page 1, issue No.1 WT July 1879

[pnutts]

[pholmes38]

I got interested in the names of the contributors. Did a bit of research, but nothing on wt library.

Using the internet, i mainly came across not the best of sites, so i didnt stay long.

From what i could glean, most of those contributers didnt stick with Bro Russell. Sad.

What a missed opportunity.

[AH173]

The weeds-to the left!

The ones who don't want to be about the Master's interests-to the left!

The SLUGGISH - to the left! Lol ☺

[GStorrs46]

  I am reading acurrently book, " A Separate  Identity ", which was written by a witness and a non-witness. I'll

not endorse everything in the book. But it does provide a historical background of these early Watchtower

writers. J. Patton, W. Mann, B Keith, H. Rice, and A. Jones. Of all of these five, three I know of left the Watch-

tower over theological disagreements. Patton was a former associate of Barbour. At least according to this

history Patton was the one who married C. T. and Maria Russell. I can neither confirm nor deny that. His

disagreement with the Watchtower appears to have been over the issue of Universal Salvation, which he

came to champion. He also appears to have had some latter relationship with Barbour again. Whether he

took up the claims of Barbour regarding Christ's Ransom,  I can not say.

   W. Mann was apparently an inventor and engineer. He was connected with Carnegie Steel. According

to "A Separate Identity", they quote a 1917 article in the Watchtower that says he was removed as a director

of the Watchtower in 1892. He later associated with Patton and William Conley ( who was the first president

of the Watchtower Society - see Proclaimers book - note: Conley later left too ). B. Keith they do not give a

lot of history about, except he was associated with Barbour's movement and after their 1874 disappointment

concerning the coming of Christ. he was the one who discovered the reading in the Emphatic Diaglott that

the Greek word at Matt 24: 3 where the K.J.V. translated it as "coming" was "parousia", & actually meant "pre-

sence". So that is the origin of our understanding of that verse. Nothing more is told of Keith's later association

with the Watchtower. A. Adams was a former Methodist minister who left his Church after a falling out over

his views concerning the New System, and that those resurrected who had not received a full opportunity

in this life to accept Christ as their Savior would receive it then. For a short time he associated with the Watch-

tower. He even approached Bro. Russell about starting a second journal which would present "the simpler

features of God's Plan. " Bro. Russell reported all went well for the first year. Then in the second the maga-

zine "went bodly into infidelity". Part of that "infidelity" was that he began to teach Joseph was the real father

of Jesus. One wonders how someone who had shown such zeal for the truth as he saw it could go so quickly

off the deep end.

   Finally there was H. Rice. Rice had briefly published a journal known as the "Last Trump" before writing for

the Watchtower. However he was in severe financial problems and was forced to close the Trump. Bro. Russell

offered him the opportunity to write for the Watchtower and in turn bring on board his readership from the

"Trump". "Separate Identity" does not go any further in their history of Rice than that.

  One wonders how all of these early Watchtower writers could have left the fold. This was a much more

fluid part of our history than it is today. Bro Russell addresses part of this in an 1894 Watchtower entitled

"Harvest Siftings ". Part of this is quoted I believe in the first or second chapter of the old "Jehovah's Witnesses

and the Divine Purpose" book, which came out in 1959. The book is available online at the website Strickly

Genteel Theocratic Resources. The book "A Separate Identity" is written by B. Schulz and R. Vienne,

Fluttering Wings Press ( 2014 ).

 

                                                                                                                                 GStorrs46

[AH173]

I am reading acurrently book, " A Separate  Identity ", which was written by a witness and a non-witness. I'll

not endorse everything in the book. But it does provide a historical background of these early Watchtower

writers. J. Patton, W. Mann, B Keith, H. Rice, and A. Jones. Of all of these five, three I know of left the Watch-

tower over theological disagreements. Patton was a former associate of Barbour. At least according to this

history Patton was the one who married C. T. and Maria Russell. I can neither confirm nor deny that. His

disagreement with the Watchtower appears to have been over the issue of Universal Salvation, which he

came to champion. He also appears to have had some latter relationship with Barbour again. Whether he

took up the claims of Barbour regarding Christ's Ransom,  I can not say.

