchword.

Still we have plenty to do besides thinking about the millennium. That may be a century off or it may be only a few years. Baxter says that a mistake of a hundred years was made in the number of years that the judges of Israel ruled and that all modern chronologists admit it, and that this is really 1987 instead of 1887, and that the 6,000 years since the creation of Adam have nearly passed. Mr. Russell says that 6,000 years must pass before Christ comes, and that they have nearly passed. But we have a good deal to do and need not be selling out or making white garments for we are not going to ascend up to heaven even if the millenium does come, Jesus Christ is going to descend down here and set up his kingdom, and we will have to live on and work on under a government where not a stain will mar the harmony of society, not a bitter thought nor an unkind word, not an  ache nor a pain nor any decay, nor the fear of it. The human form and feature will be perfect in its beauty, and-although human as it is—now will be of surpassing loveliness. Won't it be glorious to live at such a time and never die-no toothache nor backache nor lingering rheumatism, no empty sleeves nor crutches nor glass eyes nor bald heads; no quarreling about the State road and the convicts and prohibition and the pay of the jurymen. Why, if Mr. Baxter’s count is right, the general assembly needent lease the State road for more than ten years, for it will be run under a new regime, and one man will have no more privileges than another. Every man will have to do his share of work It will go mighty hard with some, I know, but maybe they will get used to it. Money won’t relieve a man, neither will his pedigree, but all will have to work for the common good. Mr. Russell says that the earth will have abundant room for the 260 billions who have died, and the one and a half billions who now live, and that they all can stand erect within the limits of Ireland, allowing two square feet of space for each. The earth will then yield her increase, and the desert will blossom as the rose, and waters shall  break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. With the help and power of such a king I reckon we can all get along if we deserve to. But if the time is near at hand our people had better begin to get used to some things. The rich and greedy had better begin to divide out a little along by degrees, The malicious and quarrelsome had better begin to cultivate the virtues of love and charity. The lazy had better rouse up and work a little. White folks had better quit cheating and darkies quit stealing, for it will be awful hard to stop all of a sudden. It will be safest anyhow for us all to live just like we knew the millenium was coming very soon, whether it comes or not. Let us have our lamps trimmed and burning.     

BILL ARP.”

From this column were taken the comments that came to form the Arp Slip, which helped many people to get closer to the truth, and in many cases, become Bible Students.

Apparently, Bill Arp did not adopt the faith that he admired so much, since his funeral was held in the Presbyterian Church, and was officiated by the Reverend T. J. Christian, of the Methodist Church.¹¹

Their use and promotion

(bottom part of the first edition)

The Arp Slip was first mailed to subscribers of Zion's Watch Tower free of charge as a supplement to the October 1887 issue. Explanation and recommendations on how to use the tract were given in the following issue:

“THE “ARP SLIPS,” of which samples were sent you with last TOWER, seem to meet with general approval. A sister greatly interested expresses the desire that these slips might be circulated generally among Christian people, believing that they would awaken new thoughts in many minds, and lead them to study God’s plan anew, and thus prove an entering wedge to let in the true light. She thinks an excellent plan would be, to distribute these slips Sundays, to church-goers, either as they go in or are dismissed after service. She donates fifty dollars to pay for printing and mailing these, to be used thus, the sum to be applied to some one state, leaving it for the publishers to decide which.

We think this an excellent plan. Should it become very general it will make quite a stir, by throwing cold water [truth] upon the “hell-fire teachings.” The ministers and officious members of churches, will doubtless try both arts and threats to stop those who engage in this crusade, but as the slips are free, and the sidewalks public, and the tract a religious one—calling attention to the genuine gospel, good tidings, there is no cause for either shame or fear. Since it is left to us to decide, and since “charity begins at home,”—the sister is a Pennsylvanian—we apply the above donation to the state of Pennsylvania, and accordingly invite all the friends of the cause in Penn’a., to send in their orders for as many as they will use according to the plan mentioned. Many can serve the cause we love, in this way, who cannot preach in any other manner. Take a boy or girl to help, where the congregations are large. The fifty dollars will print and stamp a great many as we now have electroplates to print from.

