1923​—One Hundred Years Ago

UNITY OF WORSHIP

During the year, the organization made some changes that helped to promote unity of worship among the Bible Students. The Watch Tower began to publish comments explaining the scripture that they considered at their weekly Prayer, Praise, and Testimony Meeting. Additionally, the Bible Students produced a calendar listing the scripture for each week as well as a hymn that could be sung during personal study and family worship.

At their meetings, Bible Students offered “testimonies” that consisted of a field service experience, an expression of thanks to Jehovah, a song, or even a prayer. Eva Barney, who got baptized in 1923 at the age of 15, recalled: “If you wanted to give a testimony, you would stand up and begin saying something such as, ‘I wish to thank the Lord for all his goodness to me.’” Some brothers loved to testify. Sister Barney continued: “Dear old Brother Godwin had so many things to thank the Lord for. But when his wife saw the brother who was presiding getting fidgety, she’d tug her husband’s coattail, and he’d sit down.”

Once a month, each class held a special Prayer, Praise, and Testimony Meeting. Describing this meeting, The Watch Tower of April 1, 1923, stated: “Half of the meeting should be devoted to testimonies relating to the service work and encouraging the workers. . . . We believe that this unity of action will draw the friends closer together.”

Charles Martin, a 19-year-old class worker (congregation publisher) from Vancouver, Canada, benefited greatly from these meetings. He later recalled: “This was where I first learned what to say at the doors. Frequently, someone would relate an experience from the door-to-door work. This gave me ideas about what to say and how to answer various objections.”

UNITED IN WORSHIP

“Service days” also contributed to organizational unity. The April 1, 1923, issue of The Watch Tower announced: “That there may be unity of action . . . , Tuesday, May 1, 1923, is designated as a general service day. Likewise the first Tuesday of each and every month thereafter . . . Every member of every class should have some part in the work.”

Even young Bible Students shared in this work. Hazel Burford, only 16 years old at the time, recalled: “The Bulletin provided canvasses (similar to sample conversations) for us to memorize.a Along with Grandpa, I participated energetically in all these activities.” However, Sister Burford received some opposition from an unlikely source. She reported: “One dear old brother strenuously objected to my talking to the people. At the time, some did not understand that all Bible Students, including ‘young men, and maidens,’ should participate in praising our Grand Creator.” (Ps. 148:12, 13, King James Version) But Sister Burford persisted. She went on to attend the second class of Gilead School and to serve as a missionary in Panama. In time, those brothers adjusted their attitude regarding young ones in the ministry.

UNITED IN ASSEMBLY

Local and regional conventions also unified the brothers. Many of these conventions featured service days, such as the one held in Winnipeg, Canada. On March 31, this convention featured a “Special Bombardment of Winnipeg,” in which all conventioners were invited to take part. Service days like this laid the groundwork for future expansion. On August 5, an estimated 7,000 people attended another convention in Winnipeg. At the time, this was the highest attendance ever for a convention in Canada.

The most significant convention of Jehovah’s people in 1923 was held August 18-26, in Los Angeles, California. In the weeks leading up to the convention, newspapers carried advertisements for the event and Bible Students delivered more than 500,000 handbills. Advertising banners were affixed to streetcars and private vehicles.

On Saturday, August 25, Brother Rutherford delivered the talk “Sheep and Goats,” in which he clearly identified the “sheep” as righteously disposed people who would live on a paradise earth. He also introduced the resolution “A Warning.” This resolution denounced Christendom and urged honesthearted ones to separate themselves from “Babylon the Great.” (Rev. 18:2, 4) Zealous Bible Students earthwide would later unite in distributing millions of copies of this resolution.

On the last day of the convention, an audience of well over 30,000 heard Brother Rutherford deliver the public lecture “All Nations Marching to Armageddon, but Millions Now Living Will Never Die.” Anticipating the huge crowd, the Bible Students hired the newly constructed Los Angeles Coliseum. To ensure that everyone could hear, the brothers used the stadium’s loudspeaker system, which was new technology at the time. Many more heard the program over the radio.

INTERNATIONAL EXPANSION

In the year 1923, there was a notable expansion of the preaching work in Africa, Europe, India, and South America. In India, while caring for his wife and six children, A. J. Joseph cared for literature production in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.

In Sierra Leone, Bible Students Alfred Joseph and Leonard Blackman wrote to world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, requesting help. On April 14, 1923, their request was answered. “Late one Saturday night,” related Alfred, “I received an unexpected phone call.” He heard a booming voice ask, “Are you the person who wrote to the Watch Tower Society asking for preachers?” “Yes,” Alfred replied. “Well, they’ve sent me.” The voice belonged to William R. Brown. He had arrived that day from the Caribbean with his wife, Antonia, and their young daughters, Louise and Lucy. The brothers would not have to wait long to meet the new arrivals.

Alfred continued, saying: “The very next morning, Leonard and I were holding our weekly Bible study when an imposing figure appeared in the doorway. It was Brother Brown. He was so zealous for the truth that he wanted to give a public lecture the very next day.” In less than a month, Brother Brown placed all the literature he had brought with him. He soon received 5,000 more books, and before long even more books were needed. But Brother Brown was not known as a book salesman. Throughout his long career as a zealous servant of Jehovah, he constantly referred to the Scriptures in his talks, earning him the name Bible Brown.

Meanwhile, the existing branch office in Barmen, Germany, was crowded, and the city faced the imminent threat of invasion from neighboring France. The Bible Students located a building complex in Magdeburg that seemed perfect for their printing operations. On June 19, the brothers finished packing up the printing equipment and other furnishings and moved to the new Bethel in Magdeburg. The very day after world headquarters was notified that the move was complete, newspapers announced that France had taken possession of the city of Barmen. The brothers saw the move as evidence of Jehovah’s blessing and protection.

In Brazil, George Young, who traveled extensively to spread the good news, set up a new branch and began to publish The Watch Tower in Portuguese. Within just a few months, he placed more than 7,000 pieces of literature. His arrival in Brazil also provided Sarah Ferguson with a thrilling opportunity. She had been reading The Watch Tower since 1899, but she had never been able to symbolize her dedication by water baptism. A few months later, Sister Ferguson and her four children were finally able to take this important step.

“REJOICING AS WE GO”

As the year closed, the effect of the Bible Students’ united approach to worship was mentioned in The Watch Tower of December 15, 1923: “It is easy to be seen that the classes . . . are in a good spiritual condition . . . Let us gird on our armor and with renewed zeal and determination press on during the year that is just before us, rejoicing as we go.”

The next year would be a landmark year for the Bible Students. The brothers at Bethel had been working for months on a plot of land in Staten Island, a short trip from their headquarters in Brooklyn. The facilities built on that new site were completed in early 1924, and they helped to unite the brotherhood and spread the good news in ways that were never before possible.