Consolation, August 19, 1942

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Contents

Jews and the Inter-Faith Hoax (Part 2) 3

Gifts—Ancient and Modern 4

"Deeply Moved" 4

Others Moved by the Gift 5

Appeasement Futile 6

Demon Influence 7

British Comment

Children of Eire in the Temple 9

The Joy of One Deaf and Dumb 11

The New Government

Something Starts in Virginia 12

"Thy Word Is Truth"

Freedom of Worship 17

What Other People Say on the Supreme Court's Indecision 19

The Test of Freedom 19

"An Un-American Decision" 21

Power to Tax Is Power to Destroy 21

"Plows the Bill of Rights Under" 23

What the Columnists Say 24

"I'd Rather Be Right" 24

Reversal on Flag-Salute Decision 26

'The Vital Rights Lincoln Spoke Of' 27

First Repercussions of the Decision 27

Presenting "This Gospel of the Kingdom" 28

Uses of the Dictionary 28

Bible Dictionaries 29

National Association of Manufacturers 30

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Notanda

Nothing to Laugh About

◆ "Protestants" and Jews who associate with the Roman Catholic cult, whether by Inter-Faith or other schemes, are poor simpletons! In the 20th century, not in the Middle Ages, "Father" Harney, a priest in the United States, said:

Certainly the Church does consider Protestants heretics . . . I do not doubt, if they were strong enough, that the Catholic people would hinder, even by death if necessary, the spread of heretical errors among the people, and I say rightly so.

Jews and Protestants are considered by Rome as natural enemies and of the kingdom of Satan. Note the following quotation from The American Freeman, August, 1935:

Can you quote something that establishes clearly the Catholic Church's policy of encouraging and provoking persecution of Jews, heathens, heretics and others?

I'd hate to condemn you to a reading of "A Dictionary of Miracles—Imitative, Realistic and Dogmatic," by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer (Lippincott), . . . Instead of reading the comic sections (which bore me) I get heaps of amusement out of these solemn records of the absurd beliefs of millions of persons, past and present. But all is not laugh-provoking. Frequently one meets statements of belief that are shocking in their brutality. At page 19 I find the following words:

"As Jews and Protestants, as well as Mahometans and heathens, belong to the kingdom of Satan, they are the natural enemies of the 'Church of Christ'; and to destroy them, by craft, war, persecution, or in any other way, is as glorious as to trap a foe by ambush, or kill him in open fight. On the other hand, to persecute a Roman Catholic is to persecute Christ Himself, and to wage war against the kingdom of God. . . . For a Jew or 'heretic' to injure a Catholic is a sin; but for a saint to injure a Jew or 'heretic' is meritorious, although often it is a hazardous civil offense."

CONSOLATION

"And in His name shall the nations hope."—Matthew 12:21, A. R. V.

Volume XXIII | Brooklyn, N. Y., Wednesday, August 19, 1942 | Number 598

Jews and the Inter-Faith Hoax

(In Two Parts—Part 2)

THE Roman Catholic Hierarchy inaugurated its crusades in the name of Christ. It is their method of preaching “this gospel of the kingdom”. Christ Jesus sent forth His followers with the sword of the spirit, the truth of God’s Word, admonishing them to be as “harmless as doves”. The popes, who falsely claim to be Christ’s vicegerent on earth, prefer a literal sword. During the Middle Ages many were thus “converted” to Catholicism, it being estimated that over 200,000 Jews in Spain alone became “Christians” to escape the horrors of the Inquisition in that country.

Modern-Day Parallel

Such mass conversions find a modern-day parallel in the lands of the totalitarians, which further serves to link inseparably the Catholic church, the dictators and the revived Inquisition. The National Jewish Ledger, August 16, 1940, is much concerned over the wave of “conversions” of Jews to the Catholic church, and also shows the reason for such influx into the fold of the Vatican. It said:

A wave of conversions to Catholicism from Judaism since Italy’s adoption of racialism is giving rise to fears that Italian Jewry will not long survive as an organized community. It is learned that 5,500 Jews have either been converted or have withdrawn from the Jewish Community, which is a preliminary step to conversion. This figure represents 18 percent of the total Jewish population in Italy.

The current epidemic of conversions is generally attributed to international developments and the desire of those seeing no other possibilities to secure the protection of the Church. Most of the converts hope that membership in the Church will exempt them from the racial laws . . . One result of the situation is that a number of full-blooded Jewish Catholics are considered “Aryans” while members of their families are regarded under the laws as Jews.

If the Roman Catholic Hierarchy is so persecuted (as it bewails) by the dictators, why is it that the Jews see in her a refuge? Why does the corporate state recognize Catholicized Jews as “Aryans”? The conspiracy between the Vatican and the totalitarians is well known in the countries of the dictators, and that the Hierarchy can call off the dogs if she is disposed to do so, which she isn’t.

The Catholic church plays a different and more subtle role in the democracies, posing as a victim of martyrdom at the hands of ruthless dictators that she might play upon the sympathies of the people here and through Inter-Faith and other wily schemes infiltrate and honeycomb Protestantism and Judaism. Thus she destroys the once virile strength of her two old enemies.

Doubtless the church does not relish the necessity for such subterfuge; she would much prefer the open and above-board tactics of the Inquisition, old and new, by “conversion” “at the point of a sword”. Not having progressed to that point in this country, however, she uses the innocent-appearing Inter-Faith snare to lull into a sense of false security any who might be obstacles in her path, and the Jews are obstacles because of their distaste for regimentation of any kind. Any who fall for this subtle machination of the Devil are due for a rude awakening!