The above offer must not hinder all other readers from using these slips in a less extravagant manner among their friends, enclosing them with their letters, etc., etc. Order freely; we have them in packs of pounds, half-pounds, quarter pounds and two ounces. Order all you can judiciously use FREE.”¹²

This of course generated a lot of interest and orders started pouring in from all over the state of Pennsylvania. But of course, readers from other states didn't want to be left behind. The following month the TOWER announced that a brother named Weber had donated 40 dollars to distribute these tracts in Maryland and West Virginia,¹³ and the following month another donation would arrive for the state of Ohio.¹⁴ The success was so great that just a month later, in February 1888, Russell decided to use the money from the TOWER TRACT FUND to print enough tracts to flood the entire country, and it did.¹⁵

In addition to producing the tract as a loose leaf, it was printed in newspapers across the country, including, in addition to Arp's comments, the “response” of “Mrs. Lemuels”, as can be seen in this newspaper clipping from the Miami Republican:¹⁶

Comments from Mrs. C. B. Lemuels say:

“The truths set forth in the above described work so benefited me, so opened my eyes to God’s great, just, loving, wise plan, and so opened the Bible before me, that with others who have read and been caused to see, I have concluded to spend such means and strength as I possess in passing this cup of refreshing truth to other thirsty souls. To this end I am loaning this book, postage prepaid, to all who will promise a careful reading of it and to pay return postage. The above came voluntarily and unexpectedly from Mr. “Arp’s” pen after reading the book, sent him by me, and is well matched by hundreds of letters from people in every station of life. I want every intelligent, thinking man and woman to read the book, for as “Arp” truly says, “It is impossible to read this book without loving the author [Doubtless God through the writer was the real Author of the plan unfolded,] and pondering his wonderful solution of the great mysteries that have troubled us all our lives.”

Address           Mrs. C. B. Lemuels, Allegheny, Pa.”

During 1888, these advertisements signed by C. B. Lemuels appeared in many newspapers in the United States offering to lend the books to anyone who was interested, and many people approached the Bible Students because of this, but…

Who was C.B. Lemuels?

In those years there were many very devout women who were willing to give everything in order to make known the message of the Bible Students, and many of them in later times did so, as in the notable case of Gertrude Seibert or of the sisters persecuted in 1918, but the reality is that Mrs. C. B. Lemuels was not one of them, in fact, C. B. Lemuels never existed. She was a character created by C. T. Russell, who would represent his wife Maria, to attract more people to his message. Russell himself explained it in 1894:

“No wrong was done to any one by the use of the name; but, on the contrary, much good was accomplished. Many readers will remember seeing Mrs. C. B. Lemuels’ advertisements in different newspapers, all over the United States, offering to loan free of charge a book that would be very helpful to honest skeptics and infidels. Many of you first learned of the truth by this means. The book was The Plan of the Ages—DAWN, VOL. I, and the name Mrs. Lemuels represented Mrs. Russell. I esteemed that the matter would be better received from a lady than from a gentleman. I could have arranged for the use of Mrs. Russell’s name, or the name of some other sister, but reflected that a confusion of letters might result and prove inconvenient. Besides, I bring my own name as little into prominence as possible. This will be noticed in connection with everything I have published—the O. T. Tracts, the DAWNS, etc.

The name Lemuel is from the Hebrew and signifies Son of God. The initial letter C, stands for Christ, and B. for before; hence the whole name signifies, a son of God, after Christ. I consider the using of the name for a good purpose entirely proper and not a deception, in the proper meaning of that term; for it could make no difference to the party blessed whether the instrument of his blessing had the name of Smith, Brown, Lemuels or Russell. Indeed, our Lord was known by a variety of names, other than the name of Jesus, given by the angel. He is called also Immanuel, the Son of Man, the Redeemer, the Good Shepherd, Lord of Glory, Prince of Peace, Prince of Life, the Word of God, Lamb of God, the Just One, the King of Israel, Living Stone, the True Vine, Wonderful, Counsellor, Savior, Mediator, the Amen, the Alpha and Omega, the Second Adam, the Messiah. Our Lord and the Apostles and the Prophets, did not think it a deception to apply these various names and titles, nor do I. Had I used the name for a wrong purpose, the entire transaction would have been sinful; but as it is conceded that it was used for a good purpose the entire transaction is faultless. Many eminent writers for the press cover their identity under a nom de plume, and justly without reproach.” ¹⁷

Bill Arp's comments were used as publicity in various publications, for example in some issues of the Old Theology tracts and in the back pages of the volumes of Studies in the Scriptures, among others. The Arp tract in its entirety was translated into German in its tract format, but it was also translated into other languages in the form of advertising included in books.

What happened to the Arp Slip?

