What actually appeared in the pages of the Watch Tower concerning "Miracle
Wheat" -- no fraud, no deception.
Miracle Wheat in The Watch Towers from 1908 to 1916
Many claims are being made against Charles Taze Russell regarding "Miracle
Wheat".
Often Mr. Russell is misquoted and/or misrepresented in these attacks on his
reputation and character.
Read for yourself the following articles and see what Mr. Russell actually
wrote.
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The following is from
The Watch Tower, March 15, 1908, page 86:
"MIRACLE WHEAT"
The public press is telling of the origin of "Miracle Wheat" in answer to
prayer. The description has the earmarks of truth to it, in that it gives
the address of the man whose prayers are said to have been answered-- "K. B.
Stoner, a farmer of Fincastle, Botetourt county, Virginia." It would appear
from the account that the original stalk of wheat appeared in the midst of a
crop of the ordinary kind, but with "142 heads of grain."
We quote:--
"Mr. Stoner was amazed. It seemed incredible. When a Frenchman, in 1842,
announced that he had discovered a species of wheat in the Mediterranean
country which produced four heads to the plant, people said he was crazy.
"But here was a plant with 142 heads!
"Naturally Mr. Stoner carefully preserved the heads, and the next year sowed
the seed, continuing to do this each year, for he realized he had discovered
a phenomenal brand of grain. And each year his amazement increased.
"That first year after discovering the plant he got 2000 grains. In 1906 he
got sixteen bushels, and has now raised the crop of wheat, all carefully
preserved for seed, to 800 bushels.
"What is most remarkable about the wheat is this: Whereas there is produced
in the wheat sections of that country an average at the best of seventeen
bushels to an acre, the average yield of the "miracle wheat" during the last
three years has been fifty-six bushels to the acre; and whereas from eight
to ten pecks of seed are required to plant an acre in Virginia, Mr. Stoner
uses only two pecks, and, in comparison to the yield of ordinary wheat in
the neighborhood, which is eight bushels for each bushel of seed, Mr. Stoner
gets about seventy-five bushels for one. An ordinary stalk of wheat covers
about four inches of space. The miracle wheat covers twelve.
THE GOVERNMENT REPORT
"Last year United States government officials became interested in the
remarkable wheat and sent Assistant Agriculturalist H. A. Miller to examine
it. In his report he declares:
"'The wheat, which came from an unknown source, has been grown in the
nursery every year since that time, and also has been grown under field
conditions the last two years, giving excellent results. The yield has been
from two to three times the yield of other varieties grown on the farm under
the same condition of culture, except the rate of seeding, which was two
pecks to the acre, while other varieties were sown at the rate of eight to
ten pecks per acre, which is the common practice of farmers in the vicinity.
"'Milling tests have been made of this wheat, and its quality seems to be as
good as, if not superior to, other varieties of winter wheat.'
"The average height of the wheat, according to the report, is four feet four
inches.
"It is said that the Russian government has secured an option on the wheat,
and will buy a consignment of 80,000,000 bushels when that quantity shall
have been raised. During the next year the seed will be distributed among
farmers in Virginia and North Carolina, who will raise it and preserve the
seed, keeping the seed only for planting until the required amount will have
been produced. By next fall, it is believed, 30,000 bushels will have been
produced."
IS IT RESTITUTION WHEAT?
If this account be but one-half true it testifies afresh to God's ability to
provide things needful for the "times of restitution of all things which God
hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world
began."--Acts 3:19-21.
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The following article is from:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1908, page 214
MIRACLE WHEAT
NEW VARIETY PRODUCED YIELDING 277 BUSHELS OF GRAIN TO ACRE
Wheat with stalks like sugar cane and yielding 277 bushels of highly
nutritious kernels to the acre has been produced as a result of experiments
made in Idaho by Allen Adams of Minneapolis.
The new wheat has been named "Alaska" because of its hardiness. It is either
spring or winter wheat, just as the farmer desires to sow. It is so sturdy
that storms that ruin other stock affect its giant stems but little, and the
heads remain upright through ordinary hailstorms.
The yield shows that Adams has been able to obtain an increase of 222 fold.
One head of the giant wheat was planted in the fall of 1904. The seeds from
that head were planted the next year and seven pounds of seed obtained. This
was sown in the spring of 1906, and from the seven pounds were harvested
1,554 pounds that fall. In the fall of the same year he sowed it as winter
wheat, but conditions were adverse. Almost all the "blue stem" and "club"
were destroyed, and only a third of the crop of experimental wheat came to
maturity, yet there was a yield of 50,000 pounds. A heavy hailstorm in July
was the cause of the ruined wheat crop, which left scarcely any of the
ordinary wheat standing.
Further experiments brought forth a yield of 277 bushels to an acre. The
Idaho College of Agriculture has made a laboratory test of the wheat and
reports the grain plump and sound and that it should make better bread than
the ordinary wheat. -- Beloit Free Press.
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The following article is from:
The Watch Tower, October 1, 1908, page 291
MORE MIRACLE WHEAT
OUR notice of the "Miracle Wheat" grown in Virginia, the grower reports, has
caused him lots of trouble answering letters and returning money sent for
small samples. He has shown us representative stalks of the wheat and photos
of its growing in the field, fully corroborating all that we have published
respecting the same. But he refuses to sell any of it until he has secured a
fair stock, which will be in a few years hence.
Meantime the matter has brought out the fact that others are also
propagating "Miracle Wheat," as witnessed by the subjoined reports. We
advise farmers to begin at once to inspect their wheat before cutting and
cull out for seed the choicest, fullest heads or most "stooled." Our thought
is that in this natural way God is preparing for the Millennium, when "the
earth shall yield her increase."
SEVEN-HEADED WHEAT DISCOVERED
W. W. Ward, of Dayton, Washington, has discovered a new variety of wheat
that has seven distinct heads united to a common base. And each head is
larger than the ordinary wheat. Ward figures that the new variety will yield
as high as 280 bushels to the acre, with an average of 200 bushels.
Hundreds of farmers have visited the Ward ranch and are intensely interested
in the new wheat. All have asked for a few pounds of the seed, but Ward is
figuring upon further experiments and plans to plant all of this year's crop
next season, enlarging his present area to about three acres.
Ward has been experimenting for five years to get a wheat that will yield
bigger crops, but never expected anything like the seven-headed variety. --
Sioux City Tribune.
* * *
Neither of the above notes relate to what is termed "Alaska" wheat grown in
Idaho, which we understand had been repudiated by Government experts.
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The next article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1909, pages 212, 213
MIRACLE WHEAT--MIRACLE CULTIVATION
A year ago we called attention to the miracle wheat, which was developed in
Virginia, seemingly by accident. We know not to what extent it has been sown
elsewhere, nor whether any wonderful results have been obtained. However, it
gives to the eye of faith a suggestive lesson as to how God could "Call for
the wheat-corn and increase it" many fold. Now we learn of some wonderful
experiments which have recently been made by the Russian Government, which
serve to show that in soil that is at least twenty inches deep a new method
of cultivating wheat, gives promise of almost miraculous results. Even if
only one-tenth of the results claimed can be obtained the advantage
seemingly would be considerable. Even if the method be at present found
impracticable for any reason, the suggestion to the eye of faith would be
valuable everyway as showing God's people something of the hidden powers
Divine, which are held in reservation for man's time of need.
PLANTING WHEAT INSTEAD OF SOWING IT
The new method of cultivating wheat, based upon these experiments, is the
making of pits or trenches, twelve to twenty inches deeper than the surface
level and forty-two inches wide. One grain of wheat planted at the bottom of
each pit or forty-two inches apart in the trenches is covered lightly with
two inches of soil. Every three weeks the covering process is repeated about
two inches more each time, until ten coverings have been put on. The grain
gives forth three shoots with the first covering. With the second covering
each of these shoots "bushknots" and gives forth three more shoots, so that
with the final covering the total amounts to 59,049 stalks or heads of
grain.
