1914 ARRIVES!

The months rolled by and turned into 1914. Around the world at that time the brothers must have been wondering what the year would bring forth. The brothers in South Africa were very conscious of the date. Among them were the Myrdals down in Durban. Henry Myrdal says: “I well remember the date August 4, 1914, when my mother, reading the newspaper, told us, the family, ‘Here it is! The War has come, just as Pastor Russell said in his books.’”

Over in Britain many were watching world events with interest and recognized the “sign.” This included a young brother named George Phillips, then a lad of sixteen doing colporteur service at Barrow in Furness, England. Little did George know then that he would play an important part in the development of the Kingdom work in southern Africa!

Up in Nyasaland many Africans sincerely interested in the truth also were watching the date. The Germans were just across the border in Tanganyika (then German East Africa) and British troops were preparing to defend the border. Some were conscious that Bible prophecy was being fulfilled.

Says the book Independent African, page 230: “Africans themselves left their own record of the unsettlement which the War had brought to them. It seemed, indeed, to many that the Watch Tower prophecy that the world would end in October 1914 was about to come true.” Confirming this was a letter from a Brother Achirwa in Nyasaland to Brother Russell (published in The Watch Tower of September 1, 1914). Among other things, it says: “Surely we are living in the Time of the End, according to the Scriptures. . . . But we read in the Bible that the Deliverer shall come, and the Kingdom of God shall come, and all nations shall know the Way of our God; but the wicked will He destroy.” It then goes on to describe their meetings, which, on special occasions, were attended by hundreds at one time.

The year 1914 had come and gone. Although world events were fulfilling prophecy in a remarkable way, the work was not yet over and it seemed that there was still much to be done. Brother Johnston said in a letter to Brother Russell: “The past year has been one of continuous testings and trials, both to individuals and to Classes [or, congregations].” However, the report of activity in South Africa for the year 1915 shows that there had been over 4,700 printed volumes distributed, 75,131 copies of free literature circulated and 312 meetings held. The work had not come to a standstill by any means.