George Cardinal Seredi graciously "invited" the Jews in Rumania to be baptized, pending anti-Semitic legislation. This invitation was stated in an Associated Press dispatch from Budapest, and was published in the Cincinnati Times-Star of December 21, 1938. It is as follows:

Justinian George Cardinal Seredi, Archbishop of Strigonis, in a pastoral letter setting forth the Catholic attitude toward pending anti-Semitic legislation, declared today that "all who come for baptism must be received with love". In the case of adults, including Jews, a three-month probation period would be required during which the applicant for baptism must receive religious instruction for two hours weekly. Marriages are to be examined for validity from a Catholic point of view, the letter said. Anti-Semitic restrictive measures are to be introduced in Parliament Friday. It was said unofficially that in the professions Jews would be limited to seven per cent of the number of persons engaged in them throughout the country. The percentage of participation in businesses will vary.

Doubtless the marriages which are to be examined for validity "from a Catholic point of view" will be found invalid, and the ceremony will have to be administered again, to "take", and that will take money.

Gifts—Ancient and Modern

Becoming "Christian" a la Hierarchy does not solve the Jew's difficulties. It merely brings him into closer relationship with the Catholic church for more systematic exploitation. Those who sought such means of escape during the Inquisition were continually suspected of heresy and their confession and repentance must be accompanied by a large "donation" to the "Holy Office".

In Spain before the "Christian" rulers were so powerfully entrenched as to inaugurate their infamous Spanish Inquisition and take the drastic action against the Jews that they wished to take—and later did—the numerous synagogues paid a capitation tax and, in addition, made gifts or presents to the infante, the nobility, or the Catholic church. Such presents did not sufficiently appease the Hierarchy, however, nor did they stave off the Inquisition then brewing.

The United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs recently donated $125,000 to Pope Pius XII for distribution to refugees. (Incidentally, one of the co-chairmen of the Appeal was Rabbi Jonah B. Wise, the 'bright flower' of the Inter-Faith shindig held at the Waldorf Astoria.) The church is as yet not powerful enough in this country to revive her Inquisition to the same extent as she has been able to do in Europe; and until she can, she must content herself with presents, just as she did in Spain before her power burst forth in full Inquisitorial bloom.

"Deeply Moved"

Does the Appeal think that by such gifts she can avert the gathering storm, or is it a 'delaying action' maneuver? What did she get in return? A "thank you" from the pope and the assurance that he was "deeply moved"! This man is "moved" and "wrung" and "touched" so often (as reported in the public press) that it seems something a little more out of the ordinary could be drummed up for $125,000. A person far less susceptible to emotion would be "moved" by such a gift. The secretary of state of the "Holy See" is the one who passed this trite expression on to the donors. Seems that these Vatican pages could be given a pep talk to instill a bit more variety into their statements. It might stimulate more presents! By the way, why are the presents mostly to, seldom from, the Vatican?

Others Moved by the Gift

Many Jews in this country were dumfounded by the action taken by this organization. The Jews resist Nazism and Fascism, and then some of their leaders present the real source of these monstrosities with $125,000! Joseph Hoffman Cohn, editor of The Shepherd of Israel, writes bitterly of the thinly-veiled bribery of his brethren according to the flesh:

Humiliating and disillusioning was the revelation in the newspapers a few months ago: "The United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs has allocated $250,000 for assistance to Christian refugees. Half of the sum was to be distributed by Pope Pius XII as a memorial to his predecessor." Relief funds, gathered from the blood-sweat of thousands of poor Jews, in response to heart-breaking appeals from the Jewish relief societies to send immediate help to their fellow Jews across the water who were suffering the throes of death agonies and worse, at the hands of brutal Nazis, this blood money was handed out glibly and without a quiver of conscience, $125,000 of it, to the Pope! What for? To add to his already over-bloated coffers of gold . . .

What is it that seems to blind our Jewish leaders that they cannot see straight even in these dark hours of Israel's hell? Can it be true that the old adage, "Whom the gods [demons] would destroy they first make mad," is working out before our eyes in this very instance? Do not our Jewish leaders know full well the bloody history of Romish hate against the Jews through these last two thousand years? Do we need to remind them all over again of the Spanish Inquisition, the Torquemadas, the massacre of St. Bartholomew, the demon hate of Pope Gregory, the long bloody trail of Romish slaughter of uncounted millions of helpless Jews through the ages? Does any Jew think that Rome is today different than she was a thousand years ago? Do you not know if Rome had her way in America at the present hour, the streets of our country would run red with Jewish blood?

What possesses our Jewish rabbis to fraternize and fellowship with Roman Catholic priests? Have we gone sheer mad? Did these Jewish leaders think that by this gesture of magnanimous charity for the Roman Catholics they were going to buy the Pope's good will? Then a thousand shames upon them. It is the same old story of the Jewish leaders betraying the great mass of the Jewish people, and we shudder to think of what an accounting they will have to give to God for such cowardly conduct.

At least some of the Jewish people are alert to the true position of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy. It is believed that many Jews not only see the situation in its true light but also have the backbone to speak about it when the occasion arises. Maurice Kesner, in the California Jewish Voice, issue of July 19, 1940, does just this, and calls a rabbi spineless and a fool for appeasing the "church", and having an 'escapist complex'. He said:

"Jews are weeping because Europe is dying. Jews are bewailing the demise of a civilization marked by the splendor of two thousand years of the glorious European culture which produced Luther, Shakespeare and the Gothic Cathedrals."

This point of view sums up a prominent local rabbi's "inspiring" last sermon of the season. This was the picture painted by the spiritual head of one of our most pretentious temples. And we may well ask, For whom was this picture painted? Was the rabbi making a gesture to impress his gentile contemporaries? Or does he really interpret the significance of medieval culture in the "light" of its magnificent cathedrals?

If the rabbi painted this picture to ingratiate himself into the "inner circle" of gentile society, then we can only repeat with the prophets of old, "Woe unto thy people, O hypocrite . . ." if a rabbi, of all people, actually sees Gothic Cathedrals as a blessing to culture and civilization he is the most blatant of fools and the most ignorant of ignoramuses.

