The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1918-04-04
The PEOPLES FORUM.
"a Suspicious Organization" Is What
Some Religious Papers Have Term
edPastor RuSseIl's Cult.

pers of our land the title of which is
"A Suspicious Organization. | shall
not give the article in full but the sub
stance of it, lest occupy too much of
your space. 1t refers to the cult or
ganized by the so called Pastor Rus
SELF who, by the way, was recognized
by the best authorities of the world as
the worst conglomeration of heter-
odoXy and misleading isms that has
been perpetrated on an intelligent
world. Just now it has fallen under
the ban of the government, having
made ITSELF an object of suspicion and
investigation. This is true of the Can
adam government as we'll as our own.
They have been led to believe that dis
loyalty and treachery are at work
among that people. 1t has always been
a cemoufaged institution sailing under
false colors and aping the best, but a
destructionlst of the worst type, in &C.
classical affairs.
1t is often the case that a body that
is off color in one particular is founds to
be dangerous and unsatisfactory clear
through. Its business has been car
ried on under a sort of duplicity ard
thickness. The boss of this movement
took the name of Brooklyn Taber-
nacle," which led many uniformed
people to think he was the successor of
DR.. Talmage. In London he assumed
the name of Metropolitan Tabernacle, !"
as If he was a successor of the great
Charles H. Sturgeon. He couldn't hold
candle to Sturgeon. Here again, he
evidently would mlslead the unwary.
We must say he was an expert in cam
ouf1aging. Then he sailed under the
name of "The Watch Tower" THE
Mlllennial Dawn" The International
Bible Students" and 1.-The Associated
Bible Students" to hoodwink the pub
lie. He was nothing..if not high sound
ing. THE so called Pastor" for he
was the whole show, carried on a propa-
ganda by his lectures, paying liberal
sums for the insertion of his sermons in
the daily papers; sales Of books which
appealed chiefly to the fears of people
by his pretended prophecies of a speedy
ending of the world. This had it's eff
feet on excitable people and not few
i'll balanced ones, gave up all or a large
portion Of their money to help on the
notorious propaganda religiously that
the devil ever succeeding in flaming on
the public.
Then it gave out the impression that
it was a sort of Bible Society. Thus it
succeeded in giving out the impression
that Its work was akin to the "Ameri-
can.Bible Society, or the British and
Foreign Bible Society" and so brought
gain to itself. Many people with hon
est intention and devout mind, thought
when solicited to buy its books, that
they were buying the books of Ameri-
can and British Bible Society, only to
find they were the worthless publica-
ton and mischievous products of a
shameless and irresponsible institution
that had its origin in the Imagination
of an intensely egotistical and appar-
emily crack brained hereto. Now the
u. S. and Canada are after this camou-
flag ed, much advertised institution.
The International Bible Students alias,
Brooklyn and London Tabernacle, alias
Watch Tower ct, ut. on the ground
that it has been publishing and circu-
latlng seditious literature. A short
time ago agents of the U. S. raided the
headquarters of Russell cult in Brooklyn
and seized lot of suspected books and
papers. which were turned over to the
district attorney for examination. At
Los Angeles a like raid was made and
copies of an alleged sedltious book were
confscated.
U. S. Commissioner, Mcintyre. of
Illinois, has issued an order forbidding
the distribution of the alleged anti-war
literature of this famous institution, 1"
and has arrested two on the charge of
disloyal utterances. 1t is said that sew
eral others have been arrested in Can
ada. 1t is certain that the Canadian
government has taken similar action
against the publications of this organi-
cation and an order has been issued
that anyone having in his possession
The Bible Students Monthly" or The
Finished Mystery" will be liable to
heavy penalty. This will cut of some
at least of the supply of free literature
that is so assiduously circulated from
door to door even in our own commun-
ity by Russellites.
The anti-church, enforcement,
anti-war character of much of this
literature-says the paper to which l
referred in the beginning of this ar
ticle-has led to the suspicion that it
was paid for by German money.
While you would not, in all prob
ability, find this camoufaged conglomer-
alton of obnoxious heresy stamped,
Made in Germany, you might fully
expect it to bear the stamp, with the