In November 1891, the TOWER announced that a new small tract was in the works to replace the Arp Slip¹⁸, and apparently it was, as that is the last mention in its pages of this small, but very powerful preaching tool.

Notes

1.     1.      Over time as the other volumes in the series came out, the title changed to The Divine Plan of the Ages, and the entire series became known as Millennial Dawn, and later the series name was changed to Studies in the Scriptures.

2. ZWT 11/1887 p. 1
3. ZWT 12/1887 p. 8
4. ZWT 2/1888 p. 1
5. ZWT 3/1888 p. 2 Extracts From Interesting Letters
6. ZWT 5/1888 p. 2 Extracts From Interesting Letters
7. ZWT 9/1888 p. 8 Extracts From Interesting Letters
8. Ibid
9. ZWT 12/1888 p. 8 A Suggestion to the Reapers
10. ZWT 6/1888 p. 1 About Tracts
11. The Atlanta Constitution, Aug 27, 1903, p3
12. ZWTw 11/1887 p. 1
13. ZWT 12/1887 p. 8 ARP Slips for W. VA. And MD.
14. ZWT 1/1888 p. 8 Extracts From Interesting Letters
15. ZWT 2/1888 p. 1 More Arp Slips
16. The Miami Republican, Jul 6, 1888, p. 3
17. ZWT 1894 4/25 pp. 35-54 Brother Bryan’s Grievances
18. ZWT 11/1891 p. 150 View From the Tower

The Woodworths

The headquarters staff of Watch Tower at one time had two men named Woodworth working with them. There was Clayton J Woodworth, co-writer of The Finished Mystery and editor of The Golden Age magazine and its successor Consolation. There was also Norman Woodworth, who worked on the Photodrama of Creation and the early radio work of the Society, before ceasing fellowship with Watch Tower to take another direction.

Histories of the time period have sometimes speculated on whether the men were related - if not brothers, perhaps cousins or uncle and nephew? It is of no importance at all, but while checking something else - as often happens - the answer came to light.

It is from a May 1943 trial where Clayton Woodworth was called as a witness. (See Consolation December 12, 1944, page 21).

So there was no known family connection. Clayton Woodworth came from New York State and Norman Woodworth came from Canada.

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.

An Italian Postcard

 Material and translation from Franco

From the 1982 Yearbook pages 129-130

“Now let us go back to the end of World War 1. Shortly after 1918, Brother Marcello Martinelli, who had come to a knowledge of the truth in the United States, returned to Italy. He was a native of Valtellina, one of the beautiful valleys in the Rhaetian Alps leading down to Lake Como, and he covered this territory a number of times with the Kingdom message. In 1923 he became a "colporteur," and joined Brother Remigio Cuminetti in the Pinerolo area.”

In 1923 Remigio and Marcello sent a postcard to Fanny Balmas.

Fanny Balmas was the widow of Lugli Balmas, who lived at San Germano, Chisone, Gondini fraction (see 1982 Yearbook page 119). The postcard (reproduced below) is dated August 21, 1923.

Translation:

Susa, Tuesday, August 21 (1923)

Our beloved sister in the Lord

That His kindness will always be increased. We came here last night after a very good trip 70 Km. We are discreetly housed. Today we will try ground.  May the Lord assist us with his grace and blessing for the great merits of the Redeemer, and bless both those who are dear to us and who fight with us in spirit.

The address is: Trattoria degli Alpini Susa Turin.

Greetings and kisses from your dear Marcello (Martinelli) and humble brother Remigio (Cuminetti).

Psalm 121 

Conventioneers

 At its start, photo journalism was a costly business involving wood engravings to reproduce the layers of a photograph for printing.  But in the 1890s and early 1900s it became possible to produce pictures quite cheaply by the halftone process. This basically turned original photographs into a series of dots which could be printed. This was OK for a quick read of a newspaper, but not always so good for deciphering and restoring pictures all these years later.

Previously line drawings had been the norm and this continued well into the early 20^th century. They might have been taken from photographs or just done by the artist on the spot. An example of the latter is of Charles and Maria Russell facing each others at a court hearing in 1906, as reported in the Pittsburgh Press for April 26, 1906:

This article is about one typical line drawing from 1899. It is found in the St Louis Post-Dispatch. The issues for October 7 and 8, 1899, give a running  review on a three day Bible Student convention, held in the Tabernacle Church, 19^th and Morgan Streets, St Louis, with an attendance estimated to top 300 people on the final day, the Sunday.

One of the headings talked of “Pentecostal Scenes.”

