[R5042 : page 186]

SOME INTERESTING LETTERS

WORK FOR THE BLIND

DEAR FRIENDS:—

Enclosed find report for the year's work in literature for the blind. Previous to March 1, 1911, the work of transcribing the SCRIPTURE STUDIES into type for the blind was in its inceptive stage and no systematic record was kept.

However, at this time, having secured financial aid from the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and from others who had become interested in the work, it becomes expedient to adopt a business method.

Itemized, the work at present is as follows:

Books in circulation since March 1.................... 103
Sold, complete copies, Vol. 1, in 7 parts............. 2
Sold, parts of Vol. 1................................. 2
Books on hand......................................... 700
50 copies Vol. 1 in New York Point, in............ 7 parts
26 copies Vol. 1, English Braille................. 3 "
25 copies TABERNACLE SHADOWS...................... 2 "
Balance in tracts, sermons, TOWER articles, etc.
Copies sent to British office, Eng. Braille, Vol. 1... 9
Copies TABERNACLE SHADOWS............................. 3
Copies to South Africa, Vol. 1 and TABERNACLE
SHADOWS, each........................................ 1
Received.......................................... $267.41
Expended for supplies, etc........................ 91.49
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Balance........................................... $175.92

The labor has been the free-will offering of the Lord's people, confining expenses to the purchase of necessary supplies.

Sincerely yours in the Lord's service,

F. B. GOULD,
Librarian Gould Free Library for the Blind.

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[page 186]

DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

Christian greetings to you, our dearly beloved Pastor. It is with deep gratitude to our Heavenly Father that I am sending the enclosed post office order for one hundred dollars, to be used in the harvest work according to your best judgment. It is a cause for rejoicing that the dear Lord permits me to use some of His money in this way, which has been my heart's desire so long.

Present Truth has been a great blessing, and no less precious now; rather increasing as the years go by. The light grows clearer, and the foundation stronger, thus enduring the storms of trials and testings. Well it may, for its "Builder and Maker is God." It is with a spirit of thankfulness that I find myself in complete harmony with all the Lord's arrangements. Oh, wonderful wisdom! What confidence it inspires in the humble child of God!

The Passover Season was full of sacred memories, beautiful yet solemn, and not without contrition of heart in view of the many failures, when the sacrifice might have been more completely bound to the altar, when the Master's example might have been more faithfully followed. Favor upon favor has been my portion. How little is the sacrifice! And how rich is the reward! Surely, Infinite patience and love have been manifested by the Lord in dealing with His weak child. I trust it will not be in vain, but in the life to come will all redound to His honor and glory, His strength made perfect in weakness.

"Higher than the highest heaven,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lord, Thy love at last has conquered—
None of self, and all of Thee."

THE TOWERS are so helpful. We were especially impressed with the articles in the last issue, "Pride in the Heart," "The Mortal Body the Servant of the New Mind," and "The Palace of Blessedness." While we are glad to hear the Lord's representatives on any subject pertaining to our Father's Word, nevertheless we listen with deeper interest to what will help us to build character and aid in making our "calling and election sure."

We appreciate your labor of love, dear Brother, better than we can express, and pray that the Lord's blessing may ever attend your way, keeping you faithful unto death.

Your sister by His grace, ——-Ill.

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DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

I wish to tell you of my appreciation of the way the Lord has used you in giving out "meat in due season," helping us all to know the Lord's will more perfectly.

I have known something about this wonderful Truth for some years, and believed it to a certain extent, too, but just about a year ago I really started to study, and now I have consecrated, and am pressing down upon the "mark" for "the Prize" ahead. I wish to send in my name as one who has taken the Vow. I desire to have my name enrolled.

Yours in the dear Redeemer,

(Mrs.) EMMA SCOTT.—Ont., Can.

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DEAR PASTOR RUSSELL:—

We feel that we cannot do less than write you to say that under God's guidance you have given us comfort that could come from no other source. Our son, a good and noble young man, but not a professor of religion, has been suddenly taken from us by death. I think our hearts would break if we believed, as we once did, that eternal torment awaited all but the righteous.