Gothic Cathedrals ornamented with the plundered gold of murdering crusaders! Gothic Cathedrals builded upon the bones of countless innocent victims of man's selfishness and lust. Heroic knights, clad in costly armor, hewing down Jewish mothers and babes in their merciless march through European towns to the holy shrines! Kings and Feudal Lords rationalizing their medieval blitzkriegs by pretending to champion love and mercy, only to slay those who would not succumb to spiritual and physical slavery!

Long centuries of lust and greed and war and the lack of elementary human principles have resulted in the rotting carcass which we call Europe today, of which Hitler is but the final stench. If this particular rabbi's sermon is a sample of the type of sermons that is being preached in our temples and synagogues today, then it will truly be the LAST sermon.

Sign of the Cross

Some of the Jewish leaders, such as this rabbi and those at the head of the Appeal, are evidently blind to the historical facts herein reviewed, or they are loath to see their full import relative to modern-day events. As the foregoing quotation suggests, they fawningly curry the favor of the Roman Catholic cult, seeking to ingratiate themselves by smooth words and gifts. "The fear of man (or men) is a snare!"

History is repeating itself, and one doesn't have to put one's ear to the ground to hear the ominous rumblings of the Inquisition coming to life! From the comparisons made in this article between the past ages and the present day, it is clearly seen that the laws and acts against the Jews in totalitarian countries at this time bear the unmistakable "sign of the cross"! Let wishful thinkers refuse to read this "sign" and succumb to the enticing "song of the harlot".

Many priests in this country have manifested anti-Semitic tendencies. This fact is so well known that further elaboration is not necessary. Coughlin is the most flagrant, but he is just a "feeler" put out by the Hierarchy. He is the spearhead or opening wedge for the heavy artillery—the putting into operation of the papal decrees long ago established and still in existence.

Appeasement Futile

"Buying" protection from gangsters is an expensive, never-ending process, and the security so obtained is always precarious. Bribes, gifts or presents may postpone, may be a "delaying action", but, like the unfortunate goose that laid golden eggs for its master, such dribbles will but temporarily slake the greedy thirst of the Roman beast! As her totalitarian champions have overflowed one nation after another, the Jews, as a working, valuable and respected part of society, have ceased to exist as such and have been looted and killed. The aim of the Roman Catholic Hierarchy is to convert, or, failing in this, to destroy; never to tolerate!

These facts are not aired for the purpose of stirring up hate. It is for the enlightenment of the people that they might shy away from such subtle entanglements as Inter-Faith. If the acts here reviewed are hateful, that is the responsibility of those perpetrating them. Some might say, "Why not let sleeping dogs lie?" That, one would be willing to do, but this "dog" is no longer sleeping! The Vatican could call off or excommunicate its cur Hitler if it wished, just as it could squelch the anti-Semitic Coughlin, if it so desired. Now let all those who wish to play the ostrich and stick their heads into the sands of Inter-Faith do so. These facts have been ventilated as a warning to sincere and honest persons who desire to know the truth. Their only source of protection will be duly disclosed.

Self-Justification

Some attempt to justify their persecution of the Jews, saying it is because of their business methods. Big business is a devilish thing, whether it be conducted by Jew or gentile. There is no justice in making the Jews the scapegoat for the entire setup. If the Jew is more acute and prosperous in such enterprises, the "Christian" may thank himself. Barred from many professions, refused the privilege of owning land to farm, confined to the ghetto slums, how was the Jew so restricted by papal decrees to earn a living other than as merchant and moneylender?

Another reason given for Jewish persecution is that they resist conversion to "Christianity". When the world thinks of Christians today they mistakenly think of Catholics or Protestants. This being true, it is little wonder the Jews refuse to join the ranks of these pseudo-Christians of the Hierarchy who have so violently persecuted them for nearly 2,000 years! 'If such are the fruits of Christianity,' they say, 'we want no part of it!' They fail to see the distinction between Christians and religionists.

Perhaps the most frequent charge laid at the door of the Jews, and the excuse given for their mistreatment, is that of being "Christ-killers". For this reason both Protestants and Catholics discriminate against the Jews. The Jews on earth at the present time had nothing to do with the crucifixion of Christ Jesus. How can they justly be made responsible for something which happened 1900 years ago? Are Catholics hated because of the wicked Inquisition of a few centuries back? They are not, and should not be. Nor are the Catholic people today despised because of the evils of the present Hierarchy. Yet the entire race of the Jews is made the scapegoat for the actions of a few.

Jehovah God cast the Jews off as His chosen nation, but He has not discriminated against them in the manner in which His supposed followers, particularly the Roman Catholic church, do. "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." (Romans 10:12) Note that this statement was made after the crucifixion.

In fact, for three and one-half years after the death of Christ Jesus the preaching of the gospel was limited to the Jews. There is no difference with Jehovah between Jew or gentile, bond or free. But the Roman Catholic sect not only adopts the "holier than thou" attitude condemned by Isaiah, but also poses as 'holier than Jehovah'.

Demon Influence

Above are some of the reasons given by those who oppress the Jews. The real ones are more likely as follows: First, a desire on the part of the Hierarchy to rob the Jews of their money, as they did during the Inquisition. A Catholic nobleman at that time would become greatly indebted to a Jewish moneylender; then in the name of his religion, crying "Christ-killer", would proceed to erase both his debt and his creditor.

A deeper reason, and one not generally recognized, is the desire of the Devil to reproach the name of Jehovah God. The Jews were at one time His chosen people, used by Him to make prophetic pictures of events now coming to pass. Though they no longer occupy such favored position as a nation, the Devil and his demons think by heaping ignominy upon them they further reproach the Almighty, since the Jews still claim Jehovah as their God.

This hatred of the name Jehovah by the demons is reflected by their visible representatives on earth. The Nazis, recognized by many as being under demon control, manifest this by banning the word "Jehovah" from the Reich churches. Some in this country follow suit, as shown by the following, which appeared in The Oregonian, of Portland, Oregon. Under the heading "'Jehovah' Term Meets Bible Ban", it said:

The word "Lord" will be substituted for "Jehovah" in future editions of the American standard Bible wherever the Hebrew name for the deity appears, Dean Luther A. Weigle of the Yale divinity school announced Sunday.