The ten coverings will require about thirty weeks or less, according to the
climate. It is said that this method of cultivation requires no watering,
that the air, having free access to the roots, provides the moisture and
gases necessary for the growth of the plant. It is difficult to believe all
this--that a single seed could thus produce seventy pounds of grain, and
that at the same ratio an acre of land be made to produce forty-five tons of
grain.
Assuredly, as our text suggests, when the Lord's time shall come he will be
well able to call for the increase of the grain for the benefit of the world
of mankind, whom he so loved as to redeem and for whom the blessings of
restitution are shortly to be made available. -- Acts 3:19-21.
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We now present the next article from:
The Watch Tower, June 15, 1910, page 203
"THAT YE BEAR MUCH FRUIT"
"Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit," said our Master. In
this parable the good ground varies in its productiveness -- thirty, sixty
and an hundred fold. The larger the returns, the greater will be the
Father's pleasure and the Savior's glory. Nor is the statement an extreme
one, as some might suppose. The new "miracle wheat" sometimes produces more
than two hundred grains from one. This parable seems to imply that the
responsibility for the fruitfulness of the heart and life and character
depends very greatly upon the individual and how he receives the message of
the Kingdom.
Those in whom the fruits will be the most abundant will be such as grasp the
invitation most intelligently and earnestly. "He that heareth the word and
understandeth it" and whose heart is in a condition of loyalty to God and
who frees himself from hindrances and worldly ambitions and aspirations and,
like the Apostle Paul, can say, "This one thing I do," will surely gain the
Kingdom.
It is not sufficient that we hear the message of the Kingdom; it is not
sufficient that we have good hearts or good intentions in respect to it; it
is additionally necessary, as the Master says, that we should understand the
Kingdom message; hence the need of Bible study. Intelligent people consider
it very wise and proper that several years of study be devoted to
preparation for the few years of earthly life. How much study, then, should
be considered proper for our preparation for the eternal life and Kingdom
blessings? The time and effort thus consumed in character development for
the Kingdom are wisely spent, and the harvest of thirty, sixty or a
hundred-fold illustrates the degree and intensity of our earnestness. The
rewards in the Kingdom will also be proportionate.
"As star differeth from star in glory, so shall it be in the resurrection of
the dead." Varying degrees of glory in the Kingdom will be manifested, yet
none will be acceptable to the Father who shall not have brought forth
fruitage in good measure; the "well done" will never be pronounced if not
merited.
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This next article is from:
The Watch Tower, September 1, 1910, page 279
RESTITUTION WORK BEGUN
"The Divine purpose will not be thwarted by the permission of sin to mar the
original. The sacrificial death of Jesus is the complete offset to the
penalty pronounced on Adam and his race. Restitution to perfection and
Divine favor will result in God's 'due time.' And we believe that time near
at hand.
"Do we not see the promised blessing coming? What are our vast irrigation
schemes by artesian wells and by aqueducts but fulfillments of the
prophecies pertaining to the reign of Messiah and the blessing of the earth?
Hark to the message: Streams shall break forth in the desert; and the
wilderness shall bloom as the rose. -- Isaiah 35.
"Burbank and others are under Divine guidance working miracles in
horticulture, just as Edison and others have been the instruments of
Providence to give us electrical devices. What beautiful fruits and flowers
are the result! It is difficult to imagine greater perfection either in Eden
of old or in the world-wide Eden to be restored!
"Referring to the 'times of restitution' of Messiah's reign the Prophet
declares, 'The earth shall yield her increase.' (Ezekiel 34:27.) Behold
preparations for the fulfillment of this promise: About three years ago a
Virginia farmer found one abnormal bunch of 120 stalks of wheat from one
root--the offspring of one grain of wheat. Under the name of 'miracle wheat'
it is now being developed slowly in various parts--the average yield appears
to be about 1,200 grains from one kernel. And this very year the same
peculiarity in oats has been found--a bunch growing wild by the roadside.
"Additionally the same Divine providence is guiding our chemists to
economical methods of extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere for the
feeding of the soil and thus to the 'increase' of earth's blessings and in
fulfillment of God's promise that he will make the earth (his footstool)
glorious.
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The next article we present is from:
The Watch Tower, October 1, 1910, page 307
MIRACLE WHEAT AND MIRACLE RYE
Some years ago we made mention of the miracle wheat discovered in Virginia,
which originated with the fruitage of one grain found growing by itself. Two
grains of this wheat were given to the Editor, who, in turn, handed them to
a brother in the Truth, who reported that the two grains produced 1,312,
which, planted, produced five pounds -- one grain having fifty stools of
well-developed stalks or straws. The brother planted the miracle wheat
alongside of some ordinary wheat, and reports that the miracle wheat heads
are from three to five inches long and from three to five grains to the
mesh, whereas with the common wheat the heads are from two to three inches
in length.
Another brother obtained some of the miracle wheat and, out of the first
crop, presented the Editor a peck of the same. This was entrusted to another
brother, a farmer, who has just handed the Editor $100 proceeds therefrom,
with the following report: --
As you remember, I secured also a peck of the miracle wheat from a brother
in the Truth as a donation to yourself (because he first heard of the
miracle wheat through THE WATCH TOWER). This was sowed on half an acre of
run-out land. On the adjoining half-acre was sowed a bushel of common wheat
for comparison. The sowing was done in the midst of a seven weeks' drouth.
During the late fall and the early spring the miracle wheat looked very thin
compared with the common wheat. However, in the month of May both plots
appeared to be about the same, except that the miracle wheat laid flatter on
the ground. Late in June the miracle wheat was much the heavier, and stood
nearly a foot higher than the common wheat, and about a week later in point
of ripening. Not having threshed, I cannot at this writing report the
respective yield, but am satisfied that the miracle wheat will be more than
double that of the common.
The grains are in appearance similar to ordinary red wheat. I can with
difficulty distinguish a difference. The color of the miracle wheat is a
trifle richer. I will send you a photograph of a dozen heads and the largest
stool I can find of both the miracle and the common wheat. Brother
Kuesthardt advertised the wheat in his paper, and the money sent you is the
result of the sales at $1 per pound.
Your brother in Christ,
J. A. BOHNET.
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This article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, June 15, 1911, page 178
A DONATION OF MIRACLE WHEAT
Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumulated a crop of miracle
wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first
opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to THE WATCH TOWER readers. He
will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire
proceeds to our Society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed,
Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. This will keep mail
on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours.
Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship this wheat by August 1. He says
miracle wheat should be sowed one-fourth as thick as common wheat.
Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times as much
proportionately to the amount sown. To save keeping account, money should
accompany the order. WATCH TOWER readers will have the preference up to
August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so long
as the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall.
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Here is the next article from:
The Watch Tower, August 1, 1911, page 226
MIRACLE WHEAT IN DEMAND
The notice in THE WATCH TOWER of June 15 that Brother Bohnet has "miracle
wheat" in abundance now, and that he will sell it at $1 per pound and donate
the entire proceeds to our Tract Fund, has brought in many orders. These
will be filled between August 15 and September 1. No limit as to supply has
been noted. Sent by Express, prepaid, the price will be twenty-two pounds
for $20; fifty-five pounds for $50; larger quantities at the latter rate.
The merits of this wheat over the common variety have been mentioned in
previous issues of THE WATCH TOWER.
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The following article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 1, 1912, pages 214, 215
EARTH'S IMPERFECTION IS FALLEN MAN'S BLESSING
God could have made the entire earth perfect as easily as He "planted" the
little garden in Eden. But He foresaw that if the earth were perfected the
death-struggle would be longer, and the degradation of man greater. The
poverty of the world has assisted in keeping mankind back from greater
depths of iniquity. The sentence, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread," was evidently intended as a blessing, that man might learn lessons
of experience by battling with the earth for his living. As the Creator said
to the man regarding the curse of the earth, it was "for thy [man's] sake."
So man has learned that "The wages of sin is death." The Heavenly Father has
not, however, changed His Plan. When the Kingdom is set up, the earth shall
yield her increase; and God assures us, "I will make the place of My feet
glorious." -- Isaiah 60:13.
