PREACHING IN QUEBEC

In 1924 I was invited to enter the preaching work in the Province of Quebec. I worked first in Montreal, where at the time there was only one small congregation. In Quebec the joys increased, and so did the persecution. One of our early assignments was to distribute a resolution released at the Columbus, Ohio, convention in 1924. The resolution in tract form was entitled “Ecclesiastics Indicted,” and it exposed the death-dealing quality of false religion.

Following the routing set out by the Society, we went to many towns such as Granby, Magog, Asbestos and others in the Eastern Townships. To avoid opposition, we started distributing the tract from door to door at 3 a.m., and by seven or eight o’clock, when the town was active, our work would be finished. Several times we were arrested by the police, who tried to frighten us out of town. An example was at Magog, where the police took us to court. No charge was made, but we would have to pay $15 to get out. We said we did not have $15, so they reduced it to $10. We said we did not have $10, so it was reduced to $5. We said we did not have $5, so they let us go.

At Coaticook, we ran into more serious trouble in May 1925. A mob led by the head knight of the Knights of Columbus surrounded us and tried to force us into a truck. We ran to the railway station and took refuge in the waiting room. The stationmaster saw the mob approaching and locked both doors. They milled around, waving their fists and pounding on the window. Soon the leader of the mob came back with the police.

We were arrested and taken to the town hall, where a court was immediately convened. We were charged with “publishing a blasphemous libel” because of the criticism of the clergy. The only witness called was the local Catholic priest. We were taken to Sherbrooke and locked up overnight in a filthy, vermin-infested jail, where I was so badly bitten that I required treatment for several weeks.

The trial came up on September 10 before Magistrate Lemay, who decided to follow the law. He said: “There is here no blasphemous libel and I dismiss the complaint brought against the accused.”

TO THE NORTH

In 1926 I began to serve in the mining district of northern Ontario and Quebec. The roads were bad, and there was limited development, but what an exciting place to preach God’s Word! We visited mining camps, bunkhouses, anywhere people could be found. Jehovah’s loving-kindness was such that we would sing as we traveled between calls!

Much of the time we traveled by train. When we left one town, the priest would often get our destination from the ticket agent. Then he would wire the priest at our destination to warn his parishioners. If we arrived before the warning, we would likely find much interest; if after, there might be open hostility.

After several days with every town forewarned, my companion and I got to a hotel in Larder Lake, out of money. But after offering the literature to a man at the hotel, he took it and made a contribution of $10. Our hearts overflowed with gratitude at the way Jehovah’s goodness pursued us. We went to the next town, Rouyn, Quebec, where in two weeks we placed over 1,500 pieces of literature. Truly a time of rejoicing!

We next came to the town of Amos. Here the people had been warned by the priest to have nothing to do with us, but this time the warning backfired. It stirred up more interest, and in about an hour all my books were gone, and I had to hurry back to our room for supplies. I remember one storekeeper who wanted to appear antagonistic, yet at the same time he was anxious to get the Bible study aids. There were customers in the store, so loudly he said: “NO, I WOULDN’T BE INTERESTED.” Then under his breath, he said: “They look very interesting. Just put them on the counter.” Loudly he said: “TAKE THEM AWAY, I DON’T WANT THEM HERE.” In a low voice: “I’ll leave the dollar on the counter. Just take it and walk out.” Such experiences and many unexpected kindnesses made one want to help these naturally humble and hospitable French-Canadian people.

BACK TO QUEBEC

After the ban on the unincorporated society of Jehovah’s witnesses ended in October 1943, we went back to Quebec. In this province during the years 1944-1946 there were, almost every day, arrests, mobs, prosecutions and harassment of the Witnesses. After reviewing the mountain of injustices committed against Jehovah’s people, the Watch Tower Society released the leaflet entitled “Quebec’s Burning Hate for God and Christ and Freedom Is the Shame of All Canada.” The leaflet unmasked the Quebec government and its priestly masters. Maurice Duplessis, Premier of Quebec, called for “war without mercy against Jehovah’s witnesses.”

Daytime and nighttime the leaflets were distributed. We flew around the countryside over the cold winter snows, often with the police in hot pursuit. In the middle of the night a carload of Witnesses would dash into a village with a supply of leaflets. Each of us would run to the assigned houses, deliver the leaflets, dash back to the car and away we went! While the police were searching that village, we would be on to another.

The frustrated police then raided the Kingdom Hall in Sherbrooke and took everything they could lay their hands on. Nine of us were charged with seditious libel. When we were bailed out, we obtained new supplies and went right on with the work. There was no stopping.

Then the Society issued the second leaflet, Quebec, You Have Failed Your People! This was a reasoned reply to the government’s overreaction to the Burning Hate leaflet. Out went the second leaflet the same way as the first: Speedy nighttime activity; more cat-and-mouse games with the police. Those were exciting days!

The seditious-libel cases dragged on till 1950. Then the Supreme Court ruled that the Burning Hate leaflet was not seditious. The seditious-libel charges, including those against us, had to be dismissed.