RUSSELL'S RAPACIOUS RECORD

NZ Truth, Issue 511, 3 April 1915, Page 4

RUSSELL'S RAPACIOUS RECORD

♦ A PINCH-PENNY PASTOR DUMPS HIS' DECOCTION ON THE; DOMINION ' Dunedin Deluded

For false Christs and false pro- ] phets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were . possible, even the elect, i These Biblical words are of peculiar significance to-day when pßeudo Christs, prophets, pastors and evangelist^ are actually flooding the world with their delusive doctrines, smellsome sermons, and canting claptrap, mercenary meanness, deceitful humbug-, arid hypocritical sanctity. We have Brigham Youngs, Prophet Dowies* spook Baileys and lots of the religious reformers of the sensual and pinchpenny pattern— all of whom have done a very decent thing out of the credulous, and many others who are doing so still. The astounding part of the whole nefarious business is only seen when one realises that it is mainly Bible readers and bible lawyers that are generally fleeced. WOMEN, POOR, SILLY WOMEN,' ever open to receive the most novel, blest, and easiest way of reaching HeaTven,:are the main ; sufferers. In their thousands, nay millions, the gullible girls have been taken down, and are being taken down". Like the moths skipping round the candle, they are dazzled with the gaudy novelty, and the cunning verbal glamor that paints a flowery ridge over the sty. If "a little learning is a dangerous thing," superficial Bible study is a heap more dangerous. It leaves the hysterical, the innocent, the sincere and the mentally touched, easy prey to all such charlatans. The latest of these cunning gentry is Paßtor Russell, "of New York, Washington and London." He is the recognised head of that shady but thriving) concern, the International Bible Students' Association, branches of which are m every English speaking country, not excluding bur own dear deluded Dominion. Pastor Russell will be always found at home at the Temple of Creation, 63rd-street, New York; a spot very convenient to Broadway* and situated so as to snare as many pietists and wowsers as possible.' The snaring process goes on continually under the garb of the 1.8.5.A., and the amount snared dally is simply marvellous.. One would nearly be inclined to say, were not the present huge war on, that ALL THE FOOLS ON THE MAP are. members of the 1.8.5.A. As it is a great many of them can be located m that Association. Pastor Russell styles himself a "world famed editor, author and lee- . turer." Forty years on. the public plat, form. A profound Bible scholar. The world's most famous anti-hell -lire preacher, [which sounds hopeful!] He claims that his writings [which many consider trash } covey, more than 50,00 pages, and record th'o labors of a life time. He further claims that you can reap the benefit of his labors m p. few hours by seeing his "Photo- Drama of Creation," which is brains, time and money Invested for you. Brains,' time and money! The pastor certainly has the brains — the big, brains of a cunning cleric— but though ho does not actually ask it he eventually secures your time and money. The Photo Drama of Creation now showing m Duhedin - and elsewhero m the Dominion, does the trick Very'Y cry ' easily. But what Is the "Photo Drama of Creation"? In the pinch -penny pastor's own words wo are blandly told that It is a startling, fascinating and instructive moving colored picture, showing the world's creation and preparation, including Edenic scenes and Adam's transgression, and step by step the traverses, the ages, and, m captivating language and marvellous imaginary pictures, based on Bible prophecies, portrays the perfect man of the future m full . possession and full enjoyment of the promised "unending paradise, Of course, -the "captivating language," and "MARVELLOUS IMAGINARY PICTURES" all emanated from the pinch-penny .parson. Tho photo drama opens by depicting the prehistoric Zoo, 18,000 B.C. The pastor even gives figures for his calculation, which, of course, no ono can dispute! Wo get a general view of old mother-earth at her maidenly period 2,400 B.C. following the flood. Between times, however, we get some sensa-, tlonal glimpses of good old Adam and his haughty Eve. They figure on the pastor's screen In all their pristine glory. Eve looks a slngulary attractive, rounded creature with the contours and gait of many blushing New Zealand damsels. Old Adam looks singularly love sick, bony arid Inert. One would think ho was a Uunedln wowser and just fresh from Joo Isaac's hair-cuttery saloon — for. Adam wears his hair a la mtlltalrc, Both ho and Kve have nice white skins, and there is nothing of tho hairy bear or monkey about thorn. Other Biblical glimpses wo get^ m the temptation of Adam, and the Queen of Sheba. Tho signs of the son of Man aro certainly graphic — New York with ltfl gardens and sky-scrapers; and aerial navigation. There is one picture that rlveta one's attention, and m wonderment It may be asked how the brazen pastor had tho audacity to trot It out; viz., "The Idol of To-Day." Tho Idol is portrayed as A BIG SACK OF DOLLARS, and many a sack like It tho cunning pastor snared himself. There are none so brazen after all as puling pietists. Thero's no chargo to see tho abovo picture, nor Is any collection taken up. But you can give If you llko and many do give. However, there Is every Inducement held out, particularly to womon to become members of tho 1.8.5.A.. and, of course, it is tho students who ore the dupes; they keep Russell In' funds, and It Its on the strength of tholr coin that the picture Is botng carted through the Dominion. Recruits are coming In wholesale. They willingly dlßgortrc, and eagerly get ready for tho earthly paradise. Wo fear that Paßtor Russell haa all tho fat and all the heaven that's going. In .common fairness to tho pnßtor, to his numerous students In dunOH. wo roproduco the following from our first cousin, London "Truth," of .Jnnnury 30 last. It weirdly shows the rancally Russell as nothing leas than a worldfamed wolf: A prophet who 2o years or more ago

