miles away, you should travel by U. S. Route 1 or 22 to either the Holland or the Lincoln Tunnel or the Erie Ferry near the Holland Tunnel. In Manhattan take the West Side Express Highway (no trucks permitted) to 158th Street exit. The bridge at 155th street will take you across the Harlem river to the stadium. There are no parking facilities right at the stadium.

It is hoped talks at Yankee Stadium will be transmitted by telephone lines to the camp for the benefit of those who must be on duty, but to get the real blessing come to Yankee Stadium daily.

Postwar Enlargement of the Theocratic Organization

1. What silenced clergy ridicule as to predictions about 1914?

AWAY back in 1880 the columns of The Watchtower had called notice to Bible chronology marking A.D. 1914 as the year for the 2,520-year period to end referred to by Jesus as the “times of the Gentiles” in his prophecy on the world’s end. (Luke 21:24) In harmony with this it was expected that in 1914 the kingdom of God by Christ Jesus in the heavens would be fully established, while this world would be involved in an unprecedented “time of trouble”. The religious leaders and systems of Christendom were all set to laugh at Brother Russell and his fellow witnesses of Jehovah over failure of his announced predictions concerning A.D. 1914. But it was no laughing matter when, at the end of July, World War I broke out and by October it had become global in its scope. Christendom’s religious mouths were silenced at this frightening turn of events, but not Brother Russell’s. October 1, 1914, on taking his place at the breakfast table in the Brooklyn Bethel dining-room, he in a strong voice denoting conviction announced: “The Gentile Times have ended!”

2. What heavenly events marked A.D. 1914?

² Knowing that the world had now reached the time for its dissolution he refused to heed the plea of U. S. President Wilson for all clergymen and preachers to join in nation-wide prayer for peace. At that time it was not appreciated that there was also war up in heaven, between Jehovah’s newly inaugurated King Jesus Christ and the Devil’s hosts, resulting in the Devil’s being ousted from up there and debased to this earth for a short time before his destruction. But the Bible prophecies kept fulfilling. Light upon God’s Word, particularly Revelation, chapter 12, kept brightening. This disclosed that Jehovah’s Kingdom by Christ had been born A.D. 1914 and was fully established in the heavens to rule amid its enemies in heaven and earth. Its first act was to oust Satan from heaven.—See The Watchtower, March 1, 1925.

3. How was the Society’s president accused in 1918 but exonerated?

³ Brother Russell died the last day of October in 1916. By an election held at Pittsburgh’s annual business meeting, January 6, 1917, J. F. Rutherford, the Society’s legal attorney and one of its traveling representatives, was made president of the Pennsylvania corporation, to succeed Brother Russell. He was later elected president of the New York and British corporations. Through regular election by members and directors of the several corporations he continued in the presidency of them till his death, January 8, 1942. Shortly after his election the United States got involved in World War I, on April 6, 1917. The publication of the seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures July 17, 1917, proved fateful, and troublous times for the Society in the United States took on a disastrous aspect. That Bible-study help, The Finished Mystery, was an exposé of the religious systems of Christendom. So the enemy seized upon it as part of their proof that the Society’s president and other members of the organization closely associated with him were guilty of sedition against the government, and Brother Rutherford and seven others were railroaded off to federal penitentiary in the spring of 1918, under sentences of 80 years in prison, and without benefit of bail for their freedom till appeal to a higher court should be effected. After nine months in the penitentiary bail was granted them on March 21, 1919, and they were released. Later the Appeal Court reversed the judgment against them, and in 1920 the indictment against them was disposed of. Thus they were completely exonerated as innocent of the malicious charges of the enemy.

4. How did Brooklyn Bethel come to be abandoned and then restored?

⁴ Meanwhile the conditions had seemed to dictate the abandonment of the Brooklyn properties and the moving of the Society’s offices back to Pittsburgh, in October, 1918. The Brooklyn Tabernacle was sold, and the Bethel home was put up for sale. No buyer appeared! Was that accidental? No, but providential! It was the hand of Almighty God, who knows his own purposes. He was reserving this site on Columbia Heights for the grander work of his faithful witnesses in postwar years. In view of the release of the Society’s officers from federal detention, and other advantages, the decision was made to move back and restore the headquarters and operating plant to 124 Columbia Heights. This was done about October 1, 1919. The Bethel home was reopened, with Brother Rutherford presiding. Even during his imprisonment the loyalty of the brethren to him and their conviction that he was innocent impelled the voting brethren of the several societies to re-elect him president at their annual business meeting.