   W. Mann was apparently an inventor and engineer. He was connected with Carnegie Steel. According

to "A Separate Identity", they quote a 1917 article in the Watchtower that says he was removed as a director

of the Watchtower in 1892. He later associated with Patton and William Conley ( who was the first president

of the Watchtower Society - see Proclaimers book - note: Conley later left too ). B. Keith they do not give a

lot of history about, except he was associated with Barbour's movement and after their 1874 disappointment

concerning the coming of Christ. he was the one who discovered the reading in the Emphatic Diaglott that

the Greek word at Matt 24: 3 where the K.J.V. translated it as "coming" was "parousia", & actually meant "pre-

sence". So that is the origin of our understanding of that verse. Nothing more is told of Keith's later association

with the Watchtower. A. Adams was a former Methodist minister who left his Church after a falling out over

his views concerning the New System, and that those resurrected who had not received a full opportunity

in this life to accept Christ as their Savior would receive it then. For a short time he associated with the Watch-

tower. He even approached Bro. Russell about starting a second journal which would present "the simpler

features of God's Plan. " Bro. Russell reported all went well for the first year. Then in the second the maga-

zine "went bodly into infidelity". Part of that "infidelity" was that he began to teach Joseph was the real father

of Jesus. One wonders how someone who had shown such zeal for the truth as he saw it could go so quickly

off the deep end.

   Finally there was H. Rice. Rice had briefly published a journal known as the "Last Trump" before writing for

the Watchtower. However he was in severe financial problems and was forced to close the Trump. Bro. Russell

offered him the opportunity to write for the Watchtower and in turn bring on board his readership from the

"Trump". "Separate Identity" does not go any further in their history of Rice than that.

  One wonders how all of these early Watchtower writers could have left the fold. This was a much more

fluid part of our history than it is today. Bro Russell addresses part of this in an 1894 Watchtower entitled

"Harvest Siftings ". Part of this is quoted I believe in the first or second chapter of the old "Jehovah's Witnesses

and the Divine Purpose" book, which came out in 1959. The book is available online at the website Strickly

Genteel Theocratic Resources. The book "A Separate Identity" is written by B. Schulz and R. Vienne,

Fluttering Wings Press ( 2014 ).

 

                                                                                                                                 GStorrs46

  

The weeds-to the left!

The ones who don't want to be about the Master's interests-to the left!

The SLUGGISH - to the left! Lol ☺

The info that was brought out in the book you're reading is interesting. To me I like what brothers said at annual meeting and the 2 daily text comments at JW broadcasting. If ones don't wrap humility about themselves-llike an apron and stamp down yourself (ego) constantly one will not stay long term in the truth. Like Peter said, Lord where else will we go to.?

John 6:67-69 - 67 So Jesus said to the Twelve: “You do not want to go also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered him: “Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

[GStorrs46]

   I find that I must amend part of my comments to my above post. Unfortunately, as I am getting older, I find my mind

does not work as well for me as when I was younger ( ? ! ). I stated in  the 1st or 2nd chapter the JWDP quotes

Russell and his 1894 Wt. article on Harvest Siftings. This is not the case. In some of the early chapters you are

introduced to John Patton, and a footnote tells you that Wm. Mann was the first Vice President of the Watchtower

Society. In chapter 7, under the subheading Harvest Siftings, a discussion follows that dwells on many of the pro-

blems that were developing in the congregations in the aftermath of the divorce trial of C.T. Russell and his wife. This

Wt. is dated from 1909. However, it repeats many of the points made in the earlier 1894 Wt. that I referenced, That

was discussing the issues that caused some to leave the organization back then. And they always appear to be the

same. A lack of complete trust in Jehovah and showing a waiting attitude on him for further light, a lack of humility,

as well as a proud and haughty spirit, combined with motives of self ambition. These thoughts are good for us all

to do a self examination of, even as our brother Ashley commented above.

 

                                                                                                                                                    GStorrs46