Dr. Weigle, chairman of a committee of eight scholars and Bible experts who have been working on a revision of the Bible, said the change was being made "because Jehovah is not a functioning religious term".

That, Mr. Weigle, is 'wishful thinking'. Jehovah's "strange work" is now "functioning", and soon, at Armageddon, His "strange act" will convince everyone of Jehovah's existence. The American Revised Version of the Bible states over sixty times in Ezekiel that at that time 'they shall know that I am Jehovah'.

The Wise Course

The Jewish people today should awaken to the fact that there is a vast difference between these religionists who claim to be Christians and those who are truly Christ's footstep followers. They should not permit themselves to be misled by their leaders into sugar-coated Inter-Faith fables which will put them in the position of fighting against God. There is one thing on which this Inter-Faith combine does agree, and that is their opposition to Jehovah's witnesses. A Protestant, a Catholic and a Jew are placed on a censorship board to presumptuously check before broadcasting the message of Jehovah's kingdom! They realize the truth of God's Word condemns every one of them. Thus they 'incorporate' for mutual protection. It will not save them!—Isaiah 8: 9, 10.

When Christ Jesus was on the earth, the common people among the Jews heard Him gladly. Why won't they today? American Action, Leaflet No. 3, under title "The Jew", says:

In doctrine and in blood Jesus was a Jew. Some Jews—put in office by the Romans, and apostates to the Jewish faith—were against him. The masses of the Jews, the common people, were for him. The Romans, who were pagans and idolaters, worshipping the Emperor as a god, remained pagans and idolaters, but they switched their idolatry. They took the label of the Cross, after they had corrupted the church. . . . They changed his pure doctrine into a rigmarole of idolatry, and used it to prop up the political supremacy of wicked and bloody Roman emperors like Constantine. They made Constantine a saint (divus). From that time on began the Catholic persecution of the Jew, which continues down to our own day. Hitler, in pressing this persecution, shows that he is but one of the spiritual wrecks of Catholicism, the end of an age.

The Jews here referred to as 'apostates to the 'faith' were the religious leaders who opposed Christ Jesus and hindered others from entering the Kingdom. Apparently multitudes of the common people would have done so, but these leaders sided in with the dictators of that day, saying, "We have no king but Caesar." Such religionists so blinded the people that in the end Christ's death was by popular demand. The same thing is happening today. Some of the Jewish leaders are drawing their people into an affiliation with the modern-day Caesars by association with the backers of the dictators, the Roman Catholic Hierarchy! This they do by Inter-Faith.

It is a subtle snare of the Devil to bring all into his camp and oppose The Theocracy. Do not be ensnared therein by fear of man or a desire for man's approval. "The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe." (Proverbs 29: 25) Let all those, whether they be Catholic, Protestant, or Jew, who love righteousness and hate iniquity, who desire the Lord's approval and everlasting life, avoid such unholy alliances. Take a stand firmly and immovably on the side of Jehovah God and 'kiss the Son, lest ye perish'. Look to and serve the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. Only by so doing may one have deliverance from the unrighteousness now rampant in the earth. "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee."—Psalm 50: 14, 15.

British Comment

By J. Hemery (London)

[Compiled, this issue, in America.—Ed.]

Children of Eire in the Temple

◆ Dublin, the capital of Eire, has a population of about 320,000, 90 percent of which is Roman Catholic. The other 10 percent is made up of Jews, Masons, and various Protestant sects. The priests are zealous to keep the majority at the status quo; therefore they are constantly on the alert to see that there shall be no proselytizing by the "Protestants".

There is in the town a medical mission conducted by a Protestant sect which gives free advice and medicine to the sick poor. Many poor, down-trodden Catholics avail themselves of this favor, but in order to receive treatment they have to run the gauntlet, being abused by a Roman Catholic picket which parades up and down outside the entrance to the clinic. In spite of this, Jehovah's witnesses continue to function and show progress in the city. A splendid witness was given during 1941. In the spring the rulers, press and clergy were served with the Fifth Column booklet and Kingdom News No. 9; and in the summer, with a copy of the booklet Theocracy. A public lecture was given reproducing "Government and Peace", which attracted many strangers. This angered the religious leaders, and, strange to say, it was a Protestant clergyman of the Church of Ireland who took the initiative to cause trouble for Jehovah's witnesses. This distinguished gentleman sent a letter to us asking us to call on him to give an account of ourselves. This we ignored; which must have cut him to the quick, for another letter came saying that if we did not withdraw Judge Rutherford's books from circulation at once, he would take further action against us. We ignored that letter also, treating it with the contempt it deserved.

Soon thereafter action was taken. Little groups of men were seen to be watching the Kingdom Hall every meeting night. The company servant and secretary were shadowed to their lodgings. Two detectives stopped them one night in the street and examined their case, which contained only Bibles and the Watchtowers for the evening study. They were also subjected to much questioning, after which the detectives apologized, saying they had made a mistake. Another detective attended two service meetings and we treated him as a brother. He did not reveal his identity (but we guessed it) until after the end of his second visit, when he admitted that he was impressed with what he had heard, although coming with an ulterior motive. He must have given the authorities a good report, because we were not suspected again by them.

The Eire Constitution of 1938 allows for freedom of worship, and most of the members of the Dail (Irish Parliament) are fair-minded men, which is proved by the fact that many Protestant sects are allowed to air their views at street corners under police protection, and a more tolerant attitude is shown to all classes; more so than at any time since the 1916 rebellion. The company servant received a letter from a friend saying that there was a plot to beat up Jehovah's witnesses. The police must have heard of this plot, as we were under police protection for a while; and although we saw hooligans staring at us as we left Kingdom Hall, no attempt was made to use violence. No doubt the authorities remember the court case centered around Jehovah's witnesses in 1937 and which caused a great stir throughout the whole of Ireland on both sides of the border, and do not wish for a repetition of that scandal; or it may be that the Irish, being noted for their contrariness, are allowing them to function because they are being hindered in every other country today.