5. What events gave stimulus to the postwar work?

⁵ In the summer following their release from unjust imprisonment the first international convention of Jehovah’s people at Cedar Point, Ohio, took place, September 1-8, 1919. Just prior to this The Watchtower published a series of two articles on “Blessed Are the Fearless”, showing from Bible prophecy that a bold work, the greatest of their career, must be performed by God’s devoted people among all nations before the battle of Armageddon. This work was spoken on and emphasized at this Cedar Point Assembly, and plans were announced for enlarging the work, including publishing The Golden Age.

6. What great work then lay ahead? What did this require?

⁶ World War I had disrupted the work in all the earth. Society connections with its Branches had been interfered with or in some cases broken off. Things were in quite a disorganized state. Now was the time to restore connections for bringing God’s faithful ones to a state of unity everywhere, under a Theocratic arrangement in which the great Theocrat Jehovah ruled from the top down through his organization. It was a time for reorganizing and training his people for renewed service. A most critical work lay ahead! It required courage. It called for expansion of the organization to the ends of the earth. In 1918 some 3,868 had been reporting field activity. The remainder of God’s faithful remnant of spirit-begotten heirs of the Kingdom must be gathered to the organization. However, early in 1918 the Lord God had revealed that a great earthly flock, whose number was estimated to run into the millions, would survive Armageddon into the New World, and these must be given the witness and gathered to the Good Shepherd’s fold. The command to preach “this gospel of the kingdom” in all the world for a witness to all nations applied now during all the postwar period down till Armageddon clears the earth for the New World. No time must be lost in organizing for the work. All obstacles must be cleared out from among God’s devoted servants. The work must be done for the vindication of Jehovah’s name and for the salvation of the witnesses themselves and of those accepting their witness. God’s visible organization for the work must be built up, instructed, strengthened and adequately equipped for the colossal work. Christ Jesus at the spiritual temple of God understood the situation and saw to it that all the needs were met.

7. What publishing equipment was provided and what slogan raised?

⁷ Greater work meant more equipment was needed. Jehovah God, whose work it was, provided the equipment for it. A move to do all our own printing in the United States began. A small printing plant was established at 35 Myrtle avenue, Brooklyn, and the Bethel family was increased. This proving too small as operations of Jehovah’s witnesses increased, a larger factory was installed at 18 Concord street, Brooklyn, in March, 1922. The second Cedar Point Convention followed on September 5-13, 1922. Here the King’s presence at Jehovah’s temple for judgment proceedings was announced, and the rousing call to the witness work was shouted by Brother Rutherford to that international gathering of many thousands: “Advertise the King and his kingdom!” The response was instantaneous. The service organization all over the earth was stirred to action and addressed itself to the work as never before.

8. What literature must now be published, and printed by whom? Why?

⁸ The burden of responsibility upon the Society at Brooklyn increased. It must widen its supervision of the work and must supply the needs of the Kingdom advertisers over a vaster area according to their increasing numbers. (Rom. 12:13) Literature setting forth the Kingdom truths was needed in larger volume, in a rising number of languages. The issues of The Watchtower, issues of The Golden Age (now the magazine Awake!), books with the newly revealed truths (no longer the outdated Studies in the Scriptures), booklets, tracts, Bibles, handbill advertisements, etc., all these must be produced to meet the growing demand and at a cost easily within the financial ability of all people to contribute for or to allow free distribution. Production of literature could no longer be left to the unconsecrated hands of worldly commercial printing plants. By God’s grace and provision of the physical equipment, we here at Brooklyn must do the printing and publishing with his own consecrated people as the workers. Branch offices in other lands must be given their share of the work.