Edison has been the instrument of Providence in giving us wonderful
electrical devices. Burbank and others have, under Divine guidance, worked
miracles in horticulture. What beautiful fruits and flowers have followed as
results! It is difficult to imagine anything nearer perfection either in
Eden of old or the world-wide Eden to be established! In referring to the
"Times of Restitution" the Prophet declares that "the earth shall yield her
increase." (Psalm 67:6) We behold preparations for the fulfilment of this
promise.
A few years ago a Virginia farmer found an abnormal stool of wheat -- one
hundred and forty-two stalks, each bearing a well-developed head -- the
offspring of a single grain of wheat! Under the name of "Miracle Wheat" it
is now being developed slowly in various parts of the country. The average
yield appears to be about twelve hundred grains from one kernel. This very
year the same peculiarity in oats has been found, a stool growing wild by
the roadside. The same Divine Providence is, additionally, guiding our
chemists in economical methods of extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere
for feeding the soil, and thus to increase earth's blessings, in fulfillment
of God's promise that He will make His footstool glorious.
Why has not the earth been already made glorious? The answer is that God is
allowing the race to propagate first. Had mankind been perfect, they might
have learned the lesson of the sinfulness of sin in the same way that the
angels have learned. But hastening to commit sin, they have learned evil
first and have been subject to all the vicissitudes of sin and death. The
angels have learned the other lesson -- what righteousness is, what good
is -- not merely in the abstract, but in an appreciative sense.
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Below is the article from:
The Watch Tower, February, 15, 1913, page 62
"AS DECEIVERS AND YET TRUE"
MY SUIT against The Eagle for slanderous defamation of reputation has been
decided in its favor. A Jury of twelve men have decided that The Eagle was
justified in making its vicious onslaughts upon me, notwithstanding the
Judge's Charge that, according to the law, the cartoon, at least, was a
slanderous, vicious libel in fact. I am urged by my attorneys and petitioned
by friends to take the case to the Court of Appeals.
I quite agree with Justice Kelby, who said, "The case was presented fairly
and squarely to the Jury." The rulings of His Honor seem to me equitable. I
very highly appreciate the ability and energy of my attorneys, Mr. Sparks
and Mr. Rutherford. I have no complaint, nor murmuring against the Divine
providences which permitted what I consider to be a very unjust verdict. In
appealing our Case to the Court we have followed the example of the Master,
who inquired why He was smitten contrary to Law. (John 18:23) Likewise St.
Paul appealed for such justice as the Law provided. (Acts 25:10) So I have
done; and I, like them, have been refused the Law's protection. I murmur
not. I am in good company.
I remember, on the other hand, that it has been a part of the Divine will
throughout this Gospel Age to allow His faithful servants to suffer
reproaches and losses. This was so in the Master's case: "Being reviled, He
reviled not again." When it pleased the Father to bruise Him and put Him to
shame, He declared, "The cup which My Father hath poured for Me, shall I not
drink it?" -- "Not My will, but Thine be done." -- I Peter 2:23; John 18:11;
Luke 22:42
It was so with the Apostles, who wrote, "As He was, so are we in this
world" -- "As deceivers and yet true; as poor, yet making many rich"; "I
bear about in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" -- evidences that I am
His servant and His follower. As St. Paul said, so we see fulfilled all
through the Age, "Whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution." The Master said, "Marvel not if the world hate you. Ye know
that it hated Me before it hated you; if ye were of the world, the world
would love its own." -- I John 4:17; 2 Corinthians 6:8-10; Galatians 6:17; 2
Timothy 3:12; John 15:18,19.
THE CASE BRIEFLY REVIEWED
I am interested in everything progressive and tending to prove that we are
entering the great Thousand Years of earth's blessings under Messiah. In the
columns of THE WATCH TOWER I have noted the coming of Divine blessings in
fulfilment of the prediction that "The wilderness shall blossom as the
rose," "The earth shall yield her increase," etc. Five years ago we quoted
in THE WATCHTOWER columns reports respecting "Miracle Wheat." We gave the
name and address (Mr. Stoner) of the farmer who discovered this new wheat
and his reports of its remarkable qualities. We published also the report of
Mr. Miller, the Government expert, who thoroughly investigated it and
pronounced upon its superior qualities.
Some of our readers purchased seed from Mr. Stoner at $1.25 per pound and
approved it. In 1910 one of the friends of our Society, who had raised some
of this wheat, sold it for seed at $1.00 per pound, and donated the proceeds
to our Society. In 1911 the same friend, having raised more seed, asked that
THE WATCH TOWER give the benefit of this to its readers at $1.00 a pound
post-paid, and appropriate the net results to the furtherance of its work.
Another friend, who had some of the same seed, also donated similarly, the
total amount being twenty bushels.
For the accommodation of our readers, we allowed this seed-wheat to be put
up in pound packages and mailed from THE WATCH TOWER Office, just as the
U.S. Government handles such seeds at Washington. We did the business at the
request of others and in their interest, and credited them on our books with
the results, setting aside to them proportionately voting shares in our
Society. We made no claim for the wheat on our own knowledge. We merely gave
the report of the Government expert, of the originator, and of our friends
who had tried the wheat. We merely acted as intermediary.
Nevertheless, everything that was said respecting the wheat was fully proven
at this trial by expert witnesses, interested and disinterested, and their
testimony was not shaken. It was also shown that farmer Stoner and his
business partner, Mr. Knight, made no sales of this wheat under $1.25 per
pound until September, 1911; and that they had a written contract between
them that none of the wheat was to be sold at any price until the following
year -- 1912. Suddenly in September, 1911, they changed their plans,
considering that they had wheat enough accumulated, put the price down to
$5.00 per bushel, about the time that THE WATCH TOWER wheat was all sold at
a dollar a pound. This The Eagle's attorney claimed was proof of fraud on
the part of THE WATCH TOWER -- sufficient excuse for the slanderous assaults
of The Eagle upon me.
It was in vain that my attorney sought to show the Jury The Eagle's
malice -- that it really was attacking me along religious grounds; that it
had set itself as the champion of certain clerical enemies of mine, and was
seeking to destroy my influence and, if possible, to drive me from Brooklyn.
In the court-room sat about twenty-five of my friends, who had come long
distances at their own expense to have an opportunity to speak a word in my
behalf. Through some intricacies of the Law respecting evidence, these were
unable to be heard in my behalf.
Instead, the Law gave The Eagle's attorney the privilege of saying all
manner of evil against me falsely -- for the sake of the Doctrines of
Christ, which I hold and teach. He was allowed to picture me, as The Eagle
had done in its cartoon -- as a thief and robber, masquerading in the garb
of a minister of Christ. He was allowed to ridicule the "Miracle Wheat,"
although I had nothing whatever to do with it, nor with the naming of it;
and notwithstanding the fact that its superiority was proven.
He was allowed to inveigh against the fact as criminal, that I hold the
office of President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and to claim
that I hold the office in some corrupt or unlawful manner, and that I misuse
the Society's income in some unexplained way to my own advantage. Meantime,
scores present in the courtroom and thousands all over the land, would have
been glad to testify that their donations have come to the Society because
they have the utmost confidence in my integrity and management of its
affairs as its Executive Officer, and that had anybody else been President
their donations would have been smaller or none at all.
Presumably because there were seven Catholics on the Jury, The Eagle's
attorney was prompted to refer to the Sisters of Charity and their noble
work as nurses in the hospitals, without referring to the fact that those
nurses are well paid, and that the hospitals in large measure are supported
by State taxation.
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was held up to scorn because it did
not have any hospital work nor draw any revenue from taxation, and because
the female members of the Society do not visit the workshops of the land
weekly or monthly on pay-day, and exact donations to its work. Our society
was held up to scorn also because we do not send a wagon around the city
collecting groceries and provisions for the up-keep of our work; because we
do not take up collections even on Sunday; because we have never solicited a
penny or a dollar from anybody; and because we never have fairs, grab-bags,
"chances" or "raffles." Our Society was held up to scorn and ridicule
because it offers its literature free to the poor, while other similar
Societies charge both rich and poor for their tracts and other publications.
