One of the most important questions with some who will receive this number of the TOWER is, whether or not they will receive the succeeding issues. To many it may be said to be the only channel of communication between them and the remainder of the household of faith; to very many it is the only channel through which the voice of the Chief Shepherd is heard. And yet, because not urged to subscribe, or because they neglect or put off attending to the matter, many every year are dropped from our lists; and often, may be a year or two after, write us that they are lean of soul and starved for lack of the food it bears from the Master to his friends and household each month. We are most firmly convinced that the TOWER is and has been a chosen vessel in the Lord's hands for dispensing "meat in due season," and we pray and labor that it may so continue to be used. For these reasons, and
we urge all to renew their subscriptions. We need scarcely tell you that we do not urge for the money's sake. Most of you know that such a paper as ours at 50 cents per year, without income from advertisements, could not pay its way and pay for editorial and office labor, postage, etc. But we never have accepted and hope never to need to accept money for our services; they are grateful, loving offerings to the Lord, and to his church which represents him. (Col. 1:24.) The truth already has done so much for us that we are paid, exceeding abundantly, more than we could ask or expect, in advance, for all the service we are able to render. And besides, [R1172 : page 1] we are as greatly blessed each month as any of you, as the message flows from our pen to you, and as from your letters we learn of the rich blessings that the water of life and love, the truth, brings to your hearts continually. Indeed, so greatly are our hearts blessed by the preparing of the food for the household that we should be greatly disappointed were the privilege of the service, or even the privilege of doing it gratis, taken from us to be given to some one more worthy the great honor and privilege of being a "servant of all."
We explain the matter thus, fully, that you may rightly appreciate our motives in asking you to attend to the matter at once if you have any interest in the truths which the TOWER presents, that your interest may, by the watering of the Lord through our "broken vessel," increase greatly, to his praise and your profit and to our joy in you, through the Redeemer.
Our desire would be that the WATCH TOWER subscription lists should contain
THE NAMES OF ALL INTERESTED
IN PRESENT TRUTH.
We desire this for their good, and for their present and everlasting joy, and not from any selfish motive; and to bring about this desired result we have arranged
1st. The very low price of the paper—50 cents per year,—less than one cent a week and less than one-seventh of a cent per day; so that but slight sacrifice, if any, will be required to be made to obtain it by any who have any money whatever at their command.
2nd. We have provided that the cloth-bound one dollar edition of DAWN may be had by subscribers at half price; or, to reverse this proposition, We will give the TOWER one year gratis to any who purchase the cloth DAWN at one dollar. And to introduce the TOWER we shall probably sell future volumes of DAWN only upon these terms.
3d. We have provided—See Terms on first column—that any and all of God's children who by reason of age, or sickness, or accident, or by reason of inability to get employment, or who for any other reason are unable to pay the cost of the paper, may have it free, if they will write at the beginning of each year and state their desire for the paper, but their present inability to pay its cost—a postal card will do. But the card or letter must be from the person desiring the TOWER on these terms.
We want to hear from every one of you at least once a year. It does you good to write to us, and it does us good to hear from you and to judge of your growth in grace, knowledge and love of the Truth. But you must not expect us to answer personally all your good letters. Accept, please, of the articles of the monthly TOWERS as our letters to you, and let your letters be your answers back to us—at least one letter each year, to let us know that our preaching is not in vain in your case.
But let none suppose that all need to be urged to write us of their joy and love and growth, or to renew their subscriptions. Ah! no, thank God! Had it been so we, doubtless, should have become discouraged long ago. We receive every year thousands of letters which we prize more, far, than money or worldly honors; and more than any thing else except the blessings of the Master himself. Some of these from time to time we insert in the TOWER for your general joy, but some of the most precious are laid away carefully at home as precious mementos.