9. How were a new factory and new Bethel home provided in 1927?

⁹ Space fails us for detailing how the great Provider bestowed the means of production upon his willing servants. Faced with the prospect of having to leave the Concord Street plant (whose site New York city has since converted into a public park), the Society built its own concrete factory at 117 Adams street, Brooklyn, a half mile from the Bethel home. In February, 1927, we moved in and occupied its eight stories. A larger factory and office force necessitated a larger home to house them. Jehovah provided it. That same year the original Bethel home buildings, together with an adjoining brownstone-front residence (126 Columbia Heights, bought in 1926), were torn down. A new concrete and brick structure was erected, seven stories high above Columbia Heights street, with a 75-foot frontage. This new building was joined with the old addition to the rear that fronted on Furman street and in which the family dining-room and kitchen continued to be located.

FLASHING THE NEWS BY RADIO

10. How did the Society install WBBR and improve its studios?

¹⁰ But are we forgetting the radio broadcasting? No! This, too, offered the opportunity for Jehovah’s visible organization to penetrate the numberless homes of the people with the New World message. In 1923 the Society began erecting its own radio station on the southern heights of Staten island. Finally completed, and licensed by the government, station WBBR began officially broadcasting Sunday night, February 24, 1924, on 500 watts of power, and with Brother Rutherford delivering the message “Radio and Divine Prophecy”. The studio that night was up in the top floor of the administration building, but shortly thereafter it was transferred to fine quarters in the transmitter house nearby. It proved inconvenient, however, to have the studio so far out on Staten island, about 18 miles from the Brooklyn headquarters. So in 1929 a set of studios, a large one equipped with an excellent organ and a small one, were built to the rear of the new Bethel building and extended to Furman street. There we started putting on our radio program Sunday morning, November 13, 1929, with Brother Rutherford speaking over a chain of stations using WBBR as key station. The program was carried by telephone cable to the radio transmitter out on Staten island.

11. As we grew what menacing world developments led up to 1939?

¹¹ For many years all such physical equipment was used to the full. But the steady growth of the work and organization world-wide caused conditions to become more and more crowded at headquarters. In 1938 a four-story addition was built to the Adams Street factory. But now Fascism and Nazism had reared their hideous heads and taken the aggressive in the Western Hemisphere, and Jehovah’s witnesses had been banned in Germany and thrust into prisons and concentration camps, 10,000 strong. Communism was sensitive to the situation and was building up its power. War-clouds were gathering for a global storm. The mob spirit in the United States was rising against Jehovah’s witnesses. Catholic action was increasing strength and making tests of strength. The world peace-organization, the League of Nations, was being flouted as an impotent thing. It had not proved to be the “political expression of the Kingdom of God”, which the Protestant Council of Churches had called it, and it was nearing the brink of the “bottomless pit”. (Rev. 17:8) Come September, 1939—crash! That was the Nazi hordes smashing their way through Poland, in a blitzkrieg. World War II was on, with the atomic bomb due to climax it.

12. What questions arose? How were they resolved, and why?

¹² Had we reached the finis of this world? Would the global war merge into the world catastrophe of Armageddon? Was the end of the Kingdom witness-work here, and had the peak in the expansion of Jehovah’s visible organization this side of Armageddon been reached? Would the organization now succumb to martial conditions and pressures as in 1918 and slack its hand and crumble in disorganization? Not this time, now that Jehovah’s spirit in double portion had been poured out upon his anointed remnant and had been spread to their devoted companions of goodwill, all together some 47,143 world-wide. These had been so well organized and instructed that they knew what to do amid the world upheaval. They had their instructions from Jehovah’s Word and through his Theocratic organization. Let the communications with lands overseas be snapped or made difficult! Invisibly Christ Jesus as Jehovah’s great Liaison Officer acted to keep the visible organization in unity of spirit, purpose, effort and activity. So on they went, preaching God’s Word in season and out of season, but largely out of season. The divine approval upon this course of his witnesses became observable, for he blessed it with increase. The great international convention of Jehovah’s witnesses at St. Louis, Missouri, August 6-10, 1941, the largest on record till then, proved that a great work was yet to be done. Untold thousands of God’s “other sheep” were evidently yet to be gathered to him.