The Pentecostal movement with its “signs” of healings and glossolalia mushroomed at the end of the 19^th century in America. As a side-note here, one of its parent groups was The Christian and Missionary Alliance and this was where William H Conley nailed his colors to the mast after leaving association with Zion’s Watch Tower.

But the heading “Pentecostal Scenes” did not describe a “Pentecostal” meeting. Rather it seems more to refer to large numbers getting baptised all at one time. In contrast to what might be seen elsewhere, the write-up specifically described the behavior of those who were there.

“The audience at no time allowed its enthusiasm to get the best of it and become frenzied or fanatical. It was happy, but reasonably so. There was no shouting. The “Believers” are a practical people and do not counternence going to extremes on any subject at any time. They counsel moderation and their meetings are always attended with order and deliberation.”

We note here, and in the headline that the Bible Students were calling themselves “Believers” on this occasion.

The write-up may be influenced by a press release, but appears quite independent. CTR’s baptism talk lasted two hours – as a reflection of the times it was noted there were both Jews and Negroes in the audience – and the review covered Bible Student belief on the millennium and organization, or rather lack of it.

Anyhow, to finally get to the point of this article, the paper sent a staff artist to capture the scene. This is the result:

The curiosity is that it wasn’t just men, but both men and women in the picture. Why the artist chose these particular subjects is not known, but it gives an interesting flavor of the types of people you might just meet at a late 19^th century Bible Student convention.

S. P. Davey

We are grateful to Liam C. for providing the scans below from The Bijou magazine, the Junior Class magazine of the Ohio Weslyan University for 1907, which gives some information about S P Davey, along with his academic history up until that time.

Davey (full name: Devasahayam) is of interest to us because he helped in starting the work of the Bible Student movement in India. The 1977 IBSA Yearbook gives the following details:

"In 1905, S. P. Davey, a science student who had gone to America, met Charles Taze Russell, the Watch Tower Society’s first president. After spending some time with him in Bible study, Davey returned to his native Madras Province that very year to open up the Kingdom work. Preaching among his fellow Tamil-speaking people, he eventually established some forty Bible study groups in and around Nagercoil, at the extreme southern tip of the Indian peninsula."

Another source states that he translated Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, The Divine Plan of the Ages, into Tamil and then Malayalam. 

Charles Taze Russell visited India as part of his world tour in 1912. The Yearbook account states:

"Russell and his party…prepared the ground for future expansion by giving lectures throughout India at the religious city of Benares, the historical city of Lucknow, and at Trivandrum, Kottarakara, Nagercoil, Puram and Vizagapatam, as well as the commercial seaports of Calcutta and Bombay.

Upon Russell’s arrival at Trivandrum from Madras, S. P. Davey greeted Russell at the railway station and garlanded him in typical Indian style. The British government representative, known as the Political Resident, received Brother Russell hospitably and invited him to stay at the Residency. He arranged for the Society’s first president to speak at the city’s Victoria Jubilee Town Hall. Russell also spoke at a nearby village called Nyarakad, where Davey lived. Afterward the name of the village was changed to Russellpuram, meaning The Place of Russell, and so it is called to this day."

CTR’s visit to Russellpuram was reviewed in the 1912 convention report, which also carried a photograph of the two men together.

Davey founded a school in Russellpuram, which still exists. His photograph, alongside that of CTR still hangs in the principal’s office.

After the change in administration, Davey did not remain in fellowship with the IBSA. He died in 1939 and was buried close to the school he founded.

THE ROSS LIBEL TRIAL - PREAMBLE

In the summer of 2023 I completed and published a small book entitled THE ROSS LIBEL TRIAL. It was a research project dating back 35 years, but recent discoveries meant I could resurrect it and complete it.The result was a 64 page book on the Lulu platform.

Those who like a printed copy of material can search Lulu to find it.

However, I appreciate that many who may be interested in the subject don’t want to buy a book. So the material is going to be presented here in the following 10 posts – featuring an introduction, seven chapters, and then two appendix chapters. They have all been posted in reverse order so that you can read them now in the right order on the blog. Readers are free to download or print out anything from this material that may be of interest.

What follows then is in this order.

INTRODUCTION

1.     THE BACKGROUND

2.      PICKING THE RIGHT PLATFORM

3.      THE LAW AND THE PERJURY CHARGE

4.      THE SIDERSKY EFFECT

5.      THE TRANSCRIPT THAT HAS SURVIVED

6.      SO WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?

7.      IN CONCLUSION

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

THE ROSS LIBEL TRIAL - TITLE AND INTRODUCTION

 

THE ROSS LIBEL TRIAL

The history of a 1913 legal case remembered

(badly) down through the years.