The Irish are a lovable people and respond quickly to kindness. Some say Joshua ‘was an Irishman, because, according to Numbers 13:16, his original name was O'Shea’. Without doubt the Irish have suffered oppression in the past and have looked to men such as Parnell, O'Connell, Wolfe Tone, and in later years Michael Collins and De Valera, for deliverance, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey; but these men, although sincere in their convictions, could not give them the desire of their hearts.

Many of the Irish are realizing this now and are more receptive to the message of The Theocracy. This message is being brought to them now by little children of tender years and is causing a great impression among all classes in Dublin. These little children of the King have outstripped their elders in their hours spent in the field. Their zeal must be pleasing to Jehovah and His Son; but the clergy, being unable to stop the “Hosanna’s” shouted by these little ones, are continually mingling with their appeals for money denunciations of Jehovah’s witnesses. All over Dublin we are asked by perplexed people, “Why is our minister against you people? You seem to be doing a good, Christian work, and he is supposed to be a good, Christian man.”

This causes many to doubt the genuineness of their spiritual leaders, and some Catholics and Protestants of good-will are taking a definite stand and are serving The Theocracy. So the interests of the Kingdom are increasing in this dark land once referred to as “the brightest jewel in the Pope’s crown”.—J. H. Corr, Dublin.

Britain's Interests vs. Those of Firms

◆ Let honorable members think of these points. It is in our interest to postpone every postponable repair; it is in the interests of the owners to get every repair done and have it charged up to the excess profit tax. It is in our interest to work the good seams in the coal mines now; it is in the owners' interests to postpone work on the good seams until after the war. It is in our interest to share trade secrets; it is in the owners' interests to preserve them. It is in our interest to concentrate output in every factory on one or few products; it is in their interests to keep the factory flexible by making as many different products as possible. It is in our interest that skilled men should spend part of their time teaching their skill to unskilled men; it is in the owners' interests that skilled men should be kept on direct production all the time. It is in our interest to save paper by cutting down advertising; it is in their interests to spend money which belongs to us—because otherwise it would go in excess profits tax—in advertising things like aeroplane parts.

Let honorable members look at technical journals such as Flight, and they will find them filled with advertising of aeroplanes. It is simply a question of our money being used to build up postwar good-will. It is in our interest that women should replace men; it is in the interests of the firms to hang on to the men because they know that the women will go away after the war. It is in our interest that half-used machines should be sent to factories where they would be fully used; it is in the firms' interests to disguise the fact that the machines are half used. It is in our interest that skilled workers, when work falls off in one factory, should be sent to another factory; it is the firms' interest to hang on to skilled workers in case a good order should turn up. It is in our interest that every productive resource should be pressed into service; it is in the owners' interests to wonder whether there will not be surplus productive capacity at the end of the war.—Sir Richard Acland, M. P., in the House of Commons. [In Fact prints the whole speech, and says it was unreported in America and mostly suppressed in Britain because in it "the same business-as-usual system of Big Business which ruined the first 18 months of the American defense program is attacked in Britain".]

The Joy of One Deaf and Dumb

◆ I wish to let you know how happy I am. I have the joy of the 'cup running over'.

I believe Jehovah directed one of His witnesses to me. Some had previously called at our house but I am deaf and dumb and rather hesitated. At last a pioneer witness came round, and after reading her card I inquired of the things I wanted to know. She brought many books for me to read and a brother came with her to my house to study.

I had over 40 religious books, but I threw them all away. The books which they brought make me search the Scriptures every time.

I am very grateful to the Lord for the timely advice and counsel I have received under His most tender lead. I pray Jehovah's rich blessings upon my pioneer friends and all His true witnesses. I am glad that I am now on the Lord's side and a true witness too.

It seemed that the lamp was burning at my feet a little, but now the path is so clear that I too am able to help feed the truth-hungry. My young son, who can speak and hear, is also now a worker for The Theocracy.

I thank Jehovah that eight deaf-and-dumb people that I have told of the truth have asked to subscribe for The Watchtower.

The Harp of God and Model Study books 1 and 2 are most helpful to deaf-and-dumb people of good-will. I would like to know if I could have 25 of each Model Study booklet.

I would be very pleased to know of any other deaf-and-dumb people who desire to know the truth. We rejoiced to be with the Lord's people at the great assembly for worship at Leicester.

Blessings be with you all the time, that these favors may continue until the "strange work" is done; and that time appears very near.—R. J. C., England.

Freezing Level

◆ British aviators now receive information as to the freezing level, which in winter is 3,000 feet up and in summer 10,000 feet up, for a distance of about a mile. The Spitfires plan to go through the freezing zone in just over three minutes. A warplane bogged with ice is booked for destruction. Above the freezing zone the water has already formed into ice crystals and does not stick to the plane.

Jehovah Answered His Prayers

◆ At Lowestoft, England, one of goodwill toward God prayed every night that His blessings might be upon His witnesses and that he himself might come in touch with them. Sure enough, along came one of the witnesses, with the latest publications; a model study was started, and now the man and his twelve-year-old daughter are both active publishers for The Theocracy.

Plant Refugees from Britain

◆ Miami, Florida, houses at present the rare strains of orchids developed in Britain by the duke of Westminster, but which could not be cared for in England owing to lack of fuel and the possibility of ruined greenhouses due to bombing. It is claimed that to replace these orchids would require several generations of plant life.

Two Belgian Boys Got Across

◆ Five Belgian boys tried to row from their country to Britain, a long, hard trip in a rowboat. The second day out, German airmen saw them and machine-gunned the boat and killed three of the boys; but the other two managed to get through all right.