The Eagle was pictured by its attorney as a dove, a bird of Paradise. For
defending it the Protestants on the Jury were led to hope for escape from
eternal torment through "the pearly gates" of heaven, welcomed with the
words, "Well done!" for giving The Eagle the verdict. Neither I nor my
attorneys could offer such inducements conscientiously.
Our home, "Bethel," where some of our Society's workers reside, was held up
to scorn--likened to a harem, etc. This surely did cut me deeply to the
heart. I am quite willing to suffer, if need be, for my faithfulness to the
Lord and His Word; but it gave me great pain that the arrows intended for me
did not all center upon myself -- that the more than a hundred saintly,
earnest men, women and children, co-laborers with me in the Lord's work,
should thus be made to unjustly suffer. I can only urge them to apply to
themselves the words of the Apostle, "Cast not away, therefore, your
confidence, which hath great recompense of reward"; "For ye have need of
patience that, after ye have done the will of God, ye shall receive the
promise"; "Ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were
made a gazingstock, and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were
so used." -- Hebrews 10:35,36,32,33
NO COMPLAINT AGAINST THE LAW
I have no complaint to make against the Laws of our land, nor against the
Jury System, not against the particular twelve men who, in my judgment, gave
an unjust verdict. I esteem our Laws to be most wonderfully just. I have
often marveled that imperfect, fallen men have succeeded in the erection of
such excellent barriers against sin and injustice. I cannot see that a more
fair method than our Jury System of trying a case could be arranged by
imperfect men. Neither do I believe that the average jury desires to pervert
justice. The miscarriage of justice I attribute rather to the imperfection
of human knowledge. Suspicion and evil-surmising are weeds which seem to
grow prolifically in every mind. They spring spontaneously in the degraded
heart. There is such a disposition to judge others by one's self, and such a
realization of sinful impulses that the average man naturally enough imputes
evil, on every occasion when it is suggested to him.
St. Paul enunciated this principle, saying, "The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God;... neither can he know [understand] them;
for they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) Our Society and
its work, our Lord's work and the work of the Apostles and the regenerate
since, are so far beyond the concept of the unregenerate as to be
"Foolishness unto them" -- hypocrisies, frauds, impositions. If Jesus and
the Apostles and the faithful saints of eighteen centuries have all belonged
to this class, I will be of good courage and not be ashamed to belong to the
same.
I am the more encouraged because I realize that the great Day of Blessing,
the great Thousand-Year Day of Messiah's Kingdom, is near at hand--is
dawning now. Soon Satan, the "Prince of Darkness," will be bound for a
thousand years, to deceive the nations no more. (Revelation 20:2,3,6) No
longer will Darkness be permitted to masquerade as Light, and the Light be
slandered as Darkness. All the blind eyes will be opened; all the deaf ears
will be unstopped. That glorious period, as the Prophet has declared, shall
be "the desire of all nations." (Haggai 2:7) Then not only the Church will
see eye to eye, and understand God's providences at the present time, but
the whole world will see in the light of that happy time for which we pray,
"Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven."
Sincerely, and undismayed, I remain a servant of God.
CHARLES T. RUSSELL.
Brooklyn, January 29, 1913.
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The next article is a letter which appeared in:
The Watch Tower, March 3, 1915, page 79
INTERESTING LETTERS
MIRACLE WHEAT TAKES PRIZE
GREATEST WHEAT STATE SENDS MIRACLE WHEAT AS ITS BEST
PRIZE WHEAT TO THE WORLD'S FAIR.
DEAR FRIENDS AND BRETHREN:--
A copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune recently came to my notice containing
articles, the object of which was an attack upon the Association and
especially upon Pastor Russell. Among other points of attack was Miracle
Wheat, and thinking that some information on the subject might be of value
to you in meeting this attack, I enclose herewith picture and data relative
to a field of Miracle Wheat I grew last year. This picture, among thousands
of others of the best fields raised in the State, was sent to the Secretary
of the State Board of Agriculture, J. C. Mohler. From this collection was to
be chosen the one which would represent the State at the World's Fair, which
convenes February 20th.
Now the judges in this matter did not know that this was Miracle Wheat,
hence they had nothing to bias their decision. So Miracle Wheat received the
award.
I grew 70 acres of this wheat and planted and cared for it in the regular,
ordinary way, and had no trouble in disposing of it to my neighbor
wheat-growers last fall for seed, at $2 per bushel.
In this section of the country we have to sow more to the acre than in some
localities, hence we could not follow the 20 lb. to the acre rate of
seeding, but some we seeded at the rate of 1/2 bu. and some at the rate of
3/4 bu. per acre, and we found the three pecks to be the better. If we were
going to sow again we would sow rather more than this.
My field yielded 49 bu. to the acre--more than twice the average yield of
wheat in this vicinity and in many instances more than three times as much.
If this information is of any value to you or any of the friends who may
have charge of the matter of setting these things straight before the
public, I am thankful for the opportunity to furnish the same.
With Christian love and best regards, I am
Your brother and fellow-servant,
W. A. JARRETT.
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This final article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1915, page 218
PROPER AND IMPROPER ADVERTISING
Question.--Is it showing the spirit of Babylon to solicit advertising
contracts from merchants for space on Photo-Drama announcements?
<Answer.>--It would not be proper to say to a merchant, "Advertise with us
and thus contribute something to a good cause." That would not do. It would
be begging for the Lord's cause, a thing we are not authorized to do. But if
I were a merchant and had an opportunity to put an advertisement into a
Photo-Drama announcement, I would think it would be one of the best chances
of advertising I ever had. I would think I was receiving a benefit. If for
$1 or $2 I could have my business card circulated all over the neighborhood,
I would say, "These little leaflets showing about the Drama will interest
the people; and while reading the notes about the pictures, they will also
read about my business." I would think I had good value for my money. If any
man thought that he was not getting good value he ought not to put his
advertisement in. It is a purely business transaction.
In soliciting the advertisement, one should not mention the religious
feature. We do not do this at all. It is purely business, so far as the
merchants are concerned; and I would let them advertise all that they
choose. The fact that we do not permit advertisements in THE WATCH TOWER
does not signify that to do so would be wrong. I see nothing wrong in a
merchant's advertising his wares. If I were publishing a daily newspaper, I
would expect to sell advertising space.
A brother who owns a newspaper consulted me a little about his advertising.
He said that the merchants in his vicinity were accustomed to advertise, and
that some of the best advertisers were dealers in liquor and tobacco. I told
him that I would not put any liquor advertisements in. I would put in
advertisements of shoes or clothing or groceries or hardware, and would
solicit such advertising, if I were running a newspaper. I see nothing wrong
in advertisements or in newspapers. I would see nothing wrong in putting six
or eight pages of advertisements into THE WATCHTOWER, if the articles
advertised were staples that every one wanted to buy. But since THE WATCH
TOWER goes into the home and represents me in a special way, I like to have
all the space used for religious matter -- not, however, because the
advertisements would be wrong.
Once we put into THE WATCH TOWER a notice about Miracle Wheat. Many of you
saw it. We believe we did right in putting that notice in. We also put in a
notice about some kind of beans and one about some special cotton. Some of
the friends were benefited by each of these notices. We also put in a notice
recently about a cure for cancer. We have had hundreds of letters come in
from Truth friends, and hundreds from others; and a great many have reported
good results. To some extent this has helped forward the Truth. People saw
that we were not trying to get their money, saw that we were trying to do
them good, and became interested.
Many claims are being made against Charles Taze Russell regarding "Miracle
Wheat".
Often Mr. Russell is misquoted and/or misrepresented in these attacks on his
reputation and character.
Read for yourself the following articles and see what Mr. Russell actually
wrote.