 

Print edition first published in 2013

Copyrighted. All rights reserved

 

INTRODUCTION

The Ross libel trial is one of those cases that hovered on the fringes of Watch Tower history for well over a hundred years. It raised comment at the time in the pages of The Watchtower magazine, and when resurrected by a critic in the early 1950s, prompted a Question from Readers in The Watchtower for May 15, 1953 to deal with it.

Charles Taze Russell sued a Baptist clergyman, John Jacob Ross, on the charge of criminal libel in early 1913. The resulting fall-out included the charge that Russell had committed perjury. The lack of a transcript of the relevant part of the case only added to the confusion.

This small book is to clear up the controversy with research and documentation discovered in recent years. I make no secret that to this author’s mind, the accusation that Charles Taze Russell was less than truthful is unfair and unfounded. If that is not to the reader’s liking, then of course you do not have to read on.

Some of the research was done with a fellow researcher about 35 years ago. My thanks to Roger and I will try not to leave it another 35 years… In more recent times, the discovery of part of the original transcript from a most unusual source helped the writer revisit the subject. The advent of research tools on the internet also helped considerably in unearthing material that would otherwise not have seen the light of day.

Images from pre-1923 are deemed to be in the public domain and under fair use are taken with acknowledgement from an active subscription to newspapers.com and other sources.

CHAPTER 1 - THE BACKGROUND

 For the first nearly 40 years of Watch Tower Society history, the organization was inextricably linked to the name Charles Taze Russell (hereafter referred to as CTR). CTR founded and edited Zion’s Watch Tower magazine (later The Watch Tower), was elected as Pastor by numerous Bible study groups, and wrote a theological framework for the Bible Students in his Millennial Dawn series of six textbooks (later named Studies in the Scriptures).

His work attracted the ire of orthodoxy as he promoted such concepts as no hell fire, no inherent immortal soul, no triune God, and a pre-millennial return of Christ, with a literal thousand year reign over a literal earth.

Instead of using scripture to question CTR’s position on belief and doctrine, increasingly the media - and especially the clergy of mainstream denominations - resorted to quite vicious ad hominem attacks. In the face of highly personal criticism, CTR had to make a choice – whether to just ignore it or to resort to litigation.

On several occasions he took to the latter course, suing both publications and individuals.

Sometimes he won a victory. Marley Cole’s book Jehovah’s Witnesses: The New World Society gave two examples. Both The Washington Post and The Chicago Mission Friend paid CTR damages and more importantly published an apology and retraction of specific attacks on him. Even J J Ross, the protagonist in the case we are going to consider, mentioned other church papers like The Megaphone and The Christian Armoury who likewise apologised and withdrew material in the face of legal proceedings.

But on other occasions CTR failed, and with hindsight, in some cases it might have been better to have just left matters alone. Today’s newsprint is often tomorrow’s recycling and the contents forgotten. Going to law draws media attention to an issue, and the results can be unpredictable. In the Watch Tower for October 1, 1915, when answering a question about why he, CTR, took someone to court, when Jesus didn't, he stated about the Ross case: "We are not certain that we did the wisest and best thing – the thing most pleasing to the Lord in the matter mentioned."

The biggest example of a case that went the distance but did not work out as hoped was the January 1913 case Charles T Russell vs The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, commonly known as the “Miracle Wheat” trial.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle was a populist newspaper that rarely had a good word to say about CTR and his ministry.

Miracle Wheat was a strain of wheat discovered – it was claimed – by a farmer named Kenton Ballard Stoner. Years after the controversy it was discovered that Stoner had marketed the wheat under several names, and done very nicely out of it. One of the names coined was “miracle wheat” and back in 1908 The Watch Tower magazine picked up a secular newspaper paragraph on it, and suggested this might be one of many indications of the forthcoming blessings in the millennium. A Bible Student named John Adam Bohnet later obtained some seed and grew the wheat on farmland adjacent to a cemetery the Watch Tower Society owned in Pittsburgh. Bible Students who were farmers could purchase seed if they chose as a way of donating to the Watch Tower Society’s work. When the scheme was criticised, CTR’s magazine offered readers their donations back if any were unhappy. No-one took up the offer.

