march to Armageddon is on. The question today is not, Which bloc will yield? but, Will the nations yield to the King of kings? After Armageddon God’s new world will take over, bringing with it health, everlasting life and even the resurrection of the dead. In conclusion he urged, “Prepare now for that eternity of all new things, to live in it and be forever happy. Get ready now to live AFTER ARMAGEDDON in GOD’S NEW WORLD!”

Two free copies of the booklet containing the lecture were offered to all in attendance. The official count showed that 91,562 had jammed into Yankee Stadium, 25,240 heard the lecture in the overflow tents around the stadium and 49,027 listened at Trailer City, making a total of 165,829. WBBR broadcast it to many more thousands.

The sun gradually lowered behind the stands to the west. The closing moments of the assembly were stealing on apace. Just a short intermission, and then the convention lifted its voice in songs of thanksgiving to Jehovah, after which came the “Closing Remarks by the President.” For the next hour he gave earnest admonition to praise Jehovah, basing his remarks on Psalm 145, during which he announced that the 1954 yeartext will be Psalm 145:2, “Every day will I bless you, and I will praise your name forever and ever.”—CB.

Then speaking informally Brother Knorr told about plans for Brothers Franz, Henschel and himself to visit the brothers in Central and South America. He commended the assembly on its good behavior, and announced that during 1954 district assemblies will be held and in 1955 a series of conventions, spreading across the country from the west coast of the United States to England and the continent’s mainland. Then, with a song and a prayer of thanks to Jehovah, the greatest assembly of Christians ever to be held ended.

IN CONCLUSION

Truly, here are a people separate and distinct, a New World society based on the principles set forth in the Bible. Its principles work, for those at Yankee Stadium could look about them each day and see scores of thousands, all dedicated to Jehovah and living by those principles. Truly the world saw a powerful demonstration of the spirit of Jehovah at work!

“Czech Reds Persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses”

UNDER the heading, “Czech Reds Persecute Jehovah’s Witnesses as Well as Catholics,” the United States Catholic weekly, Our Sunday Visitor, May 17, 1953, published the following London dispatch:

“In Czechoslovakia the heavy hand of Communist repression has fallen with impartial ruthlessness on the Catholic Church and a group which has ranked as one of the Church’s most vehement opponents—the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Reports here disclosed that 2,260 Jehovah’s Witnesses—460 of them women—are under arrest in Czechoslovakia. Among them is their leader, Bohmil Miller, who was sentenced recently to 15 years at hard labor. Another is Jan Sebin, former leader, who has been condemned to 18 years’ imprisonment. Sebin spent six years in the Dachau and Buchenwald concentration camps in Germany under the nazis. The illness and physical disabilities he suffered as a result forced him to relinquish his post of command in 1950. The Jehovah’s Witnesses—known in Europe as the International Bible Students’ Association—has also been severely persecuted in other Iron Curtain countries, especially Eastern Germany. Leaders of the movement here said they believed the measures taken by the Prague authorities have all but eliminated the sect in Czechoslovakia.”

It is of interest to note that the foregoing report, while stating that the Reds are persecuting Catholics and Jehovah’s witnesses with an impartial hand, fails to give the figures for the number of Catholics in prison. Based on the latest published figures, 1951 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this report would indicate that 90 per cent of the witnesses in Czechoslovakia are now in prison.