Thank God that through the light of "present Truth" we [page 187] know without a doubt that he is hidden only until the wrath be overpast. We thank God and you for the blessed knowledge.

Yours in His name,

ANDREW R. and ANNIE S. MUSGRAVE.—Cape Breton.

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DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

Our three elders are doing good work, and we are all striving to grow in grace and knowledge and love. I pray constantly that daughter and I may be helps and not hindrances to the class. The hardest trial that has come to me during the years has been the spirit of disapproval among certain classes of Truth-people against any kind of prosperity—temporal or spiritual.

After all the talk we hear, I have often seen the poor treat the rich in a much meaner way than I have ever seen the rich treat the poor. It seems that many people hate everybody who has more of anything than they have. I simply cannot comprehend such a spirit, and surely the Kingdom class cannot have any such spirit—regardless of professions along other lines!

Just as I desire the Master's patience when I am ignorant and out of the way, I pray for patience toward all. I already love these—sincerely—but our own children, whom we love dearly, sometimes try our patience. "Cast not away your confidence,...for ye have need of patience," is often in my mind, with the testimony that Enoch had, that he pleased God.

So long as this peace of pleasing God is mine I can endure the contradiction of sinners, remembering how the Lord "endured the cross, despising the shame." Ours is a wonderful hope—not a floating, but an anchored one.

Now, a question, please: Is it the part of wisdom for a Pilgrim to begin a public lecture by declaring that we do not believe in the divinity of Christ, the immortality of the soul, eternal torment and the Trinity, and not explain clearly what we do believe?

The impression gathered is that we do not believe in the prehuman existence of our Lord, future life for mankind, penalty for sin, nor the Holy Spirit!

The statement in January 15 TOWER satisfies me perfectly; but many did not seem to fully grasp it. The humanity of Jesus, the Deity of Christ; the personality of the Holy Spirit in Father and Son; immortality for Jesus and the Church—The Christ; everlasting life for many others, etc.—all this is a clear, comprehensible statement.

After a Pilgrim had made the first-mentioned declaration in an Illinois town recently, the men who had attended the meeting, on invitation of a merchant-brother, went to him next day and said, "You need never talk to us again, for we will not listen." I shall be so glad when the "pure language" is turned to the poor, bewildered people—for how can they understand the now often misstated facts? Some of the friends of the Truth have been its greatest enemies!

Once I heard a Pilgrim (now out of the Truth) say that all modern conveniences were of the Devil; all moral reforms were of the Devil, and all education was of the Devil—in fact, that everything but ignorance (and himself, perhaps) was of the Devil!

I thought he was a child of darkness, fit for the "Dark Ages," and I was relieved when he was no longer a Pilgrim, and not surprised when he was entirely out of the Truth and an opposer of the Truth.

I have heard testimonials in which friends "rejoiced" because ignorant "glorying in their shame"—because "not many wise are called"—apparently determined to remain as ignorant and unreasonable as possible—counting it a virtue! Surely we are "called" to be educated in the school of Christ!

Often I find it is not so much the Truth that people oppose as misapprehensions gathered from misstatements of the friends. The real Truth is beautiful and satisfying, and acceptable when understood.

Your Easter sermon was lucid enough to be easily understood by any of average intelligence. I rejoiced in this as I read it.

Yours in the Blessed Hope, ———.

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DEAR BROTHER RUSSELL:—

Although it is so far back as the evening of April 4, 1910, since we registered before the Lord our Vow unto Him, I do not think you have been advised of this, and I therefore take this opportunity of informing you.

The peace and joy, light and blessing which we had before taking the Vow (which we look at as being a ratification in detail of our consecration vow), have remained with us; yea, have increased a hundredfold, and upon our table are being laid good things continually, "meat in due Season," from the hand of the Lord's Wise Steward, to whom we are indebted for so much comfort and consolation.

Believe me that you have a special interest in our prayers, and indeed in the prayers of all the brethren with whom we are at present privileged to meet. We ask an interest in your own prayers for the Church Universal, that we, with you, and with all saints, may be kept "faithful unto death," that we may receive "the Crown of Life" in God's due time.

Yours in the Glorious Hope,

SIDNEY AND HANNAH SMITH.—Eng.