tipped the commencement of the Day of Wrath for October, 1914, must be admitted to have made a pretty good shot. Such a- prophet is Pastor Charles T. Russejl, of Brooklyn, N.Y., and the Tabernacle, Lancaster Gate, London, W. Had he been content to let his prophecies rest at that it would have difficult to persuade some people that he had not good grounds for them. But the passion for production has been the bane of most prophets. He went on to predict that "a final end of the kingdoms of this world and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God will be accomplished by. the end of A.D. 1914." From the fact that the pastor was, m December last heralding the new era with a cinema entertainment at the Albert Hall It might be opined that he was, fully prepared for it, and ready to acclaim it m- a thoroughly up-to-date JTankee manner. However,. 19 15. is here AND THE MILLENNIUM TARRIES. The faith of the Millennium Dawnists must be sadly shaken m their high priest, even though he has since hedged m. a further statement that the time of trouble which precedes the millennium may extend to 1920. ; There are other reasons why I personally should not have faith m Pastor Russell either as a prophet or a pastor, and they are reasons so cogent that they ought to be knojvn to every member of the congregation which attendß his Tabernacle at Lan-. caster Gate, and every ; person who might be tempted to visit that cohven-' ticle through attendance at one of the free entertainments— h photo drama of Creation— which he has been providing so liberally to the public of London. Those 7 Reasons are not theological, but ethicai.' They are baaed on the belief tnat the man who sets himself up as a religious teacher and guide should have a 'clean reco/d financially and morally, a reputation as r unsullied as Csesar's. wife. As to whether ' Pastor Russell "can claim such a record and reputation, some facts concerning his career m his native land may be allowed to speak for themselves. It was m his native town of Allegheny; thai Russell became prophet and postpr too.' 1 Before assuming the cloth —fot-'he is of-a-Belf-brdained ministry— he sold Bi&irts- and other articles of male attire." *- Then he began to preach, secured '«a" following, sold out five stores which he owned, and banked his all oh the millennial dawn. At Allegh'any he was married; at the same town also his wife ' divorced him. There i$ no need to go into the unsavory details of the suit. His wife complained of his FAMILIARITY WITH A FEMALE BtflOflSrapher m his employ, and of finding him m a servants bedroom with the door locked. The pastor these little episodes, according to Mrs. Russell, by the following illuminating selfrevelation of his character; I am like a jellyfish; I float around here and there, I touch this one and that, and if she responds I tako her to me, and if ' not I float on to others* From Alleghany he floated on to Pittsburg, from Pittsburg to Brooklyn, and eventually to London, where .iio purchased- a Nonconformist meetinghouse at Lartciaster Gato for £5,600, christened it the London Tabernacle, and made it the headquarters of his work on this side of the Atlantic. Meanwhile he 'had also T>oen engaged m a considerable amount of /flotation of another kind. One of thu pastor's claims to confidence is that he has given his all to the Lord. Exactly what this means was shown m a lawsuit brought by his wife for the payment of alimony granted her by the Court. The pastor ~ pleaded that ho had transferred 817,000 dollars to the Watch Tower

