Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1905-04-20
Strict Celibates.

In reference to their system of
celibacy. Benjamin and Mary have this
to say:
Our institution of celibacy is not the
ace suicide the American president con-
dennis. The teaching as well as the
practice is this: When a person discov-
ers that he or she is one of the number
Christine visitation appointed for
1916 or soon before that time-that per-
son is expected forthwith to adopt the
mode Of life of a celibate. so as to be of
that noble purity of mind and body that
can alone be deemed fitting and worthy
in all who are preparing to greet the
Redeemer on His second advent upon
this earth. If the persons who accept
this call to the holy life have been mar
ried and have had children there is no
harm done. All that is required of them
is that they become celibates when they
join our movement and that they remain
true celibates thereafter to the end.
1T is easy to see how different is this
from the race suicide condemned by
your great president. In the first place,
We hold that after the end of the pres
ent order, which event is to take place
in 1916, it will be found that'it would not
have made much difference whether the
present inhabitants of the world had
a c suicide or not, provided the race
suicide had been accomplished by the
lawful abstinence known as 'celibacy.'
For with the Inauguration of the mil
lennium, under the glorious rule of
Christ, there will be a transformation of
the human body that will render it i'm
mortal. By the exercise of His Divine
power at His second coming the Christ
will cause the blood in our bodies to be-
come transformed into spirit. This re-
placing of the blood with spirit will rem
der the body immortal. Only in this way
can the body be saved. 1t was the way
in which were saved the bodies of Enoch.
Elias and Esdras, who. without suffering
the ordeal of death, assembled gloriously
into Heaven.
1T is our belief that when Christ in
a%ugurates in 1916 His glorious reign of
the millennium He will find here on
earth, but especially in Benton Harbor's
House of David, the ~Israelite remnant
described in the hook of David as the
$4,000 that shall constitute the elect.
These, because they have faithfully
awaited His second coming. will escape
death. Their bodies will become immor-
tai and they shall rule jointly with the
Redeemer until the millennium ends
with the destruction of the earth. Then
they shall ascend with Christ into
Heaven, where, because of their Christ
like and perfect bodies, they shall sit
nearest to the Heavenly throne and be
greater than the angels ever as in the
Scriptures Christ Himself is said to be
greater than all the host of angels and
seraphs and cherubim."
| There were addenda by another of the
IIsraelites, a matronly lady known as
Mary H." She was formerly Mrs. Mary
MacDermott, of Los Angeles. But she
left a comfortable home and a happy
family to take up the Israelite's life OF
abnegation and vigil at Benton Harbor.
She said:
I'VE will not d%epopulate the earth
with race suicide practices like celibacy
after the millennium is inaugurated.
On the contrary, the Israelites-that is
to say, the elect, or the people engaged in
this movement of ours-will then popu-
late the earth with immortal beings
We believe that our celibacy saves pos.
sible children from possible suffering
What's the use of having children now
if the world. as at present constituted
is to come to an end in 1852"
Preaching in Many States.
Disciples of Benjamin and Mary are
now preaching their cult in many states
of the union, especially in the south anc
southwest. The disciples travel III
prairie schooners'' overland and preach
out of doors in city. town, village ant
gulch. Chicago has been let alone sc
far. But it will not be for long. as ex
tensive plans are now being made for 6
descent upon that metropolis, where the
devil is supposed to be well intrenched.
The colony of "lsraelites" is located
about a mile outside of this town. ant
it is the mecca to which the remnant
or the lost tribes OF Israel, are turning
in these days, that is, according to tn,
statement of Benjamin and Mary.
A company Of Sc Australians recent,
arrived, after a long two months pill
grimage by way of the Suez canal an,
England. They claim to be one of tn,
lost tribes. The patriarch of the part,
is William G. Bulley. He is 70 years ole
and has been an 'Israelite." or "Hol,
Roller" or Flying Roller" as they ar,
v~ariously known, for 81 years.
Il went to Australia with nothins
but my grip in my hand 60 years ago,
he said. land have seen the movement
grow. We were not so far advanced a.
the Benton Harbor branch. We obtained
a dispensation from the fifth angel. o.
messenger. John Wroe. AS soon a!
Mary and Benjamin came to us we recog
nized they were possessed OF divin,
power and we left all to follow them"
The Colony.
The colony buildings comprise {
group in which the members OF the cul
are housed and fed and employed. Tht
largest of the frame structures is the
administration building which stands
in the center. There is a carpenter shop
a bakery, the kitchen, where the vege
tables and other food, exclusive OF meats
are cooked. Ior the Israelites amons
their other peculiar tenets hold tina
vegetarianism is the only dietary path,
way along which the elect of God should
walk, and SO the flesh of beast, bird anC
fish Is barred from the colony with al