Year Book of Jehovah's Witnesses - Watchtower Archive

Yearbook 111
the publishers alert to their privileges. The attendance at
the circuit assemblies has increased by 15,815, to a grand
total of 52,648 in the year. It has now become a regular
feature to see favorable press reports of these assemblles.
One recently said: "They [Jehovah's witnesses] have a
reputation for overwhelming fervor in preaching their
religion and we in this town will have an opportunity rarely
presented In these days of marked religious apathy, of
observing something of the fanatical zeal of these revivalists."
The religious clergy have become much embittered
and they in turn have poured out a stream of lies in an
effort to counteract the growing interest.
The campaigns with the magazines have brought splendid
results. The new subscriptions for The Watchtower during
the spring campaign yielded 43,000, while the Awake!
campaign gave us over 22,000 new subscriptions. The circulation
desk has handled over 100,000 new and renewal
subscriptions in the year and we have actually had a
42 per cent increase in number of Watchtower subscriptions.
All this has helped to open up the field to a greater witness,
resulting in many back-calls and Bible studies. With the
new style and brighter appearance of The Watchtower we
believe that the way will open up for more effective work
with the magazines in the future.
With the continued restrictive measures applied against
our work in the colonies, it was deemed necessary to approach
the Colonial Office here in London. After much effort
to get a hearing and with no practical results, it was decided
that a campaign be organized throughout the country to
obtain the support of the members of Parliament. This
proved very interesting, for we found that many were sympathetic.
The brethren throughout the British Isles visited the
member of Parliament in their own locality and presented
the facts to them. One member raised a question in the House
of Commons as to why Jehovah's witnesses were not being
permitted to enter certain of the colonies. The answer was
very Unsatisfactory; so this was followed by a further
question as follows: "Can the secretary of state quote any
incidents in the last ten years which can be attributed to
this Society, and, if so, is he quite certain that they have
not been made the scapegoat by some political, religious or
other body for such incidents?" The answer to these questions
from the minister simply shifts the responsibility onto
the local Colonial governments with the claim that they are
in the best position to judge the situation. In the course
of our witness to the ruling elements, it has been made
plain that religious interests have had much to do with the
restrictions that have been applied. The co-operation of the