RIGHTEOUS RULER

THE NEW GOVERNMENT

Something Starts in Virginia

◆ The school board of Southampton County maintains the unfortunate position that what America needs is what may be called "elbow" patriotism. The elbow kind can be performed by anybody who doesn't have a stiff elbow. But it means nothing at all; absolutely not one thing. For example: In India are religious zealots who hold the right arm straight up above the head until it becomes stiff and cannot be moved. It's very religious, but after that the elbow saint is really in the way. Somebody else has to wait on him. There is no connection between his brains, if any, and his elbow. The Southampton County school board is like that. With these few kind words there now follows a letter to the courageous and capable Richmond (Va.) Times-Dispatch, and following it an editorial by the Times-Dispatch itself.

BESMIRCHING VIRGINIA'S NAME

Editor of The Times-Dispatch:

Sir,—In the name of our old and determined stand for religious freedom, I must protest against the oppressive action of the school board of Southampton County in expelling certain pupils from the public schools for the reason that on the grounds of religious conviction they could not make a salute to the American flag.

We have boasted of our religious freedom for over 150 years—we respect the religious convictions of the Quaker and do not compel him to take an oath. Because his religious convictions forbid him to bear arms we release him from the duty resting upon all the rest of us of answering the call of our country to take up arms and fight for the protection of our institutions.

But because a small and harmless denomination of Christians in our State hold it contrary to their religious beliefs to salute a national flag, an authorized and most important agency of our State and local government is punishing them by making a shibboleth of the flag and depriving these children of the privilege of public education. I personally do not hold this particular belief of "Jehovah's witnesses" any more than I do the pacifist beliefs of the Quakers, but I am convinced that as loyal American citizens I, and every other member of a Christian church, must stand up to defend and protect the religious freedom which is being attacked by these public officials in Southampton County.

From what I know of "Jehovah's witnesses," they are a quiet law-abiding people of good moral character, determined to live according to what they understand the Bible to teach. If they were notorious lawbreakers and guilty of misconduct that made them a menace to public welfare, there might be some reason for repressive action against them. But to take away a child's opportunity for education simply because his faith forbids him to perform a purely manual act of salutation seems a pretty heavy penalty to inflict.

I am convinced that our State and our country need very badly the kind of loyalty that shows itself in observance of road and other laws, in conforming strictly to all the ways of economizing in our own expenditures and in taking part in every way possible in all efforts for public welfare and the support of our national government. I think that these things are far more important than any manual act of salutation to the flag or trying to sing an impossible tune.

I feel a deep sense of shame that in our own State of Virginia a representative body has so lost sight of our ideals as to exercise arbitrary power in this short-sighted fashion.

I trust very sincerely that there will be many members of every leading denomination of churchmen in Virginia to rise in protest against their action.

G. MACLAREN BRYDON.

Richmond.

[Editor's Note: The foregoing letter is commented upon editorially today, under the caption, "Besmirching Virginia's Name."]

Of this company of Jehovah’s witnesses at Belize, British Honduras, five have just been immersed. The record (P-36) which explains the meaning of baptism had just been played on the sound-car partly shown in the center.

The foregoing appeared in the Richmond Times-Dispatch for March 19, 1942. In an editorial the same paper, on the same date, said:

Even though local school boards have the legal right, under the Federal Constitution, pursuant to an unfortunate United States Supreme Court decision of some years ago, to suspend pupils who refuse for religious reasons to salute the American flag, the board of Southampton County should never have suspended four children for such failure. Suspension of a child from school because his parents have certain conscientious religious beliefs and have instructed him accordingly is directly contrary to some of the major tenets on which America was founded. It is particularly regrettable that this should have happened in Virginia, the original home of the Bill of Rights, and it may contravene the State Constitution.

As Dr. G. MacLaren Brydon, a distinguished Episcopalian clergyman and student of religious history, says in a letter at the head of today’s Voice of the People: “We have boasted of our religious freedom for over 150 years . . . but because a small and harmless denomination of Christians in our State hold it contrary to their religious beliefs to salute a national flag, an authorized and most important agency of our State and local government is punishing them by making a shibboleth of the flag and depriving these children of the privilege of public education.”

Jehovah’s witnesses have been hounded and persecuted in recent years throughout most of the United States for their refusal to salute the flag. We in Virginia flattered ourselves that the birthplace of Thomas Jefferson and George Mason was above such performances, but the school board of Southampton County, doubtless with the best of motives, has shown that “it can happen here”. The best thing that board can do now is to call a special meeting, repeal its obnoxious ruling, and invite the four unfortunate children back to school.

We hold no brief for the religious tenets of Jehovah’s witnesses, of course, but recognize their right to sincerely held convictions, even to convictions which forbid them to salute the country’s flag, on the theory that it is a “man-made symbol”. City Superintendent of Richmond Schools Jesse Binford gave a perfect example of intelligent handling of such a case when it arose here a few months ago. We commend his restrained and sensible approach to the authorities of Southampton County.

Two days passed and the Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch had this editorial:

WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

We are not concerned with the legal implications of the flag-saluting incident in Southampton County. We presume the school board acted within its rights in suspending from classes four children who, because of the religious beliefs of their parents, refused to pay required respect to the national symbol.

Witnessing in Essex, England. (1) The back-call. "Comparing scriptures."

(2) The Model Study. Neighbors come in.

Nor, for the purpose of this discussion, are we concerned with the attitude of Jehovah's witnesses toward outward gestures of patriotism.

We are interested primarily in the plight of the children, who are not responsible for the notions, queer or otherwise, entertained by their parents. These children are placed in an indefensible position. They must obey their parents. Yet, without any recourse whatever, they were brought face to face with an iron-clad rule of the Southampton County school board. What were they to do? They refused to salute the flag on home orders. Drastic action by the school board then followed.