THE WATCHTOWER BIBLE SCHOOL OF GILEAD

13. When and how did preparations for the postwar period begin?

¹³ Sunday, December 7, 1941, found Brooklyn headquarters at last in a nation at war! Thirty-two days later the Society’s president, J. F. Rutherford, died, January 8, 1942, at San Diego, California. The vice-president, N. H. Knorr, was voted to succeed him in office, by the unanimous vote of a joint meeting of the boards of directors of the Pennsylvania and New York corporations at the Brooklyn Bethel. Forward Jehovah’s work went without interruption, with determined efforts toward a bigger future. An “Advanced Course in Theocratic Ministry” was inaugurated at the Brooklyn Bethel in February, 1942, and the following year it was destined to be extended to the companies of Jehovah’s witnesses outside. Despite wartime difficulties a New World Theocratic convention was held that following summer in Cleveland, Ohio, September 18-20, with 26,000 present at the public meeting, where Brother Knorr gave the address “Peace—Can It Last?” which was carried by direct telephone lines to upward of 50 joint conventions in other cities. Over 80 cities on four continents had simultaneous conventions. Backed by divine prophecy, this public address showed a peace period would follow World War II and the international peace-beast which had gone into the bottomless pit by a shove from World War II would come out again. Witness today the United Nations! The coming peace meant that more work, the final work of Jehovah’s witnesses, was yet ahead. Now during the throes of world war was the time to prepare for the peace, to enter well-equipped and organized into the postwar epoch and its vast work. At this Cleveland convention and its subsidiaries, besides the book The New World, the first edition of the King James Version Bible printed on the Society’s own presses at Brooklyn was released. A mighty piece of working equipment this!

14, 15. How did the School of Gilead arise, with what record to date?

¹⁴ If Europe’s being the main theater of the war limited free activity there, the witness work could expand southward into Latin lands, namely, Central and South America and the islands of the Caribbean sea. But the workers sent there deserved to be trained. In the mind of Brother Knorr the idea of a missionary-training school formed. A large 3-story brick building had been erected at Kingdom Farm, South Lansing, New York, in 1940, for emergency purposes. Why let it stand idle? Why not make alterations in it and convert it into missionary-training-school quarters? Just so! The Watch Tower board of directors was enthusiastically in favor of it, and thus what was first called the Watchtower Bible College of Gilead was arranged for. By confidential letter, dated December 14, 1942, invitations were sent out to a number of full-time servants of Jehovah to apply for admission to this college (now called a school) for the free 5-month course. Of the applicants 100 were chosen to constitute the first class of Gilead students. On February 1, 1943, Brother Knorr presiding, the opening ceremonies were conducted in the beautiful school auditorium with the student body, instructors and members of the Kingdom Farm family present. As Latin America was then in view, Spanish was the foreign language taught. Since then, Portuguese, French, Italian and Japanese have also been taught various classes or groups of students. During the seven and a half years of operation since then, this School of Gilead has drawn students from more than thirty different lands on all continents.

¹⁵ Graduating two student classes a year, Gilead has sent over a thousand specially trained full-time publishers into foreign missionary fields. Each graduation is a grand event! The graduation exercises of the fifteenth class, of 120 students from 32 lands, will have a most unique setting, in the Yankee Stadium of New York city. Why there? In order to feature the opening day of the 1950 International Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses, Sunday, July 30.

MORE BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

16. What postwar relief work was undertaken? For what purpose?

¹⁶ With the close of the occidental and oriental phases of World War II in 1945, Jehovah’s visible organization stepped expectantly into the atomic-age postwar period, but with more witnesses than ever and with new foreign Branches and with missionary homes. The entire organization was permeated with the spirit of expansion. At the sectional convention at Cleveland, Ohio, September 29, 30, 1945, Brother Knorr announced relief work would be undertaken, the companies of Jehovah’s witnesses in certain areas to contribute particularly clothing. Shortly great relief works, directed from Brooklyn headquarters, were carried forward to help rehabilitate our brethren for Jehovah’s active service in lands specially hard hit by the global war.

