WILLING WORKERS RESPOND TO THE CALL

Early in 1927, a call went out for more full-time proclaimers of the good news​—colporteurs, as they were called then. Soon there were eight in the Netherlands. And how the distribution of Bible literature increased! It doubled that year, and doubled again in 1928. Many seeds of Kingdom truth were being planted.

Some of those zealous workers came from France. At a convention there, the Polish-speaking brothers were told of the need for volunteers to carry the good news to Polish-speaking mine workers in the southern part of the Netherlands. André Kowalski and his companion packed their belongings and moved to the province of Limburg late in 1927. Not only did they find many interested ones, but André was rewarded with a fine wife, a zealous pioneer sister who had come to help them in their assignment.

This territory had long been in complete servitude to the Roman Catholic Church. So, as interest in the good news increased, opposition did too. Almost daily the brothers were ordered to stop their work, and they were often hauled off to police stations and detained for hours. One Sunday morning when they were making calls in a village, the populace informed the clergy. The police, led by the burgomaster, surrounded the brothers, arrested them, and led them off to the Town Hall. Of course, the brothers had not violated the law, so they were soon released. Meanwhile, a large crowd of curious townsfolk had gathered to see what the outcome would be. As the brothers emerged from the building they called out to the crowd: “Ladies and gentlemen, we are still here.” Then they offered them Bible literature and quickly placed everything they had.

HOUSING FOR THE PIONEERS

In the early 1930’s, the Central European Office urged young men and women throughout Europe to put their faith to the test by moving into lands where the need was greater. The Netherlands was a hard nut to crack, religiously speaking. But the Dutch had a reputation for hospitality to refugees and to strangers, so pioneers from nearby countries took up service in the Netherlands. Many were from Germany. A number from Holland joined them in full-time service. Some left behind comfortable homes and jobs that paid well. A few were quite new in Jehovah’s service. Max Henning, from Germany, was not yet baptized when he responded to that call for workers. But they were all willing to work hard as pioneers.

To assist these full-time workers, the branch office rented locations that could be used as pioneer homes. Six pioneers shared a home in Tilburg; nine, in Amsterdam. Later, pioneer homes were established in Eindhoven, Heemstede, and Leersum. It was understood that each pioneer would deposit in the common fund his full proceeds from literature placements. They all shared the duties that go with keeping up a home. A brother who knew how to repair shoes did this, another one cut hair, and so forth. If there was any money left over at the end of the month after all the home expenses had been covered, it was divided among the pioneers. Usually, it was no more than a few cents.

Toward the end of 1931, a boat that had been rented by the Society was put to use to further the preaching work. It bore the name Almina and was tied up along the canal in the city of Zwolle. This movable home could nicely provide housing for the pioneers as they worked the cities and towns along the waterways. But there was a problem: The pioneers assigned to the boat knew as much about operating boats as about flying to the moon. So, when Ferdinand Holtorf made it known that he used to be a sailor, he was promptly assigned to the Almina and was hustled off to Zwolle.

The Almina was a good boat, but it had its drawbacks. It had no motor, and there was no sail. How could they get the thing to move? ‘Well, is there a strong brother on board?’ Then the problem was solved. He would be the “horse,” and with a rope he would pull it as he walked along the bank of the canal. So they set off! Good work was done by the group working from that boat as they witnessed inland to the northeast. Emmen was one of the towns in which they preached. No one at that time had any idea that some 50 years later this town would house a modern branch office and printery of the Watch Tower Society!

RAPID PROGRESS BRINGS LEGAL ACTION

As the intensity of the preaching work increased, so did clergy opposition in some areas. This was the case in the environs of Tilburg. When a locality was worked two days in a row, the publishers would be driven out by mobs hurling rocks and wielding pitchforks. In order to meet expenses so they could stay in that area and give a thorough witness, it was frequently necessary for the pioneers to move to more friendly territory in another part of the country, where they could place much literature for a month or so before continuing their work around Tilburg.