The following articles were obtained from the Harvest Truth Database,
which is copyrighted by A. G. S. Consulting,
in cooperation with Chicago Bible Students,
P. O. Box 6016, Chicago, IL 60680
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is from
The Watch Tower, March 15, 1908, page 86:
"MIRACLE WHEAT"
The public press is telling of the origin of "Miracle Wheat" in answer to
prayer. The description has the earmarks of truth to it, in that it gives
the address of the man whose prayers are said to have been answered-- "K. B.
Stoner, a farmer of Fincastle, Botetourt county, Virginia." It would appear
from the account that the original stalk of wheat appeared in the midst of a
crop of the ordinary kind, but with "142 heads of grain."
We quote:--
"Mr. Stoner was amazed. It seemed incredible. When a Frenchman, in 1842,
announced that he had discovered a species of wheat in the Mediterranean
country which produced four heads to the plant, people said he was crazy.
"But here was a plant with 142 heads!
"Naturally Mr. Stoner carefully preserved the heads, and the next year sowed
the seed, continuing to do this each year, for he realized he had discovered
a phenomenal brand of grain. And each year his amazement increased.
"That first year after discovering the plant he got 2000 grains. In 1906 he
got sixteen bushels, and has now raised the crop of wheat, all carefully
preserved for seed, to 800 bushels.
"What is most remarkable about the wheat is this: Whereas there is produced
in the wheat sections of that country an average at the best of seventeen
bushels to an acre, the average yield of the "miracle wheat" during the last
three years has been fifty-six bushels to the acre; and whereas from eight
to ten pecks of seed are required to plant an acre in Virginia, Mr. Stoner
uses only two pecks, and, in comparison to the yield of ordinary wheat in
the neighborhood, which is eight bushels for each bushel of seed, Mr. Stoner
gets about seventy-five bushels for one. An ordinary stalk of wheat covers
about four inches of space. The miracle wheat covers twelve.
THE GOVERNMENT REPORT
"Last year United States government officials became interested in the
remarkable wheat and sent Assistant Agriculturalist H. A. Miller to examine
it. In his report he declares:
"'The wheat, which came from an unknown source, has been grown in the
nursery every year since that time, and also has been grown under field
conditions the last two years, giving excellent results. The yield has been
from two to three times the yield of other varieties grown on the farm under
the same condition of culture, except the rate of seeding, which was two
pecks to the acre, while other varieties were sown at the rate of eight to
ten pecks per acre, which is the common practice of farmers in the vicinity.
"'Milling tests have been made of this wheat, and its quality seems to be as
good as, if not superior to, other varieties of winter wheat.'
"The average height of the wheat, according to the report, is four feet four
inches.
"It is said that the Russian government has secured an option on the wheat,
and will buy a consignment of 80,000,000 bushels when that quantity shall
have been raised. During the next year the seed will be distributed among
farmers in Virginia and North Carolina, who will raise it and preserve the
seed, keeping the seed only for planting until the required amount will have
been produced. By next fall, it is believed, 30,000 bushels will have been
produced."
IS IT RESTITUTION WHEAT?
If this account be but one-half true it testifies afresh to God's ability to
provide things needful for the "times of restitution of all things which God
hath spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world
began."--Acts 3:19-21.
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The following article is from:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1908, page 214
MIRACLE WHEAT
NEW VARIETY PRODUCED YIELDING 277 BUSHELS OF GRAIN TO ACRE
Wheat with stalks like sugar cane and yielding 277 bushels of highly
nutritious kernels to the acre has been produced as a result of experiments
made in Idaho by Allen Adams of Minneapolis.
The new wheat has been named "Alaska" because of its hardiness. It is either
spring or winter wheat, just as the farmer desires to sow. It is so sturdy
that storms that ruin other stock affect its giant stems but little, and the
heads remain upright through ordinary hailstorms.
The yield shows that Adams has been able to obtain an increase of 222 fold.
One head of the giant wheat was planted in the fall of 1904. The seeds from
that head were planted the next year and seven pounds of seed obtained. This
was sown in the spring of 1906, and from the seven pounds were harvested
1,554 pounds that fall. In the fall of the same year he sowed it as winter
wheat, but conditions were adverse. Almost all the "blue stem" and "club"
were destroyed, and only a third of the crop of experimental wheat came to
maturity, yet there was a yield of 50,000 pounds. A heavy hailstorm in July
was the cause of the ruined wheat crop, which left scarcely any of the
ordinary wheat standing.
Further experiments brought forth a yield of 277 bushels to an acre. The
Idaho College of Agriculture has made a laboratory test of the wheat and
reports the grain plump and sound and that it should make better bread than
the ordinary wheat. -- Beloit Free Press.
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The following article is from:
The Watch Tower, October 1, 1908, page 291
MORE MIRACLE WHEAT
OUR notice of the "Miracle Wheat" grown in Virginia, the grower reports, has
caused him lots of trouble answering letters and returning money sent for
small samples. He has shown us representative stalks of the wheat and photos
of its growing in the field, fully corroborating all that we have published
respecting the same. But he refuses to sell any of it until he has secured a
fair stock, which will be in a few years hence.
Meantime the matter has brought out the fact that others are also
propagating "Miracle Wheat," as witnessed by the subjoined reports. We
advise farmers to begin at once to inspect their wheat before cutting and
cull out for seed the choicest, fullest heads or most "stooled." Our thought
is that in this natural way God is preparing for the Millennium, when "the
earth shall yield her increase."
SEVEN-HEADED WHEAT DISCOVERED
W. W. Ward, of Dayton, Washington, has discovered a new variety of wheat
that has seven distinct heads united to a common base. And each head is
larger than the ordinary wheat. Ward figures that the new variety will yield
as high as 280 bushels to the acre, with an average of 200 bushels.
Hundreds of farmers have visited the Ward ranch and are intensely interested
in the new wheat. All have asked for a few pounds of the seed, but Ward is
figuring upon further experiments and plans to plant all of this year's crop
next season, enlarging his present area to about three acres.
Ward has been experimenting for five years to get a wheat that will yield
bigger crops, but never expected anything like the seven-headed variety. --
Sioux City Tribune.
* * *
Neither of the above notes relate to what is termed "Alaska" wheat grown in
Idaho, which we understand had been repudiated by Government experts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1909, pages 212, 213
MIRACLE WHEAT--MIRACLE CULTIVATION
A year ago we called attention to the miracle wheat, which was developed in
Virginia, seemingly by accident. We know not to what extent it has been sown
elsewhere, nor whether any wonderful results have been obtained. However, it
gives to the eye of faith a suggestive lesson as to how God could "Call for
the wheat-corn and increase it" many fold. Now we learn of some wonderful
experiments which have recently been made by the Russian Government, which
serve to show that in soil that is at least twenty inches deep a new method
of cultivating wheat, gives promise of almost miraculous results. Even if
only one-tenth of the results claimed can be obtained the advantage
seemingly would be considerable. Even if the method be at present found
impracticable for any reason, the suggestion to the eye of faith would be
valuable everyway as showing God's people something of the hidden powers
Divine, which are held in reservation for man's time of need.
PLANTING WHEAT INSTEAD OF SOWING IT
The new method of cultivating wheat, based upon these experiments, is the
making of pits or trenches, twelve to twenty inches deeper than the surface
level and forty-two inches wide. One grain of wheat planted at the bottom of
each pit or forty-two inches apart in the trenches is covered lightly with
two inches of soil. Every three weeks the covering process is repeated about
two inches more each time, until ten coverings have been put on. The grain
gives forth three shoots with the first covering. With the second covering
each of these shoots "bushknots" and gives forth three more shoots, so that
with the final covering the total amounts to 59,049 stalks or heads of
grain.
The ten coverings will require about thirty weeks or less, according to the
climate. It is said that this method of cultivation requires no watering,
that the air, having free access to the roots, provides the moisture and
gases necessary for the growth of the plant. It is difficult to believe all
this--that a single seed could thus produce seventy pounds of grain, and
that at the same ratio an acre of land be made to produce forty-five tons of
grain.