17. How was new construction at headquarters necessitated?

¹⁷ Then came the advices that New York city was projecting a new superhighway connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan; it was to run along Furman street and would encroach upon the ground occupied by the rear of the Bethel property, to a depth of fifty feet. Condemned by the city for proposed highway, this much of Bethel property must go. This would cut off many living-rooms, the kitchen, much of the dining-room and much of the big radio studio, including its organ. Only a new Bethel would solve the problem thrust upon us. Came Thursday, “Publishers Equipment Day,” August 8, at the 1946 Glad Nations Theocratic Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses at the Cleveland Stadium with about 58,000 present, from 33 nations. That afternoon the new Theocratic Ministry School book entitled “Equipped for Every Good Work” had been released. It is now night. President Brother Knorr is speaking on the subject, “The Problems of Reconstruction and Expansion.” He announces something new, the dividing up of all working territory into circuits with about twenty companies or units to a circuit, and circuit servants to visit each company of a circuit, and circuit assemblies to be held every six months in each circuit. But he tells something more: To cope with the global demand for Kingdom literature the Brooklyn factory has to be enlarged. To house the larger office and factory force needed, a new Bethel home has to be erected. Watchtower radio station, WBBR, must be increased in power and facilities. The money for all this? No, none to be borrowed from commercial banks. Jehovah’s visible organization, his devoted people, would be given the privilege of loaning the needed capital by taking the 2-percent notes which the Watchtower Society would soon issue. The jubilation that followed was the precursor of an oversubscription of the loan by generous hearts.

18. What adjustments at Bethel were made to allow for this?

¹⁸ To make way for the demolition work soon to begin, the following October 12 the radio offices and broadcasting studio were transferred from Bethel back to WBBR on Staten island. The dining-room was transferred to the Bethel parlor and library-room on the basement floor. Here the Bethel family ate their meals in two shifts for lack of table space, in cafeteria style. The aforetime morning Bethel service at the breakfast table, a feature carried over from the original Bible House in Allegheny (North Pittsburgh), Pa., had to be discontinued. The new Bethel building was planned to extend along Columbia Heights from the existing Bethel southward to the end of the block at Pineapple street. To purchase the property standing thereon it took considerable time and abnormal expense. Thereafter to get the tenants out of these residences posed another problem, which caused long delays in getting onto the new construction work. Meantime building construction costs soared. For those Bethel family members who had been forced out of their living quarters by demolition of the fifty-feet-deep rear section of Bethel, houses were bought at 111, 113, and 151 Columbia Heights, in addition to using the house at 34 Orange street. This scattered the family to the least extent. The family’s Monday night Watchtower study and Theocratic Ministry School meeting had to be transferred to the Fulton street Kingdom Hall of the Brooklyn Center unit of Jehovah’s witnesses.

19. How was WBBR improved and the new equipment put on the air?

¹⁹ Much difficulty, causing vexatious delay, was met with in securing all the properties and sites adjacent to the factory. Finally the way was cleared for erecting a factory addition as planned and blueprinted. But before this, WBBR had expanded. New transmitter equipment was installed and three new steel towers, 411 feet high above grade, were erected at WBBR, Staten island. Tuesday night, May 25, 1948, at 7 p.m., the old radio equipment was signed off the air, and the new equipment, with power increased from 1,000 to 5,000 watts, was switched on, to send the program in a directional beam from the three steel towers across the hitherto impenetrable populous metropolitan area of Greater New York city. At its old studio in the transmitter house Brother Knorr officially inaugurated WBBR on its new equipment and power by a radio speech telling of the expansion of God’s visible organization. By then 233,578 Kingdom publishers over all the earth were reporting field activity monthly. The Watchtower Bible School of Gilead had already graduated a thousand students, and 534 of them were located in 68 lands and in 85 different missionary homes. Prospects for further expansion were bright.

