The Washington times., 1918-03-15
PASTOR RUSSELL'S
FINISHED MYSTERY
SOLVED BY ARRESTS

,yrvy work.. March 15.-'~rhe Fin
i.bsd Mystery" purporting to be
nosthumous work OF the late Pastor
Rus.ell. ia a mystery no longer TO the
Irnttsd states Secret Service. Follow
I,g tba arrest of three distributors
NJ the book In Scranton, Pa, ana the
LA NV Government officials upon
.,rh. watch Tower" headquarters OF
,ha aRussellites' in Brooklyn, few
days ago. Federal authorities have
nronounced the volume anti-war ana
anti-patriotic, and are predicting the
arrest OF others concerned In its CIT
culation. a..
The book, which. according to its
title page, is now m its "Io'oOO eo-
ition," is published, still according
to the title page. by the internatlonaI
Rible Students Association. On the
otbar hand. the outside cover OF the
volume proclaims its publishers to pc
the "Bible and Tract Society," OF
London and New York.
Paragraph Heading.
Each paragraph in the book Ii head
ed with a black letter quotation from
what a footnote calls "the Sinaitic
Ms" This. II goes on to explain, sis
the Oldest known version OF the SCRIP
ture."
Following the "Sinaitic" quota
.tions are the words of the late Pas
tor Russell. These, however, are
literally interlarded with the words
of other preachers and writer's, among
them John Haynes Holmes, pastor OF
the Church of the Messiah, who Is
quoted as terming our participation
in the war as political and econom-
ic, not ethical in its character"
The war itself Is wrong" Mr..
Holmes Is quoted further as saying.
tits prosecution will be crime
There is not a question raised, an is
sue involved. q cause at stake, which
is worth the life OF one bluetacket
trenches"
"The Finished Mystery" on its own
responsibility has no less harsh
things to say concerning the CONFLICT
and our part therein.
/ "war is an open and utter viola
tion OF Christianity" II says on page
$50. "If war Is right. then Chris
tianity Is wrong, false, a lie. II
Christianity is right, then war is
wrong, false. lie. The God revealed
by Jesus and by every spiritual
leader Of the race is no God OF battles.
His spirit Is love His rule
10 forgiveness"
Another Indictment
Further along on the same page
there follows another Indictment OF
this war In particular, presumably
from the pen OF Pastor Russell. He
refers to "the curious situation Of all
war being wrong In general and each
war being right In particular"
Germans" he continues "denounce
war, with the exception. of course, OF
the present conflict with England.
! Englishmen condemn war. but ex-
cIude from their indictment the pres
ent war against the central empires.
'If you tell me that this war is
fought for the integrity OF interna-
tIonal law, ! must ask you why 1t Is
! directed only against Germany and
not also against England, which Is an
/ equal, although far less terrible, vto-
lator OF covenants between nations?
'If you say that IL Is fought on be-
half of the rights OF neutrals, i must
ask you where. when and BY what
beIlIgerent the rights OF neutrais have
been conserved in this war and what
guarantee you can offer that, after all
our expenditure OF blood and money
for their defense. these rights will not
be similarly violated all over again In
] the next war by any nation tnAt -
| battling for its life?
"If you say that the war II life
and death struggle for the preserva-
ton of civilization against barbarism,
] must ask you why we remained neu-
traI while Belgium was raped and
were at last aroused to action not by
the cries OF the stricken abroad. but
by our own losses in men and money"
In another portion of the book.
page PAT. Pastor Russell rails against
patriotism
He terms II "a certain delusion,
which is but described by the word
patriotism, but which Is In reality
, murder, the spirit OF the very Devil"
He also calls 1t. "this last and crown
ing feature of Satan's work"
Nowhere In the New Testament"
he continues, sis patriotism (s mar
row-minded hatred of other peoples)
encouraged. Everywhere and always
murder in its every form Is forbidden,
and yet. under the guise OF patriot
ism, the civil governments OF earth
demand Of peace-loving men the sac
rifice OF themselves and their loved
ones and the butchery OF their fellows.
and hail II as duty demanded by
the laws of heaven"