Assuredly, as our text suggests, when the Lord's time shall come he will be
well able to call for the increase of the grain for the benefit of the world
of mankind, whom he so loved as to redeem and for whom the blessings of
restitution are shortly to be made available. -- Acts 3:19-21.
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We now present the next article from:
The Watch Tower, June 15, 1910, page 203
"THAT YE BEAR MUCH FRUIT"
"Herein is my Father glorified that ye bear much fruit," said our Master. In
this parable the good ground varies in its productiveness -- thirty, sixty
and an hundred fold. The larger the returns, the greater will be the
Father's pleasure and the Savior's glory. Nor is the statement an extreme
one, as some might suppose. The new "miracle wheat" sometimes produces more
than two hundred grains from one. This parable seems to imply that the
responsibility for the fruitfulness of the heart and life and character
depends very greatly upon the individual and how he receives the message of
the Kingdom.
Those in whom the fruits will be the most abundant will be such as grasp the
invitation most intelligently and earnestly. "He that heareth the word and
understandeth it" and whose heart is in a condition of loyalty to God and
who frees himself from hindrances and worldly ambitions and aspirations and,
like the Apostle Paul, can say, "This one thing I do," will surely gain the
Kingdom.
It is not sufficient that we hear the message of the Kingdom; it is not
sufficient that we have good hearts or good intentions in respect to it; it
is additionally necessary, as the Master says, that we should understand the
Kingdom message; hence the need of Bible study. Intelligent people consider
it very wise and proper that several years of study be devoted to
preparation for the few years of earthly life. How much study, then, should
be considered proper for our preparation for the eternal life and Kingdom
blessings? The time and effort thus consumed in character development for
the Kingdom are wisely spent, and the harvest of thirty, sixty or a
hundred-fold illustrates the degree and intensity of our earnestness. The
rewards in the Kingdom will also be proportionate.
"As star differeth from star in glory, so shall it be in the resurrection of
the dead." Varying degrees of glory in the Kingdom will be manifested, yet
none will be acceptable to the Father who shall not have brought forth
fruitage in good measure; the "well done" will never be pronounced if not
merited.
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This next article is from:
The Watch Tower, September 1, 1910, page 279
RESTITUTION WORK BEGUN
"The Divine purpose will not be thwarted by the permission of sin to mar the
original. The sacrificial death of Jesus is the complete offset to the
penalty pronounced on Adam and his race. Restitution to perfection and
Divine favor will result in God's 'due time.' And we believe that time near
at hand.
"Do we not see the promised blessing coming? What are our vast irrigation
schemes by artesian wells and by aqueducts but fulfillments of the
prophecies pertaining to the reign of Messiah and the blessing of the earth?
Hark to the message: Streams shall break forth in the desert; and the
wilderness shall bloom as the rose. -- Isaiah 35.
"Burbank and others are under Divine guidance working miracles in
horticulture, just as Edison and others have been the instruments of
Providence to give us electrical devices. What beautiful fruits and flowers
are the result! It is difficult to imagine greater perfection either in Eden
of old or in the world-wide Eden to be restored!
"Referring to the 'times of restitution' of Messiah's reign the Prophet
declares, 'The earth shall yield her increase.' (Ezekiel 34:27.) Behold
preparations for the fulfillment of this promise: About three years ago a
Virginia farmer found one abnormal bunch of 120 stalks of wheat from one
root--the offspring of one grain of wheat. Under the name of 'miracle wheat'
it is now being developed slowly in various parts--the average yield appears
to be about 1,200 grains from one kernel. And this very year the same
peculiarity in oats has been found--a bunch growing wild by the roadside.
"Additionally the same Divine providence is guiding our chemists to
economical methods of extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere for the
feeding of the soil and thus to the 'increase' of earth's blessings and in
fulfillment of God's promise that he will make the earth (his footstool)
glorious.
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The next article we present is from:
The Watch Tower, October 1, 1910, page 307
MIRACLE WHEAT AND MIRACLE RYE
Some years ago we made mention of the miracle wheat discovered in Virginia,
which originated with the fruitage of one grain found growing by itself. Two
grains of this wheat were given to the Editor, who, in turn, handed them to
a brother in the Truth, who reported that the two grains produced 1,312,
which, planted, produced five pounds -- one grain having fifty stools of
well-developed stalks or straws. The brother planted the miracle wheat
alongside of some ordinary wheat, and reports that the miracle wheat heads
are from three to five inches long and from three to five grains to the
mesh, whereas with the common wheat the heads are from two to three inches
in length.
Another brother obtained some of the miracle wheat and, out of the first
crop, presented the Editor a peck of the same. This was entrusted to another
brother, a farmer, who has just handed the Editor $100 proceeds therefrom,
with the following report: --
As you remember, I secured also a peck of the miracle wheat from a brother
in the Truth as a donation to yourself (because he first heard of the
miracle wheat through THE WATCH TOWER). This was sowed on half an acre of
run-out land. On the adjoining half-acre was sowed a bushel of common wheat
for comparison. The sowing was done in the midst of a seven weeks' drouth.
During the late fall and the early spring the miracle wheat looked very thin
compared with the common wheat. However, in the month of May both plots
appeared to be about the same, except that the miracle wheat laid flatter on
the ground. Late in June the miracle wheat was much the heavier, and stood
nearly a foot higher than the common wheat, and about a week later in point
of ripening. Not having threshed, I cannot at this writing report the
respective yield, but am satisfied that the miracle wheat will be more than
double that of the common.
The grains are in appearance similar to ordinary red wheat. I can with
difficulty distinguish a difference. The color of the miracle wheat is a
trifle richer. I will send you a photograph of a dozen heads and the largest
stool I can find of both the miracle and the common wheat. Brother
Kuesthardt advertised the wheat in his paper, and the money sent you is the
result of the sales at $1 per pound.
Your brother in Christ,
J. A. BOHNET.
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This article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, June 15, 1911, page 178
A DONATION OF MIRACLE WHEAT
Brother Bohnet writes us that he has gradually accumulated a crop of miracle
wheat from the few grains he obtained as a start. He prefers that the first
opportunity for obtaining this wheat shall go to THE WATCH TOWER readers. He
will sell it for $1 per pound, including postage, and give the entire
proceeds to our Society. All orders for this wheat should be addressed,
Miracle Wheat Bohnet, 17 Hicks street, Brooklyn, N. Y. This will keep mail
on this subject separate from his personal mail and from ours.
Brother Bohnet promises to be ready to ship this wheat by August 1. He says
miracle wheat should be sowed one-fourth as thick as common wheat.
Ordinarily it should produce from ten to fifteen times as much
proportionately to the amount sown. To save keeping account, money should
accompany the order. WATCH TOWER readers will have the preference up to
August 15, after which orders will be attended to indiscriminately, so long
as the supply holds out. This wheat should be sown in the fall.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is the next article from:
The Watch Tower, August 1, 1911, page 226
MIRACLE WHEAT IN DEMAND
The notice in THE WATCH TOWER of June 15 that Brother Bohnet has "miracle
wheat" in abundance now, and that he will sell it at $1 per pound and donate
the entire proceeds to our Tract Fund, has brought in many orders. These
will be filled between August 15 and September 1. No limit as to supply has
been noted. Sent by Express, prepaid, the price will be twenty-two pounds
for $20; fifty-five pounds for $50; larger quantities at the latter rate.
The merits of this wheat over the common variety have been mentioned in
previous issues of THE WATCH TOWER.
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The following article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 1, 1912, pages 214, 215
EARTH'S IMPERFECTION IS FALLEN MAN'S BLESSING
God could have made the entire earth perfect as easily as He "planted" the
little garden in Eden. But He foresaw that if the earth were perfected the
death-struggle would be longer, and the degradation of man greater. The
poverty of the world has assisted in keeping mankind back from greater
depths of iniquity. The sentence, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread," was evidently intended as a blessing, that man might learn lessons
of experience by battling with the earth for his living. As the Creator said
to the man regarding the curse of the earth, it was "for thy [man's] sake."