20. What buildings now crown the construction work at headquarters?

²⁰ An unusually mild winter of 1948-1949 furnished most favorable weather for construction work to begin on the new Bethel. The construction work on the new factory began in January, 1949. At long last the time for occupying the new structures arrived. Behold, there stands the new Bethel home, a strong imposing structure ten stories high above Columbia Heights and surmounted by a rectangular watchtower. Up above the city’s new cantilever highway of two levels for motor vehicles and a promenade Bethel rears itself in a commanding position, occupying now the complete block from Pineapple to Orange street and increasing the living quarters to accommodations for more than 450 persons, two in a room. A half mile away stands the factory with its new addition, a structure of concrete nine stories high, and the whole factory now extending from Adams to Pearl street and with its floor space almost doubled. Page space here does not allow for description of these fine buildings which Jehovah God has provided for equipping his visible organization to be richer than ever in good works. Let the pictures herewith describe them to you.

[Picture on page 221]

BETHEL AND THE NEW HIGHWAY Showing, front center, what is left of the 1910 structure; on left, the 1927 building; to the right and rear, the 1950 twelve story edifice.

Dedication

1, 2. When and with what exercises was the new Bethel dedicated?

MONDAY, January 30, 1950, was set for dedication of the new Bethel to the consecrated service of the Most High God. That night the first meeting was held in the incomparable Kingdom Hall in the basement of the new home, the hall having entrances both from within the home and from the street at 136 Columbia Heights. Present are the regular Bethel family and brethren from WBBR, Staten island, and about 80 brethren recently arrived from foreign shores to enter the 15th class of Gilead, the entire gathering numbering about 400. All faces are aglow. All hearts are swelling with the joy of Jehovah. At 8 p.m. the dedication exercises open as chairman Brother Knorr announces a Kingdom song for all to sing. All heads and hearts then bowed in prayer while Brother Knorr thanked Jehovah God for His gift of the new Bethel and expressed the dedication of it wholly to the loving service into which He has called us through Jesus Christ. Brother Knorr’s dedication speech now followed. It portrayed how, in fulfillment of Jehovah’s prophecies at Isaiah chapters 54 and 60, expansion was due to come, even as it has come, and his visible organization was to be beautified, improved and better regulated for the marvelous work of bearing witness to his name and kingdom. Various features of the expansion from early times were described as detailed in our preceding pages, and Brother Knorr envisioned our spreading out within but a few years to even beyond the present home and factory when these had reached their capacity. His appeal to the brethren was to be loyal to Jehovah’s Theocratic organization and to cleave to it. He urged or invited the members of the family to make the enlarged Bethel their real home and to enjoy and use it as such to God’s glory and in furtherance of their own part in his blessed service.

² The directors of both corporations were present in full number. So Brother Knorr then called to the platform for brief speeches the Society’s vice-president, its secretary-treasurer and his assistant, then three members of the board of directors of the New York corporation who included the factory servant and the Bethel home servant, and finally the other three members of the board of directors of the Pennsylvania corporation. All voiced warm appreciation for God’s provision of the new home and its modern appointments and facilities. With earnestness they exhorted the brethren to greater love of His organization and to stick to its work here at headquarters. Concluding the speeches, Brother Knorr pointed to the advantages that the home and its family life offered, and encouraged all to be wise and take full advantage of them. A closing song by the assembly, a final prayer by the vice-president, and then the assembly adjourned to enjoy some ice-cream and cake and informal companionship together.

3. To what use was the Kingdom Hall put immediately thereafter?

³ This inaugurated regular use of the Kingdom Hall. The subsequent Thursday night the new Brooklyn Heights unit of the Greater New York company of Jehovah’s witnesses held its first weekly Theocratic Ministry school and service meeting there. The next night the Brooklyn Center unit, which had just been forced out of its Fulton Street meeting-place, held like meetings. On Sunday the weekly study of The Watchtower and public lectures were held by each of these units at its assigned time for use of Kingdom Hall. The following Monday night the Bethel family met there for its advance study of The Watchtower and its Theocratic Ministry school. After the review questions and the instructor’s talk to all the school in the Kingdom Hall the family divided up into five groups, one group staying in the hall for its three student talks and counsel, the other groups going to four other locations.