So intense was the pressure brought to bear upon those in the pioneer home at Tilburg that their lights, water, and gas were cut off. There were even attempts to burn the house down. And the threat was made that if the work of the Witnesses continued in that part of the country, all who had come from foreign countries to preach would be deported. In fact, one evening Brother Sonnenschein, Sr., did not come home as usual. When an appeal was made to the police in Tilburg, they replied that the Witnesses were causing unrest among the populace and that likely the one who was missing had been kicked out of the country. And so it proved to be. Local authorities had decided that our brother should be handed over to the Nazi authorities in Germany. As a result he was sent to a concentration camp. The same action was taken against Brothers Lange, Gädeke, and Backes. Finally, the home in Tilburg was abandoned, and the pioneers were moved to other assignments.

There was a sharp reaction from jurists in the country and from the press. Het Volk of April 10, 1934, quoted the opinion of a number of jurists on this matter. Said one lawyer: “The situation of complete lack of rights on the part of the foreigner . . . brings the honored tradition of the Netherlands’ right of asylum into disrepute in other lands.” In Parliament, the Minister of Justice was urged to use his influence to have local police authorities divested of the authority of expulsion.

During this time the Shop Closing Law was also applied to Jehovah’s Witnesses, so they were forbidden to offer Bible literature for a contribution in public places on Sundays. An appeal to the Ministry of Economic Affairs brought no relief. In spite of such blows, the Kingdom message continued to spread.

‘SEND OUT YOUR BREAD UPON THE WATERS’

In the summer of 1934, pioneers left four booklets with a woman near Rotterdam. Later that day her son Jan found them on the table when he came in from a game of soccer. Though his parents were devoutly religious, Jan was losing interest in religion. He had even begun to dabble in communism. But when he read those booklets, he knew that they contained the truth. The pioneers did not return. In those days a principle applied to the preaching work was: “Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in the course of many days you will find it again.” (Eccl. 11:1) They generously spread the Kingdom message, even though results were not immediately evident. But Jan did not wait for “many days” to act on what he was learning. He spoke to all who would listen. His girl friend joined him in preaching, and together they are still serving Jehovah.

Up north in Groningen, Ferdinand Holtorf was notified by the branch office that he ought to get in touch with a certain man in the rurals who had been ordering large quantities of booklets to place. After a thorough search Tjeerd de Bruijn was located. As it turned out, he had obtained three booklets from Ferdinand’s own wife a year earlier but had then moved. He felt impelled to share with others the wonderful truths he had learned. Tjeerd was doing hard work on a dike, in addition to which he had to ride for two hours on his bicycle to get to work and another two hours to return in the evening. He also had work to do in the garden after he came home. But appreciation for the truth moved him to join Ferdinand in the preaching work after that, sometimes till midnight.

Particularly in rural areas where the Calvinistic Reformed Church had a strong grip, the pioneers had to give special attention to their dress in order to be able to witness effectively. These people deemed it a great virtue to be clothed in black, and they thought that it should cover as much of the body as possible. The pioneer sisters from Germany were accustomed to dressing in a style that was not appreciated by such folks. Often they would be rebuffed with remarks such as: ‘You with the light-colored clothing and stockings, and with your short hair, are you going to tell us anything about God?’ But the pioneers noticed that Jopie de Jong, a local pioneer who used to belong to the Calvinistic Reformed Church and who understood them, had much success. Ah, yes, but he wore a fine pair of striped trousers and a distinguished bowler hat when in the field ministry! So, they began to dress in a manner that would be more acceptable to the public.

HARDSHIPS DO NOT IMPEDE THE WORK

The pioneers did not shy away from a life of hardship. During special witnessing periods it was not uncommon for them to devote as many as 100 hours a week to the field ministry. In late spring and into the early fall, they would start witnessing in the rurals at 7:00 a.m. and eat breakfast on the go. Instead of stopping for lunch, they had a bite to eat as they traveled between houses. Finally, at 9:00 p.m. they would head for home, after 14 hours of preaching. It was not unusual for them to distribute 400, even up to 800, booklets during such a week.