So man has learned that "The wages of sin is death." The Heavenly Father has
not, however, changed His Plan. When the Kingdom is set up, the earth shall
yield her increase; and God assures us, "I will make the place of My feet
glorious." -- Isaiah 60:13.
Edison has been the instrument of Providence in giving us wonderful
electrical devices. Burbank and others have, under Divine guidance, worked
miracles in horticulture. What beautiful fruits and flowers have followed as
results! It is difficult to imagine anything nearer perfection either in
Eden of old or the world-wide Eden to be established! In referring to the
"Times of Restitution" the Prophet declares that "the earth shall yield her
increase." (Psalm 67:6) We behold preparations for the fulfilment of this
promise.
A few years ago a Virginia farmer found an abnormal stool of wheat -- one
hundred and forty-two stalks, each bearing a well-developed head -- the
offspring of a single grain of wheat! Under the name of "Miracle Wheat" it
is now being developed slowly in various parts of the country. The average
yield appears to be about twelve hundred grains from one kernel. This very
year the same peculiarity in oats has been found, a stool growing wild by
the roadside. The same Divine Providence is, additionally, guiding our
chemists in economical methods of extracting nitrogen from the atmosphere
for feeding the soil, and thus to increase earth's blessings, in fulfillment
of God's promise that He will make His footstool glorious.
Why has not the earth been already made glorious? The answer is that God is
allowing the race to propagate first. Had mankind been perfect, they might
have learned the lesson of the sinfulness of sin in the same way that the
angels have learned. But hastening to commit sin, they have learned evil
first and have been subject to all the vicissitudes of sin and death. The
angels have learned the other lesson -- what righteousness is, what good
is -- not merely in the abstract, but in an appreciative sense.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below is the article from:
The Watch Tower, February, 15, 1913, page 62
"AS DECEIVERS AND YET TRUE"
MY SUIT against The Eagle for slanderous defamation of reputation has been
decided in its favor. A Jury of twelve men have decided that The Eagle was
justified in making its vicious onslaughts upon me, notwithstanding the
Judge's Charge that, according to the law, the cartoon, at least, was a
slanderous, vicious libel in fact. I am urged by my attorneys and petitioned
by friends to take the case to the Court of Appeals.
I quite agree with Justice Kelby, who said, "The case was presented fairly
and squarely to the Jury." The rulings of His Honor seem to me equitable. I
very highly appreciate the ability and energy of my attorneys, Mr. Sparks
and Mr. Rutherford. I have no complaint, nor murmuring against the Divine
providences which permitted what I consider to be a very unjust verdict. In
appealing our Case to the Court we have followed the example of the Master,
who inquired why He was smitten contrary to Law. (John 18:23) Likewise St.
Paul appealed for such justice as the Law provided. (Acts 25:10) So I have
done; and I, like them, have been refused the Law's protection. I murmur
not. I am in good company.
I remember, on the other hand, that it has been a part of the Divine will
throughout this Gospel Age to allow His faithful servants to suffer
reproaches and losses. This was so in the Master's case: "Being reviled, He
reviled not again." When it pleased the Father to bruise Him and put Him to
shame, He declared, "The cup which My Father hath poured for Me, shall I not
drink it?" -- "Not My will, but Thine be done." -- I Peter 2:23; John 18:11;
Luke 22:42
It was so with the Apostles, who wrote, "As He was, so are we in this
world" -- "As deceivers and yet true; as poor, yet making many rich"; "I
bear about in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus" -- evidences that I am
His servant and His follower. As St. Paul said, so we see fulfilled all
through the Age, "Whosoever will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer
persecution." The Master said, "Marvel not if the world hate you. Ye know
that it hated Me before it hated you; if ye were of the world, the world
would love its own." -- I John 4:17; 2 Corinthians 6:8-10; Galatians 6:17; 2
Timothy 3:12; John 15:18,19.
THE CASE BRIEFLY REVIEWED
I am interested in everything progressive and tending to prove that we are
entering the great Thousand Years of earth's blessings under Messiah. In the
columns of THE WATCH TOWER I have noted the coming of Divine blessings in
fulfilment of the prediction that "The wilderness shall blossom as the
rose," "The earth shall yield her increase," etc. Five years ago we quoted
in THE WATCHTOWER columns reports respecting "Miracle Wheat." We gave the
name and address (Mr. Stoner) of the farmer who discovered this new wheat
and his reports of its remarkable qualities. We published also the report of
Mr. Miller, the Government expert, who thoroughly investigated it and
pronounced upon its superior qualities.
Some of our readers purchased seed from Mr. Stoner at $1.25 per pound and
approved it. In 1910 one of the friends of our Society, who had raised some
of this wheat, sold it for seed at $1.00 per pound, and donated the proceeds
to our Society. In 1911 the same friend, having raised more seed, asked that
THE WATCH TOWER give the benefit of this to its readers at $1.00 a pound
post-paid, and appropriate the net results to the furtherance of its work.
Another friend, who had some of the same seed, also donated similarly, the
total amount being twenty bushels.
For the accommodation of our readers, we allowed this seed-wheat to be put
up in pound packages and mailed from THE WATCH TOWER Office, just as the
U.S. Government handles such seeds at Washington. We did the business at the
request of others and in their interest, and credited them on our books with
the results, setting aside to them proportionately voting shares in our
Society. We made no claim for the wheat on our own knowledge. We merely gave
the report of the Government expert, of the originator, and of our friends
who had tried the wheat. We merely acted as intermediary.
Nevertheless, everything that was said respecting the wheat was fully proven
at this trial by expert witnesses, interested and disinterested, and their
testimony was not shaken. It was also shown that farmer Stoner and his
business partner, Mr. Knight, made no sales of this wheat under $1.25 per
pound until September, 1911; and that they had a written contract between
them that none of the wheat was to be sold at any price until the following
year -- 1912. Suddenly in September, 1911, they changed their plans,
considering that they had wheat enough accumulated, put the price down to
$5.00 per bushel, about the time that THE WATCH TOWER wheat was all sold at
a dollar a pound. This The Eagle's attorney claimed was proof of fraud on
the part of THE WATCH TOWER -- sufficient excuse for the slanderous assaults
of The Eagle upon me.
It was in vain that my attorney sought to show the Jury The Eagle's
malice -- that it really was attacking me along religious grounds; that it
had set itself as the champion of certain clerical enemies of mine, and was
seeking to destroy my influence and, if possible, to drive me from Brooklyn.
In the court-room sat about twenty-five of my friends, who had come long
distances at their own expense to have an opportunity to speak a word in my
behalf. Through some intricacies of the Law respecting evidence, these were
unable to be heard in my behalf.
Instead, the Law gave The Eagle's attorney the privilege of saying all
manner of evil against me falsely -- for the sake of the Doctrines of
Christ, which I hold and teach. He was allowed to picture me, as The Eagle
had done in its cartoon -- as a thief and robber, masquerading in the garb
of a minister of Christ. He was allowed to ridicule the "Miracle Wheat,"
although I had nothing whatever to do with it, nor with the naming of it;
and notwithstanding the fact that its superiority was proven.
He was allowed to inveigh against the fact as criminal, that I hold the
office of President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and to claim
that I hold the office in some corrupt or unlawful manner, and that I misuse
the Society's income in some unexplained way to my own advantage. Meantime,
scores present in the courtroom and thousands all over the land, would have
been glad to testify that their donations have come to the Society because
they have the utmost confidence in my integrity and management of its
affairs as its Executive Officer, and that had anybody else been President
their donations would have been smaller or none at all.
Presumably because there were seven Catholics on the Jury, The Eagle's
attorney was prompted to refer to the Sisters of Charity and their noble
work as nurses in the hospitals, without referring to the fact that those
nurses are well paid, and that the hospitals in large measure are supported
by State taxation.