Bible, and Tract Society, a ■ business corporation of which he was president, chartered under the laws of Pennsylvania. Referring to one transaction involving a sale of property worth 20,000 dollars for less than 30.0 dollars, the* Court said: The purpose of this whole transaction was to deprive the wife of her dower interest, and was a fraud on her. This Watch Tower Society acts as a receiving company for the donations of the faithful. It has no share issue m the ordinary meaning of the term, but donors are invited to a voting certificate for every 10 dollars given, if they choose to claim it. In January, 1913, there were m round numbers 50,000 such certificates issued, of which the pastor held 47,0000. Since the total donations during the 10 years of the society's existence amounted to about 2,000,000 dollars, it will be seen that the majority of the donors did not avail themselves of the privilege, and that the control of the cash is left ENTIRELY IN * THE PASTOR'S HANDS. The Watch Tower Society is an association which under English company law would probably be registered as a company not trading for profit. It has a subsidiary m another concern ' caljed the United States Investment Corporation, 'to which it hands over cash for investment. This company, like the Watch Tower Society, is controlled' *-y Pastor. Russell. Presumably it trades for profit, but it makes no return, m the shape of interest, for the funds handed over to it by tits feeder, the Watch Tower Society. It will be seen, therefore, that a gift to the Lord by the pastor merely means a gift to one company, which passes on the gift to another company, which is practioally the pastor himself. In fact, the gift is only'a piece of juggling by wh;.^h the money is made to disappear up tho Juggler's sleeve from the sight of the audience. It is into the Watch Tover Society that the Rußsellltes pay their contributions, and as their pastor claims that ther.e are 100,000 of them, and as they are invited to follow tha pastor's example. and give tWr substance to the Lord, it is obvious tiiat the 'opportunities afforded the pastor of feathering his' nest is considerable.. It it therefore interesting to find that the United States Investment Company is a large holder of real prosperity. Nor are these the orily Instances of tho pastor's company flotations. He has been the promdter of concerns called the Sellca' Brick Company, which ho managed from his Bible House m Pittsburg, the Brazilian Turpentine Company, m which he held a controll-' ing interest, a cemetery company m Pittsburg, and the United States Coal and Coke Company, besides. being interested m The California Asphaltum Company. Chapter and .verse for these statements are to be obtained from reports of the . ' PROCEEDINGS TN TWO LIBEL ACTIONS In -.which Pastor Russell had brought against people oh the other side of the Atlantic. One of these was against the "Brooklyn Eagle," and was heard m the Superior Court of New York m Janu* ary, 1913. It arose out of the "EagleV comments on the sale of Russell's followers of "miracle" wheat. This marvellous grain was disposed of at the rate of 60 dollars a bushel, on the g^qiujd that it was. from 10 to .15 times as prolific as ordinary grain. The, "ijagle" asserted that it was ordinary seed wheat that sells at one or two dollars^a, bushel, and published a cartoon associating the pastor' with a number of well-known crooks. The ."EJaglo" pleaded 'justification of the libel, and the jury returnod a' verdict m its favor. The other action* was brought against a Canadian clergyman, the Rev. J. J. Ross, the minister of a Baptist Church m Hamilton, Ontario, who published a pamphlet In Juno, 1912, warning people against Russell. It was a criminal action. After various delays the pastor appeared at Hamilton to prosecute his suit, and Mr. Ross was committed for trial at the High Court, Toronto,. the Magistrate having no option of dismissal. The High Court opened on March 1, 1913, and the Grand Jury found no bill, the only evidence before them belnf that furnished by the pastor himself In his examina-tion-in-chlef and cross-examination. Whether it is the disclosures m these actions which has led the problematical Jellyfish to float to Britain's shores we do not know, but .If so we would humbly intimate to him that Britain has "NO USE" FOR FALSE PROPHETS, whether disguised as jellyfish or not. Pastor Russell is evidently of another opinion, and his recent efforts In London show a keen determination to gain a footing m the metropolis. Already, we are luformed, his Sunday ontertalnments, to which allusion has already been made, are but an Ingenious method of advertising. They havo been hold m big halls In the suburbs, at the London Opera House, and • finally at the Albert Hall by the International Bible Students' Association, tho latest tltjo under which Russellism or Millennial Dawnism disguises Itself, tho whole object being to secure new adherents. These are not secured at first. There? aro no collections at tho services. Pastor Russell's appeal Is more subtle than that. When the neophyte Is thoroughly imbued with the Idea that millennium Is at hand, and therefore that mere mundane wealth will become , useless, what more natural than that , he or she should rid himself or her- j self of his or her superfluity by passing It over "for the purposo af winging tho good news abroad? Does not the shopherd lead tho way tor the sheep to follow? But the sheep can got no further than the gate of Pustbr Russell's confines, and the only millennium likely to dawn for them Is the typo m which the lion lies with tho lamb— the latter Inol.ln I