The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-10
LIFE AND WORKS
 OF PASTOR RUSSELL
By pRoF. $. A. ELLrs

No star in the religious sphere will
 shine more brilliantly in the future than that of Charles T. Russell, or Pastor Russell" as he was familiarly known. To his followers, those who knew him and looked without prejudice upon his life and works, he had reached the zenith of glory in the display of Biblical knowl-
 edge when he dropped behind the western horizon on October 31, 1916. On that date
 Pastor Russell ended career without
 parallel in all history, for no records
 show that any, man in this age or ages past wrote more, travelled more exten- sively and lectured to more people on Bible teaching than did he. It is said that he had not rested a day in 40 years of his active ministry. He literally wore out his life in teaching, writing and travel. One would take him to be above 80 years of age, although he died at the age of 64.
 l Like all other reformers he met a storm of persecution that gathered cloud over his life obscuring it's brilliancy for the present from the great mass of the re- ligious world. His persecution was due to his opposition to and his exposure of
 many errors in the creeds of the various so-called orthodox churches. It is singular fact that he was opposed by those high up in the ecclesiastical world, but who were wholly unable to meet him on the platform and prove his teachings | to be contrary to the Bible. His assail- ants dealt their blows at his personal 1 character more than at the views he ad- vanced. Very seldom any attempt was made to answer his argument, and al- ways ended in failure when attempted. But character so strong as his, and with an abiding faith in God, he was able to endure the poison arrows shot at him without flinching and without returning the blows thrust at him. He wove around his assailants the mantle of charity as a real Christian should do, and conceded to them honesty of pur- pose as he knew they were following the tradition of their fathers, and that it IS hard to surrender religious views once
 entertained and taught them in early | life.
 | He was a writer and lecturer of su- perior ability. His books and periodicals have been published in 30 different lan- guages, and have reached a circulation far beyond any books except the Bible, | ever published, they reached millions of copies. He travelled over the United 1 States and Canada annually and lectured 1 to immense audiences from platforms of all leading cities of this country. He made tours at intervals to the countries of Europe and spoke from platforms of | their leading cities. He visited China and Japan, and spread his teachings there. He was well received by both | Jews and gentiles. No other gentle 1 teacher ever met such vast audiences of Jews to hear Bible topics discussed. He spent large sums of his own money, and that contributed by his friends for 1 the spread of the truth. At the outset
 of his career. 40 years ago. he contributed | s42, ,000 to publish his views upon the Bible, and since that he has put into the Bible house at Brooklyn every available dol | lar for this purpose. He has been called a "grafter" and many other vile names, | but he used very little money for his own support. He told me with his own 1 lips that his salary was only $ll per | month above actual travelling expenses and board
 1 He was a man of pure life. I have I talked with several reliable people who spent months, and even years at the | Bethel Home, the home of Pastor Rus | sell and his co-workers, and they uni | formly testify that they never heard q word from him or saw an act that de- served criticism. No one, devoid of prejudice. who will read his books would l say that bad man could write such books. Why would vile character as he has been called devote his life to Bible study? It is wholly inconsistent to even
 intimate that corrupt man could or would so spend his life and means. | He was a man of superior ability as a ] financier. His greatness was manifest, not only in his Bible study and the pro- | mitigation of his views upon that subject, but he had breadth of learning on all subjects. He had a remarkable fund of | information on science, history and litera- ture. He kept abreast of the times on all important subjects. That he had a superior knowledge of the Bible and it's dates and periods marked out therein, is evidenced by his statements published over 25 years ago that the great trouble now overhanging the world would break
 out in 1914. He did not claim any prophetic ability in this either. He simply
 stated what he saw in the Bible. | The proverb reads. Truth, though crushed to earth, will rise again. This proverb will doubtless hold true in regard
 to Pastor Russells life, character ard
 works. No man with such career will
 be forgotten. but when clouds of prejudice have blown away, he will shine forth amid the constellation of great men. great reformers with more brlliancy than any one who has lived in this age. It IS
 impossible that his works and influence | will die with him.