Perhaps the most objective conclusion on miracle wheat – under its various guises – came several years after the trial. In 1916 the U.S. Department of Agriculture published a 28-page report entitled Alaska and Stoner, or “Miracle” Wheats. (United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 357, April 27, 1916). After extensive trials their considered judgment on page 27 was: “It is not as good as some and is somewhat better than others.”

In fairness to all concerned, comparing varieties of wheat was not always an exact science. So much depended on soil conditions, weather conditions and the time of year the seed was planted. The strain was later renamed Weber wheat, owned by the family of Henry Weber, who had been Watch Tower vice-president prior to his death in 1904. The New Era Enterprise for October 19, 1920, reported that it had won several prizes under that name.

Going back to The Brooklyn Eagle, the newspaper published a satirical cartoon in September 1911. The Brooklyn Union Bank had recently gone bankrupt, and The Brooklyn Daily Eagle had conducted a campaign against it accusing the directors of fraud. They published a cartoon, mocking the Union Bank as the Onion Bank, and making a reference to Pastor Russell and the offer of “miracle wheat” in the pages of The Watch Tower. The caption read: “If Pastor Russell can get a dollar a pound for ‘miracle wheat’ what could he have got for Miracle stocks and bonds as a director in the old Union Bank?”

CTR sued. The testimony is fascinating and the transcript of this trial from January 1913 has survived. But he failed to win the case. His comments on the verdict and his praise for the jury system (even though he believed it let him down this time) can be found in the February 15, 1913 issue of The Watch Tower.

The real issue was the suggestion that CTR was trying to defraud Watch Tower readers. However, the trial soon got bogged down into whether the wheat was any good or not. Numerous experts were called upon to say that the wheat was the best thing since sliced bread. But the case soon became a scattergun of attacks on all sorts of fronts. CTR’s estranged wife, Maria, turned up.  CTR was in court, although not called as a witness since he admitted he knew nothing about the properties of wheat. So there in court were CTR and Maria, apparently looking at each other across the room. Maria was called to testify for the Eagle, but her testimony was so inconsequential, one can only assume that her appearance on the newspaper’s behest was to try and cause CTR maximum discomfort.

CTR’s attorney, Joseph F Rutherford, gave his view of the result in a booklet published in 1915 – A Great Battle in the Ecclesiastical Heavens:

 

If CTR had won his case against the Eagle it would probably have ended any need to sue Ross or others like him. But that wasn’t to be.

John Jacob Ross (1870-1935) was the Pastor of the James Street Baptist Church, in Hamilton, Ontario. In 1912 he published a tract: Some Facts about the Self-Styled “Pastor” Charles T. Russell (of Millennial Dawn Fame).

Ross’s background can be found in his obituary from 1935 (The Province, Vancouver, September 19, 1935). He was born in Quebec, and educated at Woodstock Baptist College and McMaster University, Toronto. He worked in various places in Canada, and also included a spell in Chicago, USA, where he was reportedly president of the Chicago Baptist Minsters’ Union. He was married and had one son, John Graham Ross, of Winnipeg, although it has not been possible to trace any descendants. He was a writer who produced several booklets on doctrine from the Baptist perspective, peppered with scriptural references. They included The Prophecy on Olivet or The Sign of His Coming (1909) and The Under-World of the Dead or The Abode of Departed Spirits (2^nd edition 1914 from 1912 sermon). One may disagree with his conclusions, but at least there are Bible texts to reason on. Had Ross just attempted to use the Bible to try and refute CTR’s message there would have been no problem. Instead, he made a number of personal attacks with no scriptural references whatsoever, apart from one passing reference to “false prophets” (Matthew 7:15; 1 John 4:1) at the very end.

 

Ross’s academic credentials have been questioned by some writers, specifically Ditlieb Felderer, who we will come to later. However, if ad hominem attacks on CTR should be off limits, then the same should apply to Ross. All that is relevant here is that Ross admitted he had never met CTR prior to being sued by him. He also admitted that when, in June 1912, he published his anti-CTR tract there was very little original material in it. It was basically a copy and paste job from the Eagle newspaper. CTR had visited Canada and his speaking engagements included Hamilton, Ontario. Ross had rushed out his pamphlet (“50 cents per hundred, four dollars per thousand”) to warn his Baptist flock as he saw it.

So again, CTR sued. But this time there was one big difference. Rather than a civil charge of libel, as was the case with the concurrent Eagle situation, Ross was sued for criminal libel. What this meant and how it impacted on the outcome is covered in the next chapter.