4. Where and how did WBBR open up its new studios?

⁴ In March the radio office force and studio personnel moved from Staten island into Bethel, where it has its offices and elegant studios of floating type, a large and a small one, with the control room in between. The large windows permit visitors in the observation room to clearly view all going on in the studios while they listen in on the loud-speaker. Kingdom Hall itself will be used as the largest of WBBR’s studios, the console of a new and larger organ being located westward of the speaker’s platform. The broad grill-work in front of the organ pipes is just behind and over the platform. Full-scale educational and musical programs carried on by the Bethel family will be radiocast direct from Kingdom Hall. On Sunday, March 12, at 8 a.m., WBBR initiated its broadcasting from its new Bethel studios, the Society’s president fittingly presenting the day’s text and after a musical interlude the Watchtower’s extended comment thereon, as the opening feature of the day.

5, 6. When and how was the new Bethel dining-room inaugurated?

⁵ Saturday night, April 1, marked the first celebration of the Memorial of Christ’s death held in the Kingdom Hall, first by the Brooklyn Center unit and then by the Brooklyn Heights unit, Brother Knorr conducting the latter. The following Monday, April 3, marked another step in utilizing God’s equipment for his people. For about three and a half years now the Bethel family had eaten cafeteria-style in shifts, without the former table-discussion privileges. But this morning the spacious new Bethel dining-room in the subbasement was opened up. At 7 a.m. the family were all seated, in full number, in groups of ten about each table. Forty such tables are available, besides large serving tables at the western side. Brother Knorr at the head of table No. 7, with the microphone at his place, sat at the eastern end with the entire dining-room well in view. Announcing the restoration of the morning Bethel service, he explained how it would be conducted henceforth, and then demonstrated it. He called for the reading of the day’s text in the 1950 Yearbook by a brother at his table, near the microphone. Questions on the text were called for. On each question Brother Knorr asked several members of the family, brothers and sisters, for their comment and then threw each question open for any voluntary comments. He closed the discussion by giving his own extended comment upon the text as a whole, after which he had the brother read the Yearbook comment. The morning prayer followed, which Brother Knorr offered, thanking God for his loving-kindness and asking his blessing on the day’s activities by his people everywhere and also acknowledging his provision of the morning meal. Only he stood as the one offering prayer, his voice carrying well through all the dining-room without benefit of the microphone; all the rest of the family remained seated.

⁶ The prayer being finished, the family proceeded to eat their breakfast, the food being efficiently served by the waiters from quietly rolling carriages with six tiers for dishes of food. The kitchen adjoins the dining-room on the north, and when the partitions are rolled up it can be viewed beyond the counter and warming units for keeping trays and pots of food heated.

7. What breakfast-table service do we recommend for households?

⁷ The family greatly appreciated the resuming of the morning Bethel service. They confess to receiving many blessings from it. It provides spiritual food, our most necessary portion, the first thing in the day for the assembled family. We recommend that all Christian families or households carry on such a morning breakfast-table service, using the daily text and comment published in the current Yearbook or in foreign-language issues of The Watchtower. This helps to start off the day aright for everyone participating. At the close of the meal the Bethel family rose at their places and Brother Knorr offered a short prayer of dismissal. Before each meal a brother is called upon to ask the blessing upon the food. Dismissal at close of the meal is by prayer.

8. What also was opened up that day? What inspection tours followed?

⁸ The same eventful Monday the new factory was opened up and the office and factory force expanded into it. Overcrowded conditions were at last gone. That night at seven o’clock the members of the family, according to Brother Knorr’s announcement, began a tour of inspection of the new Bethel home and its appointments and operating equipment. From top to bottom they toured, inspecting offices of the president and this staff, the legal and financial departments, the beautiful new library, the sewing-room and laundry which were put in regular operation for exhibition purposes, and the kitchen replete with all its shiny modern equipment. The factory next came in for inspection. All its nine floors were put in full operation. All those inspecting rejoiced at the increased space now available for convenient handling of the work. They marveled at all the machines and apparatus for discharging the tremendous amount of work that the office and factory force must daily turn out. Of special interest and attraction was our new quarter-million-dollar rotary printing press newly installed on the press floor, the sixth floor. It is capable of running off up to 29,000 copies an hour of a magazine like Awake!