But the economic situation in the country worsened in the mid-1930’s. There was much unemployment, and it was more difficult for people to contribute for the literature.

Events in Germany were also having an effect​—indirectly at first. When Arthur Winkler and his wife, Käthe, came across the border from Germany to pioneer in the Netherlands, they brought news of the horrors of the concentration camps. This made the Dutch brothers think seriously about the possibility that they too might someday undergo such trials.

The Dutch authorities were being very careful not to offend Adolf Hitler. In October 1934, when the Witnesses in 50 countries sent telegrams protesting Hitler’s inhuman treatment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Germany, many post office officials in the Netherlands refused to accept such telegrams. Nevertheless, people continued to embrace the truth, and some became true spiritual pillars.

BOLDLY WITNESSING WITH PHONOGRAPHS

Soon another instrument was introduced for use in the preaching work​—the phonograph. All the publishers were eager to use it. Kasper Keim, a German pioneer working in Enschede in 1938, was happy to have an “Aaron” to speak for him because he was “slow of mouth and slow of tongue” when trying to speak Dutch. (Compare Exodus 4:10, 14-16.) He asked Sister Albrecht for advice on how to introduce his “Aaron,” and she suggested: ‘When you come to a door, ask the one who comes out, “Madam or Sir, do you have five minutes?” If they say yes, then play the records.’ The next morning Kasper confidently rang his first bell. When a lady appeared, he said resolutely: “Madam, you have five minutes!” Door after door, flabbergasted householders just stood there and listened.

Despite the difficult economic situation, the publishers wanted to have phonographs to use. In the northern part of the country, Tjeerd de Bruijn promptly sold his goat in order to buy a phonograph. Then he would wait at church exits and treat the parishioners to another sermon as they came out.

In Soest, Sister J. de Bree would take her phonograph to some busy intersection, set it down, and play the records, often to as many as 30 people. When the pioneers working out of Deventer witnessed in the ports along the IJssel River, they would eat lunch where groups would gather. As they ate they played the records so that others could hear. Sometimes as many as 25 would listen and then ask questions. A specially constructed house-car with a retractable loudspeaker was also put to use. Thus the preaching activity moved ahead with growing intensity.

INCREASED PRESSURE ON GERMAN PIONEERS

As persecution of the Witnesses increased in Germany, more crossed the border into the Netherlands. The Dutch brothers helped to provide housing but were careful not to divulge information about them to strangers.

However, some officials were pro-Nazi. So, in October of 1937, shortly after Karl Kemena crossed the border, he was arrested in Ootmarsum at the instance of the burgomaster. For three months Karl was confined in the Almelo jail, until more friendly officials intervened. But he used the time well to study the Dutch language and so was equipped to share in the preaching work when he was released. The following year he was arrested in another location but, after some months in jail, was again released.

The country feared war. On March 15, 1938, Prime Minister Dr. H. Colijn spoke about it over the radio, saying: “I will conclude with the entreaty that the Almighty God protect our part of the world and thus also our fatherland from a new Armageddon.” Just then the brothers were distributing the booklet Armageddon, which explained what the Bible says on that subject. In some areas the pioneers could not keep up with the demand.

But the German Gestapo sought to lay hands on German Witnesses who were in the Netherlands. They infiltrated an agent named Hilgers into the ranks of the brothers. However, his disposition soon betrayed him as not being a Witness, and he was not able to do much harm.

Yet, more trouble was brewing. On July 23, the burgomaster of Leersum notified the Society’s branch office: “Pursuant to the letter I received today from the Attorney-General, serving as the Chief of Police in Amsterdam, it is my duty to inform you, that you and all your co-members of the Watch Tower Society must desist from any colportage in the future, otherwise foreigners will be deported.” It turned out that this was meant to apply to all who were “not of Netherlandish nationality,” and not only in Leersum but throughout the country. The result was only temporary uncertainty among the German pioneers, however. Deprived of the privilege of preaching from house to house, they concentrated on return visits, and thus the curse was turned into a blessing.

[Picture on page 123]

Zealous group in front of the pioneer home in Leersum