by freedom96 25 Replies latest jw friends
When I was a young child, I remember there being a small break between the meetings. You could get up, walk around, associate, and then go back in for the second half.
At some point, they changed it to where there was just the song. And oh my, if you left, all eyes were on you. Long time for anyone, especially kids.
When was this? Mid to late 70's?
My guess is too many people were indeed leaving, and they wanted to keep them all there.
Yes, I remember those freedom. Supposedly it was to allow you to take home your Bible students that were there only for the public talk and to visit. It was supposed to cut down on the distraction. The public talk and the WT study were both an hour each so that made for a long Sunday morning.
Blondie
Yes, I remember this to it was in the 70"S. Now at the meetings they tell you that the song is just as important as the talk or the watchtower and its part or your praise to Jah. So please stay. And you are right if you leave to get up to go to the bathroom you get those looks. And please don't go outside someone will follow you out and ask if you are alright(like they care). They just want to see where you are going and what you are doing. In the words of Janet Jackson...Its all about CONTROL.
Diamond
I relished those breaks between the Public Talk and WT study. I used to dart back to the bathroom whenever possible. The secret to this: drink a ton of water before the meetings. I could get three trips easily in a two hour time slot.
Thank goodness somebody has mentioned this because nobody I've ever spoken to has ever believed me when I've spoken about the mid-meeting interval - even older ones that were around at the time! I was beginning to think it was just my imagination!
I distinctly remember it because it allowed me to get up and run around a bit - it's a nightmare sitting down for ages during a meeting when you're a little kid!
The break between meetings was standard during the 50s and 60s (and probably before that; I don't know since I wasn't around) when, as blondie said, the public talk and WT study were an hour long. I can't remember exactly when, I think it was in the early 70s when they began cutting down on the length of these meetings and also eliminated the break.
About the same time the Society cut back on the length of circuit and district assemblies as well. That was fine, because a 5-day circuit assembly and 7 or 8-day district assembly was ridiculous.
AlanF
Yes they had breaks before the 1970s, because in the old days,
that talk might last from 1-- 3hrs depending on the speaker.
They would break for lunch, then do the W T study, which might
last 2 hrs plus it was up to the conductor.
Early 50s this was changed, things had to be more organized,
more structured,toe the JW line, become robots, everyone doing
the same thing, same time,
Then the breaks were 15 minutes, I went outside to smoke,
along with the congration severant, as they were called then.
Those were the days,-------------Thank God they are gone----------
Searchin50
That was back when the Wt study had an average of 36 paragraphs.. Ah, the good ol' days. I remember them well.
I definitely remember a break in the 60's and possibly the early 70's.
mac
I remember the breaks when I was a kid in Anaheim, California (yes, the servants would take that opportunity to have a ciggie), but I think they were abolished before 1970. I don't remember having them when I lived in the Virgin Islands (1965-1970), but the Cruzans weren't what you would call organized by Stateside standards. We had meetings where the Watchtower study would go on for 2 hours and still not finish the lesson, or the talk would run 1 1/2 hours, or (my favorite) the speaker wouldn't show up at all so we'd just have the Watchtower study and go home. I hated it when they finally got organized - the uncertainty of each meeting was quite exciting. And sometimes at night the power would go out (this was an island-wide thing, not just a mischievous demon raggin' on us) and we'd finish the meeting by candlelight.
Nina