The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society was held up to scorn because it did
not have any hospital work nor draw any revenue from taxation, and because
the female members of the Society do not visit the workshops of the land
weekly or monthly on pay-day, and exact donations to its work. Our society
was held up to scorn also because we do not send a wagon around the city
collecting groceries and provisions for the up-keep of our work; because we
do not take up collections even on Sunday; because we have never solicited a
penny or a dollar from anybody; and because we never have fairs, grab-bags,
"chances" or "raffles." Our Society was held up to scorn and ridicule
because it offers its literature free to the poor, while other similar
Societies charge both rich and poor for their tracts and other publications.
The Eagle was pictured by its attorney as a dove, a bird of Paradise. For
defending it the Protestants on the Jury were led to hope for escape from
eternal torment through "the pearly gates" of heaven, welcomed with the
words, "Well done!" for giving The Eagle the verdict. Neither I nor my
attorneys could offer such inducements conscientiously.
Our home, "Bethel," where some of our Society's workers reside, was held up
to scorn--likened to a harem, etc. This surely did cut me deeply to the
heart. I am quite willing to suffer, if need be, for my faithfulness to the
Lord and His Word; but it gave me great pain that the arrows intended for me
did not all center upon myself -- that the more than a hundred saintly,
earnest men, women and children, co-laborers with me in the Lord's work,
should thus be made to unjustly suffer. I can only urge them to apply to
themselves the words of the Apostle, "Cast not away, therefore, your
confidence, which hath great recompense of reward"; "For ye have need of
patience that, after ye have done the will of God, ye shall receive the
promise"; "Ye endured a great fight of afflictions; partly, whilst ye were
made a gazingstock, and partly whilst ye became companions of them that were
so used." -- Hebrews 10:35,36,32,33
NO COMPLAINT AGAINST THE LAW
I have no complaint to make against the Laws of our land, nor against the
Jury System, not against the particular twelve men who, in my judgment, gave
an unjust verdict. I esteem our Laws to be most wonderfully just. I have
often marveled that imperfect, fallen men have succeeded in the erection of
such excellent barriers against sin and injustice. I cannot see that a more
fair method than our Jury System of trying a case could be arranged by
imperfect men. Neither do I believe that the average jury desires to pervert
justice. The miscarriage of justice I attribute rather to the imperfection
of human knowledge. Suspicion and evil-surmising are weeds which seem to
grow prolifically in every mind. They spring spontaneously in the degraded
heart. There is such a disposition to judge others by one's self, and such a
realization of sinful impulses that the average man naturally enough imputes
evil, on every occasion when it is suggested to him.
St. Paul enunciated this principle, saying, "The natural man receiveth not
the things of the Spirit of God;... neither can he know [understand] them;
for they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:14) Our Society and
its work, our Lord's work and the work of the Apostles and the regenerate
since, are so far beyond the concept of the unregenerate as to be
"Foolishness unto them" -- hypocrisies, frauds, impositions. If Jesus and
the Apostles and the faithful saints of eighteen centuries have all belonged
to this class, I will be of good courage and not be ashamed to belong to the
same.
I am the more encouraged because I realize that the great Day of Blessing,
the great Thousand-Year Day of Messiah's Kingdom, is near at hand--is
dawning now. Soon Satan, the "Prince of Darkness," will be bound for a
thousand years, to deceive the nations no more. (Revelation 20:2,3,6) No
longer will Darkness be permitted to masquerade as Light, and the Light be
slandered as Darkness. All the blind eyes will be opened; all the deaf ears
will be unstopped. That glorious period, as the Prophet has declared, shall
be "the desire of all nations." (Haggai 2:7) Then not only the Church will
see eye to eye, and understand God's providences at the present time, but
the whole world will see in the light of that happy time for which we pray,
"Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as in Heaven."
Sincerely, and undismayed, I remain a servant of God.
CHARLES T. RUSSELL.
Brooklyn, January 29, 1913.
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The next article is a letter which appeared in:
The Watch Tower, March 3, 1915, page 79
INTERESTING LETTERS
MIRACLE WHEAT TAKES PRIZE
GREATEST WHEAT STATE SENDS MIRACLE WHEAT AS ITS BEST
PRIZE WHEAT TO THE WORLD'S FAIR.
DEAR FRIENDS AND BRETHREN:--
A copy of the Chicago Daily Tribune recently came to my notice containing
articles, the object of which was an attack upon the Association and
especially upon Pastor Russell. Among other points of attack was Miracle
Wheat, and thinking that some information on the subject might be of value
to you in meeting this attack, I enclose herewith picture and data relative
to a field of Miracle Wheat I grew last year. This picture, among thousands
of others of the best fields raised in the State, was sent to the Secretary
of the State Board of Agriculture, J. C. Mohler. From this collection was to
be chosen the one which would represent the State at the World's Fair, which
convenes February 20th.
Now the judges in this matter did not know that this was Miracle Wheat,
hence they had nothing to bias their decision. So Miracle Wheat received the
award.
I grew 70 acres of this wheat and planted and cared for it in the regular,
ordinary way, and had no trouble in disposing of it to my neighbor
wheat-growers last fall for seed, at $2 per bushel.
In this section of the country we have to sow more to the acre than in some
localities, hence we could not follow the 20 lb. to the acre rate of
seeding, but some we seeded at the rate of 1/2 bu. and some at the rate of
3/4 bu. per acre, and we found the three pecks to be the better. If we were
going to sow again we would sow rather more than this.
My field yielded 49 bu. to the acre--more than twice the average yield of
wheat in this vicinity and in many instances more than three times as much.
If this information is of any value to you or any of the friends who may
have charge of the matter of setting these things straight before the
public, I am thankful for the opportunity to furnish the same.
With Christian love and best regards, I am
Your brother and fellow-servant,
W. A. JARRETT.
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This final article appeared in:
The Watch Tower, July 15, 1915, page 218
PROPER AND IMPROPER ADVERTISING
Question.--Is it showing the spirit of Babylon to solicit advertising
contracts from merchants for space on Photo-Drama announcements?
<Answer.>--It would not be proper to say to a merchant, "Advertise with us
and thus contribute something to a good cause." That would not do. It would
be begging for the Lord's cause, a thing we are not authorized to do. But if
I were a merchant and had an opportunity to put an advertisement into a
Photo-Drama announcement, I would think it would be one of the best chances
of advertising I ever had. I would think I was receiving a benefit. If for
$1 or $2 I could have my business card circulated all over the neighborhood,
I would say, "These little leaflets showing about the Drama will interest
the people; and while reading the notes about the pictures, they will also
read about my business." I would think I had good value for my money. If any
man thought that he was not getting good value he ought not to put his
advertisement in. It is a purely business transaction.
In soliciting the advertisement, one should not mention the religious
feature. We do not do this at all. It is purely business, so far as the
merchants are concerned; and I would let them advertise all that they
choose. The fact that we do not permit advertisements in THE WATCH TOWER
does not signify that to do so would be wrong. I see nothing wrong in a
merchant's advertising his wares. If I were publishing a daily newspaper, I
would expect to sell advertising space.
A brother who owns a newspaper consulted me a little about his advertising.
He said that the merchants in his vicinity were accustomed to advertise, and
that some of the best advertisers were dealers in liquor and tobacco. I told
him that I would not put any liquor advertisements in. I would put in
advertisements of shoes or clothing or groceries or hardware, and would
solicit such advertising, if I were running a newspaper. I see nothing wrong
in advertisements or in newspapers. I would see nothing wrong in putting six
or eight pages of advertisements into THE WATCHTOWER, if the articles
advertised were staples that every one wanted to buy. But since THE WATCH
TOWER goes into the home and represents me in a special way, I like to have
all the space used for religious matter -- not, however, because the
advertisements would be wrong.
Once we put into THE WATCH TOWER a notice about Miracle Wheat. Many of you
saw it. We believe we did right in putting that notice in. We also put in a
notice about some kind of beans and one about some special cotton. Some of
the friends were benefited by each of these notices. We also put in a notice
recently about a cure for cancer. We have had hundreds of letters come in
from Truth friends, and hundreds from others; and a great many have reported
good results. To some extent this has helped forward the Truth. People saw
that we were not trying to get their money, saw that we were trying to do
them good, and became interested.