Certainly, it cannot be charged in logic that these children, in their refusal to participate in a gesture of patriotism, thereby proved themselves to be unpatriotic. The impulse of patriotism, to be meaningful, must come from more mature folk. And if the action of the board did not teach a lesson in the duties of citizenship, what did it accomplish?

Just one thing. It deprived these children, for the duration of their suspension, of educational advantages. And the consequence of that deprivation is plain. These children have been denied the privilege, by action of the board, of training at impressionable ages which has as its main purpose the laying of a firm foundation for good citizenship. Thus nobody benefits. There is something out of joint somewhere that causes these periodical clashes between patriotism and religion.

The above was on a Saturday, and it must have been the next day, Sunday, March 22, that the Virginian-Pilot had the following excellent review of many of the most important features of this unhappy subject:

FOUR CHILDREN WITHOUT A SCHOOL.

The State of Virginia, acting through the school authorities of Southampton County, has exacted a cruel penalty from four children. One of them is of high-school age. The ages of the other three range from 7 to 13. They have been expelled from school because they have refused to comply with the flag-saluting rite prescribed by the county school board in a ruling adopted on February 19. Their refusal had nothing to do with any political alienism. It grew out of their home training in religion.

The parents of these children are members of the Jehovah's witnesses sect. It is one of the beliefs of this sect that saluting any national flag is an act of State worship and a sin against God. Minor children of Jehovah's witnesses homes are no more to be held accountable for their acceptance of this dogma than are minor children of homes ruled by other religious dogmas for accepting the doctrines peculiar to these other beliefs. To kick them out of the public schools because this parental indoctrination does not permit them to enact their full part in a patriotic ceremonial, is to violate the guarantee laid down in the Virginia Bill of Rights which declares –

(3) First time in the work. Accompanied by an old hand.

(4) On her own. “Let him that heareth say, Come.” - Revelation 22:17.

“That religion or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and, therefore, all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love and charity toward each other.”

In a mischievous decision on June 3, 1940, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the school authorities of Minersville, Pa., in their enforcement against the children of a member of the Jehovah's witnesses sect of a salute rule similar to the one now being enforced in Capron, Southampton County. The opinion was written by Justice Frankfurter and does him no credit. This is what we said of it on June 4, 1940:

“The Supreme Court’s decision in the Minersville case is in the last degree disquieting. It suggests that a whiff of the hysteria that resulted the other day in the mobbing and jailing of religious sectarians [Jehovah’s witnesses] in two Texas towns for refusing, because of religious scruples, to salute the flag, has penetrated to the nation's supreme guardians of religious freedom.”

The mischief of this decision is that it gives the sanction of constitutional law to the rules of local functionaries in those areas where religious convictions and neighborhood patterns of patriotic behavior come into casual conflict. “The court room,” said Justice Frankfurter, “is not the arena for debating issues of educational policy.” True. But the court room is emphatically the arena for deciding questions of infringements of that freedom of religion that is guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. The Supreme Court, in this decision, washed its hands of an issue that it should have grasped and defined.

The right of religious self-determination is basic in the American system. It is beyond restriction or penalty by 'the political state except as to those manifestations of it that invade the rights of others or jeopardize the public welfare. In the case under discussion, the children were willing to stand up in respectful silence during the morning exercises, but not to go through the manual part of salute. To pretend that this abstention from the last refinement of a patriotic school exercise is an offense against the public safety so heinous that Virginia-born children guilty of it must be denied access to Virginia’s public schools is, in our opinion, to distort the truth and to elevate neighborhood distaste for a strange religious dogma above the constitutional command that religious dogmas are not to be interfered with or to be made the subject of political discipline.

These are days that call for the last meed of patriotism from the people. Flag-saluting exercises have their proper place in our public schools. But we have not arrived at that totalitarianism that compels school children to choose between a participation in these exercises that affronts the religious dogmas taught them by their parents, and being expelled from their classes.

We don’t know much about Jehovah’s witnesses. Some of their dogmas, including the one under discussion, don’t appeal to us. But if they are sincerely held—and there is no evidence to the contrary—they are as much entitled to the law’s respect as the dogmas of cults, like the 'Oxford Movement, which find their disciples among the best families and their butlers.

McGlothlin Resigned; School Burned

◆ At Grantsville, West Virginia, Don C. McGlothlin, principal of the high school, was asked to resign because he had respected the conscientious refusal of a 20-year-old girl to place an earthly symbol before God. The girl had enough credits to graduate, but the school board showed itself to be like other boards, long, narrow and wooden. A week after McGlothlin left, the Grantsville school, erected at a cost of $160,000, accidentally burned to the ground.

The Lord Not in Politics

◆ When I tried to explain to an interested woman that we need God’s righteous government, because we are all imperfect and it is impossible to have a perfect government by imperfect men, she surprised me by saying with tears in her eyes, “I see it all now; God has nothing to do with politics, and the Devil is at the back of all this mess.”—Bernice Weber, Maryland.

And Still They Fall

◆ For your information: Mayor L. O. Smith, of Harlan, Ky., leading element in the persecution of Jehovah’s witnesses in Harlan County in 1940, fell dead February 12, 1942.—A. K. Robinette.

(To be continued)

Tatsui Writes from Manzanar

◆ The new city of Manzanar, California, is inhabited mostly by Japanese who like America, but must live back away from the coast on account of the war. The men went ahead of the women and children. One of them, Emon Tatsui, wrote back to his former employer in Hollywood. His letter shows a good spirit and is worth reading. It does not look as if he would ever make much trouble.

Dear Sir: Kindly send me my money to new address by U. S. Post Office money order. It may too much trouble for you but we do not have bank open yet here. I like to tell you about this camp. Nice place to live. It butter than Hollywood. Snow on mountains. French air. Snow is bright. Every day 80 to 85.

No black out in here. There are liberty, safe and build up new life. Hundreds of carpenter. Hundreds plummer. Hundreds so and so working hard to build up. 1000 Japanese coming to this camp almost every day now. Good ball ground. Base-ball field. Swimming pool. School building. Dancing room it about start building then movie is next.

