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CONCERNING ONE-DAY CONVENTIONS

AT HARRISBURG, PA., ON OCTOBER 8

WE had a grand season of refreshing, friends attending from various surrounding towns. The morning rally brought out excellent testimonies of love for the Truth and loyalty in its service.

The afternoon service for the public was held in Chamber of Commerce Auditorium and was well attended—about 600 being present. The topic, “To Hell and Back. Who are there? Hope for the deliverance of many,” was received with close attention for two hours by people not accustomed to sit longer than twenty minutes for a sermon. The evening topic addressed to the interested was, “Yom Kippur, the Sin Atonement or Covering.” In this we showed that Oct. 9, the Jewish Atonement Day, was but a type of the greater one, its antitype—the Gospel age. We need not give details of this, for many of our readers got in the Pittsburgh Dispatch a good report on the day following. A midnight train brought us home for Monday’s duties and privileges.

AT PROVIDENCE, R.I., OCTOBER 22

This was a rousing Convention. About 300 attended from outside the city, full of love and zeal and animation. Of these about 25 came from New York, about 100 from Boston, 50 more from cities near Boston, and 50 others scatteringly from various points.

The morning testimony rally was full of enthusiasm, and the joys of the inner life shone brightly in all faces and was testified by many lips.

The friends here had advertised with still greater energy and wisdom than on the occasion of our previous visit. They had placed 580 large cards in store windows and on the fronts of cars, and in addition had circulated 20,000 smaller cards thoroughly in the city homes. As a result Infantry Hall, the largest in Providence, was crowded, and some were turned away, unable to secure admittance. Of the 2,000 gaining entrance nearly 300 stood for the two hours of the discourse on “To Hell and Back.” We learn that one of the audience, asking for a WATCH TOWER on “Hell” said, “I entered this hall an infidel. I am, thank God, leaving it a firm believer in the Bible as God’s Word.”

The evening session for the interested was not advertised, but between 400 and 500 were present. Our discourse many of you received in the Pittsburgh Dispatch of Oct. 23. Its theme was, “Christ the center of the divine revelation.”

AT SCRANTON, PA., OCT. 23

The Scranton friends, noting that we would be unable to reach Allegheny from Providence in one night, urged that we give them one meeting on the homeward route. We assented cheerfully. We arrived at 2 p.m., were met at the depot by five of the elders and soon were at the hall, where handshakes and greetings told us that the Scranton friends were still filled with the spirit of love, joy and peace as before, and in accord with the Lord’s jewels everywhere. Word had gotten out to the friends residing in surrounding villages and cities, and some of these were present, among them some but a few weeks old in the Truth.

En route to the hall one of the elders remarked, “We have been endeavoring to follow your advice in

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the DAWNS, Brother Russell, to put to work all of the brethren giving evidence of ability, and as a result we now have quite a few able to lead Bible studies, to give Chart talks and to deliver occasional addresses. Following your advice further, we have all realized that the field is a broad as well as a ripe one, and have been going out here and there, all of us, as the Lord seemed to show an open door for the Truth. As a result the Truth is making progress here, to our joy and, we trust, to the Lord’s pleasement. How many of these outside meetings do you suppose we are keeping up?” We guessed 14; but the reply was, “More than that—25.” We congratulated them, and again commend this plan to all.

A good audience listened for two hours to a discourse on the topic the friends had advertised—”To Hell and Back,” etc. Then more hand grasps and “God bless you’s” and we were off for the train, accompanied by about a dozen. A special luncheon was thrust into our hands as we left for Allegheny, where we arrived at 7.45 on Tuesday morning.

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— November 15, 1905 —