Religion: Cloud of Witnesses

“The largest religious gathering in the United States” got under way this week when Jehovah’s Witnesses swept down upon New York City for their 19th convention. There were some 125,000 of them in all.

As usual, the Witnesses were as well organized as they were numerous. For the estimated 30,000 who came by car and trailer, there was a 101-acre parking lot across the Hudson River in New Market, N.J., with reserved parking sites, food stores, a cafeteria, showers, and two big laundries equipped with washing machines. For those who came by train, bus, plane or ocean liner (the Georgic alone brought 244 of the 22,000 Witnesses coming from abroad), there were billets aplenty from Times Square to the Grand Concourse. Loaves and fishes for this multitude were processed on a suitable scale: the entire second floor of a garage was turned into one 20,000-square-foot kitchen equipped with 41 giant steam cookers. Maintenance men, butchers, guides, electricians, steamfitters, carpenters, cooks, sign-painters and musicians to the number of 20,000 were enrolled to “work for the Lord.” Estimated market value of their contributed services: more than $1,500,000.

Witness President Nathan H. Knorr of Brooklyn set off the eight full days of song, prayer and preachment in Yankee Stadium with a fiery sermon. “Jehovah’s Witnesses are one united flock!” he cried. “They will follow their King-Shepherd in His pastoral work until all of His sheep of this generation have been found and gathered out of all nations into the one flock, there safely to abide and attain endless life in Jehovah’s new world.”