Yours truly,

Emon Tatsui.

P.S. Over 300 miles away from your city but still in Los Angeles city limit.

"THY WORD IS TRUTH" — John 17:17

Freedom of Worship

THE guarantee of "freedom of worship", set forth in the Constitution of the United States and thus made a fundamental law of this nation, is entirely in accord with God's law. (See Deuteronomy 30:19; Joshua 24:15; Matthew 19:14.) The framers of this noteworthy document, the Constitution, had freshly come from a victorious fight for freedom, and they were determined to safeguard this cherished liberty, paid for in blood and tears. The crimes of the Roman Catholic Inquisition were also fresh in their minds. The children of the Huguenots, Puritans and Quakers remembered too well the Catholic "Bloody Mary", the massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day perpetrated by the pope's niece, and Torquemada, and Alva. Looking back upon these bloody pages of history the forefathers of America gave a new nation its heritage of freedom. This was indeed a worthy step. But it merely grants one permission to seek life.

Only God's Word, the Bible, can guide us along the road to the attainment of life. The Bible declares that Christ Jesus is the way to life, and that Jehovah God's Theocracy or kingdom under Christ will give men their heart's desire. To this effect are the following scriptures from among the great many: John 3:16, 17; John 6:35, 40, 47, 48; John 11:25; John 14:6; Romans 6:23; and Revelation 22:3, 17. No matter how conscientiously one may follow another course he cannot thereby gain life. This is specifically stated at John 3:36 and 5:40.

In 1787, when the American Constitution was written, the Roman Catholic Church was openly at war with all the children of the Protestant Reformation which had been led by Luther, Zwingli, Huss, Latimer, and others, who sought to tear the bloody blindness of Romanism from the minds of the peoples of Europe. The popular King James Version of the Bible was one of the results of this battle in England, the preface to which denounces the pope in these words: "So that if, on the one side, we shall be traduced by Popish persons at home or abroad, who therefore will malign us, because we are poor . . . people, whom they desire still to keep in ignorance and darkness." The French Revolution in 1789 came as another blow to the Papacy, and Napoleon later imprisoned two popes.

Romanism did not prosper during the next century, and, as the world-known magazine, The Watchtower, has pointed out, did not begin to raise its head again until after 1918. Except for Jehovah's witnesses, Americans would have forgotten these past pages of history. Only Jehovah's witnesses have kept alive the annals of America's forefathers concerning religious liberty and freedom of worship, that cherished liberty might be kept alive, both for themselves and for all others, Catholic and Protestant alike.

Those forefathers did not take upon themselves the responsibility of recommending any particular faith or religion, so far as the law was concerned, but expressly refrained from dictating to the consciences of others. They forbade the establishment of a state religion, such as now exists in all the countries under the Nazi-Papal domination. The framers of the Constitution left no guide as to the course to take but laid down the axiom that all in America would be free to choose.

Such is entirely proper and Scriptural. Before Moses' death, and while the Israelites were in the land of Moab and about to cross Jordan into the Promised Land, Moses expounded this rule of Jehovah: “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19) Again, at Jehovah’s direction, Moses’ successor Joshua offered the people their choice, and also indicated what was the right choice, saying: “If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord [Jehovah], choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15) Jesus Christ plainly taught that restrictions upon freedom to worship should not be permitted, saying: “Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14) He further denounced the Pharisees for obstructing others: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven [such as declaring Jehovah’s witnesses an ‘illegal organization’] against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.”—Matthew 23:13.

The Bible therefore plainly declares that each should decide for himself just how he will worship. From this it is a far cry and indeed a wrong conclusion, as will be clearly demonstrated, to decide that the Lord will bless any course followed thereafter. To believe that He will place His favor on any action we take, if this is honest and sincere, is to show contempt for God’s laws and His Word.

Yet, how many people are heard to say, “If I do the best I can the Lord will save me”; or, “A person’s religion makes no difference, but the kind of life one leads is the important thing. The Lord is going to save the good people.” These are merely human conclusions, arrived at through human reasoning. It is therefore the wisdom of the world, which the Lord declares is foolishness. (1 Corinthians 3:19) “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”—Isaiah 55:8, 9.

Others dismiss the matter with the words: “Nobody understands the Bible; so I will just live as ‘good’ as I know how and let it go at that.” These also are foolish; for they ignore the Lord’s invitation, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord.” (Isaiah 1:18) They also ignore the fact that “God . . . is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”—Hebrews 11:6.

Often people who make such delusive statements acknowledge Jehovah with their mouths but they fail to be guided by His Word. They greatly need the “choice gold” of wisdom, the riches of knowledge found abundantly in the Bible. (Proverbs 8:10, 11, 18, 19) The question, then, for each to determine is, Am I willing to be taught, or content to stumble along in ignorance? If they choose the wise course, they will take the way which leads to life and happiness.—Zephaniah 2:2; 3.

There is only one way, not many ways; the fact that “strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,” shows that there is only one way, and not several leading all to the same end. Jehovah has provided that one way through Christ Jesus; and if one is not willing to accept that way or to follow that course, he will not gain the reward. “God is no respecter of persons.” (Acts 10:34) Christ’s kingdom, or The Theocracy, is the Lord’s provision for the meek and righteous, and a knowledge of this is essential to all who desire life. Therefore learn, if you will, through the Bible and the Bible helps provided by God’s organization.—Revelation 22:17.

It therefore appears that freedom of worship is proper and Scriptural. The opponents thereof who seek to convert others by the use of carnal weapons are the enemies of Jehovah God and Christ Jesus. The permission to choose one's way is NOT a road map to the way of life and happiness. A wrong choice or selection will lead to death, no matter how honestly followed. (Proverbs 14:12; 21:2) Only God's Word of truth, the Bible, is the infallible guide to life.—Psalms 119:105; 25:12.

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