9. What spiritual exhortation closed this eventful day?

⁹ Touring over, the family returned and took their assigned seats in the Bethel dining-room for some ice-cream and cake, shortly after 10 p.m. While all were enjoying their refreshments, Brother Knorr called on eight brothers (none Society directors) who had been members of the family for quite a number of years to come to the microphone and each offer some remarks. We were all glad to hear their words of appreciation and encouragement to be true and faithful in serving God together with his visible organization. Brother Knorr offered the final remarks, exhorting the family members to be regular in attending the morning Bethel service and to partake of all the spiritual food which is the peculiar privilege of the Bethel family. He dismissed them now with prayer. It was past 11 p.m. So off to bed!

PRECONVENTION ACTIVITY

10, 11. (a) What pre-convention rooming work had to be done, and by whom? (b) What meeting and program prepared them for this?

¹⁰ The family’s tour was a forerunner of the mammoth-scale tour expected to follow the 1950 International Assembly of Jehovah’s witnesses at Yankee Stadium, New York, July 30 to August 6. In its announcements the Society has been inviting all conventioners to make the tour. The New York company of Jehovah’s witnesses is to play host to them all. Besides thousands of hotel accommodations, it was estimated the conventioners will need 50,000 accommodations in private homes of New York city. House-to-house canvassing for such rooms by workers from companies within a 25-mile radius of Times Square was scheduled to begin Sunday, May 14, preceded by a meeting of all these in the St. Nicholas Arena, Manhattan, at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 13.

¹¹ The arena and hall downstairs were packed with 4,837 witnesses and persons of good-will. Brother Knorr was first to address them, officially announcing the place of the assembly and also the subject of his public address there, “Can You Live Forever in Happiness on Earth?” He showed them the magnitude of the coming assembly, the need of rooms in private homes, and the grand opportunity this offered for penetrating thousands of homes with living witnesses of the Most High God to give an intimate testimony to the Kingdom. His people in this metropolitan area would themselves see to securing the needed rooms; a limited number of days remained for doing it. Talks by the convention servant and his assistants were next presented, also demonstrations on how to apply for rooms tactfully and effectively. Closing the two-hour program Brother Knorr returned to the stage and invited all there to visit the factory and Bethel home the following Tuesday and Wednesday nights, May 16 and 17. The factory would receive them from 7 to 8:00 p.m. and thereafter the Bethel home.

12. How was the invitation responded to and the tour conducted?

¹² The tour at the factory started on the ground floor, from an entrance on Prospect street, and moved up floor by floor to the ninth and last. Descending direct to the first floor after nearly a mile of walking through the building, the party proceeded over to the Bethel home. Entering through the stately reception room and passing through our beautiful lounge room, they were guided to the new radio studios, the sewing-room, laundry, kitchen, dining-room and Kingdom Hall. Tuesday night 1,315 friends from many companies toured the factory, 1,260 of whom then visited the Bethel home. Wednesday night, despite rain, 1,165 toured the factory and about a hundred less of these the home. It was about 10 p.m. before they all cleared the home. All were delighted and blessed.

13. For all this provision whom do we thank? We ask what prayers?

¹³ Now we await the mass visit of the conventioners, from more than 70 lands of the earth. They are keenly interested in seeing all the equipment which our all-provident heavenly Father has given his visible organization to deliver the great Kingdom witness ahead. They will be filled with wonderment and with praise of Him at what they see. As we meditate on His goodness to his organized witnesses, we give him thanks. We ask the prayers of all persons of goodwill that we may faithfully, wisely and efficiently use all these his gifts, as long as he privileges us to do so, to advancing the interests of his righteous new world and to vindicating his holy name and universal sovereignty.

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The opening of the new Bethel

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Kingdom Hall and WBBR Studio

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The Watchtower Printing Plant

Our new press prints 29,000 magazines an hour

Invitation

The International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses invites you to hear the public address CAN YOU LIVE FOREVER IN HAPPINESS ON EARTH? by N.H. KNORR President of Watchtower Society. Sunday Aug. 6 3 PM. YANKEE STADIUM. Admission Free. No Collections.

All persons are invited to attend the International Assembly of Jehovah’s Witnesses. July 30 to August 6, 1950. Yankee Stadium, New York.