Cayton's weekly. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1916-1921, 1919-07-05
MEN WITH HOBBIES

In the early history OF Seattle there lived
an eXpressman in the city who came to the
conclusion that the world was soon to be
destroyed by fire, and he reached this con-
clusion from dilgent research Of the Bible,
so he set himself about to warm his fellow
man to make preparations to flee the wrath
Of God That his arguments would be alb
solutely convincing he had made for his use
when he was discussing or preaching his
doctrine expensive charts and other argu-
mentative Documents and armed with these
on Sunday afternoons in his express wagon
he would drive down on Pioneer Square
and begin his lectures, and he usually drew
immense crowds. Finally he out grew the
express business and the last the writer
heard OF him he was in the East doing a
land office business financially speaking, con-
verting men and women to the belief that
the end of the world was near at hand. 1t
was first an idea, then hobby and finally
financial enterprise with him, but at no
time could it be rghtfully called a fake
Persons with resourceful minds can prove
almost any kind Of a theory by the Bible.
Many years ago j. NJ Webb, Seattle
barber who devoted much of his time to
the study Of the Bible, came to the con-
clusion that the parents of Jesus Christ
were a mixture of Jewish and Ethiopian
blood, and he set about to verify his sus-
piciOns and to that end he read the Bible
and the commentaries thereof until he now
has no doubts of his theory. At first he
went forth to preach this doctrine for the
purpose of humiliating the white man for
his abuse Of the black man in the United
States, but this he could not continue with
out funds and so he began to write book
lets on the subject, which he sold at so
much per- from which he has reaped some
financial reward. But one thing suggests
another and now he has had pictures made
OF Jesus Christ and His associates fashioned
after bis theory and has sterOptacized them
and with them has gone into the lecture
field. He plans to 90 step further and
nut his ideas into moving pictures and if
he does it is here predicted he will realize
a small fortune from the whole
A thorough study Of sacred history will
doubtless fully convince any one that the
peoples from whence Jesus Christ came
were a mixture of Jews, Philippians and
otherwise and it could hardly have been to
the contrary as there did not exist at that
time the strong class and color distinction
among the peoples of the world that is
common to this age and time, but Mr..
Webb s pictures to an extent belle his
theories for one Of his pictures shows the
OhrlSC Cnllu Delng neld by Mary, Ills
mother, the child Of a chocolate color and
the mother pure white. If there be any
thing in the theory, Mary herself would
show up as a mulatto. But there is nothing
condemnatory in Mr.. Webb's lecture and
pictures, and so far as we are personally
concerned we. rather enjoyed the whole
affair and found much in it for food for
thought, and we are thoroughly convinced
that there is nothing hurtful to anyone in
the lecture. On the other hand, we see no
benefits to be derived from the theory to
the black man even though the whole
world including, the late peace conference
arrive at the same conclusion as has Mr.
Webb.
If history is to be believed, the Jews did